#cannot emphasize how much i did enjoy watching it

[pathetickuroo]

i'm a film student. here's how i felt about the edge of sleep.

for a bit of background on my "credentials" so to speak: i'm in my second to last semester of studying digital media/journalism at my university. in my program you are required to take a "digital media core" that teaches you the technical aspect of film as well as analysis and a number of writing and screen/scriptwriting classes that respectfully i performed extremely well in. i don't throw "film student" around lightly even though my emphasis is in journalism.

and here's an obligatory disclaimer that this is about the show, not mark. anyway.

overall i found the show enjoyable. it was a very fun watch featuring (and produced by) a youtuber that i've been a fan of for almost a decade. i have to say this, though, and it's going to sound harsh before i get a chance to explain what i mean by it: there is a distinction between enjoyable and "good". i liked the five nights at freddy's movie. that doesn't mean it was good.

i'm not going to come on here and say edge of sleep was bad, because it wasn't! i do think it was good. however (and clearly mark's influence on these things is more than likely slim to nil so don't come into my replies yelling at me for criticizing the show), there were a lot of things that just were kind of okay to me.

firstly, the whale. i believe this was in episode one. frankly? terrible first impression. i found the pitched down voice entirely out of place. it would have been better i think (especially considering the whale only talks that one time and never again) for it to be whalesong with subtitles, the same way they provided subtitles with safet. to be quite honest i think if not for markiplier i maybe would have turned the show off or found it an irredeemable thing based on what had been shown so far, but because i am also a film student, it was likely exacerbated by the fact that i have the mind and knowledge for film. things like this affect "normal people" or "laymen" less, and even aside from what i'm studying i also know my standards in general are. um. high. lmao. in fairness yes for this point i am nitpicking, but a first episode is the "hook" of a show so for it to have had something in it that took me out of it so much was disheartening.

some of the writing felt a bit janky and to be fair i suspect that comes from it being adapted from long-form storytelling into a six-episode, twenty-minute-segment form. i'd like to point out specifically a lot of the problems that i have with the writing/character approach apply mostly to matteo's character. with him i felt there was a lot of, "what the fuck i can't believe this. well whatever i actually don't care anymore so let's do that." he continually, more than anyone else, went back and forth on what his hard limits were in that situation. there wasn't any scene where they were trying to convince him of something (or convince him to do something!) where i felt he actually put up any kind of resistance. it all felt too easy. he should have been more in the middle of the spectrum, for or against, or completely on one side or the other and taken a longer time to convince, rather than swinging from one end of the extreme to neutral in the span of 30 seconds. i like matteo as a character. i think his plot-related decisions were poorly written.

it was also difficult for me to find really any of the characters likeable or particularly interesting or feel sympathetic to them and their struggles. it felt almost as if the writers ran with the assumption that it would be natural to care about the characters because they're characters in the show and you "have to". as a viewer i was never able to really "build a relationship" with the characters. i didn't find linda particularly interesting. frankly i really didn't think dave was a very compelling protagonist either (but this could also be a criticism of the "chosen one" archetype). i didn't care much for ruth. i think the characters i liked the most were katie and dr. castaneda.

something with a technical aspect of the show and its sense of pacing: i thought the "x hours without sleep" endcards were. i mean. they did the job. they certainly did the job. i found them a bit lazy. is it possible for me to say both that "it was clever" and "it was lazy"? that's how i feel. after the initial sequence of dave and matteo driving to the party, it was never dark out again that i can recall. the characters weren't sleeping because they couldn't sleep. why did they never do anything at night? why did the directors (or the editor or whoever) choose the "cop-out" option over ever shooting at night? was it budgetary? was it a time constraint? regardless of the "why", it was noticeable. it felt like one endless day instead of several days on end. there was also (sorry to costuming and makeup) to me almost no visual change in the characters, or there was only sometimes a change. there was one scene where dave had deep circles under his eyes and i was like, "yeah, that's a guy who hasn't slept in a long time." other times later in the plot it was almost unnoticeable. the physical variables that could convey a passage of time (darkness, personal appearance) were missing, i thought.

perhaps they're leaving it open for a season 2, but the ending felt very "whatever" to me. like, okay, we're doing this now. sure. there's a war. okay. aristera. sure. whatever.

additionally: how did they know aristera was 1) real and 2) how to get there? there was no scene or glimpse of them looking on a map or googling (which they have to have been able to do because phones were working, unless the battery had ran out which was also not established in the text) it or anything, so how did they know? how did matteo know where to fly them? it just felt like there were a lot of things that only made sense because they had to magically make sense and not because there was an actual explanation.

to be honest i thought the acting was fine. i don't have anything glaring to comment on with the acting and also, that isn't my area of expertise anyway. i heard some people were saying the acting was too "meh", but i was talking to a friend about it and she pointed out, like, "they're supposed to be sleep deprived. the acting isn't gonna look like normal acting." there's that for your consideration as well.

so do i think it was good? sure. i'd be more likely to say i thought it was fine. do i think for a non-fan it would be a must-see? probably not. do i think it was TECHNICALLY groundbreaking, in terms of direction writing et cetera? no. it had a lot to accomplish based on the source material in not a lot of time and not a lot of budget and you can tell. they did do a good job with what they were provided in terms of resources, but it could have been better.

i was also watching charlie(as in penguinz0 moist charlie)'s review of the show (got 2.5m in before i decided to write my own first) and he brought up a point i think cannot be understated: people who aren't already fans of mark will be less forgiving of these things. i think what happened with me was that i turned off the "markiplier goggles" and saw the show objectively instead of "markiplier did this".

there were also obviously constraints like i said before that would be out of mark's control (direction at large, budget, etc.) so i feel like it's also incredibly unfair and a misrepresentation of the project as a whole to just call it markiplier's thing. i think this whole whatever that's going on with amazon and this and iron lung is unfair, because mark did not write the edge of sleep. he DID write iron lung. for that to be hanging in the balance is absurd. any writing criticism like my own that gets directed towards the edge of sleep may also be unfairly applied to iron lung before it even has legs to stand on. so just in case it wasn't crystal clear: i know iron lung will be good. i want iron lung. that doesn't mean the edge of sleep couldn't have been better.

[eyrieofsynapses]

why Aurora's art is genius

It's break for me, and I've been meaning to sit down and read the Aurora webcomic (https://comicaurora.com/, @comicaurora on Tumblr) for quite a bit. So I did that over the last few days.

And… y'know. I can't actually say "I should've read this earlier," because otherwise I would've been up at 2:30-3am when I had responsibilities in the morning and I couldn't have properly enjoyed it, but. Holy shit guys THIS COMIC.

I intended to just do a generalized "hello this is all the things I love about this story," and I wrote a paragraph or two about art style. …and then another. And another. And I realized I needed to actually reference things so I would stop being too vague. I was reading the comic on my tablet or phone, because I wanted to stay curled up in my chair, but I type at a big monitor and so I saw more details… aaaaaand it turned into its own giant-ass post.

SO. Enjoy a few thousand words of me nerding out about this insanely cool art style and how fucking gorgeous this comic is? (There are screenshots, I promise it isn't just a wall of text.) In my defense, I just spent two semesters in graphic design classes focusing on the Adobe Suite, so… I get to be a nerd about pretty things…???

All positive feedback btw! No downers here. <3

---

I cannot emphasize enough how much I love the beautiful, simple stylistic method of drawing characters and figures. It is absolutely stunning and effortless and utterly graceful—it is so hard to capture the sheer beauty and fluidity of the human form in such a fashion. Even a simple outline of a character feels dynamic! It's gorgeous!

Though I do have a love-hate relationship with this, because my artistic side looks at that lovely simplicity, goes "I CAN DO THAT!" and then I sit down and go to the paper and realize that no, in fact, I cannot do that yet, because that simplicity is born of a hell of a lot of practice and understanding of bodies and actually is really hard to do. It's a very developed style that only looks simple because the artist knows what they're doing. The human body is hard to pull off, and this comic does so beautifully and makes it look effortless.

Also: line weight line weight line weight. It's especially important in simplified shapes and figures like this, and hoo boy is it used excellently. It's especially apparent the newer the pages get—I love watching that improvement over time—but with simpler figures and lines, you get nice light lines to emphasize both smaller details, like in the draping of clothing and the curls of hair—which, hello, yes—and thicker lines to emphasize bigger and more important details and silhouettes. It's the sort of thing that's essential to most illustrations, but I wanted to make a note of it because it's so vital to this art style.

THE USE OF LAYER BLENDING MODES OH MY GODS. (...uhhh, apologies to the people who don't know what that means, it's a digital art program thing? This article explains it for beginners.)

Bear with me, I just finished my second Photoshop course, I spent months and months working on projects with this shit so I see the genius use of Screen and/or its siblings (of which there are many—if I say "Screen" here, assume I mean the entire umbrella of Screen blending modes and possibly Overlay) and go nuts, but seriously it's so clever and also fucking gorgeous:

Firstly: the use of screened-on sound effect words over an action? A "CRACK" written over a branch and then put on Screen in glowy green so that it's subtle enough that it doesn't disrupt the visual flow, but still sticks out enough to make itself heard? Little "scritches" that are transparent where they're laid on without outlines to emphasize the sound without disrupting the underlying image? FUCK YES. I haven't seen this done literally anywhere else—granted, I haven't read a massive amount of comics, but I've read enough—and it is so clever and I adore it. Examples:

Secondly: The beautiful lighting effects. The curling leaves, all the magic, the various glowing eyes, the fog, the way it's all so vividly colored but doesn't burn your eyeballs out—a balance that's way harder to achieve than you'd think—and the soft glows around them, eeeee it's so pretty so pretty SO PRETTY. Not sure if some of these are Outer/Inner Glow/Shadow layer effects or if it's entirely hand-drawn, but major kudos either way; I can see the beautiful use of blending modes and I SALUTE YOUR GENIUS.

I keep looking at some of this stuff and go "is that a layer effect or is it done by hand?" Because you can make some similar things with the Satin layer effect in Photoshop (I don't know if other programs have this? I'm gonna have to find out since I won't have access to PS for much longer ;-;) that resembles some of the swirly inner bits on some of the lit effects, but I'm not sure if it is that or not. Or you could mask over textures? There's... many ways to do it.

If done by hand: oh my gods the patience, how. If done with layer effects: really clever work that knows how to stop said effects from looking wonky, because ugh those things get temperamental. If done with a layer of texture that's been masked over: very, very good masking work. No matter the method, pretty shimmers and swirly bits inside the bigger pretty swirls!

Next: The way color contrast is used! I will never be over the glowy green-on-black Primordial Life vibes when Alinua gets dropped into that… unconscious space?? with Life, for example, and the sharp contrast of vines and crack and branches and leaves against pitch black is just visually stunning. The way the roots sink into the ground and the three-dimensional sensation of it is particularly badass here:

Friggin. How does this imply depth like that. HOW. IT'S SO FREAKING COOL.

A huge point here is also color language and use! Everybody has their own particular shade, generally matching their eyes, magic, and personality, and I adore how this is used to make it clear who's talking or who's doing an action. That was especially apparent to me with Dainix and Falst in the caves—their colors are both fairly warm, but quite distinct, and I love how this clarifies who's doing what in panels with a lot of action from both of them. There is a particular bit that stuck out to me, so I dug up the panels (see this page and the following one https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-20-30/):

(Gods it looks even prettier now that I put it against a plain background. Also, appreciation to Falst for managing a bridal-carry midair, damn.)

The way that their colors MERGE here! And the immense attention to detail in doing so—Dainix is higher up than Falst is in the first panel, so Dainix's orange fades into Falst's orange at the base. The next panel has gold up top and orange on bottom; we can't really tell in that panel where each of them are, but that's carried over to the next panel—

—where we now see that Falst's position is raised above Dainix's due to the way he's carrying him. (Points for continuity!) And, of course, we see the little "huffs" flowing from orange to yellow over their heads (where Dainix's head is higher than Falst's) to merge the sound of their breathing, which is absurdly clever because it emphasizes to the viewer how we hear two sets of huffing overlaying each other, not one. Absolutely brilliant.

(A few other notes of appreciation to that panel: beautiful glows around them, the sparks, the jagged silhouette of the spider legs, the lovely colors that have no right to make the area around a spider corpse that pretty, the excellent texturing on the cave walls plus perspective, the way Falst's movements imply Dainix's hefty weight, the natural posing of the characters, their on-point expressions that convey exactly how fuckin terrifying everything is right now, the slight glows to their eyes, and also they're just handsome boys <3)

Next up: Rain!!!! So well done! It's subtle enough that it never ever disrupts the impact of the focal point, but evident enough you can tell! And more importantly: THE MIST OFF THE CHARACTERS. Rain does this irl, it has that little vapor that comes off you and makes that little misty effect that plays with lighting, it's so cool-looking and here it's used to such pretty effect!

One of the panel captions says something about it blurring out all the injuries on the characters but like THAT AIN'T TOO BIG OF A PROBLEM when it gets across the environmental vibes, and also that'd be how it would look in real life too so like… outside viewer's angle is the same as the characters', mostly? my point is: that's the environment!!! that's the vibes, that's the feel! It gets it across and it does so in the most pretty way possible!

And another thing re: rain, the use of it to establish perspective, particularly in panels like this—

—where we can tell we're looking down at Tynan due to the perspective on the rain and where it's pointing. Excellent. (Also, kudos for looking down and emphasizing how Tynan's losing his advantage—lovely use of visual storytelling.)

Additionally, the misting here:

We see it most heavily in the leftmost panel, where it's quite foggy as you would expect in a rainstorm, especially in an environment with a lot of heat, but it's also lightly powdered on in the following two panels and tends to follow light sources, which makes complete sense given how light bounces off particles in the air.

A major point of strength in these too is a thorough understanding of lighting, like rim lighting, the various hues and shades, and an intricate understanding of how light bounces off surfaces even when they're in shadow (we'll see a faint glow in spots where characters are half in shadow, but that's how it would work in real life, because of how light bounces around).

Bringing some of these points together: the fluidity of the lines in magic, and the way simple glowing lines are used to emphasize motion and the magic itself, is deeply clever. I'm basically pulling at random from panels and there's definitely even better examples, but here's one (see this page https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-16-33/):

First panel, listed in numbers because these build on each other:

The tension of the lines in Tess's magic here. This works on a couple levels: first, the way she's holding her fists, as if she's pulling a rope taut.

The way there's one primary line, emphasizing the rope feeling, accompanied by smaller ones.

The additional lines starbursting around her hands, to indicate the energy crackling in her hands and how she's doing a good bit more than just holding it. (That combined with the fists suggests some tension to the magic, too.) Also the variations in brightness, a feature you'll find in actual lightning. :D Additional kudos for how the lightning sparks and breaks off the metal of the sword.

A handful of miscellaneous notes on the second panel:

The reflection of the flames in Erin's typically dark blue eyes (which bears a remarkable resemblance to Dainix, incidentally—almost a thematic sort of parallel given Erin's using the same magic Dainix specializes in?)

The flowing of fabric in the wind and associated variation in the lineart

The way Erin's tattoos interact with the fire he's pulling to his hand

The way the rain overlays some of the fainter areas of fire (attention! to! detail! hell yeah!)

I could go on. I won't because this is a lot of writing already.

Third panel gets paragraphs, not bullets:

Erin's giant-ass "FWOOM" of fire there, and the way the outline of the word is puffy-edged and gradated to feel almost three-dimensional, plus once again using Screen or a variation on it so that the stars show up in the background. All this against that stunning plume of fire, which ripples and sparks so gorgeously, and the ending "om" of the onomatopoeia is emphasized incredibly brightly against that, adding to the punch of it and making the plume feel even brighter.

Also, once again, rain helping establish perspective, especially in how it's very angular in the left side of the panel and then slowly becomes more like a point to the right to indicate it's falling directly down on the viewer. Add in the bright, beautiful glow effects, fainter but no less important black lines beneath them to emphasize the sky and smoke and the like, and the stunningly beautiful lighting and gradated glows surrounding Erin plus the lightning jagging up at him from below, and you get one hell of an impactful panel right there. (And there is definitely more in there I could break down, this is just a lot already.)

And in general: The colors in this? Incredible. The blues and purples and oranges and golds compliment so well, and it's all so rich.

Like, seriously, just throughout the whole comic, the use of gradients, blending modes, color balance and hues, all the things, all the things, it makes for the most beautiful effects and glows and such a rich environment. There's a very distinct style to this comic in its simplified backgrounds (which I recognize are done partly because it's way easier and also backgrounds are so time-consuming dear gods but lemme say this) and vivid, smoothly drawn characters; the simplicity lets them come to the front and gives room for those beautiful, richly saturated focal points, letting the stylized designs of the magic and characters shine. The use of distinct silhouettes is insanely good. Honestly, complex backgrounds might run the risk of making everything too visually busy in this case. It's just, augh, so GORGEOUS.

Another bit, take a look at this page (https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-15-28/):

It's not quite as evident here as it is in the next page, but this one does some other fun things so I'm grabbing it. Points:

Once again, using different colors to represent different character actions. The "WHAM" of Kendal hitting the ground is caused by Dainix's force, so it's orange (and kudos for doubling the word over to add a shake effect). But we see blue layered underneath, which could be an environmental choice, but might also be because it's Kendal, whose color is blue.

And speaking off, take a look at the right-most panel on top, where Kendal grabs the spear: his motion is, again, illustrated in bright blue, versus the atmospheric screened-on orange lines that point toward him around the whole panel (I'm sure these have a name, I think they might be more of a manga thing though and the only experience I have in manga is reading a bit of Fullmetal Alchemist). Those lines emphasize the weight of the spear being shoved at him, and their color tells us Dainix is responsible for it.

One of my all-time favorite effects in this comic is the way cracks manifest across Dainix's body to represent when he starts to lose control; it is utterly gorgeous and wonderfully thematic. These are more evident in the page before and after this one, but you get a decent idea here. I love the way they glow softly, the way the fire juuuust flickers through at the start and then becomes more evident over time, and the cracks feel so realistic, like his skin is made of pottery. Additional points for how fire begins to creep into his hair.

A small detail that's generally consistent across the comic, but which I want to make note of here because you can see it pretty well: Kendal's eyes glow about the same as the jewel in his sword, mirroring his connection to said sword and calling back to how the jewel became Vash's eye temporarily and thus was once Kendal's eye. You can always see this connection (though there might be some spots where this also changes in a symbolic manner; I went through it quickly on the first time around, so I'll pay more attention when I inevitably reread this), where Kendal's always got that little shine of blue in his eyes the same as the jewel. It's a beautiful visual parallel that encourages the reader to subconsciously link them together, especially since the lines used to illustrate character movements typically mirror their eye color. It's an extension of Kendal.

Did I mention how ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL the colors in this are?

Also, the mythological/legend-type scenes are illustrated in familiar style often used for that type of story, a simple and heavily symbolic two-dimensional cave-painting-like look. They are absolutely beautiful on many levels, employing simple, lovely gradients, slightly rougher and thicker lineart that is nonetheless smoothly beautiful, and working with clear silhouettes (a major strength of this art style, but also a strength in the comic overall). But in particular, I wanted to call attention to a particular thing (see this page https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-12-4/):

The flowing symbolic lineart surrounding each character. This is actually quite consistent across characters—see also Life's typical lines and how they curl:

What's particularly interesting here is how these symbols are often similar, but not the same. Vash's lines are always smooth, clean curls, often playing off each other and echoing one another like ripples in a pond. You'd think they'd look too similar to Life's—but they don't. Life's curl like vines, and they remain connected; where one curve might echo another but exist entirely detached from each other in Vash's, Life's lines still remain wound together, because vines are continuous and don't float around. :P

Tahraim's are less continuous, often breaking up with significantly smaller bits and pieces floating around like—of course—sparks, and come to sharper points. These are also constants: we see the vines repeated over and over in Alinua's dreams of Life, and the echoing ripples of Vash are consistent wherever we encounter him. Kendal's dream of the ghost citizens of the city of Vash in the last few chapters is filled with these rippling, echoing patterns, to beautiful effect (https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-20-14/):

They ripple and spiral, often in long, sinuous curves, with smooth elegance. It reminds me a great deal of images of space and sine waves and the like. This establishes a definite feel to these different characters and their magic. And the thing is, that's not something that had to be done—the colors are good at emphasizing who's who. But it was done, and it adds a whole other dimension to the story. Whenever you're in a deity's domain, you know whose it is no matter the color.

Regarding that shape language, I wanted to make another note, too—Vash is sometimes described as chaotic and doing what he likes, which is interesting to me, because smooth, elegant curves and the color blue aren't generally associated with chaos. So while Vash might behave like that on the surface, I'm guessing he's got a lot more going on underneath; he's probably much more intentional in his actions than you'd think at a glance, and he is certainly quite caring with his city. The other thing is that this suits Kendal perfectly. He's a paragon character; he is kind, virtuous, and self-sacrificing, and often we see him aiming to calm others and keep them safe. Blue is such a good color for him. There is… probably more to this, but I'm not deep enough in yet to say.

And here's the thing: I'm only scratching the surface. There is so much more here I'm not covering (color palettes! outfits! character design! environment! the deities! so much more!) and a lot more I can't cover, because I don't have the experience; this is me as a hobbyist artist who happened to take a couple design classes because I wanted to. The art style to this comic is so clever and creative and beautiful, though, I just had to go off about it. <3

...brownie points for getting all the way down here? Have a cookie.

[quixotin]

OK OK I FINISHED BINGING THE ENTIRETY OF NATLA AND I GOTTA SAY IT WAS A GREAT ADAPTATION!!!

Here are my thoughts so far:

The parts where I still had my reservations for the first half were definitely addressed in the second. There were more Kataang beats, especially in the last three episodes.

Please that whole part before the zutara showdown where Aang goes like "go easy, enough ppl have suffered" and zuko is more or less like "lol it's cute u think i'd hold back" and then aang has this proud little smirk like "oh i wasn’t talking to you"😏 Also his proud little smirk when Katara is fighting Pakku PLEASE HE IS GOING TO BE THE PROUDEST BF

They covered the most important points and had a decent few scenes of fan service, loved that.

However, the adaptation is not perfect and there are definitely parts that were lacking, at least to me. Primarily, I think they did our girl Katara a little dirty not emphasizing as much on her arc as opposed to Sokka's, for example, and also the way her ascension to master was pretty telly instead of showy

There was definitely something to love in every episode, but I think the weakest ones have to be Omashu and Spirited Away.

My ABSOULUTE FAVORITE episodes were Into the Dark and Masks. Dallas, Paul, and Gordon did SUCH a great job in them. I cannot WAIT for the proper leaves from the vine scene and also to have more of zuko interacting with aang.

ZUKO IS BABY BOY AND DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING NOT EVEN ABCs 🥺🥺🥺

My favorite was Zuko by far, yes. I think the performance and the was he was written struck the best balance of that goofiness and tragedy atla is originally known for. That’s not to say the other kids didn't do a good job, but Dallas' Zuko was by far the best imo

I understand now what the showrunners meant by making the show more mature and serious. I cannot say I didn't like it, but I can see it being an acquired taste especially for the part of the fandom that is more purist/demanding. I like that the focus emphasized more on the consequences of war and that it reflected on the cycles of violence and hurt, what they do to a person and how the wounds pass down generationally. I think this emphasis on war, compassion, kindness, all those things are definitely an important message in this time and day. However, it is a little too serious for my taste, PRECISELY because of the times we are living in. Back when the OG came about the world was in a time of relative peace. But now we get pictures of carnage and genocide mixed in with videos of cute puppies, so it's definitely a different place. It was much easier to understand the gravity of the genocidal/bombing scenes imo, almost to a point that they seemed watered down/kid friendly compared to the real thing that we see on our phones everyday. Because of that, I think erring more on the comedy, the balance between what it ACTUALLY means to be hopeful and not just talking about it, is the one thing the show could improve upon for next seasons.

All in all I am VERY pleased with the adaptation. There were moments where I definitely bawled my eyes out, shouted, and laughed the same way I did the first time I watched the show. All I can say is, for those still on the fence about watching it, so long as you go in with an open mind and with the explicit objective of enjoying yourself, it will be a fun watch.

[aajjks]

Mommy Issues (III)

synopsis. They wanted you, they needed you.

pairing. yandere!single dad!jungkook x fem!reader.

warnings. yandere behaviour, extremely delusional behaviour, obsessive behaviour, Jungkook simp 101, dark themes.

note. hello y’all. 😳 umm it’s surely been a while… but here’s another update, enjoy! and please share your feedback and thoughts! also send in asks for mi characters as well.

series masterlist.

taglist: @mageprincess7 @bids97 @saltandsugaa @minshookie29 @oppa-agust-d @sugarvenomlit @jinat8mydumplings82 @bloombaekhyun @peach-olic @multifandombishthatlovekth @vcutvante @minshookie29 @douknowbts @xjiminsthighsx @knjkitten @bruisedscrewedandtattooed @koocreampie @kooksmataec @monijeon @swaneffects @dragons-flare @dragonjimin @illnevertrustmyselfagain @itsjust2am @vicki1031 @burnahtsw @fjssk @jamacaicanxbarbie [will tag more people later!]

“Hello son.”

Even hearing his voice made Jungkook want to throw up.

He gripped the phone in his hand tightly, his body tensed hearing his fathers voice into the speakers, tired eyes wandered around to see if anyone had heard him.

He sighed deeply as he saw his coworkers busy at their desks.

“Why did you call me?” Jungkook’s tone had now changed, he whispered. his nerves vanishing as his anger took over, the man bit the inside of his cheeks, venom dripped from his voice.

