#the living stardust (Sal)

[salllzy]

Sal's outtakes

Here is an outtake that didn't fit the chapter, figured people might like to read it. --------- As much as she would love to spend time with her family, she had a more important job to do. Sallaiera wasn't one to interfere with the free will of other beings, she had lived long enough to see the rise and fall of universes. Nevermind empires. But what was happening in this universe? Well, if the Gods and other immortals in charge weren't going to do anything, then she would have to. As much as she didn't want to. She disappeared in a cloud of stardust and reappeared at the edge of the universe, her sisters were already there. None of them looked pleased at all. "Rainannai, Angelillia, Morivaria. Dare I ask how bad it is?" Three sets of eyes met her own kaleidoscope ones without an ounce of fear. "It is worse than what we hoped, but it is better than what we feared. The smallest tear in the universe has already started to swallow up the area around it." Rainannai's voice was dual-toned as she spoke, her eyes moved away from hers and to the edge of the universe where a giant tear began to devour a galaxy in front of them. "What can we do?" Morivaria's voice was soft, gentle like a summer breeze caressing a lover. But despite that, there is an undercurrent of worry in her words. "There isn't much that we can do, Heaven has brought this upon themselves and the Pantheons are just as much to blame. We can fix these tears but it won't last long, not if Heaven and the angels keep killing souls the way that they are." Angelillia's voice was deep and rumbling, like boulders clashing together and the earth quaking underfoot. "Max told me and Alastor explained it even more. The problem is that Heaven thinks that they are right and that there is no other way. There is, they are simply refusing to do so. Which says more about them than what they would like." Sallaiera folded her arms and gazed at the tears, she could smell the rot from here. It wouldn't be long before the tears began to appear more frequently. "We could wipe the universe, cut off its food source before the problem gets too bad." Rainannai's idea had merit, it truly did and it wouldn't be the first time that they had done so. "Max has asked that they be allowed to try and fix it first. So far they have had two meetings with Heaven and each time they have failed. But the Princess of Hell believes that they can redeem sinners." A galaxy was devoured in front of them as they all thought over the words that she had spoken. The Princess was right in her belief that sinner demons could be redeemed. But it wasn't an easy process, but perhaps if she had help. "You have a devious look on your face." Morivaria wasn't wrong when she said that there was a devious look on Sallaiera's face, it was one that Angelillia and Rainannai had seen right before she had rebelled against their creators. "It's nothing, just an idea." She tried for her best innocent look, only to receive three unimpressed looks in return. It was clear that none of them believed her. "Bah! Spoilsports, I just thought that we could have nudged her in the right direction. I may not be able to leave the Beyond for long periods of time, but this? This needs an intervention and quickly, the universe doesn't have long and we can all see that." She gestured to the tear that was oozing black liquid and slowly crawling forward, there was an unholy shriek as it realised that its target was gone. "Abyassia, a creature born out of a soul's torment and in this case, we are dealing with hundreds of thousands of souls, if not more." Morivaria looked confused by the looks of mourning on their faces, she had never heard of such a creature, yet she was far younger than them.

"We will give them one chance, a single chance to prove that they can change. If they cannot? Then we will intervene. That means Sallaiera no giving hints or nudges, this will be their trial to overcome. We will see if they pass or if they fail." The Abyassia screeched and shrieked as it began to take form, eight long spider-like legs burst from the bottom of its body and long tentacle-like arms began to form as it stopped dragging itself across the void. With a sigh, the four of them departed, Sallaiera was already at the limit of how long she could be in the universe before it started to tear itself apart. "Don't be strangers, Max hasn't seen you in an age and Alastor has only met you a couple of times." With those parting words, she returned to the Beyond and to her family. "Grandma!" She caught Fuast just as he was about to jump, she laughed and tossed him in the air before going to the kitchen. Alastor was plating food. "It looks lovely." He gestured for her to sit and she did so, her mind was whirling with what she had witnessed. Silently she hoped that they would be able to succeed. For everyone's sake.

[violentdelightstheseviolentends]

woah! was that UNA walking down main street? i heard they’re not actually from ivy cove but come from STARDUST. they’re 37 and live in SHOREGAZE RIDGE but watch out because they can be RECKLESS + BITTER but are actually COURAGES  +  LOVING. despite them HAVING memories, you’ll always think of BIRD SONG, REFUSING TO BE A DAMSAL IN DISTRESS, A MOTHER’S LOVE when imagining them.

Once Upon A Time

As the only daughter born to the King of Stormhold, Una had the unique position in her family of being able to be close with all of her siblings. Tradition stated that the throne would pass to the only surviving male heir, so whilst her brothers all plotted to kill each other, she was safe from it. At least until she vanished on day, without a trace. Though the brothers were all suspicious of each other, the truth was she had been tricked by a witch into becoming a slave, kept chained up by a magical chain that would only break when the witch died. So she worked, usually ending up being the one to look after the witch's stall whilst she got drunk. That was until one night when she met Dunstan, and gave him a snowdrop for the price of a kiss. They ended up spending the night together, and soon she discovered that she was pregnant. The one act of kindness Sal ever showed her was allowing her to leave the baby at the Wall so he could be with his father. Any freedom she had before then was now gone, but she knew her son was safe.

Eighteen years had passed and she remained the witch's slave. Any time she wasn't being used she had been turned into a bird. News of her father's death reached her, and with three of her brothers still living, he had said the royal ruby out, whoever reaching it first and restoring it, would become the King. The other rumour was that it had knocked a star from the sky, something she didn't believe until her son asked Sal for aid, and her mistress couldn't see Yvaine. Una was a bird at the time, and unable to finally reunite with him. However, when she saw Yvaine walking towards the Wall, she used her mistress's carriage to warn her she couldn't cross. Another witch arrived, killing Sal and finally freeing Una of her captivity, but then taking her prisoner. Her son and her last surviving brother chased after them, and she was briefly reunited with her brother, before him and the witches were killed. She was finally freed, and reunited with her son, who was now the last male heir of her family's bloodline, and the new King.

Ivy Cove

Although part of a big family once again, this time there was no fight for power and all of her siblings got along. However she still sometimes found herself being docile, and doing what was told of her, something she didn't understand. She married, and was happy. Then her memories returned. For the most part, she wished she could forget again, she was happy and her life here had been better. But she doesn't want to forget her son, and instead is angry that once again she was separated from him.

