#And have much art to post but also I’m happy to drop thoughts now too without being scared it’ll ruin the aesthetic

[purpledisastertwin900]

For all of the “Raph raised himself AND his brothers” fans out there I bring this train wreck of a thought (I’m a lil sleepy so sorry if it doesn’t make sense or if I repeat myself a lot-)

We do not in fact have any actual evidence that splinter was neglectful to the boys when they were little. In fact, we have the opposite.

All of these flashbacks indicate that Splinter acc spent a LOT of time with his boys-

With Mikey, he was obviously coached in his art, a smol child can’t paint like that no matter how talented they are so we can see that splinter put in the time/effort to get Mikey the supplies and teach him how to do it well. Which probably means he researched and learned it himself first, idk I just can’t really see Yoshi knowing how to paint/draw that well but that’s just a theory.

With raph and Leo, their lemonade stand is structurally sound: obviously not put together by an 8 year old, and there’s a lotta lemons lyin around that were probably a bit difficult to find, and just LOOK at their faces here they are definitely familiar with this kind of father/son shenaniganizing-also just LOOK at raph. That’s a happy child, one full of excitement and happiness, not a kid who had to grow up too fast. Also his dad is literally right there in the picture

And then with Donnie, I can’t really tell what he’s doing in the background (it’s a bomb) but what i take from that screenshot is that Donnie feels safe/loved enough to come to Splinter when he gets hurt. And Splinters taking care of him!! And, Donnie is wearing clothes, which shows that he went out and got clothes for them but also didn’t force the boys to wear them if they didn’t want to (see other screenshots lol) which also goes to show that he lets his boys choose who they wanna be and what they wanna do. At any point he could’ve forced all of them to train as ninja, at any point he could’ve made clothes mandatory, and at any point he could’ve forced them to drop things that made them happy like skating or science or art but nah. He was supportive every step of the way.

Now am I saying he was perfect? No. Am I saying he couldn’t have done anything better? No. What I’m saying is that Raph acc did not have to raise himself and his brothers. Splinter acc gave them a pretty good childhood, all things considered and it kinda makes me sad when ppl bash Rise Splinter or continue the neglectful parent trope. Again, I’m not saying he did everything right, he def could have spent more time with his kids on an individual basis and he should’ve been more present, but let’s cut him some slack bc he did a really good job at raising the boys. And he got so much better as the show progressed! But that’s another post lol. I’m also not trying to take away Raphs oldest sibling syndrome, he still def has that from being the leader and watching his bros while splinter was away-I’m just saying he didn’t have to do it ALL alone.

Look in the end he’s doing his best and his best was really good for what they had. He’s a good dad, he’s not neglectful.

[cattlemons]

Third Fifth Time's A Charm

| You and Megumi have been dating for quite some time now. Almost half a year, give or take. Upsettingly enough, he has yet to say his ‘I love you's. This bugs him a bit too much so Megumi is now a man on a mission and that mission just so happens to be about confessing his love to you. Basically the four times Megumi almost dropped the “L” word and the one time that he did. I mean come on, fifth time’s a charm, right?

TW: None, I think? I wrote it with college!au in mind but can be read as just a normal jujutsu kaisen fic Just fluff after posting angst, megumi gets chased by a duck? idk what counts as a tw pls let me know if I should add anything, also actual big boy writing cus word count is 3k.

---

Crumbs, ducks and hold on a minute... 

It was around October when the leaves were finally falling and the air was brisk. Megumi had decided to take you out for a mini-date before finals week whisks the both of you away, each secluded in their own world of ink and paper. 

It had honestly gone mostly ok and as planned. The usual schtick, really. Compliment your pretty outfit, exchange loving banters on the way there, get to the park and enjoy your time together. Simple and easy, right? 

Wrong. 

Megumi and you had just finished eating the sandwiches he’s prepared for the picnic. They were wrapped so neatly in pink patterned paper that you can’t help but swoon at the time and effort it must’ve taken for him to prepare it all. 

Megumi took to the toilet a bit after that, or, he planned to. What he didn’t see coming is the fact that ducks started chasing him around right as he walked past the pond. You soon learned that they were chasing him because of the bread crumbs falling off of his jeans. 

After a few bouts of running on Megumi’s part (and giggles from yours), the ducks finally stopped following him. Opting to squawk at the couple on the other side of the pond that’s actually trying to feed them crumbs and seeds. 

Megumi soon found relief as he sat back down beside you still huffing and puffing from the unexpected marathon he ran. Of course, you being the compassionate girlfriend that you are, did not let him off easy. At least, not without teasing him a bit. 

“You know those ducks have really good taste in men,” you quipped. A few beats of silence pass before the two of you erupt into a fit of laughter. 

You were nearly in tears as you continued to giggle uncontrollably at the mental image of Megumi getting chased and flirted with by ducks. Though you probably won't find your laughing any special, Megumi found it absolutely breathtaking. 

From the way your eyes brighten at the hilarious image to the sound of your held-in guffaws, Megumi just can’t get enough of it. He wants to hear it over and over again. He absolutely loves it. 

And he absolutely loves you.

Wait, huh?

Watson, how do you say “I love you”?

“Finally! No more stuffy libraries and definitely no more books! I’m so happy it’s over,” you yelled as you stretched out your tired back. 

Finals are over and you can now rest without worrying. However, it’s a whole other story for Megumi. He is still stressed out of his mind but not because of the reason you might think. No, he is stressed because he has yet confessed the feelings hidden deep in the recesses of his heart.

I love you. 

Who knew such simple words could drive one mad. Megumi never would’ve thought the stress his feelings would bring could trump the amount of stress an exam would bring but he supposes that he can only be so many times. 

Megumi has decided that maybe he should tell you the three words that have been plaguing his mind. So a few days after some much-needed rest, Megumi proposes a little trip to the art museum. Who were you to refuse such a sweet request?

Dressed in his most academic-looking attire, Megumi readies himself for his little confession, going so far as to script it. 

Yes, today he will confess!

Today he did not confess.

It really was the perfect moment. Megumi feels absolutely horrible for letting such perfect timing pass him by but nothing could be done about it now. 

The perfect timing came by when you were nearing the end of the date. It was a really fun date, possibly one of the best ones so far! Megumi had shown you around the museum, giving fun tidbits of information on each art he sees. You were about to point out how knowledgeable your boyfriend was before it finally clicked. 

“Ah! My dear Watson, I think I’ve solved the mystery. It turns out the Duke of Information, Megumi Noritoshi, has done ample research before this date! Proof in the pudding, Watson, look at his palms,” you teased as you took his hands into yours and pushed back his sweater sleeves to see smeared notes on his earlier “fun facts”.

Megumi’s face turned pink as he flushed at your exposing of his secret. Muttering a small, “Blimey, I’ve been caught!” in response to your little skit. 

Seeing him blush and flustered has you grinning (not that anyone could blame you, it really is a cute sight). Taking your chance, you decide to tease him a bit more. Opting for light nudges of your elbow and soft kisses all over his face. This, of course, did nothing to ease the red spilling all over his cheeks. If anything it painted more colors on his face. 

Once the teasing died down, you decided to maybe be a bit more heartfelt. After all, he did prepare for your date and put in so much effort to learn these facts and information. 

“I might not say this enough but I absolutely appreciate you putting this much effort into our dates… maybe I have not been vocal enough  about these things but I hope you know I really do appreciate you doing this and… I love you,” you mumbled a tad bit quieter than you usually would. You’re even caught sporting a light blush of your own despite you trying your best to keep a nonchalant front. This isn’t your first time telling him you love him but, still, being so heartfelt like this has you blushing.

Megumi smiled at his usually unbothered girlfriend being so, well, bothered. 

Wrapping his hands around your waist, he goes to give you a small peck on the crown of your head before leaning in a bit more to whisper his confession. 

I love you!

Yet the words did not seem to tumble out. Although a bit disappointed in his lack of confidence, Megumi recovered quickly and instead leaned in for a sweet kiss. 

I wonder if fishes have confessions too?

“Megumi look! They’re so pretty,” you exclaimed excitedly as you pointed at a jellyfish swimming past. Megumi nods in agreement though he is honestly paying more attention to you than the exhibit.

Megumi has taken it upon himself to set up another good date  to confess on. Truth be told, he’s had far too many nightmare-ish thoughts about his recent failures in confessing and how he’ll never be able to say it. So, to take action, Megumi decides to take you on another date. This time he decided that maybe visiting an aquarium would be fun!

He is sorely mistaken, unfortunately.

As you continue to walk through the exhibit, you fail to notice Megumi lagging a bit behind you in the aquarium tunnel. Your attention was so fixated by the fishes swimming over your head and on each of your sides, that you missed the sight of your boyfriend darkly muttering (and struggling) on his confession script. 

Or so he thought...

“Honestly, why can’t I just be a fish-”

“Why would you want to be a fish though?” you asked as you leaned in towards him. 

Megumi’s eyes widen in surprise at your sudden intrusion. Megumi supposes that he’s been too lost to the world. He shook his head and just muttered a quiet “never mind”. 

The day continued as you enjoyed your day. You feast your eyes on magnificent sea creatures both great and small; you can’t help but awe at them as a child would. Not that Megumi minded, he thinks you look absolutely adorable when you coo at the sharks or clap at the seals when they would do a trick. However, Megumi couldn’t say he’s enjoying today as much because he continued to struggle with his little confession script, either chickening out at the last minute or completely missing the perfect timing. 

By the end of the day, Megumi decided enough is enough. Under the dim lights of the empty “deep sea” sector of the zoo, Megumi closed his eyes and steeled himself. Summoning every bit of courage he had within him, he blurted out his confession. It was a bit aggressive and loud, perhaps even a bit rushed. 

But he did it-

-not.

Megumi opened his eyes, to be greeted not by your soft smile. It wasn’t even your frown. Instead, he was greeted by a fish staring directly at him through the aquarium glass. It seems to be mocking him, almost. And as for you, you were already at the other side of the area, lining up to pay for a souvenir that caught your eyes. 

Ugh, why can’t he just be a fish and blow bubbles at you to show his love? 

Wine is a  poetic mood-setter, right?

Although tired and defeated by his numerous failed attempts, Megumi is not one to give up. This is especially true when it comes to you. So, if one plan fails then best be known he is already running back to the drawing board to come up with a new one.

This time around Megumi decided to pull up on all the stops. Sparing no expense, he reserved a table at one of the city’s most high-end restaurants. I mean what could be more romantic than a late-night wine-and-dine?

To Megumi it’s not the pricey menus that are troubling, nor is it the number of strings he had to pull to get the reservation. Nope. What’s troubling him is the confession he is secretly building up to. You see, it’s been a good handful of months since Megumi came to the realization that he absolutely adores you. 

He loves you.

Yet, somehow, saying it out loud is a whole different league than thinking and coming to terms with it. Something about admitting it and posing vulnerable seems so jarring to him. Of course, you’ve never given him any reason to fear being honest with you. He supposes that if anything were to cause him to be this certain way, then it’s probably the lack of touchy-feely emotions in his childhood. That aside, Megumi is still as determined as ever to tell you that he loves you. This brings us to the current situation. 

Megumi is seated opposite of you, decked in his slickest suit and tie. You had admitted that he looks ridiculously good in his outfit before the dinner (he blushes at the comment). Naturally, you were also in a rather stunning number yourself, with the scandalous-looking outfit only you could possibly pull off. 

As much as Megumi would love to just admire you and enjoy the amazing atmosphere, he has other things currently occupying his head. At first glance, you might’ve thought that he was flustered by your choice of outfit for the night if you didn’t know any better. This is, of course, one of the reasons why Megumi was a bit dazed but sadly that’s not the only reason why. 

You didn’t really connect the dots right away. There are a bunch of little crumbs and pieces that could’ve contributed to Megumi’s flustered and jumpy attitude in this particular evening but nothing defining. 

The evening progressed and more telltale signs showed themselves to you. You could honestly write a meter-long list but to keep it concise, the things you have noticed include Megumi’s inability to look you directly in the eye, the rather incessant twiddling of his thumbs, the stutter that accompanied his usually leveled voice, and finally (and the most telling) is his avoidance of the word “love”. 

Of course, it could all be a coincidence but you think not. Although you didn’t do much to garner his “suspicion”, you’re not daft nor were you ignorant. You knew of his struggles in dropping a particular “L” word. You had honestly known for a while. It’s not that you were a psychic or anything of that sort, it was actually because Megumi had not been the most secretive of his plans. You suppose he intended for it to be a “hush-hush” plan but unfortunately for Megumi, he had a tendency to think out loud when stressed. 

Though you were originally planning to let Megumi off the hook and let him figure things out on his own, you decided that leaving him to wallow on his own is doing more harm than good. So when Megumi choked rather aggressively at his pasta when you said the word “love”, you chose to bring up the topic. 

“So, when are you gonna tell me what’s been cooking up in that head of yours… hmm?”

Megumi’s eyes widened at the question you’ve just asked, though it seems more like a prompt than a question. Megumi looked down to his lap for a second before facing you again, this time sporting an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. 

Megumi struggled to confess before letting out a defeated sigh and a small apology. This caused you to shake your head, not in a dismissive way but in a way to tell him that there’s nothing to be sorry for. 

“Megumi, I know you know I know so I’ll just say it outright,” you huffed before continuing, “I love you’s aren’t something you can or should force out. I’ve said it to you on countless accounts because it comes naturally to me, love. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel cornered into saying it but please know that I don’t mind you taking your time, ok?”

Your little speech was met with a relieved sigh and soon followed by a laugh. You look up to see Megumi’s genuine grin in place, you can’t help but smile at the endearing sight. 

“Ahh, I should’ve known not to stress over these kinds of things when it’s with you, huh? Thanks. I’ll definitely take my time with it.” 

You nodded in agreement at his newfound determination. As much as you wanted to hear those three words tumble out of his lips and uttered to you, you knew better than to rush him into it. And besides, hearing it in full sincerity will definitely be better than hearing a rushed one. With all that said, you and Megumi enjoyed the rest of the evening with wine glasses raised and the air filled with happy chatters and laughs. 

And I thought it was difficult, huh?

A streak of light shone through the gaps in the curtains, making it known to you that it is time to get up already. Or, at least, it would be time to get up had it been a weekday. Thankfully, however, it is the weekend so you can take your time in getting up. While your boyfriend slept soundly beside you, his hand draped loosely over your figure, you can’t help but admire his features. As you did so, thoughts on what happened a while back popped into your head. 

 It’s been a few months since your last dinner date with Megumi and things have calmed down quite a bit. Although Megumi still feels a twinge of guilt from his lack of response whenever you whisper an “I love you”, he does remember your take on this situation, and those few words you spared have done immense work in calming him down. 

As you continue to reminisce on the events that have transpired in the last few months, you failed to notice Megumi stirring awake beside you. You only notice that he’s awake when he’s poking your cheek, asking, no, demanding petulantly for his morning kisses. 

Deciding to tease him a bit while he’s still in his morning daze, you uttered, “Sorry, love. Morning breath.” You went as far as sniffing at his general direction and fanning your hands over your nose and scrunched your nose up in fake disgust. 

Still in a sleepy stupor, Megumi pouts at you and goes to get out of bed. You decide to let your curiosity win and end up following your boyfriend to the bathroom, the cold linoleum tiles doing wonders in waking the two of you up immediately. 

Though he is now much more awake now than a few minutes ago, it didn’t dampen his pout one bit. With the handle of his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, Megumi babbled on about how his day is now ruined because you wouldn’t let him start it off with a kiss. You only giggled in response, your own toothbrush poking out of your lips. 

Being the menace that you are, you decided to playfully smear Megumi’s face with some toothpaste foam. One thing led to another and soon you two are on the bathroom floor laughing aloud. Somehow his laugh and expressions egged yours on and yours did his which caused a new bout of laughter to erupt every time you’d both fall silent. It went on like this for quite some time but neither of you minded it one bit.  

Now that the laughter has died down a bit, you both exchanged mini banters here and there, still seated on the floor with both your shoulders touching; with toothpaste in your hair and on his cheek. As you giggled at a particular joke Megumi muttered, he felt that odd feeling in his heart again, just like the time in the park and all those other dates he stressed over but this time, before he could stop it, he whispered…

“I love you.”

Your laughter immediately ceased only to be replaced by the happiest grin you’ve ever mustered. With new buzzing energy coursing through you, you tackled Megumi into a hug which effectively knocked the two of you down to the ground but neither you nor Megumi minded.

With his newfound confidence, Megumi repeated the foreign sentence over and over again as if he’s testing it out. He finds that he likes saying it. 

He likes it because your smile widens a bit more when he says it. 

He likes it because you’d give him kisses whenever he says it.

And he absolutely loves it because you’d always say it back to him.

With a wobbly and lovesick grin, Megumi says it one more time for good measure. 

“I love you.” 

a.n. I did not really proofread this bcs I had classes today and it KO'd me :"(

Hope you liked it!

[hammity-hammer]

steve harrington realizing that he’s got no purpose if he’s not protecting the people he loves from outer-dimensional beings, and has a minor (read: major) spiral about it post-vecna & the party fixing everything. he’s just a regular ole 20 something with no purpose— his friends are all in school, except eddie, who managed to pick up an apprenticeship as an electrician; putting all of that wire knowledge to use (just not in cars, he hasn’t hotwired one since 1986 and he’d like to keep it that way si vous plais) and making the rich houses have even cooler guts than they deserve.

the kids end up graduating (their first tries) and heading as one little pack to the same school (don’t ask me which, i’m a college drop out) and steve, eddie, and rob end up staying just outside of indy. rob finished school early, because of course she did, and she found that she may have a knack for hanging around high schoolers, so why not teach them how to become polyglots like she is?

steve still doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing— he bartends at a little club in the gayborhood, because they went there so often that the bartenders just kind of pushed him into it, and don’t get him wrong— mixing drinks and flirting all night is super fun, but it also… is kind of depressing? even if he gets to be around people like him and see them happy— he knows that a lot of alcohol and drugs causes that happiness and he wants so badly for his people to be out and proud and not murdered for it. but he can’t do that,, so he does the next best thing.

he talks with one of the regulars, andy, who owns a little tattoo shop on the corner, and andy invites him to come check it out. so he does the next day he’s free, and holy fucking christ. tattoos aren’t his thing— at least not on himself, but on other people they’re gorgeous. and they’re painful, but you’re turning the pain into art and you get to live with it in your skin and look at it and think about the fact that you’re here and you made it and you fucking survived. and people purposefully put scars into their bodies? and not in the i-battled-literal-other-dimensional-beings-and-won kind of way, or the i-battled-my-personal-demons-and-won kind of way, which both are things he’s dealt with so fucking intimately— but in the i-will-decorate-this-flesh-prison-and-make-it-a-castle kind of way, and that’s fucking beautiful. queer people taking their bodies and making them into art with ink and hot metal and needles and the love that they have for each other and the passion and the fucking spite at the world that keeps them going and making their presences KNOWN.

and maybe he gets some piercings while he’s there— it’s fascinating and feels so weird and freeing when the needle punctures his flesh and the jewelry goes in— and now he’s got a shiny little ring hanging through his earlobe; his nostril; his lip.

he learns that piercings take time and effort and care and that he has to treat himself with love to be able to heal— and that he is deserving of that love and care and dedication, especially from himself.

he keeps going back, maybe not always to get stabbed, but to watch others have it done. to see how different people’s anatomy takes different piercings, how he can’t have a piercing through his cheeks because he bites them too much when he’s anxious, but the girl that just left got both of hers done and they looked good. they fit her face, like little shiny dimples.

eventually, the piercer, killie, asks steve when he’s going to help them with their needles and their piercings— and he doesn’t know how to react because he hadn’t even thought about it and yet… maybe he could help other people fall in love with themselves and their bodies and help turn them into art one day

maybe he could be a pretty boy with his scars and his metal and his missing chunks and his polos and his jeans and his sneakers.

[freetobeeyouandme]

No new chapter of the Byler Isekai Fantasy AU today because I need way longer for edits than I thought, plus I think I just really need to overthink my posting schedule, BUT in the meantime I'd like to inform you that I already have a long, multichaptered Byler Fantasy AU complete up on Ao3. Just in case you didn't know yet and want something similar to tide you over until I get around to posting again next week.

Through A Dark Glass, Wanting

90k | Rated M | Fantasy AU, D&D inspired AU, Canon Typical Horror, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Suicidal Ideation, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Will Byers is so loved if he only accepted it, Will keeps making bad decisions bear with him

When a dark corruption spreads from the Deep Woods north of the kingdom of Roane, it falls to Will and his friends to investigate the cause. But as they close in on what seems to be the inevitable final confrontation with the Mad Wizard they have been fighting for years, Will finds his magic failing him as the darkness that scarred him during his first encounter with that very man finally overtakes him. Will stands no chance at stopping the demons that have been haunting him – after all how can he fight for a happy ending when he doesn’t believe he deserves one? - Or, Will learns to accept that his friends love him a whole lot more than he thinks they should.

I wrote this one during last year's Byler Big Bang, so it has a lot of wonderful art by the extremely talented @katimanki, and since I really enjoyed working on it I want to give it some love today (also because the next BBB is just around the corner - yay!). I'll definitely be back with the next chapter of the Isekai AU next week, but also be warned that I'm probably going to stick to a three week posting schedule for the last couple of chapters. I very much over/underestimated how long this bad boy would be and how much time I would be able to spend on it, so while I don't like it, it is now what it is.

An excerpt and my usual taglist below (since I'm assuming you might be interested in another fantasy AU as well)

Chapter 1: The Inn at the End of the World

Will spends dinner staring at the dark clouds obscuring the woods less than a days ride away from the inn. Night has already begun falling around them, but the clouds hovering over the trees almost glow a little in the dark, as if to make sure he remembers that they are there. Inside of the clouds he can see the tree tops and dark spots of creatures flying. General consensus is that the Deep Woods are a dead place, but he knows that’s not true. Whatever the shadow touches doesn’t die. It just wishes it had.

An elbow hits him in the ribs, for the second time in as many minutes. It’s only on the second time, though, that he realizes the elbow is intentional – for once this evening.

“Byers, you gonna finish that or not?” Dustin says, wiping his mouth while also eyeing the bread on Will’s plate.

Will wordlessly pushes his plate – the only plate on the table that isn’t completely blank – over to his friend.

Immediately he feels Mike’s knee knock into his, and silently curses the inn for being so packed that they had to squeeze four of them onto a bench made for three. Even with Lucas hanging half off it, leaning over to chat with Max, it’s a tight fit. Too tight. And Dustin’s elbow is nothing compared to Mike’s…well, Mike’s everything.

He can feels Mike’s hot breath on his cheek when he speaks. “Are you okay?”

Will puts on a practiced smile. “I’m fine,” he reassures his best friend. He nods at the window behind Mike’s head. “Just not really feeling hungry right now.”

Mike follows his gaze and sighs. “Just make sure to have breakfast, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. We need our strength.”

Mike returns Will’s eye roll with a tight smile.

Will grabs the half eaten chicken leg from his plate and takes a tentative bite to appease him. Mike, apparently satisfied that Will’s not gonna drop dead of starvation before they even set foot in the woods, turns back to whatever conversation he was having with El on his other side. Will drops the chicken again and grabs a napkin instead.

Dustin pushes the now more empty plate towards the middle of the table. He has eaten maybe half of what Will had left over, leaving the chicken leg and the harder parts of the bread.

He pats his stomach. “Tiamat’s Third head, I’m full.”

“That’s still not gonna catch on,” Will tells him.

Dustin gives him the finger. Then he belches.

Will decidedly turns his nose out of the path, staring instead at the crowd around them. The inn, a small affair just on the border between the Duchy of Hawkins and the impenetrable Deep Woods, is teeming with people. At first Mike had been worried they wouldn’t even get rooms, but that was the one thing The Aleful Dragon had not been short of. They could each have gotten their own, but instead they’d gone for their usual three: One double for the girls, two for the boys. Officially.

Will eyes the tankard in front of Dustin, silently hoping it will stay at that one but knowing that since this is their last proper night in civilization, it won’t. And unfortunately, unlike Mike, Dustin snored when he was drunk.

The innkeeper’s son comes to clear away their table, shyly ducking his head as he does so. In his eyes there is the recognition that had become more and more common over the past two years. This is the Prince of Hearts, Slayer of the Thessalian Hydra and Scourge of the Mad Wizard. This is no ordinary band of would-be heroes at his table.

To everyone’s surprise, it is Dustin whom he addresses when he brings them the round of beers they order as he clears the table.

“You are Dustin the Bold, right?” When Dustin nods he swallows and asks in a quiet voice: “Would you mind if I asked my mother if you could play tonight? We have our house musicians, but…”

Dustin’s grin is wolfish. “Do I ever mind that, my young friend? Tell her I will play all night if she only keeps the beer coming.”

Will doesn’t bother pointing out that the innkeeper's son seems to be a few years older than them, actually. Dustin’s flame is lit and he doesn’t think their bard will hear much tonight that doesn’t pertain to song requests.

The young man runs off happily to tell his mother the news, and sure enough she herself comes to their table to negotiate the deal. It’s a standard contract as far as the work of a bard goes: The drink will be on the house for him and his companions. The rooms they still have to pay for.

It means hell for Will’s ears, but he supposes he can always go to bed early, perhaps be deeply asleep by the time the snoring starts. Considering how long Dustin plans on playing and drinking, he might do that anyway.

Dustin gets up as the innkeeper heads back to the bar. He makes a big show of having to get out of the booth, shooing Lucas and Max into a frenzy. That still doesn’t seem fast enough because he just climbs up on the table to leave it in the end. It’s either some eerie talent or everyone else’s quick reflexes that mean he doesn’t spill any ale as he crosses.

“Sir Michael, my lute if you please?”

Mike looks up at him, rolling his eyes. “Get your dirty boots of the table, Dustin.”

Dustin lifts his chin in defiance. “My lute, I said.”

Will sees how they had been identified in this nowhere inn despite their plain clothes. Even in a simple tunic, visibly mended here and there where it had gotten ripped and torn in previous battles, Dustin strikes an imposing figure. The lute that is leaning against the wall beside their booth could be the prized possession of a simple minstrel, but the confident set of Dustin’s shoulders and the glimmer of knowledge in his eyes identify him clearly as a Bard of the Conclave. Take then his companions and even the people who had not seen Mike’s crown-and-heart shield as they carried their things upstairs were sure to know who was drinking among them.

Mike shakes his head and wordlessly hands over the richly painted instrument.

@smalltownwheeler @wheelerpilled @wrong-energy @foodiewithdahoodie @doggozzy @gardenfairie @beelikesbirds @beverlysclown @yickarus @sourdough-el @hessolivagant @hesquietoday @oldfashionedmorphine @total-serene560 @bylersrise @hawkinsunderground @generalstorecashier @snixx @camel-casing @bylersbear01 @turningsoft @casatoan @maru-chu @mid13s @goldentrunks @bunnybylerfangirl @willbyersenthusiast @letterstomichelangelo @drowninginideas @fluffyfangirl @artsyna @absolutelynotyouidiot @bymarara @unknowmiau @are-you-reddie @elherself134 @longtallglasses @kennahjune @easilyentertained99 @bylerschapter @father-imperator @bylerina

[thenwhatthefukcisthis]

Inception 30 day challenge 2024

day 31: a letter to the Inception fandom 💓

Dearest friends,

I’ve never seen anything like this before.

everyone, no I mean everyone I’ve ever crossed paths with here had been incredibly kind and supportive and very very talented. each and every one of you inspire me and put a smile on my face every time I open this app or travel to ao3. such a lovely gathering of good people. good and crazily talented!

the events year around!, MY GOODNESS! so well thought out and executed, which almost makes us forget that there are working/learning busy real life people doing this for FREE! I have nothing but respect and admiration for all of your behind these events! you guys are the backbone of the fandom, creating safe and encouraging environments for the creators to thrive :D

also something I truly admire is how this fandom doesn’t seek out validation from its creators. yes, a few excited individuals (I’m looking at you joseph), do make remarks time to time, but almost nothing is explicitly confirmed over the years. the fandom does not need anyone to tell what’s canon or not. respecting real human beings is something that everyone here practices and I believe that it’s one of the reasons that it has continued to stand the test of time.

for me, this fandom also has given me some of my firsts; my first time making an ao3 acct, my first time being able to read and actually enjoy smut, my first time venturing in to other ships except the ship I like the most,... in short, my first chance of being unapologetically excited about something I love.

I do a very little here except scream like a banshee when a new fic is posted or a new art is dropped, or obsess over an actor, but despite that, I’ve NEVER felt like I’m too much or unwanted here. As a relatively newbie (been here almost a year now holy shitts), I’ve only ever felt a sense of belonging. and so much of happiness. thank you to all of you for giving me that. i was desperately in need of it.

in summary, all I can say is, that I’m so very glad my co worker decided to randomly mention that she has never watched inception, on a slow mid-week day in august 2023.. I should send her a fruit basket.

with love, Dee

p.s : @inception30daychallenge -last day of the challenge! I’m so proud of myself for completing it :D and congrats on everyone else for participating in it too! thank you for the mod/s behind this acct for this amazing event!

[kusagrasskusa]

Hi there! so i have read your request rules and i have no idea if i can find if they are opened or closed but if they’re closed, please do not take this!

Raiden finding his S/O dead after a argument. Not a suicide, just a murder. I’m about to go all out on these details. 😭

So S/O and Raiden got into a argument about his safety and what not and they separate for a few hours (not break up, just avoiding.) He noticed how the house they shared got a bit to quiet. He went to go and find her, but found her dead on the living room floor dead with a tranquilizer (filled with poison) in her neck. I know my request is crappy and probably makes no sense whats so ever. 💔 But if this is not crappy to you, you can write it! But if your request are closed, you don’t have to. Also, no happy endings for NOBODY. 😍

But thats all for my request. Ty for your time!

Ohhh I like this!! Thank you so much for your request! I love it whenever people give me a scenario with details, it makes it easier for me to write and not worry about if the requester will like it 😂❤️ But fr though, happy endings are no bueno… life just isn’t gonna be a happy place, especially if you’re named Y/N 😈 or in this case, Raiden too

Also I found this sexy piece of art from u/all-men-die on r/MortalKombat!! All credit goes to them! And also, Raiden has hair in this hehe.. sorry not sorry 😋❤️

And I’ll update my Request Rules after I post this!

Raiden finding S/O dead after an arguement

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

Shinnok had been given a fate worse than death and his blood may fall to Raiden’s hands. He was no longer the thunder god Y/N had married- no, he was someone else entirely. Y/N was a human but it didn’t take a genius to learn of Shinnok’s amulets’ doing to her husband as suddenly his mercy had disappeared overnight a while ago. Ever since then it had been a weight on her shoulders; this was a man who killed those who he believed to be a threat to his ideologies unlike the man who had once advocated to protect Earthrealm at all costs, and murder was only needed in certain cases. A genocide against all his foes was something Y/N couldn’t sleep at night to the thought of. Who had her husband became?

Y/N was biting her lip in thought, leaning over her kitchen counter. Her eyes were blank as she daydreamed, and her focus only broke whenever her husband had suddenly walked in through the front door. It was a little house she lived in near the sky temple that was provided by her dear husband, though now, it almost felt like a prison. “Raiden?” She called out instinctively as she turned her head towards the front door. The lightning god himself and stepped in, removing his conical sedge hat and sighing.

“Hello, dear,” he replied with a tired voice. Y/N was easily the mother type whenever it came towards caring for her husband, and simply hearing that string of tiredness made her anxious. She quickly made her way over to her husband as his hair dropped down and a little tangled, making her frown. “I have something important to discuss with you.” Y/N wrapped her arms around her husband with a feeling of dread in her stomach, but nodded softly.

She knew her husband had something bad to say, but never this.

“Raiden, how could you!” Y/N seethed, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes wide with rage. “Why in the heavens would you be so irrational? Do you ever think about yourself in those moments?”

Raiden’s emotionless stare was enough to tell her he wasn’t at all feeling guilty for this actions. “Shinnok was the greatest threat to Earthrealm. I would have thought you to be more reasonable,” he replied in a serious tone, “had I not put an end to him, you may never know what evils he would bestow upon Earthrealm again.”

Sickening; Y/N felt like vomiting just then. Raiden had come home from torturing Shinnok and then beheading him. Yes, the Elder God was a cruel creature however how could Raiden act on such torture? Whether one agrees that Shinnok deserved it or not must understand the one who enacted on this was someone who would have never done something like this just a little bit before now. “This isn’t you, Raiden,” she hissed, standing up from the couch. “Will you subject anyone who defies you to such torture? A fate worst than death? Had you ever considered the effect of your actions? Had you ever considered the effects on you?”

Zzzz-CRACK the lightning went, appearing from no where. Y/N gasped and fell from her seat. Raiden stood up off of the couch, towering over her. “Y/N, I don’t suppose you are defending him, are you?” Lightening trailed off of his body in a threatening manner, which she would have thought attractive if she wasn’t at the victim of it. Her moment of fear quickly passed as she shot up off the ground. The lightning quickly disappeared as if quickly realized his mistake.

“Raiden, until you are thinking more clearly, I want you away from me. It’s for your own safety, and it seems I must think of my own when I’m around you as well.”

The look in his eyes were obvious that he was sorry. Though the words didn’t come out since he knew the way his wife would get- she wouldn’t accept it until she feels better. He nodded his head and began to walk down the hall and into their shared bedroom, leaving Y/N to look out at him as he walked. She felt a pain in her chest when she watched him leave but… what just happened? Who was that man who had just threatened her just then? It couldn’t have been the same god she fell in love with.

She let out a little gasp as she spun around, having heard the door open. Did Raiden walk around her without her noticing and tried to leave?

No, he had been in the bedroom for at least a few minutes at this point. He laid in their bed, hands on his head, as he processed what was going on. “Dearest, I hope you’ll understand one day,” he mumbled, “but please forgive me. I had stepped out of line and made you feel threatened.” He spoke as if he were praying to her for her forgiveness which he sort of was. Why, she’s the (now) immortal wife of the lightning god. She’s close enough, is she not?

And to a mortal praying to their god, him praying to his dearest wife is something just as dear if not more. He promised eternity’s worth of protection and love yet he had almost broken the first promise. How could he make up for it? As he sensed the amulet’s energy off of him, he sighed, “perhaps it has darkening my judgement… No, this is it. I shall no longer let this evil cloud the better of my mind.” He seethed through his teeth as guilt began to wallow inside it. Dammit, what had he done?

However, the deafening silence as minutes and minutes to half an hour has passed made it a little hard to think. “That is it,” he decided, getting up out of bed, “no more fighting until they call me to it.” He smiled softly, combing his hair with his fingers as he walked out of the bedroom. Actually, during one of his thought processes, he decided to change out of his regular gear and put on a special outfit his dear Y/N made for him during one of his trips. It was soft, warm and had obviously had the perfect loving touch of his wife and so he felt like it would perhaps appease her to see him have it. As he stepped out into the living room, he looked around- no one.

“Y/N?” He called out softly, furrowing his eyebrows. He made his way around the couch, calling out, “Dear, I know I have upset you, but-… Y/N?” He voice was the most unstable anyone had ever heard of the pronounce lord, however whenever he saw his wife laying on her back, wide eyed, and mouth gapped on the floor, he was more distraught than he had ever been in his entire immortal life.

“Y/N!!!” Running to her side, he lifted her head up as his breathing hitched and grew unstable. He felt like he was being choked. Beneath her hair was a tranquilizer filled with a foggy substance, and he yanked out and threw it across the room. His fingers ran over her pulse as he checked, praying- praying the fucking gods above for the sanctity of this situation. “Y/N please! How could i have let this happen?” He cried upon no pulse. He urgently picked her up in his arms and teleported to the SS base where Johnny and Cassie were per usual- and upon his arrival, they were quick to hear of his presence.

Y/N had quickly been taken into their poison control and as Raiden stood by her side and learned there was nothing they could do to being her back, it was so clear to see how the color had drained off of him.

“That is all?” He asked distaughtly, his eyes not even being able to focus on anything. “There is nothing to be done?”

Raiden obviously knew the answers. He had been around and seen it happen for millions of years but this mortal- this woman- was something that had exceeded all his expirences and knowledge together. He never knew he could love someone as much as this woman who now lay lifeless with a bag over her. This is what he remembers warning his brother about before entering Earthrealm. He remembers warning him of the dangers of falling in love or getting too close. Yet in the end, he had tasted the feeling love brings and had felt incredible loss his mind was not capable of comprehending.

Now, he no longer had a reason to care for those who inflict pain on Earthrealm and their inhabitants.

And with how he let his wife die, he no longer cares for himself either.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Happy Sunday~ Here are today’s replies.

anxiously-sidequesting asked:

HIIII I haven't said anything in a while but I wanted to say I LOVE YOUR TWST ART (well all of your art actually)!!!!! It's very chef's kiss 🤌🏾 and I hope you have a good day ❤️

Ahh thank you so much!!! <3 This is so sweet of you, I’m very happy to hear that!

Anonymous asked:

🤖👑

Hey! It’s the OruVil shipper! Don’t worry this ask doesn’t need to be answered but I just thought I’d let you know after all these years (I last had a major active blog in around 2011-13 WOW) I’ve actually started one and it’s thanks to you!

I’m over on WrithingDepth shooting out my twst HC’s and little one shots, I’ve yet to drop any OruVil and the blog is pretty new but I’m an older tumblr user with a full time job and nice anon lifestyle so if you guys ever just wanna hmu for a chat me and partner spend a lot of time discussing HCs and world building as well!

I’ll most likely link up the OruVil fic eventually there too.

Have a great day!

After some thinking I decided to actually post this ask for anyone who could be interested to read your work. Anything Ortho-related is so underappreciated, and after the discussion we had via asks a couple of weeks ago, I think it’s only fair to share in this specific case.

I am very excited to hear it whenever people get inspired to create unapologetically self-indulgent content. I honestly think this is one of the most important things one could do creativity-wise, and having people to share this self-indulgence with is truly amazing. Thank you so much for sharing with us <3

furubatsu asked:

I feel like you may have answered this before, but if so I can't find it. Also I'm a sloppy whore for the childhood friends to lovers pipeline SO!

Thoughts on Jack/Vil? While I agree Vil probably lost his virginity to Rook I can see these two being eachothers first Kisses (for "practice" reasons, of course) and maybe even awakenings? I love your analysises so I'm really curious about your take on these two.

HONESTLY? A GOOD PIPELINE!

We do have one post about Jack/Vil, and it’s a hc post, but it’s 8 months old oops. But I still stand by everything I’ve said there lol so you can check it out of you haven’t already.

Jack and Vil could easily be each other’s first crushes, and honestly a handsome polite boy who doesn’t even watch TV is probably the best candidate for a young star that is Vil to have a first attempt at kissing with. It would also be a nice contrast to their other first time, because even though they were on the same page when they were younger, now Vil is the more experienced one of the two, and he’s probably going to enjoy guiding Jack as they do it. Well, if Jack gets overwhelmed, horned up and feral, there won’t be much guidance going on, but in theory lol I feel like Vil is the “oneesan” type partner in this ship.

Anonymous asked:

My only reason to genderbend twst is that it's literally an excuse for Riddle always end up into someone's plsuh chest (same could be said for Idia and all the tiny chest gorlies)

Honestly no other reasons are needed lol this one is good enough. It’s like big boobs just keep following Riddle everywhere, they torment her, they abuse her, they suffocate her… or maybe it’s all in her head? What if she is just way too obsessed with it? And yes, being literally suffocated by Floyd’s chest has absolutely nothing to do with it lol

And Idia constantly gets to feel like a vn protagonist, but the vn itself is very cursed. Where are all the nice ladies, why is everyone so dangerous and scary?? Delete the game and get a refund ASAP-

(Meanwhile Lilia’s out there just… hunting…)

[bruhstation]

I feel like I’m 14 and Know nothing about Ask the famous 8 again, I am not sleeping, I am not eating, I am gripping my phone waiting for notifications, you tapped into the perfect intersection of hyper fixation, human au’s, and GORGEOUS ART and I’m LIVING, I AM BREATHING, I AM SHAKING

Congrats, I salute you o7

----

WOAHHHH????!??!?!? WOAAHHHHHHHH. this whole analysis page is making my jaw drop to the floor like it’s truly award-worthy how you managed to catch some of my very VERY niche references here and there. I cannot applaud you enough!!!! good lird!!!!! truly amazing work, you!!!! I’d like to give some of my comments as well :]

1. captain zero is not beating the bitter ex husband allegations #actuallydivorced

2. zorran and zip take after captain zero but in vastly different ways. zorran has been around far longer than zip; he’s his first employee and right hand man, after all. he took after captain zero like his speech mannerisms and view on the world, but the strain of responsibility captain zero put on zorran weighs down on him. zip is a newbie, having joined just a few weeks ago. he sees captain zero as a father figure, which is not 100% reciprocated by him (literally the first adult figure in zip’s life to show him a semblance of human decency which is not going to end well for the z-stack youth). zorran took after something that is a thorough, long process (speech mannerism), while zip took after something that is at face value (coat). also reflects their emotional maturity (zorran is more cautious, while zip is easily impressionable and needs others to guide him despite their intentions)

why does captain zero name him “zip”? it was zebedee’s idea, partially. he joked that he got the epiphany when he ate a piece of marzipan, but captain zero thought it’s fitting. zip means “to close something”. zipline. zipper. ziplock. to zip. you say “zip it” when you want someone to shut up. (also remember how zorran said “shut it zip in the first episode)

"he sees a child” captain zero views zip as an employee when he expects zip to go through with his plans, while he views zip as a child when he’s talking down on him and giving commands. zip has no problem with this

3. “why is it not a war?” captain zero’s scared. ahaha

4. “stop talking” remember the first episode, sunshine, and his line, “I don’t expect you to think”? remember how I said in the previous posts that there’s hunting dog imagery within captain zero?

5. zip’s crossword puzzle!!! yes!!!!!! you noticed it!!!!! the words and the meanings I try so hard to convey!!!!!!! you nailed almost every single one of them

6. “cops? acab” this is hilarious and fitting considering what I have in store for captain star

7. “invasion” “something is coming” with how captain zero’s criminal history remains shrouded in darkness and the very tiny bits we got from johnny cuba’s words to zebedee...... I’ll just say that it’s going to come back to bite him

8. “camaraderie” “9 across doesn’t exist” these speak for themselves. especially with zipcents there (starts clawing on my face)

9. the fleets do work together, occasionally. they gotta set aside personal feelings for the contracts, and to an extent, their captains. and yeah something bigg is coming and it is Not Pretty! (see point 7)

10. zip’s suspenders has three black lines, while zebedee and the rest of the z-stacks have five!

that’s all I have to say for now!!! phew!!!! this was very fun to respond to and I’m really happy you noticed the stuff I’ve laid out for fortezza bigg city so far!!!! also I love the tiny doodles :3 zebedee is so cute!!! and your gal zaffre looks amazing! the suspenders are definitely fbc’s signature. her high hairdo is such a fantastic look on her, too :D once again, thank you very much!!!!

[nonsubstantial]

APRIL 2024 ART FASCINATION DIARY

This is another post about the art that I've been fascinated with this year. I make these posts monthly, so that I can look back and remember all the things that were keeping me happy and inspired! If you are reading this, then I hope it will be somewhat interesting to hear about. First, a collage of my interests this month, then there are descriptions below.

MUSIC / ALBUM I heard about Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs because Vinny Vinesauce liked it enough to feature it on his twitch channel four times within this last month. After checking it out, it quickly became a favorite of mine as well. It's inspired by 60's era rock bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles, and the two brothers in charge of The Lemon Twigs were basically raised from birth to create this kind of music. They're excellent musicians, but I do have a few complaints, mainly that their band is a four person group that started as a two person group, and it shows. The musicians on their drums and backing guitar are unnoticeable most of the time, or even make their music worse when I really focus on the boring repetitive parts that they play in the mix. I think that it would improve things if we heard the other two members’ creativity shine a little more. On a different note, their lyrics also feel kind of hollow to me, sort of like facsimiles of themes that we heard out of the 60’s pop music that they’re inspired by. Maybe the brothers’ odd upbringing is what makes their lyrics feel like nothing more than dreamy imitations of other lyrics, rather than being something written from their own hearts? In any case, their vibe is really bizarre, but despite all my criticisms I did really enjoy this one album from them. (And actually, their new 2024 album is already out! It’s also fantastic, and I’ll talk about it on my May list.)

FANFIC / CREATIVE WRITING I've been working on a long fanfic for fun since last month, and every time I write a new scene for it I'm filled with a sense of creative euphoria for the rest of the day. It's not always perfect, but there's no real pressure to write something good, so it just ends up being an enjoyable outlet for my passions. Even if I never publish anything, being creative and exploring my own imagination is satisfying in itself, and I wish I had the time to do it every day! (HONESTLY, there could and should be time, if only our society actually prioritized taking breaks for mental health and personal wellbeing over making endless amounts of money and increasingly insubstantial products to be consumed by only the luckiest members of our parasitic upper class. I hate our unsympathetic workaholic capitalist culture with every fiber of my being, and wish that I could fucking end it all, but I digress...) Writing is just so fun. And I'll be working on the same projects for another few months, probably, as long as I can keep on keeping up with them.

REALITY GAME SHOW The finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 concluded this month, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Now that it’s over, we’re starting back from season 1 and we’re going to try to eventually watch it all! (We actually did finish season 1, right before posting this. It was interesting and groundbreaking in its own right, and it introduced me to Tammie Brown, who is now one of my favorite queens. Then, we started season 2 and I’m pretty sure that this is where the show’s bad reputation got its start, because I really can’t stand any of the season 2 contestants. Too bad, but we’ll keep on watching and see how it pans out anyway.) In season 16 though, there was just so much unique creativity and talent on display, and so many jaw dropping ‘holy shit’ moments, that I think it was one of the best things I have ever watched. It had the hypest final lip sync battle I ever could have imagined, and I had no idea which way it was going to end. In whole, I feel like the show was a wonderful watch, and I’m glad that our friends convinced us to give it a shot.

LIVE THEATER MUSICAL My partner and I were given a gift card to our local theater last year, so we finally used it to go see a live production of Annie! We don't live in a place where live musicals are very common, and I actually hadn’t seen any since highschool, so we had to make plans very early in the year to go watch it. And after having done so, I can say for certain that there is a unique magic to watching a live theater performance. I’m surprised that it was all performed so perfectly, even with children and a dog on stage, and remarkably, it sounded better than any recording I could find online before or after the event. It was so incredible all around that it totally transported me into a unique creative headspace. There were people of all ages there, some dressed up, some appearing more casual, but the atmosphere was delightful and jovial all around. I’m not going to comment about what was or wasn’t problematic about Annie; it’s not really that deep and you can probably figure that out on your own. But I will say that the magic of a live performance depends entirely on the energy in its room, and I was totally swept away by this experience. Without the discount, it would have been very pricey though, so I’m hoping that we can put away a little money to see a different live musical next year.

BOOK / AUDIOBOOK About a month and a half ago, I started Leo Tolstoy's epic work of historical fiction, War And Peace. I love a book that I can get completely lost in, and War and Peace is one of those books. I made it about 1/4th of the way through it this month, and even though it started slow, I’m now sure that it’s going to be an all time favorite. I read Anna Karenina years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I expected to like this one too, but there was still a sort of learning curve to overcome at the start. After over a month of engaging with it, I feel like I’ve finally gotten over its barrier to entry, and now I’m picking up the pace. Most people have heard of this book before, so let me tell you that its high-sounding title is no false advertisement. It’s a Russian slice of life book set during the Napoleonic Wars, dealing with a huge assemblage of political and philosophical conflicts, and it will have you exasperatedly crying “time is a flat circle!” as you realize that humans today have nearly the same brains and political interests that they had over 200 years ago. It is already a masterpiece, in my opinion, and I’m going to be reading this book for the entire month of May also, so that’s something to look forward to. If you’re interested in checking out an audiobook, I’m also listening to the Maude translation, narrated by Neville Jason, and I think it’s quite good! (That's it for April! But we're already a few weeks into May, so expect more Lemon Twigs and more War And Peace. Thank you for caring about me, and I hope you have a good day! ♡)

[mysticsparklewings]

Obscutober 2024 Day 24: Cordate 💗

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Cordate (adj.)

heart-shaped

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Just 7 days of Inktober left to go, and fortunately I got a bit of break with one of the more simple words that I’ve really been looking forward to. 💕 

I’m not thrilled to be posting it so late, but I had to get some housework done first. 😅

Click the "Keep Reading" and we'll talk a bit more about my general thoughts/process. ✨

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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I do apologize to any Sparklers that enjoy these descriptions that this is now the third one (and second in a row) that I had to to drop the art without a description and run. 😅

I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that today, since today was both a simpler word and one I'd bee looking forward to...But I also knew some housework really needed to be done before anything else today, and whether or not I had to post this one in a rush was really going to come down to what time I had left after the housework, even if the art itself didn't take that much time to make. And as you might guess, the housework ended up running on the long side. 🫠

But, hey, at least I did get it all done with time to spare—the housework and artwork alike.

That said, as I mentioned before, this was one of the simpler words that made the prompt list, so that means I actually don't have a ton to report on for this description anyway. 😅 Still, I'll tell you what I can!

Starting with: This was actually one of the words I picked out a little earlier on when I was putting the prompt list and I'd hoped to find more like it—As in still a word you definitely don't typically hear very often, but the actual concept/definition is very simple and distinct.

I ended up a little disappointed in my search on that front, but I do think that's part of why I ended up looking forward to this one as much as I did; I knew there was at least one word coming up where the basis and color palette for the word would be about as crystal-clear as I could possibly ask for. 😆

You might think: Oh but Mystic, how is "heart-shaped" that different from "crescent-moon-shaped" for Day 13? At least if you're talking about art direction clarity...

Because, dear Sparklers, I could already think of more "logical" ways to incorporate the classic heart shape into mandala motifs and it was considerably easier to find existing motifs on the interwebs when I needed help filling in "gaps" left by the ideas I had on my own.

Have I mentioned before that that's something I really love about mandalas? All the different motifs, ways to combine them, and how regularly it seems people share little tutorials for them? I don't think I have, so there ya go!

In this case, my favorite borrowed motif is the largest heart edge, which was inspired by this motif. I had to work around a considerable amount of the smaller motifs I'd already done, but I tried to preserve what I liked the most about the original design: How the two "bumps" remind me of a semicolon. And if you know one of the metaphorical application of semicolons, you might understand why I feel that's kind of a more subtle, poetic inclusion in an artwork themed around hearts. ❤️‍🩹

Which reminds me, on the other hand: In another timeline, I might have chosen to go less generally on-the-nose and tried to do something more subtly heart-shape-inspired. After all, the definition is heart-shaped, not just hearts. But like I alluded to at the beginning, since I had a lot already on my plate today, I really needed the more simple path-of-least-resistance.

Besides, again as I sort of already said in other words, I was happy to take that simpler path today. I think I would've been even if I'd had all the time in the world. And the mandala came out so wonderfully bright for it, too! Playing with the very stereotypically pinks and reds was fun! 😃

In the end, I can't say this one is my absolute favorite to look at—too many other strong contenders already in the running for that!—but it just might've been my favorite to make, even despite not having a ton of time to do it in.

Let's see, I think that's the artwork for today covered. But I also wanted to mention: My gosh, I can hardly believe we have just 7 days left to go. 😱

I'm normally a little surprised how October can feel like both the longest month ever while simultaneously going by faster than I can blink, but I think this year has really taken the cake in that department.

Ah well; 'Tis the nature of the beast, I suppose. I should probably be more concerned with just making it through this last week. There's so much to do, lots of things not even Obscutober-related I'd like to get done before the month is over. 😅

On that note, I'll leave you Sparklers here for tonight while I go see if I can get some more of those things done...Or maybe not done, but at least make some progress. 🤪 See you all tomorrow! 🤗

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See the Prompt List

Artwork © me, MysticSparklewings

Obscutober Concept Inspired by nikolas_tower

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⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

[noneuclideangarf]

Hey, I know I’m just a random person that follows you, but for what it’s worth, I think your music is fantastic.

The first few months of this year were really rough for me but discovering your stuff has helped me so much since then. That untitled ambient track you uploaded to tumblr a while ago moved me to tears when i heard it. I listened to the F:/Misc ep whenever my anxiety was bad. I don’t really know where I’m going with this rant, I just want you to know that you and your music are cool as fuck and I wish I could do more to get more people to pay attention to your hard work.

Sorry if this was too sappy or I’m overstepping or anything, you don’t have to respond, I just wanted to express my thoughts on the matter

I just want to say off the top, genuinely, thank you.

Thank you so very much for your kind words and for enjoying what i make! I was in the middle of my shift at work when I first read this, and it really made my day.

The posts of mine that your ask is related to was me voicing my own issues finding meaning in what I am doing, and the my own frustration related to. I'm at a transitional point in my life: I'm looking for a new job, I moved out, and I finally finished my music degree. Lots of things have changed/are changing, and one of those things is how I am approaching creating stuff. I now have slightly more time to dedicate myself to creating and releasing music and take the process more seriously (in between working my shitty job, of course). This means thinking a lot more about what I am making, who it is for, how i am putting it out in the world, and what it means.

Meaning is really the tough part of that equation because it's hard to feel like things matter when you are in a state of flux, even moreso when your means of putting out your art is social media which often can feel like a void you drop things into.

It gets to you sometimes.

When it does, it's like there is no meaning to what you do. That's how i felt when I made those posts. But that's not the truth. Because a counter displaying 50 views does not reflect the reality of how people interact and are affected by a work. You can't really just base meaning purely off of metrics. Deep down I knew that, but it's easy to lose sight of things online, and your message was a nice reminder to me that people can connect to your work in ways you might not see or know.

I first started writing this reply when I got your ask, but it took me a little while to respond because I wanted to properly express myself in a good response. It turned out a little bit long, but it's a lot of words to essentially say:

"I wrote some posts because I felt like what I was doing was meaningless because of life stuff and the woes making stuff online for an algorithm and your message reminded me that wasn't the case"

Once again, I appreciate your kind words and I am glad you liked my music. I also want to say that you don't need to "do more to get more people to pay attention" to my music, but I am thankful for the sentiment. As much as a big platform would be nice, I am happy just knowing there's people who are listening to it like you - not just faceless numbers on a view counter.

[altneuland]

Ancient Lovers

Now that I showed you Kingdom / empire of Israel.. I can show you finally THIS SHIP and THIS art that I'm so so proud of...

so buckle up for the wildest ride...

Israel x Ethiopia lore!! Shortly explained, but it’s still long sorry

My interest in this ship has started way back, actually since high school, when we did a work about king Solomon and Queen of Sheba. I’ve learned so much new information that it kept me intrigued about it, and slowly getting more and more information to the point I just knew I’m gonna do it lol.

Now, Israel and Ethiopia case is a special one, because unlike many nations, both Ethiopia and Israel mention in their scripts and culture each other, specifically the Queen of Sheba and king of Israel affair. And both of them are really proud of it, of course biased (and you’ll see how biased it’s gonna get lol), but good biased. It is not dropping-the-other-low kind of biased.

Okay, let’s see where it all started.

Idk the dates (I’m bad with dates and usually don’t agree with them bc long story) but long time ago, there was the kingdom of Israel, ruled by Solomon at that time. Now, let me give you the setting. Israel at that point thrived, and people all around the east from china to Ethiopia heard of Daniel. Of course, some nations couldn’t care less but heard is enough for some to be considered as success lol.

Now, everyone I mentioned here “used” Daniel’s wisdom at some point; Egypt made Israel her best ally, Assyria made Israel his soldier (for a short period of time but he did), and Ethiopia… no spoilers yet. BUT YOU WILL LOVE THEY WAY SHE USED IT.

(Side note; this is also huge evidence that israel was always considered the smart nation around. I believe there was smarter nations but you know, it’s like more of the personality. Omg I sound so arrogant rn but let me cook).

And of course, people talk. And glorify things. Tigist already knew Daniel, but when the story of a Rhino reached her ear it was already a unicorn. Daniel was described as the smartest man alive, most rich, sexiest guy alive and what not lol. Tigist already fell in love before seeing. She thought she must see if it’s true. It was too good to be true to her ears. And, if it’s true; why can’t she have some of that to herself??

She packed the best gems and camels she has (and a lot of them) and headed Jerusalem.

She saw the most beautiful buildings and temple and what not, she tested Dani’s wisdom. And it all came up as true. She said the famous quote; “it is all 1000x better than the stories about you”.

Daniel knew nations don’t come to visit him just to visit him; he asked her. “Ma’am, what is your wish?”

Now, before I continue the story, let me tell you. Daniel was WEAK for her. Damn she was pretty. And hawt. He was ready to give her things she wanted. He assumed; permit to free pass through his place to India. Makes sense? He gave that to her. Why not. She was happy with that.

But here the thing!!! She wanted HIS SPERM. she wanted his dna. She wanted to have s3x with him so she could have some of this!! And I am not making that up!!! Both Israeli and Ethiopian scripts confirm that, and.. apparently it wasn’t just once !!

In the Ethiopian culture, there’s a whole bloodline of jews, apparently they have their own status because according to their belief, since they are around the Ethiopian culture could thrive !

Many many years later…

The story of Jews in Ethiopia is for another post, but when they came back to Israel Sudan was about to accuse Daniel of kidnapping Ethiopian people. But, before it was “confirmed”, Daniel went to Tigist and gave her everything she wanted!! Education, free tech, literally anything that a first world country can give to a third world country enough to thrive, at least a little more!! He gave her FOR FREE some of his inventions that later made Israel world leader in it, when it comes to water and water tech. He gave her leading tech on agriculture which israel is also leading in! He gave her free schools and to this day Israelis go and volunteer in Ethiopian schools! He didn't wanna feel guilty much for doing stuff under Ethiopian gov you know so he did what I feel like a bribe but you know idm he brought some jews home and the Ethiopia got a lot of good stuff so what can I saaay

Now, as not true as it might seem, Daniel sees Tigits as a poor lady who is in a constant need of charity. Tigist doesn’t seem to mind much tbh? She appreciates the help. She’s one of the only African countries who wants Israel part of Africa culturally ! and constantly asking about Daniel when he’s absent lol… she’s still hot for his ass I can tell u that

I think their relationship nowadays is mostly beneficial… both not seems to be bothered my that… let Dani do the do without feelings.. which is totally against his morals but lets not get into that shall we

Fun fact: in eilat there’s two hotels one next to another, Queen of Sheba and king Solomon, as a tribute to them

btw,

Tigist belong to me, too

[hollis-art]

Hi I know I’m really awkward, but I think your art is really cool and it’s nice to see someone my age who also likes Star Trek. Also, kudos to you for posting fanart online because I find it really scary.

Eyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is so sweet!!!

Don't worry about being awkward, you are talking to someone who relates to Reg Barclay the most out of all of the Star Trek characters, and he is the epitome of awkwardness (and i love him so much. he is literally me)

I just recently got into Star Trek, and I don't know why I was so surprised to find that a lot of the fanbase is older. Like this fandom has been around for decades, but people are still being drawn into it. It's really cool actually. Like my parents both grew up with star trek in their lives one way or another, and now due to my fun little hyper-fixation, I am bringing it back to them in full swing by drawing all of the little characters and sticking them around our house, and talking about them whenever possible.

As for posting fanart online, I think the biggest reason I'm so comfortable doing it is because I do things with the idea of "I like this thing, and if I like it, other people will too!". And it appears that I was right!! For a long time, I didn't draw much fanart because I thought I wouldn't do the characters justice, so I stuck with drawing my OCs for years, because no one would be able to tell that I wasn't drawing them true to how they were (even though I was painfully aware of it). But after all of that practice, I gained the ability to take what I saw and put it into my own style without taking too much away from it, so I did a few fanworks here and there, but once I got dropped into the wonderful world of Star Trek, something happened and now I can't stop. And due to Star Trek actually having a fandom (unlike my OCs who no one other than me cares about), I decided to make this account to share it all! I was going to draw these silly little guys no matter what, so I might as well make people happy by sharing it for the world to see. I don't think it's really all that scary, but once I realize that woah, people are actually seeing this and enjoying it, it does get a bit surprising.

Anyways, thank you!! I really like typing, so if you don't want to read all of that, I absolutely understand

[highfiveheroes]

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii so I absolutely love your fic on ao3 (so excited for part 2) and I wanted to ask what your opinions on the finale were! I personally think that the rat grinders were deeply robbed and that it was honestly such a unkind and mean way to end that season. like was the overarching theme not redemption and that unrestrained violence isn't the answer? anyway ye would love to hear your thoughts on it

(sorry if you've already made posts about it also, feel free to ignore this if so)

ahhh!!! oh man i have SO many thoughts on it, and i’ve kind of tried to keep them to dms and stuff but whoo boy. whoooo boy!!!

this got SO much longer than i expected so sorry in advance

i have sort of hit the point of reflection where i’m just sad about it now. sophomore year was SUCH a lovely piece of art, and the choices and lessons made and gained were something that resonated so deeply. i’ll start by saying that yeah, it’s fairly obvious the second half of the season was rushed through production, and specifically after “baron’s game” (which i expected to love but i can get into on a different post) the tone completely shifted.

the point i’ve finally come to is that brennan had a LOT of ideas for this season, but ultimately it went the way it did because he wasn’t dming the season for the fans. he was doing it for his friends, and they all had fun, and if the topics had been changed or certain plot points had been altered or different it wouldn’t have seemed so flippant and disappointing when the overarching themes got missed. from a meta standpoint (and also taking into account the interview he did that came out within the past few days discussing the season) it was never supposed to be that serious, so egg on our faces for reading into things that weren’t supposed to be there.

the season specifically suffered because it had so much stuffed into it, in my opinion? plots and threads were dropped early on in favor of following the bits—and for a dnd show run by comedians, i’m sure it was really fun for everyone involved! but i could tell after a certain point that discussions were overloading and way more stuff was getting missed than being followed up on, so i think brennan got caught up in trying to tie the story up neatly for his friends, and i think some of the plot may have changed from what it was first envisioned to be (though that may just be me being waaaaay too hopeful)

it is, however, WHOLLY disappointing to me that the bad kids were so rewarded for being literal bullies all season except to each other. it was in the name of bits, sure, but god, i would have loved for the solution to have been for them to reach out to the rat grinders in that final fight with something—a dispel magic maybe, or a really strong persuasion check, to prove that rage isn’t always the fucking answer, especially when faced with something like this. but that was never how it was going to go and i’m less mad now than just straight up sad about it. the rat grinders were just npcs made to be annoyances and obstacles and threads to follow, and we definitely as a collective tried to have more faith in the story. it’s just…i mean, it’s a dnd game. he’s running it for his friends, he’s lucky to get paid for it, it wasn’t about us reading the whole narrative like a book.

if the whole season had been scripted and unrushed—if it had been an actual series, for example—i think we would have gotten a lovely ending that satisfied almost everyone. but we got the fun ending for the players and at least half the fandom had an amazing time (maybe more—i definitely am at fault for only really following the rat grinder fans, lbr, but i don’t feel like having to curb my feelings about them every time i see a new post about how they deserved it).

i think for me, the ending was kind of rushed and filled with cheap cop outs, but i don’t think it was meant to be any more than that. it was supposed to be fun for the players, and it was, and that’s what they were happy with. i’ve really had to think about it a LOT this week though

(side note: as i’ve been working on part 2 and the prequel for it, i’m having to take the canon as milestones but not necessarily as fact, because there was so much unexplored there that i need to make sense when i’m writing it, but i fully disagree with just completely dismissing the implications. kipperlilly’s whole arc and her choosing this path wasn’t something i predicted, but it doesn’t necessarily go against what i wrote—it’s just that now, with context and reflection, i’m really having to sit down and explore her not as a many faceted character but instead as something that can still appear one dimensional. i’m not going to completely ignore the nuances, but i’m having a difficult time writing it, knowing now where the story is going to end up.)

(and fun fact, if you’ve read this far—it’s going to end up three parts instead of two, so publishing may be pushed off a bit longer than i wanted for the sole fact of wanting to put out parts 2&3 out at the same time. the prequel i’m gonna put on the back burner for a bit though :( so if you think part 2 is going to be good, i can’t wait for the reaction to part 3, if it goes the way i want!!!)

[melis-writes]

Hi, I had watched the movie Carlito’s Way a long while ago and became absolutely obsessed with him. So I came to tumblr in search of something to soothe the absolute hunger I have for him. And I had ended up being pretty disappointed because there really wasn’t anything on here for him except for the two fanfics you posted. And lord.. when I read them, I lost my shit.😭

Your writing is fucking amazing, literally a work of art. I was so deviously down bad that I was coming back to reread your fics almost every single day. Like I quite literally couldn’t get through my bad without reading your Carlito fanfics. So, I hope you don’t mind me sending in a couple of requests.🫶(because I’m a filthy little slut for Carlito and you are the only person who can perfectly fulfill by sinful thirst for this man.) also sorry if this is a lil too explicit if I make you uncomfortable or anything you can just ignore this message entirely and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.

So imagine, Carlito is sitting at his desk quietly. Trying desperately to focus on the paperwork in-front of him. Trying to focus on anything but you and how your cunt was squeezing him so fucking tightly. He feels you, sees you. Squirming impatiently, legs shaking, nails digging into the soft silk robe he bought that you had wrapped around your beautiful body, god- and how absolutely fucking wet you were. His cock was telling him to take you right there. Throw you over the desk and fuck you like the slut you were. He could only imagine how it would feel to grab you by the hair, manhandle you, and drag his cock in and out of you. He couldn’t just sit here, especially when you felt so good warning his cock. He was supposed to be punishing you for christ sake. But when he was around you all of his resolve seemed to disappear in an instant.

Yea I tried.😭 in short I just need you to hook me up. Im just desperate. You literally don't even have to do what I asked. You could feed me pig food and I would eat it. I just need a filthy Carlitos smut fic. I'm dying without one. But yea, sorry if this is too much and again If your not comfortable you can ignore this entire message. But I just need some Carlito right now. 🙁

I hope your doing well, have a nice (night/day/evening) bye - your #1 fan ❤️❤️

Omg hello Mrs. Brigante!! 😍😍 Wow, honestly this ask/prompt request surprised and blew me away in the best way possible. I don’t blame you with the Carlito obsession, honestly! 😅❤️ I don’t see much of it though and Carlito is so underrated!! I was super happy to write a whole oneshot fic for him but even with my prompts open for smut and non-smut Carlito x Reader, I’ve probably only received like 1-2 ever. I love to hear that you enjoyed my work for Carlito!! 🥺 They were a blast to write. You’re so sweet!! Thank you for the compliments and love, honestly it made my whole day! I’m always open to more requests, I just wish I had all the time in the world to just sit down and write all of them but I definitely promise to get to them one by one! I love this sexy, smutty prompt idea and it’s in no way making me uncomfortable or something I wouldn’t write, so I’d be happy to post it here for ya. 🥵

‘$75,000 and I’m out. Just that, then I’m gone. Me and my girl…’ Carlito’s eyes trail over the sprawled out paperwork upon his desk, eager to distract himself from numbers and legal paperwork for his nightclub.

‘Off to paradise…’ Carlito’s eyes gaze over at the sunny artwork of the Bahamas hanging just above the door to his office.

Carlito lets out a deep sigh to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. The pen in Carlito’s hand drops onto the stack of paperwork before him, but he can’t possibly care less. Carlito can hardly focus on anything except the thought of you now.

Without even realizing it, Carlito clenches his hand tightly enough that his knuckles strain white, yet he almost wants to give into the thought of you lingering in his mind all day instead of doing anything else.

To sit in his office and try to focus on doing something productive when Carlito fucked you over his desk just the other night is simply an impossibility to him.

The thought and memory of you alone instantly arouses Carlito to no avail, and his mind easily wanders to every heated fuck session he’s had with you in his office and how he wishes he’d rather be taking you again.

Just last night you came into Carlito’s office and distracted him from his paperwork, but Carlito can hardly remember what he was doing before you came in.

All Carlito thinks of now is how your body felt against his—pressed up with not an inch of space between the two of you; his hands groping over your ass and fondling your breasts through your silk robe down to the shape of your body and how he caressed every inch of your hot skin ten times over all while reminding you who you belonged to, answering Carlito to who your pussy belongs to as your hips bounced back over his cock.

Thinking about the way your tight heat contracted with every thrust and convulsed in orgasm over Carlito’s cock, squeezing and letting your pussy’s wetness ooze down his shaft instantly gives Carlito a growing, insistent erection.

“Fuck,” Carlito mutters to himself as he leans back in his seat—practically being able to feel you on him all over again with how vivid his memory is; how he craves and yearns for every inch of you again and again.

Your hips pressed up against his, grinding up and down Carlito’s erection just begging for him to manhandle you and pin you down to his desk—take you right there and then.

Carlito barely had the patience through the heat of the moment to get you naked first, tugging and clutching onto the plush, silk robe that adorned your body and night after night that Carlito was used to throwing off of you.

Carlito slowly moves his hand off his desk and down to his belt, pausing for a moment to indulge further into the fantasy and thought of you further.

You teased Carlito last night with little breathy whimpers, begging him to touch you, revealing you had no panties on underneath your robe and how desperate you were to be fucked until your legs quivered uncontrollably and you were a cum filled mess, squirming on Carlito’s desk.

Carlito’s lips hunger to kiss over your beautiful body; around the outline of your jaw and over your collarbones.

Licking and suckling to leave little love marks while his hands squeezed and spanked your ass until your skin was glowing pink and all you could do was squirm in Carlito’s arms.

From how aroused you were, your pussy drenched Carlito’s cock with every thrust you were eager to take to feel every inch of his thickness.

Carlito’s cock was pulsating, demanding to take you and fuck you in every way possible; you wanted Carlito make you his little whore, his own personal slut more than ever.

Carlito knows he’s never going to get enough of that. Only now he can continue to imagine himself pulling on your hair and pinning you against his desk again to fuck you from behind like a dirty slut—thrusting as fast and sloppy as he could.

Just as only you can satisfy every desire and burning, sinful passion Carlito has for you, it’s the same vice versa.

Carlito has you ensnared in a web of lust—the only man who can please you to the heights of absolute ecstasy and then more.

Any other time, Carlito would have already left his office and have you wrapped around his finger, but punishing you will have no meaning if he gives in just like that first.

Carlito’s eyes open as he looks towards the door of his office, knowing you’re downstairs dressed in that lacy satin lingerie set he bought for you.

It doesn’t matter how he feels now or away from you; you bring a relief and sense of serenity to Carlito from the very moment he steps into your presence.

He can never hold a grudge against you, he’d never want to—not to the woman of his life and dreams.

[chattegeorgiana]

Hey Chatte hope all is well! I saw your special Narusakra comic and your most recent post on IG showing off the Crown of the Sun for Sakura. Can’t wait to read & see how she gets there. I saw a lot of awesome pieces for NarSaukra day so I want to thank you and the rest of the community for keeping it alive.

I have been rereading Kaika and the chapters 11-13 so far are my favorite. I’m excited to how you are going to make the aliens/gods work and to be honest you have done a better than the canon. As for everyone’s favorite snake sanin I’m interested to how he ends in the plot. While personally I didn’t care for him be a “good” guy in canon in the present. He will always be a creature of habit and self serving. So I’m excited. Also a headcannon I thought of regarding him and Shina’s Gen. He would be interested Shina the most compared to the U twins probably feed up with Uchilas in general. Also given the fact that he probably shoot’s himself for overlooking Naruto and Sakura originally for the more polished product in Sauake. Shina also looking and sharing personality with Minmato would be funny because he would take as Minmato ghost coming back and trolling him. Best part is Shina would have no idea how much his presence would be triggering for him lol.

One last point it’s a little something I wanted to share with you. So I used to live in this suburb next to Newark NJ, USA and in Newark there is this section called Forest Hills. This neighborhood is famous for two reasons one is its old fashion mansions and Branch Brooke Park, which has over 5,000 Japanese cherry blossoms trees planted there. They have their own cherry blossoms festival and everything.

Hiii dear, welcome back again to my inbox!

Glad to hear you liked the NaruSaku special and Sakura's Crown of the Sun art.

To be honest, can't wait to get there myself. I have sooo many interesting ideas about how she gets it. Too many even, lol. I finally got to understand what other writers were meaning when they said you will get to discard some ideas at some point.

In the beginning I was like naa, I won't be doing that. But with time the ideas developed so much, that I see no other way than to drop a few from the beginning or better said, reform some of them to fit the new, updated idea lol.

Also thank you for your kind words. It is my pleasure, and many other artists, I'm sure, to keep the community alive.

After all, it's just pure love for them and that's it. We're free of the shackles of canon, so yay for us!

Now, to get back to Kaika.

First of all, thank you once again for your compliments! I'm so happy to see you liked what - at least - I'm trying to do there with the Otsutsukis.

I believe that the idea with them was not bad. It's the execution that's problematic, imo. That's why I tried to take a different route with them, while still referencing the canon element. I will be referencing a lot of elements from the OG franchise, because I do like the idea. I just don't like the execution.

As for Orochimaru well... We have a here saying in my country that says the wolf changes its fur, but not its habits.

What I can say is that, that's what I'll follow. Narratively as well.

Because like you said, deep down, he's a creature of habit. Habits are our second nature. That's why it's not that easy to change one self and you first gotta change your habits.

In OG it is shown to us that Oro didn't actually changed his habits at all, he is just being let loose. Which narratively makes so little sense?

You tell me that the man who basically put in motion everything that we've been witnessing along the path of Naruto manga, is just going to be left to do whatever he wants because... he's a necessary evil?

That's not how you act with the necessary evil. You don't let it loose and just barely keep him under supervision, imo.

If anything, he's a "joker" type of character. You never know when he's gonna pop off the box to scare ya away with some machiavellian ploy.

As for your headcanon of him and Shina, well, there is a common element in there that we have. I can't say that he's fed-up with the Uchihas (after all, Uchihas were his obsession), but...

I have a certain idea in mind about the path I have with him and him overlooking Naruto & Sakura's family, generally, because well, Sakura Haruno doesn't come from any prestigious clan that could benefit his pursuits, right?

And yet, surprise-surprise, the ones you least expect are the ones who get to bring the biggest turnarounds.

The thing is, I have two routes I want to take with him in terms of his eventual demise and I'm undecided on which side to go with, lol.

One involved him and Tsunade and was kinda dramatic, and the other one involves NaruSaku family, ironically. So I really don't know which way to go.

Because all this will be happening in Kaika Shinsei's timeline, which I am yet to settle.

I guess I'll see after I finish writing Saisei how things evolve until then, so that'll probably help me decide.

And WOOW, thank you so much for sharing that piece of info with me?! I ADORE cherry blossoms.

I grew-up with them and other types of blossoms, so for me, spring blossoms, especially cherry ones, are very special.

Actually the city where I moved has some parks filled with

I dream of travelling to Japan one day and live the original cherry blossoms season experience. But until then I enjoy the wanna-be one from here haha.

ANyway, thanks once again for the ask. Hope you have an amazing rest of your time today/tonight. <3