#i knowww it's annoying to be like Only I Understand This

[tyrannuspitch]

weary again

[ilwonuu]

First date with junhui!! 💗 maybe it could be like him having an obvious crush on you (it annoys his members cus he being shy not asking you out) and he finally gets the confidence to ask/take you out!!

THANK YOU there’s kind of a jun drought on here i love him sm

anon,,, these jun requests are actually gonna kill me!!! i am actually so down bad for this man. and I KNOWWW i love him sm too! trying my best to heal drought. my loveee i hope u enjoy and i’m sorry it’s so late<3

𝗌𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗒 𝖽𝖺𝗒

༊*·˚𝗐𝖾𝗇 𝗃𝗎𝗇𝗁𝗎𝗂

🝮 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀－ 𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉， 𝗇𝗈𝗇𝗂𝖽𝗈𝗅！𝗃𝗎𝗇 𝗑 𝖿𝖾𝗆！𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋， 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌？？ 𝗁𝖾𝗁𝖾

🝮 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌－ 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿<𝟥，，𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗐𝗄𝖾𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗎𝖾𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌，𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗃𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗂𝖾，，， 𝖺𝗐𝗄𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝖿𝗅𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗅， 𝗄𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀， 𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌， 𝗅𝗆𝗄 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖾𝗅𝗌𝖾<𝟥

🝮 𝖺／𝗇－ 𝗁𝗂𝗂 𝗆𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗅𝗌，，， 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗌𝗇𝗍 𝗀𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝖺𝗒 𝖻𝖼 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗅𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗒 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗃𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗆𝗅 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗈 𝖼𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗂 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗍<𝟥 （𝗌𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗇𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗈𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽<𝟥）

jun was a shy person naturally and that was fine with you always. sometimes he was a little more shy with you than you understand why. but you didn’t know it was all because he had a big crush on you. you have know jun and his members for a long time.

you have formed a good friendship but sometimes jun avoids you. it sometimes made you feel a little bit sad. did you have something against you? or was he just being his shy self. you know jun to never be a rude type of person so he wouldn’t ignore you on purpose.

the same shyness that annoys you was also annoying his members. you were talking to hoshi and cheol as you guys were all out together. you guys were walking around in town trying to find places for dinner. you were invited by hoshi and cheol especially so of course you wanted to greet them first.

after greeting them you made your way over to everyone else. you taking the time to talk to jun longer.

“hi junnie- that sweaters cute on you.” you smile at him hoping to help him to feel less shy if that’s why he has been a little avoidant.

“o-oh. thank you.” he said with a smile before turning back to minghao. you sighed a little as he was so quick to stop talking to you. you went back to hoshi and cheol to discuss dinner. at dinner you offered jun to sit next to you but politely declined as he said he already promised dino he would sit next to him.

you were fine with his answer but then you realized that he could sit by both of you. you shrugged it off and sat next to hoshi and dokyeom. this is usually how it went when you tried to talk to jun. your best friend, soonyoung would always reassure you to keep trying.

so you did but you only got the same results. you knew it was only because he was shy around you but in reality it was because he wanted to ask you out so badly. every time you got close he panicked. his members kept watching his failed attempts in frustration.

they don’t understand why he hasn’t just asked yet. clearly you like him too but jun is nervous. he doesn’t want to ruin your friendship or anything. soonyoung also reassuring him that he should definitely ask you out and it wouldn’t ruin anything.

“do you know something? what if she says no.” jun was being pestered by his members to finally ask you out and shut up.

“how do you know if you never try?” jeonghan interjects with an annoyed tone. jun shrugs as he thinks for a moment. he’s known you for a long time now. you have been friends for awhile. that’s what makes him more nervous.

“i don’t even know- what i would say. she makes me that nervous.” jun laughs a little at himself.

“just say what you feel. that you like her and would want to take her on a date if she would want to? look at me being a cupid.” seungkwan says with a shrug causing some of the guys to laugh.

“seriously jun, you got this completely. it’s been so long of you crushing on her. you need to ask her out.” minghao says to his best friend. jun takes what everyone said into consideration but of course he doesn’t know if he can actually do it.

“i will try to ask her out tomorrow.” jun states with little confidence but he tries to convince them nonetheless.

the next day was definitely nerve wracking for jun. all of you planned to hangout at your favorite park. them urging him to talk to you every time there was a good moment.

“you could go now! wait- no. she’s talking to cheol now.” chan says to jun with a smile. jun doesn’t say it but they are honestly making this more nerve wracking for him.

“i think i’m gonna ask her now.” jun finally says which even catches himself off guard. he doesn’t know where the sudden confidence came from but he’s thankful for it. he walked over to where you were talking to some of the guys.

“uh- y/n? can i talk to you for a second?” jun gently taps you. once you see him you smile.

“of course junnie.” jun takes your hand as he takes you away the guys. he lets go of your hand awkwardly and turns to you.

“i- just wanted to tell you that i like you. i have for a while- i know it might not seem like it whenever i’m shy around you- anyways. would you go on a date with me? no pressure- of course.” jun’s anxious rambling was cute. you could tell he was really nervous about asking you. but you are so glad he did ask you.

“jun- i like you too. believe it or not i could tell you liked me at least a little. and i would love to go on a date with you.” you held both his hands in yours with a smile.

“when is this date you want to talk me on? i’m free for you whenever.” you say to him with a smile and he blushes at your words.

“is that so? well then so am i. is tomorrow too soon?” he asks you sweetly.

“tomorrow is not soon enough.” you tease as you give him a little nudge.

“i’m looking forward to tomorrow jun.” you say to him before returning to the guys with him.

“so?” soonyoung whispers to jun quiet enough for you not to hear.

“she likes me back. we’re going on a date tomorrow.” jun whispers back with a over joyed smile.

you find it funny that they’re whispering but you can hear everything they’re saying.

as you got ready for your date all you could do was smile. you were finally going on a date with your dream man. he was perfect all around. you were starting to get nervous as the 10 mins left until he arrived was approaching.

he told you to dress however you’d like. he hadn’t told you where you going for you date but you were excited. jun had texted you that he arrived early. you finished your final look as you made your way out to his car.

“you look so pretty.” you blushed at his words as you thanked him. jun was quick to open your door for you which made you smile. as you and jun drove to the destination the car was filled with comfortable conversation and comfortable silence.

you could tell jun was getting less anxious with you of course because it’s just you two but still you were beyond happy. when you two arrived at the look out spot there was a beautiful picnic set up. you could see chan and minghao sitting on it as they waited for you and jun. once they spotted you two they waved before leaving.

“i wanted to make it special but also not too much.” jun said as he got out the car to open your door again. jun was a gentleman and you loved that about him. he was always so sweet and thinking of others. he held your hand as the two of you sat down on the blanket.

“this is so pretty. i love it jun.” you say with a smile.

“i’m glad you love it. that was my only goal. i’m just happy to be on this date with you.” jun confesses as he pours some of the sparkling cider for you two. you thought it was cute that he bought cider for you two but also you knew it was because he was driving.

“you’re so cute you know that? the way you would get all nervous around me when we would hangout. you’re even cuter now.” you giggle as he eats some of the snacks that he prepared.

“you know how happy i am to hear that? i was doubtful of your feelings.” jun says. you were shocked by his words.

“you must’ve been a little blind then huh? i’ve wanted you from day one.” you grab his hand with a smile.

“yeah i was a little blind. i wish i wasn’t then this would’ve happened sooner.” he holds your hand giving you a smile too.

“maybe it’s good that we were stupid about our feelings. it just makes me more excited to go on dates with you now junnie.” you laugh as you eat some snacks.

“i’m already beyond excited to go on more dates with you. i’m so happy the guys urged me to finally ask you out.” jun says before looking at your lips.

“kiss me jun.” you smile at him as he wastes no time to lean in. you two kiss sweetly for a moment before pulling away.

“everything about you makes me like you more.” jun says shamelessly as he smiles at you. you giggle at the leftover lipstick you left on his lips.

“i could say the same about you jun.”

tag list: @blackeyehuaaa @haechansbbg @sailor- -sun

lmk to be in my tag list<3

[szagaloree]

His wife….

Chapter 4

Contains: fluff/ptsd/sadness/bonding

I do lift ups, to try and take away my boredom, wasn’t helping but atleast getting exercise. “Heyyy spider how you holding up nephew?” Raven asks shaking his head like she always does “fine, bored,” he huffs sitting on the bunk bed, “I’m bored too, don’t feel like going anywhere though,” I said doing my lift ups, “mom… can you please tell me what happened last night?” He asks I sighed “spider what did I tell you,” I said sternly “I know I knowww, I really wanna know, Quaritch seemed out of it,” spider said “he’s always out of it,” Raven spoke passing by, I shake my head with a smirk “no seriously, like he’s sad, something hurt him,” he explains, “marines liek him don’t get sad he’s probably on his little man period,” Raven said I snorted “men have man periods?” Spider asks “nooo, don’t listen to that bitch, she’s just joking,” I laughed as I drop down, “okay look… I ended up telling Quaritch he’s your father,” Raven spins around “WHAT?!” She shouts.

“He ended up finding anyways but, fuck,” I huff “he’s my dad? Why..didn’t you tell me?” He asked, “I didn’t because I wanted to protect you, I don’t trust him that he’ll turn you into of them, I don’t want that for your spider,” I try to explain but spider shakes his head in disbelief “why would you just keep that from me?! I deserve to know who my father is,” he argued “spider I only did it-spider,” I called as he storms out I go to follow but Raven grabs my arm “let him cool down, Gwen.. but are you serious? Quaritch is his dad?” I nodded “we were married Raven,” her jaw dropped “I must’ve completely forgo-ohhhh shit! Ohhh shit! You’re right y’all were married! Oh my god! And you were pregnant with him!” She gasps in shock I sighed nodding.

