#i take fun creepy game mysteries like this very seriously and care about them so much. you'll have to forgive me for writing so much about a

[meringuejellyfish]

this location within the spiral, the spirit realm itself, stands out to me as a very memorable area. design wise i just really enjoy it, very fond of the stylization and simplicity of it - and specifically one of my favorite elements from each world in this 2008 wizard game was the fun skyboxes, and i find the ones drawn for the spirit world to be particularity striking. this area ultimately just is very different from everything you’ve seen up to this point, even when compared to nightside and such. it serves as an arena for only two battles - if im not mistaken - and thats also a reason why i enjoy it so much and leads to so much of the memorability to me.

the other delightful thing about this area, and what most people remember it for, is the strange sight found if you stand and peek over the edge, you might be greeted by what seems to be a ghostly blue face of some sort, staring back

this is just. here. it disappears and reappears maybe every 20-40 seconds or so, and to add onto it, all music would stop playing when standing at the edge, and you are only left with ambience and this oddly misplaced asset - however, while this asset has remained here for 14~ years, the effect of only ambience seems to have been patched out? and for a moment i almost believed the “face” was missing aswell, until of course it reappeared to greet me

something interesting that i noticed recently - what ive never seen anybody bring up about this odd weird little freak, this alleged “creepy face in mooshu” is the fact that its actually the asset utilized in the wraith spell

theres not really much else to say about this connection, i just find it interesting. and when it comes to the actual asset itself you could still ask ... what is it? id say its a skull, but it really does just look like a face. who knows. maybe it truly was misplaced in this void, or some cheeky developer thought it would be funny to place down there. its one of those “creepy mystery/phenomenon in an old video game” things that i just really love, and i hold the few bits of “creepy” wiz trivia very dear to me xP

[youryanderedaddy]

I had a dream just now that might make a good story. So, I had a virus on my laptop which allowed a hacker to see everything I did on my computer and use my webcam. The hacker ends up falling in love with me after stalking me for a few months and pays for someone on the dark web to kidnap me. It works, and then I wake up tied up in the hacker's arm as he caresses and kisses me. That's pretty much it, good night! 🌙

Yo this is my kink 😳

Also I couldn't not write this for Saeran, ok.

Title: Stranger danger

Tw: nsfw - ish, female reader, masturbation, cyber stalking, hacking, mentions of dark web, very irresponsible online behavior, obsessive behavior, implied kidnapping

You knew that this was a stupid idea. Lurking on the dark web with almost no protection other than the Tor browser and some free anti-virus program wasn't your best decision, but fuck it if it wasn't entertaining. You had always been drawn to the darker, scarier part of the human mind and this side of the internet proved quite interesting. Your friends always warned you about the dangers that came with looking up shady online searches and sites but everything had been quite peaceful so far. There weren't hackers or murderers on the dark web, the worst you had seen were people selling drugs and weapons for unreasonable prices, along with some questionable fetish porn and the typical popping ads.

Your favorite thing to do while online was chatting. Two weeks ago you had stumbled upon an unusual forum called "Scream buddies" where upon entering you were automatically connected to another random profile. The whole theme of the forum was discussing horror and mondo movies, shockumentaries and overall creepy stuff, your forte. The person you met on there shared a similar fascination with all things dark and gory which soon made talking to them the only thing you were looking forward upon opening the site.

You didn't know much about the guy behind the profile yet, except that he was a young man. His icon showed an eye so green it emited with the neon pigment and his username was just as mysterious - BlueRose7. You enjoyed chatting with him about your hobby but the thing you liked the most was undressing him little by little, metaphorically so, by getting pieces of information about his life. It started small - his favorite food, favorite book, favorite game, but the moment you tried digging deeper and asked whether he had siblings or not, the man simply disappeared for the next few days. You quickly realized just what type of topics you needed to avoid to keep your new friend from leaving. Family, childhood memories and work matters were out of the picture.

The stranger wasn't fair, not really. He didn't show you vulnerability and kept his secrecy while demanding to know everything there was to know about you. For the longest time you didn't want to answer just to stay on a equal footing, just to show him how frustrating it was, but there was something about the man that drew you in. He was magnetic, clever and witty, if a bit pessimistic and dark at times. You couldn't help telling him everything he wanted to hear - what your job was, whether you were single or not, all that jazz. In your defense, BlueRose7 actually listened to your stories, took your problems seriously and provided solutions, which despite being too extreme and overprotective at times (upon hearing that your bestfriend talked behind your back he offered to "take care" of her), were comforting. It was nice to have someone caring around even if you met him on a sketchy website.

Meanwhile your personal life wasn't going too great. You had to balance between attending college, working long shifts as a waitress and meeting your friends from time to time which was draining. On top of all there was a weird virus on your computer which resulted in the camera turning on and off and the most random times of the day - while you were studying, watching TV, or in some cases, fully naked and ready to take a bath. You didn't think much of it though, with all the illegal movies and games you downloaded along with the dark web lurking it was more than expected for your laptop to behave weirdly. You didn't even mention it to your friend from the IT major because you knew that he'd force you to delete Tor and put an end to your internet adventures.

One time you were particularly bored after several long lectures and you were laying in bed, the camera turned on once again. It was a hot afternoon and you were wearing boyshorts and a loose T- shirt with nothing underneath it, you were home alone so there was no need. The bright red spot was twinking like a recorder, the light reflecting in your eyes, when a silly little idea came to your mind. You slid your hand under your blouse and lifted the fabric up, exposing your breasts to the laptop, your nipples hardening due to the sudden coldness, becoming pink and stiff in seconds. You played with for a few minutes, pinching and pulling the buds gently, moaning softly into the pleasant sensation. Soon you could feel yourself getting wet, and slowly, teasingly, removed your shorts and panties. You smiled at the camera, biting your lip provocatively, imagining you were a camgirl performing for her desperate little fanboys and fangirls. The thought alone was enough to make you spread your legs wide and slip two fingers into your throbbing cunt, using the wetness to push deeper. You used your other hand to stroke your clit and whimpered wantonly, your face red, your neck sweaty and your heart pumping fast from the adrenaline. You were quickly reaching your orgasm and your mind wondered to the boy you were talking to in the forum. You wondered how he looked like, how his body was built, whether he was a sweet sensual lover or a rough mean one. Fucked up as it was, you pictured the man as one of your most loyal viewers, watching all of your streams with a fist around his thick vock and an excited grin on his face. He would comment things like "you look so beautiful like this" or perhaps even "pretty little slut" after tipping you enough to last you a week. Soon all the mental stimulation sent you over the edge and you came with a loud cry full of pleasure. Well, this felt good.

After your "performance" was over the camera was magically turned off, which may have caused some concerns if you weren't too busy feeling embarrassed and dirty about the unhinged fantasy you had just had, and with a person you knew nothing about. You managed to calm down though - it wasn't nothing more than a fun pastime, a naughty thought that would never become the reality. You would never actually meet BlueRose7, right? There was nothing to worry about, so you just went on with your day.

You had some dinner afterwards and decided to have an early night as you already felt full and tired. You put on your favoruite pajamas and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling until you fell into deep dreamless sleep.

You woke up due to a weird noise. You could hear someone's heavy breathing right next to your ear, someone's grabby hands were wrapped tightly against your body, trapping you between the wall and their hard chest. You had only a few seconds to scream before the intruder's palm covered your mouth.

"Shhh." The man whispered softly and stroked your hair like you were a doll he was playing with. "Don't scream or I'll be forced to hurt you, flower. I have a gun." His voice sounded deep and rough but this didn't stop you from thrashing and turning on your side until you came face to face with the man. It was dark in the room and you couldn't exactly see all his features but his enchanting green eyes would forever be burned into your memory - they seemed dashing, hypnotizing. You couldn't utter a word.

"It's me, the person you've been talking to all these months. I came to take you home" He spoke out suddenly, the line of his mouth twisting into a smile or a smirk, you couldn't quite tell. You shook your head no, tears threatening to spill all over your cheeks from the fear. It couldn't be him, the man would never do that to you. Or would he? With what little information you knew, you couldn't really tell. His hold finally loosen, seeing you quiet like that.

"Let me go, please." You begged, pushing at his shoulders weakly since you were still sleepy, groggy and tired. "I don't know you." You said, hoping this would remind the stranger you weren't friends, lovers or anything that gave him the right to be so close to you, to touch you so intimately. Unfortunately, this only seemed to amuse him and he chucked darkly as he pulled your hair away to place a small chaste kiss on your neck.

"But I know you, flower." Your supposed online friend replied shortly after, his eyes full of malice. "And your little show today makes me think you want to know me too." He added in a low tone, licking his lips before smashing them on yours, forcing his tongue deep into your mouth just to hear your whines and protests. Then it hit you. The camera, the virus, the questions. He had watched you, he knew where you worked, where you lived and studied, everything. You had told him after all.

The hacker thought you looked so adorable right now, figuring things out, helpless, confused, regretful and most of all, weak. You were so weak and careless, and he loved you for it. It reminded him of himself before life screwed him over.

You wouldn't be in this position, underneath him, if you had just told someone about your laptop virus and the bad guy you had encountered online. But Saeran couldn't say he wasn't glad your self-preservation instincts were so very broken and dysfunctional. He wouldn't meet you otherwise. "I need you, princess. That's why I'll take you to Paradise." These were the final words you heard before you felt lightheaded and sleepy again, your last memory a pair of green mint eyes.

You really shouldn't have trusted strangers on the internet.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Stay Alive (2006)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

When Miller (Adam Goldberg) inherits a video game from his recently deceased friend, he thinks nothing of it… until he realizes that Loomis’ real-life death is eerily similar to the one his avatar suffered. Unfortunately for Miller, Hutch (Jon Foster), Abigail (Samaire Armstrong), October (Sophia Bush), Phineas (Jimmi Simpson) and Swink (Frankie Muniz), they discover too late that if you die in Stay Alive, it’s not just the game that’s over, it’s your life.

Oh yes, Stay Alive is as dopey as it sounds. The only truly good thing about it is that when you see the footage of the game it actually looks like a real horror video game would. Every other aspect of this film is generic or irritating.

The first bug in this game is the characters, none of which you’ll care about or find likeable. It’s bad enough they’ve been written by someone who’s never interacted with a gamer. You sit and wait for the soon-to-be victims to be killed. When it comes to Phin, right now will not be soon enough. Unfortunately, even the deaths fail to satisfy. Many times they don’t make sense or seem to contradict the previously-established rules.

There’s a lot of horror movie noise here. Once Stay Alive gets booted up, we're constantly reminded that we should be scared. Shadows in the background, creepy noises, and ominous shots are pelted at the screen over and over until you just want to scream “Enough Already! I get it! This is a horror movie!” There’s no breathing room, meaning that even if there was tension, there’s no way the film could sustain it.

Video games are too new, and not in a way that they’re cryptic, weird and/or mysterious. Slipping a CD into your Playstation 2 and then grabbing a controller doesn’t inspire terror in any way - no matter what all the creepy pastas might say. Maybe if it centered around some weird text-based game someone dug up in their attic or something you just kind of stumbled upon. The Ring made a videocassette scary so anything’s possible. This? You wonder if the people involved even tried. The most fun you'll have is with the DVD menu. If you figure out which possible character goes with which shirt and which weapon, the correct combination gives you a secret word. Input them into the official website to create your very own morbid email signature. At least in theory you can. The website is no longer up.

Can you blame me for going into this one with no faith whatsoever? The premise of Stay Alive is dumb and it doesn’t even attempt to redeem itself with cool visuals, genuine scares, likeable characters, sparkling dialogue, tension or anything that makes a horror film noteworthy. I struggled to derive any enjoyment from it. Even when not taking the picture seriously and poking fun at the ludicrous plot out loud, this was a grind. Nothing awaits those who decide to check out Stay Alive. (On DVD, February 21, 2018)

[is-nini]

Genshin impact x reader

Episode: 1

Title: Being sucked in

A/n: I'm not sure how long this.. story will take but i will try my best to keep it entertaining.. this story is about you, being sucked into genshin world, this is part 1.. please enjoy. Leave a comment or suggestion.. possible love interest for now will be : Diluc, Kaeya, Albedo, Zhongli, Childe, Xiao, Beidou, Ningguang.

Today is another normal day, nothing is really out of the ordinary, the sky is a little bit cloudy but you don't mind, you think that the wind blowing against your hair is very nice as you walk towards your school. You walked inside, stopping Infront of the locker to the entrance to fix your stuff and take your schedule until you felt a presence beside you.

"oh, hello sidia".

You greets one of your sleepy friend, she just let's out a 'hmm' and a nod while looking through her locker, not even giving you an eye contact. sidia has always been like this, she never really made an eye contact towards you but she still shows that she has some of her attention towards you.

"good morning".

Your other friend, Chelz Lee, let's out a mutter to the both of you, Chelz is more talkative then Sidia, you met them maybe a couple of years ago. they're a very talented artist and are a very interesting friends to be around with.

"what's up guys".

You too greet them without looking at their eye, you take your books out and proceed to take a peak at Sidia's schedule.

"oh? Mathematics on the first hour? Goodluck".

You snicker and slap her shoulder a little bit, she stares at you uninterestedly with her sleepy eye and started to walk away, letting you stare at her black low ponytail hair.

You giggle and take a peak at Chelz's schedule. Art. her first lesson for today seems fun you thought sighing at the sight of your first schedule that reads 'science'.

Chelz already went half way to catching up to Sidia before she looks back at you as if asking you to join them and you did. You jog towards her, taking her hand and started to jog towards Sidia either.

"how are you both?".

You ask them both while fixing the books on your hand and looking at your shoes to check the lace.

"depressed".

Sidia answered, you make a 'uhuh' sound feeling used to her answers. Chelz stroke her short wavy black bangs out of her eyes and use her black glasses and start to read her novel. Her black short hair blows a little because of the wind.

"fine".

She answered you, yawning and stretching her arms out beside her. You and the rest of your friend said goodbye to eachother and proceed to go to your different ways.

You went inside your class. As usual people are in teams, some are in teams for fun, some are in teams for checking today's lesson.

You take a one seat beside the window and wait for the teacher to come inside the classroom.

The lesson went on as usual, smoothly even, you did your homework andd the score that you got on yesterday's test is not bad, B is not a bad grade. You take out your binder and put the paper's that you got in to the binder.

Going home is the best thing about the day. You and Chelz are chatting away about until you guys cane across a gaming store.

"ou? A gaming store".

Sidia said, catching yours and Chelz attention. Chelz look at that place very seriously, squinting her eye.

"...since when is there a gaming store here- y/n!".

She was very suspicious of this place, she doesn't remember any gaming store around here... And if there is one opening soon it should be the talk of the school. in short Chelz was suspicious but you, being a gaming enthusiast decided to check it out, thinking maybe they have a good and cheap open world game.

"... She's crazy".

Sidia chuckled. She took Chelz arm, snapping her out of her suspicious state and drag her towards the gaming store.

"yo- sidia i don't wanna die".

"well i do. So let's go".

And with that the both of them followed you in.

The store looks very cool.. it's like you're in a different world. The ceiling's wallpaper is made out of galaxy like drawing and the light bulb was covered with another ball that is drawn to match with the different planets on the solar system.

"welcome to the store how may i help you".

A girl that looks like in her mid 20 greets the both of you, she have short black hair and a green uniform and a little pin on the breast part of her uniform spell out 'katheryne'. Which you assume was her name.

"hello! I was wondering do you have any open world game?".

You instantly ask her, not caring about the suspicious store, you don't even care about the insides of the place. You just wanted to play a open world game that's full of interesting stuff. The girl name katheryne hums in understanding and goes behind the table to look for a game you requested. Chelz grabs your hand and shout whisper to you.

"this place is creepy y/n. Let's get out of here".

Chelz scold you, you sigh and looks at her calmly shaking your head no.

"it's fine, were fine, what's the worst thing that could happen?".

You whisper back with a lighter tone. Really you don't care if this place comes out of nowhere you just want your game, you're smiling stupidly while waiting for the girl.

"anywayyy if anything happened, Sidia is here, she'll be able to protect us using her fighting style knowledge thingy".

Sidia scoffed and fold her arms, looking at you as if you're crazy.

"i will leave you alone and save myself".

You laugh and was about to slap her back when she holds your hand and rolls her eyes at you.

"such a tsun tsun".

You laugh out, she slowly and gently let your hand away. From the corner of your eye you can see katheryne walking towards the counter. You immediately jump and went towards her.

"this is the only open world game that i found".

She said, you look at the weird japanese like word, assuming it was the title you try to read what is said.. you don't understand it but the design was cool though.

"this is a open world game called genshin impact. I will not spoil the story but i think this game might be the game you're looking for".

Her confidence is seeping in on your game needy state so you decided to purchase it, not thinking twice. Sidia face palm while Chelz just sigh, feeling tired of your hot headed act.

"it will be 2$".

You felt giddy, you can't help it. It's cheap and is a open world game, that is a steal. After taking your stuff, the both of your friend immediately pull you away from the store.

"okay y/n. You got what you need, that place is sus i tell ya".

Sidia said, Chelz nods her head and fix her black glasses, she stare at you while furrowing her eyebrows.

"you gotta stop doing reckless thing. Who knows what that place is".

You sigh and nod, rolling your eye. You giggle anyway and put the game in front of you.

"i know.. but were safe! I wanna try and play it when i get home".

Sidia and Chelz just sigh, what can they do anyway. On the way home you and your friends goes on your own separate way as usual, you jog towards your home, feeling giddy to play the new game.

You take a bath, and goes straight to your computer, opening the plastic wrapper on the game. You insert the disc and started to wait for the loading screen.

And oh gosh.. isn't it pretty, the cutscene the art. Everything. So the game basically tells you about the story of two traveller, who was travelling from world to world until suddenly a mysterious god appears, took one of the twins and take away the other twins power, and now you're playing as the twin who was looking for their missing sister.

You look at the wishing button, tempted to wish for a character, you decided to pull. Expecting a cool banner of the current character instead, you're greets by a white screen.

"hm.. should i restart it?".

You mumble to yourself, nodding in agreement at your words, you close the disc and pulls out the game from your computer. You take a nearby wipe and wipe the back disc gently and then put it back in on the computer.

The game is launching when suddenly you felt a huge and sudden headache comes over you.

"ugh-!".

You groan, gosh.. maybe it's because you have been staring at the screen for too long.. you thinks as a bumping headache keeps going at you.

While waiting for the game you decided to lay back a bit, rest your eyes and head.. this headache is not going away anytime soon if you keep waiting and staring at the screen.

Before you reach the bed, your body stumble forward and fall on to the floor, cannot control any part of your body you close your eyes and your mind went blank.

A darkness is all that you see.. a darkness is all that you're in.. you remember that the last time you are in your bedroom, playing genshin until a huge headache wave over you. Now that you're sense's is back something felt wrong.. you can tell you are laying on something.. it's not comfy but it's still felt quite nice.

You opened your eye slowly and look around the place, groaning as you stare at the half blue and half white wall. You look at your bed and this bed looks like one of the hospital bed..... Wait hospital bed?! You instantly look around frantically where the heck are you?!

"oh you're awake!".

A gentle calm voice echoed throughout the room. That voice sounds familiar.. you turn around and saw a girl with a nurse hat and a white dress, her cream coloured hair is put in a ponytail... Barbara?!.

You stare at her unbelievably. Act cool.. act like.. like a human.. yeah!. You think to yourself. You know this girl.. this girl is the free 4 star character that you'll get once you reach a certain level. Okay y/n.. play it cool.. just act like you don't know this place.

"why.. am i here?".

You look at the girl, she seems nervous to be around you ... Which is normal maybe. She walked beside you and take a cup of empty glass beside you and pour a pitcher full of water inside the glass half full and then take them, offering the glass to you.

"you're in Mondstat.. the land of freedom.."

A/n; GOD I'm so sorry it took a long time, i hope the 'cliffhanger' makes sense...? But! Thankyou for reading! I am working on part 2 so more will be incoming!!!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

I played mcsm when I was a very small child when it was still being released and when they released episode four and i finished it, it felt,, complete?? And then they said "hey, we're actually adding three more episodes" and as someone who had bought the season pass to this game so I wouldn't have to buy anything later I was. Pissed. Like it definitely felt like they ran out of content and realized they couldn't go on for five episodes so they decided to just make another four episode arc because of the fact that they already sold season passes. I never bought the other three episodes or played the next one <3 I was simply too bitter, even as a grade/middle schooler (I have zero concept of time, when did this game come out??)

Yes okay, so.... that's another thing about mcsm. You're right, the first storyline finishes in four episodes, but then the other four have an overarching story but with a different focus per episode. That would be fine except it's not done well. The episodes are short, the plot is uncreative and predictable, the characters are one-note, and it's childish humor is awkward and poorly delivered.

I think the only joke that I kinda liked? that I remember? is how Axel kept falling on Lukas... and that's not really a joke, just a running gag in one episode.

Like.... it's so bleh. ha ha, get it? the bomb they found is called an f-bomb.... do you get it? because Fuck. They can't say fuck. So... so it's f-bomb. Do you get it?

I get it, it's targeted at a younger audience. That's fine, I don't have a problem with that. One of my favorite games of all time is King's Quest and that has the same E rating at mcsm. Like you said, you played it when you were a very small child. When I streamed it, a lot of chat said they played it when they were younger, too.

I think what gets me is that it feels so hand-holdy, y'know? Like it's afraid to scare off it's younger audience so they play everything way too safe. And when they do kill characters off or something bad happens, it doesn't feel impactful because you're not invested, you're bored and wishing you could just play the original minecraft.

And the one death that DID make me feel something? They completely OBLITERATED the execution of it because "lol this happens in the real minecraft"........ and yes, I'm talking about Rueden turning into a hunk of meat after dying. YOU RUINED THE ONE GOOD THING. YOU HAD IT. YOU HAD ME. I FELT SOMETHING AND THEN POOF. YOU EXPECT ME TO TAKE ANYTHING YOU DO SERIOUSLY AFTER THAT?

UGH.

Anyway.... I agree, it felt like they couldn't think of a five episode story arc, but then they also wanted to do eight episodes for some fucking reason, so we get a bunch bullshit.

