#and even if they are beyond horrible (which I doubt will happen) they should not be the ones you bitch at

[alexiroflife]

"phobia"

i literally can't stop writing for this mf, flufffff :(

satoru gojo x reader

Synopsis: you are an incredibly talented sorcerer, but your deadly fear of spiders tends to interfere with your daily life every now and then. it doesn't help when you happen to encounter a curse that looks just like one

to sum it up: satoru is always there for you to kill a spider when you need him to

WC: 2,764

Warning(s): arachnophobia, icky spiders

The burden of a Jujutsu Sorcerer was taxing beyond comprehension, which of course was why it paid so well.

Sorcerers were expected to give their lives each day within the battlefield, watching as their comrades and the people they were expected to protect die left and right at the hands of the morbid amalgamations of human beings’ worst possible fears, anxieties, doubts, and other nasty negative emotions.

To be a sorcerer was to sacrifice oneself, to accept death before it inevitably took its toll on those around you, and then eventually, on you yourself. This was why sorcerers were expected and trained to be strong, fierce, and with perhaps a few screws loose in their heads to allow them to plow full force into danger with no fears and no regrets. 

Sorcerers were meant to be fearless.

And in many ways, you truly were. You were a first grade sorcerer, more than capable of handling yourself in the face of adversity. You were proficient, quick on your feet, merciless when you had to be, and above all, you were confident in your abilities, which was just as important of a trait to have as a sorcerer as courageousness. 

You were a proud woman, content that you could put your skills to good use by aiding those who were weak and helpless, by saving as many lives as you could alongside your colleagues at Jujutsu Tech. 

You were a damn good sorcerer too, only, there remained a small matter that often seemed to creep up on you at the worst of times. Something you had tried desperately to overcome through years of training, therapy, private meetings with Yaga, and more. Something that had been clinging to you since the very moment you were born, and something you were still somehow unable to completely escape well into your twenty-sixth year of life. 

And that was your deathly fear of spiders.

You admitted that it was silly, that to have made it this far within the world of sorcery after having encountered more horrors than most people could imagine, a little fear of spiders was completely absurd. You knew it didn’t make any sense, that this fear of yours was beneath you, but that didn’t stop you from shrieking horribly and seeking shelter each time you saw a spider crawling along the wall of your apartment. 

You knew that you should have had more patience with yourself, for there was no way of conquering a fear if you refused to acknowledge it as valid, but come on. You were a grade 1 sorcerer for god’s sake, a professor at Jujutsu High teaching students to cast their fears aside to focus their emotions and energies into properly honing in on their techniques, yet you still couldn’t get over being squeamish any time you saw those little demons hurdling their way over the earth. 

In your mind, they were far worse than curses, a source of terror that must have been executed. 

Nevertheless, you kept your fears to yourself for the sake of your occupation and reputation. The only person who knew anything about this vulnerability of yours was your boyfriend, Satoru, and even he found it funny at times to tease you about such a small thing in a world plagued by monsters and curse-users. He had seen you slice open a curse all the way down the middle of its body with a blank face, blood spattering in all directions, but spiders were what got you. 

While he poked fun, he still harbored an understanding that beneath the hardened exterior sorcerers were forced to put up, you were all born of flesh and blood just as any other living being on this planet. 

Satoru was quick to rush to your apartment whenever you called him screaming, standing atop your bed and jumping up and down on your cushions in fear upon catching sight of one of those nasty things. He would throw your door open, catch you in your rather comical position, and hold back a fit of laughter upon seeing you.

“SATORU, SHUT UP AND JUST KILL IT! PLEASE!”

“Calm down, pretty, it’s not gonna hurt you,” he would say, a sickening smirk gracing his gorgeous features. “You’ve faced much worse things than this.”

“I don’t care!” you’d sob. “Just kill it please!”

And once he was finished picking on you, he’d hurry to your aid, approaching the bug in the corner and flicking his finger, rendering the creature dead. 

Then afterwards, he’d always hold out his arms for you to jump down into them once you determined it was safe, cooing into your ear as you threw your arms and legs around him, his hand holding your head. 

“You were so brave, baby. Good job, you got through it.”

It was humbling, to say the least, for the strongest to witness you in such a weak state, but despite Satoru’s teasing, he still took you very seriously. He didn’t diminish your strengths or your worths because of a simple fear. Hell, he had fears that he had buried deep within his gut that only you could drag out of him, and that was okay. Satoru poked fun, but he never judged his precious girl for feeling. 

After all, he enjoyed the fact that you were comfortable enough to let him see you in such a light after long days of having to be strong, just like him. He liked that he could help you with this one thing, even if it meant teleporting into your room at two in the morning on a work day. As long as he was taking care of you, he didn’t care less what you needed. When you needed him, he would be at your aid within a heartbeat. 

And in this moment, you really, really did need him.

Yaga had sent you on a quick solo mission to eradicate a few low grade curses at a nearby summer camp facility while most of the other sorcerers were busy with training or on leave for other missions. It was a quick and easy task for you, granted that your grade was much higher than those of the curses you would be exorcizing.

Only, what Yaga failed to inform you, and likely did not know or care about, was that one of these particular curses was unlike the rest. While you easily winded through the three other creatures, the very last one at the end of the corridor caught you by surprise. 

Your face was hardened as you whipped your head around, sensing the presence of the last curse within the space. Once your eyes landed on the source of the cursed energy, however, your face dropped and your eyes shrank in terror.

There before you cowered a three foot tall dark purple curse which took an arachnoid shape, with an array of beady red eyes atop its head and eight hair legs digging into the wood of the floorboards. Your heart dropped and your mouth ran dry, your body freezing in its tracks. You couldn’t move, you couldn’t think, you couldn’t do anything. Of all the first grade curses you had come across in your lifetime, this grade 3 creature would be the very first thing that stood between you and seeing the light of day.

The curse hissed, chattering its chelicerae-like mouth as its legs tapped restlessly against the floor, sending a horrid shiver up your spine. You were stronger than this, braver than this, you knew you were, but your legs had gone to jelly and your heart was pounding in your ears. Perhaps if you had been given a warning ahead of time. you would have been able to approach this threat differently, but instead, much to your shame, you took off in the opposite direction once your legs willed you to move. 

You could hear it crawling after you down the hall, screeching out nonsensical sounds as it rounded the corner to follow you. You were quick to duck into the first room you saw, slamming the door shut behind you and pressing your back against the surface. You searched the room in a panic, which you discovered to be a dorm, and ran to take cover in a closet in the corner.

You trembled, sinking down to the bottom of the platform as heavy, panicked breaths wracked your body. This was pathetic. This was humiliating. You were better than this, but god, this fear, those damned spiders would always get the best of you, despite how hard you tried to help it. 

You were trembling, squeezing your eyes shut as whimpers spilled from your quivering lips. That thing was so big, bigger than any spider you had encountered, and while you understood it was a curse, it looked far too real. 

You didn’t know what to do. You had to finish this mission, and the principal wouldn’t accept a sorry excuse about you being too afraid to exorcize a curse because it looked like a spider for an answer as to why you would come running back to the school. It sounded ridiculous! Especially for someone with your skill. 

You could hear the creature running up and down the halls erratically, its gross legs clicking against the walls. You pressed your lips together tightly, wrapping your arms around yourself. You wanted this to stop.

Hesitantly, you reached into the pocket of your uniform to shakily pull out your phone. You breathed out heavily, on the verge of a panic attack, trembling fingers dialing your boyfriend’s number with his. You lifted the phone to your ear and listened to it ring.

Then it clicked.

“Hello? Baby?” Satoru’s comforting voice spoke into the phone, a sigh of relief escaping you. “What’s up? You done with that little mission yet?”

“S-Satoru?” you whispered, voice trembling harshly. Immediately, the sorcerer on the other line knew something was off.

“(Y/n)? What’s wrong?” his tone dropped with urgency. “What happened? Are you okay?”

You pursed your lips again, muffling a pathetic sob that was prepared to break past your mouth. You scrunched your eyes closed, the confined space doing very little to ease your nerves. Satoru could only hear the choked whines that left you, and he was on his feet, captured with instant worry. 

“Baby, talk to me. I need to know you’re okay. Tell me what happened. Where are you?”

“T-The…” you stammered, struggling to get it out.

“Deep breaths, pretty. Breathe.”

You gulped, knocking your head back against the wood, taking a moment to release a few sharp breaths. “The camp,” you managed to whimper. 

“You’re still there?” he asked, almost incredulously. “Did something happen? Were the curses higher grades than you were told? I’m on my way right now.”

“No, i-it’s,” you shook, pressing your phone to your forehead. “It’s- a s-spider…”

There was a pause as Satoru processed what you were saying. “A spider?” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

“The last curse,” you exhaled. “It’s a spider, Toru, it looks like a damn big ass spider,” you rambled. “I’m so scared, I'm sorry, please come help me.”

“Oh, baby,” he sighed. “I’m coming, don’t worry. Stay where you are, I’ll find you.”

You nodded rapidly, scrunching your face as tears pricked your eyes. “M-kay.”

You tucked your phone away and within exactly two seconds, you heard a whooshing sound from outside, followed by the screech of the curse. You heard its legs clatter along the walls once more before another tormented, animalistic cry, and then there was nothing. 

You waited silently, hugging your knees to your chest as footsteps ascended. “(Y/n)?!” you heard Satoru’s voice through the walls, and your shoulders slumped with alleviation. You heard the door to the room open and you slowly reached up to the closet door handle, creaking it open to peer outside.

There, you saw your boyfriend standing in the doorway, gaze finally landing on you beneath his blindfold. The moment he saw you, he dropped his arms, pained by the sight of you curled up in hiding out of fear. “(Y/n),” his gentle voice breathed out as he stepped further into the room, extending his arms in that same manner he always did when comforting you.

The second you saw the motion, you were breaking. The reality of your weakness came crashing down on you, and your lips wobbled as you climbed out of the closet and fell into his warm embrace. You shook against him, embarrassed, petrified. You were the partner of the strongest sorcerer of the modern age, and this was what you were. Powerless at the will of a low grade curse.

“It’s alright, baby, I’m here. Please don’t cry, pretty. It’s okay, I got you,” he murmured against your temple, pressing his soft lips to it then to the crown of your head as you buried your face in his chest. 

“Satoru,” you sniffled into him, clinging to the fabric of his black suit as he wrapped you into his warmth.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” 

“I-Is it gone?”

“Yeah, baby. I got rid of it. It’s all gone, don’t worry,” he whispered. He hated seeing you like this. Normally when you faced spiders, the interaction was far more lighthearted. You would screech, sure, but you had always recovered fairly quickly after he had killed one. Granted, you had never encountered a spider as big as the one that you just saw, but Satoru was aching upon  witnessing how rattled you were by this thing. “You got the rest of them, baby. You did so good, you know that? My strong girl.”

He was so loving with his praise as he eased you down from your high, rubbing your hair and pressing his palm to your waist, letting you know that you were safe with him. 

“M’sorry,” you mumbled into him and he looked down, pulling away slightly to hear you better and to get a look at your face. He tilted your chin up so that you could look at him, your eyes glossy and your brows pinched.

“What are you sorry for, pretty?” he asked you genuinely, heart clenching as he smoothed his thumb over your flushed cheek. 

“Cause,” you sniffed again. “I should’ve been able to handle this. It’s so stupid. I dragged you here to get rid of something so small.”

“Hey,” he said with firm tenderness, holding your cheek so that your eyes stayed on his. “Don’t do that.”

“B-But, I should be able to-”

“Stop. I won’t listen to you beat on yourself for being afraid,” he shook his head. “You’re so strong, (Y/n). You always have been, but we all have our weaknesses and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Says you,” you muttered, guilt catching your eyes. “You’re the strongest.”

“And you know better than anyone that that’s just a title,” Satoru said earnestly. “Yes there’s truth to it, but none of that takes away from the things that keep me up at night. Just like your grade doesn’t take away your fears.”

He traced the curve of your jaw softly, lifting his free hand to remove his blindfold and tuck it into his pocket. You watched as his white hair fell over his face and his sapphire eyes washed over you, displaying his loving, concerned, understanding gaze. 

“But that doesn’t mean we’re not strong. It’s okay to be scared as long as you know I’m here to help you, and as long as I know you’re here to help me.”

You could feel a lump building in your throat as he gazed at you and he curled his brows, jutting out his bottom lip slightly. 

“Don’t look at me like that, princess, you’ll make me cry,” he said, catching your face in both of his large palms as your hands moved to delicately hold his wrists. “C’mere, baby,” he whispered, drawing your forehead to his lips. The sorcerer then kissed the bridge of your nose and the edge of your brow before letting you fall back into him, wrapping your arms tightly around his torso as he held you close.

You melted into him and closed your eyes. “Love you, Satoru,” you murmured into him.

He kissed your head again, resting his cheek atop you. “I love you, too, (Y/n). Let’s get you home and all cleaned up, yeah?”

You nodded against him, thankful to the universe that the man you loved made being vulnerable feel like a gentle, welcoming, consuming form of unconditional love. 

But, fuck, did you hate spiders.

[luvfy0dor]

Hiii can I request teen reader who didn’t know their dad (fyodor) was a terrorist so now they avoid him like the plague with no explanation

“Beyond Terror in the Nightfall ♡” Fyodor Dostoevsky w/ Child!Reader ੈ✩‧₊˚

Warnings; mentions of blood, murder, and terrorism, loosely proofread

Description; Fyodor decides you're old enough to learn about his job, and your reaction certainly isn't ideal

A/n; There's explanation here because I forgor that you said you wanted none so I'm so sorry 😭 I hope it's still good, I got really sad writing this for whatever reason. Also, f/n is friends name

• Fyodor would go through extreme lengths to keep his occupation to himself and out of your knowledge, so if you're finding out you're gonna find out because he wants you too.

• I think the most likely way is spotting blood on his usually pristine white outfit and being prompted to further investigate.

ೃ⁀➷

The only thing your father would ever tell you about his job was that he worked with tech and computers, which you didn't doubt because of his home-office space that he spent a solid amount of time in. It never explained the long trips away, though. It made you sad to see your father always away, but he did call you every night to remind you that he loves you no matter how far away he is, and it would turn your frown momentarily upside down.

One evening, you ate dinner at the dining table with your dad. Your conversation revolved around the usual things, school, upcoming events, your interests, etc. Fyodor had his usual soft and small smile on his face while listening to you talk. His head rested on his hands while his raven colored bangs fell in his face. Upon concluding the dinner, Fyodor took your dishes and brought them to the sink. "Ah, malyshka, could you start my laundry for me?" He calls over his shoulder. "Yeah, I'll do it right now." You respond, heading to his room to grab his laundry basket, immediately spotting his bloodied and previously completely white pants. You immediately felt worried for your father, taking the pants and bringing them back upstairs. "Papa, are you alright? What happened to your pants? Should I bleach them?" You asked with concern.

Fyodor sighed and paused his task of doing the dishes, turning to you after turning off the sink. "You should bleach them, but do not worry, it's not my blood." He says, his eyes flickering from the pants to your face. Your eyebrows furrowed and you just stared at the pants for a minute before dropping them. Fyodor sighed and watched the pants fall to the ground. "Sweetheart, you're only going to get them dirtier." He said with a chuckle, trying to lighten your mood a little bit. "Who's blood is it then?" You questioned him, your eyes wide with inquiry. He exhales and puts a hand on your shoulder. "Y/n, it's the blood of a man I've killed. You're old enough to know about my real occupation now, and I'd rather not leave you in the dark. You cannot tell anyone about this." He says, looking at you with a serious face. You felt as though you were in shock, trying to tear yourself out of your dissociation that had occured the moment you heard his words. You were successful enough to utter "No, Papa, that's not a funny joke."

You knew just as well as the next person that he wasn't joking, he was far too serious to joke with you about such a horrible thing. The disbelief made it seem that way- as a child he always taught you that violence was never the answer, so why was he partaking in it for a living? He was so smart, he could have gotten a job in ANY field he desired yet he chose to go against his own words that were spoken to his child. You could feel tears of frustration forming in your eyes and your fists balling up. "It's not a joke. Please don't cry, sweetheart." He tried to comfort you by pulling you into a hug, only to be pushed away by you. His mouth hung agape while you stormed off to your bedroom. In any other situation, he would have scolded you for pushing him away, but he understood your sudden aggression in the moment. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He proceeded to do the dishes after being snapped out of his moment by the sound of your door slamming behind your heavy and angry footsteps.

He reflected for a moment and though that maybe he shouldn't have told you at all, but then he thought about how much worse it would be to hear about his job from someone else. He knew you would feel betrayed, but your trust would be more likely to be fixed the sooner he told you. He was your father, after all.

♡

Fyodor let you sleep with your feelings for the night, walking to your bedroom door next morning. He gently knocked on the hard wood surface only to be met with silence from your side. "Y/n? It's time to wake up, you have to go to school." He spoke. When met with silence once again, he opened the door slowly. He was met with your body facing away from him. His eyebrows furrowed and he walked to the bed, gently shaking your shoulder. Your hand abruptly shoved his off of you before retracting back to it's spot curled up against your chest. "Go away. I'll get up as soon as you leave." His eyes widened as he backed up a step.

"Very well, but dont speak so harshly to me next time." He says, his annoyance and disappointment clear in his voice. You could hear his footsteps walking away, followed by the gentle click of the door. You took a deep, shaky breath. Slowly but surely, you rose from your safe haven under the blankets. The cool air immediately collided with your skin and made you shiver, but you held up and didn't retreat back beneath the covers. You tried to suppress the memories of your father's confession, not wanting to believe it as you stood up and picked out an outfit for the day. You fulfilled your morning routine and walked out to the kitchen, headphones in your ears as an attempt to discourage Fyodor from talking to you. He only frowned when he looked at you, gently placing a hand on your shoulder to get your attention.

"Y/n, do you have any extra curriculars after school today?" He asked you. You shook your head and scavenged through the cabinets for something to eat. "My friends mom will bring me home." Fyodors eyebrows knitted together as he leaned against the counter. "Why would she do that? I can get you like I always do, that way you can tell me about your day." He says, kind of upset that you're going out of your way to be as far from him as possible. You gave a short and simple yet insufficient answer. "Because."

"Because, what?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Because I don't want to go for a car ride with a murderer! She would have brought me to school too, but she was busy!" You shout, angrily walking out of the kitchen and the house, sitting in the car in the back seat instead of your usual spot in the passenger seat. It didn't take long for Fyodor to follow, locking the door behind him while you waited in the car, scrolling through your phone. He settled into the driver's seat and looked at you in the mirror, huffing and buckling his seatbelt. "You get upset with me for my work, but you don't seem too upset about having that phone, and my job pays for that, Malyshka." He says bluntly. You take a moment to breathe instead of yelling at your father because you know that would only make it worse. "Any other job could pay for it just the same. Why do you kill people? What are you, an assassin?" You inquire while making eye contact with him from the back seat. "I'm a terrorist." He says with a sigh.

"Even worse then." You turn the volume on your phone up and listen to music to drown his voice out. You had to bite back your tears of betrayal and disappointment, small whimpers escaping from your throat every now and again. Fyodor felt a bit remorseful upon hearing that. He never had felt any sort of guilt when he killed and injured, but because you were his child, hurting your feelings was enough to make him feel penitence. He didn't show it in his face, though. He wore the same flat and neutral expression he always had.

The rest of the ride was inordinately quiet. He let you out of the car and wished you a good day at school and told you he loved you, but you didn't care to reply. You didn't turn around to watch his car drive off either. Walking into the school, you met your friend and decided to keep silent about the situation. You didn't want to be known as the kid with the terrorist dad, and you REALLY didn't want him to be persecuted. You just sucked it up and went on with your day. A few periods before dismissal, you asked your friend to sleep over instead of being brought home. Their mom agreed because it was a Friday, but said you would have to return home early in the morning because they had stuff to do. You didn't mind and went along with it, hopping into the backseat of the car with your friend.

"How was school for the two of you? Good?" Their mom asked while pulling out of the parking lot. "It was good, I turned in some late work." F/n says. "Good. And how about you, y/n?" She asks with a welcoming smile. "It was good."

The car ride back was mostly just you and your friend talking to eachother with the occasional comment from their mother. They lived pretty close to the school, only two miles away. The older woman pulled into the driveway and your friend immediately got out of the car, urging you to do the same and follow them up to their room. You did with some shared laughter and playful banter, plopping on their bed when you make it up the staircase and through the door frame. Your school bag with your phone in it gets tossed somewhere while the two of you decide on a movie to watch. Unbeknownst to you, your phone was ringing with calls from your father and hour into the movie. He was also texting you, the notifications making your screen glow in the confines of your bookbag. The device didn't cross your mind until the end of the movie, fishing it out of the bag. When you turned it on, you had a solid 10 messages from your father and five missed calls. Suddenly, your friend's mom's footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. She gently opened the door and locked eyes with you.

"Did you seriously not tell your father that you were sleeping over? He's worried sick over you!" She softly says. "He's going to come get you right now, so gather your stuff and come wait down stairs." She says, waving you along with her. You could almost feel your heart in your throat with anxiety of facing him again. You reluctantly gathered your stuff and bid your friend goodbye and gave a brief explanation on the situation. You only let on that you were in an argument with your papa but never mentioned why. They frowned and walked downstairs with you, their shoulders slumped and spirits seemingly broken. "I still don't get why you wouldn't just ask him first." F/n said exasperatedly. "Don't worry about it, we'll have a sleepover at some point. I'm sorry." You say, just as upset as your friend. Only a few more words are exchanged before you see your father's car in the driveway. You sighed and made your way outside, waving to your friends family before walking to the driveway. You looked only at your feet, refusing to make eye contact with Fyodor through the windshield.

You opened the door to the back seat and tossed your stuff in, going to sit down before Fyodor stopped you. "Sit in the passenger seat, I think we should talk about this." He says calmly yet sternly. You didn't have the energy to argue back, so you did as told. You begrudgingly sat yourself in the passengers seat and looked at your hands in your lap instead of him. It was quiet until he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. "I'm aware of your disapproval of my job, but you cannot ignore my phone calls and messages when I don't know where you are. If I hadn't called f/n's mother, God knows when you would have gotten back to me." He strictly tells you, subtly distressed over your sudden rebellion. You silently collected your thoughts and then opened your mouth. "It's more excusable than killing people, papa." Your voice was soft and quiet. "Malyshka, I do it for the greater good of the world, you don't understand because you are just a teenager. You do not get to criticize my job until you've lived in the real world instead of in the comfort of your adolescence." He says, his voice rising a bit.

"Yeah, but-" you started, but he cut you off. "No, you need to put an end to this behavior right now. My job does not need to align with your personal morals." You felt your throat tighten, keeping more words from escaping your mouth. You say silently for the rest of the ride, swiftly exiting the car when he parked it in front of the house. He followed after a moment, unlocking the door for you and closing it behind him. "I understand that you're upset, but please do not avoid me like that, y/n." He pleads with you. If you looked closely, you could almost see it in his face. You sighed and relaxed your shoulders. "I'm sorry, Papa. I'm still mad at you, but I'm sorry for what I did today. That was a little uncalled for." You admitted. A small smile appeared on his face and he pulled you into a loose hug. "I love you, papa, just dont make me wash your bloody clothes ever." You demand. He hums and kisses your head affectionately. "Alright, I think that's fair." He agrees. He released you from his hold and started towards the kitchen. "I'm going to make dinner, is there anything specific you want? If we have the ingredients I'll make it for you." You contemplated your options for a moment before settling for a meal that you used to make with him when you were little. "Can we make beef stroganoff?" He hummed, content with your choice. "Yes, start getting the stuff out." Your frown finally left your face and you also entered the kitchen, happier to help your dad make dinner than to avoid him.

A/n; Hey y'all this got kinda long but ykw it's okay. I think I made the reader get over it a little too quickly, but for the purpose of happy ending it's also okay.

[writers-potion]

Writing the "Mean Girl" Character

How do we write the "mean girl" without making her another shallow copy of the brainless, pink-clad, cheerleader we see in high teen dramas?

Of course, there's nothing wrong with such a character if you want them to be funny/light in the first place.

However, I can hear myself slowly losing my last two brain cells when I keep reading about such papercut characters for more than an hour - reading clearly requires more effort than watching a class B movie, so I always appreciate when authors put more effort to make the characters dynamic.

No "Mean for the Sake of Being Mean

The classic way to avoid this is to give them a sad backstory. They used to be overweight/ugly and were bullied, or their parents don't care about them enough, or they are too insecure. Obviously these plot points are quiet stale now, but the basic principle still stands - if your charcter is mean, she needs A REASON.

I love reading about a mean character's backstory then feeling, "actually, I would have felt like doing that, too."

Whatever their motivations may be, remember that bullies pick on the weak, not the successful/powerful. While the Mean Girl might feel jealous/inferior towards the protagonist, I hardly think that should be the sole reason why they picked their victim. There must be a flaw in your protagonist that happened to be something that the Mean Girl knows how to exploit, which makes them a target above others.

Give Them A Twist

There are two ways that I can think of: (1) A seemingly nice character is in fact a mean girlie, or (2) A mean character turns out to be kind and well-intended.

Personally, I love Mean Girls who are intelligent/ know what they are doing. They are purposely manipulative:"are you okay?" as if the victim has something wrong with them or providing "constructive" criticism. Or kindly inviting them to a party that she knows they wouldn't fit in.

The conflict deepens when everyone else likes the Mean Girl due to her manipulative nature, making the protagonist doubt themselves.

A Purpose beyond Providing Conflict

Think about what the mean girl aims to gain from bullying your protagonist.

Is she continuously trying to prove herself "superior" so that she can feel better inside? Is she an academic rival who just needs to be the first in everything, even is that means reverting to questionable behavior?

Overly ambitious/perfectionist characters can come off as mean when they feel like others fail to live up to their standards (which only they know about, and are usually up in the sky)

Give Them A Proper Redemption

If you plan on giving her a redemption arc, make sure that she has earned it! The worst thing you can do is make it sound like you approve of the horrible things she has done.

this transition doesn’t mean the character does a complete 180 and is suddenly all smiles and good favors. They can fall back on their old ways of thinking, but is trying to make an effort to step out of their old clothes.

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References:

https://writingquestionsanswered.tumblr.com/post/668302340882857984/how-would-you-write-a-mean-girl-character-without

https://www.writingforums.org/threads/how-to-write-the-mean-girl-character.160729/

[comfortless]

König is usually depicted as an only child in most peoples headcanons, but how different do you think he would be if he had older/younger siblings?

actually i think it would be really fun to explore König being a middle child. ^^ there are so many possibilities, this is like finding a really big stick outside to poke at poor König with…

tw for emotional/physical abuse, bullying, toxic masculinity nonsense, mental health stuff.

i think that everyone heralds König’s father as being the worst of the worst, but what if that awful behavior was reserved solely for König? maybe he had an older sister that his parents see as being their golden child. she doesn’t get bullied: she’s pretty, average height, her grades don’t suffer from something undiagnosed holding her back. the yelling and fighting in the house is never targeted at her.

König knows his older sister is the favorite, there’s never been any doubt about that. even as children she was granted anything that she could ask for, had their mother doting on her constantly, his father praising her for academic achievements and for simply existing. the love is definitely there, no questions asked. their parents always wanted a daughter and here she is: more capable and wonderful than they could have even hoped for.

and seeing how they may have treated König: the girl follows suit in making her younger brother’s life a bit hellish. she was never violent with him, not like their father, nor was she cold like their mother, but she would chide König endlessly about how he needed to focus on his studies, even when he couldn’t possibly do so.

the protestations would fall entirely on deaf ears here. his sister means well, in a way, but she also serves as a constant reminder of just how wonderful König’s life could have been if he were only more normal. (which, isn’t the case at all in this horrible, dysfunctional family. König just happened to be an “oops”, and his mother’s post-partum depression may have been so bad she never properly bonded with him when it was most important to do so.) i imagine that he loves her, Oma taught him to be good to women no matter how many squabbles that they get into, but there’s definitely a layer of resentment there.

say… he has a younger brother, too. always treated as some fragile, beloved thing. he’s taken out to buy new clothes and snacks when König’s jeans are full of holes and he’s left to his own devices to find food. that’s fair, in König’s eyes. he dotes on his little brother just as much as the rest of them, because their difference in age is smaller than with the older sister, he’s only a grade or two below him. his younger sibling is the closest thing that he has to a sincere friend.

the kids at school bully him in turn simply for being associated with König. pointing out that one day, he’ll probably hit some bizarre growth spurt and behave like an animal trapped in a cage, just as his older sibling did. unlike their sister, König’s not so hellbent on keeping up appearances at school that he would shy away from throwing some poor bastard into the mud to defend his brother. or his father.

though the old man is certainly kinder to his youngest child, he still thinks of him as being too soft. he won’t toss a fist his way, but the arguments in that house seem to triple when he realizes his boy isn’t as tough and strong as he should be. their father is constantly bickering with his mother over babying their youngest too much, and as awful as it is, hearing all of this is probably the first time König’s actually felt any pride in himself. the old man compares these two and almost seems elated that König’s becoming a proper man, one that doesn’t come crying to his mother like his brother does so often.

and despite all of this, König would have a lot of good memories with them. their sister has her own friends, but never held back on spending time with her (weird) brothers. maybe they built a little fort in the forest beyond their house to share stories and hoard snacks or trinkets. König had to set it up, of course, but it gives him a chance to play some sort of mentor to the both of them, showing off how easily he can structure something and share his knowledge about anything under the sun on hazy summer days when they’re picnicking outside to get away from their parents.

i don’t believe König would turn out too differently, honestly! maybe he would be more social, actually having two other people he could talk to if he chose it. in fact, after their Oma’s passing, maybe his siblings and his mother are the only parts of his family he bothers to keep in contact with at all. unfortunately bullying would take a toll on him regardless of if he had one sibling or twelve. he might trust (some of) the people that he shares blood with, but ultimately the world is still something unfair and cruel.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Would Death note change if Light had an identical twin? In one hand, Light would not share anything as he didn't with his family. But if the twin was closer to a clone (as with the Bella twins discussed in this blog), it would make things significantly harder for Light. I don't know if they would be able to make a long alliance, given their pride, but what do you think?

The horrible post anon's referencing.

Interesting. Not much would change but we'd get even more family drama.

The Thing About Light and Kira

Light didn't decide to become Kira until after he'd accidentally killed using the Death Note. At which point, he decided a) because he was a murderer b) because that murder in his eyes was justified and the world was a 'better' place he had to go all in. Before that point, he was bored yes, but it took him about a day to decide to kill every heinous criminal he possibly could (at which point Ryuk became very impressed and interested).

So even an alien experiment Light Yagami clone from birth who is identical in every way would not be Kira just because the other Light is Kira. From what we see in the Yotsuba Arc, Light without having take the step to kill himself and decide to become Kira, from an outsider's perspective, thinks Kira is fucking insane and heinous and absolutely should be stopped.

Which is where twinny mc twin comes in.

The Other Thing About Having Two Light Yagamis

Light in canon is the first born son. There's Sayu, yes, but she's several years younger than him and it's established early on that Light is extremely brilliant and that Sayu while sweet is normal. Light adores his little sister and were it not for Kira they'd have maintained a great relationship (as it is, Light distances himself from his family and something truly awful happens to Sayu, but he never stops caring about her).

However, Light now has a twin and they are equal on every level. Light is highly competitive and a perfectionist and so I imagine while he loves his twin (as he's extremely family oriented as a character) there's also a lot of tension and a complicated relationship as both feel they have to be the best and out do the other.

We're not talking about people who are each other's best friend, confidante, or even get along all that well beyond the nebulous idea of being closely related.

Even if Light were so inclined, this isn't someone he'd want to confide in and someone he'd be extremely wary of.

What Does Twin Know?

As you note, Light takes great pains to keep his family in the dark. His father dies believing Light isn't Kira as Light had gone to great lengths so he was not technically owner of the notebook when his father viewed him with the eyes.

Sayu and Sachiko who had no direct involvement in the case were kept very in the dark about the case details and investigation.

Remember also the reason Light was able to track the investigation so closely was that he hacked his father's computer and was looking at files directly from the NPA homicide division. Soichiro was extremely tight lipped about details and never revealed to what extent he (and later Light) were involved in the Kira case. The family could figure out the answer was "heavily" but it was nothing outright said and god knows what Sayu and Sachiko were told about that time Light disappeared for several months with no contact, no appearances at his university, and was not able to call home.

I doubt it was "a detective has handcuffed him to himself and is unrelentingly convinced he's a serial killer".

And note that later Light has as much information as he has because he 'joins' the task force. By that point, the general NPA had been cut out and Light no longer had useful police files on the investigation.

Point being, twin has very limited information.

Light Becomes Kira, Twin Does Not

So, we start off in canon. Twin notices Light behaving strangely for a few days but doesn't think much of it. Light's always been fairly solitary and being locked up in his room after school isn't... too weird.

It's not immediately obvious what's happening, either, as people at first did not put together the connection of Kira and then didn't want to put together the connection of Kira. It wasn't until Lind L. Taylor that Kira went from internet urban legend and weird coincidence to either a) a god like being having it out for the wicked or b) a human criminal psychic who has a very terrifying talent.

I imagine twin is dubious at the initial rumors pre the broadcast, while also being somewhat :/ about the coincidences. Twin doesn't know how bad it is, as twin only sees the news at this point which I imagine is censoring just how many are dying of heart attacks of all things, but it's still enough to be weird.

Then Lind L. Taylor happens and "what the fuck" is twin's initial response. Twin doesn't suspect Light, because that's insane and Light's not a psychic or vengeful god, but is instead just reeling from the fact that Kira exists and is doing this.

Twin is absolutely in support of their father being directly involved in the case and itching to be on the case themselves and dying that they're too young. I imagine they talk to Light about it (where Light has to act his little heart out) and both agree that they have to get into the homicide division as soon as possible to help catch this motherfucker.

"Oh well, hopefully L will manage it before that point," twin muses, as realistically that'll be another several years.

"YEAH, HOPEFULLY," Light says.

Twin won't internally notice anything's amiss for some time (as after the initial mental breakdown Light did a fantastic job pretending that everything was fine/not changing his behavior patterns) but then the FBI agents show up. Now, Light noticed he was followed in part because of a) Ryuk b) he was expecting this sort of thing. Twin may not notice, but if they do, I imagine they start wigging out because why are what are clearly government/police following them around. If they notice, twin probably confronts Light (not wanting to worry Sayu and Sachiko, and not wanting to push things with Soichiro) and Light will either have to a) gaslight b) agree "yeah it totally looks like we're both being followed, what's up with that?" Regardless, twin will notice when Light takes a girl??? to Space Land??? out of nowhere and think it's all very odd because Light doesn't do dates or girlfriends.

Where things could go... potentially sideways as since Light and Twin are the same person on paper--does L know which one's Kira? He never really has a concrete reason to suspect Light specifically. He narrows it down to Japan, a police family, then to the family of those followed by Raye Penber, and settles on Light as his primary suspect but--here's another young teenager, an idealist, who is as brilliant as Light.

L may use his voodoo powers to magically think Light is the correct one but--he may also not be sure which it is or if it's both. In which case Twin is in for a terrible terrible time in the future.

But before this post gets too long, I think I'll say I can see how Light would not be found out by Twin and Twin would either die ignorant or else be horrified and have to be murdered by Light when twin discovers what Light really is.

But I think it'd take some time to figure out or that they never would both because they have limited information, because suspecting Light would be insane, and because Light is their brother and that's a horrible truth to confront/admit.

[ann7av]

You ever notice how Violet barely interacts with the regular citizens of Navarre? She goes to Rhiannon’s house twice and never talks to Raegan despite having more conversations with Rhiannon’s on-and-off girlfriend.

Idk if there’s a scene I skipped in Iron Flame where she goes around talking to people, but it kinda reads like Violet doesn’t actually care as much as she should about their plight (which makes sense considering she’s a military nepobaby). I think this is one of the reasons why the world feels so empty to me.

Yess!!! I've commented about this with a friend and thank goodness someone else noticed it too. I have issues with how the Tara/Rhi situation was done but that's for another day.

Sorry in advance for the essay, I have a lot to say about this and am very happy someone asked.

I can't remember any interaction with a non-military on the page, which is weird considering there's a little village in Aretia, but RY never bothers to show it to us, just like she never showed us Shantara (the little village near Basgiath) and instead opted to include Xaden and Violet having the same fight for the fifth time. (the romance in IF took too much off the plot for my taste)

It's weird that Violet never interacts with civilians, (who are probably the ones keeping things clean/cooking/sewing/etc) but again, including civilians would require RY to develop the world beyond surface-level and I don't think she's too worried about Navarre's culture/currency/lifestyle beyond war, death, and dragons so why include a character who's not involved in either.

Now, on a character level, Violet is often used as a self-insert (unfortunately, because my girl deserves better) so we can say that, just like RY, she understands the value of civilian life abstractly since she was raised in the military. Civilians are numbers, casualties, workforce and must be protected on principle but she doesn't interact with or consider them on a personal level. That has nothing to do with her own morality, it's simply the way she was raised and could be an interesting arc for her character (there's already a moment during Resson that it really hits her that those numbers are people) and I hope it happens but I doubt it.

Another thing that drives me insane is that we never see a child in any of the outposts (even tho Violet says very clearly that she grew up going from outpost to outpost) in fact the only time besides Rhi's nephew that children were included in the story was in Resson, and they were only used as cannon fodder to show how horrible the war was.

That itself wouldn't have bothered me so much if we had seen a couple children playing in Montserrat to at least show us that the officers have lives and aren't just soldier-shaped cardboard cutouts, BUT when we take the way children were written in addition to RY's Instagram post about the "conflict" in Palestine it gets weird with the whole idea of "a perfect victim" she sprinkles here and there in her books (I can elaborate if someone wants to)

Anyway, that's it, I hope it made some sense and that I answered what you were asking

[givethemsmut]

The Pack | Chapter Three

Characters: Dylan O’Brien, fem!reader

Pairing: Dylan O’Brien, Dylan x You

The next morning I woke up naked in Dylan’s bed in absolutely nothing but his buttery soft sheets.

I reached for my phone that I couldn’t find until I leaned over the edge of the bed. Snatching it off the ground I read the time: it was 9:30 AM. My head was rattling and the hand over was in full effect.

There was no way I would have let some stranger take my virginity. Kiss? Sure, we were both drunk. I sat up covering myself. I had no idea if I should wake him or just leave when I opened an app to order an Uber to come pick me up in 15 minuets.

