#but then I thought about how we do this thing now where being 'nice' or socially performative is demonized for being inauthentic

[koobiie]

bestowing my highest honor as an artist to ffxv (drawing the characters in fun outfits)

thoughts under the cut

RREAAAGHHHH SO EXCITED TO BE DONE WITH THIS!!!!! it took me forevarrrr but i soldiered through as an act of love. now excuse me. yap time

OKAY SO the concept behind this was originally specific fashion subcultures for everyone!l ike noct emo ignis dark academia etc. but then decided i didnt want to pigeonhole it all and just freestyled outfits i thought would look nice on everyone

noct - i do think noct would still be emo-ish but also opt for comfy baggy stuff a lot. something you could just fall asleep in on the spot. note the details of bass pro shop shirt (of course) XV necklace, little moon + stars accents, carbuncle + fish keychains. i also wanted his metal band logo shirt to spell LUCIS but i forgor some letters but its not very readable anyways

ignis - ignit ooohghh ignos ignaurs. sorry i made him serve so much cunt it will happen again. i drew him first cause that kind of inspired this whole thing i love him so bad if i didnt draw it id explode. not much detail to note except his collar pins are like his double blade thingies

luna - lunaaa the concept was “clean girl aesthetic” idk if that happened but im actually really happy with how it came out! might be my favorite of the bunch just because she looks so pretty and happy. your honor she should have been able to just be a normal girl and just. chill

prompto - prompotoooo i had trouble picking his vibe!!! my first thought was techwear?? because weeheeeehee he loves tech and well... you know... but then i realized i didnt really like the look of anything i saw + it was so bulky and dark and serious for him! ending up going with some more youthful and baggy. i was considering something more loud and colorful but ended up not going with it. i feel like in canon he'd be too nervous to have such a flashy fit and would want to just look "cool" to fit in with the boys lol. itty bitty details here - chocobo keychain, pompompurin and bi miku buttons, and his lanyard is kings knight themed! i also thought it was funny to write LUCIS on his shirt like you know those shirts that just say BROOKLYN or TOKYO or SAN FRANCISCO and thats it. thats what its like

gladio - okay i know this is going to sound like a lie but im not horny for gladio like at all, hes my least favorite, i think he's just alright. but also i KNOW in my heart of hearts that he would LOVE being a leather daddy and so i had to make it happen. main detail to note here is that his tank top has the motifs of a cup noodle! i didnt know what else to add cause you know.. hes the cup noodle guy.. but also i didnt want it to be so in your face about it with a big as logo so kept it subtle!

(side note the leather daddy gave me an idea for a post where its like noct and prom go to a gay bar all nervous but then they run into gladio and its like "p: GLADIO YOURE GAY?" "n: nevermind that PLEASE dont tell ignis we snuck out" and then ignis walks up and theyre all like WHAT THE FUCK!!!! caption would be "the gang finds out theyre all bisexual." probably wont draw it but i think its very funny lol)

iris - iris my sweetheart.... definitely leaned into the scene vibes here and also that one image of the blonde emo anime girl. details here - of course the moogle big ass backpack and keychain (can you tell i love keychains), but also her buttons are an iris (the flower) and also a crown with hearts (haha symbolism)

anyways oh god i didnt mean to write an essay down here. usually i keep this in the tags but this time i just had Too Much To Say. can you tell i put a lot of thought and love into this . anwyays. *walks off into the sunset and fuckig dies*

[goodlucktai]

raised on little light (1/3)

rise of the tmnt word count: 2k pairing: leo & oc i've had this idea rattling around since the rise farewell comic earlier this year made it canon that the turtles had another brother and a sister floating around somewhere. we know who their sister is, so this is my take on that 5th brother. i hope you enjoy meeting him <3 big thank you to @soldrawss and @mykimouser for enabling my insane behavior (and thank you again to sol for drawing the art i included in this chapter!!!) title borrowed from northern attitude by noah kahan read on ao3

x

2020

Leo regretted his last words as soon as they left his mouth.

“Hero moves are totally your style”? As if Raph doesn’t have enough issues already.

But what he meant—what he would have tried to explain if there was time—was that Raph is his hero. He’s always been Leo’s hero. And if Leo could be anything like him, even for a second, even if it was the last thing he ever did, then he could be satisfied with that. 

It’s a silly thing to be stuck thinking about, laying on a torn up chunk of earth with a monster ominously lumbering somewhere below, looking for where it threw its toy. Laying there, feeling every bruise and broken bone, and hoping that he didn’t hurt his big brother’s feelings.

They’ll be okay, Leo thinks, trying to make it be the thing that gives him courage instead of just more homesickness. They’ll miss me, maybe for a long time, but they’ll be okay.

Leo’s supposed to be fighting for his life, but it’s all he can do to keep a grip on the photo in his hand, the only thing in this entire dimension worth holding onto. It’s all he can do to keep his eyes open when every blink is longer than the last. 

It feels like enough of a rebellion. The Krang looked annoyed that he was still breathing the last time it batted him through the void like a fly, which gives Leo the idea that he should probably be dead by now. He feels a detached sort of pride at how grown-up he’s being about all this. Better late than never

Leo waits for the Krang to come for him, dripping his blood and sneering his daddy’s nickname for him hatefully as it does, and hopes he made his family proud. 

Leo hopes he’ll go wherever Gram-gram is. It would be nice to know someone when he gets there. 

Movement in his periphery snags Leo’s attention. His brain starts throwing up warning flags, signaling danger—anything moving around in here is another parasite, or a Krang hound, nothing he’ll want to be sprawled out on a silver platter for—but he can’t summon any urgency. 

He turns his head and finds himself looking up at another turtle. 

It’s the very last thing he expected to see. They both just stare at each other for a moment. 

The newcomer appears to be a few years older than Leo, based on the broadness of their shoulders, and half a head taller. Their skin is more gray than green and their plastron is so pale it’s closer to white than yellow. Their carapace, what Leo can see of it, is a deep blue-black and they’re covered, skin and shell both, in white spots. Two of the spots on their face give the impression of eyebrows lowered in a glare, but they don’t seem angry at him.

The turtle is completely unfamiliar to Leo, which is saying something. He thought he and his family had the monopoly on… this whole situation. 

Disquieted, Leo remembers that he’s supposed to be the only turtle here. That was a very significant part of the decision he’d made. 

It must be a hallucination, he decides, instantly comforted by his own reasoning. That makes sense. He just wished that if his mind was going to conjure him some dying company it could at least be someone he knows. An imaginary Mikey or Donnie or Raphie for one last hug. One last affectionate forehead bonk. An “I still love you,” if that wasn’t asking too much. 

Don’t you cry now, he scolds himself sternly when his eyes start to blur and burn. It’s not about you. 

