#single pov

[jensjumbledmess]

My review/thoughts about A Grain of Truth by Jack Rembiś, based on the short story by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Star & Spice Rating: ⭐️ 4/5, 🌶️ 0/5

TWs: Blood & Gore, Nudity (Female & Male), Sexual Assault

Judging a Book By It’s Cover: I think the cover is really pretty, the blue roses make a nice contrast to the beast door knocker and Geralt himself.

✨📖Review📖✨

If you enjoyed the story A Grain of Truth from The Last Wish, then of course you’re going to enjoy this; it’s the same story, just told as a graphic novel. This little comic makes a great addition to any Witcher fan’s collection. The art in it is BEAUTIFUL, and as a matter of fact, I liked the art in this SO MUCH MORE than most of the art in The Witcher Omnibus, Volume 1. I can't get over it; the pages seem so vibrant, even the dark scenes. I love the way the characters are depicted. I will definitely be adding The Lesser Evil to my collection too at some point and I would love it if Jack Rembiś adapted all the other short stories as well.

For those that don’t know, A Grain of Truth is essentially a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Geralt encounters two dead bodies while traveling, leading to him investigate the area. He then stumbles across a strange, shy woman who runs away after he greets her; nearby finding  a manor, with a big courtyard and unique blue rose bush. While literally stopping to smell the roses, a large beast bursts from the manor in a (failed) attempt to scare Geralt away. The beast’s name is Nivellen, and he has been cursed into this form by a priestess after he was basically peer-pressured into sexually assaulting her many years ago. After Geralt and Nivellen talk and have dinner, Geralt decides to simply leave after Nivellen confesses that he has come to appreciate and favor his beastly form and doesn’t want Geralt to try to break the curse. Over night, Geralt has the revelation that the strange woman outside the manor, who has been keeping Nivellen company, may actually be very dangerous.

Thank you for reading! If you liked my review/thoughts, consider following me on [GoodReads], [Bookstagram], or [Threads]! (I tend to post on GoodReads & Threads first!)

[borealisbarbie]

borealis masterlist-

summary: Dawson is a contracted thief working a risky job procuring what he is told is a powerful weapon from a shady research lab. Juno is said powerful weapon- a victim of prolonged experimentation and testing, now deemed ready for sale to the highest bidder. The job goes horribly wrong, Dawson is nearly caught, and now has both the research lab and his sketchy employers after him, with Juno as his very unwilling and very demanding tagalong.

tags: queer (m/m), sci fi, heists, kidnapping, mystery, on the run, human experimentation, grumpy x bitchy, forced proximity, annoyances to lovers, there was only one bed, contained character list, overprotectiveness, codependency, hurt/comfort, angst, wip

content warnings: noncon body modification, gaslighting, kidnapping, gun violence, language, smut (posted separately as one shots, fade to black in the actual series), torture, anxiety, PTSD, tbd.

tbd.

tbd.

chapter one chapter two (posting Monday, March 25th)

[batrogers]

Summary:

The group escapes being pinned in some distant dungeon by a discovery they can teleport themselves somewhere of their choice: but the first place they go immediately turns into an escape no less harrowing than what they fled. Are they even safe in this new Hyrule, despite being dropped in a temple in the middle of Castletown? And are things dangerous because the kingdom is unstable, or because their companion is? How are they possibly supposed to tell? And even if they can, is there anything they can do about it?

Rated M for discussion of mature themes, ranging from war crimes to rape and grief for loss of child and spouse.

A fic in which we *finally* go back to Kokiri's home! It goes great. They get a few answers, although not as many as they hope... as you might well imagine. Things are far from over.

Enjoy!

[jimmycarterghostland]

I hate the claustrophobia I feel when reading single point of view novels. Multiple POV literature will always be my greatest love. I like to immerse myself in a bunch of different characters, see through their unique gazes. It's fun.

[desdemonareads]

RATING: 3.5-4/5 Stars

Writing? Good (1 Star)

Engaging / Entertaining? Somewhat? For the most part? (1/2 Stars)

Characters? Good (1 Star)

Plot? Solid. (1 Stars)

Will I read it again? Probably not? I'm not really sure, so maybe I'll give it half a star just in case. (1/2 Star)

This is a YA Pride & Prejudice remix where "Elizabeth" is, in reality, a trans boy named Oliver.

It is part of a series of remixes where, and I quote, "authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon."

I've peeked at the synopsis of a few other books in the series and they look very interesting, I can't wait to check them out.

But on to Most Ardently:

I did like this book. It was a very cute retelling and hit all the plot points that you expected it to hit. All the characters you know and love are there, some with a new twist, and there are new characters to love as well.

Oliver was frustrating at points, but it was true to his character and to the original character of Elizabeth. They are both stubborn people set in their ways and unyielding in their wants.

It would've been weird if he hadn't been stubborn, ya know?

There are some other things I want to touch on, so let's go through them.

The Plot

So like I said. It hits every major plot point from the original P&P. Sometimes, it did feel as though it was ticking a box rather than furthering the story that this author wanted to tell.

I don't know if I'm alone in this thinking, but I just wanted to mention it just in case.

The Romance

When I ended this book, I wasn't really satisfied with it but I feel that might be more because I had a different expectation than the reality.

I expected the romance between Oliver and Darcy to be more plot than subplot and it wasn't. Their romance takes a back seat to Oliver's journey as a trans boy and I think if you go into it expecting that, you'll probably have a better reading experience.

Even as a subplot, I feel like the romance wasn't given its time. I read another YA book this weekend and there was more to that romantic subplot than there was to the romance in this book.

I think if you go into it expecting all of that, you'll have a better reading experience than I did.

My Conclusion

One thing I'm learning about myself is that while I am always ravenous for stories with queer characters, I am not ravenous for stories about being queer.

This book, being the latter, does not do for me what it will undoubtedly do for someone who does love stories about the queer experience. I don't really foresee a desire to reread this, but I could be wrong.

I mean, I've only read the original Pride & Prejudice once, too. It wasn't really my cup of tea, being that it had no fantasy or science fiction elements and that's really my bread and butter. I read it just to say that I had.

I feel like I'm not giving this book its due and it's partly because of that. It really is a very cute book and worth a read, even if you are like me and aren't hung up on stories about being queer.

Anyways, have you read it? Share your thoughts!

[claire-reads-romance]

The Hating Game - Sally Thorne ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

"Shortcake, if we were flirting, you'd know about it." Our eyes catch and I feel a weird drop inside. This conversation is running off the rails.

"Because I'd be traumatized?"

"Because you'd be thinking about it later on, lying in bed."

Oh, enemies to lovers. The tension in this book was delicious. Rival coworkers after a merger between an artistic publishing house and a money-making one, Lucy and Josh could not have been more different. She's tiny, stylish, smurf-obsessed, and a people pleaser to the core, whereas he's tall, wears the same shirt in 10 different colors, and has a reputation for being a hard-ass. The one thing they seem to share is a mutual hatred for each other that boils over into something more as they prepare to face-off for a promotion.

I loved this book! Josh and Lucy's relationship evolves slowly through big plot points (hello, elevator) and smaller ones (the looks, omg). It felt predictable in the best way. I wanted to scream at Lucy to stop being an idiot and got all giddy when my suspicions turned out to be right. Still, I didn't expect everything Josh threw at me and his surprises made him even more dreamy. Of course he had some flaws, including being a jerk most of the time, but, when they weren't threatening to kill each other, he treated Lucy with tremendous care and understanding.

Their relationship wasn't one sided, however. Though Lucy took forever to realize what was going on with her feelings, she stood up for Josh and saw him for who he truly was. She had her moments of obliviousness that seemed to hurt Josh, and drove me absolutely insane in the way good books do, but she eventually realized her mistakes. As they spent more time together, the two seemed to take on more of each other's traits. Josh got a bit nicer and Lucy got a bit more assertive. I enjoyed watching their growth as a couple and as individuals due to their interactions.

The writing was funny and full of upbeat banter. The smut (is there!) and was well written: steamy but meaningful. There was just enough foreshadowing to drive me crazy, and the plot itself was full of fun scenes. If I had to find something to dislike, it would be the other guy interested in Lucy. He contributed to the plot at first, but he seemed to stick around a bit too long.

“He’s seen me sweating, vomiting, feverish, and asleep. He’s seen me angry, frustrated, scared. Horny, lonely, heartsick. No matter how I look, it never seems to faze him. He always looks at me exactly the same way. Knowing this gives me the confidence to walk out in my SLEEPYSAURUS T-shirt and sleep shorts.”

and one last one... for good luck:

"I wanted you here because I always want you with me"

[reactionimagesdaily]

[emetitur]

favourite disco elysium moments - all together now

inprnt

[boygirlctommy]

i love the bit from oct 17 2020 when tommy and quackity trapped wilbur in a cobblestone box to keep him from pressing the button... wilbur punching through the blocks with his bare hand to try to get to the button... tommy frantically replacing the block in front of him yelling for quackity to do something... the moment when tommy stops, blocks the exit, and tells wilbur to do it. press the button. but then theyd die with him. quackitys like "wait, wait-" but tommy holds his ground and wilbur. ohh wilbur. "why'd you have to make it so hard?"

[bugenjoyer]

oh yes, there is already more

[inquisitor-apologist]

Thinking about how, at the end of the day, at the fatal moment, the sunset of the Republic, it wasn’t Yoda, or Obi-Wan, or even the Chosen One himself standing in the way of Palpatine. It was Mace Windu.

Mace Windu, the inventor of Vaapad and Master of Form VII, the Jedi's strongest duelist, the only person to ever defeat Palpatine in combat. Mace Windu, Master of the Jedi Council and the youngest Master ever appointed to it, the revered leader of the Order. Mace Windu, who forgave even those who tried to kill him, who risked his life over and over again for his troops, who, after 3 years of desperate war, tried to negotiate with battle droids. Mace Windu, who knew the clones were created by the Sith and chose to trust them, who saw every Shatterpoint in the Republic, and loved it still, and fought for it until his last breath, until he was betrayed by Anakin, who he believed in and trusted despite everything.

Mace Windu, High General and hero of the Republic, the embodiment of the Light, the last and greatest champion of the Order, the best Jedi to ever live.

[jensjumbledmess]

My review/thoughts on Demon In The Wood by Leigh Bardugo!

Star & Spice Rating: ⭐️ 4/5,  🌶️ 0/5 TWs: Attempted murder, and well, murder. Arson. Discrimination.

Judging a Book By It’s Cover: As always, Leigh Bardugo has spoiled me with her excellent hardback book aesthetics. (Seriously, always a treat. Thank you so much.) I love the dust cover too, but the purple and silver underneath are just, chef's kiss. It has that old fairy tale look.

✨Review✨ If you have NOT read the Shadow & Bone trilogy, I highly recommend reading those first before picking up this book. It’s much more impactful that way.

** This post contains spoilers for the end of Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo **

I’m a pretty big Darkling sympathizer to begin with, so of course I enjoyed this. If you think the Darkling is the villain then I highly suggest you read this. Could he have handled things differently/better in the Shadow & Bone trilogy? Yep. But when you read his back story in this, his childhood… I think his character and his choices make more sense.

He has lived a long life of not being able to trust, of being treated differently (even by other Grisha), a life of not having a safe home and knowing that the other Grisha don’t have a safe place either.

In this book his mother tells him, “there is no safe place. There is no haven. Not for us,” to which a young Aleksander then thinks, ”but there will be. I will make one.”

A sanctuary for himself and his mother, a place he can finally call home is all he’s truly wanted from a young age. (I also can’t help but wonder if he doesn’t also think that if he can provide a safe place for other Grisha, if maybe they wouldn’t treat him and his mother differently any more. If maybe they would come to respect him or see him as a friend.) I can’t fault him for that, and I hate that he had to die in the end. I hate that he had to become the villain despite just wanting his people to be treated decently and not be hunted. I wish that he knew someone his own age that was actually decent.

Overall this graphic novel is a bit short, and I wouldn’t have minded to have a little more story, maybe even into his teenage/early adulthood years (but that might have been better suited for a novella and not a graphic novel.) The art is really nice and this left me an even bigger supporter of the Darkling than I was prior to reading it. (Shrugs)

Thank you for reading! If you liked my review/thoughts, consider following me on [GoodReads], [Bookstagram], or [Threads]! (I tend to post on GoodReads & Threads first!)

[borealisbarbie]

borealis

chapter 1.: for now, it's time to run chapter tags: queer (m/m), sci fi, heists, kidnapping, referenced human experimentation, grumpy x bitchy, angst chapter warnings: implied noncon body modification, technical kidnapping, gun violence, language, mild gore, PTSD word count: 4243 A/N: the first chapter of my baby is here and ready to be shared! this is the first original work i'm posting in more than 5 years so i'm super excited to finally start sharing her with you all!

playlist || pinterest || masterlist

   Every time he had to break into a building Dawson was acutely jealous of the shows and movies he’d watched as a kid— his life would be so much smoother if he could just slide through a couple air vents and be done with it! But no, instead here he was, 2am on a Thursday, knee deep in piles of whatever undoubtedly filthy laundry an illegal medical laboratory produced. Not his favorite way to enter a place, but it was one less code to remember— just a single key to lift off of an unaware janitor. The face mask he wore felt inadequate, but it would have to do. 

  The laundry facilities were on the very bottom floor of the lab, but Dawson’s target was only a few floors up— packed up and ready to be transported for sale tomorrow morning, according to Dawson’s employer. He didn’t know what, exactly, it was that he was stealing, but he wasn’t in any position to turn down a job that paid this much. He made his way swiftly down the hall and up the barren stairwell— which had required a convoluted code to open— in silence. The stairwell opened into a short hallway, only three doors occupying the limited space. He strode towards the 2nd door on the left, as his intel had instructed, and input yet another door code. The little blinking blue light swiftly turned green and the door slid open, bringing a satisfied smirk to the thief’s face. That smirk drops when he takes in the contents of the small room. Whipping his phone out of his breast pocket, he pulls up the single blurry shot of the case he’s supposed to be looking at.

   That shitty fucking intel, is all Dawson can think, looking from the picture of his target on his phone back to the large metal crate looking thing that stood in the center of the cargo hold. He was here for a weapon, sure, but a fancy gun or laser sword, not something he would need a damn forklift to move. The crate had a number pad on its side, which would explain the extra passcode he’d been given. He lays his gun down within easy reach inputs the code, wincing as each button press emits a loud ping sound. It’s an obnoxiously long code too, even for some high-tech government laboratory, but finally he types in the last digit and hits enter. The box’s seams glow an ominous red before blinking to green, and there is the hiss of hydraulics before the lid of the box lifts and recedes on its own. Thick clouds of fog rise and quickly dissipate, revealing the contents; his target. It’s not a gun like he had hoped, or a bomb, or even a tiny, mysterious microchip. 

   It’s a dude. A curled slip of man, nude and nestled into perfectly cut out insulating foam. Dawson inhaled sharply, taking a step back. Because what the fuck. What the fuck was this? Was he stealing a corpse? Apparently not, because just as he goes to step closer, reaching out a hand to check for a pulse, the still form suddenly heaves a ragged breath and flies into a frenzy of movement, flinging himself from the box in a panic. Dawson reaches blindly behind himself for his gun on the table, clicking off the safety and pointing it at the man— fuck the payout, he wasn’t about to be mauled or maimed by some feral lab experiment! The man doesn’t attack though, instead scuttling backwards until he hits the wall, wild gaze flitting about and taking in his surroundings with an expression of pained confusion. When his gaze settles on Dawson the thief clutches his gun tighter and lets out a hissed curse; because those eyes are not human eyes. They shine an unnatural shade of teal, and the pupils shift and dilate like the lens of a camera. Mechanical. 

   But not one like anything Dawson has seen before, not even the fancy pretty ones the wealthy like to flaunt online. He’s breathing for one, still dragging in labored and brittle breaths, and sweat drips down his face, dampening unkempt curls. There’s an air of humanity to him that shouldn’t be possible in a mechanical.

“Who are you?” Dawson finally grits out, knowing that the clock is ticking and he doesn't really have time for an in-depth interrogation. The man just recoils further against the wall, though his breathing does at last appear to be mellowing out. A glance down at his watch shows that he has exactly 17 minutes to make his escape before the change of the security guards. “Fine, don’t talk. Look, I've got less than 20 minutes to get out of here so it looks like you’re coming with me. I was expecting a nice little carrying case, but I can make this work.” Still no reaction. Dawson feels a little bad for the mech— inhuman or not, the fear in his face and body language is palpable. He lowers his gun with a sigh before coming forward to kneel in front of the man, meeting his gaze with what he hopes is a reassuring expression— he’s not the expert on comforting scared people. There’s a barely audible hum as the mans’ eyes focus on Dawson, repeating that same camera lens effect.

“Look, clearly I don't know what’s going on here and neither do you, but I don't think you want to hang around here— they had you locked in a box in a basement. Something fucked up is happening here, and you can either come with me, or you can stay and try explaining to them how you got out of that box on your own. I don’t think the people here would be very happy with you escaping, do you?” And yeah, maybe it’s cruel to manipulate him like this, but whatever got him off of the floor and got them out of the lab was good enough for Dawson.

“Juno.” he blinks at the abrupt tone, but nods anyway. He— Juno, apparently— could speak, at least. 

“Great. Nice to meet you Juno, I’m Dawson. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” And with that, Dawson stands yet again, this time taking Juno by the wrist and pulling him up to stand too. It’s sheer luck that hanging on the back of the chair in the otherwise barren room is an abandoned lab coat— he swiftly covers the mech’s nude form with the white fabric and instructs him to keep close and keep quiet, before leading them out of the room. 

   The long reaching hall is still blessedly empty as far as Dawson can tell, and it should remain so for the next five minutes— enough time to get them to the ground floor. Gun at the ready he pulls an annoyingly slow-paced Juno along— the smallest thing seems to distract the mech, as if they are not currently trying to escape a life or death (or unpleasant jail time) situation. They reach a fork, the hallway splitting into two identical paths. The map Dawson’s employer had provided said to go to the left, but Juno refuses to follow, digging his bare heels into the ground when Dawson tries to jerk him along.

“Not that way.” the mech unhelpfully says, a mulish expression on his face. He tilts his head in a way that suggests he is listening to something, and that something is evidently not Dawson— or anything Dawson can hear, because both halls are silent. “This way.” and he shifts his hand so he is the one holding onto Dawson now and, much to the thief’s chagrin, tugs him along without any effort, taking the right hall. They come to a stop in front of a closed door, which doesn’t budge when Dawson jiggles the handle. 

“A dead end, seriously?” he hisses at the now bored looking mech. “I have been studying the schematics of this building for the last three months, kid, our way out was the other hallway!” He’s about to throw the mech over his shoulder and carry him to the proper exit fireman style, when Juno none too gently shoves him aside and gives the door handle a single firm yank. There is the sharp sound of wood cracking before the door gives way, swinging open, easy as anything now that a skinny little mechanical has just ripped the locking mechanism out of the damn door. 

“Faster. And no cameras.” He gently sets the door handle and its guts on the ground, before gesturing for Dawson to lead the way once again. Something was seriously wrong with this mech and the way he functioned, but there was no time for him to ponder that. Quickly familiarizing himself with this portion of the map, Dawson manages to navigate himself and the mech up to the first floor. Which was where things were going to get seriously tricky. Where the bottom levels had been paroled by a barebones crew, the main floors were much more stringently supervised— guards patrolled each end of each level in synchronized pairs, armed to the teeth in the latest tech and paid handsomely enough that there wasn’t much they wouldn’t do for the company. Their escape would have to be timed perfectly, and helpful as he could apparently be, there was no time for deviations from Juno.

“You do what I say from here on out, got it? I’m not about to die because you think you found a shortcut.” The mech nods, but the mulish expression is back— quite the contrast from the trembling, fear filled thing he’d been just a few minutes ago. Time would tell if it was a welcome change. “And— hey, this is important—” he adds sharply, noting the mech’s gaze beginning to wander once again, this time distracted by the rattling of the air con. “If I get shot, or if they catch me? Don’t fucking leave me to die, got it? I am not getting paid enough to die for you. You come back for me.” The mech nods and it’s go time.

   Dawson’s favorite kind of jobs were the ones where he got to break out the fancy equipment— harnesses for repelling down buildings, gadgets to disable alarm systems or cut through the glass of windows or display cases. But sadly, this was not that sort of job. Initially, his escape plan was to walk out completely undetected after going back the way he came, but by now someone was sure to have noticed Juno’s little door demolishment; it was only a matter of time before security was alerted of their presence. And unfortunately, he wasn't exactly able to tuck the mech into a backpack or pocket like he could have with his typical targets. So instead they had to do things the much more dangerous, life-threatening way, and tiptoe through the halls just as they emptied of guards, letting the timing of the guards’ schedule do the heavy lifting for them. So long as they didn’t do anything overt or loud, they were in the clear.

   So of course. Of course Juno— who walked so silently Dawson could almost forget he was there if not for the bruising grip he had on his hand— slips on the slick tile, letting out a small cry as his ankle twists. It’s faint, but it’s a noise, and that’s all it takes for the sound of boots pounding in their direction to pick up. With a curse Dawson pushes the mech more fully behind him, sandwiched between his back and the wall, and clicks the safety off his gun once again. He can feel the mech breathing harshly against his neck, and thin fingers dig painfully into his hand as two guards come from each direction, cornering them with guns drawn. Dawson notes that they do not aim at them, despite clearly having the upper hand.

“Who are you, how did you get access to this floor?” One guard barks while another approaches, pulling handcuffs from his belt and reaching for Juno. And that, apparently, is the wrong thing to do, because the mech’s gaze snaps to the guard’s hand, and in the space of what can only be a few seconds the mech darts a hand out and grabs the guard, pulling him in close before flinging him bodily towards the other set of guards, sending them all tumbling down into a pile of limbs. The remaining guard, the one with the gun, quickly descends into panic, waving his gun around and shouting. Still, no actual shots are fired. Dawson is torn between trying to talk his way out of this or just knocking him out when Juno makes an executive decision. Hand outstretched like a superhero in one of the old movies Dawson watched as a kid, unnerving gaze glowing, and a little ball of light grows in his hand, giving off sparks and increasing in size until it’s on par with a large marble. The mech— or whatever the hell he actually was because mechanicals couldn’t form matter— closes his hand around it and the light disappears. Juno then opens his hand to reveal a shiny silver ball and Dawson only has a moment to study it before it flies forward and embeds itself in the guard’s chest, punching a hole straight through. 

“Jesus Christ!” he exclaims, roughly wiping the blood spray from his face. Juno merely blinks, eerily unaffected, and follows easily when Dawson grabs him and drags him full speed from the scene. Hopefully the shock of their coworker's violent death keeps the other guards off their tail long enough for them to escape. 

   They make it to the exit, but Dawson would be hard pressed to recall how the hell they did it. After escaping the lab itself, it’s a simple matter of slipping down several tiny alleyways and taking a few twisty little side roads until they reach Dawson’s bike. Which swiftly presents the next dilemma; getting the lab grown superpowered mech onto said bike. Juno accepts the helmet easily enough, and even puts it on himself, though he bats away Dawson’s hands when he tries to adjust the straps. He sits behind Dawson when he says to, wrapping thin arms about the thief’s waist. He’s perfectly compliant until the bike turns on. The second it roars to life the mech is gone, scrambling off of the bike and away from its now offensive form.

“NO!” he yells, pointing an accusing finger at Dawson as he shuts off the bike and tries to approach Juno placatingly. “It’s too loud, I don’t like it!” It’s the most he’s heard from the mech since he opened that damn box. Dawson isn’t keen on having his head exploded or being set on fire, or whatever other powers Juno possessed, and so they are at an impasse. 

“What do you want from me here, kid? We need to get out of here, and this is how we do that.” He gestures behind him to the bike. “It’s perfectly safe, I promise.” The mech glares unwaveringly from under stringy curls, and he appears to be shivering— from the cold or from shock, it was hard to tell. Either way, he needed to get him indoors and fast. Could mechs even get sick from exposure? 

“Come on, we’ll get you some clothes, something to eat…” The promise of food seems to do the trick, mistrusting gaze softening to something almost hopeful. 

“Chocolate, I want chocolate, the shiny ones.” Demanding thing.

“I— Yeah, yeah okay. Get on the bike and we’ll find you some damn chocolate.” He offers his hand again to pull Juno back behind him on the bike, but he’s still a little surprised when icy fingertips graze his own. Again, he wonders if it’s a product of Juno’s inhumanity or the winter temperatures. Dawson guides him onto the bike, holding an arm securely over the thin ones clinging with much more fervor to his waist before starting the bike. Juno gives a little whine of fear but doesn’t run away this time, so Dawson counts it as a win and takes off. 

   20 minutes later and they pull up to a dark, run-down looking building. Dawson shuts off the bike and after some light jostling manages to get Juno to let go and get off the bike, before leading the mech inside. The interior is just as grim as the exterior— a welcome desk that has sat unoccupied since Dawson moved in fills one corner, while a pile of unusable cleaning supplies from when there was a cleaning crew 10 years ago takes up the lobby. Juno is again taking in his surroundings with all the interest and newness of a child or cartoon alien, running his fingers across a tabletop before grimacing at the thick dust that now clings to them. Dawson wrinkles his nose when the mech absently wipes the grime on his pilfered coat, drawing attention to how out of place he looks outside of the illegal lab setting— barefoot and clad only in a now bloodstained and filthy lab coat, which slides off one shoulder as it has lost several buttons. The dried and flaking blood spatter across what would otherwise be a sweet face completes the upsetting visage.

“Let’s go, we can’t let anyone see you like this.” He takes Juno by the hand and leads him up to his apartment, smirking a little when the mech groans at the sight of several flights of stairs. It was nice to know that there was some humanity programmed into him. 

10 floors later and they’re finally there.

“Home sweet home…” Dawson mumbles under his breath, pulling his keys out and opening the door. Juno all but runs inside, leaving the thief alone to lock back up. He kicks off his shoes by the door and then follows the sounds of Juno’s exploring to the living room, where the mech is stroking the blanket strewn carelessly over the back of the couch with reverent hands. Dawson clears his throat, feeling a little bad when he jerks his hands back as if burned.

“There’s a shower through there, go get washed up and I’ll have some clothes ready for you when you’re done.” he points to the doorway on the left. Juno seems to deflate before nodding shortly, stripping off the ruined lab coat right there in the living room, which… Okay, technically Dawson had already seen him nude, but he hadn’t planned on doing it again any time soon. He averts his eyes, and before he can muster up a response, the mech is gone, and the sound of the tub running starts up shortly. Shaking his head, Dawson grabs a trash bag from the kitchen to store the coat for now, planning on burning the thing when he gets the chance rather than risking someone finding it in the trash and poking around. Then he goes to his closet to find the aforementioned clothes he promised Juno.

   He doesn’t have much that will fit the slight mech, but he digs up a sweater from an old fling and some shorts with a tie that would work until he could get to a shop. There’s no underwear, but he suspects the mech isn’t used to wearing any anyways. Clothing sorted, Dawson decides to tackle the food problem. He’s not sure what the mech can eat, or, in all honesty, what in his kitchen is still edible. 

   The fridge is hours away from becoming a biohazard zone, and the fruit bowl on the counter has sat empty since the day his elderly neighbor brought it over as a housewarming gift. The pantry, however, yields a mostly not stale pack of crackers, a jar of pickles, and a half empty bag of halloween candy. He arranges his findings on one of the two plates he owns before checking his watch and frowning. It’s been less than 10 minutes and yet he can already hear Juno turning off the shower. There’s a pleased sound and then the quiet shuffling of someone getting dressed. 

   Juno emerges not soon after, rubbing a towel aggressively over his head. He has forgone the shorts for some unknown reason, but the sweater does technically cover everything, the hem hanging awkwardly to graze the mech’s bruised knees, and Dawson lets it slide, taking the towel from him before he can drop it carelessly to the ground like he clearly plans to. He takes one of the mech’s eternally cold hands and leads Juno over to sit at the table, setting the plate of food in front of him. Immediately he can tell he’s made some sort of grave error— those unnatural eyes narrow, and the mech pokes at one of the little gherkins with an unimpressed air.

“What… are those?” he asks disdainfully, selecting one of the less offensive crackers to shove into his mouth whole instead.

“They’re pickles, you never seen a pickle before?” Dawson asks defensively, taking one and biting into it with an obnoxious crunch. And maybe it’s a little more sour than usual, what would Juno know about it if it was? The mech just shakes his head, continuing to scarf down crackers whole. He’s a mess of contradiction, equal parts fearful and demanding, knowledgeable and clueless. And then there’s the whole ‘killing people with little balls of light’ thing to consider. Hell, he probably hasn’t ever heard of a pickle before. 

“So… What the hell was going on in that lab?” he finally asks. Juno looks up from his food (he has abandoned the plate and is now digging through the Halloween candy bag, pulling everything out and sorting them into piles— the non-chocolate candy is piling up on the floor beside his chair.) with eyes narrowed with distrust. He clearly isn’t about to bring Dawson into the loop, returning back to his candy sorting with an added flair of irritation. “Oh, so I save your skinny ass— nearly die in the process, might I add, take you in and feed and clothe you, but I can’t ask why they had you stuffed into a box? That seems fair.” He rolls his eyes when he is ignored yet again, reaching across the spindly table and grabbing the bag of candy from the mech’s lax grip. Juno hisses in surprise, baring pearly teeth at him— Dawson is pretty sure the mech might really try to bite him. Very animalistic for something so clearly machine.

“Nuh uh, you get these back when you answer my questions.” The little bastard actually has the nerve to snatch for the bag but he easily holds it out of reach. “Are you going to cooperate?” he reiterates once again, shaking the candy enticingly. Juno heaves a beleaguered sigh before giving a single sharp nod. As a token of good faith Dawson chucks a Twix at him— and is a little miffed when the brat catches it seamlessly.

“Good. Let’s start with something simple: why the hell were you in that box?”

“I always sleep in the box, if I’m not in use.” 

   That's… concerning. Mechs had developed so much in the past decade, it hardly seemed humane to lock them away when they weren’t ‘in use’. And those were just standard mechs, built to be companions, factory workers, and glorified pets. Whatever Juno was, it was clearly nearly human in its’ design, the lab could have at least sprung for a bed for the guy. The mech looks unconcerned though, gnawing at his candy’s wrapper with his teeth.

“What are your prioritized functions?” Some mechs don’t have them preprogrammed, or aren’t allowed to disclose them, but it's worth a shot to ask. Maybe if he knows why the lab was creating hyper realistic mechs, he could better figure out what to do with this one. Again though, Juno just looks confused by his question.

“I don’t know what that means.” It’s said fully deadpan, but Dawson can sense the unspoken disdain. 

“Well what the hell are you, then? They obviously built you for something— are you just some sort of fancy weapon?” This, at last, has an actual, visible effect on Juno. And Dawson immediately regrets saying it. Confusion, hurt, and guilt flicker across his face before his expression settles into something supremely pained. Then the tears come, only to be dashed away by the sleeve of Juno’s borrowed sweater before they can fall. 

“They didn’t. Build me, I mean. No one did. They just… added things. Removed things.” He’s looking down now, fiddling with the candy he still hasn’t managed to free from its wrapper. “I don’t remember everything, side effect of—” he waves his hand vaguely around his head, “but I was— I guess I was sick, as a kid? Really sick, and my family couldn’t afford the treatment, or maybe I didn’t have a family. The lab was running a trial for some special procedure and they picked me. Fixed me right up. Then they… kept finding new things to fix.” Dawson doesn’t know how he’s supposed to respond. He settles on pushing the candy back across the table, avoiding the unbearable weight of that odd gaze. Silence, for a few moments. 

Then rustling sounds pick up. 

A package of Skittles hits the linoleum.

[wikiangela]

seven sentence sunday

I wasn't gonna post anything from this one bc it's so close to being done I might just post it within a day or two (no promises tho lol) but I'm loving it so much and I can't resist posting a snippet haha

so here's a bit of my 7x06 tommy's pov fic!

___

(...) “my sister finally married the love of her life,” a kiss to Tommy’s chin, then another, and one more, and Tommy laughs again. “And I,” Evan grins against Tommy’s lips as he kisses him again, “I have a really hot date to her wedding.”

“Yeah, straight out of a fire.” Tommy smirks and bumps their noses together, and Evan laughs, Tommy drinking in the adorable sound. It all feels- it feels intimate, familiar, more than it should be at this stage.

“Mhm, even hotter now.” he leaves one more kiss on Tommy’s lips. “And I’m just- I’m really happy you’re here, Tommy.” Evan pulls away, this time enough to look into Tommy’s eyes, his own shining excitedly, face softening, as he whispers, with something like awe in his voice, “You made it.”

“Of course.” Tommy answers earnestly, feeling a fond smile pull at his own lips, his chest swelling at the look Evan gives him, something so affectionate and wonderstruck – he doesn’t think anyone has ever looked at him like this. It could be overwhelming, if he didn’t feel the exact same way. “We had a date.”

___

no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @thebravebitch @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @watchyourbuck @eowon @loserdiaz @evanbegins @ladydorian05 @wildlife4life @diazpatcher @lover-of-mine @monsterrae1 @weewootruck @loveyouanyway @spagheddiediaz @rainbow-nerdss @epicbuddieficrecs @pirrusstuff @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @nmcggg @rogerzsteven @hippolotamus @bidisasterevankinard @giddyupbuck @sunshinediaz @honestlydarkprincess @911-on-abc @jesuisici33 @steadfastsaturnsrings @buddieswhvre @fortheloveofbuddie @your-catfish-friend @daffi-990 @hoodie-buck @aroeddiediaz @thewolvesof1998 @theotherbuckley @tizniz @diazsdimples @dangerpronebuddie @spotsandsocks @exhuastedpigeon @underwaterninja13

[arctic-bookclub]

something about how phil has missa’s volume turned up because of the time missa was playing on a laptop at a hotel with a low volume mic, something about how despite his mic being normal now phil hasn’t turned his volume down not even one bit despite always changing everyone else’s volumes when needed, something about how regardless of how many people are in the room missa is always the loudest in phil’s pov, always the easiest to hear, something about how you can always hear missa over everyone else from phil’s pov, something about how that doesn’t bother phil in the slightest, something about this never being aknowledged by phil and something about it not needing to be, for it’s how it’s supposed to be

[desdemonareads]

I rang in the New Year by reading this book.

RATING: 2/5 Stars

Writing? Solid (1 Star)

Engaging / Entertaining? Not to me. I really struggled staying focused at more than one point. (0 Stars)

Characters? Okay, but the only memorable thing about them is how they were a shadow of Stiles & Derek from Teen Wolf (1/2 Star)

Plot? Meh (1/2 Stars)

Will I read it again? I don't foresee that happening. (0 Stars)

Let's talk about it.

--

I usually enjoy Keira Andrews’ writing. I own at least ten of her books in paperback. That being said, this one was not necessarily one of my favorites.

Parker Osborne is a high strung eighteen year old freshman at Stanford with a never-ending supply of quips, who finds Adam Hawkins irritating at first. 

Adam Hawkins is a secret werewolf that drives a motorcycle. His family died in a tragic accident, leaving him alone in the world and in the dark about much of his nature.

Parker and Adam don't like each other at first but through a set of circumstances, they decide to stick together in the apocalypse.

This was one of those stories were I felt like we were just going through the motions of a zombie apocalypse. It hit all the beats you expect it to, but not in a way that feels organic or particularly engaging.

The writing is solid, but the story didn't really keep my attention. There were several points where I realized I was distracted or bored and had to re-focus myself.

I have a couple of issues with this book, so let's go through them

Parker

From the first chapter, we're introduced to Parker's insecurities. He feels unloved and lonely. The friends he had in high school are scattered across the country and now he feels as though he has no one.

I want to say that this isn't something I disliked about Parker, but I really feel like it should have been a bigger plot point given it's there almost from the very first page.

I think that we're supposed to feel like Adam assuages those fears by "choosing" Parker again and again, but none of the situations they're put it really drive that home because they're so alone.

It would've made more sense if they had been with a group of people they actually trust and at some point, they have to go their separate ways For Plot Reasons and then comes the Choosing. Adam choosing Parker when the alternative is people that neither of them fully trust isn't really a choosing in my opinion.

But again, that's just my opinion. You could read this and feel like the plot addressed those fears just fine.

Adam

Adam isn't a POV character in this book, so I don't really have any big beef with him. My only problem surrounding him is that the fact he's a werewolf feels very glossed over a lot of the time.

I don't know what I wanted to happen in order for it to feel less glossed over, but I swear half the time it's as inconsequential as the fact that he has brown hair. I expected more from a story that promised "zombie apocalypse with a werewolf."

The Pines

So, in the last quarter of the book, they happen upon a place called The Pines. It was originally supposed to be a new resort for the rich and famous, but it changed when the apocalypse came along.

One of the people who was to work at The Pines and is now just one of their residents is a man named Ramon. Ramon is a werewolf.

Now, Adam's family did not associate with other werewolves. He was always taught to avoid them, though he was never told why. Even after his family died, he continued to do that.

Ramon is presumably the first werewolf Adam has interacted with since his family's demise. It makes sense that Adam would want to do this, all things considered.

The more I think about the Ramon subplot, though, the more it baffles me.

Ramon does not like human/wolf pairings. We don’t know this until literally the last five minutes that our heroes spend with him. There is never a hint otherwise, even though as a werewolf, Ramon should be able to smell that Adam and Parker are sexually active. We get confirmation in book 2 that Adam can scent arousal on other people, so to be sure Ramon could smell it after Adam & Parker had sex at the Pines.

Ramon outright lies to Parker at one point–or, at least, it’s implied that he does, given that he tells Parker that Adam wants to stay at the Pines and when Parker tries to talk to Adam about this later, Adam is confused and even says "I thought we were on the same page [again]"–and yet, the fact that Ramon did that is never brought up or mentioned again.

Adam tells Ramon in confidence that he survived a creeper’s bite and wasn’t turned. Ramon then immediately relays this information to Dr. Yamaguchi--a human that, if I'm not mistaken, didn’t know about werewolves before that convo? I don’t understand why that was Ramon's first thought or course of action. Putting myself in Ramon's shoes, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Even if I knew someone was studying the new virus to try and find a cure, I don’t think I’d bring up the possibility of werewolves being immune–even just one wolf in particular–because that puts every other wolf in danger. INCLUDING the rest of Ramon's family, who is supposed to be on their way to the Pines.

Ramon betrays his kind way too easily for a guy who’s very concerned about the continued existence of their species. Dr. Yamaguchi would’ve ended up killing Adam with his experiments. Of that, I have no doubt. Ramon doesn’t seem to care even though he cares a lot about whether or not Adam creates lil baby werewolves???? How is Adam going to pass on the gene if he's dead, Ramon?????

All of that being said, as of the time of posting this, I have already begun the second book in the trilogy, Fight the Tide.

Take from that what you will.