#trying to decide who is more of a freak among freaks isn't a good thing

[baka-monarch]

Tiktokers be like:

Furries: we HATE nsfw furries they are gross and shouldn't exist! >:(

Therians: we HATE furries, especially any freaky ones they are gross and shouldn't exist! >:(

Kemonomimis: we HATE furries and therians they are gross and shouldn't exist! >:(

....guys this- this isn't- this isn't how you be excepting you- you very much are doing to sister communities what haters do to your community- you know that right?

[mayzi33]

*clears throat.*

(apologize in advance for any mistakes english isn't my first language)

Alright. Here we go.

Look, I haven't watched MLP in a LONGGGG time. But recently with all the stuff I missed our and since the fandom is still pretty much alive and well I decided to take peek by peek in the seasons I haven't watched.

Until I came across, these guys

And I have so much to say.

I didn't write a script for this or anything so I don't know where this rambling is going so I just ask you to bear with me for as much as you can, okay?

Look, watching the Young Six episodes I've experienced one of the things that angers me the most. SUCH. WASTED. POTENTIAL.

You're telling me we got whatever the hell is G5 when instead we could have gotten THESE GUYS???? THESE COOL, UNIQUE CHARACTERS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE AN INTERESTING STORY THAT MAKES SENSE AND HAVE SI MUCH POTENTIAL TO BE ONE OF THE SICKEST LORE ARCS IN MLP???

I homestly don't know what Hasbro WAS THINKING in giving them so little screentime. There's so much I have to say but I'll try my best to keep my thoughts organized.

First things first, we'll need to talk a little about G5 or "Make Your Mark" series or whatever. I personally enjoyed the movie, though the story didn't make much sense (we'll get to that later) the characters were pretty nice, the songs were catchy and the animation was mwah. I didn't bother to watch all of the G5 series, because- (pardon to all who enjoy it) it's so. Freaking. Boring. Like I know there's a pony girl that's supposed to be a traitor among them but then grows onto being their actual friend and there's a villainess and that whole conflict and yada yada yada. But honestly there just isn't anything I found enganging in the entire thing. I can't explain it, it just feels- off. I know I probably don't have much right to talk, cause again, only now I'm diving into the mlp again after missing out A LOT, but I just can't bring myself to like that series.

Now, the whole School Of Friendship saga in the G4 series with our beloved Young Six, I know some people had some issues with it and it didn't please everyone, and while it does have some flaws and is certainly not perfect, you can't deny there was lots of potential. (I'll try to not overuse that word I'm sorry)

I personally, really liked the concept of different creatures from different cultures coming together and forming the perfectly diverse friend group. Episodes like The Hearth's Warming Club and What Lies Beneath were particuarly really fun, it was nice to dive into their cultures and backstories while also watching the six of them be vulnerable in front of one another and grow closer. If only they had more screentime and more deep episodes like that, they could have been in the top 10 found families in cartoons.

Now, just some other reasons as to why I think they're interesting characters and should've gotten more than what was given to them.

Because

1- Their whole deal is that they're not all ponies, that they're all different species. We get to learn lots about their different cultures and customs. It would've been such a good way to teach children about acceptance and respecting differences while also being entertaining. Especially in a school enviroment.

2- We got not one, but TWO male characters in the group. It would make little boys that are interested in mlp feel more comfortable and valid for it. AND those two males also have distinct personalities and their own active roles. Gallus being sort of the leader of the group, and Sandbar being the only pony therefore the one to stand up for his friends.

3- While they're supposed to be the new represantives of the elements of harmonies, their personalities are still interesting and different from the Mane 6.

Onto that, I really like how it's implied they could be the next helders (or whatever its called) of the elements of harmony. Given their special connection to the tree, how similiar they are to the previous groups (Mane 6 and The Pillars) and how Twilight LITERALLY LIFTED THEM UP AS WELL WHILE SHE SPOKE ABOUT HOW THE ELEMENTS WILL LIVE ON, it would've been such a cool concept.

Onto that, I wanna talk a bit about each of their characters too and how I think they could've been dealt with.

Gallus is the element of magic, but unlike Twilight who's all open and confident-spoken about friendship and all, Gallus is probably the one in the group that's the most closed-off and dislikes getting all cheesy. It would've been interesting seeing his development as the helder ot the element of magic. AND ESPECIALLY since he doesn't have magic in the first place, since Twilight and Starwirl were unicorns. So maybe he could make posions? Get powers someway else? Many posibilities

Sandbar is the element of kindness, but unlike Fluttershy he's extrovert and down to making friends. His overrall personality is that he's constantly very chill-going and nothing seems to ever upset or annoy him. So it also would've been interesting to see how that pattern would break, especially because of his element.

Yona is the element of honesty. She's probably the one that has the hardest time adapting to the Equestrians among the group, and even tried to act like a pony instead of herself one episode. It would've been interesting to see how her element of honesty reflects on how she should be true to herself, especially since her Yak culture comes a lot with honor.

Ocellus is the element of genority, yet, unlike Rarity, she's a lot more like Fluttershy, being timid and insecure, while also being smart and well-read like Twilight. It would've been nice if her development with her element would be gaining confidence in herself and being generous to others that way. Especially since she has a fear of being like the old changling queen (forgot her name) so imagine if she just turned out to be the opposite of her. Instead of selfish and cruel, being generous and kind.

Smolder is the element of loyality, but also like Gallus, she's also not into getting cheesy. But what I find imteresting about her is how she tries to keep her tough, agressive persona (since thats how dragons are) yet it is revealed she's actually interested in cute, fluffy stuff like tea parties and dresses. So it would've been cool to see her growing confident in admiting her interests, therefore being more like Rainbow Dash, who's always confident on herself

And last but not least, Silverstream is the element of laughter. But what's hooking about it is the fact that Silverstream herself probably hasn't KNOWN what laughter is for a long time, having to hide under The Storm King's rule. She's very talkctive, creative and extrovert, like Pinkie Pie, but she also has her trauma that haunts and intimidates her, unlike Pinkie who usually faces her fears headfront. Another great development story.

So just hear me out, okay. I don't care if MLP is over. I don't care if there's G5.

We. Need. A. Young. Six. Spin-off. Series.

I know it sounds crazy, but I genuely think this idea could work out if it was handled well enough, and Hasbro could make some good money out of this.

Just bear with me. A spin-off series set on the timeline between season 8-9 aka, still on the School Of Friendship, focused entirely on the Young Six. We could still get the Mane 6, of course, but mostly as support characters. It doesn't have to be a particularly long series, (though maybe that could work as well IF handled with enough care) maybe just 2 seasons or so. And I'm not thinking like a slice-of-life or fun little extra kind of thing, I'm thinking of ACTUAL lore. Just more about how the tree and the elements work, and how these six students could grow into being their new helders. In each episode it becomes more and more evident to them and the Mane 6 themselves that they're going to be the next generation of the elements. So imagine once they all fully it figure out and talk about it, the Y6 suddenly feel this pressure about how they're supposed to live up to their teachers and fear that they have to be EXACTLY like them. So we see Sandbar taking extra kindness classes with Fluttershy, Yona taking extra honesty classes with Applejack and heck even Gallus is taking studies more seriously (especially since he's supposed to be the element of magic which again I find imteresting since he doesn't really have magic at least not the way Twilight and Starwirl do. ) So we could have an entire episode about the M6 getting through to them and showing they don't have to be JUST LIKE THEM nor The Pillars. They can be their own people.

Another main-plot idea would be having more villains, probably trying to test them or tear them apart (cough cough like Swift Foot from the idw comics cough cough) or maybe you could even fit someone as intense as King Sombra, or maybe even even the return of Tirek, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis in there. (I remembered her name yay)

And, of course, more onto their characters, flaws, backstories and cultures! I would love to see more about their people and customs, just as much as I would love to explore their traumas, fears, ugly sides and how they overcome it together (cough cough found family COUGH COUGH GAGS)

And another thing, I especially would've liked to explore Yona's and Sandbar's relantioship.

I MEAN LOOK AT THEM-

Don't they give massive beauty-and-the-beast vibes? I love how their colors and body types contrast with one and another, and their personalities aswell. Yona being loud, cheerful and clumsy while Sandbar is calm, thoughtful and carefree. I just love the big girl x soooorta small guy vibes and I especially loved how gentle and reassuring Sandbar was towards her in that episode. I mean, "I don't care if you're not a pony, you're the best Yona I know." SERIOUSLY? WHO WROTE THAT LINE? I'D LIKE TO GIVE THEM A HUG. And also, onto the spin-off series matter, it would also be a cool topic to explore. Imagine if some ponies/yaks are judging them for having a relantioship while being different species and they learn to ignore them and live past that??? I usually don't care much for romance, (always prefered friendship and found families) but this would've been a nice little arc and episode theme to see.

Lastly, (I'm almost done I promise) to the more technical/economical part.

Like I said in the beggining, I genuely think Hasbro could make some good money out of this. Firstly because it will be using the G4 characters and lore and not...whatever mess of a plot G5 is.

And secondly because, if they took the time to give them some cool power-up designs like they did with the Mane 6, I'M SURE the toys would sell.

I mean- JUST LOOK AT THESE COOL DESIGNS I FOUND ON THE INTERNET?? (not mine, credits to whoever made it, you ate that)

DON'T THEY LOOK LIKE A TOY SET THAT WOULD CATCH THE CHILDREN'S EYES ON THE TOY AISLE? OH YES I THINK THEY WOULD.

And if anything, they could be as bold as to make an extra Equestria Girls (well, girls and boys) series with them. I know it sounds kinda dumb, especially given the fact that I'm not sure about how that would work given that when Spike went to the "human dimension" or whatever he turned to a dog... So Smolder would also be a dog? Sandbar would be the only actual human in the group?... BUT I'm sure they could come up with some excuse to make it work. Give them some cool, colorful outfits for different events and I'm sure it would sell. And ESPECIALLY since with Gallus and Sandbar in the group, it could get the attetion of young boys aswell.

Anyways. That was it.

Uhm. Conclusion: Hasbro should hire me. I know what I'm talking about. I think. At least a bit.

And I genuely think this could work if only SOMEONE gave it the time and care.

I don't know how to end ramblings so uhmmmm thank you all for coming to my pep talk.

They deserved better.

[mustlovesteve]

laughing at the broken glass

AO3 link

Summary:

In which Steve Harrington stumbles upon a vampiric Eddie Munson and makes some questionable decisions, including locking Eddie in his basement. Though Eddie isn't thrilled with this arrangement, he seems awfully excited to watch vampire movies with his captor. Steve is determined to not lose anyone this time, but with Vecna seeking out new prey, he might just lose himself.

my friend @spicy-cannoli drew some lovely fanart of my fic, laughing at the broken glass. i decided to share them alongside relevant scene excerpts (w/ her permission of course)! fyi, she doesn't draw steddie, so don't follow her for that.

these naturally include spoilers (for chapters 14-23 specifically), so i'm putting the rest of them behind the cut.

from Chapter 14 (15th uploaded chapter including the prologue):

“Heeeeey, Ste— What the fuck?” Eddie leapt back when the coywolf bounded towards him with a loud squeal. His efforts to dodge were futile. The nail-bat clattered against the pavement as the coywolf tackled him and sent him sprawling backwards. She licked at Eddie’s face, muffling the rest of his complaints. “Oh, so you’re going to pretend you don’t know who that is,” Steve said, letting the sarcasm drip from his voice. He leaned back against the door and took a bite of the garlic knot. “That’s real cute, Munson.” Eddie looked up at him, eyes wide and arms spread out like a starfish. “She sure knows who you are.” “Steve, what the hell is this thing?” Eddie questioned. He shoved the coywolf off him and scrambled to his feet. Nose wrinkled in disgust, he tried to wipe the slobber off his face. “Jesus. I’d ask if you spontaneously adopted a dog this morning, but this is not a dog!” “Good catch,” Steve said. He took another bite of the garlic knot and gestured with it as he spoke. “Hey, question for you. Remember what I told you to not even try to do? That power you might have?” Eddie’s eyes kept darting between Steve and the coywolf. His absolutely baffled expression would have been funny if Steve wasn’t so ticked off right now. “Did you happen to try using it last night? To, I dunno, find someone, maybe?” “I still don’t know what—” With another squeal, the coywolf trotted back to Steve. She looked over at Eddie, yip-howled, tried to tug Steve towards Eddie by the hem of his sweatpants, looked over at Eddie again, and yip-howled again. “Well, she found me,” Steve deadpanned. It shouldn’t have felt so satisfying to witness the slowly-dawning horrified realization spreading across Eddie’s face, but it did. Steve finished the garlic knot and crossed his arms. “Y’know what time she came by? Four-thirty.”

-

from Chapter 20 (21st uploaded chapter including the prologue):

Dustin kept mentioning that Eddie was being way too nice in explaining the rules and that it was freaking him out. Mike seemed to be pissed off as soon as he saw Steve and grew livid over the span of the first hour. Max, who had refused to explain why she’d chosen to show up today, was steadily amused throughout, while Lucas became increasingly confused. Erica went from curious to delighted. Will was acting the strangest among them, with flashes of sadness that seemed unfitting for someone who was finally playing DND with his friends again. That giant wizard hat that he was wearing made it all the more jarring. The kids didn’t act this strange the whole time. For the most part, they were all pretty absorbed in Will’s game, Steve included; Will was really good at drawing everyone in as he weaved his tale. The strangeness primarily happened whenever Eddie tried to explain something to him, or whenever the kids looked at Steve, even though—he could not emphasize this enough—he wasn’t doing anything. “Okay, why is everyone acting all weird?” Steve finally asked, when the game had wrapped up. Beside him, Eddie coughed. “Yeah, I’m here. Shocking, I know. Get over it. I was already here anyway.” Tilting his head and tipping ever so slightly towards Eddie, Steve added, “Eddie’s the only one acting normal, actually.” “He’s acting normal, huh?” Max asked, narrowing her eyes. “Interesting.” Rather than slip on one of her usual smug looks, she paused before biting her lip and looking away. “I mean, that’s—” “I don’t think he’s acting normal at all,” Dustin insisted, pouting. He leaned towards Eddie and pressed his palms against the table. “Eddie, why won’t you be that nice to me? Is it because I didn’t let you drink my blood? Because that’s really unfair. I would have, you know.”

-

from Chapter 23 (24th uploaded chapter):

Steve stared at Eddie, slack-jawed. That question was completely incomprehensible. He wasn’t even sure it was in English. “What the fuck is a doghouse?” Steve asked. “Oh fuck.” Eddie looked horrified, clutching the sides of his head. “Fuck. But I didn’t even…” “Wait, no.” Steve squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. “I know what a doghouse is.” “Oh. Okay. That’s...good.” Eddie lowered his hands, which were still shaking, to his sides. “I— Shit. Uh. Hang on.” Eddie was gone in a flash, leaving Steve alone in the bedroom.

-

BONUS:

once again, all of the art was created by @spicy-cannoli, and my fic can be found here!

[armpirate]

UNDER HIS SKIN || JJK || Ch. 35

Pairings: tattoist!jk x fem!reader

Genre: smut, angst, friends to lovers, tattoo au, virgin reader.

Summary: They say there are two versions for every story, and it's important to hear both of them. Everybody is hearing your side of the story, but it's just fair to get to know his.

After breaking up with his girlfriend, the only thing he wanted was to have fun with no attachment. You wanted to get rid of your virginity, and he wanted to tick you off his list. What he didn't expect was getting so emotionally attached to you that he would regret the deal.

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Aprox. time of reading: 13 minutes

Chapter warnings: smut, oral sex (male receiving), non-protected sex, dirty talk

Ever since I came back to our table, I haven't been able to think about anything else that isn't that picture. Not because of the content itself, because I know Y/n would never do something behind my back, and I really doubt she'd choose Jin if she ever did, basically because of all the consequences that would come right after. It activated something that I thought I overcame when we both decided to be exclusive. The possibility of Y/n finding someone better has always been in the back of my head, because I genuinely think she could do way better than me.

A few times she interrupts my inner monologue, she tries to cheer up the mood by making some jokes or being touchy, but it only makes me disconnect from my thoughts the short seconds it lasts. 

—Is something wrong? —she asks, wrapping her arm around mine and squeezing it.

—I'm just a bit tired —I lie, after hearing her ask the same question a few more times. 

—Do you want to leave and get some rest? —she suggests, resting her chin on my shoulder—. I've already finished mine. And I'm sure it won't be a good idea for me to get another one.

When I feel the weight of her head on my shoulder, I can't help but turn to her. Her big eyes are looking at me with a shining light I'm not able to describe, but it for sure works on making me feel more relaxed. 

I nod at her question, making her move away from me so she can stand up and follow right after her.

—Tae isn't here today? —she frowns, trying to find him among the customers.

Honestly, I'm glad Tae and her get on well. At first, I was afraid he'd be too harsh on her after everything that happened with Areum and Leslie. But Y/n's personality captivated Tae instantly, and even made him protective of her sometimes.

—No, he didn't feel well. So Brooke is in charge of the place.

—I hope he feels better soon —she mutters as we head outside—. Tell him that if he needs something...

—I will —I cut her up.

The fact that Brooke, someone Tae also trusts, twisted things just to damage Y/n annoys me, but I know it'd make Tae freak out even more if he ever knew. 

While I drive her home, I feel her hands playfully rubbing my side and tummy, before she's resting her cheek back on my shoulder. Seeing no reaction from me, she just stops trying until we reach her place. 

—You aren't sleeping here? —she looks at me confused, when the engine of the motorbike is still on when she hops off.

—I'd rather go to my place tonight.

—Cut the shit, Jungkook —she crosses her arm over her chest—. What's wrong?

—I told you I'm tired.

—And I'm not buying it —she tilts her head—. You were fine tonight, and out of nowhere you started acting like...

—Like what?

—Like an ass —she rushes to answer—. If you were tired, you could've told me. And we would've gone straight to my house or your place.

—If my attitude bothered you so much, you could've called Jin so he could keep you better company.

Those words leave my lips before I'm able to realize it. Something so insignificant as that picture, got me overreacting and losing control of my own tongue.

Y/n just looks away, pressing her lips together before her eyes are back on me. Sweetness is long gone, and now she's the one who's annoyed here. 

—Why are you bringing up Jin?

—You tell me —I turn off the engine to hear her better—. Why did I have to learn from someone else that you and Jin went out for drinks, and were all over each other?

—All over each other? You have to be kidding me.

She just scoffs, her eyes going blank as she throws her head back and looks at me again with both hands hanging on her hips. 

—He's my fucking boss. He invited me for drinks, because he couldn't do it on my first day —she tries to explain—. He knows we're seeing each other. For fucks sake, the day after, you came to pick me up and he saw us being all over each other.

—And that's why you didn't tell me? —I insist— You told me you'd get home late, and that's why I didn't go to pick you up.

—I didn't tell you because I didn't think it was important —she squints her eyes at me—. I went for a drink with my boss. He himself made things clear when I asked him, so I don't know where this is coming from.

She doesn't say much more, she just waits for me to answer back. But I really don't know what I should answer back right now. And it seems like my silence annoys her even more. 

—It's unbelievable you're the one trying to be offended over me hiding things though —she continues—. Maybe you're being an asshole because Jimin can't tell you what to do right now. Right? —she crosses her arms over her chest— Maybe he'd tell you to man up and bring some sense to that tiny brain of yours.

The fact that she knows about that little thing, and what a dickhead I was because I talked about something that involved her with someone else, and took their advice instead of just accepting what she wanted, makes me aware that she has pretty more reasons to be annoyed at me than I do. 

—I've dealt with your big walls constantly, with your stupid ideas, and even how you don't even want to consider us as a couple. And you really think I'd run after someone else after how much it took us to get here? —her voice trembles as she speaks—. You could've talked to me about it, because I know you would've gone home without saying a single thing about it if I hadn't insisted. You should discuss everything with me.

Everything that was crossing my mind, everything that could've made me distrust her in the slightest, completely disappears when her voice cracks towards the end of the sentence. I allowed my insecurities to get the best of me, and blind me into thinking she'd ever be able to hurt me while being aware of the pain she could put me through.

—I'm sorry —I say, getting her to look at me—. When Brooke told me and showed me the pic, I don't know...

—I don't know either —she crosses her arms over her chest—. It wouldn't cross my mind to do something like that to you.

—I'm sorry —I apologize again, hopping off the motorbike to feel somewhat closer to her.

—If you are sorry, then I really hope you park that damned motorbike and bring your ass up to my place —trying her best to hide her smile, she tilts her head.

—That's it?

—What? —she steps back— Were you expecting me to throw a tantrum and go two weeks without talking to you? —her eyebrow raises with that last comment— I could do that, but I don't want to. I just need you to understand that I'm only into you. And next time something like this happens, you talk to me first —she starts walking, but she suddenly stops again—. I'm not bringing up the whole deal issue because we made up a few days ago, but I hope something like that doesn't ever happen again —she warns me, lifting her index in my direction. 

Trying not to show off my smile, so she doesn't regret her words, I press my lips together and nod. 

Honestly, it feels weird that we both made it out so quickly and so easily. Not like we've gone too long without talking with each other, and the few times were because of a serious issue -at least more than this-, but I still can't believe everything's been solved so fast.

As I sit on the couch, I see her moving uneasy in front of me, puckering her lips, until she finally speaks again. 

—I really can't believe you still think I could look at anyone else the way I look at you —she straddles me, and the way she feels against me will make me go insane—. Maybe I should use actions, because words don't stay long enough up here —she rubs my temple with her index as she says it. 

—How will you do that?

Her fingertip runs over my skin, digging behind my ear into my hair, as she bends over me to link our lips together. One hand holding my head and playing with my hair, while the other travels down my neck and chest. Her touch makes me feel so needy, I see no point in holding back before I sink my tongue in her mouth.  

Not ready for her to move yet, I keep her tight against me, enjoying the taste of our saliva mixing together while our tongues just twirl against one another. And it only gets messier when I feel her pressing her core against me. I unzip her jeans, making them baggy enough around her waist so I can sneak my hands through them, cupping her ass tight. 

She bites my lip before she breaks the kiss, pulling it in between her teeth with her eyes fixed on mine. She seems so dangerous while she does it. But I don't care, I want -and need- more. I move my hands back to her back, holding her tight. Although she's still able to move, I made sure of that after I saw her intentions taking over her eyes.

She kneels slowly in between my legs, moving her hands over my thighs until she almost reaches the noticeable bulge under my pants, and that's screaming for attention at this point. I let out a heavy breath, a feeling all my muscles tense under her touch the closer she gets to my crotch. She unzips my pants. And while I keep my hands in the air -trying to allow her to have as much control as she wants over me-, she finally takes them off, along with my boxers. 

My hard cock jumps free as soon as she slides the fabric down, and I'm sure I won't last too much if she keeps looking at it as if it was something she had been waiting for forever.

She licks my shaft, from the base to the tip, and I'm only able to sigh when the warmth of her tongue traces one of my marked veins until she reaches my most sensitive part. Her fingers wrap around it, letting her tongue tease me. She moves it in circles around the tip,cleaning the precum that keeps leaking. 

Not enough with the feeling, I move her hair away, wanting to get the perfect image of how she looks while she drives me crazy. 

—Suck it, baby —I ask, rubbing her cheek with my thumb. 

As she bends over again, my hand goes back to the back of her head, taking all the locks I can away from her face. 

She wraps her lips around my tip, covering her teeth with them -feeling my heart pounding with pride when I remember I was the one who taught her that-, before she starts going down on me. She bumps her head up and down slowly, having me lifting my hips in the air so her mouth could never leave me. 

—Keep your eyes on me, babe —I command, trying to get her eyes back on me as I notice her closing them.

But maybe it’s the biggest mistake I could've made. 

She looks up to me, big eyes digging for any hint of pleasure on my face, while her lips are wrapped around me tight. Not only is it the way she looks, but how she makes my cock vibrate when she whimpers on it. And I can tell by the way her body tenses, she wants attention just as much as I did. 

—So fucking good —I praise her again—. Sucking it like I taught you, like a good girl.

And that praise must've awakened something in her, because she pumps my cock with her fist, making sure her movements were in sync with the ones in her hand. I can feel my cock twitching with every move she makes, and I'm reaching that point where I'm not able to control my body as I'm too hooked on the shivering.

—I'm gonna cum, baby. Stop —I warn her.

I made her move back. And, after only giving her a few seconds to recover, I cup her face in my hands. 

—Come here.

While we kiss, I do my best at taking her clothes off. First moving her pants away and sliding them down her legs along with her panties. And like I'm attracted to it, my palm covers her slit, fingers digging to know how wet and ready she is for me, at least until she's back at straddling me. 

I'm so desperate for her, that I don't even care about the ripping sound her blouse makes as I tear it apart. I see her lifting her hips, and I help her by holding myself up, aiming to her entrance. A united, and harmonious gasp, leaves our lips as she sinks me deeper in her slowly. Her walls wrap around me tight, taking me in so easily, yet molding around me so well, that I doubt I'll make it for too long. 

She jumps slowly at first, helping us both get used to each other, lifting and lowering her hips, taking me back in when I thought she'd be letting me go completely. Her hips increase the speed slowly, making the clapping sounds of our bodies louder with every jump. 

—You're the only one I want to fuck like this —she moans, one hand on my shoulder and the other on the backrest of her couch—. Do you understand it like this?

—Fuck, yes —my voice cracks in the middle of the sentence—. You're only mine.

—Uh-huh.

I pull her in for a kiss, as I lower my body on the couch, dragging her along with me. Taking control away from her, I hold her hips up and start drilling into her in a speed that soon has her moaning louder, while her pussy clenches around me tight. I lower the cups of her bra, sucking and biting her hard nipple as I fuck her like I've never done before. Fucking her like I'm sorry for being such a dumbass today. 

—I'm close —she holds onto my wrist as she says that

—Cum with me —I move even faster.

Her pussy clenches around me again, before her body collapses over mine with a loud moan that has my ears whistling for a while. Although all of it only makes tingles run over me, from the tip of my toes to the top of my head, before I cum in her. 

—We didn't use protection —she panics, suddenly looking at me.

—It's alright —I move under her, trying to get back to the initial position—. I'm clean. And we can buy the morning after pill tomorrow.

I kiss her again, slow and sweet, enjoying every bit of her right now. 

✸ ✸ ✸

A placid smile adorns her face while she closes her eyes, trying to recover from her high, when I fall next to her on the bed, still not able to believe that all of this is real. Turning to me, she starts moving some stamped locks from my forehead, although I use that soft gesture to pull her from her wrist and make her wrap her arm around me so I can feel her closer. 

While I look her in the eyes, and how they look at me as if I were the only person in the world for her, I instantly remember how I made her feel bad just a few hours ago. 

—I'm sorry about tonight —I apologize again—. You didn't deserve to be treated that way in the pub.

—Kook, we already talked it out.

—We didn't. I apologized and you let it go —I stop her, before she tries to move on from it again—. I should've thought better of you, but I was so blinded by the idea of you being into someone else... I'm just scared of losing you, losing this, being played with again. I know you wouldn't do that, but I can't help but be prepared for it.

As I speak, and I let all my insecurities drop with each one of my words, I feel the knot in my throat tightening. Not even her fingers playing with my hair can make me feel better right now. 

—I'm not going anywhere, Kook —she assures me—. Not now, not tomorrow. So get that idea clear in your head.

It's all about the honesty in her words, and how she makes sure I understand each one of them while looking deep into my eyes. I want to speak, tell her everything that's going on in my head when it comes to her, but I know I won't be able to say a word without accidentally sobbing. When I cover my face, as soon as I feel my lips trembling, she simply pulls me in for a hug.

—I thought you wanted me to say cute things to you —she teases me. 

I giggle on her chest, hiding my face from her, before I move back again, just to look at her. It's right then, when she weeps some of my tears away and rubs my cheeks ever so gently, that I know what all those mixed thoughts mean, and how I could express them perfectly in just one sentence. 

—I think I'm in love with you, cocktease.

When she stops, and looks at me intensely, I know she's not ready to say those words back yet. But I didn't say it because I wanted to hear the words back, I just said them because I wanted to let her know everything she causes in me. 

[sketch-guardian]

Hi hi! Back once again!

In a scale from 1 to 10, how easy is it for the classmates to get jealous?

- Isa

Hello there☺sorry for the late reply,but I was a bit busy with university🙈anyway,let's get started with your interesting ask!

HOW EASY IS IT FOR THE RAD CLASSMATES TO GET JEALOUS?

(Let's say that in this scale: 1 stands for "discomfort" while 10 for "possessiveness")

DEMYA (9/10)

Demya's a rather territorial demon and among the RAD classmates, she's the feralest one. She easily gives into her demon nature, especially when she feels threatened or on an empty stomach. Demya lost much during her time as a slave in a freak show in the human world: her family, her freedom, her dignity and her right to eat. For this she's quite possessive towards MC, because they're one of the few good things that life has granted her and the idea of ​​losing them scares her. If MC were to flirt with someone to get favors in return, Demya wouldn't mind, because she does the same thing sometimes. However if someone were to flirt with MC and,so Diavolo help them, MC was uncomfortable, then Demya would intervene: either by threatening to tear the heckler in question to pieces or by grabbing MC's arm, spoiling them with kisses and giggles and then dragging them away, leaving there the heckler (in case they tried to stop Demya, at first she would just smile menacingly as a warning and if the heckler insisted, unless MC holds her back,she will kick) (P.S.: Demya's shoes have hidden blades)

DOMNRA (8/10)

Domnra's a rather aggressive demon and he's very protective towards the people he cares about and what belongs to him, he doesn't have the reputation as a delinquent for nothing and with his anger issues, he easily gets to violence, so lesser demons tend not to bother him too often. In addition to being a tsundere, although he doesn't want to admit it, Domnra's insecure, of his grumpy character, of the curse he has and of his scars for example. He hardly shows himself vulnerable, but he appreciates that despite everything MC doesn't seem to care. If MC were to flirt with someone, Domnra would become very insecure and would need to spend some time away from them to cool off, only reassurances from Mobim and explanations from MC could calm him down. If, on the other hand, someone were to flirt with an uncomfortable MC, it would be the first time Domnra would have no problem being clingy in public: with a frown he would bring MC closer to him, asking the heckler to get out of the way if they don't want to pay the consequences. Depending on how the heckler reacts, the situation could escalate and in the meantime Domnra would leave Mobim with MC. It would try to comfort them and then calm down the conflict

AZUL (5/10)

With Azul the matter is a bit complicated, given his mood swings. In some cases, he could simply approach the heckler introducing himself as MC's boyfriend happily, in others he could completely ignore them and make out with MC in front of the heckler, just to show off or he could even compete to see who makes MC blush the most,like it was some sort of game. In some other cases he could decide to flirt with the heckler, having fun making them uncomfortable, or to scare them, appearing next to the heckler out of nowhere as a ghost would. These are the most common options,in which he wouldn't be really jealous,instead he would just have fun messing around with the heckler and MC. However there are days in which Azul isn't in a particularly good mood and making an unstable demon jealous isn't the best of ideas. As a warning, from the usual light blue color, his typical traits would turn red (anger): that is the moment in which MC should intervene to calm him down if they want to avoid conflict, and if they don't, then Azul would have fun more than willingly to throw the poor unfortunate bastard from side to side with his telekinesis

