#ohhhhh actually wait. wait. wouldn’t it be so funny. wouldn’t it be SO funny. if they were. the same.

[saphira-approves]

Okay so probably the scene I had to sit with the longest just because I loved it so much on my first readthrough was the reveal that Murtagh’s “cell” in the Varden was actually like. basically a cushy hotel room with free library access??? I remember being so so stressed while Eragon was running around just bathing and getting Introduced To Important People and dealing with the Twin’s bs, and every other page I just wanted to shake him and demand he go see his friend, dangit! And then he DID, and Murtagh was actually fine! Downright cheerful! It was incredibly relieving!

And then the rest of Murtagh’s terrible road trip happened and destroyed my emotions, so there’s that.

As for scenes that creeped me out the most, the burrow grub torture scene is probably up there, as well as everything else on Vroengard, but the CREEPIEST thing that still freaks me out just thinking about it is definitely those hooded figures in the ruins of Doru Araeba. Who are they??? What are they??? What do they want??? DO they want????? I have so many questions and I’m not actually sure I want the answers!!!

I would like a shadow bird though, I think they’d make a neat falconry challenge. They’d make an excellent spying partner, too, especially if you could form a strong psychic bond with it… so much potential…

And finally, my current pet theory I’ve been working on is how the Beors were made, and I think dragons did it. But like. Accidentally. Or accidentally on purpose. With magic. There’s a lot of talk in the first book about how dragons are connected to the land, “they suffer as the land suffers” and so on (and personally I think it should be a two-way thing, and that Alagaësia as a whole should have been doing more noticeably poorly with the loss of the dragons, and maybe it was! we just don’t get the POV of anyone who would know that), but I think that connection goes further than just draconic-terran empathy! For one thing, the Burning Planes are still. y’know. Burning. so I don’t think it’s out of the question that Weird Dragon Magic could have made the Impossibly Huge Mountains that are the Beors—maybe an ancient and forgotten conflict with the dwarves, or some other threat, or maybe even a natural disaster. In a geologic sense I think most of the range was made the normal way (tectonic plates colliding), but the size of Farthen Dûr’s hollow center and the endemic Giant Beasts (the wolves, bears, goats, boars, and dragon-cousins) smacks of Weird Dragon Magic to me.

Oh and also I think the Dragon Riders should have a moon base.

AND I desperately—DESPERATELY—need to know more about the unnamed Strong Lady and friends that show up, like, twice and saved Roran’s hide that one time. You know the ones. (I’ll find a page reference at some point)

Eragon fans

C'mon Eragon fans, go wild, tell me the craziest/coolest theory you got/read, or tell me what character you hate the most, or what scene you preferred, or which one it made you creeped you out, literally everything. I want to hear something about our little and precious fandom

[scholarhect]

OHHHHH wait i get it now. the “don’t say you want to kill yourself. say something else” thing is about making jokes about little things out loud to the people around you. like actually dropping a pencil or something and saying “fuck i’m gonna kill myself” like for no reason just because it’s funny. okay i get it now. i was so confused i thought you all were saying we should (or even must) positive vibes our way out of thinking about killing ourselves when we are actually . thinking about it. this seems obvious now actually but i was confused for a while. i knew this entire site wouldn’t be parroting advice as awful as that, but i couldn’t figure out what the difference was between the way i understood it and whatever people were actually trying to say

[antlerx-art]

GOOD OMENS 2 EPISODE 2 REACTION - CONTAINS SPOILERS‼️

sooo bearded crowley in this episode am I right 😔 yup 2500 BC… HERE HE IS!!! i hate him so much

nah he’s talking about God abandoning him i don’t actually hate him poor fallen angel

WHAT IS AZIRAPHALE DOING

so if this is after the flood crowley had a huge glow down

“I COMMAND THEE, BEGONE!” “no.” he’s so me i’m so him (he has a permit from god??)

“satan and his diabolical ministers may destroy everything Job owns no question asked, hugs kisses, god” AND THE PAPER IS THAT LONG?

CROWLEY’S SO BITCHY

so aziraphale had met muriel before

LONG HAIRED GABRIEL WHY DOES HE LOOK SO?? JUST?? SO WRONG😭

AHH EVE WAS THE FIRST NOT ADAM

“i think they quite like the old ones”

alphabetical order!! FIRST LETTER OF THE FIRST SENTENCE HELP

OH WAIT I GET IT, in the playlists prime video dropped you have to look at the first letter of the lyrics of each song to have the words “ineffable” and “tempting” AND IT’S BECAUSE OF THIS JOKE

“EVERY DAY ITS A-GETTING CLOSER”🎶 lol didn’t jon hamm say he doesn’t sing in an interview

CROWLEY CHANGED CLOTHES THE TURTLENECK DBHDHSJN CROWLEY WITH THE TUTLENECK

theory time: shax says that the miracle could’ve been performed only by the mightiest of archangels and crowley asks her how does she know he didn’t do it, are you telling me crowley was an archangel??

okay they’re both risking to be eliminated now

aziraphale SINGING

NOOOOOSTOPCRYING MAGGIE

HEHEHEHHE SHE’S IN LOVE (“it’s not your job to sort out my doomed love life” because he should think about HIS love life first)

“every record they play eventually turns into that song” you mean like queen songs in the bentley?

“Gabriel.” HEART SKIPPED A BEAT “where is Gabriel.”

wooo saraqael creating wheelchair ramps

“falling in love is what humans do” crying rn

don’t i know you? NO YOU DONT SHUT UP 😁

NAHHH why is heaven watching him again leave aziraphale alone☹️

HERE IT GOEEEEES EVERY DAY🎶🎶🎶🎶

the pub from the picture!!

making them fall in love this is such a fanfiction trope i love it

A SUDDEN RAINSTORM FORCES THEM TOGETHER BENEATH A CANOPY THEY LOOK INTO EACH OTHER’S EYES AND REALIZE THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER???? OHHHHH I JUST KNOW THATS GONNA HAPPEN TO AZIRAPHALE AND CROWLEY AS WELL

if you’re going to invoke fiction… aziraphale are you about to say jane austen?

HE SAID IT yess i knew they were gonna have the ball for nina and maggie I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY TRUE?

“PEOPLE WOULD GATHER DO SOME FORMAL DANCING AND REALIZE THEY HAD MISUNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER AND WERE ACTUALLY DEEPLY IN LOVE” okay but can you try to be a little more subtle

a clue!!!😼

“jim tell me what do you know” / “oookay, whaddayaknow” IM ON THE FLOOR STOPSPPP WHY ITS NOT EVEN THAT FUNNY

WOOO PURPLE EYES- is that god’s voice?

ANOTHER FLASHBACK oh no not bearded crowley again… his hair has lost volume

Bildad the Shuhite?? 💀

“i know you” / “you do not know me” AAAAAAAAAAA

NO WAIT THIS IS AFTER THE FLOOD. WHEN CROWLEY SAID “YOU CANT KILL KIDS” IM UNWELL aziraphale does know this is not what crowley wants to do

“I KNOW THE ANGEL YOU WERE” OHH I WAS WRONG HE REMEMBERS HE REMEMBERS HIM

he wants to do it because he was blameless too but he fell anyway. bye i’m about to appear on international news

the goats are back 😭😭😭😭 STOP THIS IS CUTE look at aziraphale’s face

“you can stop grinning” HHEJEHRHEHRH

“DOESN’T MEAN WE’RE ON THE SAME SIDE” AND YEARS LATER CROWLEY IS THE ONE THAT TELLS HIM THEYRE ON THEIR OWN SIDE

“be not afraid” 👁️biblically accurate aziraphale👁️

TY TENNANT!!!! why’s he so gay

AWWWGGGHHH DAVID SAYING HIS SON SEEMS NICE

AZIRAPHALE SHOUTINGBHAHAH “I BRING THE WARNING” that was unexpected

what. just. happened.

aziraphale knew they were safe because crowley wouldn’t actually kill kids 😭

“oooh aren’t you brilliant” giggling kicking my feet

GIRL WHY DID YOU TURN THEM INTO GECKOS

am i about to witness aziraphale’s first time being drunk?

THATS A PARALLEL A DAMN PARALLEL between crowley/nina offering wine and aziraphale/maggie both not drinking

“are you trying to tempt me?” i was wrong this is going to be the first time aziraphale EATS omg HEHEHHHH HES PRECIOUS

lol btw this big thunderstorm is nothing compared to what has happened a few days ago where i live

CROWLEY IS ON HIS OWN SIDE!!!! AND THEN IT BECOMES THEIR SIDE!!!

“see you in hell” shut up???

i love this whole flashback but why does he have to have that beard im sorry i can’t get over it😔

YEP THATS GOD’S VOICE

also i just realized there’s no narrator this time rip

“if you want answers come back when you can make a whale” CROWLEY COULD MAKE STARS AND STILL DIDNT GET THE ANSWERS

“shoemaking and obstetrics” HELPPPP

aziraphale’s in trouble ohhhh he LIED

D’YOU NEED A LIFT SOMEWHERE 🫢

HE ASKED TO USE THE BENTLEY OMG THEIR CAR

crowley is me i’m so jealous of my possessions no matter who you are

aziraphale has a driving license?😨

NOUR! *slaps his hand*

aziraphale being bitchy is my favourite thing

THE SCENEEEEE THE SCENE FROM THE PICTURE IM SO EXCITED

aziraphale is so nervous nooo my little guy HE THINKS HES GOING TO FALL WHATTTT

“IM NOT TAKING YOU TO HELL, ANGEL”

NOOO THIS IS SO HEARTBREAKING STOP. STOP CRYING.

“with your curly little.. and your neat white” MY GODDD

AZIRAPHALE VOICE WHEN HE SAYS “IM A FALLEN ANGEL” I CANT. DO. THIS.

“that sounds um..” / “lonely?” end me right now

BUT THEYRE NOT GOING TO BE LONELY ANYMORE THEY HAVE EACH OTHER THEYRE ON THEIR OWN SIDE

(crowley saying “you’re on your own with this one” in ep1 is even worse to hear now 😍)

MURIEL CLIP NEXT EPISODE YAYY

tagging @neil-gaiman since he said he was interested in reading live reactions

[winderlylandchime]

1/2 We are finally at 4x11!! I’m sorry that I’m only now back in your inbox but unfortunately i am on a straight mans schedule lol. He also had a few rough days with his recovery this week so he’s just now getting back to his normal self (no joke, the doctor actually said to him ‘i can tell youre not okay because you haven’t said anything about that guy yet.’ So im glad to know that’s the way to test him now) and because he’s been feeling like shit until today, he was rewatching old episodes to feel “comfort”. Anyway: The episode starts with Drew refusing to do the shoot ‘ohhhh Brian looks good. I forgot about the early 2000s and everyone wearing popped collars that was fun, i should bring that back. so Drew is being a little bitch? Imagine telling Brian that youre shy in just your underwear. (The scene cuts to everyone in their underwear and the man is dying out of laugher) this is something only Brian would come up with. I fucking love this. Only Brian Kinney’ ‘I don’t know how I feel about Emmett and Drew. I hate the idea of Emy being kept a secret. My baby deserves better’ Lindsay and Sam just came on tv ‘FUCK NO! I FORGOT ABOUT THIS SHIT. Can he fuck off and can she…i dont know do something else besides piss me off?’ The whole time he’s watching the Linds/Sam scene with a grossed out expression on his face. Like he smelled something really bad. And we are at the Linds and Brian scene ‘shes CRYING ABOUT IT TO BRIAN?! It makes no sense and it makes all the sense but its funny because she also judges Brian at times. THEY FUCKED?! Why would Brian ever fuck her? Or any woman? Is that why she has such a weird crush on him? Are they learning about bisexuality? (brian says that one line) wait what? What do you mean not at the same time? I thought thats the whole bi schtick’ ‘michael as a dad is actually fun. I like him like this. HUNTER IS DATING?! Oh my god! Who’s the lucky guy? HUNTER HAS A BOYFRIEND’ and we are at the scene where Em and Deb go to the ball ‘ohhhhh girl you look beautiful! Carl, come on dump that girl and go back to Debbie! Now I want them back’ ‘Why are there bikes all over the club? What the fuck is going on? What the fuck is Liberty Ride? JUSTIN SHOWED HIS DICK FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS! THIS IS THE MAN I LOVE! Why are Melanie and Ben always in the center of events and being in charge? Whats up with that? *looks at me all happily* this one time i got a medal for participating in a marathon because i accidentally joined them when i missed my path. So i could totally do this ride. THERES BRIAN! Ha, Brian hates this charity money dude. So does he hate anyone that thinks theyre better than him OR can he read people really well (Melanie comes up to ask if Brian is bothering that guy) can she fuck off? This is the type of shit that pisses me the fuck off about her.’ THE HUNTER BEING WITH A GIRL SCENE IS UP!!!! ‘Is that hunter? GET IT BOY! Finally he is being a teenager and making out with boys in a car safely for free…*said in a most shocking voice ever* GIRLS?! SHES A GIRLS?! Isnt he gay? Wait what? Is he bi? Is it a parallel with Lindsay like they both figure out theyre bi? (The girls says shes given blowjob twice) you cant tell me that a part of him isn’t fighting the urge to offer tips’ *pauses tv just as Mel and Linds are on screen* ‘ugh. Hey, how come Justin never worked with Lindsay at the gallery? Wouldn’t that make sense? Like him getting a job at a gallery would be fun. Basically what I’m saying is throw this whole Lindsay and that creep storyline away and give me Blondie making art’ ‘ITS BRIAN! He looks much more healthier. Looks like the radiation stopped kicking his ass or did they forget about that plot? *leans back and puts his hands behind his head* Brian IS thee most successful gay business man. Oh this dude really wants money. I don’t trust him. *looks at me* and yes, it is because Brian doesn’t trust him. Fuck this guy, he has no clue who he’s fucking with. DESTROY HIM BRIAN’

I’m sorry to hear he’s not been doing well! Watching comfort episodes of a show is legit a fan response to feeling under the weather.

Brian coming up with everyone being in the underwear is 100% hilarious and also something that would not ever happen today. Can you imagine, in 2023, the Me Too response to that scene?

“I hate the idea of Emy being kept a secret” I think he’s going to appreciate that Peter is gay.

Also, ughhhh that scene “not at the same time” like bisexuality exists and the biphobia on this show is so strong that rather than have Lindsay be bi, they turned her into a terrible person.

HA! And Hunter could have been bi too. There could have been an entire bisexuality story arc involving Lindsay and Hunter but the writers were cowards. Maybe he can write a fanfic about it!

He will get his way in S5 when Justin has a show at Lindsay’s gallery… and maybe he will wish he never asked about Justin being involved with Lindsay’s gallery. That turtleneck gives me violinist flashbacks.

I love the JUSTIN SHOWED HIS DICK FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS, THIS IS THE MAN THAT I LOVE. And DESTROY HIM BRIAN.

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 262

Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox

Another day, another night I fucked around to much to watch more than one show before going to bed

“Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox”

Plot Description: an assortment of hunters gather to commemorate a fallen brother, but Sam and Dean soon realize that a demon has come to kill them all

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: I don’t know. I don’t even understand when this is supposed to take place. I’m piecing together that it’s before Dean was born but the only thing they did to make Mary look younger is put her hair in braids. I swear there’s a whole other actress who plays young Mary, but….k, so it was about how Mary influenced this kid and he grew up to be a hunter and then died. Yeah. I wouldn’t become a hunter. That is not the life for me

Please let this be a running joke this season. PLEASE let Dean tell EVERYONE “oh, yeah. Just to catch up since the last time we saw each other? I killed Hitler” it WILL hit every time. Omg he’s so proud

(Ok I had to go back a few seconds because I couldn’t believe Sam said what he said to Jody. I’m now gathering that Dean HAS been telling everyone who knows them this so I’m not surprised when) Sam really just aired out his brother’s hentai habits to Jody. Dean’s very grateful that phone rang omg

Ohhhhh, Jody, you LIKED him. You liked Asa

(Weird question, are Cas and Crowley just…hanging around Cleveland still?? Are we gonna hear from them again??)

Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. This guy who’s asking Sam about having been possessed by Lucifer is such obvious “this is the demon who’s here to kill everyone” bait, like it’s TOO obvious. But because this IS supernatural, it actually could be him

And then sometimes…you know, you could be wrong because a hunter just died and that guy was still in the room with everyone else. I did say he was TOO obvious

Oh, Mary’s here now!

Oh…the amount of parental troubles in this house has shot through the roof. Like, on so many fronts. Jody, who’s a bit of a surrogate mom to the boys (even though she’s not that much older than them. Yeah, the actress who plays her is only 9 years older than Jensen) has chastised Dean for not telling her Mary’s back but also is now thinking about if she had the chance to have her husband and son back…at her kind of boyfriend’s wake. Then there’s just the awkwardness between Mary and Dean. Not to mention Mary and Asa’s mom, who’s mad at Mary because she’s the reason Asa didn’t grow up to be an astronaut…but if Mary hadn’t saved him from that werewolf all those years ago, he wouldn’t have grown up at all. It’s not Mary’s fault she left an impression on this kid she saved. She had no idea

Fascinating that they’ll still say w****go but will refer to a First Nations girl as that (this episode takes place in Canada)

Oh, so EVERYBODY’s getting possessed tonight. This demon’s body hopping like there’s no tomorrow. Ah shit, they just killed off the obvious bait guy

Mmmmmmm, not trusting whoever got a hold of the angel blade…this is like watching Clue (1985) but way less funny

The thought to make a large devil’s trap for everyone to stand in is a good TEMPORARY idea, but it’s not a permanent solution unless you all plan to die there

THIS must have been a fun scene for Kim Rhodes. Any time someone gets to play a fun chaotic demon after being a no nonsense character….ooo, I just love that for them. She is just airing EVERYONE’S laundry here.

Wait…Asa’s friend killed him????? (It was an accident, but it’s the coverup that reallyyyyyy sucks about it)

Ohhhhhh nooooooooo, when Billie got Dean back in the house she said he’d owe her one………she meant Maryyyyyyy because Mary’s not supposed to be heeeeeere

Ok, she’s not going yet…but also…she’s not going with Sam and Dean yet either

[sparrow-stunned]

ohhhhh my . OHHHH MY. your yan venti headcanons were… MMMMMMM

may i propose to you… yandere thoma?? i’m interested in how his dynamic would play out specifically, since his top priority SHOULS be the kamisato clan (aka ayaka, ayato)

i wonder how he would react when darling (presumably not from inazuma) leaves to and from inazuma? i don’t really imagine thoma as being a dominant yandere, but more a needy, pining one… (like we discussed a couple asks ago >:))

content warning: yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, helplessness/dependence

notes: glad you enjoyed the venti hcs! took me quite a while for thoma as I’m not too familiar with him! I just finished his hangout and oh my god, mihoyo actually had the courage to make a malewife character?? standing ovation for their boldness. and the fact that their hangout touched on issues like xenophobia and misogyny is just. wow. stunned. his and ningguang’s are two of my favourites.

i'd agree that thoma doesn’t seem to be the… forceful? type. very subtle yandere. very mild as a yandere. how could i ever think that he was similar to childe??? blasphemy. i have truly sinned. as for character priorities, even though i give them yandere qualities, i try to keep them as in character as possible. so yes, i definitely agree that he’d be torn between darling and the kamisato clan. i think for thoma, loyalty wins above all else... but he's called a fixer for a reason :winks:

funny sidenote, but when you said yandere thoma, after playing through that one ending with the windwheel aster, my thought immediately went to a darling that’s from mondstadt visiting inazuma hehe. big brains think alike (or is it just thirsty ones?) anyway, as always, this turned out longer than i expected. after this, i think I’m done with yandere thoma for a while. he takes actual brain cells to write, and the booster shot fried too many of mine.

word count: 1.6k

officiale | yan thoma x reader

i. alight

Carefree wind. Feathered wings. Scattered wishes and dandelion seeds. To Thoma, that is who you are. Whenever the Alcor first lowers anchor in Ritou, the first to greet you at the docks is always Thoma.

"You're back," he says with a friendly grin. You always smile back, and it makes the waiting all the more worth it.

.

.

.

ii. settle

A customary offer of tea at the Komore Teahouse, and you accept. A careful slip of his hand at the small of your back. A rustle as his fingers sink in fabric. Thoma guides you toward the teahouse with a gentle force. You’ve been here enough to know the way, but he likes to make himself useful. He sees you so rarely, that any touch he could steal, he does.

Warmth seeps into his fingertips from your skin. Burns like Pyro. Your clothing has always been too light for his liking—but also a blessing. In more ways than one.

You never comment. Perhaps you never realized the intimacy. Perhaps you don't care.

“Seems like you had a difficult journey,” he says when you yawn, the corner of his eyes crinkling at how adorable you look. He wishes he could capture it, but you’ve always shied away from Kameras.

“The weather was as awful as ever,” you say, shaking your head. “Always so turbulent, with that raging storm. The Raiden Shogun should learn how to relax. I have some advice if she needs it.”

He laughs at your nonchalant, irreverent words. You never did have the fear of the gods instilled in you. Perhaps it is the Mondstadt in you, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything else. “Maybe she should. I have some teas for recommendation then,” he jokes, drawing a chuckle out of you. Good thing the Komore Teahouse is known for privacy. “How long are you staying this time?”

“Only a few days, if all goes well.” You blow gently over the tea before taking a careful sip. “I’ve got this letter I need to deliver for a commission. After that”—you hum, eyes closed in thought, and Thoma wonders if you ever think of him—“I think I need some photos of the Narukami shrine and a fortune slip for a merchant. As though me drawing it will transfer the luck to him somehow,” you scoff. “But you know merchants and their strange superstitions.”

“Nothing major then?”

“Nope,” you say with a pop of your lips, and then sprawls over the table, one cheek flat on the table. “Boring, easy commissions are all I ever get. The most excitement I’ve gotten was probably the ship ride here.”

Thoma glances and notes the sallowness of your skin. He’ll get you something to eat later, he decides. But for now, he ruffles you hair, mussing it into tangles entwined in his fingers. You squawk in protest, one hand already trying batting him away. Like a cat, he thinks, amused. “Wanna go feed the strays with me?”

You sit up, eyes sparkling. “Strays?”

For the briefest of moments, Thoma allows himself to feel self-satisfied at your unrivalled attention on him.

.

.

.

iii. root

You are a wind of nostalgia, storming through Thoma’s heart every time you come. An adventurer, always in search of the unknown. An adventurer, always flitting from nation to nation.

Mondstadt is so far away; yet in you, it is so close. Stories of places he only remembers in hazy memories long ago, of people he’s only heard in passing, all of it falls from you lips and settles in his mind. Were he not tied irrevocably to the Kamisato clan, he thinks he would have liked to be an adventurer accompanying you on your travels. Or at the very least, a home for you to return to.

But an adventurer never stays in place. The wind never stills, and the dandelions is never far behind.

Thoma balances pros and cons in a mental account book, tallying up debts and credits in columns in hopes of arriving at an answer. In hopes of having you stay. But despite his skills, the calculations never succeed.

So when he sends you off, the Alcor raising anchors, spiriting you away from him, Thoma always smiles. Carefree. He hopes that’s how you’ll remember him.

Even if he feels anything but.

.

.

.

iv. entwine

“Is that…” Thoma sniffs the bottle in your hand and wrinkles his nose. “Dandelion wine?”

“Bingo!” you slur, wrapping one hand around his neck and pulling him close. You press your face into the crook of his neck, always so casually intimate when you’re drunk; he should be used to it, but fires burn every time. He stills at the feeling of your breath on his throat, at the scent of alcohol so heady around you. “Dandelion wine, straight from Mondstadt! Want some, Thoma?”

“You know me and alcohol," he says hoarsely. His heart is racing, but you’re too drunk to hear its rabbit-fast rhythm. "We don’t mix well together.”

“Come on! Shouldn’t wine run in at least half your veins? I'll drink for both of us then.” You laugh softly, and Thoma thinks of the quiet rustles of small lamp grass. A swaying glow, disturbed by pattering feet. Something in his chest clenches, and for a second, he’s left breathless. Dazed at the power of you.

It never lasts long. Just like how you never last long in Inazuma.

.

.

.

v. imbibe

There’s one time that you do stay. Like Furuya, you’re prone to illness. As luck would have it, you fall sick in Inazuma. You can’t handle the rough journey back. Captain Beidou fusses over you, saying that the Crux is more than willing to wait, but you dismiss her concern with a weak wave of your hand. I’ll be fine, you say. After all, Thoma’s here.

Thoma becomes your crutch, and when you lean on him, there’s something right. Like sweeping away dust, leaving behind shiny, lacquered wood.

Like making a home.

“I’ll take good care of her, Captain,” Thoma promises, and Beidou lets you go reluctantly.

It had definitely been an ordeal, getting you back into the Kamisato Estate. Halfway through, you almost collapse. Thoma sweeps you up in his arms, and you don’t even protest. Curls up in his arms like a kitten, murmurs nonsensical things in your feverish state as he carries you back home. Questions about the sky, about the stars, about the unknown abyss, and how you wish to visit them all.

It’s too bad that you’re too sick to do it. Too sick to leave. Unfortunately.

For three days and three nights, Thoma watches over you as the illness runs its course. Housework needed to be done. Deals needed to be made. Messes needed to be cleaned. Later, Thoma tells himself. Later, he’ll make up for it. He’ll apologize to Master Ayato and Lady Ayaka. They’ll understand.

Because how can he leave when you’re like this? When you’re so weak, you can’t dress yourself, can’t eat, can barely even breathe without him.

He wishes you could stay like this. Wishes on a dandelion that you could stay.

Sometimes, when you’re in another fever dream, Thoma lets himself help you drink water—lets himself to you. He sips the cool fluid into his mouth and then slants his lips over yours. The water trickles from him to you, and you greedily gulp it down, as though he were your life source.

Needy. Helpless. Dependent. That’s how he likes you best.

.

.

.

vi. flower

It is inevitable that you would leave. You have the heart of an adventurer, too mercurial for the eternity of Inazuma. So on the last day, he gives to you a parting gift.

“Thoma… you shouldn’t have!” You murmur, one hand gliding over neatly stitched wool. A determined look sweeps over your face. “I’m going to put it on right now!”

He laughs at your enthusiasm as you tug the knitted sweater over your head. Just as he expected, it’s the perfect size. Sharpness snags on his throat at the way it molds to your body. His work wrapped around you. Him around you.

“It fits so well,” you say in astonishment. “How’d you know my size?”

“Oh, you know me,” he says easily, voice with just the right amount of cheer. “I’m not a housekeeper for nothing. My eyes are pretty good at guessing stuff like this.” A lie, but you didn’t need to know that he had taken measurements while you were feverish. Feverish enough to not remember his touch.

“You didn’t have to do something like this," you fret, wringing your hands.

“It’s nothing much! I finished it yesterday.” Another lie. He’s had it finished before you even arrived. But he didn’t want you to have before you left. Perhaps he had hoped that the chill of autumn...

He sweeps those thoughts off aside, before they clutter the rest of his mind.

.

.

.

vi. flight

Before you board the ship, as you always do, you press a dandelion seed into his hand. A gentle grasp of his still hand with calloused fingers—you always did push yourself too hard when training.

“A gift to remind you of Mondstadt,” you say, and he doesn’t say that he’d rather you than all the dandelions in the world. Instead, he forces himself to smile as you relinquish him and leave. Waves goodbye as the ship fades into the distance, hiding his clenched fist with the small seed behind his back.

As a child, Thoma remembers chasing flying dandelion seeds, small fist snatching at air as he races through the grassy fields. But dandelion seeds were meant to glide far, far away, his mother had said with a laugh. They carry your hope within, so that your wish can be heard by Barbatos, even when afar.

Thoma’s loyalty to the Kamisato clan does not waver. He cannot leave Inazuma. He has decided his path. But when you’re here, he doesn’t miss Mondstadt so much. You’re a dandelion seed that’s braved tempest and storm to arrive in Inazuma. To grant his wish. He used to want to go home to Mondstadt, but now… he’d rather have you.

He’s not a child anymore. He’s grown older. Taller. His arms are longer. His hand bigger. Maybe now, he’ll finally be able to snatch one of those flying dandelion seed.

Maybe next time, he’ll learn how to keep you.

[theepisceswriter]

Jealous!Reader with AOT characters pt.2 (Porco, Bertholdt, Pieck, Zeke)

A/N: y’all really liked the first one I made here, so here’s a pt.2 with different characters

TW: none really apply, sort of suggestive for Zeke, Modern AU, GN!reader

PORCO GALLIARD

I am a firm believer that in a modern AU, Porco and Reiner would be the type of people to go to sport restaurants like Hooters, Buffalo Wild Wings, or Twin Peaks. They give me that macho man type of vibe. Of course though, Porco would make you tag along with him almost every time he went. He feels that it’s a very nice way for the two of you to bond. Which honestly it is.

You have a deep sense of security within yourself and enough trust in Porco to not be bothered by the waitresses there, as you should, knowing that it’s only their job to be enticing like that. Hell, you even enjoy it when the waitresses would flirt with you sometimes or you’d get the really pretty ones who look like they’re straight off of a magazine. Not to mention that you visit places like this often, so most of them know you and know that you and Porco are in a relationship together.

They all respect your boundaries and don’t try to push at them at all.....until this one waitress comes around. You can quite obviously tell that her flirting is different from the “trained” flirting that the other girls often do. She lingers at your table a little longer than she should be trying to talk to Porco to the point where other waitresses have to tell her to go check on other tables and she’s disregarding you completely, asking Porco questions that should be aimed at you and being very rude in general.

Porco is hardly paying her any mind, too focused on the game to really pay attention to what’s going on, but any piece of attention he gives to her she latches on too it. But still, you remain cordial and calm on the inside. Not wanting to come off as one of those significant others and cause a scene that doesn’t need to be caused. If someone looked at you for too long they might notice an eye twitch or two coming from you.

Really it’s Porco’s hand holding underneath the table that’s keeping you sane and reminding you of how secure your position in your relationship is. You almost calm down entirely, but of course the waitress has to come back and try desperately to get his attention again. At one point he zones out into the game and to try and get his attention she attempts to tap him on his shoulder.

Strong on the attempt because you grabbed her wrist before she could even brush her fingers against his shirt and gave her a stern “Aht! Aht! That is not going to be happening tonight and definitely not in front of me.”

And Porco, this menace to society, finally speaks up like, “I was wondering when you were finally going to say something. I was getting afraid that I didn’t mean anything to you anymore.” He would’ve eventually intervened himself though if she was actually successful in touching him.

The waitress gets the hint for the rest of the night, but just incase she doesn’t he holds you close to his side with his arm draped over your shoulders.

BERTHOLDT HOOVER

Despite his soft spoken nature and personality that sometimes falls on the shy part of the spectrum, Bertholdt is actually an easy person to come up to and start a conversation with. Of course, you have to be the one to start the conversation, but after that it’s like he can’t shut up, likes he’s compelled to answer back to everything and keep a conversation going.

It’s a trait of his that you’ve come to love, but also come to hate on days when you’re out in public with him and can just see the twinkle in a girl’s eyes when she’s getting ready to come over to him to flirt. It’s usually in awkward situations too like when you’re out shopping and he’s standing off to the side because he has no business looking at what you’re shopping for, so the fact that he’s kind of alienated from you and doesn’t know how to respond to flirting all that well in the first place really has him in an awkward chokehold.

He’ll get asked for his number and instead of saying flat out no, because he doesn’t want to be harsh, he struggles to let words out at all as he tries to think of what to say. And people really prey on his shyness and don’t even give him the chance to respond before they’re forcing themselves on him more, handing their phone out to him just waiting to input a number.

Imagine the shock and anger on your face when you turn around from your shopping happy ready to show Bertholdt what you got and instead you see a girl trying to get his number! You’re over there in an instant, legs carrying you as fast as they can and a scold on your face as you go over there and the first thing you do is push that phone as far away from him as you can.

“I know my BOYFRIEND and something tells me that he is not interested in the direction this conversation is going with you whatsoever, so I suggest you leave him alone before I make you 😤” The girl leaves like immediately after that.

Bert is just behind you the whole time with a ☺️ look on his face like “Yes, that is indeed my significant other!” Which is so funny because he’s like 6’3 and towering over you, but you’re the feisty one!

He does feel kinda guilty for not cutting off the interaction before it got that far, so he wraps his arms around you and nuzzle his face into your neck all like, “I’m sorry baby 🥺🥺 you know I don’t like anyone else but you 🥺🥺 I was trying to tell them no thank you but it wouldn’t come out 🥺🥺”

You couldn’t stay mad at him even if you wanted to, that’s all it takes for you to forget about it altogether.

PIECK FINGER

It’s almost impossible to see someone as fine looking as Pieck and not shoot your shot. If I saw Pieck out in public the first thing I would do is shoot my shot.

It happens allll the time whenever you two go out. Out at the mall shopping for clothes? Someone’s going to come up to you two and try to hit on Pieck. At the club minding each other’s business and trying to have a good time? Some guy is going to come over and try to ruin that for you too.

At first it was like a bragging rights thing for you. Everyone noticed your hot girlfriend was hot but you were the one who went home to her everyday and not them, but at some point it switched from a bragging right to down right annoying. It’s like you can’t leave her alone for more than a couple of seconds because here comes someone breathing down her neck being a weirdo!

Poor Pieck doesn’t even know what’s going on half of the time because she be baked out of her mind, thinking about nothing but how some ruffles and ice cream can really hit right now. So she’s just going along with the conversation like “mhm, yeah ☺️” every ten seconds hoping that they’d get the hint that she’s not thinking about them at all and to leave her alone. But, of course, they don’t.

Her body language becomes stressed out and agitated, not knowing what to do because you’re in the gas station buying snacks for the two of you while she’s far away at the gas pumps doing her best to get an ending with this weirdo where they don’t kidnap her.

Luckily, just on time you exit out the gas station and even before you get any closer to Pieck you’re already pissed off at the fact that someone is probably hitting on her, but after you see her do that awkward little shuffle with her feet signifying that she’s uncomfortable? You’re over there in a heartbeat.

See, maybe you would’ve been a bit nicer if her body language didn’t tell you that they had been pestering her for a while despite how everything about her screamed ‘not interested.’

So what do you do? You take the bottle of sprite you bought and bop them on the head with it. Head empty no thoughts just ‘protect my stoner girlfriend.’

Pieck is so messy too, she’s in the background like “Ohhhhh shit *giggle* fight! Fight! Fight!” You were ready to rumble too, but if you were so ready to hit them in the head with a sprite bottle the other person definitely didn’t want to know what else you were confident with doing. So they recuperated from their sprite bottle hit and went running to their car.

This was a proud girlfriend moment for Pieck the whole drive home. She could not stop talking about how much of a badass you were and how she loved that you would do anything for her.

ZEKE JAEGER

I wrote soft Zeke already, so now it’s time for me to give y’all the menace Zeke y’all have been waiting for.

Zeke is the type of significant other who’s big on teasing and messing with his partner is general. There’s something about seeing them all flustered after he does something to embarrass them, like fake propose to them in public or something, that really cracks him up. That being said, he’s not opposed to flirting with someone in front of you to get you riled up and see your reaction.

Let’s set the scene; He drags you to Sam Ash with him, because we’ve all just collectively decided that modern day Zeke is a music pretentious asshole, to go get something for his guitar or at least that’s what you assume he was complaining about. You weren’t even listening, just excited to go and mess with the drums and guitars there. It’s the first thing you do once you get there and Zeke sees this as his opportunity to finally mess with you.

He goes over to the drum set display you’re playing on and calls over and employee with “inquiries” about the set you’re playing on. He pretends to ask a few genuine questions at first but eventually he’s able to get the conversation to shift to something a little more personal. Which isn’t terrible, but once he starts throwing out lines like “Oh you like (said band)? I’ve always found myself gravitating towards people who like them. They’re always the most attractive people, I’ve found 😏.” Is when you start getting agitated.

You’re just trying to play We Will Rock You on the drums and here he goes killing your vibe immensely. And it’s hard to ignore when they’re standing right on the side of you. Not to mention how the employee is eating all of this up, blushing and all. It’s at the first mention of numbers being exchanged that you’ve decided you’ve had enough. Without a word to Zeke you get up and storm out of the store.

Was this a dick move on his end? Absolutely, but you’re a couple who’s relationship is filled with debating and bickering, bickering especially, so part of him thought you would play along with his little game and be like “Whatever. I don’t care.” But instead, you were genuinely upset. You didn’t even know where you were going but you were going somewhere. And that somewhere was the outside of the Sam Ash store because you realized you really didn’t have a choice.

Sorry guys, but I have to switch over to soft Zeke now.

He comes running after you, “y/n! Y/n it was a joke!” But that just makes you even more mad and oops, a year drops down your face and he feels terrible.

Kisses all over your face, words of assurance spilling out his lips, and a tight ass beat hug.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m such a dick I know. I didn’t mean to make you this upset though.” He would get down on his knees if he had to!

I guess you can forgive him just this once, but only on the terms that you get Sub!Zeke tonight and get to act as a pillow princess/prince cause he has a lot of making up to do.

[ramp-it-up]

Damage, Pt. 2

Pairing: Rafael Casal x OFC Holly Woods

Word Count: 3.8 K

Warnings: 18+ Only, Minors DNI. RPF  Read at your own risk. Pining, angst, FWB, graphic sex, protected sex, talk of getting tested for STD’s, Krispy Kreme, and all the feels.

A/N: It’s my birthday and I missed Rafa and Holly, so I wrote my own deliverance. At this point, these two are so oblivious, it isn’t funny. This happens just after Last Christmas.

This December adventure began early that morning, as Daveed and Rafa taught your writing classes and then hosted a Holiday showcase for your kids. 

They donated their time and talents as a favor for you. It was so damn cute and thoughtful that you’d thanked Rafael and then kissed him under the mistletoe. Almost as if you were in a relationship.

Almost.

You weren’t in a relationship, however. You’d only shared two nights together, as friends who fucked, and you had an understanding that it wouldn’t be any more than that. Rafael and you had an agreement to service each other for the time being, no commitment, no feels. 

And who were you to him? He was a creative, a star who could jet off around the world in a moment’s notice for a glamorous affair.  You were just a school teacher who worked every day in LA. Rafael would never want you for his girl. So this situationship served a utilitarian purpose, not a romantic one. 

After the kiss, Rafael’s mind was whirring. He slowly backed away and checked the time, noticing that it was just after 9 pm. The night was young. He didn’t want the night with you to end. 

Rafael felt the urge to be with you again, but he didn’t want to push his luck. You were so dope and the fact that you didn’t know it made you even more so.  You were refreshing with your intelligence, adding to the facts that you did not give a fuck who he was, did not play to his ego, and did not want him to wife you.  

That last part was refreshing, but also troubling as he evaluated his feelings for you. But there were no feelings to be involved; you’d made that clear.  If he fell for you, you’d probably end it. You clearly didn’t want to be bothered with his lifestyle, and frankly, he didn’t deserve you. 

But he could possibly have tonight. It would be the last chance to be with you before you went to Houston to visit your family for Christmas, and the thoughts of you he’d had since Tuesday couldn’t wait another week.

You gathered yourself together and got your emotions in check.  You told yourself that you were just fond of him as a friend, but that’s where the sentiment ended.  You only had to repeat that to yourself about three times before your heart started to slow down.

Rafael smiled at you, crossing his legs and leaning on your desk while watching you work, finally getting your things together so that you could leave.  It had been a long day.

You were wearing your work clothes, white button down shirt, black pencil skirt and heels. Your Christmas cardigan had been discarded when you started cleaning up. That skirt was fit. ting.  Damn, that ass.  You were all covered up, but the clothes got him a little hard. 

You watched him watching you and gave him a smile that made his blue-greens light up.

“Did you have fun with my badass kids today?” 

Rafa laughed at your joke. He saw how much you loved your students. 

“They’re not bad. Some kids just need different ways to learn and show that they’ve learned. But you know that already.”

He shook his head at you. He could read you like a book.

“You try to pretend that you’re mean Ms. Woods but I know better. They wouldn’t love you so much if you were mean to them. Like young Timothy. He sure does love you a lot. You’re… what is it he called you?  His Cutie Pie?” Rafa looked at you with a cocked eyebrow. Timmy was his nemesis.

There was something in his voice that made you stop and look.  Could Rafa be jealous of a kindergartner?  Nah. But he was certainly worked up.

You smiled mischievously, walking towards him with some workbooks in your hand.

“I am ‘Mean Ms. Woods.’” 

You came close to him and leaned beside him to put the workbooks on your desk. Standing in front of him, your legs on either side of his, Rafael got caught up. He kept his hands clasped in front of him and eyes on you as you got close. But he couldn’t help but lean in, try to look down your shirt and kiss you on your neck.  

You stepped back before his lips made contact, teasing him.  The way he huffed and clenched his jaw got you going. That smoldering look and flashing green eyes always did.

You  definitely wanted to give him some, if he wanted, after what he had pulled off today for your kids.  You were happy that he seemed to want you too. But you were chilling. You wondered about other women in his rotation. 

You laughed a little and smiled, shaking your head at yourself.

“What?” 

Rafa smiled, seeing that you were flustered about something and hoping that something was him. He knew the cat and mouse game was just beginning.

It had been just three days but he was feening for you. Especially after seeing you with your kids this morning. You were something special. Someone he couldn’t let… He stopped his train of thought as you started talking.

“Timothy is a handful.  Mischievous, hella smart, quick witted. And a little charmer. He’s always trying to get a kiss. He has a ton of potential. Reminds me of someone else…” 

Rafael’s quick wit turned you the fuck on. Not to mention his face. And... Whew. Your thoughts were getting out of control. 

The way you were smiling at him made Rafa‘s heart leap. He tried to push the emotions down and just feel the physical.  But he did care about you. A lot. 

“Ok, enough about Timenstien.  Let’s talk about adult things…”  He just wanted to pick you up and carry you outta here the way you cocked your head at him.

“...Like the arrangement for benefits without borders. The tests, the shot… “ You just continued to stare at him.  When you licked your lips, Rafa put his hands in front of him to cover up his hard on.

You laughed again. “‘Benefits Without Borders,’ you should copyright that.”  

“Yeah, or call it, ‘FWB Raw’” Rafael had jokes.

You cracked up.  “I can’t with you, Rafa.”

Rafael’s face fell. “I mean your jokes, I can’t with your jokes. Sheesh.” 

You turned around to gather more books. Rafa fixed his face, but his eyes couldn’t leave your ass.

“Anyway, I already started the process. I went and was able to get an appointment Wednesday after school, so the shot should take effect next week.”

After the night you’d had Tuesday, you definitely wanted to experience that again. It was fortunate that your doctor had an opening on such short notice.

Rafa’s heart leapt when he heard that, but his face showed no emotion, just a cocked eyebrow when you turned back around.

“Word?”

“Word. Yeah, I’m actually leaving Sunday morning, Christmas Eve, and won’t be back until the 30th...So.”

“So…” Rafa’s eyes, they were changing colors on you. It put you off balance.

“So, if we go get the tests tonight, next week might be available for no barrier method benefits between friends  That is if you still want to….” You bit your lip. Rafa cleared his throat and you saw a smile playing around his mouth.

“Let’s think about the last time when that almost happened.” And he paused so you could go there. You had to lean on one of the children’s tables to think of the shower. You were most definitely wet right now.  

Rafa watched you as you had to open your mouth to breathe.Yes, he was definitely about to get some tonight. He wanted more than just sex, but right now he would take what he could get. Then your face changed to uncertainty.

“By the time I get back, you’ll probably have other plans for New Year’s weekend…”

Rafa was confused. “Nah, I’m going next door for Utkarsh and Naomi’s party… aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but you-- we-- might have dates or something.”

Ohhhhh. That’s what was up. Rafa nodded.  Shit.  You might have someone else in the rotation.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. True that.  There’s a couple of people, I mean. A few.”

Rafa was lying through his teeth, no one in his phone could hold a candle to you. Sure, they were ready, willing and able. But they were not you. And you didn’t have to know that.

“See, so…”

Rafa mourned the lost vibe.  He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, not caring how it looked anymore. You watched him and longed to have your fingers in his mane, but you were chilling.

“Look. The other night we said that this was a special deal between us. I don’t wanna tie you down.  We’ll just see how things go, I mean, you might hook up in Houston…” He watched you, waiting for you to deny it.

You didn’t deny it simply because you did not know how to say that the only one you wanted to take advantage of the situation was him. You just stared at him. When you didn’t say anything, he went on.

“...old flames, new boos, whatever.  The tests will be good information to have in any circumstance.  I say we go for it.”

"Let's get it!"

An hour later you were at the Krispy Kreme donuts on Crenshaw on the way to your place. You had already dropped your car off and were now chilling with the homie after getting tested for STDs. 

You were staring in the window of the bakery, watching the donuts getting that hot glaze now and licking your lips.  They were so tempting. You were thinking donuts and Rafa was thinking the same about your lips.

"I don't think these will help with my anemia."  Your little laugh was so cute to Rafa.

The only bad news you’d got from the blood tests was that you needed more iron. You were both clean and ready to go.

"Let's get some. That glaze does something to me. I just want to lick some of that creamy stuff from around that hole..." Rafa was staring at you while he spoke, the “Hot Donuts Now” sign casting an eerie red light on half of his face.

"You’re so nasty...." you giggled.

Rafael screwed up his face. 

"What? I'm talking ‘bout some donuts.  I don't know what you're talking about." Rafa felt irrationally happy being here with you. Because you were a great friend. Yeah, that was it.

You got a dozen and left on the way to your house.  You stole a donut while riding. You looked at him while licking your fingers.

You’d decided that you wanted to have him before you left, even if you had to use protection. After you ate the donut, you put your thumb in your mouth, sucked for a second, and removed it with a loud pop, still staring at Rafa.

He almost pulled over to the side of the road.  But he was determined. "Hmmmm." Was all he replied as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

You put your hand on Rafael’s knee and moved it up a few inches to his dick. It was appropriately swollen. You smiled and started stroking it through his pants.  You felt it get harder. 

"I’ve been thinking about you a lot tonight. What you did for the kids was so… It was nice. On the other hand, I can’t wait for you to fuck my throat."

Rafa almost choked on nothing. You always surprised him and made him feel like an insecure, horny teenage boy.  But he wasn't going out like that. You were just a few minutes from your place.

"You know what. I'd love to see those tits right now."

“Right now? While you are driving?”

“I’m grown. Been driving since I was 15. I got this.”

You giggled, but reached up and unbuttoned your shirt. Your breasts were bathed in the moonlight, sitting perky and upright in your sheer black bra. Holy fuck. Your nipples were calling to him.

He'd distracted you from his dick, but his mouth was watering.  All he wanted was to fulfill your dirty fantasies. He reached your apartment and turned off the car.  You leaned back against the window. Rafael turned towards you, appraising you impassively. He had to use his acting skills to seem calm. Damn, you had him twisted.

"Touch them for me."

You licked your lips at his command.

"But I think I still have some glaze on my..."

Rafa just stared at you.

You did as you were told and pulled your bra cups down, freeing your breasts.  You started feeling and pulling on your nipples.  Your eyes were half closed in ecstasy as you started moaning and fogging the windows of Rafa’s car. He was right there with you as he palmed himself through his pants and feasted his eyes on you for a few minutes.

He leaned over and took over your breasts with his mouth. He licked and sucked each of them, making you wet all over again.

“Mmmmm. So sweet.” He looked up at you, his breath fanning your face from below.

You giggled. “It’s the icing from the donut.”

“Nah girl, it’s just how you taste. Like the sweetest ambrosia.”

Damn, his words. Rafael Casal and his damn words. You just stared at him, speechless.

Rafael drew in a ragged breath and reached over to pull your bra up and button your shirt just enough to be decent going into your apartment. It was so tender. But in a no feels kind of way.

“Let’s go on up.”

Rafa peered into your soul. Sure, you wanted him. But was it really just for friendship and occasional dick?

“Eager, are we?”

His voice did something to you. The soft tenor and the earnestness of his requests of you made you melt. How did he do things to you without touching you? You didn’t want to analyze it too much, so you threw the question back on him.

“You’e not?”  Your challenge threw him off. He chuckled to hide his nerves.

“Yes, I’m eager Holly.  I’ve been thinking about the last time since the last time. I want you.”

You closed your eyes and licked your lips, trying to center yourself. “That’s cool.”

You reached for your bag and moved to get out of the car.

“Hold on,” Rafa moved quickly to get out and go around to open the door for you, his chivalry not unnoticed by you. Again, the little things made you want him even more.  This was not going to be good for your heart when he decided to move on.

You led the way to your place and started up the stairs to your apartment before him.

It seemed as if that ass was going left to right in slow motion as Rafael watched it intently. He shook his head to see if he was bugging. When you glanced at him over her shoulder, he knew.

He grinned at you and looked back at it when you turned back around, catching a glimpse of a garter belt on your thighs through the slit in your skirt as you climbed the stairs.

Holy fuck! He had to have you. He rubbed his fingers right before reaching out to verify, then drew them back, because it wouldn’t do to fuck you outside on the stairs of your apartment building.

Rafa gave you some space as you opened the door, but as soon as you were inside, he pushed you up against the wall, hands everywhere.  It seemed as if he’d waited forever and not just three days. You had him addicted. 

You moaned as Rafael started kissing down your neck to your cleavage, dropping your bags on the floor by your feet. He saw a peek of your black bra through your shirt. He remembered the garter set and had to see the entire affect. He backed up, taking you in from head to toe.

"You wanna take those clothes off, or do you want me to rip them off?"

You smiled. "I guess I'll choose the first option."

You slowly unbuttoned your blouse, and peeled the skirt from your hips. It was so seductive that by the time you were done, Rafa had undressed as well, his thick dick in his hands, getting it ready for you.

You stood before him, in a sheer black lace bra and garter set, with no panties. The fact that you had been like that all day under your clothes made him get even harder. And you were looking at what he was holding and licking your lips.

"You hungry?"

"Yes. Please."

"C'mere."

Rafael laid you down on the couch. He turned your head and filled your mouth as he stood at one end of the sofa. He used his free hand to twist and flick your rock hard nipples through your bra. Damn, he loved it when you moaned with his dick in your mouth.

“You like that Holly? This what you wanted?”

You were ravenous, stroking off what you couldn’t fit in your mouth naturally. And you were busy, so you just nodded. Rafa continued to torture your nipples with one hand, but moved his other hand down to your clit, swirling insistent and concentrated circles around it.

You were so worked up that it did not take too long for him to manipulate an orgasm from you. “Damn, girl.” 

He was in heaven as you came with your mouth around his dick. Good thing, it muffled the sound. He was concentrating on not shooting off down your throat as he watched you, writhing in your garter set and licking his fingers, and then moving down to eat some of your delicious cream. 

Rafa held your hips down mercilessly as you fought your next orgasm.  He tongued you through it, taking all that you had to give him and successfully keeping you from running from it.

When he rose from between your legs, and wiped his face with the back of his hand, you looked as if you were going to sleep, your eyes vacant and rolling back in your head.  You were in shock from all the pleasure.

"Get that ass up."

You languidly obeyed and stood before him, eyes glowing and sexy ass lips smiling. Something in Rafael’s heart lurched and he couldn’t explain to anyone why. He was mad for some reason. 

Conflicted with different emotions, he just grabbed your waist and roughly turned you around, grabbing your arm and twisting it behind your back as he bent you over the arm of the couch.

You looked amazing in what you were wearing. He rubbed your ass before he smacked it, hard. Rafa was rewarded with a moan and an arched back. 

“Are you ready for this dick?” He smiled as he put the tip alllllmost in.

“Wait…”

Then he remembered.  “Shit.” 

He went into your bedroom, seeing your suitcase set up and mostly packed for the trip.  He brushed away the feeling that he had at what that meant and quickly went to your bedside table for a condom. He didn’t want to lose the vibe.

He came back into the living room to the sight of you still bent over, head resting on the couch cushion.  He stroked himself to full staff again, put the condom on, and lined up with your cunt.

“Still ready?” 

He didn’t have to ask as he heard your moan and felt you try to push back to take him.  He stilled your movement with this hand on your hip, wanting to prolong the anticipation.  His heart skipped a beat as you asked him for it.

“Please, Rafa, please give it to me…”

“Damn.”

He sank into you, none too easily. 

“Fuck, you’re so tight. And so wet. I love to see you cream for me, Holly. Can’t wait to feel it again.” He couldn’t wait until you returned, so that he wouldn’t have to worry about condoms. That is if you hadn’t…

He brushed the thought of you with another man out of his mind and slapped your ass, angry again.  You whimpering beneath him had him almost out of control.  You, it seemed, were on the same page.

“Oh, Rafa.  I’m so close already. I’m going to….” Rafa just kept hitting that spot, making your knees buckle. You were grateful for the support of the couch arm.

“Fuck, Rafa… I’m gonna c-c-cummmmmm.” You started pounding around him, and he grabbed the back of your neck.

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK, fuck, fuck.” Rafa had no other words at the moment.

You were screaming into the couch cushion as he emptied his cum into the condom, his hips stuttering and erratic in their rhythm. 

He leaned over you and onto your back after he was spent, for just a few moments. Then, he straightened up and made his way to your bathroom to get rid of the condom. 

Rafael washed up a little and looked at himself in the mirror. It was hopeless.  He brought out a washcloth for you and found you curled up on the couch.

“Let me..” Rafa approached you to clean you up, and you let him, trying not to register the intimacy and tenderness of the act.  He was just being a good friend.

When he was done, you thanked him and went to the bathroom, shaking your head at yourself in the mirror. You felt helpless and a slave to the feelings that weren’t supposed to be there.

You made your way back into your bedroom, took off the garter and hose, and pulled on some sweats and a tee.

In the living room, Rafa was dressed as well. And standing by the door. Your heart sank a little. But you smiled and went toward him.

“Thank you, that was just what I needed after a long week. You headed out?”

Why didn’t you just invite him to stay over?

“Yeah, I better go. You probably have a ton to do before you leave.”

Rafael didn’t know how to say that he wanted to stay, but if he did, he would wind up saying too much. “Can I have a hug?” He needed you in his arms, just one more time.

You smiled at him. “Is it even a question, after what we just did?”

You were sad that he didn’t want really to hug, he just wanted to fuck. He was just being nice, but that didn’t keep you from burying your head in his chest and squeezing tight as you went into his embrace. 

Rafael inhaled the scent of your hair and closed his eyes as he cradled you, holding you close to his heart. “You have a safe trip, and a good time with your people. Merry Christmas again, Holly.”

Your eyes welled up as you kept your head in his chest. “I will, Rafa. Thank you so much again for today. It was everything. Merry Christmas, Rafa. Have a good one.”

You lowkey wiped your eyes on his shirt before you looked up at him and smiled. You gazed at each other for a minute before he let you go.

“See you in a few days. You know, maybe.” He fumbled for the doorknob behind him.

You laughed and smiled, catching his heart. “Yeah, see you next week. Possibly.”

“Bye Holly.” He’d finally found the doorknob and was backing out of it.

“See ya, Rafael.” You were shaking your head at him as you closed the door.

You leaned against it for a long time as Rafa made his way to the car, and banged his head on the steering wheel.

You both were idiots in love. And you didn’t even realize it.

-------

Let me know if you liked it! Like, comment, reblog, please. 😁

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[justsomefluff]

Hi I have ADHD and sometimes I forget to take my meds which makes me quite hyper, can you do a reaction with ateez where you forgot to take your medicine and is really hyper?

Guess who’s back-back-back again-gain-gain...After a long time because im lazy lmaoooo. Here it is, thank you for being patient my dearest. and please do take your meds its important <3 Keep yourself happy and healthy always anon

ALSO, i do not have ADHD so this is just based off of what I have been told about it or how friends who DO have it have explained things to me. If i offend or misrepresent ANYTHING please let me know. I tried to write this pretty neutrally without a lot of detail on the actual disorder.

Hongjoong:

Kind of oblivious at first

Like “oh they’re a lil fidgety today”

But as the day goes on he’s like

“something is amiss”

You’re moving all over the place, being a lil chatterbox

And he’s gettin a lil suspicious

“Heyyyyyyy,” pretty much clotheslines you as you speed through different rooms because you won’t (read: cant) STOP

“Did yooooouuuuu… take your meds?” 

Smiley face. Wink. “No.”

Immediate understands

But begs you to take your medication because you sometimes get embarrassed of your hyperactivity later

Like you feel like you were annoying him or something 

and he assures you that you weren’t bothering him, but anxiety be like that so, ya know

Just doesn’t want you to overtire yourself or feel bad late

Seonghwa:

Overprotective

Always asks you if you took your meds in the morning

Likes a routine and wants to make sure youre always happy and healthy

But if he oversleeps and gets thrown off

And therefore does not remind you to take your medicine…

Freaks out a lil

Mini heart attack

Mostly feels bad because he feels responsible

How could he forget to take care of you this way?

Then you have to expend all your extra energy assuring him that even you forget sometimes 

But then he starts setting reminders in both of your phones

Will even text you when he’s away for work uwu

Best of intentions…low-key a nag… but Mama Hwa

Yunho: 

Will lowkey bask in your hyperactivity

Like AYYYYYYYY

Like he knows its important for you to take your medication but…

Every once in a while he finds it kind of fun

Will take you to dance practice with him even if its his day off

Thinks it will be the only time you will commit to learning an entire choreo with him lmaooooo

Also kind of lets himself go a little bit

Like lets spend the day being crackheads and just expend all of our energy

And then cuddle at the end of the night when, inevitably, we are too exhausted to move

Loves that he gets to see that side of you and gets to share in good memories like those

But still reminds you to take your medicine the day after

Yeosang:

(he’s so cute im over here sobbing)

Honestly, I see him being the slightest bit overwhelmed by it

Like have you seen him when Wooyoung gets hyper

he’s like Whoa, child

Wants to calm you down ever so slightly

Like “be gentle with me, I am but a child”

But will still laugh at your antics

Of course, he loves every part of you

Everything can just kind of be too much for him sometimes lmao

Will take you places and do activities with you until you are both worn out

Will make you take care of him the rest of the night and tease you

Like “look what I have to put up with. You made me walk so much today”

But its gentle and sweet at the same time

San:

Thinks its funny but is actually concerned on the inside

Kind of worried that you might hurt yourself while youre speeding around

Tries to convince you not to wait until tomorrow to take the next dose

Follows you around just waiting to catch you if you slip

Damn near wraps you in bubble wrap when you stub your toe

Like, San… “I can still function, sir”

“But you stubbed your toe”

“Everyone does that sometimes”

Starts to calm down when he realizes that you really are gonna be okay, you’re just going to experience the day a little bit quicker than normal

Twice the speed of the average human

Speedy, he calls you

Squirrel comparisons on the way

Mingi:

Why do I feel like he wouldn’t even notice lmao

He’d just be like “wow, they have a lot of energy today”

Goes about the day normally

At the end of the day, you tell him about everything that you were able to get done

Whether its work, school, cleaning, errands, binging a TV series, or ALL of the above

And he’s like… “how”

And you’re like, well let me tell you about the lil thing I forgot to do this morning

Clueless lmao… “What did you forget?”

“Mah meds.”

“Ohhhhh…”

Then he tries to understand how you managed to do all of those things without your meds

And you’re like… I probably half-assed them but

At least they’re done!

Wooyoung:

Just makes fun of you the whole time

Like lets be real

He’s hyper on his own

And loves seeing you that way because he can relate to it

Also, you do some stuff that might not be the smartest because you’ve got so much energy to expend

“DONT SLIDE DOWN THE HALL IN SOCKS”

Laughs when you fall

Joins you though because, while mildly dangerous…

Looks fun

Never lets you get self-conscious about anything because he is really good at matching your energy the whole day

Is awesome at just letting you work through the day at the pace you feel is right

Somehow manages to keep up with you the entire time, no matter how hard it can be sometimes

Jongho:

Another one who is a little bit overwhelmed

Kind of shy and introverted and quiet in general

So if you get super-duper talkative and loud he might be kind of thrown off his game

Like how do I handle this

How do I be the best boyfriend during this

Overthin-King

Just internally debating whether he should tell you to take your meds, join in on your activities, or just let you ride out the hyperactivity on your own

Spends the entire day thinking about it’

Ends up letting you just do your thing on your own… not that he decided that was the best option

He was just too busy thinking about it to actually make a decision lmao

[toothpastecanyon]

We Creatures, Chapter 3

When Alcor felt Mizar calling to him, he came to help. Perhaps, this one time, he should have stayed asleep.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

“I spy with my little eye… something beginning with e.”

“Is it elves?”

“What? No!”

“Just checking,” Mizar sat back in her seat. “Just checking, uh… electricity! From the lights?”

“No.”

“Elm tree! I see some elms over there.”

Alcor grinned. “Nope.”

“Okay… fuck, I give up. What is it?”

“Okay, are you ready? You’re gonna kick yourself: Everest.”

“Ev… Everest?” She raised an eyebrow. “Like the mountain in the Himalayas?”

“Yeah!” He chuckled to himself. “You know, I’ve gotten a not-insignificant number of summoners over the years who wanted me to teleport them to the top of Everest and back. Some of them worded it better than others, but you humans are just obsessed with that place - it’s so funny to me!”

“That’s great, but this is the third time you’ve named something only you can see.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t think this Eye Spy game is working.”

“Oh… that’s okay! I have other road trip games! How about twenty questions - we pick something in the environment and, uh, the other person asks you twenty questions about what it could be…”

He launched into an explanation. In the back, Mizar rolled her eyes. She was grinning, though.

______________________________________________________________

They rounded a curve on the interstate, radio blasting.

“We gotta hooooold on to what we got!”

“It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not!”

Mizar was using a soda can as a microphone. “We got each other, and that’s enough for noooow, we’ll give it a shot!”

“OHHHHH, we’re halfway there!” Alcor swerved in time to the music. “OOOH-OHHH, livin’ on a prayer! Liiivin’ onnn a prayyyy-aaa-err!”

______________________________________________________________

“And so I told her, you can’t ride a pig into battle, Mabel. Waddles - his name was Waddles - is too small, and let’s face it, he’s not really a fighter. He rolls - rolled - in the mud all day, he ate carrots, he’s not really down to charge through a cultist’s basement and strike fear in their hearts”

Mizar was slumped in the back, methodically ripping up gummy worms. “Mmmhm.”

“But, uh, a bit of a size change, and boy was I wrong.” Alcor chuckled, one hand on the steering wheel as they cut through a forest. The sun was still up, but it was blocked by the trees; every so often he’d squint as a ray peeked through. “Kind of glad that didn’t become a regular thing. A horse-sized pig is, uh, more intimidating than you’d think.”

“Mmmhm.”

“But yeah, she did funny things like that… all Mizars tend to do stuff like that… but always a different thing, you know?”

“Yeah…”

“I dunno, maybe I’m explaining it weirdly.” His smile faded a bit. “It’s been a long time since I thought about her… too long. I just… I sort of forgot, I guess? It feels like I can’t’ve - she was my sister, but… I guess time does that to you.” Alcor stared forwards. “Everything fades. In time.”

The silence stretched, and Mizar frowned a bit. She glanced over at him.

“Dude?”

“Huh?” He blinked. “Oh, sorry! Think I blanked on you for a second there.”

“Always encouraging to hear that from your driver.”

“Heh, yeah…” Alcor nodded, and then looked back at her. “So what about you?”

No reply. He looked back, and saw she’d gone still.

“Mizar?”

“What do you mean, what about me?” Ostensibly nothing had changed about her, but Alcor could feel a sort of carefulness in her choice of words now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, and Alcor made a face.

“I didn’t mean anything serious by it. I just thought I’d get to know you a little bit more!” He shrugged. “You know, uh… oh, what’s your name? I never asked you that.”

“You’ve been calling me Mizar, right? That works.”

“Well, Mizar’s your soul’s name. You have a name apart from that, right?”

“Sure I do.”

“Yeah?” There was a pause. “Uh, what is it?”

“…Smith.” Mizar ripped a gummy worm in half. “John Smith, there you go.”

Alcor struggled to keep a smile. “Okay, Mizar, uh… so you lived in New York, huh?”

“Yeah. You gonna make me give you an address now?”

“No, I- ugh. Forget it.” Alcor rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t trying to pry, I was just trying to get to know you. Why are you so against that?”

“Why do you want to know so bad?” Mizar sat up a bit. “Look, genuinely? I’m sorry that’s frustrating for you. When I summoned a demon, I wasn’t exactly thinking I’d have to make small talk with them.”

“What does that mean?”

“Means I actually kind of like you, dude! And I feel bad, but I can’t risk…” she trailed off, then cleared her throat. “How about this. Once we get to the desert, you can ask me anything you want, okay?”

Alcor frowned. “Okay… I’ll wait for the desert, then.”

“Thank you.” She sat back a little. “Thank you, Alcor.”

He didn’t quite know what to say to that. The conversation seemed like it had reached its end, and he started fiddling with the radio again. Most of it was adverts, though; it felt like sometimes the stations were coordinating to all go on break at the same-

“Look out!”

Mizar’s voice shot through him like a knife. He looked up and noticed there was something in the road - a deer! He swerved hard, and then he tried to swerve away from a tree right at the bend in the road but it was coming up too fast and-

The impact broke on him like a wave slamming against a hard cliff, and the sound of glass and metal shattering split his body’s eardrums. He felt his head crack against the steering wheel, and when he looked up he had to blink through the blood.

There were… legs? Legs through the windshield, and a sweatered body wrapped around the tree, and Alcor felt a raw fear flood through his being.

“Mizar?” He tried to get up, get out of his body, but something held him in place. “Mizar!”

And then she moved. He froze.

“Ugh…” Mizar shifted, and moved her neck off the right-angle it was making with the tree’s trunk. She rubbed her head. “Ow.”

Alcor watched with wide eyes as she shook herself off, and started extracting her legs through the opening. All the broken glass on the hood hadn’t left a scratch on her, it was…

“Impossible,” Alcor breathed. He saw her eye settle on him, her face flash through a million expressions before turning carefully blank. “You’re not human.”

“It…” She hesitated. “It doesn’t matter right now. We need to go.”

He tried to sit up, but something was keeping him rooted in place. It was more than being trapped; he tried to step into the Mindscape, but something had tethered itself to his very soul and bound him to the Earth.

“I can’t.” He frowned. “I’m… trapped?”

“You’re trapped?”

Bound to the Earth… Alcor lifted up his shirt, and found a branch impaled through his abdomen, skewering him to the seat. It was young, thin, but before his eyes, he watched it grow thicker, watched bark form on its trunk, and creep up his skin.

Mizar saw it too. “Shit,” she said, and backed up. “They’re here. They want you.”

“The elves?”

“Yeah… I have to go now.” She jumped off the car’s hood. “Sorry, dude.”

“Mizar? They want me? Wh-what does that mean? Mizar!”

But she was gone - vanished into the darkness. Alcor gritted his teeth, then he summoned a flame and tried to burn the branch. Nothing happened; if anything, a couple leaves sprouted where it should have turned to ash. The bark kept climbing up his chest, and he felt… strange. A little drowsy. It was easy to resist - for now.

But there were voices, and he pushed all that to the side.

“...No, child.” Elvish - spoken softly, like a song. “Do not chase the startled bear into its cave. Have patience, patience…”

He could see three pairs of feet, approaching. Two of them were clad in bark armour - the middle wore a long, flowing robe, and continued forwards where the other two stopped. It walked right up to Alcor, and for the first time in a very long while, he could feel a little bit of apprehension.

It was just an elf, he told himself. Just a mortal. Whatever it was, he’s a demon, he could take it…

The feet stopped in front of a mangled car door. Then they leaned down a little, and a face appeared through the broken glass. By the ears, they were elven, and by the locks of brilliant white hair framing their face, they were ancient indeed.

“Greetings, demon.” said the elf in a quiet tone. “You’ve made a mistake.”

Then they smiled. Alcor did not like the way they smiled.

“You’ve made a mistake,” He growled. “I don’t know how you’ve got me bound, but you can’t keep it up forever. If I get out and you’ve hurt one hair on Mizar’s head… what are you doing?”

The elder was waving at the other two. In unison, they kneeled on the ground, and started whispering to it. The bark creeping up Alcor’s chest started accelerating.

“Alcor the Dreambender,” the elder turned back to him. “You don’t know what a Sanctuary is, do you?”

“Wh-”

“No, you wouldn’t. Thus far, you’ve been a wise demon; you’ve stayed out of our affairs, and we’ve stayed out of yours.” They smiled. “Or perhaps, you’ve just been a lucky one. If you were wise, you wouldn’t have meddled last night, would you?”

“Meddled?” They leaned back as the elder leaned in close. “You were trying to kill Mizar, you- get back!”

“Let me educate you, child.” They whispered in his ear. “We will grow a great forest over your body. We will live in this Sanctuary, we will walk these woods, and our every thought will keep you bound, will keep you aslumber. And your wistful dreams will cause flowers to bloom in the springtime.”

With a smile, they stepped away, and spoke again.

“Now, do you see? Do you see why you should have been wise, demon?”

Alcor growled. After a moment, he got his claws under the bark encircling his neck. With a little effort, he ripped it away, and glared up at the elder.

“You can’t bind me forever. I’ll get out - you’ll regret this!”

“Hmm… perhaps. But not in time to protect that which you travel with. This… Mizar, you say?”

“Don’t you dare.” Alcor lunged at him. “Don’t you dare! D̞̖̟̱͉O̡͖͇̫N̳̦̳̫̮͎̯'T̹̼̮̤̠͢ͅ ̻̼Y̮͖̜OU҉͙̠̪̭̞̭ ͙̥͍̙͚̹̻D͈A̵̞̠̫̙̲̝R̠E͚̜̺̫̬!̦̤̬͉̪”

“A Mizar…” They stroked their beard. “So that is how it enlisted your help.”

“She҉ is̡ ̵mi͠ne͘!͜ S̸h̸e ìs mine̢!̕ ̷You̧ ̷hu̴rt̢ my̕ Mi͘zar,̴ ̸I ̢W̨ILĻ ͢ḰĮLL͢ ̨Y̵OU̧!”

“But she is not your Mizar.”

Alcor frowned. “Don’t you tell me who my Mizar is - I can feel it. I know!”

At that, the elf… laughed. He growled.

“What? What’s so funny?”

“Oh… it’s not funny.” They sighed; for once, the smile seemed to dip. “It’s not funny. I suppose it just… to see it happen again, it’s strange, is it not?”

Alcor watched the elf look into the distance. In their eyes were a thousand memories, and in their furrowing brow, a thousand pains. It seemed like an eternity before they spoke again.

“I had a daughter, once,” they started. “Long ago. Before I was one of the elders. Before the Transcendence. Shalana, her name was.”

Alcor watched the elf smile.

“And she was so full of life. She loved to dance with the wind and the leaves. And she loved everyone around her.” They shook their head. “She trusted everyone around her, and… she was mistaken.”

Alcor frowned. “What happened?”

“This is why you outsiders shouldn’t meddle.” They glanced up at him. “You ask me what happened - any elf would know what happened, but you are…” they sighed. “You don’t know of the Blighted Ones - they are hunters of us. Very specialized hunters; humans would see through their tricks, but we-“ they gestured at their visor. “We cannot. And you cannot, either.”

“What do you mean?” Alcor raised an eyebrow. “I have enough magic to see through any illusion-“

“And it is your magic that prevents you from seeing the truth! These creatures feed on magic - they twist your Sight, you cannot trust what you see!” The elf clenched their fists. “Just like Shalana could not See. She thought it was a friend who wanted to walk the forest with her; instead it was her doom.”

Alcor made a face. “I’m… so sorry to hear that.”

They looked at him, and did not smile. “You dare apologise to me?” They hissed, and leaned in closer. “You dare apologise to me when you saved her murderer last night!”

Alcor felt the elder grab his suit and wrench him in close. He was too stunned to resist.

“I spent millennia pleading with the Elders to hunt this creature down! Now I am one, and you dare interfere? You dare deny her justice? And for what?” They dug angrily in his suit pocket, and drew out the dewdrop. “For this?! This is what I’ll lose my retribution over?!”

Alcor couldn’t respond. The bark creeped up his neck, and he was fighting to keep his eyes open. The elder was only a blur as they pushed themself off of him.

“No…” they said. “Calm. Be calm. The mountain does not sway like the wind around it.”

He tried to sit up, but he was rooted to the seat. Nothing budged.

“I should not be surprised by this,” said the elf. “I should not. After all, what does a demon know of love?”

The bark was stretching over his jawline. Alcor could hardly summon the strength to panic anymore.

“Sleep well, Dreambender. You will wake to a better world- what is that?”

His closing eyes rolled over to look, and he saw something drop from the trees. There was a snarl, a cry, and the two elves stood up; suddenly the sleepiness fell away from him, and he jolted awake.

Mizar - or whatever she was - was the first thing he saw. She had the elder pinned, and with the back of her hand she slapped the visor off his face. They pushed her off and jumped away, covering their face.

“No! No! My eyes deceive! You’re not her!”

The two elves drew their swords and closed in. Mizar danced back as they slashed, glanced to the car, and then ripped off the side door and used it like a shield. One elf stabbed and stuck their sword in; she twisted it out of their hand, bashed them to the floor, then pounced on top and ripped out their throat.

The other elf raised their sword and drove it down through her back. She let out a cry, but in a flash she was on her feet again, eyes on the blade. They tried to slash at her; she caught their arm, twisted it back, and slammed them into the dirt.

Then it was silent, but for the quiet whimpering of the downed elf. Alcor watched her slowly, slowly kneel down to their level. She gripped their shoulders, and turned them over to face her.

He couldn’t see their face - only a sweater, and jangling bracelets on her arms. But the elf saw something else; he saw them go rigid, saw their feet kick up leaves as they struggled to get away, heard their groans turn to a desperate cry -

“No, no! No! Help! Tarathiel, aid me! I-”

Then Mizar struck. Alcor flinched at the scream, at the crack of bone and gristle; a deep pit formed in her stomach as he heard her begin to eat. Yet the more he watched, strangely, the fuzzier she seemed. Whatever she was doing, it was like the world around him had formed a kind of censor, and even the sounds of it faded sharply.

Like something was twisting his Sight… Alcor looked down at the visor that had landed on the front seat. He took a deep breath, and then ripped his hand out of the bark that had encased it, grabbed the visor, and put it over his eyes.

Now he saw without Sight. Now he saw the Creature that he had called Mizar.

It wasn’t human, no. It was much taller, and so, so thin. It was covered in a layer of fine yet shaggy hair, lending a greyish tint to the pale skin beneath; around its legs it was matted and grimy with dried sewage. Its hands were curled, clawed things at the end of its sticklike arms, and it was digging them into the elf to scoop out meat and dripping organs.

It was… oh, stars. Alcor felt a rush of primal fear at the sight of it, and he couldn’t help but gasp.

The Creature heard that; it froze, and then its head snapped around. Its face: its eyes were up where its forehead should’ve been, and the rest was all mouth, dripping with blood. Its jagged teeth glinted like broken glass as it turned and knuckle-walked towards him.

Alcor couldn’t help it; he growled, he leaned away as far as he could. “No… stay, stay back!”

He threw a blast of fire its way. It melted the side of the car, but nothing happened to the Creature - no, worse than nothing. His fire swirled around the narrow, bloodless hole in its chest, and sealed it.

“I’m warning you!” Alcor watched it squeeze itself through the opening in the car; it was so much larger than it looked. “Don’t come any closer, don’t - d-don’t touch me! What are you...”

It was reaching its filthy claws towards his face. He stiffened as they scraped against his forehead… then carefully closed around the visor, and took it off. The glow-eyed, primally terrifying being that hunched before him suddenly-

-just looked like a Mizar again. Felt like a Mizar again. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, there wouldn’t have been a doubt in his mind that this was his sister smiling sadly at him.

“I’m sorry,” said the Creature, with her voice. “I did lie to you. But… look, if I’ve built up any goodwill with you since we met… can you just hear me out? Please?”

Alcor didn’t move, didn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say. He watched the Creature’s eyes flit down, and fix on the branch that was keeping him in place. It reached out a lie of a hand.

“Here, let me get you out of that.”

[withluvgen]

Dark Shadow - Warren Worthington III X Reader

Request from @val-halla-bitch

Hiya! Can I have a Warren birb fic where the reader has a “dark power” (like controlling shadows or something) and is basically the personification of a vampire, and dresses super goth and stuff and everyone is scared of her, but after Apocalypse, Warren has to room with her because she’s the only student without a roommate and they both have a crush on each other? Idk where this is going. Thank youuuuu <3

And

Hi!!! I LOVE your writing so muchhh! Can I pretty please get a Warren x reader where the reader has a spooky power (idk what) and most people are scared of her but warren thinks she’s cool and they end up dating and just very fluffy vibes? Thank youuuuuu <3

 A/N: Okay so to the person who requested this I’m sorry it took so long before I actually wrote this. I think they requested it at around August or September the first time? But don’t worry because I’m definitely making this a series. This turned out to be like an introduction part for y/n, so I’m deciding to make this into a series/ mini series. I kinda fell in love with writing this so yeah expect there to be more of this. 

Side note: I also kind of based her mutation on Tokoyami from My Hero Academia. 

WC: 1.5K

Warnings: Curse words, Angst. A little bit of fluff. 

DARK SHADOW

It was a rainy afternoon when he came into her life. He was new to the institute and was set to be her new roommate. It wasn’t new for y/n to be roomed with someone despite the gender, they didn’t last long as their roommate anyway so it didn’t really matter to her. The longest roommate she had lasted 2 weeks before y/n’s mutation scared them off.

People were always afraid of her, and she was used to it by this time. She grew up with people being scared of her because of her mutation, especially when she was younger and didn’t know how to control her mutation. She never made any friends as a child because of it, and now that she’s grown up she doesn’t feel the need to make friends. She was fine with being alone because she never needed anybody, or at least that’s what she thinks.

Her mutation? Shadow manipulation. She could control the shadows and make them do whatever she wants. Shadow puppets, that was her favorite thing to do with her mutation but sometimes she would lose control over them and the puppets would go wild. This happened a lot during the night or whenever it was too dark, but that didn’t stop her at times even if she knew the risks. She wanted to learn how to control it. It wasn’t until she was 10 years old that her mutation manifested into something dark, one of her puppets wouldn’t leave no matter what she did. It was as if it had developed a mind of its own. She was scared of her own mutation for the first time in her life. That was when she was sent to Xavier’s so she could learn how to control it.

After a year of studying her mutation, Hank couldn’t explain how or why her shadow puppet wouldn’t leave and why it had developed a mind of its own. But the professor had a feeling that it was because she was lonely. She felt as if she needed a friend and somehow her mutation manifested that friend for her.  As she grew older this shadow puppet, was no longer just a puppet for her. She learned that it was part of her now and actually became friends with it. As she slowly understood what the shadow was, she learned that her own emotions can be felt by the shadow and that they somehow have a psychic connection.

She never liked having anyone around, especially the roommates they tried to put her with. They were always too loud or too annoying. She didn’t have the hard to say this to them so at night when she’s asleep, her shadow would torment her roommate without her knowing. The next morning she’d wake up to the other side of the room completely empty.

That wasn’t the case for her current roommate. It has been about a month and Warren was still there. She wondered why that was. She was used to her roommates leaving after a week or two, but something made Warren stay. It made her curious. So, for the first time ever, she was going to try and befriend her roommate.

“H-hey.” She hesitantly said. Warren only looked at her direction with a questioning look on his face.

“Why are you here?” She asked trying not so sound rude.

“Uh? This is my room?” Warren raises an eyebrow at her.

“I fucking know that but I mean, why are you still here? It’s been a month, and you’re still here. I want to know why?” Y/N asks voice raising a little bit because of her frustration.

“Look, I’m not scared of you or your stupid dark shadow or whatever the fuck that thing is. I’ve been through so much worse than that thing tormenting me at night. So, whether you like it or not, I’m not going anywhere.” Warren says sitting up and places the comic book he was reading beside him.

“Tormenting you? Wait what?” she asks as this information is completely new to her.

“Very funny. I know you’ve been controlling that thing to scare me off so quit will you?” Warren says with a straight face as he looks her in the eyes.

“I- I really don’t know what you’re talking about though?” Her brow furrows as she conjures up her shadow puppet. “Puppet, care to explain what my roommate is saying?”

“I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Puppet says as it shakes its head.

“WOAH? That thing can talk?” Warren asks in astonishment.

“Yeah.  It has a mind of its own so I don’t completely control it.” Y/N says as she looks down a little embarrassed. This was the first time she ever told anyone about her mutation because she doesn’t have friends in the institute. She does have a few acquaintances like Jean, but she’s not exactly what she considers a friend. “It has been like this since I was Ten.”

“T-that’s actually pretty cool.” Warren says standing up to circle around puppet. He tries to touch the shadow but it bursts out.

“HEY STOP IT!” Puppet says appearing larger to scare off Warren.

“Sorry. Puppet doesn’t like people much. And uhh…you really think it’s cool? That’s actually the first time I’ve heard that.” Y/N says bashfully.

“I mean yeah? I’ve faced a lot of different mutants in my cage fights but this is the first time I’m seeing something like this.”

“T-thank you.” Y/N says as she feels her cheeks heating. Wondering what this feeling was.

It was a little while later when Y/N was alone in their room that she actually talked to shadow puppet to confront them about the whole “terrorizing the roommates” thing. She wasn’t upset about it she just found it a bit too much. She didn’t exactly want a roommate but she didn’t like the idea of puppet scaring people off on purpose just so she’d be alone.

“Look, Puppet, I’m not mad about it. I just want to know why you did it.” Y/N said as she sat on her bed looking a puppet that was pacing the room.

“I had to. You were feeling really upset about having a roommate and I thought you didn’t want them so I took care of them for you.” Puppet looked at her with sad eyes.

“I don’t want a roommate, but that doesn’t mean what you did was right. Have you done this for all of my past roommates?” She looks at her shadow puppet curiously.

“NO! Yes.” Puppet looks at the ground, as if ashamed of what it’s done.

“What the fuck? You’ve done this for the past 9 roommates I had, 10 including Warren?” Y/N bursts in laughter at the revelation.

“Yes.” Puppet answers sadly.

“It’s fine, puppet. I’m not mad. Just don’t do it anymore.” Y/N says as puppet instantly perks up at the sentence.

“Ohhhhhhhh~ you like him don’t you?!” Puppet exclaims.

“Shut up.” Y/N rolls her eyes as she looks away.

“Ohhhhh my little baby Y/N has a crush on the bird boy!” Puppet says running around happily. Mumbling about how to it should start planning a wedding. Y/N smiles watching her puppet be excited for the first time.

---

It was a few months later and Y/N slowly started opening up to Warren more. For the first time in years, Y/N actually made a friend. It was weird for the other students to actually see Y/N smiling, but ever since she became friends with Warren, she has been more cheerful than she was in the previous years. Even shadow puppet wasn’t being aggressively scary anymore, well it still was but less often.

It didn’t take the other students to figure out that the reason behind Y/N’s change in demeanor was because of her new roommate. It was rare to see them without the other. Y/N and Warren suddenly became inseparable, and to the older students it was the cutest thing ever. The younger students were still afraid of the two since Y/N was the personification of darkness and Warren was one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

“Here.” Warren says as he hands a cup of Y/N’s favorite drink to her before class.

“Thanks.” Y/N says accepting the drink with a warm smile on her face. The two of them head to class with puppet trailing behind them.

“Is it just me or does y/n seem a lot cheerful since Warren came here?” Peter asked Scott as they saw the two walk past them.

“It’s weird don’t you think?” Scott shrugs as he looks at the pair walking to class.

“I THINK IT’S ADORABLE!! DON’T YOU JUST SHIP THEM?!” Puppet says, popping out from the darkness before rushing to catch up with Y/n and Warren.

“See? Weird. Even her puppet is acting strange.” Scott says furrowing his brows.

“A little bit. But this is the first time I’ve seen her like this. Maybe she’ll finally let us be her friends.” Peter says before rushing to his class.

[fakesurprise]

The Prisoner

The prisoner hasn’t been trained, not like those of us in the Army. She goes from asleep to awake without trying to check surroundings, sits up and blinks. The cell is thick silo cement with a door that could stop a tank, cheap lighting caged to the ceiling and symbols etched into the walls with a blade. She stands and frowns at the walls, ignoring the cold despite the stone slab she’s been placed on without even a pillow or blanket despite my protests. We may not be bound by the Geneva convention, but the code we follow demands more honour even to our enemies than we afforded her.

For that statement, I have been assigned to the surveillance room two doors down from the cell. Sixteen cameras, giving me any view I could want of the prisoner. I have also been entrusted with the Blade, if she somehow escapes. I hold it carefully in my left hand, for it cannot be sheathed. The blade is invisible to the eye, but can cut through anything we know.

The prisoner checks for her phone, walks to the door. Pauses. Gives the door a long stare, then says: “I think I need to talk to whoever is in charge of this place,” without a hint of fear in her voice, as if she is asking for room service. It is impressive, even in a monster.

I buzz the General over the intercom. “The prisoner is awake.”

“Earlier than anticipated, given the drugs,” the general says. I can hear people taking notes in the offices nearby.

“She is asking to speak with whoever is in charge.”

“Is she now. I will be down soon.” The intercom turns off.

It takes almost half an hour for the General to arrive. She has four guards with her, all wearing regulation red and black. The two who open the door have shotguns. The two who enter with the General have pistols and tasers.

The prisoner remains sitting, having done nothing else while waiting.

“This seems excessive,” she murmurs, looking puzzled.

“This is sacred ground,” the General says in a soft tone that isn’t soft at all. “You profane it by existing: you will not speak unless spoken to.”

The prisoner doesn’t even blink, just offers a slight nod.

“Your kind harm the light of the world; we will ensure this does not happen again. You take the Light, and only darkness grows where it has been.”

The prisoner stands, holding the General’s gaze, ignoring both guards. “I think –.”

The general backhands her across the face. “Silence, god-eater,” she growls.

The prisoner looks back, eyes slightly wide. Surprised, but she doesn’t look afraid. The two guards move slightly, weapons at the ready.

“Only demons are calm when unarmed,” the General says. “You may speak.”

“You know who I travel with?” the prisoner says carefully.

“A magician who cheats the universe, for that is all magic is. They abuse the gifts left behind by the Creator, and assume they will pay no price for their crimes.”

The prisoner lets out a sigh. “That’s not –.”

The next backhand involves a closed fist.

The prisoner staggers back with a grunt, hand raised to her cheek. She has gone slightly pale, and gingerly removes a tooth, her left cheek the colour of a bruised twilight.

“Shit,” the prisoner says, very softly and then looks at the General. “Don’t even think about it.”

The General stops before she can attempt anything else. The other guards stop. The prisoner’s voice is tight and commanding, the kind of voice even a god would obey without question.

“Speak another word in that tone,” the General says, “and my people kill you. This I promise you, prisoner.”

And for the first time, the prisoner looks scared to me. Not of the General. Not even of the threat. She rubs her jaw slowly, wincing, gaze studying everyone in the room, and the cameras as well.

“You don’t know,” she says, so softly the microphone barely catches the words. I watch her put her tooth back into her mouth, ignoring the pain she must be in.

The General smiles at the pain and turns and walks out. Everyone follows, the door sealing shut behind them.

The prisoner begins pacing, studying the walls. No longer calm.  She looks scared now, but if someone had asked me why I don’t know that I could say.

“You have one more hour on your shift, Acting-Sergeant Barret,” the General says as she passes the room.

I don’t respond. I know the prisoner in the cells kills small gods; we know the damage a god-eater does to the world. But I can’t shake the ‘you don’t know’ and the feeling that the prisoner is scared for us.

I keep the sacred blade in my hand. There is nothing it cannot cut, but the General did not wish to defile it with the blood of a monster.

There is a boy in the cell. He is eleven.

I stare at the screen. The boy is wearing cowboy boots that don’t match, a skirt, and a jacket of so many colours it passes through garish and into something else. He has a toque on his head and two scarves.

I am out the door without thinking of backup: if a demon is present, it will die. That is our duty and I alone have the sacred Blade.

The door to the cell opens as I approach it and the boy blinks at me.

“Ohhhhh. This is weirdy. I don’t meet one of you for a long time,” he says, and my hand is empty.

My left hand is empty, and the sacred treasure is gone.

“I think it got lost,” the boy informs me, as if that makes perfect sense. He turns back to the prisoner. “And after that, we ate four hotdogs and Honcho said I should ask why your phone is off.”

“You ate four hot dogs?” the prisoner says dryly, as if she is not in pain at all, speaking carefully.

“Well, they were pretty hugey and! I was kinda hungry,” the boy says proudly.

He sounds like any boy. He made the Verkan disappear. I step back. I could get help. I don’t know what could help in this.

“Also, this is a weirdy place for an adventure and the Verkonis blade is an ooops but I don’t know that for a lomg time but but but you sound a little funny and –.” The boy stops, looks back at the prisoner. “Charlie?”

“I’m fine, Jay,” the prisoner says.