“I can call you whenever I wish to, son.” The older man was just as stubborn as Jungkook, it irked him so much that how calm the older man was. “Ha, of course.” Jungkook replied sarcastically.

His father had no right to sound so entitled, especially not after he had kicked Jungkook out five years ago.

“How’s your son?”

“Why do you care?!” He barked, his voice raising, “fucking hypocrite?! How can you even bring yourself to ask about my son?! The son that you wanted me to abandon, leave him to die?” It was hard for Jungkook to contain his voice from getting louder but he was trying his best.

And his father sensed that.

“Calm down, Jungkook.” The said man wanted to laugh at his “dad” for advising him to calm down, Jungkook’s dad really was the most hypocritical asshole he’d ever seen.

“Why’d you call me, dad?!” Jungkook emphasized on the last word, chewing on his bottom lip as he grabbed his car keys, the phone still pressed tightly into his ear.

“I want to have dinner with you.” Jungkook scoffed, clearing his desk out, “you cannot be serious.” Jungkook grabbed his coat and left the building, too engaged in his conversation with the man he hated the most.

“Tell me, is this about nara?” Jungkook knew his father very well, he was never a man who cared about his family.

“Dinner at the plaza, son. Saturday evening. We’ll continue our conversation there. Goodbye.” The line disconnected before jungkook could argue, his jaw was left agape as he sat in his car, his phone now in his hands as he stared at the screen,

His mind completely blanked. He was not going to be a pawn in his dad’s game this time. Jungkook would rather die than fulfill his fathers demand.

“Fucking damn it!” He started the car, his mind was going crazy the more he thought about his monstrous father.

He banged his hand on the steering wheel out of frustration, his mood was ruined, his excitement was gone.

He was looking forward to seeing you.

He couldn’t afford to have his mood ruined. Right now? He needed to focus on the PTM.

He needed to focus on you.

You’ve been here for the last two hours.

“Mrs Choi, haru is a very good boy, he’s very into arts and is always very eager to participate in such activities.” You smile at the young woman, praising her son who smiles in return at you.

Seeing the little guy’s smile makes your heart very warm. “But.” You clear your throat. “He can be quite naughty especially with his friends.” You watch as Mira, the boys mother throws him a stern look.

The boy just pouts in return, his green eyes shining with mischief.

“Thank you for letting me know, Ms Yn… I’m guessing the friends are Jeon Seol, Min byung-ho and Lee-Jin?” The mother passes a look of disappointment to her son. You smile lightly at the sight.

“He’s a very good boy, very athletic too.” You begin praising your student, “and his friends are very good boys too, although Haru seems to be a little attached towards Jeon Seol.”

The mother turns her head to look at you once again, “yes I’m aware, they’re very close friends since their childhood together actually. My husband is a friend of Seol’s Dad.” You raise your eyebrows at that.

You were not aware of that, Mr Jeon was such a friendly man? He was even friends with your best friend and her husband too.

Small world.

“And yes, his English and both Korean are very good, especially for a little guy his age.” You nod at the young mother who ruffles her sons hair.

“Say thank you, haru.” She was such a sweet woman, barely any older than you, and you were almost done with the meeting.

“That’s all, mrs Choi.” You stand up and you watch the foreign woman take her sons hand and she bows her head to you, you repeat the gesture.

“See you soon.” You wave the duo bye and sit down at your chair again, you are pretty sure your ass aches but.

a few more parents were yet to meet with you.

It was going to be a long long day.

You sighed.

“SORRY I WAS LATE BUT IM HERE!”

Jungkook’s eyes searched for you, his loud voice had grabbed attention of people in the classroom as he walked through the students and their parents.

“DADDY!” Jungkook felt a pair of small arms wrap around his legs, stopping him in his tracks when his eyes found you.

You were looking so beautiful.

“H-Hey champ!” Jungkook replied to his 5 year old son as he picked him up, “Why’re you late?!” His son grabbed his face and turned it towards him, Jungkook teared his eyes from you, focusing on his son instead.

Seol pouted at his distracted dad, “ms Y/N is waiting for you!”

Jungkook smiled at that as he kissed his son on the cheeks, “really? I’m sorry for making her and you wait, my love.” He giggled with his son.

“Come.” Jungkook had his son in his arms as he sat down in front of you. Seol was sitting in his lap comfortably but Jungkook was looking at you.

“Oh Mr. Jeon you’re here!” You exclaim, focusing your attention on him, giving him the most ethereal smile ever.

His heart fluttered.

“H-Hi… I’m sorry I-I was late.” Jungkook stuttered like a little boy in front of you, “it’s alright. Let’s begin shall we?”

Jungkook could listen to you forever.

He was having the time of his life, watching you, listening to your voice, he was feeling so lucky, it felt like to him it was just you, his son and you in the large room.

It was partially true, because the room was now almost empty.

He was actually glad that he was late.

“Ummm, are you there, Mr Jeon?” He watched your eyebrows twitch and you looked at him with confusion, your features looking even more beautiful.

“Daddy?”

He felt Seol pinch his skin and he broke his trance of thoughts, you watch him with concern and he also felt his child’s eyes on him.

“Yes-Yes I’m listening, ms yn… you continue, please.”

He was sounding like the most dumbest lovesick fool ever, but he didn’t mind sounding so stupid, you made him act so weird that it was impossible for him to be normal around you.

“And please please call me Jungkook, like I asked you to last night.”

He knows he probably shouldn’t have said that out loud, but oh well.

He had.

[nephriteknight]

so a while back i made a post about what my blorbos' playstyles would be like in botc/social deduction games in general, and at the time i didn't include tma because they have so much highly specific trauma and dangerous eldritch appetites that this would be terrible for, but i just can't stop thinking about the very silly scenario where the tma characters play botc together. it would go so badly.

the banned character list includes fortune teller, spy, snake charmer, oracle, evil twin, vigormortis, no dashii, pacifist, cannibal, cult leader, fisherman, pixie, golem, plague doctor, organ grinder, and ojo, because elias keeps cheating. ojo and oracle somehow keep ending up in the bag anyway.

daisy gets way too into hunting down the demon. Guns Will Be Drawn.

jon and tim handle this game Extremely Predictably. i just know s1 tim would adore botc but s3 tim is having an awful time. oh great yeah one of our friends is a shape shifting demon lying to our faces? perfect. jon is on the verge of a panic attack but instead of breaking down he's just interrogating everyone very aggressively. hey, at least everyone believes he's on the good team.

basira solves the game right away and spends the rest of the game trying to convince everyone else. only georgie believes her.

martin is very good at being evil in these kinds of games (and also benefits from people not expecting him to be good at it), so when he pulls the demon he could demolish good, but, uh, he's honestly not sure jon could handle that right now so he gets caught on purpose without letting anyone else realize he threw.

elias insisted peter would attend and he did not in fact show. luckily no one believed he would come so it's not really a problem. ("you called it a 'social deduction' game, elias, it's in the name! no i'm not coming--")

...annabelle's the storyteller? i mean. she obviously would if she was there. i feel like sasha gives me st vibes as well but i might just be projecting again.

multiple games are ruined because jon accidentally compels the demon to tell him their role. one of those was not fully an accident.

simon is having a grand old time but he really doesn't give a shit about winning/the game which is less of a problem when he's good but very much a problem for his teammates when he's evil.

melanie draws the psychopath "by chance" several times and enjoys it way too much. daisy handles an outed evil player whom town can't easily execute exactly as poorly as you'd expect. i cannot emphasize enough how unlikely it is that canon team archives could play this game without at least one person getting hurt, killed, or giving in to the dark powers completely.

helen is eating it all up. literally. (elias is still pissed that the spy got banned.) she still never outright lies, which unfortunately for everyone else but fortunately for her (and simon, who thinks its hilarious) means she can't tell outright truths when she's good either or it'll look suspicious when she's evil. no one is ever fully certain what she is or what she's doing. pure chaos and we love her for it. (we being me; team archives does not in fact love her for it.)

elias is still cheating, but when they threaten to fill the room with eyeless dolls he decides to quit while he's (not) ahead and just watch from his office like an eldritch twitch chat.

[mediocreanomaly]

Amen. Priest!Wolfwood x Reader (NSFW)

**GN!Reader** Authors Note: I have an issue. Yes Priest!Wolfwood sparks joy, so please enjoy 4,539 of depravity as my welcome back, small note at the end!

**Content Warning: I grew up religious so I'm using real scripture here, if you're religious or that makes you uncomfy this might be a skip for you, if you're depraved like me read on**

Being raised Catholic was a one-way street to spoon fulls of guilt being shoved down your throat. Most everyone in the church was more or less aware of that fact, whether they acknowledged it or not.

However, there’s a warning they don't bother to put on the good book. A warning about the more...complicated relationship you develop with religion once the guilt that's swelled up in your chest has nowhere else to go.

"Then God said, 'Take your son to the land of Moriah and kill your son there as a sacrifice for me. This must be Isaac, your only son, the one you love. Use him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there. I will tell you which mountain.” Church sometimes God ask things from us, things that seem...unimaginable, unbearable, but we are not lead blindly. No, quite the opposite, God-' " Father Wolfwood emphases by pointing to the rafters of the church as if the big man himself was sitting there, watching. "He has a plan, a plan so great and magnificent that we cannot begin to comprehend. With that understanding Abraham takes his son, because he trust, church, he trust God enough to follow-"

The sermon is drowned out. To anyone around you you'd look devout. Pious even with how well you focus on Father Wolfwood, but it's not the bible that makes you show up every Sunday. It's the dark black tousled hair that trails into stubble lining his cheek. It's those big brown eyes wide and confident as he preaches to the congregation. It's those hands, large and calloused, that make you wonder what life he must have lived before this as he moves them around with his speech. It's his skin, perfectly tan and forehead beading with sweat from the insufferable heat of the church, no doubt that cassock isn't helping. It's his voice, deep and raspy with that perfect cadence that makes you wonder what it'd be like if he said your name while bending you over-

"Y/n?" The altar boy who you didn't even realize had come to your pew ask. He's holding out communion in a way that tells you he's been there for a second.

"Oh! uh-" you reach out for the wine when a hand around your wrist stops you, you blink a few times and look up to see the man you were just ogling at meeting your gaze with dark eyes.

"Why don't you pass that out to the other pews, y/n is joining me for a special communion after church, they had something they wanted to pray on with me" Father Wolfwood says easily.

"I do?" the words fall from your mouth dumbly which causes Wolfwood to raise an eyebrow at you as if you're stupid. You let yourself swallow and bow your head as if scolded, you wonder what part of being a priest blessed him with so much sass.

"ah- right! yes I had forgotten, thank you Father Wolfwood" you correct. You had not, in fact, discussed anything of the sorts with the Father, but there was clearly something you were missing here.

He gives you a curt nod before softening his eyes and turning back to the young boy.

"Go on" he insist. He does, continuing to the next pew with all the confirmation he needed and Wolfwood finally let’s go of your wrist. The warmth of his hand that lingers isn't lost on you as you wearily glance up at him.

"Special communion?" You try hoping to gather a bit more information on the situation you'll be faced with after Mass.

"mhmm, God has called me to you. Something weighs on your mind, perhaps a repentance is in order?" his face gives away nothing, although you swear his eyes darken as he watches you with a pleasant smile that stays locked on his face.

Alarm bells ring in your head. Did...did he know? You had done your best to hide your less than innocent gaze as worship. Thinking back on it perhaps you were less conspicuous about it than you thought, that or God was the worst wing man ever.

"Father Wolfwood I-"

He holds up his hand to pause the word vomit that was about to stutter out and shakes his head.

"Later. Best to confess without prying eyes, no?"

He lets you simmer on that as he makes his way back to the front of the church. When he leads the church in prayer you do take it upon yourself to pray for once. You pray you'll sink into the floor or be struck dead before the end of the sermon.

By the time the church doors are opened, and people file out you're sure your heart will burst anyways. You stay seated in the front pew, not moving an inch because if you stand it'll be to bolt out the door and... well technically nothing was keeping you from it. It's not like the god damn (sorry God) preacher would shoot you if you attempted to run. He had simply suggested you confess. Easy. He probably hears peoples fucked up sexual fantasies all the time sitting in that booth. You knew the sheriff’s wife was sleeping with the banker and you knew the sheriff was sleeping with the widow down the street so it's not like the stuff that’s pulled from the great Catholics of No Mans Land weren't anything he hadn't heard before.

That's the thought you try and let comfort you as Father Wolfwood finishes up thanking people for coming to church and shaking hands.

The church doors shut with a thud that makes you jump in your seat; you press your hands together firmly and feel your fingernails dig into the skin there. This was fine.

"You know" Father Wolfwood folds his hands politely behind his back and takes agonizingly slow steps down the aisle "People with guilty conscious are more likely to be startled by loud noises."

