#I am living for all these really creative alternate universes

[sunshipduo-enjoyer]

[lovebvni]

repetition (a pick-a-pile)

in honor of my friends kai ( @klxudykai )and nile (who doesn’t want to be tagged), i want to do a little pap! this will be black white and purple themed for them too (their pfp colours)

i know both of them are going through cycles of repeating their actions over and over, and it is hard for them. i know it’s frustrating — hell i hate repetition. but you find peace in it.

this pick-a-pile is just advice for your manifesting and/or shifting journey. there is no real theme, but i asked spirit to bring up something you need to repeat for each pile.

this pap is intuition and shufflemancy-based. i am not using tarot nor cards at all for this. this is also for entertainment purposes. take my words with a grain of salt AND please do not use this as legal or life advice.

now, inhale and exhale. believe in your intuition, and pick a picture.

[1 ; 2

3 ; 4]

pile 1 the spiral.

hi pile 1! here’s confirmation for your pile : cycles, crying, cynical, the letter c (in your name of in the name of your significant other. casey and clark stand out.), puns, clairaudience, crown, clowns, (a lot of words w the letter c jesus christ..), underwater, drowning, sinking, the sea, oceans, water (s), fix your face, black, sexism, activist, reality shifter, cyclones, spirals, “i feel like im not seeing any signs/progress”

well pile one, you could feel like you are stuck in a cycle. just a torpedo and you’re getting hit with the same things over and over. you’re wondering why things aren’t changing, why this won’t end, but it’s because YOU won’t change. this is the harshest i think i have ever been in a pick a card, but you really need to get over yourself. realize you aren’t the person you should be, throw that person away and reinvent yourself. you want a lot in life, and you aren’t going to get it if you don’t decide to change yourself. the universe chose you for a reason, but if you keep having your own pity party, you aren’t gonna get anywhere. stop getting mad when you’re being told the truth. it isn’t there to hurt you. it’s there to help you. the truth is a tool. and as long as you keep ignoring it, you keep hiding from the monster inside your closet, it’s never gonna leave. it’s gonna haunt you. it’s like a negative spirit. lure it out and keep it coming. it is gonna hurt, but it’s worth it.

your required repetition is “continue to listen and change yourself. transformation.”

the waiting season is one where you need to work, don’t keep sulking.

now to interpreting your song, her by poppy. you have been trying to be someone else that you are not, for someone else. the chorus

“I'm getting to know her And all of her anger You won't recognize her If you encountered I'm getting to know her And all of her anger Picked herself up Put her back together”

you need to change and you know it, and you don’t know how. start with your anger, your sadness, a strong emotion and unravel it. unwrap it like a gift. keep pulling to you get to the root of the cause — hold it.. nurture it… and get the mud off it.

see this as a new start, pile one. i love you. you need to know you’re strong, and you can do this. don’t get annoyed, because i know you’ve been told this before. fix your face.

pile 2 ghouls

hello pile 2! here’s confirmation this is your pile!!: fairies, love, purple, green, heart chakra and third eye chakra, shadows, “on a silver platter”, polite, scars, romance, sacred, girl blogger, skull and bones, doja cat, fear of success, screaming, pink, sexuality, white, sensuality, fire and ice, opposites, blood, self sabotage, royalty, alternative, goth, knight, disability, multilingual, this specific dynamic, vampire

simplicity. simplify everything. that’s all spirit is saying. don’t over complicate things. that’s like all spirit is saying u guys 😭😭

they r literally saying clear your mind, just be the person you are meant to be. listen to your intuition, be creative, have love in your heart, even when times are hard, and let emotions flow.

spirit told me your manifestations are actively coming in 😭😭 idek why you’re reading this pac! like there are no notes, nothing else you need to do. just listen to your intuition and be in tune with yourself. god i love this pile bc yall r js so sweet and light hearted — like there’s so much hidden positivity here that’s waiting to come out.

good job on how far you’ve come, and hav fun where you’re going! love you pile 2!

pile 3 — unclear memory

hi pile 3! here’s your confirmation: “even a worm will turn”, disappointment, ditsy, protector, big eyes, proposal, hobbit core, hermitcraft, minecraft, silence, under another’s control, blush, light colours (pastels), resting, new opportunities, distractions, distant, chapell roan, wlw.

you’re over possessive but you cut out your heart. or someone else cut it out. you need to get your priorities straight. there’s so much going on in your brain. they all lead to the same thing, don’t they? like how a spider web meets in the middle.

you’re sad, i can tell, but you won’t let anyone know. you think you’ve done enough, or even too much, but in reality you’ve been distracted. you’re trying to hide your main in overworking. doing too much.

your repeating advice is “get back on track and focus on your morals”.

but dont become some else. become yourself. stop holding grudges. get yourself back.

pile 4 — kisses

hi pile 4! here’s confirmation this is your pile: shadow work, brooklyn nine-nine, wolf pack, furry, july, suicidal but continuing, height difference, jumbled thoughts, flowers, blue and pink, wash off the makeup, ombré, counting crows poem.

this is my dogs favorite song 😭😭

pile four, you have been looking for outer validation when you don’t need it. you’re searching for signs, for love, for confirmation you’re on the right path when you really jay need yourself. you’re putting yourself down and other people/the universe on a pedestal. YOU ARE THE UNIVERSE!! REALIZE THAT!

what you say goes. what you want will happen. and that’s that.

your advice is as follows ; “you need to just rest.”

and i think that’s great advice. sit down and relax. listen to music, meditate, be at peace. work on yourself. try journaling too!! it will help.

thank yall for reading!! <3 i hope this helps someone. finishing this at 5:55 pm btw!!

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Hi! Please excuse any misspellings, english is not my frist language...

Firstly I just wanted to tell you that I love your AU! Your Harlequin au was what intorduced me to lovely TADC au Tumblr community and I absolutley love it! I haven't seen alternate universes as creative as these since the Sansverse era!

Secondly, I hace a question about the Patriarch: He seems to have a very good idea of who Caine is, wouldn't he be this world's equivalent to Able? I ask because althugh his design is WAY different from most fan Able depictions, he still has that "The Puppetmaster's brother" vibe that all Ables tend to have, a peace of Caine's past that he can never get rid of!

If he is not Able then I am curious of who he is, if he is then the lore just got spicier and if you don't want to spoil anything I'll understand.

But honestly: Keep it up! Your au has filled 70% of all my daydreams, the only thing I have been able to think about for a while has only been game mechanics, combat and chase sequences!

Damn y'all are fucking sleuths istg

Though I am very proud of that because that means my design philosophy worked somehow, and for that, I'll throw you guys a bone. And also because I can't keep it a secret any longer I've been holding it in since the very beginning of this au

YES.

The Patriarch of Puppets is none other than Abel, Caine's biological brother.

When I was first designing him, I wanted every aspect of Abel's design to scream "opposite of Caine", and to hold some form of symbolism. From his megaphone head, down to the color palettes, there is meaning. Don't get me wrong, Mushy's Able is a very memorable and awesome design and I could've incorporated him the same way I did Souls-like, but I wanted something deeper for Harlequin.

While Caine is adorned in golds and maroons to symbolize his warmer nature, Abel has teals and silver, a very cold and intimidating stature. Their outfits and the colors are an opposition towards each other yet reflect one another somehow, the way Abel dresses tightly and formal when Caine is loose and open, his intense red pupil conveys his hostility, whilst Caine's eyes are softer blues and greens.

His king-size height dwarfing Caine tells just how much the Puppetmaster felt living on his shadow, HELL, someone noticed the weird "A" on the sides of his head and I had to shrug it off because I didn't want to reveal it as early as that time.

Even the megaphone head design holds SO MUCH UNTOLD STORY BETWEEN THE BROTHERS THAT I WILL CHOOSE TO KEEP A SECRET FOR NOW. I've put SO MUCH THOUGHT behind his design.

*sigh*... Which is also why I very much dislike the "siren head" jokes, because it's the one thing I didn't really foresaw when I was developing his design until I finished, and someone pointed out it might cause jokes like that to prop up. Something I thought I wouldn't mind initially, until everyone made the same joke over and over again and I just audibly groan irl.

But you know. internet's gonna internet, they see one thing that resembles a popular media, it's an immediate connection. I didn't even give a shit enough about Siren head to know how the design actually looked like, just a silhouette of the guy.

Therefore, I would really appreciate it if saying this out loud would help lessen the jokes, but ik not everyone is going to see this post so.

I do still wanna thank you for your kind words, because these kinds of asks are the fuel to my fire of inspiration and motivation for this AU, and I wish that I can keep this fire going till the very end of this AU's story :')

[kuromispamton2000]

am gonna go insane again, fr why people not stop to my blog to look into the lore of my Swap AU when they see SMG3 x "MR. PUZZLES" before throw shit at me

i am already crying, i can't do what i see necessary for my script anymore or what?

i thought this world was free to express yourself? do you guys take so SERIOUS what Mr. Puzzles did to the crew!? this is ridiculous

Mr. Puzzles hasn't even kill anyone yet! all he did was traumatized the crew with his actions (not even he had cause any canon scars, the scars SMG4 and Meggy are portrayed by fans, they in canon not have scars) and sink a castle! what Mr. Puzzles did i am so sorry but is less horrible than for example FRANCIS or ZERO did, with even more plot and the fact they TOOK LIVES of Desti and Axol

you really take him so serious!? fr!? how traumatized you are for take what a fictional character did for deny him have friends, get mercy, get to love and only deserve pain and suffering!?

so affected you are to make you think he no deserve human compression too?

and for no deserve human compression you too attack Alternate Universes Mr. Puzzles that hasn't done anything wrong? like in case of SMGP?

....i am tired of see people take Mr. Puzzles only as a heartless monster...he isn't...a...true heartless monster and that all he deserves is be abused by everyone, canon and not canon characters...

maybe i am not...full human, or am i a monster when i no had done any crime? or i am SO DEAD INSIDE!? to care about "DA REAL NATURE OF MR. PUZZLES!!! A FUCKING MONSTER THAT NO DESERVES MERCY OR ANY SYMPATHY! BECAUSE HE KILLED 400 PEOPLE, SCARRED MEGGY AND SMG4 AND SINKED PRINCESS PEACH'S CASTLE WITHOUT ANY REMORSE! MWEHEHEHEH!"

....fr i repeat it again...i thought this world was for express your creativity...not for supress it

[morganbritton132]

I see a lot of people sending you their thoughts for your tik tok universe and just out of interest: do you enjoy people sending you their thoughts? Like we’re all creating something together? Or do you sometimes get asks you completely disagree with and just don’t answer them? (Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ask you answered with disagreement though I might be wrong with that)

Personally I’m very fascinated whenever someone “opens” an alternate universe idea and a large portion of the fandom comes together to expand on this very new version of reality. So I’m very much enjoying every single one of these posts and I’m really thankful that you “opened��� the idea and became the hosting point 🩵

This is a very interesting ask to be sent so thank you!

I really enjoy that people send in their thoughts and ideas for this AU.

I like that the AU is collaborative. It makes it easier to keep it going, because it really is one or more posts a day and I think it’d be a lot harder to keep up creatively without other people contributing their thoughts and ideas. It really opens the door up to possibilities that I wouldn’t have considered before and people ask questions that have implications that I haven’t really thought of.

I think it helps to ground the AU into a very real sense of reality and I love that.

I find it endlessly fascinating that the aftermath of being a hero is real life and that after you save the world, you have to live in it. This AU started out as a one-off post about Eddie being bad at the internet and then morphed into this almost-character study of surviving world-shattering events and then creating a life out of the pieces that is beautiful and soft, and caring.

I don’t think that’s achieved without other people’s input.

And also! I think it is super interesting to explore the consequences of being online and people send in prompts that really help explore both the positives and negatives of online communities, and I am grateful!

I do sometimes get prompts that don’t really align with where the AU is going or that are a bit too fantastical or out of character for the setting, and I typically just leave them alone. It feels mean-spirited to publicly respond to someone and tell them that I don’t like their idea.

It also feels like it’d be really discouraging to those people and I don’t ever want to discourage someone from thinking creatively or like, embarrass them in any way because I don’t think I’ve ever received a bad prompt. It’s just that it doesn’t fit the narrative or that I am not equipped to tackle it.

All and all, I am really grateful for this AU and that it has created this little wholesome community. It’s been very rewarding and very fun.

[greetingfromthedead]

Fic authors self rec!♡ When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Oh boy! Thank you for thinking of me, but it sure is a big ask! :)

1. Tempest Wind (Vash x F!Reader, COMPLETED)

Gotta get this out of the way first, feeling like I need to bring it up. This is what started my whole presence in the Trigun fandom, it is the first fic and it is by far the longest fic I have ever written. I like to think I have improved since this series and my writing has evolved for the better, but largely I have this fic to thank for my little spot in the community and I learned so much while writing this. I got to explore some quite dark things and I like how the dynamic between Vash and the FMC turned out. I can yap all day about it.

2. Depth of Despair (Vash x GN!Reader, ONGOING)

Another series, but this time with a twist as it takes place in an alternate universe (Mermaid!AU) to explore slightly different concepts and story elements. I am only getting to the parts that really show the world and lore. I am a big fan of myths and dark fantasy so I am channeling all that into this series. I am really proud of this one and I hope I can do justice to the ideas that still only live in my head.

3. Stormy Night (SingleDad!Vash x F!Reader)

Writing angst used to be my thing so getting back to the roots felt great. I think I did a good job ripping everyone's hearts out with this one. Dad!Vash is my beloved and mixing that with gut wrenching agony brought me so much joy. It has a part 2 too, but the first one has a special place in my heart.

4. Shepherd Story 1 (Knives x GN!Reader)

This is the first AU story I wrote for Trigun. I love everything about it tbh, I am so proud of it as it really challenged me. I think I did well with the characterization and I used a slightly different style of writing, more poetic and descriptive than I usually do. I am really happy with how it turned out. There's also Story 2 and Story 3 that continue expanding on the lore and the dynamic of the characters + I have been thinking of another installment for it to explore how we get to this point in the first place, taking place a long long time ago.

5. Green Horror (Wolfwood x GN!Reader)

This is the Wolfwood counterpart to Vash's sickfic A Little Cold and I might love it more than Vash's version. I don't write enough Wolfwood, but boy do I like his character. The banter and nicknames I can use with him make me so happy and I was able to stuff a lot of everything I love into this fic.

Honorary Mention: Draconic Lust (Trigun x Succubus!Reader)

I am having way too much fun writing smut for this Dragon!AU. I do not care if anyone else likes it and it definitely won't be up everyone's alley, but from a creative writing standpoint, I am enjoying myself a great deal. Can't wait to share more of what I've cooked up.

Going to cheekily leave my masterlist here too.

Thanks again, Jelly! Know that I would send this ask to you in a heartbeat, but evidently someone else beat me to it! ❤❤❤

[purgatory-is-life]

Mechtober Day 14/prompt 14-Alternate Universe

if i need to single handedly populate this fandom with urban fantasy aus by the gods i will

@mechtober-2024

An Average Day 'Round Here, Really - Reality666Rift999 - The Mechanisms (Band) [Archive of Our Own]

tw, my poor attempts at using british vernacular with my very limited knowledge of it as an american, cursing, arguing (mostly jokingly), mentioned alcohol, implied alcohol consumption, blood, blood consumption, non-con blood drinking, minor unnamed character death, probably more, feel free to ask me to tag something!!

Brian woke with a groan, and something heavy on top of him. He cracked an eye open, glaring at whichever one of his flatmates it was that decided to wake him up this time. It turned out to be Raphaella. He glanced at his clock–eleven AM. Too early, by his standards, but he did have some classes that day, so he would’ve had to get up at some point.

“What do you want, Raph?” He asked, voice thick with sleep.

“Do you have the chem notes from Friday?” she asked, staring up at him with wide, unblinking eyes. His still freshly-woken up and foggy mind thought she looked a lot like a bird, like one of those falcon’s Tim’s constantly sending pictures of.

Brian stared back at her. “Raph. You couldn’t wait for two hours for me to wake up with my alarm to ask that?”

“My chem lab is at noon!” She defended. “And you almost never get up before noon.” She poked him on the nose. “It was much easier to wake you up, insomniac. You need to work on your sleep schedule.”

“I at least get a consistent amount of sleep,” Brian grumbled, “how much have you slept recently?”

Raphaella quickly turned her head, waving her hand dismissively. “Not important! My chem lab is in an hour, do you have the notes or not?”

Brian curled up further under his sheets, humming quietly and closing his eyes again as if he’d be able to get any more sleep. “In the yellow notebook, on my desk. Hundredth page in.”

“Ah! Thank you, dearest,” Raph kissed his forehead and jumped off him, scurrying towards his desk.

“Mhm…”

Raphaella grabbed the notebook, and left the room. There was a brief moment where Brian could almost fool himself that he was asleep, before Raph came back into his room. “Do you… want me to turn your light on to help you wake up or…?”

Brian groaned, and pulled one of his pillows over his head. “Please let me at least try to get my last two hours of rest!”

“Okay, sorry!” And then Raphaella actually left him alone to get some more sleep.

—-- By the time his alarm went off, Brian had been playing a random game on his phone for at least an hour and a half. At some point in his attempts to get back to sleep, he’d given up and began playing on his phone. However, with his phone vibrating aggressively and playing one of Toy’s newer songs loudly, he couldn’t get away with hiding any longer, and he forced himself to get up.

He sat up, stretching his arms, back popping as he did so. He swung his legs, testing his knees. Finding they didn’t ache as much as usual, he decided to venture out into the living area of the apartment without his cane. As he entered the living room, it was just as he expected–chaotic. And loud, he was honestly surprised he hadn’t noticed before, while he was still hiding in his room.

Everyone in their friend group was there– while Brian, Marius and Raph were technically the only ones on the lease, it was admittedly more unusual if there weren’t at least six people in their flat at once. Typically, all nine of them were in at once, but Raph had a few labs on Monday’s and Nastya had one of her computer science classes in the afternoon on Mondays, so it was only the seven of them on Monday afternoons. Eight, if Marius convinced Lyfrassir to come around, or they’d stayed the night. Nine, at most and if they were lucky, and Bertie was visiting from his campus.

Currently, Jonny was laying on top of Ashes while rambling about something from his creative writing class, maybe something about his teacher who he hated. Apparently, he was kind of a jackass, but it was Jonny, and Jonny was prone to exaggeration, so he could’ve been fine. Toy and Marius were playing chopsticks while debating something in German, Ivy was reading a book while sitting upside down on the couch, and Gunpowder was cooking something.

Ashes was the first to notice his emergence, as he made a beeline for the coffee pot. “Morning, doll,” Ashes called, smirking. Brian rolled his eyes at them.

“It’s afternoon,” Brian pointed out, “that’s the point. I don’t like getting up early.”

“It’s still fun to bother you about,” Ashes said. He could hear the grin in their voice. Brian rolled his eyes again, and set about making his coffee, being careful to move around Tim while he-they?-continued cooking.

“Pronouns?” Brian asked, starting his cup.

“She/he, thanks,” Gunpowder smiled, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “So you’re finally awake?”

“Oh, you can’t talk, Timopher,” Brian flicked the other on the head. She groaned at that.

“Not you too! I’m going to kill Jonny for getting you all started on that!”

Brian grinned, but didn’t say anything more. Tim pouted, but returned to his cookery. The smell of bacon hit Brian’s nose as something started sizzling on a pan, and his stomach growled at him. Gunpowder noticed, and tilted his head at him as Brian grabbed a mug from one of the cabinets. “D’you want some of this? I can make more, it’s just eggs, some toast, and bacon.”

Brian shook his head as he poured his cup of coffee. “No, thank you. I was planning on getting something on my way to my anatomy class.”

Tim raised an eyebrow, glancing at him over his glasses. “Your anatomy class is at three. It’s almost one-fifteen. You have time to eat a proper breakfast.” Brian waved her off as he took a sip of his coffee. Tim wrinkled his nose. “Brian. One-coffee isn’t breakfast. Two-black coffee? Seriously?”

Brian shrugged. “It’s better than coffee ice cream for breakfast.”

Gunpowder rolled her eyes, pinching her nose. “It’s not- I’m not doing this. And besides, that was one time during finals last year. I don’t think any of us had a consistent amount of sleep or a consistent amount of food in our stomachs.”

“The woes of being a college student,” Brian said, taking another sip of his coffee and walking towards the adjoining living room.

“Yea- wait I’m not done lecturing you–!”

But Brian was already sitting down next to Ivy and ignoring her complaints. “Good afternoon, Brian. Did you sleep well?”

“Would’ve slept better if Raph didn’t wake me up, but mostly, yeah.”

Ivy nodded. “I apologize, I was the one to tell Raphaella to ask you for the notes. I forgot how much you dislike being woken up early.” She turned another page in her book.

“It’s fine, Ivy, I’ll just try and go to bed a bit early tonight.”

“I believe it’s a misnomer to say you sleep at night–you go to bed most often at four AM.”

Brian–couldn’t deny her there. “Is it comfortable, sitting upside down like that?” he asked instead.

“It is plenty comfortable for me. Thank you for your concern, though.”

Brian nodded, and took another sip of his coffee. The still-scalding liquid burned in his throat, and behind it a thirst he’d been doing his best to ignore burned as well. He’d have to do something about it soon–the… thirst? Hunger? He still wasn’t sure what to call it, nearly two years later–either way, he’d have to do something about it soon, it was getting hard to ignore.

Gunpowder came into the room with a plate of food, flopping onto the couch next to (almost on top of) Ashes. “Oh, by the way,” she started, “I’m going to be visiting Bertie over the next few days, I’m heading out a bit later, so I might not be able to make it to band practice on Thursday.”

“Have fun,” Jonny said, reaching over to Tim’s paper plate and taking some of the bacon for himself.

Tim swatted at Jonny’s hand, sticking his tongue out at the other. Jonny stuck his tongue out at her. Brian smiled at his friends' shenanigans–not quite dumbassery, but a very similar brand of chaos. Though, dumbassery usually ended with someone injured and an argument about whether or not a trip to A&E was necessary. And a kidnapping to take someone to A&E, but that was neither here nor there.

“Tell Bertie we say hello,” Ivy said, as Brian glanced over at Marius and Toy, who were still completely absorbed in their game and debate.

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll know,” Tim shrugged as Jonny–successfully, this time–stole some of Gunpowder’s bacon.

Tim didn’t notice at first, but when she did, she immediately turned on Jonny. The other grinned, which only annoyed Tim more. Brian decided that was a good moment to down the rest of his scalding coffee, and get up to get dressed. “Do you think I can get away with not wearing my binder today without my chem lab supervisor misgendering me?”

Ivy glanced up from her book and raised an eyebrow at him.

“…Yeah, fair enough…” Brian sighed. He didn’t really care one way or the other about wearing his binder or how people perceived him, but sometimes it got tiring getting misgendered by people around him. Oh well, he wouldn’t have to wear it all day. Brian glanced back at Gunpowder and Jonny, and saw that Tim had completely ditched his breakfast, and was now wrestling with Jonny while Ashes took her bacon. All in all, a normal day, really.

—--

Brian hated the sun. Without a doubt, he hated the sun. It was hot, it was bright and hurt his eyes, and it made him tired. Really, besides it providing light for the rose bushes he’d been trying to grow out of his flat’s window box, he had no reason to like the sun. Except for the fact that most of his friends were awake when the sun was up, but most of his friends had absolutely god awful sleep schedules, and Brian was half certain Raphaella was more willing to do hard drugs than sleep when she could be ‘science-ing’. So, really, other than the roses needing sunlight to grow, he really didn’t have any reason to appreciate the sun. So, naturally, with such a hatred of the sun, he did his best to avoid it, but sometimes he was forced to face the burning ball of hydrogen gas and plasma.

The latest anatomy class he could get was at three, and thus he was forced to face the sun at least twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays (for his bio-chem class, which was at two-thirty) if he wanted to actually gain that pre-med he’d been working towards since Secondary. At the very least, with the weather changing and slipping more into the icy chill of fall and winter, the amount of time he’d have to face the sun was lessened. Which he was grateful for, even though the sun had long since begun to set as he made his way home from his last monday class (he also had a chem lab on mondays, but it was at a different time than Raphaella’s) at six in the evening.

When he returned to the flat, placing his bag by the door and tossing his jacket on the coat wrack. With a quick glance around the flat’s living room, he noted that everyone was there with the exception of Gunpowder. She must’ve already headed off to Bertie’s campus. Lyf was there, sitting on the couch braiding Raphaella’s hair while she braided Marius’s hair, and Marius scribbled something down while Nastya played her viola. Jonny and Ashes were cooking something, though he could hear Jonny saying he was gonna head out once the food was done. Toy was laying on the floor on top of Ivy, both of whom were reading different books. Toy was reading a book that appeared to be about different species of frogs, and Ivy seemed to be reading something about mice. Which did nothing to narrow down what she was reading.

Lyf glanced up from their work, briefly, and nodded at him as he entered. Brian smiled and waved, continuing his walk to his room.

“Brian!” Ashes called, peaking leaning on the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. “You gonna want any o’ this, doll?”

“Oh!” Brian hummed. “No, probably shouldn’t–I told Galahad I’d go out for drinks with him and some of his friends.”

“The Pendragons, again?” Ashes raised an eyebrow as Jonny pouted, turning to face him as well.

“Yeah,” Brian nodded. He glanced at Jonny and smirked at him. “What’s with the pout, dear?”

Jonny scoffed, face turning a bright red. “Fuck off! I put in all this work and you ain’t even gonna try any?”

Brian’s smirk softened. “Yeah, sorry, I didn’t realize you were making dinner for us tonight. Save some for me?”

Jonny huffed and nodded, turning back to his cooking and waving him off. Brian glanced into the pot, trying to decipher what it was that he and Ashes were cooking. It looked like some kind of stew. With that mystery kind-of solved, Brian headed to his bedroom to change into something a bit more bar-appropriate.

He did have somewhere to be, afterall. While the night was young.

—--

Brian, along with the sun, hated bars. Their smell was rancid, there were always too many people and they were always too close, Brian hated bars. More specifically, he hated getting hit on at bars. And yet, here he was, in a back alley behind a bar making out with some random drunk person. They were-probably a man? And definitely older than him, but Brian wasn’t picky with his snacks.

Though, in times like these, he found himself often missing his friends–“the Crew”, as Jonny sometimes called them.

Their relationship was… Well, it was something. He could probably write a philosophy thesis on it, actually. And it wouldn’t be fair to say they weren’t open, by no means were whatever-they-were a closed relationship. But maybe it wasn’t fair to say whatever they had was open, either? Since it wasn’t exactly defined in most areas.

Tim and Bertie were something, though Gunpowder refused to elaborate further. Tim and Jonny were dating(?)–that’s literally how they described it, too–Jonny was willing to have sex with most of them except Nastya (for obvious reasons. Ew), whereas Marius was usually the opposite, he’d take everyone out on dates and plan elaborate dinners or lunches or breakfasts or brunches, whatever meal it was, but sex was a very inconsistent desire for him. Brian was generally the same way, though a bit less… dramatic, about it. His planned dates were always much less extravagant than Marius’s. Nastya was exclusive with her long-distance girlfriend, but she and Brian kissed sometimes, and he knows that she and Ivy also do the same on occasion. Toy was odd, but it was always sweet and it was involved in the relationship chaos in all the ways that mattered, it deserved a place in this train of thought. It didn’t exactly feel romantic or sexual attraction, but had expressed that it loved the Crew all deeply and truly, and always tried to help and show its care in whatever ways it deemed to be effective.

Ashes had something with everyone, but it looked different depending who of the Crew they were with, Raph and Ivy were dating, Marius was starting to date Lyffrassir, which actually seemed to be going pretty well compared to previous romantic exploits outside the Crew of his, Marius, Ivy, and Raphaella were dating, and all of them were just… generally pretty touchy feel-y? It was always weird to see one of the Crew and not see at least two others nearby. And dating or being fuckbuddies with one of them generally meant having to share with the rest at least, and if not, being roped up a lot more tightly in their web of weirdness (as Lyf had once called it). Lyf was still new, but they seemed to get along with everyone pretty well, and had even made out with Brian on a few occasions, and he’d definitely seen them leaving Raph’s room with tousled clothes and hair in the early morning while he was still awake, shortly followed by Ivy or Raph–or both.

All that to say, there were about nine other people that Brian could be kissing that he’d much rather be snogging behind a dingy bar. The probably-a-man reached up and curled a lock of his hair around their finger. “You’ve got such pretty hair, doll,” they said, breaking the kiss.

The stench of whiskey was heavy on their breath–it was amazing they were coherent at all–and Brian was hit with two twin pangs of longing, one with an equal measure of anger. Only Ashes got to call him doll. Brian would have to try and finish this quickly, even if he didn’t really want to hurt them. They hadn’t done anything yet. Except– well, except agreeing to makeout with a college student in a back alley. Brian had to force himself to not wrinkle his nose at the whiskey smell that came with each of their heavy breaths–that was a scent that was only kinda sexy on Jonny–there was no way he wasn’t going to be at least a little tipsy after everything was over. Which–might sell his excuse about going out for drinks with Galahad and the Pendragon Polycule better than coming home sober.

“Thanks,” Brian replied quietly, “a friend of mine does it for me.” Ivy had been dying her hair forever, and was therefore the most apt member of the Crew to aid in taking care of everyone’s hair when they were too Tired to do it themselves for one reason or another. It was always relaxing, her hands running through his hair as she washed it for him in either the bathroom sink or the flat’s tub–he had a lot of hair and was very inconsistent about cutting it to various lengths. It seemed to make his joints stop hurting and his head less achey. She’d probably say something about endorphins and serotonin and relaxing–or maybe Raph would, no telling who.

“Oh?” they responded, clearly uninterested.

“Mhm,” Brian nodded. “Hey, did you know that the scales of most sharks, placoid scales, are made up of largely the same enamel as what makes up teeth? So some people call their scales teeth scales.” Brian knew approximately four people who called them that, and one of them was studying marine biology. And the other three were Raph, Galahad, and Jonny. Actually, he’d heard Marius call them teeth scales before– or, no, he’d called them teeth skin. That still counted, he supposed. So, five people, on a technicality, probably six soon once Toy picks it up. He was surprised it hadn’t already, actually. “I’ve even heard some people call them teeth skin. Although they don’t eat with their skin, like some animals.”

Whatever direction the probably-a-man expected this conversation to go, this was certainly not it. They stared at him in confusion, pausing in twirling his hair in their hand. Well, that was what he was wanting, confusion and surprise. He was running out of odd animal facts though–Toy hadn’t given him any new bug facts in a while and it was more focused on trying to find frog facts that none of the Crew had heard before (which was harder than it seemed) and Lyffrassir was just generally hesitant to start infodumping about marine biology around anyone other than Marius it seemed. All this to say, Brian was thinking about getting a better method to throw people off their game.

He was overthinking this innocuous piece of information, he knew. Stalling. The confusion wouldn’t last long, the person’s inebriated mind probably already forgetting why they’re confused in the first place. He was hesitating, but god or gods above, his stomach ached with want. And yet, he was hesitating. He should really be used to this by now–he’s been doing this for two years at this point. Just– stop thinking, and do it.

“Well–” the person started, but didn’t get to finish as Brian lunged for their throat, sharp fangs easily piercing the delicate, human flesh. Their words, and their scream, died in their throat as he did so. They thrashed and tried to push him away, but being the inhuman thing he was, he was stronger and was able to hold them in place until they stopped trying to fight, as he drained their lifeblood through the gaping, gushing wound in their neck.

He always hated it, hated feeding off of and killing people. But if he didn’t, he could starve, and starving looked much worse than killing one or two people a month–he’d tested it. At least twice.

It was several minutes until the person fully went limp, but there was still blood and Brian was still hungry, even if he knew he was overindulging and going to feel sick and even more achey than usual later. Eventually though, as the now-corpse was starting to run dry (some part of himself, the part that was a starving, ravenous thing, wanted to drain as much as he could, and knew that there was surely more blood in the body that was just harder to get too–he ignored that part vehemently), Brian let the corpse drop and stepped back, staring blankly at the corpse.

He did this every time, taking a second to stare at the mess he left. Take a minute to revel in how awful he was.

A voice snapped him out of his post-feeding haze. “Oh~ I know that smell~!” Brian’s head snapped up to the end of the alley, eyes widening and body freezing in place. “What do we have– Brian?”

Jonny stared at him with glowing, red eyes, confusion written on his face.

Shit.

[sugairsstuff]

so i accidentally made an oopsie and posted my response to a request too early and had to delete it, thankfully i screen shotted it because i thought it was very important for myself and everyone who would like to request!

thank you, anonymous, for this! i’d also like to make a point of this post to thank everyone so far who has put in requests- you’re all very creative! 💫 i promise to try my best to do them all as soon as possible.

ok let’s do this

request guidelines

warnings for explicit subjects

🌷

do you do scenarios/headcanons? i do do scenarios/headcanons. i’m actually working on one currently from a request. i’m all for headcanons and scenarios! i’m okay with characters from separate fandoms, the same prompt, different prompts, etc. whatever the request tells me i’ll try to create for them. also, i’d say there really isn’t a limit for how many characters you’d like, but i think any requests above 5 may not have as much content as amounts below it! (i may or may not go off on tangents though, so who really knows).

can we request for male reader, female reader, gender neutral reader, etc? of course! if i’m unsure or it’s unspecified i usually like to revert to gender neutral, so you’ll just have to let me know in requests what you’d like.

are there any characters you won’t do in each fandom? it’s pretty open book, but i do want to say that i will not write for ascended astarion or any other character that can show abusive tendencies. this doesn’t necessarily mean i won’t write for villains, though, it just depends on how the character would act and treat a partner.

are there topics you don’t do like rape, suicide, etc? i can include these topics in fics if it is requested, but i won’t write in detail for anything under these umbrellas. if it’s important to the scenario or character, it will be briefly mentioned or implied, as i feel both uncomfortable writing explicitly for these and i do not want to make others uncomfortable despite the warnings i will put before the main content of any request including these topics.

do you do poly ships x reader? yup, never tried it, but i’m happy to!

would you mind if we request AUs (alternative universes) where the character lives happily? of course, these requests are open book! i’m happy to change things up.

would you mind if the request if suggestive, implied sex, or mentioned sex but no explicit sex? i am willing to write all of these, including explicit sex, but that will be far less as often than what else i write just because i do not enjoy writing it very much (smut gives me writer’s block). suggestive, implied, and mentioned though are all fun and i don’t mind! i don’t stray from some steamy scenarios (and my friend needs their aragorn fics).

would you do nsfw requests? as i mentioned, i will write them but i may pick and choose which ones i write at what times simply because i gotta be in a specific mode to write erotica. don’t be afraid to ask because i say that, though! i also want to add i won’t write nsfw headcanons/smut for astarion as it feels out of character for most of his arc in the game.

for baldur’s gate 3, would you mind if we don’t specify the race/class to leave it ambiguous or if we ask specifics like human/healer? i’m perfectly okay with either, it’s entirely up to you.

what kinks would you accept for requests? most things are on the table. i won’t do dubious consent, CNC, daddy kinks, age play, anything involving bodily fluids (i have some leeway for astarion with blood because… well… iykyk), or knife play. that’s all the specifics i can think of!

[bungoustraypups]

Fictober Day 1: Brother (Let Me Be Your Shelter)

@fictober-event

Read on Ao3

Chuuya gets an unexpected visit from Paul Verlaine — the man who insists on calling himself his older brother — a day after he pulls off a difficult mission. They talk.

Prompt number: 1. "that was good work"

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Nakahara Chuuya & Paul Verlaine (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Paul Verlaine (Bungou Stray Dogs), Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Bonding, Family Bonding, Sibling Bonding, Brotherly Bonding, Awkward Conversations, Nakahara Chuuya & Paul Verlaine Are Siblings (Bungou Stray Dogs), Older Sibling Paul Verlaine (Bungou Stray Dogs), Good Sibling Paul Verlaine (Bungou Stray Dogs), Alternate Universe — Canon Divergence

Notes:

song in the title is "Brother" by NEEDTOBREATHE & Gavin DeGraw

october is gonna be a busy month for me but i'm gonna try getting as much done creatively as i can so here we are with this! i've also wanted to write for verlaine and chuuya specifically for a while so i'm fulfilling that desire too. i really do love them, especially in my fic 'verses

this fic is set in BSPverse, and happens about two years before safe & sound, so chuuya is about 16 here, and verlaine is about 30 (he's 22 when chuuya is 7, as far as my writing goes). this is also set before the canon-divergent events of what would be stormbringer according to the timeline

also chuuya has heterochromia here, as does verlaine. they both have full heterochromia (one blue one brown eye) but chuuya's brown is speckled with blue and vice versa, whereas verlaine's are a total split with no other colors in either eye.

also also the adoptive father of chuuya who is referred to here is an OC of mine, Sean Thomas Connery, who is loosely based off of James Bond and named after the man who played him the longest (and most famously) irl, Sean Connery. you'll see more of him in some of my other pre-hateful eight fics, and he'll be mentioned quite a bit throughout BSPverse

don't forget to leave a kudos AND a comment! comments fuel me now more than ever <3 reblogs here on tumblr are good too

and yes i am currently dealing with hurricane aftermath given that i live in SC so i do apologize for possibly getting even slower in the days/weeks to come :( but hopefully i'll post enough to keep my fics/me as an author from being forgotten

"That was good work."

Chuuya pauses in the middle of lighting up the cigarette in his hand when he realizes he's not alone. Blue-brown eyes pick up movement in his periphery, so he turns his head fully towards it, his expression as unsurprised as it is unimpressed.

The figure emerging from the darkness to stand at his side is none other than Paul Verlaine. Ever since they met officially a few weeks ago, following the man's return to Japan from a mission he'd been on overseas since before Chuuya was brought into the Port Mafia and subsequent promotion to the position of Executive because of that very mission, he hasn't been able to get away from him for as long as he's at work. Considering this same man was once a government spy, who still holds the title King of Assassins and has no plans to ever relinquish it voluntarily, that isn't a surprise.

Furthermore, the reason why Verlaine keeps hovering around Chuuya like some kind of homicidal mother bird isn't a surprise nor a mystery to him either. He isn't at all baffled by it, nor does he not understand why like some of the people he knows assume, either.

Chuuya finally settles on responding to Verlaine's statement with a quiet huff, finishes lighting the cigarette he'd nearly forgotten about, then mutters, "I think you're trying too hard to be nice to me."

Verlaine squints a little, an emotion caught between concern and confusion evident in his expression. "You misunderstand my intentions. I want to be good to you."

He frowns. It's not an angry frown, but rather one more familiar to the kind Chuuya's adoptive father might've made if he had been the one to catch him smoking instead of Verlaine. "I do suppose I could still be trying too hard to do that, and as such, I won't argue it."

The frown that twists Chuuya's face is irritated, as his voice when he hisses out, "Okay, and? What's the difference? Is there really a difference?"

"Being nice and being good to someone can indeed go hand in hand, but much like kindness and niceness, the two can also be done separately. In my eyes, being good to you, in this case, means praising your accomplishments as I see fit."

Chuuya growls at him, a sound coming from low in his throat, soft and half-hearted. "I don't need praise for doin' my job and acting on orders from the Don. You might as well praise me for breathing, if you're gonna do that."

"Would you like me to?"

The earnest look on Verlaine's face and tone of his immediate response catches Chuuya off-guard for half a second, and his response comes out bewildered despite his best attempts otherwise.

"It wasn't a request. I was tryin' to point out how ridiculous doing that would be."

Verlaine stares sheepishly in response, but says nothing in his defense. For reasons far beyond his understanding, it makes Chuuya feel bad, and he looks away, exhaling smoke from the cigarette.

"... my praise is far from baseless. You did do a good job. Outside of necessity, I do not make it a habit to lie to people. I wouldn't want to lie to my little brother, either."

Chuuya bristles a little. "You're still on about that 'little brother' shit?"

Verlaine's expression remains the same, outside of a deep sadness appearing in his eyes as he replies: "Regardless of whether or not you truly were a clone made from code in a laboratory as I was, or whether you are the child of a veteran who was stolen from a seaside village… the fact remains that both of us exist as we are right now for the same reason, as a result of the same desire, shared by scientists motivated by Ability research done on behalf of their wartime governments."

"And you think that's enough to make us family?"

"Last I checked, there was no need for two people to be close in any way for an adoption to take place."

The smile on Verlaine's face is longing as he continues. "Sean only knew you for a few hours before deciding to adopt you, did he not? I knew I wanted to adopt you the moment I laid eyes on you, as well." He pauses, hesitating, then says, quieter now, "Deciding to let you go after that, rather than hold onto you, was being kind to you, rather than good. It was that very action you told me made me a bastard in your eyes when we first met."

Chuuya rolls his shoulders. "I call lotsa' people that."

"You were angry, then. I could tell. It was well within your rights to be, too."

They both lapse into silence. Chuuya shuffles his feet, while Verlaine remains still. There's a distance between them of about three feet, and despite his clear desire to come closer, it's Verlaine who seems to be staunchly maintaining the distance, shifting away an equal amount whenever Chuuya unintentionally leans closer with his side-to-side motions when he shifts his weight and other unconscious little movements.

"Look, it's not you. Only Da praises me like that. He's the only person who ever has. It's weird to hear someone else do it."

"Perhaps it will become less 'weird' with time, then. Assuming time is something you are willing to give me."

Chuuya's breath hitches.

Verlaine continues, "As it stands… if I truly wanted to be kind to you, I would stop trying to stay close to you. I have never had any success in maintaining connections, friendships, or relationships of any kind outside of my beloved Arthur, and that is most certainly no coincidence. A being created on the whims of another such as myself, who cannot truly call himself a human, isn't meant to have friends, or family. Even Arthur was once nearly taken from me. I fear the same may happen to you, as well, someday."

"Don't."

Verlaine fixes Chuuya with a curious stare right as the boy looks up to meet it, a challenge burning in his eyes as he speaks.

"We're both members of the same organization, aren't we? If I'm good enough to earn your praise, you should know by now that I'm not gonna give up without a fight the second some fucker decides to make me a target. Besides, any fate that befalls me in the end? Is gonna be of my own doing. The only person who gets to decide when and how I die is me, and I don't mean that like how that bastard Dazai means it at all, either."

Now, it's Verlaine's turn to let out a short huff of disdain. "I would never assume you to be in alignment with that so-called partner of yours as it is. That would be insulting."

For the first time since they've spoken, Chuuya laughs, a real laugh, a bright smile stretching his face as he crushes the butt of his cigarette under his boot. "Y'know what? Maybe you and I really are brothers, after all!"

As he says that, Chuuya closes the distance between them so he can throw an arm around Verlaine's shoulders, like Albatross sometimes does to him and the other Flags, that earns him an elbow to the ribs on a bad day and an affectionate eye roll on a good day whenever he chooses Chuuya as his victim for roughhousing, and—

For the first time he can remember, Paul Verlaine thinks he just might have what it takes to truly be worthy of becoming a person, a human, of his own right.

[aerkame]

Hey there! I have a bit of an unusual question for you, but I'm curious to know if you have a favorite or least favorite type of Alternate Universes. I'm not referring to any particular fandom, but just in general. Personally, I'm not really into the "Opposite" or "Swap personality" AUs that tends to be one of the most popular and picked in fanbases or other media explore. It's just not my cup of tea, you know? But I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!

Ooo, I like this ask! I will happily answer as this one really got me thinking.

Personally, I am not a fan of swap AUs either, I think the one exception was 2015-2016 Undertale when I was a teen and the fandom was lively. Other than that I have not seen any fandom do this AU well at all. The same can be said about Soulmate AUs. While a lot of fics written for them are sweet, they do get boring and predictable. I guess I'm a reader that prefers unique experiences in fanfictions. I really like it when I see other writers use as much creativity as possible when making an AU or writing a fanfiction. It's even better when I read a fanfiction that not only adds onto the characters, but a writer who does an excellent job at keeping everyone in character.

But there are certain AUs I will actively avoid out of experience, and those AUs are usually horror and NSFW AUs. It's not that they scare or disgust me, it's the issue that they often attract people who are not well.

Every fandom has a sub-group of bad apples, but it's those AUs that really bring them out. I do see that the creators of these AUs are okay and mature enough to be making the serious topics taken seriously, but it's usually certain individuals that ruin things by making fanfics off of it or fanart. Way too many times I've read a fic with no warnings for AUs like that. Or at the very least, they do give warnings, just not proper ones. However, at least once, I think it was in the Overwatch fandom (not Overwatch 2, I mean Overwatch from around 2016-2019), that I came across a very well done monster AU of sorts. It had a healthy community going around it and any horror fics based on it were handled with maturity and taken seriously. Not to mention some of the fanfictions really gave me a good scare. That is what I love to see with writers and AUs.

Now, for my absolute favorites?

I am so in love with aquatic mythology AUs with the exception of mermaid AUs. Many Mermaid AUs tend to be picked a lot much like how you mentioned swap AUs being the same, usually that results in a bunch of fanfictions being similar or the exact same. I love AUs that have unique or exotic mythology for the AU. I guess a good example would be my Finfolk AU. That was inspired after I read an Orkney folklore storybook. It's nothing like mermaids and the folklore surrounding it can be changed to match whatever setting I want.

Some of the most notable ones I've read were semi-horror romance fanficions based on siren AUs. I also notice that people who write these fanfictions also take great care to research their sources or come up with new features to sirens that makes sense for the universe they are in. I could rant on about it, but I'll be here all night if I do. I hope this answer is satisfactory!

[goddessxoflight]

SHIPPING INFO. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

what’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

Considering my Palutena is a canon-divergent version of herself from the Kid Icarus series, I did a lot of creative liberty to her backstory. So to those who are aware, I ship Palutena with Icarus, the son of Daedalus who drowned from getting too close to the sun. It's a tragic tale that left Palutena with a lot of loss trauma. I also ship her with @ikarosxflight's Pit considering his ties to Icarus. But if anyone else can (and is willing to) thaw her icy heart, then you know I'd ship it hard!! lol

what are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

I don't have a lot of triggers and those that I do have, I can differentiate between story telling and real life. Basically, what I mean to say is that if there is chemistry, I can make it work!

my partner would need to realize that things could get super dark, if my partner is willing to allow it to be. Palutena is a force to be reckoned with. She is manipulative and doesn't fall for someone easily, and will most likely use them for her own benefit rather than seeking out a romantic partner. It would have to take a resilient person for her to want to open her heart to them.

What I mean to say is, I'd want to ship with someone who understands this and is willing to write a toxic one-sided love story, or is willing to try and save her. (like jfc give me a Tohru Honda!! Palutena would buckle so hard lol)

how large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Anyone Palutena would be interested in would have to be an adult well over the age of 18-- maybe even 25. She's thousands of years old, I promise she will not be looking at a 16 year old, lol. She's too mature to want to dabble with a child.

are you selective when shipping?

I am, but also... I'm not, if that makes sense, lol. So long as someone can show that they can have chemistry with Palutena, I can find a way to make it work! Though the person would have to understand that Pit would always come first, no matter what. It would be a tragic and angsty plot point in their love story, especially if they find out that Palutena is just using them for personal gain.

I'd want to discuss with my partner, but I'd like to write together beforehand, establish a plot, and then see if there is a connection both in writing and ooc.

how far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

Once hands start to explore and kisses become.... deeper, then I'd ask my partner if we could move the rp to discord or DM's, because it'd be obvious that the plot was about to take a mature turn and I'm a shy bean when I think about other people reading the nasty bits. Unless we both agree that our muses will be interrupted by something, then we can stick to tumblr!

does one have to ask to ship with you?

I wouldn't mind it at all! By all means, come to me and ask! I'd love to discuss something. But also, if it happens naturally too, I'm also okay with that. But given Palutena's nature, I definitely feel like it'd have to be something we discuss beforehand so we're both in an agreeance with how things will go.

how often do you like to ship?

With other muses, I'm a shipping whore! Love a good filthy romance and always looking for an excuse to write fluffy goodness and smut. For Palutena though, it's a little harder. I've only ever written shipping stuff with Dae's Pit, and that's only cause our muses have a lot of history together.

are you multiship?

I am! Palutena has lived for years. I can either make it that their relationship is just a blip in the long timeline of her life so I could make it canon to her story, or can make it an alternate universe that doesn't corelate with another ship I'm having with someone else. It really does depend on who I'm writing with and what we agree on, and if shipping with that person can change the trajectory of her story in an interesting way.

are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

....... I am ship obsessed, I admit. But I'd never force it down someone's throat, even if I thought our muses could work well together!! If my partner says no, I will back off so fast!

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

none, tbh;;;

finally, how does one ship with you?

Just vibe with me. Talk to me, poke at me and bother me, make friends with me! I'm friendly! lol If you keep talking about our muses and the possibilities that can happen between them, I will eat that shit up!

Tagged by: @piousolus!

Tagging: Anyone who wants to participate!

[timemachineyeah]

Hi, I really appreciate your points on Madoka! Thank you for providing that insight that is so desperately needed! Because I am so sick of dudebros acting like it's better than female-empowering Magical Girl works aimed at girls, or how whenever I or somebody else critiques the storytelling and message we just get told "Madoka is perfectly feminist actually and if you don't think so then you're just too stupid to understand how DEEEEEEEP it is go back to your stupid sweet and fluffy anime that's for GUUUUURLS" or alternatively "oh so female characters can't ever suffer ever and have to be happy all the time ever or it's misogynistic trash?!?!?!?! check and mate bitch" like I am just so tired. I'm glad to see your posts even though some of them are quite old. I have to say thank you once again for your genuine critique of Madoka because at this point I feel like I'm being punked whenever I talk about what's wrong with it.

Sorry! I saw this earlier and completely forgot to answer!

My few posts have given me a reputation as a Madoka hater (and, fair enough, because I certainly don't blame anyone who is. Please hate Madoka all you like). The truth is I really do like the original show quite a bit, but YEAH.

YEAH.

I think the thing that gets most exhausting for me, over and over, is bringing up these criticisms and being told, "No! Because Madoka fixed all that!" and even ignoring Rebellion (which I am inclined to do anyway), the girls still die.

They die.

The happy ending is a montage of girls dying. Which is a happy ending only because what they were getting before (specifically as a consequence of choosing to be a magical girl) was a fate worse than death.

And it's worth noting how the incubators are portrayed. They aren't portrayed as malicious. They aren't "evil" in that sense. What they are is practical and indifferent. They are taking advantage of inherent factors in the universe, not creating those factors.

Which means that there's something about PMMM that is saying, this is reality. At least in this fiction, this is the reality of femininity. And it is inherent to femininity! Kyubey even explains - it's weird! But only teen girls are like this! That's why we use them!

I think it's fair to be like, hey, that's fucked up. What kind of gender essentialist fatalism? Bro?

And it's also just denial to pretend it isn't about fanservice or a male audience.

As anyone who's been on my blog recently will know, I'm kinda super into Love Live! right now. It's cute. It scratches an itch.

And there's a lot of plausible deniability built into it, and a lot of pushback from English speaking fandom about it, but, uh, Love Live! is an idol game but it's also a waifu collector.

It's also a catalogue of nonthreateningly sexual anime teenage girls specifically designed to appeal first and foremost to lonely awkward Japanese young working men with disposable income.

And, idk, knowing that doesn't impede my ability to find it cute and wholesome and fun and escapist. The fact that it is that does lead to some of creative decisions that make the series less fun for me (it's not very diverse, for example. The yuri elements are subtext for another. And I either wish the girls were less sexualized or older, personally). But I'm not going to deny what it is.

I'm not even particularly interested in shaming the men its aimed at for liking it, or shaming the creators for making it that way per se (well, okay, sometimes I am interested in shaming the creators a lil bit). But I do think most the things about it that read as feminist to me as an American read that way because I am so far outside the original intended subculture. And I think the same is true about Madoka. You can absolutely read feminist messages in it. I certainly do. But placing these works in their original contexts tells a very different much more... regressive? picture. They were not made for women and girls. They are not made to uplift women and girls. They CAN! And they DO! Both in Japan and elsewhere! But that's anywhere from (at best) a secondary market to (at worst) a complete accident.

It's hard for some people to wrap their heads around because in America at least I think the idea of a "cute" (even if that's subverted in Madoka) media starring a large cast of only girls being for men is pretty alien to how we do stories and marketing. Here we understand playboy magazines and swimsuit editions, but we don't understand men collecting merch of a cute fictional girl they like. It would be seen as emasculating.

We understand the reverse. We get that boy bands and anime like Free! can be aimed squarely at women while being comprised entirely of men or male characters. Which is part of why I'm not shaming the male audiences, because... desiring anime tiddy isn't inherently predatory anymore than a lady desiring anime ass. And that's a crass way of putting it anyway. We don't frame hanging a boy band poster up that way, or playing a game like Mystic Messenger. It becomes more complicated because we live in a complicated patriarchal structure that protects and empowers men and women differently and unequally, but that seems like a poor reason to try to tell individual men they aren't allowed to enjoy things in a way that is obviously natural and parallels how... most humans like to enjoy some things sometimes.

But that also doesn't mean we can't look at those broad cultural patterns and... make observations. And have criticisms. And talk about how it affects people, and the back and forth between media and culture.

But, Madoka is for men first. The girls' suffering is a form of male gaze, and pretty unambiguously a kind of very very softcore torture porn for male gamer types. That's not a judgment against it, that's just its literal intended share of the market. It's a pretty easy read if you understand the context in which it was released and the culture it is coming from and catering to. My Little Pony is a little girls toy franchise. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sells toys to boys. Home & Gardens is for housewives. Top Gear is for car dads. These are true even if other people like them. When an adult fan of children's cartoons (I say, as an adult fan of children's cartoons) tries to say, "But it's not really a kids cartoon!" I feel about the same way I do when a feminist fan of some clearly male-centric media says, "But it's not really!"

And that's - own your shit. Own it. It's fine. It's fine to like it. It's fine to love it. It's fine if it means the world to you. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with you if you like a media that maybe isn't the most mature or progressive masterpiece out there. Just don't pretend there's no validity in obvious criticism. I love some real garbage made by real garbage people. I have survived.

Madoka exists in a fictional universe where the laws of that fictional universe are that 1) girls are uniquely emotional, 2) that emotion and their own aspirations can easily be harnessed against them in such a way that in the best possible universe all it does it kill them. In the normal universe it turns them into evil witches. That's just true. That's the world. I'm allowed to look at that, especially in conversation with magical girl media that came before, and go, "you know what? in that context, that's pretty fucked up" and it doesn't even mean that I stop liking the show, so I don't see why everyone else has to get so defensive about it.

(Y'all have no idea. Those posts are old now, but I got so many asks. I had to block so many people. I'm not trying to take your precious anime away calm down.)

Idk if I completely agree with the tone of my original posts - there's a little bit of offhanded vilifying of "men" as a shorthand for... all the bullshit... and I no longer love that language. I love men. Men are people. Some men can be shitty, but shitty individual men and patriarchy aren't the same. But I do still agree with all my broad points.

Plus, yes, also. The thing of a new (often male) fanbase getting into something you've been into for a long time with some new entry and acting like it both invented and fixed everything about the genre (PMMM and magical girls, Friendship is Magic and girl cartoons, Stardew Valley and farming sims) is frustrating, and to hear many an incurious nerd tell it, magical girls were floundering before Madoka! And I hate that.

Anyway, oops, I went on a little rant. That still makes it look like I don't like Madoka. I actually really do like the original series. I have rewatched it multiple times and probably will again. I even tried to play Magia Record (briefly - I couldn't really get into it). I can't speak to the many many spinoff media - but those have so many different writers and so much different lore that I think it'd probably be hard to try to pin any kind of single ethos to the franchise as a whole any more. But while I couldn't get into Magia Record I'd bet there's a short manga story or something that I'd love at this point. When you make like 200 magical girls or whatever that's bound to happen.

Thanks for the ask. Sorry Madoka fans are still so hyper defensive apparently. I hope you are able to survive them and find some better magical girl series out there. <3

[marlesbian]

for Marauders Christmas Fest by @the-marauders-fest

Prompt Childhood lovers/high school reunion

Pairing: Alice Fortescue/Lily Evans

Tags: Fluff. First love. First Kiss. Alternate Universe- No magic.

Minific

~~~~

Alice met Lily when they were 5, both were young readers and met at the local library in their small town. They became really close ever since that day, meeting at the library to read together, then they started meeting outside, at the park, the local pool. After a month they started going to each other's houses and became absolutely inseparable, because otherwise, they didn't have any other friends, two outcasts extremely smart chubby girls, whose world treated as freaks of nature, but they found home in each other.

The years went by and their friendship only grew and deepened. Lily practically lived at Alice's house and family ice cream shop, it was just a prize, being with her best friend and away from her awful sister. They did everything together, always walking around town holding hands, making friendship bracelets, they loved making each other gifts and just touching, feeling each other's presence. So the years went by, they grew up together, and knew each other better than anyone else.

Christmas 2005, they were both 13, Lily went to spend Christmas at Alice's, after having a fight with her sister. They had spent all afternoon baking cookies, pies and all the food for her dinner with Alice's dad, Steven, the chef. Dinner was awesome, so after that, they stayed in Alice's room, watching a movie cuddling to fight the cold, they did that all the time, but this time felt different, electric. Of course they knew they liked each other as more then just friends, but they were too afraid to do anything about it, since gay people weren't well seen.

- Tulip, i have to tell you something - Alice spoke all of a sudden- We're moving, my mom got a job offer in London, it's a really good job and her salary will increase significantly, so i have to go- her voice was breaking.

-What, now at the middle of the school year?

- I know this is awful but i can't stay.

- But what about me? I'm gonna miss you

- I know, im gonna miss you too, it's breaking my heart... but we can keep in touch, i'll call you every day and i can come visit..

- It's not the same... you can't go i- she desperately pleased but stopped mid sentence, then continued- I love you

- I love you too, tulip

- No... you don't get it. I LOVE you. Like i am in love with you, the way your dad loves your mom and the way people love each other in the movies... -she cried

- Oh Lily...

- You don't have to say anything, of course you don't feel the same way, im a girl and you're not bent. I'm sorry, i'll shut up now, just forget i said anything

- NO! I love you too... like that, that way. I have for a long time.

- Well, then... What now?

-Can i kiss you? I've never kissed anyone before and i dreamed of you being my first.

- YES! i mean, yes, i would love for you to kiss me.

And so they did. It was soft and innocent, the butterflies in their stomachs were bursting. They couldn't believe this was happening, so they kept doing it. They kept kissing and kissing until their lips were all red. It was awkward but it was theirs. Their moment, their first kiss, friends who have loved each other for years.

The two weeks they had together before Alice leaving was full of kisses and longing stares and softly whispered i love yous. Then Alice Left, and Lily was alone.

- 10 years later -

Its 2015, and Alice and Lily haven't spoken in the last 7 years, a lot had happened to the both of them. Alice went to film school and was working as a photographer, with a movie in the making. Lily had moved to the capital to work at a book publisher, after graduating in English literature and creative writing.

Lily Evans had been living in the capital for eight months now. She was sitting at a café, reading a book wondering why she was working during Christmas holidays, when she heard a knock in the glass. It was a short woman, with very short hair, shaved on the sides and SO many ear piercings, but she recognised her immediately, of course she would, how could she forget? It was her first kiss, her first love. The look of realisation on her face betrayed her. Alice immediately saw it, but even then entered the small shop.

- Lily! Oh god it's been ages! How are you? I meant to keep calling all these years ago, im really sorry i didn't. But ugh why am i bringing this up? Tell me about yourself! How's life been treating you? Is that a book? Are you an author now?.. oh god, im talking too much aren't i? im sorry im nervous as shit

Lily laughed, and started talking. They were both uncomfortable at first, but after the first hour, it was like time had never passed. They told each other everything, about how their sixth-terms went, about university, all of their partners and journeys coming to term with being bisexual, alice coming to terms with being gender non conforming, about their new friends and family. After the shop closed, they went on to a pub, to keep talking. When they parted their ways, saying goodbye, it took all of Lily's courage to ask

"Do you wanna spend Christmas with me? I can't go see my family so im spending it all alone. You don't have to say yes, bye the way... i'm sorry if it's too forward.. sorry forget i asked"

"I would love to spend Christmas with you, tulip"

note: i made this super unpretentiously, just a little comfort for me. i did not go 100% with the high school reunion so i cheated hehehe. also pls be kind i wrote it in like an hour

[matchakirby]

hi tumblr! I’m Eve, a queer Scottish poet returning to the motherland that is tumblr.com. I very much was in the tumblr trenches during my teen years (I spent a lottt of time on this platform between 2013-2018) but thought it was about time I returned with a new account, since I’ve been hearing tumblr is a very chill place to be rn?

embarrassingly, I used to run a fandom blog (think superwholock but heavy on the Sherlock, with some HP in there before JK Rowling showed her true terf colours) and a Muse blog (they are still my favourite band and I can now happily say I’ve seen them live 3 times!).

I’m now 23, about to graduate from uni with a English Literature & Spanish degree, where I specialised in creative writing poetry :)! I write weird, queer, eco-horror narrative poetry about transhumanism, bodies, gore, and other fun stuff. I probably won’t be using tumblr for that, but if I’ve peaked your interest you can find me on IG @ devilfruitpoems. I recently wrote a book (!) as my dissertation which I feel like tumblr would really enjoy if it still has the spirit of the site I remember lol.

right now, I’m really into mcr (obviously, I never grew out of that), old patd, other emo-aligned groups, post-punk, alternative 80s/new wave, Midwest emo, shows like the walking dead, aggretsuko, the breaking bad universe (lol), and a lot of film bro movies although I do not share their gatekeepy attitude about what’s good and what isn’t. my favourite movie is literally Lego Batman. I’m really into fashion and self-expression, so probably will document some scenemo outfits here (I am lucky enough to have a job where I can dress how I like!), and of course I’m heavy into literature. I’ve been on a real Ursula K. Le Guin kick this year, and she inspired a lot of my dissertation with her eco-horror feminist science-fiction. soooo before her time. I’m honestly into a lot more stuff, but it’s hard to think of it all compactly to write in one post lol so you can always send me an ask. I’ve recently started playing breath of the wild (I’ve put it off for years) and I’m a big Nintendo head so expect some reblogs related to games as well :)!

it’s lovely to be back, and I hope to find some cool blogs here soon! I love video essays, Internet lore, stories, as well as shitposts, so recommend me some good blogs if you can!

Thanks!

Eve

[imaginarylungfish]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "imaginarylungfish "?

yes, you most definitely can! alright, here we go!

The Distance of Differences: this is my all-time favorite fic. it actually got me into todobakudeku for good. before reading this, i really only into tododeku and never bakudeku or todobaku. but damn, the storyline was really interesting, and the characterizations were great. i loved the dynamic between shouto, katsuki, and izuku. plus, i liked seeing how they all interacted with their classmates years later. i go back to this fic when i'm having a bad day cause i know it'll cheer me up!

Don't Say Goodbye: this one sticks out as a favorite of mine for similar reasons to the last one: an interesting storyline and great characterizations. i really liked how respectful and thoughtful sasaki and miyano were of each other (nothing new, but great to see it lasted into adulthood). plus, it was just cool to see them be able be a little family.

Ten Years, One Torch: this is my favorite tododeku fic. probably because i think the characterizations are pretty on point and because if shouto and izuku are together, then i need katsuki and eijirou to be together too lol. i just think the background ships are really spot on which helped me fall in love with this fic.

Look at Me, I Hear You: i normally am not one to find alternate universe fics enjoyable, but this was an exception (probably because the characterizations were still spot on). i really liked how katsuki and eijirou find a way to communicate with each other even with their challenges. i used to be pretty sick/disabled, so i think i have a soft spot for fics that show disabilities in a way that is just a normal part of living.

Your Hand in Mine (In Every Universe): so i'm not a huge bakudeku fan (i'm really only into bakudeku if it's todobakudeku) but this fic was really creative and i really enjoyed it. i think the characterization of katsuki was really spot on, even with the different versions of him.

Falling in Love at the Photo Shop: i think i'm a sucker for some oblivious-in-love fics like this. it's just really cute when two characters already act like a couple, then they realize they love each other. this is the story i wish was canon lol

Love, or Something Like That: kinda similar to the last fic's reasoning. oblivious-in-love and acting like a couple. it was nice to have a fic about kazurei after the christmas party/pre-time skip. this is what i wish happened lol

Bakugo Katsuki's Guide to Ignoring PTSD: ok so i know i said i don't really like alternate universe fics, but i like this one okayyy? probably because i also have ptsd and it was just really relatable. i also love how katsuki's friends are just there for him. plus, todobakudeku!

Of Duckies, Justice, and Life's Other Mysteries: ok so i haven't posted this anywhere before because it's not a finished fic (and i do hope the writer finishes it!!). but i really like this fic--it takes up my brain space lol. it feels like a cross between link click and buddy daddies, so it's up my alley. i love the premise and just wish there was more!

Crash Course on Intoxication: i realize i don't have many satosugu fic favs because there story is just usually depressing. but hey look, here's an alternative universe fic (lol maybe i'm okay with alt uni fics idk). this one also isn't finished but i really like it so far. it i think how gojo acts in this fic is relatable for me (as i was a closeted queer in college) and idk the characterizations are believable to me.

wow, that was fun!

now, imaginarylungfish? well, my favorite animal is a lungfish. why? lungfish live in drought-ridden environments. so, when there is water, they breathe through their gills. but when the water dries up, they secrete mucous that forms a protective cocoon around themselves. they go into torpor (like hibernation) while breathing with their lungs until the water returns. i think that is amazing! they are super resilient and idk i find that cool.

the imaginary part is just cause idk i feel like i have a big imagination sometimes and also, what is real anyway? what if we're all just imagining life... spoopy

[su8arandspite]

Babysitting Wars

Summary: Steve and Beth engage in a friendly competition for the title of best babysitter. Or, alternatively, the one where Steve uses a bet to his advantage.

steve harrington x female!oc

warnings and content: not much, fluff, short

A/N: this was something i wrote in 2018 so pls forgive me. but it's my birthday today so i am celebrating with a bit of stethany

word count: 1k

THE kids’ bikes raced in the direction of the arcade before Beth could even get a word in. With a heavy sigh, she set the cookie dough she’d been mixing down on the counter. Arms crossed over her chest, she whipped around to glare at the other teenager. 

“Steve!”

Steve shuddered under the intensity of her gaze, a sheepish grin working its way across his lips. This side of her, usually reserved for when one of the kids stepped out of line, shocked him. While just last week he’d sniggered at the sight of her chewing out Mike Wheeler for an off-handedly sexist comment, Steve found no humor in the look on her face when directed at him.

“What’re you doing?” she scolded. “You heard what Joyce said; they’re meant to stay here.”

“It’s just for an hour,” he offered.

When her expression remained unchanged, he lifted his palms in surrender.

“I’m a damn good babysitter!”

“You don’t know the first thing about babysitting,” she said, brows cocked. “I bet you probably let them watch whatever movie they want because you believed them when they told you that their ‘mom said it was okay.’” 

A giggled died in her throat at the guilty smile on his lips. 

“Oh, my god!” 

“Tell you what—why don’t we let those little shits—"

“Kids, Steve. They’re kids.”

“Yeah, Okay. Fine. Let the kids decide who’s the better babysitter.”

“Like a competition?”

“Yeah. If I win, you’re spending the entire weekend with me. No questions asked.”

“And if I win?”

“I’ll take you to see that Michael J. Fox movie for the 20th time, and I promise I won’t even tease you for drooling.”

“All right,” she smirked. “I’ll take that bet. Game on, Harrington.”

Beth’s competitive streak brought out a side of her Steve didn’t even know existed. While he figured she brought home all those cheerleading trophies for her team using more than that sweet smile of hers, he had no clue what he was really up against.

In a competition with no rules, Beth chose to get creative. 

As she leaned in closer, reminiscent of the day that had officially marked the start of their friendship, the pad of her thumb wiped at his cheek, erasing an imaginary stain. 

He gaped down at her, using whatever self-restraint he had left to keep from pulling her flush to him. Steve seemed to have trouble thinking of anything other than what her lips might taste like lately.

“Something a matter, Harrington?”

Feigning innocence, she chewed on her lower lip. Steve’s cheeks flushed a scarlet color, suddenly worried she could hear his thoughts.

“I-I, uh,” he cleared his throat. “Beth?”

“Hm?”

“Can I kiss y—“

“Steve,” a voice chastised from the hallway. “C’mon, man! That’s, like, the universal first rule of babysitting. ‘No boys,’ duh—"

“You mean girls, Dustin. I like girls”

“If you say so… Not my fault you’re the only male babysitter in existence. Beth-1, Steve-0.”

“Better luck next time, then?”

He didn’t need to catch the look on her face to see her triumph smirk as she slipped past him and into the living room.

After that, Steve decided to up his ante. He got his first point by convincing one of the girls on the cheer team to call Beth with some made-up conflict, knowing she would stay on the phone until she had it in her mind that everything was fine with who he’d heard her refer to in the past as ‘her girls.’

Ordinarily, her maternal approach to most things warmed his heart. He often thought she might make the perfect mother—a thought he kept to himself, of course. But he really, really wanted to use this as an excuse to take her out on a real date and he didn’t think he could win against her if he played it fair.

Dustin’s face lit up like Christmas morning at the news of their bet and even more so at the stakes. In hindsight, they should’ve known better than to assume any of those kids would play fairly. While Dustin promised Steve not to meddle in his relationship with Beth anymore, this game was the perfect loophole.

He freely tossed points around for made-up rules. 

Dustin wasn’t entirely sure how many of those points Steve deserved, but he knew Beth. He knew otherwise she would win, and they’d stay in the limbo between friends and lovers. Dustin thought he had it figured out- until the end of the week left them with an even score of 5 to 5, thanks to Will.

While Steve hadn’t been able to stand the sight of the pool in his backyard for the past year, he felt right at home with Beth by his side. Just her feet dangled in the water, which the heater could bring only to a lukewarm temperature in the December weather. 

“So,” she said. “Do we have to do both things now?”

Steve chuckled lightly.

“Maybe. But mine was better.”

“Yeah,” she rolled her eyes, stifling laughter. “If you say so.”

He held his hands up to his right ear in a mock-telephone, smirking:

“Hello, 911? I’d like to report a loser.”

“Steve, what are you even talking about? It was a tie!”

“Nah,” he pulled her closer. “Not really, ‘cuz I still won the girl.”

With one playful shove to the shoulder, she sent him splashing into the pool. Steve smiled through the salty taste of chlorine and dragged her by the ankle down after him.

As she resurfaced, Beth pushed her sopping hair from her eyes with a chuckle.

“For the record, Steve,” she said. “You could just ask me on a date next time.”

“There’s gonna be a next time?”

“Not if you aren’t careful, Harrington.”

Steve imagined he looked ridiculous standing in the shallow end of his pool, fully clothed and stuttering over his words. Beth couldn’t help but think she could get used to the sight.