#don't judge me by poor quality

[florizzia]

Acabou de ser lançada a mais nova edição da revista Vogue. Por algum motivo, os editores se absteram de deixar comentários. [The newest edition of Vogue magazine has just been released. For some reason, the editors refrained from leaving comments.]

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

To elaborate more on the Pesterquest stuff -

Alternia is a hell world. It's shitty to live in, even if you're a highblood, unless you fit a very specific mold of person AND are lucky enough to be born of a high caste. Every troll character we care about is, in some way, fucked over by their relationship to their society; Eridan and Vriska get it the worst, having been forced to participate in the murdering side of things since they were young, but every lowblood is screwed and every highblood is made worse even just by their passive participation. Kanaya becomes less sympathetic because she seems completely at peace with the society she grew up in, and Feferi wants to enforce casteism, even if it's of a different flavor. Gamzee and Equius both hold genuinely casteist beliefs and attitudes, which slip out and alienate them from the people they care about.

Putting a friendship simulator into the middle of all this is... a choice, I guess. I'm not going to begrudge anyone for wanting that or liking that, but it's going to be inherently at odds with what Alternia is and is meant to represent, and thus, fundamentally at odds with many of the characters' arcs and even basic personality traits, so heavily are they influenced by the shit society they grew up in.

For a non-Eridan example, Karkat loathes himself in massive part because his society loathes him. He's kill-on-sight and lives in daily terror of death. He wears a symbol at all because not having one marks him as even more of a freak, even though he knows that that symbol is connected to the empire's biggest rebel, whose footsteps he is expected to follow. The reason he's so obsessed with being leader-y and earning his teammates' reapect, or the respect of anybody, is because he's so deeply insecure about whether or not he even deserves to exist.

If you soften Alternia to the point you can write a lighthearted friendship simulator in it, then that characterization... goes away. Karkat is no longer motivated by deep, overwhelming insecurities, which drive him to idolize the society that deems him unworthy, mistakenly believing that if he can find validation in that society, he'll feel less bad about himself. Instead, Karkat is just kind of an asshole!

It's the same way with Eridan. He and Karkat are equal and opposite in this way - while Karkat is marked for death by his society, Eridan belongs to the extremely privileged caste of sea dweller royalty - even moreso than Feferi, as Feferi is slated to be murdered by the Condesce as soon as she comes of age (and her ridiculous optimism is likely something she cultivated in outright defiance of this fate). But it turns out that being a sea dweller sucks shit, too, if you aren't the extremely niche type of person that society deems "correct."

Eridan is not actually casteist and genuinely likes his land dweller friends - and this is unacceptible. Not only that, but smaller "unacceptible" offenses are wrapped up in big ones - despite not liking murder and feeling guilty about it, murder is objectively the correct thing for Eridan to be doing, constantly, to the point of it being "all [he's] ever done practically," because if he doesn't fulfil the duty of his bloodline to be murdering lusii (and by extension, their charges, who are culled when their lusii die), EVERYBODY dies. The constant push-pull of trauma, societal expectations and obligations, the fate of the species, and the fact that he is inherently not the "right" kind of person for his society, are pretty much his entire character. He's basically a walking ball of anxiety and emotional turmoil.

So, again, if you soften Alternia to the point where you can write a story about Eridan wanting to see Shrek in a public theater (something he would not actually be able to peacefully do in canon Alternia - at least not without taking off his cape, hiding his fins, and going anonblood - as sea dwellers are considered ridiculously hostile to the point even Gamzee's nervous about being on the beach for too long), Eridan ends up being just kind of an asshole!

Pesterquest!Eridan is, and I cannot stress this enough, fundamentally not the same guy as canon Eridan. They have practically nothing in common, from the fact that PQ!Eridan is willing to do something for leisure, to the fact that he isn't widely feared and the movie theater doesn't empty out in a panic when he turns up, even down to the fact that he likes femme fashion (canon Eridan goes to Lengths to lean into masc fashion) and Shrek (canon Eridan is a hipster). Hell, even the fact that PQ!Eridan SMILES is a massive deviation from canon!Eridan, who has never once been depicted smiling, and probably hasn't for many sweeps.

Also that he has that much beef with Sollux when, canonically, the two had a lukewarm mutual dislike and didn't even bother interacting until Feferi was added to the mix and Eridan became mad that Sollux was dating her. He wasn't even casteist about him until then, and after, even Sollux and Feferi don't think he's casteist, they just think he's ashenflirting so he can get into a quad with Feferi. Like come on, if you're going to feature another troll in Eridan's route, 1) make it be Karkat, and 2) have Eridan cheat on you the whole time with Karkat like he does to Feferi.

Eridan is just overall a wild choice in a friendship sim - I can't even blame them for just writing an OC and putting an Eridan skin on top - because societally, Eridan isn't even supposed to have non-sea dweller friends. The sea dweller/land dweller race war is something the Condesce deliberately put into place in order to keep land dwelling nobility in line, and Equius cites it as one of the reasons he never got along with Eridan. Like, the very fact that Eridan talks to two land dwellers on friendly terms (Kanaya and Karkat) is a MASSIVE deviation from what he's "supposed" to be like, and a huge hint that he's not as casteist as he'd like to appear. You are genuinely hundreds, if not thousands, of times likelier to end an encounter with Eridan either orphaned or dead than as his friend. He's an unstable maniac, and there's a reason so many members of his team don't like him even though he's legitimately not casteist and they mostly seem aware of it (nobody really complains about or even notices Eridan's casteism by the time they're on the meteor - his contradictions are really obvious, and it's likely that they've more or less realized that he's full of shit).

Again, I don't begrudge anybody for wanting or liking PQ. Who cares, really. I'm just saying that as a canon discussion blog, there's not really any place for PQ because it's so far removed from canon that, like, there's not really anything meaningful to discuss about it. The setting and characters in PQ are fundamentally divested from canon, and not even in an AU way. And it's totally fine if that's what you like, but, yeah, like.

Was Eridan written well (where "well" = accurate to canon): no. Maybe he's fine as an OC with an Eridan Minecraft skin slapped on, but that's not my beautiful son, that's not my baby boy.

What did they get wrong about Eridan (where "wrong" = inaccurate to canon): all.

What route would I have written for Eridan: he shoots you with a gun and you die. And then maybe cheats on you with Karkat

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 16

(Azul usually only enters his full Cecaelia form when he is completely submerged in water, as it is hard to move with tentacles out of water. Azul is not the best swimmer, but he makes up for it with how powerful his tentacles are as he can actually do immense damage with them while underwater. There is a small heart shape on his right cheek beneath his eye among the natural dark coloration on his face. He doesn't like this heart very much until the Human points it out, now he thinks it is his best quality because it was enough to draw the attention of the Human in the first place.)