“They hurt you?” the boy says, and there is nothing save honest shock in his tone.

“They had wards and –.”

The boy gestures with a hand. Every single ward in the cell is gone as if they never existed at all.. The gesture is short and sharp. “They don’t now,” he says, as if this was a fact about the universe.

The boy is in front of me. I didn’t see or sense him move. He stares up at me, no longer smiling. “You didn’t hurt Charlie. You wanted her to have a blanket.”

“Jay,” the pris – Charlie – says behind him.

The boy doesn’t look back at Charlie. He looks up at the ceiling, and I’m certain he’s seeing the General as if the walls didn’t exist at all. His voice is as cold as his expression when he speaks. “They won’t hurt anyone ever again.”

“They weren’t jaysome,” Charlie says as she walks toward him, and her voice has that same authority she used on the General, as easily as breathing: “But hurting them won’t be jaysome either.”

The boy turns his head toward her slowly. There is tension in the movement.

Charlie stops, not trying to hide her fear. “Jay. You’ve hurt people to protect me. And I’ve done the same to protect you. But hurting people because you want to, because it would feel good – that’s not a Jay you want to be.”

“Oh!”

“Yes,” Charlie says, not trying to hide her relief.

“I almost did a hugey oops!”

“A hugey one,” Charlie repeats, her voice faint.

The boy doesn’t notice her fear of him. “I didn’t do it though but they don’t get to hurt anyone again so I’ll chat with them and they won’t!”

He vanishes.

I make a noise. I think I tried to say a question.

Charlie holds out a hand, and her cell phone is in it. “Jay would be worried if I lost my cell phone, so it seems I haven’t lost it.” She sounds amused, but the fear is deep under that as she presses one number.

“It’s me. Fanatics who thought being a god-eater meant I ate pieces of their God. Something like that. Jay is lecturing them.” She pauses. “A tooth. He hasn’t noticed that yet, but he got rid of the wards on the place.”

And Charlie touches her jaw, then nods slowly. “I ate the space between my gum and tooth. It will hold until you can figure out some magic to heal the damage. Jay just thinks I was bruised, or this place wouldn’t be here anymore. Okay. Keep an eye on him.”

She hangs up her phone and puts it in a pocket. “You should leave now. Whatever you felt this Army was, it’s not really that at all. And it won’t exist by the end of the day: that kind of ignorance can’t be permitted.”

“I don’t –.” And I have no idea what to say at all.

Jay appears. “I fixed lots of bindings and I’ll have to talk to Honcho cuz I broke some rules I think  and! someone gave me a lot of their teeth and said sorry?!”

“They probably thought you were a tooth fairy,” Charlie says.

“I bet I could be one because bindings!” And the boy vanishes again.

“.... I’m going to pay for that idea for weeks.” Charlie walks toward the stairs. “The entities you call ‘demons’ are from Outside the universe, mostly. I’ve never liked the term: there’s evil enough here as it is. They have some small power.  Jay is from far, far Outside and has decided I am his friend.”

The door to the basement of the old church opens without her touching it, as if the church that was once a missile silo is eager for her to leave.

“The General didn’t –.”

Charlie turns. I step back from the expression her face. “If I had died, there is a very good chance Jay would have unmade this entire area,” she says. “And if you were very, very lucky it would have ended there.”

I open my mouth. Close it.

“There is a very good chance that if I die, Jay could unmake this entire world without realizing it. And you people were ignorant that he existed at all. I’d wonder who is actually in charge, and what they meant to happen. Every hotel owner in the world knows about Jay. He is a code that the police have in many places, and your holy army didn’t even know he travelled with me. I’d consider what that means.”

She turns back and walks up the stairs.

I don’t follow. I go back int the surveillance room.

Jay is visible in every camera, making silly faces like any kid would.

I thank him for that, and he is gone from the screens.

I sit in the chair. I stare at the cell.

I am crying when Corporal Anders finds me.  She doesn’t say a word.

We leave without a single look back at the church, and I wonder if freedom is only in being able to walk away.

I don’t think so. I don’t know what it is. But I think I want to find out, if only so that the next time I meet Jay, I am a far better person than the one he met today.

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Eurovision 2021 Opinions, Predictions, and Rankings

DONE.

I really cut it close this time, but I got a couple days to relax until the contest! >.<

God, I missed Eurovision so much that I think I rambled a bit too hard....XD So, if you don’t have the patience to read all of this, I don’t blame you! I mainly just make these for fun, heh....But if you do read this, PLEASE be warned that I have some very unpopular opinions this year. It’s not as bad as some other years, but there’s a few things in here that will probably confuse people. I’m not trying to piss anyone off, I’m just sharing what I think of the songs and that’s all. I can’t even vote, so.....yeah!

Also, uh....be warned for excessive gushing, because I like the VAST majority of songs this year. There are only two that I’m indifferent to, and none that I outright dislike. And even the two songs I’m indifferent to, I managed to say some good things about, so I don’t outright bash any of the songs! I’m not a critic, I’m just a big Eurovision fan being happy talking about Eurovision.

Ummmm, anything else, hmmmm.....well, the rehearsals have been done, but I don’t watch those cuz I like going in blind. I like being surprised. So, I have no idea how any of the songs will be staged, keep that in mind.

Now, I think I said everything! Into the rambling!

(In alphabetical order by country)

Song: Karma Country: Albania Thoughts: We start our list off with a song that...I wish I liked more! This song is pretty good - I like the music (though the instrumental breaks are pretty busy, with a lot of noise at once) and the vocals are excellent, but...it's a pretty standard Albanian entry in that it lacks that extra wow factor for me. In fact, when I say "standard", I mean that when I haven't heard it in a few days and I try to get in into my head, I'll sometimes confuse it with "Ktheju tokës" (their 2019 entry). And I know that isn't fair to it, but the fact that I can't make it stick in my mind really says a lot to how little of an impact it made on me in the long run. "Ktheju tokës" WAS good, and this song is good, but man do Albania really have trouble standing out in this contest (with the one HUGE exception, of course <3) Prediction: I don't think this will qualify for the final, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was proven wrong. Albania have surprised me multiple times in recent years. I kinda don't wanna be surprised this time, since it could be at the cost of a song I like more (and yeah, it probably will be), but I still wouldn't rule it out. This song does have a chance. But for now, I'll say no, it won't qualify.

Song: Technicolour Country: Australia Thoughts: Time to take off your clothes- wait, that's not it? It's "cloaks"? OK then, if you say so...Not only is this a very cool and unique song, but it's also pretty catchy! It's kinda hard to put into words how I feel about this song. When I first heard it, I liked it OK but I also feared that it would grate on me after a bit, but thankfully, it didn't! In fact, this song grew on me, just the opposite of what I thought. I enjoy this song quite a bit now! The singer's voice is really good. She has impressive range. And there's nothing else this year that sounds like this. So, while I don't love it, I definitely like and respect it! It's an impressive entry from Australia, and I'm sad that they have to preform remotely. I hope that doesn't hurt them too much...   Prediction: Oh, I wanna say they'll qualify so bad, cuz they deserve to! And even when their entries don't get love from the televote, they still get carried to the final by the juries, so....I think they might! C'mon, it's a good song and it deserves to do well! I don't even love it that much and I can still see the talent and appeal of this song, so yeah, I'm gonna say it'll qualify! The betters are underselling this! Might not do that well in the final, but eh, at least it'll be there.

Song: Amen Country: Austria Thoughts: And here we come to one of the weirder things this year: like 2015, there are two songs with the same name, leading to some confusion. I'll get to Slovenia's "Amen" way later, but for now all I'll say is that that's the one I think about more BY FAR. To the point where poor Austria here gets completely overshadowed by it. XD And that's really unfortunate, because this song is pretty good! It's very emotional, even moreso when you read that it's based on the deaths of the singer's daughter and aunt. It definitely hit me harder after I realized that it wasn't just a breakup song...and actually about death...The lyrics are also very good, especially the repeating of "Tell me, is this what you wanted?" which is a line that kinda hit me even on first listen? It just sounds so...sad, yet angry, especially with how he sings it...Though I will say that the opening lyric simply being "Amen, I guess" could be easily made fun of...but I'm not gonna do it. Not to this song. Even though it's far from one of my favorites, (and in terms of sad family songs doesn't come close to "You Let Me Walk Alone" levels), it's a good song. Prediction: I don't think Austria really have that much of a chance....but that doesn't mean they're doomed. They could touch hearts with this song, or they could be overlooked, could go either way. I personally think, um.....they won't qualify. Just cuz of the competition.

Song: Mata Hari Country: Azerbaijan Thoughts: Should I be annoyed at how blatantly Azerbaijan recycled their 2020 song? XD Well, I'm not! If anything, I find it funny that they included the line "Just like Cleopatra", which I took as full-on self awareness.....And I also don't mind because the song is awesome, so yeah. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for this stuff! I don't care how many times the song's name is yelled, it still sounds soooooo good! The instrumentals are amazing! The one before the end is easily the best part of the song. Y'know, where she just says "Let's go" and then the beat goes crazy? Perfect. This is a very solid borderline favorite for me. My only real gripe is that...uh, it's "goddess", not "godless"...I can clearly hear her pronounce an L and it bugs me. XD Prediction: In true Azerbaijan fashion, I think this'll be an easy qualifier. It's not a front-runner, but it's a very memorable song and there isn't really anything else like it in the first semifinal (maybe Israel if you squint? But that's a stretch) In the final, hmmmm....maybe it'll place in the middle somewhere? I don't think it'll do as good as "Truth" at least. That's my prediction.

Song: The Wrong Place Country: Belgium Thoughts: Not only is this a grower, but it's also the biggest grower of the bunch for me. Every year, there's that one song that I start out mostly indifferent to, that I do NOT expect to like as much as I end up liking it. The "O Jardim", the "Roi". This year, it's this one. It took me a few listens, but now I really like this song. I can't even explain why, it's just....cool! I like the dark, somber atmosphere of this song, and how it doesn't cross over into overly moody. It's just cool. And I like the lyrics, too. They flow really well, and I like how much detail there is. The whole thing just works so well....well, except for the line about the Johnny Cash t-shirt. That's just baffling. And that's the lyric they end the song with...but other than that, it's a great song that tells a story, with the atmosphere to match, and I really like it. Prediction: The only reason I'm not saying this is an easy qualifier is that the first semifinal is gonna be a bloodbath. XD I just went down the list, counting all the fan-favorites that would normally be shoo-ins, and I counted ELEVEN songs. There's GONNA be outrage that day, I just know it. Personally, I think Belgium could still do it, but it'll be really tough. I want them in the final, but my opinion doesn't matter here. Them making it will probably take a lot of effort, honestly, and...it could go either way. If I had to give an answer to what I think will happen, I'd say that they'll barely not qualify. But I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong! (As long as that doesn't mean losing Croatia in the process)

Song: Growing Up Is Getting Old Country: Bulgaria Thoughts: This one's....difficult. Not the MOST difficult song to rank (that's Cyprus), but man, it took me a while to figure out what I felt about it. In the end, I've decided that I...kinda like it. I'm putting it right at the bottom of the "like" category. Now, I know that a lot of people love this song, so just let me explain: I don't normally enjoy this kind of vocal. I didn't care for "Sebi" two years ago cuz it bored me, for example. This song at least builds a little bit, but it's not that exciting. Musically, this song doesn't do much for me, and that's why I'm ranking it so low. BUT....I love the lyrics. This is such a relatable song. Growing up does indeed get very, very, VERY old, and I worry about it all the flipping time. I do wish I could run from those worries. I like the reference to anxiety. I like lines like "Playing Tetris with my feelings, tryin' to keep them all inside". I like the switch to “Getting up is growing old”. It's really clever. Not to mention, her lethargic vocals actually FIT this subject. She's tired. So, I do appreciate this song for, well....speaking to me, even if I don't love it like so many others do. Prediction: Will definitely qualify without much issue. I can also see it doing pretty well in the final, like....Bulgaria have been in the top five twice in recent years, so this could possibly put them back up there? I personally don't think this song should be that high, but hey, this isn't about my feelings, this is my prediction. Uhhhh.....top ten.

Song: Tick-Tock Country: Croatia Thoughts: The first of my top seven favorites! Ohhhhh MAN did this song blindside me! When I first heard it, I remember the chorus letting me down! It was mostly due to not being what I expected from the pre-chorus, I guess I expected the music to burst with emotion or at least be louder.....but after only two or three listens, it grew on me completely, and I found myself trying to learn the lyrics and sing along. This is NOT another "Icebreaker", that’s for sure. I love the whole thing as it is and I wouldn't change a thing about it. This song is so! Darn! CATCHY! That chorus is incredibly infectious! Man, that beat is so flipping good! And when it switches to Croatian for a chorus, mmmmm good stuff! As someone who actually really enjoyed "Crazy", I still say this is Croatia's most solid entry since.....geez, 2010? Hope this one is more, um, successful than that one ended up being... Prediction: Oh no, oh no, oh noooooooo~....I really hope this doesn't end up underrated like Croatia's entries tend to be, but something tells me that I shouldn't be....TOO worried? ....OK, I'm still worried. XD The first semifinal is LOADED with awesome songs, so unless the staging for this is really really cool, it MIGHT struggle to stand out? Keyword being "might", cuz this is still a very good song....Maybe just being a good song will be enough! Of my two favorites in that semifinal, I'm more worried about Slovenia than Croatia, honestly. At least Croatia have an upbeat song. I'll try to be optimistic, and predict that it'll qualify. A lot of people seem to like it, so why not? However, if it doesn't qualify, I won't be too shocked....There's a lot of fan-favorites it's gonna have to compete with to get through. XD If it does make it, then I can't see it doing THAT badly in the final...

Song: El Diablo Country: Cyprus Thoughts: Hoo boy, here we go....So, this is easily the hardest song for me to rank. I'm sure that after I post this, I'll already be second-guessing my placement for it. But for now, here it goes......I love the chorus to this song just so much! It's SUCH a good thing to belt to, and I wish I could. I even love the "OooooooOOOOOOOOHHH~" after it! She has a GOOD singing voice! ...Too bad she barely uses it. Yeeaaaahhh, I'm...not very crazy about the rest of the song. The speak-singing verses, I got used to after a while, but they're still just ehhh. And the pre-chorus where she's just panting in the back with no other music? The bridge, where there's that stupid "I love El Diablo" chant that sounds like a playground taunt? Annoying. It feels like she's trying WAY too hard to be Lady Gaga, complete with throwing in words to another language for no reason other than to sound ~spicy~. As a fan of Lady Gaga, I'm sorry, but you're not doing a very good job! As I've said before, it's hard to come up with a concrete answer for how I feel about this song, because it has stuff I like AND stuff I don't like! And not only that...it's a BIG divide between the two. I don't just like the chorus, I LOVE the chorus. It's a SHORT chorus, but I love it! There are times I enjoy the song despite my complaints with it....but there are other days where I don't have enough patience to deal with stupid panting and "I lOvE eL dIaBlO", so really, I'm super torn here. I know this song's very popular, and I can see the appeal, I just wish I liked it more (especially since I've really liked the last few entries from Cyprus). Prediction: This song's currently in the top ten in the betting odds, so I think it might do a lot better than I expect. I personally don't think it's a top ten song, but it'll at least qualify for the final. And maybe do pretty well. Left side of the scoreboard, maybe? Cyprus are NOT an underrated country anymore, and the song's got a lot of energy, and it's definitely memorable, I'll give it that.

Song: omaga Country: Czech Republic Thoughts: Another song that has me conflicted, but not nearly as much as Cyprus'. My opinion on this one is a lot more simple: love the music, kinda iffy about the lyrics. This feels like it's sung by the kinda person that Destiny from Malta warns the ladies to stay away from. "You say you're still mad about the things that I did, but I don't know what I did". "Why don't you come over and have it? Why don't you let me have it?" I'm not the only one who thinks he's being really pushy, am I? I do think this song's just meant to be playful, but, uh....it doesn't come off that way to me. I mean, I guess I like the rhyming of "apocalypse" with "on my lips", that's pretty clever and I've never heard it before? But...overall, the lyrics honestly kinda creep me out. It reminds me of someone who just will not take no for an answer even when it's obvious that his presence isn't wanted because he thinks that she's just "playing hard to get". And she's not playing hard to get! He outright says that he did something to piss her off! Dude, leave her alone! Even if you're playing dumb saying you "don't know" what you did, that's not a reason to keep pestering her! ....But, *sigh* I can't be too mad at the song. When you get down to it, the most important thing in a song (especially in Eurovision) is the music, not the lyrics, and...this song sounds fantastic. It's really catchy, with a nice fun party vibe. I do enjoy listening to this when I don't think about it too hard. It's probably the most fun I've had listening to a Czech entry, so I still like it for that. This isn't a song worth being mad over. (Except the title. That title is so flipping stupid. Just say "oh my god", it's not hard. But that's a nitpick, pffff) Prediction: I kinda don't want this song to qualify since there are others in the second semifinal that I'd prefer to make it instead. Despite liking it, this is still one of my more least-favorites in that semi. XD But I still say this has a fair shot of qualifying, despite being performed early. But with the competition in the party song department by Serbia, Moldova, and San Marino, and their fairly low amount of fan attention, I'm gonna say no for this one. But I won't hate it if it qualified (as long as it doesn't push out Greece or Finland, which I don't think it will).

Song: Øve Os På Hinanden Country: Denmark Thoughts: Heck YEAH to Denmark sending a song in Danish! It's great to hear uncommon languages in Eurovision from countries that normally send songs in English! And dare I say that that's not my favorite thing about this song? Because this is another of my favorites! This song's been getting a flack for being "dated", and....yeah, maybe it is, but so what? I never claimed to have perfect taste, and I LOVE this kinda thing! 80s music is back, I say! Gosh, this song is so HAPPY! Well, uh, I can't even understand it, but it feels happy. And the instrumentation is so flipping good! The horns, the strings, UGH! I can't not smile while listening to this. If you don't like this song, that's fine, it's not for everyone...but I really appreciate Denmark for trying something different this year, especially since it turned into something that's completely to my tastes. Prediction: Yeah, uh...the odds don't look good for Denmark. Performing last, after so many people have made up their minds? With a song that's already not popular at all? Yeah....if they DO manage to qualify, I'll be VERY happy, but I don't think it's gonna happen...Man, most of my favorites are in danger this year...Eh, I'm used to it. But I'll say that they COULD possibly do it, due to nothing else sounding like them!

Song: The Lucky One Country: Estonia Thoughts: Oh look, another one of my favorites! Wow, what an emotional gut-punch this song is....these lyrics are seriously SO good. "Why'd you have to go and mess it up? Why'd you have to make what was unbreakable / Shakeable, unsaveable" "For a little while, the fates were with us / Wonder why they had to turn against us? / I could make a wish, but there is no use" "Thought I had a cloud over my head / It had to be my fault that it kept raining down, until, now, I figured out / That if I had the nerve to say goodbye, I could look for clearer skies up overhead" I....think that's enough, but holy crap, this song's mix of heartbreak and optimism is just PERFECT. "You broke my heart, but maybe that's a good thing, maybe I'm the lucky one because you're awful and I don't have to put up with it anymore." It's emotional, it's bittersweet, it's powerful...and it SOUNDS powerful too! Those quiet verses bursting into that chorus is great! This song is so flipping good! Why is it so underrated!? ...Oh yeah, cuz people who want emotion are to distracted by Switzerland's entry, I guess...or maybe it's just me, but eh. While I don't love it quite as much as my top three, this is a very solid fourth placer for me. Prediction: This song isn't qualifying, and I've accepted it. It's gotten very little attention (the music video is one of the ones under 1 million views), it was dead last in the betting odds last time I checked, and to top it off, it's being performed second in its semifinal, which won't do it any favors. I really do wish it could surprise me, but I don't think it will. I'm not getting my hopes up.

Song: Dark Side Country: Finland Thoughts: OH HECK YEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH! Finland once again appealing to my tastes! OH MY GOD do I love this song! People have been heaping praise on this song left and right, so I can't say anything that hasn't already been said....but I'll praise it anyway! This song is so flipping intense! It manages to be dark while pumping me up for action, and being the best song at doing that this year. There's not much to say about the lyrics because I BARELY pay attention to them while listening (which is pretty much the only reason this isn't my number one), my brain just turns off all analytical thinking in favor of "HOO HOO HOO HOO EVERY PSYCHO IN THE SCENE HANDS UP AND FOLLOW ME" without caring about the actual words. I just love the music and vibe so much that it pulls me in so well! It goes so hard! That great hook that starts the song off also gives the song something catchy about it, too! Also points for including the line "We don't wanna grow up", that's great too. This is a song that you put on just to pump yourself up and feel awesome. The lyrics are pretty messed up, which makes me not wanna sing them out loud, but that barely counts as a point against it. It fits with the song's tone, and just....man, I remember how blindsided I was when I first heard it. That was my first clue that this would be something special. I'm also really happy that this song is getting attention because boy is that not true for a lot of my other favorites. XD Prediction: Despite Finland being one of the most underrated countries in the contest's history, with consistently poor results despite sending good song after good song...This one got popular, and most of the attention has been positive, to the point of it being just outside the top ten in the betting odds last I checked! So, I'm gonna be cautiously optimistic here and predict that they'll qualify without much issue. They're one out of only two of my favorites (the other being Greece) that I feel like I don't have to worry about. The song does a good job of standing out, which should help it a lot. As for how it'd do in the final...well, I want it to be in the top 10, but after whatever the frick happened with "Monsters" I'm convinced that Finland HAVE to end up underrated in some way...The only thing I can really say is that it'll probably give them their best result in years (since coming 11th that one time in 2014)? But that's all I can really say.

Song: Voilà Country: France Thoughts: If I can sum up my feelings about this one in one sentence it'd be....this is the new "City Lights" for me. Y'know, the Belgian entry in 2017? Got wildly popular, but I never fully understand why? Just found it kinda boring, and was indifferent to it? Yeah, copy and paste that here. In a year occupied by some really fun, happy pop songs, some really powerful ballads, and even a couple hardcore rock songs...a song like this is one of the favorites to win. And I'm sorry, but I don't...get it? Am I stupid? (Well, you'll probably think I'm stupid once we get to my number one but-) Why are people going nuts over this? This is one of the more boring songs of the year if you ask me! But that's being too harsh, cuz I CAN see that there's talent here. The vocals are nice, and I do give it points for growing on me at least a little. At the start, this was my least-favorite, but it's not anymore. I at least appreciate it for building at lot. I almost feel myself come close to liking it toward the end, when it's at its fastest. But that still isn't enough for me to see it as the potential winner that so many people see it as. If you like it, that's great! But even though I see the talent here, I can't jump on the bandwagon. I don't dislike it in the slightest, though. I will say that I'll take another "City Lights" over another "Amar Pelos Dois" any day of the week. At least if this song wins, I can say that it won't taint my view of the whole year. I'll just be like "cool, good for them". Prediction: I'd much rather Malta or Switzerland win over this, but I still can't rule out the possibility, which just how many people love this song and are rallying behind it. I can see the juries drooling over it too. If this does win, I'll see it coming, that's for sure. The possibility over a big five country that's not Italy doing so well feels weird, I'll admit...They're usually so underrated cuz they don't have to go through a semifinal. XD But back to my prediction, ummm....it's gonna do really well, I can't deny that. But since I consider myself Team Malta (or Italy) here, I'm gonna go with my gut and say that it won't win. Top five, though.

Song: You Country: Georgia Thoughts: Meh.....this one's probably my least-favorite, but not by a LOT. In fact, I far from outright dislike it. There are times when I find it kinda relaxing to listen to. Between this and my least-favorite in 2019, I think this one's less boring, which is a good point in this year's favor! It's more like...something's gotta be in last place, and this song's still pretty boring by comparison to everything else. But it's still a simple love song that has some nice lyrics, it's not annoying, and there's nothing wrong with it...well, there's nothing wrong with the SONG, that is... Prediction: Not qualifying. Yeah, this is an easy one. XD Now, um, I haven't SEEN this, but multiple people have claimed that the singer has said some really sketch stuff, which resulted in this already forgettable song....pretty much being a guaranteed flop. Granted, the video doesn't have quite as many dislikes as others (like.....P-Poland's....I'll get to that later), but it's still got a lot. If Georgia do qualify, I can easily see people getting upset. But I don't think it's gonna happen.

Song: I Don't Feel Hate Country: Germany Thoughts: OK, so....this song. This flipping song. By all counts, I should find it annoying. I really should. It's a song that reeks of passive-aggressive, better-than-you energy and I normally hate that! No, stop acting like you're sorry for me, you condescending prick! ...But dang it, I can't be mad at this song. I just can't. It just wouldn't be Eurovision without the resident goofy joke song, and this one fits the bill. Taking this thing seriously would make me look stupid. Not only that, but...I dunno if this is just me being very easily amused, but I just find this song funny? Like, actually funny? It's made me laugh multiple times! The lines that did so being the backing vocals going "SAY WHAT? He did not just say that!" followed by "Yes I did, and I feel sorry! I don't feel hate, that's the whole point of the song!" And even the stupid thing toward the end where it goes "So you can wigglewigglewigglewiggleWIGGLEWIGGLEWIGGLE-" It just puts a big dumb smile on my face, I can't help it! And the attitude of the singer goes down a lot easier when I think of him singing this to actual hateful people who lash out with bigoted comments, so that's helped it for me. If you don't like this song, I completely understand why. It's not for everyone! But it gets a thumbs-up from me (and not a middle finger) Prediction: I...don't know how this song's gonna go over with people? Will it annoy, or will it amuse? Will it be the next "Hatrið mun sigra" or the next "Moustache"? According to the betting odds, and the fact that it's Germany, I'm leaning more towards the latter. I don't see this doing particularly well. I can see the televoters liking it more than the juries at least, but it's still gonna be towards the bottom. I do think they'll do better than last or close to last, though. This song does have a lot of personality, that's for sure!

Song: Last Dance Country: Greece Thoughts: This song is breathtaking.....as in, whenever it comes on, it makes me stim so hard that I'm literally out of breath when it ends! And that's a really....really really good thing! Dear GOD this song is so awesome! Easily a top three choice for me. I already talked about why I love it before, and everything I said then is still true. I'm ever-so-slightly biased because I love songs that make me think of scenarios, and visualize them...especially when it's of, uh....w-well, uh....ideas of the comfort ship variety....And this song makes me think of dancing with my F/O (fictional other), feeling on top of the world, but also terrified of the moment ending, as she has to leave soon, so I hold on to her, not wanting to let go, wanting to savor this feeling until the dream is over....Uh, s-sorry for getting all poetic and stuff, but....I LOVE this song even beyond that bias! Listening to it is more of a rush than the song literally named "Adrenalina". The chorus BLASTS you with so much raw energy, it really DOES make you feel like you're dancing for your life until your lungs give out! You can feel the happiness, and the desperation, just so much...Truly, "Last Dance" is the PERFECT title. The verses aren't quite as strong as the chorus, which is the ONLY reason this song isn't my number one, but that dang chorus is enough for me to fall head-over-heels in love with it anyway. EASILY the best Greek entry for many many years. They've really, truly outdone themselves. Prediction: This has gotta qualify! Even if it doesn't get the awesome staging it deserves, it's still gotta qualify! This is one of the most popular songs in the second semifinal! Well, according to the betting odds anyway.....but c'mon! My energy SHOULD go into worrying about Poland and Estonia, so let me be right about this....let Greece be a shoo-in like I'm sure they are! I dare say that this could even finish on the left side of the board in the final! Unless some other songs REALLY surprise people live, but....for now, that's my prediction and I'm sticking to it!

Song: 10 Years Country: Iceland Thoughts: I wonder how Iceland feel about being the "projected winners of 2020". XD It's kinda like being an "honorary" winner, and....yeah, this country that's never won before, but has come second twice? They could've done it finally! But it didn't happen. It's like....is it a good thing to know that, or not to? Maybe a bittersweet mix of both....but the good thing that came out of it is that their artist got to come back this year with this song. My first word to describe this song is cute. It's a very adorable idea, being thankful for your spouse of ten years, and writing a song about it....Couple goals, honestly. XD That's enough for me to like it, cuz that's just so wholesome! But this is also a fun disco song, and it definitely stands out among everything else this year. So, thumbs up to Iceland yet again! Only other thing of note for me is that when I first heard it, the line "How does he keep getting better" led me to think this song was about a gay couple, and....it's not. He wrote it for his wife. I just find it kinda funny that I misinterpreted it that way, heh....(and it's not the only song that I misinterpreted, wait till we get to Portugal) Prediction: People love this artist and people love this song. It's gonna qualify. Not a winner (unfortunately for them), but it'll still do very well.

Song: Maps Country: Ireland Thoughts: Yet another grower. This is a really fast-paced song that I imagine would make good running music, and the lyrics are pretty good! I really like the line "My soul is a map, my heart is a compass, I am the road" for some reason...dunno why, but it sticks with me. Also, can't go wrong with strong drums! I just like the mood of this song overall, too. Happy, uplifting....freeing! Gives of the feeling of an explorer setting off to parts unknown, which is something that no other song this year does. Makes it unique! Whenever this comes on, I enjoy it a lot, but I sadly can't rank it any higher. It's still definitely one of Ireland's more solid, fun entries in recent years, up there with "22". I still like "22" a bit more since it was catchier, but this song is no slouch and I wish it got more attention. Prediction: *in the tone of Deerie from Helluva Boss* Yeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhh, no...Sorry, Ireland, but I think you're doomed. I really like this song and I want it to do well! Ireland have had such bad luck in the past, too! But they've got no chance in the first semifinal. A miracle would have to happen for this to qualify. It's really unfortunate...

Song: Set Me Free Country: Israel Thoughts: Pretty catchy! I like the rhyming flow of the verses a lot, even if I still can't fully understand the lyrics (which....I dunno whether to blame on her voice or me not liking the song quite enough to wanna sing along to lyrics that go by so quickly). What I could make out is well-written, though - if Estonia's entry is about the heartbreaking parts of breaking up, this song is about the liberating parts. I'm free, now I can dance! "Set me FREEEEE~!" That part is so good. Sadly, this song isn't an absolute favorite of mine...partly cuz the "Imma, imma, aaaaahhh" parts are a bit repetitive and slightly wear on me, but mostly cuz of competition. It's one out of many upbeat, catchy songs this year, and not the best of them. Prediction: Ehhhh, this can go either way. I wanna say it'll qualify, though. Israel have been on a roll in recent years, and this song is good enough to continue that. I wouldn't call it a front-runner by any means, but it'll at least make it to the final and not bomb.

Song: Zitti E Buoni Country: Italy Thoughts: With very few exceptions, rock songs tend to...not do very well in Eurovision. Even when the songs are very good, fans of the contest just don't gravitate towards rock as much as the poppier stuff, and that's fine! Everyone has different tastes in genres, and rock fans and Eurovision fans might not overlap very much. But dang it if I still don't appreciate them showing up and loving it when they do! And especially loving it when they're as good as THIS! This song is SO good! I might prefer the Finnish entry in terms of intensity, but they're not really that comparable. This still goes REALLY hard, manages to be catchy at the same time, and I love every single turn it takes. That part where he sings really really fast, and especially that awesome bridge, ugh, it's all so good! It's not a favorite of mine PURELY due to loving other songs more, but this is one I like more every single time I hear it, and I've been bumping it higher and higher up through my borderline favorites until finally giving it a solid spot. This song's been getting a lot of attention and that makes me very happy, cuz it deserves it! Italy have topped themselves yet again. Prediction: Despite being a big fan-favorite, I don't think this is a winner....mainly due to, well, being a rock song in Eurovision (I HAVE heard the very rare complaint about it, like, saying the chorus is too loud, and....it's a rock song? That's the point???), but also....it's kinda the Italian curse at this point? XD Every single time Italy have a fan-favorite song, they just barely don't win (I still haven't forgotten how much of a shoo-in they seemed to be in 2017 before....well...people lost their minds). They do however, manage top five finishes, and I think it'll be the same thing here. I would love if it won, since I like it more than the three betters' favorites, but I'm not holding my breath. XD

Song: The Moon Is Rising Country: Latvia Thoughts: MAN this song's awesome! OK, so, you might've noticed that there are a few songs this year that have the same message: "I'm a woman and awesome". There's nothing wrong with that kinda thing at all, especially when said songs are all different in their own way! This one right here stands out RIGHT off the bat with a super powerful voice that cuts through everything and commands your complete attention, and DANG does it work! The lady's voice is outstanding, and the beat's not bad either! It's kinda repetitive with the "Padada-papa-rade" parts, but that's barely a problem when the rest of the song kicks so much butt. You got something to say? Say it to her face, coward! When it comes to the "I'm a woman and awesome" songs, I like Azerbaijan's slightly more. It's more fun. But this is a very solid song that I really enjoy, and I'm happy Latvia sent another song I like this much, with one of the best voices of the year. Prediction: Sadly, for as much praise as they've been getting on YouTube, Latvia aren't getting much love from the betters, so I have no idea how they'll do. It's very split. I wanna say that they have a chance, cuz they've got a VERY strong singer and I can also see some interesting staging to go along with it, but that's just speculation. XD Also, it's Latvia. When do they ever catch a break? So....this really could go either way, and of course I'd like them to qualify, but I'm gonna say they barely won't. Not every good song can be in the final, that's the sad truth of having so many slots.

Song: Discoteque Country: Lithuania Thoughts: Dance song for introverts, let's go! This is a fun, silly song with a good beat, and lyrics that encourage having fun by yourself ("Not like that, pervert!" - Sir Pentious, Hazbin Hotel), and....that's about it! There's not that much to talk about here, cuz with this song, what you hear is what you get. And that's fine, not every song needs to be picked apart and analyzed to explain why it's enjoyable. However, despite how much I love synth music, this song doesn't really hook me as much as other songs do. I understand the appeal, I understand why it's a fan-favorite, but to me, it lacks OOMPH. Musically, it just, kinda....stagnates? With the exception of that weird scatting part. And I think my biggest issue is that the lyrics, well, uh....immediately date it to this year, let's just say. I try to get around this by calling it a dance song for introverts, and that's how I usually think of it at this point, but yeah, it's kinda still an elephant in the room. But I still do like this song, I just don't love it. I'm happy that Lithuania are getting the attention they were denied last year, though. Prediction: Despite opening the show, I think this will be an easy qualifier, one of the songs to beat. I can see this being another top ten finish for Lithuania (maybe it'll finally break "We Are The Winner"'s record from 2006? We'll just wait and see).

Song: Je Me Casse Country: Malta Thoughts: Ohhhhhh MAN do I wish I could rank this one higher. If I wanted, I could bump it up to borderline favorite, but...I already have five of those! XD But dang it, Malta, a country that's never won Eurovision, finally pulls out a fan-favorite song (again, that is *cough*theyshould'vewonin2002*cough*), and I AGREE with that! Like the Italian entry, this is a song that gets better every time I listen to it. It's SO much fun! Not to mention the singer, Destiny - MAN, what a voice! One of the best voices of the year, I'd say (though I'm not surprised, since I loved her 2020 song too). Apparently she's a former Junior Eurovision winner? I'd believe that! I can praise her and this song for so long, and it's not even one of my favorites: I love the lyrics a lot! I'm all for positive messages, and this song manages to have fun while also doing that, AND taking jabs at sexists along the way with great lines like "I'm too good to be true, but there's nothing in it for you!" and the cute "Excuse my French~!" I love the fun swing instrumentals! I love the choir during the bridge! This is just a REALLY good song that deserves all the praise, and I'm so so happy for Malta. I'd best describe this song as "'Toy', but less jokey" (well.....lyrically. Musically, they're not that much alike, but....yeah, you get it) and I like it for for that! Prediction: Could this be Malta's year? A lot of people seem to think so! And....honestly, I'm all for it! I think this could be a very worthy winner. Not to mention, that of the current top three with the betters (this, Switzerland, and France), this is easily my favorite, so....I guess that counts as me rooting for it, unless some other song pulls a Conchita and shoots up the board after being heard live. For now, I'd say this is my pick to win (although my heart is still with Italy TTvTT) At the very least, it's a shoo-in for the final, cuz this is a singer who's been in this kinda environment and will probably sound great. I'd say at least top five!

Song: SUGAR Country: Moldova Thoughts: Moldova's back at it again with their silly antics! I absolutely love "Stay", but it's pretty clear that their entries get more buzz when they're being fun and weird. This song is neither the most fun or the weirdest of this year, but I still appreciate it all the same. Apparently this is the lady who sang in "Loca"? I remember that song....I don't think many other people do. Eh, I still like it, with its catchy rhythm, and its....weird rhymes....but this song is a vast improvement! I like the fun, flirty vibe to it. Sadly, however, with how many upbeat songs there are this year, this is one that kinda fades into the background compared to its competition....well, at least to me. It's good, but not great. I remember calling it a weaker version of the Azerbaijani entry in my first impression post, and that was way too harsh, but I still wouldn't rank it high. Prediction: However, I DO think this could qualify fairly easily. In the second semifinal with most of the mid- to low-tier songs with the betters (and really only Iceland, Finland, Bulgaria, and Switzerland being the ones to beat), this is one of the ones I think has a better chance of standing out. However, I've done this with Moldova's entries WAY too often....Loving them, predicting they'll qualify, only for them not to...I don't love this one, but it could be the same story here. For now, I'm gonna predict they'll qualify, though. I have no idea how they'll do once in the final, however...

Song: Birth Of A New Age Country: The Netherlands Thoughts: What a unique song! A language we've never heard before in Eurovision, incorporating the singer's nationality and culture into a song that sounds like nothing else this year. I'm honestly a bit surprised that this song isn't getting more attention! It's not one of my favorites, but I like it quite a bit. And not just for uniqueness points (that isn't enough to make me LIKE a song, just enough for me to RESPECT it), I honestly like how it sounds. The vocals are great, the beat is catchy, and the lyrics are very well-written. What was that about host countries never trying? XD Prediction: I want this song to do well, but I don't think it will....Well, I don't think it'll flop, but it won't be near the top either. Maybe in the 10-20 range. I do think the juries will like it.

Song: Here I Stand Country: North Macedonia Thoughts: So.....I feel like I SHOULD find this song boring, since a lot of people do, but...I like it. I don't LOVE it, but I like it! The lyrics are nice and....kinda hit home for me? At least a bit. The message of "keep pushing on, no matter what happens, don't let them break you" when coming out of a bad experience....It's nice. Kinda hard to fully explain without getting personal, so I won't. Not to mention that it has a good buildup, which is what I love in my ballads. In fact, maybe it's just me, but you know what song this reminds me of? "Home". At least musically. And I liked that song too, I thought it was underrated. Also, this has nothing to do with the actual song, but the video, but....even though I HATE being reminded of last year's cancellation, I like seeing the singer's thought process when writing this song. Even if people will probably think it's a pity party, I appreciate this song a fair bit. I know I'll probably look stupid for saying I think this song is more interesting than "Proud", but eh, that's FAR from my most unpopular opinion this year, just wait.... Prediction: Considering it's this year's "Home", and "Home" was so underrated that I believe it probably wouldn't have been in the final if it wasn't from the host country....Part of me wants to say that this song's doomed. Macedonia are normally one of the unluckiest countries in this contest's history no matter how good their songs are, and having one year where the juries loved them probably won't buck that trend. A lot of people are gonna overlook this song for being a fairly standard ballad, and yeah, it kinda is. So I don't think it's gonna qualify.

Song: Fallen Angel Country: Norway Thoughts: I loved this song from the first time I heard it. It was the first song of the bunch that I memorized the lyrics to. I like singing along to it. But I was certain, like DEAD certain, that it wouldn't go above a guilty pleasure to me. At first glance, this sounds like a really cheesy boy band song from the 90s, which is why I thought people were gonna eat it alive, and I was gonna have to attempt to explain myself for liking it (like I'm gonna do for the Polish entry). I grew up with this kind of music! I like it! And it's catchy! And the lyrics are just SO good! Feeling like you're not good enough for the person you love, and thinking that there's no way they can be happy with you, are feelings I really really relate to...so it's no wonder I jumped on those lyrics and etched them into my brain as quickly as I could. Helping that is that my current crush IS female, so I can easily sing this song while thinking of her...but even with that, I was still very hesitant to rank this song super high. After all, the reasons I had for liking it were purely just bias, right? That doesn't mean it's a good song, and people are still gonna make fun of it! I can see why they'd make fun of it! ....That's what I thought, but then I saw that it was ranked highly in the betting odds. And I no longer felt like I had to regret liking it anymore. And THEN, the music video finally was released, and HOO BOY, was this song so much deeper than I (or nearly ANYONE) thought...This isn't just a love song. It's about TIX's feelings of self-loathing. About being mistreated for a disability. It was his story. I was SO shocked at how wrong I was, and now I....kinda feel bad for projecting myself into it? I still can't help it, but....no, it's not about that anymore. I love this song fully and unironically, and I will never call it cheesy again. If you don't like the sound of it, or take it at face value, that's perfectly fine. But I love it. While this doesn't QUITE break into my top seven favorites, it's a very solid eighth. Prediction: Please qualify please qualify PLEASE!! Since it's in the Bloodbath Semi and fan-favorite songs WILL be cut, I'm really really hoping for this not to be one of those. This deserves to be in the final! I'd even say that this deserves it more than Slovenia and Croatia (songs I actually like more)! B-but...ugh...I can't say for certain that it'll be safe, that's the thing...but, haaaaah, OK, I'll predict it'll qualify. I think I'm overreacting. Norway have a pretty good record. I can see the people who like this song being enough to make it do pretty well, though it's definitely not a winner.

Song: The Ride Country: Poland Thoughts: You ever have a song that you can't focus on anything during? Like, you're focusing on something else with music playing in the background, but then that one song comes on and you just HAVE to take a break so you can listen to it because it's just SO good that it steals all your attention? That's me with this song. "The Ride" is right, it IS a ride, a ride I NEVER wanna get off of. And considering the only other Eurovision songs to effect me in that way have been flipping "Time" and "You Are The Only One" ("Stones" came close to doing that too, but I could at least still play during it cuz it was such good action music), then it should come as no surprise that yes, this is my favorite song of the year. And yes, I KNOW how stupid I probably look saying that. This song has NOT been a popular choice, but to heck with it! I can't help what music I like! This song is just so flipping catchy and fun, it's got a nice beat, and I've loved it from first listen! I'm not sorry! Heck, it's even kinda atmospheric in a way, in that it's a good nightlife song, giving off the feel of an amusement park at night with all the rollercoasters lit up with LEDs as you feel the wind in your face, no cares, no worries....just turn your brain off and sing along. I even like the lyrics, particularly "It doesn't matter if I stumble and fall / I'll make it through, I'll never touch the ground". It's enjoying life, it's the feeling of flying, it's feeling on top of the world, it's escapism. Have I defended this silly song enough? Point is: I. Love. It. This is the first time a Polish entry has EVER topped my list, which by default makes it my favorite entry from them ever, and I'm happy to give them love (they've been my second-favorite twice, but one of those barely counts cuz it was in a weak year and also a song that sounded bad live, so....yeah, my former favorite Polish entry was their 1998 entry, which....didn't do well, but uh, that's then not now ^^;) Prediction: This is what I've been dreading....for a song that makes me wanna leave all my stress behind, it sure does stress me out thinking of how much HATE it's getting, oh boy oh boy! Though, from what I've picked up, MOST of the hate has come from fellow Polish people who are upset that it wasn't who they wanted as their entry? So...that's not accurate to how everyone else thinks? Well, that's what I've seen, at least....This song's still not doing very well in the betting odds, and also, being an electronic song, the possibility if it sounding worse live than in the studio is....definitely a possibility.....S-so....yeah....Sadly, as much as I love it, I can't trick myself into thinking it has a chance....It's probably not gonna qualify....If it does surprise me (which HAS happened before with favorites I thought were doomed!) I'll probably flip out!! Unlike Estonia's entry however, I don't think it's AS doomed, might stand out more, and a small part of me wants to hope...The fact that the semifinal it's in, the second, is the one with the less fan-favorites, does increase its odds ever so slightly...b-but uh, I don't wanna get too hopeful! I don't want my heart broken again like with "Look Away" two years ago (which I LEGIT thought had a chance XD)

Song: Love Is On My Side Country: Portugal Thoughts: Kay, so first, before talking about my thoughts, lemme share the hilarious misunderstanding I had about this song for the first few times I heard it: I normally don't watch the videos, I only listen to the playlist in the background as I play video games or do other stuff. Even the first time I heard the songs, I didn't watch the videos, I just had the music playing in one tab and was focusing on typing on Tumblr. And....I thought this song was sung by a woman. True story. I thought it was a woman with a very unique voice, and I was gonna praise the song for that. But nope! Took me WAY too long - about over a WEEK, the time I decided to start reading comments - for me to learn the singer's a man. OOPS. XD But at least it kinda makes sense for me to think that way? With lyrics like "I never thought I'd be queen", he's clearly telling the story of a woman. In fact, I learned that it's the true story of a woman he met (I forget the details though). So yeah, I thought that was kinda funny, but how do I actually feel about the song? Well, it's a grower! I was worried that it'd stagnate for me and I'd end up indifferent, but the unique voice combined with a subject that I normally like (staying optimistic in bad situations) won me over. I don't love it, but it's nice and has good lyrics. You really feel bad for the woman (seriously, leaving home at sixteen?) so it's effective. I wanna believe love is on my side too... Prediction: This one's tough, cuz a lot of people do love this song, and it does a good job of standing out by being the slowest song in its semifinal, I don't really think a lot of people will gravitate toward it? And that it just barely won't qualify? But it could really go either way. I'm gonna predict it won't qualify and that it'll be the "robbed" one people will be upset about in the second semi. But maybe I'm just saying that cuz that semi will already be painful for my favorites, too...and I'd prefer Poland, Denmark, or Estonia's slim SLIM chances to come through over this.

Song: Amnesia Country: Romania Thoughts: This song is just a whole mood. I could just end my thoughts with that one sentence, cuz that really just about sums it up. XD Self-love is something I've always struggled with, and I've been trying really really hard to get better at it this year. Without getting too personal, there was something that happened a few months back that made me realize just how badly my hatred for myself was effecting people around me, and that I needed to lighten the crap up before it comes off the wrong way and....I-I bring others down with me....But after all that, it was HARD. It really did feel like I.....lost myself trying to have it all. But I'm slowly learning to better myself, and this song spoke to me because of that. "If you feel what I feel, don't bring yourself down, you're not alone, not alone now". It's simple, but it works. Admittedly, I respect this song more than I like it, but I do like it. There are just a lot of songs I'd prefer to listen to. And the POV switching from first to second-person confuses me a bit (she says that YOU'RE not alone, and then that SHE lost herself, and then goes back to YOU'RE not alone? Who's the one with the amnesia?) but that's just a nitpick, and I've heard much worse English in Eurovision than that. This is still a good song with a very good message that I needed to hear. Prediction: Even in the bloodbath that will be the first semifinal, I do think this song's mostly safe? Mostly...Romania haven't had the best of luck the past 2-3 years, but their record is still mostly hits, and this song's still the favorite of people. But some favorites are gonna get snubbed, and honestly, I wouldn't mind if it's this one. There are songs I like more. But for my actual prediction, um....I think it'll qualify.

Song: Russian Woman Country: .....Russia Thoughts: This one's a grower. I can't deny its catchiness. Sometimes it's gets in my head completely randomly, particularly that slow part with the...is that a choir? Um, background singers. That part (I don't wanna butcher Russian lyrics, sorry! >.<) But, even with that, I don't fully love this song. I know it's gotten a lot of attention, but to me, it just....doesn't hit very much? I thought about it, and I came up with this: this is a song by a Russian woman, for Russian women, and ONLY Russian women. It's about how strong they are, and how they should rise up against their country's sexism and- it's all very specific to Russia? So, I can't really enjoy it as much as the people its aimed at, and that's fine, because, well, it's NOT aimed at me and I shouldn't pretend it is! I'm not even in the target audience for this whole dang contest! XD So, my opinion DOES NOT reflect what I think of the quality of the song. The song's good. It's very catchy. There's nothing wrong with it. I just can't relate to it, which make it my personal least-favorite of the "I'm a woman and awesome" songs of this year. (What happened to Little Big tho?...) Prediction: Yeah, they're gonna easily qualify, even in such a stacked semifinal they're safe. They've been shooting up the betting odds recently, so I feel like they could do very well, maybe even finish in the top ten. Russia's like Sweden in that if their entry is popular, its guaranteed a spot toward the top. XD

Song: Adrenalina Country: San Marino Thoughts: Holy CRAP is this one heck of a grower! When I first heard it, I was more confused by the sudden appearance of Flo Rida of all people to really think about if I like the song. And for a while, I didn't even think I liked the rap all that much? I do like plenty of mid-song raps, but this one I felt didn't really fit the song all that well. Like it was just pasted in there from another song entirely. But, a few listens later, and I started rapidly liking this song more and more. Fitting for its name, there's just nothing but energy here. It's a great song to put on to just....pump me up! The whole thing's just dripping with a sense of pure fun. The instrumentals are great, it just sounds so good! In terms of growers, this is a close second to the Belgian song. Also, while I'm not a huge fan of Flo Rida normally, comparing past Sanmarinese entries I will say that his rap is a LOT better than the rapping in "Who We Are" was, that's for sure! Prediction: This song doing so well in the betting odds is.....honestly amazing. XD This is the most hype San Marino's EVER gotten, which I think could qualify them for the final? But also, maybe not...with San Marino, you never know. They are helped by Flo Rida's name recognition but there's NO way he's as big in Europe as he is in America (and even in America, I haven't met that many people who are actually fans of Flo Rida), so...is it enough? I think it very well could be! It's a very good song, and Senhit's been in Eurovision before so hopefully she knows what she's doing on stage. Also, this is a song that better have cool staging with it! But for my prediction....screw it, I'm gonna predict they're gonna qualify. I even say this as I have favorites in the second semifinal that they're definitely gonna push out, but ah well...

Song: LOCO LOCO Country: Serbia Thoughts: Yet another super fun, upbeat song! And while I don't love this song as much as others (Poland's, Denmark's, and Azerbaijan's entries, even San Marino's at this point), this is still one of my more favorite of that type, and I....honestly couldn't tell you why! It has a lot of energy, but it sounds different enough to stand out. And it's catchy while not being in English! I kinda wish I could learn Serbian so I could sing along to this...XD It also grabs my attention from the very start. I dunno why, but I love that "Hur- Hur- Hur- Hurricane!" followed by the beat starting, I find it to be a cool and infectious way to pump me up for the song. Overall, one of the songs that I don't think about a lot, but when it comes on, I enjoy every second...Oh and also it has one of the most exciting key changes of this year so there's that too. Good job to Serbia! Prediction: I think this one's a fair bet to qualify! However, it's not guaranteed. They're not attracting THAT much attention in the betting odds (which surprises me a bit), but the second semifinal seems to be where MOST of the lower-ranked songs are (sadly, says the person with three favorites in it), and among those, I think Serbia will most likely make it. The song stands out a lot. So I'm gonna predict they'll qualify! But if they don't, ah well, it could be to make way for a song I like more (hopefully...I wouldn't wanna say goodbye to this song to make way for the Czech or Austrian songs), so I wouldn't mind THAT much I hope. As for the final, they're definitely not a front-runner, so I could see them ultimately stuck around the middle. Unfortunate since I like this song a lot.

Song: Amen Country: Slovenia Thoughts: Where to start with this one....This is one of my favorites, and it's in the same way as "Stay" in 2019 and "Mall" in 2018 where I have a hard time really articulating why. It's a song that makes me FEEL, and it's hard to convey that in words, so yeah! This song just....hits me so hard in the gut whenever I hear it, so I love it! It's effective at its job! Even the big thing that I thought would hold it back for me - being a religious song - didn't hurt it at all in the end. The lyrics are ambiguous enough that it doesn't JUST come off as preachy and religious and that's all. It can also be taken as a song of rising above tragedy...The most religious thing it does is mention the heavens casting you out, and that can be taken in multiple ways. But if it is meant to be religious, that's fine, I've already made the decision to love it. I'm agnostic, so I don't outright hate religious music if it's not trying to shove messages in my face. The moment I fell in love with this song was one day when I was feeling really down, was listening to the playlist to unwind, and then this song came on right after Romania's entry (which I already talked about relating to a lot). When I heard the chorus, I literally teared up. THIS is the song that made me cry this year. Not Austria's or Spain's (the songs literally about dead family members), but this one. Is that...something to be ashamed about? XD I just....really love the lyrics...."The storm's relentless, but everybody knows, everybody knows we're born to the fight"...It really just sounds so uplifting, and yes, spiritual. And even beyond that, I just like how the song sounds! I love ballads that build, and this one BUILDS, with such a soaring chorus. The vocals are outstanding, too! That's one powerful voice! I also really love how, after you think it's over, it comes back for one final chorus, that's probably one of the best parts of the song. This song makes GREAT use of the recorded backing vocals, making the choir sound absolutely massive, a lot more than it'd be live. It really makes it sound so big and grand....Uh, I've rambled about this song enough, haven't I? Uhhh, point is: This is my favorite ballad of the year and I'm not sorry. I think it's underrated as heck. Prediction: And because it's underrated as heck, and in such a packed bloodbath of a semifinal crammed full of fan-favorites battling to the death, I....don't think....it'll qualify.....I'd obviously LOVE it too, but the competition's so flipping strong, and....I-it's still just a ballad, so it's not to everyone's tastes...I-I've come to terms with that fact, and if Croatia make it, I'll try not to be too bummed when this doesn't.

Song: Voy A Quedarme Country: Spain Thoughts: At first, I was pretty indifferent to this song, but it slowly grew on me, and now I like it. It builds just enough to keep me interested. It's still low tier compared to everything else, but I can appreciate it all the same. It sounds so emotional that I went into comments to see if there was some kind of story attached to it, and, uh....let's just say that there is, and....it's depressing. But it did make me respect the song even more. There's not a lot to say here, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just....overshadowed, I guess. Not a standout song, but it's genuine, and I like it just fine for what it is. Prediction: Oof...Spain once again find themselves overlooked, and even though the song's fine, I can see why. I can't see this doing very well...If flipping "La Venda" ended up an underrated flop, a song like this isn't gonna get Spain outta their rut. I really do wanna see them do well! But this isn't the year for that.

Song: Voices Country: Sweden Thoughts: Dang it....they did it again. XD Part of me wanted to be bummed that we didn't get The Mamas again, cuz they would've been my favorite last year, but....Sweden know what they're doing, and what they brought us was still really, really good. Like.....REALLY good. Are the lyrics on the generic side? Ummmm.....maybe? I have said that this is a relatively "safe" entry, but that doesn't mean it's not really good. More like...there's been a lot of songs with similar lyrics in Eurovision. But that doesn't take away from the music at all, which is awesome. The chorus is nice and big, the vocals are good, and the little bagpipe bits are such a neat touch. There isn't any big standout elements to me, and it's nowhere near "Too Late For Love" level, but it's just a very solid song. And.....dare I say, better than that other popular song that mentioned a million voices. Prediction: Do I even need to say anything here? XD It's a popular song from Sweden. It's gonna qualify and place in the top ten! Done!

Song: Tout l'Univers Country: Switzerland Thoughts: Switzerland are riding the high from "She Got Me" and have once again sent a big fan-favorite song! Except this time, it's one of the predicted winners! What do I think of this? Well....it's a good song. I love powerful ballads, and this one adds drums, which I also love! But at the same time....I'm not nearly as crazy about it as other people are. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE it, but...I feel like we already got this kinda song with "Arcade"? I mean, there are differences, but its got a very similar sound with a similarly big chorus. But then again, I do think that just calling it "'Arcade' but in French" would be WAYYYY too harsh. It's not a copycat, it's very much its own thing. It just seems to be a coincidence. Also, even compared to this year's songs, I enjoy Slovenia's more? If I want a powerful song, I'd take that over this. MAYBE if I understood the lyrics, I'd like it better, but even so, this song doesn't WOW me, even if it's good. I'm happy for Switzerland, but....dang it, I can't say the O word here, cuz I hear the appeal and don't wanna come off as mean to a song I DO like aaaaaaa- Prediction: Even though it's not a personal favorite, I'm not gonna deny that this song could possibly win. I feel like the juries would adore it on top of all the attention its already getting. So, yeah, it's definitely making it to the final and doing very well. As for winning, I....honestly don't think so, but only cuz of how strong the competition is. So, I'll just say that right now, it's looking like this song will give Switzerland their best result in a long long time, doing better than "She Got Me" and (tragically) "Cool Vibes". It's obvious that in terms of how I'd rank the big favorites, I'd personally prefer Malta winning, but I would prefer this to France, so it's in the middle. But even putting my opinions aside, I really can't see it pulling off the win, at most coming really close.

Song: SHUM Country: Ukraine Thoughts: Like with Malta and San Marino's songs, this is a song that, while not a favorite, gets better and better the more I hear it. I should really think about it more often, cuz this song is REALLY cool! My first instinct was to compare it to "Fire Of Love" from two years ago (a song that wasn't popular even though this song is?) but after some time, I realized that that isn't a fair comparison. Literally the only similarity is the vocal style. Everything else is different. But man is this song fun! I could look up what the lyrics mean, but I don't really feel like the lyrics matter here as much as the music does. This song is clearly about the beat. I love synth music, and I also like bouncy stuff that I can rock along to, and this song is as bouncy as can be! The lyrics do repeat, but weirdly I don't find that repetitive at all. And once I got used to it, I started to love the speed up. It's a really exciting end to the song. Talk about going out on a....high note! Haha! S-sorry.... Prediction: Yeaaaahhhh, there's no doubt that this song's gonna do very well indeed! People love it, and for good reason! It's a sure qualifier for the final, and could very well finish in the top ten.

Song: Embers Country: United Kingdom Thoughts: And finishing off this list is yet another upbeat happy song! God, I love how many of these there are this year....This one is far from the best of its kind, but it's still a lot of fun. The vocals stand out, the lyrics are nice and uplifting, and it's definitely the UK's bounciest entry in quite a few years. It feels like finally getting that uptight friend of yours to loosen up and party, y'know? XD I don't have much to say about this song, but I do like it. Prediction: What happened to "Bigger Than Us" was unfair, both its placement in the lineup and its treatment by the televoters, and it's pretty much cemented my idea that even if the UK send one of the best songs of the year, they will NOT catch a break, and that just sucks! (well, the exception being 2011, where it was the JURIES that screwed them over instead! Still did good for their standards tho) And also, like I said, this isn't the only song like this this year, so it's bound to get overlooked in favor of more popular (and even better) party songs. I don't think it'll be LAST, but it won't do particularly well. Definitely more toward the bottom than the top.

Aaaaaaaand there we go! That's all of them! Geez, despite having less entries then the past few years, this still was a LOT of rambling....so if you skipped ahead, I totally understand why. XD But if you did read all that, I'm happy you did! But I'm also sorry, pfffff. But now, the important part, my rankings!

Favorites:

1. Poland 2. Finland 3. Greece 4. Estonia 5. Denmark 6. Slovenia 7. Croatia

Borderline Favorites:

8. Norway 9. Italy 10. Azerbaijan 11. Latvia 12. Sweden

Like:

13. Belgium 14. Malta 15. San Marino 16. Serbia 17. Ukraine 18. Iceland 19. Ireland 20. UK 21. Cyprus (today at least) 22. Australia 23. Netherlands 24. Moldova 25. Romania 26. Germany 27. North Macedonia 28. Portugal 29. Israel 30. Lithuania 31. Russia 32. Switzerland 33. Czech Republic 34. Albania 35. Austria 36. Bulgaria 37. Spain

Indifferent:

38. France 39. Georgia

[felidaefighter]

Our Metaphorical Get-Along Sweater

In which Wilbur thinks of Ranboo as an arch-nemesis while Ranboo is just There Vibing and also, Phil has adopted Ranboo, making for two very different siblings and a very interesting relationship

[Fluff, comedy, fix-it fic, some light angst that is immediately softened, work in progress; every chapter will swap POV]

Chapter 3: How Not To Babysit

    Wilbur and Phil were outside on the porch, enjoying the fresh air, when Ranboo had stopped by to say hello as he was heading to the portal. “Tommy and Tubbo and I are going to try to fix up Tommy’s old skyway rail today,” he was explaining to Phil. “Ohhh I can’t imagine that ending without at least a few broken bones.” Ranboo nodded. “That’s why I’m bringing a bunch of gapples.” Wilbur raised an eyebrow at the mention-- it had been ages since he’d seen the thing, it was probably way more rundown than even he remembered it. “That sounds like it’ll be funny to watch,” He said. “I’d like to see how many times Tommy can fall off before he realizes he actually has to do work to fix it up and quits.” 

    Ranboo looked towards Wilbur. “I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s alright for you to join us if you want,” he offered, much to Wilbur’s surprise. Internally, he thought that was extremely suspicious. A large part of him believed it was likely Ranboo was just trying to butter him up, get on his good side because that’s what he did, wasn’t it? Got on everyone’s good side, a neutral, conniving-- “Really? I--” Wilbur interrupted his own thoughts and looked between Phil and Ranboo and back again in quick form, thinking. “Sure! I don’t have much of anything else planned for the day, it might be interesting to see how the three of you get on.”

    “Oh, okay, great!” Said Ranboo, sounding as surprised as Wilbur was at the man’s answer. “You two have fun now,” Phil said with a sly, knowing smile, and Wilbur rolled his eyes. He knew that Phil was thinking Wilbur would actually wind up enjoying himself, but Wilbur knew that whatever fun he might’ve had catching up with Tommy and Tubbo would be ruined by Ranboo’s presence. There was no way the spineless hybrid would be able to hold his own against the banter that he and the two best friends could get into. Honestly, he didn’t know how Tommy or Tubbo could stand him; he was just that sure that Ranboo would infringe upon their chaotic natures just by being his boring, neutral self.

    Ranboo tried to make conversation on the way there, of course, but Wilbur answered as curtly as he could without being outright rude. In all honesty, he was still fuming from the other day when Ranboo had told him he wasn’t a bad person. First of all, it wasn’t true. He was a bad person. Everyone knew it. (He tried not to focus on the fact that he was sounding more and more like he was trying to convince himself, as if it wasn’t true.) Second of all-- didn’t that just prove that Ranboo was spineless and would say whatever he needed to get on a person’s good side? Wilbur didn’t trust Ranboo. Wilbur didn’t want to trust Ranboo. And fine, maybe he was being stubborn-- so what, Rational Thoughts In His Head That Took On The Voice Of Phil-- nothing wrong with being stubborn when it meant being the only person around who could actually resist Ranboo’s weird, enderman Bewitching Powers. 

    Speaking of. “Ayyyy Ranboo!” A familiar voice called as they approached the hillside house that was almost always where people met up with Tommy-- who, upon seeing Wilbur too, narrowed his eyes. “Wilbur. You aren’t going to get in our way are you? We don’t need you bossing us around,” Tommy said pointedly, while Ranboo greeted Tubbo. Tubbo. Wilbur hadn’t really seen Tubbo since-- Oh. That was-- ohhhhh. Wilbur swallowed a bit guiltily. He. He definitely had some apologizing to do there, huh? “Oi, pay attention to me when I’m talking to you, dickhead!” Tommy snapped Wilbur out of his thoughts, who, still distracted, muttered “Sorry, I just-- got caught up thinking.” There was a look of confusion on Tommy’s face at the soft, genuine tone, so Wilbur remembered his manners. “Prick,” He added, which righted things as Tommy instantly scowled.

    “Tubbo!” Wilbur called with a grin, who froze in a mirror of Wilbur just a few seconds ago. “It’s been a while man-- how’ve you been?” Tubbo looked rather taken aback. “I’ve been-- I’ve been alright, I guess. Just around, y’know. Building things here and there.” It was, for all its honesty, a guarded answer. Not that Wilbur blamed Tubbo. Of course he couldn’t. “Yeah, I uh, I wanted to say I’m sorry, man,” Wilbur blurted out before he could think better of it. Everyone stood around awkwardly and uncomfortably. “It’s uh, it’s alright, I forgive you,” Tubbo replied, too bewildered to really put thought into it. He was probably just saying that because he felt like he had to, then. “You don’t have to forgive me,” Wilbur promised, but Tubbo just shrugged. “I do forgive you. Doesn’t mean I trust you.” Well. There it was. Of course.

    “AN-Y-WAYS!” Tommy shouted, breaking the strange moment (though not without shooting Wilbur a dirty look). “Did everybody bring tools and whatnot? Pickaxes, etcetera? Although I suppose we’ll need rails--” Tommy was cut off by Ranboo. Of course Ranboo would be the one to cut Tommy of all people off. And nobody would think anything of it because why would they? It was Ranboo. Wilbur was sulking a bit, admittedly. He’d missed hanging out with the two boys and there was a deep ache in his chest. No trust. No easy conversations. No room on the bench for more than three people. “For in case you fall off,” Ranboo was explaining to Tommy while shoving a handful of gapples at him. “Oh my GOD I don’t want your pity gapples man,” Tommy growled while taking them anyway.

    “Thankyouthough-- anyway-- So I was thinking right, like the skyway is cool and all but all of these buildings are old y’know? Nothing around the prime path is new anymore, nobody comes here except me! So I was thinking-- Tubbo you have a pickaxe on you yeah?” Tubbo nodded, then slid his rather hefty backpack off one shoulder to open the top of. “I also have TNT,” He explained, holding up a stick, which earned a nervous and confused chuckle from Ranboo, a startled “whoah!” from Wilbur, and an “Oh my god why do you have TNT-- I mean that works too though I guess!” from Tommy. Tubbo looked extremely offended that anybody would question the sensibility of having TNT on hand. “Well, y’know, like, in case we need to do any demolition work, it’s a lot faster than having to mine things all by hand.” 

    Wilbur saw the TNT and tried desperately, for everyone else’s sake if not his own, to shove his associations with it deep, deep down in his brain where it wouldn’t hurt anyone. “Ah, Tubbo, that’s…” Wilbur started nervously, avoiding eye contact, but he didn’t miss the way Ranboo’s face lit up with recognition and understanding. “Maybe don’t get the TNT out too much around Wilbur,” Ranboo said in a hushed tone to Tubbo, who mumbled “Oh god! Oh, yeah, good point, yeah,” and put it away. It just had to be Ranboo that picked it up and said something, huh. That was nothing if not salt in a gaping wound. Wilbur was certain Tommy would’ve said something if the hybrid had waited just a few seconds more. 

    Right. No. He was supposed to be polite, he wanted to be on good terms with Tommy and Tubbo; he was grateful that Ranboo had stepped in. Disgusted with himself for reasons that made him miserable to think about sifting through, Wilbur swallowed pride that tasted like bile and nodded silently at Ranboo after catching his eye. Ranboo nodded back. Well, he didn’t much like it, but Wilbur supposed he could put aside his feelings at least for a day. Poorly-concealed hostility towards the hybrid was clearly not earning him any points in Tommy’s good book, and presumably not Tubbo’s as well; though it was genuinely hard to gauge Tubbo’s reaction considering how the years the man had spent as a spy had given him practice in having a good poker face.

