#honestly I was worried it would get all murky

[frosteee-variation]

working on priming it!!! I heard you should do a base before highlighting it from above, so this is just the stuff underneath — it’s already coming together a lot more though!

found a good few beads lying around and decided to make a little robot out of them!Probably going to paint it later after it dries, but so far it’s looking pretty funky.

I do not have the hand stability to work on any sort of delicate small scale but! Good enough!!

[satoruxx]

hey bestie <333

congratulations on 200 followers !! you deserve it and more !! 🫶

im thinking some Gojo fluff inspired by After Last Night by Silk Sonic? I love that whole album and I always get gojo vibes from it 🥹

love you and congrats again ‼️🥰

pairing: gojo satoru x reader | 1.1k words summary: fluff, lots of pining, slightly suggestive due to implied 18+ content, satoru is whipped as he should be, he's just a lil guy pls give him a hug he has sm love he wants to share !! a/n: RAHHH casey this request was sm fun i love this song and it absolutely gives satoru vibes !! anyways ty for being my number one supporter babes. i hope you enjoy this @novasatoru mwah ily <33

satoru considers himself to be rational. even though he can be loud, excessive, dramatic, he has always been rational. most people don’t know or understand all the detailed thought he puts behind every decision he makes. all because of his rationality.

sure, sometimes he can be a little reckless, but not in a way that is irrational. he’s reckless in childish ways, ways that make him seem obnoxious and yet frustratingly endearing.

but he’s not reckless like this. not irrational like this.

satoru’s not reckless so he knows it can’t be possible that you’re here, in his bed, naked skin just barely covered by his sheets. he knows it can’t be possible that you’re here first thing in the morning because there’s no way you went to bed with him the previous night. he knows, for sure, that he couldn’t have crossed all the lines he set with you for years in just a matter of minutes.

but the purpled bruises littering your skin, the scattered clothing across his bedroom floor, and the warmth of your bare body pressing against him tells him enough.

he’s speechless for a second, mind going haywire as he tries to remember what exactly happened and how he could’ve been so careless. years and years of friendship with you, all changed in a matter of one night.

you were always supposed to be one of his closest friends. sure, he would pay any price to see you smile and sure, he’d gladly take your side over anyone else’s.

and obviously, satoru would destroy the whole world if you so much as batted your eyes at him and said please.

but that’s normal because he is your best friend.

but no where in his plans did he ever think to cross this line. after so many moons of pushing back his less than appropriate thoughts. after wondering how good your lips would taste as you sweetly whispered his name. after all of that, he didn’t think his self control would dissipate like this.

there’s a brief memory of the previous night, tipsy words of confession and sloppy passionate kisses, that sends his mind reeling.

he’s pulling himself out of bed in an instant, slipping his clothes on and hoping they somehow manage to ground him because god, it feels like his head is floating.

he’s choosing to ignore how fantastic his heart feels to see you curled up in his bed like that, hair splayed across his pillows like you’ve always belonged there.

instead satoru steps into his kitchen, snowy bangs resting across his forehead as he tries to figure out what he’s going to say to you when you wake up. honestly he’s a little worried himself. how would you react? would you tell him you made a mistake or would you be angry at him for letting it happen?

truthfully he’s never cared much about other people’s feelings, but yours somehow have the power to impact his whole day.

he figures that he can live with it, if you think it was a mistake. he’d be pathetically heartbroken, he realizes, but your comfort matters most to him. and if all he was destined for in this life was your friendship, he’d never do anything to jeopardize it. it’d be enough for him.

satoru doesn’t even realize he’s made two cups of coffee instead of one.

he steels himself, watching his murky reflection ripple in the mugs, and knowing that he would respect your wishes no matter how much it bothers him. he won’t say anything, because he'd rather silently live with his own idiotic feelings than risk losing you for good.

“morning.”

he almost jumps, unusually startled because only you could catch the man who saw the world through the Six Eyes off guard. any plans he’s made on what to say or how to say it fly straight out the door when he turns to look at you, his throat going dry as he takes you in.

you hair is mussed and your expression is still dazed, a sleepy pout on your face as you rub at your eyes. you blink at him slowly, an inquisitive little expression on your face as you pad over to him and peer at the stove. “you making food?”

he nods wordlessly, still a little breathless because gods above you’re wearing his shirt like it’s yours and his brain is in overdrive. it’s so hard to think, to even breathe, because satoru has wanted this for so long and it’s finally here like it had always been here in the first place. like it’s normal, regular.

“can i have some too, ‘toru? i’m really hungry.”

he has to take a minute to bask in the intimacy of this moment because it’s honestly making his thoughts stutter. “u-uh yeah, ‘course you can.” he’s handing you one of the mugs before he can even comprehend it, and you take it from him gratefully.

he feels oddly parched as he watches you take a sip, looking at him with dewy eyes over the rim, and he waits with bated breath as you open your mouth to speak. “did you sleep okay last night?”

it’s such an innocent question and he’s almost completely sure he shouldn’t be overthinking it like a fool but he knows it in his soul that he’s nothing if not a fool for you. you make every rational thought evaporate from his normally over calculating brain, make his body react without a touch, make his mouth move faster than his thoughts can.

and this time is no different.

“fuck i’m so in love with you.”

you blink up at him, and he’s cursing himself for even opening his mouth, but then you’re grinning up at him like he’s said the most endearing thing ever. “well i should hope so. i’d be pretty bummed if you told me you loved me last night and then woke up and changed your mind.”

satoru’s breath hitches, and he briefly wonders when and how he managed to confess his love for you the previous night, but then he realizes he doesn’t care all that much because you’re smiling at him like he puts the stars in your sky.

which for you, he absolutely would do.

so he does the only thing he feels is right for the moment. he bends down to press a chaste kiss to your lips, heartbeat unusually erratic as he feels you melt into him, before pulling back and giving you a cheeky smile. “i’m not even close to done loving you.”

[staarlight-snow]

Murky Waters - Island of the Slaughtered

TW: Gore, Horror

[Inspired by "last thoughts - Noah Mudaliar" by muridaecorps (on Ao3) and Island of the Slaughtered by @eavee-ry ]

Silence.

It was so silent it was as if nothing had happened. The wind blew gently against the leaves as the moonlight shone down into the pond. The crimson-tinted water glistened under the rays of the moon.

It was unfair. He would've enjoyed this view. The solitude and silence of the forest, the way the moonlight hit the water just right.

It was unfair. He could be sitting atop a rock, reading his favourite novel – far away from the nuisances and noise that was the camp and his peers but no. Instead of sitting in front of the serene view, enjoying his solitude and short-lived peace – his body floated lifelessly in the pond.

The only thing that ruined this ethereal and dream-like scenery was that of the body of a teenage boy that was cheated from his life. It was unfair. There was no denying, he was far different from other teenagers, yes but just like most of them – he had dreams, he had hopes and aspirations. Everyone did, of course.

So it was unfair. Everything was unfair. This isn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt. If he could – he'd find Chris and make him pay for abandoning them on this goddamned island.

The silence in his surroundings was disturbed by the sudden rustling of bushes. The frantic sounds of someone's footsteps ran in closer to the pond. Then, there was a voice.

"Noah?" A voice called out, a tone of worry and fear. It continued to call his name, over and over again, getting louder by the second. What kind of fool would deliberately risk his life to find a snarky, sarcastic know-it-all?

"Noah! Please! Where are you?" It was Cody. His voice cracked as he shouted his friend's name more and louder. The lake came into his view and he stopped in his tracks. He gripped the blood-stained book in his hands harder as his eyes widened at the sight that unfolded before him. "A-ah.." His heart dropped and his breathing stopped for what seemed like a full minute.

A loud gut-wrenching scream erupted from the brunette. He fell to his knees – his eyes welled up with tears as he started to shakenly hyperventilate.

"Cody! Oh my god you're okay!" A person followed from behind, embracing the shorter in a hug. "I thought the killer got to you! Are you insane!? I know you're worried 'bout Noah but-" They were cut-off from their words when they caught a glimpse of the murky crimson stained water in front of them.

The person with him, Gwen, comforted the boy. They weren't close the first few days and she honestly found him like an annoying little brother but as the nights passed and the more murders took place – she found herself as an older sister figure to the other. She couldn't possibly imagine what Cody is going through but she knew how heart-broken he probably is right now.

"Cody… I'm sorry.." Gwen spoke, "But we can't stay here. It's not safe." She stood up, gesturing for the other to do so as well. Cody followed. His mind was clouded, it was empty but somehow it was full of thoughts. It was too much to process, it was too overwhelming.

It was unfair.

--

Part 2

Sequel

i needed to practice more on my writing and im very obsessed w this au rn!! i dont rlly write fanfics esp on this acc but we'll let this one slide 🕴️

[kittyamore0]

Slashers find out their S/O has killed:

[Part 2]

A/n: IM SO UPSET BECAUSE I DONT HAVE MY REGULAR FONTS 😭 😔 A/n: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH A:n: I COULDVE JUST COPIED AND PASTED OFF THE INTERNET BUT IM TOO LAZY TO RE DO EVERYTHING 😖

CW: Murders, Sexual themes and GN! Reader.

Little note: I was going to add Lester and Bo to part 2 but I was busy while making this so I have to add them in part 3

Billy Lenz 🎄🎅📞

He’s more excited at the fact that you’re just like him, crazy!

He instantly got aroused 😃

Definitely stole some of your underwear’s (or bras) and returned them all sticky, and damp…

the way he found out was when you helped him kill Jess

”Jess, [Name], the caller is in the house,”

but you knew that

you’ve always known

so when Jess started panicking, you found it a good time to surprise her and Billy

It frightened you when she had a weapon, she could’ve killed your Billy!

So, you took the other fire poker

you stabbed Jess in the shoulder when she got dragged by Billy

I cackled when Billy yanked her hair through the stairs railing 💀

And before she could react, you slit her throat

“it’s okay, Billy,”

damn, you were always hot, but with blood on you? 😍

“[Name] saved filthy Billy…?”

you’re smart ass pinned it on Peters and he got arrested

you sneaking back to the sorority house to see Billy - 🏡 ⬅️ 🏃‍♀️💨

Tiffany Valentines 👰‍♀️❤️🧸

[this goes for her human body and doll body]

She honestly wouldn’t care, you kill, she kills, you’re even hotter when you kill.

wait, wha-

she finds it adorable and hot of you when you kill

will literally pull up a soft chair, some snacks and a face mask and sit there watching you take your anger out

“Go baby!”

”You got this, hun’!”

“They went that way!”

“Good job, woo!”

Very supportive

you were a killer when you met her

That’s how she fell in love with you!

“How many people have you killed?”

“34,”

“Hey, you know, you’re kinda cute…”

”I know,”

fell in love with you instantly.

Carrie White 🔥👩‍🎓🩸

You never kept it a secret from her, but instead of telling her that it’s innocent people, you told her that it was people that use to mock and taunt you

she doesn’t think it’s okay, but because it’s you and because they were ‘awful’ people, she pushed it away

also doesn’t judge because she did kill people with her powers, but in her defense, she was so pissed

Also accepts you because you helped her run away from her abusive mom.

every time you come home from committing mass murder, she already sets up a bath and tries to cook

her mom didn’t care about her, so she’s only learning how to cook just now

hey, at least she’s trying 🥰

you end up cooking, but she repays you with nice cuddles after !

Jennifer Check ☆💉🩸

how you met was…interesting…

you always had a crush on her

and would always get pissed whenever some boy or girl hit on her

so when someone flirting with her actually kissed her cheek

you lost it.

let’s say that they didn’t have their happily ever after

when she found out, she became infatuated with you

a really devoted, smart, and pretty/handsome person? Sign her up

she definitely confessed first

like Tiff, she also doesn’t care

you kill anyone, she kills boys, no exception

and if you’re a boy, you’re an exception

will cheer you on as well

just more lazily than Tiff

After your killings, she’ll invite you to a lake

you obviously say yes, not thinking too much of it

until you see her naked in the murky waters

definitely pushes you in

mocks you for how flustered you get

yall definitely had a good time 😏

Vincent Sinclair 🕯️🔪🔥

Vinny just finished working and he was looking for you.

a bit worried when he couldn’t find you

then he heard footsteps, your foot steps.

don’t ask me how he knows your specific footsteps

and Jesus, you were a literal bloody mess

you had about 4 limp, lifeless victims

“Vin-ny!~”

you were awfully happy

blushed a little when you happily sung out the syllables to his nickname

pointed to the 4 bodies

“well, I’d thought I’d help you with work and it’s a thank you, for um, uh, everything…”

the silence was loud

really loud

but he nodded and huffed

making you plaster a grin on your face

he’s definitely blushing under hat mask

big bear hugs after work ! ❦

[dorkynerd23]

Why Green Eggs & Ham (GEAH) Is The Best Dr. Seuss Adaptation.🍳💚 (Analysis)

Hello Everyone!! Hope you're all doing good and well and everything's going well for you all. ♥️ Wanted to come here and discuss about a show, an incredible show that even after it's release and end, it's still a well-made and amazing show that still great all these years later, and the show I'm talking about and referring to is Netflix's Green Eggs & Ham, I'm gonna discuss about how it's the best Dr. seuss adaptation to date.

Now, before we discuss and talk about Green, Eggs & Ham, we need to talk about and mention the past Dr. Seuss adaptations and dive deep into them real quick. Now when it comes to adaptations to Dr. Seuss's work, most of the time it's either hit or miss, mediocre or just flat out terrible and awful. One thing I've gotta mention is that Dr. Seuss beforehand wasn't very open to adaptations to his work, with the reason being that he was worried and afraid that his characters would be used in context for things he didn't 100% and necessary didn't agree with. But that eventually changed when he came to the cartoon adaptations that we all know today and overtime would loosen up his views and allow more adaptations of his work. And the first adaptation of his work was an animated short called "Horton Hatches The Egg" (based on Seuss's book of the same name and this book came way before Horton Hears A Who, btw) which was released back in 1942 and going forward, Dr. Seuss would later begin working very closely with the adaptations to make sure they stay true to the book, to the source material and in 1966, Seuss would authorized eminent cartoon artist, Chuck Jones himself (who was a close friend of Seuss as they also served in World War II together) to make a cartoon adaptation short based on "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" which would become the Christmas classic we all know and love to this day, Chuck would also go on to eventually direct + produce adaptations of both "Horton Hears A Who" (1970) and "The Cat In The Hat." (1971)

Dr. Seuss sadly passed away and died at the age of 87 from cancer on September 24th 1991 and from that point until her own death in 2018, his widow, Audrey Seuss would have full licensing of her husband's work and eventually gave in to the temptations of hollywood adaptations of Seuss's work which would be the movie adaptations. Let's start with "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" which was released back in 2000, so to basically recap this film although I loved it as a kid and still kinda do, I see it as a guilty pleasure (now as an adult) and rewatched the movie not that long ago and I don't believe it's aged very well honestly.

There are some good things to this film such as Jim Carey as The Grinch himself, which is perfect casting and the makeup effects on him are incredible, you truly by him as The Grinch, there are some funny moments, I'll still watch it here and there around the holiday's and the set design is pretty good. But when you take off the nostalgiatic googles you can see the problems with the film, now..as I said, this film does have a good set design, but it's hidden underneath all of this murky colorless filter to the point it looks so dull to look at honestly, like there's not much life. Along with that, the movie is just incredibly meanspirited, almost everyone in Whoville is terrible (besides Cindy) and unlikeable, soulless and just care about materialism which I get is the point of the film, but it just goes against the message of the book, The Grinch shouldn't have to explain and spell out the message for the who's, HE'S the one who's supposed to learn the lesson not the other way around, but the movie just gets it totally backwards.

Now, although this film hasn't aged the best and there are so many issues with the film, there are some good elements to it, it's definitely not the worst Dr. Seuss adaptation and I'll still watch it sometimes around Christmas, but it just hasn't aged the best, but again..It's not the worst Dr. Seuss adaptation, no that goes to the next one we're about to discuss.

Alright, so in 2003 another live action Dr. Seuss adaptation was released, that being "The Cat In The Hat" starring Mike Myers. And I'll keep this short and simple as I wanna get this one out of the way, I also rewatched this film not long ago too and it still sucks years later, there is really nothing good about this film honestly. From the set design, to the acting, (especially from Myers himself) the makeup, especially the makeup and CGI. The jokes are also abysmal and this film doesn't capture anything from the source material and almost feels like a slap in the face and say what you want about The Grinch, at least SOME effort and decent stuff was added in that film, even not done the best exactly. But with this film, it's just awful and bad..you know a movie is terrible when Audrey herself said that her husband would've despised the film and prohibited any further live-action adaptations of Seuss's work because of how bad the film was. This film itself is honestly why Dr. Seuss was so hesitant and nervous to allow adaptations of his work and I still believe there is the worst Dr. Seuss adaptation to date, luckily the next few adaptations of Seuss's work (mainly when it came to the film adaptations) would be done in computer animation instead of live action.

So, after the disaster and failure of The Cat In The Hat, we ended up getting some more film adaptations of Seuss's work which would all be animated and those being "Horton Hears A Who", (2008) The Lorax" (2012) and "The Grinch" (2018) and we've got another adaptation in the works based on Cat In The Hat that'll be released in 2026 by Warner Bros. But for now, let's quickly discuss the other film adaptations and I won't dive super deep into them, I'll just quickly go over as I don't exactly have a whole lot to say about them, honestly. Alright, so "Horton Hears A Who" was the next adaptation and was released back in 2008 and it's the debatably the best Dr. Seuss movie but that's not really saying a lot, and I'll definitely say that it's definitely decent but there's not much to it, there is some charm to it but overall it's just a fine film. It's not bad or god awful, but not all that great either, the film kinda feels all over the place with its story and humor especially but mostly as a whole as it seems to be struggling to turn a short story into a full length film which that's a criticism you can say for the other Seuss movies as well. Sure the animation is nice and often pretty to look at and there are some jokes that land, but this film is just alright and is watchable. I'll definitely say that this film AT LEAST does understand the message of the book and the animation has I said is great and pretty and actually does lend itself well to the Dr. Seuss world, but overall this film is okay, it's definitely better than Cat In The Hat and it's not insulting garbage but there are better films to watch, but I'd say give this a watch if you're curious and haven't seen it.

Let's move on and discuss both The Lorax and The Grinch which were both made by Illumination, instead of giving these two their own sections I'm gonna to just to discuss them in their own paragraph here, so hopefully that's fine, lol! Alright, so when it comes to The Lorax...overtime, it seems to be kinda decisive especially over the years with some either hating, loving it, or just not caring about it. I'm more in the hating and not caring for it category, now in terms of adaptations, this isn't the worst one over what we've discussed so far, but it's still a bad and not very good film. First off, this film clearly has cooperate studio meddling written all over it, and I'm not just talking about the product placement in the film's marketing, (which btw, is counterproductive and goes against the film's message!) but I'm also referring to the big hollywood actors casting and pop songs, and just trying just so hard to hip and not understanding the source material in the slightest, this film kinda feels like it was made so make money and just never to be talked about again, and also feels dated as well too. That's not the only issues with the film, there's also other problems as well from the casting like I've mentioned, and I know star casting has become a huge problem and talkative subject over the years but the casting for this film feels off, I mean you've got Zac Efron playing a 12yr and Taylor Swift, and no offense to these two, but they were very miscasted and you can tell they only got these two to appeal and become they're famous, and not only that, there's also how they wrote The Onceler and just 100% redoing his character and just making him into this emo guitar player, Ect. This film is another Dr. Seuss movie that doesn't understand the message of the book, the book didn't try to oversimplify the environmental message by simply, "Yeahhh, man and humanity sucks, ahhh!!" It just was never that simple, it's NEVER that simple even in real life, and the book did a great job starting a conversation rather than simply pointing a finger at someone. I'll definitely say that the animation is gorgeous and it's colorful and seems to capture some spirit of the world of Dr. Seuss but it just feels wasted on such a weak story, weak characters, a genetic cooperate villain that's there for the film's message and nothing more rather than a fleshed out character, and overall a forgettable experience. Again, although this film is a mixture of bad and mediocre, it's still not as bad as Cat In The Hat.

And now we finally have The Grinch from 2018, which was greenlit by Audrey before her passing. And I'll say that I do remember watching this film in theaters with my mom and thought it was decent for what it was, but after rewatching the film for this analysis, I'll say that while the film has some flaws, it's definitely decent for what it is, the film does leave out some of the best parts of the original book and ended up changing the message of the story in general, it's not like the message they were trying to teach was bad or anything, the intension is there and this film still is fun and very colorful and I can see some heart and decent soul put into it , it's definitely a decent and alright film, and I can understand why some loved and enjoy it and think it's a fine film and think it's a lovely sendoff to the Dr. Seuss movie adaptations. (For now, at least)

ALRIGHT!! Now we finally move on to the adaptation that this whole post is all about, let's finally discuss the latest Dr. Seuss adaptation that's been released out to date, that being Netflix's 'Green, Eggs & Ham' that was released back on November 8th 2019. Now, I'll honestly say that I remember going into this show I didn't exactly have many expectations as knowing how past adaptations have been in when came to Dr. Seuss and his work, I didn't know what to expect and thought this show was be really bad or mediocre at the least, but I remember hearing positive things about the show and seeing images and clips of the show got me rather interested and curious, so I remember going onto Netflix and checking out the show and after watching all 13 episodes of the first season I was pleasantly surprised by how damn good and well made this show is/was, like everything about this show is incredible from it's talented voice cast, from it's animation, (the show looks great especially since tv shows that are based on movies don't have the same budget as the films) from the characters, the story and just everything. You can clearly see all the hard work, love and dedication that went into this show and could tell that the ones working on the show truly cared about Dr. Seuss and his work and wanted to make a show not just for kids but something for almost everyone can enjoy. Everything thing in this world when it comes to the show just looks, breaths and 100% feels like Dr. Seuss, I also love and appreciate the references to other Dr. Seuss books and while the other Seuss tv shows and even the films themselves (except for Cat In The Hat) they were also able to capture nail the look of Dr. Seuss but something about Geah feels different, it truly nails the spirit and world of Dr. Seuss and it's just a beautiful looking show on every level, the animators really poured their love and soul into animating this show.

And it only gets better from here, there's also other amazing things about the show especially when it comes to the writing, characters and the story itself. And with this show, instead of 100% focusing solely on the story of the book, this show instead decided to change the story up and intertwine the original story into this new one. So, in this show, Guy-Am-I (played by Michael Douglas) is an inventor and who's very down on his luck mostly due to his inventions and dreams always blowing up right in his face, after one of his inventions fails his chance to going to Meepville, Guy decides to quit inventing and throw away the towel. Eventually, Guy runs into Sam-I-Am (played by Adam Devine) who's this chipper, loveable ball of sunshine who stole a creature known as The Chickeraffe ("Mr. Jenkins") that intends to return it to its natural habitat and have it reunite with its mother. But after getting their suitcases mixed up and when a mysterious agent duo known as "BAD GUYS" show up and attempt to take the Chickeraffe, this results in both Guy and Sam teaming up together in order to get to Meepville to save Mr. Jenkins and get him home. Now, while this story especially with its main characters, we've seen this type of storyline a million times before as it takes two characters with different personalities and putting them together as they learn to get along and know more about one another, being another typical buddy road trip formula. But it actually works very damn well with this show, throughout the first season, we see that Sam is able to have a huge impact on Guy and his life, in the beginning, Guy starts off as a closed off, grumpy frustrated individual who's very down on his luck and doesn't like anyone. Meanwhile Sam on the other hand, is very upbeat, loves life and is sweet and kind to almost everyone he meets and likes everybody. Again, while we've seen this type of thing many times before, this show does this type especially many other tropes that are shown in this show pretty well, and throughout the first season we actually see the characters grow, we see Guy starting to be more open and confident and even becomes more happier and even starts doing more with his life and trying new things such as inventing, friendship, family, love, ect.

And I think what also makes this formula work is the believable friendship and dynamic between Guy and Sam, it's incredibly well written and you truly do believe in their friendship and their dynamic and interactions is great!! The two clearly have an impact on another one another but Guy especially and while the first season was mainly focus on Guy and his journey, the next season gives a lot of focus on Sam when it comes to him wanting to find and reunite with his mom, but we'll get slightly more on that a little later! But Sam is also another great and well developed character and he's an example of an annoying character done right which can be a very tricky task, he's a character who's annoying but not annoying to the audience. Sam has such a likeable and loveable presence and charm, with some of that coming from Adam's wonderful performance, but I was never at all annoyed with Sam one bit and loved the depth they gave in S1 EP10 and showed his connections with Green, Eggs & Ham which felt powerful and heartwarming. And the Green, Eggs and Ham aren't there just to just be mentioned here and there, and to teach the message when it comes to Guy trying them, but also represents and shows just how important and strong Guy and Sam's friendship truly is. ❤️

There's also other memorable and great characters in this show, we've got characters from the book such as the fox, the mouse, and then you have the goat, in this show they're all changed and are good in their own right. First you have the fox, named Michael, who's this an eccentric guy who's basically obsessed with green eggs and has a huge crush on a green chicken named Sandra, and it's just incredibly hilarious as hell and pathetic in a way but just funny, then you have the mouse who's basically a parody based on "Jean Valjean" from Les Misérables and the running gag with him is that whenever he talks, basically nobody especially Guy and Sam can't understand him and only hear squeaks, he also has this huge song that dives into his backstory and it's supposed to be sad but you can't help but kinda laugh at it. And then you have the goat himself, who's basically this unhinged, nonsense badass bounty hunter sent by Mr. Snerz and will pretty much stop at nothing until he gets and captures the chickenraffe. He speaks with a strong spanish accent and he's kinda like an antagonist but he's extremely memorable and fun, he also this pretty fun and great fight scene with Mr. Jenkins in S1 EP9 up on a snowy mountain and not only does the animation sand out during this scene but it's indefinitely entertainment, it's interesting that a Dr. Seuss adaptation of all things would have things along with other great things in this show.