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

Sal and Rhys for the meme, please!

@blind-mutant

Pairing meme

How differently do they think of each other now compared to when they first met? BIG difference tbh. Both of them have a much higher respect for each other after getting to know each other and being able to see different aspects of each other over time. Rhys has been able to know Sal's traumas and how Sal loves and feels things so passionately vs how Sal has seen that Rhys is able to go through so much and yet still has it in him to be so affectionate and understanding, even with everything Sal does or says, Rhys still has it in him to carry on so strongly and that earns him a lot of respect and big ass crushing from Sal.

What do their friends/family think of their relationship? I mean,,,,No One Really There Huh. A lot of people at Eden's are good with it, seeing as they all know Sal and Rhys as separate people, although it's pretty tiring with how on and off they tend to be. I imagine a lot of them tend to have bets on when Rhys and Sal will finally end up together properly. In terms of Sal's family and Lost Lights, they actually quite like Rhys! Malcolm thinks he can be calming for Sal while Stella thinks Rhys is rather fun to be around. Perigee,,,well,,,she's a bit confusing tbh.

How do their personalities/skills complement or contrast with each other? Well Rhys and Sal are VERY similar to the point where I think they contrast each other. They both act the same and have so many shared aspects that it causes them to clash, like a lot of their fights tend to start with the fact that Rhys and Sal tend to be too similar in some regards. The fact that neither of them exactly enjoy talking about their feelings and traumas leads to a lot of misunderstandings and needing to always account for each other without knowing exactly how or why something could go wrong. A lot of their miscommunication brings about these fights but...also it means that Rhys and Sal just KNOW each other well enough that a lot of their actions can be done without needing to worry about either one of them doing something wrong,,,,they're messy Okay.

What is their favourite aspect of each other? I think Rhys has said before that he really likes Sal's passion and Forwardness to things that he wants, honestly Sal is just. Terrible and Rhys just,,,somehow finds ways to see the good in him. But on Sal's end, he really loves the fact that Rhys is stubborn. Sure, it's annoying in some ways when he's set on staying with Sal despite how awful he can be. Rhys holds out through anything and he always has ways of making Sal feel happy and like he doesn't need to worry about most things and he HAS the confidence for most things, like the amount of times that Rhys has made Sal feel better about himself or worth something. Both of them have a lot of the same traits, but it's just easier to appreciate them when they're on another person.

Do either of them have pet peeves about each other? Sal really hates the fact that Rhys never seems to "let go" of his crush on him and often worries when he does something incredibly self-destructive, he really hates it when Rhys is upset over his actions. Rhys, on the other hand, really hates the fact that Sal can never seem to accept the fact that he cares about him, which causes a lot of struggle between them both.

How would each reconcile with each other after a fight? Rhys tends to apologise and go after Sal fairly quickly, often placating him with treats or words and on Sal's end, he likes to try and ignore the fight and...also offer things to distract Rhys with. Both of them have a poor habit of trying to find things to distract themselves with...and to be fair, it does work better than we give them credit for

What would be their ideal vacation getaway together? I don't think they'd really CHOOSE to go anywhere?? But maybe somewhere near a beach since Sal was often told stories about them from Perigee and beaches are the closest thing that Sal really thinks of in regards to his home planet. Although if Rhys wanted to go anywhere in particular, I don't think Sal would argue against it. If it's somewhere that makes Rhys REALLY happy? 100% I think he'd be more inclined on going there, purely just so Sal can see Rhys enjoy himself since he tends to enjoy places more while Sal tends to enjoy things more, if that makes sense???

Think of a new way (AU, different situation, etc.) they could have met for the first time. I think in terms of angst and stuff, a neat au Rhys and Sal could meet back in the facility Rhys was placed in, mostly because I feel like it could be interesting for them to share a same source of pain together and how that affects how Sal views affection, maybe it makes them a lot more closer as they're the only ones who can really trust each other. Other than that, I think an au where Sal's an alien coming to see Earth, a little like Perigee's style and ends up coming across Rhys? VERY funny with this pale man just stuck with a floaty alien who knows nothing about human stuff.

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

With each question, Sal's face seemed to scrunch up more and more. He...didn't have an answer for most of her questions, he wasn't what she wanted him to be. And even if they were strangers, Sal hated not being what people expected of him. It just meant that they got disappointed with him faster and would just...leave him. Find someone better than Sal could ever be.

He frowned at the stranger, shrugging and looking away from her as he answered, "I was...born here? It's my mom who came to Earth, not me. Dunno where the fuck her- our planet's supposed to be, but uh, yeah I can make portals- what?"

Sal scoffed, rolling his eyes at how dumb that sounded, "Lady, if I did make you insane from being stared at, wouldn't you already be rollin' around on the ground, clutching your eyes by now? Eveything about that idea is just some bullshit humans make up, 'cause they're scared of the unknown."

He could ask just as much about her. The hybrid glanced at her purple hair and pointed towards it, "Well...I've never seen a woman turn into a seal before, that's pretty new. And what about your hair? Is that dyed or do seals have purple hair too? I woulda' thought they'd have more...blue hair colours."

After all, what did purple have to do with the sea? But...huh. Sal could relate to that. As far as he knew, he was the only alien around. Mom hadn't ever said if there were anymore like them on the planet and Sal had never looked at anyone else. Why did it even matter if they weren't the same kind of alien species?

He didn't like the sound of this though. It wasn't safe to trust anyone, but it wasn't safe to just let some freak snatch Sal up either. The hybrid frowned ans crossed his arms, "....Together? I can take care of myself, lady,"

“  don’t be so dramatic.  ” For Sal from Sophie

@usually-abnormal

“Dramatic? Oh I’ll show you dramatic!” He was soaked and naked for the most part, save for a large shirt the woman in the lake had tossed to him. What person swam in a lake anyway? And what more, who splashed a fucking alien?

Sal glared at the seal lady, huffing as he sat back against the banks and rubbed his face. He had to be mindful of his legs and not giving the gal a show of what he got….anymore than he had. “I am soaked, I need to get back to the city and now I have to do that soaking wet and naked until I draw up my energy again! So, thank you swamp woman!” Honestly, she was cute but her attitude ruined it.

