#overthinking is the worst

[coolnonsenseworld]

They'd look too good together

This print brought me so much joy to make, it's a goldmine of tropes and stories!! And I thought, that if you have any, you could tell me a post-canon headcanon that you think could make a cute sticker? 👀

Last 10 days to pre-order in USD (but if you prefer EUR, it opens soon) mmezzy.bigcartel.com

[rayroseu]

You know what's sick as hell about the design of the Briar Senates??? It's that their design mirrors the weapon of the Draconias 😭✨

I know they're getting flak rn bcs they feel like "boomers who's against any progress because they value toxic tradition" but i don't really think they're like... entirely evil lol or the root of every bad thing that happened in Malleus'/Lilia's life (though im side eyeing them as one of the perpetrators still lol)

Tbh, removing them would also cause more harm (just some social issues inside the fae society tbh) than good imo, (I know many ppl say this bcs they think removing the Senates would make it possible for the peace between human and faes, but the thing is, the Senates aren't the only group that thinks this way, almost the entirety of Briar Valley does lol so forcibly removing them now would only come off as "Malleus forcing "human ideals" on the faes just because he has spent 4 years with the humans"(plus is the understanding between humans and faes truly achieved if you try to silence one group(even if that group is kinda disagreeable with anything human related lol), plus realistically the faes would trust their fellow faes first rather than some humans,

so for me, Briar Senates doesn't give off the vibe of toxic old people who drags others down in their toxic practices (while that can be an accurate description i feel like it generalizes too much about their behaviour), rather than that, Briar Senates feels more like thorns, like thorns that surrounds Briar Valley, they're not exactly harmful unless you go against them, but ultimately they're still protection for Briar Valley.

Which makes it fitting that their design has a similarity with the Draconia's weapon, they're the thorns that protects the Draconias, even if it means sheltering them.

And, tbh, if the Senates other job is to ensure Draconias lives, they're kinda doing a "decent job"??? If we can assume through Maleficia's (and Malleus' case), since we didnt hear about her leaving the Senate's side, she managed to survive for so long, unlike Meleanor😭 Also could explain why they're so enraged when Lilia arrived with the news that Meleanor died and why they hated the weak bcs what would weakness could protect JJDSJD Kinda wish their hatred against Lilia wasnt that he was a weak bat fae, but rather they doubled down on the fact he failed protecting Meleanor, imagine if Gen. Lilia wasnt as great in magic as the fae nobles were, yet he still managed to earn a position beside the Princess, all that hard work only to fail at the most crucial time, it wouldve make sense in the Senates' side to say, "Meleanor shouldnt have appointed him" (because "he's weak from the start")

oh additionally, this is just my assumption, bcs I felt like the way the Senates recoiled when Lilia hatched the egg was kinda... random?? so this is my made up reason lol Remember, the Senates were adamant that Maleficia should only be the one to hatch the egg because she's a Draconia, but Lilia did it and he's not a Draconia, What if because Lilia hatched the egg, it also affected the development of Malleus?? Like maybe for instance, it affected Malleus' lifespan, maybe he still lives more than one thousand years but he won't live for another thousand years like a pure Draconia because he's been hatched by Lilia as opposed to who they wanted it to be, which is Maleficia, OF COURSE Lilia hatching the egg is heaps better than Malleus dying before being born, but this is just my auto thoughts regarding the random hate reaction the Senates did when Lilia hatched Malleus lol

Interestingly, the placement of the stone of Draconia against the thorns (of the Senates) can also be hinted at their relationship with them??? In Meleanor's case, her stone is on top of the thorns, which may indicate that she's not under the Senate's commands or that its just telling she just lived distantly from the Senates, most importantly her stone is bigger than the thorns which may tell the fact that the Senates worships her because she's powerful and greater than them, and she's not someone who can be trapped/ordered around within the Senates. But, tragically, in Malleus' case, his stone is under the thorns, like its telling that he's under the Senates protection at all cost and his stone is little compared to Meleanor's because he's still young.

I also have a theory that the Senates are part of Briar Valley's land, like its been canonically said that they're the dead faes of Briarland, which makes think that their death is similar to the death of Conall from Maleficent 2, when Conall was buried, his body literally morphed to the land, which makes me think this is how the Senates used to be buried, when they die, they become one with the land, that's why you can't just remove them, when they are literally the Lands of Briar Valley,,,, get it lol

Though this is making me think that if this is the case then Maleficia's city,,, if the Senate's presence are the strongest there bcs that's where they're nearly buried, does that mean around Black Scale Castle is just lowkey a graveyard.... Is that why Halloween is special for Briar Valley bcs they have close ties/respect for the dead and Halloween is essentially about honoring the dead 😭✨

Off topic, but maybe the thorns part of the Draconia's staff may also tell about their age. Notice how Meleanor's staff has 3 twists which may tell that she's atleast 300~ years old, (if each twists signifies a century), while Malleus' staff only has one twist on its thorns which is accurate considering he's only 178 years old (one century).

If this is true, I'm kinda curious about Maleficia's staff... does that mean hers will be convered in thorns (she needs at least 7 twists (7 centuries~ and more) there on her staff 😭✨)

[egophiliac]

he's coming

I'M NOT READY

[whimzycle]

you wanna know the fun thing that I noticed about Jack when I was rewatching rotg?

On both instances that Pitch was about to attack him, he froze up.

[jonathanbyersphd]

Wild that Lonnie just had a gun in the glovebox.

Wilder that Jonathan knew he did.

[cloudyskiiees]

guys fun fact i’m a massive fan of fucked up dark horror stuff beyond just gore and i REALLY wanna write some insane obsessive like real creepy stuff for alenoah but im so terrified of making the public feel uncomfortable….. how do we feel about possessive toxic tropes in media chat

[crispy-art-on-fire]

I am in fact trapped here with you

Mostly because I like how you write blitzwings plurality alot

Yesssssssss, soon all shall be in BlitzPrime hell with meeeeeee.

Also thank you! :] I take a lot of liberties with my characterization of him so I do wonder when I've crossed the horizon of "this is a completely different character from the show" haha. But as long as ya like my take on him it's fine :>

[javierduffy]

“uh … it’s a bit girly … no?” javier examines himself in the reflection of his knife’s blade, looking this-a way and that, the dark blue of a large silken bow now peeking sheepishly around his neck as it sits gently in his hair. next to him, kieran clams up a smidge, hands still held close to his chest nearby his completed ribbon project on javier’s head. he finds it in himself to wring his hands a time or two rather than immediately undo his work as javier seems to continue to formulate his final opinion. “you … think so? look at me?” kieran asks, politely as a mouse. javier easily complies, turns at his hips and looks behind, up at kieran where he sits on the stump above him.

kieran, as he peers over, can’t help the meadow of flush that blooms over his neck, then his ears, then his nose and his cheeks. he can tell javier is deep in thought by the look on his face, mouth twisted just a might sideways, cocking his mustache awry, and the deep wrinkle sat between his brows. the ribbon he used matches javier’s vest perfectly, and the shine of the silk warms bright in the sun, just like every piece of jewelry and metal javier has adorned himself with. with this ribbon, javier’s hair sits lower on his head, ponytail draped down his nape and more hair framing his face in his bangs. kieran resists an urge to tuck one side back behind his ear.

kieran thinks that he looks like a painting, a muse, a love letter so heartbreakingly full of adoration that the only language it could be written in is bright swipes of pigment on a canvas. as he makes eye contact with the silk squinting around the red of a necktie, he thinks that javier may be right, if ‘girly’ could sum up ’poetry written in effeminate reverence’.

kieran always did think women made better art, wrote better books- found a better way to love. softer. warmer. prettier. like javier.

the world sounds like it’s underwater.

“i think … it’s very pretty. it suits you real well.”

earnest to a fault, the look in kieran’s eye dances gingerly with javier’s internal voice. it dips and sways him, and javier, despite his instinct, finds himself charmed by its rhythm.

“-b-but! i could take it out! if you don’t-“ javier looks down at himself in his knife again, the sunlight filtered through the leaves glinting a yellow green around his dark features, and kieran hands him patience on a silver platter. a rich blue makes friends with bright green quite easy, javier thinks. this is how he must look through kieran’s mossy lens.

“pretty … yes. you know, i think you may be right. i’ll keep it. gracias.”

[silly-little-triangle]

*bursts through the door like a madman. His hair is long, poofy, and covering his eye.* SILLY I REQUEST URGENT HELP!!

@imthebestcharacter618

OH GOD, WHAT HAPPENED?

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood. (Part 14)

“N”

“Y-yeah?”

Uzi pulled him into her bedroom, looking so serious he was immediately nervous. Had he been too forward? Holding her like that had been rather obvious…

“What are we going to do!” She yelped throwing up her hands in indignation, sounding so angry, so angry in fact that her tail emerged, hissing.

“Tera. She… She's being! Grah!” Uzi couldn't even form words. Her fists were balled so tightly N could hear the tubing groan under the pressure she was putting them under, her eyelights were squeezed shut and she bared her fangs.

“Uzi…” He stepped forward, arms outstretched towards her.

She whipped around and glared at him with such an intensity that he stopped in his tracks, one of her eye's were crossed out in an “X”. And a low growl escaping her lips.

“Zi…” He repeated, still not going much closer to her. The X fissled out and the growling faded. She looked pained, like it was taking everything out of her to feel this way.

Then she turned away, tail falling silent as she looked down at the floor. N came slightly closer, stepping up behind her.

Only to realize she was trembling.

“What's wrong with this colony…?” She mumbled, sounding so dissapointed, so cold that he immediately felt the urge to apologize, even when he hadn't done anything wrong.

“They… I-” Words died in his throat, he didn't know how to help in this situation. He doubted that there were any words that could.

“They didn't even give her a chance! So what if she overheats? She's a baby! They can't just… just give up at the slightest inconvenience!”

“Uzi.” At his words she turned back at him, tears stained on her digital visor even though she seemed embarrassed of them. As she turned back to staring into the floor.

“What hope did I ever have…? If they do this to a baby?” Her voice cracked, and N caught her on the way down as her legs gave out, holding her incredibly gently. She was fighting sobs, it seemed that Uzi was the type to get so angry she began to cry.

“I'm sorry.” Is all he said, helping her stand back up on her own two feet. Before stepping back, he wasn't sure how thrilled she would be at physical contact while this… riled up and upset.

“You can't apologize for them N…” She said slowly, she was holding herself in her arms and her own tail wrapped around her, tightly, she sighed and turned back, trying to wipe the remnants of her tears away despite the fact they were inside her visor.

“I can't let her grow up without anybody… I just can't, She- I wouldn't ever be able to forgive myself.” She made her way to he desk chair and sat, her hands clasped together almost in prayer, if she'd been even the tiniest bit religious that is.

“Uzi you're 18. You live with your dad. You can't just-” He replied, putting his hand on the chair and looking down at her, he wasn't yelling, but somehow she still flinched away from him.

“I know! I know!”

“I just dont know… what else I can do.” She slumped, defeated, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose (if she had one) her eyelights closed and her other hand gripping her chair.

There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence, N thought to himself the best course of action, what else could he do?

“I… can adopt her?” He said, uncertain in every way. He could, he was a little older, and he still wasn't sure how great of a father he would be. But, with the lack of other options…

“Wh-what?” Uzi sounded bewildered, looking up at him like he'd just grown a second head, which was fair, he somewhat felt like he had himself.

“I just talked to your dad today, I'll be getting an apartment in the bunker soon. I'd kinda wanted to surprise you with it but…” He smiled warily, trying to convince himself at this point along with her, but he was in the best position out of either of them now… right?

“I couldn't ask you to do that. You'd… that's a lot of responsibility.” She was looking at him now, and it felt very weird have such an adult conversation. He felt older, she looked older.

“I want to.” He began, sounding a little bit more confident about it; before deciding to say something that made it immediately dissolve “Tera is special to me. You are special to me, A-and I don't want either of you to feel like you're nothing.”

He paused, both because he didn't want to give anything away and because he wanted to give her comfort, it was getting frustrating, before he didn't need to think about it, he could just do, no overthinking required.

“You aren't nothing Zi…”

At this she looked away flustered, not expecting how soft his voice went, but that was like N wasn't it? Always thinking about her, about the wellbeing of other people.

“Are you sure?” She asked after a moment, trying to find the answer somewhere inside his visor, his confidence rose again.

“Yes. I'm sure, I'm definitely sure.”

“What about V? And… whatever the fuck is going on with Doll?” She asked, beginning to worry herself over the future, now with the prospect of an infant getting caught in the crossfire.

“Then… I'm the best suited to protect her right? I'm a walking, talking weapon. If Doll comes then I'll make sure she never even thinks about laying a hand on her.” He began, looking at his hands.

“You aren't a weapon N.” She immediately tried to argue, but he didn't let her, not this time.

“I am. But thats okay… I would rather be this way then a normal drone.” He admitted, remembering his powerlessness in the manor, how little control he had. “I can protect the… the people I care about this way.”

He didn't finish that the way he wanted to, with the people I love. But she didn't need to know that yet…

She went silent, looking down in thought, before suddenly she was gripping him, holding around his waist and squeezing with all her strength. It wasn't a small amount either, it had momentarily taken his breath away.

“You… uh. You have me too. To help you.” She stammered out, being unfamiliar with trying to comfort him. But he appreciated it nonetheless, wrapping his arms around her.

“I… I know.” He mumbled, nuzzling into her beanie slightly, he couldn't help it, and he didn't want to let go.

But it didn't seem like she did either, and the hug lasted into several minutes of them enjoying the others touch. He felt the butterflies in his core flutter uncontrollably, hers was too, uncertain smiles neither could see on both of their faces.

Then they pulled apart, neither looking at each other for a moment as they both willed themselves to calm down.

“N are you sure about this? I mean… you're going to be a dad!”

“Yeah…”

That did feel a little weird to think about, N being a dad, being responsible for a little fragile life.

“But… you'll be with me. Right?”

She blushed, violet taking over her face. This one he actually caught, and found the same gold taking over his.

“Yeah.”

---

It took Khan a couple of days to clean out his apartment (apartments, V got one right next door.) But N was vibrating in excitement, an apartment all to himself! That was… something he'd never had before.

Of course it was standard, a tan couch in the living room, a kitchen that looked identical to the one in the Doorman residence, and two bedrooms. Otherwise it was a completly blank slate. Until he filled it with more decorations. And it's other occupant…

That was still weird to think about. Even after the couple of days he'd had to think about it. He was about to become a dad.

He was excited and equally nervous. The sweat appearing on his visor whenever he thought about it too much. But he wasn't going at it alone, Uzi would be there, hopefully he'd learn quickly…

Speaking of, she was at the nursery, picking up the paperwork for him to fill out whitch was contributing to his nerves quite heavily. It would be official soon…

Until then though, he was exploring his apartment, glancing at the TV before heading into the master bedroom, where there was a dresser, and a closet in the corner. Maybe he could put a desk in here? Uzi would need somewhere to work.

That thought made him stop. Uzi had offered to help, not move in with him. They hadn't even discussed that actually, and the more he thought about it, why would she?

They weren't together, he hadn't told her anything about his feelings, still wanting to wait until they figured everything out. But with the introduction of Tera, things were now more complicated.

Maybe…. Maybe he should say something? It was likely she already suspected something at this point, he was incredibly awful about hiding his feelings and that was something he knew. Even if he had been doing a better job than usual.

And if she did suspect something, she didn't seem to be put off by it. She hadn't mentioned anything either, but she had been becoming more flustered recently, that could have easily been just because he'd been… subconsciously complimenting her, either through his words or touches; she'd always been shy about that.

Or she could feel somewhat of the same way about him, he hoped so. Being rejected sucked, but it would suck infinitely more if they didn't hang out anymore, which he was doubting more and more would ever end up happening. It would be awkward for awhile… but they could get through anything.

He… He was going to say something. Not today… he needed to think about it a little bit more, maybe test a little more to see if he could prove to himself she felt that way too. But he was going to say something.

“I got them!” He heard said crush walk into his apartment with a shout. Making his thoughts crash into each other. Right, adoption papers, him becoming a dad. Something entirely different to stress about.

Still he poked his head out of the bedroom. Smiling at her almost instinctually.

“G-great uh…” He trailed off, nerves overcoming him for a moment, he could no longer pretend this wasn't stressing him out greatly.

“I'll help you goober, come here.” She sat at the kitchen table, taking out yet another pen from one of her pockets and setting it next to the rather thick pamphlet of papers in front of her.

He gulped, but sat next to her all the same.

“It's not as overwhelming as it looks, it's just you signing your name like fifty times and some personal information.” She explained, and while he was skimming the first page, he found she was correct.

This document is for the purpose of record keeping. To insure no drone is left recordless or lost and provide insurance to guarantee satisfaction-

Legal jargon he didn't understand, but seemed to go on for several paragraphs, it was very official looking, and did nothing to calm his nerves. Something the drone next to him picked up on.

“Don't read too much of that, it's not a contract. All it's saying is that these will be put in the archives to be forgotten about.” She said, voice bored and a little monotone, but even so she smiled at him.

“Okay, uh, so what should I focus on?”

She flipped through the paperwork until she landed on a place he should sign, and pointed at it with the pen.

“Sign here.” She handed it to him after clicking it, and despite his trembling hand he managed.

Serial Designation N.

“You might need a last name.” She said after a moment, looking up at him.

“I don’t think I have one.” He admitted, he'd never really gone as anything else, and didn't quite know how to fill that part out.

“Elliot?” She suggested, but he almost immediately winced.

“I don't really want that as a last name…”

“Anything else?” She asked, and he thought for a moment before sighing, shaking his head.

“No…”

His signature then became;

S.D-N, Elliot

“Good enough, let's move on.”

They spent some time flipping through the papers, Uzi explaining the important bits to him if she deemed it important for him to know.

“Parent is required to send their child to school until the age of 21, or until child becomes independent.”

“Parent is required to install the following patches…”

“Parent is required to take thier child for routine hardware checks…”

“Alright, last one, it's where you fill out the parents personal information. Your contact information, your medical history, that kinda thing.” They finally reached the end, and N's processors was so full of information that he didn't think he could take anymore.

“Oh thank Robo-God…”

There were actually two sections to fill out, one for him, where he signed his name again and filled out the blanks with his system contact number, an email (Who the heck still uses e-mail?) And any medical history he deemed important. (Did being able to turn into a weird creepy snake crab count as a medical condition? If it did, he didn't add it.)

And the second section, for a second parent/caregiver in cases of emergencies, of which Uzi looked at for a moment, back up at him before she began to fill it out herself.

It made him stop and stare for a moment, almost in disbelief.

“I said I would help didn't I? Besides, it's just for the doctors in case they can't get ahold of you.” She explained, although she outright refused to look at him again, being focused on filling out her own information.

He slowly went back to doing the same. Trying hard to not read anymore into it. But seeing both their names down… it fueled the heavy weight in his core, that's for sure.

Next ->

[rayroseu]

back in the trenches... another book 7 rambles 😭😭

CRYING ABOUT THIS ACTUALLY.... DO YOU KNOW THE IMPLICATION OF THIS.... realistically, one of the first words of babies are referring to their mothers and the last "true parent" that held Silver was his mother, Princess Leia, but here baby Silver called out for his father, and Lilia didnt taught him that😭

Now these words might be calling out to Lilia now, but I'm also thinking since TWST is a world where babies can recall words or songs they heard even when theyre "not concious yet", I was thinking baby Silver heard this word when he was still with Dawn 😭😭😭 Imagine Dawn holding this baby and guiding him to speak his first words like "papa"... and thats like Dawn's last moment with Silver... AAAAA 😭😭😭😭

since this was still infant Silver, I was thinking this memory occured when Silver was adopted by Lilia only a week or months ago 😭✨ so its still possible that baby silver was reacting based on his past (which can potentially be baby Silver is remembering Dawn through Lilia in this scene)

AAAAAAAUAGFJWJFS 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 The fact!!!! The fact that he only took after being his father because he didnt want to deny this baby's affection !!!! LILIAAAAA 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[the-silver-chronicles]

2025 Year Of The OTP January Prompts: "Our Love" [Boa Lurking In The Bliss]

Tagging @voidika @raresvtm @josephseedismyfather @noodlecupcakes @imogenkol @socially-awkward-skeleton @inafieldofdaisies @aceghosts @cloudofbutterflies92 @cassietrn @direwombat @adelaidedrubman @derelictheretic @davrinsgriffons @shallow-gravy @strangefable @statichvm @carlosoliveiraa @g0dspeeed @wrathfulrook @starsandskies @ladyoriza @la-grosse-patate @thewanderer-000 @omen-speaker @alypink @shellibisshe @josephslittledeputy @skoll-sun-eater @afarcryfrommymain @strafethesesinners @turbo-virgins @florbelles @minilev @justasmolbard @yokobai and @seedsplease

January Prompts based on this Year of the OTP fandom event. I've tackled the following prompts: First Kiss, "May I have this dance with you?" & Sharing Clothes.