With a resounding crash of metal against stone, the Krang finds them at last. He’s snarling something that Leo is too slow to piece together before he cuts himself off—surprising the hell out of Leonardo by acknowledging the hallucination. That’s not how that works. 

“Another pest ,” the Krang hisses. His serrated teeth glint when he draws his gummy lips back in an ugly smile. His tone is oily and unpleasant when he adds, “You’re less colorful than those other ones. I would have remembered seeing you. Where were you when your accomplices were fumbling about in my Technodrome like the stupid creatures they are?”

“We won,” Leo reminds the alien, even though it makes him cough. His lips are warm and wet now but he won’t think about why. “Blew up your ugly ship. Who looks stupid now?” 

“Shut your mouth!” the Krang roars, going from slimy to homicidal in about three seconds. Leo cringes, every ounce of animal instinct in his body urging him to hide in his shell and ride the rest of this nightmare out. 

The spotted turtle snaps, “Don’t talk to him.” 

It would have made sense if he was looking at Leo when he said it. Don’t engage, don’t bait the big monster that could kill you with as much effort as it takes you to blink, et cetera ad nauseum. If only he’d had a nickel for every time he heard that. 

But instead the turtle is looking at the Krang, and he’s radiating the kind of cold-blooded murder that you mostly only see in movies. He has one arm flung out in front of Leo like he actually means to use it to stop the Krang from getting any closer. 

“Don’t even look at him,” he goes on, sounding seconds away from baring his teeth. 

This guy is significantly unaware of the danger he’s facing, and Leo ought to warn him about what enormous clusterfuck he’d just wandered into. Leo ought to say he appreciates the reptile solidarity, but you should definitely run, new guy. 

But this probably isn’t actually happening outside of his own head. And besides, Leo has to focus really hard on his numb fingers so he doesn’t drop his photo. 

“I’ll look where I please,” the Krang says, as unbothered by the hallucination as he was by Leo’s entire family. “Starting with that fool head of yours. I’m interested in whatever backdoor led you here. If it’s my way out, well —”

Adrenaline surges through Leo, and he’s hardly aware of moving before he’s lurching up and shouting out, “No!” 

He can’t get out, he can’t. Leonardo won’t be able to trick him again. He won’t be there to help this time. 

“I do have one thing for you,” the spotted turtle interrupts to say, reaching over his shoulder for what turns out to be a compound crossbow strapped to his back. 

Leo doesn’t know a lot about archery so it’s weird his fictional turtle does, crank-cocking the weapon like it’s an extension of his arm. He watches cluelessly as the turtle slides something very purple out of his jacket pocket and notches it into the groove where the bolts are supposed to go. It’s definitely not a bolt, but it’s a piercing-type projectile of some kind, and it fits in the crossbow like it was designed with crossbows in mind. 

The turtle aims the bow at the Krang, who clicks the claws of his metal suit on the ground the way Splinter would drum his fingers on the kitchen counter when he was waiting on the microwave. The Krang looks condescending and mildly curious, like he’s watching dumb little animals do something they’re not trained to do. 

“He told me to tell you he’s sorry he couldn’t be here to see this part,” the spotted turtle says, and then shoots without a second of hesitation or unnecessary dramatics. 

The Krang bats the projectile away, or tries to, but it explodes on contact with his armor, and suddenly all Leo can smell is burning metal. Then burning meat. 

The Krang begins to scream, clawing at something defiantly purple with a mind of its own that eats straight through him the effortless, immediate way corrosive acid chews through soft tissue. It moves like nanotech, covering as much of the Krang as possible in a manner of seconds and clearly designed to consume whatever it touches like a school of cartoon piranhas. 

Donnie would love it, color scheme and all. 

The Krang stumbles drunkenly, howling like a creature possessed, and Leo and his turtle companion both watch silently until he tips over the edge of the hunk of torn earth they’re on. Gravity is nonexistent in this dimension, so he doesn’t so much fall as sort of drift in another direction while he’s distracted with the purple stuff that’s doing its best to eat him alive. 

The last handful of minutes have been so bizarre that it’s actually going pretty far in convincing Leo that none of it happened for real. The Krang hasn’t actually found him yet. This is clearly a dream. Or a pre-death electrical storm as the neurons in his brain fire up to fizzle out.  

He tips his head to the side again to stare up at the archer, who is putting his bow away with perfect confidence that whatever that purple thing was, it will do the job. 

“Who are you?” Leo asks stupidly. 

“Gio,” the probably imaginary turtle replies.

Leo’s mouth runs off before he can stop it. “Just Gio? Like Cher?”

God, he thinks. That was stupid, Leo. Not the time or place, Leo. You’re in the prison dimension. You’re dying here and you can’t even cut the jokes now? Raph was so right about you.

But the imaginary turtle surprises him by smiling slightly, the corners of his mouth pulling just barely upwards in a way that somehow completely transforms him. Not the time or place for jokes or smiling at them but here they are. Like company.

“Giorgio Hamato,” ‘Gio’ says. That lands in Leo’s ears as something remarkably worth making a lot of noise over, but he can’t begin to unpack it. And after a second, he forgets what the remarkable part was. His mind is a deck of cards that got shuffled too enthusiastically and ended up scattered all over the floor. Gio doesn’t seem to mind when Leo just blinks at him, adding, “I’m here to take you home.”  

“Pretty sure Uber doesn’t come out this far,” Leo mumbles, the words a paint smear, all thick and wet and muddy. One of his teeth feels broken and it’s keeping him awake, a blistering ache that cracks through the back of his mouth like lightning. “And I’ve got, like, zero bars.”

This is how I cope, he thinks, watching the bigger turtle absorb the second bad joke in as many minutes. Leo’s blinking fast so he doesn’t cry. He’s trying to focus on anything but the pain radiating through his whole body, and the swallowing darkness all around him, and the ruins of ancient metal ships looming where they float unrestricted by gravity, and the ballistic howls of a pissed-off pink alien still dealing with whatever the heck this Gio guy did to him.

He can’t focus on any of that because all of that is scary and he’s already terrified. He needs to not be terrified because he doesn’t want to be that kind of ghost when he haunts his family. He wants to be the friendly, funny kind, the kind that gets to stay at the end of the movie, the kind that will make silly faces at Mikey so he doesn’t get scared, and leave sticky notes for Donnie to remember to charge his phone and drink enough water, and cover Raphie with an extra blanket while he’s asleep because it gets cold at night but he always leaves his bedroom door open for them.

If Leo’s friendly and funny, if he helps, he’ll get to stay. He didn’t get to stay the first time, so this time he has to make it stick.

Larger hands wrap around his. It doesn’t register for a second, and then it does in a big way.

Leo jerks his head up. Moving just that much hurts like his ribs are broken all the way down and the bones in his leg have all melted into liquid agony, but it clears some of the fog away.

Someone is holding his hands in the prison dimension.

An alien like the Krang wouldn’t know the first thing about the human gesture, the togetherness of it, so it’s not some mean trick that’s being played. And it can’t be an imaginary turtle that Leo dreamed up, after all, because kindness would be the last thing he’d give himself.

Possibly very real Gio says, “Fuck Uber. Whatever that is. And don’t repeat that word.”

The punchy breath Leo chokes in is going to punch out again as a laugh or a sob. Leo squeezes the bigger turtle’s hands, photo crinkling between them, suddenly tethered to something in this void and hysterically certain that he’ll die for real if Gio lets go.

“I’m sixteen.” Leo’s voice wobbles. He doesn’t know what to react to first. He doesn’t understand how this is happening. He holds on. “I can say the fuck word if I want to, I’m practically an adult.”

Gio’s face does something it hurts to look at. His eyes are dark and sincere, the shape of them entirely familiar. There’s a warmth inside him that permeates the gloom. A star belonging to a much larger galaxy, but more significantly, belonging to the same crooked constellation Leo belongs to.

I know you, he thinks, surprised by the truth of it. I do. Where have you been?

“We’re going home,” Gio says, the certainty in his voice like one of those huge stones a river parts around, unmoved by the currents and crashing water. “I know the way out. Don’t worry about it. Close your eyes.”   

The worst thing that could happen has already happened, Leo thinks. There’s no reason not to trust him. There’s nothing left to lose. He closes his eyes.

He feels himself drawn in, tucked against the built-in armor of a turtle chest, head resting on a broad shoulder. He’s been carried like this a million times before. He didn’t think it would happen again. Somewhere along the line, he’d been picked up for the last time and put down for the last time, and now he’s here, where no one who loves him can reach him, to scoop him up when he falls asleep on the sofa and take him to bed.

But Gio lifts him up like he’s still a kid. The Krang is bellowing hateful promises in between the grating shrieks of pain, promises of what he’ll do when he gets his hands on Leo, but all of that is far away. 

Leo isn’t afraid anymore. He isn’t going to be a ghost.

He’s pretty sure he’s going home.   

[impactrueno]

I don't think the crew's comments about Lydia and Beetlejuice being endgame should be taken seriously. If that was seriously considered I feel like the movie would have gone on a different direction, they were pretty consistent with Lydia being disgusted by Beetlejuice and he's the villain all the way to the end

yeah that's kiiind of how i feel too. i would not say he's the villain though? i think he's more of an anti-hero type of character in this one. definitely not a good guy though lol not by a long shot

ultimately the cast isn't the one who's making the story here, however they do have some insight the audience might not have. like i feel like they know something we don't and that's why they feel that way, because they were all VERY sure about it.

this is just my guess so take this with a grain of salt, but i feel like the cast might be a little biased because they know michael personally and he's nice to everyone behind the scenes, you can tell everyone has a lot of love for him. i don't like assuming stuff like this so AGAIN don't take this as fact, but i remember winona saying something along the lines of like, him making sure she wasn't uncomfortable while filming the first movie, so maybe that kinda stuck with her and she conflated it with beetlejuice's character. she speaks of the whole thing in a very shy fangirl manner (which is honestly kind of adorable winona youre 52 and acting like this) like she knows it's silly and she knows she shouldn't want them to be endgame but she does anyway. so THAT feels like it really is her own personal opinion that hasn't much to do with what's planned for them (if there's anything planned at all because we don't know anything for sure, we can only guess and hope there'll be a third one)

tim burton has talked about how he wanted the whole macarthur park scene to be straightforwardly romantic and emotionally intimate, in its own fucked up beetlejuicey way of course. i think it can be all that and still be pretty one-sided idk i personally enjoy the one-sided aspect? macarthur park IS a breakup song after all. so i think i kinda see where he was going with that. it's uh. kind of an enigmatic scene once you stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and try to analyze it lol

sorry i lost my train of thought there i got interrupted many times while typing this

i think what i was trying to say is that, even with the one-sidedness and breakup song and all that, there could still be a possibility that things take a strange turn in a third movie if it happens. it's just. wow. how would they even make THAT work, you know? because this movie didn't push hard enough in that direction. it's not impossible but if they do go for it, it will be insanely hard to pull off successfully. fics are one thing, you can do whatever you want in fanfiction, but canon can't be approached like that.

who knows man. lately i've been thinking about how i would've reacted to learning about the events of the sequel if i hadn't been eased into it with trailers and promos and through the movie and its storytelling, and i just know i would've thought "that's insane and would not happen, ever, come on" and now here i am. accepting it. breaking it down and analyzing it. enjoying it! i love this crazy ass movie.

at this point i think anything could happen even if i'm also very skeptic about everything. i won't believe anything until i see it.

[kpop-cakepops]

Hidden (Kim Mingyu X AFAB!Reader)

Description: angst. You get in a fight with Mingyu :,)

Warnings: slight cussing.

(Haha, not me writing after years of inactivity 😂😭, enjoyyy. Also, this is not revised, so excuse any grammar errors)

It wasn't that you were jealous, not even insecure... it was envy. There you were, sat in the loneliness of your bedroom, tapping through the private Instagram stories of your boyfriend at yet another function. His friends sat at a large table, enjoying their time with him. Time you were missing out on. Time that could have been yours, too.

With a dejected sigh, you drop your phone on your bed and get ready to hop in the shower. The stories had been posted 2 hours earlier, so it came as no surprise to hear the front door of your apartment open and close followed by your boyfriend's heavy footsteps coming in the direction of your bedroom.

You quickly busied yourself looking through your closet for your pajamas until you finally heard him enter. He smelled faintly of alcohol as his warm hands came in contact with your hips from behind. "Hi princess"

"Hey" your response was curt and cold and you knew you were being petty, but there was not a single fiber in you telling you be nice.

He noticed. He always did when you were upset. A sigh left his lips, and he stepped back, allowing you out of his hold. "What did I do now?"

You gave him a quick glance. He was now sitting at the edge of your bed watching you closely, like a math problem he was in a hurry to solve. "Nothing. I'm just tired" he could continue trying to solve it for all you cared.

If only Mingyu were the type to back down.

"Clearly not just 'nothing'" he insisted. "You're upset at me."

"I'm not doing this right now."

"If you don't want to fight, then at least do a good job of acting like everything is ok." now he was upset too. A small part of you wanted to blame yourself for doing this again, but the bigger part of you was hurt and felt left out. Things that a girlfriend should not feel about her boyfriend.

"Where were you tonight?" You finally met eyes with him only to have him roll his at you.

"Seriously?"

"That doesn't answer my question" you insisted.

"I went to have drinks with some friends, it's my day off." He finally conceded. "I didn't invite you because I thought you'd be busy-"

You can't help the scoff that leaves your lips, "bullshit" you interrupt. "Bullshit, Mingyu. You know my schedule. You knew I took today off- shit, I took today off for you and not one single call from you? Not even lunch?"

"Babe, it was a party for Lisa, and we all know you two don't really-"

"Holy shit, that's the excuse you're going with? That it was a party organized for Lisa, who I don't really talk to? At least fucking try to make sense, Kim Mingyu." You had said you weren't insecure, but you started to realize slowly that maybe you were insecure. This had never been an issue to you before Mingyu, you had never felt less than, you had never felt...

Hidden.

"Y/N I was just trying to save you an awkward time-"

Your eyes locked into his guilty black ones immediately, and as if by instinct you knew. "Mingyu, do they know about us?"

He stopped whatever bullshit excuse he was giving you, lips parted and eyes tearing away from your gaze immediately.

You hadn't been together for too long, but definitely long enough for his friends to know, surely. You had told all your friends by the time you'd been dating for 3 months, it would make absolutely no sense for him not to tell his friends after being together for 5 months... right?

"You know my friends know-"

You dropped the clothes in your hands and stomped up to him, shaking your head furious, "No, I know your members know. But what about your friends? Do they know that we're dating? Or am I correct in assuming that you are hiding me?"

You were met by silence. He avoided your gaze and stood from the bed turning his back on you, a hand tangled in his hair. "This is not how I thought tonight would go. I can't believe you're doing this right now."

"You're embarrassed of me?" You didn't mean for your voice to tremble the way it did. You hadn't even realized that your eyes were threatening to spill frustrated tears down your cheeks.

Your boyfriend flinched at the sound of your voice, but he didn't have the courage to face you. "Y/N..."

"Is it because I don't look like one of your super model friends?" You ask, "Or is it because I spend 40 hours a week holed up in an office? Or maybe because I live in an apartment that's the size of your walk in closet?"

He turns to look at you defeated, "Baby no-"

But it's too late. The seed of insecurity within you has germinated, it's grown roots, and they're spreading and wrapping around you at the speed of light. You can no longer keep eye contact with him. In an attempt to hide your tears, you pick up the clothes you'd dropped and start walking past him in direction of your bathroom.

His large hand grabs at your arm softly, "Y/N, please, let's not do this."

"I think you should go home. I have work in the morning." With a soft tug of your arm, his hand drops, and you lock yourself away in your bathroom, pressing a wrist to your lips, hoping that's enough to hide the choked sobs you'd been suppressing for weeks.

[alipeeps]

Episode 29

Oh dang so Yichen knew right from the get go that Zhao Yuanzhou had taken the scale out of the box.

Exactly this!!

(And he's gonna be stuck in that danger whilst you guys all stand around having a leisurely conversation about this!)

Pretty sure he wants it for you girl...

Will you PLEASE go fucking rescue Ying Lei?!!

Oh wait what? Bai Yan kept the baize token?

Well how the fuck did that happen? Did Li Lun do it during the brief time he had possession of it?

Ooooh so they didn't kiss in the previous ep, it was just a forehead touch... and sneaky Zhao Yuanzhou used it as a chance to do a quick health check on her...

Oh shiiit that don't sound good?

So now we have yet another dilemma! Restore the sword (and save Bai Jiu)... or save Wen Xiao?

Oh fuck, of course... she needs them to restore the sword to save her son...

Oh. Fair do's, I did her an injustice...

Oh fuck yeah... that is NOT a power that you want Li Lun to have control of...

Ugh Zhao Yuanzhou's faaaaace.... 😭

All this time she's been worrying about everyone else dying - Zhao Yuanzhou, Zhou Yichen, Bai Jiu... and it turns out she is the one who is going to die first...

I feel like it needs to be pointed out here... to Li Lun in particular... that it's Bai Jiu's body that is poisoned. If he doesn't want to die... he could move to another, non-poisoned, body. Sure, Bai Jiu's body was the perfect type of body for him, with him being descended from a tree god etc, but like... anything's better than dead, right? If Ao Yin really was willing to die to save him, he could put his core in her and possess her?

God damn Li Lun, you're a self-pitying fuck. You literally did all of this to yourself...

Oh righto, fucker's planning to go out in a blaze of glory...

Every previous baize goddess has taken on an apprentice to pass the torch onto though haven't they? She hasn't. Maybe she should, before it's too late.

Love how the minute they've got a confirmed diagnosis she is suddenly deteriorating/showing symptoms...

Fair point girl.

Yeah and it also chose YOU dumbass, didn't it?!!

YESSSS RIP THAT FUCKING CONTRACT UP!!

(Then kiss, damn you)

😭

Welp, you're dying anyway girl, might as well ride that demon while you still can.

So surprise surprise it was fucking Wen Zongyu behind it all again. Ugh I hate this guy so much.

So... lemme guess... he can cure her... if you give him Zhao Yuanzhou's core?

Oh so Wen Xiao and Bai Jiu are poisoned with the same thing?

BINGO

Problem is, if you offer that solution to Zhao Yuanzhou, he WILL fucking offer up his core to save Wen Xiao. You know it.

Oh fucking hell, we ALSO need Zhao Yuanzhou's core to fix the fucking sword. Jfc, can the gang ever get a break?

Is there a single fucking dilemma in this show where the solution is NOT Zhao Yuanzhou needs to die?

Oh fuuuck so they can use the ever-burning wood without killing Zhou Yuanzhou... but it will leave him weak and unable to use his power for a while.

That sounds like an excellent whump scenario to me, bring it on!!! 😁

(Also though... will using the ever-burning wood for this purpose like... use it all up? Cos that's the only reason Wen Zongyu even wants the core, right?)

BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!!! 😂😂😂

Oooohhhh....

He's such a little shit. I love him so much.

He's crushing jade for him?

My fucking heart....

SINCE I CHOSE TO BE YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND

FUCKING KILL ME NOW

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCKING ZIJI. THEY FUCKING WENT THERE!!

Yeah nice thought but that ain't gonna happen is it

This is sounding awfully like goodbye, Zhou Yichen. Like you are thanking him for everything he's done for you before... before...

God the fucking affection in the way he looks at Zhou Yichen

Thank you for your... life-saving grace? As in... giving up your life to save Wen Xiao?

I fucking KNEW IT!!!

Oh GOD he just opens his arms to let him do it....

Ohhhhh fuuuuck did he manage to draw the ever-burning wood from Zhao Yuanzhou's core into the sword? Cos that's what Wen Zongyu actually wants. not the core itself...

Oh well that makes it all SO much better Zhao Yuanzhou!!!

BUT HAVE ANY OF YOU ever fucking stopped to wonder WHY he wants the ever-burning wood and what he intends to do with it?

Cos he has straight up admitted his plan is to destroy ALL demons. And it's a pretty sure bet that he needs the ever-burning wood for that exact plan.

Like... I know you want to save Wen Xiao and Bai Jiu but please.. a little critical thinking here?

Personally I'd want to try out the antidote and make sure it fucking works before I'd give him shit!

Of course Ao Yin fucking appears and swipes the antidote.

Well, Wen Zongyu made the antidote, he can fucking make more. Snatch that ever-burning wood back and make him come back with more.

Ah yeah, stab that fucker! Damn right Yichen!

Meanwhile... you've left Ao Yin unsupervised with the precious antidote on the ground near her...

Well that was stupid! Couldn't happen to a more-deserving fellow though... Bye bye Wen Zongyu, you were the worst.

Will you PLEASE go get the antidote instead of just standing there watching the dude burn up?!!

Aaaand it's empty anyway. Surprise surprise the fucker double-crossed 'em.

Yeah I had a feeling that would be the case.

Oh here we go... so who's gonna volunteer to save Wen Xiao? Zhao Yuanzhou or Zhuo YIchen? Ao Yin will definitely volunteer to save Li Lun.

There she goes.

Why did Li Lun suddenly collapse though?

So. End of ep 29 and the Chongwu camp bad guy is dead and along with him, hopefully, his plot to kill all demons. The Cloud Light Sword is restored and you've got an unconscious Bai Jiu/Li Lun right there so tie/lock that bad boy up and you can sever his primordial spirit and save Bai Jiu as soon as Zhou Yichen gets back.

That just leaves the thorny issue of which demon is gonna sacrifice themself to detoxify Wen Xiao...

[itsnotamatterofif]

Cast Recording thoughts that no one asked for!

It’s getting a solid 7/10 for me, and I don’t think it’s any of the actor’s faults. There’s just some strange editing choices that make absolutely no sense to me (freight into act 2 hydrogen with no coda being one of them), and the whole thing just sounds very… earnest? They sure are hitting every note perfectly, there’s just no riffs unless you’re greaseball or Momma, and I am thinking that it’s either a directing choice or just a general lack of confidence from brand new debuting cast. I wasn’t sure at first if this is just due to the improving quality of audio recording since 2009, but like, all the T’s are accentuated and half of the riffs sound like they were pre-agreed, there’s no room for the actors to show off if that makes sense.

There were a few songs that I didn’t like, (I’ll be honest Freight pales in comparison to previous freights, which is sad as a Hydra stan - he doesn’t even get his introduction!!!!) and there were some that smashed it out of the park, and I genuinely think all of the problems are just very strange creative decisions by a team who wanted to make something ‘new’ and ‘modern’ without quite understanding what that is outside of ditching a traditional pit orchestra. I’m a bit sad they don’t have any incidentals, but also that’s rare to find in cast recordings these days.

Outside of that, however, I think the actual singing is great and the cast do their damned best. I’ve never actually heard Jeevan as Rusty (I saw Scott when I saw it) so it was really nice to hear - he has such a good voice. Tom Pigram also comes across better on the recording - some of the megamixes have been DODGY on those top notes, but the recording was super good and I like the editing in AC/DC. The ethereal twink vibes are unreal, they’re giving those rich dudes on instagram who always brag about having £40 cups of tea or whatever.

I’m gonna do an under the cut with a thought on every song (I need to give the music student in me something to do every now and then)

Okay track list run down!

Overture/entry of trains: nothingburger song but otherwise a nice into, could have done with a bit of a break between the mum telling control off and then going into the song but whatever. Slightly strange no trains have nationalities but Greaseball is still the Union Pacific, however big up They/Them Orange Flash.

Rolling Stock: classic, love it, 10/10. We already knew this was a banger.

Crazy: we already knew this was a banger too. Jeevan’s Rusty is so sweet and determined. I don’t know if I prefer it over the doo-wap version from 2009 but it’s still good.

I Am Me: I still don’t actually know whether I like this song, but I also didn’t know whether I liked it in Bochum. It’s a bit generic and it think it’s a bit weird that they’re all like ‘yeah those engines can’t push us around!’ before being pushed around by the engines. I think I just miss A Whole Lotta Locomotion but I can understand why they cut it.

Whistle At Me: this is so sweet but so weird. Why is Rusty not allowed to whistle? Is it because of noise pollution laws? Cat calling allegory? Are steamers second class citizens and have to keep all proof they’re a steamer quiet? What’s the deal here. They’ll remove incidental speech that is essential to the story but keep in Pearl friendzoning him.

Freight is Great: UGH. Tassita is the highlight here honestly. It’s just so EMPTY, I guess that’s a constraint of just how few cast members can be on that stage without there being a health and safety shut down. I hate the chop into Hydrogen, it’s so horrible and janky and that’s not even where Hydrogen is in the show.

Hydrogen: breaks my heart to say it, but I never really liked Hydrogen. I don’t like environmentalist activism in shows since it’s never the audience who needs to hear it, and I find it funny that ALW wants to preach this now when he’s more than happy to take a private jet to a country he doesn’t live in to support a political party who doesn’t really care (ALW is Tory scum for those not in the UK). Jayden Vijn is a powerhouse both vocally and on stage though, and there’s more character in this song than there is in half the first act sooooo

AC/DC: actually a banger? I like the different approach to Electra, and I think the editing covers up for the fact that Pigram isn’t a belter. They did forget to introduce a component though which is just a hilarious oversight.

Pumping Iron: IMPECCABLE 10/10. No notes. Al Knott is amazing.

Make up My Heart: very sweet, very earnest. Montecillo’s Pearl seems to be very innocent, which is different. Can’t really go wrong with this one.

Momma’s Blues: mmmm Jade Marvin has such a nice voice, it takes her a line or two to get into it but once she’s into it it’s very nice and smooth. Classic song, really like it, Lumber’s interrupts however make absolutely no sense without the visuals.

Starlight Express: it’s the song!! Why did they change the melody oh my GOD- Jeevan sings it so nicely but I would give my right arm to hear him sing the traditional one.

UNCOUPLED: Eve Humphries is so so so good. The loss of the accent is worth mourning, but I’d rather she did it like this than put on a shit southern accent for the bit.

Wide Smile: not even gonna lie this is a JAM. Emily Martinez is such an underdog and she fucking went for it. Ending is a bit weird but I guess we can’t have everything.

The Races: I’m gonna include them as one since they’re functionally identical. It’s nice to have them in, I wish we could have had all four since I think the first one is actually race 1, 2, and 3 jammed together. I REALLY LIKE the chorus in the final race singing to get Rusty over the finish line, that’s such a sweet touch.

I am the Starlight: impeccable. This is one of those songs you have to get right and I think they both aced it. I think there’s room for both of them to be a bit more vocally adventurous, but it’s a solid performance, and it’s fantastic live which adds to my theory that they were all being held back by vocal direction.

One Rock N Roll Too Many: amazing, funny as fuck. Greasy’s and Electra’s ‘NO’ is amazing. 10/10.

I do: I feel a bit bad saying this is a bit generic, it’s a fantastic vocal performance, I just think next time you fall in love is much more theatrically interesting and gives some character depth. Pearl spends most of the musical not really giving a shit about Rusty so it’s suddenly a bit weird that she’s absolutely head over heads for him, and at least in Next Time she admits she liked him all along and just didn’t know it.

Light at the end of the Tunnel: classic and good, and I actually like the environmental changes here. Marvin shows again how strong of a singer she is and a good time is had all round.

Megamix: ELECTRA HIT THE NOTES YES LAD GET ON!!!!!! I have been listening to this on repeat for months on YouTube so it’s nice to have an official recording finally. Just an absolute tune.

Yeah anyway rant over feel free to disagree with me on most of this

[laurarolla]

Before the cooperative sportsball mode in Arknights begins, let's look back on a few thoughts from the finale of Act II of the main story, "Absolved Will Be The Seekers." Also, thanks to Wis'adel, I was easily able to clear all four of the hell stages, and I can probably finally go back and clear the previous chapter hell stages and finally get those upgrade tokens I'm missing for the chapter ops.

First, I enjoyed the little moment in the middle where the Followers trio get to clown on those Confessari pricks. Love seeing those fascist bloodsuckers lose. XP

Moving on, the overarching story of why Theresa returned and her goals with the Originium Assimilation were rather interesting, especially in what we seem to have learned about Arknights possible overarching villain, Priestess. It's nice that the citizens of Victoria will no longer be abused and murdered by the Sarkaz now that Theresis and his loyal forces are off to do something else, but getting his hands on the Originium stone that sort of represents the "original sin" of the Teekaz is not a good sign for the future. Beyond that, it's somewhat unclear how much of what Theresa did in the Assimilated Universe was actually her choice. I think it was a great act of mercy and love to finally free the Myriad Souls from the Originium, granting them the freedom to truly die instead of being trapped in the stagnant tomb of Originium. Unfortunately, I think the Originium she handed to Theresis very much falls under Priestess's plans to "continue the experiment." In the end, everything seems to be progressing as she has planned.

A few nice bits about Priestess that we got to see (if we are to believe anything she said to us) include that she's not a member of the same people as the Doctor, and previously spent her time recording sounds of dying worlds. Originium is not only a way for her to show that she deserved to stand alongside Oracle as an equal, but also became a way for her to record the dying breath of each and every world if her experiment succeeds. She seems genuinely motivated out of a love for what she's seen and heard across the universe, but she can't accept the transient nature of life. Whether there's some actual intentional malevolent force she's trying to use Originium to avoid, or just straight up entropy, she's so desperate to cheat death that she sees life as a threat to her efforts. It has left her cold in her interactions with the Doctor, who has fully regained their ability to love life and accept its limited nature while seeking to improve the lives of those they meet on their journey. I theorized that the Doctor may be been manipulated or controlled by Priestess during Babel, and at this point, I'm now sure not only that they were manipulated, but that they can't be manipulated in the same way anymore. Kal'tsit also rejected Priestess, and Amiya figured out how to use the Civilight Eterna to manipulate some aspects of the Assimilated Universe. I'm interested to see how these rejections affect things later in regards to Priestess's intentions.

Looking forward to future encounters with Eblana now that she's kinda the main threat to the current Victorian hierarchy, especially since she got one of the dukes on her side. Overall, though, I think we'll get most of the important immediate follow-up for Victoria when the Siege Alter event comes in about 4 or 5 months.

Wis'adel got her name finally and I'm super happy about that. Her journey from the beginning to now has been great, although I think most of her big character development is basically complete now. It's nice to have a character get their Alter form from an event or something that has significant personal story growth, with Wis'adel and Silence probably being my favorite alter/story intersections so far. Eyja's was also quite nice.

I'm also gonna say that Civilight Eterna (Theresa's Phantom) is herself a product of the Civilight Eterna arts ability I previously theorized/observed. She was largely created through Amiya pulling memories from the past and binding them into a phantom clone that Theresa left as a kind of keepsake. Basically, she's there because both she and Amiya want her to be there, and each used the power of the King of the Sarkaz to manifest her. That's why she has actual memories and arts powers from Theresa, albeit not as strong. I also love that how Amiya created the staff was to reshape Yin Xiao into an arts staff, reforging a sword seeking vengence into a tool of healing. Very simple but very effective.

Oh, and after 300 pulls I got Nearl the Radiant Knight from the shop, and my last free pull today was Mizuki, so now I have all the Ambushers... except Kirara.

[trashyandtiredsol]

1. Oh it's "Piltover Boxing League" I thought that it was an underground fitting ring in Zaun ajfjajgjdkgj

2. HELL YEAH HELLO VI

3. She knocked that guy's jaw off in one punch god damn 💀

4. Dang she has REALLY hit rock bottom after that whole breakup incident with Caitlyn last act

5. Oh yeah deeeeefinitely definitely rock bottom

6. NO NOT THAT SCENE FROM SEASON ONE IN CAITLYN'S BED DON'T REMIND ME OF HAPPIER TIME RIGHT NOW 😭

7. Welp here's a Vi and Jinx reunion for y'all ahfjjdgjdkgkxkgj

8. Now Vi knows about the whole Vander thing yay family bonding time incoming!! 😀 (they're fighting to the death actually)

9. OKAY so Ambessa is NOT dead- only her mask thing is fucked up minus just one singular scratch (literally it's just a fucking scratch what??????????)

10. MEL MEL MEL ARE YOU ALRIGHT PLEASE BE ALRIGHT FOR FUCKS SAKE PLEASE

11. Oh fuck no she's suffering BAD D:

12. NO ELORA'S FUCKIN DEAD I WANTED TO SEE MORE OF HER D:<

13. Y'ALL WE FINALLY GET TO MEET MEL'S BROTHER KINO HELL YEAH I WAS WONDERING WHEN THAT'D HAPPEN

14. Oh joy let's go into a mine where there's probably a literal killer beast who barely even remembers you besides in glimpses 😒

15. Lol they gotta clap to keep whatever the fucks in those mines glowing

ALSO- what the fuck are those glowy things???????????? Some sort of organic crystals????

16. Jinx just ate one??????????????? AND SHE ISN'T EVEN SURE IF THOSE ARE TOXIC??????????

17. Aaaaannd they're fighting 🙄

18. Bro not Ambessa making Singed an advisor for her instead of putting him in one of those isolated/not even humane dungeons

19. Oh yo we get Medarda family lore time lessgo!!!

20. "For love." Indeed

Also YAY WE FINALLY SEE HIS DAUGHTER!! Not under the best circumstances but still- more lore!!

21. Y'all Kino's being creepy as shit moving around like that I do NOT like it one bit ajdjskgjskgjsjg

22. Y'ALL I DON'T THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY KINO THERE WAS A VOICE DISTORTED THING GOING ON JUST NOW

NUH UH THAT SOME CREEPY SHIT DUDE BACK THE FUK UP

23. YEAH HE AIN'T MEL KNOCK HIM OUT

24. NO NOW SHE'S THE ONE CHAINED UP D:

25. I hope Mel survives that- kinda seems like she will with how that scene just ended but I just want some reassurance :(

26. OH FUCK VANDER/WARWICK SNIFFED OUT ISHA'S BLOOD THIS AIN'T GOOD

27. OH IT'S SOME OLD PLACE VANDER AND SILCO USED TO GO TO/POSSIBLY LIVED IN

28. OH SHIT HE FOUND EM THAT AIN'T GOOD

29. VI AND VANDER SHOWDOWN NOW

30. Oh we getting some flashbacks with younger Vander and younger SILCO and someone named Felicia who I believe's Vi and Jinx's mom!!! Fuck ye lore drops are awesome in this show!! :D

31. OOoooh her hair looks purple!! Lol that'd be funny- plue and pink make purple and VI and Jinx got pink and blue hair (or was it blue and red??? Idk :P)

32. Their dad's name is Connol????? Weird, but fine I guess

So Felicia and Connol make Vi/Violet and Powder/Jinx- nice :3

33. Aww Vander gave her the name Violet 🥺

34. THEY'RE HUGGING I REPEAT THEY ARE HUGGING AND NOW I'M FUCKIN CRYING HELL YEAH VANDER VI AND JINX ARE HUGGING 😭

35. Aww and Isha to!!! :D

36. YO YO YO WE GETTING SOME HEXTECH SHIT NOW YAY

Also who's the one in the white cloak?? Cuz I know that ain't Viktor- Viktor is purple as fuck and doesn't have blonde hair

Also this white cloaked figure has some metal designs on their legs that is VERY similar to the arcane's design

37. JAYCE MY BOY FUCK YEAH HE RETURNS

Also- WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO HIM IN THE HEXTECH CORE THINGY!?!!!??!!

38. SALO IS THE WHITE CLOAKED FIGURE??????? HE GOT MIRACLED BY VIKTOR I BET

PLUS HE'S WALKING NOW AND- AND HE HAS THOSE METAL DESIGNS AHFJSKGKDKGI

39. HOLY SHIT I JUST FUCKIN GASPED- I NEVER GASP OUT LOUD FOR A SHOW OH MY GOD VIKTOR IS TALKING THROUGH SALO NOW HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK

But aww Viktor misses Jayce 🥺

40. Well yeah Vik Jayce's mind did suffer he just fuckin crushed Salo with his fucking wonky new hammer

Also he's saying the Arcane is a curse now so- yeah some shit definitely went down when he touched the Arcane

Tho.. I think he's probably thought about slapping Salo or something before this- though I doubt he would've actually killed him then

WELP EPISODE FIVE IS NOW FINISHED ONTO THE NEXT.. after lunch tho cuz it's currently noon and I've only had cereal today like- a few hours ago and I'm hungry

First live reaction thing

ALRIGHTY GONNA GET STARTED ON ACT 2 :D

First things first: CAITLYN AND MADDIE!???????!?!! BRO WHAT

[queencaramilflinda]

Everyone during neverafter 15: oh my god these social interactions are going horribly they’re all doing so bad!

Me, neurodivergent and cannot read social cues: idk mostly these seem fine

[ayyponine]

not to be a milennial but harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban really is that bitch....

[junonreactor]

just did all the party sidequests. that was really cute

[lonesilverw0lf]

Disclaimer, I haven’t read the other chapters, only this blurb, because I want to get these out there before I lose them, you know how it is. So if any of these are contradictory to your already established lore, then ya know why.

Now for the curse: it’s not his fault. Now usually curses are thrown onto those who commit some wrongdoing, as some kinda karma, retribution, or some such. Hiccup was cursed due to malice. Tell me you can’t see the likes of Drago or Grimmel doing something like that after Hiccup soundly defeats them. The Devil doesn’t care about justice anyway, so the more he screws over the better. Yeah, great idea! Be petty and curse the guy who trounced you with a devilish curse! Oh, what’s that? Didn’t anticipate Hiccup using his cursed form to destroy what’s left of you and your forces? Ah gee! Who could’ve seen that coming?

Given that it’s Hiccup who was cursed and his iron will, he would learn to get a solid handle on most of his curse. Some of his mannerisms could be misinterpreted as part of the curse, like he doesn’t enter anyone’s house without permission, when in reality he’s just being polite. Imagine him knowing how to play a hurdy gurdy and recreate a part of Old Berk for Astrid. Giving whatever books that have survived to Fishlegs so he can restore them/copy them for the future. His ravens are his spies, but he then teaches them to be aides for the village if they need it.

Given what I’ve read, this island is pretty well peaceful. No major comings or goings, pretty well untouched by outside trouble. So of course trouble will come their way because nobody can have nice things now can we?

I can also see a scene where some cocksure, somewhat vainglorious crew stroll on up to ‘free the innocent folks from this horrid nightmare! We will trace the fiend back to its lair and slay it where it sleeps! Except the monster is walking around downtown in broad daylight! By the gods, it’s not just some creature that scares the stupid common folks like we thought! Quickly, attack it while its back is turned!’ So the guy stabs Hiccup in the back with a sword or something, but Hiccup is more annoyed that he was interrupted than upset that he was just impaled. ‘Excuse you sir, but we are having a conversation!’ So Gobber, Astrid, or maybe the Twins would come to Hiccups defense. Perhaps they even half innocently half smugly ask the foolhardy adventurers if they want the weapons they attacked Hiccup with back.

Old Berk could’ve been a thriving kingdom, and so would have been in a strategic location for warfare, commerce, and thus the apple of a great many eyes, it thankfully uncontested due to Hiccup. It was a heck of a lot bigger before the curse too. A lot of islands surrounding Berk are also left alone since they’re part of Berk territory so to speak. Sure his cursed legend would be a good deterrent, but he was the Chief back when and his duty to protect the land hasn’t stopped due to some curse. So if any pirate crew wants to go a raiding, they’ll have to get past Hiccup first. Sure he’ll start with just scaring them off, but if push comes to shove, he has a lot of weight to throw around.

If Hiccup has to, he can go full warlord on any invaders. Summoning the twisted and cursed forms of the dragons to annihilate anyone bold enough to try. Commanding them with supreme tactics and precision as if he was playing chess. He doesn’t want to fight, he prefers if his cursed companions rest.

Blurb #59- Halloween Special

I'm going to try to share 70 blurbs from my WIPs and unfinished fics to celebrate reaching 70 posted fics! To help with this endeavor, please feel free to send me a word or a fandom you know I write for, and I'll share the blurb. IDK if I'll get 70 prompts, but let's try it! Send as many as you want!

Astrid had grown up on the isle of Berk. Born and raised on its cursed soil. She knew the best trees for climbing, she knew every name in the five hundred or so people that roamed the village. She swam its waters, explored its caves. She knew not to eat the dark purple berries on the thorny vines, and she knew not to make fire from black wood. She knew it was bad luck to wander into the bonefield, and that only people with a death wish went out at night. She knew that the trade ships that came in refused to stay more than one night on their soil, and that no ‘blood of the island’ was able to leave the isle’s waters.

And she knew not to approach the Pale Rider. 

Life on Berk was not really all that different from life on any other island or village. There were a few things to get used to, but all things considered, life was fine. 

Almost idyllic. 

They had farms, they had a baker, a blacksmith/butcher/dentist, a tailor, and a medicine woman. There was a large field of wildflowers. And the cliffs that overlooked the ocean offered beautiful views.

What was odd was that they didn’t have a mayor, or chief, or any kind of ruler. And the land was cursed. Oh, extremely cursed.

The extent of the curse was not fully known. It had long been set into the island for many generations. The inciting event had wiped out a large amount of the population, that included the witnesses. 

Thus the boneyard and the forbidden, crumbling castle on the mountain. 

Besides a few stray quirks of the island, the main effect of the curse was that no one born of the descents of the original village was able to leave. The curse feasted upon the life of its inhabitants and leaving the waters a few miles out would find one drained of energy before they perished. 

That’s how her father died. 

A fisherman, out alone on his vessel, just trying to go out a little farther to look for a better spot. The medicine woman stated that he had succumbed to the curse before he could even turn around. That was of course several days after he hadn’t come back and his ship finally floated back. 

So if you weren’t the adventurous or vacationing type, it wasn’t that big of a deal. 

Oh right, there was also the Pale Rider. 

When she was a child, stories of the Rider would instill fear into the children of the village. He was responsible for the missing livestock, for the trails of blood, and piles of bones. It was only a matter of time before his hunger would turn to those who he cornered in dark alleys at night. 

Things changed a few years ago. Whereas the Rider had only ever been talked about, and stood as an urban legend of the town, he was still a mystery. Parents made up what he looked like, how he acted, what he wanted. There was occasionally a sighting. Someone would come ranting and raving in the village square that they saw the rider running across the ocean or some other flight of fancy. Others still swore they heard the whinny of his horse. Although when asked to describe it, they ended up mimicking the sound of a bear or a mountain lion. 

But one day, the village Blacksmith/butcher/dentist, an eccentric man named Gobber, gifted with a backbone made of steel, decided he had enough. He called everyone together in the village square and announced, “I have invited the Rider to come to my shop tomorrow, and he accepted.” 

Horrified murmurings fell over the crowd. 

“You did what?” 

“Aye! You heard me! I got tired of the creature snagging my chickens! Pickin’ them off one by one…terrified them out of laying eggs!” 

“…so you invited him into the village.” 

“Yes!” Gobber exclaimed. “But you’re looking at it all wrong. I invited him to come and run his errands like a normal person, instead of him stealing like a horrible raccoon!” 

“He’s no horrible raccoon! He’s worse! He’s a demon!” 

“An abomination!” 

“The curse that walks!” 

“Death incarnate!” 

“Now now,” a voice called out among the crowd. This belonged to Dagur, son of the richest man in town, Oswald. As the richest family, the Berserker clan had some power, and opinions. “I’m sure Gobber didn’t mean any harm in inviting…an eldritch monster into our sweet little village.” 

“It’s jus’ as much his village as everyone else’s. He’s been here longer than all of us. A little goodwill won’t hurt nobody.” 

“You better hope it won’t, old man.” Dagur poked him in the chest. “Or I’ll make sure you suffer.” 

Astrid remembered the day the Pale Rider came to town for the first time. She was only 13, still a child. Her father was still alive. That day was sunny with big pillowy clouds. Many folks would claim that he arrived on a gray, rainy day, but that simply wasn’t true. It was sunny, and lovely. 

The caws of ravens preceded him. A flock of five swooping in. Then a horn from the watchtower alerted an intruder. 

The black shadow appeared at the edge of town, opposite to Gobber’s forge. People screamed and ran inside, while others coward in alleyways, terrified but curious to see what would happen. 

Astrid had been pulled into her house by her father, but still peered out the door to watch. 

The Pale Rider made his way through town, the clacking of horse hoofs and the calls of the ravens the only thing to show life in the village. 

He was not what she was expecting, but much worse. His horse, if you could call it that, was a black beast with leathery wings. It had tusks and fangs and its hooves morphed into talons. Its eyes glowed an acid green and it breathed fire from its nostrils. Its shape was unnatural. The neck looked like it was made of only bone, and its joints were spindly and narrow. 

The Rider himself was tall, too tall. His neck was elongated, as were his black and blue fingers. He wore an animal skull mask over his face, but his own violent green eyes still burned through the sockets. He had antlers like an elk, and wore a long, draping black cloak that fell open just enough to reveal his chest. 

His heart was on fire inside of him, and the flame illuminated it through the skin, only obscured by the form of his rib cage. 

Astrid’s home wasn’t too far from Gobber’s shop, and she slipped out to watch the Rider arrive. 

Gobber waited for him, hands on his hips and smiling. “There you are! I wondered if ya’d show. And ah, sorry ‘bout the cold reception! I told the other folks that you were comin’ and well, maybe one day they’ll come around.” 

The Rider didn’t respond. 

“Right, so come on in…” Gobber beckoned him into the forge. 

The Rider ducked his head, entering the forge, horse and all. His antlers scraped against the doorframe. 

He stayed for about an hour. Then, just as he came, he left. Silent, slowly, just rode out of town, leaving everyone behind to deal with the aftermath. 

That was three years ago. Every day since then, without fail, the Pale Rider would arrive at noon. For the first year, the guard sounded the horn at his approach. But after a while, he went unannounced. 

People still halted in the streets and let their conversations go silent. They watched him go, no longer terrified, but cautious. 

No one said it, but everyone agreed one day he’d snap and kill them all. 

Not Astrid though. She had come to see the Rider as a part of village life. Just as the rooster signifies dawn, so does the Rider declare noon. 

Each day, he went to the blacksmith’s shop, taking his horse in with him. Some days he left with a paper package, and some days he left empty handed.

[tardis--dreams]

Alright maybe my coworkers don't Actually hate me after all~

[keeps-ache]

little soup cans are some of the neatest things we have, wish there were more soup-can-like things in this world

[thethingything]

also shoutout to the hospital for sending us a bunch of PDFs with information about preparing for surgery and what to expect, except the information was all generic stuff where most of it does't actually apply to wisdom tooth removal, so I had a huge panic attack where I nearly threw up because a bunch of the stuff mentioned in there is extremely triggering for us, only to then find out that stuff literally doesn't apply anyway, but now I feel like I have even less of an idea of what to actually expect because it's so hard to figure out which information does apply

[cantofworms]

.