#and now if you look to your left

[celestialholz]

BREAKS DOWN THE DOOR

So. Couple fairy type ones for you. Please consider: Ephemeral TM019, Vanilla TM127. You essentially pick up what I’m putting down, I am sure 💕

I do indeed pick it up, and then I shake it up. xD Two fics; two very different forms of connection, just for you my friend. ^_^ Cross-posted to AO3 here as chapters three and four respectively, welcome to the revenge of the Fairy types. (Vanilla under the read more!)

TM19: Disarming Voice

It’s a revelation, the first time his best friend sings.

Brassius is fresh from hospitalisation, a deep, fragile blue coating his heart, but as they sculpt and paint together in the studio they’ve begun to share, he hears soft words, sung sweetly almost under breath. It’s stilted, lacking flow – he pauses between lines, lungs still recuperating – but it’s unmistakeable nevertheless.

“When your day is long… and the night… the night is yours alone…”

It’s soulful, melodious, in tune, and sung through a quiet smile. It’s indicative of recovery physical and mental alike, and it sparks utter joy in Hassel’s gentle heart, despite the song’s inherent sadness. He listens silently, eyes falling closed behind his canvas, heat prickling behind his lids.

“Don’t let yourself go… ‘cause everybody cries…”

Oh stop it, he says within his own mind, not remotely meaning it. You’ll start me off crying, dear. I already love you far too much…

“Sometimes everything is wrong… now it’s time to sing along…”

He doesn’t need open eyes to know that’s an invitation rather than a simple lyric; he chokes a tender laugh, faces him tearfully, joins his beloved in voice. He matches him pause for pause. I will always wait for you, Brassie.

“When your day is night alone… if you feel like letting go…” he’s weeping now, inevitably, though there is no trace of judgement upon the smiling countenance that meets his. “If you think you’ve had too much of this life… well, hang on…”

Brassius meets him then, in the studio’s centre; they intwine hands automatically, equals, partners, the song perfectly relevant to both in its own unique way.

“’Cause everybody hurts,” they whisper-sing, gazes miles-deep. “Take comfort in your friends…”

Arms spontaneously embrace, pull each other tight to them, murmur traces of loving, relieving sobs.

“I hadn’t thanked you yet, for staying by my side once more,” a breathy voice rasps against him. “Not just now, but ever since we’ve been acquainted. Such permanent sunshine…”

“I am privileged to be able to shine upon you,” comes the tender murmur in response. “Thank y-you, for remaining in the light.”

Dual shadows chased away, they sigh together, foreheads meeting. They keep building, Hassel knows – keep getting nearer and nearer to admitting what lays beyond their friendship.

… Now is not the moment, he understands gently. Now is about healing, and singing, and quietly loving, and so he pulls back before he loses himself completely, eyes bright, and begins anew.

“If you feel like you’re alone… no, no, no, you’re not alone.”

“No, I’m not,” Brassius whispers, clinging tight to his hands, grey gaze sparkling in silvered joy. “And nor are you, dearest Hass.”

*-*-*-*-*-*

Years later, the song for their wedding’s first dance seems obvious, but they ponder individually all day nevertheless, pensive throughout their League matches.

When they present one another later with the exact same song in the exact same moment, both laugh until they’re almost breathless, lips joining in harmonic silliness.

They conduct one another’s light, after all. There could have been no other real choice.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

TM127: Play Rough

“I need training, dear.”

Larry glances up from the newspaper he is merely glazing over, brow raising.

“Is that a formal request, Kate?”

Her eyes glint, challenge clear.

“Yes. Yes it is.”

The newspaper is spontaneously dropped; steel meets the forest, gazes locked.

“Mm,” he murmurs, conclusive. “Five minutes.”

She grins, almost evil, and the spell is cast. “Game on.”

Their Pokemon collected, they meet on the battle court in their own yard, hands shaken, excitement barely concealed behind simple nods as they walk to their respective sides.

For a husband and wife who take battling far too seriously, training is akin to warfare. He doesn’t generally consider himself passionate, but this… this is different. He knows her, intimately – knows how she looks in the dead of morning, bathed in heat; knows how she wears joy, softly and with infinite kindness; knows how she brings light to his world, light he had never seen the merest wisp of before being at her side. She thrills him on every possible level, and the sheen of battle is no different.

And so, as he does every time, he will play the game. He will bring every moment of his Elite Four training to their own garden, to an unsanctioned bout.

He will give her the battle of her life, because she is worth every tiny little half-second of his devotion.

… And, well. He’d be lying if he claimed not to enjoy these things himself, too, even if it is mostly through osmosis.

He releases Oricorio to her Lokix, and grins claim them both.

“Begin,” he announces simply, and they glow.

*-*-*-*-*-*

It is left in the end to Ursaring and Flamigo; his bird preens proudly as they stare one another down, fire united, and Ursaring lets loose a low growl. They are no strangers to their mother and father’s duels, and play their roles as though the world will fall if they do.

“Play Rough!”

“Dodge.”

Flamigo does, deftly – he is faster, and holds the overall advantage. Both Pokemon wear their gleaming crowns, casting the fauna around them in glistening fractures of light, king and queen of the residence; it is blinding, but husband and wife both retain utmost focus.

“Brave Bird.”

“Intercept!”

He blinks, briefly, as Ursaring meets Flamigo head on. He sees a flash of a younger Katy behind his eyes – a memory, five years old, of her refusing to temper herself to his stubbornness.

She had never known when to quit, even against insurmountable odds.

“Just have dinner with me!”

“I… I can’t just have dinner with you.”

“And why not?”

“Because we’re both in the League -”

“So are Hassel and Brassius! Never stopped them, has it?”

“I… no, but -”

“But nothing, silly man. You’ll meet me in Treasure, seven sharp. Be terribly unprofessional of you to miss such an important meeting, dear…”

He flips back to reality, smile clinging to him. She shifts his horizons daily, cherishes him for exactly who he is… inspires him to become brighter.

His stare sets, and watches every minute detail; watches Ursaring as though she’s in slow-motion, the grasp and the throwback and the setting up for -

“Brave Bird!”

“Play Rough!”

It ends in carnage; both sparkle out, gleam receding, simultaneously knocked out by blows taken in unison. Recoil damage can be a cruel mistress.

They thank their friends as they meet once more in the middle, smiles identical.

“Very well-played, darling.”

“Very well-played indeed, dear.”

Technically, the game is a draw – but as he feels the burst of light against his heart, as he takes her hand and they head for the Pokemon Centre, he acknowledges silently that he much prefers to think that they both win.

Got a request for The Technical Festival, which celebrates Ephemeralart and Vanillacupcakes through the medium of TMs? Take a look here; my askbox is open!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Look what we've become.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[noornight]

Long distance besties. This definitely happened after the third movie (source: trust me bro)

Based on this

[bet-on-me-13]

The Fentonworks Mega-Lab.

So! AU where the Fentonworks Labs actually stretch Miles upon Miles below the City of Amity Park.

It started when the Fentons wanted to add a simple addition to the original Lab when they ran out of space to store their more dangerous weapons. They didn't want their (at the time) young children getting their hands on their experimental Weaponry, it could blow up in their faces!

So they built a different Wing of the Lab to hold all those Inventions.

Then they ran out of space and added a few extra Storage Rooms. But then they decided it was a hassle to have to carefully transport their Dangerous Inventions all the way to the Storage Rooms, and built a Lab specifically for Dangerous Experiments near that same Section. Then that Lab was occupied for a while, and Jack wanted to start a different experiment as well, so they built a few more.

In the end they just never stopped building onto their Labs.

There are sections of the Mega-Lab that are entirely walled off because a few of their more unstable Experiments contaminated the area. Walking into them was not recommended, else you could walk out with an extra eye or 5.

In other sections, their Captured Ghosts had taken over a few Labs and created a sort of Mad Max style civilization using their discarded weapons and vehicles.

In another, all Ghosts became Humans and all Humans became Ghosts. That was a weird one, to this day they still didn't understand how they pulled that off.

In another, some type of Eldritch Time Ghost had been born, and now sort of always existed and never existed, and began experimenting with its powers. They nicknamed it Clocky because it liked to carry around a stopwatch.

And so many more. At one point a failed Portal Experiment messed with the internal Space of the entire thing. Now there was literally no way of Mapping it. The Fentons still somehow managed to navigate it perfectly.

When Jazz and Danny grew up, they too learned how to navigate the Labs, which is how Danny managed to show his friends the Portal Experimentation Wing in the first place.

Unfortunately, it wasn't safe for anyone aside from the Fentons to enter the Mega-Labs, so one day when the Fenton Family+friends left town on a Week Long Camping/Road Trip, they put up a few Ghost Shields to keep both Humans out and the Ghosts in.

This drew some unwanted attention after some tourists saw the giant Glowng Green Building in the middle of an Illinois Town, and rightfully called the Justice League.

Now, the Justice League had tried to call the owners of the house, but nobody picked up the phone. (An incident with Jack and a Canoe had knocked most of their phones into the lake. They weren't even at the lake yet.)

When nobody picked up, they decided to investigate personally.

After getting into the House, they quickly found a door labeled "Labs: Do Not Enter (unless it we are late for Dinner)" and went into ignoring all the warnings.

They quickly regretted it.

[obsob]

the accolade ( the...the cat-olade...)

[demaparbat-hp]

How does that first encounter go down between them in your Spitfire AU? I imagine some real conflicting emotions on all sides!

I would love to hear you ramble!! ❤️

*cracks knuckles* Alright, let's do this.

As far as the world is concerned, Lu Ten II doesn't exist and the Royal Bloodline ends with Princess Azula. The little kid that follows Prince Zuko everywhere? That's Ten Ten, an orphaned stowaway his Crew found and adopted for some weird reason no-one ever questions—the kid is just that lovable.

(It helps, honestly, that Lu Ten II is a carbon-copy of poor, forgotten Ursa. No one would ever think to connect him with Fire Lord Ozai, long may he reign.)

Little Ten Ten loves to run off when the Crew is on shore leave. He gets into trouble sometimes, but only because of his chronic inability to look away from people who need help (it makes Zuzu both so proud and so shouty-because-he's-worried. It's fun until it isn't).

By now the Crew knows not to panic when the kid goes missing for a couple of hours in a harbor town—which is why no one noticed Ten Ten's disappearance until it was too late.

"Could someone please explain to me," what starts as a mutter becomes a shout as anxiety takes over Sokka, "why on earth did we go into town to buy necessary, highly specific supplies, and returned—not only with a stolen waterbending scroll—stolen! From pirates, Katara!—but with a Fire Nation-looking KID?!"

While Ten Ten is having the time of his life goofing with Aang, out-sassing why-is-this-happening-to-me Sokka, and melting Katara's heart—Zuko is losing his mind, sanity, and temper because how on Agni's name do you lose a Prince of your nation?

But, sir, he's like three-feet-tall—

HOW, JEE?!

Needless to say, the pirates kidnap the pretty waterbending thief and her kid with the sharp tongue and fancy-looking clothes. Which turns out to be a Bad Idea™ because, well, a skinny guy from the watertribes and his way-too-young-to-be-bald companion? They can absolutely deal with them.

A Crew's worth of murderous Fire Nation soldiers lead by the unforgiving, terrifying, bloodthirsty Prince?

They are not ready for that.

[iknowicanbutwhy]

Tfw you (currently obsessed with ISAT who never plays pokemon) play a soul-link nuzlocke with a friend (in for a world of torment) and you can't pay attention to a health bar for the life of you nor remember what types are weak to what.

Spoiler under the cut :)

Guy how did you manage to un-evolve yourself

[luffydraws]

IM GUNNA BE PIRATE KING

BY LUFFY

FOR TORAO THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOY!

@opfoodzine IS SO SO GOOD AND THIS DRAWING WAS FOR THEM YEARS AGO!!!!!

[marypsue]

So if you follow me (and aren't just stopping by because you saw one of my funney viralposts), you probably know that I've been writing a bunch of fanfiction for Stranger Things, which is set in rural Indiana in the early- to mid-eighties. I've been working on an AU where (among other things) Robin, a character confirmed queer in canon, gets integrated into a friend group made up of a number of main characters. And I got a comment that has been following me around in the back of my mind for a while. Amidst fairly usual talk about the show and the AU and what happens next, the commenter asked, apparently in genuine confusion, "why wouldn't Robin just come out to the rest of the group yet? They would be okay with it."

I did kind of assume, for a second or two, that this was a classic case of somebody confusing what the character knows with what the author/audience knows. But the more I think about it, the more I feel like it embodies a real generational shift in thinking that I hadn't even managed to fully comprehend until this comment threw it into sharp perspective.

Because, my knee-jerk reaction was to reply to the comment, "She hasn't come out to these people she's only sort-of known for less than a year because it's rural Indiana. In the nineteen-eighties." and let that speak for itself. Because for me and my peers, that would speak for itself. That would be an easy and obvious leap of logic. Because I grew up in a world where you assumed, until proven otherwise, that the general society and everyone around you was homophobic. That it was unsafe to be known to be queer, and to deliberately out yourself required intention and forethought and courage, because you would get negative reactions and you had to be prepared for the fallout. Not from everybody! There were always exceptions! But they were exceptions. And this wasn't something you consciously decided, it wasn't an individual choice, it wasn't an individual response to trauma, it wasn't individual. It was everybody. It was baked in, and you didn't question it because it was so inherently, demonstrably obvious. It was Just The Way The World Is. Everybody can safely be assumed to be homophobic until proven otherwise.

And what this comment really clarified for me, but I've seen in a million tiny clashing assumptions and disconnects and confusions I've run into with The Kids These Days, is that a lot of them have grown up into a world that is...the opposite. There are a lot of queer kids out there who are assuming, by default, that everybody is not homophobic, until proven otherwise. And by and large, the world is not punishing them harshly for making that assumption, the way it once would have.

The whole entire world I knew changed, somehow, very slowly and then all at once. And yes, it does make me feel like a complete space alien just arrived to Earth some days. But also, it makes me feel very hopeful. This is what we wanted for ourselves when we were young and raw and angrily shoving ourselves in everyone's faces to dare them to prove themselves the exception, and this is what I want for The Kids These Days.

(But also please, please, Kids These Days, do try to remember that it has only been this way since extremely recently, and no it is not crazy or pathetic or irrational or whatever to still want to protect yourself and be choosy about who you share important parts of yourself with.)

[boygirlctommy]

i love the bit from oct 17 2020 when tommy and quackity trapped wilbur in a cobblestone box to keep him from pressing the button... wilbur punching through the blocks with his bare hand to try to get to the button... tommy frantically replacing the block in front of him yelling for quackity to do something... the moment when tommy stops, blocks the exit, and tells wilbur to do it. press the button. but then theyd die with him. quackitys like "wait, wait-" but tommy holds his ground and wilbur. ohh wilbur. "why'd you have to make it so hard?"

[potionpeddlerpatchy]

Crowned Prince Shouto who is so very much in love with you, even if it did take a while to come around after the arranged marriage occurred.

Crowned Prince Shouto whose brow creases and eyes twitch every time people in high court mock how plain you are under hushed breaths.

Crowned Prince Shouto who gets absolutely sloshed at a royal banquet to try and drown his anger when he hears a rumor going around that his marriage is unconsummated due to finding you so repulsive before storming off to find you.

Royal Advisor Izuku who rushes off to try and follow, only to hear a shriek coming from your room. When scrambling to investigate if you're okay he finds his master on his knees absolutely devouring your cunt while your receiving chamber door remains open a crack.

[vanityangel]

Acknowledge me. Love me.

[marzipanandminutiae]

Annoyed when 1920s stuff gets called Victorian, because the public is already confused enough about the boundaries of that particular era and they were WILDLY different

Deeply amused when 1920s stuff gets called Victorian because I know it would piss them off severely

[starry-bi-sky]

DPXDC Idea: Mother of Monsters Dan(yal)

Specifically Fem!Dan because I made this in mind with my Fem Danyal Au bUT. The best part about Dan is that I get to play dress up with her, and Fem Dark Dany is gonna go by Layal (pronounced lae-el) because it means "the nights" and it sounds similar to Danyal, and I think she'd choose that name to mock Dany. ANYWAYS

Mother of Monsters Danyal. She may be evil but she's an Al Ghul at her core (even with vlad's soul merged with hers - however, considering that Layal looks and sounds like Dany, she considers that soul to be the more dominant one.) and loves animals. And she might be heartless, but she adores the monsters of the infinite realms.

Mother of Monsters Layal who hates everyone but utterly dotes and adores on every manner of beast she comes across. Stealing the eggs and infant young beasts of the Infinite Realms to raise as her own because she wanted them. Her own island full of monsters, a monstrous menagerie of her own. She steals most often from poachers or exotic pet keepers and other menageries -- the full grown beasties can keep their young.

And with every monster she raises, she can shapeshift their features onto herself, allowing her to change her shape from humanish to any matter of monster or hybrid creature. She calls herself their mother, and them her children. Her precious little babies, capable of incredible mass destruction and mayhem.

From little griffins the size of kittens, to stymphalian vulture chicks, and leviathan young hatching from eggs the size of her pinkie, to creatures native of the ghost zone that didn't even have names in the living realm. There really wasn't a limit to what or who she would take in and she didn't limit herself to any form of mythology. If they were beasts and they were unwanted, she wanted them. And as such, amassed her own mini army of "children" willing to listen to her any command.

Earth doesn't know what hit it when she attacks them.

There are many monstrous forms she could take on, the first one I've thought of is a combination of various serpentine/reptilian features. The body of a naga -- her lower half long and serpentine, her upper still human -- with spiked fins connecting from the bottom of her arms to her sides, ever seen Sinbad where Eris goes "you might have seen my likeness on the temple walls" and her arms do that fin thingy? Same concept. Her hands are webbed and taloned, perfect for slicing through the skin of the living, and her teeth are needle-sharp and shark like. Her hair can either be spiny and feathery-like like the spines of a lionfish, or frilled like a frilled-neck lizard. It's perfect for dealing and doting on her reptilian and amphibian-inclined darlings.

I'm more of a fan of aus where Dan is a sibling of Danny's rather than their kid, so Layal's redemption(..?? probation?) proceeds with her legally becoming Danyal's "twin" sister, who had been lost to the foster system before the Fentons adopted Dany, and was only recently reunited with her. The two of them look so alike that the lie is easy to take root and spread.

Layal is very indignant to the fact that she's now ten years in the past and has to restart her menagerie all over again. Do you know how much blood and sweat went into raising those children? How dare you separate them from their mummy. Although she'll admit she does miss their juvenile years, so she won't mind (too much) needing to raising them again. Dany is helping her retrieve all of them though, dammit.

long story short: epic the musical's "Scylla" has a CHOKEHOLD on me and this is the result of it

Unlike her Dan counterpart, Layal's voice is dancing and sirenic. It's purposely alluring and motherly, in order to lure people into a false sense of security until she feeds them to her "children." Echidna doesn't have shit on her. She almost seems friendly and reasonable, until you get too close and realize it was all an act and she drops it to metaphorically swallow you whole. She's like an anglerfish that way. She and Dany both sound like Scylla from Epic.

[lizzybeeee]

I will never emotionally recover from this

[givemedamage]

the credentials of a loser