And here's the thing... I think a game set in a minecraft world could work. It's aesthetic isn't personally my thing but if I'm invested in the story and characters then I can overlook that.

Some of ideas presented are good. I mentioned this before, but the murder mystery episode where a bunch of youtubers I don't care about make cameos is probably the best episode in the season. The idea is fun, whodunit's are great.

The episode with PAMA started out interesting with a village of creepy people with something stuck to the back of their heads wandering around under some mine control.... but then it just turns into baby's first sci-fi where computer bad.

The gladiator's games episode should've been the most compelling of them all because it's a fucking tournament where people are stuck and forced to compete for freedom but noooooo, it's boring and I just want to be done and go home.

Ugh.... you didn't miss out on too much by not playing the other episodes, anon. Oh, and to answer your question, mcsm came out in 2015....wow.

[laughingpinecone]

ToT letter 2021

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

Hello dear author! I hope you’ll have fun with our match. Feel free to draw from general or fandom-specific likes, past letters, and/or follow your heart.

Art likes: characters doing something, even something very simple, illustrating a moment rather than abstractly posing. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s). Or dressing them up for some outlandish AU!

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships), emphasis on inhuman traits of characters who were human once and have sort of shed it all behind

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay!), canon retellings

All requests are for both fic and art!

Death Crown: Death, trick

(I haven't played the DLC yet so, alas, no demons, or no spoilers for the demons, at least) I am absolutely charmed by the overall mood of this game and would like to see something more in that vein! Anything! Got more sacred (or unholy?) geometrical architecture for Death to interact with, maybe in greater detail than just wrecking it? What else feels like a contemporary take on a Bosch painting? Can Death get lost?

Ghost Trick: Jowd, Cabanela, trick, treat

Anything focused on Cabanela being an unstoppable force (confident, untiring, sparkling, stubborn, dexterous, loyal to the bitter end, legs) and/or Jowd being an immovable object (sarcastic, strong, depressed, self-deprecating but knowing he's hot stuff, also stubborn, clever but an emotional dumbass, round). Figuring out stuff? Something in the new timeline is linked to the old timeline? Coat? Dancing? Scarves? Halloween costumes?

I like Cabanela/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma in scenarios where Jowd isn't around and Alma/Jowd in general (REALLY like all these, okay. like this is the one request where I'd love the most self-indulgent shippy takes as well), and dig Lynne/Memry. Yomiel/fianSissel and Emma/JM also cool!

Hylics: any, trick, treat

(I have only played the first game so far so please no overt spoilers for Hylics 2. Feel free to include stuff from it but... stealthily, I guess?) This is an "anything that feels somewhat like canon, please" sort of request! Love the mood, love the cast, love the little added details in their menu screen. Those can be prompts? Or the oddball stats? How do ToT's trick and treat freeforms apply to Hylics' overall... hylicsness, what would those guys think constitutes a "creepy" moment or a "fluffy" one?

Not into ships for this one, however I WILL say that Dedusmuln has all the proverbial curves in the right places. mostly their face.

Kentucky Route Zero: Weaver

Math, debt, the liminal state of almost being a ghost, seeing the world with a strange clarity... just anything Weaver, please! How'd she make her way to the town? What was it like for her to be working on Xanadu for a time? What about the community broadcast! Does she have an opinion on Carrington's oeuvre? You know... things... stuff. Weaver things. and stuff.

I love the whole cast and Weaver... wove... her story through most of them so feel free to bring in whomever. Not interested in ships here though.

Paradise Killer: Lady Love Dies, trick

A post-canon glimpse of life on '''''perfect''''' 25? That's not QUITE enough class consciousness to make the whole thing work, you guys. What does 'normal' life feel like to LD now? After following Henry's case and talking to Shinji so much, can she see that it's doomed to fail again, and then what? What IS Island 25 like, anyway? (what comes after Island 25, even?)

I liked the choice of canon romances - if it has to be just one I'd prefer it to be Crimson, but I'd also be interested in seeing what a V or triad with Doom Jazz would look like. They're all so chill about stuff

Pyre: Volfred, trick, treat

Pragmatic idealist, charismatic and bad at people, pacifist, activist, physiologically incapable of shutting up for a hot second, what's there not to love... I am very into either of the following: C. Volfred Sandalwood has a fantastic day; C. Volfred Sandalwood has a terrible no good day. Everything is great! Pre-exile antiestablishmentarian antics, maybe with Bertrude? Political gambits? The very physical dangers of the Downside which may or may not catch a scholar by surprise (who saves him?)? Tree problems? Meeting Oralech for the first time and Volfred thinks he himself is hot stuff but out of the two, Oralech is clearly the VIP? Feeling like he should live up to Lu Sclorian's legacy but he feels much closer to other Scribes (and what does Lu have to say about it, one way or another?)? The thrilling intimacy of Reading? The thrilling intimacy of lowercase reading also, maybe reading old manuscripts found in the Downside?

I very much ship him with Tariq and/or Oralech. The only canon ship I like is Hedwyn/Fikani. I also like Soliam/Gol, Bertrude/Pamitha and Celeste/Jodariel. Love all the Nightwings + Dalbert (+Deluge...?); love to dunk on Manley, Brighton and Lendel (I don't enjoy flat-out bashing, more like... I enjoy the way they are portrayed as horrible gremlins in canon and if they turn up in fic I'm not interested in more positive portrayals)

Signs of the Sojourner: Rhea, Elias, trick, treat

Once again pretty much an "anything in the style of canon" request. I love this setting, its themes and all the little lives that fill it. I am interested in a wide range of postcanon scenarios and love the whole cast - does Rhea come back to $town any number of years down the line and find $character? How'd their storyline end up in the medium-long term? What the hell is up with the Stranger (seriously, three runs and I never managed to speak with them, I have no idea)? What's life like for Elias back home, or in a new home if they can't keep the store, or if Rhea landed the Oscar ending or whatever (just, please, not dead Rhea. I love that ending but can't stand to consider what it'd do to Elias)? Or does he join the caravan just once? Who did Rhea grow to really like and can't wait to see every time? Any ghost stories or creepy encounters on the caravan's route? Does Thunder help?

I'm neutral on ships here - good with Rhea&Elias, good with background Rhea/Elias but I wouldn't like a romantic focus.

Totally Normal Wizard Apprentice: apprentice, wizard, master, trick, treat

(conflict of interest disclaimer, I illustrated this but didn't write nor nominate it) What awaits the apprentice outside the wizard's tower? It sounds like a pretty wild moon out there, I loved all the worldbuilding hints of the bigger setting. Does the wizard keep track of the apprentice, with her telescope or otherwise, and how does she take care of her ruined parlor? Was this all some sort of 5d chess on the master's part, and if so to what end? And what kind of otherworldly patience does this man possess, anyway, to handle the apprentice on a daily basis?

Twin Peaks: Margaret, Diane, Lucy, Tammy, trick, treat

(bass-boosted ethereal whooshing) For tricks, I would like to see any of these characters face the woods, the mystery of the woods, and/or a new symbol of your liking. Or: Margaret in the city, Diane and the moon, Lucy and the color blue, Tammy incognito.

For treats, a happy meeting. I love the whole cast and I'm always thrilled by gonzo "&" pairings, bring in whomever! Coffee and pie? The Bookhouse Boys? A kinder aspect of the woods?

Fandom-specific notes: love s3, love the books too. I like Lucy/Andy, Margaret/Sam fwiw, and rarepairs Tammy/Cynthia and Diane/Constance. Please no Fireman's-house-is-the-white-lodge, no Twin Perfect, no Judy-was-destroyed (nor is destroyable).

Arcade Spirits: Percy, Teo, treat

More than anything, I love the sense of group and camaraderie among the arcade's staff and regulars, and I'd love to see some more of it. I picked Percy and Teo 'cause they're my faves but anyone you may want to add, up to and including Sue, is very very welcome. Is there any aspect of gaming that feels like it could be adapted to this strange world of contemporary arcades? Cosplay shenanigans for everyone courtesy of Ashley? Any other activity that could show how Percy and/or Teo get along with the others, like they were all forming little groups during the beach chapter? It's such a feel-good canon, any feel-good situation would be great!

My Ari is with Percy but I'm not really interested in shipping here. All sorts of friendships though!

[takerfoxx]

Magia Record, Season 1, Episode Five, First Impressions!

So. I’ve talked at length about coming into this show already with a weird bias for...reasons. I’ve discussed the various problems it has with its pacing and the lack of depth of its characters in comparison to the original show. I’ve pointed out the many, many issues that would naturally arise from adapting a mobile RPG into a short anime season. And I’ve said that while the final product is probably as good as it could be, it’s still really nothing to write home about, especially considering the franchise’s legacy. It’s like the name says: this is a side story, a fun world-building distraction.

And then we get to this episode, and...

Seriously though, what a great episode! I honestly can’t think of anything negative to say about, so I’ll just keep listing positives.

First, there’s the direction, which has been the one thing that’s been consistently great throughout the show, but it was especially on point here. The visuals during the Seance Shrine fight were incredibly creepy in that wonderfully surreal way that I always loved from PMMM, and the shrine itself was an outstanding setting. Iroha’s witch transformation was downright horrifying in all the best ways, and when her witch went HAM (more on that later), I had my heart in my throat. Like, holy shit! What the fuck is happening?

The conversations with fake Ui and fake Mifuyu were superb as well. Another thing I’d like to praise here is how the writers have really nailed conveying a lot of information while only doing a little. Without beating us over the head with it, we learned so much about our two main leads. First, the fake UI could only repeat the phrase we saw her saying in Iroha’s dream, about how magical girls can be saved if they come to Kamihami City. BECAUSE THAT’S ALL IROHA REMEMBERS HER EVER DOING! That one dream is literally all Iroha has of Ui, so that was all the Seance Shrine was able to take from her memories! The shrine constructs its bait literally through its prey’s memories.

The conversation with the fake Mifuyu also told us a lot about her and Yachiyo’s relationship, as did that very brief flashback. “Don’t you want to become an adult?” That one line broke my heart immediately, and it also told us that Mifuyu and Yachiyo knew what witches really are, and Mifuyu was seeking a way to save them from their fate when she disappeared. The fake Mifuyu’s monologue was much more detailed than that of the fake Ui, because here the Seance Shrine had a feast of memories to work with. And all the little details just served to further demonstrate how much Mifuyu meant to Yachiyo, especially that bit about the coffee cups. I guess she, Yachiyo, and Tsuruno were a team until Mifuyu’s disappearance caused a falling out? Regardless, even though we already know that the Mifuyu is probably a fake, she creates enough doubt in both us and Yachiyo that her “death” hits hard, and it’s clear that it completely tears Yachiyo up inside.

And of course that’s when the Seance Shrine witch (or whatever the rumors are) shows up, and...um...THAT whole thing happened.

It was pretty funny, looking back on my response to what happened to Iroha. Like, at first I was like, “Holy shit, that was crazy! Her witch just tore that thing up? But how did she come back? Doesn’t that contradict a lot of what we already know? I don’t really care for weird new concepts, so I don’t know how I feel about this.” It wasn’t until the after credits scene when the same thing happened to Kaede and it finally dawned on me, and I felt a little stupid for not realizing it earlier. 

THEY’RE DOPPELS! THOSE ARE THE DOPPEL SUMMONS FROM THE GAME!

You know, I never really was sure how I felt about the Doppels. They made sense from a gameplay standpoint, but I always felt that they caused a lot of problems in the overall lore, and wasn’t sure how the show would adapt them, or if it even should. But the way they did it, by making them seem like these horrifying, terrible things that leave the user scared and confused out of their minds was perhaps the best way to do it, and okay, now I’m on board the Doppel train. That was awesome.

But we can’t talk about awesome without going over what happened next, because just as we’re still reeling from having an awful lot thrown at us, the show gives us a gift, two magical words.

TRIO FINALE!

Mami makes her full appearance, and though her scene is short, it’s fucking great. We get to see her in her badass, take no shit veteran persona from the OG show’s second episode, and it drives home quite a lot. First, that Mami is an awesome character and I love getting to see her again. Second, that she really has no idea about what witches are. I mean, we already knew that, but her confusion over Iroha really laid it bare. Third, her words to Tsuruno also told us that Yachiyo has even more going on than we already suspected. She’s hiding something, and whether it’s the whole witch business or something else remains to be seen. It’s the Homura mystery all over again, but just different enough to be it’s own thing.

And then Iroha wakes up at Yachiyo’s place, and we get a nice tension releaser. It’s honestly a very sweet scene, though the show doesn’t stop with its little bits of visual information. Honestly, I love how good they’ve gotten at using the visuals to clue the viewer into what’s going on. We see that yes, Yachiyo does still have the coffee cups, and it’s actually Mifuyu’s room she brought Iroha to, a major indicator at how their relationship is going to change, and given what franchise this is, that can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Yachiyo is still too much of a mystery to really tell, but this episode really gave us a lot to chew on.

And speaking of visual storytelling and direction, can I take the moment to praise the pacing? It’s been rocky in the past, but in this case, I felt that every scene was exactly as long as it needed to be, happened exactly when it should, and conveyed exactly what it needed to. So much happened, but the writing was so tight that it kept me hooked from beginning to end.

And lol Iroha. “I have to go to school! Oh...it’s Saturday.” Been there.

...

Goddamn, what a great episode! I mean, sure, it could all go to shit in the future, but this is the first time I couldn’t wait for the next episode to come out. Ten outta ten, well done. 

[tonystarktogo]

In celebration of my birthday *yay, I’m getting old*, here’s the second part of An Unwise Murder (An Inconvenient Survival). It’s only half of the chapter, but once I’ve finished it (which will hopefully be tonight although no promises cause I’m spending a lot of time with my family today) I’ll post the full version on AO3 as well.

*

Part II

Tony pours himself a glass of lukewarm coca cola on autopilot. It tastes disgusting, but that doesn’t stop him from swallowing it all down in one go. He should probably put the glass down afterwards, except that’s easier said than done when his hands clutch the fragile cup so hard, his fingers ache. Still better than watching them shake and tremble though.

Maybe it’s a remnant of being raised as the heir of the leading company in one of the most cutthroat industries. Maybe it’s just a byproduct of being the son of Maria Carbonell. Either way, Tony has learned the value of good pokerface early in life. It’s going to take more than some stranger appearing out of nowhere with ominous declarations to shake his composure. Particularly considering Mystery Guy has the guts to introduce himself as James. 

James. Of all the fake names he could have picked, seriously. The least he could’ve done is put a bit of effort into the pretense. Tony wants to snort, make a stupid James Bond quip, except—

Steve is dead.

Tony doesn’t know what to do with that information. His mind is racing into five different directions at breakneck speed and simultaneously shies away from the terrible, inevitable conclusion that rests at the center of it all. The implications of what Wannabe-Bond [who, by the way, is glowering suspiciously at Tony from where he’s leaning against the wall on the other side of the kitchen, the best vantage point to keep an eye on all windows and the door, and is apparently incapable of understanding why Tony might need a goddamn minute] has oh so casually announced — and, more tellingly, what he hasn’t said — are staggering. 

"Want some?" Tony gestures jerkily towards the open bottle of coca cola. Never let it be said that his mother didn’t drill some basic manners into him, whether the situation calls for it or not.

00-Copy-Cat shakes his head, which suits Tony just fine. He’s not in the mood to share.

Officially, Tony barely knows Steve Rogers. [And fuck, it’s knew now, isn’t it, no, no, don’t think about it—] They ran into each other twice, once accidentally, once on purpose. Both times they spent more time arguing than agreeing on things. Both times left Tony feeling raw and tired, a little bit like he’d just barely escaped a violent death.

Officially. Such a nice, convenient, little word, isn’t it? The grounds you can cover with that kind of safety blanket are truly astonishing. 

Tony takes a sip from his drink, is reminded that the glass is already empty, and promptly grabs the whole bottle instead. Lukewarm cola is disgusting, but it’s still sugar and caffeine — the magical combination, in this case. Tony has no illusions about his odd visitor: He’s going to need all the energy he can get if he wants to make it through the next forty-eight hours intact. That he’s got what is quite possibly a real-life assassin watching over his shoulder, screaming murderous aggression from his every pore, is doing wonders for Tony’s ability to stay calm and focused.

Not.

Anyone asks about me, don’t trust them. Anyone searches for me, lie. Don’t say anything, don’t admit anything, don’t imply anything. If they don’t think you useless, they’ll convince themselves you’re a threat. Do you understand? Steve’s voice whispers into his ear, low and serious and so irritatingly commanding that Tony wants to turn around and punch him in his stupid, white teeth.

But since he’s currently in the company of a more volatile version of Steve — something Tony didn’t know was possible — who looks like he might eat aspiring serial killers for breakfast, that’s probably not his best idea.

“Alright,” Tony says eventually, mostly to himself. “Steve’s dead. Shit happens.” Move on and adapt, is what is father used to tell him. These circumstances probably aren’t what the old man had in mind, but Tony has underestimated Howard before. The man has his fingers in a lot of pies, some of which the general public doesn’t even know the existence of. If Tony was three years younger and two times more paranoid, he’d suspect this to be another attempt by dear old dad to show him "the error of his way". Although not even Howard Stark would kill off Steve Rogers just to prove a point.

Probably.

Tony turns around and looks Wannabe-Bond straight in the eyes. [He’s lied to Maria Stark’s face, okay. This is nothing.] They’re a very pretty shade of blue, there’s no denying that. That doesn’t change the fact that it would really suck if those eyes were the last thing Tony ever sees though. He’s too young to die. He’s got things to do, people to annoy. Not to mention Pepper would murder him if he got himself killed before the whole mess with his inheritance is sorted out.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here." As far as questions go, it’s an implied, roundabout way of asking. The kind that raises Tony’s hackles — as well as the spiteful child inside him — and makes him snipe back viciously in response. Despite that Tony can’t bring himself to ask the far more direct 'Why are you here?' out loud.

It helps that he really, really doesn’t want to know.

Wannabe-Bond stares at Tony with a blank expression that gives nothing away. It’s creepy as fuck, Tony’s not gonna lie. Like staring at a lifelike puppet and half-expecting it to start moving any moment now, even though you know damn well it shouldn’t. 

Double-0-Leather takes a measured step towards him. Then another. “How much do you know about Steve?” he asks in that gravely voice that makes Tony want to lecture him on the dangers of smoking. Totally not helpful right now, but it’s always good to know that, despite all evidence to the contrary, Tony has been listening to Pepper’s lectures. 

Not that he actually lectures Mister Tall, Dark and Murderous. Tony has some sense of self-preservation, thank you very much.

“I know seven different Steves. You’re gonna have to be more specific."

Alright, maybe not that much. In all fairness though, everyone who knows Tony knows he doesn't handle fear well. He just doesn’t. His fight or flight response is broken beyond repair — or so Rhodey likes to mutter under his breath when he pretends to be the reasonable adult he definitely isn’t and Tony has done something Improbably Stupid™ again — and it’s moments like these when it shows.

To his surprise, Wannabe-Bond snorts. It might have been a trick of light, but Tony could’ve sworn he sees the beginnings of a grin there for a second. Huh. Are assassins allowed to have a sense of humor?

“Fun as this might be-” Wannabe-Bond takes a hold of both of Tony’s shoulders, looming straight into his face now, and, nope, Tony doesn’t like that at all, he’s fond of his personal space, okay, this totally isn’t cool because he’s made Steve a promise and Tony keeps his damn promises — no matter what stupid, self-righteous Steve might think — and Tony really isn’t sure how well he’s going to hold up under torture, that is so not his specialty.

“Are you even listening?” the Man in Black snaps suddenly, in the middle of what is undoubtedly a lengthy, well-delivered threat. It’s the impatience in his tone more than the words themselves that jerk Tony out of his internal rambling.

“Not really?” he blurts out, then immediately regrets it when Double-0-Lame-o’s expression darkens even more.

“Listen carefully!” the guy grinds out between his teeth with the barely restrained violence of a panther on the prowl. "I don’t have the time or patience to play nice right now. This isn’t the time for games. Because I’m not Steve and no one’s gonna look twice if some mouthy civvie disappears." Tony does not shrink into himself — he’s been trained better than that, and it’s not true anyways, Pepper and Rhodey would raise hell in the wake of his disappearance— but, damn it, he really, really wants to. 

“We’re compromised," Agent McGrizzly continues with glacial calm. "Someone from the inside betrayed Steve. And you’re going to find the rat. I don’t care how, you’re gonna get it done or I’m gonna use you as a demonstration for what will happen to them when I catch them, got it?”

Tony swallows. Wannabe-Bond hasn’t raised his voice even once. Has spoken barely louder than a heated whisper. Somehow that makes him all the more terrifying.

“And how exactly—” Tony croaks, immediately clears his throat and continues without pause, "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

Because even when he ignores every command Steve has given him — and there’s a certain delight in that knowledge, not gonna lie — even if he believes this stranger with a handsome face and murder instead of tears in his eyes, even if he wanted to — which he doesn’t because Tony Stark doesn’t help people out of the goodness of his cold, black heart — that still leaves him with a grieving madman sprouting conspiracy theories and nothing else to go on.

Tony expects many things in response to his very legitimate question. The USB stick Suit-Without-The-Suit throws at his face isn’t among them. Luckily, he’s got fast reflexes. Evading DUM-E’s claws whenever he’s trying to help because he’s fallen in love with yet another car is one hell of a training exercise.

The stick is unremarkable in all the ways that matter. A black, plastic casing. Nothing to see there, it screams at anyone who might care to listen. Tony stares at the small, outdated piece of technology in the palm of his hand for a long moment. Then, slowly, like a cat stretching before its next nap, he smiles.

"You should’ve led with that."

Sleep is for the weak anyways.

(tbc)

[eisforeidolon]

Episode: Atomic Monsters

I watched this at least a week ago, but just didn't get around to rewriting my notes into a post 'til now.  I did actually find this the best episode so far, but lets be real, that's such a low bar to clear at this point it says basically nothing.

The opening sequence is really fun!  I found the whole thing genuinely enjoyable, both the action itself and that it included exactly the kind of return cameo I can actually get behind.  No retcons or resurrections that make death somehow even cheaper or ruin the original finish to the character's story!  Not even to mention that, instead of existing just for the sheer fanservice of it?  A sequence like this is actively improved by giving us a familiar face we have investment in to keep it from being all just random unfamiliar cannon fodder getting offed.