You keep your head bowed slightly in what must look like a mock prayer, but you aren’t praying any more, you're just doing everything possible to not throw up on the churches nice red carpet, carpet that is interrupted when two black dress shows come into view.

"y/n?"

That voice. It makes you press you lips in a firm line scared of what filth might come out of it if you speak. Instead, to show you're listening, you slowly raise your head to meet Wolfwoods eyes, the likes of which seem clouded in some strong emotion. Were priest always this intense? Well, the easy answer was yes but this was a different type of intensity, not kind that filled revering words but one that more closely resembled a predator zoning in on its prey.

"Y/n" he says it again, albeit softer this time as if coaxing forward a scared animal. "You have something on your mind, don't you? Something that plagues you?"

You feel your fingers instinctively move to fiddle with the hem of your shirt. If the heat from the church before was unbearable before then this is downright swelting.

"Don't you usually do this kind of thing in the booth?" a poor attempt of a smile graces your lips in a desperate attempt to lighten whatever mood was staring to suffocate the air.

"Usually yes. This is a special case I believe though..." he leans down and your heart slams against your chest, his breath fans against your cheek. You can smell lingering cologne and... was that smoke? Surely not, if your local priest smoked it'd be the talk of the town, although now that you think about it those plush lips would look perfect balancing a cigarette between them, and they'd look even better if he used those teeth to-

"I almost forgot! You haven't received communion" He straightens out in an instant and claps his hands together nearly scaring you out of your skin while your face heats up from pure embarrassment.

You watch as he crosses from the pew to the table behind the pulpit and grabs a small cup of wine and bread. Just as quickly he's back in front of you with the objects. You reach out to accept them when he pulls his hands back.

"ah ah ah, I said this was a special communion didn't I? I'll deliver it unto you, you just sit and do as your told."

Oh. Yeah, that definitely didn't do anything to you. Nothing like a gruff handsome man in priest wear telling you to obey in the house of God. This was for sure not bubbling up any worrying realizations about yourself. Nope. Not in the slightest.

He steps back putting a little bit of room between the two of you before his eyes flicker from you to the carpet in front of him.

"Kneel."

You go instantly and willingly, a bit too willingly. Your mind flashes with Father Wolfwoods sermons about the disciples who kissed Jesus’ feet. You wonder if this was an elaborate way to get you to read the bible more because you're beginning to understand what was going through their minds now as you sit on your knees in front of the priest.

You aren’t sure if Wolfwood expected you to be so eager. He pauses for a moment before you swear a hint of a smirk plays at his lips. He raises the glass and the bit of bread slightly.

"Listen to me closely, we wouldn't want to spill and stain the carpet now, would we?" he ask.

You shake your head no. He makes a satisfied hum and continues.

"Tilt your head back.”

You do as your told, tilting your head back until your eye level is forced to be centered on the man in front of you.

"Open your mouth.”

Your mouth begins to salivate despite the fact there’s nothing in it yet. Perhaps it's due to the fact that what he's about to put in it isn't want you’d like to have resting on your tongue.

"Good. Why don't you stick your tongue out a little bit? I don't want you to dribble."

Fuck him. Fuck him so bad. There was no way he didn't know what he was doing but if had any hint about this sadistic game he was playing with you he gave no indication, he remained at stoic as ever as if you weren't having the most unholy thoughts imagine about your fucking priest.

There’s no going back though. You follow his instructions and let your tongue loll out of your mouth. You swear something flickers in his eyes, but it's gone as soon as it arrives.

He raises the glass and bread more as if offering it to God.

"Close your eyes.”

You do. You let the light of stained-glass windows be blotted out by your own blind obedience.

“Corpus Domini Nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam....Amen."

You feel him press the small bit of bread onto your tongue, you close and eat. You don't need to be told before your opening your mouth again.

The wine follows right after, poured into your mouth and you swallow it down focusing on not letting any hit the ground with the speed at which the contents are emptied down your throat.

What realistically could not have been more than a few seconds feels as though it's lasted a lifetime. You take a deep breath once the bitter wine has settled in your stomach and before you can even think about getting up and excusing yourself from the church Wolfwood puts a hand on your shoulder, signaling for you to stay in place.

"Good. Why don't we get that confession out of the way then?"

Right. The reason he had probably pulled you aside for all of this in the first place. Had he seen through you? Seen how hungry your gaze had become? Probably. Looking back on it sitting in the front row was probably not the best idea when the entire reason for your Sunday visits was for potential fantasy fuel. There didn't seem like any reason to lie though, it's not like a priest could tell anyone about these things and outside of church Father Wolfwood was a bit of an anomaly to the town.

He didn't have any friends that you knew of, didn't gossip, or hang out at the bar, the man lived in this church which was making you feel a bit more guilty about your infatuation now that you thought of it but hey, if you weren't guilty about something then were you even a catholic?

"Forgive me Father I have sinned..."

With a grimace you realize why the damn confessions booths were so popular. Admitting this to God or a wooden wall was a little too easy. Admitting this to Wolfwood was like someone slowly peeling off your skin.

"I see, well, tell me child what is your confession?"

a swallow, then a leap.

"I have been...ah having inappropriate thoughts about someone. Someone who I go out of my way to see to add to these...fantasy's I have."

He listens closely and his hand comes up to cup the back of your head.

"I see...lust then?"

You nod in response, and he makes an affirming noise.

"And what do you imagine happening in these...fantasies of yours?"

The silence in the empty church is so loud it's deafening. Your hands scrunch and unscrunch the fabric of your pants.

"I...I imagine him pushing be down against these very pews Father. That one day as I'm standing up to leave mass, he'll shove me right back down and take me against the wood."

It's said strained but even you must admit maybe there’s something to this confession shit because you feel a bit lighter with it off your shoulders. Father Wolfwood looks less light. In fact, he looks you've just damned him to hell.

"Is that all?" he asks but it comes out breathier than he means it to.

The tone sends something to your core, oh you see it now. Lamb and shepherd your ass, you were still most certainly the lamb but the Father was no shepherd, he was the Wolf. Maybe God himself had put that divine foreshadowing into his name.

You shift on your knees and press yourself flatter trying to rub your thighs together. Wolfwoods eyes flicker down to the action then back up to your face, he opens his mouth to say something, but you beat him to it.

"No Father. Sometimes I imagine him taking me on the stand in front of the whole congregation. Still preaching while he finishes in me, holy words even in his most sinful act. But...do you know what I really want Father?"

Wolfwood swallows, his fingers trace along your face, and you fight every instinct to lean into it. He looks like this is paining him, He's all gritted teeth and square shoulders as he speaks.

"What do you want?"

Hook. Line. Sinker.

"I imagine he'd keep me here after church, that he'd have me kneel before him still while wearing his holy clothes, that collar, the rosary...and I wish he'd undo his belt to-"

"Enough."

Your mouth snaps shut scared you've pushed to far. You can feel heat bloom across your face in embarrassment now that your words are catching up to you, this was meant to be a confession not a shit porno, maybe you DID need God...

"You drive me insane you know that? Every day you come in here- the house of god mind you and stare at me like..." He clicks his tongue and motions to you.

"Well like that."

You aren't sure what to make of his tone, it's scolding and firm but hinges on needy at the end. You're starting to worry you broke the poor man before he makes an irritated noise.

"Fine. You want to repent so bad?" Wolfwoods hands go to his belt and with a soft clink of the metal it comes fastened. Your eyes flicker to look towards the door to make sure that no one was about to walk in on the scene that'd put Judas’ sin to shame when you're snapped out of your thoughts.

"Pay attention sweetheart, you were doing so good before, what happened?" The mask of a holy man cracks and gives way to something cockier, more taunting, more...Wolfwood.

"Unless you need scripture to keep your focus?" he works to undo the button and the zip of his dress pants as he tilts his head.

"Then here's something for you, 'the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom..' "

He frees himself from the confines of his pants. You feel your mouth water and although your knees are starting to hurt from kneeling for so long you have a feeling you're about to get your real communion.

" '...and she opened her mouth, and took.' "

In beat with his preaching you let your mouth fall open. In all honesty, you get it now. You get how appealing that lush fruit must have been to Eve, you get why even after being promised paradise, she gave in to temptation. The weight that settles on your tongue as Wolfwood presses into your mouth makes your eyes roll back and an involuntary moan escape your throat. Wolfwoods breath stutters.

"God..." He groans and if your mouth wasn't currently full you might have made a witty comment about using the lords name in vain but a quick hand lacing through your hair from Wolfwood serves well enough to sever whatever thought had flitted through your mind.

You flatten your tongue and take more, allowing as much as you can to the back of your throat but when tears prick your eyes and you gag slightly on the sensation he pulls you off with a wet pop. You whine slightly at loss before Wolfwoods hand grabs your chin while he uses his thumb to wipe up the drool leaking from your lips that you hadn't realized was there.

"Patience, don’t you listen to a word I say up there?” he muses, you sheepishly look up at him through your eyelashes and it’s answer enough. He pulls you back in front of his cock, "Be good then, swallow every drop and I might forgive you"

You don't have much time to argue has his hand guides you back. You're more prepared this time, the way you sit on your knees...you’re a picture perfect saint and who's here to judge you for your sin anyways? Wolfwood? Sounded like a set up to a joke.

"Fuck, yeah baby just like that. So good-" His words break off with a grunt and his hips stutter forward, he pulls your head forward and your reach up to steady yourself with his thighs. He rocks his hips to your mouth as he face fucks you in the middle of the church. When his breathing speeds up and he mutters out a sting of gentle curses you know he’s close. You close your eyes and let him use you as he spills down your throat. You're desperate to show him you can listen, you swallow down as much as you can trying to not let a single drop of cum hit the floor.

When the rough handful of hair is released, you pull back to try and catch your breath, a worthless endeavor it would seem considering you're just as quickly being lifted up by your arm. You feel yourself being tugged up the steps towards the pulpit and make peace with the fact you're officially the worst Catholic ever...well besides the priest who's currently the instigator of this depravity.

"Not done yet sweetheart, the grace of god doesn't come with a blow job surprisingly" Wolfwood huffs amused as he presses down on your shoulder to force you to bend of the wood stand.

"Are you even a priest?" wrong question you guess because Wolfwood makes an irritated noise.

"Aren't you supposed to be repenting?" His hands grope at your thighs spreading them apart much more slowly than you'd like, as if he's savoring it...reverence you think.

"Father-"

He chuckles lowly at that.

"Father" he imitates "you let that name fall from your lips like it doesn't turn you on just to say it"

His fingers ghost over your thighs, then around the area you want him most before sliding up under your shirt to explore flesh. It's so hot in the church and when you peer out across the wooden pews you see the stain glass window casting rainbow light that sprawls out across the floor all the way up to your body.

"Focus on me" Wolfwood corrects your wandering mind by nipping along your neck and your body instinctively shudders against him. You press your hips back to feel his growing hardness pressed against your ass. His hands slide your shirt up over your head and he begins to focus on trailing kisses along your back.

"Thank you, lord," His lips move against your shoulder blade.

"For delivering this sinner unto me, so that I may show them rapture."

His fingers hook along the hem of your pants and tug them down your legs until they rest right at your knees.

"Despite that, I must confess, I have sinned."

His fingers trace along your entrance before slowly sinking in. You groan and press your head to the wood in front of you, fingers scratching against the surface.

"I have lusted for someone of my own congregation. I have imagined them kneeling for me and I worst of all I have imagined me taking them, devouring them until there is nothing left to fill them but me"

Another finger lazily joins the first and he begins a slow rhythm of pumping them in and out. You attempt to wiggle your hips back to chase the feeling, but his other hand keeps your waist flush against the stand.

"But I am only a man so with my mortal body I will show them euphoria"

You feel his fingers pull out and whine at the loss only to feel the blunt head of his own cock begin to line up with you.

"Amen"

Wolfwood doesn't give you much more warning before roughly pressing in. You moan as he sets a backbreaking pace, thankful that he at least prepped you before. He's leaned over your body; his hair tickles the back of your neck slightly as he pants in your ear. You imagine your own noises can't be much better as his left hand, the one he's apparently wrapped in a rosary, comes up to catch your chin, two fingers press into your mouth as he supports your head. His other hand stays at your hip, bringing your body back against his with every thrust.

It's so hot in the church, sweat beads along your body and you can feel your hair beginning to stick to your forehead. Your mind feels foggy and you lap absent mindedly at the fingers invading your mouth. Wolfwood groans and pushes you down further against the stand and it'd be uncomfortable if you could focus on anything other than the priest fucking your brains out. He produces an ungodly amount of precum, you can feel it making a mess between your thighs right as drool begins to leak from the corners of your mouth and bead down to the wood below.

Wolfwoods hand shifts from your hip to where a blooming warmth has begun. You nearly cry out with relief babbling nonsense around his fingers, hell maybe even a few prayers. His own mouth is becoming less of that of a reverend and more of that of a ravenous man, mouthing and biting at what he can reach. The fingers press deeper into your mouth and your feel the smooth beads of the rosary are you toy with them with your tongue. You're close, you tremble beneath Wolfwood and he catches on because both his hands pull away to once again fit along your hips. You nearly sob from the new lack of stimulation as he rocks into you.

"Beg for it" Wolfwood says so firm you'd have sworn he was once again leading congregation. Your mind is half way to mush right now so it doesn't take much convincing to do what he wants.

"Please please please let me, I’m sorry, I’ll be good, I repent" you babble out hoping you’ve said the magic words.

His hand comes down firmly on your ass as he thrust into you then finally finally reaches to touch between your thighs.

It sends you over the edge instantly, your legs trembling as you whine and moan, Wolfwoods own obscene noises match your own as he finishes inside you, letting you milk him for all he's worth.

The two of you stay like that for a moment, you become aware of the fact your priest is pressed up against your back, trying to catch his breath from fucking the ever loving daylights out of you. You whine slightly and Wolfwood responds by nuzzling his face against your neck.

"Are you okay?"

You do actually laugh at that one, letting your forehead rest against the podium.

"The priest I've been fantasizing about fucking me for a year now just has. This has been the best lay of my life and you want to ask if I'm okay?"

"You're awfully vulgar aren't you?"

You snap your head up to make several points about irony of the statement but when you turn you see a shit eating grin on his face. Your playfully hit his chest and groan.

"You've got to be the worst priest ever"

"Can't say I'd deny that claim" He leans forward and kisses you, you go into it easily but the taste of his lips remind you of something, when you pull away you raise an eyebrow

"Do you smoke?"

He shrugs and keeps his hands on your waist.

"I prefer to keep certain things in my life separated from the church"

"and me?"

"Consider yourself a special case." He smirks and takes hold of your chin between his fingers "Although I do hope this was enough to keep you coming to my sermons?" he ask

You swallow at the dark look in his eye and place your hands on his chest.

"and miss the holy word? Perish the thought"

He chuckles lowly at that as your hands begin to play with the collar of the cassock he wears.

"Although Father, I fear I may not have properly confessed."

He raises an eyebrow and eyes you "No?"

You shake your head "See I only...repented for two out of three fantasy’s I had also mentioned being taken against the pews"

Wolfwoods hands tighten around his hips and his smile widens.

"Well...let's fix that, shall we?"

Author's note: ahhhh I'm back! I've been storin this little beauty away for awhile now. This is my welcome back post because I feel like I lost the way I wanted to organize and write for a little while and this was the first piece that got me back in the flow of things. I missed you guys! We're back baby! (I'll add my spacers in later I'm missin the files rn and I don't feel like searching for them)

[velvetvexations]

I'm genuinely trying to not just be constantly negative and starting shit and arguing with people. I feel like even the people I mostly agree with are getting put off by it if they haven't already. I'm very self-conscious about my opinions and how much I talk on a given subject, and I know I do have issues that make my expressed opinions more pointed than necessary.

But like, me jokingly comparing the Bad Kids to the protagonists of 8-Bit Theater is interesting, because I love 8-Bit Theater to death, it's an extremely important work to me, it hurts a lot that I didn't hear about the scriptbook Kickstarter until it was over and I'll always be looking for a pre-owned copy for the rest of my life.

Like, I think the issue isn't that I have a problem with the Bad Kids acting so awfully. That's okay, especially in a comedy. Comedic sociopathy is a totally fine trope and I enjoy it on a regular basis. The issue that gets me is that it's such a hard counter to not only D20's usual tone, but also the way the DM, the players, the narrative itself, and most of all the fandom treat them and their actions.

That's why I soured on Kristen specifically so hard and so fast, because before JY I just thought she was like, A Lot, but not really a big deal and had some good, solid moments in SY (I did not like FY in general for completely unrelated reasons, sadly). But with JY, it was like, right out the gate she's ignoring Cassandra literally half to death, and I wonder if that would have seriously bothered me as much as it did if the fandom wasn't determined to completely excuse her for it in spite of the fact that it was clearly meant to be a personal character flaw and not just "unfortunately mental illness is happening to her".

Even then I was like, hey, I watched those promo videos, this is obviously something that's been planned ahead and will be dealt with. I'm very far from the first person to point out that we're now entering the season finale and chaos has not yet stopped being cute. Partially that in particular may have been hamstrung by the dice rebellion in the mall fight, with the original plan having been for Cassandra to not get separated from Kristen so fast and subsequently unable to have them actively work on their relationship and Kristen's commitment to her. Kristen running for president also likely threw a monkey wrench into decutifying chaos, because there was never any chance of Ally going about that by having Kristen put on a slick suit and say "I need to take this seriously and research school governance and formulate a policy I'll elaborate on in a debate with Kipperlilly". The race for president could only possibly be a bit the second it went to her instead of Riz, not because I don't think Ally could handle that kinna plot if they set their mind to it, Margret Encino would have killed it just as good as Riz, but because it's simply so far from who Kristen Applebees is as a character.

So anyway, I sat there watching this season waiting for Kristen to grow up because I had faith that was going to happen. But lest you think I just hate Kristen and possibly also Ally, these last few weeks they've been the least of the issue.

As hilarious as it was I don't understand how in the good Lord's name we're supposed to care about Oisin "making Adaine think she liked him" by acting a little flustered around her when Fig literally started catfishing Ruben on the first day of school ages before they had any in-character reasons to suspect the Rat Grinders of anything, all so she could...no, really, why the fuck did she do that? What was the impetus for that decision? I cannot emphasize enough how little motivation is given for this course of action:

There is nothing to it except that Emily correctly pegged he'd be an antagonist later. It's like the detectives on Law & Order arresting someone because they recognized the special guest star.

And like, other people, I get it, other people who don't like the direction JY has taken can shrug it off more easily than I can, there are a million reasons to not treat this like the end of the world, but unfortunately my autism gets me stuck on shit and I just cannot reconcile things like this. I cannot take the show seriously and care about the protagonists as people and share joy in their triumphs and sorrow in their failures and ignore something as blatantly breaking the logic as stuff like this.

I'll grant you, okay, Adaine was understandably hurt but neither the Bad Kids nor the Intrepid Heroes were really like "oh now we have to really fucking ruin Oisin for being the worst person alive". The fandom treated it like he Frozen'd her but fandoms are dumb and should not dictate as much of my opinion as they do, I simply cannot fathom the kind of person who'll cry over the deep and traumatic emotional damage Oisin caused Adaine with his missed beer pong shots but doesn't think Fig should be in jail.

That's also not the end of it, though. I could keep going on just about Fig specifically and the fact that she is at least sex crimes-adjacent, not to mention Emily's infantilization of a very autistic-coded character, but I'm trying very hard to not just come off as being like the people who have harassed Emily and Ally over their roleplaying choices in the past. As I keep stressing, I like both of them and especially Emily because I've been a CollegeHumor fan longer than some D20 fans have been alive. I think I actually like Fig more accepting that she kinna canonically sucks and taking her as more a Complicated Woman than someone whose actions I need to reconcile with the expectation of her being better than that, although I know none of it will ever actually be addressed.

So yeah, all the Bad Kids have been fucking weird this season in ways they weren't in SY. Adaine's intense and completely inexplicable loathing of Kipperlilly was funny at first and then increasingly uncomfortable as it fed into the fans wanting to crucify her. Gorgug going full bully was weird but also like, a one line bit, but whatever. Riz stealing Kipperlilly's file was gross and would or SHOULD deeply hurt Jawbone if he ever found out, and you can say they had to do this horribly unethical action in the name of homeland security or whatever, I accept that there were extenuating circumstances, but it's given no thought whatsoever and absolutely no regard is given to the fact that she was trying to address her issues with the closest mental health professional available who Brennan goes out of his way to note is failing her by overcorrecting for his bias towards the BKs.

But as much as I genuinely believe Brennan has been planting seeds the Rat Grinders could be reached, he's not been great here either and like Mice & Murder these things are more on him than any of the players because he's the director here. Like, I'm embarrassed I got snippy with someone who guessed ahead of time that Kipperlilly desecrated the rogue teacher's grave, but nonetheless think it was a weird conclusion to reach and that it's just even more bizarre that it ended up being "right", except the way it's described doesn't even make sense.

Like, the goal was "find the rogue teacher", right? And the rogue teacher is dead. So to me, it certainly seems like bringing a back hoe to the graveyard is one hundred percent the right move! But even if we accept the apparent canonical intent that was Kipperlilly threatening to merely destroy the grave as an act of vandalism rather than retrieve the body, it's like...so what? Literally who cares? As if the Bad Kids or any other adventuring party wouldn't dig up a dead body to cast Speak with Dead or something, as if the foundational Dungeons & Dragons formula wasn't raiding tombs like 19th-century colonial archeologists? And why would any of that be necessary anyway, when Riz found Eugenia by just...walking up to the grave?

But regardless, that, you might say, is a matter of the Rat Grinders being unfairly presented as evil and not the Bad Kids being unfairly presented as good. When it comes to Brennan's part in it, though, these are the same issue, because as the creator and director of every atom of the world outside the PCs, he's just so very willing to go with what the players start to expect. That's fine for a home game, but this is like, a television show that people pay money for, and that's an issue. He'll plant enough seeds of the Rat Grinders being better than they're treated that a chunk of the audience will notice and think the players are being weird about them, but he won't push it further than that and instead just rolls with the players being weird because his first priority is their enjoyment.

Again, fine in a home game, obviously. But it creates this divide between the players and the audience because the world has been crafted in such a way that when the players being weird is noticed it's like, why are they being rewarded for that? Why are they getting zero pushback? Brennan and I both heavily, heavily value collaborative storytelling for good reason, it's why I love TTRPGs and actual plays, but if this were a story told by a single person you could either have the protagonists pick up on those hints, have it be a point that they didn't pick up on them, or just not even include them in the first place.

One of the reasons I really, really like Aabria's DMing, as I've said recently, is that she truly remains firm in her worldbuilding and is not shy about providing realistic consequences or acknowledging PC behavior is dissonant with what's going on around them. And it just makes it super ironic that Kipperlilly's whole deal is correctly identifying the fact that the world is warped around the Bad Kids, and in this season more than ever the DM is like, fully changing reality to accommodate them and giving them plot resolutions on a silver platter, to the point of letting them just full-on take back spells because the target turned out to not be there, which is pretty far beyond the quibble about the climactic move in Calamity's final boss fight.

It's not that I think D20 is 'rigged' exactly, because it's not really a game, or at least it's not really Dungeons & Dragons. This was a revelation I had when I watched Critical Role other than Calamity for the first time and was amazed by how they'd stand around after a battle looting bodies for random magic items. D20 isn't a sandbox TTRPG, it's a very on-rails shooting gallery with roughly as much choice in the narrative as a modern RPG video game, and it has to all wrap within a certain amount of sessions. That's fine, but occasionally it can feel deceptive when we pretend there's much chance of things going radically wrong. One of the reasons I liked the first half of Crown of Candy and all of The Ravening War so much is because they're the only times where failure has really, truly been on the table in an Intrepid Heroes season, but I still liked most of the other Intrepid Hero seasons nonetheless.

This season, I just, I dunno man. I don't believe Ice Feast just accidentally wah wah wah had the effect of completely neutralizing the primary threat of the final boss fight. And Blimeygate, like, I thought it was mostly a fun moment, but it also felt like the most exaggerated-for-marketing-purposes the "got'em!" bits have ever been.

But despite all that, I am still currently capable of enjoying the next season. I'm hoping next week does not make things dramatically worse.

[ficnoire2]

An Ode to The King, Briana Irene Matthews

When I say I love this character, I say it with my whole chest.  I cannot begin to express the joy I experienced when one of my fellow educators passed me this book and said “I’ve got a fantasy book for you, and there is a black girl on the cover.”  I am a child of The Neverending Story, Legend, Willow, etc (Google if you need to) and brown faces were few and far between, if there at all.  There are so many things I admire and appreciate about Bree Bree and the power she holds can’t be understated. 

*Spoilers Ahead so Exit Stage Left if You Need To*

Choices

In a story where choice has been hijacked for so many of our faves, I love the choice she makes at the end of Bloodmarked. To choose herself.  I know there has been controversy regarding this but fuck all that, she said what she said.  The fact that black girls need to be perfect and make decisions that are equally as perfect no matter what they are up against is absurd.  That line of thinking has real world consequences.  I love that she tried to consult with elders, those that came before her.  She seemed to be following this implied protocol that did not bear the fruit she’d hoped for.  

When she says, “I realize now why Jessie’s mantra to call root didn’t work for me.”  She said,  “Think of the power you possess and the woman who gave it to you.” I smile sadly,  “I used to think that woman was my mother, and through her, you.  Tried it her way and it didn’t work.  Because you all didn’t give me my power.”  I kneel to face the streams, thrust my hands into the earth from which they came. 

“I did.”

This was a hell of a scene because she is finally shutting off the noise of the outside world, the distracting chatter blocking her self actualization.  Arthur, the ancestors, the Legendborn, and choosing Bree.  Much like she puts the broken pieces of  Excalibur back together, she is in a sense doing the same for herself (pain welded blade).  It even bears a deep purple stone in the pommel. The color meant to speak to this pain, this literal and figurative bruising and beating she has taken.  In addition, the choice to go with Erebus and the uncertainty that hangs there was pure fearlessness.  As her character sheet says, she is intrepid, bold.  The way she is written, you just know it is in her soul.  As Tracy says in her dedication, For every Black girl who was “the first.”  Black is capitalized here, emphasized, because we are often demonized for making decisions or having experiences that those that came before may not have had the courage or opportunity to step into.  The First.  In Bree’s line everyone ran and she decided to stop running and turn to face the unknown, whatever may come with her chin up.  

In addition to being a clever badass, I loved watching how she navigated her relationships with Nick and Sel.  Again, another hot button topic where folks are clutching pearls and clenching ass cheeks.  I am not interested in “ship wars” but what did catch my eye was the way Bree allowed herself to be loved on.  The safety and soft intimacy she received and craved from Nick in a time where her world had been completely shattered was beautiful to read.  “I’m impressed, despite my still racing heartbeat.  How does he do it?  How does this boy navigate my emotions like a seasoned sailor, finding the clear skies and bringing them closer, when all I seem able to do is hold fast to the storms?”  He is patient with her.  The way he speaks, comforting and protective.  I love that she had this!  The giddiness at that age of meeting someone that makes you dizzy in the best way.  I love that Bree allowed herself to experience the respite Nick offered.  That relationship represents the light in her, hearkens back to a simpler time.

I also think Bree enjoys the challenge Sel presents.  Aside from him trying to kill her in the beginning (and being an all around asshole), she always seems to find interest in him (her shadow side).  “He’s dressed in black, as always, but his long coat is gone.  His tattoos are on full display below sleeves rolled at the elbow.  They wind down his forearms and wrists, and I can’t help but study them.  I wonder how far they go and how many he has before I remember that I detest him and shouldn’t care about his tattoos at all.”  

Bree is fiery (quite literally) and finds herself drawn to the darkness and mystery of Sel.  In truth, she likes to stir the pot.  When Vaughn is giving her shit about being Nick’s page, she intentionally fucks with him.  “But I’m not going to disappear.  And I don’t want to keep my head down.  Instead, I’m going to give Vaughn a glimpse of who I really am, and show him exactly who I’m not.”

She then throws the haymaker, “You’re a bigot and a bully, Scheafer.  You insult me because you think you know what I am capable of, but you don’t.  I must make you nervous, though, for you to expose your insecurities about your odds of success in the tournament.”

Long story short, Briana Irene is with the shits! How many times have you had to check in a loser such as Vaughn, who in all their mediocrity, thinks they are superior?  I love that she essentially says, “aight then.”

I say all that to say that I like that she is feeling her feelings.  She can acknowledge and accept the safety and easiness of Nick, while also reveling in the mystery and chaos of Sel.  Those two desires can (and do) live in the same body.  I love that this is confusing for her and she grapples with it because, what 16 year old wouldn’t! Low key/high key, folks my age would grapple with certain aspects of that but again, her choices.  

Bree is supposed to be complicated. At times infuriating.  I find it strange however, when folks don’t give her the space she has earned to develop.  So many of us Black girls are not afforded this space.  No room to grow, change our minds, or choose a different path.  She is grappling with grief and grief is messy, complicated.  The vessel in which she entered the world ceases to exist on the plane of the living and she is floating in the darkness and uncertainty of that.  “Your anguish is wrapped around your very heart.”   Not to mention navigating racism, sexism, supernatural beings, and understanding her own body and power.  That is a tall order.  She represents multitudes of girls who were “the first” and I am so glad I get to witness her in all her flaws and greatness.  THE KING.  Rumble black girl, rumble.  

[mynonclicheblog]

If you have ever thought about watching Lockwood & Co. on Netflix, even in passing, please do so! Right now! This is your sign, it's the perfect time!

I apologize for being the asshole who cross-tags, I swear it's not normally me. But hear me out, I mean this with my chest: if you're someone who enjoys the YA genre whatsoever - especially when it comes to ~a group of young people~ banding together to ~fight off supernatural threats~ - then Lockwood & Co is perfect for you! (see I'm doing you a favor, just trust me😂)

It's about ✨the unique characters, the found family, the mysteries, the worldbuilding, the slowburn, the vintage/modern aesthetic, the soundtrack, the cluttered kitchen coziness, the cinematography, the attention to detail, the layers and nuanced storytelling!!!✨ It's literally the most captivating YA-led show I've ever seen, and I'm a big fan of Stranger Things and Shadow & Bone.

It's the character work in Lockwood & Co that makes it stand out from the rest. The main trio fills the hole in my heart. They're so unique and flawed and SHAPED, and the way they interact/work together is like crack for your soul. It's ridiculous how addicting their dynamic is.

Let's see what Twitter has to say...

This show heavily features themes of finding a family and a reason to live & die because of the home you've found with each other. I promise that you will fall in love with these precious, broken kids as quickly as I did.

Brief character descriptions under the cut, cause you're already this far, so why not?

This is Lucy Carlyle! She is wildly talented, takes no shit, and has suffered a lot in her past but holds so, so much capacity for loving others. She is sassy, practical, empathetic, and grounding.

This is Anthony Lockwood, aka tumblr babygirl who uses a facade of confident swagger to mask the well of pain he harbors underneath. He is charismatic, ambitious, reckless, and soft hearted.

And this is George Karim. He is the MOST precious bean who is a brilliant researcher, though struggles sometimes with feeling out-of-step. He is sarcastic, excitable, unashamed, and dedicated.

At the end of the day - all I can say is sorry for the brief invasion into your tag, but also THANK YOU for your consideration in reading this, and thanks in advance for checking out Lockwood & Co 😉💖✨ I cannot emphasize enough how much you won't regret it!

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @warpedlegacy  |  AO3: warpedlegacy

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Q&A With Duchess

What is your favorite character to romance?

I am a dedicated Cullenmancer. He was my first romance when playing DAI and I have stuck with him on nearly every subsequent playthrough since. He embodies one of my favorite character archetypes - the reformed sinner. He's ashamed of the things he did and believed in his past and is doing his best to atone. He seeks forgiveness but doesn't understand that forgiveness must come from within. Or he cannot fathom forgiving himself. I relate so much to his self-doubt and uncertainty, as well as his drive to improve and do better. 

I especially love romancing him as a Circle mage - there's just SO MANY juicy, messy layers to explore with that dynamic! How the Circle just hangs like a specter over their relationship. Does it haunt them forever? Or do they have the trust in each other to confront it head-on? 

What is your favorite specific moment in the DA series?

The Herald, alone and exhausted and hurt, trudging through the snow after the avalanche. In Your Heart Shall Burn is my favorite quest and my favorite part of the game, but that specific moment gets me every time. The way the sound mixing emphasizes the wind and the wolves howling, and then you start to hear your Herald shivering and panting. As you push them forward, their steps start to slow. It's agonizing to watch. When they finally see the lights of the Inquisition's camp ahead and collapse to their knees, I feel that relief along with them. The first time I played this game, that was the moment where, I think, I knew this was going to be my new obsession. 

Do you have any writing tips?

It sounds cliche, but write for yourself, first and foremost. Don't fall into the trap of "all writers must do x". There's so much advice out there, and lots of it seems to contradict. It can be so easy to get overwhelmed, and what works for someone else may not work for you - and that's fine! I need to outline my fics before I start writing, but I know some dedicated pantsers who write brilliant and beautiful work. The key is to find what works for you. There are no rules but the ones you make for yourself. 

Related to that, I think it's important to identify your style. We all have unique voices, and trying to make yourself sound just like someone else will only end in frustration. Play to your strengths! Do you prefer writing action or romance? Do you like intense angst or lighthearted fluff? Does dialogue or prose come easier to you? Do you like long, descriptive text, or do you prefer brevity? All of these things shape the kinds of stories that you will gravitate toward, and it also shapes the overall voice of your writing. What you are known for, in other words. It's okay if it takes you a while to find it, and it's okay if you have to try on a lot of different "hats" before you find the one (or several) that fit you. Writing is a journey of self-discovery in a lot of ways - that's why I love it so much!

[agenderarcee]

well i guess it's appropriate that i'd be forced onto tumblr to talk about this lol!! watched the nimona movie with jordan (one of our original bonding points!!) and really enjoyed it

my only disappointments:

goldenloin's luxurious hair... where did u go

why did they call him ballister boldheart and NOT have that be setup for calling him ballister blackheart as a villain that wouldve worked perfectly

blitzmeyer!! i get why she didnt fit but i missed her. bal couldve had a mad scientist gal pal....

i also miss nimona's fake backstory where she was turned into a dragon by a witch. "wait then why can you turn into other things" "the spell was slippery. she wasn't a very good witch"

her "evil dragon" form was cooler in the comic

but!! there were also a lot of changes i really enjoyed

nimona's FANGIES!! overall she was such an expressive little goblin it was great

ballister was also way hotter which i appreciated, the mustache adds a lot

lot of great new jokes. off the top of my head the demon child thing was great, "chopping off arms is not a love language!!", fake goldenloin death throes, and much more

i was a little turned off by the director not being Pointy at first but i kind of like that they made her look like a white pixar mom it fits with the narrative better. also she had a great villain speech

nimona's TRAGIC BABY YURI FLASHBACK!!!!!! CAnnot emphasize this enough

also making nimona's trans/nb allegoriness feel more front and center

great stuff with the ballister/ambrosius romance too i really liked how they developed it, loved little bits like ambrosius arguing that ballister should choose him over nimona

ANYWAY great movie great adaptation, loved the art style, the movement, the humor, the feelings.... i think i mightve liked to see a little more about what was Beyond The Wall (and also how nimona got over it but i mean it wouldnt necessarily be hard for her she can turn into a bird. which just goes to show how unnecessary the wall was in the first place) but yeah very happy with it

[altschmerzes]

THE 13 BOOKS I READ IN 2023 IN ORDER FROM BEST TO WORST + THE PROTAGONIST'S SUPERLATIVE. PART 2.

6. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engel. a timeless classic that i love love love. meg is such a fun protagonist and i really enjoyed experiencing this as an adult again. the whole like… helpless devastated rage she feels when she realizes that adults can't just. fix everything? that sequence will always rattle me around like a mason jar fulla beans. she's such a like… man. the way the narrative was like. this isn't fair. it isn't right. it's happening anyway. i'm so sorry, but it's happening anyway. that really got me.

Protagonist: Meg Murry. Most Likely To Have A Profound And Life Altering Impact On Adolescent Weird Girls Who Read Her Book.

7. Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard. third book in the series, slightly less fun than the others but only very slightly. i cannot emphasize enough how difficult it was to rank like, 2-8. had some VERY fun stuff with like…. things you learn that then go back and recontextualize everything else. ended on a scene that made me fucking sob which is always a plus in my book. themes of FAMILY and LOYALTY and SACRIFICE. my fucking beloved. yes please. the pov character continues to have a horrible little time. also love that.

Protagonist: (again, series has dual protagonists, so switching back) Peregrine Dart. Most Likely To Be The Unwitting Conduit Of The Deus Ex Machina. Deus Ex Dart.

8. One By One by Ruth Ware. just a really good classic mystery thriller. i love a mystery thriller, and ruth ware seems to always hit for me. managed to pull off a pov switch between two pov characters one of whom had a massive, MASSIVE secret without it seeming completely nonsensical once revealed or relying on the pov character talking in deliberately obtuse or evasive ways that would be really tiresome and insulting if carried through. there was a set of tech bro startup characters that were obnoxious and infuriating in exactly the way that those people are in real life, so points for that for SURE even though i did wanna throttle them.

Protagonist: Erin (Lastname). Most Deserving Of A Tropical Vacation.

9. The Ritual by Adam Nevill. this is the most brutal book i have read in recent memory. possibly at all. this guy gets put all the way through the wringer physically and emotionally and it is visceral in the way it is described. the protagonist was a profoundly unpleasant person a lot of the time but this was deliberate and really engaging, honestly. there were some moments of stark self-reflection from him about the ways in which he did not like who he was and the things he did, and when he recognized how like. unfair and cruel he was being to the others in his head. wasn't as good as the movie, imo, but the changes that they made between the book and film made total sense given the sheer level of interiority in the book. and boy howdy how much interiority. whoof.

Protagonist: Luke. Most Surprising Survival.

10. I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad. i think the most damning thing that can be said about this book is that i literally can't remember almost anything about it. it was compelling in some ways and there were a few very specific moments that i was really gripped by but most of it was like. a really flat letdown. it was interesting enough as a mystery that i finished it but i don't even really remember why, now.