Warnings: yandere, multiple yanderes, platonic and romantic yanderes, bullying, the day of representatives is upon us, Malleus tries, some canon Malleus interests mentioned, unnamed students causing problems, mending some bridges, lending support, light cat vs cat conflict, Dragon, Hellcat, Shinigami, Cervitaur, Nemean Lion, Unicorn, Kelpie, mention of Water Nymph,

~~~~~~~~

This wasn't really how you had expected to spend the day. Through it was interesting at first, after the first hour you and every other companion had already become bored. Every companion except for Malleus.

"This one is a crow gargoyle, made 100 years ago. Out of all the Gargoyles, this is the only one that depicts a crow harpy as a Gargoyle, not to be confused with the crow Harpy Grotesques that line the fencing-"

Grim, Ortho, and Silver were already bored to tears after the long winded introduction to the Gargoyles that lived around Ramschackle as Malleus then moved on to the Gargoyles around the fencing. Honestly, it had been interesting at first to learn about the Gargoyles. Many had history you didn't know and it was always nice to talk to someone about their passions. Given this was the 50th or 51st Gargoyle the Dragon had introduced you to, you were a little bored.

It was while you were envying Grim- who slept soundly in your arms, the both of you atop Silver's back- you heard a strange sound on the wind. The sound was as if there were several voices shouting over one another. As you listened attentively to the sound, you heard a higher pitched cry that made your heart seize.

"What was that?"

"Hmm? That is a Grotesque-"

"No, not the Grotesques, Tsuno, that scream. What was the scream?"

Malleus paused his lecture to listen, Ortho and Silver doing the same before another high-pitched scream split the air again. Silver was first to turn and head towards the direction of the sound, your other two guards easily keeping pace with the Cervitaur. The increased jostling woke Grim who scowled and looked around at whatever was so important to draw your group away from the monotonous Gargoyles.

It wasn't hard to find the source of the sound.

"Come on, you stupid cub! You said you wanted to play, so we are just trying to play! Don't hide from us right after we start playing."

"Leave me alone!"

The crying voice of a young child made your blood boil as you saw the scene playing out in front of you. There were several students you didn't recognize- judging from their arm bands and magestones, they were from Heartslabyul- and they were heckling what seemed to be a young boy who hid in the roots of a tree. It was obvious the boy was crying and the sinister grins on the student's faces told you they had been tormenting him.

"Malleus-"

You didn't even have to finish your sentence before the Dragon acted on your behalf. Clearly the offending students were caught off guard by the sudden and harsh winds that threw them to the ground. They almost seemed ready to fight before they realized it was a less than pleased Malleus Draconia staring them down, the group scattering from the location to try and avoid the wrath of the strongest student among them. It didn't take much for you to memorize their faces, knowing you were due a conversation with Riddle and figuring you could mention their poor behavior to the temperamental Unicorn.

Once the offending students cleared out, you could see the boy better as he cowered among the tree roots. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt that had a few rips and tears in it. His hair was a red to gold gradient that highlighted and complimented his golden ears, tail, and back legs. The young boy was crying and trying to push himself further back into the roots even as Malleus approached, hissing warily at the Dragon and letting out pitiful mewls. He looked like a brighter and happier version of Leona.

"Here, let me try."

The mewling was hurting your heart more than you realized it would as you passed a somewhat displeased Grim to Silver. Malleus didn't allow you to dismount on your own from the Cervitaur's back- your leg was still injured- and instead chose to lift you up with his tail, setting you in the grass in front of the roots the child hid among. Where you wished you could have approached the clearly frightened child on your own, you weren't going to bemoan the fact now.

"It's okay," you began in a soothing tone, your voice taking on a much softer pitch, "they're gone now."

"They- They're gonna come- come back!"

"No, they won't. I can promise you that."

"Stay away!"

You frowned slightly at how clearly afraid the cub was and you shuffled closer, trying to not stress the cub further. He had several scrapes on his soft skin and you couldn't help but feel pity for the clearly frightened child. Honestly, you had half a mind to go straight to Riddle after this and inform the Unicorn of the poor behavior shown by his dormmates. First, you had to make sure the cub was alright.

"Let's try this again, my name is (Y/n) (L/n), what is yours?"

"Ch-Cheka. My name- my name is Cheka."

"Okay, Cheka, where are you supposed to be right now?"

"Unca- Unca said I was- was 'posed to- to stay in the Greenhouse. But it- it's boring there! I just wanted to play..."

"Oh, you poor thing. I'm going to guess those students said they would play with you, but their games weren't very fun, right?"

"They weren't fun at- at all! They kicked and chased me, an-and they yelled at me-!"

The cub cut off with a loud sob and covered his face, crying his little heart out as he curled in on himself. You saw your chance to reach out and grab the cub as he cried, taking it slowly so he could pull away if he wanted to. He didn't fight as you lifted him into your lap, instead he curled against your figure and sobbed into your warm body, seeking comfort and affection after his frightening experience.

"I'm so sorry they did that to you. That isn't fair to do to anyone, especially someone so young."

"They- they hit me, an-and they said I was stupid-! And- and- and then they chased me-!"

You just held the cub and let him cry it out, rubbing his back to soothe him. He seemed like he was around five years old, maybe younger, and he clearly didn't expect anyone to be so cruel to him. Honestly, the more the cub sobbed, the angeier you became at those who dare to hurt him so gleefully. He was just a child, what kind of monsters were they to get off on hurting this poor little cub? Kids could be annoying, sure, but that wasn't an excuse to hurt and terrify them.

"Okay. It's okay now. I won't let them hurt you again, okay?"

"Okay..."

You swayed slightly to try and soothe the cub further, his heartwrenching sobs slowly dying down to sniffles as he cuddled against you. Once the cub has mostly calmed down, he seemed drowsy and low energy. It took a lot of effort to cry so much especially after being so scared.

"Cheka, Honey, where are your parents?"

"Unca is in the greenhouse... I don't know where Dada is... He said I had to stay with Unca, but..."

"Okay. Do you want to go see if we can find Unca or Dada first?"

"I want my Dada..!"

"Alright, let's find Dada. You can stay with us until we find him. We'll make sure those mean students don't bother you again."

"Okay..."

Malleus used his tail once more to lift you and Cheka up, back onto the back of the Cervitaur. Neither he nor Silver seemed put off by the extra weight of the cub. The only one who seemed angry was- surprisingly- Grim.

The little Hellcat's ears were flat on his head and his three pronged tail was lashing in frustration.

"That's my Hooman..."

As he growled, you frowned at the small Hellcat, but you figured he would be less than pleased with the situation. Cats from your world were territorial, especially the males, and now Grim had to compete with Cheka for your affections. He was clearly angry that he was relegated to Silver's arms and not yours as he glared jealously at the younger cub.

"Grim," you started with a gentle but warning tone to the Hellcat, "calm down. Cheka isn't a threat to you."

"Yes, he is. You are my Hooman and that means I should be the one you hold, not that- that cub!"

"Grim, just because we are helping Cheka out doesn't mean you're not my boy anymore. I'm your Hooman, and you're my Grimmy. Okay?"

He was still frowning, but his tail had stopped lashing as he slowly nodded. It was clear he wasn't happy with the situation but he wasn't going to be mean to Cheka either. Now, all you had to do was find Cheka's Dad- who was more than likely a Nemean Lion, judging from Cheka- somewhere on campus.

"Tsuno, is it okay if we pause the Gargoyle excursion for now? I think getting this little one somewhere safe should take priority."

"... The Gargoyles will still be here another day."

"Thank you, Tsuno. You're a good guy."

Malleus seemed to get a somewhat darker tint to his pallid cheeks, his tail curling and waving with your light praise. Cheka finally pulled away from your warm hug, looking around now at the several monster men that stood around the two of you and even at Silver, who you both were riding. His eyes seemed to train on Malleus before returning to you and he almost looked confused, glancing back and forth for a moment.

"Aunta, what are you? You smell like," he paused to sniff at your arms and shoulder, "like a weird Lizard, but you don't look like a Lizard..?"

"Because I'm Human, Cheka."

"Hooman?"

"Close enough."

"Wait, so you're who Dada is here to meet? He said Unca was talking about a Hooman that stays at the school, and that he had to go to a meeting with the Hooman. Mama told Dada to take me along too, and Dada told Unca to watch me while he went to the meeting thingy."

"Okay, so your Dada is one of the representatives. Got it. I'm guessing you're from Sunset Savana?"

"Yeah! That's Dada's Kingdom and it will be my Kingdom some day too!"

"Gotcha. Well, I know where your Dada will be come lunch time, can you wait to see him until then, or do you want to go see him right now?"

"... Well, those meanies aren't here anymore... And you're really nice to me, Aunta, so I can wait to see Dada. Just don't leave me alone again, okay?"

"Okay, I'll stay by your side until we get you back to your Dada."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

~•§•~

Leona slowly woke from a surprisingly peaceful slumber, humming as he came back to consciousness. It was nice to not be woken up for the hundredth time by his nephew. While he slowly woke a question soon floated up in his sleep hazed mind.

Where was the cub?

Usually Cheka's energy was boundless and insatiable in his desire to play, so he should have technically been the one to wake Leona. The fact alone that he wasn't in Leona's immediate line of sight put the Nemean Lion on edge. He didn't fear what his older brother Falena would do to him for losing the cub, he feared what Falena's wife would do.

That fear and concern was what pulled the Lion to his feet and began his increasingly worried search of the greenhouse. There was no trace of the cub.

"Damn that brat! He couldn't just stay in one place for only a few hours?"

Leona snarled as he began the long and arduous task of tracking the cub, following one of countless scent trails in the hopes he could find the Cub before other students did. Most of those at Night Raven College would have a field-day tormenting such a young cub, and he didn't really want to face the wrath of his brother's wife. As annoying as Cheka was, he also didn't want the cub to get hurt because of his negligence.

One thing was for certain though, he would never agree to watch that nuisance again.

~•§•~

Your rag-tag herd made their way through the mirror and into the Heartslabyul domain, Cheka looking around in awe at the many different rose bushes and the large swooping architecture. Malleus took the lead, followed by Silver, and Ortho brought up the back of the group. You were very thankful Ortho was there as he seemed to befriend the little cub easily and the two were able to talk about everything and anything.

Though you thought the cub was absolutely precious- and a certain part of your brain wanted to adopt and keep the cub- you knew he would have to go home eventually. That didn't mean you were going to let the cruelty others showed to him go unanswered, however. Trey and Riddle were both supposed to be at their dorms today, or so Ace told you, so you figured you could visit as promised and tell Riddle about those students.

It didn't take long for you to locate the Unicorn and Kelpie, both were at the Heartslabyul lake. Riddle was laying on the grass on the bank of the Lake and Trey seemed to be swimming in the water. When your group approached, you could have sworn you saw Cater laying across the Kelpie's back. The moment you called out to them there was a loud splash, and you didn't see the Water Nymph anymore.

Part of you wondered if Cater was avoiding you due to what happened with the Wolves, but you weren't going to push to befriend the Nymph either. There were still things left unspoken between the two of you. You were still injured, so he couldn't possibly face you after what he did.

"Hey, Riddle, Trey!"

You waved as your group approached the equine students who both looked surprised at your presence in Heartslabuyl.

Riddle was first to stand to greet you, but it was Trey that caught your attention. Slowly pulling himself out of the water, you saw that his typically white coat was a deep lake-green. Fins protruded from the backs of his front legs and it was clear his back legs were one large fin, reminding you of a Hippocampus from Greek mythology. His tail- which was usually a fine strands of green like his usual hair- was now stringy kelp looking fins that flicked off water.

He seemed to struggle for a moment as he pulled himself onto the bank, but the large tail-fin split back into two legs rather quickly, allowing the Kelpie to stand. Apaprently Trey wasn't just a white horse afterall and seemed to actually be a Kelpie as you knew them. It made you vaguely wonder why Kelpies weren't considered dangerous to you, as your home legends of Kelpies usually depicted them eating Humans.

"(Y/n), it's such a relief to see you," Riddle started, drawing your attention back to him, "when we heard you were injured, I feared the worst."

"So I've heard. Don't relax too soon, there are representatives I have to meet today, and apparently they will be deciding if I get to stay here or not..."

"What? Where will you go if they decide you can't stay?"

"I don't know. All I know if I have to meet with them around lunchtime. Trey, thank you again for the pastries, we thought they were delicious. Papa Hades says 'thank you' as well."

This seemed to make the two startle somewhat as clear shock was on both their faces.

"Wait- Hades? As in, one of the Seven Hades?"

"Yup. He's staying at Ramschackle for a bit."

"I mean, I expected the patron protector of Humans to take an interest in you, but I didn't think the rumors of him being on campus were true."

"Yeah. He's actually really nice. He said Trey's pastries were some of the best he's ever had."

Trey smiled at this, looking somewhat wistful as he glanced away. Honestly, he hadn't expected anyone other than you and Grim to eat the pastries, but it made him happy to know one of the Seven liked his family recipie. Maybe it would be a good thing if the Shinigami decided he wanted more pastries from the family of Kelpies. It could certainly help their profit margins.

"Glad to hear he liked them. Also good to see you, you seem to be in high spirits despite everything-"

Trey cut himself off as he realized you were cuddling what looked like a small Nemean Lion cub, his eyes wide in shock.

"Is that-?"

"This is Cheka, he's a Nemean Lion cub. He came here with his father, but his uncle- who I assume is Leona- was supposed to be watching him. We found him being bullied by a bunch of Heartslabyul students."

This made a certain dark look of anger take over Trey's features and you vaguely recalled Ace telling you about Trey's many younger siblings. No doubt the Kelpie was furious students from his dorm were so keen to bully a literal lost child.

"Point out these rule-breakers and it will be off with their heads!"

~•§•~

Leona was more than a little stressed as he continued to search, finding what seemed to be the remnants of a scuffle outside of the Greenhouse. Several scents he didn't really recognize mixed with Cheka's scent and led to a large gnarled tree. Obviously some students decided to use little Cheka as sport and this genuinely made Leona start to worry.

At first, he was irritated that the cub had not heeded his warning to stay in the Greenhouse, but if others got a hold of him it was possible Cheka was hurt. Leona didn't like Cheka one bit and hated looking after the nuisance of a cub, but he didn't want the little idiot hurt by any means. It would not only make him feel awful, but it meant the women of his house would turn on him for letting the cub wander off.

He tried to take in as much information as he could despite the many different scents present among the tree. There didn't seem to be the smell or presence of blood, so Cheka was not gravely injured before he left the tree. The only conclusive scent he could distinguish among the many was the scent of the his precious little Mousey.

There were worse people who could have found the cub and Leona hoped his Mousey hadn't gone far with Cheka. Of course, that probably meant the overgrown Lizard was with her, one of his scales being enough proof of his presence among the many. Even if his Mousey was a safe bet to leave Cheka with, he still didn't want to get chewed out by his family for not searching for the cub.

Falena wouldn't let him hear the end of it and neither would Falena's wife. There was also the possibility that Cheka could befriend the little Human and put in a good word for Leona. If the Human liked the cub, he could use the boy to get closer to his Mousey in the future. Turns out Cheka may not be so useless after all.

[veillsar]

WAIT WAIT HANG ON-

Hang. the fuck. on.

Look at this.

Don't mind the poor quality, I literally took a photo of my laptop screen with my phone cuz I needed to post this right now.

This is our camp in Balder's Gate Lower city, do you see what I'm seeing?

They have drying laundry hanging above them.

On Gale's side, look up toward the right corner - we see colorful laundry hanging there to dry, probably some carpet or blankets, those are almost definitely Gale's judging from the aesthetic. Normal, fun detail.

On Astarion's side, there's also things hanging out to dry, except they are rags. Colorless, dirty, disgusting pieces of cloth that might as well have been sitting in a trashpile. They have holes in them, have been torn, damaged beyond a normal person's tolerance for fabric - but Astarion keeps them and washes them like normal laundry....because those rags were probably similar to what he had used for the last 200 years, so he doesn't know any better. What the fuck?

You can't....you can't just silently put details like this, waiting for someone like me to notice it and have my heart shattered all over the floor. I will cry.

FYI, I do know about the visual comparison between the outside of his tent and the inside, it just adds to the sadness I feel for this man even more. Again, Cazador, when I find you, you'll be a dead man walking I swear to the gods-

[o-sachi]

Wishlist! - Headcanons for WinBre Week!

ᯓ what are the furin boys putting on their wishlist this year? ᯓ characters; sakura haruka, suo hayato, sugishita kyotaro, mitsuki kiryu, kaji ren, umemiya hajime, hiragi toma, togame jo ᯓ tags; just plain platonic headcanons

[🐟]: for day 5 - holidays prompt! @windbreakerweek

Sakura Haruka

"Ehhh? No... I don't want anything..."

He's only saying that because he'd feel like too much of a burden knowing someone might go out of their way to get him a present.

But he's like the easiest person to give a gift to because he will appreciate anything you give him. Hell, the fact that you even thought to get him anything is a gift in and of itself.

Although, he'd prefer something that isn't super expensive.

Wishlist: a new blanket, coupons for omurice, another pair of shoes (pls get our boy a new pair of shoes)

Suo Hayato

"Oh? A gift? How thoughtful of you."

Not really choosy when it comes to gifts either. He's probably hella rich and has everything that he wants already, so gifts are like a kind gesture to him if anything.

Although, he prefers gifts with meaning over ones that are practical.

It's because he can buy the practical stuff, but he can't put in meaning into things that he buys for himself.

Wishlist: rare tea leaves, lucky trinket, calligraphy brush (a hobby he picked up recently)

Sugishita Kyotaro

"For me? Why."

Doesn't really think about gifts, both in the sense of giving and receiving it.

But if you give him one, he'll be over the moon. Doesn't matter what it is really. He's similar to Sakura in this regard.

However, his issue with gifts is that he doesn't know how to react when he's given one. Is a thank you enough? Should he get them a gift too? He's so overwhelmed. Poor guy...

Wishlist: a small plant for his room, a plain shirt, Ume's approval (he's been told you can't put things like this on a wishlist, but he got mad)

Mitsuki Kiryu

"Yippee! You're the best. Thank you so much."

He likes to joke about stuff that he likes to receive. Also jokes about not needing gifts because his fangirls already give him more than enough.

He judges gifts based on aesthetic appeal rather than its practical use. He doesn't care if its useless as long as it'll look good on him or in his room.

I just know this dude has the best reactions when given any gift. Even if he has experienced it soooo many times, he'll make you feel as if he's so thankful for it each time.

Wishlist: gems for the game he's playing, a cat charm, a hamburger phone case (so he can alternate between that and the hotdog phone case)

Kaji Ren

"Wha? What's the occasion? Well, thanks. I guess..."

Super adamant about not wanting to receive any gifts. He says he's happy enough to have loyal friends by his side. Honestly, he's just scared to get emotional if the gift ends up being too good.

Gifts from close friends hold more value to him regardless of what the gift is.

It's pretty easy to predict the things that he would like...

Wishlist: a box of lollipops, a new hoodie, a year's worth of Spotify subscriptions (me too actually sob)

Umemiya Hajime

"Whaddaya know? I also have a little something for you here!"

It actually puts a bit of pressure on you to find Ume the perfect gift because he is THE GIFT GIVER. It's like he always knows what everyone would love.

A really simple guy. Even quality time is considered a gift in his eyes.

Ume prefers gifts that aren't the usual kinds of things you'd buy from the store, so stuff like handmade gifts, home cooked meals, and letters are his favorite things to receive.

Wishlist: a new trowel for gardening, a shirt that says "Tomato Dad", a dinner party with the entire Furin student body (awww)

Hiragi Toma

"Thanks. I'll make sure to use this."

He's like an old man, so gifts that are practical are is preference. His eyes go wide when the thing is multi-purpose and a steal for its price.

He's also the type of person to preserve gift bags to use for another time. Although, he has definitely gifted back to a person using a bag given to him by that same person before...

A big believer of the saying, "It's the thought that counts."

Wishlist: stomach medicine... lots of it, hair gel, perfume/cologne (I JUST KNOW HE SMELLS GOOD)

Togame Jo

"Aww, this for me? You didn't have to."

Nonchalant as fuck when receiving gifts, but trust me, he is sobbing inside. He's so happy someone thought of him.

Also prefers practical gifts, but it hardly matters. As long as you got him something, he'll be grateful for it.

He won't admit it but he enjoys the moment of unwrapping the gift. Even better if it's wrapped neatly and with a bow on top. Kame's not sure why, but he just loves that part.

Wishlist: food foood fooooood, a new pair of sandals, fancy shogi set (to show off to the old men he plays with lol)

o-sachi © 2024 pls do not translate/copy/reupload my work on other platforms.

[theoceanandthestars]

TK's Sponsor

Owen Strand x Reader

A/N: My first time writing for 991 Lone star, apologies for any mistakes and the generally poor quality of writing I'm busy but felt like i needed to write :) Hope you enjoy or at the very least don't hate it. Also any requests from 911 and 911 Lone star are always welcome :)

Word Count: 2.8k

______________________________________________________________

‘Okay everyone, Great job!’ you called as you paused the music playing in the studio, ‘Just sit where you are for a minute, I have a couple of things to tell you before we do our final dance of the day’.  Seeing the faces of the 5-year-olds taking your friend’s dance class filled your heart with a warmth you hadn’t felt in a while and you couldn’t help the smile that accompanied it.

You hadn’t danced in any professional capacity for years but since your friend, who normally taught the class, was going on vacation for 4 weeks you’d agreed to take over while she was away. This was only the second week of you teaching and you’d been enjoying it far more than you anticipated and had even begun to consider teaching a dance class in your free time. The building in which your friend taught had multiple studios, so the idea of teaching dance again was currently constantly on your mind.

Currently there was only one other class going on at the same time as this one, the 5 to 10 years ballet class, a class that was hugely popular judging by the sheer volume of pink tutus you had seen skurry into the studio early today. The thought made you smile again, you had been one of those pink tutus years ago, and even if parts of your life hadn’t gone the way you had planned you still had dance and the same studio you had danced in all those years ago. It made the building feel homey.

Looking down at all the excited faces in front of you, you carried on telling the class that in 3 weeks’ time you would have a mini recital to show their teacher what you had been doing while she was on vacation. Which was suddenly met with excited shrieks and all the children jumping up and down and running around in excitement. Once again you allowed yourself to smile at the sight before calling them back to sit down. But before you could stop yourself and the children from laughing, their infectious happiness having spread to you, the smell of smoke hit your nose only seconds before the fire alarm began to blare causing absolute havoc in the studio.

‘Okay everyone!’ you shouted loud enough to gather the attention of all the tiny ears currently in the room, ‘I need you all to listen to me very carefully, you need to all grab each other’s hands and we are going to form a big chain and leave the studio, okay?’

‘No need to panic’ you said as the children held on to each other and you started to briskly walk them from the studio, ‘We’re all here together so everything is fine’.

As soon as you made it to the grassy area outside of the building you began counting the children in front of you and once you had triple checked they were all there you finally let out a breath of relief. Although no flames where currently visible the smoke billowing from the building had already garnered the attention of many passers-by, many of whom were clearly ringing the fire department. You turned to Mrs Jenkins who had been teaching the ballet class and was now just a few feet from you.

‘Do you have everyone?’ you asked her hurriedly as the flames began to become visible. Watching as she scanned her eyes over the sheet in front of her your heart suddenly dropped when her face paled.

‘What? What is it?’ you asked.

‘I forgot, one of the girls, Sophie, oh god she’s only 6, she wanted to go to the bathroom, I forgot to get her. She’s still in there!’, the older ladies voice shook as her panic began to set in.

Before you could question what you were doing or consider the risks, you turned to Mrs Jenkins, pushed the clipboard you had been holding into her hands and told her to watch all the kids. Her face suddenly scrunched in confusion before realisation sunk in, but you had already set of at a sprint back towards the burning building.

The flames had now started to lick at the sides of the studio as smoke billowed around the room. The cracking of the beams sending pain hurtling through your ears while the rooms temperature rapidly rose. Despite the thick clouds of smoke, you continued to climb over the fallen parts of the building, ducking and running through the flames towards the direction of the bathroom.

As you made your way through the crimson rooms, your throat burned as you called for the missing girl, only stopping to cough out the smoke you had been inhaling. Finally, you were almost at the bathroom which the flames of the fire had only started to reach.

‘Sophie!’ you continued to scream her name, your throat burning from mixture of the screams and smoke. Suddenly a large crash shook the building, sending you to the floor as wooden beams sent cinder towards your arm.

‘Ahh’ you hissed in pain before forcing yourself up, the sounds of the flames engulfing the building, crackles and the crumbling of the structure filled your ears. Before you could rip her name out of your mouth again, the sounds of sobs reached your ears and fuelled with adrenaline you made your way into the bathroom.

Suddenly you saw Sophie, crouched under a sink in her little pink tutu, her body shaking with sobs as the flames got closer to her. Frantically searching, you found a fire extinguisher outside the door, making a path to get to Sophie.

Finally, she seemed to realise your shouts and her eyes locked with yours as she shot towards where you stood in the entryway.

______________________________________________________________

The flames began to rise outside the building as the dark grey smoke filled the sky. The children had been gathered around Mrs Jenkins before the 126 had arrived. Immediately, Owen ran towards Mrs Jenkins and the children.

‘My name is Captain Owen Strand I’m with the 126, Is everyone okay here?’ he asked placing his hand on the older lady’s shoulder, but she didn’t respond to him, her gaze fixed on the fire and where you had run into the building with was now.

‘Ma’am?’ he asked finally capturing her attention.

‘She’s still in there!’ Mrs Jenkins exclaimed as her eye movement became rapid and anxiety flared in her chest. Owen took her in as he began to formulate a plan in his head.

‘Who is?’ he began, but before he could ask her the myriad of questions in his mind so that he could plan how to get this person out of the building Mrs Jenkins spoke up again.

‘She ran in there to find one of the girls. She’s been in there too long.’ By now most of the 126 was gathered around their captain, their faces shifting at the realisation that their was two people still in the fire. Owen’s and the rest of the 126’s thoughts were interrupted again, this time by Judd as he shouted that he could see her as he rushed towards the fire.

______________________________________________________________

You and Sophie had made it most of the way out of the studio, her latched onto your back with her hands and legs wrapped tight around you as her tiny body continued to shake as you manoeuvred through the flames and wreckage. Suddenly the door was in sight and the searing pain in your arm while, worsening by the minute, was forgotten.

You knew that any minute the entire building was going to come down as the fire roared, the building shook and cinder and building materials fell around the both of you. Seizing an opportunity as the flames licked up the walls and revealed a path to the door you sprinted to the door of the building.

The sudden force of the cool air sent you into a fit of coughs as you ran from the building behind you. The lights of the fire engines that had arrived lit the street, which was now darkening, and the crowds of people stared at the sight in front of them.

The first thing you saw though was a firefighter rushing towards the pair of you from the direction of where you had left Mrs Jenkins and the children, shouting to people behind him as he pointed at you both. He reached you both and guided you as you all sprinted towards the group of firefighters, who had sprung into action.

The sound of the crowd clapping and cheering didn’t quiet reach your ears as the adrenaline pumped through your veins. Suddenly you stopped as you reached the paramedics and fire captain. Before you could register anything they were saying, you felt the arms around your neck tighten, causing another fit of coarse coughs to expel themselves. As you turned to Sophie who was clinging on as if her life still depended on it, you realised that one of the paramedics, whose badge read Vega had tried to coax her away from you.

‘It’s okay Sophie your safe now, they need to check if you’re okay sweetheart’, for a second she let go, only to move in front of you and cling to you as she sobbed into your top.  ‘I promise it’s okay now Sophie, the paramedics have to check to see if you’re okay.’

Still, she clung tighter to you, shaking her head.

‘Will you let me check if you’re okay Sophie?’, to your suggestion Sophies shaking slowed, her grip loosened, and her little head nodded momentarily. As you began to check her breathing the paramedic who had since introduced herself as Captain Vega, looked at you questioningly.

‘Miss, you should really let us do that.’ She stated firmly.

‘It’s okay I’m a doctor’, you quickly stated, ‘I was helping a friend out and teaching her class.’ At this information Captain Vega slowly nodded and began handing you equipment.

After you had checked Sophie over and she appeared fine, you were about to move, when a familiar voice stole your attention away from the now much calmer Sophie.

‘Y/N?’ Recognising the voice immediately you turned around to see TK, but before you could respond the fire captain turned to look at TK as he asked, ‘TK, you know this woman?’

‘Yeah, this is Y/N.’ Tk stated before glancing at you in silent questioning, at your nod in response TK continued, ‘She’s my sponsor, and my friend.’

This gathered the attention of most of the firefighters who had since put out the fire and were gathered around the back of ambulance where you stood. Without warning Tk then lunged at you, wrapping his arms around you, which you returned gripping him as tightly as you could. All of a sudden, however, a sharp pain ran up your arm causing you to flinch at the contact and an involuntary hiss to leave your mouth as well as a mumbled curse.

‘Are you hurt?’ questioned TK, scanning you with his eyes and hovering his hands over your arm as his eyes landed on the burns, that now with the light outside you realised where worse that you had realised. He quickly began to work on the burns. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

‘I’m fine TK, I’ve lived through much worse, besides they’re first-degree burns, maybe second at a push and I’m a doctor I can put a bandage on a burn.’  You tried to reassure him with a smile but he wasn’t putting up with your answer as he pushed your shoulder forcing you to sit on the back of the rig.

‘Really TK, I’m okay, I promise.’ Looking into his eyes you suddenly realised he looked anxious, causing your heart to drop, you knew exactly where he was about to go with this.

‘Your clearly not Y/N, people who are okay don’t run into burning buildings!’

‘That’s ironic coming from you’, you stated as Tk rolled his eyes, ‘but Tk that wasn’t what this was about, I’m clean, I’m sober and I’m happy. Frankly I wasn’t thinking when I ran in’, he scoffed but the anxiety seemed to have started to dissipate, ‘I promise you T, I just couldn’t leave her there.’

Silence lingered as the pair of you maintained eye contact while TK scanned your face for any hint that you might be lying. You had always hated talking about your addiction but after becoming a sponsor to TK when he moved to Austin, that all changed. It was no secret to Tk that you credited him with your ability to now be open about your addiction and removing the shame that had lingered over you for so long. And being only slightly older than him you had become fast friends and now although you talked about your addictions you spent more time hanging out together than anything.

A cough cut into the silence, breaking your eye contact as your eyes met with the captain you had now seen several times since you had escaped from the fire. The eye contact lingered longer that it should have and eventually his eyes drifted to Tk and a look of astonishment fell on his face.

‘You have a sponsor?’, he asked, brows furrowing.

‘Look dad’, TK began, his shoulders visibly tensing, ‘I would have told you but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions or…’ but before he could continue the fire captain who you were now realising was TK’s dad, whom you had heard so much about.

‘You don’t need to explain TK, I’m proud of you’, seeing TK and his dad like this together after hearing so much about him made your heart melt slightly, seeing how far they had come from the stories Tk had told you when you first met. Suddenly, it hit you that TK’s dad was actually in front of you.

‘Wait your Tk’s dad!’ you exclaimed jumping up from where TK had forced you to sit.

‘That’s me’ he chuckled.

‘It’s lovely to meet you Captain Strand’ you said smiling as you offered your hand to him which he took immediately with a smile matching yours.

‘Please, Its Owen.’ he remarked still holding eye contact with you, him smile shifting slightly into somewhat of a smirk. And it was at this point that you couldn’t help but notice just how attractive the fire captain truly was. It was also at this realisation that you realised just how well and truly fucked you were.

‘Well Owen’, you spoke softly as you looked slightly up at him, aware that your hands where still currently attached, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ You weren’t sure how long the pair of you held each others gaze without saying anything but it was interrupted by another cough, this time TK was the culprit, causing your hands to move.

Both you and Owen turned expectantly towards him only to be met with a flat, ‘No.’ as he began shaking his head, looking between you and Owen.

‘No what?’ You asked in unison with Owen, eyebrows raised and head tilted slightly to the side. However, his was only met with a pointed look from, which shifted between the two of you.

‘I wasn’t’, you started exasperatedly, but before you could defend yourself and claim that you weren’t flirting with his dad, TK continued.

‘You were!’, and in all fairness you were, or at the very least, you were about to. Glancing up from the ground from your scolding once again your eye caught Owen and his silent laughter only caused you to begin giggling. He then turned his scrutiny towards Owen, ‘That goes for you too.’  

But Owen just responded while shrugging, ‘I have no idea what your talking about’.

‘yeah, sure you don’t’, turning to walk away from the two TK was met with the other members of the 126 attempting to hold back their laughter, whose attempts only fell apart under his gaze.

Turning around once he had reached the rest of the 126 he looked at you as you spoke to Owen laughing and standing far too close for TK’s liking.

‘You know they are perfect for each other.’ Stated Marjan, the only one brave enough to break the silence.

‘Marjan has a point, I mean she literally ran into a burning building like some kind of badass superhero’ added Mateo.

‘Which was incredibly reckless’ exasperated TK, ‘come on guys she could have been killed!’

‘Remind you of anyone?’, questioned Judd, causing TK to sigh.

Finally, he conceded, ‘Ok so maybe I’ve thought once or twice that they’re actually very similar.’

‘Only thing she needs to do now’ concluded Matteo, gathering the attention of the 126, ‘is punch someone and she’ll be exactly like Cap’. Matteo’s statement promptly sending the firefighters into fits of laughter.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Well if given how the anime will adapt the Manga, it makes me wonder about the savanaclaw adaptation given how many delays due to the artist's personal life that octavinelle Manga came around and is now have overblot Chapter before Savanaclaw does. I wonder if the author will have time to finish it and given how heartslabyul will release in October 2025, it might take awhile to animate savanaclaw.

[Referencing this news!]

Decided to put these together because the topics were similar enough and I have similar advice for both asks. To briefly clarify the second ask, I believe the Anon made a typo and meant to say "Yana Toboso was NOT involved in the anime's production". This is because Yana made a tweet recently stating that she and her team were surprised and honored that they were making an anime adaptation based on the manga.

Now, about the first ask: we are not aware of what the manga and anime creation process looks like for Twst. Yes, the Savanaclaw manga has had a number of delays, but we cannot be sure if this impacts the anime at all. For example, we don't know how much of the Episode of Savanaclaw anime is even done yet. We don't know if the anime team is going to be in talks with the mangaka to coordinate things. We don't know when the Episode of Savanaclaw will air (and for all we know, it could give the mangaka ample time to finish up). There are many things we do not know, so it would be VERY hasty to conclude anything now.

Regarding the second ask: Yes, it does seem like Yana had no involvement in the anime. This, however, should NOT be taken as an immediate sign that the anime will be poor quality or that the anime will deviate from the main story in large (and bad) ways. Nothing of the news we've heard so far would indicate any sweeping changes. This is equating a past occurrence with something that has yet to even happen without even knowing if the production circumstances are even the same between them. The only thing we know that is linking the animes of early Black Butler and Twst is Yana's lack of involvement. This doesn't account for ANY other factors in production, and it's also assuming that Yana's mere presence makes a product good--and, conversely, her absence automatically makes a product bad. I don't think this is the way to go, as it's jumping to conclusions based on minimal evidence and it's putting way too much weight on Yana's shoulders to carry the quality of the Twst anime.

And that brings me to the thread linking together not just these two asks, but a lot of the anime-related posts and asks that I've been seeing as of late: fearmongering and doomposting. Lots of it.

As I’ve said multiple times now, it's fine to be hesitant about the anime. I'm hesitant of it myself! However, let’s not draw preemptive conclusions or fret over what are ultimately hypotheticals. It’s so far off, and we have zero of the actual final product to look at and judge the quality of. I'm seeing so many people make mountains out of molehills, working themselves up over nothing, assuming the worst-case scenarios... 💦 and again, all of this based on little to no information. I can't help but that time and energy could be better spent on other fandom efforts or things we actively enjoy. It's valid to be anxious about the anime and how it presents something we care so much about, but putting those feelings in a public space paints the fandom in a bad light. It gives the impression that we'll jump the gun and claim something is bad before letting the product speak for itself. If you're a current Twst fan that is excited for the anime, it may not feel so good seeing others theorizing about how bad it will be. If you're a potential new Twst fan seeing this stuff, you'd feel very unwelcome or unwanted. I worry this will fester and create divides in the community... unintentionally creating an environment that isn't fun to be in, and that's the antithesis of what I think fandom should be. I guess I'll end on this note: There is a difference between being healthily skeptical and assuming the worst of a production. Please take a moment to reexamine your concerns about the anime and ask yourself "Is this a reasonable fear?", "What am I basing this off of?", and, "How, if at all, will this affect my own enjoyment of Twst?" If it gets to be too much for you, then please, please step away from social media (where a lot of these fears are being touted) and take a break. Do something you like, take a walk, whatever. I just beg of you, don't allow yourself to be consumed by feelings that will bleed the fun of fandom out of you 💦

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Given that the farmer is frequently pulling weeds, it would make sense that there’s an occasional bit of skin irritation and burns from touching specific weeds. How would the SVE spouses respond to their partner getting burns from improper handling of weeds and plants?

I imagine Magnus and Sophia probably both know a bit about these plants and might have even told the farmer ahead of time to be cautious.

Oof, I can feel that nasty itch because of plants right on my own skin from just reading this ask.... Burns from weeds and plants, brrrrr!

Nevertheless, it's a very interesting question! Enjoy some headcanons, dear anon! 🫰💕

_________________________________________

SVE bachelors/ettes react to Farmer's weed burns:

Magnus Rasmodius:

Magnus could understand the first time a Farmer came home from the field covered in scratches and red spots. It happens, even the most experienced farmers and gardeners make mistakes.

...But this was the fifth time in a row.

"I can't get it why you allow this to happen, love. Treating weed burns is hardly a pleasant pastime." "But you do care about me, Razzy." "We can do that without the burns, you know."

After healing Farmer's skin, Magnus will ask his spouse what the reason is for their continued disregard for safety rules while pulling weed.

Maybe their farmer's overall isn't comfortable for work? Is it too hot in this clothes? Does the poor quality fabric make everything itch even more than the grass burns itself?

Let Farmer speak, and the wizard will find a solution. With or without magic.

Victor:

Victor covered Farmer with bandages and ointment almost from head to toe. Well, because Farmer was covered in red spots from head to toe, so that makes sense.

"You're allergic to weeds! What if you started having trouble breathing and then choking?

Farmer now definitely regretted not wearing their farm clothes to treat the field for weeds. Because worried Victor looks like he's going to cry.

And he can be understood - Farmer is risking their life not only on an adventure, but also on the quiet work on the farm field! Although they can avoid danger by at least wearing gloves.

Speaking of which... "Gloves, no buts! Please... don't injure yourself."

It's now Victor's job to remind Farmer for proper farm clothes and gloves (also lightly slap their hands when they want to scratch itchy skin).

Lance:

Lance's stern look immediately made Farmer realise that they were now in trouble for their own carelessness.

Though it would seem they hadn't been on the missions for a week or so, fully immersed in harvesting a bountiful crops. But now...

"You're constantly risking your life fighting monsters. So why would you risk your life in your own home? Such an aggressive weed allergy can quickly go from annoying itchiness to suffocation."

Lance activated his healing magic and began treating Farmer. "...You want me to find you with no signs of life in your own field?" Ouch...

"No more risking your health like that, my love." From a stern look to a look full of concern for his loved one.

If need be, Lance could put a special protective barrier on Farmer's skin, but wearing protective clothes necessary too.

Sophia:

Sophia always had a first aid kit nearby for such occasions when she had to treat grapes for weeds.

She thought that her partner, as an experienced farmer, had also done their best to prevent burns from weeds and grass at work.

But judging by Farmer, whose skin showed a multitude of red spots, the pink-haired girl was wrong.

Poor Sophia was thrashing around the house looking for the first aid kit, quickly treating Farmer's skin.

She absolutely hated to see Farmer squirming in pain. Why didn't he wear special clothes to provide this unpleasant occasion?

She tearfully asks them to be more careful next time.

From now on, Sophia is vigilant to make sure her spouse doesn't forget to put on farmer's clothes, and she always has the burn ointment with her.

Olivia:

Olivia nearly dropped the glasses of cold lemonade in her hands when she saw Farmer on the doorstep.

"Honey! You're all red and swollen! Did you... Picking hogweed? Without special clothes?! You're terribly allergic!

Considering how panicked and almost screaming Olivia was while on the phone with Harvey, the doctor arrived at the farmhouse instantly.

Thankfully, everything turned out okay, but the former accountant (along with the doctor) later scolded Farmer for being so careless. Allergies are no joke.

Olivia apologises for panicking in the evening, but Farmer must promise her that they will no longer put themselves in danger while working on the farm.

She will then order an anti-allergy medication so that next time she can help her spouse immediately, rather than panicking over the phone.

Claire:

Claire, looking at the abrasions and in some places red spots on Farmer's skin, at first thought that her beloved spouse had managed to fight with someone.

But upon closer inspection, the ginger girl immediately realized it was because of the weeds.

"I'm allergic to certain plants too, bluegrass for example. I have an ointment in my bag that will definitely help with burns like this."

Farmer can't help but notice the sadness in Claire's eyes as she dabbed the ointment on them.

"Please be more careful next time, dear. I'm so worried about you."

She keeps reminding Farmer to dress better so they don't get grass burns again. Or would leave them little notes in the kitchen if Claire was busy/at work.

[lexreadsdiversely]

Horror is such an interesting genre because a lot of the time, individual people define it by whether or not it's scary, but fear is so subjective. One person can find something absolutely terrifying while another finds it just meh, or sometimes oddly comforting. This usually has people going "this clearly isn't horror" - though I've noticed that people who find it comforting rather than scary are less likely to claim that it isn't horror than those who just didn't find it scary. It's objectively still horror, but people who find comfort in it can recognize that they are relating to/finding comfort specifically in the horrific.

I'm reflecting on this today because I'm working my way through Our Wives Under the Sea, and while I'm only about halfway through, I haven't found it scary even once. Can't say the same for my poor wife. As someone who's life got turned inside out six months ago, I'm finding myself relating a little too hard to Leah. When you also went through hell and feel like you "came back wrong", watching it happen to a character feels almost cathartic. It feels like someone else understands you. It feels, strangely enough, warm. This fictional character gets me. It's still objectively horror even though it doesn't scare me.

I wish the book community wasn't so quick to judge whether a book deserves to be in the genre it's categorized as based on individual feelings and experiences reading said book. Apart from romance (and mystery, to a small degree) most genres don't have set rules. Many fit into more than one genre, and different genres have overlapping qualities. Just because you as an individual don't find a particular horror book scary doesn't mean it isn't horror, and the same can be said for so many genres.

[hyog-blog]

Fangs of Fortune (ep.03 - ep.05)

Oh god, where do I start? Everyone has become less stabby now, but mildly insulting each other seems to be the new form of flirting (between, like, everyone?). Okay, between the Zhuo Yichen - Zhu Yan - Wen Xiao trio for sure. I'm seeing you, guys, you don't have to be so obvious about it XD

That flirtatious contract-signing procedure with Wen Xiao, and Zhu Yan calling Yichen 'better than a dog', and Wen Xiao calling demons 'pets', and then Zhu Yan offering her to become one. I mean come on XD

"Here's some free demonic energy, so you can easily kill me later." Is this romantic or what? XD The kind of demonic romance this show seems to be excelling at. Manly healing handholding - check ✔

Also, Li Lun appears out of the darkness with the broodiness of an ex who was left behind by Zhu Yan after giving birth to the Wilderness after doing some powerful wibbly wobbly timey wimey demonic magic stuff (supposedly, he was ditched for a woman, now dead, who was supposedly killed by Li Lun, now imprisoned). And now the poor guy has to compete with yet another pretty woman and an even prettier young man.

I mean, Li Lun, brother, I get it, Zhu Yan is a babe, but killing off your ex's friends and lovers won't make him like you more, that's just not how things work. And judging by the fact that Li Lun got all chained up in some cave, he probably messed up badly. Killed the previous Bai Ze Goddess? Or did something equally un-cool.

Our gorgeous Zhu Yan is a walking and talking Red Flag, although, the kind you want to wrap around yourself and never let go. I mean, how do they manage to withstand his demonic charm? I seriously have no idea)))

Hou Minghao had a serious demonic glow-up. I loved him as a dragon in Back from the Brink (where he was equal parts cute and beautiful), but this regal demonic deity he's channeling here is just wow. Where did all that come from? And once again, it's paired with a decent amount of creepy-ish cuteness (like, it's slightly weird to call a many-thousand-year-old powerful demon lord cute, but he's also not not cute, you know what I mean? XD)

And god bless all the sponsors who made all these pretty fantasy fights possible (the post-production team, I'm looking at you). Also the quality of the picture is incredibly good - everything is so movie-like, I can't even imagine the budget that went into this. But I'm glad they had it!

The vibe of the show is so, ah XD I can't even say it's queer, but it kind of is? With a possibility of multiple polycules wherever you look (or maybe it's just me and my mind playing tricks, but I'm enjoying this to the fullest).

And the way Yichen sneezes every time someone (Zhu Yan especially) is talking about him XD So cute. Bai Jiu is hilarious - screaming like the girliest girl at every prospect of danger and fainting at the sight of dead bodies. The most believable 13-year-old in the history of cdrama)))

I'm loving all the characters so far and patiently waiting for the tragedy of the death of the previous Bai Ze goddess to fully unfold (Wen Xiao's memories hint at more upcoming drama with Zhu Yan).

[luciluck2046-md]

HAPPY OCTOBER 29TH!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MURDER DRONES!!!

After 3 years, this is its first time being celebrated while being fully out :3

Now if you will excuse me for the poor quality, I would have made the drawing digitally if I was home... But you'll get your GOOD QUALITY IMAGE in the end :3

Now, I promised you some teasers :3

They're under the cut.

Most of you chose to find out Uzi and N's kids names and a bit of their lore.

Sooooooooo

First child

Name: Mara Doorman

ID: crows-are-cool420 (she made it when she was 12 don't judge her. She can change it she just doesn't want to)

Birthday: February 16th 3074

Gender: Girl, Crowgender(SHE LIKES CROWS A LOT MORE THAN UZI ALRIGHT!?)

Attraction: Bisexual? (She's actually a lezbean but she doesn't know that yet)

Second child

Name: Kris Doorman

ID: knives&swords5780

Birthday: February 25th 3078

Gender: Genderfluid

Attraction: Demiromantic

Happy about the teasers? I'm already giving their names because the second part, which is going to be centered around MARA, not Uzi, is going to be out... After I finish the first part.

And oh God, I didn't even start the story. It's going to be LONG.

Like imagine that the actual adventure starts in chapter 8, wtf did I do for the past 7 chapters???

[gofancyninjaworld]

Hello!!

I would like to ask. What do you think of the negative reviews regarding the current direction of the OPM manga?

I have seen a lot of negative opinions that OPM is going to failure because of Murata (and even ONE), because the Blast Vs Void fight has been uncertain for a long time since the manga break, and then we were introduced to the neo heroes arc. That many have found it boring since the story of the ninja village was interrupted, and that the last chapters have been very short and it feels that the work progresses very slowly. In addition, OPM has had constant redraws and the last arc of MA and cosmic garou was somewhat controversial for its resolution, added to the redraws.

In addition to this, I see that people support that the work completely forgets about Saitama, pointing out that the main character is not forgotten since he practically does not appear (beyond the covers). Finally, I have also seen that some people point out that ONE has decreased the quality of the work because of being involved in other manga. And that OPM has lost quality completely.

I would like to hear other opinions, because I feel that they are somewhat exaggerated. But honestly I have been frustrated not to see Blast and Void fight, and I feel that many people waiting for this fight makes them lose interest in Neo-Heroes because they feel like they introduced this reunion at a bad time. I feel that Murata and One are overlapping these WC arcs, and developed in parallel. But that's my speculation....

Lol. I laugh now because the reality of watching OPM being made is a bit like the pitch experiment. It flows but not a timescale that makes sense to sit and watch it.

I started following the manga in 2016, right at the tail end of the time when Murata would only get a storyboard every 2-3 months, and would often post only a handful of pages of redrawn stuff. Then it went to every 2-3 weeks with month-long pauses but at least new story, 15-20 pages. Then it started to be 30+ pages at a time, every 3-4 weeks. Then it started to be 30-ish pages at a time, every other week. ONE has managed to deliver storyboards consistently enough that there's a whole generation of people who joined in the last 3-4 years who have no damn idea it was ever any different.

This is far from the first time that many updates have gone into making a single chapter: Saitama vs. Genos, the Giant Meteor, all the chapters of the Alien invasion, King, to just name a few, advanced a few pages at a time over many weeks. This is not the first time that Saitama has been gone from the story for months: when it's compiled, he's away from the story for only a few chapters but it sure doesn't look that way following chapter-to-chapter.

And as for redraws, BITCH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STORY WHERE THE FIRST CHAPTER WAS REDRAWN FIVE TIMES! If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what does. I used to tell people regularly that if you don't want uncertainty, buy the volumes or wait for the anime. That's when you'll see the story as it was intended to be seen. Want immediacy? Then you have to make peace with the fact that this work does change regularly.

As for whether it has lost quality... make your mind up for yourself! 'Quality' is a meaningless term without a set of criteria. A good quality F1 racecar is a poor quality 18-wheeler -- and vice versa. So what quality are you referring to? Sure, I've heard some people grumble about having fewer panels they can hang up on the wall as decontextualised art pieces but they're losing the point of the panels as being moments in a sequential story. There's people who are annoyed at it not being the webcomic with nicer art, to which I say, 'DUH!' The manga has only one job, and it's the only quality criterion on which I judge it: does it delight me? Its only job is to entertain... hopefully enough to induce you to part with some disposable income.

If you're not entertained, give yourself permission to drop it. Life is short and excellent works are many: don't hang onto something that doesn't bring joy to your life. The OPM manga delights me. If that changes, I will drop it.

Hope that answers your questions.

[evelhak]

Aaaaa, this!!! I literally cried, I am so happy to see some actual common sense!! I am so, SO tired of this trend, it's not just Rory either, there's a really unfair pattern going on where the "renaissance" on a piece of media is basically just fans ripping a protagonist to pieces for things that these fans do not hold other characters, particularly beloved antagonists and rivals, accountable for.

This video perfectly illustrates the dynamic: Rory, who tries her best to both achieve her goals and be a decent human being while doing it, who never was a perfect human if you paid attention, gets held to the standard of an angel, so every time she makes a mistake that mistake is treated as disproportionately horrible and irredeemable. Meanwhile, as a good example, Paris, who consistently treats other people horribly, gets downright babied, and how she deserved better is repeated, her own responsibility over her actions downplayed or completely ignored. Only her good qualities are remembered, and highlighted.

There's an excellent quote in the video:

"The audience loves Paris because she is so over the top that she becomes a non-character. But when you take her as a real person and judge her with the same standards as you would Lorelai and Rory, she is pretty terrible."

This. This happens with so many characters whose traits are so much that they are viewed as inherently comedic or unbelievable, so they don't count in people's eyes. Paris having a fit in her college entrance interview, yelling over the interviewers and defending eugenics, gets brushed off as "poor baby, she's clearly mentally ill, she just deserves better, she should have gotten in", while Rory, who got manipulated into an internship by the BIGGEST journalism figure just so he could tell her "she didn't have it" was JUST weak and entitled for getting upset and discouraged over it.

Paris cheating on her boyfriend for months with a college professor gets pushed under the rug because people are too uncomfortable to even acknowledge the whole thing, meanwhile Rory is THE WORST for sleeping with a married guy after she repeatedly asked him if both him and his wife agreed their marriage was over, suggested they could try counselling, and was lied to by said guy that both he and his wife knew things were over between them.

Yeah, Rory made mistakes, and definitely didn't act perfectly after either of the situations I mentioned. She was emotional and people generally make mistakes when they are. But for some reason certain characters get a free pass all the time, while it feels almost like Rory gets punished for even trying to be a good person. Like "See, I caught her making a mistake, that means she's the worst." As if trying to have morals and be decent is inherently arrogant and hypocritical. Like trying and failing is worse than not even trying. It's like, her mom and grandparents and home town expect her to be perfect, so fans did too, and now they're mad at her for being human because they put her on a pedestal. Meanwhile characters who consistently don't care about their impact on others don't get scrutinized, their actually horrible behaviour is just taken as comedy or proof of their victimhood.

Basically, people are desensitized to horrible things from certain characters, they expect it, so they don't react to it, but when Rory who is "supposed to be good" makes a mistake, it's suddenly the core of her character and all she is. Geez.

And don't get me wrong, I love both Paris and Rory. I love every character in the show. But this double standard drives me nuts. So many characters in the show have done very similar things as Rory gets accused of, some of them while feeling no remorse. Some of them have done a lot worse things that get forgiven easily.

And don't even get me started on what a hot guy with a tragic backstory gets excused for. Yeah, some things are understandable when you know the backstory. That doesn't make those things not wrong.

It's like people are obsessed with the idea that someone who appears good on the surface must be bad, and vice versa. Nuance be damned.

[sentientcave]

Let's Riot! Otherwise known as the gay roller derby AU

Part 2

< Previous

Contains: Lesbians! Almost everyone is a woman (Alex is NB and there are like. A few men mentioned.) and most of them are gay, OCs: Readers and OCs from a bunch of my projects and also Bambi and Bricks who belong to the esteemed @dragonnarrative-writes , Roller Derby!, complicated dating histories

~3.2k - 18+ MDNI

Morgan noticed the set of big boots, and slid out from under the car she was working on. From far above, Simone looked down.

Simone was Jo's friend and teammate, a big, handsome woman, blond hair left just long enough to curl on top of his head and clipped short on the sides. Silver earrings glinted when he shifted on his feet.

"Ronnie said y'might be hirin'," he said, wasting no time with pleasantries. It was one of Simone's best qualities, in Morgan's opinion. The ability to get to the point.

"Thought you worked for Thompson's Garage, across town."

"Yeah. Did. Might've punched 'im f'r cornerin' some poor girl with a cracked radiator an’ offerin’ ‘er a discount for… services rendered. Told 'er t'come 'ere, boss told me t'get lost." He scowled, flexing his hands, clearly still upset by what had happened. It must have been a good punch, judging by the purple bruise on his left-hand knuckles.

"What do you get paid there?"

"Twenty an hour."

"Shit, he was cheating you. Alright, move so I can get up." Morgan slid the rest of the way out from under the vehicle and accepted Simone's hand up. "Come on, let's get the papers sorted. I usually pay thirty to start, but I don't think you're the type to slow roll work, so I'll start you at thirty five, go from there. There's overtime if you want it, I'm here five to five Monday to Friday. You came at just the right time, I was gonna post an ad today. But Bricks knew that."

"She's been tellin' me t'come work for you for ages. Didn't realize you paid so well."

"I'd rather pay a few competent people than deal with an army of cheap idiots. I don't have the patience for it." She led Simone into the main office, where a young woman with red-rimmed eyes was handing her keys over to Nova. She gave Simone a watery smile as they passed by.

"I thought you'd be more'f a cunt," he admitted. "Jo said you were. But I guess Ron wouldn't've become your friend if you were as bad as all that."

"I am a cunt," Morgan said, dropping into her chair and fishing her keyboard out from under a pile of invoices. "But not if you don't deserve it. Jo deserves it."

Simone chuckled as Laika unfolded herself from the dog bed in the corner and came over to sniff her boots with interest. "Well. Sometimes, yeah."

"That's Laika. She's a terrible guard dog, but perfect otherwise. She's usually with me, in here, or politely begging for someone else's lunch. Don't fall for it. I think it's clear she's very well fed. Sit, please."

Both Simone and Laika sat down and looked at her expectantly.

Morgan bit back a laugh. "Alright, let's get you set up."

Once she had all of Simone's information, she set him up at the computer to do GHS training and went back out to the garage. The radiator job was an easy patch, and she made a note to order a replacement before the thing started leaking again, and didn't charge for the temporary repair, which had her awkwardly standing there while the poor woman cried on her shoulder and unloaded about the truly terrible month she'd been having. Morgan made her some tea and sat with her until she felt steady enough to drive, and then rushed through the rest of her work so she could leave a bit early and drop by the shops on the way home. She'd asked Simone what kind of pie Jo liked, and received the deliberately unhelpful response of "Peach, prob'ly." Followed by a chuckle and a sly look.

A comedian, clearly.

She decided, perhaps a bit vindictively, to make something with a mix of blueberry, black currant and blackberry, so it would stain one of Jo's perennial white tank tops permanently if she got any on herself.

Laika hiked herself up onto the couch as soon as they got into the flat, clearly exhausted by the extra two blocks they had walked to get to the grocery store. Morgan envied her ability to relax so thoroughly so quickly.

She changed out of her work clothes and scrubbed all the dirt and oil off her skin, careful to get every bit from under her nails, and got working on the pie, keeping an ear out for the sound of Jo's door slamming closed to signal her return.

It was mortifying to walk down the hall with the still warm pie, wearing a skirt and a half un-buttoned button up shirt tied around her waist. She wasn't sure if she hated Bricks more for the suggestion that she wear something low cut, or Jo for the way her eyes instantly dropped, first to her cleavage, and then to the pie.

"Well hello. You in a better mood today, sweetheart?" Jo leaned into the doorframe, her black, sawdust covered t-shirt tight around her arms and riding up just the slightest bit, revealing a slip of skin and a peek at the elastic from her underwear.

"Yes. Much better. Thank you." Morgan held out the pie tin, trying her best to ignore the smell of wood shavings and sweat that rolled off of Jo. "Will you please let us use your warehouse as practice space until we can find somewhere else?"

"Hm. Maybe. Why don't you come in for a minute? Can't let you do all that work without gettin' a taste yourself."

“No, that’s fine, just take this and let me know what you decide.”

“Hm, no. Come in, make me some tea while I pop in the shower, then we’ll talk.” Jo gently dragged Morgan inside, then closed and locked the door behind her. “I’m sure you can find everything you need. Kitchen’s laid out just like yours.”

Their apartments were basically identical, just mirrored, and Jo’s was lacking in a certain level of coziness. She had nice furniture, solid wood kitchen table and chairs, no doubt made by her own hand, an overstuffed leather couch, nice bookcases, but there weren’t many personal touches, even though Jo had lived in the building for years longer than Morgan had. The walls were still beige.

Morgan set the pie down on the counter and glanced back over her shoulder. Jo already had her shirt off, and was just hooking her fingers under the edge of her bra as she started down the hallway. The well-defined muscles in her back flexed and then relaxed, her torso twisted back toward the kitchen. Morgan’s eyes flicked up, catching Jo’s smirk. She looked away and grabbed the kettle, hoping to avoid any further conversation for the moment.

Jo laughed, and a moment later, the sound of her shower started. Morgan turned on the kettle and sat down heavily. Jo was clearly going to take advantage of her forced civility for her own entertainment.

Well, at least someone was having fun.

Of course, getting flustered or mad was only going to encourage her. Morgan needed to get a hold of herself. Jo was just toying with her like a cat with a mouse.

She plated two slices of the pie, made tea, and sat down at the table to wait. The shower shut off only a few minutes later, and not long after that, Jo came back down the hallway, towel-dried hair finger-combed back from her face, wearing sweatpants and a tanktop that stuck to her wet skin, the white fabric just the slightest bit see-through.

“Thanks, pet. Didn’t mention before, but you look cute. Don’t think I’ve seen you in a skirt since you went on your last date.”

“I don’t have a lot of occasions to. Now, can we—”

“It’s a shame. You’ve got nice legs.”

“Jo, please. I’m going to lose my temper if you keep this up, and I’m trying very hard to be nice.”

“I’m complimenting you.”

“You don’t mean a word of it, you just enjoy torturing me. Now, about the warehouse.”

Jo hummed, picking up her fork and using the side of it to cut a bite sized piece off the slice of pie on the plate in front of her. “I suppose we can give it a trial run. We practice Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Can you work around that?”

Morgan grimaced, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “We’re Tuesdays and Thursdays right now. Billie and Dancer can’t do Wednesdays, Kitty’s got late classes Monday and Friday. I suppose it’s alright if some of us can only make one practice a week, but Kitty and Dancer are our newest skaters, they could use the extra time.”

“Are they available on Sundays?”

Morgan shook her head. “Sweetpea volunteers through her church, I don’t think she’d want to give that up on an ongoing basis.”

Jo made an appreciative sound as she chewed her bite of pastry and berry filling. “Hm. S’pose we could shuffle things about a bit. You can ‘ave Tuesday.”

Morgan nodded. “Okay. Maybe we can make it an extra long practice to make up for it.”

Jo was silent for a moment, thinking it over. “Want to make it interestin’?”

“Almost certainly not.”

“Hear me out, sweetheart.”

“Alright. Fine. What do you have in mind?”

“We’ve got that match tomorrow. If your team wins, you get Tuesday and Thursday. We’ll move things around. And if we win, I’ll still let you have Tuesdays, and we can share Thursdays.”

“That’s it?” Morgan asked. Maybe Jo wasn’t as bad as all that. “When you said make it interesting I thought you’d make it— Well, I thought you were going to be awful.”

“You want me to add some personal stakes?” Jo asked, her eyes glittering with mischief. “I can if you like. I’ve had a few thoughts. You comin’ over here all cute with baked goods gives me a few more.”

“I do not need to hear those thoughts.” Morgan stood up, smiling tightly. “That’s an acceptable wager. It would be nice to have enough people to run the occasional scrimmage with. I’ll let the girls know. Thank you.” She quickly walked out the door and into her own apartment without looking back, closing the door firmly behind her.

She picked up her phone and pulled up the Riot groupchat.

CpnMorgan: Going to the disco. Anyone up for it?

Chelsea watched the other girls move around the roller rink, sitting on the table with Bricks between her knees, her arms looped around Bricks’ shoulders. They were on guard duty while the others had fun. They’d swap back in when someone else needed a break. “Well, it’s a good start,” she said.

Apparently, Bambi and Doll had been on a double date, but they were skating in sync, moving to the music, and their dates were nowhere to be seen. Dancer was spinning like a top in the centre of the rink, ballet skills on impressive display. Billie wasn’t there yet— She had promised to read Ellie the next chapter of some story before bed, and then Roach’s mother was going to keep an eye on her so that Billie and Roach could both come out. Sweetpea, Bunny and Kitty were talking and skating, Bunny moving backward so she could look at both of them while they chatted.

Morgan was obviously pissed, despite the good news. She was doing hard laps, weaving through slower skaters like they were obstacles in a course.

“It is,” Bricks agreed. “Honestly Jo and Morgan had an entire conversation without Morgan swinging on her. That’s not nothing.”

Chelsea hummed in agreement. “Are the Femmes coming here tonight? I know you texted Simone, but you didn’t say if she responded.”

“He,” Bricks reminded her idly, picking up her phone to check. “He sent me a thumbs up.”

“Is that a yes?”

“It could be a yes, or a good to know. I’ll ask Kylie.”

“I think that’s Farah and Alex— Hey!” Chelsea waved at the couple that just walked in. They beelined for their table, hand in hand.

“This is a regular date spot for those two.” Bricks sat forward a little, beaming. “Hey kids.”

“Nice to see you, Ronnie,” Alex said, giving her a nod and a wide smile. “Princess Peach.”

“It’s been too long. Excited for the game tomorrow?” Bricks asked.

Farah dropped onto the bench beside her. "You bet. I love playing teams that don't spent the whole game trying to foul us out. And your newbies are so cute." Farah wiggled her fingers at Kitty as she rolled past, which made her stumble and nearly fall over, or would have if Sweetpea and Bunny weren't right there to catch her.

Chelsea laughed. "She is cute. Kitty gets so flustered when anyone flirts with her."

Alexis sat down as well and pulled their skates out of their bag. "You just handed us a secret weapon to get through your line," they joked. "You're so doomed now."

Farah laughed and swatted Alexis' knee. "She's a jammer. It wouldn't help."

"Damn."

"Actually, we train for all positions," Bricks said. "Morgan thinks it makes us better all round, and I think she's right. Kitty can block. She would have a hard time blocking your team, since most of you are behemoths."

"They forgot to give me the growth serum," Farah said solemnly. "I didn't make it to practice the day Jo was handing out shots. She gave Simone a double dose instead."

"That explains everything." Bricks glanced at her phone again. "Do you know if Simone is coming tonight?"

"They're at The Dragon," Alexis said. "Simone got a new job today and Jo is upset that her girlfriend of the week is mad at her or something, so Soap's gone to encourage bad behaviour and Kylie's gone to keep an eye on them. Macy works early tomorrow so she's probably already in her bonnet."

"Naturally." Bricks tipped her head back to look at Chelsea. "You mind if I do a couple circuits with these two? They love a third wheel."

Alexis grinned. "More like wheels 17-24."

Farah groaned. "You are getting as bad as Simone."

"And yet, you still love me."

"Till the end of time, habib albi." Farah reached for Alexis' hand and kissed the rose tattooed on the back of it.

The three of them stood together and zipped off for the rink, leaving Chelsea alone at the table, although she suspected not for long. Morgan was still going hard, but Dancer was meandering with the others now.

Bricks (on top of being tall, curvy, and gorgeous) was a genius. Getting the Femme41s and the Riot together just made sense. Both of them without a full roster, each team with practically opposite strengths, Jo with her very convenient access to actual space. If it weren't for Morgan and Jo's silly little fight, they would have suggested it full out.

As it were, Bricks was scheming, which was always a pleasure to watch.

Farah and Alexis were an easy sell. They could get along with almost anyone, and they weren’t intimidating like Simone or Jo.

Sweetpea and Kitty hopped out of the rink to get a drink. Kitty started unlacing her skates, clearly spent for the evening.

“This place rules,” she said. “I can’t believe it’s not busier.”

“I’m glad it’s not,” Sweetpea said. “Although I’m also concerned that means it won’t be open for all that much longer.”

“If they sell this place for condos I’m really gonna riot,” Chelsea grumbled. “Morgan talked to the owner already, said that she should talk to her if she decides to sell, or if any offers get made. I think she’s secretly wealthy or something. Sometimes she gets talking about learning to fly in her dad’s plane when she was young, or growing up travelling all over and I think, hm.”

“She also always picks up the tab,” Sweetpea pointed out.

“Then why would she work so much?” Kitty asked. “Doesn’t make much sense.”

Chelsea shrugged. “Maybe she just likes to work.”

Sweetpea hummed. “I’d believe that. But whatever. I’ve got a date Monday night and I’d like some opinions. We’re just going for a coffee and a walk by the river, so it’s gotta hit cute and casual, yeah?” She grabbed her phone to show them her outfit options.

Sweetpea was the kind of person who took pictures of every single item of clothing she had, so she could catalogue them and put together outfits paper-doll style on a picture of herself while she was bored at work. A lot of her clothes were handmade, or up-cycled thrifted items, and she sold them too. Chelsea had a rack of Sweetpea’s one-of-a-kind items in her shop, and some of Doll’s paintings on the wall. It was nice to be able to support her friends a little.

Plus, Sweetpea had custom made Chelsea’s favourite jacket, pink denim with a quilted bird on a branch on the back. She never went anywhere in it without receiving a dozen compliments.

It was so nice to have such a good group to hang out with, on and off the track. The Shadows had never really been like that, although she was so lucky to have met Billie (And Pepper, who she wished would come back from America) through them. That was a team that was all about Pippa, and doing what Pippa wanted. The final straw had been the less than subtle hints that Billie wasn’t recovering from Ellie’s birth fast enough, and that she could be replaced.

Chelsea lost her temper about it. She rarely let herself get mad, but she was pretty sure she called Pippa all sorts of names before she stormed off after a sobbing Billie. Pepper had followed.

The decision to start their own team came a little later. At first they just skated together, at the disco, down by the river, and hung out, until Billie had gone to Morgan’s garage, just a little after it opened. When Morgan returned the car, she asked about the skates in the backseat, and that had been the real beginning.

Chelsea was organized, but she didn’t always know where and how to start things. Morgan was the type of person that just ran full speed at any problem in front of her without thinking twice. So they'd put up a few flyers and booked the Reader St arena, and that had brought out Bunny and a few others, and then Bricks had joined up after the Riot had gotten slapped silly by Kortac. She'd said she wanted to be on the team that was laughing and supporting each other in a loss, rather than the one that criticized a win.

And that was the beauty of the group of people they'd brought together. It didn't really matter if they won or lost, because they had fun, and they liked spending time with each other. There was no competition amongst each other, no petty bullshit.

There was no way in hell Chelsea was ever going to let Pippa ruin that, even though the American woman had tried really hard to break up the team when she was dating Morgan. It was probably the whole reason why she started dating her.

So it probably wasn’t all Morgan’s fault that Pippa bought their arena, regardless of what they’d said the night before.

Either way, at least they’d have one thing in common with the Femme41— They all considered Pippa Graves enemy no. 1. And that was a great place to start.

Title card made on Canva - Image Credits: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 (Stickers are Canva assets) Dividers by @/cafekitsune

[urween]

Tirade | James McAvoy x M/Ftm!reader | english version

summary: Newly enrolled in drama classes, Uriel doesn't particularly believe in his abilities but a memory from his adolescence remains etched in his memory and helps him advance in these classes. One day, a certain actor comes to visit an old friend, and he will surely stop in front of a nice performance given by Uriel.

notes: I know that it can't really be counted as "x reader" because the main character has a name but I really don't like writing with "Y/N" so I decided to put a first name without real importance in order to make writing easier. The dialogues and texts are created by me, unlike the final tirade which receives its credits in the story ;)

⚠︎ warnings: mention of remarks close to sexuality, insecurities

special thanks and credits to @sparrow-the-tired-lesbian who nicely helped me with this story's translation because it was originally written in french, my native language.

french version here

-3 694 words

-Third person description

Theater wasn't the option he had considered from the beginning. He had thought more about writing, and painting maybe, but not theater. He wanted to stay behind the curtains, not have to put himself on stage in front of curious pairs of eyes. Selling books and paintings seemed more accessible to him, at least for him it was more accessible, and he would work hard for it. Becoming a writer or a painter was more common than an actor, right? To become an actor you had to be recognized by a lot of people, you had to be constantly judged and spied on. You needed pure talent and a lot of luck to become an actor. Which Uriel didn't think he had at all. Writing could be learned more easily, he didn't need to show himself to the whole world to earn a little money. Painting could be abstract and anonymous, no need to have his face on the canvas.

Yet he found himself enrolled in theater classes for two weeks now. His father had forced his hand, he had insisted by saying that for him this art had helped to manage his shyness and that perhaps it would also be the case for him. So Uriel had accepted, because deep down he always had something in his chest that asked to come out and express itself, and the theater could perhaps help him to do it. At least, he preferred this excuse to another, totally absurd one.

"We're going back everyone!"

Mary's shrill voice made the ten students jump. They all put away their cell phones or headsets to return to the stage and resume rehearsals.

Uriel followed the group, admiring the diversity present. When he signed up he had seen that from the age of sixteen people had to register in the adult group, and of course, from the height of his twenty-one years, he had done so. But in the group there was a young girl, sixteen years old precisely, Uriel admired her deeply, she was talented and everyone told her so. The main roles were often for her besides, but she did not become haughty for all that, on the contrary, she was always surprised to receive them and it was touching to see.

"Well,” began Mary more calmly, “before we continue I wanted to tell you that a friend might come to see you in a few days.” Immediately the students became curious, “he passed by here and while talking with him, he offered to come and watch you rehearse"

"Who is it? Asked Chloe, an actor?"

Uriel sat cross-legged on the floor next to Matthias, a man in his fifties with whom he got along well. The latter gave him a look and reproached himself for whispering in his ear. "I've seen so-called actors come by here and believe me they don't even glance at us," he smiled, "they come to advertise themselves, say they're nice and all that stuff but deep down they don't give a damn about us, my poor boy." Matthias wasn't very popular in the group because of his habit of always seeing the negative in a situation, like now, but Uriel appreciated that. For him, it was a quality to see the options that others preferred to ignore, and then it always made him laugh. "Maybe he's different?" Uriel replied in turn in a whisper. In response, the man shrugged, looking unsure.

"Yes, he's an actor, but I prefer not to tell you who he is right away," Mary continued, "you'll see!"

"But why is he coming to see us? We're not famous, we're not even professionals" Almost the entire group agreed with Joel, and Mary understood their reactions.

"We've known each other since high school, him and I. He knows that I organize theater classes, he simply asked me if I minded him attending a session and I answered no.” The students still didn't seem convinced, “listen, you'll see by yourselves, so stop looking at me with whiting eyes. I'm sure he can even give you some advice"

Everyone had a little comment to make, Mary let them chat for several minutes before clapping her hands to get their attention and getting back to real rehearsals.

For a little less than a month now, the group had been working on a play partly created by Mary herself. “The Angel and the Bird”, is a drama with mythological appearances telling the story of two characters: an angel named Yaël who was desperate to escape the heavens, and a crow named Danielle who hoped to have a place in Heaven despite the beliefs related to her appearance. Chloe had the role of the angel, Uriel that of the crow. It was his first main role since joining the group and he was quite anxious about it. He had thought about giving up his place to someone else but Matthias had dissuaded him, he said that this role was perfect for him and that he just needed a little time to learn all the lines. "You who have the name of an angel find yourself playing the bird, isn't that the height of it?" he often repeated to him. And even if he didn't want to admit it, hearing Matthias' compliments did him good. The fifty-year-old had also offered to help him recite his lines, but Uriel had kindly refused. The idea of being in the foreground already made him panic enough, he preferred to revise alone to make mistakes alone and not have anyone's eyes on him. For the same reason, he stayed an extra hour at the end of each class to be calm and especially to have the possibility of rehearsing in the final location. Mary trusted him enough to leave him alone here and come back an hour later to close the doors of the auditorium.

Not missing his solitary appointment, Uriel watched the other students leave the stage and gradually exit the large room. Matthias wished him good luck and was the last to leave. The young man sighed softly upon hearing this silence. He appreciated the other members of the group but his tranquility was all the more appreciated. Uriel took his text again, these many pages that he had to learn by heart, and he got to work.

The hour passed faster than he would have thought, he realized it when he picked up his cell phone again to check the date of the next class. With surprise, he saw six thirty p.m. displayed, which meant that Mary was thirty minutes late. Uriel did not worry too much, being late could very well happen to anyone. He quietly put his things away, muttering his text at the same time, and then he went towards the exit. The idea of leaving crossed his mind, but that meant leaving the room open and unattended, which was not recommended here. Uriel lived alone, no one was going to worry if he came back a little later, so he decided to wait for Mary to return so she could lock it securely. The young man sat down against one of the doors and picked up his backpack. Over time, he had gotten into the habit of always carrying a book with him, and today this technique was going to pay off. So he began reading it, a collection of poems that had been given to him two years ago but that he had never taken the time to read. It took a few pages for Uriel to fully get into the book, but he quickly forgot his surroundings and peacefully read the poems. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice Mary, accompanied by a man, walking towards him. The thirty-year-old greeted her friend who apologized for holding her back so much, then she went to Uriel. The latter jumped when he saw legs coming into his field of vision, but he was relieved when he saw Mary's familiar face.

"Excuse me for being late, the friend I told you about earlier arrived earlier than expected and he went to the theater,” she explained while watching the boy put his book away, “thanks for waiting"

"That's normal,” Uriel smiled, “we'll see each other tomorrow anyway?” Mary nodded while locking the two imposing doors, “then see you tomorrow and have a good evening"

The woman watched her student calmly leave the building, a smile on her lips.

The next day, the day went by faster than he would have hoped. The customers at the supermarket had not been unbearable for once, or at least the majority had behaved well. Despite this, Uriel was more than eager to get home and take a shower. Appearances could be deceptive, but staying locked in a store all day quickly got hot, especially when customers demanded a certain amount of self-control.

Closing the locked door behind him, Uriel hurried to take off all his dirty clothes. He vaguely emptied his bag, simply removing the dishes used during his lunch since the rest was constantly left in it. He didn't see the point in taking off his work things if he was going to put them back on the next day, so he might as well leave them where they were.

Once his usual ritual was done, the young man checked the time. He had less than half an hour left if he wanted to avoid being late. With that in mind, he rushed to the shower, not taking the time to put on music or even check his messages. Fortunately, he didn't finish this late every day, but when he did, he had to run to be on time. The only positive point, that had persuaded him to keep these classes, was that the theater was less than a minute's walk from his house. As a child, Uriel used to go there with his father to see some performances and plays, unfortunately over time this custom had been lost. But thanks to that, he knew the place, of course before signing up for these classes he could not have known what the backstage looked like, but these years of loyalty to the program had allowed him to know the rooms and artists like the back of his hand. Obviously, "knowing" was a big word for these actors, but Uriel had learned the names of the regular actors as well as their repetitive plays. This detail was not one during the classes because thanks to that he could cite the previous plays performed as well as some parts. For example, his father liked the performances of Cyrano de Bergerac, therefore he always took his son with him to see them, and as a result, Uriel knew by heart the different versions of the main character's tirade for Roxane. His favorite was by far the modern one performed by James McAvoy, even though he had seen it several years ago, it remained etched in his memory. The emotion that the actor had managed to convey was breathtaking. Uriel still remembered the silence in the room, the tears on his cheeks, and the final applause. He was seventeen at the time, and four years later he was still able to recite this text without a mistake.

A towel clumsily placed on his hair, Uriel turned off the bathroom to go to the bedroom and get some clean clothes. He didn't worry about it and simply grabbed a t-shirt with a Marvel logo that was lying in his closet as well as a pair of jogging pants large enough to make fluid movements. He quickly put on socks and underwear before going back to get his backpack. As always, the young man checked with a glance that he hadn't forgotten to turn on a tap or something like that, then he picked up his large cardigan and closed it before leaving his apartment.

At ten, Uriel was finally outside, walking quickly despite his slight lead. He didn't like being late, but he often managed to be, and the other members of the group knew it very well.

But fortunately for him, he even arrived three minutes early. As always, Matthias was already there, and he must have been there for more than a quarter of an hour. Almost everyone was there, except Joël who had called in his absence, and Arthur who had missed his bus.

"Good evening to you all!" Mary greeted cheerfully as she entered the room, “I hope your day wasn't too exhausting because tonight we're going over the entire third act"

Several students sighed in unison, the woman went down the steps with an unusual joy of life until she reached the front of the stage. Uriel exchanged a questioning look with Matthias, to which the man shrugged. Mary wasn't of a very cheerful temperament, she wasn't always depressed but let's say that seeing her in this state was new, and it piqued Uriel's curiosity.

"We're not going to wait for Arthur, he'll take it along the way," she explained as she took off her coat and shoes.

To have a better grip on the waxed wooden floor of the stage, everyone had to take off their shoes and stay in socks. Then, it brought a lighter atmosphere.

"So! Chloe position yourself while Khais is supposed to finish his line,” the two obeyed without problem while Mary adjusted Chloe's position.

The others remained seated against the right wall, observing the scene while patiently waiting their turn.

"Very well,” Mary clapped her hands and silence fell as usual, “the curtain opens on Yaël kneeling near a river, we can guess that he is drinking while music is supposed to install a feeling of peace. Chloe it's whenever you want"

The young woman had put her long blond hair in an imperfect bun which during the real performance will be camouflaged with white feathers and flowers. The choice to have a woman play an angel and a man play a crow was voluntary on Mary's part, she always said that an actor had to be able to embody the opposite gender. Matthias had not been of this opinion at first, but thanks to some explanations from Uriel, he had finally agreed on the subject.

"Oh father, what must I do to stop this punishment that you inflict on me," began Chloe in a low voice, "must I do evil? Should I disobey my innermost convictions to spare myself this harsh torture?"

This scene had been complicated for Chloe to learn and especially to interpret, she could not manage to keep this half-tone soft enough to be the expected one and powerful enough to resonate throughout the room. Mary had helped him a lot with that, giving her breathing exercises to channel her voice and intentions, but also videos to watch so that her ear would get used to that particular tone. In the end, she managed to recite her text as requested, and as always with her, the scene was moving. Uriel sincerely admired Chloe because, despite her young age, she managed to understand the request made of her. Then, she was gifted, everyone could see it here. Matthias had even said that if one day someone came looking for future actors, he would most certainly hesitate between her and Uriel, but of course, the young man in question had kindly laughed, saying that there was no possible competition between him and the teenager.

"What do you do with this poor bird? This poor cursed bird is cursed by its color and the meaning attributed to it. Aren't you touched by its story? Do you not wish to silence her suffering and grant her the release she asks for? I know your kindness, my father, grant me this wish, I beg you."

Uriel stood up without a sound, preparing his entrance while reciting his words in his mind. His vest now open, he let it slide down his arms before putting it in a ball in a corner. For him, the most complicated thing was always the first sentences, he was constantly afraid of missing them or forgetting them. If he made a mistake in the middle, it was not serious, his mistake could go unnoticed, while for the first word, it was different. My friend, I have been looking for you since the sun first rose, the young man repeated to himself over and over, my friend, I have been looking for you since the sun first rose.

Chloe let a feather fall from her hair, it was his sign.

"My friend, I have been looking for you since the sun first rose!" Uriel declared sadly as he arrived in the middle of the stage.

“Oh, Danielle! Oh, my poor bird!” exclaimed Chloe, “how lovely your feathers are!”

The young man’s head turned to one side to express his embarrassment, he played a startle when Chloe grabbed his arm in her hands. For this role, Uriel would have to wear an all-black outfit on which several feathers of the same color would be stuck, and like Chloe, feathers in his hair. He had suggested arranging the latter so that they went down to the nape of his neck, to create the illusion of longer hair and a more feminine appearance.

“Please do not compare these atrocities with the beauty that radiates from your dress,” began Uriel, turning to walk with his back to the angel, “your feathers illuminate the heavens and reflect divine light on birds like me. They are created to make the most graceful peacocks boil with jealousy, they represent Paradise and its disciples,” recited the crow sadly, pointing to the sky. “Do not compare my curse with your blessing, you risk irritating the heavens. My place is already allowed on a land as beautiful as ours, do not compare my monstrosities with something that should only be attributed to light.” He paused briefly. “Oh my friend, do not compare dusk with dawn!"

A silence fell in the room as a tear ran down Uriel's cheek. His stage partner, her lips parted, joined her hands in applause, and soon the others followed her. Gradually emerging from his dramatic world, the young man looked at his teammates with incomprehension. He passed his hand against his cheek to wipe away the moisture and began to smile despite himself as he gradually understood the reason for this applause. Matthias stood up first and made a bow that made Uriel laugh softly.

"Do you want to understand all my compliments now? You are a talented young man, whether you like it or not," Matthias began, accompanied by several nods behind him.

Mary turned towards the back of the room, seeming to smile at something in the darkness, before stepping forward. "Matthias is right, this is the best version you have done so far," she smiled at him.

The young man wanted to stammer out thanks, feeling a real gratitude deep inside him, but applause stopped him short. He didn't need to look at the students to understand that it wasn't coming from them, it was coming from right in front, high up on the steps. Uriel timidly stepped forward onto the stage to try to see more clearly, but very quickly the stranger stepped into the light of his own accord.

A weight fell into the young performer's stomach, and he wasn't the only one surprised. Still against their wall, the apprentice actors each took turns to widen their eyes in increasingly ridiculous grimaces.

“I told you about my friend yesterday,” Mary explained cheerfully, “he just happened to be here earlier than expected, so let me introduce you to James.”

As if he were just a man, he smiled at the students who were still in shock, and more particularly at a young crow. With agility, he climbed onto the stage, stopping in front of this pretty bird.

“Nice to meet you, James,” the actor introduced himself politely, “Mary told me about a potential talent and I’m delighted to see you in person Uriel.”

Maybe he murmured a “good evening” but he wasn’t sure of anything at that moment.

All that was going around in his distraught mind was that tirade, that tirade that he had been reciting innocently in the street just this morning.

I love you, I need you, I want you. And I wake up with your voice wide inside my head. I look at you and I can't focus.

I'm ashamed, I'm angry, I'm in love, I'm mad, I'm happy, I'm dead, I'm alive, I'm stupid I'm tongue-tied.

I'm writing you letters, and I'm tearing it up, and then I'm writing you letters again. I'm idealizing you, I'm humiliating you, I'm undressing you. I'm looking into your eyes, I'm kissing your eyes. I'm pushing you against the wall, but you’re pressing back, you’re pressing back. Your body wants mine, you're kissing my mouth, you bite my lip. You draw blood, you're on fire, you’re on fire.

The whole world shimmers, and I burn, with love.

The whole world shimmers, and tonight and this guy, and your voice shimmers.

I've no wait, I've no mind, I've no break, I've no self-control, I've no shame. I've no authority over myself, I can wait for hours for just one glimpse of you, and then not speak to you at all. I cannot speak, I cannot speak to you, I can't speak, I can't stop speaking, I can't stop looking.

I make you an object, I desire you. I write to you, I write for you. I tear up everything I ever wrote for you or about you, I burn myself alive for you. I worship you, I strip you, I unclothe you. I do up the tiniest button at your sleeve.

I embraced your waist, I embraced your neck, I kissed the back of your neck. I embraced your wrist, and I'm speechless.

I’m speechless.

All I can say is I want, I want, I want. There is no poetry, there is no structure that can make any sense of this. Except I want, I want, I want.

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[dross-the-fish]

You know why your Hyde reminds me of a child specifically? Because of the brawls me and my siblings would get into over things like. The TV remote. Or a certain seat. It was nothing like how fights break out on TV where there's foreplay with insults and those involved thinking about their honor and pride, or whatever. You would just want that thing, so you would attempt to snatch it, and the other person still wants it so they're going to try to keep it, and then your tactics just escalate the more each of you try for the thing, with no regard for other ways you could possibly handle this. There would be a brutality to it that adults aren't usually capable of because it comes from not judging how much force is actually proportional to the situation. Or at least, not restraining yourself based on that. Looking back on it, I'm sure there were at least a few times where we were in mortal danger from each other. We definitely would've seriously hurt each other most of those fights had it not been for how ready each of us were to defend ourselves at any given time. Sometimes I (the firstborn) would have to change tactics right in the middle of a fight and just try to restrain my brother so that he couldn't hurt my little sister. We don't do it anymore, obviously, because there are much easier ways to solve things if you just talk about it first. It's a just bit surreal to imagine an adult as smart as Edward using the kind of violence he does, maiming, beating people to death over items. It's not just the school yard bully flavored cruelty. It's the fact that (while I'm aware some adults ARE like this), solving problems that way is a kids thing.

It makes me think he would hiss at people like a twelve year old girl who just discovered the Warrior Cats books. I can't help but imagine him doing that actually, would he do that?

I understand what you mean but I'm not sure I completely agree with the take. It could be poor writing skill on my part if it comes off like he's childish but as I interpret it a lot of his violence is deliberate. He's full of bitterness, rage and self-loathing and he enjoys hurting people because there's something in him that projects that everyone around him has already or will eventually condemn him. There is the hair-trigger temper but it's a symptom of a larger complex. He does have a mean streak. There is a "school yard bully" quality to his brand of sadism and the way he likes to harass and humiliate people. But I do try to steer away from any implications that this is a child-like or childish man. I noted in the book that even as Hyde he has the full capacity to control himself and chooses not to. He was able to be fully civil when the occasion called for it and opted to whip out Jekyll's checkbook rather than try to fight a mob. He doesn't pick fights he can't win. His major targets in the book are a child, women and an elderly man. We don't hear about him picking on people his own size and that says a lot about him IMO. That's also what he hates about himself, when he returns to being Jekyll he's horrified at what he's capable of when he lets every ugly, resentful, cruel, sadistic and perverse inclination do as it pleases. He's never not aware of the consequences or apologetic for the people he hurts because he believes that the moment they see the real him they'll hate him and want to kill him. And he's not wrong, Edward triggers that kind of reaction that makes people recoil or turn hostile despite not having any notable physical differences. he wouldn't hiss at people per se but he is looking for any excuse to harm someone because he is just that angry and resentful. I tend to work with the idea that while there are lower inhibitions on the Edward side of the Jekyll/Hyde spectrum there is a finer line between the two than the man would have you believe.