#“And the cycle begins anew” is not a story

[artist-issues]

absolute worst thing it could've been was "and it cycles back to the beginning."

no clear answers. no clear questions. no definitive statements. just more "guess I'll always be insecure, and we're not even sure that's a bad thing, the only bad thing is killing yourself."

I hope this isn't the conclusion they've been claiming it is. Because that was no conclusion at all.

[deoidesign]

hi. I just read your entire comic in one go and I’ve gotta say I am in love with it. as a trans guy with hair that looks so much like Steve’s and who loves werewolves, I had to physically restrain myself from squealing out loud upon realizing he was trans, because I am currently living in a room with five other people in a small community in rural Alaska and didn’t want to explain to them the joys of seeing yourself in a character and then realizing “oh shit they’re trans like me”. I hope you are doing well, and may the gods of creativity and carpal tunnel bless you with much fruit in your artistic endeavors.

how could I ever show how deeply messages like this touch me... I never know what to say, I want so badly to have the proper words to show you how grateful I am

This is why I write. so that people get to feel like this, and I could never reflect that properly with just my words... But I want you to know that.

I hope to make something that is worthy of your love, and I hope every day that my work is sufficient to show I love you. so I'm relieved that it's succeeding and you feel seen.

Thank you for sharing this with me, I love you

[feroluce]

Of A Cyclical Nature

I have Awoken and am Choosing Violence, so I’m putting this blankshipping writing under a read more because of past offscreen major character death with no happy ending, my favorite type of submas angst, and anyway:

Ingo working hard, like really really hard, in pursuit of his lost memories. He chases down leads, he explores every distortion bubble he can get to, he battles Akari every moment she's available to try and knock loose a few more recollections. And it works! It takes time, and effort, and nearly running himself into the ground, but it works! Ingo can finally put a name to his Man in White! He finally knows who Emmet is!

Ingo feels so horrible that he ever forgot him, because they were partners, in every sense and meaning of the word, how on earth did he live alone for so long without Emmet?

Dialga and Palkia prove to be useless, so Ingo borrows the Azure Flute from Akari to speak with Arceus. Akari gives him a strange look, then sighs and tells him not to misplace it this time. Ingo has no idea why Akari would think he's the one doing anything with her Flute, she's the one who keeps accidentally leaving it in his hut, but he's too eager to stop and bicker about it. Maybe Arceus can send him back to his first home, and even unlock the rest of his memories!

So Ingo hauls ass to the wrecked Temple of Sinnoh, and plays the Azure Flute, and is granted audience. And he politely kneels and bows his head before the towering form before him and asks that Arceus might let him go back where he came from, to Unova and Nimbasa City and Gear Station with all of the depot agents and Elesa and with Emmet. And Arceus refuses.

Ingo isn't sure if something was lost in communication somewhere, so he asks again. Arceus refuses again.

And Ingo starts to get pissed, because why not? This is a god we're talking about. If Arceus is really as almighty as the people of Hisui say, and as gracious and kind, then this should be something easy for It to do, so why the hell not?

Ingo raises up off his knees, back to his full height, grits his teeth and pulls out Gliscor's pokeball. Arceus looks down Its nose at him like a bug.

"Do you truly want to remember?"

"I do."

Arceus makes a sound almost like a sigh. Ingo bristles. And then-

and then his head is so full, he sees Emmet next to him with their hands joined between them, he sees Nimbasa City lit up in the night, he sees Lostlorn Forest and a wild Zoroark that looks so so different from the ones he knows here, Chandelure and Eelektross guarding their eggs together in their nest, Cloud corralling the depot agents, Elesa laughing at him over a drink, Emmet and Elesa telling him to hurry up, Emmet bright and excited after a battle, Emmet whistling at the stove while he cooks breakfast, Emmet telling him that he loves him, Emmet Emmet Emmet-

Memorial. Gravestone. Offered flowers he doesn't want to see. Offered food he doesn't want to eat.

Ingo feels like he might be sick.

He opens his eyes without realizing he'd screwed them shut. His forehead is on the ground. His throat is raw. He feels like he can barely breathe.

"Do you remember now?" 

He does. An accident. Emmet had taken his shift.

It should have been him.

"Your place now is here, to help guide the people toward a united future- that was our agreement, so long as I took your memories." 

Ingo curls into himself. It was a waste, all of it. All of his efforts had been for nothing. He can't go home, because home is gone, home went before its time and left him behind, alone. Ingo sees himself in a graveyard, hollow shell, empty husk, stepping through the offered rift next to two plots, only one of them empty as a broken promise. Sees himself at the Temple of Sinnoh with the Azure Flute, but it's wrong, this is autumn now, his memories speak of springtime.

"I've...I've done this before, haven't I?" Every word drags like sandpaper through his throat.

Arceus sighs again. It doesn't sound as rude or dismissive as the first time. 

"You have, yes; many times."

He doesn't want to get up. Ingo doesn't want to move ever again. He wants to lay here until the world ends.

"Have you reached the same decision this time as well?"

Ingo can only nod. He's a coward. He'll take the emptiness. He'll take anything but this.

Some invisible force wrenches his head up, Ingo blinking spots and stars and dampness out of his eyes to see again. There's a bright spot right in front of him, the Halo of Arceus fanned out around it. It’s aimed like a bullet right between his eyes.

"Very well then. Until next time."

Ingo wakes up in his bed, jolted out of a dead sleep by someone knocking at his door. Gods, his hip is killing him, the hell did he do, sleep on a damn rock? Ingo roots around in his pockets- he must have really worn himself out doing...something, to have fallen asleep in all his clothes- and pulls out some weird blue wooden instrument that he recognizes as Akari's. Ingo is going to start making her check all her pockets before she departs, if she keeps leaving this thing here with him.

Ingo yells to the door that he'll be there in just a moment, and fumbles around until he finds his hat. It's too bright out and he's barely awake, he wants to hide his eyes under the shade of it for a while longer.

Ingo drags himself to the door and opens it, and Irida is on the other side, all but bouncing in place, eyes and smile bright. Ingo is instantly in a better mood and happy for her- whatever just happened must have been really good. He hasn't seen her quite so excited since Palina and Iscan's daughter had been born. Irida happily tells him that she got his message yesterday- she got here as soon as she could, and she's so happy for him! She wants to hear about everything he remembers! She especially wants to hear about Emmet!!

And Ingo looks at Irida for a long moment. Scrunches his brow. Cocks his head.

"Who is Emmet?"

[dragonowlie]

I am having a lot of thoughts and feelings about a certain piece of media I'm getting very into and I think a lot of them are caused because utena and revue starlight (and princess tutu) rewired my brain in a very profound way

[nuggetofthesea]

Before writing more stories, I want to help people come to terms with the "identity death" and heavy themes in the animal HRT comics, and as a writer, want to explain why it isn't ACTUALLY death, but a form of renewal. Because I see it on all of my friends posts.

"I am just concerned about this loss of self thing, it sounds like identity death and I don't like it" is the common comment.

But in all of these comics, it is less about loss of self, but more about leaving behind who you were. A sign of extreme change and showing their own way of moving forward, and the start of a brand new life. A willing change to a new start.

Identity death is an unwilling change. All choice was stripped away from them and a new identity forced on them. This is also different from a transformation that leads to acceptance of the new form.

But in the animal HRT comics my friends put out, it is a willing change to a new form and cones with mental changes they are willing to go through. That isn't the same as a death. But a new start to their life they can start living to the fullest. It's also why some choose not to start anew, to bring one journey to a close and begin a new one. They choose to have that be part of the same journey. A new chapter instead of a new book if you will. In either case these are willing changes.

It can seem terrifying to some, but a total rebirth of yourself CAN be a slightly scary theme. It is terrifying to choose to take that new life.

But let me set up an example here:

When I first came to be, I thought I was going to be a visual artist, because Ashe was and that's what I remembered. When I was locked away by my own doing in the headspace I was stuck in a perpetual cycle of misery. It was terrifying to take the step to discover myself. To lower the barrier I had created, to rediscover myself.