Let's also talk about the other characters they added in this show, that being "The Bad Guys" and "Michellee and E.B." and the main villain of S1, "Mr. Snerz." These characters weren't in the original book and are entirely new characters but similar to the other characters, they're good in their own right. We've got the agents themselves, McWinkle (played by Jeffrey Wright) and Gluntz, (played by Jillian Bell) we've got Mcwinkle who's the serious guy who's on his last mission and wants to get the job done as soon as possible, while his partner, Gluntz is basically the optimistic rookie and basically the opposite from Mcwinkle. And again, while this show does use tropes that been done to death that get tiring, that's kinda the point and this show does new things and does these tropes well that it doesn't exactly bother me all that much, honestly. Mcwinkle is a good and interesting character, although he might seem cold-hearted and serious he does care about his job and also despite his gruff persona, he does care for animals and others and just wants to keep everyone safe and both he and Gluntz aren't bad people, they're just doing their jobs and are just flawed almost like all the characters. Meanwhile with Gluntz, she's just the absolute and I love the hell out of her, although she can act serious and tough, but she just so fun-loving and chaotic and she's the best girl. Really do love Gluntz though, she's plucky, sweet, and just hilarious and some of her moments of the show are my favorite!

Now we have Mr. Snerz, (played by Eddie Izzard) who's the main villain of the first season and he's basically this famous rich businessman who wants to have the chickenraffe and mount it to his wall, and he doesn't want him dead and want his head on the wall, no he just literally wants him tied to the wall so he can keep the chickenraffe there for the rest of its life so it can never escape, and Snerz did that with all the other creatures he owns. Now, I didn't have many opinions about Mr. Snerz in the beginning and thought he was fine but also thought he was gonna be this typical one dimensional bad guy who wants to steal creatures for money and all that jazz, the same type of villain we've seen before. But, he's not exactly like that, he can be just as funny as the other characters at times and has a interesting solid motive for doing what he's doing and it's shown through his backstory.

And then you finally have Michellee and her one and only daughter, E.B. Now, I'm gonna dive deep into these two the best way that I can especially with Michellee as I feel she's been hated for wayyy too long (especially by some certain shippers and fans in the Geah fanbase) and deserves so much better and I'll show that she's not as bad as some try to claim she is. Now, Michellee is very overprotective and cautious who wants her daughter to be safe and okay, while E.B. is a rebellious kid/teen who wants to explore and have fun and do things that kids around her age do. And again like before, while we've seen this done before, just like the show itself and both Sam and Guy themselves, Michellee and E.B. are great and developed characters and their relationship is very well done, they're also on their way to Meepville only for Michellee to enter a literal bean contest and they end up meeting with our main duo multiple times throughout the first season and we get a nice bond between the four main characters. Both Sam and E.B. form a sibling type dynamic/friendship meanwhile both Guy and Michellee form a relationship of their own, now..I'll definitely say that one of the flaws with this show was the ongoing misunderstanding when it came to Michellee and Guy which became frustrating and repetitive, and it doesn't help that most of Michellee's moments kinda resolve around this and I really do think it could've been handled better.

But the way I've seen some of these fans especially when it comes to GuyXSam shippers, say that Michellee is a awful and terrible person is just frustrating as hell and ridiculous. It reminds me when it came to The Owl House, some tried to claim that Camilla was a terrible mom, which is downright not true and it shows people don't get it. While yes, Michellee was overprotective and her being too clingy only caused her to push her daughter away and feel alone, but the point of the show and the story itself is to NOT judge something or someone before giving it a try, without giving it a chance and these characters DO ACTUALLY GROW AND DEVELOP!! Over the course of the show we do see Michellee slowly learning to get out of her shell and try new things, and allowing her daughter to have fun, we learn that Michellee used to be a painter years ago but when her husband unfortunately died (when E.B was very small) she gave up her dream and moved on and this is possibly why she started to become more protective of her daughter, as she didn't wanna lose her either. Michellee clearly loves and cares about her daughter with all her heart, she's not perfect and she's very flawed (just like all the other characters in the show) and we do see her starting to be more open and by the end of the season, and even through some moments of Season 2, we see she's developed and has grown. Michellee isn't a bad parent, NOT in the slightest, she's a caring and loving parent that only wants to keep her daughter safe but she doesn't realize that doing so only pushed her daughter away and made her feel alone, and I really do by the mother/daughter relationship between her and E.B. and find it believable, like all the other characters, they are very flawed and the point of the show is for them to change, grow and give new things a try! (^-^)

Meanwhile with Guy and Michellee, although the two didn't get along and hit it off at the start due to Michellee being unimpressed with Guy's inventions due to them literally exploding, as the show went on and the more times the two met up one another one they start seeing that they actually have some things in common. Both are quiet, keep themselves, along with being reserved, and despite the annoying and cliche misunderstandings and writing choices when it came to how their dynamic was done in during some points from the first season, the relationship between both Guy and Michellee is honestly rather sweet. It's nothing too deep or groundbreaking, but they definitely are cute, adorable and just wholesome together and you do genuinely believe that the two do love and care about one another, both Michellee and Guy go through the same character arc's only with slight different circumstances, with both characters starting off not trusting the world or anyone around them and wanting to be left alone but both eventually learn the importance of not being afraid to try new things! 🙂🩷

Now, I'll quickly mention the second season real quick and while this season definitely isn't as good and amazing as the first one was, it's still a decent nice watch and there are some elements of the second season that I did enjoy. Firstly the animation is still incredible and well done and there is still clearly effort and love poured into the show even if this season wasn't as good as Season 1. And I did love some of the new characters they added such as Looka and Pam (Sam's Mother) and thought they were interesting and fun enough characters and I did love what they did with Pam. Although, she does follow into a trope we've seen before, what they did with her was still well down and you can clearly tell that she does love and care about Sam and similar to all the other characters, she's flawed just as them and isn't perfect, but she's not a bad parent or a bad person either, and while with Looka, although I don't have a whole lot to say about him exactly, I still really liked him and found his relationship and romance with E.B. very cute and adorable and I really do love their dynamic with one another and ship them, but as for the other characters I do think they could've been handled a little bit better but they're still fine enough characters on their own and I do think the route they went with the story also could've been handled better and could've been a little darker especially as the story they went with for S2, was based and took inspiration from another Dr. Seuss book called, "The Butter Battle Book" which was an anti war book that was written during the Cold war and I think they really could've done something different and make it more darker, but what they went with was fine and okay for what it was, but I think it could've been handled better and now certain characters act and are underutilize was also an issue with the second season, but for what S2 was its definitely a decent effort and they could've done something so much worse, the soul and heart of this soul is still there even if it lacks in some places, it's still a good season and I like it for what it is despite its flaws and issues, I still enjoy it. 💙

Overall, Green Eggs & Ham is an incredible and wonderful show that's very underrated and should be discussed and talked about more, this is a show that truly understood the message of the book and the source material itself. This show took inspiration from a short book and expanded upon the message and fits perfectly to not just the Green, Eggs & Ham but also to the characters as well too as we see them try new things and develop over the course of the show and I think the lesson of the book can apply to all of us as well too honestly. Live life to the absolute fullest as it's filled with many opportunities and about discovering new things but in order to that, you'll have to get out there and do what you love and just give new things a try and don't giving up and keep trying, even when life is tough, difficult or feels rather pointless, keep pushing forward and trying things! You can tell everyone who worked on Geah, truly care about Dr. Seuss and this book and wanted to do the show justice and they 100% succeeded. Even after the show's conclusion, this show is still amazing, delightful and just absolutely wonderful, it's filled with so much love, passion, it's well crafted and it's just a masterpiece honestly and it's most definitely the best Dr. Seuss adaptation!

If none of you haven't seen this show before or even heard of it, I'd highly recommend this show as it's a great and fun watch and it's 100% worth your time. This show is for everyone and even if you aren't that familiar with Dr. Seuss, you'll still very much love and enjoy this show. Please everyone, give this show a try and check it out, it's worth it. 🫶🩷

[necrotic-nephilim]

wow your take on jaytimcass! Jason goes for Tim first because he knows he can get Cass to agree to restrain Tim to stop him from going out injured and hurting himself more and Tim is kinda betrayed while Cass internalises this as a Good Idea, Actually; the next time Tim's the one to go to Jason to take Cass down and it escalates. Maybe Tim realises Jason's not-so-accidentally dragging this into murky waters and they all hate-fuck about it. Maybe Tim recruits Cass to tie up Jason in retaliation.

(based on this post) YEAH you get it!!! Tim and Cass fully agree with Jason when they're *not* the one who this force is being used again. to Cass, sometimes love is forceful so yes, she thinks Jason is right that they need to force Tim to stay home when he's injured. she loves Tim bc he's headstrong and that means accepting his flaws and helping him work through them. even if it means forcing him to stay home when he doesn't want to. honestly, i see the whole "their loved one forces them to stay home bc they're hurt" played off in the more fluffy side of the fandom bc it's a cute lil "let me take care of you" scenario. but to me, that sort of scenario *always* means that a character is exerting a level of control over the other character and i want to take it to the unhealthy toxic extreme.

Tim doing it on the flipside to Cass, maybe partly bc he's annoyed Cass sided with Jason but also bc he's as equally worried about her as Jason is. and Cass finding out this was Tim's idea, when she realizes she can't get out of the ropes she's in? god, it's so good. bc none of them can healthily communicate for shit so it makes the relationship turn to really fucked up dynamics. they're all arguing about it and it leading to hatefucking is just. *so* good. bc deep down they know even if they're pissed at each other they can't get away from each other. separating their relationship would lead to a literal bloodbath and they're so deeply tangled they just have to accept there's no out. and Jason being the first to notice that and therefore he pushes the boundaries bc he knows they can't leave him? everything to me. bc Jason was never going to take a *normal* healthy relationship and rlly, they should've known that when the started dating him. sooner or later he was going to tie one of them to the bed to make sure they didn't leave him, both in a physical sense and in a dying sense.

and them tying Jason down to retaliate is SO good. bc yes he'd be pissed, but he'd also know that this means he won. bc they're accepting this as just a part of the dynamic and they're reciprocating his fucked up idea of possessiveness. even if he's tied down both for sexual reasons or to literally make sure he doesn't go anywhere (maybe Cass and Tim need to handle a case without his interference) it's a show of love in that "i love you, but i don't trust you" way and Jason is already thinking about how he'll get creative to hold them down too the next time he needs to bc he's nothing if not a dramatic bitch who likes to up the ante.

[orions-choker]

+:★:+* Chapter Seven: Welcome Home +:★:+*

It was decidedly depression, that's what her friends told her. Y/N was no stranger to depression but this felt different. There was no perpetual sadness, just a heavy fatigue both physical and mental. Her whole world seemed distorted by a murky gray veil.

James had made her stick out the rest of the tour with them, too worried to not have her within his sight at all times. She made little effort to protest. She was sure it was just the cold weather getting to her, making her tired. She would feel better when the sun reared its head for her again.

She hadn’t moved from her bed in a couple days now, occasionally sitting up to rewind her tape and keep the tv perpetually playing. She wasn’t hungry enough to get off the bus either as much as the boys tried. They had been kind enough to bring her leftovers. Most of them anyways. Kirk hadn’t spoken to her since her drunken rant.

A gentle knock against her door barely stirred her. Her head rolled from one side of her pillow to the other, eyes locked on the door. She sighed before calling out. “Come in.” Her voice was raspy and dry. Slowly it slid open, a streak of light illuminating a spot on her floor. She hadn’t realized how dark the room was.

“Hey sunshine, want to come watch the show tonight?” Her brother's face peaked in the room. The nickname seemed comical now. It was kind he asked her this despite her consistent refusal. James stepped in the room, shutting the door behind him and sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked rough too, his facial hair was growing in, it was unusual to see him like that.

Y/N hummed before shaking her head. “No thank you, I don't think I'm ready tonight.” It was her excuse every time. “I don’t feel good.” She turned away from him once more to avoid his disappointed expression.

James' heavy hand came to rest on her thigh through her thick blanket. “Y/N…” He trailed off gruffly. “Why don’t you get up and shower, you might feel better.” He prompted her hopefully. She was acutely aware of just how greasy her hair was at the moment, the long strands tangled into rats nests, probably matts. She really needed that haircut. “Honestly, it's not a request.” The sternness in his voice surprised her. “You don’t have to come to the show if you decide you still don’t want to but you can’t rot away.”

“I’m not rotting.” Y/N bit back at him with the last of her energy. Reluctantly she shuffled from beneath her covers, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cold against her bare feet and she hissed. James was quick to help her up, her legs shaky after weeks of not being used. She leaned on him as he pushed her door open.

It was the first time she was exposed to the rest of the bus since they boarded once more. This one had a different set up, the shared bathroom no longer resided outside her door, no it was on the opposite end of the bus. She would have to parade her pathetic state in front of the others. She almost stopped walking at the thought.

The two siblings entered the living area, the warm cracklings of laughter died at the sight of her. Typical, she thought. She brought down the mood of any room she was in lately. She refused to look at them, keeping her eyes trained on the floor as she shuffled forward. “Can you bring me clean clothes?” She sighed defeated as she entered the small bathroom.

Her brother nodded at her, closing the door behind him leaving her alone. She turned to the mirror hesitantly. Okay maybe she was rotting. Her skin was almost translucent, save for the deep purple bags beneath her glassy red eyes. Her lips were chapped and dusty. Her hair was just as bad as she thought though, there would be a lot of detangling necessary to fix this. Quickly she turned away from the zombie that stared back at her and started the shower.

