#i did feel a little bit like an edgy 12 year old drawing this. it’s fine i’m having fun

[gg-is-a-loser]

oh i’m a guilty one . or whatever

[aforgottenballad]

Feelings on Sally Face Episode 5

Under a read more for obvious reasons, includes heavy spoilers and potentially triggering subjects. 

Disclaimer: I might miss-remember some parts of the story or have missed a piece of lore that would settle minor complaints. I am however disappointed in the ending as a whole and in some of the very harmful tropes included in it. But I’m also just some dude online with an opinion, and you can stop reading at any time. 

Rant under cut. 

Alright ya’ll. I’ve had a couple days to digest the ending to Sally Face.  While playing, I genuinely enjoyed some elements of the game. The chapter started on a dark but nearly hopeful note. Neil and Ash were still working to bring the cult down. It seemed likely Sal would be resurrected. Todd had apparently escaped the hospital, and that had potential to be either a very very good or very very bad thing. Maple was possessed by whatever fucked up the souls of the other apartment tenants, but hey! At least her and Neil weren’t in on the cult like so many fans predicted. Unfortunately, this series has a way of getting darker and darker as it progresses.  First thing that bugged me was the lore drop about how the cult was founded.  A Native American tribe. Right. Because why wouldn’t Indigenous peoples be in a story without being part of some mystical occult backstory, portrayed as mysterious historical props who worshiped something dark and evil instead of being portrayed as human beings. 

But I continued. I really enjoyed playing as Ashley and getting some insight into her character. I enjoyed the task of planting the C4 in the temple... catacomb... thing. We get to see Travis again! I was excited that a lot of us were right about him being indoctrinated but also working to fight the cult from the inside. We knew he had some good in him after all. 

When Ash tries to resurrect Sal, we get even more insight into her character, and unfortunately a lot of it is “Grieving, distraught, and full of self-blame”. I want to hug her.  Sal’s spirit is apparently revived by those pyramids, and he can dimension warp. We meet Jim, or what’s left of him, and he doesn’t give a fuck about anything anymore but agrees to help Sal anyway. This is, narratively speaking, weird as hell. His entire character arc for four episodes was “Loved his family so much he sacrificed himself to save them”, and suddenly he’s just some glowy dude attached to Magic Spirit Tubes who doesn’t give half a shit. I guess it makes sense as a way to wrap up why he’s been able to drift between worlds but... if he doesn’t care about any of that anymore why help Sal? And what about Rosenberg? Is she like Jim, or do we just have to assume she’s magical because her family helped found the cult? (Explained in an easter egg later on, because this game doesn’t just drop its lore. Not even the CRUCIAL lore. You have to achievement hunt for it.) Sal can enter various doors in the House In The Void to step into alternate realities, and this was my favorite aspect of the game. Each door has a different art style, and I really liked seeing these alternate realities. Steve probably worked the hardest and longest on drawing out and coding these scenes. I genuinely applaud the man for the work put into this endeavor I’m assuming all by himself. 

Meanwhile, Ash tries to unbind Larry’s soul from the tree house he died in, which doesn’t work. Did we ever find out why his body was never found? No? Ok that seems important.

After each puzzle, Sal’s body is restored a little bit at a time, but even after turning on all the pyramids and solving the mysteries behind all three doors, he can’t make it back to the “real” world. So Ashley kills herself. Or tries to. Because apparently that’s the only way to complete the ritual, and also because she feels really bad about not unbinding Larry’s soul and about not fixing Sal. Again, I want to hug her, but I have to watch her hurt herself instead, cause Steve doesn’t let us have nice things.

Okay, so this is a gorey game. We know. But one of the BIGGEST no-nos suicide prevention networks will tell you when consulting them about mental illness and suicide in media is NOT to show a graphic suicide in progress. Steve is aware a lot of his fans are A) Young teens to young adults B) Struggling with mental illness. 

His main character suffers from depression and anxiety and this fact has resonated with hundreds of fans. It’s irresponsible to purposefully include a graphic suicide attempt, but he did it last chapter, showing a gunshot suicide’s aftermath, then he did it again with Ashley. Call me a wiener if you like, point out the graphic scenes from earlier in the game and call me a hypocrite for not being upset by that, but you have to admit the Spongebob-close-up-shot look to those scenes have a totally different feel. Speaking as someone who actually has a pretty thick skin, but is concerned about the fans who might be in a worse place or who could be as young as 12, that was fucked up. 

Anyway, Ash’s attempt doesn’t take, because she’s struck by magic lightning, which infuses Sal’s soul into her. Now her arm is one of those stretchy sticky hands, but with bio luminescence and the ability to kick cultist ass. I actually thought this part was really cool, and was super ready to go on a cultist smacking spree. But again, we can’t have nice things and before we get to do anything badass we have to look at gruesome imagery again. 

You get to see Void Larry, who is now old and a wizard or something, but first...

Surprise! Maple and Neil are dead! Not just dead, but hung up from hooks covered in blood! And naked! 

Hey?? Hey Steve????? You know how they’re both POC?? And that lynching imagery is EXTREMELY NOT GOOD?!!????

“Two white people are hung up with them” YEAH? WELL WE’VE NEVER SEEN THOSE CHARACTERS BEFORE. THEY’RE JUST RANDOM PEOPLE.

I’ve seen people arguing “The white characters go through terrible things too” but it’s still really fucked up that by the end of the game, every. Single. Person of color. In the game. Has died. Gruesomely. It’s a gorey, dark, bleak game, and white characters die as well, gruesomely; but not all of them. None of them that are named are shown strung up, naked. That’s fucked up. That isn’t okay. 

There are also a total of three gay characters in this game. One is Todd, who goes through the standard “bad bad stuff” the game is used to, is the white one, and he survives. One is Neil, one of the aforementioned people of color who died horribly and who only really existed to be Todd’s boyfriend and therefore a source of angst for Todd when he dies. The third is Travis, another man of color, and an abuse victim, who dies to fulfill his character arc as an abuse victim, which is also really shitty to see over and over again as an abuse survivor. 

Look, I know Steve pulled a lot of inspiration from old TV shows and horror series that probably weren’t all “politically correct”. I know it’s always been kind of an edgy and dark game. I know Steve probably didn’t think about the repercussions of all his narrative choices. But I also know he actively ignored some people offering to educate him on issues he has no experience with. I know he worked hard on this game, by himself, but we as fans have paid him and waited for years and it isn’t selfish or ungrateful to be hurt and disappointed. He knows his audience is diverse, he knows a lot of us were attracted to the game because of a gender nonconforming main character, a main character who struggles with mental illness, a cast that isn’t 100% white and conventionally attractive. Of course he didn’t need to change the plot for us! It’s his game, his vision, but the least he could have done is research how to not actively hurt and alienate a good portion of us.  I don’t think anyone is bad or racist for still finding solace in the characters and in what the story was before this, I’m not attacking you personally, whoever is reading this. I, personally, still have loads of Sally Face art in my queue, I still have active role plays going on, my Sal wig is sitting like 8 feet away waiting for the next time my friends want to take cosplay pictures. I still enjoyed playing the game for the most part. Without this game I wouldn’t even know most of my current friends. It’s just really shitty how it ended like this, and a lot of people I talk to daily either feel too sick to even talk about the game anymore after seeing people like them treated like trash by the narrative or try to focus on the good things they got out of just being part of the fandom but don’t feel comfortable supporting the developer anymore. 

Even if there wasn’t all these hurtful tropes packed into the game, and yes, even after unlocking the epilogue, the game just feels cold. It feels rushed, probably because of how much time went into the alternate dimension gimmick. I wish Steve had at least consulted people over the script. It felt like not only did he pour all his work into experimenting with the mixed media, he also just took whatever expectations the fans had and went somewhere completely different just to have his story be “unpredictable”. That isn’t always a good thing. Plot twists, downer endings, dark and scary imagery, all of these things can be done beautifully, but in this case it felt like he just wanted the series to end. The game didn’t subvert expectations, it fed into the harmful stereotypes and tropes all the fans were so hopeful it wouldn’t. 

...On top of not making any sense unless you’re able to 100% all the puzzles. And even when you do, it feels like all the bad stuff happened for no reason. The ending doesn’t conclude anything. Even when you unlock the epilogue, all it tells you is that a third of the world has died and that the main cast haven’t accomplished much besides “Trying to help”. Sal and Todd have powers now, but that isn’t elaborated on much. Larry’s spirit is missing, if he even exists in any plane at all anymore. It doesn’t even mention what’s going on with Ash.  It just feels like nothing mattered. 

[comicteaparty]

September 21st-September 27th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from September 21st, 2019 to September 27th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

How would you describe the target audience for your comic?  Did you intend to aim at that audience, or did it just happen?

Deo101 (Millennium)

My target audience for millennium http://millennium.spiderforest.com/ was and is LGBT youth. Specifically teens. I know when I was a kid reading a story where gay people are just kind of... There? No jokes, no stereotypes, more than one... That would have helped me a lot. So I'm trying to make that for other kids! I think the story has reached a much wider/older audience then I intended, but I know it has helped at least some LGBT youth/young adults and that's all I could ever ask for.(edited)

spacerocketbunny

The target audience for Ghost Junk Sickness is definitely queer youth and young adults! Much like what @Deo101 (Millennium) is saying, basically we wanted something like the cool action scifi comics we read when we were younger with good queer rep that's integrated and normalized in the universe! As it turned out though, the audience we reached has been all over the place ranging from older women to big biker dudes?? Every time we go to cons we can never guess who'll purchase a book because the range is so varied! I'm sure we still reach the original target to an extent but the rest is all over the map it seems! I don't think it's a bad thing, it's just been pretty unexpected

Deo101 (Millennium)

Not bad at all ^^ more like a pleasant surprise!

spacerocketbunny

Exactly!

Deo101 (Millennium)

I think those other, older people are also looking for a story to reach their inner child... And I think that's great

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Lol, I feel the similarly way about my own story. My goal was definitely to make something me as a kiddo would have loved, which essentially would have been shonen stories but with a female majority cast. I think I already figured my target audience would be similar to me, but I've been consistently surprised by how many male identifying folks like it. I guess I do like that they can hang though X) Anyway, these are my floppy, post work out thoughts. Hopefully they make sense.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

The target audience for Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/) was never super clear from the beginning - I just wanted to make something I'd like as a teen. Luckily (or unluckily! in terms of describing it to people ) the story is a mishmash of a bunch of different genres. It's not quite a ghost story, not quite a pirate adventure, not quite a fantasy epic, but it has elements of them all. And it does seem to have attracted people who like those different genres. It may not be easy if I ever want to publish it properly (it's a little difficult to describe my 'brand' ) but as it is, it's got everything I would have liked when I was between 14 and 18.

My happiest surprise is hearing about the younger kids who have read it, understood it, and really enjoyed it. Knowing that 10-12 year olds can appreciate my work is really awesome. I try to keep the language and scary/questionable content at Harry Potter levels, but I like having some of the depth/maturity of stories like The Golden Compass. If they like Phantomarine now, I really hope they find extra enjoyment with it as they grow up. It's going to be a ride!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Gosh, I get that feel of being multi-genre and not knowing quite how to describe your Brand X') I feel like I've gotten better at defining it over time but it's still a struggle to briefly describe what my thing even is some days. Also Golden Compass I'm always excited to find other comic folks who were also influenced by that series.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

It's my gold standard for the right blend of fantasy, reality, and maturity. It's just the best

keii4ii

The target audience for Heart of Keol (https://heartofkeol.com/) is extremely tiny, but it does have appeal for people outside of that niche. I make it for myself, and the relevant aspects of "myself" here are: a) Grew up in Korea, is living (or has lived for an extended period of time) in a predominantly English-speaking part of the world b) Bonus points if they spent some time living in rural Korea c) Is into slow burn drama about characters who could be described as being "genuine" and probably "lawful" as well d) Likes the aesthetics of fantasy settings, but is more into the mundane, almost slice of life, side of drama e) Is very much into reading between the lines for more emotional stuff. Reads a lot of heart from sceneries, possibly more than from faces. (I have face blindness and this affects how I experience comics both as a reader and as a creator)

Obviously people who meet both a) and b) are gonna be harder to find! But if one can meet c), d) and e), that's enough to enjoy the comic the way it's meant to be enjoyed, or so I hope.

The reason a) and b) matter is because it affects how the setting/aesthetics come across. To someone like me, the old Korea setting feels homey, warm, nostalgic. It's like a shorthand for "sit down and enjoy this heartfelt slow burn tale." But to others, Magical Asia might feel exciting and exotic, which isn't really what the story is meant to be, so there may be some dissonance.

seetherabbit

I haven't given much thought about the target audience for Vulperra. (https://vulperra.com/) other than then it's probably for people who like adventure, fantasy and cartoony-ish animals

Cronaj

My target audience is kind of all of the place. Initially when I began scripting my comic, Whispers of the Past, I was really into anime and manga, especially ones like Attack on Titan that were a gritty fantasy. However, since then, my style and story have changed tremendously. My target audience now tends to be young women, aged 15-25, who enjoy detailed world building in high fantasy and are definitely into family drama in story telling. Initially, I wrote the story to fit certain perameters that I myself enjoyed. For example, I am particularly obsessed with the idea of the mundane meeting the fantastical and amazing. The quiet lull of ordinary life juxtaposed by the rigor of magical entities. I specifically focus a lot on drawing beautiful artwork for the panels, because I myself am a picky-pants when it comes to selecting comics I want to read. Another one of my obsessions is a fantasy setting so detailed that you feel like if the story ended, the world would still live on. (One of my inspirations was the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini, in which the author essentially wrote several languages, similar to Tolkien.) In reality, my readers tend to be women aged 30+ (probably who watch k-dramas like I do), and a lot of D&D players. It's fun really, discovering how much of my own hobbies bleed into my stories.

