#aight y'all so here is part 1

[scoups4lyfe]

Since I finally finished making my powerpoint I decided it was time to share it -- and my way of doing that (of course) is by analyzing my hyperfixation for the last four-ish months

DPR IAN.

Some things to know:

DPR Ian was born Christian Yu on September 6th, 1990. (So rn he's 32.)

He was born and raised in Australia

He has Bipolar Type 1

My Experience With Bipolar Disorder 

I think that since I am trying to spread awareness about Bipolar and what it’s like — I believe that I should share my own experience. (Hence my eventual inclusion of personal journal entries.)

What’s hard about Bipolar Disorder or BD / BP -- is that there isn’t a lot of  awareness about it. I honestly thought my wacky-a$$ behavior was normal, up until I saw an accurately-represented person going through a Bipolar episode — with the aftermath — in a tv show. Which equated to:

“ö!!” response.

Starting with facts

......

Now, on towards Ian's music.

I’ll only lightly touch on this for now because I know I’ll be going more thoroughly in-depth later about these metaphors/motifs; but some of the big things recurrent in DPR Ian’s music videos, song lyrics — etc., are that of Oceans/Lakes (drowning); Moon cycles and Werewolves; Storms. Other things that frequently pop up: Eyes, colors — aka their distinct and purposeful use of displaying something, isolation, religion, medication, fire/burning, guns / shooting, and finally — Suicidal Ideation. 

(Yes, that last one is especially important for the topic we’ll be discussing.)

These metaphors — motifs — images / lyricism — are representative of BP. I think the best of all of them involve the moon and werewolves. But oceans / lakes and storms are also just as good. This is because these things are: 

Natural — out of control of human hands 

Cyclical — for oceans / lakes it’s the tides; storms — obviously by seasons. 

Can leave a decent amount of destruction, no matter how beautiful it is. 

[Moving on....]

N E R V E S

above are screenshots from Ian's song "Nerves" -- these shots in particular showcased religious imagery, which I found fascinating, based on how deeply entwined religious themes are in his videos / songs.

Ian often likens himself in the position of the devil, the one banished from heaven. There's a dichotomy in his songs, music, imagery, (etc) ; where he's an "angel" and cherished by the creator, and then (when a mood episode comes on) there's this bitterness of abandonment....though I'll expand on that later.

TLDR; Ian is always questioning "WHY" he must live in a looped cycle of intense a$$ emotional highs and lows- of having that burden of being bipolar.

This is why "And you left" -> the shot cuts away from the cross on the road.

Ian is showing (literally, through imagery / his creative vision <3), that he is at a "crossroads" 🤪.

"I still can't believe I left you alone"

Here, the cross is blurred out. So although Ian is saying this about himself, he's also mirroring it to God. "I still can't believe you left me alone." This is why the cross is blurred. Because his God's image or visage isn't "visible" or fully "clear" to him.

"It tore me down to pieces"

Here, Ian looks (visually) like he's kneeling / praying. This accompanied with the lyrics, "It tore me down to pieces" is another way he subtly shows how when God has blurred himself away, when Ian feels most abandoned in his darkness -- that which was hard, only hurts ten times more.

"Don't worry about me, cause I'm doing fine"

Interestingly, the cross is red, which represents love, but can also represent anger.

Here Ian says he's doing "fine" and now we see a cross that isn't blurred out, it's fully visible and outlined in red. Ian's not alone anymore, hence why you don't need to worry about him.

(I'll expand on the list above more as we go on)

Dude, Ian's interview quote fvcking SLAPS.

Especially because he perfectly described what **I** felt / what it feels like when you enter into a major depressive episode. Often there would be days where that was all I could feel --nothing. Blank. Empty.

Last slide of part (1) .

So I'll go ahead and link the MV here:

I know I have used a screen recording clip of "Nerves" within these past four months when I was rapid-cycling through manic and depressive episodes like a clown juggling barrels of oil lit on fire.

So YEAH. I think it perfectly (visually) portrays what it feels and looks like when you're going through these episodes.

[Next]

Journal Entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

PPT Essay Extras: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5)

PPT Essay: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] , [8], [9]

Visual Clips (Depressive Episodes): (1), (2)

[synthshenanigans]

I cant believe fine im fine lost by 1.4% crying

-Please listen to both instrumentals if you can! While there are the popular songs, there's a lotta good ones out there that aren't talked about enough!-

Instrumental Links:

Nerd

The Bidding

[Reblog for more of a sample size of you'd like]

[thelov3lybookworm]

Remember me? (Part 9)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Summary: Under the Mountain, Y/n met the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. She was scared of him, but soon she found out that he wasn't who he pretended to be. Despite her efforts at not falling in love with him, she fails. It's not that bad as he loves her back.

But now he's gone, and she's left alone with nothing.

Except for a very adorable reminder of him.

•○●⛦●○•

Tw: secret pregnancy, none more that I can think of, so let me know if I need to add anything.

A/n: Aight y'all. This thing contains some heavy themes i guess, so this one can be skipped if you want. this part is basically a filler chapter.

This picks up one month after the last part ended.

Andddd....

Here we go.

•○🌑○•

Feyre's pov.

Feyre was walking home from her art studio, Nyx hopping along next to her. The day was beautiful, not too bright, not too cloudy. It was a perfect day to go out with her family on a picnic and simply enjoy their company and thank the mother for her blessings.

Or at least it would have been a good day for that if her family hadn't been falling apart.

Rhys had been pulling away more than ever. He had become detached from reality, drinking his days away and being locked up in his office all day. He had become more snappy than ever, yelling and throwing a fit at the smallest inconveniences.

A few days ago, he had punched and cracked a wall because his food was too hot.

Rhys was... he going mad. There was no other was to put it.

He did not want to be talked to, and if he found someone looking at him for longer than a moment, he would snarl like a wild beast. His appearance had also become... worse.

He looked so sick, like he would drop dead at any moment.

A loud gasp drew Feyre from her thoughts, and she looked down to find Nyx staring wide eyed at a spot on the ground nearby.

"Nyx?" Feyre questioned gently, trying to get his attention.

Nyx snatched his hand away from his mother's, sprinting away when Feyre tried to grab his hand again.

"Nyx! What are you doing?"

She followed Nyx, walking briskly behind him. She slowed to a stop when he did, watching as the little boy bent down.

A moment later, he drew up again, a huge, adorable grin on his face.

In his hands was a smooth, white rock. He held it gingerly, both his hands cupped, like holding it too tightly would shatter the beautiful thing.

"Papa would love this mommy."

Her heart melted and shattered at the same time.

But she couldn't bring herself to tell him that Rhys probably wouldn't care, so far lost in his head was he.

"Yes darling, he would love it."

Nyx gave her a toothy grin in return, turning back to the ground as he searched for something. He bent down again, and when he came up this time, he held a smaller rock in his hand and held it out to Feyre.

"This one is for Finnie. I will give it to him when we meet again."

Feyre nodded, plastering on a smile for the sake of her son as she agreed to meeting Fin soon.

But deep down, she knew she wished the two boys never met again. Because there were only two circumstances under which they could meet, and neither were favourable.

The first would be if Y/n returned to the night court, and Feyre knew that wouldn't happen as Y/n didn't want Rhys to mess with her or her son's life ever again.

And the second would be if Feyre left Rhys.

And she wished that it never came to that.

It wasn't that she didn't believe Y/n. At first she hadn't, but then Y/n had showed Feyre her memories, and Feyre had to believe her, no matter how much she wanted it all to be a lie. Because fabricating someone's memories was too hard and even unheard of.

Feyre told herself Rhysand's weird behaviour was only the result of heartbreak, of finding out he had another son all along.

She hoped he would go back to normal, that one day he would wake up and realise how bad his condition had been becoming, how he had been weeping and wasting away for something he could never have and throwing away everything he did have for the illusion of happiness.

As she reached the door of the river house, she wiped away all her thoughts and simply focused on getting Nyx to go to sleep. Or do anything but stay away from his father.

Rhys would probably yell at the little boy if he was in a foul mood, and Feyre simply could not handle watching her son cry.

"Hey Nyx, why don't we make cookies? Would you like that?"

Nyx nodded happily. "Yes mommy. We can do that after I give papa this stone."

"No Nyxie. Can we not give papa the stone later? Or I can give it to him." Feyre offered.

Nyx held the stone away from Feyre, shielding it with his body as he frowned. "No. I will give it to papa."

Before Feyre could try more to convince him, he ran off, climbing the stair as fast as his ittle legs would carry him.

She followed him, making as little noise as possible. Because in the past few weeks, even the littlest noises had been triggering her mate's urge to destroy everything in sight.

"Nyx! Nyx, slow down!" She whispered, frantically reaching for him. He had already reached the landing, and now ran to his father's office.

The door was slightly ajar, and Nyx pushed it open the rest of the way in his haste to give the stone to his father himself.

Feyre reached the door, her heart beating in her throat, just in time to see Nyx reach his hands up, the stone cupped in them, towards Rhys, who was staring down at the little boy, his eyebrows raised.

Rhys took the stone, inspecting it carefully before a nonchalant look crossed his features, and Feyre immediately knew that he was going to throw the rock away and either yell at Nyx or dismiss him entirely.

Feyre didn't want to see her boy sad, and so she reached out with her daemati powers and knocked on the mighty walls of the fortress surrounding Rhys's mind.

He glanced up, irritation evident in his eyes, but he let her speak to him through a small window that he created.

Please don't hurt him. Please pretend.

Rhys cocked his head, and Feyre could practically see the wheels turning in his head, and a sense of dread gripped Feyre when a slow smirk spread across Rhysand's face.

Sure, Feyre. He purred in her mind before he looked down at the little boy, who stared up at his father with a hopeful smile on his face.

"This is beautiful, my boy. Thank you so much." And with that, Rhys pocketed the rock, and Nyx giggled, turning to Feyre with the biggest toothy grin ever.

"Mommy, are we going to make cookies now?"

Before Feyre could respond, Rhysand cut in. "How about you do it with Nuala and Ceridwen? I have an important thing to discuss with mommy."

Nyx nodded, then sprinted away to the stairs, and as Feyre watched him go, the dread coiling around her heart felt like a vise.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked once Nyx was out of sight, and Rhys gestured at her to come in and lock the door. She did so without questioning him.

The moment the lock clicked shut, Rhys prowled forward, his hands landing on the sides of Feyre's shoulders, caging her in against the door. He leaned down, his hot breath washing over the side of her face as he whispered directly in her ear.

"It's been so long since we've had some alone time," A pause as he began to peel her clothes off of her. "Y/n darling."

•○🌑○•

Feyre stared at the beams of moonlight across the ceiling, tears running down the sides of her face and into her hair.

She was ashamed and disappointed in herself, and as she curled into a ball on her side, she considered peeling off her skin and setting fire to it.

She sniffled quietly, her mind refusing to think of anything but the past few hours, when Rhys had touched her, worshipped her like he were a devoted male and she a goddess.

Except hers was not the name he chanted in his prayers.

No, it was of his former lover, and for some reason, she had not been able to push him off of her or do anything to let him know she did not want him to touch her while he was lost in the thoughts of another female.

Rhys had wounded Feyre's heart for nearly half the night, and she could do nothing about it.

Worse were the way he'd rubbed salt on her wounds after the whole ordeal, telling her she was nothing compared to her. That Feyre could never be her, and that it really was a waste of time to have pursued Feyre to see if a mate was worth loosing Y/n over when he could have been with Y/n all along.

Every muscle in Feyre's body clenched as she tried to quiet her sobs so as not to wake him as he slept peacefully at her back.

Feyre didn't know what to do.

Slowly, her mind drifted to that day a month ago, when she and Y/n had talked, and Y/n had showed Feyre exactly what Rhys had done to her.

Feyre... you can come with us.

You can live with us.

Look Feyre, you are Nyx's mother. You know what's best for him. If you need time, then take some time. Think about this if you want. But leave him Feyre. He does not deserve you or Nyx.

I can't force you to come with us but... I beg you Feyre. Think about this. And when you are ready, write to me. I will ask Eris to make arrangements for your safe travel to autumn court.

Feyre sniffed, wiping her tears with her palms as her path forward became clearer.

Write to me.

A pen and paper appeared next to the bed on the nightstand, and Feyre picked them both up, scribbling down a quick message and then winnowing it away, hoping her friend was awake and found it.

Though that would be a miracle, as it was quite literally the middle of the night, and not many people stayed up crying over their pathetic lives.

But there was nothing else Feyre could do except hope, because anything else had been stolen away by her mate. The one who was supposed to never harm her.

With one last look at the sleeping form beside her, Feyre stood, gathering all her discarded clothes and pulling them on, trying not to cringe in embarassment.

Then, she grabbed a bag, stuffed all her clothes and Nyx's inside of it, especially all the expensive gowns of hers. She could maybe sell them to make a little extra money.

Just before se left her and Rhysand's room, her gaze snagged on a bundle of money Rhys stored in his drawer, and a plan formed in Feyre's mind, and her lips lifted in a small smirk.

It seemed that the meeting with Fin would happen sooner rather than later.

And that a visit to the bank was necessary.

•○🌑○•

Taglist: @holb32@awoa1@cleverzonkwombatsludge@luvmoo@we-were-beautiful@eerievixen @zoe2 @fussel9913@j-pendragonx@thesnugglingduck @jesssicapaniagua @devilsnightz@esposadomd @littleffawn @mandowhatnow@bubybubsters@eos-princess@nightless@bigcreatorwombatdreamer @princesslolaasworld @asemkta @cat-or-kitten@txzii @bunnyredgirl @theofficialmadman@leeknows-wife@aria-chikage@amygdtjhddzvb @azriels-mate123 @inky-clover@kemillyfreitas @12358 @justdreamstars @cuethedepession @princessvesta @fides25 @nocasdatsgay@acourtofbatboydreams@stained-glass-eyes0708@glaciuswduo@wallacewillow0773638@cassie6392

Y

[hoxxescreature]

aight y'all I've been seeing a lot of misconceptions about changelings so imma correct people now

MISCONCEPTION 1. CHANGELINGS CAN ONLY EAT SAPIENT MEAT.

this is straight up not true, we can eat normal food, actually we also need it to survive, but sapient meat is also required for survival.

MISCONCEPTION 2. CHANGELINGS CAN TURN INTO LARGER CREATURES.

also false, we can only manipulate our current mass, we can't defy the laws of thermodynamics; however we *can* provide the illusion of such.

MISCONCEPTION 3. WE HATE ALL SAPIENT CREATURES.

this is by far the least common misconception I've seen yet, its not true.

MISCONCEPTION 4. WE ARE UNABLE TO DIE.

if we we're, then why do we eat people?

MISCONCEPTION 5. IF CHANGELINGS WOULD JUST STOP EATING PEOPLE, THEN WE WOULD ACCEPT THEM INTO SOCIETY.

no. all changelings have crippling trust issues, witch actually served quite the evolutionary advantage, you see dwarfs have been trying to kill us as long as they were on Hoxxes, and we have been trying not to die for longer.

now, here are some real facts.

young changelings need significantly less meat than older ones, i'm about 120 years old, witch is like a 6th of our lifespan. so I only need to eat a small morsel every month.

seeing dwarfs on missions is very common, in fact, but they almost never notice us because we're hiding,

a lot of the time, we can kill oppressors and even some kinds of dreadnought! this is because we have literal full control of our bodies, and can create sharp objects as part of our bodies made of very strong keratin.

we like music, master of puppets slaps.

we are very solitary creatures, I have actually never met another changeling.

I want to make an open environment about this discussion, so feel free to ask me anything

[morisdann]

Your bitch is watching the second season of Blood of Zeus and lemme tell you, I don't like it. At least the very first 10 minutes. As I did previously, imma put here all of my thoughts regarding each episode as I watch, so beware of MASSIVE SPOILERS.

Also, small disclaimer: I'm not a professional writer, nor a movie critic. So everything here is my pure humble opinion so if you don't like it - don't read it.

So without further ado:

Episode 1:

Gods, it's been 10 minutes and half of the visuals (if not more) are just parts of the final episode of the first season. And also the plot didn't really moved past the point "yeah, Hades is the bbeg. Again." Although I sense some bits that it's more like "oh he's a misunderstood guy who did it all for love and whatnot" but the line of "Hera and Zeus made us fools and now we get to have our revenge" is already pissing me off. 10 minutes of almost nothing but being cliché. Not a good start, but imma give it a shot.

Another thing that irritates me is the "romantic" tension between Alexia and Heron. First of all, I don't get it how Heron is so good at fighting despite the fact that he lived with his mother and never really had to fight anyone with a sword. Like I get the arrows and such (tho hunting an animal in a forest and shooting a moving fucking warrior on a bloody battlefield seem kinda different, but aight, I'll let it slide). But how in the fuck after a few days-weeks of training with Zeus he manages to be so fucking op in the battle that it impresses an Amazonian Fucking Warrior Lady that spent at least half her life perfecting her martial skills?? This guy was not a warrior to begin with, how is he so good at killing people and demons?? He was BULLIED AND HAD NO ONE TO TEACH HIM KICK BALLS! So anyways, I don't like that it's implied that Alexia is falling in love with Heron. No, she's a powerful ass Amazonian, she's supposed to be COOL AND NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WIBBLY WOBBLY HERON THAT HADN'T EVEN LIVED FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS!!! Like, c'mon, how old is he? 17? 18? He maybe has a body of a perfect athlete, but he's a fucking baby... And don't tell me Alexia is below 20, she's in her late 20's AT LEAST, cuz ain't no way a 20 year old is commanding an elite squad in ancient Greece. So no to Heron×Alexia. Not on my watch.

Also, what the fuck is elusinian stone and why are we supposed to care whether Hades gets it not?

What the fuck did they do to Hestia's and Athena's designs?? Like what the honest fuck is this bullshit?? Who do winged dead eating demons look more interesting that obviously very important characters?? Also, the scream Hestia lets out burning the demons away from her 💀💀💀

NO, NOT THE PROPHECY TROPE, PLEASE, NO

Why does Gaia look like she stepped out of a marvel movie...?

Episode 2:

Alexia, girl, why are you sleeping in full armour?? Also what happened to your face??

Heron, what happened to your face?? Did they ever give proper character references to the animators??

Also, why is Heron having a mental breakdown over some noname bro that killed their mother??

Bro, why are you so suddenly questioning gods?? (Ye, he should question who the fuck these gods are to rule over humanity, but it's smth he was supposed to do in the previous season, not now when he beat the shit out of his step brother in the name of gods)

Yay, my babygirl Seraphim is still here, serving cunt as usual 💖 And fuck yeah, eternal judgement >> serving gods!! Slay babe! (I am kinda ashamed for this passage, but I won't apologise for it)

Bitch what. A love interest? FOR MY MURDEROUS VENGEANCE LED BABYGIRL?? ARE Y'ALL KIDDING ME??

WHY DID YOU SPIT LIKE THIS?? PEOPLE DON'T SPIT LIKE THIS, SWEETIE. DEMONS TOO BY THE WAY

Ok, I understand the lack of colours for Hades, he is kinda gothic, but why is Persephone such a goth chick?? She's the goddess of spring and such no?? Why'd she wear black fucking lipstick and look like a depressed teen??

What in the Hades the game is this?? Listen, I didn't want to bring the game into this discussion, but you did it yourself, netflix. Y'all are not ready to be compared to the supergiants' masterpiece. Don't drag Zag and Melinoë into this, y'all are not on the same level of deepness into the greek mythology to have them here.

Seriously? The same punishment as Loki? Y'all ain't even creative. Don't tell me this bitch lover of Sera is gonna stay there with a cup to "help with the pain"

Bro, stop it already with y'all's "well I've always tried to help you, I'm not like the others" it's not gonna cut it anymore

So like, Hades was very hot and you redesigned him into edge lord? Ok.

Ah, so now you explain us about the elusinian stone and why it's so important, at the end of the 2nd episode? Thanks, cool.

Episode 3

Apollo is still serving. By now you should see the pattern of what men I like.

Drop it with the love interest for Seraphim already. I don't believe that a murder machine like him is able to fall for a simple mortal woman. Like this fuck would even care for anything else than his revenge. Well, tbh I didn't believe that he'd care for his biological mother either, so... I just don't like how they portrait him as a weak for love bud. Isn't that a bit unrealistic for a mass murderer with no empathy? Like ain't one supposed to be empathetic to love? Ain't one supposed to feel nothing when killing a shit load of people with no remorse whatsoever? Isn't there some psychological repercussions? No? Ok.

Lmao, suicidal Hades is something new.

Yeah, ofc, let's make Hades seem like a creep again...

Is that weird that I'm more attracted to the demon Seraphim more than to his human form?

Honestly, I'm so tired of media portraying Hera and Demeter as hysterical bitches that know no boundaries. Like come up with something new.

Lol, Hades just made my man enter into an invisible wall to make the wall disappear a second after.

Aren't you supposed to win over his trust? For now you're just venting about your shit ass family to a man that has no family at all. Not very kind tbh

"Look at her! Look at how she suffers!" Meanwhile the girl is just sitting on the ground bumboozeled that the god of the dead and some hot demon guy are looking at her talking some nonsense.

Why, of course she's not gonna suffer ugly like the other wraiths, she's the main hero's love interest, so that's why she looks like she's on some heavy tranquilizers

Yes, of course the prideful demon Seraphim, the murderer of guilty and innocent, the vengeful spirit will succumb to be a pawn in god's hands once again, only to alleviate the suffering of the soul of his beloved! What a bunch of horseshit, guys... I may be delusional enough to be attracted to that man and call him babygirl, but even I understand that this fuck is incapable of love. This isn't his character, it was done to just make him into the "good guy that was just too miserable so he caused a lot of pain to the others". Let's be fair for a sec here, he's a mass murderer, he deserves no forgiveness. Yes, he can be redeemed, but it's a long fucking process, that doesn't always include forgiveness, but a shit load of work and reflection. And therapy. Hades could've "tempt" him to join forces by manipulating his pride and desire to be free, to be above gods. Not love. Love can be ugly, love can be beautiful, love can be an instrument to redeem someone, but by gods, stop using it on every Joe to make him into hero, it's just stupid.

Sera, why are you so easy to manipulate??

Episode 4:

NOOOO, WHY DID YOU TURN HIM HUMAN AGAIN?? BRING BACK THE DEMON LOOK, IT WAS SO GOOOOD!!!

Off topic, but wasn't heron impaled in the middle of his chest? Why's the scar on his tit?

I can't, Aphrodite clinging to Ares's arm 😭😭😭 Stop with itttt!

Okok, one good thing: I like how in the games Heron is drawn to always be in Ares's shadow. A bit on the nose, but I appreciate the symbolism.

Apollo's refusing to compete with Ares?? Apollo?! You're making me laugh.

There's this background god with blueish skin and black wings and I cannot, who are they?? I have to know whom I'm falling for. Is that Thanatos??

Hm, so half the season is wasted on some weird intro to the story itself? Cool. Wow. Never seen that happen.

Episode 5:

You serious? The mighty Zeus, the king of gods, is judged by mere mortals? The pure-blood god, not a bastard child ascended to godhood, but the child of Rhea and Kronos, is judged by some mortal and has to go through the same path as any other human?? Y'all aren't serious. I can't. This is idiotic.

