#(( two top hats... two different levels of niceness ))

[just-bendy]

Hey 8-ball!! Heres a top hat for your round bald looking head. So you don’t look like Charlie Brown, that would make you hideous

Uh, who's Charlie Brown?

.... is he as hideous as me...?

[tropicalcryptid]

Ok so She-Ra pulled such a great hat trick with Hordak's characterization, and I LOVE it

One of my favorite things about 2018 She-Ra is Hordak's story and development (and Entrapdak cough but that's not the point of this particular post), and the cleverest thing is that so much of it is actually being set up and told to us in seasons 1 and 2 before we even realize that that's what's happening.

When we first see Hordak in the show, he's giving "generic evil overlord" vibes. Garden-variety baddie. Maybe a little more reasonable than some and clearly capable of long-term thinking, but that just serves to make him intimidating. Everything about him--the way he runs his empire, his armor, his color scheme, his minion, his Villainous Eye Makeup(TM), even his name--are all projecting to the audience "yup, Acme Bad Guy here. Move right along."

But then, backstory. And everything snaps into focus. Not only is it one of the first big oh SHIT moments of the show, where we suddenly zoom out and realize that there is SO much more going on than we realized--it's also the start of the audience seeing Hordak as a character rather than an archetype. Suddenly we realize that he's not conquering Etheria because he wants power, or hates happiness and sparkles, or whatever--he's doing it out of a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his brother/creator/god. This moment where Hordak lets Entrapta in is also the moment the show lets us in on what makes our favorite spacebat tick.

On top of that, we've also seen him bonding with Entrapta and opening up to this person that he respects and trusts...probably the only person he's ever respected or trusted apart from Prime. And she's Etherian--someone of a lower species, someone he's supposed to subjugate, someone who he has been raised and trained and programmed and mind-controlled into believing is below him in every way.

But instead she's brilliant and creative and mesmerizing. She's not afraid of him, and she's fascinated with his work. For the first time since being abandoned by Prime, Hordak finally has someone that he can talk to, who is on his level and both understands and cares about the science! (because he is a giant nerd). She's kind to him, a mere defect. And it just sends his whole worldview into a spin, and that's all before--

Bam, mans is a goner. Entrapta's "Imperfections are beautiful" comment punches right through all the toxic bs that Hordak has been steeped in his entire life. You can see on his face here--I think it's the moment Hordak fell in love with Entrapta, but this is also the face of a spacebat reevaluating his entire worldview. If Entrapta, who is amazing, believes something different from Prime...what does that mean? If Entrapta, who is brilliant, believes that he is worth something, and that she herself is a failure...

Well. We know what happens after that, and how Hordak begins to doubt, and eventually fights back against Prime (and remembers his love for Entrapta after TWO mind wipes help my heart ack). But we also get to see what life in the Galactic Horde looks like: the only life Hordak ever knew before coming to Etheria.

It's not nice.

It's really not nice.

Prime operates in a very specific way, and we learn a lot about it in season 5. Prime expects complete obedience, devotion and worship from his clones. He allows no individuality from his subjects, not even a name. Failure or deviations are punished, mind-wiped, or destroyed. We even learn from Wrong Hordak that facial expressions are considered a privilege reserved for Prime (apart from, presumably, expressions of rapture caused by being around Prime).

And once we learn all of this, suddenly thinking about season 1 Hordak becomes very interesting indeed. The time we spend with the Galactic Horde and Prime throws absolutely everything that we know about Hordak into a whole new context. Now all those traits that made him a generic villain are actually hugely effective characterization! And what that characterization is telling us is that Hordak had already moved much farther away from Prime than we (or, probably, he) had realized, even long before he met Entrapta.

Horde Prime does not allow his underlings to have names, personalities, or any differences of appearance. Not only does Hordak allow this among his own troops, he chose a name for himself as well! Season 5 tells us that his very name is an act of blasphemy against his god. And yet Hordak took one for himself, and that name is part of the core identity he is able to hold on to when rebelling against Prime.

Horde Prime cast Hordak out when he showed signs of physical imperfections. Hordak not only keeps Imp (who is by all appearances a failed clone or similar experiment) around, he treats Imp more gently than we see him treat anybody or anything before Entrapta. Imp is not simply "generic evil guy's minion," he is proof of Hordak's capacity for compassion, and evidence that Hordak cannot bring himself to cast aside "defects" as easily as Prime. Considering where Hordak came from, Imp's existence is a huge, flashing neon sign telling the audience this guy here is better than the hell that molded him, and we don't even realize it until 4 seasons after it's been shown to us!

Very cool, ND.

There's more, though. Hordak's red and black color scheme? His dark eye makeup and lipstick? Very Evil Overlord chic. But nope! Actually these are actually expressions of individuality on a level that Hordak knows would be abhorrent to Prime!

Reading between the lines, I see this as Hordak desperately trying to reconcile two diametrically opposed beliefs in his head: (1) devotion to Prime, whose approval he desperately craves, and (2) maintaining some degree of unique personhood, of Hordak, from which to draw strength. Because a failed, defective clone cannot survive on a hostile world, cut off from the hivemind and from Prime's light. A failed clone cannot create an empire to offer Prime as tribute, nor build a spacetime portal from scraps and memory to call Prime back. A failed clone cannot create cybernetic armor to keep his hurting, weakened body alive; to force himself to keep going no matter what, to fight through the pain and the doubt by sheer force of will.

But maybe Hordak can.

And so there it is. Hordak had plenty of time to gain and explore his individuality while separated from Prime, but I think the reason he did it so effectively (while still deluding himself that Prime would forgive him for these little sins, if only Hordak could prove his value) is because he had to.

Wrong Hordak gained his individuality surrounded by kind, quirky people who took care of him; Hordak was ripped from the hivemind by Prime himself and had to fight for his survival against all odds. And that produced a dangerous and damaging foe for Etheria. But it also produced the one clone with the strength of will to defy Prime himself.

This is long and rambling, but ultimately my point is that 1) I love Hordak, and 2) I love love love love that the show was so clever about his characterization. We learn so much about him and how much progress he's already made in breaking from his psycho abusive cult upbringing, and we don't even recognize it until the show wants us to. Hordak had come so far, all on his own, before he met Entrapta. She just helped push him over the edge and finally realize (at least consciously) that Prime's worldview might not be the correct one.

Idk, I just don't know if I've ever seen all the trappings of Basic 80's Villain(TM) so successfully subverted, where looking back 4 seasons later is actually a smack in the face with the "effective character building" stick. Amazing.

[weirdworldofwinnie]

All Tied Up

Part 2 here

The Wizard/Oscar Diggs x female reader (NSFW 18+ only)

Summary: You've been The Wizard's pet 'plaything' more or less for a while now after ending up in the land of Oz by accident. One night he decides to try a new trick in the bedroom.

Warnings: unprotected sex, age gap (much older man/younger woman), power imbalance dynamic, slight daddy kink, nonconsensual mildish bondage, mentions of kidnapping and imprisonment, drinking, drugging

Word Count: ~6,471

A/N: Ever since watching Wicked when it debuted in theaters, I cannot get over Jeff Goldblum as the absolute sexiest Wizard of Oz and so this was born out of a little self-indulgence that I'm happy to share with others who are also down horrendously bad for this man. Takes place before the main climatic events of part one of the movie and obviously not entirely accurate to canon. Reader is AFAB for this (I might write another fic that is more gender neutral) and no use of Y/N in dialogue. Also, this is my first Oz fanfic, and I haven't written smut in a hot minute, so forgive me if it's a bit rusty!

Oscar Diggs.

That isn't his full name of course; all he ever told you was that it was embarrassingly long and unnecessary. Here in the Emerald City though, he is just known as a godlike figurehead deemed The Wizard. The Great and Powerful Oz. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Oz the Great and Terrible. His Supreme Ozness. All that jazz.

You know now he is a farce, a carny drifted the wrong way west, a two-bit con man that you have no business screwing with. But you do not know the extent of his wickedness and besides, he is just too damn good at wooing and making your heart stutter triple its normal rate for you to dig deeper beyond your feelings. He has an inflated ego, sure, but he's fairly quite kind, at least to you.

You first remembered him when you were a small child visiting the traveling carnival at the state fair in Kansas. His warm olive complexion was complimented with a clean-shaven face and a head full of dark hair and he was so, so tall. He still is, but you have a different perspective now. Back then at your low vantage point, he was so up towards the sky that he might as well have been wearing stilts.

He'd crouched down to your level and displayed out a standard deck of playing cards, and exclaimed: "Pick a card, any card!"

You randomly (or thought so) plucked out the Jack of Hearts and he took it back and shuffled the deck with a flurry of motion, then fanned them back out. You didn't see your Jack among them, and you puckered, lower lip jutted out. His eyes went wide at that, and he feigned concern.

"Ohhh, no, where is it? Is it in here?" He dug frantically into the flap of his jacket to no avail, then the bottoms of his tap shoes.

"Hmm, I don't suppose it could've..." He yanked off his top hat to reveal the same card hidden under there.

You'd gasped, equal parts confused and delighted, and he looked relieved at the successful reaction.

"Here, keep it. I have a dozen of these decks. It's something to remember me by and show all your friends." He pressed the colorful illustrated card into your palm with a grin and your eyes had sparkled with wonder and enchantment.

Thinking back on it, you knew he'd probably done that trick with twenty other kids that day, it was just a ploy to make you feel special, like sure he'd picked you out of the crowd to gift that Jack of Hearts to. But that didn't stop you from hanging onto it as a prized keepsake and keeping that card tucked safely in your jewelry box.

Years passed and you grew up, temporarily forgetting about the nice funny carnival man and shoving it to the back of your mind to solely focus on your simple and hardworking life helping your folks manage the acres of farmland and homestead. One late spring day you were out feeding the flock of chickens when you noticed that off in the distance to the west, dark clouds had gathered into an angry mob, a swirling mass of foreboding. You squinted, dropping the sack of feed. That sure didn't look nothing like an ordinary twister...

A vicious wind blew up and you struggled to walk towards the house, your skirt whipping around like a flag in the pummeling gusts. Ma and Pa were in town with the farmhand picking up supplies, so you were all alone and having never been caught out in the middle of a storm that seemed out of the ordinary, you were terrified.

The tornado spun across the fields, churning up the pastures and few buildings and wooden fences in its wicked wake, until it was no more than a football field's length away. There was no time get to the safety of the cellar, there no time to save anything, and with a scream, you bolted into the barn because it was nearest and covered your head as you flattened to the floor. It occurred to you too late that you should've tied or hitched yourself to a post or something...

Within ten frantic beats of your heart, the monster twister was directly overhead, the roaring and gnashing of its raw power nightmarish. Before you knew it, the barn walls around you started to rip and shudder and then the twister had violently sucked you and what was left of the barn straight up into the air and you promptly blacked out, certain this was it.

********

To your immense surprise, when you regained consciousness some time later, you crawled out of the remaining rubble of the barn to have ended up in a strange colorful place where there were joyously curious multitudes of strangers - people that called themselves citizens of Munchkinland. You were certain you had hit your head on the way down and went bonkers, but somehow it was all very real.

After you had recovered from shock and explained your situation, they advised you to head to the imperial capital, named Emerald City, to plead your case to the ruler who resided there, referred to as The Wizard. A kindly older Munchkin couple lent you their horse and a basket of bread with a canteen of water for the journey. For miles you rode through the farmland and north through mountainous regions to what the Munchkins said was Gillikin Country, home to the Great Gillikin Railway. The train station was gleaming and shiny, and the judgmental and disgusted looks from boarding passengers and workers made you feel like a filthy stray dog. You tried your best to ignore them and strode straight up to the conductor taking tickets.

"Excuse me, sir? I need to get to the Emerald City."

He wrinkled his nose and held out a white gloved palm expectantly.

"Oh, but I haven't any money for a ticket; I lost everything from the freak storm that brought me here."

His thick bushy brows had furried together and he sniffed once.

"A storm, you say?"

"Yes, I ain't got a cent. I was told by the Munchkins to go see The Wizard for my troubles."

His eyebrows shot straight up into his high forehead, and he scoffed loudly. You started to turn away, dejected.

"Well, why didn't you say so? It's your lucky day, miss! Come aboard!" the conductor suddenly exclaimed joyfully, ushering you on.

"Only this once though. You'll go straight to Emerald City where our wonderful Wizard can sort you out."

You boarded and found a private seat by the window, instantly falling asleep as soon as the train sped off. You missed out on the wonderous views of rugged thick moody forests and bright fields of crimson poppies and only awoke when the train jolted to a halt. Once let off at the station, you took to exploring the overwhelming oasis that was the Emerald City. You'd never seen a big city before and certainly not one like this...

It wasn't hard to figure out signs of this mysterious Wizard and the most obvious was a huge statue planted in the center of the town square. With a loud gasp, you recognized the figure as the very carnival man you had met as a little girl all those years ago.

After getting directions to the palace from a couple of citizens on the street, you went hurriedly to the entrance, only to run up against the stationed uniformed guards.

"I need to see the Wizard, please," you begged of them.

They'd been extremely skeptical, but after much desperate explaining and exasperation, you were begrudgingly allowed in and warned that if you were told to leave by him, you must obey and that nothing could be done about it.

The stretched-out hallway that was the walk down to where you were supposed to meet this Wizard was ominous and your boots had clacked loudly across the shiny tiled flooring, each step echoing tenfold.

The room itself was enormous and intimidating with bursts of fire and noise almost as bad as the tornado. Somehow, you'd mustered up some gumption to tell off the ghoulish moving mechanical head mouthpiece that you weren't scared off by its overdramatic display and that you weren't going to leave until you saw the voice behind it.

"I know who you are, Mr. Deck of Trick Cards!" you yelled at it and with a great whirring of the machine shutting off, it then clunked silent.

He'd come out from behind the hanging ropey curtain of thick twisted fibers, purely flabbergasted more than angry, and declared in humbled bemusement that no one had ever told him that before. Seeing him in the vivid flesh instead of a dim memory had made you falter. He had aged, yes, but he was actually rather handsome and so well dressed, radiating off quirky charm and charisma. You properly introduced yourself and recounted how you'd recognized him from your memory of that distant festival day.

"I see, but I'm afraid I don't remember you, sorry?" He coughed into his fist while his right shoe tapped restlessly.

Your heart sunk even though it was perfectly logical, and you didn't even know why you expected any remembrance when he never even knew your name, for Pete's sake! You had been just another cute face in the crowd, a country bumpkin kid to play card tricks with at the fair for a minute of his day. He had no reason to selectively recall you at all.

"I figured as much, it's my fault. I guess I'll get going though I haven't a clue on how to get home. But darn it, you know I didn't ask to be swept up by a tornado and plopped into this freakish land! I didn't mean to travel all this way through hot fields and cold mountains and the long railway just to get turned away by a silly man who runs a giant talking head!" You hadn't meant to sound rude and whiny, but you were so tired, hungry (the bread you were given depleted hours ago), dirty, and utterly exhausted. And the hope you had pinned on this one man was extinguished.

The Wizard crossed his arms tight to his chest and his eyes casually roamed up and down your body, perhaps surveying the pathetic condition you were in. If he was offended by your statements, he didn't show it.

"You know, it's funny, I had something somewhat similar happen to me back in Omaha and that's how I ended up here... I made the most of it, though. You came from the great state of Kansas, you said?"

"Yes, sir."

He had smiled at that, perhaps enjoying the way that respectful reply just automatically slipped out from your lips, and then he had waved a hand uselessly behind him.

"I don't know how to send you home. Well, I have a hot air balloon for travel, but it's more strictly emergency purposes and I don't think it would be wise to cause a ruckus and panic the people, so... You know what? How about you, uh, stay the night? You must be so worn out and clearly need a bath."

You winced, knowing you were caked in the unappealing smell of dust, muck, and sweat, but nodded eagerly.

"There's no sense traveling now anyhow, it'll be too dark soon. How about you stay with me for a while, and we'll figure things out, alright?"

You were near tears, yet very grateful, and accepted.

You almost wished you hadn't.

Guards, which were a mix of both normal humans and (bizarrely) blue faced monkeys had come in and dragged you off to a secluded room of the palace where you were scrubbed down and dressed in green pajamas by a small team of maids before being put in a bedroom.

You were stopped at every turn you attempted to leave your room to find an exit and finally they deadbolted it. You spent two nights in confinement with delivered meals before The Wizard had entered and gently explained it was too dangerous to let you leave, that you were safer with him and better off staying with him. At first, you were upset because surely your folks were worried about how you had presumably fallen off the face of an earthly existence, but then you remembered you were definitely an old enough adult to live on your own now and maybe there was nothing left of the homestead anyway if that nasty storm had its way. You didn't miss your work on the farm, nor the pressure your family had been applying to find a young man to marry. You never admitted it out loud, but you had bigger sights than being a simple country girl who let some drunken boyish hick boss you around.

This palace was just so grand compared to anything you'd ever seen in your life, and it was complete with a man you were increasingly infatuated with. It took several weeks of being locked up to come to terms with the realization that you had a raging crush on the man who was playing captor, and you wanted him very badly, but his interactions were limited, and you wondered why the heck he kept you around and alive if all he cared about was hiding his identity.

One night though, he broke down the invisible barrier: as you were knelt down in your room removing your slippers for bed, he grabbed your chin to tip upward and within a matter of two seconds, he kissed you right on the lips before you could make a peep. After a second, you kissed back hungrily without restraint, letting desire overrule fear.

"I'm sorry," you and him both said at the same time when he pulled away.

After that, you shyly admitted your blooming feelings for him and by a stroke of splendid luck, The Wizard reciprocated. He invited you to his private room and you slept with him for the first time. Afterward, he told you a bit about himself, how he really started out just a simple man named Oscar who had become a magician and one day the man in charge because people happened to be so gullible. He was intelligent, inventive, and intoxicating with a dash of cunning.

Of course, you weren't sure if the "love" that he extended was out of pure benevolent generosity or you were merely just a glorified whore, but either way you were happy because you loved him, albeit stupidly. He must genuinely love you back though; what else could all the flowers left on the nightstand and weekly gifts of expensive jewels tucked into tiny ornate boxes with trailing lime green silk ribbons mean? He even gifted you an entire handpicked wardrobe of fine clothing from pressed skirts and beautiful dresses to day-to-day blouses to pajamas and revealing lounge wear, many of which match the colors of Emerald City.

The only downside to this whole odd arrangement was that due to the fact that you already knew too much about him, he'd grounded you to the palace indefinitely. From day one you were not allowed to step even a toe outside the palace walls, you weren't let out to leave the premises even accompanied by guards, and you had to keep to yourself in the designated permitted rooms, of which he had many for a single man. When you asked why he needed the excess of rooms, he chuckled.

"They're for my inventions and all the things I collect. I'm rather sentimental, you see."

"Am I now one of your 'things'?" you asked, to which he had smiled almost impishly.

"You could be, if you want."

********

So it is without resistance that now, many months later, at eight o'clock in the evening (he insists on an earlier bedtime, strictly nine o'clock at the latest) in his grand bedroom, you splay fully naked on your back across the rich emerald green satin sheets like a starfish waiting to be swept away by the power of the tidal force he thinks he is (maybe sometimes he's more of a lukewarm swell but no matter).

The Wizard, or Oscar as he prefers only in private, is a surprisingly fit man for his age with a decent sex drive in bed when he's in the mood, which is at least once a week, but there are dry spells when he's too busy or unhappy. While you spend time reading in the library, he spends hours off somewhere building things and tinkering with models which you've never touched. You sleep in separate bedrooms, but on such nights he's ready for passion however, you're expected to be there and stay the night with him. Enjoying his company isn't hard to do - you've fallen head over heels for the man.

Presently, he's removed his long coat to hang up and is in the process of undressing further, the bits and bobs and chains clinking softly from his vest, when he pauses significantly, humming to himself in the depths of the spacious walk-in closet off to the side.

"What is it?" you ask, perplexed and a smidge annoyed at his distraction. He'd promised - no, ordered - an intimate evening after a long while of leaving too much alone. He's been swamped with work and meetings with other influential folk and plotting and planning that he always keeps quiet and stuffed away from you.

"Do you want a drink, my beauty?" he asks abruptly, turning around and holding a tiny green bottle of his famed elixir that he procured from somewhere.

"What kind of game are you playing at, sir?" you wonder suspiciously, watching candlelight glint playfully off the glass.

"It'll loosen you up, just a sip or two."

"It's just alcohol, isn't it?" You can hear the uncertainty reverberate through your tone and the guilty twitch of his eyebrows doesn't deny anything.

"My very own special blend. Take some," he insists, coming over and pressing the cool bottle into your tender hands.

"Why?"

"It's, uh, for a surprise. I promise it's not poison, by golly."

"Not funny." You narrow your eyes but pop the cork and bring it to your lips to take a quick swig. It goes down smooth like syrup, just not as sweet.

"That's my girl," he praises, and you shiver in delight as he climbs up on the bed, holding his hand out expectantly for the elixir, but you aren't done with it. You drink more, feeling the inexplicable urge to quench your thirst. You finally press the nearly empty bottle back to his hands, swallowing before lying back with a flump onto the plush pillows.

Within two minutes, you feel entirely airy and floaty, like your mind has taken an extension cord out of your body to stick somewhere up on the ceiling.

"This'll 'ad better be gooood..." you slur out.

"I guarantee it will, at least for me." He watches in satisfaction as you doze off to dreamland in a daze, a heavy weight of comfortable numb blackness settling over your bones. The room is bathed in a cozy glow from the candles, and it smells deliciously heady.

********

Not too long later, you stir awake from your short-lived nap and when you roll over to your side, you find you can't. Your back is flush against the satin sheets, arms raised up above your head and pinned to the headboard.

"W-Why am I... all tied up?" you ask groggily, looking down at your spread apart legs and ankles, which are stuck in place to the bedposts by a sturdy soft green rope snaked expertly and securely.

"I thought, uh, we'd try something new here..." Oscar says, seeming hesitant now, as if he's two inches away from regretting playing out this fantasy. Or maybe he's not guilty at all and only perceiving the act of being so (you could never tell with a sleazy con man after all).

You tug uselessly at the bindings, which aren't that uncomfortable; the mossy green rope coils around your wrists and ankles snugly, leaving a bit of room for circulation. The only part that truly bothers you is the restricted mobility and lack of control.

Oscar approaches slowly, as if gauging your reaction and his self-preservation if you should decide to fight back... How exactly, you don't know. Yell at him, cuss him out? Bite him like a lowly animal? Scream until a guard comes in to see if you are being murdered?

You writhe slowly, testing the limitations as he settles down at the foot of the bed, a patient parental expression painting his face, coloring with concern yet intrigue. In the time while you were asleep, he's removed his button down and trousers, leaving just a white undershirt and green boxers that pronounce his male package quite well.

He runs a slow hand up along the length of your left thigh and then alternates to the right, his fingers tracing lines of pleasure into your veins. You automatically whimper and he rigs a sly smile up to one side of his cheek.

"Do you like this?"

"I don't know..." you murmur truthfully. It's not exactly unpleasant, but the loss of control is unsettling.

"Well, I happen to like it. You know, the sight of you like this." He gestures a wide sweeping path across the whole of your body, and you grin sheepishly, chest rising and falling with anticipated breaths.

"You can't squirm from me as much."

"I don't squirm," you protest, raising eyebrows.

"Oh yes, you do. I know you don't mean to."

Before you can react to that, he lunges forward and his hands go to your sides, stroking up around to your breasts, fondling them like priceless treasures. You moan, arousal heating your core even more than before, and he rubs a thumb over the hard buds of your nipples while speaking lowly.

"I thank my lucky stars that you were blown in from that storm, it sure was a lonely handful of years before you stumbled into this place. And to have someone so obedient to all my whims..." he trails off, a hungry glint in his eyes.

He bends down to lick and smooch along your throat, inching upward until he nuzzles the nape of your neck with his nose. His close cropped and trimmed mustache/goatee tickles and scratches at your skin as he leans so close, cupping the opposite side of your face with a firm hand. You whimper as he latches onto your mouth possessively, his tongue hot and heavy in your mouth. He tastes faintly like Oz's finest toothpaste and his aftershave should be sold as a candle. Maybe you can suggest to him to market his own line of merchandise; the people of Emerald City will buy anything with their great ruler's handsome face on it even if the product is utter shit.

You feel your hips trying to buck up, needing more contact than of the oral kind, but he's teasing tonight.

"Just keep making those pretty noises, darling..." he whispers, sucking numerous hickeys.

"Please, Oz..."

He moves his head, hot breath on your earlobe as he mutters the words.

"What is it that you desire?"

You struggle to speak, all senses haywire, and he waits patiently as you breathe erratically.

"You-I, please, I need... Oscar, please! Touch."

"Oh, you want me to touch you there? Now we're getting somewhere, darling."

He backs off to run a hand down the length of your body and two of his solid warm fingers slip down into your entrance and out, a give and take motion he does for a bit just to get you hot and bothered. His fingers toy expertly with your moist clit like one does with levers to machines, pressing up and down, rubbing a swiping warm thumb over the knob... When he curls them internally, you cry out cataclysmically, stomach undulating in peaking waves of pleasure as you squirt on his fingers. He chuckles, keeping his grip on your hips, and without the ropes keeping your limbs in place, you'd be thrashing. It's torture, but in the very best way.

When you calm down enough to gaze at him heavy lidded with blown pupils, he focuses on removing his undergarments, taking the white undershirt off first and throwing it to the floor for a maid to pick up later. Then he gets to the main event, the showstopper. You don't focus long on his erect cock because his fingers get in between your legs again. He dips one in, two, then three to stretch you out and your warm slick folds welcome him back in with relief. He holds his free hand down on your stomach and you orgasm once more, yanking in frustration at the bindings that dig into your skin.

"Easy, easy," he says as if trying to tame a wild mare.

"I want... to touch you!" You've fondled his balls and cock before, but even just throwing your arms around his neck would be better than this look-but-don't-touch load of hooey.

"I know, I know. Hey, I'm doing the work here alright? Just enjoy the ride and you'll thank me later."

He looms over before settling down over you and it's strange not being able to grab him in return, to claw at his back, to wind your legs around his waist and claim him as your own for the evening. This power play dynamic is right up his alley, to make you feel utterly vulnerable and pliable underneath him, and it's only fitting for a man who loves to pull the strings of everything and everyone around him. He prefers being on top in bed, but you're definitely known to ride him cowgirl style a time or two (this is your favorite position).