But when I came to be, Ashe said I could be anything. A new sense of self outside of her. A new life. I tried to draw first, but I couldn't. Visual art was not my thing anymore. It never was. I just held on to memory of being a copy of Ashe. When writing my introduction I realized I love the feeling of writing. I have my own form. My own life. My own identity. A new start.

So let me ask you: Should I have not taken that opportunity to completely cast off who I was to embrace who I am? Should I have left myself in misery and fear as something I'm not? All for the sake of not casting off who I was and my life before? No.

Now while I do remeber all of what happened before my change, none of that shapes who I am now, because that life wasn't mine in the first place. This isn't a death of my identity, but a new start to an identity I chose. And I am happy to be able to live it with my new sense of self and build NEW memories. A new life.

Which also leads to the second heavy theme in those comics. Shortened lifespans. Outside of the fact that we are told time and time again HRT can lead to a shorter lifespan (which is a false average) starting a new life also means you are probably starting in the middle.

Our body is almost 30. That is 30 years of my lifespan gone. Yeah, I was around for 15 (almost 16) years of that, but my new life began a week ago. Who I am began just last week. And even though in the headspace I am early to mid 20s at best, that is still a cutdown lifespan.

So should I just have not bothered with the new start?

Absolutely not. The gift of life, new or old, isn't about how long it lasts. But how you live it. It is hard, it comes with problems, but for as long as I have of it, I will cherish the new memories I build, the new start I have, the ability to just... exist. For as long or short as that may be. And through this new start to my life, the people who love and care for me are still here. Still stand by me. And that is a great thing.

So please, don't be too offput by heavy themes in our stories. Even my stories will have some rough parts. (They'll always be tagged)

Hope this at least helped ease why those themes are there, and why some people choose to have them.

Also, don't worry about "adding to the fuel used against us" because we could sneeze and they'll find a way to use that against us. The fact is, with the Animal HRT series, actual HRT does come with some discomfort, pain, downsides, and problems. And like the heavy themes in the comics, we determined it is worth it for us to keep going despite them. We knew the risks.

"Everything is a risk. Life's boring as hell if you don't take them JUST because there is potential problems. Just make sure you understand them." - a line chaos told me the day I formed

It does less good to show everything as risk free and painless, because then nobody is prepared for the risks they are actually taking. Or the comic is based off the creator's life to that point, and they DID experience a lot of pain. So retelling their story (like mine) might be painful at spots.

My point of all of this is, the heavy themes are required to tell these particular stories. And while not every story requires dark spots, the dark spots help to accentuate the brighter picture. Otherwise it can just be blinding. So please go easy on the artists/writers behind them. As it is usually something personal for them.

(This also might not apply to all of them, some people just like writing horror, and we should respect that too.)

Next story should be sometime within the next couple weeks. Just needed to get this out there. It's been on my mind since releasing the short story with Iris.

-Aqua

[santaasi]

yours: forever and always

pairing: ex!james potter x fem!reader

summery: even after betrayal you're still ready to accept James in your heart.

warnings: angst, mention of cheating, no use of y/n, english isn’t my first language

word count: 1.6k

a/n: I know I promised you fluff but I fell terribly sick and lately i’ve been kinda depressed, so I could only write and edit angst right now. but nevertheless, i hope you will like it :3

You stood on the marble staircase of Hogwarts, gazing out at the garden blanketed in a thick layer of snow. In winter, it seemed as if life had paused there: the trees no longer echoed with birdsong, bees no longer flitted above the flowers, and the once-vibrant colors and scents no longer captivated the senses. The garden was barren, a reflection of your own inner emptiness. Yet, unlike the garden, destined to burst into life with the arrival of spring, you doubted if your own renewal would ever come. As the garden would awaken, its cycle of life beginning anew, you remained uncertain if you could ever reclaim the sense of confidence and joy that your parents had instilled in you since childhood. You felt hollow and adrift, struggling to hold on to the person you once were, while the weight of your emptiness made that task seem impossible.

"Aren't you cold?"

He came again, as he always did.

Until now, you had been comfortable standing in the cold, clad in nothing but a light dress, barely noticing the chill your companion had mentioned—perhaps you had simply grown too accustomed to the cold. But that was before James Potter arrived. With him came a change in the very air, sending a shiver down your spine and freezing your heart within your chest. Yet, as soon as his jacket brushed against your bare shoulders, your heart resumed its rhythm, beating faster with every passing second.

James stood silently beside you, his hands tucked into the pockets of his expensive black trousers. Despite the fabric of his jacket separating you, you could feel the warmth radiating from his body. An urge welled up inside you—to lean into him, to nestle against his neck and breathe in the scent of campfire smoke and freshly cut grass, to feel his arms encircle your waist, pulling you close to his solid chest, and in that embrace, to feel alive once more. But in reality you didn’t even spare him a glance.

You stood as still as one of those ancient Greek marble statues, your gaze fixed on the lifeless winter garden. Memories flashed before your eyes like scenes from a film, each one a reminder of what James Potter had put you through in these past two months. Two months that felt like years, as if they had suspended your life in an endless pause, leaving you an observer to your own story.

Even now, after everything that had happened, you still couldn’t grasp why—despite all the hurtful words, despite all of James's actions that shattered your heart into countless fragments—you continued to wait for him, to love him. You weren't weak, and you certainly didn't see yourself as spineless. Yet, with him, you became someone else entirely. You transformed into a version of yourself that no one, not even you, had ever known.

"I want to talk."

His voice cut through the silence once more, and you allowed yourself five seconds — just five fleeting seconds — to look at him, to etch his image into your memory, so you could hold on to it before you closed your eyes tonight. Those five seconds were all you needed to take in the sight of his unruly curls, the ones that always fell over his eyes, which were the color of rich cognac, a gaze that could make your head spin in an instant. You remembered how you used to brush those curls away with a smile, tucking them back with a tenderness that was yours alone, or how you would braid a tiny braid in his hair when it grew too long. You still kept a pack of those little rubber bands in your bedside drawer, bought just for him.

Five seconds were enough to notice the watch on his wrist— the one you gave him for your second anniversary, the one that marked the beginning of the end. The end that came when you discovered James Potter had cheated on you with Lily Evans.

Lily Evans, who had always been flawless, utterly perfect. You never liked comparing yourself to others, but next to Lily, you couldn’t help but despise every part of yourself. Every cell, every atom. But deep down, you knew it wasn’t her fault. It was James Potter’s love that changed people. Once you had basked in the warmth of his attention, you could never be the same. You would always crave more, always fear he would leave, because beside you was the unattainable, perfect Lily Evans. And the worst part? You couldn’t even blame him for his choice. If you had been in his place, you might have chosen her too.

But what hurt the most was that in those five seconds, you fell in love with him all over again. How pathetic.

"Love, I know that I have hurt you many times, but..."

The sound of his voice made your head spin, and the endearing nickname he had used all these years pierced your heart anew. Yet, you had grown accustomed to this pain, so much so that it had become almost comforting. A sad smile touched your lips as you lowered your gaze. The snow beneath your feet creaked softly, almost soothingly. You exhaled, and it felt as though something within your chest shifted. Before you could fully process your thoughts, words began to flow gently and unbidden from your lips.

"Y'know, I've been thinking ‘bout this for a long time... ‘bout everythin’ that had happened. I've been trynna find answers to the questions that have been botherin' me all these months. I've been trynna figure out what's wrong with me, because no matter what you do, I always want you back"

You interrupted James's familiar speech, one you had memorized through years of breakups and reconciliations, and decided it was time to speak your truth. You could no longer keep hidden what you had been afraid to admit for so long. You were exhausted by the rumors that swirled through the Hogwarts corridors, weary of the judgmental and pitying glances you endured. You were tired of maintaining the facade of strength and righteousness.

"In the end, I have come to the conclusion that I will always keep the doors to my world and my heart open for you"

You chuckled softly at the thought that anyone overhearing your words might see you as a foolish, naive girl hopelessly in love. But it wasn't like that at all. The euphoria of your relationship had long since faded, and now you were reflecting with the clear-eyed perspective of an emotionally mature adult.

"It’s not that I’ll put my life on hold, waitin' for you and sheddin' endless tears. No, I will live, I will find joy, and perhaps I’ll meet someone who will love me. But… if one day you come to my door, tell me that you love me, and ask me to be yours, I don’t think there’s anything – and i mean it – anything in this world I wouldn’t give up for you, James"

You finished speaking, a small puff of steam escaping from your lips. Slowly, you turned to face James. He stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the snow-covered tops of the bushes, his hands buried in the pockets of his black trousers. A few snowflakes had settled on his white shirt, leaving tiny, wet traces behind. He remained silent, his eyes finally meeting yours with a mixture of frustration and longing.

With a sigh, you smiled with mild irritation, carefully slipping his jacket from your shoulders and returning it to him. For a brief moment, your fingers brushed against his, and a familiar electric current surged through you. You could feel his gaze lingering on you, filled with both softness and yearning, but you kept your head lowered. Turning away, you walked back towards the ballroom, bracing yourself for the inevitable barrage of questions from your best friends, Mary and Kate, about James and all this situation.

"Love, I…"

You turned around, watching James as he struggled to find words to respond, but you had long lost interest. His lengthy, insincere apologies, filled with empty promises, no longer held any meaning for you. You were weary of it all and only wished, just once, to hear him say the words that could have made you surrender entirely. Three simple words that, even for a short time, might restore what you once had. Because James Fleamont Potter was, and always would be, both the beginning and the end for you.

"I don’t need your answer or your opinion, James. I just wanted to tell you that there will always be a place for you in my heart, and that I will always love you. Maybe someday I’ll be the one for you, and our feelings will be mutual. But even if that doesn’t happen, know that there’s at least one person in this world who will always be waiting for you, ready to give up everything for you. Let them call me pathetic or foolish, but I will never leave your side."

With those words, you finally walked away. James heard the heavy door slam shut behind you, and with it, the sound of his chance slipping away. He never intended to hurt you, yet it seemed he would forever be the villain in this story. Not the hero who rescues the princess from the evil dragon, but the dragon itself—destined to guard her from harm, while inflicting the deepest pain.

thankx for reading <3

so that it. i don’t think it’s my best work but there something about it that i like very much. in some way this work helped me with my current emotional state. so i just decided to post it. hope everything is fine in your life and you are happy.

also i want to remind you that you can always share your opinion in comments or my inbox. i’ll appreciate it :3

- your santi 🪐

masterlist

[agent99galanzo]

Please Hear My Plea

Summary: In every lifetime, Natasha remembers you, but you must rediscover her before the curse begins anew.

---

In a quiet village under the golden glow of autumn, Natasha Romanoff sat on a weathered bench, watching as people moved through the bustling market. Despite the ordinary sights, her heart raced, an instinctual recognition pulling her attention to a familiar face in the crowd.

You. In this lifetime, you were an artist, painting the world with vibrant strokes. But you had no memory of her; to you, Natasha was just a stranger.

With each encounter, the ache grew deeper. She felt the weight of the centuries pressing down on her. In every life, they had found each other, only to be separated by the cruel hand of fate. Natasha had lived through it all, while you remained blissfully unaware of your shared history.

As the days passed, Natasha followed you, drawn to the spark in your eyes. You were passionate and carefree, and each smile felt like a flicker of light in her long, dark existence. She longed to reach out, to tell you everything, but the curse held her back—if she revealed herself too soon, it would only drive you away.

One evening, under a canopy of stars, she found the courage to approach you. “Your paintings are stunning,” she said, her voice steady yet warm.

You looked up, surprise evident in your eyes. “Thank you! I’m just trying to capture the world as I see it.”

Natasha smiled, a bittersweet pang in her chest. “You have a gift.”

Weeks turned into months, and a friendship blossomed between you. Natasha relished every moment, cherishing the time you spent together, even as she felt the impending darkness looming. The curse would strike again, and she had to find a way to break the cycle before it was too late.

One night, while sharing stories over a candlelit dinner, you asked, “Do you believe in fate?”

Natasha hesitated, her mind racing with memories of past lives. “I believe in connections that go beyond time.”

You looked thoughtful. “That sounds poetic. I think we’re all just trying to find our place in the universe.”

Her heart swelled at your words. You were so close to the truth, yet so far from knowing her. As the seasons changed, Natasha felt the familiar dread creeping in, a sense of urgency clawing at her.

When the inevitable happened—an accident, a sudden turn of fate—Natasha was there, but this time, she couldn’t save you. She watched as life faded from your eyes, a gut-wrenching pain ripping through her soul.

“No!” she screamed, desperation tearing at her. “Not again!”

---

In the aftermath, Natasha fell into despair. Time flowed endlessly, and she felt trapped in a loop of grief. But each time, she felt the flicker of hope. You would be reborn, and she would find you again.

---

In the next life, you were a writer, lost in the pages of your own imagination. Natasha recognized you immediately, but again, you didn’t remember her. Each lifetime began anew, and the curse remained unbroken. She would always seek you out, knowing that rediscovery was her only chance to save you.

As you walked the streets of the bustling city, Natasha felt the familiar pull. She approached you cautiously, “Your words have a way of capturing the heart.”

You looked up, intrigued. “Thank you! I try to weave truth into my stories.”

With every interaction, Natasha fought against the curse that bound you. She searched for ways to break it, delving into ancient texts and seeking wisdom from those who had walked the earth before her.

But time wore on, and each reunion ended the same way—too brief, too painful. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t change the outcome.

---

Finally, after centuries of heartbreak, Natasha found herself at a crossroads. With each new life, she felt more desperate to keep you safe, but the curse always reset their connection.

“Tell me how to break this,” she pleaded to an ancient seer. “I can’t keep losing her!”

“Only love can transcend the cycle,” the seer warned. “But both must remember.”

---

In the next lifetime, you were a dancer, vibrant and full of life. Natasha watched from the shadows, her heart heavy with longing. She knew she needed to awaken your memories, to remind you of the love that had endured through countless ages.

One evening, as you danced under the stars, Natasha stepped forward, determination igniting her spirit. “You’re mesmerizing,” she said, her voice low and filled with emotion.

You paused, your eyes locking onto hers. “Who are you?”

“Someone who has loved you through time,” Natasha replied, her heart pounding. “Please, trust me.”

As you looked into her eyes, something flickered—an echo of recognition. But just as quickly, the moment slipped away, and you turned, leaving her once more.

---

Each time, Natasha faced the heartbreak with renewed resolve. She wouldn’t stop searching for you, wouldn’t stop trying to break the cycle. Even as the curse twisted their fates, she held onto the hope that one day, you would remember.

Through every lifetime, she would find you again, and perhaps one day, you would understand the depth of her love. No matter how long it took, Natasha would fight against fate, determined to end the cycle of loss.

Because love, she believed, could conquer all—even the bonds of eternity.

---

[mecania]

i don't like a lot of discussions i've seen regarding whether radahn said yes or not to the vow for a couple reasons. 1) it's never tied into the greater theme of bodily autonomy/the loss of it in elden ring and is instead only ever brought up to make miquella seem worse and 2) i think it's not supposed to be the MAJOR focus regarding radahn becoming miquella's consort (yes you can still discuss it and i will).