AntiBunny

Early on with AntiBunny http://antibunny.net/ I was hoping for fans of scifi and film noir. What I got were fans of classic cartoons and furries. Which is fine by me really. Furries are nice people who are passionate about their hobbies (and spend money).

Jonny Aleksey

A superhero audience was always the intention for J-Man (http://jonnyalekseydrawscomics.com/the-undefeatable-j-man/), but specifically, right now, I'm aiming for something all ages. Slightly teen drama, cartoony but grounded. My inspirations were Spectacular Spider-Man and the DCAU so anyone who likes that is the readership I expect. Hopefully I can reach people who are on the fence about superheroes. The all ages aspect is something newish relatively speaking. When I started my webcomic I wanted to stay away from the "deep real edgy" tone I made when I was in high school (shiver). It took me a bit to really get that tone down. I don't use curse words and only mild blood, but occasionally stuff that borders on teen+ go through. (there's one instance in #5 where J-Man's face gets burnt by the villain that might've been a bit much) I don't think the all ages banner is going to restrict me from telling certain storylines/character development. Just means it won't be excessively grim.

Erin/Leif & Thorn on Kickstarter

The target audience for my webcomics is LGBT nerds who want stories that give them strong feelings, and who like SF/F, anime, competent characters that don't have to take turns with the Idiot Ball to keep the plot moving, and cats. Admittedly that last bit might be redundant, since everyone on the internet likes cats.

Ash🦀

I’ll be honest with you, I’m the target audience of my comic. (http://www.fwmgofficial.com/) it’s not out yet (it’ll be out October 31st) but as the writer I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Mostly, it’s just targeted to young adults and autistic people. I never got to see people like me in comics, so I wrote a comic where an autistic person can be the hero too, even in his own way. For me, I figure whoever likes it likes it and that’s good enough for me. (also furries. Definitely targeted furries)

Kay Rose

@Ash🦀 cant wait to read it!

Ash🦀

QwQ thank you!!

MJ Massey

So far Black Ball is pulling in a mix of people who like the vintage aesthetic (1920s and art deco with some old-school macabre for some reason?) and people who like shonen manga, which is great. Even if Black Ball isn't specifically macabre or strictly shounen (though I myself have made shounen battle manga-esque comics in the past)

DaemonDan (The Demon Archives)

Audience of my comic... Per Google it's 18-35 year old men from the US and Russia XD Which makes sense given it's a pretty hard sci-fi with a lot of military action from dudes in power armor and etc. Though I try not to go too "high octane action!1!" and explore more psychological elements too.

[boyfriem-moved]

Tell me about your ocs!!

oh boy WILL I EVER (below the cut bc im probably gonna ramble forever sjhdlhfsjd sorry)

so the ocs i was shitposting abt in that last post are my dumbass 12 year old ocs who were inspired by seraph of the end and the mortal instruments so it was uh,,,,,,,, a whole ass trainwreck but i love them and every time i tried to make them interesting i ended up changing everything about them so like last year i decided i would keep as much the same as i wanted about them and just fully embrace the mary sue dumbness of it and go absolutely wild

so! the state of the world at this point is that most of humanity is dead and the world is overun with demons and seraphim and some Whole Ass Biblical Angels and also vampires i guess bc Fuck You Vampires Are Cool. most living humans travel around in packs, general apocalypse bullshit yknow anyways all that’s boring onto the characters 

rowan is my twelve year old self’s self insert and their main personality trait is that they have an eyepatch and own a scythe and i love them to death. they’re self sufficient and perpetually annoyed and super gay and pretend to have no feelings but are actually super high strung and constantly worried about their friends. also they have an edgy cloak and bright red hair and did i mention the eyepatch and the scythe they’re the world’s edgiest bitch and i love them 

picture (sry for the old art it’s from like last december oof)

mal was pretty much nothing except rowan’s comphet boyfriend when i was younger so naturally i gave him the world’s most undeserved makeover and now he’s just a whole entire rowdy boy. imagine if the kid at your middle school who was obsessed with yugioh, instead of switching to magic the gathering when they got to high school, switched to kinning god and fistfighting demons. HIS dumbass origin story is that he was so scared of death that he made a deal with a demon named malachi (not its real name, the demons and seraphim are so terribly inhuman that human ears can’t hear their names, so they pick their own names somewhere within the range of “jeff” to “ylllmar the destroyer”) and then decided “hey as long as i have your power i basically AM you”, and now refuses to be called by his human name (james) because he’s so Dedicated To The Kin. (he’s such an asshole that he once told someone not to deadname him when they used his proper name. that someone being rowan. who is actually trans. they were not amused) 

picture (again: old (from november 2017 i think)) (also don’t worry he’s fine)

jem is probably my favorite (not 2 pick favorites but it’s her). she has all the confidence of mal, who’s so strong that he’s All But Immortal, except she’s 15 and 5 feet tall and couldn’t fight someone if her life depended on it. rowan considers her their mortal enemy, but they’re really something closer to girlfriends (although really it’s not that far of a leap from one to the other). she’s nosy and fearless and when she was like 13 she pretended to be a vampire to survive, joined a vampire girl gang, became the leader of said girl gang, then revealed that she was a human, but they all loved her so much that they just kinda said “fuck it” and now she has a horde of vampires to protect her wherever she goes. she’s The Ultimate Femme. wants immortality but doesn’t want it now because she doesn’t want to live in the body of a 16 year old for the rest of her life, so she’s waiting until her twenties to let one of the vampires turn her. in the meantime, she wears red contact lenses (vampires don’t have red eyes. it’s just a Her Thing) and every one of her outfits has enough frills and ruffles to smother her in lace. 

i dont have a readily available drawing of her but uh? yknow that girl from kill la kill (not to bring up kill la kill in the year of our lord 2019 i am SO SORRY) 

this one. that’s what she looks like kinda 

i can’t tell if this ask if ungodly long or if it’s just the pictures or both (probably both) but aNYWAYS 

my favorite beside jem is angel, aka the world’s dumbest bitch. his deal is that he’s a seraphim who was beaten up by his brothers for being a little bitch so he decided he’d go find a human to hang out with instead. so he put on the world’s most unconvincing human disguise (when i say seraphim i AM imagining glowing wheels of fire and eyes but they can shapeshift in this story bc uh. my world my rules) and went to find a human. and human. and he found little 12 year old rowan, said “this’ll do”, handed them a scythe, and they’ve been a dream team ever since. he’s fascinated with humans in the way that people are fascinated with their pets, which is kinda weird bc rowan is 100% the babysitter in this situation. he likes killing things, learning about human culture, rowan, and...that’s pretty much it. he and jem get along well because he’s like an overenthusiastic person and she’s the only one with the boundless energy to endulge him. 

again, no picture i’ve made myself, but i DID find the picture i ripped off google images a million years ago and used as his face (i promise you he looks nothing like that now...also i didn’t remember it looking like it had been deep fried jesus)

other noteworthy characters include: 

- mal’s pet demon who’s usually either a cat or a bird, both with WAY too many eyes, but sometimes takes the form of a little girl. her name is sara and her hobbies include mocking mal and biting people

- one random nameless demon who masqueraded as a middle school math teacher before the apocalypse which doesn’t matter one fucking bit except for the fact that when i was 12 i named him after my real middle school math teacher (i guess just bc i didn’t have name ideas?). which was all fine and good until my mom emailed him the story and i had to talk to him about how i’d written a short story where i inserted him as a demon 

- mika, the second in command of jem’s (almost) all vampire girl gang, her ex girlfriend and the butch to her femme 

[imagine-that-one-thing]

Chapter 12 

Story Page | Here. Master List | Here.

Piece by Piece.

I stand with Harry’s fingers tangled with mine, his sister standing on the other side of him.

We are all outfitted in black as the crisp atmosphere surges around us. For late November it is a little warmer than usual but still stiff enough to continuously send shivers down my back.

My heart shatters, not just for Harry but for the divided family that couldn’t even come together to pay their last respects to Logan. He may not have been the best of men out there, he has his fair share of concerns and ill-doing within the world, I am sure, but everyone deserves to be surrounded by family as they are lowered into the earth.

As I look between the four of us: Harry, his sister, the priest and myself. I take a deep breath as I realise that in life, you get what you give and sometimes that just isn’t reasonable enough. I recognize Logan gave more than to deserve a whole four people bidding him farewell for the last time. It disheartens me that this gentleman really did have nobody in his life besides for his work. I couldn’t envision having a life where it was just me. Imagining a life without having family around me or falling in love is a life I would never want to live. Logan didn’t even get to discover the love of his life… He hardly managed to reconnect with his broken family.  

I wince at the sound of Harry sniffling through tears while he holds his sister to his side, taking his role of the big-little brother with pride. I allow our hands to part as he moves to embrace his sister. I can only assume regret is to blame for most of the tears that are being shed today. It wasn’t their fault though, their father formulated a mess that split the three siblings, they were all at dead-end roads.

What else would one do when finding out their father created a love child with a woman that wasn’t their own mother? Resentment is an unrelenting drug that sometimes carries over for too long and for the wrong reasons.

The priest says a few words and prayers before the lifeless silence permeates the crisp air around us, nothing but the howling of the wind and the last of the stagnant leaves rustle against the gravel sound. All while accompanied by ravens cackling while watching over us in an eerie manner.

Harry’s arm curls back around me and he draws me closer to him as the wind chill gets colder. I feel him hold me tighter and closer than usual while using the coldness as an excuse, but I know better. He’s holding onto me because I am his safety blanket at the moment— his safe haven you could say. Through thick and thin.

As his vows to me said— I will hold with him as well.

“I promise to cherish you through everything, to be your anchor when you need it, to be the shoulder you cry on, and the one to hold you up when you’re down. On days when you can only give twenty percent effort, I will give the other eighty.”

Today is one of those days where I hold the eighty percent while he musters up the twenty in return. It is days like this where my shoulder is his comfort to rest his head on and my presence is to hold him up while he is down.

*** ***

While my hand is clasped against Harry’s arm, I sense him tense beneath it. He grumbles something under his breath as I detect someone coming into view, leading towards us from the shadowy trees in the distance. He is dressed in black suit pants, a white button up, and a black coat and his hair is Achilles-gold and coiffed to perfection. Despite the tragedy, someone else showing up to pay their respect overflows my heart with a little bit of happiness. It’s pleasing to know that the three of us aren’t the only ones who Logan had contact with besides work colleagues.

The closer the unknown man gets, the more I feel Harry tense beneath my tender touch. “Harry,” the man approaches, offering his hand to Harry, but Harry rejects it, sharply.  

The man drops his hand to his side and clears his throat, “Harry-“

“No.” Harry shakes his head, cutting the man off.

It is unusual for Harry to be rugged and edgy with others unless it has to do with business. I can sense a cutting edge between these two men, but I can’t figure out what it is.

Perhaps they’re business competitors that I have no idea about? Maybe they are old antagonists from when Harry was starting out?

“Gemma,” the man glances towards Harry’s sister.

I’m abruptly stumped when I notice Gemma somewhat sinking behind her brother. I’ve never once observed her apprehensive or to be the one to disappear behind her brother, usually, she’s the one having her way with words with people, not today. “Don’t talk to her, she doesn’t want anything to do with you.” Harry is swift to spit out powerfully. “Elise, go to the car with my sister.” Harry commands as he stares at his brothers grave, “I’m not going to ask again,” His voice is austere as I bestow a glimpse towards Harry’s sister and she gives me a nod, signalling to let him be and to go back to the vehicle.

“Elise-“ my wrist is mildly grasped.

I feel the blood hum through my veins and my nerves abruptly spasm at the unexpected touch of the unknown individual. Naturally, I don’t wish to be touched by anyone unless I am familiar with them, it leaves me on edge when I am caught off guard. Quite honestly, it shakes me to my core, especially since that one day I was rammed into a side alley and ambushed by two men.  

“Don’t fucking touch her,” Harry’s voice induces me to jump within my skin, my heart occurring to beat fast while I draw my wrist away from the strange man.

Harry permeates the space between me and the man, his eyes darker than I have ever observed them before, “don’t think for a second that you are wanted here. You touch her again and I swear you will be buried next to him. Don’t fucking touch either of them.” Harry gestures between me and his sister.

The man clears his throat, “you seem to forget who you’re talking to.”

“You touch my wife again, it’ll be your funeral I attend next,” Harry speaks through his teeth, doing his best to keep himself composed. “Elle, go to the car with my sister, please.” Harry again indicates towards our car. I glance at Harry, exploring deep within his stare in an attempt to figure out what his next move will be. His brows furrow and I recognize his jaw clench– that’s when I know to just listen to him. “Go, he won’t touch you,” Harry informs me, giving me an unrelenting stare.

The walk is a long-drawn and silent one, our heels tapping the gravel as Gemma and I draw our coats tighter around our bodies.