I tear up feeling heartbroken and disappointed with myself, “Awww gwen,” she comforts me as I cried, “I just want him to be safe,” I said, “I know he’s only a kid, his mind doesn’t fully understand, you just gotta give him time,” she said, later on I was freaking out because I don’t know where spider was. He was gone almost all day, I spot him in the lab with Quaritch, I stopped in my tracks, as I watched them spider was smiling and talking and what surprised me was how Quaritch was smiling, I never seen that from him before except when I was pregnant that was the last time I have ever seen him be “human” I sighed turning around leaving but Quaritch already saw me.

I walk into my quarters “found spider?” Ellice asks.

“Mhm” I said laying in my bed, “where is he at?” Raven asks “where you think?” I cock a brow huffing, “that’s kid for ya as soon as they hear the truth about their other parents they run right to them like it’s nothin,” she said, shaking my head I put my hand over my eyes falling asleep. A few minutes later spider walks “hey kiddo,” Allen said “hey” he said with a sad tone, “your mom’s asleep,” Ellice tells him, we walks over sighing. “Your mother never wanted this for you, she wanted you out of this, it’s only a matter of time shit hits the fan,” Ellice said climbing on the top bunk, spider taps my shoulder “mom” he calls, I yawn waking up surprised to see spider sitting next to me.

“I need to talk to you,” he says.

“What is it?” I ask stretching my tired body, “can you come with me?” He asks I get up, I follow him out to a different room, “where are we going spider?” I ask, he walks inside and when I follow him my face dropped into a annoyed glare “surprise surprise” Quaritch says with a smirk, “really spider?” I look at him, he nervously smiled, “I want to make an..agreement with you,” he said “sounds like you were struggling to say deal,” I cock a brow while crossing my arms he huffs. “If it’s fine, I would like to coparent,” he said, my mouth hung open in shock, spider snickered, “coparent? You coparent?” I pointed “yes..a child needs both their parents and I guess we need to make up for the time that has been lost,” he says, I really couldn’t put together was this fool said, I was very surprised and confused. He acted like he didn’t want nothing to do with spider nor did he really care.

“Hmph” I look at spider “please?” Spider begs, “see even he wants too,” Quaritch says trying to convince me to say yes, I huff grunting in aggravation “I’m going to fucking regret this, fuck…. Fine” I huff, spider and Quaritch smirked at each other “don’t make me regret this, or I’ll shove your tail up your ass,” I said, “but you will not taking him anywhere outside of the forest which fucking means you will not be using him to track sully,” I said, “alright, that’s cool with me,” he said, I huff shaking my head. After the next few days things have been going pretty well, I’m ashamed to say it. Spider has been hanging out with his dad a lot, they would talk about his favorite things, he loves football and basketball. I yawn tiredly, as I walk into the lab to go and get spider, “how did you and mom meet?” He asks “welll.. we both met at a friends football watch party, he introduced me to her and I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her, she’s the most beautiful person I ever met, so I decided to talk to her and she was kind of shy and laid back, she didn’t bother anybody or really speak to people unless they come up to her,” he says with a faint smile as he begins to dream of the moment we first me. I cross my arms leaning on the wall with a soft smile “as we talked I decided to ask for her number and what not she surprisingly said yes so fast forward I asked her out on a date, took her to a very dance restaurant and we got to know each other,” he spoke, “you had feelings for her even when you first met?” Spider asks, “yea, and I never believed in love at first sight but it definitely was just that, I found she was in the military same was eye but she was two ranks above me and boy she was beast, she was thee boss, and that’s what I loved about her she never backed down from a fight and she shocked me so much by that, from somebody who was shy around me sure as hell was fierce with others,” he chuckles.

“Maybe because she liked you,” spider said, “mhm, she did she loved me like crazy, we got married both in the military till the rda came and offered us the job, we took that and here we landed on Pandora… fast forward throughout the time she seemed so intro he nature, the-the creatures and all that, I just couldn’t see that, I never understood why she cared to protect these people, but she told me one day she was pregnant and boy I was shocked I couldn’t believe it, I was hoping for a boy, she thought it was a girl, but during that time it out a strain on us because she wanted you safe she wanted to walk away from the rda and the military shit, because of the pregnancy and don’t get me wrong I wanted to as well but I couldn’t just.. Walk away and leave it’ll be to dangerous for her to go back and our world is already fucked up,” he sighed staring down at the ground, spider frowns “I was very fucked up back then, I wanted both my wife and my child safe but it just kept holding me back like a drug,” he swallows thickly as spider crawls over towards him, “do you..blame yourself?” He asks, “when I found out your mother died, I-I just went rogue I took my anger out even more, I do blame myself actually,” he said.

I walk in from behind the wall, Quaritch looks up “time to go kid, mama’s here,” he said, “aww I wanna hear the rest of it,” spider pouts, I guess a little story wouldn’t hurt,” I said crossing my arms, Quaritch raises a suspicious brow at me, “mom, did you really get tangled in the parachute when you landed?” Spider asks my eyes go wide “you told him that?!” Quaritch snickered I huff “no I didn’t.. it was the wind,” I huff.

Spider laughed “alright time to go to bed, let’s go,” I said he pouts but gets up huffing and puffing, “you remember everything?” I ask Quaritch, he sighed nodding “I uhh… I looked at more videos, ended up finding more and it, yea,” he stares down the ground, I sighed walking over to him “so, what are you thinking?” I ask, he huffs shaking his head, “come on tell me,” I sat down, “I was.. really fucked up, and selfish, I was so stuck on doing my job,” he tries to explain, “and you see why now? They’re treating you like a damn puppet, that’s y’all are only here for,” I said sighing, I stood up and he quickly follows grabbing my wrist to stop me, he turns me around “I never wanted it to be this way,” he said, “you make it hard for me to believe you, you’re after jake and his family! His kids! You tried to hurt his kids! And you expect somebody to fucking believe could change and do better,” I said, “and what if i do change, what benefits me?” He questions “a son, go after him if you want you will not see your son I will make you not see the light of day,” I threatened he sighed.

I begin to walk away “one chance” he said I stopped, “…just…one chance okay, it’s only a matter of time before Carmella shuts us all down,” he said, “I go by actions, not words,” I said then left.

[atopearth]

Ikemen Revolution Part 17 - Dalim "Dum" Tweedle Route

It seems like I was so disappointed with the announcement that IkeRev wouldn't get any more routes translated (my Blanc route😭😭😭) that I didn't even realise I never did Dalim/Dum's route lol! I guess better late than never? I love how protective all the Black Army guys were the moment Dum kissed her hand hahaha, understandable if his nickname is the infamous playboy of Central though haha! I wonder why he gets sick from time to time, I haven't played this game in so long I've completely forgotten if it was explained in a previous route haha. Anyway, it was hilarious how Dum collapsing is such a common occurrence that all the women run to take care of him when it happens. He seems insistent on the heroine just because she's not like the other girls who fawn all over him lol. Of course she'll have to work at his tavern to get to know him better haha. Anyway, I wonder if the reason why Dum is always collapsing and stuff is because he's running out of magic power inside him and is going to die if he keeps using it? I forgot his circumstances and story since it's been so long haha. It's actually kinda cute how both Dean and Dum are so adamantly against the heroine calling them so identical that they've got to be related somehow hahaha.

I wonder, if the heroine agreed to run away with Dum, would he have left everything here and ran away with her, or would he have just thought it was an easy way to kidnap her to the Magic Tower? I'm inclined to think it's the former since he does seem fond of the heroine and hoped that she would pick that so she wouldn't have to suffer. I'm not sure how I should feel for Dalim because the fact that he's literally creating these test subject humans to harvest great amounts of magic because the Magic Tower can't keep up with the supply for the populace is just crazy. I knowww the heroine wouldn't abandon Dalim when he's in pain but it still frustrates me to see the heroine caged up not being able to do anything. I think what I'm having an issue with this route right now that gives me a sense of distaste is how it tries to justify Dalim's actions and reasoning. The banishment of Levie to the Land of Looking Glass could be understood as there being no choice because they couldn't handle his overflowing magic that already killed his mother when she gave birth to him, but the fact that they abandoned him not because they thought he was too dangerous to handle but because they found no worth in doing further research with him and getting any result from it? That's just cruel. They not only sealed the entrance to the place but left him isolated because they just didn't care for him. Then the Magic Tower's reasoning that they need more magic crystals because they can't keep up with the demand, understandable, but they're obviously in dire straits but what they care about isn't that the people will run out of magic supply but that they will lose the monopolised power they hold as the people who manage these crystals and distribute them. They're not concerned about people's lives, they're concerned about their place in society so having the heroine think that this is just an issue of different perspectives grates my nerves, because it's not, the Magic Tower or at least the higher ups have no regard to the people, otherwise they would discuss other ways and solutions and not focus on magic circuits. What also annoys me is the heroine's beating heart when Dalim does anything, like lady, whyyy, please have some respect for yourself. I'd say that Dalim is most interested in research of magic itself rather than helping people though which is not a problem, just not admirable considering what he does to achieve his goals. I guess the only solace is that the heroine is against Dalim's methods regardless, since it sacrifices people, but she'll help with the research just to lower the amount of sacrifices because that's the only thing she can do. Anyway, Dalim is probably doing all the stuff he's doing to protect his brother like Seth protects his sister, and he's caging the heroine to protect her in his own way but yeah, doesn't mean I like it. I won't deny that when Dalim protected her from Amon and was ready to cover her from a full-on magical attack, I was quite touched. I'm too easy like the heroine after all😂