Showing off my first completed January oneshot for this event, called Our Love, which can also be found on AO3 here.

This is one of the few lighter and fluffier oneshots for this event, so already starting off good. I am quite excited to do the rest, especially when it comes to the August Prompts.

Anyway, you can read the oneshot below the cut or on my AO3 above. Enjoy!:

Title: Our Love.

Series: The Silver Chronicles (Far Cry 5)

Pairing: Boa Lurking In The Bliss (Silva Omar/Faith Seed)

Prompts: January - First Kiss, “May I have this dance with you?” & Sharing Clothes.

Genre: Romantic Fluff. Light Angst (Silva tends to overthink).

Words: 3,095.

The snowstorm hadn’t let up. The flurry of white flakes relentlessly rained down on the roof of the lodge by the roaring winds, covering it in a deep powder.

Silva would have to shovel some of the snow that built up near the porch and balconies, but that would be a tomorrow problem.

At the moment she was busy pouring two mugs of chocolate caliente that she made from scratch, while Faith was getting changed into something cleaner. Silva managed to avoid most of the mess, thanks in part to the apron she wore.

The dark beige was accompanied by a steam that carried the sweet scent of the chocolate. Taking the apron off, she left it on the kitchen bench, opting to clean it up later as she carried the mugs over to the living space, placing the one on the small table in the middle while taking a seat on one side of the couch while awaiting the return of her housemate.

She could hear the jukebox inserting the next record, playing some jazz song she never cared to learn the name of. She remembered gifting it to Elsa when her younger hermana uncharacteristically complained about having to change each record personally once the song ended. Silva suspected Elsa only complained to get her to build something again, a little time for herself rather than all spent on her hermana and hija.

Not that Silva ever mentioned it. She rather enjoyed putting together that record player. She missed tinkering, especially now.

Silva blew on the steam leaving her mug, carefully bringing the chocolate caliente to her lips as she sipped on the burning, yet deliciously rich liquid.

They were near the end of the first month of being stuck in her late-hermana’s lodge, and the blizzard storming outside hadn’t let up. There were moments of calmness, sure, but that would never be enough time for either her or Faith to escape down the mountain without getting caught right back in the snowstorm once more. Again, she reminded herself.

She only hoped that the storm put a pause on the Reaping. Not that she didn’t trust her friends weren’t doing fine without her. Although, a small part of her wished she was there with them… just to make sure they were safe.

But another and more vocal part of herself was relieved by the sudden separation from the mass violence. There was guilt that gnawed at her for such a thought, but she pushed it away.

Especially when she heard the approaching steps of the only other occupant in the lodge.

When turning back to see Faith, she was immediately met with the sudden change in style from the other woman.

Instead of one of Elsa’s old dresses that better fitted the style she was used to seeing on the Seed sister, Faith instead wore a loose flannel shirt and culotte that belonged that previously belonged to Silva.

Not entirely an issue that she had in itself. It was just Faith looked good in her clothes.

Silva could not keep her gaze off of Faith, and she blamed the warmth in her cheeks on the caliente.

“Something on your mind, Silva?” Faith asked in her approach, rounding the red sofa to take her seat next to the deputy. Her green eyes lightened at the steaming chocolate caliente waiting for her on the small table.

Silva didn’t answer immediately, too busy gawking at Faith in her attire, before swallowing down her surprise and replying, “No, no, nothing much… you look good, by the way.”

Faith seemed to appreciate the compliment, her smile growing bigger as she replied, “Thanks. Just thought I’d try something else on while the dress gets washed.”

It didn’t explain why Faith went into her room for clothes, but she wasn’t complaining.

Faith turned her focus to the caliente awaiting her, and in curious anticipation, Silva observed as the light brunette lifted the mug to her lips, lightly blowing the steam like she herself had done, and sipped the scalding caliente with a pleased hum.

“This is delicious,” Faith replied with a smile, the woman’s words settling a feeling of relief on Silva’s mind, “We did a great job, wouldn’t you agree, Silva?”

Faith’s words evoked an eyebrow raise from Silva; sure, they had produced the caliente together, however Silva distinctly remembered Faith mucking about, at one point playfully attacking her with chocolate covered pastry brush.

Despite this in mind, Silva decided on agreeing with Faith, giving kudos where kudos were due, “For a first timer, you certainly did exceptionally well.”

Faith beamed at the praise, and Silva drank more of her caliente, before throwing Faith a mischievous glance in her grey eyes as she added, “Although, I don’t remember the process being so messy. Nor the part where the pastry brush would try covering my face in chocolate powder.”

Faith snickered at the memory, softly bumping against Silva’s shoulder as she pointed out, “You didn’t seem to mind. In fact, I’d go as far to say you enjoyed the trouble.”

Silva’s lips tugged into a bashful smile, feeling warmer. She remembered the surprise of the powdered pastry brush tapping her nose when she glanced over to check Faith’s progress, and the bubbling fun that resounded in her beating heart when dodging and batting away more attempts to dust her face in the delectable cocoa.

“I did,” she replied softly.

A comfortable silence filled the air, a contrast to the raging winds outside. No tension, no suspicion. Nothing but a calm trust between the two women.

Silva wanted to shift closer, close enough that her shoulder could barely brush against Faith’s, perhaps her knee leaning against the other woman’s own, too.

Though Silva held back such impulses. She couldn’t do that, not when things were… comfortable. She knew she shouldn’t overstep now. Yet, the urge remained. There was a small voice inside of her that told her that reasonably, it couldn’t hurt to try. Neither action would be anything big, and if Faith showed any sign of discomfort, then Silva would simply cease the action altogether.

However, if Faith did allow it… then how could that be interpreted? That Faith simply doesn’t mind her closeness? That she’d use it as a way to gain a better hold over her for Eden’s Gate goals?

Or… or perhaps most frightening of all, it could mean that Faith may reciprocate the same desire she does? The want to be closer, to be held, the awkward and yet not uncomfortable hot sensation that is always accompanied by the slight pace of speed in her heart. Was it implausible? Silva couldn’t be sure. While she certainly desired such an outcome under any other circumstances, it would be devastating here; the knowledge she found another who once more held a mutual feeling for a companionship no other could grant them, only for that person to be someone who’s her enemy; whom she is expected to bring down, in whatever means necessary.

Silva wanted to close the distance, to just see if there was a chance, but at the same time knew she shouldn’t, as not only would it hurt more if the time she was forced to confront Faith came, but it’d perhaps be better if she didn’t try, make it easier to do what would need to be done and avoid risking any further complications.

However, Silva doubted it could be that easy.

Silva was brought out of her storming thoughts when she and Faith heard a resounding click from across the room.

Both glanced over to the jukebox, Faith watching in interest as through the visible glass, the finished record was lifted from the spinner by the “arm clamp” and gently placed to the back of the stack. It travelled down to the next record, tenderly pulling it up and placing it flat onto the spinner, prompting the stylus to touch down on the spinning record.

Through the speakers of the jukebox, the next song began to play, starting with a sudden beat before a gentle string begins to play and the synchronized harmony of a woman vocalizing an “ooh”.

From there the lyrics began.

“There’s a girl in town/And word’s gone around she’s just fine.”

Faith tilted her head with intrigue, yet confusion. Silva couldn’t blame her lack of understanding, as the other woman wasn’t well attuned to the Spanish tongue. Silva herself was still unsure where Elsa got this particular song.

Regardless, she liked it. It brought a sense of… normalcy.

Although, she couldn’t deny that the song playing at this moment set a certain mood she wasn’t sure was appropriate… for herself and Faith that is. The timing couldn’t be any less impeccable to her earlier spiral of thoughts.

“So I don’t worry my head/’Cause I know her heart is tied to mine.”

Silva swallowed down the rest of her caliente, placing the mug on the table. Unexpectedly, Faith placed her unfinished mug down too.

Silva observed as Faith glanced to her and just as swiftly looked away, wringing her hands as she intensely narrowed her eyes down.

It was always fascinating to Silva to see the constant flux of change in the woman’s expression, especially when she was out of the Bliss.

Though Silva could tell Faith was somewhat nervous about something, thinking it over repeatedly. The deputy was ready to shift off the couch and had an excuse prepared on the tip of her tongue to give her housemate some space when Faith caught her off-guard by grasping her wrist.

“Would you like to dance?” Faith blurted out, the sudden volume making the dark-haired woman pause in her ascent from the couch.

Silva tilted her head, blinking at Faith, a little confused and a bit shocked. It was the furthest thing she’d expect of the other woman, and certainly not something Silva expected Faith to want to do with the likes of her.

There was beat of silence, and Faith looked down to her hand gripping on Silva’s wrist. She cringed, lightly letting go.

Silva flexed her hand, planting herself back onto the couch as she turned her full attention onto Faith, “Why would you want to? With me, I mean?”

Faith brushed a strand of light brown hair back behind her ear, her lips a thin line as she thought of something, anything.

“Well, it’s… it’s because it sounds like the kind of song you’d dance with a partner- or I mean someone else with, you know?” Faith played it off, rubbing at her arm, “You don’t have to, but I’d rather not dance alone…”

Silva chewed at the inside of her cheek. Faith’s excuse seemed too sloppy to be a total fabrication, so she was telling a bit more of the truth. Though Silva was hesitant to accept Faith’s request.

While a dance didn’t inherently hold a romantic inclination, it was still rather intimate. Silva knew she was growing more attached to Faith the longer they remained snowed in, a complication that would only prolong the inevitable pain or hinder the necessity of her mission entirely. She knew neither of them were willing to abandon their respective factions nor join the other’s; Silva was loyal to her friends and detested Joseph Seed and his cult’s methods, and Faith was happy within her family and thought she was doing what was necessary. Not to mention, the Resistance despised her and held no trust for the woman.

Silva sometimes wondered whether or not she should have even agreed to their temporary truce in the lodge. Faith had been vulnerable, without her Bliss and Angels to protect her, so easy to kill. And yet, Silva’s own moral compass held her back from ridding the county of Faith Seed, either because the other woman was in no position to fight back or because Silva desired to hear the other woman out now that she had come for her without any tricks open for use.

Whatever the case was, it led to them reaching a truce given their… snowy circumstances. Silva would have nothing to blame but her ironclad convictions to follow her part of her obligations to the letter when she eventually allowed Faith to return back to the Project’s awaiting arms.

She had all the reasons to say no. To decline and say goodnight and hope the storm ended tomorrow so she wouldn’t have to wake up to make breakfast for the both of them. To cut the bud in the nip so nothing could progress further than it should have.

And yet…

“The life that we live, and the love the I give to her.”

Silva stood up from the sofa, her grey eyes glancing to Faith’s enquiring green. Faith was a very beautiful woman; inside and outside the Bliss, but Silva preferred this… someone who looked and acted real, not some fantastical visage putting on a performance.

She was wary that this was another front, some elaborate attempt to futilely get her into Eden’s Gate. Her allies didn’t call the woman a “siren” without reason. However, Silva rationalized that Faith was clever enough to understand honey trapping held unlikely success. And besides…

For the first time in nearly a decade, a gorgeous woman has expressed a desire to dance with her.

And fuck it, Silva was foolishly going to indulge in this chance.

“Each day it grows more and more, I’m sure it shows.”

Silva held out her gloved hand to Faith, the latter’s brows shot up in surprise by the action, and Silva swallowed all her nerves to softly ask one simple question against the quickened beat of her heart.

“May I have this dance with you?”

For a short minute, Faith did nothing but gape in response to Silva’s question, faltering the deputy’s confidence, worry hidden underneath her soft gaze as she wondered if she missed her chance.

All worry was dashed away when Faith’s lips widened in a delighted grin and took Silva’s hand.

“Well/Our love/Is a bubbling fountain.”

Hands held on to each other, both manoeuvred their way to the spacious area near the jukebox, light smiles reflecting off each other.

“Our love/That flows into a sea.”

Awkwardly, they try to find where exactly they want to place their hands; Silva resolves to just steady her arms below Faith’s shoulders while the other woman wraps her arms at the back of Silva’s neck, pushing them a little bit closer.

“Our love/Deeper than any ocean.”

The movements were nothing complex or special. The beats of the song didn’t intend for that, as it held more of a relaxing tempo. Not that she minded; and from the looks of it, Faith seemed content with slowly swaying.

Being so close… Silva could feel heat of Faith’s breath on her lips, their noses separated by the smallest of gaps between them. Her grey eyes could gaze into Faith’s green, see all the specks in her lively irises that no one would ever get a chance to witness.

“Our love/For eternity.”

Neither woman stopped swaying as the song played on, entranced in the other’s gaze, eyes recording each other’s feature to memory.

Be it impulsive instinct or plain brave desire, Silva gradually inched closer to Faith’s lips.

“Like Sunday/I pray our love will always stay pure/While the world turns around/He holds me down for sure.”

Though Silva didn’t reach her destination, snapping out of whatever urge she was acting on. Pause midway, her intentions clear yet uncertain of Faith’s own feelings on the matter.

With doubt on her mind, Silva was about to inch back, when she felt Faith’s hands creep from the back of her neck to hold her face.

Giving her a smile, Faith went to close the gap.

“Our love/Is a bubbling fountain/Our love/That flows into a sea.”

Upon recognizing Faith’s intentions, Silva met her approaching lips in the middle, lightly pressing against the other woman’s more eager lips. This time Silva’s hands shifted from their position, crossing behind Faith’s neck.

“Our love/Deeper than any ocean/Our love/For eternity.”

Both separated briefly, Faith giggling from their different approaches with the kiss. Silva softly chuckled too, Faith’s eagerness unexpected though not unappreciated. Tasting her own lips, Silva returned a bashful smile to Faith.

It had been certainly a while since she last kissed someone; someone she felt a connection with. It may not have been her first kiss, but it most definitely the first passionate kiss she’s had in almost a decade… since Irene.

Looking back to Faith, she wondered if this had been her first kiss… or at least a kiss she’s had in a long time.

She didn’t think it was her place to ask; perhaps later, or not at all. It wasn’t her business, and ultimately it didn’t really matter. It was Silva’s first kiss with Faith, and this would be Faith’s first kiss with her. That’s what really made it special.

Parting her lips once more, Silva went in for a second, more even kiss, matching Faith’s eagerness from before, much to the delight of the other woman. Faith wasted no time in returning the same energy.

“And after all/The rain will fall on us too.”

A deep part of Silva knew this wasn’t right. Not wrong, but not the most sensible thing to be doing. She and Faith were supposed to be enemies. And yet here, they weren’t. Faith had innocent blood on her hands, like how Silva’s own was stained with the cult’s. Something Silva would need to confront later; she knew that, but not now.

Now she wanted to feel something- something good for once, other than the guilt and shame and just shittiness in general.

Perhaps though… Silva’s trail of thought paused as she separated from their second kiss, Faith gazing at her with an adoration she’d never seen before on the woman, not out during the Reaping, and not in the Bliss either.

Her hands went from Silva’s face to her back, gripping hard like she was afraid this was some dream. And honestly, Silva shared the same sentiment, even if she should wish this was just some self-indulgent fantasy.

She felt Faith’s nose brush against the crook of her neck, burrowing her head into the space. Silva didn’t mind.

“But I’ll keep moving on/Proud and strong with you.”

Silva found herself willing to continue the scandalous thought that she’d find herself pondering on for the rest of the month they’d be stuck in the lodge for.

…perhaps there’s a way for this war to end without more piles of bodies.

[silasamerica]

I love how changing Claudia and Louis race to black ends up focusing and exploring more deeply into how vampires often exploit the marginalized (which is just what most people do but more dramatized since it’s fiction)

they’re not intentionally hating and using them because they’re black, they’re doing those things because they can get away with it more. Since people don’t care for black people’s well being, they can get away with any wrong done to them way more, they can leech and leech off of them until there is nothing left with little to no consequence! This was a minor, unexplored theme in the first book which was neglected which is sad since I feel like it adds a lot more to the vampires. By the show changing both Louis and Claudia to be black, it ends up pointing how easily people can get away with violence against black people especially during history! It shows that the vampires, just like humans, can be bigoted without an intense hate for the minority group in question. It points out how bigotry can be both subconscious, accidental and most horrifically, done just for power since they get away with it completely

[murrpa]

guys i have an art of ryan (i finished it in one day pls say you’re proud of me) and IM BEYOND SCARED TO POST IT like im sooo proud of it, it looks scrumptious but my ocd is telling me not to let anyone see or bricks will fly my way😭 what do i do?

[logiesarge2]

It's a rough day to be a Logan Sargeant fan today...

[tlbodine]

Overthinking: Ghost Beach

Ghost Beach, Goosebumps #22, is another one I missed entirely in my youth. There's a whole run of these for some reason and...you know what, I was going to make a joke like, "I don't know what I was doing in the summer of '94 but it clearly wasn't reading Goosebumps" except I DO know what I was doing in the summer of '94, come to think of it. THAT was the year my family first spent living off-grid and we dug the septic system by hand and put in a garden so every day I was out doing stuff and we weren't going into town all that much so...yeah, it actually does make sense that I wasn't reading as much that year. lol. That's funny to think about.

ANYWAY none of that is relevant. Let's talk about this book, huh?

First, the Plot:

Siblings Jerry and Terri Sadler are spending the summer with their elderly distant cousins in a New England beach, where they enjoy a number of very normal childhood hobbies such as pressing wildflowers, taking rubbings of tombstones, and collecting seashells. There's a spooky cave on the beach that they suspect may be haunted, for reasons. And there's three local kids they keep bumping into, who have the same last name! But it's ok, because there are a ton of Sadlers around here.

They eventually confirm about the haunted cave. The ghost, among other things, likes to murder dogs and render them down to skeletons instantly because he's a big meanie and dogs can always tell when you're a ghost.

After a few various interactions, Jerry and Terri find a graveyard that just so happens to have graves bearing the names of the local kids, but when they tell their cousins about it they hand-wave it off because Sadler is a common name around here and probably they were just named for ancestors, right? Sure. Also they explain that a whole slew of Sadlers came over from England in the 1600s but died in their first winter here. Cool.

Anyway, the neighbor kids convince them to trap the ghost in the cave by caving it in with rocks or something, which will definitely work? But then they go to enact this plan and find out there IS a dude in the cave, but he's NOT a ghost, he's just a....guy who lives in the cave, for reasons. But the OTHER kids are ghosts, oooOOOOoooo!

The kids drop the ruse and admit to being ghosts. Cave-hermit collapses the cave down on top of himself + the ghost kids, which seals them in I guess? And then the siblings run back to their cousins, who, in a twist surely no one saw coming, are also ghosts. SURPRISE.

Overthinking It:

In case you didn't guess from my summary, I really did not like this book. Like, I mentally checked out several times reading it because it is both boring and nonsensical. There are just so, so many holes.

How do ghosts work in this world? We interact with them all the time and they are solid and warm to the touch. Also presumably dressed in contemporary clothes, because otherwise we would've noticed they looked like pilgrims. But they can be trapped and sealed away by the rocks of a cave? I guess?

If all the Sadlers died during their first winter, why are there so many Sadlers still living here? Unless the point is that ALL of the Sadlers in the area are ghosts, in which case, why aren't Terri and Jerry?

Why is Harrison Sadler the beach hermit so deadset on trapping the ghosts, to the point of killing himself in a cave-in to do it?

The plot is thin, hardly anything happens, it feels like it's recycling most of its beats from Welcome to Dead House except slower and more boring, and I don't understand these kids at all. Terri's weird set of quirky hobbies feels kind of tacked-on, and I know absolutely nothing about Jerry, he's an absolute blank cardboard cut-out despite being the narrator. Like, Goosebumps books usually have kind of bland self-insert characters but this is completely ridiculous.

Also - I don't want to get in the habit of immediately saying, "I didn't like this book so obviously it was ghostwritten" but I think this might be another contender for that suspicion pile. Much like Why I'm Afraid of Bees, the prose in this one just...doesn't sound like Stine. It's largely missing his favorite phrases, his humor, and even just the cadence of his sentences and scene breaks. I can't really explain it without doing a full forensic breakdown of the whole book which I frankly cannot be arsed to do because it is so stupid and boring.

I do like the cover art, though, so there's that!

If You Liked This, THESE Will Really Give You Goosebumps:

Go read the superior ghost-based Goosebumps books Welcome to Dead House and The Ghost Next Door.

You may also enjoy the 2001 film The Others, and in a different sort of vein, John Carpenter's The Fog which is a very atmospheric beach horror.