#Naturally I still adore versions where the two of them talk to each other and have a silly and/or complicated rapport

[descendant-of-truth]

I put all this work into crafting a dynamic between Klug and Aya where they're mostly just tolerable roommates to each other but also Klug is terrified of them but ALSO they both have an extra secret soft spot for each other and it's so complicated and angsty at times

Only for the official audio dramas to present me with the infinitely funnier option, which is "Klug keeps randomly blacking out for various periods of time and not once does he attribute this to the demon in his book, who he knows has 100% possessed him before and that he still carries on his person at all times"

[terapsina]

Ask Game: Agatha All Along:

Fandom: 1, 17

Ship: Agatha/Rio (Vidarkness): 7, 10

Character: Agatha OR Rio: 6, 7, or 8

(from this ask game)

Fandom:

1. ...the moment in the story that I started shipping my OTP from this world.

That whole scene where Rio blows in the door at just the most dramatic moment and the following throwdown fight made me pay attention. But this sentence? This sentence was a direct hit to alllllll my weaknesses.

It immediately gave me so much delicious information. Like, despite all that 'I want to see you burn... or hang... or drown' aggression? that this woman clearly was utterly gone for Agatha.

*be still, my beating heart 😍*

17. ...the world-building aspect of the story I have the greatest admiration for.

That SONG. I adore the way they used The Ballad of the Witches' Road in this show in so many ways. The way we kept getting different versions and the way they were so slightly and significantly different based on the purpose behind that particular version.

Like how the Sacred Chant version was all about the community of witches (and the way that hid the trap Agatha had used for centuries).

The way Lorna's version was full of a mother's unconditional love for her daughter and the lengths she'd go to for that love.

The way Nicky and Agatha's version was about their coven of two (and how even while Nicky was alive, the way Agatha had already kinda corrupted it even as her love for her son remained the one true thing about her).

Just. The way the song informed every aspect of the story... it's frankly incredibly impressive.

Ship:

7. ...the scene that I like to point to as proof that they're perfect for each other.

I could probably choose literally ANY of their scenes to make that particular point but I really like this one.

Like. Agatha has been angry and avoiding Rio for centuries. Rio has recently made it clear she wants Agatha dead (though admittedly knowing her nature this is basically at least 70% her wanting Agatha back).

But despite that, as soon as they know they have to do this particular ritual both of them know THEY are going to be the ones exchanging the brooms. They don't need to talk about it, or discuss it, or consider it, it's just... instinctual.

They are just always on the same wavelengths and it's both beautiful and really tragic.

10. ...rate the level of stupid they reach in their pining.

I mean... *murder threats* followed by...

*Agatha trying to claw Rio's face off* followed by...

*Rio painfully reminded Agatha she's never going to get her son back, a day ago* followed by...

*Rio saying she HATES ghosts* followed by...

(obviously not... no, she took a calculated risk on being able to continue irritating Rio for the next eternity).

Also just... we have one case of a dum-dum who fell in love with the literal embodiment of death. And another case of a literal embodiment of death who turned full dum-dum because she met a very pretty witch.

They're SUCH dumb. I love these pining idiots SO MUCH.

Character:

6. ...the scene that I think shows just how awesome they really are.

(I'll answer this one for Rio)

This is really boring of me maybe, but like.... how do you top a badass show-stopping moment like THAT?

Rio Vidal. Full Lady Death, everyone! *cheers and applause* *CHEERS AND APPLAUSE*

7. ...the scene that I think adds depth to their character or the relationship this character has with someone.

(...and this one for Agatha)

This scene just... shows that Billy doesn't just remind Agatha of her son... he reminds her of herself.

At the end of the day Agatha is a survivor, and so is Billy. And that both connects and differentiate them. And I just find that very interesting.

8. ...a headcanon I have about this character.

(...and Rio again)

Rio absolutely lied about being pulled onto the Road by their summoning spell. She's Death, she could have shaken that thing off with the flick of a pinky but was she really going to waste an opportunity that good?

[milk-tea-sakura]

~~~~~~~~~~

𝓒𝔀: 2𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓹𝓸𝓿, 𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓨/𝓷, 𝓯𝓮𝓶! 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻, 𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓯𝓯

𝓦𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽: 1089

𝓔𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮: 4 𝓶𝓲𝓷 17 𝓼𝓮𝓬

~~~~~~~~~~

Han Jisung was always a cheerful and playful person, known for his silliness and quick wit among his bandmates in Stray Kids. However, there was one person who brought out a different side of him – his girlfriend, Y/n.

Jisung had met Y/n at a music festival that Stray Kids had performed at. He had been instantly drawn to her kind-hearted nature and her unique sense of fashion. After some flirting and playful banter, he finally got her number.

From there, their relationship bloomed. Jisung was used to being the playful one in his group. Still, with Y/n, he found himself being more vulnerable and honest about his feelings. He loved how she made him feel - safe, supported, and understood. And Y/n adored seeing this softer side of him, the Jisung who was shy and romantic when it was just the two of them behind closed doors.

They spent their time together creating memories and laughing endlessly. Jisung would sneak Y/n to his dorm room when the other members were out, and they would spend hours talking, sharing dreams, and just being together. Despite the demanding schedules of his career, he always made time for her, even if it was just a quick phone call before bed.

Y/n was Jisung's refuge, a place where he could be himself without the pressure of being an idol. They laughed over silly jokes, cuddled during late-night movie marathons, and found joy in the simplest things, like cooking a meal together or going for a walk in the park.

Jisung's bandmates, although teasing and jokingly jealous of the time he spent with Y/n, were genuinely happy to see their usually sassy and carefree member find such happiness. They often jokingly called her “the only one who could tame Han Jisung.”

It was late at night, and Jisung and Y/n were sitting together in his dorm room, the soft light from a lamp providing a cozy ambiance. Jisung was sprawled on the bed, a pillow propped behind his head, while Y/n sat beside him, her legs draped over his. Jisung had one hand resting on her ankle, his thumb tracing idle patterns on her skin.

The world outside was quiet, the city's buzz reduced to a faint hum in the background. Jisung broke the silence with a soft sigh, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "You know," he began, his voice low and pensive, "Sometimes, I wonder what I did to deserve you."

"What do you mean," Y/n asks

Jisung rolled onto his side, a warm smile tugging at his lips as he looked at her. "You're perfect, you know that?" he said, his eyes roaming over her face. "You put up with my nonsense, you understand me when I'm being a brat, and you love me despite everything. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm worthy of you."

"Of course, you're worthy of me. If anything I should be asking you this." Y/n tells Han

Jisung's smile widened at her words. "Nah, you're selling yourself short," he said, reaching out to gently tug a strand of her hair. "You're the one who makes me want to be a better version of myself, who makes me feel like I can be vulnerable around you. That's priceless."

Y/n shifted closer to him, her thigh now pressed against his. "And you think you don't do the same for me?" she countered, a playful smile on her lips. "You make me laugh, you make me feel special, and you're the sweetest, most caring partner anyone could ask for."

Jisung chuckled, enjoying their playful banter. "Well, we make each other better, then," he conceded, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "But I'm still going to argue that you're the better half of this relationship."

"And I will happily accept that claim."

Jisung smiled, his eyes gleaming in the soft light. "Good," he said, his hand gently stroking her side. "But don't ever forget that you're the one with the power here. You've tamed the brat known as Han Jisung. That's an achievement in itself."

Y/n chuckled. "I've only 'tamed' you because I know I'm the only one you'll listen to," she teased, poking his chest playfully. "You're just putting on a show for the others most of the time."

Jisung feigned offense, putting a hand over his heart. "How dare you," he gasped, pretending to be hurt. "I'll have you know, I'm genuinely a menace. You've just managed to see through my tough exterior and find the softie beneath."

Y/n laughed, fully aware of his playful nature. "Oh, you're such a menace, alright," she agreed, resting her head on his chest. "Scared of horror movies, can't cook to save your life, and cries like a baby when we watch sad movies."

Jisung pretended to pout, his arm wrapping around her tighter. "Hey, those are my vulnerabilities. You're supposed to keep those secrets," he protested, but there was no hiding the smile playing at the corners of his lips. "And for the record, I happen to be a fantastic cook. I just happen to specialize in instant ramyeon."

Y/n's laughter filled the room. "Right, how could I forget your specialty?" she teased, resting her hand on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "And what about horror movies? You're still the one who hides your face in my shoulder whenever we watch one."

Jisung rolled his eyes, pretending to look indignant but failing miserably as the corners of his mouth curled up. "Hey, it's not hiding, it's called strategic avoidance," he quipped. "I'm not scared, I'm just… tactically avoiding jump scares because I know my heart couldn't handle them."

Y/n chuckled, feeling the playful banter between them lighten the mood even more. "Okay, Mr. Tactical Avoider," she said, her tone light and affectionate. "I won't expose your secret anymore."

Jisung sighed dramatically, pulling her even closer. "Good," he said, a goofy grin on his face. "And besides, I have a feeling you wouldn't want me any other way. You secretly find my jumpy nature endearing, admit it."

Y/n feigned nonchalance, her expression mock and serious. "Oh, absolutely," she teased. "Your fear of horror movies and inability to cook is definitely among my top criteria in a boyfriend."

Jisung laughed. "Hey now, don't ruin the moment," he joked, pretending to sound offended. "We both know you adore all my quirks, even the ones you pretend annoy you."

[basilthesnakingthing]

Have been thinking about that Jekyll and Hyde AU that I could possibly make into a real show because the original book is public domain.

My idea is that it would be an asylum/ boarding school/ orphanage for "monstrous children" like changeling children that parents abandon there to avoid a cuckoo bird invader situation, or kids that are just very troubled in a supernatural seeming way.

Other characters I would include are:

Dracula: Going idea is that he's a long time resident of the place (I need to call it something, but it has so many functions, I don't know what to go with.) who Hyde looks up to. But unlike Hyde who is just kind of a menace, Dracula is more of an active bully. He has a posse of other vampires - younger ones that treat him like a gang leader, but in a preppy way, do you know what I mean? The blood thing is treated like dietary thing that only comes up at meal times. Like in households where everyone is used to one kid having an allergy. Nobody mentions it, that's just what he's eating. There's gotta be some silly place they get it from, though. Some half wholesome, half dreary process that matches the vibe. There are nice vampires that aren't rude to Jekyll and his friends and like, try to include them in stuff. I can't have a situation like with Slitherin in Harry Potter where if you belong to one group you automatically act like a jerk for no reason, because I always hated that. But those ones will be background characters.

Victor Frankenstein: Jekyll's best friend. Fascinated by "icky" things like mushrooms and creepy crawlies and dead stuff and how they work. Equally terrified of them in person. Was already attending the boarding school before Jekyll arrived (Maybe I should call it "The [Name] Boarding School For Monstrous Children". Cause even the kids who are living there permanently still go to classes.) Was a star student, especially at math and biology. Made friend's with Jekyll on day one after finding out they had similar interests.

Abraham Van Helsing is a professor and so is Merlin.

Peter Pan and the Mad Hatter are also there, and they're also menaces, although not to the same degree Hyde is. They're friends with the mischievous ghost who haunts the school. They are the theater kids.

Jekyll and Hyde know about each other from the beginning. They're a naturally occurring DID system in this version (as in, there was no serum.) It's not completely realistic because this is a silly cartoon, but I do intend to portray them compassionately and not as a scary gimmick. At first they don't really like each other. Then I'm going to escalate it under the audience's noses until they both break down crying at some point about how the consequences of the other's actions are unfair. They get to the point that they hate one another.

There are two pivotal events that start to make Jekyll start to see Hyde in a different light. One is when the cool teacher, Professor Van Helsing, takes Hyde under his wing and finds chores and other productive activities that the violent alter actually really enjoys. Hey come and direct all your aggressive energy into this one productive task. And because I'm projecting, it works really well. He actually finds it really cathartic. If it's "Prep these items for me" Hyde will come back again in a comically short amount of time, stary-eyed and eager to make you come see his comically large pile of that item. If it's "Rake the leaves from this entire part of the grounds" he will go at it so hard. He will go at those leaves like he's waging war. It's adorable. And two. Dracula picks a fight with them while Jekyll (who would lose badly) is controlling their body. And Hyde immediately takes over and defends them. He kicks Dracula's ass, and the next time they're talking in the mirror, Jekyll hesitantly thanks him. He hadn't thought about how Hyde could protect him in situations like that. And when Hyde is like, "I did that cause I like fighting stuff," Jekyll kinda starts to consider, maybe it's not all bad that he likes violence. At least, not all the time.

(And another thing!)

[thefloatingwriter]

I'd adore more of your wiress and beetee hcs if you had any more to share maybe

thank you so much for this ask anon i love any excuse to talk about them. i can’t tell if you want just beetee and wiress or them separately but i’ll give you both because i have lots of thoughts.

Beetee:

he was born on july 23rd, 21 ADD.

he has five siblings, two brothers and three sisters. he’s the oldest. in order they are: adeline (six years younger), roent (eight years younger), tera and ruther (ten years younger), and dayta (thirteen years younger).

he grew up really poor, his family barely making ends meet. his father died when he was fourteen and his mother kind of lost herself after that.

because of that, he became his siblings only real parental figure when he was really young.

his favorite color is blue.

he won the 40th at nineteen. it was the oldest a victor ever was at the time of their victory.

he dismantled an old computer he found in the trash and then put it back together when he was six.

he’s either still up at three in the morning or is out at nine pm. there’s no in between.

he also wakes up really early every single morning. wiress thinks he’s insane.

he’s actually pretty tall.

he knows how to ice skate.

he prefers cold weather over warm weather.

he loves the snow.

he’s a dog person.

he’s really good with kids.

Wiress:

she was born on november 6th, 29 ADD.

she has an older sister named barbara (four years older).

she’s polish and her last name is lisiecki.

she’s an acrobat and singer.

her family was richer than most residents of three. her father was a software developer until he passed (i have a lot of dead dads in my hcs). her mother ran a sort of theatre group/circus to entertain capitol and three citizens. it’s where wiress learned acrobatics.

her hair is naturally curly.

she won the 48th when she was eighteen.

she’s really good with crowds but hates one-on-one talking.

her favorite color is lilac.

she had a cat before she won named fleur. fleur went on to have three kittens named iris, leni, and luna.

she loves the smell of lavender.

she is not a morning person at all. she can barely function in the mornings.

she loves both coffee and tea.

she has a giant sweet tooth.

she cannot cook. like seriously. last time she tried she started a fire and almost burnt her house down.

she was always a naturally curious person. as a child she snuck into the woods surrounding three and took walks for hours. it scared her mother senseless every time she up and disappeared and she always sent barbara out to go find her.

her district token was a woven purple bracelet her sister made for her when she was younger.

Wiress and Beetee:

this is basically canon but they can talk with their eyes/just understand each other without saying anything. the other victors have made a game out of figuring out what they’re talking about.

beetee’s token was his glasses for both of his games, so for the 75th he took his wedding band and added two silver stripes on the sides out of the metal.

most of the victors have absolutely no idea what their relationship is. like some of them think they’re just really good friends, some of them think they’re dating casually, and some are like, “no they’ve been married for a decade.”

he was her mentor. the 48th was the only year where both tributes were from “richer families” (i.e. three’s version of merchant families). atlas, the other victor from three, came from a merchant family but beetee didn’t and there’s a lot of animosity between the poorer and richer people in three (similar to twelve but if like everyone acted like mrs. mellark) so he was really worried that wiress was going to be rude or disrespectful. and then he meets the sweetest eighteen year old he’s ever met who sings for fun and hums to herself when she’s anxious. safe to say he was surprised.

beetee really hates explaining stuff so when wiress comes along they can sometimes forget they have to explain stuff to people and they won’t get it if they give them The Look even though they both get what that means. they don’t even mean to but they can be hanging out with anyone and make them feel like they’re third-wheeling.

bonus:

Beetee adjusts his glasses as he squints at the computer in front of him. “Our brains are made of the same wires.”

Wiress looks over at him, a small smile playing on her lips. “That’s genuinely the most romantic thing you have ever said to me.”

(this is 100% going in a fic but why do i have the best ideas for random lines at one in the morning like why can’t inspiration hit at a normal time ffs)

sorry this took a minute for me to post <3 i hope you like these! anyway, again anon ilysm for this ask seriously i love love love talking about them.

[littleaipom]

Propaganda post about my fave medias time! [#1]

Hiiii, I just wanna talk about and recommend some things I like on my blog here! I don't always draw fanart for everything that I like and find inspiring, but I like sharing what I feel are gems with others. (the gifs im adding arent mine)

I've got a small handful of movies that involve animals and a predator+prey relationship, with plenty of cute moments mixed with heart-aching moments. They're all animated kids movies with the potential to hit pretty hard. There's something tragic to the way each movie acknowledges nature and has a character try and fight the standard order of things.

One Stormy Night

Over time, this one has become my favorite of these. This movie can provide such an unexpected comfort with how it approaches friendship as something that can transcend all else, and not need any complex reason to exist. It centers around a friendship between a wolf and goat, from how they first become friends and into how they have to fight to keep their friendship. The art style and protagonists are adorable and goofy, maintaining a delightful levity and earnestness throughout the whole movie. There is still plenty of drama surrounding their romeo-and-juliet-type relationship, and the lengths these characters go to to be friends is captivating. I rewatch this movie every now and then and it still manages to make me cry through it's earnestness and the truths it speaks to.

You are Umasou

The art style for this is extremely bright, unrealistic, cartoony, and adorable. The story is similarly cartoony, and yet it hits on some very grounded topics about family, facing difficult truths, and finding your own path in life even if it doesnt fit what's conventional. This movie gets bonus points from me for having two main predator+prey relationships that mirror each other. It's heartwarming and silly and has plenty of entertaining action moments with a good dose of drama. It's really charming and sticks with me.

Chirin's Bell

Heads up, this one is bleaker than the rest, and I love it for it's tragedy(behind the very cute artstyle for the sheep, no less). The protaganist sheep starts from an understandable position where he is tired of being the prey, the victim. His journey to do something about it pushes him to see and do things he never would have done otherwise. And it's this path he takes that has both impressive and unintended consequences. The film seems to pose questions like "is it better to live in ignorance if you can?", "how far will you go to ensure you can't be hurt again?", and "how do you reconcile with abandoning your origins?". The ending feels inevitable and yet haunting all the same.

Leafie: A Hen into the Wild

This one has held up for me perhaps the least, due to it's specific brand of cartoony-ness and unexpected gross factor(this ties into the original vs english/censored versions of the movie. arguably it's a personal preference thing in the end, but i'm actually glad i watched the censored version first.) However, it has still hit home for me several times before and deserves it's credit! The movie tackles the idea of remaining locked inside a system vs living free in the wild where there are many more dangers and mistakes to be made. It also focuses heavily on motherhood, where love and selflessness win in a fight against the uncaring and unmoving whims of others and nature itself. The protagonist's determination to be free and live the life she wants despite her ignorance and the pain it causes her is very moving to me. There is tragedy sprinkled thru the movie and yet it's underscored by how the protagonist is resolved see it all as worthwhile. The movie is often goofy, often dramatic, and overall bittersweet.

So yeah, check them out if any sound interesting! ^^

[countrymusiclover]

14 - Still On Different Sides

Part 15

Battle of Heart and Mind

The plane was said to land in an hour where I decided it was time to introduce Erik to my mother because none of us knew if we would succeed today in stopping Raven from starting the war of the future. Erik was staring at the chess board in front of him in silence till he saw me standing before him. “Charles, just told me we are soon to land and there’s something I want to do before we’re on the ground.”

“And what is that, Addison?” He asked resting his chin on the palm of his hand,

Holding my hands together in front of me I sucked in a sharp breath hoping he wouldn’t panic too bad at what I was asking. “Meeting my mother.”

“God Addison….I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.” He ran his freehand through his hair.

I sent him the puppy dog eyes hoping he wouldn’t resist me then. “Please Erik. You are the father of her grandchild after all. She deserves to know who you are.”

“For you I will. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. I don’t think I will be what she expected.” He replied, meeting my gaze. He got to his feet and we walked over to where my mother was sitting watching the clouds outside until I cleared my throat.

Angela focused her attention on the two of us. “So is the father, Addi?”

“Yes he is, mom. This is Erik Lehnsherr.” I put one hand on his arm pointing at my mother introducing them. “Erik, this is my mother Angela.”

She raised her out to shake him as we sat down across from her. “Nice to meet you, Erik. So let me see if I have this right and correct me if I misunderstood. So you two have been through world war 2 concentration camps, tried to protect the world from your father, and then you had me help you break into the pentagon to have sex with him. Which resulted in you being pregnant now and you are trying to prevent a future war.”

“Yeah that’s basically the shortened version, mom.” I shrugged my shoulders blushing that she blurted the last part so boldly through the airplane.

Erik finally said his first words toward my mother with a proud smirk falling his gaze between the three of us. “She’s a fast learner just like you are, Addison.”

“What happened to you calling me Addi sometimes?” I glared at him lightly.

He smirked back at me. “And I’ve already told you the reason. It’s just what I like to call you.”

“You two are so adorable together. So when should I be expecting a wedding after the baby is born I assume?” My mother asked with a smirk on her face.

Erik rubbed the back of his neck. “Well I am not sure exactly when I am going to ask her to marry me. I have been locked up and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get out of there to be honest.”

“I’ll be waiting for you to ask for my permission some day, Lehnsherr. Now what type of power do you have?” She leaned forward curiously in her eyes.

Removing the coin necklace from around my neck I held it out to him in my open palm. “Show her.” Erik nods his head simply, concentrating on the metal coin. The object hovered above my palm and he made it fly around the room a couple of times before collapsing softly back around my neck with such ease.

“Now the name Magneto makes so much more sense to me. That’s quite impressive. But I want you to remember something, Erik.” My mother got to her feet leaning over the table and getting in his face as much as she could manage. A threat slipped out of her lips. “If you ever hurt my daughter I know someone who can hunt you down and make you regret it if he ever brings his power back.”

Grabbing his hand in mine I saw Erik stiffen his back looking down the rows seeing Charles and Logan talking with each other. He nodded with a nervous gulp. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ms. Aspen.”

We had finally found the location of the board meeting event that Raven was said to have killed Trask at. Bolting into the office room our group saw Raven in her natural blue form laying on the table and some of the members laying knocked out on the floor around her. Charles rushed in front of me and Erik, concerned for his sister. “Charles.” Raven breathed out trying to catch her breath.

He ran a hand over her head. “We've come for you, Erik and I, together.”

“I never thought I could see you again.” She mumbled in relief.

He reassured his sister while my gaze noticed the short man standing in the corner who had to be Trask who created the weapon to wipe us all out. “I'm going to keep you safe I'm going to keep you out of their hands.”

“Erik.” Suddenly the gun that was laying beside my friend flies and lands in Erik’s hand.

Charles raises a hand standing in between the firearm and his foster sister. “Erik, what are you doing?”

“Securing our future.” Erik declares pointing the gun at her still. “Forgive me Mystique, as long as you're out there we'll never be safe.”

“Erik.” I warned him with my mother standing beside Hank and Logan who was having a seizure or something over in the corner.

Raven told her brother while getting up. “Use your powers Charles, stop him.”

Erik told her about to fire the gun. “He can't.” Hank ran at the same time she ran and broke through the glass window to get away. Hank tackled Erik causing the weapon to still fire and a bullet went into her leg as she hit the ground.

“Charles, I’m going to try and stop him before he kills her in front of the whole world.” I placed a hand on his shoulder not waiting for a response bolting towards the window.

“Addi!” Charles cried out my name as I jumped through the broken glass, thankful that when I held my hands out towards the ground that I didn’t die since my body was hovering off the pavement a little bit.

Letting my feet drop to the ground I saw Raven in a different form trying to get away but her limp was slowly her down. “Erik, leave her alone right now.” I holler out to him when some policeman tries moving towards him but he just throws them backwards like twigs on trees heading straight for my friend.

“Addison, I am doing this for our future. If she’s alive and kills him we will never be safe.” He turns to me still holding Raven close to his feet with the bullet in her leg.

Making my hands into fists I glared at him. “Killing her in front of the entire public isn’t a better option either. They will hate us and our children.”

“Children, you didn’t tell me there was more than one. We have to run once she is dead.” He raised a brow at me, looking over his shoulder at her and raised his hand drawing the bullet from her leg and it hovered on his palm.

Raven begged him. “Erik!”

“I’m sorry - ugh!” He apologized before I raised my hand, throwing him away from her and into one of the metal barricades causing some people to quickly back away on the other side of them. He shook his head realizing what just happened. “Addi, what the hell are you doing?”

“Protecting her from you. I can’t let you kill her even if it means you never know your babies.” I declare watching him get to his feet.

He raised his hand drawing me to him by the coin necklace where I struggled against his power until we were pressing up against each other. “I don’t want to hurt you. I made a promise to your mother.” He grunted through his teeth intensely staring into my eyes.

“The only thing I can say is that I’m sorry about this.” I slammed my hands onto his chest seeing my hands turning red and he winced lowering himself to his knees and I lowered myself down onto my knees with him looking in Raven’s direction. “Get out of here. You know where we’ll be if you need help.”

She nodded, transforming as a random person and blending into the crowd of people who were running now in fear. “Thanks best friend.”

“Addi, we are supposed to be on the same side. Not enemies, you and I!” Erik grunted holding onto my forearms tightly.

I removed my hands from his body, stepping away from him. I was at conflict with my own heart and mind right now. I loved him but for the sake of my unborn children I couldn’t start a war between humanity and mutants. Nothing good would come from such a thing. That’s the whole reason why Logan was here in the first place. “This is for my children.” I closed my eyes, throwing him by raising a hand and launching him into the metal gate.

Erik groaned at the impact quickly standing up and he threw my body where I rolled on the dirt. Scrambling to my feet I got in a fighting stance seeing him raising pieces of the fence trying to cage me in. I throw a hand forward holding them back and tossing them into the sky away from us. “We are stronger together, you see that. I know you do. Stop fighting me, babe.”

“I can’t do that, Erik.” I shake my head no glaring at him, focusing my eyes on one of the metal helmets that was on a police officer's head. It slowly raised behind his head and thankfully he didn’t see it yet.

Erik made a fist and a pair of handcuffs came flying at me. I ducked my head thinking he was trying to hit me. Yet they wrapped around my legs and I collapsed onto the ground with him slowly walking towards me. “I won’t hurt you if you stop fighting me right now, Addi.” He lowered himself down on a knee to be eye level with me.

“I choose….to apologize one last time for this.” I mumbled under my breath moving the helmet over his head waiting for the right chance.

Erik sent me a confused look on his face before I cut him off by knocking him over the head with the helmet and his body fell into my arms where he went unconscious. “What are you talking about - uh!”

“I’m sorry, Erik. I truly am.” I whispered, running one hand through his hair getting up to my feet and leaving him there knowing he would wake up soon enough since I didn’t hit him too harshly. Running through the back alleyways I found our plane a few miles later slamming down in one of the seats just as we took off into the sky.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

Tag list - ask to be added (in my ask box please) @aintinacage e @hiraethrhapsody @mostlymarvelgirl @importantgalaxyrunaway

[levitatingbiscuits]

Do you hve any fav superbat fic recs? Any fics with the trope u talked about recently (bruce tryna charm a slightly bewildered clark)

that particular dynamic is kind of rare, but i just checked my bookmarks and i have a LOT more fic recs that kind of sort of have it than initially anticipated lmao

first up, anything by mithen on ao3 is god tier. they are the definitive superbat writer and have been for over a decade. they wrote both the first superbat fic i ever read (interview with a batman) as well as my favorite superbat fic of all time (heroes of the squared circle). but all of their superbat fics are great, and there are a lot to choose from!

I also really like susiecarter's superbat stuff because she is fantastic at writing "awkwardly trying to make friends" bruce (who is often also pining for clark), which i deeply enjoy.

takes one to know one (the love square) by soetry is a SUPER adorable, very funny fic where supes and bats are besties but (unbeknownst to them) each nursing an embarrassing crush on each other's civilian identities. seeing batman stiltedly interact with cheeky intrepid reporter clark, who is totally unintimidated by him, was great.

The Salmon Incident by CoffioCake is another hilarious love square where batman gets very jealous of superman's growing crush on his new boss, which he whines to his bff about often and at length. of course, he doesn't know that clark's new boss is bruce wayne.

Satisfaction Brought It Back is an adorable fic where bruce gets magically turned into a cat, and who do we know who rescues cats out of trees? initially, bruce does not like supes at all, so it's great to watch him slowly warm up despite himself due to clark's inherent lovability. of course, once he turns human again, clark is not as fond of bruce as bruce is of him, but bruce is gonna make sure it doesn't stay that way for long ;)

Favorite Strangers is set in the DCU before Superman's resurrection. Batman is tortured by guilt and regret, naturally, and ends up dimension hopping to a lighter and softer comic setting where the Justice League is in its heyday and Superman and Batman are best friends (and maybe more). Lots of great angst as Bruce grapples with this vision of how things should have been, falls ever harder for Clark, and deals with his alternate self, who is PISSED that a version of himself hurt Superman.

Learning to Fly is a superbat beauty and the beast au where Clark wanders into a horrific bat monster's mansion in an attempt to escape his odious bald suitor. then the bat monster starts trying to woo him.

On the Half Shell is probably the closest to the dynamic I was talking about. Lois dumps Clark, Bruce jumps at the chance to seduce him Brucie-style, but things go wrong when Clark assumes they're having casual rebound sex and Bruce gets utterly thrown off his rhythm and predictably reacts in the worst way possible because he sucks at communication. Then he has to try to make amends for acting like, well, himself lmao

There are tons of other enjoyable superbat fics in my bookmarks as well, if you're willing to brave them! They don't even slightly have the specific dynamic you're looking for but they're still great. Of the two of them, Clark is my blorbo, so most of my bookmarks have dynamics that are not the typical "superman is in love with batman and tries to win him over" that you often see for this ship. at the very least, they tend to go in depth on clark as a character, which is unfortunately rare :(

[clottedscream]

How I would do My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: A rewrite masterpost

Long ago, two all-powerful queens ruled over the prosperous land of Equestia. Queen Solaris, The Sun Mare, ruled the daytime sun, and her younger sister Queen Selenia, The Moon Mare, ruled the night sky. However, as the legend goes, Selenia grew jealous of her sister’s power and adoration, and launched an attack against her older sister using her army of fearsome dragons. The great Solaria was able to defeat Selenia by trapping her in the moon, and turned each of her dragons into a constellation to fill the night sky. But when Selenia was banished to the moon, the ways of ancient magic went with her, the knowledge lost to all ponies including Solaris. Some say this was Selenia’s final curse: a spell of forgetting. But instead of falling to despair, Solaris founded the Royal Canterlot Academy, a research institute and school dedicated to re-learning the secrets of the world. She invented a new magic, Alchemy, which used the magic of natural things as components to power Alchemical spells channelled through a pony’s wings or horns. Alchemical spells can move the four elements of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire, or can even combine them to create more complex spells, by spending the magic in component objects. But the ways of ancient magic are still present in the mysterious music of ordinary things, lying and waiting to be discovered... by anyone who knows where to listen.

[Image ID: A simplistic 2D drawing of Queens Selenia and Solaria, two very similar looking alicorn ponies. Selenia, left, is rendered in two shades of blue. Solaria, left, is rendered in two shades of orange. They face each other in symmetrical poses. End ID.]

Hey there! this is my masterpost for how i would rewrite MLP! This post will have my world lore writing, plus links to all the main characters’ art n bios once I’ve gotten those finished <3. This rewrite is partially inspired by Jenny Nicholson’s video on the same subject, so credit where credit is due, but mostly it’s my own work! This will include redesigns of all the main ponies plus some unique world lore of my own design.

lore stuff under the readmore :)

Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies

[Image ID: a simplistic 2d drawing of a Unicorn, a Pegasus, and an Earth pony, in red, blue, and yellow respectively. End ID]

The three types of ponies who live in Equestria are Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies. 

Unicorns have horns, as well as tails that are more lion-like than other ponies’. Through their horns, Unicorns can channel Alchemical magic and cast spells of any kind, pushing the study of alchemy to new heights with their innovation and research.

Pegasi channel magic through their huge feathered wings, but their range is limited to the elements of air and water. Pegasi are so in tune with the air, however, that their natural aptitude far outweighs that of any unicorn, and they use their magic to perform incredible feats of aviation and control the weather. 

Earth ponies are incapable of channeling alchemical magic, but being cut off from alchemy puts them far more in tune with the ancient magic of the earth. No pony is quite so skilled at intuiting the magical properties of things as an earth pony is, so they’re the ones who produce and manufacture alchemical components. Earth ponies run the mines and farms that make Alchemy possible.

Cutie Marks and Appellations

In this version of Equestria, your cutie mark is only of secondary importance. Instead, young ponies excitedly wait until they’ve earned their Appellation. A pony’s appellation is a byname, like “The hunter pony,” or “The painter pony,” that grants them a small, special power of their very own. Maybe it lets them summon confetti, or maybe it lets them talk to animals! Whatever the power may be, it’s determined by what their Appellation means to them.

Appellations are a very old form of magic, older by far than even Queen Solaris herself. They’re a representation of a pony’s very soul. Appellations are bestowed upon you by another pony, usually a parent or a close elder, but a pony’s best friend works just as well. Most ponies get their first and only Appellation when they earn their cutie mark. However, since a pony’s Appellation is a representation of their soul, they are changeable and adaptable, just like the pony themselves. When another pony recognizes and bestows an appellation on someone, they’re interpreting a feeling of intense magical energy, but all ponies are fallible, which means sometimes a pony will get an Appellation that doesn’t feel quite right. 

A pony can earn their appellation through great feats, or through a deep introspective searching of the self. Appellations can even be formed in crisis or events of extreme trauma, but fortunately if a pony doesn’t want to identify with that byname anymore, they can also work to achieve a new one through therapy. Once a pony gets a new appellation, their power might change a lot, or it might stay the same- it depends on how different the new byname is.

The Mane Six (+ Spike)

Twilight Sparkle, “The Alchemy Pony” 

The star graduate student of the Royal Canterlot Academy and the Queen’s own protégé. Twilight was found abandoned as a young foal and taken in by the queen, raised as her apprentice. From a young age, she showed great prodigy in the Alchemical arts. Once Twilight graduated from the academy, she was given a grant by the queen to conduct her own research for the betterment of Alchemy and of ponykind. One fateful day of adventuring and researching, she spotted something falling from the sky- a sleeping dragon! Catching him just in the nick of time with a telekinetic spell, Spike the dragon, once a soldier in Selenia’s army, awoke and swore to be loyal to Twilight until his very last breath. Spike believes he owes Twilight a life debt, and tries to use mischievous means to guide her towards magics that are ancient and dangerous, to give her a power comparable to his dark queen of the night... except, he’s also tiny and totally incompetent, so he’s not really all that great at swaying her towards the dark side. Instead, he kind of just tags along with Twilight on her adventures. Twilight’s research has her currently posted in Ponyville, a rural but lively town in Equestria’s countryside, where she aims to study the small local industry of growing and manufacturing Alchemical components.

Applejack, “The Stalwart Pony” 

Everyone knows that Applejack is the unofficial leader of Ponyville. Sure, the mayor is legally in charge, but Applejack is the fierce, reliable, and resilient heart of the town. She organizes, knows when to take charge, is cool in a crisis, and is always there for others to rely on. She’s also the owner of Apple Orchard Farms, her family business that grows earth-element alchemical components... and some damn good apples, too. Applejack values hard work, responsibility, and collectivism above all else (she’s very pro-union), but sometimes the pressure her town and her family puts on her to be the leader weighs heavy on her shoulders. She’s everyone’s big sister, but who’s there for her when she needs a sister to rely on too? Well...

Pinkie Pie, “The Celebration Pony” 

How to classify Pinkie Pie? She’s the town handyman, the problem solver, the “always there when you need her”-er. If you have a stubborn infestation of kitchen gremlins, or a broken radiator, or need someone to help you carry your groceries, or you just need a shoulder to cry on, you call on Pinkie Pie. Her family sent her to the Royal Canterlot Academy when she was just a little filly, because her prowess with alchemy as a unicorn was well above average for her age. But years in a stifling academic environment wore her down until she had no choice but to drop out. Applejack offered her a spare loft in her barn, and they’ve been best friends ever since. Pinkie Pie floats about town, making friends with everyone and putting her hooves in practically everyone’s metaphorical pies. She loves being helpful and friendly, and she also loves how the people of Ponyville respect her need for independence. 

Rarity, “The Arcane Pony” link TBA

Rarity is a collector of oddities and curios, an appraiser, and an artist all rolled up into one. She runs an eclectic antique store that doubles as her personal boutique and art gallery. She’s always on the hunt for things strange and exceptional, and her appellation gives her an extraordinary gift for recognizing the finer details. She’s still a fashionista, but she’s more interested in fashion that’s super unique or vintage or rare. Her store is totally cluttered with all of the strange things she’s collected, all of them beautiful and one-of-a-kind. She’s an artist down to her bones, and is known about town for being... just a bit dramatic. When anything needs an artist’s touch, though, everyone knows Rarity is just the pony to call. Using her appraisal skills, Rarity moonlights as an amateur detective, sleuthing out mysteries around town.

Fluttershy, “The Arbor Pony” 

Fluttershy is that weird, creepy pony who lives at the edge of town, never talks to anybody, and never wears shoes. That’s what others say about her, anyways. Being the Arbor pony has given Fluttershy a very close connection with nature, to the extent that some say she can even talk with plants and animals. Perhaps that’s why she’s the self-appointed guardian of the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy was born with a disability that made it impossible to fly on or channel magic through her wings without experiencing chronic pain. Once it became clear that no amount of time in the hospital could cure her wings, Fluttershy moved out of the sky city of Atmospheria and down to Ponyville, where she could walk from building to building. There, she discovered her love of nature and finally earned her cutie mark. She even got her Appellation from a certain other local pegasus. In reality, even though she’s a bit of an introvert, Fluttershy is very kind, and loves to have her friends over for tea. It’s just that many of her friends are bears or spiders, is all.

Rainbow Dash, “The Thunderclap Pony” link TBA

Rainbow Dash was the hotshot valedictorian of Atmospheria Academy, the school for weather ponies. A fast flyer and a savant with all things rain and shine, she cruised right into a job at the Royal Air Force (y’know, the royal division of ponies who can control air). Her Captain didn’t find that all too charming, and he assigned her to manage the weather in the nowhere town of Ponyville to knock her down a peg. Applejack and the ponies of Ponyville resent that she lords her talents over everyone and acts like she’s too good for their town, thinking that she must be coasting on talent alone. But really, Rainbow Dash is a hard worker who’s fought for every ounce of skill she’s got. She believes that personal excellence is a journey, not a destination, and she’s never done training and improving. Perhaps because she feels like such an outcast, she clings to the one pony in town she knows from Atmospheria. She and Fluttershy make an odd couple, but despite their differences, they’re totally inseparable as friends. Just friends, that’s all. Gal pals, even.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up, Ep 5 Recap: The Neglected Performances

Welcome back to the one of the top twenty best Build Up recaps out there! In the previous one, we saw an adoring junior take on his senior. In this one, we’ll talk about the four performances that MNET saw fit to skip almost completely. 

So yeah, MNET saw fit to just unceremoniously fly through a total of four performances in less time than they spent on most of the other single performances. I’m so mad I feel like I could spontaneously combust. Where is Junyheok and Yeo One’s fire extinguisher? 

MNET spent about a minute per round (ie, less than 30 seconds on each performance) but I’ll go through a little more carefully. 

First up is Hyukjin and Jeong Inseong versus Lee Minwook and Jang Intae.

I’ll remind you who everyone is as we go along, since MNET hates all eight of these guys for no reason.

Hyukjin is from an unfortunately VERY nugu group called Fave1. He was in the Power group, V22, the one who sang that heavy metal sounding song. I mean, he frickin’ went for it, I’ll give him that. He wore that red suit on the first day. He performed in the Kajima Kajima (Don’t Go) group, and was made Low Tier just because everyone else did a bit better, not because he did badly. He seems to have lightened his hair a little bit since the Pre-4 round.  

Jeong Inseong is from a group called KNK. He was a V6, in the Allround section, and I remember really liking that first performance (my notes just read, “ooh, I like!”). He was in Breath, and along with Hwanhee, was sort of a go-to backstage reaction king during the whole Pre-4 mission. We didn’t hear what the judges thought of his performance one where or the other, but I thought he had a smooth, rich voice. 

They’ve decided to sing a song called Still Love You, originally performed by Lee Hongki and Yoo Hweseung. If you watched either You’re Beautiful (the Hong sisters k-drama) or Produce48, you’re familiar with Lee Hongki; he was Jeremy in You’re Beautiful and he was the cool, Japanese-speaking vocal coach in Produce48. But of course, you might know him as a member of FT Island. Hweseung was on PD101 Season 2. Now he is the main vocalist of N Flying, and I think he has a glorious voice. So yeah, I like both these guys.

The song itself isn’t my thing, but that’s fine, it doesn’t have to be. The lyrics are just typical K-ballad material -- “I love you and I’ll miss you and I will never forget you but I nobly hope you’ll be happy” blah blah. You know the drill. 

Full version here.

My thoughts:

Overall, I actually like their version better than the original. I’m not a huge fan of the song itself, but I like the way they sing it. 

Hyukjin is the weaker of the two vocalists, which is a bummer because I root for anyone who gets less than 10,000 views on his MVs. He still has a very nice voice. He just has a bit of sharp nasality occasionally that kind of spoils his tone. He also could slightly improve his agility. His straining high notes at the end were not… great. On the positive side, he has a really nice natural vocal color when he’s not straining, and he has excellent pitch and breath control, allowing him to hold -- and control -- long powerful notes, as long as he doesn’t push the high pitch too hard. I wish he’d sing more in his lower register, because that’s what I think sounds best. 

I really like Inseong’s voice. It doesn’t quite give me the tingles like Jay’s voice, or Neon’s, or Euibin’s, but it’s so nice. It’s just so rich and nice to listen to. He varies his dynamics, singing softly and cleanly sometimes, and loud and powerfully other times. He uses just the right amount of vibrato for my taste. I just think he’s a great singer. 

Their harmonies sounded really pretty; you can hear both of them, so they’re blending just right. 

Ok, so let’s see what we see on the show. 

The editors made sure to include Hyukjin’s not-too-great high notes. Sigh. They get an 87 from Wendy and a 65 from Jaehwan! Way harsh, Tai!

VCG says, “You should have made the best use of your weapons, but since you used it too often, it didn’t seem like a special move.” I assume he’s addressing Hyukjin, and I think I get what he means. Hyukjin kept the emotional level at 11 the whole time, and didn’t really vary up his dynamics. I think that’s kind of how the original version of the song goes, as well, but maybe they could have adapted it a little more. 

Poor Inseong. He sang so beautifully. Even if that one high note of Hyukjin’s wasn’t great, poor Inseong got dragged down with him. 

Next up is Minwook and Intae. 

Lee Minwook is from a group called Newkidd. He was in the Soul group, V9, and you guys, that little performance has been living in my playlist ever since. He wore a bunch of vests, including that bright blue vest that sort of gave gym-class jersey vibes. I really like his voice, but I guess the other guys didn’t because he was tied for 33rd in the vocal check in. He ended up in Something Like That, where the judges praised him effusively and he was chosen as Top Tier. 

Jang Intae is from the Allround group, V31, and is one of the mysteries of the show. I don’t even know his age. He actually came in last in the initial vote after the vocal check in, with only 5 votes. He was in the Every Moment group, along with Bain and Seunghun from CIX. Unfortunately, I haven’t exactly loved his singing on the show so far. In my opinion, his voice is quite nasal, and he lacks both agility and breath control. Solar disagrees with me, though; she voted for him as Top Tier (everyone else voted for Seunghun). 

The song they’ve chosen is Universe by EXO. This may shock and amaze you, but I really like this song. What? ME? LIKE A SONG BY EXO? WHAT NEXT? 

Anyway yeah, it’s a great song. Sure, the lyrics are basically the same as those of most k-ballads -- I lost you but I’ll look for you forever, blah blah -- but the chords are complicated and interesting and there’s a drive and power to it that make it feel authentic. Plus they look like this:

Was there ever a more delightful concept than just “they’re dressed for fall and holding steamy mugs”? Sigh.

Anyway, I’d be scared to sing this song because the original was sung by some of the best vocalists in the world, but I really like Minwook, so let’s see what he can do!

Full version

Mostly, very nice, and since my ears can’t help but compare them to D.O. and Chen and Baekhyun and Suho and Xiumin and Chanyeol, for me to say they did well is a big compliment. I do think they were both a bit nervous. This is still really nice, but their soft notes were shaky for both of them. 

Intae did better than he did the other times I’ve heard him, and Minwook didn’t do quite as well as other times, so they ended up a balanced pair.

Intae, left, and Minwook, right.

Minwook starts off a bit shaky. His tone is very pretty, but he actually hits the wrong note at about the :27 mark in the Youtube version. If you haven’t listened to the song 1000 times like I have, you may not notice, but I noticed, and I feel like the judges might have noticed too. (I thought about it -- was that a purposeful change on his part? And all I can say is that if it was meant to be purposeful, it doesn’t SOUND it, so the effect is the same.) His belts on the chorus also seemed a little harsh and out of control. But his natural vocal color is really nice, and he has a nice way to him, where he’s not overacting or straining all the time. 

Intae was still a bit nasal for my taste, but less so than other times I’ve heard him. He also uses more vibrato than I prefer, but not all the time. He has a lot of power to his belts and 

Their harmonies sounded really great, even the ones I think they worked out on their own that weren’t in the original song. I think they were smart to drop the octave right after that one long note. 

In the brief glimpse we see of them in the actual show, they look great. We only get a tiny bit of commentary, and it’s from Solar, who gave them their high score of 96. It’s not clear who Solar is addressing, but she tells someone -- maybe both of them -- “you have a great voice, and your manner and style of singing is also good. I think it was even better because you created it together.” Again, Solar is the same one who voted for Jang Intae in a previous round. She just really likes him for some reason. Seungkwan gave them their low score of 78, but we don’t hear from him.

We get the final score, and it’s 543 to 589 in favor of Minwook and Intae. If you do the math and subtract out the high and low scores, the average score of the other five judges was 83 for Minwook and Intae, and it was 78.2 for Hyukjin and Inseong. 

Round ten! Ding Ding!

Next up is fan favorite and Boy’s Planet survivor, Lee Hwanhee of Up10tion, paired with soldier and Pixar character Jo Hwanji. Hwanji isn’t dressed as a soldier today; he and Hwanhee are both wearing leather jackets instead, and Hwanhee has decided to a 90s scene girl looking choker. They’re going up against Lim Sanghyun and Taewoo.  

Team Hwan-hee-ji has decided to sing Four Seasons, originally by Taeyeon of SNSD.�� Here’s the Full version on Youtube.

My thoughts:

Ok, I’m not the biggest fan of jazzy singing, but this seems really nice. They seem to be enjoying what they're doing and it comes across kind of classy and cool. 

I think Hwanhee uses a tiny bit too much vibrato for my taste here, and he gets a tiny bit shrieky, but it feels like a stylistic choice. Hwanji’s voice is so clean and lovely except for his kind of painful shrieky high note at about 2:57 in to the Youtube version. Neither of them are nasal and both have good breath control and sense of pitch. They also brought bounce and interest into it with their facial expressions and dynamics.

They did a thing where they sang one line back and forth to each other, and it kind of makes sense when you know the lyrics are “We longed for each other / We got sick of each other.”  And their cute punchy harmony section right after that sounded great. 

The MNET edit is downright cruel. It makes it seem like they did that “trade lines back and forth” the whole time, but that was just one little part. The on screen captions say things like “the two voices do not sound in harmony.” Who writes these captions? What are you talking about? 

We find out that their high and low scores were 79 and 69 respectively. I don’t get what the judges are annoyed about. It just feels like they were tired and cranky here in tenth round, really. Because 79 high and 69 low feel punitive. Are you really saying that they were worse than Woong and Seokhwa?  Yeah, Hwanji had that one bad note, but come on. 

Wendy gave the high score of 79, but we don't get to hear from her. VCG, who gave the low score, says “I couldn’t hear the lyrics. ‘I’m good at this’, ‘this is how good I am,’ ‘This is how high I can go and I can sing a little jazzy,’” he says in a mocking tone. “I think it was a performance that only showed your skills.” 

Genuine question: Were they not supposed to show their skills? What were they supposed to show? I’m confused. If they hadn’t shown their skills, you would have said “I wanted to see your skills.” What was bad about showing their skills? What is bad about showing that they’re good at this? 

Also, I am far from fluent in Korean, but I could compare what they were singing to the lyrics I found online and I didn’t get lost along the way, so they were pronouncing it well enough for *me* to understand them. 

Hwanhee and Hwanji take their bad scores with grace. Hwanhee has been on dozens of these shows by now and is just like, sure, whatever. 

Next up is Lim Sanghyun and Taewoo. They both performed in the Beautiful group. I enjoyed Sanghyun’s soft, gruff tone, but couldn’t quite get behind Taewoo’s “YG” style with its sharp, nasal tone and swaggy affectations. 

They’re singing Downpour, the song I.O.I. used as its sort of “goodbye” before it disbanded. The lyrics mark it as a fairly standard k-ballad about a breakup, comparing the sadness of a breakup to a temporary downpour, but it has a lovely melody. Fun fact: It was co-written by Woozi of Seventeen!

Full version without reactions

My thoughts:

I still am not really on board with Taewoo’s style of singing, though I think it would have a time and place. It’s not that he’s a bad singer; it’s just that I don’t much like the manner of his singing. He does this little sigh thing at the end of each line that is very YG feeling and not something I like, and he is unpleasantly pitchy on his falsetto and shrill when he employs his mixed register. Note to note his voice can sound really different, and some of the ways it can sound is nice, but he’s affected and stylistic when I think his natural color might be his nicest voice.

Also, why don’t people open their eyes? What is this singing with your eyes closed thing so many of them do? And I’m aware, they probably don’t have completely closed eyes, but if that’s how it looks on camera, then… they should be aware of how it looks, right?

Sanghyun is still more my style. His voice is just so soft and pretty in a smoky kind of way. He does kind of drop off at the end of lines sometimes, but not all the time, so I won’t hold it against him or anything. Sometimes his voice reminds me a little of Baekhyun’s, so that’s a compliment, right? I really don’t have a lot to say just because it’s such a nice voice -- not nasal at all, not pitchy, good breath control. None of the bad things, all the good things.

I do actually think their voices sound nice next to each other, but I wish Sanghyun had a different partner. 

In the MNET edit, we see a few moments with the caption, “A stage with very different voices but good harmony.” They get a high of 100 and a low of 85, so it’s pretty clear that they’ve won. 

We can’t see which judge gave them which score, but I assume that Solar may have given out the 100. We get to see her saying, “When different people come together like this, a truly unique team will emerge. That’s what I felt watching the performance.”

The final score is 641 to 515, which is just… ouch. That means that Hwanhee and Hwanji got the second lowest score of the whole round. It was just unnecessarily harsh for no raisin.

If you take out the highest and lowest scores and find the average of the remaining scores, the other five judges gave Team Hwan-hee-ji an average score of 73.4, and gave Sanghyun and Taewoo an average score of 91.2.

Well, I’m so glad we spent so much time watching Geonu and Soomin make up a handshake, and watching Inhyuk and Joohee smack talk, and had instant replays and reactions drag things out the whole time, and wasted time with people wondering what the score would be just seconds before the score is actually shown, etc. 

Imagine if we’d used that time to watch the SINGING on a SINGING SHOW that would have been TOO MUCH SINGING FOR A SINGING SHOW PLEASE I only want to watch people MAKE UP HANDSHAKES AND SMACK TALK ON MY SINGING SHOW The word “SING” stands for “SMACKTALKING IS NOW GOOD” and “MUSIC” stands for “MAKING UP SHAKES IS CRUCIAL” I guess

Why do I watch these MNET shows?

Oh yeah, that’s why. 

Ok, I’m going to cut it off here for now, and my next post will be an Elimination Special! See you then!

XOXO

BRP Unnie/Noona

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Another FlintWood story idea!!

The only explanation for how this happened is that my brain is all the chaos all the time.

It’s the fourth book but Marcus and Oliver are still in school and Oliver is a muggleborn Beauxbatons student (I have a version of this where he attends Castelobruxo so if you want that imagine that) with his house being Bellefeuille (Bravery, sensitivity, compassion. Hard workers, skilled academics, and they have an affinity towards nature). Since Beauxbatons is confirmed to take students from most of western europe, I’m making Oliver Spanish with one parent originally being from Scotland so he fits the sexy native language and the sexy Scottish accent tropes. He’s still quidditch captain, just not at Hogwarts.

Personally I like a smaller build for Oliver, which I think fits more with the whole thing about every Beauxbatons student seeming to be good looking, so Oliver is the dreamy pretty boy instead of being burly like he was described to be in the book. Marcus is tall and built, but he’s not pretty or even handsome in any conventional way because I’m dedicated to destroying the idea that conventionally attractive people should only date other conventionally attractive people.

While exploring the castle, Oliver gets severely lost. He bumps into Marcus and asks for help getting back to wherever the Beauxbatons carriage is since I think that’s where they stayed. Marcus isn’t usually one for helping people but not only is this person not from Hogwarts (and thus not part of the inter-house conflict), he is also very pretty, so Marcus decides to help like the useless gay disaster that he is. They talk and once they figure out they both love quidditch, they strike up a friendship. Although, thanks to their positions and the healthy rivalry between the schools, there is an element of “I’m better than you and my team could beat yours” but it isn’t active hatred. They have one-on-one’s, creating a pair of hoops with transfiguration because the pitch is off-limits and slowly develop feelings for each other.

Then the Yule Ball comes, and an uncharacteristically shy Marcus asks Oliver to be his date. They have an amazing time, Ron doesn’t ruin Hermione’s night by being a jealous prick because he and Harry went to the ball together (because I like Ron, Krumione is adorable, and I think Ron and Harry had great chemistry outside of the instances where either or both of them were acting like a douchebag), and everyone has a great time. Marcus and Oliver officially become a couple.

Now to drastically change canon, I need you to know I headcanon Oliver as someone with a natural talent for legilimency because I think it’s a cool power, I like Oliver, and it’s plot convenient. Because of his skill with legilimency, when Crouch is doing the ferret thing with Draco, Oliver accidentally catches glimpses of thoughts and memories from “Moody” in relation to his hatred for the Malfoys and their betrayal of Voldemort. This is, obviously, a bit worrying, and after some agonizing he asks Marcus about who Moody is. When Marcus answers he’s an auror, Oliver wonders out loud why he’d despise Draco so much for his family’s betrayal of the dark lord, since that should be something he’d be neutral about at worst. This starts a domino effect that ends with Crouch being revealed earlier. Crouch still manages to get Harry’s blood so Voldemort is still resurrected and Harry knows this through visions so his whole thing with Umbridge in the fifth book still happens, but Cedric survives and there’s a different final task.

Later, just before Oliver returns to Europe, the two promise each other to owl, which they do frequently. Flint chooses to go against the death eater side of his family, as do his parents because despite their previous beliefs they get to know Oliver and realize that what they were doing was terrible. Oliver helps out during the war by helping smuggle muggleborns to mainland Europe. At some point they start living together, alternating between Spain and England, and after the war they get married.

Should I write this or nah? I kinda wanna write this.

[riverdamien]

Peace Be Unto You!

"Peace Be Unto You!"

John 20: 19-31

"On the first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst a 'Peace be unto you. . .' John 20:1-5

The disciples were afraid, they were in grief, and Thomas still doubting, fighting among themselves, and there was unrest in the country around them; Jesus calmly came into the room, and said, "Peace be unto you!" calling each one to center their lives on him, and in that focusing only on Jesus Thomas proclaimed him his "Lord, and God!"

In the top photo, and the first half of the second referring to "Christian Nationalism" we find pain, unrest, and death; two nights ago sitting on the street, I noticed a group of men, passing our Biblical tracts, and talking to homeless young men. One walked towards me and I stood up and before I could open my mouth he shouted, "You are doomed to hell, the Bible says that all fags are going to hell," and he hit me and two others joined in. As I was loaded into an ambulance one of the youngish homeless guys rushed up grabbing my hand saying: "How can you be a Christian, Christians hate us, condemn us, and kill us.! That is a question I ask myself really a lot, and my answer always comes back to focusing on Jesus, the One who has walked with me through hell all these years. Jesus, I love, adore, and worship! The Jesus I find in the Church is often one who is sluggish, mean, judgmental and hateful. The Jesus presented by human beings with so much hatred in their hearts they fail to hear his real message, "Peace be unto you!"

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, was translated in 1946, and some of the New Testament passages used the word"homosexuality",

a word created in the early twentieth century. The Bible, being two thousand years old, never had the word within it, and its views on sexuality are based on a culture living over two thousand years ago.

That translation, the one I grew up with, used in seminary, and preached from for so many years often disturbed me, until I discovered in Greek class, that homosexuality, was not within the translation, it was a mistranslation, used probably by people who were homophobic. It is a translation that has led to the persecution and death of many. In the New Revised Standard, EU version the word has been removed, and a more accurate correction has been made.

I am mad as hell against those who beat me up, but never can I hate them, want to hurt them, for the truth is they "know not what they do!

My sister has not talked to me in years because I do not know the "right Jesus", and am "queer!"

The Jesus I know, the Jesus who has "saved" me in years of rejection, hate, and ridicule, is the One Henrin Nouwen speaks of:

.. For Jesus, there are only women and children and men  to be loved. ."

In the coming months, we will hear much very loud and screaming talk from our brothers and sisters who are Christian Nationalists demanding control and power, and with views that are racist and hate-giving.

We often live on the edge of darkness through our fears so let us now come home:

You know so very well the edge of darkness you have always carried with you.

You know so very well, your childhood legacy:

that particular, inherited sense of hurt, given to you so freely by the world you entered.

And you know too well by now

the body’s hesitation at the invitation to undo everything others seemed to want to make you learn.

But your edge of darkness has always made its own definition secretly as an edge of light

and the door you closed might, by its very nature be one just waiting to be leant against and opened.

And happiness might just be a single step away, on the other side of that next unhelpful and undeserving thought.

Your way home, understood now, not as an achievement, but as a giving up, a blessed undoing, an arrival in the body and a full rest in the give and take of the breath.

This living breathing body always waiting to greet you at the door, always prepared to give you the rest you need, always, no matter the long years away, still wanting you, to come home. — David Whyte, “The Edge You Carry With You,” from Still Possible

My prayer is that many will join me loudly in  the light every day of the year and hit the streets, "with a gift of self-sacrificial love asking us to take up our crosses and love others in the way of Jesus hearing Jesus speak to us, with a smile, and love in his eyes, "Peace be unto you!" 

Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

(Mr. John Woodcock gave a gift to Temenos Catholic Worker in appreciation for Dr.  Procink and in honor of Sr. Katherine Tlight.)

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

Prayer of St. Brendan!

"Help me to journey beyond the familiar

and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries I trust in You to be stronger than each storm within me.

I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hands.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,

and somehow, make my obedience count for You"

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

(Temenos and Fr. River seek to remain accessible to everyone. We do not endorse particular causes, political parties, or candidates, or take part in public controversies, whether religious, political or social--Our pastoral ministry is to everyone!

April 12th--Day of (No) Silence 2024: Rise Up. Take Action!

History of Day of (No) Silence: Started in the mid 90’s by two college students, Day of Silence has expanded to reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. Every April, students would go through the school day without speaking, ending the day with Breaking the Silence rallies to bring attention to ways their schools and communities can become more inclusive.

2024 Day of (No) Silence: With more than 800 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year, we must Rise Up and Take Action. GLSEN’s Day of NO Silence is a nationally recognized student-led demonstration where LGBTQ+ students and allies all around the country—and the world— protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in schools.

Fr. River Sims, D.Min., D.S.T.

415-305-2124

temenos@gmail.com

www.temenos.org

www.paypal.com

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

[sandwichfordinner]

Can I request Emil and Eda (together and romantically) being in a poly! Relationship with s/o who is a witch with so many cats at the mannor !!!!(scenario please)

Emil and Ada in a poly!relationship with a witch s/o who is a cat lover (headcanons and scenarios)

Being with Emil and Ada is such a chill.

The three of you almost don’t argue and understand each other pretty easily. Especially Ada knows the best for you two.

The moment the two of them saw you, they felt their cheeks heat up. A cute (or hot idk) witch taking care of cats.

You were like a mini version of Ann but without being a witch.

It took them some time for the both of them to confess.

,,Uhm.. Ada? Can I tell you something?’’

,,Yes, what is it?’’

,,Um please don’t get mad at me but I think I like Y/N, t-the witch.. But I love you too! I don’t know how to explain it.. Its really weird loving two people.. I don’t want to leave you thought! Do you.. understand?’’ He was trying explain.

Ada stayed silent.

,,Emil.. I was thinking the same thing..’’

Both of them were shocked,

,,So does that mean.. That we love each other but we like the same person too?’‘

,,That is correct.. But is it even possible..?’’

After some talk, Ada did the first move.

It was an awkward confession.

She stuttered a little when she was confessing you , Emil did try helping her too (he stuttered even more).

You were watching them trying to confess , Ada In front of you , Emil behind her.

You laughed and thought it was adorable.

,,Of course I accept the both of you as my boyfriend and girlfriend.’’

They were speechless.

Emil’s face turned red and Ada had a red blush on her face.

,,B-but is this even possible?! Three people dating??’’

,,It is! Everything is possible’’ you chuckled.

That’s how it happened..

Now back to the main part.

Emil did love Ada and you. Both of you were his cure.

Ada isn’t much of a cat person, she’s actually not even a fan of animals but she has one favourite cat. It’s the British shorthair.

Most of your cats are from the street looking , you weren’t sure about their breeds. But you still loved all of them.

At the beginning of your relationship Emil and Ada were hesitant about the cats. Ada didn’t like them because they were bothering her when she was looking at some people’s documents.

Emil was easily scared.

He tried to pet the most grumpy of all of them.

(He didn’t know about that.)

The cat hissed at him and backed away leaving confused and hurt Emil.

,,He doesn’t like me Y/N’’

You laughed and kissed his cheek.

,,It’s okay Emil, he is always like that. He is actually the grumpiest of them all, I don’t know how you approached him. I don’t pet him that much because he bit my hand last time. So I only give him food and water.’’ You explained.

Emil smiled softly but then turned his attention to one cat..

It was a white one with black spots, from the left eye it had green colour and from the right had blue. It had pretty eyes. But it was hiding , it looked scared.

,,Hey, what’s its name?’’ He pointed at the scared cat.

You looked at where he was pointing.

,,Oh her! Her name is Bianca. She’s a really fearful cat. For the slightest sound she runs up to me and tries to hide. She’s just like that, but! She loves to be scratched under her chin. It’s her favourite spot. But she has to gain her trust in you first.’’ You explained.

He looked back at the cat.

,,She’s pretty!’’

He moved his hand carefully to her , but not petting her. She looked at his hand ,sniffed it and ran.

,,Aw..’’

You laughed. ,,Don’t worry that’s how she starts with all this friendship so called with a human.’’

When both of you were talking, Ada came in to your room.

She was holding the one of your cats.

,,This little fella was eating my lipstick. Great thing I stopped him.‘’

You got up quickly and snatched the cat from her arms.

,,Mustard! That’s very stupid of you!’’

Its chaos.

Not only Emil and Ada have to deal with the cat’s shits , but the whole manor.

When the three of you got comfortable with each other Emil became attached to the cats, it was his favourite animal. For Ada.. let’s just say she’s natural with them. Doesn’t really pay attention to them.

Since you’re a witch, sometimes you make spells in your room. Healing spells mostly.

Emil and Ada LOVES watching you doing potions.

Imagine while you’re making potions the whole room is filled with cats and there is just Emil and Ada.

One of the cats tried to drink some kind of potion you haven’t tested on anyone. Glad it was Emil who saved it.

Ada loves reading those books about spells.

She even tried doing a potion with you.

The first three times was a fail but at the fourth try the both of succeed.

You gave Ada a kiss on the lips before going back to work leaving her with a little blush on her face.

With Emil the both of you like feeding the cats and playing with them.

,,I haven’t told you that but this cat looks kinda like you’’ you giggled.

,,Hey! It doesn’t even look like me!’’ He laughed.

Emil LOVES being cuddled by you or Ada.

His favourite spot to be kissed are on his forehead , nose and hands. He loves on the lips too.

For Ada she loves neck kisses. She leaves lipstick there ;)

Sometimes you and Emil forget that she has lipstick when she kisses you on the necks and later on other people ask what’s with the lipstick on your necks. That shit makes the both of you embarrassed.

By the way I totally forgot about that. When the three of you share a bed prepared to be sandwiched. None of you guys care who is gonna be. Emil loves being sandwiched, Ada loves being sandwiched, you love being sandwiched so it’s all good.

Overall having them as a boyfriend and girlfriend is the best.

[uncouth-the-fifth]

so glad you got a tumblr couth 🥰 ik you said something about wanting to take ask requests on here, so do you have any smut damian hcs?? :D

I'm guessing you just mean general hcs, so here are the ones I think about most when I write:

at first, Damian has no experience, doesn't want experience, and overall imagines sex as a form of manipulation or conquest. his thoughts on sex are initially unhealthy, but with enough time around good examples like his s/o, those thoughts start to change.

there's bragging. lots of bragging. before Damian even has sex he fucking brags about being good at it, bc he's stupid like that. but to his credit, Damian does know human anatomy so well that he can nerve strike ppl... which means... he definitely doesn't get lost yk 😳 I don't think he brags to ppl he's not comfortable with. He's definitely more of the type to be like, "Of course I'm proficient—pleasuring a woman is mind-numbingly simple."

(if he can think of 980 ways to kill someone w his bare hands then he's has to know at least 20 ways to pleasure them. right?)

when Damian does find the right person to begin with, I think of it two ways:

1. if they're more experienced than him, he'll complain a lot, but he desperately wants to perform well and ends up listening to all (most) of their commands. he talks himself up a lot, but underneath all that he's nothing but soft and nervous. there's not much that Damian isn't skilled in, so he's extra aware of where his failings are. he lets you touch him first. but even if you know more than him, he makes a point to remind you that he's a very, very quick learner. your experience is quickly matched. all he needs is a moment to muster himself, then it'll be your turn on the bottom ;)

2. if his partner has the same amount of practice as Damian does, he will take initiative. he will treat it like a science experiment in the most literal sense, documenting your reactions to his every touch, trying to measure what you like the most. maybe he'll ask to undress you, just so he can marvel at you up close. Damian is a total control freak, too. he wants to be on top, wants to control the pace. every social part is new to him, more so than it would be for a normal person, which leaves him feeling unprepared and nervous. it's when you're pressed close together that those feelings start to loosen. not even he can be truly prepared for the first time, and since his life is so ruled by preparation and the future, that sense of timelessness is really pleasant. he doesn't have to be good the first time, because it's not a test.

(but... he is good. very good. he's not too gentle, but still sweet, giving you time to breathe and kissing your nose ridge when you hiss at his stretch. Damian has never been this close to someone before - he secretly adores it).

i don't see him thinking much about himself until after the first time - his happiness almost comes as a sort of side effect of sex, not a deliberate product. Damian is the grave opposite of selfish (he's not at all kind to himself), so he thinks of himself more as a tool in the process to pleasure you. his mouth is for you, his hands are for you, and his dick is definitely for you too.

after further practice, his s/o kind of trains him to want it for himself. Damian does want to fuck you (desperately), his brain is just programmed to shut away any good feeling. every time he lusted after you, admired you in a sexual way, or thought about you dirtily, his mind just didn't take it.

but when he experiences sex for the first time, it shocks him how intimate and romantic it can be. this whole time, he figured it was more of a mechanical process that ppl pretended was good to make themselves feel better. but Damian's first time is fucking awesome.

it's very healing for him. once Damian realizes that it's a good thing, he fixates on it. he reads articles and books about sex, he makes sure you have it around two times a week (his research suggests that this is the best for a couple of your standard), he mixes it up each time so you don't get bored of each other. it's the total opposite of killing, so Damian pledges a piece of his soul to it.

on accident, he becomes a sex god.

in some versions of canon he's been genetically modified from birth to be "perfect" (in the human-made sense), so his endurance is insane. for this reason I hc him as being very big, which only makes him more of an asshole when it comes to bragging. now, he can actually back it up.

his favorite place is the shower, because of the easy access, the cleanup, and the blatant romantics of it. your hair is slicked to the back of your necks and water runs down your faces as you kiss, like you're dancing in the rain at the end of a romance film. he gets to undress you. he gets to run his fingers through your hair. his shower faces the mirror, so he can make love to you against the glass with a great view. and the soap - fuck, the soap. if he's lucky, you'll let him do the cleaning, so Damian can caress and stroke the white, foamy bubbles down your chest and belly... if you're not joining him in the shower, it's definitely something he thinks about. in detail. with his cock in hand.

alternatively, the couch (because any sitting sex position drives him wild), counters, desks, poolside or in nature. you've never survived a picnic with him.

in general, Damian seems like a cranky partner, but it only takes him a few minutes to start moaning like he means it. he would rather be romantic and slow, giving you his cock inch by inch, than fuck you rough. but he's not opposed to a little bruising.

he's definitely not opposed to oral. in fact, it's his speciality. Damian opens and closes the session with his tongue inside you, and often uses it as a destressor. He's very "hard working."

it takes him a while to work up to a blowjob, but admittedly, he loves the dark feelings he gets from it. Damian loves to see you on your knees. when you hold him in your mouth, the temptation to choke his dick further into your throat is killer. he loves how you gasp for breath once he releases you, chest heaving, his cum drooling from your lips. he loves when you blink up at him all dizzy, when you call him pretty names.

I hc he has a very subtle mommy kink, doesn't mind a little bondage or knife play, loves lingerie or you in his clothes, and would probably die happy if you choked him with your thighs.

he'll fuck you for genuine hours, all he wants in return is some cleanliness. you lay down a towel, you keep a bowl of hot water nearby, and he'll go crazy on you.

[popurikat]

back on my soriku train of thought I guess

I just finished watching a playthrough of kingdom hearts re:coded with my bestie here @skquill and when I saw this I thought, hey lets talk about yet another symbolism we find in the kh lore revolving these two boys. CAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.

Though this series created virtual copies of our beloved characters who don’t have the memories of their counterparts, they still feel and react to the given circumstances and the events in Jiminy’s journal like they would if it was them. What caught me off guard in the beginning was that digital Riku was confirmed to be the keeper of the journal, the guardian angel if you will of the information and to an extent memories of everything real Sora has been through. 

It’s never explained why the journal takes the form of Riku, only that it simply exists as so. And though there is a sense of difference between data and real (Data is more soft spoken, apologizes frequently, and doesn’t want Data Sora to get hurt in ANY sense be it physical or emotional. Yet he still retains the sarcasm, calculative nature, and fondness for Sora as the real Riku would.) He’s also the main one in story to follow Data Sora into defeating all the “bugs” that are corrupting the journal as well as stopping Pete and Maleficent from doing further damage. I did quite enjoy this scene of Data Riku asking Sora to stay away when Pete corrupts him with said bugs:

Data Riku takes his role seriously, even if he knows they aren’t the real deal, he has the instinct of keeping the face of the one he cares about alive at all costs, even if it means he goes corrupted. Huh, kinda reminds me of KH2 when Riku is ashamed at the thought of his friends looking at his Ansem form when he assists in Sora’s awakening. And we see another parallel again of the extent of Riku’s sacrafice:

And what I absolutely adore is that Data Sora is always there to tell him he’s not alone, he has his support, and that self sacrifice is in vain if they don’t have each other or their friends. It grounds them, helps them get where they need to be and eventually helps them open up to each other a lot more easier. I joked in my watch through that “Oh, this Sora is the Chaotic good that we would’ve gotten if Sora never experienced Trauma and this Riku is the one that we would have gotten if he trusted in Sora and blocked out the control of Maleficent’s darkness!” But in reality, these two are the just purest essence of their true selves, its the sora and riku we should have ended with when all was said and done, just two people who look out for the other and confide about their fears, their strengths and weaknesses, and give each other the strength to move on.

I also would like to point out that with Riku’s more mellowed attitude in this version, Sora takes charge in bringing up his self esteem, and in turn comes off as though he has grown more mature with each world they pass. But really the only difference is that this Sora is taking every bit of advice he’s taken from his peers and rewording it to fit the situation at hand. Riku’s down? Use a friendship quote he picked up from Donald/Goofy. But he is also sincere with it, where he doesn’t boast about being right or tease Riku when he feels insecure about a statement made, he genuinely wants Riku to feel worth and understand theres no need to apologize as nothing is wrong and what matters now is how they move forward.

And after this set of pictures where Riku is about to send Sora to King Mickey to finalize their mission after they realize “uh oh, Sora’s heartless got illegally downloaded and is causing another virus!”, it brings us back to the top image...waaaaaay back in the beginning of this long post of a pretty little glass stained door. And BOY do I have thoughts on this sequence! Riku’s instinct is to summon a portal specifically for Sora, his priority is to keep him safe as usual. But out of all the doors hes created thus far in game, this one is the most detailed and symbolic. He MADE THE DETAILS INTO ROSES. A flower well known for its tie in with romance. And the colors? Blue, Red, Lilac, and purple; with a few accents of pink and lighter blues. Do you know why the colors matter? BECAUSE THEY ARENT FRIENDSHIP BASED. THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS:  - Red roses: passion, desire, romance, eternal love (also Sora’s color) - Blue roses: Mysterious, Extraordinary, Unattainable Love (also Riku’s color) -Lilac: A promise to a future together -Purple: love at first sight -Pink: Appreciation, Gratitude, Admiration, unconditional love/affection

See, personally if I would’ve wanted to express a “friendship” between the puppet apparatuses of “real” individuals who carry very similar ideas of their counters, I would have gone with maybe a design that looks less like overlapping rose petals that concave into a secret tunnel, and gone more with a design thats like a forget-me-knot and stuck with blue for it as it IS Riku’s doing in this situation. He’s opening an escape for Sora. We don’t see a special portal like that when he teleports Mickey and co out the second time, its just bright light. So why give such a great detail to supposed best friends? On top of the design, it looks like stained glass. You know, like the ones used in churches? Typically meaning hope, togetherness, and love? Not to mention that the structure of the portal looks like a wedding arch, you know, the ones where people stand under to say their vows? SPEAKING OF VOWS! Don’t Sora and Riku in DDD create a heart song literally called “Dearly Beloved”, you know, the phrase said before wedding vows, and coincidentally with these characters creating the same colors we see in the portal. Listen, I couldn’t make this up if I tried. But at this point I will yell at the skies that Sora and Riku love each other in every form they take and are quite frankly married. Sorry, don’t make the rules, but this is def. beyond friendship.

In conclusion, um...Riku and Sora? Yeah if their digital versions understood that they can be separated from their friends but live on in their memories as long as they have each other just through the sheer shared experience of a walk through memory line of Sora’s past....then what is stopping the real ones from realizing this? And the thing is again, we got something very close to this realization when real Sora and Riku were trapped in the darkness and just kinda kicking back contemplating life and how glad they have each other at least. But in this iteration, its a lot more than just giving in to the fact nothing else can be done, its honoring the adventure, the time spent, and the amount of growth they’ve gone through. This iteration understands their work is done and its okay to find solace in the other when all the rest of their memories from those not in the digital world will erase, yet never truly be gone because THOSE friends on the other side will always have them in their hearts. This was supposed to be how in my eyes KH3 ended and why after seeing this, I know that we need to get back to this point, because OUR story with OUR Sora and Riku has yet to aquire this level of understanding. I’m expecting a sorta, KH 3.5 in the future or some spinoff to tie their stories up and to have them be at peace that they probably will never return to the world they grew up in, but thats fine because they have each other and a whole new adventure. And thats what I enjoyed about this part of re:coded. In summary I guess, Sora and Riku are destined to end up in the same realm helping the other, thats their fate, reaching contentment in the others presence and to stop feeling like its their job to save everyone out of their reach. The heroes journey is over, its time to find the conclusion of their own inner turmoil and remember who was there since the start for them.

[valenhell]

From the studio that brought you “I can’t find good Byler fics in the ao3 tag”, comes:

"The Definitive Byler fic rec list"

Literally no one asked for this but because I spent the majority of last year (...and 2019, and 2018...) reading byler fics and coping with life, I thought I’d make a list of some of my absolute favorites. 

The other day I was basically starving for some byler fics and the angel @magicalfairy provided me with some of her faves so I thought I’d do the same, because I love reading, and I love all of these fics and I appreciate their writers💗 And fic writers in general, come on!

- This is a mix of long works and one-shots/short stories. - Everything is mostly fluff with a tad of angst and a lot of internalized homophobia conflict.  - Every fic is completed, except for the ones I mention that they are not. - I try my best to lay out the stories in a way that I won’t spoil you the plot but also warning you of some stuff you might don’t like. Either way, all of these fics are correctly tagged by their respective authors/owners, so read at your own risk. For better understanding, in between brackets I denote Rating, Words and quantity of Chapters. - I feel like I should clarify, none of these are narrated in the singular first person. None of that “And I told him...”, no. 

Long fics

a dream always the same (T, 99k, 35 chapters) What happened in those few weeks between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. Literally a satisfying and very needed fill in of season three, with a good dose of Mike’s thoughts and conflict. Mike’s characterization is specially amazing in this one. The writing style is amazing and I know the author put everything into making it historically accurate, and it was really sweet. You probably read it, it’s by the amazing sevensided here on Tumblr🧡

Spring Break (T, 120k, 14/15 chapters) The slowburn of my dreams. Lots of internalized conflict and conflict with each other. Conflict within the Party (uhh kind of), conflict with Mike and Will. Byers family has moved and the kids are visiting! Chaos. Characterization is on point. Yeah, I know it’s unfinished, but the fourteenth chapter actually serves as a pretty nice ending. 

This is where it starts (M, 148.8k, 24 chapters) Aged up characters. The Party is in college and Will disappears again, but now it’s different. Mike knows he didn’t vanish from thin air, and the discovery he and the Party end up making is pretty insane. Mystery solving/fantasy/third dimension, throw in a bit of D&D and Mike realizing some shit, and you get this marvelous fic. It’s a breath of fresh air. The world building is definitely one of the elements that stands out the most, because it’s very nicely described, it sounds like a dream and it’s completely immersive. Absolute gem of a fic. 

there’s a Starman waiting in the sky (M, 30.6k, 8 chapters) Do I need to say anything? Will is out there living his best life and Mike realizes that wow, umm, maybe his best friend looks a bit too nice with that costume... and wait, is he getting horny? It’s actually really fun and sexy.

The Evening Speaks (T, 23k, 7 chapters) In where Mike is a late-night college radio host and Will is the art student that stays up till late to catch up with Wheeler on the Mic. They flirt through songs y’all, this one is really sweet. 

heads or tails? (E, 24k, 3 chapters) Aged up characters. I know most people don’t enjoy sex in fics and with specific characters but this one is insanely well written. It’s a slowburn that commits to the tension and with every word you are grasping and anticipating their next move. I think you can find the author here on Tumblr as yousaidyes🧡

The Man of Average (M, 56.7k, 5/? chapters) Aged up characters. No but you don’t understand, the writing here is absolute gourmet. The story is exciting as well, it’s super interesting. Weirdly enough, for being very aged up characters, they are well characterized but they don’t feel like teenagers. They are naturally Mike and Will. The author really captured Mike and Will’s essence. I know, it’s unfinished and it’s updated very rarely, but this is the typical fic you can’t believe someone just posted on the internet for free. I will say though, I think it’s definitely not for everyone. Read at your own risk.

Heartstrings (E, 82.8k, 24/? chapters) Aged up characters. By the same author of The Man of Average. A collection of memories, the road to Mike and Will’s happy ever after. And fucking hell!!!!! You’ll cry and get angry, you’ll cheer for them, then you’ll want to crash their faces together because god dammit you love each other!!! But yeah, same thing here. The writing and the way the story is laid out as a nonlinear narrative is brilliant. And I also think this is one of the best Will versions I’ve read. The author might as well be the og creator of this two characters tbh. You can find the author here as mylesimeblr🧡

Sinners behind the walls (T, 1.5k, 1/1) And because I can’t stop recommending this author, a little thing of Mike tormenting himself but also being too deeply committed to Will. 

The Red Envelope series (T/E, 167K, two completed works) Something happens that Will thought was impossible and from there, pure drama and romance. Anything by this author has the potential to become your absolute favorite fic, but this series in particular is amazing. I doubt that any of you haven’t read this, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in this list. I’m pretty sure the author is serendipitous-magic on Tumblr🧡

A New Fight series (T, 91k, two completed works, one WIP) And finally the Star Wars AU that we all needed. But this isn’t your typical “Mike is Han”, “Will is Leia” and “El is Luke”, it’s way more interesting than that, and the author has appropriated the Star Wars world like no other. I’ll admit I’m not a 100% fluent in SW lore but this is amazing to me either way. This author is also on Tumblr, tea-for-one-please🧡

- Yes, most of these are (if not all), in a way, canon compliant/canonverse/canon continuation into fanon. (In a way)

One-shots and short stories

Sundae for Two, Please (G, 4.8k) Steve being the supportive friend and older brother these kids collectively need. (not Jonathan erasure, we love him). Steve is very sweet himself, and this little cute thing through his POV is gorgeous. Yes, it’s byler.

Backstage (T, 10k, 2/2) Jonathan, you forgot to mention to Will how hot your new band’s guitarist is, dude. Now he’s hyperventilating and weirdly flirting with him in the corner. Background Stonathan because why not.

102 Peach Street (G, 3.8k) Established relationship, but not only that, they are married :’’))) PURE fluff. Extreme fluffiness. Diabetes. 

sweatshirts and bottled up feelings (T, 3.2k) Or, Mike thinks that the sweatshirt Will wears looks insanely good on him. And kitchens are for lovers. 

kiss it better (T, 16.3k) Basically one of the best character studies of a few precise moments of Mike and Will’s relationship and feelings. 

will wonders ever cease (T, 11.3k) #i ship will and happiness. Omfg what a beautiful piece of fanfic. Will centric, this kid really deserves all the good in the world.

The Calm After the Storm (T, 1.6k) Tooth rotting fluff, boyfriends in love. Boyfriends being lazy, cuddling, love words, kisses. Boys loving each other’s company... Basically, Mike and Will in their element. What more can you ask for?

neither of us ready to let go (T, 4.8k) That scene from season three, but a bit of a fix it. 

Still in love (G, 1k) Domestic, married life au fluff. Y’all, I’m a sucker for established Byler, even if I can’t find many fics with it. But this is very sweet. It takes place in 2020, but I don’t think there are any mentions of the COVID-19 crisis that I remember.

I Nver Find Out ‘Til I’m Head Over Heels (G, 12.5K) Classic 5+1 fic. If you haven’t read it, where have you been? This is your moment. In where Mike keeps inviting Will to the school dances and Will thinks it’s just a joke until he realizes it’s not. 

Before You’re Gone (T, 5.9k) Will is leaving Hawkins and Mike thinks this is a great moment for a confession. This one I discovered last friday, thank you friend @magicalfairy 💗

You’re weird Wheeler (M, 4.5k) Mike unintentionally starts a tradition of going to each other to talk about their sexual encounters just after they finish. Will keeps getting more explicit with the details he shares, and he makes his best friend interested. This one is really fun y’all.

Out-Of-Town Friends (N/R, 4.6K) It’s not rated. I haven’t re- read it but I’d say it would probably fall in a T rating. So cute!! Will has new friends and sneaks off every friday and the Party doesn’t know where he is going, so Mike decides to follow him and is surprised. 

Snowed Under (G, 1.3k) By the same author of The New Fight series. Mike is spending christmas by himself in college because a snowstorm hits Chicago and Nancy can’t drive to see him, but then he has a surprise visitor. Ahhh just a lil sweet holiday fic. Super cute. 

you love me anyway series (T, 7.1k, three completed works) Literally just the cutest thing ever. Established Byler. Will loves to take pictures and he loves taking pictures of Mike. It’s adorable. 

you wanna be friends forever (i can think of something better) (T, 9k) This one is so amazing. So. Amazing. From Will’s POV, my kid deserves the world and he gets it. 

okay not to be okay (T, 4.9k) Mike is a bit sad but then everything is okay. 

can’t hold out forever (G, 18.4k) Y’all!!!!! 5+1 sweetness. Mike has been falling in love since kindergarten. And it’s long af, you’ll enjoy it. 

even if it takes forever (G, 1.3k) College short AU, they miss each other, they love each other, they promise all to each other. It is sappy y’all.

clear as day (N/R, 18.4K, 4 chapters) It’s not rated, but I’d say it falls in the T category. Strangers to friends to lovers. And also, everyone is pretty gay; we have our dynamic trio Mike, Max and El as disaster lesbians (and gay). Will works at the library and he is also gay. Lucas and Dustin and Will are the best friends we needed. It’s very sweet and the Party is kind of formed here!

I went overboard with the one-shots, so you must have realized how much I love long one-shots and I favor them over long works lmao but they are all amazing!!! If it’s on this list, I probably read it at 2 am, sobbing in my bed. So. Hope you enjoy it☺️🧡