#Not sure if it fully qualifies but throwing that tw in there

[jadewritesficshere]

Steve is nonchalantly browsing the chips, waiting for Eddie to return (who in all honesty is probably getting the bag of sour gummy worms Steve already said they couldn't grab).

Steve feels a tug on his shirt. He smiles as he turns, expecting to see his boyfriend but-

Steve looks down at the child staring up at him. "Uh hi?" Steve looks around the empty aisle," Where's your parents bud?" The kid shrugs, but points to Steve's shirt," Tiger."

Steve's faded shirt from his freshman year of high school, now the most soft and comfortable after years of wear, does in fact have a tiger. "Yeah, sure is. Who-" the kid cuts Steve off with a loud roar. Steve can't help but chuckle as he crouches down to be on the kid's level.

Steve is fully focused on this kid, trying to find whoever the kid should be with. When he stands back up, he holds his hand out to the kid, who tentatively grasps his hand. The kid continues to roar and talk about tigers.

Meanwhile, Eddie has watched most of this exchange. Seeing his beloved boyfriend talk to this random child, the concern on his face? Eddie watches from a distance as Steve finds the mother, who was freaking out (understandably).

Eddie can't help but watch as Steve says hi to the baby in the stroller, laughing as the baby reaches out and grabs his finger. Steve says goodbye to the family, roaring back at the kid, who lights up.

Eddie can't help but think how good Steve is with kids. How good of a parent Steve would be. Which, started innocent, but then Eddie's mind jumped to the process of how a child comes about.

And now all Eddie can think about is how he's gonna give Steve one. He doesn't give 2 shits about biology, Eddie's putting a baby in that man.

[clvr-the-insect-enthusiast]

(TW: Blood, blunt injuries and bleeding injuries)

I did it. I actually did it, I survived Area Zero… Again. Though this time it was much, much worse.

[Photo ID: A selfie of Clover in casual clothes, one of her arms is fully wrapped in bandages, her bruised face showing a mixture of exhaustion and relief.]

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned it, but there was a passage in the Scarlet Book that claimed a Legendary Pokémon called Terapagos lived deep in the Crater and, guess what? Not only was it actually there, it decided the best thing to do in order to greet us was going berserk. It started glowing so much looking at it was as if I were to stare directly at the Sun. It nearly hit me with what I can only assume was a Thunderbolt, but Kabbu threw himself in the way, and I thought I was gonna lose him for a moment. Thank Arceus Kieran tagged along, better late than never! His Hydrapple managed to distract Terapagos long enough for me to find an opening and throw a Master Ball at it.

[Photo ID: A very damaged Master Ball, part of its paint is scraped off. Its surface, especially its upper half, is full of cracks.]

I don't remember much of what happened afterward, just that I got hit by a large cluster of Tera Crystals the little shit fired in desperation. I blacked out right after that, and woke up in a hospital in Medali. My left arm was royally fucked up and my uniform was a bloody mess. It's a miracle I didn't die of blood loss. I'd show you guys some pictures of the gang as proof they're fine, but if you're anything like me, you'll start weeping at the sight of a badly injured Pokémon.

Anyway, the little shit is in better hands now, being studied by actual qualified researchers and not Briar.

I'll make another post soon, regarding a change in how I'll manage the blog now that I'm considering an early reitrement.

Anyway, see you guys soon. Hopefully. And thank you all for accompanying me through this mad journey.

[kristinamae093]

A Wild Ride

Series - TRR - AU

Pairing - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)

Summary - A small rewrite of the diamond scene from Book 1 Chapter 11 (Drake’s birthday) and… beyond.

Word Count - 2503... ish 🙈

A/N1- Welcome to my first attempt at smut. Nobody asked for this, this is entirely unprompted and unasked for (except by me haha). This is just where my brain went, and well... don’t judge me too hard lolololololololol. I’ve debated posting this all week, but I’m finally going to relent and just do it and most likely hide forever. But I have to shoutout @ao719 who encouraged me, and read through my first draft. 💚 All errors in this final version are mine and mine alone.

A/N2- I am considering this a part of the Ghosted AU, but only for ONE reason, and that is to put it on the same masterlist. But this is a ONE SHOT and DOES NOT ADD TO NOR CONTRIBUTE TO THE STORY WHATSOEVER. This is literally just an excuse to try my hand at lemony writing, nothing more. 

A/N3- This is my sad attempt at a submission for the @springfeverpitch event. I have no idea if this even qualifies, but they said anything smutty, soooo…... I’m going to test that theory with this, LOLOLOL. I have no idea what 'day' it qualifies under, (4?) I’m honestly not even sure what this monstrosity should classify as. 🤣🙈🙊

Base in play - Briefly First, but mostly Homerun ⚾💭🫡

TW - ⚠️ NSFW ⚠️ - Language, smutty filthy lemons, brief mentions of blood (.3 seconds worth). *⚠️ 18+ ONLY ⚠️*

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Liam watched Riley as if she would give him the answers to all the world’s problems at any moment; she fully transfixed him. When he paid the operator of the bull, he assumed Drake would ride, since it was his birthday. But when Riley volunteered and bounced her way over, Liam knew already he was done for; the second she mounted that bull, he felt himself grow undeniably hard.

He observed with the utmost attention. The way her hips swiveled to keep in time with the jerky motions of the bull, the way her big, perky chest bounced from side to side as she tried to stay on the ride. She threw an arm back like a lasso; her cut off shirt hiking higher and higher up her toned midriff. He caught sight of her lacy red bra underneath, the sight practically enough to make him take her, here and now, for all to see. Everything about it was driving him mad with desire. 

At that moment, he would have cut off his right leg to trade spaces with the foreign object she rode. Give up the throne, throw everything away, all for her to tame him as if he were the rowdy steed beneath her. His mind swirled with fantasies as the saliva from his mouth fully dissolved.

When she flew off the bull, he was right there to help her up; after he had adjusted himself in his slacks. The two grabbed a shot, then another, and a couple more, adding to the already large amount of alcohol they had consumed. They finally made their way out to the dancefloor after way too many drinks.

It started slow and casual, nothing scandalous or arousing, although the chemistry between them made anything sensual. Then a particular song came on; Liam had never heard it, but the squeal that came from Riley and her excited bouncing told him she was familiar. He felt his cock stiffen a little more in the confines of his trousers as he watched her breasts bob up and down while she jumped; maybe it was the alcohol fueling his thoughts, but he couldn’t get the image of those tits bouncing in his face out of his mind. 

They danced face to face; Riley attempted to keep a respectable distance between them, as she knew they were in public. The court would not react well to them grinding all over each other. But Liam didn’t seem to have a care in the world, as he continued to pull her closer and closer. His gaze switched between gawking at her enormous bust poking out of her low cut top, and the way her hips swiveled and rotated to the rhythm. His hands probed her body, as if he needed to remember every crevice and curve. 

She swatted his roaming hands away. “What are you doing? We’re in public!” She giggled. 

Liam nuzzled her neck. “Don’t care.” 

Riley laughed harder. “Liam, what if someone sees us? Or you get recognized?”

“Let them watch.” He responded with a devilish smirk.

“I’m just saying the press would-”

Liam cut her off by capturing her lips with his own. Their tongues rolled together as they swallowed each other’s content sighs. One of Liam’s hands rested on her neck, the other falling to the small of her back and pulling her as close as possible. Their pelvises ground together, each letting out a soft moan at the friction. Neither cared at the crowd of other dancers surrounding them; the only thing that mattered was the two of them, and the undeniable sexual tension that seemed to have reached its boiling point. 

—-------

Liam returned to his suite, a little wobbly on his feet, and immediately went to take a cold shower. His mind continued to swirl with scandalous thoughts about Riley and the things he wanted her to do to him, and vice versa. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to invite her back and ravage her like he truly wanted to. But he realized there was a high probability the pair would get caught sneaking around, and that would only cause more problems in the long run. And, he didn’t want to be this drunk when it did happen. 

He finished his shower and put on a clean pair of boxers and pajama pants before he slipped into bed, pulling up the covers to envelop his body. He lay on his back and fell into a deep slumber as fantasies of Riley filled his mind. 

—-------

He awoke later with his senses filled by a fragrance of lilac and berry. He felt dainty hands lightly tracing the inside of his thighs, sending a shudder through him. A sigh escaped him as he felt tender kisses travel up his abdomen, soft hair falling to tickle his sides. He reached a hand out and threaded his fingers through long, silky, golden blonde hair as she continued her venture up to his neck. 

When she reached her quarry, she bit down hard enough to leave a mark and licked the affected area. She dotted kisses along his jawline to the other side and nipped his ear; Liam groaned and gripped her hips to grind her against his already freed erection. He had no time to ponder how he became disrobed, as he felt wetness gliding over his already aching member; she wasn’t wearing panties. 

“Riley…” He moaned. 

She raised her face to hover over Liam’s, “I saw you…” she whispered as she ghosted her lips over his. 

“Hm?”

“You were watching me ride that bull tonight… Wishing it was you… weren’t you?” She asked in between bites along his jawline.

“God yes.” Liam panted.

Riley’s face lit up with a cat-like grin before she grabbed his face to bring his lips to hers. Their tongues met and battled for dominance in a fit of passionate and desperate kisses. Liam slid his hands up her sides and realized she, too, was already naked. He massaged both of her large, supple breasts in his hands before breaking their kiss and bending his neck to take one into his mouth. He licked and suckled at it for a moment before moving to the other and showing it the same attention. After, he briefly lay back and marveled at her perfection, and those breasts that had been making his mouth water all night dangling in front of his face; just like he fantasized. 

Riley sat up, and he met her intent, lustrous gaze; her eyes clouded over with desire, hair askew, perky tits rising and falling with every labored breath, lips slightly parted. Liam watched, transfixed, as she ran her tongue over her top lip, and he thought he would cum on the spot. Liam reached out to embrace her and forcefully brought her lips to his; his dick painfully throbbing, aching to be inside her. 

She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled, the sudden, sharp pain causing Liam to moan. “You like that?” She whispered as she bit his lip. 

“Yes.” He breathed out, as he grabbed her ass cheeks in both hands and squeezed. She ground her bare mound against him and an animalistic sound escaped Liam’s lips.

“Tell me what you want, Liam…” she coaxed as she sat up and positioned herself with her dripping pussy over Liam’s cock. She rubbed herself against Liam’s shaft, her hand pushing him deeper through her wet folds. She ground back and forth on his length, driving Liam absolutely mad.

“You. I want you, Riley. Please.” He begged.

“No… Tell me what you want… Exactly what you want.” She slightly raised herself and let his tip ghost her opening, before she slid him back through the entirety of her core. 

Liam gasped and twitched beneath her. The things she was making him feel were overwhelming every single part of his being. “I… I…” He stammered between breathless pants and moans. “I want you to ride me.” He finally spit out. 

She bit her lip and whispered, “Your wish is my command.” and lowered herself down onto him, both moaning at the sensation as he penetrated her tight opening. Her mouth fell open into an O shape, a high-pitched whine coming from her throat, as she sunk her body down on his length. Liam’s eyes never left her face as her tightness enveloped him, taking him to such a high level of euphoria he thought he would die at any moment. She rocked herself slowly back and forth on his cock, feeling him stretch and fill her in all the right ways.

“Oooooh… God, you’re so fucking big Liam!” Liam felt his dick twitch at her words and ran his hands up her sides to massage her breasts in his hands. She placed her hands against his chest, pushing her tits together as she started bouncing herself on his length. He analyzed her with rapt attention, her expressions, the sounds she was making. Liam released his hold on her and put his hands behind his head as he watched her work herself on him with a deep groan.

She picked up speed and ran both of her hands through her hair. Liam watched where they connected, seeing her pussy grip around him, the proof of her arousal covering his member and thighs. He looked up and saw her massaging her breasts with a lust blown expression; she saw him staring and bit her lip with a loud moan, causing him to whimper from the sight. 

Just when Liam thought he couldn’t take anymore, she sat back and positioned herself with her hands on his haunches, giving him the perfect view of her taking all of him in. She started slowly, but soon built a mind-blowing pace, taking him almost all the way out before slamming her hips back into his. Liam heard her whimpers increase in pitch and knew her release was coming. He felt his own building but was determined to make her let go first. 

“Oooooh God… Oh! Don’t stop… Don’t fucking stop!" she cried out as their already frantic pace increased. She reached a hand down and wildly rubbed circles over her swollen nub. Liam clutched her hips with a white-knuckle grip and increased their speed, hammering himself into her relentlessly. He matched her rhythm perfectly, thrusting himself to meet her hips. She threw her head back with a loud shriek; her tightness pulsating around him, wetness coating his already glistening member as waves of pleasure overtook her. 

“Yes! God... YES! Liam… You fuck me so good!” She got out through gasps and whimpers as jolts of electricity continued to course through her. 

Between her clenching around him and the things she was saying, Liam was a goner. He thrust into her three, four, five more times until he pulled her down forcefully to receive his load with a loud, primal roar. His vision almost completely blacked out, stars invading his view. He had orgasms before, sure, but it was like his soul was leaving his body. It was so intense, so powerful and all-consuming, like nothing he had ever felt before. 

Liam lay with his eyes closed for a couple of minutes, catching his breath. He felt Riley grasp his hand and opened his eyes to look at her as she remained straddling him. She brought his hand to her lips and smiled before she tenderly kissed each one of his fingertips. 

Liam closed his eyes once more and let out a content sigh. Somehow, someway, the evening ended as he hoped it would; all was right with the universe at that exact moment. 

His peace was short-lived as he suddenly felt a sharp pain course through his index finger. 

“Ow!” He cried. “Did… did you bite me, Riley?”

“You liked it a minute ago.” She smirked.

“That was different. This felt like you were trying to take a chunk out of my finger!” 

She giggled, “You just… you smell so good… so… sweet… like nuts… and honey…” she replied as she turned her head and deeply inhaled his palm. 

Liam furrowed his brow. “Oh… um… thank you?” He responded with uncertainty. 

“You just smell so… heavenly… and... mouthwatering…” she mewled as she licked his palm. 

"I do?" Liam asked, completely confused by her sudden shift in behavior. 

"Mmhhmmm."

“Like… like what?”  

“Baklava.” She said as she chomped Liam’s thumb. 

“Hey! Riley, that… that hurts!” He tried to pull his hand away, but Riley’s grip tightened. 

“But I bet you taste soooo good, Liam! I just wanna eat you up.” She started gnawing on his wrist, biting harder and harder; he swore she was breaking his skin. 

“Riley! Riley! Stop!” He yelled as he squirmed underneath her, but she would not relent. He felt a sharp, piercing pain in his arm and watched in horror as she tore a piece of flesh from his body; blood squirting from the open wound and covering the both of them. 

She thoroughly chewed his flesh with a satisfied smile before she went back for more. “Mmm…. sho good.” She rolled her eyes as she swallowed another chunk of skin. She slurped at the blood that surrounded her mouth before she returned to his wound, lapping at it like a deprived dog finally given water. 

“Riley! Riley! Stop! STOOOOOOOP!”

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Liam flew forward in a panic; his breathing rapid and labored, his elevated pulse thundering in his ears, his body covered in a thin layer of sweat. He frantically searched his darkened surroundings, looking to see if Riley was still there, but found no signs of anyone. 

He glanced down at his body and saw absolutely nothing; no marks, cuts, blood, or any signs of injury. He quickly pulled the blanket back and saw his pajama pants, just as they were when he had gone to bed.

Bastien heard Liam’s yells from his position outside and barged into the room. “Is something wrong, sir?”

“I…I don’t think so…” Liam answered unsurely as he rubbed his uninjured wrist. “Has… has anyone come in here?”

“No, sir. I’ve been outside your door since you arrived. Nobody has been here.” Bastien reassured him. “Why? Do you believe there’s been a breach?”

“No! No. Nothing like that. I was only asking. Thank you, Bastien.”

Bastien bowed with a bewildered expression, but left the room. As soon as he did, Liam stood up and made a quick dash to the bathroom to check himself in the mirror. 

He searched his reflection with intent; Liam saw that his neck and upper body were pristine and unmarked, no signs of the late-night fornication to be found. He checked other areas of his body, but no remnants of his wild encounter remained. He ran his hand through his lightly tousled hair and stared at his reflection for a long while, trying to make sense of what he could have just experienced.

He shook his head with a quiet laugh before he said, “I am never drinking tequila before bed again.”

[mypimpademia]

hi :) first time requesting 😭 but can I request a reader who’s an athlete (track and field) you don’t have specify if you don’t want to, reader makes it to nationals and class 1a watches them on live television and they fall but still keep going and is sad about what happened but when they come home class 1a throws a congrats party. Thankkkss I love seeing our black writers rising.

this what new balance nationals got me like 😭

— Track Star

No ships (platonic) w/ gn!reader

TW: Light swearing

Note: Tysm for requestinggg🫶🏾 hope you enjoy

⇶ When you qualified for nationals, they were almost more excited that you were

⇶ All the girls were letting out excited squeals and burying you in a near suffocating group hug, cheering about how excited they were for you

⇶ Both Sero and Denki sandwiched you between them, ruffling your hair like two enthusiastic older brothers, and swore you’d kick ass at nationals

⇶ Kirishima came up to you when they got off you, pulling you into an amazing, yet bone-crushing, hug before lifting you up into the air and letting out a cheer

“WOOOO!! Y/N’S GOING TO NATIONALS!!!” The redhead shouted, effortlessly hauling you onto his shoulder, holding you above everyone else.

An excited roar echoed through the class room and into the halls, and a few people clapped for you. Shouts of ‘let’s go Y/n!’ And whoops rang out, as you continuously thanked your classmates for all the support.

⇶ The quieter students, like Shoto, Koda, Shoji, Ojiro, Sato, and Tokoyami, congratulated you personally, after everyone had calmed down a bit more

⇶ Iida gave you a firm shoulder pat as he congratulated you, and told you that he was proud and making it to nationals was no easy feat

⇶ Aoyama was cheering when everyone else was, but he’s extra, so he had to get to you privately just to bat his long lashes at you as he told you that you’re going to “absolutely sparkle at nationals!”

⇶ Izuku, being the sweetheart he is, also came up to give you one last congratulations, and tell you he was really happy for you and how excited he was to see you race at nationals

⇶ Meanwhile, you had noticed a certain blonde that had been silently brooding at his desk the entire time. He merely looked at you and scoffed when you locked eyes, but something told you that he was secretly happy for you

⇶ When nationals finally came, they all gathered in the common area of the dorms just to watch

⇶ They even went as far as getting custom shirts with your number on it made, and sent you a group picture the morning of your race

⇶ Had a big watch party together, making snacks and having someone watch for when it was your turn so no one missed a second

⇶ And yes, even Bakugo was there. He sat slumped in the couch, wearing a regular pajama shirt, but he had the custom tee on his lap, clutching it as he silently wished you the best

⇶ When you were finally up to race, Mina and Kirishima shouted for everyone that wasn’t already sat around the tv, and they practically flung themselves in front of it just to make sure they didn’t miss the start

⇶ As soon as the announcer told everyone to go, everyone was shouting at the tv, cheering you on as if you could actually hear them

⇶ When you fall, a few of them gasp in shock, but are quick to join the others in yelling for you to get back up and finish

⇶ They cheer you on all the way to the end, and no matter what you place they’re fully supportive and proud of you, blowing up your phone with videos and pictures of them watching and cheering you on, even if you won’t see them for hours

⇶ Immediately start planning a party when your race is over, they really do not care about the other contestants and were only watching for you😭

⇶ It’s a surprise party, and when you get back to the dorm they all jump out from behind furniture, switching on the lights and yelling “surprise!” While popping confetti and jumping you into hugs

⇶ They’re once again wearing the custom shirts, and even forced Bakugo into his just for the party

⇶ He even helped make the cake, and told the class to “not say a fuckin’ word”, but Mina told you anyways

⇶ Everyone else had a hand in decorating, and it was sloppily decorated into a racing track, with little stick figure pins on top of it, all with your face on it

⇶ They also had cupcakes (also courtesy of Bakugo), which were displayed on cute, small audience stands, and were covered in sprinkles, and had stars with your number on them

⇶ You couldn’t thank them enough for all they did as you looked at the shirts, the cakes, and all the other snacks they had laid out (they put out your favorites) just for you

⇶ You honestly wanted to cry while they were still hugging you and telling you they were proud while showing you all the decor they put up

⇶ They put candles on the cake for you to blow out, and let you cut the cake, making sure you got the biggest slice

⇶ When you first came back from your race, you were honestly a bit tired and ready to get to your bed

⇶ But now, you’d completely forgotten how tired you were and were just happy to be with your friends, and your heart was swelling with how loved they made you feel

⇶ You ate snacks, played games, watched movies, and more all night. Not even Aizawa or any other teachers came to tell you guys to be quiet because you deserved it after such an achievement

⇶ Honestly, if you don’t have any fans, class 1-A is dead

[cube-cumb3r]

The Means Reflect On The Ends Actually, (c!Dream & the conditioning of Exile)

What was the point of exile, storywise? What does it say about c!Dream? Sure, it’s showcasing how far he’s willing to go to achieve his own ends, but I don't think all discussion about what exile tells us about c!Dream should start and end there.

Dream is not cruel for cruelty’s sake. Dream’s end goal is not to hurt as many people as possible. He views his cruelty are “necessary evils”, and he doesn’t dwell much on whether the things he does are “good” or “bad”. He’s fully aware he’s hurting people and he ultimately thinks that hurting people, to the extent that he does, is worth it. That being said, while Dream has an ends justify the means mindset, but the truth is, the means absolutely reflect on the ends. His true intentions aren’t a mystery, it’s very clear in the text that his ultimate goal is unity, but why does he want unity? And what would said unity entail?

(Before this essay starts I have to do an ad break to promo @daggryet's very helpful [transcriptions from the exile streams], which I'll be using a lot of. Thanks for the very helpful resource.)

TW: Relatively extensive discussion abt the abuse in exile arc & the effects of said abuse.

Firstly, I don't think you should deny his relationship to control. A through-line of his character is achieving harmony through control, and more specifically, obedience. There’s a reason why he tends to single out Tommy the most. It’s not actually because Tommy is remarkably more troublesome than anyone else on the server, but rather, because his disruptive nature is at Dream’s expense. Tommy is the only character who’s consistently over and over again refused to respect Dream’s authority, and though he isn’t particularly threatening on his own, it’s the sentiment itself that’s dangerous. Similarly, this is why he has consistently targeted L’manburg, moreso than any other faction on the server such as, say, Badlands, El Rapids. It’s almost as if they represented the sentiment, “Hey, why are we listening to you anyway? Why can’t we be listening to anyone else?”, which is why he crushed them, over, and over again. What if everyone figures out they can just stop listening to him? What then?

We talk a lot about the effects exile had on Tommy, and rightfully so, but we don’t talk enough about what Dream was actually doing. What was the purpose of exile? Was it just a way to get closer to the discs? Just a means to an end? What was the end?

TOMMY: What, what could you possibly want more from me? You’ve tortured me.

DREAM: I’m just keeping an eye on you, Tommy.

TOMMY: What does that mean?!

DREAM: I’m just, I’m making sure that you’re not up to no good.

TOMMY: But, how, you’ve exiled me, you fucking stupid, manipulative fucking green bastard!

DREAM: I know! And you know why I did that?

TOMMY: Yes? 

DREAM: No, you know why?

TOMMY: Why?

DREAM: Because you don’t listen to me ever, you’re the only person who doesn’t ever listen to me. If I tell you to do something, you’re like “no, fuck you!”, and you go and like do like the exact opposite.

[full transcription]

As much as I have to preface this with that this is speculative and we may not have any irrefutable confirmation, I think it's very likely that it's literally just what Dream is saying he's doing. Tommy is the one person who refuses to listen to him, and he wants him to listen. Exile was not only conditioning Tommy to believe that nobody other than Dream cares about him, not only conditioning Tommy to be entirely reliant on him, but also conditioning Tommy to listen to him, without question, without disobeying. And that is such a significant and reoccurring motif for it to arguably just be the intended reading of exile.

Abuse is a vague term that encompasses a lot of abusive practices. There are a good handful that apply to exile, I'm sure if you ask someone qualified they'll be able to provide you a nice handy list, but ultimately, all of them target Tommy's own sense of agency and autonomy, and it all revolves around power and control. Dream creates rituals purely to disarm him, threatens him and punishes him when he doesn't listen, and rewards him when he complies (or rather, conditions Tommy into thinking that not being punished is a reward).

TOMMY: [begins throwing his armor and axe down for DREAM to explode.]

DREAM: No, no, it’s fine.

TOMMY: Re-really?

DREAM: Yeah. Today’s the party, right?

---

TOMMY: So when can I- no, I wanna go back. I… hey, thanks for letting me keep my armour today.

DREAM: You’re welcome.

TOMMY: Kinda nice of you.

[full transcription]

Dream isn’t only hurting Tommy for the sake of hurting him. People tend to frame it as if Dream Just Hates Tommy, but that’s not true. He finds Tommy fun, in a twisted way. There are a lot of moments in exile where they’re both on very good terms and Dream is friendly with Tommy. But, it's also all part of horror of exile, making Tommy reliant on him and his company, getting him to doubt his sense of reality, making him question whether his friends back in L’manburg ever cared about him at all, and possibly questioning whether he’s imagining the abuse as well, Dream is so kind to him after all, why would he ever want to hurt him?

Over the course of exile Tommy agency and sense of self start to deteriorate as well as his mental health, he starts worrying about what Dream would think, starts asking Dream for permission, going out of his way to avoid upsetting him, his only friend, his only reliable caring companion.

TOMMY: Yeah, so I’m thinking we- and then I can- but the thing is; so recently my buddy, Dream, has been doing this thing where he, uhm… it makes sense, though, because I’m not in his land anymore, but he takes my shit from me, so I need to make sure- […]

---

RANBOO: Yeah, so what do you say- does Dream like take your armor? Is that what you said?

TOMMY: I don’t know, he just- hey man, I just follow the boss.

[full transcription]

TOMMY: “Visit Techno” no, no, what would Dream think? […]

---

TOMMY: I’ve had a little idea, by the way, and I wanna know what you think, and also if I’m allowed

DREAM: Okay?

[full transcription]

TOMMY: Yeah, I know he’s actually - he’s sort of my- he’s borderline my owner, Big Q, so I’m not really sure.

MEXICAN DREAM: He’s your dad?

TOMMY: No, no-

MEXICAN DREAM: Ey! Ey, Papa Thomas!

TOMMY: No, no, we’re- as in labor.

MEXICAN DREAM: You gotta teach your child some manners.

[full transcription]

Dream’s outburst in exile after finding Tommy’s chests, is arguably one of Dream's most emotionally honest (and reckless) moments in exile considering it was what made Tommy realize he needed to save himself and escape. And it's punishing Tommy for going behind his back and planning to revolt.

TOMMY: I’m really, no, I’m really sorry, though. Why don’t we just pretend this never- yeah, let’s, shall we just pretend this-?

DREAM: Sorry doesn’t cut it, Tommy. Listen, I’ll leave you here to think about what you did-

TOMMY: What about the nether? What about the nether, my friends, what-?

DREAM: No! You can’t go to the nether, no one can come here, you are alone, okay? As soon as I think that you have changed, have become somebody who isn’t going to hide and lie and try and revolt; then people can visit you again. You can go to the nether again. But for now - no, no one can. You- I was being very lenient. Yesterday I let you go into the Dream SMP on a temporary pass, and then what do I find out the next day?

TOMMY: I’m so sorry.

DREAM: I have been nothing but gracious to you. Tommy. Think about what you did.

---

Exile wasn’t only a means to getting closer to the discs or getting Tommy out of the way. Exile was a means to conditioning Tommy into listening and respecting Dream as his superior. Dreams solution to Tommy being disruptive and troublesome was to [physically beat], emotionally abuse, and psychologically condition him into obedience. Only seeing exile as a testament to how far how willing he was go to meet his ends is reductive, and not acknowledging what Dream considers to be a “problem” and what he considers to be “solutions” is to not engage with his worldview. You have to take exile into account and what it actually says about his ideals of harmony and unity.

---

TOMMY: I can’t go back… I can’t go back, and see my friends and see Tubbo. This is a shithole! He wasn’t- he wasn’t here ‘cause he was my friend. He was here to- what did he say on the first day? Got a little bug that he can’t flig off? I’m the only person who never does exactly what he says?

TOMMY: I’m the only person who never does what he says. Me! He said that to me, didn’t he?

TOMMY: He was here to watch me.

[full transcription]

Dream’s relationship to Tommy can (and honestly should) be compared to his relationship to the entire server at large. Not to imply that He Literally Wants To Abuse The Server, but rather the he views the server revolting as a problem, and the solution? Well. The [prison]. The hall of attachments. It’s no surprise that the disc war, a conflict that was initially only primarily between Dream and Tommy*, is suddenly about everyone. Bargaining and blackmailing using attachments, something Dream initially only subjected Tommy to, to keep him under his control, is now a means to control everyone.

Is Dream's goal of unity for the sake of the overall happiness and quality of life of the people living within said unity? I don’t doubt that this at some point in time was true. But, the fact that he’s willing to ruin lives and long-term psychologically destroy people over it, means that his goal isn’t unity for the sake of the people living in his ideal version of the server, but at their expense. Him believing he needs to control people to maintain unity and harmony means that he believes himself to know what's best for people moreso than the people themselves, and therefore he's the only one responsible enough to make decisions for them. And it also means that his motives has warped and twisted overtime, it’s likely that he’s become so fixated on the goal of unity itself that he’s lost track of why he wanted it in the first place.

Anyway. Stop buying into Dream's own self-justification of "ends justify the means" and put his deeply flawed and broken worldview and view of people under a little bit of goddam scrutiny.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed - Episode 02

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

(Masterpost ) (Previous Episode) (Next Episode)

Donkey Riding

way ho and away we go, donkey riding donkey riding way ho and away we go, riding on a donkey

Wei Wuxian and Apple are doing their best for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 

Xiao Zhan had trouble riding the donkey sitting side-saddle, so the Department of Questionable Practical Effects made him a fake leg to wear while riding regular style. 

Can you spot it? It’s very hard to spot. It is very convincing.

Simple Pleasures

Wei Wuxian takes his time wandering up the nearest mountain, and half of the cultivators in the land also wander up this mountain because...Night Hunting! The cultivators are hot and thirsty from walking because they forgot that they all know how to fly. 

Wei Wuxian relaxes by a well and listens to people stanning him. 

Also

I’m going to say it: Wei Wuxian never met a drinking vessel he couldn’t blow.

Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

The actress who plays A-Yan is named Zhang Linran. She probably has studied dance since she was 4 and now she gets her big break which turns out to be feeding an apple to a donkey. So let’s pause for a second to look at how beautifully she moves.  

Reunions are Awkward, Part 1

Wei Wuxian meets up with one of his family members and it goes super well. 

I...like Jin Ling? He’s much less of a douchebag than his dad, his uncles Jin, Jiang, and Mo (the three stooges), and every damn one of his Jin cousins. He’s genuinely brave (his Dad’s primary good quality) and his hair is on fleek. He’s still a whiny diaper baby, but I like him. 

(much more after the cut!)

Then Jiang Cheng shows up, looking fine as hell and radiating peak arrogant-prick energy.

When he discovers that ‘Mo Xuanyu” stuck a piece of paper to Jin Ling, he tells the child to literally murder him. Excellent uncleing! A+++++ would recommend.  

“In fact, literally murder anyone who uses Yiling Laozu’s tools, like talismans, lure flags, or spirit compasses - basically murder everyone in the Lan Clan plus those other fanboys we saw coming up the hill. Then get out there and make some friends, goddamn it!”

These nets full of cultivators on this daytime night hunt are the only time we ever see anything in a net during a night hunt.  In fact dudes constantly go night hunting and the only prey we ever see is rock lady, murder turtle, and a couple of rag mops in the lake. 

You Are Not Qualified to Speak to Me

Also radiating arrogant-prick energy on this occasion is Lan Wangji. He has been using pettiness as a weapon since long before he met this Jiang Cheng turkey, and he *brings it* when Jiang Cheng tries to have a conversation with him.

Letting your eyes wander everywhere except to his punchable face while you ignore his passive-aggressive questions? Quality work. 

Dropping a silence spell on his child and then letting your own child explain it to him? Golden. 

Lan Wangji is never ever going to forgive Jiang Cheng for what he did on cliff day, and his silence here is as pointed as an ice pick. I suspect the last words Lan Wangji actually spoke to him were “Jiang Wanyin, stop it,” sixteen years ago. 

Jiang Cheng is actually the bigger person in this particular interaction, visibly mastering his temper and telling Jin Ling to take his medicine. 

Reflecting

Wei Wuxian hangs out by a beautiful river and hallucinates for a while. River Jiang Yanli is nurturing and River Jiang Cheng is pissed off, so there are no surprises there.  River Jiang Cheng thinks that Wei Wuxian is a promise-breaking douchebag. He’s not exactly wrong. 

Courtesy of convenient gossiping cultivators, Wei Wuxian discovers that the 16 year old arrogant kid from the Jin clan who his brother from the Jiang clan has custody of is actually and quite obviously Jin Rulan.

Well fuck I guess now I care about something, that’s inconvenient. 

Needing to help parent the child of the sister who parented him is what draws Wei Wuxian fully into his new life. 

As soon as he has this realization, Apple comes back from roaming around, and never gives him any trouble after this for the rest of the story. Which...probably doesn’t mean anything. 

Wen Gravesite

Does Wen Ning hang out here because it’s where he and his (dead) people came from? Oh great, now I am sad. 

Judging by all the leaves on this grave thingy I’m going to say that this grave tender dude is, ah, not very good at his job. 

Get him, Jingyi!

I feel like maybe we all focus too much on how Lan Jingyi is so hilarious and sardonic and not enough on how he is a such a biscuit. 

Soul Grass

As mentioned in the previous post, Chinese spiritual concepts don’t always translate well into English. Soul grass? Sure, why not. 

This is where Wei Wuxian’s Sherlock Holmes brain starts to work, although he still doesn’t remember really basic stuff about Dafan Mountain. Dying and changing bodies is rough on the old neurochemistry. This creates more opportunities for flashbacks, however, and if there’s one thing The Untamed deffo needs more of, it’s kissing flashbacks.

Temple Statue

Presumably grave-tender dude is also in charge of clearing away spiderwebs at the temple, because it’s not getting done. 

Jin Ling walks into the temple blaspheming at full volume. 

Since this isn’t a Greek story, he isn’t immediately struck blind for this. Then when he wishes for the statue to come alive, it obligingly does.  Everything’s coming up Rulan!

Wei Wuxian shows up to rescue all the kids by throwing talismans at the monster which does not tip anyone off to who he is. 

Baby Cultivator Babysitting

Lan Wangji chills out in the cultivators’ pavilion with Jiang Cheng and their mutual hate boners.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian forgets all about his nephew and turns into cool professor guy, explaining the basics of soul-eating to the baby cultivators and gleefully encouraging their fear of Hanguang-Jun’s punishments. 

Because the Lan babies are good filial children they are super respectful and engaged with this random adult who is lecturing them. They also - like their own Hanguang-Jun at their age - see and admire Wei Wuxian’s intellect. It’s easy to forget how extremely smart Wei Wuxian is, because of how extremely dumb Wei Wuxian is.

Lan Jingyi suddenly figures out Wei Wuxian is not crazy. 

Bis. Kit. 

Then Rock Lady shows up and Jin Ling sticks 6 arrows into her while Lans Jingyi and Sizhui stand around not bothering to draw their swords.

I see a lot of comments about the bad effects in the statue sequences but I think Rock Lady is all right. The figure animation is decent and the lighting is no worse on her than on everything else in the scene. Her hair is nice, for a rock person.

Admittedly I just finished watching Guardian which has CGI monsters so bad they may have injured my retinas and possibly also my DNA, so the bar, for me, is pretty low. Rock lady clears it with room to spare.   

Note: Wei Wuxian’s flute playing does zippity towards controlling the statue. Not sure what his plan was here.

Wen Ning Kicks Ass

Now we get to meet Wen Ning, who appears to be a stone-cold badass. Later we will discover how hilariously inaccurate that assessment is. 

While all versions of Wen Ning are delightful, this version of Wen Ning is also...strangely attractive? He’s got a Patti-Smith-Horses-Era vibe here, instead of his more usual lost-baby-dork vibe. And his dreamy “I have nails in my head” expression is intriguing. 

I mean, he’s not a total snack like zombie Song Lan or pre-zombie Song Lan or blind Song Lan or post-zombie Song Lan, but this look is a good one for Wen Ning, is what I’m saying.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 2

Lan Wangji, who has 99% already recognized Wei Wuxian because of the haunted sword and the fierce jawline and beautiful neck and tiny tiny waist, is summoned by his flute playing as inexorably as the Ghost General was. 

Jiang Cheng also recognizes Wei Wuxian and goes into full beatdown mode, thwarted (silently) by Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian attempts to preserve his incognito by sassing Jiang Cheng in as sibling-like a manner as possible. 

Hanguang-Jun’s Pro-Ghost Agenda Has Been Clear for Some Time

This Jiang/Lan fight is hilarious when you consider the implications.

Macroexpression vs. Microexpression

Mo Xuanyu brought Wei Wuxian back using sacrifice summons, a dark ritual invented by Wei Wuxian that he, most likely, did NOT show to Lan Wangji back in the day. So it’s a pretty safe bet that Lan Wangji doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian was gifted a body, rather than stealing one.

when your brother turns around, you must whip him you will never live it down unless you whip him

When Jiang Cheng lets loose with Zidian, it’s not just because he’s angry. He’s using purple power to force Wei Wuxian’s ghost out of the body he’s apparently possessed. And Lan Wangji instantly STOPS him from doing that.

Clan Leader Jiang: this person has been possessed, against their will, by an evil ghost

Future Chief Cultivator Lan: Counterpoint: I am banging the ghost

Flashback Time

Welcome to your 30-episode flashback!

Once I used to join in Every boy and girl was my friend Now there's revolution, but they don't know What they're fighting

Let us close our eyes Outside their lives go on much faster Oh, we won't give in We'll keep living in the past

Road Tripping to Summer School

Gosh I’m looking forward to younger, kinder, more relatable Jiang Cheng.

...prick. 

Incidentally, until now this episode didn’t know that Jiang Cheng has smile muscles, and neither did the person who glued his wig on for him.

I Like Rabbits

Here we have our first rabbit in a large collection of rabbit iconography that appears in The Untamed. 

Instead of sending everyone to the Wikipedia page for Tu'er Shen I’m going to take this opportunity to rec the short film Kiss of the Rabbit God by Andrew Thomas Huang (tw: blood, tw:body-mod cutting) which you can read about and watch over at  Nowness.com 

Particularly if you are a queer person of Chinese heritage, check it out. 

So. What the fuck are these? Are they food? 

Are they made from wax? Or corn starch? or pig intestines? 

Wei Wuxian runs off to get laid drunk and Jiang Cheng grumps about it. Jiang Yanli reminds him that being free is a Jiang Clan Rule, so really Wei Wuxian is following the rules by not following the rules. Does that mean he’s not free? My head hurts. 

Jiang Cheng: yes but grump grump grump

Jiang Yanli: Nothing bad will ever happen because of A-Xian’s choices, trust me

Outro

Wei Wuxian faint tally: one  Caught by: the cold hard ground

Soundtrack: 1. Donkey Riding by Great Big Sea 2. Living in the Past by Jethro Tull 3. Whip It by Devo

Fic prompt:  Lan Wangji’s internal monologue while he sits in the pavilion with Jiang Cheng 

If you write a fic from this prompt and want to share, please post a link in comments!

Bonus: Wang Zuocheng, macro-expression king

Episode 03 Restless Rewatch coming soon!

[hopecountysfavhoe]

‘Cold’ Chapter Two

Ok I got impatient so I’m not uploading a new chapter every week, I will upload more often until the point at which I have no more chapters posted on Wattpad. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2,722

TW: Nudity, whump, pain descriptions, mild language, arguing?

     Jacob eventually fell asleep, sitting upright in the stiff wooden chair. His arms were folded over his chest, his chin pointing down at his lap. The fire was slowly dying, only coals were left at the bottom of the fireplace. The wind had died down, but the snow hadn't stopped yet and was stacking up at an incredible rate.

     The Deputy woke up to a cold wind on her face. The cabin was pretty drafty and something that was blocking up a hole must've fallen somewhere. She looked around, trying to piece together what happened. She saw Jacob asleep on his chair, and she got red faced when she realized how naked she was under her blanket.

     Despite her face growing hot from embarrassment, the rest of her was cold and she looked over at the dying fire. She spotted some firewood sitting next to the fireplace in a wood crib and figured she could put a couple sticks on to hot coals.

     Sitting up proved harder than she imagined it would. Her whole body was tired, like all of her energy was still trapped under the ice. Her hands shook, both from being chilly and from her exhaustion, as she pulled her blanket closer around her. She tried to be as quiet as she could, figuring that Jacob was a pretty light sleeper, she didn't feel like waking him up so that she could listen to him drone on about why he really rescued her. It probably had something to do with all of those wolf calls she'd been blowing up and so he saved her so that he could put her through more torture.

     She groaned at the thought of Jacob gloating about how she owed him or whatever now. The groan could have possibly been from her trying to stand as well though. Forcing her legs to hold her body weight was probably a bad idea but the Deputy was all about making bad ideas for the greater good, and at that moment the greater good was not being cold. She wished she had something to lean on, even a cane would work, but she just had to push forward using the arm of the couch as a support.

     She adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, hiding her naked body from view, and nearly stumbled as she made her way over to the fireplace. Carefully, she grabbed a piece of wood out of the creaky wood crib and semi-tossed it onto the coals.

     "What are you doing?" A voice spoke behind her.

     Scared, the Deputy spun around, coming almost face to face with a very awake Jacob Seed. She glanced back at the fire, clutching her blanket closer to her. "I uh...the fire looked like it was going out." The Deputy stammered out and Jacob looked at the fire behind her.

     He didn't say anything as he watched the gently flames curl around the dry pieces of wood. A silence settled over the cabin that made the Deputy uncomfortable. Jacob nodded at the fire, seemingly convinced of something, looking back at the Deputy. Her pale face was sweating and red. "Jesus, would you sit down?" He said gruffly and the Deputy was happy to oblige. She was certain that even a small misstep would cause her to fall right to the ground.

     Jacob watched as she stumbled around the coffee table, lowering herself onto the couch. She looked back up at her clothes that were hanging by the fire. "Are my clothes dry?" She asked, her voice little more than a creak. Jacob grabbed her shirt off the hook and felt it under his fingers.

     "They will be soon." He said, looking over his shoulder at the Deputy. He partially realized why she was so cold was because of the cold draft running through the cabin. And because she was still naked. He didn't say a word as he walked over to his mini closet and pulled out what looked like a long sleeve shirt.

     He tossed the long sleeve over to the Deputy, it landed on top of her blanket. "Oh, thanks." She was wary to say but she was relieved to be putting on real clothes. She unwrapped herself down to her waist in her blanket, quickly throwing the shirt over her head to hide her body. The shirt itself was about four sizes too big for her but she didn't mind. She looked over at Jacob who was shuffling something around in his kitchen cabinets. He had his back turned to her, not paying her half a mind of attention.

     Jacob could tell she was having trouble putting the whole situation in order. Besides, she was sitting in his cabin naked, well partially naked. He decided that he would explain to her the condition of the storm, then he'd come up with something to say to her. He pulled out two cans of soup and two spoons, walking back over to the Deputy.

     "Here, you need your strength." He said and gestured for her to take the can out of his hand.

     The Deputy reluctantly grabbed it. "How do I know you didn't poison it or something?" She asked and Jacob scoffed.

     "I figured you understood that we made a temporary truce, seeing as I did bring you to my cabin and made sure you didn't freeze out in that storm." Jacob took out a cold spoonful of soup, eating it while making eye contact with the Deputy. She looked down at her soup, mixing it around with her spoon.

     "Yeah...thanks for that." She said sheepishly, trying to ignore him staring at her. She took a bite of the soup, it definitely looked better in the can than it tasted but she knew it was good for her.

     "What are you doing all the way up here in the middle of a snow storm anyway?" Jacob asked, leaning forward on his knees.

     "I was hunting actually, I broke through the river between the two hillsides." She rubbed her ears, they were still ringing from the shock of the cold water.

     Jacob whistled. "That's a pretty deep spot." He said and the Deputy nodded.

     "You don't have to tell me." She shivered and ate more of the slimy soup. A time of silence passed before either one of them said anything. "How did you find me anyway?" She asked looking up at Jacob.

     "You weren't that hard to find, you were making so much commotion that damn near anything in this county could have found you." Jacob mixed his can of soup.

     "Yeah but why are you even up here? What are you following me or something?"

     Jacob let out a huff. "You do know that I have a life of my own, right?" He said sarcastically. The Deputy rolled her eyes and went back to her soup. They were quiet yet again, both of them focusing on their respective gross soups.

     The Deputy felt her bandaged side over Jacob's shirt, checking to make sure it hadn't come off while she was sleeping. "You should probably change that." Jacob broke the silence. "That bandage, it was a little damp last night but you fell asleep before I could do anything." The Deputy nodded, agreeing with him.

     "I was going to change it last night when I made a fire but...well you know that I didn't get that far." Jacob nodded, setting his empty can on the coffee table. "Where is your first-aid kit?" The Deputy asked.

     Jacob stood up and walked over to the cabinet he got the shirt out of, pulling out a yellow medikit. He walked back to the Deputy and set the medikit on the table. "Lift your shirt." He said, again not asking.

     "No it's ok I can clean my own wound, I've been doing it all this time." The Deputy said and set her can of soup on the table.

     "I wasn't askin'." Jacob said and grabbed a bottle of sterilizer.

     "Jacob I'm telling you, I'm doing it myself." The Deputy didn't lift her shirt and kept her arms folded.

     "Which one of us is more qualified? A Junior Deputy or a military man with actual medical training?" He asked rhetorically and knelt down in front of her. The Deputy was uncomfortable but yielded, uncrossing her arms and lifting the shirt just above the bandage. Jacob pulled the bandage off, making a low humming noise with his throat. "I figured, this wasn't properly bandaged." He said and set the old, bloody bandage on the coffee table.

     "I was in a hurry." The Deputy huffed, leaning farther back into the couch. Every time he touched near her wound she would flinch, not just from pain but also from his rough, calloused hands.

     "What even is this? I know it's not a bullet wound and it's definitely not an arrow wound." Jacob asked, pouring some sterilizer into the wound.

     The Deputy winced at the stinging pain coming from her wound and grit her teeth. "It's from a stick."

     "A what?"

     "It's from a stick! One of your goddamn Judges forced me over the edge of a much steeper hill than I remembered it was. I hit a couple trees on the way down." The Deputy let out a slow, long breath as Jacob wiped the sterilizer away with a towel.

     Jacob chuckled, it was a deep throaty chuckle, a real chuckle. "Who would have thought, I couldn't break you but a stick and a river could." By his tone the Deputy could tell that he thought the idea was incredulous.

     "Well," the Deputy wiggled in her spot, "I guess you're not stronger than nature, Jacob Seed."

     That statement made Jacob huff, obviously annoyed that the Deputy was getting her wit back. But he ignored that annoyance and studied her wound more carefully. It was red and irritated, almost like it didn't want to heal. He could see where the stick went in, and where the Deputy yanked it out. "Did you get the stick out?" He asked and the Deputy gave a quick fake laugh.

     "Of course I got the stick out, can you please just finish bandaging that?" She looked down and saw his furrowed eyebrows and intense stare.

     "I don't think you got all of it out, I think that there's a sliver of wood in there still." The Deputy groaned.

     "Look as soon as the snow lets up and my clothes fully dry I'm heading back down the mountain to Fall's End, I'm sure I'll get help from the doctor there, proper help." She added but Jacob shook his head.

     "It's already getting infected, did you not notice that?" He barked at her and she felt surprise wash over her. Why in the world would Jacob Seed be worried about her getting an infected wound? If it did kill her, wouldn't that just make his job easier?

     "I've been taking care of it, I just needed food so I went hunting. Here just hand me some ointment and a bandage and I'll finish the rest." The Deputy reached for the bandages but Jacob pushed her back into the couch by her shoulder.

     Seeing as she was still taxed from her exposure the day before she couldn't really fight him. Even though she wanted to. "You need antibiotics." Jacob instructed.

     "Ok, let me just run down to the store really quick! Look around Jacob, we don't have what it takes to fix it now so I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing until I can get to see a doctor." Jacob's face looked angry, but he understood the situation and pulled his hand away from her shoulder. The Deputy watched him carefully as he turned back to the medikit, grabbing her old used bandage and walking around the couch. He didn't say anything but she could tell he had a lot of rage at her that had been building for a while.

     She didn't know where he was going or what he was doing, and honestly she figured she was going to get yelled at if she tried to ask him so she just went to grab the ointment and bandages. The area did look pretty bad, but the Deputy knew there was nothing she could really do about it so she pretended to ignore how bad it was. She slathered on some ointment and quickly bandaged it up, making sure it was tight. It hurt a lot, more than it had been hurting but the Deputy just assumed that she'd blown it out of proportion in her head.

     "I'm getting more wood." Jacob said gruffly, being quick to grab his jacket and hat. The Deputy didn't say anything, she didn't really know what to say. When he opened the door, a violent rush of windy, snowy air flooded the cabin. He grabbed his axe and marched out the door, closing it firmly behind him.

    The Deputy had no idea why he was so mad. Was it possible that her talking back to him like that could get him so upset? It seemed ridiculous in her head, but on paper it almost made sense. He didn't like to be spoken back to, the only one that's ever really been able to put him in his place was Joseph, but that rarely happened.

     The Deputy pondered the thought while she stared at the fire. The wind had forced her to pull her blanket up to her chin as she shivered. She looked out at the swirling snow outside the window and shuddered. It had definitely occurred to her that if Jacob hadn't of showed up when he did then she'd already be dead by now. And that wolf would have been enjoying his easy meal.

     She tried to come up with an explanation as to why Jacob would have rescued her. She doubted it was because he felt sorry for her. She doubted even more that it was because he was worried about her. Because that was impossible. To Jacob Seed, the Junior Deputy was little more than an experiment, a tough case he was trying to crack. She barely thought that he thought of her as a person, she figured that in Jacob's mind she was only a favor for Joseph. Probably even an obstacle for him to tackle to prove how great at brainwashing he is.

     The Deputy realized that her laying half-naked in his hunting cabin to wait out a storm was the pinnacle of inappropriate, and decided that the soup had given her enough energy to start walking. Besides, while she was waiting for Jacob to bring back more wood the wind was dying down. She hoped it would stay that  way until she could get down to her truck again.

     She gave herself a quick pep talk, telling herself that waiting around on the couch wasn't going to give her energy, that making it would do that. She convinced herself that going downhill was going to be much easier than going uphill and that she'd be fine as long as she buttoned up. Finally she got up, only wobbling a little and took off Jacob's incredibly warm shirt. She replaced his shirt with her tight undershirt and base leggings. Both were cozy and warm from drying by the fire, which the Deputy accepted.

     She picked up her pack, which had also been drying by the fire, and shoved a couple spare bandages in it. She finished zipping that up and pulled on her snow clothes, sitting down to get her snow pants on. When she finished lacing up her boots and squeezing on her pack and gun she found a piece of paper to write a note on.

    Thanks for rescuing me, maybe we extend that temporary truce to until I get off this mountain? The Deputy's note read.

     She set it somewhere that Jacob would see it and added a couple logs to the fire. She grabbed her gloves and hat and trudged out the door, satisfied that everything she'd touched was back to the way it was when she found it. Except Jacob's shirt, that she folded next to the note. When she closed the door, she pulled her jacket up to cover the bottom of her face and started down the mountain.