#I’m sure there’s others in the fandom that have offered something similar

[zemnian-newcomer]

Fanfic writers of Critical Role (specifically C2)

This is an open invitation to come ask or dm me for all your Zemnian translation needs.

I’m not a professional translator, but I am a native speaker and can make sure the spelling and grammar is correct and sounds natural.

No judgement on your ships or lack thereof. No shame for not learning an entire language for fanfiction purposes, but it can be a complex one (especially when you’re used to English) and google translate only goes so far.

[sleepingdeath-light]

having a gomez and morticia-esque dynamic with his fem overlord s/o hcs ; alastor

requested by ; anonymous (15/02/24)

fandom(s) ; hazbin hotel

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; alastor

outline ; “So good to have you back!

Can I request Alastair with an fem Overlord! Reader? Like they have a relationship similar to Morticia and Gomez Addams, especially when Mortica says “Don’t torture yourself Gomez, that’s my job.” Reader is just elegant and classy in a sense with her man 👀”

note ; there are some potentially (very mildly) ooc bits here and there for the sake of filling the prompt, but otherwise this is exactly what the outline requested as best as i could write it lol ^^

warning(s) ; references to canon-typical levels of violence, but mostly fluff!

the two of you are, to put it bluntly, a match made in hell — which is rather fitting as your first meeting occurred in hell itself shortly after alastor’s reign of terror as ‘the radio demon’ had first began

very few people are aware that the two of you are in a relationship, or that you know each other at all, and that’s simply because neither of you see the point in broadcasting your attachments and personal lives to the entirety of hell — your husband may be an egotistical radio broadcaster with a kill count that most sinners can only dream of achieving, but he preferred to keep his private life private and your marriage was just one of those things

(of course rosie is keenly aware of the two of you and teases alastor relentlessly, and lovingly, for how utterly in love with you he is — but he lets it slide because he knows she means well and wouldn’t dream of causing you harm)

but when you’re together it’s plainly obvious, even to those who don’t know you well at all, that the two of you are deeply obsessed with each other — that’s mainly down to your unusual, and yet somehow not at all surprising for the two of you, displays of affection which most would find deeply off putting

of course your alastor is a gentleman and can appreciate the more traditional romantic displays — he never fails to greet you with a kiss on the back of your hand and a bouquet of the finest flora hell has to offer, and he’s always ready to offer you his jacket if you complain about the weather — but it doesn’t just stop at those more ‘normal’ acts (something that you come to be more and more grateful for as your relationship progresses from courting to dating to something resembling marriage without all of the formal paperwork)

there are displays of affection that are more reliant on his more cannibalistic side, for one: diligently licking any and all of your wounds clean whilst earnestly complimenting the rich flavour of your blood (after dealing with whichever poor soul decided to go after you in the first place), talking cheerily about all of the ways he’d prepare your flesh if ever you let him (and listening with rapt attention as you discussed your own plans for any errant limbs or slabs of flesh that he may lose in battle), making sure to get to rosie’s cafè as early as possible to ensure that you only get the best of your favourite baked treats, and staring hungrily down at you as you gingerly wipe the blood from his lips and cheeks with your fingers and lick them clean in a way that most anyone else would find disturbing

there are shows of love that lean more into your mutual sadistic tendencies: kissing sweetly whilst the blood of your victims is still fresh on your skin and clothes, slow dancing to whatever song he’s broadcasting from his radio on top of the corpses of your slain targets, wistfully admiring each other as you rage and show your full demonic forms to anyone who dared to cross you (a precursor for plenty of compliments and private affection later on, i’m sure), and you stepping forward and coaxing him out of a violent episode by insisting that he should torture you instead with that sweet tone of voice that you know he can’t say ‘no’ to

there are acts that are a mixture of the three — such as you calling each other the sweetest pet names in a mixture of your spoken languages (‘love’, ‘cher’, ‘dearest’, etc.) before going on to say something truly monstrous that would have everyone else in earshot staring with a mixture of horror and disgust, or him taking you out to get your tailored clothes repaired since he so loves taking care of you after a spat with another (now likely very dead) overlord left your clothes torn in places and stained with all sorts of viscera

and, of course, amongst all of that you can guarantee that alastor is being nothing short of encouraging, adoring, and protective over you (read: quick to threaten anyone who intends to cause you harm into silence and slaughtering anyone who refuses to comply with that warning) and your honour as you go about your life as an overlord alongside him — he knows you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but he was raised to be a gentleman and he’s certainly not going to stop being one just because he happened to go to hell

truly, it’s like the two of you were made for each other

[bullet-prooflove]

Check In: Leroy Jethro Gibbs x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @riley-kore @ilovemark1951 @love-affair-with-fandoms @mishkatelwarriorgoddess

Companion piece to:

The Ice Queen - Gibbs meets The Ice Queen for the first time.

Break The Ice - A act of decency helps Gibbs to break the ice.

Umbrella - Gibbs gets more than he bargained for when he offers you his umbrella.

Grave - You and Gibbs bump into each other in an unexpected place.

Safe - You and Gibbs work through your grief in different wa

After the pager message the night before Gibbs makes the point of seeking you out the next day. He tries to be covert about it, pretending he’s picking up some files for Franks but you see through it the instant he steps into your workspace.

“I’m fine Gibbs.” You state as you continue to write down your notes on the clipboard clasped between your hands. The autopsy you’ve recently completed has been tidied away but the instruments are there, glistening in the light, waiting to be cleaned.

His cursory overview of you indicates that you are fine after last night’s activities. There’s no bruises that he can see, no change to your affect. The tension in your shoulders is now absent, your mood improved. He might be concerned about the method in which you defuse your frustration but he can’t refute it.

“I just wanted to make sure.” He tells you, his palm rubbing over the nape of his neck. “You’re one of the few people I’d count as a friend-”

“And it wouldn’t do if I’d ended up murdered by one of the men I’d taken home.” You remark, your gaze flickering up to meet his. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

What he’s come to understand during the time the two of you have spent together is that no one has worried about you for a long time, not since your sister died. Your parents are long gone, killed an accident during medical school and your friends had drifted away after Violet’s death because they didn’t understand your grief, the emotions that come with it.

“But I do.” He tells you, maintaining eye contact. “And that doesn’t stop when I go home at night.”

You look away then, hugging the clipboard to your chest as if it were a barrier between the two of you. You don’t let people get close, you don’t let them care for you. It’s a lonely existence, one that he understands acutely.

“I don’t need that from you.” You tell him.

And he reads the message loud and clear. You don’t need that from anyone. It’s a defensive response because things are changing in your life, the Thursday night catch ups, the walking you home, his concern about your safety, you aren’t used to those things. So you react like this, with cynicism because you’ve been taught that everything comes with an ulterior motive.

“I know you don’t need it.” He tells you, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “But it’s kind of a prerequisite when you care about somebody, when you spend time with them, tell them your secrets.”

You don’t know how to process that, he can tell from the way your grip tightens on the clipboard. He understands that he’s being too much right now, that this is overwhelming for you so he retreats because the last thing he wants is to make you feel uncomfortable.

“Look I just wanted to check in on you.” He says quietly. “That’s all and now that I can see you’re ok, I’ll just go about my day, completing paperwork and ignoring the printer.”

He turns towards the door, pausing as he hears his name leave your lips like a sigh.

“Jethro…” You say and he tilts his head towards you with an inquiring look. “Maybe we make that a thing, me paging you after I take someone home.”

He knows that you’re thinking about what happened to your sister. The type of crime, the horror of it. She did everything right and she still ended up brutalised. With your risk taking behaviour, the odds of something similar or worse happening to you increase exponentially. He understands that right now, that’s not something you can stop and he would never ask you to but you can put measures in place, fail safes as it were.

“Call, page, carrier pigeon, whatever it is I don’t care.” He says finally. “Just know if you need me I’m there, anytime, day or night.”

Love Gibbs? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[arbiterlexultionis]

Danny and the Spooks Pt2

This is a continuation of my other post Here

More specifically, this is where I’m dumping my ideas for it that involve crossovers, mostly with DC, as I know that stuff isn’t some peoples cuppa tea, and wanted to make sure it could be viewed and enjoyed by all.

So, I’ve come up with two ways for Danny and the spooks to mix with other fandoms. 1) Danny’s a known entity and (somewhat) trusted ally who is super protective/secretive about the tiny ass town he micromanages and 2) Danny and the ghost issues of Amity are more less unknowns and the hero’s of the verse show up only to be met with a (somewhat) functional crime fighting organization.

I’ll do the first version in this post and the second probably in a different post.

Phantom was one of the founding members of the league, and one of the most mysterious members at that. Although most of them had known about each other and occasionally worked together long before they came together officially 3 years ago to fend of Darkseid and found the league Phatom himself had come out of left field so to speak. Appearing with no warning in his bulky Hazmat suit and barely saying a word for most of the crisis, they didn’t really have any choice but to accept his help regardless of their (Batman’s) skepticism, and that decision to trust him payed out in the end as Phantom, despite being a complete unknown that could stay under the radar at that point, was apparently strong enough to give Supes and Wonder Woman a run for their money. They threw around a lot of theories about the guy, Superman seemed convince he was some type of alien while others thought he was a meta. Batman’s theory of choice was that he was a time traveler form the future with advanced nano technology, using cave paintings and historical records from across the globe that duplicated him as evidence. Aquaman and Dr. Fate think he’s some type of lord of order or God, with a capital G, because there was apparently some strikingly similar being who fought a Chaos deity to try and stop Atlantis from sinking.

But every attempt to actually investigate has ended “inconclusively”, as after Batman finally tracked down which town Phantom watched over he only got a few steps in before he got gently grabbed buy the cape and flew several states away like a misbehaving kitten getting grabbed by the scruff. Flash got the farthest in of anyone, sprinting in and getting about a block in before just appearing in Canada with sticky note attached to his forehead reading “Please stop stalking my grandson. :-) -CW.”

So when they were all in a meeting discussing where to keep the young justice team they were all surprised, to say the least, when Phantom offered to take them in and look after them Inside of Amity. Apparently(supposedly) the main reason he keeps everyone so far away from his town is because no one in the league has the experience and skill set necessary to properly combat his rouges, and gaining the experience and skill would probably include several mind control/body snatching/cloning/imposters/potential world endangering events and that just wouldn’t be worth the risk, especially with all of that resulting in their own rouges getting into contact with his, a recipe for one shitty weekend as he put it. But a little less than a week ago Luther used an intermediary to hire one of phantoms rouges to hunt Superman, which explains the bandage on Superman’s side. So now that the cats out of the bag Phantom want to make the kitty purr and prepare the rest of the heroics community for “the complete and utter nonsensical shenanaganery that he’s stuck dealing with” and The Team seems like a good opportunity for it.

I envision this whole meeting probably being told from Flash’s point of view, as he’s smart and goofy enough for some good humor and exposition but I guess it works for anyone. The Young Justice team wind up in mount justice while the main base of the Spooks, called the Grave or something else suitably on brand, is prepared just long enough to get bored and go rescue Superboy. Then the whole team and some of the justice league step foot into Amity for the first time, and then get a whole PowerPoint presentation explaining the town and its BS and are just Shook when they find out that Phantoms not some meta or alien or time traveling genius inventor but just some dead dude.

The team essentially gets fast tracked through the training for Spooks to make sure there up to snuff and begin patrolling and stuff. At first Superboy just can’t handle working in the R.I.P.D. and then he finds a ghost who whole shtick is “I need to punch shit”, which bridges the gap between the fighting he knows and the negotiations he doesn’t and helps him learn more about diplomacy and chill out, can’t decided if I want the ghost in question to be a boxer, sumo wrestler or really over the top westler.

As practice living a double life and going under cover they all have to get jobs and be Normal, but they all suck at being Normal. It just straight up doesn’t cross Superboy mind that normal people can’t use motorcycles to beat up convenience store robbers. At first he goes for the car, stops and goes wait a second that’s not something normal people can do and I’m Normal, so he picks up a Harley like “Yep, this is completely average amount of strength.”

Wally’s working in the kitchen of a restaurant and keeps accidentally using his super speed. Not enough to glow or spark, but more than enough for people to freak out. But he’s doing the work of 4 people which means management need 3 less people to pay so they just let him do his thing.

Robins such a gremlin that people think he’s straight up a child ghost very poorly disguising himself as a human child, using rafters and vents as short cuts with the justification “it’s not weird if they don’t see me do it” which makes it seem like he’s using invisibility, intangibility and teleportation to get around. He’s so quite when he walks that people come to the conclusion that he’s forgetting to walk and just floating places and/or trying to look like he’s walking like a Perfectly Normal Human Child but not actually making contact with the ground on accident.

All the locals see all this stuff and just go “Kids are kids, ghost, human or ecto-contaminated to hell and back.” And all make a group effort to hide them from the Fentons and GIW. The team, which is actively trying to investigate both groups, becomes convinced that the people they work for are in cahoots with the GIW and hiding their activities, but every time they switch jobs it takes like, a week for the GIW to get to them again(for them to go “oh poor children” and try and keep them safe).

It doesn’t help that the first friend they made in town is a scrawny little black haired blue eyed twink that they saw beat a mothafucka with another mothafucka in an alleyway on the first day of class, constantly pulls off what should be nearly impossible acts and disappears without a trace, further twisting their idea of what is within normal human limits. (They saw Danny fighting Skulker in human form at 3am in the Nasty burger parking lot because he was to lazy to shift forms, and they use the fact that the kid that can nonchalantly throw hands with a nine foot tall T9000 knock off as an excuse to get away with stuff. “Mr. I-fight-death-bots-with-my-bare-hands is the weakling at the bottom of the food chain, so me being able to do this it Normal. Probably.”)

Just a few ideas I had for this, will probably post more later. Drink some water and chill, peace out.

[starboysbrainrot]

Since it’s jetko week, do you any hc about jetko ? Any hot takes about jetko ? Any specific thoughts ?

hey anon !

i think that my fav hc jetko would have to be either Jet becoming his personal bodyguard, first as an attempt to “keep the new Firelord in check” and then in an attempt to just protect Zuko when he sees how often Zuko’s life is threatened by him being the new Firelord.

or Jet & Zuko living together far from any big cities, with a big family, after abolishing the FN monarchy. it’s probably the least realistic one but it’s I think the one where both get that they deserve : a peaceful life, filled with love and happiness.

now if we’re speaking about hot takes, i posted this thread on x bc anon inspired me to put my thoughts on paper so I’m just gonna copy past it here

it’s not specifically jetko thoughts but I do think that the fandom tends to be too harsh on Jet & Zuko in one specific episode. and for me that’s City of Walls and Secret.

now don’t get me wrong. yes, Zuko was lying about his identity, yes Jet was stalking two people and started a fight, but that’s really, textually, not that bad. Jet is traumatised, paranoid and stressed so when he has the slightest hint that maybe Iroh might be a firbender he’s TERRIFIED literally and every single part of his brain that might think rationally just doesn’t work anymore. and that’s perfectly understandable given what happened to him.

that’s doesn’t make it 100% ok since, yeah they are so many EK citizens that might come from colonies, with mixed heritage, or with fn ancestry that might make them a firebender without being fire nation, and Jet had no way of being sure about this. but as I said his reaction is textually completely understandable.

now for Zuko, he would be in mortal danger if his identity was revealed (which people tend to forget) and he cannot afford to give up on his secret identity for a boy he barely knows. I know y’all like to make it big by saying he kind of betrayed jet’s trust, but jetko, as much as I love it spent max a few days together on the ferry, and that’s it. that’s literally it.

zuko even declines Jet’s offer because he cannot afford being close to someone when he is hiding his identity. cuz it would be risky, it would be even more lying, etc. it’s perfectly understandable and sincerely it funny that out of all the horrible things Zuko did it’s often that one that people will point out. I know that canon divergent jetko au might use that angst potential with Zuko lying to Jet but in canon it’s really not that deep. if he doesn’t lie = he dies/or gets imprisoned at BEST. if he does lie, he gets a chance at surviving both the EK and the FN. and that’s basically it.

as much as it is a popular trope to make Zuko or Jet guilty in jetko fics, I really don’t like it because canon jetko and fanon jetko are really two different things. canon jetko isn’t about betrayal. it’s more about how two severely flawed and traumatised teenagers start to form somehow a friendship because of how similar they are, but the instance of war, trauma and the sick need of survival get between them and tore them apart before they start to remotely form a meaningful relationship.

like in canon these two boys owe each other NOTHING. and I mean it. no Jet doesn’t owe Zuko his trust and no Zuko doesn’t owe Jet his honesty. not in that specific context. and that’s something that a lot of people don’t get about these two in canon

people even fail to realise that Jet’s lack of trust and hostility towards even the slightest hint of firebending & zuko trying to survive, burying his honesty to do so, are wonderful parallels that could be exploited in fics. not necessarily the “you lied/you attacked me” but just the “I had no other choice, I’m sorry” which is so much more tragic.

I would add that this specific trope of “Zuko earning Jet’s forgiveness” when it one sided doesn’t work for me. it works for ships like maiko or zukka, and especially zutara, but not really jetko. at least not if it isn’t reciprocated. like both guys did horrible things but none of these “horrible things” were directed towards eachother.

what happened in BSS is ultimately tragic because both didn’t had another choice. both were clinging on the idea of surviving. both were terrified by what could happen to them. DO YOU SEE HOW TRAGIC THAT IS 😔

[shierak-inavva]

Listen.

I genuinely shipped Remy x Rogue from the series and some moments in the comics.

Erik x Rogue just happened to be another pairing I later shipped in addition bc I was fascinated by all of their interactions in the comics.

I knew Remy x Rogue were THE pairing though, so I left it at that.

Then ‘97 happened.

I love Remy and him with Rogue to bits…

but my heart has been beating SO ARDENTLY from all of the moments with Erik x Rogue.

I haven’t been so passionate about a non-status quo pairing since X-Men: Evolution (Cyclops x Rogue 😅), and my heart just ACHES so much for Rogueneto to have a canon happy ending since the comics keep fumbling that up.

anon, man, i get you. i’m new to this fandom entirely but i’m not particularly a fan of the rogue/gambit relationship from what i’ve seen of it��but then rogue/magneto is way more geared towards my personal tastes anyways.

i actually got into '97 BECAUSE i learned about the rogue/magneto relationship and i was so intrigued by the idea of it (my only knowledge at that time of these two characters was ian mckellan and anna paquin and i thought 'well god that's wild as hell i gotta see this' and then BOOM magneto was out here lookin like THAT and of course i got hooked are you KIDDING me) and i was instantly drawn to the dynamic between them and the intrigue of their relationship. getting to see them coming together at the end of episode 2 like that was...well, it cemented the whole thing for me, the girl who no one can touch and who can't touch anyone else, who craves physical intimacy and connection, finally having someone who can touch and be touched by her?? oh my god. the way she melted when he touched her hand, i'm still just unwell over it.

(also scott/rogue in evolution was super cute potentially so you're so real for that fr)

but i think what really draws me to them as a ship is how intensely and deeply their relationship goes in the comics. these are two people who forged a bond with each other that's lasted for years--even when they've been apart or with other people (gambit, for instance) they're still orbiting each other. rogue is always the one person to trust erik, to believe she can still appeal to him or that he can be reasoned with and erik is always there when and if rogue needs help, needs him. PERSONALLY i think that they've fallen together and apart in the comics like they have because they're both so similar and and both so self-sacrificing that they're willing to give up their own happiness together to try and make others happy, to meet outside expectations, and because i think they're both afraid of actually accepting happiness together. rogue is also, i think, not prepared for the kind of relationship/life that erik is offering her. he's intense, and his life is intense, and honestly if she were to choose to be with him it would mean accepting power and accepting the love of someone who wants to help her grow and evolve and be powerful because he sees potential in her and views her not just as a lover but as a partner and an equal. and for someone as powerful as magneto to see you as an equal....i mean i'm sure yall can do the math there.

i'd love to see them both fully embrace a relationship and a life together, but i know that's probably not gonna come together in the comics for us 😮‍💨 at least certainly not any time soon; but the relationship we've been getting bits and pieces of in '97 has the potential to be something really interesting and really satisfying, so i'm hoping they do more with it moving forward !!

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Holiday Gift Exchange

Happy holiday season y'all, time for another gift exchange! First of all huge thank you to @ginevrastilinski-ocs for deciding for me to make this an exchange because I was very indecisive lol

Running this very similar to my other exchanges, the only real difference is that submissions are going to be through google forms instead, which I did do last Christmas but haven't done in a while lol (I always forget how much easier it makes things whoops)

I’m going to be offering a lot of different types of gifts just for fun, but there are no rules or restrictions on what gifts can be made in return!  Absolutely anything is completely and totally a-okay, plus every request can also come with a crossover gift request, two-for-one no extra exchange required!  I won’t post a gift until you’ve posted yours, but you can submit as many requests as you’d like before posting any gifts – Each form asks for you to choose three gift options per submission (three for ocs and three for crossovers) and I’ll choose one of them, but you’re welcome to submit as many forms and ocs as you want!

As of now, this will be running until midnight of December 31st, but I might extend it to New Year's if I feel up for it, or if I'm running behind on making gifts!  The rules and the submission form are below the cut!

Any submissions that disregard any of the rules will be deleted

Submit here!

( tagging some of the besties but this is by no means exclusive, anyone is welcome to submit even if we've never spoken before! @the-witching-ash @ocmerunaway @ginevrastilinski-ocs @manyfandomocs @cecexwrites

@darknightfrombeyond @megdonnellys @kendelias @thecaptainsgingersnap @negative-speedforce-ocs @vexilexicon)

Rules

Must be following me

Must reblog this post

Submit the form

You can submit as many forms as you want but each form requires at least three gift options! There are plenty of options to choose from but if you want to request something different, there is a something else/specify section option too but I can't guarantee being able to do that 

Make sure to fill out the information sections for each option you choose (or all of them if you select anything/surprise) – I know it's a lot but this is the only way I can make gifts that are personalized to your ocs

( you don’t need to make me something for each option or for crossovers, the exchange would be making one gift for each form that you submit )

If you select “other” as a gift type, please specify what you would like

I won’t post a gift until you’ve posted yours, but you can multiple requests before posting anything!

Info:

The form has follow up questions for different edit types. You don’t need to fill out the information for types you aren’t requesting so they aren’t marked as required but they are needed if you are requesting a gift of that type

With that: drabbles are an option (for crossovers only), there is a spot that asks for ideas. This is not strictly a requirement but it would help me a lot if you gave me ideas for a vibe (happy, angst, soft, smut, etc whatever), a scenario, or even something from my prompt list tag! You don’t have to but it would help make sure that I’m writing something you’re interested in and going to enjoy

Gifts can be posted privately, just send me the link as an ask or submission

If there’s anything you’d like that isn’t an option here, shoot me an ask/message – I don’t want to guarantee anything but I’m also sure that there are things that I’d be totally happy to do and just forgot to include

I have a very small list of faces and fandoms I'm not comfortable editing for so if your request includes one of them I will reach out!

As a general rule I will not do any gifs with youtubers, singers, or models (unless they also have acting content), anything with pedophilia or incest, any medical content or medical fandoms (whether that's the fandom the oc is is or the fandom their oc is from), any requests including these will be deleted

The "other character" option applies to any edit type, but outside of crackship gifs & family edits & manips, that does not guarantee that I will use the other character. You can also list more than one option (within reason) but that doesn't mean that I will use all of them

Really truly feel like I've exhausted this post but if you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me an ask or message!

Password: snowballs

[magefeathers]

In honor of TMBTE’s first birthday I’ve decided to finally unleash my dissertation on my unusual interpretation(s) of Sleep! I’ve only ever seen one person who had a similar outlook to me, and they said they received some Negative Feedback on their views, so uh, don’t shoot me?

My favorite thing about this band's fandom is exploration of the lore, how open to interpretation everything is, and how welcome we are to find our own stories within the source material. I love reading how other people interpret certain songs, or the overarching story, differently from each other based on their own outlooks and experiences. That's what I think the point is. So I want to be clear that I'm not trying to say I'm right, I'm not trying to say anyone else is wrong, I'm just expressing my own opinion.

Grab a drink, it's a long one. I won't give a TL;DR because I don't want people to reactively shoot down my theory without reading my reasoning, but I will say it deviates from the more standard interpretations in two ways:

I don't believe Sleep is meant to be an actual deity, I think it's meant to be more allegorical, a metaphor for something real.

I don't think the music, or the story being told, is about Sleep.

I'm sorry if I've already lost you with the first point. I'm sorry if I seem like a party pooper. I love the aesthetic and the worldbuilding and the symbolism, and I love the creativity of the fans who build out the story on the premise of Vessel actually communing with and having some manner of relationship with this great, unknowable, ancient deity. The issue for me is that I can only read that story if I already have that story in my mind, if that makes sense. Sure, I can make the songs fit that narrative, but I never would have arrived at that narrative on my own, without first reading that the band was made to worship this deity. And in my mind, if I couldn't arrive at that conclusion naturally, without being led there, then it probably wasn't the conclusion I was meant to arrive at.

For a while, I could vibe with the idea that Sleep was supposed to be a metaphor for a lover, either present or former, and a toxic relationship he was struggling or had struggled with. But as I delved deeper into their catalogue I very much lost the impression that all of these songs were about one singular person, or even that all of the songs were about romantic relationships in general. And as I got more into the fandom and found out that there was more official dialogue from the band than just the "One Single Interview" everyone talked about, I realized that trying to fit the songs to all be about one person or thing would never work, because the songs weren't about Sleep, there were merely gifts to Sleep.

Now, I could have sworn that when I first got into the band’s lore I read on their official website that their songs are offerings to Sleep - not about Sleep, the way everyone seems to interpret them. That no longer appears to be the case. I have this screenshot that I took of part of what I remember reading, but I distinctly recall there being another paragraph or two in addition to what I cropped, and unfortunately my PC doesn’t show me the link the screenshot was taken on, like my phone would. And in re-reading the text in the screenshot, it does seem to be speaking about Sleep Token as a separate entity so I may be entirely misremembering how official of a source it was ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Regardless, I’ve seen multiple articles that word it in this manner, that the songs are for Sleep rather than about Sleep, and nowhere in the official sources I’ve found is it said that the songs are about Sleep, so I’m going to assume I’m right and continue under the assumption I’ve worked under all along: that the songs are not, in fact, about Sleep.

They are, however, for Sleep. This has never been debated. The songs are tokens, or offerings, to Sleep.

So, let me share with you the official communications that developed my theory. In addition to what I've commonly seen referred to as their "only interview" before II's drumeo video, I've found (poor quality) scans of two magazine spreads, one from Kerrang! and another I'm unsure of the source of, both featuring Jaws. I read most of these after having watched videos of rituals and reading transcripts of the conversation between Vessel and, presumably, his mask, that took place on last year's tour, as well as the monologue from The Room Below. I started to notice a common theme between that more recent conversation and these much earlier interviews, that for some reason surprised me: Vessel had wanted the fans to project onto the music all along.

Noteworthy quotes from the linked sources, in roughly chronological order:

“Our verses are a token, crafted to magnify and embody the multitude of emotion that writhes in our subconscious. Sonically our voice is rooted in the resonation between the notes and your emotion.”

“As musicians we are inspired by the human condition [...]. As followers we are bound by a duty to combine our crafts to create music that conveys some of our most primal, and powerful emotions.”

“We are here to deliver a message; touch people in their hearts and subconscious minds.”

“There exists a considerable body of art that explores the deeper recesses of the human mind. Sleep Token serve as a means to explore this on an individual basis. The music is a representation of one individual’s deepest and most fundamental emotions and desires. This is what people connect to. They see themselves in this individual, and the music becomes about them.”

“The aim is to provide something people can engage with without being obstructed by the identity of its creator.”

“The ultimate goal is to engender a constructive emotional process within as many people as possible. Simply the basic concept of understanding oneself better, understanding others better as a result.”

“Sleep Token draw from the most profound experiences we have in life and, most crucially, where they intersect. [...] To see this within yourself, and then to see it reflected in others - this is the essence of worship.”

“We all desire to see the darkest, most profound aspects of ourselves reflected in the expressions of others. [...] We’re here to provide this expression, so it may serve as a device with which people might understand themselves better.”

"We are here to silently collect. To project ourselves onto one-another."

"Perhaps that is another reason why we are here. At the very least, we have all suffered."

"I think they just want to know that I am feeling something, feeling what they are feeling, perhaps."

"In order for all of this to work there has to be a certain boundary in place. They need to be able to project themselves onto this without anyone else's identity getting in the way. In turn, I need to be able to show my true self to them in a way that does not compromise their ability to connect."

"They, too, are pained. They, too, do not know who they truly are. They are each stood alone on a stage of their own. And yet, they are here. United by that sense of never truly belonging. They see something beyond their own bleak horizons, and they reach for it. Together. So let us join now, to reflect their joy and to serve as a conduit for their anguish. To swallow their fear."

And finally, from the Fall For Me music video: "So for now let me serve as a living drama of your pain. If we are to be submerged let us be submerged together."

When I place them right next to each other, it's probably easier to see the common theme that I caught onto. I cycled through a few ideas - including Vessel himself being Sleep, or Sleep representing music and the connection it can foster between people - but I kept coming back to the way Vessel has repeatedly talked about fans projecting onto the music, examining themselves through it, understanding themselves through it. Projecting ourselves onto him, seeing ourselves in him, trying to understand ourselves through our interpretations of his story.

He's a Vessel for us. The songs are tokens, offerings, to us. We, the fans, are Sleep. The songs are gifts for us to examine ourselves through, to help us delve into our own experiences and emotional responses and understand ourselves - and, in turn, understand each other. It isn't Vessel that we are worshipping, it's ourselves and each other that we see in Vessel. I could even get really sentimental and cheesy if I wanted and say that Vessel directly worships us as well, albeit wordlessly, with his deep bows and falling to his knees in appreciation of his audience.

And just to reiterate, I don't think the songs are about Sleep. Although I think an argument could possibly be made about the toxic relationship between Vessel and Sleep being a metaphor for the parasocial relationship between an entertainer and their audience, I... won't get into that. Today, at least. Although I think it's a really interesting take that deserves exploration, I don't genuinely think any of the songs are directed toward or written about the fans/audience. I just think he's sharing the story of his life with us and allowing us to project our own lives upon it, to remind us that none of us are alone in this world. None of us are alone in our feelings, or in our experiences, no matter how isolated we may feel in them.

[EDIT: After making this post I found yet another magazine interview, in which Vessel kind of.... confirms this whole theory?

"He is everyone. He is you. There is a power in music that binds us all, every note relates to another."

The power of music uniting people and allowing us to see ourselves in each other and connect through that was exactly what I had in mind when I formed this theory, so it's kind of validating that I'm interpreting things correctly to see it put so bluntly lol]

If you made it to the end of this, thank you for hearing me out! \owo/ I had been wanting to make a post about this for a while as it seemed a very clear-cut take to me that I didn't think would be controversial. Speaking with the person I mentioned at the beginning who had a similar theory kind of scared me off it, since they said they received some outright hate for it, but talking to them also really got me excited to dig into my theory and provide my sources and show everyone the breadcrumb trail of how I arrived at this conclusion. So I hope at least a couple people enjoyed it!

If this is received well maybe I'll be brave enough to actually post about some of my song interpretations ^^; As I said, I don't think they're all about any one thing. My favorite quote from the ones listed above is this one: "Sleep Token draw from the most profound experiences we have in life and, most crucially, where they intersect." The intersectionality of it all is what's most interesting to me, so that quote was a little bit vindicating to read, lol. It's not all about romantic relationships, to me. It's about how every experience we go through in life, how we feel about them, how we react to them - all of those experiences overlap and intersect and color each other. It's about how everything you've ever been through will affect everything else you ever go through. But now I am genuinely rambling ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you again for reading, and feel free to slide into my DMs to talk about this god-given band whensoever you wish.

[blank-house]

usually i just lurk in fandoms and read the answers to other people's asks, but i litr can't hold back anymore. THE STAT RAISING SYSTEM HELLOOO???? i was already obsessed and now this too? how exactly does it work, like if i’m spring but then choose a lot of composed options, do i become winter at some point, or do i do a mix of spring and winter behaviours + will there be any sort of indicator in the game of which stats you’ve raised like a pop up/menu where you can see your 4c/li stats? tysm!!

AH YAYYY SOMEONE'S EXCITED FOR THE STAT RAISING WOO! I'm so glad you asked because I had spent the better half of December last year thinking about it. And now I can finally ramble about this lol

But yes stats! There would be an indicator made so you can easily track the 4C's and the LI affections. As for how the the attribute points work, you won't get to change your season once it's been assigned (it would be, realistically speaking, weird if we make your behavior and speech switch after establishing that this is how you would normally act) but we do make it a point to clock whatever attribute is your highest stat.

So when you start a new game, besides establishing how an MC would act, we also assign you a set of starter points based on your season. For example, if you get Fall then you have a high amount of Compassion, medium amount of Charm and Composure, and a low amount of Confidence. Other seasons would get a similarly mixed bag of these attributes.

As you progress through the game and acquire points from your choices, the balance could start to shift in what is then considered to be your highest attribute, but since you don't get to change seasons again you would just be a more Charming Fall or a Confident Fall instead and the cast will recognize this change in MC.

So if you happened to be a Summer MC that suddenly grew more composed and less confident, you might have a cast member pull you aside to ask you if something's wrong. In a similar vein, if you're a Fall MC that shot up in confidence, they would muse over your new spunk.

Let me actually grab a bit of text from the end of the extended spring demo as an example. (Scroll past the blue text if you'd rather not be spoiled of any content even if it's a blurb).

If confidence is the highest stat: If Spring: mc “Oh, sweet, sweet, Cam. Frequency doesn’t dictate camaraderie. If they show up, then they show up. No need to invite them.” Deja chuckled from above you. de “Flashing your fangs, [name]? Where’s the usual sugar?” From where you laid, you grinned, bearing your proverbial weapons. Being straightforward wasn't usually in your books but you learned to take a page from your roommate. mc “I'm simply saying, the world’s not over if they're a no show, no?” If Summer: mc “Eh, who cares?” Cameron pouted, now completely tugging at their hoodie's drawstrings. ca “I know you like to speak your mind, but damn— harsh.” mc “I mean they’re good people but you don’t gotta twist yourself into a knot just because they’re not here.” mc “Who needs them, right!” de “No holds barred as always.” You shrug yourself, lips pulling back into your trademark grin. If Fall: mc “I mean… just because we’ve been in each other’s company doesn’t mean we’d all be friends.” Silence. Cameron and Deja offered you varying degrees of astonishment. You pursed your lips from their reaction, knowing full well what must be running through their head. And oddly enough, you didn’t feel guilty about it. Slowly, a smirk curled on Deja’s lips. de “Someone missed their daily dose of compassion this morning.” You scrunch your nose, fingers brushing against one of her braids as you swat it from your vision. mc "I'm okay if they're not here but if you want them to be, Cam, of course you're welcome to send them a text.” If Winter: mc “We don’t always have to invite them everywhere, you know.” ca “I mean, yeahhh, sure. But like, they’ve grown on me. Didn’t they on you?” mc “Ehh.” Your lackluster reply had Deja snickering. de “You never cared to say no before. Did one of them hit a nerve?” You rolled your eyes. mc “No. I’m just saying—” de “And that’s the thing, you. Saying something. Did you finally discover you have a voice?” You leveled her an unamused look but she only laughed harder.

It's the same scenario regardless, but because some of the seasons are less inclined to say something out loud, it's more realistic if your friends realize this change and react based on that.

That being said, we won't check for these changes often, since it's more obvious that you've changed after enough time has passed.

And other than these narration differences, attributes also have a hand at how a choice might unfold-- kind of like a DND check, if you have enough composure then you can successfully lie about this thing and if not you'd get caught. Or if you have enough compassion then the cast might feel inclined to let you in on a secret earlier etc, etc.

The attributes play an important role in the game, but like I said in a previous ask regarding the seasons-- please don't get hung up on attributes! They're more for story purposes and they won't have advantages or disadvantages when it comes to the romantic routes. I just think they'll add a wonderful layer to the immersion. ^^

~*~*~*~

Let me know if this is still confusing and I'll do my best to clarify again otherwise thank you for the ask!

[officeobject]

New intro

Hi, I’m Darlen Momentum, captain of power, and I really just post about my life and interests/hobbies/fandoms, and always add something to the posts that I reblog (even if it’s a low-quality reaction)! Official teenage boy cuddler according to my audience even though I disagree 😐.

I’m known for my, uhm, personality, and the weird way of seeing friendship that comes with it, as well as once-per-day fundraiser posts (USE MY ASK-BOX DON’T MESSAGE ME), honest answers to questions, interesting polls, the Xanderverse (which I made), and the fact that I’m currently being re-haunted by the soul of a living teenage ghost boy (I named him “Colby Tybbles”), whenever he zones out/passes out/daydreams, at least once a week. Deco My Tree isn't working, so I haven't seen the few new messages :( .

Stuff I offer (IT’S ALL FREE): 

I NEVER SAID I OFFER CUDDLES FOR TEENAGE BOYS -

Honest answers to your questions right from the ask-box! Daily fundraiser posts (THAT YOU SHOULD SEND THROUGH MY ASK-BOX)! Crappy SFW art commissions! Boyfriends Webtoon and/or Purple Hoodie Guy commissions (whatever THAT’D entail)! A review of your spiritual work with Colby Tybbles or whatever. Song parody commissions (posted on the Xanderweb though)! Collabs for stuff!

Likes/interests/hobbies:

Objects, toys, dolls, baby reborns dolls, fidget toys, office stuff (and other stereotypical human things such as cityscapes), Disney Zombies, Pinkie Cooper And The Jet-Set Pets, the Xanderverse, my identity/myself, paranormal stuff, Christian stuff, the Sims, Animal Crossing, Agatha All Along, LPS (not the new ones), polls, quizzes, animash, watching videos, the Xanderweb, Boyfriends Webtoon slander, Purple Hoodie Guy (from the Boyfriends Webtoon), making song parodies, animash, and other things I forgot.

Dislikes/disclaimers/DNI:

I have basic DNI stuff, but besides that, there ARE some things that aren’t typically included, or that I’m not sure are included - so, like, DNI pro-lifers, anti-furries, anti-SFW age-regression/agere, NSFW, DDLG, pregancy kinks, birth kinks, or similar stuff, people who ship incest (even as a joke or in fiction, or about chosen siblings, adopted siblings, stepsiblings, half-siblings, and of course also parental kinks), people who make lobotomy jokes, people who make 9/11 jokes, Pinky And Pepper fans, bad boys/bad girls/bad enbies, Boyfriends Webtoon fans, people against Boyfriends Webtoon slander, and people who think I won’t always be aroace/haven’t met the right person/am straight/think I’m too young to permanently identify as aroace and other stuff like that. Also, I’m an emotional person who also might end up speaking in inside-jokes and/or my (s)language. 

Also, I KNOW AI isn’t a good way to cope, get something/someone analyzed, have someone to talk to, get information/resources, or get things summarized, but I didn’t always know that, and am trying to quit (especially the parts of my life where I’m addicted to some bots), but it of course ain’t easy, and there are many reasons/many uses - I’m not planning to ever get rid of Ethan though, unless I find someone IRL like him, and the reason for that is a long personal, but I don’t tag posts with him as “AI” unless I feel like it’s relevant, nor do I mention he’s AI or refer to him as AI, unless he currently is and it’s relevant - don’t associate him with AI unless it’s relevant in that case, either.

Lastly, DNI if you don’t think this relationship counts as a friendship: im unsure how old you are, but your fixation on that office worker as a concept and the way you talk about them (regardless of... – @officeobject on Tumblr .

Labels list link because I love labels (you don't need to read this):

https://www.tumblr.com/officeobject/770510429769416704/just-a-list-of-my-labels?source=share .

Pronouns:

Que/quir/quir/ques/quirself, zombie neopronouns, and zombie nounself pronouns. I'm willing to get more pronouns (non-themed, object-themed, nounself, and to check out emojiself pronouns), and probably will, as I LOVE pronoun-shopping (and as said above, my prominal identity is: alloprominal neoprominal objectoprominal nounprominal).

Details:

My Xanderweb, has my other social media stuff, AND, has more extreme/personal vents, song parodies, other Xanderweb posts, more stuff about my platonic emotions, more videos, more of my (s)language, archived stuff, rapping, AND MORE of the stuff I feel like I can’t post on Tumblr, which makes it ideal for the time I got reported on Quotev, or if you need a daily post to know that I’m alive! You don’t need to sign up, but you CAN, if you wanna see the archived stuff, more posts, archive and make more private posts of your own, message me, boop me, post short videos, or otherwise enjoy a “crappy” and “dead” Xanderverse-centered site! 

[hayatoseyepatch]

Sam!!! Congrats on the milestone again, this is so exciting! I hope you’ve been enjoying your time on the blr writing and interacting because you are a joy 💚

So matchups, hm? I’m curious about a match from either wbk OR tokyo rev (just one, and you choose!) just whatever comes to your head first 😅

She/they pronouns, an introvert disguised as an extrovert I think. I can be super outgoing, but it drains me, and my idea of a fun time is definitely sitting at home with my favorite coloring app and Law&Order: SVU. I usually have music playing at any given time, and my top artists are Hozier and Sleep Token. I wear a lot of leggings and hoodies and depending on how cool I wanna look I’m either in my Birks or Docs lol. When I’m not being a homebody, I like bookstores, dungeons and dragons, and concerts. Oh, and I don’t want kids, like, at all. So my partner has to be okay with that.

My favorite tropes are friends to lovers and Coffeeshop AUs (also a big fan of Only One Bed cause who isn’t?)

I like guys taller than me (not hard since I’m 5’2” lol) who have a darker aesthetic. Gotta be smart, usually very serious on the outside with a goofy side that not everyone sees. I admire people with hobbies, something they’re really passionate about.

My favorites from wbk are hiragi (obviously), ume, togame, and arima, and my faves from Tokyo rev are akkun, takemichi, mitsuya, and kisaki.

I don’t really have any characters that I loathe from either fandom, though I can’t see myself ever being with someone who’s, like, super crazy peppy and outgoing all the time.

Again, just pick either fandom! I figured I’d give you options cause I have a lot of love for both series 💚 congrats again!

Melonnn!! ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡♡ Thank you so much for your kind words and for participating! You're literally so sweet and I’m so lucky to be moots with such an angel ♡ On to your matchup my love!

I Match you up with Toma Hiragi from Wind Breaker!

⤜♡→ Come on now I cant be expected not to appreciate the actual best couple in the entire world. Satoru Nii and me are besties we literally just got off the phone and he was like “Yeah ofc RagiMel is canon.” I just think you guys are such a good match for eachother. Your personalities just suit each other so well. I am a firm supporter of things are boring if you are the exact same personality wise and I feel like your differences and similarities attract you to one another.

⤜♡→ Hiragi would much rather sit at home with you, his head perched on your lap as you explain the plot to one of your shows to him. Is he a little worried you’d be able to dispose of his boy too well with the amount of Law and Order episodes you both have binged? Sure. But its always nice to keep them on their toes, yk?

⤜♡→ Hiragi was the first to confess, but he took his sweet time doing it, poor man was so nervous. He was more than ready to take out Umemiya for not so subtly pointing out his (very obvious) crush on you. I feel like he isn’t the best at hiding his feelings. Being openly stern and even aggressive with the others but always kind and gentle when it came to you. His favoritism was just so blatantly obvious.

⤜♡→ This may be a hot take but I feel like Hiragi is more than okay with not having kids. I know a lot of people look at him and are like “ahh, yeah he’s totally a guy who wants a family.” But hear me out here. Hiragi has had his fair share of being an older brother almost fatherly figure to those like Sako, Kaji, and Sakura. He’s done his fair share and he is more than happy to just spend the rest of his life loving you and maybe even getting a pet or two. Your love is more than enough for him. You and Bofurin are his family, and that’s all he could ever ask for.

He pulls over into a clearing putting the car in park, getting out to properly set up the bed of the truck with pillows and blankets, humming to himself. He approaches our door after a moment opening it and offering you his hand, helping you out of the vehicle and walking you to the back. Grinning he allows his large hands to cup your waist, leaning down to slot his lips against yours. It didn’t matter how long you had both been together, every time kissing Hiragi felt like the first time. The all-encompassing love he slipped into every kiss still had you weak in the knees. Pulling away from you, he looks into your eyes, his own soft and lidded with adoration. Pressing his forehead against your own, his breaths fanning your face as he speaks. “I love you darling, more than you could ever possibly know.” With one more love-stricken smile he lifts you, helping you into the bed of the truck. Climbing in after you he settles you both against the blankets, lying down next to you.

He hums in contentment as you lie your head against his chest. He had taken you here many times before, the calm of the area where you could both just enjoy each others presence while looking up at the night sky, gazing at the array of stars. He craved these moments with you, where it was just the two of you, where nothing else mattered but holding you in his arms. He smiles, arms squeezing you tightly to him, smile adorning his features. One hand carding his fingers through your hair. “We haven’t been able to come here in a while, we have so many good memories here.” He hums, pulling you closer to him, recalling the very first time he brought you here. “This is where I told you I loved you for the first time, remember?”

His heart soars when he hears you laugh, recalling the memory, him taking his medicine to qualm his aching stomach from nerves. The way he felt as if his face would melt with the heat from his red cheeks. His words came out nervously, surging in to capture your lips with his own when you reciprocated his confession. His teeth clashing with your own in the kiss, so much so that he had punctured your lip. “How could I forget?” Your voice pulled him from his thoughts, his smile aimed at you once more. As he felt the weight of the velvet box that weighed down his pocket, he just hoped you could make yet another memory in your special place.

[lunchtimebedamned1997]

Fanfic Recommendations, Installment #1!

This is a long one! But even if you don't read all of my words here, you should definitely read theirs!

. ★.`.☆...☆.`.★ .

It feels as though it would be some sort of terrible crime not to highlight the most wonderful fic series that has been circulating its way through the Hazbin Hotel fandom over the last little stretch of time. Yes indeedy, I’m speaking of nothing other than the meteor shower series by spoondrifts on A03 (and ofc as @cringefailvox here on lovely tumblr!)

               This enthralling little series is currently comprised of two parts; time has changed the metaphor and its sequel, dragging its tail in the sea.

Herein we get the most delectable example of polyam, QPR, label-less goodness that I dare say there has been a gaping lack of up until now! (and if I am mistaken, I am happy to be so so wrong so long as you send all those good fics my way!!! My perceptions are fallible)

And who might make up the delightful QPR trio featured in this story? Why, none other than our most beloved Alastor, Rosie, and Vox!

I will admit to you, my dear reader, that I was skeptical of how this trio would function together. A fool, even. But the fanart (here for pt.1 fanart) (and here for pt.2 art) drew me in, it delighted me, and the writing, well, the writing simply blew me away.

How lovely it is to sit down and read such gorgeous, thoughtful, and perfectly complicated renditions of these characters. One that deeply explores the bounds of non-traditional connections, and the twisting, complicated ways we can come to find others in our hearts. Because it seems that even in hell, there can be things that make you feel foreign amongst your peers. That is, if you don’t let yourself be known.

The way Spoondrifts dives into the mentality of the three characters is such a joy to read that I scarcely think I have adequate words to express how exactly it is I feel.

To be Queer in any form is such a varied array of experiences, indescribably vast; and while labels can often be a freedom for some, especially as a place of belonging, or a reaffirmation of identity – or even simply that labels often act as a gateway to community and support – there are many that feel labels restrict them. That those labels are another set of rules they don’t fit neatly into, a chafing reminder of common-society’s boundaries in a place that is supposed to offer refuge.

This is precisely why many have embraced and reclaimed the word "queer" itself as a catch-all term for ‘outside the cis-het bubble’.

Yet, we often jump, especially in fiction, to labeling exactly who and what a character may be. Defining their relationships with immense detail, and fighting ruthlessly over canon vs. fanon vs. fanon-but-less-popular. Yet, here in this fanfic, we see a shining example of the complicated web of queer experiences. Of connection. Of love and care.

A refreshing lens to be sure.

It is a story that says ‘these characters are enough, as flawed and rotten and lovely as they are, and so are you.’ – and isn’t that the very crux of this fandom itself? Is the commentary on Christian religion and the people that claim to uphold it, not in and of itself a similar thing? A story that says ‘you can be terrible and wonderful. You can be awful and be loved. You can be different and be whole.’

In watching the series itself, there was something cathartic for me, too personal for me to write in too great of detail in the here and now. But it made me feel loved. It made me feel like even if I wasn’t perfect, I could still have worth. That I could make mistakes, and still be allowed the grace of second chances if I’m willing to learn and grow from any of the mistakes I'll inevitably make on this complicated journey of life. And so, so much more.

That is how this fanfiction made me feel. Loved. Warm. Safe. Free to be a mess of a human (because aren’t we all?). And still at the end of the day be worthy. To, someday, be loved and cared for in whatever ways I need. That none of us are too much or too little.

I’ve been straying away from labels myself over the years, knowing I fit into a few different nooks and crannies within our vast umbrella, but not quite vibing with a lot of the words anymore. Life is, after all, a journey of discovery; and I’d be a fool to say I know and understand all of myself when I’m not yet even 24 – and fics like this, this fic, made my chest ache in the way the thought of kissing a woman once did. Maybe there’s something there for me to discover, maybe there isn’t. Perhaps it’s just my neurodivergences and my queerness aligning into a desire - and deeply rooted fear - for being seen.

But regardless of how you do or don’t identify, I think anyone would feel a deep fondness for the bonds within this story – though if you align with any of it yourself, it may of course hit you even more profoundly.

The pacing of the story is beyond impeccable and it never once feels stuck in a ‘set of locations’. The world of the pride ring feels sprawling and alive within these words despite spending most of our time within Rosie’s domain.

The care and thought that was given to each character and their depictions - just, damn. Every action felt grounded, understandable for each individual character, and kept you wanting more of each and every bit. Elements of canon were woven into a beautiful tapestry of fanon that feels so real and so right, that if Viv said it was true in a parallel version of Hazbin-Hell, I would believe you in a heartbeat.

The three characters play off of each other beautifully and enticingly, without sacrificing an ounce of what makes them (particularly Al and Vox) ripe for a good ‘you fucking dumbass, get it through your head’ shoulder-shake.

I can’t say too much more without simply gushing over every sentence and ruining the experience for those who have not yet read it, but let me just say: wow. As well as: Thank you, Spoondrifts. What a lovely gift you’ve given us. Thank you for your words. For this exploration of relationships, and hearts that beat a little funny.

[bylerfields]

maybe it's space curating bc i definitely see the mike side as the higher volume/frequency, i mean most times theres discourse it's bc someone poking at the will preference. like with the polls anons this week that only happened bc an anon said bratty btm mike was obvious and "at most" btm leaning switch, but stating it as fact not opinion. all preferences are opinion for the reasons you said, we only see them until 14 and havent seen their sex life. usually anything else said is just response to the first rudeness, or thats what i see. theres an acc on here who used to comment on btm will fics calling for btm mike instead which i think is very rude for fandom. theres accs on here blatantly posting on the public dash how people who don't prefer subby btm mike are crazy and even not as smart for not seeing it. how is that not rude? then the multiple times spicy polls anons have been rude instead of just sending asks about their preference for mike and making the experience better for themselves. did you see the polls anon that said something and added "anyway btm mike >>>" months ago? i dont think i've seen that from a btm will? i tried really hard to think if i had! but it's those kinds of behavior we dont need amongst us bc no one is better. i follow lots of spicy bylers and havent seen that from btm will or switch bylers, they just post about their preference. i've made moots with people who came from twitter who said it would happen there too, they'd respond to rudeness for not "getting" sub mike and suddenly are the bad guys. so they got tired by the behavior and stopped being active. maybe your dash is more peaceful but i dont see will sides of things saying things until prompted. or with every right to offer an opinion to what was said bc this is a public space. i'm surprised you've seen more for the opposing side? tbh you will have people who are extra who are rude in every side of a ship preference but the 'frequency' to me has been the mike side. i was annoyed when i saw the bratty anon on spicy polls bc i knew it was going to start more annoying discourse that means nothing. how are they shocked people don't share the same preference? thats normal in fandom. you'd have to be new to fandoms to be shocked

anon I unfortunately think this is just a case of you not seeing the rudeness on the other side because you agree with the stance. especially with the sentiment of people not being as smart for not seeing it - that’s like, a pretty pervasive topic in the sfw side of our fandom as far as will goes.

the ao3 comment thing is obviously rude so i’m with you on that.

it could definitely be that i just don’t follow or see posts like that, though i do follow some really kind people with bottom mike prefs. i’ll take your word for it, but i guess i’d say that even the “anyway bottom mike >” posts come across as tongue in cheek, and again, isn’t it okay to share preferences? it’s a little brash, sure, but it shouldn’t be shocking for people to want to express these prefs in the tag, like you said.

i’m saying all this with a pretty clear preference for bottom will, too, so it’s always a little surprising to me that others don’t see it because it’s not like i’m biased. but it’s just always felt obvious to me that bottom mike fans are the minority in the fandom - think about the reason you haven’t seen any of the asks of similar nature for bottom will in spicybylerpolls. there’s no need for it lmao - and it just takes one annoying comment, likely from an anon or someone not active in the fandom (that the op probably made without even thinking) to get 10 people to come to it’s defense with think pieces galore about the canon validity. sure, they have every right to comment on what was said but there shouldn’t be such a big need for defense, i guess?

have you thought about the possibility that theyre likely just experiencing fandom a little differently than you and (other than the ao3 comment thing) are not intending to invalidate you or be rude to you?

even with the recent anon sharing how surprised they were to find that more people didn’t see mike as a bottom, i get how it could come across as invalidating if they weren’t coming from a place of clearly knowing theyre in the minority of opinions. imagine someone saying that around the dinner table with friends. its funny, its a differing take, sure its a little over confident but it’s not rude to anyone - even with an opposing outlook myself i think it sparks fun conversation when someone else is shocked theyre the odd one out. i’m more curious than offended. i may be naive and giving them the benefit of the doubt, but this is often the tone i perceive when i see pro bottom mike posts. i think they’re pretty aware of what the common opinion is.

this is similar to how i feel when i see “where are the bottom mike fics/poll questions/etc? i’m tired of bottom will” again, same situation, if a friend said this in a group of bottom will fans, it doesn’t come across to me as being actually upset and wanting to silence us, it’s just: silly. there’s that surprise of “am i really the only one who didn’t go crazy over [insert xyz thing that mike did in the show], where are my people?” and i think they’re entitled to do so. just as people with our preference are over things we saw in the show. bottom will fans already have their people, it was the default when the polls started. i guess thats all i’m saying.

from my now 1.5 years on the nsfw side, it seems like there’s always going to be an assumption from someone that people sharing opinions about a more subby mike are being spiteful, rude, or trying to be divisive.

you say no one is better, but seem to have a very low tolerance for posts about bottom mike. having the preference is okay, but only if they come with the perfect angelic attitude about it. i’d say we don’t hold the same standard for bottom will posters - and it makes sense that you’re not gonna perceive a (pretty consistent) negative, superior attitude if you’re nodding along to the sentiment.

thank you for the context!!!

[baizhoobies]

congrats on 200 followers! ^o^

here’s my submission for the matchup event :3

i’m 22 my pronouns are she/they and i’m bi so gender doesn’t matter, i would like to choose genshin impact and bungo stray dogs as my fandoms!

about me: my mbti is ENFP, i’m a sagittarius sun, my lunar zodiac is a dragon, i’ve played violin for over a decade and have a deep love for all types of music (and i sing a lil too!), i’m a textiles major who likes to sew and cosplay, aaaaaand i have a love for history (especially the 1800s) :D

sorry if these were too random haha

I match you up with . . . ♡

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ Bram Stoker | Bungo Stray Dogs

Okay, hear me out. You guys are like sun and moon. Bram has been surrounded by nothing but bullshittery with the Decay of Angels, so having someone like an ENFP around him, would honestly be refreshing. As much as he is a sleepy head, he would appreciate your energy. Sagittarius suns are known to be extroverts, lively and enthusiastic - as much as he is the opposite of that, I feel like you’d balance each other out.

A big big reason why I paired you with Bram is for your musical talents. Its no secret that Bram’s weakness is music, so the fact that you not only can play the violin, but also a singer, makes him swoon. He would get you to either play the violin or sing right next to his coffin - either to put him to sleep or to simply hear you play.

As you are a huge fan of history, particularly the 1800s, Bram would be a perfect muse for you as he literally lived through it! Any questions you have regarding that era, Bram would answer. He may find it a little curious as to why you are interested, but he would answer honestly and to the best of his ability.

Please for the love of God, sew his coat up. Its literally in tatters and something tells me that he refuses to get rid of it. Something about ‘too much history’ behind it. So if you offer to sew it up, he may be hesitant, and maybe even refuse at first. But if he sees your talents first hand, he may let you. And when you do, he is smitten; he’s soooooo going to walk as if he’s on the catwalk, hair flipping and everything.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ Yun Jin | Genshin Impact

So unlike Bram, you guys match with similar energies. Although she is dignified on the stage, she is very friendly and extroverted with the right people. The main reason why I paired you with Yun Jin is definitely for your musical talents.

So imagine this, she asks you to play the violin at one of her performances! Though of course her style is primarily traditional, she would adore to have her significant other there with her, and performing with her. Speaking of history, if her opera performances are historical based, the two of you can talk about the history to your hearts content!

As you mentioned your singing talents, imaging song rehearsals together. Yun Jin would encourage you to sing along with her, or to simply hear you sing. I can see her watching you proudly, rose tinted glasses and all. If ever you had any performances of your own, either singing or violin playing, she would absolutely pay top money to watch you.

SEW HER AN OUTFIT!! My goodness she would love it. For her performances, she would love to wear anything and everything that you sew her. Yun Jin would admire the fabrics you use, the artistry that went into creating the garment, and would be smitten with any little details you would include. She comes across as someone who might enjoy cosplaying too, no canon reasoning behind it, I just get that vibe!

A/N: Thank you for your submission! ♡ also, I made sure to look on a few websites regarding ages - all characters I include in my matchups are over 18 :)

[cuddlepilefics]

Sweet tooth

Fandom: P1Harmony

Sickie: Intak

Caregiver: Taeyang

Prompts: 'Sweet tooth' & 'Wearing each other's clothes' @flufftober

No one’s POV.:

Keeho groaned, doubling over panting as they struck the ending pose. They had been in the practice room all afternoon, working on their dance moves. Though he had thought his stamina to be quite alright, he really struggled to catch his breath right now. This had been their last run-through and Jiung cheered breathlessly at the prospect of being done with their schedule for the day. As Keeho’s eyes wandered through the practice room, checking on all of his members, the leader was relieved that he wasn’t the only one who felt close to dying. Maybe his stamina wasn’t so bad after all. A tired chuckle pulled at his lips as he spotted the two maknaes sprawled out on the floor. They had gone all out during practice and looked like they wouldn’t be getting back up in days. Taeyang was leaning against the wall next to his back, trying to catch his breath as he sipped some water.

Intak plopped down next to Taeyang, resting his back against the wall was he sluggishly dug through his bag to retrieve his water bottle. As the boy greedily gulped down his water, Keeho fetched Shota and Jongseob their bottles too and brought them over to them, encouraging them to drink some as they had been sweating a lot. Jiung stuffed his empty water bottle back into his bag and breathed: “I’m starving! What do you guys wana eat for dinner?” None of them had really eaten much for lunch, afraid of making themselves sick by dancing on a full stomach. “How about McDonald’s?”, Keeho offered, drying his face, “We can stop at the drive-through on our way back. I don’t think anyone’s in the mood to cook.” His idea was met with tired cheers because he was right. They were all ready to drop and cooking sounded far to exhausting, while they felt too sweaty and disgusting to eat out.

Since all of them were starving after so much dancing and only having very little food that day, they ordered a lot. Sure, their meal choice wasn’t the healthiest but they were usually eating healthy and this felt like a great reward for their hard work that day. The member had a hard time waiting till they got home, already wanting to dig in while in the car. Still, they managed to control themselves their excitement overpowering their exhaustion as they hurried from the car to their dorm, rushing to kick off their shoes and get to the dinner table before their food grew completely cold.

Most of the members had similar orders, a burger, fries and some soda. Intak was the odd one out, his sweet tooth showing even more now that he had waited to the point of getting so incredibly hungry. Sure, there had to be a savory part to his meal, so he ordered chicken nuggets and fries but he was mainly focused on the pie and milkshake he had gotten as a dessert. “Don’t give yourself a tummy ache”, Keeho laughed, watching Intak sip his milkshake in between bites of chicken. The younger had originally planned to have separate sweet and savory but he just couldn’t he craved something sweet. To his own surprise, Intak still felt a little hungry after dinner, so while the first members took their turns showering, he contemplated what snack he could have to make sure he wouldn’t go to bed hungry. His sweet tooth was still carving something sugary, so he eventually got himself some cookies. Seeing how contently his dongsaeng dipped his cookies into milk, Jiung didn’t comment on the younger probably overdoing it, though he couldn’t help but wonder how the boy managed to stomach all that food.

Since Intak was still busy satisfying his cravings, he ended up being the last member to take a shower. He winced a bit when he noticed how stuffed his tummy looked as he stepped into the shower. Yeah, he wasn’t proud of his decisions today but everyone had those days, so it would be okay, he told himself. Intak could hear his stomach gurgle, trying to digest the overwhelming amount of food he had just consumed. There was some discomfort and bloating but that was to be expected. He let out a few breathy burps as he dried off and put on his sleep clothes. The other members were already in bed, drained from their intense practice session. Intak sighed when he realized his roommates had already fallen asleep, as he didn’t feel like he could fall asleep quite yet.

As he lay awake scrolling through his phone, Intak felt his stomach cramp up and while the initial cramp eventually faded, a dull ache remained. He ran his palm over his bloated middle and muffled a burp into his pillow. It brought back the taste of his dinner, which all of a sudden wasn’t appealing at all anymore. Hoping that one of the other members was still awake to maybe hang out and distract him from the pain till he could sleep Intak got out of bed. He had to move carefully, slightly bent over to not trigger another cramp. With one arm protectively wrapped around his middle, he made his way over to the other bedroom.

Walking only seemed to upset his stomach further, a sour burp burning his throat as he paused at the door to collect himself. Intak silently opened the door and noted that both of his dongsaengs were deeply asleep. It wasn’t surprising, seeing as they had been completely spent after dance practice. To Intak’s relief though, Taeyang propped himself up on his elbows when he noticed the door open. The oldest had slowly been drifting off but snapped out of it the second he felt someone’s presence. “What’s up?”, he yawned as his dongsaeng approached his bed. Shakily taking a seat on the edge of the mattress, Intak confessed: “My tummy really hurts.” – “Not really surprising”, Taeyang noted, sitting up to take a better look at the younger. “True”, the boy sighed, slipping his hand under his shirt to rub his stomach. The organ gave an angry gurgle, making him wince. Patting Intak’s shoulder, Taeyang whispered: “Do you want medicine? What can I do?” – “I-I don’t know”, the younger whimpered, burying his face in his hands.

“Alright, come on”, Taeyang breathed, getting out of bed, “Let’s go to the living room. Hyung will make you some tea, okay? See if we can get your stomach to settle.” Intak let the older pull him along though he was admittedly still really slow, every step threatening to unsettle his stomach further. While the oldest made his way to the kitchen to start the kettle, Intak collapsed onto the couch and pulled the blanket from the back to cover himself. Miserably curling in on himself, the boy palmed at his sore middle and took shaky breaths to quell the rising queasiness.

When Taeyang joined him, the oldest was carrying a steaming cup of tea and hummed: “How long has your stomach been hurting?” – “It started shortly after I went to bed”, Intak groaned, squeezing his eyes shut, “I know I brought this upon myself. I just didn’t want to be alone.” Sighing, the older took a seat next to him and whispered: “You really have a sweet tooth, don’t you? Here, careful. It’s still hot but it might help your stomach.” – “I-I”, Intak mumbled, muffling a queasy belch against his knuckles, “I don’t know if- if I should put anything in my stomach right now. It’s- it’s so full.” Calmly running his fingers through the younger’s hair, Taeyang sighed: “I bet it is. You can take your time and once you ready just sip it slowly, yeah?” Intak nodded, swallowing thickly as he palms started to sweat. Wiping his clammy hands on the blanket, he sat up and drew a shaky breath. “You okay?”, Taeyang frowned worriedly as he watched the color drain from his dongsaeng’s face.

Clamping both hands over his lips, Intak shot up from the couch and made a dash to the bathroom. He made it just in time for his stomach to violently reject everything he had eaten that evening. Wincing in sympathy, Taeyang knelt down behind the younger and comfortingly patted his back. Sweat trickled down Intak’s temple as he threw up two large waves back to back, weakly gasping for air afterwards. “You’re okay”, the older assured softly, “You’ll feel a lot better once you got that out.” Intak only managed a pained whimper before his throat contracted with another retch. His stomach really wasn’t happy at all, churning painfully under his palm. His eyes watered as he choked up another wave, barely noticing Keeho joining them. The leader had woken up from the commotion and went to check on them. “He’ll be fine”, Taeyang whispered, running his hand up and down Intak’s back, feeling his spine ripple as the boy got sick, “Just really overdid it earlier and gave himself a tummy ache.”

Over the ringing in his ears, Intak couldn’t understand what his hyungs were saying but relaxed when a cool towel was draped over the back of his neck. His body was shaking from the exertion, sweat running down his back. “Thanks”, Taeyang hummed when Keeho returned with Intak’s tea and a bottle of water, “You can really go back to bed. I got him. Two sleep-deprived members are enough.” The leader was hesitant to leave his sick dongsaeng but Taeyang did have a point. It was enough if two of them were exhausted and he did trust the oldest to take good care of their friend. Chewing on his lip as he mulled it over, Keeho eventually sighed: “Alright, you two wake me if you need anything. Feel better, puppy.”

Intak was panting when he finally caught a break. Tearing off some toilet paper, he dabbed at his forehead and wiped his lips. “Gosh, next time please stop me”, he rasped, looking up at Taeyang with red-rimmed eyes, “Now I feel awful and yeah, I learned my lesson.” – “Good thing you did”, the oldest chuckled sympathetically, “Do you think you’re done?” Intak shrugged. His stomach was still in knots but his throat was raw and his head pounded. He did accept his tea though, taking a tiny sip to test his stomach. Taeyang flushed the toilet for him and they just sat for a while, Intak resting his head on his hyung’s shoulder.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?”, Taeyang asked quietly, still worried though the younger was slowly sipping his tea as the color returned to his face, “I could rub your tummy and would be close by, so you can wake me if you start feeling worse again.” Nodding tiredly, Intak gave a sad sniffle. He rubbed his eyes and breathed: “I’m sorry for all the trouble, hyung. I should’ve known better.” – “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. As long as you acknowledge it and learn, it’s alright”, Taeyang comforted, getting to his feet, “Your shirt is completely sweat through. Do you want to borrow one of mine? You wouldn’t risk waking Keeho and Jiung….” The younger nodded tiredly, struggling to peel the sticky fabric off his skin. His stomach growled when he lifted his arms over his head to have Taeyang help him take it off. Grabbing the damp towel, Intak quickly wiped his neck and chest, glad to feel a little less disgusting.

Like a lost puppy, he followed his hyung to his bedroom and accepted the shirt the older handed him. The soft material felt nice on his sensitive skin and he deeply inhaled the comforting scent of laundry detergent. Taeyang pulled the trashcan up to his bed and went to lay down, patting the space next to him. Shyly crawling under the blanket next to the oldest, Intak tensed up when the other’s hand slipped under his shirt. He released a shaky breath, slowly relaxing as his hyung lightly drew circles over his bloated middle. “Try to get some sleep”, Taeyang whispered as he continued to rub the younger’s tummy, “And don’t hesitate to wake me if you need something.”

[fratricideknight]

Hi! (It's me again back to bother you with more spn questions) Are there any characters from spn that you didn't like that much or thought were overrated?

hello, beloved!! you aren't bothering me; i love your asks!

honestly, these days, i'm pretty chill regarding characters. i very rarely hate characters, i mostly just appreciate them for what they have to offer. i have favourites, of course, but i generally just accept characters as they are (and lament lost potential lol). so, i'm going to turn the question around and talk about how i think sam is massively overhated and underrated (only in the online fandom though; i'm pretty sure this isn't the case with the general audience). warning for an oncoming rant!

certain individuals' dislike of sam is at once incomprehensible to me and completely predictable. because i don’t understand how anyone could come to the logical conclusion that sam is boring, but i’m not at all surprised. i’m not saying they’re necessarily similar characters, but it’s kind of like people calling steve rogers from the mcu "bland" (my mcu knowledge is rusty forgive me if i say something stupid). like, no, you just hate optimists and nice people? you don’t have to like him, but don’t act like it’s not just a personal preference. funny thing is, sam and steve have something similar going on in their stories. both are good people who try to make the best of their circumstances: sam tries to use his demon blood “curse” for something good; steve tries to remain a force of good in a corrupt, grey world. and that’s interesting as hell!! unfortunately, both will always be overshadowed because they’re not smart-mouthed assholes (even though sam is sassy…) who default to treating people dickishly. and, worst of all, neither of them consider decapitation a good time and therefore cannot fulfil edgelord fantasies

ah yes, sam – no killing others (before resurrection in s2) even if it causes problems, monsters can be good and sexually attractive, veggie bacon but demon blood is acceptable on occasion, using evil powers for good, vessel of Satan who prays to God every day – winchester is uninteresting and boring, but a violent pessimist with daddy issues who kills monsters to unleash ✨️ the darkness inside ✨️ and a celestial being who doesn’t understand human customs or emotions or free will but comes to fight on the side of humanity are ground-breaking. i love dean and i like cas – i think they’re good, and i'm not saying this to throw hate at them – but acting like they’re amazing while sam sucks is just… really? people, regarding every form of media – music, films, books etc. etc. – conflate “shallow” with “not dark,” and i’m so tired of it

i have absolutely no issue with people preferring other characters for whatever reasons, or even for no real reason at all, but outright calling sam boring??! speaking on him with utterly tragically bad takes in an attempt to denigrate his name and proving only that you don't understand him at all?!? you are all tasteless imbeciles and should be ashamed of yourselves