Hera, I don't believe you, that now, all of the sudden you're changing your mind and vouching for Zeus, that he's not that bad. Girl, you unleashed a whole ass box of giants to kill that man just a few weeks ago, why such sudden change of mind??

Zeus, how in the fuck you managed to build a whole ass knowledge bunker under that shabby house of your son without anyone noticing?? Please, share the secret, I also want to be capable of that

Greatest quote of the greatest man in these series, Evios: "Look, I'm alive for two reasons: I was born and I hadn't died yet."

Oke, I can understand why Sera might've fallen for the priestess in a normal situation (if he hadn't been fucked up beyond repair, that is). She's smart, she's beautiful, she's compassionate. A perfect woman, if she had any character to her. But my man is, unfortunately, beyond salvation of any kind, when he met her, he wasn't recovering from the hatred, he was driven by it. How can one love another, when one is fueled by hatred and anger? How can one love, when one had long forgotten what is it to be loved? How can one love, when one is no longer feeling?

Episode 6:

I suddenly like the Heron's arc. Is he gaining some depth to his character? Wow.

Lmao, Sera, you fell from gods know what height and you're still in one piece and not smushed into the ground and around? You are a solid rock of a man.

Ok, maybe Sera is slay in his human form. It's just that he needs to be dressed appropriately. Stop walking around with tits out in and wearing this stupid furry mini skirt and he's looking like a decent man.

Icarus?? Sera, choose another pseudonym, this ain't a good one.

Honestly, I'm kinda digging all that "Demeter, the great mastermind " vibe. Slay queen! Love it for her. She's a bitch in this scenario, but damn she's good at it.

Episode 7:

Y'all, I'm in love with Demeter. This bitch? The bitchiest of them all. Slay 💅

Alexia, girl, how did you survive Talos exploding?? You demigod too? And that big fella who's name wasn't mentioned once this season is he also the same or just explosion-proof?

Ah, yes, his name is Kofi. Could've guessed.

Bruh, you've already done Alexia wrong in this season, why open her character like that in under a minute?? 😭 Opened and immediately closed. Feels like "That's rough, buddy" from Zuko but make it lvl 99 of idgf

And now you're Nobody?? Babe, you decided to fuck with mythology, didn't you? Bad idea.

Also, hadn't Kronos had another design in the beginning, no? Then who was that cosmos looking titan in the beginning?

Wait a moment. Does Sera classify as a demigod? Like, he is partially giant, cuz he ate flesh of one. And he possesses a ton of demigod-like qualities. Could it be that he's the prophecy demigod? Meh, I'm too lazy to look for the prophecy to compare it and actually find out. Will see in a moment what happens.

Episode 8 (finally):

Sera is getting sexier with each challenge.

Heron, surprisingly, is too, getting more attractive.

I absolutely hate Gaia's design. Disgusting.

Lmao, I was right, there's a possibility for Sera to be the prophecy child.

Oh my, are you serious, Hera is a pacifist now?? Y'all are crazy.

This is just a massive slaughter house at this point, gods, what the fuck.

Aw, the brothers are helping eachother in this butchery, how cute.

Heron, chill your ass, you're about to explode.

Btw, where's Evios? And that interesting associate of his.

So, what's that terrible horrible monster whose name we do not say?

Oops, someone pissed off the primordial Gaia. Y'all are fucked. Btw his name's Typhoon. Meh.

In conclusion:

The majority of the script is shite. Some (almost all) of the arcs can be done so much better. Designs suck an ass too. But did I enjoy watching it? Yes. Is it because of Seraphim? Primarily so. But will I wait for the 3rd season? Absolutely yes.

So I loved and hated the show at the same time. The main line is quite interesting nevertheless, so see y'all when the 3rd season is out.

I have a shit load of stuff to say on addition, but this post is long enough in it self, so maybe later.

[pantherastevens]

His Sunshine in The Darkness: A Love Birthed From Blood

Bro, I'm not even going to hold y'all. Just writing this took a lot of me, I had to chuck this day by day. But finally, FINALLY, I present to you all Part 3 of His Sunshine in The Darkness.

Yandere!Miles42 still gives me extreme brainrot and I've been mentally jumping ahead to the part where Panthera finally finds out everything (that's part 4 and I haven't even started it yet. That part might be the shortest of them all and I'm still debating a Part 5). But I have to try to pace this out (not the greatest at it but I try).

Enough of my blabbering, on with the story!

Here are Parts 1 and 2 if you missed them.

Warnings: Blood, Death (Murder), Yandere tendancies (?), Suggestive themes (nothing crazy, I promise), Cursing

---------------------------------------

It all started on a chilly Friday in February. It was a week shy of Valentine's Day, and the school was abuzz about the upcoming holiday. Miles would roll his eyes about it as if he wasn't sporting a black eye due to a fight he got into yesterday over a cute purple and black panda plushie (he saw the stuffed animal first, damn it) to gift to Panthera on the holiday (amongst other things...)

The boy was minding his business in study hall, which was luckily the last class of the day, determined to finish his homework until his ears picked up a familiar name. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to find his two "homeboys" chatting.

"Aye, Andre, what do you think of that Panthera girl," Jamal asked. Andre, in return, raised a brow, noting the flustered look on his face.

"That weird, quiet girl from creative writing class? I mean, she aight, but she nothin' special," Andre said with a shrug. Miles felt his eye twitch at the clear dismissal of his girl. Jamal smacked his lips out of annoyance.

"You only sayin' that 'cause you prefer yo girls high maintenance 'nd shit," he scowled. Andre gave another shrug.

"So? Panthera's cute, but she ain't no bad bitch like Jasmine or Monique. Why you even asking about shorty anyway," Andre breezily asked. Miles could see the sheepish grin on Jamal's face and tighten the grip on his pencil.

"I'm thinking of asking baby girl to be my Valentine to be real..." Andre snorted.

"Be so fuckin' for real, bro. Weren't you talkin' to Beatrice just last week?" Jamal scoffed, shoving his friend.

"Nigga, shut the fuck up. I thought I was interested until I found out she was only talking to me to ask about Miles..." The Afro-Latino rolled his eyes. He knew who they were referring to and wouldn't touch the girl with a ten-foot pole. The girl thinks it's fun to collect niggas' hearts like Pokemon, and he's definitely not interested.

"So why Panthera? The girl is weird. Her hair looks like she's been without a retwist for two months, plus it makes her seem more like a nigga than a female. She barely interact with anyone outside of class. She speaks a weird language sometimes. She's named after a literal animal, for Christ's sake! Don't know what her parents were thinkin' when they named her. What about her seem to grab you by the balls, bruh?" Jamal, and Miles, gave Andre the evil eye.

"Mad disrespectful. I think her hair makes her unique. I know she takes care of it, or it wouldn't look as long and thick as it does. And her having locs doesn't make her look like a nigga. And I'm fine with quiet girls. That means she's not caught up in the rachet bullshit that goes on at school. She actually told me that it was the language of her grandfather from some African country. It's unique, which I think is pretty cool. And her name is pretty, don't be a dick. You might notice some really nice girls here if you stop letting these hoes come up in your face. I'm tryna find me a little boo, not someone to post flicks on the gram and then maybe lead into a one-night stand. Panthera could be the one for me." Miles was a smidge appreciative to hear Jamal come to Panthera's defense, but he still didn't like him.

He liked HIS girl. Miles can not let that slide.

"Tch, whatever you say. I can't help you with your lil crush, but I bet we know someone who can. Ayo, Miles!" Miles did his best to keep his face neutral as he turned to face his "friends."

"What's good," he said. Andre smirked, nodding to Jamal.

"Jamal here is thinking of asking Panthera to be his Valentine. You two are friends, right? Maybe you could help a brother out." 

"Joder no." Jamal and Andre blinked at the Afro-Latino.

"Uhhh, come again," Jamal asked. Miles shrugged.

"I said I don't know," he lied. Jamal's eyes pleaded with the boy.

"C'mon bro, is there anything you know she may like? I kinda wanna impress her..." Tawny brown eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Miles knows a lot of things that Panthera likes. 

Her favorite chocolate and ice cream were cookies and cream. Her top five favorite movies were "Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron," "Princess and the Frog," "Finding Forrester," "Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge" (and "The Return of Cooler"), and "Wall-E." Her favorite flowers were sunflowers, hibiscus, and roses. While she wasn't crazy about fashion, she loved some nice or cool-looking jewelry (as long as she could afford it). She loves art, finding comfort in her sketchbook or with her canvases. One of her treasured items was her iPod, filled with various playlists for her moods. Her two favorite games were Temple Run and Fruit Ninja. She loves basketball and can play the sport (his uncle had a good ass laugh watching her wipe the floor with Miles). She likes boxing and even helps Miles with his workouts. Her favorite colors were black, gold, silver, purple, green, and red. She loves canines and wild cats but has a soft spot for pandas. She loves to watch the sunset or the sunrise to watch the sky explode into a series of colors. She likes stargazing and getting lost in the vast night sky. 

Miles could write a book about her if he wanted to. But that information is for him and him alone.

"Maybe Miles doesn't want to tell you because he likes her himself," Andre said with a shit-eating grin. Jamal blinked before narrowing his eyes at the Afro-Latino.

Jamal didn't have anything against Miles. He felt bad for what happened to his dad and even attended the funeral. When greeting him, Miles' eyes seem thousands of miles away from here. He heard his heartfelt speech about his dad and how he felt sympathy for him when he was nothing but a wreck of tears. Of course, that same day, he saw Panthera. 

Now, it wasn't the first time he noticed her. But that day, it was impossible not to notice her. From her attire, her speech, the song she sang...

Jamal thought she was so beautiful. 

He saw Miles sought for her comfort during the service and even where they laid the Police Captain to rest. Jamal thought it was sweet for her to be there for the grieving boy.

That's when Jamal's crush really started. He was excited to share at least two classes with her that year: creative writing and music. 

And to be able to sit next to her in their creative writing class?

Jamal thought God was finally blessing him...

...only he could never get his mouth to work and talk to her. 

They only had a handful of conversations, and they were in February. Besides, calling them "conversations" was Jamal being generous. Unless Jamal could wriggle in some small talk (which Panthera didn't seem to be a fan of), their conversation would be strictly on the assignment given by the teacher. The boy tried talking to other girls to get his mind off the beauty, but it never worked. None of the girls were really into him like that, and a good majority were only using him to learn about Miles, which pissed him off more than he liked to admit.

What did Miles Morales have that he didn't? Yeah, he didn't have an accent or that effortless mysterious, bad-boy vibe Miles started giving off this year, but it's not like he was anyone special.

The one person he wanted to like him was being hoarded by the guy almost every girl in their grade wanted.

He can't take this shit anymore.

"Ain't no way Panthera would like him like that," Jamal huffed. Miles glared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean," Miles asked quietly, tawny brown eyes meeting near black ones. Jamal scoffed, his jealousy bubbling to a boiling point.

"You've known Panthera for how long 'nd you mean to tell me y'all still not togetha? She probably just pities yo sorry ass. You were the awkward kid mid-freshman year who she just happened to notice. 'Oh woe is me; I lost my daddy to gang violence.' Big fuckin' whoop, my guy. Ain't no way someone like her would ever like crybaby bitch like-ACK!" Jamal's rant was cut off by a sudden hand wrapped tightly around his throat. Fearful dark eyes met menacing light ones.

"Like what, bro," Miles asked quietly. The two boys were nose-to-nose in a silent stare-down. Miles could feel Jamal's pulse fluttering under his fingertips like a frightened caged bird. It made the darker side of him purr in delight.

"I-I..." Jamal couldn't get his words out. Even if Miles' hand wasn't wrapped around his windpipe, the dark promise in his eyes would've still rendered him mute. 

"Thought so. This is your only warning, Jackson: Don't let me catch your sorry ass talking to Panthera. You know nothing about our relationship and what she means to me," Miles mumbled, never taking his eyes off his prey. He moved his lips to Jamal's ear, whispering menacingly,

"Panthera's my girl. Always was and always will be. I'm not afraid of getting rid of anyone looking to come between me and her... and that's not just a threat. It's a fucking promise..." Miles shoved the boy away just as the bell rang, walking out of the still classroom without turning back. Still in shock over what happened, their classmates slowly filtered out of the room. Jamal gave a few ragged coughs, half-heartedly accepting Andre's help.

"Damn, he got you good," Andre mumbled as he held Jamal up. When he decided to be a little shit on purpose, he didn't expect Miles to lash the way he did. Miles wasn't going for a fight or anything, as if he knew the outcome.

Jamal shoved Andre back, irritated.

"Ion care what that nigga say, he thinks he big and bad and what he says goes. Nah, Imma try to see if I can ask Panthera out today just to show that fuck nigga he wrong," Jamal hissed, grabbing his bag. Andre stared after his friend with an eye roll, grabbing his stuff and jogging after him.

He wanted front-row seats to this, after all.

-----------------------

Panthera was shifting through her locker, grabbing the necessary materials for her homework, and placing the material she finished during her classes that day. The girl had her headphones on, humming along to a new song she discovered as she did this. Once she was sure she had everything, she shut her locker.

Only to jump at the sight of Jamal leaning on the locker next to hers. Panthera pulled her headphones off from her ears to rest around her neck.

"Hey, Jamal," Panthera greeted softly, her brows furrowed in confusion. Jamal willed his heart to calm down at the cute expression on his crush's face.

"Hey, beautiful," Jamal said with a flirty grin. He watched as Panthera's cute eyes grew a fraction wider.

"Bast, what happened to your neck?!" He let out a soft hiss when the light touch of Panthera's fingertips brushed against the rapidly forming bruises on his neck. He caught her hand with his, silently hoping his grin didn't transform into a grimace.

"Nothing you should worry your pretty little head about, but I appreciate the concern, sweetness. I got a question for you, though..." Panthera narrowed her eyes briefly, eyeing her hand in his, before meeting his gaze.

"...shoot," she said.

"You busy the night before Valentine's Day, princess? I would love to take you out on a date," Jamal said, feeling bold enough to kiss the palm of her hand.

Panthera blinked.

"You would love to do what now?" Jamal chuckled.

"I said-" Panthera shook her head.

"No, no... I heard you... I guess my real question is why. We barely speak outside of class."

'And that's on purpose...' she thought.

"I always admire you from afar. I'd figured now would be a good opportunity... so how 'bout it, baby girl?" Panthera sized up the boy for a few moments before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Jamal, but I'm gonna have to decline. I don't see you like that," Panthera sighed, freeing her hand. Just as the girl was ready to walk away, she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

"C'mon ma, just one date, I promise," Jamal pleaded. Panthera let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Bast, give me strength... if it keeps you from following me home. Fine," Panthera huffed. Jamal gave her a boyish smile, hugging the girl. Panthera let out a confused squeak at the sudden action and was released.

"I promise you won't regret it, Panthera. Meet me at the flower garden near the park at 7, alright?" Panthera gave a nod, watching as Jamal walked up to his homeboy. She shook her head, turning on her heel to walk to the school entrance, only to run face-first into Miles' chest. A steady hand found the girl's waist to hold her up.

"Easy there, gatita..." A soft flush colored Panthera's cheeks at the soft rumble of Miles' voice.

"H-Hey Mi," she said, looking up into his eyes. Miles nuzzled her hair.

"I've been waiting for you. What was taking you so long," he mumbled against her forehead. Panthera let out a tired chuckle.

"Looks like I got a date with Jamal next week." Panthera had her face buried in his chest, which prevented her from seeing the dark smile on Miles' face before it faded into a softer one.

"You don't sound too excited about that," he teased. Panthera looked up at him with a pout.

"I'm kinda not, but I'm not trying to be followed home until I say yes." Miles smirked, gently bumping his nose with hers.

"Hey, if anything happens, you could always hit me up. You know I'll do everything possible to bring that beautiful smile onto that sweet face." Panthera giggled, playfully shoving him.

"Mi! Stop flirting with me. My damn face hurts!" Miles chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he and Panthera walked out of the school building. Miles sent a quick text as they walked before asking his little kitten about her day.

Elsewhere at a corner store, Jamal's phone buzzed with a new message. It was from an unknown number with a single phrase.

Unknown: Bet.

"Ayo, c'mon bro. You found everything," Andre asked. Jamal mentally shook his head, turning to his bro.

"Y-Yeah. Let's go."

-----------------------

It was the eve of Valentine's Day. The days flew by much quicker than Jamal anticipated, but he felt ready for tonight. 

It was 6:30 PM. Jamal sat on a marble bench in the middle of the flower garden. He was dressed in his freshly ironed white button-down shirt, the nicest jeans he owned, and his white Air Forces. He got a haircut yesterday, helping his newly twisted hair pop. A simple Cuban chain hung around his neck, and his nicest watch was on his wrist. He wore his favorite cologne for the finishing touch.

Beside him were a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a cute Valentine's stuffed bear, and a bouquet of purple and light pink roses.

'God, I hope she likes this. I really want her to like me... wait, what's that noise?' The sound of footsteps approaching caused his heart to quiver in excitement. A glance at his watch let the boy know it was 6:37. The young teen scrambled to his feet, holding the bouquet. Jamal could hear those footsteps getting closer, just about to round the corner to the space he was waiting.

He prepared his best smile to greet his date.

"Hey Panthera, you're ear-" The person standing in front of him wasn't Panthera.

Neon-purple lights lit up the garden surrounding them. The person wore a mechanical mask over their face, narrow white slits making up their eyes. Jamal noticed the spray-painted symbol on the person's chest and the sleek metal claw on their arm when the person's identity finally clicked in his mind.

"Y... You're the Prowler," Jamal whispered. A distorted, deep chuckle escaped the person's throat.

"You sound disappointed... expecting someone else," the Prowler asked rhetorically, approaching the frightened teen. Jamal tried to keep his distance as his mind raced.

Why was the Prowler here out of all places? Everyone knows about his reputation as a vigilante, though it was always wise to stay out of his way. Jamal picked a safe place when he planned this date; it didn't make sense for one of Brooklyn's notorious boogeymen to be here-

"Y-Yeah, actually... I-I have a date, so if you d-don't mind. S-she should be here soon..." The vigilante paused for a moment.

"Oh, I know..." Jamal's blood ran cold.

"Wha-ACK!" Before he could even ask what he meant by that, He felt the wind being knocked out of him. Jamal wasn't sure what was happening until searing hot pain shot through the boy's nervous system. Dark eyes looked down to find razor-sharp claws embedded in his abdomen. A firm, gloved hand gripped his jaw, focusing Jamal's teary and terrified gaze on the soulless white glare.

"W-Why," the boy whimpered, blood bubbling from his throat and spilling over his quivering lips. The Prowler didn't answer him, simply staring at Jamal.

Until the mask automatically pulled back. Jamal's lungs choked on his breath.

"M-Miles...?" The Afro-Latino smirked down at his "friend."

"I told you... Panthera's mine. I'm not afraid to take out those who try to take her away from me. Since you refused to listen..." Miles reactivated his mask, removing his claws from the gushing wound. He slowly trailed the bloody tips up the heaving chest before wrapping around the healing handprint he had left nearly a week ago.

"I'm just gonna have to make an example out of you. For anyone foolish enough to try come after what's mine." Jamal wanted to scream. Yell at the boy that he was crazy and that Panthera would never look at him the same way ever again if she found out. But before Jamal could utter a word, Miles swiftly broke his neck. 

Those white digital eyes watched as the light faded from those dark eyes before dropping the body. Miles grabbed his phone to check the time.

6:43.

Good. He had plenty of time to leave so he could clean up before Panthera would call him. Luckily, one of the hideouts he and his uncle used wasn't too far away. The young vigilante darted into the night, leaving his victim to bleed out in the garden alone.

-----------------------

It was 7:02, and Panthera had finally arrived at the flower garden entrance. She would be the first to admit she wasn't crazy eager for this date.

Mainly because she didn't see Jamal like that. But also because she had to deal with the headache of trying to find a nice outfit for the first real date in her life. When she got home from school last week, she immediately went online to find something to wear, already knowing she wasn't gonna find a real outfit in her closet.

It took her ages to find something she liked, seeing how most of the outfits showed too much for her liking. Like she would have to be careful if she needed to pick up something too much. 

But she found her ideal dress. She paired it with her silver angel wing necklace and matching earrings. She had delicate silver rings decorating her right hand. White gladiator sandals covered her feet to complete her look. For her hair, she opted for a half-up-half-down situation with a single loc in front to frame her face. She even went ahead to do a bit of makeup. Not much, since she wasn't looking to impress this boy. Just something light. Some brows, mascara, and some mauve-tinted lip oil.  

She liked the look she created, only wished she didn't go through all this effort for a guy who she barely looked at twice.

'Welp, at least I look cute for my first, and probably last, date of my life...' 

The girl shook her head at the fledging thought. Many people might deem her a "Negative Nancy," but she's calling it how she sees it. No dude at their school would look at her twice. She's heard the whispers and the jokes. 

"Would you sleep with Gabriella with no condom on... or go on a date with Panthera?"

"I rather risk catching something than be seen with a girl who is mistaken as nigga outside her uniform any day of the week."

If the girl wasn't secure about who she was as a person, those comments might have hurt her. From Panthera's point of view, those who say ignorant shit like that don't deserve her, and seeing the many sides that make up Panthera Stevens.

Only one guy thus far has seen her for who she is and hasn't shied away from her. And that's her best friend and ever-growing crush, Miles. 

When did those feelings start becoming apparent? If Panthera had to take a guess, it would be the night she kissed him. The domestic atmosphere never left the two, from her feeding him in the kitchen with his arms around her to watching the boy snuggle up against her, seeking her out in his sleep. 

Everything about that boy was just so endearing to her. Even as they started the school year and Miles gained more popularity amongst their classmates, especially the female population, he would still seek her out for moments of reprieve. 

He would always seek after her.

Panthera sighed as she walked through the garden, searching for the center.

If only he asked her out instead of Jamal. Panthera knew she could just come clean to him and see what happened, but damn it. She wanted to be courted.

According to her father, she would be a princess in the land of their ancestors. Was it wrong of her to want to be treated as such?

The girl sighed as the center of the garden came into sight. She was on a date with Jamal, not Miles. The very least she could do was try to give the boy a fair shot...

As she got closer, she immediately felt something was off. Firstly, there was no Jamal in sight. The garden was quiet except for the occasional chirp from the crickets. She double-checked her phone, noting that the time was 7:05. The boy should be here by now...

Cautiously, she explored a bit deeper, looking for anything amiss...

And then it hit her.

Just barely hidden under the natural perfume of the flowers was a sharp metallic smell. A smell Panthera was very familiar with.

Blood.

The girl froze, eyes narrowing as she tried to take in her surroundings to find anything amiss. Nothing. With a shaky hand, she reached into her bag to grab her phone. Jamal had input his number earlier that day so she could call or text him if she ran late or anything of the sort. The girl wasn't looking to use it, seeing how it meant the boy would have her number, but she had to call to see where he was.

Maybe to change the location of their meet-up. Something. Anything.

She hit the call button, bringing the phone to her ear as she heard the line ringing. Quickly, a phone rang to her right, a little beyond a bush. The girl prayed silently that the boy probably dropped his phone as she stepped along the stone pavement to where she could hear the phone ringing in time with her call.

Her heart stopped at what she saw.

The boy looked back at her with lifeless eyes as he lay in his own pool of blood. The roses he had bought were now stained red, along with the pavement underneath him. His neck was twisted in her direction, seeming broken as his lips were parted with a single streak of blood coming from the corner.

With numb fingers, she ended the call with Jamal and dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Yes, hello... I-I... I would like to report a murder..."

-----------------------

Miles had just finished thoroughly cleaning his claws when his phone rang at 7:29. The boy smiled as he heard the sound of Juice WRLD's voice.

Panthera was calling him. 

He answered after the second ring, putting the phone on speaker as he got dressed.

"Hey, gatita. How's your date," he greeted. He could hear the sound of police sirens and people talking in the background.

"M-Miles... can... can you come and get me, please? S-Something happened..." The boy expected the tremor in his little beloved's voice, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt his heart to hear it.

"Of course, Panthera. Where are you now," he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"T-The garden... by the p-park..." Confirming that he'll be there in a few minutes, he hung up. Grabbing his jacket and slipping on his Jordans, Miles was out the door.

-----------------------

Panthera sat a little ways away from the crime scene, knee anxiously bouncing. The girl knew this was a common occurrence in their city, but she seriously wasn't expecting this.

After the police took her statement, they pretty much left her alone. That's when the girl called Miles, not feeling mentally sound to be alone. Her stiff posture finally relaxed when she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her.

"Hey, gatita," Miles softly said as the girl curled against his chest. He allowed her to use him to find the comfort she sought, rubbing her back soothingly.

"He's dead," Panthera said flatly as she clung to her best friend. Miles looked down at her, "rightfully," confused by what she meant.

"Jamal... he... he's dead... I found his body," Panthera mumbled. Miles squeezed her closer, kissing her forehead. He could feel the tension ease out of her body as he held her.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Panthera..." Panthera pulled back to find worried tawny eyes staring back at her.

"Can... can I go home with you? Baba isn't gonna be home for a few days... and I don't wanna be by myself..." A kind smile spread on Miles' face.

"Of course, muñeca. As a matter of fact, let's make a date," Miles suggested as he pulled her up to stand alongside him. He chuckled at the confused look on his little kitten's face.

"C'mon, Panthera, let me bring that beautiful smile onto that gorgeous face like I promised. You went through hell tonight. It's the least I could do. Especially when you look so beautiful in your new pretty dress," Miles coaxed, tugging the girl closer by the waist. He watched in mild amusement as she hid her cheeks behind her hands, looking away from him.

"Okay, okay, you flirty menace. Take me somewhere," Panthera relented. Miles smiled, kissing her hand as he tugged her away from the crime scene.

Just as Miles planned.

-----------------------

It was 9:10, and the pair sat on the rooftop of Miles' apartment. To Panthera's pleasant surprise, Miles had ordered from her favorite restaurant, making sure to get her usual order of a full rack of baby back ribs, lemon pepper fries, and mashed potatoes, and arranged for them to have a little candle-lit dinner in the familiar warm atmosphere of his home. Miles refused to stop complimenting the girl, watching on fondly as the girl blushed and giggled at his comments.

After eating, the pair made their way to the rooftop, where they chatted and gazed out their city.

"You really have no right being this beautiful, muñeca. I could bask in your beauty forever," Miles murmured lovingly as he traced small hearts on Panthera's shoulder. The girl flushed, fidgeting with one of the rings on her hand.

"Miiiiiii, stop," the girl whined, the heat in her face making the girl lightheaded. A light chuckle brushed against her eardrum, eliciting a small shiver. Miles leaned in to kiss a warm cheek, wrapping his arms around his girl.

"Nah, you're too cute when you blush," he teased. Panthera slapped his chest in retaliation, but there wasn't a lot of force for it to hurt. Miles chuckled, taking ahold of her hand as he stood up. Panthera's confused gaze was met with a boyish grin.

"Dance with me, gatita," Miles whispered, tugging her closer. Panthera gave him a shy smile.

"Okay... what song do you have in mind," she asked. Miles whipped out his phone in a quick, decisive fashion, quickly going through his playlist before finding the song he wanted and cranking the volume up.

Panthera felt her face flush more as she recognized the beat. It was the ringtone Miles had set for her, but she never heard it longer than a few seconds. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist, she listened to the lyrics.

"...Really think I found my home,

Shorty make me feel at home...

She made me leave the thrills at home,

And I'm fine with it..."

"This is a nice song. I love it," Panthera whispered, looking into those tawny brown eyes that always seemed to hold a special kind of warmth for just her. Miles rested his forehead against Panthera's, content with drowning in her dark eyes and the lyrics.

"I'm glad. It's how I see you," Miles whispered, watching Panthera's eyes flutter with an innocent blink, the same one she does whenever she's confused or curious. 

"There's love at my front door, short notice,

You're not like the same girls I notice...

Think I met my soul mate,

Yeah, I know it...

When it gets dark outside,

In you I confide...

You help me face my demons,

I won't hide, hide...

Girls like you are hard to find,

I hope you don't mind...

If I give you the time of your life, life, life..."

"Miles..." "Shhh... just be with me in this moment, hermosa..."

As the song continued the play, the pair continued to dance on the rooftop. The boy couldn't take his eyes off the beauty in his arms, often twirling her under his arm to get that sweet smile he oh-so-loved. Miles loved how Panthera fitted in his arms. 

How right it felt to hold her in such a way. 

It felt like two puzzle pieces fitting together.

Deep down in his heart, he knew he had found his soulmate, his other half, his person.

"...Now that you're here,

I want nothing to change...

You pick me up when I'm down,

I need you around...

You seen me through my darkest times,

Girl, is there something that you try to find?

You brought meaning to my life,

All because of you, I do right..."

Panthera found herself in a trance. She could only acknowledge those brown eyes staring into her soul and the prancing of her heart. 

With the song filling the space between them and her being wrapped in the loving warmth of Miles' arms...

Panthera felt like she was home.

"...We're just two lost souls,

But we're fine with it..."

With the last lyric fading into the beat of the song, the pair stood in place, swaying gently. 

"Panthera?" Dark eyes fluttered open to find a lighter pair staring at her. She smiled.

"Yes?" Miles felt his knees weaken a bit, the weight in his pant pocket becoming more apparent.

"There's something I wanna ask you," Miles said slowly, pulling away a bit to hold both her hands in his. Panthera's brows pinched closer together as she gave a slow nod. Miles took a deep breath.

"I always looked back at freshmen year fondly. Being a new kid during the middle of the school year wasn't something I was happy about, especially since I managed to crush on a super pretty girl in several of my classes, and I had no idea how to approach her. But she turned out to be much bolder than I could ever be and sat next to me in art class to ask if we could be friends. Her smile reminded me of the sun; I just wanted to stay in its warmth forever. Our friendship was something I would always cherish because she always saw me for me and wanted me just as I was. My parents loved her to the point that they saw her as a daughter. My uncle had basically adopted her years ago and was ecstatic to have her back in his life again. She brought something special to my life..." Panthera could feel her heart thundering in her chest. The heat from her cheeks chased away the chill of the cool night air.

But she didn't dare take her eyes off the boy standing before her.

"Even during my life's darkest point, she shone bright as the sun. Wrapping me in the warmth of her loving arms, smile, and heart. She never left my side. Before papá died, he... he told me how she would be good for me. That she would take care of my heart the same way mamá did his; he would've loved to see the two of us get together. I already know mamá y tio having been dying for us to get together... and to be honest, gatita... I've been wanting to ask you this for a long time. Ever since the night of my dad's party, when we both said we loved each other..." Panthera watched with bated breath as Miles lowered himself on a single knee. He released one of her hands to grab the black box in his pocket.

"Panthera Genesis Stevens, I've had a crush on you even before our first conversation, which only grew with each day I've spent with you. While I always loved you as a friend, I knew my heart saw you as something more. The night of the party, I wasn't confessing my love as a friend but as someone who dreamt about being called yours, where I could show off that I had the heart of a literal angel in my possession. I would love nothing more than to shower you with love, affection, respect, comradery, protection, devotion, and dedication every day for the rest of our lives. That one day, I'll find myself in this very position again to ask you to become my Mrs. Morales. Where one day, we'll wear matching rings and be known as husband and wife. But for now, I ask you this... Panthera, mi vida, mi ángel, la reina de mi corazon, will you be my girlfriend?" Miles slowly opened the box, revealing the ring inside.

Panthera stared at the boy with teary eyes, her free hand holding an overheated cheek. But Miles could see the happiness in her sparkling eyes and her smile.

"Yes, Miles... I would love to become your girlfriend..." The stars couldn't rival the brightness in the boy's smile. Unable to contain himself, he quickly stood up, picking up the girl to spin her around. Panthera's joyful laughter was music to his ears.

"MI! I'm getting dizzy," she shrieked, clinging to the boy. Miles chuckled, slowing them to a stop before setting her down. Miles took ahold of her left hand with a smile, slipping the ring onto her ring finger. He watched fondly at his girlfriend's cute expression of awe.

"It's so beautiful," she murmured, lightly trancing over their names. Miles grinned, tilting her chin up so she could meet his gaze.

"Anything for you, mami," he said, squeezing her close. Panthera gave him a shy smile, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Kiss me, Papi," she asked. Miles inhaled sharply. His hands found her waist, squeezing down briefly.

'Mio dio...'

"Ask me again, gatita," Miles whispered, his tone reminded Panthera of a man starved. Their lips were just an inch apart, teasing the both of them, but they knew that Miles wasn't gonna close the distance until she asked. A canine tooth wore down on the glossy bottom lip as one small hand slithered down the boy's neck to rest over his erratic heart.

"Please, Miles... kiss me..." Who was Miles Morales to deny such a pretty, pretty plea?

Their first kiss was only witnessed by the celestial bodies from up above.

It was the start of something beautiful...

...and the birth of something deadly.

-----------------------

"Miles?" It was the next week. Valentine's Day weekend was a weekend Panthera would never forget. Miles had spent the weekend at her place, and the two spent the next two days inside, per Panthera's request. And boy, was she spoiled.

Her favorite chocolate? Miles got it.

The cute purple and black stuffed panda she named Milo in honor of her new boyfriend? Miles bought it (and fought for it, she came to find out).

Her favorite flowers sitting in a pretty vase in her room? Miles.

Her feet hurt? She would find her feet propped up on her boyfriend's lap, his steady hands working out the tense soles.

She wanted to watch one of her favorite movies? She would find herself lying on Miles' chest under a blanket with the said movie playing on the screen.

She wanted a scalp massage? Her boyfriend's gentle fingers would massage circles throughout the roots of her locs.

She was craving something? Miles already got a delivery app open.

Those were just a few examples. Panthera truly enjoyed herself (and enjoyed covering a lovesick Miles in kisses).

It was now Monday morning, and Panthera was just about to leave to head to school when she opened her door to find Miles standing on the other side, hand raised to knock.

"Good morning, gatita," Miles purred, kissing his girl's cheek. Panthera blushed, playfully pushing the boy away.

"It's too early for you to make me blush like this. What are you doing here," she chuckled. Miles cocked his head at her.

"I'm here to pick up my wife so we can walk to school together." Panthera would deny the deepening blush if you asked her. Miles laughed when the girl smacked his shoulder.

"Mi! What did I just say?!" Miles raised his hands in surrender despite the mischievous glint in his eyes. When he kissed Panthera's lips, he wasn't pushed away.

"Sorry, gatita," he said, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's waist. As much as Panthera tried, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Fine, I forgive you. And good morning to you too, handsome," she said, nuzzling his chest.

"Ready to go," he asked. The girl nodded, locking the door before the pair headed to school.

The walk was peaceful enough, and when they got to school, they arrived early enough to where there weren't a lot of people there. Which Panthera was grateful for, knowing the day was going to be a tense one.

Someone literally died. And she was the one who found his body.

Plus, she got into a relationship with her best friend/crush literally that same night? With his promise ring on her finger?

Yeah, she knows she's about to be a hot topic for a while...

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours," Miles mumbled in her ear. The young couple was sitting on one of the many benches that could be found in the school's courtyard. Miles, ever the needy one, had the girl in his lap. Panthera fiddled with her ring.

"Just all the attention I'm about to get today... I'm not looking forward to it," she weakly chuckled. Miles tilted her head towards him so she could look into his eyes.

"Try not to stress over it, mi amor. Remember, I'm with you, Panthera. Always..." The girl smiled, kissing her boyfriend's cheek.

"Thank you, sithandwa sam..."

-----------------------

When the school day officially started, and just as Panthera expected, everyone was staring at her. And they were nowhere near subtle about it. Her keen ears could pick their whispers.

'...she was suppose to go out with him that night...'

'...she found his body...'

'...where did she get that ring...'

The situation wasn't much better when Miles picked her up from her math class to go to art together. The kiss on her cheek was enough to enrage the female population of their grade.

If Panthera didn't love him, she probably would've killed him for that stunt. Because now every girl in her classes was giving her the evil eye.

She's just trying to exist. Is that too much to ask for?

"Hey, Panthera." The answer was yes; it was too much to ask for.

Trying to keep the annoyed look off her face, Panthera looked up from her textbook to find Beatrice James looking down at her.

Beatrice was a rather pretty girl: sun-kissed golden skin, cloudy gray eyes, long black curly hair. She was only taller than Panthera by two inches, but she always found a way to look down at the quiet girl.

It wasn't a surprise to find Beatrice in front of her. While Panthera wasn't in drama, she certainly heard about it. So, she was well aware that the girl demanding her attention wasn't pleased about her relationship status change with Miles.

"Good afternoon, Beatrice. How can I help you," Panthera replied monotonelessly. Beatrice placed her manicured hands on either side of Panthera's desk, leaning into the girl's space.

"Don't play coy with me, Stevens. Is it true?" Panthera simply raised a brow at the girl's attempt to look menacing.

The girl literally had death stare at her dead in the face. Besides, if Beatrice were to put her hands on her, Panthera's hands were rated E for Everyone. She was trained to fight, even trained to kill if necessary. If this girl thought she could scare her, she clearly doesn't know Panthera well.

"Gonna have to be a little more specific in what you're referring to," she drawled. She did her best to suppress a smirk at the subtle twitch in Beatrice's left eye.

"Are. You. Dating. Miles." The girl was practically spitting venom at this point. Not that Panthera was particularly concerned or anything: quite the opposite, matter of fact. Something about having the guy that was unattainable to others was a bit of a power trip. While she knew wearing the promise ring was a recipe for trouble... she was proud of her relationship with Miles. She belonged to him just as much as he belonged to her.

"Why? Looking to get an invite to the wedding," Panthera taunted. Beatrice's face steadily turned red; if they were in a cartoon setting, Panthera was 100% sure that steam would be coming from her ears.

"You little-" Beatrice was suddenly cut off by Panthera's hand suddenly thrust in her face. Her ring-cladded hand.

She could clearly make out Miles and Panthera's names engraved on the metal, their birthstone sparkling in her face. 

"Does this answer your pointless question?" 'Oh, this bitch...'

Panthera yelped when she pulled out of her seat, feeling the slight burn sensation erupt on her cheek.

'Oh, is that what we're doing? Bet, hoe.'

Panthera growled, the sound a little more animalistic than human. It was enough to give Beatrice pause and give Panthera the opening to return the favor with a punch to the nose. The satisfying feeling of bone meeting bone made Panthera smirk.

"You bitch," she shrieked, going to scratch Panthera's face again. Two small hands wrapped Beatrice's wrists, grip ironclad. Panthera yanked her towards her, her knee connecting to Beatrice's stomach. Beatrice doubled over with a pained gasp. The girl didn't have time to react before Panthera grabbed her arm and flipped her on her back, her head hitting the floor hard.

Panthera glared down at the girl; blood trickled down her cheek. The girl pressed a foot against Beatrice's chest, looming over the dazed girl.

"I'm not some doormat for you to walk over, Bea. I suggest you learn that," Panthera said softly. Beatrice, stunned, didn't utter a word. Panthera finally tuned in, hearing the teacher yelling at her to get off the "poor girl" and go to the front office. The girl simply rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag and walking out. 

She suspected that she was probably gonna get suspended or something. Visions didn't tolerate fighting on school grounds, no matter the reason. Not like Panthera cared; she was ahead of her classwork.

Beatrice was sent to the nurse before being sent to the office. Panthera was glaring sightlessly as she was being reprimanded, her eyes only narrowing when she caught sight of Beatrice. Said girl shivered at the cold look in those dark eyes, opting to sit two seats away from the obvious predator in the room. Panthera fought back a smirk while listening to the principal drone on about her punishment. Her dad was "out of town," but he put her umalume as an emergency contact just in case anything happened to her. So he was called in for a quick conference, and she would go home with him.

Less than thirty minutes later, Aaron appeared in the office. Panthera couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

"Umalume!" The man stumbled back a step when Panthera rammed into him, her arms coming around his waist as she nuzzled his chest. The older man chuckled, squeezing the girl briefly.

"Mr. Davis." The older man made eye contact with the principal with a raised brow. The man didn't partially care for Mrs. Manson until today. He was a bit confused when he received a call from the school. At first, he thought it was about Miles, which to him would still be strange because if the boy were to get into trouble (if he wanted to risk the chance of the wrath of the infamous chancla), they would've reached out to Rio first. 

But no, it was about his little niece.

Hearing that Panthera got into a fight struck the man as odd. As far as he can recall, Panthera was a rather passive individual. He knew Eric taught the girl how to fight; that man was adamant about his little girl's safety. But he knew that knowledge was supposed to be used to protect herself. 

He knew his little cub wouldn't get into a fight for shits and giggles.

"Mrs. Manson," he greeted curtly. 

"Mr. Davis, since you're Ms. Stevens' emergency contact, I hope you'll pass this along to her father when you can. Ms. Stevens will be suspended externally for a week for fighting and injuring Ms. James." Aaron balked at the woman before training his eyes on the other girl in the room. He could see the bandage over the girl's nose and the ice pack she was holding to her head.

"Ms. James sustained bruises on her stomach and back as well as a broken nose and swelling to the back of her head," Mrs. Manson informed. Aaron looked down at Panthera, finding deep scratches on her left cheek. The man narrowed his eyes at the dried blood.

"Any reason why you didn't send my niece to get her cheek bandaged," he drawled, his voice rough around the edges. Mrs. Manson didn't miss a beat.

"Panthera is a big girl, she could handle a small scratch-"

"Nah, you see, that's where you lost me. Those nails on that other girl are literal weapons. Matter fact, who struck who first," Aaron laughed mirthlessly.

"I don't see how that's relevant-"

"Lady, I'm giving you a second chance to answer my question. Don't expect a third." The older woman looked at Aaron with slight unease, eyes quickly scanning him for any possible weapons. She cleared her throat.

"It was Ms. James-"

"And how long is she suspended for?" Mrs.  Manson did her best not to wither under the sharp gaze of Aaron Davis.

"Three days internal suspension-"

"Enough said. Fine, suspend my niece over a petty fight that she didn't even start and got no treatment for while this little girl gets coddled because her daddy got money to fund this place. Panthera, let's go." The girl already had her bag in hand, following the man out the door.

"The nerve of that wrinkly, heartless white bitch, the fuckin' favoritism in this damn place is disgusting. I'm gonna need a fuckin' smoke after that," Aaron grumbled angrily, speed-walking off the school hallways.

"Umalume! Slow down! My legs aren't as long as yours!" Aaron paused, remembering about his little niece. He turned to embrace the girl once she caught up, taking her by surprise.

"Umalume?"

"Sorry, lil cub. You didn't deserve to be caught up in some bullshit by some nigga's spoiled brat that led you to get kicked out temporarily..." Panthera noted the sad look in her uncle's eyes before nuzzling him.

"It's alright, umalume. I expected today to be eventful... but it's okay! I'm still ahead of my classes, and I have some extra days off from school... that is, if I'm not in trouble..." Aaron chuckled, squeezing the small girl.

"Of course not. I know how you are and how your ol' man raised ya. Whatever that girl did mostly deserved it. Matter fact, what did she do?" Panthera nibbled on her lip.

She and Miles had planned to tell Aaron and Rio about their newfound relationship... just not like this.

Just before she could answer, her stomach grumbled loudly. Aaron raised an amused brow.

"Didn't have lunch yet," she mumbled. She always got hungry at least an hour before lunchtime. Aaron laughed, throwing an arm around the girl's shoulders as they walked off to where he parked his motorcycle.

"C'mon then. Let's clean up that wound, and then we can talk this over some burgers and milkshakes. My treat."

-----------------------

Miles was sitting in the cafeteria with some of his "homeboys" with a bored look on his face. He actually got there first in hopes of him and Panthera sitting together, but the guys found him first. He was half listening to what they were saying, something about Jamal's death and other random shit he didn't care for, all while looking for his precious girlfriend.

But the girl was nowhere in sight. He glanced at his phone, finding no new messages from her, and let out an irritated sigh. It wasn't like his precious gatita to ignore him...

"Yo, ain't that Beatrice walking up to us? She looks like hell," Kieran whistled. Logan chuckled.

"Haven't you heard? She got her ass beat by one of the girls last period. That one chick with the dreads. She was supposed to go out with Jamal the night he died, forgot her name..." That got Miles' attention.

"Panthera," he offered, finally turning his attention to the group.

"Yeah, her! Actually, it had to do with her relationship with-"

"Hey Miles~" 'Oh for fuck sake...'

"I'm a little busy, Beatrice," Miles said with a dismissive wave. The girl narrowed her eyes.

"But Milesssss, I need to talk to you! It's important," she whined, leaning dramatically on his shoulder. Miles could feel his eye twitch at the contact, shrugging the girl off.

"I said I'm busy-"

"Busy talking about that brute you call a girlfriend?" Miles froze before slowly turning his head to face the girl.

"Excuse me," he said. He finally took note of the girl's bandaged nose and slightly disheveled appearance. He could slightly see the change of colors peeking out of the bandage.

"Panthera's your girlfriend, isn't she," she asked rhetorically. The other boys focused on the duo, silently eager for more details.

"Damn straight she is, but she's no brute," Miles scoffed. Beatrice pouted.

"She nearly cracked my skull in the middle of class! All because I asked if you two were dating. It's not a good look for you to be with such a loose cannon, Miles. Especially with her seemingly violent family." Tawny brown eyes glared into gray ones.

"First of all, Panthera would never fight anybody without someone giving her a reason to, so I already know you're bullshitting me on a few details there. Second of all, what the fuck do you mean by that," Miles asked, his accent becoming thicker the angrier he got. Beatrice continued to try to play into her innocent act.

"The principal called her uncle into the office to let him know that Panthera has external suspension and she's supposed to be sent home immediately. The man looked as if he was gonna murder Mrs. Manson! He had the nerve to defend Panthera as if she didn't beat me up so viciously. My stomach and back are gonna be bruised for weeks!"

Panthera's uncle... Uncle Aaron.

So, not only is she talking shit about his girl, but she talking about his uncle too?

Miles chuckled. Everyone at the table looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Yo bro, what about that is funny? Beatrice got hurt, and Mrs. Manson was threatened," Logan asked, slightly unnerved. 

"So you expect me to fully believe in a girl who basically used other guys as she pleased and wanted me to be her next conquest over a girl I've known ever since I came to this damn school? You want me to believe a girl who is talking shit about my girlfriend but my uncle too? Are you so fucking serious?" Everyone blinked.

"You're dating your cousin or something," Andre asked after being silent most of this time. Miles stared at him blankly.

"No, cabrón. My uncle knew Panthera and her dad ever since they moved to Brooklyn. He's basically an uncle figure to her. My uncle is my dad's brother. As for you-" Miles returned his gaze to Beatrice, who looked a little shocked.

"Hop off my dick and find another to ride. I don't like you and will never like you, perra de dos caras. You already managed to get my baby suspended and disrespected her and my uncle. Lo juro por Dios, if I hear you continue to start some shit about her-" Miles paused, forcing himself to breathe. He simply glared at the group and walked off.

He had a phone call to make...

-----------------------

"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" Forget the cigarette; this was the best news Aaron had heard all day.

"Umalume! Not so loud," Panthera scolded as a few patrons turned to look in their direction, though the effect was lost thanks to her flushed face. Aaron playfully cooed, pinching one of her cheeks.

"D'awww, no need to be shy, little cub. I'm just happy for two of my favorite people," Aaron chuckled. Panthera swatted his hand away, looking away bashfully.

"You said my nephew bought you a ring? Lemme see the bling, girl!" Holding out her left hand, Panthera allowed the older man to inspect the metal band on her finger. Aaron whistled in appreciation.

"On the left ring finger, too, haha. Panthera, you sure Miles asked you to be his girlfriend and not his fiancée?" The older man cackled when his niece smacked his arm, her blush worsening.

"You're horrible," she said with a pout. Panthera took a sip of her milkshake in a futile attempt to help her cool down as she waited for Aaron to pull himself together.

Miles wasn't kidding when he said Aaron would be eager to hear they were finally together. She could only imagine how Rio would react...

"You can't blame me for my reaction, lil cub. Do you know how down bad my nephew has been for you? I swear that boy had heart eyes every time he saw you. Jeff, Rio, and I have been dying, waiting for you guys to finally come clean to each other and tell us the good news." Panthera's eyes softened as Aaron mentioned Jefferson. It's been months since he passed, and to think on his death bed, he basically gave Miles his blessings for a potential relationship with her filled the girl's heart with warmth.

"Well, now I know, thanks," she grumbled. Aaron smiled good-naturedly at her, taking a bite out of his burger.

"Soooooo, how long have you guys been together," he asked. Panthera took her time nibbling on her fry.

"Not long, just a few days... I was actually supposed to be on a date with someone else when Miles asked me..." The raised brow silently prompted the girl to elaborate.

"His name was Jamal, Jamal Jackson. He and I had creative writing and music class together. Almost a week before Valentine's Day, he asked me out the night before Valentine's. At first, I told him no since I didn't see him like that, but he was very persistent. So I said yes... the night I was supposed to go out with him..." Aaron frowned, not liking the nervous expression on Panthera's face.

"What? Fool stood you up or something," he asked as he casually sipped his shake. If her answer was yes, then he clearly had another person on his shit list-

"He was murdered." Aaron blinked. Once. Then twice. And then...

"He was what?" Panthera sighed.

"He was murdered, umalume. I found his dead body. He... he had claw marks in his abdomen, and his neck was broken..." A frown tugged on his lips.

'Claw marks, huh?'

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, lil cub... you okay?" Panthera gave him a weak smile.

"I'm fine, umalume. After I called 911 and the police took my statement, I called Miles, and he took me on a date to take my mind off it. He asked me to be his girlfriend on the rooftop of his apartment." Aaron nodded.

"At least something good came out of it. I'm just gonna take a wild shot in the dark and guess that your fight with that James girl was over your relationship with my nephew." Panthera scoffed.

"Yeah..." Another person on his shit list next to Mrs. Manson.

"No need to pay that crazy little girl any mind, lil cub. I know that Miles loves you more than life itself. That boy is not going anywhere-" Aaron was interrupted by Panthera's ringing from a FaceTime call. Aaron didn't recognize the artist by a long shot, but just by the small snippet, it definitely fits his nephew's cheesy, lovey-dovey nature.

Panthera blushed, silently telling him to shut up with a glare before answering the FaceTime call.

"Mamiiiiii," Miles whined. Panthera hid her smile behind a hand, doing her best not to laugh.

"Hey there, Papi," she cooed, snickering at the pout on the boy's usual passive face.

"Don't you 'hey there, Papi' me. Why you ain't tell me you're not in school anymore? Left me all by my lonesome with this bum ass niggas and clingy ass hoes," Miles pouted. The boy was looking forward to holding his girlfriend while she sat in his lap while he stole some kisses. Only to find out he's gonna be without her for a whole fucking week, the boy pissed-

"Not like I had time between getting suspended and getting lunch with umalume. He knew better not to let me go hungry," Panthera sassed. Both males knew how scary or cold the girl could get when she didn't eat.

"Fair- wait a damn minute... what happened to your cheek," Miles asked with narrowed eyes. Panthera let out a nervous laugh.

"Nothing, just a small scratch," she tried to wave it off, but Aaron wasn't having it. Kissing his teeth, he snatched the girl's phone. Miles regarded his uncle with a raised brow.

"Tío?" Aaron used one hand to hold Panthera's wrists so she couldn't get her phone back as he answered his nephew's unspoken question.

"Yo Miles, you know some girl by the last name James? Lightskin, dark curly hair, gray eyes, with some long ass nails that might as well be literal weapons. 'Cause apparently, she was bold enough to use them on Panthera," Aaron asked. Miles blinked at his uncle before letting out a curse.

"That two-timing spoiled bit-"

"Miles, focus." The boy took a breath to cool down his anger.

"Yeah, I do, unfortunately. The puta had the nerve to come up to me during class pretending to "look out for my well-being" by telling me that Panthera's a loose cannon and a brute and how "dangerous" her family could be to me." Aaron raised a brow.

"What was that last comment supposed to mean?" Miles shrugged.

"Something about you condoning Panthera's violent behavior and threatening the principal." Aaron chuckled. Miles knew that chuckle and smirked.

"Ah, so little Ms. James is an actress, okay then. And that old hoe was testing my patience. That little girl had a lesser punishment despite starting this mess first." Miles froze, eyes narrowing.

Panthera frowned, deciding she was done hearing about the two women who seemed to have it out for her.

"Can we change the subject? And can I have my hands back, umalume?" Aaron chuckled, releasing her wrists with a smirk.

"Sooooo... a little birdy told me you off the market, Miles," Aaron started. Miles groaned.

"Mio dio, tío. Don't start." Aaron laughed.

"Oh boy, just wait 'til your mother hears about this. She gonna end throwing a party in y'all's honor."

"Umalume!"

"Tío!"

-----------------------

Needless to say, after school, when everyone was in the Morales' residence, Rio was told the news.

At least more than half the neighbors heard her shout of joy—much to Panthera and Miles' fond embarrassment.

-----------------------

Beatrice was pissed. Livid. Utterly incensed.

Despite getting rid of her rival for a week and smearing Panthera's name for all it was worth (which, according to Beatrice, wasn't worth much), she still didn't have the boy she wanted. 

Beatrice would be the first to admit that she wasn't looking at Miles Morales twice in the beginning. He seemed to be like the quiet nerd. A cute one, but still not someone she would really give the time of day to.

Then, junior year started, and Miles returned as a changed person.

He had grown a couple more inches since she last saw him during the summer from the funeral. He lost the rest of the baby fat that lingered on his cheeks from their sophomore year. He buffed up a bit, not crazily so, but his lithe form had more muscle than what she remembered. His accent was much more pronounced. He seemed to lose that shy nerd vibe and took on what could be a bad-boy vibe.

Miles Morales became the most desirable boy in their grade, and Beatrice wanted him. She would flirt with any boy she saw hanging around him for more than a week in hopes of gaining some intel on Miles' type.

That turned out to be much more difficult to gain. Miles doesn't talk about his personal interests with the boys, and he gives no real reaction to girls who flirt with him. Beatrice briefly entertained the idea that he might be closeted because how come some of the prettiest girls in their class only get a blank stare and single-word responses from the boy while others would break their necks and ankles to look and chase them?

Then she thought that maybe Miles could possibly have a girlfriend. It almost sounded just crazy as the gay theory because Beatrice had never seen him interact with another girl like that.

Or so she thought.

She finally remembered Panthera Stevens when she saw her and Miles walking to one of their classes together. She remembered always seeing them together in the halls when Miles first got transferred to Visions Academy. She was Miles's first and perhaps the only friend for a long time. The sight of them together now shouldn't have struck her as unusual, but it did. The boy was holding one of her books and was smiling at her—and not just any smile.

It was one of those "Damn, I love her" smiles. One of those "I'm down bad" smiles. One of those "Where have you been all my life" smiles.

At first, Beatrice thought she was reading too deep into it. Panthera was... well... unique. And she didn't mean that in a nice way.

There was nothing eye-catching about the girl's appearance per se. She had regular dark brown eyes, dark skin, and wore her hair in locs. The girl stuck out because she was so plain-looking. Seeing her wear makeup to school or even having her nails done was incredibly rare. Plus, she was one of the only girls who would even wear her natural hair. 

What did Miles see in her that he didn't see in any of them?

Beatrice couldn't wrap her head around it, which pissed her off.

And apparently, Miles wasn't the only one. Jamal Jackson seemed to harbor a crush on the quiet girl and even went as far as to ask her out. It was like a miracle because finally, someone could get the one obstacle to Miles out of the way, and one of the girls, preferably Beatrice, could get with Miles.

The day for their date came...

Panthera found Jamal's body.

And now a promise ring could be found on Panthera's ring finger, with Miles' name on the metal band.

Panthera Stevens became a hot topic overnight, and Beatrice has had it. She wanted to ruin the girl. 

So she started a little rumor that Panthera killed Jamal so she could be with Miles; no other guy was feeling Panthera in the first place. Why would anyone date a murderer?

Now Beatrice doesn't really know if Panthera killed Jamal or not, but if people choose to believe it, who was she to correct them?

This should appall Miles so much that he had to break up with her.

Only... it didn't pan out that way.

It was Friday, and the murder was all anyone could talk about. A lot of people thought it made sense. With word about Panthera's fight with Beatrice and her (and Miles, shockingly) uncle's not-so-subtle threat to Mrs. Manson already circulating, it added some "validity" to the rumor. Beatrice couldn't help but feel pleased with herself. When Panthera returned next week on Monday, she would virtually become an outcast in their class. The attention of it all would eventually be too much for Miles, and he'll break up with her.

And Beatrice would be right there, ready to console him.

To celebrate, Beatrice went out with some of her friends for a night out.

The girls went out for a night of dancing and flirting with a few older dudes. Beatrice may have had a drink or two, but that was no one's business but her own. The girl called a car service to take her home safely since walking in the devil's playground at night while tipsy might as well be a death sentence. Beatrice called one of her friends, Jasmine, to let her know she got home safely. As the girl was chopping it up on the phone and fumbling around in her mini purse for her keys, she had no idea that white digital eyes were watching her. 

Finally finding her keys, Beatrice opened her front door and stepped inside. Beatrice shut the door behind her, completely forgetting to lock it, before walking further into her house. Quickly and silently, the figure entered through the front door, quietly stalking the girl in the shadows of her own home.

"Whew, girl! I'm so glad to be home; my feet are killing me," Beatrice said as she kicked off her heels. The figure watched as Beatrice laughed at something Jasmine said.

"Girl, even when I get with Miles, Imma still make time for my girls. What are you even talking about?! Just because I'm in a relationship don't mean I can't have fun," the girl giggled. Jasmine said something more, and Beatrice rolled her eyes.

"Girl, whatever, bye." Beatrice walked into her room with a yawn. The girl would love to crash in bed and call it a night, but unless she wants her face to look like that back of a Crunch bar, then she better-

White digital eyes met her eyes in her full-view mirror. She could feel her heart freeze in her chest, her blood slowing to a crawl as the cold brush of fear caressed her spine. It was like all the alcohol that was buzzing in her system was fizzled out.

"W-who... who are you?" The mask the person was wearing lit up, neon purple lights flooded her room. Only one entity would light up the night with those colors.

"P-Prowler..." A distorted chuckle filled the quiet room.

"So you are smart, aren't you, Beatrice?" The girl let out a soft whimper. 

"How d-do y-you-" The question died on her lips as she felt a gloved hand grip her waist and a clawed hand around her neck. The Prowler lowered his head, almost resting it on her shoulder.

"Such a smart girl, but yet you decided to make the stupidest decision you could've ever made," the Prowler cooed mockingly. 

"W-what are y-you even t-talking about?" Beatrice watched as the mask pulled back, revealing the cold eyes of Miles Morales.

"M-Mil-"

"I fucking warned you, Beatrice." The girl hissed when the hand on her waist tightened roughly.

"I told you not to start shit about my baby, and what do you do?" The tips of Miles' claw began to dig into her skin.

"You accuse mi dulce ángel inocente of murder?" Beatrice's chest began to rise and fall faster and faster with each breath.

"I-I-I'm sor-" Beatrice was whirled around to face the boy, a sneer tugging on his lips.

"Way too late for a sorry, puta. You all must've thought I was joking when I said not to test me. I guess Jamal wasn't a good enough example..." Gray eyes widened, and Miles smirked down at her as the look of horrified realization could be found in them. His clawed hand caressed her cheek, the tips leaving bloody streams behind.

"Maybe you'll be a better one. And trust me, I'm gonna take my time with you, Beatrice. You'll have my attention, just like you always wanted..."

-----------------------

It was roughly 1 AM when Miles finally leaves Beatrice's house. Just as he locked the door behind him, his burner phone began to ring.

"Yo, you took care of her," Aaron's distorted voice filtered through the line. Miles smirked; the memory of stuffing the girl's heart in her mouth as she bled out was gruesomely poetic. 

"Eat your heart out, puta."

To Miles' it was a fitting end for the girl—a vain, selfish heartbreaker who got what was coming to her.

"Yup, you took care of her," Miles asked. Aaron chuckled.

"Oh, most definitely," Aaron said, smirking at the sight of Grace Manson's hanging dead body. Her heart lay in a puddle of blood beneath her feet. 

"Thanks, Unc."

"Of course, I would do anything for you two."

-----------------------

The next morning felt like a fever dream. Panthera woke up that Saturday morning to watch the news, trying to see if there was any news on Jamal's murder...

...only to find out that Beatrice and Mrs. Manson were dead. Found by their families.

Their hearts were ripped out.

There were no signs of forced entry and no evidence.

The only thing that tied the murders together was how close the times of death were, meaning these murders had to be coordinated.

It was cold, calculated, and clean. While Panthera was annoyed about the whole ordeal from Monday, she wouldn't want the two people who put her in this position dead.

The girl nearly detached herself from reality, the key word being nearly. It was at that exact moment Miles called. It wasn't unusual for him to call when he woke up, and he was a welcome distraction. While she tried to hide her nerves, her boyfriend could hear the slight tremor in her voice. Plus, the rustling in the background.

Whenever she's stressed or upset, Panthera is known to stress-clean. Miles knows she saw the news, which had shaken her up pretty badly. He knew she would've been mentally spiraling alone if he hadn't spent the weekend over at her place for Valentine's Day. Deciding not to let his little kitten go through this alone, he just kept talking to her over the phone as he got ready to head to her place.

The boy used the apartment key Eric gave him to silently enter the home. Panthera was talking about a father-daughter date she and her dad had planned when he comes back later that week, so she was thoroughly distracted. Listening closely, it sounded like she was in her bathroom. With a small smile, he entered the apartment, her room, and the adjacent bathroom. Panthera's back was facing him as she reorganized her shower. Quietly, he snuck up on his girl before looping his arms around her waist.

As expected, Panthera let out a surprise squeal. What wasn't expected was the hard stomp on his foot and the headbutt to his face.

"AH! Gatita, calm down! It's me!" Panthera paused her attack at her boyfriend's voice, turning to find the boy holding his nose.

"Mi! I'm so sorry, but you shouldn't have scared me like that! There's a bloody killer, for Bast's sake!" The girl fussed over her man, checking to see if she may have caused any bleeding. Miles chuckled, holding her wrists.

"My apologies, mami. I wanted to see you to make sure you're okay, which I know you're not, so don't even try to deny it." Panthera sighed, getting on her toes to kiss the bridge of Miles' nose.  She allowed herself to be picked up and toted to her bed. Miles sat down, maneuvering her so she would be straddling his lap.

"Talk to me, mi amor. I'm here for you..." Panthera pecked his lips before nuzzling his neck.

"It's just that... I know this city has gotten darker after... well, you know. And I've been trained by my Baba to handle myself if need be, but I know it would be out of self-defensive. It would be my life or theirs... I could even understand if the person was terrible and needed to be taken out, but this..." Panthera shuddered. Miles kissed her forehead, gently rubbing her back. 

Silence befell the couple for a few moments before Panthera spoke up again.

"Did you know my grandfather was murdered?" Miles grimaced. Panthera didn't notice this, forging ahead.

"My utatomkhulu, N'Jobu, was a prince in his country. But he did bad things. He smuggled some precious materials out of the country and moved here. Most of the material he sold to a man off the black market, but the rest he kept hidden away. He met my Baba's mother, and they had him. Unfortunately, she died not too long after my Baba was born. It was just the two of them. Until one night, Baba was outside playing basketball with his friends. It wasn't until he looked up at the sky and saw a ship that was similar to the ones he heard in stories. He was excited that maybe our family from our homeland was coming for them, and he ran back to the apartment. That's where he found utatomkhulu's body, lying in a pool of blood. He had claw marks embedded in his chest. My Baba was left alone before he was even a teenager..." 

Miles nuzzled his face in her hair, holding her as tight as he could.

So this was what Aaron meant.

"Boy! I outta smack the shit outta you! You impaled the nigga and left the body for her to find?! Did you not think about how it might impact her? Do you not know her fuckin' family history?!"

When Aaron blew up on him for killing Jamal, he thought it was because he left behind the body. Turns out, it had less to do with Jamal and more to do with Panthera. When Miles showed clear confusion over what his uncle was talking about, the man calmed down.

"So she didn't tell you yet... Look, it's not my story to tell, Miles... just know murder is something her family is familiar with. Especially if it seems senseless.."

"Oh, gatita, I'm so sorry that your family had to go through that..." Panthera finally looked up, finding sorrowful eyes staring back at her. She offered a weak smile.

"I'm gonna be okay, love. I'm just happy that you're here with me." Miles smiled softly, caressing her cheek.

"I'll always be here for you, Panthera. Always..." Miles leaned in, kissing those soft lips he loved so much. A soft sigh escaped the girl's lungs. Her arms found their way around Miles' neck as she pressed closer. Panthera didn't change out of her sleepwear before Miles showed up, which the boy was glad for. The girl's pajamas leave little to imagination, as she preferred crop tops, tube tops, comfy short shorts, or little night dresses to sleep in. Only a brown crop top and brown cheetah print covered her body, meaning access to soft dark skin.

A soft moan left Panthera's mouth as she felt her boyfriend's hands massage her thighs. The small calluses that decorated his fingertips and palms felt good against her soft skin. Miles suckled on her bottom lip, earning a sweet little whimper.

"Miles," Panthera whispered, arching against the boy. He let out an inquisitive hum.

"¿Qué pasa, mi dulce ángel?" Miles started spreading kisses to her chin, jaw, cheeks...

"Just... need a second..." Miles nodded, burying his face in her neck. He could feel her pulse fluttering under his lips as he pressed a kiss there.

"Love you so much, mami," he mumbled against the soft skin, his hands rubbing her waist and hips. The girl let out a shy giggle, playing with his braids.

"I love you too, Papi..."

-----------------------

Time passed.

Panthera returned to school, doing her best to ignore the stares from her classmates. Miles had informed her that Beatrice had been spreading the rumor that she had killed Jamal before Beatrice herself was killed. At least she had the weekend to mentally prepare for the amount of eyes trying to flay her skin from her bones.

The students started moving on within a few weeks, much to her and her boyfriend's relief.

Despite the investigations, no clues or evidence that could lead to the killers could be found. Though Panthera doubts they'll ever be solved, the NYPD hasn't been the greatest at their jobs since Jeff died. If her life was on the line, the police would be the last people she would reach out to.

Funerals were had. Tears were shed. Life moves on.

Luckily, no one else was killed. The principal was replaced, and soon junior year was over.

Summer went off without a hitch. With school over, Miles could spend more time with his little girlfriend, much to his evident delight. With all the funds he saved up, he was able to spoil his baby a bit more.

Date nights, gifts, flowers, clothes, whatever he thought she would like, whatever she wanted, and whatever he thought would look good on her. He always loved the cute little surprised expression on her face whenever he gifted her something or where he took her somewhere new.

"Miles, you didn't have-"

"Shhh, I want to, mami. You deserve all this and more..."

Panthera was reluctant to accept a lot of the gifts, mainly because she's not used to getting "just because" gifts that look so nice. Not that her dad doesn't spoil her when he could, but she never expects it nor asks. She was content as long she had the presence of the person she loved. But soon, she felt comfortable wearing a lot of the stuff her boyfriend had got her, mainly the jewelry. Mainly the necklaces with his name on them or the name earrings (pleasing the possessive and obsessive side of his brain.)

Of course, that attracted the attention of some would-be thieves on one of her late-night walks.

Granted, the girl usually wore her necklaces under her hoodie, but she was a bit more spaced out than usual that night. She fiddled with the key-shaped necklace with Miles' name on it; her fingers tracing the letters of her boyfriend's name was the only thing anchoring her.

Her mind was replaying the last few months. As traumatic as it was, she was also happy. She was in a loving relationship with a sweet, handsome, clingy, strong, and protective Afro-Latino. She had a loving maternal figure for the first time in her life. She was reunited with the man she saw as an uncle.

She was happy...

But she couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen... and for the life of her, she's not even sure what it could be.

Maybe she was overthinking-

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" 'Oh, for Bast's sake...'

Panthera turned, finding three men staring down at her. The ringleader smirked at her.

"Lost, little girl?" Dark eyes narrowed.

"Not little." The men laughed.

"Fiesty, I like her, Rando," The guy on the left said. Rando looked Panthera up and down with gleaming eyes.

"You not the only one..."

"What do you want," Panthera hissed, glancing at the trio. Rando stepped closer with a disarming smile.

"Me and my boys couldn't help but notice that you were by your lonesome and wanted to see if maybe you needed some company..." 

"Not necessary, fellas. Now, if you'll excuse me-" Before Panthera could even take a step away, Rando trapped her arm. Large fingers studied the key charm around her necklace.

"Pretty necklace you got there. Your boyfriend got it for you?" Panthera sneered.

"Yes, not like it's any of your business-" Panthera hissed when the chain of her necklace dug into her skin as Rando pulled at it.

"I'm making it my business, little girl. A necklace like this probably didn't come cheap. It would be a shame if you-OOF!" Taking advantage of her free arm, Panthera quickly punched Rando's abdomen. Feeling the grip on her arm loosens, the girl jumped back, eyes narrowed as she glared the three men down. Rando returned it with one of his own, a sneer tugging on his lips.

"You little bitch. I'm gonna make you regret that." A wicked grin spread on Panthera's lips.

"I would love to see you try."

-----------------------

It has been some time since Panthera had been in a fight. Her dad was gone a little more frequently recently, so she didn't train often. Yeah, she trains with Miles and Aaron, but she knows they were pulling their punches because they didn't want to hurt her.

These men didn't know they chose the right one on the wrong day.

Rando's accomplices were out cold; one was shot since he wanted to be big and bad and shoot at her first. The sound of the man's pained scream when her bullet struck true into his shoulder, was music to her ears. 

Now, it was just Rando and her. Bruises were already starting to form on the girl's body, but she learned to ignore the pain. The girl spat out a glob of blood as she stared down the older guy.

"C'mon Rando, I thought I was gonna regret messing with you," she taunted, bouncing on her feet. Rando snarled, trying to appear intimidating, but the girl could see the fear in his eyes.

"You got a death wish?" Panthera grinned; the sight was enough to unnerve the would-be thief.

"No more than you do." Panthera didn't hesitate to rush forward, more than ready to finish this and go home when pain erupted in her back. A scream ripped through her vocal cords as she faltered in her pursuit. The girl glanced over to find the same man who shot at her earlier aiming his gun at her with a smirk. Before Panthera could do anything, two arms wrapped around her in a vice grip—one around her neck and one around her waist. A wince slipped through her teeth as the arm around her neck tightened.

"Why not you take a little nap, yea? When you sleep off all data the aggression, maybe you could make it up to me and my homeboys for all the trouble you caused." The girl could feel something poking at her lower back and started thrashing, clawing at the arm that was quickly taking her oxygen supply. 

She refused to let these guys take advantage of her. She won't allow-

"Let her go." Everyone froze, all eyes trained on the masked newcomer among them. Said mask flickered on, purple lights lighting up the dark alley. Rando quickly released her, backing up from the vigilante.

"A-Aye, easy man. We don't want n-no problems..." The newcomer cocked his head.

"Well, ain't that a shame." Rando didn't even have time to question what he meant as the vigilante slammed him against the nearest wall. The Prowler glanced over his shoulder. White digital eyes met with wide brown ones.

"E-Easy there, Prowler... I-I didn't know that w-was your girl. I-It won't happen again," Rando stammered. The masked being chuckled.

"I know it won't... because you wouldn't be around to attempt such a stupid thing." The soft whirl of the mechanisms and gears was the only sound heard as the Prowler unleashed his claws. Before he could tear into the older man, a loud yell came behind him.

"LOOK OUT!" The vigilante was able to duck, narrowly avoiding the bullet. Rando, however, wasn't so lucky. The man slumped to the ground, a bullet hole found in his neck. Rando let out a pitiful gurgle as his own blood choked the life out of him. The Prowler slowly turned to find the trembling figure on the dirty alleyway floor staring at him with fearful eyes.

"Ballsy, aren't you," the Prowler drawled, fingers flexing in his metal claw.

"I-I-I-" The man didn't get the chance to formulate a response when another gunshot rang out. The Prowler stared at the bullet hole marring the man's forehead before slowly turning to find Panthera holding her gun, albeit with shaky hands.

"Coldblooded, don't you think?" Panthera let out a shaky laugh, the adrenaline pumping in her veins.

"It was either him or us. I'm sure you know how that is." He does, but the vigilante doesn't voice his confirmation. Panthera met the soulless eyes of Brooklyn's shadowy anti-hero. Before she could say anything, she felt her body sway, unable to hold her weight. Before she could hit the ground, two strong arms held her up against a solid chest.

"Hey, stay with me. Keep those pretty eyes open for me. I'm going to help you." Despite the disoriented, gravelly voice of the Prowler rumbling in her ears, Panthera felt oddly comforted by him. She struggled to stay awake as the masked vigilante gently set her on the ground. 

She didn't protest when the vigilante lifted her hoodie and shirt to reveal her wound. All she could do was lay there as the Prowler fussed over her.

It kinda of reminded her of her boyfriend whenever she was going through the first two days of her period, where the girl would be dying in bed until her cramps and bleeding lessened. Miles is always so sweet and attentive to her, always looking out for her and taking care of her.

She missed her boyfriend; she just wanted to be wrapped in his arms and sleep...

"Aye, wake up, pretty girl. I'm almost done. Don't close your eyes, stay with me..." Panthera blinked blearily at the vigilante.

"Mmm... s..so tired," she mumbled. The girl obviously couldn't see the nervous panic on the guy's face, but she could faintly hear it in his voice.

"I know you are, but you gotta stay awake. I need to take you somewhere safe. It's not far from here. Just stay awake." The girl could feel herself being lifted up, cradled against the Prowler's chest before he took off running. Panthera felt the fatigue and bruising pain sing from the marrow of his bones; her own eyelids felt like two-ton weights.

"J...just five minutes," she whispered, laxing in the vigilante's grip, despite it tightening on her.

"No, no, no! W...up! P... Damn....!" The Prowler's panicked shouts were the last thing Panthera heard before her world went black.

-----------------------

"Will she be okay?" Aaron turned when he heard the small voice of his nephew. When Aaron received an SOS signal from his nephew, he was worried he may have gotten injured while on patrol. When he arrived at one of their secret warehouses, he quickly realized it wasn't him who needed treatment but his precious niece. The man was no medical professional, but he knew his way around bullet wounds and other injuries, seeing how it comes with the job, unfortunately.

He had just finished wrapping Panthera's abdomen where her bullet wound lay. Thankfully, there was an exit point (he would hate to try to dig around his niece's internal organs for the piece of metal), and it didn't touch any vital organs. If he hadn't tended to her when he did, they would've lost her due to blood loss. Aaron turned back to the unconscious girl to tend to the bruises on her body.

"She'll survive the night, Miles. Don't worry," Aaron said gently. He felt arms wrap around his torso, tears wetting the back of his shirt.

"Thank you, tío. I-I-It means a lot..." Aaron's heart seized at the tone of his nephew's voice. The relief tinged with the undeniable tremble of fear. The girl was more loved than she would ever begin to understand. They all did, Miles especially. He knew how deeply Miles loved Panthera, scarily so. 

Aaron didn't want to know what would happen to the boy if the girl was no longer with them. It would shatter him. Hell, it would break him and Rio, too.

"Like I told you before, Miles, I would do anything for you two."

-----------------------

The next time Panthera woke up, it wasn't in her bed. Bleary dark eyes tried to take in her surroundings despite fatigue weighing down on her like a million bricks.

"W-Where..." Bits of her memory flashed in her mind. Rando. A gunshot. The Pr-

"Easy..." The distorted voice she faintly remembered mumbling words of comfort sounded in her ears. Squinting in the dark, she turned to find not only one but two pairs of white slits looking at her. She blinked slowly.

"W-who..." Before she could finish her question, the cool lip of a glass cup kissed her dry lips.

"Drink, you definitely need it," the taller man said. Not in any real shape to argue, Panthera took slow, measured sips of the water being given to her. She let out a soft, relieved sigh when she finished. Soon, something was placed in her lap.

"Eat," the shorter stated. She looked down to find scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, sausages, a cream cheese spread bagel, and fruit on a plate. She raised a brow at the duo before chuckling.

"Bossy," she teased before digging into her food. The two looked satisfied (at least she could assume they were; hard to tell with them wearing masks and all) before leaving her alone in the room. As the girl ate, she couldn't help but take in her surroundings. The bedroom was sparse, leaving no clues of any personality from the two Prowlers. At the very least, the room was clean, so it must be used quite a bit. She could see the dark skyline of the broken city she called home outside the barred window.

Finishing her food, she carefully set her plate on the dresser before approaching the window, staring out in silence.

"Finished?" Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as the younger Prowler approached her. She turned to face him as he stood less than a foot away.

"Thank you... for saving me." The Prowler cocked his head at this.

"I can't say I did much. If anything, I should be thanking you. You were the one who kept me from getting killed and finishing off the other guy," he replied. Panthera let out a soft chuckle, hugging the vigilante.

"And if you didn't show up when you did, those guys would've done unspeakable things to me," she whispered. Prowler froze for a few moments, carefully wrapping his arms around her. The two stood there for a bit, neither saying a word. Panthera knew she shouldn't feel so comfortable around the vigilante, but something about him felt safe.

Like she could trust that he would never hurt her.

That he would always protect her.

Panthera let out a sigh before pulling away. She returned her gaze to the city.

"I need to go home," she said. She overstayed her welcome and would love to crash in her own bed for a few more hours. She felt the Prowler take hold of her hand.

"I can take you," he offered. The girl pursued her lips in contemplation before giving a small nod. Hand in hand, the duo walked out of the bedroom and into the main room. The older Prowler was still there, seemingly cleaning his claws when he heard them.

"You taking her home," the man asked. The younger nodded. Giving the infamous vigilante a shy smile, the girl bowed her head.

"Thank you for taking care of me, sir. I wish you well..." The older Prowler gave a nod.

"Take care of yourself, little one."

-----------------------

Panthera isn't usually afraid of heights. She took gymnastics at one point. But she supposes it's different when you rely on someone else to catch you rather than yourself.

The girl didn't scream but couldn't help but cling to the vigilante's back like a baby koala as he jumped from building to building, occasionally using grappling wires to help bridge the gap. She provided him with her address to make it easier for him to find. Luckily for her and her stomach, the Prowler didn't take long to reach her apartment. The boy swung onto her fire escape, carefully setting her down.

"There, safe and sound," he said once she got her feet on the metal platform. The girl nodded, glancing at the vigilante through her lashes.

"Uh, yeah. Thank you for taking me home," she mumbled. She turned to her window, carefully pulling it up.

"You shouldn't be wandering the streets at night anymore. Too many dangers." The girl paused, glancing over her shoulder, regarding the Prowler with a raised brow.

"'Fraid I can't promise that. It's not my first time doing this; this hasn't been my first fight. Just the first time I got shot," she mumbled. The vigilante didn't like that answer, his eyes narrowing before letting out a sigh.

"Guess I'll just have to keep an eye on you..." The boy trailed off. Panthera immediately caught onto what he was silently asking for.

"Panthera." The Prowler nodded.

"I'll just keep an eye on you then, Panthera." The girl laughed before hugging the boy.

"I guess I could use more people who worry about my well-being. Especially if he's such an infamous figure in Brooklyn's underworld with a soft spot for me," she teased. She didn't need to see the guy's face to know he was blushing. 

"I-uh..." Panthera laughed as she pulled away.

"Don't give yourself a stroke, I'm teasing. I'll see you around Prowler." The masked face nodded at her.

"Rest up, Panthera." The vigilante watched as the girl slipped through her window before disappearing in the fading darkness. The girl let out a loud yawn, blinking rapidly.

"Check wounds. Shower. Bed," she mumbled, mentally switching to autopilot. It's been a long night, and the girl wasn't in the mood to think about what happened.  She fiddled with her necklace with a sigh.

Never had she ever thought her relationship with the boy she loved would cause her this much hell in such a short amount of time. But she wouldn't trade it for anything.

She wouldn't...

Shaking off that intrusive thought, she went through her mental checklist. Her digital clock read was 8:49 AM when she finally crashed into her bed and fell asleep.

-----------------------

"Mio dio! What happened?!" Panthera groaned into her pillow as she was awakened by a loud cry. She tried to roll over onto her back but almost rolled off her bed if not for the strong pair of arms catching her.

"Jesus, gatita, what happened to you..." Panthera blinked blearily. The blurry picture of her worried and terrified boyfriend finally comes into sharp focus. Her sleepy brain took a few seconds to realize a few things.

One, Rio and Miles were in her bedroom.

Two, she was just in her bra and panties since the tired girl couldn't be bothered to put on actual clothes.

Three, all her bruises and wrapped torso were on full display, emphasized by the bright sunlight streaming through her window.

And four, one thing's for sure and two things for certain: the Morales family was known to the biggest worrywarts and busybodies concerning their loved ones. Which was both beneficial and almost headache-inducing. Miles is most definitely Rio's son, from the accent down to the mother hen nature when it comes to her.

This was not something Panthera wanted to deal with this Saturday morning.

"Uh... buenos días Rio y Mi... ¿cómo están?" Rio and Miles looked nowhere near amused at the girl's poor attempt at deflection. Rio turned to her son with a hard look in her eyes.

 "Mijo, set her down on the bed so I can take a look at her and go into the kitchen and see what you can make for her to eat for lunch. I'll pack a bag when I'm finished so she can spend a few nights with us." Panthera was about to protest but decided against it when a pair of green and tawny eyes glared at her.

"Si mamá," Miles replied, kissing the girl's forehead before setting her back down on her bed. Panthera sighed as she was left alone with the nurse, who proceeded to check her over.

"Now. I'm going to ask once, and I expect the honest truth from you, Mija. What happened to you," Rio asked as she looked over the girl's bruises. 

"I went for a walk last night, and these three guys tried to rob me. I fought back and knocked two of them out, but one of them woke up and shot at me before I could finish the leader. Using my moment of weakness, the leader tried to choke me out and threaten that he and his friends were gonna rape me..." Rio stared worriedly at the girl as she robotically told her tale. 

"That didn't happen, though, because the Prowler came and saved me." Rio rose a brow at this. She was aware of the vigilante that roamed Brooklyn's nightlife. He was something of a Robin Hood figure, albeit a dangerous one. To think this shadowy figure helped the girl she considered as a daughter eased her a bit.

"And I'm assuming he had something to do with why your injuries are healing nicely," she asked lightheartedly. The bullet wound was thoroughly cleaned and nicely wrapped; her bruises didn't look so bad either. Though Rio wanted to keep a close eye on her futura nuera to ensure she healed properly.

"Uh, I don't think so. It seems the old Prowler is his mentor? He probably would have a better understanding of bullet wounds and stuff, so it wouldn't surprise me if he was the one that took care of me." Panthera wasn't too sure what to make of the duo. The Prowler was a name that was feared in Brooklyn. While the vigilante isn't known to harm civilians, like any other Brooklyn underworld figure, it was best to steer clear of him. But it's like the two vigilantes went out of their way to help her. While they were rather firm with her, it was clear that they cared for her well-being.

She could trust that if she were ever to see either of them, she'd be safe.

It was kinda of a word thought to have...

"Well, either way, I'm glad that they helped you when they did, Mija." Rio's voice broke the girl's train of thought. The mother looked satisfied with her check over, finally leaving the girl be so she could pack a bag for her. 

"Here, wear this, querida. It's hot outside today after all," Rio said, handing the girl a sundress that she nearly forgot she owned.

The girl blushed. She never wore it because she would have to forgo the comfort of her trusty bras, seeing how it was backless. The material was a bit more on the sheer side. With just enough light, you could see the girl's silhouette underneath.

And considering she's wearing this around her boyfriend in front of his mother-

"You sure that's okay, Rio?" The older woman raised a brow before smirking.

"I was young once upon a time, querida. How did you think I caught my husband's attention, hm," Rio teased, laughing good-naturedly at the girl's growing blush. 

"You're beautiful, Panthera. No need to be afraid or ashamed to show off to your boyfriend every once and awhile," Rio said with a wink. Panthera smiled shyly at her maternal figure before taking the dress from her and changing in her bathroom. The dress complimented her skin nicely and fitted her well (a little snug around the chest, but Panthera wasn't gonna complain about the support it gave her). She looked good, even with her bruises. The girl threw her locs in a messy bun with a few hanging around her face. Applying some of her vanilla and sandalwood perfume oil on key parts of her body, the girl felt ready to leave.

Panthera stepped out just in time to see mother and son chatting in Spanish on her bed.

"I'm ready." Miles looked up to greet his kitten, only to stare with a slacked jaw as she approached.

"Buen Dios y todos sus ángeles misericordiosos..." Rio chuckled at her son's reaction.

"De nada, hijo," she said with a smirk. Miles shook himself out of his lovesick stupor, realizing his mom was still very present. The boy stood up to meet his embarrassed girlfriend halfway, kissing her forehead before leading her to the bed.

"Here you go, pretty girl." Panthera took the plate of some leftover subs she had made a day ago, along with some chips and salsa. The girl smiled.

"Thank you, my love." With a kiss on his cheek, Miles watched as his girl snuggled next to him with a content smile. Despite the hell his precious girl had been through these few months, she was still smiling.

She was still here. 

She was still here with him.

A small part felt guilty for putting her through half the grief and trauma she's experienced thus far in their relationship. He doesn't know how he'll be able to tell her the truth if she ever finds out that he was the reason behind their classmates' deaths. That his uncle helped to kill the principal for her unfair treatment towards her. That his mom now knows all this and was willing to keep quiet about all this (just as long he came to her for daily checkups after his patrols).

"No puedo decir que lo que estás haciendo sea moralmente correcto, Miles. Pero puedo decir que estás enamorado de esa chica. La has amado durante años. Ella te hace feliz, cariño... y eso es todo lo que quiero para ti. Haz lo que tengas que hacer para protegerla y preservarla, pero por favor no intentes matar a nadie más por celos. Eso es todo lo que te pido, hijo."

Despite his guilt, a larger part of Miles felt content. Panthera was his. He loved her. He loves her. And he would do everything in his power to keep her. No one is going to come and take her away from him. 

Not even herself.

Even if she hated him for his morally questionable deeds, they'll have forever for her to learn how to love him again.

"I love you, mi vida," he whispered against her neck, curling around her in a hug. Miles could feel her blush creeping up her neck as her shoulder shook slightly in time with her chuckle.

"Te amo por siempre y para siempre, mi rey," she whispered back. Miles grinned as he nuzzled her further.

They were met to be. And nothing could change that...

...at least, that's what Miles thought.

-----------------------

Alright, y'all gonna have to give me some time to drop the next one, I'm tired. Imma add the translations later. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Dedicated to @444morales and @l0v3morales

[mino-diabolik]

DARK FATE — Mystic 「Dark 05」 [CG]

[ Dark 04 ]

(Disclaimer: This chapter contains explicit content, not suitable for all readers.)

[ Location: Living Room— Eden Castle ]

Ayato: ——Hahaha!

Laito: ... I thought you'd be able to handle your alcohol better, Mys...

Ayato: This guy...! Hahaha!

Mystic: What'd ya talkin' 'bout? I'm perfe'tly aight!

Mystic jerks his arm up. Wine spills over the edge of his cup. It splashes his shirt.

Mystic: Ah...

Kanato: Fufufu... so much for a mighty prince.

Mystic: Like y’all got anythin' to say, ya fuckin' child. This's why yo papa don’t like you.

Kanato: … …!

「Monologue」

Just a few hours ago, Laito rushed into my room with an unlabeled bottle. It was only a matter of minutes before it was emptied between me and the triplets. It was mostly me that hogged the bottle, anyway... I wasn't sure what it was, but it had certainly been fermenting for quite some time. As good as it was, that's how strongly it corroded my mind. I lay across the sofa, absolutely succumbed under the spell of liquor.

Mystic: ( Gods, I needed this... I thought I was gonna go insane. )

Mystic plops an arm over his eyes.

Ayato: Hah. You sick now?

Mystic: Fuckin' sick of hearin' ya talk. That's what I am.

Ayato: You...! Tsk, I bring you something good to share and this is how you're treating me.

Laito: It was me that brought it to him—

Ayato: It was still my idea!

Kanato: Sigh... I'd call him embarrassing, but it is becoming down right pitiful.

Mystic: ... ...

Ayato: ... ...? Did the bastard fall asleep?

Laito: Looks like it?

Ayato: Oi, Kanato. Nudge him up a bit.

Kanato: Why should I?

Laito: ... Last time he left me with a bruised nose for a week! Do you know how embarrassing it was to have to walk around school like that?!

Ayato: I still think it was hilarious.

Kanato: So, I ask again, why should I wake him up?

—Footsteps—

Ayato: ... Hm? Ah, it's just you.

Ruki: What are you bunch doing here?

Mystic: ... ...!

Mystic flinches. It goes unnoticed.

Ruki: Mystic? What is the matter with him?

Kanato: He's drunk.

Laito: He grabbed the bottle and wouldn't let go.

Ruki: ... Unbelievable.

... ... ...

Ayato: What's the matter with ya?

Ruki: ... Nothing.

Ruki leaves. Mystic slides his arm off his face and opens his eyes.

Laito: Ah. He's alive.

Ayato: Barely, it seems.

Mystic: ... Sigh...

Mystic stands. He downs the remaining wine and puts down his glass. He begins walking away. His stance doesn't appear like that of a drunk individual.

Ayato: Oi, where’re ya headed now?

Mystic: ... For my chaser (1).

Ayato: Ehh?

Laito: Fu... Oh, my.

Kanato: Sigh…

Ayato: What? I don't get what y'all are talking about at all.

—Fade—

[ Location: Hallway ]

Ruki continues down his path. Footsteps approach.

Ruki: ... ...?

Mystic: ... ...

Ruki: Are you finally raising the flag? Or perhaps you need help to get to your room?

Well... you seem to be perfectly well for someone reeking of liquor.

Mystic: Don't like it...?

Ruki: I cannot say I do.

Mystic: ... ...

Mystic glances down as he lifts his hand. He rests it on the crook of his neck. He meets Ruki's gaze once more.

—Drip...—

Ruki: … …!? What are you...?!

Mystic digs his nails into his skin. Deep crimson drips along his collarbone. Ruki stares in disbelief.

Mystic: … This…?

Ruki: ... ...

Mystic: ... Does it smell better?

After all... you like it, don't you? The smell of my blood?

It’s the only reason you ever paid me any mind, right?

Ruki: … You——

—Rustle—

Mystic: You remember, yeah? How it melts on your tongue… and burns down your throat…

Mystic follows this path down Ruki’s neck and chest with his hand as he speaks.

Ruki: … …

Mystic: Bringin’ out the most despicable part of you…

You’re nothin’ but a bat, after all. Taking advantage of wounded prey…

Ruki: Stop talking.

Mystic: Oh...? You’re gonna tell me I’m wrong?

That’s not what happened? That you didn’t drag me off with other intentions?

Ya think I’m fuckin’ stupid? I know perfectly well what the effects of my blood are… that you bunch have not the slightest self-control…

Mystic leans closer to Ruki. He slides his arms over Ruki’s shoulders and locks his hands around his neck. The Vampire tenses up, but doesn’t move away.

Ruki: … …

Mystic: Truth is…

——You’re no better than any other Vampire.

Succumbing to your instincts at the sight of something you crave…

Ruki: … …

… You’re wrong.

Mystic: … …?

( What? )

Ruki: You just don’t get it at all——

Ruki cradles Mystic’s waist in one arm. He swiftly digs his fangs over the bleeding scratch marks.

Mystic: … Wha—!? Ah!

Ruki: Nn… mm…

Mystic: Ugh… ahh…

( He’s… biting down with all of his teeth. )

Ruki: Mm—ah…

Huff…

Mystic: Sigh…

Ruki: … … Come here.

—Rustle—

Mystic: ... ...!?

—Fade—

[ Location: Guestroom ]

Ruki tugs at Mystic's arm. The Founder trips on the edge of the mattress. The Vampire doesn’t waste a moment as he climbs over him.

Mystic: … …!

Ruki: Mn… mm!

... Huff.

Mystic: Ah?!

—Rustle—

Ruki pushes Mystic down. He tugs the edge of his jacket and yanks it over his head. The garments bind his limbs together.

Mystic: ... ...?!

( My arms... )

Wa—wait, Ruki... I can't mo——

Ruki: Nn——!!

Mystic: Agh...!!

Ruki: Nn... sigh. The wine… I can taste it…

Mystic: Huff, huff…

… Mng…!?

Mystic hitches up. Ruki traces the path from Mystic’s stomach to the edge of his trousers.

—Rustle—

Ruki: Hah… just as back then—

Your body is sincerer than your mouth.

Mystic: ... ...!

( I don't know what to do——

My head is spinning. And my body is doing as it pleases.

Even so... )

In a haze, Mystic’s head drops forward. His body is kept upright by Ruki’s arms. The Vampire gently rests his head on the other’s back. He breathes in slowly. The hair on the back of Mystic’s neck stands on end.

「Monologue」

Garments are discarded. I feel Ruki’s hands wander across my skin. They caress every place they please, bringing comfort and anxiety all at once. The coldness of his touch lingers with an odd warmth. Every nerve of mine desires him with an ache I wasn’t aware was there. His words, as much as they are meant to subdue me, ripple every heartbeat. This man will shatter every part of my being. Engrave himself into it. So, let him. Crawl under my skin. Scratch at the itch that has been taunting me since the first moment I laid eyes upon you.

[ Location: Guestroom ]

Mystic nearly tears the sheets with his fingers. His body sways to the rhythm of Ruki’s vicious thrusts.

Ruki: Huff… huff…

Mystic: Ah… haah! I—

I can’t——huff!

Ruki cups Mystic’s chin in his hand momentarily. He lifts his head slightly. Two digits break through Mystic’s lips and denture, twisting with his tongue.

Mystic: Mmf—!?

Ruki: Nn——!!

Mystic is consumed by a wave of immense pleasure. He trembles with anticipation and from the terrible thoughts he wasn’t sure he could contain.

Mystic: Mm… ugh—

Ruki: That’s it… good boy.

—Badump—

Mystic: … …!

Startled by the Vampire’s words, Mystic’s jaw tightens. Ruki’s finger bleeds and its taste pricks Mystic’s tongue.

Ruki: Kgh…

Mystic: ( Oh... shit. )

Ruki: Fuck...

Mystic: Ah! No! Ugh! I'm... sorry!

——Ah!! Haah!

( Ah...

My head is... spinning. )

Ruki rests his body weight upon Mystic. He melts into the mattress. Mystic buries his head between his arms. His fingers flex aggressively each time Ruki pushes deep into him.

Mystic: Huff...

Ru—

The Vampire plants a kiss on Mystic's shoulder. He jolts. He subtly reaches up and manages to catch the tips of Ruki's hair. Almost immediately after, however, he lets go.

Mystic: Ru... ki——

Ruki: Huff...

There is a short pause from Ruki. He rests his forehead against Mystic's back. He listens to Mystic's quiet sobs and broken breathes. The heat blinds him momentarily.

Ruki: ... ... Damn it...

「Monologue」

The endless night is lost through the liquor in my veins and the aching pleasure brought upon me by the Vampire. Ruki's sweet nothings were but intelligible echoes at the back of my mind. His embrace would stop the air from reaching my lungs. Just as a serpent would coil around the ideal prey. Refusing to ever let it go. Not until it squeezed every drop of life within the grip of its scales.

「 Dark 05 — End 」

[ Dark 06 ]

(1) Mystic is referring to the drinks that are meant to immediately follow after a stronger one.

[starlite-sin]

*vibrates* Y'ALL WANNA HEAR ABOUT MY OC CREEPYPASTA??

Edit since I forgot to add this earlier but it wouldn't show up in tags as a reblog:

Aight so at the request of one (1) person who I can't get the vibes on, here we go:

Aight so his name is Nicolas Thomas and he's from Georgia. He's an undead/spirit Ringmaster running a dead circus out of an abandoned building. He has a goofy but dangerous energy where he can flip on and off like a dime.

He has two appearances: his "human" look and his real look. Human look has dark skin, hazel eyes, freckles going all over his face and he's like really tall, standing at around 6'7. Despite this, his hands always have the dead burnt look, causing him to wear gloves.

His dead look is all burnt, with the skin completely gone in some places, including his hands. His eyes are the milky white.

He wanted to be the greatest and (as per my story i'm writing I'm fully aware that this is nowhere near canon) made a deal with "The Tall One" (Slendy). There was, as always, a catch and he didn't pay it mind.

While performing a show in the 50s, one of the original original proxies (Not the ones we know now) set the tent on fire, killing everyone inside. As part of his deal, Slendy made it so that the performers and attendees were turned to statues, as well as anyone who ventured in later and got killed.

As per the story I'm doing: He has a key that allows access to Jason, LJ, and Candypop's realms, so its important that he doesn't let anyone have it.

His main weapon is a staff that lets him control the statues and can turn into a whip when he needs it.

[splashink-games]

5 Strategy RPGs I Think You Should Play

Turn-based tactics, my love.

I play a lot of games, but some of my favourites include games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem. As a kid, those games gave me a lot of freedom in creating my fictional team of supernatural-power-wielding friends. And enough strategic importance that big number isn't always better (though it does plays a part).

Here are 5 strategy RPGs (I don't know how else to categorize them. Tactical RPG? Turn-based tactics?) that I played in the last year that I think y'all should play.

this one's a long one, folks.

Battletech

Played exactly a year ago today, I had a blast playing Battletech. enough to almost make it into my top 5 of 2023.

This game was my first interaction with lore from this universe and it felt like a pretty good jumping on point. It certainly helped when I played MechWarrior 5 at the end of last year. Narratively, this game kinda rocks. You've got a well-introduced main character and their nemesis and a long hill to push your rock up until you fulfill your goals.

strategically, the game is great. the main campaign quests it throws at you are pretty rad and sometimes does require knowing exactly what to do and with which units (and making sure you've got those units with you on drop).

What I really love about Battletech, and subsequently MechWarrior as a whole, is the mech customization. Unit optimization? Whatever you wanna call it. I liked scavenging for parts to make a mech, then equipping it with my most deadly weapons only to lose those weapons in combat. great times.

Wasteland 3

I didn't know what to think when I started played Wasteland 3. For me (I'm heavy into fantasy than sci-fi), it was pretty out of genre, setting-wise. it's post-apocalyptic modern and set in America (I really think it's important to point out that it's set in America). and it's not typically what I'm out to read.

what I did read was an incredibly written experience and really awesome narrative decision making along with solid mechanics. it was kinda cool to see my actions have consequences (which I looked up constantly because I knew what kind of game I was playing), like helping out a guy in Act 1 only for them to come back in halfway through Act 2.

and the skill tree was most impressive. for most of the game, it gives your team members well-defined roles, which I appreciated. and having narrative options tied to those, while I think is standard, was pretty nice considering I had to talk to NPCs with multiple characters to get what I wanted.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos

If you're more into Dungeons and Dragons rather than guns and mechs (like I am), here be the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk.

This one is more a classic one-to-one to Dungeons and Dragons and functions as a big dungeon crawl with an inn in it. meaning the combat mechanics were fleshed out and familiar for me! so it was pretty simple but the rooms do a bit to keep players on their toes with environmental hazards.

the story is straightfoward: get to the Dungeon Master so they can leave. oh but wait! the stairs aren't working! guess we'll take the long way around~! overall, the dialogue was pretty hit-or-miss (more misses with the comedy for me though).

Fae Tactics

Fae Tactics was a pretty big surprise in a lot of ways.

as another one of my honourable mentions for games I played last year, Fae Tactics has solid gameplay and story.

I actually really liked how the story plays itself out. you get bits of non-linear progression with every main quest you complete, meaning you can do most of the game in any order you want. I did do everything in my first playthrough, so it was cool to see different parts of the story connect, and the epilogues that I got in the end. and how the story evolves from one goal to another and how it resolves conflicts is pretty interesting!

moreover, I thought the dialogue for this game was pretty aight. it matched the mood of the game as well as the characters. it knew when to be serious and when to try to be funny.

mechanically, this game is less about customizing your team and more about completing combat with what you have, until you reach maximum upgrades (where you've got pretty obvious choices). capturing your own fae during battle is actually really important since it gives you more options moving forward.

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga

This was one I've wanted to play but only recently got the chance! One of this year's first games for me, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga felt pretty good to play.

outright, the narrative I think needs some work. it's not the best, but it gets the job done. it's easy enough to follow and enough characters to like to get you through the game. surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, I didn't like the main character's arc, though it does make a little sense in hindsight.

the best part about this game was the gameplay, for sure. creating an army and commanding it was so fun. there's so much you can do because of the freedom the game allows you in your units. there are items to change affinities, upgrade stats, give your squads more capacity (that's a big one), and so on. additionally, having a maximum 9 units (on average it's more like 6-8 units) per squad was creatively engaging.

one of the biggest things is the fact you can class promote/demote at will. the resources are only allocated and never go away, and you really notice it when you get the tech upgrades that reduces resource costs. and I think the game made the right choice in setting the strongest unit type (dragons) aside for in-combat stores only.

in battle, the strategy was pretty straightforward. the game often relies on sending reinforcements for increased difficulty. but otherwise, the maps provided pretty interesting problems for players to solve. and by the end game, you're commanding up to 20 squads per turn, which is kind of insane.

to recap!

Battletech is a great starting point into MechWarrior lore while being an awesome tactical game.

with a wildly different setting from the rest, Wasteland 3 provides the most dynamic narrative of the bunch with solid strategic gameplay to pair along with it!

for D&D lovers, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos is pretty aight, especially if you don't have the funds for newer titles.

Fae Tactics was a surprise hit that strategy/tactical RPG fans will love!

and lastly, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is robust in tactics and will get you thinking about the best army composition.

Here's to more tactical games in the future! in fact I already have more lined up-

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

[scattered-winter]

The Batfam (and friends) as things I've heard at my school

part 2!

(young justice) (batfam part 1)

---------

Duke, waving his arms and visibly upset: I'M JUST A GOAT

---------

Steph: *throws sticks of gum full-force at Tim*

---------

Jason: mOVE BEFORE I DROPKICK YOU OUT OF THE WAY!!!!1!!!1!!

---------

Steph: *points at ketchup* that's some high-class bullshit right there

---------

Damian, to Tim: you just keep running away like a little BITCH

---------

Tim: you want a tour of my photo gallery? *starts scrolling* here's a DILF I would die for....

---------

Dick: are you crying?

Damian: no

Dick, peeling back his eyelids and staring into his eyes: are you s u r e

---------

Dick yelling to Jason across the hallway: HEY! DID YOU BRING YOUR FEDORA?

---------

Tim: if you could be any mythological creature, what would you be?

Duke: a crab

---------

Steph: *in a creepy voice* yES FREE MILK

---------

Cass, deadpan: I do, in fact, have real human feet

---------

Dick, headbanging to a song: *smacks his head on the window* OW

---------

Steph: I haven't seen this edit yet, so you're gonna watch it with me

Tim: oh rad

---------

Jason, taking a selfie with Dick's phone: *the flash goes off in his eyes* why the hell is your flash on??? *takes another picture and blinds himself again* AAAAAAAAHHHHH

---------

Cass: don't be sad

Tim: but I am sad

Cass: aight fair enough

---------

Steph: fucking Republicans! If the vaccine was gonna kill me, it would've done it already!

---------

Jason, to Damian: sorry, I just looked at your face and went "what the fuck"

---------

Tim: where are you gonna take me?

Dick: away

Tim: cool

---------

Steph: aaaaah! it's going down my shirt! *rips off jacket* aaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHH

---------

Dick: don't worry, I don't choose violence

Jason, chiming in: I do!

---------

Cass: they're not skinny jeans, I'm just thick

---------

Duke: *sitting with a wolf figurine on top of his baseball hat*

---------

Steph: he was like "you want some cool college swag?" and I was like "YES SIR"

---------

Damian, jumping into Jon's arms and pointing: take me to the math room

---------

Steph: *sarcastically* oh my god, they saw your bra strap??? you need a bra to support your titties????

---------

Cass: *angrily* YOU BROKE MY SON'S NECK

---------

Damian: in my heart, I am 6 feet tall

---------

Jason, gesturing to everyone except Dami: you're all my favorites

Damian: what am I, chopped liver?

Jason: yes

---------

Dick: I GOT A CUPCAKE, Y'ALL

---------

Tim: that's called bargaining, kids. Welcome to capitalism.

---------

Tim: I just chugged a quad shot espresso and I'm having a hard time walking straight

Jason: you ain't straight at all, chief

Tim: point

---------

Jason, Tim, Cass, Steph, Damian, and Duke: *gathered around Dick with shaving cream, razors, and paper towels, giggling while shaving his legs*

Bruce, walking in the room: what the FUCK is going on here?

Dick: I lost a bet

[zasaka-studio]

Exchange Disaster

Tag: ED

Info : character reels: 1 - 2

-Act: 1-

Part 1 / Part 2

─────────────────────────────

Title: Oh mAwh gawd it's showtime!

─────────────────────────────

The buss was always quiet in your other school, but this was just chaos... Two kids where literally mauling echother, and a few were recording and some trying not to get mauled themselves. Like what? How did this bullshit start you just got on the buss! You sighed and fixed the strap on your backpack, ready to just plow these guys over to get to a seat. But you didnt want to get in trouble on your first day now will you?

So you had opted to wait for the buss driver to say something. Which eventually come, loudly. "AKAZA, DOUMA FOR THE LAST TIME STOP TAKING UP THE ISLE! YOU CAN MAUL ECHOTHER LATER JUST NOT ON MY BUSS!". Mr Urokodaki aka the buss driver had yelled at the two. So that's those twos names.

You could hear distant sounds of laughter and the occasional 'ooh y'all got in trouble!... Again-' wait this was normal?-

"Im sorry for those kids behaviors, they do this like- every other week. Now go sit down kiddo, before we arrive late." Mr. Urokodaki had said, pointing to the back of the buss. And that's when you noticed that the fight had entirely cleared up. Well that was fast? But you had shook off the thought and decided to try and get to the back as fast as humanly possible. Which was pretty easy, untill a hand flew up. They seemed that they wanted you to sit with them, what a shocker! So you decided to sit with them to not be rude.

"Why hello there! My name's Kyojuro Rengoku, what's yours?" you almost died at how loud this guy was, but you finally got to see his face. Which kinda shocked you a bit. Red and orange eyes, same for the hair that looked to mimick fire, the everlasting smile and stair that was .. intimidating to you.

"Oh, hello my name's (Y/N) (L/N), also Françé?" You asked, hoping one person can share your native dialect. But he just raised one of his eyebrows which discouraged you. 'Why would anyone be french anyways?' You thought as Rengoku just smiled wider somehow. "Im sorry if I had made you think if your the only one here with that language! But I don't know who else could speak it so I'm sorry!" He said enthusiastically, wow that makes it so much better. "No no, I'm sorry for asking! I'm in Japan so why would anyone speak that?" You said as you scratched the back of your head. A bit uncomfortable at the unblinking stare he had on you.

"Its alright!" He still yelled. "And I haven't heard of you around here! So are you new here!?" He said as he continued to be in owl mode. Smile as bright as ever. "Y-yeah, soo-","Of course I'll show you around! I'm honored to help a fellow student out!" He interrupted, wait how the fUck did he know what you were gonna say? Like is this man's reading my m I n d? Welp time to delete my brains search history.

"Alright?" You said, weirded out a bit. As you usually did things by yourself most of the time. But I guess you just have to suck it up and socialize.

.

So the entire buss ride was summed up to Rengoku, or Kyojuro. Which he told you to call him by that, talking the whole damn way. Like this dude didn't even stop to breathe. Though he kinda just rambled on about the school- also he was student council president too, which you could see why. But you don't personally seeing yourself being best friends with this guy, but would it hurt to just be friends?

" Alright were here. Now get out!" Mr. Urokodaki had yelled, clearly done with everyone's bullshit. Then everyone started to stampede out of the buss.

'Aight, time to die-' You internally prepared yourself to jump into the mass of students. But Kyojuro had seemingly invaded your minds privacy again and pulled you closer to himself. "Hah, don't try. Trust me they don't pay attention!" He said, and on que a person groaned as they were shoved into a seat. "Alright." You said as you scooted to your original spot. It also didn't take long before it cleared up and the other students who were also sitting started to leave as well.

" Alright Kyojuro, i think I'll just go-""WAIT!" You jumped, other students looked at the two of you before going back to what they were doing. "Let me see your schedule, i want to see if we share any classes!" Kyojuro said. A bright smile widening as you begrudgingly zipped open your plain backpack and brought out the piece of paper. Not even surprised when Kyojuro snatched it from your hand and excitedly looked at the contents.

But to no surprise he sighed. "We only have one class together..." He said uncharacteristically quite. You sighed as you got up. Kyojuro fallowing suit, "hey which class was it?" You said as he handed your paper back. He then gave you yet another smile. "No spoilers!" Kyojuro said. Already taking a liking to you. He felt the two of you would be great friends!

"Thats either a good or bad thing." Walking off of the bus felt nice. As sitting down for so damn long dose give you tension am I right. "Hey!" Kyojuro yelled but you had already taken off. Finally entering the school, which seemed to be a lot different then your old one. There were lockers lining the walls, which probably ment no cubbies filled with two or three backpacks that look the same. Which was a relief. But you felt guilty leaving Kyojuro back there.

But Cha gotta do what you gotta do.

So you had decided to try and find your locker cause your backpack was like fifteen tuns. Why were there so many books? Well it's highschool sooo.

And somehow you had managed to find your locker relatively earlier then you'd think. Opening it and shoving your bookbag in it. You then checked your schedule for what you had first. " Choir, Aight. I'm pretty sure I just get a key book. Well I hope so..." You said to yourself as you shut your locker. Thinking you'd never get used to that.

-

But you had some trouble finding the choir club? Intermediate? Hall? You didn't know what to call it. So you had done the next best thing. What did you think I'd say ask for help? Nah, open random doors till it works. You could ask another student as the late bell hasn't rung yet. But no, you had to learn yourself.

"347-A... 347-A...-""E-Excuse me? We have the same class..." You whipped your head around to see someone outrageously taller than you. He was also t h i cc. Like my man's could snap my neck in two. Johnathan style."Oh that's sweet. Mind me fallowing you?" he shook his head no, and rubbed the back of his head. His short brown hair was ruffled and more healthy than your's. Dang- jealous, "So what's your name?" You ask the burly student. Who just fiddled with his hands as the two of you walked in awkward silence. "Its Taylor..." Taylor said. "Oh that sounds like a western name. So where are you from?" You felt so relieved that someone else was also from the western side of the world. Even if France isn't in the Americas it's still in the west!

(Haha get smacked with a secret character! That I'm definitely not gonna be obsessed with writing!)

The boy seemed shocked and relived. Wait- there were racists too?! Whoever hurt this boi is gonna get an ass whoopin'. "O-oh! I'm s-sorry! Its just that... Everyone usually laughed at me for being a "halfy"..." He air quoted. "Nah it's fine! So what's your other ethnicity?!" You said. Finally not feeling alone.

"Well- u-uhm... I'm..." The giant boi had stuttered from embarrassment. "Im sorry for being-""No, your fine Taylor. I used to be the same!" You laughed along side him. But then he looked around for any other students. But at the moment you two were walking to another building. Taylor then looked back at you and said. "well- I'm half... French...." He seemed to recoil after he said that. But you literally flipped.

Who woulda guessed that you'd meet someone with the same language as you! This is fucking awesome!

"Oh my god i thought I was alone!" Tearing up from such happy feeling's. "W-wait really!" Taylor said, clearly excited. But his black eyes widened then he put his fist to his lips. "Sorry, th-that was rude." Taylor said. "Nah it's fine buddy! But did you move to Japan or lived here?" you said. Clearly interested in the gentle giant. Which made his heart throb, no one ever really treated him like this- it was new to him. Even sharing a common language is, amazing!

-

Finally after what felt like hours you had finally made it to choir. The room was right next to the cafeteria, making a mental note of it. Taylor was actually really fun to conversate with! He's just a big boi with an event bigger heart. He also had a cat named momo. Isn't that neat? Wonder if it's a chonker like the hell spawn that is jimmy. That bababoi is fatter with a ph then the moon.

"were here.. uhm if it's alright can i walk you here-"

Taylor and yourself winced as the late bell finally rung. "Dose it still count if we got here before..?" You said. Taylor had a sad look on his face. Dang now you feel bad, probably the first time he's gotten here late. "Oh well... Its not like I've never been late before..." He then looked down at you, yes down, to see your somewhere between confused and shocked face. How? That just broke your entire delusion!

"D-dont look at me like that..." Taylor shyly looked away. Rubbing his forearm, which seemed to be a way to show that he was embarrassed. "No-no it's fine. I'm the reason your late anyways..." You quieted down, feeling even worse about it. "What did you say? I'm sorry I couldn't here you- oh! T-that was rude..." Taylor had somehow accomplished the feat of making himself red at his own words. It was to pure for your devilish eyes.

"Welp, time to get detention on the first day!" You excitedly said as you swung open the door.

Everyone was still talking as you sighed in relief. No one noticed you, wait why the hell did you even swing it open anyways? Taylor seemed to be kinda nervous, more so than ever. Which was more or so like 5-4 minutes ago. "Well care to explain why you two are late?" Taylor flinched at the teachers words. " Hey it's alright. Its very sweet of you to walk with him Y/N. He doesn't seem to have a lot of friends. So thank you." Mis. Uh what was her name? Whatever you'll hear it later. "No problem mam. And I'm also new here!" "Oh that's wonderful! Everyone be nice! And my name is Daki by the way!" Mis. Daki, now you remembered! Taylor was just standing there. Fiddling with his short sleeved button up. "U-uhm we have to sit down now ..." Taylor mumbled. You nodded and said to Daki that class has to start. She then ushered you two away as she was prepping for today's class.

"can you sit with me?.." Taylor said as the two of you got closer to the rows of chairs and music stand's. Taylor sat a bit farther then the other students. But one decided to go and say hi.

"Hello! I'm Kanroji Mitsuri! Nice to meet you, and can i sit with you guys?" The Melon haired girl asked. Also what's with everyone having big titty? Like stop rubbing it in my face. "Sure, Taylor you ok with that?" The shy boy just nodded. Fixing the music board so that it could meet his face. "Welcome to hell!" You joked as you gave the girl a handshake. She giggled, then sat down next to you. Not before saying- yelling sorry to who she was originally sitting with.

"So your new here? That's great, so got any friends yet?" Mitsuri asked. You looked over at Taylor then back at Mitsuri. "Yeah, i thought it was obvious?" You said. You did think of Taylor as a friend. Cause now someone can repremand you for cussing out a teacher. "Oh that's so sweet!" She gushed as she did an overdramatic hand gesture. Like was this gorl on crack? Probably. Knowing this school. But everyone was shut up by the announcements.

"Remember on December 24th all students on the football team are heading over to hati, Also remember to check your passports given by the administration! Have a good day!"

You could hear a few cheers. "Oh, i wish I could travel to there. I've heard it is a beautiful place!" Mitsuri did her thing while you just looked at her. You were about to talk to Taylor but Mis. Daki had decided she was ready for class. "Alrighty! As you know we have a new student here. So we're gonna be looking at great singers from around the world! I know we usually do that on Thursdays but I'd like for Y/N to get used to how we operate in my class" Well I'll be damned, were not just gonna be practicing some random songs!

"Taylor could you please turn off the lights? Oh and Obanai, could you sit at the monitor and skip over adds?" Taylor had gotten up and so did this Obanai guy. You could hear a faint groan of anguish come from the hetorocramia guy. You kinda feel bad."Oh! I should introduce you to him! He's a great friend!" Mitsuri said while she wrapped an arm around yours. "Heh sure." You then got your arm out of her death grip. Then decided to look around, noticing instrument cases in a hallway to your left. There was also a silencing room. Oh so band is also here? That checks another thing off of your list of 'finding the room'.

Then the lights went out except for one as Taylor returned. Fiddling with his shirt again. But as you were yet again foiled by Mitsuri pulling you close to her. "Hey, isn't Taylor cute? Just look at him! C'mon tell me!" She whispered. You gave her the infamous , the rock eyebrow raise. She just giggled. "He's, nice-""No not that! Like do you find him cute?", She persisted. "Uhm yeah? I mean he's a good person to hang around?" Mitsuri seemed satisfied as she let you go. 'Aww! Y/N so cute!' She thought to herself. The blush being concealed by the dark room.

Then Britain's got talent started to play. You almost bursted out laughing. But had successfully concealed the demons. Taylor seemed to be watching it intently. Maybe he's a music fanatic? I mean you were so-

As the contestant started singing after a very sad backstory, it was beautiful! "Omg, i can't believe that her pet bitch ass dog died to a plane crashing through their house! Now they're homeless!" You internally cried as Mitsuri yet again for the fourth time gushed on how 'cute' you were. Heavy quotation's. "Well it's common that most singers do have bad upbringings or something bad happened in their life. 1/3 singers or music artist to be exact." Taylor quipped. Damn he knew a lot. But no one can beat you in song remembering. And as the song finished Mitsuri was practically in tears. "That song was so beautiful! So full of love!" She cried. Its a song sure you've cried to them at 2:59 in the morning but that doesn't count.

Then an add started to play, well damn this is gonna take forever-

ー

And once the 45 minute long video ended the release bell had blown everyone's eardrums out.

You could just hear the groans of pain.

"Aww! We were gonna do solo's, but oh well! Everyone have a good rest of the day!" Mis. Daki said, waving at the students. "Well i just dodged a bullet there..." You whispered as you felt Taylor tap your shoulder. "Uhm can i see your schedule please? I just w-wanna see if we share anymore classes..." He shyly mumbled, but you heard him and gave him a smile. "Of course homie! Here!" You said as you passed it to him. He smiled then looked through it. "Ooh ooh! Me too I wana see!" Mitsuri asked excitedly. She kinda reminded you of that Renbozo guy. You know what your calling him that from now on.

Mitsuri then scared the shit outta Taylor by leaning over him to see as well... More like looking around cause Taylor was maybe 6'6 or something. If it turns out your right you're gonna go buy some lottery tickets then get murdered by an immediate family member if you win.

"YES! We have language arts together! Thats awesome as me and Obanai also have that!" Mitsuri then gave you a crushing hug. You just vibed with it, untill Taylor coughed into his hand. "M-mitsuri, she might be uncomfortable..." How thoughtful my giant gentleman beef wall. "Oh dear! Sorry if I made you uncomfortable!" Mitsuri immediately let go as she packed up her things. You then stood up, Taylor fallowing as the two of you started to leave after Mitsuri ran over to Obanai- you think, wait did he have a snake? That's rad. Maybe you can bring jimmy?

"Y/N wait!" Mis. Daki had said as you passed the round desk she stood at. A whiteboard behind it with familiar notes on it. "Heres your choir handbook. It has everything were gonna be practicing besides the music were gonna be doing for plays! That's one thing you all can vote on actually! Oh I'm rambling on now go!" She said as she handed you the book. You thanked her and walked out, Taylor then spoke up.

"We have cooking and gym together." He said as he gave you back you're schedule. "Thats awesome! So see you then!" You said as you waved at him as you walked away.

Taylor giving you a small smile as you walked away and to the hell that is- Math! Ba dum Tish!

─────────────────────────────

Taisho Secrets ! (Hahah get surprised >;)

Taylor is my favorite character ive made! (Except Hantei bc that man i have in my heart )

Rengoku halfway through his conversation had randomly started to cough a lot. Because he didn't stop to breath literally.

Obanai was glaring at you the entire time. (Mitsuri simp)

Yes i remember these were a thing

─────────────────────────────

Yay- time to copy and past until chapter 3 :')

[dailypokemoncrochet]

aight sorry about that last ask, i guess i was just stating my opinion but i was definetely agreeing with you about how bad it was!! but yes again sorry i didnt mean it in an agressive manner or anything, and sorry if i bothered you. i understand what you are saying.

Hey, I've had this sitting in my inbox for a bit and I think I should address it for a couple of reasons. This is going to be lengthy as fuck and a little disorganized.

1) What you do on the internet, stays on the internet forever.

2a) You don't need to comment on everything.

2b) And if you comment on something, you don't need to do it immediately without thinking.

3) You're gonna mess up, we all have, and we all do. People will react badly. You will react badly. That's how we all learn.

I think this is SO important for y'all (general) to grasp, especially if you are a minor right now. I understand the desire to interact online for the immediate feedback, as quickly as possible, as often as possible. That's dangerous to do.

For that first point, you (anon specifically) sent this anonymously, so I think you want to keep your blog unattached to this, but you previously replied twice to my other post about it. Even though you deleted it, I still was able to read what you said, and know it was you who said it. The whole thing happened in a matter of minutes of me posting.

I cropped out your name, but yeah that's still at least partially visible in my activity feed. The first reply said something along the lines of "alright alright sorry, this was mine i guess i didnt think it was bad or deserved such a response but im a teenager so what do i know i get it ill just never send an ask again" And the second reply, sent maybe 90 seconds afterward, "and of course i didnt mean this ask in a bad way i wasnt disagreeing with you im sorry im sorry im sorry"

Okay, the context here is in these three posts. One where I said something about my divorce, this ask I answered about it, and this second ask regarding my answer. Basically, I said my depression is spiking because of my divorce, someone asked if my partner dumped me to which I was like wtf, and then someone sent an ask saying that maybe the other anon didn't get it but at least they weren't mean about it.

Even though that last bit happened in maybe 3 in real life minutes, and you deleted it, it still existed and I still read it. I wasn't even particularly LOOKING for something like that. It just popped up in my activity notes. I don't know if anyone else could/did see it. I don't think it was a bad response per se, but you obviously thought about it and decided that you didn't want your name attached to it, but it was already there.

On the second point A, ohhh my god. I mean this in the nicest possible way (exasperated, directed partly at your specific part in this, but mostly Youth in general), stay in your lane. You are a teenager. You should not have commented on my post about a 10 year relationship ending, saying essentially "talk to me about it" because you are a teenager! The relationship existed for more than half of your current age!

This is nothing against you as a person, but you don't have any experience here. You have nothing to offer in this situation. ESPECIALLY if what you tried to offer is a "listening ear". NO. I grew up being the one my parents vented to about marriage issues, and it is so highly inappropriate to dump that on a child, and it is highly inappropriate (however well intentioned!) for YOU to even offer.

You could not even handle the way I reacted to your question. What would you have done if I had started listing the devastating details of my divorce and how it has fucked me up? You flipped at my strong response, and that wasn't even my first response or even truly accurate to the furious, visceral emotions I felt. You almost immediately had to reply. And then reply again. And then reply again. And THEN you thought about it?

Leading to the second point B, take a moment to think about it. Take several moments, preferably. This kind of goes back to you being young (your brain still developing, lack of experience, etc etc), so it's important to repeat this. Think about it, and think through it. I said something about I shouldn't do the critical thinking for you, and that wasn't entirely fair of me. I know how little we (adults, teachers, society) actually do towards teaching critical thinking, so that's not all on you. But if you've got to write out a response to something on the internet, think about:

Do I need to say anything at all? (Am I qualified to, is what I say relevant, why do I feel the need to?)

What kind of answers could I possibly get?

What am I going to do about the reactions I get?

How would I feel if the roles were reversed?

Do I really need to say anything?

Yes, this takes a lot more time than just "thought thought thought words words words send ask" and that's the point! I've got gripes with internet culture being all about the here and right now this very second, but I don't want to go into all that right now. Someone's made another post about it I'm sure.

I actually like the fact that you deleted your replies and sent in this ask several more minutes after the fact. That shows that you did literally take some more time to think about it. That was good flexing of your critical thinking. Please continue to think through how you behave on the internet, and try to do it before someone is mean about it first.

Finally that last point, we all mess up and it is inevitable. You messed up, and you know it. I'm glad that it happened here in a relatively innocuous situation and platform. I know people on like, Twitter, get absolutely eviscerated for less. I still react badly to things, but at least on the internet I can moderate that. It's harder in real life to work through all the feelings you get in the moment, but at least on the internet I don't have to visibly show the stages of processing. I'm trying to give others the benefit of the doubt as much as I can. However, I'm still just a person. I'm going to mess up still, but I do what I can so I mess up less often and less severely.

Anyway, here's the tldr again because that's a lot to read through

1) What you do on the internet, stays on the internet forever.

2a) You don't need to comment on everything.

2b) And if you comment on something, you don't need to do it immediately without thinking.

3) You're gonna mess up, we all have, and we all do. People will react badly. You will react badly. That's how we all learn.

[seeyouspaceexplorer]

Aight I gotta get some things out in the open here.

1. The Jedi Consular is an *excellent* class. The knight is fine but it's also so basic bitch.

2. Skadge is a fantasic companion, y'all are just weenies. Murder bros 4 ever. Will be making a post about him later because well. SOMEONE HAS TO.

3. You know what? So is Vik.

4. Darkside sith are actually very fun and compelling.

5. On that note, you do not have to agree with a character's morality to enjoy them. It does not make you a bad person. Why are y'all like this???

6. DS Jaesa is equal parts edgy and FUN. I will not be accepting hate. Saying she's a crazy slut is both sexist and ableist, thank you. You can like both versions of her okay.

7. Kaliyo is a great character. Arguably cares about the agent more than anyone else on that ship. Has multiple layers to her personality. Very good, compelling, well rounded character with a lot of depth. Probably has more depth than most of the companions in the game.

8. Lana Beniko is a good character. That's not in question. But she is also a terrible person. No matter how pragmatic she is. She does and supports terrible things. That's fine, and she is still lovable, but I am tired of seeing her portrayed as some sweet, innocent, sugar baby. She murders. She tortures. Etc. At the end of the day she is a sith and we should all remember that.

9. Jedi are good people. Bioware just writes them terribly because they wanna be edgy. Now let me dispel some of the nonsense I see people say about them:

They do NOT steal babies. There's literally a clone wars episode about this. You are NOT forced to stay a jedi forever. Anyone is free to leave the order and do whatever the fuck they want whenever the fuck they want. There are no punishments for this. They even talk about this in the game. The jedi are NOT based on christianity. They are actually closer to monks. Lucas himself talks about this. The jedi are not the republic. They are here to serve the people. They do NOT support slavery. Jedi do have emotions and are not taught to supress them. They are taught to control them. Because with great power comes great responsibility, and no Anakin, you cannot just murder someone because they spilled water on your favorite cape. Obi-Wan is an excellent example of a Good Jedi with fully rounded emotions. Jedi feel. They cry. They have compassion.

10. Look we all love sith and wanna see our characters fuck but. Sith are not supposed to have relationships. It is seen as a weakness and you can and will be targeted for this. Or more importantly, your loved ones can and will be targeted. Also darkside corruption is supposed to make you look like ass. I have literally never seen anything canon that does not support this. Look I'm not saying don't do any of this shit, obviously. Have fun with it. But like. Canonically? This is how they are. And I mean honestly I think that is an excellent source for RP drama.

To clarify, this is not a callout post. You guys do you. These are just my personal feelings.

[the-starless-sky]

cozmez x Akan Yatsura / “FAMILY” voice drama track 2

Part 1 | Listen through Spotify.

Reo: And? You woke up this morning and he's gone? Aren't you overreacting~?

Hokusai: It's still only afternoon...

Satsuki: Ain't he just gone to the convenience store or something? And went to the game center when he's at itー

Kanata: Haah!?

Satsuki: Don't get riled up at that!

Kanata: Nayuta won't ever do something like that! He's never went out without saying anything to me... and I can't get a hold of him too...

Satsuki, Reo & Hokusai: ...

Iori: D'ya have... an idea as to why he disappeared?

Zen: Waka...!

Kanata: Last night, we had a fight...

Satsuki: What the heck, so it was a fight.

Reo: Aah, so maybe 'cause of that he felt it hard to see you face to face? I know that feel, you guys are siblings after all!

Hokusai: Really...?

Zen: What did you guys fought about? If it's alright with you, would you please tell us?

Kanata: He told me... to go out. He told me to go out more, and meet more people. He said that'd make me stronger.

Zen: I see.

Kanata: But I don't need that...! I only need Nayuta. Even so, he...

Iori: But it doesn't seem like s'all it was.

Kanata: ...!

Iori: To ask for my help 'til ya bow yer head, something ya've never done, means there's 'nother reason, right?

Kanata: Sometime ago, right at the time we got the Paradox Live invitation, I was attacked in town. There were three of them, punks targeting my phantometal.

AKYR: Oh...

Kanata: 'Cause they were trying to lay their hands on Nayuta, I beat them to a pulp.

Satsuki: Seriously!? You're kinda strong even though you're lanky, huh!

Reo: Monkey, you're noisy.

Hokusai: Kanata, what happened next?

Kanata: That time, they probably remembered my face. If they found Nayuta when he's alone...!

Reo: You guys have the same face, so if they misunderstood, it wont be pretty...

Hokusai: Dangerous...!

Zen: I see. So that's why you came to our place.

Kanata: This kind of thing... I know that I'm not in the place to rely on you, but...!

Iori: Aight! We should help each other in times of need. Got it, y'all?

Satsuki: Yeah!

Reo: Can't be helped~! I'll help you.

Hokusai: I'll find Nayuta. I'm good at finding lost cats.

Zen: Then, let's immediately divide the work. Waka and I will stand by here. We'll gather information. Everyone else go out to town, and search.

Iori: Ooh~! Ya look the part, don'tcha, Zen~! Ya look like those police detectives on TV dramas!

Zen: Please don't poke fun at me.

Iori: OK. Sorry.

Zen: Cough. Just in case, the search team is to move in groups of two. Decide the assignment of area and get in contact as appropriate.

Reo: OK~! Then, I'm grouping with Hokusai~

Hokusai: Understood.

Satsuki: Then, Kanata's with me.

Kanata: Y-yeah...

Satsuki: Be at ease! With this Gaia-sama, fearful enough to silence a crying child, we'll find one, even two little brothers in no time!

Kanata: Y-yeah...

Zen: If something happens, immediately get in touch and wait for reinforcement. Don't force yourselves.

Reo: Roger!

Iori: Aight, let's go all out!

Everyone: Yeah!!

_

(Sounds of train passing.)

Reo: Aah, I'm tired~~! Jeez~ We've been walking around all day, my legs feel like lead!

Satsuki: You've got no stamina at all.

Reo: I mean, to top it off, Hokusai tried to ask cats...

Hokusai: If only I can speak cat language...

Reo: Kanata, how's it on your end?

Kanata: We've got nothing. We couldn't trace his steps after he got out of the apartment...

(Hokusai picks up a call.)

Hokusai: Yeah... yeah... understood.

(Hokusai hangs up.)

Hokusai: From Zen... he said they didn't get any leads too.

Reo: Eeeeeh, seriousyl!? Zen-nii's an ex-police detective but he's no good at all!

Satsuki: Don't diss Zen-nii!

Hokusai: This area isn't Big Bro's territory, so...

Satsuki: But like, it's impossible to look around this much and get nothing at all.

Reo: Siiiiigh. Then, what do we do from now on?

Satsuki: We've got choice but to continue, don't we?

Hokusai: Yeah...

(Sounds of train passing.)

(Kanata stops walking.)

Kanata: Enough already.

Satsuki: Eh?

Kanata: Enough already. I'll search by myself from now.

Reo: Haa? What the heck are you saying?

Kanata: I said, I'll go search for him by myself. You guys don't have to do anything else. Sorry for getting you all mixed into this.

Satsuki: You...!!

(Satsuki grabs Kanata by the shirt.)

Satsuki: Don't look down on our chivalry!! [1] Nayuta is your family, ain't he!? Big Bro acknowledged that and agreed to help you. Just because we searched a little and couldn't find him, there's no way we'd just say 'yes, okay' and run with tails between our legs!

Reo: He's your one and only important little brother, isn't he!

Hokusai: We'll definitely... find him.

Kanata: Eh... but...

Satsuki: No fuckin' 'buts'!! You were searching desperately, lookin' like you're gonna die, didn't you? You got us in this far, don't pretend to be tough now!!

Reo: That's right, that's right! At times like this, you should just meekly depend on us! Right, Hokusai?

Hokusai: Yeah, that's right. It's okay to depend on us.

Kanata: ...

Reo: Hey... when you came to our place, you said you investigated the Suiseki group, right?

Kanata: Yeah...

Reo: Then, you knew about the raid, didn't you?

Kanata: Yeah, just the gist of it. I heard that in just one night, the group got utterly annihilated by something.

Reo: ...would've died.

Kanata: Eh?

Reo: Me... Satsuki, and Hokusai, too. That time, if our timing shifted even a second, all of us would've died.

Kanata: ...!

Reo: A deep red sea of blood... everyone died. I couldn't save anyone. Not the boss, not my comrades...

(Sound of crows cawing.)

Reo: That's why, at that time, I swore. That I wont lose my comrades, my family, ever again.

Satsuki: ...We're family.

Kanata: Family...

Satsuki: Yeah. For ordinary people, we might just be thugs, but for us, we're family. I was always like this since I was little. I get into fights quickly, and I can't study at all. Both my parents and my teachers all gave up on me - I didn't even go to elementary school properly.

Reo: Haha. Satsuki-chan's completely an elementary school graduate, after all.

Satsuki: Shut up. Everyday, everyday, I'm always pissed. If I hit others, they'd get scared. I feel refreshed, and thought I'd rise up with these fists. At that time, Big Bro took me in. Big Bro and my comrades taught me, who was abandoned by my parents because they thought I was uncontrollable - How to use chopsticks, how to eat fish, greetings, manners, and the right way to fight... patiently, they taught me, again and again, without ever giving up. Thats why I decided that they are my family. I don't care what others say. No matter how useless they are, I won't abandon them. That's what family is.

Reo: ...Me, too. I chose my own family. My blood related family has... how to say it? Broken up, and I haven't seen them for years. I don't want to see them, either. But it's not like I hate them or anything. Papa taught me hip hop, and Mama... see, she gave me this cute face, after all.

Satsuki: You gonna say that yourself?

Reo: But you see, my family... all thought that they're the most important. They make debts that Papa couldn't pay back, lots of things happened, and my family broke up. Aha, pathetic, right?

Hokusai: Reo...

Reo: Yeah.

Hokusai: There, there.

(Hokusai pats Reo's head.)

Reo: Haha, Hokusai's so nice... Unlike a certain shitty monkey.

Satsuki: Who the fuck would pat your head, disgusting!

Hokusai: Me, too. My father is in prison. We probably won't ever meet each other outside anymore, for life.

Kanata: Eh?

Hokusai: I'm the son of a criminal. When everyone knew of it, they all left me. Only animals don't look at me with rose-colored glasses. They always stay by my side. But, Big Bro and the others were different. They treat me as Masaki Hokusai, as a different person than my father. They told me to raise my head when we walk together. To them, I'm not a shameful person, because we're family.

Kanata: Family...

Satsuki: Yeah. We're not related by blood, though.

Reo: We didn't have any other choice but to choose our own family. But, Kanata, you have Nayuta, right?

Hokusai: You have to protect... your important family.

Satsuki: Yeah! Don't look down on elementary school graduate!

Reo: Waah~ how embarrasing!

Hokusai: Fufu...

Satsuki: Wh--, Hokusai, you too?

Nayuta: Kanata?

Kanata: ...! Nayuta!!

Nayuta: What are you doing in a place like that?

Kanata: What, you ask--

Satsuki: More importantly, where'd you appear from suddenly!?

Nayuta: Kanata... these guys are Akan Yatsura's...? What are you doing together?

Kanata: You idiot! We were looking for you!!

Nayuta: Eh? "Looking"?

Kanata: Where were you all this time!?

Nayuta: Where, you ask... um, I couldn't think of a good lyric, so I went out for a walk, and then I got lost, and I was tired so I took a nap somewhere, then... What did I do next?

Satsuki: Are you a stray cat!?

Hokusai: As I thought, I have to learn cat language...

Nayuta: Haha, what? What is it? Kanata, too, making such a scary face.

Kanata: Stop messing around! How worried did you think I was!!?

Nayuta: Eh?

Kanata: Saying "go by yourself", and disappearing...

Nayuta: Eh? What?

Reo: Kanata was worried that you got kidnapped by some punks.

Satsuki: He even bowed his head to us.

Hokusai: And searched for you desperately, you know?

Nayuta: Ooh... Seriously?

Kanata: Yeah...

Nayuta: No way... but...

Kanata: Quietly disappearing like that... I won't forgive you.

Nayuta: Kanata...

Kanata: I don't have anyone else but Nayuta. Nayuta's my only family. That's why, that's why... don't ever quietly disappear... don't ever...

Nayuta: Kanata... It's okay. I'm by your side. Always, whenever, I'm always by Kanata's side.

_

(Sounds of them walking.)

Kanata: ...Sorry. I got you all to walk around a full day and you guys even treated us to food.

Reo: It's okay, it's okay. We put the tab on Big Bro, after all!

Satsuki: Raimen-tei's soo yummy, right!? Honestly, I thought that cozmez's detestable bastards with cocky music and attitude, but we actually get along, don't we?

Hokusai: Haha. Then, we'll part here.

Reo: Starting from now on, we're rivals, okay?

Satsuki: Don't get into a fight, 'kay!?

Kanata: U-uhm!

Reo: Yeah?

Kanata: If, if you guys were lied to by Suise-- no, your family, what will you do?

Reo: Lie?

Kanata: Yeah. If kept an important thing secret.

Satsuki: Ha? That's no big deal, ain't it? Even though we're family, we'd still have one or two secrets we can't say.

Reo: Like the place where Satsuki-chan hides his favorite erotic magazines~

Satsuki: HAA!?

Reo: On the floor below the closet, it's obvious!

Satsuki: You bastard-

Kanata: Not something like that! For example, if it has something to do with your lives...

Satsuki, Reo & Hokusai: ...

Hokusai: Even so... no, if so, I'd believe them.

Kanata: Believe?

Hokusai: If so, it's kept a secret to protect us. A lie to protect your family. I won't doubt it.

Kanata: ...!

Satsuki: Yeah, that's right! I'm satisfied if I had to put my life on the line for Big Bro.

Reo: Me too, when I decided to follow Big Bro, I've prepared myself, after all.

Satsuki: Right? Don't look down on our chivalry!

Hokusai: Yeah.

Reo: Well, that's that, so...

Satsuki: See ya! The next time we meet, it'd be on the stage.

Hokusai: We won't lose.

Reo: Prepare yourselves, okay~?

(Satsuki, Reo & Hokusai walks away.)

Kanata: Ah.

Nayuta: What's wrong, Kanata?

Kanata: I missed the chance to say thank you to them.

Nayuta: Hahaha...

Kanata: What?

Nayuta: You made friends.

Kanata: Ha!?

Nayuta: It means, you have people other than me that you'd say 'thank you' to.

Kanata: That's...

Nayuta: Kanata. Kanata, you can change. You can get more, way stronger than you are now.

Kanata: That's why I said that's...

Nayuta: I'm with you. "If the two of us are together, we're the strongest", right?

Kanata: ...Yeah. If the two of us are together, we're the strongest.

_

Iori: That so? Good that y'all managed to find him. Yeah, good job.

(Iori hangs up.)

Zen: Did they find Nayuta-kun?

Iori: Yeah.

Zen: The only thing we can do is to watch over them. It feels kind of vexing, isn't it?

Iori: Yer right, but cozmez's a strong opponent. Can't let our guards down on the next live.

Zen: Of course, I will go all out! I have no intention to lose!

Iori: Yeah! Becoming of Akan Yatsura, let's go merrily an' flashily!

_

Notes

1] As in the spirit of helping the weak and fighting the strong, generosity, heroism - usually a term used by the yakuza.

[artemisunicorn]

Naruto Shippuden Openings Ranked

Aight y'all, I said I would do this months ago, so here we are.

Just like my last ranking post, I have no real reasons as to why I like this OP over that one. They're just poor reasons and explanations that I'll probably change my mind about after posting.

But yeah, this is gonna be a long post, so let's get to it.

Also just a disclaimer- I had a very difficult time ranking the openings, especially at the bottom. Just note that I like and enjoy every OP except one.

Actual ranking is below the cut because yay I can use my laptop to make posts now :D

Number 20 - Tsuki no Ookisa - OP 14

I always thought this was called “Size of the Moon” or something like that

This OP

Oh boy

I used to just hate this one with a passion

And I still do!

Okay not literally, but it’s still my least favorite

I see what they were going for

Red, black and white vibes

It’s….okay?

And the song

Yeeesh

It just doesn’t make me feel anything but the huge urge to skip it

I’m so sorry if you really like this OP but goodness I really don’t like it

It’s one of the only ones I don’t like vs don’t mind

I will say

The end though?

Where its showing the freeze frames of everyone

That looks great

Itachi at the beginning looks great

It definitely has its moments, but just not enough to make me really enjoy it

Number 19 - Hotaru no Hikari - OP 5

Or as I like to call it

SHA LA LA-

I already know y'all but to come for me on this one I'm sorry

This opening is,,,okay…

Now that I’ve seen all of them, I kinda have this bias of “I know what the next opening is and that’s a whole BANGER” so I kinda sleep on this one

But its not bad

I always love the Naruto and Sasuke parallel shots

Just not up there for me

Number 18 - Guren - OP 15

Another OP I lowkey just disregard after watching all of them because we all know what follows this one

But it’s not bad at all

I love the split screens

And then it all comes together

Kakashi and Obito’s split screen looks amazing

Actually, all of their shots look amazing

The song goes well with the visuals

I love the colors they used

Seeing Madara is always a treat

The shot of the hokage is good

But uhhh

Yeah that’s about all I got

Number 17 - Newsong - OP 10

Don't kill me plez

A lot of people don’t like this OP

I can see where they’re coming from

But it's goofy and wacky, and honestly not so bad

It ain’t nowhere near top tier, but I can enjoy it more times than not

The part where they’re running and do a lil jump

That took me out when I first saw it

The animation is supposed to accompany the wacky feel, and I feel that the animators had a lot of fun with this one

Overall, I don’t dislike this OP like most

I actually like it

But admittedly, it’s not strong

It’s very cute tho

It makes me smile

That team jutsu though

What the hell

I don’t know how I feel bout that

Also B falling

That was a nice addition

Also also Sasuke refused to be a part of this wacky ass OP which I love

Number 16 - Niwaka Ame ni mo Makezu - OP 13

This OP is fine

It doesn’t really do anything for me until the 5 Kage are shown fighting Madara

Which looks great by the way

But also gives me storm 3 war flashbacks

It’s pretty overall

Like all the parts with Naruto look really good

The individual shots of the 5 Kage and Sasuke are meh

I don’t really care for that part

Overall, ehhh

Number 15 - Moshimo - OP 12

I’m not gonna lie

I totally forgot about this OP

It’s fine

Nothing really excites me

I do like 2 parts though

Where Ay tries to punch Minato and he gets out of the way to fist bump baby B

And when Naruto is in the middle and it zooms out to show Kushina and Minato behind him

The song is good

Overall, okay opening

I was torn over whether to put this one above or below OP 13, but I decided above because I like the ending part more

Number 14 - Toumei Datta Sekai - OP 7

Another OP I really slept on

A lot of people really adore this one but I just don't see it??

It takes a second to kick off

It really only gets started for real when we see Pain and the trio’s flashbacks

After that, it’s pretty good

The music picks up, the visuals start getting quite interesting

And that Pain v Naruto moment where they just stare at each other and it shows both faces

Looks amazing

And of course, Kakashi brings some spice into the mix

It’s always a great time when we can see him in action

Makes me wish we got the girls v Konan though

But yeah, the shot with Naruto falling in

From then on, it's incredible

Number 13 - LINE - OP 18

From here on, these OPs are just the ones I love

This OP is a major breather

The song is very slow and nice

Visually, I love the choice in focusing on one thing at a time

Once character at a time

It looks very nice

The little destiny shard flying around

And I love how there’s variants in who interacts with the shard at the very end

My favorite is Itachi because he gives the shard to us and I’m not crying you are

It’s really pretty too

Not much to say here

I just really like it

It’s not top tier, but it’s a great OP nonetheless

Number 12 - Closer - OP 4

THAT SHOT AT THE BEGINNING

Where everyone is looking back

I absolutely love it

I absolutely must know if the budget was actually blown on Hidan spinning his scythe

The shot looks great though

Another vibe kinda opening

The ending is so cute with Naruto jumping in the air

they did that to cover the gaping hole in our hearts

ASUMA WHY

Also I completely forgot there was a second version until I saw it while pulling up the link

First version is better

Number 11 - Lovers - OP 9

That beginning part with the camera cutting and focusing on the three

Yeah that right there is great

And the explosion behind Killer B

Love that shit

They really went all out for the aesthetic kinda look

And it really pays off because the OP looks very very good

The song is pretty good too

But I probably wouldn’t listen to it outside of what’s in the OP

Every shot with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura on the divide is really good

Number 10 - Blood Circulator - OP 19

Ah the top 10

Another song that is hype asf

I honestly prefer the third version with Naruto and Sasuke

But even still, this OP is pretty great

It’s a lot better visually in the second version because there’s not a lot of lingering shots

I love the shots of Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Itachi and Iruka

But I also love that the whole first version is summed up in no time in the second and we move onto better shots

But the third version is the best visually

With the fights and flashbacks

And the ending with Sasuke staring and Naruto crying and then they fight

That rasengan is great

But even still, all versions look pretty good

I really don’t have that much to say about this one

I enjoy it quite a lot

Number 9 - Hero’s Come Back!! - OP 1

Everybody and they mama be dancing to this I swear

It’s a bop and a half

Honestly what a great way to start the series

I’m bopping every time it comes on

And that shot of Gaara holding out his hand before he don’t feel so good

My heart

I mean, what else can I say about this one

It’s just great

3..2..1 MAKE SOME NOISE

Number 8 - Totsugeki Rock - OP 11

First things first

THE SONG????

IT’S A WHOLE BOP

EVERY TIME I HEAR IT

I GET SO HYPE

Naruto’s face at the beginning caught me off guard the first time I saw it

Visually, this OP isn’t bad at all

I actually really enjoy this OP a lot

It makes me dance and headbang lmao

I would say the song carries this one, but nah

The visuals really go well with the song

I really don’t have much to say about this one

It really is just so fun and hype

And I really love it

Number 7 - Kaze - OP 17

This OP is very pretty

It’s another one I slept on

It’s animated so well

All of the freeze frames we see are stunning

And it’s animated very well

Also long Kakashi segments always get extra points from me

And this one is gorgeous so even more points

I love the kinda traditional style they were aiming for with the textures

The cuts to the hand signs are good too

Also in sync with the music which y’all know I love

The aesthetics in general are just so lovely

NIGHT GUY YESSSS

HE LOOK AMAZING IN THIS STYLE

This OP has some of the best visuals in all of the OPs

I can’t even express how beautiful it looks

And seeing Minato and Rin slowly fade by as Obito falls and Kaguya is revealed

So good

The song goes well with the visuals too

The song in general slaps

Overall, very good

Number 6 - Distance - OP 2

YOU ARE MY FRIEND

Okay SUE ME, I’M A BITCH FOR DISTANCE OKAY

I just love this mcfuckin opening so much

It caught my attention when I first started watching Shippuden

And it’s very pleasing to look at

Also that “Thank you my friend”

Hits me every time

And overall it’s a vibe kinda opening

The walking scenes are the best

Not a lot going on on the eyes, but it still looks really good

Honestly, it’s probably my favorite OP, but it’s not the best OP

And I’m a sucker for the emotions

And this OP brings it hard

It’s definitely ranked higher than most would put it, but I can only put it so low

I love this OP so much

Number 5 - Karano Kokoro - OP 20

Holy fuck

This OP

Damn near brings me to tears every time

This OP was,,,,well,,the end

This was the conclusion of the story

And my goodness y’all

It still hits me in the feels

The visuals with this one carry it on home

It hits hard seeing everyone growing up

Let’s talk about the visuals shall we

Starting right from the beginning

Shikamaru just sitting as the music comes in

By the way, the music fits so well with everything

But yeah, seeing him just look up with this soft music just warming your heart

And then it cuts to the shogi board so we know exactly what he’s thinking about

Then to Sasuke

Sasuke

With everything that’s happened with him, just seeing him be able to just breathe

It’s everything y’all

And then we get to see Naruto’s stone face up there with the rest of the hokage and then to this lovely vibe

Naruto and Sasuke doing the hand sign that saved the world

"Tell me the story of your life"

That shit right there

They knew what they were doing when they chose this song y'all

InoShikaCho eating some barbeque

Kiba being loved to death by Akamaru and Hinata smiling

Do y’all see why this just makes me so happy yet?

Free Kakashi points

The shot of Naruto as hokage

That part got me good when I first saw it

And even a little now

Lee, TenTen, and Temari showing that they’ve still got it

The zoom in on InoShikaCho to Ino saving Sai

THE WHOLE EVOLUTION OF NARUTO AND SASUKE

THE HIGH FIVE

THE P I C T U R E

HOW ARE Y’ALL NOT CRYING

The story has finally come full circle

And there's finally peace

It’s just overwhelming happiness

I really love this OP so much

Number 4 - Blue Bird - OP 3

HABATAITARA MODORANAI TO ITTE

Blue Bird slaps

Visually, it’s absolutely incredible

Like that one part

Y’all know that part I’m talking about

Where Sasuke and Naruto do that parallel switch

*chefs kiss*

It’s just so good

AND THAT’S ONLY ONE PART

THE WHOLE THING IS JUST SO PERFECT

AND IT REALLY GOES SO WELL WITH THE SONG

Y’all better know by now how much I love the visuals synced with the music

And this song delivers on that

I know I have so much to say about this one, but I’m not gonna remember to say it until after I post

I prefer the second version (even though it’s just the same animation from Closer)

MEZASHITA NO WA

AOI AOI ANO SORA

Number 3 - Diver - OP 8

Let me get this out of the way

I LOVE Diver

It’s another OP that just always got my attention from the get go

They really calmed down with the visuals on this one

Instead opting to have the very pleasing gentle visuals that match so well with the song

And then he gets blasted out of the water and it gets SO GOOD UGH

All the hidden gems you don’t recognize until you rewatch it after seeing everything come together

I love that

And then Sasuke coming in to get all up in Naruto’s personal space just to fuckin chidori the shit out of him

It’s quite sad

But then his friends just lift him up

My heart

Then he wastes no time just rushing in to save Sasuke in the same 30 seconds as when Sasuke attacked him

It really shows his character

But also it was a whole direct reference to how Sasuke was looking over him back when he first left in the rain

That’s the subtle little hidden gems I love to see

Also the music just slaps so hard???

Like hello??

Who told y’all to make something so good????

And did I mention that I just love the visuals??

Number 2 - Sign - OP 6

EVERYBODY SHUT UP THIS IS MY SHIT

I REALIZE THE SCREAMING PAIN

HEARING LOUD IN MY BRAIN

BUT I’M GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD WITH THE SCAR

*drums going ham and guitar absolute shredding*

CAN YOU HEAR ME

CAN YOU HEAR ME

CAN YOU HEAR ME

SO AM IIIIIIIIIII

Okay now that that’s out of the way,,

THIS SONG FUCKING GOES HARD Y’ALL

IT’S SO HYPE

I am ashamed to admit that I used to sleep on this OP

Wait….

Both Sign and Silhouette have people turning to look at the camera-

And they’re both so good…

Dare I say…

Is this a….SIGN

I’ll leave now..

The opening part with Jiraiya and Naruto and then Sasuke and Itachi

My heart y’all please

AND THEN THE CHORUS

AND THE VISUALS

Y’ALLLL

ALL THE SHIT WAS GOING DOWN IN THIS ARC

AND THE VISUALS STILL GET ME HYPED TO THIS DAY

EVERY MOMENT IS JUST GREAT

There really isn’t a single second where I wanna look away

I can’t gush about this OP enough y’all

It’s so damn good

Also y’all know I gotta mention the hair whip

I’ve never felt pain like I did for Jiraiya and Itachi

It still hurts

But the OP

It’s just amazing

It still gives me goosebumps

UGH OKAY OKAY I’M DONE GUSHING

OR ELSE I’LL GO ON FOREVER

OKAY ONE MORE THING

But as I’m rewatching all of the OPs for this, I just fell all the way in love with the show again because of this OP

Number 1 - Silhouette - OP 16

Speaking of silhouette

We all been knew

From the get go, it’s just a blast

The song and visuals are a match made in heaven

Oh, and don’t think I won’t be gushing about them individually

Firstly

The song

KANA-BOON need to chill bruh

This song is SO GOOD

A BANGER

A BOP

WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT

THEY WENT TOO HARD ON THIS SONG

I DON’T UNDERSTAND

AND THE LOOK OF THE OP???

STARTING WITH EVERYONE TURNING TO THE CAMERA ONLY FOR OBITO TO SHATTER IT WITH HIS LOOK

TO THE WHOLE SERIES RECAP UP TO THAT MOMENT

IT’S AMAZING

I CAN’T EVEN PUT IT INTO WORDS Y’ALL

The colors pop

It’s so pleasing to the eye

All of the transitions and smooth animations

Like Obito and Madara aging up (and down)

The quick flash of baby Kakashi and baby Obito before we even see Madara’s aging transitions

Y’all know I love the camera focus/glitch effect and it’s used a lot here

Naruto’s aging up while running

The switch between the static look to the smooth look

And the pencil drawn kinda look

They really went so hard on this OP

MADARA’S BREAKDANCE MOVES AND FLIPS?!?!??!

Everyone getting the cloak

That shot of Rin spinning in time with the music

ALL OF THE FAST CUTS OF WHAT’S TO COME AS THE GUITAR FINISHES UP THE SONG

Everything is always synced perfectly with the music and it really just makes it so much better

Especially because the song is so fast paced

To match up the visuals with individual words and not just full measures or half measures

Like just one example

Obito walking and him aging up

All synced with the music

Y’all

I can go on about this opening FOREVER

It’s a true masterpiece

Right, well that's my ranking. Took many hours but I'm pretty happy with it for now.

My ranking will be completely new by tomorrow morning

But yeah please hit me up if you disagree/agree with the ranking. I love discussing these kinds of things with people!

This is starting to sound like a youtube outro

Also unfortunately no gifs to make the post pretty this time ;-; I'm having technical difficulties.

[erdediekatze]

Since the first part was so well recieved-

Hell Let Loose Outlast Edition Part 2

(Part 1: https://erdediekatze.tumblr.com/post/635912372919336960/that-moment-when-you-watch-one-of-your-favourite)

Blaire: "Aight, hold position! ...Here they come again!"

*artillery fire killing the rest of the team for the second time*

Blaire: *doubles over, bursting out laughing shrilly and hitting the table with his fist*

"...I'll hold the position, I'll hold the position!"

*seconds later artillery fire basically makes his avatar explode in a gory cloud*

Trager: "JESUS TITS SUCKING CHRIST!"

Blaire: "...I only see this foot flying..." *chuckles*

Blaire: "There's a tank, over there in the mist! Put up the ATG! Put it up, quick!

Waylon: "Yes... But-"

Blaire: "Put the thing up!"

Waylon: "...I- I can't! It's-"

Blaire: "Then open field! Open field, go! Further forwards, go! It's smoked, all's safe."

Waylon: *moves out and gets a headshot seconds later*

Blaire: *bursts out laughing*

Trager: "So... My buddy Waylon Park, just a moment..." *aims with a smoke grenade, then throws it at the head of some random soldier who stands in the way* "Whoops- Right at his noggin!"

Blaire: "Hang on, Park, we're with you in a moment! ...And then you'll put the ATG up right away!"

Waylon: "I haven't- I got... I can't!"

Blaire: "Provisions! Uh- Eddie! Ah no, damn it. Well then I'll spawn as the provisions guy! ...Rick, shoot me!"

Trager: "Ya sure?"

Blaire: "Yes, do it!"

Waylon: *now healed, comes running up from behind and shoots Blaire*

Trager: "Thanks, Park!" *looks closer at Jeremys dead avatar doing half a T-pose* "...He's dabbing!"

Blaire: "Right! GLUSKIN, PARK, MAN THE ATG! I marked the spot! AND- FIRE!!"

*ATG fires*

Blaire: "...a little ways over it, that was too high!" *marks the new spot*

Waylon: "Fire in the hole!"

*ATG fires*

Blaire: "...A HIT! AGAIN! FIRE!!"

*ATG fires*

Blaire: "Again!"

Waylon: "Behind the tank, there's people behind it!"

Blaire: "Yeah yeah, I got it!" *shoots at them*

*a plane passes over them with a roar*

Blaire: "Uh-oh. Keep firing! *shoots at the tank* ...Sweet! I think its scrap! More to the left! Aim at the people to the left there! *marks the spot*

Waylon: "It's gone!"

*another plane passes*

Blaire: Oh dear... ARTILLERY FIRE! ...Can we move that thing?!"

Waylon: *running to the ATG* "I could dismantle it!"

Blaire: "Then build the same thing again, the same thing on the field, Trager, do a smoke!"

Trager: "Where to?!"

Blaire: "THE FIE-" *is hit and killed by the artillery* "Uuurgggh! ...Hehehe..."

Blaire: *is back in the game since a few seconds*

"...Gluskin, put the garrison up!"

*gets blown up again*

"...YOU CAN'T BE FUCKING SERI-"

Trager: *snorts with laughter* "...You win some, you loose some, Jer!"

Waylon: *chuckling* "...You only hear Blaire cursing up a storm in the background..."

Blaire: "So boys and girls, we're back again! Up and at 'em!"

Waylon: "There is a marker for infantry!"

Blaire: "Then we will put up the ATG here and shoot at the symbol! Rick, throw a smoke next to that tank! ...Now, Mister Gluskin, where that smoke is, build the ATG there now!"

Eddie: "Alright. Cover me!" *runs into the smoke cloud*

Blaire: "Will do. Pump a few rounds into the mist, guys! Right in!"

Eddie: "But don't hit me!"

Blaire: "We wont! ...Gluskin, squat down, would you, you monkey brood!"

Waylon: "Reload!"

Blaire: "Reloading!!" *changes the mag*

Waylon: "One after the other; who's shooting first?"

Trager: *fires a shot*

Waylon: "...Trager shoots first!"

Blaire: *pauses suddenly and listens*

"...He's singing."

Eddie: *merrily building the ATG* "I want a girl... just...like the girl... that married... dear ol' dad..."

Blaire: "Whatever, Waylon, go and help him!"

Waylon: "Yes, Sir! On my way!"

Blaire: "Aim! ...Trager, move out! So, I'll go see where they are!" *runs to the ATG*

"Right, guys. They're- We'll just shoot into the house!" *marks the spot* "Heat up the parlor a little, go!"

*ATG fires*

Blaire: "...That's what I'm talking about, reload!"

Waylon: "Reloaded!"

*ATG fires*

Blaire: "And now... A little more to the right over there!" *marks the spot*

Waylon: "Reloaded!"

Blaire: "Rick, move out! To over there!"

Trager: "Understood!"

Blaire: "Move it, move it, move it!"

Eddie: "Fire!"

Blaire: "Alright, hold the position, I'll radio you where you'll have to shoot!" *moves across the open field after Trager*

"Boy oh boy... The things going on around here... It's war..."

*artillery fire rages all around, a plane passes overhead*

Trager: *gets mowed down* "WUAAAaaagh-"

Blaire: "Shoot there!" *marks a spot behind Trager, then gets killed as well*

"...Shit. Alright, we got four tanks and they've done jack! That's going to change!"

Blaire: *runs up to one tank across the field*

"So! You there in the W.A.L.R.I.D.E.R.! 'Upshur'! Move forward, cover us, we're right behind you! DRIVE!"

*the tank swerves to the left*

Blaire: "No, not that way, in the direction of the city! ...Yes, go slower! ...Nice! Now, everyone, follow him!! We'll storm the hut!! GLUSKIN, MOVE OUT, INTO THE HOUSE, GO, GO!"

*the tank fires*

Blaire: "Heeuuuuurgh! ...Did Upshur just kill us all?!"

Waylon: "...Yo."

Trager: "Positive."

Blaire: "The W.A.L.R.I.D.E.R. shot against the house and killed us all." *chuckles*

Eddie: "...But he did just write 'Sorry'."

(And another, seperate one: https://erdediekatze.tumblr.com/post/637677743976366080/just-checking-did-yall-not-come-across-this-yet)