I completely forgot that Oliver was from the Land of Reason and Amon and Dalim experimented on him! That's difficult to forgive. But obviously, Dalim is only doing his best to survive in his own way. He can't escape Amon, he either lives as a test subject or as his disciple and the latter is the only way to live like a person and survive, and one day kick him off his position, so honestly despite everything, I do feel bad for him and understand why he's done what he's done. He's never had true freedom to choose what he wants to do. I think it was kinda cute how the heroine said she'll be the prince who saves Dalim who is trapped in this tower, I think he needed those words. I'm glad that finally kicked Dalim to get Harr to save the heroine from being stuck in this tower. Well, I guess I should apologise to Dalim for thinking he actually did inhumane experiments in the past. I'm relieved to know that ever since he was a kid, he and Dean never compromised their thoughts and beliefs, the only sad thing was that they both failed escaping together, causing Dalim to sacrifice himself to be the sole test subject to protect others, and to allow Dean to live a life outside the tower. I guess this route encapsulates the whole idea of a revolution against Amon, freeing both Cradle and Dalim from his overbearing authority. It was sweet to see Jonah save Luka, I always look forward to the brothers getting along better. It was still sad to watch Seth turn against them though, especially since it seemed like Seth was actually going to hurt Luka. It was nice to see both Dean and the heroine save Dalim, and for Dalim to have a reduced sentence basically. I kinda thought I would look forward to the romance between Dalim and the heroine but I sadly didn't feel it at all so even though they finally got to get together, I actually found the heroine's boundless and all forgiving love rather difficult to believe in a sense. Anyway, I'm glad Dalim didn't leave to go to the Land of Reason with the heroine because that would have been disappointing for him as a person but interesting story-wise I guess lol. But I think that suggestion is exactly what makes me even more strongly think we had to suspend a lot of belief in the heroine's morality and views on what's right just because of "love". The only thing I liked was them working together forever in the bar lol.

Overall, I'm not a fan of Dalim's route. I had high hopes because I'm into "villains" but I think Dalim's route rubs me in the wrong way through the heroine's thoughts and perspective. I mean, I didn't mind his backstory and stuff because it was to be expected that he was protecting Dean and didn't have a choice etc but I really didn't like how throughout the whole route once the heroine got captured, even though she likes to acknowledge that the things Dalim is doing is "wrong", she is always justifying his actions and the way he did things. I feel like the romance made it difficult for me to like this route because the heroine always had a fluttering heart for the smallest things and even when he does questionable things to her and the world of Cradle, but it's like no, my heart is beating fast so I think he's not bad lol. I just feel like so many things the heroine ignored because of her "love" and honestly, if it was a love that made sense to me, whether it be evil or toxic or anything, I wouldn't mind, but instead it felt like she just downplayed everything that was done because of his "reasons" and then makes her life revolve around him? Anyway, maybe I'm just old and cynical lol, but I just didn't end up enjoying this route that much because I feel like so much of it was spent on parts I didn't care as much about. I never felt like I truly got to understand better and more of Dalim's thoughts and feelings towards Dean or even on the Magic Tower and everything. I felt like all we saw was a shallow side of him and I guess that's why I'm disappointed. I'll admit that he's hot though.

[ccieatchildren]

Caretaker watched as her father was taken away in handcuffs, the ever present smile plastered on his face. Her mum was already inside, annoyed with her husband’s antics, choosing instead to answer emails from her coworkers, while her brothers stood next to Caretaker watching their father get hauled off.

“Get back before dinner, Baba!” Two shouted, earning an elbow from One. 

Her father laughed boisterously, “You know I will!” This did not go over well with the officers dragging him away, who turned to glare at him even harder. Furious because they all knew it was true.

Baba was untouchable, too good at what he did to leave any identifiable evidence behind. Each time the police tried to pin him for a job, there was nothing. They’d just hold the man for a few hours, or the full 48 hours if he really pissed them off, before releasing him back to his family. 

Cat burglary was an art passed down the generations, but her father was the one who truly put the family name in the spotlight. The villain had cultivated a reputation for being able to pull off any heist, no matter how secure the facility was, without ever having to kill anyone. Various other villains and businessmen had tried to hire the man to steal for them, but he was never interested in it for the money, using whatever he collected for charity. He simply did it to keep up a legacy, for the fun, and, most importantly, the challenge. 

Caretaker had learned to expect her father to be out for the day if she ever saw the news cover a big heist. He never told her or the twins about his operations, only Mum was ever privy to that information, so she always learned about it after the fact from other sources. It used to bother her as a child– she wanted to be just like him– and then when she started as a hero– it put them at odds– but as Caretaker got older and grew into her role, she found herself being grateful for the secrecy. It meant she didn’t have to jail him herself. 

Most other heroes didn’t trust her because of her father; figured the villainy was in her blood, and that meant that her family was evil. It was black and white for them, little room for grey.

As Baba knocked his head on the top of the police cruiser, all Caretaker could think was that they were right. Heisting was in her blood. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t use those skills for good.

She was the best in the department for breaking into supervillain facilities, cracking safes full of confidential information, and sneaking in on illegal deals. And having her mother’s muscular build didn't hurt one bit either. Caretaker was a force to be reckoned with.

Her moral compass may not completely align with those around her, but she knew her right and wrong– learned it all from her father. Nobody seemed to understand that, nobody except Whumpee. Maybe that’s why they butted heads so much at the beginning of their partnership. They seemed like everyone else because they were frustrated with her uncooperativeness, not her family, while Caretaker was uncooperative because she expected them to be like everyone else. A vicious cycle that thankfully didn’t last too long.

Turning from the scene, Caretaker opened the door and motioned for her brothers. “Come on, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, time to head in. You’ve seen this all before.”

“I knowww, but it’s way more fun to watch Baba get dragged away,” Two replied, “and seeing how mad the coppers get is hilarious.”

“And it’s therapeutic,” added One. 

“Let’s go. I have to get to work, and I can’t leave until I make sure y’all don’t do something stupid like last time.” It frustrated Caretaker to no end that she had to watch over her college-aged brothers, but after they almost set a cop car on fire, she made sure not to leave them alone with the law. 

Both of them looked dejected, even the usually stoic One, as they shuffled inside, turning one last time to watch as their father drove away. 

Caretaker waved bye to her dad once more, before heading inside to join the rest of her family.

[hymnoire]

♣ + gaya and evan tbh

Gaya and Evan, Buenos Aires, Summer 2024.

        A secret polyamorous relationship : they don't really fit the expectations their families have for them. Evan doesn't want to walk into the steps his father. Gaya neither, she wants to stand on her own. Money, power, heritage, get married, have kids : that's not for them. Are we ... Deviant? Or are we like, fucked up? Like there's no way out for us? It takes a little bit of exploring and questionning for Gaya to understand that she only feels good with her lovers. Evan, he's so free and she becomes a little more free when she's with him. It turns me on when I watch you kiss him. Do it again. She whispers to him with eyes she only gives to them, the lobe of his ear in between her teeth. What we do here, they can never know.

       Send me ♣ + a ship and i’ll tell you…

Who is the better dancer?

Evan is the better dancer, especially due to his hispanic heritage and being a stuntman as well. He is naturally at ease in his body, fast on his feet, comfortable. He makes fun of Gaya for how stiff her dancing is : waltz is so boring. In the summer in South America, they dance on the beach. Gaya moves well, too well, she is suave and moves her hips perfectly to the rythm. "When did you get this good?" He questions. " Maybe I've been taking classes behind your back to outdance you and well, prove you wrong." She says wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "God you're a maniac." He says. " Mmmm I knowww." She with a grin as she kisses him.

Who likes the outdoors more and who likes the indoors more?

Evan likes the outdoors more, in fact he's constantly : in the outdoors! If his skin is used to the sun and he gets this beautiful tan that Gaya likes a lot - Gaya on the other hand has a very sensitive skin and often wears caps whenever outside with him to protect it. Gaya enjoys the indoors more so she can have all the privacy she needs when its just them.

Who’s a cat person and who’s a dog person?

They both a dog person. Evan is confortable around them and they are comfortable around him as well. Gaya is into big dogs, the Kangs have many dogs they go hunting with. Yes, she likes Big Scary Dogs (grrr) - but often ends up with Navi snoozing on her thighs, that's Evan's bunny.

Who’s more social?

Evan is definitly more social, in fact during gatherings, people naturally go to him to talk to him. Gaya does have her fair share of handshakes due to her being the Kang heiress but conversations with her turn shorter. "Ugh I feel... Silly caring about that but. People don't really like me, right? I can tell. I feel out of place, sometimes. You're just so good at this - I'm not." She would confide in him. "Nonsense. Come on." He would tell her while bringing her into conversations with him, helping her feel more comfortable.

Who makes the bed every morning?

Housekeepers would usually make the beds but since their relationship stays away from the public eye, Gaya takes care of it and she tidies the room.

Who likes to keep the house cold and who likes to keep the house warm?

Evan likes the house warm as he lived in warm places meanwhile Gaya never turns up the heater. She complains a lot about it at first, Evan turning the heater on all the time : "Ugh WHY is it a Billion degrees in here? EVAN? EVAN?!" Yes she is annoying but she soon understands with the room being this hot, he walks around shirtless which is one of her favorite views. "Yeah you know what, Nevermind~"

Who takes longer getting ready?

They get ready together but they always end up getting distracted, sometimes they even mess around a bit while undresssing each other so it takes literally forever to get ready.