ZURI (3/10)

Zuri isn't a very jealous demon, being sure of herself, her skills and her partner. To be so close to Zuri, as to become her partner, she must feel a lot of trust in MC, it's one of the requirements to get into her good graces, and this would be one less reason not to fear inappropriate behavior from MC. If someone were to flirt with MC, Zuri would analyze the situation before taking action. She herself is used to flattery, at least from those with guts, so it isn't surprising that her partner receives it too, being a peculiar being. However if she notices discomfort from MC or bad intentions from the heckler (like trying to get close to them just to get to her) then Zuri will very quietly interject, although her presence would probably intimidate the heckler. To leave, she would simply say that their presence is required elsewhere, maintaining a peaceful but serious tone. If the heckler was stupid enough to insist, Zuri, not wanting to attract attention or make a scene by getting her hands dirty, would use one of her powers on the heckler to make them go away on "their will" (hypnosis)

ODON (1/10)

It isn't easy to get obvious emotional reactions from Odon, because no matter the situation they find themself in, they always seem to be smiling with their wide green grin. Besides, with having half of their face covered, it's difficult to understand where they're looking or what expression they're making, so apparently, one might think they can't get jealous. And in a certain sense it's true, what they would feel wouldn't exactly be jealousy, it isn't the right term to describe their feelings, the more correct word would be "loneliness". Odon would feel lonely, left on the sidelines, which they're used to, but now that they have MC, it's different. The only clues that something is wrong with Odon are: a forced or very light smile and if the eye-like creatures are present, seeing one crying and the other one glaring at the heckler (those creatures have a personality of their own). If not particularly uneasy, Odon would just wait for MC to return. In case they start to feel too much ignored, then they would approach MC, asking them if they would like a cup of tea or some biscuits. They would have also offered those to the heckler, perhaps in the hope of making a new friend, but it's very likely that the heckler runs away out of fear even before Odon reaches them

[endternal]

lee taemin. nonbinary. he/him. asexual. ⇝ hey, isn’t that karam shin ( nickname: eden )? i think that the thirty-one year old from redacted works as a florist at the flower basket; toxicologist for the grim fox, but outside of that people describe them as the reflection of the moon over rippling water, a bubbling stream lapping against the rocks and the cool spray of the river; hands running through hair, nails digging into skin, a lonely figure hunched over in an empty room. i hear they are solitary & unusual, but they are also known to be intelligent & unswerving. consider giving them a visit at their home in the seal harbor apartment complex and get to know why they’re called the restless spirit.

IMPORTANT LINKS: pinterest.

IMPORTANT: Karam is nonbinary. His general presentation is sort of androgynous but he certainly does not identify as a man so please don't refer to him as one! (boy is okay, so long as it's not being used to infantalise, and anything a little more grey area (e.g; dude and guy and so on) is generally fine). He uses he/him pronouns solely because he's used to them and he's a little resistant to change. He does not mind being referred to as they/them but he doesn't personally make use of those pronouns.

BASICS

The first thing most people will pick up about Karam is that he isn't very talkative, nor is he very emotive. He's not incapable of emoting and he's certainly not emotionless but he's not especially good at expressing himself (particularly in a way that's useful to other people) so he doesn't bother. As for talking, he just doesn't feel like it most of time. There are times where he might talk about something at length but, for the most part, he keeps it to a minimum. This means he has a habit of being quite blunt and curt but it doesn't really bother him, even if it bothers other people. (That said, he doesn't speak in a monotone; the way he speaks is quite measured but that's about it.) He's more expressive and more talkative around people he genuinely likes.

However, the people he genuinely likes are few and far between. Karam is, overall, very untrusting. He is especially untrusting of people who aren't fellow miroir and, because there is, for the most part, no immediate to separate the miroir from everybody else, there is nobody he instinctively trusts. He is hyperaware of his status as a miroir and the fact that people would likely fear or hate him if they knew the truth about what he was.

Karam has a deep affinity for nature. His whole upbringing was spent among nature. There are times where he'd rather be among the trees than other people. This is precisely why he's taken up work as a florist. He's not made for retail at all and his customer service skills are non-existent but being around plants all day puts his mind at ease.

He knows a lot about plants (and other stuff like wildlife, rocks, water, whatever else) and even more about which plants can definitely kill you. Actually, he just knows a lot about poison in general. You can pin that one on the whole toxicologist thing.

Absolutely one of those people who will sneak up and appear behind you when they want to talk and freak you The Fuck out. As in, you won’t hear him coming and he won’t announce himself. He’ll just show up and you won’t notice him until you turn around. And, no matter how often he’s told, he’s not going to understand that’s it maybe not a regular thing to do (or, at the very least, he might try to understand but he’s not going to take it on board).

Karam is autistic. Not diagnosed. (yes, a second autistic phoebe oc.....gotta make ur own representation around here <3 although tbh, i did not plan on writing karam as autistic. he just ended up extremely autistic-coded and i decided to commit :D ) HOWEVER!! I want to be clear that the references later in this post to Karam being very good at memorising a lot of information should not be seen as some kind of Autistic Savant stereotype. Karam is very smart but he's not some kind of cartoonish genius. He also straight up sucks at retaining information he doesn't care about.

Likes to feed the rats living in the Seal Harbor apartment complex. Nobody's caught him doing it as of yet but the Mysterious Rat Feeder isn't popular with his neighbours.

Karam hates loud and busy places and will avoid them. Maybe not at all costs but fervently enough. He just finds them VERY overwhelming.

Spent the first part of his life outside of the Grim Fox homeless. He can't remember how long it was because he never kept count. He got by as best he could by living on the streets and stealing food.

He is also asexual, largely because I just can't see him caring about sex. He's not sex-repulsed, just disinterested. I'm not sure quite where he falls with regards to romantic attraction but it's probably somewhere between biromantic and aromantic; it's not something I've had a chance to explore yet but he's also not particularly interested in that either.

BACKSTORY (tw: death, murder, v brief vomit mention)

a fair note in advance, most of this is written in a deliberately vague and cryptic way. i know this isn't the most accessible way of delivering info about a character but karam's backstory is meant to be a little unclear! it's also very much subject to change as i work stuff out!

He has no delusions about what he is. His face isn't his own, his body isn't his own, his DNA is not his own. He's a twisted reflection of some distant unfortunate but the image in the mirror is too sharp. Sharpened to the point of distortion, in fact. But what is his own is his name; Karam. The nickname 'Eden' was granted to him as a matter of necessity but Karam was entirely his own. Who knows what the Original's name was? Who cares? The name Karam is his own. A marker of his own identity. Abandoned and tossed aside, Karam has no plans to step into a life unknown to him. Karam, an old Korean word meaning river. Nothing is static, only fluid. Ever-flowing. (He had asked his handler if he could choose own name. They had taken pity on him and allowed it; he was just a clone, he wasn't meant to have a life of his own so it was the least they could offer him.)

There is very little, in fact, that Karam knows about the person he was intended to replace. They were not very old, just a child, when they vanished. There was no history for Karam to learn, nobody for him to imitate. The fake has outlived the genuine. What little details Karam had known have long since slipped through his fingers, replaced only with the harrowing knowledge that he shouldn't exist. That he's different. Do people look at him strangely? Do they suspect him? No, they have know way of knowing the truth. But, if they did know, wouldn't they hate him? Would they even see him as a person? Or just the ghost of a child who was never supposed to grow up?

He'd been raised as a toxicologist, adept in all sorts of poisonings. Subtle. Showy. Painless. Agonising. Natural. Chemical. They'd decided that his talent for quick memorisation, his ability to absorb information, had made him perfect for the job. You wouldn't necessarily know it to look at him but in that head of his is a seemingly endless list of ways to kill a person. He might even tell you so, not that you'd believe him. A pretty boy like that, knowing such dreadful things? Surely not. (Don't pay too much attention to the boy at the flower shop, he's a little strange.)

He was deployed as a toxicologist too. Was even active for a good while. Karam has a body count and he can't quite remember the exact number. There was never any reason to, he was just following orders. Didn't even flinch when he watched, from a safe and hidden distance, as his mark choked on his own vomit. Karam was good at his work. He may have been a fraud of a person but he was a genuine toxicologist and he excelled in his work. (The more time he spends in Anchorage, the more the numb sting of guilt starts to burn in the back of throat; back then, he'd never thought of his targets as people because he'd been so cut off from the rest of the world but being forced to live in the real world has put things into perspective.)

Suddenly, it all stops. Orders that used to trickle in like raindrops dried up; a drought of purpose. He's not useful anymore. He's nothing. His whole life had been built on strict rules and a particularly routine, and it had all fallen apart before he could make sense of it. They'd left him out in the cold, thrown him aside like an unwanted plaything. And yet he was too detached from reality to hate them or even feel angry. He was only afraid. It did not take him long to learn that there was no place for somebody like him in the real world. Because he knew himself to be an outcast, he immediately fell in with the wrong crowds. Did things he shouldn't. He was young, lost and confused.

But he was found one night, lying sprawled out on the concrete and barely conscious, by a kind and unexpected stranger. They took him back to their place, helped clean him up. They let him stay a while, because he had no home to go to, and helped him get a job at the flower shop. And, then, when he had the money to rent his own place, they let him leave. He had been a distant guest, mostly keeping to himself and revealing very little of his own history but he had been grateful for their help, even if he had never been able to show it. (will probably submit this as a wanted connection at some point!)

Although he does his best to pretend otherwise, Karam never quite adjusted to his new life. Assimilation hasn't come easy to him. He still thinks himself an outsider, a ghost amongst the crowds. A glitch in the system. He likes to leave the city, from time to time, to explore the wilderness and woodlands of the region. He feels grounded there, away from people. There's no judgement there amongst the trees. No shame, no guilt, no hopelessness.

His work at the flower shop is not all that fulfilling and he feels like there's still a great big cavity in his chest; his expansive knowledge of flora is put to good use but he doesn't feel as though he's doing anything. And it makes him feel restless.

Please note that this character is not just a character I've been writing for a while (since 2019) but actually an alternate take on that character. In his original storyline, Karam isn't actually human. I thought it'd be fun to write him in setting anyway so this is kind of a human AU for him? This isn't really smth anybody else needs to keep in mind but [lease be patient with me if it takes me a minute to make everything work with this version!

[coldnerdnacho]

Quite disgusted with the fact that the people who are trying to build a "better society" for us queers just threatened and FORCED an 18 year old to come out as Bi.

I am honored with the support people show us or respect the courage they show while accepting their true selves but this is not a one day eureka moment that you realize yes i am _______(queer).

It is a journey, a freaking long and tumultuous journey. No one is born with a fucking label that you'll be gay, bi, pan, etc etc. You discover it yourself. You grow up in a protected environment, eventually thrusted in a new world in school where you grow up, socialize, and eventually start realizing some things about yourself the way you feel towards a certain person, gender etc. And many times it scares you cause you are unable to explain it and even more scared if others get a hint about it. Fear

Then a stage comes when you are just having this riot of thoughts in your head and are desperately searching for answers but unable to get one until the pressure is too much that you start looking for answers on google and sites and you just force yourself to accept an identity to comfort your thoughts or the growing curiosity of others and other shit. But still you are unable to wholly accept it and in some you even feel scared of it like the piece isn't fitting properly. It's like a paper cut which shakes your soul but you accept it as nothing because you feel pressured to please others. Bargain

Then life continues and goes on with the feeling of living a lie yet forcing yourself to act in a manner so that the pain isn't obvious. And you feel trapped in this guilt trap until someday someone comes along who accepts you without any label and you feel free to tell them your deepest feelings, your worries, your despair and you search for answers together and suddenly one day in a particular moment you get all the answers you ever want. And you find that missing puzzle piece and you feel whole and confident again. Doesn't matter if it is a label or not you feel confident being in that spectrum and you know you BELONG there. And then you'll see many others resonating with your experience and you feel like you belong....

This is the world's most beautiful moment for anyone. Just that some are able to accept it readily and some need time. And understanding that someone needs time is the best support we can give them.

And regarding Kit Connor I am ashamed to see people not able to see his dedication and support of his work. Since when did showing support become synonymous with being a part of the group. Then what will differentiate us from all the school bullies we ever faced to all the queer phobes we still encounter on day to day basis.

Our aim needs to be to create a safe environment for our children to grow, develop and accept themselves and relish in the joy of finding ourselves and not scared to be homeless or bullied.

What happened today is a shameless case of cyber bullying and creating hate and fear among people regarding their sexuality. Since when did figuring ones sexuality became synonymous with deciding a career path. It is OK to take time to figure out and it is OK to keep your identity to yourself until you feel willing to share with others.

We all saw Nick taking his time to figure out his sexuality, to tell to his mom and friends. Kit deserved a similar opportunity but the morons on twitter took it away. Let's hope he is still in good health and state of mind and still continue to produce amazing work. Let's hope no other person's basic right to privacy is never harmed again.

[space-anon-writes]

"Weekly" Fic Recs

Yeah that's right I do these every week. Definitely.

Part of a Coven by Impala_Cherry_Trickster

Vampire AU, featuring Phil, Wilbur, and Techno's coven finding a trespassing fledgling, and wanting to speak to his manager. Tommy meanwhile, is trying very hard not to reveal the fact that there is no sire coming to find him, and also gains a family in the process.

Chapter 1/1 - 13k words - Complete

on burning by sailingthenightsea

Dream got captured, but that's fine, because there's still more villain work that Tommy needs to do. If only the superheroes would leave him alone.

Chapter 1/1 - 3k words - Complete

what it's like to create choas by eternalempires

Tommy saves the life of a villain, and now he's sort of gained a new family? Good things and bad things ensue.

Chapter 1/1 - 19k words - complete

pouring honey in my ear by thanotaphobia (blue000jay)

Dark SBI AU but Tommy is the dark one. They think they're manipulating him, but little do they know that's all part of Tommy's plan.

Chapter 2/2 - 16k words - complete

Just a Kid Who Grew Up Scared Enough to Hold the Door Shut by Flourishing_Pen03

Phil finds himself taking in two emergency foster kids while he tries to solve the murder of their guardian. This is fine.

Chapter 3/7 - 9k words

the time of our lives (when spirits wander) by rinredacted

The times that Tommy tries to say sorry to Techno, and the time that Techno says sorry back. Holy fuck this destroyed me.

Chapter 1/1 - 5k words - complete

when the wolf comes home by Odaigahara

Techno was cursed to be a wolf, but it's fine, he's just as deadly as he was when he was human. Then of course, he decides to save a kid from a zombie, because why not. Apparently though it's free dog time.

Chapter 1/1 - 1.6k words - complete

you have seen me like this before by Bellovebug

Tommy's brother went missing a long time ago, but over the years he's managed to heal and find a family. Then of course, Wilbur shows up again, exactly as he was before without aging, having been killed and brought back to life by the person who took him. Tommy is... having emotions.

Screaming, crying, drinking this soup.

Chapter 1/6 - 13k words

freaky creatures (turn the lights off) by Odaigahara

Among Us AU in which Tommy is doing his best to be a human, and he's definitely selling it. Tubbo definitely believes him, and isn't mildly freaked out. Comedy ensues.

Chapter 1/1 - 3k words - complete

try not to hate the light by Odaigahara

In a bid to save Wilbur's life, Tommy is determined to free the newly turned vampire the coven captured, and hopefully have it eat him instead. Techno is... mildly confused why this kid can't just not crave death, maybe.

Chapter 1/1 - 3k words - complete

[slasherhaven]

The Sinclair Brothers Relationship Headcanons

Bo Sinclair:

Bo can be an absolute flirt when he wants to be. As soon as you roll into town, he's got his eyes on you.

He's charming and charismatic. He expects you to fall for that.

Always flashing you that million-dollar smirk. He's always freaking smirking!

What he doesn't expect you to do is to care so much about him. To ask about his past, about his brothers. To be understanding and sympathetic.

He can brush off your concern and affection quite often but would sulk if you didn't provide it. Honest and sincere affection just isn't something he's used to receiving or giving.

You spend a lot of time sitting in the garage, watching him work and chatting with him. Sometimes he pretends like your presence is bothering him, like you're getting in the way, but would never send you away.

You're the only one who can calm him down when he gets angry or worked up. But sometimes you still just have to give him time to cool off.

When it comes to affection, Bo is kinda 50/50. It's the little things that he has to get used to, like when you lace your fingers through his, when you kiss his cheek or press a quick peck to his lips.

He's better when it comes to make out sessions, that's more his style. But he thinks your little signs of affection are cute and wouldn't ask you to stop, he's just not used to them.

Bo likes showing you off to the rare visitors that wander into town.

If a visitor looks at you in a way that Bo deems inappropriate? That poor soul stands no chance. Before just killing the guy, Bo is going to make it very clear that you are off limits.

Bo likes his petnames for you. Darlin', sweetheart, babe, doll, baby girl/boy (especially if you're quite a bit shorter than him).

Bo isn't too insecure, not about his appearance anyway, more so about how he treats you. The only physical feature of his that he is particularly insecure about is his scarred wrists. He's sensitive about them as they constantly remind him of how he got them in the first place. The first time your fingers even graze against them, he pulls his hand away.

Kissing his scarred wrists, proving to him that they don't bother you. That you love every part of him. He can't help but sigh and let his eyes flutter close, allowing himself to feel his adoration for you and yours for him.

Of an evening he likes to sit with you in the living room. Just the two of you in quiet, a drink in his hand and you sitting on his lap. You resting against his chest while he wraps an arm around you, holding you securely, occasionally pressing a kiss to the top of your head. Smiling and smirking to himself whenever to press a kiss to his neck or jaw.

Vincent Sinclair:

As soon as he sees you, he's infatuated. And then you just had to go and be so kind and sweet towards him, never even giving him a funny look, are you trying to steal his heart? Well you succeeded.

Bo definitely notices his brother's crush on you and teases him about it.

Vincent does what he absolutely shouldn't do. He goes to Bo for advice but after receiving that advice, decides to completely ignore it. That just didn't sound right to him.

You are absolutely his muse. He had dozens of sketches of you and is extremely tempted to sculpt you but is a little worried you'd be creeped out by it.

You're his muse before you even start dating. He can't help himself from drawing your features. I fact, you're his muse before he's even built up the courage to be alone in a room with you.

Watching him work and constantly being impressed by how detailed his sculptures are.

He never ties his hair up when he works, resulting in wax drying among the strands. Thankfully, he kind of loves sitting while you brush it out of his hair.

He likes when you call him 'Vinny'. It might be a little silly but he likes it.

He feels all warm and fuzzy on the inside when you hug or cuddle him.

Has heart eyes whenever you defend him against Bo or if you snap at Bo to leave Vincent alone. 

It takes a little while for him to remove the mask, terrified that you won't like his face. That it'll scare you or that you just won't be attracted to him anymore.

But Vincent trusts you so eventually he will give you what you want, he'll take off the mask with enough loving encouragement.

When he takes it off, you're both sitting on the bed in front of each other. He slowly removes the mask and places it beside you both.

He hangs his head so that his hair covers his face. You move to kneel in front of him, gently pushing his hair out of his face and lifting his face to look at you.

He is a little surprised by your smiling face, that you aren't repulsed by him.

Vincent absolutely melts when you stroke your thumb over the scarred side of his face.

He has to admit that it feels great to finally get to kiss you properly, instead of a quick kiss to the mask.

From then on, Vincent will leave the mask off when it's just the two of you. The way that you look at him and love him is gradually building his confidence. Though he still might have days were he's feeling more insecure, just show him lots of love.

Lester Sinclair:

Lester has eyes for you ever since he found you trying to kick your broken down car back into action.

You won him over when you didn't look at him in fear or disgust, just sighing at your useless car before giving him a small smile.

As he is supposed to, he tells you about the nearby town and offers to give you a lift. Stupidly, you accept.

During the drive he tries to ease the tension or just keep you at ease, making light conversation and making bad jokes.

But if you laugh at those bad jokes? You have his heart already.

After his brothers decide not to kill you, for whatever reason that may be, Lester is genuinely surprised to find that you seem to prefer him to his brothers.

It's Bo that usually earns people's attention and trust, yet you seemed to gravitate towards him. He didn't understand it but he wasn't going to complain.

He starts showing up freshly showered and in clean clothes. Trying to impress you and doing his absolute best to not smell of roadkill.

His brothers notice and Bo teases him for it. Vincent thinks it’s sweet but none of his business.

But Lester doesn't care because it seems to be working!

Bo may try to flirt with you just to see how angry and red he can make Lester. Hopefully this encourages Lester to hurry up and tell you how he feels though.

In the end Lester is a softy.

He loves giving and receiving affection. 

He’s smiling so wide whenever you wrap your arms around him or kiss his cheek.

Will hold your hand everywhere.

Unless you tell him not too, he’ll stand behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist and his chin resting on your shoulder as the two of you talk to his brothers. 

He’s just so proud to be with you!

Lester has quite a bit of energy. He likes to joke around with you.

He also likes to dance with you even though he’s not a very good dancer.

Hope you enjoyed! If anyone knows the name of the dog that’s with Lester, please let me know! 😂

[spencstan]

Six of Crows re-read

(i also did this for the shadow and bone trilogy so read that if you want to)

spoiler alert obiously

i'm SO EXCITED FOR THIS this is my comfort book (with crooked kingdom of course)

JOOST HI

oo fun fact this was my first grishaverse book and i read it with no context whatsoever except that the mc is an emo boy and morally grey

so IMAGINE my pure confusion when JOOST appeared

i was like ?????? weird take on morally grey character but ok

joost trying to figure out how to flirt with a girl is a mood

anyone wanna teach us how to???

i kinda wanna skip this part so i can see the crows..

but i won't don't worry

(won't I?

"I think Yuri may be quarantined"

aaaand?

so are we you are not special

i feel like it's very important for me to mention that i read this book in spanish first

and then i got into the fandom and i was like who the fuck is the wraith? i only know El Espectro

Heartender who??? ooo you mean Cardio

Tidemakers? nope, i only know Maremotores

for real i was so confused i had to re-read it in english (not that i mind tho)

say whatever you want about the spanish version but we have to agree that this design is pretty af

another one yay: "Retvenko was a Squaller" vs. "Retvenk era un Impulsor"

(should i also say that in my pfd english version the book is 294 pages long and in my pdf spanish version its 532????) (i think it's because in the english one the speces are way less like the lines are so close together wtf

i've decided that i'm bored so i'll be skiping this chapter

anya is super badass tho

skdgfalsdgfliaysvfascvhjl yesssssss inej

Kaz Brekker didn't need a reason.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

KAZ

INEJ

I MISSED THEM

omg now i can picture amita and freddy SDJGKASKGLASG THIS IS AMAZING

we interrupt our regularly scheduled program to watch the shadow and bone trailer once again to hear freddy's beautiful voice

ok moving on!

now hear me out i'm giving you all permission to make fun of kaz for this one: Dirtyhands = Manos Sucias

hello i am Kaz Manos Sucias. nice to meet you!

AAAAA

AAAAAAAAAA

JESPER FAHEY

JESPER LOVE HI

SJDGHFKAHSGDLAJSDFSJ,AHFLHDSGF

I MISSED HIM OMG

OMG NOW I CAN PICTURE HIM AS KIT

can you tell jesper is one of my favourite characters?

i really love the fact that kaz is pissed about the murder of that ambassador ONLY because he can´t figure out how it happen

he´s such a nerd

i can't believe one of the firts things we hear jesper say is threathen to kill someone by writing "forgive me" with bullets

AND HE CALLS HIS GUNS "BABIES" OMG

picture saying hi baby and wylan thinkin he's talking to him but actually jesper's talking to one of his guns

Jesper rolled his eyes. "It's about sending a message. What's the point of a dead guy with forg written on his chest?."

"Compromise," Kaz said. "I'm sorry does the trick and uses fewer bullets."

ooo thank god we have kaz to come up with creative solutions /j /s

honestly i love how they talk about kaz's cane like it's the scariest weapon ever (which it kind of is)

nothing will ever disappoint me more than finding out that in english their gang name is "the Dregs". like i don't even know for sure what that means

in spanish is "Los Indeseables" (the undesirables?) which sounds a lot more badass

no hate tho i like the dregs

but i was confused af bc i expected it to be sometihng like "the undesirables" or"the unwanted" or whatever

and it said "the dregs"

which in the translator means something like shit or something

anways moving on:

If he'd (kaz) ever been a little boy

i love how lowkey all the crows think he was just born exactly like he is now

imagine a baby kaz all dressed in black and threatening people

cute

"No mourners," Jesper said as he tossed his rifle to Rotty

"No funerals," the rest of the Dregs murmured in reply. Among them, it passed for "good luck".

YES

YESSS

i wonder what wylan's doing right now :))

i can't wait for the next book where he has a pov

the first time i read this book i literally looked at the title of every chapter to see if he ever got one (i was disappointed to say the least :((((

Besides, she was the Wraith - the only law that applied to her was gravity, and some days she defied that, too.

ma'am

marry me please

i'm gonna cry so hard once the show is out and we get to see inej omg

me simp

That Kaz had chosen Jesper to be one of his seconds was no surprise. Twitchy as Jepser was, with or without his revolvers, he was at his best in a fight, and she knew he'd do anything for Kaz.

idk why but i just love it every time kaz implies or shows that he cares or trusts jesper

it makes me soft

But every one of Inej's senses told her that was not how this was going to play out. Her father would have said the shadows were about their business tonight. Something bad was going to happen here.

underrated saying from Inej's father right there

"I'm a business man," he told her."No more, no less"

"You're a thief, Kaz."

"Isn't that what I just said?"

i-

i see no lies here

not to be annoying but i hc jesper as adhd (i mean is pretty much as canon as wylan's dyslexia) so i'm gonna write here every time i see evidence :)

jesper with adhd part 1: impulsivity

Jesper snorted. "Stomach, spine. What's next, spleen?"

"Shut it" Oomen snarled. The rules of parley dictated that only the lieutenants could speak once negotiations had begun. Jesper mouthed "sorry" and elaboratedly pantomimed locking his lips shut.

he know he couldn't speak but couldn't stop himself from making a comment (i relate way too much to that lmao)

hoestly poor jesper he had to watch hid friend get shot and kaz do nothing about it

i would've been mad too

"I like it when men beg," she said. "But this isn't the time for it"

KAHGFAHLGSFGASFLGSAFS

this is one of the best quotes in the book by far

YASSS KAZ POV

Kaz could have tol Jesper that he knew he wasn't dirty, reminded him that he'd trusted him eough to make him his only real second in a fight that could have gone badly wrong tonight.

cute

but kaz is petty af

he didn't even have a reason not to tell jesper that!

i love that kaz knows inej is following him but doesn't say anything because he wants to wait until she's ready

i LOVE the scene where kaz in in the van eck mantion /srs

idk why but it's so good

And, of course, there was the mystery of Van Eck's son.

wonder what that could be!!! /s

He grinned at her (...)

"Hmm." she said noncommittally, pretending to examine one of her knives, determined to ignore that grin.

KANEJ YESS

HE'S BASICALLY SHOWERING IN FRONT OF HER OMG

this is so funny poor inej is getting flustered

"And I'll need Wylan waiting at the Crow Club tomorrow night."

YES WYLAN OMG

One minute he made her blush and the next he made her want to commit murder

happens to the best of us :/

"Please, my darling Inej. treasure of my heart won't you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat?"

if kaz doesn't say this on the show we riot

agreed?

it's so amazing how nina found a way to use her powers to get money instead of having to like steal and murder like the rest in the gang

NINA'S POV YESSS HIII

nina and inej omg

their friendship is just perfect

POOR MATTHIAS HE HAS TO FIGHT THE WOLVES

i would straight up cry

Matthias was dreaming again. Dreaming of her

i'm gonna cry damn it

this is the enemies-to-lovers we all needed

jesper has adhd part 2:

"Jesper was supposed to wait until three bells." said the pale boy

"It is three bells, Kaz." replied a small girl (...)

"Since when is Jesper punctual?" the boy complained with a glance at his watch

the time blindness come one

(btw i love the fact that kaz plans around jesper's time blindness instead of like threatening him to be on time)

i really love how every one feels the need to take the time to say/think that the masks are ugly

its so unnecessary lmao

yessss inej is a badass that kills monster we stan

and matthias is lowkey impressed lmao

as he should

"Thank you, Jesper," said Nina

"You're very welcome, gorgeous. See, Kaz? That's how the civilised folk do"

THESE TWO OMG

JESPER IS THE LOML

INEJ OMG LOOK:

She stepped aside as if she's known he was coming, languidly hooking her heel behind his ankle. Matthias let out a loud grunt as he landed on the stones

(...) "Clumsy, this one," the bronze girl said impassively.

i-

that's what happen when you underestimate her bitch

AAAAAAA

PEOPLE

PEOPLE

TIME TO FREAK OUT

WYLAN IS HERE

AND HE'S DOODLING STOP IT'S SO CUTE

ok jesper has adhd part 3 i think:

"Just how crazy is he?" asked Jesper, fingers drumming on the pearl handles of his revolvers.

ok first of all: stimming

second of all: hyperactivity

i rest my case

ok 2 or 3 things here

"I believe you know Nina," Brekker continued. "The lovely girl freeing you is Inej. (...) and this is Wylan, the best demolitions expert in the Barrel"

"Raske is better," Inej said

The boy looked up, ruddy gold hair flopping in his eyes, and spoke for the first time. "He's not better. He's reckless"

"He knows his trade"

"So do I"

ok 1: kaz calling inej lovely omg kanej

2: YES WYLAN STANDING UP FOR HIMSELF

2.5: kaz calling him the best cute af

3: honestly why do people think wylan is like an innocent soft boy or whatever. he's in a room full of murderers and thieves and the first thing he does is correct them and stand up for himself

like i wish i could do that

i would be crying like a bitch

AAAAAAAA

"Meet Wylan Van Eck"

KHDSGFALSGFIASGFAL

HI WYLAN BABY

YESSS JESPER'S POV NOW

I'M SO HAPPY also look at this it's the first thing in his pov

Jesper stared at Wylan

do i sense some wesper?????

ok everyone is being so mean to him right now

they are aclling him useless and an idiot and other shit

poor boy honestly he had to deal with this + taking part of a heist he is definetly not ready for + he has to hide the fact that he can't write or read

it so distrubing that kaz is literally the nicest one to wylan right now

"See that? Hidden depths." (...)"He's good enough at demo, and he's got a fine hand for sketching, thanks to all those pricey tutors."

(...)

"There you have it," Kaz said to Jesper. "Marketable skills. Wylan is watching you, Helvar"

GET READY

ARE Y'ALL READY?

OK THEN:

"Scheming face," Jesper whispered to Inej.

She nodded. "Definetly."

THEIR FRIENDSHIP OMG

AND THIS QUOTE

I NEED IT ON THE SHOW THEY BETTER GIVE IT TO US

"Who's Mark" damn wylan (but pretty good comeback to jesper tho)

"What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?

"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.

"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.

"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.

"You're all horrible," said Matthias.

tag yourself i'm jesper

KJSFGAL kaz just told wylan to tell him everything he know about his dad's company

and he said he doesn't know and kaz was like "and you never looked trough his documents????

AND THEN HE GOT SAD AND SAID HE HADN'T (and kaz believed him this is sad)

AND NOW JESPER CALLED HIIM USELESS

ok you know i love you jes but if you keep this up

idk i can't do anything you're a sharpshooter

but stiiiiiil

LMAO MATTHIAS ACTUALLY THOUGHT HE COULD BEAT KAZ

nice try

demjin

*insert spongebob voice* demjin

WE'RE GONNA TAKE A MOMENT NOW TO APPRECIATE INEJ GAHFA

BECAUSE KAZ DOESN'T

The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.

*ugly crying*

Many boys will bring you flowers. But some day you'll meet a boy who will learn your favourite flower, your favourite song, your favourite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.

*uglier crying*

TANTE HELLEN IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE

SOMEONE PLEASE STAB HER FOR ME

jesper has adhd part ?? (i have dyscalculia you can't expect me to remember the number):

That sound - the swift, shocking report of gunfire - called the scattered, irascible, permanently seeking part of his mind into focus like nothing else.

do i really need to explain this?

ok just in case.. an adhd brain doesn't actually have a deficit of attention(the name just sucks) it's problem with controling that attention. the brain is always looking for new sources of dopamine which is why it shifts its focus so much

i love that jes thinks of matthias as "tha giant"

like sir

have you seen yourself?

you're tall af

HE GOT SHOT

WHY DID I FORGET JESPER GETS SHOT IN THE LEG HERE

"Close your eyes!"

"You can't kiss me from down there, Wylan"

"Just do it!"

i love the energy BUT NOW IT'S NOT THE TIME JES

YESS WYLAN SHOW THEM THEY WERE WRONG CALLING YOU USELESS

inej just stabed some guy int the d

good for her!

KAZ YESSSS HI

AWWW SHE'S WORRIED HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS CANE

KANEJ FOR LIFE

oh no wylan got shot too???? (just barely but stilllll por baby)

my Wraith omggg

ok 3 things about this:

Without another word, he tipped Oomen into the sea.

"No!" Wylan shouted, leaning over the railing, his face pale, stunned eyes tracking Oomen in the waves. (...)

Jesper set his hand on Wylan's shoulder. "Let it go."

"It's not right-"

"Wylan," Jesper said, giving him a little shake."Maybe your tutors didn't cover this lesson, but you do not argue with a man covered in blook and a knife up his sleeve"

1. wesper yasssss

2. wylan just argued with a mant hat had just tacken the eye out of someone. he literally called him out for being an asshole. like damn wylan is brave af i love him

3. do you think seeing kaz trow the guy out of the boat reminded wylan of when the same thing happened to him???? this makes me sad

he's brave and a good person and i just-

"Man with a knife, remember?" he said over his shoulder.

"Man with a gun!" Jesper called after him

this had no right being so funny

AND THEN KAZ GAVE HIM THE MIDDLE FINGER STOP I CAN'T

nina is the biggest kanej shiper no one can tell me i'm wrong

unrelated but if jesper had gone to the Little Palace and had studied there with nina they 100% would've had a crush on Zoya and bonded over it

like you can't tell me those two bisexual disaster wouldn't be absolutely in love with Zoya

jesper has adhd part ??:

Jesper scrubbed the back of his neck, touched his hands to his gunds, returned to his neck. He always seemed to be in motions

hyperactivity right there

and restlessness

"Do you know the best way to find Grisha who don't want to be found?" (...)

"Seems to be if they don't want to be found, you should just let them be" (jesper says this)

this conversation must be so stressful to him omg

LMAO JESPER CUT MATTHIAS HAIR THIS IS SO FUNNY

AND HE SHAVED HIM

ok you all know i love all of them but they can be sooo stupid

like wylan wrote no names on the drawing and he's excuse is that he doesn't know fjerdan?

AND THAT'S NOT EVEN TRUE he literally said he learned school fjerdan which means he should know how to write it too (we know why he can't but the tohers don't)

and even then like the excuse doesn't make any sense. why would having the original name be usefull if no one can fucking read it????

the worst part tho? NO ONE QUESTIONED HIM

THEY WERE LIKE "yup makes sense" AND WENT ON WITH THEIR DAY

i wondered how they didn't figure wylan's secret sooner but now i now

it's because theya re idiots

"I'm just doing my job. Stop glaring at me"

wylan baby let's not make the gigant mad

Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. "Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost."

Brekker's lips quirked. "I'll just hire Matthias ghost to kick your ghost's ass."

"My ghost won't associate with your ghost," Matthias said primply, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.

i had to put this here i don't want to get murdered by the fandom

jesper, inej and nina have the BEST friendship

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE JES AND INEJ TOGETHER ON NETFLIX

"I know some people don't understand, but Kaz told me ... he said it was my choice, that he wouldn't be the one to mark me again."

i love this because it happen when they had just met

he did it because he understands her trauma and he respects her not because he loves her (i doubt he did at the time)

Kaz had been impressed with the sketches. (...)

"Just learn to take a compliment. Kaz doesn't hand them out often."

I'M SO PROUD OF WYLAN

and yess kaz only compliments wylan (and inej but that's sarcastic so it doesn't count) because he's a proud dad

"And you don't belong here, either."

"I beg your pardon, merchiling?"

"We don't need a sharpshooter for Kaz's plan, so what's your job - other than stalking around making everyone angsty?"

He shrugged. "Kaz trusts me."

Wylan snorted and picked up his pen. "Sure about that?"

DAMN WYLAN DESTROYED HIM

also

"If you aren't born with every advantage, you learn to take your chances."

"I wasn't-" Wylan left off and set down his pen. (...)

aww cute neurodivergent boyfriends bonding

Wylan had turned back to his work, his disappointment obvious. For some reason, Jesper felt disappointed, too.

ajgflasjgfjagslfiuusgflgdfsgdflasdgfsd

wesper

aww jes checks on inej every morning and every night i love him

"Thank you for keeping me in this world when fate seemed determined to drag me to the next. I owe you a life debt."

Nina blushed deeply. "I was teasing, Inej"

LJFGALKGFALGA another cute friendship right there

(and i can see why people ship them romantically)

STOP INEJ AND JES ARE BONDING SO MUCH (page 127 so i can go back and read it lmao)

Van Eck writes to Wylan every week, and Wylan doesn't even open the letters

"They just said the same thing again and again: If you're reading this, the you know how much I wish to have you home. Or I pray that you read these words and think of all you've left behind."

should i kill him? anyone want to join me?

Inej bumped her shoulder against his."Then at least we're both the same kind of stupid." (...)

"You're too good for him, you know?"

"I know. So are you"

jes and her bonding over their stupid crush on a white boy

Because I've been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days.

jfsfdajdhmgkfutdjrgsg ok i can't blame them for having a crush on him anymore

this chapter is full of kanej i love it

"What do you want, then"

You, Inej. You forever.

jksdgfoagsdfgsdgfklasgdflaghsldfgksdgfkahgsdfghjlkf

kaz's backstory makes me sad

"When we get our money, you can burn kruge to keep you warm," said Kaz. (...)

"I´m gonna pay someone to burn my kruge for me."

Kaz fell into step beside him. "Why don't you pay someone else to pay someone to burn your kruge for you? That's what big players do."

"You know what the really big bosses do? They pay someone to pay someone ...". Their voices trailed off as they tomped ahead, and Matthias and the others followed.

JES AND KAZ HAVE THE BEST CONVERSATIONS

i can't believe we get to see nina and matthias meet and their whole backstory in less than a month omg

"It's not natural for women to fight."

"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand."

QUEEN

YOU TELL HIM

oh no the dead grisha

this part breaks my heart every time

"Do you have a different name for killing when you wear a uniform to do it?"

.....i'm just gonna leave this quote right here

anyways acab

stop nina tried to kill the survivor so they wouldn't suffer but she couldn't do it

and jesper did it for her without hesitation i wanna cry

and inej didn't want to do it either i want to hug them

"Because our crime is existing. Our crime is what we are"

..........

i'm gonna leave this here again

do with it what you will

"Don't mock what you don't understand."

"My mockery offends you? My people would welcome you laughter in place of this barbarity"

i- this conversation is so important

AAAAA JES AND WY ARE A GREAT TEAM I LOVE THEM

WYLAN TROWS BOMBS TOGIVE JESPER TIME TO GET READY TO SHOOT

INEJ AND KAZ ARE A GREAT TEAM TOO

THEY LITERALLY DID THE SCENE LIKE IN THE AVENGERS (but without the shield WHICH MAKES IT BETTER)

Jesper shouldered his rifle. "Wylan earned his keep."

Wylan gave a little jump at the sound of his name. "I did?"

YES BABY YOU DID GREAT

kaz getting self-conscious for his hair is pure comedy

but nina how can you say that have you see his hair on the show???? it's perfect

"Remeber our friend Mark?"

HELP I CAN'T

"Any other impossible feats you'd like us to accomplish?"

The bearest smile flikered over Kaz's lips. "I'll make you a list."

once again jesper and kaz being besties

unrelated but nikolai and jesper would love each other

the amount of sass they have between them it's unparalleled

"Mmm," Inej murmured, taking a sip from her mug. "Maybe you're just not enough."

DAMN

ma'am marry me please

kaz fainted damn poor boy

unrelated unce again but this is so much betetr than shadow and bone

like you can tell leigh improved so much

her characters are better and their arcs are better developed

the writing itself it's better

or maybe i'm just biased because i love soc so much but i think she definetly improved

INEJ IS TRYING TO GIVE HIM SPACE EVEN WHEN SHE'S TRAPPED AND LOCKED ON THE WAGON

I JUST - THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO MUCH

Though he'd trusted her with his life countless times, it felt much more frightening to trust her with his shame.

Inej had once offered to teach him how to fall. "The trick is not getting knocked down," he'd told her with a laugh. "No, Kaz," she's said, "the trick is in getting back up"

inej is smart af

Kaz was usually unshakeable during a job, but now he was on edge, and Jesper didn't know why. Part of him wanted to ask, though he knew that was the stupid part, the hopeful farmboy who picked the worst possible person to care about, who searched for signs in things that he knew deep down meant nothing - when kaz chose him for a job, when Kaz played along with one of his jokes. He could have kicked himself. He's finally seen the infamous Kaz Brekker without a stich of clothing, and he'd been too worried about ending up on a pike to pay proper attention.

ok i got a couple of things to say about this part

first of all it makes me so sad that jes cares so much for someone who dosn't deserve him. because no hate to kaz but they would never work as a couple and kaz already treats him like shit most of the time

i think this part shows who a lot about who jesper really is. a boy that grew up having to hide parts of himself, who thinks he's worth nothing but it's smart and capable, who's loyal and brave and caring but doesn't even know it himself. he's someone who feels he doesn't deserve good things and thinks he's not good enough, and that's why he unds up in all the wrong places with the wrong people. he left uni bc he fell in with the gangs, because he didn't think he was smart enough or even prepared to be in studying in the university. jesper is constantly hiding behind a mask or running from things because he's scared of not being enough

an kaz is everything jes in a way wishes he could be. kaz is secure in himself (at least on the outside), he's stable, he's smart, he's "unshakeable". and most of all, he doesn't care about others (we know that's not true but that's how he presents himself)

and that's the thing that causes jesper all his problems. because he's insecure because he thinks he's not good enough for the poeple or things he cares about. and he's always trying to do what's best for his loved ones: he went to the ice court to pay his debt for his father, he follows kaz everywhere beacause he cares about him, he offered to read to wylan (knowing it wouldn't be easy for him to be still that long).

and yeah it often doesn't work out becuase he's messy and he has problems but he tries. and he hates that. he hates that he cares so much about people because at the end of the day, that's what makes him feel like he's not good enough

one more thing and i'm done i promise

unpopular opinion but i love that leigh made jesper have a crush on kaz. 1 beacuse it's refreshing to see someone not get otgether with his first crush. and 2 because i love that it shows that we sometimes get attached to people that are not good for us, but that we can learn to move on. jesper ended with wylan who respects him and values him, unlike kaz

ok i'm sorry that was probably all bs

oo one more thing, jesper definetly has rsd (rejection sensitive disphoria), which is something most poeple with adhd have

"My father used to take me everywhere with him"

this is so sad. bc they probably had a good relationship when he was little. and then they figured he coudln't read and now his father treats him like shit

it's even worse than if he haf been horrible from the beginning because wylan knows he can be a good father. and so he thinks it's his fault and he deserves to be treated like that. i hate van eck

"You're cuter when you're smart"

(...)

"Definitely cuter when you're smart"

wesper yesssss

i love them so much

ok but why do people think jesper is stupid. like the boy just made a bunch of criminals pass out by mixing some chemicals

and he was going to the university at like 15

AAAAND NOW THEY KNOW HE'S A FABRIKATOR

amazing plot twist

also:

Wylan coughed. Flirting with him might actually be more fun that annoying him, but it was a close call.

oooo come on jesper we all know you just love getitng him to blush

and you love him

who said that? definitely not me, nope

awwww jesper misses being around animals that's cute

imagine him coming home to wylan one day with a puppy because he just couldn't resist

cute

Better terrible truths than kind lies

just leaving here more of inej's wisdom

ok this may be a reach but jesper has adhd part ???

Yellow Protocol? Red Protocol? He couldn't remember which was which. (...)

"The alarm was Yellow Protocol, a sector disturbance."

Jesper pushed at his temples. "I don't remember what that means"

a bad working memory? sounds familiar

kaz loves puzzles

it's canon

"I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue."

this part where wylan and jesper see the banner made with grisha's kefta kills me every time

I would have worn purple, Jesper thought, if I'd joined the Second Army. (...) He'd beenwilling, even eager to risk capture and execution as a thief and hired gun. Why was it worse to think about being hunted as a Grisha?

this makes me want to cry so much

another thing super sad: the fact that since his father is Kaelish and had some supersititons towards grisha, jesper grew up wondering if his own father was scared of him. he had to hide his powers and he was almost taught to be afraid of them

"Is it safe to leave them, you know-"

"Alive? I'm not big on killing unconscious men."

"We could wake them up"

WYLAN

NO

damn the boy needs therapy

it's amazing how nothing went like they planned

not a single thing

PEOPLE GET READY

ARE YOU READY?

NEITHER AM I BUT WHO CARES

"What do you like?"

"Music. Numbers. Equations. They are not like words. They...they don't get mixed up."

ok dude the clues are right there he's basically saying it

"If only you could talk to girls in equations."

There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they'd created in the link, Wylan said, "Just girls?"

Jesper restrained a grin. "No. Not just girls." It really was a shame they were all probably going to die tonight.

wylan really said a straight man?? couldn't be me

this is the definition of bi panic "jesper restrained a grin" bitch we saw that

btw i love the slow burn

like they hint something here but they don't actually start liking each other until much later and they don't get together until almost the end of ck

i also love that the fact that they both like guys is like out in the open now. bc i'm not a fan of when queer characters have a crush and there's the whole thing of "are they queer too or not?"

like they both know htey are queer. but they don't get together right away bc they have to start liking each other before. they don't get together bc they are the only queer mlm characters

matthias fake betrayal killed me

i tought it was real

I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept fom this oath.

this is just-

also foreshadowing?

YAYY KUWEI HI

There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.

She's laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and got drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.

if i ever have a s/o and they don't tell me this at least once i don't want it

He needed to tell her... what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn't pull himslef together into some smeblance of a man for her

THIS

THIS IS LOVE RIGHT THERE

they are the only straight couple that matters

everyone else go home

Wylan had scratches all over his cheeks and neck. He was beaming. Inej grabbed his hands and sqeezed.

so cute omg

"You can explain why our illustrious Shu scientist looks like one of Wylan's school pals along the way"

KAZ

i mean it's true but you didn't have to say it

KAZ IS SMILING OMG

EVERYONE FREAK OUT WITH ME

HE'S "grinning like and idiot" STOP I LOVE HIM

"We are all someone's mosnter, Nina"

"I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all"

this part breaks my heart and i love it

"Stay," she oanted. Tears leaked from her eyes. "Stay till the end"

"And after," he said. "And always."

i just- helnik is perfect

AWWW JESPER MISSES WYLAN

my daily dosis of wesper :)

ok but in like 2 pages jesper tought of wylan like 10 times bc he's sad wy isn't with him

Jesper scanned the empty deck. He's assumed Wylan would come up to see them off. (...)

Jesper knew he was being selfish and stupid, but some petty part of him wondered if Wylan had deliberately kept away from him on the journey back. Maybe now that the job was complete and he was on his way to his share of the haul, Wylan was done slumming with criminals.

*charles boyle's insinuating voice* and why do you care so much???

btw YOU ARE WRONG. HE'S LITERALLY GOING OUT OF HIS WAY TO BE WITH YOU EVEN THOUGH HE CAN'T SPEAK

this scene where we find out the truth about wylan hurts so much but it's one of my favourites idk why

I LOVE THAT EVERYONE IS AS MAD AS I AM ABOUT THE LETTERS NOW

"Your're a fool," Jesper snarled. "He smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you."

YES TELL HIM

the fact that wylan just heard him say that omg

"Deserved" amended Van Eck. He blew the whislte twice.

SOMEONE BETTER GRAB ME BEFORE I KILL HIM MYSLEF

THAT IDIOT

I HATE HIM SO MUCH

I'M GONNA CRY CAN SOMEONE KILL HIM FOR ME

Jesper screamed in rage and raised his guns.

YES EXACLTY WHAT I MEANT

JUST KILL HIM RIGHT NOW

"I'm not big on bludding, am I Inej?"

"Not as a rule"

Van Eck's lip curled. "And why is that?"

"Because he'd rather cheat," said the boy who was not Kuwei Yul-Bo in perfect, unaccented Kerch.

THIS WAS PERFECT

THE BEST WAY TO REVEAL THAT

(...), and Jesper flinched

baby he recognized wylan's voice

The Shu boy held out a hand. "Pay up, Kaz"

BITCH THIS IS AMAZING

THIS BOY MADE A BET WITH A CRIMINAL THAT HIS OWN FATHER WAS GOING TO TRY TO KILL HIM

AND HE WON THE BET

A nearly perfect replica of Kuwei Yul-Bo stood before them, but he had Wylan's voice, his mannerisms, and - though Kaz could see the fear and hurt in his golden eyes - Wylan's surprising courage, too.

i love it when they compliment him

my boy deserves all the compliments ever

AND KAZ IS PROUD OF HIS SON WE ALL KNOW THIS

Wylan cuold draw a perfectt elevation. He's made a drill that could cut throu Grisha glass from parts of a gate and scavenged bits of jewellery. So what if he couldn't read

this is taking me to some real places

i may cry you've been warned

WYLAN DIDN'T CARE THAT HE MAY BE STUCKED LOOKING LIKE KUWEI

this is making me cry

"A fool would have been waiting to be smashed to bits on that ship. And as for "traitor", you've called me worse in the last few minutes alone."

EXACTLY

YOU TELL HIM WYLAN

Instead, in that moment of threat, when he should have thought only of the fight, he looked at Inej.

BABY

i would've done the same tho she's pretty

amita is sooo pretty i'm gonna die when the show comes out

Jesper was staring at Wylan, his eyes roving over the black hair, the golden eyes. "Why?" he said at last. "Why would you do this?"

nothing to say here except: wesper

You... how many times was it you standing beside me on the deck at night when I tought it was Kuwei?"

"Every time."

i want to cry so bad

"Why does it matter?"

"I don't know!" Jesper said angrily. "Maybe I liked your stupid face."

a very staright and platonic thing to say of course

i know jes we all liked his stupid face

"Jesper made a mistake," said Wylan. "A stupid mistake, but he didn't set out to betray anyone."

YES WYLAN DEFEND YOUR BOYFRIEND

And maybe he'd kept him in the dark about Wyllan because he wanted to punish him a little

even kaz know they like each other come on

Jesper sat with elbows on knees, head in hands. Wylan deside him wearing th face of a stranger.

wylan give him a hug fro me please

he needs it

"Scheming face," murmured Jesper.

"Definitely," agreed Wylan.

i miss inej already

And I'm going to get my girl. Inej could never be his, not really, but he would find a way to give her the freedom he´d promised her so long ago.

i'm ugly crying and so what?

and now we're done....

i want to read this book again omg this is unhealthy

[kakiwrites]

Stage 16

kenma were spending the last day of training camp outside when they turned around to see empty and abandoned streets. What happened to all the people? As night fell, locations lit up all around Tokyo. they head to one, thinking it would answer their questions, but really what awaited them was phones, a letter to take one and soon, death. Will Kenma and (y/n) survive in a world filled with death or will they die in the hands of the game just like the others?

 (masterlist is pinned and is under navigation!)

 a/n: hey guys! More canon stuff, are you guys as excited as I am? I have a game set for the face card arc that you guys might enjoy, might have to finalize it with my friend tho since he's helping me make up this game! Hope you guys enjoy

 "we would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for staying at seaside paradise Tokyo. As a token of our appreciation, we will now commence a game with all guests in the venue."

 The yelling roared louder as you, kenma, and Riko tried to get past the crowd to get to the table and grab a phone. Some kind Samaritans handed them to you. Chishiya and kuina stood near the edge of the crowd as everyone started to settle and observe their now opponents. Everything was happening so fast. Everyone seemed shocked and tense, frankly, you were too.

 How did the hotel become a game arena? Was there a spy in your midst? Did the organizers find this small little gathering and decide to use it to their advantage?

 "difficulty, 10 of hearts."

 "kitten," kenma got your attention, you looked at him as he took your hand and stirred you away from the crows and to the edge where chishiya and kuina stood. "it's a 10 of hearts. It isn't safe here." he whispered into your ear. Your breath hitched. Out of all the games, it had to be hearts. You looked around, seeing the other players trying to look upfront. a girl screamed her friend's name. Your heart dropped. Has it started?

 Right on time, all of the phones chimed, making everyone look down at their devices. The voice came to explain the rules for your final suit game. "game, witch hunt.". Everyone murmured amongst themselves. Kenma's shaky hands pulled you and riko back from the crowd near the hallways just in case things get dirty quickly.

 "the murderous witch, who killed this girl is hiding amongst you in plain sight. The witch role is not limited to women." everyone freaked at that. So it could be anyone. But you were with the group, you had an alibi, but it wasn't like you could tell the truth. The militants might find out what you were planning and punish you among the witch and you can't have that.

 "clear condition, you must find the witch and burn him or her in the fire of judgment. Time limit, two hours."

 People started to look around at that. Burn? What did they mean by burn? Just then, flickering began to show through the curtains. Everyone just stood there to stare at the flames moving back and forth.

 So they weren't kidding huh?

 "there's a fire at the back of the building!" yelled one man. Everyone talked around you worriedly. You were starting to get worried too.

 "We have to find whoever murdered Momoka and burn them in the fire of judgment." An said, calm as ever but she was cut short when niragi pranced in, rifle rested on his shoulder.

 "a witch hunt game huh? This ought to be good."

 You looked down at your device and showed it to kenma. He stared it down, eyes overflowing with thoughts and not all of them were good. "the time started." you whispered, making sure no one around you except for kenma could hear you.

 "all right let's go witch-hunting!" niragi yelled out. The militants started shoving people to the side and pointing their guns at them. Chishiya smirked and walked off, kuina following after him hesitantly. You tapped kenma on the shoulder then motioned to the empty hallway. He nodded before taking riko's hand and guiding her through the silent halls.

 "What should we do?" you asked, kenma continued to walk into the hallways almost blindly, his hands checking all of the doors until he reached the kitchen. He swung the door wide open then helped you and riko inside.

 "The kitchen is our safest bet. There aren't usually any cameras here. As long as we barricade the door and stay quiet, we're good." kenma muttered before motioning to moving carts they used to transport food all around the hotel. You nodded, walking over and rolling them in front of the door.

  You helped riko situate herself in the very corner of the room. You soon sat next to her, knife in hand for self-defense. Kenma turned off the lights and sat next to you, and intertwined his hand into yours while the other fished into the makeshift pocket in his jacket to take out the first three cards you've gotten.

  after a few moments of silence, muffled gunfire and screams bounced around the hallways. Riko jumped and clung to you. You pulled riko into your chest and tried to console her sobs. A kid shouldn't have to go through this. You looked at kenma worriedly. he was muttering to himself, squeezing your hand every time he took a breath. You didn't know if he was doing it to comfort you or himself.

 Footsteps got louder and scream erupt as more players ran down the halls, seemingly to look for cover. The screams were muffled by nearby gunfire. You covered Riko's ears as you clenched your eyes shut. Even though you didn't know what was going on outside, you knew it wasn't good.

 Screams ran through your hallway before falling silent after a few shots. You could hear someone reloading their gun and opening each of the doors only to close them with a bang. They were getting close, you were sure of it.

 Kenma placed his hand over your mouth. You didn't realize you were even sobbing. The footsteps became excruciatingly loud. Then it stopped. For a moment you felt safe until you heard pounding.

 BANG. BANG. BANG.

 The foot crashed into the door over and over until the door gave out, revealing a militant. He seemed to be strong despite his stick-like figure. The man pranced into the room, twirling his pistol around. Riko accidentally whimpered, making the man turn to you and shoot. You and kenma jumped into action. Your boyfriend threw the cards into the shooter's face to distract him while you tackle him down to the ground before plunging the knife into his chest over and over.

 Did you look like this when you killed hinata in your last hearts game?

 You suddenly lost your grip on the knife at the thought. You crawled away, looking at your hands.

 Bloody.

 Your hands were drenched in another person's blood.

 Kenma crouched down in front of you and held you by the shoulders. "breath (y/n). Breath for me and we can..." he trailed off, looking off to your side.

 Your eyes followed kenma's to see riko slumped over and barely breathing. You scrambled over to her to try and cover the wound where the bullet from the man's gun entered in. The blood kept gushing out. "stay with me Riko! Keep your eyes on me." you pleaded, your voice wavering. Your tears blurred your vision.

 "m-miss (y/n), kenma, T-thank you for t-taking care o-of me," she whispered, giving you one last smile before she went limp, life drained out of her eyes.

 You felt the world turn cold and your throat started to close up.

 That didn't stop you from screaming out in grief and crying your heart out.

 The only thing that kept you from going on a suicide mission to avenge the little girl was kenma, who embraced you tightly, his tears running down his cheeks.

 And we end it here~ did you guys like my little cliffhanger? Please don't be shy to leave your comments and feedback~ love you all 💖💕❤️

General taglist (don’t be shy to comment your tumblr @ below): @tokyoghoose @macaronnv @reogou @lnarizakis @midnightangelfox @wumboho @seiijixcia

series taglist (don’t be shy to comment your tumblr @ below!): @memejjk @effmigentlywithachainsaw @momo-has-a-gun @so-lo-stuff @peachiikichu @decayedz @fukurodaze @normalisthenewnorm @vantaekiim @beercheese @catboikenma @internetrats @toripersonalacc @seiijixcia @chrisrue15 @toungextied @beanst0ck @screenbaby @duhsies @arriettyyu @dvonysus

[supernaturalnovelsandmore]

Supernatural Novel: Heart of the Dragon

Welcome to my not-quite review of the fourth Supernatural novel, Heart of the Dragon.

Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido

Timeline: Set after Episode 5.08 Changing Channels

Location: San Francisco, California (Chinatown)

Synopsis: An old foe has come back to terrorize San Francisco, but what is the connection between the Campbells, John Winchester and Sam and Dean? Read to find out!

Warning: Spoilers abound!

Oh, where do I start? Heart of the Dragon has a very different feel to it, one that I'm not entirely on board with. Basically, it's a flashback book that spends the first third on Samuel, Deanna, and Mary Campbell, the second third on John Winchester and the last quarter on Sam and Dean. In fact, out of 28 chapters, Sam and Dean were only featured in about 7 of them. It leaves the book feeling hollow and me, a little meh. But, there are some additional insights into the Winchester family history which I'll try and parse out.

One more thought, I'm glad this is the last book from this particular author. Once again he has utilized a culture/race to tell the story, and not well. When the story is in 1969, he utilizes the world Orientals to explain Japanese and Chinese characters. He might have been trying to use the wording of the day, and that's fine if it's in dialogue, but to use it as a descriptor is problematic, at best. He also plays up multiple stereotypes from the Chinese mob to the Japanese Samurai. I'm hoping this book is the Route 666 of the novels and that they can only get better.

I decided to sort my thoughts within the different timelines, so here we go:

1969: Samuel, Deanna, and Mary Campbell

We open with the family hunting a vampire and Samuel using 15-year-old Mary as willing bait. It turns out to be a nest, but they quickly dispatch them without casualties. Deanna appears to be quite the hunter in her own right (her skill with a Claymore outstanding.) Within this hunt we learn a few things about Mary and the Campbell family.

The Campbells have a strong link to their Scottish heritage.

Samuel hates Christmas

Mary is willful, annoying, and disrespectful, but an amazing hunter who was raised practically from birth to how to hunt and defend herself. (Sam parallels, perhaps?)

Mary learned about monsters at 11 when she saw her parents dispatch an avenging spirit.

Samuel hates the idea of Mary hanging out with any boys, though she has a particular fondness for a John Winchester who works as a local auto-mechanic.

Samuel owns a dry-cleaning business and Deanna substitute teaches to help maintain some kind of income.

Mary often wondered about having a normal life, but would dismiss it knowing she couldn't have that and still know monsters are out there. (Seems like a combination of Sam and Dean here).

Other than that, the hunt they go to San Francisco for seems fairly perfunctory. They do a bunch of research, talk to a few locals. Samuel dons his FBI agent schtick, they locate the source of the problem, and quickly dispatch it. There's nothing too dramatic there, just a lot of backstory.

1989: John Winchester

There's a bit more insight here because now we're getting some insight into Dad John, as well as 6-year-old Sam and 10-year-old Dean. I'll touch on a few points.

Leaving his boys with others: We open with John returning to his kids whom he left at Bobby's while he took care of a hunt. He left them long enough that they were enrolled in school and he planned on keeping them there for the fall semester. He felt bad about using Bobby's hospitality for so long.

Training his boys: "John knew his boys would need to be able to defend themselves against whatever was out there - he'd already started that process with Dean... Dean was a crack shot with John's M1911 and could load the shotgun with iron rounds and fire them off in one smooth motion. Eventually he'd need to train Sammy too. But not yet."

Loving his boys: When he arrives at Bobby's, Sam runs out to meet him and wraps his arms around John's legs as he walks in. Sam also tattles on Dean for eating the last donut.

There are also some fun moments between young Sam and Dean, mostly sibling bickering.

Dean and Sam enjoy playing hide-and-seek among Bobby's car on the weekends and Sam enjoys going to school during the week. Dean, not so much.

Sam proudly shares that he's doing 3rd grade work in 1st grade and then teases Dean about also doing 3rd grade work even though he's in 5th grade (Dean then sticks his tongue out at Sam and says "Screw you, Sammy.") At this John calls them out and both boys are chagrined.

Later on, when John calls Bobby for more information, we find Dean holding a pen out of Sam's reach and teasing him with it.

Of course, that call means we also get this heartbreaking line moment from Dean, who wants to talk to his Dad, but can't before John hangs up. Bobby tries to explain: "'Sorry, Dean, he, uh, was on his way out the door. But he told me to tell you both to behave yourselves and do what I tell you. And that he loves you.' Dean: 'Did he really say that?'"

When Bobby presents the next case, John is torn between wanting to spend time with his kids, but going after something that could cause people to burn spontaneously, in the hopes that it might lead him to the demon who killed Mary. I think the book did a good job of capturing John's struggle between revenge and caring for his boys. He's not the abusive, neglectful father people tend to think he is. He's someone struggling to make things right.

"John didn't answer at first. Instead, he looked over at Sam and Dean in the dining room, playing that oh-so-common game of 'I touched you last.'

Christmas was coming up and he did want to spend it with the boys..."

Finally, when John returns and Bobby and the boys meet him at the airport, we get some additional insight into 10-year-old Dean's thoughts regarding his father and his place in the family.

"Waiting there in the airport, he understood how important it was for Dad to be away so much - more than Sammy ever could. Sammy hadn't really known Mom, since he was just a baby when she died. Dean couldn't imagine that his baby brother would ever truly understand what had happened to her.

If he was honest with himself, he didn't really understand it, either. There were some days - though he'd never admit this to anyone - when he couldn't even remember what she looked like.

Some kind of monster had killed Mom, and Dad wouldn't rest until he found that monster and killed it. Along the way, he'd kill any other monsters who tried to kill other people's moms...

Dad still fought the bad guys and saved people, but he also cared about his sons.

Because Dad was a hero, and that was what heroes did."

2009 - Sam and Dean

There isn't much to write about here, because they weren't featured in the book. I will just add a couple of notes.

Dean recognizes Samuel Campbell in a newspaper article about the killings. (He'd already been sent back in time and met his grandfather).

It's seems reasonable to Sam that Mary and her parents were hunters. What freaks him out is that he and Dean were named after their grandparents and John never told them.

Sam's been a nerd about the American Interstate system since he was 10 and loved poring over maps.

Sam feels more guilt from trusting Ruby over Dean than starting the apocalypse.

Final notes:

This book introduces Castiel who brings the case to the boys attention. We get the same stuff in here that you see on screen, he has issues with personal space, comes and goes at will, and Bobby's still mad at him for not being able to heal his paralysis. He's only there for a few pages, and then disappears again.

Bobby gets a bit more screen time, as a pseudo-dad to young Sam and Dean, and later as their resource when researching the case and it's history. Favorite quote: "As he went into the fridge for butter to spread onto the pan, Bobby decided it was the entire Winchester family that was making him bald."

We briefly get Hurt Sam who is punched repeatedly by a hulk of a man, but with no lasting consequences and very little caring Dean.

We find out at the end that Zachariah orchestrated the whole thing by planting the idea in Castiel's head.

So, like I said at the beginning, not my favorite, but hopefully I was able to share some of the more interesting parts. Read at your own risk!

[hopeaterart]

Random thought: since the villains in canon RWBY are heroes in your AU, how does the Vytal Festival/Battle of Beacon go down?

Anon I am kissing you directly on the mouth. (Actual sequence of events under the Read More because this is long)

Things that happen BEFORE the Fall/are good to know:

You all probably guessed by now that Aura more-or-less takes Cinder's place, but Emerald and Mercury's roles are filled by Team ORKL. Pretty sure I mentioned it somewhere, but it doesn't hurt to repeat.

The one who fights Pyrrha to test the limit of her abilities is Mia, who's the best fighter on the team.

Raoul's the one who put a sleeper bug in the CTT. His Semblance can make him very forgettable to other people.

The one who created the bug was Hagatha Greene. Programming isn't her forte, but she's been working on it for a while. So it should get the job done.

Ochre is the one who fights Yang at the semi-finals, and Lys makes her break his leg by using her gravity Semblance.

Five minutes before Penny's fight, her teammate Turqoise awakens to his Semblance and sees her die. He's unable to warn anyone.

FALL ITSELF

Aura got Wraith to come with for three reasons: 1) illusion Semblance to make Pyrrha freak out and kill Penny. 2) Give the speech because Wraith is more talented at being threatening than she is. 3) She needed to be able to keep her cover going on for as long as possible.

Teams WTCH and MERN separate: Arthur wants to figure out if there's a way for him to get the bug out of the CTT, Tyrian wants to protect him, Hazel wants to help the evacuation, Roman and Neo want to help Ruby, and Cinder, Emerald and Mercury are teaming up to keep the Grimm at bay.

I've decided Amber was not in a coma, but gravely wounded. Ozpin had Pyrrha follow him to get her to safety- and in the rapidly-growing probability that Amber would die tonight, so the power could transfer to her. Jaune went with them, of course.

Aura attacked them while they were half-way through getting Amber out of her room in the Vault. Ozpin stayed behind to distract her so Pyrrha and Jaune could get Amber to safety.

One thing led to another, and Amber got separated from those two. She ended up coming across Cinder, Em and Merc. She tried to fight at their side for a while, but got caught in a devastating attack that destroyed Cinder's left side. She was able to pass on the power of the Autumn Maiden to her before she died.

Arthur, Tyrian, Ruby, Roman and Neo are trying to make their way to the CTT tower to allow Arthur to get the bug out. A brief but brutal altercation with Nami Kintsugi ensues. It results in: Tyrian losing half of his tail, Ruby losing Crescent Rose for what remains of the Fall, and Neo falling off the airship with Roman panicking and jumping after her. The rush of adrenaline ended up awakening his Semblance and saving both of their lives. Kintsugi herself was caught in a devastating explosion that ends up putting her out of commission until Volume 6.

In the meantime, Pyrrha goes to fight Aura, who's beaten Ozpin, (temporarily) killed him, and lured the Wyvern to Beacon. A fight that nearly ends in the student's death happens.

They succeed in getting Arthur at the tower, but he's unable to get the bug out so easily. He ends up taking the second option: emptying his revolver into the mainframe, thus putting an end to the rampaging Atlas drones and paladins, but also shutting down the CTT.

Ruby is able to arrive just in time to save Pyrrha with her Silver Eyes. Aura, who possesses magic thanks to Salem, is temporarily put out of commission.

Aftermath

Pyrrha is among the many students left traumatized by the Fall of Beacon, and she outright gives up on her dream of becoming a huntress.

Cinder is severely incapacitated for a while. She's able to recover just in time so she, Emerald and Mercury can accompany Ruby and Team JN_R to Anima.

Hazel blames himself for what happened to Tyrian and Cinder, and stays behind in Vale to help with the reconstruction effort for the first few months. Ozpin is then found in the rubbles. Afterwards, he ends up often running errands for Taiyang, who, on top of taking care of Yang, is also letting Ozpin and Oscar stay at his house until the wizard fully recuperates (AKA goes on a quest of Explode Salem).

Arthur makes the difficult decision of going back to Atlas in order to find a proper countermeasure for the Black Queen virus.

Roman and Neo took the Fall of Beacon as a sign from the universe that it wasn't what they were meant for, and moved to Mistral to enter the criminal underworld. Ironically, they often end up acting as vigilantes.

Tyrian is trying to cling onto hope and find a new home. By the time of Volume 4, he had moved into Menagerie a while ago.

[watching-pictures-move]

Viddying the Nasties #37 | Possession (Zulawski, 1981)

This review contains spoilers.

Andrzej Zulawski's Possession is a movie I'd somewhat been dreading revisiting. When I'd seen it all those years back (on YouTube, split into two parts if I recall correctly, as the DVD had been hard to come by in those days), despite being greatly moved by the experience, I'd also found it an extremely exhausting film to sit through. It's a tortured divorce melodrama (among other things) that starts at 11 and only goes up from there. Lots of shouting and screaming, physical abuse, kicking around chairs and tables. The movie is not what I'd call an overtly pleasant experience. Watching it now (on a Blu-ray from Mondo Vision, a substantial upgrade from my original format), while I won't characterize my previous impressions as inaccurate, I was able to better appreciate how the movie modulates this tone, acclimatizing us to its fraught emotional space. The movie starts off in the realm of a normal, bitter breakup, with the husband having returned from a work trip only to learn that his wife is leaving him and struggling to make sense of it, his frustration and anger stemming as much from the fact of her dissolving their relationship as his inability to comprehend her motivations. It isn't really until the half hour mark that it asks us to dive off the deep end with it. The husband hits his wife in the middle of a fight, follows her onto the street as she tries to halfheartedly throw herself onto the path of a truck, which then drops its baggage in an almost comical bit of stuntwork, their squabble ended when the husband becomes surrounded by children playing soccer and joins in. Any one of these by itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but Zulawski assembles them into an off-kilter crescendo, and does away with any sense of normalcy for the rest of the runtime.

That this approach works as well as it does is largely thanks to Isabelle Adjani as Anna, the wife, who spends the aforementioned scene looking like a vampire in cat eye sunglasses and blood streaming down her grimacing mouth. She delivers perhaps the most bracingly physical performance I've seen in a movie, but again this is something I'd maybe underappreciated initially in terms of how finely tuned her choices are. An early scene where she fights with her husband has her manically cutting raw meat and shoving it into a grinder, as if to channel her frustrations into acceptable form of violence for women. When she takes an electric knife to her throat, she begins to spasm about like a farm animal during a botched slaughter, providing a further comment on her domestic situation. The film's most famous scene has her freak out in a subway tunnel, thrashing her limbs about chaotically but almost rhythmically, maybe like the contractions when goes into labour. Her character later describes this as a miscarriage, ejecting the side of her which is neat and orderly and "good". Adjani plays this other half as well, with a much more old fashioned hairdo (braided conservatively like a stereotypical schoolmarm), one which provides a much more tender maternal figure to the couple's son. Adjani is also well cast because of her emotive, saucer-like eyes, which she isn't afraid to point at the camera repeatedly, providing a genuine emotional grounding during both the quieter and more hysterical sections of the movie.

Her husband, Mark, is played by Sam Neill, who had been cast after the filmmakers had seen him in Gillian Armstrong's My Brilliant Career. To understand why Neill works so well, it helps to know that Sam Waterston had previously expressed interest in the role. Waterston, while a good actor, would have come off too fogeyish as the husband. Neill brings the appropriate edge and even sex appeal necessary for the material. And like in Jurassic Park, his best known role, he brings an inquisitive quality that keeps him close enough to our vantage point to give the narrative arc some grounding. The other major human character here is Heinz Bennent as Heinrich, a new age guru who happens to be having an affair with the wife. One on hand, this character represents the counterculture from Zulawski's homeland, which he had left after trouble from the authorities when making his last movie. On the other hand, Zulawski was drawing heavily from the bitter divorce he had just gone through, and directs a sizable fraction of the movie's contempt at this character, leading me to believe that his wife in fact left him for some new age buffoon. In one of the movie's funnier scenes, he has Heinrich confront Mark over Anna's disappearance and then go into a dumbassed trance while spouting new age nonsense and basically calling Mark a Nazi. This is the guy his wife left him for? This jackass? Mark sets him up by sending him to Anna, knowing full well he could be killed, but the potency of Mark's rage (and Zulawski's, by extension), as well as the ludicrousness of the Heinrich character, keep us from sympathizing with the latter too much. Zulawski has Heinrich die with his head in a toilet, a final flush by Mark serving as one last hilariously mean-spirited gesture of contempt.

Zulawski originally conceived the movie as having another major character, Anna's ex-husband, to be played by veteran actor and director Bernard Wicki, but after the first day of shooting with Wicki, he decided to drop the character entirely. (I suppose it depends on the personalities, but I wonder how actors react to being let go early from a project. Is it worse if it's on the first day? How about if you lead the filmmakers to realize they should do away with the character altogether? I only hope Wicki got paid.) It's not hard to see what purpose this character would have served, particularly in the way that Anna "upgrades" her lovers, having traded a much older man for the younger, sexier Mark, and then trying to replace him with an evolving monstrous fuck-squid (more on this later) that she was trying to nurture and reshape into the ideal partner. The only remnants of this character in the finished film is his young wife, who appears in the climax and his goaded by the "new" Mark (the final form of the fuck-squid) to shoot into the corpses of the real Mark and Anna. The character's proposed thematic purpose might have spelled out this moment's significance more clearly, but I'm not always convinced thematic clarity is preferable to how things move and feel, and the end product does not feel incomplete or incoherent, or at least not detrimentally so. The emotions make sense, even if the events onscreen are outside the norm. (My condolences to those of you who've been dumped for a monstrous fuck-squid.)

Having been conceived after his last project was quashed by authorities in Poland, there's undeniably a political element here, enhanced by the noticeable presence of the Berlin Wall, near which much of the film is situated. (At one point the camera looks out the window and sees the police from East Berlin staring back.) The realities of the Cold War figure heavily in the characters' lives, as it's suggested that Helen (the other Adjani) is from behind the Iron Curtain (she speak of readily identifiable evil, which could be interpreted as the visible presence of an authoritarian regime) and that Mark's work is in the field of intelligence, maybe even espionage. But the movie is less interested in pointing out political specifics than in the accompanying sense of repression and division, which plays heavily into the visual style. The movie often divides its frames to separate the characters, but rarely with any sense of symmetry, suggesting a sense of emotional chaos enhanced by the bruising mixture of wide angle lenses and handheld camerawork. When we're with Mark, the movie looks overcast, bluish grey, appropriately repressed at first, although Anna's presence throws his neat, fluorescently-lit apartment into disarray. Anna's love nest, situated in the Turkish district right beside the Wall is dilapidated and unkempt, which may have reflected the squalid realities of a hastily rented apartment in what I assume is a poorer part of town, but after having excised the orderly part of herself, it seems like an accurately messy reflection of her headspace.

Now back to the fuck-squid. It's hard to go into Possession this day and age completely blind, and even back when I first saw it, it came on my radar as the movie where "Isabelle Adjani fucks a squid". I have a lot of respect for Zulawski for delivering the goods on this front and for Adjani for throwing herself into this material, not because I'm some kind of sexual deviant who gets off on this stuff (although if you are, I'm not here to judge, it's a free country, just clear your browsing history after), but because modern arthouse cinema often defaults to a mode of cold, downplayed and too afraid to raise the audience's pulse (because apparently it's undignified to force a reaction out of the audience) and it's nice to see a movie serve what it says on the tin (this is one I'd have loved to see with an unsuspecting audience back in the day). Producer Marie Laure-Reyre notes that Zulawski was very hands on with the conception of the monster, drawing inspiration from gargoyles in Polish architecture, as if to further imbue political context into the proceedings. When seeing the end product, I can only assume Zulawski broke up with his wife at a seafood restaurant (I would hope he didn't react like Mark and throw around all the tables and chairs). Of course, the design of the monster means that the movie leans heavily into body horror, and its inclusion on the Video Nasty list in the UK and its release in the US in a heavily-trimmed 81-minute version emphasizing these elements likely contributed to its psychotronic reputation early on. (I am still interested in seeking out this cut, as I can't imagine the loss of 40 whole minutes wouldn't substantially alter the film's character.) It flirts with other genres as well. Certain scenes have a clear slapstick quality. Some of these involve Heinrich, the ever-reliable target of the film's ridicule, but there is also Margit Cartensen, playing Anna's friend and Mark-hater Marge, falling on her ass like a Three Stooges bit. And there's the climax, parodying action movies with its woozy cocktail of car chase, shootout and explosions, which leads a headlong rush into the film's apocalyptic final moments.

[inrainprose]

Isn't sad how all those children preferred to live in a dark cave, caged, all being used as test subject for Orochimaru's bizarre experiments, living like animals, than in their natal villages with their "companions"?

F***ING WEBSITE FROM HELL I F***ING DELETED THAT F***ING META BECAUSE I CLICKED BACKSPACE ONE TIME TO MANY F**K THIS okay here we go again because I thought hard about this and I’m not gonna let it go.

SO. I think Orochimaru is a far more interesting character when written as a cult leader for outcasts than with just the children-snatching psychopath view, because we don’t get the impression that he coerces people into following him. There’s no doubt he did some abducting but that’s not the core of his recruitment strategy.

It was a strong theme at the beginning of the story with Zabuza and Haku – how far would you go for the first person to ever show you kindness and give you safety, even if it was for selfish reasons, even if they’re terrible people? I seem to recall Naruto thinking something along the lines of “I was lucky it was Iruka for me, had it been someone else…” and relating to Haku’s loyalty to Zabuza despite knowing he was just a mean to an end. It makes for great AUs too – what if Naruto had latched onto someone less recommendable than nice Iruka? It's too bad that line of thinking was dropped because it also served as a harsh criticism of their world, the fact that it produces so many bitter, abandoned orphans that have no choice but to turn to brutal mercenaries and unhinged scientists. The shinobi world created many of its own enemies, within and outside the villages.

I don’t think the kids “prefer” to live that way, but they would still be starving in the streets or abused by their village without Orochimaru, so it’s normal to do whatever he wants in return, right? Including kill or fight each other to death or subject themselves to whatever he wants to test on them… Of course it’s textbook recipe for abuse, the “you owe me” card. He takes full advantage of this, that they have nowhere else to go, that they will owe him. He also makes it even harder for them to go back, what with the body modifications and making it to every village’s shit list with the killing and stuff he has them do.

(more under the cut cause that got a bit out of hand)

He basically runs a cult – he’s shown to be charismatic, having a great power of attraction and persuasion, and he doesn’t treat them that badly, I mean in a way we often see bad guys do, being belittling and acing them off for fun just to show he’s eeeeevil. He does give them what they want, safety, shelter, power, companionship, purpose. I can imagine him playing the benevolent card for a while before introducing his newest refugee to the downside of getting under his wing. He preys on the vulnerable and they come willingly.

It’s most likely their only option, including once they’re in and realize they’re really not into this after all. It’s not like any of them was ever offered a way out – what would they do if they left, who would help them? The shinobi world doesn’t seem big on rehabilitation, for all Naruto’s “villain-turning-good” powers. Most of them pay their “redemption” and their return to the light by death anyway. Would be too hard to actually question their morality and choices and see what they would become if they went back to the world…

Ironically enough the only one who sort of gets that is Orochimaru lmao but it doesn’t count because there was no redemption nor questioning of any kind they just decided he got to stay and not be held accountable for any of his actions. And I don’t know why any of us is surprised by this actually or why we expected better we should be used to this by now. Ah. Moving on.

As the kids grow up, they would either develop a stronger sense of morality/self-worth and wouldn’t be able to go along with this shit anymore, no matter how grateful they are to him, or they would stay blindly loyal. Or they would just be dead, dying, or imprisoned and unable to escape heh. I guess some would also take a deeper turn because since this world sucks so much and abandoned them why wouldn’t they wreak havoc in it on his orders? He must play on this too because he IS outside and against the system and it would attract those who seek revenge against it, even if he serves his own interests above the "Strike back at the System" cause. It served him well when he was in Konoha after all and isn’t that his biggest grievance in the end? That he played within its constraint and was still cast out, because he crossed a line he didn’t even know was there? We don’t get a feeling that he’s inherently against the whole child-soldiers/kill for hire/waging pointless wars thing, on the contrary it suits him quite well, but the problem was the hypocrisy, that they condone those things but still try to take the moral high ground.

I’m sorry but I can only imagine Orochimaru being like “assassination ok torture for information ok civilian casualties ok sacrifice anything for the village including your health life and those of your friends ok train to death and do whatever it takes to get stronger ok experiment on people… no?” I’m not trying to justify his actions but just, how is anyone surprised by how some of them turned out? I think we saw people like this among his followers, you know who were trained to kill from a young age, but when they got a taste for it and went outside the mission frame, the villages were like "huh huh no no” and they went ???? excuse me how was I supposed to cope with being made into an assassin as seven apart from convincing myself that this was all fine and fun actually? And of course the classic “I lived in a cage/I was driven from my home at 5/I was enslaved, and this guy comes around and offers a way out was I just supposed to say no?”.

(This apply to Sasuke too by the way, because had this boy been given some freaking support as a child he wouldn’t have made it his lifelong goal to kill his brother while disregarding absolutely everything else in his life and Orochimaru played him like a damn flute and someone should just have… seen this coming. Or just NOT have the entire Uchiha clan pointlessly wiped off but that’s another point entirely)

The lines of who is good and who is bad in Naruto are very foggy. Murder is not a criterion, child abuse either, so what? At some point we have to acknowledge that the characters who are "good" in Naruto are simply the ones we're told are on the good guys' side. I mean it’s a valid morality system – being good means serving your village. Whatever you do to that end is okay. It’s exactly Danzo’s mentality and it's easy to see where it comes from, it is how their world is built. It’s also how they manage to say with a straight face that Itachi was a good guy actually, and you can build a story on that, you can put it into question.

But the story doesn’t commit to this. It still tries to tell us that being mean and killing people is bad, when half of those characters are paid assassins for freak’s sake, when the good guys have an entire clan build on arbitrary slavery, when they massacred one of their own clan. Once again it started right with Zabuza, when they make the characters (and us) realize that the only thing opposing them is that they have different employers. Zabuza isn’t bad because he’s a mean guy who kills people, he’s bad because he gets in the way of their mission. Of course he conveniently works for an asshole while they work for the guy trying to lift his community from its shithole, but that’s not why they help him. They help him because he pays them to so.

Anyway, going back to the topic at hand and concluding this long-ass rant, it’s hard to infer whether Orochimaru sees them solely as pawns and expendables bodies or if he has any form of attachment to them or some to them. I found his writing to be very inconsistent and not compelling at all because it never dwells into these topics, and the narration can’t make up its mind about him. But I don't like to cast him as just a one-dimensional evil psychopath because that's… bad, y’know, and I don’t think the number of people willing to follow him should be dismissed. In many ways Orochimaru and his people him are a direct product of their world

That got out of hand really fast but. Well. You’re right. It’s sad.

[e11evenkeys]

Pitch: The Adventures of Danger Rabbit- Chapter 2 Friendly Friendly (part 1)

Long story short, my dad wasn't arrested. Ms. Harper made her displeasure quite clear as far as my new form was concerned, but I wasn't taken away. Because of my mistake, dad had a reputation for being a careless father, and I was seen as a delinquent. Teachers started watching our family like we were career criminals, but dad raised me to be a good kid.

Regardless of the truth, I had a reputation that stuck with me as I grew up. Even into my junior year of high school, kids thought I was bad news. It didn't help that I had the worst luck imaginable, unlike Mr. Nickels, who I still had yet to find. Trouble seemed to seek me out. Just the simple act of walking home from school was dangerous enough to warrant fear of chaos. Freak accidents were a norm, and they only fueled the fire when it came to the negative light everyone shined on me. Of course, my dad always had the worst end of the fiascos because he had to deal with the aftermath.

If I had any luck at all, it was spent when I had the fortune of finding my two best friends.

B James was a girl who moved to town after my accident. Her parents were professional magicians, so naturally, I tried to get in good with them. I had hopes of them helping me. It turns out I didn't have to work too hard. BJ was fascinated with my form and impressed with my ability to create my own magic. I told her I didn't mean to transform myself, but I don't think she cared. She wanted to make new spells like her parents, and I suppose she thought I could help her. She overlooked how the rest of the school avoided me, but that might have been easy, considering no one flocked to her lunch table any more than my own. Remember when I said creating new magic was dangerous, well, BJ didn't care. We hadn't even graduated high school yet, but she'd created more spells than a person could count. It's important to keep in mind most of those spells had adverse effects or didn't do what they were meant to, but they did something.

My friend Wesson, a satyr I met in my freshman year of high school, didn't use magic at all. To be fair Fae, because of their natural abilities, didn't need magic as much as humans did. Even I had natural powers after my transformation like super hearing and invisibility. Which I'm sure is how Mr. Nickels managed to avoid capture for so long if he also possessed the same abilities. Wes being a satyr, was super fast and super strong, among other things, whether he appeared to be or not. We became friends after I tried to join the school's Creature club. There weren't many Fae that went to our school, so the club was meant to be a way of letting them all meet one another. Unfortunately, when I tried to join the club, someone pointed out I was born human, and that I was only what I was because I cursed myself. I couldn't join the club. Technically they weren't allowed to exclude anyone, but I thought it best to pick my battles wisely and let it go. Wes, being the best guy in the world, found me the next day and told me he thought the other kids were dicks for not letting me join the club. From that day on, I couldn't remember a time I couldn't fall back on the friendship Wes and I had.

It was two weeks till summer break. All of the ends of the year testing was out of the way, so everyone was waiting for the school year to come to an end. That Friday afternoon, I decided to walk BJ home. Despite my being close to Wes and BJ both, they never seemed to like one another. Every day I'd have to make a conscious decision whether to hang out with BJ, who loved playing magician and getting into trouble, or Wes, who was basically the brother I never had. BJ won that day because Wes had a meeting with the principal.

BJ should have taken the bus home, but I guess that would have been less time she got to work out new magic with me. We took a lot of back roads that day that eventually spit us out into the Dead Woods. It was the town's biggest forest, and it sat in the middle of everything. We learned in history class that old settlers named it the Dead Woods because back in the early days, when people were still coming up with most of the modern magic, they had to go far away from homes and buildings so bad magic wouldn't destroy anything. A lot of people died out there. Despite the bad history, it was a beautiful place as long as you knew where you were going.

"So there's this summer internship I read about," BJ said as we walked under branches while leaves crumbled under our footsteps.

"What kind of internship?" I asked.

We stopped walking so she could take her spell book out of her bag. The pages of her hand made spiral held weight and took time to flip through.

"For magicians. I thought you might want to go for it," she added.

"You want me to be a magician?"

"You created a working transmutation spell when you were 11."

I laughed at her, calling it a "working spell."

"Yea, and I've been trying to undo it ever since," I said with my amused tone still vocal.

"I could help you."

"I don't want to be a magician," I said in my most definitive voice possible.

"But I do."

I took a few steps away. I didn't want to stand too close while her book was out. Some of the stuff in that thing didn't need words to be activated. As she flipped through the pages, there was a danger similar to throwing a grenade into a kid's birthday party. Pages glowed and faded as her hands turned them over. I'm not sure how she managed to carry something around like that without constantly hurting herself.

"Then you should do it," I said as I crossed my arms and leaned against a tree.

She came near, and I knew to expect puppy dog eyes to fluff some kind of catch. That's what people do when they want something

"I need you."

I asked, "why," but she turned away.

"I need your spell," I thought she said, but I couldn't make out her words for sure, and with my big ears, that meant she was really quiet.

"What?" I asked.

"I need your spell."

I stood up straight.

"The spell that gave me fur and left with only eight fingers," I said before I continued with, " the spell that made my feet too big to wear shoes and ears big enough to hear my dad when he gets off at night."

"I have to submit a working spell to be considered."

"Then use one of yours," I said.

"None of mine work."

"What about the one you use to change your hair color?"

"It blinds anyone who sees me cast it."

"Then just use my spell, you don't need me for that, I wrote the words in some book, and I'll give it to you."

I wanted to get off the subject. Anyone who knew me knew how long I tried to find a cure for my curse. After years of turning over stones to no avail, of course, I gave up hope. That's not to say I didn't wish and dream for a way to change back, but being a bit of a pessimist meant I couldn't help but see the uneasy reality of how unlikely a cure was.

"It wouldn't be right to take credit for your work."

"But, it's alright to strong-arm your friend into an internship that'll take up our entire summer?" I didn't mean to sound nearly as argumentative or sarcastic as I must have at that moment, but it came out that way.

"There's a chance we won't even get it," she said, basically pleading with me at that point.

"If I say yes, will you leave me out of whatever experiments you're about to do?"

"But I had something special planned for today."

"That's my price."

"Deal, but you have to stick around to watch."

"In case something goes wrong?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," I replied.

We exchanged a mutual grin before she adjusted her glasses and finally flipped around in her book to find the newly crafted spells. We spent most of the afternoon in the woods. BJ wrote a spell for growing plants faster, but it made anything made of wood burst into flames, including all the papers in my backpack. She tried to put out the fires with another spell meant to create rain clouds, but it summoned a swarm of butterflies that flew into the flames. Needless to say, they all died. They died quickly, but at least the fires went out.

By that time, it was getting dark.

"We should get moving," I said as I picked our bags off the ground burnt as they might have been.

"We will never speak of what happened here to anyone, right?"

"Like always," I said with a chuckle before handing BJ her ruined bag.

We started on our way out of the woods.

"Do your parents know you're applying for this internship?" I asked.

"Not yet."

"Don't you think they should know?"

"I'll tell them once I, " she started to say before I cut her off with, "did you hear that?"

"Hear what," she asked.

There was a sound coming from the bushes ahead of us. It was too big to be a cat, dog, or rabbit.

"Stand back," I said as I put my arm in front of BJ.

"Is someone there," I called out into the distance, but no reply was returned.

Only the rustling of the bushes broke the silence as something or someone came near. It was close. There was a momentary pause of nothing but the bugs around us falling silent, and then whatever it was lunged out at me.

It was Wes. He made me fall backward and rip the arm of my button-down shirt.

"Shit," I yelled out.

He tried to catch my arm on my way down, but he was too slow.

"Sorry, dude," Wes said with a laugh as he helped me to my feet.

"What are you doing out here?" BJ asked in a tone more annoyed than me, but I was the one with the ripped shirt.

"I need Pitch."

"Well, he's walking me home from school."

"Schools been out for 3 hours now, and you know how to get home."

"You want me to walk by myself," BJ asked.

"No one ever offers to walk me home, and we're the same age," Wes said sarcastically.

I cut in, "Wes, what did you need my help with?"

"I need your ears," he said.

"Let me get BJ home, and then I'll swing by your place."

Neither of them was even looking at me anymore; they were staring one another down.

"Alright, just make sure 'Bug Burner' isn't with you."

"You saw that!" BJ exclaimed.

"I'll be there, alone," I said as I held BJ back from Wes.

A few uneasy, and unwelcoming glances were exchanged before we took to our separate ways.

"I don't know why you hang out with him," BJ argued.

"Wes is cool," I said.

"Wes is just short of being a toddler. He doesn't use magic."

"I don't use magic."

"That's different; you can't afford it."

"That hurt," I said.

"You know what I mean."