While walking towards the car, I take notice of the headstones that I pass. Most of the headstones are cracked and withered with the voyage of seasons.

This cemetery has to be notably old, at least over 100 years old. Some of the inscriptions I have managed to take note of are dated back to the 1800’s. These monument stones of cold, decaying cement have presumably observed more people and tears of both melancholy and exuberance than one could probably picture.

It disheartens me that as I escort past all these graves towards the car, I am passing people who have once lived and wandered this very earth.

We reach the car and I encircle the button in my hand to unlock it as I turn to Gemma.

I notice his sister with a few streaks of mascara down her cheeks and it swiftly hits me. Although Harry had very limited time with their brother, she had absolutely none. She was the outsider with the relationship and knew very little about Logan. I’m quite surprised she even knew about him, to begin with. Harry didn’t tell me until that night Logan was snooping for records and I assumed he did everything in his power to keep the secret from his mother and sister in an attempt not to shatter their world. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the two of them, he may not visit them very often, but he’d move heaven and earth to keep them felicitous, safe and pain-free.

“Who is he?” I softly challenge, flicking my head towards the man that we encountered.

She shakes her head and wipes a tear away, “nobody important.”

“Do I need to be concerned?”

“I’m not sure… Harry knows his limits with him.” She responds while she opens the car door.

Harry’s sister gets in the back seat of Harry’s car. I can’t help but observe the two men, incompetent to catch anything but several muffled cuss words. I keep my eye on Harry and this man, disregarding the freezing air and the eerie character of the graveyard. I perceive Harry’s hands rise, my breath hitches as his palms hit the other mans chest.

Oh, fuck. No.

“Get the fuck away,” Harry’s speech resounds powerfully, sufficient to not just frighten me but the perching birds in the aged oak trees enveloping us.The trees look skeleton-bare and eerie at times, no matter what way I look at them.  To my surprise, the two men don’t end up in a scuffle, thankfully. Instead, the man strolls away from Harry and exercises towards the car I assume he came in.

I take a breath and watch Harry standing at the corner of Logan’s grave, staring at the beautiful flowers Harry precisely and painstakingly selected out.

I wander towards Harry, he’s squatting now, gazing at the soil. My heart shatters the second I overhear him sniffle as I get closer. It’s on rare occasions I have seen this man weep, very rare occasions. He is a strong man to break down and crack, to observe him with tears of sorrow, it pierces my heart.

The deafening silence is intruded abruptly and without signal by the ghastly screech of a blackened crow. Again, it cries, and again. I tremble as a tingle operates through my body, the character of the crow sounding like nails on a chalkboard.

I benevolently clasp my hand to his back, startling him by accident, “it’s just me.” I immediately assure him as his crystal enchanting, clay-grey eyes glance up at me.

My heart cracks further and if there was anything I could do to fix his despair and grief, I swear I’d do it. I’d do anything to take away the sorrow laced between his eyes and crystal tears, I’d do anything so he never has to feel this ache, this loss, and this grief. He wipes away the few tears and I thoroughly bend down to his level, wrapping my arm around him.

Nothing I say will bring Logan back or change things and I think what Harry is struggling with is not being able to have control. He constantly has control of things but this-this he has no control over.

Harry clears his throat before standing to his feet, advancing his hand to help me back to my feet.

When we stand back up, I open my arms, immediately pulling him in closer to me. I hold him close despite our height differences. He weeps into me as he wraps his arms around me and all I can do to console him is to keep my arms enveloped around him while my hand benevolently strokes the back of his head.

*** ***

We step back to the car and he takes a breath, taking one last glance at where his brother lays, “Let me drive,” I hold my hand out for the keys. I expect him to shake his head and refuse, but to my surprise, he hands me the keys without an issue. He accompanies me to the driver’s side and opens the door for me like a gentleman before I get in.

The drive through town and back to Harry’s childhood home was withdrawn, neither Harry nor his sister spoke a word.

The moment we get back to Harry’s childhood home, Harry disrobes into more comfortable clothes and disappears into the back terrace. His mother and sister both glance at me and I give them a delicate smile while clutching four mugs to make us all a cup of tea, something that is much required. “He just needs to collect himself.” I breathe, wishing I had a better explanation for his unexpected disappearance.

“I didn’t realise Harry was so close to this old friend,” his Mum glances out the back doors, more than likely searching for her son that I presume has gotten lost in that back garden quite a lot while growing up. I am almost positive he and his sister travelled around the garden various times while discovering several hiding spots. “Can’t see him… did he take his journal?” She challenges while looking towards me and Gemma.

I blink at his mother for a moment, scrambling my thoughts to think of whether or not he marched out with anything in his hand. Then I remember, I’ve never noticed him with a journal. Call me a shocking wife, but never once have I observed a journal of any sort in his hands. I know he’s a man of mystery and doesn’t show me everything at first, but I thought I had him figured out. I guess not.

“I didn’t know he had a journal,” I softly comment, feeling incredibly ignorant for not knowing the things my husband has and doesn’t have. “I’m not a bad wife, I promise,” I immediately attempt to justify myself, “he just doesn’t show me everything… he didn’t sing for me until just a few months ago.”

“Elise, it’s okay,” his mother promptly assures me, “there’s a side to him he always closes off… I don’t think he remembers that I even know about the journal.”

I step outside into the frigid air, glancing around and stepping to the right like Harry’s Mum informed me, I follow her instructions and of course, I discover him resting under the tree with his journal in his lap. “Thought you might like something warm,” I propose him my warmest smile while holding the cup of tea towards him. The tree has feathery combs of moss and branches that look like reaching arms.

He glances up, “not really feeling it.”

“It’s just how you like it,” I grin, knowing him well enough to know that he is unquestionably desiring this tea, he’s just too much of an emotional wreck to realize it. “Extra honey and made with love.” I gesture to it and he graciously takes it from my hand.

“Will you sit with me?” Harry’s voice is muffled yet shrieks with a need for affection and love.

I relax myself down beside him, the glucose smell of amber leaks from the tree bark while I grow withdrawn, not wanting to cross any lines that may cause him to become unsettled or hostile. I don’t want to challenge him about the journal and I don’t want to stare down at whatever he may have scribbled in it; I don’t want to invade his privacy. I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, allowing his quietness and the reassurance that he may need. He comprehends just as well as I do that neither of us requires saying anything to reveal that we are there for each other. We both know that if he desires to talk, he’ll do it on his own terms, until then, I will rest by him for as long as he requires and I will keep him company even if it’s during silence and a bitter windchill.

*** ***

It has been several days since the burial. Harry hasn’t been himself since. He has been sleeping a lot more than he ordinarily would and no matter what I do, I can’t manage to get him to smile at anything. Nothing appears to work. It breaks my heart to recognize him like this so dispirited and out of touch with the world. He won’t acknowledge emails regarding the company, he won’t answer Niall’s text messages; I can’t get Harry to communicate with me for more than a few minutes, I just can’t seem to grasp his attention for very long. His enrapturing, loam-grey eyes lose interest and he appears to zone out of whatever discussion I propose to endure with him.

I glance up from my position in his mother’s lounge with my novel, observing Gemma as she saunters into the modest living room. “Hey, my brother still in his room?” she questions and I nod my head, “does he plan to come out? What’s he even doing?”

“He is watching TV and scribbling in his journal… Don’t think he feels like getting up. I’m about to go check up on him,” I smile, laying my book down on the coffee table and standing to my feet, “hopefully he is in a better mood this evening.” I respond over my shoulder as I walk towards the corridor, making my way down to Harry’s childhood room.

I enter and give him a smile as he is resting on his stomach, one arm tucked under his pillow, his cheek caressed to his pillow while he gazes at me with a stray curl falling over his forehead. “Hey, darling,” I greet as I wander in, my heart ceasing for a moment as I witness his lips curl up into a petite smile.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he greets me, “was jus’ thinkin’ ‘bout you,” his voice is muffled and faint while I make my way closer to his bed.

I raise a brow and hum as I relax down on the edge of his bed. I caress my palm to his back and massage it softly and soothingly, “That so?”

“Mhm, always think of ye’,” he replies.

“Do you plan on getting out of bed anytime soon?” I softly challenge, shifting my hand to run through his hair, “Because I think you need to eat, it’s seven… Your mum made a lovely dinner.”

“Did you save me some leftovers?”

“Of course I did,” I acquaint him, “come on, darling. Up you get,” I encourage, withdrawing my fingers from flowing through his hair and standing back to my feet.

Harry murmurs to himself for a moment and gently reaches for my hand, “tha’ felt good though,” he pouts his lips and I give him a small smile, “do I really have to get up and put pants on? Can you be a darl and bring it to me?”

I shake my head, “sorry, darling… Never thought I would say this, but put your pants on.”

Harry groans, “I suppose,” he responds and I step out of his bedroom, leaving him to put on his pants and force himself out of the bed he has lost himself in.

I make my way into the living room where I find Harry’s sister staring out the window intently, “is it finally snowing?” I question, assuming she’s watching the snow delicately fall outside in the first snowfall of the winter. I have to admit, I have always found it more enchanting to watch snow fall while out in the country. There’s something different about the way snow falls and blankets the ground in the country compared to the city. She shakes her head, “can you get my brother?” “He said he’ll be out in a minute… what’s the matter?” I challenge while I walk closer to her, a little apprehensive about the way she’s acting. I’ve seen her in many situations and none of them have I ever seen her with shaky hands and a fragile voice that sounds as though it’s about to crack any minute. When she doesn’t respond I bite my lip before I call for Harry, his name echoing through the house multiple times before he emerges into the living room while pulling his head through his sweater, “What? What’s going on?” He promptly asks while staring at his sister and I. “Sounded like a bloody emergency,” he mutters while stepping around the furniture and making his way towards us. “He’s here.” Gemma’s voice is soft and fragile as she speaks, her eyes looking over towards her brother in a glossy manner. “Who?” Harry questions as he takes his place beside me, towering over his sister and me. I feel my breath hitch in my throat and my nerves pulsate when I overhear the sound of the doorbell chirping through the house as silence breathes between the three of us. Harry’s sister looks up at Harry while her lip trembles, “Dad.” The doorbell sounds again this time sounding more disturbing. “Where’s Mum?” Harry asks as he looks around to obviously find his mother missing. “She went out with a friend… Harry–“ “It’ll be fine, Jus’ stay in the kitchen.” Harry instructs as he gives his sister a quick hug, “I mean it, stay in there.” He gestures towards the kitchen, shuffling the two of us in there before he walks towards the front door.  

As usual, I don’t listen to Harry’s orders, not to purposely be obstinate or to piss Harry off, but to make sure that Harry is handling things okay. There will always be apart of me that worries about him in certain situations, primarily ones that revolve around sensitive circumstances such as his father.

He never speaks much of him, just that he was worthless and was never around for him and his sister. His father has scarred him in ways that not even I can begin to fix or even understand, but the man I’m in love with is better off without the man who assisted to create him. Harry has told me enough about the father for me to know that Harry doesn’t need to be left alone with him for too long.

I shuffle towards the front door and overhear a howl that transfers shivers down my back, a voice that echoes all too familiarly. As I get closer, the aroma of whiskey pervades my senses and I feel my body have the impromptu urge to go weak. The voice and scent feel as though they’re etched into my body and soul in a vindictive form that I’d rather disremember.

“Elise… No-Noelle… Cartier!” Harry’s father slurs as he sees me from behind Harry, blowing my cover of attempting to stay quiet and in the distance. I wander closer as Harry turns around, his enrapturing, loam-grey eyes are dark as they stare me down. I observe them burn into my soul and rip me to shreds— he’s pissed— and more than likely it’s because of me not listening. “Such a pretty face,” Harry’s father coughs, “stubborn… jus’ - jus’ - like you.”

Harry turns back to face his father, moving insignificantly to keep me behind him. “You need to leave.” His voice is comparatively calm and I can only assume inside he’s a furious compound ready to explode with fury.

“The fuck I do. My house.”

Harry shakes his head, “No, it’s not. You need to leave.”

“You need to fuck off, mate. Always putting your nose where it ain’t needed.” …

“Go home and drink more Whiskey. ‘Bout the only damn thing you’re good at.” Harry grumbles.

His father makes eye contact with me and I feel myself shrink within my own skin, the man enduring to break down every barrier imaginable with me. His voice, his eyes, and his whiskey scented trail destroy me. Now I know how Harry exhibits when he just speaks of his nerve breaking father. The man is intimidating, the appearance in his voyager-blue eyes resembles nothing less than a shadowy evil that wants to ravage your body and soul.

“Let me say hi to ye’ wife and that sister of yours.”

“Go home.”

“I said, let me say hi.” The father endeavours to shoulder his way past Harry, but Harry doesn’t allow it.

“I said, no!” Harry’s voice raises and he shoves his father back out, causing him to flounder backwards.

“Careful, boy. Ye’ know you’re not as strong as ye’ used to be.” … “ye’ fucking with the wrong person.”

“Go to hell.” Harry spits, slamming the door shut, prompting the frames on the walls’ to shiver before locking the door. Harry swings around, his eyes stare down at me and I feel myself desiring to curl up in a corner. “I fucking told you to stay in the damn kitchen. But you never fucking listen.”

“Harry–“

“No, don’t ‘Harry’ me. It’s like I talk to a brick wall. Goddamnit, Elise! Don’t want you anywhere near that son of a bitch and you just don’t listen.”

I become withdrawn, well aware that he may be enraged but he has a satisfactory reason for it. He doesn’t know how to channel all the emotions he is handling at the moment. He lost his brother and has earned his inebriated father, one he desperately strives to disremember. I can only assume his mind is a furious mayhem waiting to explode and lose control.

“The more I attempt to protect you the more you fuck it up. Is it that difficult to listen? Do you not understand when I speak?” He continues to have an elevated voice while we stand in the midst of the corridor, his back facing the door. “Christ, Elise. Ye’ might as well put an X on my chest and kill me now because if anything happens to you I’ll never forgive myself. So stay the fuck where I tell you to.” He grouses with austere eyes and trembling hands, one of them folded up into a fist. “For fuck’s sake… don’t fucking cry. Damnit.” Harry huffs out of frustration, “come here,” he opens his arm but I don’t step into his embrace, “come here… I’m jus’… he fucking destroys my nerves.” Harry steps closer to me and draws me into him briefly, just long enough to comfort me and stop me from crying before he stretches away. He doesn’t say a word, he just marches away from me.

I compose myself and settle myself back down on the sofa, Harry’s sister perching in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine to calm her down from tonight’s events.

I attempt to get back to the story of my book, but I can’t withdraw my mind from pondering over tonight’s proceedings and previous events of the last few weeks. For every genuine thing that has endured to happen, a downfall has occurred, quite literally. I find it unusual that Harry’s Dad is abruptly making appearances now, it has been almost seven years and I haven’t seen him until now. It is as though he has been in hibernation this whole relationship I have had with Harry and now he aspires to pop up and stir trouble.

If anything, I expected his father to show up once Harry managed to become successful right out of University, but no. I had thought he would at least attempt to show up at the wedding or congratulate his son but I didn’t even see that. I hardly know this man, but Harry is undividedly accurate when he states his father is insignificant. I can’t begin to imagine the heartache that Harry must undergo to go through the torment their father puts him and his sister through.

Part of me wants to know the complete story but at the same time, I don’t think I ever want to hear the profound misery Harry has gone through with his father.

“Do you have to go back to London? Can I just steal you from my brother for a bit?” Gemma questions as she pours herself another glass of wine while the family cat jumps up on the sofa and nestles into my legs.

I chuckle and shrug while I rest my hand to spread through the fluffy fur of the kitten, “I have to go back.”

“When are you coming back? Harry keeps you all to himself.” She pouts and I again giggle, he does keep me to himself but he doesn’t honestly mean to. It’s just how life works out.

“Uh, not sure,” I shrug, “maybe in a few weeks when it is Christmas?” I respond, thinking about how Christmas is just a few weeks away from us.

“Guess I will have to make that drive to see you guys then.”

My eyes flicker over to Harry as he walks in, he rubs the back of his neck and looks at his sister and me.

He clears his throat, “Elle, I need you for a minute.”

I think about turning him down and leaving him to cool off longer but the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes tell me to tend to him. I get up and follow him down the hallway to his childhood bedroom.

He closes the door behind us and I take my position on his bed, “I’m sorry,” he begins as he leans against the old dresser drawers.

I cock my head to the side, “for what?”

“Raising my voice at you.”

“Are you sorry or are you just saying it? I know you just say sorry because you feel compelled to at times.”

He shakes his head, “I’m actually sorry… I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that… forgot you were my wife and not my work mate,” he declares, surprising me by acknowledging that he sometimes speaks to me in the same CEO temper that he uses on his workers. “I jus’ get frustrated… I am sorry…  Once I cooled down, I realised how you were kinda shaking and jumpy with me. I never intended to scare you, Elle.”

“You didn’t,” I inform him. Truth is, him elevating his voice with me wasn’t what caused me to want to cry, it was just a small part of it.

“Oh…” he trails off, raising a brow at me.

“I need to tell you something and I’m not quite sure how you will react.” I lament, deciding now is as good a time as ever to come clean about what has been operating through my mind since he unlocked the door to see his father.

Harry nods, signalling for me to go on. “Your father was a the hospital,”

“After my accident? Surprised the fucker visited me.”

I shake my head, “no… when I was there. He visited when you and your brother were out somewhere.”

“So he visited you while I wasn’t around?… You’re just now fucking telling me this?” His voice suddenly raises towards me and he crosses his arms over his chest, “do you not think that is shit I should know. For fuck’s sake, Elise.”

“Are you done raising your voice at me?” I heavily sigh as his eyes stare at me. He quite honestly views like he wants to kill me.

I would try to lighten the mood by calling him grumpy, but that will only infuriate him even further. “You just apologized for raising your voice and here you are, doing the same thing,” I murmur, gesturing between the two of us

“Because you don’t fucking tell me things, you keep secrets.”

“Look who is calling the kettle black, Mr. I keep secrets for years.” I immediately hiss referencing the family mysteries he has kept that I don’t know about and the ones that I do know about.

“That is fucking different and you know it. Why the fuck did you not tell me he visited you?”

“Well… I didn’t realise it was him until tonight… Stop being an ass to me. You might be grieving but you don’t get a free pass to be a dickhead.”

Harry rolls his eyes, “don’t roll your eyes at me, Styles.” I directly call him out and he takes a heavy breath and runs his fingers through his hair.

“Elise Noelle, you are so fucking infuriating but I love you,” he extends me a smile as he steps closer to the bed. He crawls onto the bed and pushes a few strands of hair behind my ear. “I love you too, Harry,” Harry endeavours to mimic me before leaning in and kissing me softly, “I love you,” he mumbles against my smooth lips.

“I love you too.” I benevolently extract away and cup his face between my two hands, “but you need to stop getting so angry at me,” I whisper as I look into the same eyes that I fall in love with more and more each day.

He nods, “I am sorry, gotta work on it. He jus’, he’s not someone I want near you.” Harry murmurs as I run my thumb smoothly over his stubble.

“Mhm,” I nod, leaning down and kissing him benevolently before I draw away, “what did he do?”

“A lot of things,” he responds, leaning in and kissing me sweetly, his hands moving to rest on my sides while I allow us to share a few kisses.

I extract away and he pouts his lips, “Harry, what did he do?”

He groans at me disconnecting the kiss, the only form of communication we have really managed to have in the last few days of disaster. “I’d rather kiss than talk about him.”

“Harry,” I sigh as he kisses my cheek and I gingerly extend away from him.

Harry sighs and glances away for a moment, “Elle… he’s just a horrible man… Not a man anyone should be around.”

“What did he do?”

He raises his shoulders into a shrug, “a lot of things, love…”

“I love you, but I don’t think it is okay for you to still be so closed off, especially with me.” I benevolently press for him to open up even if it is just a little bit. I don’t think it is good for him to be holding back all these emotions at the moment.

Harry takes a breath and looks down at his left hand before his beautiful eyes flutter back up to me, “you know the scar on my hand?” he questions and I nod while I take his hand to flip his palm over so I can see his scar. I run my thumb over the scar, something I have done many times during our relationship. “How did I tell you I got it?”

“Hmm, you said it was a bar fight that happened right before you and I met.”

Harry shakes his head, “that’s a lie,” he informs me, catching me off guard… I never really expected Harry to have lies and secrets with me. “Before you get mad for lying, I have a good reason… My father is the reason for it.”

“The fuck did he do?”

“Long story short, love. One night, he got drunk and about tried to kill me. So, there’s that reason why I can’t have him near anyone in my family, shall I continue on why I can’t have him near you or do you get the picture?” Harry questions as I continue to run my thumb over his scar.

“He tried to-” I struggle to finish my sentence, appalled on how his own father could attempt such a thing.

Harry shrugs, “he was drunk and didn’t succeed. Maybe one day I will tell you the full story of my father, but right now, I can’t, Elle… Jus’ can’t.” … “I’m sorry for getting so mad but I jus’ don’t need you anywhere near him… I am ending this conversation and heading to bed.”

I nod and decide not to ask any more questions, essentially because I know he will eventually tell me when he feels he is ready.

Now I know why Harry was always apprehensive about children and why I occasionally catch him talking to Niall about whether he will make a good father or not.

Pieces are gradually coming together.

Piece by piece.

Authors Note:  Hello, here is the latest Chapter of the fanfic. It is a bit long, I am sorry. But, I hope you all enjoyed it.

[taz-writes]

25 Writing Questions

@whycanthisnotbeeasier tagged me in this pretty massive tag game, which is pretty cool! Thanks for the attention! Here goes nothing... 

1. Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

A few of them, for a few reasons! The most obvious is Book 3 in my Feilan series, under the working title Storm and Shadow (it’s edgy I know). Reason being, it just got too damn messy. The end of book 3 is the low point of the whole series in every available subplot--so many things go wrong, a few MASSIVE things happen that are game-changers for book 4, and it’s hands down the most difficult scene I’m going to have to write for this series. When it came down to it, I couldn’t do that. The real end of the story at book 4 wasn’t that clear to me either, which is a major problem. So what I’m doing now is working backwards, a little bit. I’ll return to the Purple Sands once and for all after I’ve tackled book 4 and I know where I’m actually going with this. 

Also, I’ve been delaying work on a few other baby WIPs because they’re just not developed enough to see the light of day yet. But that’s pretty minor. 

2. What work of yours, if any, are you embarrassed about existing?

Uhhhhhh... literally the entirety of the original drafts of books 1 and 2. They’re beautifully-written bullshit. Also there’s some really bad Homestuck fanfiction from six years ago still floating around the Internet somewhere under an old pseudonym of mine. I like to pretend it doesn’t exist. 

3. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favorite scenes first? Something else?

I like to write front-to-back, which in my case is the same as chronological. I’m a bit of a pants-er, and my outlines often don’t make any sense once I’m actually a few chapters in and I realize that the planned plot point coming next is painfully out of character (or just impossible in general). I tend to use the exciting parts as motivators to get me through when I get writer’s block. 

4. Favorite character you’ve written?

Violet. Hands down, indubitably, Violet Ravenhart. She’s probably the best fictional character I’ve ever created--she has so many layers to her, and she’s so nuanced, and genuine and close to my heart in ways I never expected. I think I’ve done a really great job creating her, and I only hope I can write her as well as she deserves. 

5. Character you were most surprised to end up writing?

Kyrina, I think... she was originally supposed to be something COMPLETELY different than what she’s become. All of my villains used to be really two-dimensional and flat, but Ky’s come the furthest away from there. She used to be an Azula expy? Now she’s just a dumbass. 

6. Something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late / complicated to change now

Part of me wants to say that I’m proud of everything I’ve made, and I do plan to stick to my guns, but there are a lot of aspects of Feilan’s worldbuilding that are incredibly messy. The magic system is the most obvious... if I could go back and change that, and make it significantly less complicated and hard to understand, then I probably would. But the whole thing is built into the structure of the world, and I’m emotionally attached, and besides, it’s unique! It’s definitely got plus sides. 

When it comes to things like that, I’m more likely to retcon or explain the weird thing than erase it altogether. Any dumb trope can work if you write it the right way. 

7. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

Oh god, I love telling people about my stories. I talk about Being A Writer all the time! I don’t share my work very often, though. 

8. Favorite genre to write

Fantasy!

9. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I like to take walks, or just go sit alone in places. I draw my spirit and energy in writing from the natural world... when I feel drained and creatively empty, I go to the creek behind my house, or I take a walk around Schenley if I’m at school. It even helps to just sit outside for a while. Nature inspires me. 

10. Write in silence or with background music? Alone or with others?

Depends on the scene! Always alone, though. Other people tend to distract me. I write with background music most of the time, but if I’m working on poetry or the scene is particularly intense then I turn it off. My writing style, especially in emotional moments, is very reliant on the rhythm of the words. Having music in the background interrupts the natural flow. 

11. What aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

DIALOGUE. Dear lord, I used to be so bad at dialogue. I’ve also improved at plotting, but that improvement is... nebulous. 

12. Your weaknesses as an author?

I like tropes, and I also like doing weird stuff. I often like both of these too much, resulting in plots that jump from point to point with little clarity. I’m also a consistent retconner, so my characters’ motivations and goals can change with little to no warning. I’m working on that. 

13. Your strengths as an author?

I’ve been told that my prose has a very strong flow to it, especially in descriptive passages. So for all my faults with the construction of my stories, my actual mechanical writing is consistently excellent. And I’m also a fan of my character concepts, even when I don’t write them out as well as they maybe deserve. 

14. Do you make playlists for your work?

Absolutely! I have spotify playlists for most of my stories and all my main characters. I don’t actually listen to those while I’m writing, I prefer listening to video game music, but making playlists for my writing is a lot of fun. 

15. Why did you start writing?

Because I couldn’t find any books that told stories I wanted to read, so I decided I’d make them myself. I wanted to read stories with characters who dressed like me and thought like me and did amazing things without people questioning it all the time. Also, I wanted stories with fairies who weren’t vapid useless girly-girls. 

16. Are there any characters who haunt you?

Most of them, at some point or another. All of my main characters in Feilan are manifestations of some part of me. I wrote Violet to cope with depression in high school, Dusk came directly from how trapped I felt when my parents wouldn’t listen to anything I said, Sayara is the physical manifestation of righteous fury against the world. So their muses lean pretty hard into me when I start running into those problems again. 