Who likes scary movies and who likes funny ones?

Evan being curious and talkative often talks during movies no matter what genre it is, questions regarding cinema in general or the themes picked in the movie, or theories - Which Gaya loves and replies to all the time, they can have endless passionnate debates while matching a movie which would annoy anybody watching it with them : " Can. You. Both. Shut the fuck up." Their friends would say.

Who screams when they see a bug and who ends up killing it?

None of them scream.

Who is more technology challenged?

None.

Who would be more likely to burn something in the kitchen?

Gaya does not know how to cook to save her life. However, the less they let help and housekeepers interfere into their lives as they want their privacy the more she watches Evan cook for them in the kitchen. "Can you stir that for me?" He asks when taking care of something else yet when he returns 5 minutes later : it's half burned. "IT WAS JUST A STIR GAYA-"

"YOU DIDNT SPECIFY THE SPEED NOR THE DIRECTION OF THE ROTATION OF THE STIR- HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO ALL THAT??"

Who talks in their sleep?

Gaya talks into her sleep and it's usually very concerning, death threats towards everyone she knows. Evan listens, well, concerned but perhaps as long as she doesn' say his name it's fine......

Who leaves the cap off the toothpaste?

None? It's not hard to close the goddamn toothpaste.

Who likes getting dressed up more?

They both don't necessarily overthink the way they dress nor are addicted to clothes and appearances in general. But hey obviously both have their own styles and the effortless vibe to carry it.

Who’s better at tying ties?

Gaya takes care of tying Evan's ties whenever he wears one for a formal event, she likes doing so. They often chat when she does.

Who recorded the answering machine message on the house phone?

They once recorded an answering machine message when being completely wasted and they 100% forgot about it until someone who called tell them. "Guys... About the answering message on both of your phones... What was that about?" And they suddenly remember they did That. "Fuck-" "Ok so for how long..."

Who’s better at planning romantic things?

Evan is. He doesn't necessarily plan "things". Him being spontaneous actually simply lead them to share simple times together in places that happen to be romantic : on a roof, in the grass, after a long drive, in a foreign country, on a beach. He cannot stay still and so whenever she follows him, adventures naturally follow and it does feel romantic.

Who takes up more space in the closet?

They both take so much space in the closet due to the tons of clothes they receive from brands. Also Evan's clothes are a little more fun than Gaya's who mostly wears woman suits, a lot of black and white even though she has pretty dresses. Sometimes she would grab one of his shirts to lounge in them. She looks a little more gentle , a little solfter when she wears his colors.

Who has more of a sweet tooth?

Gaya has a sweet tooth but doesn't admit it so whenever he happens to order a piece of cake or whatever, she pretends she wants to "taste" but ends up eating all of it.

Who drinks more often?

They both drink often as they often celebrate or often attend events and gatherings. They also have parties on their own, in their hotel rooms for example and like to get tipsy and have fun.

Who is most likely to laugh during a serious situation?

Evan is. Which causes Gaya to tell him to Be Serious. Gaya is Oh so serious however, he clearly has a positive impact on her which causes her to laugh as well when he starts laughing. So in the end, it's both of them laughing.

[drusic]

It's just wild that you stuck around after the drituation to me. Like welcome welcome hope you're having a good time even with recent events (the mask 😔✊)

Honestly sometimes it's fun to flex oh I've been here for a while but I can totally see why it would get annoying. And especially them being like, on newbies will never know as if everything isn't crazily documented and clipped to hell from like mid-2020 to early/mid- 2022

...also you say that as I used to be an SBI main pre-october and then the drituation pushed me here... which is a *little* backwards but like, SBI is hella toxic in all honesty and October was my last straw

i knowww i could have left super easily and pretend i was never interested cause it had only been.. like 10 days LMFAO like it was definitely an interesting welcome to the fandom ^_^ in all seriousness though i was very normal about it cause i wasn’t that attached and was able to read everything and talk about it with my friends (who liked dream before i did) and we all quickly agreed that it was not grooming and it personally didn’t make us super uncomfortable so we moved on fast, although i don’t blame people at all for going a little bit crazy. it was a big word being used at the end of the day and i understand the panic 100%. at the time i was more worried about the fandom dying though cause that was the part i enjoy the most about stanning someone 😭

and i’ve heard of how horrible the sbi fandom is, i don’t see much about it but you’re not the only one who left that fandom because of how toxic it is :/ hope they didn’t ruin the actual streamers too much for you tho!

[ashmp3]

okay re: ur vocal note/rant bc ofc i listened i have issues yeah omg i put it on in the background like a little podcast

and like i am sooo with you on this 😵‍💫 like its so unfair abt how a girl will take out her insecurity and anger at a guy and put it onto ANOTHER girl instead of the guy!!!! like be mad at him like it just sounds so 16th century witchhunt that apparently the guy isn't responsible for who he wants to sit and talk to and rather theyre mad that another woman is trying to charm and bewitch him like boohoo sorry u only see other women as competition and also u sound like a better person than me bc best believe if i was friends w a girl and she acted like that i would be playing breakup playlists and sulking and ripping my hair out and writing w a glitter red gel pen abt all the curses that i want to befall her bc there is nothing worse than being a girls' girl and then being hated by other girls!!!!!!!!! (esp bc of a man) feels like hell is a pit in ur stomach!!!!!!!!

and to insert myself omg i graduated hs a year and a half ago now but even from then until now ive had the same friend group which is a group of guys and for no other reason than that i genuinely like them and theyre like a group of brothers to me and we vibe but the hatred from other girls is literally heartbreaking 😭 bc every so often i would hear in high school abt 'oh xyz from this group of girls called u a pick me and talked abt u and said u want male attention' which is a batshit crazy take bc everyone knows that i preferred women anyway like wdym im not gonna date any of those guys in my group we are friends...just friends....and once in y10 this guy was obsessed w me and he was like a millionaires son and popular and i was shy and kinda intrigued so i dated him for a little while but 16 year old me would hear comments 24/7 in the hallways abt how i was some slut for doing it (it being dating him) which is crazyyyy bc every single one of these comments came from girls (and girls who i knew liked this guy)

so like omg yes to agree w u on everything nothing is more infuriating and annoying as hell when like girls forgo ur friendship and ur good intentions and just the overall sisterhood vibe bc theyre mad some guy is into u...like even if ur not into him back 😭 sorry for the long ass ask

call her daddy count your days call her ashmp3 is coming to take over ur little podcast…

i KNOWWW but genuinely she doesn’t have any reason to be mad at either of us? like he sat next to you because you dragged him there and then all you did was bat your eyelashes and giggle and i know she’s shocked that this didn’t work because she is really so pretty and men kneel down just to talk to her. And i am sure the guy doesn’t even like me i think I was intriguing to him and we hit it off well so of course it might look like that. also she knows i don’t even want him she KNOWS who i got my eyes on so i was just so shocked at her behavior.

also the whole thing about breakup playlists and red glitter pen i love you you are so funny and expressive i giggled… And yeah i don’t do that i’m like oh well moving on. I don’t like dwelling on things, and i don’t get sad i get mad. Mad because as you said, being a girls girl and then it flipping on you is just aggravating.

PEOPLE DO THAT ALL THE TIMEEEE like why is it so hard to believe that you see them as friends and they see you as a PERSON that’s their FRIEND no i’m telling you it’s girls that see attention from a guy as a confidence boost or confirmation that they are worth something which is all fucked up and not normal way to think about yourself… But i think the deep insecurities just come from the place of wanting to be accepted. And they can’t understand that you hanging out with your friends doesn’t mean anything more because they themselves couldn’t do it aka they would try and flirt… So u get hated on bc they project themselves and think what they would do. FUCKED UP!

i had that happen with another cancer guy and in hs and still now i don’t have instagram facebook nothing i am a monk in a body of a baddie. But i remember my friend showing me profile of random girl and saying “she hates you and talks shit about you bc of cancer guy” like you don’t KNOW ME. Hate HIM lmfaoosjdjsjs i mean don’t hate anyone… Crazy

and 🫂🫂🫂 long asks are always welcome and thank you for listening to my rant and i am sorry you went through things like this bc it’s truly heartbreaking being reduced to a ���pick me” just because you don’t act shy around just some guys.

[mingi-bubu]

the introductory mnet kingdom stage rankings.... let me not speak on her ;)

[leaderoffestivals]

Antique Legend: Dreams on a Garbage Heap 8

Madara: Hahaha~! What is all this? You’re just as difficult to understand as ever—Are you trying to say that you’re actually worried about me? 

Season: Autumn Author: Akira Characters: Madara, Shu

<Antique Market. That day, a few hours after Kagehira Mika and Oukawa Kohaku met up.>

Shu: Tell me—exactly—how did the situation turn out like this?

Madara: Oo~h, come and look, Shu-san! They’re selling clay-figurine-doll-shaped pancakes over here! You like dolls, don’t you? I haven’t tried them yet, but they look reeeally sweet and delicious, you knowww!

Shu: I suppose some might see an overprotective “mother” in that intrusive nature of yours—

—but I’m from a liberal, hands-off household, so your behaviour is just oppressive and annoying to the extreme.

Madara: Oh~? Did you compliment me just now? I’m over the moon~! I humbly accept your praise!

... ... My household’s the same—my parents were only ever interested in what their children could do and how they “functioned”—so I’m happy to find that Shu-san and I have something in common in such an unexpected wayyy!

The two of us might even have decided to become idols as part of our adolescent rebellion against our parents expectations!

Shu: Oh, do not lump me together with the likes of you. You and I are not the same.

