#this is probably bc i'm a horror lover

[pinayelf]

LOVED THIS QUEST. LOVED HEZENKOSS, MY PROBLEMATIC WIFE. LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED

this game really delivered w Nevarra and death magic I LOVED IT SO MUCH

10/10 IMO

[causenessus]

love notes. | suna r.

she's always looking for new art. he's sending her pictures of romantic street art he finds in cities on away games. they say if you fall in love with an artist, you'll be in their art forever. she's the inspiration behind the love notes he's leaving on walls and sending her pictures of as if he's just stumbled upon them. he's the one she's thinking about everytime she's behind a camera.

suna x f! reader

COMPLETED haikyuu smau

taglist: CLOSED

playlists: 1 ( made by me </3 ) | 2 ( @eggyrocks's SUPERIOR playlist )

warnings & notes: language, alcohol/drinking, lots of written parts probably, extreme extreme pining, boths sides are in denial about how the other party feels about them, college timeskip, msby is a college volleyball team bc i said so and the team is slightly altered, timestamps don't matter, hurt & comfort having to do with family issues, comfort comes from found family <3, suna is a loverboy, miscommunication, friends to lovers, everyone's probably ooc. you can blame the horrors of my past relationships and zodiac sign. i know very little about photography and graffiti but i'm trying my best

THE EXHIBITS: coffee enthusiasts | ride or die bros for life

table of contents: (💌 for any chapters with written content <3)

part one: i know a guy (💌) part two: backstabbing bitch part three: rinnie poo (💌) part four: the "i'm disappointed" card part five: fire extinguisher man part six: rowdy teenagers (💌) part seven: there's life in these walls (💌) part eight: if you're willing to listen (💌) part nine: for as long as you'll have me (💌) part ten: connected the dots part eleven: would you light a building on fire for her? part twelve: support small businesses day part thirteen: big spoon deity part fourteen: one step forward, two steps back (💌) part fifteen: middle school boys locker room core part sixteen: remember in the morning (💌) part seventeen: sorry omi / the incident (💌) part eighteen: making mac and cheese at two in the morning? (💌) part nineteen: unspoken confessions (💌) part twenty: epilogue (💌)

moodboards: love notes, suna, y/n, suna & y/n

extras: kenma photography refs, suna & y/n sending each other tiktoks hc

thank you for reading love notes <3

[hcneymooners]

౨ৎ (still) thinking of summer slasher!pazzi…

best friends to lovers!pazzi. men & minors dni.

🫀⋆ part one. part two ( you are here.ᐟ ). part three.

cw: medium-level gore (guys, people they know die in this one), sexual tension, heavy sexual content (sorry! i'm ovulating), manipulation, morally ambiguous!p, morally ambiguous!a, the power of lesbians vs murder, unhealthy relationships bc it's a horror au, unhealthy coping mechanisms.

notes : this ended up being 10.8k so i'm splitting it off into a third part which should be shorter. you little freaks want to see p & the killer's showdown in detail so i have to oblige.

as always, feel free to give me all of your thoughts in my inbox. i hope you enjoy. love you.

azzi is the only thing that makes me feel like a real girl.

paige has written this in her blocky handwriting , the letters practically out to kill with how sharp the angles are. she hasn’t touched her journal in three days, her mind swept away by azzi’s easy tide.

her best friend lies next to her, her body heavy with sleep and rising with her slow breath. paige puts her diary to the side, and rolls over so that she can watch the gentle twitch of azzi’s face as she dreams. she smoothes out the wrinkles that splay across the other girl’s brow.

azzi smells sweet, like caramel, and paige can’t help but pull her fingers back and place them in her mouth. they taste only of skin but her eyes roll back as she pretends it’s azzi all over them anyway. she opens them again, dispels the fantasy, and watches azzi shift—the bottom curve of her ass peeking out of her criminally small cotton pajama shorts, her thighs so full.

and yes, it’s her first year in college (and paige’s second) and paige is probably high off of the end to a year without her but god, she just loves azzi so much. the pulse of affection is so sudden, so strong, that it makes paige squeeze her legs together as if to choke it out.

here is where she feels less sick, less hungry for the pain she thinks of inflicting on other people. here lies a real-life angel, stolen straight out of the gates.

sometimes paige pinches herself to ensure she’s awake because being with azzi is so much like heaven she isn’t sure she would be able to tell if she’d died.

that violent voice inside of her is so quiet, is so fond of her best friend that it almost brings her to tears because that means it really is a part of her and not a part of something else—it’s immovable and completely her own.

“p? what are you thinking about?”

paige blinks and watches as azzi’s soft brown eyes flutter open, dark and wet. god, she was born game. paige sneaks closer, smiles with pleasure as azzi hooks an arm around her waist. from azzi’s side of things, paige looks like a saint on fire, the sun rising through the winter behind her and dressing her blonde hair with a dark orange flame.

“nothing. just that i’m taller than you for real”

azzi laughs sleepily and even her breath is sweet. she’s just so thick, body flush with life. her scent radiates off of her: again the caramel, but violet too and a bit of something lactonic.

“in your dreams,” azzi murmurs, and paige can see she’s falling asleep again.

yes, she wants to say, you are in my dreams. you are my dream. my biggest one.

paige thinks of slitting azzi’s belly, soft and quick just to taste a little bit of her blood. the thought is immediately followed by tears. she wishes she wasn’t so sick.

azzi, even asleep, seems to sense her need for comfort. she presses close, sinks into paige’s lilac comforter and her valentino cologne-covered limbs, and tucks into her chest. the sickness shifts, enfolds her. azzi is now safe in its bubble.

paige feels hot at the thought of letting her go. she imagines another person experiencing this. the heat expands. she thinks of a knife in her hands, sinking into someone else.

stopping them, saving her.

𓇼 azzi is not handling this well. she’s barely making it through class; barely making it through anything. every morning she wakes with her head feeling heavier than before. she swallows a pill, tries to kill the part inside of her that keeps reminding her that her best friend is an absolute psychopath with a soft spot for her and that another psychopath has it out for her in a far more evil manner.

𓇼 she’s slipping at practice, sloppy and hesitant instead of making her shots count. geno doesn’t bother yelling at her, only gives her a look filled with leagues of disappointment. it’s only due to her pride that azzi doesn’t cry.

𓇼 she’s careful about how her time is spent, times her moments inside the apartment to align with paige’s outside of it. she fakes countless nights of sleep, slowing her breathing as paige lingers in an effort to catch her in the midst of her pretending. but that gets old and she finds herself still suffocating, still in pain, and swollen with a secret too big to fit inside of her neatly.

𓇼 so she sneaks out. treats her body like a hangar and drapes dresses across it that get shorter with every outing. she drinks until her mind is numb, shakes along to the music until she comes off too manic to be found interesting or pixie-dream-girl and then throws up in the morning in caroline’s bathroom, rubbing her cheeks to calm herself down.

𓇼 “azzi,” caroline says, her voice soft as she rubs her back. “can you tell me what’s going on?” but azzi keeps it quiet, keeps it down, because she thinks of paige and feels her stomach clench and her throat close with the urgent desire to be a good girl.

𓇼 trust me, paige’s phantom voice says. believe in me, it croons in her head. it never stops. she goes out again.

the bass is a snake beneath her skin, rattling in her ribs, reverberating in the hollow of her chest. it’s not enough.

azzi can tell she’s teetering on the edge of being out of control. caroline had texted her earlier, had offered to do a movie night post practice but azzi had found it frighteningly easy to lie to her for the nth time, typing out a stream of words that she couldn’t even remember clearly but knew were enough to get carol off of her back.

the air inside the club is sweltering—humid with sweat, perfume, the lingering tang of alcohol. bodies move together, fall together, silhouettes blending. the world is a sea of golden limbs and slick skin under shifting neon lights.

azzi is glowing under it.

her body is warm, fever-flushed, coated in a fine layer of brunt orange body glitter that dances on the edge of dark pink and catches the light every time she moves. tonight’s mini dress is navy blue and clings to her, threatening to reveal her down to the bone. the neckline plunges low, the exposed skin shimmering like she’s been dipped in summer. she smells sweet, addictive, and edible—something dangerous in a place like this.

azzi knows how she looks. she just doesn’t care.

she wants to disappear. wants to drown in the music, in the heat, in the slurred conversations and unfamiliar hands that press against her as she moves deeper into the crowd. but she can still feel it. the way her mind won’t let her slip away completely.

so she pushes further.

azzi finds a body—someone taller, faceless in the dim light but blonde enough to be her best friend for the night—and presses against them. she tilts her head back, lets her eyes flutter shut, lets herself sway, slow and deliberately, grinding in time with the music.

and for a second, it works. she almost forgets.

then her gaze lifts, unfocused, scanning lazily across the flashing strobes of purple, red, and blue.

and she sees them. or—no. no, she thinks she sees them.

a mask. the shape of it, half-hidden in the shifting bodies of the club.

her stomach plummets. she goes still.

the song is still playing, then it changes. the bass continues thrumming to a new rhythm, the people around her still swaying, almost twisted in prayer as they dance—but she isn’t. her blood rushes in her ears, louder than the music. she blinks, hard, but the figure is gone.

she jerks slightly as her dance partner tries to get her to come back, her breath hitching, the heat of the room suddenly suffocating. she feels like she’s going to cry, or throw up, or both. then, like a sign from god, a hand wraps around her wrist. the fingers are calloused, covered with cool silver rings.

azzi jerks, eyes snapping up, her entire body going stiff with discomfort. she goes to push them off, demand that they leave her alone, but it’s paige. she’s standing in front of her now, too close, her expression pissed. her fingers press into azzi’s skin, warm and unyielding.

"you gotta be fucking kidding me, az," paige mutters, low and sharp, eyes dragging over azzi’s glittering body before snapping up to her face. “are you fucking crazy?”

azzi opens her mouth, but words escape her. paige’s jaw tightens. her free hand lands on azzi’s waist, steadying her. azzi exhales a soft, tired laugh.

“how’d you find me?” her words slur slightly, not fully gone, but not all there either.

paige lifts a brow. “we share our location with each other, dumbass.”

azzi hums, tilting her head against the wall. “mmm, forgot about that.”

paige glares, jaw clenching. then she steps closer, crowding into azzi’s space.

“what the fuck are you doing?” she demands, voice still low, like she’s forcing herself to keep it together. she sounds like sex, azzi’s brain tells her unhelpfully. “you really thought you could just sneak out and i wouldn’t come find you?”

azzi rolls her eyes, her head tipping forward slightly. “i don’t—” she wavers, stumbling slightly, and paige’s hand is suddenly there, gripping her bicep, steadying her. azzi blinks at the contact, something complicated flickering across her face before it dies out.

"you snuck out,” paige says again, voice flat, but azzi can hear something else in it—knows she’s gotten under her skin. “didn’t tell anyone. didn’t tell me. i had to call caroline who was worried out of her mind by the way.”

azzi swallows hard. she’s still trembling, still caught between panic and the aftermath of it, still seeing flashes of the mask in her mind like her own private film.

paige watches her closely, then exhales sharply. her hand slides up, grips the back of azzi’s neck.

“alright, nah,” she murmurs, voice lowering. “you're fucked up right now. you're done. i'm cutting you off. let’s go.”

azzi exhales another weak laugh. “i don’t wanna go.”

“yeah, well, i don’t care.”

paige tugs at her arm, but azzi resists, still leaning against the wall, still lost in whatever slow-motion, drowning feeling she’s been trying to sink into all night.

“i just needed—needed—“azzi starts, but she doesn’t finish.

paige waits. then her grip on azzi’s arm tightens, just slightly.

“needed what?”

azzi doesn’t answer. she looks up at paige, her lashes fringed with tiny tears as the party fades and reality sinks back in. paige’s jaw flexes, her hands follow suit. then, without another word, she steps even closer, her hands bracketing azzi’s hips, fingers pressing firm through the thin fabric of her dress.

“okay, fine,” paige murmurs, tone shifting—calmer now, almost coaxing. “you wanna stay? you wanna keep drinking and pretending shit didn’t happen?”

paige leans in, her lips ghosting the shell of azzi’s ear. “i’ll tell you what’s gonna happen, az,” she murmurs. “you’re gonna let me walk you out of here, and you’re gonna get in my fucking car. or i carry you out. swear.”

azzi shivers. she opens her mouth, but paige is already stepping back, already pulling her toward the exit. she knows what azzi would choose.

so, azzi lets her.

she lets paige take her hand, lets her lead her through the press of bodies, weaving through the overstimulation of sweat-slick strangers. lets herself be found again.

the song echoes behind her as they exit, a ghostly question on the cool breeze: what about you / when i fuck things up, yeah.

paige will always find her.

azzi sniffles, leans her head against paige’s back as the older girl tries to get the passenger door open.

“‘m sorry,” she sobs. “i don’t know what’s wrong with me. i just wanna feel good.”

paige stills, then turns and tugs her into a tight hug. azzi twitches with her tears, melts into the fortress of paige’s arms.

“i just wanna feel good again,” she says again, and paige continues to hold her.

she doesn’t know how long they stand there, how long paige holds her up.