I swiftly got out of his bed and put my clothes back on. Every few seconds I was checking his bed for movement, any signs of him catching me escaping.

I had no idea if Alex was still here. I had ten texts from my dad worried sick and five from Alex about kissing Tyler. I put my converse back on when I noticed a used condom on the floor of his bedroom. Carefully tip toeing to his bedside I lifted the covers to see if he was naked too and he was. Every slender muscle was on display and my body reacted before could be mortified.

I lost my virginity while drunk to a stranger and can’t even remember.

I snuck down stairs and headed to the kitchen to splash some water on my face when he scared the life out of me. “I’m a morning person. Dylan is not.”

“Sorry I didn’t know we fell asleep. Mind if I just wash my hands?”

He pointed to the sink in a form of a yes, “Fell asleep huh?” I shook my head, not entirely sure. I thanked him for inviting and told him I had to run. He simply asked, “Want to me to give him a message? Or Alex? She also fell asleep in my bed. Making us breakfast if you want any.”

I must of looked confused because he returned the look, “Why would I want you to do that? I don’t even know him. Anyways, thanks.” I left ready to get into the Uber that arrived.

Finally home my dad was sitting on the couch looking pensive. He immediately stood up as I stormed through the entrance and started his dad type rant. “Where the hell were you?! You can send a text letting me know not to expect you to come home at all! I was worried sick! I even called Brody!”

I replied, “You did what?! DAD! I’m not speaking to him!”

He poured himself more coffee no doubt he didn’t get any sleep, “Where the hell were you this whole time?!”

“Don’t freak out. Alex and I went to Tyler Posey’s for a party and we didn’t feel comfortable driving so we slept on his couch.” It was a half lie. I know I’m horrible.

He was beyond angry now, “You expect me to believe you slept over Tyler’s house and nothing happened?”

That was his one rule: I had to stay away from his actors.

I sallowed hard. There’s no lying to my dad. “Actually, I got drunk. And technically I fell asleep in Dylan’s bed. He’s in Teen Wolf too.”

He paced behind the kitchen island furiously, “Dylan Fucking O’Brien’s bed?!! I know who he is young lady! I also know his girlfriend of 6 years! I also know he’s a wildcard! You better have used protection!”

Biting my lip, “Well actually I think they broke up. I just want to remind you I’m an adult now and of age to drink.”

He rubbed his face, “Last I knew you were a virgin despite the shenanigans you and Brody put me through.” Which wasn’t weird information for my dad to know. I was open about being a virgin and proud of it. So many girls were having sex at 14 and getting abortions at 18. I didn’t want that life. I didn’t acknowledge his last comment but went up stairs to showered and nurse my headache out the door.

I finally texted Alex after my shower, ignoring Brody’s messages entirely.

ME: Hey girl. I got so drunk. I feel awful.

ALEX: Tyler said you left this morning. You stayed over?

ME: Fell asleep in Dylan’s bed. And then I woke up naked…

ALEX: WTF. You finally had sex?!

ME: It’s all a blur. Can’t remember. But I think the used condom proves it… You and Tyler…?

ALEX: We just made out and watched a movie! Omg!! You’re not a virgin anymore! Celebration?

I didn’t respond. I was trying to dig for memories. I ended up falling back to sleep in my robe. I woke up remembering pieces like kissing him, getting tangled up, him reaching for a condom. Or at least hoping they were memories and no pure fantasy after seeing his chiseled body.

The rest didn’t come to me until I had some coffee and headed back to my room. More memories of Dylan taking off my panties, push down his boxers, pushing inside me, How the condom felt slippery and cold.

I pulled out my Mac to start some homework when my phone buzzed against my leg, it was from Brody. “Your dad called me saying you didn’t come home. I told him you’re too much of a goody two shoes to be in trouble.”

Which was a half truth. Everyone I knew was comfortable popping pills, smoking, drinking and having sex by fourteen. They all blamed growing up in Hollywood while I avoided everything.

I’ve gotten drunk before, Not last night drunk but enough. I’ve smoked. Broken the law. Virgins doesn’t mean you’re 100% pure. I could be evil too.

I quickly texted, I slept over Dylan’s House, full well knowing he has no idea who that was. I didn’t until last night either.

Another memory became less foggy – the feeling of ecstasy. How it felt when he pushed my body over the edge and he kept pushing himself inside me while I came. I felt him shake inside me. I felt him get even harder between my legs. Solid. I got goosebumps remembering. Almost turned on by the feeling, memory.

My dad yelled up stairs that he was going to work and text him if I’m leaving the house. I shouted okay back.

D Y L A N ‘ S P O V

We both had scenes to shoot today. We both popped three Advil and chugged water followed by ginger ale. Today was gonna suck. Posey drove us into the lot today. I had sunglasses and a beanie on in 85 degree weather of sunny LA when he finally asked, “You had somebody stay over?”

I laughed, “Oh Shit! You heard us?” He looked confused, “You know, we were jumping on my bed?”

I watched him crack up as he turned into the lot for check in. He asked, “You didn’t have sex? What about Britt man?”

I got angry remembering, “Fuck her. Oh fuck yeah I did. You know how long it’s been since I’ve gotten any? Britt was gone for 3 months and I didn’t cheat.”

“Bro. We gotta talk.” Pulling into his usual spot and turned off the car, “The girl you fucked last night? He’d dad is Wes. Our producer.”

I was trying to put it all together. “Wait, Wait. That’s why she was on set. Not for you. Holy. Fuck. I’m fucking dead! I fucked our boss’s daughter! What the fuck!” I was paranoid around every corner he was gonna surprise me and murder me for what I did. We had a table read today and two scenes each. We walked into the board room for the read and he was at the head of the table with his arms crossed.

Posey was always seated closer to Wes, and I was next to him, a one one person buffer. I sat down and didn’t look up when I heard, “Ty switch with Dylan.” Of course we had to he’s our boss. Hunched over I was quiet the whole read until my lines.

During a lines taking place at the other end her dad leaned over and said, “Heard you guys had a party. Heard my daughter fell asleep in your bed. Better have been it.”

I didn’t speak, I didn’t want anyone else to hear, I can’t be the guy who fucks crew’s daughters or get blocked by Wes from other jobs. The room cleared out when I felt his hand on my arm stop me from getting up. I looked up and he said, “You can explain then I’m gonna talk. Go.”

I said, “Posey and I had a party. That’s true…” I trailed off hoping it was enough. He waited for me to continue, “We had a lot to drink. I didn’t expect anything to happen. I didn’t even know she was your daughter. I thought she was here visiting Posey when I ran into her the other day.”

He spoke, “My turn. My daughter was a virgin last night. Last I checked you had a girlfriend I’m fond of, Britt. Ring a bell?”

My mouth dropped, “Wait. What. I – I – um – she. What.”

Her dad passed my shoulder and got up without clarifying. I went to my trailer after. I had to get my head back on. I had a job to do but all I could think was I took someone’s virginity without knowing it.

Tyler was waiting in my trailer and asked what happened when I shouted towards him, “She’s a fucking virgin!”

Posey thought he was being a smart ass by saying, “Well not anymore bro.”

I looked at him in anger, “You fucking think! She didn’t tell me that! We were both wasted. She didn’t even bleed.”

“Why would her dad know that information?? She probably just wants him to think that. She’s our age.”

I sighed heavily like a huge weight was lifted off of me as I slumped down on the couch. “Yeah, you’re totally right. You got her number?” Pos shook his head but he had Alex and that leafless good enough for me, as long as she was willingly to give that number up.

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Mockingjay, Ch. 13-14)

"i cover my face with my arms because this isn't happening. it isn't possible. for someone to make peeta forget he loves me... no one could do that" - she was so sure, so certain of peeta's love for her that this concept is completely alien to her. something she never saw coming. in the last chapter she felt jealous that what annie/finnick had, no one would doubt over its certainty - but she herself had that with peeta and now it's... fragile

katniss is so heartbroken teenage girl, covering/uncovering her face with her arms depending on what's being said and how much it's hurting her

katniss's desire to kill sow is kicked into overdrive because of what he's done to peeta. like that was truly her last straw.

(an aside: delly is a delight)

"it was less painful being strangled" oh katniss

it's so sad to see katniss numb after her being so anxious/angry/distraught over peeta being in the capitol and also her brief elation at having him back.

katniss coming to terms with the hijacking is so sad. a huge part of her is definitely catastrophizing though (like i don't blame her for it at all). but of course she is, because is truly a horrible twisted thing to happen and it takes her previous heartbreak and twists it more. but she goes straight to worst possible scenario which is: i'll never get peeta back, peeta is gone, so i'm gonna shut down and kill snow and then die myself

"it's only now that he's been corrupted that i can fully appreciate the real peeta. even more than i would've if he'd died. the kindness, the steadiness, the warmth that had an unexpected heat behind it" - she's fully mourning him, instead of fighting for him, because it's like all the fight has been taken out of her because of the hijacking

"the unexpected heat" behind peeta's warmth. more of what intrigued her about him, what set him apart.

her clutching the pearl trying to remember peeta as he was just kills me. i can't do it.

she spent the first book trying to make out like their kisses were tv kisses but here she's fondly remembering and trying to hold onto "the kisses in the arena"

"to make myself put a name to the thing i've lost" -it's their love, their bond, their intimacy that's just too great and beyond this earth to even put words to

"despite what i feel for peeta, this is when i accept deep down that he'll never come back to me. or i'll never go back to him. i'll stay in 2 until it falls, go to the capitol and kill snow, and then die for my trouble. and he'll die insane and hating me. so in the fading light i shut my eyes and kiss gale to make up for all the kisses i've withheld, and because it doesn't matter any more" - this is so heartbreaking, i don't even know where to begin. she's lost her hope entirely. and she's acting out of a desperate need to feel something, anything because she's so numb and hopeless.

i almost feel bad for gale because this kiss is so clearly katniss not in her right mind.

gale saying that he had a life outside of hunting with her. maybe it's him trying to save face but throughout this book and the last, it really feels like their friendship was just confined to the woods. the fact that they don't already know these things about each other? what did they talk about except for hunting and hating the capitol? does gale know katniss's favourite colour? does she know his? does she know anything about his habits apart from how he treads silently when he's hunting and how his hands set snares? what do they actually know about each other?

her completely emotionless at him telling her when he realised he liked her... it's very unromantic compared to peeta's own story of his crush on her. and we know katniss is a huge romantic. she's probably just like.. "oh so you saw some guy flirting with me and felt jealous and decided i should be yours? oh okay then. right"

something something about gale feeling an entitlement to katniss due to their history and shared trauma and what people expected vs peeta seeing her qualities and her singing and her boldness and her light. gale was always the easy choice, gale was the settling choice. change my mind

i know katniss had questioned whether gale was jealous of her and finnick being around eachother but he actually confirms it here. like gale is seeing finnick walking around dazed without pants on, tying and untying knots in the same piece of rope, having to be sedated when he thinks of annie in the capitol, and somehow genuinely thought that that man really had an eye on katniss, was flirting with katniss?! actually a bit crazy. sure gale is a complicated character, but this part of him is so revolting to me that it overshadows so much else. i don't despise him but i don't like him at all.

not to turn this post into a gale and katniss post but he's a key part of this chapter and we might as well compare and contrast - his death traps. katniss is quite clear on what she thinks about them. and he just goes from worse to worser in this book particularly. and in the next chapter, katniss even mentions that she wishes the old peeta was there to explain why the whole idea is so wrong.

[little-meowyao]

SALT SALT SALT (long post)

EXHAUSTED SIGH, what is this doing in my dash again.

The first betrayal of his trust, in the novel, was not something that concerned NMJ in the slightest!!! JGY killed a Jin commander! And I think he was right to do so! Even putting the abuse aside, what other chance would he have of getting recognised (that he knows of), if the man kept taking credit for his work? We as a fandom put too much blame on JGY for killing that dude. I think it was 100% warranted

Of course JGY would force NMJ to show deference to WRH! That's his job! Firstly, literally everyone but JGY has to crawl around WRH, so, while very personally targeted at NMJ (which I'm sure JGY did on purpose to appease WRH), it's just Something That Happens.

Of course JGY had to kill NMJ's men! What else could he do? He couldn't save them all, and WRH 1. Is capricious AS FUCK, and 2. would not take kindly either to insults to the Wen or to JGY himself (bc he likes JGY). Additionally, that was not a ruse!!! Not at all! While I do believe JGY holds some regret at killing WRH, it was his plan! So that LXC would like him more??? That is just fucking stupid!

Being gaslit??? Where??? If someone was gaslighting NMJ, it was LXC (FYI I don't think he was, not intentionally at least, but I would see where someone that does is coming from), not JGY! They just do not speak the same language! You know the excuses vs explanations?? Yeah! That's what was happening! JGY trying to explain himself and NMJ thinking he was making excuses!

Never does JGY deny doing anything, or try to make NMJ doubt himself, or shift blame, or literally anything that could be considered gaslighting!

"Doubting his judgement" did he? Did NMJ ever doubt his judgement? Even when he had reasons to? Or is he just so goddamn obstinate that when he sets his mind to something he will not change? HM?

NHS pulled away from NMJ because NMJ was being, you know. A fucking ass! He burned NHS's stuff! We have no reason at all to believe they were drifting away before that! It's not because JGY understands him better! Is because NMJ does not understand him at all, doesn't care to, and punishes him for doing what he likes! I'm not going into how NMJ was trying to force NHS to follow a path that would get him killed, violently, but that!!! That!!! Yeah!

He threathened to beat him and JGY together! And we have no reason to believe it was an empty threath! Burning the fans was just a threath before, too! And if you read that scene carefully, you'll see that NHS is genuinely terrified. He locks himself away for days after. I don't blame NMJ for it entirely, but at the end of his life he was getting legitimately abusive towards NHS.

NMJ can't explain JGY is evil because he is not. Because everything that JGY ever does to wrong NMJ is either necessary (the fire palace exchange), not related to him at all (the Jin commander), or completely out of his hands (the XY situation).

For every action there is a reaction. Though they do retraumatize eachother, NMJ does it more and more severely, with less justification. I can't even call them mutually abusive because NMJ is doing all the abuse, and JGY's actions are reactionary. These two should have gone separate ways after sunshot.

And sure, JGY killed him in a horrible way, but it was NMJ that made their relationship kill or get killed. NOT JGY. JGY went ahead with turmnoil after three separate murder attemps.

After the staircase scene showed him that their relationship was beyond salvation and that NMJ would never care to understand his previlege, or to ackowledge their inherent power imbalance, or to stop and listen (actually listen), or to stop and think that his authority as JGY's da-ge doesn't and won't ever override JGS's power as his father. (Especially with someone as filial as JGY is)

I love NMJ. I genuinely do. But this take is so toxic I need to pick it up with a damn hazmat suit.

And what pisses me off the most is that this post doesn't show a fundamental lack of understanding of NMJ's character! This is the way NMJ thinks! But he's an extremely biased narrator and his thoughts should not be taken at face value!

I've never interacted with this person before, but if I had to make a guess, I'd say they're very caugh up in analysing NMJ (which is valid, I love him too), but in their love for NMJ, they started taking his thought process and conclusions as fundamentally factual, which they are not. I could be wrong, but it is how this comes off.

Anyway. I'm done

[rogueddie]

You know, it's heart shattering that war in Ukraine is almost 2 years and there is no single repost in your blog on that matter...

And the problem is that ordinary citizens of other countries are not aware of the horrors of the war and the real numbers of Ukrainian casualties. The overall figures are based on UN reports, which are far from reality. They do not contain horror stories about the torture of the civilian population, the rape of not only women, but newborn children, not to mention the murders that the Russians carry with them. And there are tens of thousands of such stories if not more...

You know, and now almost every family, even in regions far from the war, feels pain and are suffering, because someone's father, someone's husband or someone's son were killed, whom without being military, went to defend their country.

And for those who say that Ukraine is to blame or that the problem arose because of the EU and NATO, it is not so. Because as we can see, as of today, Ukraine still does not have the opportunity or potential to be a member of these organizations.

So why did I write all this? Because I really love your work, but I can't understand: how is it to condemn the war in one country, but not notice it in another?

The people of Gaza, and Palestinians in general, are not at war. They are being murdered in an ethnic cleansing and my country, and many others, are not only supporting that but providing them the funding they need to commit said genocide against civillians and children.

The horrors happening in Ukraine are awful. It definitely deserves more attention. But you don't need to entirely dismiss the atrocities happening in Gaza to do so.

You are also ignoring vital context; Ukraine has been reported on, spoken on, for the entire war. They've recieved military support. Monetary aid. Everyone is for them and I've never needed to tell my countries governement to support Ukraine, they already are.

But the political powers, right now, are supporting Isreal. They are supporting genocide. And the only times they aren't able to send that support? It is because we, the people, are stopping them from doing so. It is extremely vital in this case, with Gaza, to keep speaking on it and keep people informed. To keep people motivated.

More than 11,000 people have been murdered in Gaza. The UN has called it "a childrens graveyard". There are Isrealis who sit and watch the bombing of Gaza like it's a fireworks display.

I haven't seen anyone blame Ukraine, and I don't doubt that there are people saying that, but I have seen plenty of people blame Gaza. I've seen plenty of people blame Islam. I've seen plenty of people say that they feel nothing for the children being murdered.

Also, if you love my work so much then you probably should have noticed by now that I haven't really spoken about things that could be considered political that much before this. I spoke about things like the Queen dying and the missile that landed in Poliand, during the Russia - Ukraine war.

It's not because I'm ignoring any of it. It's because this is my dumb little fandom blog where I smash Stranger Things characters together like they're my Barbie dolls. It's a way to talk about my hyperfixation without annoying people irl, who I annoy enough by talking about politics, constantly.

But the horrors happening in Gaza, to Palestinians, is so horrible, so beyond unforgivable, that I feel like I have to talk about it. And I have a platform now- reblogging things about Palestine will bring more attention to it and, who knows, maybe one person will feel motivated to do something. I can only hope.

[liesmyth]

Again I’m here with my vaguely anti griddlehark agenda (I’m so so sorry). Just wanted to vent that even though I really really enjoy Harrows aus and Harrow herself I feel like there is no point in all of that unless it is addressed that Harrow actually treated Gideon horribly?.. because I remember Harrow from the beginning and I knew that there is going to be romance but it FEELS to me that Gideon herself while being very much into acts of servitude and into Harrow it might also be the only way she knows to show love. And like them being together and speaking that horrible language of love that is half abuse half (indentured) servitude… I really don’t want that ending…. Sorry sorry it’s just that I’ve read too much posts praising Harrow as this incredibly romantic person and too much posts saying that everyone else is evil (namely Ianthe) in one week and I’m having my “have we read the same books? Per chance I am actually an alien? Where am I should I go?” moments

I think both these things are true! Harrow IS extremely romantic, imo AND she also canonically treated Gideon horribly. These are both fundamental parts of the Gideon/Harrow dynamic.

I'm not sure if canon will address their past explicitly beyond what already happened in GtN; I think it's pretty obvious from everything in Harrow's characterisation that she is very aware of how much she wronged Gideon, and it weights on her — I think that Harrow’s lobotomy was less about her being in love with Gideon and more about feeling keenly that Gideon didn’t deserve to die for Harrow after everything Harrow / the Ninth had already taken from her. In the same vein, I think that Gideon's anger at Harrow's "rejection" is less about her feelings for Harrow and more about eighteen years of anger and mounting resentment culminating into "AND, on top of everything ELSE, you even spat on my sacrifice."

I think their reunion will be very emotional and there will be Feelings but also I think they're going to end up fighting. I'm not sure if the reasons behind their fraught dynamic are ever going to be aired out but they are very much There and obviously inform how TM writes the characters and their dynamic.

I'm a lot less sure about "Gideon's love language being acts of service is BAD" for a variety of reasons - I don't think we have seen enough of Gideon/Harrow in a romantic context to even safely say that, anyway, and Harrow also has a bit of a ~religious penitent streak that may come to the surface, just saying :) also I don't think their horrible beginnings necessarily mean that they're scarred for life and need to avoid any power unbalances forever and ever.

Also. I think Tazmuir's kinks are all over TLT and she's writing loyalty kink and acts of devotion because she finds it hot, so I doubt the series is going to end on a treatise about how it's actually only about trauma. These characters aren't ever ever going to get therapy! (which personally is why I'm a bigger fan of canon griddlehark over most AUs; I like the bit of fucked up)

Anyway they WILL have a big melodramatic fight in AtN. I'm manifesting it :)

[cornflake2005]

Rivers Flow Through Empty Canyons Sometimes | Chapter 7

Read here or on AO3

River woke up absolutely disoriented the next afternoon. He had one of those nights of sleep when you wake up not knowing where you were or if you slept for 3 hours or 3 years.

He could hear a lot of scrambling on the bus as he started to get a bearing of his surroundings. He checked his phone to see the time and realized he severely overslept. He had to be off the bus in one minute.

He scrambled out of his bunk and pulled out some clothes. He hurried back into the bathroom. He assumed no one would be using it since the bus was empty at this point.

He was going to get shit from Nihil for being late but he would get even more shit if he wasn’t presentable. He didn’t know why no one woke him up. He knew most of the ghouls on the bus despised him but not even Copia tried to wake him.

He quickly got himself undressed and into the fresh clothes. He also let his hair down to brush it out. He took some time to put it back in a ponytail though. It had to look nice and not rushed. He was going as fast as he could without looking like a mess.

He hadn’t eaten when he got back on the bus the night before and he couldn’t eat now but he just had to push through. He’d gone days without eating before, he could do this now.

He managed to make it off the bus in only five minutes and he looked presentable as well. He would take that as a win. But he could already see Nihil standing near the venue door, glaring at him. He didn’t know if he could take the shit show about to happen.

“You’ve finally decided to show up! You know, you have been acting out the entire time we’ve been gone!” There was a hint of tiredness in his anger. “Maybe I should have left you at home!”

River didn’t know what possessed him but right now, he couldn’t take this. He just walked right past Nihil and flipped him off on the way. He was caught off guard when his wrist was suddenly grabbed by his papa.

He didn’t have time to defend himself or even retaliate before he was knocked to the floor with a punch. Yes, Nihil was a frail old man, but he somehow always found the strength to hurt him like this when he was angry.

“I shouldn’t have ever treated you kindly! Now you think you can do whatever the fuck you want!” He was beyond pissed now. “I have never given a fuck about you! I will never give a fuck about you! You are a nuisance! I only keep you around because you’re useful!”

River looked up at Nihil and tried not to cry. He had thought those things before but he didn’t want to believe it was true. It hurt a lot hearing those words come from him.

He stood up and stared at Nihil as he tried to decide his next course of action. After a moment, he turned right around and started to walk off.

“Come back here right now! I have work for you to do!”

“Fucking do it yourself!” He turned back towards Nihil to glare at him before finally walking off for good.

He knew he was going to get it for this. He knew this was a horrible idea. He just couldn’t take it right now. It felt like so much was changing for him in such a short amount of time. He kept making mistakes and he felt isolated. He couldn’t even figure out how to properly interact with the ghoul he fell in love with…. The ghoul he fell in love with… Rain…

He needed to make things right with Rain and fast. He could go out and look for him now but he doubted that Rain would have time to talk with him. He couldn’t just sit around the whole time though. He had to find something to do.

He decided to go out and help the crew set up. He knew they could always use an extra hand and he had height which was also a big help.

River helped all the way to lunch time and, to spite his papa, he had something to eat. The venue had provided food from some nearby burger joint. He just grabbed one of them and walked out to eat alone. He couldn’t let Nihil catch him doing this.

He ended up walking back out towards where the buses were. He sat down against one of them and started to eat there. He took one bite and immediately fell in love with it. He had never tasted something this good. The few foods he was allowed to eat were usually quite bland. This was filled with flavor.

He was about to take another bite when he saw someone else approaching. He had to take his mask off to eat but he was about to put it back on. He would get in a lot of trouble if he was found out in the open without it on.

He relaxed when he saw that it was only Rain. He had no clue why the ghoul was joining him out here but he wasn’t gonna complain.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you” the other water ghoul sat down next to him. He was drenched in sweat and breathing a little heavy but he assumed they had a quick rehearsal or something like that.

“What for?” He was very confused at the moment. He got even more confused when Rain threw his mask to the side and climbed up into his lap.

“I’ve just been thinking about you… and what I want you to do to me…” he looked desperate.

“And what is it you want me to do?” He was trying to play it cool. He couldn’t believe this was happening right now. He had to be dreaming or something.

The other wasted no time getting into what he wanted. He shifted closer and started to kiss River. River didn’t try to stop him or anything. He was suspicious about what was happening though.

He kissed Rain right back, trying to keep the same pace as him. He started to feel all over the others sides, wanting to feel every single part of him. He let out a groan and he felt Rain starting to grind down on him.

He decided to give Rain more because it seemed like that was what he wanted. He felt around his sides until he found where his gills were. He started to tease them through his shirt. He was being gentle, not knowing exactly how much Rain could take when it came to his gills. Every water ghoul was different.

He smirked into the kiss when he felt the other shudder and let out a soft moan. He could absolutely ruin Rain if he wanted to.

He didn’t like doing this out in the open but if it was what Rain wanted, he wouldn’t complain. Rain was struggling to get his pants off because of how wet they were so River decided to try and help him get them off.

He stopped kissing him for a moment to make sure they were off and that’s when he realized how wet Rain already was. His pants weren’t just drenched in sweat. They were soaked in slick. That’s what made him realize what was going on.

He realized that Rain was in heat. Water ghouls tended to have their heats around the full moon when the tides were highest. Just like werewolves or, according to some uneducated men, when human women had their periods. His own heat would be starting soon as well.

He should have seen the signs sooner. The desperation, how out of it rain seemed. And there were also the telltale signs of a water ghoul heat. They got extra wet in every sense. Slick would be coming out like a damn waterfall and there wasn’t a moment they wouldn’t be drenched in sweat. They even got extra emotional which added tears into the mix of wetness

He knew he needed to get Rain to someone else, probably Copia so he could get some heat suppressors. If he didn’t then he wouldn’t be able to get through the show.

He wanted to keep doing things with him but he was desperate and in heat. He wasn’t thinking straight. He wasn’t just going to take advantage of him like that.

“Come on let’s get you inside to your papa” he felt bad when he heard the disappointed whine come from Rain. He had to do this though. He put his own mask back on and helped Rain get his on as well.

He could tell that Rain was a lot more out of it now. It was probably because he indulged in his heats desires and it was probably all that filled his mind now. He helped the other up and could already tell this would be a long walk.

He kept an arm around Rain’s waist to make sure he didn’t wander off and started to head inside. He was hoping it wouldn’t take too long to find Copia.

He felt bad for the smaller water ghoul. He could tell that he was suffering without any kind of contact or stimulation. That’s why he didn’t try to stop him when he started to grind against his leg as they walked.

Thankfully, it only took a few minutes to find Copia. He hurried over to him so he could deliver his missing water ghoul. He looked down when he saw the concern in Copias eyes.

“His heat started… he’s going to need to be on suppressors for tonight’s show” he wrapped his arm around Rain a little tighter. He had actually wrapped his arms around River and was grinding down on him hard. It only made him feel worse for the poor ghoul.

He wasn’t getting any pleasure from this at all though. He obviously knew what it was like to be in heat and he knew that Rain was very out of it. He was likely only doing this to get rid of the ache. And he didn’t mind that Rain was grinding against him to do that.

“I.. uh.. I hope he hasn’t been too much trouble” it was obvious the Papa was a bit concerned with Rain’s behavior.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. Just get him some suppressors and get him to Dew as fast as you can” he scowled a little after he mentioned Dew. He wished he could stay with Rain through this but he knew that it was better for him to be with his mate.

“Thank you for bringing him to me, River” he sounded grateful. River was sure Rain had been missing for a while at this point.

“It’s no problem. And don’t worry, his pack will take care of him.” He let go of Rain and tried to direct him towards Copia. He was a little upset that he no longer had Rain in his arms. He turned around and started to walk off.

He was sure that Copia wasn’t used to this kind of behavior from his ghouls. He was new to owning ghouls and even newer to being trapped on a bus with them for hours at a time. There was a lot he had to learn and adjust to.

He had brought his burger in with him and he decided to make himself scarce until soundcheck. He found a quiet spot inside and ate his burger.

Once it was time for soundcheck, River finally decided to crawl out of his hiding spot. He could hear everyone already out there.

It took him less than a minute to get out there and he frowned when he saw the state that Rain was in. He was doing better and it was obvious that he was on suppressors but he was still clearly struggling.

He did his best to stay out of sight. He knew Nihil would be there at some point and he wasn’t ready to stop avoiding him yet. But that time never came. He never showed up. That was odd but he wasn’t gonna complain. He was probably off doing ‘more important’ things.

He could feel the tides pulling at him, an ache starting to form inside him. It wouldn’t be long until his heat started. And he would spend it alone just like every other time.

He decided to just observe everything going on until after the show. It was about time for Miasma again and he watched across the stage as he saw Nihil finally show his face. Except he didn’t seem to be doing well at all. It looked as if he was going to collapse just standing there.

He wanted to go and help him but he decided to stand his ground. He was trying to make a statement. He was trying to show that he wouldn’t just stand around and take shit.

He did watch his papa proudly but that’s when it happened. He watched Nihil collapse onto the stage. He didn’t care if he would get in trouble or not, he quickly ran over to him.

By the time he got there, he knew that Nihil was long gone and he wasn’t coming back. He fell to his knees next to him and held him close as he started to sob.

Then he felt something else. It felt like something was getting ripped from inside him… his pack… some of his pack had been sent back to hell. But it was too soon for that unless… unless they made some kind of deal with Nihil to have themselves sent back the moment he died.

He cried even harder. He wasn’t even paying attention to anything else going on. The next few minutes were a blur and he was suddenly on his way outside. He was filled with so many emotions. The strongest were confusion, sadness, and anger. But there was also fear. Fear of what would happen to him. No one in the ministry liked him. No one would want to take him in. It was straight back to hell for him.

He stumbled his way onto the bus and climbed into his bunk. He just continued to sob loudly. He could hear the others climbing onto the bus and he did his best to stay quiet but his sobs remained loud. He couldn’t help it. He was completely distraught.

He was hoping no one would disturb him but he knew that was never going to happen. Despite everything he has done, most of Copias ghouls showed him compassion.

He heard someone stop right outside the bunk and he wished he could’ve just disappeared. He heard his curtain open and he tensed up.

“Riv…?” It was Rain. Of course it had to be Rain who found him like this.

“Leave me alone, Rain!” He grabbed the curtain and quickly closed it again. He immediately felt awful about it. He didn’t want to make Rain upset but he knew the suppressors would be wearing off soon. He knew he would be overly emotional even if his heat wasn’t in full swing. And right on cue, he could hear sniffling coming from the other side of the curtain.

He felt awful now and he decided to let his grief overtake him. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape it for a while.

He had no idea how much time had passed while he was in his bunk but he knew it had to have been days. Everyone had come and gone from the bus multiple times. But he didn’t really pay attention to that.

Despite having yelled at Rain, he still came around to check on him every once and a while. But he never responded. He was even left food by the other water ghoul but he didn’t eat any of it.

He was exhausted and weak now. He hadn’t been eating and drinking and he was drying out quicker than normal from all the crying and from stress as well. It wouldn’t be long until his body gave out.

The bus had stopped and he was expecting everyone to get off but that never happened. His curtain was ripped open again and he let out a quiet whine as he was dragged out and picked up by Mountain.

He didn’t have the energy to try and fight against him. He could barely even comprehend what was going on. He felt freezing though and as soon as they stepped off the bus he snuggled into the earth ghoul’s chest.

He didn’t know where they were going or where they even were but he realized it was a hotel when they walked inside.

He must have dozed off at some point because he woke up in a bathtub. He felt a lot better now and realized but he was still filled to the brim with grief. He knew he had a long journey ahead of him.

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: A Leader's Doubt

Sometime after More than One Universe and Funkinverse, Gwen Stacy and Gracie were both walking through a dark void, having been summoned there by EV!Sonic.

Gracie: So, what do ya think the blue hedgehog's wanting us for?

Gwen: Maybe to discuss the whole multiverse mumbo-jumbo stuff, I presume. I mean, we've both seen a lot of what it all has to offer, and fought some of the worst out there.

Gracie: True dat. I guess you and me might not be too different after all, huh?

Gwen: Yeah. That's one way to think about it.

They saw EV!Sonic up ahead, looking at many screens and floating panels, with the present (at the time) voyage of Sonic Prime and Shadow Prime in the middle.

Gwen: Is this your multiverse?

EV!Sonic: Yeah. Quite a crazy concept, isn't it? It's something a good handful of us are aware of and know plenty about, but at the same time... it's something we know frighteningly little of.

Gracie: And that screen closest to us?

EV!Sonic: That's the "Prime" versions of me and Shadow. Essentially the focal point from which our universes, including mine, stemmed from.

Gracie: The Earth-Prime Theory? We don't have that back in my stretch of the multiverse. Then again, likely because "Boyfriend Prime" is consistently disconnected from all of us.

Gwen: And if there was a Spider-Man Prime, like in those comics, I doubt he'd be linked to any of our endeavours. So what did you bring us over for?

EV!Sonic: Well, I... I heard about what happened with those "Societies" in your corners of the multiverse, and that must really suck.

Gwen: It does. I swore my own group against Miguel and his strike force after Miles was the eye-opener I sorely needed.

Gracie: Same thing with me and Salty.

EV!Sonic: Well, I'd been starting up my own Society a few months ago, but I've been aiming to avoid the flaws Miguel and Cam have been doing, as I witnessed before I tried to catch The X before. Thing is...

He sighed in worry, looking towards them with concern.

EV!Sonic: I'm worried that I could screw things up in the long-run, and I don't want to fall into the same trap those two did, or worse. I just want to be a good leader for all these guys and not hold them in one place for so long.

Gwen: I mean, you do have them working part-time, right?

EV!Sonic: Yeah. Three days a week each at maximum, with our busiest being Fridays and Saturdays. And I don't work full-time, either, since we've two leaders.

Gracie: Well, our advice? Have good therapists on standby, treat everyone with utmost respect, don't enforce canon events, and things should be smooth sailing!

Gwen: Mhm. And if members need the rights, they're more than welcome to shuffle away from their work if need be. I mean, you guys in your universes, from what I heard, aren't usually alone in your work, right?

EV!Sonic: Yeah, not usually. We always have friends available to help hold the fort for us if their base heroes are here or helping at other multiverse corners. I mainly called you two here for your input, since I know you both had it horribly in those Societies.

Gwen: Yeah... My father quitting the police force was proof enough that canon events can be averted.

Gracie: Yeah. I guess that served as motivation for Benjamin as well to side with us in stopping The X.

EV!Sonic: Thanks, girls. I really appreciate it.

Gwen: Anytime! Guess we got some good advice out of our experiences. Heh, even though we're not the absolute best at it.

EV!Sonic: Yeah. Since your faction managed to severely weaken The X before, Gracie, I think there might be a chance that my faction's able to apprehend him. At least, with some backup this time.

Gracie: Yeah, good call. Even with me, Salty, XML and Goldie couldn't beat The X all on our own when he was getting stronger. So I wish you guys the best of luck with it.

EV!Sonic: Thanks. I mean, he was based on us, so we know what to expect out of him. You two should head back to your dimensions shortly, though. Your places might need you.

Gwen: Yeah, that's a good call. Let's swing it out of here!

Gwen thwipped a pair of webs to make her leave.

Gracie: So, you hoping to be a better place for Benjamin to work part-time?

EV!Sonic: I am, yeah, considering his ties to someone within the SEGAVerse. Well, see you around, Gracie.

Gracie: See ya! Oh, erm, I didn't catch your name before.

EV!Sonic (with a soft smile): Sonic the Hedgehog. And I'm not the only one.

They shared a nod to each other with respect before Gracie left.

[mobolanz]

For the OC relationship asks: 9, 16 and 88.

Oh these should be interesting!:3 🍎🛡️

9.If there wasnt enough seats, how would they sit? One on the other's lap? One on the armrest? One on the floor in front of them?

Floor is out of the question Reiny would rather just stand throughout the entire time than get babydoll in this position dismissive of her protest that he can take it. 😤(Still close enough to look like her bodyguard in a way 🤭😆) that said, closest answer is probably the armrest if it doesn't leave raised eyebrows all around them. Should they be alone though no hesitation on pulling her to his lap heuheu. 🤭🤭🤭

16.Who is the better caretaker? Does their S/O like being taken care of?

I think that her interest in healthcare and open concern and the fact their second interaction(aka prelude ) is an awfully intimate tending to grevious unhealing wounds in the middle of the night (on the account of hours of sleep) says enough that the answer is definitely Evelyn.🤧 for Reiner being taken care of is a case of mixed reaction, believing both that he's undeserving and it's a waste of time since he "can" help himself (not with that mentality bby ;-;) and if anything- it's a chance to finally be rid of "someone so worthless". Yet if he truly hated it why would he be so bothered internally with every passing second of not thanking her yet? Or feel genuine relief and pleasure everytime she approaches him so tenderly. Cold as her touch is it's actually soothing. To a level he hopes that should anything come to it he'd be able to help her just as much. It's the least he could do(but would if anything rather for no harm to happen come to her to begin with. )

88. What's the darkest secret they have ever told one another?

For Reiner, I'd say it's both what he really saw on the island to explain himself, natural doubtful as he initially is about the chances Evy would understand.

That said, she admits something - in her old home they warned her of many, many horrible and scary things on anything that lives beyond the safety of home as a scare tactic she'd remain there. Yet when she was disinherited, Juliette, her new guardian mocked her once saying "none of that exists you stupid girl" Which might be true feels so out of place to say Considering this woman like many others talks about normal looking humans as "devils".

Hence if anything, Reiner saw them for himself and they were nothing like what Marley made them out to be, so he knows better than anyone what he's talking about. So ... she believes him 🤧

But also, I think that to explain after confessing to her on why he can't allow their love to truly advance in anything,,, he'd mention the truth about the taboo of his lineage and his parents. If ever telling anyone ever might as well be her (babydoll ain't no snitch as well, and wouldn't even fall for him if she was that kind of person 😖) Since he knows better than anyone a public relationship can put both of them in danger, and none of the effort he put into becoming a warrior brought his family back together, so what difference should it be for being allowed to be with her?

In Evelyn's case, when she tells him about a situation of hers, seems she doesn't even realize how truly dark it was. And the parts were she does see as fucked up have misaimed self-blame to them. Not exactly all at once , so some parts of it are dismissed trivially and casually by her as if it's okay or normal. Ever since first seeing her on the ship Reiner was bothered by why on earth is this girl doing in a place like that. In the middle of a fucking war. Especially considering she's not even a warrior or anything (not that it'd make it better) so who in their right mind would get anyone this young here. When hearing she's an ex member of a high-status family in marley that makes it even more absurd.

Her being disinherited is one thing- but being blackmailed into enlisting and working for them by the couple of officers that took her in so they won't end up with a spoiled freeloader as they call her, with the idea of publicly framing her and having her charged for the Reason she was sent away to begin with - manipulated by the first person she loved into stealing an important high value artifact passed in her biological family from her father's room, (which seemingly caused the latter's health and blood pressure to decline and worsen. ) if she resigns...? What on earth did she even do.

(nah them dying by random rubble when Eren attacks liberio is not enough I need Reiny to beat them up(⁠┛⁠◉⁠Д⁠◉⁠)⁠┛⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻)

OC Relationship asks

[tachvintlogic]

The Lightning Conductor 1/28 entry commentary (this book has been great)

In which a crowd converges and the truth comes out!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL HOLY SHIT IT'S HAPPENING

MISS SYBIL BARROW TO HER SCHOOL FRIEND, MISS MINNIE HOBSON, OF EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM

Okay, these are the Barrows that Jack's mom wanted to set Jack up with. Hmmm...

That's what I mean when I say she wants a lot of living up to; and more than once in the last two months or so I'd have given my boots if Pa and I hadn't bound ourselves to travel about with her, but had gone off on our own, with a courier, like that handsome one I sent you the snapshot of with the Yankee girl at Blois.

So she doesn't much care for his mother, and she doesn't realize that "handsoem courier" is actually the real Jack Winston.

Well, I told you how vexed Lady B. was because "Jack," as she calls him, couldn't get to Cannes. He was always writing from different places and making excuses, till Pa said in his joking way, he'd bet that "Jack was up to some game of his own," and my lady didn't like that a little bit.

He certainly is. LOL

I was afraid there might be something in that joke of yours about his trying to keep out of my way, and I was bound he shouldn't think I was after him. There's as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it for a girl who can bait her hook as I can.

So I'm not 100% sure what she's saying but it sounds like she's not really interested in him.

[A] telegram arrived for Lady B. She was in a twitter, and gave it to Pa to read, and say what he thought. It was sent from Naples by a perfect stranger to her, who signed his name James Van Wyck Payne

Oh dear.

This is going to be good! I'm on the edge of my seat!

I proposed showing it to Lady B., but she was frightfully upset already; and Mr. Payne said he didn't see that it would do any good to harrow up her feelings still more now, and perhaps if we did she wouldn't be able to undertake a journey.

Oh shitttttttttttttt...

He - Mr. Payne, I mean - had written from Rome to the girl's father in New York, that she was in the power of an abandoned ruffian, and the father had started off to the rescue the very day after receiving the letter.

Oh shit her father just barely keeps missing her and neither she or Jack realize it!

Mr. Payne said he was that kind of man; and if Lady B. would go on now by the next train to Taormina, everybody might confront the chauffeur and denounce him at once.

I cannot wait!!!!!

I was very much interested, of course, and naturally wanted to be in at the death, which Mr. Payne seemed quite pleased to have me do, for we had by this time made up great friends; we seemed so congenial in many ways, and he knows such quantities of swell people everywhere.

Girl I'm so sorry to say but that man is a true scoundrel.

Mr. Payne and I talked in low voices about people we knew. Sometimes I intimated I knew them, too, and others still more swell, for I didn't like to seem out of it; and luckily I'd read a great deal about them in the Society papers, so I was never at a loss.

Actually, maybe they are two peas in a pod. They can go on and talk about people they don't know like they knew them all day.

[I]t was decided that we should drive straight down to Sir Evelyn Haines', where probably the horrible chauffeur was audaciously passing himself off as the Honourable Jack Winston, whom Sir Evelyn had never met.

He's not just passing himself off as the Honourable Jack Winston :-)

She stood looking perfectly dazed, as he told her how it was now proved beyond a doubt that her chauffeur, of whom she thought so highly, was a fraudulent villain, a thief, and, it was to be feared, even worse.

Oh no!!! :0

"There's Dad!" and at the same moment she ran ahead of us, across the grass to where a tall, big man with short, curly grey hair and a smooth-shaven face stood under a tree talking to another man whose back - which was turned to us - looked a tiny bit familiar

>:D

This is going to be so gooooooooooood

"Jack!" cried Lady B. And then it was our turn to be surprised. We supposed at first that she'd gone mad; but, my dear girl, it was true. The murderous chauffeur was the Honourable Jack!

>:D

*evil cackling*

But the big man answered, in a slow, drawling way, as if he were just ready to laugh, "Well, I guess I won't do much. Mr. Winston and I met here accidentally, and talked to each other awhile before either of us knew who the other was; and when we did know, why, he was able to give me a pretty satisfactory explanation. I guess there's nothing much that's wrong; and I hope Mr. Winston will introduce me to his mother."

Well I'm glad that Jack and Molly's dad got along well!

By-and-by Mr. Payne joined us, poor fellow, and I did what I could to console him, telling him that was always the way in this world, with the well-meaning, unselfish people.

I'm just this is a pair the spares situation. I wish them luck lying about knowing people.

But these American girls think such a lot of themselves, that they don't like being played with; and judging by the look on her face this afternoon when she heard the truth, she was hurt and angry all the way down to the quick. [...] I must say, in my opinion, it would serve him right if she did.

Yeah Jack you really didn't need to lie to her like that. Imagine how much easier this whole thing could've been if you just offered to accompany her as yourself?

MOLLY RANDOLPH TO HERSELF

Well, considering her father is here, she doesn't need to address her letters to him anymore.

When Jimmy Payne suddenly hurled himself at me out of a cab [...] and exploded into fireworks calculated to blow my poor Lightning Conductor into fragments, I threw cold water on his Roman candles and rockets.

Ha!!

It was almost as difficult to believe at first that he had tricked me by pretending to be Brown, when he was really Mr. Winston, as it would have been to believe Jimmy Payne's penny-dreadful stories.

I imagine it was.

Women are supposed to have no abstract sense of justice, but I thought my girl was different.

Mr. Randolph, your daughter just found out she's been lied to and made a fool of for months. She's allowed to be angry. SMH

Naturally, as it was the only thing to be said, his lips asked the same question his eyes had asked before. "Can you forgive me?"

Damn, Jack is more perspective how much he screwed up than the dad is. "Can you forgive me?" not even a "Will you forgive me?" or "May I have your forgiveness" but he asks if forgiveness is even possible.

"I fancied it was myself; but I didn't mind that, or anything else which gave me a chance of being near you, even under false pretences. It is for deceiving you that I ask to be forgiven. I lived a good many lies as Brown, but honestly, I believe I never told one."

Dude, you're not doing yourself any favors. You most certainly did tell lies.

I couldn't say another word, for thinking of Brown being in love with me, and there being no reason why I shouldn't let myself love him too - except, of course, one's self-respect after all that had happened.

This is a romantic comedy. :)

"No - I don't think I could have done that. I- I depended on Brown so much. I used- to wonder how I should ever get on without him." "Don't get on without him. I'll be your chauffeur all my days, if those are the only terms on which you'll take me back. But are there no other terms? What I want is-" "What?" I couldn't resist asking when he paused. "Everything!"

Shaking my head while giggling. I love these idiots.

I heard myself saying: "I do forgive you." "And love me - a little?" "No; not a little." Then he caught me in his arms, though at any moment someone might have passed the summer-house door and seen us. He didn't think of that, apparently, and neither did I at the time. I thought only of Brown-Brown-Brown. There was nobody in the world but Brown.

:D

And they're now together! How sweet. I loved this book. It's such a shame the fandom is so small.

[childofthecataclysm]

Chapter Three: Blood and Fur

When I awoke again, the angle of the sunlight at the mouth of the cave let me know that it was near-unto noon. I pushed myself up, folding my legs beneath me, and looked around. The others were all awake, although it was difficult for me to tell if they had slept or not. Metka was the only one I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt had gone without any rest. She had hardly moved. Small dark circles under her eyes were just barely visible, and it looked like she may have been crying. 

    I pushed myself to my feet. We needed to get moving. 

    The Hand’s progress was significantly slowed now. None of us were quite as eager about what we were set to do after Riota. We would still do it, but we found each step difficult. Metka especially looked grim, with her mouth knitted into a tight line and her brow constantly furrowed. Perhaps worst of all, none of us dared go out as a forward scout again, lest the shrieker return. 

    Of course, we worried about what might happen if the caravan went off-route. We couldn’t know until too late, now. We’d probably still catch up with it, should the worst happen, but it would be a wrench in the works. Unfortunately, the Hand couldn’t afford to risk another of our members - or even the first. Had we known a shrieker was in our way, Riota wouldn’t have been let out to scout ahead. 

    Nileas was the only one to seem back to normal. He was still a bit curt with Lek, but with the rest of us he was the same perfectly charming man he always was. His walk felt energetic in a way the rest of us couldn’t quite muster anymore, and he was mouthing equations and formulas near-constantly, occasionally slipping into chant-like recitation out loud. None of us minded; we were used to it, and the silence which would have hung over our band otherwise would have been torture. 

    By nightfall, Gerevor had begun to spin a joke-filled tale about the days before the Cataclysm. It was full of half-truths, blatant lies, and characters who couldn’t possibly have existed in the time and place he was speaking of, but it was enough to raise most of our spirits a bit. Metka remained just as tight-wound and miserable, but even she cracked a thin smile once or twice. 

    We found cover again underneath a bridge in the path. It was remarkable that the bridge was even there, this far from one of the Crown cities. I found myself looking closer than I normally would have, faintly confused by its existence. The bridge was woven almost entirely of metal, with thin cords Nileas told me were metal, and somehow worked to keep it standing without much in the way of support. It was clear it was pre-Cataclysm in design, and that fascinated me even more. 

    Not many pre-Cataclysm structures were still standing today. Even in the days before, our people were said to have regressed technologically, leading to architecture that was closer to that we used now than anything else. The few structures which could stand through it all were truly old, predating the Cataclysm by many lifetimes, and yet this bridge bore few marks of its age. 

    I took the first watch, mostly wanting to continue studying the bridge, rather than truly keep watch. We were sleeping again earlier than was natural, with the shrieker serving as our impetus. We would have to travel during the day, rather than as we usually did, and while none of us were eager for that, it was better than being picked off by the horrible creature. 

    Metka was the first to fall asleep, curled up against Riota’s side atop the cart. Lek, Gerevor, and Nileas sat around a small fire beside the cart for a full hour before any of them fell into sleep’s welcoming arms. Lek offered Nileas some of his redleaf, clearly attempting to soothe the ill will which had arisen between them, and smoke curled out from their mouths and into the bottom of the bridge above, pooling between the beams which made up its bottom. 

    We heard the cry of the shrieker only once through the night, well into the distance. It might have been comforting that it was so far away, but for the fact that we all knew the ground a shrieker would cover for prey. If we could still hear it, we were definitely still at risk. After an hour or two, Lek pushed himself to his feet, stretching out his arms as he walked over to me. “My watch. Go rest.” He said, his soft voice spilling into my ear like the smoke Nileas still trailed up into the bridge’s underside. 

    I waved him off. “I slept longest today. I’ll take the first few watches.”

    Lek stared at me for a moment. His face was, as ever, unreadable, but after the moment passed he nodded, walking back to the fire and stretching out over the ground without so much as a bedroll. I shook my head, a tiny grin splitting my lips. Gerevor and I had a running bet about if Lek doing that was a wylding thing or if he was just strange. Gerevor maintains to this day that it couldn’t possibly be a wylding thing. 

    Settling in for a long watch was second nature to me by this point. I had a habit of taking multiple watches, even when I hadn’t slept long. I still don’t know where it came from, in honesty, but the rest of the Hand accepted it without much complaint, since it gave them longer to rest. 

    I sat atop an oddly square block of white-grey stone which wrapped itself against the metal base of the bridge, looking out into the forest. Idly, I wondered if there had been a river here once. The gap the bridge covered would certainly be a bit difficult to traverse, but it was hardly a ravine. It mattered little, but idle thought was really all one had when on watch. 

    A sound something like a chirp came from the other side of me. I turned, surprised that anything would come close enough to our camp to sound that close. Standing atop the same odd white-grey stone was a silver-furred fox, head cocked to one side as it stared at me in an oddly human gesture. 

    Slowly, I tore a small chunk off one of the pieces of preserved meat I had in a small bag inside my jacket and reached it out to the fox. It darted forward, snatched the meat from my fingers, and scampered away. I smiled faintly and shook my head. Ungrateful little creature. 

~

    When I woke the next morning, Metka and Nileas were awake, with Nileas on watch. Gerevor and Lek were soundly asleep beside the embers of our fire - Lek didn’t look like he had moved at all, although I knew he had taken at least one shift on watch. Nileas had his back turned to the rest of us, staring out at the forest from where he sat atop the stump of a tree. 

    I stood and stretched. We needed to get moving earlier today, if we were going to get back on pace. Pushing at my neck while tilting it to one side, I heard a small crack and sighed in relief. Damn thing always locked up a bit after sleeping out in the wild. I walked over to Gerevor and kicked at his side. The lanky man came to his feet in a clumsy, fumbling motion, his hand outstretched in front of him like one of the unarmed fighters so common in the west, and I laughed at him. 

    Gerevor gave me the sign of the lady, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his other hand, and went to wake Lek. Metka was sitting atop the cart again, tending to Riota. I gave her a pensive morning greeting, and she gave me a half-hearted wave. Nileas turned, most likely hearing movement in our little camp, and came off the stump, joining us in packing up what little was out. 

    Setting out again was significantly easier, now that we had settled back into something approaching our routine, albeit shifted into the light of day. We made good time, by any metric I could think of. 

    Partway through the day’s travels, I noticed the silver fur of the fox from the night before flitting from tree to tree alongside the Hand. Smiling, I waved for the rest of the Hand to keep moving and faded into the treeline. The art of moving silently had been one of the ones which came to me easily during my time with the Hand, and doing so inside a forest was easier than one might think. 

    Everyone always worries about how branches will break under your feet, or how there are always eyes of the animals watching from angles you can’t possibly predict. In truth, it is likely harder for most people than it was for me, but I took to it all like a fish to water. I stepped over branches with steps so light that I never worried one would break, and glided from tree to tree like a shadow. I was never seen. Even Riota, who had started my teaching, fell behind me on that front, although the rest of her woodcraft was, admittedly, far superior to my own. 

    I found the fox staring around the trunk of a tree, silver fur glinting softly in the bits of sunlight which dripped through the boughs of the trees above. It looked after the rest of the Hand with its head cocked to one side yet again, and I got the odd impression it was trying to work out where I was. I crouched down beside it, extending one hand with a bit of meat out in front of its face, and the little creature leaped backwards, hackles raised and a growl in its throat. 

    It settled very quickly after seeing me - or possibly the food I was offering, who can say. I gave it a little smile, and it stepped closer, taking the meat and biting it back with a single motion. I gave it a little wave and slipped out of the treeline and back onto the path, running after the Hand until I caught up. 

    Glancing back, I saw that the fox had slipped out onto the road as well, and was following us, black-furred feet in an odd, prancing rhythm. It made little effort to catch up, but just the sight of it following along made me happy enough, and I turned back to the road ahead. 

~

    We made camp again under an overhanging lip of the Shining Cliffs. This was the last night before we were set to come across the caravan, and each of us prepared in our own fashion. Nileas mostly seemed to sit beside the fire, sketching complex magical equations into the dirt around it with his finger. Occasionally, he went back, brushed out a portion of one of his equations, and wrote in something new. Lek tuned and re-tuned his crossbow compulsively, working in complete silence, back against the cart. Gerevor and Metka duelled, Gerevor with his odd, lopsided spear and Metka with the ever-present sword she so cherished. 

    Gerevor’s story about where he had gotten his spear changed every time he told it. The first time I asked, he told me he had taken it from a knight of the Crown after winning it in fair combat. The next, he said the spear was made in the western fashion, and he had stolen it from a caravan the Hand had hit travelling from the Crown with tribute. Nileas said Gerevor had made the spear himself, and as much as it was difficult to disbelieve something Nileas said, the tiny smile he wore when he said it told me that, too, was one of Gerevor’s stories. 

    In any case, the spear was a strange thing. Its haft was a near-white metal, as long as Gerevor himself - and just as thin. Tiny silver cracks covered the entirety of the metal, making the weapon look as if it were constantly on the edge of shattering into pieces, but I had seen Gerevor use it long enough to know this was an illusion. Strangest of all was the spear’s head. The blade sat alongside the haft’s head, rather than atop it, curved into a crescent. One of the crescent’s points reached upwards, like the head of a normal spear, while the other pointed out from the haft at a near 90° angle, with the whole of the edge between the two points just as sharp. 

    From what I could tell, none of the others in the Hand knew where the spear had come from for sure, nor where Gerevor had learned to use the thing, but he was the only one of our number who could hope to match Metka in purely martial single combat. Nileas could easily turn the tides with his magic, and Lek’s crossbow preempted most fights, but the two of them were by a wide margin the best in a pure fight. 

    Their duels were always a spectacle, but this one was shorter, almost curt, as Metka took apart Gerevor’s defence piece by piece, blade flickering like lightning around each block and through each spinning dodge. I watched absent-mindedly, picking apart pieces of grass and reminding myself to never be the reason Metka was angry. 

    Once Gerevor called for a halt to the duel, the Hand settled in for the night, each taking slots on watch and preparing to sleep. The fox, silver fur shining even in the lesser light of the moon, watched us from behind a tree, and I set out a tiny piece of meat for it before settling in to sleep. 

~

    When the morning came, I woke to half-laughing whispers. I had fallen asleep sitting up, back against the cart, and with the morning I found that the fox was sitting in my lap, curled into a silver ball. I smiled and put my hand atop it softly. The fox jumped to its feet and scampered off into the treeline, and I pushed myself to my feet. Gerevor nudged my shoulder, laughing. “Found a friend, even out here, huh Khem?” 

    I slapped away his hand, smiling. “Won you animals over, didn’t I? Just an extension of that.” 

    Gerevor shook his head, poking my nose with one long finger. “Won us over by ripping out Titus’ throat, kid. Little Khem Junior over there couldn’t have had the opportunity to know that particular facet of your charm.” 

    I snapped my teeth in his direction, laughing as he jumped back comically, clasping a hand to his chest. The rest of the Hand just smiled - even Metka, who looked as if she may have even caught a couple hours of genuine rest - at our antics. 

    The laughter settled into something more serious as we began to move again. The river that I predicted the caravan would attempt to cross was only an hour or two ahead, if we kept up a decent pace. 

    And a decent pace was what we settled into, by any measure. Gerevor led us off, long legs covering more ground than any of the rest of us could manage. He never moved far enough ahead to get out of sight, but kept far enough forward to give us early warning when the river would be coming into view. 

    When it did come into view, we were atop the crest of a small hill in the road, giving us a decent vantage from which to see the swift-moving blue scar in the land. The caravan, more or less as expected, lay stopped on the other side of the river, wagons circled and its soldiers standing guard around them, small clusters of the armoured men and women dotted near each wagon. 

    Gerevor shaded his eyes with one hand, lips moving silently for a moment, then held up one hand with all five fingers extended, and the other with one. Fifty soldiers. At the closest edge of the caravan’s circle, a pair of men in ridiculous finery were arguing, their flailing gestures occasionally indicating the river between us. They hadn’t decided if they would cross. 

    Sighing heavily, I waved for the Hand to move past the treeline, just to be sure that the members of the caravan wouldn’t spot us. If they did, we would lose a significant edge in the attack. We drifted into the trees in practised unison, Lek and Metka bringing the cart in behind them and beginning to drag up branches to obscure it as best as possible. 

    I moved to the edge of the treeline, watching from behind a tree as the bright-clothed men argued about whether to pass the river. The argument was loud, and even from across the rushing river I could make out bits and pieces of it. One of them had apparently financed a piece of the voyage, and didn’t want to lose any of his investment. The other seemed to think he was going to become a de facto commander of the outpost once they reached it, and wanted to do so as quickly as possible. I had to restrain a laugh at the idea of the foppish man and his red, purple, and gold robes taking charge of a military outpost, but it seemed his belief in the idea was genuine. 

    We had to watch for only a few minutes longer, as it quickly became clear that the man who had financed the caravan had little actual control over its actions. In short order, the soldiers and caraveneers alike were getting everything moving. Several of the soldiers began to chop down trees, anchoring them in place on their side of the river as best they could in order to give the wagons something to move over that would be a bit more reliable than the fast-moving river and the wet earth below. 

    Before the logs were even in place in full, several of the horses - particularly those not set on the duty of moving the wagons - had begun to cross, with those in command of the caravan atop them. Amusingly, several of the rich bastards pulled their feet atop the horse, leaving it unguided across the river as if they were afraid of getting even a little water in their precious clothing. 

    The process of fording the river properly took a bit longer, though those who had already crossed the river via the horses seemed less than happy about it. The wagons moved over slowly and shakily, even with the logs in place to move on, with soldiers coordinating each shift in weight so that the wheels wouldn’t slip out of place. 

    Once half of the wagons had crossed, I raised my hand and made a fist. Lek nodded, took aim, and loosed his bolt. By the same magic which had let him take down the horse more than a year ago, the bolt expanded in size and speed as it flew. The spell was the only one Lek knew, and he worked meticulously to recalculate it each time he prepared again. This would perhaps be its largest moment yet. 

    The bolt tore through one of the logs the soldiers had set up across the river, splitting it easily beneath the shaky wheel of one of the wagons. With bated breath, I stared at the wagon, then released a relieved sigh when it tilted and fell, spilling into the river. Nileas broke from the treeline in the moment after it fell, holding his blade overhead, its fine blade reflecting the sunlight magnificently. One of the gems sparked green, then yellow, then blue and red, and Nileas’ voice boomed out over the area, magically enhanced to the point that each of us heard it in our chests as much as our ears. 

    “Stand down, soldiers of the Crown, and you will go unharmed! Stand down and let your so-called masters fall by our hands! Stand down and you may be given the chance to avenge any injustice you have faced at the hands of your… Great Nation.” This last phrase he said with something approaching a sneer, and each of us felt his voice twist into our hearts, silently telling us how much better he would be than the Crown. Even magically amplified and resonating throughout my entire body, I could not help but find his voice faintly musical. At the time I suspected those qualities of his were in some way magical as well, but now I know that was simply who Nileas was. 

    The soldiers on either side of the river looked uneasy, and to punctuate our leader’s ultimatum, we began to emerge from the trees. A second gem on Nileas’ sword flashed, colours of the rainbow spiralling outwards and upwards, then fading. As its light faded, countless shades began to follow us out from the forest, each walking in time with one of us. They weren’t corporeal in any way, of course, but how could the soldiers have known? 

    Our bluff was enough. Many of the soldiers began to lay down their arms, and as they did, we rushed into the wagons which had already been brought across the river. Those who did not lay down their arms came to meet us, though with Metka and Gerevor at our head, whirling as twin dervishes at the front of our little column, few stood for long. 

    I breathed in deeply as my feet pounded, bringing me into the fray. The world once again turned silver, slowing to a crawl around me. A feral smile wrapped itself around my face, and I leapt in, the dagger my teachers in the art of combat had given me suddenly in my hand. I slipped past the first soldier I found, blade flashing underneath the lip of his helmet for a moment as I did, with the silver world moving so slowly that by the time I was on the next, he still had not yet begun to bleed. 

    Sliding past soldier after soldier, blade flashing in time to an unheard rhythm, the silver world began to fade only as I stood in front of the two overdressed buffoons who had argued at the side of the river a half hour before. I let the whole of the silver fade, and those soldiers I had cut down finally fell. I must have looked like a demon from the storybooks, with my black hair slicked back, silver eyes wide and wild, and my teeth bared in something midway between grimace and predator’s grin - and the nobles reacted as if I were. 

    A pair of twin screams erupted from the two, and they began to kick at their horses, crying for the beasts to move away, to run, to carry them as far away from this inexplicable demon-child which had appeared before them. Their horses obeyed, darting away with terrified whinnies, only for the nobles to be caught by twin bolts from Lek’s crossbow and driven from their horses, falling into the mud at the riverside, just like any number of sacks of stolen goods we had acquired over the years. 

    I turned away from them and back towards the fray. Nileas’ shades had surrounded this side of the riverbank, obscuring what happened from the view of the other side. Arrows flitted over the river and into our fight every few seconds, but few hit any mark. Gerevor’s strange spear had made short work of several of the soldiers, while Metka’s newly furious blademaster arts had decimated several more. Nileas stood just inside the circle of shades, observing us all with a faint smile. Once the last of the soldiers on this side had ceased resisting or fallen, he waved his sword, and the shades parted, revealing us to the other half of the caravan once more. 

    The soldiers on the other side appeared taken aback by the carnage wrought. Even had the shades been manifestly real, what we had done to the soldiers who had not surrendered on this side of the river would have been shockingly one-sided. Nileas turned towards the remainder of the caravan, sword dropped to his side, and the rest of us gathered silently at his sides. 

    Nileas levelled his sword at the survivors across the river. His voice was no longer magically enhanced, but even over the rushing of the river, I have no doubt that the soldiers and caravaneers alike heard every word, focusing in as if their lives depended on it. “Hear me once more, soldiers. Surrender, and you will not only be spared, you will be given opportunities you could not dream of under the Crown.” 

    They couldn’t know that our feats on this side of the river could not have been replicated again so quickly. They knew only that we had appeared from nowhere with an apparent army of magical shades, and had fallen upon the others with such force that we had escaped more or less unscathed. What choice did they have, in the face of all that?