As she removed her old and frankly smelly pajamas she noticed how loosely they hung off her frame. She sighed at the sorry state she was in and stepped under the warm stream. It took an insane amount of scrubbing her skin to get rid of the grimy feeling. Her skin was raw and red by the end of it. Half a bottle of conditioner later and some rather large chunks of hair in her brush had her mane tamed. She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there for but the water had run cold now. Begrudgingly she admitted she felt better.

Set aside for her on the counter were real clothes. James the cheeky bastard had brought her actual jeans and a shirt rather than the pajamas she had been living in. She noticed her old pile of clothes on the floor had been removed as well. She smiled ever so slightly at the sweet gesture.

There was more warmth to her skin now, her hair smooth and shiny once more. It did little for her other shortcomings though. She hardly looked normal. Stepping back into the living room she couldn’t avoid the prying sets of eyes looking at her now. “Feel better?” James’s voice sounded from beside her. She couldn’t look away from Kirk, his big eyes swimming with worry as he looked at her. It was almost infuriating.

Y/N picked at her fingers awkwardly. “Yeah,” She mumbled, her head dropping allowing her to be concealed by her hair like a curtain. “I’ll come…to the show tonight.” She sighed begrudgingly, knowing that was truly what James had been asking her.

Lars’s arms around her caused her to screech in shock, With surprising strength he picked her up in a bear hug. “There's my girl.” He shook her with an excited aggression. She could smell the booze on his breath as well. “Enough of this moping around shit.” He grinned as he let go of her.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she nodded at him. She moved to sit on the far side of the couch, Jason serving as the barrier between her and Kirk. She pulled her knees up to her chest as she curled into a ball. Jason smiled down softly at her offering her a sip of his water. She accepted gratefully. As the cool liquid swirled past her lips she realized how long it had been since she drank anything.

Like a deprived animal she crushed the bottle, gasping for air as she finished it. Jason stared at her mouth agape. She smiled sheepishly at him. “Sorry, I...needed that, let me get you another one.” She offered, moving to stand once more.

Quickly he placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, shaking his head with kind eyes. “No it’s fine I’ll get us some more.” His voice was soft against her ears, unlike her brother's growls and Lars’s yelling. As Jason stood up, Y/N glanced towards Kirk. His eyes were trained on her, mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something. Suddenly a cold bottle was pressed into her hands once more. She smiled up at the other, taking small sips now as he sat back down.

“Thank you.” She whispered to the other, resting her head against the back of the couch. She watched from the corner of her eye as Kirk and Jason picked up their conversation from earlier. She envied their closeness, in her absence it was apparent they had become a duo. The way Kirk’s arm wrapped around his shoulder, Jason's slightly deeper laugh echoing off the walls of the bus. She wanted that, wanted to be a part of it. She didn’t ignore the way Jason seemed to stumble just a bit over his words around Kirk either.

Y/N frowned and looked away, instead casting her glance to her brother and Lars. It seemed empty, just the two of them sitting there. She didn’t want to think too hard about the missing presence. James seemed more tense around Lars lately and it made her think maybe best friends were never meant to last.

“Alright fuckers lets roll out.” James startled her a little as he stood up from the table, walking towards the door of the bus. Quickly Y/N gathered her bag, ensuring she had her sketchbook tucked away beside her. She trailed behind, the last to step off and on to the road. The cool winds of the Canadian winter chilled her skin. An involuntary shiver ran across her spine.

There was a sudden heaviness around her shoulders. She looked up in surprise, seeing Jason placing his leather jacket around her, leaving him with bare arms in nothing but a tank top. “I’m okay Jase you need this more.” She protested, moving to shrug it off her shoulders before he stopped her with a firm grip.

“I’m good Y/N, y’know the last thing we need is you getting sick.” Jason smiled lazily at her as he slowed his pace to walk beside her. “How are you doin?” He asked her softly, shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans.

She couldn’t help the way her eyes drifted ahead to Kirk, watching his long dark curls bounce excitedly as they entered the back doors to the gig. “Oh, Y’know…” She trailed off stopping just short of the threshold. She took a deep breath, the cold air burning her lungs.

Jason’s sympathetic nod did little to comfort her. “Yeah I think I know.” He looked off towards the boys. “Did you guys break up? If you uh don't mind me asking.” She could tell he had been waiting to ask that question.

“No.” She smiled sadly. “We were never a thing…like that.” She ignored the surprised raise of Jason’s eyebrows. “I love him though…loved him? I don’t know, he's my best friend.” She watched longingly as Kirk hung the strap of his guitar across his neck. She didn’t know why she was telling Jason all this, maybe it was easier, he didn’t know them back when they were good. “After Cliff…everyone fell apart, I just thought me and him were stronger than that.”

A warmth flooded her body as she was tugged into Jason's side. It was unfamiliar the feeling of his arms around her, but not unpleasant. She returned the gesture “Grief does shitty things to people.” He pulled back to look at her, really truly look at her. His eyes seemed to bore into the very core of her being. She was seen in a way she hadn’t been in a long time. She felt small, and scared tears welling up in her eyes as she looked back. “You guys are gonna be okay.” He assured her.

For whatever reason Y/N was inclined to agree with him, for the first time in a while the room seemed just a bit lighter, a bit more vibrant as he smiled down at her. She got it now, the reason Kirk gravitated towards Jason over her. He was the embodiment of comfort. How could she ever blame him for being close to Kirk. “Thanks Jase.” She mumbled, wiping at her watery eyes with the heel of her palm. “Kick ass out there tonight, kay?”

Her head turned towards Kirk as he took a sip from his drink, placing it down and moving to the side stage, waiting to go on. Without thinking she moved forward, talking long strides towards him and grasping onto his hand. He turned to her, eyes wild and mouth slightly agape. Y/N crashed forward into him, uncaring of the guitar separating them. His arms came to wrap around her instantly, surprising her with the force of his grip on her.

They stayed like that, silently for a long moment before the thrum of the opening music rumbled under their feet. “Don’t let go yet.” Kirk whispered into her ear, fingers tightening against the leather of Jason's jacket still slung across her back.

“You gotta go play, I'll be right here waiting for you, Like I always should have been.” Y/N’s lip wobbled as she spoke. It was her fault too, for not being here.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

[twistedappletree]

Ok sooooo……. idea for you: Yi city except Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui get separated from everyone else and Jin Ling is being a cute little scaredy cat about the ghosts lol 👻

Ohohohohooooo I’ll do you one better, anon.

JL and LSZ separated from the group, then JL getting separated from LSZ, flipping his absolute shit and being a hilarious flustered mess after finding LSZ again.

Is that what you wanted, huh? IS IT?!

becauseiknowthatswhatiwantlmaooo

“The mist is worse here,” said Lan Sizhui, “Stay with me.”

Jin Ling’s eyes darted around, constantly on the lookout for ghosts as he kept quiet and let Lan Sizhui take the lead. “I haven’t even heard any of the others. Where are we?”

Lan Sizhui studied their barely visible surroundings, catching glimpses of a few shoddy, abandoned stalls. “A market street, I think—and I’m sure we’ll run into them eventually. All any of us can do is go in circles, after all.”

A shadow flew past the corner of Jin Ling’s eye. He jumped and whipped around, his hand trembling on the hilt of his sword. Such a weapon would surely be useless against a ghost but it calmed his nerves to know he at least had something to protect himself.

“Sizhui,” Jin Ling whispered, “There’s something out here…”

No answer.

Jin Ling turned around to find that Lan Sizhui was gone and he was completely alone. A twinge of panic coursed through his veins as he twirled around, unsure if he should move or stay in one place.

“Sizhui?!” he called, frantically searching the mist.

Another shadow glided through the murky atmosphere. He jumped back and gripped one of the arrows in his quiver. With his other hand still on his sword, his mind tried to figure out which weapon would be the best defense.

He narrowed his eyes and frowned, taking a brave step forward as he barked, “Sizhui, cut it out already! This isn’t funny!”

He knew Lan Sizhui was the last person to pull pranks, which made the situation even worse. Jin Ling was growing more worried for his fellow disciple than himself as the unnatural silence of the city chilled him to the bone.

The shadow from before returned, spinning towards him this time in a howling whirlwind. Jin Ling inhaled and finally moved, flying through the mist until he ran into something strong but soft, warm and familiar.

The fresh scent of orange blossom and cedar wood surrounded Jin Ling like a comforting blanket as two confused hands awkwardly encircled his waist.

Lan Sizhui looked down at him and frowned. “Young Master Jin? Are you—“

Jin Ling suddenly pushed against the Lan boy’s chest and sprang backwards, his amber eyes burning with annoyance. “You—! Why did you leave me?!”

Lan Sizhui lifted his brows and blinked, not sure how to respond. “Wha—“

The young Jin disciple spared him no room to even attempt an explanation. “You tell me to stay with you, then leave me behind! Ridiculous!”

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked off to the side, his bangs blowing outward as he sighed. “I called you three times. Something was running around out here and—“ He paused for a moment, cheeks burning as he looked back up at Lan Sizhui with a pout. “I-I was worried, but you look fine,” he mumbled. “Why didn’t you answer me?”

Lan Sizhui’s head was spinning trying to keep up with Jin Ling’s heated outburst. “Young Master Jin, I’m sorry but I honestly didn’t hear you. I thought you were still behind me—“

“Whatever,” Jin Ling interrupted, “Just… don’t wander off, I’m not gonna save you if you do something stupid.”

Lan Sizhui stifled a laugh, no stranger to Jin Ling’s fiery way of showing concern. “The mist really is bad here,” he said. “Maybe this would help?”

Jin Ling’s eyes widened and his imaginary hackles raised when Lan Sizhui offered him his hand, the Lan boy’s long, slender fingers safe and inviting. “Huh?! What are you… I-I’m not a baby! All I said is don’t wander off, it’s not that—“

Once again, the shadow from earlier barreled towards Jin Ling and hit him with a glacial gust of air, this time accompanied by the buoyant, echoing giggle of a child.

Jin Ling yelped and lunged forward, grabbing Lan Sizhui’s hand and hiding behind him, his face buried against the taller boy’s sleeve.

Lan Sizhui watched curiously as the shadow circled around them and disappeared into the mist. He glanced down at the trembling Jin disciple and smiled. “It looks like you’ve made a friend.”

Jin Ling popped his head out from Lan Sizhui’s sleeve and glared into the mist with an irritated expression. “I-I don’t need any friends! Tell it to go away!”

Lan Sizhui gently squeezed his hand and laughed. “It’s okay, it’s harmless. Just a playful spirit.”

Obviously unconvinced, Jin Ling scrunched his nose and went right back to using Lan Sizhui as a shield.

“A-Ling,” Lan Sizhui chimed, his tone gentle and sweet.

Jin Ling looked up to meet his soft, striking amethyst gaze and could swear his heart skipped a beat.

“I promise I won’t leave you.”

Heat spread from Jin Ling’s neck to his ears to his face like a wildfire, every nerve in his body ping-ponging wildly. He narrowed his eyes and sputtered, “Why say it like that…?! You’re so embarrassing!”

Confusion washed over Lan Sizhui’s face as he tilted his head to the side. “Is that not what you were worried about?”

“Shut up,” Jin Ling mumbled. Still holding Lan Sizhui’s hand, he abruptly tugged him along. “Let’s just go already.”

Lan Sizhui lifted his hand to his mouth and chuckled as he was pulled through the mist by the flustered Jin disciple. “Lead the way.”

{ 🖤 }

[thoselethalarts]

𝓚𝓪𝔃𝓾𝓸 𝓖𝓾𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓸 - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂

(R) School Uniform: “I Totally Forgot!”

(NRC: Exterior Hallway)

Kazuo: Okaaay… whew! Okay, I think I got it now. I should be okay for the exam now with all this in mind. Kazuo: Hey, thanks again for helping me with this history review session, Riddle! Kazuo: I know I’m not in your dorm, but I doubt Leona would have wanted to help me with this. It really means a lot that you could do this for me.

Riddle: Of course. You’re a fast learner, Kazuo, and it pleases me to see my fellow classmates doing what they can to naturally excel in their academics. Riddle: It matters little to me which dorm you originated from. I understand that some dorms struggle with their leadership, so I’m glad that you reached out to me.

Kazuo: Well I’m glad you made the time for me! Memorization is something I struggle with sometimes, so having quick review before our history exams is exactly what I needed. Kazuo: Especially with the Queen of Hearts stuff… sometimes the history around her time is so murky and abstract, it’s hard to really internalize what happened as “real”, if that makes sense.

Riddle: Really? That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone describe her history as such. Honestly, I find it quite simple, I fail to see it as “abstract” in any way. Riddle: That reminds me… have you ever attended one of our Unbirthday Parties, Kazuo?

Kazuo: Unbirthday Parties? Heheh, can’t say I have, but I’ve heard of them though! Through, uh, my friends and stuff, ya know?

Riddle: To be expected that someone like yourself was well connected, you’re quite personable and well spoken. Riddle: Well, if you’re interested in learning more of the history of the Queen of Hearts, there would be no better opportunity to learn than to attend one and experience her history firsthand. Riddle: We’ll be hosting one this coming Friday at 4:00 sharp. If you’d like to come, we’d be happy to have you.

Kazuo: Oh, really? I’d love to be there! It’ll be okay for me to be there even if I’m not part of your dorm though, right?