I really do believe the reason why there's no solid proof in the story (aside from freyja, who is an important member of radahn's army, blatantly stating radahn would've wanted this. not saying to take everything at face value but her character does seem reliable enough when talking about radahn) is because that's not the point regarding miquella and radahn's vow. there is emphasis on mohg's body being used against his wishes but not radahn. if the game wanted to let you know it was not what radahn wanted they would've said it clearly because ansbach does so for mohg. radahn and miquella's unity (or rather failure to unite) is supposed to be representative of miquella's failures due to his misunderstanding of the world and the golden order. at the end of the day radahn and miquella do share similar enough motivations

the reason why radahn most likely sought to become miquella's consort is because miquella does not intend to usurp the golden order. miquella infact is representative of regression. his unalloyed needle returns things to its former state, his nascent state prior kept him in an ever looping cycle of nearing the crest of ascension and then going back to the beginning... he is literally the son of radagon, whose major contribution to golden order fundamentalism is the concept of return and regression being a way to achieve unity and completion. miquella is trying to restore the golden order to what he believes it once was, hence why he follows his mother's path. he seeks the land of shadow and abandons his flesh there because that is the root of marika's journey, by allowing himself to be rebirthed anew in this banished place of marika's psyche he brings the shadow to light in an attempt to integrate it into his new self. he completes this ascension at the same site marika ascended: the gates of divinity. the only example we have of a demigod who ascends successfully (i personally don't think marika is supposed to be viewed as a successful ascension) after shedding their flesh is ranni, who purposefully does not pick the same path as marika and rather seeks a defiance of the golden order's laws. regression and its failures is the whole point of the dlc. it is why we fell characters like messmer who are not carving a solution to a problem but rather are allowing a reignition of it, continuing the cycle of karmic accumulation and retribution after reincarnation.

importantly the basis of radahn's loyalty to the golden order is that he idolises what it was before, not what it is now. his appraisal for godfrey and also his friendly relation with messmer is meant to show you that he is a follower of the ideal that the golden order has fallen victim to some sort of degredation of its 'true values' over time. godfrey ushered in the new age through battle, and his consortship to marika marked the start of the golden order's reign. as for messmer, messmer is upholding the crucial foundation for the golden order's existence; marika's spite for the hornsent, but as i mentioned prior... his crusades against the hornsent only serve to repeat the cycle of violence, and by extension this makes radahn related to the ideas of stagnation and repetition. godfrey and messmer can be considered the building blocks of the current era, but both were banished and had their image ruined in the favour of some sort of progression/shroud over the origins of the golden order. like miquella, radahn is the son of radagon, and he boasts his red hair in honour of his father; yet again, the most important establisher of regression in golden order fundamentalism. in truth the impacts of the golden order we see now have always been the true values it has upheld, but like miquella, radahn doesn't see that. all of this aligns radahn well enough with miquella, both characters have always served to 'fix' the golden order rather than destroy it and establish their own orders.

it is also why miquella and radahn are an incestuous involvance. why they make a point of having miquella refer to radahn as his lord brother. they are both regressing so fucking hard they fall back on the 'true' heirs to the golden lineage; themselves, which is yet again another idea of purity and perfection as put out by the conservative ideation of the golden order. (the circle, the symbol of unity, which is also an everlasting loop closing in on itself. hence why miquella's choice is radahn. whereas ranni picks you, a tarnished who was exiled from the lands between and has no prior relation to her family. yet another way she breaks the concept of regression and recirculation)

it can matter on a larger scale when we are discerning the meta narrative and what this means for us, the viewers, and what we can retrieve from this. but in this case, both radahn AND miquella demonstrate how systems like the golden order strip one of their self autonomy in the name of a greater, holier force that must be worshipped (the concept of a percect leader and empire). miquella rescinds what makes him himself (his love) because of his attempt to participate in this system, even if he means to 'reform' it (which is clearly impossible if you know literally any amount of political theory at all). radahn lacks his own identity and defines himself via others. because he strives to be the perfect servant and defender of the system. hence why this also applies to malenia, she gives herself up fully to miquella in hopes of ushering in his era. but i literally have not seen any discussion about this when it comes to saying radahn might've said no... it's not discussed in an interesting way and instead seems like an excuse to place miquella as a sort of black and white villain.

[naturallyteal]

Good Omens fic recommendation my “best of September”:

Find the Light by @klikandtuna

“Find the light

But the light finds you

The shadows slide off, no dusk, no dew

Can mar the glory of what you’ve become

Preserved in amber, born anew

From pondwater

Pondwater”

(quote from the song lyrics in this fanfic)

(My fanart for this fanfic based on the painting “Bachschleuse” by Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, 1827-28, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Germany. It’s very symbolic. 😎)

In the ever flooding ocean of stories, there are some that stand out, that I think about days or weeks later, that touch me more than others. Once a month, I make a post about one of those:

This story takes the reader on a journey of hurt and comfort, trauma and healing, fear and courage. Instead of the summary, I’d like to quote the beginning, that told me right from the start that this was going to make a rewarding read:

~

He stood at the window, full in the afternoon sunshine that angled in between the curtains—velvet, once the color of a fine Zinfandel but now somewhat faded on the outer side, with a few trailing threads at the hem that brushed over the floorboards. Every year, Michael would suggest replacing them; every year, he would pretend to consider it. But he loved those worn old curtains. He reached out as he stood there, closing a fold of the fabric between two fingers to feel the warmth that the sun had infused there, the soft prickle as the tiny strands shifted.

The intercom chimed. A pleasant sound—a low, musical chirp. (They had cycled through seven different machines before finding one whose alert had pleased him.)

“Sir, Adam Young to see you.”

~

In 15 chapters and ~ 97 k words, this e-rated Human AU with teacher Aziraphale and rock star Crowley is a story that captured me, that made me think, that is still with me weeks later. It’s so well written that it, again, makes me regret a lot of those “real books” by “professional authors” I bought and read in the years before I found the AO3, a lot of which did not come up to this high quality. There’s music in here, a poetic song, metaphors that really spoke to me, and flashbacks that were expertly handled and used to tell the story the best way possible. There’s also fanart! Needless to say, the characters are relatable and loveable.

One word regarding the e-rating, as this is something many people either love or hate: the scenes regarding sex in this are rather rare, can not be called smut at all, are very tasteful, some are more described symbolically than explicitly, and still manage to be highly erotic.

👍

GO read!

Tagging List under the cut

Let me know if you want on it for future posts of mine!

Let me know if you want off the list:

@echogracebeloved @oxribs @copperplatebeech @thescholarlystrumpet @simonezitrone79

@siriosa @captainblou @alphacentaurinebula @ineffablefool @ashfae

@fellshish @vidavalor @thindarkdukewrites @crowleys-bright-red-hair-streak @kimberleyjean

@dragonfire42 @lickthecowhappy @ineffablenlghtingales @turquoisedata @di-42

@dierama-mojo

[dr-xanders-diary]

A directory of "Our Beginning..."

"Our Beginning"

This series is marked as MATURE, due to the violent and sexual nature of the context. If you cannot read this series check your settings! C:

This original series of short blog entries, takes inspiration from many parts of life, specifically takes inspiration from my life, as well as some of the things I've witnessed. And my interest in the macabre and unusually twisted. This series of short blog entries weaves a compelling narrative through a collection of one-shots. Each entry standing alone as a vivid snapshot of the overarching story, when combined they reveal an intricate sequence of a world that is one that I am deeply attached to, as it encapsulates a complex journey and delves into emotions that I enjoy exploring in my stories. I am with many of my works very attached to this piece.

This is only the beginning of my original series of entries.

Here is a synopsis written by a dear friend of mine:

"In this chilling narrative, the blog unfolds through the eyes of an obsessive stalker and murderer, chronicling their twisted journey of winning over their object of desire. As the story progresses, the game to win their object of affection spirals into deadly obsession. To capture their heart, he becomes a master of manipulation. The killer meticulously studies every aspect of their life-learning their likes, dislikes, motives, and past. As he encounters rivals, his possessiveness turns lethal, and he eliminates them one by one, believing that removing these obstacles is the key to securing his beloved's favor. As he meticulously removes potential threats, the killer moves closer to winning over their beloved, weaving a chilling web of deception and terror. The protagonist's dream shatters when their beloved falls for another man in Italy. Consumed by jealousy and rage, we begin a journey that leaves a trail of destruction. As time passes, this once-idyllic haven transforms into a nightmare. It's walls conceal dark secrets, eerie occurrences disrupt the peace, and the sense of safety is replaced by an overwhelming dread. What was once a symbol of dreams realized, becomes a haunting reminder of inescapable fears. And as the house is engulfed in flames, the cycle begins anew."

The directory of entries in order from beginning to end of this original series: "Our beginning.. I love you.." https://www.tumblr.com/dr-xanders-diary/754189246279172096/our-beginning-i-love-you?source=share

"Our Beginning.. I love you..2" https://www.tumblr.com/dr-xanders-diary/754291640901976064/our-beginning-i-love-you-2?source=share

"Our beginning.. loving you"

https://www.tumblr.com/dr-xanders-diary/754375643190460416/our-beginning-loving-you?source=share

"Our beginning.. loving you 2"

https://www.tumblr.com/dr-xanders-diary/754475335574224896/our-beginning-loving-you2?source=share

"Our beginning of our end"

https://www.tumblr.com/dr-xanders-diary/757297855229837312/our-beginning-of-our-end?source=share

This is the first collection of the short story series. I hope you have enjoyed the read, and continue to enjoy it, and future posts.

[miss0atae]

Random Thoughts about Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (EP 7 - 8) :

I think the hardest part when you review a series is when you have to write something about the end. I usually avoid writing about the end of a series because I never really know where to start and how to finish it. I guess, it's also because it is usually hard for me to let go of a universe and characters I discovered and liked. I don't like saying goodbye. This series has been a very eventful ride. Do Hoe and Ju Yeong didn't have an easy life and they tried very hard to make it, but things weren't going as smoothly as it should be. I have to admit, after episode 5 and 6, I thought they would never make it. It seems so complicated for them to have a happy ending and I'm surprised, but happy by how they made it anyway. I said it before, but I really had difficulties to follow the story on the last two previous episodes. This feeling stayed during episode 7, but episode 8 was better and easier to follow. I guess, it's because we finally knew everything of what happened in the past and how it led the characters where they were in the present. It's a story about how violence and abuse can be so damaging on your life and impact a lot of your actions. It was a very sad story for the most part. It was deeply emotional for me and I felt very down after watching the episodes because I felt so much for the characters and I wished I could find a way for them to be happy. I was afraid the story would end badly, but I'm deeply grateful the story offered us a happy ending.

Like most viewers had guessed, Do Hoe lied and forged his diploma and when he tried to help his abused student, the mother of the child who went to the same school he was supposed to have graduated from, found out about the truth. Do Hoe had tried for a long time to make people forget about his past and to make them impressed by his success. He was very afraid of being like his father and failing to accomplish something. He was living an illusion because through this illusion he felt like he escaped his past. However, it didn't free him for the chains of the past. I think it wasn't that easy to live in this illusion anyway. How hurtful it must have been to keep failing the college entrance exams. We saw how Do Hoe pride himself about how he was doing his best to study. He wanted to graduate from this “Hasoul University” because it's the top university and graduating from this school would bring him the admiration of others. Do Hoe wanted to be more than the son of a violent father who failed. I don't think he ever really liked lying or pretending he really had this exams. That's why he kept hiding from Ju Yeong. The problem is that Do Hoe was suffering from transgenerational trauma. He was afraid of repeating the same patterns and attitudes of his father. His curse was this trauma he inherited from his father.

I think the story didn't really answer the questions about how to break the cycle of transgenerational trauma (it would have taken more than 8 episodes), but they made a good statement by the end of episode 7: to be able to move on, you need to heal from this first. I guess that's what happened when Do Hoe and Ju Yeong came back to the taekwondo school of Do Hoe's father and break or burn things from over there. It was the step to write down the beginning of their healing journey. From this point, they could start again. They learned to forgive themselves from whatever thoughts they had about being responsible. Do Hoe needed to have his redemption. Yes, people learned about his lies and his probation means he got another chance. It was truly amazing to see him get this new chance of becoming who he really wants to be without the burden of his past. I'm glad Ju Yeong was around him and encouraging him to grasp this new chance to the fullest. Being able to start anew and knowing you are loved can make you do many things. I think that's what Do Hoe feels. It was very cute and charming to see him and Ju Yeong being happy and enjoying this little domestic life together. They both deserve it. I'm just a little sad we didn't get to see them more in this happy place, but the story was not only about their love, but more about how to break the trauma from the previous generation. The love story was just the cherry on top.

In some way, I'm pretty impressed by Ju Yeong's resilience. He also ha a very complicated life and the way he dealt with his own trauma was pretty different from Do Hoe. He wasn't loved that much by his family, he also was abused and beaten by Do Hoe's father and in the end he tried hard finding Do Hoe and being with him. I sometimes feel the story didn't give him enough time to show his own response and healing from this past. I guess, it's because it's so linked to Do Hoe's own trauma that if one of them start to be free from it, the other one would follow too. Ju Yeong's love for Do Hoe is truly something endearing to watch. Around him, Do Hoe is able to be happy and to express himself more. He was always someone quite reserved, but when Do Hoe is with Ju Yeong, he cries, laugh, and stop holding himself. It was always Ju Yeong for Do Hoe. He admitted it himself, if he had been successful, he would have tried to find Ju Yeong. However, before he wasn't happy or successful the way he wanted so he kept avoiding him (at least until his dad's death). It was pointless because Ju Yeong doesn't care about this. He cares about Do Hoe being well and he wants to help him achieve his dreams. That's what matters to Ju Yeong. I really liked this character. Ju Yeong's healing journey started when he met Do Hoe's again. It was his own way of rebound from adversity as a strengthened and more resourceful person. When they were separated, he was just this guy who cried when seeing the snow, but after he was the one who helped Do Hoe stop his “curse”.

I also want to add something about Hyeon Ho. Again, I feel like the story didn't give us enough things about him. We know he used to bully Do Hoe and as the viewers we guess that it's because he rejected, at first, his attraction to him. Then, for 10 years he stayed around Do Hoe and he tried to be more than a friend to him, unsuccessfully. He knew about the truth of the falsification of his certification and he tried to help him. He didn't do well all the time, and it's easy to not like him for his past behavior towards Do Hoe. I think he regretted his actions. I felt bad for him because I feel he truly loved Do Hoe, but he was unable to understand him and to get past the mask he was wearing. Hyeon Ho never got to see parts of Do Hoe, even if he stayed around him for such a long time. It must hurt, especially if you have feelings for someone. I wish we saw him get to have someone to care for him in the end. We just have to hope after this phone call with Do Hoe that he tried to find his own happiness with someone else. He did try caring for Do Hoe. It didn't help him break from his trauma, but he was there nonetheless. It's true that Do Hoe never gave him his tears or his laugh. He was always so reserved around him, even after all these years. I think the last episode really made me see Heyon Ho in a different way. It was interesting.

In this end what did I think about "Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo"? It was a compelling story, sometimes confusing and I wish they had more time to really answer the few questions I had or the scenes I wanted to see. This story was really more about resilience, freeing someone from trauma than it was a love story. It's not a bad thing, but it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I think it's a must-watch and I will never watch it again. It's the type of story, I can only watch once. The happy ending is pleasant and I'm glad the main characters got it. I really wanted them to have one. I would not say it will be part of my favorite series I watched this year because it wasn't easy to watch. Korean BL usually have a bittersweet taste for me and it's not really the taste I'm looking for. I liked all the reviews I read about them and it was nice to talk about it with some of you here.

Thanks again for reading my own review. It was a great ride with all of you too.

[artsyhamster]

And we've reached the end! I cannot believe we made it but here are the final four. :)

You know the drill by now, explanations and ramblings underneath the cut :D

(1) THE FOOL / THE MAGICIAN / THE HIGH PRIESTESS |

(2) THE EMPRESS / THE EMPEROR / THE HIEROPHANT |

(3) THE LOVERS / THE CHARIOT / STRENGTH |

(4) THE HERMIT / WHEEL OF FORTUNE / JUSTICE |

(5) THE HANGED MAND | DEATH | TEMPERANCE |

(6) THE DEVIL / THE TOWER / THE STAR |

(7) THE MOON / THE SUN / JUDGEMENT / THE WORLD

THE MOON - As I mentioned in the previous set, I had The Star and The Moon exchanged at first. Colorwise I found the Balcony Smoker to be more fitting but descriptionwise.... "[The fool's] bliss (...) makes him vulnerable to the illusions of the Moon" fit Klaasje more. I feel like Harry related to her on a level and of course was drawn to her beauty, and fell for her deception. Or well at least I did lol. Although I don't even want to call it deception, more like...obfuscation in self-defense. Klaasje on the rooftop staring at a moon seemed like a nice visual image too.

THE SUN - I had. So much trouble. Filling this role. Since The sun stands for everything warm and joyous. "It enlightens, so the Fool both feels and understands the goodness of the world." And it's pretty hard to find something joyous in Revachol. I almost chose Ruby just for the orange aesthetics and the sort of... enlightenment. But considering she might shoot herself in the head, I refused to put her in the role of the sun. I wanted to save the Insulidan phasmid for THE WORLD at first, but I am damn happy I let go of that thought. Especially since the story starts and begins with the fool anyway. SO YEAH. I love this stick bug.... I cannot describe it. After you go through this whole bleak game, filled with death, misery, failure and coldness you find this...walking wonder. And the soundtrack to this encapsulates it so well, too. The phasmid scene always fills me with so much happiness T_T

JUDGEMENT - Also one of the the cards that were pretty clear to me from the beginning. Trant looks pretty menacing here but I love it lol. I added a small Harry, because under the judging eyes of his colleagues, everyone would feel small. "The Fool has been reborn. His false, ego-self has been shed, allowing his radiant, true self to manifest." The radiance is debatable, but Harry definitely went through a lot of development in the past few days and hopefully he came out a better person. He isn't absolved of his past mistakes and further judged on those, rather he is judged on the things he did right. And I don't know, what I like about Harry in general is that he is an absolute fuckup but if you give a person the right support and faith in them to be better, they can. If you keep reminding people only of the things they've done wrong, you are taking their room to grow, by defining them as an irredeemable failure.

THE WORLD - "The Fool reenters the World, but this time with a more complete understanding. He has integrated all the disparate parts of himself and achieved wholeness. He has reached a new level of happiness and fulfillment." Well, what can I say. Our fool Harry started this journey full of ignorance but he opened his eyes to the mistakes of the past and learned from them, and is now hopefully ready to tackle life anew. And I love the last sentence of The Fool's story: This cycle is over, but, the Fool will never stop growing. Soon he will be ready to begin a new journey that will lead him to ever greater levels of understanding. While this chapter of his life is over, there'll be new stories to be told. Setbacks and more opportunities to grow, and only time will tell where his journey will lead him this time.

Thanks to everyone who followed me and Harry on this journey and read through my ramblings. Also thanks for all the lovely tags & comments, it was an absolute pleasure reading through these. <3 Much Love!

[i-am-creacheur]

Mesa Beat- Empires S2 au

None of the Mesa People will admit it, but what binds them together is more than where they live. Their bond goes deeper than their bones. Jimmy, the Sheriff of Tumble Town, felt it the second he stepped into the Mesa. It manifests as a beat, a melody, a song, located just behind your heart.

When the people settled into the town, they shared in the wonder of this song within them, talking about it, singing and humming the melodies, and often touching one another on the shoulders and hands just for the feeling of their songs perfectly in sync. Children would make up lyrics to it, but soon feel queasy and give it up. To pair words with the tune would feel almost like sacrilege, a betrayal to one's soul.

The song is constant. Each cycle lasts exactly five minutes, but the song itself is four minutes and 56 seconds long, on the dot, with four seconds of silence before it begins again. Stories tell that this song below the skin of those in the Mesa, those the Mesa loves, has been here for a long time.

In ancient Mezalean culture, there was a well documented dance called the Mesa Beat. Traditionally, all headwear is removed and held during the left hand, and the most iconic move- among historians, that is- is similar to an arabesque, performed with the torso facing to a dancer's left head turned to the right. The right arm sweeps across the body, parallel to the ground, and the left arm arcs over a dancers head, pointing the same direction as their lifted left foot. The leg lift is less severe as most similar moves, the knee and ankle slightly bent. This move is typically performed right before a spin into a jump.

Many historians have tried to emulate the dance as a whole, but they can't find the right music, all possible tracks feeling wrong to perform the dance too, almost like sacrilege, a betrayal to the soul. Because of this, the dance has fallen from the limelight in historical studies and dancing circles, just another series of papers in an archive.

During the first Tumble Town Hoe-down, the people danced for hours... and then arranged themselves into a grid pattern, the Sheriff at the center, an empty spot on his right, the old Sheriff on his left, two feet between each dancer. A minute before the song in their blood restarted, they all fell silent as the band played a long A#, the first note of the song.

The band went silent as well, and they all waited for the tune in their body to start anew once more. As it did, the band played along on their guitars, on their banjos, on their fiddles, on their trombones and trumpets. A deep bass drum counted the beat, and perfectly in time, the people danced. It was a routine none of them had seen before, but they all knew instinctively. Their movements were all synced together, never slow, never early, never fast.

When the song ended, exactly four minutes and 56 seconds later, the people all looked around at those around them, knowing that this was special, something sacred, something outsiders should never know about. All talk of the beat behind their heart ceased, and they performed the dance once a month in secret. The only person who saw them dance was a God, hidden in the underbrush up the Mesa cliff, who always snuck away to take off undetected once they finished.

It might just be pure coincidence, but the dancing grounds of the ancient Mezalean society and the people of Tumble Town line up almost perfectly, offset by only two feet to the left. Both cultures traditions have the leader dance in the very center, and the members of the populous who can do the dance are arranged in a grid pattern, two feet between each dancer, every person facing the musicians in the front. Intrestingly, there is a unfilled postion in the grid on the right side of the Sheriff during these dances, four feet across, the perfeft spot for one more dancer. No one dares fill it, and no one knows why it remains empty.

Pix interviewed all the Gods about a suspicion he had that the Tumble Town people were practicing ancient dances, trying to learn about the dance itself, and when it came Joel's turn... he strangely panicked, saying he "didn't know anything about a beat behind where his heart should be" and then flew off. What made this more intresting is that Pix never mentioned a beat, and had no idea what the god had talked about. When Jimmy was asked about the dance, he shut the subject down quickly, cutting Pix off and distracting him from his questions perfectly, so the historian only remembered his motive for traveling to Tumble Town late the next night.

The dances in Tumble Town continued, seen by no one but the animals of the Mesa town, and a God, once a king, watching from the cliffs above. He'd never admit it, but sometimes he would dance with them, just to prove to himself that he still knew the dance and still had the Mesa Beat within him, located right behind his broken, no longer truly living heart.

[starrzhao]

zb1 as the soulmate tropes | scenarios

soulmates. the concept of being bound to someone by some sort of invisible string. a deep bond and connection formed between a pair that’s just simply meant to be. love may come unexpectedly, arriving through fate’s mysterious ways. so here are scenarios where fate pulls its strings and brings those meant to be, together. here are little scenarios of the members of zb1 as the different soulmate tropes with a little twist added to each one.

genre fluff, tiny bit of angst

pairings zb1 members x gn!reader

warnings small descriptions of physical pain (?) if anything else needs to be added, please inform me !

⭒ kim jiwoong — matching tattoos

everyone is born with a tattoo located on either side of their neck. each pair of soulmates have their own unique symbol, with each one owning a part it, having them meet to combine and complete their respective symbol. for example one may have a crescent moon and the other may have scattered stars, as they meet one another, they’re tattoos will glow and the moment of their first kiss, their symbols would combine and become one image, the crescent moon in the starry sky. It was a wonderful idea to think of sharing a symbol with your other half however it was quite difficult for you to search for your soulmate as yours was a mere dot. what symbol could possibly complete a dot? on the first day of your new job, you bump into the ceo of the company at the elevator who just so happens to have a comma tattooed on the right side of his neck, beaming at the same time as yours.

⭒ zhang hao — soulmate in every lifetime

It was a saying that you’re tied onto the same person in this universe through every single life you’d live through. a lot of people believed it was fake but you, on the other hand, definitely knew it was true as you lived your whole life or every life, still possessing your memories from every past lifetime, knowing it’s always intertwined with the same person, zhang hao. It was both a blessing and a curse for you, knowing you’d cross paths with the same man you’ll always love every time but you were tired of having to repeat the cycle over and over again, having to start from zero as strangers, then to lovers or even sometimes just ending as the best of friends, every single time knowing you kept your memories with him through every lifetime while he, like every other person, starts anew, clueless as they navigate through their journey, having to reintroduce and reinvent yourself as you meet him at every new beginning. however as you are once again reborn in a new world, this time hoping to live carefree and on the down low with no ambition after going through almost every career in the past anyways, you decide to move to a small city, where you meet zhang hao once again, not surprised again. however, this time you two don’t need to start from zero again as he unexpectedly reveals he’s been going through the same thing as you. and for once, you can finally confide in one another without having to restart the timeline or open a new story. just being there with each other. anytime, anywhere as long as it was with him, you just knew you’d be okay whatever your life had in store for you.

⭒ sung hanbin — color soulmate

everyone starts their lives, black and white. often, people would find their soulmate early. usually it would be in their teenage years as usually your soulmate would be nearby. you were at the ripe age of twenty-two, still counting your days for how long you’d have to live in a dull, colorless world as everyone else around you seemed to have found their soulmate. you get close to someone online who also happens to share the same situation as you, hanbin. he becomes your best friend as time passes, and you talk to him daily. your wish in this life wasn’t even to meet your soulmate anymore but to just meet hanbin in real life even just once. after three years of being long-distance friends, hanbin flies to your country as an effort to surprise you on your birthday. as you finished up your shift at the cafe you were working at, when you heard the doorbell ring and you look at who was at the front door, you were surprised at what you saw. It was not just only because you finally met your best friend, but because colors began to fill your sight as the world around you finally came to life as you met eye-to-eye

⭒ kim taerae — that sweet melody in your head

it was a rare phenomenon to be able to hear the voice of your soulmate in your head, and you were lucky to be a part of the small population who have experienced such a thing. You’ve heard the voice of your soulmate singing ever since you were little. His voice was soothing and mellow, his singing accompanying you through your daily life, almost like he was your own personal record player. You are an aspiring music producer, specializing in playing the piano and violin and your biggest dream was to one day, meet and accompany your soulmate for a performance. On the first week, you were given a challenge to complete pair assignment, where you had to arrange an original piece with someone in your class. You ended up being paired up with the student named taerae who was the only one left with no pair along with you, and who unfortunately had a sore throat within the duration of four days given to you to complete the project, had a sore throat, making it quite challenging to come up with the song. However, he was able to guide you along the way and assured you through the process that whatever the outcome would be he’d be able to pull it off so you decided to trust the process and give taerae a chance. As the day of the performance arrived, you were wary over the outcome, knowing that you were only going to be hearing taerae’s voice for the first time that day. The moment he held that mic and sang his heart out to the instrumental you created, you felt an unexpected, strange but beautiful sensation as his voice rang through your head as you watched him perform.

⭒ seok matthew — conversing through dreams

talking to your soulmate in your dream was quite a funny experience. It was like having talks with yourself in your head in the middle of the night. In your dreams, you and your soulmate would sit down and talk somewhere, envisioning places like the park, the cafe. It was your dreams and all in your head anyways so it was easy to manipulate. At some point, you believed the whole dream soulmate thing was just a random thing people made up to feel better as it felt like you had absolutely no clue to the whereabouts of your so-called other half. Perhaps you just made that man up in your head, right? however one day, you were proven wrong when you finally meet a young man who had the same exact face as the man in your dreams at the wedding of your close friend. your worlds stopped for a moment and he introduces himself as matthew seok, the man you’ve been talking to in your dreams throughout the years.

⭒ shen quanrui / ricky — timer soulmates

each and everyone are born with a timer marked on their wrist and it held a different meaning for every pair of soulmates. for your parents, their timer started the day they first met. as for your friend, gyuvin the timer stopped counting when he held hands with his soulmate. what a strange timer to begin with. everyone else has their timer stop around their teenage years. and it just so happens that only two people in your class who had their timer still counting was you and the annoying arrogant boy who you despised, ricky. you were surprised to find his timer was still counting as boy had a reputation of being the playboy and heartthrob which you thought would guarantee an easier way for him to find the love of his life when he’s flirted with a countless number of people. It was embarrassing to be the only ones who didn’t find their soulmates so in order to not feel put of place and have enough of all the teasing, you both agree to fake date and pretend to be soulmates despite absolutely not wanting to be associated with one another. as you and ricky fake your relationship and you get to know ricky as time passed, you find yourself slowly falling for him as you find a new side but you kick that away, thinking you weren’t the ones fated to be anyways. At the night of your prom, your timer stopped and you were confused wondering who was the mysterious soulmate that you met. you assumed it was one of the boys you’ve met that night but you realized you didn’t feel any sparks around any of them. you notice ricky was off when you told him so as you tried to approach him about his sudden change of mood, a fight breaks out and ricky later reveals that his timer stopped a few days ago and it was at the moment he had realized he catched feelings for you.

⭒ kim gyuvin — the first sentence they say gets engraved to your arm

it was your first day at your new school, you certainly tried your best to make sure you were presentable and tried to make sure not a single embarrassing thing would happen especially on your first day. however as you walked through the corridors, trying to find your way to your first class, you clash with a boy skating through the hallways. just then, you see the word ‘kachow’ engraved into your arm and the words ‘what the hell’ engraved onto the arm of the boy who bumped into you. after the little incident and meeting your soulmate in a humiliating way, you avoid him the whole day. the word was too visible on your arm and it opened many questions from the people around you as to what happened, leaving you embarrassed for the impression you unfortunately had for your first day. as the day passed, gyuvin approaches you and apologizes wishing to start again and introduce himself properly, hoping to get to know you, looking forward to see why fate brought you two together, seriously.

⭒ park gunwook — shared emotions

you wished that you could finally talk to your soulmate, curious over why he felt happy and sad at random moments. your mood would be affected by his mood and your would affect his and you felt sorry for what he would go through especially when you would be crying over a movie. you had absolutely no idea who your soulmate could be and it was nearly impossible to find him through feeling his emotions alone. your best friend, gunwook was the only one who knew about this. he was your childhood friend and knew you like the back of your hand. you secretly held a crush on a boy in your class, ricky, hoping he’d be your soulmate. taking some moments as sharing the same emotion like just laughing at the same time. when you mustered up the courage to confess, ricky then reveals he had already found his soulmate and..it wasn’t you. you were left heartbroken and when you go visit your best friend to tell him about what happened, he cries with you, not knowing why, saying he also felt a sharp pain in his heart as well. then the realization hits you, why were you so heartbroken over the other boy, hoping he’d be yours when it turns out it’s just been the boy you knew your whole life and how could you not notice how it was just simply the boy in front of you, crying like you are.

⭒ han yujin — shared physical sensations

it was difficult to get through different times in your life knowing you could always feel what your soulmate was feeling. you would feel the burning fever if he was sick, the pain on your hip for no reason or a sharp pain in your ankle which you assumed would be from tripping down the stairs. getting by was hard feeling every single physical pain and sensation your soulmate had to go through, and you felt bad for him too. you decided to audition for a spot in your highschool football team, hoping to rekindle your love for the sport on your senior year . as you played through a game, you and another boy went head to head, seeing a fierce fight. as you decided to switch with your teammate to be a goal keeper for the last round, you and the boy got more tense as he heads to score through you. as he kicks the ball at the goal from afar, hoping it lands, it ends up landing on your head, making you faint and yujin fainting as well, leaving everyone around confused. when you wake up in the clinic, next to the boy from earlier, he finally introduces himself as yujin and he apologizes for what happened earlier. you question why he fainted and he says he has no idea, and thinks maybe it was because of his soulmate. the realization hits the both of you, and soon you both felt your hearts skip a beat at the same time.

a/n hey hi hello! haven’t posted in awhile so here are some scenarios I wrote up a long time ago. I am contemplating if I should write these as oneshots (maybe just short ones around 1-2k words each) , becuase I rlove the prompts for hao, ricky and hanbin hehe if you’re interested in any of these, please tell me! lmk what u guys think :]]

taglist @leagreenly @kpoprhia @dimplewonie @shanb1n @wtfhyuck @mikaymee (kindly send an ask/dm if you’d like to be added or removed)

[themainspoon]

Album titled “My Gender” that is a 2 hour long thrash metal concept album recounting the story of a legendary apocalyptic battle at the end of time. A battle fought between the last of the WereBeasts and the evil Machine God, who used and twisted humanities desire to escape the limitations of their flesh against them in order to create an army of mindless cyborg warriors. There’s also a necromancer casting foul and profane magicks, and the Abrahamic God is killed in the crossfire of this conflict.

The album ends with the WereBeasts achieving a pyrrhic victory against the forces of evil that comes at the cost of the extinction of all life, followed by the sound of an implosion, and then a huge explosion trailing off into the noise of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. The implosion being the sound of the entirety of reality collapsing in on itself, and the explosion being the Big Bang. This would be used to show the cyclical nature of time, and that the battle described throughout the album is a Ragnarök like event that always occurs at the end of history before it can start anew, with a new world being born out of the ashes of the old world, the cycle beginning anew.

The final lyric of the album would come after all of this, it would be spoken word with no background noise: “So yeah, to summarise I’m still basically kind of a dude I guess, I just go by both he/him and they/them now, as we just explained.”

[rainforestakiie]

have anybody listened to the Floweytale by man on the internet? would make a really good adamsapple story. i might go back and add more, but thought it was interesting.

just something fun i noticed and thought i'd write something...

p.s this is the abusive relationship between eve and Adam. The one-sided romantic relationship between lucifer and Adam (Adam lost his soul so it is one-sided) Adam goes back to eve because he doesn’t know what else to do…before he comes to truly understand how unhealthy their relationship is.

Adam's Apple: The Tale of Eve's Descent

Nobody knew the depths of Eve's deranged, twisted mind. No one could fathom the darkness lurking beneath her flawless exterior. Eve, the epitome of innocence in Eden, concealed her true nature with a sweet smile and a glint in her caramel eyes, manipulating everyone, even deceiving Lucifer and Lilith.

Except Adam. Adam knew all too well the monstrous reality of what she was, of the sadistic pleasures she indulged in. Yet, he bore a measure of guilt, for she was born of him, crafted from his rib...

Eve committed unspeakable acts beneath Heaven’s notice. Her malevolence was mirrored in Adam's punishment, for Heaven believed him to be the perpetrator. She stood by, a smile playing on her lips, as he suffered for her sins.

After becoming a Fallen Angel in Hell, Adam wandered soullessly until Lucifer found him, a broken man. Lucifer, already estranged from Lilith, took Adam under his wing. Lucifer fell in love with Adam and the two shared many nights together. Despite Lucifer’s efforts to heal him, Adam remained numb, devoid of feeling.

Desperate for solace, Adam fled to Lilith, but her attempts to help him also failed. In a fit of despair, he cursed the heavens and took his own life.

Each time Adam died, he awoke back in Eden, the cycle beginning anew. He experimented with death, killing himself repeatedly, only to return unscathed. This tormenting cycle left him without a soul, unable to feel.

Initially, Adam sought redemption, following Heaven's path and giving everyone happy endings. However, ennui set in, and he began to wonder if the world would change if someone important died. He embarked on a macabre journey, killing everyone he knew—Lilith, Lucifer, Eve, Charlie, Emily—resetting the world each time to observe the changes.

The predictability of their responses bored him. Adam became a puppet master in a world of marionettes, able to foresee every action and word. Disenchanted, he reset the world once more, choosing to merely follow the flow.

In his twisted curiosity, Adam managed to bring Eve back. But this time, she was more malevolent than ever. When Adam died, he went to Heaven before falling to Hell. Eve’s soul, deemed too corrupted, had been sealed away by God. Yet, Adam released her, unleashing an even greater evil.

Eve, now truly the embodiment of ruin, sought to annihilate Heaven and Hell alike. Adam, at first intrigued, soon realized the peril she posed. She intended to use his power to achieve her apocalyptic vision.

Here, Adam's haunting recollection of his journey unfolds:

----

“I remember the first time I woke and saw the light

Armless, legless, I laid there

Oh, Eve, I was terrified

Then I learned I was reborn

As the another Sinner in this form

I called out, I screamed, I prayed

And yet nobody came

Then the king found me crying

So I explained everything

He held me tight Said, 'It's alright'

But I felt nothing during our first night together

Even with Lucifer

Can't feel anything

Please believe I was trying

But I stayed determined!

Ran away to the queen's place

She failed too

Always the same

No use there

I cried, I tried to care

Felt like I couldn't live anywhere

A world without love

A world without happiness

It is supposed to be easier away from you

I followed your path

Succeeded too

With no soul

What comes when you die?

Something primal burned inside

Screamed at the heavens 'This is not how it ends!'

Then I woke up like from a dream In the garden again

I could experiment

So over and over I died

But with determination I came back alive

Friends I made

Happy ends I gave

But I'd always predict

What they'd do, what they'd say

I believe In curiosity 'What'll happen if they die?' '

Well, let's see!'

It liberates to be this way

To kill just to see

How the world can change

Nowadays it's all the same

I've read, I've burned, killed, saved, redeemed

I have seen it all I have played every game

People spouting the same lines 'with your claws still in my mind’

Eve, I can't predict you

You surprise me every time

I saw you almost did forget

You'd stay determined yet

You came back from death, like me

Only one question remains

Why'd you come back to play?

Were you buried in the ruins?

Did you hear me call your name?

Guess it doesn't matter how

The tale will end now I'm tired of everything

Tired of being a Angel, A fallen Sinner

Tired of being a Human

Only one thing that's left, Eve

Let's finish what we started

Show them it's kill or be killed

Leave them all broken and scarred!

I had plans, I had designs

Seeing you changed my mind

Eve, with you by my side

Life seems ten times worse!

Killer from the world of man

Only you understand

We're pitiless killers, both

So just follow my plan!

H-hey... what is this feeling?!

Why can't I stop shaking?!

E-Eve. Be honest here! We don't have hard feelings!

Hey! Back off!

I changed my mind! This isn't a good idea!

Go back! This place is fine! Hell is just fine!

I’m happy! I am able to someday love again!

Stop making that face!

This isn't fun!

You're sick in the head!

That's enough!

You've won!

You still think there's more to do

Your killing is never through!

Are you still human inside?!

What kind of monster are you?!

Long past time to end this game

Now nothing feels the same!

Eve, did you do all this when you heard me call your name?

Eve was abusive to Adam

Lucifer loved Adam

Lilith cared for Adam

Adam had lost his soul when he became a Sinner

Both Lucifer and Lilith tried to help him but Adam became frustrated that he still couldn’t feel anything. Especially when Lucifer is showing love and affection towards him.

Adam’s death reset the world and he just kept killing himself to reset the world

Nothing changed until he accidentally called Eves name when he wondered if his life would have been easier if Eve was still abusing him. This is able to wake Eve up.

They return to their abusive relationship. Adam believe this is what he wants but it is not.

Adam realises hurting just him isn’t enough for Eve and she wants to destroy the world.

Should he tell Lucifer the truth? Both Lucifer and Lilith are aware of his missing soul but not about the reset.