17. If you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Please use an outline. I know they “cramp your style,” but please, for the love of God, use a freaking outline. And figure out the ending FIRST. 

18. Were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? What were they?

Yes!! Some of those were things I watched more than things I read, but it still counts. I was really into the Redwall books as a kid, and they’re a direct cause of the weird tropiness inherent in my early writing. I think I still favor a lot of cheesy tropes that I learned there--I like to think I write them with more nuance, though. The TV show Avatar was also a MASSIVE influence in how I create stories and characters. I mentioned earlier that Kyrina used to be an Azula expy, but on a larger scale ATLA introduced me to grey morality that works. Zuko’s redemption arc is on a level I strive for to this day. Rick Riordan’s books inspired my character voices, I’ve always liked his humor and his writing showed me that you don’t have to cling so closely to traditional grammar rules to write well. Fullmetal Alchemist was another big influence on my stories’ morality, 

There are probably more, but I don’t remember any right now. 

19. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, etc.?

See: Taz’s greatest flaws as a writer. 

Jokes aside, I like to keep one single print paper outline for each story that I’m working on. I’ll write out notes to myself there, create a chapter-by-chapter outline, and edit things in the outline as I go. They’re a great time capsule of all the things I’ve retconned over the course of my series. Recently I’ve also started using Evernote to track things digitally, but I’m still figuring out how it works. 

20. Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

Both! Depends on the day. I write when I have the spark and the attention span, and I write for however long it lasts. 

21. What do you think when you read over your older work?

Some of my old work is actually quite good! So I’ll appreciate that for what it is. The parts that are less good I laugh at, and I’ll send excerpts to my friends going “hey look at this ridiculous bullshit I created three years ago isn’t it funny??” 

22. Are there subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

Yeah. There are a lot of uncomfortable things lurking on the periphery of Feilan that I’m super awkward with. Violet’s trans-ness is the main one that comes to mind, because I want to confirm it in canon but there’s really no way she would ever bring it up of her own volition. Sayara’s too stupid to notice anything and definitely wouldn’t be rude enough to ask about it if she did. There’s also, well, the fa Viandre situation. I’ve avoided going into too much detail about the abuse there, but every situation with Dusk and fa Viandre gives me the willies. I write it because I think it’s important, and it’s a powerful arc, but it’s fucked up. 

More generally? Sex scenes are uncomfortable to write in general for me, I don’t mind reading them but writing them is super awkward. Romance in general can be that way sometimes. I just don’t know how to handle it. 

23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

I don’t know if there’s anything obscure, necessarily. I think being a musician helped my writing improve, because I’m very sensitive to what Sounds Good, and with poetry especially it’s become more of an instinct than conscious knowledge. 

24. Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

I wouldn’t say I’ve ever become an expert on anything in the interest of research, but I’ve become moderately proficient with a few things. I’m in the process of learning everything I can about conlangs so that I can finally give all my made-up words some internal consistency, so that’s cool. I took a couple group fencing lessons. I’m pretty lazy about my research, honestly, and when I don’t already know something I lean towards just making it up from wholecloth. 

25. Copy / paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of.

I knelt by the crack, peering into it, hoping, even as the desperate stillness grew stronger and the silence did not change and time almost seemed to stop.

Cool starlight slid like molten silver through the shimmering gaps in the trees, sinking into the world around me. This cool starlight illuminated everything: the pocks and picks in ancient stone, and the knife-point edges of blades of growing grass, and the dust that had settled upon the little hiding place and the child’s bones it hid. 

-

This is an old excerpt, from my newer draft of book 2. I think I wrote this almost exactly two years ago. I’m rather fond of it, though. This is Feilan’s aesthetic in a nutshell. 

This was an essay at the end, but also a tag game, so... @jade-island-lives @firewritten @thewingwriter @lady-redshield-writes, if yall wanna do this, go for it! No obligation of course. :) Anyone else who sees this and thinks it’s cool, feel free to do it and say I tagged you, too! 

[gaarfielf]

my list of lupin movies ive watched for the sake of keeping track and making sure i dont rewatch some

Castle of Cagliostro (10)

favourite Lupin movie of all time. Fantastic art, cast, plot, everything.

Blood Seal: Eternal Mermaid (8.5)

Really good animation and really interesting plot. Another ‘Lupin has to babysit’ movie but it was treated in such a way that set it apart from other ones. He gives her a lot of good advice and overall I really enjoyed this one even if it’s kind of underrated.

Burning Memory - Tokyo Crisis (8.5)

Surprisingly good like I wasn’t expecting a 90′s Lupin movie to come for me like this but the animation is really solid and the movie itself was really funny. I also liked that Maria and Zenigata weren’t a thing like that cleared my pores.

The Bloodspray of Ishikawa Goemon (8)

The animation is fucking stellar but there were odd gaps in the movie that were really inactive. I liked the two subplots going on though like they were both interesting.

Bye Bye Lady Liberty (8)

The classic convoluted subplots worked well here tbh and the Goemon romance stuff was gunshot noise gunshot noise cash register noise. The animation had this weird glow to it but it was (almost) the 90s lol

Hemingway Papers (8)

They really got me with Goemon and Jigen going against each other and Lupin being in a relationship with someone aside from Fujiko (a relationship that was genuinely romantic) was actually pretty well done. That whole bit at the end with the karaoke machine? Amazing

Return the Treasure (7)

Another one that was really close to being perfect. The only loose ends was that the “treasure” wasn’t really explained very well (but i mean, the lead up to it was very good) and i could’ve done with more scenes with the whole gang (it seemed like there was a lot of times where it was lupin jigen and fujiko or lupin goemon and fujiko, but not enough of all of them together)

From Siberia With Love (7) 

The usual amount of humour and action from a Lupin III film and the art is pretty standard. Goemon got a few nice quotes in and Fujiko talked to a woman. Could’ve done without Rasputin but thats just me.

Elusiveness of the Fog (7)

Lupin offering Goemon to the princess was kinda funny and I actually really liked OG Mamo (not the short freak) being revitilized bc his episode in the original series was really entertaining. The history of where they were was a little wonky but I’ll give it to them this time.

Pilot Film (7)

That shit was wild i liked how jigen was introduced as the gunman and then beat the shit out of 3 police officers with his bare hands. also goemon i guess dedicates his life to killing lupin so thats fun, like he’s on zenigata’s side i guess. could’ve done with fujiko making an expression at any given time but yknow what? it was funny and it was only 12 minutes long

Another Page (7)

Surprisingly not that bad. To summarize the film as a whole I’d say: it could have been worse. The plot made sense which is more than i can say about most lupin movies and they stuck to two subplots that were both interesting and meshed pretty good by the end. And the two lady characters that got introduced didn’t betray anybody AND didn’t die.

Farewell to Nostradamus (6.5)

The animation was pretty good and I liked the whole ‘we gotta protect this kid’ thing but I always mix up this one and Bye Bye Liberty Crisis like this movie is it’s less interesting twin. Both of them have kids they need to protect but Bye Bye Liberty Crisis was just better. I feel like this one had a really good ending but aside from that the movie wasn’t that memorable for me.

Fuma Conspiracy (6.5)

i liked Goemon being in a relationship bc it was really sweet, i just wish there wouldve been a better balance of romance to plot. Also terrible voice actors but that just affected my enjoyment not really the plot or anything relevant.

Sweet Lost Night (6)

I like time shenanigans and my only two critiques are the inconsistent art quality and they seemed really hesitant to embrace time skipping. Like “he’s limited to twice before he becomes brain dead” was a little bit of a small window. If anything they missed out on a good opportunity for a classic lupin montage of him time skipping way too often. Maybe if they changed it to “you skip time every 12 hours, to every 6 hours, to every 3 hours, etc” until he stops existing?? like that seems more in line with a lupin plot not to mention a little more suspenseful.

Dead or Alive (6)

The new art style is kind of neat and didn’t really affect the personality of the characters like I thought it would. The plot itself was complicated and hard to follow but I mean, it wasn’t awful. Nothing I really hated and nothing I loved.

Jigen Daisuke’s Gravestone (6)

Handsome Jigen was cool but tcm i’m begging you to drink your Respect Women Juice. Also Goemon wasn’t in this one what the fuck was up with that. Lupin looked like a crispy toenail in the new art style but again the animation is gucci so I can’t really complain on that front.

Napoleon's Dictionary (6)

Reminded me a lot of Mamo except with more respect in women. Just kidding Fujiko was kind of a crapshoot in the end and the ending was more or less just. cut off?? like they crashed into the ocean after lupin ruined zenigatas marriage and the credits started rolling. it was weird bc it had a lot going but i guess they ran out of time for a proper ending?

Mystery of Mamo (6)

Respect Women Juice needed and also why was Goemon purple. The pros to this movie was the overall aesthetic being really attractive BUT the plot was sketchy and didn’t make a lot of sense. The only remarkable scene I remember is Jigen shooting the can by Lupin’s feet like I wish that emotion would’ve carried through the film and not ended there.

Red vs Green (5)

Really good animation, no fucking idea what happened in this film.

Walther P-38: Island of Assassins (5)

They missed an opportunity to be a little more psychological and the lady of the week dying was meh but I will say the plot stayed on course like they didnt try to do too much at once like they tend to do. I wish they would’ve delved more into lupin’s past with the doctor because that seemed kind of random but the more lethal, edgy plot was handled decently. I’ll probably forget this one in a week tbh.

Dragon of Doom (5)

I like learning more about Goemon but his girlfriend was really distracting and uneccessary. Like, if you want to introduce Goemon’s childhood friend sure its whatever but she only showed up to either threaten lupin or flirt with Goemon. And it was very obvious she was going to betray him so all her build up was pointless. I will say though, the plot was pretty cool which was surprising.

Voyage to Danger (4)

tcm I’m begging you to let Jigen talk to a woman and not have it be like ‘this is Jigens girlfriend now’. Sometimes women be talking and they aren’t thirsting for a man triple their age. It just be like that sometimes. Thats literally all I remember about this film.

First Contact (4)

I remember being excited for this like ‘oh wow their first ever meeting’ and i s2g this film was boring. And also a giant plothole. With no real redeeming qualities. I don’t even remember the animation being that good.

Columbus Files (4)

This film was at least funny bad but my hand to god I’d never watch it again. This is the first time I’ve ever watched a movie and had to watch the dub bc the sub was boring me to death. It was just... so bad... Especially when you’ve seen Wings of Death like this ain’t the Fujiko I know please leave.

Seven Days Rhapsody (3)

The comedy in this one was so weirdly incorporated and featured another really good ‘here’s Jigen’s dead girlfriend’ that i just could not care less about and then finished off with this what like 13 year old girl asking to be Lupin’s girlfriend? fuck outta here. The ONLY good part was Goemon slapping Lupin across the face.

Alcatraz Connection (2.5)

Really, really boring. The content wasn’t necessarily bad but they had 4 subplots going on that were equally uninteresting and some scenes went on for so so so long. It deadass took me 5 hours to watch this movie bc i kept pausing to do literally anything else. The art was unpleasant and by the time they got the treasure i didn’t really care anymore. Not to mention the plot was way too complicated and tin-foil hat for my liking.

Missed by a Dollar (2.5)

Made very little sense and in general was really annoying. Between Goemon being a born again Christian and the plot briefly derailing so Lupin could establish an oil company it was like can we pick something to focus on? By the end of the movie I was like wait when did they get the broach? What does the broach do again? And then he gives it to someone random and its like??

Gold of Babylon (2)

This one if the definition of being cursed and Pink Jacket deserved so much better than this nonsense. Like Lupin III isn’t known for its coherence, sure, but this movie had absolutely no structure. Upon finishing the film I was trying to remember anything that just happened and my brain refused. It kept the good cartoonish animation but god at what cost.

Angel Tactics (2)

TCM PLEASE DRINK YOUR RESPECT WOMEN JUICE. The art was just. Stunningly bad. Bad to the degree where about a minute thirty in I already regretted starting it. Not to mention the classic “we don’t actually wanna draw this part so we’re gonna jam cgi in here”. Also the most awkward use of “hey heres 3 women hey heres 3 men lets shove them together”.

Harimao’s Treasure (2)

nazis and transphobia which was extremely unfortunate considering the opening was actually one of the stronger ones I’ve seen from Lupin but immediately after the villain was introduced the quality of the film dropped about 90% and i wanted to die for the entire last half of the film. if they had changed the villain it would’ve solved 90 of their problems.

Twilight Gemini (2)

this was one of the only films in the entire lupin series where i was rooting for lupin to fucking perish. not only was goemon only in this film for 26 seconds, jigen was there for about 30 seconds and im not entirely sure if fujiko was there at all. not to be that guy but when they make lupin to be the most intolerable piece of shit in the world for this movie, don’t give him all the screen time. having to stare at this asshole for an hour and a half was exhausting.

Princess of the Breeze (2)

How a movie where Jigen has to carry a baby around in one of those funny baby-carriers turned out this fucking goddawful I have no explanation for. This movie was like an AU where all these other characters no one cares about happen to exist in the same universe as lupin. and when lupin does show up, i want him dead. Just horrifically boring and lazy art mixed with bad cgi. The only upside is that it isn’t Return of the Magician.

