#no i have not interacted with any of the previous material yes you can hate me if you want

[sattarehi]

also sorry i might be late to the party but bluesummers has vash's arm right? it's the same arm that vash lost, and it was presumably sucked into the gate, which we can understand that Knives has learned how to control in the time since. and it would be a way for Conrad to, say, give powers to a Normal Human.

[aspiring-creative-person]

Ok but I was just thinking

Jooster is kind of the only actual solid relationship in Jeeves and Wooster?? Like platonic or romantic, let me explain

Like obviously it’s the focus, but like. Listen.

Everyone else hops from girl to girl, or guy to guy, and each one is filled with turmoil. This is just talking about Bertie’s friends, right?

But also, as friends, they really suck. They constantly get him to do things for them and do nothing in return.

Even the aunts and uncles don’t usually have spouses that are actually on screen!! Who knows if there were divorces or something?? Like people’s parents are hardly ever present it’s always some rich aunt or uncle, with Bertie yes but even with all his friends 😅😂

Everyone in that show is just so… detached from each other. There’s a particular moment where Bertie is driving Bingo and Tuppy home, and they’re just ranting about their women to each other and not listening to the other, and Bertie is just so done with it. I think that illustrates this point pretty well.

Anyway, Jeeves and Bertie are so not that. There’s another post somewhere on Tumblr talking about how Bertie always replies to Jeeves’ subtext and they pick up on each others moods essentially, which I think is a great point. And generally they just really like each other. Just read any of the books to see how much Bertie admires Jeeves, and read “Mr. Wooster Changes His Mind,” which is from Jeeves’ perspective, and you can see how he cares a lot for Bertie as well.

And like. They have their own language. Bertie is used to Jeeves materializing into rooms (this generally freaks out other people), he is now comfortable with it. Also he knows that whenever Jeeves is cold to him it’s almost always about his fashion choices, and that is a constant theme of how they interact. They have their quips about music sometimes. Jeeves always helps solve Bertie’s (and friends’) problems, and even when Bertie gets the short end of the stick, if it’s Jeeves’ plan he immediately is satisfied with the conclusion.

The biggest thing, though, is probably their brief break-up. Like. They had a disagreement and broke up, and then missed each other. There weren’t even any hard feelings, just longing tbh. And at the end they got back together, and stayed together, and were happy to see each other again. They clearly enjoy each others’ company. And Jeeves seemed to think that the other candidates for his employer did not even compare to Bertie.

Name another couple in this show who is as devoted as they are

Half of the women go for men for their status, the other half at whims

All of the men go for women on whims, and half of them find another girl when they have some sort of disagreement with the previous one

And even if they get back with a previous partner, there’s no guarantee that they will stay together

But Jooster is in for the long haul. The most consistent relationship, the most caring relationship, the most in-tune relationship, the most long-term relationship.

Oh yeah also with familial relations and all that. Aunt Agatha has been quoted to say she thinks Bertie should probably be put in some home. Like, that’s pretty rude and everything. She also tries to get him to marry all the time, she doesn’t care about him in a way that is healthy at least, only so much as he can be out of the way and out of trouble. Even Aunt Dahlia, who says he is her favorite nephew, and who takes advantage of his nature to get him to do things for her, insults him and throws things at him sometimes. His cousin Gussy, when he gets drunk, insults him in front of a crowd, going so far as to say he hates him. Claude and Eustice put him into the soup without a care for how mad Aunt Agatha will be at him.

Jeeves never insults him, or not his character at least. Yes, they have their disagreements about fashion and music. But Jeeves never insults his intelligence. He never calls him clumsy. He never underestimates him. Yes, he is his employee, but I have a feeling that it doesn’t have to do with that. Even when he was split up, like I mentioned, he came back and said the other employers weren’t up to snuff compared to Bertie.

Omg and then there’s all the women who think Bertie loves them/who want to marry Bertie. Of course, they all have delusions about him, because if they knew him at all they would know he is not in love with them. They would know that he’s too much of a pushover to say no to them. But they don’t. Which just shows further the disconnect everyone has in this show.

Ok referencing one more post because I like the point they have. It was something about how the actors keep changing for the side characters, unintentionally showing how Jeeves is really the only constant in Bertie’s life. Again showing the difference in their relationship vs his disconnected everyone else is. While I’m sure it’s not an intentional choice in that regard, it certainly is an interesting connection.

Anyway like I said at the beginning of this, you can interpret their relationship as romantic or platonic or somewhere in between, but it’s definitely the only solid one in the series.

[the-s1lly-corner]

You points

I'd like to hear some of your general headcanons for itward! Any and all headcanons you can think of >:)

General Itward hcs!

I got too silly guys

This is gonna be long so buckleup

Side note, my silly little goofy baking marathon has begun, so requests are REALLY gonna slow down today and tomorrow and likely Tuesday as well

I current have multiple pies in the oven as we speak <\3 (note from the future i was typing for so long the first batch of pies finished and the second group just got put in)

My bodies gonna hate me for this but imma get paid (yaaaay!!!!)

Love to think that itward is self sufficient. He grows his own stuff and scavenges for any metal parts he needs what whatever (his ship, a project, ect)

As such he also builds and maintains his own stuff; the ship is the most obvious thing! But I like to think nearly everything in the ship itself was either made by him or found abandoned !

Its canon that he loves forks, both stated in the character sheet thing KMG posted as well as the copious amounts of forks decorating the main area of his ship! I mean he literally has a wall covered in forks! I can easily see him having even more forks stashed away somewhere

Torn between headcannoning him to just have them in a jumbled heap in a drawer somewhere... and headcannoning that he sorts them by size, material, color, and style... both seem so in character for him.. hmm..

I can say for certain that he has a box somewhere full of random stuff hes collected and it's not at all neat and organized. Rocks, gears, bolts, sticks, glass vials, jewels, and so on! The "oo pretty I think I'll keep this and use it for later (never uses it for later)" mindset! I like calling those lil trinket boxes "crow boxes"

"The one many children talk about", as said by the man himself. So fran and the twins arent the only ones who have interacted with him... dad of dozens of children

I was gonna go somewhere with that previous point but I genuinely forgot what I was gonna say

Has made stuffed animals and dolls at least once for all of his kids. And yes, that includes Clara and Mia, at least before they tried to kill him... reluctantly makes bunnies for kids who ask

Speaking of bunnies, since it's been proven that itward wasnt bluffing or lying about his fear of them (KMG made a post showing off a type of Kamala that basically makes you addicted to their candy, making you eat them til your guts explode) (which... is horrifying and makes me wonder, did itward see that happen to someone? Perhaps one of his kids? A friend? Or did he not and the concept just scares him so much?) It's a little funny that itward has a bunny plushie on his ship

Sad hc but I like to think it belonged to one of his past children and as much as hes afraid of it he doesnt have the heart to give it away

While we're on the topic of sad stuff, I dont think itward can shed tears. So in place of them, his bones start to rattle a little

While I also headcannon that his bones rattle when hes nervous or flustered, and perhaps on the rare occasion that hes angry, it does happen when hes sad enough

Okay no more sad, I like to think his hat steams when he gets real excited about something or embarrassed. The top of it just. Pops open and theres the steam billowing out

I dunno I think it suits him and his aesthetic...

Stole this idea from someone else but he can purr; it's mostly involuntary imo and if you listen close enough you can hear his bones vibrating and clacking against one another

His eyes glow in the dark! Not too bright, it's fairly dim, but it's enough for him to see around and for you to see where he is in a dark room!

Creaky bones. He is OLD! probably VERY OLD! So it would make sense his bones click and make noise thanks to the general age.. wear and tear you know? Especially prominent in his spine and ankles

Has a habit of clacking his teeth/jaw when speaking, as well as when hes just. Not doing anything

Prone to fiddling with his rings (!! Will get to that in a second!) As well as the accessories on his coat; and sometimes, even his hat!

Okay the rings! I like to hc that itward makes his own accessories too ! That includes the gems and chains on his coat (heck, hes probably made his own clothes!) And I like to hc that he sometimes wears rings !

Sometimes sells his stuff; more likely to sell shoes and clothing, as well as his machines and services! Sure he mostly lives off stuff hes found or grew, but theres some stuff that he cant just find or grow.. plus its generally a good idea to have some money somewhere

I'm pretty sure hes good friends with palontras and ziar (given him and palontras work together to help Fran and the painting of ziar in itwards ship) but I also like to think he is friends with the wizard and cogwind!

Mostly because I wish we got more stuff for both of them... also him and cogwind can bond over their interests!

Does not stay in one place for long, given that KMGs labels him as a wanderer, but assuming he keeps Fran around to raise her I think he anchors down to one place... well not ANCHOR but like, cutting down on traveling at least a bit, especially in the beginning so fran can fully come to terms with everything shes learned (the truth of her parents death, the grieving process, learning she may or may not be part of something larger if memory serves me right, it's been a while since I played the game, as well as being shot.. like yeah she was healed physically but like imagine how shes gonna feel when that fact she was shot mentally sinks in) ... cant have her bouncing between different realities and the spaces in between them constantly

Ponders

Listens to Antonios (giant old ant dude) old music, I think! Probably has a bunch of old vynlls laying around somewhere

Frequently has to clean his hands, especially his fingers since hes always working on SOMETHING, he doesnt wanna walk around with gunk in the grooves of his fingers. Very yucky very gross and very un-gentleman..ly...

I keep trying to wrap this post up but I keep remembering hcs/coming up with new ones

Anyways COMMITS to the bit when hes playing a game with Fran, or really any kid hes looking over. Tea party? Hes gonna bust out his very best manners. Yes he will wear a tiara if its offered to him. It will go over his hat, of course. Playing doctor? Oh he'll moan n cry about how sick hes feeling, please help him! Ect ect, things like that!

Sometimes makes shadow puppets and tells stories. Both in the form of little shadow theatres, but sometimes he will use his own hands and project the shadows onto the wall!

Very good at coming up with stories on the fly

Also very very good at comforting people, I think. Hes been around for a while and he just OOZES comfort

So if you have a nightmare or struggle with anxiety, itward wont let you just suffer and be scared, hes gonna do what suits you best to calm down; distractions, holding, taking, quiet, grounding, ect ect ect anything you need

[jackoshadows]

"A Darcy who falls in love with Jane Bennet is not the Darcy in the story Austen is writing. In the same way a Jon Snow who falls in love with Sansa Stark is not the Jon Snow in the story George R R Martin  is telling. "

Yes, exactly. I was just talking to someone about this. Their Jon is not all the same character, I'm convinced none of them have read the books. There's no way one can read his chapters and come out of it saying he will fall for someone like sansa, he just loves warrior and independent women so much. Sansa is the exact opposite of what he wants. The fact that people put this ship on the same level as jonrya or jonerys just because he is related to these women is insulting and I'm not even a die hard jon stan.

As I mentioned in my previous ask, my interpretation of Jon has always been that he has a lot of respect and love for the characters who are proactive, the go-getters who decide what they want to happen and then actively work towards making that happen, the characters who don't settle but want more for themselves. You are right in that he does like the independent and aggressively proactive female characters.

And yes, I used the P&P example to highlight the absurdity of the Jonsa fandom. For the non ASoIaF readers, It’s like reading P&P and thinking that Darcy and Jane or even Darcy and Miss Bingley is the superior ship.

Imagine Darcy/Jane shippers hating on Lizzy for walking in all that mud to Netherfield park and all these essays on how Lizzy’s a NLOG undeserving of romance or how any criticism of Miss Bingley’s treatment of Jane and Lizzy is from women who have internalized misogyny or how we are against the Darcy/Jane ship because we are ‘sexist dudes’ who hate beautiful, girly girls.

Imagine these shippers arguing that Darcy/Jane is what is actually happening in the books and not Darcy falling for Elizabeth. That every interaction that Darcy has with Elizabeth is actually telling us something about Darcy and Jane. And that Jane and Mr. Bingley is actually just a stepping stone and foreshadowing for Jane and Darcy happening.

For ex., take this bit in the book:

"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it  is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone!  What could  she mean by it?  It seems to me to show an abominable sort of  conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to  decorum."

"It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing," said  Bingley.

"I am afraid, Mr. Darcy," observed Miss Bingley in a half  whisper, "that this adventure has rather affected your  admiration of her fine eyes."

"Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the exercise."  A short pause followed this speech, - Pride and Prejudice, chapter 8

Imagine reading the above and interpreting that as Darcy talking about Jane’s eyes, not Elizabeth’s. That while saying the above, in his mind he is thinking of Jane up above in her room. Anyone would think this person is living in cloud cuckoo land right? This is precisely how normal asoiaf readers feel about the Jonsa fandom.

Imagine these shippers saying that Darcy is not attracted to Elizabeth’s intelligence and wits, no he is attracted to snobby Miss Bingley’s love for rules and propriety or to Jane’s beauty and sweet, gentle nature.

Imagine if someone argues that a true Darcy fan would only ship Darcy and Jane, that Darcy and Jane was what Austen intended all along and that’s what happened off page...

The thing is that no matter if some shippers want Darcy and Jane Bennet to be in a relationship, for Jane to get the beautiful grounds of Pemberley and a handsome husband and children or they ship Darcy and Jane together because Jane’s more beautiful than Elizabeth and sweet and gentle and therefore deserves the traditionally happy ever after ending compared to Elizabeth who walked miles in the mud and is therefore a ‘not like other girls’ type, not marriage material - no matter all this, the central relationship in the book from start to end is between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet!

Darcy is not subconsciously thinking of Jane or Miss Bingley all the time, he’s interacting with Elizabeth Bennet. He’s attracted to Elizabeth’s mocking of the rules for ladies, to her pretty eyes brightened by walking miles in the mud, by her opposing him and arguing with him and matching wits with him. All the while, the more beautiful Jane’s right there. Again, TO MAKE DARCY FALL IN LOVE WITH JANE, ONE WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE DARCY’S ENTIRE PERSONALITY. THIS WOULD THEN NO LONGER BE MR. DARCY.

To ship Jonsa, one has to change Jon’s entire personality and story right from AGoT, Chapter I. They have to remove all the themes about underdogs and valuing the person instead of giving importance to societal prejudice from his story.  They have to remove his important relationships with Arya and Sam Tarly. These relationships are important because it defines who he is as a character, makes him a fully realized three dimensional character. They have to make him pathetically self loathing. Take away his self esteem and self worth. Remove his entire arc with the Freefolk. Make him a side character in Sansa Stark’s story of being QITN (Like the TV show did), instead of a politically savvy strategist main character with identity issues and being instrumental to dealing with the threat from beyond the Wall.

The only way anyone is going to ship Jonsa is if they skip all of Jon’s chapters, have never read the books or deliberately misread or misinterpret the text to try and shove one’s nonsensical crackship in there.

[lqfiles]

METEORNON LIFE UPDATE WE ARE BACK AFTER 10 DAYS 🗣️‼️

🥁🥁🥁🥁

MY EXAMS ARE OVER 🥳🥳 the universe cheered !! I literally just gave my last exam this morning and it's 3:30pm rn we are so excited (the excitement will last a day until I'm bored)

I spent the day arranging my course material and being productive (felt nice) (because I know I'll rot for the whole break otherwise) anyway I have plans to be a girl (I'm just a girl) and order this really cute tote bag I saw online it was so cool

OTHER THAN THAT OH OH USER LQFILES I WATCHED A REALLY REALLY AMAZING MOVIE idk if you know about it. It's a Japanese movie called even if this love disappears from the world tonight and it's so 🥹🥹🥹🥹 it's so 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 heartbreaking. What if I collapse on the floor and cry. You should watch it ( of course you don't have to) if you're into sad soul shattering stuff (gonna go off a bit here and summarize the premise: there's a girl who has anterograde amnesia which is where your memories don't accumulate. So whenever she wakes up in the morning, she doesn't remember anything about what happened or what she did the previous day and this happens EVERY SINGLE DAY so she basically has to restart her life everyday. She keeps a diary in which she writes about her day every night before sleeping, and she has all these signs on her bedroom walls that basically tell her that she has amnesia and needs to read her diary to get to know about her life every morning. SO LONG STORY SHORT WITHOUT SPOILERS one day a guy comes up to her and fake confesses to her because some guys who were bullying that guy's classmate told him to do it in case he wanted his friend to stop getting bullied. He fake confesses to her and she SAYS YES and then they fake date, but for a while the guy doesn't know she has amnesia and then he finds out and that is where I'm stopping because everything else is like the main main plot)

I YAPPED QUITE A LOT TODAY ‼️☝️

Anyway it's so sad and I'm in love with it

REGARDING PAY THE PRICE THINGS ARE PROGRESSING I THINK HAECHAN LOWKEY CONSIDERS HER A FRIEND AT THIS POINT

I am also in love with renjun's cat stealing agenda and his and jaemin's dynamic they're so funny (OR RATHER YOU ARE SO FUNNY USER LQFILES 🫵)

ALSO WITH THE ANON WHO TALKED ABOUT JAEHYUN BEING OLD 😭😭😭 I AGREE AND I SEE THIS HAPPENING IN REAL LIFE

anyway phew that was a lot (I hope you weren't alarmed by me suddenly yapping) I'll be activeee and interacting now that I'm not busy (!!) MUCH LOVEEE 🌷🌷🤍🤍🤍 I HOPE YOU'RE WELLLL

-☄️

WE FREAKING MISSED YOU OVER HERE BESFF <33

IM SO HAPPY YOUR EXAMS ARE OVER LETS GOOOO 🥳🥳🎉 how did you think they went? i’m sure you did well and i’m happy that you get to rest now ^^ does this mean you’re officially in your summer holidays now or just a smaller break? LMAOOO YOURE SMART FOR KNOWING YOUR HABITS AND DOING SMRH ABOUT IT because i know if that was me i would wait till last minute 😭

THE WAY I WANT TO BUY A TOTE BAG TOO BRUHH it’s so girly core and girlmaxxing and feminine and ughh i just love being a girl..

shatter shoul stuff WELL YES GIVE IT TO ME… i normally don’t watch movies or dramas (when i tell you.. i have not watched ANY classic movie, not even spider-man or mean girls or fuckass MOANA. name a movie and i probably haven’t watched it 😭) but i REALLY wanna start doing so, BUT THAT SOUNDS AMAZINF AS FUCKK WAITT i can already sense the angst and heartbreak from that poor girl i’m already tearing up 😭😭😭 (i’m dramatic) i’ll definitely write it down and try to watch it soon (if you can recommend me where to watch it i would appreciate it.. preferably i pirated website 🙏🏽)

haechan doesn’t HATE her but also doesn’t LIKE her yk? its mostly y/n who just wants him gone while haechan is just playing around at this point lmaoo. i’m glad you like the side characters too and thank yew for calling me funny you’re flatter me anon 😣 just say you wanna kiss me..

NEVER APOLOGISE FOR HEING A YAPPER I LOVE YAPPERS WE YAPPERS ALL NEED TO UNITE, can’t wait to see you again anon take care and enjoy your break ^^ <3

[thehonorscollegeexperience]

Everything Overall Q&A:

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

REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION – SECOND STEP SHORTLY AFTER THE EXPERIENCE

Academic:

1. Did you connect your experiences to one of the Honors outcomes? Which one?

I achieved the Honors Outcome of practicing organization and collaboration skills, planning, assessment, self-discipline, task management, and had the capacity to guide and direct group-based work, along with strengthening my leadership skills and exercising creativity.

Experiential Learning Guide:

2. Can you find any articles or other materials related to practice, leadership, or experiences

similar to yours?

-My job was to be a tech so there aren't exactly any specific articles about the job. All I need is experience with playing music and marching.

3. Did you have clearly identifiable goals that your review regularly?

-Yes, my goals were clear. To be a mentor and guide to the young musicians and sow a love for marching band and music in them while allowing them to enjoy it.

Career Development:

1. Did your activities relate to your future career goals?

-My career goal requires communication and flexibility when working with others, along with listening and adhering to people's needs.

2. Did the activities provide you with group learning and collaborative opportunities? If so, how do you function in a group?

-Yes, my activity frequently put me in a position where I was required to fill in the teacher role. I was able to use what I learned in my education classes and provided a student-led teaching environment and allowed them to voice their concerns or needs.

3. What skills did you develop for your portfolio or resume?

I've developed teaching skills as I showed the students who were need to marching band how to do certain things, I've also became an authority figure for them and they were comfortable enough to ask me things that they would normally ask their director. I have fixed an instrument that needed a screw put back in, took them outside for fundamentals, and worked on their music with them. I have learned how to work with middle school and high schoolers and what strategies to use to get them to stay on task.

Observations:

1. Have your activities exposed you to new and unique opportunities, ideas, experiences?

Yes, my activity exposed me to what it is like to interact with middle school and high school kids at a teaching level. I've learned more about them and what they value and how they think and they've learned from me too.

2. Did you find that the outside of class activities expands your learning opportunities?

Yes.

3. Has less structured learning posed a challenge for you?

No, because I was able to find something that I wanted to do fairly easily once the right window of opportunity opened. Having that freedom to do whatever I wanted as long as it adhered to the assignment helped me be more strategic with my assignment.

Personal Reflections:

1. Were there any items that you feel are most important to document from this experience?

The most important thing I wanted to document from my experience was how I was able to adapt to everything that was thrown at me. I didn't expect to take over for my band director multiple times and I think that it required a level of trust that we have for him to feel comfortable with me having his class while he's at a meeting. I also thought it was important to document my thought process on how to teach and help these students understand their activity better and not have them hate it.

ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION – THIRD STEP CONTEMPLATING PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES AND DEVELOPING OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THESE EXPERIENCES

Assessment:

1. What Honors Learning Outcomes do you feel were successfully met?

I achieved the Honors Outcome of practicing organization and collaboration skills, planning, assessment, self-discipline, task management, and leadership skills.

2. What evidence can you provide to support your success?

I have taken pictures and photos of as much as I could and put them on my blog for this assignment.

3. Do you have evidence of support from a supervisor, mentor, or faculty member?

My band director made a Facebook post about my help and has praised me publicly about coming back to my high school to help.

4. What reflections and/or other documentation can you provide to support successful outcomes?

All of my reflections and documentation of my experience is on my Tumblr blog: thehonorscollegeexperience

5. Has this experience changed your perspectives, goals, or career objectives in any way?

Although I still don't feel like teaching is my calling, I do feel like my experience this week had strengthened my communication and leadership skills, along with helping me with task management and being able to hear and acknowledge the needs of others.

6. Do you feel that you have a better understanding of leadership, teamwork, or collaboration?

Yes.

ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION – FOURTH STEP DEALS WITH THE PROCESS OF TESTING EXISTING IDEAS BY CREATING NEW EXPERIECES

1. Are there any things that you would do differently?

I would have liked to have more confidence in myself and my abilities.

2. Will this experience assist you with future tasks?

I fully believe that this experience will open a gateway to more opportunities and future tasks relating to people and social things.

3. Are there lateral skills or ideas that presented opportunities for learnings (such as collaboration, time management, and organization)?

All three skills were present in my experience. It is difficult to keep middle and high schoolers on task long enough to get them from point A to B, help them remember all of their things, and make sure they have good behavior all at once. It requires a lot of patience. Time management is a big one because the kids liked to talk and move around and it takes several tries to get their attention. Collaboration was big also because I wanted them to know that I hear their voices and I want them to tell me what they want to do. I fully believe that allowing students to have a hand on the wheel will make them feel more in control of their environment and of their own learning.

4. Kolb’s cycle represents ongoing development and learning, do you find that this process will be helpful in future/further experiences?

Yes, I think that Kolb's cycle will help me in future experiences because I am always learning.

On the audition days (2), I was at the school from 3:30- 5:30pm

Band camp was August 1-5 and was from 12:00pm to 8:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday it was 12:00pm- 5:00pm.

[nakamoto-aesthetics]

Varsity Jacket | j.jh

synopsis: your highschool boyfriend has a reputation of not showing affection in public nor sharing his clothes with other girls so why was he doing those things with you?

pairing: boyfriend!jaehyun x fem!reader

genre: highschool!au, sexual themes with some fluff on the side

warning: lots of touching “we’re touching each other, it’s all about interaction, we gotta be social” ~ mark lee

word count: 1.9k

Part 1 | Part 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

once you walk in your see jaehyun standing up and looking towards where you were, he smiles once he sees you and waves you over to his table. you’re about to walk over when you see your friends at a different table. you sighed, you blew off your friends the previous days already and you were beginning to feel bad.

you raise one finger to jaehyun and he nods sitting down. you walk over to your table, they smile at you immediately.

“are you sitting with us today?” mira asked.

“cant. I’m really really sorry” you reply feeling bad.

“it’s fine,” she says smiling softly. “yes it’s okay to be with your boyfriend” seongyeon winks at you. you smile and nod walking away but you couldn’t help but feel upset.

“there you are” jaehyun smiles as he notices you, he stands up. he looked so good at that moment, your boyfriend was incredibly sexy. it drove you crazy, he drove you crazy; especially when he was shirtless. you loved licking his abs. you could feel all the individual packs with your tongue. you even left hickeys on them and that’s why there were always dark red/purple marks on his abs when he changed for basketball practice, this hadn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates either.

“you kept my jacket on” he smiles when your closer to him and you nod at him.

“yeah I did because it’s comfortable and warm” you hug him.

“good” he smiles sweetly. “I’ve been thinking about you since I last saw you” he digs his head into the crook of your neck. you wrap your arms around his waist and kiss the top of his head. jae has always been clingy like this, he hugged and kissed you all the time.

“oh yeah? what were you thinking about?” you asked letting your hand travel down the sides of his torso and you slide your hands up his shirt feeling your way around his body.

“having you in my arms, smelling you, kissing you, and also touching your body” his hands explore your body freely, moving his hands up and down the grooves of your curves.

“how do you want to touch me,” you ask genuinely.

“I wanna explore every inch of your naked body,” he says in your ear making your breath hitch. his hands go down to your ass and he squeezes it tightly, you moan softly as he starts to kneed with his fingers and palms.

“are you guys gonna film a porno in front of us too?” johnny says directing all the guys’ attention to you both.

“I probably would just because I wouldn’t care” jaehyun turns his head to them and you do too. all their eyes meet yours for a reaction and that’s what you give them.

“you wouldn’t care but I would” you twist your face at him.

“well you heard her, we won’t be filming a porno in front of you guys” jaehyun stands up and takes his hands away from you, grabbing your hand and sitting down at the table.

“wow, jaehyun conforming to what a girl wants instead of just thinking about himself. that’s a rare sight” haechan says in a surprised voice. you wondered why that was. why did jaehyun treat you differently than past girls?

“this is not a girl, this is my girl,” he says looking at all of them. you caught that however, you needed to know now. why are you different?

“jae can I talk to you alone?” you whisper in his ear.

“sure princess. hey guys I’ll be right back” he stands up and grabs your hand.

“they’re gonna go fuck” and they all made noises. at least the boys didn’t seem to hate you at this moment. jaehyun chuckled and guided you out of the lunchroom and into what you both called your special place. it was a place up on the roof, it had all kinds of colorful flowers. it didn’t sound as magical as it was but it was a sight to see.

it was where you first came in contact with jaehyun. you knew him but he didn’t know you at the time, the more and more you and him saw each other, the more your crushes developed on each other. you guys were friends until finally, you confessed to him. it went well because here you guys were a year later, together in a relationship.

you both step onto the ground outside and he brings you over to the iconic spot.

“so what do you wanna talk about?” he sits down and pulls you into his lap so you're straddling him.

“I wanted to know why I'm different from other girls” his eyebrows furrow and you decide to explain further. “you’ve never given other girls your jacket but im wearing it and you don’t show affection in public but you showed a lot of PDA today” you wrap your arms around his neck and play with the hairs on the back of his neck.

“it’s because... I could see a future with you,” you raise your eyebrows not expecting him to say something like that. “I mean your wifey material and they weren’t. you’re the longest relationship I’ve ever been in but that’s because I couldn’t see myself marrying them or being with them long term. don’t you see? I can see myself marrying you and having kids, having an actual family with you because that’s how much I love you” he says, the whole time you were biting your lip and looking into his eyes. how did you get so lucky?

you place your hands on either side of his face and immediately pull him in for a kiss as soon as he was done talking. he smiled against your lips and kissed you back, gripping your waist. you move your lips to his cheeks and down his neck.

“you're so fucking beautiful,” you say softly in his ear and kiss under it.

“I should be the one saying that to you” he chuckles and pulls your face back up to his, kissing your cheeks gently.

“no, you’ve loved on me all day. it’s my turn to love on you now” you move down to his neck and nip at it.

“i’ll let it slide for right now princess” he tilts his head so you have more space. you smile against his neck and plant hot open-mouthed kisses on his neck, sucking on his skin a bit until bright red marks formed.

“today I got an argument with a girl and it was about you,” you say against his neck.

“why?” he rubs your back.

“because she thought she could look at me any type of way so I gave it to her straight. she was delusional, she called you her man and everything like who says that shit when you know that guy is taken?” you look up at him through your eyelashes.

“what did I tell you beforehand? don’t get into petty arguments, this is what I didn’t want happening” he says softly and kisses your head.

“yeah but at the end of the day who's receiving all your love? who’s getting kisses and ass grabs? who’s fucking you and making you groan? me that’s who. baby your mine, all… mine” you turn his face to yours and plant small kisses on his lips until he pulls away.

“you can’t just say some shit like that and then kiss me like that. fuck that was so hot. I love it when your possessive” he slips his hands up your shirt and lets his hands roam your skin. “I want you so bad right now” he groans. you knew he was telling the truth because you could feel his hard-on right beneath you.

“nope let’s go I’m not taking care of your problem right now” you stand up and hold your hand out to him. he groans in annoyance and takes your hand.

“your mean” he pouts.

“suck it up buttercup” you lead him back into the school. the walk was fairly quiet, both of you were enjoying the presence of each other.

“hey, baby?” you say before you walk into the cafeteria, making you stop in your tracks.

“yeah, sweetheart?” he stops walking also and looks at you.

“I can see a future with you too, I can see us having our own house with our own little family,” you smile at the thought and then look into his eyes. “that’s what I see when I look into your eyes, jaehyun your eyes are full of life they’re so pretty,” you place your hand on his face and caress his cheek. “your so pretty” you whisper.

he doesn’t say anything and instead looks into your eyes too, you both were intoxicated by the other; neither of you moving a single muscle that was until the bell rung and people started pouring out the room.

jaehyun immediately grabs your hand and pulls you off to the side. he pushed you against the wall and stroked your bottom lip.

“did you mean what you said? every word?” he asks biting his lip softly and his tone lower than usual.

“yes I meant it all. jae I can see our kids running around the house with smiles on their face while me and you are cuddled up next to each other watching them.” you instantly smile. “our kids would cute as hell too” you chuckle.

“for your genes obviously. your drop dead gorgeous from head to toe” he looks you up and down. “and your all mine that’s the crazy part”

you shake your head. “you definitely carry the looks in the relationship and will carry the looks in our kids genes”

“stop that non sense and kiss me” he looks deep into your eyes, his fingers dancing on your waist.

you do as he said and grip his biceps pulling him closer. you move your lips against his at the perfect pace, the kiss was full of passion and love you could feel it. you really loved him no doubt about that, you didn’t care who watched or stared now because he was yours and you were his.

“jaehyun come on we have class” doyoung says, making you both pull away.

“I guess i’ll see you later baby” jaehyun pecks your lips multiple times before you push him away gently.

“jae your gonna be late go” you chuckle and he quickly pecks your lips again before walking away.

you bit your lip as you watched him walk away. damn he was all yours. how in the world did you get so lucky.

“y/n let’s go” seongyeon says, pulling you by your hand and with that you were off to your next class, with jaehyun on your mind.

a/n: that’s the end! i know that was a weird ending but i wasn’t sure how to end it nonetheless i happened you all enjoyed it!!

NCT Masterlist

[captnjacksparrow]

So does Kishi officially hate NH and SS? Because I can't help but think like that when I see them in Boruto. Like no way he wants them to be seen as happy or content. Also, it seems like he still hates Sakura because just just look at her, she hasn't really changed. Her dynamic with Sasuke hasn't really changed. She gives chase, Sasuke ignores. Except Sasuke looks more depressed.

Hey, after fifteen years of us chasing after the story and characters we invested in so much, at least give us some indication that they are least happy after sooo many sacrifices, like they deserve that happiness.

But no, if anything, they seem totally miserable. What made Kishi do that? Yes, he can't show them ooc, but Sasuke marrying Sakura is already ooc. Naruto being a bad father is already ooc. Like why go to the extent of showing Sasuke trying not to touch Sakura and pointedly showing that they never kissed? That's just like a determined effort on Kishi's part to show that their marriage is not working. Naruto works way more than any of his predecessors and sleeps in the office or couch so as not to disturb Hinata, when Hinata is specifically designed to accommodate anything that Naruto might require.

Don't get me wrong, I think Boruto is trash. But I am still in interested in SNS in Boruto because that's still canon. Just makes me wonder how Kishi will finally conclude SNS, because their bond still shows clearly in Boruto. Do you think he will kill them any time soon?

Good ask, Anon☺️☺️❤️❤️

Before answering this, I am going to tell you that I don’t watch Boruto. But I know what happened so far, vaguely. Like, Gaiden arc, Karma seal, Kawaki adoption, Kurama’s death, loss of Rinnegan, Time travel arc. Anyways, I might have missed many interactions between Sasuke & Sakura in the filler episodes or other canonical episodes. I would be happy If you send me an episode list or timestamps in where they interact, so that it saves my time instead of me, watching that entire shit show. 

So does Kishi officially hate NH and SS?

In this post, I dissected SS from a non-SNS perspective. It seems Kishi went all out of his way to make their interactions too insincere, blunt and toxic. I mean Sasuke’s absolute lack of interest in her was very evident even until chapter 693. That is right before, their final VoTE fight. And even after Sakura comes to heal their injuries, he just said ‘Ummmm..... I guess Sorry’... 

Kishi could have made Sasuke say some corny shit to Sakura like how he felt bad inside for hurting her, how he missed her, wiping her tears or whatever (Puke!!!! 🤮🤮🤮). Because in the previous chapter, Sasuke basically confessed to Naruto internally about how he felt about Naruto when he was a child. Kishi could have done the same for Sakura in just 4, 5 panels. But anyways, my point is, Kishi’s moment to salvage that ship is chapter 699. 

But he didn’t.

Did Kishi tried to build their bond after marriage?

He definitely could’ve. But he didn’t. 

This shows his clear distaste in SS.

As for NH, Kishi is indifferent. He neither hates them nor loves them. Kishi created Hinata as a pairing fodder and she still is. 

Also, it seems like he still hates Sakura because just just look at her, she hasn't really changed. Her dynamic with Sasuke hasn't really changed. She gives chase, Sasuke ignores. Except Sasuke looks more depressed.

Hmmm, I don’t know whether Sasuke hates her, anon. Again, maybe I’ve missed those parts. But when he looks at her, it’s always filled with regrets and an urge to avoid her (like Itachi avoided Sasuke, but for totally sad and genuine reasons). 

But this again begs the question, ‘Why feeling regret or hesitant even after 12 years?’. 

Believe me anon, Love/Bonds/Understanding can happen at anytime of your life. From where I come from, not everyone marries out of love. Arranged marriages are common. But still, many couples make effort and work out their difference, and find love. Kishi could’ve done the same for SS too. 

Is Sasuke that heartless? No.

He was once a boy who bear hugged his brother every time Itachi comes back from the Academy. Itachi’s presence itself made Sasuke so happy. 

Did he become heartless after the massacre? Also no.

Even after the trauma, Sasuke just became aloof and cold. But he always becomes a child who can pout, be silly, becomes animated, bicker around Naruto. So, he can be lovely, but only around the people he choose by himself. 

Still, Sakura is not that person. So, he looks like he is depressed and wants to escape from her at any given chance because of a certain guilt. 

What made Kishi do that? Yes, he can't show them ooc, but Sasuke marrying Sakura is already ooc. Naruto being a bad father is already ooc. Like why go to the extent of showing Sasuke trying not to touch Sakura and pointedly showing that they never kissed? That's just like a determined effort on Kishi's part to show that their marriage is not working.

To answer, this goes way back, anon. 

Kishi is a person who prefers to write love through intense friendship, sensei-student dynamics and brotherhood. He can occasionally write cute and sweet romance but it can only be short like 2 or 3 pages... or a chapter, max. He can’t go on doing it for 70 chapters for romance. Which was evident from Minato & Kushina, Dan & Tsunade, Obito & Rin. 

But the real deal of Naruto manga is the bond between Naruto and Sasuke. The bond between Itachi and Sasuke also played a huge role in this series. And then comes Hashirama and Madara, Jiraiya and Naruto, Kakshi and Obito, Kakashi and Naruto and many more. So, Kishi pretty much gave an ending he wanted for a long time in chapter 699. He successively pulled off a great manga without corny and shitty romance but with just friendship and brotherhood alone. He didn’t give two shits about NH or SS before chapter 700.

Naruto series’ another success lies on it’s characters tragic backstories. I simply loved them all and most of them made me cry. 

Kishi wanted to move on from Naruto.

But then Money played a big part. Naruto series can be milked in a lot of ways. Editors wanted all the characters to become some baby making dolls. So you have to create pairings. Based on the popularity polls, they decided NH and SS.

In my opinion, Sasuke is a goal-oriented person. He is a wanderer who works on his own accords. Ever since he left Konoha when he was 13, that was his path, so you can’t make him stay in one place. At every stage of his life, he had different goals.

At age 8-15, he had one goal. To kill Itachi. Can he have a romance here? Nope.

At age 16, his goal is to destroy Konoha. No chance of romance in that dark path.

At age 17, he wanted to Revolutionize the shinobi system. Since he wanted to be alone for that goal, no possibility of romance.

At age 18, he adopted Naruto’s dream as his own. To make all shinobi cooperate and look out for Kaguya remains. Romance cannot happen here as he was constantly wandering around and he prefers to work alone.

This is how Kishi designed Sasuke’s character throughout.

Now all of a sudden, if you ask Kishi to go OOC by asking him to write corny romance for his favorite character Sasuke just for the sake of making him relevant to Boruto series, what will he do? 

Since Boruto is a series which is a sequel to Naruto, you pretty much know everyone’s backstory. Those 12 year old New Gen kids possibly can’t have tragic stories like Naruto or Sasuke. 

Kishi being a troller, used this opportunity to create a piss poor sob story for Sarada by making Sasuke as an absentee father and an unloving husband.

He created a sad story for Sarada and he gets to shit on SS ship. Two birds, One stone!!!! 

Now, Sasuke being an unloving husband is OOC ? Nope. He was never a marriage material in the first place. So he is perfectly in-character.

Sasuke being an absentee father is OOC? No and Yes. No, because it’s the effect of the cause I mentioned above. Yes, because unlike Naruto, Sasuke once had a father. He can try to reach her out now and often. but he prefers not to do instead he cares more about Boruto. LOL.

Sasuke being not family oriented is OOC? Nope. He is a goal oriented person. His goal is same as Naruto’s dream. He will go to any extent to fulfill it, even at the expense of his family’s happiness. Because that’s what he learnt from Itachi. What Itachi taught him was, even at the expense of his own happiness and Sasuke’s trauma, he preferred Konoha and Shinobi World’s peace. That’s what Sasuke is doing now. 

Naruto works way more than any of his predecessors and sleeps in the office or couch so as not to disturb Hinata, when Hinata is specifically designed to accommodate anything that Naruto might require.

As for Naruto, 

I think it’s very funny. And I guess, I know why.

Just like Sasuke, Naruto is also a goal oriented person. 

Remember, in that Boruto movie, Sasuke knocks Naruto’s door at the midnight?

Imagine if Naruto opened the door. 

Sasuke will be like, ‘Alright mothafucka!!! I wanted to die in the VoTE itself. You wanted me in your dream world. Am working my ass off for your stupid dreams and trying to reach you without even meeting my own family. And yet here you are, sleeping well and sound. Am just gonna Chidori you!!!’ LOL.

I think you get my point. 

If you make Sasuke to be an hardworker, then Naruto must work even hard to fulfill his dream. So you possibly can’t have Naruto playing duet with Himata or whatever trash. 

So kishi pulled his Two birds, One Stone for NH here!!!

In short, Kishi gets to make his New generation shine through this pathetic sob stories and at the same time, kept his favorite characters without going OOC. 

So, it’s a polite way of Kishi showing middlefinger to SS and NH for making him do this. He is saying, ‘Alright folks, you wanted this all along. But this is what you will get!!!’.

Just makes me wonder how Kishi will finally conclude SNS, because their bond still shows clearly in Boruto. Do you think he will kill them any time soon?

I think about this all the time. How will they end?? How will they die??

Now, don’t think I am some sadist for wanting them to die. I am just being practical and honest here. This is a new generation series. Of course, at some point, Naruto and Sasuke has to die for the sake of character development. And I will be happy if they die because I don’t like their miserable portrayal in Boruto at all. 

Naruto series has a pattern when it comes to death portrayal. Meaningful characters (except Neji) always die protecting someone/something they cherish. Jiraiya died for Naruto, Yahiko died for Konan & Nagato, Itachi died for Sasuke & Konoha, Haku died for Zabuza, Obito (younger) died for Kakashi & Rin and so on.

Ever since Naruto became Hokage, his death is pretty much plastered on his head. He will die protecting Konoha just like all the Hokages from First to Fourth who sacrificed their life for Konoha. 

But Sasuke??? 

I am going to say he will die protecting Naruto or the village. But for Naruto mostly. Either way, Sasuke will die first. 

Dying for Naruto, the reasons are crystal clear. He already died protecting Naruto once in the Zabuza arc. He will never hesitate to do it again. Which was evident from the way he told Naruto in the Boruto movie while giving his Susanoo, ‘If they capture the real you, then everything is gone’. Somewhere in Boruto Manga chapter 38 (I don’t remember properly), Sasuke was yelling at Naruto, ‘If you are gone, it’s pretty hopeless’ and was praying ‘Naruto, don’t you die’. 

So it’s pretty much Sasuke saying to Naruto, ‘I’ll protect you, You protect everyone’

But why the village?? Why will Sasuke die for Konoha which caused him so much pain?? I know anti-konoha stans wont like this, but that’s the reality.

It seems many Sasuke fans never paid attention to his character. After hearing the story from all the Hokages, Sasuke said, ‘I will not let Itachi’s life and this village into nothing’. He really meant it. Because for Sasuke, Itachi was more precious. Itachi died saying, ‘I’ll have protected my village as Uchiha Itachi of Konoha once again. I have no more regrets’. Sasuke wanted to respect his brother’s wish finally and that’s why he openly claimed in the battlefield, ‘I am going to protect Konoha and become it’s Hokage’. Sasuke’s another precious person is Naruto. He is the Hokage now. 

Don’t you think Sasuke will die protecting something Itachi and Naruto values so much??

He even claimed it openly in Boruto Manga. ‘I would die anytime for Konoha, as has your dad (Naruto)’

Sasuke even said to Boruto, “I will stop you even if I have to kill you”. And do you think Sasuke is just pouring out some empty words??? Sasuke will not let Boruto to turn into an Otsutsuki monster and destroy the village.

Like I said, Sasuke will go out first. And eventually Naruto will follow him. Or they both die protecting the village together. I don’t see them dying for their wives or children. Because, their relationship with their family is not too strong and their ambitions are far beyond their own families.

Maybe for this reason, Kishi is trolling NH and SS in Boruto. LOL.

Naruto’s bond with Sasuke was formed even before his birth, when Kushina asked the 3 month old Baby Sasuke to be friends with Naruto.

However, One thing is for sure. One will not live very long without the Other or Both will die together. That’s how their bond should end. 

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Love or Duty by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 2/8

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Or on FF

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Chapter 2: A Woman’s Place

Emma barely spoke through dinner the previous evening, choosing instead to watch her father’s clear discomfort from interacting with King Brennan’s sons. She could tell her father’s distaste of his previous rival was filtering down to his offspring. Perhaps knowing she was now betrothed to one of them was punishment enough for the decision he had made for her. If only that punishment didn’t apply to her as well.

It wasn’t that Liam was not a handsome man, in fact he was very easy on the eyes. Not in the same way as his brother, the one who had caught the eye of every maiden he had made eye contact with since stepping foot in the castle, but he had a commanding way about him. First born males of royalty always seemed to have that trait. That air of knowing they were made special because their sperm came before their siblings.

It was all tiresome and quite boring once you put it in those terms. How does simply being born first somehow make you more special than someone who came from the same womb? It was the same annoyance that Emma had about her own situation. She was destined to a life of servitude as a royal housewife because she was female while her younger brother, Henry was Heir to be King. Who made up these stupid rules anyway? Why should a woman need to marry a man who would be King in order to be Queen? Why is a woman’s worth only tied to that of her husband?

As Emma dressed for the day, her handmaiden, Ruby yanking the laces of her corset as Emma cursed loudly.

“I’m sorry, I know you hate these wretched things.”

“If I wanted to be tied up, there are much better ways to go about it.” Emma said with a smirk in her maid’s direction.

“Naughty girl, you know not even what you speak.”

“Yes, but that is because my only inspiration comes from your stories.” Emma spun around and giggled. “How did your evening go with Sir Humbert?”

“Not quite as eventful as it went with Lady Gale afterwards.”

Emma gasped. “Ruby, you did not.”

“Why should men have all the fun?” She teased, turning her back around and tugging on the cord behind her. Emma held her stomach and took a deep breath as the material tightened around her, restricting her air flow for a moment.

“Why is it so important for the ladies to be on display simply to garner a man’s attention?” She glanced down at her heaving breasts. “Are my words not interesting enough for more than a minute’s worth of conversation?”

“I sit on a blades edge in anticipation of every word that leaves your mouth, Princess.”

Emma sighed in frustration. “I do not wish to dance tonight; everyone will be anticipating my every reaction to Prince Liam. I have naught even spoken to him alone to understand who he is, much less that I have to share a bed chamber with him once we are wed.”

“But you love dancing. Try not to think of the eyes on you, instead use the distraction of the dance to find out more about your betrothed. Perhaps his guard will be down with all the attention as well. If you need me to, I can find out more about him from his brother.” She winked.

“You just want to bed the Prince.” She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I do not believe it would be much of a conquest. Men like him tend to trip into a woman’s bed without a single preamble.”

“He would not need to speak a word to have me trembling at his knees.”

“A woman’s place is not on her knees Ruby.” Emma flitted around the room, pulling her dress from the wardrobe, and draping it over her chest as she looked at her image in the mirror. “Men do not make us who we are, you would be wise to remember that Ruby.”

As Emma made her way to the courtyard, she greeted the people who passed her by, stopping to make conversation with the staff who had worked tirelessly to put on a feast with such short notice. It never mattered to her that she was royalty, only that she was gracious that so many served her with such loyalty.

She adjusted the tiara on her head and took a deep breath before entering the courtyard, standing at the top of the staircase looking down at the multitude of impeccably dressed nobles gliding across the stone dance floor. The twinkling of lights hanging from the trees surrounding the courtyard gave the view a feeling as if magical fairies had suddenly lit up the forest around them in celebration.

Taking her time, she walked slowly down each step, her eyes darting around to take in where the major players were placed around the room. Her mother and father were currently arm in arm, spinning around the room to the current Waltz the band was playing. At the edge of the courtyard, she found him standing stoically as he looked around, uninterested in the festivities happening in front of him. Prince Liam appeared to have as much desire to be at the festival as she did to marry him.

Next to him, Prince Killian stood with a ridiculous grin on his face, his gaze directed at one of the Lady’s on the dance floor who was flirting with him despite the Lord currently holding her in his arms. She approached the men who noticed her presence a second later than they could recover and receive her properly.

“Stand down gentlemen, I’m quite certain I know how to enter a room absent a round of fanfare.”

“You look lovely, M’Lady.” Prince Liam complimented and Emma smiled confidently at the Prince before taking in his brother. The man arrogantly smirked in her direction, his eyes slowly grazing down to her chest as his tongue slid across his bottom lip.

She rolled her eyes and turned toward Liam. “Do you dance, or will you be preoccupied with babysitting this one all night?”

She could feel Killian’s eyes drilling into the side of her head as Liam laughed loudly. “I think he can manage on his own for one dance.”

She allowed him to lead her to the dance floor, ignoring the look of indignation on his brother’s face. She may have to marry Prince Liam, but in no way did that mean she was required to put up with his brother’s indecent ogling.

~*~

Killian watched his brother lead the woman onto the dance floor, her golden hair braided and pinned around the crown on her head. She had a body that was worthy of exploring but an attitude that would be unmatched by his brother.

In fact, Emma and Liam were not suited in any possible way that he could imagine. Liam preferred quiet, calm women, a fact he was certain of after watching him sneak away with the cook’s timid daughter for many years. From her demeanor, he determined that this woman was assertive, demanding, and obviously not interested in being guided by a husband.

It was clear from the way the current Waltz was going in front of him, as Liam tried to lead her around the dance floor, the Princess stepping to the right when she should have stepped left, or Liam bowing when he was supposed to twirl. His brother was an amateur, his mother had tried to teach them both to dance when they came of age. Killian of course mastered it quite quickly, while Liam seemed to be born with two left feet. The sight in front of him was almost frightening.

“Bloody Hell.” He whispered under his breath, waiting for the music to stop before he stepped forward, hoping to alleviate the embarrassing glances that the Prince and Princess were surely garnering from observers who has just witnessed the abomination they had delivered on the floor.

He stepped up behind the Princess and bowed to his brother. “Perhaps I shall give you a break, brother. It would be an honor to have a dance with my future sister-in-law.”

Liam seemed almost relieved and left the Princess standing in the middle of the floor with no chance but to accept his offer. “Are you sure you have room left on your dance card?” She said with an abhorrent tone.

“Always room for you, sis.” He remarked candidly, reaching over to grasp a hand on her hip, holding his hook up for her to take. She barely registered his missing appendage as she gripped the silver hook, her eyes rolling when the music began.

“Not your sis.” Her heard her hiss as he began to sway across the dance floor, an ease of which allowed them to float around the room with the other guests. She kept her eyes over his shoulder, staring off into the distance as if she had other places to be.

He spun her around suddenly, catching her as she twirled back into his arms. Her expression registered shock as he bent his knee, spinning her around his body until he stood and pulled her into his arms. “There is one rule to this dance.” His eyes lingered on her lips before rising to meet her eyes. “Pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.”

She glared at him for a moment before spinning away from him, when she returned to his grasp she had a new look of determination. “So, tell me how this works, your brother has the responsibility of the throne while you take dance lessons?”

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown. I’ve never seen the need to have aspirations beyond my requirements.”

“Of course.” She said with a nod. “I’m sure it is easier to court a woman when your parents are not concerned about how much power runs through her blood.”

“It is easier to court a woman when your parents are not concerned with you at all. But who said I gave a damn about courting?” He pressed closer to her. “I prefer to skip the formality and go straight to the nudity.”

Killian swore she flinched, he felt her body tense and for a moment the expression on her face turned dark before the sullen smirk returned. “Why does that not surprise me in the slightest.” She leaned closer to him, “Were you not blessed with a broadsword? Is that the reason you overcompensate with women?”

He grabbed his chest and feigned attack. “Ouch, you wound a man, love. It is not kind to joke about the size of a man’s ship or his sword.”

The song ended and Killian stood with Emma in his arms, not wanting to let go yet wanting to get as far away from her as he could.

“Thank you for the dance. Feel free to go back to whatever it is that you do now.”

“Hey, dad wants you and lover boy to join him at the table.” Princess Emma groaned at the young man who approached them. “Not you, the other guy.” He stated when Killian turned toward him. “The one who’s actually going to be King.”

“Killian, this very blunt individual is my brother, Henry.” She introduced.

“I guess it runs in the family.” He said with an indignant bow, stepping away from them to return to the sidelines.

~*~

“That was rude.” Emma chided Henry as she watched Killian stride away from her.

“What? I was just being honest.”

“Doesn’t mean it should leave your mouth.” She reminded her little brother.

“What did I say?” He shrugged.

“I don’t like it when people so graciously point out that you will become King of Misthaven, like I’m just the golden drapes over here.”

“Girls can’t be King, duh!” He groaned.

“You really are an ass.” She groaned and walked toward her father who was standing at the head of the table with Prince Liam.

“Emma, darling, please have a seat. I have an announcement to make.” Emma narrowed her eyes at her father.

“What sort of announcement, father?”

Suddenly the sound of trumpets echoed in her ears, and she was pulled toward her seat by her mother.

“Sit dear and remember to smile.” Emma glared at her mother as her father stood up to speak.

“People of Misthaven, I, King Nolan am truly a blessed man this evening.” He paused for dramatic effect and Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Prince Lima from Jonesboro has asked for Princess Emma’s hand in marriage, and she has accepted.” Emma was sure the room was starting to spin.

“Emma will travel to Jonesboro at first light with Prince Liam.” Emma’s eyes jerked toward her father. He expected her to travel in the morning without speaking to her first? Her father seemed to refuse to make eye contact with her as Emma followed him across the room.

“Don’t make a scene.” She heard his voice as his mouth contorted in an uncomfortable smile. “We can discuss it after the party.”

Emma smiled at the passing guests. “Oh, you bet we will.” She laughed loudly, pretending he had said something she found even mildly entertaining. She turned on her heels and found her husband to be, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him to the dance floor. “Were you aware of our travel plans?”

He bowed to her; a fake smile plastered to his face. “I found out the same as you.”

“I suppose I should find it comforting to know that we are both in the dark when it comes to our future.”

“I find it best not to question the decisions of a King.”

“I hope you will not expect such qualities of your wife, as I find it difficult to hold my tongue.”

He chuckled as he spun her around him, tripping over his shoes. “That does not surprise me at all.” She paused in his arms.

“I am feeling quite tired. I think I will retire if I am expected to rise for travel tomorrow.”

He bowed. “Of course, M’Lady. The carriage will leave at first light.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

~*~

Killian groaned when the light hit his eyes, the curtains drawn back in dramatic fashion as the sun streamed in through the window.

“Bastard.” He cursed.

“I told you we leave at first light.” His brother complained loudly. “Yet you remain here, asleep in your bed past dawn.”

“Pardon my confusion but are we suddenly racing another carriage home? Does everything have to happen so early in the bloody morning, brother?” Killian peered through slanted eyes, the sunlight bringing about an immediate migraine.

“It’s only early to those of us who didn’t drown themselves in drink the previous evening.”

He groaned as he felt clothing being tossed on top of him.

“We leave urgently, our carriage awaits. It would pain me to have the need to explain to my future bride that we have been delayed due to your irreputable behavior.”

He felt his eyes roll back in annoyance at his brother’s superior attitude. “I would not wish to tarnish your beloved quality of timeliness. I’m most certain that is the top attribute a woman seeks to obtain in a husband.”

His brother sent him one last stern glance before leaving through the open door, the heavy wood slamming shut behind him.

Killian dressed as quickly as he could, tripping down the stairs toward the carriage twenty minutes later. As he approached the carriage, his brother was pacing in front of it. “It seems timeliness isn’t a quality this woman has either.” He grumbled as he peeked into the empty space inside. Killian chuckled under his breath, hiding his smirk as he turned toward his brother.

“Did you lose your bride? Perhaps you did not communicate the urgency of beating the sun to your betrothed.”

There was a rustling sound behind him, and he turned to see a woman approaching them. He recognized her as one of Princess Emma’s handmaids.

Liam greeted the woman as she approached, and she explained that Emma had been delayed and would be out in a moment. She turned toward him and smiled. “Well, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Miss Lucas. I’ll be traveling with Princess Emma.”

Killian bowed his head and placed her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Lucas.” He said with a smirk. His brother stared at him disapprovingly and he dropped her hand, a flirtatious grin aimed at the woman as she stepped into the carriage.

Their attention was drawn toward the castle as Princess Emma, her golden hair shining in the sunlight, suddenly made her way toward them. From the angry frown on her face, he could assume that she was not looking forward to her trip to Jonesboro. She shoved her bag toward his brother the moment they met. “My apologizes for being late, but only a madman would rise before the sun.”

Killian failed to hold back the laugh that left his mouth, clearing his throat and holding out his hand toward Emma, who regarded him curiously. “M’lady, allow me.”

“Do you think I am unable to enter a carriage without assistance? Do I appear ill to you?”

“I would hate to offend. By all means Princess, heave ho.” He gestured toward the carriage before Liam stepped between them.

“Have you lost your mind?” He growled under his breath, turning back toward Emma to assist her into the carriage, despite her protest.

Emma glared at him as he sat down across from her. “Looks like the gangs all here.” He said with a jolly smile. “To Jonesboro.” Emma’s eyes met his and the fire that burned behind her green orbs intrigued him.

In fact, he found that he could barely keep his eyes from her for most of the journey. Despite his attempts to keep them on the dark-haired woman with the large breasts seated next to him, or the woman’s attempts at brushing her hand against his thigh at every bump in the road, his eyes continued to find Emma’s.

Though she barely held his gaze for longer than it took the ocean’s water to kiss the shore and retreat to safety, he did find her glancing in his direction often.

“Once we get to Jonesboro, my father will want to discuss our courtship.” His brother’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I do hope it will include a plate of cheese, or perhaps a sandwich.” She returned and Killian didn’t miss the incredulous glare his brother sent toward her. “One cannot be expected to discuss such matters on an empty stomach.”

“Father is going to get a kick out of you.” He said quietly before his brother grunted his disapproval.

“I’m sure a meal can be arranged, but Father generally likes to discuss business before pleasure.”

“At least we are being honest about the arrangement being business.”

“Emma.” The woman beside him seemed to speak her name in warning.

“Hush Ruby, we are not currently in the presence of overbearing parents, I think we can afford to speak openly.” She turned toward Liam and shrugged, “I do not wish to marry any man, much less a Jones man.”

“Trust me, marrying a Nolan wasn’t an option I ever thought would present itself either, sweetheart.”

“Let’s not get hasty and say something that will ruin the wedding night.” Killian chuckled, enjoying the argument in front of him.

“Sod off.” His brother scolded as the two in front of him faced out different sides of the carriage. Well, this was going well, he thought.

The carriage came to a sudden halt, and he looked to his brother quickly, both on alert. “We are too early to have arrived.” His brother commented.

They heard a commotion on the other side of the door, the sound a metal colliding with metal, and Liam pulled his sword from beside him. “Stay here and protect the women.” He commanded, pushing the door open and slamming it shut behind him.

Killian grabbed his sword, moving closer to the door. “Nothing to worry about, I’m sure it’s just…” They heard someone yell from the other side and Killian glanced at Emma. “Whatever happens, stay in the carriage.”

“Do you really think you are just going to leave us in here, unarmed and unguarded?” She complained.

“Would you prefer I send you out there?” He yelled.

“Don’t yell at me!” She returned angrily.

“Would you two stop yelling.” Ruby tried to interject just as the carriage door swung open and a man tried to push his way inside. Killian grabbed his sword and impaled the man before he could reach Emma’s arm. A man appeared behind him, and Killian sprung from the carriage, his sword slamming against the metal of the man’s blade.

The parade of men continued to come as he struck down each one with his sword, turning back toward the carriage when he heard a shrill. Ruby kicked with her feet at a man who had breached the door, the man fell to his knees when the woman punched him square in the face. Killian’s brow rose before he needed to duck from an incoming attack.

“Killian.” He turned back toward the carriage to see Ruby pointing off toward the woods, golden blonde hair escaping into the forest, a man, weapon drawn, chasing after her.

“Bloody hell.”

[rainyday-deer]

I’ve been playing Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town and I have..... Thoughts™

Some light spoilers.

I can’t call it a bad game, I’m having fun, but it’s not.... Good, either.

The character customization is FANTASTIC, imo. I really like a lot of the options, and the ability to change the color of your individual eyes is pretty neat! I’ve really enjoyed the addition of being able to customize the MC in the newer games, and I’m glad it’s something they’ve kept around (even if the default MCs are rly cute too)

The addition of a moped is neat, though I’ll admit it seems... Superfluous. The horse in previous games was primarily used as a way to get around faster. I understand you have to unlock your moped, but the same goes for the horse, and with the way the game mechanics work, I have my moped back before I have the stable rebuilt, which kind of...Renders the horse moot. Why would I bother to build the stable now and waste fodder/stamina on an animal when I have a moped again?

In terms of the villagers, I can’t say I’m very attached to any of them. I’ve got a small handful that I guess I like but I’m just generally not invested in any of them or their lives.The dialogue is all very samey, and I feel like there’s little variation in what they say to me-- Which is generally a problem in most of the games, but it seems more noticeable here, and almost makes me ache for Save the Homeland’s dialogue style instead.

The voice clips are a nice touch, remind me vaguely of Magical Melody, and I’ll admit it’s a nice little touch. To be frank, the lack of visible talksprites and heart meters being hidden in notes VERY much reminds me of StH or MM, and isn’t necessarily something that bothers me (even if the camera angles get a lil wonky.)

As for how the farm works... I absolutely hate that the makers can only make one item at a time. I hate hate hate that I have several of these damn things lined up on my farm, taking up space, just so I can have the materials I need, and even then I only get ONE AT A TIME! And I need SEVERAL of these items to do anything from upgrading my tools, to expanding my house, to making clothes. In previous games, YES, you had to have certain items to do these things as well, but you (usually) didn’t need to turn ores into ingots first. Lumber was straight up logs that you cut down, and stones were actually useful. But here? HERE?

Cut the tree down. Save the logs. Put 3 logs into a maker. Get one (1) piece of lumber. Repeat ad nauseam.

By the way, there’s at least 5 different types of lumber. And grass. And you need them all for different things! And you need a lot of them for the different things!

There’s 3 mines, which are, frankly, kind of disappointing. The 3rd and largest mine is only 50 floors, and while the addition of the moles make for an... Interesting angle (and fighting off enemies isn’t new at all in certain games) it’s just... Boring. Part of the reason I enjoyed the mines so much in previous games was part of the challenge! It zapped your stamina so easily, and the further down you got, the more exciting it was! But it (personally) feels like there’s no challenge to these mines, and their low variety makes them boring. In reality, you’re only down there to get ores to shove into the ingot makers, so you can progress. (Because remember, these take more than one ore, to make just one (1) ingot!)

Your farm also has various trees and grasses growing over its 3 levels, which is all well and good. However, they crop up and grow VERY fast, including in places you don’t want them to. You have to cover spaces with flooring to stop them from popping up somewhere inconvenient, and even then, they’ll appear where you weren’t ALLOWED to place the flooring. You can’t just sickle the saplings, either. You have to mash those down with a hammer.

Your sickle is ONLY used for cutting the grass, which makes it almost useless in terms of upgrading. You cannot use it on crops, weeds, etc. Just the grass.

There’s also these blue stepping stones across your farm in various places. To my knowledge they cannot be moved or broken, and you cannot till them away, or place anything over them, resulting in wasted space, frankly.

As for the animals, it’s very... Strange? In my opinion. I’m unsure if it’s because of the mode I selected, but the livestock does not NEED to be brushed every day. Rather, when you go to take care of them, the animal will have a small speech bubble over them, indicating what they want at the moment. Your cows and goats will often have a milk icon over their head most days, and only OCCASIONALLY (in my experience) will they want to be brushed. Strangely, you don’t need to buy any tools to do so, either. You interact, they’re milked. You interact, they’re brushed. It’s all very quick, as well.

Also strangely, you have to purchase the ability to breed your chickens, rather than just putting an egg into the incubator.

As for the animal variety... I like it! The goats and the rabbits are very fun additions! And simply finding your animals (and the new varieties) randomly on your farm and then ‘taming’ them is kind of fun, but it does feel like you don’t particularly get a say in if you want to have the new animals in the first place, even if you CAN release animals via the Earth Sprites.

Which, by the way, make me miss the Harvest Sprites, very much. They’re sort of cute, I guess, but ultimately a little boring, if not helpful. Even the Spirit is... Interesting, and beautiful as she is, she’s so. Bland. You can’t really befriend her, just sort of talk to her, but it doesn’t really seem to do much.

I miss you, Harvest Goddess.........

There’s an added museum feature, very similar to animal crossing, but save for the small statues being built of animals you take photos of, it’s just another way to pad out the game, and is very unimpressive to look at.

Crop, meanwhile, are very... Eh, to me. Crops that previously used to be able to be harvested from all season, last 1-3 harvests before disappearing, and then need to be replanted--Including things like tea bushes. Thankfully, the seed makers are a maker that give you 2 seeds out of 1 item-- Though the seed bags only cover 1 tilled square, rather than 9, like in a few previous games.

Your rucksack is also limited in space-- Once again, nothing new, but very frustrating for a game that requires you to have a variety of materials on hold to make XYZ thing. The shipping bin ALSO only holds so many items, and to my knowledge cannot be upgraded. Got 25 items to ship? Sorry! You can only ship 24! Guess you have to wait until tomorrow :)

There’s also only 2 festivals per season, one of which is a mini game, while the other... Is not. It’s kind of a bummer, actually, and I don’t find myself looking forward to them at all.

It’s not all bad, though!

I do enjoy the ability to build sprinklers and let THOSE water your crops for you. It’s very time and stamina saving, and I thoroughly enjoy it.

The variety of crops and wild flowers is nice as well! You can get some crops grown wild, pop those into a seed maker, and then BOOM! You just got strawberries, or melons, or pineapples for free! Nice!

I DO like that your farm has 3 different levels, and unlocking them by fixing bridges is pretty cool, and genuinely feels like it’s been earned when you DO save up enough money (or materials) to unlock them.

The character models look pretty nice, if not a little strange at times. I feel like they can move stiffly in cutscenes, and they have very limited expressions, but they’re still nice to look at. I thoroughly enjoy the happy dance villagers do when you give them a gift they particularly like.

But...

I won’t lie to you guys, but EVERY time I pick up to play (which I’ll admit is a lot, despite my complaints), I find myself wanting to play the older games instead. Now I’ll admit a lot of the newer games could be lacking in particular areas, but there was ALWAYS a lot of enjoyment for me while playing them, so to have this absolute ACHE to dig out my ps2 or my gamecube to play Save the Homeland or Magical Melody INSTEAD is.... Kind of astounding to me.

It’s a fun game to turn your brain off and play, but I don’t think it’s deserving of the price tag-- Even with the new downloadable content on the way (that also costs money, even if you can save some with the expansion pass.). It feels oddly hollow and very... Mobile-game like to me, and while it’s not the WORST game I’ve ever played, it feels like it’s missing a lot of the charm that previous titles have had.

[cheyj05]

Youtuber Ego Gravity Falls au Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

@the-chemist

 - Technically Celine is only Yan’s great aunt but once Jackie’s mom heard about the trip she made Jackie go with her to “enjoy your summer instead of studying all the time”.

 - She was not having any of Jackie’s excuses for why he couldn’t go but (un)luckily some of his superhero friends offered to cover for him meaning he now has no reason to not go on the trip. Greeeeaaat.

 - Some backstory for how all this shit got started; Mark, William, Eve, and Celine all came to Gravity Falls b/e of the weird phenomenon. Well actually Celine is the only one who wants to study the weirdness, Will just wanted to hunt monsters, Mark didn’t want William and Celine to be alone together just wants to hang out with his good friends and is also funding the trip, Eve is here because Mark asked if they wanted to go and they said yes.

 -Mark brought Benjamin and Chef with him b/e he refuses to live in the wilderness without servants. George is the previous owner who gives them ominous warnings that none of them listen to.

 - Abe is always sure they’re up to something and is almost constantly at their door. This has lead to a few.... altercations with William. It’s usually defused before it gets too far. He really likes Mark and Eve but really hates Will and Celine. 

 - Celine makes a deal with The Entity first but once William accidently falls into the portal and sees something horrible and he leaves she calls off the deal. Unfortunately The Entity has a backup plan and Mark ends up making a deal.

 -The servants leave b/e of a combination of Mark getting into The Entity and because William J. “I love danger” Barnum warned them that what they’re are doing is too dangerous as he left.  

 - Eventually Mark left and pulled out his funding once he and Celine had an argument about The Entity. He goes on to live in the only manor in town that he bought from the original owners.

 -This leaves Eve and Celine, two people who mildly dislike each other on a good day. Celine thinks Eve is a suck up and Eve thinks Celine is a bitch and now they’re stuck together. Celine is  angry about what happened and only gets angrier b/e of Eve seeming nonreaction. The next time Abe is at their door she is about ready to commit a murder. Luckily Eve gets him to go away, something about the tiredness in their eyes made him back off.

 -Eve decides to help Abe on investigations sometimes. Partly b/e they’re desperate to interact with someone they don’t hate, partly b/e they don’t want to be around Celine more than necessary, and partly b/e they actually like him.

 -They both agree on hiding the journals (a group project by the former friends) but Celine decides on her own Damien should be the one to hide them. Eve’s pretty irritated when they realize what Celine did.

 -Damien is very upset and confused when he arrives b/e they’ve been in the woods for years, Mark and Will aren’t writing back, and Celine and Eve look like hell. Celine doesn’t explain which frustrates Damien and then they start arguing and Eve tries to get them to calm down but they aren’t listening.

- It ends how you expect. It’s the first time Celine sees Eve angry and it’s the first time Eve sees Celine cry. They don’t talk for a few days until they run out of money.

 - It’s Eve’s idea to start the Murder Hut, Celine thinks it’s a stupid idea and veto’s it but when Celine wakes up  the next morning you can guess what she saw. They at least let her name the place.

 - Things are alright for a bit. The two finally start to understand each other. Celine doesn’t trust the portal so she insists on trying a big spell in order to retrieve Damien. Eve is a bit suspicious but they know by now she’d do anything for her loved ones so they decide to trust her. She works on getting the materials for the spell while Eve runs the Hut.

 - The day they try the spell the Hut is closed for the day. Eve has a bad feeling but they trust Celine so they don’t do anything about it besides Celine seems desperate for this to work, and who are they to burst her bubble on a feeling? Anyway the spell goes wrong and Eve is trapped in a mirror.

 -Celine tries to get them out for days but nothing works. Eventually Celine realizes that she’s gonna have to run the Hut and try to repair the portal(which will be difficult b/e Eve is the one who hid the journals with the schematics and they can’t communicate now). 

 -Eventually Abe comes by and is upset about the fact that Eve has seemingly gone missing and tries interrogating her about it but she just tells him to fuck off. He spends the next years desperately searching for them while Celine doesn’t say anything.

 That was a lot more than I though it would be so shove any other ideas I had for next time. See ya.

[notepadsandtealeaves]

Jason Todd x GN!Reader in: Questionable Morals of the Cinematic Kind

12 Days of Batmas || Day 5—Ugly Sweaters

MINORS/AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT || 18+ ONLY ||

↞ previous: ‘martha stewart’ who? || wrapping presents

|| ao3 version | 12 days m.list | batboys tag | main blog ||

|| dames day 5 | dick day 5 | tim day 5 ||

“What is all of this anyway?” you ask as he shuffles past you.

Jay lets out a sound that’s part sigh, part amused snort. “So you know how it’s Dick’s turn to pick the theme for the Christmas Eve party? Well apparently it’s ‘ugly holiday sweaters’. …we gotta make some up for the contest, and they gotta be bomb because the winner gets to pick what we’ll be binging that night and I’ll be damned if I have to sit through all fifty thousand Die Hard movies again.”

The entertainment may make you go ‘hmm’, but at least the company’s nice.

🌟 Once again these are all v. loosely connected. I guess it technically starts with Dick, but honestly you can read them in any order.

🌟 Really the only thing that connects them is the fact that it’s Dick’s turn to pick the theme of their annual Christmas Eve party and he went with ‘ugly holiday sweaters’. They’re having a competition and the winner gets to pick which movie’s they’ll be binge watching that night, so naturally they’re going all in lol.

↠ Requested By: Not a soul lol ↠ Reader Gender: Neutral ↠ Content Type: SFW fluff ((but my blog’s 18+ if minors want to consume my sfw stuff while still respecting my wishes of them staying out of this space, they can head over to my AO3)) ↠ CWs: None. ↠ Betas? Nah, we don’t do that here. ↠ Total WC: 1.3k~

Headcanon || WC: 500~

🌟 Jaybird is low-key kinda into this shit.

As a kid he always loved arts and crafts type deals, but aside from certain paper crafts he wasn’t very good at it.

Given the persona he’s shrouded himself in for years now he’s not exactly comfortable with voluntarily showcasing this part of himself, but if a certain overly peppy brother initiates it…

🌟 Well he’s only doing this to shut Dick up. After all when it comes to Christmas, it’s a whole hell of a lot easier to just entertain his whims than fight him.

Yes, Damian, that is the story he’s going with. Questions, comments, complaints? Dial 1-800-SuckADick.

((Cue Dames telling him that’s two numbers too long to be a proper phone number and Jay’s just like “…I think you’re missing the point…” and Damian just goes on about how he cannot dial that number even if he wanted to, and Jay’s all “Dude it was just meant to be an insult? Chill pls??” while the rest of them quietly snigger to themselves. Dami’s v. good at playing the straight man in situations like this, so much so that the others don’t always realize what he’s doing and end up hella confused, and the resulting exchange is one of the funniest things ever to watch. But anyways…))

🌟 Much like his big brother he’ll get a shit ton of stuff to deck your creations out with, though unlike Dick he’ll actually have enough common sense to actually pick up sweaters specifically for this purpose.

🌟 The atmosphere’ll be p. chill.

He’ll grab something from your favorite bakery on his way home (said bakery may or may not be the Manor’s kitchen lmao) for you to snack on while you work. Cocoa is a given for him, though he’ll be sure to provide another hot drink of your choosing if that’s not your bag.

Something classic like A Charlie Brown Christmas will be playing in the background, tho he’s not opposed to something more up-to-date. He loves to hate those hella cheesy, mildly terrible Christmas rom-coms that crop up every year—you know the ones I mean.

Honestly it’ll be an all-around lovely time of bonding over mangling sweaters lol…

🌟 Surprisingly he doesn’t mind it if you take a bunch of pictures and-or share them. In fact he’ll be one of the first to send pics to his various groupchats.

If asked about it, he’ll claim that it’s all blackmail material, but honestly he just loves spending time with his family. Given how closed off he can be about such things he doesn’t always know how to express this plainly and so he goes with his old fallback of snark, teasing, and deflection.

Definitely wants to memorialize moments like this for all eternity. He loves having all these happy memories to look back on.

He definitely has may or may not have entire photo albums dedicated to every event/party that he’s attended, and he definitely will may or may not pull them out and look them over when he’s feeling extra soft/missing his family.

If you ask nicely, he’ll get them out sometimes and go over the ones that happened before you two were together, and the whole experience is as soft and sweet of a thing as you think it is…

Questionable Morals of the Cinematic Kind || WC: ~800

A sound that’s vaguely reminiscent of a knock leaves you furrowing your brow as you turn your attention towards its source. The heavy thud-thud-thud echoes through the space for a second time as you rise from your seat, and then a third, slightly more frantic time before you’re even halfway to the door.

When you’re finally able to peek through the peephole you’re greeted by the sight of your man’s valiant attempt to keep ahold of several bags and food containers. Though light enough, the various handles and shapes makes it all awkward to hold. You can only assume that he was kicking the door in hopes of your hearing and letting him in, and you’re quick to do just that. When you offer to take some of the load he waves you off, saying that he’d probably just end up dropping something if you tried.

“What is all of this anyway?” you ask as he shuffles past you.

Jay lets out a sound that’s part sigh, part amused snort. “So you know how it’s Dick’s turn to pick the theme for the Christmas Eve party? Well apparently it’s ‘ugly holiday sweaters’. I told him that’s not really a theme, but you know how he gets. Either way, we gotta make some up for the contest, and they gotta be bomb because the winner gets to pick what we’ll be binging that night and I’ll be damned if I have to sit through all fifty thousand Die Hard movies again.”

“…But you love the Die Hard movies.”

“Yeah, but not as Christmas movies, babe. Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie, it’s a movie that takes place during Christmas. There’s a big fucking difference, but you try telling Tiny Tim that.”

Though he’s not wrong, part of you still wants to play Devil’s Advocate just to mess with him, and if it wasn’t for the goodies that could be potentially (temporarily) withheld you’d probably do just that. But whatever it is he’s got in that box smells far too divine to miss out on so instead you let it lie with a shrug.

“So all this is sweater making fuel then?”

“Yep. Alfie ‘accidentally’ made a couple of extra batches of cookies, so I snagged some before I left the Manor. The drinks I picked up when I was out getting supplies; I know there’s a lot here, but they had all these novelty flavors, and I’m pretty sure some of them are gonna be terrible, but they were too bizarre to not get sooo…”

Having been guilty of doing the same during various holidays you can’t say much more than “Fair enough”. Along with the food and drinks he’s also purchased the sweaters that are set to be uglified as well as the decorations with which you’ll do so. As he goes about setting everything up you flip the channel over to something less dismal than the news. Fortunately with Christmas being just around the corner it isn’t too hard to find something lighthearted and holiday themed.

The movie that you settle on is one of those cheesy Christmas rom-coms where the business-minded lady (a big shot event planner, this time around) leaves behind the bustle of city life to visit a quaint village for some arbitrary reason only to presumably have her holiday spirit rekindled and find true love in the arms of a handsome townie.

“At least in this one the chick isn’t already dating or engaged to someone else,” Jay comments as he noses through a bag of pom-poms.

“Right? I never got that. Like even if the guy she was with was a jerk, cheating is cheating. Just break up with his sorry ass and move on. That’s not the move if you want me to feel for her; I can’t feel too much sympathy for a cheater. And why does the new guy never care that she’s a cheater? Most times he knows full well that the girl’s already taken, but he just goes for it anyway.”

He shrugs. “They’re both just terrible people, I guess.”

You both laugh at the succinct assessment, though for all your complaints neither of you turn away. The trope may be tired and the morals ambiguous at best, but there’s just something about the season that makes it all acceptable, expected even. And so the pair of you sit, side by side, enjoying your treats and mocking the movie as you work at making the gaudiest holiday sweaters imaginable. It’s not the way either of you expected to spend your night, but honestly there’s no place you’d rather be.

Up Next:

🌟 Day 6: The Short Second Life of Gregory the Gingerbread Man || Baking Cookies

“‘Noooo! Not the gumdrop button!’”

Saving the ginger-children, one bite at a time.

© notepadsandtealeaves, 2020 || Please do not repost, translate, or otherwise alter or distribute my works without my express permission. And for the love of god keep it away from Youtube and TikTok lol…

[icefire149]

An Angel’s Vow

Chapter Six (Read on ao3 | Read from the beginning)

Startled, Claire was dizzily out of bed and on her feet before her brain had even caught up to what was happening. The piercing cry from elsewhere in the house was making it hard to focus and had her heart racing. Her hip painfully banged into the corner of the drawers as she tried to make it to the door in the dark. She flung it open just to witness Cas bolting into the nursery.