Unfortunately, this isn't the rousing endorsement it could be when we know that both expanding to a big action sequence and bringing Benny back for it were actually Jensen's ideas.  Not even to mention that the thing which really works best in the episode?  It's the dream sequence that's not actually connected to anything else and doesn't have to worry about continuity to work. This is my surprised face.

I enjoyed the exchange between Sam and Dean in the kitchen.  The meat man conversation over the bacon was rather silly, but in a fun way. I've seen some people reading things into it (it's insulting Dean doesn't know the slang, Sam is randomly vegetarian now) that I didn't really see there.  I did appreciate how Sam was weirdly jumpy and had trouble meeting Dean's eyes after the creepy alternate world dream.  I thought it worked really well for both slice-of-life and Sam’s reaction.

In terms of the Winchester's case, well, for the most part it could have been worse.  I don't honestly believe even if I hadn't been spoiled that I wouldn't have immediately suspected the parents from their introductory exchange about how Billy playing in the big game was more important than a cheerleader's death.  I think it was supposed to be a retroactive subtle clue, but it was more of a clue-by-four.  So the “mystery” of tracking down the monster was pretty lost on me.  I did like that the one girl having braces was a clue!  But I also thought the scene with her rehearsing her speech on a live mic in an empty auditorium was weird and contrived.  I straight out cannot forgive that a girl was literally abducted from the school campus and NOBODY checked the security footage near her car fucking IMMEDIATELY well before Sam & Dean.  C'mon.  Then, of course, a couple random middle-aged suburbanite humans get the drop on Sam and Dean, because Dabbernatural really just loves to make them incompetent so plots happen.

Then the big reveal and blah blah blah, kid accidentally ate his girlfriend.  WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO???  Um, maybe try not being scumbags?  Idiotic scumbags at that, abducting a second girl from their son's own school instead of somebody that wouldn't be missed or even, hey, maybe encouraging him to try harder not to eat people.  Don't try to sell me on this pseudo hallmark 'but they just love him so much' bullshit.  At least the kid has more self-awareness and conscience than his fuckwad parents.  

Then we get to the infuriating character assassination part of the programme.  Having Sam and Dean say that they'd do the same thing as the dad for Jack their “son”?  Fuck you very much, show.  I could maybe, maybe, see Sam or Dean kidnapping and draining the life out of an innocent to save the other at their most desperate worst.  Though I think the only time they even really get close to that kind of an actively, knowingly evil choice is with Doc Benton.  Not only do I not buy for a second that they would do that for the totally-really-their-actual-child-for-reasons albatross Dabbernatural has shoehorned into their lives?  Struggling to do the right thing even when it hurts used to actually mean something – it was always a very important qualifier that while Sam or Dean might make that choice, the other would not let them.  So having them both agree this kind of straight up villainy would be a-okay for oh-so-totally-loveable-no-really-woobie-blob Jack ...

Like carelessly assassinating every human in the BMoL headquarters, it fundamentally fails to understand what it is that keeps Sam and Dean from being the monsters.  Hint: it's not just that the show centers around them.  “We do the ugly thing so that people can live happy” - these moronic hacks seem to be actually trying to parallel Sam and Dean saving innocent victims and the world to human monsters that were going to selfishly help their son eat his way through the entire goddamn cheerleading squad.  Am I getting this wrong somehow?  Is there some other, less appalling, reading here that I'm missing? This whole scene honestly made me nauseous.

They talkity-talk on for a while longer, but it's really not much better.  Sam declaring that God was totally done with them was the writers putting those words in his mouth based on nothing.  At it’s very best, it was Sam’s bad habit of convincing himself conclusions he’s come to are true because he wants them to be.  So them both just deciding to believe it's true after Chuck has admitted to orchestrating their entire lives … I'm not sure if we should conclude the Winchesters have brain damage or if that's just the writers.  Especially when the underlying reason for it is nothing more compelling than , “Watch the Winchesters see-saw on the angst fulcrum completely at random!  Yay!”  If this was actually well written, there would be some precipitating reason for Sam to suddenly be the one being all fatalistic while Dean is accepting.  Instead, the writers  just slap some coin-flipped angst angst angst on the page and meander on in a supposedly forward direction.

So then there's the other half of the episode, the Becky storyline. Am I the only one a little disturbed that Becky's first reaction to seeing Chuck was to look scared and try to run away?  Like, they're exes and all, sure, but she doesn't know any of the god stuff yet – I think the only thing she even says about their breakup is that Chuck dumped her.  Is that reaction supposed to be yet another bit of “new canon” showing how Chuck was just that terrible all along? But then she does let him in, so maybe we're just supposed to take it as Becky still having a tendency towards dramatics?  I honestly don't know, but it was weird to me.  

I do genuinely love that they had Becky go to therapy and realize just how absolutely fucked up what she'd done was and ultimately sort herself out to become someone who seems to be a well-balanced adult. A well balanced adult that didn't have to give up being a fan for that!  Seriously, kudos to the writers for this, because 7.08 is such a loathsome episode that otherwise ruins Becky as a character.   Though I do have to nitpick a bit – while I get that they wanted to put SPN merch in Becky's home as a callout to her still being a superfan?   In the show's universe, Chuck's books were never that popular, so I'm having some suspension of disbelief issues that there would be Funkos for them.  We could pretend they were customs, but she's got at least one Impala, so even that doesn't quite work.  I'm not entirely sure who “people only want them sitting around doing laundry anyway” is a dig at, but I'm giving it the side eye.  

I also am not entirely sure what to make of Chuck's whole no one needs me I kinda hate me I'm all lost and don't know what to doooooo shtick.  Is this a game he's playing?  Is he really that wishy-washy? Did some of Dabb's sad internal monologue as showrunner somehow end up in a script by accident?  

He goes on like that and laments he's lost the Winchester's trust and had words with them or whatever, and then he zaps Becky and her family away at the end.  Like, if he cared enough about Becky to care about her opinion, why does he turn on her, too, just like that?  I guess we're supposed to see it as him having found his mojo in her space and vanishing her because taking over her space that's working for him currently is his latest whim.  I suppose they're intending to show Chuck as just being that capricious and flighty, but I don't know that it works for me.  The way they've been writing him he's acting so randomly and impulsively that it's kind of unbelievable he can even sit still at a keyboard long enough to write another Sam and Dean installment.  Again, I definitely find it unbelievable that the Chuck they're giving us now would be capable of playing the long game that he would have had to for him to be actively behind everything.  Until he suddenly got impatient and lazy and popped up in the cemetery at the end of the last finale ... for reasons … and is now just … like that … because.

Not to mention that his powers are, big shock, just as arbitrary as everyone else's in the current show.  He can't actually see what is happening to Sam and Dean because of the bullet sapping his power or whatever, but we're supposed to be worried about the ominous ending he's writing for them because … he's got those god powers to make it happen, I guess?  Uh...

I will grant that the ominous bobbing of Sam and Dean Funkos' heads to Chuck's furious typing was a wonderfully foreboding shot to end on.  

[heartschoicegames]

Heart’s Choice Author Interview: RoAnna Sylver, “Dawnfall”

Find true love and family with a pirate crew at the ends of the universe, where aliens, ghosts, and portals open the space between worlds...and your heart. You are a Navigator, one who creates and guards portals from one dimension to another, wary of the liminal sea between them.

Your universe is made of two worlds: one contains the magic-infused world of Zephyria, and the other, the dystopian space station Eclipse. The worlds are balanced, until one day, an explosive disaster, a deadly energy storm, and an infamous pirate—the Ghost Queen—upend your life and plunge you into a race to save both worlds.

Dawnfall is a 232,000 word interactive romance novel by RoAnna Sylver,  one of the first set of games releasing with the launch of Heart’s Choice. I sat down with the author, RoAnna Sylver, to talk about writing interactive romance. Heart’s Choice games release December 2nd.

Dawnfall has frankly an insanely wonderful setting for a romance game. Tell me about the aliens, the pirates, the ghosts, and the alien-pirate-ghosts.

Hi there! I’m so glad you think this sounds fun! Yeah, Dawnfall is weird as heck, and that’s one of the things I love about this story. It’s weird in a way I don’t think we’ve seen much of before. I really just tried to put in everything I find fun or interesting, and that I’ve always wanted to write. Dawnfall started out as a total brain-candy project, and runs on pure Rule of Cool. Pirates? Yes. Magic? Yes. A slice of cyberpunk? Hell yes. Eerie ghosts and faerie-tale influences and memory-sharing potions? Giant bird people? The power of rock n’roll? Yes, yes, yes.

And also everybody’s dateable, and in a couple cases, dating each other. We weave a tangled web, but I think it’s a pretty badass and spectacular web.

You seem to really neatly straddle the genre fence here with a romance and sci-fi/fantasy. What was challenging about cramming all of that into one game?

Thank you so much for saying that. I’ve always adored SFF, and there’s so much in this genre-collection, so many extremes and concepts and contrasting colors, that I couldn’t limit myself to picking just one to play with. This weird game-book is kind of a love letter to fantasy and science fiction and haunted house stories and cyberpunk adventures—I thought a lot about the Disney movie Treasure Planet for its genre-blending beauty, and the Bioware game Mass Effect for its array of fascinating, multidimensional alien cuties to interact with and date… and then turned it up to eleven.

I guess you’d expect the challenge to be in making it all fit together/be “believable,” but I kind of threw that out the window. I don’t expect anyone to find it ‘realistic’ (setting-wise anyway; I tried to make every character ring true of course), and I don’t really care if someone thinks it’s silly, or doesn’t take it seriously. It is silly in a lot of ways. DAWNFALL is a giant ridiculous queer space magic pirate adventure, and the only goal is fun. If you have fun, I’ve done my job, and there should be something fun in here for everyone.

Did you have a favorite NPC you enjoyed writing most?

Honestly I love them all so much in different ways, and I know them so well by now it’s really second nature. Their voices come so easily and they’re all so much fun. The Queen’s swagger is awesome though, and her mental voice/mannerisms probably come through especially clearly. I love Zenith’s vulnerable moments when xie lets xir guard down and lets go of the need to entertain or please. I love Averis’s journey and growth from cute wibbly nerd to a confident swashbuckler (who is also still a cute wibbly nerd). I love how deeply Oz feels, how strongly he loves and remembers and honors memory, and how unafraid he is to show softness and warmth. And I love a certain spoilery ghost-babe and how they’re so full of joy at the beauty of life.

I do want to give special mention to Aeon, though. This is a story about connection, and I wanted to show that sibling bonds are every bit as important and strong as romantic or any other. I also wanted to show a complex, multidimensional antagonist figure who holds heartbreaking secrets along with authority, and is genuinely trying to do what she thinks is the best thing, and wants what’s best for you, the PC, even if you might not always agree. Her balance between being so emotionally guarded and determined and unyielding, while hopefully being extremely easy to read and tell what she wants and fears and loves—spoiler: you; she loves you!—was a challenge I hope I pull off.

…Also I enjoy any time Vyranix gets his pompous feathered ass handed to him. I think we all know a Vyranix, or at least of one, and it’s always fun to take them down, even in fantasy.

Who would you be romancing as a player?

I’m gonna say “everyone,” and here it won’t actually be cheating, because you can romance everyone! At once! In varying degrees/relationship dynamics and attractions. You don’t see a lot of polyamory-friendly games or books or anything really, and this is an incredibly important thing for me. The second I got the idea for Dawnfall I knew it had to let players romance anyone they wanted and show polyamory in a realistic, healthy light. I’m also a-spec (asexual and aromantic), and having not just good representation but being actively included and welcomed and celebrated in fiction is so huge too.

Dawnfall is a romance of course, being part of Heart’s Choice, but one of the single most vital elements for me is making it inclusive for aromantic and asexual players and player-characters. Essentially, I wanted to write a romance that didn’t penalize players for not experiencing the attractions the way we’re otherwise expected or required—and I’m so grateful that my amazing editors and community not only accepted but supported everything I was trying to do here. (It’s so refreshing not to have to fight for inclusion and freedom. It shouldn’t be, but it is.)

And that’s where the concept of “Heart-Stars” and “Same-Feathers” came from. I’ve never seen anything honor queerplatonic relationships like I’m trying to do here, and I want everyone, of every sexuality and attraction, to feel like they have a place here and can experience this adventure without limits. And I wanted to show that it’s a very normal thing, hence this being the same for the human characters as well as alien. (One of the nonbinary characters being human is also no mistake. I love me some wild alien genders, but there are tons of awesome nonbinary humans too!)

…That being said, I think I gave Averis most of my anxiety-issues, and would really just like to curl up with Oz and watch The Great British Bake-Off. That sounds like a perfect night in my books.

What were some of the things you found surprising about the game-writing process?

Coding was definitely the biggest learning curve. I’d never coded anything before in my life, and it’s such a new skillset to learn, entirely different from any kind of writing I’ve ever done. Sometimes it felt rewriting my brain, which did not at all do this intuitively—and also sometimes like I bit off much more than I could chew (first game ever being not only a huge piece of interactive fiction, but a polyamorous romance with aro and ace possibilities, and so many more variables than expected!), but it’s been worth it. Entirely. If my writing makes anyone feel seen and accepted and invited to have fun as they are, it’s worth every bit of struggle.

Also, oddly, interactive fiction is in some ways easier for me than writing a plain old book! Probably because I love AUs so much, and every choice in a game is like writing a tiny AU of the story, so I get to do the same scenes several different ways. My ADHD-brain finds something about this extremely satisfying, most likely because it somehow feels more like multitasking! Several stories in one, and if I like two ideas, I don’t have to pick just one to write!

Honestly though, I think the most surprising part is just being done, and…that I could do this at all. It was so huge, and took so long, and I learned so much, and every day I’m just kind of going “who the hell am I?” about doing all of this. I’m proud of it. I did a cool thing. And trying to get better at saying that.

And, what are you working on now?

I always have about 8 active projects going at once (which shouldn’t come as a surprise after last question!), but my next interactive fiction game is with Tales/Fable Labs! It’s shaping up to be a Dawnfall-sized project, but a little faster-moving and action-y.

It’s called Every Beat Belongs To You, and it’s a romantic thriller that feels like Twin Peaks meets Mr. Robot, with a smattering of Repo: The Genetic Opera. A creepy Pacific Northwest town with a secret (and a rash of ritualized murders), a super-slick medical research company whose flagship product is a 100% perfect synthetic heart, a mysterious new-age group, and a sister who went missing just before discovering how it’s all connected. Also five simultaneously-dateable (including ace and aro ships!) cuties of varying genders! Who will you trust with your heart?

I’m very excited about Everybeat, which should be just as queer, polyam, exciting, and weird as all my stuff! Aside from that, I’m working on Stake Sauce Book 2, its companion f/f vampire series Death Masquerade, and Chameleon Moon Book 3. I’m not always working…sometimes there are videogames, and sleep. But I really hope to have a lot more fun things to share soon!

Oh, and depending on how this weird, fun thing goes, I do have some ideas for prequel Dawnfall stories; maybe games, maybe books, but the ideas are there. The world—worlds, really—is so huge, and I’m not done playing in it yet! I also have some character art drawn, and I want to do a lot more of them. It’s another way to show love.

So thank you so much! I really hope Dawnfall is as fun to everyone to read/play as it was for me to write. I can’t wait to share it with you!

[kokichi-and-co-imagine-blog]

To everyone: what would your Pokemon teams be and why?

Oh good god.

Well… this is going to get complicated. At least from me.

Let’s start with assuming no legendary Pokemon. Makes life a bit easier. Of course only a bit.

So… first off a lot of this depends on generation and limit. If you’re asking for a full team that I would have with rotations and stuff, we’re looking at… probably close to 10 full teams of 6, maybe even more.

In my defense, I’m a major Pokemon fan and I really really like a lot of them.

Of course, if we’re going to cut down the team to a more manageable six which can be from any region/gen, but only one from each region/gen to keep things interesting and varied… well, it would depend on a lot of things, including mood and such, so if one were to ask me this question again it would likely change. But, here would be, as I feel right now, the team I would use if I was limited to only six, one per region/gen.

1: Lucario. I’ve been a fan of this guy for so so long, ever since it was first introduced. I loved Lucario and the mystery of Mew as a kid (still kinda do). The whole concept behind aura is amazing. One’s spiritual energy/life force/ soul being utilized in combat? Being able to sense others and see without seeing? So awesome. Lucario is just SO. FREAKING. COOL. It’s design is wonderful as well. Jackel/Anubis? Yes please. Plus, I’ve been maining Lucario in Smash Bros. ever since Brawl. You better believe it’s making my team.

2: Tyranitar. Is it probably the weakest pseudo legendary when it comes to typing? Yes. Do I care? No. Tyranitar is BA. First, it’s one of the only two pseudo’s to not be a dragon. Yes, 8 regions, 9 pseudo’s, and only 2 are not dragons. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some dragons. But… variety would be nice, you know? But yeah, not a dragon, still awesome. It’s Godzilla for crying out loud! Plus, its design is just so good. It’s simple but perfect. It’s a giant Lizard creature that could fell mountains. It doesn’t need to be complicated, and is perfectly awe-inspiring and terrifying without being complicated. I also used a Tyranitar in my Ultra Sun playthrough, a male one named Typhon, Man was he fun to use.

3: Golisopod. Listen, if a Pokemon is good enough for YOUR BOI GUZMA to use it on his team, you know it’s a good pokemon. It’s the Alola take on Gyarados and Milotic (weak pathetic first stage with few moves  and while those two do have a slightly higher BST, that ain’t enough to keep my boy Golisopod down. Golisopod’s design is just so good. An Isopod mixed with a Samurai? Sign me right up thank you. It mixes the creepy crawly aesthetic of the bug type with the strong proud samurai perfectly and I love it. And yeah, sure Emergency Exit can be kind of annoying, but it allows you a second usage of First Impression. That is worth it. Also, it’s shiny is dope.

4: Toxtricity. Part of building a team means keeping in mind type composition. I love Grimmsnarl dearly and equally, if not more so, but I already have one Dark-type on the team, so Toxtricity manages to bag this spot. At least, for now considering my current mood. Ask me again tomorrow, or even in an hour, my answer may very well change. Anyway, Toxtricity itself. When I fist saw the design, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt. It was… interesting to say the least, but I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at, or what it was supposed to be. But after some more time with it, learning more about it and using one I can say that Toxtricity is easily one of my new favorites. Quite possibly my absolute fave from Gen 8. A punk lizard that plays music? Rock/Metal? HECK. YES. The form change is also pretty nice. The stats don’t change between the two, but I honestly like it that way. Just the idea that more energetic natures would have an ‘Amped Up’ form based on an electric guitar while the more mellow natures would have a ‘Lowkey’ one based on a bass is ingenious. Same with the movepool changes. It makes sense that the different forms with their different music preference would have different moves. (My personal fave is the Amped Up, especially with its shiny colors.) Plus, an electric posion type? SO. COOL. Who cares about 4x weak to earthquake, this thing is boss! And Punk Rock is an amazing ability.

5: Flygon. Man oh man was Flygon treated poorly. Added in Gen 3 as a solid pokemon, but with a better attack stat than a special attack one. True, not bad in it of itself but before the Special/Physical split, ALL Dragon-type moves were special. Meaning Dragon Claw, a solid dragon type move back in Gen 3, wasn’t yet a physical move. And Outrage wasn’t even something Flygon could learn yet (it wouldn’t be until Gen 7 that it became a TM). Then came gen 4. Now, I love gen 4. I truly do. It is by far my favorite Gen. And it did do something very good for Flygon. It gave the special/physical split, allowing some Dragon type moves to now be physical as well. But you know what else came along? Garchomp. Honestly, I like Garchomp, I do. But suddenly here we are with a new Dragon/Ground type that is a pseudo-legendary? My poor poor Flygon. And it didn’t get any better. I mean seriously, give Mewtwo and Charizard two megas but none to Flygon? WHILE GIVING ONE TO GARCHOMP WHO DIDN’T NEED IT AND WAS ITS BIGGEST COMPETITION?! Why Game Freak? Why?Anyway, mini-rant aside, I love Flygon. The design is incredible. The line is based on an antlion and is so cool. That sweet green design and the little lenses over the eyes? Perfect, just perfect. Plus, it has some sweet lore. Appearing in sandstorms with haunting music coming from its wings? Yes please. Beautiful pokemon that was done such disservices. It’s a shame really. With Megas gone, Flygon will likely never get that final boost it needs. Though considering it is in Galar while Garchomp isn’t… maybe Flygon will have a chance to shine again. (A shame though that it will never get to have a type change to Bug Dragon. Would be sick.) Regardless of the future though, Flygon will always have a place in my heart, and in my team. 

6: Zoroark. Yeah, I know what I said about team composition above with Toxtricity and Grimmsnarl. But  I also pointed out mood has a lot to do with it. Anyway, for Zoroark itself. Like Lucario, I’veb een a fan for so long, ever since it was first introduced. It’s kinda funny in a way. Zoroark acts as the perfect yin to Lucario’s yang. Lucario uses aura to sense things and to see, Zoroark is the maser of illusions. In it of itself, this illusion business is awesome, but add in how it counters Lucario and it works just so well. Typing as well, Lucario is a fighting steel, the type you’d think of for a chivalrous paladin of justice and truth, while Zoroark is dark (evil type in Japan), perfect for a sly illusion master. Of course, it’s not just dualism with Lucario. The line is just so amazing itself. Clearly drawing from Kitsune, Zoroark is a sly fox that is able to not just use illusions, but masters them to the point of being able to create solid constructs out of them (see the anime). It is just so cool, how can I not love it? Also, like Tyranitar before it, I used a female one named Vixen in my Ultra Sun playthrough and it was a delight. 

Anyway, that would be my team. You know, assuming all the limitations I put on myself and my mood at this moment. But if you guys enjoyed this and want to know more about my favorite pokemon, please let me know. I’m always happy and excited to talk about Pokemon.

Anyway, going to hand this over to the other mods. I’ve been monopolizing this ask for too long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ooo!! This’ll be fun to answer! Cause, well, I love Pokémon!!!

But, forgive me for this; I haven’t played any of the games.

So im just saying my favorite characters!!!

1: Glacieon, I really, really like glacieons and have always loved ice type Pokémon. Mainly because I really like the cold. Like; really, really, like the cold. I also really like her attacks, their cool!!! (Pun intended)

2: Furret. Absolutely furret, I never knew why I liked furret, but. I’m just gonna blame it on me really liking Ferrets and cause I honestly have really liked normal types for some reason.

3: Vulpix (either one), I really like any fire type Pokémon mainly because I’ve always just had a very weird interest in fire and because vulpix can be either a fire or ice Pokémon I love that about them. And they remind me of a bunch of irl animals that I love!!

4: Smom , I LOVE THOSE LIL ICE BABEYS SO MUCH!?!? They are so cute-!? I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH???! They are all my children and I want to adopt them all, and I will. No one can stop me………except maybe the other mods-

5: Sylveon, absolutely. I always have such an attachment even with digital animals, so I absolutely would give my eevee enough attention and love for them to evolve into sylveon. Honestly, it’d end up be accidental, but, I still really love Sylveon, and wouldn’t care if I got more than one of them-

6: Flareon, listen- I just love eevees okay-? I love them all so so much, and would lay down my life for each and every one of them. Just 💞💞💕💖💓💖💝💞💖💕💝💓💕💞💖💞💖💝💘💖💕💕💞

——————————————————————————

Ah, I bet you missed hearing from me! No worries, I’ll tell you my pokemon team, even if it’s not particularly exciting.

First off, a Pachirisu is a must for my team. I’ve always loved how hyper it can be and the mishaps it would cause. Plus, c’mon- who doesn’t like its color scheme?

I’d also incorporate Chimchar to my team. I’ve always had a soft spot for Chimchar, since it was my first ever starter and I leveled mine all the way up to 100 in my Pokemon Platinum playthrough.

Yamper definitely had my heart the moment I saw it! I have a really strong love for dogs, and its addition to the game got me so excited!! Kirigiri can vouch for me on that one.

Growlithe is also integral to me. When my dog was a puppy, I used to jokingly call her a growlithe. I don’t think I still have pictures, but I even got her a floof for halloween once so she could be in a costume with me. Also... Arcanine is seriously badass.

Wooloo is super cute too! I love that it rolls away from its problems, and I, too, wish to do that. Plus the braids immediately reminded me of Peko, so I was super soft for it the moment it was revealed.

Finally, I’ll add my favorite Eeveelution to the team: Glaceon! Something about its sleek design always made me happy, and the way its fur sharpens as defense is super interesting!

(If legendaries were allowed on the team, I would’ve added either Giratina or Shaymin. They’re my favorites.

[army-author]

a monster crush (and how to survive it), pt. 2

❝ It’s rumoured that a monster lives in the forest behind your house. But you’re far too old to believe in monsters… And yet, since Taehyung believes in them, you’ll keep on following him into the forest, despite the warnings. But as you continue playing games, your imagined monster begins to bleed into reality, with Taehyung pulling you closer to truths you’d rather leave uncovered. Slowly, you’re led to the realisation that love is perhaps the most dangerous monster of all… ❞

➝ pairing: taehyung x female reader

➝ word count: 12.7k

➝ genre: angst, horror, fluff, childhood friends au

➝ warnings:  no warnings for this part. future parts will contain mild horror; gore; mentions of death and killing; implied smut

➝ author’s note: apologies for the wait, here’s part 2! It’s a bit less creepy than part one, and possibly a bit more fluffy. But the creepy parts are coming, I promise!

↳ part one | two | three [links currently not working, check my masterlist for previous parts]

[A Day Later – November 2010]

Your room is dark. The curtains are drawn shut, but murky shapes move on the other side of the fabric. You know it’s only the branches of the forest, flaying in the wind, but that doesn’t make you feel any better. Pulling your blanket up over your head, you surround yourself in the enveloping warmth beneath, where your breath mixes with itself. You’ve been having trouble sleeping since Halloween night. Every time you close your eyes, you can see the shining eyes beyond the fence, and the thought that it was only some small animal doesn’t steady your churning stomach when you’re lying in a dark room, with undefined forms moving beyond the curtains. You know you could get out of bed, and get the night light out from your bedside cupboard. But you haven’t needed that since you were seven. Pure stubbornness keeps you from fetching it. If you squeeze your eyes shut, and don’t move, eventually you’ll fall asleep. You’ll be fine- fine- fine-

There’s a thump against your window.

Your breath catches, uncomfortable, in your throat. You can’t swallow it back to your lungs, too unnerved to move. Maybe it was nothing.

Maybe it was… something.

It comes again. Another thunk! against the glass, as something small and hard bombards it.

Breath still lodged in your windpipe, you slowly draw the duvet off your body, and dangle your feet over the edge of the bed. Your toes kiss the blackness of nothing, your room unknowable beyond the veiling night, until you stretch your leg down, and feel your heel dig into the strange scratch of your bedroom carpet. You release your breath. Nothing has leapt out from under your bed to grab you – as if there was something to grab you at all. You scold yourself for thinking such things. Clearly this town, with its obsession with monsters, has gotten to you. Standing up, your room doesn’t seem quite so threatening.

You move over to the window, and pull up the corner of the curtain to peer out and find-

Grinning up at you from the garden, with a few stones in his hand, is Taehyung. He waves up at you.

Opening the window, in a hushed shout, you ask, “Taehyung? What are you doing here?”

Taehyung looks around the garden, biting on a smile, as if it’s obvious. Then, looking back up to you, squinting in the orange lights from the streetlights out front, he explains: “I came to help you sneak out of the house, since you’re grounded!” His face is triumphant, his grin contagious as he peers up at you.

You can’t help but smile back, breathing out a laugh, that turns to fog in the cold air. “Just… um…” you run a hand through your hair, and run over a plan in your head, and wonder if it’s a good idea to run off with Taehyung. “Wait there,” you whisper down.

You fumble around your room, managing to bump into your bed a few times in the process, and sneak downstairs, now with a hoodie and jeans pulled over your pyjamas, and a few new bruises on your shins for accessories. You hold your breath on the squeakiest of the stairs, but no noises come from your dad’s room to indicate he’s awake, and you make it downstairs undetected.

Reaching the back door, your heart thumping hard through your body – you can feel it’s throb in your fingers and toes – you grab the keys hanging on the wall by the door, and sneak outside.

The air is cold, hitting you with a crash, and a shuddered intake of breath that dissolves to chattering teeth. Taehyung thuds into you in the next second to dispel the freeze in your blood, with his heat pushed against you in a hug.

“I missed playing with you,” he says, breath hot in your ear, “So I thought lots about how to sneak you out while you’re grounded.”

“And in the end the plan you came up with was to throw rocks at my window?” you ask him - or rather, ask his neck, you can’t see his face in this hug.

“Yeah,” Taehyung’s chest swells beside you, raising with an intake of breath. “Maybe not the most elaborate plan, but it worked, right?” His laughter in deep, rippling through the night silence.

You shush him, scared your dad will hear. Giving him a gentle shove, you direct him away from the house. “Well, I’m glad,” you say, when you’re convinced that you’re far enough from the window to your dad’s room, “I missed playing with you as well.”

This earns you a satisfied smile from Taehyung, setting off a warm glow in your stomach. “Being grounded can’t stop us!” he declares, and you copy back his jubilant tone:

“Nothing can stop us!”

You both fall to laughter, as what you’ve done finally sinks into your mind. You’ve snuck out of the house. In the dead of night. You’ve disobeyed your dad. A thrum of excitement thuds through you, as another wave of cold hits, and you shiver against Taehyung.

“What do we do now?” you ask, as his breath finally slows to a chuckle.

His eyes shine before yours, as he moves back to look you in the face. “We go hunting monsters!”

And, despite all that’s happened in the forest – the uneasy heaviness of the air beyond your garden fence, the unknown creatures that move in the dark, and the taste of adrenaline from your last expedition there, telling you that you should say “no” – you can’t dispel the curiosity that pricks your brain. You want to know what’s in there, to prove to yourself once and for all that monsters don’t exist. Because they don’t. Despite all that your dad has been trying to teach you about maturity, the grounding clearly hasn’t done any good, as a smile raises your cheeks: “Alright. Let’s go, catch some monsters!”

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[Two Weeks Later – November 2010]

‘Hunting monsters’ becomes a regular occurrence for you and Taehyung. When the urge strikes him, uncontained in wide smiles and a thumping heart, Taehyung will show up at your house, chucking stones up to your window to wave you down. There are a few chips on the glass from some particularly enthusiastic throws. You only hope your dad doesn’t notice. You know you’ll get in a lot of trouble if he catches you sneaking out, and – worse than that – he’ll be deeply disappointed. But you can’t say ‘no’ to Taehyung, when he’s smiling up at you, bathed in the ghostly moonlight, whispering, “Let’s go hunt some monsters!” And so you do.

As winter creeps closer, getting ready to replace autumn, the night skies remain clear, cloudless, summoning deep frosts in the morning. It’s bitterly cold, but you don’t ever mind going out at midnight, when you know that Taehyung will wrap warm arms around you, blocking out the November chill.

In his solid grip, you don’t feel scared by the forest or what could be hidden in the tangled undergrowth inside. So far, since you’ve been sneaking out to play with Taehyung, under the mesh of black, empty branches, there’s been no odd goings-on. It makes you feel embarrassed by how scared you were on Halloween night. Whatever you saw in the dark back then, it feels unreal now. Your imagination had been running rampant. The… thing… you saw that evening couldn’t have been that bad. A movement overhead can just be a bat flitting past, and an eye glinting beyond a fence can just be a dew drop caught in the moonlight.

But Taehyung is still insistent that there was something. That there’s only so much an active imagination can cover up. You think his imagination is covering up too much. He tells you that the two of you are going to be the ones that will discover what’s in the forest. You’ll solve the mystery the whole town is gripped in, despite adults trying to go about their problems with the forest in adult-y ways. Taehyung insists that the two of you will be famous when you prove the existence of monsters. He’s taking it very seriously, but you like to play along – never quite sure what’s real or what’s make-believe in the things he says. You don’t care. Time spent with Taehyung spreads a warmth through you, like sinking into hot water, and so you smile along with him. As long as Taehyung’s happy, you’ll go with whatever he says. You’ve found yourself thriving off his smile.

You let him lead you down new paths in the forest, breaking down new tracks through the clumped branches, occasionally stopping when something catches Taehyung’s eye, like a mark in the mud, or a gouge on a tree-trunk. You tell him that any small animal could have left something like that.

And he rolls his eyes, and says, “You’re no fun. Just pretend it’s a monster!”

So you chuckle, and say, “Okay, okay, maybe it’s a monster.”

This seems to please him. Over time, you forget to add in the first part, skipping straight to the bit where you imagine a monster. Because it’s what Taehyung wants. And you want to give him whatever he wants. You forget what you wanted before him.

That’s why, after so many nights, sneaking out into secrets shared with Taehyung, you almost feel disappointed when your dad announces over diner: “Cub, I’ve been thinking. It might be time I relinquish the house arrest.”

You glance over your take-out meal at him – noodles dangling sloppily from your chopsticks.

Your dad looks worn out, slumped at the other side of the table that seems a bit too big for a family of two. “I can’t keep you inside forever, can I?” he offers a small smile, that almost reaches his tired eyes, “And I want to protect you, but punishing you like this isn’t how I should go about it.”

You look down to your food, pushing the vegetables around in the oily sauce.

“I’m sorry,” you dad goes on, “I’m not very good at this whole disciple thing… I never like having to do stuff like this. Now, if your mother was-” He breaks off, running a hand through his hair, a few stray grey hairs shining in the harsh lights of your kitchen. “Well, anyway, I know you’ve learnt your lesson now. And you won’t go off putting yourself in dangerous positions.”

Guilt burrows into the soft pit of your stomach. You wish he wouldn’t go on like this. You want to be angry with him for grounding you in the first place. But instead, you’re looking up to find him smiling across at you, completely innocent to how you’ve been disobeying him every night that Taehyung shows up. You realise that without your mum around, he really doesn’t know how to handle you. She would have found out about you sneaking out. But he trusts you. And that’s the worst part.

“Alright,” your dad pushes back his plate, where he’s left a few of the chicken pieces, which he knows are your favourite bit. As you reach across to steal them, he goes on, “Just promise me, Cub. Promise me, from now on, you’ll be careful when you go out to play. This town is strange and new, and there seems to be – well… something – in the forest, a wild animal, that’s been causing some problems. So – just – stay wise. Okay?”

Mouth full of chicken, you nod.

That evening, you help your dad with the washing up as best you can, and then make him tea, because you were never very good at telling him that you love him in words.

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[Two Weeks Later – December 2010]

It’s getting closer to Christmas, and to Taehyung’s birthday (as he likes to keep reminding you). It seems to bother him that you’re already eleven, and he’s not.

With him reminding you over and over, it keeps your mind on the idea of getting him a birthday gift. You’ve only known him for two months, but he’s already your best friend – the person you care most for – and you want to get something nice for him.

You’ve been trying to save up for a gift, doing extra choses around the house, so your dad will give you extra pocket money. Your dad has noticed as well – asking when you offer to do extra washing up, or to do the hoovering: “What’s all this about, Cub?” until, he begins to catch on, and smile knowingly when he hands over the mop or iron, winking, “You wanting extra money? Is that what you want?” You’re frustrated that he’s figured you out already, and even worse, that he’s figured out: “Are you wanting to get someone something special for Christmas?” That tipped you over the edge, huffing up to your room – because he doesn’t understand at all, or worse, he understands far too well, and you don’t like it. You don’t want him to know that it’s for Taehyung, and you don’t want him to know how much you care for Taehyung. After all, all your best friends before Taehyung were girls, and it was strange being close to a boy – and your dad would definitely get the wrong idea, and think you liked Taehyung more than you do, and believe the two of you were going to grow up to get married. That thought makes you angry. Or, at least, the thought of your dad imagining that makes you angry. Because the thought of marrying Taehyung isn’t as gross as you imagined it should be.

All these thoughts have been rolling around in your head, late at night, as you wait, expectantly, wondering if there will be the usual thunk! at the windowpane, indicating Taehyung’s come over. Now you’re not scared of the forest anymore. But you still can’t sleep because Taehyung’s invaded your head.

And so, when the imagined knock on your window becomes real – with a stone hitting the glass – you jump out of bed immediately, feet cold on the carpet, and dash over to the window. As expected, Taehyung’s there, his eager grin plastered up to his cheeks as always. Past parted lips, his teeth, shining, are brighter than the silver moon.

“Come out with me,” he whisper-calls up to you. It’s the first time he’s come over since your dad gave up on grounding you. You thought – worried - that maybe Taehyung would give up on sneaking out at night, now that you’re allowed to play with him in the daytime. Your body feels hot and happy seeing him now.

“Give me a second,” you whisper back, and then hurl yourself around your room, grabbing, jeans and a coat, and a scuffed pair of trainers.

Before you can properly process your giddy excitement, teeth chattering in the cold and in happiness, you’re outside. Sneaking out is too easy now, and swallowing down the guilt for your all-too trusting dad is almost instinctual. You can nearly forget him smiling over dinner at you just the night before, saying, “I’m so proud to see you working so hard around the house, Cub.”

Whatever. You need this freedom. You relish in it, let it pervade your lungs when you breathe in deep in the dark cold. It feels good to be out at night with Taehyung. You’ll be careful, just like you promised your dad you would.

“Why are you here?” you ask Taehyung, as you run to hug him – to escape the cold, mainly. He’s warm as always, enveloping you in the comfort of his puffy coat. It smells like the forest, and the fabric softener his mum uses.

“You don’t know?” Taehyung pulls back from you, so his wide brown eyes can take you in better, “Tonight’s the Christmas carnival…” His voice trails off as recognition sweeps across his face. “Oh, right… you wouldn’t know about that since you only moved in recently. Well, basically, every December, a moving carnival comes around, and sets up just outside town.” As he continues talking, he speeds up, his excitement mounting, and you have to concentrate on each word that streams out: “It’s-super-fun-and-I-really-want-to-go-with-you-we-should-totally-go!”

Now that he mentions it, you do remember seeing the posters going up around town for a carnival. “Why now?” you ask him, as you brain finally catches up with what he’s asking, “Why not go in the daytime… when it’s warmer… and with more light?”

“Because,” Taehyung draws out the word, rolling his eyes, like it’s obvious, “The carnival is so much more exciting at night! There are bright lights, and fireworks, and live performances… and besides… my mum says I’m too young to go without an adult, so there’s also that…”

The last piece of information would have been helpful to know from the start. You can’t help but giggle, as Taehyung looks sheepishly down at the ground, before his eyes dart back up to you, and he bites on a smile.

“Why is it,” you ask, “That when you’re with me, you always end up doing things your mum wouldn’t approve of?”

Taehyung fully detaches himself from your hug, dragging away his heat with him. “I guess you’re just a bad influence.” He pokes out his tongue.

“Kim Taehyung!” your voice is accusatory, breath misting in the air, “I am not a bad influence! You’re a bad influence!”

He anticipates your indignation, darting away from you, and you chase after him – partly to keep yourself warm, partly because you want to get him back for that – and he swerves out of your grabbing hands, his laughter coming out with the fog of his breath.

“You’re the one who convinced me to go into the forest, and you’re the one that got me to sneak out of my house,” you call after Taehyung. He suddenly stops short, letting you careen into him, and your arms wrap firm around him, as you, huffing, remind him in a lowered voice, “If anyone’s a bad influence, it’s you.”

“Alright,” he swings you around in a hug, before setting you down again, and leading you away from your house, “You’re right. You got me.”

At his words, you can’t help but sing the song that’s grown all too familiar: “I got you. I got you.” It’s almost become an inside joke for the two of you, and it cracks him up, blowing air out from his pursed lips, in an attempt to resist shattering into a full-bodied laugh. “The big bad monster got you.”

In this state, feeling like you’re floating as high as the rooves of your housing development, you walk down the street, giggling over Taehyung, as you let him lead you out of town. You’re excited to be up past your bedtime – and to be up with Taehyung. Ahead of you, the lights of the carnival appear beyond the final few rows of houses, turning the sky a strange shade of orange. A little bit further takes you out into the countryside that bleeds into your town, where the carnival lies in the rough and rugged grass, with wild-kept hedges keeping back wild-kept cows. Running beyond that is the forest. Its branches are oddly coloured from the carnival, black bark turned all shades of the rainbow. It would almost look pretty if it wasn’t for the contorted tree limbs.

Taehyung digs in the pockets of his coat, pulling out two notes, which he holds up to the man by the entrance to the carnival. The man raises his eyebrows at you, obviously doubting your age, but he doesn’t ask you where your parents are, just waves you on with a nod, and a handful of tickets for the rides.

On the other side of the turnstile gate, you’re overwhelmed by the noise, every vibrating inch of bustling activity. There’s the tinkling music of the carousel at the centre of the park, clashing against the Christmas songs blasting in tinny tones out of the speakers, and punctuating all this, are the shouts of the crowds. You didn’t realise there were this many people living in your town; it’s a shock to see so many people in one place. The air is swimming with the sickly sweet scent of candyfloss, and underneath that is something even more sickly and sweet. You don’t recognise it, but the plastic cups lying around give you a hint. Maybe you’re beginning to understand why Taehyung’s mum didn’t allow him to come, especially late at night. Unconscious of what you’re doing, until you’ve done it, you bundle closer to Taehyung, threading your fingers through his. His fingers fit yours like jigsaw pieces.

“Where do you want to go first?” he asks, eyes sparkling, reflecting the bright lights of the fairground rides, in orange and blue and yellow.

You give him a shrug, not as excited as he seems to be. There’s an uneasiness sloshing in your chest, like cold water poured into your lungs. “You decide.”

“Alright then,” Taehyung looks around, licking his lips while he thinks. Then a decisive finger points a straight line to your next destination. “That! Let’s go on that!” You follow his finger to the carousel at the centre of the carnival, with pretty white horses, accented with gold, spinning round and round, and give a nod.

After the carousel, that leaves you mildly dizzy, there’s the helter skelter, that make you even more dizzy, and then the spinning teacups after, which makes you practically nauseous. By the time Taehyung’s suggesting you take a break from rides to get some candyfloss, you only want to sit down with your head between your knees, and get a feel for the solid ground beneath you again. But Taehyung is dragging you along, with the world spinning around him, a mess of cloudy Christmas lights and blurred people. If you keep your hand in Taehyung’s and focus on his face, turning back to smile as he pulls you along, you begin to feel better.

As you queue for the cart selling candyfloss, telling Taehyung you don’t want any yourself, your eyes finally focus again, returning to stability, in a world that isn’t wobbling. You look around, as you wait for Taehyung to go up for his food, watching groups of people pass by. There are a lot of teenagers, so much taller than you are, crashing past with clashing voices, and dissonant laughs. There’s plastic cups in their hands, and they smell strongly of the sickly sweetness that hangs over the carnival.

You don’t have long to watch them, as Taehyung returns with a bag of pink floss, pulling off wisps to stuff in his mouth, sucking sugar off his fingers. “You sure you don’t want any?” he asks, and you forget about the groups of carnival-goes, now that he’s back by your side. He’s all you need to give attention to. You reach, and snatch a piece of candyfloss from the bag, not feeling so sick now. You taste nothing but pure syrupy sugar dissolving in your mouth. Taehyung sticks out his tongue, bright pink. You stick yours out as well, probably just as pink as his own. Hanging, looking at each other, you both descend into laughter, and move on from the cart.

As you journey around the carnival, you stop at the occasional stall. There’s a coconut shy with lots of cuddly toys lined up as prizes, which you can’t help but stare at. “You want one?” Taehyung asks. There are granules of candyfloss sugar stuck at the corners of his mouth.

You shake your head, embarrassed that he caught you looking. You’re too old for stuffed animals anyway.

Not paying attention to your head shaking back and forth, Taehyung hands over a ticket to the stall holder, and turns to wink at you: “Watch this.”

With one well aimed ball spinning at the coconuts, he knocks down the top one, and turns to you, triumphant. “Which one do you want.”

You blush under his happy smile. “I don’t mind,” you say, eyes darting to the pastel blue bear perched in the centre of the display.

Taehyung’s eyes roam to it as well. “That one,” he points it out for the stall holder, and then hands it over to you. You try to refuse it, embarrassed, until Taehyung shoves it into your face, fur soft against your cheek. Taking it off him, you bury your burning face in the blue material, smelling sweet like the carnival. Peeking over the bear’s ears, you find Taehyung smiling at you. “You can just say that you like it, you know.”

“I like it.” Your words are muffled in the fur.

You journey further down the winding path of stalls, your bear tucked under your arm, your other arm tucked through Taehyung’s. You wind on past brightly coloured stands, with flashing lights, and garish displays, until you reach a tent at the very end of the carnival. Just beyond, the forest whispers in a faint wind.

A sign stands outside the tent, marked: “Old Curiosities.” An old man stands outside, beckoning customers in. Taehyung tugs on your hand, turning to you with shining eyes, “Let’s go have a look.”

You let him pull you inside, with a small smile, and a roll of your eyes. “Sure.”

The inside of the tent smells musty, like everything’s been covered in a layer of dust. The air feels heavy, pressing silence compared to the activity outside. It’s an oddly familiar feeling.

Taehyung traipses around, looking at all the items on sale. Occasionally he’ll pick something up, and hold it out to you to see your reaction – small wood carvings of strange creatures which make you wrinkle your nose, and clusters of crystals that claim to ‘protect from the evils of the forest’ which make your eyes sparkle, and other oddities that you don’t know how to respond to, when Taehyung waves them in your face. But it’s not until you reach the farthest corner of the tent that Taehyung pulls you to a jolted halt to inspect something: a large tome, engraved with glinting gold edges. It’s entitled: ‘Creatures of the forest: A guide to the monsters that reside in the depths of the dark’.

Taehyung’s eyes are gleaming, wide and bright, as he picks up the book, arms shaking under its weight. His mouth gapes, as he opens the first page, with the leather spine giving a satisfying groan. You peer over his shoulder to get a glimpse inside. The pages are awash with brightly coloured illustrations of magical creatures – unicorns and goblins and gremlins. Taehyung flicks through the aged pages, with you watching by his side, until he comes to the final page, where he pauses, and your heart pauses along with him. This page is different. It’s not as bright as the other pages, the colours drained out to leave washed out browns and reds, like dried blood. The only stark colour on the page is the black, dark line scratchings, detailing a manic sketch of a hunched creature, balanced on its hind legs, with long front limbs hanging over awkwardly. You can’t make out much more of the shape, the drawing is too dark. The only detail of the creature’s form that’s clearly distinguishably is its mouth, with pointed teeth, twisted in a strangely human smile, set in a face without eyes or nose or ears.

Taehyung hastily closes the book, and places it back in its spot in the corner of the tent, with a strange reverence.

You don’t talk about it as you head out of the tent, but you notice Taehyung glancing back once or twice, eyes dancing to the spot where the book rests. You don’t need to ask him to know that he wants it, just as curious as you are. You start trying to think of a way to get the book for him without looking suspicious.

“Let’s go on the Ferris wheel now,” Taehyung suggests, as you step out into the cold air. With your brain still whirring on possible ways to break away from him, and get back to the tent in secret, you give him a nod.

Lining up to get on the ride, you’re suddenly self-conscious when you notice that the other people queuing with you are couples. All of them. Pushing off the strange tightness in your chest, you give Taehyung a nudge, and joke, “I wonder if we look like a couple too,” you laugh at yourself, “How weird would that be.”

In the cold, Taehyung’s ears and nose are red. He gives you a strange look, and pushes back on your arm. “Why do you have to say stuff like that?”

You open your mouth, to tell him it’s just a joke, but his face is turned away from you, lips pouted to the cold air, his breath fogging from his nostrils.

You don’t know what you did wrong. Reaching over, you make a light grab for his arm, and he doesn’t fight you off, allowing you to burrow next to him. Maybe you do it for warmth. Maybe you do it to make up for whatever you said wrong.

“Sorry,” you mumble against his jacket, “I’m just being weird. It’s a joke.”

“Yeah. A joke,” his voice is low. You look up, just in time to see his lowered brows, before he smiles back to you, and the moment is forgotten.

But when you finally get to the front of the queue, and get onto the capsule with your final two tickets, rather than sitting opposite you, as you were expecting, Taehyung slides into the seat next to you. As the capsule rocks back and forth, with the ride starting, your hand slips into his – a common place for it to find itself recently. After mentioning couples, you get a rush of panic that Taehyung might not like your hand in his, and jerk your fingers free. “I- sorry,” you stumble over your words, “I just- wasn’t expecting the ride to be so… unsteady…”

Taehyung’s eyes fix on you. His gaze is piercing. “Are you scared?”

You gaze back, watching the way the carnival lights flicker in and out of his irises. “Not really. Not with you.”

His hand finds yours again, as you reach the peak of the wheel, and you smile at him. Your hand doesn’t detangle from his until you’re climbing off the ride.

Taehyung huffs out a breath that clouds the frosted air. “Thank you for coming with me this evening,” he smiles over to you, as you walk away from the Ferris wheel. His fingers squeeze your hand tighter.

“I’m glad you invited me,” you tell him, and this sets his smile stretching wider.

“We should probably go home now, though,” Taehyung sighs, as his eyes flicker past you to check the clock that hangs over a stall selling fudge and toffee.

You’re about to agree with him, when you remember the old book in the ‘Old Curiosities’ tent, and realise you’ll have to get away from Taehyung quickly if you want to buy it for him.

“Um… before we leave… I’m going to find the toilets,” you say hurriedly, pulling your hand out of his.

He nods, and you call over your shoulder, “Meet me back here,” before you head into the crowd.

As soon as you’re separate from Taehyung, your stomach chills with unease. The throng of people is heaving, bodies heavy against you, as you push through. At your age, you’re barely noticed. You wish you were a bit taller.

You pick up your pace, weaving through the gaps in clumps of people, almost sprinting, until you reach the tent labelled ‘Old Curiosities’ and duck inside. On the other side of the tent’s canvas wall you’re safe from the press of people. Your stomach still feels cold.

Making your way around the displays, you wind your way to the back, and breathe a sigh of relief when you find the book hasn’t been bought yet. Fingers curling around the golden binding, you pick it up, feeling the satisfying weight of the pages in your hands. You search for the price, turning the book over, until you find the sticker and read – you choke a gasp. That’s too expensive. Even with all your extra pocket money, there’s no way you can afford it.

“Like the look of that, little lady?”

You jump at the voice behind you, and turn around, clutching the book to your chest. Behind you is the owner of the shop – the old man who had been stood outside earlier, ushering people in.

“It’s a beautiful book,” he says, “One of a kind.” His milky eyes glint.

“I-it is really nice,” you agree, “I really want it. For a friend.”

The man’s wrinkles fold deeper in a smile. His face looks like it’s collapsing when he does this. “Well, that’s awfully nice of you. A book like this can come in handy.” He leans in closer and lowers his voice, “For figuring out what’s lurking in the forest, you know?” You blink, and almost miss the wink he gives.

Giving a sniff, your nose still bitten from the cold, you can’t help but defend, “Well, I don’t really believe in stuff like that.”

The old man’s face hardens, as he straightens up again, and, scared you’ve offended him, you quickly go on, “But my friend does, you see.”

“Well, then he’s wise for his age,” the old man says, his smile returning. You don’t like how far his lips stretch, showing his old, pink gums. “I still believe in the things in the forest, myself.”

You clutch the book tighter to your chest, fingers digging into the binding. “That’s silly. Monsters don’t exist.” You’re not so sure, as you say it.

“Well, aren’t you stubborn, little lady,” the man says. His smile wanes.

“I just want the book,” you say, before he can continue, “Please.”

“Sure thing, miss,” his smile is back, “Do you have enough for it?”

You bite your lip and shake your head, then quickly add, “But I almost have enough. And I can give you the rest soon. Once I get more pocket money.”

The old man doesn’t seem convinced.

“Please? My friend really wants this book.”

He shrugs. “Maybe I’d let you have it for less… if only you were more willing to give in to your imagination. But I don’t want to give a book like this to a girl that doesn’t even believe in the monsters in its pages.”

You frown. This man is strange, you decide. “Fine. If I say I believe in monsters, or whatever, will you let me take it?”

He shakes his head. “You wouldn’t really mean it, would you? Although…” he pauses, “I suppose it is for a friend who still believes… so maybe it’ll still find a good home.” Bending his neck to peer up at the dark ceiling, he rubs at his gummy eyes, and sighs, “Alright, give me whatever money you have.”

You fish in your coat pocket, and pull out all your savings, dumping them into the man’s withered hand. He counts each note slowly, licking his fingers as he flicks through them. Satisfied with the amount you’ve given, he nods.

That’s all the encouragement you need from him to tuck the book inside your coat, and hurry away. At the exit of the tent, the man calls after you, and you turn back to see his eyes shining from the dark back corner. “Don’t be so hasty to grow up. Enjoy your childhood while you still can. And keep believing in monsters.” You can’t even manage a polite smile as you dart out, letting the tent door fall closed on his unnaturally wide smile. Outside, the heaving crowds don’t feel nearly as suffocating as the air inside.

You push through the people, your legs carrying you into a run. You just want to go home now. Ahead, you see Taehyung, waiting by the Ferris wheel where you left him. A smile warms your cheeks, as you slow down to a stop by him. “Sorry,” you pant, “The crowds were crazy. I got stuck behind a few groups.”

“That’s fine,” Taehyung smiles in reassurance, “Let’s go home now.”

With Taehyung, a safe presence by your side, you leave the carnival behind. Away from the presses of people, it’s bitterly cold, and you’re suddenly aware of the frozen air that’s seizing your lungs up with frost. You huddle closer to Taehyung as you walk, savouring his warmth.

Back in front of your house, the return journey seeming oddly short, Taehyung smiles at you, as he comes to a stop at the driveway leading up to your door. “Thank you for going out with me tonight.” He seems to realise what he’s said, and tries again. “Wait- no. Not going out. Not like a date. That’s not- I mean- Thanks for coming along.”

You can’t help but blush, caught up in his embarrassment as well. You’re still thinking of mentioning being a couple in front of the Ferris wheel. It had only been a joke. But now Taehyung seems overly conscious of it – and so are you.

You wish you could take that joke back, and go back to holding his hand without overthinking.

Taehyung lingers at the front of your house, and you linger too, because you’re not ready to say goodbye. You wonder if you should hug him goodbye. You normally hug him a lot. But if feels weird after him stumbling over the idea of ‘going out’.

Before your brain can seize up, overthinking this, Taehyung leans in. You aren’t expecting it. As he wraps his arms around you for a hug, your face is in the wrong place. Your lips graze his cheek as he moves in. You jerk your head away quickly, deterring the almost-kiss.

But Taehyung doesn’t seem disgusted by it, like you were expecting him to be – especially after him huffing at you for mentioning couples. Shouldn’t two friends accidentally kissing each other be gross? You lick your lips, and realise you don’t feel repulsed at all. In fact, it was nice. Taehyung’s face was soft, his cheek cold and wind bitten beneath your lips. You step forward, and brush your lips there again – on purpose this time.

“Thank you for taking me with you.” Before either of you can properly compute what happened, you run into the house, leaving Taehyung outside in the dark of December.

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[A Day Later – December 2010]

You’re dressed in your school uniform, your hair still tangled from bed, sitting in front of a bowl of cereal, which is going soggy, while your dad moves around the kitchen, making coffee. The radio hums in the background, murmuring the local news.

“Last night, a group of teenagers were rescued from a local forest, when, after a carnival, the group had gone into the woodland, and got caught in a landslide. One teenager, when questioned, said that they had been running away from a creature in the forest; in his own words, ‘it was, like, some big dog, or something.’ It was said that the group was under the influence of alcohol at the time.”

Your dad frowns at the radio, his coffee mug raised halfway to his mouth. “That happened in the forest by our house, right?”

You stick a spoonful of cereal in your mouth to avoid answering.

“Honestly, why would they go out into a forest like that after they’d been drinking. With how overgrown it is, it’s clearly unsafe. They’re lucky they were found after that landslide.”

“Maybe they went in exactly because they’d been drinking,” you suggest, and your dad looks over to you, eyes tried:

“Yeah, probably.” He rubs his eyes, and takes a long swig of coffee, “What kind of crazy town have we moved into, Cub? With all these stories of creatures in the forest? Everyone’s mad here.”

Before he can continue, you swallow your last spoonful of breakfast, and point to the clock. “I have to leave if I want to get to school on time.”

He looks to the clock in surprise. “Oh… right… How did it get that time already?”

Grabbing your backpack, you press a kiss to his cheek when he bends down to you, feeling the scratch of his stubble, and then run out the door.

As you walk down the drive, and turn onto the pavement, you think over what your dad’s been saying. This isn’t the first time he’s complained about the town you’re living in. Since your fall on Halloween, he’s been complaining about how close you are to the forest, and about the crazy stories circulated about a ‘monster’. He uses that word softly, like it’s a bad word he doesn’t want you to repeat. You wonder what he would do if he knew what you do with Taehyung, going beyond the fence, letting your friend spill out his fantasies about capturing the monster, and making the town safe again.

You don’t have enough time to worry about this, as Taehyung pulls up beside you on his bike, his feet scraping the tarmac as he slows down. You normally meet up with him to walk to school together, when your dad doesn’t give you a lift.

After last night, with the impromptu kiss – that’s what it was, right? Almost? – you’re not sure what to say to Taehyung.

He doesn’t seem to know either. He gives you a stiff nod, and a gruff, “Morning,” as he climbs off his bike, to wheel it along between you. He used to let your ride along with him, hanging off the back, but after the crash on Halloween, he won’t allow you on, in case he hurts you again. The scar on your forehead still hasn’t faded, and stands as a reminder for your body thrown to the curb, with a screech of screaming wheels.

Taehyung’s face is oddly red today, you note, as you cast a quick glance to him. It’s as if the cold has pledged war against his skin. Skin you had kissed. Warm skin. His skin.

You pull your eyes away from the spot you had kissed the night before, feeling your own face reddening too. You mutter, “Morning,”, a bit belated.

You wonder where you’re meant to go from here. It was a kiss – just a kiss. It doesn’t make you boyfriend and girlfriend. It takes more than a quick brush of lips to change that. Probably. You don’t know. You’ve never had to think about things like this before. Your brain is hurting. Maybe Hoseok knows about this kind of stuff, since he’s older. Maybe you should ask him. But then again, maybe not. That would be embarrassing.

Instead of pushing further on what you had scraped against last night, with a mention of “going out” and a quick kiss, you instead grapple for normality – searching to get back to what you had before, because the silence between the two of you, with red faces, and averted eyes, feels too intense. You don’t like it.

“Did you hear about that group that got caught in a landslide last night?” you ask, going back to the forest, as a way to get Taehyung talking again. It always seems to work.

Taehyung seems oddly downcast, as he says, “Oh yeah, Mum mentioned something about that this morning. Said it was the reason ‘I’m not allowed in the forest in the first place’.”

“Isn’t it scary?” you lower your voice, “What if something like that happened to us when we went into the forest?”

Watching his trainers, Taehyung says, “That won’t happen. Those people were crazy drunk, and didn’t look where they were going. Besides… I don’t think the forest liked them being there.”

Your brows pull down, as you stare over at Taehyung. He keeps his gaze focused on his feet, huffing clouds of fog in the morning chill. “What do you mean by that?” you ask.

“Well,” Taehyung says, ‘The forest flood crumbled when they went in there. It’s like the ground was punishing them for going in where they didn’t belong.”

You shake your head. “That’s stupid. Forests can’t punish people.”

“Why not?” Taehyung finally looks up, his eyes meeting yours. His gaze is clear, deep and intense. It almost makes you trip over your own feet. “The forest feels different from other places. It’s like it’s alive. You feel it too, right?”

You think back to Halloween night, when the whole forest roared loud with your own fear, then shake your head. “No. If it seems that way, it’s only because of the games we play in there, when we imagine the monster.”

Taehyung frowns at you. “But the monster’s real…”

“Alright,” you relent, because it seems to make Taehyung happy when you play along, “Maybe it is. But the forest isn’t alive. Well, not alive like you or me.”

“It doesn’t call to you, then?” Taehyung asks, his face confused. It reflects your own, as you stare back, trying to figure out if this is another part of the games he plays with you – where you both agree that monsters can be real.

“No,” you give a laugh, but it’s short lived. “It’s just a… forest. With trees. And dead leaves. I mean, it’s a bit creepy at night time. But it’s normal.”

Taehyung laughs, but his face falls serious too quickly. “Yeah… normal… apart from the monsters.”

You both tumble back to silence, only occasionally punctuated by Taehyung sniffing, his nose running from the cold. You’re not sure what that talk was, or why Taehyung is speaking in such a strange way, but as you keep walking, you suddenly break out into a laugh, real this time. “I get it!”

Taehyung looks to you, mouth pulling into a smile, a natural reaction to your own smile.

“It’s calling you, Taehyung,” you say, “Because you’re destined to become a famed monster hunter. It’s an- an omen.” If Taehyung wants to play like this, then you’ll go along. Your heart beat is picking up, as his smile stretches into the rectangular shape you love, sweeping along with his imagination.

“You think that’s what it is?”

“Yeah,” you say, “It’s like how Hoseok says his calling is dancing. Your calling is being in the forest.” You’re happy with yourself for figuring it out, although you’re not sure what you’ve figured out.

“I’d like that to be my calling,” Taehyung says, “What’s your calling?”

You consider this. What do you feel pulled to? “Being with you,” you decide. And with that, all the weirdness between you and Taehyung from the night before dissolves on the air, as he finally leans over the bike to wrap his familiar arm around you. You knew something had been missing until now, but the warmth of his arm completes the picture of you two, happy and smiling, on the final street before you turn towards your school.

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[Two Weeks Later – December 2010]

The Christmas holidays gust by too fast. Christmas day is quiet, with just you and your dad. Your letter to Santa, pleading for a dog, clearly didn’t get through, as your Christmas tree was lacking a wriggling puppy beneath it, and you had to smile a bland smile at the books and clothes you got, so as to not hurt your dad’s feelings. You still haven’t told him you caught him walking past your room with presents from ‘Santa’ four years ago.

With the twenty-fifth behind you, the day of Taehyung’s birthday drops upon you, prepared for, but still a surprise when it reaches you, with a cold, black ice on the ground when you open the curtains that morning.

You’ve spent the days before reading over the book you’ve bought for Taehyung, so you can get the most out of it yourself, before you pass it on to him. Of course, you don’t believe any of it, but the pictures are oddly pretty, and a curious part of you keeps coming back to them. You’ve read through all the pages, with more interest than you care to admit. But you never dwell long on the last page. Your eyes only quickly scan over the words there - ‘The demon: Little is known on how this creature survives, but it seems to feed off negative emotions’ – before you quickly shut the book, to close away the sketchy lines that outline the creature there. Sometimes, when you blink, you can still see that picture imprinted on the back of your eyelids.

That evening, you carefully wrap the gift for Taehyung, glad to finally get the book out of your room, and get rid of the illustration of the demon. As you step out, into the biting night, with the present hidden under your puffy coat, you find Taehyung grinning in your garden. You’d asked him if he would come around, telling him you wanted to do something special for his birthday – besides the party he’d invited your whole class to.

The two of you sneak over the fence, as always, back into the forest. You can’t help the uneasy squirming in your stomach as you watch where you place your feet, but Taehyung reminds you that there’s no chance of another landslide occurring. You decide to trust his word on it, and follow him along, making your way through the branches that reach out for you, like fingers, digging into your hair and clothes, until you reach the clearing.

Standing, with your breath misting, you’re struck once again by how perfect the circle of the clearing is, the tree branches breaking off neatly, to form a ring. It’s almost unnatural.

You and Taehyung sit down on the clumped roots at the base of one of the trees, where the gnarled wood coils around to form a sort of seat. Huddling close for warmth, you tell Taehyung, “I have a gift for you.”

His whole face lights up, shaming the dim moon for brightness.

You pull the book out from under you coat, suddenly self-conscious of the trouble you went through to get it for him. With a mumbled, “Here,” you thrust it into his hands, and then shove your cold hands in your coat pockets.

Your eyes zone onto as his fingers, as he carefully tears off the paper, not looking at his face. Seeing his reaction when he opens the present would be too much. As he pulls off the paper from the gold edges of the book, you hear an intake of breath, but still refuse to look up to his expression, embarrassed.

Suddenly, his arms are wrapping around you, pulling you in tight, and crushing out any worries as he squeezes you. He smells comforting and familiar, as your face is pushed against his chest. “Thank you!” You feel his breath in your hair, “How did you even get this?”

You pull away, with a shrug, “I just snuck back to get it,” although Taehyung is barely listening to your explanation, as he pulls back and looks at the book again, opening it reverently, and flicking through the pages. “I thought it was an appropriate gift for a monster hunter like yourself,” you say, smiling, happy to have made him happy. Your heart expands wider and wider, matching his smile.

Seeing him like this reminds you of why you continue these make-believe games with him, blurring reality into your own imagined spaces, where the forest can become alive, with the trees leaning down to listen in on your hushed conversation, and eyes watching through the sparkling dewdrops. This is a place, where you, mature as you are, you can momentarily pretend with Taehyung, smile at the idea of monsters, and enjoy the thrill that thrums through you when there’s a soft rustle in the leaves, or a crackle underfoot. The possibility of the impossible is exhilarating.

And it’s exhilarating to stay next to Taehyung, proud to be the friend who makes him smile the most – the friend who’s kissed him once, because friends can do that, sometimes.

You watch his mouth as his lips keep smiling. “Thank you,” he repeats, “You’re amazing.”

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[Three Months Later – March 2011]

As much as you like the idea of being grown-up, when applications for secondary school begin, you realise that the stress of it isn’t as fun as you imagined.

And that’s why, when the day comes for you to find out which school you got into, you can’t sleep the night before. When the morning arrives, with harsh sunlight stinging your tired eyes, you’re barely awake as you slump down the stairs to ask if the postman’s come yet.

Your dad is already in the hallway, holding the letter you’ve been worrying about. “Give me,” you grab it from him, adding in “Please,” quickly, so he can’t ask you “What’s the magic word?” You don’t care for politeness in this moment, you’re too nervous. Your whole body is vibrating. Tearing open the letter, your eyes scan over the jargon you can barely understand. Frustrated, you hand the letter back to your dad. “What does it say?”

“You got in, Cub,” you dad says, and you jump on him in a hug. He fluffs your hair with a gentle hand. Of course, you knew you’d get in, but there was a moment of fear where you considered that something might have prevented you from getting the school you wanted – like the fact you’d missed the beginning of your final year of primary school or your mediocre grades. You didn’t really understand the whole application process, but now that you know where you’ll be going next school year, a weight has lifted off you.

After getting ready for school, and almost falling asleep in your cereal, your sleepless night catching up with you, you step outside for school, and find Taehyung waiting at the bottom of your drive.

“Well?” he asks, and you grin:

“I got in!”

“Me too!” He bounces on the tips of his toes, and, caught in his excitement, you bounce with him.

“We’ll be together for secondary school then,” you smile.

“I’m glad,” he says.

“Yeah, me too.”

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

When you get to school, Jimin dashes up to you, his eyes wide, like they always are when he’s overcome with worry. “Did you guys get in as well?”

You and Taehyung both nod, and Jimin smiles in relief. “Thank goodness. I didn’t want to be alone in school.”

“But you’d know Hobi-hyung,” Taehyung reminds him, and Jimin laughs at this:

“Yeah, that’s right. But it’ll be so fun to all be together at school.”

You give in to the grin you’ve been resisting, and somehow your limbs get tangled around Taehyung and Jimin in a celebratory hug.

“Alright,” Mrs. Lee’s voice cuts bluntly through the air, “I know there’s a lot of excitement today, but let’s all try to pay attention.”

You detach yourself from your friends, and totally unfocussed, you sit down at your desk, grinning wide, as Mrs. Lee’s voice dissolves into mush in the background. Across from you, Taehyung’s smile is bright, and your chest tightens in excitement at the thought of being able to spend the next few years with him, like this. It’s the feeling you get on a rollercoaster, just before you’re about to be thrown down. Taehyung’s eyes sparkle in your own, and you feel the drop.

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[Two Weeks Later – March 2011]

As spring settles in, disrupting winter’s ice, greens in all shades begin poking their heads past the dead brown. And with this spurt of new growth, the branches that hang over your fence into your back garden are sprouting dull new buds. Your dad decides it’s time to trim them down.

You come back from school to find him by the fence, hacking down the branches that have infiltrated your garden. And despite all your hatred of the ugly trees, dripping black sap down the fence, you find yourself marching across the grass, demanding, “Dad? What are you doing?”

He sets down the shears, turning to you with confusion painted on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you cutting those down?” Your breath is ragged, as you stare at the cluster of dismembered limbs, severed from the trees, once a way into the forest for you and Taehyung.

“Why?” your dad repeats the question, bewildered, “Because they were getting in the way. Doesn’t the garden look nicer this way?”

You want to tell him no. The garden’s too bare now, too tame. But that wouldn’t make sense to anyone but you. You’re only worrying for Taehyung, that he won’t want to play with you as much, now that your garden doesn’t grant easy access to the forest. Maybe this is all your friendship hinged on. Softly, you only mumble, “I liked it better before.”

“Sorry, Cub,” your dad moves to put an arm around your shoulder, “But, look, our garden’s got more space now. Maybe even room for a trampoline, or swing set. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“I don’t care,” you say, and pulling out of his grip, you dart back into the house, slamming the door behind you.

You don’t have to wait long to hear the expected knock at your door. Taehyung always calls after school, giving you a little time to get changed out of your school uniform before he shows up. Today, you haven’t bothered to change, too caught up in huffing with your dad. You run to the door, still in your socks and school skirt. Opening up to his beaming face, a surge of panic overcomes you. There’s no way to hide the damage your dad is doing in the back garden. Taehyung has no more reason to hang out with you.

“What’s the matter?” The problem with having spent so much time with Taehyung is that you can’t hide your feelings from him.

So you tell him, “My dad’s cutting down the branches that hang into our back garden.”

Taehyung’s face drops, his normal smile slipping away.

Scared he’ll leave, your hand reaches out to grab his wrist, and you draw him down the drive to the road in front of his house, where you both sit down on the curb. You curl your knees up to your chin.

“Do you think we’ll still be able to get into the forest without the branches to help us over,” Taehyung asks, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

You shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe you still could. You’ve grown a bit taller.”

“I have?” Taehyung looks pleased with himself, “Then I can help you over too.”

Relief spreads through you, and you can’t fight off a smile, “Good.”

“Good?” Taehyung’s brow crinkles. “I thought you didn’t like the forest.”

“I don’t. Not really,” you swallow, “But I worried that if my garden doesn’t offer you an easy way into the forest, you might not want to play with me anymore.”

“What?” Taehyung pulls back a little, as if to get a better look at your face, brows lowered, “Are you an idiot?”

After your concerns, his question is like a punch in the face.

“Of course I still want to play with you,” Taehyung says, “Even if we can’t get into the forest from your garden. I don’t just like you because of that. I like you, because you’re you.”

This affirmation sets off a warm glow, and you fight off the smile that tickles your lips, not wanting to seem too pleased. “Well. Good.”

“It’s a shame about the branches getting chopped off though,” Taehyung goes on, “I wonder if it hurts the trees, getting cut up like that.”

You recognise that Taehyung has slipped into make-believe now, talking of the forest like it’s alive. Following his cue, you reassure, “Probably not. Trees aren’t like you or me. They don’t bleed when they’re cut.”

“Maybe not,” Taehyung says, “But they might still feel it.”

“Listen,” you swivel around, to look at him closely, “How about tonight we sneak out after my dad’s finished cutting branches, see if we can still get into the forest, and make sure the trees aren’t hurt too bad.”

This seems to satisfy Taehyung, and he jumps up off the curb with a new spurt of energy. “Sounds good! So, what do you want to play till then?”

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

That night, you wait up, hanging on a thin thread of excitement until you hear the tap of a stone against your window, and snap downstairs, dressed and ready, running to meet Taehyung. Even though spring is settling in, the dark air is still cold, and you breathe out a shivered breath, despite your thick hoody.

You and Taehyung walk over to the fence. The cut branches are tantalisingly out of reach on the other side of the fence, shrivelled back. Taehyung takes a running start to reach the top of the fence. His fingers scrabble at the wooden planks, the grain offering him no purchase. He slides down, before jumping off to rescue his hands from splinters.

“Maybe I can give you a boost up,” you suggest, since Taehyung has often helped you up this way from the other side, before he uses the trees to help himself over.

Taehyung nods, and allows you to give him a push up, with you huffing under his weight. You manage to push him up to a point where his fingers can curl over the top of the fence, hoisting himself up. From there, he can offer you his hand, pulling you up. It’s certainly a lot more difficult to get up without the branches, but it’s not impossible. You grin triumphantly at Taehyung, perched wobbling at the top of the wooden planks, which dig into your thighs.

Looking around, you note the points on either side of your garden, where your dad couldn’t reach, and the tree branches still grow wild and unruly. You point them out to Taehyung. “I wonder if it’s easier to get in from that side.

Taehyung nods, and jumps down, back into your garden. You follow after him, and weave your way down the garden, through the unlatched gate to the small space in-between your fence and your next-door neighbour’s fence. Here, there’s a small gap, like an alley-way between wooden planks, that doesn’t seem to belong to your family, nor your neighbour, and the forest grows wild at the end of it, spilling over the wooden framework. At this point, it’s easy for you and Taehyung to scramble over, and Taehyung grins when you drop down beside him on the other side. “See,” he says, “No garden work is going to stop you and me: famed monster hunters.”

“Not famed yet,” you remind him, and he sags his shoulders, arms flopping by his sides:

“Just play along!”

“Sorry,” you giggle, “Um yes, famed! Wow! Is that Kim Taehyung, winner of monster-hunter-of-the-year award? Known across the whole country for tracking down all manner of strange creatures? I can’t believe it! Can I have your autograph?”

Taehyung isn’t listening to your jokes. He walks past you, towards the trees that have been cut by your dad. “Look,” his voice sounds oddly distant. He treads towards the mangled wooden trunks, where dark liquid drops down from the severed limbs, “They’re bleeding.” He turns a worried face to you. In the moonlight, you see tears threatening to break past his long lashes. “The forest is bleeding.”

You peer up at the dark liquid, oozing down the branches, spilling from the points your dad had decapitated. Above you, the black fluid drops down, splashing your cheek. You stifle a scream, aware of how close you are to your house, where your dad sleeps. Your hand comes up to your face, feeling at the liquid. It’s sticky.

“It’s just sap,” you assure Taehyung, your heartrate decelerating, “I told you… forests can’t hurt like we can.”

Taehyung seems unconvinced, his lips pressing a thin line.

Not liking that expression on him, you try to distract him from the spot where the tangled pattern of branches abruptly cuts off, dropping into the dark, bare sky. “Come on, let’s go catch some monsters, Taehyung!”

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[One Day Later – March 2011]

The next day, you wake to rain so hard, your window, looking out onto the street becomes a wall of grey water. It falls in sheets, soaking you within a few seconds, as you make a mad dash for your dad’s car, with your school bag held over your head. It doesn’t offer much protection.

As your dad – kindly having offered to drive you, rather than letting you catch a cold on the walk to school – winds the car down the maze of housing developments that construct your town, you watch raindrops race each other down the window, in a mad frenzy, juddering over every speed bump. Above you, the sky is dark and purple. It looks like the night, despite being almost half eight in the morning.

When you reach school, and sprint across the soaked gravel of your school grounds, your body crackles under the reeling water, cascading off you – the build-up of pressure before a thunder storm.

Taehyung’s already in the classroom, shaking off his dark hair. It leaves pearls of water adorning his head.

“I hate the rain,” you complain to him, as you sit down with a huff, and push your wet hair off your face.

Taehyung waits while you hang your backpack over the back of your chair, and begin unpacking it, lining up your pencil case and your ruler neatly on the desk.

“I don’t like it either,” he says, when you turn back to him. His brows are pulled low, furrowed under his dripping fringe. “It feels like it’s going to thunder.”

“Yeah,” you sniff, not sure if your nose is wet from rain, or if a cold is coming on. You press the sleeve of your jumper to your nose, and then, feeling embarrassed, lower your hand again, and sniff once more. “It’s going to be a bad storm.”

Taehyung leans forward over the desk, and you lean closer to, feeling like he’s about to impart some secret. His breath tickles you as he whispers across: “Do you think it’s because the forest is hurt?”

You lean back, confused, eyeing him with brows raised, exaggerated, to let him know you don’t understand.

He repeats himself, “Do you think that the forest is punishing us for having its branches cut down?”

So, it’s another part of his game, a way of making the storm more exciting. You relax in the plastic classroom chair. “No way. The forest has nothing to do with this weather.” Sometimes his games get tiring. You can’t keep switching back and forth between reality and this imagined world Taehyung’s established, which he seems to think you’re in on. You wish he’d at least give a warning before he launches into these things, like: “Hey, let’s pretend…”

You don’t have time to say anything more to Taehyung, as a bag is set down on the desk next to you, dripping water. “Hey!” Jimin smiles behind it, his hair plastered to his head, “What are you guys whispering about?” He wriggles his eyebrows, and leans in over his sopping school bag.

You can feel some of the water dripping down onto your knee. You move your leg out of the way, and say, “It’s nothing.” As much as you like him, you don’t want Jimin knowing about the games you and Taehyung play. Jimin hangs out with Hoseok, he seems grown-up like the older boy, or at least, eager to grow up. He wouldn’t appreciate make-believe monsters anymore, not when he’s so conscious of acting older. You’ve noticed how he straightens his back more when he sits, so he’ll look taller, and how he laughs with Hoseok’s more grown-up jokes, although he’ll admit to you he doesn’t get them. So, instead of telling Jimin what you’ve just been talking about, you lean in, and whisper, “We’ve just been talking about how awful Mrs. Lee is.”

Jimin’s only too happy to launch into this topic of conversation, getting his pencils out of his bag, and pushing it off to deposit a puddle on the floor. “She really is. She seems so much worse as well, recently. It’s as if, as soon as spring has come, she sees we’d rather be outside, and is determined to choke all the fun out of it.”

“Right?” You cast a careful eye over to Taehyung, but he hasn’t said anything about monsters, and is now staring with creasing brows out at the water running down the windowpane in waves. Monsters are a thing for just the two of you, your own private world. You like it that way. Just you and Taehyung.

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

[Five Months Later – August 2011]

The next months pass in a whirl of happy memories, blending together like too-runny water-colour paint. You spend your days in a blur, playing with Taehyung, occasionally sneaking out to climb the fence, and explore the forest.

Your last day of school passes with you barely noticing it happening. All you’re left with is a school shirt, signed by your classmates that you’ll probably never talk to again.

The summer holidays are a happy haze of riding around the housing development on the back of Taehyung’s bike, holding on tight, so you don’t fall off again. He’s been through another growth spurt, and got a new bike to match – one that’s actually the right size, and he’s assured you that you’ll be safe riding with him now. You spend most of your time with him now. Sometimes Hoseok and Jimin tag along as well, although never into the forest – that space is for you and Taehyung alone. You’ve come to associate the smell of dried bark with him.

As the holidays rush by, you chase the ice-cream van as it drives through your development, and let Hoseok teach you how to dance, while Jimin laughs at how bad you are – although he’s had way more practice than you – until you get annoyed, and Jimin picks himself up from the curb, and carefully moves your limbs into the proper shapes. He’s a better teacher than Hoseok. His hands are careful on your body, fingertips barely brushing the exposed skin of your arms and legs. It’s different from the way Taehyung hangs his arm around your shoulder whenever he wishes. Jimin is more careful with you. Hoseok watches all this with his dimples popping up, amused, although you don’t get why.

Before you can realise what’s happened, it’s the end of the summer holidays, and your dad is taking you shopping to buy a new school uniform. The local high school uniform is a lot nicer than your primary school one – you like the white shirt, and the red checked skirt. At last, the final day of summer crashes upon you, totally unprepared, and you find yourself sitting on the lawn outside your hose, with Jimin and Taehyung, all eating ice-lollies that melt under the sombre reach of the last few summer sunrays.

“I can’t believe it’s over already,” Jimin complains, swallowing the last piece of lolly, and sucking the flavour off the stained stick.

“Me neither,” you say, watching as Taehyung flops down onto the grass with an exaggerated sigh. His fringe falls across his forehead, newly cut for a new school term. It looks oddly short.

“Honestly,” you say, as Taehyung squints against the sun, looking up at you, “I’m kind of nervous.”

“For high school?” Taehyung asks.

“Yeah.”

“I guess I’m worried too, kind of,” Jimin says, nibbling at the wooden ice-lolly stick. It mustn’t taste nice, because he stops, and goes on, “It seems more intense than primary school. For one thing, the building’s so much bigger. And the work must be harder.”

“I’m worried about making friends, as well,” you admit, “It’ll be so weird going from being the oldest students in school, to being the youngest.”

“It’ll be fine,” Taehyung pipes up, “Just remember, we’ll have each other at least.”

This brings a smile to your face, glancing down at him, as he shields his eyes with the palm of his hand, so he can grin back. “Right. We’ll all stay friends, won’t we?”

“Of course,” Jimin nods, holding out his little finger, “Let’s pinkie promise it.”

You hook your finger through his, and then glance at Taehyung. With his classic boxy grin, he reaches up to accept, wrapping his warm finger around your own, so much longer than yours. He really has grown a lot this year.

Feeling reassured, you go back to your half-melted ice-lolly, and try to forget school on your last day of freedom.

- ✻ ✻ ✻ -

A thunk! on your window has you sitting up in bed. You know that sound well, the sound of a stone on your window pane. Getting out of bed – you were too nervous to sleep much before your first day of school anyway – you push the window open and look down at Taehyung.

“Come down,” he whispers up to you, and you don’t need more convincing than that.

When you step out into the hot air, that hasn’t cooled down yet, with the sun only just dipping beyond the horizon, you smile and whisper, “Hi.”

“Hi.” He holds out a hand to you, and you take it with a pulling in your chest, like strings attached to your lungs are tugging you to him.

Instead of walking towards the fence, and going deep into your secret spot in the forest, you pull Taehyung down to your front garden, where you sit on the grass.

“What’s up?” he asks, realising you need a serious talk, rather than going into the forest to play make-believe. He plonks himself down beside you.

“In a few hours we’ll be starting high school,” you remind him, looking up to the clear sky, where the stars are shining bright, glistening like liquid. You feel you could reach out and dip your fingers into the faint milky way. “I can’t quite believe it.” Your voice sounds far away, and unlike your own.

“Me neither,” Taehyung lays back to look up at the sky, and you copy him, head coming to rest next to his on the dry grass.

“I really meant it about wanting to stay friends when we go into high school,” you say.

He turns to look at you, eyes shining and liquid like the shifting sky. “Me too. That’s why I pinkie promised.”

“Good,” you smile to yourself, looking up to the bright stars, that wink in and out of existence.

On the grass, Taehyung’s hand finds yours.

“But, Taehyung,” you go on, “Going into high school… I think we’re too old to play make-believe together.”

You hear a rustle as Taehyung head moves to take you in better. You keep your eyes fixed on the white of the milky way, like a light blush on the sky’s navy face. “You mean about the monsters?” he asks.

“Yeah…”

He’s silent.

You’re not sure what he’s thinking; you don’t want to look at his face to figure it out.

“Alright,” he answers at last.

“Are you upset?” you ask.

“No,” he says in a tone that says otherwise, “I just- I feel like you’re growing up faster than I am.”

You don’t know how to answer this, only mutter, “I’m sorry.”

There’s another rustle of grass, as, in your periphery vision, Taehyung looks back up to the sky.

“We can still be friends though, right?” you ask, “Even if we don’t talk about monsters as much.”

And Taehyung says, “Of course. My promise won’t change because of that. Even if we’re a bit different, and if we’re growing-up at different rates, we can still like each other, right?”

“Right.”

“Because I do like you.”

“I like you too.”

His hand, in your own, squeezes tighter.

Above you, a trail of light breaks the sky apart, in a line of silver, that disappears with a blink. “A shooting star!” you point.

“Make a wish,” Taehyung nudges you, and you squeeze your eyes shut and wish that you and Taehyung will go on liking each other, no matter what.

[To be continued]

author’s note: thank you so much for reading! unfortunately updates for the next few parts may take a while because university work is kicking my butt... anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this.

[sage-nebula]

pokemon (games) and/or pokeani for the meme?

I’ll go ahead and answer for the anime, since although I prefer the games, I think the anime works better for memes like this.

the first character i ever fell in love with:

Ash Ketchum, way back in 1998. He was pretty much an instant fave for me, and no doubt contributed to my love of snark and sass (given that his name could have just as easily been Sass Ketchum and would have arguably been more accurate).

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Manon. I liked her well enough at first, but the way her stans constantly bashed and degraded Alan while using that degradation to prop Manon up (often by making him her trophy boyfriend, which is really disgusting when you consider not only the age, but the maturity difference between them) quickly ruined any fondness I had for her. The fact that she got off scot-free in the show without having to realize or own up to any of her own mistakes or shortcomings (while Alan took the fall for all of them instead) didn’t help.

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Mmm, I can’t really think of anything for this one. I don’t think there’s anything that I used to seriously ship in this show that I don’t ship now. There are casual ones I can think of that I no longer even casually ship, but even those were more of a shrug and acceptance rather than something I actively liked.

my ultimate favorite character™:

ALAN [SYCAMORE], FIRST OF HIS NAME, HEART OF A CHAMPION, SOUL OF A DRAGON. It’s honestly no contest. I cannot think of a single character in the whole of the PokéAni that could come even close to comparing with him. I still block on sight for any nonsense hatred or condemnation thrown his way, and I regret nothing. 

prettiest character:

I mean … I know I’m biased, but …

My valiant dragon son is beautiful. I mean, in particular, his eyes …

He has dragon fire in his eyes. You don’t get much prettier than that.

my most hated character:

Paul. He’s straight up abusive to his pokémon, and him learning to give them the absolute bare minimum of care and praise at the end of a match (or losing to Ash at the League, which I literally do not care about at all) is not enough for him to curry favor or earn forgiveness in my eyes. He can go burn, and for that matter, he can take that bastard Damian from the OS right along with him as he does.

my OTP:

Ash/Misty will always be endgame to me, as well as Jessie/James. 

I do think that it’s probable that Ash and Misty would end up dating other people as they grow older—that Ash would date Dawn for a while, for instance, and that Misty would have a relationship with Lana—but at the end of it all I think they’d find their way back to each other, once they’ve grown up and matured and realized that, while their first crushes on each other might have been puppy love back when they were kids, now that they’re older … it’s deeper and more meaningful than that. It’s real.

As for Jessie/James, I think those two are soulmates, however you want to interpret it. Maybe their relationship stays platonic forever. Maybe their relationship is romantic. Maybe their relationship floats in a nebulous space between platonic and romantic, undefined as Meowth rolls his eyes from the other side of the balloon. Whatever the case, I don’t really care as long as they’re together. That’s what matters most.

my NOTP:

Aside from the obvious ones of bestiality, incest, and pedophilia, my answer to this would have to be Alan/Manon. I never liked it to begin with because of the age / maturity gap between them (honestly, Manon acts like Bonnie, the show parallels her to Bonnie, and Alan is so mature people often mistake him for an adult despite Malva referring to him as a boy, how is this even a question), but between how the show handled their relationship and how the ship’s stans (who are always Manon stans, from my experience) handle it / treat Alan, I honestly want to scrape my brain out with an ice pick every time I’m reminded this ship exists. It’s a trashboat of epic proportions as far as I’m concerned.

favorite episode:

It’s less one single episode, and more one trio of episodes: OS022 - OS024, a.k.a. “Abra and the Psychic Showdown”, “The Tower of Terror”, and “Haunter vs. Kadabra.” Those three episodes left a major lasting impression on me as a kid, in a good way. That depiction of Sabrina as a villain with a creepy monotone, who had a small “doll” that represented her childlike innocence (that was still villainous in her innocence!), and the way she presented a formidable threat that no one else in the series had managed until that point … not to mention the backstory with how she drove her own parents away (and turned her own mother into a doll), how she was always waiting for her father to show himself again, how she drove herself to that point by obsessing over her powers (I would too, ngl) … man. I loved everything about that trio of episodes. I still love that trio of episodes. There are quite a few episodes in the OS that I turn to regularly whenever I just need something to watch, but I think those three are extra special.

saddest death:

LATIOS IN THE GUARDIANS OF ALTO MARE. At first I was like, “wait, did anyone who wasn’t a villain ever even permanently die?” AND THEN I REMEMBERED LATIOS AND HAD TO CLUTCH AT MY HEART FOR A SECOND. RIP LATIOS, YOU ARE MISSED.

favorite season:

It’s a tie between the very first season (Kanto), and the second season (Orange Islands). While both had their faults, what I like most about those two seasons that latter seasons (even in the OS, with Johto!) lack is how organic they feel. Kanto especially was created before the Pokémon Anime really decided on its identity, and chose a formula to stick to for successive seasons, most likely because they weren’t sure they were even going to get successive seasons back when they were making it (the series was supposed to end with Mewtwo Strikes Back, after all). As a result of this, we had some truly original episodes. We had the three episodes with Sabrina that I mentioned above, but we also had episodes like “The Ghost of Maiden’s Peak” with a Gastly that could talk for reasons unexplained and who impersonated humans to keep a dead girl’s legend alive; we had episodes like “Mystery at the Lighthouse” with a giant Dragonite that was never explained or seen again (also, still mad at Team Rocket to this day for attacking that poor baby); we had episodes like “Electric Soldier Porygon” where everyone traveled into the internet with Porygon to stop a computer virus (and give 800+ Japanese children seizures, but that wasn’t supposed to be part of it); and we had episodes like “Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon” where Ash discovered that a bunch of fossil pokémon were living underground and, in the process of all this, almost got eaten by an Aerodactyl. And the Orange Islands, while slightly more tame, was similarly allowed to be pretty free and fun given that it didn’t follow the badge quest formula, and the Orange Islands weren’t drawn from the games, meaning that the anime team could do whatever they wanted with them. So between the anime not yet having a set formula in season one, and the anime being set somewhere completely new in season two, seasons one and two of the PokéAni had plots that were basically like:

That was every day in the first two seasons of the PokéAni, because the first two seasons of the PokéAni were already so goddamn weird, and they were better off for it.

Aside from how weird and strange the plot could get, though, I also feel that the first season especially felt a lot more organic than even the second because the effects of the journey were regularly shown on the main characters. They were lost pretty much all the time (which is why they needed to keep Tracey for Johto, tbqh; he was the only one who had a sense of direction). They were often dirty and longing for baths and laundromats. In “Wake Up Snorlax” they’re out of food and practically crying as the town they reach doesn’t have anything to offer them because it’s been so long since they’ve eaten. Ash, Brock, and Misty are two children and a teenager traveling across the continent by themselves. It makes sense that they wouldn’t always have a nice place to sleep, that they’d run out of food, that they’d be grimy and exhausted a good deal of the time, especially since they’re always lost. (They were lost for like 70% of the first season istg. The narrator even lampshades when it takes them two weeks to reach Vermilion City and they all cheer.) I really liked how the first season in particular showed them tired, grody, hungry, and lost for a good portion of the journey. It felt so much more realistic than the perfect, spotless journeys that came later on.

least favorite season:

Outside of Alan and everything to do with him, I’m not much of a fan of Kalos. I’m also not really a fan of Alola because I don’t think slice of life really suits this series as much as the adventure genre does, but it had some good cameo episodes and also has Gladion, so it has its good points, too.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

Paul and Manon. Paul in particular is incredibly popular and I will never understand it.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Honestly, I’m not sure? I think the closest I get to this is Jessie and James, since they’re two grown adults constantly stalking and bullying a ten year old boy, which would be insanely worrying if not for the fact that said ten year old put them in their place literally every other day. (Plus I like to think they actually do really care about him at this point. It’s what I’d like to believe, anyway.) Maybe Cassidy and Botch would be better contenders, though. They have no redeeming qualities, they’re just assholes, but I’d still be super mega excited to see them come back.

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

ALAN deserves better than all he has suffered, and definitely deserves better than this goddamn unappreciative fandom. He is a burned cinnamon roll, been through hell and back, slightly charred, and he deserves the world.

Apart from him, though, Ash every time he gets put through some hell because of fate or destiny or legendaries or whoever the hell has decided to mess with him this week. After everything that went down in Kalos, can we really blame him for going to Alola for a vacation? And yet he’s STILL pulled into Ultra Wormhole nonsense! My god, just let this poor boy rest, he deserves it!!

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

Listen, I’m not one of those fools that thinks it’s canon, but I always loved the fic trope of Giovanni being Ash’s father because he and Delia had a fling way back in the day and I am grateful to that awful musical for giving it to us. The angst potential is real for this one, and I also like the idea of Giovanni allowing Jessie and James to chase Ash all over creation despite how it completely tanked their careers and potential not just because it “keeps them out of the way,” but also because it’s a way for him to keep an eye on his son without them ever knowing that’s his son. There’s some good fic potential there.

On a more serious note, while I don’t think it’s “wrong,” or “nasty,” or “makes me want to cleanse my soul,” I’ve always kind of shipped Spencer/Delia, too. The idea of Spencer Hale and Delia Ketchum finding love together later in life, and Ash and Molly becoming step-siblings as a result, is one that warms my heart. I know that Molly’s mother comes back at the end of Spell of the Unown, but … well, that was just a post-credits scene and so it’s easy to ignore. Come on, let Ash have a little step-sister. Let Molly have the mother she always wanted. It’s what they deserve.

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

I wouldn’t say I’m highkey invested in any romantic ship in this show, haha. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s not like any of them have a chance at development outside of small hints here or there, you know? So there’s no reason to get all up in a twist about it. So I think that most ships I ship could fall into this category. Cute, but no need to make a fuss about them.

[shes-claws-deep]

Thermite, Maverick, BB - Fuck, Marry, Kill

Thank you for your commission, @baysian-yin and @golele5 ! Please enjoy your 1000 word fic of Reader and three boys playing Fuck, Marry, Kill!

Deep into your cups at a team Christmas party, Meghan tipsily yells out that everyone should play Fuck, Marry, Kill. Just for fun, you know? You, in the spirit of having fun, say yes with a cheer. Now that you’re on board, she shoos you away to gather the ‘contestants’ and for you to come up with a couple of questions.

You sit in the kitchen with a full beer can, sipping from it with a bobbing knee as you listen hard for the antics going on in the rec room. You hear giggles, hearty guffaws, and even a bit of goodnatured dry-heaving going on behind you. It makes you furrow your brow, worrying at your lip as you think about who they would provide you as your options for fuck, marry, or kill.

The Germans? Mmm, they wouldn’t be so bad. Marius is a joker, fun to be around but equally as exhausting. Dominic, a little bit too intense despite the laugh lines in the corner of his eyes. Elias too kind and too wholesome; you’d hate to break him. Monika…that complex of hers does grate on your nerves. You’d fuck her, though.

The Russians-

“We’re ready!” Meghan has her hands hooked on the back of your shirt before you can even jolt up, hauling you bodily to the sofa in the other room where she plops you in a chair. “Ok, now, whatever you do? Don’t turn around.”

Shuffling. Lots and lots of shuffling and heavy footsteps of three men. Immediately you start to think; heavy footsteps, all of them. Not one of the men with lighter builds, which means they’re part of the middleweights, as you call it. Fairly tall and fairly heavy, but not the tallest nor the heaviest. Not Chul Kyung, Ryad or Maxim, they walk with lighter steps, careful and measured. Still, that leaves a good number of men who could be your ‘options’.

“Okay, now you can turn around!”

With a sigh, you down the rest of your beer and swivel around in the chair. Only to stop halfway through when you lay eyes on who they selected to be your options. Oh mama, you’re so glad you work at Rainbow.

Jordan Trace, Craig Jenson, and Erik Thorn all grin at you, crossing their beefy arms over their chests, all of them clearly enjoying the elevator stare you give to each of them. Rightfully so, for you’d fuck, marry, and kill each of them if you had the chance.

“Just to let you know, you can’t fuck all of them,” Meghan whispers into your ear, a lascivious grin spreading across her own face as she hovers by your ear.

“Spoilsport,” you shoot back at her without taking your eyes off them.

Jordan laughs, flexing his arms and hiking his shirt sleeve up onto his shoulder. Craig matches him and flexes both of his huge biceps, going so far as to pose comically before he’s pushed aside by his FBI comrade. Erik, on the other hand, just raises a finger to his lips and shifts to show off his muscular thighs instead. Oh yeah, he might not match the other two men in the upper body arena, but he knows his ass and thighs are to die for.

You bite your lip at the display, digging your fingernails into your palms to avoid humiliating yourself by going and rubbing up all over your coworkers. Back to the game, girl! Focus! Shaking your head, you fiddle with the beer can.

Craig straightens up to his full, intimidating height, smoothing his sleeves back down and laughing at himself. He’s a bear of a man, in stature and in mannerism. His resting bitch face is a real thing, but he makes up for it by being so caring and understanding and just so generally unflappable that everyone forgets about his RBF. If there was one thing that is his claim to fame, it’s that he managed to get the local recluse, Chul Kyung, to open up to him. If that doesn’t represent the amount of ‘dad’ he exudes, nothing will. He just seems to take everyone under his wing, to want to be rock and anchor for them.

Erik is quieter. More dangerous. Like the leopards you once saw in the South African wildlands, you will never see him unless he wants to be seen. He’s mysterious, that one. An enigma for all the right and wrong reasons. What do you really know about him, anyway? He likes to cook, he likes to travel, he’s eerily perceptive to the point of being creepy, and that he loves the sense of brotherhood and family he feels on base. It’s not really much in the grand scheme of things; could you really live with someone who you’ll likely never truly know?

Ah, and Jordan. Silly, stubborn Jordan. As you watch him, he fluidly avoids bumping into Erik, only to slam into the side of a table with a loud swear. If there was one person you thought you’d never get along with, it would have been Jordan. On paper, the pyromaniac is reckless, has no sense of self-preservation, and doesn’t seem to take himself very seriously. But under all that is a man who is deeply loyal and protective, willing to sacrifice everything to achieve his goal or to protect those he loves dearly. That recklessness is out of the confidence of self, his lack of self-preservation the willingness to put others above himself, his humour a shield against his own demons.

You mull on it, gnawing on the beer can as you stare into space. The men leave you alone, knowing you’re just taking a wee bit longer to think. At least, you thought they did, because ice cold metal shocks you back to reality. “Holy-!” you yelp, clapping a hand on your temple and looking up at Jordan who’s holding a fresh can aloft, that charming grin back on his face.

“Noticed that you ran empty,” he answers your unspoken question, nodding to the slightly crushed can in your hands. “I’ll get rid of that for you?”

Unspeakably, a blush rises on your cheeks and you nod, taking the fresh beer can and handing the crumpled aluminium to him, your eyes glued on his ass as he wanders over to the kitchen to dump it in the recycling bin. That…is one tight ass.

“I’ve got my answer.”

Craig leans against the wall and groans, “Shit, I should’ve gotten her the beer!”

Erik laughs and shakes his head, murmuring softly, “I think she had her answer from the start. Nothing you or I did would’ve changed that decision.”

How astute. Also true.

“I’ll marry Jordan; I’d wake up to that ass every day for the rest of my life if I had to. Fuck Erik, because he’s quiet and I don’t need another headache in the sack-” You don’t get to finish before Erik is guffawing loudly and Craig is wailing dramatically against the wall. Alcohol does strange things to people. Really strange things.

“Y-you’re gonna kill me?” Craig pretends to sob, hiding his face.

“Well, I can’t fuck two of you, can I?” You roll your eyes, jumping yet again (godDAMNIT) when Jordan’s heavily bandaged hand lands on your shoulder.

“Eh, I don’t think Meggie’s gonna blame you if you bend the rules a bit. I mean, I’d fuck both of them.” Whether that’s a possibility or not is going to be reserved for another wet dream.

Meanwhile, Craig is still faking his sobbing, though this time he’s crawled all the way to your chair. “Mercyyyyyy. Don’t let me dieeee~”

You pretend to think. “Hmm, to kill or to fuck, that is the question.”

“Both. Why not both?” said the angelic voices of Meghan and Jordan in either ear.

Laughter bursts out of you, breaking up your words as you nod and choke out, “Death by fucking, it is!”

Craig throws his hands into the air. “Hallelujah!” And then, a pause. “Wait, I’m still getting killed, aren’t I?”

[hale-of-stiles-heart]

and the autumn is bright

So this is officially the longest Kiribaku fic I’ve written to date! For the sentence starter: “You’re a what?!” Also on ao3!

Bakugo was going to fucking murder Kirishima.

He was going to explode the fuck out of his stupid fucking shitty face until he was just a pile of fucking ash. And it was going to be fucking fantastic.

No more shitty red hair, no more annoying requests to hang out and play video games or watch movies, no more being stuck eating lunch with a bunch of talkative fucking idiots. And there would be no more ridiculous, borderline inappropriate hero costume; no more constant exclamations about what was or wasn't 'manly'.

No more late-night study sessions that always resulted in Bakugo wanting to pull his own fucking hair out because as eager as Kirishima was to learn, he couldn't wrap his head around the simplest fucking math problem. Bakugo was still trying to drill the fucking quadratic formula into Kirishima's thick skull.

And maybe, just maybe, if Bakugo blasted Kirishima into fucking space there would finally be no more stupid, confusing feelings to keep him up at night. No more distracting thoughts about kissing Kirishima's stupid face and holding his stupid hand.

But before that, he had to actually kill Kirishima. Because, first, the asshole had managed to convince Bakugo to go to some stupid ass Halloween party at Ponytail's fucking mansion even though he knew damn well that Bakugo hated any kind of party that involved him being around other people.

The party was all anyone from Class-A could talk about for weeks since Ponytail had announced it a week and a half prior. She had invited everyone, even the creepy little grape-headed perv, promising a wonderful night of fun.

Bakugo had immediately written the party off as stupid and not worth going to, planning to instead spend the night in his dorm room reading. But, of course, Kirishima had other plans.

For days, Kirishima had done everything he could to convince Bakugo to go to the fucking party. From begging and pleading to bribing and cajoling, Kirishima had tried everything.

Eventually, Bakugo had grown sick and tired of Kirishima's exaggerated pouting and fluttering lashes and finally relented. He had begrudgingly agreed to go to the party, just to get Kirishima off his case.

Not at all because he genuinely didn't like seeing Kirishima so disappointed when there was something he could do about it. And it certainly wasn't because of the way Kirishima had smiled at him like he was the best thing in the world when he had agreed to go.

But now, the fucking asshole decided to flake and text Bakugo that he wasn't going to the party. And Bakugo was so not going to put up with that shit.

Not after he dragged himself to some shitty Halloween store to get a stupid fucking costume just to appease Kirishima who had insisted that he couldn't show up to a Halloween without a costume. Nope.

So, after receiving Kirishima's half-assed text, a clearly rushed sentence of 'sick, not going 2 party, sry,' Bakugo had immediately stomped out of his room to stalk over to Kirishima's.

To his surprise, Kirishima's door was locked. Because Kirishima never locked his door.

Since moving into the dorms, he had been very vocal about his open door policy, inviting anyone and everyone to feel free to come to his room if they needed anything.

Most people took advantage of it to just pop in and talk to Kirishima about their problems like he was their fucking therapist. Dunce Face would drop by to play video games and sigh about his crush on Headphones or Four Eyes would visit to discuss ideas for teamwork exercises or some other bullshit, deferring to Kirishima and his uncanny ability to bring the entire class together.

Even that Icy Hot bastard had awkwardly knocked on Kirishima's door to talk about his fucking daddy issues or whatever.

Others in the class used it as an opportunity to get some training tips. Namely, Round Face who would drop by to get some extra help with her hand-to-hand combat skills or fucking Deku who would stop in to ask Kirishima for weight training tips.

Bakugo usually just used it to stride into Kirishima's room whenever he felt like it, usually to invite him to go spar with him. But rather than fixate on the fact that he couldn't just barge in like he was now accustomed to doing, Bakugo balled his hand up into a fist and pounded it against Kirishima's door.

He waited for a response. When there was none, not even an acknowledgment of the fact that he was knocking, Bakugo impatiently snapped, "I know you're in there, hair for brains! Fucking answer me!"

From the other side of the door, Bakugo could hear a deep sigh. Kirishima's voice was clearly hesitant even as he loudly called, "Go away, I'm sick!"

"I don't care if you're dying, you're not fucking bailing on me, asshole!" Bakugo yelled back, banging on the door again with one hand while setting off a series of small, frustrated explosions in the other. Pausing his insistent knocking, he pointed out, "You're the one who convinced me to go to this stupid thing!"

"Well, I'm not going!" Kirishima said, voice slightly muffled. Whether it was because of the distance and the thick wooden door between them or due to some mysterious illness he had magically contracted in the two hours since Bakugo had last seen him, he wasn't sure.

Bakugo resumed banging on the door, beyond infuriated and seriously contemplating just kicking the fucking door down. He only stopped when he heard Kirishima speak. "You should be happy! Now you don't have to go!"

Seriously? What the fuck was that about?

"Don't be a fucking coward, Kirishima!" Bakugo groaned, though he wasn't exactly sure why. It wasn't like he actually wanted to go to the fucking party and Kirishima had just given him the perfect out.

But he wasn't a fan of Kirishima flaking on him. And he definitely wasn't a fan of Kirishima being a little bitch about it. He was about to bang on the door again when Kirishima beat him to the punch.

"I said go away!" Kirishima yelled loudly, the severity of his tone immediately disorienting Bakugo. He had never heard Kirishima raise his voice in anger. Never.

Out of excitement? Sure. Frustration? Plenty of times. But anger? Not once.

Something was seriously wrong. And Bakugo was going to figure out what.

"Fine, you fucking jackass!" Bakugo screamed at the door, kicking it for good measure before turning around to stalk back into his room. He slammed his door behind him, counting on Kirishima hearing the loud bang that shook the walls.

Kicking off his shoes in the hopes that it would muffle his footsteps, Bakugo made his way to his rarely used balcony. He shoved his blackout curtains aside to wrench open the sliding glass door that was blessedly quiet.

He shivered at the cold air as he walked out onto the balcony, grumbling to himself under his breath. This far into October, it definitely felt like fall after the long, hot summer they had been forced to endure.

The ornamental trees that dotted the UA landscape were all bare, naked branches dancing in the frigid breeze. They certainly screamed Halloween.

Above the trees, hanging in the sky like nebulous curtains, skeins of gray clouds sluggishly drifted by. Behind them, illuminating the dark night sky, the moon was full and unimaginably bright, like something out of a movie.

It was a perfect night for a Halloween party. Even Bakugo could admit that.

Turning away from the sky, Bakugo peered over at Kirishima's balcony and mentally calculated the distance between it and his own. They were only about an arm's length apart, if not a little less.

All it took was a relatively small, rather quiet explosion and Bakugo was touching down on Kirishima's balcony. He waited a moment to see if Kirishima had heard him, waiting for him to peek out onto the balcony.

After a minute, Bakugo tiptoed over to the sliding glass door to see if it was locked. It wasn't.

Bakugo let himself in like he owned the place, moving Kirishima's ridiculous fiery red curtains out of his way. As he did, he heard Kirishima repeatedly curse under his breath as there was a loud ruckus, a series of heavy thuds followed by an odd scratching sound.

"Get out!" Kirishima yelled, sounding inexplicably panicked from wherever the hell he was. It was dark in Kirishima's room, all of the lights turned off, leaving him sitting in the dark like that weird bird-headed guy from class.

Bakugo squinted into the darkness, tugging the curtains open a bit more. Just enough to let some moonlight filter into the room, enough to cast shadows around the room so he didn't end up tripping over one of Kirishima's dumbbells that he never fucking put away after using.

It didn't help much, not bright enough to let him see much. Bakugo was about to set off a couple small-scale explosions just so he could see where the hell he was going when he saw a hunched over figure on the bed, clearly Kirishima, outlined in silver.

From the little bit that Bakugo could see, he could discern that Kirishima was sitting in the center of his bed. He was bent over in a position that looked vaguely uncomfortable, face buried in his hands as he continued muttering to himself, too quiet for Bakugo to hear what he was saying.

"The fuck is up with you?" Bakugo sneered, nudging the tip of his socked foot against the side of Kirishima's bare one. Kirishima yanked his leg back so fast it shook his whole bed when his heel hit the bed frame.

Bakugo frowned. "You actually sick or something?"

Kirishima nodded. At least, Bakugo thought he did. It was hard to tell in the low light.

"C'mon, don't be a fucking baby," Bakugo instructed, rolling his eyes. Leave it to Kirishima to play through the pain of broken bones to take down villains but act like a total overdramatic wuss when he was sick.

"Go away," Kirishima groaned, voice stifled by his hands. And people called Bakugo dramatic.

Bakugo knocked his foot against Kirishima's bed frame, shaking his head when Kirishima jolted a bit. Bakugo snorted, "Man the fuck up. It's not a big deal."

That seemed to set something off in Kirishima. He immediately snapped his head up, demanding, "Get out!"

But all Bakugo could do was stare at Kirishima's eyes. His eyes that were fucking glowing.

Bakugo had never seen them do that before.

"Your eyes..." Bakugo managed to say, taking an instinctive step backwards. He stared dumbstruck at the bright red eyes that were glowing like smoldering coals in the dark. He raised a shaky hand, pointing at Kirishima as he whispered, "What the fuck's wrong with your eyes?"

Kirishima stood, going from hunched over to his full height as he stalked over to stand in front of Bakugo. He seemed to tower over Bakugo despite the fact that they were the same height, more so than usual.

He took a small step closer to Bakugo, the blond taking another step back. Eyes glowing angrily, he repeated himself, growling, "I said get out!"

A bestial snarl accompanied his words, sounding like it had been wrenched from deep down inside him. It echoed in the small room, seeming to shake the walls themselves.

Out of reflex, Bakugo set off an explosion in his hand. The blast cast just enough light for him to see Kirishima's face.

What he saw shocked him more than he could have ever expected.

Kirishima's face, usually so open and warm and happy, was twisted up into a vicious snarl. His too-sharp, too-white teeth were bared, somehow looking larger than normal.

His eyes — his weirdly glowing eyes — were narrowed in an uncharacteristic glare, brows drawn down angrily. His hair was an even worse mess than usual.

There was something off about him besides the weirdly glowing eyes. Something that felt disconcertingly primal, almost animalistic.

"Get out, Bakugo!" Kirishima yelled again as Bakugo's explosion fizzled out before he could look closer. The scent of burnt sugar filled the room as Kirishima stalked closer.

Desperation bled into Kirishima's voice as he insisted, "It's not safe! Just leave! Please!"

"What the fuck is going on?!" Bakugo demanded, feeling like he was going fucking crazy. He had to be seeing things, right?

"I'll explain later!" Kirishima barked. "Just go!"

"No, you'll explain right the fuck now!" Bakugo argued, taking a step towards Kirishima who skittered backwards like a startled animal. He seemed to trip over his own feet, falling with a shocked yelp before clambering up onto his bed.

With his eyes gradually adjusting to the dark, Bakugo could just barely make out the outline of Kirishima curling up again, burying his hands in his hair as he whined. Whined. Like a fucking dog.

Determined to get to the bottom of this fucking clusterfuck, Bakugo followed Kirishima's lead. He walked further into the room, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

Pointing a finger at Kirishima, who curled in on himself even more, he ordered, "Spit it out, shitty hair. Just tell me what the fuck is going on!"

"I can't!" Kirishima insisted, shaking his head, tightening his grip on his hair. Trembling so much it rattled the bed, he softly moaned, "It's not safe!"

"For fuck's sake, Kirishima!" Bakugo snapped, wanting to pull out his own fucking hair. Why the hell was he being so god damn fucking difficult about this?

"When the hell have I cared about what's safe?!" Bakugo pointed out, slamming his hand down on the bed, regretting it when Kirishima jumped. "I can take whatever you can dish out. You know that."

Kirishima kept whining, clearly stalling. Bakugo folded his arms over his chest, prepared to wait as long as it took.

Eventually, Kirishima dropped his hands with a deep sigh. He mumbled something that sounded like a reluctant 'fine' under his breath.

"Probably easier to just show you..." Kirishima relented, reaching behind himself to flick on the lamp on the shelf above his bed. Bakugo drew in a sharp breath as light filled the room.

Kirishima, though still immediately recognizable, looked vastly different. Aside from his eyes that were still fucking glowing, he had grown a plethora of other physical abnormalities.

He had apparently sprouted long, sharp claws on his hands. They were wickedly curved, looking capable of tearing a person limb from limb.

His teeth, already naturally sharp, seemed to have indeed grown even larger, giving him a rather noticeable overbite. The sharp tips of his canine teeth poked out from beneath his upper lip, clearly visible.

Sticking out from his wild shock of hair was a pair of furry red ears that Bakugo couldn't believe he had missed earlier. They were flattened against his skull, like Kirishima was doing everything he could to hide them from sight.

"What the actual fuck?" Bakugo asked no one in particular, staring dumbly at the patches of red hair extending down Kirishima's sideburns like a pair of ridiculous crimson mutton chops. He was about to comment on them when something else caught his eye.

Eyes wide, he peered around Kirishima's back to see that he had apparently also grown a fucking tail, too. The same bright shade of red as Kirishima's hair, it was tucked behind him, clearly in a futile attempt to keep it hidden.

Noticing that Bakugo was staring at his tail, Kirishima cleared his throat, moving his tail behind his back. Bakugo blinked a few times, stunned that Kirishima could move his tail.

"I'm a..." Kirishima started, trailing off as he muttered something unintelligible. He kept his head down as he rubbed at the back of his neck. His left ear twitched a bit as he spoke.

"You're a what?" Bakugo pressed, frowning deeply as he tried to decipher what the fuck Kirishima was saying.

"I'm a werewolf!" Kirishima yelled, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Like Bakugo was the one being thick-headed. "Y'know, with the full moon and the silver bullets and shit."

"What?!" Bakugo nearly screamed, drowning in skepticism. There was no way Kirishima was being serious.

Shoulders nearly up to his pointed ears as he curled in on himself again, Kirishima avoided looking anywhere near Bakugo, keeping his eyes down. With a sigh, he reluctantly explained, "It's a Quirk. Well, it's the effect of one."

He glanced over at Bakugo before looking back down at his lap, pulling his legs up to hug his knees to his chest. Resting his chin on his knee, he continued, "I was like five and I was playing with some kid at the park and he bit me."

"He bit you?" Bakugo blurted, inadvertently interrupting Kirishima's story. Kirishima just nodded with a small shrug like five year olds biting each other was a common thing.

Maybe it was. Bakugo didn't know. Even when he was five, he hadn't kept many friends. Fucking Deku didn't count.

"He bit me," Kirishima confirmed, resuming his story. "Turns out his Quirk is Werewolf. Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Including the whole passing it on with a bite thing. So... He sorta passed it on to me."

"The fuck?" Bakugo snorted. Did this mean Kirishima was like that piece of shit Deku? Fuck, how many Quirks could be passed on to others at will? "You have two fucking Quirks? Why the hell don't you use it?"

Kirishima shook his head, ears flopping around comically. Bakugo was immediately reminded of a dog shaking itself dry. He wisely kept his mouth shut about it.

"I can't control it or anything," Kirishima said, meeting Bakugo's eyes for a moment before lowering them again. He turned his head to look out the sliding glass door, staring at the luminous sliver of moon visible through the clouds.

The way the moonlight hit Kirishima's eyes seemed to intensify their glow. Kirishima's eyes remained fixated on the moon as he spoke, like he was captivated by the sight.

"It just sorta happens every full moon," he explained, voice soft as he continued staring out the door. Bakugo hummed in acknowledgment.

The mask of Kirishima's hero made a lot of sense all of a sudden. It had always struck Bakugo as rather canine, like a dog muzzle or an oni mask.

"I'm really sorry," Kirishima murmured, tearing his eyes away from the moon. Looking at Bakugo, he clarified, "About the party. I didn't realize tonight was the full moon. I'm usually a lot better at planning."

"Does anyone else know?" Bakugo asked.

Kirishima nodded again. "Yeah. All the teachers know. Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl, too. Technically it's a medical condition."

Bakugo supposed that made sense. Sprouting ears and a tail every month definitely qualified as a chronic condition. But he still didn't get why Kirishima had never told him before. They were supposed to be friends, damn it.

"So that's the big fucking deal? Why don't you just tell everyone?" He asked, shrugging casually. Kirishima let out another low whine, an involuntary response judging from the look of pure embarrassment on his face.

"I can't!" Kirishima said, shoving his hands into his hair again as he hopped to his feet beside the bed. Pacing in the middle of the room, he insisted, "It's not safe!"

He waved one of his clawed hands around, gesturing around the room. It drew Bakugo's attention to the disheveled state of Kirishima's room.

There was trash scattered across the floor, mingling with Kirishima's dumbbells and broken bits of what appeared to be the remnants of Kirishima's desk chair. Food wrappers and empty sports drink bottles littered the ground, both full of claw marks like Kirishima had been too impatient to open them properly.

The mini fridge Kirishima kept tucked under his desk was open, the interior a mess. The shelves were off their hinges and void of all their contents save for a single protein bar that had apparently survived Kirishima's ravenous hunger.

One of the legs of the desk was covered in claw marks. There looked to be a smear of blood on it as well.

Kirishima continued to pace back and forth as Bakugo's eyes followed him to and fro. Biting his lip, he went on, "I'm so hungry. No matter how much I eat, I always want more."

That certainly explained the sorry state of the poor mini fridge, a victim of moonlight cravings. But why that would be considered dangerous escaped Bakugo. Until Kirishima spoke again.

"And when I'm like this I get all aggressive," he said, tightening his grip on his hair, looking about ready to tear out chunks. He bared his teeth as he growled, "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Of fucking course, Kirishima felt that way, the selfless idiot. Putting other's needs before his own, even when he was dealing with the weird side effects of some crazy fucking Quirk. The big damn hero.

"You should go," Kirishima said, pulling Bakugo out of his thoughts. He had stopped his pacing, standing in the middle of his room, looking down at his bare feet. They, too, were tipped with sharp claws.

Another whimper echoed through the room. "I don't wanna hurt you."

His words sent a bolt of warmth through Bakugo, settling in his belly as a swarm of butterflies took flight in his stomach. Bakugo could feel his cheeks fill with heat, clearing his throat as he willed his blush away.

"Fuck that," Bakugo scoffed, leaning back against the wall. He grabbed one of Kirishima's pillows and propped it behind his back, not trying to fuck up his spine.

"I'm not leaving you alone like this, dumbass," he announced. "You'll probably end up doing something stupid like go chasing cars or howl at the moon."

Kirishima raised his head sharply, pouting at Bakugo. He dropped his arms to cross them over his chest. "I would not! I've been dealing with this for years, dude! I can handle it, I'm not stupid. I'm just so... Ugh!"

Kirishima threw his hands up again, letting out a frustrated groan. Hanging his head, he pouted again, the expression even more comical with his too-long teeth.

"The fuck are you talking about?" Bakugo frowned, narrowing his eyes at Kirishima. What the fuck did that mean?

Bakugo knew he wasn't the most emotionally intelligent person ever but he was pretty sure 'ugh' wasn't an emotion.

"There's just so much going on," Kirishima whinged, gesturing at his head with sharp, jerky motions. He looked about ready to start pacing again as he complained, "Everything's so loud and I can smell everything and it's all just too much and my head's all weird. Like there's this constant...buzzing."

So the effects of the Quirk also affected Kirishima's senses, enhancing them to the point that Kirishima was susceptible to sensory overload. Well, that definitely explained a lot.

"C'mere," Bakugo sighed, patting a spot on the bed beside his hip. Kirishima frowned at him, tipping his head to the side in a purely canine manner.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. He patted the bed again. "Just do it."

Kirishima obediently followed his instruction, cautiously climbing onto the bed to sit beside him. His ears were back, tail practically tucked between his legs.

He kept his head down, tucked up into a ball as he tried to make himself as small as possible, like he was afraid of taking up too much space in his current state. Glancing at Bakugo out of the corner of his eye, he folded his legs up beneath himself, keeping some distance between them.

Slowly reaching around Kirishima, not wanting to startle him, Bakugo grabbed Kirishima's other pillow. Kirishima watched him closely, ears swiveling around to follow the sound.

He set the pillow in his lap, making a show of fluffing it and arranging it to be as comfortable as possible. Patting the center of the pillow, Bakugo nodded towards it, repeating, "C'mon."

Kirishima looked between Bakugo and the pillow, seemingly weighing his options. He bit his bottom lip, apparently retaining his bad habit despite his even sharper teeth.

"I ain't leaving," Bakugo stated, matter-of-factly, ready to be as stubborn as necessary. "You either let me fucking help you or not. And I've got nothing else to do tonight. You know I don't wanna go to that stupid fucking party, anyway."

"But, dude..." Kirishima started, peering up at Bakugo with his big, guileless, glowing eyes. "What—" he cut himself off to swallow heavily "—What if I hurt you?"

"Then I'll kick your fucking ass," Bakugo said simply, shrugging a shoulder. Kirishima looked baffled, like he had never thought about the possibility of someone holding their own if he got a little bitey or whatever.

After a moment of deliberation, Kirishima crawled over to Bakugo, lying down beside him and setting his head on the pillow in his lap. His ears perked up a bit, tail swishing behind like he was an overgrown puppy and not a werewolf.

He pulled his legs up to his chest, rolling over onto his side, facing Bakugo. He curled his tail over his hip, the tip twitching a tiny bit.

Scoffing at Kirishima's eagerness to please, unchanged by the moon's influence or perhaps even magnified, Bakugo reached down to tangle his fingers in Kirishima's hair. Kirishima let out a breathy sigh, leaning into the familiar touch.

They had done this before. Several times. When Kirishima was having a particularly bad day or feeling shitty about his Quirk again. When he was doubting himself.

Bakugo would just run his fingers through Kirishima's hair and let his friend talk about his problems and his insecurities and his fears about the future and what it might hold. And Kirishima would rest his head in Bakugo's lap and look up at him with a soft smile after getting everything off his chest, thanking him for everything.

And Bakugo would sneer and roll his eyes and say 'whatever' while fighting the urge to just lean down and kiss that stupidly cute smile.

Now, Bakugo absentmindedly played with Kirishima's hair, feeling the tension seep out of his body. Kirishima's tail was wagging steadily like a metronome, smacking against the mattress every so often with a muted thud.

"You're overstimulated," Bakugo explained, running his blunt fingernails over Kirishima's scalp before taking a detour to scratch behind one of his furry ears, purely out of curiosity. Kirishima let out a soft huff, almost a purr.

"Your senses are heightened, aren't they?" He wondered aloud, though he was fairly sure he already knew the answer. Kirishima nodded, letting out a quiet mumble that might have been a 'yeah'.

"It's called sensory overload," he went on, scratching behind Kirishima's ear with more purpose. Kirishima's leg jolted a bit, like he was two seconds away from shaking his leg like a common mutt. "Happens when your senses get all jammed up with too much stimulation. Like all the smells and sounds that come with living in dorms."

Kirishima hummed his agreement, eyes falling closed as he leaned heavier against the pillow under his head. Bakugo smiled to himself. Dangerous, his ass.

Kirishima was just a touch-starved puppy, overwhelmed by a monthly overabundance of heightened senses and in need of a good ear scratching, wagging his tail at the smallest touch. For a second, Bakugo thought about whether or not Kirishima had ever been touched while like this.

Had his parents been too worried about getting bitten or scratched to sit up with him at night and comfort him? Had Kirishima growled at them and begged them not to go near him, the same way he had with Bakugo?

There were so many questions swirling around in Bakugo's head, about the past and the future and the present. But he knew now wasn't the time.

"Just focus on me, okay?" He instructed instead of asking any of his multiple questions. Carding his fingers through Kirishima's surprisingly soft hair, he instructed, "Forget about everything else. Just relax and focus, yeah?"

Kirishima nodded, burying his face in Bakugo's t-shirt, nuzzling against his stomach. Bakugo hummed in encouragement, smiling softly down at Kirishima as the redhead nestled closer, tail still wagging as he started to drift often.

Through the sliding glass door, moonlight streamed into the room, turning Bakugo's hair silver and deepening the red of Kirishima's hair. There was a promise in the moonlight, of a bright tomorrow and peaceful night, of a curse that maybe wasn't much of a curse after all.

How could it be when it brought two people together? Two people who were destined to be together, illuminated by the moonlight.

[takaraphoenix]

#10 for the ask game, let's say for couple of shows you watch, you decide which ones

Thanks for asking, this is a really intersting one! :3

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Huuuh, okay, lemme go through the shows I’m currently watching, see what I come up with. *tilts head*

Avengers Assemble: The current Black Panther’s Quest. But let me clarify: I don’t dislike the story of this arc itself; I dislike how it’s so awkwardly placed as an arc within Avengers Assemble. This should have been a spin-off, not a whole entire season’s arc of an Avengers show, considering the show has never given the individual Avengers huge standalone arcs like this before. As the plot for its own show this would be an amazing arc, but considering the show it’s on it’s... completely hijacking the show and that does bother me because when I watch an Avengers cartoon, I kind of want to see the Avengers in it, all of them, not just one? Just give him a spin-off, additionally to a real proper all-Avengers focused season of Avengers Assemble. It really ain’t that hard.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I am... absolutely startled to read that most of the fandom seems to dislike season 7 the most?? When in fact season 5 was the worst. The storyline of Dawn was so bad. Not just the retconning in of Sudden Little Sister and just how unlikable the character herself is, but also that the offered out wasn’t used. Just kill off Dawn in the end, use her as the key she is so this obnoxious character doesn’t have to be carried over to the next season, but nope, instead Buffy dies for her. IT was so dumb and so annoying and I find the overly religious story-arcs - whatever the religion - really creepy...

Doctor Who: I really disliked Clara’s post-resolution arc. She was such a good character and I really-really liked her and then the Impossible Girl was finally resolved... and she stayed. That was when she should have left. But that whole nonsense with Danny and how spiteful Clara turned toward the Doctor then and she still stayed around. Usually, this show cuts characters out too early, but in Clara’s case, she overstayed her welcome and the arc they forced there was just really not fun to watch...

Game of Thrones: I am mainly watching it for Dany’s arc, though also the Lannisters and Arya interest me. The others, not so much, but the worst arc is most definitely Bran. I just... care so little about him and what he’s up to, to the point that the one season where he wasn’t in it, I didn’t even notice he was missing. Only that then the next season, he was suddenly back and I was like “oooh... eeeh...”. He’s so boring and bad, I could do without him; the show has so much going on already.

My Little Pony: That last season. The story arc of the kids. This show is very distinctively about the Mane Six. And it was already stretching my patience when it went all about Starlight Glimmer, but now this attempt at making it about a next gen and their whole Elements of Harmony story arc? It was just... not interesting? There are enough established characters to focus on, even beyond the Mane Six. More about their families, more focus on the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, heck the background ponies like Octavia. Those kids...? I just... really did not care about them, I don’t remember a single name of theirs. The kids could have been used to further the Mane Six’s plotlines, as mentee and giving each a bond with one of the Mane Six. But this entirely separate own plot for those six new characters... was just not what I was interested in, not after seven whole years and seasons of caring about the Mane Six. Seriously, they could have had the Cutie Mark Crusaders make new friends and focus more on them as the next generation, but introducing fully unrelated, new characters... did not make me care...

Once Upon a Time: This might surprise some, but it’s actually not the Fr0zen arc, because that... at the very least... did a rather okay job at trying to fix the massive plotholes in the movie. I can appreciate that. It ain’t the soft-reboot either considering I refuse to watch that; can’t judge what I haven’t actually seen. I really disliked 5A the most; the whole Dark Emma nonsense and just how emo she was, I also really hate the storytelling tool of “here have a shocking now and let’s unravel it all in flashbacks”, that was so tiresome to watch. I dislike how King Arthur, the King Arthur, was turned into a fucking villain and how unnecessarily dramatic it was.

One Piece: Fishman Island Arc. It used to be Skypiea, but honestly I just dislike Shirahoshi so much. I find her brand of character absolutely nerve-grading. There was not really anything happening in the arc, it pretty much felt like a filler arc even though it was a major one. Waste of time.

Riverdale: The... damn how do I decide? This show started off so good as a fun murder mystery with intriguing characters. Haven’t seen season 3 yet so can only judge the first two. But Betty’s father suddenly turning serial killer was just such a horrendously over the top and unnecessary plot?? Veronica’s dad being a mastermind criminal had at least been set up from the get-go and even Jughead’s dad being the head of a gang and honestly was anyone surprised Cheryl’s mom would send her to conversion therapy? Okay, okay, I will buy all of that. But Betty’s father doing the serial killer bullshit was just way too much and unnecessary and just bad.

Shadowhunters: The addiction arc. It was the worst to watch for me so far. For one, because I am hard against drugs and really dislike addiction and drug arcs in general, but for another because it was just so badly written. That Isabelle, a brilliant scientist with a brain, would just cheerfully agree to take this risky drug from Aldertree to begin with, the utter lack of motivation as to why Aldertree would deliberately get her addicted to drugs aside from it being convenient for drama, then just how Raphael was completely reduced to a tool to further Isabelle’s plot and we did not treat him like a character facing addiction himself. It was so bad.

Stranger Things: The “let’s hide Eleven in my cabin and start to have secrets!”-arc? The reason I really loved the first season was because it was very up-front and open. No unnecessary miscommunication. So to then, in the second season force this miscommunication between characters who had already developed trust with each other... it was so cringeworthy. Eleven hiding from the boys, the sheriff not talking to them either. There was absolutely no reason to it aside from padding the runtime of the season. And that’s what defines a bad plotline; if it serves no actual purpose and has no grounding foundation, no reason behind it aside from “plot required it”.

Suits: The removal of one of their main characters?? This show? Literally? Has? Two? Main? Characters? And only one of them is the actual lead that separates this show from every other lawyer show. And... then... they remove him? The entire season leading up to that had such a good arc that was setting a separation between Mike and his girlfriend up because there were problems and there was distrust and they grew apart so much and I figured “Okay well the actress is getting married to a literal prince and leaving the show so they’re going to make them break up, huh?” and then in the last second, they decide to kit this and make Mike move away with her? I haven’t seen the new season yet but I... really can’t imagine it working out...

Teen Wolf: I feel like I should say 6B, but... I seem to hate that so much that my brain actually managed to forget it? And that’s... rare, but it happens occasionally. When something is really very bad and awful, my brain manages to forget about it. I clearly remember Jackson and Ethan making out and the whole FBI!Stiles thing and that it was about A Nazi, but... what the Nazi did and what actually happened and what, aside from the Nazi, I hated so much about that half-season... I can not for the life of me remember. Thank the gods. So I gotta go with 3A, because the True Alpha arc was the biggest bullshit. Don’t break your mythology. Don’t. Just don’t. Suddenly, a pack can be made up of all-alphas? How? The other alphas shoulda fall into being betas after joining Deucalion?? They should have become omegas after killing their pack because by definition they had no pack anymore?? They should not have gotten more powerful for killing their own pack? It made absolutely no sense at all and completely contradicted the lore this show had set up so far? And that Scott was somehow a ~True Alpha~... I still don’t see what the fuck’s so special about that if it doesn’t come with actual natural leadership abilities, which it should if you are a true and thus natural alpha, aka leader?? It was dumb and forced and you could taste the “Oh shit we want The Main Character to become alpha but we accidentally created a world where you can only become alpha by killing and of course can we not have The Main Character kill anyone!!!”... So dumb. So stupid. Do not like.

Wynonna Earp: THE BIBLE NONSENSE. This show started out so strong. And there was absolutely no reason to pull a sudden Bible on it. Bulshar could have just stayed his own OC demon self and this show could have kept its own mythology, but to suddenly make him the snake from the Garden Eden? To suddenly involve angels? Season 3′s Bible arc was just so absolutely unnecessary.

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