[starry-skies-116]

Genshin Writing Blurb: The Morning Star

((**DISCLAIMER IM SUPER DUPER SORRY IF MY LATIN IS INCORRECT also this is in no way me worshipping The literal Devil I’m agnostic living in a Hindu family /lh but ya’ know…**))

______________________________________________________________

The blonde traveler sighs deeper yet again, curled hair cascading and spiraling over his shoulders like golden waterfalls as his clothes faintly shift audibly with every movement he makes. Silk rustles beneath him upon his bed as he rolls his eyes to the stars out the window peering back at him- Teyvat’s skies.

Memories roiled beneath his mind as he sighs, tears pricking the back of his eyes as they slowly played out in his mind like a fuzzy reel of pictures.

My beloved child, the voice whispers. My little morning star.

Aether remembers- he remembers the stars glistening across the twilight yawn of heaven’s black, the boundless scent of night, the entire cosmos consolidated in two pupils as the pupils were two moons that crested the universe, gazing so lovingly into him. Snow white hair cascaded down the figure’s shoulders, and feathery wings shining with a golden brilliance enveloped the traveler’s miniscule figure in a tight, snug embrace, accompanying each other in multitudes of three. And oh, the crown sitting atop that deity’s head… it was adorned with countless jewels and carved out of the gold that spilled from the earth.

You will ascend above the clouds and stars of God. You will be like the Most High.

How her tears glistened as though she were crying diamonds, as though her skin were softer than even the most luxurious of fabric to which no earthly pleasure or delight could compare in the slightest. How her smile glistened like the pearl of seafoam, and how marvelous the sight was of gold sitting upon a lap of pure brilliance clothed in form.

Was it real, or was it all fake?

Was he who Nahida said he was?

“Mama…?” he whispered, turning back to Paimon, the kid fast asleep on the couch.

***

Nolite arbitrari quia venerim mittere pacem- in terram non veni pacem, mittere sed gladium.

Consurget enim gens in gentem et regnum in regnum, et erunt pestilentiae et fames et terraemotus per loca.

Bonum est sal quod si sal insulsum, fuerit in quo illud condietis habete in vobis, sal et pacem habete inter vos.

***

Aether fervently shook his head, letting out a shuddered gasp as memories once again return to him: 

“Ego sum stella matituna…” he utters, and only now does he realize his throat aches with a strange pain- though he feels unusually weak, and he feels his power sealed, he can feel it faintly coo and thrum from within with a phantasmal groan as if it were a baby in it’s crib stirring in slumber. His eyes widen in inexplicable dread. “Morning star… M-Morningstar,” he stutters out once again, this time in Teyvat’s common language instead of the more ancient tongue he had uttered from his lips that worded akin to a curse- only now did he realize he uttered the whole verse instead of merely the concluding line.

You always had the personality of thinking out loud, did you not?

They knew… Nahida had told him that the Fatui had marked him as the Fourth Descender that had come to Teyvat. And he remembered from that painful encounter with his sister, now the Abyss Princess… that her journey had begun a long time ago, hence her ‘war with destiny’ now.

So this wasn’t their first time dealing with extraterrestrial entities? Although- no, he knew there was something odd about him, he’s journeyed across the celestial atlas by his sister’s side for the longest time. Even now, the memories hid behind a thick fog, and trying to reach for the descriptive events of the past only left him with a headache.

Of course, he knew of some things- how he and his sister arrived in a meteorite streaking across the sky with brilliant light igniting it from inside and out- how he once carried wings of pure brilliance and sublimity on his back in multitudes of six, and wielded a sword forged of stardust that were stripped from him so cruelly, how the pressure weighed on him and suffocated him, anything but divine as those chains bound him with a red hot glow of agony as a woman’s voice whispered to him repeatedly.

“How you have fallen from heaven, o’ morning star.”

The blonde once again shook his head, feeling a cold sweat down his back. What did it all mean?

“T…Traveler…?” Paimon stirs from slumber, cooing and nestling against Aether’s arms like how a child would try to squeeze into their mother’s arms for an embrace. “You’re awake… you doing alright?”

“Mm…” Aether hums in response, for speaking was a tad too difficult for him in the moment- his throat would tighten every time he opened his mouth to form even a syllable of a word, as if the curse had temporarily disabled his ability to speak.

The moons yield to the brilliant primeval blade of light, the true image and children of when the branches cradled doves and bore fruit of both knowledge and life.

Ego primus et novissimus, principium et finis.

He remembers a time when the abyss and the heavens had yielded to him, bowed so considerately, so devoutly…

And the title lingers on his lips and is emblazoned within his mind, permanently now: We are the beginning and the end, the upper heavens above the cosmos. We are the celestial atlas, the all-encompassing lumineferous ether. 

𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫.

[appleinducedsleep]

In the town of Wall, on the border between the 'real' world and the magical Faerie, there lives young Tristran Thorn, who makes a rash promise to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves. Soon he finds himself on a quest, and unwittingly enters into a dangerous competition. 

@readerbookclub

⭐️⭐️/5

A fairytale ‘for adults’, that didn’t exactly mix the darker themes with the unnuanced characters.

Here be spoilers:

General Questions:

What were your expectations before reading the book? Did it meet them?

I expected a mash-up of the fairytale genre, and it delivered in that regard. I also heard it was a fairytale for adults, and that was true in some ways... though it had the charm of simplistic storytelling (despite the language being rich and descriptive) and simple dialogue, the gratuitous violence and some sexual content (which was there why?) did not stop the story from being somewhat superficial, and the characters Tristran from being flat.

How did you feel about the romantic relationships in this book? Did you find them well-written?

For the most part, no. I didn’t think they were very romantic at all. And yes, fairytales are generally more about tell, not show -- we were told fairy-tale style that Dunstan and Lady Uma had this ‘heart desire’ thing going on, Tristran was pining after Victoria and went on his misguided quest for love, and the most fleshed out thing was between Tristran and Yvaine (and that felt really rushed at the market). I found Dunstan much more interesting than his son, and there seemed more depth to his story, I cared more for him and Daisy Hempstock. Their love story was the only one that was believable.

I have also seen Stardust mentioned as an enemies to lover story, but I don’t think Tristran and Yvaine have that dynamic. Yvaine was described as having a temper, even in the epilogue, though she forgave both Tristran and the Witch. And Tristran seemed almost oblivious to the way she hated him, or at least not bothered enough, not to make her return with him to Wall. And while Yvaine never got tired of giving him snarky replies (bless her), I didn’t think their relationship was that romantic. Tristran even was a dormouse for some part of their journey. @adhyayana-v​  send me an ask about Tristran and I replied:

the story structure was more about getting from A to B, and less about actual character development.

At what point in the book (if any) did you start to feel immersed in the story?  Their are several side plots that accompany the main story of Tristan Thorn. What did you think of them? Does any one in particular stand out to you?  Throughout Tristan’s journey, he comes across many odd and colourful characters. Which of these did you like the most and why?

Much of the dialogue was simplistic in nature, which was at odds with the darker themes happening in the background. Tristran, our hero character, had a childish entitlement throughout the book, but he is framed as sympathetic, because he showed kindness to the creatures of Faerie.

Despite all of that, I was immersed. I love fairytales, I really liked the writing style, because it was pretty. I already shared the bit about Charles Vess, who made some wonderful illustrations:

Stardust was originally conceived by Gaiman and Vess as a "story book with pictures"

and I liked the part that Tristran and the little, hairy man got stuck in the serewood, I loved the plot-line about the power of nursery rhymes (the Unicorn and the Lion), and travelling by candlelight, and I absolutely loved Dishwater Sal. I loved this whole subplot from start to finish; from her first introduction at the market with Dunstan, to her meeting with the Witch queen, and turning Tristran into a mouse. She was consistent, she was mean, she would totally cheat you if she could-- I loved her. She was my favourite character.

Despite liking the writing style, I got tired of the random sounds the ghost brothers made; I didn’t care about the sounds of leaves, or gurgling brooks or whatever. To be honest, I just didn’t care much about this subplot anyway, and was reminded of A Heart So Fierce and Broken and how I didn’t like this whole ‘kill to have the right to rule’... but that’s more of a personal thing.

If you had to describe this book in three words, what would they be?

Atmospheric, predictable, (yet) engaging.

Is this a book you would have otherwise read? If not, are you more open to similar books in the future?  Would you consider re-reading it in the future?

I never outgrew fairytales, and I’m always curious to what a retelling will bring to the table. And while I did love certain things about it, I didn’t really love the characters, and the ending left me even more disillusioned.

I have seen several reviews claiming that the movie was better than than than the book, so I would watch the movie before rereading this book.

[itcameuponamidnightqueer]

Stardust is one of my favorite movies so I am all ears about that one, and honestly I'm a sucker for Danbeau, still and always.

i didn’t watch stardust until, like, two or three years ago when tumblr told me to, but i feel like it’s just made to be an AU for fic purposes, lol. it’s got subplots and a bunch of characters and good stories all around, i’m a huge fan

looking at this google doc i definitely don’t have it super planned out, just a cast list. but i do remember debating for a while who would be yvaine, between carol and maria. bc like, i can absolutely make a case for both of them, and carol reminds me more of tristan, personality-wise. but also: she canonically glows and lives in outer space, soooooo if that’s not a star, idk what is.

Yvaine (star)                                  -  Carol Tristan                                           -  Maria Lamia                                            -   Minn-Erva Mormo (sister 1)                           -   Hela Empusa (sister 2)                         -  Ghost King                                              -  Thanos Septimus                                      -  Yon-Rogg Captain Shakespeare                  -  Tony Primus                                         -   Ronan Wall Guard                                  -   Stan Lee Una (Tristan’s mom)                   -   Unknown Kree woman Ditchwater Sal (Una’s captor)    -   Someone

the only bummer about the main characters in stardust is that so many of them are villains, women, or both, and the MCU doesn’t have many female villains to choose from, so finding analogs was kinda tough. which is why you have minn-erva, hela, and ghost in the same story, lol. but when i’m doing AUs like this, where you have to match characters to their AU counterpart, i’m always a fan of picking by personality even if that switches up the characters’ canonical relationships.

idk! i’d love to come back to this; i haven’t really thought about a plot, if i’d adapt it to be more modern and fit in with the MCU or if it’d stick closer to stardust. tbh i only sort of like a victorian setting, and i feel like tony as a space pirate would have to be something absolutely bonkers and modern. there’s just so much potential in both of these universes that i feel like we deserve for them to be combined, lol

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

@blind-mutant

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

Halloween Costumes (2021)

AVA - Dracula

MIMI - Shrek

FINN - A knight

SAL - Snow White

MAHOGANY - Fred from the mystery gang

PASCAL - Oogie Boogie (Nightmare before christmas)

WULF: Sexy nurse

EDITH: Sexy doctor

LACE: A postman

DAE: A zombie

MORDE: A sculpture

PEACH: Princess Peach

ADONAI: A skeleton

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 18 March 2019

Quick Bits:

Aquaman #46 is the penultimate chapter of “Unspoken Water”, as “Andy” and Caille confront Namma. I love the world-building that Kelly Sue DeConnick is doing here, enriching DC’s godly pantheons greatly, and I swear that Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, and Sunny Gho are somehow getting better with each subsequent issue. Epic storytelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Avengers #17 concludes the war of the vampires from Jason Aaron, David Marquez, Erick Arciniega, and Cory Petit. It’s as gloriously over-the-top as the entire story-arc and it sets up a new status quo for the Winter Guard as well as a few other surprises. The art from Marquez and Arciniega is glorious.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #6 gives an extra-sized issue for Conan and Scarlet Witch’s adventure from Jim Zub, Al Ewing, Mark Waid, Sean Izaakse, Jay David Ramos, Marcio Menyz, and Cory Petit. It works well as a Conan story with monsters and magic, while still giving a bit of insight as to what horrors are still occurring on the traditional 616-side.