Riddle: Certainly. There’s no issues with outside guests attending an Unbirthday Party, so long as they mind their manners and follow all the rules of attendance. Riddle: You need not worry, I’ll be sure to teach you strict and proper Unbirthday etiquette. All you must do is follow my leadership, and you’ll be alright.

Kazuo: Awesome~ I’ll totally be there, then! I’ll make a note of it so I won’t forget.

Riddle: Splendid. I’ll be sure to reserve you a seat. I look forward to seeing you then, Kazuo. Riddle: Ah-! Speaking of being late, look at the time. Since we’re finished, please excuse me. I must return to Heartslabyul immediately so I won’t be late for afternoon tea. Riddle: Remember, this coming Friday at 4:00 sharp. Do not be late under any circumstances, or it will be your head to pay.

(Riddle quickly departs from the hallway)

Kazuo: Take care, Riddle! Kazuo: Man this is gonna be awesome~ I’ve always wondered what it would be like to attend an Unbirthday Party in person! Kazuo: I should bring a thank you gift for attending! It’s what my mom would want me to do, I’m sure. Wonder if maybe the Mystery Shop has something appropriate for me to bring…

(Kaz walks away down the hall, departing from the College and walking toward Mr. S’s Mystery Shop)

(NRC: Outside of Mr. S’s Mystery Shop)

Kazuo: What does someone bring to an Unbirthday Party I wonder… Kazuo: Some roses, maybe? Maybe a weird teacup or silverware? Would they even need something like that? Kazuo: Wait, should I bring a hat? Would it be normal to wear a hat to one of these? Gah, there’s so many options-!

(Bump!)

Kalim: WAAH-!?

(The sound of items hitting the floor)

Kazuo: Oh-! Crap, sorry Kalim! I didn’t see you there!

Kalim: Ahh~ I couldn’t see either ‘cuz of how many bags I was carrying…! My bad, my bad! Kalim: Ack, I hope the banana chips didn’t get crushed when I dropped them!

Kazuo: Geez, you really had a lot on your hands. Here, lemmie help you carry some of those.

Kalim: Much appreciated! I’m just heading back to Scarabia if you wanna follow me there.

Kazuo: Sure! That’s no biggie at all. Kazuo: What are you carrying all these big bags for, anyway? This looks like a lotta foodstuffs to be needing all at once.

Kalim: Oh! We’re gonna have a big party in Scarabia this Friday, so Jamil sent me to pick up some things we’ll need in preparation! Kalim: Some of it’s for decorations and some of it is herbs, spices, and ingredients for the actual banquet. Every last thing in there’s important! It’s all what’ll make this party a real blast! Kalim: There’s gonna be music, dancing, and a big feast with lots of foods from the Scaling Sands! I’m excited already just thinking about it!

Kazuo: Oh, really? That sounds awesome! Kazuo: I’ve never been to a Scarabia party before, or had food from Scalding Sands that is. It sounds like it’d be something fun to experience!

Kalim: What, really?! That’s so sad! We have so many good things to eat back in Scalding Sands! Not to mention the music, and the performances…! Kalim: Ohh… I’m sad just thinking of all the things you’ve been missing out on. Alright, it’s settled then! Kaz, I want you to come to our party this Friday!

Kazuo: Huh?! Are you sure it’d be okay? I mean, you already bought all this food and everything, I don’t wanna impose and make you buy more.

Kalim: It’ll be alright! Jamil will know what to do to make everything work out alright, he always does, ah~haha! Kalim: Besides, if it’s something you wanna experience, I’d like to provide you with the best introduction you can get!

Kazuo: Well… alright! When’s the party going to be?

Kalim: 4:00 on Friday!

Kazuo: Sick! I don’t think I’ve got anything going on then, so I’ll be there!

Kalim: Great! I can’t wait to show you a good time Scarabia-style! Kalim: I’ll make sure Jamil helps make as many foods as possible, so you can really have the full experience! Just make sure to bring a big appetite, haha!

Kazuo: I’ve got enough of one already with all the athletics I have to do, so that won’t be a problem at all!

(More time passes…)

(NRC: Main Street)

Kazuo: Phew! That was a pretty long walk with all those bags! Kazuo: Now, back to what I was doing… um… Kazuo: Wait, what was I doing? I went to the Mystery Shop for a reason, but now I can’t remember what I was going there for…

(Footsteps approach from the distance)

Matt: I thought I heard his voice o’er here. Hey, Kaz!

Kazuo: Eh-? Oh, hey Matt! Hey Marcus! What’s up, guys?

Marcus: Don’t you remember? The signups for the Ignihyde LAN tournament end today. Marcus: I couldn’t find you earlier, so I went and just put both of our names on the signup sheet for us.

Matt: I won’t be there though, cuz Heartslabyul has a thing goin’ on that day.

Kazuo: Oh yeah! I totally forgot we were doing that today, my bad! Kazuo: I feel like there’s been so many things happening today, I’ve completely lost track of time~

Marcus: Oh yeah? What’ve you been up to?

Kazuo: Well earlier I was hanging out with Riddle, and he invited me to the Unbirthday Party that’s gonna be on Friday! I’m stoked to be there and experience one in person~ Kazuo: Then I- oh, I remember now, I was going to the Mystery Shop to see if I could find something to bring as a thank you present, but then I bumped into Kalim while I was there. Kazuo: He had a lot of food that he was carrying back to his dorm, so I thought I’d lend him a hand since he had so much with him. He said they’re gonna be having a party at Scarabia, and invited me to come too!

Marcus: Oh, really? That’s cool. When’d he say it was gonna be?

Kazuo: Oh, he said it was on uh... Wait. Kazuo: Ah, crap! I told both of them I was gonna be there, and both of their parties are this Friday…! At the same time, too!

Marcus: Wait, are you serious? They’re both on Friday?

Kazuo: Yes! God, I can’t believe I forgot… Kalim got me so distracted I completely forgot that the Unbirthday Party was also at the same time…!

Marcus: Uh, Kaz? I have even worse news for you.

Kazuo: What is it…?

Marcus: The LAN party is on Friday too.

Kazuo: What!? You can’t be serious, how did I forget that too?!

Marcus: Bro… you didn’t just double book yourself, you triple booked yourself to three different events. You really didn’t think this through, did you?

Kazuo: Uuugghhh, nooooo…. What am I gonna do, I can’t be in three places at once…! Kazuo: Riddle will be so mad if I don’t come, and Kalim will be so sad…! And the Ignihydes-! Well, they probably won’t care, but I wanna go to that too so badly! Kazuo: What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do…?

Marcus: Haahh… Kaz, just talk to them, alright? Nobody’s going to be mad at you as long as you just communicate, okay?

Kazuo: You think so…?

Matt: Think of it like this- the Unbirthday Parties are once a month, every month. Kalim throws parties every other weekend at minimum ‘cuz that’s jus’ how he is. Matt: We never really know when the LAN parties are ‘cuz Ignihyde jus’ plans ‘em whenever they feel like havin’ one.

Kazuo: I mean that’s true, but… you’re gonna be at the Unbirthday Party, right? It’d be fun to go with somebody I know.

Matt: I’m only goin’ cuz Riddle gave me shit about it when I was ditchin’ last year. ‘s not like it’s high on my agenda.

Kazuo: Yeah, but still…

Marcus: Ugh… Look, I won’t tell you what do to, but consider this: if you cancel with Riddle, then I can also go next month with the both of you.

Kazuo: Really?! You mean it?!

Marcus: E-Eh… I-I mean sure, yeah, I guess. Marcus: I don’t really like parties all that much, but if there’s free food and drink, then I guess I can come.

Kazuo: That would be awesome! Alright, I’ll just tell Riddle I’ll come next time! I’m sure he’ll understand~ Kazuo: Then that just leaves Kalim… I don’t really wanna break his heart, but knowing him he might just plan another party just for me if I tell him why I can’t come.

Marcus: There you go, you got this. Marcus: Either way, Friday is two days away, so you have all day tomorrow to talk to everyone and get things sorted out.

Kazuo: Y-Yeah…! I just gotta talk to everyone tomorrow about it, it won’t be that hard!

Marcus: And next time, Kaz… maybe you should start writing things down on a planner or something so you won’t forget the plans you make with others. Marcus: If it’ll help you remember, then maybe it’s worth investing in.

Kazuo: Why would I do that when I’ve got friends like you two to remember things for me?

Marcus: Wha-! I’m not your personal calendar…!

Kazuo: Kidding! I’m just kidding~ Hehehe~

/ End

[i-eat-worlds]

Alex & Friends Part 23-Done

as always, phoenix belongs to @pigeonwhumps

cw: drowning and associated misery, blood, rescue

Alex was unconscious when she hit the water. Quietly, she sank down into the murky depths of the river, leaving a stream of bubbles in her wave. A thin tendril of blood swirled above her.

And then, like someone had flipped a switch, the world came crashing back in.

Cold assaulted her body, and she desperately gasped for air. There wasn’t any air, and she sucked water into her lungs instead. Her mind screamed at her to move, arms flailing and legs kicking wildly.

Suddenly, her head breached the surface of the water. She panted, hands pawing at her life jacket as she remembered its existence. Thank fucking god.

When she leaned forward to try to swim, bright, vibrant pain radiated down her neck. The water was already starting to numb her limbs, dimming the agony in her left heel and shoulder. It felt like someone was squeezing her chest, and breathing was far harder than it should’ve been. A deep sense of dread built in her stomach.

She needed to get out of the water. She knew that. If she didn’t, she would die.

But moving was so, so hard, especially with her lungs begging for oxygen. Even though she was above the water, every breath felt insufficient. Not enough air would fill her lungs.

Exhaustion had sunk into her sore, achy bones. It wasn’t worth it anymore. Her teeth were chattering as she leaned back into her life jacket and let herself float.

Alex had given up.

***

Joseph firmly pressed the bandage onto the side of Phoenix’s throat. He’d evacuated them to the boat during the chaos of the fighting. They didn’t need any more of that. The slash on their neck was healing quickly, and they were otherwise physically unharmed.

It had been a couple months since he last saw them, as he’d rejoined his team in Prague immediately after his training rotation finished. He hoped their situation had improved during his time away. Honestly, he couldn’t really tell right now, though.

Phoenix was pretty well dissociated, eyes glazed over, breathing slow but steady. They didn’t fight him on the medical care, nor did they try to insist that they didn’t need it. It didn’t read as fear, but as exhaustion.

“I know it hurts,” Joseph said. “When I have some help, we’ll get you some pain meds.”

Phoenix grunted in response, leaning into him a little bit. They were saying thank you.

“I’m gonna lift the gauze and take a peak to check for healing, okay?” They didn’t respond this time, but Joseph slowly lifted the gauze away anyway.

As expected, their skin was saturated with blood, but the wound was now no worse than a paper cut. “Much better.” Joseph said, removing the gauze. “It might still be uncomfy, but can you try and talk for me?

There was a pause, as Phoenix tried to process his instructions. “S…sorry,” they rasped.

“It’s okay-” Joseph was cut off by Eric's voice speaking urgently in his ear.

“Exhale, I need you. Midnight fell off the gate, injuries unknown. They’re still in the water. We’ve gotten Zorland and company subdued.”

Shit.

“Copy that.” Joseph responded.

Joseph turned to Sil, and he found that he’d already started unmooring the boat. “Give me a second, then we’ll be good to go.”

As Sil started the engine, Joseph quickly staged his kit and replaced his gloves. Who knows what he’d find, between the fall and the potential drowning.

Sil quickly piloted the boat around the pier, then immediately slowed down to an idle when they saw Alex floating in the water.

The worry in his gut compounded when she didn’t turn her head to look at him, or really move towards the boat at all. Joseph silently prayed for her to be conscious.

Sil cut the engine so that they’d be able to hear her. “Midnight!” He called. She didn’t yell back, and he turned to Sil. “Can you get me closer?”

Once the boat had floated close enough that he could see her properly, he tried again. “Midnight, can you hear me?”

“Joseph?” She asked, voice scratchy. Her breathing was labored, and she looked exhausted.

“Yep, it’s me.” He said, eyes looked up at the gate that loomed above them. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Fell in. Don’t really remember.” She was interrupted by a fit of coughing. “’M neck hurts.”

Not a good sign. He wasn’t going to fuck around with her spine. “I’m going to call for some help. Do your best to stay still, yeah?”

She hummed. “Can do.”

“Wolfman, I need a water rescue team down here. Potential c-spine injury.” Joseph said into his com.

There was a beat of silence before he responded. “HAL Water rescue’s on their way, Exhale. They’re about three-seven minutes out, we already had them on scene.”

At least they're close. Joseph turned his attention back to Alex. “Are you having any trouble breathing?”

“Chest hurts, feels like I can’t get enough air in.” She broke down into another coughing fit, desperately gasping for air at the end.

So she’d probably aspirated some water. Great. “Water rescue’s on their way. Can you tell me if it hurts anywhere else?”

“Shoulder and heel. Think I landed on it funny.” She winced when she tried to move her head to look at him.

“Just keep yourself still,” he reminded her. From his point of view, he could just see the corner of another boat about to be deployed. “Any tingling or numbness anywhere?”

“No tingling. Hard to feel my hands cause the water is cold.” She seemed hyperfocused on her breathing.

Thankfully, he could finally see the water rescue boat making its way towards them. “They’re nearly here.” He said.

She mumbled something in response, then went back to trying to breathe.

The second boat pulled up next to him, loaded with several dry-suited heroes. “What’ve we got?” Someone who Joseph assumed was the team leader asked.

“Twenty-two year old female. Fell from the gate, doesn’t remember much else.” Joseph said. “Reporting neck pain and difficulty breathing.”

The team leader quickly relayed the information to his team, and they disembarked, sliding into the water. They quickly started to stabilize her neck, careful not to jostle her.

As much as he hated it, Joseph knew he needed to get to land. He couldn’t do anything for her floating in a little boat on the Thames. It felt wrong, leaving her behind, but it was for the best.

She needed him to be ready when she showed up on land. And he would do that.

He couldn’t lose another one.

Taglist: @/pigeonwhumps @rainydaywhump

[rhaenysmyqueen]

Random HOTD thoughts before the last episode. I didn't do this the whole season so it's way too long and just too many thoughts.

Firstly Daemon my poor maniacal asshole. It's honestly fun to see him suffer. This is where his desire, his anger, his arrogance has led him he has no authority, no good solution and is plagued by dreams which are forcing him to evaluate everything he has done in his life. Getting his ass handed to him by a kid and having to take it because it was the only way he can fix his fuck up was amazing. It's high time he realized that forcing people to call him king won't actually make him one.

Rhaenyra's whole arc in the show till ep 5 didn't really impress me, it irritated me quite a bit honestly. You decided to start the war you ordered a hit on your son's killer and after all that suddenly deciding that war is bad and more people will be killed is stupid and just pushes the women being docile and ambition less narrative further. But after ep 6 and 7 and after harping about that damned dream for the whole season it's quite clear that she is delving deeper and deeper into divinity and "god's call" which in all honesty gives her the power because she is the one who knows the prophecy and she in her mind is the only one who can save the realm. We finally have a glimpse of her God's complex her self importance. She is willing to let her son's claim to get murky in order to claim power now which isn't entirely wrong because no dragons means death but it's the first time we see her being truly selfish and the early stages of her descent into madness.

Alicent honestly has not made much of an impact this season. It was nice to see her finally getting out of delusion land and accepting that yeah she fucked up and her "unkind" sons have all the power now. She fought so hard because she wanted her sons to live but now one is half burnt courtesy of the other and said other throws her out of the council to pursue domestic avenues. Idiot woman.

As a book reader also it makes sense that the show runners are desperately trying to give Olivia and Matt (in the harrenhaal plot) something to do because the book offers nothing for them but it's been a hit and miss so far.

Still bummed we didn't get to see more of Jace in Winterfell, would have been much better than standing around and serving looks. It's also funny that the dragonseeds idea was his but the moment he realized that his succession was in jeopardy he tries to backtrack. He isn't wrong to worry because giving a bastard who looks more targaryen than his the second biggest dragon opens him up to more challenge but the only way he can sit on the throne is if Rhaenyra wins the war and the dragonseeds are necessary for that. In that whole argument Jace was thinking about the future or his succession and Rhaenyra about the present (very Vizzy T of her) and consequently her succession.

Aemond is a dick. Aegon the rapist actually tried to be a decent king but well when you spend your whole life being a good for nothing drunkard the people who put the crown on you are not going to start taking you seriously just because you wear it.

[luxurybrownbarbie]

I would love to know what your opinions on Taurus women are ? I dont think people talk about earth signs very much xxx

Queens of “I’m going to go lay down✌️” honestly! A bunch of very pretty, very stubborn women. Every Taurus woman was born 35 years old. Still the youngest of the earth signs at birth.

A Taurus will complain to you about an issue they’re having, and when you suggest making one (1) minor change, they’ll look you straight in the eye and ask why you want them dead. It’s iconic, truly.

Tauruses draw the things they want to themselves. They want to be in a beautiful place, surrounded by beautiful things, and not be bothered. They also want to head up a powerful family, escape into the depths of mysticism, and have the world wait on them hand and foot. And you know what? They’re going to do both.

Tauruses are (in my opinion) the most independent zodiac sign. They are one of the only signs that is actually fixated on the self. (Aries is the other.) Though they are associated with material objects and food, those are things used to enrich and support themselves. They want beautiful things and abundance for themselves. (As they should.) They want peace for themselves. They don’t want to be bothered by outside nonsense. They’re not hard to get close to (they’re very warm individuals!), but there’s always a sign over their heads saying, “My priority is my peace. ✌️” They do not want to deal with anything that could harm that.

Their symbol is a bull. Do you see huge groups of bulls hanging out all the time? No! Maybe one or two together, but hardly ever more than that. Their peace is very much linked to their solitude. They tend to stand on their own. They will be behind you 100% as a friend or a partner, but they will always make sure they can live without you. Doesn’t mean they want to! But they need to know that they can. Solitude is something they are very much at ease with.

With that said, people can sometimes become possessions to a Taurus, which makes things more difficult. Like, babe, that’s your bestie, not an extension of yourself! When the mind is set to view things as either “mine” or “not mine”, things can sometimes get a bit murky. There might be times when a person expressing their own personhood in a way that goes against what a Taurus believes or likes can cause them to go a bit haywire. They can, and do, take it personally.

I think when you analyze Tauruses through the Scorpio-Taurus axis, you finally get to see what’s under the surface. Though people have less immediate reactions to them, Tauruses are much like Scorpios in the way they navigate. Tauruses are more inviting, but they’re just as powerful and intentional. A Taurus is slow to anger, they don’t forgive, and they know themselves inside and out, nothing you say can change them. A Taurus is a Scorpio who learned how to play nice(ish).

Taurus is cautious. They worry that their abundance, despite it being boundless, might run out one day and they will have nothing. The *lack* of anything terrifies them. And the idea of someone taking it from them is almost worse. It takes a while for a Taurus to move from “mine” to “ours”. They will give the entire world to you, if they feel they have enough for themselves. Security is deeply important to them.

Tauruses love growth, but hate change. It’s a fun predicament they’re constantly in. They’re not in the business of reinvention, that feels fake to them. For them, growth is about cultivating what is already there, and making it better. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel if the wheel is already doing it’s job. “You take what you have, and you grow it into something better.” Is a Taurus motto. Where Scorpio will set the forest ablaze and clear the ground so new brand new trees can grow, Taurus will painstakingly weed, water, and tend the forest so it can bloom again. Taurus finds the value in established things, and works to keep them in order.

I think it’s hard to talk about Tauruses because all of that is very much occurring under the surface. On the surface, they don’t appear to be very deep. A joke about Tauruses loving sleep and food and never wanting to lose an argument is pretty much all most people will give.

Anyway, ​I want to beg the Tauruses to let the spirit of change and flexibility enter their hearts occasionally. 💛 The rest of the fixed signs need this message, but you guys especially. 💛

[mdhwrites]

What are your thoughts on Odalia and Alador? I was very disappointed by them.

When i first saw them, i thought they would be a fun villain couple who loved eachother and that they would represent the different types of parental abuse. Odalia being the more controlling, active abuser, and Alador being the more passive abuser.

When Reaching out came out, i was excited, because i thought it would be about Amity seeking approval from Alador because 'well he isnt as bad, so maybe i can gain his approval!' but then the message would be 'no, passive abuse is just as harmful and should not be glossed over and minimised.'

instead it turned Alador into a 'distant but caring dad', and then later, it emphasised this by making Odalia this insane idiot who didnt care about the genocide, stupidly thinking she would be exempt.

I agree! Just in general I agree! I'll first talk about Alador because honestly what was done with him was... Boring and pointless? At best, it's to give Amity resolution on at least one of her parents (which is questionable because I'd argue Reaching Out makes her goal... Murky. I don't know what she wants from her father honestly because her coven beliefs and her little speech at the end make it clear she doesn't give a single shit about his opinion or Odalia's so... *shrug* ) and maybe to give an answer against the Abomatons but neither of those ever paid off. At all. Ever. So instead you have someone who is just an extremely inconsistent character because it feels like the first three times we see him are three different versions of him and that is including Understanding Willow where he didn't give the impression to be a space cadet or not on board with what Odalia pushed. The fact that he's pushed to be incompetent also makes his writing like a lot of the guys in the show because he's hard to take seriously, Edric is similar, and he's just... there. Oh, I guess there's also the fact that he's clearly making robots instead of just golems, even to the point of mech suits, and I hate that because what the fuck is TOH's technology level? But also who cares when the writers clearly didn't? Speaking of: Odalia. Odalia is actually the worse of the two despite getting less screen time and I don't just mean because she's a worse person. Don't get me wrong: She is. She feels like some bad, animated 90s movie villain where money and personal gain is how they'll justify doing literally ANYTHING. But also Odalia is still bad at it since she thinks executing a child is a great way to sell HOME DEFENSE PRODUCTS. Because the death of their kids is definitely what you want on your customer's minds! Before I get into her real problem though: I also hate that she knows Belos' whole plan. Hunter doesn't know it. Darius, Eberwolf and Raine, all coven heads, had to sneak and steal the plans to get the information. Why the fuck, besides making her somehow even MORE evil, did Belos ever tell this bitch who probably never even asked what he was doing with the abomatons? Just... It's bad and dumb writing. But kind of like all of Odalia's writing: It still matters. Odalia is written like a one off villain while being AMITY BLIGHT'S MOM. And that is her real problem: How evil she is throws all of her children into question. The twins seem worried about their mom's retribution so why do they skip class? Why do they invite trouble that Amity, at the peak of her being busy with school, was able to notice? How do they get away with it? I made interesting and fun answers to that while the show doesn't even care about the question. And Amity is even worse. Her arc is thrown into question. How was she able to befriend Luz so easily when we know Odalia wouldn't approve of her? How was she able to throw away her old social group? How could she have been confident enough to bring Willow back as a friend? Why wasn't there ANY more worry about her mom when she knows her mom. She probably could have guessed her mom would try to kill Luz, or even Willow, if they became her friends and probably should have gotten livid at her abandoning her 'better' friends. Back when it was just Understanding Willow, one could make a case that maybe Odalia eased up on it since then. That's what I did in my story, The Power of Love. That the pressure Amity felt was at least as much in her own head as it was externally pushed on her. Things that would have been WAY more interesting than what we got. Because what we got with the Blight family as a whole is a bunch of characters who don't make sense, flip their characters on a dime and are just trash as a whole unit. And that's from the family that was BURSTING with potential at the end of S1. And I will actually go "Hey, if you want a better Blight family, check this out," because I'm still incredibly proud of how I wrote them in my monstrous first story for TOH.

[belle--ofthebrawl]

What is your favorite drink?

What is your favorite pairing to write and to read?

If you had to loose one sense what would it be?

Who would win in a fight, Mountain ghoul or his lesbian moms?

Favorite drink: My ol' reliable when it comes to gas station treat drinks is Bai, any flavor but if I can't find it then pureleaf black tea, unsweetened.

Favorite pairing to write: I like all of them but to read? Dewther. Hits different. I don't know what it is about them.

What sense I would lose: My sense of self-preservation. (This could be taken very badly but I feel the need to clarify that sometimes my anxiety gets out of control and I miss out on opportunities because What If Bad Things Happen.) (Probably should not try to be sarcastic on the Internet again.)

4) Terra wrangled Mountain during a feral phase once, when he tried to fight a fully grown bear for eating Ivy's berries. He doesn't remember much and Terra won't talk about it in detail. He was relatively new and the memory is murky but he doesn't remember if she had her cane before that incident, or if her hip has always given her that much trouble. If he tries to bring it up she shoos it off and says she enjoyed the chance to show off and any mistake she made was her own damn fault for being careless.

"So did I hurt you?" Mountain asks, worried. "Or was it the bear?"

"Will you get?" Terra says, sweeping her hands at him. "It's in the past and we can't change it. You're safe, my girls are safe, and honestly that's all I give a shit about. Who gives a fuck about the damn berries, they regrow every fuckin year."

"You know how she is." Ivy tells him as they strain out the herbs from the oil that will go into a batch of ointment to help Terra when the atmosphere pressure changes and gives her pain. "Honestly, you should have seen her when we dragged you two back in. Near laughed herself sick because your dumb ass decided to fight a hungry bear."

"Said you were worth keeping after that." Pebble says, the first words she's spoken all year.

And that helps, when he feels guilty but I don't know if it answers your question.

[bad12amcomic]

Hello hello hello hello!!

I have been obsessed with all of your comics and,, perhaps if you would like,, I would love to know what goes through your head when you make these? What are details you're really excited about that maybe you're worried the viewers will miss? What was your favorite part of the sleeping in the flowers comic?