Return of the Magician (1)

I’m giving it a 1 on the principle that this wasn’t even a movie. It was a little less than an hour long and my god i’ve never seen a film so full of pad-time that if i can be so bold, there was more pad time than plot. What little plot they had made absolutely no sense and the art used cgi in the most bizarre and ugly ways. i’m pretty sure the credits played twice at the end. if there was a world record for lowest budget in a film, Return of the Magician would win hands down.

[flowers-in-your-dustbin]

All the numbers again (second tag reblog)

1: When you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? More milk than cereal cause I like to drink it!

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? Yeah, but when I can get into the warmth after that's even better!

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? I try to remember the page number instead so usually end on a multiple of 10 or 5.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? Tea: Two sugars, milk, hopefully brewed by the gal. Coffee: I don’t!

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Kinda!

6: do you keep plants? Nope!

7: do you name your plants? None to name!

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? Oils if I had the money for that so typically watercolours

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? I am right now.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? Typically side, but back is fine. Not stomach really!

11: what's an inner joke you have with your friends? Oh My Gouda.

12: what's your favorite planet? Uranus ;)

13: what's something that made you smile today? My gal surprised me with a beautiful orchid

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? Edgy expose brick aesthetic

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! Uranus’ blue glow is due to an abundance of methane which filters out red light.

16: what's your favorite pasta dish? Spaghetti carbonara probs! Especially cooked by the best.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? I don’t! I did want pastel pink in August.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. I had a paddy fit in primary school because I used to always sabotage my meals so I didn't eat them but I spilt milk on something I legitimately didn’t mind having... I cried over spilt milk.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? I do! I write the days events and my feelings, I draw key points or little objects. Not all the time tho.

20: what's your favorite eye color? A nice hazel-y to chocolate amber brown woop

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that's been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. A grey Kanken Fjallraven, if Switzerland counts as hell, there you have it.

22: are you a morning person? Yeah! I’m straight too!

23: what's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? Exactly that, nothing. With a side of music.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? Only the one.

25: what's the weirdest place you've ever broken into? An abandoned slaughterhouse. Soz vegans

26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit? Black old skool vans hehe original

27: what's your favorite bubblegum flavor? Strawberry!

28: sunrise or sunset? Why not both in a day?

29: what's something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? I’m not sure!

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? I’m not sure, close calls/

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. I like socks. Weird socks are fun. So are odd ones. I do not sleep with my socks, nor do I confine myself to white sock hell.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. We had deep convos for the time, we probs cried, then probs went to sleep.

33: what's your fave pastry? Uh choux just cause I can remember that is one. Hahahaha.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? I had one called Baxter Bear which was the best, he was quite obviously a bear with a red scarf and his own passport. I threw up on him in the car and he was never the same again, he disappeared short after. Don’t ask about Scrubs the dog.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? I do, I just don't use them often.

36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now? The xx

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? A healthy middle.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! Couldn’t possibly. There’s a fair few.

39: what color do you wear the most? Probably black? Emo ik.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you? I own a necklace I got for my 16th its very cute and only comes out when I have heterosexual days to masquerade it. It’s nice.

41: what's the last book you remember really, really loving? The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, it’s my favourite ever. I don’t read as much as I used to, sigh.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! There’s a cute local one. They do unreal Nutella pancakes and its quite central and very aesthetic-y. Yum!

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? My gal, typically on the way to my car where I point out Orion or The Dipper. It’d be nice to do it properly sometime.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? Two days ago.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? When I need to.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. Someone mentions a dog, then I normally incorporate the word ‘ruff’ as a homophone for ‘rough’ and get death stares. But I like it.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? Gherkins.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? Abandonment/loneliness hahahah yes it is.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? I do like buying records yeah! I can’t say until April the 23rd but I’ll have bought another by then.

50: what's an odd thing you collect? I don’t think I do have anything odd!

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? Uncomfortable by Wallows, as well as Fast Food by D.I.D and many many more.

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? The new Patrick one is doing pretty good.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? Nope, nope, nope and nope!

54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? My dog. I didn't walk him.

55: what's the most dramatic thing you've ever done to prove a point? Hahahah you wouldn’t want to know. 

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? Feeling secure with them, if you get me.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? CAN YOU DO THE FANDANGO!?!?!

58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? K is probs the wine mom bc I'd say A but she’s not as sensible, thus A gets the Aunt role.

59: what's your favorite myth? Bulls hate red, they’re actually colour blind lmao.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? I don’t mind a bit of poetry! Marking Time by Owen Sheers is noice.

61: what's the stupidest gift you've ever given? the stupidest one you've ever received? Me and mum put a fancy brooch in a pack of digestives for someone. I’ve received stupid spellings of my name on the birthday cards.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? Nope

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? Rainbow order woop.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? Black.

65: is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with? Yep!

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? Cutesy and white and blue and stuff idk. But I wouldn't wear one haha.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? Serene! Albeit Silent Hill-esque

68: what's winter like where you live? Fun! Cold! Disruptive!

69: what are your favorite board games? The Game of Life/Monopoly/Articulate!

70: have you ever used a ouija board? Nope!

71: what's your favorite kind of tea? English Breakfast, brewed by the girlfriend.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it? I've been known to be.

73: what are some of your worst habits? Overthinking. Nail biting.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. Ginger.

75: tell us about your pets! A doggo! A beagle! and a fish...

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't? Revising!

77: pink or yellow lemonade? Yellow

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? anyone in the fanclub needs natural selection to do its thing.

79: what's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? Surprised me at work with flowers.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? White, because I’d like grey but we haven’t got there yet or painted the house since its still pretty new.

81: describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. I don't have the time for that shit.

82: are/were you good in school? I was! I still think I am! Who knows.

83: what's some of your favorite album art? Smithsmithsmithsmithsmiths

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? Yeah! Quite a few. All tonal, but above all a Venus sign and more importantly the great wave off Kanazawa by Hokusai

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? I don't fun fact I used to read them start to feel sick.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? I feel stupid for not knowing what they are.

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? Donnie Darko.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? Not Gothic. Can’t go wrong with a bit of impressionism.

89: are you close to your parents? I think. Depends on the time of day.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. Starts with E, ends in Dinburgh.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? Nowhere abroad really, just a couple of good cities.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? Barely sprinkles, but I have a drowner with me to compensate.

93: what's the hairstyle you wear the most? Down. Full stop. 

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? My girlfriend’s. mum!

95: what are your plans for this weekend? Work, a party, a Harry Potter film, a sad Sunday.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? I leave them for as long as possible

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? ENFJ/Pisces/Ravenclaw

98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? Hah idk.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Nude - Radiohead is the one I’m thinking at the mo’ and I can’t think past that.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? Future. Don’t need to lament on the past when I hope I have a good one ahead of me. Then from there I'd click 5 back so I’m right back to where I am, cheers.

[nekrosoma]

am I going to be called a creepy stalker if I would say that I want you to answer all of these? ;;-; if you can't, just answer a few random

oh my no!! that is so sweet, i’ll try to answer all of them ; v ; 

1. What is you middle name?

Sophie! When I was young I didn’t really like it, but now I kinda love it.

2. How old are you?

I’m sweet 16. A lot of people think that I’m about 20 because I look older

3. When is your birthday?

March 29th!

4. What is your zodiac sign?

A fluffy Aries B ) 

5. What is your favorite color?

Aah I don’t have one I guess. Black of course, it’s witchy and edgy. Gold. I love golden jewelry. A burgundy! I have like ton of lipsticks in burgundy shade. It’s my fave trio.

6. What’s your lucky number?

18! I had an 18 as my number in school for like nine years and 18 is the age of majority in Poland. I’ll get my septum piercing and tattoo at 18 : D 

7. Do you have any pets?

I have a black old cat that is really mean and hates me : ( But we are thinking with my mom about a dog! Shiba Inu probably ; w ; 

8. Where are you from?

Poland. I really don’t like my country ah

9. How tall are you?

About 160 cm or something around 5′2. I’m smol 

10. What shoe size are you?

Europe 37/38, US 7 and UK 4 1/2 

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I don’t really know. I wear just two of them. A black laced flat ballets and black oxfords. I’m going to buy classic adidas superstar shoes for Jo cosplay.

12. What was your last dream about?

I don’t have dreams lately : (

13. What talents do you have?

I can draw, sing, play some instruments. But I don’t really call them talents, just hobbies that I’m good at : > 

14. Are you psychic in any way?

Sometimes my dreams are prophetic and often I have a feeling that something is gonna happen if someone will do something? Like I once told my mom not to park our car in one place, she didn’t listen and she slightly crashed into other car

15. Favorite song?

Oh god. I don’t have just one. I love My Chemical Romance, Princess Chelsea, Postmodern Jukebox, all musical soundtracks. Now I am listening to The Squip Song from Be More Chill on loop

16. Favorite movie?

The Double [2013], Submarine [2010], Dunkirk [2017], Heathers [1988] I like weird movies and aesthetic movies. 

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

My genderbender. Kiddin’ Someone that likes the same things as me. Not all of them, but you know. I have a thing for blonde guys and girls. And I love dark colored eyes. But I think I’ll love anyone. They just have to have this thing.

18. Do you want children?

Hell no. Eventually I’ll adopt one. JUST ONE. 

19. Do you want a church wedding?

Nah, I don’t even can. 

20. Are you religious?

Nope. I believe in things I want to, but not in god. I believe in reincarnation for example : )

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

Yes. When I was around 3 I broke my leg. And in May 2018 I’m going to have an operation : ( 

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

Naah. I’m a good child.

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

Nope. I mean some polish comic artists. Does this count?

24. Baths or showers?

Baths. I love to sleep in my bathroom in bath full of hot water.

25. What color socks are you wearing?

A colorful ones ; ) 

26. Have you ever been famous?

Idk. I have some ‘fans’ in Poland and some people call me their ‘senpai’, but I can’t call it being famous.

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

I want to be a famous comic artist or animator ; ; I think everyone wanted to be famous at least once in their lives.

28. What type of music do you like?

Anything that is edgy enough ; ) 

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

No, ew.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Three or four? I like to have my head high when I sleep.

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

On my right or left side of the body. I can’t sleep on my back because it hurts me.

32. How big is your house?

I have a big flat I think.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

Nothing actually. I know it’s not healthy but I can’t eat in the morning : (

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

Never, but I would like to ; ) 

35. Have you ever tried archery?

Yes, but my hands are too weak for that : ( 

36. Favorite clean word?

‘totally’

37. Favorite swear word?

simply ‘fuck’ in a lot of variations : )

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

almost 50 hours, I was watching Gotham : D 

39. Do you have any scars?

On my right leg because of the splints in my leg when I was 3. And a little hole-thing??? On my nose bridge because of chickenpox!

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

Never. I am chubby and in Poland if you are chubby it equals being ugly ; ) 

41. Are you a good liar?

The best one >: )

42. Are you a good judge of character?

I think yes. I can sometimes tell what kind of person someone is just by looking at them. We don’t have to talk, I’m just guessing correctly by their attitude.

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Yes, a lot of them actually.

44. Do you have a strong accent?

I don’t think so. I can imitate other accents really good if I practice so you can’t hear that polish accent.

45. What is your favorite accent?

I think russian, french and australian? 

46. What is your personality type?

Hmm. I am an introvert. I am really shy, I’m not good company at parties because I’m too scared to do funny things. But when you get to know me better I’m kinda funny person, I’m REALLY sarcastic and mean in that funny way. I’m just a little bit scared of people : ( 

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

I have that one dress that was made for me and it was 400 pln, something around 112 usd 

48. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes I can!

49. Are you an innie or an outie?

Totally an innie. 

50. Left or right handed?

Right handed. I wish I could use both of my hands : / 

51. Are you scared of spiders?

Fucking yes. I scream really loud when I see them.

52. Favorite food?

Italian kitchen is my fave.

53. Favorite foreign food?

Only Italian. 

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

Both. I’m living in mess until I decide that this is too much and then my room is so clean you could eat from the floor.

55. Most used phrased?

I don’t have one I guess. I USE A LOT OF CAPS LOCK but in verval conversation there is none : / 

56. Most used word?

‘actually’ ‘totally’ 

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

minimum one hour 

58. Do you have much of an ego?

I’m a little narcisstic ; ) 

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

suck ; )))) 

60. Do you talk to yourself?

A lot. Sometimes it looks like MPD.

61. Do you sing to yourself?

A lot yes. I am actually singing only to myself : )

62. Are you a good singer?

I think yes???

63. Biggest Fear?

Death and darkness

64. Are you a gossip?

A little. Everyone likes to talk about other people I think????

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

Is The Double dramatic? I guess so.

66. Do you like long or short hair?

Hmm I like short, but long hair can have a lot of cool hairstyles ; ; 

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

Not really. But I’m gonna to learn all of them : D 

68. Favorite school subject?

Math and English

69. Extrovert or Introvert?

Introvert : ( 

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

No, never. But I’d like to! I want to see cute fishes : ( 

71. What makes you nervous?

People.

72. Are you scared of the dark?

Freakin’ yes. I can’t walk in the dark alone because I’m so scared. I can’t even go to the bathroom in the middle of the night : (

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

Sometimes

74. Are you ticklish?

Very. Please don’t try to tickle me EVER.

75. Have you ever started a rumor?

Never, I hate rumors. It is so stupid aaaAAAA

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

I don’t think so.

77. Have you ever drank underage?

Ye. On my friends parties ; ) 

78. Have you ever done drugs?

Never. And I don’t want to. 

79. Who was your first real crush?

A random boy at school idk.

80. How many piercings do you have?

Only ear piercing but I can’t really wear earrings : ( 

81. Can you roll your Rs?“

Oh yeah. I can roll my Rs really well. 

82. How fast can you type?

I don’t know. Kinda fast. Faster than my friends? 

83. How fast can you run?

I have asthma so. I can’t really run a lot. 

84. What color is your hair?

A greenish-bluish??? I’m going to buy a dark sea-green hair dye ; ; 

85. What color is your eyes?

Kinda green-gray I don’t really know. Sometimes they are blue.

86. What are you allergic to?

aAHHH a lot of things. Pollens, animal fur, apples, walnuts, hazelnuts : (

87. Do you keep a journal?

Naah. I’m keeping everything inside my heart and brain. I don’t need to write my thoughts on a paper

88. What do your parents do?

My mom is a dancer and she teaches modern dance in dance school. And my father is an acoustician.

89. Do you like your age?

Not really. Most of teens my age are so stupid ((AAA)) and most of my friends are older than me. 2 years, 4 years older, sometimes even more

90. What makes you angry?

People. When I lost a video game and when I have an artblock. When someone is hurting my friends > ( 

91. Do you like your own name?

I thinks so. I isn’t my favorite, but I don’t mind.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

Can we stop. I really hate children aAAAAAAAA. And if I adopt a child they’ll have a name so??? I don’t really have a choice. 

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

A boy. Girls are so annyoing until they get old. I know it by myself. I feel annoying too. And boys are stupid, but they aren’t that bitchy like girls : / 

94. What are you strengths?

I don’t know. I’m creative and If I decide something you can’t change my mind. 

95. What are your weaknesses?

My health : D And I’m really afraid of people in real life. 

96. How did you get your name?

Idk. My mom just liked Veronica. 

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

Ye. My grand-grandmom was from noble family. We even had some fancy crest??

98. Do you have any scars?

I already answered that question ; / 

99. Color of your bedspread?

Grey/white. 

100. Color of your room?

Black and white : ) 

DONE AAA thank you sweet anon. You are not creepy I love you. Also sorry for any mistakes I am stupid and can’t talk in english correctly : ( 

[writingismyhappytime]

Good Little Witch (Part 13): Epilogue

Angelo Parente x reader ​​​warnings: language, smut, extreme violence and torture, magic, mention of human trafficking

(Part 1, Part 2,   ​Part 3​​,​ Part 4​, ​Part 5​,​ Part 6​, ​Part 7​  , ​​Part 8​, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12)

You wrinkle your nose as you wipe the crimson blood from your hands on a towel, disheveled.

That had admittedly been very fun.

However, cleaning up the mess is not!

"You could have warned me!" You snap over your shoulder as you hear the door open. You half turn, watching through narrowed eyes as Angelo steps into the main room of the cabin, dragging the dead warlock behind him over the threshold.

He'd remembered you wanting to hunt down Alexander, the warlock who'd come snooping around for information over a year ago. As a treat, and for what you consider an unofficial anniversary present, you'd both hunted him down and killed him, along with the other two warlocks who'd tried to stop you.

You've been together for an entire year now, and although Angelo won't admit it, he knows it's the anniversary of you two being together. Why else would he drag you all the way to the outskirts of Costa Rica?

The country is pretty, very jungle-y, very hot. You dislike the weather intensely, you're from a colder country and you're not used to sweating even during the night! You're completely dressed incorrectly at that, which doesn't make anything better!

"Warned you about what?" Angelo sounds annoyed himself, blood splattered across his white dress shirt. "You're the one who popped that warlocks head off like breaking a cookie!"

"He tried to impale you with a butchers knife!"

"I very well had it under control!"

"That's just what you thought," you huff, tossing the stained towel down as you whirl to face him. Adrenaline is still running through both of your systems, and you feel edgy. "That warlock had you just like that old one did a year ago! You were just casually dangling on the wall!"

"I knew what I was doing!" Angelo snaps, irritated. "I certainly don't need saving."

"You do when you're the damsel in distress."

"Says the woman I literally rescued from a dungeon."

You glare at him reproach fully, your bloody hands going indignantly to your hips before you realize it. You freeze instantly, jerking them away, but the damage has been done.

Your sweater!

"Oh, don't look upset. I'll just buy you a new one," Angelo drops the dead warlock in the floor of the wooden cabin you're in, unconcerned with the bloody trail he left behind. "You have a dozen of them back home."

"But not like this one!" You say in distress, looking down in dismay. "It's my favorite."

Angelo rolls his eyes. He's a little put out the hunt didn't go as smoothly as he'd planned, he hadn't figured Alexander stupid enough to actually fight back, let alone have associates who wanted to defend him.

Sure, it had been successful, no one can defeat a blood witch and a demon working together, but still.

He's a little pouty over it.

And now you're being a bitch again!

He can't do something nice and you actually appreciate it anymore!

"I can literally hear the negative thoughts you're having about me."You grunt, using a wet rag to wipe at your shirt. "You can stop being an asshole at any time."

"I will when you stop being a cunt."

Oh!

You hate that word!

You bristle, glowering at him from across the small room. You're not very impressed with the rinky dink shack, as it should be called. It had four walls, a table that was broken in half with no chairs, a small kitchen area you're sure is from the stone ages, and one couch that sunk down in the very center.

This isn't what you imagined the "spot" he talked about would look like. Maybe it's because you're used to the finer things now thanks to Angelo's spoiling, but you definitely have no intentions of staying another moment in a dirty shack!

You want to go home, now!

"Don't fucking call me that!" You snarl, hurling the bloody rag at him and hitting him directly in the face. "You know I hate that."

Angelo doesn't immediately respond, his eyes closed as the rag drops to the floor. He inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring as he tries to control his temper.

He tries to do something nice for you and look where it gets him!

Bitching!

"You're always Bitching at me!" He hisses, suddenly unable to hold the words back. "What the hell is your problem lately!?"

"My problem!? You're the one who keeps fucking off!"

"How the hell am I fucking off?"' He demands, kicking the body he's recently dropped out of his way, disliking the pool of blood left behind. "I literally helped you hunt down a man halfway across the world because you decided you were bored."

"I am bored!" You shuffle. "You leave me in that dank ass castle by myself all the time!"

"Well excuse me for having a business to run." He retorts, crossing his arms defensively. "Usually you're off gallavanting with my brother, you're hardly ever there!"

"I'm trying to help with his bar thing ---."

"Which you've been so focused on you're hardly at that castle, so why should I?" He demands, clenching his hands sulkily; he honestly didn't like being in the castle by himself anymore, it didn't feel right.

You've been so focused on Richard you haven't been paying Angelo any attention, and he wants you all to himself again! It's not fair that little baby is getting all your ---.

"Are you serious!?" You huff, sensing what was suddenly the problem. "You're jealous?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, why would I ---?"

"You're jealous of Horror, aren't you? Is that the reason you brought me out here to this dump?" You stare at him, your eyes narrowing --- you want to be upset, cry a little, maybe break a few windows. You'd thought he brought you out because of the one year, because of your anniversary and because he cared --- but no.

It's only for selfish reasons!

You're not sure why you're even surprised, he's a self centered demon after all! An egotistical, ignorant, self -satisfying baboon!

Ugh!

"I want to go home!" You demand, hearing glass cracking. You're on the verge of losing your temper with him, you're a little hurt after all. You'd wanted him to be a little romantic towards you, not this!

This is stupid!

"Why are you pitching such a little bitch fit?" Angelo demands, his eyes running over your smaller frame. You have blood on your clothes where you turned one man into a sprinkler, and it stains a majority of visible skin. Your red hair is messed and flying errantly, and your eyes are spitting fire.

You're incredibly upset with him and he's not sure why.

You've only been together a year, surely the bond and relationship you two have will last longer then that! He'd expected centuries, not just a single digit!

"What the hell are you upset over?" He asks, near exasperated. "We caught the damned warlocks, like you wanted, we killed them!"

You send him the most vile look, as if he'd just kicked your pet hamster out a window. Your pale lips press into a thin line, and suddenly you're making a beeline for the front door.

If he won't take you home, you'll go yourself! You'll find a way back without his help!

Screw him!

"Where the hell are you going?" Angelo stares, startled. "Red!"

"Away from you!" You snap over your shoulder, the door flying open before you ever reach it. You storm out into the darkness, immediately hearing the native animals quiet. You haven't heard much of them, they seemed to sense evil and go silent.

Not that you're evil.

Angelo is.

But you're not.

You're just temperamental and spiteful.

You step out onto the dirt, glancing around at the lush jungle surrounding you. You're sure it's a beautiful place in the sunlight, but at night it holds a totally different allure.

You're not afraid, though. At this point in your life, you're not scared of anything. You can hear the rush of water from a waterfall in the distance, the rumble as it fell hundreds of feet.

Maybe you'd visit it in the daylight some time, alone, without your prick of a boyfriend!

"Don't you fucking walk away from me, (Y/N!)"

Speak of the bloody, clingy devil!

You feel Angelo's cold hand close around your arm, wrenching you around so quickly you nearly fall. You tense immediately, your fiery eyes meeting his as you look up.

"Get your hands off of me!"You snarl, jerking against his hold. "Fuck you, Angelo!"

"Get ahold of yourself!" He snaps, shaking you the slightest bit. You know you're not physically strong enough to pull away from him, but you're about to set him on fire if he doesn't let go!

"Angelo ---!" You sound as frustrated as you feel, but the next few biting words never leave your lips.

Angelo's free hand suddenly tangles in your long hair, locking in and dragging your head around forcefully. His lips find yours, and even though you give an angry shriek against his lips, shoving furiously at his chest, he doesn't move, it's like hitting a brick wall with your bare hand.

You're so mad at him, you don't want to kiss him!

You want to punch him in the throat!

You dig your nails into his chest, so deeply you know it cuts his skin. His grip in your hair tightens painfully as a result, so hard you feel your roots protest.

You take a deep breath, taking a step closer, pressing your body up against his. You're so frustrated with his arrogance and his complete idiocy! Why can't he just think?

Be a little romantic!

You grab his red-stained dress shirt, finding the blood still warm from his recent kill. You draw him a little tighter, his hand now around your hip, beneath your ruined sweater.

Angelo deepens the kiss, his tongue parting your lips and finding yours. He doesn't let you have control, he fights you for it, intent not to let you win.

There wouldn't be any fun in that.

"I'm so mad at you!" You hiss against his lips, feeling a new kind of rush slip through your body. A mixture of anger and desire makes your blood boil, and you find yourself jerking on the front of Angelo's shirt, ripping it completely in half.

Angelo smirks down at you, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. He releases your hair, both hands slipping to cup your ass instead. You huff as he lifts you up, your legs winding around his waist as he carries you.

You suddenly feel the nearest tree against your back, the tangle of its roots at your feet as he sits you down. The trees in Costa Rica are tall, with thick trunks and vines falling down. You're sure there's an errant snake or two making the tree it's home, but even they could sense to stay far away you hope.

You inadvertently groan as Angelo's hands roam higher beneath your shirt, cold fingers cupping your breasts.

You're so warm, Angelo loves that about you. He kisses you fervently, squeezing your full breasts in his hands. He's going to fuck you so senseless you never back talk him again!

Your nails scrape down the back of his neck, and you bite his lip impatiently, feeling a sudden urgency. He hisses against your mouth, and you get the faintest taste of his black blood with a heavy moan.

His blood is still intoxicating to you, it makes your skin feel likes it's on fire! Already you feel the burn sweeping across your skin, your body reacting to his touches immediately.

You arch into his grip, losing all reservations, momentarily forgetting your anger. Your hands rove his shoulder, pushing his ruined shirt off quickly. His grip tightens on you for a brief second, his fingers pinching and toying with your nipples almost painfully.

"Angelo," you breathe against his bloody lips, your head suddenly falling back in pleasure. Your body is humming, it's absolutely glorious. You'd forgotten the slight high you get off his blood.

He bites sharply at the curve of your neck , making you gasp. He presses into you, holding you into the tree as he gets his own taste of your blood, not going to let you get away with that little bite.

You grasp desperately at the hair at the nape of his neck, holding onto him, feeling your blood seep from the wound and into your clothing. Angelo groans against your skin, slowly lifting his head, dark eyes dilated as his tongue runs across the wound.

You taste amazing, his body begins to feel warm almost instantly. He closes his eyes for a brief moment, tilting his head back as he enjoys the taste of your blood on his tongue.

His black hair falls back from his face, and you press your lips against his chin, feathering kisses against his jaw until you return to his lips.

You press your hips eagerly into his, your body excited for his touch. You're impatient to have him, and you know he feels the same --- you'd almost forgotten what ingesting the blood of another does, how it connects you to them, let's you sense what they feel, what they want.

Angelo wants you.

He's already pulling at your sweater, grabbing it by the collar and completely shredding it in too, revealing your bare chest to him, stained the lightest pink from a warlocks blood.

You're his vixen, his fury, his harpy. You kill and maim just as well as he does, and he's never been more attracted to you then after a bloody fight.

His fingers hook into the waistband of your jeans, tugging roughly. He fights them down your shapely hips, letting them pool at your feet, watching as you step out of them quickly.

Your fingers waste no time going to us zipper, jerking it down and hastily unbuttoning his black trousers. Your eyes flick to his as you shove them down, feeling his length graze your body as it rises, finally free from its confines.

Covered in blood, eyes dilated and lips parted, you're the hottest Angelo has ever seen you. His hands cup your face as he kisses you, pushing you back against the rough bark of the tree and vines. You kiss him back earnestly, running your hands down his body, your nails lightly raking against his tender flesh.

Hell, he wants you! His cock throbs with the need to be inside you, making you cry out as he claims you again. He's pissed at you for your ungrateful attitude, and he wants to make sure you know it.

You moan as he slips a finger through your entrance, making slow circles against your walls and hitting all the right spots. He smirks as he realizes how wet you are and he's not even touched you, how your hips immediately push down against his hand.

"Not too mad at me now, are you?" He teases, earning the slightest of glares. You pinch his shoulder between your nails, your teeth abruptly digging into your lower lip as he adds a second finger, his thumb lightly brushing your clit, tantalizing you. He's not going to let you cum, you're going to have to work for it this time. He's going to work you up --- and then deny you what you want most.

Or, that's what he's going to try to do. Your hand is already on his cock, and you know how much he loves it when you --- oh fucking hell.

Angelo can't deny you anything! He fucking wants you too badly himself!

He swats your hand away, his own going to lift your hips. Your fingers curl around the vines behind you, the tree bark pressing coldly into your back.

You're so wet, there's a fire in you only Angelo can help. You want him to be rough, you want the sex to be so memorable that you won't forget in a hundred years.

And neither will he.

You reach forward, gripping his hair and jerking his lips to yours as you wind your thighs around his hips. You can feel his head at your entrance, and your body is completely welcoming.

You moan into his mouth as he slowly pushes forward, his cock finding the warmth it was seeking. You clench your hand around the vines as Angelo begins nibbling on your neck again, finding his rhythm. You practically bounce back against the trunk of the tree with every thrust, feeling it scratch your back. His hands are clamped so tightly on your hips you know they're bruising, but you're loving every moment of it!

He’s rough, making your breath hitch with every thrust, wrenching uncontrollable moans from your throat. Sweat gleams on your skin, mixing with the blood that's now smearing both of your bodies.

Angelo takes one of your breasts in his grip, teasing your nipples and sending an electric sensation surging through your whole body. Your hips thrust forward of their own account, meeting his and making both of you groan. You're already starting to clench around him, your tight muscles clinging to his cock.

His eyes are already that frightening black, the one that let's you know he's enjoying himself.

Your lips are permanently parted at this point, soft gasps constantly leaving them at every thrust. Your back is going to be bruised after this but you don't even care!

"You're still an a-ass!" You manage, clinging to the vines, your sweaty palm wanting to slip.

"And you're a cunt," he grunts, feeling you finally tense up. You're on the verge of cumming, your head falling back in absolute pleasure --- until Angelo slows his rhythm.

Your eyes flash open, seeing the smirk on those devilish lips.

"You've not been nice to me today," he informs you, beginning to move again when he'd completely paused. "Why should I give you what you want?"

"Angelo!" You scowl at him, hearing his faint chuckle before he thrusts forward so deeply you gasp, unprepared. Your toes curl in pleasure as he fills you, grinding his heavenly hips into yours until you're shaking, his thumb kneading your clit.

You shudder, letting go of the vines completely as you wrap your arms around his neck, clinging desperately to him as you whimper, your thighs held in his grip as he takes over. You let him have his way, pressing your face into his neck.

You're tightening again, you simply can't help it. You know Angelo isn't going to deny you pleasure a second time, he quite frankly doesn't have it in him! You can tell by his flexing touch and his breathing he's getting close himself.

"Angelo," you whimper, kissing his ear, your heart hammering in your chest. There's that feeling again --- a hot, writhing heat in the pit of your stomach that's making your slick skin flush, making your taut muscles quiver.

You kiss him just as you finally cum, Angelo groaning as you squeeze his cock, your clenching muscles making him feel right at home as he rams you into the tree, his legs starting to shake.

He sighs against your lips, holding you up against the tree, finding his own release inside of you.

It's like all the anger drains from your bodies, and you feel much more content now. You're fine with snuggling into him, letting him hold you for a few moments as you play with his black hair.

"Mmph, jungle sex isn't bad," you finally mumble after a while, feeling his silent chuckle.

"Your idea of jungle sex is different from mine," he mumbles, leaning back slightly so he can look at you. "We'll find some thick vines and then I'll show you jungle sex."

"Mmm. You going to go all Tarzan on me?" You tease, you mood lightened now that you're wore out. You're not frustrated now, Angelo had helped you vent that all out.

"I have no idea who Tarzan is."

You sigh; should've figured Angelo didn't know his movies.

You're still working on that.

You've cooled off a little, but your skin is still clammy from the heat. Considering you're a supernatural creature, it doesn't bother you as badly as it would a human, which is a plus, you guess.

You grimace as Angelo shuffles, your legs protesting as they're forced to straighten. You sigh as you notice the remains of your sweater, tugging it together the best you can.

"You destroy a lot of my clothes, you know."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't wear any at all," Angelo merely responds, zipping his jeans back up. You hide your smile, taking the hand he offers you.

You'd told him that numerous times.

~~~~~

"Now why couldn't we have come here first?" You sigh, stepping out onto the balcony of the resort. The tile is cool on your bare feet as you walk to the white painted railing, gazing out at the ocean not too far away. The breeze catches the end of your silk robe, tossing the ends into the air behind you.

"This is a treat," Angelo responds from the room, using his phone with a frown as he leans against the bed, a white towel wrapped around his waist from his recent shower. He's been working since the moment he entered the resort, his hell hounds carrying all the luggage.

You look over your shoulder at him, your red, wavy hair trailing down your back. He's just standing there, hair damp, the black curls on his chest gleaming in the dim lights from the chandelier.

You have to admit, this has been the happiest year of your life. You'd spent so long running for your very existence, it's been a big change. You adore Angelo, you're very much in love with him and he knows it.

You're still not quite used to the very rich lifestyle he leads, especially when he's away from the castle. He enjoys his lavish amenities, that's for sure.

You turn away, gazing back at the ocean. It's quiet, which you like, and you let yourself enjoy it. Peace is absolutely intoxicating, and it's to a point now you're not constantly looking over your shoulder for trouble. It's a habit you've finally broke.

"You know, we could get a place out here if you like," Angelo says, closer then you realized. His hands slip around your waist, drawing you back to lean against him. "A nice little tree house or something."

"Where we can have all the jungle sex we want?" You chuckle, knowing he's grinning.

"Something like that."

"I'm pretty content in the castle," you shrug your shoulders. "It's too hot here."

"You are pretty cold hearted, I'm not surprised you like a chillier place."

"Don't be mean!"

He chuckles, pressing a kiss against your shoulder. He shuffles a moment, and you glance down as you feel his hand move. You blink, staring at the black velvet box he's suddenly holding.

"That's not someone's finger bone is it?"

Angelo snorts, caught off guard. "No, but that would have been a good idea, if I'd thought of it first. Open it."

You hesitate, then reach for the box. It looks like it belongs to a ring, so that's what you assume it is.

But what kind?

Why is he giving this to you?

You're suddenly nervous!

Your fingers box on the box lid, hovering for a few moments before you force yourself to open it.

You blink.

Oh!

"It's so pretty!" You gasp, staring at the  gold band, a ruby set in the center surrounded by smaller ones. The ruby  is a deep red, almost reminding you of blood, which is fitting you suppose.

"I thought you might like it," he says, relieved. "Happy anniversary."

"You remembered!" You gasp, whirling around so quickly you nearly drop the ring off the balcony. You clutch it tightly, looking up at him. "You ass! Why didn't you say something!?"

"Of course I remembered," Angelo rolls his eyes as he takes the ring from you, not wanting you to drop half his fortune into the ocean. "I brought you out here to celebrate. How could I forget the day I slept with a blood witch?"

You quirk a brow at him, knowing he's playing and trying to stop the urge to punch his tattooed shoulder.

"You can be so infuriating." You merely reply, watching as he takes your left hand. You've never been one much for jewelry, you don't even know your own ring size.

You're pleased when the expensive ring, a testament of Angelo's feelings for you, glides easily onto your ring finger. You lift your hand up, gazing at it.

It's a little big in your opinion, but you adore it because it's from him. You turn, giving him a brilliant smile you usually reserve for special moments.

Angelo returns it, cupping your face and lightly kissing your lips. You can feel his love for you, a big warm spot in your chest. You return his affection, wrapping your arms around his neck contentedly.

He'd given you a promise ring, as you think of it. You doubt a demon can marry, that's incredibly unorthodox, especially since they live forever.

So this is the next best thing.

Things might not always be great with Angelo, he can be a pushy bastard, but you take the good with the bad. He'd done so much for you, even when he didn't have too.

"I love you," you murmur against his lips, feeling him smile.

"I love you, too."

Tags: I @isaxhorror   @lucifersnudes (anything miw)@allthepeppercorn. @iknightwriter. @miss-mcbotty.  @my-gothic-doctor.  @imaginemiw @little-h0rr0r

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Windy City Round Two - Bottom

Sobhy wins all-American showdown in Chicago to reach Windy City Quarters

PSA report, photos SquashPics.com  | all the Windy City reports

World No.6 Amanda Sobhy - the highest ranked U.S.-born player ever - emerged victorious in a momentous all-American encounter with Olivia Blatchford to reach the quarter-finals of the 2017 Windy City Open.

23-year-old Sobhy, in the first meeting this century between two US-born players this deep into a PSA World Series tournament, came through in four games against 24-year-old Blatchford, having been made to work hard for the win by the World No.26.

After taking the first comfortably Sobhy found herself drawn into a real battle as Blatchford upped her game to take the second 12-10 in a tie-break. And Sobhy could have gone behind  in the third, managing to get out of trouble and take it 12-10 before sealing the win with a one-way 11-3 fourth game.

"It was difficult mentally out there against a good friend," said Sobhy.

"I got a bit edgy when things where getting close. She played well in the big points and I was really bummed to lose the second game. I finally felt like I relaxed in the fourth so hopefully I can play the whole match tomorrow like that.

"But I enjoyed the match today. It's great to have two US players at this stage of a major event. It shows that we can produce the talent so hopefully we will see more of it in the future."

Sobhy will take on 2016, and 2015, tournament winner Raneem El Welily, the Egyptian former World No.1, for a place in the semi-finals after she downed Hong Kong's Annie Au with little difficulty. 

Joining them in the last eight were 2014 tournament winner Laura Massaro [ a straight-game winner over qualifier Sam Cornett ] and World No.4 Nouran Gohar,who had to come from behind to defeat the in-form Sarah-Jane Perry.

Perry, who broke into the top ten for the first time in her career last month, took the opening game 11-6 and enjoyed periods of control. But Gohar stayed calm, applied pressure through her hard-hitting style and was rewarded when Perry slowed up physiclaly n the third, setting the platform for the win.

"It was a big battle, she's in-form at the moment and I'd never beaten her before," said Gohar.

"I had to play very well today. She's just made the top 10 so I had to be 100 per cent ready mentally and physically.

"In the first game it was all her - I just tried to stick in there and dig deep to win the match."

In the Men's draw another in-form English player, James Willstrop, came out victorious against Egyptian opposition, coming through a tough and testing match with Mohamed Abouelghar to set up a quarter-final with 2015 World Champion Gregory Gaultier.

Willstrop demolished Omar Mosaad 3-0 in round one and picked up from where he left off as he continued to hit accurate, precise lines and leave Abouelghar powerless to resist as he took a 2-0 lead.

But Abouelghar's top fifteen calibre was on full display as he reduced the error count, tightened up his line hitting and played with patience to transform the match into an almighty tussle. He took the third and was enjoying success in the fourth until 9-9, when Willstrop's beautifully deceptive crosscourt kill set up match point - although he needed two more to convert the win.

"There was a lot of relief at the end of that one - it was very hard," said Willstrop.

"He was very heard to break down today. I might have a ranking advantage and the experience, but he's given me a real tough ride the last few times we played.

"I handled it well in the first two today but he just got better and better and grew into it. I though he was class - he was making it very, very hard and wasn't giving me any openings. I'm very happy that I managed to get through it."

[ Gaultier had the easiest task of the day, easing to a 16-minute victory over an ailing Daryl Selby and conceding just three points.]

The winner of Willstrop's encounter with Gaultier will face either Spaniard Borja Golan, who beat [ Hong Kong qualifier ] Leo Au to reach his first World Series quarter-finals in over a year, or current World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad.

The Qatar Classic and Tournament of Champions winner beat compatriot Fares Dessouky in a hard fought 3-1 encounter to return to wining ways after losing to Gaultier in the Swedish Open final earlier this month.

"I really want to do well in this event and keep my performances high and get the winning going," said Gawad.

"I went on court very focused and trying to start strong and I feel like I played very well today. I felt like I kept my rhythm and focus going throughout the game which is pleasing.

"You can't win every match but the most important thing I believe is to always try and learn from your mistakes. I lost in Sweden but I've tried to work on what I did wrong and come into this tournament as if it is the first one of the season."