#Gold-banded staff

[journeytothewestresearch]

Yu the Great and Sun Wukong's Staff

This is my answer to the following reddit question:

Did the Ruyi Jingu Bang, as a tool used by Da Yu, exist before the novel?

Monkey's golden-hoop iron staff can be traced to the khakkhara and iron rod respectively used by his precursor in the 13th-century JTTW. The story doesn't mention anything about Yu the Great. The demi-god's connection to the staff is, as far as I know, unique to the standard 1592 edition of JTTW.

This association probably came about in a couple of ways. For example, there is a Chinese graphic similarity (and possible totemic connection) between Yu and a specific kind of monkey:

The generic Chinese primate names have identical pronunciations or spellings to those of the earliest Chinese emperors. For instance, the character 猱 (Nao) is considered as the ancestral name of the royal family of Shang dynasty (商朝 ca. 1600–1050 BCE) (Cao, 1997; Wang, 2001). This word is used to denote a primate species that is good at climbing. Similarly, the character 禺 (Yu) represents a long-tailed monkey. This word is the same as the character 禹 (Yu), a legendary emperor well known for his brilliance in regulating floodwater (Huang, 2011). This association between primates and the earliest emperors indicates a possible totemic status for primates (Niu, Ang, Xiao, et al., 2002, p. 91).

(The aforementioned Yu (禺) monkey was apparently well-known, for it is referenced several times in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhai jing, 山海經, c. 4th-century to 1st-century BCE), a popular Chinese bestiary, in order to indicate the shape and size of certain primate-like animals (Strassberg, 2002, pp. 83, 84, 91, 99, 104, 122, 123).)

Also, Yu is known for imprisoning Wuzhiqi (無支奇 / 巫支祇), a monkey flood demon, beneath a mountain in Tang and Song-era folklore. This likely influenced Sun Wukong's punishment under Five Elements Mountain.

Therefore, all of this probably led to the author-compiler of the 1592 JTTW associating Monkey's staff with Yu the Great and his efforts to end the world flood.

Sources:

Niu, K., Ang, A., Xiao, Z. et al. (2002). Is Yuan in China’s Three Gorges a Gibbon or a Langur? International Journal of Primatology, 43, 822–866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-022-00302-1

Strassberg, R. (2002). A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. University of California Press.

[paperwalwal]

i finally watched the taipei vlog and i’m dying LOL those foot massages sent me

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

🪱🧠 Wiggly Wednesday 🧠🪱

It's Wednesday, peeps! Post a brainworm, tag some friends!

Today, I'm thinking about ...

... Eddie playing guitar in the band on a luxury cruise ship. Sure, the passengers are a bunch of snobby assholes with an abominable taste in music, but Wayne was so eager for him to fill in when his coworker's son broke that arm, and the pay is decent. Almost worth putting on the straightjacket of a suit and the bowtie that makes him feel like a clown.

At least he isn't stuck doing the entertainment programme for the passengers’ spoiled little brats. He's seen the stupid, cheap costumes in the staff garderobe. The seams on that Peter Pan costume are frayed and coming apart, and whatever poor girl has to play Tinkerbell will barely be able to cover her ass in that flimsy dress.

Except the person who shows up to collect the brats on the first day, clad in sheer tights and the skimpy green atrocity, glittery tulle wings strapped to their back, isn't a girl. Eddie’s fingers fumble on the guitar strings - not that he can be blamed, he thinks - and Tinkerdude turns and fucking winks at him. He herds the brats out and into the waiting arms of his partner, a lanky, freckled chick wearing what looks like … yup, the Peter Pan costume. Then he's gone, leaving Eddie marveling at the vision he just beheld.

He meets Tinkerdude in the garderobe later that night (and absolutely doesn't almost swallow his own tongue, thank you very much), and the next night, and the night after that. Over the course of the cruise, Eddie finds out more and more about him.

His name is Steve. He's set to study business economics. He'd rather do something with kids, but his dad insisted he take over the family business. Right now, he's doing a gap year, getting to know different jobs on the cruise line. He wears the skimpy fairy costume so that his partner Robin won't have to. He likes sports and 80s pop music, he has a heart of gold and a delightfully bitchy sense of humor, and he makes the sweetest little noises when Eddie fucks him against the wall of the staff garderobe on the last night of the cruise.

And if Eddie gets a call a few weeks later, asking him to play guitar on another ship because the son of the cruise line's owner specifically requested him? Well, he's about to find out one more thing about Steve.

Edit: The incredible @arelliann drew Steve and Robin in their costumes!!! 💚

Some no-pressure tags: @eyesofshinigami @a-little-unsteddie @steddie-island @vegasol @medusapelagia

@sunflowerharrington @matchingbatbites @devondespresso @tangerinesteve

[woso-dreamzzz]

Ma'am III

Aitana Bonmatí x Royal!Reader

Summary: The aftermath of your elopement

"Well," You said, throwing your phone down onto the bedside table," My father knows."

Aitana, your wife, was relaxed against the pillows. Her engagement ring and matching wedding band sparked in the late afternoon sun.

"This is a terrible first impression, you know."

You scoffed. "Please. I'm his favourite child. That makes you his favourite daughter-in-law."

Aitana frowned. "I don't think that's how it works."

"It is," You said decisively. You crawled towards her, straddling her legs and leaning closer," Trust me. I know a lot about being a favourite. Father's favourite. William's favourite. Definitely Harry's favourite."

Aitana laughed. Her hands landed on your hips, drawing you closer until your lips were moments away from brushing hers. "Still, I haven't actually met your father. He might decide I'm not worth it."

"He can pissed off then," You said," I married you. I'm staying married to you. No matter what."

"You're lucky my parents love you," She replied," Otherwise they'll be very annoyed by this whole eloping thing."

"Is it really elopement if the rings cost more than a car?" You wondered and Aitana laughed again, fondly pulling on a strand of your hair.

"Yes," She said," You rich people live on a different planet."

You grinned, leaning forward to connect your lips in a slow, sensual kiss. "You know," You whispered against them," You're one of those rich people now too. What do you want to do first? Pay off Barcelona's debts?"

She rolled her eyes, pushing you away until you flopped onto your back next to her. "I think there's rules against those kind of things."

"You're right." You nodded," I'll do it. It looks better coming from a pair of princesses."

Aitana paled somewhat at your words.

Yes, she knew that you were a princess. The daughter of the King of England. Yet it hadn't crossed her mind at all on that beach last night with just the two of you, the priest and your security guard and two hotel staff members signing as your witnesses.

She hadn't considered that she would become a princess now too. It hadn't even been a thought in her mind.

Well, at least no one could accuse her of being a gold digger.

"I..." She didn't quite know what to say so she settled on the obvious. "I love you."

You grinned back at her, easy and self-assured. "I love you too."

You sat up, wiggling into the spot next to her.

"Things won't change, Aitana. Not by too much. Father won't let the media leak anything, though I doubt there were any paps on the beach with us. He's gifting us a house in Barcelona. It's not quite what we imagined but we can make it work, at least for now. We have time before this all comes out."

Aitana sighed. "I have to tell my teammates."

"Do it later." You shimmied even closer to her, layering kisses up her shoulder and neck. "We're on our honeymoon."

Aitana grinned at you with another eye roll that she was almost too fond of giving you. "Well...you do make a good point."

"You're right...I do."

"I mean, we've told out parents. Those are the most important people."

She could feel your breath against the shell of her ear.

"And we are on our honeymoon."

"And we are on our honeymoon," She confirmed, throwing her phone down and surging forwards to kiss you. "My teammates can wait."

It was hours later when you and Aitana emerged onto the terrace to eat dinner and relax.

You didn't bother to get dressed. The whole villa was within a gated community and your security team had always been excellent at the jobs.

You had simply thrown on a robe and relaxed back in your seat.

Aitana had done the same and you sat opposite each other as the sun begins to set over the horizon.

"You promise nothing will change too much?"

"Aitana," You said, leaning forward," Things will change, yeah, but not in the way that you expect. You can still play football. You'll still have paps following your every move but you also get more protection. More protection against paps and...others." You both knew who you were talking about. "People are still going to pick apart your every move but there's a team of lawyers waiting to sue those people to shreds. Not all change is bad change."

She grinned at you, leaning forward as well. "Then tell me the good things."

You smirked back at her. "Well, for one, you get a fancy title and new place to live. Enough money to last more than a lifetime. Access to fancy things like private jets. A new passport, if you want it." You moved back into your chair again, flinging your feet up onto the table. "And a tiara, if you want."

Aitana blinked comically. "A tiara?"

You winked. "A tiara worth more than your ring."

[bee-the-loser-recs]

~☼ My Huening Kai One-shot Fic Recs ☼~

𖤓 Apple Cider By @wave2tyun 3.5k, childhood friends to lovers, very fluffy, piano prodigy Kai, school au, slight injury

𖤓 Policy of truth and lies By @wave2tyun 3.3k, high school au, band!TXT, brother's best friend trope, Soobin is reader's brother, hidden relationship, sneaking around, fluff, getting caught, a bit suggestive

𖤓 #Kai when he can't control his strength By @majestyjun NSFW, straight up smut, shower sex, established relationship, hard thoughts

𖤓 Rose gold By @beomanamilk Drabble, established relationship, watching the sunset, cuddling on a blanket, affirmations of love & trust, fluff, really cute

𖤓 Know your place. By @koqabear 3.9k, established relationship, smut, jealousy, alcohol, being incredibly aware of interactions, exhibitionism (rest of txt is there)

𖤓 Wish me luck? By @koqabear 6.2k, Taehyun x reader x Huening Kai, idol au, make up artist reader, mentions of the other members, smut, slight fluff, part of a mini rockstar series

𖤓 Falsies By @forlovvers 500, established relationship, sleepy Kai, fluff, taking off fake lashes, Kai is slightly scared of them, really cute

𖤓 Advantage By @huexuri Roommates au, mentions of attempts to play piano, smut, slight fluff, changing up the dynamic, friends to lovers

𖤓 How it's done By @huexuri Established relationship, sharing a bed, smut, slight fluff, mentions of sleeping better next to Kai

𖤓 Perfect man By @txtaetertots 4k, friends to lovers, reader works at the cafe in Hybe, pining Kai, everyone sees his crush, reader is older than Kai, flirting, having to be more forward

𖤓 A bed in your shape & A life in your eyes By @jjunieworld 1.4k & 7k, ex-friends to lovers, angst, childhood best friends, past feelings, Kai has a toxic ex, reader dated Taehyun for a little bit, parties, smut, slight fluff, kind of asshole Kai, slice of life

𖤓 Spin the bottle By @jjunieworld 1.4k, college au, college parties, strangers to ??, fluff, alcohol and drinking, inexperienced reader & Kai, introvert/wallflower reader, playing Spin the bottle

𖤓 Two best friends in a room By @beomgyuslilracha 7k, non-idol au, best friends to lovers, really affectionate friends, fluff, cluelessly in love idiots, slight angst, cute, mentions of drinking, childhood friends

𖤓 TXT!staff imagine - Huening Kai By @beomgyuslilracha 1.1k, slice of life, reader works with TXT, having to move back to your old job, slight angst, fluff, strong friendship, friends to lovers, turning plushies around to kiss

𖤓 Busy signal & Fit check & Wake up call By @biteyoubiteme 4.7k & 3k & 1.39k, Yeonjun x reader x Kai, established relationship, polyamorous, smut, slight fluff, suggestive photos, trying on outfits, gifts from a partner, being woken up after a night out, slight tipsiness

𖤓 Yeonjun exposes y/n’s crush on kai in the groupchat By @wooyukh SMAU, mutual crushes, meddling friends, exposing a friend's crush, trying to hide feelings, teasing, cute, all the members being aware of reader's feelings

𖤓 Kai and his idol gf By @jjunberry Drabble, established relationship, public relationship, idols in love, Kai being a big stan of your group, talking about them during a live

𖤓 Just a neighbour & Cry for me By @dearlyjun 2.7k & 1.6k, hot neighbour Kai, getting over a break up, hooking up, smut, slight fluff, making out, kind of fwb relationship, wearing his clothes, more of an established relationship in part two

𖤓 Fratboy Huening Kai By @rainbowhao Headcanons, slightly dumb Kai, forward reader, flirting, teasing, complimenting one another, spending the night in his room, sweet, fluff

𖤓 Into you By @beomnoullistheorem 3k, hooking-up, having real feelings for one another, wanting to develop the relationship, hook-up to lovers, smut, slight fluff

𖤓 Stars on windows By @stars4ni 1.9k, established relationship, road trip, buying snacks, gas station, suggestiveness, smut, slight fluff, cute

𖤓 Make it fit By @jeongin-lvr 1.15k, established relationship, straight up smut, needy reader & Kai, implied first time together

[ktsphere]

I was at the studio record for tonight's taskmaster episode, so full debrief below the readmore! (Spoilers for TM S18E5)

[Some things may be paraphrased as I wrote it all down immediately after the episode record.]

ARRIVAL AND SEATING

We got to the studio at about 10:15am, there were approx 10 people there already

The staff didn't turn up till 10:30 so we made our own queue

Staff moved our queue and told everyone with cars in the visitor carpark to move them, they join the queue in their cars while people on foot queued in the rain

Lots of waiting around, then the queue was moved, then a quick security check, then wristbands and more waiting around. There were not enough toilets. There were snacks and drinks available to buy but no "real" food.

We started moving again at 12:45.

The first 22 people got orange wrist bands and we were put in the gallery! (11 on each side)

The gallery itself is only as deep as the chairs, it's very much only decorated on the sides that the camera can see.

The decoration behind us was plasticy and painted gold, kind of like paper plate material.

The wall was painted with the same pattern as the sides, but super small, gold on red, but looked less neat than the big stuff which is more visible on camera.

Underneath us was bare wood and we were in a metal frame.

My friend went to the loo and said Greg and Alex's seats arrived on the back of a trailer and stopped at the zebra crossing for her.

The studio was much smaller than I expected, 5 or so rows of seats in the front section, literally within arms reach of the seat 1 contestant. This looked like it was all people with a red wristband, who were 2nd after orange.

The back section was bigger, I'd say maybe 8 rows deep? And wider.

There was some reshuffling of seats near the end, some people who were right at the back were put in the front row at the last minute (probably some priority people didn't turn up?)

I don't think anyone's view was obstructed by cameras, but the left gallery couldn't see the contestants' faces, while the right gallery (including me) couldn't see Greg & Alex's faces.

(I did see Alex's shoulders sort of hunch every time he got the giggles though which was incredibly cute)

INTRO

Mark the warm up man got people shouting out & making noise (he comes back at every ad break, and every set change break)(some of the breaks he asked if we had any questions about the filming of TM and answered them to the best of his ability)(one time we played audience tinder, which is like audience guess who but based on 1 single person's romantic requirements (man, single, over 23, under 30. This got everyone out, and mark announced that was why she was still single.)

Mark brought Greg on

Someone shouted happy birthday

Greg: it's not today, it was on the 14th. I'm 55. Today it's ............................... It was.................

Someone in the Audience: it was on Tuesday!

[Note today is thursday]

Greg: At a certain age you stop counting birthdays. I woke up and realised I was closer to 60 than 50, And genuinely the first thing I said when I woke up, alone in my bedroom, was "blink"

Greg brought Alex on

Alex: I have some bad news

Greg: oh no

Alex: you're actually 56

Greg: oh what did I say?

Alex: 55

Greg: oh I was in a good mood and you've put me in a bad mood now

Greg asked the audience for help with Alex's improv

Alex was told to come up with a Pop song about corn

This was misheard by Greg as porn

They decided on corny porn

Greg gives Alex a beat

Alex [singing]: Sometimes a man gets lonely

*Greg and audience piss themselves, Alex breaks*

Greg: I thought I'd give you some time there to come up with a rhyme for lonely

Alex: oh I'm going for an ABCB rhyming scheme

[Slightly paraphrased in places because I'm not perfect]

[Greg beat starts up again]

Alex, Singing:

Sometimes a man gets lonely

And that man is Alex Horne

all his friends are out for the evening

So he opens his corny porn

[verse 2]

*Something about Cracker jokes*

*something about a boy and a girl*

*[I forgot this line]*

And then they have full sex.

(((If anyone was there and remembers these lines I will happily make edits)))

Greg: I thought you were going to shy away from the sex

Alex: oh, no, didn't shy away

Greg: they have legitimate sex

Alex: well they do love each other, so it's legitimate sex

Alex: But it wasn't being filmed

Alex: It was actually behind a closed door

Greg: so it wasn't porn at all

Contestants are introduced to the audience by greg before they all sit down

Andy zaltzman is wearing a snooker outfit, with cue and chalk. He is told (by Greg, who was told by the greenroom) to put the cue over his left shoulder so the cameras can see him. He says the producer told him to wear it over his right just before the show. Greg relays this to the greenroom, and then says [to greenroom] "bit harsh", and [to Andy] "he called you a lying cunt"

Babatunde aleshe

Emma sidi

Jack Dee

Rosie jones

The Makeup team come on, there's some admin stuff (fire safety etc)

Then it starts properly, they play the introduction on the big screen

Greg: A man who told me fire fighters are the ¿Least ?? ? Of all the emergency services.

Alex: I was most scared if this one because if my house burns down...

Greg: Well you should stop telling me these things

BANTER SECTION

Alex: The group chat is popping off

The taskmaster WhatsApp, we've had some questions

Alex: Question from Brian. Actually, a lot of people asked this. Are Greg and Alex twins?

Alex: Someone else asked if I was ok

Greg: yes I always wonder that

Alex: I had an ECG and felt better

Alex: an EGG

Alex: I had an egg.

Greg: *Groans*

Greg: You do it on purpose. I was in a good mood. You've put me in a foul mood. Is that really all you've prepared? Someone thinks we're twins, and you've had an egg.

PRIZE TASK

Thing that's best when you add water

Baba, trying to defend jelly to greg: "You know when your mums just like-"

Greg: "sorry I'm going to stop you there, it sounded like you called my mum a slag

*General confusion*

[They Continue]

Baba: you know when your mums a slag

*Everyone in the audience heard it this time*

Baba confused, everyone else pissing themselves

*Repeat multiple times, everyone getting more and more hysterical*

Baba: you know when Your Mum *Says*...

Greg, holding his ear piece: How likely is it the slag comments are going to be left in? The gallery says 100%.

TASK 1: Alex is a robot, direct to charging port, gibe an instruction every 10 seconds, robot wont follow instructions with o or e

Emma makes sexual moans when she sees the robot

Greg replays VT multiple times, she calls it "Platonic arousal"

Long discussion about mascots and those tall wobbly dancing tubes, and Mr blobby

Emma loves them all but they have to move

Greg brings up a butcher mascot which was a pig cutting parts of itself off, but it doesn't move so Emma isn't interested. If it moved she'd like it

Andy: Coming from a Jewish background, would the pig cutting parts of itself off be kosher?

Emma: no! [Pause for laughter/apology/embarrassment] sorry, no because pork isn't kosher. It's the trotters.

Someone: if the pig cuts its own trotters off then maybe it could be kosher

Greg: snip snip snip, out it goes

[There's a submarine in the garden?!!]

Emma, during task: walk lady

Emma, in studio: I changed it to walk by lady, I realised I could say by

Greg: Bisexual lady?

Emma: I'm not assuming the sexuality of the robot

Lots of "I mean him, not me" from Alex when talking about the robot

Rosie points out she got a lap dance from the robot

Emma: "Oh robot - we've found it!" (Or similar)

Greg takes the piss multiple times throughout the ep

TASK 2: make the strongest smell and put it in this jar. *Jar is sealed for 3-4 months until the studio record*

Rosie's sounds very very ominous, everyone is scared

On the back of the task it says anyone who is unwilling to smell their own jar gets 0 points

They talk about how that's definitely backfired on Rosie

Rosie: I'm actually quite excited, I want to smell it

Greg makes Alex read something out

Alex: oh, strange, this one is handwritten. Alex also has to smell the jars or Greg will kick him in the gooch

Emma pretends hers smells super strong, Greg describes it as mild

Baba: marmite and coffee, makes his eyes bulge

Rosie's is hugely disappointing. She repeats how disappointed she is. Greg doesn't believe her until he smells it and says he is also disappointed.

Andy's makes all the contestants gag (sardines, vinegar, huge mix of random crap, detergent, soap,)

Alex: I was surprised you went with things that remove stubborn smells

*The smells waft up to the balcony and to some of the front row. *

Jack's makes Greg lightheaded and have to pause for a bit (air freshener)

Later, in one of the breaks:

Audience member: why didn't Alex smell the smells?

Audience ooh and mutter

Mark: very good question

[Alex did not then smell the smells :( ]

TASK 3: Present a heartwarming local news story

[Team task!]

Rosie and Jack

Andy, Emma and Baba

The intro to this gets played again because they did some smelly pickups while the table was still out, and then packed it up again, and by that time everyone had forgotten what the task was.

Greg says Andy looks younger as Isabella the old lady than as himself

*Greg talks shit about both their attempts*

Greg says he thinks they both did really well

Alex: *do* you think that? It didn't sound like that

Greg says Emma could genuinely be a newsreader (Emma: middle class), then there was a whole section where Rosie and Greg talk about how alluring/hot Fiona Bruce is

STUDIO TASK: catapult parachute target

During set up we could see Alex on the side of the stage waiting for everything to be ready, we waved at him from the balcony and he waved back with confused but happy smile

The edge of the target was literally 50cm away from the front row. Front section were warned to 'watch out'

Mark: I wasn't sure I was allowed to mention it being a catapult

*Shadow of a catapult clearly visible through the screen*

Baba tried to shoot one really flat and it flew straight into the audience (3rd row!)

He immediately sat on the losers bench before the others had even gone

Emma's doesn't unfurl and goes 2nd row of the audience

Rosie Vs jack at the end: Rosie playing up the cerebral palsy deliberately to put jack off, stuff like "you wouldn't beat a disabled girl", and "I have cerebral palsy", "I didn't breathe for 17 minutes"

Jack really struggled to get his last shot because he was bent over laughing

It looked like a draw, Greg had to adjudicate

When he called a win for jack, Rosie pretended she was really struggling to walk over to the losers bench

After they'd all been:

Alex: I'm really glad they all flew. In the rehearsals we had loads of crap goes

Greg: How do you feel jack?

Jack: Guilty

Greg: And how do you feel Rosie?

Rosie: *Big fake sad face (which kept breaking)* "...*tiny broken voice* sad :( " *Followed by instant giggles*

TIE BREAK: how many days old will Alex be on Christmas day 2024? Have to be looking into his eyes the whole time

Emma Vs jack, Emma got very close, jack just gave up. Rosie actually got the closest (within 70? Days)

END:

And we've learned that my mum's a slag

We were told it was the first time ever all 5 contestants have won the first 5 episodes

*Contestants leave*

Man with crutches in audience [to rosie]: before this I thought you were so sweet (ominous pause) but now I think you're *wonderful* [Rosie hugged him!]

Greg: we all thought you were going to say something horrible. I was getting ready to put Alex between us

PICKUPS

Greg and Alex do lots of repeats for previous fuck ups and make lots more fuck ups.

*Talking to empty chairs*

Greg keeps apologising for how long it's all taking

Greg: we all want to go home

Greg: We're going to do a physical bit and you're going to absolutely love it. You'll know it when you see it.

*At the end of one of the pickups they both turn in their chairs and look at the blank screen. Audience love it*

Greg gets told by the gallery to repeat ¿papas meat?

Greg:shall I do it sexier? How much sex do you want? 8/10 sex?

Alex: you sound like Rachel

*They do a massive exaggerated turn to the screen*

Greg: I overcooked that one

They repeat the shakespeare bit 2 or 3 times. Greg says every time he's asked to do it again he'll ham it up more.

Alex: I'm really hungry, are you really hungry?

They did some extra "taskmaster the live experience" advertisment filming

Greg notices a really big man in the audience and asks him how tall he is (6'5") and then gets very distracted by his "brethren" and repeatedly flubs his lines

Greg: What are you doing?

Greg: Look at me you grubby little ferret

[This was repeated about 5 times because Greg kept fucking up, and then when he got through it Alex immediately fucked up the next line]

Greg said we were the best audience so far (he also said he wasnt lying or exaggerating. If anyone else has been to one, does he say this to evey audience?)

Got let out at 5pm

[Extra things that I can't remember when they happened]

Alex: When we watch telly together

Greg: ... Because we are actually lovers *puts hand on alex*

Greg: Or so some corners of the internet would have you believe

During breaks, makeup people come in and remove the lint from Greg and Alex's jackets, Alex gets a sticky roller, Greg gets a little brush

They dab Greg's head as well

Greg: I like making people on the internet angry

Overall a delightful day out, 10/10 experience, would recommend!

[nmakii]

The doe darling fic was so sweet! Yan!Alastor is really perfect husband material.. which has me thinking.. How would he propose to his darling and what kind of wedding would it be?? 😳 What are his thoughts leading up to asking and how nervous would he get if he does? Thank you so much! ❤️

LOOK INTO YOUR EYES, AND THE SKY’S THE LIMIT!

— yandere!alastor x fiance to be!reader

— bad day @ school today, this made me feel better HAHAHA

alastor always knew his darling would be the one he’d marry. call it love at first sight, call it an obsession, call it what you want— you were his from the beginning

but now, he’s finally made you fall hard in love with him, as madly in love with him as he has been with you. it’s time for him to pop the question

he’ll create the ring himself out of the shadows of his powers, no ring made by those lowlife jewelers will be perfect enough to have the pleasure to rest itself on his doe’s pretty ring finger; no gem will shine bright enough, no ore will be pure enough, and simply— nothing will ever be good enough.

a precious rose gold ring encrusting a huge diamond, shined to perfection. and, on the inside of the ring; ‘my darling doe’

he’d find it really hard to find the perfect time to propose… after all, this is a once in a lifetime event. everything has to be perfect.

there was no turning back now. tonight would be the night. as he walked with you, arm interlocked with his— his breath heaved. alastor’s eyesight hazed as his muscles stiffened under your gentle touch.

“alastor? dear, are you okay?” you tilted your head at his odder-than-usual behavior. “of course, my doe! why wouldn’t i be?” he said with a bit of fake bravado, the radio static growing with his anxiety.

what if you’d say no? all this courting, just for you to say no. you’ll marry him, that’s the fact. but, it’s up to you whether or not you choose the hard way. he really hopes that you’ll say yes. he wouldn’t want to taint your image of him because of a simple bump in your relationship.

here you are, ducky park— one of your favorite places in hell. the cold iron fence protecting residents from falling into the fiery lava pit as many of lucifer’s ducks follow the flow of the lava.

as you arrived to your favorite lamp post, you took in the gruesome sights of hell, sinners fornicating, murdering, and fighting.

alastor looked down at you, nothing but pure worship in his eyes. you noticed the soft eyes that were gazing down on you, meeting his eyes with your pretty eyes.

“very well then…” alastor sighed, confusing you to no end. he got down on his right knee, pulling a wine-red velvet box from the pocket of his coat.

and then, he revealed the beautiful ring he made for you, drowning in the gorgeous way your big eyes widened in shock, your breath stopping a beat.

he was finally doing it! alastor took a deep breath, calming the nerves that dared to ruin his speech. “my doe, from the very first moment i met you, i have been nothing short of infatuated. i’ve been obsessed with you, from your immeasurable beauty all the way to your sweet innocent heart. i’d like to spend the rest of my afterlife by your side… as your husband. that is… if you allow me that pleasure?” alastor asked breathlessly, taking your left hand in his.

you stood in shock, trying to get the words out of your mouth. “ah… i…” you stuttered. “yes. i will.” you sighed, lifting alastor to his feet.

alastor’s smile grew as he ecstatically placed the ring on your finger, marking you as his darling. you grinned as you pulled him into a kiss, sweetly albeit a bit cliche.

despite wanting to show off his cute doe and now soon-to-be spouse, alastor would only hold a small wedding. close friends of yours, the staff of the hotel, and rosie!

just like your engagement ring, he’d craft the rings himself! two bright gold wedding bands. the initial A carved into the band, boldened by the black ink in the crevice. and for him, a similar band, one imprinted with your initial.

the venue would be just right out of the hotel, within the gates as to make sure you don’t run away or anything! we wouldn’t want that, would we?

he’d let you handle the decor and menu of the wedding, just as long as his darling is happy!

of course, he wouldn’t want you stressing out just before the big day, let your future husband take care of the seating. strange how no men are near your table…

but, don’t fuss over that! you’re finally married to alastor, aren’t you happy, doe?

[rennybu]

AAAAUHG.. so many things come to mind so i will start with... i like to imagine he and Fenris are the same height :') (5'11"). This got a bit long but i'm always happy to talk about this guy!!!!!!!!! @trebuchet151

he's got a big garnet signet ring with the Amell family crest carved in it, and that's about the only recognizable thing that denotes his lineage... he has always liked stamping wax seals on letters with it!!! he's a ring guy generally, he likes mixing and matching stones and metal.

his hands are very scarred and rough from reckless casting, and especially casting fire magic without a staff (in a pinch).

He has a heart tattooed on his ring finger for Fenris :') their wedding was very. Andraste as the witness, on the road, impulsive. Vows for themselves, nothing legally binding. Fenris has a plain gold band on a red cord somewhere on his person at all times.

his testosterone is taken via oral tincture, some kind of oil solution he takes drops of daily. like a mild and highly personalized potion recipe! it's the only reason he sometimes needs a home base or shop to set up in, to prepare a big batch. He stores it in little glass vials he collects from trinket shops. Malcolm found the recipe for him after he came out in his tweens.

Bethany is kind of sainted in his mind, when he's exasperated or stunned he might utter an "oh Bethany" (in the tone of "are you seeing this shit") rather than an "oh Maker"

He struggles a lot with empathy, in that he frequently can logically recognize when he should feel for another person's situation, and yet finds himself unmoved. He will deliberately go out of his way to care for others, sometimes more than is needed, to try to make up for what he perceives as a personal flaw. This is how he ended up like a wrung out mouldy rag, emotionally, by the end of DA2.

His spell class is fucking terrifying, he has a lot of mana and not much hp, but is really reckless about his reserves. He combines force magic with fire magic, trapping foes and incinerating them, and sometimes leaving himself winded in the wake of too much magical exertion at once.

he's pretty spry and strong but doesn't have a great constitution. He tires out quickly in fights, hence trying to end them explosively and quickly.

Was briefly stalked by a sloth demon, perhaps around Act 2, and passed a very "get off my doorstep" homebrew harrowing as a result. Burnt it out of his shadow and got some spring back in his step, around roughly the same time he recognized his feelings for Fenris, settled into his role as Hawke within Kirkwall, etc. He Killed Dysphoria, Forever!!!

His love for Merrill makes him very "blood magic is okay", he loves her worldview and wisdom about its use, but his upbringing prevents him from extending that grace to himself. He was forced to use blood magic in his duel against the Arishok in order to survive it!!! Angst. Hates himself quite badly for this. Until Merrill is like "why are you special" and he's like ooohh. I get it

We all kno Hawke goes thru hell but I love reflecting on Orson's arc from early family life to Now/post-DA:I, he found closure among his friends and family and was able to fully remove himself from a public leadership role and is doing much better for it. He's a bit of an anarchist i guess, jack of all trades with a pretty rigid set of personal morals that sometimes forces him to act outside the law. He's very grey market, hard to contact, arrive in the nick of time.

He and Fenris do not ever shut up around each other. Two dudes who talk about fuck all, very intelligently. If you see Fenris in the wild, Orson is probably around, too. They love hunting Venatori and only sometimes get in the way of other spy/subterfuge activities.

he smells like BRITTLE sun-baked wood, with a hint of oily herbal medicine.

[turtle-ly]

did you know that macaque's staff has a name in jttw too? It's called the "acquiescent staff of iron"/ “Acquiescent Iron Pole Arm” (随心铁杆兵, "Suíxīn tiěgǎn bīng"), or Tùy Tâm Thiết Can Binh in vnese. It clearly mirrors wukong's staff in name, the “As-You-Will Gold-Banded Staff” (Ruyi Jingu Bang), or Như Ý Kim Cô Bổng.

Now here's me being crazy based on the vnese translation alone, do NOT think of this as truth but there's at least a smidge of sense in my rambling because vietnamese is very close to chinese due to our history (the fancy names above and our old literature used a kind of phonetic translation of chinese called Hán Việt) and the meaning of chinese words more or less can be inferred by our Hán Việt version:

So the word "Như Ý" in wukong's staff name in almost only used in the phrase/blessing "Vạn sự như ý" in modern vnese, which means "may all things go your way/according to your wishes". Meanwhile, the phrase "Tùy Tâm" is used when asked about some sort of favor, for example a charity when asking for your donation will ask you to give an amount "according to your heart".

You see it right? "Như Ý" is more passive, you wish for it but not necessary go out of your way to achieve it, and "Tùy Tâm" being used in situations where your own conscience/empathy is judged, it demands you to actively question yourself to make an action. I've decided the names can play into mtwgo shadowpeach's mental states. Wukong wants freedom but afraid to pursue it at the cost of his sworn brotherhood, while macaque has always assessed the effort it takes to join in a fight, but ultimately he decided to go through all that hardship to right this wrong.

Furthermore, "Ý" means thoughts/ideas/will, which is one of the reasons the book has wukong store his staff in his ear/take the staff out of his "head", "Tâm" means heart in its literal sense and feelings in a slightly more abstract sense, so thats why i have macaque pull his shadow staff from the magic core in his chest. Fun detail isnt it? :3c

One more thing is that theres a chinese saying that goes like "mind-monkey, will-horse" (Tâm Viên Ý Mã) so Tâm -> Mind is also a very wukong thing. That says, in mtwgo macaque's staff/ his strength to fight is summoned to serve wukong :)

The altered form of wukong's staff that macaque gonna use in mtwgo will be called Suixin Jingu Bang (As-You-Feel Gold-Banded Staff or Tùy Tâm Kim Cô Bổng), combining macaque's resolve/loyalty and wukong's strength. When he swings that staff with its body painted in his own color, his victims will also know wukong's might when the golden glint of its ends becomes the last thing they see.

[lueurjun]

guitarist boyfriend! jay

popstar!reader x guitarist boyfriend jay! in which you’re supplied with a new guitarist who just so happens to end up falling hopelessly in love with you. a/n—if this is bad, don’t blame me. it was a spur of the moment spark of motivation.

gather around and hold hands because this is everything to me

YOU GUYS are everything to me

that micheal scott meme where he’s holding jim and pam’s hands… that’s what it looks like. me holding you guys by the hands because i just love u both so much. i am apart of this relationship. i am the captain of this ship. the leader of- okay you get it

guitarist jay and his global popstar partner?? stop before i cry

okay ! let’s get started with how you guys came to be

it all started because your guitarist decided to seize an opportunity to permanently work for another pop star

traitor. i’ll set them on fire. ( for legal reasons that’s a joke ).

and you’re all for new opportunities and such but they happened to leave smack bang in the middle of your world tour

three hours before your concert

someone hand me a lighter rn-

so not only are you set to perform in front of a sold out stadium, in a country you’re not too familiar with, but you’re left with no guitarist either

cue the emotional meltdown backstage with all your stylists and staff around trying to calm you down

imagine you’re filming a documentary and they put in the scene where you’re sat on the floor just sobbing whilst people rush around you- the way i’d sue my own team

anyways lucky for you, yang jungwon is on your team — and he has a friend who has exceptional talent on the guitar, who also happens to be in the area

how convenient, it’s almost like this was written in the stars

jay arrives but he doesn’t even get to say hi to you before he’s carted off by your manager to be coached for the performance

so you really only saw the back of his head through teary eyes

but according to your stylist, he’s one hell of a babe

stylist is me btw lemme wipe away your tears. come here, pretty

you take their word for it and just try to mentally prepare for the concert ahead after the shock of being blindsided

it’s not until 5 minutes before you go on that you officially get to meet jay

and suddenly the concept of workplace crushes makes sense to you because bro looks like he’s just stepped out of a vogue magazine

models should be thankful he picked the idol industry

he looks super nervous as he shakes your hand, he’s all jittery and it makes your heart swell

of course, he’s polite as ever as he compliments your work and all that you do and expresses how much of an honour it is to play for you

he’s laying it on thick but i would too if i was in your presence tbh- you’re everything embedded in gold

there’s not much time for conversation before the pair of you are being ushered into position, but you catch the wink he gives you before he stalks away with the rest of the band

and you certainly don’t miss the knowing grin you receive from your drummer, sunoo

suddenly, you’re taking deep breaths to ease your pounding heart which is going crazy

not because of the thousands that are about to watch you perform live, but because of the small interaction you just shared with jay

oh you are so cooked- but personally, if i was jay, i’d never wash my hand again after shaking yours

anyways the performance goes smoothly, and jay excels just as jungwon said he would

you were surprised at how easy it was for him to get into the swing of things

and your fans seemed to love the new addition given ‘y/n’s guitarist’ trends on twitter afterwards

needless to say, concert one with jay is a great success so much so that he secures a permanent spot as your brand new guitarist

yesss bros getting a major bag and YOU? he’s living the dream fr

as the shows progress, you and jay seem to gravitate closer both on stage and off

if you’re not hanging out constantly, then you’re sharing winks and subtle glances across the stage whilst you’re performing

and as expected: a ship begins to set sail

your fans are begging for it to happen. your friends are begging for it to happen.

i’m begging for it to happen

and finally, it does.

jay bites the bullet and asks you out on a date

what’s the worst that can happen? you say no, oh wow-

we’re on a floating rock lovelies. shoot your shot 🫨

luckily for jay, you didn’t say no. in fact, you were more than delighted to say yes

onto the relationship because this is so long, i always do this

right off the bat he is OBSESSED with you

but would he swim across the ocean to get to you? i would. i would, y/n.

heart eyes constantly

so much so that fans literally have 30 min compilations on youtube of him just staring at you as though you were an aurora dancing across the sky

blowing kisses at him as you’re performing

alexa play that should be me

your discography is so shamelessly dedicated to him

everyone eats it up

iconic paparazzi photos

jay having you sat on his lap to teach you the guitar and him leaving gentle kisses against the nape of your neck

sighhhhh genuinely why do i do this to myself? someone take over because i am DEPRESSED

if you’re already able to play guitar, i can see the pair of you doing a little duet where you just stare at each other all 😍😍 whilst playing at each other

wearing one of his picks on a necklace

him having your name written on his guitar

also you get special treatment and your band members make sure you know it

“i moved his guitar out of the way so it didn’t get trampled on and he grabbed sunoo’s drum stick and threatened to shove it down my throat but you touch it and all of a sudden roses grow from his eyes? disgusting.”

sunghoon has had enough

yapping about him during interviews with the brightest smile on your face

this would be me as a celeb- i would not be able to keep my life private i’m a certified yapper

if you want to go for the more private approach

subtle exchanges on stage

it would be like private but not secret

cuddles backstage !!!

being seen wearing each others tour jackets when leaving the venue

crawling into his bunk on the tour bus late at night after everyone has fallen asleep but also being the last to wake up so everyone knows you’re in there anyway

him shielding your face from all the flashes of the camera

protective jay is everything to me.

he’ll definitely be your plus one to any event

and the two of you absolutely steal the show every single time

he also supplies your fandom with memes of you and they thank him for it

i better stop here because i’m getting too carried away shsjsjsk and i’m pretty sure i strayed off the prompt 😭

overall, you and jay? dream couple ☁️🤍

[journeytothewestresearch]

I had two questions. What is your theory or thoughts of what people can lift Sun Wukong's staff?

Why Yu and then Wukong could lift it and why others couldn't?

I have basic knowledge of Yu. Could you tell us more about him please?

I know that it is said that he was guided to his future wife by a fox spirit or that his wife was a fox spirit.

This is not like Mjölnir (from Marvel Comics' Thor), which no one can pick up unless proven worthy. The staff is just heavy. Wukong can pick it up because he is strong. Yu the Great was likely strong, too. There's nothing else to it.

I'm not an expert on Yu, so I can't explain much. I recommend reading his Wikipedia article. But beyond that, some sources say that he and his son, Qi, were born from stone. These same sources also call his wife the "Girl of Tushan" (i.e. the "Girl of Earth Mountain"). She is thought to have been the primordial goddess Nuwa. I discuss this in the following article.

[globalrebrand]

The Marriage of Music and Alchemy: Chapter One

Crewel is out of control with the whip cracking and Ace is fed up. He won't deal with tyrants on two fronts, but thankfully he doesn't have to. Ace and the Prefect have noticed how Crewel is looking at the new musicology Professor, and between the two them they definitely have what it takes to get their teachers together, and maybe grow closer with each other.

Too bad Crewel's a bit more emotionally constipated than Ace or Yuu could have anticipated, and unfortunately their dear homeroom Professor isn't the only suitor after the music Professor's heart!

Warnings: None!

A/N: Posting from AO3.

~ You start a new job and Ace hatches a plan. | 2.3K Words

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III

“Have you ever wondered where Crewel gets the money to dress so nice?” Ace whispers to Deuce, doing anything to avoid actually paying attention to the orientation lecture the Professor is giving at the lectern in front of the fresh cohort of first-year students. Ace fully recognizes he probably should listen and that Crewel isn’t just rambling for the sake of it. Instead of boring everyone to tears with one several-hour-long presentation about the rules, the staff seemed to think it was best to break up the deluge of information by doing it bit by bit every day of the first week during homeroom period. 

But it seems all the faculty’s efforts were for naught because, by SEVEN, this is dull. Ace can’t help but let his mind wander to anything besides the endless tedium spilling from his Professor’s mouth. So he poses the question to his peers, hoping Deuce and the Prefect can provide suitable entertainment on this uninspiring morning. He’s not really concerned with Grim's stances on the matter, not that he could actually probe him for answers anyway. The little beast is already dozing off on the Prefect’s lap.  

Despite his best effort to remain attentive, Deuce lets himself ponder Ace’s question, a slight frown twisting his lips as he considers his friend’s inquiry. He really can’t say he’s wondered about Professor Crewel’s wealth much. Sure, their homeroom teacher is always dressed impeccably, but it's not something he really considers as that exceptional. All of the teachers he’s been introduced to dress quite well, as far as he can tell. If anything, Professor Crewel’s attire might be the most distinctive for someone in his position, but then again, Deuce has never had an eye for luxury.  

Even today, he looks rather dashing. The summer’s sweltering shroud of humidity still lingers over Sage Isle, and their Professor is dressed for the weather. Today, his outfit is simple enough: a black linen suit and a burgundy silken short-sleeved top with a complimentary cotton square in his breast pocket and a gold watch on his left wrist. Deuce definitely thinks that Crewel looks cool and all and  he supposes everything the Professor wears seems like it's high quality, but it's nothing too crazy, right?

“Is his clothing really that flashy?” Deuce asked, clearly having deliberated on the nature of his professor's dress for quite a bit before speaking up. 

“Don’t let him distract you,” the Prefect admonishes in a terse whisper. Their hands are dutifully clasped on the desk, and their posture is straight as they do everything in their power to look attentive and alert to counteract the audacity of the chubby little beastie currently snoozing blissfully in their lap. 

Yet, alas, it is too late. Deuce has already bitten the hook and is now being steadily lured in. 

“Are you kidding? Look at his watch.” Deuce and the Prefect, despite their best interests, take a glance at Crewel's wrist. The silver and gold band is nicely on display as he reads out the rules and expectations off of a sheet of paper held upright between his thumb and palm. Even from their spots toward the back of the classroom, the watch dazzles brilliantly.  The Prefect can’t make out any details but the watch is certainly flashy enough to be reasonably expensive.   

“When my brother got his first job out of school, he bought one from the same brand, but Crewel’s is wayyyyy nicer. The gold face alone makes it probably two or three times more expensive.”

“How much did your brother’s cost?” Deuce inquires.    

“Five hundred thousand thurmarks at least .” Ace replied emphatically. 

"That means Crewel’s is…”

“At most 1.5 million thurmarks,” The Prefect chimes in, saving Deuce from doing any mental math.

Deuce's eyes widen in disbelief, but he keeps a hushed tone. “No way! That much?”

Despite their initial contribution, the Prefect pouts. They needed to play devil's advocate to get the boys to focus back on Crewel’s instruction and stop distracting them  each other. “Nice watches are often gifts. That doesn’t mean Professor Crewel is exceptionally rich or anything.”

“Well, then look at the logo on his shirt. It's from-” Ace begins before promptly being cut off. 

“Heartslabyul puppy in the back, cease your yapping. I know the semester is young, but I fail to believe Rosehearts hasn’t trained you properly.” Crewel scolds, his voice bright and sharp. Loud and pointed enough to successfully startle Grim awake. 

“It’s hardly the third day of-” Crewel begins rounding on the trio of disobedient curs who can’t keep quiet, but before he can fully settle into his tirade, someone gently knocks on the door, twisting the knob and slowly prying the door open.

The students can already tell whoever it is will hear an earful based on the way their Professor tenses and casts a glare to the door, but then it is only you, the newly hired Professor of Musicology, and Crewel’s posture noticeably shifts from hostile to something much more neutral and arguably inviting. The Prefect watches as Ace’s head snaps between the Crewel and the woman, clearly riveted by Professor Crewel’s newly changed attitude. 

“Oh, it's the new music teacher,” Deuce informs the group in case anyone is struggling to place her face, but Ace, with a twinge of annoyance, replies, “ Obviously .” 

Yours was a face he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. 

When Crowley introduced you along with other new faculty members it left much of the student body pleasantly surprised and rather eager to take music lessons. Apparently, according to Cater, you were certainly leagues above the former, cantankerous old music director in every way. At least aesthetically. 

Everyone knew you were a globally accomplished classical musician. Crowley was more than happy to boast about the details of your accomplishments, not that any of them would recognize you by anything other than name if that. However, they hadn’t expected you to look like you did, which was to say, like a smartly dressed and rather comely young woman. 

Ace remembers how several of the boys in his dorm wouldn’t stop raving about your looks, but it seems that Professor Crewel wasn’t immune to your charms either. 

Almost immediately after casting his eyes upon you, all of the anger on Crewel’s face vanished, a slight and (possibly?) warm grin appearing instead. 

“Good morning, Professor Bellamy. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Crewel rose from where he leaned against his lectern to stand at his full height. 

Ace and Deuce could hardly stop their jaws from dropping at their homeroom Professor’s change in demeanor as you stepped into the room.  

“I sincerely apologize for interrupting,” You speak softly, closing the door slightly behind you. “but it appears I’ve accidentally taken your roster.” Your heels clicked across the inlaid hardwood floors as you quickly stepped towards the front of the classroom, the papers in question stretched before you. 

Crewel walks to meet you mid-way down the aisle in two confident strides, something you clearly didn’t anticipate as you were forced to stop short with a bit too much speed, almost colliding with him in the process, but Crewel without skipping a beat caught your shoulders gently to steady you, and your palm inadvertently came up to his chest to further stabilize you. The prefect is pretty sure they heard a Pomefiore student squeal with delight at the interaction.     

It’s plain to see that you want to be mortified by your slight lapse in (as far as the Prefect can tell) preternatural grace, but Crewel doesn’t let you. He tilts his head in a gesture of concern as if to wordlessly ask, ‘Are you ok?.’ 

And Ace has to hand it to the Professor. It was pretty smooth of him to ask if you’re okay after his actions threw you off course. 

You were too rattled to respond properly, so you just pushed the mixed-up roster in your other hand to Crewel’s chest and looked away from his eyes, which, throughout the entire exchange, had been trained on your face.  

“Hmm. It appears you have.” Crewel responds looking down at the papers in question.

“Then this must be yours.” he then furnishes the list stashed among his papers with an elegant flourish.

“Ah, it is, thank you.” You take the papers and seemingly recover from your earlier flustered state. You turn to the class, “Pardon my intrusion, dear ones, for those of you enrolled in music courses,  I look forward to meeting you all later this afternoon.”

“Good day, Professor Crewel.” You nod your head deferentially in Crewel’s direction, and he nods with a coy expression.

“Professor.” He demures you, and you turn to leave the room. But Ace can’t help but look back to Crewel, who doesn’t bother to take his eyes off you until you’ve fully retreated from the room. 

As if by magic, Crewel returns to reviewing orientation materials, forgetting entirely about the tirade he was about to unleash and Ace and his unwilling compatriots. His prior annoyance seemingly cleansed from his body at your impromptu visit. 

“Did you see that?” Even the Prefect seems stunned by what they'd just witnessed. 

“No?” Deuce replies, “What was I supposed to see?”

“Deuce, if you didn’t see it just now, you never will.” The Prefect sighs exasperatedly. 

“How interesting…,” Ace mutters quietly, filing away the encounter away for later. 

____

The semester started off busy, but you felt that you had a better handle on things than expected. 

It was your first time teaching, really, and now you had six sections of 'boys' choir and orchestra classes and a host of private tutoring sessions after school. Not to mention, you’d signed yourself up for a host of faculty duties, from assisting the students with planning the cultural fair and facilitating a host of events with the broader community. You also thought it would be good to foster a stronger connection between Night Raven College and the Royal Sword Academy, but baby steps, baby steps.  

The training the head mage offered was minimal, but despite everything, a month in, you’ve been able to keep your head above water. 

Your students, for the most part, behaved. The first years were a little rowdy, and the second years were promising but conceited and overconfident in their abilities. However, many of the third years were quite excellent musicians and singers. You’d been quite surprised at their level of talent, but you supposed Night Raven College rears exceptional mages and musicians, and you’re going to make sure that the reputation continues to blossom. Sure, the student's inclinations are a bit devious at times, but you have sympathy as you’ve been known to have a bit of a naughty streak yourself. 

Like most mornings, your homeroom is in perfect harmony. Your first years are quite well-behaved. It seems like the mix of students from each of the houses is rather well distributed, but your homeroom students seem to skew towards Pomefiore, Diasomnia, and Scarabia students. Of course, with meaningful exceptions. 

You and Jack, a first-year student from Savanaclaw, quickly bonded over the variety of plants you kept in the music room. Without prompting, Jack took it upon himself to tend to them, showing particular affection to the various cacti sitting by sunny windows. 

At NRC, you were gifted quite a lovely little music room—well, not tiny by any means. It was storied and grand, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the sea, beautiful inlaid wooden floors, and equally elegant built-in risers with delicately curving chairs and iron music stands. And the piece de resistance, a gorgeous grand piano in a deep mahogany wood tone. Everything about the room was sumptuous. Even the domed ceiling provided the most indulgent and heady acoustics. 

Your homeroom was a much more standard classroom, joined to the music room via a small corridor with a small private bathroom. It truly could not be a more perfect setup. 

While you suppose that you should sit in your classroom for the morning advisory period, you and the boys found yourselves spending most mornings sunning in the music room as you gently plucked away at the piano. Everyone was in agreement that this was a much more preferable way to spend these quaint 30 minutes at the top of the day.

Some chatted amongst themselves while others stayed in the classroom to finish assignments. 

Occasionally, students from other classrooms would sneak in to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere you created, and you didn’t mind much as long as they didn’t cause any disturbances. As such, the Prefect from the Ramshackle dorm often found their way into your room, perched near your piano bench and usually venting about the Headmage and the crazy errands he’s been sending them on. You listen attentively and conspire the best way to help them be slightly more comfortable, but you fear that there’s little you can do as a junior faculty member. 

Still, you endeavored to try. 

_________

The quarter was off to a chaotic start, and as far as Ace was concerned, a big part of it was due to Professor Crewel’s overbearing nature. 

It was bad enough to have Riddle as Housewarden, but having Crewel as his homeroom teacher as well meant Ace was never going to get a break. 

Both had far too many rules. Sure, Crewel’s weren’t as draconian or as extensive as Riddle’s, but the enforcement was just as severe.  No talking above a specific volume. No finishing work in class. No eating! And that’s just in homeroom. Alchemy class was a whole other problem! The first years weren’t even allowed to do any actual alchemical experiments, but Crewel was still a horrid stickler for lab safety, even if the boys were only memorizing elements, compounds and minerals.

Ace slumped into a seat next to Deuce and let out a dramatic sigh that Professor Crewel promptly shushed. 

Grim wondered in the room a few moments later, sans Prefect.

“Where’s your handler?” Ace questioned snidely. In a horrible mood now that he was lamenting that his first year at Night Raven College was going to be a shitshow for reasons beyond his control. His brother said as much. ‘Crewel as your homeroom teacher, oof, you’re fucked.’

“I know you mean my henchman, but I’ll let it slide for now,” Grim replied, clamoring onto his the Prefect’s  normal seat. 

Yeah, they haven't been around in the mornings for the past few days. At first, I assumed she was doing something for Crowley. 

“Me too. But this is week two of no Prefect.” Deuce seconds. “We always meet up later in the day, but still…” 

“Nah, they like to sit in the music teacher’s room,” Grim assuages the boys worries. “I used to get to go too, but I’ve been banned. For no reason!”

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly valid reason.” Deuce mumbles under his breath. 

“It’s way nicer in there, too, the music Professor is super chill. On Fridays, she even brings pastries for the class. Crewel should take a lesson.”

If Crewel were bothered by Grim openly bashing the atmosphere of his homeroom, he wouldn’t show it. He only flips to the next page in Gentleman’s Biannual , with his feet propped on his desk and a perfectly unamused expression across his features. 

“That’s it!” Ace exclaims, only to be met with another, more stern shush from their Professor. 

“No, I think I know how to get Crewel to ease up.” Ace whispers more quietly, but Crewel can obviously hear. While he isn’t giving the group his direct attention, Ace can see the curious arch of his perfectly manicured brow. 

“Crewel doesn’t need to, sometimes tough love is important.” Deuce tries to argue.

“I mean, sure, but you have to admit that sometimes his methods are overkill, like last Thursday.”

Deuce winces at the memory. 

 “So what’s the plan?” Deuce asks. 

“Grim, tell the Prefect to meet us at our dorm after class. They're our trojan horse, after all.”

“The tro- what?” Grim questions, entirely confused. 

“Oh my, seven, just fucking bring them!” Ace growls.

“Trappola! Watch your damn mouth.”

Series Masterlist

[quitealotofsodapop]

"Pigsy! Pigsy, you won't believe it!" Mei was gasping as she burst into the shop, "We need to get out of here ASAP, Pigsy!"

"Whoa, whoa... what the- Mei! You're supposed to be out on delivery! I have twenty orders out!"

"And ignore be out doing them, Pigsy-buddy, but we got bigger problems right now!"

"BIGGER THAN OUR BUSINESS!? Mei, I'm not paying you to laze about!"

"MK and I got attacked, Pigman!" Mei snapped, pulling the mentioned cub closer. The moment the words were out of her mouth, Shihou tensed, fur visibly bristling.

"You were what!?" Shihou hissed, jumping to his feet. Mei winced, realizing MK's parent was in the room and now, rightfully, upset. "MEI, WHAT HAPPENED!? WHERE'S MK!?"

Mei shuffled a bit, showing the younger monkey clinging to her back. He looked a bit shaken, but was otherwise okay. In fact, as soon as he saw Shihou, he brightened up considerably and excitedly chirped a greeting. Shihou bathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his child up until he noticed the item MK had wrapped his tail around. Almost instantly his face became white as a ghost.

"Me..." Shihou's voice was shaky as he stumbled back a bit, "What... does MK have?"

"A freaky staff thing." Mei explained, "The GPS on the delivery app glitches out or something and we ended up devouring into some weird construction lot with a big tree and this weird gold staff sticking out of the dirt under it. There was some demons there talking about free some Bull King!"

"Are you saying that's the legendary Ruyi Jingu Bang!?" Tang interrupted, eyes glinting as he looked over the staff. Upon closer inspection, it was more evidently clear that this was either the actual staff or a very convincing replica, having the golden bands and etching all across it. "It's certainly convincing enough... but if that's the case MK should be able to lift it. It's said ony the Monkey King is able to lift the staff."

"Either way, those weird bull demons attacked us because MK picked it up!" Mei explained, "I'm telling you, it's THE Monkey King's staff! It was twice the size it is now when MK picked it up, but now it's the size of some toy want prop!"

"Well if they want it, I don't want MK having it." Shihou's voice was hard as he glared at the staff, "Whether it's the 'real' Ruyi Jingu Bang or not, someone wants it bad enough to attack a child over it."

Mei nodded, turning to her little brother figure who had since jumped from her back and was showing the staff's ability to grow and shrink for Tang, who looked about ready to pass out.

"MK, buddy. That isn't a toy, we need to put it down now."

MK paused in his play and looked her up and down and then at the staff before pouting.

"No! The bad guys want it! We need to keep Monkey King's staff away form the bad guys!"

"Xiaotian, put it down." Shihou firmly told his son, "Mei is right, that isn't a toy! It's not a game."

"NO!"

What followed next was a temperamental argument between MK and his father as they went back and forth, arguing over the staff that went on for almost an hour as everyone present tried to get the dangerous weapon away fromt he child. Eventually MK go so upset he swung the staff and accidentally destroyed a part of the bar, at which point Shibou finally had enough.

"ENOUGH!" Shihou yelled as he snatched the staff from MK's hands, "This ISN'T a toy, MK! You could hurt someone with it!"

Silence met the shop as Tang tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Shihou standing there with the legendary staff of the Monkey King in his hands, a staff only the legendary god is said to be able to lift.

'Or...The legendary Great Sage's son.'

It seemed impossible but there's no other explanation Tang could think of for not one but two monkey demons would be able to lift the legendary staff, especially since Mei and Pigsy had both tried to grab the staff from MK's hands only for them to be forced to drop it from how heavy the thing was, leaving several cracks in the floor. Yet Shihou, who was so pregnant he wasn't supposed to lift so much as a carton of milk, is able to lift it with ease as if it was a feather. Shihou himself seemed to freeze as if realizing what he did, glancing at the staff in his hands with a strange glint in his eyes before very obviously pretending it too was far too heavy for him. Unfortunately, it appears Shihou isn't as good an actor as his legend implied, it was far too late and everyone had already seen him lift it.

"Shihou..." Tang's voice was choked, "Are you... is it really...!?"

"NO! No I... it's isn't ehat it looks like!" Ahihou stammered, all but throwing the staff to the floor. Notably, while it had been so heavy it cracked the floor before, not a single scratch formed when Ahihou had dropped it, "I don't know why it..."

"Shihou i think we both know that's a lie..." Pigsy's gruff voice broke through, eyes glaring down at the staff, "So I need to ask ya, is that thing what I think it is?"

"It..." Shihou looked conflicted before his shoulders drooped, defeated, "It is."

Pigsy sucked in a breath as Tang felt all the breath punching out of his lungs. He'd thought he'd know Shihou, but if what he's saying is true then... his best friend and the father of the student he'd been looking after this past year had been none other than his idol! Shihou was Sun Wukong!!

"So what does that mean?" Mei asked, "Who were those guys who attacked us!?"

"The Demon Bull Family. When the staff was lifted, it would have released the seal on the Demon Bull King. No doubt the others with him were his wife and child." Shihou's voice was dull, a sense of despair ringing in it, "Now that they're free, MK and I will never be able to live in peace. They'll hunt us down relentlessly and drag every lowlife ein all the realms with them."

Prev.

Aww yeeeah! More Marbled Egg writing! Always a joy!

Mei reasonably freaking out and MK clinging to her back like a little koala (or in this case little monkey) <3

"Shihou" trying his best to stay calm but firm about the situation, his facade of a normal monkey demon breaking when MK nearly hurts someone with the Staff.

Pigsy catching on quickly that his best customer (Tang barely counts) is some sort of legend thats chosen to hide this whole time.

And Wukong's sheer despair thinking that he and MK will never be safe now that DBK is released. Not even considering that his former sworn brother would show them mercy.

MK most likely sneaks out during the last part to confront DBK on his own. He doesn't want his baba to be sad/worried about all of this anymore. He's either gonna beat up the Demon Bull king himself, or find a way to make friends as long as it makes his baba happy again.

Mei: "Uhh... where's MK??" All the adults: "EHHH!?" Shihou/Wukong, face severe: "Mountain. Armor. NOW." Pigsy, understanding: "I know a guy with a boat who can help."

[whysodelirious08]

E.M Blurb - No.1 Fan

Sad, Angst, Hurt/No Comfort

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

You were so excited to see Eddie again, wanting to support him during his first big tour, properly big. He had the funding and the fame and this was the first tour after he hit gold. Got famous.

Things had been a little busy between you both and you tried to keep in contact. You were so busy working that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. You had finally saved up enough to get a ticket at his biggest show, you could've just asked Eddie for a free ticket but you wanted to work and show your support by buying a ticket. Show him he was worth your time and money and be his biggest fan. Like you had always been. Surprise him at his show.

You arrived early and bought a shirt in your size before the crowd could buy all the stock, you were excited to bring home his first official merch too. Add it to the home-made collection you and Eddie had crafted for years. You were so happy for him. The show went great, of course it did. Eddie played his heart out like all those times in his tiny room with you watching, his one person audience.

You had even paid for a meet and greet but you were last, you wanted to be the last person he saw to perk him up before he'd have to hit the road. You neared the door, waiting to be shown in after the person before you finished up. You could hear how tired he was. He wanted to leave. He was half yelling about how he wanted to be done. But they told him it was just one person left and he reluctantly agreed.

You stepped into the room, the biggest smile on your face, a new patch from his favourite band in hand, the shirt you had bought hung over your other arm. Your eyes met but he didn't match your smile. You assumed it was just shock. That he'd smile any moment. But all you heard was his voice.

"What are you doing here?"

You didn't know that just five words could shatter your mood so easily. You heard him sigh. You watched him act as if your presence was an inconvenience.

"Don't you get it? Did you not listen to my voicemail? When I said I wanted to leave everything in Hawkins behind. I meant everything. You included. You didn't have to come and bring all your shit with you. Everything in Hawkins just dragged me down. I don't need you to bring it to me."

You could do nothing but stand there. While the rest of the band and the staff remained uncomfortably silent, especially given your shocked and hurt expression, realising you likely weren't there to cause trouble.

You watched as he moved to leave to head out, past you without a second look.

"Were not the same people anymore. Move on." You heard him say before he walked off.

That was a lonely drive back to your city, the shirt remained buried in the back of your car.

[merchant-wizard-and-jerry]

“Shop is open”

1 - Wrist band of lightning - 23 currency

2 - Rod - 36 currency

3 - Orb table and orb combo - 45 currency

4 - Tile magic ball - 21 currency

5 - Arrows - 8 currency per Arrow

6 - Squid tool - 35 currency

7 - God of hearts - 10 currency

————————

"Wizard Essentials"

————————

Staff - teacup - 25 currency

Orb - Turkey - 10 currency

Robes - green - 1 currency per robe

————

"Consumables"

————

1 - Health Rune - 10 currency

2 - 10x vials of transformation - 10 currency per vial ( @aitobutmagic ‘s item )

3 - Stamina potion - 5 currency

4 - purple potion - 5 currency per vial

——-

"Salt"

@ignisuadaroleplay @bi-gender-sorcerer @damnable-druid @crickled-thorn-thug @serious-tabaxi @song-de-lune @the-mighty-dalob @cleric-posting @sorcererest-sorcerer @yeast-wizard

[taruusmoon]

THE BEST LA, LA, LA IN KPOP.

Pairing: idoltatterxidolfemreader | idollusherxidolfemreader | idolbadaxidolfemreader | idolminahxidolfemreader

Genre: idk tbh AU?

Warning: use of the song better than gold from NCT | tension | idolAU! | lead singer tatter | main dancer bada | main rapper lusher | secret relationship | visual minah | golden visual 8th member

Inspired by this video

Kim Taeyoung “Tatter”

Being part of the most popular girl group in the third generation was something difficult, and it was worse when you were in a secret relationship with the lead vocalist of the band. Bebe debuted in 2015 right after the debut of Seventeen, and became one of the most popular groups under SM Entertainment.

You were one of the most popular among boys and idols, but everyone suspected that boys weren’t something you’re interested in. Rumors about you were everywhere: inside the company, in magazines, and on all social media. And it was needless to say that the rumors were true. Two years after the Bebe debut, you and Tatter started dating. Everything started as a friendship inside the practice room before your debut and years later became something more when both of you confessed after an emotional concert in Europe.

It was difficult to keep it a secret, and only all the team members knew about the relationship. They supported it even if there were the slightest probability of everything going to hell when people found out. But there was something that kept the two of you going, and it was the support of the fans. There were a lot of people who shipped you, and both of you knew it. At first, the skin ship between the lead singer and you was null, but when Tatter came to your room, she was very excited because she found a hashtag with your names and a lot of theories. You became more touchy with her.

People love the interaction; they have favorite moments, and one of them was the duo part you both have together on the cover of Better Than Gold from NCT Dream.

“It’s better, better, better, better than,” the group sang all together in the scenario with a thousand fans all around the stadium.

    “Ooh, na-na” Tatter sang, walking with a smile on her face while boys and girls screamed her name loudly. You walked behind her, getting closer with each step. “You oneul harureul” she stopped walking and moved her shoulders with the rhythm of the song, turning her head back to put it in your shoulder while you put your arm around her waist, making everyone scream louder.

     “Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love” you sang, and then walked away, winking at Tatter, knowing that tomorrow the internet would be full of videos of you two.

 

 

Lee Seoyoung “Lusher”

It was the 10th anniversary of Bebe, and the company decided to hold a commemoration concert in the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. The place was completely full, and all the tickets were sold out in two hours. A blue lightstick illuminated the whole arena, making all the members emotional and excited for the anniversary.

     “I just want to say to all of the fans that are here today and all of the ones that are behind those screens that I love you” With a soft voice, you said, and all the people who attended the concert screamed loudly. “I really appreciate the love you have given to us since the day you met us.”

“Yah, y/n stop being so cute” Lusher put her arm around your shoulders, hugging you hard, and the simple gesture made everyone scream even louder than before. Every fan shipped you and Lusher, there were a lot of theories around the internet, and they enjoyed even the smallest touch you gave each other.

But no one except for the members and the staff knew the truth about you two, and it was better that way. Even though a lot of articles from official websites surrounded the internet, neither you nor Seoyoung said a word about the relationship between you two. You two were just fifteen years old when Bebe debuted, and Lusher had a crush on you since then, but she never said a word, and in fact, if it weren’t for Bada you'd never know about it because Seoyoung thought that you loved her just like a best friend. 

It wasn’t until 2 years after the debut that Bada found out you liked Lusher too, and she freaked out instantly, telling you that Seoyoung had the same feelings. But you didn’t believe her at the beginning, and it was thanks to Kyma that you believed her word. After that, you confessed to Lusher.

“¡Better than gold! ¡Better than gold!” The public started to scream, asking for the famous cover, making the whole team laugh, but who were they to say no to their fans? Even if the song wasn’t originally from Bebe, everyone loved the cover. 

“Baby, you know, yeah, you know, yeah, you know. Yeah, you know gidaryeo watjanni” You started to sing with a flirty smile, pointing at the fans who got excited.

All the girls walked around the scenario while singing the popular cover, and all the fans sang along with you and your group members. Lusher stood at the center of the scenario, dancing to the rhythm of the song. You walked in her direction, looking her straight in the eyes, both knowing what was coming next. 

    “Ooh, na-na” you sang, putting your arms over Lushers shoulders while she put one of her hands on your waist. “you oneul harureul Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love” Seoyoung gave you a flirty smile while dancing.

     “tto la-la-la-la-la-la” both of you sang together, hearing the screaming of the fans who were 100% sure that you two were dating.

Lee Bada

The Christmas concert was the biggest event SM held every year. All the singers and groups attend the biggest celebration at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. That night, Bebe and NCT Dream were together on the scenario after a long talk about how they should sing together Better than Gold.

After the mashup Bebe did of all the groups from the company on the SM anniversary, everyone went crazy with them singing Better than Gold, and a year later they released an official cover that went viral around the internet for months. Since then, the song has become part of their concerts, and for the Christmas presentation, the fans begged for the collaboration between Bebe and their hoobae.

You smile at Renjun who was singing next to you, excited to be in the same scenario as his sunbae. The whole stadium was illuminated with blue and green lights, and all the fans were screaming and singing with the two groups. And when Bada appeared next to you grabbing your hand and guiding you to walk through the big scenario with Jaemin and Renjun by your side, everyone went crazy.

The relationship you two had was known to everyone, even if any of you haven’t said a word of affirmation. The simple photos on your social media and the few words Bada has said in some interviews affirm the relationship. But it was a secret that everyone knew even before the debut, when Bebe used to have a pre-debut YouTube channel where you two always stuck to each other.

Both of you were considered the parents of the group; Bada was the strict mom, and you were the loving mother who always hugged them and kissed them the whole time. It was a funny combination because you two were always bickering; Bada was like oil and you were like water, but no matter how different you were, the love was big and beautiful.

     “Ooh, na-na” Renjun and you sang at the same time. Bada raised her hand up to your chin, making you flush and smile shyly with her touch. “You oneul harureul Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love”

     “tto la-la-la-la-la-la” with a smirk, Bada left with Jaemin to the other side of the scenario, leaving you a little bit nervous.

Lee Minah

   

Minah and you were the visuals of Bebe, Mina has the Korean beauty, while you have the foreign beauty. Everyone loved the two of you together; in photoshoots, songs, or videos, no matter what, both of you were always together. And it was something that fans asked for, but it was something that you two never wanted at first.

     That’s why when the cover of Better Than gold was filmed, the duo of Jaemin and Renjun was assigned to you two. And when the videos were released, people loved you and Minah together even more. The whole Bebe team and staff always make fun of it because, at first, in real life, you and Minah couldn’t stand each other; to you, the young girl was too stubborn and egocentric, and for Minah, you were too innocent and a saint, even if you were older than her. Your relationship with her was like a cat and dog, always running against each other.

     But things changed one day, when, in the middle of an interview, Minah said that she was always flustered and nervous around you whenever you had a photoshoot together. You thought she was joking and trying to get into your skin to make you mad, but when you tried to complain about the matter, she suddenly kissed you. And at that moment, the relationship began.

     “Hey Minah come here right now,” you said through the microphone, looking at the girl trying to sneak to the second floor of the scenario to get closer to the fans while the other girls continued singing Better Than Gold. "Everyone, look at Minah being so stubborn as usual."

     “Coming y/n Unnie” she said, rolling her eyes, knowing very well that you hate being called unnie.

      “Stop fighting and just kiss” Cheche joked, running behind Bada at the right moment, Minah ran in her direction. The girls were going to start chasing each other, but when Minah passed right next to you, you grabbed her by her arm.

     “Ooh, na-na” you grab her cheeks and sing, looking her right in the eyes, causing her to smile, amused. The whole stadium was covered by screams, and the other Bebe girls laughed, “you oneul harureul Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love”

       “tto la-la-la-la-la-la” Minah sang, then put her hand on your face and pushed you to run with you behind her.

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

First time adding Minah and I don’t regret it��🫡

Hope you like it, and sorry if some grammar it’s not okay. Eng it’s not my first lenguaje