    “I’m gonna give this whole place a shout,” Tommy muttered, typing something into his communicator that Wilbur knew would ping his own in just a second, “If anybody wants to stop me they’re gonna have to do it fast.” Looking at Tommy then-- in his favorite red-and-white shirt, on the prime path, by his stupid dirt hut, side by side with Tubbo and ready to cause mischief-- something unfurled from his un-undead heart that Wilbur wasn’t quite certain had been there anymore. That was his Tommy, alright. Wilbur tried out of habit to hide the fond smile that was threatening to creep across his face, but even then he couldn’t hide the way his resting scowl softened. “Tommy, Tubbo-- I missed this. I missed hanging out with you guys,” Wilbur confessed, and hey, it’s not like he was ignoring Ranboo if he’d never done any hanging out with him previously that he could miss. “I know, Tommy-- I know we hung out the other day, but that was-- that was different. This is nice.”

    “Yeah I missed this too!” Tubbo said genuinely, while Tommy tried to avoid emotions and rolled his eyes. “Honestly, it’s been ages since we’ve all hung out like this. How long has it been?” Tubbo wondered out loud. Tommy looked like he was thinking, and opened his mouth to speak. “Actually that reminds me--” He said, and Wilbur almost thought he was gonna say something nice to him for once. Almost. “Ranboo, I heard a word the other day, let me type it to you, can you tell me what it means?” Ranboo looked entirely puzzled, and not just because of the fact that he was suddenly being included in the conversation again. “Huh? Sure, okay.” He squinted at the no-doubt misspelled word Tommy had just messaged him. “What a syndicate is? Oh, I think it’s, like, a book club,” Ranboo said. Tommy spoke in a quick, pleasantly-lilted voice before going back to his usual gravelly shouting. “Thank you Ranboo that’s very helpful because Wilbur actually told me it was a government and I’m ah, far more inclined to believe you at the moment.” He turned aside. “Tubbo!” He barked out. 

    Wilbur stared directly at Ranboo (trying so hard not to make eye contact, he was respectful of boundaries), thinly veiled outrage on his face. And Ranboo, Ranboo smirked at him knowingly. Oh. So he knew knew. Wait. He knew?!? Technoblade had approved him for The Syndicate? Not to mention-- not to mention Wilbur’s feathers were all ruffled because despite him thinking of Tommy as an annoying brat most of the time, he couldn’t help but feel a little dejected at the fact that Tommy would rather listen to Ranboo’s explanation than his own. Had the charm of having an older brother really worn off that much for Tommy? Was he really stuck with Ranboo as his only younger brother? Sure, he’d always joked about getting rid of the little gremlin but-- Why like this?

    Wilbur was so busy bemoaning his own self-made prediacement that he didn’t notice the trio snickering and sneaking off until it was almost too late. He zoned back in and narrowed his eyes at the three of them, who all blinked innocently at him. “What were you three talking about just now?” Wilbur asked, curiosity in his voice intermingling with suspicion. “Oh, nothing,” Ranboo said through a grin. “Don’t worry about it Big Man,” Tubbo agreed. Tommy just looked at Wilbur smugly. Wilbur narrowed his eyes again with a huff. “Don’t you three give me that-- what are you all up to?” Tommy looked upwards, thinking and tapping his chin before looking back at Wilbur. “Frankly, uhhh-- none of your business!” He said in a hoity-toity tone. Wilbur released a long-suffering sigh. “Children, all of you,” He muttered. “Children!” At least he didn’t have to worry about memory fooling him in regards to their ages; the one thing about Ranboo Wilbur was grateful for was the explanation about the passage of time.

    For now at least though, Wilbur was content to just observe. He had been interested in figuring out how Ranboo fit into the group, to be fair; now was his opportunity. He watched as Tommy and Tubbo bickered and Ranboo offered compromises; he watched as Tommy and Ranboo quarrelled and Tubbo attempted to mediate. He watched as Tubbo and Ranboo bickered and Tommy egged them on. Somehow, instead of meaning they didn’t work together, this meant that they were in perfect sync about everything, and moved nearly flawlessly together as a unit without needing too much direction or getting in one another’s way. They were clearly not beyond getting sidetracked though, as right now they were meandering about with the hours ticking away, putting all their energy into “clearing up” abandoned and unused buildings and rubble with whatever tools they had on them at the moment.

    “Anyways, what is it exactly we’re doing here Tommy?” Wilbur asked, growing restless. “All you’ve been doing is running around placing TNT on abandoned buildings and tearing them down. I thought we were meant to be working on the skyway.” He’d genuinely been hoping to see the old thing, ugly as it was. To say nothing about all the TNT. “Oh of course you’re still thinking about the skyway,” Tommy mocked, eyes rolling, voice gravelly. “What d’you MEAN ‘of course you’re still thinking about the skyway’ you were the one who said that’s what we were working on!” Wilbur refuted, aghast. “Yes but I changed my mind!” Tommy huffed, and then for good measure, added “Duh!” 

    The two of them began aggressively and gleefully bickering, mocking, and name-calling; Wilbur calling Tommy an annoying child and Tommy in turn calling Wilbur a dirty old man-- until Tommy gave up with an exasperated growl and Wilbur gave up with a disgusted scoff, and wordlessly Tommy handed Wilbur a pickaxe to help terraform the area; and Wilbur, of course, silently started mining. The four of them got a decent amount of work done together, chatting idly and pleasantly, until all of the sudden a golden figure came sprinting down the stairs, out of breath. “Aw geez I came here as fast as I could I hope I’m not late-- you better not be taking down any of my builds!” The man said as he reached the group, taking a moment to catch his breath. “Oh hey Foolish what’s up!” Ranboo greeted.

    For a solid second, Wilbur was almost impressed, thinking Ranboo was just being utterly and blatantly rude to this strange man. But Tubbo then greeted him in kind and Wilbur realized that no, that was just his actual name. “Hey guys,” The man apparently called Foolish greeted. “Tommy-- Tommy, please tell me you didn’t take down any of my buildings,” He said, distraught. Tommy looked at him and shrugged. “We’ve just been taking down abandoned buildings along the Prime Path here, so unless one of them was yours--”

    Foolish cut Tommy off. “Ohthankgod. No, nope, none of those were mine. I am glad you took down that Christmas building actually it was kinda out of season,” he said, perpetual grin on his face, gesturing wildly as he spoke. Tommy looked at Foolish for a second, calculating, before a familiar-looking lightbulb went off in his head. “You’re going to help us take these buildings down,” Tommy asserted. “What?” Foolish asked, blinking.

    “You’re going to help us take these buildings down,” Tommy said again in the same tone, with his eyebrows raised in a “watch this” expression. Foolish stared at him for a moment and then shrugged. “Sure! I’m usually a builder, I don’t get to take down stuff a lot. I wouldn’t mind helping.” Tommy nodded curtly, sharing a glance with Tubbo and Ranboo, who were looking at him with fond exasperation. “Gets ‘em every time,” Tommy said to himself smugly, and Foolish looked at him. “Huh? What was that?” Foolish said, his grin giving away the fact that he did in fact hear what Tommy had said and was just going along with it all for fun. “I said get mining Totem Boy,” Tommy said, and Foolish giggled before unearthing his pickaxe to start to help. He glanced at Wilbur curiously for a moment before striking up a conversation.

    “You know, I don’t think we’ve ever officially met,” He said, pausing his pickaxe swing to extend a hand, “I’m Foolish Gamers! And I take it you’re Wilbur.” Wilbur nodded, and shook Foolish’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you!” Foolish continued, which definitely wasn’t a sentence that invoked any sort of dread in him, nope. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same about you,” Wilbur said apologetically. Although he was a bit of an odd one in whatever species he was, that didn’t necessarily mean anything. “I do a lot of big fancy buildings and stuff. Contract work, y’know. I actually built this huge mansion for Ranboo and-- Oh wait!” Foolish stared down Wilbur for a second, which was admittedly very unnerving with the way the man’s eyes were pure emeralds.

    “You’re Philza’s kid right?” Foolish asked, and Wilbur narrowed his eyes, now entirely unsure of where this conversation was going. “And Ranboo is too right?” Ranboo, hearing his name, hopped into the conversation and nodded. “Oooh wait, so that means you guys are both siblings then? Really? Oh wow,” Foolish said, curious. They both hummed in acknowledgement, though Wilbur’s admittedly was more of a grumble. “I’m the adopted one, by the way,” Ranboo said, which wasn’t funny. “I never could’ve guessed,” Foolish said, which actually also wasn’t funny. “Very funny. Humor. Good job,” Wilbur deadpanned at them both, who were both grinning far too proudly for their stupid jokes. “Thank you, thank you,” Ranboo said, despite certainly being aware that it wasn’t a compliment. 

    “No but like to be fair you don’t have wings and Ranboo’s only half enderman so like it could go either way, technically,” Foolish was saying, and Wilbur started muttering under his breath about stupid enderman and weird totem men comparing him to his dumb adoptive sibling as if he wasn’t clearly the one more like Phil, and Ranboo stage-whispered to Foolish “I think that might be a bit of a sore spot for him,” to which Foolish replied also in a stage-whisper “Ooh you’re right you’re right, I can kinda see that now, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

    Wilbur rolled his eyes at those two, Foolish starting to mine again and Ranboo disappearing to go be closer to Tubbo again. Somehow everyone he managed to find himself hanging around with fit the description of “annoying brat who thinks they’re clever and funny”, huh. Except Tubbo, of course, Tubbo was an angel compared to the rest of them even if he was just as prone to chaos-- which Tubbo proved at that exact moment he thought it, shouting “Look out below!” which was accompanied by a high-pitched, startled Tommy-scream. Wilbur just barely managed to dodge the TNT that had been dropped from the now-dilapidated roof before it exploded. He looked up to where it had dropped from, seeing Ranboo, Tubbo, and Tommy at the top, the former two grinning somewhat manically.  “Oops,” Ranboo and Tubbo both called down apologetically, while Tommy went off on a tirade just for the fun of it. These kids-- Wilbur looked up at the sun to gauge the time. Exactly how much longer was this going to go on for?

---

    “I will say, Ranboo,” Wilbur said with a small smirk as they were striding along home, “I do appreciate the level of chaos you seem to conjure when you’re around Tubbo. You described yourself as so neutral to me I guess I didn’t factor in that morality and politics have nothing to do with teenage shenanigans.” Ranboo looked to Wilbur, surprise written on his face, but he offered a small smile to the older man. “Mhm! Oh, yeah, absolutely. I usually try to be the responsible one since Tommy and Tubbo have no self-control--” The hybrid mumbled “Seriously they have no self-control” before continuing-- “But when someone else like Phil or you is around to do that instead?” Ranboo grinned mischievously. “Oh man,” he concluded.   

    “Well, don’t expect me to babysit all the time,” Wilbur said with a small scoff, “I do have my own things to be doing.” Ranboo shot Wilbur an offended look. “Babysit? I don’t--” Ranboo sighed and shook his head. “You don’t have to worry about that, Wilbur. We can get up to plenty on our own. Probably more, actually,” He added with a slightly mischievous tone. Wilbur sighed. “It’s not gonna be my fault if you three get yourselves killed,” he told Ranboo, fully meaning it. “Ehhhhh we’re not gonna get killed,” Ranboo said with a dismissive handwave. “I got Tubbo and Tommy full maxed-out enchantment netherite, and we all have totems. Plus we’re not that reckless. I think.” Wilbur groaned. These kids were going to be the second death of him. Even if they weren’t technically his responsibility. Luckily, he didn’t have to think about that too much as they trekked the rest of the way through the thick snow in silence.

    “So, did you two have fun on your day out today?” Phil asked as the two of them walked in the door. “It was horrible,” Wilbur deadpanned, “Terrible. They are all chaotic gremlin children.” Phil grinned at Wilbur. “Nahhh. Not Ranboo, surely. He’s responsible, right Ranboo?” Ranboo smiled innocently at Phil. “Mhm!” He said. “Even Ranboo,” Wilbur continued on in his deadpan as if Ranboo hadn’t spoken. “You wouldn’t believe some of the awful things he said to me today. It was genuinely horrific, actually.” Phil shot Wilbur a completely bemused expression. “That’s not true!” Ranboo protested. “Philllll Wilbur is slandering meeeee!” He said with pseudo-pout. Wilbur scoffed. “As if! It’s not ‘slander’ if it’s true! The lot of you just wouldn’t shut up about--” Phil cut him off with a barked-out cackle. “I’m glad you two had fun,” he said with a knowing smile. Wilbur grumbled and Ranboo thanked Phil, before heading back to his own house. 

    As much as Wilbur hated to admit it, he did have fun, though. It was… strangely nice, getting to see Tommy and Tubbo just happy and acting like kids-- or rather, teenage brats, again. And he found he didn’t dislike having Ranboo in the mix, either. The hybrid blended perfectly, no pun intended, with the two best friends, and they all had a level of respect and established banter that Wilbur was almost (but not quite) envious of. He did actually hate being the voice of reason, but it was a little bit worth it just to see Ranboo of all people, the neutral nervous wreck, let loose and cause chaos. He did himself like a little chaos, after all, so it was nice to know it wasn’t out of the question for his newfound sibling. Startled at his own thoughts, he quickly checked himself with a modicum of disgust. Wow. If he wasn’t careful, he might actually wind up feeling attached. Good thing he’d never let that happen. He glanced at Phil, who was smiling smugly at him as if he knew something Wilbur didn’t. Right. One more time for reassurance, then. He’d never let that happen.

[destieldisaster]

05x03 - Free to Be You and Me

MotW: Rafael for Dean and some upset hunters for Sam

Any Cas? Yesssss

Woooooow, guilt trip from the dead girlfriend

THE PERSONAL SPACE SCENE

Jesus, the tension is insane

"You were wasted by a Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel?" :')

Damn, Cas wants to trap and interrogate an arch angel. Ambitious little idiot, isn't he?

THE THELMA AND LOUISE QUOTE. Jesus Christ the looks Dean is giving Cas, what is he DOING?

They could have kissed in this scene and it wouldn't have felt at all out of place. Seriously, that's exactly the kind of fibe they're giving off

"Riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a taco?" heh, I like that, Sammy. Describes you pretty well

Dean and Cas on their first hunt together is so great

"It's angels and demons probably" Cas, baby 😂

"It'll be far worse for you" Cas sure isn't great at reassuring people

"Where've you been" "Jerusalum" "Oh, how was it?" "Arid"

God, every line of dialog between these two is fantastic

"Do we have any chance of surviving this?" "You do" CAS

Oh SHIT this is the last night on Earth part. I had no idea that was this episode 😳

"ONE, BERT AND ERNIE ARE GAY. TWO, YOU ARE NOT GONNA DIE A VIRGIN. NOT ON MY WATCH."

CAS'S FACE. THE PURE TERROR. I'M DYING. POOR BABY

"I just looked her in the eyes and told her it wasn't her fault that her father ran off. It was because he hated his job at the post office" CAS

I'm laughing so hard, this scene is absolutely insane

God I love how much Dean's laughing at it. And the arm across Cas's shoulders! And Cas's wonder at Dean's sudden happiness and familiarity!

Lol, sweety, I don't think you'd be so forgiving if you knew he raised the actual devil

Soo.. we return to Cas and Dean in the daylight. I'm asuming there's fics that fill that gap? 😏

Fuck, why is Cas chanting and cursing so sexy?

Ohhhhh, the lightning wings are very cool

Dean insulting Rafael is also fucking sexy

Domestic squabbling while trapping an archangel, that's exactly the power of these two

"You think god would have let any of that happen if he were alive?" 👌👌👌

"Didn't happen to work for the post office did he?" DEEEAAAAN

"I did it. I started the apocalypse" I don't know why, but hearing Sam actually say this is SO FUNNY

Wait, it wasn't Lucifer who raised Cas, was it? I don't remember, but it must have been god, right?

CAS YOU ABSOLUTE LEGEND

"What he said" Dean is SO proud of Cas

Well, that's one way for the girl to learn more about Sam..

Dean, you're not happy because you're alone, you're happy because you're with Cas

Oh sure, Cas, disappear at that exact moment, in the middle of a conversation :'(

Ohhh, face to face with the actual devil, poor Sammy

The brothers being the vessels for Michael and Lucifer will always be great, that's some seriously good storytelling

[gins-potter]

Shadow and Bone 1x01 First Watch Thoughts

Under the cut cause this got long

Yo I am actually so scared though - like it’s been so hyped what if it’s bad?

Only one way to find out I guess

Oh my god Netflix is stuck loading at ten percent what is life?

Okay slight (7 minute) delay where I had to turn netflix on and off a few times but here we go

Wow so they don’t really have a title sequence

Alina making a map will always be funny for me because I swear they mentioned like two times in the books

Okay so they really are addressing show!Alina’s Shu mother head on

Ohhhhhhh so Alina’s parents died in the Fold??

Ahhhhhh the special effects are so good

HER SMILE WHEN THEY MENTION MAL

I FUCKING LOVE IT

OHMY GOD YOUNG MAL HAS CURLY HAIR AMAZING

This.... is not what I pictured the Duke’s house to look like but alright

Ooooof the cinematography is so nice already

The cut from young Mal’s face and hands to older Mal’s face and hands, very nice

I don’t think Mal fought in the books but honestly this tracks

Ooooooh Mal vs a Grisha

Or not

Foreshadowing for season 2??

HER SMILE!! SO PRECIOUS!!

Zoya!!

I like how quickly they’re setting up the dynamics between Grisha and non-Grisha

“he talks about you all the time” excuse me while i scream

Jesper’s smile!

Oh my god the DeKappel

I looooove that they’re actually having Kaz use his cane, idk why I thought they wouldn’t but it’s good to see

The pan away from the gloves to his face, so good

Oooooof I love the composition of this scene, him looking to the window, Inej appearing behind him, “hello inej”

Inej’s voice is not how I imagined it but I love Amita so who cares?

Inej’s dialogue feels a little off but that’s not a big deal

Pekka mention

Investment (affectionate)

So is Per Haskell not in this at all?  I need confirmation.

Wow they are really not letting us forget that Alina is half Shu.  Idk if that’s a good thing or a little over the top.  At the very least I do think it adds to Alina’s feelings of not being able to belong which was a big theme in the first book particularly.

Is Mal stealing food for Alina??

Zoya (pt.2)!!

Mal stop flirting you lil hoe

Well that’s mighty forward of you Zoya - I love it

So he doesn’t hook up with her? Intresting.

God the vibes of this show are unreal.  I love it.

“I could shoot you in the foot” get you a bestie like that

I do like they somewhat establish how Alina and Mal’s parents died, because it’s kind of unclear in the books?

“I’ll find my way back to you” scream pt.2

he’ll write her a letter? excuse me that foreshadowing is cruel.

CROWS!

Her lil smirk at her knife, i’m in love

Wait wait wait, I just realised, they’re not crossing the fold to get Alina?  They’re crossing to get something else and Alina comes into play later?  Okay this makes a lot more sense for Inej particularly.  Jesper not so much, since why would he go to Ravka but honestly that never made that much sense to me either.

Well hello Pekka

Oooh I love his accent

Is the Orchid supposed so be the White Rose? Maybe not.

I always pictured Pekka a little craftier than that, less brute force, but okay

Malina are fucking killing me and it’s only ep1

Omfg Alexei she’s not interested

THE FLASHBACK I’M CRYING

I love this suspense they’re building with the Darkling

Alina, girl, what you doing?

Whyyyyyyy is she burning the maps??

Ohhhhh so they’ll have to send a cartographer?

Alina you crafty devil

But now you’re gonna get all the other cartographers killed

“I COULD SHOOT YOU IN THE FOOT”

“Get off this boat or I’ll carry you off” now there’s an image

I’m sorry I’m a shameless Malina stan

These Grisha hand movements are so extra I love it

This is like the worst haunted house ride ever

I fucking loooooooove this suspense they’re building with the Darkling

I feel like it’s just to kill the fangirls when they finally show his face

Fuck I know what’s gonna happen and I’m still getting nervous for them

I love how they’ve done the Fold

These looks between Malina are killing me

Well shit

Idk who this inferni chick is but I love her

Bro Alexei what?!?!

MAL!!!!

This is so dramatic

I love it.

“I’LL MEET YOU AT THE MEADOW” I’m crying

Idk how I feel about these little title cards

Holy crap Alexie ran all the way to West Ravka?  That’s shouldn’t be funny but it is.

Bro you were planning on meeting with Pekka Rollins, he ain’t exactly an upstanding citizen

You know what, Freddy Carter really sells this role

Omfg Jesper

I love seeing these little moments of comedy, they feel very Six of Crows

Oh wait this timeline is fucked

So they are going after Alina?

He’s going to want Alina so he can make crossings easier

I do like how they’re tying the Crows and Alina’s stories together

These effects are pretty good

Inej’s little gasp - I die

Yeah Alexei you are definitely not going free after this

Wow totally didn’t see that coming /s

Kinda harsh for a merch though

I feel like Inej is going to have a problem going after a Sun Summoner?

Final Thoughts:

This first episode had a lot to set up and I think it did a pretty good job of it

There was a little narration from Alina which is pretty cliche YA but on the whole managed to avoid big info dumps which I loved

The aesthetic and costuming are freaking excellent

The dialogue is really good, the only time it felt a little off was for Inej at times but in general I think the crows dynamic is hard to get exactly right and they did a really good job of it

Amita, Freddy, and Kit all do a really excellent job

I wasn’t expecting the crows to be in so much of it early on but I really like the way they’re tying the two stories together already - I know some people were really adamant that the two stay separate but I actually don’t mind them coming together

Malina are amazing already

Literally nothing else to say except they’re amazing and in love and I love them

We didn’t really get to see the Darkling much except for a few shots of him from behind, which is surprising but also I think a really good idea because it’s really building the suspense of his character for the non-reader audience which I think will be helpful to establish him later as a villain

I expected them to be a bit further in the plot at the end of this first episode, like I was expecting the Darkling and Alina to have already met but now, but I think they traded that in order to set up some of the dynamics (namely Malina, the crows, and Grisha vs non-Grisha) and tbh it might have been a smart thing to do

In short, I am very much in love already, and this definitely hasn’t disappointed (for me at least)