| Published by Marvel

Batman #67 is almost dialogue-free, leaving the bulk of the storytelling up to the art and sound effects from Lee Weeks, Jorge Fornés, Lovern Kindzierski, and Clayton Cowles. It’s damn good.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #8 gives some rare insight into who the kids really are as Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell dive into observational reports from the White Badges. I absolutely love the layers to the characters, as the black ops, highly secretive world that they operate in reveals even more secrets.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

BPRD: The Devil You Know #14 is the penultimate chapter in the Hellboy saga that began 25 years ago. Like every issue of “Ragna Rok”, there are some goodbyes here, checking in on numerous characters throughout the story’s history, and the continued confrontation between Hellboy, Abe, & Liz and Rasputin. This one hurts, a lot. Beautifully depicted by Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Dark Horse

Captain Marvel #3 reveals Som’s secrets while Carol tries to build an army out of the survivors. This one’s definitely a bit of a breather as the team works out a plan to take on Nuclear Man. There’s some nice character building with Carol, Hazmat, She-Hulk, and Echo. Carmen Carnero, with colours from Tamra Bonvillain, also continues to impress.

| Published by Marvel

Criminal #3 concludes the two-part “Bad Weekend” arc. I’m really quite liking how Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips are approaching this series, telling a variety of tale throughout time, building up existing and new characters, and really giving depth to the world.

| Published by Image

Dark Red #1 is a great debut from Tim Seeley, Corin Howell, Mark Englert, and Marshall Dillon exploring the concept of the American vampire, like True Blood, American Vampire, or Redneck. It goes a little bit simpler diving into the ordinary, rural, service sector life of Chip the vampire, which makes for the twist in the plot more intriguing.

| Published by AfterShock

Electric Warriors #5 pulls out some more surprises in this penultimate chapter. Steve Orlando, Travel Foreman, Javi Fernandez, Richard Friend, Hi-Fi, and Travis Lanham spark the rebellion here setting up a cliffhanger for a very interesting conclusion.

| Published by DC Comics

Farmhand #6 returns from its break, weirder than ever. Amidst the EPA crawling down Jed’s labs throat trying to figure out what happened with the weird side effects and bizarre spread, Jedediah, Zeke, Riley, and Mikhail go fishing. Odd, that. Wonderfully bizarre story and art as always from Rob Guillory, Taylor Wells, and Kody Chamberlain.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #3 advances “The Final Gauntlet” from Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Marte Gracia, and Cory Petit as Starfox’s Dark Guardians continue to try to beat Gamora’s location out of people and the real Guardians try to convince Star-Lord to help protect her. Very nice bits of humour, phenomenal artwork, some interesting developments regarding Wraith and Knull, and I’m really getting the impression that the “new Thanos” is the scarred and broken Starfox.

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #15 is more brilliance from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit. This arc definitely seems to be focused on Hulk’s old friends and family, with this issue featuring Doc Samson, and it’s a wonderful exploration of how Samson is alive again and an analysis on who this Hulk happens to be.

| Published by Marvel

Incursion #2 feels even more epic than the first issue as Gilad turns to Doctor Mirage for assistance, then sets out on a quest through the Deadside. Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel, Doug Braithwaite, Diego Rodriguez, and Marshall Dillon are crafting what feels like one of the next foundation stones for the future of the Valiant universe. With some of the best art I’ve seen from Braithwaite and Rodriguez.

| Published by Valiant

Infinity 8 #10 begins the fourth cycle, “Symbolic Guerrilla”, adding Kris and Martin Trystram to the creative mix, to introduce us to undercover agent Patty Stardust, stage manager to the Symbolic Guerrillas band, as she gets tapped to try to figure out what’s causing the ship’s destruction and try to stop it. Absolutely love the art from Trystram.

| Published by Lion Forge / Magnetic Collection

Invisible Kingdom #1 is gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of Christian Ward’s artwork and this is incredible. Beautiful use of colour, fascinating character and architecture designs, interesting layouts, delivering a sense of the alien and the familiar at the same time. Between Ward’s art and G. Willow Wilson’s concepts and character building, this feels like they’ve put a lot of thought into world building and it pays off in what feels like a living, breathing society and culture in this first issue. Also a nice mix of “futuristic” and normal lettering from Sal Cipriano that aids nicely in setting the tone and atmosphere for the story. This is an auspicious debut and looks like it should be another hit for Berger Books.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Justice League #20 continues “The Sixth Dimension” from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano. The artwork from Jimenez and Sánchez is worth the price of admission alone, this is an incredibly beautiful looking book.

| Published by DC Comics

Lazarus: Risen #1 is the very welcome return of the series from Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, Tyler Boss, Santi Arcas, and Simon Bowland in its new double-sized quarterly format, which also includes a short story from Lilah Sturges, some RPG content from Crystal Frasier, and other assorted backmatter. It’s good. Damn good. Easing us back into the conflict of the world as Johanna Carlyle starts taking care of the family’s problems as more conflict and complications begin to arise. Incredible artwork from Lark, Boss, and Arcas.

| Published by Image

Meet the Skrulls #2 continues to be highly entertaining as the family enacts some of their plans and Carl certainly isn’t going to win any father of the year awards. Niko Henrichon’s artwork is a huge plus for the story, nicely balancing the normal world, the alien nature of the Skrulls, and some neat monster designs to boot.

| Published by Marvel

Middlewest #5 gives us a bit of a look back at how much of an abusive asshole Abel’s father is, while in the present Abel makes an arrangement with the carnival folks. Jorge Corona and Jean-Francois Beaulieu continue to make this one of the most visually interesting series running.

| Published by Image

Naomi #3 presents a number of revelations about some of the characters, including Naomi’s mom acting like a savage mama bear, but not exactly the revelations you’d expect. Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker are still taking it a bit slow as to what exactly is going on with Naomi herself, instead building up the characters around her (part of me wonders if she’s actually a Monitor). Also, Jamal Campbell’s artwork remains stunning, truly beautiful work.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Outpost Zero #8 takes us out onto the ice to show what happened when the drill team uncovered the dome, then spends the rest of the issue dealing with the ramifications of that, making the residents of Outpost Zero even more reluctant to go outside to do anything to protect themselves, and the kids still don’t know what to make of what they say. This is kind of a taking stock issue, with the characters trying to figure out next steps again.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #7 returns with a new arc from Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, and Dave Sharpe, with Pearl “on the run” from Mr. Miike, the Endo Twins, and a new player in the FBI’s Yuko Masako. This is developing more of Bendis’ dialogue tics as time goes by, but they’re largely forgiven for just how incredible Gaydos’ artwork is.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Sparrowhawk #5 concludes what has been an excellent fantasy adventure from Delilah S. Dawson, Matias Basla, Rebecca Nalty, and Jim Campbell with the confrontation between a fully-changed Artemisia and the faerie queen. It’s great, with some interesting ramifications in all of what Artemisia has lost in her quest to return home for revenge. Great artwork from Basla and Nalty.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Spider-Man: Life Story #1 is off to an interesting start from Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Frank D’Armata, and Travis Lanham. It’s an introspective look at Peter Parker’s life, with some key moments, starting off in the ‘60s deeply tied to then-current events. Some of the best art from Bagley I’ve seen in a while, really nice stuff.

| Published by Marvel

Stronghold #2 continues the impressive world-building from Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly, Dee Cunniffe, and Simon Bowland. We’re introduced this issue to the opposite side in The Adversary and his minions, while the “good” of the Stronghold is put into question and Michael continues to wrestle with who and what he is. Great character work from Hester accompanied by some terrific art from Kelly and Cunniffe.

| Published by AfterShock

Teen Titans #28 is part one of the “Terminus Agenda” crossover with Deathstroke and it kicks off with a bang. Damian’s been travelling down a potentially dark and dangerous road for awhile and it looks like it may be coming to a head with this arc. Amazing action artwork from Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo as the Teen Titans and Deathstroke clash.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #92 delves into the negotiations of transfer of power of the Foot Clan to Karai in earnest, delivering some interesting complications to the story that look like they’re going to have significant ramifications. Michael Dialynas, with colours from Ronda Pattison, consistently provides some of the best depictions of the Turtles and the Mutanimals.

| Published by IDW

Thor #11 serves as a counterpoint to last issue’s conflict with Odin, as Thor is aided by his step-mother, Freyja, on the even of The War of the Realms. Beautiful guest art from Lee Garbett and Antonia Fabela.

| Published by Marvel

Venom #12 is another big issue. With art from Joshua Cassara and Rain Beredo, we get more insight into Eddie’s son and a startling development, even after last issue, regarding the symbiote. Donny Cates and the entire creative team are really going full-bore in developing compelling additions to Venom’s mythos.

| Published by Marvel

The Warning #5 feels like one of the first major payoffs for sticking with the story. Edward Laroche has been giving this a real slowburn, making it decidedly feel like chapters and snippets from a work that should probably be read at once. They've been good, but not always entirely satisfying as monthly comics. The set-up last issue and the incendiary contact this issue, though, have really lit a fire to the action.

| Published by Image

West Coast Avengers #9 is kind of bittersweet. It’s another fun issue, full of humour, great character development, and wonderful artwork--from Kelly Thompson, Gang Hyuk Lim, Tríona Farrell, and Joe Caramagna--but it’s the second-to-last issue. I feel like the industry needs more of these types of upbeat superhero series, not less. Especially for Jeff the Land Shark puppy.

| Published Marvel

X-O Manowar #25 is largely all-battle between the bounty hunters and Aric & Schon from Matt Kindt, Tomás Giorello, Diego Rodriguez, and Dave Sharpe. Kindt gets in some nice character moments between Aric and Schon, but you're going to be wanting to pick this up for more gorgeous artwork from Giorello and Rodriguez.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: American Carnage #5, Archie #703, Aristophania - Volume 1: The Kingdom of Azur, Bitter Root #5, Bloodborne #10, Delver #2, Dungeons & Dragons: A Darkened Wish #1, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #6, Evolution #14, Firefly: Bad Company #1, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4, Grumble #5, Haphaven, High Level #2, James Bond 007 #5, Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter #3, JesusFreak, Kaijumax Season 4 #5, Lucifer #6, Lumberjanes #60, Marvel Action: Avengers #3, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4, Monstress #21, Rainbow Brite #5, Savage Sword of Conan #3, Solo: A Star Wars Story #6, Spider-Man: City at War #1, Star Wars #63, Superb #18, Wizard Beach #4

Recommended Collections: Batman - Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing, Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men, Belzebubs, BPRD: Hell on Earth - Volume 5, Crowded - Volume 1, Encounter - Volume 2, Family Man, Harrow County Library Edition - Volume 2, Nancy Drew: Palace of Wonder, Polar - Volume 4: Kaiser Falls, Seven to Eternity - Volume 3

d. emerson eddy has been to Flavortown. It was an experience.

[wishfore-blog]

stardust characters and their brief lil bios,  as proof you should join me.

main characters.

TRISTAN THORN.          idiot village boy goes on a quest to get a fallen star for his girl,  ends up falling in love with said star,  and then learning he’s the king of the magical side of the wall.

CAPTAIN SHAKESPEARE.          american lighting pirate captain.     flamboyantly gay in private.     obsessed with his reputation.     his crew adores him.

SEPTIMUS.          main human villain.     killed all of his brothers to try and get to be king,  but the fallen star has the amulet he needs to get the kingship . . . and he’s also interested in the immortality yvaine’s heart would give him.

LAMIA.          main other villain.     witch who wants yvaine’s heart to cut out and eat and become immortally young.     has two sisters,  in the shakespearean trope of the three witches.     definitely the smartest of the bunch.

royal family.

KING.          dies very early in the movie,  but clearly has a hella long life,  and actually killed all twelve of his brothers for the kingship.

UNA.          mother of tristan,  oldest and only daughter of the king.     held captive by ditchwater sal,  can only be freed when the queen dies.

PRIMUS.     oldest son of the king.     he lived to see his father die,  and was supposed to die by poison,  but he drank the wrong cup.     sets out as septimus’ main adversary for the crown.     gets killed while in the bath by lamia,  so his ghost is naked the whole movie.

SECUNDUS.           second son.     died by being pushed out of a window by septimus.     kinda deserved it ngl.

TERTIUS.          actually gets poisoned when he’s supposed to.     he was poisoned along with the bishop,  who drank instead of primus.

QUARTUS.          died before the movie started,  so lots of space to expand.     it’s not quite clear how he was murdered,  but it looks from images like he froze to death somehow.

QUINTUS.          his death is different between book and movie,  but in the movie he is killed by septimus,  who just hit him in the head with an axe,  and his ghost still has the axe in his skull.

SEXTUS.          died before the movie began,  and his death is also at the hands of septimus.     his younger brother set a fire that just burned him until he died,  and his ghost is very scarred up.

witches.

DITCHWATER SAL.          una’s mistress,  not a very powerful witch.     most of her stuff seems to be nuisance transformations,  like una into a bird and tristan into a mouse.     gets killed by lamia.

EMPUSA.          one of lamia’s sisters,  the youngest of the three.     killed by septimus in the final battle sequence,  but hella cool with pyrokinesis and divination powers.

MORMO.          lamia’s other sister.     she also has pyrokinesis,  but in a different color from either of her sisters.     the animals she kept to divine from later were released by tristan and killed her.

people of wall / commoners.

DUNSTAN THORN.          father of tristan,  probable husband of una at the end of the movie.     a really great single dad,  loves his son and does everything he can for him.

VICTORIA.          tristan’s initial love and the purpose for his quest.     tristan realizes that she’s shallow and selfish,  and she ends up marrying humphrey because he brought her a ring for her birthday.

HUMPHREY.          basically the victorian version of a jock.     loves swordplay,  to mock those lesser than him,  etc.     ends up marrying victoria,  but at tristan’s coronation he and shakespeare are making eyes at each other,  so.

BERNARD.          really awesome minor character.     lamia turns him into a goat,  and then into a human,  and then into a woman.     he tries his best even if he’s not a smart dude.

THE GUARD.          90 year old man that’s a better fighter than tristan.     guards the border between the typical english town of wall and stormhold,  the magical kingdom that tristan was born in.     retires at end of the movie.

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

@blind-mutant

Blacklight photography by John Poppleton. Details

[nevinitambay-blog]

Close Reading *Stardust* (2007), or: Characterization Through Proof

 Hey, everyone! I hope you all had a good week writing and reading and thinking about what you liked or disliked about what you read (or watched)! Welcome to the second installment of my close reading series! This week’s movie is the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Since I have seen this movie before, I’m going to use a different part of close reading and take the details I’ve noticed in previous viewings to form a thesis, a statement about the movie that I will support with my direct observations of it. So, before you read on, I highly recommend that you watch the movie Stardust, form a specific opinion about it, back up that opinion with examples from only the film (not the book it is based on and not any of Neil Gaiman’s other work), and drop that opinion in the comments. Let’s do this!

 The defining theme of the film Stardust is the question of proof, of what is real and true (or not), whether or not proof itself is real, and whether or not we should care either way. At every turn, this theme is included, from the very first line referencing a philosopher’s question about stars and humanity to the narrator’s final statements assuring the audience that Tristan and Yvaine lived happily ever after. What is particularly interesting in terms of the writing itself, though, is how this theme is uniformly included in every scene with every character in some way, and how that then adds crucial information about each character.

 Since going into detail for each character would make this article well over my 1600-2000 word goal, I will briefly go over a key interaction with proof for each character I can and try to interpret what that interaction means.

 Dunstan Thorn:

 Dunstan seeks to disprove that there is another world on the other side of the wall, but, when he finds that there is one, quickly accepts it as true since he trusts his senses. This interaction indicates that he is optimistic, because he doesn’t seek to explain away his adventure as a dream, and he is engaged in the present, since his mechanism for accruing proof is through the immediacy of the body’s senses.

 Victoria:

 Victoria requires material proof of love and material proof of value. She also calls Tristan a shop boy, equating who Tristan is with what he does for money. Ignoring all of the implications of shallowness that western cultures view negatively, this indicates that Victoria is selfish, because she reduces those around her to what stuff they can provide to her immediately and nothing more.

 Tristan:

 Tristan accepts proof on several occasions, but mostly functions without it by trusting in his own feelings, intuition, and other people telling him things. He accepted Victoria’s conditions for marriage, because he felt that he loved her. He accepted the letter and Babylon candle from his mother, because it made him happy to do so. He accepted his dream about the stars, because he enjoyed the idea of being a chosen hero. This pattern continues throughout the movie. Since he doesn’t actively seek proof for anything and trusts his intuition, he is shown to be a foolhardy idealist who mostly survives due to the charity and assistance of others. It ends well for him, but mostly not by his doing.

 Lamia:

 Lamia peeks in order to select the heart from the divination ferret when she and her sisters were trying to decide who should gather the star. While this shows that she trusts the divination method of gaining proof, it also shows that she has no problem manipulating others through playing off of their own relationship with proof in order to get what she wants. She removes Ditchwater Sal’s ability to perceive the star (proof through the senses), she lays a trap for Yvaine, she expresses frustration with her magic re-aging her (removing her ability to fool others into trusting her), and she cruelly tells Tristan and Yvaine that they are free when she has no intention of letting them go. Each instance reinforces the fact that Lamia is selfish, but in a more malicious way than Victoria, and that selfishness is usually more focused on the long game than immediate gratification.

 The Wall Guard:

 The wall guard trusts the traditions of his village and the importance of his role in those traditions, because that is the way it has always been done. This indicates that he trusts the surety of the past, but is somewhat distrusting of the future. This distrust is reinforced when Dunstan Thorn tricks him in order to cross the wall (something that he does not allow to happen again during Tristan’s attempt). However, he seems to know that there is value in obscuring certain truths when he tries to hide that Dunstan crossed the wall from Tristan. The major characterization that these brief interactions impart is that the wall guard operates on a system of personal honor, where what is real is less important than what is good.

 Yvaine:

 Since Yvaine is a star, she cannot hide when she is happy because she visibly shines. This means she has very little control over proof and is more so the victim of it, so to speak. Although she doesn’t actively lie, she does go along with Tristan’s lie that they are married, and Captain Shakespeare’s lie that Tristan was thrown off of the boat. She also condemns Victoria’s lack of proving her love while Tristan was doing so much to try to prove his. Overall, these interactions are muddy and don’t impart much characterization other than indicating that Yvaine’s inability to hide when she is happy is a weakness to be preyed upon.

 Septimus:

 Septimus meaningfully interacts with proof in two ways. The first is his pursuit of the throne of Stormhold. The second is the trust he displays towards anyone he doesn’t perceive as a threat. In his quest for the throne, he accepts the burden of proving he is worthy to be king by being the last surviving prince and restoring the royal ruby. Additionally, he gets proof that the soothsayer is a traitor before he kills him. These indicate that he believes what is proven to be what is real: if he is the last surviving prince, then he is, in fact, the most worthy person to be king. However, his trust in the word of others changing depending on whether what they say and do aids him or not (for example: he trusts Bernard telling him about the star, but not the clucking merchant), indicates that even if he believes himself to be the most worthy, he doesn’t believe worthiness is equated with mercy, goodness, etc. This reinforces the somewhat brutal rules for succession being normal for Stormhold.

 Captain Shakespeare:

 Captain Shakespeare’s main interaction with proof is having and manipulating the perception of an audience. When he interrogates Tristan, he makes sure to speak loudly enough for his crew to hear through the door. He also tosses a dummy wearing Tristan’s clothes out of a window on his ship, but gives enough verbal warning for the crew to be able to see it fall. Finally, he explains to Yvaine how his crew bought the show: “An ounce of bargaining, a pinch of trickery, a soupcon of intimidation, et viola! The perfect recipe for a towering reputation without ever having to spill one drop of blood.” This shows that Captain Shakespeare values both compassion and the rapport created through reputation. This value system indicates that Shakespeare is a balance of idealism and pragmatism, protecting idealism when the doors are closed and functioning in life by realistic means.

 Many of the other characters have moments of interacting with proof, but these are the ones that I found to be the most meaningful. These instances don’t just add another line of dialogue or another scene to draw out how much time the story takes, but add meaningful information that foreshadows events that happen to each character later on.

 So, at the end of the day, what can I take away from Gaiman’s storytelling in this movie to use in my own writing? First, the foreshadowing through the characterizations listed above is well done, and I’d like to emulate that in my own writing. Second, the subtle foreshadowing that Tristan would be the heir to the Stormhold throne and that Tristan’s attempt to prove his love to Victoria would be rejected (her disgust at polar bear’s head foreshadowed her disgust for the handful of stardust) was well done. Third, the placement of objects in the film that were meaningful later on was beautiful. The necklace not only acted as the indicator for successor, but also pulled Septimus into pursuing Yvaine. The lightning was not only gathered as a commodity, but a container of it was used by Tristan as a weapon against Lamia. All of Tristan’s sword training not only came in handy to intimidate Humphrey, but was integral to his fight with Septimus. A Babylon candle was used three different points in the plot. Each of these instances made the story feel more real and less arbitrary, because they acted organically with the plot more than once. Finally, the progression of events was well done and logically followed each other.

 That leaves the question of what aspect of storytelling in this film I wish to avoid in my own writing. While the storytelling is technically precise, I’m not sure if I could satisfactorily imitate Gaiman’s whimsy in interpreting the figurative as literal and the literal as figurative, but that is not necessarily something that I would consciously avoid in my own work. One aspect of the movie’s writing that I will avoid, though, is having a magical kingdom separate from our world only full of white people with English accents. It’s boring and doesn’t add flavor to the writing. To put another way, having no one but white English people in a story set in England is like thickening a soup with cornstarch in water instead of chicken broth; You still have soup at the end, but it could have tasted that much better.

 Luckily for all of us, I’ve made it this far with no bread or alcohol puns (mostly because I couldn’t think of any). I guess I’ll just have to settle for soup. Happy writing!

 What did you think of this week’s movie? Did you find a new technique for storytelling in it? Do you have questions for me? Is there a movie you would like me to write about? Let me know in the comments! I look forward to hearing from you! I post new articles on Wednesdays. Please remember to upvote, like, subscribe, and/or follow me on other social media if you find these articles useful and want to see more!

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

“That song…it’s gorgeous…” ][For Sal][

@blind-mutant

Mermaid pack

Sal hadn't known how long he had been in this pretty cage. The tank was full and luscious with plant life of all kinds and the water was clear from the top but shifted into an inky darkness where Sal resided most of his days. The air was kept humid and warm, with a shifting screen background and set lighting to change with the days before everything was lit up with the dake lights that Sal himself often gave off in the dark.

He was fed nice things. Tasty things and sometimes the woman who owned his cage would come in and feed him sweet treats from the human world, so long as he sang for her. Sal missed his real home, the wider and deeper ocean with the corals and fish that constantly shifted and changed instead of this sameness and limited deep he lived in, but it was his home now and Sal supposed he had to accept it.

Unless he wanted to get punished again, like the last time when he acted out and bit one of the guests his owner had brought to see him sing.

And today it seemed like she had broguht another one. A pale man who stood, utterly mesmerised, not quite close enough to the water for Sal to touch him, taste him sadly. Still, he was pretty enough from the seating area and the mermaid tilted his head, shifting on the rock he had been laying on to smile sweetly at this human. He got treats when he was nice and he didn't get hurt badly enough to scar.

"I hope my song is pretty, after all, I'm singing it just for you, bright moon." The man looked exactly like the moon Sal remembered from when he had been small and barely bigger than his father's palm. It was....nice to have something similar from the outside world in his cage.

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

for Sal: "I went to an art gallery event tonight. A performer walked in wearing a clay fawn mask, stripped, and breastfed members of the audience. Apparently it was a commentary on income inequality. I’ll be honest, though, I was there for the h'orderves. Incredible cheese, just incredible.”

@sebastianshaw

"I think you just went to a strip show." Even then, nothing like Shaw was saying sounded like a club. Sal kept his eyes on the bigger man, his face twisted into a look of disbelief. Shaw wasn't a lot like most of the rich men he stole from, so Sal mostly kept his hands to himself when it came to stealing. Especially after watching Shaw get up calmly one day...only to start a giant brawl for no reason.

No fucking thanks.

"Either way, there are better places to get horses doses, or cheese." Sal waved a hand, shoving a grape into his mouth from the fruit platter in front of them. "I'm into weird shit, but definitely not that."

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

@thecorteztwins

MARK BUMGARNER Couture Spring/Summer 2020 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways