#prey!virgil

[sickfreaksirkay]

virgil tries to write 100 lines of poetry without an animal themed simile challenge (impossible) (gone wrong) (gone sexual)

[jaratedeguadalupe]

ok but virgil has definitely knitted every clothing item under the sun for cornelius the spider and remus had made a mansions worth of miniature furniture for that lil guy

[starlooove]

I think Virgil, Duke, and Tim would actually be a hilarious trio

[sweatforged]

@thanes-thrall-md

silas  had  practically  passed  out  on  the  couch  in  the  kratos  cabin  after  they  got  back,  had  cleaned  up,  dealt  with  a  visitor  &  had  his  wounds  at  least  patched  up  for  the  time  being,  but  that  wide  gash  the  steel  lion  did  ...something  with  ..  was  still  there.  it  throbbed  &  not  in  a  fun  way.  he  didn't  know  many  people  in  camp  yet,  but  he  knew  a  certain  healer  who  ..had  been  a  little  too  touchy  for  his  preferences,  but  he  saved  his  life  for  sure,  so  he'd  ...  let  him.  would  he  help  him  again?  what  would  it  cost  this  time?  he  didn't  really  want  to  head  to  the  infirmary  &  spend  the  next  half  day  sitting  there  for  them  to  observe  his  arm. 

  finding  that  cabin  had  been  a  pain,  but  he  was  starting  to  get  an  idea  of  the  camp's  layout,  so  that  was  satisfying  to  say  the  least.  it'd  been  hit  or  miss  whether  the  other  was  home,  but  when  the  door  opened,  he  knew  he'd  got  lucky. 

   "hey,  uh...  you  got  a  minute?"  was  he  kind  of  ..not  looking  up  at  the  other,  because  he  hated  having  to  ask  for  help?  maybe. 

[pumpkin-padparadscha]

[aliensubstance-xxx]

Sanders Sides x GN!Reader HC (& some General ones)

ahhh forgive me if this is a bit clunky! I don't usually do stuff like this but I need to get it out of my brain hah

What they're like kissing you:

Logan is by far the best kisser of the bunch! He starts off a little robotic or unsure, but after a while he starts to experiment, figuring out what you like most and getting good at it.

Prepare to be completely breathless and kiss-drunk and for him to just stand up properly, readjust his tie and go about his day. He's got a schedule to keep, after all.

Patton is a very silly kisser, he likes to press kisses to any and all bare skin (and covered!) he can reach, and will grab hold of you and just smother you in kisses :)

Be wary if he goes anywhere near ticklish spots- he will blow raspberries there

Roman is so dramatic when he kisses you- it's all big gestures, like dipping you or picking you up and pinning you to the wall etc. He kisses you so deeply you could swear you hear a musical crescendo in the distance.

Unless he's feeling more mellow, in which he'll still kiss you deeply, but just...quieter and softer, tipping you up by the chin and just breathing in your space.

Virgil is, obviously, quite a nervous kisser. He'll never settle his hands- he wants to have them all over you at once, on your hips, on your shoulders, clutching your hands to his chest, in your hair, anywhere. He gets flustered quickly too, he'll kiss you deeply and then bury his face in your shoulder (You can feel the heat of his blush even through you clothes) until he can kiss you again.

Oh, and he's a biter. Don't be shocked if you manage to spend some time making out with him and you end up in teeth marks and hickeys (and sore lips)

Remus is...sloppy is probably the best way to describe it. He's passionate and enthusiastic, so much so that your kisses will be all teeth, tongue and spit.

He will also lick you. sorry.

Janus is actually quite the reserved kisser- he's a little embarrassed about his snake mouth when it comes to kissing (He'll never say it out loud.). He does want you to enjoy kissing him as much as possible, so maybe after some snake themed compliments he'll take off his gloves and pull you in by the hips.

Catch him by surprise with chaste kisses as much as you can- he'll make a pleased little rattle/hiss (like a purr?) out of surprise. It's very cute.

General HCs:

Small TW for, minor angst & mention on injury, innuendo and reference to genital piercings on the last one.

Despite being identical, they all actually have very small differences! That being said (and totally making sense)

Logan has the biggest hands- noticeably. Man's hands could wrap around your entire being with ease. ahem sorry. Moving on.

Roman is slightly more muscular (still chubby though. good lord), and has one or two scars he got while in the Imagination and decided to keep!

Janus, obviously, has his scales and his eye. His scales go cross his shoulders, elbows, hips and knees- he's also got a little forked tongue and a glottis under said tongue. (The glottis is what snakes have a the back of their throat- it helps them breathe while swallowing large prey...and in Janus' case-)

Virgil has two tattoos- a ring of thorns around his right finger (Right ring finger for individuality, thorns for hardship and struggle) and an earthworm on his left forearm (Rebirth, especially to do with the life cycle. and he thinks it looks cool. He wanted to get a spider but he didn't want to frighten Patton.)

Patton gets a little cut right under his heart whenever Thomas is genuinely heartbroken- he has a little collection of scars there.

Other than their lobe piercings, Virgil, Janus and Remus all have other piercings!

Virgil has an industrial on his left, his secondaries, and two conches on his right ear.

Janus originally had snake bites (when Thomas was a teen. Janus wasn't always as refined as he is now) and one helix piercing.

Remus' has however many piercings he wants on any given day- he takes them out every night and re-pierces however he sees fit every morning. (This includes his frenum piercing. On his willy. look it up but be warned for penis.)

That's all for now! If you liked my stuff and want to request something (minific, or more hcs) feel free to shoot me an ask :) hope you enjoyed.

[intrulogical]

remus isn't dumb; a sanders sides essay

i've been struggling to make a cohesive post about this because i feel like most of what i want to say boils down to the same underlying message which is: remus isn't dumb.

i feel like a good chunk of this fandom understands what i mean, at least to a surface level point. but even then, i think too much of the fandom still misinterprets remus' character in a way that, they seem to understand different traits of his, but the way they execute it is still way off from what we see in canon.

(rest of the essay under the cut!)

for example, the biggest thing i see people get wrong would be the way they write remus "lol random" personality. it's true that remus tends to say whatever he wants at any given moment. but, the problem here is that people tend to think remus as random in function. i have no better way to describe this succinctly, so to expound: while remus tends to make left-field jokes a lot, he is shown to be incredibly deliberate, cunning, committed, and intelligent in very subtle ways.

truth is, remus is very goal-oriented, and when he has a goal, oh he strives for that goal. so far, i'm writing this with the last 5 years episode being the most recent substantial episode, so i can't really 100% say all my assumptions of remus are true. actually, i think the upcoming season finale will be the missing link when it comes to providing us with the whole picture of who remus is.

as for now, i just have to stick with my theory of; remus, as a side of thomas' heavily connected to insecurities and mental health issues, intends to shed light on the "darker" sides of thomas because he believes them to be beneficial. throughout dwit, we see remus continuously bolster the idea that his contributions are useful for thomas. this continues in wtit, but with the extra layer of remus wanting logan as well to be in touch with the darker parts of himself to get thomas in line.

it is also heavily implied that remus is well in on whatever janus' plan is to get thomas to be a.) more aware of his mental health issues, and b.) to get thomas to break out of his catholic black and white thinking. in forbidden fruit, it's janus who’s seen permitting remus to present himself to thomas. bigger evidence though, as i've mentioned in the previous paragraph, is the way remus seems to deliberately want logan to manifest his anger against thomas.

of course, we can always say that remus taunted logan "just for fun", but i feel like too much of what happened in wtit seem to point to remus having deeper reasons. for example, wtit exhibits how bad thomas' mental health is to the point that he gets irrationally angry at nico for not replying to his texts. this proves how thomas has been neglecting his mental health, and with the way patton, virgil, and roman held onto toxic selfless ideologies for the longest time, thomas would still, naturally, be lost on what to do. he would even seem to deny how bad things have gotten, especially with the way he acts like nothing bad is happening when he goes to his date with nico.

why am i emphasizing this? well, it's because something i find interesting about remus' character is how deeply cognizant he is of thomas' problems. what i mean by this is, no other side can call out thomas' issues more than remus can. i wrote an essay about this before if you want to check this out, but tldr: remus, as intrusive thoughts, is the most perceptive out of all the sides when it comes to calling out insecurities or problems. we see this come to fruition in wtit when all of the traps he laid out for thomas involved nico in some capacity.

while you can interpret his character as evil for preying on others’ insecurities, i think it's important to acknowledge that, in a sea of people who tend to refuse to talk about their issues, remus is the main guy who constantly brings them to the table. whether remus' intentions are good or not, there's no denying that remus' importance as a side lies in the fact that he serves as a mental health alarm clock for thomas. with the way none of the sides want to communicate with each other, we need someone like remus to cut the bullshit and say things as it is. 

again, we don't really know if he wants to help thomas. but i would like to emphasize that, yes, remus is not dumb. he does not merely make lewd jokes and calls it a day. he has the long-term goal of making everyone talk about more "taboo" topics with each other, and this includes talking about personal grievances the sides tend to suppress or refuse to talk about. lewd jokes are just part of the process.

i think this goal of his is also incredibly visible with the way remus treated logan in wtit. wtit is my favorite sanders sides episode because there's just so much to analyze between remus and logan, but you can check my other essays in regards to that. the main thing i wanted to point out is that what remus says to logan in the end, "woowee logan, now you're speaking my language. but who do you really want to scream that at?", proves he is more deliberate and cunning than he seems.

a lovely bit of analysis my friend orb (@orbmanson7) provided is that remus didn't just pop up in wtit to intervene with thomas' plans. he was there to intervene with logan's. if you've seen my other essays, i've talked about how logan as a side has been dwindling in terms of self-confidence and assertion. this has left a big problem of thomas being more reliant on his emotions, making him ignore the suggestions given by logan that may help with thomas' mental health in the long run. this is not to villainize thomas' mental health crisis, btw. all i want to say is that, remus recognizes how logan's self-restriction is doing no good and deliberately wants to push logan to become more assertive and angry.

that is why he says logan is speaking his language. he wants logan to recognize the merit in the way remus grabs thomas' attention. he wants logan to be like him and cause more havoc. again, we never know how much remus genuinely wants to help thomas, but we know that remus wants everyone to be more exposed to "taboo" things, and this includes logan being more in touch with his angrier side.

besides that, i'd like to mention how, in general, remus tends to be very committed to his goals more than how the fandom typically portrays him? in dwit, remus' main goal was to disturb thomas and the other sides. it's kind of just an introduction to his character. we're not sure if it's part of a bigger plan he and janus devised to get thomas to take care of himself better, but it is a possibility. the only time he gets too random is when logan begins picking apart his arguments. there we see remus only results to super left-field, continuous off-tangent jokes when he's desperate or placed in a lose-lose situation.

another, in wtit, we see how remus understands how to make very long, complicated traps. i think it's a perfect encapsulation of his personality, actually! throughout the episode, we see him make these multilayered traps with a ton of props and preparation just so he can bother thomas with it. it shows that remus is actually less impulsive-oriented as he seems. he even created a schedule he showed to logan detailing everything he wanted to do that day. again, deliberate! he is deliberate and very smart!

other thing i'd like to harken back to is the idea that he's in cahoots with the other dark sides to execute some Big Plan to break thomas out of his black and white thinking. while we don't know how orange acts like yet, we're Very familiar with janus by this point and we can see how long-drawn janus' plan of acceptance is. he's, again, sorry to use the word so many times, very deliberate. i don't even think his plan ends with svs.r, because it does seem like remus is well in on this plan too. in the 5 years video, he also seems to know more than thomas on what else is to come for the future of sanders sides, which implies he has some plans up his sleeve that no one else knows about. like i said, janus has the goal to break thomas out of his black and white thinking. and so far from what we've seen from remus, he also wants the same!

an important factor of remus' character besides his deliberateness is his general need to subvert what "goodness" means. "good and bad are all made up nonsense," he sings in forbidden fruit. throughout dwit he continuously criticizes everything thomas thinks is good or acceptable. in the 5 years video, he argues about how there's no "correct way of sitting". i think this also proves how remus is important as a side because, while not every single one of his beliefs are morally acceptable, he is still able to pick morality apart in a way the other sides are unable to. also, i just think this proves his character as just. generally smart? he's able to pick apart the status quo and moral philosophies, of course he's smart.

just to pick up on a previous point, remus is scarily perceptive. i mentioned this earlier with how remus is able to pick logan apart, but i'd like to add onto it more since i think a lot of people underestimate how crazily perceptive he is. for one, despite not being too close with a bunch of the other sides, he seems to be able to read their insecurities and play them against them really well. we see it in the way he uses virgil's insecurities of being an ex-dark side against him. we see it in the way he picks on patton and thomas' morality crisis against them. we see it in the way roman describes remus as someone being able to show him things he doesn't like about himself. and most importantly, we see it in the way remus constantly reaps the fact that logan isn't listened to to the point that logan snaps. as intrusive thoughts, remus' job is to see what deepest darkest secrets thomas and the sides suppress and use it against them.

at the moment, we don't really know if remus has any weaknesses, although wtit sort of implies that he himself is also quite irritated by the fact that thomas doesn't listen to him. he does a good way of hiding, though, how much of that problem is genuinely affecting him. it makes me think he's also smart in the way he's able to hide his vulnerabilities and true intentions from the other side. he's silly and goofy and lewd and because of that, everyone thinks he's harmless. the sides think he's unserious, and so does the fandom. but deep down, remus really isn't that stupid. 

and LASTLY, when beta reading this essay, orb also mentioned to me about how remus possesses cognitive flexibility in a way roman doesn’t. this isn’t meant to discredit roman of course, but i think it’s important to mention that remus is the side with the least amount of restrictions when it comes to creative liberties. orb mentioned to me how remus is able to connect concepts easily in a way roman doesn’t because remus doesn’t operate under the same self-restrictive mindset. while this obviously would help thomas become more innovative as a creative, i think it’s also important to recognize how much thomas kind of needs it in general. much of the latter half of the series shows thomas dealing with restrictions, especially when it comes to doing good. it would be great benefit for thomas to be able to listen to a side who generally wants to Have a Good Time, and doesn’t abide by rules imposed onto them.

and yes that is my essay on remus 100/10 best character and is not dumb at all. very excited to see him in the finale and i hope y’all’s get your characterizations straight because i need me some good fics 

[dcsnextgaycharacter]

Not a full list but can people send me panels they would like to see for any ship below, need to outsource help (Hank ships are in here but I don't need help with those, I am using Green Lantern/Sentinel: Heart of Darkness panels for HankTodd):

Hal/Ollie JayRoy HankTodd Match/Inertia Dick/Joey Joe Morgan/Al Pratt Bart Allen/Preston Lindsay Riddler/Scarecrow Jason Blood/Bruce Wayne Dinah/Helena Clark Kent/John Henry Irons Clark/Lex DinahOllieHal Mister Mind/The Joker Tiger/Dick Chastantine Rose/Cassie Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland Diana/Kate Kane Constantine/Lucifer Cassandra Cain/Rose Wilson Helena/Renee Sandman/Corinthian Jay Garrick/Alan Scott/Richard Swift Linda Park/Wally West/Hartley Rathaway The Shade/Jack Knight Richard Swift/Charles McNider BerKon Renee/Scandal Wally/Kyle Riddler/Penguin Hal/Earth Villains Lois Lane/Selina Kyle Ollie Queen/Eddie Fyers Plastic Man/Vic Sage Halowog Cosmic Boy/Lightning Lord Coldflash Maps Mizoguchi/Gold Beetle Nightwing/Catman Black Canary/Lady Shiva Tatsu Yamashiro/Selina Kyle Mr Freeze/Bruce Wayne Vixen/Wonder Woman Superbat Barbara/Kara Wally West/Pied Piper Max Lord/Booster Gold Harper Row/Punchline Brainiac 5/Superman Batjokes Riddlebat Jon Kent/Ash Damian/Jay Cir El/Natasha Irons/Traci 13 HalJohn HalGuy HalKyle HalAlan Beth/Yolanda HankCam Bluepulse

Sandwave Batlantern Brainiac 5/Invisible Kid DickGarth Lightray/Orion Catman/Deadshot Donna/Starfire TimKon MidDickPollo Wonder Woman/Circe Lee Travis/Wesley Dodds/Dian Belmont Boostle Todd/Kaldur Dinahbabs Bruharv Konbart BeaTora Anita Fite/Traci 13 JonDami CissieCassie Ghostbat TimJon StephCass Supercorp Dick/Wally Virgil Hawkins/Richie Foley Courtney/Emiko Talia Kane/Laurel Kent Isamot Kol/Vath Sarn Pied Piper/Trickster Two-face/Riddler Wonder Woman/Cheetah SinHal Tim/Lonnie Birds of Prey Polycule GuyJohn AnitaCissie StephMia TimBerBartKon DinahZatanna CarolDiana JessKori DickRoy BruceOllie GuyDick Bernard Dowd/Jay Nakamura Karen Starr/Helena Wayne Halbarry BruceConstantine Young Justice Polycule Lois/Diana Lex Luthor/Braniac Max Lord/Ted Kord Jessica Cruz/Soranik Natu Lex Luthor/Will Magnus Pre N52 Kara Zor El and Stephanie Brown Steph/Mia Mia/Cissie Alan Scott/Jay Garrick Selina Kyle/Talia Al Ghul Gotham City Sirens Polycule Kyle/Connor

[idontknowreallywhy]

Resurface 12 - Remember

Parts 1-11 here

So… we finally find out what happened on the roof. Sort of… *cough* sorry Johnny… and Virg… and Jeff. And Scott who I presume is on the receiving end of some version of this account from John…

🧡💚💙🧡💚💙🧡💚🧡💚💙🧡💚🧡💙🧡

He’d done what he was asked. The kids were “kept out of the way” even if they were yelling and crying and rattling pointlessly at the door handle he’d wedged the chair under. He felt awful about it but they had to be safe, not see anything… worrying. Anything that could cause them more problems than they already had. But he couldn’t just stay and babysit when everything might be going wrong. Dad might need help.

John should have seen this was coming. He should have paid more attention. He should have stopped it. He should have been less selfish. Pressing his knuckles into the spaces between his nose and his eyeballs he swallowed hard then raised his voice above the yelling, told Gordon and Alan he’d be back in just a minute. Then with suddenly trembling limbs followed his father up the fold down ladder to the flat part of the roof they used for stargazing.

The sky was cloudless, the sun had just set and blue hour was upon them, the iron oxide-soaked sandstone gleaming as red as any of Dad’s Martian landscape images. Here, in the lee of the dormer there was a dead calm, as if the wind was anxiously holding its breath in the same way John was. His father, about 5 feet above him was edging carefully across the ridge towards where the peaked roof of John’s third storey attic room loomed over the rest of the ranch. Dad looked back over his shoulder and frowned, silently demanding silence.

John complied. His throat had seized up anyway. As had pretty much every nerve in his body the moment as his eyes drifted past his father’s clambering form to the figure standing tall at the highest point of the roof. He clung to the railing at the top of the stairs and prayed to anyone that would listen that this wasn’t what it looked like.

Virgil was stood at the highest point of the roof, one hand resting atop the chimney stack, the other gesticulating as if he was engaged in a passionate debate. His posture was so familiar, the unstyled hair hanging in his face, less so. He couldn’t hear exactly what his brother was saying but his tone was friendly, good humoured even. Which, given the circumstances, was downright eerie.

A solitary bird of prey wailed impatiently as it hovered overhead. Peregrine, probably, John realised with a pang. Scott would point them out as they passed through every spring and every fall. He remembered the otherwise ‘so much more grown up than you lot’ fourteen year old bouncing gleefully around the yard the day they’d seen a female stoop on a pigeon right overhead. Every Tracy knew, because he reminded them often, that that was the fastest any living creature could travel under its own steam, although Scott was determined to break that record one day.

John was aware it should probably be ‘had been’ but was not in any way ready to make that shift. Not in any way at all. He swallowed hard at the lump threatening to close up his throat and returned his attention to his next biggest brother. He edged slightly closer as Dad finally reached Virgil and held out a hand.

Virgil didn’t take it.

More wailing from above, multiple voices this time. John, unable to resist glancing up at the sound, counted a group of four hastening through the sky towards the lone dot in the distance which he imagined wheeling back around at the cries of waaaaaaait-waaaaaait. Scott’s reverent voice reminded him that these birds travelled alone except for newly fledged siblings who would undertake their first big migration together for protection and moral support.

“YOU’RE UNBELIEVABLE!”

Virgil’s raised voice dragged John’s attention back - how had he lost concentration? What had he missed? His father was talking in a low voice, but John detected an edge he could quite place? He was… uncertain? That wasn’t like Dad at all. To hell with it, he had to get over there. He abandoned stealth and scrambled along the roof until the frustrated pain in his brother’s shout stopped him in his tracks.

“WHY WON’T YOU LET ME HELP HIM?!”

Virgil’s back was to his father and he flinched away as Dad reached out to touch his shoulder.

“HE’S GONE, VIRGIL! THIS IS JUST… A… A FANTASY…! YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN! Please…”

His father’s voice was finally raised but then cracked, agonisingly, on that last word and Virgil spun to face him, fury in his eyes.

Time slowed. John felt tension thicken the air, as potent as the moment before a storm breaks and it resolved in much the same way: With a roar of anger and a strike of pent up energy from Virgil’s muscular arm.

Dad crumpled to his knees and leant heavily against the chimney breast. There was absolute silence. John tore his eyes from his father to gape up at his strongest yet most determinedly non-violent brother, in time to see the horrified expression on Virgil’s face, staring at his own clenched fist as though it belonged to someone else entirely. He looked around in a panic and began to shuffle backwards away from his father, more like a small, frightened animal about to bolt than the broad, reassuring presence John knew him to be.

John was moving before his mind even registered the implications. Of course he was too slow, he should have been there to start with. He called out to try to warn him but only succeeded in causing his brother’s eyes to lock on to his for the split second before they widened further and he disappeared from view.

🧡💚💙🧡💚💙🧡💚🧡💚💙🧡💚🧡💙🧡

[richincolor]

New Releases - Tuesday, May 14, 2024

We missed one title last week, so we wanted to make sure to highlight it this week.

Perfect Little Monsters by Cindy X.R. He Sourcebooks Fire

Someone has murdered the queen bee of Sierton High School. All the dead girl’s friends are suspects. And each one has a reason for wanting her dead.

Ella Moore was the most popular girl in school…and also the most hated. When she’s murdered at her own party, there are too many suspects to count--and too many people who think she deserved it. The police’s prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn Foster. She was the last to hand Ella a drink on the night Ella died. Plus, all of Ella’s friends with a motive for wanting her dead are more than willing to implicate Dawn.

But Dawn refuses to go down without a fight. She’s determined to clear her name. As she delves deeper into the past, she discovers that Ella and her friends had enemies, and someone is out for revenge. She must uncover the truth before the police arrest the wrong suspect and before the next person dies.

Now on to the many books for this week:

Blood & Fury (Chaos & Flame #2) by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland Razorbill

A single kiss set Chaos ablaze.

Picking up months after betrayal transformed Darling Seabreak into the long-lost Phoenix and every House regent into their empyreal form, Darling struggles to make sense of her destiny as a legendary creature. How can she, an orphan with no family, be the one to reunite the fractured houses and bring about peace, if she can’t control the magic of her new Phoenix body?

Talon Goldhoard, still in love with Darling but wounded by her betrayal, is tasked with ending the vicious war that his family instigated. With the Phoenix reborn, Talon is hopeful that the bloodshed will end swiftly. Instead, the kingdom grows more fraught, with the threat of violence ever present – especially from dark, conniving forces within the walls of his own House Dragon.

As Chaos reigns, Talon and Darling must find their way back to each other – not only to survive but to save the kingdom. Can Darling harness the power of the ancient magic that runs through her blood to bring about a new peace? Or will the fury that House Dragon fueled for a hundred-year war be too strong to break?

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur Feiwel & Friends

Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass Rick Riordan Presents

Unlike the other residents of the small Caribbean Island of St. Virgil, Selina DaSilva does not believe in magic. With a logical mind and a knack for botany, Selina used to dream of leaving the island to study Pharmacology—until a vicious, unsolved attack left her father dead and her mother in a coma.

Now her guilt over her mother’s condition keeps her tethered to the island, relegated to conning gullible tourists with useless talismans and phony protection rituals. But when one of those tourists ends up at the center of a string of strange murders, the truth that Selina has been denying can no longer be there is evil lurking in the forests that surround St. Virgil. Another thing that can’t be avoided? Selina’s ex-boyfriend Gabriel, newly employed at the local newspaper and eager to put his investigative skills to use.

Desperate to put an end to the killings and claim justice for Selina’s family, these two former lovers race to find answers. But evil bides its time. And as long-buried feelings and long-hidden secrets about Selina’s family’s past begin to reveal themselves, only one answer remains—and it waits in the forest.

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds Roaring Brook Press

It’s the summer before college and eighteen-year-old Blake Brenner and her girlfriend, Ella, have one goal: join the mysterious and exclusive Serena Society. The sorority promises status and lifelong connections to a network of powerful, trailblazing women of color. Ella’s acceptance is a sure thing—she’s the daughter of a Serena alum. Blake, however, has a lot more to prove.

As a former loner from a working-class background, Blake lacks Ella’s pedigree and confidence. Luckily, she finds courage at the bottom of a liquor bottle. When she drinks, she’s bold, funny, and unstoppable—and the Serenas love it. But as pledging intensifies, so does Blake’s drinking, until it’s seeping into every corner of her life. Ella assures Blake that she’s fine; partying hard is what it takes to make the cut.

But success has never felt so much like drowning. With her future hanging in the balance and her past dragging her down, Blake must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve her glittering dreams of success—and how much of herself she’s willing to lose in the process.

10 Things I Hate About Prom by Elle Gonzalez Rose Joy Revolution

The best things in life come in pairs. Peanut butter has jelly, Taylor has Selena, and Ivelisse Santos has Joaquin Romero. They are not only next-door neighbors; they’re platonic soulmates. Ive gets Quin like no one else.

At least, she thought she did before Joaquin shocks her by revealing that he wants to ask Tessa Gordon to prom. Tessa freaking Gordon. The same Tessa Gordon who spread the rumor that Ivelisse started the infamous Second Grade Lice Outbreak. Why her?

Tessa and Joaquin are a match made in popular kid heaven. The head cheerleader and the star of the baseball team going to prom together makes more sense than Joaquin and Ivelisse—a member of tech crew—would. But just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it should happen.

To make matters worse, Joaquin wants Ivelisse’s assistance planning the grandest, most elaborate promposal Cordero High has ever seen. To win the queen bee over, he’ll have to go bigger than any of their peers have ever gone. Ivelisse would rather wrestle a bear than wingwoman Joaquin.

But with senior year coming to an end and their paths diverging, she’ll take all the quality time with Joaquin she can get. So, she swallows her pride. At first.

True Love and Other Impossible Odds by Christina Li Quill Tree Books

College freshman Grace Tang never meant to rewrite the rules of love. She came to college to move on from a grief-stricken senior year and to start anew. So she follows a predictable Attend class, study, go home and visit her dad every weekend. She doesn’t leave any room in her life for outliers or anomalies.

Then, Grace comes up with an algorithm for her statistics class to pair students with their perfect romantic partners. Though some people are skeptical, like Julia, Grace’s prickly coworker, Grace is confident that her program will take all the drama out of relationships. That’s why she keeps trying to make things work with her match, a guy named Jamie. But as the semester goes on and she grows closer to Julia, Grace starts to question who she’s really attracted to.

In award-winning author Christina Li’s YA debut, Grace will have to make a choice between the tidy equations she knows will protect her from heartbreak or the possibility that true love doesn’t follow any formula.

Road Home by Rex Ogle Norton Young Readers

This final, essential chapter in Rex Ogle’s memoir trilogy recounts being forced from his home and living on the streets after his conservative father discovered he was gay.

When Rex was outed the summer after he graduated high school, his father gave him a choice: he could stay at home, find a girlfriend, and attend church twice a week, or he could be gay―and leave. Rex left, driving toward the only other gay man he knew and a toxic relationship that would ultimately leave him homeless and desperate on the streets of New Orleans. Here, Rex tells the story of his coming out and his father’s rejection of his identity, navigating abuse and survival on the streets.

Road Home is a devastating and incandescent reflection on Rex’s hunger―for food, for love, and for a place to call home―completing the trilogy of memoirs that began with the award-winning Free Lunch.

The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood Wednesday Books

1863, Pennsylvania

War doesn’t scare Jerusalem—she’s a Saint. Thanks to powerful demigod-style reflexes, endurance, and strength, she’s fearless. And ever since the Confederates declared civil war, partnering with the vampires who benefitted off slavery, she and her battalion of Saints are essential to the Union army.

Jerusalem herself had been enslaved by a vampire, escaping North only after her family was murdered. She knows the enemy better, hates the enemy more than anyone in her battalion, and has been using it to her advantage since she joined the war a year ago. More than anything she wants revenge, but if she can help Black people gain freedom and equality without having to steal it for themselves like she had to, then all the better.

But she never expects to have to team up with a vampire to do it. Alexei is one of those handsome, arrogant Ancient Vampires. But he’s on the Union’s side, and in the year they’ve known each other, has never done anything but prove he’s on hers.

Together, they set out to change the course of the war and take down the vampire who destroyed everyone Jerusalem loved. But for her, it’s about more than justice.

It’s about killing a god.

This Night Is Ours by Ronni Davis Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

It’s the longest day of the year, and eighteen-year-old Brandy Bailey has just received the worst news of her She’s been accepted to a top nursing school, making her mother overwhelmingly proud.

The thing is, Brandy wants to be an artist. She knows all the risks of chasing her dream. She’s heard them from her mother over and over.

On top of that, Brandy’s annoying classmate from high school, the startlingly handsome Ben Nolan, is catching his far-fetched dream of being an actor. Why does he get to be fearless while she has to be practical? Ben is the last thing Brandy wants on her mind, so of course today is the day he decides to glue himself to her hip. Now his perfect face is right there in the cacophony crashing through her head.

Spinning in too many directions, Brandy’s emotions clash with the flashing lights at the town’s summer carnival. Can she have one extraordinary night before everything changes?

[alemonyoyo]

No Country for Young Humans - Chapter 5!

Hi guys! Got this chapter out a little earlier than expected. I am going overseas tomorrow, so I assume my upload schedule of every 2 days will get a little slower. Sorry about that.

Also, I would really appreciate any feedback on my writing if you have any. I've found myself a little unhappy with the way I write recently, so any tips to improve are wholly welcome <3!!

This one's a bit more lax than the previous chapter, hope you enjoy!

Missed the previous chapters? Check out the Masterlist!

Words: 2969

Tags: GN Reader, No use of YN, Flirting, Forbidden Romance (????)

Summary: A morning mission with your new trio goes down as well as you could hope for. But a stunning victory is interrupted by some concerning news.

Chapter 5 - The Search: Undertale Yellow OST: 066 The Train Problem

You pressed your back firmly against the wall of the building, feeling the warmth that its bricks held onto seep into the back of your shirt. Peeking your head around the corner you saw that familiar green tint. You still felt Ed’s presence by your side so you turned back to him, giving him a short nod. You both readied your guns, the air dry and crisp, not carrying a single sound with it as you rounded the corner of the building.

“Hands up, Virgil!” You screamed, getting into character. Ed was by your side, his larger pistol, more suited for his huge hands, was pointed directly at your prey.

“This is the last time you get away with stealin’ Mooch’s gold.” Ed’s voice commanded throughout the Wild East, if only you had such confidence. He played the role of the tough guy very well.

Vengeful Virgil, like the vermin that he is, scampered from side to side to get around you two, but was met with the fellow swoop of one of Ace’s cards slicing a shallow cut in his cheek.

“Not so fast, V.” Ace cut in, blocking Virgil’s only way to escape. “We’re not leavin’ till we get what’s ours.” Virgil panicked against the wall, trying to hide his fearful glance under the brim of his hat. But his snout was too long, and his grimace was extremely apparent.

“Y-you don’t understand, Feisty Three.” Well- you supposed that was correct. There were only three of you right now, but the others would be here with backup any minute! 

After agreeing to stay in the Wild East, North Star had given you the highest of privileges; to join the Feisty Five as its newest member! This was to Ed’s dismay as “The Feisty Six” did not have the same ring to it that the alliteration of “The Feisty Five” provided. But alas, you were happy to be a part of whatever game they were playing, title be damned.

“I think we understand just fine.” Ace said, taking a menacing step towards Virgil.

“She- she stole it off a’ me! Mooch stole *my* gold! I was just stealin’ it back!” He squirmed against the wall.

“Aha! So you admit to stealing Mooch’s gold then?” You smirked, the loophole in his words falling carefully into place. This was a confession! You could have him imprisoned! Your first bandit capture while on the team! “I oughta lock you up for just that. But running away from the law, trying to shoot our dearest sheriff? I think you might get *life* in jail!” You hammed up your accent, really getting into character.

“Sounds good to me, rookie.” Ed responded with a nasty smirk.

“Agreed, give him what he deserves.” Ace continued. With that, you pulled out a lasso you had been gifted by Ace, who had stepped you through Lassons 101 for the past couple of days. Virgil squealed pathetically at the sight.

As you readied your throw, you kept in mind all he had taught you. You whirled the lasso around your head, feeling the loop tug and pull against itself. Keeping your hand in position you threw the lasso with all your strength. It soared across the air gracefully, and you watched in awe at your own technical prowess.

“Um.” Virgil responded, watching as your lasso landed in a pathetic heap in front of him,

“That’s okay.” He started as he bundled up the coil of rope and handed it to you, returning to his frightened position against the wall of the building. “You can try again.”

You repeated the same steps in motion, though this time with far less confidence and much more embarrassment. Your loop flopped against the side of the building with a thunk, before tripping on itself and falling to the floor once more.

“No no, you have to twist your wrist! That’s what’ll keep the loop horizontal!” Ace insisted, picking up the rope from the ground. “One more, Virgil.”

You felt your face grow hot. You were lucky North Star wasn’t here to watch this pitiful display. He’d probably still be proud of you nonetheless, but the thought was highly embarrassing.

You held your hand at the base of the loop in the lasso. Swung it round; one, two, before lifting it above your head and allowing the loop to slip from your grasp. It launched forward, nicking itself over Virgil's hat. The lasso lightly fell around his shoulders.

“Okay, okay now pull!!” Ace whispered eagerly. You pulled the lasso taught, and suddenly the menacing Vengeful Virgil was captured! The three of you cheered as Virigil remained still against the building. Face blank and clueless.

“Let’s take this guy to where he’ll be stayin’ the night.” Ed offered.

“Sounds like a plan!”

You walked off happily, Vengeful Virgil in tow.

“Wow, can’t believe you caught him just like that! Those lasson’s are really coming in handy.” Ed gave you a light pat on the back, but due to his strength it felt like a poor-man's heimlich manoeuvre. “I’ve never even captured a bandit with a lasso! My hands are too big to hold those tiny ropes.”

“That’s because you lack class, Ed. A real Cowboy, a *refined* one let’s say, would use the standard traditional methods.” Ace replied, “*I* for one have captured all of my prey with a lasso.” Though you couldn’t see his face, you could feel the smugness of his expression dripping throughout his tone.

“And how many’s that?” You ask, feeling Virgil tug at your rope.

“... Three.” He mumbled. You tried not to giggle, but Ed took charge, his roaring laughter was infectious.

“Seems we all suck at this a little.” You chuckled out, finding all your embarrassment dissipated.

Eventually you made it to the jail in the heart of town. Ed walked up ahead and held the door open for you. Ace walked inside and unlocked the door to one of the two cells the jail held. You stepped inside, a momentary respite from the harsh rays. You pulled the rope to guide Virgil into his cell. It felt like having a dog on a leash. Virgil voluntarily walked into the cell, seemingly forgetting he was supposed to be the struggling criminal, captured by the mighty Feisty Three! You loosened your rope, coiling it up as Ace locked the cage. 

“See you later Vengeful *Vermin*.” Ace spat.

“Ooo good one.” You teased, chuckling at him.

“Oh shush. As if you could do any better, rookie.” You both laughed and left Virgil to rot in his cell for your predicted sentence of a lifetime.

“Good job team!” You congratulated the other two, beaming with the newfound confidence that a successful mission brought. “I think we’ve done some good today. We should find Star and the others and tell them to stop the search! We’ve already caught the bandit right?” The other two nodded, satisfied with the morning’s mission.

North Star, Mooch and Moray had been assigned to patrol the West-most side of the Wild East after Vengeful Virgil had escaped from the clutches of your group. It wouldn’t be too hard to find the three of them. 

You had been a little disappointed at first when you hadn’t been assigned a team with North Star, though he insisted it was necessary, you were sad nonetheless. You liked hanging out with him more than anyone. He’s what made this game of Cowboy truly exciting. Ace and Ed were great, and you were honestly becoming closer to them than you had anticipated this morning, but they didn’t have the capriciousness, the risk, that Star did.

The three of you had barely started walking down the road to the western section of town when you saw the rest of the gang walking back empty-handed. At your appearance, Mooch ran over excitedly,

“Oh, oh! Did you do it? Did you find him?” She scurried along the sand, looking up at the three of you.

“We sure did!” You said triumphantly.

“That’s great to hear!” Said Moray as they approached.

“All thanks to our newest recruit.” Ace butted in. You gave him a thankful nod.

“Oh, gettin’ the hang of the ol’ lasso already, are we sweets?” North Star inquired, catching up with the other two. You prayed that Ed nor Ace would speak of the pathetic display earlier today to save your ego. 

“I- I guess you could say that.” You mumbled, feeling yourself fluster at the other nickname Star had given you.. He was quite relentless with them; “Darlin’”, “Sweets”. All of which were spoken in his delicious accent and you happily drank them up.

“So, did you get my gold back?” Mooch asked. Your stomach dropped.

Shit, you had forgotten Mooch’s gold- The whole reason you were hunting this guy down in the first place! What sort of heroes were you?

The three of you fell silent, your expressions each uniquely blank. Embarrassment filled the silence in the air.

“You forgot, didn’t you.” Mooch responded flatly, highly disappointed.

“Ah, Mooch. You don’t understand. Today's mission wasn’t about gettin’ your gold back it wa-”

“It wasn’t?!” She interjected, stomping a foot down in the sand.

“Well- I- It was about *heart*!” Star tried to pull together some sort of moral, “Our team has stopped Vengeful Virgil from stealin’ from *more* vulnerable pockets. Thanks to your gold pouch, we were tipped off to that.” 

“It was a noble sacrifice, Mooch.” Moray responded from behind them, trying to push the conversation along. You all nodded with a melancholy facade, mourning the loss of Mooch’s most-likely-stolen gold. Her expression scrunched up and she crossed her arms but didn’t say anything.

The group was silent for an awkward moment, before North Star suggested;

“How about we go celebrate this victory of Justice over a round of drinks?” To that, the rest of them cheered, except for Mooch, of course. She remained disgruntled.

You followed the group as they bumbled along the path back to the saloon. Another great morning in the Wild East! And, you had a whole afternoon of adventuring to look forward to! This time as a group, so you wouldn’t be away from Star for too long. 

You were right outside the saloon, the relentless rays of the Dunes pounding down on your skin. The wind washed around your ears, and in the crashing of its waves it carried a small sound. A chant, maybe? Someone was yelling, but for fear or for joy you couldn’t tell.

“Uh, who is that?” Moray pointed out beyond the limits of the town. You all turned your heads to see a tall, blue figure kicking up sand as they ran.

“Martlet-” You let out in an astonished whisper.

“Who?” North Star inquired,

“She’s a friend of mine. From Snowdin.” You reply, confusion littering your tone. You hadn’t seen Martlet since the day of the duel. What was she doing here all of a sudden?

You fumbled down the saloon patio back onto the sand, meeting her halfway. Her run became a tumble as she nearly tripped over her own legs trying to stop herself from crashing into you.

“Oh my gosh!” She squawked out as she screeched to a halt. “They-They’re coming. You have to leave, they’re coming!” Martlet placed two feathered hands on your shoulders and shook you violently as she repeated herself. However, after a day out in the hot “sun”, it had your head spinning. North Star hurries himself across the sand in response to the violent jolting you’re receiving. He steps in between the two of you.

“Hey, hey, stop it!” His yell seems to snap Martlet out of her panicked stupor, she stops shaking. Now she seems frazzled, her eyes whizzing around the Wild East looking for a comfortable place to land that isn’t you or the man giving his all towards intimidating her. Star puffed out his chest, his eyes shooting daggers into Martlet. “I don’t care who you are, you have no right to treat our deputy like that!” He continued. The title of “deputy” rang in your ears like the bell in the centre of town. He hadn’t let *that* slip before.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” She started, holding her feathered hands up in defence. “This is just really important!” Martlet insisted, trying to get around North Star to face you. She scrunched up her face in annoyance when he wouldn’t budge.

“It’s okay, Martlet. Anything you can tell me, you can tell him.” You hoped this would placate any worry of hers, but instead it simply seemed to feed further into Star’s confidence, as he flashed a knowing grin to Martlet. Though, there was an evident light blush on his cheeks.

“Ah yes, me and the deputy are as tight as the knot in a lasso!” He crossed his gloved fingers. Martlet crossed her arms.

“Okay, sure. Look- You need to get out of here.” She said, turning to you. Her tone was deathly serious, a far departure from the dorky bird you had known previously. “The Royal Guard got wind of your little “duel” and they’ve decided to do a search of the entire Dunes!” 

“Shit-” You heard Star mumble under his breath. “How long do they have?” He inquired. 

You were too stunned to speak. You had been here for quite a while with no issue, and now you just had to get up and leave! You tried to get out any words but your throat held them back. Too panicked to say anything, you remained paralysed in silence.

“About an hour. I’ve taken a head start but they’re heading over from Hotland.” Your head starts to spiral, it’s getting hard to stand. Your mind is overwhelmed, waterlogged with the idea of your own capture. Possibly the Feisty Five’s capture for treason too- 

You were lucky that your run-in with the Royal Guard went so smoothly. But you got the feeling that the rest of the Royal Guard wouldn’t be as forgiving as Martlet. This was not good- This was horrible. This was the worst thing that could happen! Where could you even go from here?

Something pulled at your hand. Looking down you could see North Star’s hand slip its way into your own. Looking up at him, he gave you a smile. You felt your mind clear itself at the feeling of his fingers intertwined with yours. It was a small gesture, but it was more than enough to ground you to your senses.

“...I think it’d be best for you to head to Waterfall. It’s in the opposite direction to Hotland, and it’s far more cavernous and easy to hide in.” Martlet advised.

“I’ll come with you, sweets.” Star reassured you, his thumb running over your knuckles, “You ain’t never been to Waterfall, have you?”

“No.” You shook your head. Looking back at Martlet who met you with a worried expression. 

“I would love to come with you, but I have to join the search.” She turned away with a pained expression, “I’ll come find you at Waterfall when it’s over, but until then, stay in Waterfall.” She had quite a demanding tone. Perhaps she was more fit for the job of a Royal Guard than she thought.

You sighed, trying to let out all of the worries that fizzled in the base of your stomach, leaving you nauseous.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be like one of our adventures!” Star turned to you, “Exploring new places, hiding from the bad guys!” Though his voice was cheery, his expression was dampened with hesitation.It was clear that he was trying to quell your anxieties, so you attempted meeting him with a grateful smile.

“Yeah, I guess so.” You squeezed his hand.

“I gotta head off now. Good luck!” Martlet said before flapping her wings and setting off, soaring through the sky as if the ground never held her. You wished you had such freedom, to leap from gravity’s clutches at will, escaping from all those who sought you harm. But as soon as the thought crossed your mind, it left, ashamed. You had your freedom on the surface, and you let it go- This was your punishment; getting hunted down like meat.

“You okay, deputy?” Star let go of your hand, instead resting both of his arms on your shoulders. He looked right into your eyes, his gaze analysing every feature of your face, digging for any sort of apprehension. He wouldn’t have to look hard to find it.

“I- No, I’m not okay.” You sigh, “But I will be. I hope.” You look away from his unrelenting gaze, feeling judged.

“Well then, rookie. Pack as much as you can for the both of us and meet me out here in 10. I’m going to alert the others, okay?” You nodded with a huff.

“It’ll be alright, darlin’.” He brushed his knuckles on the side of your face. “I know this is scary. *I’m* scared.” His hand turned to cup your cheek, “But if we lay low, like real bounty hunters, I’m sure it’ll be just fine.” He ran a hand through your hair, brushing it out of your face. He turned and reluctantly walked off towards the saloon.

Fuck, you were scared- But the look he gave you, mixed with the feeling of his fingers against your cheek was a feeling worth fighting for. You turned away from the saloon, heading off to get some supplies.

You weren’t going to let the Royal Guard win.

***

“The locals around here say they haven’t seen anything, boss.”

“Keep trying. We need this soul more than anything, understand?”

“Y-yes.”

“Continue your search. I’m going to make a head start eastward.”

“Rumour says there isn’t much around there. Just an abandoned old town.”

“We’ll see about that.”

[seat-safety-switch]

In the wild, a lot of prey animals will disguise themselves from predators. This camouflage is accomplished using an adaptation that scientists refer to as "camouflage." By doing this, it is hoped, predators will just walk on past, and the hidden prey animal can continue its life of eating vegetables and being terrified of loud noises in peace.

Art imitates life, and so the humble automobile often also hides itself from those who would do it harm. Just who is the natural predator of cars? It turns out that, like for so many other inhabitants of Earth, it's us. Many cars don't get a natural death, rotting to nothingness in a cornfield somewhere as Virgil Exner intended, and instead are crashed into other cars (accidentally or deliberately,) or crushed into a fine paste in order to be recycled into washing machines and bicycles.

You might think that this is absurd. I can look out my window right now, you say, and my car is right there, obvious as can be. Maybe you even have a crazy bright paint colour for it, like red, or industrial grey. This is the vehicle's camouflage, and inside it are all the problems and miseries that make a car what it truly is: the source of your inevitable torment.

If you were to extinguish all the problems of a car in one Four Loko-fuelled driveway thrash session, it would simply cease to be, vaporizing into a small dust cloud and leaving behind a coupon good for fifteen percent off a Toyota product. Even a new car (do they still make those?) has a perfect ecosystem of minor faults that will one day torture a would-be mechanic into considering moving into the forest and hunting men for sport.

Finding out the actual fault, its source, and its solution takes a trained eye. Faults are our prey, and they will hide anywhere they can fit: inside a wiring harness, motor winding, slightly pinched coolant hose, or even microcode. If you persist, however, you will get to devour the feeling of having fixed a problem on your car. And then you'll get to drive it, causing more faults to lodge inside the body for protection. It's only natural.

[tulipanthousa]

Anyone else’s mind go straight into the gutter thanks to Logan’s ‘oh Virgil’, or was it just me?

Sexy laoft analogical puzzle-y predator-prey role-playing where Logan gets to be a tricksy clever fairy and Virgil gets to play big hungry greedy ravenous unseelie clawing to ravish him in his web until his eyes are starlight white. What was I talking about

[an0thergl1tch]

Orange side Headcanons/Theories :

*There is a lot of debate on what animal the orange side will represent however I had a few ideas in my head that I wanted to discuss while I was stuck in a doctor’s office. (Not sure if I’m accidentally stealing these from somewhere)

*Looking at facts, we know that Thomas has said he is hoping on posting parts 1 and 2 of the finale by the end of the year. (As quoted from reddit which is by no means a reliable source.) If by chance this does happen, and the orange side is introduced in either of these parts, then this tells us that the orange side will either be a Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, or a Capricorn. Although it is quite possible that Thomas will wait until the later parts to introduce the character, or even leave the orange side as a cliff hanger in the finale, in which it is uncertain what zodiac sign the side is. However working with this information I have a few ideas

*Lets take a look at the animals the other sides seemingly represent. Patton is represented by the green frog, as seen in selfishness vs selflessness, Janus is represented by a snake, Roman is questionable however lion seems to fit and its come to a consensus he’s probably a lion, Virgil is a spider however has cat like tendencies, and Logan as said by Thomas is some sort of bird of prey. (Don’t quote me on that I swear I heard that somewhere.)

*Looking at these animals, I suspect that the orange side will either be some sort of hoofed land animal or bird of prey. Both Patton and Janus are semi aquatic and seem to be almost siblings traits much like how amphibians and reptiles are similar, and the orange side seems more related to Logan as per Logan’s outburst at the end of working through intrusive thoughts. Its also arguable that Roman and Virgil match up as they both mildly resemble felines.

*Taking some inspiration I have a few ideas as to what the orange side could represent :

*Scorpion theory : If per chance the orange side were a scorpio it could be possible that the character would be loosely inspired by a scorpion. Its been theorized that Logan and the upcoming orange side are either siblings or one in the same so its quite possible Thomas will give them birthdays in the same month. In this case if he were a scorpion he would match up with virgil, who is a fellow arachnid, however would be startling as its clear Virgil’s history with the dark sides are tense, and to have them as counterparts would be quite a twist as Virgil has been known as the side that doesn’t have a side (hogwarts episode). However considering anger and anxiety tend to build off one another they would be quite the theoretical power couple if they were to team up. Scorpions often hunt spiders which would indicate that the orange side has major influence over Virgil, however unlike shown Logan would actually have power over the orange side as scorpions are often the prey of predatory birds. Scorpions often symbolize death and rebirth, and are in some traditions seen as guardians of the underworld. They also symbolize resilience, self defense, and the ability to overcome challenges, which would fit with logans upcoming character arc.

*Ares Ram theory : It has been theorized that due to Ares stereotypes surrounding their natures that the orange side will be an Ares, so its possible that the orange side will resemble the ram. Ares are typically described as having great leadership skills, creativity, and bravery, however struggle either impulsivity and are quite stubborn. Along with this ares have a reputation to run hot, having a hot temper and can sometimes cause outbursts, along with being associated with the god of war (sound familiar?) Viewing the orange side as the ares symbol the ram does have its strengths. It is questionable as to how this animal connects with Logan, however it doesn’t connect with the other sides either. It seems to be its own separate entity, much like Virgil, and would make sense considering how disconnected Logan feels currently from the other sides. The ram symbolizes sacrifice, power, heroism, strength, courage, determination, and leadership. However with the previous traits of an ares this symbolism turns into rampant impulsive dictator with a savior complex, which honestly does fit with how the orange side could be characterized. Plus imagine a tall ass dude appearing with ram horns and hooves out of a blazing building, you would be fucking terrified.

*Goat theory : this builds off the idea that the orange side could be an aries or a capricorn, another horned animal is the goat. I personally enjoy this characterization as goats themselves act like children, and are quite hot headed and impulsive (plus the capricorn symbol is a sea goat.) The goat symbolizes greatness and excellence, and also represent strength, courage, and divinity. However connecting to its divinity the goat sometimes has ties with the occult, which would fit the fiery impression the orange side has made so far. Plus I think GOAT meaning greatest of all time would be kindof funny considering whoever this will be will definitely go on a power trip.

*Bull theory : Another horned animal. Personally I enjoy this one. Bulls symbolize unyielding strength, untamed power, and vitality. In popular culture however, bulls are often characterized as hot headed brutes with steam coming out of their ears (may I being up Logan quoting the seething fire from the clue movie.) Plus imagine him with a septum lmao.

*Crow theory : Going off the fact that Logan is theorized to be a bird of prey, the orange side also being a bird of prey also makes sense. Crows symbolize transformation, intelligence, rebirth, opportunity, however are also associated with death and considered messengers from the other side. They are also associated with impending doom and pestilence, as being related to the plague. (If this dude is wearing a plague doctor mask I WILL freak out.) Along with this crows are known to be troublemakers and quite mischievous and I have a feeling he would play a few tricks on the others.

*Vulture theory : Going also off the fact that Logan is theorized to be a bird of prey, a vulture seems like a good counterpart. Vultures symbolize death, rebirth, judgement, and are often associated with impending doom. Vultures are crafty and resilient, and strike when their prey is down. Although pretty harmless he will attack anyone who gets in his way or anyone who is vulnerable.

[fanderficreader]

Sessions.

Characters: sides + Thomas in the beginning.

Ships: none.

(A/N) this is based on a dream I had, so hopefully it's good. Also... 1451 words!!! What?! That's crazy!! Apparently I clarified A Lot of things in this...😅

Patton was making dinner, when all of a sudden he heard noises coming from Thomas's room. He immediately ran upstairs to see what it was. When he opened the door he was not expecting to see Virgil tickling Thomas. Patton cleared his throat to get their attention. "Am I interrupting something?" He said with a smirk on his face. Both Virgil and Thomas looked over, and flushed. They were not expecting Patton to walk in on them.

Immediately Thomas pointed a finger at Virgil. "He started it!" "No I did not! And if you don't stop pointing at me, you're gunna walk out of here with one less finger." Thomas immediately retracted his finger at that. Patton scolded Virgil for threatening Thomas, and then walked out. "You two can continue, as long as you stay out of trouble!" He said and then closed the door. When he was gone they continued their antics.

And that kind of behavior would happen for the rest of the day. Every so often he would hear screaming and a few 'helps' followed by more laughter, and every time it happened he would get this pit in his stomach. Why you ask, well Patton was jealous of course. He was jealous because it sounded like fun, and he wasn't apart of it. So he was jealous. Did the other sides notice this? Of course they did. Cause Patton was super mopey and didn't really talk to them that much, and was all around just not being his normal happy pappy self. And the other sides took notice right away.

It all started when they were having dinner. Virgil was the first to speak. "Hey pat?" "Yeah kiddo?" He asked. "Why have you been so distant today?" Virgil said. Making every one at the table perk up. "Like, you haven't been talking as much, and whenever you do it's just to answer a question." Virgil noted. "Well, I dunno. I've just been feeling a little down lately, that's all." Patton responded. Virgil wasn't buying it. He knew when Patton was actually just not feeling great, and this wasn't it. He was hiding something. "Why do you think you're feeling this way Patton?" Logan inquired. "I dunno I've just not been feeling like my usual self. Anyways, can we get back to eating? I'm starving." Patton stated. Trying in vain to change the subject.

"You're hiding something." Virgil blurted out. Patton looked up from his food in confusion. (And a little bit of horror that he figured it out so quickly, but he was trying to hide that part) "Heh whatever do you mean, Virgil?" Patton said, trying and failing to not panic. "You know what I'm talking about. You're trying to hide something! What is it?" Virgil preyed. Patton was getting nervous and also red from embarrassment. When Virgil saw this, he preyed more. Wanting and needing to know what it was that Patton felt the need to hide from them, and him.

After a while of 'Spill it' and 'I wanna know' and a few 'it's something juicy isn't it?' He finally caved, and told them. All of them had a different reaction than the other. Logan's reaction:😐 Romans reaction:🫢 and Virgil's reaction:😏. They all were some what shocked as too hear that's what he wasn't telling them this whole time. While Virgil was interested in granting Pattons wish. "So that's what you were keeping from us? That you were jealous all day, because you wanted to partake in our tickle sessions??" Logan asked. Not really grasping the situation, but trying his hardest to understand. "Really Padre? You could have just asked when you walked in on Thomas and Virgil earlier. They would have said yes." Roman reassured. While they were all talking, Virgil got a devilishly brilliant idea.

"Hey guys. I think we should cut Patton some slack. I mean," Virgil started. "I can see where he's coming from. He was scared of rejection, and I mean, aren't we all??" They all gave slight nods. Well, except for Roman. He stared off into the distance while he agreed a little too aggressively. "Anyways... I feel like even though Patton isn't in the wrong for what he did. It still wasn't right for him to lie to us." Virgil stated. "So, how about we think up a good punishment to fit the crime." At this point, Virgil had stood up, and was now behind Patton. Gesturing something to the others that Patton couldn't see.

They both nodded and Virgil made his way back into Patton's view. "Oh Patton~ I think we found a fitting way to get you back~" Roman said, in a very unsettling sing song voice. Patton got more nervous as the others made their way closer to him. He started giggling in anticipation, and the others all 'awwed' at that. "We haven't even done anything yet, padre." Patton knew that, but what he also knew, was what they were planning. That's why he got so nervous, so early on. They could all feel Patton's Lee mood radiating off of him -it was quite cute actually, how giggly he was at just the thought of that happening-

With Roman now so close to Patton, he was able to pick him up, and bring him to the couch for better access. Roman straddled his hips, Logan sat by his feet, and Virgil held his arms above him with on hand. While the other was ready to attack. "g'Guys, please. We c'can talk about t'this!" Patton managed through his anticipatory giggles. "Awww, you're already giggling, and we haven't even started yet. How cute." Roman rested his hands on pattons stomach. Watching his breath hitch and him tense up at the touch. "Oh, is your tummy ticklish?" He said in a borderline baby voice. "Hehe st-opp with the t-eeasing!!" He stuttered. Romans hands now started rubbing on pattons stomach, in a nice and steady fashion.

"Can we just get the party started already, princy??" Virgil was getting impatient, and Roman also wanted to hear those sweet, sweet giggles. So, he gave Virgil the go ahead, and let him start at pattons neck. Gliding his fingers up and down pattons neck and a little behind his ear. When Virgil would do that though, it would elicit a small squeak, followed by him scrunching his neck in that direction. Leaving his other side open for more tickles. Soon princy started up again, but this time drawing tiny shapes on his stomach with his left index finger. While the right one, was gliding up and down on pattons left side. Soon enough Logan started on his end too.

All Patton was right now, was a squirming puddle of giggles. But, when he felt his shoes being wiggled off, something flipped in him. "Nohohoo!! Dohhahont!!" As soon as he said that, Logan started at his feet. Nothing unbearable though. Just four fingers on one foot, going up and down his socked sole. But, that was enough for him to lose It. He screamed. -well not a 'ahh' scream. More of a girly squeal- he arched his back, and bucked wildly. That was enough of a signal to Logan to stop at his feet. So, he continued on his ankles. Surely he's not ticklish there. The logical aspect thought. And even if he is, it's probably not unbearable.

Logan started scratching at the moral sides right ankle, and boy was he wrong. Well, he was right, it wasn't unbearable. But, it still made him giggle a lot. After about 10 minutes of this he was getting tired. His laughs were more breathy and he started to hiccup every so often. That was a good sign for them to stop. He then just laid there for a few seconds, waiting for the ghost giggles to subside. When they were gone, Roman let out a hand for Patton to take, and he unhesitantly took it. Helping Patton up, he held firm on his hand, and pulled him into a hug. Which he accepted happily. Then they all got into a big group hug, and after a while decided to relax, and all watch a movie together.

(A/N) I really hope that this was good. If it was let me know what other scenarios or fics I should do, if you have any ideas. Also there might be a part 2 of this coming soon😏 so stay tuned for that. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I'll try and write again soon. Bye!! ✌️

[yourchemicallyimbalancedromance]

“I Keep You Safe From Me”

(Title inspired by lyrics from the song “Liar” by Paramore || “Liar” is basically Virgil and Logan’s theme song for right now haha)

Chapter one: New Beginnings

(This is pretty short, sorry! But longer chapters are coming I promise!!)

Ship: slow burn romantic Analogical

CW/TW: weed, a bit of self deprecating language (barely! blink and you’ll miss it, but it’s there so it’s worth tagging!)

POV: Virgil

(No summary cause I don’t wanna give anything away)

———————————————————————

Virgil sat on the hood of his car, hot Georgia summer sun sinking into his clothes, wrinkled schedule in hand, watching as all the other freshman and their parents rushed to unload boxes upon boxes from everything from old beat-up Range Rovers to new Jeep Wranglers.

It seemed as if it didn’t matter whether it was a double or a single room they were heading to, the boxes just kept coming from the voids of the cars; labels differing between “Winter Clothes” and “Tupperware” passed by him consistently with no sign of stopping. He didn’t move, just watched and listened to the laughter between families.

He hadn’t had anyone to bring him here or help him pack, so he shoved things into boxes and threw them carelessly into the trunk of his Camry.

He tried to ignore the rising feeling of jealousy and contempt in his gut as the joyful tone around him persisted on. He focused on the burning of the hot metal against his legs and stared at his schedule with the intensity of an animal stalking its prey. He knew he had to go in soon, to walk to his dorm and meet his roommates, but he wanted to drag out the inevitable for as long as he could.

He had signed up for early morning classes, hoping to be awake before the others so they wouldn’t bother him.

He watched as the parking lot cleared and a final pair of bodies disappeared behind the tinted double doors. sighing, he checked the time on his phone.

11:36 AM

He quickly shut his phone off, shoving it upside down into his shorts pocket and shoving himself off of the car, grabbing his backpack off of the ground and making his way towards the entrance of the school, leaving all of the boxes in his car out of his mind and shoving open the door upon arrival, he would deal with unpacking later.

He kept his head down, staring at the paper in his hand, not daring to make eye contact with anyone. He was hoping to look as if he was trying to figure out his dorm number even though he had already memorized it prior to moving day.

He stood there for a moment or two, not wanting to move, wanting to go back to his car and camp out there from midday to night. He wanted an education, sure, that’s what he was here for, but he didn’t sign up to be yanked into a building full of strangers even though he already knew how this worked.

When his brother Cosmos got accepted to Harvard he never heard the end of it.

Cosmos was more excited about the partying aspect of life on campus, but on the other hand Virgil never heard the end of it from their parents. it was always about how smart Cosmos was and how intelligent he was for getting into such a prestigious school with a 4.0 and them questioning why he wasn’t trying as hard because he could be just as great as his brother.

What they didn’t know was that he was as great as his aforementioned older sibling, if not better, they just didn’t want to acknowledge that part.

A sudden tap to the shoulder jolted Virgil out of his thoughts, snapping his head up and turning around to see who made the movement.

He was met face to face with a man a few inches taller than him, wearing a solid grey vest and light black button down pants paired with white sneakers. Thin circular glasses outlined his facial features perfectly. Strong jawline, a bit of stubble, gorgeous hazel eyes, a soft smile.

“You’ve been standing here for a few minutes now, do you need help?” The man in front of him spoke, voice clear and concise.

Virgil became all too aware of his disheveled state. Tired eyes, jittery limbs, rocking a MCR t-shirt two sizes too big for him and black shorts with tennis shoes. He smiled at him sheepishly before answering.

He genuinely seemed like he wanted to help and Virgil was honestly willing to take all the help he could get. “Uh..yeah, sorry. I just need to get to room 307 on floor 2” he responded

“Oh? My room is right across from yours, I can show you the way.” the man replied, walking towards a flight of stairs to the left of them.

Virgil followed, the sound of his bag bouncing behind him echoing off of the walls before making it to the second floor and being led to one of the doors.

The hallway wasn’t empty in the slightest. There were no people crowding the space but the chatter filling the air was enough to make it seem as if there were. Doors were open in every direction, peak in and you’d find a mother and father reminiscing over a time when their kid was just learning how to walk and now they were awing over their successes while unpacking t-shirts. It made Virgil feel sick. He shook his head, trying to shake away the hope he once had that maybe, just maybe, his parents stand-offish parental style would change just this once. ‘Stupid.’ He thought to himself.

“This is it, 307” the man next to him said, gesturing towards the door. He turned around and gestured towards the door across from Virgil’s. “And this is 308, where I live. It’s a single but yknow, I like the quiet.” he said, shrugging and shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Thank you, um..” Virgil started, remembering he didn’t know the handsome strangers name.

“Oh, Logan” he finished, taking a hand out of his pocket and sticking it out for the other to shake.

Virgil took it and smiled, “Thank you, Logan. I guess I’ll..see you around?” he said.

Logan’s eyes glimmered behind his glasses. “I guess you will” He said, a tint of smugness in his voice before turning around and walking inside his dorm.

Virgil turned back to face his own dorm, hesitantly raising a fist and knocking.

The door swung open in mere seconds as Virgil was confronted by a man wearing baggy jeans, a green Nike sweatshirt, and nothing but socks on. His eyes were green, slightly red and a little droopy, a tired aura surrounded him. He gave a weak grin to Virgil and moved so he could walk in.

He did, and was almost immediately hit by the smell of weed. The wide space of the living area was littered with open boxes, clothes scattered everywhere and indie-rock blasting from a small speaker placed on the windowsill which for the time being only had blinds as a way of maintaining privacy.

Something about the vibe of the room made him relax. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.