You couldn’t have become one of the “Five Eccentrics” who were drawn and quartered to be served up as living sacrifices, nor were you there playing the part of the revolutionaries who overturned the status quo—(1) 

—And despite having worn the uniform of an ally of justice in Ryuuseitai, you couldn’t uphold your ideals like Morisawa and the others— (2)

—Unable to fulfil the position and role that you were born to, unable to identify with either good or evil—you’re a pathetic wanderer who continues to weave your way through life in an aimless, half-hearted fashion.  

You’ve always been challenging the status quo, and yet have not achieved a single, constructive thing to show for it. 

You’re a monster who only understands destruction—however, if only you were like the giants depicted in myths and legends, you could have created a new world or two by now. 

Which do you honestly want to be? Do you even have a goal that you’re aiming for?

Madara: Hahaha~! What is all this? You’re just as difficult to understand as ever—Are you trying to say that you’re actually worried about me? 

Shu:  You were once... a friend, I suppose?... of someone whom I consider my dearest friend. Though unpleasant you may be, I do not wish to spit on—or trample underfoot—the friend of a friend like an enemy!

I would have you listen to my words as if Kanata himself were saying them, driven by concern for you.

Madara: Hmm~. I really don’t think that kiddo has the luxury or space to be worrying about others now, you know?... ... Fine, though. Since they’re the words from a childhood friend, I will obediently accept them as such.  

—If they had been the words from a so-called “Oracle of God”, I would have snorted in contempt of it all. 

Shu: Do you hate the idea of God? As an ideal, I think that’s a pretty good aspiration to aim for, isn’t it? 

Madara: You’d simply be pursuing a dream that just won’t come true. However, if that’s what you really want to do, I would just let you go ahead and knock yourself out. 

A guardian forcing their ward to wear an outfit they never wished for—that would be considered abuse, wouldn’t it?

Shu: What would be the difference between education and abuse—or between education and brainwashing—for that matter? Ohh, Mikejima... How are you always so sure that you and your chosen answer alone is the correct one? 

We, who aren’t even considered adults yet, and considered further still from God... 

Madara: ... ... ... ...

Shu: Well, whatever. It’s pointless for me to be venting all my frustrations out on you, and just like you said, we have neither the time nor energy to spare to worry about others now. 

Since ES has gone to the expense of constructing such an elaborate stage for us, it is now time for us to labour and earn the cost of it all back for them and more. Even though I abhor selling my skills purely for the sake of meeting the establishment’s bottom line...

It can’t be helped, circumstances being what they are...

—By unraveling the molecular structure of something that is no different from gravel or weeds, I can add to it and transform it into something of value—That, too, is the true nature of art. 

Madara: Umm. According to my investigations... ... In addition to the Antique Market which is open to the general public, there is also a so-called underground version of the Antique Market going on as well. 

I’ve learnt that that’s where the items of truly exceptional value are going to be traded... ... Like, the assets from your grandfather’s estate, for example.

Shu: ... ... ... ... 

Madara: I may not have the right to do this, but do allow me to pray for your grandfather’s peaceful rest in the next world. 

Now I wonder if that’s the reason why Shu-san wasn’t in his best condition lately—because a beloved family member had recently passed away. 

If that’s the case, I cannot apologise enough for having targeted you and taking advantage of your weakness, all during this difficult time. 

I’m really surprised that you’re still willing to talk to me like this—as if nothing has happened—when I’ve done something so atrocious to you that I’ve got no idea of how I’m able to make up for it. 

Shu: Please do not be mistaken—My grandfather is still alive and well; that one will probably live to see his two hundredth birthday. 

However, it is a fact that he can’t seem to leave his sickbed due to his condition lately; I guess that has got him feeling a little faint-hearted after all, despite his great vigour.

That’s why he has left most of the antiques and other items in the family collection to me, in the form of a living trust. 

He said, “Shu is the only one in the family still alive today who knows their true value,” like that. 

... ... For the longest time, my grandfather was the only one who understood my feelings. He taught me how to identify the diamonds in the rough from the dross, in this world of mixed stones—recognising the things of value, and that which should be protected and polished. 

Madara: ... ... ... ...

Shu: He’s a traditional, old-fashioned soul, though. He would get thunderously angry whenever he found me wearing girl’s clothes or whenever he saw bullies making me cry. 

Although we did not share the same values, whenever my grandfather got angry, it was because of beliefs which were his own, not parroted from someone else—and that made him the epitome of cool in my eyes. 

I was never interested in being “cool”, but I do admire the quality of it. Just like how I do not wish to imitate my grandfather in the least, but I do want to live as he does—

—Not as a slave to either God or Fate, but as a man of free will pursuing what he loves—

—Walking tall with my head held high as my grandfather does, laughing loudly as I stride across this Earth. “Kakakakaka,” just like that. 

This inheritance that my grandfather has given me before he even passed—I believe it’s a message from him to me, his grandchild—it is to be used as fuel for me to chase after my dreams and ideals, as a last gift from him. 

The old man only remembers the past, and I think he remembers the time when I used to beg and beg for Mademoiselle—

—“Since you want it so badly, then here; I’ll give it all to you,”—That seemed to be the extravagant attitude he had when he threw all these antiques into my lap. 

Madara: Are you really okay with all this? Selling off such precious and important items off at this Antique Market? 

Shu: My grandfather will understand. And so will the rest of the family. 

Just like my hot-tempered grandfather, or myself—the family mutation who set his sights on being an idol—all this inheritance, this dead stock—is too much for any of my family members to handle. 

No one is going to complain, no matter what I do with these items. Or rather, no one will be allowed to complain, because this is my life. 

Madara: Fufufu~. We’re reeeally resonating on the same wavelength after all, Shu-san and I~ ♪

Shu: Do not come any closer to me! You distasteful—

--------------------------------------------------

(To be continued)

Previous | Next

Translator’s Notes:

The revolutionaries Shu is talking about are Trickstar ((!) era event). 

Madara was Captain of Ryuuseitai’s first squad in his first year, and Vice-captain of RST in his second year. 

Shu is talking about Shinkai Kanata, fellow Eccentric. Kanata and Madara were childhood friends, but they seem to avoid each other in public now.

Yes, I ended it like that. It looks like Madara may have gone and glomped him, especially since Shu looks very pissed off at the beginning of the next chapter. Shu has probably experienced the Hug Monster before anyway. 

This is unproofed, so if you spot any mistakes, please PM me!

[joshuas]

facts

♫ pairing: hwang hyunjin x female reader

♫ genre: fluff, crack (seriously, do not question how i came up with this), domestic au, established relationship au

♫ warnings: mentions spiders, and mentions use of alcohol?

♫ word count: 1.5k

♫ prompt: “are you drunk?” “not nearly enough” from this prompt list !

♫ a/n: this was actually a request from @starteez and dedicated to her as a very very belated birthday present <33 hope you like it :)))

♫ summary: hyunjin gets super drunk and has a Crisis, meanwhile you just wanted to watch the latest episode of your favourite drama.

♫ tagging: @jadezircon @mostlikelynotmelissa and @potato2earth - let me know if you would like to be part of the tag list !

You sighed, settling into the couch, tub of ice cream, and tv remote in hand.

It was Friday night. Otherwise known as you and Hyunjin’s drama night, in which you’d watch the latest episode of the most recent drama the two of you were hooked on. However, today, Hyunjin had decided to go out for drinks with Felix, ditching you and your drama night. Initially, you were annoyed (not that he was hanging out with his friends but more so that he messed with your tradition), but you realised that you could just watch it without him. I mean... he was going out and having fun, who’s to say that you can’t do the same by chilling with your favourite characters and finding out about whatever dark secrets they had been just about to reveal in the previous episode. Okay... the latter of that was your main motivation for it. You’re not that lonely or sad.

Nodding resolutely, you scooped your ice cream, settling into the couch as the drama played, your attention fixated on the screen.

The sharp buzz of your phone startled you out of your immense concentration, the caller ID flashing to reveal your boyfriend, Hyunjin.

Your eyes widened in panic, your hands knocking the ice cream off of your lap as you reached around for the TV remote. The phone buzzed continuously, ringing as you fumbled around for the off button, leaving you breathless as you picked up the phone on the final ring,

“He—“

“Y/NNNN~” Hyunjin whined into the phone, his breathing heavy.

“Hyunjin? What’s wrong? Are you crying? ...Are you drunk?” You closed your eyes, only to open them again in confusion as you heard sniffling on the other end of the phone.

“Not nearly e-enough! I-I don’t w-want to be e-eaten.” He sobbed into the phone.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

“What?” Your tone coming out sharper than expected, eliciting more sobs from Hyunjin.

“F-felix w-was telling me about how f-female s-spiders e-eat their m-mates, and now I’m scared and I’m n-never coming h-home because y-you’re going to e-eat me.” Hyunjin breathed, between sobs.

...What?

“Excuse me? Why would I eat you. Felix was talking about spiders.” You said, slightly offended by his drunk comparisons.

He breathed deeply,

“Y-you know how the other day we were watching a Marvel movie and y-you k-know what you s-said? You said that the c-character you r-relate with t-the m-most with is Black Widow!” He exclaimed, almost hysterical.

You pinched the bridge of your nose, as he spoke incoherently at the phone, sobs heaving out of him as if he had just witnessed something deeply distressing. Well... what his drunk mind was picturing was slightly distressing, so it made sense.

“Well yes, because she’s a strong, independent female lead. Anyway, you’re too drunk to understand any of that. Hyunjin. Where are you?”