Protagonist: Wayland Maynard. Most Forgettable Guy.

11. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. just. ugh. dystopia ya in a bad way. too complicated and not well established. dumbass colour coding system. it could've been so fun, i love traumatized teenagers with powers and an evil government in all sincerity but this just did not do anything good with it. it looked like it COULD have but it DIDN'T. the love interest character was a DICK. there was some weird gender takes that popped out of nowhere. jump-scared by gender. did enjoy watching the movie though because it was fucking insane and gave me a scene where the protagonist and the love interest shared a passionate embrace over what fully appeared to be the dead body of the love interest's theoretical best friend. amazing. no notes.

Protagonist: Ruby Daly. Most Likely To One Day Decide She's Tired Of Being Nice And She Does Want To Go Apeshit Actually.

12. Reputation by Sarah Vaughan. [VIDEODROME PRESCREEN AUDIENCE REVIEW WHERE THEY JSUT WROTE 'SUCKED' AND GOT SO UPSET ABOUT HOW BAD IT WAS THEY MARKED THE WRONG GENDER] this book was BAD. the writing was bad. the characters were bad and not on purpose. the politics of the book were uh. whoof. what if white girlboss feminism was a novel. points for some of the hardest i've laughed tho at Nice Dick Mike the journalist that the protagonist cannot respect after she sleeps with him and Lady Cop With Bangs, the traitor to womanhood.

Protagonist: Emma Webster. Most Likely To Submit An Extremely Long Post To Reddit Dot Com Slash Am I The Asshole That Leaves Out A Lot Of Like, Extremely Critical Information That When Uncovered All Makes Her Look Really Fucking Bad While She Seems To Still Think It Was Entirely Irrelevant And Honestly Unfair To Even Consider. Gd Forbid Women Do Anything.

UNCATEGORIZED: 21st Century Jocks: Sporting Men And Contemporary Heterosexuality by Eric Anderson. there was simply no way to rank this among the others, it was too completely different. they were all very different books but this was just. entirely different. had a wonderful time with it though!! gave me a lot to think about as someone who thinks a lot

thank you for joining me on this journey. i loved reading books again this year and would wholeheartedly recommend anything ranked 1-9 on this list, provided you like the genre/vibe.

[vulpes-stuff]

So for one of my classes, I had to take a story from the Hebrew Bible and rewrite it so I rewrote the storey of Cain and Abel from Lucifer's perspective

Take your crumbs you little hazbin gremlins

Favorites. The Lord always chose favorites. Lucifer glared up at the living as he watched a man murder his own blood simply for the attention of a Lord who wanted to morph the world into his own, who wanted to control every waking moment these humans had. He scowled when he saw God turn Cain away for not being worthy, but what does it truly mean to be worthy? Both of the boys were worthy in their own right but the Lord was simply too blind to see that. Abel provided his blood with warmth and clothing, while Cain gave them the food they needed. Both were worthy in the aspects of providing, giving their blood life.

Perhaps the Lord simply dislikes fruit because of his actions. Perhaps the Lord detests it and does not wish for fruit that could have come from the tree in Eden. But there was nothing wrong with that fruit! The Lord was angry at him! Why must he let that anger out on the blood from the man he has created? All Lucifer wished was to provide the creations with knowledge and dreams, freewill and joy, but the Lord simply did not agree with it, angered that he couldn’t mold these creations exactly how he pleases, and has let that anger infect him, controlling his every move.

Lucifer sighed, the Lord truly is unjust. No man should be punished for another man’s sin. Why must Cain suffer for his parents doing? For Lucifer’s doing? The man simply wished to provide, all he wished was to care for the family around him, including the man who’s blood now stained his hands. Lucifer’s glare sharpened as he watched the earth drink the blood and eat the body that was once Abel, watching as she enjoyed her meal but knew that not every being will have the same feelings towards the death of Abel.

He watched as the Lord came to Cain about the sin, watched as the Lord asked for Abel. He struggled not to laugh at his response to the Lord, smiling at the point he made while it only seemed to full God’s rage towards the man. Good, Lucifer snarled. Feel enraged, Lord, for this blood is on your hands as much as it’s on the poor boys. You pushed this boy past his limit by favoring his brother without an explanation to your actions, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Lucifer knew that the Lord would never hear his words, knew the Lord would never see past his sins, much like he was now towards poor Cain. He pities the boy, but emphasizes with him as he watches the Lord curse him, treating him as an outsider, much like he had done to the fallen angel. God never changes, does he? It’s always follow my will or you will be damned. Think not for yourself, but for me. What a truly unjust being. One cannot damn another for his sins even with his hands drenched with sins of his own, yet here the Lord is, damning a boy for his sins before acknowledging his own. Lucifer may be prideful, but the Lord is more so.

Lucifer watches as the boy runs, watches as he tries to live with the mark the Lord has cursed him with. And he envies the boy as he watches him succeed, building a city and a family of his own, watches as he grows old and dies as his family continues to grow. He watches as the Lord ignores the family until a boy, Noah, is born. He watches as the Lord favors the boy, much more than he had anyone else in the bloodline, even saving the boy from his flood.

Favorites. The Lord will always choose favorites.

[natriae]

Chapter 3: This cannot be good

<prev | next>

masterlist

warnings: none

Rin having friends over is not an obscure thing. He normally has friends over every other weekend to play video games or to just hang out. However, said friends are not normally this loud nor do they sound this familiar. They don't sound like his teammates or even one of your friends from college.

Opening your bedroom door – hoping to yell at the men for disturbing your afternoon nap – you walk down the small hall in your shared apartment to see four men staring right at you. Two you don't know and one face who could ruin your career (and his) if your company ever found out he was in your apartment. Rin gets up from his position on the couch and quickly jogs over to you sensing your anger. He gives a small smile to his friends before pushing you back into the hall. He looks down at your figure and places his hands at his sides, palms facing you hoping that you give him a moment to explain.

"Some of my buddies from high-school reached out and I told them it was okay for them to come here-"

"Rin-" you started, bringing your hands up to emphasize your point, but his cat-like reflexes immediately grab them and hold them at your sides.

The old Inarizaki blocker went on to say,"I told them to be quiet because my roommate was sleeping, but we haven't seen each other in so long. Of course we got loud, but now that you're up you should join us."

"No-" you quickly rebutted.

Instead of acknowledging that you were uncomfortable he turned slightly to point at each person in the shared living room. Your words are going completely deaf to his ears.

"That is Kita, he's the farmer I told you about," He points at the shortest one in the group. You bring your hand up again to shut him up, but he quickly shuts you down once more without even looking. "That's Aran – everyone likes Aran. And I'm sure you know the loud one over there," He smiled and puts his arm around your shoulder facing you towards Atsumu, " Atsumu, one of my best friends," You turn your head to see the fond smile on his face as he looks at Atsumu. Since when did they know each other to the point of being best friends? But it's obvious that he sees these men as more than just friends. He's at peace with them, but as much as you enjoy seeing Rintarou happy you cannot lose your job.

You take his arm off your shoulder and tightly grab both arms so he cannot escape and cut you off. Leaning in you quietly whisper yell at him, "Rin you can't just invite them over-"

"why not?" He's quick to defend.

"Well you can't invite Miy- Atsumu over," you shook your head lightly before continuing, "I signed a contract with MSBY. No getting close to the team. A strict work relationship. Nothing more nothing less." You watch his eyes relax as he's beginning to understand why you seem so shaken up, "Rin if anyone finds out he was in my apartment I'm sure MSBY will fire me and have no problem finding someone to take my spot."

"I don't think they'll fire you. Just explain that he's my friend. That you have nothing to do with him being here."

You wanna be optimistic, you really do, but you see how they treat people in your position. You're not a shining star that the public would defend. You're a background character at MSBY that no one cares about. They want to protect their players and reputation. And that's exactly your job. You should know better.

Sighing you let go of his hands and nod your head heading back to your room. You don't come out till you know the men are gone for the night. Leaving your room you find the apartment empty with nothing but a note on the fridge.

'getting Onigiri. Want anything? It's the best'

~~~

"morning"

"morning," you cheerfully responded to your coworker with a fake smile. You barely slept last night because of your anxiety, and the last thing you need is to be at the MSBY at eight in the morning. But duty calls and here you are in your office. The one thing that's nice about the MSBY building is that there's a hidden section that not many people know about. There's a small gym where the boys practice drills, and on the 2nd floor are offices with one large pane of glass. Not only does it allow sunlight from the roof of the gym, but many of the few workers here can watch the boys practice for motivation. It's also perfect for Coach Foster. He can watch the boys from another point of view and correct their mistakes. If anyone gets a kick out of the glass wall it's him. For fun you like to sit and watch his reactions from across the gym. All in the comfort of your office.

Opening your laptop you begin opening your emails and reviewing ads of the boys before they are posted to the public. Next, you make a few calls to ensure that times are right for interviews, and security is ready when the season starts. The one thing you love about the pre-season is helping create billboards of the team or securing magazine photoshoots. Seeing the fans get excited when their favorite player shows up on the screen makes your heart pound a little faster knowing that you made that happen.

Being a sports team's publicist may have not been your dream job, but if you had to choose MSBY was your top choice. Another plus, you get to scroll through social media for pretty much the whole day.

Around one pm you decided to take a break from staring at a screen and grabbed your bento Rin made sure to pack before leaving. You smiled at the thought of the lazy man actually putting effort into something that doesn't benefit him. Unwrapping the panda fabric you find two matching panda containers. Opening the one on top you find a still wrapped meito puku puku tai taiyaki wafer - strawberry flavored of course- a chuupet- also not surprising- and a note; 'treats for you obviously not sleeping last night'. You let out a light giggle and place the note down to open the next container. There are four Onigiri neatly placed in the bento, and the one in front is in a heart shape. You try to picture Rin asking the chef to make heart shaped onigiri and you just can't picture it.

Before you begin eating you leave your office to go grab a drink from a vending machine downstairs. Which was a terrible idea because now you have two flies swarming you. Where's Sakusa when you need him? Once you got your water and began heading up the stairs bokuto and atsumu continued their conversation while following you.

Why are they even following you? They've just been arguing between themselves. Once you open the door to your office the large men attempt to fit through the door at the same time. Atsumu's brain cells work faster and he moves back so Bokuto can enter first.

"y/n please tell Bo-kun i'm the sexy one on the 'eam," Atsumu begs as he sits down on the chair in front of your desk.

"what?! no way. I'm the good looking one," Bokuto shouts back. Working with MSBY you learn quickly that you just have to ignore the members when they bicker like children. So you rip open your jelly stick and begin to eat it while zoning out. Hopefully the argument will be over before you know it. And you are correct.

Your door was still slightly ajar, so before the voice spoke you could spot the rooster hair poking in. "Bokuto come here," Kuroo commands as he knocks on the open door. He gives you a curt nod as he motioned for the owl to follow him. It wasn't unusual per se to have Kuroo here on a normal work day, but he usually only ever came when there was a meeting planned. MSBY usually never had any issues so there wasn't anything for him to correct. You move your food to spot the large desk calendar, and can confirm there were no meetings today. Why is he here?

"How's yer Onigiri?" a voice says, taking you out of your panicked thoughts. You look up to see Atsumu still in your office with his arms across on your desk and his head resting on them. He was clad in an old, faded tee shirt and black athletic shorts. Remembering what he said you move the box of Onigiris back in front of you and sigh.

"I haven't eaten them yet, but Rin said they're good." You begin to lift up the heart shaped one and smile at it. You hadn't noticed, but Atsumu gave a shy smile and blushed seeing how you reacted. "I can't believe Rin made them make a heart shaped one," you giggled not noticing Atsumu smile drop and look away, " he's so stupid."

As you took a bite the older Miya let out a "yeah, so stupid…" Not knowing what to do he began looking everywhere but you, and his eyes began to water. Quickly blinking away his tears he tried to watch you eat the Onigiri. His heart lights up at the light moan you let out after the first bite. 'Did ya like it?' He thought in his head as you let out an 'Oh my god' and lean back in your chair.

"This is single handedly the best Onigiri I've ever had," You exclaimed, not even directly speaking to Atsumu. You glance up to see Atsumu with the biggest smile. Not his normal smirk or the smile he gives when he wins a game, but a real genuine smile.

"Ya wanna know who made it?" His smile still plastered on his face. He leans in like it's a secret waiting for your consent. You nod slowly still chewing worried about what the hell is gonna come out of his mouth next.

"ma brother," He smiles like he's the one that made it. He must really love his brother to be this proud of him.

"this," you point at the Onigiri, "came from a Miya?" shoving the last piece into your mouth. How the hell was the rice this good. It's rice, but this rice was magical.

"yeah, ma twin, ma other half, ma brother that i want ya to meet. Not just so ya call me Atsumu," He finishes putting emphasis on the not.

Not wanting him to win this argument you respond with, "okay, I don't know how I feel eating food made by a Miya," You subconsciously reach down and grab another Ongiri to stuff your mouth with.

"come on jus once! Please, yer killin' me 'ere." He exaggerates. You hate how badly you wanna say yes to his puppy dog eyes.

"No, I can't. I already told you."

"ugh, whyy? If ya bring up that stupid contract again i'll walk right into Kuroo's office an' yell at 'im." You roll your eyes at his theatrics not wanting him to know just how badly you really want him to do it.

Before either of you could continue there were three knocks on the door that could be none other then the man himself. You let out a come in wondering if he needed Atsumu. He walks into the office and politely says, "can i see both of you in coach Foster's office?" Kuroo's arms are crossed in front of him and his back in straight. The smile on his face only makes the uncomfortable atmosphere worse. Atsumu turns to you with a look that shows he's just as confused at you. You nod your head and stand up ready to follow the man. On the way over you try to not to worry that worse is bound to happen. You straighten your back, and send a quick glace behind you to make sure Atsumu was still there. His head is low and his eyes watch the ground.

Okay, now your really panicking. Why isn't Atsumu bugging you. He can't possible know what this is about can he?

Coach Foster's door opens to the back of someone's head that you've seen several times before. Kuroo rounds the corner and on coach Foster's desk are three HR folders. Two yellow ones with yours and Atsumu's full names and a grey folder that reads Suna Rintarou. The blinds to the window are shut. This cannot be good.

taglist: open!

@thisbicc @lovley212 @kyowdani @jacelikespp @bubblewordsofsodapop @chytheshyestguy @kuroosluthoe @littlemochi @bai-wuxiangs-mask

[darlingzelda]

Fenn Luxure x MC (Retsuko) part two

After Fenn was done teaching his lesson, he ambled out to the courtyard for a short stroll.  

        It was there he came upon Princess Sherry, Violet, Retsuko, Rio, and Thoma sitting on a picnic blanket and seemingly enjoying Volerian bread together. Retsuko looked exceedingly happy as she accepted bread from Rio. She was even laughing.  

        “I wonder if she shall ever look at me that way...” Fenn sighs dramatically, then decides to call out to the group. “Halloa, all! And Treasure, too~ What are you doing, if I may impose a minute?” 

        Retsuko looked up at Fenn, blinking as she held the bread in her hand. “Um.. Hi, Fenn. We’re having a picnic of sorts... Rio and Thoma made bread for us.”  

        “You are having a fun time without me, Treasure? How very awful of you, you know. I shall have to reprimand you at a later date.” he gives her an over-emphasized pout, then turns his attention to Violet and Sherry. “Princess Sherry, Letty... If you would, I shall have a word with you elsewhere. I would like to discuss a problem of sorts and I shall need your opinions on the matter.” 

Sherry’s wide golden eyes lit up in surprise as she gets up, looking at Fenn and Violet in turn. “Whatever could you need us for, Master Fenn?”  

        “That shall be revealed very soon. For now, please follow me.” he says smoothly, waving his cane at Retsuko in a farewell gesture. “I shall see you later, treasure!” 

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 

“What exactly are you playing at, Fenn?” Violet demands as he leads the way to the princes’ private lounge.  

        “Do not fuss, Letty.” Fenn sighs as he props open the door and settles comfortably on the sofa across from Violet and Sherry. “It only concerns treasure, you know. I should like to invite her on a date, but she seems to ignore my advances in favor of escaping me. I would have you both advise me on what is to be done, seeing as how you know treasure best. She spends all her time with you rather than me, I daresay.” 

        “Dear me, a date??” Sherry questions, her golden eyes wide and sparkling with mirth. “How you have changed, Master Fenn! I did not think you would put so much careful thought into pleasing our dear Retsuko!” Her bubblegum curls bounce as she leans forward in excitement. “I think she will be pleased with the effort.” 

Fenn merely lifts his chin.  

        “I have been watching Treasure since the moment she set foot on the Isle of Colde, and I have come to a general conclusion regarding my own feelings towards her. I must take her for my own before any other man tries to lay claim to her heart.” He announces with a dazzlingly bright smile. “Guy has already tried several times and failed miserably, so I take that as a sign that she is to be mine after all!” 

        “Now then. What manner of persuading Treasure will result in her returning my affections?” He wonders aloud, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the lounge’s sofa. “I have tried inviting her on dates before, of course, but she never seems to have given my proposals much thought. My... how unfortunate this situation is.”  

The prince’s soft lavender hair fell into his eyes as he pouted rather emphatically.  

        “Fenn, you know full well that Retsuko thinks you are merely trying to have a tryst with her as you do those other poor souls that dangle at your feet all day every day.” Violet interjects in the middle of Fenn’s theatrical performance of woe, folding her arms. “You cannot seriously hope to catch her fancy while still playing games of cat and mouse with all those girls! It is Luxure’s wont to raise children who simply cannot commit to one woman, but if you really want to show Retsuko you are serious about her, you must learn to stop being so devil-may-care with your overtures and focus only on her.” 

        Fenn drapes his arms lazily over the sofa. “Oh, I fully intend on making treasure the only woman I take as a paramour, if that is what it will take. She is to be my one and only, you see!” a laugh escapes his lips.  

“I do wonder about that.” Violet sighs in response, a resigned expression on her face. “See that you don’t hurt her feelings! If you do, Sherry and I will have to drag you back to Luxure in a body bag!” 

        “Letty!” Fenn exclaims in mock horror, although he is laughing.  

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 

        After Violet and Sherry took their leave, Fenn remained in the common room to relax a bit. The sofa was very comfortable indeed, and there was no one else in the room at the present moment.  

        He intended to take a short nap (though he did wish that his treasure was within his arms) since it was so quiet, but as soon as Fenn closed his eyes, voices could be heard and the door opened to reveal Roy, Grayson, Guy, Toa, Knight, and Jasper.  

        “You all are frightfully loud.” the Luxurean prince complained, rubbing his eyes and sighing regrettably as the company took seats and made themselves comfortable. “I was just about to take a nice nap.” 

        “I thought you only took rest in the company of various women.” Guy’s crimson eyes were narrowed as he addressed Fenn with a chilly demeanor, but Fenn simply shook it off. This was normal behaviour for the likes of Guy.  

        “Not anymore! I am changing my ways to be a better consort for treasure’s liking.” he grinned, earning a derisive snort from the Avarian Prince.  

        “Utter rot.” Guy replied, his crimson eyes falling back to the pages of the book magically held aloft in the air in front of him. “The lies that escape your mouth are unbelievable, considering your exceedingly lecherous nature.” 

        “You have taken a fancy to Miss Retsuko?” Roy’s voice cuts in, his golden eyes wide as he held his steaming cup of tea. “I was of the mind that she is rather taken with Master Voleri, as it were. They do spend a considerable amount of time in one another’s presence, do they not? The way she looks at him suggests at least a great amount of care.” 

        Fenn’s grin disappears and is replaced with a doleful, stony look. “You say... that treasure cares for Rio in a romantic light? Dear me.... what a conundrum indeed.” 

        “I concur.” Toa looks up from the box of chocolates in his lap, his azure eyes trained on Fenn’s stony face. “She is constantly by his side and looks to him for help with lessons when she does not understand the content. I would think that constitutes great affection at the very least. Not that it is my place to say so, of course. As it is, Retsuko is entitled to her privacy on this matter.” 

Fenn’s gaze lowers as he considers Roy and Toa’s words.  

        Could she truly have affections for Rio? He thought perhaps if he was persistent enough in his romantic overtures and flirtations that she would eventually develop feelings for him, but he never imagined Rio could be the object of her affection. It made his heart ache in a way he couldn’t understand when he thought about his treasure being swept off her feet by any other than himself. 

        “I rather think you are both too hasty in your speculations, Master Invidia and Master Qelsum.” spoke Jasper from his place beside Guy. “Yes, Miss Retsuko is often in the company of Master Voleri and often seeks his companionship, but that does not necessarily mean that she is intent on gaining his romantic affection. You see, there is a distinguishable set of differences between caring for someone platonically and seeking their romantic attentions- and I may be wrong, of course, but I would not so easily give up, Master Luxure.” 

        “Yes, you are right as always, Jasper.” Fenn sighs, yawning and rising from his place on the couch. “I think I will go to find Treasure.” 

        “Good luck, then, Master Fenn.” Roy replied politely, taking a sip of his steaming tea as Fenn got to his feet unceremoniously and loped through the door in search of Retsuko.  

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 

        As it was, Retsuko was seated with Rio within one of the B rank lounges, her nose buried in a heavy textbook. She liked to study with him because they were in most of the same classes and whatever he understood he could relay to her in an easier method than Toa or Guy presented it. 

“Rio, how did you do that spell? I managed to change the water to mead, but something about it tastes off and I can’t freeze it.” she set the book down and glanced at the goblet in front of her.  

        “Easy, Retsuko! Have you tasted a mead that you’ve liked before? Toa said something about replicating the taste of your favorite one, and all you have to do is memorize how it tastes! Go on, have a go at it-” Rio encouraged, leaning closer to Retsuko to see inside the cup. Their shoulders brushed together as Retsuko lifted her hands to try-  

And that moment was when Fenn chose to come through the doorway.  

“Halloa, trea-”  

He stopped in his tracks, his amethyst eyes widening as he took in the scene. Retsuko and Rio sat side by side, shoulder-to-shoulder, huddled over a book. 

        Fenn’s expression darkened until Retsuko looked up and noticed him, then the stony expression wiped away in place of a dazzling smile. He was incredibly good at masking his true feelings; it was something he’d learned how to do just by being raised in a Luxurean home.  

“Treasure! I have found you! I do hope I wasn’t interrupting anything...?” 

“Nope, just studying.” She replied easily, closing the book she and Rio had been poring over. “Did you need something, Fenn?” 

        “If I might speak with you in private, Treasure?” He winks, waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. “You could always follow me to my chambers for some one-on-one alone time, but for now the hallway will do~” 

        “Hallway it is!” Retsuko interjected, shooting to her feet with red cheeks.  

She followed him to the end of the passage.  

        There was no sign of anyone else passing that way, so Fenn took it upon himself just then to use that place to try his luck, as Sherry and Violet had suggested.  

TO BE CONTINUED..... 

[stevie-petey]

Hello! I just wanted to start off by saying I LOVE your Come Home series and your writing with it. It has inspired me in so many ways, and in all honesty, I’ve enjoyed it more than I have actually watching Stranger Things! I cannot wait to see where you take the book, and how you navigate whatever comes with season 5!!!!

I was also wondering, how have you found so much success with this series on Tumblr, and do you have any tips for growing fics in general? It has gained so much popularity and I am so happy to see it because you totally deserve it, your hard work is paying off so good!

Have a great day or night,

Anon 🦋

hi dear !! first of all, thank you so much <333 i appreciate the kind words so much and i adore you for being so supportive :’)

long post ahead !!

as for how come home managed to become what it is now: i truthfully cant really say. it still amazes me that its so popular now, but even then i dont necessarily consider it “popular” in my head lmao shes just my lil story !!

i want to start off by saying i never intended for come home to become such a well loved fic. i uploaded the first chapter simply because i wanted to, i liked what i wrote and hoped someone would like it as well. never did i think “cool ok this fic will def become an overnight sensation”.

honestly, one day i was averaging maybe 60 notes per chapter and then the next day i was suddenly averaging 300-400. the fic quickly took off before i could even really process it, and i want to emphasize that this is rare !! so so so incredibly rare. i got lucky, thats all there really is to it :/ sometimes amazing stories dont get the recognition they deserve and sometimes they do. i have personally written fanfiction for 10 years now and i never once had a fic “blow up” how come home did.

i also want to say how fucking grateful that my story managed to find its own community and become this amazing thing. every day i cannot believe any of it is real and i genuinely love and adore each and every person who reblogs and recommends the fic.

what i CAN say is that tags help !! ive noticed some new authors dont know how to tag their fics, which can really diminish their reach. for tumblr, the first five tags are the most important. these are the ones that show up on dashboards !!! i think what also helped me was having a very clear and concise story structure with pretty frequent updates. im fortunate to be able to write and upload a lot faster than i probably should (it concerns many but i find it funny).

and lastly i also just think its super important to interact with everyone !! answer all the asks, reblog all the responses, reply to every comment. i firmly believe its the least i can do if someone has taken the time to read my story and found time to say a quick praise or simply tell me they laughed :)

at the end of the day, its a game of luck and perseverance if anything else, but the general creator rule of thumb is that you should never create something just for the notes/reblogs/praise. create for yourself, create because you WANT to !!! its a slippery slope keeping track of clicks and hit and whatever. i stopped keeping track of come homes own traction because i simply dont care enough to follow it. im happy where i am and i love how the story has grown :)

hope this helped a bit and that ya enjoyed my rambles <3