The head of his cock pushes in at a tasteful pace to bottom out and burrow inside that it feels like up in your stomach - and it's taken practice to get to this point; the first time (and a few times after that) hurt and he couldn't get too far mostly because he was just so big. You wonder dimly if taking elixir and being in a relaxed state of mind affects your ability to take his girth. Either way, he never gets angry on nights he can't go all the way; he finds his climax just as well outside. Tonight, though, he's persistent and when he glances at your face which is not screwed up and wincing, he gradually nods in approval to continue.

Oscar moves slowly in rocking rhythm, gentle and deliberate at first, then faster and rougher, nearly growling in pursuit of his own pleasure. His silver hair falls out of its careful coifed style to hang over his forehead, and he keeps his melted milk chocolate-colored eyes dead set on yours as he fucks, a predator to his prey. He has you right where he wants, you can't move away, and you moan as your walls clench tight around his cock. He holds his stare steady, but his frame is shuddering and it's clear he's close to his pinnacle, the one he's been aiming for since you entered this bedroom.

He has made it no secret he has cravings to be a father, even though you're sure he'd be a somewhat inept, possibly even lousy one due to his measurable amount of selfishness. Not to mention the detail that he's old enough to be your own daddy and you oddly don't have a problem with that... But he knows he mustn't intentionally knock you up (a scandal that would cause if word got out) and it was you who had to sadly school him on this fact of life, having been around enough farm animals all your life to know how babies are easily made and knowing friends who had become mothers at the ripe age of 18 back in high school, and you do not want to be that careless. It's lucky there hasn't been any "mistakes" so far in your bedding with Oscar, but you know he almost can't resist spilling inside.

Instead, he pulls out with difficulty at the very last minute, and hot ropes of gooey cum splatter your stomach and splash against your chest. He groans in ecstasy before heaving, out of breath.

"You okay?" you whisper as his lightly sweating chest rises and falls with exertion. He cracks a lopsided smile, steadying himself by using his arms to brace against the headboard above you.

"Are... Are you kidding? I've never been better. Just - just give a man a minute, will you?" He retracts an arm back and holds up a single finger with a dangerous glance.

"And don't you dare make a joke about my age. I'm as fit as a fiddle, just like when I was thirty."

You nod absently, thinking of him as a younger man. The portraits and statues scattered around are decent, but could never do him justice. He's aged like the finest high-quality wine and the silver hair and sprinkling of wrinkles only enhances his austerity.

"You're incredible, your Ozness."

"Flattery always works best, my dear." He ducks his head down and sloppily kisses you softly on the cheek.

"And you deserve to be untied, don't you?" His hands wind around behind your head and with one quick motion, both your wrists are untied. He does your ankles next in a flash and flimsily bundles the short ropes up to toss onto the bedside table.

He climbs off and helps you up ease up to a seated position. You feel suddenly dizzy and droop forward, your brain rushing with slush, and blood flushes into your cheeks.

"Woah, it's okay." He sucks in a breath, catching you against his chest.

"Spinning," you gasp out and he keeps his arms securely around you for a minute before you wiggle, antsy, and he props you up.

"Still on the Tilt-A-Whirl?" he asks, lines deeply creasing his face.

"I... It's gettin' better." You shake your head as though that will dispel the imbalance that you have a strong hunch is a side or after effect from his mystery elixir, not just the sex.

"Thank goodness. You scared me for a minute there, if this is too much..."

"No! I love you," you blurt out and he comfortingly pets your head, raking fingers through and tousling your hair.

"Alright, sweetheart. And to think in addition I was going to experiment with a blindfold and gag- uh, never mind. Maybe that's too advanced; we'll hold off on that one for the foreseeable future."

You gape at him as he gets off the bed with no further word but a grunt and reaches over for a towel on the bedside table to give to you. You take it to wipe up some of the mess while he leaves momentarily off to the nearby bathing chambers to freshen up.

He comes back five minutes later dressed only in a fresh pair of tight fitting boxers predictably of his favorite color that you have to tear your gaze away from lest you foolishly admit to wanting another go around. He clears his throat at your staring, rubbing his jaw and jerking his chin towards the door.

"You can go clean up now," he says a bit gruffly, pointing.

All of Emerald City is extravagant and even the humble washroom is no exception. The first night he'd fucked you, Oscar had given a tour of it.

"See what money and power can buy? It'd do you good to remember that," he'd said as he ran a hand across the shiny marble tiles and gilded gold faucets.

"I came from humble beginnings just like you and now look at me!" He spread his arms out wide in exaggeration and you giggled, utterly enamored.

"Just don't let it go to your head." He chuckled deeply at the ironic fitting joke.

You shuffle off now to wash and wipe down your body in there, using an dark green washcloth that has his moniker of "OZ" stitched on it, and you feel aching soreness all over your body - but it's a good kind, like a full day's work of physical labor accomplishing what you really needed to do.

********

Once you are done in the washroom, you tug on a plush robe the color of jade and return to the bedroom to go to lay back down on the king size bed next to him. He pulls you in with the crook of his arm, the other holding a different bottle than the elixir. This one smells very much like whiskey.

"I should tell you..." he begins with a pause, clearly not in any hurry as he takes a breath and then a couple sips. You can tell by his slightly unfocused gaze and relaxed body that he is getting a tad drunk.

"We're gonna have a special visitor soon from Shiz University, you know Madame Morrible?"

"Yes." You've seen her come and go around the palace, but aren't advised to get within ten feet of the powerful older woman, let alone speak to her. All you know is that she can do impressive magic (unlike him) and is a very close loyal confidant who provides important insider information.

"Well, she invited a very special student with promising magical abilities here for something I'm working on, and I'll need you get out and to stay out of our hair for a while," he explains causally, playing with the neck of the bottle in his fingers.

"You're casting me out?" you ask, disappointment surging up like a muddy river during a flood. This set-up is only too good to last, isn't it? You're so in love that you've almost forgotten all about home, not that you'd really loved your old life there much anyway. But if you truly can't get home ever again, you'll have to start looking for some kind of work in the city to make meager money and hopefully figure out how to cobble a life together if that's even possible. You'll never find another man to depend on like Oscar, that's obvious. Funny that mere months ago, you had been somewhat distraught at the notion of being held against your will in this unfamiliar palace and world. Now you just feel stupid for letting him lead you into a false sense of security and preying on when you were most desperate.

"No, no, of course not," he replies in a scandalized tone, slicing sharply through your spiraling thoughts.

"I greatly value your, uh, commitment to me and keeping my secrets. You're a very delightful girl who doesn't go snooping for trouble and you try to keep out of my business."

You don't mention that you are technically locked indefinitely in this palace, forbidden to go outside off the grounds, and hadn't really had a choice in the first place. But he appears so sad and frustrated, so you nestle and snuggle further into his side, your hand tracing lazy circles on his chest.

"Perhaps only though for your safety, if the upcoming meeting and arrangement doesn't go well, you might have to leave permanently. But, uh, in that case I'll make sure you get you set up with decent accommodations outside the city. Perhaps Munchkinland, Governor Thropp there owes me a favor..."

"Okay," you murmur quietly even though this prospect partially frightens and worries you, and you feel relief oozing from his bones.

"Thank you for always understanding my dear. You know I have such a responsibility and I need everything to go right when this special young lady comes - Morrible is counting on it and you damn know it you don't want to get on her bad side."

"This student of hers must be something else," you mutter more to yourself than him. How much does she know, anyway?

"She sure fucking is from what I've been told. She'll change everything and put me in a greater position than before if I can get her to work with me. Morrible seems cautiously confident and cheered as well by the prospect, which is a sign to be taken seriously. She can often have a stiff stick up her tight ass, huh?" He laughs, deep and throaty, and you know his guard is down when he swears openly in conversation.

"Right." You're silent for a little while, just letting him hold you and trying not to dwell on the implications of whatever this mystery meeting could hold. You could ask for more information, seeing as to how he could be looser lipped from the effects of the alcohol, but you frankly don't care. The post orgasmic state you're basking in is too all-consuming to break out of (plus you are fatigued), and so you let the less business side mood of tonight seep back into the conversation.

"Hey, I liked this tonight, what we did. I really thought the ropes were, um, creative and even though I was nervous at first, it was actually... pretty hot? Maybe we could do that again sometime, sir?"

He smiles tentatively, the gears of his diabolical mind whirring on another track, and your words clumsily snatch him back to the present.

"That's just what I like to hear, sweetheart. That's what I love best-"

"-making people happy," you finish for him, having that line down pat after overhearing him parrot it as part of his political approach.

"Atta girl," he replies with a smarmy smirk and then a contented sigh, ducking his head and resting his chin on top of your head as you lay on his bare chest, listening to the even drumming of his heartbeats.

The palace is delightfully quiet this time of night, the guards in immediate range having been dismissed for the evening so there would be no eavesdroppers. Light from the waxing moon outside the large glass windows curtained with heavy drapes parted a couple inches beams through weakly down, leaving a six inch pale strip to highlight the heavily polished floor.

Kansas and its cornfields feel like worlds away. This is almost like a dream in of itself, but I know it isn't because every day I wake up and I'm still here, you muse sleepily.

Maybe you're staying with the wrong man, and it will end badly between you two. But honestly at this moment, you are too smitten by this lavish lifestyle you stumbled into, his seemingly sincere ongoing affections, and the raw primal love you extract from his flesh on passionate nights like this to give too much of a hoot about it.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Making flower crowns for various crps (1/?)

I'm making these like. No bake granola balls and omg I tried some before I put it up and it's so good I'm so excited to try them when they're ready

Characters: slenderman, splendorman, ticci toby, masky, hoodie

Notes: reader is gn, this may be split into 3 parts for the characters , we will see, writing this while in a massive motivation slump chat i am struggling

CWs: none

SLENDERMAN

he already knows what youre doing long before you approach him with the crown... he does feign some level of surprise just for you albeit in the form of lightly raising his brows- he... doesnt emote that often...

he wears it for a while just for you, though he does eventually hang it somewhere so it can dry out and be preserved. he WILL raise hell if someone comes into his woods and steals it like they do his pages. it was a gift you made for him, hes not going to let some wandering hiker steal it from him

just say the word and he will bring you flowers to make more crowns, or better yet take you to where a lot of flowers tend to grow in the woods!

leaves flowers in your room or at your home for you whenever he gets the chance to gather some

SPLENDORMAN

oooooooo did you make that for him? give him a second to make one for you so the two of you can match! no really he only needs a minute or two, hes for the speed and efficiency to make one much much faster than you ever could- whether from experience or excitement or simply being built different... you werent sure!

will loop it around his hat so it rests on the brim.. will point out the specific flowers you wove into it and asks if the choices were intentional... even if they werent hes going to compliment your choices and if youre interested ramble about the meanings of the flowers you did choose

he loves daisies and sunflowers! they look so... "happy" as he puts it!

will dry the crown out so he can keep it long term

MASKY

why would you make him this? not to make him sound ungrateful, he moreso means it in a confused sense because... what use is there to wear this? it is nice, though....

dont even try to snatch it back off of his head hes going to either evade you or grip it to his head in his hands- possibly the most... expressive... youve seen him be in response to non-dangerous things

keeps it stashed away somewhere when he needs to take it off to go into the woods and do his work

he... finds himself making one for you... the process is actually quite calming for him... half of the flowers he picks are actually weeds- not that he cares about the difference. a flower is a flower regardless of where it grows

HOODIE

he likes it! you... think... the mask makes it hard to tell and he just... let you put it on top of his head- you get the feeling that he already knew you were making the crown

keeps it in a safe space, but somewhere visible so you know that he didnt through it out or trash it or whatever- he knows you put time and effort into this and hes going to let you know that hes not going to disregard it... will dry it out like his boss

one night he comes home with all sorts of plants- flowers, weeds, grass, everything he could get his hands on- in his arms and dumps them in front of you- and he starts signing...

...he wants you to show him how to make a crown too!

TICCI TOBY

initially acts like its not that big of a deal or that its really something hes interested in it... but hes shutting you down when you offer to take it back

wears it even when he goes out in the woods, will throw hands if someone snatches it off of his head or damages it in some way. he does NOT care if theyre just flowers!

attempts to dry the crown out, likely fails somewhere down the line and he feels so distraught- he knows that it was going to happen eventually but god does it do nothing to take away the disappointment.. his ass does not know how to effectively preserve plants

you both sit together making crowns

[sewinrat]

If you were one of Luther's Cat:

Obviously you're not a normal cat. No gender mentioned dw;

While Nyon has those floppy cat ears and Nyen has like a cat hat, you have a beret with cat ears. Do with that information as you will, but either way no one knows if it can come off.

You eat poison once. It was an accident. Trouble likes to linger around you but they can get worse as years went by.

You were the middle cat. What I meant by that is, both in role and personality. You were not as mean as Nyen can be but you were also not as nice as Nyon is.(Unless of course you have a different opinion.) Remember the tier list they had in Vol 1. Lucid 5? Yea, you're placed either in Dime, Ace or something else like Hearts/Diamonds but never higher than that in tier 4. Close to Tier 3 actually but Nyen can be petty.

Danger Level: MODERATE

You are often found around the kitchen or the living room. Any other parts of the house you might be seen is because you have to go there under an order or for other reason. Once, Sebastian found you somewhere in a hallway sitting on the floor terrifyingly staring at the wall.

Unlike Nyen, when it comes to vacuums, you're one of those that chill on it. Just pop hide your limbs, be a bun and sit on top of it. If this ever happens, Nyen usually respects you more than he does when you're off it. It doesn't last long tho.

Of course since you're Luther's cat, you are loyal to him. It's inevitable especially in the ivory house. Luther's house. Maybe when you were a regular human, you would've accidentally met him in Michigan. You lost everything before so why must you worry about your human life when you can be a cat while gaining inhuman traits from Luther. Don't mind whatever happens within the house, you can do anything under his permission.

Ranfren Characters thoughts on You;

Randal: "Yeahh I don't care much about them.. However they're my favourite out of big brother's cats! They're willing to play with me unlike the other two! It's fun since Sebastian don't play my games. I would call them my friend if it weren't for the fact that they're big brother's... And also the fact they can act like him." In short, he would see you as his friend but non friend.

Sebastian: "O-oh.. Who are you? Uh uhm.. okay? I guess they're fine. They're not as crazy as that other one.. but they still make me uncomfortable.. especially when they stare at the wall for no reason. I just hope they won't try to kill me.." He's afraid but he's fine. He can tolerate.

Nyen: "Oh them? I guess they're okay. They're boring to me but they are terrifying when they're on the damn vacuum. *shivers* eugh.. thinking about it makes me sick. Don't tell them that or else I would have to suffer their smug smile for a while." He doesn't care much. Don't try to snitch on him.

Nyon: "... They're okay." He's too quiet on the matter but don't worry, he likes you. You're not mean as Nyen. If anything, you also amuse him randomly. Especially when he saw you intimidating Nyen one time.

Luther: "Ah yes, one of my lovely cats. Out of the other two, as a kitten, they act so good. Better than the two. However, I love them all equally. As they grew older, it seems that trouble stirs around them more but it's fine. It's not as troublesome as some of the things Randal puts himself into. Now, while you are here, come have tea or please leave." His opinion has not changed. He loves you just as much as he loves his family.

Bonus! Ratman Robert: "How the hell did you get here? Whatever, you don't look like one of them. The middle cat? No comment. I don't know if I should be afraid that they seem to be plotting something or grateful they don't attack us when they see us. I would like it better if they don't stare at the wall. It's uncomfortable to feel their eyes on me." He's scared. But he would offer you food that he has as peace offering one day. Don't eat him.

[somanyratsinthewalls]

Burning Hearts Part 8

Pairing: Law x Straw Hat Zoan Type (named) OC 

Summary: *SLOWWWW BURRRRN* You were teleported across the globe in an instant, away from your crew. Your body was badly broken and beaten, thrust into the harsh landscape of a Northern island. You are discovered by the Heart Pirates and brought back to health. Startled upon waking up in a foreign place with an unfamiliar crew, you are shocked with the news that you’ll be spending two years there. Trafalgar Law, the captain of the Heart Pirates has made a promise to train you, but will it become something more than a mentor relationship?

WC: 2300

Taglist: @cottoncandyloverrrr

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Burning Hearts Chapter 8: Doctor’s Visit

— — 

“Damn girl… you look like shit. Your ankle is mad swollen.” Ikkaku’s eyes rake over your body, covered in superficial lacerations and multicolor bruises in varying levels of healing. 

“Gee, thanks for reminding me.” You roll your eyes and step into the steaming hot bath. “It’s not like I have this shooting pain all over my body to remind me that I look like hot garbage.” You carefully lower yourself into the water. Every single muscle in your body cried out in agony. “Ow, ow, ow, ow…” You finally settle into the tub and sigh. 

Ikkaku continues panting her toenails a bright shade of coral from her perch on the bathroom counter. 

“I just got my period, too. I feel like I got hit by a fucking train.” You close your eyes and slide deeper under the hot, soapy water. “Can you grab some tampons out of that drawer? I want to bring some back to my room.” 

Ikkaku sighs in sympathy. She opens up the top drawer and pulls out a box. 

“You’re bleeding AND you’re beat up like that? You better stay in tomorrow and rest.” Ikkaku says. 

“HAH! Yeah right. And who is gonna tell your psycho captain that I’m taking the day off? Because I’m certainly not doing it. He’d probably cut my arms off and put them on backwards or something.” 

“Come on, like he’d harm a hair on your head.” Ikkaku responds and chuckles. 

“Umm??? Who do you think kicked my ass this bad??? He doesn’t exactly go easy on me.” You turn your head to face Ikkaku. 

She scoffs. 

“That honestly shocks me, he’s so different with you.” Ikkaku blows on her wet nails.

“What do you mean?” You inquire. 

“I can’t really explain it… he’s just been like… weird since you got here. I mean, he’s always been weird… but with you he’s extra weird.”

“What are you implying?” You raise an eyebrow. 

“Nothing!” Ikkaku throws her hands up. "All I’m saying is that there’s been some sort of shift in the guy since you came into the picture. I’m not complaining, it’s been pretty nice having someone to ‘girl talk' with, you know?” 

“Mhmm…” You knew she was hiding something, but you were too tired to pry further. “I hope you get to meet my friends some day, I think you’d like them.” 

Ikkaku smiles. 

“I’m sure I would. Now get your ass out of that tub and tell Law you aren’t training tomorrow before you fall asleep and drown in there.” 

“I think I’d rather drown.” You joke as you sink down further into the tub. 

“Come on, I’ll help you up.”

Ikkaku comes over to the side one the tub and you sit up to allow her to help you up. “Ah!” Your ankle nearly gives out as you try to step out of the tub. 

“Yeah, as much as you don’t want to believe it, I think a doctor has got to look at that…” 

— — 

*knock knock* 

Law looks at the clock. 

11:45 PM

Who was coming to his office this late in the evening?

“Yes? Come in…”

A tired looking, wet-haired Daisy shuffles into his office. Was she limping?

“Hi…” 

“Hi back… what’s wrong with your leg? You’re favoring your right. You weren’t doing that at training today.” He couldn’t help but ask… he was a doctor after all. 

“I think I twisted it… didn’t hurt until I got back. Ikkaku made me come and have you look at it. It’s probably nothing. Since I’m here, I have some cuts that might need stitches, so you should probably- woah-“ 

Daisy stumbled, her gaze losing focus. She puts her arms out in front of her. 

“I think I might-“ Her eyes rolled back. 

“Room!” 

With a quick ‘Shambles’, Law swapped Daisy out with a sock that had been discarded on his bed in the adjoining room. He had caught her right before she hit the ground. Law rushes through the archway to assess Daisy’s situation. She was laying on his bed, barely conscious. 

“Hey… Wake up, you’re okay, you just passed out.” Law sits at her side on the bed. 

“I-I did?”

“Yes. Have you been feeling dizzy lately? Light-headed?”

“Not really. I was in a super hot bath because-“ she stops, hesitant to tell him something. “Well, because I needed a bath.”  

“Have you been drinking enough water?” 

Daisy rubs her eyes. 

“I don’t know? I thought so.” 

“Any headaches? Body aches? Fever?” Law continues his laundry list of medical questions. 

“You threw me into a tree like, six times this morning, my whole body always aches.” 

Law furrows his brow with concern. Had he pushed her too far today? She never said anything about it… A pang of guilt reverberated through his chest. 

“That would’t explain the passing out on its own… are you menstruating?” Law asks. 

“Ew, Law! That’s personal!” Daisy’s cheeks turn pink. 

“I’m a doctor, it’s a fair question to ask after a fainting spell.”

“Okay well my primary care physician is a reindeer, so I don’t need you prying into my cycle.” Daisy snaps at him. 

“So that’s a yes to the previous question…” Law catches Daisy rolling her eyes. “I’ll give you some iron pills and an anti-inflammatory. That should help. Now let me see your ankle.” 

Law rises from the bed and moves to the foot of the bed so he was standing at her feet. He pulls up her sweatpants to her left knee. The ankle was swollen with a large purple bruise. 

“Gods, when did this happen?” Law sighs as he accesses the damage. He gently picks up her foot and she winces. Daisy must have noticed the guilty, pensive look in his eyes. 

“Hey, I don’t think you did it… I probably tripped over a root or my own feet or something in the garden, you know how I am.” Daisy gave him a weak smile. Her smile did little to alleviate him of his feeling of repentance. As clumsy as you were, it probably was him that caused the injury. 

“Right.” Law finishes examining her ankle and gingerly sets it back down on the bed. “I’ll go get you that medication and some ice for this. I don’t think it’s sprained, just badly twisted. You are going to need to rest for a few days until you can train properly again.”

“I-I’m sorry…” Daisy hangs her head. 

“Why?” Law asks stoically. 

“Because I won’t be able to train for a bit… we’re wasting time… aren’t you mad?”

“Pushing you past your limits now won’t help in the long run. It won’t be more than a few days, I’m sure of it. I see the cut you were talking about, I’m going to stitch it up. I’ll be right back.” 

Law heads back into his office and collects some supplies from his cabinets and drawers, places it all on a metal surgical tray and returns to the foot of his bed. He picks up the large ice pack and the medical tape from the tray and begins fastening the cold pack to the swollen ankle. After carefully tending to her foot, Law places an extra pillow underneath the injury to elevate it. 

“I’m going to have to get closer to do the stitches, can you move your other leg?” Law points at Daisy’s right knee and she pulls it in towards her body, leaving him room to sit on the bed and work. 

“I’m going to slightly numb the area and begin. You okay?” Law checks in with a glance to her face as he readies the needle and thread. 

Daisy nods. 

“I, uh, I would look away if you’re still feeling faint.” Law says as he notices her eyes on the wound he was about to begin sewing together. 

“It’s kind of hard not to look… can you distract me or something?” 

Law’s breath catches in his throat. 

“What?”

“I don’t know! Talk to me or something, so I can take my mind off it?”

“I mean, I’ll be kind of busy. But you can talk if you’d like…” 

There was a short pause. 

“So. What’s your favorite color?” Daisy asks. 

“Wha- huh?” Law cocks his head and meets her eyes. “My favorite color?” 

What the hell was she talking about? He hasn’t been asked this question since he was young and his baby sister would make him macaroni art… No, wait, Cora asked him once… he wanted to know what color sprinkles to put on his 14th birthday cake… 

“Yeah, mine’s yellow. What’s yours?” Daisy interrupts his wandering train of thought.

Law returns his gaze to the task at hand and begins stitching the wound at its corner. 

“Um. I don’t have one.” 

“Oh come on. No one’s that buttoned up.” Daisy rolls her eyes. “You’re that committed to the dark and mysterious bit that you won’t even tell me your favorite color?” 

There was a pregnant pause.

“I don’t talk about myself because it would only cause people to be sympathetic towards me, and that’s the last thing I want. Everything before I founded the Heart Pirates is nothing short of tragic, and it’s a past I’m still trying to avenge… and, blue, I guess…” Law is grateful he has to focus on stitching the wound, there’s no way he’d be able to make eye contact with her now anyway. He sees her smile softly out of the corner of his right eye. 

“Blue is nice.”

Daisy hisses as Law pierces the skin with his needle in a particularly thick spot, the numbing medication only doing so much. 

“SO,” She winces as she tries to distract herself. “You were really touchy about the record player… Who did you say it belonged to again?” 

Law stops. Silence falls again. 

“An old mentor of mine.” Law continues working. Daisy looks at him expectantly, clearly waiting for him to elaborate… but her expression was soft, not wanting to rush him. 

“Corazon… he saved my life… It’s a long story. I was very ill as a child. I’m from Flevance-“ 

“How? Everyone from Flevance died from Amber Lead Disease? I heard about it when I was real young… my dad used to tell me about it so we wouldn’t go play in the mines.” Daisy interrupts him. 

“That’s why it’s a long story… I thought you wanted me to talk to you?” Law can’t help but smirk a bit. 

“Right, sorry, go on.” Daisy giggles a bit. *How cute.* No… not cute.

“Anyway…” Law continues sewing up the gash on Daisy’s leg.  “You know who Donquixote Doflamingo is, right, yes?”

Daisy nods. 

“So when I was 13…” 

Law spends the entirety of 30 minutes explaining his tragic childhood while carefully patching up Daisy’s open cuts. 

“Gods, Law… And I thought my life sucked… I’m sorry that happened to you, I really am.” Daisy reaches down and touches Law’s clothed bicep. Law flinches. 

“Sorry…” Daisy says after feeling him recoil from her touch. 

“No.. it’s ok. I just… don’t tell a lot of people that.”

“My family was killed too. I can’t say I relate to all of the other shit, but we have at least one horrific ordeal in common. That’s how I ended up with Grey Jaw…” 

“You don’t have to tell me about it. I know that it’s-“

“It’s fine. You asked awhile ago and I didn’t answer. I guess I wasn’t ready…” Daisy sighs. “He burnt my island to the ground, taking me and the other young girls to ‘work’ for him after we watched him murder our families. I was 16. I was there for 4 years… it was all a blur really… tried to force it out of my head…” Daisy sniffles. 

Law pretends not to notice and continues his work. Daisy swallows hard.

“When I was 20, we were freed by the Marines who launched a surprise raid on the ship. I ended up on some dinky little island and bartended for another 4 years before Luffy showed up and asked me to join his crew. Aaaand now I’m here in this mess…” Another sigh left her lips. 

“But you hate the Marines now?” Law asks. 

“There are good marines. Just like there are good pirates.” Daisy looks up at Law to meet his eyes. “You can understand that, right?”

He nods, knowing all too well. 

“All done.” 

“Thanks, doc. Can you ‘shambles’ me back to my room or something? I’ve already overstayed my welcome, I think.” 

“Just sleep here. I was going to finish research and crash on the couch anyway.” Law rises from the bed. 

“You’re sure?” She asks. 

“Yeah, and here’s a hot water bottle… for the, you know…” Law hands her the heating pad. She shyly smiles as she grabs it from his hands. “Get some rest. Yell if you need something, I’ll just be next door.”

Law is halfway through the archway when he hears her. 

“Law?”

“Yes?”

“Goodnight.” She smiles warmly at him. 

Law feels something tingly and foreign shoot through his veins. Looking at her, he couldn’t help but smile back. Genuinely. 

“Goodnight Daisy.” 

xx 

**Authors Note** PART 9 WILL BE UP TOMORROW FOR VALENTINE'S HEHEHE IF THAT GIVES YOU A HINT! Also PLEASE comment and let me know if you want to be in the taglist for this series! Sorry for the slowest burn on the planet, I simply am being so self indulgent...

[eolewyn1010]

Downton Abbey Fashion 63 - festive occasions in 1924

The only notable festive occasion this season is Rose’s wedding, although that is split into the courthouse wedding and the blessing plus reception. There are several outfit repeats in play there, so only a few characters really get two new outfits to speak of. Heck, Violet doesn’t get any new at all. But speaking of weddings – let’s flashback to Mary’s fashion show for a hot second!

Because, with several of the show’s outfits landing in Mary’s possession, including her outfit for Rose’s wedding, I was almost surprised that the wedding dress they presented didn’t get its big moment later on. Perhaps it was too boring? Because this is very traditionally, typically 1920s. Shapeless, without any showy elements to the cut, relying on drop waist and front embroidery, the veil worn in a way that closely framed the face, covering most of the forehead. The headpiece is a little quirkier though; wish they’d done more with this design element.

--------------

Isobel picked a white outfit just so I can bitch, I guess. Okay, the shirt is cream rather than white, and it’s got some flowers on top, but the jacket is just white crepe. Boring, but Isobel does put a nice hat on it, with the ribbon having some golden trim and even a white peacock feather in it.

--------------

Over to Susan. Well, her reception outfit is a tad better than the suit she wore for the wedding ceremony, in that it isn’t ludicrously big on her, but that’s pretty much where its upsides end. What is that color? Dirty gold? Bleached green? It’s got a little golden lace trim and a nice enough hat, but I’m both on a character level and on a fashion level quite happy to have seen the last of her.

--------------

I don’t remember what Cora wore for the wedding ceremony – was it the blue coat with the diagonal draping? If so, her reception dress is kinda meh by comparison. It’s this little beige number which has a little gathering done to it. So far, so nice. I’m not opposed to the black-and-white flower motif either. It’s just that, when I look at this, I think this neckline could’ve done better, this hat could’ve done better, this half-circle cutout above the drop waist isn’t super flattering. How about a more colorful necklace?

--------------

Lady Sinderby shows up to her son’s wedding in a dress that couldn’t be plainer regarding cut and completely black under layer. And then the upper layer is just. Lace. Lace cuffs? Absolutely. Lace neckline frame? Make it a whole triangle thing. Lace hem? Not enough; we need more lace. Looping around one side and then making its way up the front on the other, it does end up a little asymmetrical for fashion purposes, but these lace designs are very traditional. They have never even touched 1920s art movements. Top it off with a beige straw hat and a handful of black tulle, and off we go.

For the reception, Lady Sinderby is back in her comfort zone – flower-printed chiffon. I won’t complain; the golden-pink color scheme pairs well with the black, and then the pale pink flowers on her hat pick up the theme. This doesn’t catch my interest as the previous lace design did, but it is a well-composed ensemble.

--------------

Mary in a bowtie! This is not an exercise; I repeat: Mary in a bowtie! She doesn’t care for color in her look for the wedding, but the tomboy vibes are back. What a difference a wing collar and a bowtie make – the second picture where she wears the same suit to a typical low-cut women’s shirt doesn’t play at this look at all. Love the big folded lapels, even though the overall impression is a bit grey. I still wish she’d have the back of her hairdo evened out.

She strolls up in slightly more girly silver-champagne silk satin for the reception. I can respect that, even though that blue embroidered square looks a tad disconnected as an element of interest because the other points of blue trim are notably zigzag. I’m wondering if this stuff comes, if not in a set with a hat, then with a hatband, because that seems to be the exact same material, and the shade of the flower is a match, too.

--------------

A simple silver dress for Edith’s reception outfit because they don’t zoom in on her during the wedding ceremony, but I have half a mind that she’s wearing Mithril mesh. I hope this is not as scratchy as it looks, but then it’s just the outer layer. The weave of the mesh has a subtle check pattern to it, and Edith has gotten a matching hatband to make the in and of itself simple hat match this outfit. The little feathers, the pleated bow and the jewel ornament are giving it quite a glow-up. And then she wears earrings matching her necklace; this is a very pretty composition. I seem to like fully white / off-white outfits a great deal better on Edith than on Cora.

--------------

The star of the day strolls up to the wedding ceremony in a pale blue ensemble that I read somewhere was designed entirely around this lace collar, an original with painted flowers on it. They had this to begin with, and then they added more lace to the cuffs of the jacket and the neckline and drop waist of the dress. Also, the dress and jacket themselves have some pretty sweet design elements – why is this huge box pleat in the back? Why are the skirt gores? I don’t know, but I love to look at this. And then the lace hat tops it all off and gives Rose a little bit of a halo which is funny imagery when she’s decidedly not having a church wedding because she’s marrying a Jewish man.

And now for her blessing / reception gown. Possibly the most gorgeous wedding dress on the entire show, definitely the most gorgeous so far, Lily James was stuffed into a 100-year-old original in pristine condition. Admittedly, the fact that it’s from 1918 and not from 1924 shows somewhat in this being designed as a nod to regency fashions. So far into the 1920s, there’s no way you would have gotten around a drop waist. But who wants to complain about this being dated when it serves to make her look so elegant? Rose is surrounded by soft cream chiffon and all these flowers of pale golden sequins, and I’m honestly so in love with how she styled her hair to match this. The roses, the whole flowy silhouette; this is peak.

[justinsentertainmentcorner]

Marissa R. Moss at Rolling Stone:

In 2016, at what became an ill-fated celebration to hopefully usher in the first female president, there was not one country music performer at the Democratic National Convention. There were pop stars like Demi Lovato, Lenny Kravitz, and Lady Gaga, but there wasn’t a single performance that drew from the country or Americana worlds. This was a mistake, clearly: The attitude was that country music and Southern/rural stuff was for Trumpers, and to be avoided at all costs, and that doesn’t end well when you’re trying to win an election, or understand the American public at large on a level deeper than “red state bad.” There are blue voters in those red states, if you get them to the polls, but you have to speak — or sing — their language to get them there.  

The first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, wherein we’ll once again make a go for a female president, looked and sounded a whole lot different from eight years ago. There weren’t big pop-star performances (though surely they are coming), but there was country: a country artist, Mickey Guyton, and a country person, Jason Isbell, singing “Something More than Free” with his unmistakable Alabama drawl in front of an image of a barn with an American flag on it. These signifiers have been generally reserved for Trump rallies when it comes to the Venn diagram of music and recent politics, with country music’s conservative core latching on to the jingoist beat in earnest since 9/11, though the alliance between the two dates back far longer. 

By opening their convention with Isbell and Guyton, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz seem to want to change that, with the cherry on top appearing in the form of a Harris/Walz camouflage baseball hat released a few weeks ago — it sold out instantly. But it’s country artists like Jason Aldean, who appeared at the Republican National Convention and engages in the workingman’s sport of country club golf with former president Trump, who like to own this sort of symbolism. His 2019 album, 9, even contained a song called “Camouflage Hat.” That’s the genius work of this one small bit of Harris/Walz merch. The hat reclaims the rural and Southern identity that mainstream Democrats have long ignored, all in with the power of one nifty little cap. Ella Emhoff proudly wore hers last night, while Walz displayed his own — also camouflage — Jason Isbell hat backstage. 

Meanwhile, it’s the Trump supporters who are the ones getting country music wrong, soundtracking their TikTok videos in support of the ex-president with none other than The Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice,” which was written after their expulsion from Nashville in the wake of anti-Iraq War comments and their refusal to apologize. This baffling phenomenon by the right seems to come from either an inability to Google, or an assumption that everything country music must be conservative, and it’s hard to decide which is worse. 

Between Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Mickey Guyton, and The Chicks, the DNC was eager to embrace country music. That is a good thing, as Republicans don’t have a monopoly on the genre. #DNC2024 #2024DNC

[pilferingapples]

Hello! I am catching up on les mis letters and I think the October 7(???) chapter mentions that none of the les amis are wearing ties. Can you tell me the significance of this? I know nothing of FRev ✌️

Sure! I assume you mean this line:

They reached the Quai Morland. Cravatless, hatless, breathless, soaked by the rain, with lightning in their eyes.

A quick Obligatory Mention that Les Mis is not set in the French Revolution, but in the post-Republic years of the early 19C ! Which is of course mostly relevant here because instead of imagining a bunch of sans culottes

(1842 black and white art of two sans culottes, rather pretty and idealized, by Emilé Wattier)

( a color picture of a sans culotte on the left and maybe far right, with a culottes-wearing drummer between them. All are wearing phrygian caps and republic cockades, and seem to be going off to fight together)

You're instead looking at a group more like this, Fashionwise:

Révolution de 1830 - Combat devant l'hôtel de ville , an idealized portrayal of revolutionaries in 1830, fighting outside the Hotel de VIlle, by Jean-Victor Schnetz (you can really zoom in on it at the Wiki page!) I wanted to bring that--again, highly idealized -- pic of 1830 in because it shows not just what people were wearing, more or less, but how that was being socially interpreted! You've got a lot of different hats here--top hat, workers' caps, bandanas, soldier's hats, etc. And IDK how much you know about fashion in this era, Nonny, but I bet you can start picking out a pattern to who's wearing what.

Especially the way that cravatlass people in workers' caps and bandanas and Phrygian caps are, by and large, turned away from the camera, or have their faces in shadow, while the composition leads us to a central, heroic figure--a student-type in obvious Fashionably Respectable clothes, with a great big cravat. There's even an older man in a nice top hat, with a saber, looking and gesturing to him! THIS is our Central Guy, a good bourgeois type the presumed viewer can feel safe with! Even the heroic worker (hat apparently missing, but he's apparently wearing a work apron , a garment linked with labor) who's swooning into the central student's arms has his eyes shadowed , though at least we see most of his face.

You could write a whole paper on this painting alone, but the barebones relevance here: a bourgeois audience is going to have very different reactions to people who are visibly of Their Class than the scaaaaary, faceless Working Class. And in the real world where combat and crowds aren't as neat and shiny as this painting and the little details like shoes and socks and fit of the trousers and so on is going to get lost in the dust and distance, one of the easiest ways to read a man's social status is hats and cravats -- who's wearing them , what sort are they wearing, etc.

So on an immediate, practical, level , losing the hats and cravats is a bit like "rolling up your sleeves"-- ditching or loosening restrictive clothing before doing hard physical work. But on a social/symbolic level, it's a way of erasing differences of status and social standing between the barricade fighters. Hats gone, cravats gone, everyone soaked by rain and covered in mud, there's no easy distinction between Enjolras and Feuilly--or between a porter and a poet.

Which is all very egalitarian and symbolic and all--but to the sort of reader/ viewer who the painting up there is targeting, it's also very scary, because now there's no obvious sympathetic "leader", no easily-spotted reassuring figure to make them think it's all being organized by the Right Sort of people. It's just a scary,lower-class, undifferentiated mob.

Both these factors, the symbolic equality and the perceived mob nature of the uprising, are very relevant to the rebellion in Les Mis!

..and also it's just SUPER awkward to try and do hard physical work with a tight binding loop of fabric around your throat, or without losing most hats. The Struggle is Real, there.

[ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa]

ousairumatsu Gravity Falls inspired AU

I've been thinking about an AU that's based loosely on pre-portal Gravity Falls

Where Shuichi is Ford and Miu is Fiddleford and they were sort of fwbs at college, and they both think the othed is crazy and that they're the smarter one, but the sex was good, and it'd be embarrassing to ask someone you actually liked to do this or that, basically they're two uber weirdos who go mask off with each other only in both science and sexuality

And then there's Kaede May, Martha Kaede, wtver, she comes along in this AU, cryptozoology? Sure, Miu, we are unicorn hunting iykwim

And yes, Kokichi is a fuckass triangle with a top hat

And Shuichi fails to keep the demon contract a secret He tries but Kokichi refused to hide And loves bothering Miu all the time

At first because he was kind of getting really jealous there for a sec, but then something clicked and now they're more like the "death threats in a progressively more erotic tones" post (where I don't know if the wording was even intentional or if op meant erratic but whatev), they complain but the constant fighting and degradation is just how they have fun

Kaede is just being agressively friendly because mostly she just came here to be Miu's cheerleader and have fun but it's making Shuichi super awkward because she's just so normal and nice (from his perspective) and he was going to cuck her if she didn't come along (from his uninformed perspective)

Kokichi and Kaede are instant besties, they're frolicking in fields of flowers together (in her dreamscape probably, but for the sake of this au he is present and merely physically intangible from the moment Shuichi first summoned him)

Technically it could be just irumatsu and ousai with the thing from college times being just in the past or even kept vague but I'm not feeling that, I want a messed up love square, polycule forming

… and collapsing? still not sure about what bits of angst to include since those are very different characters, Kokichi is far from Bill's level, but maybe he'd too would choose to double down on a villainous act instead of admitting he needs help, and Miu probably wouldn't create the memory gun either, if she was growing paranoid she might create some kind of weapon or a plan to deal with it externally, through attacking Kokichi or betraying Shuichi and their project altogether, the whole mess somehow ending with Shuichi falling through to the nightmare realm and Kaede leaving her in the aftermath because wtf, you're scaring me but again, idk, because then I can only maybe see ousai come through or the whole thing getting busted forever

I've just been rotating that co-dependent ousai with a religious motif and bickering ouruma teasing each other, and oumatsu scheming together, getting up to mischief, and the insanity of Shuichi & Miu dynamic duo, and the contrast between the openness of irumatsu and the multitude of issues ousai have after they've been in isolation for a while, growing on each other like parasites, I think maybe seeing other people won't fix them, but will keep them too busy to end the world, like, the unethical science still will be there, but no need to take it there, you know?

I believe that even if Kokichi had plans of taking over the world and then moving onto the multiverse, it would include much less destruction and violence (not to say there wouldn't be any, there's still some authority issue here) and that he himself knows he's aiming for the sky and doesn't truly have a need for all that the way Bill does, the baseline for success is to get his gang out of Nightmare Realm, hopefully himself as well, and then they can throw a big party, let their fun be the biggest middle finger to everyone who gave up on them.

[princesspuresarahk]

Fairly Odd Parents Stories

Deep in The Heart of Texas

by Maki and Bug a Fanfic story au inspired by her FOP au

Chapter: 4 Turner Thunder Ranch

Grandpappy and Nonna lead them in as Vernon and Michelle look around with awe. The place was amazing with cozy and warm furniture everywhere with old Western style, it must have been around for a long time and in the living room set a big old stone fireplace that must have been handmade and had a big old longhorn skull on the top center cozy pillows and quilts on the furniture everywhere a big kitchen and an upstairs level where you can see a view from the living room there was just so much to see Michelle ‘Woah….’ As Nonna called out “You two must be tired from your long journey please make yourselves at home caras.” Michelle was warmed by their hospitality “Thank you, ma’am~” Vernon thanked as well as he gazed around. Since as a kid, he have only heard from his peers Timmy came from the middle class… but seeing the ranch belonged to her grandparents…This was beyond middle class from he could tell It was even close to or the same level of high class…Maybe even higher when he noticed a framed picture on the wall that said the great land property of TTR and wow that was a lot of land it was completely the size of Dimmsdale perhaps even bigger Vernon(thinking through his mind) Wow….Notice a couple of very old pictures that look to be Timmy's ancestors including Ebenezer Turner who they believe from the stories with the town crier but in this photo, he looks like a completely different person He seemed more of a fitting as one of the founders of Dimmsdale other than Orville Buxaplenty. And what else he could tell it looked like he had some scars on his face as well It said he had been into a lot of fights for many years most specifically, wars, for example. Then he notices the picture next to it looks to be a leather book a little worn out but still in good contact that said The True Secret Life History Of Ebenezer Turner, surprising Vernon was there more to Timmy's ancestor than people let on finally Grandpappy came up to him with a glass of iced peach tea " here you go son wife thought of making everybody some beverages from y'all's long journey.”

He noticed Vernon was looking at the book and smiled “If you're curious about good old Ebenezer it's a hell of a wild story to tell.” He said with a joyful laugh full of pride as he returned to kiss his wife on the cheek and thanking for making the tea Vernon felt bashful “Oh! Umm… if it’s okay…..”As he looked around some more he noticed some other things too that belonged to the family in cases a couple of cowboy hats and badges as he looks closer he read on the badges that said Texas Rangers which surprised him as he took a sip of tea his eyes widened of how good this tea was as it was homemade he heard Grandpappy laugh happily when Michelle commenting "oh this tea is lovely," Nonna smiling at the compliment “Taste nice, huh…~ specialty brewed by my wife~”

Timmy added, “Sometimes, I can’t follow almost everything Nonna makes…” Nonna cooed “Oh mio poco bella rosa (my little beautiful rose) you'll get to learn all my recipes with time during your stay the spring break." kissing Timmy kiss on the cheek "Now caras how about we take you to your rooms and have your things settled in yes.?" Michelle yawning a little from sleepiness "Oh! Thank you, ma’am,!"(Holding her bags) With that, she guided the kids to their room. Each room was spacious enough for them. With comfy-looking furniture and space enough to unpack their belongings.

“This will be your room Miss Michelle I hope you'll be very comfortable during your stay." She opened the door to reveal her room Michelle squeaked with a bright smile “I love it~!” Nonna laughed "I'm glad you do..~" then they guided Vernon to his room "And here you are Vernon I hope this room will make you nice and comfortable during your stay." Vernon liked it “Wow…thank you…!” After traveling all day everyone was tired and ready for a good night's sleep Timmy missed the old bedroom she stayed in every time she visited her grandparents. Seeing it again relaxed her. (Timmy lay on her bed with a sigh of satisfaction.) As memories of her growing up on the ranch flowed through her. Timmy smiled it was much more peaceful and happier than the lifestyle she had in Dimmsdale.

And always had thoughts of moving back once she turned 18 after graduating high school and going to college here. Speaking of back… she wondered how the old friends she made here…The old friends she used to run around at the ranch before she moved away to Dimmsdale…Maybe they’re still around? If so it would be awesome to catch up with and introduce them to Michelle and Vernon during our stay it'd be really fun as she put on her nightgown Eddie was already curled up on one of the pillows already fast asleep Timmy smiles at the cute scene. Giving Eddie a kiss she slowly drifted off to sleep happily excited for the adventures for tomorrow.

The Next morning Timmy could hear the rooster crying out, signaling it was morning. Giving a yawn Timmy stretched as she woke up opening her blue doe eyes to see the beautiful sunrise through her window getting up she went to open her window to bring in the fresh morning air against her face Timmy inhaled and exhaled with a smile, (hears a squeak, turned to see Eddie) “Morning, Eddie~” He gave her a waving grin as a little another yawn scratching behind his ear until his ears picked up and he started sniffing the air and his tail started wagging in excitement "Ooooohhh" and his mouth started to drool as he smelt something good Timmy sniffed the air “Must be Nonna cooking breakfast…~ I wonder if Michelle and Vernon are already up…”

Quickly getting washed and dressed Timmy headed into the hall just as Michelle opened her door already dressed for the morning as well " Good morning Timmy morning Eddie!" Eddie squeaked as he waved while Timmy greeted as well. “Morning, Michelle~!” They heard a door open and turned to see Vernon rubbing the sleep out of his eyes still in his pajamas as he let out a yawn "Is it morning already ?" Already seeing Timmy and Michelle dressed and up Timmy greeted him “Yep! Our rooster is a natural clock alarm~” He looked to see the clock on the way saying it was 6:00 in the morning suddenly they all heard a loud growl coming from Eddie's stomach Vernon asked “Is it just me or is Eddie hungry…?”

Timmy giggled “Hehe…he is me and Michelle are heading down for breakfast we'll wait for you to join us” Vernon eyes widen guess he better get ready too “O-oh…!” after he closed his door to dress Michelle and Timmy went downstairs where Nonna set the table with breakfast. “Good morning my caras you're just time for prima colazione (breakfast)." With the table set with breakfast Timmy set Eddie on the table who was very hungry "Eeee~!” Nonna makes good breakfast as she and Michelle sat at the table there was whole-made butter pecan pancakes with hot syrup and butter , scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and sausage with cold milk and fresh tangerine juice to drink “Ooooohhh everything looks so good!” Vernon was out just in time with his casual outfit and walked downstairs, greeted by Timmy’s Nonna. “Good morning Vernon I hope you sleep well cara come and join us." Vernon looked at the table “Oh! Good morning, ma’am…!” Timmy waved at him before gesturing him to sit between herself and Michelle. Then Grandpappy and Timmy's parents came inside from the front porch having coffee and helping Pappy around the farm “Morning, princess~ (pats Timmy's head)

Timmy laughed “Good morning, Grandpappy~!” Pappy greeted the others “Morning, kids, and morning my sweetest lady." Kissing his wife on the cheek "Oh Daran you’re such a tease giggle." Acacia smiled Eddie rolled his eyes as he stuffed a big piece of pancake into his mouth Michelle and Timmy inwardly giggled. As they finished eating breakfast, Timmy walked out of the house; Eddie was inside her pocket, relaxing as he ate a lot of food. Timmy “ok guys what would you like to do there's so much to do here? Michelle was unsure “Well, what do you usually do when you visit here?” Timmy playfully tapped her finger on her chin “I can show you around the ranch and the animals there are trails for riding, biking, and hiking, we have a swimming hole a few miles from here with a raft we go on, and there is also a secret tree fort in the woods, there's the town and other places to explore.” That caught Michelle’s interest “Oh~! That sounds wonderful ~!”

Meanwhile, back at Dimmsdale

Gary was in the tree house watching a TV show having decided to stay home relax and have the place all to himself as he was enjoying his time to himself until he heard a noise outside. Gary looked to see who it was and frowned a little of who it was “Well, well, well! If it isn't a "Tell-me-I'm-Sexy" guy… Hello, TANG.” Tristan was outside talking on his phone wondering where Timmy was he was hoping to ask her out on a date and have her all to himself. Tristan looked slightly annoyed was that..Gary? “What are you doing here? Tristan” frowned at Gary “I’m here to see Timmy as it's none of your business as it's a private visit between me and her.” Gary scoffed “Well, too bad. She left.” Tristan looked shocked “She left…?!”

Gary rolled their eyes at his reaction such a drama king “She went off to her grandparents at Tex…” But before Gary could finish Tristan was off to find out where Timmy was in “…Texas Oh well… (he shrugged)but then He groaned as he heard the familiar sound of a limo, turned to see it belonged to Buxaplenty’s as inside were popular kids.

Gary sighed annoyed ”What do you want…Remy?” as Remy walked out to speak to him from the tree house “Gary is Timmy present in the house?” He wanted to invite her to join him for an outing and secretly have her all to himself Gary rolled his eyes a second time “Nope. Family outing.” Remy showed the same expression Tristan did “Excuse me?” Gary was ready to toss a water balloon at him “She left with her parents and friends to visit her grandparents.” Remy was not ok with that news “What!? Gary continued “As I said, she left to visit her grandparents. So, too late!” he grinned slyly “Where then tell me I can find her !?” Remy demanded, which annoyed Gary more “No. even if I tell you, she wouldn’t want her vacation to be ruined” Remy looked annoyed with Gary, who scoffed again at the spoiled guy's attitude “I mean…. She needs a break from the whole thing here…. Do you think she’ll be happy to see her vacation ruined?” Remy flinched and so Tad and Chad.

As much as popular boys enjoy irritating her, but…. ANGERING her? That is off the limit. “besides what are you guys doing back spring break just begun?" Chad spoke, “The Yacht party was canceled.” With Tad finishing “So we came back,” Gary didn’t care “Oh….well that's too bad for you guys anyway I'm outta here the sight of you guys being here waiting for Tim-Tim is not cool." With that, he climbed down the tree house and left to do his own thing while leaving Remy Tad and Chad stunned as Gary left them without a thought.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch,

Timmy was showing her friends around.”Oh! I'll let you guys meet my old friends~” Vernon and Michelle nodded yes as Timmy led them to the side where some vintage bikes were sitting there ready to ride on a light rose pink with a basket with painted pink and white roses on it, a baby powder blue with a white basket with a painted blue bird and a mint green with the basket placed behind the seat with a horseshoe print on it Michelle "Ohh~!"impressed as did Timmy "looks like Grandpappy got them ready just in time." Getting some helmets in a wooden box handing the other two to Michelle and Vernon “We can ride into town faster biking plus I know a great trail to ride into along the way."Michelle: Can’t wait~! Getting on the bikes and giving them a test run they headed across the ranch passing by the barn where her Dad was helping Pappy shoe the horses and in the middle of cleaning out the back hoof of a buckskin when the kids rode "Hey Dad! hey Pappy! Me, Michelle and Vernon are gonna go into town to show them around we'll be back later!"

Mr.Turner smiled calling back " Alright pumpkin have a good time just be back for supper and remember to call if you're gonna be late ye hear you kids have fun!." “We will Daddy see ya Pappy!" Waving goodbye as they rode out They rode out of the ranch and rode down the road. As they road along the road Michelle and Vernon were amazed by the beautiful scenery of wildflowers pecan trees foliage berry bushes the sun shining through the leaves the sound of streams nearby and spotting wildlife they went from cottontail rabbits squirrels birds tweeting one of them being some roadrunners running along with their bikes and spotted a few deer and coyotes peeking out as they heard the horse's name the chickens clucking and the cows moving from the distance Michelle was awed by it all "So beautiful…~" suddenly Timmy noticed familiar faces of old friends from the distance. She decided to wave to them. As they were closer to the end of the trail it was revealed to be Timmy's friends from Texas Lou and Wilson "Hey Lou~! Wilson~! "Lou was laid back tall androgynous 14-year-old who had long black hair and bangs that almost covered his exotic green eyes that were surrounded by black eyeliner, pale skin with deep maroon lipstick and black fingernails even in the warm spring weather he wore dark colors of gray leggings deep purple shorts with a black tank top that had red letters saying A Southern Gothic along with a pair of dark red boots he seems to never smiles much but on rare occasions such as this when he sees his long time Timmy that he shows a small grin of seeing her again

“Hey, long time no see.” He called to Timmy (waving cheerfully) Wilson: it's so great to see you again Tim-Tim!" Wilson greeted giving Timmy a big hug and lifting her off the ground as he did Wilson was also a very tall 14-15-year-old who had beautifully tan skin on his already muscle-developed body wearing a blue-white strip tank shirt with light tan shorts with a pair of hiking boots and a handsome face that had the sweetest puppy dog smiles and big turquoise eyes that were half hidden full white vitiligo hair with one side half shaved with beautiful patterns and revealing a piercing with a wolf tooth despite being very big and tall for his age Wilson had a big heart and kind nature about him.

Timmy returned the hug “Eee~! Nice seeing you guys again~Michelle and Vernon blinked. Then Timmy introduced them to her old friends. "This is Michelle and Vernon, my friends from Dimmsdale~ Michelle, Vernon~ these are my old friends Lou and Wilson~" Lou nodded to them "Nice,” Wilson waved "It's great to meet you guys." Michelle did the same "Hi, y’all~" Vernon shyly(waved) "I was about to show them around town wanna join? “Sure sounds cool." Lou agreed “Definitely we'd love to help show them around town there's lots to see here." Getting their bikes leaning against the trees they lead the way into town revealing the beautiful scenery before them Vernon went "Woah…" while Michelle (looks around with sparkling eyes)

Timmy always loved the town's beauty as well "Beautiful as always~" Wilson spoke up "I’m sure they’ll love to meet you again~" They walked to the town, and almost everyone who knew the Turner family recognized Timmy immediately. Everything they could see was amazing from a small cafe called The Little Bluebird to an old-fashioned ice cream shop a clothing store called Boots and Jeans a garden shop known as Miss Lillia's, a Malt shop stand, a bookshop called The Burrowing Owl and so many other places yet to see. The baker of the small cafe, the ice cream shop owner, store owners greeted her with a friendly smile. The kids waved back in greeting with Vernon and Michelle surprised at how kind and friendly people are here in Texas as more people started coming into town said they didn't even know happily waved good morning and howdy to them Timmy thought (Good ol’ town…~)

Chapter:5 Having some Wild Fun

what fun things will Timmy and the others do? and how long can Gary keep Timmy's location away from the Popular Teens and what goodies will Eddie be chowing down in Nonna's kitchen XD

credit to the lovely and amazing https://jknerd.tumblr.com/ of her amazing FOP au

[moononmyfloor]

Dashing Youth Ep 17-21 Commentary

Ep 1-10, Ep 11-16, Ep 22-25, Ep 26-32, Ep 33-35, Ep 36-40

Ep 17

Have I mentioned I just love that there's a website literally named to sound like "bu ke neng (no can do)" lol

These steampunk spy fax machines are super intriguing

I'm not sure if I find it hilarious that Lei Mengsha gets so severely beaten by his wife right in front of their child. When children are involved in the scene, I find it hard to digest scenes like this, no matter the excuses "it's exaggerated for comedic effect" "between two martial artists, that beating is akin to going easy" nuh uh.

Changfeng just exudes such wholesome and earnest aura (besides the obvious future potential), Master Li the indifferent just casually let him into his exclusive academy just so he can hang out on the roof with his bestie lol.

This girl just pisses me off. Idk why.

Something about the veiled hat shige Liu Yue strikes me as sad. Idk if it's just Zhu Zhengting, but there's this contradiction in his personality that I can't exactly finger onto and it simply feels like he's hiding a lot of baggage behind his cover (not just literally, lol). On paper he sounds like a pretentious snobby handsome top student, but in reality he barely go out let alone mingle and put on airs. His bestie is a quiet and rigid guy just as mysterious as him, but in a different way. He cares a hella lot about his disciple's wellbeing and safety and his excitement for having her seems to come from a 100% genuine place, in a "omg I have a new companion to play and discuss my interests with!" and not in a "I'm so cool, I'm the only one among y'all to have a student!" way. I mean sure, he hosted the exam and attends all the gatherings and is plenty sassy mouthed, it's just the vibe he gives me and I can't figure out why.

Ep 18

Changfeng is just that buddy whom you meet once every six months and have tender loving hookups with and then you both go ta-ta till the next time.

Prince Ruofeng came to judge a match for his charge and went home with an unplanned level boosting

No.1 lesson you should master as the disciple of Rain Demon: Always look hot in the rain

Ji Ruofeng's mask has a super unfortunate fit, the mouth hole is positioned not straight over his mouth but on his lower lip, so when he speaks the wobble of the lower lip shows like "blubbablubbablubba" through the hole and it looks silly instead of intimidating.

Ep 19

Eyy hiya Dongfang Xunfeng! Suddenly Master Li feels so much more non-hostile lol. Also him wanting a double-character surname (like his student and his bestie) for his new name is so funny, considering how he had an overdramatic name in his previous show too. When he listed some double character surnames they should've had him mention Dongfang as well, missed opportunity.

Never take a lone fisherman brooding below an ancient tree lightly. He's either a reincarnation of Jiang Taigong or a powerful cultivator or both.

This is not a dynamic I ever expected between these two characters

Ep 20

Rain Demon may not be a "good" shifu, let alone an ideal teacher, but damn if they weren't caring and kind in ways most socially-accepted veteran martial artists weren't. Even Master Li agrees.

The Smithy shifu saying giving weapons names is so pretentious had me in stitches😂 He would've loved Wei Wuxian.

Dorks

Not Luoxia jumping to emphasize that she named Dongjun's sword, lol girl are you feeling threatened? And Dingzhi simply responds by naming his sword in a way that compliments Dongjun's (I don't know about the specifics, will have to look up the characters for Cinderless and Pavillion Moon later to see if they are from the same poem or smth). Smooth.

That's a nice shot

My dude watch the road

It's pretty bittersweet how Dingzhi says that he mostly just wanted to check out his shifu's rival when he took the exams before, and now he definitely wouldn't become his disciple when his shifu had passed away. And Master Li muses that Rain Demon possibly was a better shifu than him.

Also, that'd be the second kid who said they just took the exams to see what the big deal about Master Li was, and ultimately decided their original shifus were more preferrable 🤣

Ep 21

Whaaat Dingzhi is alr leaving!? I thought he was finally going to meet Changfeng and share boyfriend notes 😔 This show is really hellbent on showcasing the fleeting nature of the encounters in Jianghu. But I actually love this "everyone knows everyone and often meet each other at the most random and unexpected places and then separate again" aspect of Dashing Youth, it adds a certain touch of realism plus wistfulness, compared to any other show's too perfect coincidences that happen only at most opportune moments. Here, coincidences are *just* that.

Now that Master Li has put away his jaded persona and is kinda in his original candid form, I can really understand why he took a liking to Dongjun. They are more or less of the same personality. The endless curiosity, positivity and romantism and that surefire vibe that they have been/are going to be severely disappointed upon the realization that the way of the world as they imagined was a lie.

Master Li came to peace with this truth thankfully before he could fully lose himself, and stripped his own immortality and eliminated the path of seeking it for the future generations as well. If Dongjun were to reach that place (not that it'd be possible anymore) I think he'd make the same choice. It's fitting that Master Li visited the only other immortal Mo Yi for the last time before his deed, who stayed immortal all the way through and eventually lost himself, and it was by-then adult Dongjun's task to talk Mo Yi out of it, passing over the truth his shifu realized.

(He definitely looks like the gentle scholar he claims to be in those baby blue and light gold. What a vision! Zhang Chenxiao is perfect in this role! He really brings out that kindred-spirit ness with his disciple.)

Lol finally someone other than Dongjun in the new gen accepts you as their shifu, and it's Changfeng and his biggest reason was probably he was too nice to say no

-Review for today ends here, below are some of my musings about the genre of BoY/DY and how the martial arts bound cultivation compares to the meditation bound cultivation in Buddhism and Taoism inspired lore that I'm personally familiar with, feel free to skip I am mostly talking to myself so I can have notes in the same place to track back to in the future-

Earlier, I was thinking how Blood of Youth universe is like Wuxia but if it was very, very extra, and their power displays are bordering the levels of what you see only gods can do in other Xianxia shows, so just how high the cultivation of hypothetical gods in BoY universe must be, if they are straight up aliens or smth.

And in today's ep I got the answer to that: there's no answer. You will never know what the heaven looks like in this universe, for this is firmly a regular mundane world (no outside "magic" to wield, all the pretty displays result from the people's own personal cultivation only) and just like for us, for all they know the gods in the heavens might not have "powers" by the definitions of humans at all, they are simply a parallel and different plane of existence than the Earth and there's no point comparing the two types of existence, as they will never interconnect.

Yes it is fantasy genre but at the end of the day, it's still firmly within the boundaries of mortal world. Masters who'd cultivate high and perform miraculous displays have always been a part of folktales all over Asia, but the rule is that no matter how fantastical, they are still a part of "tirascheena/triyagdina vidya (horizontal sciences)" that will not help you see what its like in heavenly planes, let alone escape the circle of samsara, for which you will need the "vertical" cultivation aka you will have to sit in a corner and cultivate your mind for that.

In simpler terms, this kind of setup is what you call wuxia in Chinese storytelling, which is also still more heavily believed to be the truth, beyond "they are just fairytales" in religion-inspired cultures like mine, as in you can find grandpas who will say that theoretically these sort of feats are possible, that our ancestors achieved them though we cannot because we are much more distracted these days etc etc(I mean, they do have a point 🤷‍♀️).

So if you take this as the "norm", then gods, demons, humans and other spirits getting to roam across each others' worlds by xyz means and draw and wield all sorts of magic from outer sources becomes "fantasy", aka xianxia.( And xuanhuan is a third thing, if this terminology is all convoluted to you here's a concise helpful guide btw)

ANYWAY, my initial impression of this universe was that it's a very flashy costume fantasy that jumped among xianxia, wuxia and even xuanhuan genres as it wished, but turns out it's not. You can try attain the highest levels of cultivation, but at most it will make you stop aging, which will result in you being this very lonely, very tired person who is neither here nor there, and is slowly losing their humanity. It is not a desirable kind of ultimatum, aka the capricious, exciting path of sword cultivation is not how you can reach the enlightenment of breaking the binds of mundane world.

Wow, I just feel like Dashing Youth suddenly got very deep lol.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Siege the Day

That was the frolicking beach, what the hell. The lifeblood of Momoiro Island. Not cool WG, not cool. Like...I’m going to need to see something really good to justify dragging this level of gore and despair into the series. Sunshine in human form Makino is a nice start. We’ve talked a lot about getting back to Luffy’s roots and it’s nice to have this reminder as we go into the rest. Setting the stakes by showing how far this Mother Flame’s impact reaches.

Which is a theme we talk about. The world is rocking in Luffy’s (and Sabo’s) wake, he’s not just some kid from Fooshia Village anymore. Now that we’re back he seems like he gets there are high stakes even if he doesn’t get all of them. You’re not just trying to get yourself and your crew out of this jam...if it goes awry there may never be a Kamabakka beach frolic again! This is all well and good, but I’m a little too delicate for such an unwarranted tragedy.

First, one little detour. Great job Doberman on delivering the recap in organic fashion. But there’s that concept of an unreliable narrator again. By end of chapter we’ll have to wonder about the possibility of bad intel. I’d also highlight there are two levels to this briefing on the WG side. It’s split between York at swordpoint pleading with the Elders and the more earnest, human exchange between Kizaru and Sentomaru below. Do I even need to comment on how steeped the latter is in our thematic bread and butter? It’s such a forlorn conversation between old friends. 

I guess from my little pet theory there’s a solid potential parallel set up here. Saturn is leading the operation while trying to obscure his involvement, content to enjoy his little sausage party. I love that everyone is having breakfast. It’s such a fun motif. Hope it runs through the rest of the chapter, but so far this isn’t enough to help me cope with such tragic circumstances...

Huh, beach? Fuck that...hello Straw Hats! If you were gonna give me one panel here to push things the direction I want to see...it’d be hard to top this. The layers, the intrigue, the sheer befuddlement of our shonen fanboy brethren! Everything’s sorted out and they’ve taken York hostage to both seed bad intel & deter overwhelming force. It’s beautiful. When I saw “Momo panel” in the spoilers I was rattled because what if that was a group shot and Kiku was included before we did this? I’d be clueless.

That said, Robin & Stussy not being in the shot temper me. They can also do what I’ll say here, but for Robin take a look at Sanji’s heart eyes and where he’s headed. She could just be with Jinbei and obscured. Stussy could theoretically be below with Sentomaru or even with the evacuees. Robin? She should be here, but I want to roll her into something confirmed here. It was not Vegapunk who parsed this one out. That tells me the turning point wasn’t Robin arriving in the basement. Multiple people, including Kaku, being out of sight for now feels like less of an impediment than a sole exclusion. Hypothetically, imagine the difference if we showed just Kin’emon and a few retainers around Momo vs. the whole gang sans Kiku.

We’re all clear where I’m going with this, right? An unreliable narrator, seeding details we skipped over during the night, and coming in like this. Looks to me like we cut in right as the Straw Hats finished going over the plan. Executing the first step. They wanted York to say what she did. Look at this scene though; the angle and the dialogue. It works perfectly for someone we can’t see giving everyone the rundown. Almost like the shot is from their perspective. Theoretically that could also justify the change in tone.

All told, nice present for the 5yr anniversary of “The Crane Returns a Favor.”

[luvstrangers]

Why by ONF - a production analysis

DISCLAIMER: This was written as part of a larger work done for school. It doesn't quite go in depth the way I would like to because I had to keep it short!

I would like to analyse one of my favourite songs of all time and my favourite pop song of all time, 'Why' (2019) performed by my favourite boy group ONF and produced by my favourite producer, Hwang Hyun of music production team Monotree (also known as the Mozart of Kpop). The song is described by the producer as 'Future Trap', which I assume is a combination of Future Bass and Trap.

Something I like about Monotree is that they often make breakdown videos of songs they've produced, going through the logic pro session and explaining the different techniques they use. I often come back to these breakdown videos to pick up methods from them, and also it's just plain fun to see your favourite songs broken down and explained. One such video was made for 'Why'.

'Why' was produced in Logic Pro, another one of the sons of Fairlight CMI. There is an endless amount of advancements and differences between the two programmes, but I will comment on a few. First of all, the waveform visualisation in Logic Pro is incorporated into the arrangement view. While this is something that has come to be expected of music softwares nowadays, I think that being able to see the wavelengths in different tracks is important to understanding the mixing and levels of your piece. Additionally, they look cool. Another thing that looks cool is that you can color code the tracks, and here Hwang Hyun has chosen to make the drum tracks purple. This is another one of the small things we take for granted that greatly increases quality of life. The sections of the song are also color-coded at the top of the window, allowing for enhanced visual representation of the song.

In the intro of the song (0:08), there is foley sound of running used. On first watch of the music video, one may assume it was an extra effect for the video, but the step sounds are part of the actual mix. I am a fan of the use of foley sounds in music.

At 0:27, a riser sample is audible; the end of the riser sample is then delayed and panned left and right in the mix. You have to listen closely to catch it, but I think it's a nice touch.

The rhythm sequencing of the drums can be seen here. 

There is an array of drum samples here, and in the intro specifically there is a trap hi-hat loop on top of a snare. The snare loop has dry delay put on top of it, resulting in a sort of echo-effect that I think adds to the techno-apocalypse atmosphere of the piece. Although not visible in the session view they show, I would also like to point out that the hi hat gets panned to the left, adding dimension as a clap sound comes in on the right later in the intro. 

So, in just the drum tracks, we can see a combination of looping and sampling along with the delay effect originally made from tape recorder techniques emulated digitally.

They also employ a synth bass (of course, because it's future bass). I think that the bass here may be sidechained to the percussion tracks to create that pumping effect. 

Interestingly, Hwang Hyun describes the guitar part as "The Guitar Nobody Knows Is Guitar". There are four layers of tracks here, with each one focusing on a different layer of frequency. Additionally, the tracks are de-essered, which I assume is to prevent the tracks from being too sibilant from all the layers. This results in a plucky sound. 

This layering technique is something Monotree use a lot in their music, and I find that it is done very well in a way that you may process the layers as one cohesive instrument when they are actually a bunch of seperate things. 

This layering is also seen in 'Popping', which Hwang Hyun also produced, wherein what sounds like just a flute is actually layered with a piccolo, flugelhorn, trombone and synth bell to create a fuller sound.

People often say that modern music production is simplistic by nature in comparison to classical music; I agree with this to an extent. While it is much easier and more accessible to produce music, it does not make it more 'simple'. The fact that music production is streamlined and advanced like this lends to creating complex layers of instruments like this.

Looking at the amount of tracks used in 'Why' makes me feel faint. Especially the amount of vocal tracks, which is what I will discuss next.

Much of the vocals in 'Why' are layered with vocoder, a form of processing that breaks down and synthesises speech. Originally used for encrypting communications in wartime, it now serves the much more fun purpose of making a cool robot voice effect. In the rap/talking part, the vocoder adds a layer of melodic/harmonic material through extracting the pitches in the track and processing them. When the vocoder processed track is played by itself, it results in a very daft-punk esque vocal line, but when layered below the dry vocals, it adds a layer fo dimension and creates a dark atmosphere that I feel relates to the concept of the song, which according to the singers and producers, is supposed to be a story about forbidden love between a human and an android. So, I find the robot-like effect of vocoders effectively used here for the narrative as well. 

Vocoders aside, there is also just. An impressive and almost absurd amount of harmonies in 'Why' where simpler pop songs may just use vocal doubling and call it a day.

Overall, I feel that 'Why' is a good example of the methods employed in pop music production, with an array of techniques used that I take as inspiration often.

[tempest-toss]

A Welcome(?) Respite

With a deep breath, Matthias made his way to the Big Top, but not to enter it. Instead, he stuck to the path around the perimeter to see the sideshow. However, due to his altercation earlier in the night, he opted to start at the other end and make his way around.

The path was full of tanks, cages, and stands, each showing wear and tear from years of traveling around. Signs and posters were often right by, offering mystical wonders with sayings to entice. "See the Robotic Girl Wonder!" "Look into his eyes... if you've accepted death!" and "See Him Steal Your Smile!" were some of the few that he saw.

After a while of walking, he realized that he hadn't seen any of them around, which started to grow a nervous pit in his stomach. He had no real way to fight off anyone, and he was in the heart of enemy territory.

A sound brought his attention to the Big Top. He inched closer and peered inside. Most of the lights were dim, but he could clearly make out a tall feminine figure wearing a top hat and wielding a weird cane, and Fred was there too! He seemed to be talking to the woman about something, but as Matthias leaned in to listen he felt a hand clasp over his mouth and pull him away. A webbed hand was covering his mouth. He looked up to see Sammy's face, who snarled at him, the height difference maximized the threat. But then two bunny ears appear above him, and out from behind holding his neck was the bunny guy!

"Hiya Mr., it's nice to see you!" He beamed before Sammy took the both of them away from the Big Top and more into the heart of the sideshow carts. "Hey everyone, he came back!" As soon as those words left his mouth, a bunch of the individuals listed on the posters and signs came out of hiding.

A tiny brown dog that barked excitedly, whose legs kept shifting to those of different animals every time it uttered noise. A pile of gears that shifted until it formed a vaguely humanoid appearance, whether by magnets or magic Matthias hadn't a clue. A woman whose arms were snakes walked out with a man who was entirely crystal. A young lady whose arms were purely cybernetic leaned up against a stack of crates as a young kid who wore a bloodied blindfold on stumbled forward and hid behind the former's propped legs. These were some of the few that came forward.

"Why...haven't you guys killed me yet?"

"Well silly," the bunny boy answered, Sammy was going to, but he got a love letter back from this werewolf god he met at one of our previous spots," he mentioned mischievously before pulling out said letter. "And he got soooo flustered that he had to stop and read it." Sammy snarled without any real malice as he snatched the letter and seemed to grumble something in normal speech, but too bass for Matthias to pick up on it.

"Actually," came the voice of the young woman with robot arms, Rachel, according to her posters. "We wanted to figure that out too. Most outsiders don't last this long. I mean, you saw how quickly Sam took out that douche-nozzle friend of yours, and how fast Sheila took out that fake girl at the food stands. You must be very lucky or we are mighty rusty in killing ya."

"It's a shame too," came a voice. "You could have joined our collection!" Came another as two individuals emerged from the darkness. One had the skin of someone stretched grotesquely across their face, while the other seemed to be puppeteering the corpse of a city girl. "These two died so early on." "We want more variety." The bunny got off of Sammy's shoulders and held his arms out.

"He's not to be killed, we need him if the plan is even going to partially work! Remem-" He stopped before looking at a rat who was sitting there, listening. As the rat scurried away the blindfolded boy grabbed it, brought it to his eye level, and removed his blindfold to make direct eye contact. The rat convulsed before going slack and not waking up.

"Spies for Regina," the lagomorph said in response to Matthias' face of horror, before continuing. "Remember our plan? We get one of the top people of the Foundation and use them to escape! We can even meet Pietro again!" The group nodded in agreement. Attention was directed towards Matthias. "You need to find your other friend. She has the key we need to escape. Aeon will take you." He then whistled and out from the shadows came a majestic horse; if you count majestic as synonymous with half-alive, as the horse had chunks of flesh missing and perhaps a third eye, and was constantly bleeding from his mouth. Matthias gripped for dear life as the horse reared back and charged onwards, the sideshow waving from where they stood.

In quick timing the horse, Aeon arrived at their destination, the haunted house attraction. Matthias pet Aeon and said thank you, as the horse whinnied before trotting back toward the stables. Matthias entered the haunted house, and was met with most of it...closed? Many areas were roped off with only a sign that read "FOLLOW" on it leading down the hall. As he did he passed through a dining hall and made his way to the library, where he saw Samantha and another lady he didn't recognize tied up and suspended over a pit by a thin walking beam.

"Hello, Matty" came the sneering of the puppet from the Ferris Wheel as he stepped out along with the carnival game barker, who looked PISSED. "I still want my game, so now you'll pay with an innocent life. Before you are two buttons. Push one to save them, and doom the other. Push both and you die. Push none and you live scot-free and doom these two. Tick Tock~" As the countdown began, both women made their cases.

"You can't kill me, I'm 10 months pregnant! Think of the baby!" came the thin woman without a belly. "They gave me something to make me look this way, trust me!"

"She's lying," Samantha said calmly. "She's not telling the truth. Matt, If you save me I'll tell you everything I know, and I will also help protect you," she said as she slowly turned show a glock in a gun holster on her waist. With 20 seconds left, Matthias needed to make a decision and make it fast!

Threat Level: Increasing Remaining Survivors: 11/16 Injuries: Light scratches Mental state: Panicking Key Items: Notebook with partial map sketch and Pencil

[trickstertime]

Oh boy, time to info dump! Hey @cyberphuck I don't know if anyone told you but what you're doing is a type of Mind Palace (yea, like sherlock) called the method of loci but you're doing it at a very impressive level.

The fun thing for people reading this is that anyone can do this. I'm very dyslexic and didn't know the months in order till I learned how to do it and memorised them in an hour at age 25. I can give you the months and the numbers of them too, plus I can say them forwards or backwards.

The basic idea is that human are very very good at remembering route they take or places they've been, so you assign things to a place or route you know.

The easiest one is to put rhyming words to numbers: one = bun(ny), two =shoe, three = tree, four=door, five = (bee) hive, six = sticks, seven = heaven(ly light), eight = gate, nine = lion, and zero is a circular hole in the ground.

So, what you then do is get a route you know well, say, going home from work or school and assign things to notable parts of the route, like a corner or traffic lights.

Bear with me this is long but worth it: take a route you walk. In your mind, go to the start of your route and imagine as strongly as you can that, when you leave, you bump into a massive tree just outside. There wasn't a tree there before, your hair gets tangled in the branches and it leaves sap on your cloths, the stickiness is very annoying but it smells nice. You walk around it and when you reach the street (or the next marker in your mind) there's an enormous bunny on the path, it's absolutely huge and chewing loudly, it's friendly though and you pet it's fur which is lovely and soft. You continue on but there's a door at the next notable part. Like, just there. set up on the street. A wooden door. It's old and the paint is flaking off, it's swinging slightly open and when you walk through it creaks loudly and the paint flakes off a little bit but it bumps against something on the other side, you look through and there's another bunny behind it but it's dressed in a top hat and fancy jacket, some of the paint gets on its jacket and it's slightly bothered but you apologise and it's huffs but let's you know its ok. That was weird. You walk on a little further and on the corner you hear buzzing. There's a bee hive and it's dripping with honey. So much so it's spilling onto the street. You have to carefully step through the honey, the bees don't mind but the smell is overwhelming in a pleasent way and the honey gets on the soles of your shoes. However when you go around you get the fright of your life. There's a god damn lion laying in the honey behind it lazily licking up the honey. It says 'I'd be lion if I said I didn't like honey', you laugh politely and walk on. At the next part of your journey you see clown shoes facing you on the ground but they're the longest ones you've ever seen and they're kinda propped up from behind. They kinda look like bowling shoes but, like, ridiculously long even for clown shoes and they stink!!! As you pass them you see that they're propped up on sticks that are waaaaay to thin for the weight they're holding. There's a bunch of broken sticks on the ground too where whoever was propping them up obviously tried a few different sticks. You continue on and at the next point of your trip you come across another hive but it's enormous. Like, size of a car on its end enormous. No bees though. Weird. The other bees would probably prefer it though it's kind of papery. As you pass it you see its attached to a tiny tree. It's like someone shot it with a shrink ray. It's perfectly preportioned like a big tree but the tree is comicly small. Then you go home and eat some pie.

Now, if you can manage to assign that to a route, placing the various weird things you saw to notable portions making sure to take your time and imagine them as strongly and clearly as possible, then congratulations, you just memorised pi to 9 decimal places. The tree is 3, the bun(ny) is 1, the door is 4 and so on. The really cool thing is that, because it's a route in your mind, you can walk backwards along the route and recall pi backwards from 9 decimal places

This works for pretty much anything just once you can come up with some memorable nonsense. The weirder and more vivid it is the better. It's also where we get the phrase 'in the first place' cuz it comes from people memorising stuff and placing important information at places in their mind and usually the most important is placed at the first place

movies where someone hears an important message only once and retains all the details….

girl if that were me, we’d be fucked. I have to reread emails like 4 times.