#fable hits all of the themes though

[just-existing-as-you-do-blog]

Said in relentlessly cheerful voice "Number 3; when Ven's grave was discovered and he decided to leave Fable! When Ven and Icarus dug up Ven's rotting corpse, ven was upset to discover that not only was Fable capable of killing him, but he already had and ven was already dead! After grabbing his things he began to escape with the help of Icarus. Icarus however declined to come with him, so Ven turned around on his way out and said "I wish we could've been something." Before making his final escape! The horrific imagery along with the brewing tragedy of Icarus and Ven's love that could never be definitely meant it had to make our list for top 10 Fable moments!"

Like that?

A video going over Fable SMPs Top 10 moments, but in a "Welcome to Watch Mojo" tone/vibe

[whosthere54]

Hi chat! I’m on vacation but here’s some food!

I wanted to do a Royal AU fable SMP thing that was Brothers Centric, so I have that planned out a lil bit in my notes and that’s what inspired this little one shot!

Hope you enjoy reading about prison duo :3

———

Icarus was finally able to escape the incessant crowd. They don’t think they’ve ever talked to that many people in their life.

They sigh, leaning back against the wall with their arms crossed over their chest. They scan the ballroom, watching the people of their kingdom celebrate an agreement of peace between the Overworld and the End. If only they knew how much arguing and force it took to get there.

They run a shaky gloved hand through their hair and just breathe for a moment. Their jewelry seemed to have changed from bronze to gold- not that they were complaining- and the seems on their gloves changed from a matching black stitching to a gold thread.

Interesting choice by Quixis, but not an unwelcome one.

Their eyes fall on their brother, all bright purples and greens, and his partner hard not to spot in the crowd for being as tall as he was. He and Fenris seemed so happy together. They couldn’t help but be happy for them.

Fenris surprisingly wasn’t wearing any armor, only dressier black attire. His muscular build was different yet so similar to Centross’s. He was wearing a different mask than usual, this one made of black lace with gold and purple details, his hair pulled into a bun with purple ribbons hanging from it as a marking of his allegiance to the End Kingdom.

It was still Wolf though, that much stayed consistent.

Rae looked… nice.

He’s changed since they’ve last seen him. End markings now with deep lines of dark blue scarring similar almost to Athena’s scars from the wither sickness. An aftermath of the Skulk Sickness they assume. He seemed taller, which was odd. And he had an antler growing out of only one side of his head, decorated with gold chains and purple and green ribbons.

He was wearing a black dress, but it shimmered bright purples and greens when the light hit it. His hair was braided with blue orchids, all his jewelry having a matching orchid theme to them. His crown sat slightly askew atop his head, having been displaced since he’d gotten here. The purple and green jewels in it shined in the sunlight. He seemed so happy. Icarus couldn’t remember the last time they’d seen him that way.

It was nice to see him smile again.

Soon, Fenris traded Rae off for Centross. The two men laughing as Fenris spun them around. Centross wasn’t wearing his armor either, at request of fable, to make him more “non-threatening”. If you look around the citizens seem to be intimidated by him anyways, though the look dies down as time passes.

They all heard the stories. Some were true, some were not. The reputable assassin hired by Enderian herself to assassinate the prince, too much of a coward to finish the job. Some say he’s gotten soft, some say he’s a cold hearted killer, some say he’s just a man. The kingdom grew to respect him regardless. David Centross Mistvale. Their enemy turned best friend. Their assigned bodyguard. The person that is on their side no matter what.

Their idiot best friend.

He dressed nice, dark overworld greens contrasting with his purple scars. He looked like the end and the overworld mixed, black tinted hands and a tail only a bit different from the people of the end. And his wings. They had a structure similar to Rae’s dragon wings, though his were made of bone and whisps of purple the color of the void that faded out in a way so alike to ender particles. They were torn and burnt at the edges, but he was able to fly unaffected.

He had a mask shaped like the skull of a crow, black base with gold thread and green ribbon tying it to his head. They remember having to help him pick, him being so indecisive of what mask to have. Them picking out his earrings, dark metal feathers on gold chains, and giving him some other spare chains they had lying around to put on his mask.

They glanced around the room again, making eye contact for a moment with Rae. They gave him a soft smile and he nodded back, turning back to his partner as he switched off to dance with Rae again. They laughed, shaking their head slightly before turning their attention to their gloves.

They rubbed their eyes, trying to wake themselves up even slightly. Jumping when they feel a steady hand on their shoulder, looking up to find dark purple eyes looking back at them.

“Sorry, just me.” He offered them a lopsided smile.

“Yeah, sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.” They laugh softly, leaning back against the wall.

“Hm that’s alright.” He leans with his side against the wall, almost creating a barrier between them and the crowd.

They just talk, just existing for a while. Centross settled to lean his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. They watched the crowd for a bit, Icarus pointing out any important figures that they’d had to talk to- or hadn’t yet but were of note. After a bit of silence, Icarus rested their head against his shoulder. It was where their eyes were just hidden, pressed tightly at the curve of his neck.

He leaned his head just slightly against the top of their head, not saying anything but not moving them.

“You’re exhausted, when’s the last time you’ve slept?”

“Uhh… maybe Three days ago?”

“Gods Icarus”

“Look I’ve been busy”

“Not busy enough to not sleep, what were you doing with all that time birdie?”

They shrug.

“Just… paperwork or somethin’ I dunno.”

He hums softly. “We have to be here for five more hours and you can barely keep your head up, I can sneak you out if you want?”

They laugh lightly, ”If my father wouldn’t kill me id say yes.”

He laughs softly and nods in understanding.

”You can at-least rest your eyes for a bit hm?”

They shrug. After a little bit of silence, Centross runs his fingers gently through to mess with their perfect hair just enough so it’s lightly disheveled. They tense a moment, before relaxing and leaning into the contact with a contented hum.

He murmurs some soft reassurances, just continuing to mess with their hair, eyes continuing to scan the crowd for any type of threat.

After a bit of silence, Centross had honestly thought they’d fallen asleep. Though they mumbled softly, barely able to be heard over the other noise.

“Thank you.”

“Always.”

-=+=-

Rae missed this.

He missed dancing with his partner for hours, he missed laughing with him.

He missed the freedom peace gave them.

And they have it now, and it’s wonderful, and it’s scary, and it’s… he couldn’t really describe what he felt if he was asked.

He’d try for Fenris though.

His partner, his partner. He got to call him that now. His partner. His best friend. His wolf.

They had stopped dancing a little while ago, leaning against the wall with drinks instead. It’s been so long since they were able to talk freely like this. It was nice.

He laughed at something Fenris had said, before Fenris stops.

“Wait, Rae look” He says, pointing at the opposite wall, towards the corner of the ballroom. There, Rae saw Centross leaning back against the wall. When he looked closer he also saw his brother… his brother?

He saw his brother, perfect prince Icarus Morningstar, face hidden where it was resting against Centross’s shoulder, crown slightly uneven on his head where Centross’s hand combed through their hair. Their wings were still pressed tightly to their back, tail resting lightly over their leg, but they weren’t stood up straight and their crown wasn’t perfectly placed over their stupidly perfect hair.

“Oh”

“Yeah! Aw look at them!” Fenris leaned his head on top of Rae’s, looking at the pair.

”Are they..?” Rae asks, tilting his head to the side just slightly. He hasn’t talked to his brother in so long, but he would’ve told him that right? Or Centross or Fenris would’ve…

“No- not yet. They should don’t you think?” Fenris’s voice brings him back, eyes finding Icarus again.

“Yeah… yeah I think so.” He murmurs after a moment.

“Look at them. Little losers.”

“They’re our losers.” Fenris hums softly leaning more against his partner.

“Yeah.” Rae leans back, Fenris nuzzling against his hair.

My brother.

Our losers.

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

What’s your favorite lyric on The Prophecy and why? It has a ton of my favourites on the album overall but “Feeling like the very last drops of an ink pen” though maybe not the deepest hits cause FELT 😭

ooooooh this is hard because the whole song is soooooo evocative.

I think my immediate standout is "I got cursed like Eve got bitten" because I love how it turns the religious metaphor on its head. (I love Taylor's exploration of religion in her work in general. I've said before that WCS, for instance, feels like Catholic guilt personified, and there's so much of that same disentangling feeling across her discography, notably on TTPD.)

Many smarter people have pointed it out, but in the actual story, Eve doesn't get bitten, she's the one who eats the forbidden fruit and thus causes the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. (lol, disclaimer that I never listened very well in church and there's a reason I have run far away from any religion sooooooo.) But here, I think the implication is that Eve got "bitten" like she was the one punished and blamed for having a normal human desire. And the narrator being cursed like Eve got bitten is like saying, I'm being punished for wanting what everyone else does.

Plus, I just love the way the line flows.

I also love "Cards on the table, mine play out like fools in a fable," because a) again I love the way it sounds and b) I love that it takes a recurring theme in her music (games/cards, as in relationships and fate) and again kind of twists them. It's a beautiful way of saying, "I shared all of me including my dreams and intentions, and I got conned." It's heartbreaking.

[draconic-ichor]

Tarnished Threads, Golden Stitches

Morgott/tarnished fic

Slow burn

Warming: strong language, sexual themes

Summary: Hester is a seamstress living in the capital, life is fairly mundane until one fateful night at a festival…

Feedback appreciated, 18+

This is an entirely new Au! Not abandoning my other ones, was just inspired :3

The mending began months ago, the world was falling back into place. Everything was different now: their King was revealed to be an omen, their ‘god’ a glorified statue, the Golden Order reformed, and the Elden Lord galavanting around the Lands Between. It was a lot to swallow for Leyndell’s people.

But they had the chance to swallow now.

Not every tarnished met a true end on their journey; some survived to see their brother take up the mantle of Elden Lord, and in this new age, grace returned to their darkened eyes. Unlike their brother, however, they were still quite lowly.

Hester was one of these tarnished.

Awoken after the Erdtree already burned overhead, she was scrambling far behind in a world crumbling away… never to receive a rune of her own or see the fabled Round Table. It was not till after the mending that her eyes fell upon the tree in all its golden splendor; and like hundreds of others, she flocked to the capital towards it.

It was all for the best. Even though she was descended from those first few tarnished that followed Godfrey into the mists, fighting didn’t suit her. She knew a little magic, mostly reserved for healing, and couldn’t hold a blade to save her life. Her late awakening was a blessing.

What she did know, however, was mending. Hester was very good with her hands and could not only mend fabrics but had the creativity to create whole new clothing. She could also sew and spin thread. All things the capital had need of now that repairs were in order.

~

Hester sighed, deep in thought as she worked. She leaned forward, elbows on the worn workbench, staring wistfully out into the capital.

It was a busy morning, the townsfolk preparing for the festival that night, birdsong and fragrant smells filling her senses.

She loved the brightness, gaze drifting higher to the castle, alabaster stone and gilded tiles like a dream high above.

She sighed again.

“Sigh any louder and you’ll attract attention,” came a voice.

Hester jumped, pricking her finger as she did so. She yelped, quickly putting it in her mouth to soothe the sting. She gave a sharp look to the culprit, a man standing on the street below her open window.

“Looks like I already have.” She huffed.

He pulled himself up to the windowsill, a smile plastered over his face. The armor of a guard made him look a size bigger than he truly was, clinking together as he made himself comfortable.

“Don’t you have work to do?” She couldn’t help her lips crack into a smile.

“Doing my rounds now, when I happened upon a maiden. And don’t you have work to do? You have a stall in the market square tonight.” He reminded.

“I know!” Hester flushed, she’d saved for weeks for the fees, such a prime location had its prices.

“Mhm.” He nodded.

“I’m almost finished with my last few, just adding the final touches!” She gestured to the doll before her.

“Ghastly.” He shuttered, looking over her current batch.

“He is our King!” She snapped.

“And he can stay inside his castle.” The guard chuckled, leaning in a bit more to ask, “Do you truly think they will sell?”

“Not everyone holds so little love for their monarch.” Hes informed, “Some of us are loyalists.”

The man snorted, leaning in further still, attempting to steal a kiss. Hester rolled her eyes, hand covering his mouth as she pushed him back out the window.

He chuckled, feet hitting the cobblestones once more, “I’ll catch you one day, Hes.”

“Keep hoping.” She smiled, waving him off as he went back to his duties. She sat back heavily in her seat, eyes falling to the current doll she worked on. She sighed, slowly scanning the rest; all were endearing renditions of their king: with button eyes, little plush horns, and a fluffy tail made from scraps of real fur.

She held the current one closer, thumb softly tracing its small fabric face.

She couldn’t be the only one…

~

Lanterns filled the streets overhead, each one a different shape or hue, sending the night into a kaleidoscope of swirling color. The smell of spices and sweets filled the air, and the sound of mirth almost drowned out the far off beat of music.

Hester couldn’t get enough.

She put on her best dress and put flowers in her hair for the occasion. Part of her wanted to mingle about the crowd and see every stall for herself, but she had her own stall to run.

Her table was covered in bright bolts of fabric and batches of dolls all lovingly made. Children would scamper up and squeal out at seeing their hero in doll form, or the Elden Lords trusty spectral steed, while their parents pulled runes from their pockets. It was a special occasion after all. A few young maidens would sneakily buy a doll of their dashing Elden Lord, his absence in the capital adding to his mystique.

As the night was marching onwards, she was doing quite well! The glow of success dimmed a bit about her, as her amber eyes fell on a corner of the stall that lay untouched: the dolls of the King. Hester’s stomach twisted a bit.

She moved them to the center of the stall, in a place of easy sight, adjusting their little cloaks and tails to sit just right.

She couldn’t be the only one,

She kept telling herself.

The only one to see the allure of the King.

Her cheeks blushed at the thought, mind drifting back to the infatuated maidens and their excitement with the Elden Lord, or how she kept back a King doll for herself…

She was so ate up with thought she didn’t notice the sounds of revelry died down around her. It was not until the glow of the lanterns were obstructed by a great shadow that her eyes were ripped from the table. Hester looked up, freezing.

A great shape darkened her stall, silhouette monstrous and jagged, with a crown of twisting horns. Hester swallowed, the only movement she could manage, heartbeat in her throat.

It was King Morgott.

An eon seemed to stretch before them, the King like a pillar of stone as he looked over her wares. All the times Hester had caught sight of him, far away on the castle balcony or before a large crowd for an announcement, did him little justice. He was massive, at least thirty-six hands high, not counting the heavy tail that absolutely cleared the street behind him. The bulky cloak he wore about his shoulders exaggerated their broadness. Hers the critical eye of a seamstress, caught all the places the fabric was stressed, holes bore through it completely here or there.

Not fit for a King, surely.

She didn’t have long to wonder, the King’s hand moving forward. Hester gulped, suddenly realizing his single eye was fixed on the little dolls made in his likeness. A hand, bigger than her waist, carefully picked up the closest one, bringing it to his face for inspection. It was clear they were made with the utmost care, and very oddly they were constructed without overemphasis on his more beastial features. They were….flattering even?

His brow knotted, gaze flicking away from the little doll to its maker.

Was she flushed??

Even more curious…

She trembled a bit as his gaze bore into her, staring back into that single orb of brilliant shifting gold. She grew lost in it, yet never shying away. Morgott’s gaze tore away from her, back to the doll in his hand.

Just as silently as he approached, he retreated, straightening to full standing before moving along the street once more. Hester’s heart hammered about her chest as she watched his form drift away, never wavering until the tip of his horned tail disappeared among the recrowding street.

As the music and merriment swelled once more she realized she’d been holding her breath. An almost pained huff rattled from her lungs, eyes still saucers. She blinked, looking down at her table.

A hand clapped over her mouth in shock: there was a doll missing.

Oh gods, did he take it with him??

She thought, worriedly.

She couldn’t keep her mind on the festival, or on bartering her wares any longer. Sweat wet her lower back as she hastily packed up her remaining items, hands shaking as she did so.

Her mind was a storm, a swirling mess of worry and fear.

Did the King think she was mocking him? Oh gods would she be taken away?

As she made her way slowly through the crowded streets, back overburdened, her thoughts darkened.

Was he angry with her? Would…would he throw her in the dungeon?

She stumbled into her room, a glorified closet off the main shop. Dumping the items on the floor haphazardly, Hester began to pull the flowers from her hair, wincing as they yanked at her copper curls. Tears stained her eyes, the small bit of pain just adding to the chorus of negativity that loomed over her.

She fell into her meager bed, curling in on herself protectively. Blinking, her eyes fell on the little doll near her pillow. It regarded her with unblinking button eyes, no malice on its fabric visage.

Scooping it to her chest, the tears finally fell freely, crying freshly into her pillow. Sleep found her fitfully, coming in waves interlaced with stretches of agonizing wakefulness.

She kept chanting that everything would be fine, she was just overreacting….he wouldn’t act against her…would he? He was the king. No care for a lowly woman like her.

He was the King….

She blinked into the dawn light. Hair a nest of knots from her tossing and turning, a darkness circling her large eyes. She sat up groggily, the sound of birdsong being dampened by a commotion outside her room.

Hester wasn’t the only woman to rent a little space in the shop, the other women making quite the racket in the main area currently.

She sighed, steeling herself to see what excited them so. As soon as she pushed the door open she was met with everyone calling out her name.

“Hes! Hes! There’s a letter for you!”

“A letter?” She blinked, still half asleep.

“It has the royal seal!” They squealed.

She froze, stomach dropping to the floor. The other’s chatter dulled around her as she paced forward, trembling hands taking the letter.

It was made of fine parchment, the golden seal of the King keeping it prominently sealed.

Hester felt like the ground was swallowing her as she broke it open, unfolding the letter to read. Deaf to the other crowding around to read over her shoulder, she focused on the beautiful handwriting.

Her fear was slowly replaced with confusion, bewilderment. Her brows knotted as she read and reread the letter, no…the offer?

“Come on, what does it say!?” A young girl bounced.

“It’s…It’s an offer from the King.” Hester whispered, drowned out by the other’s raising excitement. She swallowed, “They want me to be the King’s personal seamstress…”

She didn’t hear the screams of excitement around her, wandering through them towards the shop window. Her gaze fell on the castle, far away nestled near the base of the great tree.

She couldn’t be the only one…..

Could she?

[rockybloo]

If the Fable Five went to any Disney parks what would their favorite rides or activities be?

I've never been to any Disney park so I can only go off videos I've seen with some outdated stuff since I know a lot has changed.

I know they would want to explore all the sights to get a feel of the place before settling on rides.

It's a Small World is the first one they go on because Ashe thinks it'll be fun for everyone (she doesn't. She's a liar. She just wants everyone's reactions to HELL AND SHE'LL TAKE HERSELF DOWN FOR THE VIEW)

They would also hit up the Haunted Mansion and what used to be Splash Mountain. Though the crew has to calm Kai down after the Haunted Mansion and tell him the entire "ghosts following them home" thing isn't real and there's no reason to worry.

There's also the ride that used to be the Tower of Terror which is now Guardians themed which makes me think of them all assigning each other characters while waiting. Along with Pinokuni getting pissed at how right off the back everyone agreed he was Rocket without a second of hesitation.

If they wind up going on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ride, Jack and Pinokuni are gonna have to hold hands as emotional support buddies because Jack is scared of deep bodies of water (and the ride tricks you into thinking you're in the ocean) and Pinokuni just fuckin hates the ocean and has submechaniphobia. The anglerfish jumpscare would also make Kai scream like a banshee.

The entire team would have to take 15 minutes to recover after getting off.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride ain't much better save for the fact they all are above water now but Jack is clinging to Nana for fear life til they get to the town scenes.

I know the parks have lil snacks so Jack would bolt at any chance to get a sweet treat which means Nana has his hand in hers the entire time they are at the park so he can't just disappear. This only happens after 5 prior incidents of everyone taking their eyes off him and looking up to see his ass is gone.

They would all stay long enough to see the fireworks because 1) Pretty and 2) Ashe loves fireworks.

[kelebriel]

Openbound! Part! Twoooooooooo Once again, opened up this post and gonna wordvomit my thoughts onto it. Including the return of the fabled SUBPOINT. HOLD ONTO YOUR ASSES

-Man, having an unwatered lawn was a culling offense?

-Why does this soda can have horns

-Hoo boy, Cronus is the first one. Getting the bad part out of the way, I guess! -- “Why is everyone so mean to me” because you’re you --I didn’t remember how much he talked. Get him talking about how much he’s great and fuckable and he just goes on, huh. --It’d be one of the biggest jokes in Homestuck if Cronus’s music was actually banger after banger, huh. Guess we’ll never know --Man oh man you really see the worst of Cronus when he’s interacting with Mituna. --There’s no one who believes his horseshit about being sensitive and compassionate, right? The people who like Cronus like him because he’s an awful person, right? --”Latula is only with you out of pity” That’s supposed to be what the driving force in redrom is! But that implies otherwise. More fuel for my ‘Karkat’s explanation of pity being what redrom is about, as opposed to love, is bogus’ headcanon. --However much I hate Cronus, however much he was made to be just completely awful in every way, I have to admit. Him calling Meenah out on what HIC did to Alternian!Mituna is 100% spot on. And sure, Meenah didn’t, and wouldn’t, do anything HIC did, due to being in a different universe and also dying before she hit 20, but she is on record thinking that everything HIC did was cool and awesome and badass. Hard to distance yourself from that. --Kankri, man. Stepping in once again to ruin everything. I ship CronKri mostly so I can kick them off into a corner where I don’t have to think about them. They’re both wonderfully designed characters who are expertly constructed to inspire feelings of contempt and that’s why I have nothing but contempt for them

-Opening the chest with Ahab’s Crosshairs has Meenah break it and Cronus sob. And while I’m all for making Cronus suffer, I have to ask: why does someone from the peaceful utopia of Beforus even have a weapon like that?

-And there goes Mituna, doing a sick grind and faceplant combo --He really is also kind of terrible, huh. --Him saying “wader” and Kankri jumping in with some tone policing and throwing in some more “not a good example of disability” bullshit really helps him not seem like quite so bad, because Kankri is right there being an even more massive dick. Like, when Meenah has to jump in and say to be less of an asshole, you know you’re really deep in it, huh. --Why do I find Mituna’s theme more palatable than Latula’s, despite them being pretty much the same, just genderswapped --Cronus trying to test the ‘fake suicide for brownie points’ thing on Mituna and being immediately and exquisitely dunked on is fucking great. --Him dropping the gold star on Meenah? Also pretty funny. That’s why I like Mituna more than the other dickheads like Kankri or Cronus, because he can be funny.

-Back when I first came across Kurloz, I kinda hoped he’d be the reasonable cult member. Like he’d be into being a juggalo or whatever, but not a murder one? Didn’t make it to the end of the flash before he revealed his true colors being also a murder one. --Cool font, though. I need to type exclusively in that. --Him giving Meenah the finger when she tries to patronize him is funny tho -Meulin on the other hand is pretty much just a joy. The one not dick in this part of Openbound. At this point I was on Tumblr and got the superexcitable gif type of poster reference. --Why would Meenah try to kill Meulin? Beyond that one bomb at the end, I mean. --Is there anyone who knows sign language who’s worked out what the signs for GIFs like that would be -The fact that most of Alternia would turbomurder Karkat if they knew he existed and he still thinks that Alternia was a good place to live is really fucking sad.

-The fact that Karkat thinks he was a bad leader is also sad, but also infuriating. No, my dude, you did the impossible in corralling a bunch of murderhappy teens into not murdering and instead playing the game really well (or, well, maybe not really well, if you think just killing the denizen and ignoring the quests was important). The reason shit fell apart was because of Bec Noir coming in out of nowhere, that you couldn’t have possibly foreseen.

-Meenah x Aranea writes itself, it really does.

- “maybe someone in league with the evil wizard talked Cronus out of his belief in magic”. Kinda hope it was Kurloz, because my fantroll is a Prince of Rage and I want to know what they do.

-Man, what did Kurloz do to Mituna. Fucked up.

-Wait Aranea said that Kurloz took a vow of silence because of a prophetic dream, but then later says that Kurloz took a vow of silence because he honked so loud it deafened Meulin. Was it both? Or is this some more unreliable narratorship?

[tumblingxelian]

@rachelsshowerthoughts

Hah, I love when he has those moments, totally deserved on his part. Honestly I could see any of these options.

Option 1: He's basically evicted out, three minds is simply too much in this state, let alone the fact we have Chloe's history of rejecting him.

Option 2: The power drain is simply too much, Chloe & Kagami make powerful Akuma already, fusing is hard & there's now Adrien in the mix, he's collapse.

Option 3: He tries to force his way in but basically gets overwhelmed by their power and made into one of those Akuma affected subjects, playing his role in their story.

I've not seen Princess Tutu though I have heard good things and interesting name choices there. My mind gravitated towards something like... I think all three have distinct names, but they collectively have a shared one, so like:

Chloe the Narrator Adrien the Minstrel Kagami the Chronicler All: Together, we are your Fable/Parable (Bow dramatically)

Quick aside, I realized they could get Akumatized together either by the conflict having turned physical, or by the desk they are leaning on, touching or gripping being the item. In the latter case it gives the three a reason to hang around it while orchestrating their narrative.

Also ooh interesting, and if I recall in Princess Tutu there's this sort of overhanging question of "Who is telling the story, are you just a part of the story?" sort of thing. So they'd probably embody that theme a bit to perhaps? I think my one concern with the ballet angle is it may feel like its giving Chloe more presence than the others. But that depends on the overall designs more than the source of said costumes.

Also gosh I love that idea, of their area of effect spreading and people becoming stories, but genre's and perceptions clashing. Though I wonder, hmm, would the negative emotions mean all things trend towards tragedy or would their own perspective of "The path I'm on is how I get my happy ending" mean everyone's slated to get a happy ending, but again the conflicting ideas on what that means and how its reached from the three lead to conflict with the various characters?

So like Juleka does 'save' Rose but because Rose didn't get released 'the right way' her curse remains, causing friction?

I think it being a mix would be good, like Marinette probably has to fucking book it at first and then keep fighting off their influence. Or maybe even get trapped to, but her nature as Ladybug (Or help from Fu) mean she gains awareness and is able to break free.

I agree that all three would be aiming to be defeated, none of them want to be an Akuma, and as you say they know how the story 'should' and needs to end, but there has to be a journey. Which likely also means Marinette getting an even deeper look into why they are all so fucked up, maybe with some of the other classmates either as stories, heroes or both to XD

Honestly I would have thought Luka being an empath would mean he's hit faster than anyone but that could work as said empathy and distance may actually work as a shield and also let him help Ladybug parse some of this stuff. Or yeah hoping to gods she can get them out of there and to snap out of it.

Oh gods, imagine if she sees how all three kids perceive their parents?

Like, maybe Hawk Moth did get afflicted and it forcibly punted him out of his transformation (Or Nathalie grabbed the Miraculous) and so he's there, along with Tomoe & Chloe's parents all causing a ruckus, or looming over things?

Gods so many ways to do this XD

Not Aware AU exactly but kinda tangential. I always toyed with this idea of "Kagami was transferred into Adrien's class when she joined the school."

This could be in S2, or be because Tomoe saw Adrien was attending school and she's got those later season machinations & sends Kagami to make sure he's not snagged by a gold digger.

(In the former case its just in S2, while in the latter it starts after Princess Fragrance.)

This was fine and fun at first, but Kagami is more willing to start shit with Chloe & much less patient with Adrien's continued softness.

Plus, Adrien can't really explain why he's fond of Chloe cos its a mixture between he can't imagine his life without her (Sibling coded) & stuff like, "She was there for me when mom disappeared & got me into school".

This leads to her at some point losing her patience and dragging both off to a classroom and basically saying "Either she needs to improve or you need to drop her, because this cannot go on."

You'd expect it to be a two on one but Adrien's efforts to play peacemaker lead to Kagami arguing with him as well.

Then when one of Chloe's major blows lands hard against Adrien, "Our parents harm more people every day than I do in a year and you still love them, hypocrites!"

It does nothing to Kagami, because she doesn't love her mother, she respects her, obeys her and fears her wrath but she doesn't love her even a little and she assumed Adrien was the same.

He is not the same & is in fact kind of defensive of his father at such a blatant rejection of one's own family and how uncomfortable it makes him.

It basically descends from there, cos I love slow burns but sometimes its just like, "Hmm what if they all started screaming their issues that they do not realize are issues at the top of their lungs?"

None of these kids know therapy talk so their languages on it is already going to be shit even before we remember literally not a one of them has much in the way of healthy communication or good social skills outside of formal events so:

So you have Chloe defending stuff like destroying Roses' letter because "That's how Mama handles it when I give her bad gifts, she's telling me to do better and one day I'll get it right!" As well as "Why would Papa want to see me when he doesn't need me for something? He's not a lunatic control freak like your parents."

Then you have Adrien defending stuff like, "I know my dads cold and has impossible standards and barely lets me do anything I want but he is protective and just wants what's best for me!" & "My mom was always kind to me, she was perfect even if she never let me go out or have a birthday either!"

& Kagami defending Tomoe with, "It doesn't matter how I feel about Adrien, or my instructions, I act as I do because it is for the good of my family. My emotions, my life don't matter at all before that duty!"

So its just three incredibly fucked up abused kids steadily airing each others and their own families laundry list of abusive traits and experiences under the pretext of saying "No my family is normal & OK yours is the bad one" and "How dare you call 'that' bad, when your parent does this!"

(Also Chloe may think Gabriel killed Emilie or otherwise would rather have Adrien sealed in amber forever than as an actual living boy,)

With this continuing until it either gets physical or they basically collapse.

Meanwhile the class is just watching in mounting horror and disgust and discomfort. (Nino is likely especially pissed) Like even with Chloe it may not justify her behavior but it puts so much of it in a new deeply messed up context where it kind of makes sense she doesn't even know how to be nice.

To quote a friend of mine:

The rich kids have taken knives to each other. They've cut open their festering wounds. The rot is exposed, scrubbed raw. While they lie angry, bleeding, crying, and dying [inside], they have the opportunity to look upon themselves once more and apply new dressings.

I can see it, but unless Gabriel is ACTUALLY out of the country, all three get Akumatized. My thoughts are a weird mix Grimm Brothers Fairytales - Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, etc. Not in specific, but like. More fairytale tropes?

Adrien is the "Cinderella"-style. Rapunzel, Snow White-style, "One Day My Prince Will Come"-style. The type of character that has to sacrifice and sacrifice, and will eventually be rewarded. If he does one more photo shoot, one more public appearance, *scrubs one more floor*, his father will finally love him. He'll finally have the happy ending he wants. He just has to stick it out - cause his dad DOES love him, right? (As a possession, if at all.)

Chloé is more of the "Trials"-style. Complete this mission-style. Knit twelve sweaters from nettles, and your brothers will become human again. Find the right goose, and get set free. Defeat the evil witch, and the spell is broken. If Chloé tries hard enough, does and says the right things, her parents will love her, show her affection. She'll finally be worth something. (All of it performative and shallow, until they raise the bar to another impossible height. Always keeping her dependant on them.)

Kagami, weirdly, I see as more endurance, or contract style - like a flipped version of Adrien. She isn’t really trying to "change" her situation the way Chloé or Adrien are, (for value of "trying to change it", ie, playing along with their parents games because that’s all they know to do) she's accepted this is the way it is, and is simply trying to endure it. Go through the motions. Hold up your end of the bargain. Work within the bonds of your deal, to do as little harm as you can, while still fulfilling your end. One day, you'll be out. You'll be free. (As if her mother will ever set her free.)

[the---hermit]

If Cats Disappeard From The World Genki Kawamura

This is actually the first book by a Japanese author I have read, I have no idea how I never got to pick anything by a Japanese author before, but finally I have. I read this book for the studyblr w/knives summer reading challenge 2.0 for the poc main character prompt.

This book was so good. I loved the idea, the themes, and most importantly how these themes were approached by the author. This short novel is a long letter the main character writes to recount the last few incredible days of his life. He is hit with the terrible news he has an uncurable cancer and he could die anyday as there's nothing left to do. The devil appears to him and proposes a deal, he can make him live another day if he agrees on making disappear something from the world. And so this really interesting concept of what is actually worth having, and what is just meaningless is introduced, with our main character reflecting on the importance of many things, as well as his life. It's a great book that deals with death, life and the meaning of things that surround us, but the way it is executed is incredibly approachable. It doesn't feel like a phylosophical heavy book, it feels more like a fable, a tale witten so the reader can slow down and take a bit of time to reflect without being overwhelmed. I should also warn you that you'll end up wishing you had a cat whike reading this book. Overall I really recommend this book to everyone, especially this fact of it not being overwhealming at all even though it deals with heavier topics.

[softitae]

S o u l m a t e | oneshot

▶ summary: One day you feel a heath spreading through your body. You don’t know what this means, until you finally see him... Your soulmate.

▶ genre: slight angst, fluff, smut (Wolf!au | soulmate!au)

▶ word count:

▶ warnings: Alpha Jungkook, Omega reader, mentions of rape/drugs, physical pain, heath, impregnating, mating, knotting, imprinting, oral, swearing, degrading, wall-sex, floor-sex, choking.

▶ A/N: heyyy, this is my first story on this account :). Hope y’all will like it! Basically is this just a story about wolf soulmates going at it, sooooo... enjoy? HAHA

It was a hot and blooming summer when it happened. It was late noon when you were quitely washing some dishes in your apartment. It was indeed quiet, even peacefully I might add. The water was rushing over a cup as you were working hard on removing that one irritating spot. The day had been just as placid. You have run your errands after meeting up with some friends at a local park. 

‘You are looking a bit pale y/n, are you okay?’ your best friend asked. You frown at her, ‘Yeah I am alright’. You replied, but you deep down knew something was up. Since the moment you had stepped out of your bed that morning, your senses were heightened. Something was coming, but you couldn’t quite figure out if this were to be positive or negative. You had shrugged off this creeping feeling for the rest of the day. With every minute you could feel it getting worse, but you continued shrugging it off. ‘It must be a little summer flue...’ You had mumbled to yourself as you were trying to focus back on your dishes.  

You couldn’t really describe it. It was this heath from your core, burning hotter by the second. It wasn’t anything like your heath, because you have had those a few times already. It wasn’t the time for it too, so why are you feeling this strong urge? And what is the urge for? These kind of questions kept popping up in your head as you finally finished your duties for the day. It was only when you put away the last dish, you yelled very loudly.

Your body was suddenly on fire from the inside and you couldn’t help yourself but to let yourself lay down on the cold floor. Your pulse was high and your body was covered in sweat. ‘What the fuck is going on?’ you yelled out, trying to get a grip on yourself. It wasn’t long before you totally blacked out, losing to the strong sickening feeling. 

‘What the hell happened?’ Jimin asks Jungkook worryingly as Jungkook finally opened his eyes . Jungkook sits up first, rubbing his eyes as his vision was a bit blurry. He looks up to his towering older friend Jimin, frowning as he tries to stabalize his body. ‘You just suddenly blacked out’, Jimin elaborates and that made Jungkook even more confused. Jungkook looks around him and notices they are located on a sidewalk near the center of the city. Jungkook tries to recall what had happened before he blacked out, but couldn’t remember anything about a life-threatening situation. As he is an alpha, it also couldn’t be his health. So what happened? 

‘I really don’t know hyung, the only thing that I can remember is that I have had a weird feeling all day’, Jungkook explains as Jimin helps him get up to his feet. ‘What sort of feeling?’ Jimin asks. ‘Well, I just feel some kind of heath in my core and a weird urge to go east.’. Jimin looks even more confused than before. They both continued to walk down the street, heading to their new apartment they had bought together. ‘I don’t know man, maybe there is some coke left in your system from yesterday’, Jimin laughed as he gave Jungkook a pat on the shoulder. Jungkook hissed at that, showing that Jimin has gone too close to his boundaries. Though Jimin is older, Jungkook is the alpha and will always hold authority. 

Jimin and Jungkook both came from the same school and both their packs were very close with each other, so they connected in a very brotherly way. Jimin as a beta and Jungkook as an alpha. Their classes would clash pretty much all the time and would Jungkook have to correct Jimin more often than not. But for a pack is this pretty normal. It is also Jungkook’s job to keep everyone in place and to make them aware who is the boss. Though this is a very primary instinct of Jungkook, it isn’t something he likes to do. He only corrects his pack when he has to. 

‘The only thing I can imagine is that your soulmate is nearby’, Jimin suggested and Jungkook let out a little chuckle. ‘That rarely ever happens and I can hardly imagine it would make me faint’, he reasons and Jimin agrees. 

They finally arrive at the apartment block as Jungkook can feel the same heath returning to his body. His senses have now shifted to the north, as if the thing he urges has moved. He looks confused around him. There is no person to be seen, only a few buildings. He couldn’t help but to set his focus on the north, looking at the building across. He can feel it, he is supposed to be there. But why? What can be in that building that is this important, that every fiber in his body urges for it?

A loud uneasy noise fills your room just when the light of dawn hits your window. Early, it is very early. You haven’t been awake this early for 2 months when your school year ended. But here you are again, up and ready to begin a new year. Though you are excited for it, the uneasy feeling hasn’t left you. It didn’t go down at all, maybe it even worsened. You hadn’t fainted from it though, like a week back. Luckily your roommate came home just a few minutes after, discovering your body laying helplessly against the kitchen tiles. She is human and in a world where the wolves are hidden, her logical response was to call the emergency number. 

The separation of the two kinds has been here for a long time. The threat your kind holds over the humans always has been a big problem. Many wars have past for the wolves to realize that humans can’t live with the idea of a superior species living among them. With technology still developing, which could make great damage to you, was there a collective decision to hide for the humans. As centuries past, humans were quick to forget the many wars you have fought. 

Many believe werewolves are just a fable and you like to keep it this way. So when your roommate was waiting for the ambulance to arrive and you came back to your senses, you were quick to call off the ambulance. ‘What are you doing? You just blacked out, you need medical help!’, your roommate yelled out in disbelieve. You tried to explain nothing is going on and you weren’t in any sort of pain. ‘I just haven’t eaten yet today, nothing else’. It took you a while to calm her down and you can’t blame her. You would probably react the same way if it was you who found her like that. A wolf is just way stronger and build different, so when they would examine you in the hospital, someone would definitely get suspicious. 

The past week your roommate has been keeping an eye on you. She made sure you were eating enough. It is like having a mother all over again, while it was your intention to escape being nursed all the time. Although you got quite annoyed with her this past week, you couldn’t help but to appreciate her at the same time. What a world it would be if humans could live without fear for your kind like this. Needing such harsh adjustments to the point you can’t be who you are, only to protect yourself is just lunatic. But it is a rule all packs live by and you aren’t one to break these rules. 

Your feet hit the cold wooden floor of your cozy room. 7:00 am, reads your alarm clock located on your nightstand. A sigh leaves your lips as you build up the courage to begin the day. Your first day of the new school year was going to be promising. A lot of classes are added and you will be with a new group of people. Your old class was great too, but you are in need for some change. With this constant burning feeling in your core you have had for the past week, you know something will definitely be different. 

You go along your usual morning routine before picking your new favurite outfit. You packed your books and got out to the living room, where your roommate was peacefully eating some cereal.

‘Good morning!’, you great her, and she throws you a smile back. ‘Morning babe! You are looking so great!’, She comments, nudging at your clothing. You give her a wink,’Yeah I got it last week, thought I give myself a few nice things before starting the school year’. Your roommate agrees before she resumed eating her breakfast. 

Jimin sighs upon seeing Jungkook’s sweaty body. He is cramped up in his bed, a frown on his face as he made little wines in his sleep. Tossing and turning has been a reoccurring theme these past few days. Jimin doesn’t know what to do with him. It looks like he is sick, but being a very strong guy and an alpha, is sickness very rare. So what’s going on? 

He gives Jungkook a small nudge on his shoulder, waking him up softly. Jimin isn’t about to make the same mistake as yesterday. Jimin woke up Jungkook a bit more aggressive and Jungkook lashed out immediately, giving Jimin a little cut on his cheek. He would have pouted at Jungkook, whom would apologize for his weird behavior. 

‘First day at school Cookie, get up’, he taunted in his ear, lowering to Jungkook’s level. Jungkook grunted as he slowly wakes up, turning around to look at his hyung. He lets out a sigh before sitting up straight, hands finding his face as he rubs his eyes. ‘Hyung I can’t do this any longer, my body feels so hot all the time’, Jungkook starts complaining and Jimin sits next to him, sighing along. ‘I know Jungkookie, but I am sure it will fly over. Maybe today will get your mind on other things’, Jimin says, trying to elevate the mood. Jungkook lets out a growl under his breath, anger suddenly building up in his body. Jimin immediately gets off the bed to give Jungkook space, which was a right move because Jungkook grabs a book laying beside him before throwing it through the room. ‘I just don’t fucking want this anymore! Why is this happening to me?!’, Jungkook yells in frustration. Jimin sighs again ‘I don’t know Jungkook, but acting like this won’t solve anything. Why don’t you focus on your new school? There will be a lot of great omega’s there for you to get your anger out on’, Jimin suggested, and he notices Jungkook’s ears perking up by that. Jimin chuckles before making his way out of the room. ‘I guess that wouldn’t hurt’, Jungkook mutters under his breath before getting out of bed and starting his day with a shower. 

It’s 8:30 am when you arrive at your first class of the day. A few other students were already seated in the lecture hall. You could smell the difference of people looming around. A few humans, but also a few wolves were located inside the room. As you are an omega yourself, some wolves stand a threat against you. Though you have learned how to avoid other alpha’s and beta’s, you have had your fair share of degrading in your life. But because you are in a room full of humans, degrading isn’t allowed for any of the wolves. That way your species gets protected. So you aren’t scared to walk into a lecture hall full of wolves, because you know they won’t do anything. 

You take a seat somewhere in the middle where no one is around and start to unpack. It was when you were finished setting up, your brewing hotness of the past week suddenly turns up a notch. You frown at yourself as you feel your stomach. Your skin is somewhat on fire and you begin to feel very uncomfortable. You wiggle around on your spot, almost squirming at this feeling. The thing you have urged for is coming closer. You begin to look around you furiously, but not knowing what you’re looking for. Fuck what is going on with me. 

And it was then that it hits you. A story your grandma told you long ago finally serviced. She told you about having a soulmate and that everyone has them. When they come closer, your whole body comes in action. You have the urge to go to them and if you don’t, your body will try to fight your will. She explained that every soulmate couple has a different reaction to that. For her and grandpa it was feeling a very harsh headache. For you it was heath. It is your soulmate, it has to be your soulmate. Are you even ready for this? Do you want to commit to someone this early on? What if he is aggressive or worse, what is he’s an alpha? That won’t be a happy relationship, that will be endless terror. 

As the heath began spreading through your body and your head spinning with horrific thoughts, you automaticlly started packing all your stuff. You were scared for what might come, what person your soulmate might be. It might be the end of you, but you know just as well that the feeling won’t stop until you see him. So, you will see him, for one second and then you will go your separate ways. 

Then the feeling suddenly stopped. A shiver goes through your body as you look at the entrance door. There he is. Your hearth started to race as the both of you looked at one another, inspecting each others features. The first thing you notice is the glow around his body, something you have never seen with anyone else. He looks like some kind of Norse god. He is also tall, muscular and... You take a small sniff his way... he is an alpha. Though that thought saddens you, you can’t help yourself but be mesmerized by his enchanting features. This is it, this is your soulmate. But this won’t be something to be happy about, he is an alpha and you know about the horrifying stories. They aren’t nice to their soulmates and being an omega is only worse. So with that note, you stand up, cutting off your eye contact and walking towards the opposite exit. 

Jungkook stands there dumbfounded. He looks at you as you walk away. Your beautiful figure just disappearing behind the exit door. Jimin nudges him, getting Jungkook out of his trans. ‘So I guess it was a soulmate think’, Jimin comments and Jungkook nods slowly. ‘Yeah, I guess’. Jungkook kept staring at the door, not getting out of his trans. The moment he saw you, his burning feeling stopped. Instead, something else far more romantic and sexual opened. The urge has now turned so primal that he couldn’t do anything than staring. If he had made a step towards you, he would’ve turned on his wolf. That’s why he choice to let you walk out of that room. He isn’t ever letting you go away again after this, and he was going to make you aware of that.

‘Go after her Cookie’, Jimin says as he nudges Jungkook again. With that Jungkook comes out of his train of thought and starts running out of the classroom. He wasn’t going to let you leave. You were now his, you aren’t allowed to leave. All these thoughts ran through Jungkook’s head as he sprinted through the school. His eyes turned blue as his wolf tried to get out, so he had to hide them when running past humans. He needed to claim you within the hour and finding you wouldn’t be an issue. Your scent has been planted in his brain while the both of you were staring at one another. He knew you were close, but you were also running. A smirk was creeping up his face, kind of liking the chase. You are putting up a fight, meaning you will be able to handle his alpha side. He needs someone to fight, otherwise it will just be boring. 

You almost let your keys fall when you try to open your front door. You can smell him getting closer with the second. It’s as if you can locate his being, which is not something you were ever able to do on such distance. You were quick to close the door behind you and to run to your room. Somehow you feel like you can’t hide within your apartment, as if he is already here. But how? How did he get in? You scan your room, but then your heart stops. His body radiates behind your body and you feel is breath tickle your neck. This is it, now he will rape you. He will make you his bitch and you won’t ever get to live another happy day. Your eyes close in fear and your whole body stiffens against his body. 

You waited. You are expecting for him to pick you up and throw you on the bed. But nothing comes. Not after one minute, two minutes. You feel yourself calm down as time passes by. Why is he not doing anything? Is he just waiting until I let my guard down before attacking me? Is he maybe different? No he can’t be, all alphas want is to ruin omegas.

5 minutes passes with him standing behind you and not doing anything. Then you felt something else creeping up your spine. Something you didn’t let through because of your anguish towards him. It feels very sexual, very primal and romantic. The urge you felt towards him has returned, but in a way that you only witness during heath. Although heath is way more sexual, this goes beyond that. Your heart starts racing again, but this time it isn’t because you are scared. You long for him. You r whole being wants to be with him, but you can’t help yourself but to rationalize against it. No, they are all bad.

He sighs against your neck, causing pleasure to shoot through your body. You can’t stop your shivers and the heath that is growing between your legs. It’s an instinct so deep within you, there is no use stopping it. He reacts with a chuckle as he lets a hand slide over your delicate waist. ‘Why were you scared?’, he asks and you immediately notice his soft but low arousing voice. Every fiber on your body is heightened and his little touches aren’t helping you in any way. Trying to focus on his question, you answer: ‘You’re an alpha. I am scared you will treat me bad’. Jungkook frowns at your thought, knowing that he won’t ever hurt you in his life. It has only been a 30 minutes since he had met you, but the way he feels about you is indescribable. It’s a feeling of protectiveness, love and urge that combines his feelings for you. He will not ever hurt you. 

‘What you feel right now, is what I also feel. I will never hurt you’. 

Though this might be an empty promise, you can feel he is speaking the truth. With that you dare to turn around to face him, him keeping his hand around your waist. His handsome eyes immediately find yours. You can finally memorize all his closest features he has to offer. His facial features are amazingly handsome and his lips look so kissable. You can’t help but to reach up to his soft fluffy hair, grabbing the ear band that hides his soft wolf features. He is a black wolf with blue eyes, an amazing combination and you can’t help but to feel the need to mate with him. Your offspring will be so strong and beautiful. Your hand moves down to his cheek, which he leans his head against, closing his eyes in approval. 

‘Your name?’, you ask as you pull your hand away. ‘Jeon Jungkook, you?’, he questions and you instantly remember his packs name. It’s a pretty large and respectable pack, something you aren’t apposed to. ‘I am y/full/n’, you answer, and he smiles at hearing the familiar pack names. Though the packs aren’t close, they won’t be mad about this. Everything just seems aligned. 

He takes a little step closer as his hand now rests on your back, pressing you against his chest. You don’t fear him anymore and you feel comfortable being in his arms. ‘I know we just met, but I have the strongest urge I to claim you right now’, he confesses. And it was then that you felt something grow against your pelvis. You can’t help but to snort at that, but at the same time you felt the same thing. It’s as if you need to seal the deal. He needs to imprint himself in you, so everyone knows who you belong to. The thought of that spread a heath throughout your body. Jungkook smiled at you as he notices your body heath going up and your heartbeat racing. ‘I take that as a positive’.

He pulls you up by your waist as he swings you over his shoulder. He closes the door of your room before letting you fall on the bed. You can’t help but admire the way he easily pulled you up like that.  Your omega wolf felt protected and only an alpha like Jungkook could make you feel this way. He pulls off his shirt he was wearing before joining you on the bed. Your eyes take in all of his muscular torso, knowing he will be railing you with it in just a few minutes. 

He pulls apart your legs before positioning between them. You eagerly want to hold on to him, but he was quick to grab your wrists and plant them beside your head. You are taken aback by his action as a small yelp left your lips. ‘You really think I wasn’t going to punish you for the little escape you pulled?’ He taunted as he leans down beside your ear. His breath fanning against your neck got you shivering all over again and your pussy started to throb under his body. You could practically feel Jungkook’s smirk as he knew what effect he has on you. Though you want to wipe that smirk off his face, you knew he was right. You were disobedient and the alpha needs to put you in your place. Luckily is his punishment not that bad.

‘Good girl’, he purrs in your ear, complimenting your behavior. ‘You will do as I please when I fuck this little body of yours, okay?’. You nod eagerly, wanting him to do everything to you. It’s in your blood to obey him and this way you both get what you want. 

He let go of your wrists and takes a little bit of time to take all of your clothed body in. Your eyes look so desperate and oh... the sweet smell of your pussy waving in the air drives him crazy. Jungkook lets out a very low grunt, making your body ache for him. You let out a whine as you begin to fidget on the spot, uncomfortably trying to releave yourself He was quick to growl at you, signing that you can’t move and you have to obey him. 

‘You desperate little bitch, you want to get fucked so badly?’, he asks and you nod. ‘Use your words’, he commands. ‘Yes alpha...’. He smirks pleased, before he grabs your top and rips it off of you. You let out a small yelp, but before you knew it you were in your underwear and your clothing ripped on the floor. Though you normally would care for this, you were so ready to be mated that you really didn’t mind. He flips you around on your belly before propping your ass up in the air. His clothed length found its way against your ass as he started dry humping against you. You couldn’t help but moan upon feeling his cock gliding against your pussy. instinctively you arch your back further against his cock, making you feel his amazing length. He is for sure large and will fill you up so good. 

‘Hmm, you like that baby? You want this cock to fill you up?’ He purrs before laying his upper body against your back. He began leaving kisses on your neck, making your body shiver. Small moans leave your mouth, feeling so happy to be close to him. Jungkook also lets out groans against your skin and you can’t wait for him to give you his pups.

‘Please’, you start begging as his cock doesn’t stop teasing you. He chuckles against you, loving to tease you like this. ‘You want my cock?’, he asks as he grabs your neck from behind. You could barely get a ‘yes’ out, but it was enough for him to pull down your panties and prop your ass higher up in the air. ‘Let me first get my appetizer’, he grunts upon seeing your soaked pussy. You let your upper body rest against the bed as you arch your ass higher into the air, giving him a better view. You can hear him growling by seeing your action, he loves it. The smell of your pussy overwhelms him, he has never had something so sweet like this before. 

He spreads your cheeks further apart before laying his tongue right on your clit. He didn’t need a second try to find the little bud and immediately started making small circles around it. Your whole body reacted to it and you let out a moan. His tongue caused shocks to go through your body. You knew he liked this reaction, because one of his hands began to squeeze your ass. The growls coming from his being were still filling the room, as if he is eating a caught pray.  

Suddenly his tongue finds its way upwards, slowly licking all the juices off your pussy before settling on your entrance. He licks it a few times before entering it with his tongue. You let out a little yelp, eyes widening by the immense pleasure you are feeling. After that you began to moan loudly, loving the what it feels as he thrusts his tongue into you. Your body couldn’t help but to arch further into him. Your hands came up to your ass to widen it for him, but he was quick to pin them down beside you. The thrusts feel so good your orgasm was building up and Jungkook could feel your body heating up too. One hand came up to your asshole, and he put in just the tip of his thump, making your squirm under his care. You couldn’t help moaning out his name, making Jungkook pleased with his efforts.

It didn’t take you long to build up the orgasm and he soon got you to the edge. He notices your breathing beginning to become more irregular than it already was. His piercing eyes watch your body shake as you approach the edge and just when you were about to let it all out, he removed himself from your body. Feeling the loss of his stimulus on your entrance, you can’t help but whine. ‘Jungkooook...’, you sigh as your body collapses onto the bed. You can hear him chuckle before he lets his hand down on your ass with a great force, making you gasp by the sensation. ‘You know that this is still a punishment, right?’ he comments as he turns your body on your back, positioning himself between your legs again. You gasp upon seeing his naked body. He apparently had removed his clothing while you were nagging him. You can’t help yourself but to stare it his cock, which is standing tall and veiny between your thighs. 

‘You like what you see, baby?’, Jungkook asks and you slowly nod with widened eyes. You are slowly beginning to doubt yourself upon seeing his enormous length, questioning if it will even fit. He towers over you before reaching his hand under your head. Grabbing a ball of hear in his hand, he yanks you to sit up right. You are now in eye-level with his cock, Jungkook now on his knees in front of you. You can feel your mouth watering as you imagine sucking your mate dry, pleasing him the way you should. 

‘Why don’t you suck me off princess?’, he purrs while stroking your head, having loosened the grip. You look up to him, making the biggest innocent face you can make before your hand makes its way up Jungkook’s thigh. He immediately let a sigh escape his lips, eyes closing as he prepares for your amazing touches. You tease him a little bit, letting your hand swirl around his pelvis and inner thighs. A low threatening grunt leaves his body, signalling you the teasing is over and it is time for you to give your mate the pleasure he deserves. You put your hand around his cock as you lick small circles around his tip. The small action is enough to make him groan and grab your hair in his hands again. You notice his breathing picking up a pace as you swirl around a few times more. Then you take the tip of his dick in your mouth, still containing eye contact. Jungkook’s blue eyes almost seem pitch dark as they are now dilated to the max. You can feel your own body heating up as well by seeing how aroused he is for you.

‘Fuck, you look so innocent around my cock. Such a small mouth’, he comments with a low and sexy voice. With that encouragement, you let his dick slip further into your mouth. His grip on your hair tightened, signalling you that you are doing a great job. You bob your head forwards and backwards in a slow pace, building up his orgasm for him. He let’s out little moans upon feeling your pace going faster and faster. Eventually he couldn’t help himself but to guide your mouth over his dick, forcing you to suck him a bit further into your throat. You didn’t mind at all and let him abuse your mouth. You hold on to his legs as he takes over your pace and lets you gag on his dick. His grunts became very loud as he slams into you, giving you small times to breathe. You couldn’t care less, you are meant to let him do this to you. You are his little bitch in bed. 

‘Fuck y/n, you are so fucking amazing. My little whore’, Jungkook breathes out before giving one last deep push into your throat, making you lose air for a few seconds before pulling out. 

You both have to catch your breath. You collap back on the bed, trying to calm down your heart, but you didn’t have much time since Jungkook was already between your legs. He smirks down at your fucked out head as he hangs your legs over his shoulders. You feel him aligning his dick with your entrance, but you feel a bit scared it will hurt. Jungkook notices the change of atmosphere and cocks his head to the side, looking at your questionably. 

‘What if it will hurt?’ You ask. Jungkook smiles at you as and comes down to your forehead, giving you a little kiss. ‘Don’t worry baby, I will give you time if it hurts. Just tell me if it hurts too much okay?’, he asks and you nod your head. He goes back up and secures your legs on his shoulders. He puts his dick on your pussy, sliding it up and down your juices as he teases your clit a little. You slip a moan because of the arousing feeling. Then he aligns his dick with your entrance, giving you a reassuring look before slowly pushing into you. It takes a while before your body lets even his tip inside, but with many patients your entrance widened to his size. He pushes slow and steady before giving a last thrust, now being fully inside you. You hadn’t made any noise as you tried to not focus on the immense pain of his big cock. Your eyes were closed tightly, but you suddenly felt a soft hand on your cheek. Two soft lips met yours, pulling you out of your pain and bringing your attention back to your mate. He kisses you slowly, tongue carefully massaging against yours while the pain leisurely disappeared. The kiss was turning hotter by the second, his hands finding its way into your hair while you cling on to his muscular torso. As your bodies began to squirm against each other, his dick caused friction within you and it made you moan into his mouth.

‘Can I move?’ Jungkook asks, looking into your eyes. You nod at him, making a thrusting motion yourself with a slight smile. He smiles back before sitting upright and holding your legs firmly against his shoulders. He slowly pulled back, making you gasp by the amazing friction you feel within you. He slams back into your pussy and you both moan loudly. ‘You’re so fucking tight, so fucking delicious’, Jungkook grunts as he repeats his actions. You dig your nails into the covers beside you as Jungkook begins to put up a pace. His hips slam into yours and when he angles his dick upwards, he finally hits your g-spot. You gasp before moaning his name, the feeling overwhelming you. Jungkook now slams with all his power into you, almost flying you up against the head of the bed. You can’t hold onto anything notices Jungkook, so he let your legs back down on the bed before grabbing your wrists and holding them in place beside your head. He now begins to slam into you with full speed, making you scream and burst into pleasure. He looks at your body bouncing along with him, your breasts swinging up and down as your eyes are closed. God, he will never forget this picture. 

Your head begins to feel light by his hard thrusts, drowning you with love and pleasure. You look at his form on top of you, all sweaty and muscular. Those muscles now used to make you his mate, to give you his pups. His beautiful blue eyes are staring into yours, mouth half open as he pants through it. He is so beautiful and amazingly hot. You can feel your orgasm climbing up again as he continues rocking into you. 

He suddenly pulls out, making you gasp by the lost of friction. He gets off the bed and pulls you with him. He leads you to the nearest wall, preps you up against it before aligning his dick with your entrance again. You stick your ass out as high as you can, but since Jungkook is a very tall man, you couldn’t reach his cock. He decided to wrap his arms around your middle and pulled you off the floor. He sets you down on his dick before pressing your bodies back against the wall. He starts railing you from behind, your body still hovering above the floor and upper body pressed again the wall. Jungkook does this with ease, being an amazingly strong alpha. You feel his dick sliding in and out of you, making you go crazy and wanting him to go faster. ‘Jungkook pleasee...’, you whine and Jungkook chuckles. He then goes even faster, making you see duble because of the immense pleasure emerging from his acts. You can’t help but to yell out his name, probably waking up the whole world by it. 

‘Fuck you are my soulmate, look at you. You are perfect for me’, Jungkook groans into your ear as he feels his own height approaching. He decides to pull you back from the wall and lays you down on the floor. With your belly pressed against the wood, he pulls your ass back into the air and didn’t leave any time to enter your throbbing entrance. You can feel his balls hitting your pussy as he thrusts violently into you. His hand found your neck again and puts a slight pressure on it. With all the stimuli your mate is giving you, you find yourself near the edge of your orgasm again. Your breath began to become uneven and Jungkook noticing that, he decides on reaching down to your clit around your hips. He starts circling it fast, helping you to reach your height. You almost screamed upon feeling this, but you muffled yourself against the floor. Jungkook’s eyes were set on your trembling body, loving how aroused you can become under his touch. It took Jungkook only a few seconds before your height was reached and the warmth spread through your body. Your breath stopped for a second as you lost yourself in the overwhelming feeling. ‘Oh my god, fuck’, you cursed out as you let the orgasm wash through your body. 

‘Good girl’, Junkook prases you as you finish. You let yourself lay there for a few seconds before you realize that Jungkook didn’t come yet. You pushed him off of you, making Jungkook a bit confused, before turning him on his back. You positioned yourself on him, sitting on his lap as you let your wet pussy slide on his dick. He sighed out of pleasure as he feels you dry humping him. His hands were quick to find your waist and took over. You didn’t give him any time for that, because you were fast to line him up with your entrance. You went down on him and started bouncing on top of him. This position allowed you to hit your g-spot very consistent and couldn’t help but to go faster. You let your hips rock up and down as Jungkook helped you by grabbing your waist. He moaned loudly while his eyes looked up into yours. You knew he is close to coming, so you go a bit faster for him. You want him to make you his mate, to imprint you. 

‘I will shoot all my pups into you baby, so prepare yourself’, he warns you before he suddenly takes over the pace and thrusts up into you. You moan loudly by his action and Jungkook couldn’t help but to moan along with you. You were so beautiful on top of him and seeing all of this made him cum immediately. You can feel something inflating within you and you realized he was about to knot. You let him do the rest of the job as he groans loudly, making the last few thrusts before finally deloading all his cum into you. You can feel his pups shooting into you and you close your eyes by the amazing feeling. 

You both stay located on the floor, panting and stuck because of the knot. You feel high from the combining smell of the both of you. Everything feels right, this was really meant to be. Jungkook’s hand slowly caresses your back, soothing you as the knot slowly deflates. You look up into his eyes, and he is already smiling at you. You smile back at him. You know exactly how he feels, because you feel the same. 

‘You’re mine now’, Jungkook says proudly, hugging you closer to him. You smile. ‘I always was, I just didn’t know’. He sighs in delight, knowing he would spend the rest of his life with you in bliss. Your lives were meant to go this way, more than this wouldn’t be needed.

‘My soulmate’.

Thank you for reading! My reguests are open for those who have one :).

[a-flickering-soul]

EverymanHYBRID And Deer In Media: In Five Parts (click for individual comparisons)

Deer are both a symbol of fragile purity and the untamable wild–here, we examine deer in the context of man, where deer come to represent the urge within us to abandon the conscious ego for the subconscious id. The deer is a symbol, too, of rebirth, of transformation, of shedding and regrowing its weapons each year. To kill, to be reborn, to choose to be monstrous through our proximity to humanity. Is there not something pure in surrendering to animal instinct? If deer are the twin themes of innocence and wildness, then we in turn are the juxtaposition of humanity and monstrousness–our actions made monstrous by the attempt to temper them with humanity.

(transcript, analysis, and sources below cut)

1: The Secret History & EverymanHYBRID--Bodies

The Secret History, on the killing of a man in a hallucinatory bacchanal:

"'Henry,' I said at last. 'Good God.' "He raised an eyebrow. 'Really, it was more upsetting than you can realize,' he said. 'Once I hit a deer with my car. It was a beautiful creature and to see it struggling, blood everywhere, legs broken ... And this was even more distressing but at least I thought it was over. I never dreamed we'd hear anything else about it.'"

EverymanHYBRID, "Ryan and the SEVENTRIALSOFHABIT":

A shot of a deer's dead body at the side of the road at night, looking crumpled and not quite right. The captions read: "Jeff: It's a fucking deer, dude. (Evan: See it?) Yeah. Something cut its belly open. (Evan: It cut its belly open the wrong way.)"

Parallels drawn:

Consider this one an amuse-bouche. Henry draws comparisons between a man he killed to a deer he accidentally hit with a car, mildly naming the incident ‘distressing’. There is a lack of human empathy, of guilt over killing a fellow man. In comparison, Jeff, Evan, and Vinnie at this point in the EMH plotline have not yet become hunter or hunted–they have not yet been warped by their roles in this iteration and can acknowledge the upsetting nature of the events that befall them. Henry has tasted that amoral nature and is less human for it, more visibly willing to shed that veneer of attempting to care about other people. Jeff, Evan, and Vinnie have not yet reached that point.

2: “Whoso List to Hunt”, EverymanHYBRID, and The Secret History--The Chase

"Whoso List to Hunt", on hunting a fabled white hind:

"I am of them that farthest cometh behind./ Yet may I by no means my wearied mind/ Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore/ Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,/ Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind./ Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,/ As well as I may spend his time in vain. And graven with diamonds in letters plain/ There is written, her fair neck round about:/ Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,/ and wild to hold, though I seem tame."

EverymanHYBRID, "Slushpops and Surprises”

A shot of white text on a black page, "[Enter the tragic hero and his unattainable companion.]"

The Secret History, on hallucinations experienced during the bacchanal (bold for emphasis):

“‘Camilla said that during part of it, she’d believed she was a deer; and that was odd, too, because the rest of us remember chasing a deer through the woods, for miles it seemed. Actually it was miles. I know that for a fact. Apparently we ran and ran and ran, because when we came to ourselves we had no idea where we were.’”

EverymanHYBRID, “December & early January”:

A shot of Vinnie, hand covering his face in shock, as he sits and listens to Jessa’s last voicemail before she went missing. Jeff can be seen in the background, listening in silence. The captions read “[Jessa’s voice, recorded]: Steph, that thing you were talking about, I saw it...he’s real, he’s right here. What the hell does he want? I think he’s following me.”

Parallels drawn:

The deer symbolizes wild nature, something that man cannot obtain, touch, or capture without abandoning something of his own humanity. Similarly, deer represent the unattainable prey. Noli me tangere, says Caesar’s unattainable deer– touch me not, no matter how hard you may attempt to catch me. Jessa of EMH is deemed the unattainable companion and Jeff’s driving force to discover the truth behind the situation they’ve been placed in–it is Jessa, dangled in front of him after she goes missing, that leads Jeff down the path that inevitably leads to his own death after uncovering too much. The deer is to be chased, to be hunted, and never captured. Camilla from The Secret History believed herself to be a deer during the same hallucinatory bacchanal that cost a man his life, and led her brother and friends on a chase spanning miles. Jessa was hunted by an unknowable force, then used as bait to draw her partner down the path to his own death. Unattainability, the shape of something fleeing in front of you, elicits a powerful reaction to follow, to hunt, to chase. Jessa fell victim to that reaction. Camilla, and the white hind, did not.

3: The Myth of Diana and Actaeon, EverymanHYBRID, and The Secret History--Madness

The Diana and Actaeon Fountain at the Caserta Royal Palace:

The detail of the fountain shown depicts the pivotal scene in the myth of Actaeon and Artemis, where Actaeon, mid-transformation into a stag, is killed for the slight of viewing the goddess Artemis nude.The sculpture shows the transformation in no mercy, plain in its depiction of Actaeon’s pain and terror, and the simple ferocity of the hounds that surround him.

EverymanHYBRID, “May & June”:

A shot of Jeff, blood spattered across him, speaking with a shocked and angry tone. The captions read, “Jeff: Why were we doing that? That was...that’s not what we were looking for. We knew damned well that wasn’t what we were trying to kill. (Vince: Close enough.) It was a deer! It was a fucking deer! I tried to pull you off, you tried to punch me in the fucking face!”

The Secret History, on the Greeks’ view of beauty and terror (bold for emphasis):

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful to souls like the Greeks or to our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves? Euripedes speaks of the Maenads: head thrown back, throat to the stars, ‘more like deer than human being’.”

Parallels drawn:

Most depictions of Actaeon, sculpture or painting, usually show him with antlers or a deer lower body, leaving his head and face a recognizable human shape. However, the sculptor here decided to subvert expectations and leave his body human, giving Actaeon the animal head of a stag. The loss of control and the descent from human to animal is not glorified or made palatable by the mere addition of a crown of antlers--there is only the one constant, fear, that follows him all the way down. Madness may be defined as a loss of control, and there may be something beautiful and terrifying in feeling your sanity slip through your own fingers. Jeff, Evan, and Vinnie are overtaken by brief, inexplicable madness and tear apart a deer as they come dangerously close to uncovering exactly who and what is hunting them. They skate close to seeing soemthing they shouldn't see. It is only Jeff who looks up, shocked by the blood on his hands, and voices his fear. Vinnie, apathetic, lets it go. But Evan, houndlike and irrational, defends his kill.

4: EverymanHYBRID & Hannibal--Warnings and Temptation

EverymanHYBRID, “May & June”:

A shot of Evan, spattered heavily with blood, standing with shoulders caved in protectively. His left hand is raised to his mouth, with his hair covering his eyes, and he is licking the blood off of his fingers.

“Shot Through The Hart, and Hannibal’s To Blame” (bold for emphasis):

“In my post about ravens, I talked about how it’s not always easy to tell what the Ravenstag really means. Is it evidence of the Hannibalesque elements of Will’s soul? Or a warning of those parts growing within him? Does the Ravenstag urge Will forward on his journey, or warn him of what’s to come?”

Hannibal, Season 1, Episode 1 “Aperitif”:

A shot of the Ravenstag, staring directly into the camera with one hoof up, as if to approach. There are black feathers interwoven with its pelt and its eyes have an uncanny shine.

Parallels drawn:

On a naturalistic note, deer are skittish creatures. They have thin legs and a sleek body, made for running. A small head and big eyes, placed wide-set to see coming predators. Keen ears. They are ready at any moment to sense danger, warn others, and flee. When a deer does not move, it is either safe or sizing up its options, either accepting where it is or preparing to run. Deer, staring directly at the viewer, come as a sympathetic warning to flee or, in its dark eyes and firm stance, a temptation. Me tangere, they say. Come closer. We are one and the same. In Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal, the commanding presence of the Ravenstag serves as both a warning and a beckoning temptation to turn his feet down the darker path. It is otherworldly, black-furred and feathered, and yet a warning of events rooted in the real world--does Will understand what danger he is in upon meeting Hannibal and take the warning, or will he ignore it, sensing that same darkness in himself, that same potential for corruption? In EverymanHYBRID, it is that same killing of a deer that hints at that same potential for darkness growing inside Evan. He licks at his fingers, animalistic, fully ignoring his own Ravenstag warning signs for the delight of the hunt. Is he Evan anymore? Or is something else growing inside him?

5: EverymanHYBRID & Hannibal--Predator and Prey, or the Final Act

EverymanHybrid, “:D”:

A shot of HABIT, looking up a set of stairs with one foot on the bottom step. In one hand down by his side, he is holding a knife. His posture is tilted forward, poised, ready to spring into action, like that of a hunter.

“Shot Through The Hart, and Hannibal’s To Blame” (bold for emphasis):

“The idea of deer as symbols of rebirth also stands out to me. Hannibal is a series obsessed with becoming and transformation. People start one way, and are reborn as something completely other by the end of the show. There’s even a character sewn up into a deceased pregnant horse in the hopes that when she’s released, she will be literally reborn as something different. It’s thus a neat fit, this significance of deer with the themes of the show.”

EverymanHYBRID, “:D”:

A shot of Jeff, looking up and to the side with an expression of caution and fear. His eyes are unnerved, squinting as, from offscreen, HABIT’s hand plays idly with his hat.

Parallels drawn:

The first and final incarnation of the deer is, of course, prey. Beyond and before any symbolism of innocence and wildness and warnings, deer are prey animals, to be hunted and devoured. And yet, in keeping with the concept of contrasting symbolism, deer are not helpless. Yearly, they shed and regrow their antlers in a transformation of horn and blood. At the climax of EverymanHYBRID, the final reveal, the final transformation, comes to fruition. HABIT, formerly Evan, takes its place as the Hunter, the archetypal predator, with Jeff shown most prominently as the Prey. Jeff’s luck has run its course, with him in the chair as the sacrificial prey-victim to fall to HABIT’s knife. HABIT, reborn, reiterated, made incarnate through Evan’s unwilling transformation, is poised to start the hunt. This is the big reveal, the crux of the transformation, Actaeon caught mid-transfiguration and the bloody sloughing-off of velvet humanity to reveal perfect and gleaming antlers. This is what it comes down to, time and time again. The hunter and the hunted. The wilderness embraced and the wilderness captured, and the monstrosity in that act.

Works Cited

Callimachus. Actaeon and Artemis. C. 220 BC

Fuller, Bryan. “Apetirif.” Hannibal, season 1, episode 1, NBC, 4 Apr. 2013.

Koval, J., Caffarello, V., &; Jennings, E. (Directors). (2011, July 12). May & June [Video file].

Koval, J., Caffarello, V., &; Jennings, E. (Directors). (2012, October 9). :D [Video file].

Tartt, Donna. The Secret History. Penguin, 2006.

Uhminuh. “Shot Through the Hart, and Hannibal's to Blame.” Read the Rude, Wordpress, 19 July 2020.

Wyatt, Thomas. “Whoso List to Hunt, I Know where is an Hind.” c. 1530.

Honorary mention to this fanart by @/rrhaes that started this whole spiral

[the-pale-goddess]

Please share a song that describes how Tiffany felt when Ethan was in the Amazon. Also a song about how Ethan felt while he was there.

Anon, my beloved, thank you for this question! I always get so giddy when you guys want to know more about E&T ❤️

I’ve chosen more than one for each because the emotions they experience at that time are complex and often contradictory.

I also want to apologize for the length of this response...My comments are probably more than you asked for, but I couldn’t shut up as per usual. Sorry? ksgskshdkb

Let’s get this show on the road!

Tiffany:

There's a rage that still reminds me

I'm waiting, waiting

The way Ethan left her hanging shook her to the core (y’all know red’s her color, poor girl didn’t see the warning signs lmao). But she’s willing to wait for him and give him a chance to explain his cowardly behavior despite all the hurt and rage boiling inside of her.

You don't believe in love

But can't you say that you've been thinking of us?

Casually calling Ethan out ✨

I swallow my fable that I was not enough

This entire situation gives her war flashbacks...Except in the past she was the culprit.

Love had been an alien concept to Tiffany for a very long time. She did adore her longtime boyfriend...But it was merely a spark, never a fire.

When at a crossroads, she decided to leave him, her family and her entire life in California, and moved to New York to study medicine. In a different style, obviously ksgkshskb But still - she ran away like Ethan.

The Amazon Escape felt like a cruel punishment for breaking an innocent heart.

But with my eyes closed, I'm still dancing in your love

And inside, I'm dreaming I'll be alone with you again

And I can still hold you like I held you in the end

And yet...Homegirl’s still utterly devoted to Ethan, reminiscing all those precious moments with him. Hoping she’ll have them back.

Also, just for the record, Tiffany is an atheist. And you probably have already figured that I’m a sucker for any themes involving love as religion and metaphors playing with the concept....’If I had to believe in something, I would believe in you & I’ that sort of thing ksbksbskb It’s 100% Hozier’s fault

She’s lost, hopeless and betrayed. Tiffany’s never been in love before, never cared enough to feel so deeply, never wanted to be with anyone. Though it hurts like the first visit in hell, she still covers everything up and bottles up her emotions.

And this song sums her feelings best, every verse fits so much 💔 (I prefer this remix because the original has a tune that’s a bit too cheerful for my taste lol also Gryffin slaps)

Ethan:

Man’s a mess, trying to hate-talk himself out of the bond he has with Tiffany by convincing his stubborn ass he can’t be the man Tiffany wants him to be because it would ruin her career.

And he would ruin her. Probably. Possibly. Definitely. Since love is a concept he can’t grasp, they would never work; she deserves someone more available, more open, more worthy.

Someone who isn’t her boss, that’s for sure.

NOW LISTEN TO THIS...

First we see a broken man with no warmth inside of him...

Ethan’s out in the wilderness, doing the right thing. Showing no emotion except for apparent indifference. He has to be focused. This is no place for sentiments, there’s no time for emotional nonsense.

But there’s a, uhm, human-shaped hole in that facade of his kshskhskshk

And then, Sir Ethan Jonah Ramsey, Dumb of Ass, King of Emotional Constipation & Denial, looks right through the walls he’s built and finally realizes...

Home meaning his arms obviously jsgksgb

The final lines hit different when his ‚weak body’ and ‚heart giving up’ mean that...Actually...There’s so much warmth inside of him and his cold little heart ‚is giving up’ because all he needs is Tiffany. His facade is falling down.

He just wants the woman he cares about more than anything.

While I believe that other songs (to a greater extent) can be used for any Ethan x MC pairing, this one is 100% tailored for E&T:

Lost my mind in San Francisco

Tiffany is from SF. Miss California lives in his mind now. She stole all his thoughts. Oops.

The other very specific HC that I have is connected with London - Grumpsey escaped there for a semester abroad after the Ethan x Med school lover (Miss Beatrice) x Tobias situation ended in pain.

Clearing his head is infinitely more difficult this time around and he has absolutely no idea how to deal with his feelings and navigate his professional relationship with Tiffany after everything that’s happened between them.

Is happening between them. Because it’s not over. Can it ever be over?

I’m always leaving. Never you

Never Tiffany. Good luck trying to escape now, mate xoxo

I'm on the red eye flight to nowhere good

How 'bout you?

She’s oblivious to your plans, bastard. But he called her as soon as he landed, ok? Ok.

_____

Btw, dear Anon, I was never sure about how I wanted to tackle the Amazon topic in my canon (or more specifically what was Tiffany’s reaction to Ethan’s trip and how/when the news dropped). Thanks to you a fully-fledged headcanon formed in my head and I am sure now - thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️

And if you’ve come this far...THANK YOU FOR READING AND I AM SORRY AGAIN KSHSKHSK

[ggukkieland]

📕CURRENT READS (2020 October)

🌹 Fics I’ve enjoyed reading this October, with some few unread ones (still have 4 to 5 days to finish!). Waah I have read a lot 😲 I can’t believe I’m almost complete with this list 🥳. Usually when I post and organize the list, half of it are still on #toread status. I thought of curating Halloween-themed fics 🎃 but I ended up reading any genre anyway😁.

Again, credit goes to these awesome writers! Sending them lots of love and virtual hugs 🥰🤗💜🥰🤗💜🥰🤗 .

✅ -  done reading   | S (smut) F (fluff) A (angst) 

🥕[Ongoing Series - to check weekly] 

Still reading the ongoing series from last month’s reading list, whenever there is an update 😊

I Feel You in my Heart by @purpletaecup - MYG |  exes au, second chances, some chapters have smau elements | A, S, F (really good story development 😭)

[7/?] nearly 2 months after their divorce, yoongi and y/n wade through the aftermath of the fallout by themselves. yoongi is moving on with someone else while y/n finds herself stuck in waves of anxiety and depression. soon enough, they are brought together again by an unfortunate accident

If it Harms None, Do What You Will by purpletaecup - JJK | smau, comedy, supernatural au, fantasy au, witch!reader, demon!jungkook | F, S  🎃

[6/?] it’s the beginning of October and green witch y/n has been preparing for all of the spooky activities she needs to do for all hallow’s eve. one of her older friends gives her a ritual candle for protection. a couple of drops of blood and a wonky magic circle later, there is a high level demon sitting on the floor of her living room.

We Live with a Ghost by @smaubts - JJK | smau, comedy, ghost au, roommates au | F  🎃

[6/13] when jungkook convinces his roommate, y/n, that their house is haunted by an evil ghost, they decide their best option is to contact with it and make it leave but end up summoning an actual ghost by accident.

Swan Black by CharWrites [AO3] - JJK | fantasy, supernatural, enemies to lovers, dark fantasy, apocalypse, Fae!Jungkook, Fae!Yoongi, Fae!Taehyung,  LOTR/Mortal Instruments/Labyrinth vibes | A, S (I love this! It’s like watching LOTR 😍)  🎃

[10/?] So's twin brother, Jimin, has been kissed by darkness: an evil that has spread across the land and has claimed many souls. They only have weeks until the darkness consumes him. Once consumed, he will be governed by the unsullied: a powerful race of Dark Fae that has overtaken the world.

So seeks out a rogue Fae Prince, Kook, who is her only hope, if she can survive his deadly charms and irresistible lure especially when he is much more interested in possessing her, mind body and soul.

Third Wheeling by @taetaewonderland - MYG |  strangers to lovers au, ceo!yoongi | A, F, S 🥰

[1/?] Min Yoongi is a strict man. Time is money to the CEO of Kisung Connected. He isn’t interested in conventional things or wastes of time. He’s an asshole. But, you didn’t realize until it was too late. Until you met him at the club and it changed your life forever.  

Bad Friends by @hollyxqx- MYG | friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, neighbor au, college au, fwb au | A, S, F (what a good angst 😥)

[1/3] hooking up with your childhood best friend was never your plan, but neither was falling in love with him either. he’s troubled but his heart is gold. when you move away for college, things start to take a turn.

House of Lilies by @suqakoo​ - JJK | mafia au, arranged marriage au | A, F, S

[3/?] Jeon Jungkook is the only heir to Dal Gurimja. He is the poster child for mafia bosses. He’s a feared hit-man among the underground world, and a successful CEO among the socialites of Seoul. Pair him with a castaway girl who’s been out of society for twelve years, and… what do you get?

Your Eyes Tell  by @njkbangtan - JJK | soulmate au, enemies to lovers au, roommates au, sugar baby (but not really), slow burn | A, F

[5/?] You live in a world where people see in black and white. The solution to finally see the colors? It’s simple. You need to meet your soulmate and look at him in the eyes, but what if the person bound to you is already contented with the monochromatic world? What if…Jeongguk, your soulmate, is already in love with someone else?  

I hate u, I love u by @bbangpanmen - JJK | fwb au, friends to lovers au, smau | A

[17/23] he uses you to forget her; you let him because you love him.

Puzzle by @kimvvantae - JJK | fwb au, friends to lovers au, college au | A, S, F (I’ve read this before, around 2018-19 and I thought it was discontinued. Glad there’s an update ^_^)

[7/?] the line between friendship and something more has never been crossed  - but that changes after a break up and a drunken night, when you not-so-accidentally cross this line to something much more. what happens when after this accident your non-matching puzzle pieces seem to match in a way you’ve never imagined?

The Lesson/Min Boy by @adventuresinwonderlust - MYG | bad boy!yoongi, dom-sub elements, enemies to lovers, brat!reader | S, A, F

[6/8] No summary provided but it’s the twisted story between bad boy Yoongi with angsty backstory and this brat/rich kid. I really liked how it was written though.  I made a mistake of reading part 4:  Two Months Too Long, which should’ve been the 6th story to read if you follow the author’s sequence. 

Popular-ish by @hansolmates - JJK | popular!jungkook, college au, fwb to lovers, shy!oc | F, S, A

[9/?] drabble series: you are way out of jungkook’s league. Or is it the other way around?

Date Me by @latetaektalk - JJK | enemies to lovers, fake dating au, rich kid au | A, F,

[prologue + 1/?] when obnoxiously rich and spoiled frat boy jeon jungkook comes up to you one day and asks you to fake date him for money, you definitely should have said no. because before you knew it, you were going on insta dates with him and having lunch with his equally obnoxiously rich and spoiled friends.

All Over You by @zibermuda - JJK | enemies to lovers, nerd!jk, fuckgirl!reader | S, F 

[2/?] you don’t usually go for the quiet, nerdy type, but Jungkook’s by far the best looking guy in your year. You just can’t help yourself. You have to have him. Small hiccup; he hates you

Effortlessly by @gyukult - JJK | friends to lovers, neighbors au, 

[8/?] “Reciprocate feelings?” Jungkook crosses his arms before he continues, “They should know that you’re the only girl in my life.“ Jungkook has been your best friend and neighbor since you could remember, but what you can’t recall is when your feelings began develop for him. 

HEI$T: A JJK Fic by lucidly [AO3] - JJK | heist au, action, bangtan are thieves, vigilante au | A, S

[3/?] Six years after being thrown into the world of forgery, espionage, and heists, Mona and her team face competition like never before: The Bulletproof Boy Scouts, a fabled Korean gang of thieves that everybody seems to know, but no one has seen. When she comes face to face with all 7 of them, Mona knows: they're real, and this job won't be like the others. For years she has followed the money, but could it be time that she follow her heart instead?

🥕[Completed AUs/Series-  to read]

✅  - done reading (also there seems to be a lot of JJK fics)

Creep @xjoonchildx - MYG | S, pwp, yandere ✅

Guilty @xjoonchildx - KNJ | A, S, mafia au, second part of Guarded AU (an awesome JHS series) 

Chapter One: How Odd  Chapter Two: Incheon Mall Tube Tops  Final Chapter: Is Something Burning?  Epilogue: Better Than Okay

Paddle with Me @yoongs-jeontae - JJK | A, S, enemies to lovers, camp counselor au, pwp   ✅

Hate Me @themfchase - JJK | S, collegel!au, enemies to lovers au, fuckboy!jk, pwp  ✅

Devil in a Blue Suit @yeojaa - JJK | F, S, idiots to lovers, established au, good boy!jungkook  

main story  ✅ + drabbles  ✅

Sweetest Crush @minjoonalist - JHS | F, S, brother’s best friend au 

Fake Love @aquaminwrites - JHS | F, S, A, fake dating au, enemies to lovers  ✅

Faded Love @jamaisjoons - PJM | A, S, marriage au, infidelity ✅

Brown-Eyed Baby @vinterjeon - JJK | A, S, F, exes to lovers, single dad!jk 

01 02  ✅

Why We Got Married @ktheist - KTH | F, S, arranged marriage au, slow burn ✅

Lonely Hearts Club @dovechim - JJK | S, F, enemies to lovers, wedding au  ✅

Come to Me @jeonsweetpea - JJK | S, A, F ,friends to lovers, college au  ✅

Satan on the Strip @noir0neko - JJK | S, A, demon!jungkook  ✅  🎃

No Face @seokoloqy - MYG | A, S, F, demon au, supernatural au  ✅  🎃

Take a Chance @crystaljins - JJK | A, Hanahaki au, co-workers, very angsty but Seokjin provides comic relief

01 02 03 04 05 06 07  ✅

The Lottery Offering @skswriting - JJK | A, F, S, werewolf au, sort-of arranged marriage au  ✅

A Beautiful Epiphany @onherwings - JJK | A, S, F, friends to lovers, unrequited love, artist!jungkook  ✅

Au Naturel (sequel) - drabble, established au  ✅

Broken Dreams @ddaenysus - JJK | A, soulmate au, unrequited  ✅

And Mended Hearts (sequel) - A, S, soulmate au, college au   ✅

Coin Toss @yoondoze - JJK | A, mafia au, detective au, exes au, plot twist 👀  ✅

I Knew It Was You @hoseokmylovesworld - JJK | S, F, werewolf au, college au  ✅ 🎃

Little Blue @pars-ley - JJK | F, S, friends to lovers, college au, with TW   ✅

Little Blue Pill @dreamescapeswriting  - JJK | S, pwp, friends to lovers ✅ 

Smitten @megahwn - JJK | F, S, arranged marriage au, strangers to lovers au   ✅

Hit Me with Your Best Shot @namfine - JJK | S, pwp, martial arts, friends to lovers  ✅

Slow and Steady @yoonia - JJK | S, A, artist!jungkook, infidelity, established au   ✅

Cockblocked @mercurygguk - JJK | A, S, F, friends to lovers, roommates au  ✅

 everything I ever wanted (drabble) - morning after  ✅

What are you Afraid Of? @cupofteaguk - JJK | F, avatar the last bender au 

Part 2 (prompt: if you keep looking at me like that we won’t make it to a bed) - avatar au, F, S

demon-etized @jungkxook - KNJ | S, youtube au, ghost hunter au  🎃

Spellbound @jeonseok - JJK |  F, slight S, demon au, crack, romcom  ✅ 🎃

Raising Demons (sequel) - fluffy, smut, established au, crack  ✅ 🎃

What’s in a Name? @minsimagines - JJK | A, F, demon au, soul selling scenario, romance  

01 02 03 ✅  🎃

The Big Yellow School Bus  [15k] fringesofsanity [AO3] - JJK | S, A, F, noona, fwb au  ✅

once bitten, twice shy [5.6k] obiwrites [AO3] - JJK | A, F, implied S, exes au, parents au   ✅

Lose Somebody [26k] @kooala - JJK | A, F, slight S, exes au, camping au  ✅

Oh What a World [100k] @taestybae - PJM | A, S, F, fake marriage au, fallen idol au (been wanting to read this since July (!), will finally get to reading this 🥰)

series masterlist [18 chapters + epilogue]

🥕[Drabbles]

okay I just realized they’re all JJK drabbles 😅

Incandesce @eunoiabliss - 544 words | JJK | fantasy au, fluff  ✅

Forgetful Confession  @suhdays - 991 words | JJK |  fluff, slight angst, college au, friends to ???  ✅

Club @taleasnewastime - 2k | JJK | fluff, bestfriends  ✅

JJK Reincarnation drabble @ktheist - 571 words | JJK | F, reincarnation (?) | love love this 🥰  ✅

Pup @whipped-for-kpop-fics​ - 1.5k | JJK | F, humour, werewolf au, established au | this is cute and funny 🤣  ✅

A Line Crossed @underthejoon - 723 words | JJK | A, bodyguard au ✅

Rousing Rendezvous @rookiegukie - 1.5k | JJK |  smut, frenemies with benefits, modern royalty au  ✅

[pixelgrotto]

The good and bad of the fourth Indy 

When it comes to classic point 'n click adventure games, there are two companies that dominated the '90s - Sierra and LucasArts. Between these two, I've always been a dedicated Sierra dude. I've written here at length about some of my favorites like the Quest for Glory and Gabriel Knight series, and while detractors of Sierra's output have valid points (deaths and dead ends in their games were far too prevalent), I've always just found their titles more gripping than LucasArts' output. 

That said, there certainly are LucasArts adventures that loom large in my mind. The Monkey Island games are good examples (especially the first one) and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is another. When I was growing up, I had a definite fascination with the latter, finding it thrilling that Indiana's fabled fourth outing had been visualized in computer game format - and as a point 'n click adventure, no less! LucasArts put out an advertorial magazine around this time called The Adventurer, and I remember poring over Fate of Atlantis screenshots as a kid, really wanting to experience the quest of Indy and Sophia Hapgood.

I didn't end up playing Fate of Atlantis as a child, probably because I never saw it in stores and the one LucasArts Archives collection I got my dad to buy me didn't have the game inside. (It was Archive Vol. III, for those in the know.) So I think the first time I experienced it was in high school on some Abandonware site. I liked it, though I did find the game a smidgeon overrated at the end of the day, possibly because I also played Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers for the first time around then and was blown away in comparison. 

Flash forward to 2021, and for some reason I was hit with the urge to play Fate of Atlantis again. To make the experience more fun, I decided to order the Dark Horse Comics tie-in series on eBay, which took the general ideas from the game's script and divided them up into four issues. Overall, I enjoyed both the game and the comic, though once again, there's that slight feeling of "hmmm, a tad overrated" that came into my head once I was done. 

There's a lot that Fate of Atlantis does well. The story's kind of a retread of Raiders of the Lost Ark (and even ends in the same way with Nazis transforming into hideous creatures), but it's an interesting enough dive into the lore of the lost city as established by Plato. The soundtrack, delivered by LucasArt's immersive iMuse sound system (which synchronized music to whatever was happening on screen) is full of catchy themes, and I'm listening to it as I write this. The puzzles mostly make sense in the beginning, though halfway through they start to reach the typical ‘90s status of "wow, how the heck could you figure this out without a hint book?”

Fate of Atlantis' strongest point is definitely its replay value. There are three routes through the game - the Team Path, the Wits Path and the Fists Path. The Team Path has Indy and Sophia travelling together to find Atlantis, the Wits Path has Indy going it alone but relying on his noggin for harder puzzles, and the Fists Path is the so-called "action" one, where Indy gets to punch Nazis in the face. When I first played Fate of Atlantis all those years ago, I chose the Team Path, since it seems like the sensible one with the love interest and all that. This time, I chose the Fists Path, since I wanted to bash stuff. The amount of new scenes that I saw were impressive, including a desert camel trek and an arcade-style hot air balloon sequence that I don't recall experiencing the first time around. The combat, a carryover from LucasArts' adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was a mess of endless clicking on bad guys, but the sheer amount of replayability evident in the game was great. Maybe in another couple of years I'll try the Wits path! 

There were definite foibles that ground my gears, though. Chief among them was a general lack of urgency, despite the fact that Indy and Sophia are supposed to be racing the Nazis against the clock. It's funny to point this out, because unlike other LucasArts games, which had a famous "you can't die" policy, Indy actually can bite the dust here. But despite this fact, there are so many instances in Fate of Atlantis where Indy can walk into a Nazi about to kill him, go "Whoops, made a wrong turn," and gently walk away without his foe even bothering to pursue. There's also a section of the game in Monte Carlo where you're supposed to find a certain person, and all you need to do is study the patterns of the three or so NPCs that wander back and forth around the screen (without ever stopping) and click on the right one. I know this is all part of LucasArts' style of making their adventure games kind on the player, but it always struck me that everything in Fate of Atlantis was gently waiting for me to choose the right option rather than dynamically reacting to my actions. I guess I like my adventure games with a bit more edge, or maybe I just noticed this dissonance more with a property like Indiana Jones - where danger’s supposed to be prevalent - as opposed to a comedic franchise like Monkey Island. Nevertheless, I still feel like there's a middle ground between this hand holding and the blunt deaths that always occurred in Sierra games.

I was also surprised by how much the game drags once you've actually reached Atlantis. I didn't remember the finale from my first playthrough at all, possibly because Atlantis is one giant maze full of doodads that you need to collect in order to operate ancient robots and solve obtuse headscratchers. (Here's where I truly began to feel the need for a hint book.) And once you're out of the first maze and uncover a hidden underground layer of the city, you're immediately presented with a SECOND maze which relies upon navigating through a series of archways and is totally randomized each playthrough, with Indy forced to start from the beginning if you mess up. Arghhh, now that's some wacky '90s adventure game design for ya! 

Most of all, though...I forgot how much of a terrible sidekick Sophia Hapgood is. She barely does anything for the entirety of the game! I think the Team Path treats her better than the Fists Path, obviously, but even in that one she ends up getting kidnapped at the end and doesn't assist much with the puzzles except for a small handful of instances where you can control her. Sophia's definitely supposed to be more like Raiders' Marion Ravenwood than Temple of Doom's Willie Scott, but unfortunately she comes across as the latter more than the former, and in the context of an adventure game, she's treated like a walking, talking inventory object. Not that Indiana Jones movies have necessarily excelled with their female characters (there was a creepy detail that emerged a while back about how the original script for Raiders indicated that a 15-year-old Marion had an affair with a 27-year-old Indy), but Sophia's not really a love interest, aside from two quick smooches near the end of the game. She's just...there, kinda doing nothing aside from occasionally calling Indy a bozo. 

The comic version of Fate of Atlantis fixes this, making her far more interesting. The comic's pretty solid, I will say, and amps up the urgency of the story by tossing the puzzles out the window. But while reading it and ruminating on the fact that this was first time I'd consumed so much Indiana Jones content in over a decade, I found myself guffawing as I realized that Dr. Jones is truly a TERRIBLE archeologist. I mean, what a looter this dude is, and at least Lara Coft is actually honest about being a Tomb Raider! Hah, I guess this is common knowledge amongst real archeologists or folks who watched the movies as adults, but as someone whose biggest Indy memories come from childhood, it was an eye-opener to see him crap on an ancient civilization by calling the construction of Atlantis "primitive.” It kind of makes me a little reluctant to go back and watch the films. I already knew that Temple of Doom was full of bad Indian stereotypes, but now I know for sure that Dr. Jones hasn't aged all that well for my 2021 sensibilities! 

All that aside, I am glad I played through Fate of Atlantis again, even if I don't consider it to be the adventure game pinnacle. It's a well-made translation of the pulp vibe that the Indy movies were meant to evoke, and the replay value is truly something special. I do wonder, though, what Sierra could've done if they'd gotten their mitts on the Indy license. I know, I know... There probably would've been deaths aplenty, including a death where you click the whip on Indy and he uses it to accidentally lash himself into an early grave. I can dream!

[iamdeku]

Adult!Deku hitting on/flirting with a hostess who is dressed like a kitsune.

I’m gonna be real upfront with you anon and admit that I did not fully understand this ask because this isn’t really what I usually do so I’m just kinda doing an OHSHC college type AU and working from that idea of a host club because that’s…literally all I’ve got on this front lol

Warnings: none. I didn’t proofread though so read with caution lol.

 The host club you worked at was known for its ostentatious themes, and this week was no exception. This week you were going for a fable theme, everybody basing themselves off of a mythical creature. You had chosen the Kitsune, having always had an affinity for foxes.

You weaved through the crowd like the hints of gold weaving through your costume, adding a magical touch to the outfit. You attended to all of your guests, but mostly you were not that popular. You had never been the center of attention, most people preferring your fellow hosts to you. One customer in particular took notice of you, however.

He had wild green hair that would have likely overtaken his face if not for the undercut he sported, and he had green eyes to match with flecks of gold scattered throughout them. Those green gold eyes seemed fixated on you, and when you strayed a little closer, he didn’t miss his opportunity.

“Hey there. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

You paused, giving him a smile. “Isn’t that something I’m supposed to say to you?”

“Well I can’t help but flirt with someone so beautiful. In fact, some might even go so far as to say you’re…foxy.” He winked.

You couldn’t stop yourself from bursting into laughter. The pick-up line was just too adorably cheesy. Coming from anyone else you might have been annoyed, but there was just such an earnestness to this man that you couldn’t find it in yourself to be bothered. In fact, you sort of liked it, and it was your job to encourage him after all.

You did a twirl. “You like this, huh?”

“I’m a big fan, yeah. Though personally I think I might prefer to see you in casual clothes. Off the job, maybe.”

You paused, giving him a once over. He was very handsome. Tall, broad, muscles for days, all the things people normally went crazy for. That wasn’t really what decided it for you though. The deciding factor was actually his posture.

The smile on his face was relaxed and open enough, but you could see from his posture that this wasn’t something he was necessarily comfortable with. His shoulders hunched in on themselves just a little bit, broad enough that you wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t looking. His hands were folded between his thighs, and his fingertips tapped nervously at his knuckles. It was…cute.

“Well, what are you doing Friday night handsome?” You smirked.

“Me? Uh…”

It was clear to you that he had not expected to get this far. That only made him further endearing. You suspected there were a lot of layers to this guy hiding underneath his practiced smiles.

“I was looking for something to do, but if you’re not free I guess I could just ask someone else.” You shrugged.

“No! No, I’m free. Definitely. Super free. Available. Single.”

You laughed. “Good to know. Do you have a name then, single stranger?”

He looked up at you with those stunning green eyes, taking your breath away.

“Izuku Midoriya.”

[sooibian]

Homebodies

>> gif credits to the lovely @sefuns​

a/n: i missed writing soft and silly baekhyun (it makes for atleast 50% of my masterlist). unedited, sorry. i hope you enjoy

====================================

🎮 pairing: baekhyun x fem!reader

🎮 themes: fluff, fluff, fluff. domestic au

🎮 description: when you get comfortable with each other...a little too comfortable

🎮 word count: ~ 1.1 k

====================================

The tall glass of California Grey Herbal Iced Tea (an ill-considered spend, in hindsight) grew warmer by the second, drawing heat from the insipid bowl of soggy, soup-absorbed noodles that sat next to it.

You meticulously studied the floppy-haired man’s stance who'd been ignoring the inviting spread for God knows how long. Shoulders shrivelled into a painful crouch, a familiar bloodlust in his engorged eyes, a half eaten banana hanging from his mouth, as he gaped at the screen of his brand new plasma TV. He wore the concentration of students feverishly preparing for their CSATs in the last minute. Emphatic ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and screams and yodels of victory (or defeat, you couldn’t tell) fell from his lips sporadically. 

You knocked on the door. The resultant sound of which could have very well travelled a few square feet to his large ears but they were hermetically sealed by a noise cancelling device. Slumping into the bed barely inches from him, you flicked the back of his neck with your fingers. Still, nothing. Although physically present in your Seoul apartment, Baekhyun was mentally somewhere in the distant spiritual realm of Runeterra. 

A weary sigh left your lips as you mindlessly stared at the bizarre pixels running riot -  severing limbs, galloping, killing, dying, and ever so often, spontaneously combusting. A couple of inches south, an animal patterned tablecloth draped the insufficiently sized desk upon which the soundbar was propped - you made a mental note to change everything about the unsightly setting. The tablecloth, the desk, and the beige slip-on footwear peeking from underneath it.  A stray strand of hair, wandering aimlessly on the spic and span floor caught your eye. 

Smiling, you dashed out of the room.

Powering the vacuum cleaner to 'Max', you waltzed back in, following rhythmic counts of 1-2-3, 1-2-3 right in front of the television screen.

“Yah, yahhhh, YAHHH”, he panicked, swinging side to side on the bed in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of the screen, “what are you doing!?”

“Cleaning up after you”, you said ruefully.

“WHAT?”

“CLEANING UP AFTER YOU!”

His console and his face hit the bed in a violent crash. By the looks of it, his Fighter Mr. Malphite had met his fateful demise.

“IMMA!” he cried and an innocent pillow bore the brunt of his wrath.

“Did you just call your girlfriend a….punk?” Resting the vacuum cleaner on the wall, you sat down on the edge of the bed in a dramatic slow motion.

He crawled towards you to wrap your mock-dejected frame in an embrace, “I did. After what you just did, I don’t regret it in the least. Want some ramen?”

“That bowl of orange mush, you mean?”

“Do you want to start a fight?”

“Most definitely, yes.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re boring. When was the last time we fought?”

With a deep exhale, he pulled you into his lap, the tips of his ears starting to turn a faint scarlet. “You think I’m boring?” his bottom lip jutted out in a sulky, juicy pout.

Closing the distance between your lips, you muttered a teasing ‘yes’, and immediately tore away. There was no way you were going to let him distract you.

Not today. You were, after all, looking to pick a fight.

Yet, his eyes met yours in a knowing look as he allowed his fingers to gently trace the length of your back, shooting shivers down your spine. You sprang out of his lap to tend to the less than appealing tray of carbs to prove a point.

“Jagi! Be a good girl, come back here!” He whined, sprawling on the bed, starfish style.

“You see! This is what I have to do on my three week Government mandated leave”, you said, lifting the tray off the bed like a fabled soap opera actress.

“Yah! Did I ask you to do it?”

“Why did you cook this if you weren’t going to eat it?”

“Who says I won’t be eating….aish. What’s wrong?” He gently pulled the tray out of your hands causing you to, yet again, sit on the edge of the bed in a theatrical slo-mo.

Shaking his head, he stifled a chuckle.

“Baek”, you cried.

“Jagi”, he teased.

“Baek!”

“Jagi!”

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

“Jongdae called ~~”

“Why ~~”

“To check in on us. To ask if we were still alive”, your face contorted into a sorry frown as you dug into the bowl of lumpy noodles.

“What do you mean?” he asked, grabbing your hand which held the chopsticks, to steal the first bite.

“We haven’t seen him in two months! We hardly step out of the apartment, Baekhyun! Jongdae took his wife out on a date and they’re first time parents...they have a very needy two month old to take care of! If they can do it --” you took a huge gulp out of the bland iced tea to wash down the wilted noodles. It was a terrible idea.

“First off, Baekhyun? You never call me Baekhyun!” With another dispirited protrusion of bubblegum pink lips, he said, “When I asked you if you wanted to go out for shabu shabu last weekend, you said you wanted to catch the finale of Itaewon Class. Remember?”

“But - but when I asked you if you wanted to go get groceries the next day?”

“Our fridge was well-stocked at the time. There was no reason to!”

“Baek!”

“I get it”, he clasped his hands, eyes downcast, "I'm no Park Seo Joon."

“I’m glad you are aware. On that note, let me take you out to dinner tonight. Italian?”

“Sushi!”

“We ate sushi last week! How about fried chicken and beer?”

“No, ahjussi. No fried chicken and beer. Snow crab ramen?” He sat up excitedly.

You tried to mirror his excitement but your eyes gave away the hesitance.

“Oookay”, he leaned in closer to scrutinize your eyes, to try and make a guess of your dinner preference for the evening “...let’s annihilate the night market?”

“Too hot and crowded”, you said quietly, nuzzling into the familiar comfort of his chest.

Thrusting his phone into your hand he resigned with a deep sigh. Softly patting the top of your head, he concluded, “Let’s accept our fate. We’ll never be half as fun and exciting as anybody we know. We’ll always end up spending our spare time indoors and that’s not just my fault. So order in what you like and please don’t ask for my opinion. I get to pick the movie, though.”

Smiling, you quipped, “It’s entirely your fault.”

“It’s entirely my fault. I concede defeat. Truce?”

“Truce.”

[dustedmagazine]

Tim Clarke’s 2021: How low can you go?

Dry Cleaning photo by Steve Gullick

One thing’s for sure: I don’t think anyone expected last year’s shit-show would still be dragging on, more than 18 months later — but here we are. I’ll spare you the personal details concerning why 2021 has been one of the worst years of my life; let’s just say I’ll be glad to see the back of it. Thankfully, musicians keep creating amazing music, to keep us hanging on. As long as this continues, there’ll be plenty of receptive pairs of ears here at Dusted.

Dry Cleaning — New Long Leg (4AD)

New Long Leg by Dry Cleaning

I was supposed to review this one back in April, when my life slipped off the rails. Thankfully Andrew Forell stepped in and did a great job, and Jason Bivins excitedly discovered its charms during our mid-year exchange. It seems absurd to assert that an album saved my life, but New Long Leg certainly made me laugh again, often out loud, at the utter absurdity of our modern existence, while delivering some of the most satisfyingly creative post-punk I’ve ever heard. As a guitarist myself, I can marvel at what Tom Dowse is doing with his SG and effects arsenal in pretty much every song (bar, perhaps, the wonky solo in “John Wick”). And if I had to pick a single song to sum up my year it would be the majestic, bittersweet “Her Hippo.”

The Notwist — Vertigo Days (Morr Music)

Vertigo Days by The Notwist

Back in the late 1990s I visited a friend in Germany, who introduced me to The Notwist’s magnificent Shrink. The Notwist have intrigued me ever since, but the albums that followed Shrink, bar perhaps their breakthrough, Neon Golden, have always felt a little distant, a little academic. On their latest album, Vertigo Days, I noted that they’ve not only enlivened their music with a beating human heart, but have also crafted a propulsive front-to-back listening experience that’s enriched by multiple guest vocalists.

Cory Hanson — Pale Horse Rider (Drag City)

Wand’s frontman goes cosmic country on his second solo album, Pale Horse Rider. The results are absolutely gorgeous, slathered in pedal steel and steeped in longing. Dusted’s Ian Mathers hit the nail on the head in his review, so I’ll leave it to him: “a songwriting sensibility that does feel very personal and emotionally powerful even though there’s not a lot of comprehensible narrative… something you could have a rousing chorus of around a campfire, as long as your party is thinking about the apocalypse.”

The Weather Station — Ignorance (Fat Possum)

Deluxe Edition of Ignorance by The Weather Station

Tamara Lindeman’s latest is a smooth, sophisticated and unashamedly “mature” record that will have Steely Dan fans blushing at how hard it swings. Jennifer Kelly did a great job of covering it earlier this year. Though the album’s primary lyrical theme of facing the sobering reality of climate change runs deep, the album also works beautifully as an exploration of the adult work of steadfastly addressing any hard-to-face facet of reality, whether heartbreak, betrayal or loss. Plus, the deluxe edition, which includes bonus songs, live versions and piano versions, is a worthwhile expansion of the original tracklist.

Ryley Walker — Course in Fable (Husky Pants)

Course In Fable by Ryley Walker

Surviving a suicide attempt and getting clean hasn’t dampened Ryley Walker’s notorious sense of humor; if anything, it’s enlivened his craft. Course in Fable is ample evidence that Walker is evolving into the kind of guitarist and lyricist who possesses the skills and smarts to throw eyebrow-raising twists and turns into his songs at every opportunity, and this set of sprawling, proggy guitar jams contains some of his finest creations to date. Special shout-out to Andrew Scott Young, too, for his star turn on the bass. Check out dusted writer Robert Ham’s take on the release here.

Richard Dawson & Circle — Henki (Weird World)

Henki by Richard Dawson & Circle

Geordie singer-songwriter Richard Dawson has a way of investing all of his music with refreshing humanity, intensity and humor, and this collaboration with Finnish band Circle is beautifully bonkers in the best possible way. In my review, I noted that “Though Henki is certainly invested with humor, Dawson and Circle are smart enough to not push things too far.” It rocks hard when it needs to, employs plenty of immersive instrumental textures, and isn’t afraid to skirt the borders of absurdity.

Nala Sinephro — Space 1.8 (Warp)

Space 1.8 by Nala Sinephro

This is such an elegant, intoxicating record of expansive ambient-jazz. Gentle ripples of harp, Rhodes and piano; field recordings; gaseous surges of synth and horns; occasional flexes of a swinging rhythm section — everything seems to emerge and evolve naturally from out of the ether. Quite a trip.

Tonstartssbandht — Petunia (Mexican Summer)

Petunia by Tonstartssbandht

While Nala Sinephro enlisted a bunch of virtuoso jazz-heads to realize her expansive vision, brothers Andy and Edwin White managed to push almost as far out on their own. These groovy psychedelic jams only need drums, guitar and the White brothers’ harmonized voices to stake out a space you can luxuriate in. In my review, I noted that “Given the duo’s reputation as road dogs, having to remain in place during the pandemic clearly hasn’t hemmed in their boundless musical wandering.”

Shannon Lay — Geist (Sub Pop)

Geist by Shannon Lay

There are so many talented folk singer-songwriters around that even the smallest distinction can nudge an album from good to great. In the case of Shannon Lay’s new album Geist, there’s a unhurried radiance to it that really draws you in, lays you down, and reassures you that everything is going to turn out OK. I needed to hear that more than ever this year.

Chuck Johnson — The Cinder Grove (VDSQ)

The Cinder Grove by Chuck Johnson

Big thanks to Dusted’s Bill Meyer for bringing this album to my attention by picking it for our mid-year exchange. Along with Nala Sinephro, it’s been my go-to instrumental album for 2021. Chuck Johnson’s glorious blooms of ambient pedal steel are just one delicious ingredient in this hazy dream of a record, with organ, piano, synths and strings, plus liberal reverb, coming together to create a three-dimensional soundworld that aches with sweet melancholy.

Another Excellent 10:

Circuit des Yeux — -io (Domino)

Constant Smiles — Paragons (Sacred Bones)

Cassandra Jenkins — An Overview on Phenomenal Nature (BaDaBing)

Liars — The Apple Drop (Mute)

Buck Meek — Two Saviors (Keeled Scales)

Mega Bog — Life, and Another (Paradise of Bachelors)

Mess Esque — Mess Esque (Milk!)

Dorothea Paas — Anything Can’t Happen (Telephone Explosion)

Elori Saxl — The Blue of Distance (Western Vinyl)

Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy — Superwolves (Drag City)