Or just talk abt whatever!! I just want to hear your thoughts :D

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 SOBS YOURE SO SWEET???? honestly the only reason why I took so long to answer this was mainly because I just wanted to keep your ask in my inbox like a creep and that I had tried to answer this 3 separate times but Tumblr threw a hissyfit

Uh I guess since you’re indulging me I will indulge you… I tend to prioritize the visual aspect of the comic a LOT more than anything else, (I was super happy when people complimented me on my paneling hehe) so I will go through a rough draft of figuring where I want the camera to go and then go “no that’s stupid”, erase it, start over again until my brain and eyes agree that yeah that comprehensible (one of the flower comic pages took me 5 tries to get right each time from scratch lololol). (This is also the section where I am screaming the most because I hate lineart and anything I line looks murky and unclear so I grapple my friends to ask them to validate me)

And then the colors, and this is where I try working out my symbolism muscles and show off because so far this has been a lot of the characters sitting around and talking which isn’t bad but this probably could’ve been a fic if I was a writer. For the flower comic it was basically green and red which are complimentary colors obviously [Green is obviously Scar’s color but they’re literally at his base where everything was hand built and tended to by him and Grian who is red like his feelings would’ve stood out is he wasn’t playing it cool and camouflaged behind his really big green hat and the hat provides shelter from the sun depriving his sweater feelings flowers from being fed because turns out scars color is also yellow because yellow and blue make green and the few times that grian does look at scar is enough to saturate grow feed the feelings flowers sweater and they are almost allowed to be in bloom but Grian is a trooper emotionally repressed but a trooper and he is hiding from the yellow but sir cannot ignore such a tempting request to stay from his complimentary and did anyone notice scars speech bubbles shedding light on his sweater when he asks I blame Crow and Eirian for enabling me on that that was so gay anyways BOOM BOOM BOOM look the all encompassing green finally fulfills its role as the backdrop as all of the colors feelings thoughts come into view wow look the yellow comes in too because while grian has been looking at the yellow scar has been facing away from it]

I guess if I was worried about anything the viewers were going to miss (I was excited that people liked the texturing, flowers in general the greater structure of the comic) was that they were going to miss the subtext that even though Scar looked like he knew what was going on and was trying to tease Grian he was very much in the dark. (I was kinda proud of the frame after the panel where Scar’s smile falters) Looking back, I probably didn’t pull it off anyways but at the time of posting I thought if there was a viewer who hasn’t read the fic the comic was based on it would suck if they didn’t catch that.

So uh yeah (jazz hands) a lot of run on sentences. I usually add a drawing to an ask so uh have this doodle I did when I actually had an intervention with a couple of friends in the server I was streaming drawing the big flower panel at 2 AM. (70% of the flowers in that panel were hand drawn :D)

[neoninky]

TWST Fanfic "Her Lost Voice": Chapter 18

Well readers we have reached the final two chapters of "Her Lost Voice" (this one being the part 1 to the finale)

I hope you have enjoyed either reading this story for the first time or revisiting it again.

As of now, I have the beginnings of a Diasomnia centered fic in the works but I am also working on my own original material as well. So with that said, I do not have an exact release date (or even a title now that I think of it lol) for Petra's story with the Diasomnia clan just yet.

Definitely stay tuned, however, as I will be posting all/any tidbits here! Also feel free to drop me a message in my inbox any time whether it's about my Sacred Crown series, TWST in general, or if you just have a question/request. I'm game for any of those options lol.

Inky's Links: AO3 : Masterlist : (Third Story coming soonish)

Chapter 18: Part of This World (Part 1)

She used to have dreams night after night about that storm, that terrible storm that changed her life entirely. It was always a rush of sound, brief fragments of harsh light, followed by the freezing cold blackness pressing down on her as the waves tossed her small child body about in their fury. But there was always a quiet moment of relief as a kind hand pulled her head above water. She never saw a face nor did she ever hear a voice: just that warm touch and a soft melody calling to her as she lay barely conscious on the shore. Sometimes there were more or fewer pieces in her dreams, but now as she stood face to face with this siren in all of her warmth and compassion, Elise knew it had to be...

"It was you...?" Part of her feared this was some cruel prank. Junonia's smile didn't falter for a moment. Even when she had tears streaming down her face.

"My little Cowrie was already missing and I was afraid she got caught up in the storm somewhere. Instead, I came across that terrible shipwreck and I saw you, struggling in the water. You were so young...you reminded me of my girls. Thank you so much for taking care of them all these years." 

A quiet sob bubbled out of Elise as she shakily tried to keep her own tears from falling, "Honestly they took more care of me than the other way around," Elise sniffled before noticing the chain around Junonia's tail and snapping back into clarity, "B-But how...why are you here now? And who did this to you?"

Azul released Elise's hand before dipping into the shallow water to get a closer look at the chain itself. His tentacles slowly went to touch it. When nothing happened he was confused, "It seems like just an ordinary chain. I don't mean to be rude, Mrs. Cerith, but even a weak eel would be able to break this with ease." 

The siren chuckled bitterly, "The chain is just a formality, my dears. I'm bound to stay put because of my dear boy's commitment."

"Do you mean Indigo?" Elise stepped into the water to speak in closer proximity to her savior.

The siren's eyes lit up, "You know my Indigo as well?" 

"We want to help him and you, Mrs. Cerith," Azul circled around the two women to make sure the coast was clear, "An ally of yours told us he was in trouble." 

Junonia gasped when Elise took her now repaired moon necklace from her pocket, "He had this with him. Don't worry, Spindle is safe and unharmed." 

"Oh thank goodness," Junonia whispered, overwhelmed with relief, "that poor boy, I feared the worst after he tried to help me escape-"

She froze with a start as they heard approaching voices. It sounded like arguing. Junonia's face turned serious as she closed Elise's hand back over her moon necklace, "You two need to leave. Before he comes back. Don't let him see you or that."

Elise began to panic as Azul grabbed her hand once again, "We aren't going to abandon you, Junonia. I promise." 

In seconds, as Azul pulled her deeper into the water, Elise put the vial of potion to her lips and quickly drank. The pair submerged into the murky water as Azul jetted them both away from the trees. Moments later there was a flash from the middle of the lake's surface. Junonia quickly shot off a couple of enchantments to spread flowers over the surrounding trees as a cover. The showier the better. The footfalls paused just behind her, greeting the trapped siren with a slimy nonchalance as Indigo's remaining brothers sniffed about the area suspiciously.

"It seems a bit late in the season for flowers, Mistress. A lovely display nonetheless."

Her once welcoming gaze turned steely cold as she glared over her shoulder at the bastard. Even now that he had legs, he still repulsed her.

"What do you expect me to do here, Proteus? Just sit around like some garden ornament?" Junonia spat, "I came to see my children. Yet you chain me up and leave me here like some stray animal!"

Human Proteus was just as disgustingly smug as Merman Proteus. Only now he was more mobile than she was, "Patience, my dear lady. I simply thought you could use some fresh air before the heartfelt reunion. I could be far less generous if you prefer," Proteus chuckled, "Besides, this is well within the agreement your son made to ensure your safety and freedom. Well...limited freedom. Can't have you running off now, can we?"

The foul man reached for a lock of Junonia's hair that had fallen across her shoulder only to have his hand swiftly rebuked, "I understand the conditions, Proteus. Does it look like I'm trying to escape?" she spat, "Where is my son? If I cannot see my girls, at least let me speak to your boss." 

The ray scoffed dryly, making the two trained brothers laugh along with him, "My 'boss' she says! How adorable, how proud you must feel even now, Mistress Junonia. All because we've allowed you to believe for the first time in your miserable state that you have some semblance of power-" 

Proteus groaned as the siren's tail whipped across his face with a hard smack, breaking the chain that bound it and his egotistical monologue. Junonia's arms were held tight by her stepsons after they dove into the water to keep her from swimming away. For a moment, Proteus was frazzled to the point of anger, "Ha...stubborn as always. You haughty bitch, I'll dry you out like the piece of bargain meat you are-"

In a snap of blood-red rage, Proteus lunged forward to grab Junonia by the throat before he was rapidly strong-armed and thrown on the ground. His copper-red eyes were wide with a  mixture of madness and amusement in contrast to the fury that burned in Indigo's. The two younger eels quickly released Junonia before diving into the water to hide from their big brother's wrath.

"Ah, Master Seven-"

"SHUT IT," He barked and slammed a foot into Proteus' chest holding him in place, "You will not touch her, Luna, or Cowrie. You will not speak to any of them nor will you threaten them. THOSE are the terms we agreed upon. And that's Don Cerith to you."

The new Don drove his heel into the man's chest until he almost heard his ribcage creak underneath him. Proteus coughed out some weak compliance, the unhinged grin still on his face, "O-Of course, Don Cerith. Forgive my trespasses. But do remember, you're wearing a golden collar, not a crown. I'd hate to inform your father that maybe more discipline is in order for his new heir..." 

Indigo's gaze returned to its stoic default as he removed his foot from the sneering man's chest, "Leave me with my mother for five minutes. If you don't trust me, then leave my brothers here to stand guard...if they even have the backbone to do it properly."

His two brothers were peeking out of the water like overgrown slugs quivering in the mud. Indigo didn't wait for the man to answer before turning to apologize and comfort his mother, stomping past his cowardly siblings. Proteus made his exit into the shadows with a venomous gaze at the young boss' back. Once he straightened himself out, the bitter ray removed two bottles from his jacket and held them up threateningly for the shaking eels to see, "You heard him, boys. Stay put. I will let your father know how things are going." 

-

Azul was temporarily blinded by the sudden flash of light and the sheer force of the magic sent him tumbling straight into the dirt of the lakebed. He felt panic rattle all through him as he hurried to clear his vision. 

"Elise?!" he searched about until he saw a form sinking to the ground a few feet away. The octopus swam through the cloudy waters to the dark mass of that seemed to be morphing before him. His breath caught as the figure suddenly rose up and turned towards him, facing him with familiar, bright turquoise eyes. She could breathe, she could feel every sense heightened as it had before, and her tentacles seemed to unfurl like iridescent vines all around her. Azul's face was painted over in astonishment, "E-Elise...?"

"Yes, Azul," she sobbed happily, brushing ink-filled tears away. The two octopus lovers suddenly tangled together as Azul cried out in absolute joy and threw his arms to embrace her completely. They both felt absolutely electric as they locked lips, tentacles intertwining affectionately. Azul felt his senses become intoxicated as Elise's magical aura grew and pulsed under each fingertip, each physical connection they shared. He nearly forgot how to breathe in his bliss.

"You are a wonder!" He suddenly blurted out as he continued to hold her and kiss her face.

The former human was overcome with too many feelings to list, "Shouldn't I be telling you that?! You did it, Azul!" 

Azul suddenly felt a swell of pride go straight to his head, "But of course! Did you have any doubt, my darling? I said I would find a way and I did...with some help naturally but-"

Elise stopped the beginnings of a ramble with another, deeper kiss. Azul's face grew hot instantly as her expression glowed for him, "I love you, Azul Ashengrotto. I've missed you so much..." 

His mind went into overdrive so fast that he literally had to smack a tentacle over his mouth to stop himself from proposing marriage right then and there. His princess giggled at how flushed his face just before realizing they had an audience.

"Ah...Azul," she lowered her voice with a bashful grin, "Don't freak out but...I think they saw the whole thing..."

Azul quickly looked over his shoulder as one of Elise's tentacles pointed behind him. Nonchalantly waving at him as they sat comfortably amongst some kelp was none other than the Leech brothers. 

"Don't stop on our account, Azul," Jade's grin was merciless, "We'd feel terrible for interrupting such a tender moment."

Floyd's tail was swaying back and forth with feline-like mischief, "Hey hey, you gonna leave Octi-chan hanging like that??"

The twins just giggled amongst themselves as Azul began to sputter ink. He was the deepest shade of purple they had ever seen!

"Honestly, I can't have TEN minutes without you-ugh nevermind!" he groaned before clearing his throat and turning back to Elise, who was trying her best not to start laughing at the whole scene, "Darling, I am absolutely thrilled to have you by my side again. I cannot tell you how complete I feel with you here...mostly because we were so rudely interrupted!" He shouted towards the snarky twins. Elise ran her delicate fingers through his silvery locks, bringing him some ease before smiling at the brothers. Before she could say a word, however, two more eels suddenly plunged in the water behind her and she gave out a squeal.

"Luna! Cowrie!" 

As annoyed as Azul wanted to be, seeing his love reunited with her beloved Cerith sisters was nothing short of heartwarming. Elise wrapped her arms and delighted tentacles around both girls in a tight bushel of hugs. Cowrie nuzzled her cheek against Elise's with a happy giggle, "Welcome back, Ellie!!" 

The girls' excited chatter was going a mile a minute as the twins snuck up to Azul and started to poke fun at him.  Elise noticed her beau's frustration rising and whispered something to the sisters. As happy as she was to be properly reunited with everyone...now was not the time for everyone. The eelmaids had a knowing look in their eyes as they left her side and around to their mates who they immediately started snuggling up to. The brothers were too distracted to notice how the girls had blocked them from Azul.  

"Floyd, honey..." Luna sighed as she left a trail of tender kisses along Floyd's jawline.

"Jay Jay~" Cowrie purred affectionately as she nuzzled her face into Jade's broad chest.

Any teasing mischief the brothers had in mind for Azul was instantly abandoned as they were reeled in by their flirtatious siren mates. The sisters had different charms: Luna was naturally sultry, warm, and alluring whereas Cowrie was sweet, playful and a bit teasing like a kitten. And each sister had the Leech brothers' zeroed in and ready to eat up every morsel of affection they had to offer without question. 

"Indigo has arranged a meeting at the resort you boys are staying at in town," Luna called out to everyone though her loving gaze never left Floyd as she teased his ear fins, "But we have some time until then. Why not make the most of it...I'd hate to waste another precious moment. Right, honey?" she cooed, batting her long lashes at her lovesick beau. 

"Jaaade..." Cowrie cutely whined up at him with a flushed pout, using his full name against him, "We barely had any time together at all! It's not fair for you to keep me waiting like that..." 

Hook, line, and sinker: the Leech Brothers were helpless and leaving the scene with their girls before they even knew what hit them. Azul was baffled and impressed as Elise drew his attention back to her, now that they were alone again, "You can always count on Luna and Cowrie to get the job done." 

Azul leaned back into the intimate privacy and tucked his face into the soft crook of Elise's neck with a sigh, "I love you too..." This made a bell-like laugh leave her throat. 

The high of their reunion began to sink back into reality when Elise looked over her shoulder toward where they had left Junonia. Azul knew what she was thinking. He could feel the quiet thrum of her heartbeat tell him everything he needed to know. Now that he knew for certain what came next, Azul just felt even more desperate to see things through to the end. But he had to be honest.

"I don't like this, Elise," his eyes were uneasy as he faced her properly, "I know we already discussed this ahead of time but-" 

She placed a gentle hand on his as he brought it to her cheek, "I know, Azul. But now it's no longer an option. I have to. I owe it to her. Please trust me?"

He ran his free hand through his wavy hair with a frustrated groan, "You know I do. Just be careful, please. I can only go so far with you and I hate that." 

She pressed her forehead to his with a sigh, holding him close as his presence anchored her, "It will be alright. I promise." 

-

The city outside of Sacred Crown Hall took up the majority of the island. It was a very lovely and curated town set on keeping its old-fashioned aesthetic, but that didn't stop the spread of hotels and the occasional resort popping up over time. The rest of the Night Raven and Royal Sword students that had come for the festival were staying in hotels closer to the campus. The Leech brothers, however, would be staying at a far more exclusive resort tucked away on the beach along with their parents. Normally this resort was very popular and booked out season after season. For this particular 'family event', however, the entire establishment had been booked by the Leeches and the Muraeni-Cerith families, each having their own wing to themselves. Better to keep any potential prying eyes away lest things get even more complicated. Azul and Elise were invited too by the Leechs since they were family by proxy. Judging from the overcompensating resort staff, it was clear that anyone in the know about their guests' true identities was handsomely paid to keep their mouths shut. 

An elegant hostess greeted the group of teenagers and directed them to the suite on the seventh floor. Jade, having been far more groomed than his brother for these situations, politely thanked the hostess and covertly slipped her a handsome tip. Just to keep things nice and neat, of course.

"Anyone else feel...weird about this?" Cowrie asked the rest of the elevator as she scooted closer to be in between Jade and her sister. Normally, she was pretty even-keeled but this whole situation had the younger Cerith on pins and needles.

Floyd scratched the back of his neck as he watched the floor numbers tick by, "Eh. Dad's been pretty tight-lipped but that's par for the course. He knows what he's doing."

"It's not Papa Leech I'm worried about..." Cowrie muttered. Luna wrapped her free arm around her younger sister and held her close. 

"Don't worry, Cowrie. Mother's been waiting to see you again. Everything will be just fine," Luna's smile was genuine so Cowrie didn't have any reason to doubt her. Across from the eel couples, Azul and Elise said nothing but held each other's hand firmly. The elevator stopped with a ding and the golden doors opened onto a large corridor lined with arched windows. At the end of the hall, standing outside the large double doors were Don Leech and Don Indigo Cerith. 

Even in human form, Don Leech looked intimidating in his deep charcoal double-breasted suit and the black leather gloves he wore on his hands. The fact that he didn't bother hiding his scars only added to the overall message: he was not a man to be messed with. In spite of all that, his normally grizzly expression softened when he saw his daughters-in-law. He would never admit it but he did have a soft spot for his girls. 

"Hello Father Leech," Luna greeted her father-in-law with a gentle smile and hug which he accepted without any hesitation. He grunted when his other daughter barrelled forward and hugged him with way more enthusiasm and far less grace.

"Papa Leeeeech~" Cowrie chimed, trying to hide her nerves. The Don felt her slight tremble but only wrapped a strong arm around her. 

"Hello, girls," the brief warmth in his deep voice evaporated as he laid eyes on his two sons, "Jade. Floyd. Eyes forward....and  Floyd, straighten yourself up, boy! You're seriously going to meet your mother-in-law looking like some bum?!" 

Floyd pouted and started to argue before Azul intervened, "Allow me, Don Leech sir." 

One flick of his magic pen and suddenly Floyd's uniform buttoned itself properly and an NRC tie nearly choked him as it tied itself in place. The eel snarled at the smug look on the octopus' face, knowing deep down this was revenge for earlier. Don Leech made some grunt of approval before turning things over to Indigo. 

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," he said seeing the look on his sisters' faces, "I wish I could answer them for you but...I'm not at liberty to right now. Even so, I was able to negotiate this time for Mother to meet with you." He was speaking directly to his sisters but his tone was guarded, careful as he turned to open the doors. Azul silently nudged Jade before tilting his head towards the two adjoining doors outside the main room he was about to enter. Judging from Indigo's cautious air, it was evident that they weren't alone. Jade merely nodded as he kept his eyes forward as Luna and Cowrie entered the room. Jade and Floyd stayed in the doorway with their father to give the girls space while Azul and Elise stayed in the hallway. 

Luna took the lead, entering the elegant room with her focus on the woman facing the windows. Cowrie stayed close to her older sister, wary of any possible danger that may be waiting around every corner of that room, but she felt her whole body freeze when the woman's motherly eyes turned to her and Luna. It had been years since Cowrie had seen her but her human form, a woman in a sleek blue gown, shawl, and snow-white pearls, couldn't hide those kind eyes. Cowrie would never forget those eyes.

 Luna had seen her mother very briefly during her study with Madam Lorelei but it was merely a few minutes if that and they weren't actually able to get close to one another. It was more or less, a confirmation that her stepfather wasn't lying. A lump formed in her throat as she readily approached Junonia, arms open, "Mother!" 

Junonia held Luna to her like it was her dying wish, "My dear, my sweet Luna!" she sobbed, "Oh how I've missed you girls! But look at you!" Junonia wept as she held Luna's face, "You've grown into such a fine woman!" 

Cowrie stared wide-eyed, still as fawn as she watched her mother actually exist right in front of her. She completely forgot about everyone else in the room outside of her, her sister, and her mother. Junonia looked at her youngest with a heart so full it ached, "Cowrie, my jewel..." She slowly walked towards her, afraid that perhaps she had been forgotten, "I'm so sorry for being away for so long, my darling." 

At first, Cowrie seemed to tense as if getting ready to flee. Her mother smiled sadly, waves of guilt sinking into her, "I...I wouldn't blame you if you felt angry with me, Cowrie. I never wanted to leave you, Luna, and Indigo behind-"

She couldn't finish. She nearly collapsed on her knees with relief as Cowrie threw her arms around her mother without any word except a very soft, "M-Mama." 

From the doorway, Indigo sighed quietly with a faint grin. After a long moment of Junonia hugging her two daughters for the first time in years, Junonia finally noticed the other visitors with a hint of embarrassment. Luna quickly dried her eyes and introduced the twins, "Mother, this is Jade and Floyd Leech. They rescued and took care of Cowrie and me. And Floyd," Luna gave him a look that dripped with so much love it made him blush, "Floyd is my mate." 

Floyd shuffled across the room and greeted Junonia with boyish enthusiasm, "Hello Mama Cerith!"

Cowrie perked up as Jade followed his brother with his usual poised gait, "And Jay-er-Jade is mine! Or he...will be in the future." 

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Mrs. Cerith," Jade gave her a half bow along with a pleased grin. 

Junonia suddenly made the connection of the necklaces her daughters wore and smiled at the two boys, "It's wonderful to meet you both. I'm happy to see that the Leechs are far more amiable than we were led to believe," she looked past the boys and gave Roscoe Leech a grateful smile, knowing that he could have just as easily turned her daughters away, or worse.

From outside the room, Azul and Elise heard something stir from the connected room but the door leading right into the reunion swung open faster than they could blink.

"Well, well...it would seem your brother hasn't been completely honest with us, doesn't it boys?"

The cold voice made the sisters hiss as their pupils shrunk into near-feral slits. Junonia protectively shielded her daughters from the sudden trespasser. His unscuffed heels slowly clicked on the polished floor as he carefully entered, flanked by Proteus and his remaining sons: Don Muraeni stared at his wife and daughters with a calculating eye. Jade and Floyd stood to block Junonia and the girls from him but the Don barely noticed.

He drawled as he locked eyes with Indigo across the room, "Not that it matters much in the long run. Cowrie..." he turned his steeled gaze to the young eelmaid, "Nothing to say to your father? Especially after worrying me for so long?" 

Cowrie spat on his too-perfect shoes and snarled, "You used to starve me so I'd sneak into smaller spaces easier! You'd lock me away from Luna and let my brothers harass me if I didn't get you what you wanted! You let Proteus sick his sharks on me! Why should I give two shits about 'worrying' you?!"

Jade felt his blood boil hearing these terrible things but he kept his eyes forward just as his father ordered him to. Floyd had no problem bearing his teeth at the old Don, ready to pounce now that the enemy had a face. Muraeni spared the twins a glance, looking them over as one does a thoroughbred, "Your sons, Roscoe?" 

Don Leech didn't move from his spot by the door, "Jade, my heir, and Floyd. I wouldn't get too close. You saw what they did to those sharks of yours." 

His rival smirked at the memory, "Ah yes. I do appreciate the killer instinct. I'm sure they'll produce an even finer brood to connect our two houses. I must admit that I never expected this whole affair to become such a blessing. Although if there's anything I have learned...Proteus, our security could use some work."

"Indeed, sir. I'll see to it that our dear Don Cerith has the very best on staff," Proteus sneered at Indigo from where he stood, "Can't be too careful these days..."

"Good," Muraeni said curtly, "Now then. As touching as this reunion is, that's all the time we have."

Indigo snarled and marched over to his father, "This isn't what we agreed upon-"

"Is it not, my boy?" Muraeni's icy eyes pierced straight into Indigo, "I promised a meeting between my wife and our daughters and it happened. We have greater things to discuss here and I do not like keeping my precious assets on display like some charity auction. Proteus."

The ray removed a glass bottle from inside his jacket and unsealed it. As soon as the seal was broken Junonia doubled over and shrieked as she was shrunken back into a shriveled polyp and sucked into her glass prison. Proteus resealed the bottle with a satisfied grin as Luna cried out, "Haven't you ruined her life enough?!"

Her step-father tutted as he cruelly cooed to her, "Luna, my dear...I gave you and your mother purpose. Just as I gave Cowrie, Indigo, and all of my children purpose. As a unique siren, like your mother, do you understand just how precious, how rare you are?" Muraeni leaned in to look Luna directly in the eyes, ignoring the two boys trying to shield her, "I could have left her and you with that lowly Cerith fellow. You knew him as a father, a loving husband perhaps, but the reality was this: he was a desperate bottom feeder that took more than he could return. He was ruined. Nothing could have changed that. Had I not taken you into my home, you would've wasted away. But look at you now, dear girl, you are free. All thanks to your dear brother..."

The Don pulled away and clapped a firm hand on Indigo's shoulder as he began to circle him, "Junonia is my wife, my mate. She belongs to me, as is the law of the land in the Coral Sea no matter where you go... but you and your sister, well, your freedom was bought fair and square in the end," Indigo's face fell as his father chuckled, "But of course, he never told you, did he? So many secrets. I taught him well..."

The young leader shrugged his father's hand away from him, "You're just profiting off of blackmail!" 

Muraeni didn't even bat an eye at the accusation, "Profit is profit. The method is trivial. This is the foundation of business and survival, my boy. Don't worry, you'll learn very quickly. Wouldn't you agree, Roscoe?"

The surly Don Leech narrowed his eyes at his rival, "Agree to disagree, Muraeni..."

The sly eel turned back to his daughters, almost mocking Luna's pained expression and Cowrie's confusion, "Indigo made a deal. He will be my heir, taking his place as the head of the Muraeni household. In exchange, you girls will be free to live your lives as you see fit. And of course, Junonia will have more freedom as I see fit. I can't say that I was originally thrilled with his choice in a mate, however, I am impressed with the tenacity of the Leech family tree. I am confident that Indigo's sons, and their sons, and theirs after will ensure that my legacy will thrive. As the esteemed Don Leech witnessed himself, a deal was struck and honored of the boy's own free will..."

'Free' was a joke. Everyone in that room knew it. The former Don could spin it any which way to make it all legit and bind Indigo to his decision. Muraeni grinned, satisfied at the stunned silence surrounding him, "You girls will someday understand just how lucky you, your brother, and dear Junonia are. To have a purpose, to be protected, and valued for what you are, what you have become, instead of being traded or thrown away for something better..."

"Then let's make another deal."

The room's tense air was sliced through as everyone turned to Elise. She stood tall, sure, and laser-focused on the Don as she entered the room with Azul at her side.

"Make another deal with me. Release Junonia permanently and I'll use my magic for your clan's benefit only." 

Tagging: @nuitthegoddess @iscarlettappel @foxwitchaine @1ndigowitch @wysteriadelights @evieyouknow @ladyrosemoon @victoria1676 @aiimee9 @honey-milk-depresso @espada188 @feldya @marcepanna