#with ofc kaz being the one to figure it out

[drieddpetals]

(warning: literary analysis ahead) i know i'm not the first person by far to say this, but there are so many similarities between kaz and wylan in six of crows and ESPECIALLY crooked kingdom.

there's obviously the big one of both of them having a re-birth type experience in the harbor, but that's not where the similarity stops. during my ck reread, i noticed that the reason kaz and wylan are in the harbor in the first place is because a father-like figure.

pekka rollins was a father-like figure to both kaz and jordie, and the book says this. the rietveld boys had just lost their father, and one of the big reasons pekka was able to scam jordie and kaz so well is because he provided them with a comforting and parental like space. kaz ofc eventually ends up in the harbor, and it can all be traced back to pekka rollins.

wylan has his rebirth in the harbor due to his father. the connection is more direct with his, but even then there are middle men and other things involved. but again, it can all be traced back to his father.

going off this thought, they both lost a close family member due to a father figure.

another big similarity i found that i feel like i haven't seen anyone talk about his what kaz and wylan are both motivated by: revenge.

wylan does not start off the books being motivated by revenge. he ends up in the barrel and with the crows out of a desperation to both hide from his father and because he genuinely has no where else to go. later on in ck, after wylan finds his mother at saint hilde, the book very clearly states that his motivation changes. at the begining of chapter 31, there's a scene where wylan is staring at himself in the mirror. there are lines that say, "What am I doing here? But he knew the answer. Only he could see his father punished for what he'd done. Only he could see his mother freed." which drives me INSANE!! because it's a DIRECT PARELLEL to things kaz says/feels about jordie!! in the chapter right before that (30) there's a line that says, "He'd found his way to shore, devoted himself to the vengeance he and his brother were owed." (there are other and better lines that reference wylan's "only he could *take revenge*" line, but this is just the closest one that comes to mind)

there are differences between their motives—you could say that kaz's revenge motive is more direct and violent—but there's also the fact that we see both kaz and wylan get their revenge in the book.

both kaz and wylan want revenge for one of their family members, and themselves, from what a father figure in their life has done.

they've also both been kidnapped by jan/held in captivity by him. i know this happens to inej too, but i think it's important that one of the first scenes we see with kaz is him negotiating with jan after being captured by him, and then towards the very end of the series, we (very simplified and on the surface) see the same thing happening to wylan. i know the two jan captivity scenes with kaz and wylan are very different, but i think the basic similarity of these scenes really attest to how far wylan has come and how much he's been assimilated into the crows.

there's also of course the part where wylan's expression is said to be something that looks kaz-like, which i feel also shows how far he's come and how he's truely developed into a crow.

in conclusion, as others have said, they truely are two sides of the same coin. they're so different but so alike, and i absolutely love how leigh bardugo was able to directly juxstapose wylan and kaz when they're so different on the surface.

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

Hi! I ended up reading through Choas Plan in pretty much two days (your writing is actually phenomenal) but I was actually curious on your inspirations to write it? Did it come from any other particular works or maybe episodes from sp?

WHAT NO WAY😭😭😭😭😭😭WHAT THE HELL THAT'S SO NICE HOLY SHIT THANK YOU SO MUCH <33333

You can't just ask me shit like that dude I will respond with a huge fucking essay I LOVE questions like that!!!!

I honestly have several inspirations, many come from the show itself and some I've drawn from cyber crime documentaries and books I like (namely the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, you might recognize the scene with Mysterion and Harris in chapter 3 is very VERY similar to the one between Kaz and Jan Van Eck at the beginning of the book), but if you've read the notes in the fic you might have seen that the story idea was initially born when I was playing TFBW.

The Idea

The U-Stor-It scene where Butters/Chaos locks the C**n and Friends in the facility and talks to them through a screen was just so fascinating to me, it reminded me a lot of Jinx from Arcane and the Joker in The Dark Knight (especially because of the flashy decorations and graffiti). Mainly the story evolved from the question I posed to myself in that moment, which was: "What needs to happen for Butters to become someone like Jinx?" and that's how I started brainstorming the backstory.

The Backstory

Obviously that was inspired mainly by Linda's behavior in Butters' Very Own Episode, but it features elements from stuff all over the series and the games that prove just how fucked up Butters' parents are and treat him.

(Remember when in TFBW he mentioned that they bought an electronic lock system to keep him in his room because he left the bathroom once while grounded? yeah, that convinced me Butters' home life probably would only get worse with the years, especially with him entering his teens & puberty, and Post Covid honestly just confirmed that.)

The Villain/Hero Concept

I hadn't yet watched much more of South Park than up until seasons 15/16 so I didn't know about Post Covid's Vic Chaos yet, I mostly just wanted to do something with Mysterion and Chaos that had a darker and serious tone without either of them having any Marvel-esque powers or tech-organizations aiding them, something closer to the South Park lore at hand and realistic enough to feel like it could happen in our world.

Chaos' Methods

With Butters having a knack for Internet-related shit and him being able to hack into a baseball stadium screen to broadcast his evil plans in the Professor Chaos episode, and ofc his whole thing in TFBW and the episode of him becoming a pimp, I figured he has the stuff to be a hacker and entrepreneur.

I started getting spoilered a lot on the whole Vic Chaos and NFT scammer thing so even though I hadn't watched Post Covid I drew a lot of inspiration from that as well. I've been watching a lot of documentaries on Cryptocurrency scams and other cyber crime related stuff, so yeah all that shit also gets my brain generating a bunch of ideas as well.

Mysterion

As for Kenny/Mysterion's side of the story- I'm a huge fan of the "criminal who gets paid by a shitty pig/capitalist who would normally never hire them to take on a job" concept in Six of Crows, so that's how I got Harris involved, later further fueled by his Thin White Line arc in TFBW.

The way Kenny used his death powers in the C**n & Friends episodes I found very intriguing, and I absolutely LOVE playing around with them, so I included my own interpretation & spin of it as an active "superpower" he uses in order to be successful enough as a vigilante to be taken seriously. His canon powers separate him from your average humanbeing. It's a way to show the audience "hey look, Kenny really is just some guy, but also no one else could take on this role, ever. He may not have super strength or speed or money for equipment backing him, but he can get into places and out like no other person ever."

Coming up with a kryptonite-type weakness was also super fun, because I didn't want things to just be too easy. Mainly it's his need to remain anonymous, but the biggest reason for that need is because he needs to keep up his ability to financially support Karen. That, I obviously got from the show-, namely episodes like Mysterion Rises, The Poor Kid and City Part of Town, but his dynamic with Karen got increasingly more interesting and influenced in the fic after I played the TFBW DLC From Dusk Til Casa Bonita. The fact that he's so obsessed with keeping her safe the best way he knows how but completely overlooks to consider letting her have a say in it, is absolutely delicious. Like fuck yes, let's go complicate these character relationships (rubs hands evilly)

TL;DR

Inspirations come from all over, but of course the main ones do come from the show and games. Kenny and Butters have always been increasingly fascinating characters to me the more I watched the show, so the fact that Kenny canonically is the only kid Butters respects (source: s16, Ep "Going Native"), to an extent that in the future Butters funded his entire career, I thought had a shit ton of potential. Hence their friendship in the fic before "the incident", and the way Butters goes about Kenny now that he's taking over the town >:)))

Thank you SO SO MUCH for the ask!!!! I hope I didn't ramble too much for what you actually wanted to know, but I just absolutely love sharing my inspirations for this fic. Really gets my brain go brrrrr heheheh I'm so so grateful that this interests you <33333

[ellewritesalright]

Throughout May I hope to finish Nine Long Years (but I am a long-winded bitch so we'll see, it could last til June), and then in the summer I may post a few stories I have cooking. They include:

Anastasia au with Kaz x reader

Where the old Queen Mother of Kerch's former royal family is offering a hefty reward to whoever returns her rumored-to-be-alive granddaughter to her. Kaz being Kaz hears about the reward and hatches an elaborate plot. Reader is a lowly orphan and escaped indenture who flees to Ketterdam where she gets tangled in Kaz Brekker's plot.

Will be angsty and fluffy, but mostly angsty (and w a happy ending ofc)

It is partially written already w about 12k words and will definitely round out as more than that

Arranged marriage with Nikolai x reader

A story where the king and queen arranged their second son to marry a rich Ravkan lord's only daughter back when Nikolai and Reader were children. But after many years, after the war, and after Nikolai is crowned king, Nikolai breaks off the engagement, citing the fact that circumstances have changed since the arrangement was made. Reader's parents are outraged with this though, so Nikolai promises to help you find a new fiance.

Basically it's a strangers to friends to lovers story where Nikolai gets to know the reader and slowly realizes how stupid he was to forgo the engagement

It's partially written and sitting at 11k words rn with more to come

Pride and Prejudice au with Nikolai x reader

In which the proud Prince Nikolai makes a bad first impression with you, and he'll regret it to the very end.

It's an idea I just thought of recently but I expect it will follow the plot of Pride and Prejudice pretty closely so that's what you can expect. I have not written anything for it yet cause it's still fresh in my mind.

Comment reblog or send an ask to let me know if any of these would be interesting to read and I'll figure out which one to work on once Nine Long Years is done <3

[kaiowut99]

Went ahead and threw on ZeXal II episode 38 [111] thinking nothing big will go on, just Barian'd No. 96 overwhelming Yuma and Astral and the two going further to prove their bond together, no big dea--

*episode starts with a foreshadowing of Astral leaving the Numbers with Yuma and saying goodbye in some kind of vision Yuma's having [making me double-check to make sure I'm on the right episode lol]*

*No. 96 pushes Yuma and Astral to the edge and struggling Yuma joins Astral in a ZeXal Change, talking about how Hope embodies their bond and the concept of hope always leading them to win as they beat 96*

*sore loser/"God" 96 makes a last dash at retaking Astral to continue destroying all three worlds and Astral pushes Yuma out of ZeXal to keep him out of it*

*ultimately the vision comes true and Astral gives himself up to keep Yuma safe and gives him the Numbers as he and the Emperor's Key sink into a pit*

*Yuma's broken and Kotori and the others are looking somber*

*GO WAY GO WAY updates with a Yuma/Astral montage, including showing the cute moment with Astral's first time eating over the bridge to the chorus*

I--

ZeXal definitely has been doing a good job of getting you invested in Yuma and Astral's relationship, the differences they've had here/there with things like Yuma's trust in his opponents after the Vector trolling, and how Astral respects Yuma's always-keep-going attitude and Yuma's growth in respecting him, so with the way they went about seemingly killing Astral here as all 96 cares about is getting his way and continuing his destruction, it's reasonable to see how it'd affect Yuma the way it does. Really good episode.

(I say "seemingly" not so much because spoilers as because ofc I still have 40-odd episodes to go so that can't be it for Astral lol)

Also, really good shots here [feels like the closest Astral's looked to Kaz's sketch so far too]; I almost thought this was a Hara/Gil-bo episode (Gil-bo looks to be on the next one with Heartland talking with Yuma), but Akemi Yokota's team did a great job on this one (it has been cool seeing some of the Animation Directors I know from ARC-V on start to really get their style going in ZeXal or keep it going after 5D's like Gil-bo and Hara)

Also since it's been a while, I did enjoy the Seven Ruin Numbers arc too, was interesting to see that the Barians are reincarnations of these past figures (and also interesting how Yuma's dad had seen each one...), and of course the big revelation with Shark and Rio being reincarnations themselves... Was kinda neat how they did those visions Atem-in-Memory-World style by dropping Shark into Nasch's body and all, lol. Knowing few details here/there about how things go there, I'm curious to see how it shakes out, since Shark seems to be thinking about it in the next episode.

(Also, was really amused seeing how Mizael's legend was edited in the dub; I get you couldn't show Mizael giving himself up so the townspeople saw he was right about his horse yet the invading country killing him anyway, but it felt like dub!Crashtown's ending a bit with what they did lol)

[19burstraat]

six of crows x the locked tomb au concept?

I feel like this is a fairly narrow crossover area but I've been obsessed with both lately and I wanted to throw shit at the wall and see what sticks. Pretty sure there's no Nona spoilers, since it's a crossover AU. I don't know how many people have read both of these series but to hell with it someone must have done lmao. This is less plot and more concept but anyway

Kaz (the Ninth, for the tomb and all that was lost, Heretical Secrets, The Sewn Tongue. The Reverend Son out of We Have No Young People Left process of elimination.)

If Kaz is going to be any house it's got to be the freaks with the elaborate black costumes and the constructs that have no flesh on them (lucky for Kaz...), that tell people fuck all about anything and have scary customs.

Jordie died in the pursuit of lyctorhood; @bloodbroox just suggested to me that he could have been talked into being Pekka's cav without knowing what he was getting into, and then was killed and consumed so Pekka could ascend, so Kaz is now out to get up to that fucking Mithraeum and kill Pekka himself.

I imagine Kaz has a very similar backstory to the one in the books, since it's not like there's a shortage of corpses in this series hh. Probably tried to save Jordie and got left in the aftermath with his corpse and many, many others. I wonder if I could pull in a very literal appearance of the River... maybe Kaz interfered and briefly got stuck in the River (i.e. nearly died) before he clawed back out, out of sheer insane willpower.

(Yes you can tell I don't entirely understand the more scientific aspects of TLT just go w it lmao)

No one dares to point out to Kaz that some rando with no necromatic skill cannot kill a Lyctor, because they're worried he might acc find a way. He's literally only a badly trained cav, but he's... determined. By the time everyone else works out he's the one to get rid of it's too late.

(Matthias, Kuwei and Inej, well trained and courteous cavs, are eventually horrified to find out how Kaz fights lmao.)

I'm not sure how he'd have broken his leg but there's a lot of perilous bits on the Ninth. Maybe training. It just makes his cover better though. How could he be the cav, he's clearly the necro...

No he's not. He's being covered for by...

Jesper (the Fourth, fidelity, facing ahead, The Hope, The Sword Ninth)

Jesper escaped from the Fourth because he and his dad didn't want him to get sent onto the battlefield to be a living weapon and then die, like most Fourth house kids. He got caught, and got thrown into the Ninth house jail. He emphatically insists he is not a necromancer. Yes he is.

Kaz springs Jesper from the Ninth jail and makes a deal with him; they'll swap. Kaz isn't a necromancer and Jesper is, but Kaz will pretend to be the necro, Jesper will pretend to be the cav, and they both get what they want-- Jesper can be a cavalier and be free from jail/the Fourth, and Kaz can get out of the Ninth and into the scrum of attempted lyctorhood to hitch a ride somehow.

(Except they don't. because Jesper flat-out refuses to kill Kaz and ascend and Kaz is hysterically furious, because his original plan was to basically trick Jesper into doing it wrong and seize control of his body, but he got attached and abandoned that plan and now doesn't know what to do. Having said that, if anyone could figure out perfect lyctorhood, it would be Kaz... Hope you want brown eyes Jesper.)

Yes his offhand is a revolver lmao

Inej (the Fifth-- tradition and debts to the dead, the Heart, the Watchers over the River.)

Cavalier, ofc, very very dutiful to her necromancer (one of her saints in the books??? Alina? Petyr? idk.) We don't know a whole lot about the Fifth but they seem (SEEM.) the most well adjusted of the lot, instead of the fucking balls to walls crazy Eight and Ninth lmao. I considered making her Kaz's cav but the idea made me want to throw up and lie down for ten hours, also the Jesper one is a bit more out there, and I refuse to give Kaz that much power lmao he needs to be a normal man he'd be too much of a menace with any kind of magic

Respectful of the Ninth and their weirdo monks until Kaz and Jesper open their mouths and reveal that not only do they talk, that they are also really really annoying and heretical

She works out very quickly that Kaz and Jesper are running a con and gets roped into it lol

Again I refuse to eliminate her backstory so it's gotta be in there somewhere, though I haven't worked out how yet. Perhaps she wasn't always part of the Fifth House, and was under Tante Heleen's thumb off-world...

Nina (the Third, for the gleam of a jewel or a smile, The Mouth, The Procession, The Shining Dead. Princess of Ida.)

But of course. The house that looks frivolous but is a deep well of backstabbing politics and intelligence.

Necro with a particular talent for flesh magic, which obviously is very close to her canon power. Not sure who her cav would be tho...?

Kaz hates her for all of those reasons and she makes a sport out of winding up the little uptight Ninth weirdo

But it's not as fun as flirting with...

Matthias (the Second, discipline, heedless of trial, The Strength, The Crimson Shield)

Second sounds like the Druskelle, no? Matthias is def a carefully trained cavalier, I would suggest Jarl Brum is his necro. Until he gets either killed or disposed of before he can kill Matthias and ascend...

Unless he DOES do that, and we keep Matthias dead in every universe. Sorry Nina. You and Kaz now have a common goal which is Get To The Bastards In The Sky And Kill Them.

Wylan (the Sixth, for the truth over solace in lies, the Reason.)

Genius little kid like Palamedes ig! I can see him being more into the theory than the practice and then, like canon, being underestimated. like a lot of the Sixth. Jesper def thinks he's nothing special until... he is.

I did consider putting Kaz in the Sixth soley for the truth over solace in lies but ultimately Kaz belongs in the horrible places like the Ninth and the Barrel, not the civilised academic environments like the Sixth and the merch Districts. Sorry bud. Another life.

No one really knows in the Sixth that Wylan can't read, bc he covers it up so well, but Van Eck threatens to expose it so he legs it to the Lyctor Convention <3

Kuwei can be Wylan's cavalier? Might explain the Jesper beef more lmao if Jesper is also a supposed cav trying to curry favour with Kuwei's necro, Wylan, rather than 'his necro', Kaz

(Giada also suggested that Alina can be Alecto and the Darkling can be John tho I'm not going all the way there other than to say Kaz Would Definitely Open The Tomb Because The Darkling Said Not To because he's an evil little git and also fatefully nosey and possibly bc Inej asked. And a lockpick. why would I put him in the place with the locked tomb without expecting the funniest possible outcome. also that would def make Zoya one of the OG lyctors a-la Mercymorn! Probably Genya and David too)

[the-sound-of-her-wings]

I was thinking a Kaz brekker x deeply traumatized!reader? Maybe they Go on a mission that somewhat ties into her past and she completely loses it when she sees something that sets her off (reminds her of her past) and she kinda goes on a rampage while a fight is going on (she pulls a rick grimes and tears out someone’s jugular with her teeth) and afterwards she just goes silent and everyone is kinda there to witness her have this mental breakdown and is concerned and tries to sort of be there for her in their own way? (Especially Kaz since he is sort of emotionally constipated☠️☠️ maybe he does little acts of service like giving her bandages for her wounds and has a small conversation where they both come to an understanding with each other?) also including some casual Jesper comedy(him tryna cheer up reader/lighten the mood), a low key worried inej(mother being mother), a very worried Nina(mother also being mother. Also pls make her a flirt😭), wylan being a sweet pea (pls throw in some funny sarcasm from him😭 maybe Jesper and wylan banter?🤨🤨), and idk Matthias being father(not really a father figure but like him understanding her of sorts?)😭😭 just overall sad, disgusting, heartbreaking angst to teeth rotting fluff, traumatized!reader, Found family trope ofc🫶🫶, Kaz trying to be a good future husband lmao, Jesper, wylan, Nina, Matthias, and inej being amazing friends/family.

This is probably too much lol 😭 if your confused bc of my bad explaination skills, grammar/spelling or don’t wanna do this just ignore this

Your one of my favorite writers 🫶🫶 mwah 💋

Hello Nonnie!

Thank you so much for the request and the compliment! I think I got all of this though I went a slightly different route in the way she goes feral - I hope you enjoy it.

The link is here.

[atdamnbraina]

𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠   𝚊𝚗𝚍   𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎   𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎

raven   is   a   mechanic   and   explosives   expert   residing   in   ketterdam,   not   asking   questions   for   the   services   she   trades   as   long  as   the   kruge   she   receives   keeps   her    surviving.    expect  she   has   a  gift  that   alongside   her   brain   that   makes   her   works   one   of   a   kind,   although  she   has   no   desire   to   join   the   second   army   which  is   why   she   keeps   that   identity   a   secret.

[manikas-whims]

Shadow & Bone, The Crows & everyone's complaints

So now that I'm on my 2nd watch of the show, I wanna speak on certain things about the Crows in the show, which have made many people mad and some of which I didn't like either..but which I can still see as tying up with the canon.

⚠ Spoilers for both the Books & Show ⚠

Here we go:

• Kaz accepting the 1M Kruge job

Now ofc we all remember the book Kaz who bargained with a Mercher and raised his prize to 30M. But Leigh, Eric & the Crows Cast has been pointing out since day one that these aren't the same people we know from what we've read. This is a sort of prequel to those characters and just them figuring out their dynamic with each other.

Remember, the book opens with Inej saying Kaz is a feared man in the Barrel without hesitation, she introduces herself as the Wraith who can't be stopped even by gravity on certain days and Jesper as the amazing sharpshooter and charmer.

Now as a new reader, I found that chapter sort of funny because how are you claiming all this without showing me their process of becoming these formidable people? But as I read through, the thought that inded these are 6 dangerous outcasts, settled in my mind.

But before that 30M job, they must've had many smaller conquests too right? Ones which slowly built-up their experience, confidence and relationships.

Since this is a prequel, consider this as another day in their Barrel life, as them going on another of their regular jobs. And just think of this as a learning experience for Kaz. That its the dangers that they got into travelling to a different country that made Kaz learn his and his crew's worth. And prepared him for the negotiations he did with Jan Van Eck in SoC.

• Kaz brought to his knees by Pekka

While Kaz being bested by two mere lackies of Pekka was kinda annoying to me as well, why do we believe that Pekka can't harm him or the others? PEKKA ROLLINS WAS THE BARREL KING BEFORE KAZ.

Remember on the Ferolind when Oomen tells them he was ordered by Pekka Rollins to take down the Dregs? They all were shocked and somewhat worried. And it was brought up later on when Jesper said they were going against Pekka Rollins and Wylan explains for Matthias sake how Pekka is not to be messed with.

It was only Kaz who wasn't concerned at all, who consoles Jesper by saying Pekka is just another Barrel Boss.

And what were we even expecting Kaz to do when Pekka brought him to his knees? Didn't Kaz express in the books enough how a simple beating won't make it up. He promised to take his revenge in small steps— building up his gang, stealing customers from Pekka's clubs, etc. BRICK BY BRICK.

So Kaz can be brought down to his knees too. And Pekka can easily do it if he wishes so. But no one wants outright Gang Wars; Pekka because he is far more experienced and knows when and where to put pressure or when to let go of a job. He even advices Kaz to forget Inej and drop the idea of going against a Mercher in SoC last chapter, because it is a foolish thing to do.

And Kaz wouldn't want gang wars because he knows the Dregs aren't big enough to face the whole of Dime Lions. Besides he already plans to bring down Pekka brick by brick.

But no one threatens Kaz Brekker, so consider this "on his knees" scene as a set up and another reason for Kaz to strike back and pay back tenfold.

It will also serve as an amazing parallel if we get to see him make Pekka beg on his knees.

• Kaz and Inej are too obvious

Are they? Haven't they always been like that when in each other's company or when around the other Crows? So of course they're expressing alot in front of Jesper.

But note that there are was no incident in the show where Kaz expressed his slowly developing feelings in front of his enemies, namely Pekka. In fact all Kanej moments happen only between them or in Jesper's presence. So there's nothing wrong with that.

Are they too obvious? No. As I said before and as we all know Kaz and Inej ALWAYS share deep conversations whenever together even in books— "i will have you without armor", "i would come for you", etc.

So show Kaz telling Inej "no saints have watched over me like you.." was not much different from their canon alone conversations.

Have they shown too much already? NOT AT ALL.

We only saw Kaz putting the Crow Club on collateral but his reason behind it wasn't shown at all.

We only saw Inej kill a man to protect Kaz. We don't know why she chose to kill for him. You can't immediately translate that to love. It can very well be considered her trying to pay back because he saved her from the Menagerie.

Remember in Crooked Kingdom Chapter 4, Inej says: "their lives had been a series of rescues ever since, a string of debts that they never tallied as they saved each other again and again."

So consider these moments as their endless back and forth of saving each other.

*Another thing to note in the show is when Inej gave her knives to Kaz. She says: "as a friend once said".

She has started considering Kaz a "friend" and she knows he feels the same way even though he won't say it. They're only starting to open up and give way to friendship. And not just Kanej, Jesper too.

People can care for and have each other's backs without it having a romantic aspect. The show gave the viewers a peek at what Kanej are willing to do for each other and showed that there's obviously sparks flying but no clear motto. We still didn't see Kanej's first encounter at the Menagerie or Kaz staring at Inej sitting on his window. These are just small moments to set up the ship.

• The Crows only there for comic relief

NO. I don't agree to this at all.

I'm gonna go back to SoC Duology. Now we know both the books have a sort of a dark setting. But both of these books also had hilarious moments.

Right in Chapter 2 of SoC, Jesper joking about spelling with his bullets and Kaz joining in on the joke. There's also the "this whole shoot me thing is starting to worry me". Inej & Kaz's banter about "greed is your god".

Almost every chapter had atleast one moment that was either comical or to lighten the mood or just straight up banter between the Crows. And all those moments were all always entagled with serious ones.

The show did exactly the same. We were given their crime life because they were after all, on a job to capture and sell off a person. But the show lightened it by adding the Crows banter and certain comical moments. And for the finishing touches, they sprinkled in some vulnerability.

• Kaz not being ruthless enough

I AGREE. I DO.

What the fuck is wrong with us all wanting a sinister man being ruthless? 😂

There's not much I can say about this but that even in books, Kaz isn't always ruthless.

He is mostly giving out orders and scheming schemes. But in those rare moments in the book when we get to see Dirtyhands, we are given a view into some really intense moments.

When Kaz dislocates a man's arm in the Ice Court Prison, he himself admits it that he didn't do it as much to make himself look intimidating to the other criminals but more to remind himself that he can do it, that he isn't some helpless man.

The only such thing we got in the show was the brief scene between Kaz and that Inferni where he had that scary look on his face as he crushed that inferni's arm and slammed his face.

WE DID DESERVE MORE OF THAT.

But maybe it was a good moment to set him up for more violence in the coming seasons. *crosses fingers*

• The Crows not stealing from Alina

Okay whilst Inej wouldn't do it, Jesper may only consider, Kaz would definitely do it!

Remember Kaz kazually conversing with Van Eck and Pekka but also stealing their stuff in those moments with his slight of hands?

Yeah, the showrunners had a perfect chance at the end to do it but they missed it 😐

This is probably the one thing that I'm unable to settle with 🤧

So..that's it!

I don't want everyone to agree with me but I hope everyone can be a little less aggressive and more kind to the show. It was still amazing, if not a proper adaptation then at least good as a standalone show. And the showrunners already did say "high budget fanfiction"

[swanimagines]

Please tell me what you like most in the 5 Freddy's characters you're writing at the moment 😉

Pin: I don't even know what exactly did he do to make me fall for him 😂 Probably Freddy acted as a very sturdy bridge as I often crush on different characters played by that same actor even if I don't crush on the actor themselves. But even so, Pin is very lovable character. Oh! One thing I often like in characters is when they're kind of closed off at first and not all sunshine and welcoming at first glance. I don't know why 😂 They can be even mean, or then just non-trustful, I'm more likely falling for them if they are like that. + Animal-loving men are always nice to have, and his castle would have enough space for my piggies too 😄

Kaz: Hehhh this requires a story that's going to sound so selfish... when I first saw him in episode 1, I stared at him just like WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS GUY and when the whirring in my brains didn't have any effect and wheels just ran empty, I googled the actor and was like uh I've never seen anything he's in but I'm certain I've seen him somewhere, continued watching and then I realized that Freddy looks JUST like my OC I developed between 2008-2013 when I was writing my novel I started in 2005... Kaz is very similar to Korppi on top of it. Korppi didn't have a touch aversion or any traumas but he, too, was this really grumpy guy who dressed in all black, he also had a cane and a hat, but Korppi's hat wasn't a fedora, it was a kind of a bowler hat? With wider brim? Like a mix between a fedora and a bowler hat? And he looked kinda older than he was even though he was only like, 30 because he was always so tired. And he was supposed to be a kind of a teacher/mentor for the main character(s) in my novel, I abandoned the novel for good in 2018 though as I figured that it won't carry, but Korppi is a character I'm never stopping to be proud of, I had thought him out so well out and he doesn't even feel like my character. But yeah after the first shock of "recognizing" Kaz as Korppi, I started to like him. Also because for some reason, my biggest character crushes have been traumatized boys played by British actors with angry eyebrows... it seems that I have a very specific type 😂

Tom: I find a little bit of teenager me in him, with his anger issues. Well, I wouldn't have hurt an animal but I did throw stuff around and scared other people by shouting really disturbing stuff at them at times... so I kinda relate to him?? Well, he'd be a hardcore teenager me in any case. Also the fact that he's actually broken and abused and not thoroughly "evil", he needs a therapist. My "I can save him" thought creeps in again 😅

Jason: Well, teenager Jenni was craaaaazy about characters who are unstable/toxic, especially Ledger!Joker and it still mirrors itself to present moment with certain characters so... and ofc him being played by Freddy boosted into it 😅

Ellis: I can't really watch The Convent (because Jenni + horror causes multiple sleepless nights) so I can't form a full picture about him, but based on stuff I have read by googling around and watching some short clips + @mysoftboybensolo's dating preferences, I think he seems like such a sweetheart. + Jenni is always doomed to fall in love with people who die... 😅

Not tagging anyone since this isn't exactly creative writing, just my own thoughts and opinions.

[alexiaugustin]

good morning mutuals and everyone else on tumblr who is cool and made my year! this is gonna be my mutuals appreciation post 2020 because if anything good happened this year then it's getting to know all of you guys so there's that. i love you all so so sooo much and always love to see y'all and your gif sets / memes / crack posts /rants / edits and so on and so forth on my dash. you made this year beautiful and i just wanna thank u for that!💘💘 (also im sorry if the picture above activates anyone's fight response i just thought that it would fit if i went back to where it all started)

@engelkeijsers mare my love i don't even have words to describe how much i love you and am happy to have you in my life. i consider you one of my closest friends by now and that's why i always message you whenever exciting shit happens in my life (or whenever shit goes down that ofc depends🤪). our phone calls were so fucking funny and i loved talking to you sooo much i can't wait to meet you in real life one day!!💖 please feel hugged you're such a beautiful human.

@dreamaur ann my beloved mutual i love you from the bottom of my heart and just wanna thank you for being the cute bitch that u are who always remembers our mutuals anniversary like....🥺🥺 i just love that we always watch and read and stan the same things like what kind of soulmutuals behavior is this?. can't wait for s&b to air so we can always freak out about kaz and inej and everyone else together. i'm kissing your cheek and wish you the absolute best for 2021 because u deserve the best😽

@sotorubio silja i love you and your blog so much you just have such a galaxy brain and you're so eloquent and your blog is one of the few that i check on regularly because i don't wanna miss a single post you make. here's a fun fact before i properly got to know you i thought that you were sooo intimating i don't even know why and then we started talking at some point and i was like "hold on a second they are SO lovely and warm actually and not intimating at all hdhdh" as you might have figured out by now i always love talking to you about skames or rant about 13rw and everything else. i just love u!!!🧡

@helmtaryn aurore you are probably the first person who ever started talking to me on here and so it all began and we always talked abt skam france before s6 started and during and you're just such a wonderful person!! thank you for always being there for me and helping me with my french homework i truly cannot thank you enough for that because you're constantly saving my ass jdhd. you're just so fun to talk to and such a talented gif maker like... for real your gif sets always knock me out and you're always so original in what you gif🥺❣

@geminibf i know i've told you that before but your blog is my comfort blog on here literally just seeing your posts on my dash always makes my day and you're one of the most beautiful ppl i've ever known like how do you even manage to do that🥺💘 plus you're sooo talented at this point im convinced that there's absolutely nothing that you cannot do so yeah i have no idea where this sentence is going but i guess what im trying to tell u is that i love u and im so happy to be ur friend

@alterlovex niiiii❣❣❣ you're not even like a tumblr mutual you're like my tumblr sister (figure out what the hell this is supposed to mean jdjd) and you were one of the first people who hyped my stupid posts up and it always made me go 🥺😭. i started following you despite the fact that u had a wtfock icon (honorary) and i absolutely never regretted it. you're so beautiful and warm and so is your blog and i will try to talk more to u again in 2021. im virtually sending you so many flowers🌷🌻🌸💐

@jorgecrespo you're just the coolest bitch alive. i followed you for your skam rankings and stayed for your whole entire personality. every post you make truly just slaps, you never miss, and i relate to you so much jdjd. the way you answer anon messages will forever be my favorite thing about your blog and just the way you talk in general like without even seeing your url i always know when it's you who wrote a post. i love you❕❕💖

@jusdekiwi you and aurore are the reason why french people deserve rights, you are such a lovely and genuine person and i absolutely love you and your chill vibes on your blog. also thank you for helping me out with my french homework thingy once like. thank you so so much for being so lovely and taking your time julia!🌻

@suburbanenigma carmen i love you and all of your posts and just the vibes on your blog!!! also omfg your riverdale side blog always makes me laugh soo much i truly cannot wait for s5 to air so we can make fun of it together because i will live blog the shit out of it too!! you're just one of the coolest bitches ever i don't know how else to say it. i love you and cant wait to talk to you more next year. you're such a blessing for this hellsite🦋✨

@sundaymorninghangover julian you are one of my oldest friends on here and i've loved you ever since i found your blog and figured out that u were a part of the having taste club (skames fandom) too!! you're so chill!!! i love your brain!! i love your posts!!! and most importantly i love you. please keep on blessing my dash with your cool posts because they are definitely appreciated and loved in this house. also i miss your frog icon (please don't hit me in case it wasn't a frog) it just spoke volumes about your vibes but i love ur new one too!! still associate the purple heart with you so here it is 💜💜

@lesbeanfatou clara you simply are an angel. you used to have a nora grace icon and i went: that's it, she's the one, she has taste im gonna follow!! and look it was one of the best decisions ever. you're my favorite chaotic n cool mosquito hater and i just love you so much and you made my year beautiful!! thank you for always listening to me when i came into your inbox to have a break down (positive or negative) over the we feel in love in october girl and thank you for teaching me how make edits!!!💐💘

@aoixe you're one of my favorite skamfr hate blogs and certain men hate blogs (if u know u know) i always love talking and ranting with you and am so glad that we're sometimes just dming!! you're vibes are so cool a d you seem like such a chill person i love you and wish you all the best for 2021!!❣❣

@fatoudixon ana i love you and your blog so so much and especially your druck reaction videos on youtube!! you seem like such a genuine and beautiful person and even though we're not talking much please just know that im always happy to see you on my dash. happy new year to you!!💘💘

@cash-queens sam🥺 you're so sweet and kind this hell site truly doesn't even deserve you but we all love that you're here anyway!! i would protect you with my life and i hope that we will get to talk more in 2021 because you're such a lovely person and for now im just gonna wish u a happy new year✨

@avaceleste sophiaaa💌 you've been here ever since the very beginning of skamfr season 6 and i always love talking to you and long live our eliola jokes, you were probably the person i started this cult with so here is our eliola emoji starterpack one more time in 2020 💏🌧🎬

@hashtag-ohboy-nicetry i have no idea whose side blog this was but the url alone made my entire year🤭🤞

@ random love anon❤ i love you and hope that 2021 will be a good year for you because you absolutely deserve it!!! wishing u nothing but the best i always love to see you around!💐💘

all the other amazing blogs i love and am always happy to see on my dash (doesn't matter if we're mutuals or not)

@floraflorenzi / @bi-kieu-my / @gumptin / @thegirlnooneknows5 / @littleweirdoss / @sohereisthisasshole / @noramachwtz / @nori-in-pink / @ayellowcurtain / @mailinrichter / @ijzermanora / @fudgetunblr / @lesbianfatous / @norgestan / @cfgc / @avaspereira / @theflowerisblue / @smblmn / @jon-astronaut / @amiraamore / @parelmoer / @stqrz 💘❣💐🦋💌🌸

i wish all of you a very happy new year and thank you for all of your gifs, posts, translations, fanfics & edits you all truly make this place beautiful❕💘

[lucky-draws]

aaaa please share more ship songs if you have them! doesnt have to be otasune ofc, any will do!

aaah hello, OK!!! I can share a few, honestly it's mostly a case of me just idly listening to songs by fave bands that I always listen to and suddenly thinking "heehoo what if i applied this to metal gear" LOL

I love Depeche Mode and so much of their stuff fits so well with metal gear, just the dark (and horny) vibes, but in particular I'm gonna mention Judas by them because I think it fits bosselot well. Not in a very healthy way, because the song is all kind of...loving someone religiously to the point of sacrificing your own health and piece of mind in return (possibly) for someone else's love (LOL)...

I won't write an essay but just. lines like "walk on barefoot for me, suffer some misery" and "open yourself for me, risk your health for me/ if you want my love" just. They make me think of older bosselot, from the 80s onwards, when you've got Big Boss descending into this truly awful, manipulative monster of a villain, and Ocelot increasingly choosing to make ridiculous sacrifices for him, i.e. the self hypnosis in '84 and then being possessed by liquid and eventually letting liquid basically take over for mgs4 and only returning to his real self right before he dies, and just in general all the stuff he's been masterminding ultimately for the sake of Big Boss. (And, you know, it's even worse because I don't see Big Boss as reciprocating Ocelot's feelings to the same extent, so it's just like...you've got Ocelot, the worst person ever, acting as a sort of devil's apostle, martyr even, idk man I just love the strange contrast of it all where they're both these dark, dark people in an awful tale but Ocelot can also be seen as this self sacrificing, devotional figure, motivated to do all the horrible stuff he does by a love that may or may not be requited.)

I said I wasn't going to write an essay and then went on a bosselot tangent, my apologies but they really get me acting extremely unwise I'm so sorry xD

I'd also say 'Shake The Disease' by Depeche Mode is vaguely bosselot, kind of from Ocelot's perspective.

I've been meaning to draw something BBKaz related captioned with lines from the song 'Thick As Thieves' by The Jam... honestly the song is more abt childhood friends falling out than. well. war buddies and great life ruining love and betrayals, but the lines 'like a perfect stranger, you came into my life/ then like the perfect lone ranger you rode away, rode away' immediately conjured up BB riding off into the evil sunset on his silly little motorcycle and leaving Kaz behind etc..

Oh, also Halo by Depeche Mode, I think the user jxthics on here did some bosselot art captioned with lyrics from that, and they were extremely right because it's a very bosselot song imo.

Like I said there are a lot of Depeche Mode songs I relate to mgs, so I won't list them all, and apologies if they're not your kind of thing xD

Sometimes it's just one or two lines from songs that make me think of ships, like in 'Is There Something I Should Know' by Duran Duran there's a wonderfully cheesy bit which goes 'don't say you're easy on me, you're about as easy as a nuclear war' and that phrase and the song in general makes me think of MGS3 bosselot idk xD

I guess I'll leave it here for now, thank you for the ask! Have a good day :D

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hello! Forgive me if you already did this and I accidentally skipped it on the masterlist haha. May I request some of the SDR2 cast (I would love if you included Hajime and Akane in it but you don't need to ofc!) with a gender-neutral SHSL Plague Doctor S/O and maybe they surprise them with a Plague Doctor plushie and the Plague Doctor S/O ADORES it? Sorry if I'm being super specific fahhfsi

Wait woah I LOVE PLAGUE DOCTORS. Also I figured that some can give a plushie, while others can give an item that resembles a plague doc in some way!

.........

Hajime

During his free time with you, he was intrigued (tho at the same time grossed out) by all the things plague doctors did to treat their patients.

Even so, you found your way into his heart--despite him being a mere Reserve Course student.

He sees just how scary you are when defending him (especially when Nagito mocked him for being talentless during the Killing School Trip).

He feels like he owed you for standing up for him.

So he commissioned Kazuichi to make you a mechanical bird with the likeness of a plague doctor.

You find it in your mailbox one morning and immediately rush to his cottage to hug him.

Teruteru

“You know if you’re feeling hot and sweaty under all that garb..you can always take it off. I won’t judge~”

Of course he finds you flattering even though you’re always cloaked, complimenting your body.

If he goes too far though, you’ll be sure to jab him with your cane as a warning.

When that first happened, he felt really bad about making you uncomfortable.

So he decided to make you a bento box, with the rice and other ingredients being in the shape of a plague doctor mask.

It’s probably the best bento box you’ve ever eaten in your entire life.

You forgive your chef bf with a kiss, and he’s right back on cloud nine.

Gundham

You’ve become closer to Gundham more than anyone.

Probably bc he sees you’re protected from the “poison” that he apparently had in his flesh.

So he didn’t mind holding hands with you when you two started dating.

You’re both just a perfect match: dark aesthetics, interest in the supernatural, and animal lovers.

You teach him about your old ways of curing illnesses, and he listens with awe and fascination.

He wanted to give you something as a symbol of his eternal gratitude.

So when he came across a plague doctor plushie online, he believed it was the perfect offering for you.

And he was right.

It sits on your shoulder all the time now, just like how one of his Dark Devas do.

Mikan

Despite you two having vastly different ways of treating patients (with her methods more modern and yours more traditional), she still loves you a lot.

She's grateful that you easily scare Hiyoko away whenever she bullies her. All you gotta do is wear your mask and she runs away crying.

Mikan herself finds it scary, too, but..also cute???

She's conflicted.

Though she’s scared of you mentioning any leeches, so you stopped doing that and only threatened to throw some at Hiyoko.

One day Mikan tries surprising you with a plague doctor plushie, just a small token of her endless appreciation for you.

Only to, of course, trip and fall into your arms while the plush ended up in a puddle.

She’s understandably upset and starts crying, but you soothe her and pick up the soaked plushie with a smile.

You let her know you appreciate the gift...then it's happy tears from the timid nurse that follow.

Nagito

"Oh, I understand why you still wear that attire....I'm surprised more people don't when they're around someone as disgusting as me-"

You’re a little irritated he always says that, as you know it’s far from true. But you have a lot of patience.

One day you roll up to class without your mask, and Nagito stares at you like you’re a whole new person.

But he compliments you, though you stop him before he compares your appearance to himself.

You’re always so kind and patient with him--and you’ve had your fair share of people dying around you.

He doesn’t quite know how to thank you for just..being there for him.

So he buys you a plague doctor plush. Even though he keeps doubting you’ll actually want it.

After a series of unfortunate incidences, he finally manages to give it to you.

Seeing the smile on your face was worth all the bad luck he endured.

Impostor

Like them, you never reveal your face often.

They understand why, but one day they decide to make a deal with you: they'll reveal their true self if you do the same.

So you agree.

And wow...you're absolutely stunning beneath the mask. They love you even more now! 

Though if you ever need to put it back on, they won’t judge. They’re just happy you were comfortable with them.

However they had another reason they wanted to see your face...and it was so they could surprise you with a small plague doctor plushie they ordered online.

Seeing your smile made them chuckle.

Adorable indeed.

Kazuichi

Has a panic attack every time he sees you wearing the mask.

Even though he knows it’s you he just freaks out.

You reluctantly leave it off around him.

And of course he’s gonna compliment you every chance he gets.

On your one month anniversary of dating, he makes you a wind-up toy of a plague doctor. 

It’s even got a cane that moves up and down, as well as a lavender-scented air freshener built into the beak!

You love it to death and call it adorable.

Though Kaz only replies,“well not as adorable as the real deal~"

"......w-was that a good line? Please tell me it was-”

[ranpoismyblorbo]

Ok so as I said a while back, apparently I am god because I understand the Ice Court Heist so here I am to explain it to you mere mortals in the simplest way possible: bullet points.

(This is just part one I'll post the second one after a while I have history class rn)

They get into the cart to get in as prisoners

Kaz faints cuz too many people and his touch aversion so once they get into the cart everyone is too close and he faints ("It was because she was listening so closely that she knew the exact moment when Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, the bastard of the Barrel and the deadliest boy in Ketterdam, fainted" will always be one of my fav dramatic quotes lmao)(this isn't important to plot but it is to my heart)

He dreams about his INNOCENT ASF NINE YEAR OLD SELF GOING THRU TRAUMA THAT WOULD BREAK WHOLE ASS ADULTS- (again not important to plot)

Anyways there is a lil skirmish cuz they didn't have time to check whose places they were taking so the guards were a lil confused and fighting about who fucked up and whose responsibility it is but eventually laziness did its job and they were in.

They were seperated into boys and girls and taken down these walkways which were bulit around (over??) A sort of enclosure with all of the high end tech Fjerda had on display and a banner of "Fjerdan Might" (pls😭)

They had to strip down again Kaz went into almost black out mode BUT HE HELD ON BY THINKING OF INEJ'S VOICE HE KEPT HIS EXTREME PHOBIA AT BAY BY JUST THINKING OF HER VOICE I CAN'T THEY'RE SO BEAUTIFUL 😭😭😭😭😭

Now read the last one again.

Anyways guards found lockpicks in his mouth then they reached the actual prison, Kaz has a mini fight with another prisoner to make sure no one disturbs them ("and to remind himself he wasn't completely helpless" or smthng like that)

Jesper drops chloro gas pill that he had inside his skin under stitches into the pee bucket and everyone faints and the Crows cover their faces then Jesper turns out to be a Fabrikator and creates two lockpicks out of the iron of the jail bars (and flirts with Wylan) and they get out.

Wylan and Kaz go to get the girls out who did the same thing except the actual getting out and Matthias and Jesper get the rope.

They get to the incinerator only to find out it was used that morning and therefore is very very hot and a piece of cloth Jesper threw in there burnt to ashes before touching the coals. Also Nina went with Kaz instead of Jesper and Matthias because Kaz wanted to look for Pekka Rollins. They find Inej's boots and Kaz's gloves and Inej wears them to help her climb and starts up the incinerator.

Meanwhile Nina and Kaz are looking for Yul-Bayur and Nina finds a prison area for Grisha while Kaz goes an extra row than they agreed in his search for Pekka, he finds him, gloats/bloodies him up a bit leaves.

BUT that leads to him being late while returning to the agreed meeting point with Nina and that leads to Nina being distracted and that leads to Yellow Protocol (sector disturbance) being initiated.

Meanwhile, Inej almost dies.

BUT that helps her figure out she wants to have a crew of her own which takes down slavers and that's what she's gonna do with her share of the money so we're all good.

Anyways she reaches the top, everyone climbs up with the rope Inej tied somewhere at the roof, Nina arrives, realises Kaz isn't there, climbs up, Jesper is waiting just as he's about climb as well, tired of this mf's shit, Kaz shows up all bloody and tells Jesper to climb tf up what's he waiting for and Jes is like...YOU DUMBASS-

Everyone demands an explanation, Kaz tells them he went looking for Pekka Rollins, Inej and Kaz share a look (he told her Pekka killed his brother on the boat) and Jesper gets jealous.

They need to find another way in because another checkpoint got added because of Yellow Protocol and they can't go in as embassy members anymore.

Inej ofc, being the selfless badass bitch that she is, says she knows a way and tells them they enter with the Menagerie (she's so selfless smh imagine the trauma she pushed through😭😭😭😭)

New plan includes absolute mayhem, initiating Black Protocol (aka doomsday) and everyone going batshit crazy.

Jesper and Wylan go to activate doomsday (by ruining the gate of the druskelle sector) Matthias and Kaz look for a way to the jackpot (treasury) is and Nina and Inej become prostitiutes.

[0itmelex0]

💋 + my favourite bois Jesper and Lorenzo

actual first kiss

wELL I HAVE SOME NEWS FOR YOU

their first kiss is written right here

and i have some extra details that may not be super obvious or weren't there

so, jesper absolutely remembers it

sure it's foggy in his mind but he knows it happened and who it happened with

our knife bird on the other hand does not remember a fucking thing

except the fact of meeting this cute boy from novyi zem that is his bi-wakening

and also that they hung out on the roof of the leaky tap and drank some whiskey

but other than that, a complete blur

first sober kiss

this ended up being longer than expected so their first sober kiss is under the cut fdshkj

so some pretext to this, while lorenzo was practing for his act with inej for winter fete, he noticed the fact that jesper was being kinda flirty with the stable hand

and let's just say knife bird was being more abrassive and asshole-ish than usual

bUT he wasn't jealous. he'd never be jealous

spoiler alert: he was so fucking jealous

and before they all break to their posts for winter fete, jesper confronts lorenzo over how different he's being and the fact of the somewhat unspoken feelings between each other

lorenzo just shuts down (?) and tries to change the subject

“For somebody like you, you really are a coward over this.” Jesper scoffed and brashly pushed himself away from the wall.

Lorenzo exhaled shakily. He chewed on his bottom lip. “A coward over what?” For the first time since crossing the Fold, he couldn’t look Jesper in the face.

Jesper shook his head. His hands folded over his chest. “I figured you were in some sort of denial, but saints… didn’t realize it was this bad.” With annoyance in his step, he roughly brushed past Lorenzo, making Lorenzo lose his footing. “See you at the checkpoint, Lorenzo,” Jesper muttered under his breath.

they just leave on not good terms once breaking to their posts

and lorenzo with his horrible coping mechanisms, acted like for the next few hours as if that moment between them wasn't really bothering him. just went on as if nothing was wrong

when in reality, the way they left off was eating him alive

after lorenzo sneaks out of the little palace after his, kaz, and inej's covers were basically blown, he meets back up with jesper at the checkpoint but kaz and inej haven't made it yet

lorenzo fills jesper in over what happens

and lorenzo makes a remark over how general kirigan looked at him a bit longer than he probably should have. looked at him as if he had a familar face

“Well, maybe you just have one of those faces. One of those cute faces.”

“Shut up, Jes. It really isn’t the time to be acting like that.”

Jesper’s lips formed a pout. “Oh, why not, Enzo?” He grabbed Lorenzo’s chin and tilted it upward.

“Kaz and Inej are in there being hunted by Grisha. Can’t forget that we lost the target too.” A scoff left Lorenzo’s lips as he brashly pushed the sharpshooter away then leaned against the statue. “You went off and fucked that stable boy while we actually tried to contribute to the plan.”

jesper accuses of lorenzo being jealous as fuck after that

and ofc, the knife bird hardcore denies it and his abbrasive side aka defensive side gets kicked up a notch

“You see, Enzo, I would believe you, but uh…” Jesper grazed a finger over Lorenzo’s ear, then across his cheek, “your red ears and cheeks,” then his thumb ran over Lorenzo’s top lip, “and that twitching lip says otherwise. Oh, and can’t forget that look in your eyes either.”

jesper just kind of pushes knife bird's buttons just right

“I’ll be honest, unlike how you’ve been. I really wish it was you instead of him.”

“I don’t give a damn, Jesper. Just…”

“Just what, hm?” He chuckled, then ran the back of his hand across Lorenzo’s cheek. “You wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.”

Lorenzo inhaled sharply. “No, I don’t.”

“Then say it. Say that you don’t want to kiss me. Say ‘I don’t want to kiss you, Jes’,” Jesper leaned closer, “those exact words and then I’ll drop it and won’t ever bring it up again.”

“I don’t.” He couldn’t concentrate enough to push out his emotions, to bring himself to say those words. Maybe if he didn’t have to say 'Jes’ at the end, he could have done without it.

“You don’t…”

then lorenzo stops being an annoying little bish and finally kisses jesper

they basically have a very heated make out session

and it only gets interrupted when alina exits the little palace

when kaz and inej finally meet up with the two idiots, they absolutely notice on the two idiots the messy hair, half unbutton shirts, hickeys forming... they know, but don't say shit

[nymsonlinecottage]

ok i thought of this when I woke up at 3am because of allergies so I was probably only half awake but: Skylar getting tired of Kaz and Chase's annoying little disagreements, so forces them to dance with each other. Something about "being in sync now will help you be in sync irl"

2/2: then ofc chase and kaz are like "psh fine." and do what she says cuz she's Skylar. But then they catch Feels.

---

oh my gosh, I love this

• Chase and Kaz fought about everything

• movies, songs, food, training, phones, books, the messiness within the penthouse, the level of sarcasm that is used during team meetings, memes- it got very out of hand

• Skylar was sick of it

• she told both of them to meet her in the basement one day, and she didn't tell them what they were gonna do, but they did as she said because Skylar lowkey terrifies both of them

• when Kaz and Chase got there, they saw that Skylar had set up a speaker and was connecting it to her phone

• obviously they were like "what's going on??"

• and Skylar gave them the excuse that dancing together would make them be more comfortable working together, on missions and in general, and the whole team would benefit from them getting more in tuned to one another, and it was their responsibility to become more in sync

• and that was a load off bullshit, because Skylar was really just tired of the two being oblivious to their feelings for one another, and this was the only think she could think of doing that would force them to confront their massive crushes for one another head on

• she basically put on some music and was like "kay, y'all have fun with that, imma head out"

• "you're not staying??"

• "lol no, I'm going to get a smoothie"

• once Skylar left, Chase and Kaz kinda debated just not even doing anything, but they really didn't want to run that risk of Skylar figuring out they didn't do as she told them to

• and, hey, it's basically just training, how awkward could it be?

• the answer is very awkward

• "are we supposed to... ballroom dance? Like, tango?"

• "I'm not tangoing with you"

• "so cha-cha?"

• "definitely not"

• "cha-cha slide?"

• "wha- no"

• "waltz?"

• "over my dead body"

• they probably argued about what to do for fifteen minutes but, in their defense, there are many forms of dance to choose from and none of them sounded very appealing to Chase

• finally, Kaz got sick of Chase being such a pain so he dragged Chase up from his seat to the middle of the cleared floor

• "look, Skylar's gonna be back any minute, and if we aren't dancing when she returns she'll never let us hear the end of it, so let's just dance, for fucks sake!"

• Chase huffed, but didn't argue (for once in his life)

• right away, it became very apparent to Kaz that Chase was not a dancer

• Kaz wasn't either, but he at least had some dancing skills and could manage not stepping on his partner's toes every two seconds

• but honestly... it was kinda cute to Kaz when Chase stammered out an apology after tripping or something like that

• Chase was mainly just aware of how close he was to Kaz, and how Kaz had his hand on Chase's waist, and how his other hand was holding Chase's hand, and how close he was to Kaz-

• it was kind of distracting

• after a bit, Skylar was back in the basement, smoothie in hand, and was pleased to see the boys attempt dancing

• and, a few days later, she was very pleased when Kaz ran into her room, screeching "I HAVE A PROBLEM," and asked her for help on asking Chase out

[shima-draws]

OH HEWWO here’s the two new characters for ATS I’ve been gushing about nonstop!! Their refs have actually been done for quite a while, I wanted to draw more of them before I shared but I just got so excited I couldn’t wait!!

Their inspiration is probably pretty obvious lmao as stated several times by my pals but well, Albion’s been planned to look smth like that for a long time now so :’Dc

Albion’s on the top!! And Ikaia’s on the bottom!!

Their backgrounds and story details are under the cut, but be warned, it is LONG lol

Albion Kerrigan Age: ??? (Physically, early twenties) Hair color: Black and white Eye color: Black and white (Dual-user) Element: Light and Darkness

Remember when I introduced Edan and Valdis way waaaay back? Well, Albion is one of their companions--the Grandmaster of Light and Darkness! (His name was Alva previously, but I changed it.) He’s existed within Kishuniia for countless millennia, ever since that world was created. However, unlike his Grandmaster brethren he doesn’t like to play by their rules, and goes to interact with humans despite the fact that it’s strictly forbidden by Astraeus (the Grandmaster’s leader and the only existing tri-user (besides Kaz, who is a special case)). Because of his Grandmaster status, he serves as a pillar for Shima’s world, being an existence that keeps it thriving. If a Grandmaster were to be killed, the entire world would collapse instantly, for those seven pillars are needed to keep it functioning. And that is the reason why they conceal themselves from humans, spending thousands of years avoiding humanity or just in hibernation, and why Astraeus, being their leader, is so cautious about interacting with humans, who could easily abuse them for their power and unknowingly cause the world’s destruction.

Even so! Albion has always been an outsider within the Grandmaster group--not because he doesn’t get along with them (Edan’s his closest friend among them) but because he doesn’t like being tied down by their rules. Humans fascinate him and he’s always seeking knowledge on how they function and evolve, and he’s sorta inherited their mischief, always getting into trouble with people. But that’s just because he’s playful! Being a very curious and energetic person, he easily falls into misunderstandings, and also enjoys playing pranks on people lol

Astraeus is a really calm and laid back person, but with Albion they’re kinda strict--they pretty much act like a parental figure lmao and Albion HATES it. Astraeus kinda treats him like a kid, mostly because they don’t believe Albion is capable of understanding just how important of a being he is, being a god of this world, and it frustrates them. They’re quite protective of all of their Grandmaster allies, especially Albion since they know he attracts trouble and will disobey them no matter what they say. Albion’s constantly just like “Go away” and Astraeus is like “If I don’t keep an eye on you, who knows what will happen” so they’re just constantly arguing. Family squabble. Mkdmasdas

Ikaia Belcour Age: 23 Hair color: Blonde (very subtle pink gradient at the bottom) Eye color: Pinkish-red Element: Water

Ikaia is my newest baby...I would and can die for him...he’s a good soft boy that doesn’t allow any bullshit and pretty much does whatever he can to achieve his goals. He’s also trans!! 

He actually met Albion when he was 8 years old, after finding him collapsed in some bushes outside his house--apparently Albion had irritated some of the boys in town and gotten into a fight with them (but of course, he pulled his punches, letting them get out their anger and trying not to inflict too much damage). Ikaia then tended to his wounds and started asking all sorts of questions. Albion found him immensely entertaining. When Albion asked for his name, Ikaia hesitated because he didn’t like the name he was born with--so Albion gave him the name Ikaia, and he’s stuck with it ever since! 

Albion stays around town for a little while, and he slowly starts getting attached to Ika along the way. Ikaia, being the youngest of a large family, is ostracized by them, especially since they’re all gifted with elemental abilities and can use them brilliantly while he fails to master his powers of water. The only person who really cares for him is his older sister, but it’s hard for her to protect him when everyone else is essentially out to get him. Ikaia tells Albion he dreams of running away and being free from the ties of his family, and doesn’t have to put up with their misgendering and bad treatment of him. Ikaia excitedly suggests traveling with Albion, who sorta just goes with the flow and travels to wherever, being the adventurous type he is (which is smth Ikaia dreams of doing), and Albion jokingly says maybe he can one day.

By mistake Albion realizes that Ikaia’s elemental gifts lie more on the side of ice rather than just water--as elementals tend to specialize in different fields of their element, down to specific battle styles and practical uses. Once Ikaia discovers that he’s able to control his ability EASILY--he realizes he’s better at freezing things, developing a knack for it right away! Albion trains him a bit and teaches him a few Grandmaster tricks that only he knows. Ikaia excitedly goes home to show off to his family--they are proud at first, but immediately turn around and start using Ikaia for his powers, which makes him miserable. They also start noticing Ikaia hanging around Albion, which they find VERY suspicious, and punish Ikaia for meeting with him. Albion feels immensely guilty for getting Ikaia in trouble, and even worse, a very furious Astraeus shows up and berates Albion for interacting with humans, fearing that the secret of his Grandmaster status might leak.

Astraeus threatens to erase Ikaia’s memory of Albion, to which Albion protests, saying it isn’t fair to erase all the happy moments they had together just to preserve their secret. (Also they’d have to get Valdis to come do that who is like halfway across the world anyway.) Because of how close Ikaia and Albion had become, Astraeus says they won’t erase the child’s memory, but that Albion has to leave town and never look back, and forbids him from ever seeing Ikaia again lest Ikaia realizes that Albion’s immortal. At this point Albion’s been driven into a corner and can’t really oppose that decision, so he goes along with it, reluctantly, because he’d actually wanted to see the type of person Ikaia would grow up to be. 

Finally, Albion resolves to leave town. Ikaia is absolutely distraught, of course, not wanting to lose the only friend he has, and the person who’s taught him so much. Albion tearfully says he’ll come back one day, and Ikaia makes him promise to take him with on a journey across Kishuniia and show him everything he knows once he’s grown up and mature enough for the journey :’) Ofc this is a lie but Ikaia doesn’t know that;;

Years after Albion has left, Ikaia becomes stronger and trains more often to master his elemental abilities--and also lashes out more frequently against his family. At this point, he’s become a bitter sort of person, under his family’s control and the promise that Albion never came back to fulfill. His sister gives him encouragement but Ikaia tells her there’s no point in believing in lies, that Albion had probably just been humoring his childish fantasy. Still though, he finally leaves home at age 16--sick of his parents and siblings’ manipulation, he starts traveling around and participating in tournaments to hone his skills. 

And then, 15 years after Albion had left--Ikaia is in his early 20s at this point, and has become a renowned champion of local tournaments, going under the name “Ruka” because he doesn’t feel super comfortable using his actual name, especially because of how important it is to him, being the one big reminder of Albion he has. People refer to him as the “Frigid Prince” because of his use of ice and his cold personality lol. It’s at one of these tournaments that Albion stumbles upon him again, completely by accident 👀 Ikaia is shocked to see him from the audience and almost loses his match but he uses his irritation at Albion to win lol. He honestly thinks it was just a hallucination for a while, but he runs into Albion again outside of town--who had been avoiding meeting him--and just. Shit hits the FAN LMAO. Ikaia is absolutely FURIOUS at Albion for breaking his promise, and ofc is very confused as to why Albion still looks exactly the same. Albion refuses to reveal his identity as a Grandmaster, since he knows the truth would put Ikaia in danger with both Astraeus and any other humans looking to take advantage of them. But it becomes clear to Ikaia that Albion definitely doesn’t age, and probably isn’t human like he’d assumed--and he realizes that was the reason Albion never came back, and slowly but surely forgives him. (He’s still irritated for a long time after tho lmao)

With that said, Albion’s finally able to fulfill his promise and take Ikaia with him on a journey :’D They do a lot of catching up and they spar against each other occasionally, tho most of the time it ends in a draw since Albion’s afraid of hurting Ikaia despite the fact that Ika’s definitely strong enough to handle his blows lol. To Albion, Ikaia feels like an entirely different person, and it takes him a while to adapt to how snarky he’s become, and slowly begins to realize that Ikaia definitely doesn’t smile as much as he used to when he was a kid. (He then starts blaming himself for this drastic change in his friend, wondering if Ikaia’s become such a bitter person because of Albion’s “abandonment” of him.)

It takes a long time for Ikaia to finally start opening up to Albion, but when he does, and when he finally discovers Albion’s status as a Grandmaster--he resolves to protect Albion no matter what, and even stands up to Astraeus and challenges them to a fight in order to prove he’s worthy enough as a human being to stand by Albion’s side :’) Before this Ikaia had kinda been going through life without any real purpose, only wanting to get stronger without knowing why--but when Albion crashes back into his life again, he realizes that Albi’s been the driving force behind everything he’s done in his life, and finally knows what he wants to do from then on out. Seeing Ikaia stand up to Astraeus moves Albion tremendously, and that’s when he starts Catching Feels >:3c (It also doesn’t help that Ika looks REALLY good in thigh highs. Albion’s very weak for them fnadkald)

Ikaia’s pretty popular with his fans--especially the girls, who find him to be very handsome and charming with his cold and quiet demeanor--and Ikaia’s ignorance of them usually makes them freak out over him more lmao he just can’t avoid it :’D He doesn’t really care about fame particularly, and is disinterested in the affairs of his peers in the tournaments, but he does appreciate the support he gets! He’s a very careful battler and strategist, preferring to think first before charging in, while Albion is the exact opposite lmao. Being so cold and calculating gives him an air of arrogance, but he’s not like that, not at all! Deep down he’s still the excited, kind child he used to be, and he still really looks up to Albion a lot and is inspired by him! He likes teasing Albion a lot; they’ll get into friendly arguments and bicker over silly things. Ika thinks Albion’s an idiot despite being an all-powerful immortal being and sorta appoints himself as a babysitter for Albion under Astraeus’ instructions and Albion’s fury at that lol. Ikaia teaches him a lot about the human world, what humans are like, and how they function--which is something Albion’s always been extremely interested in.

They do fall in love, eventually! But it takes a long time because Albion’s never developed feelings for a human before, due to their lifespans being so short and him never being super attached to any of them in particular. He’s curious about them and he likes them, but human lives are fleeting and fragile, so he doesn’t really allow himself to get really close with any out of fear of losing them. After he starts getting closer to Ikaia he becomes very...overprotective of him, and worries constantly about his health and his state of being, and nags at him to be more careful when he gets hurt. Eventually Ikaia snaps back at him and tells him to stop coddling him and acting like a mother hen lmao. He does understand Albion’s fear, as Ikaia feels the same, worried that someone will take Albion away and try to use him against his will, and does his best to reassure him...!

A long time later when they finally get the balls to confess to each other, Albion pleads for Astraeus to let Ikaia become an immortal (who had already considered his options and decided yeah, spending an eternity with Albion would be really nice), and Astraeus, having seen how important they are to each other and viewing Ikaia as Albion’s only true friend, grants him immortality!! (Which they can easily do, being the Grandmaster of Time, Space AND Stars--) And then, Albi and Ika begin their eternity together. Insufferable partners to the end. LMAO

There’s this whole thing where people do eventually find out about Albion and there’s a huge battle arc where they fight to get him back and he turns into a raging demon and unlocks his Grandmaster Destruction Powers or something after Ikaia gets hurt and. Yeah. That’s a story for another time LOL

WHEW sorry that got long but that’s the gist of it!! I love my boys very much and would lay my life on the line for them, yessir

Bonus screencaps from me blabbing on about them in Discord: