#so nobody was going to tell me we now have volcano worms????

[autumnmobile12]

I have so many problems with Attack on Titan, but right now I want to talk about the illogical world-building.

Giant creatures who only eat humans and only have one 'Achilles Heel' to take them out. Got it.

And you want to fight them with swords?

How did two swords win? They went through the trouble to build a whole, physics defying harness contraption to make them fly?

There were so many other weapons they could have used if they couldn't get to 'the weak spot.'

Step One, discover electricity. Step Two, build a goddamn fence.

Do they breathe? I don't remember, but poisonous gas. (Not in a civilian setting obviously and you'd need a breathing apparatus.)

Invent the flamethrower.

Too much to ask? Fine, here's some less technical solutions:

Caltrops.

Boiling oil poured over the side of the Wall.

Sulfuric acid and other dangerous chemical compounds that will break down organic matter. (There's gotta be a chemist somewhere here.)

Put spikes on the Wall.

Survey Corps all gathered together in a concentrated group to lure the titans in to a trap...coulda used that tactic to dig a pit trap, no?

Set the titans on fire.

Let's also address the fact the Survey Corps was completely useless by existing as the living embodiment of Einstein's definition of insanity. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” That 'brilliant idea' of Armin's where they travel to Shiganshina at night because the titans are less active..............you're telling me....that in a hundred years...nobody else thought of that?!

The government and public were right; they were a strain on resources and brought little benefit to society. If they wanted to be useful, the purpose of the expeditions should've been more forage/hunting based in order to bring food back to a starving populace. And there would have been food. The people of Wall Maria had to abandon their homes within a twelve hour or less span, so there is no conceivable way everyone could have brought all their livestock with them. Survey Corps could've been protecting civilians as they rounded up lost cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, etc. And Sasha might’ve gone down in history as the greatest Scout of all time.

Another thing that doesn't add up: the textile industry. With as much land as they had, the pasture land food-clothing ratio was not adequate for the population.

There are not enough cows!

Based on available materials, I assume the ODM harness and boots are made of leather. With the limited space for cattle, that supply could not meet the demand at the rate the Scouts were being killed off. (They were definitely recycling dead people's boots and gear.) That's not even taking into account regular people who need footwear or the countless other things that require leather: saddles and other horse tack, gloves, tools, heavy protective aprons for factory workers or smiths, etc.

Cotton requires a long growing season. Do they have that? Linen comes from flax seed. You'd need space to grow that and flax doesn't have much nutritional use other than soup. Same goes for jute. Wool is a possibility, but is everything made of wool? What about silk? Do they have silk worms? What are the wealthy wearing?

We can probably rule out synthetic and mineral fabrics as I don't think they have the technology.

Natural resources: They use firearms and cannons, which means there has to be a sulfur mine somewhere to make gunpowder. Except naturally-occurring sulfur is most commonly found near volcanic regions. Volcano on that island? Maybe, if sulfur was one of the 'resources' the Marley people were after.

Where are they getting the alcohol? There's a food shortage and no sane nation is going to allow citizens to plant vineyards on land that can be used for crops and they're not going to use grain for beer when it could be used for bread. I get there was corruption in the government, but limited space is limited space.

Another thing I would like to point out is no matter how many times the Founding Titan suppressed knowledge of the outside world, any mathematician with enough determination could have gone rogue and calculated the size of their world. Despite what we were told in kindergarten, people did not 'discover' the earth was round when Columbus 'discovered' America and nobody believed the earth was flat. (He also didn't discover America, but that's not what we're here for.) Ancient Greek mathematician, librarian, astronomer, scholar Eratosthenes of Cyrene determined the circumference of the earth by comparing the sun's position in the sky in relation to two different points on earth.

He was off by 2%.

Why is this important? The old order of the Walls was very much greed-based. When word of exactly how much land (and wealth) they were missing out on got out, the merchant guilds would have had their own coup against the king.

[iamapoopmuffin]

Teen Titans Episodes Explained Badly

Divide And Conquer: Aight, first thing to establish here, you take any one Titan out of the equation and the entire team is fucked, thank you and goodnight.

Sisters: If you ever wanted to get your sibling arrested, here’s a handy dandy guide on how!

Final Exam: “Did you order a crack team of ace assassins?” “No.” “Great, here you go!”

Forces Of Nature: Some old dude convinces two teenagers who have never heard of stranger danger to start some fires

The Sum Of His Parts: Reject humanity return to robot

Nevermore: Journey to the centre of Raven’s brain

Switched: Anatomically accurate puppets give way to your classic body switch storyline

Deep Six: Beast Boy vs a hot guy. The Titans get wet.

Masks: A secret identity within a secret identity

Mad Mod: A cheerful reminder that school sucks and is full of creepy people. Also never trust British people.

Car Trouble: I steal your car I steal your car I steal your car I steal your car I st

Apprentice - Part 1: Slade, a bitter divorced father, hasn’t seen his children in a long time so he steals one of Batman’s children.

Apprentice - Part 2: Robin does not want to be Slade’s son

How Long Is Forever?: Back to the future

Every Dog Has His Day: I heard you like dogs so I traded your dog for a dog. Also if it’s green, it will love annoying Raven.

Terra: The Titans let a homeless girl crash on their couch and she tracks mud everywhere

Only Human: Atlas’ entire life is this one video game and he probably lives in his mother’s basement

Fear Itself: Have your nightmares ever come alive and tried to kill everyone you care about? W̶̢̧̖͚͎̙̗̰̦̹̏͗̽͊̒̊̂͐̏̏͒̌͠ͅỏ̸̢̥̻̑̌͑́̏̓̈͐͜͝ų̷̭̫͙̘͕̣̏̑͂̍̈̋̽̍l̸͖̙̭̩̘̩͇̱͎͑̌d̶̡̧̡̛͎̪̳̰͉͖̠͈̗̽̃̎̏͑̈́͊̚͝ ̶͖̞̅̂͌̅̏y̶̖̯̮̩͈̻̹̣͆o̶̙̰̽͆̆̔̿̂͠u̵̡̫̩̹̅̄́̅̈́͆̾̉̀̐̌̂̚ ̶̨̢̛̥̺͍͙͎̥̣̼͇̲̞̳̄́̂̇̉ͅl̵̮̿i̵̢̢̛̹̞͕̲͐̈́͜k̵̡̺̏̊͌̿͊͆́̅̍̂͑̕͘͝ͅe̵̛͇̕ ̶̧̧̨̟̺͍̞̤̱̗̲̦̺̹̌͂̏̀̌͌̚ţ̶̫̞̣̬̣̜̙͛̓̂̋̀̍̀̏͐̇͒ͅh̴̢̧̡̭̭̱̙͙̼̊͌̅̋̎͊̉̓̓̚͜͝e̴̥̩̩͔̰̫͆̇̇̐̂͛̊́̀m̴̡͇̀̊ ̷̦͚̖̯̌͛́̄̔̄t̶̢̤̫̰̲̖͚̗̜͔̫̫̖͚̿̓̑ͅo̴̳̹͎̗͍̜͂̆̅͛͐̈̐̈́͒̽͘͠?̶̨͖̲͈̩̲͎͍̪͇̤̺͑̾̇͂̆̾̈̈́̅̅

Date With Destiny: Sexual harassment ft. moths

Transformation: Puberty. That’s it, that’s the episode.

Titan Rising: Homeless girl joins team and doesn’t track as much mud around the house this time.

Winner Take All: Overgrown furry gremlin thing makes kids fight each other then shoves them inside a necklace

Betrayal: Bitter divorced dad ruins teenagers’ date

Fractured: Being from another dimension appears and accidentally turns the world into a crayon drawing

Aftershock - Part 1: Terra is evil? Terra is unyielding? I’m packing my little rucksack-

Aftershock - Part 2: You thought everyone was dead but no, they’re fine...wait, a volcano is erupting-

Deception: Cyborg goes back to school but it’s evil school

X: When your evil alter ego suddenly becomes a person in its own right.

Betrothed: Never let your sister plan your wedding

Crash: Get sick, eat everything.

Haunted: Robin gets poisoned and hallucinates vividly.

Spellbound: The dangers of getting way too attached to a character in one of your books

Revolution: History lesson on crack

Wavelength: Evil Academy 2 Electric Boogaloo.

The Beast Within: Reject humanity return to Bigfoot.

Can I Keep Him?: Please do not feed your silk worms mysterious alien goo.

Bunny Raven...Or...How To Make A Titanimal Disappear: “Hey kid, you wanna see a magic trick?”

Titans East - Part 1: A new Titans team but Brother Blood wants to make it Evil Academy 3 Steel City Drift

Titans East - Part 2: Hypnotism and violence. I hope you kids like the threat of death!

Episode 257-494: Fat nerd escapes into TV and becomes James Bond

The Quest: Robin gets advice from some talking animals

Birthmark: Slade is never getting invited to another birthday party.

Cyborg The Barbarian: Back To The Future but it’s the film where they end up way in the past. Cyborg falls for a dead girl. This boy is really not lucky in love.

Employee Of The Month: Beast Boy gets a job working for a talking cube.

Troq: The Titans help an intergalactic racist and don’t question it when he states they need to commit mass genocide for the good of the universe.

The Prophecy: Oh yeah also the world is about to end lol

Stranded: “Well thank fuck this planet happens to have an atmosphere we can all survive in.”

Overdrive: “I’ve started a gang. The current members are me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me and me.”

Mother Mae-Eye: Overbearing parent simulator

The End - Part 1: Satan comes to visit his daughter and burn everything.

The End - Part 2: Everything is on fire.

The End - Part 3: Raven tells her dad to fuck off.

Homecoming - Part 1: Meet The Parents, Beast Boy edition

Homecoming - Part 2: What would you give up to chase down a team led by a homosexual brain in a jar and his monkey boyfriend?

Trust: Madame Rouge melts in direct sunlight.

For Real: You ordered the Teen Titans, but we didn’t have it in stock. We’ve substituted and price matched Titans East, now without hypnotism.

Snowblind: Starfire helps Captain Russia™ face his radioactive personal demons

Kole: Jurassic Park but nobody gets eaten

Hide And Seek: Would you rather fight a giant gorilla or babysit children? Quickly now, we don’t have much time.

Lightspeed: No Teen Titans here, just bad guys and even worse flirting.

Revved Up: Basically Wacky Races.

Go!: “This is the story of how we met. Except I tell it better than Robin does, my version has pirates!” “God damn it, Beast Boy-”

Calling All Titans!: “Here’s every single hero we could get the rights to for this. We sure hope no-one’s got any evil plans for all of them...”

Titans Together: Oops, evil won. SIKE!

Things Change: Beast Boy harasses the fuck out of a girl who looks like his ex.

The Lost Episode: I hope you like music, ft. don’t trust British people 2 electric boogaloo.

[theodinsonsonmidgard]

Hold me Tight 2 - part 2-

Perhaps, as Thor said, it was true that those transparent waters had the power to cleanse your soul and make you think more clearly. Perhaps this is the power the Gods have given to the salt waters of Midgard. Thor and I enjoyed ourselves as I never remembered before. Perhaps only in our earliest childhood days, I remember a joy so pure in being together.

I swam with him, competing in speed with the white-crusted waves: we are young, we are strong, Sons of Odin, and we looked like the creators of Midgard came down to enjoy the beauties of that paradise. Sometimes I watched him swim, while I stopped to wash out the water dripping on my face from my hair. Thor, my wonderful brother. Thor, whom I feared having lost forever. Thor, please don't leave me behind ...

I wonder if I'm still your brother, at your eyes. Somewhere, in our past, a crack has opened up and is chasing us to swallow both of us once and for all. Even now.

It was my fault, Thor, I opened that crack, ... and I'll close it for both, i promise you. But don't let me go this time.

Then I couldn't think more because a dripping blond giant swept me away with a bear hug, and dragged me off with him, with a laugh, over the waves.

Dinner was roast meat of which my brother was very proud. As the air turned purple and the sun went down, I had already made my decision. No regrets. I felt strong, strangely euphoric. I wanted to hug him but I restrained myself. There would be time, i was sure of it.

The fire crackled placidly. The night air, which became almost pungent, didn't disturb me, on the contrary, it cooled my skin a little, and caressed my thoughts. Even the wind had changed its voice, its smell, ...no longer the scent of freedom, but something deeper, earthy, almost visceral. Perhaps due to the volcanic rocks and ungainly bushes of the hills above us. And he was there, beyond that bonfire ... with flaming reflections to sculpt his face, blonder than ever, an open smile.

Thor Odinson. 

My brother. Who spoke loudly, who told me stories, who laughed, ...and I listened to him, teased him, laughed with him, while another part of me, secretly, was looking for the guts to put into effect what I had decided earlier.

It had been a wonderful day. The first since Thor brought me back. Perhaps one of the rarest of my whole life. And I didn't want to ruin it with what I was going to do, but I decided to be ready. Or anyway I could try. I wanted to start trusting.

Ours had been a wretched and unhappy family, yet, whether I wanted it or not, I loved Thor. Desperately.

I had given my life for him.

Twice. The word 'brother' in my mind has the bright face of Thor. And I had decided to let him enter in a part of my life so private and hurtful that I've been hiding since years. That I know only myself.

I wanted to start trusting him. Showing him that I had changed, that I could stop protecting myself and flee. Although it would have required a lot of courage, since I should have ...

Thor was laughing at me and the fact that I was staring at the fire dance like an idiot. I roused myself, smiling.

'C'mon, you bastard ...'

"Thor, listen ..." I bit my lip, he noticed it this time, and softened his voice.

"Loki, what is it? Do you have migraine? Do you want us to go home?"

I chuckled to hide the tension: would you face the most terrible of storms, knowing you were naked as a worm? Totally defenseless? Because this was what I was going to do from now on ...

"No, I'm great,... no, listen ..."

'Look at him, Loki ...'

"Do you remember when we fought each other, during all those painful and absurd years? You've always accused me of being too quiet. You told me to keeping you at a distance, to rejecting you. Of never making you enter my thoughts, explain my feels... that I was the worse brother, ... no, wait, please. "  I smiled  "Please wait ..."

A deep breath. Burning air, cold and salted, rising up the nose, until it invades my chest.

 "So I decided that I can do it, a step towards you, brother, and try to break down this wall that keeps us in our pride. And that Surtur may devour me if I'm not trembling to the bone, damn you!"

 Silence. Wind and the liquid chant of the sea, black into black.

"Do you remember when ...when I ...I let it go? When I fell down, long time ago, ... when everything was shattered, me for first but nobody cared. Remember when I came back and everything was different, everything changed. Your gang of new pompous friends, Midgard, ... all the rest. I have very confused memories of those days, but I remember well when we met again, between heaven and earth. And we talked, or rather we spit on each one our hatred. I could have told you then, but you had other things on your mind and no intention of listening. Or maybe not, I wouldn't have told you a shit either." I giggled nervously.

I was wearing an half-buttoned old shirt, worn and light, of which I didn't care at all,...dark blue, shiny fabric. I undid the third button.

"I fell into the void, then, ... into nothingness. I wanted... to die, to finally find peace, to appease my pain. Instead I found a worse hell. Perhaps the worstest of all. And I implored death as the sweetest of salvations."

Gods, it's terrible to remember aloud. I can't believe you're next to me, listening all of this. For real.

"He took me. I don't know how he did it, but I found myself crawling at his feet in an alien and terrible world. He was thirsty for power. He had a plan. He wanted everything. He wanted the Gems and crush down the Worlds, and I could be useful to him. But first he had to crush down me."

I undid another shirt's buttonhole.

"I know you never understood much of what's on my mind, Thor, ...but it wasn't your fault. Not always, at least. And this thing ... maybe it was beyond both of us."

I undid the penultimate button.

"There was no more day, no more night. There was only cold, pain and fear. There were many of them. They surrounded me. They laughed at me. Call me names. But his shadow on the moldy marbles was enough to make them disappear, leaving me at his mercy... Did you ever wonder why I hate sudden gestures, or why unexpected noises make me uncomfortable when they don't terrify me? "

Here, the shirt was open.

"Have you ever wondered why I stiffen every time you touch me? ... I was afraid of the whip, but the worst was the fire. The fire was the craziest pain, and ... I lost consciousness. Almost always. That maniac knew how to use the whip well. Where to hit. How to hit. He whispered in my mind, ... no one will ever care about you, little monster, ... nobody wants you, they despise you, spit on your shadow of demon, you're been a burden for everyone, you will always be, but I can give you the power that... if only you... "

I swallowed again. The air started to become cold, too much cold, ...carried with it a vague hint of resin ...

'NO!!'

It has always been like this. Frost magic woke up every time I was upset, or if something infuriated me, and blew ice on everything around me. But it couldn't happen there, ... there, in the sea waves glossy of moonlight, and the holey rocks of the volcanoes.

'Loki, dominate yourself!! Not now, Loki, not here!!'

The blue shirt slid over my shoulders, then I pulled my arms off from sleeves. Here, Thor, ... take a step into my world, ... look at my miserable pain.

"It was ... it was pure hell, Thor. A hell made of blood, pain and fear in which I crawled for I don't know how long. I saw my blood, I felt it on me, it made me sick. Did you ever notice how sickening it is the smell of blood? ... With fire I went crazy. With the blades I saw death in the eyes, and had the purple skin of my killer, that son of a bitch. He wanted me crushed, and he crushed me. He wanted me submitted and I bent. Because I healed. In a hurry. I am a God and he knew it. So the ... horror started again, always. The young Loki, the one who sought death to forget the pain, is gone. He was destroyed by that hell. I ... I don't know what he made me become but I survived by pure animal instinct, I survived the fire, the whip, the blades, the cold and beatings. But I healed more slowly, so he decided I was ready."

I didn't have the guts to look at Thor. I was there, bare-chested, arm in arm with him, and I felt his burning blue eyes on me. It burned like those blades.

Are you pale? Are you speechless? Furious? In tears? I don't want to know now, brother.

"I know what you are seeing. I know them one by one. They heal slowly. Some will never heal. Some intertwine on the shoulders, stretch to the chest. There is also a fire wound, next to it ... the blades instead were biting arms ...here, and here, ..." I barely touched my pale skin "The whip tore the skin from the back. The back is the worst. There are a couple that still hurt,...others no longer exist. Like here, on the eyebrow, or just above the ear..."

Scars. From the shoulders as far as a whip could reach. Or tongues of fire. Or those damn blades.

There was no better way to tell you. Nor a different way. Forgive me, brother...

He had to see them and I had to do it. I realized that if I wanted to recover from all my shit, I had to let go and expose myself.

Running away had only made things worse, it was festering everything.

I need my you to see, Thor. I need to hear your support. I wanted to know that you can be with me, so my recovery will be less painful and I could move on more easily. Will you stand by my side, brother?

So I looked up at him, and saw it.

The raging storm.

Flaming fury in Thor's dark eyes. Ready to lash out at me. I could feel them, those eyes, like a punch in the face. I knew I had hurt him and it devastating me. Now I realized I had broken him and I would have given everything to be able to go back and cancel that insane decision of mine. I wanted to die, and I probably would have died by his hand, because the one in front of me was no longer the chatty, smiling Thor who hugged me and called me "little brother".

He was the God of Thunder in his wildest and most primordial form. Rage and fury. It was pure berserk fury as I had never seen it before.

A terrifying roar shook the night sky and shook the earth beneath the volcanoes with a frightening groan. The air vibrated in my ears with such intensity that forced me to a stifled moan of pain. Then the air was shattered by the furious cry of the God of Thunder, which I had just completely broke with my senseless act. So I was ready to die.

[bunjywunjy]

READ MY LIPS

TIME FOR WEIRD BIOLOGY.

and this week’s creature feature looks like something that could be found in the cosmetics section... of an interdimensional hellmarket catering specifically to Elder Gods. 

it’s a trendy shade of sultry scarlet and it lives on the edge of boiling geysers at the bottom of the ocean- give it up for the-

it looks like evil spaghetti.

the Giant Tube Worm was discovered in the icy hell-depths of the Pacific Ocean waaay back in 1977. I would pay actual money to hear what the very first researchers to gaze upon a writhing field of these things were thinking. ("hur hur it looks like evil spaghetti”, perhaps. I can only guess.)

but I mean, if I went to the bottom of the ocean and found an immense field of previously unknown 8-foot-long worms waving their mouthparts gently from inside bone-white protective tubes? my response would probably just be screaming.

can you blame me? really?

but what actually are these bizarre creatures? well, for once the name is absolutely correct. the Giant Tube Worm is a worm, and a distant cousin to the pink shoelace creatures that flop onto the sidewalk and die after a rainstorm. (but you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking.)

these extremely secret creatures live at depths of over 5,000 feet, where no light reaches and the pressure is enough to reduce an African Elephant into a sad grey pancake. this doesn’t bother the Giant Tube Worm! (the pressure, not the concept of flattening an innocent elephant. though worms have no morals and their advice CANNOT be trusted.)

INVEST YOUR LIFE SAVINGS INTO CRYPTOCURRENCY.

but aside from the pressure, the Giant Tube Worm tolerates conditions that we usually only think of existing on other PLANETS. like, the bottom of the ocean is ice cold, right? (if you didn’t know that before, you do now.) the bottom of the Pacific Ocean hovers maybe a few degrees above freezing. (cold enough to freeze an African Elephant! we’re picking on elephants today, I guess.)

at least, MOST of the ocean floor. see, the Pacific Ocean is littered with thousands of volcanic vents, ranging from actual goddam volcanoes (like All Of Hawaii) to 30-foot tall underwater geysers that spew superheated water and deadly toxins from the Earth’s mantle.

guess where the Giant Tube Worms live!

no no, YOU HAVE TO GUESS.

that’s right! out of all the hellish places on earth, this animal looked at one that was already nightmarish and said “hm. not awful enough.” and moved next door to a boiling poison factory. just for the hell of it.

these aptly named “black smokers” can reach temperatures of well over 800 F (HOT ENOUGH TO BOIL AN AFRICAN ELEPHANT) and release the extremely lethal compound Hydrogen Sulfide (TOXIC ENOUGH TO POISON AN- yeah okay, I’ll stop) into the water. it sounds deadly to us, but for a Giant Tube Worm, this is prime real estate! and it’s because they’re basically aliens.

take us to your leadderrrr.

not only can Giant Tube Worms withstand extreme temperatures from boiling to freezing, they actually EAT those toxic chemicals! sort of. it’s complicated. 

I’ll start simple: the Giant Tube Worm doesn’t have a full digestive system! where most creatures have a stomach and a lot of gross tubes, the Tube Worm has... symbiotic bacteria. and a LOT of them. these bacteria can make up half the Tube Worm’s goddam body weight! gross.

but these aren’t just any bacteria! these are the tube worm’s tiny life partners- they’re are able to use chemosynthesis, which is like photosynthesis but more complicated. basically, they use oxygen in the seawater to break down toxic compounds like hydrogen sulfide into food and energy! it’s a neat little system with no loose ends. loose ends are for filthy surface dwellers.

eels are okay, though.

but how is the tube worm even getting these compounds? well, it’s all in the lips. (stand by, things are about to get EVEN WEIRDER.) 

those “lips” are actually an appendage called a plume. it’s bright red because it’s full of hemoglobin. if you paid attention in health class and didn’t faint like SOME people (shut up, I’m just a little squeamish!) you know that this is the same thing that makes human blood red. (and also elephant blood.) 

the plume absorbs chemicals and oxygen from the water, and is so efficient that Giant Tube Worms are one of the fastest growing marine invertebrates! they’re extremely difficult to study for obvious reasons, but scientists think they may reach adulthood in just two years.

clearly, this eating-chemicals thing pays off.

kids, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME.

because of their life choices, Giant Tube Worms enjoy an existance largely cut off from the rest of life on earth. (a darker, writhe-ier existence.) because of this, these incredible animals are little effected by human domination. (except when we go down there and shine bright lights in their faces, anyway.) however, Giant Tube Worms are part of the web of life like the rest of us. (NOBODY GETS A PASS. NO. BODY.)  

see, the oxygen they use for chemosynthesis isn’t from the black smokers, or even really from the ocean. that oxygen came from photosynthesis, making the Giant Tube Worm as dependent on plants and the sun as the rest of us. it just goes to show, we’re all connected even if we think we aren’t! thanks, Giant Tube Worm!

PLAY SOCCER IN A BUSY INTERSECTION AND EAT A HOTDOG YOU FOUND ON THE GROUND.

–

thanks for reading! you can find the rest of the Weird Biology series here.

if you enjoy my work, maybe buy me a coffee or check out my Patreon to see extra content and support Weird Biology.

–

IMAGE SOURCES

img1- ResearchGate img2- BBC img3- Wikipedia img4- University of Melbourne img5- NOAA img6- NSF img7- Peter Batson img8- Deep Sea News

[sidespromptblog]

Suffering

Summary: When Thomas suffers a heartbreak, it is almost certain that Patton, Virgil, and Roman feels it. However, they soon all discover that this is not the case, when it comes to lashing out. 

��When will you get it?!” Virgil snapped back at Logan, his fists clenched and shaking with the raw anguish and rage that flowed through his veins like a gushing river on a stormy day. His gaze was narrowed sharply at the logical side, as the equally sharp and poisoned words flew from his lips right towards Logan’s heart, like a deadly arrow going in for the kill. “We can’t be an emotionless machine like you! We’re hurting over this whether you like it or not, and if you can’t contribute something to actually make us feel better. Then. Why. Are. You. Here?!” He practically snarled.

Something flickered across Logan’s expression, something that Virgil realized a little too late as Logan readjusted his tie. Looking over at Patton who was still weeping into his hands and Roman who was holding the moral side close, he got only blank stares in return. They weren’t going to help him, and they weren’t going to stick up for him either. No surprise there, nobody was ever on his side.

“Tell me, Virgil,” Logan placed the emotions that were writhing inside of his chest like a can of unopened worms on lockdown, his eyes were blank, almost glazed in a way as he looked back at the anxious side. Folding his hands behind his back, Logan did all that he could to remain standing up straight. He was serious, he had to remain serious right now. “What makes you think that you’re the only one suffering right here and now? What gave you that idea?” Logan coldly spat the words out, before stepping back away from the other.

Behind his back, Logan’s hands were trembling. His fingernails sinking into the skin of his hand leaving behind little crescent shapes. The pain of it helped, it helped focus him and it helped to keep the tears at bay. Not that he was about to cry or anything, even now he still had functioning tear glands, that elicited a response whenever he was under too much stress.

“Do you assume that because you believe that I cannot feel? Do you believe that I don’t care that Thomas’ heart was broken? Do you think…” Logan’s breathing hitched for a moment before he closed his eyes taking just a split second to calm himself before opening them again. His stern gaze remained there, even when tears started to well up in his eyes clinging to his lashes like individual snowflakes. “Do you think because I don’t understand emotion...that it gives you the right to constantly put me down? That..that I’m lesser because of it? That…”

Logan went silent, and he wasn’t the only one either as Virgil stared back at him in abject horror dawning on his face. The logical side’s shoulders trembled, and it seemed that even the pain of his nails digging into his flesh did little to help this time too.

Swallowing the lump in his throat Logan made a bigger effort to stand taller now, his pride was pretty much in tatters but he could still attempt to hold himself together a little while longer.

“I thought that you of all people were better than that...Anxiety.”

A great pit of dread and regret opened up inside of Virgil, as he stood there frozen to the spot. The words that he had so carelessly said, that had left him before he’d even had a chance to think about it had...hurt Logan. He’d hurt someone in the exact same way that he’d been hurt in the past, and he had done it all towards someone who was...who meant more to him than he’d ever thought about before. The taste of shame and guilt was sour on Virgil’s tongue, as Logan turned away from him pressing his hand over his face in an attempt to mask the emotions that were spilling out like an erupting volcano. The sound of Virgil’s old title sounded wrong on Logan’s lips, worse than that...it sounded like a nightmare.

His worst nightmare, come to life.

“Lo…” He began as he reached out, his hand was shaking as his eyes glanced along the back of the logical side’s hands. Marks, deep jutting marks from where Logan’s had bitten his tongue time and time again, was this the first time that Logan had actually snapped back at them for something like this? It must have been. “Lo I’m sor-”

A harsh bark of laughter abruptly cut Virgil off, as Logan threw his head back. The cold detached laughter that rang from Logan’s lips sent a chill down Virgil’s spine. It didn’t sound like the nerd at all.

“You’re what? You’re sorry Anxiety? Sorry for all of the times you insulted me, thinking that ‘Oh Logan doesn’t have feelings’ and ‘Oh if he doesn’t have feelings then I can say whatever I want to him!’ or was it ‘My words can’t have lasting consequences because Logan won’t care about what I say and do to him!’ Is that it? Is that it Anxiety?!” Logan mockingly mimed Virgil’s voice, and the anxious side felt himself getting smaller as he hunched his shoulders. The gleam in Logan’s eyes now were more than just tears, as the logical side breathed heavily, his chest heaving as a stream of saltwater dripped down his face. “Well I have news for you,” Logan whispered, his expression crumpling. “I do feel, and it does hurt Anxiety.”

A dead silence hung in the air before Roman started to march forward, Patton no longer clinging to him as the princely side moved forward.

“Now Specs, I think that this is enough, he clearly got the message. So calm down.” Roman attempted for his words to sound soothing, but to Logan, it just felt like sandpaper in his ears. Of course Roman took Virgil’s side, everyone was on each other's side except for his. He was alone, he was all alone.

Squadless geek! You’re alone. Alone. Alone. Alone!

A shuddering sob escaped Logan, and before he knew it he had clasped his hand over his mouth, his hair hanging in front of his eyes as his entire body started to shake. He gasped, even if there was air all around him it still didn’t feel like enough. Why couldn’t he breathe? What was wrong with him? Was he this broken? A dry rasp left his lips as he struggled to breathe inwards, his throat felt raw and swollen. His chest ached, like someone had placed a set of steel bars around his lungs. Why couldn’t he breathe?

In the background of his thoughts, he heard them, three separate voices screaming out to him. Screaming his name, but it was muffled. Like someone had placed a layer of cotton over his ears preventing him from hearing the smallest things.

Lo...gan…! Log..a..n! Bre..athe! Logan!

“Logan!” Warmth graced Logan’s face as a pair of hands cupped his cheeks, “Logan listen to me, you need to breathe..just breathe.” Fingers curled around his wrist, pulling his hands from where they had been tugging at his own hair, his palm rested on the warmth of another’s chest the firm thudding of a heard underneath. “Focus on my heartbeat, you feel it? Just focus on that and breathe with me.”

A tendril of tension eased out of the logical side’s lungs, the burning, the pain, the emptiness of his own mind eased with it.

“That’s it, just breathe. Focus on me, I’ve got you..” The soothing voice whispered, and the thudding of the heart under his hand remained there, tethering Logan to the present, helping the tightness in his chest slowly ebb and flow away from him. It felt like an eternity to him, as he exhaled and inhaled letting his palm linger over the beating of the heart.

When he could see again, when his tears cleared up, and the tightness of his throat went away. The first thing that registered with him was the color purple.

“You’re doing great.” Virgil smiled tears in his own eyes, as Patton and Roman nervously hovered around them. Logan couldn’t see it yet, but terror and dread was the emotion that was carved deep into the eyes of the moral and creative side. As they witnessed the very pillar of stoicism and coolheadedness completely breaking down in front of them.

Roman hadn’t any idea on what he was supposed to do when the first rasp had left Logan, and even more so when it had become apparent that the logical side hadn’t been able to breathe. Patton was even worse though, as the moral side had completely started to freak out until Virgil had taken ahold of the situation.

“Good..good.” Virgil murmured again, his fingertips gingerly tracing the veins of Logan’s

Wrist, “I’m going to lead you over to the couch now Lo, you’re going to be a little weak at the knees for a while. Having an anxiety attack is the equivalent of running in a relay.” He calmly told the other, steadily working his way back over to the couch as Logan stumbled after him. The faint sniffle he heard from the logical side, completely broke his heart. “I… We’re going to take care of you, and once you’re better. We’ll all talk alright, for now, take it easy. I won’t let you go.”

Logan’s grip tightened on him as the sensation of a blanket being laid over his shoulders greeted him, his dead tired gaze locked onto Virgil’s. And without even thinking about it, Logan leaned in, resting his forehead against the anxious side’s shoulder, keeping his palm firmly pressed against the fluttering heartbeat of the other.

“I’m scared,” Logan whispered, and for a second, just a split second Virgil grimaced as he ran his fingers through Logan’s messed up hair.

“I know Lo, but you don’t have to suffer that alone anymore. I’m here, we’re all here now.”

Tagged: 

@apologieslogan

@koro-arts

@remy-alagaesias-dragon-queen

@dragonsight9

@sans-the-comic

@unikornavenger

@tea0-0stache

@cats-vetal-miking-vomit

@supernatural-official

@ab-artist

@sleepyssnail

@thedreamer240

@bippityboppitybooyakasha

@witch197

@paperghastly

@moonstone-fox

@letrashalmighty

[midnight-fox-boy]

SENDS U ALL OF THEM

O OKAY 

Alisons: Sexuality? Not sure but lets go with Omnisexual/Aceflux and Polyromantic

Amaranth: Pronouns/Gender? Uhhhh also not sure but lets say Proxvir or Agender masculine. They/them pronouns and Ze/Zir/Zem, I only use he/him to people who don’t know im nonbinary or are close to me

Amaryllis: Birthday? July 21st :3

Anemone: Favorite flower? Ooo...Uhhhh Roses?

Angelonia: Favorite t.v. show? South Park

Arum-Lily: What’s the farthest you’d go for a stranger? Uh it depends, I mean if it’s someone Im long time online friends with, As far as I could.

Aster: What’s one of your favorite quotes? “Treat Others as you want them to treat you” 

Aubrieta: Favorite drink? This pink juice stuff idk what it’s called and Rootbeer

Baby’s Breath: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? 100000x times over

Balsam Fir: Have you ever been in love? A few times I’ve been trutly in love

Baneberries: Favorite song? Right now, Bohemian Rapsody

Basket of Gold: Describe your family. My Immediate family is supportive and loving, I have a few drug addict family members and some bible thumpers

Beebalm: Do you have a best friend? Who is it? Someone I’ve known my whole life

Begonia: Favorite color? Purple, Sapphire blue, red, and magenta

Bellflower: Favorite animal? RED FOXES

Bergenia: Are you a morning or night person? Night person

Black-Eyed Susan: If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be? A RED FOXXX

Bloodroots: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a teacher and a nurse

Bluemink: What are your thoughts on children? I love kids

Blazing Stars: What are you afraid of? Is there a reason why? Being alone..

Borage: Give a random fact about your childhood. Idk

Bugleherb: How would you spend your last day on Earth? I guess...spending time with my family and friends 

Buttercup: Relationship Status? Taken/engaged and crushing

Camelia: If you could visit anywhere, where would you want to go? Country wise, Italy or Denmark, person wise, Probably to meet one of my long time friends.

Candytufts: When do you feel most loved? I don’t think I do

Canna: Do you have any tattoos?  Not yet, my first tat will be the trans symbol

Canterbury Bells: Do you have any piercings?  I have a lip piercing c:

California Poppy: Height?  5ft half an inch

Cardinal Flower: Do you believe in ghosts? Yes I do!

Carnation: What are you currently wearing?  Boxers and a green zelda shirt

Catnip: Have you ever slept with a nightlight? Yes and I still want to

Chives: Who was the last person you hugged? My dad probably

Chrysanthemum: Who’s the last person you kissed? My partner...

Cock’s Comb: Favorite font? Uh I can’t think of it off the top of my head

Columbine: Are you tired? Fu*king exhausted.

Common Boneset: What are you looking forward to? For stress to die down and for my medical problems to stop 

Coneflower: Dream job? Gender Therapist

Crane’s-Bill: Introvert or extrovert? INTROVERT FOR SURE

Crocus: Have you ever been in love? A few times yee

Crown Imperial: What’s the farthest you would go for someone you care about? Anywhere. Everywhere. 

Cyclamen: Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? What was it? Ahh I had one doggo named roofus who disappeared :c and then it was a doggo named dell

Daffodil: What’s your zodiac sign? Cancer

Dahlia: Have you done anything worth remembering? Ha probably not. I’m pretty useless.

Daisy: What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? I guess not going through with my suicide attempt a few years back.

Daylily: What would you do if your parents didn’t like your partner(s)?  That’d suck, I don’t know

Dendrobium: Who is the last person that you said “I love you” to? My friend

False Goat’s Beard: What is something you are good at? Uh..helping others I guess

Foxgloves: What’s something you’re bad at? Everything else

Freesia: What are three good things that have happened in the past month? Lmao nothing

Garden Cosmos: How was your day today? Meh

Gardenia: Are you happy with where you’re at in your life? Nope.

Gladiolus: What is something you hope to do in the next year or two? Get top surgery

Glory-of-the-Snow: What are ten things that make you happy/you’re grateful to have in your life? 1) my opartner, 2) my parents, 3) my friends, That’s about it.

Heliotropium: What helps you calm down when you feel stressed?  HA. Cigarettes

Hellebore: How do you show affection? Hugs and cuddles

Hoary Stock: What are you proudest of? Meh..

Hollyhock: Describe your ideal day. Not being stressed for once

Hyacinth: What do you like to do in your free time?  ehh...Draw, videogames, talk to my friends the rare occasions they have time for me.

Hydrangea: How long have you known your best friend? How did you meet them? Since we were one and two years old.

Irises: Who can you talk to about (almost) everything? My best friend

Laceleaf: How many friends do you have? Like...three (not counting BFF)

Lantanas: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? Probably that my eyes reminded them of one of the oceans ( I can’t remember which)

Larkspur: What do you think of yourself? Best not to open that can of worms.

Lavender: What’s your favorite thing about yourself? That I like to help people, I guess

Leather Flower: What’s your least favorite thing about yourself?  Everything.

Lilac: What’s something you liked to do as a child? I don’t like to think about my childhood

Lily: Who was your best friend when you were a kid? Same as now

Lily of the Incas: What is something you still feel guilty for? Existing

Lily of the Nile: What is something you feel guilty for that you shouldn’t feel guilty about?  Im not sure, tbh

Lupine: What does your name mean? Why is that your name? It doesn’t really have a specific meaning. I just...really liked it.

Marigold: Where did you grow up? Tell us about it. Oregon born and raised, beautiful place with lots of nature AND VOLCANOES

Morning Glory: What was your bedroom like growing up? I slept in my parents or grandmother’s bedroom until I had my own after she past..

Mugworts: What was it like for you as a teenager? Did you enjoy your teenage years?  Ha no

Norwegian Angelica: Tell us about your mom. She’s kind and strong, very very strong

Onions: Tell about your dad.  He’s soft and supportive, can be pretty emotional

Orchid: Tell about your grandparents. I’d rather not.

Pansy: What was your most memorable birthday? What made it be so memorable? I don’t know

Peony: What was your first job? What job?

Petunia: If you’re in a relationship, how did you meet your partner(s)? If you’re not in a relationship, how did you meet your crush/how do you hope to meet your future partner(s), if you want any? I met them through a GSA group, then we met again through my cousin and hit it off. I met my crush some years back through another friend.

Pincushion: How do you deal with pain? I don’t know

Pink: Where is home? ..in this house?

Plantain Lilies: If you could go back in time, what is one thing you would stop/change? I..I don’t want to talk about it.

Prairie Gentian: Who is someone you look up to? Describe them. Nobody in particular

Primrose: Describe your ideal life. Nah

Rhodendron: What is something you used to believe in as a child? That the world was a king place.

Rose: What’s your favorite sound? Uh..what?

Rosemallows: What’s your favorite memory? Going on vacation with my parents and cousin

Sage: What’s your least favorite memory? ....No

Snapdragon: At this moment, what do you want?  for these dogs to shut up.

St. John’s Wort: Is it easy or difficult for you to express how you feel about things? Difficult.

Sunflower: What is something you don’t want to imagine life without? My partner, My parents

Sweet Pea: How much sleep did you get last night? like 4 hours.

Tickseed: What’s your main reason to get up every morning? No idea

Touch-Me-Not: How do you feel about your current job? I don’t have one

Transvaal Daisy: What’s your favorite item of clothing? My hipster shirt

Tropical White Morning Glory: Describe your aesthetic.  Lazy and nerdy

Tulip: What would be the best present to get you? Just spending time with me

Vervain: What’s stressing you out most right now? DOGS 

Wisteria: How many books have you read in the past few months? What were they called? 0.

Wolf’s Bane: Where do you want to be in life this time next year? Not where I am.

Yarrow: Do you know what vore is? uh. Yeah. and it’s fu*king disgusting

Zinnia: Give a random fact about yourself. I suck

[shadowsfiguresfigments-blog]

A good place to die Chapter 14 (Smut)

Warning: Harsh language, violence

I swallowed loudly. The thought of having sex was exciting, to say the least, but I wasn’t really sure about it – I wasn’t a virgin either, but that certainly wasn’t of my own doing.

“Are you… capable of that?” My voice was so husky I didn’t even recognize it as my own.

Pennywise leered at me, and I could have kicked myself. If he could take any form, he would certainly be able to… I didn’t dare to finish the thought. My heart would have probably exploded.

I closed my eyes and nodded. “It might. Let’s go somewhere… more private.”

He picked me up, and I could feel the cold night air rush past me. I wasn’t scared – not even now. I knew there would probably be pain, but I could handle that. And I loved Pennywise. He had said he understood, but I wasn’t sure if that really was the case. He wasn’t human, after all, and all our interactions were a mystery to him. But he did enjoy being petted, or hugged, or kissed. And he had no experience with sex, so I had no reason to worry if I’d disappoint him.

Still, when we arrived at Neibolt house, I had to admit I was nervous. My palms had started sweating (thank god I was wearing gloves for my costume) and my heart was trying to set a new record for most beats per minute. Pennywise carried me upstairs wordlessly, and finally sat us down on the bean bag. The familiar smell of all sorts of sweets engulfed me, and I felt myself relax a little.

I could do this.

I wiggled around, straddling him, and kissed him. He responded enthusiastically, and I could feel the familiar heat surging through me. But something was different this time – it was so much more intense. My world seemed to shrink down around us, every last thought drained from my brain. Pennywise’s hands had started exploring my back, and I started fumbling around on with his jacket. I briefly wondered if I’d be able to open it. Immediately Penny’s hands retreated and only a second later I laid mine against his bare chest.

His skin was as soft and smooth as a baby’s (does he even have pores?), yet underneath his muscles were as hard as steel, reminding me that he could probably snap my neck with a flick of his wrist. I wanted to feel him against my entire body. As if he’d read my thoughts (well, he probably did), he drew back and started unbuttoning my jacket. I was so impatient I almost ripped of the buttons with the orange pompons I had spent so much time on crafting, and he chuckled lowly.

“Are you so eager to experience my body?”

In response my jacket dropped to the floor and I crushed myself against him once more. I didn’t feel any pain in my sore shoulder nor in my ribs, but I was perfectly aware of the hard lump that had risen beneath me. Heat rushed through me once more, and for the first time in my life I became wet. I buried my head against his neck, sucking on him, then proceeded towards his ear. He shivered beneath me, fumbling around with my bra. Before I could assist him, though, he had simply ripped it apart, and his hands rested on my bare breasts.

My pussy reacted immediately, getting so wet my panties were soaked. I gasped, and he started licking my neck, moving down slowly, until he almost reached my left nipple. I realized they were becoming hard fast; an almost aching but pleasant sensation.

And then he started sucking on my breast. My muscles contracted uncontrollably, and my entire body started shaking. Somewhere in my lower body something exploded. My pussy tightened and I screamed out.

I just had my first orgasm.

My body grew limp, and I almost collapsed on top of Pennywise. He looked up, his eyes glowing in the almost complete darkness, and I touched his cheek with a shaking hand.

“I’m okay”, I assured him with a shaky voice. “Just please don’t stop.” He grinned at that, his pearly white teeth flashing briefly, and lowered his head against my chest once more.

But I was impatient. He just had awakened something in me, and I wanted more. I tried to stand up, but it proved to be difficult in the bean bag, so I just steadied myself against his shoulders and started pulling down my pants. I needed to feel him against my skin, not just in parts but entirely. Penny immediately understood and helped me – meaning he picked me up with one hand as easily as you might pick up a tiny kitten – and undressed me with his other.

When my bare skin touched his silky trousers and the lump pressed against my pussy I almost came again, staining his clothing with my wetness. I no longer seemed to have a human body, just a mess of goo containing an entire erupting volcano. He picked me up again and rested me against the bean bag, his head moving down my belly. All the while he sucked on my skin and his tongue drew fantastic ornaments on my body. His drool made my hot skin sensitive to the cool air, and so it seemed like he left a trail of coolness on my belly.

As his tongue got closer to my pussy heat once more flushed through me, but it was different this time. The need to be touched down there grew so strong it almost became physically painful. I moaned, pulling his hair to guide him and thrust my hips upwards.

And finally he found my clit. The sensation of this tongue massaging me was too much and I had my second orgasm as he slowly wormed his way inside me. The sensation was unfamiliar and ever so slightly painful, but it didn’t matter – all I wanted was more of it, more of him.

He growled something, and my hazy brain barely registered the words. “You taste deliciously.” I couldn’t respond anymore, just moan in return. I thrust my nails into his skin, pushing him closer to my pussy.

The sounds of moving silk interrupted my labored breathing, and he withdrew himself. Before I could protest I felt something hot and smooth where his tongue had just been. I wasn’t able to think nor control my reactions, I just raised my hips towards him, and he slid into me.

Yes, it was painful.

Yes, it was overwhelming.

I tensed and gasped. Penny stopped moving. My brain fought its way through the haze and I forced myself to relax.

“I’m okay, Penny, just give me a second.” He nuzzled against my neck, just as I had done, and nibbled on my ear lobe. His breath against my ear send another wave of excitement through me, and the pain subsided. I turned my head, searching for his lips with mine, and slowly started moving my hips. His cock moved back for a bit, leaving an oddly empty sensation, but before he could slip out entirely he thrust back into me, sending waves of this new, exciting feeling through my entire body. My mind left me again, reducing me to a gasping pool of sensation only.

Our rhythm was slow, and my body adapted to it on its own. With every thrust my hips rose to meet him, driving his cock deeper into my belly, creating a new source of heat every time. Sweat started to form on my forehead, my back and beneath my breasts. His tongue slid across my chest, covering me in cooling drool.

And then his cock hit a new spot within me. I thought I had been hot before; well, I was wrong. Lava pulsed through my veins, and his cock seemed to push through my belly, into my entire body until it filled every pore. Delicious excitement filled me as my third orgasm built up, my hips picking up the pace. No longer were we going slow – faster and faster we moved, pressing against each other as if we could fuse our bodies that way. Each thrust jerked my body forward several inches. I had dug my nails deep into his shoulders, clinging to him as hard as I could. My pussy clamped down on him and I screamed. Grinding my hips against him I could feel him tense up, his hard muscles tightening around me. Then he bit my right breast.

I came hard. My entire body contracted so much I actually lifted myself up into the air. At the same time the sensation changed once more – Penny’s cock pulsed within me, he roared, and a new sort of heat filled me. This time, however, it didn’t run through me but stayed in my belly. He started shaking, the heat building up until it began to spill out of me, all the while sucking my breast.

He collapsed on top of me with a sigh, burying me in the folds of the enormous bean bag. I was lost in his scent, lost in the warmth of our bodies, lost in the fatigue of my muscles. We stayed like this until our breathing steadied and his cock started sliding out of me.

With a sigh he pulled himself out of me, leaving my stomach cold and empty. I didn’t like that sensation at all and moaned weakly in protest. After his tongue washed over my breast he pulled me on top of him and cradled my head against his shoulder. I caressed his chest lightly, letting my fingers wander over his muscles.

“That… was something.”

I grunted in agreement, feeling more tired than I’d ever been. But it was a happy fatigue, mixed with the feeling of being save, being loved. Being home.

That reminded me I should probably get going, though I didn’t want to. A thought crossed my mind, and I propped myself up on my elbows.

“Penny? Would you like to come over?”

  And so we ended up in my bed together. When we arrived at my house he had waited downstairs in the kitchen while I woke auntie up to tell her I was back. Once her snoring shook the house again Penny and I tiptoed into my room where I undressed and removed my make-up (the lipstick definitely wasn’t kissing proof like the ad had promised) while Penny took a look around. He saw the two red balloons floating around merrily and gave me a huge smile.

“Nobody popped them this time”, I winked at him.

When I was finished we snuggled together in my bed. His eyes grew huge when he saw my teddy bear sitting on my pillow.

“I go to bed with him every night, you know that? But tonight I’m not going to cuddle teddy”, I teased. In response he pulled me tighter against his chest and I closed my eyes.

My body ached, but in a good way. My pussy felt a little sore and my legs were still weak. I had never been so happy. With Penny’s smell in my nose and his arms around me I quickly fell asleep.

[us2dinosaurplanet]

Ultimate Story 2: Dinosaur Planet-Chapter 6: Into the Volcano...Force Point Temple, That Is

As Fox was landing his Arwing, a Thorntail was waiting for him in a nervous wreck. Thorntail: “You’ve got to help us. Those dreaded Sharpclaws have put out our lovely beacons and it gets really dark at night. We’ll be so scared of the dark. (Cry)” Bubbles: “(Gasp) Oh, no. Fox, we have to do something.” Fox: “OK, OK. Stop crying. We’ll help you out.” Peach: “Don’t forget about the Spellstone, Fox.” Fox: “(Sigh) Yes, Peach.”

And so Fox and his friends went off and investigated the beacons.

Later, Fox came up with a conclusion. Fox: “OK, so now that the beacons are put out, there’s nothing on them to light them with. All we need to do is find something that we can place on the beacons in order to do that, but what?”

As they all thought for a second, Bubbles spotted something that greatly startled her. Bubbles: “Hey guys, look! An innocent tree is on fire!”

Everyone around her stopped what they were doing and turned to see a burning tree. Fox: “You’re right, Bubbles. Let’s hurry, guys.”

They ran towards the burning tree. As they arrived, they became puzzled. Misty: “OK, if the tree’s on fire, how come nobody’s doing anything about it?”

Just then, Peach spotted a sign in front of the tree. Peach: “Hey guys. Check this out: according to this sign, this tree is a “Fire Weed” tree.” Fox: “Fire Weeds? That’s it! That’s how we’ll light the beacons.” Girls: “How?” Fox: “Gather around, girls, ‘cause I have a plan.”

The girls huddled with Fox. Fox: “OK, girls. Here's the plan: I want each of you to grab 1 Fire Weed from the tree, then each of you select 1 of the 3 beacons to put the Fire Weed on. Got it?” Misty: “Sounds easy enough.” Bubbles: “Let's do it!" Peach: “Oh, Fox. You come up with such clever ideas, but that doesn't mean I should stop watching your back."

Fox rolled his eyes.

Soon, the girls got to it with Fox's plan and they did exactly what they were told to do. Bubbles: “The deed is done, Fox. Now what?" Fox: “Great job, girls. Now just leave it to me and Tricky.”

And just as he said, with the Fire Weeds in place, he was able to use Tricky's flame command to light the beacons and end the problem.

Later, a Thorntail came by thanking our heroes for restoring the Thorntail beacons and gave them a key to Moon Mountain Pass, which led to the Volcano Force Point Temple. What luck! Their next destination IS the Volcano Force Point Temple. And soon, they left for that location.

As they exited the hollow, they came upon a bridge that seemed to look safe. However, the only person who knew it wasn't was Rayman. Suddenly, Fox began to run toward the bridge. Rayman: [“Fox, wait. The bridge is…”]

But it was too late. Fox fell right through the center of the bridge. Misty: “Fox!”

Misty flew right after him. Rayman: [“…unstable.”]

She flew down into the pit. However, when she lifted him out, something wasn’t right. Actually, she wasn’t even lifting him, at all. As a matter of fact, they both were being lifted by the wind lifts at the bottom of the pit.

Later, everyone stood around. Fox: “What happened down there, Misty? Am I becoming too heavy for you or is this phase of yours causing your normal powers to fade, too?” Misty: “It’s not you and it’s not my phase. My flying abilities seem to be fading here.” Fox: “What? How can it be? Why is it happening?”

Rayman soon started to sniff the air. Rayman: [“Hey, guys. Do you smell that? It smells…(sniff) familiar.”]

Fox and Banjo started to sniff the air, too. Banjo: “Hey, I know that smell.” Fox: “Oh, no. It’s…Oneros Aera, or as we have named for the stupid people, Flight Disable Gas. Now it makes sense. The gas from this area is disabling Misty’s ability to fly.” Peach: “She’s not the only one who’s experiencing it. Look at Bubbles. She’s not floating anymore.” Fox: “Great. We can’t get across the gap with this gas all over the place. What will we do now?” Bubbles: “Maybe we could try and float across that wind lift that saved you and Misty from falling.” Fox: “I wish I could say the same, Bubbles but after we were rescued, the wind lift seemed to have died down, which leaves us with 1 option: Rayman, see if you could find a way to get us across this gap.” Rayman: [“Aye, aye, Fox. I’ll SEE what I can do.”]

In case you haven’t noticed, Rayman has super sharp eyes. That’s how he could tell that the bridge was unstable. After a while of looking around the room, he was able to find the secret switch to activate a new bridge. He threw one of his fist energies at it and out came a new bridge. Rayman used his foot to check if the bridge was stable and ran across with the others.

As they entered Moon Mountain Pass, they approached a hill. It was silent for a while, but from a fort at the top of the hill came an avalanche of rolling barrels heading their way. Although dodge ball wasn’t their best sport, as they traveled up the hill, they were able to dodge the barrels with no problem, except for Rayman, who was flattened once from trying to dodge a barrel.

As they approached the fort, Fox used the key that he received from a Thorntail to unlock the gate. In the area was a red strange swirling door, blocking a doorway out. So they had no choice but to investigate the fort that barricaded the passage to the Volcano Force Point Temple. They found 2 Sharpclaws lurking in the fort. One by one, Fox defeated them both. Later, they heard a voice saying, “Ah, my life is meaningless!” Fox: “Hey. Did you guys hear that?” Misty: “Of course we all heard it, Fox. But who said that?” Fox: “Whoever it was sounded extreme. Come on. I have a feeling that we can press on now.”

After exiting the fort, they came to the doorway to where the strange swirling door was, but it was gone. Bubbles: “Hey, look. The strange swirling door is gone. We can go through.” Fox: “See, what did I tell you? Let’s go, guys.”

And so, they went through the doorway at least one obstacle (an obstacle course of sorts) before the entrance of the temple and came upon another collapsed bridge. What rotten luck but not for long. Now that they’re out of Moon Mountain Pass, the girls’ flying abilities are restored because the area that they’re in was free of the gas. So Misty helped Fox across the lava as the others took care of themselves. At the other side is a door with a Spellstone-shaped socket. Fox took out the Spellstone to place it in the socket and open the door, the Spellstone came back to him shortly afterwards.

In the room was another strange swirling door on the other side. Bubbles: “Hey look. It’s another one of those strange, swirling doors.” Fox: “Let’s check it out.”

So they all ran to the door. When they arrived they saw something in the center of the door that looked like a poison symbol expect the head of the symbol looked like some sort of weird lizard skull with sharp teeth. Lizard skull: “Boo!” All: “AHH!” Lizard skull: “Ha, ha, scared you…worms.” Fox: “Who are you and why are you here?” Lizard skull: “Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Danno Life-Force Door. I am a life-force door. My purpose is to keep you trespassers out of the territory that lies beyond me. However, there is a way to get pass me: you must defeat the same number of enemies as the swirls that surround me. For example, if you defeat one of the enemies, one of the swirls disappear, if another is defeated, another one disappears, if all of the enemies are defeated, then all of the swirls fade away and I’m a goner. So far, you have defeated…0 enemies. So scram…worms!! (Laugh)”

Fox and his friends turned their backs to the life-force door and walked away. Fox: “Sheesh! That guy has an attitude worse then Kazooie.” Kazooie: “I heard that.” Fox: “Yeah, yeah. Nobody cares, birdbrain. What the…?”

Suddenly, 5 Sharpclaws appeared out of nowhere. Danno Life-Force Door: “Ha, ha. You’ve fallen into my trap…worms. Now you have to fight the Sharpclaws. Tell you what: I’ll let you worms through if you defeat these guys. I’m sure you’ll all fail.” Fox: “Don’t get your hopes up, Danno. Let’s move out, team.”

And so the battle began.

Fox and his friends worked together as a team to defeat the Sharpclaws one by one. Using their weapons, they were able to finish the job and finish off Danno Life-Force Door, causing him to fade away. Danno Life-Force Door: “Ah, my life is meaningless.”

With Danno out of the way, they were able to move on.

As they enter the room, Peach came upon a sign and read it out loud. It said, “He who dims the flames of the Krazoas may pass.” Bubbles: “Flames? What flames?” Misty: “Possibly, those torches up there on the top floor.”

Bubbles flew up and used her super breath to try to extinguish the torches. But then, the torch just re-lit itself. She blew harder, but it re-lit itself again. No matter how hard she blew on the torch, it keeps on re-lighting itself.  Bubbles: “Huh? Why does it keep doing that?”

She then started to search the room for answers until she spotted a small room with another green light coming out from the ground just like the one from Thorntail Hollow. She immediately flew towards Fox to let him know about it and then took him to it right away. As they arrived, Fox jumped into the light and came out with the light red shining out of the hole and a new upgrade, Ice Blaster. He aimed his staff just like the fire blaster except it shot out freezing mist instead of blasts of energy. He shot a little bit out just to show Bubbles. Fox: “Looks like Blossom’s not the only one with ice powers, anymore.”

Bubbles giggled.

With the help of his new staff upgrade and Bubbles, he put out all of the torches in the room. An elevator platform soon appeared from under the floor in the middle of the room. As all of them stood on the platform, it descended them to an underground chamber where they found themselves walking through a path with a circular door at the end. As they approached the door, it automatically rolled opened and they enter a large room. Just then, the holographic heads of both Peppy and Blossom turned on without warning. Peppy: “Hi guys. Blossom and I have been studying the ancient records of this planet and we thought that you guys might be interested to hear this. This temple has been built from a force point.” Blossom: “That’s when pure magical energy has been forced up from within the core of the planet.” Peppy: “This energy is so powerful that it constantly pulls the planet apart.” Blossom: “To stop this, the ancient Krazoas placed 2 Spellstones in the temple to absorb the magic.” Peppy:  “When General Scales removed the Spellstones, Dinosaur Planet began to fall apart.”Blossom: “By returning the Spellstones to their rightful place will bring the planet together, once more.” Peppy: “Peppy…” Blossom: “And Blossom (with Peppy) out.”

Their holograms soon turned off. Banjo: “What an interesting story.” Kazooie: “Yawn.”

Fox bashed Kazooie on the head. Kazooie: “Ow!” Fox: “Kazooie, I had it with you! This story is very important, and you’re bored of hearing it?” Kazooie: “Well, it sounds boring.” Misty: “Fox is right. This is no yawning matter. Those Spellstones must be found and returned to the Force Point Temples before more of Dinosaur Planet falls into pieces or even worse!!”

And so, Fox and his friends went through more obstacles in the temple until they finally reached the warp pad on the highest point of the large room. Then they warped themselves in a blue tinted room with a pillar in the center of the room. On each of the 4 sides of the pillar is a Spellstone-shaped socket. Above the pillar were 4 magic flows of energy ascending from the pillar: 2 orange and 2 purple. Well, you now know where Fox and his friends are, but they don’t. Bubbles: “Where are we?” Fox: “It seems to me like the Spellstone’s resting-place. Come on."

They ran to the center of the room where Fox placed the Spellstone in one of the Spellstone sockets. As the Spellstone was put into place, a lot of shaking occurred and when you look above the pillar, you’ll see that the first orange flow was gone. That means that the first Spellstone has been returned. 1 down, 3 more to go.

[garden-ghoul]

two blogs part 7

“whoof”

THE PASSAGE OF THE MARSHES

They are gonna pass thru these marshes, you guys. I’m sort of incoherent because I spent like an hour in a restaurant, which was extremely taxing, and also it’s 10pm. It’s dark and I’m wearing sunglasses, hit it. Smeagol’s new diction is REALLY cute. He uses exclamation points in a friendly and helpful way! Sorry I kind of love him now. I am 100% ready to believe he has turned over a new leaf and is a nice person now. Despite the fact that I know how the series ends. He also keeps doing this thing where he uses first and third person in the same sentence, and I love it.

‘Day is near,' he whispered, as if Day was something that might overhear him and spring on him. `Sméagol will stay here: I will stay here, and the Yellow Face won't see me.' 

I love him! We’re probably supposed to think it’s like, creepy I guess? That he talks about himself as if he is multiple people? But ghouls too are multiple so I just love him even more. It is an extreme shortcut to making me love a character.

Gollum goes to sleep while Sam keeps watch to make sure he’s not scheming anything. Just to be a jerk, Sam pokes him a couple times to see if he’s really asleep. Despite his distrust Sam does fall asleep, and feels kind of bad about being an asshole when he realizes Gollum didn’t murder either of them. While he’s gone off to get food for himself, Sam worries as Sam will over their supply of lembas. What will they do after three weeks? What will they do after they get to Mount Doom?

Frodo, charming optimist that he is, tells him that after they destroy the Ring nothing else will matter. He legitimately neither expects nor wants to be alive afterward. Frodo ::( ::( ::( This makes Sam cry, as one often does when realizing the sheer breadth of one’s bff’s depression. He takes Frodo’s hand and cries on it, and, Tolkien notes, does not kiss it. What a curious thing to note! Wink wink. It gay. And then Smeagol comes back.

‘Are we rested? Ready to go on? Nice hobbits, they sleep beautifully. Trust Sméagol now? Very, very good.'

I am beginning to feel I may have absorbed some of my syntax choices from him. We also find out that the only safe way, really, to get to Mordor from here is to go through the marshes. “Safe.” Not really that safe, but safer from Sauron’s Eye, anyway. By the time it gets full dark “corpse-candles” are starting to appear. Frodo’s a little missing, he lags behind because the Ring is so heavy. “Frodo was standing lost in thought, looking at the pale lights. His hands hung stiff at his sides; water and slime were dripping from them.” I love this! What was he doing! ...oh, probably falling down. Or maybe stroking the dead rotting faces of elves and orcs and men under the water. Serech aesthetics. There is zero explanation though for why the images of long-dead warriors are under the marsh. And it doesn’t really fit with what we know about magic in this world--one can only suppose one of the Valar put those images there as a warning. Or some enchanter, maybe, for a reason that died when they did. Hot.

And during the daytime, “while the grey light lasted, they cowered under a black stone like worms, shrinking, lest the winged terror should pass and spy them with its cruel eyes.” Love it. They also see what I’m guessing are some extinct volcanoes, but described in a really upsetting way. I think of volcanoes as the most fertile places, but these are poisoned volcanoes, so. I love how many times Tolkien uses the word “gasping” to describe inanimate and unmoving objects here. We also get the phrase “ a foul sump of oily many-coloured ooze,” which is like the best thing I’ve ever read, ever.

Sam doesn’t rest well. He wakes and finds Smeagol and Gollum arguing about whether it’s okay to take the ring. Gollum wants them to be “Lord Smeagol, and have fresh fish three times a day!” Dude. Comrade. That’s all he wants, enough to eat. That is the absolute limit of his ambition. He wants Sam to be unhappy ‘cos he’s a jerk, and he wants three meals a day. I hate how hashtag relateable he is. Well anyway they make their way to the front door of Mordor, the Mordoor if you will, only to find that

THE BLACK GATE IS CLOSED

Another dreadful day, full of fear and toil, has come to Mordor! This is very Snicketesque, I think. Another dreadful day, full of fear and toil, for the Bagginaire orphans. Nobody will believe Sam when he says Smeagol IS Count Gollum.

...Meanwhile Sam is very stoically taking the idea that he’s never going to see his father again. The Gaffer wouldn’t even recognize him without a bath! Ha ha! ...ha...? Sam also thinks it’s a good thing Gollum doesn’t know what Frodo means to do with the Ring. Sorry, but what on earth does he THINK Frodo is taking it to Mordor for? Anyway Frodo says some very intimidating things about how he might have to put on the Ring eventually and command Smeagol to kill himself?? Smeagol naturally has a panic attack about this, but since we’re in Sam POV there is zero sympathy from the narration.

Yeah there’s a bunch more stuff in this chapter I guess but it’s mostly Smeagol explaining the way thru Cirith Ungol (another name I adore and always have) and more Nazgul and Frodo deciding to take the Black Stair or whatever they’re calling it. Everything’s Black here that’s how you know it’s evil. rolls eyes. fuck off Johnald

[johnnyvincent]

Millstone - cromulent

contains: yelling, fighting

crom·u·lent

kɹɑmjələnt

adjective

appearing legitimate but actually being spurious

◌◌◌◌◌◌

62 days before

October 31st, 2007

Wednesday

◌◌◌◌◌◌

Not a lot different happened between then and Halloween. I mean yeah, we still hung out and went to class and ate and slept and shit, but I guess it’s not really all that noteworthy. My time with Wade took a big blow, mainly ‘cause I didn’t see him without Lainey unless we were in our dorm at night and even then he sometimes snuck her in. Not even to get laid or anything, all they did was talk or play on the arcade machine. I was gettin’ real sick of Lainey.

It came as no surprise to me when on Halloween he gave me some half-assed excuse on why he couldn’t pregame with me and the guys and why it’d be a lot better if he just went to go pick up—you guessed it—Lainey. Tired of hearing anything even remotely related to her at that point, I just shrugged it off and let him run off with his dumb cheap cologne.

That’s pretty much how I ended up alone in the boy’s dorm on Halloween of 2007. I mean, not alone, just without my best bud. It was me and the guys, even Russell had come down for the occasion. I gotta say, I was shocked when they said he was graduatin’ last year, but he said Hopkins had a hand in it, or something. I don’t know. That’s a story for another time.

We had kicked out all the geeks and nerds and losers from the dorm, which was mainly just… well, nerds. That and a couple middle schoolers, and some freshmen. After that was done we just hung out in the common room, managed to hook up the T.V. to some horror movie I don’t remember the name of and snack on some chips and beam colas. I was wearin’ a Ghostface mask I’d found last summer when they cleaned out Griffith’s dorm. Yeah, after… yeah.

Anyway, there we sat, me and the guys. I was on the floor with Davis—somehow I always ended up next to him if Wade wasn’t there—while Ethan and Trent crowded on the couch with Russell. Troy’d gotten creeped out and gone off to play on the arcade machine, even though he said he wasn’t scared. Baby.

I woulda been havin’ a nice time if it weren’t for Trent screaming every time some sort of jump scare popped up. Watching movies with that kid was like puttin’ on the Saw movies for a group of toddlers. He screamed just like a little girl.

“Trent, I’m warning you, if you don’t shut your trap I’ll shove my fist down it,” I told him after his eightieth scream. He replied with a real neat flip of the bird. Nothin’ like a real, honest friendship.

A couple minutes later, right when I could just feel Trent about to screech again (I swear, my bones whispered to me, they were all ‘c’mon Tom, brace yourself, it’s gonna happen and it’s gonna be the worse one yet man, he’s gonna scream like a little girl and he might piss himself and it’ll run down his leg onto your good shirt man, brace yourself’) the light flips on and we’re all distracted by Wade’s voice booming from behind us. At least Trent didn’t get to scream.

“Yo, yo, yo, guys,” he says, all casual and of course he’s got his arm draped over Lainey’s shoulders. And then I realize he’s wearin’ mouse ears and so is she but she’s also got a red bow on her head paired with a red dress that’s got white polka dots on it and I realize they’re fucking Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I could feel myself getting lightheaded.

“Haha, nice costume, Wade,” Russell says from the couch, and it took a little bit not to roll my eyes at that. Yeah, I was doing my best to get rid of the ‘she-stole-my-best-friend’ jealousy, but I mean come on. Couples costumes? Where was the Wade I knew?

But Wade just grinned, and Lainey beamed, and reached for the hand that wasn’t set around her shoulders. “Thanks! We thought it’d be super cute,” she chirped in her sweet little girl voice. It was like when you get some dessert at a restaurant, and it’s super sweet? Like, so sweet it kinda makes your eyes hurt a little and if you keep eating it you’ll get a headache, and honestly it just kinda makes you a little bit sick. But you keep eating it ‘cause I mean, when the hell are you gonna get dessert this sweet at home? But then you don’t enjoy it and kinda have to swear off sweets for a bit ‘cause it made you sick. Yeah?

“You look like a wimp,” Troy mumbled loud enough for her and Wade to hear. Lainey kinda looked down at her shoes like she’d just gotten kicked, and it peeved Wade off plenty.

“Piss off, Miller,” he spat.

Troy looked like he wanted to answer Wade for that one, but just as he was about to Trent hopped over the backrest of the couch and wormed his way in between Wade and Lainey, throwin’ his arm around both of them and launching into some long fit about how he loved their costumes, mainly aimed at Lainey. I couldn’t tell if he was hitting on her or just trying to keep the peace.

Wade kinda broke away from it to get a soda, and I recognized the face he had. He was still pissed at Troy for insulting him; my best bet was that he felt like a wimp too, but on some stronger level he wanted to keep Lainey happy. Even if it did mean catering to her stupid girly choices and costumes. I remember calming down at that thought; wasn’t right to be pissed at him. He was just too in love with her, that was all.

I hopped up and made my way to him, grabbing a beam cola for myself. “Hey dude, you good?”

He gave me a tight smile. “I’m okay,” he answered. He was trying. He was trying to be in a better mood. Maybe it was for me or maybe it was for Lainey, but it meant a lot.

“You gonna be good headin’ out with your girl? You know how these things get on Halloween…” I pointed out to him, rubbin’ the back of my neck. This was dangerous territory now. Wade didn’t like having his decisions questioned, not even by me. Even the most nonchalant approach could set him off, and the last thing I wanted was him stompin’ off in the other direction.

But he just nodded, turned so he was watching Trent talk Lainey’s ear off. “Yeah. She says she’s cool with it. I mean, it’d be cool if we could just not get in any fights…” he said, trailing off. I think he caught wind of the look I was giving him, ‘cause Wade not gettin’ into fights was crazier than a hen with a full set of teeth. “At least until I drop her off back at her house when her curfew hits.”

Alright, that made sense. I nodded, and after a bit of prodding, we got Russell to start leading us all out.

We wouldn’t be going far, just around campus. That was where the fun was, anyway. I mean, there was more stuff going on around town; the greaseballs and dropouts and Griffith’s kids would be partying it up in Coventry, and the Preps probably had some sort of classy ‘get-together’ either in their frat house or in Old Bullworth Vale. But our real interest was on campus.

It was all to us, basically. Even if the Preps were on campus, they wouldn’t be leaving their frat house. The greasers and punks were out, that only left us, the jocks, the nerdlings, and the other losers. But the jocks always partied on the football field—one of ‘em had a birthday or something—and the rest of them were no threat to us. Hell, they were the entertainment.

Halloween’s usually a blur to me, and this time was no exception. I don’t even remember how, but I had an egg carton shoved into my hands within seconds of leaving the dorm, a carton that ended up smashed entirely upside Melvin O’Connor’s back. And as he ran off wailing about his costume, I reached out to high-five Wade only to realize he was five feet away from me.

He was walkin’ with Lainey, holding her hand and pointing at something in the opposite direction of us, but she was looking over his shoulder straight at me with wide eyes. Scared. Something told me Wade hadn’t prepared her for how our Halloweens usually went down.

Even though it pissed me off a little bit, I decided to cool it with the pranks and fighting, mainly for Wade’s sake. I’ll say it again, it ain’t right for your best friend to screw up the only decent relationship you’ve ever had in your life. I wasn’t gonna do that to Wade.

But it wasn’t enough. I could calm myself down, sure, but that still left five other guys to run around wild. Russell was handing out wedgies as if they were blessings and he was the Pope, and the rest of them were going wild with some firecrackers Davis had found while he himself messed around with the slingshot he’d found last spring after Hopkins took his.

We’d gotten around to the library and by that point, it looked like Wade was trying to calm down Lainey who looked like she’d seen a ghost. We kept on past a Volcano 4000 that nobody was standing around—everybody knew better than to get near those things—when suddenly Wade went down.

“You deserve it, bully!” A voice to the tune of Donald fuckin’ Anderson screamed out from behind us. He was holdin’ one of ‘em fancy potato guns the nerds had built. He’d hit Wade with a fucking potato.

To say it was a mistake would be a terrible understatement. He was alone, for starters, and he picked the one of us with the worst temper to hit.

Wade was making an effort not to fight or anything for Lainey, but I swear, when I saw his eyes as he stood from that potatoing, they were red. “I’LL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR SCRAWNY LITTLE BODY, CHUMP!” he roared and launched himself at the nerd.

Anderson went down instantly, and Wade went with him. All I could see was a blur of fists pounding down on the kid, and then sneakers hitting pavement while the other guys ran up to help Wade beat up this 92-pound kid. I glanced at Lainey, but I figured I’d rather be the guy who helped out when his best friend got hit than the guy who hung back to shrug at his best friend’s girl.

“When I’m done with you, your jaw is gonna be wired shut! And you’ll be eating through a straw!” Wade screamed at the kid, all of us punching and kicking and snarling and glaring. There wasn’t a lot of room, and I touched the kid maybe twice. We backed up once he was done fightin’ back and just left him there, on the concrete, crying for his ma.

The guys head off, high fiving and laughing, but I hung back a little bit. Lainey wasn’t standing where she had been; she was trailing off in a speedwalk with Wade just barely managing to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm but she tore it from him and they broke out into a heated discussion I couldn’t hear.

My ma taught me to pick the times I wanna listen in and I knew this wasn’t one of ‘em. So I walked along with the guys, trying to keep my eyes off Wade and his girl.

It was a good plan for a couple paces, and then I felt a hand grab my arm and suddenly I was being pulled back into the shadows.

“Man, what the hell?” I asked Wade. But then I quit it, ‘cause he looked spooked. “Are you okay? What happened?”

He just shrugged, blue eyes wide and scared and running wild, reminding me of fish when you try and catch ‘em with a net from their bowl. “I think me and Lainey just broke up…” he whispered.

And so it begins.