#/soz this got so long

[deviousnumbers]

002 | Gladiators These Days

@pleinsdemuses

She couldn't know nothing. She simply couldn't. So the watching and waiting had begun. She worked a lot in a hospital and so she was easy enough to find. Always walking into work bright and early and always walking out late at night.

Finally, she was at the end of her shift and walking out of the building, away, into the darkness. From the safety of his own home, Alfie created a window which replicated one of the larger windows that flanked the hospital.

For someone with such formidable powers, she tended to use them indiscriminately. It was perplexing to see her heal someone with a compound fracture in one room, watch her walk to the next room to heal someone with undiagnosed abdominal pain right after. She didn't seem to care how great or how small the pain was, she would simply take it on. This didn't make sense to Alfie.

Zara walked past, oblivious to the amount of eyes on her, when from behind another approached, lapping her in speed. The other wore a heavy cloak which covered his body and confused his true size.

Alfie knew he was watching one of the bookkeepers shamelessly attempting an assault from behind. He also knew Zara hadn't stolen any spellbooks since he'd begun surveying her. Which begged the question: Was this attack now a result of her interfering and healing him? He'd been left for dead because somebody wanted him dead. And Zara had stood in the way of this.

"I suppose a favor is a favor." He whispered to himself. His digits danced as he recalled a string of numbers in his head. Seemingly arbitrary numbers, yet strung together in just the right order. His small window of view grew in size, widening and lengthening until it resembled that of a door.

He stepped through into the world outside that hospital, onto the street where Zara was, and the bookkeeper was uttering a spell, no doubt, under his lips. Attempting to conjure something? Alfie thought not.

"Touch her and I kill you." Alfie decreed. Though he was speaking directly to the man behind her, his harsh, cold eyes were locked with hers.

Finishing his utterance, a bright light shone behind Zara's back and the unmistakable growling or a predatory beast filled the air. A familiar, of sorts. An animal companion, a bengal tiger, loyal to this bookkeeper was now crouched low to the ground, its eyes trained on Zara's neck.

Alfie's eyes shifted from the beast to it's commander. "Your pet, too." He promised the bookkeeper.

[specific-dreamer]

mmmm thinking about the socs not being able to move on from bob’s death because that’s the first time their actions have had consequences and bob subsequently not being able to move on in death so he’s tethered to tulsa still. bob not knowing what else to do with his afterlife so he follows his friends.

he watches bev and brill who somehow are still tough skinned and thriving. he follows brill to his grave sometimes and listens as brill talks to him and pours one out for him. on the rare occasion bev goes to visit his grave he listens to her call him a stupid idiot through sobs and he longs to comfort her

he watches marcia and his heart aches for her when she starts pulling away from trip because he knows how much they liked each other. he use to think they were a (better) version of him and cherry

he watches chet who goes looking for more fights a lot more often. he watches chet a lot if only because he sees himself a lot in him and he’s scared chet is going to join him real soon.

he watches melvin and sergei a lot too. he hardly knew them but they were the same age as ponyboy curtis and kinda just wants to make sure no one goes after them like he did the curtis kid

most of all, he watches cherry. they broke up and that was probably the scariest moment in his life, including when he got stabbed. not doing right by cherry is probably his biggest regret. he regrets bringing the liquor to the drive in that night, he regrets even going to the nightly double drive in period.

but he watches cherry go through the motions after he died. he watches their friends blame cherry for his death wishing he could say something because it was never cherrys fault. he was blindsided by rage and liquor that night but there wasn’t a single part of bob that blamed cherry. because the thing is he knew he was being irrational, he knew it was absurd to get angry at cherry for talking to a little kid but bobs always been jealous when it came to cherry and he’s always been quick to fly off the handle even when he’s sober. so no, his getting angry and going after those kids and getting himself killed was never cherrys fault and it pissed him off when everyone accused cherry.

(i got besides myself cough cough)

bob watches cherry and how she goes through the motions. he watches her through herself back into her school and volunteer work. he watches her when she goes in her backyard to watch the sun rise every morning. he watches her take away their beach boys albums and put them in a shelf in her closet.

most importantly he watches cherry when she finally learns to let go of him. he watches in real time as cherry stops blaming herself and allows herself to start dating other people again. and he’s not real fond of the guy, dr pepper or something he doesn’t really care, but if the guy makes cherry happy (and he does, he hasn’t seen cherry smile so bright and for so long since way before he died) then he’s alright with a cherry dating a greaser of all things- sorry, of all people.

[kathairoette]

My part for the @ygomerzine! Ocean researcher Yuugi gets some new friends while exploring the ocean floor...

Oh and if you want some Totally Necessary Lore about the Tentayamis (trademark pending), read below~!

All three Tentayamis live in different ocean zones. Mao/s0 Yami lives in the Epipelagic Zone, DM Yami lives in the upper border of the Mesopelagic Zone, and Atem lives in the Bathypelagic Zone.

The Tentayamis are all technically original designs, but each does have specific inspo as the base:

Mao/s0 Yami: Blue Ringed Octopus DM Yami: Argonaut Atem: Vent Octopus

Mao has thick, shorter tentacles that give him more strength and maneuverability. Yami has longer tentacles, but the 'shell' under his arms are paper-thin sacs filled with air, which helps him boost away from predators. Atem's tentacles are the thinnest and weakest of the bunch, but has webbing around them to help him stick onto the hydrothermal vents.

All three Tentayamis have some form of bioluminesence, typically from the spots on their tentacles or the third eye on their foreheads, if they have one. That, paired with their yellow 'fringes', helps them attract prey who mistake the fringe for seaweed.

Atem is somewhat blind as where he lives barely has any sunlight, but his third eye in particular is highly sensitive to certain rays of light. Yuugi eventually moves him to a separate tank when he notices the spotlights make him uncomfortable.

Thus, instead of moving with sight, he moves by touch! Atem recognizes the other Tentayamis or Yuugi himself by wrapping his own tentacles around them, and is often the first to play with any new toy Yuugi drops into their tank.

All three of them are curious about the two-legger that visits them, but Yami follows Yuugi more closely compared to the others. He's often being the first to greet him when Yuugi arrives and loves mimicking his movements.

The plastic thing floating behind Mao (who's eating a fish) is a baby bottle. It's based on an actual experiment where a scientist tested if an octopus could untwist the bottle to get the fish trapped inside. But instead, the octopus ripped off the rubber from the baby bottle and got the fish that way. So of course, Mao does that too XD (coincidentally, this also implies that Atem is more dextrous, as he was able to unscrew the cap in the photo next to him XD)

[callmebeem]

Robert(a) Marks they could never make me hate you

[heffrondriving]

❝ And KENDALL needs to stop talking back to me after everything I say! ❞

[lozzamation]

:) Every :) days :) great :) at :) your :) Junes :)

[autistic-katara]

icl i would be at least a little happy with almost any ending for stranger things but one thing that would ruin all of it would be an epilogue (of a decade or more later)

[oceanwithouthermoon]

ive been unhealthily fixated on kubosai for the past few weeks, i just have no idea how to put it into words. kuboyasu aren and saiki kusuo are in love btw

[naileadevoras]

zarayna + luciano : your love is all i wanna know .

ship headcanon ideas for @pcrtrait based on this post !

how   did   your   muses   meet   ?

i'm now realizing how much of a throwback this ask meme is going to be bc omg ? i can't believe they met through his father ... & we all know how much of a mess that era was 👀 like , from zara just being an assistant to them now married im ... yeah <3

how   long   have   your   muses   known   each   other   ?

pleaseee i know it's only been about 3 years since we first started writing them but like , they've gone through so much together ( they are literally married hello ) & i genuinely think they've lived so many different lives together too ?? surely they've been together for more than five years now ... & a billion more to go ? they find each other in every lifetime type vibe ? yes .

have   your   muses   ever   traveled   together   ?

yes !! aside from their yearly holiday with the group , i can see zara attending almost every show he has bc that's our supportive queen ,,, catch her in the vip section every time yup 😌 & lucio would most def. surprise her with cute trips abroad as a date :') he'd be like ' wake up babe , we're going to morocco today '

what   was   the   last   place   your   muses   went   to   together   ?

i feel like it would be somewhere lucio would've performed at ; like , them trying out a new restaurant in every country they visit . so they'd be somewhere like reykjavik , iceland & even though lucio would b a bit tired from performing , he'd still insist on going out w zara & they'd prolly have a cute lil sushi date at night im so :(

what   was   the   last   movie   your   muses   watched   together   ?

okay so zara's definitely the type to love old romcom / coming of age movies from the 90s ,,, & she has made it her mission to re - watch all of her favorite ones w lucio . so every time both of them have a few hours of free time , she's setting up the living room with cute pillows + soft blankets ( maybe even building a fort ?? ) for them to watch on ,, & tonight's movie of choice would be sixteen candles !

do   your   muses   have   playlists   made   for   each   other   ?

why yes 🤭 like , it's absolutely canon that lucio will sneak in some of his own songs he's written about zara in the playlist & she secretly loves it LMAO . as for zarayna , she's totally the type to make a playlist for every major / minor event in her life so she'd have a specific playlist for that time they went to london ... or that time they cooked breakfast together at germany ... or that time they got lost in bora bora , & etc etc .

what   was   the   last   gift   your   muses   got   for   each   other   ?

i also think it's canon that these two will just give each other cute trinkets & random gifts that remind them of the other ; there doesn't have to be a special occasion for them to be giving each other gifts yk ? so zara could be shopping & she'll see a hoodie that would look so good on him ,,, next thing you know she's walking out with five sets of outfits for lucio i'm 💀 also , they def. still continue their tradition of luca giving zara a new teddy bear for every country he tours at <3

does   your   muses   have   a   '   place   '   that's   just   for   the   two   of   them   ?

i'm sticking w the touring theme here but yk how in paris they have that love lock bridge ? i feel like zara & lucio would have a place similar to that , but it wouldn't be a popular tourist destination ... they would've found out about this ' secret ' place during one of their date nights ( of course it HAS to be in a country where they dont live smh ) & now every time they visit that country , it's another cute tradition for them to visit that place only the two of them know abt !

does   your   muses   want   children   ?

i had to giggle with this one bc we've both talked abt them & their future kids 48304830 times now 😭 i just knooow these two wanna build a soccer team so bad with how many kids they want omfg ... like u said , they'd probably end up having five kids ! so they better start trying rn because the clock is ticking ... cough cough

do   your   muses   want   to   get   married   ?

[ stares into the camera like im in the office ] ... do i have to answer this bc ? bff they are HAPPILY married & in love & we are manifesting that no more drama or scandals come their way !!! ( very unlikely but we can dream ofc ) sigh their wedding day must've been sooo fun though omg it definitely ended with them + the guests all jumping in the massive pool to end the night :')

do   your   muses   have   any   pets   together   ?

i'm aware they have rambo ( im a rambo stan btw ) & zara has the cats she left back in sweden ,,, although i feel like she would've brought them with her once she moved in w lucio , but i highly doubt they would adopt more right now esp. since they're never really home anyway ? so maybe they can have more pets once they've settled in & are ready to start a family .

what   do   your   muses   do   for   fun   together   ?

not my mind suddenly swerving to an nsfw answer i'm ... lock me up , goodbye !!! but i'm being so fr , they are always so busy & are constantly travelling that having days where they're just in a hotel room in their robes , in bed all day ordering room service must be incredibly fun for them 🥹 just wrapped up in each others arms , living their best life with no distractions yup ! they be having 30 minute intervals to rest before they're going at it again smh no decorum !

did   your   muses   take   each others   virginity   ?

i- well ... knowing zarayna's history with luca's father ? & him being for the streets before he met her ? the answer is definitely a no 😑 but we don't talk abt that anymore !! i refuse to speak about it ... although one drunken night , she would deffo share the embarrassing & awkward story of when she lost hers at 17 or smthn ,, just for the laffs xx

when   did   your   muses   realize they   had   fallen   for   each   other   ?

it's the way we've probably written this exact scenario back in our indies ... right before they both found out about the affair </3 i simply cannot think abt it or else i will actually go through the five stages of grief ... although for zara i'm pretty sure it was during one of their many dates <33 when he asked her to be his gf <333 she was like yuuup i have fallen for this man & i do Not want to get up .

which one of your muses is more affectionate ?

this is hard bc they show their affection in different ways , yk ? i feel like luca is the type of person who would see a puddle & offer to place his jacket over it just so zara wont have to step on it and get her heels dirty , while zarayna would be the type to notice the tiny details & would care for him , like bringing luca a glass of water when she notices he hasn't been drinking much all day , or giving him a forehead smooch & reminding him it's time for bed when she can clearly see he's been up all night writing song lyrics or smthn !

who's   most   likely   to   apologize   first   after   an   argument   ?

ooo , it depends on who started the argument ; whoever is in the wrong would more than likely apologize first . idk why but out of every one in our group , i can see these two being the most level - headed ones when it comes to disagreements ? ( ezra & rom can't relate btw ) it's like u can just tell they rarely ever argue because they're so good at communicating their thoughts and feelings w each other . we love the character development wow it's giving stable & healthy iktr !

what   was   your   muses   first   impressions   of   each   other   ?

i wanna say it was infatuation at first sight . bc bestie , lucio was sooo flirty with her when they first met i bet zarayna thought all he wanted from her was to be hook up buddies & yet she was like , ' how can u say no to him wtf he has such a pretty face ... & a nice body ... ' she did NOT stand on business and it showed 💀

what   is   one   word   that   would   describe   your   muses   relationship   ?

adventurous ♡

do   your   muses   have   a   '   song   '   that's   just   for   them   ?

bff we have an entire playlist for them !!! ( somehow i still cant add anymore songs to the list & im sad abt it ) but i rlly do love be honest by jorja smith though ,,, however , in their universe i can imagine luca writing a song just for zara . like a song / ep / mini album of unreleased songs just for her :((( ok let me go cry now ....

what   is   your   muse's   sex   life   like   ?   how   frequent   ?   what   are   they   into   ?

oh ok ending the ask meme with a spicy question i see ... i meaaan we both know they're 100% obsessed w each other & simply cannot keep their hands off each other for more than 5 seconds or else they'll go insane 💀 however , i just feel like zarayna is such a vanilla girlie ,, she likes to keep it sweet & simple yk ! but would also be willing to try anything lucio suggests bc she trusts that man w her entire soul fr <3 if he wants her to dress up as a sexy teacher ? hell yeah !! handcuffs in the bed room ? she's down !! she's out here doing tricks & twists for that man yup give that girl an award ,,,

wow what a ride ... the way i developed carpal tunnel from typing all of this was so worth it idk !!! i love them bad <333 KEJWKJDS hope u enjoyed <33

[r1caner]

they're just trying to let some air in but you hold your breath, you hold your breath, you hold it

rated t | 3.9k words

Well. Annabeth was very attractive. And she was Percy’s girlfriend. He was Annabeth’s boyfriend, more like.

And he thought that most people knew that, that they could tell. It wasn’t like either of them hid it, but there was close to no point in having to mention it in the first place, either. Pretty much everyone in their sphere knew who they were, both individually and together.

Maybe Percy’s six-ish years of demigod fame had gotten to his head, because how could he expect a mortal at a random college party to know that?

He couldn’t really help the voice in his head telling him that he should make this guy know it.

[3416]

'a veil will now forever separate our union. but it is a thin veil, and i'm always on the other side, face pressed up against your longing.'

like that is such a fujckdmnsbhfj CRAZY quote i can't stop thinking about it or this show.... i saw someone say lestat could never pull off the flowery title quotes and i'm like. WHAT are you talking about.. he's alwayhsujkd saying intense or romantic articulate shit likerflskdm.. WHAT IS THAT!!

[mewhenifreakit]

curled up by the fire, tail waggin

[reineyday]

i keep trying to write this mishanks christmas fic but it keeps stalling at the first scene 🤦🏻‍♀️ i guess shanks is just doomed to never leave this stupid party oh my god

[aestheticsyoutubers]

life of boris, nocturnoplays ↳ american food to a non-american (apple pie)

[sysig]

Hm ok what's your favorite or a really cool worlbuilding thing you've done? For any fandom or original or even an unimplemented idea

Hmm well at least in the past decade, my big worldbuilding projects have mostly come down to three-ish stories: Other Side of the Gun, Adventures of Gæilo and Ethon, and Just Desserts

OSG was an Invader ZiM fancomic concept I started around 2013 to justify every single Irken headcanon I ever came up with lol - I never finished it, or even really started it, but I put a lot of time and energy into its roughs back in the day :)

^A stick figure recap of Ch. 1, inspired by - what else - the Vargas stick figure recaps lol

One that you can see over here is all the work I did for my DnD campaign, AGE! (Though its sideblog hasn't been updated in a while haha - the AGE tag over here works just as well) I basically homebrewed a pantheon and had an absolute blast designing all the gods and their forms before they became gods and even things like architectural differences in their churches and the BBEG and his motivations and just ah <3 Such a fun project :D

It also laid the groundwork for things like Pokemon Homestyle, specifically all my papercrafts! You can really see how I leveled up haha

And my latest has been Just Desserts! Even with less time under its belt, it's still pretty expansive, as evidenced by my icon and theme and the backlog lol, and it's the one I have the most AUs of! (Though OSG does come close actually haha) There are still some thorny details I'm trying to iron out, especially to do with the magic system, but all the characters and creatures and the fact that I made my own fighting minigame, ah, pleased! I've never been so happy with a sona before Charm! ♥ From the very beginning it's been so fun to work on and I still want to improve!

[rowonlgc]

YOU’VE GOT MAIL !⠀›⠀@lgcbrooke

river,

it’s been a while since i last wrote. did i worry you? or were you secretly hoping that i went off and died in a ditch somewhere so there’s no obligation to write back? unfortunately, for you, i’m still alive and kicking (ha). but barely. it’s been busy. work really picks up around this time of year. i didn’t even go home for chuseok. same for you? what do you do? don’t think i ever asked.

remember when i told you about that little ba my friend’s roommate? the one who doesn’t like me for no reason. he’s been a pain in the ass lately. can’t even come by for a minute without him making a big deal out of it. weird, right? i haven’t done anything to him, but he’s here acting like i ran over his dog or stole his girlfriend - maybe i should, so he has an actual reason to hate me. kidding.

also i was thinking. since we’re in the same area now, isn’t it about time that we meet up? no pressure. only if you want to.

elias x