“I’m not telling you! Y-you can’t come to Felix’s house!” Hyunjin attempted to ward you off before realising his mistake a second later. “FELIX! Y/N’s COMING! She’s going to eat us—“

You hung up on him, grabbing your keys and heading out the door... ignoring the melting ice cream on the floor.

As soon as you reached Felix’s apartment you flung the door wide open, apologising profusely as a wincing Felix came out from behind, guiding you to your extremely drunk boyfriend.

Not noticing your entrance, Hyunjin had positioned himself quite... oddly, so that his head was on the rug on the floor but his legs were on the couch, a hand flung dramatically on his forehead, and another hand on the floor, not too dissimilar to someone doing a one-handed snow angel.

He looks like a four-year-old...

You cleared your throat behind him, approaching him tentatively. Whipping around, his eyes widened when they landed on you, panic flashing through them as he scrambled to sit upright.

“What are you doing here?” His words, although slightly slurred, still portrayed fear that was not well-founded at all. How his drunken state got to thinking you were a spider was beyond you, but then again, he was drinking with Felix, so who knows what went down there.

“I came to pick you up since you’re um. Drunk.” You raised your eyebrows, stating the obvious.

“No! You’re not allowed to take me back to your web.” He stumbled forward, couch cushion in hand in an attempt to ward you off.

Web? Oh my god...

“Can you— ugh. I’m not a spider! I’m not going to eat you! You’re my boyfriend, for God’s sake, and I love you, and I’m not a cannibal. Besides, you wouldn’t be very delicious, you’re mostly just muscle.” You sighed, raising your arms in frustration and defeat.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened in offence, placing a hand on his chest and stepping back, tears started to well in his eyes.

“I— oh no. What? Why are you crying again?” You panicked, settling him on the couch, rubbing his back soothingly as you mentally cursed his current over sensitive state.

“Y-you really t-think I w-wouldn’t be d-delicious?” He sobbed louder into your shoulder, as you rubbed soothing patterns on his back.

You rolled your eyes,

He’s so drunk.

“This conversation is so concerning, and one that I want to discontinue at all costs. I'm not a spider, and I'm not going to eat you. I don't want to comment on... that.” You deadpanned.

“How did you guys even get this drunk?” You glanced between Hyunjin and Felix who had emerged from the kitchen, ice pack on his slightly bruised face.

“It was all him. I asked him if he wanted to come over and watch the latest episode of this drama we’re both really into. He started drinking as soon as we started watching because he didn’t want to remember any of it so that when he watches it with you his reactions are genuine. Eventually, he got too drunk to even sit still, so we turned it off and started talking about stuff.” Felix shrugged.

“...and you somehow got to talking about spiders?” You asked, unimpressed.

“We were baking because he wanted to make you cookies, since he felt guilty...for basically watching nothing. I guess he still felt guilty for the action. Anyway, he freaked out after seeing a spider. Hyunjin, plus being drunk and his usual dramatic self is not fun. Especially when spiders are involved. I told him that fact because it was at the top of my head and he gave up on the cookies and started freaking out about you. Speaking of the cookies, I should probably check on them. You need to take this home before the rest of the guys come here if you want to have any of it.” He headed to the kitchen, leaving you and Hyunjin alone in the living room.

“Hyunjin, why didn’t you just stay home if you were just going to watch the drama? You know that today is drama night.” You crossed your arms, directing your attention once again to your sniffling boyfriend.

“I didn’t want to cry in front of youuu,” he sobbed. “I didn’t know what was going to happen next and I thought they might break up and I just...” he trailed off.

“You know that makes no sense right? You’re literally sobbing in front of me now. Also, you’re my boyfriend, I’m supposed to be there for you, tears and all. Besides, we’ll probably both be sobbing if the main characters broke up. We’ve shipped them too much for that to not be devastating.“ You said resolutely, your gaze softening as you looked at him, snuggling closer to you.

“I knowww.”

“Come on, let’s go home. There’s a tub of ice cream waiting for the both of us.”

Your drama night was postponed to Saturday seeing as soon as the two of you arrived at your apartment, Hyunjin collapsed and fell into a deep sleep on the couch... and your ice cream was on the floor, melted and no longer edible.

Leading you to Saturday night, where you and Hyunjin were snuggled together on the couch, wrapped in a blanket burrito, eating the cookies he baked yesterday, alongside a new tub of ice cream, whilst bawling your eyes out.

“I told you,” he sniffed “I knew this would happen.”

Your tear-filled eyes blurred your vision as you tried to focus on the crying characters on the screen, reaching for another tissue,

“I know, but it’s not as bad when we’re watching it together, and besides, these cookies are incredible with ice cream.” You snuggled into him and gave him a watery smile.

“Hey, as long as you’re not a spider and about to eat me, I’m all for our drama nights and cuddles,” Hyunjin smirked.

You pushed him lightly,

“Oh my god... how do you even remember any of the stuff you said? You were ridiculous.”

“I don’t know but the fact still holds.”

“It’s not even a fact! I'm human!”

💫 masterlist !

[iceglade]

i made a thread on twitter about this but i've been thinking about vanilla vs royal i cant handle how happy i am that royal has made ppl like akechi more, not just for "hes hot" reasons bc ppl love that but winning over reddit* folks who dislike many fanon takes for being too wooby,

not that i particularly care for Wooby bc ive been in fandom for ages and i like seeing ppl happy - i know theres a certain degree of allowance when it comes to twisting canon characterization for content, because you're the content creator, its in your hands and cmon- 

but especially with royal i think akechi's serious edge "won over a lot of people" who can now respect him for how he approached refusing the dream world, i think thats something they can understand and appreciate - ESPECIALLY when a lot of ppl's beef with vanilla akechi was "daddy doesnt love me boo hoo" which is a GROSS misunderstanding/simplification of his EXTREMELY complex character, which was barely covered or etc bc of vanilla's horrid writing -- over all! its not JUST him - BUT, royal provided such a good opportunity to show off akechi's character, through giving him more screentime and VERY IMPORTANTLY: Plot Relevance like how, say mementos mission shows off joker's need to be helpful bc hes a deep-feeling person, or scramble showing off haru and makoto and the other thieves by drawing them against the new characters to compare and contrast and give them Time to BE, - royal gave akechi time to recover from the frankly AWFUL vanilla narrative decision to shoot and shove him off like chopped liver and never mention him again, so that many ppl's impression of akechi goro was of an incomprehensible, annoying character who blew up and then acted like he dont knowww know bodaay haghnaghnahgna   

i joke but SERIOUSLY a bad first AND last impression, REALLY... 

ahh. im just surprised !! every time someone says they like him or that they disliked him earlier but dont post-royal or etc etc it always takes me by surprise even after all this time !! it makes me very happy -though even as i focus on how happy i am that people like his character, even streamers talking about his ass (what ass... ... cindy thats bone) or etc-  i shouldnt, but i still count it as a sort of win because my standards are so low ;-;.. i dont like sexualizing characters (of any gender or sexuality, dont worry ^-^'') but the point of it all is that the amount of stannery is .. stunning i think, from all ends of the fandom, when i think about how nervous vanilla felt to me. if im wording this all right.

-- that being said. obviously there are ppl who still dont like him, VEHEMENTLY, and everyone gets so passionate about him and everything that tension and fights erupt very very quickly - it makes me wonder what about royal didnt hit with them, but hit with other people, in a Genuinely Curious kind of way. not that im not suuper passionate about goroboying, because, i am !! royal makes me very happy and i stay out of fights as best as i can because i know, ACUTELY, how PAINFUL it is to have a hyperfixation broken. nauseous furious shaking heart aching - its heartbreak !! i'd rather die before i inflicted a pain like that on someone. + id rather remember something for the love i felt for it than the harm.

(though while i'm here, people who were in the "# p5r spoilers" tag remember what happened a little while ago shortly after royal jpn came out , though that's for a whole other post about the fascinating history/sociology of that particular event, 👁✨)

- its not about me having to choose between a lesser of two evils. thats not my point

no matter how intensely my heart is in it, i want to be able to say that you can feel how you feel about characters, though any misinformation sits badly with me in hyperfixation hell. funnily enough, while back on the topic of Agency, which goro is in some dire need of - which may be the root of why so many femme-presenting folk or lesbians are fond of him, + respecting women + sex workers + etc GORO AKECHI CAN BE SOMEONE SO PERSONAL ACTUALLY-

* - oh, backreading my own post - i didnt mean to specify redditors as if they're the only ppl i'm talking about, but it was the first to come to mind ; i'm just thinking a lot about how it seems like people really like the light royal was able to display him in, both as a delightfully entertaining UNHINGED EDGELORD and a very focused, goal-oriented, respectable ally, to the point that people are MUCH more open about how much they love him nowadays, which does bring me no end of joy - its no surprise that the new appreciation, as well as atlus ... highlighting ..... aspects ...... of blask ...... and the new content, of course the fandom treats him like this, - thats fandom. this is how people do i suppose. from a witness' viewpoint. hdngngm

i see all i know all 👁 i will keep all of my opinions right here and then one day i will die. but. i'll be honest. despite everything. im actually really happy.

[daomaikeng]

Nope still not telling you ;) You will never knowww

You're a great person and an amazing friend that's the only thing that annoys me but I love you too much to unfollow you hdkewjh but seriously tho, chill!!! You don't have to find problems in everyone cause like there's no point sometime, sit back and enjoy it's okay to like someone even when they're not your definition of perfect. At the end of the day we don't know the full story, it's just highly influenced materials and people we rely on, which can very much be just people hating on them cause they want to. Just...chill out. It's fine.

tell me i promise i won't be mad/offended !!!!

i do agree with what you're saying, but i'm not a very chill or laid-back person, my head doesn't work rationally. i tend to be very angry at a lot of things and super opinionated, and i understand not many people like it. not everyone has to like it, though. i'm angry and i channel it on my blog and it works for me. it is what it is.

[lovemesomesurveys]

How many years until you’re 40? 9. D:

What’s a hobby you would like to try out? There aren’t any at the moment.

What sort of a kiss do you count as the first kiss? Uh, the first time you kiss someone. It can be a quick peck or a full make out session. 

What aggravates you to no end? Right now, myself and my health.

Does it bother you, if a fly comes in? Ugh, it drives me insane. They’re so annoying. I swear they mess with me on purpose cause they know how I feel. 

How about if it’s a bee? A bee would absolutely bother me if it came into my house?? I’d be freaking out. I can take on a fly, but a bee? Nopeeee.

The music service you use, does it figure out songs searched with lyrics? No.

What was the last event you attended? It’s been so long since I’ve done anything even pre-covid.

How about the last event you organized? Uhhh. It’s been even longer since I’ve done that.

Is there such a thing as a stupid question? I don’t want to discourage people from asking and trying to learn, but man sometimes I’m like wow, common sense isn’t so common, is it? :X

What time is too early for you? Well, with my messed up sleep schedule now I’m up at early morning hours.

Have you ever won a raffle? If so, what’ve you won? Yeah, random stuff.

What’s the most useless thing you have vast knowledge on? Celebrity gossip stuff.

What’s something you dread doing and push back for as long as possible? Currently, it’s taking this damn antibiotic. My body has to make everything a huge ordeal and super difficult and frustrating. I can’t take pills like a normal person, so I have to crush mine. My pain medication is doable, but most pills are absolutely disgusting. Antibiotics are one of those pills. It’s a big pill, too, so there’s a lot of crushed pill to take. This one is really, really bad. It’s not a quick “ew that’s gross” *shiver* and move on, this one I have to battle with my body to keep down cause it wants to throw it up right away from how bad it tastes to me. Then, the aftertaste lingers for a few hours at least. It’s only twice a day, 12 hours apart, but damn those 12 hours go by really fast when you’re dreading something. I’m only on day 2 out of 10 days D:  It’s just causing me a lot of stress and anxiety, along with making me feel physically sick, and it just really sucks. I just can’t take a pill, otherwise trust me, I would. And I know that’s hard for anyone who doesn’t have that issue to understand. I just know my body. I’m about to take my next pill and already my heart rate is going up. THIS SUCKSSSS. 

What’s something you get excited about doing and want to do it right away? I haven’t felt that way in awhile. :/

Is there anything you feel you’re better at than anybody else? Nope.

On a sunny day, where does one most likely find you? At home, where I always am. 

Which one do you care about more, the price tag or the label? The price, definitely. I’m not rich, so I have to pay attention to prices of things.

Have you ever played Bandu? Nope. Never even heard of it.

Are any of your friends sore winners, when it comes to games? I have a cousin that’s such a sore loser. He’s not fun to play games with.

How do you store your mugs/cups? In a cupboard.

Does your kitchen have a dish drying cupboard? Or do you just use a towel? I didn’t know a dish drying cupboard was a thing. Our dishwasher has a dry cycle at the end of the wash. 

What’s the biggest insect you’ve ever seen? Some horrific looking slug thing. It was huge and black.

How about the biggest spider? sofsfdslkfjlk I don’t knowww they’re all big and scary to me.

When’s the last time you played Pac-Man?  Not since I was a kid, probably. 

[inconcieveable]

Chapter 2 bby. Have fun reading and any feedback is greatly appreciated. :)

Chapter: 2

Words: 1.7k

Roman P.O.V.

"Okay, i'll pick you up here later. You should be fine, just remember-"

"To look for the signs, make friends and don't beat anyone up we get it." Remus reiterated. Uncle sighed.

"Just.. be careful. okay?"

"We'll be fine uncle. C'mon Roman." Remus said, nearly dragging me out of the car.

"see you later," I smiled at Uncle as I shut the car door.

We stood in awe at the building in front of us. "Who knew schools could be this big," i whispered.

"I know right. Fucking hell."

We wandered around like lost puppies as we tried to find reception. "Look." I said, pointing to a sign that said "office"

"Thank-fucking-finally," Remus sighed as we started to follow the signs.

/////

"Oh you boys must be Roman and Remus King, correct?" The receptionist asked, noticing us as she lifted her head from her computer, before she went to back to her work.

"That's us. We were told to come here and get our schedules?" I replied, noticing the "she/her" badge she had on her blouse.

"Oh! You're English!" She stated, looking up and giving us her full attention.

"Yep! We're good ol' Brits! Now can we get our schedules please?" Remus interupted, already annoyed at her.

"oh, of course! here-" She said as Remus snatched the schedules off of her. I elbowed him in the rib, somewhat harshly.

"ow! you bitc-"

"be nice" i chided. He responded by growling lightly.

"Sorry for him," I apologised to the receptionist.

"Its okay!" she smiled. "There should be a student coming soon to give you a tour.." She went on, explaining how the timetables worked, where to get lunch and how the one-way system on the stairs worked. Remus gave up listening pretty quickly and instead was looking out for the student that was going to tour us.

"hey babes" I heard as Remus nudged me. I turned to look at Remus as he nodded towards the student. click click. The sound of heeled shoes filled the room. A man wearing big, round sunglasses, a black jacket and obnoxiously sipping a Starbucks strutted into the room.

"Remy!" the receptionist exclaimed "Good to see you. Here are the new students, Roman and Remus king" She gestured towards us.

"hi!"

"sup bitch." Remus saluted. Remy giggled as I turned to Remus exasperatedly.

"I'm Roman. He/Him" I continued, sticking out my hand. He shook it.

"Remy. Also he/him." He purred, winking at me. He chuckled lightly at my eyes widening slightly at his confidence and forwardness.

"Oh, and who is this cutie?" He pondered, moving so he was in front of Remus. He took a slow sip of his Starbucks as he checked Remus out, eyes fluttering up and down.

"I'm- er- Remus. Um- he/him and all- hehe- did you know if you clenched every muscle in your back at the same time you'd break your spine? hehe" Remus spluttered quickly, not used to all the attention. Remy smiled affectionately.

"I didn't. Thanks for the knowledge Einstein. Logan's gonna like you." He said, muttering the last of the sentence.

"Remy dear, the receptionist interrupted. "May you please give our new students the tour so they can get to lunch on time?."

Remus looked to me, confused. "Lunch? Isn't it like half way through first period at the minute?." Remy chuckled again.

"Yeah, but schools here aren't as small as they are in England. It might be a while. Plus I need to take you to the Principal's office and god knows how long that'll take. So come on hon," he gestured with his head towards the door and took another slurp of his Starbucks as he placed his phone in his pocket. click click. I turned to Remus who just shrugged and started following Remy.

/////

It was around lunch, when we had finished being dragged around and severely warned by the principal of the punishments for any misbehaviour. We trudged along through the canteen, making our way outside.

"that's a good spot," Remus said, pointing to a big oak tree, where no one was sitting.

"alrighty then."

Remus plonked down as we reached the tree. "heads up" I called. Remus barely had any time to react before I flung my bag towards him. He caught it milliseconds before it would've hit his face.

Bitch." he scowled as I sat down, a few feet away from the tree. "That tour took us fucking forever," he complained.

"I knowww."

"Why the fuck did we go to the dorms if we aint gonna get one for another week or so?!"

"I suppose it was so they could get the tour done in on hit?" I reasoned.

"Yeah.. Its still fucking shite though." I smirked as Remus sighed dramatically and brought his sketchbook out of his bag. Along with a pencil and rubber.

"I thought Uncle said not to bring that. It coul-"

"I don't give a shit. Let me have this one thing. Be thankful I didn't decide to bring my iPad." Remus scowled. I pouted at him.

"Well what am I supposed to do now?"

"Practice your lines for that shitty play your doing." He offered, throwing my back towards me.

"Excuse me. It aint 'shitty'. Its fun! Plus doing community plays will help me get to a good place in the future. you know this." I defended, air-quoting the word "shitty"

"Whatever. I still don't understand how you managed to find a theatre and audition when we've only been here for like a week and a half." I flicked the ends of my hair obnoxiously.

"What can I say? I'm just amazing." Remus snorted at that and through a crumpled piece of paper at me.

"nerd." He returned to his drawing, ignoring my "offended princey noises" as he called them. I stuck my tongue out at him as I rooted through my bag to find my lines.

Remus P.O.V

Watching Princey practice was always funny. Without fail, he would always go from sitting down, to walking around, practicing the delivery of the lines, script in one hand, the other flourishing through the air, within a maximum of 5 minutes. I leant back on the tree more as I stopped drawing for a second to watch my brother. He was walking back and forth, reciting about slaying some dragon thing. "Don't worry. I will save you! Begone evil Dragon!" he shouted, jumping into a fighting stance. His free arm acting like it was holding a sword. I burst out laughing at him. Roman turned around furiously, shooting death glares at me. Unfortunately for him, this only made me laugh louder. His eyes narrowed at me before he too, started laughing.

"You're a fucking dork."

"Yeah, yeah. Just lemme practice." I rolled my eyes before focusing back on my design. No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to look right. And boy, was i determined to get it right.

/////

"Hey!" a new, chirpy voice said. I looked up to see a kid looming over me.

"can I help you?" I asked, trying to be nice.

"Yeah. I was wondering If you've seen our friend? they're around so-high, chestnut hair, blue overalls, yellow t-shirt, black jacket with a.... double headed snake? on the back." The boy explained.

"nah I don't recognise the description. Why would I have seen.. them?" he asked, noticing the pronouns used and feeling slightly proud of himself for noticing.

"It seems they're new Patton. That would probably explain why they don't recognise Janus and they don't know that we normally sit here." A different boy said. "where the fuck did he come from?!" he thought.

"Its alright Logan. Janus will find us and we can always sit somewhere else for today." the first boy, Patton? ,said.

"But vi-"

"Hold on lemme get that dipshit." I interrupted. I turned towards Roman, who was oblivious to the entire conversation as he was quite a few feet away. "OI TWAT!" I shouted. Roman jumped at the sudden noise and his foot caught on a visible tree root and he fell over, landing on his arse. I, once again, burst out laughing.

"Wha-" He cut himself off when he noticed the boys. He quickly got up and walked back towards us.

"He's much better at things like this." I explained between laughs as Roman arrived, cheeks dusted In pink from embarrassment.

"twat?" The taller one, Logan?, asked.

"Its a British thing." I said, waving my hand dismissively.

"Oh, you're British!" The smaller one, (Patton? I don't fucking know) said excitedly.

"Indeed we are." Roman said, entering the conversation.

I let Roman take over as I tuned out the conversation and focused back onto my design.

//

"I'd draw an extra petal there." someone said. I jumped slightly at that and turned to see someone sat next to me, snickering at my shock. I turned to see that Roman was sat opposite me, the boys from earlier were sat to my left and the person who I could only assume was 'Janus' was sat next to me. I stared into their face, searching for a sign that he was mocking me. "Janus. They/them." The person said, unfazed, confirming my suspicions. Once I felt satisfied with their intentions, I turned back towards my page where they had their hand.

"Remus. He/him." I said as I started sketching. I was trying to draw a rose, with its flowers wilting off. Kinda like the flower from Beauty And The Beast. The movie which I was forced to watch the other night by my brothers demands.

Once I was finished sketching the flower, I saw how much better it looked with Janus' addition. I turn to thank Janus, only to see them looking at me. Smiling at my own happiness towards the now finished design.

"Thanks," I said cheerfully "it looks so much better now"

"No problem," Janus simply said.

"Ah so you've decided to come back down to earth now?" Roman teased, noticing how I wasn't fixated on my page anymore.

"Fuck off." I said, sticking out my tongue. Roman giggled whilst Patton inhaled sharply. I turned to Janus, a confused look etched onto my face.

"Patton doesn't like swearing." they explained. I chuckled mentally. "Well i'm fucked" I thought, Laughing again at the irony.

"well at least he didn't fall over a tree root now," Janus said to Roman, smirking. I started laughing.

"I like this one." I said and everyone joined In with my laughter.

The bell cut the fun short though. We all, besides Logan, groaned as we started to collect our things and head towards our next lessons.

[howtotrainyouragents]

Agent H’s Book Reactions

 Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier

The sudden appearance of two maps unlocks the mystery behind the disappearance of the princes of Del Mar

-It seems mean of me to rant about the bad things about this book because I know it’s not hugely known, from a smaller publisher/author, it’s #ownvoices, and I believe in giving books like this a fair, even generous, chance. But that being said...I have a lot to complain about.

-How- HOW- is it possible to take a book with a such a gripping premise, and make it the most boring book ever? 

-Maybe this is just me, but I believe that the story should have started by the time you’re 100 pages in.

-Okay, I think there’s at least one major reason it’s so boring: the worldbuilding gets in the way of the story. This book is a great example of detailed attention to the everyday lives and society of the characters, but there’s just. too. much. of. it. You drop the worldbuilding essentials in the beginning and then you get going with the plot, only stopping to fill in worldbuilding when it’s relevant or when you need to create breathing room. This book drops in worldbuilding factoids literally so often that I started a (nonalcoholic bc I’m responsible) drinking game from it. Like, cool backstory but none of this random shit matters?? Tell me about the maps and the princes, I don’t really care about the society that much when it’s so irrelevant to the plot.

-Oh my goodness, the fact that there’s an entire sequence where Elias almost gets the plague and then doesn’t and the entire thing is not even important to the plot really capture my frustrations with the lost potential of this book. Like, someone ring Chekov, I think I found his gun unused. 

-I am so grateful that there were the spirits of Javelin and the sea serpent because otherwise I would have straight up murdered this book for being so boring.

-Maybe this is just my pet peeve, but she switches between using non-contractions for her characters to sound formal, and using contractions to make them sound natural and it’s just really inconsistently done. Please pick one and stick to it; it’ll be less jarring

-I do wish that the book had alternating POV between Elias, Mercedes, and Ulises rather than 95/5/1 split between Elias, Mercedes, and Ulises respectively (which by the way, probably another pet peeve, but that’s a terrible way to split POV. Either keep it to one character or split evenly don’t just randomly jump for like a quarter-chapter and then come back to the main narrator). Like they all had skin in the game and it could have been really interesting to see how this journey is affecting all of them. Elias was not compelling enough to be the main POV. Mercedes definitely was (I wouldn’t have minded if it was from all her POV). Ulises maybe not but he could have if he’d gotten some attention.

-I’m not even sure where to start with Elias. We had one great intro scene of him, and then the next scene he’s literally throwing a temper tantrum to all his friends/mentors/leaders. That got me way off on the wrong foot with him. He’s supposed to be a kind of a rogue and a troublemaker, but his personality is honestly just kinda bland and a little depressing. He’s like top of the game, so there’s no rooting for him. And then he doesn’t do the obvious, right thing by taking Reyna on as his apprentice but hands her off to someone else after there was so much build up. And then like, I know this quest was personal for him, but I feel like Mercedes and Ulises had much more interesting and bigger stakes at hand; I would much rather see them struggle with the implications of this quest then see Elias dance around this and not really struggle with it.

-Look, I get that Mercedes is actually totally an appropriate name for the regional/historical setting, but it’s also an incredibly famous modern name, and this right here is a great example of the Tiffany Problem= the name Tiffany was actually a common Medieval name but it can’t be used in fantasy because it’s too modern looking and would seem unrealistic to the audience. I mean, Lucier, good for you for going for it anyway but it did throw me for a loop (and that’s on me, I knowww)

-Oh cool, so the war against Mondrago was completely unjustified. That’s shitty. They can rebuild the nation, but they’ll never admit the truth and give the people justice. That’s super shitty.

-There’s so many things about this book that made me angry, but the fact that it tried to make me feel sympathetic for Mercedes because one (1) old woman spat at her (and missed her, mind you) is like way at the top. I think Mercedes being half-Mondragan is fascinating (although it’s mitigated by the fact she’s  royalty so it’s not like she was ever in danger of discrimination), but we never see her facing the dangers of her ethnicity. The one (1) incident we see is that a woman spat her, and then Elias and Ulises are all up in arms and they all spend the rest of the book being angry about it. Like, I get it, if someone I loved was spat at, I’d feel the same way. But as a reader, you have to make me care. You have to show me the injustice she faces because of her identity (she’s in danger, she can’t get work, she’s not safe outside, take your pick, it doesn’t have to be gritty,). I’m not saying this from a “POC facing racism shows realism” perspective, I’m saying this as a reader, we need her to have real, serious stakes in the game in order for her and FOR US to be invested in her journey. There needs to be some struggle so that there’s satisfaction when the truth is revealed and the Mondragans are innocent (although, see above point). Otherwise. It’s. Just. Boring.

-You can tell the author really really liked Reyna (especially since the second book is about her??), but I really really did not care about her at all. Like I thought she was a sweet kid, but she really did not need to have the plot/emotional/character signficance that she did when 1) it’s super weird having this mature-for-her-age 9 year old amongst all these young adults/adults  and 2) more time spent with her meant less time spent with characters who actually mattered, i.e. Mercedes, Ulises, Lord Silva

-I wanted way more of Ulises, but I will conceded that that’s because of my ultimate weakness for royal men.

-Also this book feels the compelling need to spell everything out. Which is annoying but fine except for the one time that it doesn’t spell it out and it should have:

-The reveal of the villain made no sense?? I was sitting in the bookstore cafe and I think everyone was giving me weird looks because I kept throwing my hands up and cursing. IT MADE NO SENSE. Those were the most tenuous clues put together ever, and then Elias doesn’t tell anyone or even the audience. He just decides to ride night and day only to stop at the edge of a cliff and not his actual destination. That idiot. The reveal of the villain helper ALSO MADE NO SENSE, just for the record

-At least the reveal of Elias’ father was obvious and kinda cathartic

-The mystery of the disappearance was also pretty well done and I’ll give her that. It was sad and complicated and I at least kinda understand why the characters made those choices? BUT, there was one thing that I refuse to accept: They expect us to believe that FIVE soldiers took out TWENTY royal guards and kidnapped multiple people??? Like, I get it, the wine was supposed to take everyone out, but if I were planning this kidnapping, I would not take the risk. I’d bring thirty guys just in case. I’m not frightened for the characters with less than half a dozen attackers; bring me the squad and make it a double and then we’ll talk. 

-I didn’t hate the romance of the story, which is rare for me and YA, so that’s something

-Despite what this may look like, I didn’t hate this book. I’d recc it to the right person. But I’d spent a long time hoping to read this book, and I think I’m just a little disappointed by the lost potential and super frustrated by the dullness

-Why is it called Isle of Blood and Stone?? Why is the series Tower of Winds??Am I just dumb? Bitch, I might be