𓇼

the bathroom floor is cold.

it’s the first thing azzi notices when she wakes, her cheek pressed against the white tile, her body curled around the base of the toilet like it's an altar. they have a beautiful bathroom is the second thing she thinks—and it’s what tells her that she still may be a little drunk. she presses further into the floor, desperate for the beauty to purify her.

her head pounds. everything hurts. not just physically, but bone-deep exhaustion that makes her wonder if this is what dying feels like.

she doesn't remember getting home. doesn't remember much after seeing paige at the club, after being found again. sunlight slices through the small window, hitting the shower curtain and diffusing into something gentle. but it's still too much. azzi closes her eyes, groans, feels her stomach heave.

she’s now at the point where she has no shame. she lies on her stomach, covered only by an oversized navy blue uconn tee and a pair of black cotton panties that do nothing to cover the full bubble of her ass. she thinks of paige changing her and the shame returns.

"mornin', princess."

azzi flinches. the shame deepens. she doesn't need to look to know it's paige, leaning against the doorframe, watching her. always watching.

"go away," azzi mumbles, her voice cracking straight down the middle to reveal her heart.

"nah, i don't think so." paige's voice is controlled, but azzi can hear the tension beneath it. "you look like shit. need to get some food in you."

azzi finally opens her eyes, turns her head slightly to look at paige. the blonde is wearing a loose t-shirt and shorts, her hair pulled back into a loose braid. she's holding a glass of water and two pills in her outstretched hand. even now, so clearly disappointed and irritated, she’s so beautiful.

azzi closes her eyes again, as if to stop paige from getting in. but her desire for her, her need has already infested her. to want paige was a disease and the spores had long spread deep into azzi’s body.

"i said go away."

paige sighs, stepping into the bathroom and crouching beside her. "take the pills, az."

"no."

"bro, stop being difficult. just take them."

"i don't want your help," azzi says, each word deliberate. she sits up slightly, her back against the bathtub, ignoring how the movement makes the room spin. "i can take care of myself."

paige laughs, but there's no humor in it. "yeah? that what you was doing last night? taking care of yourself?"

humiliation stings through azzi, quick and sharp. she remembers flashes—the body glitter, hands on her waist, the pulsing lights. the mask. always the mask.

"leave me alone."

"i'ma get you some toast. you need to eat."

"no."

paige's jaw tightens. "azzi. get the fuck up. you need to eat something."

"i said no!" azzi snaps, louder now, her voice bouncing off the bathroom walls. she knows she’s being childish, knows that this is her begging for attention but, "just—stop. stop pretending like everything's normal. stop acting like you care."

paige goes still. "acting?"

"yes, acting! this whole—" azzi gestures wildly between them, "—this whole thing. it's bullshit."

"bullshit," paige repeats, her voice dangerously soft. she sets the water and pills down on the edge of the sink with controlled precision. "you think i'm acting."

"i think you're a fucking liar," azzi says, and immediately regrets it. not because it isn't true, but because saying it out loud makes her unable to escape it.

paige's eyes flash. "a liar."

"yes! you—" azzi stops, swallows hard. her head is pounding so fiercely she can barely think. "you're not who i thought you were."

"no?" paige shifts closer, her eyes never leaving azzi's face. "who am i then, az? tell me. since you got me all figured out."

azzi closes her eyes, wishes she could disappear. "i don't know. it’s driving me crazy."

silence stretches between them, taut and heavy. then paige speaks, her voice surprisingly gentle.

"i told you, az. i'm just trying to protect you."

and there it is—the thing they don't talk about. the monster under the bed.

"protect me?" azzi laughs, bitter and broken. "from what? from who? the other killer, right? or maybe from yourself?"

paige's expression hardens. "you know better than that. they're out there, and they've got it in for you. you think i'm making that up? you think i enjoy this? watching you fall apart?"

"i don't know what to think anymore!" azzi's voice rises, threatens to crack. "i don't know what's real. i just know that my best friend—" she chokes on the words. "my best friend is a killer. and i'm just supposed to what? trust you? follow you around like some lost puppy?"

"i ain't never hurt you," paige says, fierce and low. "never would."

"but you've hurt others."

paige doesn't deny it. she just watches azzi, her gaze steady.

"i'm just trying to keep you safe," she says finally.

something in azzi snaps.

"for what?!" she shouts, pushing herself up straighter despite the way it makes her stomach churn. "why do you even care? it's not like i'm your girlfriend!"

the words hang between them, electric and dangerous. azzi freezes, realizing what she's just said, what she's just revealed. paige's eyes widen slightly, her lips parting in surprise. "az…" she starts, her voice softer now. "hey…"

"get out," azzi whispers, panic rising in her chest. "get out. get the fuck out!"

she's shaking now, tears threatening to spill over. she didn't mean to say it. didn't mean to expose herself so easily.

paige doesn't move. instead, she reaches out, her fingers brushing against azzi's cheek, gentle in a way that makes azzi want to scream.

"nah," paige says softly, her thumb wiping away a tear that has escaped despite azzi's best efforts. "i don't think that's what you want."

she's right.

paige shifts closer, careful and slow like she's approaching a wounded animal. in one fluid motion, she slides down to sit on the cold tile and pulls azzi into her lap, cradling her against her chest. azzi is too tired, too hungover, too emotionally drained to resist.

"why don't you ever just tell me whatchu want, ma? like straight up?" paige murmurs, her breath warm against azzi's temple. her fingers thread through azzi's hair, nails scratching gently against her scalp in a way that makes azzi want to melt despite herself.

azzi swallows hard, her eyes closed tight against the tears that threaten to spill. "because," she whispers, "one day you'll get tired of me. of this. of whatever this is."

her voice cracks on the last word, and she hates how vulnerable she sounds, how much she's revealing.

"and then what happens to me? what happens when you decide i'm not worth protecting anymore?"

there’s silence and then paige wraps a hand around her chin, forces her to look at her. she takes azzi’s hand in hers, lifts it up to the light and they both watch as she slides their hands together. she brings them down, twists so that azzi’s palm is revealed, and presses it down over her heart.

“you hear that?” paige says, and azzi slows her breathing as she tries to listen. eventually, she hears it. paige’s heart, on one hundred, plump and ripe as it pounds steadily against the meat of her hand. “do you know who’s doing this to me?”

azzi looks up at paige, eyes glistening. paige asks her again, voice steady, eyes steadier. “answer me. who’s doing this to me, az?”

“me,” azzi whispers.

“you,” paige affirms. her eyes are so bright, like ice under sun. “i’ll be tired of you only when i’m dead. and even then, i’ll claw my way up from hell to be with you in heaven, mama. i can promise you that.”

azzi watches her, sees the gleam of bloodlust and nods. she digs her nails into paige’s shoulder, and claws into her. she relaxes when paige claws back.

𓇼 azzi fakes it better. she packs up everything: the secret, the conversation that should’ve happened post her confessing her love for paige, the fear. it all festers. it beats against her brain like swallows against the glass of a window.

𓇼 she switches. the partying stops. the sneaking out slows. she remembers to have fun responsibly, runs herself into the ground at practice. she’s fine. perfect even.

𓇼 but the isolation begins. she needs to know who she’s dealing with, what vendetta she’s running from.

𓇼 paige won’t tell her much, this she knows. she tells her she’s tired to keep her at bay, but paige knows she’s lying. azzi supposes she allows her to get away with it because of the way she had been lying to her before. eventually, her time will be up.

𓇼 everyone is still worried about her though no one will say it.

𓇼 caroline starts sleeping over so much that azzi tells her to go back to her own place, if only to prevent paige from almost weeping with jealousy or something more psychopathic.

𓇼 morgan finds a way to keep touching her, trying to anchor her via the exercises given to her by her therapist. aubrey offers to talk and azzi says no, thank you with a bright smile. nika squeezes her shoulders when they hit the library together to study for a biomechanics exam from hell.

𓇼 the other girls follow suit: jana suddenly always ready for brunch, ice and kk practically living on her and paige’s couch, ashlynn walking with her after class. paige hates that one the most. azzi doesn’t understand it.

𓇼 paige will tense when ashlynn’s hand wraps around hers, their arms glued together as the other girl tries to talk azzi out of her worried thoughts.

𓇼 azzi kind of likes it, likes the fact that paige feels that something as simple as holding her hand should only fall within her jurisdiction. ash thinks it’s funny and azzi says nothing, focused on finding a way to live with the knowledge that she’s being hunted down.

𓇼 still, nothing makes the spiral stop. it only slows.

𓇼 sleep becomes a luxury azzi can't afford. every night after paige drifts off, azzi slips out of bed and hunches over her laptop at the kitchen table, blue light painting shadows across her face as she scrolls through article after article.

𓇼 victims one, two, and three: three volleyball players from the same school, found together. victim four: jasmine williams, duke basketball standout. body discovered behind the equipment shed.

𓇼 victim five: madison park, tennis prodigy from MIT. bled out on the pavement, a neat crescent carved across her neck. victim six: sophia rose, soccer star from uconn. found on the field with multiple stab wounds. no witnesses.

𓇼 azzi creates a map, marks each location with a red dot. she writes out their names, their sports, their accolades. she searches for connections, for patterns, for any reason why these specific people were targeted. for any reason why she might be next.

𓇼 the pattern emerges slowly, then all at once: they were stars. the ones coaches praised in press conferences. all but two were team captains. all were exceptional athletes with promising futures. ones with highlight reels that once went viral, but now stood as a testament to their white lighter lives.

𓇼 ones like paige. ones like her.

𓇼 "fuck," she whispers to the darkness. "what's the fucking point of any of this?"

𓇼 dark circles form under her eyes. she drinks coffee until her hands shake. caroline notices, offers to get her a prescription for something to help her sleep. azzi declines with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. she knows herself, and what she can become. the last thing she needs is to have to be weaned off of the sweet lullaby of a drug.

𓇼 at practice, she's still razor-sharp. fear has a way of focusing the mind, and basketball has always been her sanctuary. on the court, she doesn't have to think about killers or survival or her best friend's bloody (perfect) hands.

𓇼 geno watches her with concerned eyes but says nothing. he knows better than to interfere with whatever parasite eats at inside of her. kk whispers to jana that azzi seems "haunted." jana just nods, squeezes azzi’s hand during an exercise.

𓇼 night after night, azzi builds her theory. tacks photos to a corkboard she hides in her closet when paige is around. connects threads between victims who seemed to have nothing in common except their athletic excellence and the brutal way they died.

𓇼 she's so deep in her research one night that she doesn't hear paige approach until warm hands slide over her shoulders.

"princess, it's 3 am," paige's voice is thick with sleep, her fingers kneading the tension from azzi's neck. "what you still doing up?"

azzi quickly closes her laptop, but not before paige catches a glimpse of the crime scene photos.

"just couldn't sleep," azzi says, leaning back into paige's touch despite herself.

paige sighs, her breath warm against azzi's ear. the heat makes azzi’s body lock up, then break down."you can't keep doing this to yourself, ma. you gotta rest sometime."

"i'm fine."

"nah, you not." paige spins azzi's chair around, forcing her to meet her eyes. "i miss you."

the simple confession catches azzi off guard. paige looks vulnerable in the dim kitchen light, her hair messy from sleep. she’s in one of azzi’s hoodies, the sleeves well-worn.

"i'm right here," azzi says softly.

"you’re not though. you’re here—" paige taps azzi's forehead gently, "—but you’re not here." she places her hand over azzi's heart. "i want you here w’me. i miss my best friend."

the words hit azzi like a physical blow. because despite everything—despite the lies, the blood, the danger—she misses paige too. misses the simplicity of before, when paige was just her overprotective best friend and not a borderline psychopath trying to save her from another.

"come on," paige says, tugging azzi up from the chair. "laptop closed. no more death tonight."

azzi allows herself to be pulled to her feet. "what are you doing?"

paige grins that familiar smile that makes azzi's heart skip despite everything. it’s in moments like this one where azzi can see how paige will age, how she'll morph over time into something so golden and full of life. she watches as paige walks over to the speaker on the counter and connects her phone. a moment later, sza's voice fills the kitchen, low enough not to disturb their neighbors.

"dancing," paige says, extending her hand. "like we used to."

azzi hesitates, just for a moment, before taking her hand. "this is ridiculous."

"prolly."

but paige pulls her close, one hand on her waist, the other still holding azzi's. they sway together in the dim kitchen, bare feet on cool wood, the music wrapping around them like a cocoon. azzi rests her head on paige's shoulder and inhales the familiar scent of her skin. 

for a moment, they're just two college students, dancing in their kitchen at 3 am because they can. maybe even two women married and tried, nothing in between them but love found true. 

"i got a question for you," paige murmurs against her hair.

"hmm?"

"go out with me."

azzi pulls back slightly, eyes searching paige's face. "that’s not a question."

"az. you know what i mean. like, for real. a date. me and you." paige looks almost shy, which is so unlike her that azzi almost laughs. "been wanting to ask for a minute now."

"a date," azzi repeats, tasting the word. "like roses and dinner and—”

"mmhmm. if that's what you want. i just want you. however, you'll have me."

the honesty in paige's voice makes azzi's chest ache. this is what she's wanted for so long, and now that it's here, wrapped in flesh and blood, she doesn't know what to do with it.

"yes," azzi says before she can think better of it. "yes, i'll go out with you."

paige's smile is like the sun breaking through clouds. she spins azzi around suddenly, making her laugh in surprise, before pulling her back in close.

"bet," paige says, pressing her forehead against azzi's. "friday night. i'ma show you the best night of your life, promise."

azzi believes her.

𓇼 the next morning feels different. lighter somehow. azzi catches herself humming as she makes her matcha, stealing glances at paige across the kitchen. paige is unabashedly staring back and it makes azzi laugh so much she flashes her teeth.

𓇼 paige’s phone is connected to the mini speaker sitting on the counter and when ‘power trip’ by j. cole filters through, she sings the chorus to her with her hands out as if pleading azzi to release her from this cycle they're in. azzi flushes, covering her face as paige tells her “we are, we are, we are” in response to miguel’s crooning question of: would you believe me if i said i'm in love?

𓇼 azzi tries to play it cool, tries to tamp down the wave rising in her stomach. she rolls her eyes, pushes paige back as she makes her way to the door. at the last minute, she turns and says “i do want you, though,” in response to paige's horrifically loud and off-key wails about how she wants her to want her. 

𓇼 paige lights up, full body, and rushes to the door. azzi giggles and shuts the door just in time, laughing louder at paige’s dramatic cry of her name behind the wood. 

𓇼 still, she doesn’t lose sight of her goal. the research remains, tucked away in a folder on her laptop, but for the first time in weeks, azzi feels like she can breathe. like maybe there's a way through this darkness after all.

𓇼 paige brings her flowers between classes. it’s beautiful: a coil of baby pink peonies mixed in with lilies so orange they almost glow. azzi blushes when paige hands them to her in front of everyone, her smile pulled out like a ship called to shore.

𓇼 "what's this for?" azzi asks, burying her nose in the petals to hide her smile.

𓇼 "practice, princess," paige says with a wink. "for friday."

𓇼 the rest of the team notices the shift. kk raises an eyebrow when paige's hand lingers on azzi's back during practice. jana smirks knowingly when they arrive to team breakfast together, paige carrying azzi's bag alongside her own.

𓇼 caroline corners azzi in the locker room. "finally happening, huh?" she asks, nodding toward paige across the room. azzi just shrugs, but she can't keep the smile off her face. "maybe."

𓇼 "about time. you two have been dancing around each other forever." this time from ashlynn. the words are sweet, encouraging, but azzi can’t help but feel her tone is slightly cold. however, the irony of that statement—of how literal their dancing had been—makes azzi laugh.

𓇼 even geno seems pleased, his usual gruff demeanor softening when he catches paige stealing a kiss from azzi after a particularly good drill, her lips parting to show her teeth as she grins against azzi’s cheek.

𓇼 for three blissful days, azzi almost forgets. believes they could be normal. convinces herself that the horrors lurking beneath the surface of their lives might remain there. 

𓇼 but nothing good lasts forever.

𓇼 it happens on thursday night. one day before their date. azzi, jana, and morgan are in the library, their concentration on the edge as they cram for their biomechanics exam.

𓇼 "i swear to god, if i never hear the word 'kinetic chain' again, it'll be too soon," morgan groans, closing her book with a thud.

𓇼 "you know your stuff," jana insists, nudging morgan with her elbow. "you'll do fine, babe."

𓇼 "easy for you to say. you're actually good at science."

𓇼 azzi knocks their knees together in camaraderie, about to chime in with her own complaints about the exam, when the lights flicker once, twice, then go out completely.

𓇼 the library plunges into darkness, the only illumination coming from the emergency exit signs casting a deep red glow across the stacks.

"please, don’t panic," calls the library assistant from somewhere near the front desk. "probably just a power surge. the emergency lights should kick in soon."

azzi's phone illuminates, casting harsh shadows across her face. jana and morgan follow suit, three small pools of light in the darkness.

"weird," morgan whispers, glancing around. "i’m kind of freaked out. do you think we should wait it out or—"

the crash of breaking glass cuts through the quiet, followed by screams from the front of the room. then another sound that makes azzi's blood freeze—music drifting through the darkness. a slow, distorted rock ballad playing from somewhere in the stacks.

"we need to go," azzi says, already gathering her books. "now."

before they can move, there's a commotion at the front desk, more screaming. the library assistant's voice rises in panic before cutting off abruptly. 

"back exit," jana whispers, grabbing morgan's arm. "through the archives."

they move quickly through the darkness, phone lights bobbing, hearts pounding. azzi leads, and jana follows, with morgan bringing up the rear. the music grows louder as they navigate between shelves, the slow, grinding guitars creating a surreal backdrop to their flight. they reach the archives section when azzi hears it—the soft scrape of footsteps behind them, too deliberate to be another panicked student.

"hide," she hisses, pulling jana behind a tall shelf. morgan ducks behind a study carrel, her breathing shallow and fast.

from their hiding place, azzi can see a figure moving through the shadows. the mask gleams in the red emergency light; that same nightmare mask she'd glimpsed in the club, in her dreams. 

"there's a window in the rare books room," jana breathes against azzi's ear. "we can break it, get out."

azzi nods, scanning the darkness. the killer seems to be moving away from them, toward the front of the archives. if they're quick, if they're quiet…

"on three," she mouths. "one. two—"

morgan's phone chimes loudly, an incoming text that shatters the silence. the killer whips around, head tilting like a predator sensing prey.

"run!" azzi screams and the sound tears through her throat like razor wire.

they break cover, sprinting toward the rare books room. the killer moves with inhuman speed, cutting between shelves to intercept them. jana reaches the door first, yanking it open, shoving morgan through. azzi feels the air shift behind her, and ducks instinctively as metal slices the space where her head had been. she tumbles forward, scrambling on hands and knees toward the door.

inside the room, jana is already at the window, using a chair to break the glass. the sound of shattering is thunderous in the small space. morgan helps clear the jagged edges from the frame.

"hurry!" morgan cries.

the door bursts open. everything slows down. 

in the light of the exit sign, azzi sees the glint of the knife, sees jana pivot to protect morgan, sees her own hands reaching for anything to use as a weapon. the attack is swift, brutal. jana manages to land a solid kick that sends the killer stumbling back into a shelf. books rain down, an avalanche of hard weight. morgan helps azzi to her feet, both of them backing toward the window.

"almost there," morgan says, her voice incredibly earnest as she gestures at the window frame.

the killer recovers, lunging forward. jana grabs a heavy tome from behind her and swings it with all her strength. it connects with the killer's arm, and as the killer moans in pain, something snaps—a thin silver bracelet that falls to the floor with a musical chime. azzi's eyes lock onto it, the breath freezing in her lungs. she knows that bracelet. 

the realization floods her with ice-cold clarity. it’s short-lived, a moment of consciousness before the killer slickly pivots, knife finding its mark in morgan's abdomen.

the sound morgan makes isn't a scream—it's smaller, more surprised. a soft "oh" as the blade sinks deep. hot blood blooms across her faded beige sweatshirt, appearing black as it stains the stitches of the malibu imprinted upon it. 

jana screams, the sound primal and raw. the tang of blood fills the air and mixes with the salt of the tears tracking down azzi's face, mixes with the snot and spit of terror. she can taste it all. fear has a flavor; it’s metallic and bitter at the back of her throat. 

the killer twists the knife cruelly before yanking it free. morgan stares down at the spread of her own blood, her expression more confused than pained. she’s mumbling, misunderstanding what’s happened to her as her mind tries to shield her one last time. her knees buckle, but the killer grabs her before she can fall with a strength that seems impossible for their frame. in one fluid motion, they drag morgan toward the window, its glass teeth jagged and waiting to tear flesh.

jana recovers first, charging forward with a wail that shreds her vocal cords raw. but the killer is ready. they are always ready. they sidestep at the last moment, and jana's momentum carries her past, sending her crashing into a display case. azzi lunges forward—but it's too late. 

the killer heaves morgan's body through the window, the glass slicing her skin neatly as she tumbles through. her body falls into the darkness, a wet thud following a moment later, sickening and final. azzi’s eyes fill with tears, taking in jana’s distraught hiccuping sobs and her own rough weeping from the floor. morgan is silent, smashed into a memory on the pavement, her face undone into a mess of blood and bone. 

azzi crawls to the window, heaves herself up. she must look insane but she doesn’t care. this can’t be happening. this isn’t happening. morgan needs to wake up. this isn’t funny. 

“morgan. morgan, wake up. mo, please wake up. please. please.”

the world is smearing together. there’s white noise inside of her head. azzi is crying so hard that she’s unable to breathe, her body unleashing a sound that doesn’t belong in a human throat. she fights to not slide to her knees, sobbing as she distantly registers jana weakly crawling to her side, pulling azzi away into her arms. they’re a terrible scene: a girl holding a girl who is calling to a corpse.

“morgan, please. please.”

the world is ending around them. this is her worst fear realized. the killer only watches them, head tilting slightly. even through the mask, azzi feels the cold assessment, the casual cruelty. 

they're not people to this monster—just sacks of meat to be opened, animals to be put down.

azzi's gaze drops to the broken bracelet on the floor, then back to the masked figure. "i know who you are," she whispers, her voice a ragged remnant. "i know, and i swear to god, i will kill you."

the killer's shoulders rise and fall in what might be a silent laugh. then, with one last look at the girls struggling to their feet, they melt back into the darkness, vanishing amidst the soundtrack of their destruction.

𓇼

azzi’s only silent when the police come. she’s incoherent, her mouth and chin covered in vomit. there’s a refusal to process the truth, a refusal to process the dead body splayed underneath the window. and yet, when they lead the girls outside, she finds the strength to run and hold morgan’s shattered body to her stomach when they try to take her away. 

she looks oddly beautiful, jana thinks, gaze distantly focused on what’s left of morgan. her eyes are so pretty. she has big, starry eyes. sad baby eyes. i should’ve told her. jana collapses then, cracks her head on the sidewalk as she goes out cold.

azzi pays her no mind, says something over and over, so quickly that she remains unaware that she’s speaking. when she accesses the police report later she reads that she sat in morgan’s blood, crying out that she loved her again and again for over thirty minutes. the officers had let her have that time, had understood who this girl had been to her. the paramedics had whisked jana away almost immediately after her fall, unable to waste any more time. 

but what sticks in azzi’s head years after the massacre is the way that murderer had looked at them. the way their body had radiated triumph and a tinge of sick desire as they watched her on the floor, as they watched her take in what was left of her teammate and friend.

azzi had been too busy screaming to see how jana had looked up and had silently begged them to kill her. but the killer knew at that moment that it would only hurt them more to remain alone and alive. that it would eat them whole. jana had grasped at them as they moved away from her and toward the door. she had almost touched their boot when they’d kicked her in the side, sending her toppling and cracking into the wall. 

she’d landed hard, face to face with her slack-eyed reflection in the display case. her own eyes stared her down, and then she’d picked herself up, her body aching severely. she had crawled to azzi, unable to get up a second time, and curled around her wailing form.

now, azzi is silent. jana is unconscious. morgan is gone. 

the body bag zips up over a person she knew, a girl she loved so much, that she would’ve done anything for. she lays on her back, her ribs fractured and grief punching through her lungs. she feels blood pool in her mouth. 

a friend is dead, and the other is in critical condition. she thinks of this. she remembers the bracelet. she is filled with the certainty that she knows exactly who's trying to kill her.

as her eyes shut, light floods through her teeth. the sun’s risen.

𓇼 paige doesn't leave her side after that. not for a second. she sleeps curled around azzi like a shield, her body tense even in unconsciousness, ready to spring into action at the slightest sound.

𓇼 "i'm so sorry, mama," paige whispers against azzi's hair, over and over, like a prayer or a promise. "i should've been there.”  she should have.

𓇼 azzi doesn't respond. can't find the words past the knot of grief in her throat. morgan is gone. sweet, funny morgan who always shared her snacks and locked her door and never forgot anyone's birthday.

𓇼 she can’t even imagine the emptiness that’s pooling deep inside of aubrey. she didn’t have a chance to speak to her. upon receiving the news all the light just left her. she shut down, went home. 

𓇼 the campus goes into extreme lockdown. classes are canceled. police swarm every building, every walkway. students are advised not to go anywhere alone, to go home if they’re able.

𓇼 jana stays with them, unable to return to the dorm she shared with morgan and sarah. she sleeps on their couch, when she sleeps at all. mostly she stares at the wall, her eyes hollow.

𓇼 "did you—did you see…" jana starts one night, her voice still hoarse from screaming. "did you see anything? anything that could help identify them?"

𓇼 azzi exchanges a look with paige, whose expression has gone carefully blank. jana’s stay has resulted in paige having to act normal, but more interestingly—it’s yielded kindness toward someone who isn’t azzi. paige is quiet, not because she aims to protect herself, but because she wants to shelter jana.

𓇼 "just the mask," azzi lies, the broken bracelet burning a hole in her pocket where she'd slipped it during the chaos. "nothing useful."

𓇼 but she knows. she saw enough in those brief, violent moments to confirm what she'd thought she’d hallucinated. the bracelet. ashlynn's bracelet. 

𓇼 she had watched her fidget with it during team meetings, a nervous habit. had complimented it once, and ashlynn had smiled coldly, said it was a gift from her mother. ashlynn, who was nondescript and kind and perfectly under the radar. who had thrown morgan out of the goddamn window.

𓇼 that night, jana falls asleep on their couch, the exhaustion of grief finally pulling her under. azzi sits at the kitchen counter, turning the silver bracelet over and over in her hands. the delicate chain catches the dim light, the small charm—a pair of wings—spinning slowly.

𓇼 paige watches her from the doorway, her expression unreadable. "you need to sleep, az."

𓇼 "can't," azzi says, not looking up.

𓇼 paige crosses to her, bare feet silent on the tile floor. she stops behind azzi's chair, close enough that azzi can feel the heat radiating from her body.

𓇼 "come on," paige says, her voice gentle in a way it rarely is with anyone else. "just for a little while."

𓇼 azzi allows herself to be guided to paige's room, the bracelet still clutched in her palm. the door clicks shut behind them, and for a moment, they just stand there in the darkness, breathing each other's air.

𓇼 "it's ashlynn, isn't it?" azzi whispers finally, the words barely audible.

𓇼 the silence stretches, thick and heavy between them. paige's silhouette is motionless against the faint glow from the window.

𓇼 "isn't it?" azzi repeats, her voice cracking on the question. paige's shoulders slump, as if under an invisible weight. "yes."

𓇼 the single word lands like a physical blow. azzi makes a sound—something between a gasp and a sob—and sinks down onto the edge of the bed.

𓇼 “what the fuck?”

𓇼 paige sits beside her, close but not touching. "she's always been... off. even before i knew what i was, i could sense something similar in her. i guess at one point, we were competing." paige's voice is low, careful. "she hates anyone who outshines her. can't stand not being the center of attention. went along for a while because it was fun, gave me a fix. then coach started talking about you being the future of the program...she snapped. i told her you were off limits."

𓇼 "but you—"

𓇼 "she's scared of me," paige says simply. "she knows what i am. what i can do. so she targets you instead."

𓇼 "to hurt you," azzi whispers. everything is finally coming together. "to get you out of the way."

𓇼 paige nods, her profile sharp in the dim light. "two birds, one stone."

𓇼 azzi opens her palm, the bracelet catching the moonlight. "what are we going to do?"

𓇼 "i’m going to get her back," paige says, the words falling like stones between them. "make it even."

𓇼 the certainty in paige's voice should frighten her, azzi thinks. the casual way she speaks of killing. but instead, it sends a different kind of shiver through her body.

azzi is unable to sleep despite her best efforts. 

she rolls over time and time again, even trying to listen to a three-hour video of ocean wave asmr. nothing works. her mind is buzzing with an amalgamation of terror and dark, desperate need. 

she sits up, her scarf and bonnet sliding down her back coolly. she swings her feet over her bed and stumbles through the door and into the hallway. she doesn’t bother taking her phone or using a flashlight. she knows where she’s headed; there was never anywhere else. 

paige opens the door with her eyes squinted with sleep, but it only lasts a minute. she’s so attuned to azzi, so wired into the signal of her body. she steps forward halfway only for azzi to press her back into the room, closing the door behind her. she leans against the door, hands behind her back and on the doorknob before she speaks. 

“i feel so unsafe like someone is watching me,” azzi starts, not sure how to finish the thought. not sure what she needs beyond the immediate presence of paige's skin against hers, beyond the oblivion of touch. “i need you to watch me.”

 “’m not following, az,” paige tells her, brow furrowing in confusion. “watchu mean?”

azzi says nothing, only looking up at her from underneath her dark lashes.  then she moves, skirts around paige, and sits on her bed. she taps the space beside her gently, urging her best friend to come sit down. when paige obliges, azzi shifts back so that she’s further up and near the headboard.

without breaking eye contact, azzi takes her sleep shirt by the hem and lifts it over her head in one fluid motion. it leaves her chest bare, her nipples pebbling immediately in response to the cool air. they’re dark and hard, and make paige’s mouth water. her brain has gone offline. 

azzi continues, lifting her hips to slide down her shorts and reveal the jade-green panties she’s wearing. the lace is deepened to a lush, emerald green at the apex of her thighs—her arousal soaking through. azzi crawls forward, brings her hands to paige’s face, cradling it before pulling her forward. 

the first kiss is gentle—a question, an offering. the second is not.

azzi loses herself in the heat of paige's mouth, in the insistent press of her body. she tastes like mint and something headier, something that makes azzi’s head spin. they fall back onto the bed together, a tangle of limbs and desperate hands. paige's mouth finds the sensitive spot where azzi's neck meets her shoulder, and azzi arches up, a soft moan escaping her lips. 

they break apart and paige hovers above her, eyes reflecting starlight from the window. azzi thumbs at her bottom lip, swipes up the saliva there, and pushes it back in. she curves her finger, fucks it in like she would in paige’s cunt, and feels her stomach pulse as paige rocks down, eyes going up momentarily and revealing white.

"unh," she says eloquently, her voice rough with wanting and the syllables slurred around azzi’s fingers.

azzi laughs, then retracts her fingers. she forces paige up and off of her, adjusting so that she sits back on her haunches with her knees bent. she breathes. “i’m going to touch myself, and you’re going to watch me. and when i’m ready, i’ll ask you to touch.”

paige can’t think. she’s working on base instinct, on the primal need to please the girl before her. azzi smells so sweet like she always does. it’s sugar, pear, plum, and at the base—caramel. paige can't help but lean forward and bite down, working into the muscle of her tits. her fingers trace the high peak of the nipple left neglected by her tongue, moaning in tandem with azzi as the other girl spasms with pleasure. paige wonders if she can get her to cum just like this, if she can get her to release wet and hot and sticky all over her face; drip sweet and warm into her mouth. 

azzi shifts beneath her, her ass practically spilling out of her lace panties, her thighs so full, so perfect. paige has to swallow a groan at the sight.

and yes, azzi’s just been through a horrific incident,  and paige is barely holding it together, and probably high off of finally, finally having this moment, but god, she just aches for azzi so much. a spear of desire pierces through her, making her dig her nails into azzi's back to keep it down.

she thinks of before, of that same feeling of feeling less sick, less starved for the blood she thinks of wheedling out of perfect strangers. now, her body sings a cohesive tune. it’s azzi, all the time.

 “paige," azzi whispers, pulling her up for another kiss. "you—fuck—you have to listen. not yet, okay? i promise i’ll let you touch soon, let you do anything you want to me.."

paige obeys. she can’t do anything but. she busies herself with losing her mind silently as she uses every single molecule of strength in her body to pull back. she isn’t good at being good all the time though, so she sneaks one last touch in and revels in the small sounds azzi makes when her fingers find her swollen clit, in the way she bucks when paige's mouth trails down her neck when paige’s nails mark up her inner thighs. 

every touch feels both new and familiar as if they've been doing this for years, as if they were made for exactly this. paige thinks they were. azzi finds she agrees. finally, paige stops touching her and azzi can do what she needs to. she sits fully on her ass now, thighs spread open and a hand dangling lazily in front of the wet fabric of her underwear.

after a while, she drags them down her legs and off. she goes to slip them off the side of the bed, but paige stops her with a quick hand. she takes them, swirls a fingertip in the middle of the fabric where all of azzi’s arousal lies spilled. paige looks up, keeps eye contact as she sucks it off. azzi has to physically restrain herself from lunging for her.

instead, she spreads her legs wider and smiles slowly as paige’s eyes glaze over. azzi looks as confectionary as paige imagined her to be, her cunt perfect and full with brown folds that give way to a pink as bright as turkish delight. it drools unabashedly, precum sliding down and out onto the bed. 

she's so sensitive, crying out weakly as she slides a finger inside. she pushes herself hard from the start, then harder and harder—takes herself further and further. paige is trying so hard to be good; her body practically twitches with it.  she watches intently as azzi’s fingers dip deep inside her gummy walls, curling and pulling until a thin ring of white sits frothy and bright at the base of them. 

azzi surrenders her eye contact with paige, head kicking back as she rolls a thumb over the rosy pearl of her clit. it’s swollen and straining with stimulation. paige makes a sound low in her throat as azzi’s brow scrunches, her hips rolling and swiveling to meet her ministrations. and paige knows she’s supposed to be waiting for permission, knows that she’s only supposed to do what azzi wants her to. but she just—she just—fuck. 

she just wants azzi to feel good, and she’s so clearly struggling—so clearly begging for it. she can tell azzi is getting close, her thighs quivering as the muscles flex beneath the skin. just as azzi falls apart, paige crawls forward and over her, lowering her head to press against azzi’s kiss-swollen lips.

when her best friend falls apart beneath her, it’s electric and paige swallows the sparks, feeling something inside her chest crack open, something tender and frightening blooming in its place. she doesn’t let up, doesn’t stop despite azzi’s high whimpers. instead, paige trails a hand down until she reaches azzi’s pussy, playing with the lips and sinking in and out. her mouth is running a mile a minute, most of it incoherent and filthy.

“shit’s loose as fuck,” she murmurs against azzi’s neck, the words hot against her veins. “perfect and ready f'me, right? so fucking needy for me, aren’t you, baby? she needs me, doesn’t she?”

azzi tries to answer, but every time paige fucks into her she loses all ability to create a sound. so she mouths it, presses an endless stream of ‘yeses’ just beneath paige’s ear. one of her hands comes up and twists into paige’s hair, yanking a mass of blonde as she chases her second high. paige groans gutturally, the pain so familiar and so fucking good.

she feels azzi twist beneath her, feels the signal her body is broadcasting, and she removes her fingers. azzi makes a sound like she’s been shot, and paige kisses her to soothe her. she works quickly, tipping them further back till azzi is completely flat on the comforter. with steady hands, paige pushes one of her legs further out so that there’s enough space for her to fit in between them. 

she shimmies out of her boxers and slides off of her shirt. azzi watches her with undisguised desire, her eyes softening as she takes in paige’s full, pale tits with their perfect rose-pink nipples. her brown eyes darken as her gaze dips and falls on paige’s cunt, the lips slightly large and iced like a cupcake with her cum.

“fuck,” azzi breathes. “fuck, p, you’re so pretty. you’re so beautiful, baby. did you cum from watching me?”

paige nods, head hazy from the praise. “uh-huh.”

azzi goes to say something more, but paige might just die if she doesn’t get to feel her. she surges forward, aligns their cunts, and then drops slowly. the minute their clits touch both girls let out twin moans, high and strained as if in pain. paige rocks forward first, then back. azzi lets her set the pace, her mouth slack and her eyes so low that her lashes touch her cheek. 

nothing in the world will ever feel as good as this. it’s simply a thought that paige knows to be true.

she leans down and places a hand behind azzi’s head, rocking her hips faster and faster. with every pushy and pull she can feel the heat of their cunts, their separate wetness becoming shared. paige thinks of the fact that as they move against one another, their cum is slipping deep inside of their pussies which makes her bounce faster which makes azzi groan like she’s been hit and that makes paige reach out and slide a finger in between her full lips. 

and azzi wants to cum together, she really does, but she’s already so sensitive and paige is tearing her apart in her quest for pleasure. it only takes another grind before azzi screams and squirts, her hand flailing out blindly until she finds paige’s wrist and yanks her fingers from her mouth.

as her orgasm crests, sending her vision white and blind, azzi digs her teeth into paige’s palm to keep herself quiet, bites until the skin splits, and a drop of blood dribbles down her chin.

“oh shit, ma,” paige slurs, her pupils dilating wide. “fuckkk, honey, keep going. look at you, baby. give me that shit. c’mon, there you go. make me cum.”

azzi’s so overstimulated that her body is involuntarily jerking with the feel of paige still going and her orgasm still going and the world just keeps going and—she whites out, going unconscious momentarily as paige bucks faster and faster, hell-bent on cumming right inside of her. 

“so close, mama, swear. fuck, just—just a little more. az, look at me.” paige slaps her cheek a couple of times, grinning maniacally as azzi blinks woozily back into the present. “look at me. yeah, fuck, yeahhh.”

azzi mewls weakly and she sounds so fucking pathetic that it’s what sends paige over the edge. 

“holy shit,” paige squeals, her mouth dropping open. “oh. oh shit, thank you. thank you, baby. you make me feel so good. made me feel so fucking good. so fucking—god.”

as paige cums for the second time, azzi cums for the fourth—dry. nothing comes out, but she still pushes paige off and curls into a ball, slamming her legs shut as she draws into herself.  paige is half-laughing half-sobbing on her side as her orgasm spills like sunlight into her belly, spreading out until she’s on fire. 

they lie like this for a while, until azzi pushes out a whine and reaches for her best friend. paige crawls to her, still delicious with pleasure, and presses against her. her tits are sweat-slick against azzi’s hot back, and she’s so grateful for the fan beside her bed. she reaches up, finds the remote, and turns it on. 

they both sigh as their skin begins cooling in the breeze, legs tangled beneath the sheets. azzi turns and traces patterns on paige's chest, her touch featherlight.

 "i've wanted that for so long," paige admits, the lack of light making her brave. "wanted you. always"

"i know, p. me too," azzi whispers, pressing a kiss to paige's shoulder. "it was perfect. you’re so perfect."

paige tightens her arm around azzi, pulls her closer. "whatever happens, whatever comes next… i need you to know this isn't just—"

"i know, baby," azzi interrupts, raising herself on one elbow to look down at paige. "this isn't just a distraction or a coping mechanism or whatever. this is us. this is real."

the relief on paige's face is palpable, even in the dim light. she reaches up, tucks a curl behind azzi's ear. "real," she echoes, tasting the word.

it’s a covenant.

𓇼 morning comes too soon, streaming through the blinds in gauzy, golden ribbons. azzi wakes slowly, aware of the welcome weight of paige's arm around her waist, the steady rhythm of her breathing against azzi's back.

𓇼 for a moment, she allows herself to simply exist in this bubble of warmth, to pretend that they're just two regular girls waking up together after a night of finally giving in to their deepest desires.

𓇼 "i can hear you thinking," paige mumbles against her neck, voice thick with sleep.

𓇼 azzi laughs softly, turning in paige's arms to face her. "good morning to you too."

𓇼 paige's eyes are soft, still hazy with sleep, her hair a wild halo against the pillow. she looks younger like this, azzi thinks. more vulnerable.

𓇼 "hi," paige says, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

𓇼 "hi," azzi returns, tracing the line of paige's jaw with her finger.  they stay like that for a moment, just looking at each other, relearning features they already know by heart. paige shuffles forward, kisses azzi close-mouthed and chastely. azzi hums, leans into her.

𓇼 the sound of a throat clearing breaks the spell. they both look up to see jana standing in the doorway, arms crossed, expression somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

𓇼 "y'all are not as quiet as you think you are," jana says, arching an eyebrow. "just fyi."

𓇼 azzi feels heat rush to her face, burying it in paige's shoulder with a groan. paige, on the other hand, just grins, unrepentant.

𓇼 "my bad," paige says, not sounding sorry at all.

𓇼 jana rolls her eyes, but there's a ghost of a smile on her lips—the first azzi's seen since morgan. "i made coffee. and we need to talk."

𓇼 she leaves them alone, footsteps retreating down the hall. azzi raises her head to meet paige's eyes.

𓇼 "so much for keeping this quiet," she says.

𓇼 paige shrugs, pulling azzi closer. "let 'em talk. i got nothing to hide."

𓇼 "nothing?" azzi asks, but they both know she’s asking something else.

𓇼 paige's expression sobers. "about us? nothing. ’m not ashamed of you, az.”

𓇼 azzi nods, pressing a quick kiss to paige's lips before sitting up. she looks down at her, strokes her thumb along her bottom lip. "no matter what you think, it's the same for me. i love you. all of you, paige.” 

𓇼 paige watches her move around the room, gathering discarded clothes, her eyes hungry in a way that makes azzi's skin heat all over again.

𓇼 "stop looking at me like that," azzi says, pulling on paige's oversized t-shirt.

𓇼 "can't help it," paige replies, folding her arms behind her head, making no move to get up. "you're something else, fudd."

𓇼 azzi throws paige's shorts at her head. "get dressed. we've got work to do."

𓇼 paige catches the shorts with one hand, laughing. "yes, ma'am."

𓇼 as azzi reaches for the door, paige calls out her name. she turns, one hand on the doorknob.

𓇼 "hmm?"

𓇼 paige's expression is serious now, all traces of playfulness gone. "i meant what i said last night. whatever happens, i got you. always."

𓇼 azzi feels something tighten in her chest, a mixture of fear and fierce affection. "i know, baby. i got you too."

𓇼 and she believes it. they have each other. and together, they're going to end this. or die trying. 

© hcneymooners.

[sisyphean-metamorphosis]

✨️ the version of scream (1996) that exists in my head dashboard simulator ✨️

🪟 sweet-cinnamon-roll-billy Follow

need to be stabbed sexual style so bad

🪟 sweet-cinnamon-roll-billy Follow

WRONG BLOG WRONG BLOG

870 notes

☎️ ghost Follow

what's ur favorite scary movie

25 notes

🔪 face Follow

need to be stabbed sexual style so bad

84 notes

🎬 horror-movie-enjoyer Follow

if this was a movie I'd be the prime suspect of the murders. on account of all my little freak swag

35 notes

👅 liver-alone Follow

new url :3

👑 i-wanna-be-in-the-sequel Follow

stu I swear to god

🔪 face Follow

I like it :)

72 notes

❤️‍🩹 sidney-survives Follow

i cant take ghostface seriously, when he was after me he kept saying "aaaaah I'm gonna getcha!!! I'm gonna getcha!!!"

🔪 face Follow

NO I DIDN'T

👑 i-wanna-be-in-the-sequel Follow

me when I lie

381 notes

🎬 horror-movie-enjoyer Follow

just saw Billy Loomis in the horror movie isle that's soooo in poor taste like if I was the main suspect of a bunch of murders I would simply not be in the horror movie isle

👅 liver-alone Follow

kinda gay to be looking at other men

🎬 horror-movie-enjoyer Follow

I'm straight

👅 liver-alone Follow

not for long!

902 notes

❤️‍🩹 sidney-survives Follow

investigating a weird sound bc I'm not a pussy

❤️‍🩹 sidney-survives Follow

ghostface. again. ngl this is getting kinda boring, you can only try to kill someone so many times, you know?

❤️‍🩹 sidney-survives Follow

everyone in the notes saying "enemies to lovers" shut up i literally have a girlfriend who i love with all my heart

❤️‍🩹 sidney-survives Follow

oh and a boyfriend i guess. forgot about that

❤️‍🩹 sidney-survives Follow

actually can someone remind me to break up with him later

563 notes

🎬 horror-movie-enjoyer Follow

if i could legally marry horror movies i probably would

👑 i-wanna-be-in-the-sequel Follow

this too is yuri

🎬 horror-movie-enjoyer Follow

I'm literally a straight man

👑 i-wanna-be-in-the-sequel Follow

give it a couple years

108 notes

aaaaand done! roll credits

ive had this in my drafts for weeks and finally gave up on making it better yippee

[aquilaofarkham]

Do u have any ideas for wat could happen with mizrak now that he's a vampire?

oh man i'll try to at least give some cohesive answers as best i can bc i'm very sick atm and my brain does not want to cooperate (also i realize something new about mizrak and olrox almost every day lol) but here's SOME possibilities:

obviously becoming a vampire doesn't make you inherently evil, it just seems to amplify certain emotions and desires to the enth degree. there's still some darkness there as we saw with tera, but she still loved maria immensely and wanted what was best for her which is why she made the decision to leave her for the time being. same thing with drolta like she was entirely devoted to sekhmet then once she became a vampire, that need to bring her back got taken to new extremes. i think one thing that will happen to mizrak as a vampire (something that already got hinted at during *the scene*) is him finally acting on his formerly repressed desires since he doesn't need to feel guilt or shame over them

one of his main hang-ups over olrox and vampires as a whole was how he believed they didn't have souls. however over the course of season 2 that belief starts to dissipate (first in horror over drolta's return as a night creature since night creatures require souls, then in a very subtle but still sweet revelation that olrox does actually have a soul). so mizrak becoming a vampire while still experiencing those same feelings of love, compassion, and maybe even some lingering guilt might serve as his final wake up call

of course he and olrox are not gonna be ok at first. olrox clearly didn't plan on turning mizrak and i think part of him knew that mizrak would probably resent him for it despite having saved him from hell (and to an extent old man coyote). they might even fight a lot especially over olrox supposedly being selfish for turning him (which i don't think he was entirely but again there's a lot more complexities and nuance to that decision). then olrox might fire back at mizrak for him still holding some hypocrisies. but with a combination of time, patience, and olrox being a genuinely caring maker (plus a lot of sex with biting and blood drinking who said that i didn't say that) i think mizrak might come to realize that they can have a life together and he doesn't have to sacrifice his morals or what he believes in. we can assume that olrox's previous lover didn't so he probably won't either

i don't think mizrak will give up on his faith entirely BUT i think he'll probably question or examine it more closely than before. also the concept of a vampire who still believes and prays to god is the sickest thing ever

i'm sure i'm forgetting a lot more personal theories but i'm gonna go lie down now _(´ཀ`」∠) _ thanks for asking!!

[viscerawrites]

viscerawrites

---

Ongoing/Open Events:

april writing commission giveaway

---

alrighty gang, the quest for an up-to-date pinned post is always ongoing <3 i figured i'd put up a new (re)intro bc !! things change a lot lol

about.

My name is Cassian but I also accept Viscera as a nickname. My pronouns are he/him and I am rapidly approaching year 22 on this earth.

I have been writing since I was 8, so about 14 years now, but am still constantly evolving and learning and developing my skills - like any artist!

I've written primarily fanfiction for most of my life, but I have MANY ocs and original wips and I think 2025 is the year of finally focusing on them!

For original fiction, I write primarily fantasy, modern with magic, or hidden fantasy settings. I'm also discovering my love for writing erotica and filthy nasty sex, so that's ... what a lot of my wips feature or center around nowadays!

You can read my original work on AO3 here, and I am working to build a neocities site to cross-post on.

I still write a lot of fanfic, but the majority of it is rpf/band-based and not usually something I'm comfortable sharing here - though you're welcome to ask about it still if that strikes your fancy!

Always open to tags, ask games, & literally random asks about anything. I tend to be extremely slow in answering and responding tho, so my apologies for that!

I also love music and will probably be talking about it often in relation to my characters & wips .<3

My main blog is @autotheophagic , which is where all likes and follows will come from!

Again, I have Many wips, but I will be linking the main & ongoing ones on this post as I figure things out.

I also have a Ko-fi, where I am now offering writing commissions.

---

current/main wips...

~~

eye splitter (intro)

-> genres include... fantasy, horror.

-> features... extremely dysfunctional found family; eye horror & trauma; religious themes, symbolism, & trauma; abuse & manipulation; wacky mental health; a lot of awful things.

-> status: preparing for 1st draft.

-> overarching tag: #eye splitter wip

~~

the coveting (intro/masterpost)

-> genres include... fantasy, erotica, dark romance.

-> features... a fallen angel/demon relationship; d/s master/pet dynamic; religious trauma, guilt, & themes; extremely dubious consent that gradually eases towards enthusiastic consent; dubious morality; soul selling, demon deals, & pacts; soul bonds; obsessive & possessive behavior; dehumanization; unhealthy relationships; unhealthy kink practices.

-> status? ongoing series, can be read here on ao3 (eventually neocities as well, once i get my site built!)

-> overarching tag: #the coveting by viscera

~~

lessons in letting go (intro/masterpost)

-> genres include... fantasy, erotica.

-> features... dom/sub dynamic; femdom; bad bdsm etiquette & unhealthy kink (in a world where kink is not well understood); enemies to kinksters to maybe sorta lovers; slow burn sorta romance; ostracization & disownment due to expression of sexuality; some action & violence.

-> status? ongoing series, to be posted soon; ao3 link will be added to this post then!

-> overarching tag: #lessons wip

~~

i love you and i'm sorry (intro/masterpost)

-> fantasy w/ action, whump, smut, & every emotion under the sun

-> features/themes... sibling dynamics; dysfunctional-but-trying family; queer characters; trauma; various mental health struggles; grieving the past (and getting to know the present); the trauma caused by parents who don't know how to parent; corrupt governments; magic-induced chronic illnesses; & more!

-> status? ongoing series in the newborn/early stages, can be read here on ao3.

-> overarching tag: #s: i love you and i'm sorry

[halucynator]

Hi Lucy hope you’re days going well! I had a fic ide for Mattheo x best friend fem! Reader where it’s been a stressful week but it’s Friday night, raining in Hogwarts and they’re hanging out watching IT (Mattheo convinced her) after class and she’s a gryffindor and acts like she’s not scared but when it’s night time she’s afraid to fall asleep because of the movie and she ends up going to his dorm and he confesses he likes her and she sleeps with him?(maybe a longer FIC?)

I love your work so much!

Big mistake.

Decided to combine these two x

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x fem!reader (they are bff's BC bff to lovers is the second best trope to ever exist. Nothing beats e2l imo but that's beside the point.)

Warnings: mentions of violent imagery ig?, cuddling, mentions of intercourse, kissing, not proof read lmk if I missed any.

Summary: you and your friends decide to watch a horror movie. Unfortunately for you, you still wonder what lingers under your bed.

Sorry this took me so long! I was preparing for my Uni which starts in a couple days so I'm super sorry for the wait! Hope you like it x

I watched IT when I was 6 because my parents were watching it on the big TV in the same room as me and I thought it'd be a cute movie but it was... Bad to say the least. I have been traumatised ever since 🥰

reblogs (with tags) are always appreciated!! It is so much help!!

You hated horror movies. But somehow you let your best friend, Mattheo, convince you to watch "IT" with your friends.

Big Mistake.

The violent imagery flashed your mind. The cannibalism, the blood, the balloon, the- the everything.

You didn't get scared by horror movies easily. You'd watched Annabelle, the Conjuring and whatnot without being terrified but IT, oh god, IT.

"You okay, princess?"Mattheo asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled.

You had. You'd seen a ghost. Or a clown. But it was more terrifying than any other ghosts you'd ever witnessed in your life.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I- I'm alright!" You exclaimed too caught up in terrifying thoughts than to pay attention to your boyfriend.

He knew. Of course he did. He was your best friend. But he didn't hold it over your head. He didn't even mention it.

"Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?" He asked.

"Yes but I don't know if they allow it." You replied.

"Eh they probably don't allow a couple of 16 year olds to watch IT during night either but we did it anyway." He joked.

"Wouldn't you be afraid of being seen with a Gryffindor?" You asked knowing he had quite a high status and hoped him being seen with a Gryffindor wouldn't lower it in anyway.

"Not as much as you're afraid of Pennywise." He winked.

"I so am not!" You said offended, crossing your arms and pretending to be mad at him.

"Ok princess, keep telling yourself that." He chuckled as you elbowed him.

As you neared your dorm, the scenes obscured your mind again. You took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Bye princess" Mattheo waved.

"Bye Mattheo. Thank you." You replied as you waved back.

And there it was. Your facade fell apart and petrifying thoughts clouded your mind. You pulled the sheets over your head as you laid in bed. You were fine for the first few minutes until... giggles and lines clouded your mind.

Lines such as "You'll float too!"

You were caught in an endless loop of a nightmare and the only way to stop it was... was to admit you were afraid so you'd be okay. So he'd take care of you. No, not Pennywise!

You made your way to his dorm and knocked.

"Come in!" A voice shouted from inside.

You entered Mattheo's dorm.

"Princess? What are you doing here?" He asked bewildered.

You took a deep breath and dreadfully opened your mouth to tell Mattheo the reason for your presence.

"I'm scared." You said.

He chuckled slightly.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY." You whisper-shouted.

He giggles before he pats next to him. You walk over to his side and sit down next to him.

"I don't think I resonate well with the idea of you sleeping with me." He said as he realised what you were there for.

"Huh, why?" You asked deeply hurt.

"I wouldn't be able to control myself" he smirked as he winked.

You elbowed him yet again.

"Ow! That hurt!" He stated.

"It's about to hurt a lot more if you don't shut up!" You threatened half joking.

"Alright alright. You can sleep here." He replied.

"Thank you." You said.

"I meant it, you know." He said.

"Huh?" You asked confused.

"I wouldn't be able to control myself if you slept with me." He stated.

"Huh and why's that?" You questioned.

"Because I- I like you princess." He replied.

"Oh." You simply said.

"Oh?" He repeated looking hurt. "I probably shouldn't have, I'm sorry I made it weird. I-"

Without thinking you kissed him. It felt good. You felt better. You could feel Mattheo smirk into the kiss.

You both pulled away when you started getting breathless.

"I like you too." You replied.

"Yeah I figured." He smirked.

"Get over yourself!" You exclaimed.

You placed yourself next to Mattheo on the bed. He placed one of his hands in your hair and the other one on your waist to pull you closer. His hand moved down from your hair to your cheek as he caressed it.

Butterflies exploded in your stomach as he did so. You closed your eyes and melted into his touch.

And with that you slept.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡*:☆

The next morning you woke up. At first you were confused as to what you were doing in Mattheo's room but soon enough you remembered.

"Good morning Princess." He smiled at you.

"hey. I mean- good morning." You replied.

He chuckled at your flustered state.

After the atmosphere in the room became thick, Mattheo spoke.

"I didn't know you had a fear of clowns, princess." He teased.

"I didn't! I used to like clowns!"

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡*:☆

A/n: I hope you liked it! Hope this is long enough for you anon. Sorry for the unnecessarily long wait xx

[rellanas]

okay I saw @suntamer (her poll is here) drop a poll about dragon age oc discourse and honestly, i love a good poll particularly when it comes to ocs and even more so if it's something fun like this. so, which of my dragon age ocs would encourage the most / the worst discourse, if they were part of the universe?

magni aeducan (he/they, 27-28 in da:o, dwarven noble, pansexual) — quintessential and traditional dwarven noble and yes, that included the sexism, bought into the noble hunter culture, deadbeat father (gn.) a little too willingly committed fratricide to advance themself (masterful gambit, sir) and brought both gorim and mardy down with him. "has anyone told you you're insane" / "i prefer the term ruthlessly pragmatic myself". chose to desecrate the urn of sacred ashes for Cool Dragon Powers and no other reason, let bhelen stay on the throne because he would rather have an aeducan on the throne that stabbed them in the back if it meant not having their dynastic rule continue. kept the anvil of the void and sided with branka. told alistair he was like a brother to them with a complete stony face and then proceeds to betray him at the landsmeet (magni did say he was like a brother to him...). let amaranthine burn.

rosalind hawke (she/her, 23-30 in da2, human, straight...?) — haunted by her mother's face every time she looks in the mirror, leandra 2.0 and resentful about it. did anything to protect bethany from the horrors of the world, only for bethany to die in the most horrible way possible. rival romance with anders, trying to protect him but smothering him and making things worse in the process by further denying justice its purpose, and was in an emotional situationship with sebastian at the same time. took a hard turn into mage hatred after leandra's death at the hands of a blood mage and meredith got her claws hooked into her. no one knows what's going on with her and meredith. killed her lover and father of her unborn child both out of mercy and justice, sided with the templars to 'get it over and done with quickly'. becomes known as "the butcher of the gallows."

arthur trevelyan (he/him, 49-52yo in da:i, human noble, gay) — noble born and bred, thrived in the circle predominantly due to family interference (aunt paying off templars) and his family name protecting him. extremely pro-circle and anti-rebellion (vocal about reform, however), known templar fucker (had an on-and-off again relationship with one for 20+ years), chose to go to therinfal after finding out what happened to the mages in redcliffe, celene died on his watch and put gaspard on the orlesian throne because he was going for stability over progress and then actively ghosts said emperor. encouraged dorian to speak with his father again because he was somewhat projecting. caused a scandal by getting into a relationship with his qunari bodyguard 12 years younger than him.

hissera trevelyan (she/her, 21-22yo in datv, qunari shadow dragon, bisexual) —thedas' most recognisable nepo baby. in a fashion. constantly got in trouble in the orphanage for either fighting, talking back or letting off homefashioned smoke bombs in the privy. fucked up work with the shadow dragons on such a scale she had to leave minrathous bc magisters were pissed. has been arrested multiple times for theft, murder and destruction of public property but has always been released because someone keeps pulling strings (#nepobabyprivileges.) probably overthinks about all the ways she could painfully kill a venatori. is absolutely not qualified for her job but she got it anyway because nepotism ig???? got hit with the ben-hassrath allegations by her friend's mother and she was just like 🤨no? 🤨thanks for asking? 🤨even though she has absolutely had some form of training from her dad. picked a fight with that aspect of mythal Just Because, and then didn't even use it at the end because of pettiness.

[madamemiz]

oh goodness gracious i'm AAAAAAAAAA i'm gonna giga ramble to you about the fic and awowaugheaorugdfgf one of the reasons I took that fic where it went from your comic because while I was playing, I always wished kerfur could "do more" sit on the couch with you, unlock doors, look at the TV, etc, little things like that to give you a little glimpse into who they might really be one of the things I do think is that kerfur is very, very enthusiastic about the things they do (they go into a full fucking sprint when you give them the report paper), and the same thing would apply to... an advance of some kind... one of the biggest, defining emotions in the game for me was the flip flop between "comfort" and "terror" in one moment, i'm listening to the morning music, kerfur just grabbed the reports, the drives are shipped away and everything is maintained/100% calibrated, nothing is happening, i almost WANT something to happen and the next, i get a jolt of abject terror down my spine because i THOUGHT i saw a shadow man outside and a lot of that comfort came from kerfur, the companionship, the something to lean on for me, the game was a paranoia nightmare until I settled in with that damn adorable robot, and outright fell in love (I was still anxious, but I was mentally prepped when TR3 goes out and you need to reset it on foot, no ATV, trekking in the snow with Kerfur behind me) it's not even like kerfur's design isn't inherently attractive? but you can develop that kind of love because of the way they can make you feel, what they are, what they do, what they become to you and I projected ALL of that onto Kel LMAO

i have this whole living room/bedroom/saferoom (the door has a lock!) set up with two sleeping bags and a hotplate behind the couch and kerfur can't even sit on it >:( just, like my experience with the game, what I felt playing it, what I saw surrounding it the stuff you make hits me in the perfect spot, I wish Guard Mode was a real thing so damn bad kerfur refusing to be used as a tool, a learning, living, thinking thing, every bit as capable of the unfeeling horror those scientists feared capable of feeling hatred, wrath, apathetic disregard, violent tendencies, being influenced but also capable of every good thing in this world, the same as a person, of being nurtured and nuturing, of growing and learning core beliefs, feeling love, feeling warmth, a sense of humor they were scared of a person, and all of the volatility and unknown futures that come with being one, especially from a blank slate. kel and kerfur are the union of flesh and machine, not as a perverse monstrosity, what's seen in kerfu and skerfuro, in the Gray's technology, but bound in love and life. your art is all little snippets and angles of the exact feelings I had turned into pictures and it's <<<33333 which is probably why my fic ended up being the way it was

ROBOT LOVERS COME GET Y'ALL JUICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HELLO HI THIS IS LATE IM SORRY LOL im on mobile most of the time and ask alerts get burried in notifs whoops

anyway i feel you, esp with wishing kerf could do more and such. I've always been a sucker for sentient robots who probably shouldn't be sentient, and the idea of robots gaining sentience and growing very attached to their one special human that their whole world revolves around. is that healthy?? no! is it compelling? very!!! lots of potential for complex and messy feelings on both ends. imagining kerfur growing into sentience very quickly bc kel treats them with dignity and shows them care is so fun, i like thinking about how they could potentially start doing more, leaning more. they start wanting things for themself. they want him. they don't know how to express that, at first

see, *i* think kerfur's design is inherently attractive xjdbjfs. funny story, i actually got lowkey tricked into getting invested in this game bc my partner essentially dangled cute robot on a stick in front of me. and it worked, because im predictable lmao. i defs projected that onto kel too, though. he'd think they're cute, even in their base form, but it's not something he let himself think too deeply about at first. he doesn't want to be weird about it. time and loneliness and companionship wears him down, though. he grows to care deeply far faster than he really should

or at least, that's one version. i like to play around with different versions of how that could go in my mind

i like your upstairs saferoom! i have something similar in mine, i made a comfy hangout spot for them in my second playthrough :3

im glad the stuff i make hits you just right, I'm v flattered ;w; im just always weak for human/robot stuff and never get tired of that trope and all the fun stuff that comes with it

i like other aspects of the game too obvs, but im very attached to kerfur 💜

[oddyseye]

(on anon, bc I'm scared and shy)

I saw your criticism on the musical, and I agree 100% so can I rant (??) a little?

I LOVE Epic. The music, the plot, the love put into the songs and animatics, how Eurylochus and Telemachus were potrayed (even if Tele is more baby girl in the musical, I love all versions of him), how fandom came up with probably the most unique design for the Greek gods, the almost mother-son relationship of Athena and Ody (I choose to believe Ximena Natzel's interpretation of ICHBW is canon, when these two are still friends/found family).

I do have like 3 main problems with the plot. The whole weird double standard with sexual abuse, how Calypso is suddenly just a childish, lonely girl 🥺👉👈 and how Antinous is suddenly a wanna-be rapist, who will completely happily break xenia (at least he still has hate-boner for Telemachus, that's something, I need my enemies-to-lovers). I still don't fully like how dirty they made Anti, but I still love this bastard 😔 (it's still a shame Peisistratus didn't even have a cameo)

Polites' character. Just... Polites, as a whole.

And the whole "monster" thing. Ody didn't become the monster. He was ALWAYS a monster. The moment when as a king he took slaves as servants, the moment he was fine with killing Trojan civilians. I like to think the musical is more about him not becoming, but realizing he's a monster. Like, he was almost delusional at the beginning of the story. Yet Jorge forces us to believe he was actually a good guy? So having slaves, killing innocent civilians or a baby is fine, but killing a bunch of people who want to harm your family in the most vile way possible is completely evil, huh??

The final problem is how Zeus and Athena's relationship was potrayed. She's his baby girl in the mythology. And he isn't the worst dad (and he's kinda a wifeguy despite cheating, but let's ignore this part)

Oh, you KNOW I have thoughts on this.

First off, YES. The way they handle sexual abuse in Epic is… inconsistent, to put it mildly.

Compared to the innocent uwu babies Circe and Calypso, they just had to make Antinous a whole-ass criminal to justify Ody’s massacre at the end, huh? They couldn’t just let him be a legitimate political threat? Or even just a little bastard, a menace, a “maybe I’ll kill you, maybe I won’t” kind of problem? No, they had to go full cartoon villain. Like, the man was already a homewrecker. He was already breaking xenia. He was already trying to steal Odysseus’ legacy. THAT ALONE is enough for us to hate him. So why make him this gross? What’s the goal? It just ends up being character assassination for the sake of making Ody’s actions at the end seem more palatable.

That being said, I deeply respect that they kept the unhinged, I hate you but in a homoerotic way thing between Telemachus and Antinous. The tension. The drama. I need it. But I will never forgive them for cutting Peisistratus. The Tele-Pei friendship is ELITE. It’s essential. You don’t just ERASE my favorite horse girl.

But what is this Sanitized Girlbossification of Calypso and Circe? In the Odyssey, they are Odysseus’ captors. Calypso keeps him on her island against his will for seven years, sleeps with him whether he wants it or not, and only lets him go when Zeus forces her. But in Epic? She’s this misunderstood, lonely maiden who just wants someone to love her. Excuse me?? No. She’s a nymph who actively takes what she wants. That’s the whole point of her character. She’s powerful, she’s selfish, and she’s controlling. Making her all soft and tragic completely misses the horror of her relationship with Odysseus.

Circe gets the same treatment, though slightly less obnoxious. Odysseus literally had to be threatening her with a sword for her to stop being a danger to him. And even then, she only let his crew go after he agreed to stay in her bed. Odysseus doesn’t just want to be with her. He’s forced into it.

Sexual violence isn’t only something that happens to women. And yet, Epic treats Calypso’s actions like they’re tragic rather than monstrous. Like Odysseus should somehow feel bad for leaving her.

Imagine if the roles were reversed. Imagine if a mortal woman was crying on the shore, desperate to go home to her husband, and some male god kept her on an island for years while forcing her into his bed. Would the musical still frame that as “tragic”?

Doubt it.

I also hate the trope they used for Polites so much. This is the “kill off the sweetest character for cheap emotional gut-punch” move, and it’s LAZY. It’s always the same setup: he’s the good one, the innocent one, and his death is the moral breaking point for everyone else.

Like, did Jorge just sit down one day and say, “You know what Epic needs? A generic golden-hearted tragedy boy.” Because that’s what it feels like.

And the worst part? In actual mythology, Polites is barely a blip on the radar. He gets one (1) name drop when he leads the men to Circe. And if we take the Hero of Temesa myth as connected to him, then… oh boy. Because that Polites? NOT A GOOD GUY. That Polites is literally a rapist whose ghost has to be appeased with human sacrifices. And Epic just… what, decided to rewrite him into the most innocent, pure-hearted boy on the ship? The irony is killing me. They went so far in the opposite direction, it’s like they were actively trying to erase any nuance.

We just had to have a tragic soft boy. And then Eurylochus, the actual morally interesting crewmember, gets sidelined. The injustice. The slander. The lack of taste.

Now, the monster narrative is my biggest issue with Epic. Because the way they frame Odysseus’ arc is just... wrong. They want us to believe that Ody was a good man who became a monster through his choices. But that’s not the story. That was never the story. Odysseus was always a monster. And he was always a hero. He was always both. The things he did at Troy? The things he did during his travels? The lies, the deceit, the murders, the calculated cruelty? That’s not a downfall. That’s not a “tragic descent.” That’s just who he IS.

He is the guy who slaughters civilians AND cries for his lost men. He is the guy who tricks and schemes AND mourns his fallen brothers. And you know what? He doesn’t even REGRET most of it. He regrets the cost of it. He regrets the pain. But he would do it all again to win. That’s the Ody I know.

So when Epic tries to push this idea of “oh no, he’s becoming something terrible,” I just can’t buy it. He didn’t become a monster when he killed the suitors. He didn’t become a monster when he left Calypso. If anything, he was just waking up to what he’s always been. And the fact that the musical tries to make us feel like the suitor massacre was somehow worse than, say, everything that happened at Troy? The war crimes? The pillaging? The fact that he was fine with taking slaves?

Odysseus is a monster. But he’s a monstrously human one. And that’s what makes him fascinating. Epic doesn’t seem to know what to do with that.

No comment on the portrayal of Zeus and Athena. But I do have comments on the portrayal of Zeus in general, so I guess I can include that.

This is an entirely different character with Zeus’ name slapped on top. They took the king of the gods, the Wily Diplomat, the master of balance and power, and turned him into this cartoonishly evil tyrant. Like, where is the cunning? Where is the manipulation that actually makes sense?

Zeus wouldn’t even be pushing for Odysseus to kill Astyanax/Scamandrius. First of all, the prophecy did not fucking exist. Second of all, he was on the side of the Trojans. He actively tried to stop Troy from falling! He only let it happen because Hera and Athena ganged up on him, and even then, he made it very clear that he didn’t like it. So now we have the literal protector of Troy standing there, whispering in Odysseus’ ear that he has to kill Hector’s son? Make it make sense. Zeus mourned for Hector. He respected Priam. If anything, he’d be trying to protect Astyanax, not egging Odysseus on.

Words cannot express how much I HATED Thunder Bringer too. Why is Zeus even this invested in punishing Odysseus for something Eurylochus did?? Yes, the cattle were sacred to Helios, but this wasn’t Zeus’ personal grudge. He was basically just enforcing divine order, not gleefully tormenting Odysseus for sport. In the Odyssey, he reluctantly sends a storm to destroy the crew because Helios threatens to take the sun to the underworld if he doesn’t. So Zeus does it to keep cosmic balance. It’s a duty, not a game.

But in this song?? He’s literally taunting Odysseus, turning it into some kind of cruel test. He’s making Odysseus choose between his life and his crew, when in reality, Odysseus never had a choice. Zeus didn’t force him into some dramatic dilemma. He just struck the ship down because Helios demanded it. There was no “pick who dies” moment. The punishment was already decided.

This, at the VERY least, should have been where Zeus throws shade at Odysseus for what happened to Astyanax. That would have made SO much more sense. Instead of forcing Odysseus into some weird death game, he could have been like, “This is what you get for Troy. You slaughtered a city, now see what it feels like to lose your men.” Imagine how much stronger that would be.

But no. Instead, Zeus is just here to be The Bad Guy™️, completely detached from his actual characterization.

This isn’t Zeus acting as the divine arbiter. This is Zeus acting like some petty, sadistic tormentor.

Also, side note: Eurylochus deserved better. That’s all. No comment on the fandom’s portrayal of my poor hungry idiot.

And God Games absolutely butchers one of the best moments of divine interaction in the Odyssey.

In the actual epic, Athena goes to Zeus and is basically like, “Hey, aren’t you going to do something about Odysseus?” And Zeus doesn’t throw a tantrum. He doesn’t make her beg. He doesn’t turn it into some pointless power play. He just sighs and says “You’re right. Hermes, go tell Calypso to let him go.” That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

But here?? They turned it into this ridiculous trial where Athena has to go around convincing the other gods like she’s in some divine reality show. And then when she wins, Zeus doesn’t even respect the outcome. He gets mad and tries to kill her.

...

WHAT.

Why is Zeus playing some stupid power trip game just because Athena asked for a favor? Why is he throwing lightning at his own daughter? This is literally the opposite of their relationship in mythology. Athena is Zeus’ favorite child. The only one he trusts implicitly. She’s the one who carries his aegis, the one who can talk to him without fear of punishment, the one he lets get away with everything. She literally burst out of his head fully formed, and he took it as a sign that she was meant to be his greatest creation. Zeus has never been violent toward Athena in any myth. Ever. He doesn’t treat her like a lesser god. He doesn’t treat her like a rival. And yet this musical turns him into some unstable tyrant who lashes out when things don’t go his way? Pisses me off.

Then, uhh...Telemachus?? Apparently?

Look, I love Telemachus. I love all versions of him. But Epic makes him a bit too soft.

In the Odyssey, Telemachus starts as an insecure boy but grows into a warrior. His arc is about stepping out of his father’s shadow and becoming a man worthy of ruling Ithaca. WHERE is the Telemachus who:

Constantly shouts at the suitors? ✅

Hacks off the hands and feet of a disloyal slave, cuts out his ears and tongue, and finally castrates him and feeds it to dogs? ✅

Pressures his mother into remarrying? ✅

Is gay with Peisistratus and Antinous? ✅✅✅

Also WHERE is Peisistratus?? His bestie? The only guy who gave him actual moral support? They erased him completely! (Pt.2)

The Tragic Love framing of Odysseus & Penelope feels cheap here, too, because Epic completely fails to acknowledge what actually happened to Odysseus with Circe and Calypso.

Epic acts like his longing for Penelope is just some poetic, bittersweet tragedy rather than the literal aftermath of sexual captivity.

That’s not “love story” material. That’s trauma.

But Epic completely softens this reality. Instead of acknowledging how much of Odysseus’ suffering came from being stripped of his freedom, the musical frames his devotion to Penelope as this romantic test of faithfulness, like he’s just choosing between his heart and his temptations.

There are even people in the fandom who act like Odysseus chose to stay with Calypso, like he had a real option. He didn’t. Zeus himself had to intervene because Calypso refused to let him go.

And what does Epic do?

Makes Circe this fun, seductive villainess instead of a genuine threat.

Turns Calypso into some poor, misunderstood, lonely girl.

Frames Odysseus’ pain as a poetic dilemma rather than literal suffering.

The fact that Epic takes one of the most gut-wrenching parts of the Odyssey and turns it into melancholic romance is disgusting. Odysseus didn’t “move on.” He was trapped, violated, and forced to survive. And every single day, he wanted nothing more than to return home.

And finally...

Why did they erase Peisistratus?

No, seriously. Where is Peisistratus?

Where is he...WHERE IS HE??!?!? (Pt.3)

Because I just know I didn’t hallucinate his entire existence. Homer didn’t hallucinate his existence. Telemachus certainly didn’t hallucinate him.

So why did Epic decide he doesn’t exist?

This isn’t just "oh, they cut a minor character" (bffr then why would Polites be important). This is Peisistratus. Telemachus’ literal soulmate. I’m not making that up. Homer uses terms for their bond that imply an inseparable connection, something almost fated. It’s probably not romantic, but it’s deeper than friendship. Peisistratus is Telemachus’ one anchor outside of his family, the only person in this entire epic who treats him like an equal, like a real person, not just "Odysseus’ son".

And Epic erased him. For what??

Instead of giving Telemachus an actual dynamic beyond dad issues, they just left him floating in the void with no support system. Why? They had time to invent new character dynamics, but they couldn’t keep in the one guy who actually mattered to Telemachus’ development?

Peisistratus’ entire role in the Odyssey is to be there for Telemachus. To go on a journey with him. To give him companionship when he has no one. And Epic just threw him in the trash like he was nothing.

I hate this erasure so much. I take it personally.

Alright. I think I’ve gotten it all out. For now.

Look, I love Epic’s music. I love its energy. I love some of the interpretations. I love what the fandom has done with it. But the way it completely mishandles Odysseus’ suffering, erases Peisistratus, demonizes Antinous for shock value, and fumbles basic thematic depth makes me want to grab Jorge, sit him down, and make him read the Odyssey properly.

Did Epic have the potential to be one of the greatest Odyssey adaptations? Yes. Did it completely fumble the bag on key character dynamics and moral conflicts? Also yes.

I know I’ll end up yelling about this again in the future. But for now, I will sit here, arms crossed, seething. Bye-be.

[tomatomustache]

my impressions about the new nosferatu movie (spoilers ahead)

first of all, i see it as a movie about a woman who didn't get enough love and appreciation from society and whose wishes weren't prioritised by her husband (and society in general) as much as she liked, so she got herself a powerful demonic lover whose sole purpose for being in this world is to please her and he is ready to sail the sea in a coffin and kill entire city with plague to get her to willingly (as much as possible considering aforementioned things) consent to be with him, and dies a hero saving everyone when no one else could, rather than lives a life of a person disregarded and deemed hysterical and of secondary importance. she is the most informed and in control in this situation (the doctor finds out a lot too but she already knows everything he knows), as opposed to before the plague, when her worries were disregarded and she was considered hysterical. her wishes and her role in defeating the nosferatu seem to be different from a typical male oriented fantasy, so i wasn't the assumed target audience and the most relatable character was friedrich harding who was unable to adapt to the irrational and occult stuff, got exhausted and died lol, but i still enjoyed the movie. i am not a woman and only know about feminine traditions in horror genre from youtube videos on "wicker mag" channel and podcasts by the same person, so sorry if i am misinterpreting it.

second thing is the vampire metaphor. rather than being an image of a feudalism related class fears, in this movie (in the first half of ot) nosferatu rather seems to embody immigrants related fear. i am not xenophobic and haven't moved out of my country of origin myself but i assume that this correlates with some real and popular fears: a guy goes to a foreign country that is considered less civilised and is frightened by local customs, he then meets a person who he must invite to become his neighbour, and is even more terrified by him. despite the count being not fond of local scary customs too, it's not hard to imagine the guy might think now that there's a reason behind them. after arriving to the other country where everything seems to be going well, the immigrant then immediately contaminates it with plague and tries his best to have sex with the guy's wife. looks like exaggerated real fears about immigrants that i don't personally have or approve of but that might be popular enough to be reflected in a movie.

third, the cat was in the room during the final epic hot kamikaze sex, very funny, i laughed aloud in the cinema.

fourth, ellen hutter reminded me about real person behaviour. when a person was unable to get the love they need and safe reliable relationship, and it has effect on them (in the movie it was her summoning the demon) which helps to cope at first but becomes not fun later, and when they finally meet a person who loves them and wants to be with them, they get very close (like the movie character wanted her husband to disregard work and chill with her) and the next moment they push them away (like she said she's unworthy of his love bc she sinned or smth). it's a cruel irony, people being unable to maintain a relationship with no complications precisely as a consequence of needing it very much and that need being unfulfilled for a long time. this was probably the scariest part of the movie for me personally bc although young husband tried better than me he failed anyway, either being unable to protect his wife or being a less preferable partner for her than the vampire depending on how you interpret her decision.

fifth, epic of nosferatu to disregard the impending sunrise to get his partner off for the 9999th time. and funny that there is a scene of him literally bouncing on a man's pelvis (clothed) and moaning. it is also amusing that in this movie nosferatu seems to be an incubus (yet the ladies sitting next to me seemed to find him unattractive lol - although i'm sure there are people who disagree)

also could anyone tell me what lilac means in the movie? thomas hutter brought a bouquet to ellen hutter in the beginning, nosferatu said ellen's hair lock smells like it and the doctor put it on the bed in the end. is there some symbolism in this flower?

i hope this post was interesting, feel free to engage in any form, share your own thoughts or criticise or correct me

[izartn]

@talk-danmei-to-me tagging you bc it's bc of your posts about Steel Under Silk that I binged all that's out of this manhwa today. I'm manic after that finale and the prologue for s2.

Also this is me raving after just reading, ill probably evolve my opinions later!

And wow it's such a fascinating mess. I love that Yeonjo makes a good revenge plan but is nowhere near as coldhearted as he believes, giving himself away at the sheer revulsion and terror of being with his family's murderer, even as later he also starts falling for the human behind Heeryang front and the little decencies he dotes on him. The spite and the rage and vulnerability in Yeonjo plus his intelligence had me captivated since the start.

Heeryang is clearly acting like a beast to hide from all the guilt; Yeonjo is our blatantly suicidal main, but the way Heeryang ignored all warning signs, and that flashback about his childhood friend over Yeonjo own try, all about how vile it was to do the official purge... I dont think Heeryang wants to die, but I think it's clear he feels he would have it coming; and still he turns around and treats Yeonjo terribly bc of the revenge even as Yeonjo himself said outloud what we all know: that's its absurd to act like a lover scorned (by historical context lol) when Heeryang knew from the start he had killed Yeonjo family and this was always a possibility. I hope Heeryang is miserable and Yeonjo ruins him even as he(YJ) suffers his(HR) attentions.

By the way I'm riveted by the political undercurrent to all this even if it's not very complicated. I always like morality and ethics and politics/war muddling questions of revenge, justice and love. I don't know if the king will be going down at the hands of our two protags but well, I'm not discounting it.

The author seems to be aiming for a happy ending and I'm eh, but I'm also the one who wanted Bing an Ben to end with He Yu and Xie Qingcheng dead, so I feel this kind of dynamic just calls the tragedy lover in me. I think a HE could work but well.

Lets see how it develops.

PD: Yes. Yes. I love my porn with plot, my porn driving character delopment, the muddled question of desire and consent etc. I ate all that up. they were so pretty together even when it was terrible. the horrors painted beautifully offer a fascinating contrast and also says a lot about the story.

[explosionshark]

2, 3, 9!

2. Did you reread anything? What?

I actually did reread a lot this year (for me)

The Priory of the Orange by Samantha Shannon - I reread this as a buddy read with my homie @nataliving who hadn't read it before. It was fun going back after reading A Day of Fallen Night last year. I think overall Priory on a second run meant the pacing issues stuck out to me more, but I was delighted to find that my favorite parts of the book still held up really well.

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny - reread this advent calendar style for the second year in a row. This time got @holdsteady to join me. Super fun, highly recommend this for anyone who wants to read something Halloweeny and fun next October.

Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link - this was a big Kelly Link year for me. I re-read these two short story collections as well as reading her other two collections for the first time. I'm basically caught up except for The Book of Love. Anyway - there were a few stories in Stranger Things Happen that I really liked, but overall Magic for Beginners hit way better for me

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman - reread this in anticipation of the prequel, The Daughters War, being released. Probably the first book I've ever genuinely been able to call a comfort read. Loved it even more on a re-read.

Whipping Girl by Julia Serano - re-read this when the new edition came out. As vital as ever, able to present things in a very approachable way, it's a foundational and highly recommended intro to transfeminism for a reason, I think everyone should read it at least once.

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik - also reread this with @nataliving. It's my favorite Scholomance book, I wanted to be keeping pace with them while they got to all my favorite parts. Super fun to buddy-read this, I truly love this book.

3. What were your top five books of the year?

okay not counting re-reads

Penance by Eliza Clark - this is a fake true crime book. a book about toxic relationships between girls, a book about true crime fandom, a book about the true crime industry, a book about bias and journalistic ethics and perhaps most importantly a book about TUMBLR a decade ago. Also the most brutal and realistic portrayal of bullying between girls i've ever read. Could NOT put this down.

A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan - another book in the world of the Covenant of Steel series, which I read and loved last year. Just really good fantasy, I've become such a fan of Anthony Ryan. Love how he writes women and gay people and magic and sword fights! Been patiently working my way through his books, waiting for when I'd get a queer woman out of him and the answer is NOW! Thera, my hyper-competent bisexual viking babe. Love of my life.

The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman - as mentioned above I really loved The Blacktongue Thief. My main critique when I first read it was that I wish it had more Galva and then BAM Buehlman announces a prequel from Galva's POV. It's basically a war memoir, Buehlman really gets to show off his horror chops here, which is always a plus for me. Loved it, read it once on audio and then again in print, both versions are great but the narrator was really strong, added a lot.

The Jasmine Throne and The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri - okay counting these as one entry bc they're part of the same series and I read them pretty close together. EXTREMELY COOL FANTASY SETTING. Indian-inspired, cool mythology, cool magic, lots of intrigue and court politics and some of the best women-vs-misogyny i've ever read in a fantasy book. ALSO a lovers-to-enemies lesbian relationship that made me fully feral. Some of the best pacing I've ever read in 500 - 600 page books, absolutely propulsive, literally no part of these books dragged for me which is WILD.

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link - as mentioned above, it's a big Kelly Link year for me! White Cat, Black Dog might be the strongest collection I read from her this year. There was only one story I didn't really care for. Link is so incredibly talented - her style is so whimsical, but there's always this brilliant, vulnerable emotional honesty to her work. Look, I won't lie, sometimes she's a little hard to follow and I can't say I understand everything I read from her but the way I don't get it STILL feels satisfying somehow. It's a good tension! If you're interested in trying a story from this collection, you can read one of my favorites, The Girl Who Didn't Know Fear for free via Tin House

9. Did you get into any new genres?

Not really! Okay, wait, no, that's a lie. I read some history this year, which I don't usually do. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, The Wager by David Grann, The Medici by Paul Strathern. Cool, interesting stuff! Good texture for my reading list!

[biteyoubiteme]

okay so i got it for free bc the library was doing giveaways and i'm only about sixty pages in, but it's 'serena' by ron rash! it's set in 1929 north carolina and even the first paragraph hooked me

it does have violence so if youre not into that ive got other recs but it's written so well i love it so far

omg i’ll probably check it out one day lol also totally fine with violence i’m a horror book/movie lover 🤍

[berrycake99]

Would you happen to have any book recs? 🙂

Maan this is a fun question because... Yes I read a lot but I doubt it's popular literature? 😂 I prefer classic litterature, notably 18th to mid 20th century works, also some fantasy of the 19-20th century too like Lovecraft or Verne.

I'm currently reading "Nausea" by Sartre. Highly recommend, it has a very unique vibe. If you like stilistics I'd recommend authors like Flaubert or Dostoyevsky. If you're into horror H.P. Lovecraft or Aleister Crowley are classics, my fav is "The Lurking Fear" by Lovecraft.

Also I really really love "The picture of Dorian Grey" and anything by Zola.

If you're into more modern and popular but classy stuff, first thing in mind is "The silence of the lambs" by Herris. Latest one I finished was "The history of cannibalism" by Roland Villeneuve. If you like english authors anything by Virginia Wolf is peak.

Dystopian fantasies like "Animal Farm" and "Brave new world" (which i LOVE) are must read in a lifetime.

This was few on the top of my head, I used to read a lot more sci-fi and fae fiction when I was younger but it's not so much of a thing for me anymore, and I can't rly remember the names/authors of all the books I read back then they were so many.. But if you watched Coraline I recommend reading the book too, it's a bit different than the movie, it's short and written in a simple yet eery style.

This is probably not gonna be what you were looking for I'm sorry shhswjsjsjsj I know I give off a goofy flavor bcs I watch cartoons but I am a HUGE nerd for literature and I love love to read all kinds of stuff and writing styles, so u may have made a mistake of asking this w/o knowing😭😅🙏😔

EDIT: WAIT NO I REMEMBERED THIS ONE called "The japanese lover" by Isabelle Allende, I read that a long time ago but it is so rich, it brushes the topic of a polish woman struggling in a marriage without love and coping in an oppressed country during WW2. No spoilers but as title says she actually gets to meet a japanese nazi solder who ironically helps her uncover her sexuality and ability to truly love and be loved. It's one of those few good books that really represents woman's POV in that era. It's much more than this BUT THIS IS VERY GOOD I RECOMMEND

[softlypaintedseafoam]

okay, so now that i've officially decided to split my ace wip into two stories... once i get those out of my system, i think i'll focus on my non-op related wips. 2 from jjk and 1 from jjba; 2 of those will definitely be faster to work on than 1 of those

(jjba) bucciarati fic

(jjk) faerie au pt 2

(jjk) body horror au

click under the cut if you're interested in hearing more about those...

i'm pretty most people here follow me for my one piece fics, buuuut i am a multifandom writing blog so there's plenty i want to write for other fandoms. but there are 3 i want to get out of the way before adding more to my plate

bucciarati fic

this fic or the faerie au fic will likely be the first of the three posted

but yes, finally my first jjba fic proper. i've been wanting to write one for while. fun fact, this fic was tied between bucciarati and mista for the romantic lead but i ended up going with the former because mista seemed like a character i'd write for the most and i wanted to experiment outside who i'd typically write for

it's still mostly in the bare bones outlining stage though and i'm still detailing what will be completely included in this story

for now, i'm planning to do some research on naples to really get the atmosphere right

faerie au pt 2

a sequel to this oneshot and the fic that has the most likely chance of being posted first, but inspiration might really come in for a different fic and it could be posted second

i really wanted make a continuation of the prequel after all the tension it ends off on and delving more into the faerie/court politics that were touched upon

i also want to have a section on gojo's pov that i think will be in the introduction

body horror au

now this fic is going to be a hefty big boy. it's presently ~4k+ words but i'm still not halfway done with it yet. this is a wip i've been working on since last year and the only one i have that is still being written in google docs because i am actually working on something special as a fun little bonus and the formatting i want to achieve can't be done with present state ellipsus. but i'm looking so forward to you guys seeing it once it's done and out in the world

i've thought about saving it for kinktober since this is my first real chilling work, but i'm not sure i'll be able to last that long... we'll see though, we will definitely see

this is also my first time trying my hand out at writing anything horror related, so it's definitely a challenge in that regard. it's really focusing more on the thriller aspects than it is the body horror but it will still be there; things will be tagged accordingly once it's up and ready to be shared so definitely mind them, it will be 18+

once i get at least 2/3 posted (which i put 2 because the body horror fic is going to be so damn long that idk when it will be finished), i'll probably tackle two other one piece wips i have one of which is already in progress

one is for sabo and the other is for that hot ass marine from fan letter. the older brother with the brown hair. smh he just had to be a marine but i gotta get it out my system jndjnfkjnf. he at least gets ONE fic from me. it'll honestly probably only ever be the one, but who cares. he deserves it. and yes, i will be giving him a name for the fic bc idk if i can write a whole oneshot with him being nameless

the sabo fic is going to definitely be funny. to me. it's definitely going to be funny to me jfdnkjfsn at least, one part in particular. that fic is going to have a workplace annoyances to lovers thing going on, which is definitely different from my usual fair. most things i write have friends to lovers in it or the reader and character are already on good terms even if they aren't friends

i think i only have one fic (csm) where they're initially indifferent to each other if not occasionally annoyed to start. y'all know what tropes i like by now lmao

anyways- spring break is coming up soon, so that'll hopefully give me plenty of time to write to my heart's content. we'll see what gets posted during that time