Going from the dark bedroom to the brightly lit hallway hurt. She squinted and tried to shield her eyes with one of her hands while she followed into Jack’s room, stopping in the doorway.

Cas stood next to the crib. He gently swayed back and forth on his feet while he held Jack tightly to his chest. Jack’s little fists held onto the material of Cas’ coat for dear life. “Shhh. Shhh. You’re okay. You’re okay, Jack. Shhh.”

Jack continued to wail with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Is he okay?”

He turned in her direction, and Cas’ eyes widened with surprise for a moment. Momentarily, he forgot that Claire was even in the house. “He will be.”

One of Cas’ hands continuously rubbed circles into Jack’s back. “Shhh. I’m right here.” The volume of Jack’s cries slowly lessened to sniffles.

Yawning, Claire leaned her head into the doorway. “What’s bothering him?”

Jack peeked an eye open and it glowed an unnaturally bright gold. Claire banged into the doorway flinching. New tears bubbled in his eyes.

“He’s growing again,” Cas answered, looking just as pained as the baby.

“Isn’t he a bit young for intense growing pains? Should we get a doctor?” Antsy, Claire finally stepped into the room, but she still kept a distance between her and the baby.

Firmly, Cas said, “No doctors.” Jack hid his face in Cas’ jacket.

“Cas, crying like that because of pain isn’t normal.”

Cas crossed the space between them and sighed, “I’ve tried to take the pain away. My grace, does nothing. His grace, does nothing. I doubt a human doctor could do better.”

“Okay.” Claire raised her hands in defeat.

“All I can do is hold him. It seems to help. Hopefully it’s not too big of a growth spurt.”

Jack finally turned his head again. The golden glow of his eyes was hard to look away from.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No, but thank you.” Cas offered her a small smile. “I’ll take him downstairs so you can sleep. He’ll be all better in a few hours.”

Jack reached a tiny hand out towards Claire. She offered her hand, and Jack tightly wrapped his around her fingers. He sniffled.

Claire met Cas’ eye. “Growing pains don’t just disappear by morning.”

“Jack is two months, one week, and three days old.”

Her gaze flew back to the baby. “He looks a hell of a lot older than that.”

“I know. Every so often he leaps ahead in growth.”

“That explains the pain.” With her free hand, Claire lightly ruffled a bit of Jack’s hair. “Keep fighting little guy.”

“I wish I could do more to alleviate his pain.” His voice was so quiet that Claire almost missed it. Jack released her hand, and he squished his face into Cas’ chest again.

“You’re doing everything right.” Claire crossed her arms. “Trust me. Just being here is enough.”

Silently, Cas studied her for a moment. His head tilted to the side. “Thank you.”

She nodded. “So do you have any clothes ready for him?”

“Oh.” Cas looked down at Jack. He ran a finger down to the collar of the baby’s onesie. It wasn’t too small yet, but it already was snugger than when he dressed him earlier.

Cas went over to the dresser and opened one of the lower drawers. “I should have something suitable from last time I went out.” He glanced at Claire over his shoulder. “Depending on how much he grows this time we will have to go to couple stores in the morning. I’ll need to get a few things in bigger sizes too for later.”

“Okay,” Claire yawned and rubbed at one of her eyes. “We can make a day out of it.”

Cas lightly kissed the top of Jack’s head, and whispered more words of comfort to him. He found the clothes he was looking for and brought it over to the changing table.

Glancing over at Claire again, he saw that she was dozing off on her feet. Cas crossed the room and put a light hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You can go back to bed.” She jumped awake.

“Are you,” she yawned. “-sure?”

“Yes. We’ll both be here when you wake up.”

Claire’s gaze went from Cas to Jack, and then back to Cas. A part of her wanted to argue and stay with them a while longer, but her eyes started drooping closed again. Another yawn escaped her.

“Bed.” Cas walked her out of the room. She followed behind, and Cas watched as she continued past him and into the master bedroom. Claire fell onto the bed and was immediately asleep.

-

Groggy, Claire rolled over in bed and realized the room was teetering on being too warm. Almost suffocating. She sat up and opened her eyes. Bright rays of sunlight were coming in the windows and a part of her wished thick curtains or blinds would appear so she could go back to sleep.

A big yawn shook her body while she turned to lay on her side, facing away from the windows. Her eyes slowly closed, but then her heartbeat jumped to a racing pace. Claire didn’t recognize the room at all.

Slowly, the memories of the previous day flooded back to her. A lot of it felt like it was all just some crazy dream. Claire put her feet on the floor, grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and stumbled out of the room. On the stairs she looked at her phone. It was almost twelve thirty.

She forgot to peek in the nursery when she passed the door, but she figured that Cas would have said something if they were in there. Entering the living room, Claire still didn’t see Cas. The play pen was empty too. Frowning, she turned around and went over to the window. The lake looked inviting, but still there was no sign of the angels.

Despondent, Claire was about to head back upstairs to change when she heard the sound of something plastic hitting the floor. Oh. The kitchen. Claire felt the tension loosen in her shoulders.

“Honeybee, please,” Cas begged.

Claire paused just outside of the kitchen, and out of sight. She bit back a smile listening to the exasperated tone in Cas’ voice.

“We agreed to be quiet while Claire sleeps, right?”

“No!”

The high pitched voice took her by surprise. Right, the little weed was growing last night. She knew that.

Her mouth curled into a grin at the sound of Cas’ deep sigh. She peeked into the kitchen and saw Cas standing next to the high chair with his arms crossed. Jack’s eyes widened the moment he spotted her.

“LE-AIR!”

Distressed, Cas’ gaze snapped over to her. “I’m so sorry we were too noisy. Did you get enough sleep?”

Yawning, Claire stretched her arms over her head and leaned to stretch a bit of her back too. “I didn’t hear anything until I was almost at the kitchen.”

“Good.” He looked relieved.

Crossing the room, Claire got a better look at Jack. He was holding a small, red, plastic bowl in his hands. The closer she got the higher he raised the bowl, hiding his face. She stopped at Cas’ side.

Jack peeked an eye from behind the bowl, but quickly squeezed his eyes shut when he realized Claire was still looking at him. He was notably bigger than he was last night.

“Hi,” she finally mumbled with a tiny wave. Jack didn’t react. Claire glanced up at Cas. “So….he can talk now?”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Cas’ mouth. “A bit, yes.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “Walk?”

“Not quite.” Cas walked around to the other side of the highchair. There was a proud air about him when he looked at Jack. He lifted the bowl from Jack’s hands and placed it on the kitchen table. “I thought you wanted Claire to join us, honeybee?”

Jack put the side of his hand in his mouth and tilted his head slightly to the side. He smiled.

The look on Cas’ face melted into a fond one. He lightly ruffled Jack’s sandy, brown hair. Like everything else it had grown and thickened overnight. The front swooped more to the side and the ends in the back curled under his ears.

Claire inched closer to the highchair. “Jack….” His big blue eyes shifted over to her, and Claire immediately felt tongue tied. Her mouth pulled into a nervous smile. “Can you...uh..can you say, Claire?”

His head seemed to tilt slightly in the other direction now. It eerily reminded her of Cas. “Lee-air.” His eyebrows seemed to furrow like he knew that he made a mistake.

A shiver shot down Claire’s spine. Granted, she had never really interacted with a baby before, but she knew that there was something completely different about Jack. Her stare didn’t leave Jack, but she spoke to Cas. “Is it the angel wiring that makes him….seem...more advanced?”

“I’d imagine. His mind is rapidly growing like the rest of his body. He’ll probably be able to perfect various speech sounds within the following week. If not sooner.”

Nodding, that information about the nephilim amazed her. He blinked, focusing on her again. “Cl? Cllllll-la?”

Absentmindedly, she pointed her thumb at the center of her chest. “Cl-air-re.”

“Clll-AIR.”

Chuckling, she nodded. “Not bad, Jack.”

His smile widened at that. Jack excitedly started kicking his feet and they tap, tap, tapped loudly against the underside of the highchair tray.

“Were you planning on having anything to eat right now? Jack’s all done with his lunch.”

“Mm-hmm.” Claire took that as her cue to start poking around the refrigerator again. She settled on a prepackaged fruit cup.

Before she could ask, Cas went over to the drawers and plucked out a fork. He passed it to her and she sat at the table. “Thanks.”

“You’re quite welcome,” he said, tearing off a piece of paper towel. Cas carefully folded it in half, and then again. “You know,” he started while wetting it under the faucet. “When I was human, I hated eating right after I woke up. Made me nauseous.”

“When you were what?” Claire burst with a mouthful of cantaloupe.

Cas rung out the excess water and turned around. “I was briefly human for a time after the angels fell. It was a while until I found what was left of my grace.” He started wiping the stickiness off of Jack’s face and hands.

Claire stared at him dumbfounded for several moments, and Jack wiggled against the cleaning. Focused, Cas continued with his task like he was talking mundane subjects.

“Noooo Daa,” Jack whined while his chin was wiped again.

When Cas was done, Jack pouted. Cas turned to see Claire still watching him. Her fruit-cup was mostly untouched. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“When did that happen? The human thing.”

“Oh.” Cas crossed the kitchen to discard the damp paper towel in the trash. “Late 2013, I believe.”

“Okay,” Claire said quietly. She went back to eating her breakfast, but pensively this time.

Cas sat down at the table. “Are you okay with making a shopping run today? We have a long list of things to pick up.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled with a full mouth. A heartbeat later, she realized that Cas wasn’t speaking to her. Both Cas and Jack looked at her with similar confused stares. She swallowed. “Sorry. Thought that was directed at me.”

Cas’ expression softened. “Ah, that makes sense.”

Her gaze bounced between the two angels. Claire frowned. “I’ve never really been around a baby before. I’m not sure what to say to him.”

Cas’ eyes squinted like he wasn’t sure if she was kidding or not. He sat back in his chair. “Am I not supposed to be talking to Jack like I would anyone else?”

“I don’t know,” Claire snapped. “People usually talk all cutesy or whatever because it’s a baby.”

He turned to glance at Jack. “That sounds ridiculous.”

“Yeah!” A large smile spread across Jack’s face.

“Now what were we talking about again, Jack?” Cas said glancing at Claire out of the corner of his eye. Claire shook her head, watching the exchange. He turned his attention back to Jack.

“Shopp-pop-popp-”

It was impossible not to giggle at that Claire discovered. The corner of Cas’ mouth pulled into an affectionate smile.

“It’s crazy how fast he’s learning,” Claire said just before she took another bite. She mumbled while she chewed. “You weren’t kidding.”

Cas nodded in response. He then spoke slowly for Jack to mimic, “Shop-ping.”

“Shop-POP-ping.” Jack burst into a fit of giggles.

“That’s not bad honeybee. You still haven’t answered my question. Are you up for a busy day out of the house?”

In the metaphysical plane the nephilim’s wings momentarily stretched to their full length before snapping back to their usual resting position. “Yeaa,” Jack answered in a quiet tone.

Tag List:

Anyone that wants to be added just let me know!

@nightandwine  @autumnapologist

[pasteljeon]

Shadows (m)

summary | he could love you … if only you’d let him in.

genre | venom au, venom!jk, smut, angst

warnings | tentacle porn, oral (female receiving), edging, guk has a fat cock ana oop, size kink, sexual tension, mating cycles, heat sex (yeah, you read that right)

length | 1.9k

notes | i crawl out of retirement for this one (1) halloween fic that i’ve been dyin to write since forever. and, as some already know, this also just an excuse for tentacle porn. :D happy halloween everyone! wish i could’ve written sth longer, but it’s still midterm season for me & i’m beyond buried in work rn :”( regardless, please enjoy!

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.

.

“Kook.”

Silence. The mass lying in the middle of the room remained motionless.

You sighed, forehead thumping against the one-way glass. Theoretically, you knew he wouldn’t be able to see you, but he could sense you. Feel your presence.

“Kookie. Please.” Your breath ghosted across the barrier.

The darkness shifted, a tendril reluctantly reaching to seek out your heat, pressed against where your palm was splayed on the other side.

“Miss ___.” You flinched, the monotone voice of your assistant startling you momentarily.

“The next trial begins in ten minutes. Should I bring the volunteer in?”

Her perfectly manicured nails tapped against the sleek black clipboard, sharp eyes unimpressed as they note your affection for the containment within.

Living organisms with compositions so extraordinary they were coveted as a chance to revolutionize humanity. A symbiotic relationship, they relied on molecular bonding with a host to survive. A symbiote. The term alien often whispered with every passing of fluttering white lab boats.

Simply put, they were experiments.

And you headed them all.

You glanced back briefly, only to find he’d already retreated, unmoving once more.

.

.

.

The research facility was intimidating, stripped white walls bare and plain, the building expansive and equipped with the latest technology. Endless floors filled with glass walls lining different divisions.

Within these walls, there was transparency. Outside of it, no one knew much at all.

The guilt chipped away at you slowly.

They were real. They felt. They were very much capable of the same human emotions your species processed. They hurt. Felt pain. Each compatibility failure was destroying them.

There were many that did not survive the crash. All that was left, scavenged from the space outreach initiative, were seven uniquely distinct specimens. All the equivalent of a male.

They all had binary identifications, but you gave them something else. A name.

Namjoon. He was exceedingly intelligent. The first few months had been spent attempting to establish ground communications with them. Namjoon had picked up your language easily, and it no longer shocked you to see a massive dark blob flipping through encyclopedias. He liked to read, consuming pages like oxygen. With every routine checkup, you’d deliver a few novels you’d enjoyed in the past. His upper section of his blobbed body would incline, and you’d imagine he was thanking you.

Seokjin was the eldest of the bunch, as concluded by your preliminary findings of their biological structure. Oddly enough, though it had been discovered early on that their kind could sustain themselves on anything, they still preferred human flesh. It didn’t make them dangerous, necessarily—you could teach them human ethics. For the most part, Seokjin tried not to nip at your ankles when you visited. As a substitute, you taught him how to cook. There was a mini kitchen set up in his quarantine, and some nights were spent with him stretching his mass over your shoulder and watching you work.

Yoongi was, kindly put, lazy. He slept most of the day, scarcely reacted when you tried to interact with him. You did, however, discover he liked music. He got speakers. Headphones made his head hurt, he once signed to you. Noise sensitivity.

Hoseok was so human it hurt. He was energetic, restless. He bounced around his containment. His own version of dancing, almost.

Taehyung and Jimin refused to separate. When you first examined them, you’d nearly mistaken them for one entity. Soulmates, if the concept existed in their world. They shared one cell, liked to tussle and fight one another.

Then there was Jungkook. He was shy, barely moved when you first met. If not for the pulse beneath his silk, there was no sign of life at all. You were endeared as he slowly broke from his shell. He liked you. You knew because you were the only one that could get close, that could touch him without repercussions. He’d killed his hosts, regardless of compatibility, thrice before they paused trials. He hated it more than any of them.

But here, they were safe.

And yet here, they were also being harvested. Used. To become the steppingstone in humanity’s evolution. Time was running out, and the private company that spearheaded the research was demanding results.

Here, they are to become weapons.

And you were going to break them out.

.

.

.

“Kook. Jungkook.”

Your voice was urgent, though steady.

Panic setting in heavy in your stomach when you saw him press himself closer to the wall.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I won’t let it touch you. But we need to get out of here, and fast. The building’s going to collapse,” you coaxed. The flames licked your back, warning you of the fire that blazed across the hall.  

He quivered, drawing away from your extended hand.

Fire. Bad. Hurts.

You bit back your gasp. His voice was low, a quiet rumble in your head.

You steeled your nerve. “I know. Bond with me.”

He stilled.

And then—mine. You belong to me. We are one.

And you said, “always.”

He shot to you, sinking beneath your flesh and making a home in the beating of your heart.

.

.

.

You disappeared.

As the building burned, so did all the data and files you’d accumulated over the years. The symbiote all dispersed, you having found a suitable host months prior. Some were friends, some were not. But they all cared, and you knew they would find sanctuary in a peaceful life with them.

So you let them go, and turned over a new page.

.

.

.

You monitored your vitals for the first few hours, fearing the compatibility would elude you.

Will not. Belong together. Us.

His thoughts echoed, though always soft.

“Where do you want to go?” You wondered aloud as you fingered the plane ticket in your hands.

Hungry, he said instead. You could feel him gnawing at your liver. “Don’t do that. You might accidentally split it.”

If he had lips, you imagined he’d be pouting.

Where we going? You had the feeling he was trying to read the slip.

“Somewhere cold.”

You hate cold.

“You hate the heat.” The first calls for boarding had you wheeling your luggage to the gates.

Don’t care. As long as we are together. Can go anywhere.

You smiled down at your passport, cheeks warm. “Yeah.”

.

.

.

It took time to adjust to a completely different lifestyle. Your previous line of work had compensated your risk generously, and you’d had enough foresight to invest and save wisely.

Here, you’d picked up a job as a pharmacist at one of the local drug stores. It was terribly mundane, but you found you liked this kind of routine. It was a welcomed change from the scars you’d collected. A sense of normality.

It was October when everything changed.

Jungkook had been restless lately. Distant. Withdrawn.

It’s like he’d curled up in the corner of your mind. Lethargic.

You knew the symptoms.

“Kook.” He stirred faintly at the sound of your voice.

Lover. He rumbles lowly, rousing slowly.

“Your heat. It’s coming soon.” You rolled over, the sheets pooling at your waist. A tendril wraps itself loosely around your calf.

Yes.

“What will you do?”

Another tendril creeps up your stomach, squeezing your breast firmly.

You.

.

.

.

Their heats were intense. Nothing like you could’ve ever imagined. While they only occurred once a full cycle, the need overwhelmed them, made them ravenous and delirious. And a human host? They served as aphrodisiacs. Enhanced the craving until it all but consumed them.

You woke in a feverish haze, a thin sheen of sweat coating your skin, panties shoved aside and thighs smeared with wetness.

“J-Jungkook!” You gasped, back arching as he fucked you harder.

“Love. My love,” he rasped, fingers curling, watching you come undone with dark eyes.

It was also the only time they could fully materialize.

He was ethereal, pupils blown out, a thin ring of gold visible in the ebony that threatened to swallow it all. Completely naked, tanned complexion stretching over corded muscles, he hovered over you, arms braced next to your head. His hair was soft, luscious and long, falling in waves over his forehead. Darkness mirrored his every movement, his true form rippling beneath the surface.

“Want you. Need you,” Jungkook groaned, gaze smoldering as he fisted your sleep tee. “Please.”

“Since you asked so politely,” you managed breathlessly. You took his hand and slipped it underneath, guiding it until he traced the underside of your breast.

He ripped the fabric apart, buttons flying as he shoved the offending material off your shoulders. “Need. Can’t control. Please.”

In spite of the inferno brewing within, he remained your ever sweet Jungkook. The shadows drew closer, the touch soft though frantic, mapping your body in long strokes. He buried his face in your cunt, abnormally long tongue driving you crazy with every lick.

“K-Kook, I c-can’t,” you sobbed, fingers gripping his locks as he coaxed another orgasm from you easily.

His palms, warm and large, spread your legs apart. His cock was intimidating, tip angry and throbbing, a tantalising vein running along the side. He was dripping with something akin to precum, the substance slightly lighter and thicker than the human equivalent.

The dark tendrils snaked around you just as he slammed into you.

Your moan was lost to his lips, kiss messy and wild, your mind blanking with every thrust and the stroke of his tongue. His tentacles tweaked and pulled at your nipples, twisting and teasing, others suckling at your clit while some were wrapped around his length, providing ridges that edged your sensitive core.

“Mine. Mine. Ours. Breed,” Jungkook chanted, the grip of his shadows tightening as if to brand their shape to your skin. It was too much.

“Y-yes, Koo, need you, need you just like this,” you cried out, walls spasming around him as you reached your high once more.

The bedframe rattled loudly, Jungkook’s pace increasing inhumanly as he pounded into you. “N-ngh—ah! L-love, so perfect, made for me. Thank you, thank you,” he moaned, hips stuttering as he came, filling you up hotly. So much it spilled from where he remained inside of you, dripping down your thighs.

His forehead rested against yours as he fought to quell his hunger for just a moment longer. Though his release brought brief clarity, the lust was already beginning to trickle back in. His cock twitched, the ache so profound his shadows latched onto you harder.

Your legs wrapped around his back, eyes soft as you said, “I’m all yours. Don’t hold back.”

Jungkook exhaled shakily. “Make me crazy.”

He nuzzled your neck, even as his dick pulsed, he pushed his nose into your jawline and whispered, “Lover. You and me. Until the end.”

[keijikunn]

Rivalry ── Chapter III

── A @babythotshq collab “To All the Boys I’ve Loved”

Old feelings

Pairing: Tsukishima Kei x gender neutral!reader Tags: college!au, angst, it’s kinda fluffy??? i don’t know, it’s not that angst either Summary: Tsukishima Kei had never imagined that you, his forever rival in high school, would write him a letter confessing your feelings. Does Tsukishima feels the same way? Word count: 3.7k

Author’s note: I’m dividing the last chapter in two, so I won’t be too long (trust me, it’s over than 6k and I wanna spare you all lol). Hope you all enjoy the chap III and I swear by the end of the month I’ll post the final part! Biggest thank you to @kaitycole​ and @newfriendjen​ that helped me out a lot, I love you two so much 🥺

WARNINGS: swearing, tsukki being salty but what’s new?, makeout (???), hints of anxiety

RIVALRY MASTERLIST

BECOME A BOOKWORM!

Ever since that… eventful day, you managed to avoid Tsukishima like the plague. It helped the fact you had classes in different buildings, not to mention the fact the college campus was huge. You were about to forget about the letter issue, as the courses have started a few days earlier and you dedicated most of your time to get things settled into a nice routine. Things were too good to be real, though. 

You couldn’t believe in what you saw the first time you stepped inside the extracurricular class, after the first week since classes started. Not only your love letters were sent to all your previous crushes (who seemed to attend the same college as you), but the person you dreaded to see again would spend the next semester with you during your afternoon activities. 

Tsukishima Kei smirked at your distressed expression, waving at you as if you were long time friends. He wants to irk you, Y/n, don’t give him this pleasure. You are better than him anyway, you repeated it as many times as possible before the bell rang - indicating the class was about to start. Fortunately you managed to sit on the opposite side of the room as Tsukishima, though you could feel his eyes burning holes on the side of your head. 

“Why is he so annoying?” You muttered to yourself, sighing in annoyance. The professor entered the classroom, quickly introducing himself and the upcoming project you would work on. You were excited for it when you researched about the university, it was as if a dream was coming true, and you made up your mind to not let Tsukishima Kei ruin this experience. 

“As always, we randomize the duos, so be prepared to work with someone who does things differently than you.” The old man at the front announced, and your guts were telling you that this wouldn’t be good. “Raise your hand if I call your name so your partner can find you.

The longer he took to call out your name, the more convinced you were that fate wouldn’t play nice with you. When the other two people left were paired up together, leaving you and Tsukishima without a partner, you had to hold the urge to scoff. As much as you tried your hardest to not bump into your old crush, the whole universe made sure to go against your will. 

I should have gone to another extracurricular activity, damn it.

“So… guess we’re a duo, now,” Tsukishima snickered at your disgusted face, laughing at your dismay. “It’s not that bad be paired up with me, Y/n, c’mon”

“You’re right, it’s not bad.” You started, sending him a sharp glare. “It’s the worst thing ever”

With that, you turned around to pay attention to the further details the professor addressed the class. You knew Kei would try to make your experience in this project a literal hell, but you weren't going to let his antics distract you from getting anything less than the best result. You internally hoped that the tall boy also aimed for that, despite his annoying demeanor around you.  

If not, you’d have a long semester ahead of you. 

“For God’s sake, Tsukishima, this is not how we’re supposed to do it!” You whisper-yelled at the blonde boy, angrily gripping on your hair, holding yourself back from screaming at his face. It has been two weeks since you two started working on that stupid project, and it’s been two weeks of complete hell and anger. Being at the college’s library didn’t help as well, since you couldn’t externalize your frustration.  “Can’t you read what I wrote down? Professor said we should follow this!”

“Yes, I’ve read it and decided that it sucks.” Tsukishima shot back, pushing away your notebook, writing a few words on your draft. “C’mon, Y/n, you should know by now that we don’t follow any professor’s instruction. We’re not at high school anymore, be more independent, won’t you?”

You hated to admit, but he was (at some instance) right. What hurt your pride more was that his suggestion was actually good- not that you would admit that, you’d rather die than say it out loud. This idea could easily work out with what you have thought previously, not to mention it would make more sense. 

The lack of response made Tsukishima’s shit-eating grin grow on his features, irking you the exact same way he knew he was able to. He proceeded to add a few details on the paper and neatly placed it inside his folder, collecting his materials from the table. You two have been workin for almost two hours non-stop on the project after the whole morning classes, you had to admit your energy wore off at that point.

“Give me the paper, I want to add a few extra things.” You demanded, holding out your hand for him. Tsukishima arched his eyebrows as if he was surprised by such a request, then he scoffed at you - like always. “I’m not joking, I do want to modify it a bit.”

“The point of this being a group project is that we work on this together.” He stressed the last word, zipping his bag and shoving it over his shoulder. “And you wouldn’t do anything, judging by how tired you are.”

“I’m not!” 

“Then care to explain how you didn't think about what I suggested earlier?” Suddenly your mind went blank at his response, what in the world does that mean? “You can think about this tomorrow, try not to melt your tiny brain.”

The tall boy left you without sparing a second glance, fumbling with his intertwined earphones as he walked. To say you were confused by his comment would be an understatement. Was he worried you would overwork yourself? No way, Tsukishima Kei would never care enough about you of all people. 

Yet he’s still your partner. 

“Fuck off, Tsukki.” You muttered tiredly, focusing on putting your belongings inside your backpack to (finally) head to your dorms.

The first time you’ve ever heard Tsukishima’s name was after the first exam of your freshman year in high school. Everyone was crying about their low grades, groaning at the prospect of having to study a lot more to the upcoming test. If you were not mistaken, a boy in your class named Yamaguchi commented how “Tsukki was smart” and he wasn’t surprised he aced it. 

“Hey, L/n!” The girl who sits next to you approached you, paper in her hands. “How did you do?”

“I got 96%.” You answered quietly, trying not to drag attention to yourself due to your great performance. People in middle school didn’t like when you mentioned your grades, claiming you did that just to brag. 

“Ehh? You’re so smart!” She said smiling. “Please, help me study! From what I heard just you and a boy from class 3 had such a high score. And Yamaguchi-kun said Tsukishima-kun doesn’t help anybody.”

“Of course, we can study at the library if you want to.” The offer seemed to appeal to her, given the fact she nodded quickly and proceeded to write down her cellphone number to you. “By the way, who is this Tsukishima guy?”

“He’s a tall, blonde boy. He uses glasses and if I’m not wrong he’s part of the volleyball club.” She answered, waving at you as she went back to her circle of friends, leaving you to think about who this boy is. “He’s not nice though. Always treats everyone as if he’s superior.”

You were able to put a face to the name you had in your mind after a couple of weeks, when another private school had a volleyball match against the male team of Hakone Academy. It wasn’t hard to figure out that the middle blocker with a poker face was Tsukishima, and you were surprised that he was actually good looking. Something that lacked in him, though, was passion in the sport - or rather in anything, according to your classmates. 

Ever since that game, it seemed like you started to see Tsukishima every day in the corridors. You’d see him walking down the halls, his headphones always placed on the top of his ears, muffling the loud noise caused by the other students. He was cold to everybody, even rude if you were to be honest, but he was something else. His interests were inviting, itching your curiosity to get to know him better.

You realized you had a crush on Tsukishima Kei when you noticed how you paid attention to whenever you saw him around school, hearing his steady tone (usually talking to Yamaguchi) and his snarky smirk. All information you knew about him was, being honest, too little to grow intense feelings, but what got you hooked up was exactly this: you wanted to get to know him. 

Things, however, didn’t work out the way you planned. The very first interaction you had with him was a disaster. You sounded way cockier than you wanted, you’ve never planned on teasing him and you have never imagined that it would backfire on you and lead him to dislike you.

After that incident, you discovered the aversion quite a lot of students had against him. Most of them claimed the same thing: Tsukishima Kei was mean, smug, had a superiority complex and always treated everyone poorly. A part of you didn’t want to believe in that, but how could you not when he mocked you in front of everyone?

Things didn’t get easier as the project progressed, not because it was too technical or that it required too many details. Yours and Tsukishima’s endless arguments and bickering always ended in screaming matches, hurtful comments and you two not on speaking terms. The premise of group projects was to create something together, but at this point you were doing your own thing while thinking about what the other was working on. 

“Are you a dumbass or do you just pretend to be one?” Tsukishima angrily asked, dropping your notebook on the table. “This is horrible, Y/n.”

“You think it’s horrible because you’re doing things as you wish, not considering what I have to suggest!” You responded, your voice tone a few octaves higher due to your stress. Currently you two were at his dorms - the library was not an option anymore, the librarian kicked you out after you were shouting at each other - both awfully close as his dining table was tiny. “This is a fucking group project, you said it before! So you have to listen to what I have to say.”

“I’m not listening when you suggest stupid things like this!” He retorted, ripping the page out and crumpling it to toss on the floor. You widen your eyes, shocked at his recent action. 

“Wow, Tsukishima, you are really being this petty.” A humorless laugh escaped your lips, you shook your head in denial, getting up to collect your paper off the ground. The tension in the air grew thicker and the man’s intense gaze burned holes on your back. “People were right, after all. You are unbearable.”

Tsukishima’s smug facade cracked a bit, you noticed, after hearing what you just said. His smirk left his face for a brief moment and his eyes mirrored mixed feelings, could they be sorrow, insecurity? You didn’t have enough time to decipher them as he quickly recomposed himself, offering you a snark grin. 

“That’s why you liked me, huh? Did you want to correct the horrible, mean, malicious person that I am?” Tsukishima teased, hitting your emotions with ease. Your mind was empty, only his words echoing inside it, bumping into your skull with force. 

You couldn’t understand him, honestly. 

One time he is all worried about you overworking, passively aggressively implying you’re capable of suggesting better ideas; and now he’s being childish and not sparing a single offense towards you. You knew Tsukishima Kei was a hard person to handle if you’re not as quick witted as him, but this? This level of pettiness and stubbornness? For a young adult like him, that claims he’s better than everyone else? 

“I’m done.” You stated, too burnt out to respond to his teasing comment. Your temples hurt due to the confusion the blond man was giving you, the constant push and pull between you two worn you out. 

“What do you mean ‘you’re done’? We’re not done yet.” He stated as if it was a matter of fact - which was, he wasn’t wrong. 

“Do I look like I care? I’m doing this shit by myself, you can do whatever you want, I’m done with you.” Silence engulfed the room, and you mentally thanked this peaceful moment. It, however, didn’t last long, because Tsukishima always finds ways to make things worse. 

“Are you giving up that easy, Y/n? Couldn’t handle a bit of teasing?” That was it. The mocking tone he used against you was enough to snap the last string of sanity inside you, freeing a rage you never knew you had against him. The angriness burned your chest as you slammed your hands on the table, making Tsukishima flinch at the sudden outburst. 

“Yes, I can not deal with your teasing ass.” You admitted shamesly, your mind ran a thousand miles a minute, not registering the words that left your mouth. “What I can’t deal  with is a petty boy that can’t take this goddamn project seriously!”

“It wasn’t me who suggested stupid ideas.” Kei spat back, leaning in your direction, inviting you to answer him - almost like a dare. 

“You always say my ideas are vain, stupid or whatever, but you never offered anything great or fucking brilliant,” it was indeed true. Tsukishima proudly belittled everything you said for the past few weeks, but never came up with something new. Instead, he modified everything you’ve given to him. “So please, before you put yourself above the others, do something that makes you actually the best-”

Any and every train of thought you had was interrupted by the aggressive contact of Tsukishima Kei’s lips against yours. Everything seemed to melt with the heat coming from the kiss, your hands sneaking behind his neck and gripping rather harshly at his blond hair. In between the feverish moment, Tsukki managed to sit you on the table and place himself between your legs. Gasps and soft murmurs interrupted the kiss every once in a while, your mouth occasionally made its way down his jaw and neck, nibbling and sucking his skin.Only until one of you reconnected them, tongues sliding against each other.

You honestly don’t know how long you two spent making out, but it was enough time to leave a few hickeys on each other's necks and clothes lightly pulled up. Tsukishima’s ears were as red as his swollen lips, the blond hair was a mess thanks to your roaming hands and the white t-shirt wrinkled.

“Still think I don’t suggest brilliant ideas?” Tsukishima teased, but the embarrassment he was feeling was written all over his face. To say you were speechless was an understatement, you’ve just had a full make out section with your biggest high school rival, the one you knew hated you the most. “Cat got your tongue? Or should I say- did I get your tongue, Y/n?”

“What the fuck did you just do, Tsukishima?” You demanded flustered, the feeling of his body close to yourself fading away. "Why have you done this?!" 

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy, Y/N, I can feel the spot you left a hickey on." His comment made you groan in annoyance, because you knew you wouldn't be able to retort it. 

Not paying attention to your surroundings, you pushed Tsukishima away from you, quickly grabbing your bag to leave his dorms. You didn't mind if you forgot something at his place - you would see him the next day, anyway. All you wanted was to get away from him, to finally think straight.

The cool air of the end of the day would help you come back to a reasonable state of mind.

You kept acting around Tsukishima after the first encounter. Whenever you had the chance to irk him you did it, initiating an unnecessary banter. You felt stupid to say the least, how low could you go? 

Yet, you continued. Just to have his attention. Pathetic. However, you had a limit. And Tsukishima managed to trespass it with such facility you were surprised. 

It happened during your second year, exactly one year after you got so interested in that mean boy. Things weren't easy for you, many reasons were behind your unstable state. School was overwhelming like never before, you could barely juggle between regular activities and your club's. 

The stress weighted on you to the point you let your grades slip at one exam. You knew you had your worst performance so far, and the subject didn't help you as well. 

"I'm going to hand back the exams." Your homeroom teacher announced, earning heavy groans from the whole class. A sigh escaped your lips, knowing how screwed you were if Tsukishima knew how poorly you did. "L/n Y/n" 

As you got up from your desk, you felt a familiar pair of eyes burn holes on your back. The moment you read the barely 50% score written on the top of the paper, you blanked out. You missed how your teacher kindly smiled at you, reminding how this one performance didn't define you. The words didn't make sense to you, because for you it didn't matter. You failed. 

Tears pricked the corner of yours eyes, shallow breaths escaped your parted lips as you sat down once again, barely sparing a glance at the paper on your desk. You truly didn’t know if someone tried to approach you, mind far away from reality, engulfing itself in a spiral of self doubt, worries and self depreciation. 

“Well… looks like the top 2 student failed miserably on the test.” The steady, yet teasing tone of Tsukishima’s voice broke you out of your own head. “You’re fake, couldn’t even get more than half of it correct. You’re a lie, Y/n.”

“Not now, please.” It took most part of your will to mutter these three words without letting your voice crack. Tsukishima arched his eyebrows, amused by the scene unfolding in front of him: you lowering your head against your forearms on the table, shielding your tears from anyone. “Tease me all you want, but please do it another time.”

However, he kept going. Tsukishima pointed out every single question you got wrong, rubbing in your face how he aced another stupid paper while you were a failure. The classroom was noisy, the end of the period let the students talk freely, but you only heard Kei’s voice, adding to your pre-existent stress and pressure. 

As far as you could remember, you’ve never underestimated him in any interaction you two had. Sure, you threw a teasing comment every once in a while, but always bragging about yourself, how you’ve outsmarted him. But you were sure you never humiliated him - and you’d never do such a low blow like this. 

“Enough, Tsukishima!” You raised your voice, everyone now was paying attention to you two. The embarrassment heated your entire face and your tears finally ran down your cheeks, the blond boy seemed startled with your sudden outburst, though his smirk quickly returned to your face. “I got that you’re better, now can you please shut the fuck up?!”

Thankfully the bell rang, indicating classes were over for the day. You quickly shoved your test on your bag, throwing it over your shoulder as you turned to head to the door. With the sleeve of your coat, you wiped the reminiscent tears from your eyes and left the room. Not only you exited that suffocating place, but also you left behind the stupid crush you had on Tsukishima Kei. 

Since that day, you couldn’t stand being near him, all teasing interactions reduced to none and you’ve never checked the scoreboard as soon as the grades were out. You focused on your own stuff, trying your best to clear your thoughts from Tsukishima - which didn’t work as well as you planned. 

Every once in a while, in the middle of a studying session, you found yourself pushing your limits like you used to do to get a higher performance than him. As much as you hated to admit, Tsukishima was a great incentive to do better, to set higher goals academically speaking. And though he caused you a lot of pain, a part of you (the stupid one, in your words) still thought he was attractive, you still had a tiny interest in the true guy behind that acting. 

That’s why you decided to write him that letter. Perhaps admitting your “crush” on him would make you realize you’ve created almost an entire new person using his name and face. In a way it actually helped, you truly thought you have moved on from him and college would give you a new beginning away from Tsukishima. 

Fate, on the other hand, had other plans for you and here you are: walking slowly towards your dorms, emotionally drained and confused. The prospect of Tsukishima Kei having the slightest interest in you was shocking, especially after all those three years of. endless insults. 

Are those feelings coming back? 

“Oh, no.” You muttered to yourself, immediately stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, frightened about your last thought. “Oh my, there’s no way I’m crushing Tsukishima once again!” 

If you concentrated enough, you could still feel his chapped lips against your skin, his large hands roaming through your body. He was right about you enjoying it- in reality, you did more than you’d like to admit. Tsukishima Kei was annoyingly filling your mind with both his smart and arrogant ass and that unexpected (but surprising) heated moment. 

You needed to get to your dorms and take a long shower to put your thoughts in order, because there’s no way you’re having feelings for Tsukishima Kei once again.

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[doomarchives]

David Annandale’s The Harrowing Of Doom: An In-Depth Review

So, I was kindly offered an advance reviewer’s copy of The Harrowing of Doom by David Annandale for the Marvel Untold series, a new prose line revolving around Marvel’s villains. Although I’m not personally familiar, the author’s prior written work and academic scholarship indicated a strong background in fantasy, science fiction, as well as horror film and literature - all essential elements of Doom himself honestly, whether in his character, design, or formative influences. A promising start from the outset! 

To no one’s surprise, I was especially excited for this one. Doctor Doom is both my favorite Marvel character and area of nerdy comics expertise, and Annandale sounded like the perfect candidate to tackle him. 

The Harrowing of Doom centers around a conflict familiar to those who know the character. Taking place fifteen years after his ascension to the throne, Victor von Doom is still hellbent on rescuing the soul of his mother, Cynthia, trapped in hell by the demon Mephisto. His yearly attempts to save her have been fruitless thus far, but he believes he can really do it this time, enlisting the help of a new character, Maria von Helm, and some of his lesser known subjects (also new characters) to accomplish the task, by building a machine called The Harrower. The noble scheme is further complicated by the reappearance of Prince Rudolfo Fortunov, son of the monarch deposed and murdered by Doom years prior, who is equally determined to take back what he believes is his birthright by any means necessary. The novel is a relatively dense and detailed one, and as a true blue Doom enthusiast, I have a dense and detailed review to match.

The first thing that I personally take note of in any material involving Doom is the author’s perspective on the truth of Latveria’s “benevolent dictatorship.” It immediately speaks volumes about a writer’s perception of Doom’s accountability and sense of morality; it kind of ends up coloring his entire characterization. That being said, I was really pleased by the evenhandedness with which Annandale treats Doom’s Latveria and his influence upon his subjects. It slots in neatly with some of the greats, Lee & Kirby, Jonathan Hickman, Roger Stern, etc with the acknowledgement that Doom is indeed a despot with an iron fist and a will absolute, but one who cares for the wellbeing of his country. Through dialogue from his subjects like the skittish Father Grigori Zargo and diehard loyal Captain Kariana Verlak, the reader gets the sense that Doom’s rule may be the best leadership Latveria has ever known. (A brief aside: another great strength of The Harrowing of Doom that has to be mentioned is the fleshing out of these different original characters. Maria von Helm was a particularly welcome addition, as a close friend of Doom’s mother and a far more empathetic magic user compared to him.)

Verlak is openly married to Dr. Elsa Orloff, a trans woman and neurosurgeon of international renown. Both of them had experienced the Fortunov rule that predated Doom’s, with Orloff even having fled Fortunov’s Latveria when she first come out as transgender, in fear of his tyrannical rule and the dangerously transphobic legislature he enforced called “The Laws of the Person.” It is apparent that Doom exists in obvious juxtaposition to the prior ruler’s bigotry. Beyond the total erasure of all previous discrimination and state-enforced bigotry, he has Verlak appointed in a role of great prominence, gave Orloff the tools she needed to succeed in her field, and even shares an exchange with her where he remarks that he knows her from her publications in the Lancet Neurology and that he appreciates them for their “speculative” approach. In an excellent exchange between Father Zargo and the rebel Prince Fortunov, the priest, who is by far Doom’s number one fan, explains Doom’s mesmerizing hold on the populace and the benefits they reap from his rule, despite it being a despotic one:

“I’ll be explicit, all the same,” said Zargo. “Doom is a sun king, even more fully than Louis XIV ever was. Latveria is a world power. How? Because of Doom and only because of Doom. Latveria’s strength and its wealth come from his inventions. And the beams of his sun touch every citizen. Universal basic income, free healthcare, free schooling, free universities, free training to the highest level of your calling - all of these things flow from Doom.”

“Free?” Fortunov snarled.

“The price is obedience, yes,” said Zargo, “And yes, Doom is feared.” Zargo stopped himself from saying Vladimir was feared and hated. [...] “Even though Doom is feared, he also is Latveria in every sense that matters.”

What I really appreciated was the author’s ability to walk the tightrope of acknowledging how beneficial Doom is for the country and his protectiveness over his domain, whilst also acknowledging Doom’s intense paternalism that ultimately favors his own goals. Doom, as well-read comic fans would know, is heralded as one of Marvel’s master manipulators. It’s a great strength of this novel to see him exerting his willpower and the strength of his personality to manipulate and sometimes, fully overpower that of his subjects. Father Zargo is definitely the most profound victim of this, a man with ties to both the church and the occult. Through the novel, Doom insistently pushes him towards the latter, his priorities made clear in one sentence: “The work was what mattered. Zargo’s soul was not Doom’s concern.” An especially interesting scene occurs later in the novel. Without too much elaboration, Doom performs an experiment where he uses the old Latverian nobility as guinea pigs.  This was something I immensely liked, corroborating one of my own personal perceptions of Doom. It’s always made sense to me that Doom would continue to hold a certain amount of disdain for Latverian high society, even after he went from low class Romani boy to monarch himself. 

(“The Fantastic Origin of Doctor Doom,” Fantastic Four Annual #2.)

Afterwards his partner, Maria von Helm, muses aloud that she always wondered why Doom let vestiges of the old regime remain, to which Doom responds: “Now you know. The aristocracy has its uses, and the advantages of being disposable.” It’s maybe my favorite example in the book of the exceptions to Doom’s purported benevolence. He does want the country to flourish and for his subjects to prosper, but this intent can be superseded by his innately ambitious nature and his own personal biases. It’s clear at several points in the book that Annandale is obviously well-read on Doom himself, but it was especially in the capturing of this nuance that it really stuck out to me in a big way. (As well as the fun reference to Doom’s brief jaunt in the French Riviera in Supervillain Team-Up!)

Outside of this core aspect of his characterization, I really enjoyed how the novel not only built up Doom’s cult of personality, but emphasized the sheer magnetism of Doom himself, in person. Constantly, characters find themselves buffeted by strength of his will, craving his approval or cowering and scrambling to avoid his displeasure. It’s a great true-to-character depiction of interactions between Doom and Latverian citizens, dynamics that were only touched upon briefly in the periphery of most comics involving Doom. I think, ironically, this is also perhaps the source of one of the novel’s few weaknesses. By keeping the book very Latveria-focused, Annandale does an excellent job of adding world-building on every level, from expounding on Latverian national holidays to the layouts of Doomstadt to the country’s storied history with witches predating Doom and his mother. But the fact that Doom mostly interacts with those beneath him or those who work for him gives the reader a bit of a myopic, overtly flattering perspective of him as almost too certain, too powerful, too unfeeling. I suppose it serves the scope of the novel for Doom to be more an obelisk of a man than fully well-rounded, but I contest that one of the best things about his character is that his indomitable exterior hides a deep well of pain and uncertainty. 

(“In The Clutches of Doctor Doom,” Fantastic Four #17.)

(“Oath of Fealty,” Doctor Doom #7.)

The novel obviously perceives Doom as Byronic, there’s even excerpts from Manfred interspersed between chapters that I greatly enjoyed, but I did find the heart of the Byronic character a little lacking here. Where Manfred bares his soul alone in monologue or to others, Doom, for the most part, does not. There are definitely brief allusions to the trials he’s faced, but he seems rarely prone to doubt or vulnerability until the very end. (For example, the central task is the attempt to rescue Cynthia von Doom’s soul, but little time is spent dwelling on this very human connection between mother and son.) Or even self-admitted imperfection! Interestingly, I only ever caught one mention of his scars in the entire novel. 

The Harrowing of Doom seems to prescribe to the line of thought that the mask is the only true face of Doom’s that matters, but I think with that philosophy, it stays firmly within the character’s own comfort zone. And his psyche never feels truly challenged, because there’s no worthy challenger. Doom knows without a doubt that he is Fortunov’s superior, so there’s no real interpersonal friction there. It left me keenly interested in seeing how the author would write Doom in the presence of someone like Reed Richards, an opponent who has historically brought out Doom’s baser instincts and invoked his self-doubt, drawing out his flaws and humanity in the process. Hopefully Marvel approves a sequel!

Doubtlessly, it’s still a strong entry into Marvel’s Doom canon and an excellent read for anyone who enjoys the character and is familiar with his history. The novel gives a sprawling, detailed look at Latveria and fleshes out both country and countrymen with aplomb. I took real delight at the indirect peeks at Doom’s personality through other characters’s observations or simple exposition. Some notable examples include Doom’s occult librarian wondering if he had been appointed out of spite of his witch-hunter ancestry, Zargo noting the west wing of Werner Academy was dedicated to clinical research in a nod to Werner von Doom’s work as a healer, and my favorite: the paintings within Castle Doom being impressionistic depictions of Doom’s ancestors, “people long buried, long forgotten, and in their lifetimes ignored or worse.”  

The conflict also moves at an engaging, brisk pace and smartly takes advantage of the widely known fact that Doom is preoccupied every Midsummer Night and turns that into an opening to be exploited by Fortunov, who also is well characterized throughout the novel and even experiences his own personal growth.

(“Though Some Call It Magic!”, Astonishing Tales #8)

Essentially, the product is a great novel about Doctor Doom influenced by strong comic lore knowledge, Gothic and Romance literature, horror cinema (According to the author, Doom’s lab is modeled after the lab from The Bride of Frankenstein!), and fantasy. If that sounds like something up your alley, definitely check it out. It gets a wholehearted recommendation from me. 

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL