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thatpieceoftrash · 27 days ago

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I see my reflection in your eyes

Malleus x reader

WC: 833

In which you try to bring Malleus comfort in any way you can.

You’re not exactly sure how all of this started. Was it the way his voice turned more cheerful? Or maybe it was the longing look in his eyes when he spoke of it (one you were well too acquainted with).

In the end you supposed it wouldn't matter what the reason was, you had something to look forward to, and what you hoped would be a nice gift for a friend, who more than deserved it.

So, the next day after classes and dealing with whatever trouble Grim decided to cause that day, you found yourself in Sam’s shop looking for the (less than)perfect tools, given that you had to work with the small allowance Crowley gave you, In his “benevolence “, as he liked to call it.

“If it isn’t the prefect! What can I do for you? Although I already heard from my friends on the other side that you want to prepare something special for a certain someone.” Sam said with that knowing smile of his.

‘Of course he already knows, it’s like he has ghosts who work as spies for him. Actually maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea for your own ghosts…’

“It's not like you make it out to be, this is a gesture for friendship appreciation” you said, rolling your eyes, even though you knew deep down it was something more than that.

“Whatever you say, little imp” but you didn’t miss the teasing tone his words carried.

You were so excited for this project of yours, that upon returning from Sam’s you didn’t even bother changing out of your uniform, getting started with the task at hand.

Man, and what a task it was going to be. The ramshackle garden was last tended to probably when the wheel was invented . No matter, the state of the dorm never stopped you from achieving your goal, perhaps delayed it a tiny bit, nothing more.

Working with the mud in already freezing conditions was another hell itself, you were pretty sure you touched some weird magical worm, as if normal ones weren’t already bad enough. But imagining the smile on your friend’s face was enough to make you go back to work.

You don’t know how much time has passed since you started, although the little group of fireflies surrounding you was a telltale sign that your friend decided to pay you a visit , which only happened at night.

‘Just in time’ you thought to yourself as you turned around and faced the horned visitor.

“Tsunotaro! You’re here at the perfect time.” You chirped, walking up to him with a smile.

“Good evening, child of man”, he greeted, returning your smile, with his own, although his had a hint of mischief in it, “you seem rather excited, did something happen?”

“Something like that, I wanna show you something I think you’ll like.” And then you stepped out of the way to give him a full view of the little colourful corner that now took residence in your garden. You looked up at him to try and gouge his expression, his eyes widened a little, however his smile was completely gone.

‘Uh-oh, did he not like it?! Of course he wouldn't, you idiot!, he’s a prince and these dumb flowers were probably nothing in comparison to his royal garden’

“If you don’t like it, I completely understand, it’s nothing special and-“ but before you could finish your sentence, you heard a joyous laugh coming from Malleus, startled you looked up only to see him staring at the roses in front of him.

“Truly, you are a most interesting human, did you do all this for me?” And he finally turned to look at you.

“Well, every time you talked about your rose garden back at home, you got this faraway look in your eyes, like you’re longing for something”, you said lowering your head in embarrassment, “I know homesickness better than anyone, Tsunotaro. So I was hoping these flowers would make you feel a bit better. “

And then you felt cold fingers on your chin tilting your head upwards, all you could see was beautiful emerald green eyes, which held such a fond look and utter adoration in them, you could hardly believe the recipient was you.

“There is no need to be ashamed ", he said softly. “To think you would be so perceptive to feelings I wasn’t even aware of having, and what’s more, you were kind enough to offer me a piece of comfort in your own home. The roses are lovely, and so are you, my dear child of man. You have my gratitude for this gift” And if you didn’t melt at those words, you sure did at the chaste kiss he placed on your cheek.

“I’m happy you like it, come one, let me give you a closer look!” And with cheeks matching the colour of the red roses, you took his hand in yours and walked towards your own little garden of bliss.

#twisted wonderland #malleus draconia x reader #malleus draconia #twst yuu #first post #how does this work

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eldritch-spouse · 2 months ago

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How would sleeping with the TCE members go? Like who’s down for tangled under the blankets cuddles or what horrible mishaps are gonna happen if I want a sleep over? I imagine sleeping with Gallon would be like waking up half embedded in slime or with him practically melted into the bed. Krulu would either be like being bundled up in his arms the whole night or he sleeps like a vampire with his arms folded laying face up lol. I don’t think Frank-E sleeps really so maybe he just plays like “3 hour white noise” sounds while he watches you sleep. You’ve mentioned a few times that Patches would get handsy but somehow I feel like he’s clingy as hell in his sleep much to his embarrassment (if the undead even sleep?)

Most of them don't sleep as much as humans do.

Gallon doesn't like to sleep in actual beds. He had one, in the little apartment he calls his own, but it's for the comfort of any guests, usually. Slimes have different beds, which are usually just modified tubs really. Meant to be able to safely contain them and also be mixed with water. He would try to lull you sleeping with him this way. You won't get wet, he'll encase you and leave open room for your face, all you'll feel is the slight sway of warm water.

Morell has a fucking obnoxious hold of you. While you're lucky he doesn't just turn and crush you, his arms are always either clutching you to him or holding onto something of yours. It's hard to break that hold, harder still when his only response to movement is to tighten that grasp. He sleeps with an amount of tension in his body that feels unnatural.

While Grimbly will spend some time napping with you in bed, worming himself into the little spoon and feeling you cover his body with yours, he's guaranteed to eventually weasel out and take it to the ceiling, or the rail he's gotten placed over the bed. So you might wake up panicked because he's not beside you, making enough noise to alert the bat, and screaming when two magenta orbs peek at you from above.

Santi might grab onto places he's not supposed to, but he's not a sleep-humper, funnily enough. You just might wake up with him breathing softly, clearly asleep, but his right hand has curled under you to stick you to him by the genitals. Sometimes his teeth can feather over your skin, but not often, as the horns force him to sleep with his head facing up. He likes to fall asleep with your weight on top of him. Does his cock stir? Maybe, but it's also just purely comfortable.

Patches will take the time to fondle you briefly, if you haven't let him touch you yet. But so would many others in this list. He needs extremely little rest, so most of the time he's not even sleeping beside you. Probably either trying to keep Stitches at bay or just watching you. He might set his head down nearby to make it easier to cuddle. A lot of his time is spent feathering over your warm skin and skating his fingers through your curves. Drawn to the warmth of life, you could wake up with him glued to you, occasionally.

Vinnel tends to starfish. He too would prefer to sleep in a slime bed, but he can't, so he usually just finds very bizarre sleeping positions that hit the spot that particular night. Sometimes he'll slap you with his limbs, other times he just rolls around the bed and you wake up with him upside down clinging to your legs. Don't nudge him too much, he'll probably react with his own slumbering shoves. Although sometimes unpleasant to sleep with, his tail does often find itself around your own limbs.

Nebul isn't much of a "rest in the same bed" type. In fact, he usually only rests in an armchair. But to humor a good pet's request, he might. He can stand very still and be very quiet, so that's good at least. You're held firmly but not oppressively like Morell. He prefers to have you rest your head on his chest. Like Patches, the wraith isn't actually sleeping for 90% of the time.

Belo will insist to stand watch over you, but can be made to relent. He prefers to sit up on the bed and have you in his grasp, shielded by a protective cocoon made of his wings. Although he can eventually doze off, one of his eyes periodically opens to take unconscious stock of his surroundings. You're the one that's likely to grope here, as angels are very soft and cozy, Belo guiltily enjoys the way you squeeze and pet him in certain stages of your sleep cycle.

Sybastian would frankly prefer to have you sleep in his mouth. He promises he won't bite you to pieces or swallow you, otherwise the mimiclings wouldn't trust him either. But he can also just be the bed, which is a favored alternative. While Syb doesn't shift much, he does often form his hands and use them to trap you to the bed in a gangly but familiar hold. This becomes a problem when you want to leave in the morning.

Fank-e is a terrible alternative to cuddle against, which is why he'll wrap you in a blanket burrito before any sort of contact. He's learned he leaves harsh imprints on human skin. While he can and will play any sound you like, he'll take the opportunity to also recharge at some point. His grip is calibrated to not be broken by human force, but to instead jolt him "awake" if it senses too much pressure.

Krulu is weirdly fascinating in the sense that he doesn't just lay down to sleep. He can sleep standing, or crouched to the ground. When he does demand your presence, the siadar will cover you in his six arms and usually hold you to his chest. Sometimes his neck. It sounds like it might feel uncomfortable, but as soon as sleep takes him, it'll take you too. He doesn't sleep all that often, so most of the time, this doesn't really happen at all, and he decides when you need to sleep instead.

#Vinnel oc #Morell oc #Gallon oc #Grimbly oc #Santi oc #Patches oc #Belo oc #Sybastian oc #Fank-e oc #Krulu oc

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oosleepyfaeoo · 2 years ago

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The Lady of Snow

Chapter Two

A. Targaryen x Stark!Albino!Reader

Summary: Aemond is much like his uncle in one thing... has a thing for ladies with white hair. (sorry I'm bad at summaries)

Warnings: None in this chapter, eventual smut, reader is a female and also described with white hair and skin Words:2k A/n: English is not my first language.

Previous chapter

Masterlist

You couldn’t sleep that evening. Your mother's words echo through your head over and over.

Our kind Queen said she will take you as one of her ladies in waiting.

Your worst nightmare finally comes knocking on your door. Going to the South to be around snobbish people and forced to take some high Lord as your husband.

You knew that you would have to take a husband one day although you always thought that would be some Lord from the north, one of your father's bannermen. Someone closer to home.

But no.

You will accompany the Queen to the south and let her choose the perfect husband for you. Some Lord who doesn’t even share the same Gods as you since most people from the southern lands praise the faith of the seven. You will not have the chance of saying your vows before the weirwood tree in the godswood.

Also, the dance with the one-eye Prince was still vivacious in your mind. His warm touch made your eyes flutter, his large hand squeezing the softness of your hips gently. His musky scent made you feel so at ease even though you only met him for a day.

His purple eye shined with curiosity and hunger as his gaze locked to your lips. You could swear that if the music hadn’t ended and brought you to your senses, you would have kissed him.

“How inappropriate of me.” You giggled softly, a soft smile emerging on your lips. The thought of your mother's mortified face as everyone sees the young Lady Stark devouring the one-eye Prince's mouth.

Sighing tiredly, you finally let sleep take over your body.

///

You woke up early in the morning, dressing in simple hunting clothes. Dark leather pants, and a loose blouse with a tight black corset around it.

After your handmaid braided your hair, you met Helaena at the gardens. You promised to take her to see the weird, colorful creatures that inhabited the trees.

The young Princess couldn’t stop cooing at the colorful worms, saying she must take some of them to Kings Landing. Putting them in her garden.

Everyone was already in the yard ready for the hunt when both of you arrived from the woods. You quickly spot Aemond, standing beside your brother as his gaze locks on you. Examining your outfit choice, clearly enjoying how your pants hug your legs perfectly.

“Good morning, dear brother.” You announce cheerfully, bowing gently to Aemond. “My Prince.”

Cregan puts his hand on your shoulder, smiling widely. “I was thinking that you would miss the hunt, sister.”

You huff and punch him gently. “I would never!”

Cregan waves his hand to his squire, who quickly runs to his side, with a beautiful bow and a quiver in his hands. Your brother took the weapon from the young boy’s hands and give it to you.

“Since your practicing bow is getting old. I decided to order the blacksmith to make you a new one.” You admire the beautifully well-carved bow in your hands. Noticing the small detail of your house symbol, the dire wolf head, carved on the grey wood.

Smiling brightly, you hug your brother. “Oh! Thank you! I will use it carefully, I promise!”

Cregan chuckles and looks to Aemond. “My sister's archery skills can put almost every man in Westeros to shame. She never misses.”

“Really? That’s an interesting... skill for a noble Lady to have.” Aemond hums, clearly impressed by it.

“The Ladies from the north can be completely different from the Ladies from the south, my Prince,” You say with a smirk on your lips.

The guards sounded the horn, signing everyone to mount their horses. Your father rode beside the King while your brother accompany the Princes.

As Aemond makes himself comfortable in his saddle, petting gently the brown horse, he looks down at you, who was petting happily Onyx.

Confused by the lack of a horse, he asks. “Doesn’t your sister has a mount?”

Cregan laughs and nods in your direction. “Oh, she does but it isn’t a horse, my Prince.”

Aemond and Aegon gasp in shock as you climb into Onyx’s back and trot happily past them, the other dire wolves following you close behind.

“The Targaryens ride dragons and some Starks ride their wolves.” Cregan laughed, commanding his horse to trot faster. Leaving behind the two shocked Princes.

///

The hunt goes surprisingly well, everyone got their fair game. You, of course, have more than most every man in the party. Which made some King’s men give you an annoyed glare.

Through the remaining days of the royal family in the north, you and the Targaryen siblings got really well. You are a little closer to Helaena than the young Princes. Finding her sweet and very open-minded, enjoying her little riddles.

You and Aemond continue your little staring contest, stealing each other looks during meals or whenever you both run into each other in the halls or in the gardens.

Sometimes your brother would give you a side eye, not liking the way you and the dragon Prince can’t stop staring at each other. But you would just give him a sweet innocent smile and resume your conversation with Helaena, noticing in the corner of your eye Aemond still looking at you.

Tonight there will be a great feast since it’s the last night the royal family will be in the north but it’s also your last night in your home.

Your mother couldn’t stop the tear running down her pale cheeks as she helps you braid your hair. Telling you how much she will miss you but it will be for your own good since you will have a wealthy husband that will cherish you and protect you.

“But I want to be here... with my family.” You mumble eyes cast down. Trying to contain the tears from falling. “I don’t want to marry some Lord who wouldn’t cherish my Gods or my freedom. Hells, he wouldn’t let me have my sweet dire wolves, Mother!”

Your mother sighs and cups your face with her delicate hands. “My sweet child... I know very well your fear.” She kisses your head. “I myself experienced when I came to the north to marry your father. And I accepted your father’s Gods and his love... He gave me two wonderful children, who I love so much, and you will soon experience that love.”

You sigh brokenly and nodded, standing up to leave your chambers to where the feast was.

“But!” You look back confusedly. “If your future husband puts his hands on you or forces you to do something without your consent. I will order every House in the north to march to the south and kill every person in your husband's House.” She says with a sweet smile on her lips but her eyes shined with wrath.

Everyone in the north knew to never provoke Lady Stark since her wrath could be worse than a dragon.

Smiling brightly and feeling much better, you hug her tightly. “Thank you, Mother.”

///

Laughter and the strong smell of ale hovered by the great hall. The music rang loudly as people danced lively in the center of the room, one of them being your brother and Helaena.

It’s clear that the both of them had a crush since they were almost eating each other with their eyes.

Giggle softly, you sip on your wine. Enjoying the way your brother blushed at something Helaena had whispered in his ear.

“What’s so funny, my Lady?” Aemond’s voice sounded beside you, making you jump a little.

You put your cup down, cleaning away some wine drops from your chin. “Nothing, my Prince. Just remembered a joke that my brother told me.” You lie.

Aemond hums and takes the seat beside you. “Excited to travel to King’s Landing?”

You sigh and look at your hands, playing with your ring. “If I may be honest, my Prince. No, I'm not excited to travel to the south.”

Aemond was taken aback by your response, not quite sure of what to say. “And why if I may ask?”

“I do not wish to marry some snobbish southern Lord.” You look at him, noticing his eye fixed on your lips. “I hope to not offend, my Prince. But southern men tend to be weak, not only physically but mentally too.”

Aemond chuckles at your words. “Oh you are completely right, my Lady. Some are extremely idiotic.” He smirks. “But not all of them are like that. And maybe with your stay at the Red Keep, you might notice that.”

You give him a side eye, seeing his smirk widen as he notices your confusion. “Would you like to dance, my Lady?” He stood up and offer you his hand.

Still eyeing him suspiciously, you take his hand and let him guide you to the center of the room.

Wrapping his warm hand on your waist, his other one cupping gently your hand, he begins guiding you through the dance. You couldn’t move your gaze away from his, seeing the hunger beginning to form in his eye.

More people start dancing around you two as the music begins to speed up, squeezing you two into each other. Aemond’s hand on your hip twitched, squeezing your softness a little which made you gasp lowly.

“I can’t take it anymore.” He growls

You frown gently, confused by his words. “What-”

He crashes his lips against yours, making you whimper in surprise. His lips felt like heaven against yours, firm and soft. You wrap your arms around his neck, your hands grabbing his soft silver locks and pulling them gently. Earning you a growl from him.

He gently bites your lip, trying to invite his tongue into your mouth. As you were about to grant him that, a deafening yell echoed through the large room halls.

Pulling away from each other, your pale lips swollen and reddish from the passionate kiss that you and Aemond shared. You look around, seeing guards pushing people away, trying to get to the group of men fighting by the ale barrel.

A hand wraps around your arm, pulling away your attention from the fight.

“Mother order you to get to your chamber quickly.” Cragan appears beside you, eyeing Aemond skeptically.

Nodding gently, you begin to walk with Cregan. “Thank you for the... dance, my Prince.”

Aemond nods and smirks, putting his hands behind his back as he watches you being dragged by your brother.

“The pleasure was all mine, Ñuha ziry zokla.” (My she-wolf.)

Tag list: @cryptid-l0ver @saelwen @saelwen-shy-elf @papichulo120627 @yentroucnagol @chittakii @iiamthehybrid @azaleapotterblack @tssf-imagines @justmonikaonly @marvelescvpe @gknj9495

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rosemaidenvixen · 1 year ago

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For the Halloween thing: not quite a crossover, but Strickler and Jim swap with Eda and Luz role wise in TOH , (not sure WHAT or who that would make Hooty and King in this AU) Jim doesn't know that Strickler is cursed, not until the elixirs Strickler uses run out. Jim thinks there's a monster in the house. And it's hunting him. (or is it?)

Jim sat huddled behind the couch, holding a hand against his mouth to prevent small sounds from escaping with a small imp-like demon pressed against his side. Both of them hiding from the much larger creature that had prowled in from the hall. Desperately hoping the beast couldn’t smell the sweat trickling down his neck or hear his booming heart.

How had he gotten himself into this mess again?

It had started when he’d accidentally fallen into a magical world while biking to school one morning. Then after breaking and entering and an impromptu prison riot he’d made the decision, admittedly terrible looking back now, to stay in said magical world over the summer so his mom wouldn’t have to pay for an expensive summer camp while she took classes in LA. Sure the ground had teeth and the fairies wanted to eat his skin, but staying with a witch he’d met, trading chores for magic lessons, hadn’t seemed like a bad idea.

Then said witch had turned out to be cursed, which did make things more complicated but still manageable.

Until they ran out of the potion needed to keep said curse at bay.

So all that brought Jim to where he was now, hiding from a cursed witch stuck in beast mode while he rampaged through the house.

And to top it all off, he was trapped in the house with said cursed witch thanks to the boiling rain.

Boiling. Rain.

Yeah when he’d first seen this place that morning he should have just kept on biking.

A sharp poke in his side pulled him out of his thoughts. Looking down to see the small demon, Notenrique, glaring up at him.

His teacher refused to describe their relationship with Notenrique as anything beyond roommates, even if that didn’t strike Jim as the full truth. Once he’d asked about the meaning behind the name ‘Notenrique’ only to have the small demon give him a ten minute rant about how stupid the name ‘Jim Lake Jr’ was. Since then he tried not to ask questions.

“Oy beanpole, you got a plan yet?”

“Working on it,” Jim whispered.

“Well work faster!”

There was a creak of the floorboards behind them and they both instantly went still and silent. After a few seconds Jim risked a peek around the side of the couch. Only to see the doorway obscured by a towering figure.

Nearly eight feet tall if they stood upright, although even hunched over they were still massive, pale green skin and long ivory horns. Large wings folded against his back and long tail thumping against the ground, giving him an overall draconic look, as he sniffed the air in the room.

Glowing gold eyes pierced through the gloom, and even in the low light Jim could still see the rows of dagger-like teeth lining his jaw. Quickly ducking back behind the couch, Jim held his breath, beside him he could feel Notenrique doing the same, desperately hoping they remained undetected.

The beast gave the room another sniff and then mercifully started to retreat, moving through the doorway and heading further down the hall away from them. Jim didn’t move, he waited one second, two, five, ten. Only then did he finally allow himself to rela–

“Hello!”

Jim jerked, stifling his scream into a strangled squeak and smacking his head on the side of a table. Notenrique shot straight up in the air and landed on the back of the couch, claws out and hackles raised.

“Hooty…” Jim clutched his chest, struggling to get his breathing under control. He was way too young to be having heart attacks “Don’t do that!”

“Yeah you dumb bird worm!” Notenrique glared at him, crawling from the couch back into Jim’s lap.

“Why the long faces fellas?” Hooty twisted his neck until he was staring at them upside down “Don’t worry, I brought you a present!”

His coils spasmed and he started to gag.

“Wait Hooty could you not do that right he–”

Hooty barfed up an owl pellet straight onto Jim’s lap, Notenrique jumping clear at the last second.

Jim grimaced, picking through the mess. Rat bones, twigs, a live bat that flew free up into the rafters, some unlucky person’s scroll–

And a glowing yellow bottle.

Jim grabbed the bottle, heart pounding, but his time from sheer relief “Is this the elixir? Oh man Hooty you’re a lifesaver!”

Notenrique scurried onto Jim’s shoulder “Bout time you made yourself useful,”

“Hey I’m always useful!”

“Then stop screeching at four in the morning!”

“It’s my duty as the owl house to ensure everyone’s is up on time,”

“On time for what? Our ears bleeding!?”

“Guys guys give it a rest!” Jim angled himself between them “We have bigger things to deal with right now,”

Notenrique glowered but stayed quiet while Hooty harumphed “I like the universe with Luz and King better,”

“I– wai– you what?”

“Beanpole do yourself a favor and don’t pay too close attention to Hooty’s nonsense,”

Jim shook himself off, he had the elixir they needed to cure him. Now all they had to do was get it to him…

“Alright guys, I think I have a plan,”

A pounding headache, so forceful it threatened to crack his skull in two, was the first thing he was aware of, the second was an unbearably dry texture to his mouth and a brightness behind his eyelids compounding his headache. Raising a hand to rub at his throbbing skull to try and aleve the pressure.

When it became clear that wasn’t working he reached out with his other arm, fumbling around until he eventually found the side of the nest. Forcing himself to ignore the pain and push himself upright only to get smacked with a wave of nausea.

Strickler groaned, leaning heavily against the side of the nest while rubbing his face. His entire body felt like cement, heavy and cumbersome and barely able to move.

From beyond him there was a soft scuffling sound.

“Hey he’s awake,”

Despite his head pounding in protest, Strickler forced himself to pry his eyes open, bright light assaulting his corneas, and pulled himself upright.

He was lying in his nest in his room, which was a disaster. Furniture torn apart and upended, random bits of debris scattered about. Jim and Notenrique were standing near the window, which it looked like they’d patched with a wooden board, instantly hurrying to his side.

Notenrique jumped from Jim’s shoulder to the edge of the nest “How ya feeling bossman?”

Strickler dragged a hand down his face “Like I got in a battle with a truck and lost,”

Jim winced, running a hand through the back of his hair and refusing to meet Strickler’s eye “Yeah about that…”

Strickler followed his line of sight to a license plate laying in the middle of the nest

All at once it came slamming back to him. Agreeing to take on a human student against his better judgment. Being distracted by Jim’s presence, neglecting to stock up in elixirs–

“My curse…”

“Don’t worry, things kind of got crazy-town-banana-pants for a while, but we were able to get you your elixir and calm things down,”

A sour taste rose up in the back of his throat “I’m so sorry Jim, and to you Notenrique,”

“Oh no don’t be,” Jim held up both hands “It wasn’t my truck, and it looks like you can digest metal ok,”

“No I– wait, I ate a truck!?”

Jim and Notenrique glanced at each other then flashed Strickler matching sheepish grins.

He glanced back and forth between them before letting out a heavy sigh “I’ve let you both down. My curse is my responsibility to manage and I failed to do so. Jim I’ll arrange for you to board somewhere else for the rest of your summer. All I ask is that you care for Notenrique–”

“Whoa whoa–” Jim held up both hands “I’m not going anywhere,”

“I can’t possibly ask you to stay after I lost control–”

“This isn’t your fault,” Jim came up directly to the side of the nest “You had a slip up, it happens. I’m not leaving you over one mistake,”

“But I–”

“No buts bossman,” Notenrique scrambled over to perch himself on top of his head “I don’t care if you hulk out every now and again, you’re stuck with me for life, so no take backs!”

Strickler leaned against the side of the nest, exhaustion weighing on him heavily “Boys I am heartened by your faith in me, but the fact of the matter is my curse is dangerous. And these events have proven that I am a threat to you both,”

No one said anything, the only sound the drumming of the boiling rain against the roof. Then after a long time Jim swung himself over to sit on the edge of the nest.

“Look Strickler I…I’m still learning about magic and curses, but I know a little bit about chronic conditions. And from what you told me it sounds like your curse isn’t something you can control, only manage. And for all the weeks I’ve been here you did manage it. I didn’t even know you were cursed until…”

Jim’s gaze drifted down towards the license plate before he shook himself off and continued “Anyways, this was just one slip up,”

“Yeah,” Notenrique spoke up from his perch on top of Strickler’s head “You managed it real good for years, I can’t even remember a time you went all hulky before,”

Blue eyes twinkled, legs thrown out into the nest with ankles crossed and arms folded across his chest “Point is Strickler, if you want to get rid of us you’re going to have to do better than hulking out on your curse and chasing us around the house,”

Notenrique jumped over to perch on his shoulder, matching his cocky look “Yeah, what he said,”

Strickler glanced back and forth between the two boys, a heaviness settling in his chest. He wanted to call them foolish and naive, he wanted to demand that they leave, forcing them out with an abomination if he had to. That’s what a good pa– a good teacher would do.

But instead Strickler stupidly, selfishly got to his feet “Thank you boys. Now I know the house is a mess but I am exhausted and I imagine you two are feeling much of the same, so what do you say we have some dinner and leave the cleaning for tomorrow,”

He stepped out of the nest, Jim following with Notenrique still on his shoulder, letting out a small chuckle as he stepped over a mangled stop sign lying in the doorway “Although from the looks of things I may have filled up on automobiles and street signs,”

“Nah that’s what beanpole used to smack you in the face so I could pour the elixir down your throat,”

Strickler whirled towards Jim, spotting the boy staring back at him with a nervous grin.

Despite himself Strickler felt a smile tugging at his own lips.

What a student indeed.

“Well then I’m sure you worked up an appetite,”

#tales of arcadia #trollhunters #jim lake jr #walter strickler #notenrique #the owl house #role swap au #rmvwrites #halloween prompts

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liloskull343 · 2 months ago

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Trust

Sequel to: Stargazing

Evan walked through the forest, he sighed as he made sure his bag was fully closed. The last thing he needed was anything falling out, he walked further up the path. ‘’Okay maybe I should get a map next time..’’ the deer witch muttered as he kept walking, however he soon stopped as he spotted The Owl House. He quickly pulled his hood down before going to the door, he noticed Hooty was stretched out. The boy wondered if he should be thankful or not that the demon worm wasn't here to give a welcome greeting.

He honestly debated going through the back door, he really didn't want to deal with Hooty. Soon Evan found himself walking to the backdoor kitchen area, although once he found himself passing the window, he could spot Willow and Gus, as well as Hooty…Well, he supposed he was gonna bump into the demon worm sooner or later. He could also spot two pailsmans through the window.

The one near Willow was a golden yellow color, having pale yellow fur around their neck. Along with a wide brown stripe along their abdomen, they even had translucent blue wings, black eyes with yellow sclera, a gray-beak like nose and a pale-yellow stinger. The one next to Gus was a blue color with small golden horns and two ridges on their head, however they had a ridge in the center of their head that looked split. light blue eyes with dark pale yellow irises, a light green stripe under their belly that looked like it extended to their tail.

Honestly they looked adorable, perhaps Evan could ask Willow and Gus about them, like their names and what they were like. Although Evan's thoughts were halted as he heard Gus and Hooty’s voices.

‘’Hooty, we're not gonna make Luz listen to 24 hours of whale noises. What even is a whale? It looks terrifying!’’

‘’Well, I never heard of underground Korean hip-hop before.’’

‘’It’s human music and it's soothing-’’

Evan opened the door, causing both Hooty and Gus to turn their head towards him. Evan's ears went down, ‘’Oh uh, am I interrupting?’’ Evan asked, tilting his head at them. Gus shook his head, ‘’Actually, you came at the perfect time.’’ Evan blinked, now giving an even more confused look. ‘’I did…?’’

‘’Ya, me and Hooty can't decide what could help Luz feel better with her common mold.’’ Hooty huffed, ‘’All I'm saying is whale sounds are VERY comforting.’’ Gus rolled his eyes, ‘’and as I SAID BEFORE whales look terrifying and probably sound terrifying.’’ Evan rubbed the back of his neck, ‘’Well, can't say I really know since I never heard any of them.’’

Finally a frustrated sigh was heard from Willow as she turned to the three. ‘’guys, can we please not stress Evan out over something so small? Besides I have a much better suggestion.’’

The three stood in silence staring at Willow, now curiosity written on their faces, waiting for Willow to speak. Finally Willow spoke, ‘’What if we play them at the same time?’’ she asked, causing both Gus and Hooty to turn to each other with glee, smiles showing on their faces as a loud ‘’oooo!’’ was heard. Evan meanwhile raised an eyebrow, ‘’Are we sure that's a good idea?’’ Willow shrugged, ‘’I don't see the harm in it, after all it could make some really good music.’’ Gus nodded, ‘’Ya come on Evan, it could be fun.’’

Evan shrugged, ‘’I mean…sure why not?’’ He smiled softly before finding a seat and sitting down, before placing his bag on the table. Gus stared at the bag curious, ‘’What’s in the bag?’’ the younger witch asked, pointing at the light lavender bag that Evan had brought with him. Evan gently pat the bag as he spoke, ‘’Well, stuff that helps with common mold, heard that it can make you dizzy and all, so I picked up a few plants here and there for some medicine.’’

As Willow made her way over to the three, she looked at Evan with a puzzled expression before sitting down. ‘’How did you already know about Luz’s common mold before you got here?’’

‘’Oh, the plants told me.’’

An awkward silence filled the room as Hooty, Gus and Willow stared at Evan, as if he had grown a second head. Finally Gus spoke, ‘’You….can talk to plants?’’ he asked as Evan blinked. ‘’Do….Do witches with plant magic not talk to plants?’’ he asked, his ears down now, Willow shook her head in response. ‘’not necessary.’’ Evan looked down at the table, now already feeling embarrassed. ‘Titan I sound like a crazy person..’ the deer witch thought to himself, before feeling a hand on his arm, causing him to look up and spot Gus, who was putting a comforting hand on Evan's arm. ‘’Hey we didn't mean to sound judgemental, we're just surprised that's all.’’ Gus gave a reassuring smile,

‘’I never heard of any witches being able to talk to plants before!’’ Hooty tilted his head, ‘’Although THIS makes me wonder,’’ Hooty felt himself get closer to Evan. Having his forehead touching Evan’s as he stared into his eyes. ‘’Are you a demon or witch?’’ Evan blinked, ‘’uhhh…I'm pretty sure I'm a witch?.......’’

Hooty squinted his eyes, before pulling back and smiling. ‘’Well, whatever you are, you're an interesting witch or demon to say the least!’’ Evan gave a nervous chuckle. ‘’Hahaha….’’ Willow thought for a moment, ‘’Well I apologize if we upset you.’’ Evan shook his head, ‘’oh no, it's fine, I'm not upset or anything it's probably understandable you be surprised! I guess I should've mentioned it when we met.’’ he chuckled, before turning his eyes to the cassette player. ‘’so about the music mixing…’’ Willow gently picked up the two CDs, before placing them both inside the cassette player. She pulled out some headphones. The group placed the headphones on their head, except Evan who seemed to be having trouble with even placing them on his ears.

‘’you need a bit of help there…?’’ Evan shook his head, ‘’No, I got it Willow, if I can just…’’ Evan gently bent the headphones back, just enough to reach his ears. It looked rather awkward to say the least, he definitely had to at least hold them to make sure they didn't fall off. ‘’Okay! Got it.’’ Evan smiled, rather proud he managed to slide the headphones on. Gus pressed play on the cassette player, the sounds of what Evan could assume were whale noises and the underground Korean hip-hop song began to play. Evan almost felt his ears ring from the sound, it…it was a sound alright, Gus, Hooty and Willow meanwhile were seemingly enjoying the sounds being mixed together.

After 20 minutes Gus hit stopped, grinning ever so slightly. ‘’that was definitely interesting alright.’’ Hooty nodded, ‘’Ya! I wonder what other sounds we could mix together!’’ Evan gently slid off the headphones, ‘’Well I should probably check on Luz.’’ Evan got up, putting the bag around him again. ‘’You guys continue to mix some of those while I'm upstairs.’’ Evan walked to one of the cabinets before grabbing a bowl and spoon. ‘’Alright Evan, please be careful not to get common mold.’’ Willow warned, giving the deer witch a concern look, Evan just gave a small smile. ‘’I’ll be fine, not like I've dealt with sickness before.’’

Evan walked up the stairs, the floorboards quietly creaking as he did, his footsteps were quiet. As Evan kept walking he once again felt his mind wonder again. He hadn't been here for a bit, being busy with other things, but he wondered just how much he missed. Soon Evan found himself in front of the door of the guest room, he opened the door as he did he spotted Luz with an echo mouse on her chest, muttering in a little singing voice. ‘’Little mouse, Owl House, frilly blouse.’’ She was gently playing with the small creature’s ears. Evan walked over, ‘’heyy Luz, how are you feeling buddy?’’ He asked, taking a seat next to Luz, who looked at him. ‘’Hey Evan..when did youuu get here?’’ she asked, with a goofy small smile on her face. ‘’About a few minutes ago actually? I heard you had the common mold so I brought a few plants.’’

Evan sat his bag down, before opening it, taking a couple of plants out as well as a jar filled with pinkish liquid. ‘’You make medicine?’’ She asked, staring at him curious. ‘’Sorta…’’ Evan gently took some of the pinkish liquid, placing it in a bowl before grabbing and crushing up some plants. Stirring the liquid together, ‘’When I was smaller, I studied a few plants here and there, my dad-...’’ Evan suddenly became ever so quiet, before he continued to stir the pinkish liquid and plant in the bowl to a cyan greenish color. Luz stared at Evan, worry on her face clearly evident. ‘’Evan did something happen to your-’’

Evan shook his head, ‘’No, he's fine.’’ Evan took a deep breath. ‘’everything is fine, both of my parents are fine.’’ Evan looked away before handing the bowl to Luz. ‘’Look I…I didn't mean to sound rude…just been stressed is all..’’ Luz gave a soft frown, looking at him. ‘’Evan, if you need someone to talk to me and Eda are here-’’

‘’I said I'm fine.’’ Evan snapped, gently putting his bag back on, ears down. ‘’Look just….take your medicine okay?’’ Evan walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Once the door was closed Evan found himself staring at the ground, before facepalming. He knew Luz was just worried, so why did he snap? Why did he push her away? ‘’I’m so stupid…’’ He muttered, slowly he walked to the wall in front of him before gently hitting his head on the wall. ‘’Stupid, stupid…’’ he softly sighs.

‘You know you can't just push them away..’’ the deer witch thought to himself, ‘you’re gonna have to open up to them about what eventually happened…’

Silence, all there was, was silence. Nothing but Evan's thoughts, he felt pathetic, he hated standing there, head leaning on the wall. He wondered why he couldn't just tell them, why exactly was it so hard for him to just-

Evan covered his ears, taking a few breaths. His heart was thumping out of his chest, it felt like his lungs were closing. Why did it feel so hard to breathe? His entire body felt like it was shaking. He could hear THEM screaming.

The horrible screaming, ‘’shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup.’’

Evan begged, slowly feeling as if he was folding like a stack of cards, his knees met the ground, before his elbows followed soon after. ‘’Please, please, make it stop.’’ he felt himself gripping his ears as he curled up, seemingly in a ball. His breathing felt out of control, it felt like he was drowning, trying to get oxygen that refused to come to his lungs.

He hated it, he wanted it all to stop, he tried to take small breaths, trying to desperately keep his breathing under control. Evan felt his eyes dart around the room, spotting a few items and naming them. Slowly he felt his breathing come to a slow, as he started taking smaller breaths, his heartrate calming down, his lungs relaxing.

Everything was fine, he was fine, everything was okay. Evan looked at the door to where Luz was, he definitely should apologize for how he acted. He walked over to the door, opening only to be greeted by glass cracking, causing Evan to immediately swing the door open, seeing the knocked over broken crystal ball. ‘’Dang it!’’ was heard from Luz as she tried getting up, ‘’Luz?! Titan what happened? Why are you trying to get up?’’ Evan immediately went over to her, before gently placing her back on the mattress. ‘’Need to warn Eda, Amity and King!’’ Luz yelled, Evan's ears went up. ‘’Whoa slow down, just take a few deep breaths and tell me what happened.’’

Luz took a couple of small breaths, trying to find her wording as she did. ‘’Eda, Amity and King went to get some Titan Blood at Eclipse Lake! A-and they might discover Fool’s Blood and get killed!’’ Luz managed to explain as Evan's ears went up. ‘’Titan’s Blood?? Why do you need it for a key?’’ Evan asked, now even more confused with what was happening. ‘’I’ll explain later, I just need to get up and warm them!’’ Luz was about to attempt to get up again before Evan managed to stop her by putting both his hands on her shoulders and laying her back down. ‘’Luz, you can not go in your state!’’ Evan objected, ears down, worry clearly on his face. ‘’Look, how about I go and tell them okay? I don't want you getting anymore sick then you already are okay?’’ Luz looks down, before sighing. ‘’Alright, hold on let me just-’’ Luz grabbed a piece of paper before scribbling down something and handing it to Evan. He looked at it, gently taking it before placing it in his bag, ‘’Thanks,’’ Evan stood up before stopping and looking back. ‘’Hey Luz, I'm…sorry about earlier..’’ and with that Evan left the room.

As soon as Luz was left alone, she managed to spot her little game device, an idea popping in her head before she snatched it. She started typing on it, sending a few messages to Amity’s game device, mainly Incase Evan did get lost. She really hoped Amity and the others were okay.

…….

Okay, maybe Evan couldn't understand the map, he stared at it, trying to figure out which path he was actually taking, he began to wonder if he had accidentally gotten lost by accident. He kept walking, making sure to avoid any coven scouts that were probably portalling the forest. Thankfully, none seemed to actually be patrolling.

‘’Okay on Evan, this is the least you can do to make up with how you snapped at Luz, dang it!’’ He scolded himself. He looked up at the sky, noticing how dark it had gotten. How long had he been walking for? Hours? Ya it definitely was hours, Almost immediately concern filled Evan as he started to let his imagination take over at what kind of danger the others could be in.

As he let his mind just wander off, he didn't pay attention to where he was going before immediately bumping into someone, Evan yelped looking up as he did. ‘’huh?’’ he spotted,..... Eda? She definitely looked different alright, she had long dark gray hair, even having tufts of hair coming out of her elongated ears. She turned to Evan, her wings gently flapping, her black sclera yellow eyes staring at him.

He raised a hand up, opening his mouth as he tried to process what he was exactly seeing. ‘’Are…..are you a harpy?’’ he asked, Eda picked up a vole before swallowing it, and nodding. As she spoke her voice sounded off, as if she had multiple voices speaking at once. ‘’oh right you weren't here for that were you?’’ She said with a chuckle, as she gave a grin. Evan shook his head, ‘’Big Ears, What are you doing out here?’’ King asked waddling up to Evan, Evan gave a soft sigh, ‘’Well I actually came to warn you about…Fool’s Blood? Ya I'm still kinda lost here and I need someone to explain to me what's happening.’’ Evan fixed his glasses, as he softly sighs. Gently rubbing the back of his head, still trying to process everything. He then heard another voice one he didn't recognize, ‘’Wait you know Luz?’’ Evan looked over, spotting a thin witch with pale skin, bright golden eyes. Her hair was shorten above her shoulders, lavender in color with brown on the undercuts at her temples.

Realization suddenly hit Evan ‘’Hey wait a minute, you're the youngest Blight, and ya I know Luz, we been friends for a bit.’’ Amity raised a eyebrow at him, ‘’You heard of my family?’’ Evan nodded, ‘’I mean your families abomination invention ads are everywhere.’’ King then spoke up, ‘’as for what happened, Eda had a whole owl beast thing and made peace with it and now we got well, that.’’ King pointed to Eda who had managed to grab another vole before snacking on it, causing Evan to shudder ever so slightly. ‘’So you're not aware about Luz being stuck here?’’ Amity asked, as Evan shook his head. ‘’No, of course not. I don't think she ever told me.’’

‘’Well, she needs Titan Blood to make a portal to get back home.’’ Amity explained, Evan gave a surprise look, before holding the front of his head, ‘’Titan, I've missed a lot huh?’’ he sighed, before looking at the ground, ears down. ‘’So where's the key?’’ Amity gave a soft sigh, ‘’Well, we HAD the key, but the Golden Guard-’’

Evan’s ears went immediately up, his full attention on Amity as soon as she said those words. ‘’The Golden Guard? What did he do?’’ Amity’s eyes widen in slight surprise, ‘’You also KNOW the Golden Guard too?’’ Evan rubbed the back of his neck before looking away, ‘’It’s complicated but sorta?’’

Amity gave a frown, ‘’You shouldn't be around him, he's dangerous.’’ she warned, as Evan's brows furrowed a small bit. He shook his head, ‘’But he hasn't done anything harmful from what I know of, surely there must've to have been a misunderstanding right?’’

Finally Eda spoke up, ‘’Evan, the kid's right from what I was told, he started attacking Amtiy and King, trying to get the key. And well, threatening Luz’’ Evan’s eyes immediately widened, ‘’He what?! But he, I-’’ Eda placed a hand on his shoulder, ‘’Kid, there is a likely chance he is manipulating you, you have to be careful around people like The Golden Guard.’’ Evan looked down, ‘’I…I understand Eda..’’

Eda then flew up, gently picking up King and Amity as she did ‘’Come on, we should head back.’’ she held out her hand for Evan, who gently took it without a second thought.

Thoughts ran through Evan's mind as Eda flew to The Owl House, had Hunter truly been manipulating him? Had Hunter been lying to him? Surely Evan would've realized when he was being manipulated, right? However as Evan continued to go deeper into his thoughts, he noticed they landed right in front of The Owl House. Eda gently sat them down, Amity opened the door before entering as the rest followed, well except for Eda who proceeded to get stuck in the doorframe, ‘’Gah, shoot!’’ she muttered, ‘’Kiddos a little help?’’ she asked, trying to push herself through the door. Amity looked over at King and Evan, ‘’okay I'll grab her arm, you grab her hair and other arm.’’ Both King and Evan nodded, before the three started trying to get Eda unstuck.

That's when Luz, Gus, Willow, and Hooty seemed to appear, seemingly hearing Eda trying to get in the house. Honestly Evan lost track of what everyone had been saying, his mind still jumbled with thoughts from earlier. Although Evan snapped out of it when hearing Gus, ‘’Evan where did you head off to? You've been gone for like hours! We were worried dude!’’ Evan's ears went down, as a nervous chuckle escaped him. ‘’Uhh…a emergency came up?’’ However he yelped as him, King, and Amity fell back as Eda managed to pull herself inside. Luz immediately ran over, hugging Amity, ‘’Amity! I'm so glad my awesome girlfriend is okay!’’ Amity felt her face reddening as she hugged Luz back and smiled. ‘’Me too!’’

Evan raised an eyebrow, looking over at Willow and Gus as they nodded, before Evan looked back. ‘’Ya I really need to start catching up with things here…’’ Evan mutters, Gus just gently pat his head, ‘’Don’t be so hard on yourself.’’

King made an annoyed grumble, walking over to Luz and Amity, stomping his foot. ‘’No King hug?!’’ He huffed pointing at Amity with a glare, ‘’You are swindler and a thief!’’ Luz noticing this, felt her mouth become a grin before getting up and scooping up King. ‘’Come here, buddy!’’

King yelped immediately squirming as he did, ‘’I regret this!’’

Evan watched the scene as he chuckled, before his left ear flickered looking over at Amity and Eda, who seemingly were muttering to each other. Evan couldn't make out much what they were saying, but something about how they might be okay.

Evan truly hope so.

#the owl house #toh #the owl house fanart #the owl house oc #the owl house luz #the owl house eda #the owl house king #the owl house amity #the owl house gus #the owl house willow #oc #au

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k--havok · 2 years ago

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Happy STS! Share your favorite piece of meta-lore for your WIPs/books/stories! (by meta-lore I mean, inspirations, how you arrived at your vision, what drove you to form it into what it is today, etc, things like that!)

Oh I love this ask thank you so much!!!

I'm gonna blab a bit about Waking into Divinity as I've been having brain worms about it for a couple of days now.

So the story stemmed from a weird dream I had a long time ago, just like a lot of my WIPs. From there, it spawned from several different sources. Such as and they were roommates as that is a legendary video. There is only one bed is another because we are TRASH in this household. And you cannot forget the ever-present soulmates trope, which I have a love-hate relationship with.

I love the idea of soulmates but dislike a lot of the execution of said trope (looking at you, SJM!) I've read a lot of different posts made by detractors of said trope to see if I was the only one who had some qualms. Some of said posts were really stupid, but some had a lot of good points which I wanted to include and cover in my version of the trope.

And this is also why its not called soulmates in the story. it is called tal'rith, which is a different word in a different language and it basically translates to an "eternal bond." Tal'rith can be between siblings, between friends, a parent and a child, and even someone and their pet. I have a lot more complex ideas and details regarding tal'rith and I'll eventually make an entire post covering everything.

I know right now the craze is about fae and werewolves and before that it was vampires, but I've always enjoyed writing about demons. Probably due to my fanfic roots, but they're so malleable. White guy with horns and a tail? Your body-horror nightmare? Animal features? You can basically do anything you want. there is so much stuff to pull from, from different religions to media and more. Usually, demons are depicted as evil in most forms of media. I wanted to do a different spin on it.

Demons in the world of Waking into Divinity are not evil, but have a culture completely different to humans and a lifestyle that could be seen as blasphemous in one or more religions. They are atheists at heart; they do not really believe in a God or gods. Demons worship their Demon Lords, which could be seen as a "false idol" for sure. Or even monarchy-like. But in all actuality, I based the relationship on that of bees in a hive. If a bee does not like its home, it can leave at any time and find a new home. And other demon lords are fine welcoming outsiders as long as they swear a new allegiance. A demon lord who abuses his demons is quick to find themself alone with no one. And although demon lords are powerful, a lone demon lord is a weak demon lord, especially politically.

One major idea I yanked from an existing story is that the act of war or violence against others is outlawed in Gehenna. And it is an idea I got from reading the first Drizzt book. In the first book of the Drizzt series, in the first few chapters in fact, it talks about how in drow society, being caught sabotaging other families means a death sentence. However, not being caught, even if everyone knows you did it, is fine.

In the world of Gehenna, no one can outwardly attack another demon lord. It is outlawed. This ruling is incredibly flawed. One, as it came into being, all demon lords who did not agree to submit to Court would be put to death unless they decided to agree. This is... a bit counterproductive and hypocritical to say the least. Two, this law basically does nothing for all the other ways demon lords attack one another.

Cutting off food supplies, chemical warfare, such as poisoning water sources, stealing supplies/cattle, and secret assassinations? These issues are massive. and unfortunately, there can be no retaliation due to the laws in place. Self-defense of intruders in a certain territory is permitted if you can prove to Court that they were there for nefarious purposes. And even then, how could you prove that a demon's demon lord sent them to do these things and that a demon wasn't acting on their own free will? Quite a difficult thing to prove. And Court moves slowly as there are many demon lords and all get a say until a large enough majority has come to an agreement (still debating on how much of a majority is needed, I've been looking into some history to determine this)

Court being a bit inept I pulled from other media sources as well as history as, I mean... government being inept is practically everywhere nowadays. So take your pick.

I have babbled a LOT and I apologize I just have SO much to say as I've been digging deeper into the wider story and themes. A lot of the current political climate is also influencing this work, especially with the US supreme court, so there was quite a lot to talk about.

For now, TL;DR:

This story focuses on different forms of relationships we have during our lifetimes and how any of them can be described as "soulmates."

I also wish to deconstruct the soulmates trope while keeping the main characters in a romantic/sexual soulmate bond.

Demons here are not evil, but have a culture and attitudes that are antithesis to some cultures present in human society, most notably evangelical Christianity

Government oversight, hypocrisy, and anti-self defense attitudes are included in some of the themes of this story. These themes are pulled from media, history, and the current political climate happening in the US.

#writeblr #fantasy #demons #am writing #writers on tumblr #waking into divinity #shutuplanx #WID

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gerogerigaogaigar · 1 year ago

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OutKast - Stankonia

This is OutKast at their most stylistically varied. At times they hit the G-funk so hard that they sound almost exactly like P-funk, and at others they are experimenting with drum and bass instrumentals, and yet other tracks see them integrating guitar riffs. OutKast, and Andre 3000 in particular, are always balancing creativity with corniness and Stankonia has the best balance. Plus the hooks are unbelievably catchy. You will have Gasoline Dreams, Ms. Jackson, So Fresh So Clean, I'll Call Before I Come, B.O.B., or maybe We Luv Deez Hoez stuck in your head after listening to this album.

Steely Dan - Aja

This is one of the most meticulously produced albums of all time. You don't even need $1k headphones to hear it. The balance is perfect, every instrument in its right place, crisp and clear. The vocals rise to the top but never overtake the piano or horns, the drums are crisp and punchy yet never overtake the mix. Even if the music sucked ass I would still praise the production. Thankfully the music is also teally good. Steely Dan have perfected their crisp and sleazy brand of lightly funky jazz rock. In typical Steely Dan fashion the songs can mostly be described as 'about some guy or girl'. There's one weird caveat that has nothing to do with Steely Dan but the song Peg is ruined for me because, as big of a Steely Dan fan as I am, I'm an even bigger De La Soul fan so Peg is forever the sample from Eye Know for me. If you don't have the same brain worms as me this shouldn't be a problem.

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

I don't hate this album, I actually like it, but I do hate Rolling Stones' attitude towards metal. I can think of like five better metal albums from 1987 that they could shove in here, but no it is only the shit that's most palatable to dadrock audiences. Napalm Death - Scum, Laibach - Opus Dei, Mayhem - Deathcrush, Anthrax - Among The Living, Death - Scream Bloody Gore, King Diamond - Abigail. There that's six, none of them sound at all similar and they are all better than Appetite For Destruction. Sure I could do a real review for this album, but why? What could I say that hasn't been said? That Slash only jas one guitar solo in him that he reuses every song? Old news. That their whole aesthetic is corny as fuck(derogatory)? That their whole aesthetic is corny as fuck(affectionate)? Nothing I say here matters. I do like Nightrain tho. That song kinda goes.

Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full

The dynamic duo of 80s hip hop. Rakim was one of the best rappers of the 80s and Eric B. serves as a reminder that hip hop is more than just rapping. In fact Eric B.'s turntablism skills are more often the centerpiece than the rapping such as in Eric B. Is President or the instrumental tracks Eric B. Is On The Cut, Chinese Arithmetic, and Extended Beat. Although Rakim is no slouch and his dedication to internal rhyme schemes influenced a generation of lyrical miracles who would crash and burn trying to live up to Rakim's skill level.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

Astral Weeks is jazz pop with folk rock sensibilities. It features lengthy songs with a jazz band backing, but a lot of the instrumentals are also very folk influenced and the production feels more pastoral than jazzy. It's a hazy dreamlike mix of sounds that is fun and delightful to listen to, although I'm a little surprised at how high on the list it is. I'm confused and concerned that we have gotten two Van Morrison albums and zero Tim Buckley's.

Stevie Wonder - Talking Book

Throughout the 60s Stevie Wonder went from child prodigy to teen hit machine and when the 70s began is when he finally entered his 'classic era'. Talking Book was his 15th record but it spawned the biggest hit of his career, Superstition. Talking Book also sees Stevie Wonder evolving as a lyricist. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life expresses a very pure, innocent love that sits a bit outside of how Motown love songs were usually written and Big Brother is the start of Wonder's blunt, serious political songs with upbeat melodies. A landmark album in the funk and soul scene and the start of an era where no one else was allowed to win Grammys

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

Oh here come the very cool tough hard rock boys singing about Tolkein again. Fucking nerds. What is that a mandolin? Lol. This album is so fucking good.

The Band - s/t

Oof, I'm conflicted. On one hand this is an amazing album, on the other it isn't better than Music From The Big Pink. The Band nail a sense of Americana here, especially on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Up On Cripple Creek, but where Big Pink is a fantastic whole album this one is just a very good collection of songs. Swap their places and I have no complaints.

Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville

You have no idea how happy I am to see this album here, let alone at such a high place on the list. Exile In Guyville is one of the most perfect pieces of lo fi indie rock ever made. Liz Phair hits a unique place between the grunge and indie scenes without ever feeling like she's trying for anything other than sincerity. The sparse instrumentation makes it so every note is important and every emotion is laid bare. The rawness of emotion is essential when she's navigating the nuance of different kinds of disappointed and dispassionate. Liz Phair comes off as deeply cynical about men, but also very horny. I respect that. She roasts handsome confident men and then sings longingly about pathetic weirdos. I really couldn't relate more. This album above all others really makes me feel like I could, should make an album myself. The raw production, the simple short songs, the simple but honest lyrics. Exile In Guyville is one of the greatest indie albums of all time.

#500 album gauntlet #outkast #steely dan #guns n roses #eric b. & rakim #van morrison #stevie wonder #led zeppelin #the band #liz phair

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recoveringdreamer · 1 year ago

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TIMING: recent PARTIES: @fearhims3lf & @recoveringdreamer LOCATION: worm row SUMMARY: when felix runs into trouble on their way home from work, mateo decides to help them out... against his better judgement. CONTENT WARNINGS: gun use

Walking through Worm Row always made Felix nervous, but those nerves had only grown worse since their encounters with the warden in the neighborhood. Even if their second alleyway ‘conversation’ with the man hadn’t been as traumatizing as the first, they weren’t looking to break the tie with a third encounter. But given the fact that they worked in the neighborhood, it was inevitable that they’d have to walk through it to get to and from the Grit Pit.

Lately, they’d been counteracting the anxiety by taking different routes. Some took them a little out of their way, but the peace of mind it offered was worth it. Felix didn’t run into many people on this road in particular; most of the buildings had been completely overtaken by the Abnormality, so most of the residents had moved elsewhere. It was kind of spooky, but peaceful. And there was some cool architecture, too.

Like, for example, the statue sitting atop the staircase of a building that seemed relatively untouched by the Abnormality in comparison to its neighbors. Felix slowed as he approached it, stopping at the bottom of the steps. “Hi there,” they greeted the statue with a faint smile. “How are you this…” It moved. They blinked. Had they imagined that? No — the statue moved. It stretched its wings, it looked down at him with a harsh glare, it —

It climbed off its pedestal.

Felix scrambled back, running into a very solid shape. Turning back, they caught sight of a man. He didn’t look like a statue, which made him preferable to the one stepping off the steps now. “It — That statue is alive,” they stammered. Alive and, from the looks of it, pissed off. This was not what Felix had been anticipating on their walk home.

It had been three in the morning when the mare had sauntered his way out of a bar. At that time of night, there wasn’t much to do, but sleep would not overtake Mateo. He’d need to find a way to fill up his time if he wasn’t going to die of boredom. Going to his storage unit and rocking out seemed like a viable option. No one to bother him and the unit was sound-proofed enough that he wouldn’t get a noise complaint. Although…Mateo took out his phone and scrolled through it, sifting through other options, seeing what else he could pound.

He was just about to click on a contact when someone stammered out something about something being alive? Okay. Crazy guy, Mateo thought. But hey, he wasn’t heartless. They obviously needed help. “Look man, I only have about…” He trailed off, looking through his wallet. “Fifty bucks on me. It’s yours if you—” A noise interrupted Mateo, and he looked around the stranger to see a stone, animal-like creature angrily making his way toward both of them.

Mateo immediately pocketed his wallet, and took a step back, huffing with annoyance. “You really brought this thing—you motherf–” A roar took precedence then, and Mateo threw his arms up in the air and shrugged as he backed away. There was no sense in him sticking around when the problem wasn’t his to begin with. He had no connection to the complete stranger who made the mess. “Well, sucks to be you, I guess.” His smile was flat as he gestured the rocker horns to the monster’s soon-to-be snack, and in a blink, he disappeared into thin air.

The stranger thought they were nuts. Felix could tell just by the look on the guy’s face — the apprehension, the quiet pity, the desire to get away as quickly as possible. Felix had seen this look plenty of times when they’d been readjusting to the world, and it was one of their least favorite expressions to find on a stranger’s face. (Though it was still better than anger. Anger, on an unknown entity, was always a recipe for disaster.)

“No, I don’t — I don’t need money,” Felix stammered desperately. They wanted to insist, wanted to wave their hands and shout and do a thousand things that would make them look even crazier than they looked already, but it turned out it wasn’t necessary. The giant rock monster was perfectly capable of proving them right on its own. For a moment, Felix was relieved. If the stranger saw the monster, if he realized it was real, he could help Felix fight it or run away from it or do whatever needed to be done.

Except… Except he didn’t. Instead, he flared with some of that anger Felix had been relieved to find missing before, and then — he vanished. He disappeared into thin air, and Felix was alone with whatever this thing was. And it was gonna kill him, wasn’t it? There was something almost funny about it, because he’d just kind of assumed he’d die in the Pit ever since his first fight there, but here they were instead, prepared to die out on the street against some beast made of rock. But the jaguar, stirring in their chest, made one thing clear — Felix might be prepared to die against this thing… but Felix was not alone in this body. And the jaguar would do what he had to do to win, just as he always did.

He’d been closer to the surface recently, like he was floating just beneath the top of the proverbial lake instead of sleeping at the bottom. Felix wasn’t sure why. A few others had mentioned strange feelings, too — Teagan, some of the other shifters at the Pit — so maybe there was something going on. Either way, it meant the balam’s fingers shifted into claws almost without their permission, swiped at the rock almost without Felix trying to move at all. If the stranger on the street wouldn’t help them, Felix would just have to help themself. Right? They could do that.

Okay, maybe disappearing without a trace wasn’t the nicest option, but Mateo wasn’t a charity, was he? The guy had gotten himself into that mess, and wanted to rope him into it! How was it fair that he had to jump in and lend a hand? Besides, he was squishy and bullets wouldn’t really word on stone, would it? Ugh. Mateo appeared in his apartment with a groan, rubbing his face in frustration. He had to help the stranger, didn’t he? Fuck. Fuck! Kicking a random box on the floor, Mateo grabbed a crowbar from his closet and jumped back into the astral to find his opportunity.

Well, well, well…the mare could see the stranger holding his own a little. Were those claws? Huh…Mateo scratched at his head, pursing his lips in thought. Did this rando even need his help? He tapped his foot, groaning yet again as he came to the annoying conclusion that, yes, he had to help. Why did being nice always have to come at a cost? He juggled his head from side to side, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders to loosen up. “Here goes nothing.” Mateo whispered to himself, dropping out of nowhere, right on top of the gargoyle-fucker with his crowbar colloding with its head.

The impact was stony and bits of crumbling dust rolled off its body, though it hardly seemed that it was affected at all. “Puta madre…” He hissed as he landed on the ground next to his new annoyance. “Why’d you have to piss off a damn rock, man?!” With a stretch, Mateo hovered his hand over his holster, considering his options. Maybe it was better to just run. “Ain’t no way we’re beating this thing, ya think?”

They definitely weren’t expecting the stranger to come back. Part of Felix wasn’t even sure the guy had ever really been there to begin with, despite the fact that they’d run directly into him. Maybe stress had made some ghost seem more tangible than it was, or maybe he’d finally lost it and was just… imagining things completely. Either way, they’d already accepted that they were well and truly on their own by the time the stone creature got in close.

It was kind of slow, which was good. They were able to duck as it grabbed at them, though their claws did next to nothing against its rocky flesh. How did you beat stone? Probably not with jaguar claws, but Felix didn’t have a whole lot more going for them. They could let the jaguar out fully and get away, but… Well, then they’d be a jaguar. Their spirit companion didn’t always like handing control back over, but maybe this time he’d…

Something dropped out of the sky, landing on top of the stone creature. It took Felix a moment to realize it was the same man from before — decidedly real, and decidedly not a ghost. “I didn’t piss it off!” The balam insisted quickly. “I was just walking by, I don’t — I don’t know why it’s so mad.” They squinted at the dust that had fallen from the creature. It wasn’t regenerating, at least; maybe blunt force was the best way to beat it. “I think we’d have to — crush the rocks. Um, which I don’t — I don’t know if we can do. But it’s slow!” They could probably outrun it.

“Right…right…” The expression on Mateo’s face was one of mocking and disbelief. Maybe a little amusement too. His companion seemed to have their panties in a bunch, and the mare had a hunch that that was their default state. Oof. Just his luck. “Well, I got a gun and bat, and you got…” He gestured vaguely to the stranger’s…paws? “Whatever you got going on there.” Questions could wait for later. A roar snapped Mateo’s attention back to the animated statue. This wasn’t going to be an easy task, and he was already dreading how sore he was going to be.

“Okay, I’m Mateo, and I’m gonna—” Another roar cut through, interrupting the mare. He rolled his eyes and groaned. “¡Oye, guey!” Taking out his gun, Mateo pointed it straight at the creature, bemusement painting over his features. “I’m in the middle of something.” With the safety flipped, he fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nothing, not even a wince or sound of pain. Just dust trickling down its still moving body. There wasn’t much to do but slow it down enough for the non-astral-jumping one of the two to escape. Kindness had its upsides, or so Mateo heard. Maybe he could finagle his way into a payment if the two got out alive. For the time being, he’d deal with the downsides, and disappear again to land atop the creature with his bat at the ready. Claws attempted to reach him to no avail, and Mateo’s bat crashed into it repeatedly, completely distracting it.

“I’d run if I were you!”

“I didn’t,” Felix insisted, a little offended that they weren’t being believed even if that was quite literally the least of their worries at the moment. “It’s — Hard to explain,” Felix replied, looking down at their hands and wondering why their first instinct was to hide them behind their back. The guy had already seen them, so it wasn’t like hiding them would do anything. And it was clear that this guy wasn’t human himself, anyway. He’d vanished into thin air and then come back just the same. Felix was pretty sure humans didn’t do that.

Nodding their head, Felix did their best to offer the man — Mateo — a smile. It looked a little more like a grimace, what with the… everything going on, but, hey! Work with what you’ve got, right? “I’m Felix. Uh, I’m not sure if a gun is the best —” But it was too late. Mateo was firing his gun in the direction of the rock creature, and Felix figured they were lucky that the bullets hadn’t ricocheted. That was where the luck ended, of course. The bullets did nothing to stop the creature. If anything, they just seemed to piss it off.

Felix scrambled back as Mateo crashed his bat into the thing and told them to run. “What — Uh, what about you? Don’t really want to leave you to fight that thing by yourself, man!” Not after he’d come back for them, at least. It seemed pretty rude to just… leave him there. Felix had no idea if the whole ‘disappearing into thin air’ thing was something Mateo could do on command or if he had no control over it. Hell, for all they knew, there was a boomerang effect to it, and that was why Mateo had come back. Either way, leaving felt wrong.

“Uh-huh…” It was almost cute how Felix attempted to hide the claws Mateo had already so obviously seen. “Look dude, I can jump into a different plane and come back to any place I want. Explaining is pretty simple if you don’t overthink it.” He winked as he struggled with the creature, trying his best to remain cool. He was way out of his element, as much as Mateo hated to admit.

The statue continued to claw at its back, ferally growling at the anomaly it was trying desperately to get rid of. Mateo chuckled smugly, it quickly interrupted by sudden movement. He lost his balance and quickly fell to the ground with a dull thud. Groaning, he had just a moment to act before a stony fist went barreling toward him. “Oh fuck!” Mateo blipped away, swirling in the astral for a few beats longer to collect himself. There was no beating the monster, he thought, but he’d put in enough sweat already that it felt like defeat to just run. He groaned, landing himself back next to Felix.

“Lemme get a few more wacks in, and then we can both run. It’s slow, man. We can do it.” Nodding his head side to side hastily, Mateo clicked his tongue. “Well, after those wacks, yeah? I bet I can crush it after…long enough.”

“Oh.” Well, that didn’t sound like something Felix had seen before. They liked to think they were well-versed in the supernatural world, given their experience with the Grit Pit, but most of the fighters there were shifters, like Felix. Their father had warned them about mediums and exorcists and rangers, but none of those were capable of… blinking into another plane, as Mateo put it. So that probably made him something else. Uncharted territory, just like the statue they were fighting. Luckily, though, Mateo seemed to be on their side.

Felix watched Mateo fight, wincing as he fell. “Hey, look —” But before they could finish their warning, the man blinked out of existence again, this time popping back up next to Felix after a few stressful seconds of being nowhere. Felix glanced over to him, looking at him carefully to see if he was hurt, but he seemed all right. Bruised, probably, and a little shaken, but not horribly injured. That was good. It was probably Felix’s fault this was happening — they didn’t want someone else to be hurt.

“I’ll help,” they offered. “I, um… I know how to fight.” It was true, even if it probably didn’t look it. If Felix weren’t as good as they were in a fight, they wouldn’t have survived this long in the Grit Pit. Of course, if Felix weren’t as good as they were in a fight, the Grit Pit probably wouldn’t have bound them so tightly, anyway. Still, it would be nice to use those skills to… help, for once. “I think… Yeah. If we go at it long enough, we can take it out. Look, it isn’t — It doesn’t regenerate the rocks after they get knocked off. Right? So that means if we knock off enough of them…” They trailed off, letting it hang.

“You just get cuter, don’t you?” Mateo grinned, happy to hear that Felix was down to fuck…up a statue. He cracked his neck, bouncing lightly on his feet to warm up. “I go high, and you go low. Oh…!” Mateo lifted a finger, gesturing for Felix to give him a moment as he sifted through his pocket.

He stuck his tongue out as he searched, face lighting up when he found what he was looking for. “Aha! Use this!” A can of spraypaint lay like the Holy Grail, a punk’s favorite tool for leaving a message “Maybe at the eyes? Does it…have eyes?” Didn’t matter. Mateo waved the thoughts away and handed the can of spraypaint over to Felix. “Have fun!” He blipped away, probably for the hundredth time that night, and slammed his bat right into the statue’s shoulder.

It seemed to roar out of annoyance rather than pain, and Mateo continued his assault by shooting several rounds into the divet he had left behind with his bat. Doing so made several cracks surface, weakening the connection between the arm and the shoulder enough to make it begin to fall away. Perfect. ‘Cause Mateo’s hands were really starting to ache from the force ricocheting back into the handle of the bat with every strike. Not to mention, the weapon was starting to really get dented.

“Uh…” Felix practically squeaked, turning red as they looked down at their feet. It probably said a lot about the damage their relationship with Leo had done to them that their first instinct was to assume that Mateo was insulting them, somehow. They wanted to apologize, though they weren’t sure what for. “Low,” they said instead. “Yeah. I can go low. What…?”

They took the spray paint, brow furrowed as they turned it over in their hands carefully. Mateo had held it as if it were important, so Felix held it the same way. “It… has to be tracking our movements somehow, right? And I didn’t see any ears…” Eyes were the best bet. Mateo’s plan really wasn’t a bad one, and Felix was, frankly, just relieved to have someone else take charge. They could fight, but they were a lot better at taking orders than they were at formulating plans of their own.

Mateo blinked away again, and Felix was quick to follow. They went low, just as they’d told Mateo they would, careful to avoid the bullets the other was firing and the bat he was swinging. As Mateo swung at the beast’s shoulder, Felix aimed the spray paint at its face, spraying a generous amount into its eyes. The creature brought an arm up to swat at them, but it was a blind swing. “Hey, I think the eye thing worked!” They ducked down again, claws digging into the creature’s leg. Though not the ideal weapon, they did leave a pretty impressive slash, and Felix aimed a kick at the new weak spot. The rock began to crack, and the balam grinned. Maybe they had a chance after all.

Victory was on the horizon, single stony arm flailing in its sad attempts to attack the two strangers taking it apart. Mateo winced as he gave a final wack to the back of the monster’s head. He jumped down, rolling down next to Felix and looking at his trembling hands as he scooted backwards and away. They were sparkling in the moonlight, burning with the pain from the friction of the bat. As he continued to scoot, he felt a lump on the ground, the object digging into his thigh uncomfortably.

“What the fuck…?” He whispered to himself, brows raised with excitement and Mateo licked his lips. He whistled once, raising the ball in the air like it was his trophy to victory. “Start running!” Laughter ensued, and Mateo rose to his feet to run back toward the beast and shove Felix out. “Run away! You don’t want to be here for this part. Trust me.” Removing the pin, he showed Felix exactly what he had: a grenade. One that was about to be active the moment he released the lever. “Once you’re outta sight,” He pulled Felix by the scruff of their shirt while the statue thrashed against the ground, trying to find them. “I’ll throw it to that thing and blink out. So, go!”

The fight was… actually not going terribly. Mateo’s bat was doing a lot of damage, and Felix’s claws were less useless than they had been at the start now that they had cracks to aim for. They could dig the claws into the cracks in the stone and widen them, sending more and more spreading across the creature’s body. It was… almost fun. So different from the fights in the Grit Pit, where they fought for the entertainment of people who cheered when they bled, where they fought alone.

They lost themself in it a little bit. The punching, the clawing, the almost-joy. It was only when Mateo spoke that they looked up, eyes locking onto the grenade in the other’s hand. “I — That’s probably not a good —” but it was clear that there was no arguing with the other. Shooting him a concerned look and praying that he had some idea what he was doing here, the balam stumbled off, running as fast as they could to get out of the blast zone and hoping that the statue was the only thing that would explode.

Mateo turned to face his opponent one last time, a wicked grin pulling his cheeks up. He waited until he heard Felix’s footsteps recede enough to remove his fingers from the lever, still holding it for a few seconds longer. “Here you go, puto.” Mateo charged forward, shoving the grenade in the beast’s mouth. It growled and snapped, nearly taking a bite out of the mare’s hand, but Mateo was gone in an instant. He jumped next to Felix, beckoning to stop and enjoy the show. “Should go boom right about…now!”

They were a decent way’s away when Mateo popped into existence beside them, and they faltered a little, turning towards him. Hesitantly, the balam turned towards the direction they’d run from just in time for a boom to shake the ground. Fire and rock flew out from every direction, though they were too far for any of it to touch them. “That was a bad idea,” Felix breathed. “That was — That was a terrible plan.” They let out a choked laugh, dissolving quickly into hysteria.

Mateo cackled, joining Felix in a fit of laughter. He nearly tumbled to the ground, more than amused with how the fight ended. “It was a great plan! Who doesn’t love a good explosion?!” He continued to laugh, the sound beginning wane once the effects of such a charging change of pace. With a sigh, he patted Felix’s shoulder, free hand on his hip and a grin on his face. “Why don’t we end the night with a drink? You got anything at your place? You kinda owe me here.”

“Me! I don’t love a good explosion!” Felix insisted, but they were laughing still. Their claws had already retreated back into their hands, their eyes fading from the jaguar’s bright yellow to the more human shade of brown. Adrenaline was still thrumming through them, and it felt good. So much better than it did when they were in the ring, when everything was such an intense flavor of do or die that it took all they had to keep themself from the latter. They’d never sleep if they went home now. They knew that. So… a drink wasn’t a bad idea, right? Mateo was right, anyway — they kind of owed him. “Okay,” they agreed. “Yeah. C’mon, man. I’ll buy you a drink. And, um, maybe you can tell me how you did that whole teleporting thing.”

#fearhims3lf #mateo: stone cold badass #gun use tw #wickedswriting

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transmascpetewentz · 7 months ago

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shapiro is too misguided and propagandized to see that despite the fact that he has for years tried to spread the "libertarian" capitalist message of his alt right buddies, he is still not and will never be accepted as one of their in-group. no matter how much of his life he dedicates to allying himself with christofascists, even bringing his family members into the influencer sphere to target demographics other than just cishet white(-passing) men, christofascists do not truly accept jews. they humor jews to get something out of them, especially those who are assimilated, and they readily celebrate the fact that some jews decide, after seeing all the ways the alt right has harmed them, to agree with them on a public platform. for the past few years, arguably before around 2021, the alt right has been able to reconcile with some outspoken jewish voices like shapiro because the alt right manufactured a common enemy of queer people and people of color, especially black people and muslims. but ever since 2021, and especially after october, the alt right has gotten tired of restraining their leopards from eating shapiro and his ilk's faces. the truth is that the alt right, and capitalists more generally, has never had a space for observant jews and judaism.

but here is the thing: the left, although its politics seem to be more consistent with jewish values, has constantly shown the jewish community that it does not want to make space for jews. this was the case for as long as the left has been around but has gotten especially worse since october. i don't want to get into that can of worms, so let me just point out a few problems the left had before october. the non-jewish left has always liked the idea of jews agreeing with it, and it really loves dead jews (read the book by dara horn for more on this). but living jews? the non-jewish left has a few outspoken jewish voices, none of which i will name here because this is first and foremost a post about ben shapiro, but if you know who they are, you know who they are. some of these people have a lot of integrity and express their opinions, but another problem emerges. most are unable to express their jewish values, morals, ethics, and lives, because the space they are in is hostile. not in the same explicit ways the right is, but very much hostile in its own way. the non-jewish leftist space tends to be populated heavily by atheists, which is fine. however, these atheists, more often than not, tend to be culturally christian, and a symptom of that is that many expect everyone to be atheist/secular, or to not be visibly of a different culture. this provides a problem for observant jews who are in the non-jewish leftist space: the non-jewish left is the mainstream political movement which advocates for equality and justice for all, but it often excludes observant jews.

the problem then emerges. if one is to be an observant jew, and they are pushed out of the left, and the right accepts their support as a jew to point to that agrees, what is an observant jew who cares about politics to do? now, i'm not about to defend the actions of these vocal pro-alt-right implicitly-pro-neo-nazi jewish voices. however, i do want to empathize with people like shapiro, because i understand where they are coming from. at the end of the day, there are two options that could be beneficial: either mainstream political movements do some serious self reflection about how they treat jews, especially observant jews (which i really wish would happen, but realistically, i don't expect that to), or some significant change has to happen for jewish voices to be heard and gain exposure without having to stick to non-jewish tribalistic lines and political biases.

the tl;dr and summary for this post is that we really need to unpack the idea that belief equals identity.

ben shapiro is, at some point, going to have his face eaten by the leopards eating faces party he's chosen to align himself with.

#wentz.txt #please don't say anything stupid on this post #i will block anyone who uses antisemitic tropes such as comparing jewish men to women in the reblogs without warning #i will also block anyone who makes fun of shapiro's voice. like. that's not just his voice. that's also how a lot of jewish men talk.#this post is open for debate/discussion from jews and jews in progress #long post

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braverynight · 2 years ago

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Riamam Lampnom & Gusher Crusher in… A Warrior Welcome (Bugsnax Fandom Fanfic)

Gusher Crusher own by @canonwulf

I hope you like it!

***

Another day in Snakburg starts off like any would: Cromdo getting into a verbal fight with Beffica. One slide comment from her about his boyfriend set him off something fierce, and said boyfriend, Gusher Crusher, has to physically hold him back before things could escalate further, but Cromdo wasn’t letting up.

“Let me at her! She doesn't deserve to speak about ya like that!” He screams, still seeing red.

Gusher doesn’t let up, “No no! We are not going to fight, even though I hate her guts too!”

This goes on for some time before Beffica gets bored of it and wanders off, allowing Cromdo some time to cool off in the loving arms of Gusher. They both hated how Beffica was always on their cases for being dishonest with their work, but what can you do?

Unknown to them, someone was going to do something about it. Hiding behind the mill house and barn, watching everything go down, a flame of passion and justice roared inside of a grumpus, and she decided that, if no one else will take the law of the land into their paws, she will. She walks through the mill and behind the buildings, looking for the purple grump. She finds her in her own hut, looking through the pictures she took. The horned beast looms in the doorway and waits for Beffica to notice. When she does, she turns around and sees an ominous shadow in the doorway, magenta eyes glowing with a fiery rage. The beast speaks in a serious tone, “So… Heard you've been messing with warriors…”

The curtains that cover the doorway of the hut are shut and the other residents could have sworn they heard crying from the gossip's hut.

***

Time moves into the afternoon and Cromdo and Gusher had since forgotten about the incident, although both had noticed that Beffica was avoiding them both. Cromdo shrugs it off and goes back to his drink stand but Gusher couldn’t let it go. It nagged at him with a brain worm, he had to get to the bottom of this. However, anyone he asked gave the same answer, ‘No clue.’

He was about to give up, thinking he’s reading too much into it, when a horned shadow looms behind him. He jumps around in a defencive stance but puts his guard down when sees who it was. He didn’t know much about her, only knowing what Chandlo had told him, but he knew of her. The lavender grumpus found in the ice: Riamam Lampnom.

“Oh, sorry for scaring you.” She apologizes.

“Eh— er… it’s alright.” Gusher brushes it off, shrugging, “Ya know for someone your bulk, you can sneak up easily, heh.” Maybe comedy can shoo her away.

Riamam smiles, “Yeah, I get that a lot! I just wanted to come around and say, you don’t need to worry about Beffica messing with you any more. I gave her something to be scared about if she does.”

Gusher’s bravo sinks a little and he nervously laughs, “You… You say that with a smile…?”

Riamam smile turns coy, “Well someone had to give her a warning if she was going to harm a warrior’s reputation like that.”

Gusher scratches his head. Warrior? What was she on about? As far as what Chandlo had told him, she was from a tribe of woodland grumps that were big on fighting but nothing else past that. He’s nothing like those grumps and he was definitely not like her. Why was she calling him a warrior?

Riamam’s smiles drops at the hesitation and clarifies her statement, “I heard about what you do. You crush things that aren’t easily crushable with your mouth. That is incredible. What strength you weld!” She pauses when she sees him whence, “However… I also heard you got hurt… that you can’t do it again…” Gusher was ready to face another disappointed fan that he could do his thing again. Instead, she sympathetically smiles at him, “To uh… ‘cut to the chase’ I think the phrase goes… What’s your favorite Bugsnax, oh great warrior?”

Gusher tried to say something along the lines of, ‘You’re joking me, right?’ But he could see that she was being genuine. After giving it some thought, he replies, “Uh, Pineantulas? Why?”

Riamam smiles widens and she shrugs, “Don’t know, but keep on your toes.” She begins to walk away but stops to turn to him, smiling still genuinely, “I’m… Glad you found someone who loves you for you.” With that she leaves.

Gusher was left standing there alone, confused as to what just happened.

***

Night falls on the town and while everyone else was in the town, Cromdo and Gusher were up on the cliff side by the Journalist's airship, watching the town below. They both made a habit of doing this, spending time alone to watch everything below, makes them remember that, even though they are deserted on this island, it wasn’t that bad, so long as they were together.

Gusher wanted to make some light conversation when something catches his eye: a familiar lavender grumpus coming out of Simmering Springs with a large writhing bag. They both get a better look when she stops by the campfire, talking to the other grumps.

“What is that girl doing…?” Cromdo mutters. His confusion only worsens when they see her heading towards the path to them, “Is she coming up here with that thing?”

Sure enough, the warrior hunter drags the bag of writhing up the hill and drops it at the feet of the two salesmen, prideful smiles plastered on her face, “I hope this is enough for you two!” She marches down the hill with no explanation of her actions, and goes back to the campfire.

The two of them look at the bag with concern, Gusher carefully grabbing it and untying the knot. He peeks inside before immediately tying it back up. He turns to Cromdo slowly with a wide-eyed expression, “Pineantulas…”

“What?”

“Pineantulas! Six Pineantulas, maybe more!” He looks down at the bag, “How did she catch so many?”

“And why did she just give it to us? She clearly wants something from us, or maybe this is a threat or something? That grump is hard to read…”

Gusher recalls his conversation with Riamam earlier and he halls the bag onto his back, “I’ll talk to her. For now, let’s get this back to the hut.”

“Agreed. I don’t know what she expects us to do with all of them. Well short of eating them anyways.”

Gusher smiles as they walk back. That didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

***

Snakburg was beginning to settle down and Riamam yawned as she made her way back to her little nook behind the barn to go to bed. Today was a long day for her and she was looking forward to flopping into her nest of pillows and blankets. She was only a few meters away when a voice called out to her.

“Hey, Lampnom!” Riamam turns and sees Gusher, walking to her.

She smiles, tiredness melting away, “Oh Gusher! Did you and Cromdo like the gift?”

“Gift? Yeah, about that. Listen. We— Uh… Well we…” What was he doing? He can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Then again, he wants to get to the bottom of this. A bit more him fumbling his words, he finally spits out, “Why?!”

Riamam tites her head, still smiling.

“Why are you being nice to me? You know I’m a fraud! And yet you stuck up for me, wished me the best, and got me my favorite Snaks. Why?”

Riamam’s smiles fades and she speaks, “In my culture, when a warrior gets hurt to the point they are unable to fight, the village does everything they can to make that warrior feel wanted. I’ve seen it a few times: a warrior gets hurt, the healers can’t heal them, and they feel they are a burden to the tribe. But that’s not true. They still have value, just not in what they were trained in. I saw that in you, Gusher. As soon as I heard it from Beffica and her antics this morning, I had to do something.” She puts a paw on his shoulder and grins, “You are a warrior. Just, not in the traditional sense, and you deserve respect. No matter what happens to you.”

Gusher was lost for words. He had only gotten to know this grump just today and now here she is giving him a hero’s honor? This had to be a trick! But… Everything she did was so genuine, “I…” He took a deep breath in and smiled, “Thanks.”

She pats his shoulder, “Any time.” She turns around towards her nook, “Now unless you want a nighttime Snak, I am going to bed.” She flops forward into her nest and lazily waves at Gusher, “Goodnight.”

Gusher smiles and waves back, “Goodnight Riamam.” He makes his way back to his hut, smiling that he, after everything he’s been through, had a fan.

#bugsnax #gusher crusher #riamam lampnom #bugsnax fandom #bugsnax fanfiction #riamam au saga

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jaybug-jabbers · 4 years ago

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Pokemon Gold/Silver Beta Pokemon: The April 2020 Leak

Look, 2020 was a rough year. So maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that the April 2020 Gold/Silver source code leak flew almost entirely under my radar. If you Google about it, you’re find it’s very rare for news outlets to cover it. This is probably because many folks are hesitant to cover leaks. Also, the US was warming up to a truly awful pandemic around that point, not to mention other civil unrest, so it’s no surprise some people were a tad distracted.

But the fact is, another leak turned up in April of last year, following a recent trend of huge Nintendo leaks. And this one was a doozy. I’ve only truly realized its full extent in the past few days. As such, I’d like to do a post that covers some of the new information. In particular, I’m focusing on beta pokemon that were cut or heavily reworked.

Now, back in 2018, the Spaceworld ‘97 Pokemon Gold/Silver Demo was leaked online. I made a post about some of my favorites. So, from this leak, we already knew of a while slew of beta pokemon. However, as it turns out, there were still more new faces to find-- and a lot of them! I list 45 new beta pokemon here, in fact!

In the April 2020 leak, several sprite sets were found as internal files, each at different phases of game production. The sprite sets were dated May 6, 1998, June 13, 1999, June 21, 1999, and September 17, 1999. The August 17, 1999 Spaceworld ‘99 Demo build was also found, so we have information on that as well.

Essentially, if you want to see this information at The Cutting Room Floor, then head to this page for the sprites discovered as internal backups/sprite banks. Head to this page for the Spaceworld ‘99 demo information page. And, if you need a refresher for the older leak, you can go to this page for the Spaceworld ‘97 demo build.

For this post, we will focus on the May 6, ‘98 set of sprites, which contain the vast majority of new faces. So, without further ado, onward to the pokemon!

(#300) Kokopelli Pokemon/Celebi

(May 6, ‘98) (Spaceworld ‘99 Demo)

This first pair of sprites looks very much like Kokopelli, a fertility deity of some Native American cultures. This deity can be seen in ancient Native American petroglyphs, as a humpbacked flute player with feathers on the head. Surprisingly, we find that Celebi in the Spaceworld ‘99 Demo seems to be an updated version of this design, making Celebi’s design origins much different than expected. However, its fertility diety inspiration is still somewhat apparant in the modern Celebi, as a creature that causes plant life to flourish.

(#301) Eel Pokemon

While the sprite files did not reveal a name or other data, this eel’s sprites were numbered right beside the Gurotesu (Grotess) and Ikari (Anchorage) sprites, suggesting it once was the start of their evolution chain.

(#304) Fire Fox Pokemon

This little fellow is a fox that seems to have a fiery tail. It’s possible this fire fox was inspired by kitsune (just as Vulpix/Ninetails were) and that it was later redesigned as Fennekin.

(#305 - 308) Snow Bunny Evolution Line

These four pokemon seem to belong to the same evolutionary line. The second one seems to based on the Yuki Usagi, a ‘Snow Bunny.’ In Japan, these cute little critters are made in the snow (using leaves for the ears). They also sometimes make these Yuki Usagi as little marshmallow or mochi treats. So this pokemon line could be inspired by either of these. Considering the leaves and the snow, I would guess these would have been Grass/Ice.

(#309) Elephant Pokemon

You might wonder if this chonky boy-- looking tough with horns on his head and back-- was an early version of Donphan, but Donphan and Phanpy were present in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo. Indeed, this elephant and Phanpy/Donphan both exist in the same set of sprites from May ‘98, so it was simply a case of two types of elephants. This pokemon also calls to mind a glimpse of a cut beta pokemon we saw from Generation 1 (from ‘Satoshi Tajiri: The Man Who Made Pokémon’):

Same fierce eyes, at any rate! Alas, these both never saw the light of day. However, it’s possible this elephant was reworked into Piloswine, which is not in the May ‘98 collection but does appear in the June 13 ‘99 collection (although Swinub is absent). While Piloswine and Swinub are more akin to wild boars, there is also some relation to mammoths (an inspiration more heavily leaned on with Mammoswine in later games). Then again, there’s another pokemon you’ll see a little further down this list that might have inspired Piloswine instead.

(#311) Natu/Xatu Mid-Evolution

What is clearly a mid-evolution (its file number sits between the two). Has a peacock-like tail. Honestly, I think this works really good as a mid-evolution, and I don’t know why it was cut. I want to name it “Watu.”

(#313) Drunk Kiwi Pokemon

This one is just hilarious to look at. It appears to probably be a kiwi-bird? A very crazy-eyed, loopy one. I can see why this one was cut. The goofy, simple design kind of looks like a knockoff cartoon character for children.

(#314) Scorpion Pokemon

A pretty badass-looking scorpion, although a rather basic design. I dig the funky head, though. It seems like it has a single, beady eye and is rather menacing. This pokemon may have been later reworked into Gligar, a pokemon that first appears after this sprite set, in the June 13 ‘99 group:

Admittedly this is rather different from the Gligar we know, but it is an early design.

Or, who knows-- maybe this little fellah was later reworked into Skorupi. (If so, it’s a shame, as I don’t dig the weird accordian-like design of its limbs and its evolution.)

(#315) Quail Pokemon

A pudgey little quail pokemon. Doesn’t seem related to the kiwi pokemon. It’s a very cute little thing, and has lots of potential to evolve into something interesting, but it seems they scrapped it pretty quickly.

(#316) Music Note Bird Pokemon

Although these sprites are numbered right after the quail, and they are both birds, the designs are very different, so they seem unrelated. It seems the beta pokemon were simply blessed with a lot of birds. This little bird is in the shape of a clef, giving this bird a musical theme. It seems very likely it was later reworked into Chatot, a bird with a music-note shaped head and metronome tail.

(#319) Boar Pokemon

A cute, grumpy little boar with antlers. Probably what eventually led to Piloswine found in the June 13 ‘99 group. A bit of a shame, in my mind, as I kind of prefer this design.

(#325) Spikey Dog Pokemon

The curious thing is that this dog looks very similar to “Pudi,” a pokemon we saw in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo, which was intended to be a pre-evolution of Growlithe. But Pudi is also in this same collection of sprites!

Perhaps they were toying with the idea of re-designing Pudi (and had already scrapped a bunch of baby pokemon) and just hadn’t bothered to remove the old Pudi yet. It’s hard to say. Ultimately, these both were scrapped, but at least we still have Subbull/Granbull.

(#331) Yūrei Ghost Pokemon

This little ghost has two things that are common in Japanese folklore: the hitaikakushi (the white cloth headband it wears) and the two little balls of fire called hitodama. It is unknown why this ghost pokemon was scrapped, but perhaps they thought the little fellow wouldn’t translate well overseas?

(#344) Viking Ship Pokemon

Look at this beauty! A pokemon based off some sort of Viking ship. I absolutely adore this one. It’s creative and charming. I hope to see it in the future.

(#349) Wooly Dog Pokemon

This canine-like creature is fluffy as all out. Honestly I think it’s a tad odd, with how tangled and disheveled its fur looks. I can’t help but compare it to the early desings of the three Legendary Beasts, since they also are very canine-like:

These three designs are present in this same May 6, 98′ sprite collection as the representations of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Were they possibly playing with a different design idea for the Legendary Beasts? Perhaps Suicune. The Wooly Dog is just such an imposing sprite, that I can’t help but wonder. All pure speculation, of course.

(#350) Rabbit Pokemon

This rabbit has a rather intense look about him, and it makes me curious what the ideas were behind it. TCRF suggests it’s a possible pikachu clone.

(#351) Snake Pokemon

This cute little worm or snake seems to be wearing a feather headdress, suggesting its design may also be Native American inspired, like the Natu line. On the other hand, this could be inspired by Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent deity in Aztec culture. I would have loved to see this little guy’s evolutions.

(#352) Scarecrow Bird

A bird with a hat that kind of looks like a scarecrow. Honestly, it’s a super-cute idea.

(#353) Gargoyle Pokemon

This crouching beastie sort of looks like a gargoyle with a long, sharp tail. I can’t quite tell if those bits on the side are little wings or just a part of its legs. It would be interesting to see this creature standing in a different position-- I feel like that would give us a better understanding of what it looks like. Interestingly, there are striking similarities with Aerodactyl:

I wonder why they are so similar?

(#354 - 356) Manbō Evolution Family

The first of these three fishies was someone we already met in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo-- it was named ‘Manbō 1.′ In the demo, it evolved into Ikari (Anchorage) and then Gurotesu (Grotess). It seems it’s now been split off from those and given a new evolution family here. While I find that neat, and I quite like the expressions on these fish, they are admittedly a little bland.

(#360) Flying Squirrel(?) Pokemon

TCRF guesses this is a flying squirrel, and it seems to be wearing a sheathed sword. Not sure about the headgear it’s sporting. Is that a ninja star?

(#364) Early Cyndaquil

So, this May 6, ‘98 collection is really exciting. The original Gold/Silver fire starter line we saw in Spaceworld ‘97 (Honooguma’s line) is still present in this collection (as is the water-type ‘Cruz’ line and Chikorita’s line). So, what we have here seems to be an early Cyndaquil before they decided to turn it into a fire type and make it the fire starter! In fact, those spikes might even be icicles (like Alolan Sandslash), for all we know. If so, Cyndaquil’s typing pulled a 180.

(#377) Early Furret?

Possibly an early Furret. Looks pretty awkward, not gonna lie; I’m glad it was probably refined into modern Furret, with more body definition between the head and tail.

(#378) Stork Pokemon

It’s a stork, based on the myth of where babies come from. A cute idea, although its curly ‘hair’ looks a little funny to me.

(#380) Squid Pokemon

A squid with drills for its mantle and arms. Since that’s kinda Beedrill’s thing, I’m glad they scrapped the idea. The backsprite lacks drills so it’s probably from a different design stage.

(#382 - 383) Early Burmy/Pineco

Burmy/Wormadam/Mothim is based off the bagworm. Bagworms are grubs that use silk and lots of bits of leaves, bark and other objects to create a camouflaged cocoon. When they turn into adults, some species of female bagworms just look like their larval stage, while the males turn into winged moths. That is why Burmy/Wormadam/Mothim have their unique evolution situation. Clearly, these two beta pokemon are playing around with the bagworm idea. They probably went on to inspire both Pineco (another pokemon based on bagworms!) and the Burmy line in gen 4.

(#386) Koala Pokemon

It’s so cool to see they were thinking about a koala pokemon this early. We would not finally get one until gen 7′s Komala.

(#387) Tanuki Pokemon

A Tanuki that is carrying campfire kindling on his back, but the kindling has caught fire. Apparently based on the Kachi-Kachi Yama folktale, which is a surprisingly violent story, but I suppose folktales often are. Who knows why it was cut, but Sentret is the closest thing we have to a tanuki pokemon for now.

(#392) Megaphone(?) Bird Pokemon

Yet another bird pokemon! There sure were a lot of beta birds. This one appears to have a megaphone-shaped beak. Or, possibly, its head is shaped like a gas mask (the strange eyes seem to support this idea). Honestly I really dig the look of this one.

(#397) Frog Pokemon

It’s tough to tell but it has a small horn on its head. It has a long tongue and is probably shouting “ribbithhhhhh!” It’s cute, but a little plain.

(#400) Tiny Hippo Pokemon

Look at this little weirdo. I think it’s a tiny hippo? With a mohawk and a big grin and wild eyes. It doesn’t really seem to have a head, its mouth/eyes/ears are just stuck directly to a body. Looks pretty awkward, probably needed some polish. No idea what they were going for with it, but it’s interesting.

(#401) Skeleton Pokemon

A very spooky, bipedal, living skeleton beast. It has a long snout and sharp teeth, almost like a crocodile or a dinosaur-like creature. Its head and shoulders have bony spikes and the front of its snout has markings that seem to be a nasal cavity. Very detailed. It also reminds me of Missingno, as some Missingno used the fossil skeletons as their front sprites. I would have loved to have this pokemon, and it’s a real shame they didn’t use it.

(#402) Rodent Pokemon

A mouse or bunny with gigantic, spotted ears and no arms. Those are some serious ears; it almost looks like it could fly with them.

(#403) Fly Pokemon

A bug-type!! It has a huge, creepy face, curly antenna and wings strangely really close to its head. I love it?? But it’s a bug, so of course I do.

(#404) Plant Pokemon

The Snow Bunny was likely part grass-type, but other than that, this is our first grass beta! It has one eye, a spikey head, and almost foot-like roots. I love how grumpy it looks. There’s a possibility it was a pre-evolution for Sunflora, before they had created the idea of Sunkern (which is not present in this collection).

(#405) Ant Pokemon

Another bug!! This one looks a lot like a winged ant. (Those do exist-- usually a temporary thing for mating flights) It’s possibly related to the fly pokemon above, sporting very similar wings. However, it doesn’t really seem like an evolution.

(#406) Dinosaur Pokemon

A little dinosaur-like pokemon, looking up at you. It’s unclear if that’s a tough, bony skull, or if it’s maybe a hat. The clubbed tail makes me wonder if it’s related to #415 below, but it’s probably unlikely. However, it is pretty likely that this later became Cranidos.

(#407) Early Cherrim

This clearly was a design that was picked up later, in gen 4, to create Cherubi/Cherrim’s sunshine form. I am glad the design was improved, because the lips on this one scare me.

(#412) Early Dunsparce

Dunsparce looking quite different. No wings, no drill tail, with a much more typical snake-like face.

(#415) Dinosaur Pokemon

It looks like an aquatic version of an Ankylosaurus or something similar. It’s possible it’s related to the Viking Ship pokemon (as a pre-evo), but there’s no way to know. I quite like it, though.

(#416) Flying Fish Pokemon

This magnificent beast, this miracle of creation, is surely my favorite beta pokemon of all time. Revel in its glory. You may not like it, but this is the ideal pokemon body. What a perfect way to round off our collection of betas.

#pokemon #pokemon gold/silver #beta pokemon #april 2020 leak #pokemon betas #pokemon beta content #mycontent #pokemon discussion

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idesofrevolution · 4 years ago

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Welp as you can guess, Biker TF won the poll. So here we go kids.

It’d been weeks since I had... become who I am today. I’m still learning how to wield the power that Miss Marie had given me- and there were a few mistakes made along the way. But at the end of the day, I’d grown into a much more competent practitioner, so I decided one drunken evening to treat myself. After a delicious evening with a hunky biker bear, I’d convinced him to let me have his spare set of wheels. Riding came naturally to me- the open road and the wind rushing against me gives such a sense of freedom. It’s hard to explain. We still ride down the backroads outside of town just about once a week, although I’m sure the cruising spot in the bayou clearing does certainly help instigate such rides.

It was one summer afternoon after one such ride and rendezvous, wafting with the stench of sweat and sex, that I came across a young hitchhiker. He was young, maybe 21 or so with gorgeous ebony skin and a lean slender frame. I pulled over, and he quickly ran over to me.

“Hey, are you going as far as town?” His voice was frail and weak. A timbre of defeat echoed from the back of his throat, he’d clearly been through a lot.

“Sure am. Here, hop on and take the spare helmet.” I smiled at him, and he coyly avoided my glance. He awkwardly mounted the bike, nearly tipping us over. “Never ridden before? Aight, put your arms here, and keep your feet up.” I gently guided his wrists around my waist and he tightly held on, nearly knocking the wind out of me. As we took off, he clutched me even tighter. Riding down the road, I could sense he was a broken kid. The air of sadness permeated his energy, and shaded every ounce of his body language. I don’t think he ever realized just how beautiful a soul he had.

About ten minutes of riding, I noticed we were nearly running on fumes. Luckily, an exit sign harked a little good fortune with a Shell station off the road. We pulled over at the nearest gas pump, and dismounted.

“I’m gonna fill up, take this and get yourself something to eat man, you’re skin and bones!” I handed him a $20, and he looked at me as if I had three horns and purple skin. He blushed and walked toward the convenience store, but turned back to ask if I needed anything.

I looked at him, standing there against the cinderblock building and decided that he would get the help he deserved. If from nobody else, he would get it from me. I shook my head no, and he entered the store. Filling the tank took all of five minutes before it had topped off. I slid my card in, paid my dues and started to put my gloves back on before I noticed he had not come back out. To my left was another bike, sitting vacant and alone. Alarm bells went off and I rushed into the convenience store.

I opened the door and could immediately hear the shouting. Behind the counter some teenage dumbass was fuckin around on his phone, not thinking a thing of the brazen diatribe that was filling the room. There, behind the wall of Doritos, Pretzels, and Slim Jims was the young kid, and a big hulking stag of a man shouting with his chest all puffed up like a blowfish. The foul, revolting shit that spewed from that mans mouth was beyond anything that I’d care to repeat in any way here, but when I say it was in reference to his ancestry I’m sure you can fill in the blanks. Grabbing his shoulder like a vice grip, I was about to teach this man what’s what.

“I think it’s time for you pipe the fuck down.” The man turned to me, covered in grease and stinking from days of riding in the summer heat. You know the type, ripped up and stained wife beater with tight, patched jeans; topped off with big beat up harness boots that were clearly two sizes too big. He sneered, sizing me up to see where his chances were in this fight.

“Ahh, so you’re gonna be this little fuck’s hero, huh? You’re gonna be his WHITE knight, huh? See, I’m just letting him know that in these parts, it’d be best if he just fucked right off.” I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I have a bit of a temper issue which can get the best of me.. In the particular instance, however, I’d say I’m proud as all hell that I held that white trash by the throat about a sold foot above the ground. Tossing him aside, he landed against the aisle shelves like a ragdoll. I smirked, and figured out just how I would help this young man.

“Come on over, kid.” I waved him over, and he sheepishly plodded over to us. The racist tried in vain to pull himself up off the ground, but my size 13 Vans against his big burly chest had him pinned like a mouse in a trap. “I think this man needs a bit of an education, don’t you?” The kid smiled, looking down. I gently held his chin up. “And you need a confidence boost.”

“Ah, your fuckin’ queers too! I shoulda gue...” I shoved my foot into his stupid maw, silencing him for the last time. I turned to my soon to be apprentice and smiled. I pushed a bit harder, watching my shoe sink further and further into that piece of shit’s mouth, before my entire foot was engulfed by his stretched head. The kid looked in awe as our prey squirmed and fought, and I think it was at this point that the situation clicked in his mind.

“Yeah, hows my foot taste, bitch? They sure stink to high hell, they’re my favorite pair. Kinda jealous of you to be honest.” I wriggled my foot inside his head, watching the outline of my high tops slide around under his skin. I’d played around with him long enough. I turned to the kid, who I’d noticed was tenting ever so slightly and winked. “Might wanna get rid of your threads, bud, you’re not gonna need ‘em.” With a quick jerk of my knee, my foot slipped out of his mouth, his head returning to normal.

“You stupid fucks, I’m gonna fuckin kill you!” He would never get the chance. In fact, he was about to learn first hand what it’s like to have a healthy amount of melanin. With his clothes chucked aside, and his manhood at full mast, the kid walked toward the writing man. He gingerly put a single toe into his mouth, and pushed. His foot slipped effortlessly into the man’s throat, and quickly tugging at the corners of his mouth, he slipped foot number two in. The man was wriggling like a worm, I’m sure desperately trying to spew empty threats to ward us off. The sight of the kid’s lowering ass onto his stretched face caused a little bit of a muffled shriek to escape his cords. Now, musky, sweaty hitchhiker ass would be a treat to me on even the worst of days, but evidently some just can’t appreciate it’s mouthwatering flavor and scent. With his crack nuzzled right down on the good old boy’s nose, he began to pull on the man’s legs.

I watched proudly as his feet slipped downward, distorting his muscles under the tight confines of his jeans, before a sharp pop landed them inside the destroyed boots. They fit perfectly now, and I could just begin to smell the strong funk of greasy, funky socks and feet. The kid kept sliding into his body, his midsection growing and seemingly inflating with strong muscles. The old tank began to tear and rip, before it was shredded by the sheer mass of the inked, mocha colored abs and pecs that prominently burst forward.

The kid’s face was in full elation, as he squeezed his arms down the throat, pulling the skin above his shoulders with a loud snap. His arms slipped into place; thick biceps and forearms bubbling outward from the man’s already impressive musculature. His tatted hands flexed, the new sensation of calloused fingertips and meaty palms seemingly fascinated him as he began to rub his new body.

I removed my foot from my new friend’s chest, and helped him up. This man was a beast! Towering to a massive 6′5, he was bigger, broader, and stronger than me- and I’ll admit... it was hot seeing this hulking, musky hunk standing before me with the youthful, boyish face of an early twenty-something. I eagerly awaited the final stretch as he pawed the whimpering final mask of the former racist’s face. Grabbing it by the nose, he pulled ever so slowly, savoring every second the slimy flesh slipped over his head until it snapped loudly into place. He adjusted his new face as the dark complexion flowed up his neck and across his scalp and jaw. He opened his dark brown eyes and smiled a million dollar smile at me.

“Now this is what I’m talkin’ about man!” The only word that came to my mind was stunning. His exterior finally matched his interior: sexy, proud, and strong. “Oh shit...” He looked downward, and within seconds I knew exactly what the issue was. Speaking from experience, not all the adjustments are as easy, so I decided my assistance was required. Getting down onto my knees, I unzipped his jeans, pulling them down. It revealed the yellowed, reeking jockstrap beneath which nearly concealed the problem area.

Glued down behind his skin was the outline of his cock and balls. Just as I thought. Pulling down the jockstrap, I grabbed the hollow shaft and sac, tugging it up and down. Little by little his cock slid toward the chasm before it fully slipped in with a loud schlorp! When I tell you that cock grew into a footlong dong in seconds... with two sweat-dripping golf balls hanging low to garnish... I couldn’t restrain myself. I took it in my mouth, licking up every droplet of salty sweet sweat, pumping the precum out of it like a faucet. He grabbed the back of my head, thrusting his horse cock down my throat, fucking it like a fleshlight. His smelly balls slapped against my chin, and I could feel them engorging, getting ready to blow.

And blow they did. Rope after rope. Straight down my throat. Every cup of it was whatever sadness, whatever insecurities, whatever weights held him down; now completely purged. He pulled out and I pulled my apprentice into deep kiss. This is who he truly was, and it was a fitting circumstance for it to happen. We turned to the slackjawed cashier, who evidently witnessed everything. I tossed him a $100, and we left. Hopping on our bikes, we headed back to town. The things I was going to teach dear Antoine here were going to blow his mind, and potentially his load too.

Okay kids. So there you have it. This was a long motherfucker and I’m sure it’s the longest I’ve ever written. If you haven’t guessed by now, each installment of Sebastian’s stories will be focused on punishing hate. This is what’s brought me out of retirement, and this is what I love writing now. I’ll of course listen to the feedback that y’all have provided me- I will do one-offs still. In fact, I’ll probably do a one-off next. Let me know what y’all think in my askbox. Thank you guys so much for all the support you’ve shown me.

#male possession #male bodysuit #racial transformation #racial change #male transformation #male takeover #biker #jockification #biker tf #male tf #body possession #revenge #original #musk #musky #scentplay

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laurensxox · 4 years ago

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• ----- 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂'𝒔 𝑳𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒚 ----- •

Fandom :: The Arcana

Pairing :: Background Muriel x Apprentice, Familial Morga & Count Lucio

Warning/s :: Muriel Route Spoilers, Death, Mourning, Blood, Mild Description of Injuries

Genre :: Angst

Summary :: Morga succeeded in ending her unfinished business with her son using the plan the Apprentice has cooked up.

Author's Note :: Sorry Not Sorry, I dreamed of this and woke up crying. I will not let myself be the only one to suffer so I might've have defied the logic and plot of the game just so you'll be in pain with me :)

Morga heaved as she fell to her knees, her hands that were clutching her spear trembled as the choked sounds of her son made its way into her ears. His own hands, covered with blood soaked fur and sharp claws, weakly held her wrists, trying to use the last of his strength to push her hand away and pull away the spear from where it is lodged into his chest, pinning him to the slowly reddening dirt. Morga knew that she should feel victorious for having successfully put down her tyrant of a son, the evil who was helping someone far more dangerous into destroying the world as she knows it. She brought back the pride and honor of her husband that perished in an unjust and disgraceful battle with his son, her son. Her slowly rebuilding tribe will no longer be tainted with the infamous reputation of her son.

But she didn’t.

She didn’t feel an ounce bit victorious, not a single spark of success, not a single drop of joy from a battle won. Instead, she was drowning in a sea of her regrets and failure. Disappointment filling her system as she finally opens her eyes and looked down at her son. She had expected to still gaze upon the horrid creature her son has turned himself into, she expected to see horns and red eyes, she expected to see bloodied fur and a muzzle hiding his sharp teeth.

But as their eyes met, similar silver eyes meeting, she felt her resolve start to crumble. Face so similar to the man that she swore to spend her life with, golden locks spread underneath his head and mingling with dirt, pale skin decorated with continuous flow of blood from his lips. His eyes, free of the red hue of the plague, stare back up at her. Pleading her to have mercy on him, to help him as she has always done in his childhood. Eyes so similar to her own were swimming with pain and despair, panic and fear at his upcoming death.

Lucio could feel it, death slowly creeping up to him as he continues lightly choke on the blood flowing from his mouth and down his cheek, staining his once pristine white uniform. The dying man didn’t even notice that he was no longer in the form that he despise, he didn’t notice how he was back to his former self. Too focused on trying to convey what he is feeling at the moment to his mother using his eyes, he had tried to talk but that only prove to further increase the flow of blood clogging his throat and mouth. He knew that he made a lot of oopsies that his mother will never approve of but he never thought that she would actually–

A pained gasped left his mouth as Morga finally pulled the spear out of her son’s chest, immediately throwing it away to the side and away from the two of them. It rolled up to the two other people that she has completely forgotten were there with her. But she pained them no mind, she’ll deal with them later. Right now, she wants to focus on her son. Her dying son.

Apprentice watched with astonishment as the previously cold woman gently caressed her son’s cheek, her eyes soft and brimming with tears as she gaze down at her fallen son. Her white hair was shielding the former count’s face from their view, Apprentice could not help but think of it as Morga’s way of shielding her son from the evil that she was previously wasn’t able to do. Although, from what evil, they did not know. Looking up at Muriel, who were staring at the mother and son with unreadable expression, it may be from that.

“How could she still be sad from his death? He ended so much innocent lives with his selfishness” Muriel quietly said, leaning down to take hold of their mentor’s discarded spear, his eyes not leaving the two on the ground. Apprentice wondered the same for a moment, Morga did mention about how she must end her son, their unfinished business, for his heinous crimes. How could she look so regretful now if this was her end goal? But as they think more about it… There was really only one answer for that.

“He’s still her son. She’s still a mother who ended her own son.” They answered, looking at Morga with higher respect. They couldn’t imagine the pain that she must be feeling right now. No matter how tough she seems to be, it still must hurt to be the one to end your own child. “I imagine it must still hurt”

The tall man didn’t answer.

Apprentice sighed, now feeling like they’re intruding on a moment. Just as they were about to suggest giving them some space and privacy, a beautiful humming tune that soon turned into singing emerged from the pair on the floor. It sounded like a lullaby one would sing to soothe their child from remembering a horrifying nightmare. Comforting singing that managed to relax the Apprentice’s tense shoulders and from their place, they couldn’t believe that the singing was actually coming from the older female.

Morga was singing a lullaby to her son, Lucio- no, Montag. They remember, Morga is probably seeing her stubborn son Montag right now and not the cruel Count Lucio of Vesuvia.

After watching the woman sing her lullaby to her son, Muriel couldn’t seem to handle the scene any longer and fled the place. Apprentice took one last look at the pair, silently listening to the song for a little bit before following after the much taller man. They’ll come back to her after some time, she clearly needed some more time with her son and to be honest? Both them and Muriel needed it too.

Lucio let out a sigh, no longer fighting as the soothing music of a lullaby that he has not heard in decades surround him. It was still as comforting as he remembers, still fills him with security like the furred warm blanket that his father made for him in his childhood. He never thought that he’ll ever hear this song again, he thought that the last time he’ll get to relax to the sound of it was when he was a mere 5 years old toddler. His mother wasn’t really the singing type. Nevertheless, he relaxed. He knew that this was it, there’s no coming back from this one. His soul will probably be snatched as soon as he passes and as much as death and the demons scaring the shit out of him, he was happy that he was at least been able to hear his music sanctuary for the last time.

His mother was crying- such a strange sight for the normally stoic and cold woman. Her tears were falling directly onto his cheek and eyes and so he closed them, not knowing it will be the last time he’ll ever do so.

As he open his eyes once again, he noticed how cold and wet his back seems to be. The scenery changed around him as well, all around him were tall bare trees covered in snow and ice forming around the branches. The wind was howling coldly and yet, despite that and the coldness on his back, he’s warm. The furred coat that looks quite big on him was what was keeping the cold from affecting him.

Hearing the crunching of snow beside him, he turned his head and saw his father walking towards him with a victorious smile on his face, on his shoulder was a huge elk. Looks like they’ll be having a great dinner tonight. Just as he was about to stand and cheer for his father, he sneezed rather violently and he couldn’t stop the whine that escaped his throat.

He sniffed as he was properly wrapped in the coat and was carried by his mother, his head coming down to rest on her shoulder near her neck. Her scent offers him all the protection and security that he needs. He knows she’ll keep all the monsters away from him, especially the worm ones. She was a strong woman and everyone in their tribe fears her wrath.

“This is why I have told you not to lay on the snow, Monty. You will risk yourself getting sick.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance yet her eyes were soft and fond as she look down at the scrunched up face of her heir. “Come, let us head home and get you warmed up before dinner. Your new furred coat should be done by now.” She said as she leans down to pick up her son’s wooden sword, she would need to start training him with real blades soon.

Soon, the family of three headed home. Montag has never felt more safe than where he is right now and if this was a dream, he never wants to wake up anymore. He wants to stay with his mama and papa.

Meanwhile, in reality, Morga was making her way to the Apprentice and Muriel. Her expression was blank but the redness of her eyes shows just what she was feeling at the moment. The Apprentice was tempted to offer her condolences to the woman but Muriel shook his head. He was right, she’ll probably not appreciate it.

As they walk away from the deathbed of one unforgettable Count, the two in front of her were oblivious to the damning mark on the spot below her belly button and right over her womb. A mark of her deal with the Devil, trading her son’s soul with hers as a way to repent for her failure and to at least give her son a peaceful life on the other side.

The song I imagined Morga was singing :: Isabella's Lullaby

#the arcana game #the arcana #count lucio #the arcana morga #montag morgasson #the arcana montag #the arcana lucio #the arcana count lucio #muriel of the kokhuri #muriel x apprentice #muriel route #angst #fanfiction #the arcana fic #the arcana angst #fanfic #sad #mother and son

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novantinuum · 5 years ago

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On the corrupted!Steven theory...

So, originally when I mused on this yesterday I was just playing around with random possibilities.

After combing the series for info about corruption, though, I’m mildly spooked at the increased potential for this to... perhaps be a thing? I’m not saying that this is what I for sure believe will happen- to be honest, I’m not even sure Crewniverse would go this direction at all- but just for funsies, let’s see what kind of “evidence” or “foreshadowing” exists that might support this potential story path in the context of canon.

(EDIT: 10/7/19

I honestly no longer think this creature is a worm at all whatsoever, it’s either more akin to a horned caterpillar or potentially has limbs. Either way we can see so little right now that it’s hard to tell. I’m not editing the rest of this post because I want it to exist in its original form- but do keep this in mind reading the rest! XP)

1) The design of this worm creature.

Let’s start simple. Let’s start tangible.

For future reference and simplicity, I will be henceforth be referring to this creature as... “Wormy Boi.”

So, let’s see what we’ve got here. I’m definitely not the first person to point out this fella’s pink nature, and the jarringly human-like nose they’ve got. (Compared to other corruptions, which have had distinctly non-humanoid features.) In the photo above, we also have Wormy Boi sporting glowing pink eyes, which then send out a flare of pink light/energy. So, seemingly a powerful entity.

If you watch the short segment before they sit upright, you’ll see that Wormy Boi is super, super big. They’re in the background, but BOY do they loom. The shadows cast upon them especially push that sense of size. They’ve also got a whole bunch of spikes on their back and framing their face.

So, then. What evidence could be made for this being a corrupted!Steven, as opposed to some other run-of-the-mill monster?

Steven Universe Future is a limited series, described as ‘tying up loose ends.” To me, as a viewer, it would make far more sense for the antagonists/conflicts to deal with big concepts that have already been established since there’s such a limited amount of time we have left with this world. Introducing a completely alien species in the last act of the show would feel offbeat from both a writing and a viewing perspective. Corruption- on the other hand- is something we don’t have full answers to yet.

We don’t see any gem, yes- but Steven’s gem is- of course- on his belly. If this theory were to be true, that would translate to the gem being on Wormy Boi’s underside, far out of our sight in this shot, due to how massive they are. As an addition to this, not showing the gem gives an air of mystery to this creature’s true nature- which makes it seem like there’s something surprising to discover here.

A corrupted diamond would surely be MASSIVE. Also, very powerful. The beam of pink light hints at Wormy Boi being quite a powerhouse.

The spikes on Wormy Boi’s back and around their face highly resemble rose thorns. We all know how much the Crewniverse loves their rose symbolism, and design wise, this aspect would make a lot of visual sense for a corrupted Steven. Running off of that:

The face/nose shape and the five horns on this creature’s head give off a very Steven-like silhouette.

The nose, of course. The face has a very Steven-like shape to it, overall- although noticeably more angular and sharp. The mouth is reminiscent of the Watermelon Stevens’ mouths. And as for the horns, there’s five of them positioned equidistant around their face, just as Steven’s hair is always formed from five lil’ bumps at the same positions.

Okay, moving on.

(Read more under the cut!)

2) We do not yet understand the true nature of corruption.

“I guess it’ll take more than a kiss to heal damage from the Diamonds…” -Pearl, Monster Reunion

Corruption is still- bafflingly- a huge mystery. The Gems we’ve watched the CGs bubble since season one have been healed, yes, but there are still many gaps in our understanding of it. With Steven Universe Future’s promise to address some lingering story threads, it would make sense if corruption was on the plate for further discussion. So, what DO we know?

We know it’s something the Diamonds can do. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to require all four diamonds. Three of them together were able to cause all the damage to Earth. There’s also no statement made that more than one Diamond is required to cause effects like that.

In Legs From Here to Homeworld, Blue and Yellow Diamond weren’t actually aware the corruption was something they were capable of producing. They seemed to assume they obliterated the Gems on Earth. Corruption is then, even a mystery to them. That’s... odd, isn’t it?

Pearl states that it’s “something nearly impossible to describe.” Garnet goes further to say... “It’s sorta like... if MC Bear-Bear didn’t tear the fabric of his arm, but the fabric of his mind.”

"A sound… A song?” There’s a lot of association between corruption and music.

It causes Gems to lose touch with their usual forms, instead warping into a more outwardly "monstrous” version of themselves that appear to be “just a bundle of fight-or-flight reflexes and survival instincts.” As seen by Centipeetle in Monster Buddy and Monster Reunion, it appears as if corrupted Gems try to regenerate with their original forms if unbubbled, but are simply not in a state where they can maintain that.

As seen with Jasper in Earthlings, extreme emotional distress very much seems to speed up corruption’s effects. This is less of a stated fact and more of my read on that episode, but I believe it to be an important tidbit, especially since Garnet states that corruption’s damage is mental rather than physical, at least at its core. This can also be seen in Monster Reunion with how Centipeetle’s partial healing backfires when she remembers the trauma of being corrupted and reacts strongly.

Now, when it comes to healing corruption, Steven tries to heal Centipeetle himself, and does make some nice progress... helping her regain a hold on herself as he treats her with love and compassion and understanding... but it’s ultimately not a healing that can occur in isolation, helping her on his own. She needs more support before she can heal from this corruption to a state where she can truly be herself again.

And that eventually comes in the form of the other Diamonds. So, all four diamonds can help relieve the corruption if they help these Gems all together.

3) How could this theory potentially fit into the story anyways, you nutter?

Well, here’s the part of this post where I make some broad conjectures. I honestly am shooting fish into a barrel here because again- we know barely anything about how corruption actually happened initially, and my thoughts are very jumbled. Please forgive me.

"I don’t really know how the corruption works. It’s like they’re sick. They don’t remember who they used to be.” -Steven, Gem Hunt

So, corruption seems to be a mental ailment of Gemkind, turned manifest. It also seems to have a deep connection to a Gem’s emotions, with Centipeetle growing smaller and slightly calmer upon feeling more secure in Steven’s presence, and corruption speeding up as Jasper grew more and more emotionally overwrought and self-deriding about herself.

When it comes to the Diamonds and how they perhaps caused it originally- without fully realizing- we know that at least Blue and White have abilities focused on causing others to act in certain ways. Blue has sway over one’s emotions, and White has a knack for forcing her thoughts and self upon others. (I’m not sure how Yellow’s ability would play in here.) Mayhaps, mixed with their grief and guilt and anger, their power simply pressed all of that hurt emotion onto all the Gems on Earth in one whole fail swoop...? Tearing their minds in the process of it all?

The question I still have, though- is whether a single diamond could produce effects like this. And whether a diamond could turn that ability on themself.

Could Steven accidentally corrupt himself? Why might that happen?

Well, let’s look at our boy here.

He’s got a wide circle of support at this time in canon, but notably, he’s notorious for bottling up his emotion and not letting others in to help him- instead dropping everything to help them with their problems. Just to name a few examples (a few):

The Test. He feels betrayed and hurt at the Gems for a moment about the way they’re babying him with the rigged test, but instead of admitting the hurt he feels about the scenario, bottles that up to help them feel more like good guardians.

Joy Ride. He opens up to the Cool Kids about deep, incredibly troubling stuff that’s long been on his mind, but he’s never once talked about it with his family.

Mindful Education. The perils of bottling one’s emotions is literally the whole plot of the episode. The kid has a full out sobbing breakdown while he’s plunging to his death. Connie gets through to him a little here, but later episodes show that the resolution we see here is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Steven’s internal issues.

Storm in the Room. Externally, Steven tries so hard to put on a guise of content and positivity, but once alone in Rose’s room feels safe enough to let the full brunt of his emotional trauma come out in an almost explosive manner. Geeze, get this kid some hugs.

Gemcation. Steven actually fails bitterly on putting on his customary smile in this episode, simply because the weight of his problems have become such an impossible burden to him. When the other Gems are trying to help him open up, he isn’t immediately responsive to their efforts.

What’s Your Problem? Amethyst spends the whole episode trying to cheer Steven up and find out how he’s doing, and instead Steven downplays his own feelings on the matter and ends up helping her sort out her own emotional issues.

So to sum: Many an Emotional Issue, a chronic tendency to avoid outwardly addressing said issues in favor of helping everyone else instead... and to avoid accepting other people’s help.

Even if he’s surrounded by all these people who love him, the fact of the matter is that Steven still feels as if he has to face his own inner demons alone.

Now, let’s look at the lil’ teasing synopsis that was given for Steven Universe Future:

“After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own.”

Blatantly sounds like we’re gonna finally get some addressing of Steven’s emotional state, now doesn’t it?

4) A concept on what could, theoretically happen

“Maybe… it IS a guy in a monster costume. I don’t mean literally, silly! What I mean is... there might be a conscious Gem still inside there, somewhere. What if the monster is turning back and forth into its original form? If it is, it might not be as corrupted as we think! There might still be a chance to save it!” -Steven, Gem Hunt

Suppose Steven- by some as-of-yet unknown means- ends up accidentally corrupting himself. His sorry emotional state only further amplifies the effects of this corruption, and makes it really hard to retain control. Wormy Boi as a form could be like... all his inner demons made manifest, a metaphoric mirror into his current mental state. But- as he is half-human- he’s not entirely unaware of what’s happening. Perhaps... as the quote above could be sneaky foreshadowing for... how he’s turning back and forth between this corrupted form and his normal form.

He likely wouldn’t want everyone to see him like this, doesn’t want everyone to visibly know the sheer depth of how much he’s hurting. But just like the corrupted Gems were only able to be helped in community, with the support of the CGs and the Diamonds in preparing the fountain, Steven can’t fix this on his own.

He can no longer face the dark alone.

At some point, everyone has to take a brave step. Reach out. Accept help.

Steven’s helped so many people, and surely he deserves that same love and care in return, too.

And perhaps, when he’s eventually healed from this- and has gotten the opportunity to be open with his family and friends about the hurt he’s facing- he’ll be left with “corruption scars” as well. I think it’s an important thing to address, that no one goes through experiences like these without lingering effects. Stuff stays with you. Healing is not always linear. But life is a continuous journey, and with the support of people who love you surrounding, you too can make a change... can continue to live to the fullest at every moment possible.

I think the above would be a lovely moral for Steven Universe to tackle in its last run of episodes, no matter how they approach it- daft corruption theory or not.

Now, in the end- a reiteration. This is just a wild theory. I’m not trying to be any authoritative voice saying that this is for sure what will happen, because in reality I have no idea what Crewniverse is cooking. However, I do think it’s fun speculation, and I am kinda spooked at how well things fit.

Whatever happens, I’m sure it will make me weep like a baby, though. Hoh boy. Grant me sanity in these coming months as we wait for answers.

#su #steven universe #su future #steven universe future #su theory #corrupted steven theory #my post stuff #long post #the mighty 500 #1K #2K #3K #4K #5K

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carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory · 4 years ago

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Who is the bigger fool – the fool or the fool that falls for it?

by Stevie Kennedy-Gold

The start of April only means one thing – pranks galore thanks to April Fools Day! Ok, ok, I realize that’s not necessarily true as April also marks that spring has sprung, many small critters are emerging from their hibernations, and we celebrate, among other things, Earth Day and Arbor Day. But we can all agree that April usually starts with a load of laughs, some fibs, and some fools. In the animal kingdom, however, fooling isn’t regulated to one day. In fact, many amphibians and reptiles rely on their ability to fool both predators and prey to survive.

Masters of Disguise

Fig. 1: Because of the large blotches on their backs, people often confuse the nonvenomous gopher snakes with venomous rattlesnakes. Gopher snakes play into this confusion, however, by imitating rattlesnake behaviors.

One of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to fooling another is to transform to look like someone, or something, else. Although herpetofauna lack access to theatrical wardrobes teeming with makeup and outfits, they evolved behaviors and physical attributes that allow them to imitate other things. The gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer, Fig. 1), for instance, is a totally harmless colubrid species found across the western and middle United States and into Canada. They are beautiful animals, having splotches of gold, reddish-brown, and black along their bodies, and, due to these colorations, are often mistaken for rattlesnakes. What’s more, when spooked, gopher snakes tend to flatten their heads, coil into a strike position, and quickly sway their tails to and fro, a rattlesnake imitation that includes a realistic sound component when it occurs in dry grass. Most snakes are solitary animals and prefer to avoid conflict and avoid expending energy in get-away attempts, so scaring away potential predators through imitation is preferred over fighting and biting. Often times, this imitation works, and potential predators leave the gopher snake alone.

Fig. 2: Smooth horned frog (Proceratophrys boiei) specimens in the collection. Although the points above their eyes have been distorted due to preservation, it is clear to see how these frogs used their coloration, patterning, and morphological features to blend into leaf litter on the forest floor.

Predictably, snakes are not the only masters of disguise. Many frog species have unique morphological features that allow them to resemble other items in nature. The dark brown coloration and the points above the eyes of the smooth horned frog (Proceratophrys boiei) give it the appearance of a leaf (Fig. 2), allowing it to blend seamlessly into the forest floor and enabling it to both evade predators and ambush prey. Similarly, the entirely aquatic Suriname toad (Pipa pipa) looks like a dead leaf in the water due to its brown coloration and flattened body. Unless you’re an omnivore that prefers dead, low-nutrition leaves, the imitation tactics of these frogs improves their chances of survival and fools any prey items not clever enough to see past their disguises.

Deceptive Practices

Not all imitations are meant to help an animal blend in. Sometimes, imitations serve “nefarious” intents. Although not apparent to an outside observer, alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) have a sneaky tactic to lure prey directly into their mouth. The tongues of these turtles evolved a vestigial piece of flesh, called a lingual lure, to protrude from the tip. Alligator snapping turtles will sit on the bottom of lakes and rivers and open their powerful jaws to reveal this pink bit of flesh. They then move the lingual lure around to make it look like a tasty worm, fooling unsuspecting fish right into their giant maws. Spider-tailed horned vipers (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), a species endemic to Iran, employ a similar tactic, albeit far more noticeably to the casual observer. Admittedly, the common name of this animal gives away the punch line, but, nonetheless, this species of viper evolved to have a unique tail. Much like how a rattlesnakes’ rattle is made of modified scales, the spider-tailed horned viper’s tail scales evolved so that the last few scales bulge out into a small bubble and the scales leading up to that bulge are heavily keeled, or ridged. While keeled scales are common in most species in the Viperidae family, the keeling on these tail scales is extremely exaggerated, making the scales look like long spikes, or even legs. When you combine the long, keeled scales with the large, posterior bulge, the tail of a spider-tailed horned viper actually looks like a spider! With the snakes speckled coloration allowing it to blend into surrounding rocks and a solid tail wiggle performance, the snake’s tail looks like a tasty spider lunch to unsuspecting birds… which then become lunch for the snake. Imitation is the best form of flattery… or maybe a reliable way to fill your belly!

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

Whereas some reptiles and amphibians are the masters of disguise, allowing them to hide from predators or to lure unsuspecting prey, other herps use subtler bodily alterations to fool potential prey, predators, and even conspecifics (animals of the same species). Take, for example, color changes. Chameleons often come to mind at any mention of lizard color changes, but it is actually a misconception that chameleons perfectly blend into their surroundings, mimicking every leaf and twig in the background. In truth, chameleons and many other lizard species change colors to improve thermoregulation and to communicate with conspecifics – males signaling to females that they’re ready to mate, or relying on darker colors to demonstrate aggression. There are, however, some species of frogs that do lighten or darken their hue to blend into their surroundings. The gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) is present across most of the eastern and middle United States and, as its name implies, is an arboreal species. Because it spends its time among green leaves and gray-brown tree trunks and branches, the gray treefrog has evolved the ability to change its body coloration so it can blend in perfectly with the substrate upon which it perches. If it is on a bright green leaf, the frog will shift to a green hue. Upon landing on a mossy rock or a lichen-crusted tree trunk, the frog will change to a more gray, blotched hue instead. One second, you can see the animal perfectly and, in the next, it has completely melted away into its surroundings.

Leaving Something Behind

Other herpetofauna use more exuberant tactics to evade capture. Unlike the camouflage-wielding gray treefrog, many lizard and salamander species will self-autotomize their tails to avoid being eaten. In these instances, the herp has already been seen (or, worse, caught by a herpetologist!) and needs a quick getaway. Running away without a distraction means that the predator will likely give chase and possibly capture the lizard or salamander. However, by self-autotomizing – or breaking off – their tails, these animals increase their chances of escaping. This drastic tactic is effective because the tail continues to wriggle around and move once detached from the animals’ body, making it a tasty and easy to grab meal! Many predators become distracted by the tail, leaving the lizard or salamander free to make its escape. Interestingly, this behavior is not strictly regulated to predator attacks. I witnessed a prolonged aggressive battle between two male western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis), where one male lost his tail and, instead of leaving it to writhe on the ground and eventually decompose, the lizard (attempted) to make a hasty, grapple-filled retreat from the other male, all while holding his detached tail in his mouth! Although this seems morbid, it’s actually quite clever – tails require a lot of energy and resources to make, but then the appendage stores energy in the form of meat and fat. This male fence lizard was likely keeping hold of his old tail so that he could later consume it and regain those resources. And, don’t worry, most salamander and lizard species can regrow their autotomized tails (Fig. 3), an ability that many herpetologists take advantage of when we need tissue for genetic studies.

Fig. 3: Example of tail loss and regrowth in a female Anolis carolinensis (green anole). The red arrows points at the old break point, and you can see how the tail color differs in the new growth.

The list of herpetofaunal imitators and imposters, pranksters and fibbers goes on and on. Although these disguises and imitations aren’t meant to make other animals giggle and laugh as our April Fool’s Day pranks often do, these tactics allow these reptiles and animals to live another day, evade unwanted attention, or snag a tasty meal. But, at the end of the day, it really does beg the question… who is the bigger fool – the fool or the fool that falls for it?

Stevie Kennedy-Gold is the collection manager for the Section of Amphibians and Reptiles at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

#Carnegie Museum of Natural History #April Fools #Amphibians #Reptiles #Green anole #Salamander #Lizard #Frog #Snake

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