#bc the theme is fitting for october as well

[not-krys]

74. Are You Challenging Me? (Houki, Abby, Miri)

This one was a fun prompt as it let me explore more platonic relationships between my girls and the suitors (save for Miri but we'll get to her)

Regular warnings apply: incomplete raw writing, might ramble in some places. Spoilers for Lessons 11/12 from Nightbringer as well.

Some Notes: I only briefly glanced at how Go is supposed to be played so I'm fairly certain how Houki and Nobu are playing it isn't how it's supposed to be played, but just roll with it; Arthur just inserts himself between Abby and Isaac playing a card game so there's that, and Miri's entry also involves choking.

-----

Houki

Nobunaga laughed.

"So, are you challenging me, Fireball?"

Houki pouted, staring directly into Nobunaga's carnelian eyes.

"You stole territory from me, my lord," she said, looking at the board again, "I won't let such a travesty stand for long."

Nobunaga smirked.

"I look forward to your counter-attack. What you look like riled up."

Houki concentrated, looking for any openings she could, what strategy would be best to take him down, quickly preferably. The longer Nobunaga had to think, the more he could render her defenseless and defeat her in this battle of wits. She looked left and right, scanning what strategy would be best deployed where.

Finally, to finish the game quickly, she pulled a risky move leaving her defenseless on her right, but it gave heavy damage to her opponent. Nobunaga's eyes glimmered as she picked up his stones.

"I see you've learned well." Nobunaga picked up a singular black stone, spinning it between his fingers. "However, you still have much to learn."

He set his stone down in her defenseless place, dealing just as much damage to her as she had given him, the number of white pieces he picked up and set in his bowl like a knife stabbing her the same number of stones. She frantically searched the board, trying to find any openings she could, something she could use to win over him.

She sighed when she couldn't find anything and handed over a white stone to Nobunaga, who chuckled.

"Giving up already?"

Houki nodded, defeated. Nobunaga then set a black stone in her hand as well.

"You fought well, regardless of the results, Fireball. Hold your head high."

"T-thank you, my lord." She looked at the board again, counting the number of empty on her side. "Thirteen."

"Twenty-six."

Houki flinched at the number. Even with her handicap, Nobunaga still won by a large margin. She sighed.

-----------

Abby

"Oh, is that a challenge I hear?" Arthur said, leaning his elbow on the table, his hand cradling his chin. He was far too much in Abby's personal space for her comfort, make the girl lean back and bite her lip.

"C'mon, love." Arthur leaned in further, "a simple card game? Surely you can give me the thorough thrashing I deserve."

"B-but, I just wanted to play with-"

"Leave her alone, you brute." Isaac grumbled, pulling him away by his coattails. "Abby and I were going to play a game just between the two of us. You don't need to be butting your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Aw, c'mon, Newt! Haven't you heard the phrase, the more, the merrier?"

"Would you just bugger off and just let us play cards in peace?"

"Just between the two of you? That's no fun. Surely three playing would make it more exciting."

With the permission of neither player, Arthur pulled up a third seat between them and began shuffling the cards.

"We didn't want you to play because you win each time!"

Abby just sat quietly, her hands clutching her woolen skirt.

"So kids, what are we playing? Blackjack? Rummy? Some good ol' poker?"

"…Bl-Blackjack." Abby stuttered, keeping her head down.

Arthur smiled.

"Ah, the perfect game to play with three people!"

"We never said you could play too!" Isaac scolded.

"But you need someone to be your dealer, don't you?"

"You can play Blackjack just fine with two people!"

"But it's much more interesting with three people, Newt!"

"Stop saying that." Isaac grumbled.

"That said," Arthur smirked, "what should we wager?"

"W-wager?" Abby blinked in surprised.

"We're not betting anything!"

"Sure we are." Arthur smirked, "who's ever heard of a game of Blackjack without stakes?"

He then looked at Abby, watching as her cheeks warmed.

"What are you willing to put on the line, dearest Abigail?"

"I-I…."

"Stop intimidating her, you twat!"

"I-I… I can make something for whoever wins? Like some chocolate fudge… o-or a sandwich?"

Both Arthur and Isaac froze.

----------

Miri

"Miriam." Lucifer said, his voice low and sharp as steel.

She stepped back, knowing she had nowhere else to run. Solomon was on the ground, held down by Lucifer's spell. She felt hands brushing her shoulders, her only warning as long, cold fingers grasped her neck, choking her. Her feet then left the ground, putting her eye to eye to Lucifer blood red eyes.

"Lucifer, stop!" Mammon called out, only held back his younger brothers, their eyes full of fear as they clung to him in his Little D form.

"I want answers, Miriam." said Lucifer. "Who are you, really? Why are you here? Why do you have my Ring of Light?!"

Miri winced, trying desperately to uncurl his fingers, struggling for air.

"You know you'll kill her before get any answers if you keep that up, right?" Thirteen drawled with a sigh.

"Let her go, Lucifer! Please!" Levi called out, shaking just as much as Asmo, both trying their best to hold Mammon back.

"Silence!" Lucifer yelled, "are you challenging me too?"

Levi shook his head frantically. Lucifer turned back to Miri, still struggling to free herself.

"Answer me, Miriam." His hand clenched tighter, making her cough.

[deus-ex-mona]

can’t believe fansa’s number 3 on this anisong karaoke list~~~~~ hooray for mona!!!!!!!!!

[loverboydotcom]

looking myself in the mirror like am I really about to completely reshuffle the lover boy timeline just so i can get the single release of i want your sex in there and write beau’s live reaction

[a-dumbass-jester]

Yttd x tma au!!

The main post with plot an a full explanation and story.

{Part one} (it’s much more bref there, this is much more in depth and organized)

This focuses more on the dummies bc I love them but I also think that theme of loss of humanity fits well with them {this post will have a lot to do this them and their plot}

{Art I drew}

{Ao3}

Words: ~4,500

- Overview -

Sara Chidouin - The End

Midori - The Web

Sue Miley - The Spiral

Tia Safalin - The Dark

Rio Ranger - The Stranger

Shunsuke Hayasaka - The Eye

Hinako Mishuku - The Desolation

Anzu Kinashi - The Stranger

Ranmaru Kageyama - The Lonely

Mai Tsurugi - The Slaughter

Naomichi Kurumada - The Extinction

Q-Taro Bugerburg - The Hunt

Megumi Sasahara - The Corruption

- Intro -

So to start yttd aligns with tma a lot actually!! First off chapter one had a very strong paranormal theme to it, as well a lot of manifestations/themes that the entities had though out the game. The most obvious because the dolls (stranger) and death (end)

The timeline fits to!! The death game happens April 2017, which is a few months before The Unknowning, around/mid season three(3). The change happens October 2018 which is enough time for the plot.

In case you are here for yttd and don’t know anything about the Magnus archives, tma is a horror fiction podcast where there are 14(now 15) fear based entities/gods, that feed of of peoples fear. And occasionally instead of fearing an entity, some people ‘sympathize’ with it. Becoming an vessel or avatar for it instead. I don’t think you have to worry about not having context to tma because I think I did a pretty good job explaining it. if you are confused a quick Google search will probably answer your questions. I even linked the entities wiki page if you quickly want answers. If you are interested in tma or even just a specific fear but don’t wanna listen to a 200 episode podcast, this is a rlly good playlist explaining the entities.

- Asunaro -

So basically everything is the same except that yttd and tma take place in the same world. I can see asunaro being like the Magnus institute in how it serves the eye, I can see it serving an entity as well, but instead of it being one entity, there’s different parts that are dedicated to different ones, because there’s a few asunaro matches with, the most obvious one is The End, also known as Death or Terminus, is well death. Considering their focus on death and a full on death game makes it fit quite well. I can also see The Web or the Mother of Puppets playing a part because as we see a few times (especially in the mini episodes) they try to control the participant’s lives like how they framed Alice for murder. but also in the way they had the ai simulations. They knew every way it could play out, everyone’s chance at survival, what they do when threatened with death, what they do when they’ve lost everything, playing with them like puppets. Due too asunaro’s assassin history in Kai’s backstory I can see them connected to The Slaughter as well. I don’t think asunaro would have started out serving an entity. The would’ve done what they did in cannon and then found out they exist and that they aligned with some of them and ended up here. The entities that helped them realize that would’ve been The Eye and Stranger. When they started stalking the future participants they caught the attention of The Eye, also know as the Ceaseless Watcher or Beholding. It started to let asunaro use it to get information. The doll thing was also an accident. They started to make the dolls to help with people mourning loved ones like in cannon, but got influenced by The Stranger or the I Do Not Know You and started replacing them entirely, and make them look a lot less human, and leaning into uncanny valley. like something was wrong but you just don’t know what.

- Asunaro’s Employees -

SARA CHIDOUIN

While I know Sara isn’t an employee, her existence still plays a massive part with The End and the company. Like I mentioned in my original post I rlly like the idea of her being deified by asunaro. So I can see her playing a similar role to Angus. Her father was fascinated by The End and very early on he started to raise her for it. Asunaro quickly caught on and was more than happy to help. So along with raising her to be perfect for the death game, They raised her to be the perfect vessel for The End. She didn’t become an avatar until during the death game. They kept her from becoming an avatar before then. She was heavily marked by it, but they wouldn’t let The End take her before that point. So when it did make her an avatar it was very sudden, and all at once. The entities were kept a secret for her entire life, so when she started getting the dreams of how the still alive participants would die during the game, she just dismissed them as simple nightmares what came with trama. But then those dreams actually happened. How she saw them die in the dreams is how they ended up dying in the game. And then the roots showed up. She saw the way death wrapped around everyone in a way only she was able to see. By the end of the death game She becomes The Ends main avatar. She goes from a sort of death prophet to Death incarnate as It and Asunaro takes more and more. She becomes their Angel of death.

MIDORI / SOU HIYORI

I don’t have to much of an explanation for this one. But i remember someone calling him the puppeteer doll, and that he kinda messes with people like puppets or play things, so I think it lines up with The Mother of Puppets. That and I think a simple basic kind of fear would work well with him. I could see him using spiders to subtly scare people, especially the people he’s close with like Shin. He is the reason Shin had an encounter with The Web in high school. I can see him as the head (or at least someone higher up) of The Web section/avatars. He became an avatar rlly young. He had always rlly liked The Web and With his connection to Asunaro he was able to connect with it, and commonly used it to mess with people. Even as a little 5 year old.

SUE MILEY / EMIRI HARAI

As I mentioned here she’s the perfect avatar for The Spiral, also known as The Distortion or The Great Twisting, If not a victim of it. In the game she gaslights people into thinking that their loved ones death was their fault, and she was also driven mad by asunaro. Due to The Distortion also having a theme of hallucinations, the ones we see in game would have been her doing, or at least part of it. This next part is a bit unimportant but I wanna include it anyway, I hc backstory is that she’s Mai’s sister and was taken from them at a young age under the guise of letting her research more of the disturbing stuff that she was interested in. They framed her death and changed her last name. Slowly they started desensitizing her, as she slowly got used to stuff like death and suffering. As well as loveboming her, stuff that can be used by The Spiral. That overall theme fits The Spiral to me. She becomes an avatar as an adult, when she goes mad in cannon. And actively used The Distortion during the death game. Like I mentioned earlier, she used the hallucinations to drive people mad, and made them spiral as much as possible.

TIA SAFALIN/MICHIRU NAMIDA

I originally assigned her The Dark also known as The forever Blind or Mr Pitch, because of the way tma blended science and religion with it specifically with Manuela Dominguez. I can even see her playing a similar role. Ok I have to be honestly I don’t have a lot for this one. I just rlly like the idea of Dark!Michiru. I can maybe see her becoming an Avatar trying to escape an entity. she was a researcher and maybe fell victim to The Ceaseless Watcher, and in a way to stop it she gouged her eyes out to sever her connection to it, and in the process fell into The Forever Blind. Also I’ll get into this when I talk about Hayasaka (in the dummies section) but I like the idea of her serving The Dark while he serves The Eye, two(2) entities known to hate each other. But anyway back to the eye thing, Hayasaka and Emiri helping her after literally going blind. And still being blind during the game and using a cane, and often using the dark during it as well. But yea I just rlly like dark!Michiru.

RIO RANGER

I’ll get into him a bit more with Anzu, but this happens after the death game. Where he is rebuilt and finds out about Sei and has a bit of an identity crisis. That along with the doll thing makes him end up falling into The Stranger. He and Anzu got close after the game. They bonded over liking to dress up/costumes and preforming. Anzu even got him to become a clown. So when Asunaro pushed her into The Stranger he followed, and went on a similar arc as she did.

OTHER

Obviously like I said earlier Mr Chidoun serves The End. I know there’s a theory that he and Meister are the same person but going purely of of Meister I can see either Web or Stranger. Web because of his association with Midori, and probably Stranger because of the doll thing, l can imagine him leaning into uncanny valley, he also looks a lot like Nikola, like if Meister was a clown. Kai was almost an slaughter avatar, and by almost i mean it’s what asunaro wanted, but he couldn’t actually fit it. I don’t rlly have one for Gashu actually. Maybe Stranger because he makes dolls? I can also see him leaning into uncanny valley, but that’s literally it.

- DUMMIES-

(Reminder that this post is important for this section)

The dummies overall story: so it’s the beginning part of that^ post where Midori was fucking around and put their human souls in their dolls and ais. It worked and after the death game they rebooted and rebuilt them. This is where it starts getting a bit different. They were still experimented on, trying to find the exact differences between Human and doll. However this time they are more focused on turning them into avatars. Anzu and Hinako were the easiest, all they needed were a slight nudge and they would keep falling whether they wanted to or not. Ranmaru, Hayasaka and Mai were more difficult. They aligned well with an entity, however they clung to their humanity much more than Anzu and Hinako did. They did eventually fall with a big enough push. Kurumada was the hardest to deal with. First off he didn’t actually align a whole lot with one specific entity. He had some connection to two(2) or three(3) entities, but not enough to become an avatar. They did eventually find one but it wasn’t even fully formed, they had to push even harder.

In order of when they became avatars

SHUNSUKE HAYASAKA

{important} As I mentioned in my Og post Hayasaka Is PERFECT for The Eye. On the wiki page, it says The Ceaseless Watcher fears are focused on being watched, Having secrets revealed, Horrible knowledge, Being exposed and judged, which works VERY well considering he was the one to watch over the rest of the participants. Before his memory’s were erased for the death game, he knew everything about everyone, he’s watched them all for a few years now. The Eye had originally marked him in high school, teasing him with the knowledge thing it has. he didn’t follow it because he didn’t know what it was yet. When he started working for Asunaro and they told him to start stalking the participants, it came back, and it loved him. He fit so perfectly, it couldn’t help itself. Hayasaka hated it. He rejected it for a while, until a few months in Michiru helped him get used to and accept it. Overtime he got more and more comfortable with it. He does become an avatar before the death game. So he has access to The Eye during it. I’m imagining him getting hungry at some point and tries to get a Statement, and ends up going to kurumada and asks him about his encounter with The Buried from when he was in high school. In which after he finishes he freaks out and almost blows up at him, but Hayasaka stops him and explains everything. I would also like to mention that he also acts a lot different during the game now. Going back the the {important} thing, he was much colder and assertive The Eye didn’t let asunaro erase his memory, so he remembered everything anyway. It’s also what tipped asunaro off to what Midori did, because like why does Hayasaka act exactly how he did as a human, and not his ai self. And why does he still know everything. The Ceaseless Watcher also told him what Midori did. And he tried to tell the others about it as well. Especially the other dummies because 1. He genuinely wanted them to know about what actually happened, and that they are really them and not an ai copy, and 2. He wanted to bring them together, so that had each others backs. ‘We are in the exact same position, let’s work together’ they helped each other get used to everything as well.

HINAKO MISHUKU

She started becoming an avatar a little bit before the Death game. Midori recognized that she had a lot of potential for The Desolation. So he started leading her down that path with getting her to go after and  destroy the people who hurt her/people she dislikes. Slowly she became more and more destructive. It ended up real bad after the game. She knew exactly what asunaro did to her. How they destroyed her life and took everything from her. The sheer anger that she felt. She sought out to harm the people that did that to her. After that had started she began to spiral. Eventually she started harming more people, people that didn’t do anything to her. Slowly becoming more sadistic. she thrived on that destruction, the pain she brought others. One day She was burning down someones house and got caught in the flames a little bit after the game. She was the first one the rest of the dummies become an avatar. Hayasaka already was one. This made Mai, Ranmaru and Kurumada realize what exactly asunaro was going to do to them. Anzu decent made them realize how bad it was going to be.

ANZU KINASHI

Anzu’s transformation hit everyone hard. They had meet Hayasaka and Hinako after they started succumbing. They basically watched Anzu die. They saw a sweet kid become a monster before their very eyes and they couldn’t do anything about it. Luckily for the others their change weren’t that bad. It was very easy to get Anzu to spiral into The Stranger. All she needed was a push, first Asunaro wanted to get a proper mark on her. Anzu was already a clown and now a doll, both things very associated with I Do Not Know You, so it was very easy to get its attention. The doll thing was already a bit of a mark. But The official mark would’ve been similar to Mag 87: The Uncanny Valley. Asunaro got in contact with a Stranger avatar (probably Gashu if he wasn’t dead) and had them fuck with her(resulting in a very solid mark). This happened relatively soon after the game. Asunaro also got her interested in ‘The Circus of the Other’. (And even tried to reach out to them to let them know they might have a new member soon!!(if their plan worked(it did))). The lack of identity started soon after the marking. After going something so traumatic, she changed quite a bit. That and The Strangers affects starting to plant in her head. She also leaned into it because it had a huge theme of not knowing, she probably wanted to forget everything that happened and live in bliss. The disconnect from her identity only got worse she properly got involved with it. Her personality and just who she was as a person changed a lot, both physically and mentally, which slowly made her feel like she wasn’t “Anzu Kinashi” anymore. I mean “Anzu Kinashi” was dead (legally at least), and because of that, her being a doll now, and having to be cut off from her family. She was kept in asunaro’s facility. Everything was different now. She was different. Anzu ended up changing her name because 1. She didn’t feel like it fit anymore and 2. To let “Anzu” rest. I cant rlly think of a name she would choose but all I can come up with is Pierrot. At her end point she leaned very heavily into uncanny doll. She still Had a lot of energy and emotion but now there was something off about it, almost empty, hollow and fake. She also likes to wear masks. Not the one she used to wear though. That one’s for Anzu, she has a collection of different masks now. She still has the old one, it’s sitting nice on a shelf. A place to mourn who she was. The timeline is a bit weird. It’s main issue how fast can she loose it. because the game happens in April, while The Stranger’s ritual, The Unknowning happens August. I Hope she can join Circus of the Other before the Unknowning but I feel like that’s stretching it a bit. Anyways Breekon (and Hope If he’s alive) go get Anzu and she joins them, and kinda fucks around over there for a while, and properly leaves everything behind. (Also she knows English because she’s an ai now and can download it)

RANMARU KAGEYAMA

Unlike Anzu he had always been connected to an entity. The Lonely was always there. It followed him as he grew up. The ever present fog that was everywhere he was. With the hc from this post, first off I think a lonely ice skater could be rlly cool but also like I mentioned his parents were ice skaters and held him to a high standard and since so much of their love for him came from that when he wasn’t living up to their standards he felt less loved. More alone. He started to become a few years before the death game. When his relationship with his parents got worse and he started getting outcasted. He started falling into The Lonely. It was very very slow. But when he got into the game and found out what was happening, he immediately pushed it away. No matter how badly he wanted to fall into it and let it embrace him, he pushed it away. And clung to his humanity. He didn’t want to become a monster. Especially after what he saw what happened to the others. How they lost themselves. Eventually asunaro got tired of waiting and started isolating him. Soon enough they didn’t need to anymore, and He was doing it on his own. The closer he got to the lonely, the more tempting it was. eventually, he let go, fell into the fog and was never seen again.

MAI TSURUGI

Mai was touched by The Slaughter before due to asunaro seeing an opportunity when she started carrying around a knife but when she was brought into the death game, something touched by The Slaughter, and it’s affects over her got stronger, however it took her much longer to succumb to it than Ranmaru. Partially because she wasn’t as tied to it as Ranmaru was to the lonely but also because she had more self control. She was able to withdraw herself from it for a lot longer than he was. But, she did become. It had been terrorizing her for months to even over a year, and eventually, she broke. She became when she had an outburst of pent up anger and emotion towards asunaro and killed a ~dozen of employees and broke out to try and live normally again (or as normal as you can get when ur an avatar and a doll)

NAOMICHI KURUMADA

Kurumada was easily the hardest to assign. He never fit an entity like the others did. Asunaro bet on slaughter due to how violent he got during the incident, but he didn’t stay angry. He quickly burnt out and just didn’t know what to do. when he was taken into the death game and his memories were erased he did kinda regain his anger but it quickly faded when he got back them and even got worse to the point of being suicidal after he fully realized that everything had changed. He just wasn’t angry anymore. He was tired and did want to do anything. Asunaro couldn’t get him connected to the slaughter anymore. (I also didn’t wanna give the only character who’s not paper white the sudden violence one) he didn’t fit any other pre existing fears so he just kinda sat there for a while, watching the people he loved become monsters. And then The Extinction came into knowledge. The fear of the death of humanity and Catastrophic change. In the past few years everything has changed for him. The loss of his mentor and his dream of being an boxer, his humanity, he’s dead, he’s now a ghost possessing an ai stuck in a doll, he’s now stuck in a facility that did all of this to him. And hell he’s basically a different person now. Even the death of humanity works because he by definition isn’t human anymore. Not to mention he was in a death game and facility where humans die and are replaced with ai dolls. The Extinction also has a huge theme of tech, which works with kurumada considering he’s an ai now. Asunaro didn’t even have to anything to get him to start becoming. The Extinction taking kurumada is what made them realize it existed in the first place. After that they started to subtly push him in that direction. He was the last of the six to become an avatar. After Mai had her outbreak, the only ones left were him, hayasaka, and Hinako though she often went missing for days if not weeks at a time. And even then she’s only really come back to occasionally sleep even though she doesn’t need to anymore. So it was basically just Hayasaka. He did start to see some off the others again after he became an avatar. I like to imagine his avatar-ness being a lot like {this} I don’t know what to add to that, he’s just like that. He’d hang out in abandoned cites. The person finding him could be Hayasaka or Sara maybe.

- Other participants -

Q-TARO BURGERBURG

Q-Taro had a similar arc to Daisy. He was first properly marked by The Hunt when he went to America to learn how to use a gun. The person that taught him was a Hunter and they noticed that he he reeked of The Hunt, and used that opportunity to properly mark him. His affiliation with The Hunt became more obvious when the he was put into the game. The way he was so quick to weed out the weak and leave them for dead is something strongly associated with The Hunt. Because as mentioned by Jon in S5, ‘yes the hunt is associated with the Chase but it’s mainly the fear of being seen as weak and being left for dead, and being prey.’ His connection to the Hunt only got stronger as the game went on. During 3-B Safalin (or someone with asunaro (maybe Hayasaka)) mentions he’s becoming an avatar for The Hunt, and that he’s going to become a monster at some point. And this adds another reason he sacrificed himself and died in Keijis place. I also rlly like the idea of Q-Taro having a more animalistic fear. I also like the idea of him and Mai feeding together, since The Hunt and Slaughter are similar fears. 

MEGUMI SASAHARA

Megumi has always been touched by The Corruption, especially after she joined the police force and made her way to the top. but her death was what made her an avatar. she comes back probably in chapter 2 and attacks the cast. She's a Corruption avatar because I want her to be as disgusting on the outside as she is on the inside (and because of the corruption in the police system)

- Closing -

To end this off I would like too add some hcs, specifically encounters some of the people had with entities, as well as some alignment due to most of them dying before they could possibly become avatars. I already mentioned that Shin as well as most of the cast, had an encounter with The Web due to midori. Whether it was more subtly like most of the cast or more obvious like with shin.Kurumada had an encounter with The Buried, that’s why his first trial was like that. The real Hinako was end aligned. Keiji is touched by the corruption due to being part of the police force. In my original part I mentioned desolation!joe and vast!mishima. Desolation Joe could’ve possibly happened by him finding out about what asunaro did to his father (and what they did in general) and wanting to burn it to the ground (think Tim stoker). Vast Mishima actually could’ve happened before the death game. I can see him a lot like Simon, painter who fell in love with the sky. I feel like his also pretty curious so maybe he’d have an encounter with the vast thought it was fascinating and wanted to figure out what it is. But as soon as he realized what he was dealing with, he would’ve tried to get away. The main story/ death game is still relatively the same, just with the entities added in.

Thank you so much for reading!!! This has been something I’ve been working on since October, ever since I started The Magnus archives. You reading this and listening to my ramblings means a lot to me!!

[libra-stellium]

This is an astrology and Taylor Swift post. I'm kind of obsessed with profection years and I have been listening to her album Midnights. I did not proof read this at all lol and if I'm wrong just pretend with me because I was excited thanks!

In Would've Could've Should've (my favorite song) she goes back and forth about how she regrets “dancing with the devil” at 19 and if she had known then what she knows now then she would’ve stayed praying and 19 is what?? An 8H year!

She mentions devil, ghosts, wounds, weapons idk if they're actually in the 8H but it's the vibe of trauma and death. To me she's describing the darkness of an 8H year and how you face a lot of trauma and of course the type depends on what sign you have in your own 8H. I relate so hard to this because I was going through it at 19 as well! I was in my first relationship and it was toxic, I was learning how to live away from home, my grandmother passed and it was the first death where I was conscious of what was going on.

And throughout the song she says "now that I know" which lets us know she's passed the 8H and looking back on it. She then says that she would've stayed on her knees, god's honest truth, heaven. What is that? 9H vibes! Knowing better after coming out of the 8H!

This song was MADE to be my fave bc it has all my themes 😂 it has to do with a relationship (all my Libra) it has to do with 8H (most of my placements) and 9H (where I have my Pluto and mars) it was love at first listen!

Then this got me thinking more about Taylor's profection years! This album came out October 2022 and her birthday is in December which means that when she wrote this song and the album was released she was 32! Bc she just turned 33 in December. 32 is what?? A 9H year!! She had just gone through another 8H year at 31 probably reliving some themes from when she was 19 and whatever lessons weren’t learned which is why she was reflecting on that time and when she turned 32 she had learned her lessons and can now see where she went wrong like now she knows but it’s bittersweet bc you can’t change the past 🤷🏾‍♀️ philosophy is also 9H??

As an added bonus if you read this far lol: in 2020 she canceled her tour for Lover. She was in her saturn return in Capricorn. A major setback! Also she was 30 still in April so a 7H year (libra house/ relationships) and that tour/album is called Lover!

Then her saturn return ends in December 2020 when saturn goes into Aquarius and that’s when she turns 31 starting her 8H year and when she releases Evermore which has a song called closure on it like how fitting! Closing out saturn return and 8H representing endings and past things and what does she start to do????????? Re-recording and she does what during this 8H year?? RERELEASES FEARLESS that was released WHEN?? In 2008 when she was what?? 19!!!!!!! In an 8H year! And people were confused why she re-recorded and released Red before speak now instead of going in order but I think it’s because it was about reliving her past wounds and Red was recorded when she was 23 in a 12H year of literally enemies, cheating, and pain which is similar to 8H vibes! Speak Now was a 10H year release so not the same vibes at all and to me the songs were very curated to be for career advancement. An album made for the purpose of pleasing fans 😬 which I also found out from a tiktok is her least streamed album 😩

I also saw people mention she wanted to name the album Enchanted because that’s her favorite song off there but the label didn’t let her lol and now they're speculating that she’s going to rerelease speak now soon and call it Enchanted like she wanted to! I believe it because it would line up since now at 33 she’s in a 10H year just like when she released speak now 👀👀

If you read the whole thing I love you!

[famedroleplay]

since a lot just went up at once, i wanted to make a quick post to summarize it all.

schedules are up! these are as usual, with ‘buzz’ and ‘reputation’ indicators added for each group. these might stick around, they might not, but they’re meant to show which groups are being talked about a lot and which groups are getting a lot of negative or positive publicity in the given quarter. gold star media group’s schedules reference this news post. in-’verse, it doesn’t release until october 10, but i’ve posted it early so muses can plot with the full picture.

next, the base culture complex is opening in-’verse on october 25. all of the mini-events uploaded to the base blog tie into this. there are four total ‘projects’ muses can be involved in in relation to the base culture complex opening. they all have different durations and deadlines throughout the quarter, and muses(/muns) can participate in as many or as few as they see fit to. the masterpost of all four mini-events and their deadlines can be found here.

one last thing that ties into the opening of the base culture complex but is not a mini-event is that i’ve added homebase to the ‘verse glossary. this is the famed ‘verse equivalent of apps like bubble, weverse, and universe, for bc, dimensions, and gold star artists. this will have officially launched this month in connection with the base culture complex. details regarding its use have been added to the social media section of the contract page as well. there are no prompts or requirements for this; it’s just a small worldbuilding addition.

one last note is that you may have noticed that since the main’s theme was updated, there is now a section on it called ‘current chapter’. this is where i plan to keep a summary of ongoing storylines and themes. this is both to hopefully make it easier for new players to know recent major plot drops, but i also aim for it to be a more explicit expression of the ‘skeleton’ of the universe i try to shape through plot drops and storylines. the current chapter really kicked off with the today seoul drop at the end of last year and will focus on themes of deteriorating media relationships, building tensions between companies as their partnership grows more binding, and public disillusionment with the three biggest entertainment companies. feel free to reflect on how these themes might tie into your muse and use it to develop them or create new storylines and plots for them. for instance, the deteriorating media relationships might mean more scandals and controversies slip through the cracks to the media, not only on a company level, but also on an individual one. also a reminder, you’re always free to message me if you’ve got a major plot you want approved for your muse!

thanks, as always, for reading this admin post, and if anything is unclear, shoot me a message and i’ll do my best to clarify.

[son-of-the-souls]

『✙』Happy to make your acquaintance, I suppose…

࿇ ━━━━✥◈✥━━━━ ࿇

You do not know me, so I will do the pleasure myself. I am Skeleton Staff, son of death. Or the one you may know as Ghostwalker (Hello, father). I’ve heard that a lot of my family around here, so perhaps I may seek them out? We will see.

࿇ ━━━━✥◈✥━━━━ ࿇

Before anything, I must lay out some rules, just to keep everything orderly…

I have no interest in your inappropriate questions. Do. Not.

I cannot control your behaviors, but do be polite and mindful to me and each other as well

The skeletons will see you out if I see fit. No protesting against my word.

Death is a common theme here, but there may be other themes that you may not enjoy, so do be weary…

I will add more soon.

//Please Read: Extra below!!!

Haaaaai, I’m Nebula or @lavendernebulae (don’t post much there yet 💀) and I’ve decided to make my very first parody blog for one of my favorite OCs, Skeleton Staff/Skele! I hope you all will like him as much as I do! Anyone like anons, OCs, reg Phighters, deities and casuals and AUs are free to interact!!!

Note:

IC answers will be this color!

OOC answers will be default with ‘//‘ added!

Skele has his own tags! Including:

Skele/Writes (for random posts)

Skele/Answers (for questions)

Skele/Stories (for story/lore posts)

Skele/Art (for drawings)

Skele/Events (for any events!)

These are for navigation purposes!

࿇ ━━━━✥◈✥━━━━ ࿇

Now, some things to know about Skeleton Staff/Skele and The Trigger Warnings!

His gear is the Skeleton Bone Staff, which allows him to conjure up skeleton minions and manifest bones to fight!

Skeleton Staff uses He/Him pronouns

He’s 6’9, tall fellow!

He’s 23 years old

He was spawned on October 1st!

He knows French and Latin!

He has no faction so he lives in Crossroads or where ever Ghostwalker goes

He has wings and a ‘halo’ like his father!

Speaking of Ghost, he and Skeleton have a good relationship where Skele is respectful and loyal to his father, who is still actively training and teaching him!

A little bit of OCxCanon here, but Skele actually has a mama named Quill and she’s a goth fiction writer! She might show up here! No one is actually sure how she’s with Ghostwalker honestly. Skele doesn’t even know either-

Skele loves collecting gothic novels since he primarily likes to spend his time reading various gothic fiction and horror novels! Skele is a proud goth himself, like his mama!

I hc Ghost to have hair that float/acts like his wings, so Skele’s hair floats and fades as well!

He likes to collect odd statues and dead creatures, such as stuffed (dead) creatures and bones!

Other Phighters are often put off by Skele’s apathetic demeanor along with his heritage! His idol cousins are especially spooked by him! (The cats scare them bc Styx offered them a dead bird once in Skele’s lore lol)

Skeleton Staff is capable of foreseeing deaths some time before they occur. He hasn’t told this to anyone but his father and intends to keep it that way

He owns three cats consisting of two hairless cats called Styx (female) and Charon (male) and a black cat called Acheron (male). The cats like to leave Skele gifts of animals! He adds them to his collections

Skele has albinism! This works in my headcanon by his horns being presented as a pinkish color and his eyes being presented as reddish pink. Due to this, he is highly sensitive to sunlight and is nearsighted!

Speaking of his horns and eyes, they have his father’s X eyes but as red pupils and he often dyes his horns a light gray!

Trigger Warnings include:

Themes of death

Occult themes (Rituals and such)

Dead animals (Taxidermy/vulture culture, ‘gifts’ from his cats-)

Trigger Warnings will also be specified on writing posts, keep an eye out!

࿇ ━━━━✥◈✥━━━━ ࿇

Skele looks like this, but he will get a colored ref soon!

[crowned-ladybug]

Day 23 - Sharp

Killed three birds with one stone - today’s prompt, some FR art I’ve been craving to do and something for Asexual Awereness Week

[1ddotdhq]

🖼 Wed 30 Sept ‘20🤹‍♀️

Remember when I was telling everyone that the Eroda video deserved better? Well someone was listening! Both Adore You (!!!) and Falling have been nominated for the best pop video in the UK Music Video Awards. Harry has also been nominated for the Billboard Chart Achievement award *which is a fan voted award* and voting starts tomorrow, October 1st. You know what to do! In the world of Rock n’ Roll, Stevie Nicks has a new interview out with the LA Times, where she talked, among other things, about wanting to make a movie about “the mythological Celtic deity Rhiannon” - hey, she’s already written a song about it - AND she has finally signed a deal with a studio to make it! This isn’t a Fleetwood Mac blog, I can hear you saying, and you’re RIGHT BUT - she named Harry as her dream cast!! She tells him: “Harry, you cannot age one day. You have to stay exactly as you are.” For you, Stevie, I’m sure he would find a way to do it! She also said that she was “very proud” of him for choosing to be a “rock n’ roll star and not a popstar”. I’m not sure that the Music Award judging panels agree with you there, but we’re all very proud of him regardless of what category his music *technically* fits in. 

Liam’s Esquire interview is out! I have….mixed opinions on it. The article’s narrative was that Liam is a happy man, whose joy shines through his music, and who is inherently confident despite some early childhood setbacks (bullying and illness and deciding to stop running). Liam, for his part, said about his life and his outlook on his future, ““I never expect much, I move within the limitations which I consider useful to find new possibilities. I think it’s important to be aware of what you’re able to accomplish in life, without expecting miracles. Just keep your eyes wide open to enjoy everything in the best way possible”. He says, elsewhere, about meditation that: “It seems to be an amazing way to stay in control. Having a clear mind helps you be quicker and more precise in your daily actions and decisions.” He’s started meditating...for control. Interesting. I don't think that was quite the picture Esquire was trying to paint. 

And, even more interestingly, when talking about his music, Esquire said, “Although it is difficult not to compare the album to those of other members of the band.” and then they quote him in saying, ““When I was in school, I didn’t focus very well in certain classes, I would always learn the general terms of how everything worked,” Payne says on his aptitude for creativity over technical quality.” I’m really trying to give them the benefit of the doubt here, but this feels really backhanded. The kind of music that Liam is doing is inherently - and purposefully - different than the kind of music, say, Niall is doing. They did not talk much about the new direction (ha) his music may be going in, nor about what he’s been working on, career wise. They did call him handsome, and seemed really focused on his physique, which. Yeah! That’s a choice! 

 On a more hopeful note, he says, “Drawing and painting are incredible practices. Exploring those gives me a level of concentration so focused that, if it weren’t for music, I’d probably be doing that…both [art and music] are incredibly freeing to me. Recently, it’s how I’ve kept myself grounded in this new, parallel reality.”

Speaking of Rock n’ Roll, Rock n’ Roll Bride published an article about Krystal (Louis’ makeup artist)’s Rock n’ Roll themed wedding (which took place in 2019! No COVID guidelines broken!) -  complete with pictures of Louis! Well, first off, happy anniversary Krystal and Mike, who have been married for over a year now. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY: we have two pictures of Louis - one at a table, where he seems to be sitting with Oli, Helene, and another woman. Eleanor features in the picture, but after some consideration, it does seem that there was not a place at the table set for her, so she went over to take a picture. You know, as you do at a work function! There was another picture of Louis clapping for the bride and groom at their send off. He’s standing with his hip jutted out in a grey suit with a plain white T-shirt underneath it (I don’t think he has more tattoos, but his eyes are still blue lol). Anyways he looks great and I adore him. 

And now, a brief clown car update: the property broker that Briana started following the other day was Nick’s father, who in turn started following a bunch of Briana and Freddie stans (bc that’s such a normal thing to do!). Nick seems to be going on a lot of 2 on 1 dates with Briana and Freddie over this last week after being called out for not interacting with Freddie at all. To make up for it, he’s been posting to his Instagram nonstop outings, including one video where Freddie seems to be saying, “is Daddy not coming?”. Briana, for her part, ignores him completely and keeps walking, and Nick moves the camera to show the shops they’re passing. Man, for this kid’s sake, I really hope Brett DID join the outing so that SOMEONE was looking out for him, because those two certainly weren’t! 

Meanwhile, Niall took to his Instagram story to promote James Bay’s new song. 

[victoriareyloficlists]

5 May 2021 Additions to Reylo Fluff

These fics have been added to the Fluff lists located in the following lists:

Fluff Part 1 Titles A-G

Fluff Part 2 Titles H-M

Fluff Part 3 Titles N-S

Fluff Part 4 Titlez T-Z

A merry Reylo Christmas by MeadowHayle (AO3 2018  Rated M Complete, 24 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey and Ben are roommates and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year together. For Rey it's the first real Christmas with friends and family and she wants to make up for all the things she missed as a child. Ben tries to help as best as possible, giving her a Christmas experience she deserves.) That's mine! by CrystalDen (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When their new supervisor came from a different department, it had been a temporary solution to fix the swift exit of their boss. No one really cared that it was, well, a dude. A very tall, quiet dude with big features and a churlish expression. Gathering around the main hub of their floor to make introductions, Rey found herself mildly invested. He’d be around for a week, two. Maybe a month tops. It’s been three, and Rey just wishes he would go the fuck away.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 59 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2021  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: This chapter was born during a video about how pockets on women's clothing shrunk through history. Modern Rey would be outraged to know that womankind used to have pockets big enough to stash a loaf of bread. Imagine all the snacks they could fit! But she would have to make do with her boyfriend's pockets. Yep, that's basically the plot. Warnings: if Reylo babies bother you, you might want to skip this one.) A World Where There Are Octobers by Ben_Solo_Good_Boy_Sweater_Emporium (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 12 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is a ranch hand helping Han when the prodigal son returns.) Deliciously Dateable by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2021  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey hosts a Youtube show eating theme park foods. Ben is her producer and cameraman. The internet ships them thanks to their crazy chemistry even though Ben’s rarely on camera.) A Season of Frost & Warmth by shewhospeakswiththunder (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, 6 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben and Rey attend a costume party and there is contention between them; also including descriptions of season-appropriate cooler fall temperatures, warm clothing, and pining.) Free Fallin' by SageMcMae (AO3 2018  Rated M Complete, 5 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: A modern AU with pilot Ben Solo and brewery owner Rey who meet with disastrous first impressions, but somehow find themselves unable to deny their intense connection. Taking a leap of faith is a gamble. Taking the plunge towards love is a free fall.) and they were roommates by myownlittleinfinity (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Ben loses a bet to his roommate, Rey, he has to eat her out for 30 days.) Butter Crisp Sandwich by DarkMage13 (AO3 2021  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: “Mr, I insist you join me for a tea party today, at precisely noon. My teddy will be there.” Ben glanced at the boring clock on the wall. Ten minutes until noon. He swallowed in fear. There was no escape.  Or: Ben Solo cannot say no to an adorable hazel-eyed little girl's request for tea.) the way I see you by ocjones (AO3 2021  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Historical AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben glides a finger over the painting’s shining face. It’s long since dried, having traveled the slow journey of hills between Naboo and Mortis, yet the varnish is so glossy it almost feels wet to the touch.And there she is: a soft-looking woman, her breasts pillowing over the top of her corset, her hair held lightly back with a band and flowing out behind her. Her delicate fingers grip a book, clasp it in her velvet-clad lap. The smile on her face is as gentle as her portrayal. His wife.) melting snow by makeshiftcandy (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: “Rey?” Ben said, his voice suddenly right there, just in front of her, and no, oh no, he couldn’t be here, shouldn’t be anywhere near her because–“Alpha,” she whimpered, watching as the portion of his body visible to her froze.) Sweet Things by DarthBaker23 (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Alpha Ben enters a bakery and finds himself obsessed with a sweet scent. He's obsessed with the delicious smelling scent but can't find its source. He tries every pastry in the shop but eventually turns to the bakery owner, Rey, for help. When he finally meets her in person, he gets a big surprise.) Rey's Braids by Magdalane (AO3 2021  Rated M Complete, 6 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben's little girl falls in love with braided hairstyles. He watches video from the popular YouTube channel in which Rey teaches different braiding techniques. After weeks of failure, he DMs her on Instagram, desperate...) Cashmere by ladyofreylo (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: “Technically, Cashmere is a dating service. It’s for women who need escorts—literally, a date—to events. There are many women out there who don’t have partners or don’t wish to come out as lesbians—and they want to have a man on their arm. However, Cashmere is unofficially a place to find sexual partners who are vetted and cater to a variety of tastes.” Rose paused. “It’s great because they only hire the best-looking men, with great bodies and great sexual skills. It’s hard to go wrong. I’ve known a guy or two who worked for them. They are gentlemen and very skilled lovers.” Rey is looking for someone to take her virginity. When she calls Cashmere, they send Daddy Dom Kylo Ren...) Penetration Testing by SageMcMae (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Tired of their difficult boss, Phasma, Hux, and Mitaka hire Rey to help their CEO Ben run a security test but forget to tell him. “Good morning, Mr. Ren. I’m Rey Niima. I’m here to conduct the penetration testing you requested.” "Excuse me?” “We will begin with a preliminary assessment of your system, conduct the initial penetration test, after which I will provide a gap analysis to highlight the areas requiring improvement. I’ll make sure to list them out in priority order so you improve your performance.” “My...performance?”) Lip Balm by Jammy_Dodger (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben HATES the lip balm Rey uses. He's been throwing it out, hiding it, trying to find ways to make her stop using it. So he ends up going to Sephora to buy her some new lip balm, but he comes out with VIB Rogue status, a curling iron, a hair dryer, a flat iron, heat protectant spray and a lot of stress. Ben hates shopping but he'll do it for Rey. Fluffy.) Homestead Fire by ladyofreylo (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Prairie AU, Quick Synopsis: In this story, Ben Solo is a homesteader trying to court O. Kenobi's adopted daughter whilst on the prairie. He believes he will make Miss Rey a good husband. He shows her how when he stops by to chop wood and build up her fire.) Coffee by Jammy_Dodger (AO3 2021  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey sits next to Ben in the coffee shop bc he doesn't talk or bother her. One day he doesn't show up. Rey waits for him. Someone else sits in his seat& hits on her. Rey is annoyed. Ben shows up late, tells the guy he's in his seat. The guy refuses to move. Rey gives Ben her Seat, and then sits in his lap. She continues to read her book and he reads his. She asks for his number. They date. He goes to the coffee shop bc he still lives with his parents. Rey's apt is going to be condemned. They move in eventually. She still sits in his lap.)

[tsaritsa]

tagged by the beautiful and sexy and successful @fullmetalscullyy + @megthemighty. ty babes ur both fergalicious mwah how many works do you have on ao3? 40

what’s your total ao3 word count?  275,381 words

what are your top five fics by kudos?

may i feel, said he

for the serpent has died and i’m leaning by your side

enthrallment

against the run of play

a strange fate with wandering limbs

i’m really proud of each of these pieces for different reasons. mifsh is a love letter to mar and to the fandom generally; ftshdailbys (what a fucking acronym lmao) was one of the first pieces i did with the intention of hitting a specific word count; enthrallment is a reminder to myself that pain does eventually pass (and that riza/bradley is sexy af); atrop definitely helped develop my love for multimedia fics and playing around with how we show information to the reader; and asfwwl was as much a study of riza as the people around her

do you reply to comments, why or why not? absolutely — although i tend to wait for updates to reply to the previous chapters if it’s an ongoing piece. i’m always stunned by the comments i get and i treasure each and every one of them. ty for giving me a little joy in my daily life

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? i guess it depends on ur perspective. a strange fate is essentially dead dove on arrival — and bellyache deals with some unsavoury themes as well

what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? prolly that v saccharine valentines day fic. personally it makes me cringe a little now, but if that’s what floats ur boat, then go for it

do you write crossovers? if so, what’s the craziest one you’ve ever written? specific aus are as close as i’ve gotten - the crown!au would be the best fit. the concept of doing a marvel-esque endgame showdown has never really vibed with me; especially for the fma universe, which is incredibly niche and unique in a variety of ways

have you ever received hate on a fic? hahahahahah remember the time when ppl were bitching about mifsh on here bc it was ‘everywhere’ and we were ‘no better than rcyeddies’ with the power imbalance and it was a ‘glorified self-insert fic’ and we were deviants for sharing it and had made the royai fandom ‘cheap’ and ‘an awful place to be’ bc they were so much more than fucking?

yeah me neither lol. i’d also like to state that i’m not bitter about this anymore — but it really did feel awful to read those things, and for ppl to judge us and the substance of the story without ever bothering to talk to us before doing so. i’d like to think the fandom is a kinder space now, where we can just. move on if we don’t enjoy something, instead of sniping about it publicly and deliberately trying to make ppl feel bad

and if u were one of those ppl who were mean: either die mad and jealous lmao OR write something better and more engaging if u want ppl to shut up about may i feel. that’s literally all u have to do 🤷

do you write smut? if so, what kind? i write sexy smut. sometimes it’s an au where they’re in a ballet company. sometimes they’re at university. sometimes i forget to finish them in a timely fashion

have you ever had a fic stolen? not lifted verbatim. but there have been a few times where — and it’s not just my gut feeling, others have brought it to my attention — ideas and phrases align a little too neatly for me to brush it off as mere coincidence. at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter

have you ever had a fic translated? i’ve been very lucky to have a few translated: a few in spanish, russian, and mandarin as well, if memory serves me right

have you ever co-written a fic before? y’all know i have. may i feel and starstruck are the published ones, but maybe more will surface. we’ll see

what’s your all-time favourite ship? royai for sure. they just tickle a very specific part of my brain

what’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? won’t say i can’t finish any of them bc there’s always the chance i will — just a matter of sitting down and figuring out what needs to happen

what are your writing strengths? this made me pause for a bit bc in truth i’m not terribly sure. i’d like to think my dialogue is strong — not only in terms of characterisation, but in the ability to move the plot forward without having to simply tell the reader what is going on. y’all know i love making things sound pretty as well — assonance my beloved

what are your writing weaknesses? it’s a double-edged sword. as much as i love writing to a particular aesthetic, that definitely hinders me too when i get too involved with the details rather than examining my writing from a birds-eye perspective. i also know i struggle with keeping things simple — from explaining something as just. as it is as well as bigger issues like “let me just tell y’all about the history of the economy of resembool from the years 1872-1911 even though this was meant to be a throwaway sentence″

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? i think it can add a ton of depth to a scene — it’s more a case of ensuring that the context around the dialogue can help the reader infer meanings without feeling so unsure they want to go search the translation. for the most part in may i feel, i think readers have been able to understand without too much hassle when a character uses spanish (but also we all know enough rudimentary spanish that it’s not utterly foreign). using a non-latin written language like mandarin or thai would definitely take me out of the fic more — but again, it’s all in how u apply it 

what was the first fandom you wrote for? fruits basket! i never published it tho

what’s your favourite fic you’ve written? currently it’s my piece that will be published for this years fma big bang. i’m really excited to share more about it next month (and publish it on october 3rd!!)

tagging @firewoodfigs, @royai, and @bringingglory if y’all haven’t already gotten around to it

[hematomes]

ced!!!! i couldn't find you for like a second and i got so scared:(

i hope you find your dog:((( ans generally i hope it all goes well bc you deserve happiness,, but even if stuff doesn't work out there's myriads of people out there who love you, wish the best for you, and even more who will love you in the future!

um what was i saying. right the new theme! it's sooo cool & EdgyTM i love it ced<33 serves as a good reminder that your style's edgy cause you're so soft i forget:')

umm im gonna send 2 separate asks 1. my I'm Going Out With My Mom For Christmas Eve Downtown And Im Gonna Look Hot Doing It Outfit and

2. October's Notes, the only complete poem out of The Autumnal Strife, since October is your least fav month and i see that and you're valid

im also gonna reply properly to your last response it's just than im. a little wine drunk rn

love you<333

~~soup

AAAA IM SORRY it's me look im still the same i promise

i did find her so it's cool, she didn't even have to spend the night out <3 which thank god bc it was really cold and she's tiny and short-haired so

and for the rest zkdkz it's fine too i. am working through this and i think it's gonna be okay so!!!! THANK YOU THO means a lot to me sobs

LMAO YEAH altho gorou was and still is amazing i have to say scara fits my aesthetic way more,,,, but im struggling to get used to tumblr dark mode

so i saw the pics and excuse me are you testing me bc,,,, im gonna scream soup why do you look so good WHY ARE YOU TAUNTING ME IN ONE OF THESE 🤨🤨🤨 IM ONLY HUMAN YK....... anyway 12/10 would take on a date

as for the poem im not sure i can post it so just in case allow me to react here: JESUS CHRIST. i love the whole mood and the dark,,, atmosphere? like, it reminds me a bit of the whole gothic era with dark, beautiful shit. it does fit your vibe, and also <3 i love it anyway im definitely your biggest fan bye

LOVE YOU TOO HONEY hope you drank some water <3

[smalltownstan]

pieces of music i’ve listened to that remind me of dr:thh characters

my current media brainrot (dr) + a fervent interest of mine (classical music and soundtracks) = this post

so this is just me having fun and combining the 2 things i like to engage in. these choices are just based off how i interpret the characters or like things about them i recalled on a whim haha. i tried to make sure every character had 2 pieces but given my taste in music, some were easier to find than others... this was all in good fun tho so i’m pretty satisfied!!

if anyone wants to know why i chose certain pieces, you’re free to ask me and i’ll be happy to respond (i’m just a nerd who likes music and talking about it lol) 

and also, spoilers for the game!! (just in case)

UPDATE: fixed Leon’s Canon in D piece to Symphony No. 9 bc I had the wrong title (oops)

Aoi Asahina 

昼下がり/Early Afternoon (from Land of the Lustrous) -  Yoshiaki Fujisawa [youtube/spotify]

Osono’s Request (from Kiki’s Delivery Service) - Joe Hisaishi [youtube/spotify]

Byakuya Togami

Gnossienne: No. 1 - Erik Satie [youtube/spotify]

Nocturne Op 9 No. 2 in E-flat Major - Frederic Chopin [youtube/spotify]

Celestia Ludenberg  

Violin Concerto in E Minor: I. Allegro molto appassionato - Felix Mendelssohn [youtube/spotify]

The Second Waltz -  Dmitri Shostakovich [youtube/spotify]

Chihiro Fujisaki

On a Clear Day (from Kiki’s Delivery Service) - Joe Hisaishi [youtube/spotify] 

note: youtube link’s video includes On a Clear Day and Town with an Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service

フォスフォフィライト/Phosphophylite (from Land of the Lustrous) -  Yoshiaki Fujisawa [youtube/spotify]  

Hifumi Yamada

The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss II [youtube/spotify]

Les Toreadors (from Carmen Suite) - Georges Bizet [youtube/spotify]

it was just really hard to find pieces that vibed with him for me /: maybe i just need to listen to more but this is all i have for him rn 

Junko Enoshima

Etude No. 11 in A Minor Op 25 -  Frederic Chopin [youtube/spotify]

Bacchanale (from Samson and Dalila) - Camille Saint-Saens [youtube/spotify]

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

1st Suite in E-Flat Major: III. March - Gustav Holst [youtube/spotify]

Carnival Overture Op. 92 - Antonin Dvorak [youtube/spotify]

Kyoko Kirigiri 

Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium - Camille Saint-Saens [youtube/spotify]

Gymnopedie No. 1 - Erik Satie [youtube/spotify]

Leon Kuwata

Symphony No. 9: IV. Presto (Ode to Joy) - Ludwig van Beethoven [youtube/spotify]

omg i have to explain myself for this one: some classical pieces are so well known that artists would sample the chord progression used on that piece in their songs, such is the case of Ode to Joy. I chose this piece in particular bc Mr. Brightside by The Killers samples from this piece (as demonstrated by this YT video). Now i understand that they aren’t a punk band but that song’s vibe fit my vision of what kind of music Leon would’ve made so there ya go haha

1812 Overture - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky [youtube/spotify] 

but only like the last 2-3 minutes of the overture reminded me of him

Makoto Naegi

2nd Suite in F Major: IV. Fantasia on the Dargason -  Gustav Holst [youtube/spotify]

October - Eric Whitacare [youtube/spotify]

Mondo Owada

Ingenium (from My Hero Academia) - Yuki Hayashi [youtube]

3 Notes of Japan: III. Festival of Fire - Toshio Mashima [youtube/spotify]

Mukuro Ikusaba

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine - John P. Sousa [youtube/spotify]

The Voice of the Guns - Kenneth Alford [youtube/spotify]

Sakura Ogami

Aika (from Inuyasha OST 1) - Kaoru Wada [youtube/spotify]

Longing (from Inuyasha OST 1) - Kaoru Wada [youtube/spotify]

i couldn’t choose between the two so i included both; they’re both relatively the same anyway (in terms of musical theme)

3 Notes of Japan: I. Dance of the Cranes - Toshio Mashima [youtube/spotify]

Sayaka Maizono

Waltz of the Flowers (from The Nutcracker) -  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky [youtube/spotify]

Pas de deux (from The Nutcracker) - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky [youtube/spotify]

Toko Fukawa / Genocider Syo

Arabesque No. 1 - Claude Debussy [youtube/spotify]

In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg [youtube/spotify]

Yasuhiro Hagakure

Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin [youtube/spotify]

Ladyfingers - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass [youtube/spotify]

[raplinesmoon]

So something about October was driving me up a wall and that was that the amazing ending scene reminded me, mood-wise, of a movie. What movie you ask? Who knew and it was driving me CRAZY! Then, out of nowhere it hit me today, the ending scene of 1987's The Last Emperor. Which is the story of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi, a movie that everyone should see before they die. The movie's final scene ends on a note of perfect nostalgia, melancholy, hope and the truth that time moves inexorably forwards. It even has the perfect score. I reread the end of October whilst playing The Last Emperor's end scene score and the match up was PERFECT. If you haven't seen the movie, you should and if you have I wonder if you see the mood parallels, especially the mood at the end of both the movie and the fic. 🌹

OMG!! This ask, wow. Thank you for this <3 There's a lot to unpack here, but let me just first say that October was based on the Bollywood movie of the same name. It's an absolutely beautiful film, one that I highly recommend everyone watch. However, the ending scene was something that I threw in there myself bc it fit Yoongi and his personality so well.

But The Last Emperor! I remember watching scenes from it in my world history class in high school (which was so long ago wow). It was such a captivating film, but I think I was the only person in a room of bored high schoolers that went back and finished it on my own time. I agree with all the sentiments that it portrays about looking back while seeing the world move on around you. And in term's of Yoongi's character development in this story, that fit perfectly, because he was not only stuck in the past, but stuck with himself. And that final moment was him taking that step forward to move on, and it was super poignant. I'll have to listen to the score when I re-read the final scene, but in the meantime, if you ever do re-read, I recommend playing this song:

[peachade]

Writing Asks

thank u to sarah @soldouthaz, lily @theisolatedlily and late @tomlinvelvetfics for tagging me !!

1. describe how you first started writing and when you first posted

started in eighth grade after moving which fucked me up (i’m still to recover lmao) n i needed a distraction, reading had always helped but writing is what let me see what the root of my agony was. (im not trying to be pretentious i swear) i first started on wattpad (love hate relationship to this day) and beginning of lockdown this year gravitated to ao3 which has been my saving grace !!!

2. which of your characters do you typically resonate most closely with? do you base any characters off of yourself?

so far i’ve mostly written in louis’ pov. i’ve had to ask this question in the early stages — i resonate the closest to harry. most of my wips are harry centric for that reason. i mean, yes and no — i tend to take some part of me and fit it into the character but at the same time i don’t like seeing me on a page so yes and no.

3. where do you often find inspiration?

EVERYWHERE. mostly others’ stories be it in the way of songs, music, writing, art. usually it’s me coming across a vaguely aesthetic picture and my brain spitting out one or two random scenes and me trying to make that a story.

4. has quarantine helped or hindered your writing process?

both !!! i have new wips but also i lost a lot of motivation to do anything for a bit. school is sucking the soul out of me — it’s both easier and harder with it being online, the worst part is i can never truly feel like i’m getting a break from it. recently it’s been easier for me bc of the friends i made (ily all) it’s hindered a little bit bc i can’t go out and watch people and streetlights and the blur of cars and try to pour out that feeling into words and create something. at the same time it’s helped me gain more perspective on people and relationships which has been a massive help to writing in general.

5. do you listen to music/noise while you write or do you prefer silence?

depending on the number of classes i have/attend, my mental stability, the story and my sensitivity. i often can’t stand loud noises so there’s that but there is always some noise or the other so it’s never truly silent. i like it that way. sometimes i just play intense studying playlist on spotify and write, Lucida by Odin Sørlie and Haunted Heart by Dawn, Dawn, Dawn are my favourites.

6. what is your biggest writing pet peeve in your writing or in general?

excessive usage of the same word in mine. in general, i’m not a fan of stereotypical characters or romanticising harmful themes.

7. describe your ideal writing setup

2 am, in bed, music still ringing in my ears, three texts from my best friend about a story or about their day. under the blanket, the room smelling of chocolate or something sweet.

8. favorite time of day to write?

anytime but afternoon. those hours are for naps.

9. favorite genre to write + one you’d like to try writing in the future?

fiction? i’d love to write a fantasy au 👀

10. do you struggle with writer’s block? how do you typically overcome it?

yep yep. i just edit an old story or read my old works or other writers’ fics. i gave up trying to force myself into writing — i hated the end product and felt bad so.

11. what is the easiest part of your writing process and the most difficult?

probably the emotions? dialogue without a doubt — i dread writing it. it doesn’t come to me naturally. i can write lengths without dialogue tbh. also smut — it’s an eh eh aspect.

12. how do you come up with original characters? (if applicable)

my wonderful friends. they do dumb shit and i want to tell the world about their dumb shit so i make characters out of them.

13. what is your favorite and least favorite word?

as of now it is fucker — delightful word that one. least favourite is probably squelch — just no.

14. what is one thing about your writing that you’re really proud of and one thing you hope to continue working at?

the dreamy feeling i manage to write without a doubt !!!! dialogue and pacing. i don’t have the best dialogue or the pacing or the length for fics but i’m working on all of those !!

15. what work of yours has your favorite ‘verse/world building? how did you come up with it?

still a wip so i can’t tell you much except that it’s a proper treat. will write this once i’ve posted that fic !!

16. what font and size do you write in? single spaced or double?

*nervous laughter* the font changes from fic to fic — crush is comic sans, size 11. October was Lora, 11. Twisted in bedsheets is courier new, 11. stargazing is spectral, 11. so yeah — whatever the fic demands. single spaced !!!! except when i’m overwhelmed i do double spaces.

17. what is a typo(s) you find yourself making consistently?

I Cannot Type. if you think i can — congratulations you were fooled. autocorrect is the loml.

18. (if applicable) do you separate fic writing from fandom?

of course !!!! i basically do not exist out of my writing.

19. what emotion is your favorite to write? which is the most difficult?

pain, pining, longing. lust.

20. what is one thing you hope readers always take away from your works?

we’re all fucked up but we’re trying and trying sometimes is enough. you shouldn’t spend your life carved out around one person. it’s okay to ask for help and need a shoulder to lean on. i hope these come across in my future fics !!!!

21. what is the best and worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

bold of you to assume i’ve ever received advice.

22. which one of your works would you most want to see turned into a film/television show?

a new fic. will update the answer once that fic is out !!!!!

23. do you write scenes chronologically or out of order?

chronologically. i can’t do out of order. i do have a page full of scribbles but they are to tell me the order sjakmd.

24. how do you handle criticism?

if it’s constructive then well. no thick skin tbh. makes me feel as if i need validation from someone else on my art which isn’t necessary but my brain is wired to seek it and it’s a hassle.

25. what is the advice you would give to someone who is looking to start writing?

write everything you would want to read. write it bad, don’t worry about the quality. don’t worry about the audience. end of the day, it should be something you can turn to for comfort not something that makes you feel bad.

26. what kind of feedback on your work always makes your day?

people telling me they like my writing and it could take them out of this world for a few minutes !!!!!

27. which fic ‘verse of your own would you most like to exist in? which fic’s characters would you most like to befriend?

probably crush verse !!!! harry — his is probably the one character where i dump most of me in.

28. what do you always enjoy getting asks about/wish people would ask about more?

rant to me about anything. i enjoy talking. ask me about wips so i can take the little guilt and write more.

29. what has writing added to your life? how has it changed you?

it’s nice to let go and express things and create characters with a better situation than mine.

30. why do you write?

keep myself busy.

boost yourself + tags

1a. share the last sentence you wrote

No kissing. No flashbacks.

2a. describe the wip you’re most excited about

a little something i’m writing inspired by @brickredtoe’s art !!!!

3a. share the piece of dialogue from one of your works you’re most proud of

ok. well. from 5436 miles

“Or we could always add a trail of stars to one of those moons,” he replies, words dragged out, rolling around in his mouth.

He can see the glint in his eyes even behind his closed lids. Everything about Louis is inked and etched into every fiber of his being.

He would’ve kissed him, words pouring from his mouth into Harry’s, only half his.

He snorts. “And make it seem like the moon has a buttplug? No, thanks.”

4a. share the best first and last lines from your work(s)

both my published fics have circular endings.

5436 miles — Louis always had more stars in his eyes.

these tornadoes are for you — His heart beats in peace.

5a. link to the last fic you read.

sugary sweet by the immensely talented @soldouthaz

6a. link the last work you published

here

7a. link to your ao3 (if applicable)

wheeee

8a. someone that inspires you

taylor. she’s so so wonderful.

9a. a comfort fic/work that you’ve been grateful for this year

all of riv, sarah, ris and late’s fics. they’ve been so so comforting. Event Horizon by @mercurial-madhouse

10a. other writers that you’d like to tag!

@mercurial-madhouse @harryanthus are the only ones coming to mind atm. i’ve been up for too long apologies.

[magnaflourious-nerdity]

But Through Darkened Glasses

(You Need Chaos in Your Soul)

" And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."

There was a prompt on some Halloween themed fandom challenge for October. Monday's was 'Black Cat' and for whatever reason. This is what happened. Bc im just going with that kind of thing lately I guess, I decided to spit it out here. I didn't beta this thoroughly enough I guarantee bc im lazy and also the fandom is like 20 people big, and generally full of forgiving, lovely, content starved ppl. The last point I am extrapolating from my own experiences of being in the fandom, haha.

_____

It's weird, he thinks, twining in and out of the fence post he's been following for the past few minutes, trying to get his bearings now that he's been saddled with twice his accustomed amount of limbs. It's weird that I'm not more freaked out about this. He pauses, grooms himself briefly and crosses the street under the lamp light. The bulb blows out halfway across. He doesn't even jump this time. Maybe it's a bonus of having nine lives, you don't worry so much about one or two practice runs. His ears twitch minutely as the wind shifts and brings a low, buzzing, sound sighing through the fronds of the willow at the edge of his yard. They're even more sensitive now that he's a cat- the ears that is -twitching at the slightest whisper of a sound in the night.

He doesn't even bother to slow his pace as he hops the fence and passes through his own back yard, simply fixing jade eyes on the window he knows to be Becky's, turning them away again with the knowledge that there's no way she'd be at home tonight. Not on a night where she's basically been given free reign to go full-tilt feral social-climber on every party in town. There's no gaining entrance into his lair in his current state (nor is he particularly keen to meet Rasputin face to face right now either) and his parents are out of the question. Can't guarantee his dad won't be too drunk this late on a Halloween to tie a bottle rocket to his newly acquired tail. Don't really care to see him if he's sober either. Or just in general

Instead, His attention remains fixed on the sound he'd heard in the distance before, as he cuts across lawns and ducks down the well trod neighborhood backalleys, avoiding any heards of desperate, last-minute, trick-or-treaters or gaggles of drunken party-goers he catches wind of.

He's at the point of shrugging off the weird sounds he's been hearing as the result of some sort of particularly lumbering rodent in the underbrush, turning his attention instead to the little flashes of lamp light glinting off of abandoned candy wrappers. Batting at one every now and then non-committaly. It wasn't as exciting as one might think, being a cat. Kind of a snooze even, as far as curses went.

Well, at least it had the wherewithal and the courtesy as a curse to take aesthetics into account.

He was definitely the kind of cat his father would have chased off the lawn with a bb gun, if it had showed up at their door looking for food. He examines the pitch-colored shroud of his newly acquired fur as best as he can, glad- in a removed sort of way -that at least he was a proper Halloween cat. Scruffy and mysterious, not one of those opulently fluffy, pearl-colored, fancy-feast models.

There was dignity in being a black cat on Halloween. There was style! There was pinache!

A whisper, a low hum beyond his perception.

There were secrets. There was power. All of it his for the taking now that the opportunity had been unwittingly granted.

He'd read a legend once- in one of his massive, dusty, volumes on the lore of shapeshifters, dating back to antiquity -that on Halloween, black cats were at the most transient state of their existances. They could- if they could find the right chinks in reality's armour, where the space between things overlapped and folded in on itself like challah -use the threads surrounding and connecting the worlds to perform any number of impossibilities. Assume other forms, be anywhere at once, sew prosperity or discord at a whim.

It was said that those creatures most in-tune with with the pathways could even travel between them all. All of the worlds bookended against and, at certain times like tonight, overlapping their own. Those most-adept cats could slip in and out of dimensions as easily as a shadow slips under doorway.

I mean, I guess now is as good a time as any to test that hypothesis, Merton mused, slit-pupils zeroing in on the slightest movement down the street from Tommy's house, which was naturally where his slinky, purposeful, wandering had taken him. There were no other thoughts to it really. After all. He and Tommy were each other's lifeboats, lashed together to weather whatever bullshit came their way, side-by-side.

At least where finding ourselves on the wrong side of dark magic is concerned. He amended to himself. There was no one else here so he wasn't sure why he even bothered really.

He hesitated silently under a street lamp. The crackling sound of the light flickering above him sounded grating to his sensitive ears. He could understand Tommy's super-hearing-based woes a lot better now at least. With his gaze shifting uneasily between the safety of Tommy's house- the safety of his company, and of his unconditional presence, and of his unwavering dedication to Merton's protection despite the workload that it was turning out to be- and back to the subtle, but suddenly noticeable undulations of the shadows at the farthest edge of the neighbor's hedgerows. An opportunity had manifested itself.

Almost neigh-imperceptably, something shifts in the air, pervading every cranny of the now darkened street.

A moment of choice for Merton. The unexplored possibilities mount in his head, weighed against the cons of breaching the utterly unknowable. He is bewitched, rooted to the spot. Eve on the precipice of the apple, by virtue of both temptation and fear.

He'd gone to more extreme means, on less intel, for far more ridiculous pursuits. This was just a short walk to the end of the street. But he hesitates nonetheless, his own mind overriding the detatched curiosity that grew into him- into his bones -the longer he was attached to this form. He feels the pull of the interstitial static of the spaces between space, it hums and pulses gently along to the music of the spheres. Soft, inviting, unknowable.

He thinks of slipping between the phases of reality. Could he regain his body on his own that way? Could he pick a better one? He pads gently forward, going only a few, cautious steps, questioning himself all the while and trying to brace his senses against the hypnotic call of whatever the netherspace was wordlessly offering to him. He is waiting to see when the time will be right. If it will be at all. What will come of it.

I can fix this on my own for once, right now. He tells himself . I can learn so much. About everything. I can fix so much if I can just...

The pull of the place between is Urgent. Heady. Disorienting, he finds. It beckons him more insistently with each passing moment, and every sound made in the darkness is a soft, sighing, call to action. To adventure. To satisfy all of his human spawned, feline fueled, curiosities alike.

But another sound, this one from inside Tommy's house- still nearly right next to him -severs the tie. It's Tommy's laugh, loud and sharp and as intimately familiar to him as a siren song of his own.

Tommy. His tail lifts up into the air of its own accord as he starts to correct course towards the tree in Tommy's back yard, one which frequent exposure to the Dawkin's household tells him leads to the- usually wide open -2nd floor window landing of his best friend's bedroom.

The whispering from behind him grows more urgent as he turns away from it. Easier to discern from the normal night-music of Pleasantville. It grows in pitch, insistent, like a vulture pecking at the stripped down bones of its roadside carrion.

Despite his growing unease, Merton still feels the gravity of the thin places of the world eying him up, clawing at him. He realizes, with detached horror, that if the last few minutes are anything to go by, in this form, he isn't even sure if he can resist it at all. Much less how long his moment of self possession can last.

Merton, as a cat, finds himself to be mostly a loose collection of animal instincts and a haphazard jigsaw of the the bits of the world that don't seem to want to fit right with himself; all of this sewed up into a body thats more suggestive of physical form than equitable to one. He doesn't know how to even begin to navigate the puzzle of resisting the undertow of the universe as it digs its fingers solidly into the newest and most vulnerable parts of his shared but singular conciousness. The shadows in the hedgerows, the ripples of what's underneath the idea of them, begin to pulsate. They flail. Or it flails, because he can't tell the collective from the distinct anymore, can only watch with awe as the patch of space and time it is currently occupying shimmers, and cracks, and grows, and reaches. Merton swears he can hear it SCREAMING in the back of his head. At the place where his thoughts dissolve into notions less definable by words, and transform instead into a swirling mass of impulses conducted by the now-shrill trans-dimensional, thrumming of the universe's insistent, staticky back beat.

He sees something solidifying in the ectoplasm of that open sore in the flesh of the world. Something besides the thrashing, churning, cult of tendrils reaching out from the places they can squeeze through in the cracks. The sight makes every single one of his hairs stand on end. Which is something, given he has a significant deal more of them now than he usually would. But there is no mistaking what he is seeing being melded together in the eye of that widening miasma. A hand claws its way past the meshing, roiling tentacles of that dark expanse. Pulling itself forward into the physical, out of the theoretical. A set of shoulders struggles past, dragging the other arm in to being along side it, pale and wan. There is a pause, one last still moment before, with repulsion thrumming through every part of him, he focuses on the well of dark magics still spewing forth parts of the creature. He sees the top of a head breech through the dimensional weak spot. The head turns in Merton's direction at his displeased hisses of fright. Merton locks up in immediate, gut-wrenching, horror when the creature gazes back at him, wearing his own face.

‐-----

I'll probably never continue this or even do anything at all w it,, but it was fun! In case you were wondering about the subtext between tommy and merton, yes. gay. Also whats dialague don't know her