#fang make pride flags

[the-alarm-system]

SYSTEMPUNK

Systempunk: A term or Subculture surrounding the liberation of plurals and the critique of psychiatry. We're outspoken on how the psych community mistreats us and how we will force the breaking of the chains that continuously fakeclaim or harm us whenever we do something singlets/psychiatrist do not like. We have been silenced and told that if we are open, it is a sign of us lying. We have been forced to follow the strict guidelines of the dsm5 in order to avoid being told that our experiences are false. We have been forced into psychiatric wards and abused because we are not singlet. We have been the face of the liars for too long, plural liberation is something we must push. The future is plural.

ANTI ENDOS AND RADQUEERS DO NOT TOUCH.

Meaning of the flag:

Brown and Black: The POC-bodied systems who are put down by both the community and the society around them. POC-bodied systems who have had their diagnosis's rejected due to their race. POC-bodied systems who have a cultural origin or connection and are hurt because of it. POC-bodied systems who are appropriated by other systems and are not listened to. POC-bodied systems who are hurt by the white dominated psychiatric system. POC-bodied systems who deserve to be heard and understood.

Purple stripe: Endogenic Solidarity, allyship, love, liberation. Endogenic systems are continuously harmed by antis who remain uncritical of psychiatry, are against the liberation of plurals, and deny a plural future in order to push singlethood onto others. Endogenic systems are also used in a lot of fakeclaiming content made by singlets and psychiatrist despite the research that supports their existence. It's because singlet society hates plurals and hates any form of existence we have. Love your endogenic siblings. They are the diverse experiences of plurality, they have helped us through so much.

Yellow Stripe: Disordered and traumagenic system solidarity and liberation. Disordered systems are horribly abused by the psych system, we make up most of those hospitalized and we are put down as too crazy to make our own decisions. Even if our existence is from trauma or a disorder, we shouldn't be forced into a singlet cure, we deserve autonomy.

Pink stripe: Abolition of psychiatric wards used to abuse us, hide us away, and silence us. Our autonomy is stolen from them, we deserve resources that help us instead of force us into a place that fucking hates us.

White stripe: Psych-critical beliefs or Anti-psych beliefs, despite their differences we still stand together against the harms of the psychiatric system. ACAB included in this.

Barbed wire: Anti-fakeclaim culture, systems deserve to be believed. Pro-plural protection. Protect another no matter your beliefs, cops and psych wards fucking hate us and want us dead, protect those you love. protect the closeted, protect all systems.

Fangs: Fight for your existence, be loud about it, write essays, make art, do whatever you can. Force plural liberation down the throats of singlets. Force the future to be plural.

Ampersand: PLURAL PRIDE, PLURAL ACCEPTANCE, PLURAL LIBERATION, PLURAL HISTORY, PLURAL FUTURE

[adickaboutspoons]

So there's several posts going around lately that seem to be dancing around the same proposition - that being that Ed is violence-averse altogether, rather than specifically killing-averse. While it's important to always keep the fact that Ed is no more violent than any other character on the show (and a good deal less violent than some), and that his use of violence is extremely considered and not the result of uncontrolled rages, denying that he would, has, and does commit acts of violence, and willingly, and sometimes even enjoys it, is just demonstrably wrong and elides a significant part of his character. When Ed is discussing "packing it all in" with Stede in 1x4, the reasons he give have nothing to do with being weary of or uncomfortable with the expectation of violence demanded by his position as a pirate, but because he's bored because "it's not a challenge anymore" because people don't fight back once they see Blackbeard's flag. He "loves a good maim." He genuinely has a blast with Jack and all his Jackassery. He gleefully spoke about mugging a guy for a dinghy. He thought the Knife Parade was a fun game until Fang told him his experience was not universal. He hands over a big fuck-off knife with the treasure he gives to the urchins, so clearly doesn't have a problem with using violence to defend what's yours. When he says to Stede "I'm not sure I want to go back to the old days of getting drunk all day and biting heads off turtles and making some poor bloke eat his toes for a laugh" that's not the same thing as saying he's forsaking his piratically violent ways and doesn't want to use violence ever again. The specific mention of all-day drunkenness and turtles calls back to the kind of shenanigans he got up to while Jack was around - and thus is a rejection of that kind of mindless violence for violence's sake; a prospect we had already witnessed him expressing discomfort with when Jack brought up what a wild man Ed used to be at brekkie. After all, part of the "most fun [he's] had in ages, years... maybe ever" has involved showing Stede how to "use a little oomph" and flirtatiously swordfight (both moments included in Stede's "what does it feel like to fall in love" mental montage) - violence as a means to procure a desired outcome, and with as little actual bloodshed or permanent injury as possible, but by no means not none. The show is so careful to never condemn the use of violence wholesale - like, at no point is the message a facile "violence is never the answer". It condemns certain types of violence, usually specifically those enacted large-scale by oppressive, colonialist social structures, but also cruelty for cruelty's sake. Outside of that, though, violence is a tool, and thus is only as "good" or "useful" as the task to which it is being applied. Ed is a master craftsman - he will use the tools at his disposal deftly, and, yes sometimes take joy or pride in his work. And that's not a bad thing, nor does it make him a bad person.

[colourstreakgryffin]

Hii! Can we get a fic with how would it like to be if the reader was basically douma same personality appearence etc. With Alastor? I REALLY WANT TO SEE HOW IT WOULD GO.

Oh my fucking god. This Duo— it’s this duo and Discord with Alastor, I think would mesh well! Haha! Anyway! I am definitely trying this out, thank you, loves! Hope you enjoy!

Alastor- Rainbow Irises

Ah… a cannibalistic murderous cult has rolled into the Pride Ring. Alastor isn’t surprised when he hears over the new Overlord being the Eternal Paradise Cult leader. He’s heard worse

Though… her eyes are a mesmerising rainbow. A gorgeous, colourful, almost hypnotic swirl of multiple colours and the way she has presented herself to the Pride Ring… menacing yet elegant and cool-headed. Dressed like a fancy old-fashioned Japanese woman and wielding golden sharp fans

You’re an entire walking-talking red flag of a person. Speaking smooth and doting to everybody you meet but raising your fangs to their neck. You’re possibly even worse than Valentino. You trick everybody into thinking you’re polite and considerate and playful but you have a VERY ugly monster under those rainbow eyes

You have that charisma and friendliness Alastor uses regularly, coming off as upbeat and you greets all the Overlords politely but the proclaims you make… the way you eat other sinner demons with no problem and even brag about putting heads of decapitated men in pots. You have everybody in the room’s spines shivering in both disgust and intimidation at how you’re like

Alastor respects the way you establish yourself and getting his full respect is hard. You are intimidating, you are menacing, it’s a sign of how strong you actually are. The second strongest Overlord in Hell’s history(right behind Alastor). You regularly loom over Alastor and enjoy sweet-talking him

Alastor can recognise when a psychopath is talking so he never falls for your tricks nor your innocent act. You’re dangerous and twisted, specifically targeting and only eating men, hence you’re only-men member cult. He won’t let you even try take a finger off him

Alastor is basically our Shinobu, except Al doesn’t beat on us

Alastor doesn’t like you just touching him. You’ll reach out and touch him, solely to annoy him. He isn’t scared of you but he can tell why the other Overlords are so tense around you… you’re the most perfect cult leader, a inviting aura and a sensual voice that screams illusionary safety

Alastor has to hold his breath around you. When you’re angry, you turn ice cold and you don’t mind making the air too frozen for anybody to breathe in. So, he is quite careful with you. Juggling inbetween cold treatment and warm treatment, he feels like he is handling a spoiled brat when he talks to you

Alastor ignores the ‘gifts’ you make or get him. The lotus ice statues are wonderful but he knows what you’re trying to do… he may compliment your work but he won’t let you talk him into anything

But that doesn’t mean, Alastor doesn’t find your work nor your power impressive. He is very impressed and he rewards you for all you’ve done with your little cult and rising up to the rank to being the second strongest Overlord ever known in Hell. It’s a grand feat that he will clap to

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Aren’t you even a little bit worried about me, Lord Alastor~?”

“Darling. Kindly do not touch—“

“You don’t know how dreadfully worried I was. Since you all are cherished comrades of mine. I’d be heartbroken if I lost any of my comrades~”

Alastor finds your Japanese voice and language irresistible in a way, since it reflects your English and ‘nature’ very well but once again… he won’t fall for how often you say you like him. He knows people like you, he’s one of them. He’ll just commend what you’ve done as a Pride Ring Overlord

Alastor HATES the ‘Lord Alastor’ nickname you give him and always address him under… yeah. You give it to every other Overlord, he isn’t the only one who is called ‘Lord’ but it feels so condescending and in reality, it is…

“Silence, my dear. The adults are speaking… now, calm down that temper of yours. We don’t need anymore aircon in this room”

[monsterkin-culture-is]

Tips for Vampirekins? BECAUSE GENUINELY I JUST FOUND OUT I AM ONE TODAY considering theres been signs for years...

So any advice and tips is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. 😭

SQUEALS OMG WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY!! It means so much you came to me for help 💜

I'm not sure if this is your first kintype so I'll add my general kin tips as well as vamp specific stuff.

Ways To Connect With Your Kintype:

Create a Spotify Playlist: Doesn't have to be on-theme, can always just be your fave songs labelled under your kintype - they're both part of your identity! Vampirism is heavily linked to alternative music & subcultures.

Create a Moodboard: This is easy enough to do in Canva or most mobile collaging apps! I recommend using pinterest to find your images. This is one of my favourite ideas because you can make a 3x3 square moodboard & add it as your spotify playlist cover!

Design Your Own Kin Flag: Kin pride flags are very popular on tumblr. There's probably an already existing one for your kintype, but a custom kin flag has a special personal connection & the colours can have relevance to you!

Make a Kinsona: A Kinsona is like a fursona but for your kintype! It's an original character with the species of your kin. If you're into roleplay, that can be a great way to foster a connection. If you're part of the voidpunk community, you can also make a voidsona!

Support or Donate to Animal Sanctuaries: Sort of in the title for this one. This is usually a tip for therians & similar but I think bat sanctuaries would be relevant to vampirekin. Support can just look like following them online! It gives them reach & you get to see cute animals.

Vampirekin Tips:

Raw Meat & Blood Diet: Obviously human blood and raw meat isn't a viable option here! @/forests-creatures created a good list of alternatives: Beef jerky, rare steaks, safe raw salmon & dried fruits. For sweet options, I'd say the red tongue-staining lollipops could work, as well as pink or red chocolate & red popping candy. You can also add red food colouring to existing food. Please research that what you're eating is safe beforehand! Tumblr is not a reliable resource. I took this list from my zombiekin tips - it's proving pretty good for most monsterkins!

Wear Sunglasses & Sunhats or Gloves & Scarves: You're a vampire! You can't be going out in the sun! Incorporating day-to-day human protection against the weather is a good way to stay safe. There are some really cool tinted and bat shaped sunglasses out there if you know where to look.

Make a Necklace of Your Home Soil: In old vampire legends, if a vampire went abroad or travelled long distances they would need to bring some of their home soil with them. Online you can buy fairly afforable vial necklaces! Go to your garden or local park & scoop a little dirt in.

Gear: The obvious gear for vampires is of course fake fangs - these should be a little easier to find now we're into spooky season. However, I've also seen biting fidget/sensory toys (often in the form of charms or necklaces) be recommended!

Spend Time Outside @ Night: It's definitely not safe or recommended to go walking around alone at night, however there are alternatives! You can always sit in your garden or do what I do (as a werewolfkin) and sit near your window to moonbathe. Taking friends or family stargazing is also great fun! There are apps you can get that will locate the constellations around you.

Hopefully a couple of these were helpful!! ❤️

[kingsandbastardz]

more of the wips list

@cheetahing

shark-dick - a tale of narratives and severe misunderstandings

Ok this one will likely eventually be some flavor of dihua.

But it's basically continuing on the theme of narratives != reality, where I ask, "What if Jinyuan Alliance, and Di Feisheng in particular?"

Which, we know DFS isn't nearly as evil as the name Demon would suggest. But what else?

It starts with the idea of Jinyuan Alliance being the hive of scum and villiany and sexual deviance. Where it's the place where perverts go to roam free and wave their freak flag in a way polite society doesn't allow. Like, their poor prisoners! You'd be better off dead! Etc.

"So... you haven't? At all? Even when you're this old?" Fang Duobing asks with far more confusion than was warranted. Di Feisheng's eyes are closed as he cycles his energy through his meridians, his eyelashes arcing softly across his cheeks and his hair lifting and fluttering about as if buffeted from an invisible, spiraling wind. He doesn't respond beyond a faint but clearly disdainful snort. Offended, Fang Duobing points at him and demands, "So if shaoye grabs your- your jade rod, you're telling me you can just make the feeling go away?" A sharp brow twitching faintly, Di Feisheng immediately replies, "Yes." "I refuse to believe you." Really, Xiaobao? In Li Lianhua's opinion, if there was anyone who would take a largely ignored path to harness his youth's yang energy and efficiently turn himself into a high density cauldron of power, it would be Di Feisheng. The concept of taking sexual energy and transmuting it into something else was not a new one (there were entire schools of thought and exotic styles based around it), but this was an area largely ignored by earthly men and women for a reason -- only Di Feisheng could accidentally master systemic chastity out of annoyance that his adolescence was disrupting his focus. Li Lianhua carefully pours himself a cup a tea with perfectly steady hands and a blank mind. He can feel as Di Feisheng winds down his daily meditation - his energy slows and pulls inward and back, like the ocean's waves tugging lightly at bare toes as it withdraws at low tide. Li Lianhua should be impressed. He really should be. It was a great skill mastered at a very, very young age - a skill mastered without a teacher and without any understanding of what it could mean for Di Feisheng's future self. But instead, unexpectedly perverse words like "virgin" and "untouched" echo resonantly in the cavernous space between Li Lianhua's ears. Meanwhile, Di Feisheng has unexpectedly embarked on a wordy tale of something he personally witnessed. "I know a man who was prideful in his high energy and the size of his manhood. One day, we traveled together for a short time and was on a ship heading to [____] when he started arguing with a deckhand. The sailor insisted his reputation was too overblown. In a rage, my aquantance ripped open his pants and whipped out his cock --", Di Feisheng pauses and looks down at his arm, thoughtfully tracing a finger in the vicinity of his elbow, or maybe his armpit. Di Feisheng blandly continues, "--his cock comes out and he slaps it over the side of the ship's railing." (And the word cock coming out of his mouth makes both Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua twitch for different reasons.) Di Feisheng pauses again and looks sideways at nothing as he reaches his limit for words and struggles for more, "--Heaven was watching and was unhappy with him? There was a shark." "A-a shark?" "Big fish. Lots of teeth. It jumped out the water in a big arc the moment the meat came out and--- when it went back into the water, it took this aquaintence's cock with it." Fan Duobing's mouth had fallen open and remained open for the entirety of this telling. He shuts it with a snap. "It was a freak accident. But truly," Di Feisheng's brows arch questioningly. When there is no response, he says slyly, with great logic, "Why would I want anything to do with that?" Why indeed? Fang Duobing sits down. Li Lianhua has no response either, but not because he is struggling to decide whether this tale has any truth. It's because he realizes, with a sudden flood of fondness that he hides behind his tea, Lao Di may be inexperienced but he isn't innocent.

basically dfs is gonna fuck with fdb's brain about his 'innocence' for the foreseeable future. fdb is a 3-star intelligence against dfs' 5 stars. someone help him.

anyway.

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

Insomnia and allergies are killing me (they aren’t anymore cause i wrote this part a week ago) so prepare for a bunch of Angel Dust facts that no one needs to know about and Vivziepop will probably end up ignoring!

Some of these are headcanons and some of these are canon facts so they will be colourcoded as such! Headcanons will be blue and canon facts will be red. Anything that relates to real spiders will be listed with a 🕷️! Some of these will also get a little doodle from me

Much like an average spider, Angel can feel and sense when storms are coming. These freak him out and will make him curl up on the ground.🕷️

Angel is sensitive to vibrations and especially sensitive to stronger ones like lightning and earthquakes. (Hell does not have earthquakes.) Stronger ones make him paranoid and nauseous from his organs moving around.🕷️

He definitely needs glasses to see far away but doesn’t bother since it hardly becomes an issue in daily life.🕷️

Jumping spiders change how they see btw! Less light = more detail, More detail = less light.

Vision Examples:

He can also see behind him but I don’t have that angle so this is the best you get

Sleeps curled up.🕷️

Also follows lasers! Not in the same way a cat would, but any interesting movement in his peripheral vision will cause him to turn toward it to see it better.🕷️

Can see ultraviolet light.🕷️

Has a tree nut allergy (Hazelnuts and walnuts. He is unfortunately a very big hazelnut fan.)

Dresses up Fat Nuggets on Halloween. And basically every other day. Seems to have a preference for the witch hat

Owns a skateboard??

Why do his eyes glow pink why can he do that on command

Can dialate his pupils at will I guess

Molts. Basically like shedding but if you also had to scrub a chunk of your skin off. Lasts 1-2 days.🕷️

Very often used to say slurs without knowing they were slurs and probably still does sometimes

Currently still under the impression his sister is alive. She also probably found him after he overdosed.

Struggles to keep track of time

No idea what half the letters in LGBTQIA+ mean

Recently learned what a pride flag is

Angel has small retractable hooks/claws inside his palm that he can use to hold onto surfaces.🕷️

Angel hates people crying around or on him and will push them away or distance himself.

Examples:

Angel is very skittish around fire even though it cannot hurt him.

Hates the smell of citrus fruits.🕷️

Angel has two fangs (primary for injecting and liquifying food) on the roof of his mouth, much sharper papillae in the back of his throat and a second set of venomous fangs near the deeper in his throat that are to inject larger food and paralyze it but there is the rare occasion where the fangs stab his own throat and he collapses for a few hours after getting the fangs unstuck and he just lays there until it wears off and it kind of looks like he's dead cause there’s probably blood in his mouth but hes fine /hj🕷️

This is more of a food safety precaution. If he ate something live he would inject it with venom if it wasn’t dead yet, but he does not do this so these fangs are basically pointless and he might as well just get them removed at this point

Angel DOES have lungs! I know this seems like a very basic fact but some spiders have book lungs! Different from ours they don’t breathe the same way we do, just like how spiders don’t have blood like humans. This is me being a nerd, but we have seen that Angel has mentioned his lung capacity and he has the ability to cough as seen in Episode 5 (I think its 5 dont quote me on that) This means he cannot have book lungs since if he did he would not be able to cough, nor would he be able to sneeze or hiccup.🕷️

Angel is likely right handed in his top pair of hands, left handed or ambidextrous in his middle pair, and as for the bottom it seems like either ambidextrous or he just doesn’t like to use them for actions at all.

This is like half headcanon but also I pay way more attention to this shit than Viv does so Im basically right all the time

It doesn’t get super cold in hell Id assume, but on the rare occasion it gets colder or the AC in the hotel is on really high that is one of the few times Angel will use webbing and will wrap himself in it and crawl under a blanket and stay there. If it’s really cold or he plans on being in a cold area for maybe a week or month or so he might go into diapause to conserve energy, warmth, and food. (This can also happen when he has sudden sharp changes in diet and during daylight savings)🕷️

This will be updated again I can feel it in my bones. Hopefully this can satiate you all while I move house 🫶

[ohmyglobwhatthefrickamievendoing]

So I got a comment about stede not creating a safe space & only buying the boat and the crew being the ones to actually create it, which got me thinking.... and.... hear me out pls?

It's very much a joint effort but even just buying the boat and letting people just be themselves on it is creating a safe space!

But he didn't actually stop there:

• In S1 when the crew very much still wanted a bloodthirsty environment and captain he proposed the "talk it through as a crew" method and though he & ed SUCK at using it the crew do it well in S2!

• He got them to be creative with their flags and now in S2 everyone's using art to deal with trauma

• He read them stories and now Jim uses those stories to comfort Fang & the others!

• His interactions with Ned Low's crew gives an idea about what he's like with his crew and why they have 0 hesitation about throwing a pride party (like Frenchie said their captain has whimsy!) Ned Low's "disposable henchman" environment or even Zheng Yi Sao's "positive but strict" environment wouldn't have allowed for that

He's definitely nowhere near being a perfect person (he's kind of a bitch tbh) but you gotta give credit where credit's due

Yeah the crew did make the ship a safe space for themselves but Stede laid the building blocks that showed "hey, this is something you can actually do here!"

[finalshockdown]

Spider-Slugs have some new refs!

Let’s quickly go over a brief summary of each!

Miles Mollusca - Young and outgoing, he was attacked by a coalescipede, headed by a genetically altered one while adventuring down in the darker tunnels of the surface with his uncle. His attack and near death down there created a rift in an already rocky family relationship. He developed the standard spider-slug powers with some additions:

Miles can complete a circuit loop similarly to a centipede and electrocute a creature. This also allows him to charge electric spears independently. Handy! He’s in turn, immune to smaller shocks from Jellyfish and small centipedes.

Like a white lizard, he can camouflage and fade into his surroundings. If he gets hurt, the saturated areas on his body will rapidly flash different colors.

Gwen Slugcy - Gwen hails from a foreign slugcat colony that was overrun with vultures. Forced to make a trek to a new territory, Gwen was nearly taken by a Wolf Spider, saving herself only with a resourceful rock throw.

Gwen can extend and retract urticating hairs on her back, which she frequently utilizes in combat to get an edge on her opponents.

Gwen can also utilize a venomous bite similar to a normal Wolf Spider to incapacitate her prey. She hasn’t quite yet learned how to do that weird resuscitation thing, though.

Independent of her abilities, Gwen’s subspecies of slugcat naturally has a hoodlike pouch on the backs of their necks. This pouch is typically used for carrying young, extra food, or keeping the sun out of their eyes, as it can be pulled over their head with little difficulty.

Miguel O’ Helicoidea - Also known as ‘Specimen-2099’, Miguel originates from an iterator can that took notice of the original Spider-Slug and aimed to create a more effective and lethal version. Miguel is, as his Specimen indicator implies, the 2099th subject, and the first to be considered successful in incubation. He emerged utterly disgusted and displeased with his existence- and exacted revenge on the iterator by severing its puppet from its can. He journeyed away with two survivors, which quickly dropped to one survivor.

Miguel is the only Spider-Slug to lack a bite mark, as he was genetically engineered with his abilities.

His urticating hairs cannot be retracted, and itch worse than any natural spider’s.

Miguel’s normal, neon appearance isn’t just for show. When he is not shifted into his other appearance, his skin secretes a horribly poisonous mucus.

On top of this, Miguel bears venom in both his fangs and claws, which cause muscle atrophy.

Unrelated comment:

I think it’s funny that I literally made Gwen the trans flag colors but Miguel looks more like a walking pride parade LOL

[moe-broey]

Jacket update :)

Been sitting on this a bit but!!! I did it! Transgender House of Wolves backpiece........

Some notes!

> Used an extra trans flag I got at a previous Pride!

> The pink fabric/gums are actually that band at the waist of an old hoodie, and unintentionally had a really neat lettuce-ruffle effect when I cut it. I feel like it makes it look fleshy.

> Fangs were hand sewn! In fact almost all of this was, just the top and bottom of the flag being sewn by machine (and later covered up by various fabric layers anyway). Also the chipped tooth was unintended (underestimated how much material I had there) but I think it's charming :)

> Belt was from a yard sard that I've had since middle school HAHA, I thought it would be aesthetically more pleasing if I separated the wings from the wolf mouth? I was careful to save some for later as well, if I want to implement it somewhere else.

> Also. Only stitched the ends of the belt to the jacket. The rest is nuts and bolts LMFAOO could NOT be bothered (but ties in nicely with the wings and other places I've used bolts! Metal detectors hate me.)

> Text was largely free handed with marker! I did have stencils (?) I drew out on paper, but not like cut outs -- the flag material was thin enough to trace and free hand the rest. Also, the text is meant to mimic the fonts seen in the lyric pamphlet! Because it was freehand, I did make a mistake on the N and covered it up with embroidery.

^ Progress pic that shows off concepts and references!

ALSO.

Added a bolt and a hair elastic as a clasp for the Extra Pockets on the sides!!! This actually makes them functional now!!! I can put pliers and scissors and Stabbing Tool (a dart I cut the aerodynamic bits off of) what have you in them AND nothing falls out when I yank it off and toss it aside YIPPEEEEEE!!! 🎉🎉🎉

The funniest part of all of this is that, this humble windbreaker, is now about as hefty and weighty as a leather jacket after all the mods and shit I've stored in the pockets. All five of them (there is a secret pocket as well 👀)

[zeydaan-isabella]

Fang's Requiem - Zeydaan

Recently, my friends El_Mariachi249 and Fiona-sapphire got me into the game Goodbye Volcano High, a very sweet game with some lovely music and an excellent NB character Fang. Despite being a recent release, noticed there wasn't any TF related things for the game at all. Thought I'd rectify that. Song being sung is "Good Riddance" by Green Day Story below done by HudsonSpacecraft

“Okay, okay, good job, everyone! Now let’s take five,” Zeydaan directed their fellow employees. It was a busy day at the local Maiden Menagerie in the bustling city of Mailor. Granted, that could be said about every day (to say that running a business period was mentally taxing was to make a rather obvious joke), but there was reason to feel particularly stressed out at the moment, for it was today that the humble establishment hosted its first major event in quite some time: a Pride Memorial Concert. This had been something that Zeydaan had been pushing for a good while, since their non-binary upbringing and empathy for their kin in the queer community made them quite vocal about advocating for civil rights on their world of Schism Earth. In the current state of their state’s politics that actively marginalized “nonhumans” and currently had no plans to change that, the fae-witch had taken great pride in establishing events like this to make the minorities of their world more heard. As a being of adept magical power, they additionally  And to that end, what better place to promote solidarity than at their current place of work?  Zeydaan had proudly worked at the Menagerie for years. It wasn’t the most high-paying job in the world, but it certainly kept the lights on for them (their career as a “superhero” in the Hawkmoths often dealt with more ‘fate of the world’ than starting political conversations), and they had a certain amount of rapport with their coworkers as well as their superiors. Upper management was thankfully all for their concert idea, though in their initial pitch to the other staff, it was brought up that the musical talent that their budget could allow was on the smaller side. In lieu of established musical talent in town, however, Zeydaan graciously volunteered to be the one performing a concert’s headlining song. There was one snag, though: they didn’t exactly have the qualifications to do so. They were far from musically illiterate or unskilled with instruments, but they had only picked up the guitar a couple weeks ago and had only learned a couple of elementary chords by now. Their singing voice was slightly above average, but to pretend it was anything more than that would be to embarrass themself. However, they would not have signed up if they didn’t already have a plan in place, and all they needed to do was see if the decorations would suffice before they went back home. “Hmm…does this look good?” Their fellow dragon employee Blue asked as they took a step back and admired the job they did. It’d taken all morning and even a bit of the afternoon to set all this up, but their work definitely paid off. From the hanging lanterns providing just the right amount of mood lighting to the assorted collages of photos from all of Zeydaan’s work with their team, the Hawkmoths, in their rallies for nonhuman and queer rights, to the pride flags on the wall with complimentary miniature flags for every denomination they could think of. At this point, the staff (which barely was more than half a dozen people) felt like calling it a day  “Alright, I think we’ve done a good job so far…how are we doing for time?” Zeydaan asked, getting a bit antsy about if they could work out their plan in time. “Concert starts at eight, so…like seven hours?” Another employee enlightened them. “Oh, thank goodness…” Zeydaan sighed as they rushed out the door. “Take your time, give me about an hour and I’ll be back!” Quickly, they raced to the other side of town to their humble cottage, where their instruments and the next step of their plan awaited them. Once to their chair and with their guitar in hand, though…hmm, they couldn’t quite do it just yet. Was it anxiety? Maybe. Either way, Zeydaan couldn’t help but have their mind drift back to the not so distant past. “Hm…are you sure you’re going to go through with this?” Zeydaan’s fellow teammate Alvis warned them as they were about to conjure up a portal to a different dimension. “I just want you to know full well that you’re entering ‘incoming apocalypse’ territory. Many people are as good as dead already.” “Yes, I know, I won’t try to tear myself up that much about it,” Zeydaan nodded. Earlier, when they had spotted this dimension through their scanners, an unstoppable fleet of asteroids were headed for collision with the planet they were now traveling toward.  “Plus, if on this trip, you somehow die—” “Don’t worry, I won’t. It’s just when I saw the scan of this dimension…I couldn’t help but feel like it’d be a waste to have it all disappear without a trace. All the people with no one to tell their stories. I’d like to at least document some things before it all goes down.” “Alright then, just be back at the earliest opportunity. You wouldn’t want to worry us.” “Got it,” Zeydaan said as they ventured into their portal. At the other end lay a seemingly normal town, the name of which they gleaned as Caldera Bay. Not wanting to attract more attention than they already would have (being someone who made their entrance through a swirling dimensional portal), they used their shapeshifting abilities to blend in with the prehistoric-looking population. Walking around the city was a healthy population of dinosaur people, and this opportunity granted Zeydaan the privilege of seeing a multitude of people go throughout their final days. Granted, there were a fair share of people who wanted a way out (to which Zeydaan gladly allowed them a ferry through one of their signature portals), but they were certainly taken aback by the number of people gladly coming to terms with their own mortality.  During their travels, though, they had found themself in a celebration called Calderafest, among a sizable crowd. Truthfully, they’d been just going wherever the wind took them for the afternoon, but the clamoring of the people around them made them think they were about to see something good.  “Hellooo, Caldera Bay! How are we feeling tonight?” The announcer walked up on stage to say as hype slowly started to build around them. “Welcome to the last concert you’ll ever see! I know you’re all dying to see Worm Drama right now, am I right?” Crickets.  “That got dark,” the announcer replied. Failed attempts at an introduction aside, Zeydaan stood patiently as the three-piece band got up on stage and started to play, with the crowd noticeably quiet and letting the music speak for itself. And what music it was, Zeydaan thought, allowing the tones to wash over them like the tide. We won't sit around and let the world go by We're gonna fly around the big, black sky tonight And when the fire falls from on high, We can be the pretty heroes if we try, tonight As the song continued on, Zeydaan’s appreciation for it only grew, with the fae-witch appreciating the lush instrumental, powerful lyrics, and especially the soulful vocals by the lead guitarist. They’d certainly have to meet with them after the show, they thought as they continued with another song.  Back seat baby with the wind whipped high When we said goodbye Got my eyes up baby with the pulling tide I did not know why I had my eyes up looking for a flag or a sign Just a sunset sigh With the concert coming to a close, Zeydaan was one among dozens of people clamoring and applauding at their marvelous performance. After Worm Drama had gone backstage, they couldn’t help but flag the band down to engage in a bit of casual conversation.  “Hello, don’t mean to intrude, but I just wanted to say I was a huge fan of your performance back there,” Zeydaan greeted them. “Who are you, anyway?” “Oh, thanks!” The guitarist of the trio was taken aback slightly by their praise. “Well, I’m Fang. Those are Trish and Reed back there. I like the outfit, by the way.” “Thanks,” the fae-witch replied as they looked down at their distinctly goth getup this run around. “My name’s Zeydaan, and I did actually want to ask you something.” “Shoot.” “If you were given the choice to start anew somewhere else with all of your friends, would you do it?” “Nah. I mean, I wouldn’t wanna take the easy way out, honestly. I did all I could in this life…it’s not worth thinking about all these ‘what ifs.’ We just had the best performance of our lives just now, and I wouldn’t have any other way to go out.” Zeydaan admittedly kind of knew that Fang would respond that way (that was kind of what they were singing about in the first place), but their response touched their heart all the same. The two proceeded to talk it up further about the life they had lived up until that point, and how they harbored little regret as they were about to witness their incoming demise. Out of everyone they had asked that day, even among those who had similarly reconciled everything in their lives before their demise. Perhaps the fact they’d just listened to their wonderful song was at play, perhaps it was their chill tone of voice, perhaps it was the comfort in talking with a fellow enby (their “they/them” pin on their bag said it all), but that talk with Fang and their fellow bandmates was probably the best they had in quite some time. As Zeydaan departed on their portal back home on Schism Earth, they waved Fang goodbye. They’d made a new friend that day, even if they only knew them for a couple of minutes. Their memory came to a close as Zeydaan looked at all the photos that they had taken that day once more. There had to be at least a hundred different photos of locales and people of this dimension, yet it didn’t feel like enough to Zeydaan. At the end of the lengthy list, however, were the couple of photos they had taken with Fang.  Even though they were…well, dead, Zeydaan didn’t exactly feel the most comfortable appropriating their lyrics like this, so they decided to start playing another song they thought would fit the concert well. Pulling up a bit of sheet music, helping themself to a couple of meat-fruit, and having a quick change of clothes, they started to practice their song.  “So take the photographs and still frames of your mind…” Zeydaan sang, getting through the first part of the song as the first inklings of transformation were about to unfold within their body. It began to take form within their hair. Their shoulder-length haircut cascaded down to their waist, with them having to flick their head back to get it out of their eyes as to not take their hands off their guitar. In addition, it lightened itself to a luminous silver color, as did their eyebrows. From the back of their scalp sprouted a good-sized white horn with triangular gray stripes lining its top, giving their profile a distinct silhouette, especially as a thick, spiked bracelet materialized right on top of their hair. Zeydaan blinked their eyes as their irises became striking amber and their pupils gained a reptilian, almond shape. Subtle bits of makeup appeared at their top, their red and blue color sticking out next to the rather plain gray and white. Zeydaan could hear the quality of their vocals improve in real time as the changes descended down their mouth and throat, the distinct voice of Fang beginning to come through. Along the way, their snout was about to transform as well, becoming much more angular, with their nostrils migrating to the base of said snout. Within their mouth, their rather unassuming teeth at least doubled in their number as they shrank down to compensate, creating a new set of pointy little things as Zeydaan’s mind momentarily drifted to how Fang’s dental appointments must have been. They digressed, however, as the changes departed from affecting their head. “Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time…” Zeydaan continued to sing as the transformation soon moved on to their torso, leaving a new set of off-white down in lieu of their coat of fur they had before as well as a prominent choker on their neck. Zeydaan continued to go off on their guitar as well, their timing and execution getting better by the second as they could feel Fang’s skill build in their mind. As they did, they felt their jacket they’d loosely worn on their person begin to fade away, as well as the yellow shirt they’d worn underneath shading itself to be jet black. The sleeves soon deprecated themselves, along with its lower half to become a crop top, complete with a couple of tears at the bottom. A small skull necklace also appeared on their chest and wrapped its string around Zeydaan’s neck. From this part of their body, they could also feel themselves getting quite a bit thinner. Granted, Zeydaan wasn’t very heavy, usually, but they couldn’t help but notice the rather thin physique their body now possessed as it became that of Fang’s.  “Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial…” Zeydaan felt their arms beginning to change, with them similarly replacing the pelage they had before with the white down that the pterosaur possessed. Their muscle and bone structure altered themselves as well, several prototypical avian elements inserting themselves into the anatomy of their appendages as the down feathers grew particularly thick near their elbows. Reaching their wrists as a thin Calderafest bracelet popped up on one of them, the transforming fae-witch momentarily felt themselves get off-groove as their hands were becoming more petite and delicate-looking, coinciding with long, black claws sprouting at their fingertips. Thankfully, they were able to get back into the swing of their song as soon as they could. In fact, they were starting to really get a kick out of it, so much so that they could feel their fae wings appearing, though this could’ve also been because they were about to undergo a transformation themselves. Their butterfly-like shape was soon disappearing as a wide array of feathers was coating itself around their paper-thin surfaces. While the sections close to their body was covered in a relatively thin down, on the lower edges of their wings grew several long feathers, which along with them generally expanding outward, allowed a wingspan that was easily double what they had before. For a brief moment, they actually wondered if they could fly with these things…another time, perhaps. “And for what it’s worth, it was worth all the while…” The changes reached Zeydaan’s legs, with them similarly thinning out as the fashion there refined itself to match the rest of the clothes on their body. The comfortable pants Zeydaan usually wore grew a leathery texture as several holes were torn around the pair, not out of the transformation pushing the limits of their resilience but simply to match the style carried by the rest of their garments. The magenta-and-pink sneakers they had on became a uniform black as they became similarly leathery, along with their length extending way past their ankles and their laces extending and criss-crossing along the way. As their tail shifted to become a relatively short appendage that matched the shape and colors of their horn, Zeydaan could feel the magical energy that accompanied all of their shapeshifting subside. As their transformation came to a close, Zeydaan was in the groove, entering an utter flow state of music where they felt invincible on the guitar. Pretty much any riff they could think of, they could do without as much as a thought. A chord progression appeared in their mind, and boom! with sheer muscle memory, it was good as shredded. In fact, they had a certain amount of fun improvising new things right off the cuff. Yet, they managed to curb their enthusiasm after a while, managing to have a look at themselves in their mirror. Hey, looking great, they thought. They recalled Fang complimenting their goth-inspired outfit back at Calderafest, but Fang certainly had an impressive look themself.  Their vision drifted to their wall-clock soon enough, however. 4:07? They’d been at this for a couple hours longer than they thought! The other menagerie employees must’ve been worried sick at this point. Noting the half a dozen missed calls on their phone at this point, they hastily rushed out their door, guitar in hand.  Back at the Maiden Menagerie, the other workers were quite impressed at their form, yet not so impressed at their relative tardiness. Yet, the preparations for the concert continued without a hitch, with them even setting up signs advertising “Zeydaan/Isabella as FANG from Worm Drama” around where they would perform. As the time of their performance came, they couldn’t help but appreciate the number of people, regardless of gender or species, that showed up. “People of Mailor, queer folk and allies alike! Are you ready for a night of fantastic performances?” The concert’s announcer hyped the crowd that had formed around the stage, with their attempts at hype thankfully landing much better than the emcee at Caldera. “We wouldn’t want to keep you waiting, so we’ll start off with a bang. Let’s give a hand for our very own Zeydaan as Fang from Worm Drama!” Zeydaan confidently strutted on stage as they didn’t give one moment of hesitation before starting. After all, they had the skill on the guitar of someone who’d been practicing it all their life! They felt they could do song after song, yet they put the most effort into their final one of the night. As the crowd reactions reached an all time high, they could only smile as they sang their last few lyrics. “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right…I hope you had the time of your life…”

[100platypodesinatrenchcoat]

Mommyclan design fight preferences

Bases are a-okay here and this is up to change and If you want to completely disregard like all the things I want (please still read the No thank you :( bit) go ahead! Designing characters is fun and if you just wanna go crazy and make your own thing I'll still love it nonetheless

Pretty please, love this in designs!!!

Designs based off of other animals, very fun

Colour palettes!!! and i mean like fun colour palettes with unrealistic colours. I mean like generated palettes or palettes organized by the colour-palettes tumblr account. You can still make your own if you really want to.

Shaped, square, circle, triangle, shapes are fun :)

Fun fur or hair styles, i mean like full pompadours, mullets, mohawks, and the fur part is in the same vein as the shaped-ness

Fun shapes like hearts or stars or whatever on like showy off places on the design

something you like in a design too, I'd love to see y'alls preferences and fun stuff you wanna do in this too!

Tortoiseshells and calico's for cats, their so silly i love them :)

Randomized designs! like randomized based on any randomizer with as little as just a name randomizer or like a full descriptor

Colour schemes!!! Complementary, triad, analogous, shit's cool!!!

I like this but it's not like a big big thing

Sparkle animals. I don't really dabble in sparkle cats a lot so it'd be cool to see them

Any animal is all good, preferably cats but like dragons, dogs, foxes, lizards, whatever is also good! :D

Accessories!!!

A little bit of white, or like a close to white colour just in spots or as highlights

itty bitty kitties or big chonkers, no average heights in this household! Same goes for ears, really little or really big! (I like to think that cats with small ears are harder to read and cats with big ears are easier to read expression wise because that's a part of how we tell their emotions)

There's a certain way some people do fluffy fur that is so interesting to me, like long and silky looking with several branching fur strands, its very cool

Unique twists or bits on cat breeds, like looking at a cat breed and saying ill take (cat breed) with some extra interesting trait! If you were like ordering it at a resturant

Two colour cats with interesting patterns are nice :) just nice that's all i have to say about them lol

Lil fun fangs, they will monch :3

Wacky eye colours!!! yippee!!!

Scars are cool, go crazy

You can add some character if you like, like lore or pride flags or name, nowhere near required though

If you do add a name though, one that's related to the personality or a unique or central part of the name is cool :D

No thank you :(

A lot of body horror, too spoopy for me :( You can get a lil silly with it if you want to just not a lot, a lot

[jennaray143]

Adrian's fangs every time he opens his mouth, I swear to the Titan. Nobody else in the show has such noticeable fangs.

Guy deserves to bite something, as a treat.

Hehe I was gonna make a make a joke and say something like “Darius?” but I actually have Adrian written as AroAce in my Au (I don’t know just get that vibe from him, plus if you add yellow and white to his outfit he’s their pride flag’s colors) I also don’t ship him and Darius, I just can’t see Darius putting up with the man long enough to actually going out with him. I’m here for it if others like that ship and it makes for good ship drama but that won’t be in my Au. So for future context any fanart/stories I may make of the two of them are not ship art/pieces, same goes for Raine/Darius or Adrian/Raine.

[svetavatigris]

Continuing my cat race post....

Well, @acredb, pinged bcs you wanted to see that.

Info under cut

The cat people of Kepler-452b

The harsh unforgivingly cold steppes of Kepler-452b actually gave birth to many species through natural selection and genetic differentiation. What perhaps stands out the most is the fact that life there is very similar to what was on Earth, albeit avoiding some of the great dyings.

We have the Xenoraptors, little feathered hyperpredators, we have the Titaneosaurus, the large gentle giants, and we have a lot more, but in the steppe biome, something that stood out was the unique evolutionary tale of the Saber-teethed Cat People, who name themselves as Mezherler.

First, off to remember that the xeno-dinosaurs in that case cannot withstand the lowered temperatures, and some of the species begun to die out as a result, giving place to Mammals who were once small and nimble creatures.

In such cases, there's a very unique animal whose evolution mirrored our own, proving there might be similar cases in the vast space.

Introducing Xenotherium Homosmilus, which were a genus of sabertoothed mammals, which look and mirror the behaviour of terrestrial big cats, especially the extinct Homotherium Latidens. Due to evolutionary pressure, the other sabertoothed cats either didn't make it, or turned into Etsmilus Horribilis, aka, the Sabertoothed Alien Cat.

Xenotherium Homosmilus had the most strangest adaptations in their organism. Long front paws and large shoulders, which made them look similar to hyenas. The Xenotherium had a long skull with a Crista Saggitalis, but it's visual cortex was well developed.

Xenotherium were primarily a pursuit predator which chased their prey, the Steppesingers (Stegosaurid Pardalis) or juveniles, however, in times where prey was scarce they ate Steppeflowers (similar to terrestial tulips) and berries.

A genetic mutation happened in the lineage, with a significant enlargement of polydactyl mutations and the broadening of the brain cavity. Those smart cats also opted for vertical positions during hunts and watching for the safety of the pride. In turn, their evolution changed their brain cavities, paw bones and leg bones, therefore becoming Xenoeotherium Erectus, or Upright Cat. These creatures were known to be apex predators, using stone tools with their paws to help in hunt or self defense, and a possible fire discovery, which cemented them as the flag-bearers of evolution. More millions of years pass, the brain cavity gets enlarged, and the bone structure changes, so that an upright position of the body is now a default one, and the polydactyly which was once a mutation is now a thumb, to grab, to investigate the world around them. Not only that, but despite their fangs, they developed a rudimentary language and began showing sparks of culture. Blood and ochre being their paint, they scratched their stories on the walls. They adapted for a nomadic lifestyle, despite all of that, some archaic settlements can be still found (and densely populated). It's no longer a simple cat. We call them Therihomo Cogitus, aka, the Hominid-Beast who Thinked.

Let's skip for more years, shall we?...

We have the Mezherler. Scientific name - Therihomo Cogitus Cogitus. Large humanoids that may resemble a sabertoothed cat. An evolutionary trait not removed was their digitigradeness which made their hind pawpads slightly longer, and their hands have digits to create beautiful things. They speak a language that no one can understand, the Tarr'cha yet they can speak international galactic languages.

And despite their appearances and history of being warriors and nomads, they're poetic and intelligent. Blessing the three moons in their poems, describing local fauna, and not only that, their people are warm and welcoming towards humans, seeing a foreign species from "the stars" as a new friend.

But never mess with Mezherler. Their warriors are imposing for a reason.

Biological males are usually tall, 2-3m (shorter registered), and have manes and larger fangs. Biological females are usually shorter, 1.69-1.80m tall yet giant units have been recorded, they have manes and fangs.

[translations-by-aiimee]

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 54

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is the product of my limited knowledge of Chinese characters as I attempt to learn the language. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Buy me a Ko-fi ☕

Chapter 54

Lin Yan was still in a daze, with his fingers resting between his eyebrows. What happened just now? It was as if he had fallen into another world just then. His fingers still retained the cold touch of the ghost's skin. How could he be so bold as to leave behind the self-respect that he was dying to maintain? He couldn't help but clench his teeth and move a little further away from Xiao Yu.

The weather wasn't very clear when he went out in the morning. The cool wind suddenly picked up, and the smell of earth rushed toward his face as if it was going to rain. The buildings in the distance were like mirages existing in the void, faintly approaching, chasing him. The "memories" forgotten a hundred years ago were secretly dormant in the cracks of every blue brick in this ancient courtyard, waiting for him to approach.

A lot of people had gathered at the prize draw stand. The host was dressed like a scholar and wore a robe and a square scarf, carefully adjusting the microphone.

There are a few small shops by the roadside. The staff set up stalls at the entrance to sell various folk items, and there was also a place to change clothes. Rows of improved Hanfu and flags were hung on the shelves. Visitors can rent them to take pictures or simply wear them around the garden tour. The ancient meaning was abundant.

Lin Yan walked over to ask the price, and the peddler spoke in his local accent, stretched out two fingers, and said seriously, "Twenty taels of silver for the day!"

Even the young master, who had always prided himself on his composure, didn't hold back his laughter. Lin Yan rummaged through the clothes racks, picked out five outfits that were not too badly butchered by ancient costume dramas, and handed them out one by one: "Wear these for fun. It suits the scene."

The straight train was only worn with a long belt, and half an arm could be added at most. Their jeans will be exposed when they moved too much. The tourists were very happy to dress up and are busy taking pictures. Xiao Yu was fiddling with ghost masks and paper lanterns. Lin Yan was putting on his belt, and the ghost turned his head and said softly: "I remember these. They're for the Lantern Festival."

"Lanterns are lit from the eighth day to the eighteenth day. The first day is for test lanterns. The fourteenth day of the first lunar month is for divine lanterns, which are dedicated to offering sacrifices to ancestors. The fifteenth day is for human lanterns, to eliminate insects and ward off evil spirits. The last day is for ghost lanterns, which are placed on the grave. Wandering souls can use them to get out of the ghost world."

Lin Yan chose a lotus lantern and handed it to Xiao Yu: "Now they all rely on these gimmicks to make money. If they have the chance, they'll throw everything they can out there, calling it the revival of Chinese culture, and it's all a mess in the end."

Teasingly, he took two masks, the blue-faced evil spirit with fangs and an evil ghost, and gave him one: "Here, you look like this."

Yin Zhou squeezed out from the crowd to urge them: "Hurry up, both of you, it's about to start."

The host had adjusted the microphone, joking on stage, and lifted the red curtain with a swipe. The poster showed the prize listing. The runner-up prize was a commemorative coin with a picture of the whole ancient city printed on it. The fourth-level prize was a 50 yuan voucher. The third-level prize was a mobile phone. The second-level prize was a notebook, and the first-level prize was blank. A square box on the table in the center of the stage was wrapped in red silk and satin, deliberately leading tourists to guess what it was.

"Now, please look at the number in the lower right corner of your ticket. Mr. X, an investor in Jinyang Ancient City, will do the draw for us." The host was enthusiastic.

The runner-up and the fourth-level prize were announced in turn. Someone in the crowd shouted, "Yeah, it's me," from time to time. They won their prizes and went to the stage to accept the award with a smile. There were a lot of winners in these two categories, and it took a long time to announce the third-level prize. At that time, Lin Yan was already impatient and pushed Yin Zhou: "Let's go, let's go, there's nothing to see here."

Yin Zhou is confident: "Maybe I'll win something. It'll only take a moment."

"Come on, we've never won anything more expensive than a washbasin since we were young in draws and lottery tickets." Lin Yan muttered.

Soon the third and second-level prizes were over, and the audience focused on the red cloth box. The host made a point of making a story: "This time, we have carefully prepared the first-level prize. It's highly collectible and valuable." As he spoke, he took the note from the investor's hand and read out: "No. 141."

The audience looked down at their tickets. No one came up to claim it. Yin Zhou nudged Lin Yan with his elbow: "Hey, what number are you?"

Lin Yan glanced at it and exclaimed, "It's me!"

"Go quickly, see what it is." Satisfied, Yin Zhou rushed to the stage and waved his hand. While Lin Yan was on stage, he secretly flicked A-Che's forehead, "Alright."

The little fox shook his head: "Look, we foxes have the most powerful spells."

Lin Yan climbed up to the stage, shook hands with the investor first, and then uncovered the red silk under the expectant eyes of the crowd, revealing the exquisite brocade box underneath.

The box was slowly opened. Lin Yan's eyes widened all of a sudden, and he took out. . . a chicken that hadn't shed its feathers completely, its head hanging limply. Its blood hadn't been drained entirely, and some was dripping down its neck.

"A chicken?!" The audience was silent, and then the whispers turned into roars of laughter. The investor and the host blushed, looking for where their real prize went.

When Lin Yan walked off the stage with the chicken in a daze, Yin Zhou was smacking A-Che: "What's the matter with you? What are you doing with a chicken? Where's the original thing!?"

A-Che muttered aggrievedly: "The original thing wasn't good. Lin Yan definitely wouldn't like it, so I changed it!" After staring at the chicken and licking his lips, his eyes glowed, "There's nothing more delicious in this world than chicken. Let's eat this for lunch, okay?"

Yin Zhou was so angry that smoke could've been coming out of his nose. Lin Yan stared suspiciously at the chicken in his hand, then at Yin Zhou and the fox, who was making a fuss, and finally understood what had happened.

"Okay, okay, the chicken is also very good. Let's find a place to stew it." Lin Yan shoved the featherless chicken to the fox, "There are some variety meats and aged tofu over there. You guys wait and I'll buy some. I'm really hungry."

Several big pots were on the roadside stalls, and the pot lids were lifting with steam. Plastic bowls were filled with local delicacies which were convenient for tourists to satisfy their cravings while walking. Lin Yan ordered four servings and was waiting for the mutton to be cooked when the sky suddenly darkened. A commotion brewed in the crowd and bean-sized raindrops started crackling down. The tourists ran in all directions. People ran in front of it and the rain chased after them. The July day was just like a child's face; it changed at the drop of a hat. Lin Yan used his sleeve to block the rain. When he hurried back, everyone had already disappeared.

The stone brick road was covered with moss making it wet and slippery. The crowd headed towards the ancient city to avoid the rain. Lin Yan followed suit. He took out his phone to make a call but found that there was no signal at all.

The sound of bells in the distance echoed in the misty rain. The rain was very rapid and raging. After a while, his whole body was soaked, and his clothes were dripping wet. Many tourists used masks to block the rain, leaving only a pair of eyes to find their way through the mess. All kinds of ghosts and monsters passed by on the street, including tiger heads, snake demons, white-faced dolls, and earth immortals, all wearing similar straight trains and walking in a hurry so he couldn't recognize anyone.

Where did Yin Zhou and the others go?

As he drew closer to the dim ancient city, Lin Yan walked through the pagoda with five arches and stepped into it. Surrounded by rain and fog, the window papers of each house lit up a pale yellow light, like a city built in the void. He sighed in relief. There was a sudden thunder, and it rumbled above him. Lin Yan suddenly panicked. The fox's spell would be broken by the thunder. Where is the ghost he lost now?

After turning around a corner, then another corner, there was another pagoda in front of him. After stepping on it, he didn't walk very far before he noticed the people on the street gradually thinning out. Occasionally, a few women walked past him as if their feet were bound, staggering, striking lively poses, and holding up oil-paper umbrellas. Under their masks were faces from hundreds of years ago, ghost faces.

A thought came up for no reason, was this city a ghost town?

Paper lanterns lit up for no reason, and the light was dim. A peddler hurriedly closed his stall and carried his stretcher. Seeing Lin Yan stumbling around, he hurriedly greeted him: "Brother, don't wander around. Do you know where this place is?"

Lin Yan pulled him over and asked, "Have you seen four people, oh no, three people? One of them was a seven or eight-year-old boy who was busy taking shelter from the rain just now. We got separated."

"Or do you know where there's a tourist service center that can put out a broadcast?"

The peddler chuckled: "'People'? Who in this city is a 'person'? You must be joking, sit."

Two merchants with horses passed on the side of the road while walking and chatting, and Lin Yan overheard a few sentences: "This year, for some reason, the city was full of noise all day long. Some strange people came in early this morning, disturbing people's peace and quiet."

Lin Yan suddenly froze in place. He had supernatural eyes. He can see ghosts! Immediately closing his eyes, he saw silhouettes of beings walking in front of him. They were all greenish-black, and when they walked around, there was a long trail of green smoke behind them. A hundred years had passed, but this ancient city restored on the original site had never died. It survived in another space and another form and would live forever; the sound of a hunter's hawk, a new customer entering a teashop with a silent lute, a lady going up to the embroidery building and leaving a story of talented men behind.

"I went to the wrong place and came here by mistake. How can I get out?"

The peddler rolled his eyes and left carrying his load. A green-bearded Daoist came to meet him, holding a half-immortal yellow flag. He looked at Lin Yan carefully and said in surprise, "Young master, within seven days you will be part of a bloodbath. Return home quickly, and don’t go any further.”

"Good will be rewarded with good, and evil will be rewarded with evil. It's not that there is no retribution. The time has simply not come. Go away, sir, and put aside all the injustices of your previous life. This is the way to resolve it."

Lin Yan pushed him away, twisted the water from the hem of his garment, and hurriedly looked for the way out. He suddenly came to his senses when he heard about his previous life. Where was Xiao Yu? They were also separated like this before, in the distant time and realm of life and death. They thought they would never see each other again, but unexpectedly he found him after he walked alone on the lonely road to the underworld. . . What was so good about Lin Yan in that life that he was worthy of his undying love?

Who said that love is not the cause and effect of past lives. Whether it was love at first sight, childhood sweethearts, or long-term love, in the vast sea of people, why did he meet that one, why did he choose him?

The moss makes people's feet slippery, and the dark street scene and bleak rain and fog seem to float on the other side of the world. In the 23rd year of Chenghua, the scene at that time chased him, reminding him of his "previous life" he had forgotten in the void*.

*(T/N: 成化, the Chenghua era under the ninth Emperor Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty)

"Lin Yan!" Someone shouted suddenly. Xiao Yu held up a lantern and stood not far from the ancient street.

This scene was very familiar, and he suddenly recalled the day he ran away from home, and he frantically looked for him in front of the door of the strange movie theatre on the North Fourth Ring Road. The ghost stood there in such a panic, waiting for him.

Lin Yan rushed over in a hurry, still in shock: "There's something wrong here. I saw people from ancient times. They talked to me. . ."

Xiao Yu pulled him to the side of the road and said in a deep voice: "You went the wrong way. This ancient city is divided into two worlds, the human and the ghost world. The thunder probably drew the entrance out. Follow me."

     Turning into a spacious courtyard, the first thing he saw when he entered the door was an old screen wall engraved with Zhu Xi's family motto: "It is good to make preparations before it rains; don't wait for thirst before you dig a well.

*(T/N: Song Dynasty scholar who helped influence Neo-Confucianism)

Be frugal in your comforts for yourself; when a guest, do not prolong your stay.

If utensils are of good quality and clean, then pottery is better than gold or jade.

Drink and food should be simple, and well-prepared garden vegetables are better than precious delicacies."

Passing through a courtyard full of weeds, eight carved doors were wide open, showing a screen with gold letters on a black background, and complex golden peonies seemed to be thrown on people's faces. The two of them held hands and crossed the atrium. The four-sided courtyard wall encloses the courtyard like a well. When he looked up, he can see a square piece of sky with fine raindrops floating down. After passing through the paradise world, the sandalwood rafters were covered with murals, which had turned yellow due to day after day of sunlight.

Pushing open a double wooden door to the study, the ghost led them in, as if entering a land without people.

"Be careful of the threshold." Xiao Yu held his hand. Under his feet was an elm wooden threshold, nearly one foot high, which had been kicked and trampled many times, so it was damaged.

"Where are Yin Zhou and the others?" Lin Yan asked.

"They're all in the human world. You're the only one missing. We'll take shelter from the rain first, and then I'll take you out when the sky clears."

Lin Yan nodded, chose a black-painted chair against the wall, and sat down. He vigorously twisted the water from the hems of his clothes, raised his head to look around, and wondered: "Why did you enter a private house? Is the ghost owner of this household not here?"

"They're here." Xiao Yu said. Seeing that Lin Yan still didn't understand, he smiled bitterly, "They just don't remember. Don't worry about it."

The study room was spacious, with two black lacquered chairs placed against the wall at the entrance, a rosewood square table with celadon vases in the middle, and a large case facing the door. At the back was a pair of red sandalwood shelves displaying jade carvings and antiques from the previous dynasty. The four treasures of the writing room were all there. They had not been used for a long time, the ink dry in the ink slab. Rows of bookshelves behind were filled with precious and smoky yellow thread-bound books. The top row was "Four Books of Notes to Sentences," "Collected Commentaries on Elegies of Chu State," and "The Works," written by Zhu Xi, Feudal Ethics And Asceticism. Later, there was "The Analects," "Book of Poetry," and "Mencius."

The two vermilion window lattices of the study room were faded by the sun in the west, and because of the rain, they were dim, with a thin ray of skylight giving off a sense of desolation.

Lin Yan suddenly felt that the room looked familiar, so he walked over to check everything. His fingers ran across the surface of the porcelain, the coloured decorative bowls with blue and white flowers and dotted ink; blue like the sky after rain, pink like a butterfly flying through flowers. Going to the bookshelf again, he moved a few volumes away and found there was another compartment inside. He reached in and took out a volume of "In Search of the Supernatural." He fumbled inside and found a "The Peony Pavilion" volume covered in dust*. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He cried out in panic, "Xiao Yu, I've seen this before!"

*(T/N: In Search of the Supernatural [搜神记] compilation of legends about spirits, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena, written and compiled by Gan Bao in the Jin dynasty; The Peony Pavilion [牡丹亭] play by Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty)

Looking back, he met a pair of burning eyes. The volume fell to the ground, and it turned to one page in particular. Liu Mengmei picked up a portrait of Du Liniang in the garden. Fascinated by the beautiful woman to the point of exhuming her body, Du Liniang came back from the dead in her tomb. An inscription said: "Just as Du Liniang, they can be called lovers. Love does not arise, but love is deep. The living can die, and the dead can live. Those who live but cannot die, and those who die but cannot live are not the result of love."

"I knew you a long time ago. . ." He broke off, raising his arms around Xiao Yu's neck, gazing into his eyes, his throat burning with thirst. A thread of a departed soul faintly attached to the pages of the ancient book penetrated his heart and lungs. Xiao Yu pushed him away and said lightly: "You don't know me. You're Lin Yan. I only want you to be Lin Yan in this life."

"I know who I am." Lin Yan wrapped himself around his body, suddenly breathing heavily, unable to control himself, and faintly uttered a sentence: "Xiao Lang. . ."

The ghost's face was shocked, and he let his kisses fall on his neck and slide to his chest. There was no one around, only two ancient souls, dressed in bright clothes that were evolved into foreign shapes by TV dramas, mingled together in an era of extinction of human desires. Love and hatred were kept secret and turned into a volume of evil books hidden deep in the bookshelf. By concealing it, it became more inflated. Lin Yan suddenly pushed Xiao Yu to the ground as if in revenge and knelt down on him between his legs, hugging him fiercely as though he intended to crush bones.

Before meeting him, the love he encountered was calm and indifferent. He just wanted to find a suitable person to live out his whole life with. When he fell in love with him, his life was full of twists and turns, turbulent waves, and a lot of people might die if they weren't careful.

Who said love has nothing to do with the long-standing sins of previous lives?

It's fine to be sincere for a minute, but why are his eyes always looking at something other than him? Inexplicable hatred and jealousy, hatred right to the bone, is it bad for him? If he wants to love, he will accompany him in love; if he wants to leave, he can't even say a word to keep him. He travelled thousands of miles to find a lover from his previous life and even fulfill the marriage contract together. How could the ghost have put him in a position, treating him like this?

"You want me." He stared at Xiao Yu angrily, "Don't you want to?"

"I can't." Xiao Yu turned his face away.

"You don't dare?"

The ghost was suddenly touched in a sore spot. He ruthlessly yanked open his skirt, took off the straight skirt embroidered with straight lapels. He lifted the hem of Lin Yan's T-shirt and kissed his ab muscles, moving upwards. He sucked hard, and kissed his lips all of a sudden. His lust was like a karmic fire that burned both of them to ashes. Neither of them was rational. They tossed and turned in the room full of thread-bound ancient books. They were too eager, knocking down a wall of books, the pages fluttering down in all directions. There was nowhere to escape.

Their audience was full of the words of the saints, and the onlookers found it unbearable to watch them.

"Does it hurt?" Just an inch deep, seeing Lin Yan biting his lip, Xiao Yu stopped and kissed him gently.

"Do it." Lin Yan wrapped his legs around his waist, sweating from the pain, and hugged him stubbornly, "Harder."

"Are you stupid? Do you want to die?"

"You the one who's fucking stupid. Why do you think about someone who has been dead for so many years?" Lin Yan endured the discomfort of his body being stretched inch by inch and asked him through gritted teeth: "Who am I? Who do you think I am? "

The ghost kissed his forehead, wet with cold sweat: "Lin Yan, my Lin Yan."

The hard object moved up and down in his body. Lin Yan uncontrollably swallowed the groan in his throat with his fist and greedily looked at Xiao Yu's emotional expression. His two long brows knit into a knot every time he sank into his depths, his heavy breathing uncontrollable.

The more pleasure he felt, the more eager and restless he became. He pulled Xiao Yu to make him lie on his body, hungrily thirsting for his saliva. He hooked the soft tongue into his mouth, trying not to make it painful, and untied his hair with one hand, letting it down his bare back, stroking it with the palm of his hand.

In this strange ancient city and strange room, he and his past suddenly overlapped, like he had been given a hallucinogenic drug. He didn't know why and he wouldn't ask. The lust was overwhelming, reality and falsehood collided, the ancient and the modern intertwined, and he felt at ease to bear what should belong to him. More debauched than anyone else, more depraved than anyone else, what's not to like? Xiao Yu owes him!

He was leaving and never coming back. What he was looking for was the skeleton of a dead lover. The anger of a thousand suns, unwillingness and jealousy have all turned into a forbidden love, just like the perverted and paranoid love they had when they first met. He bit Xiao Yu's shoulder as if punishing him and twisted his hip slightly: "I want more. It's not enough, not enough. . ."

The violent impact and friction almost made him pass out. His throat was so hoarse that he couldn't scream. He lay on the floor, tilting his head to catch his breath, the yellowed pages brushing his cheeks, the black letters in the vertical layout touching his eyes: "Love does not arise, but love is deep. The living can die, and the dead can live. Those who live but cannot die, and those who die but cannot live are not the result of love."

[firawren]

Asks about my OTPs

Pick your top 10 OTPs without reading the questions, then answer the questions after you've made your list

Elizabeth and Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

Belle and Beast (Beauty and the Beast 1991)

Anne and Wentworth (Persuasion)

Chuck and Sarah (Chuck)

Killian and Emma (Once Upon a Time)

Peeta and Katniss (The Hunger Games)

Stede and Ed (Our Flag Means Death)

Catherine and Henry (Northanger Abbey)

Snow and David (Once Upon a Time)

Leslie and Ben (Parks and Recreation)

Now here are the questions and answers!

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6? – Probably some time during the second book, when they really become a team protecting and comforting each other.

2. Have you ever read a fanfic about 2? – Haha yes, and written many!

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr screen saver? – Nope!

4. If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be? – They kind of are broken up? It's devastating, but I hope season 2 will fix it!

5. Why is 1 so important? – Because they got me into the entire Jane Austen universe, which is one of my main interests and hobbies now.

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship? – Mostly serious, but they have their funny moments.

7. Out of all the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry? – Elizabeth and Darcy or Chuck and Sarah.

8. Out of all your ships listed, which ship has the strongest bond? – Probably Peeta and Katniss since they went through such intense trauma together.

9. How many times have you read/watched the 10’s fandom? – 3 times, and I'll do it again.

10. Which ship has lasted the longest? – I don't know what this means. In their canon? Snow and David have been together for over 40 years by the end of the show, I think. In my heart? I've been into Belle and Beast ever since the movie came out over 31 years ago. In fandom? Elizabeth and Darcy have been going strong for over 200 years!

11. How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up? – I suppose they weren't really a couple during the period where Peeta wanted to murder Katniss lol! Plus they were fake dating and fake engaged for most of their relationship, so it's hard to tell what "broken up" means in this sort of context where they're not truly together to begin with.

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8? – 2, because Beast is a literal beast with claws and fangs and crap, and Belle is very smart. 8 are sweet little cuties who would get killed immediately lol!

13. Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason? – They both were kind of in denial about liking each other romantically, but that's not really the same thing. And they kind of broke up right after officially acknowledging they wanted to be together! I guess Stede was hiding his relationship when he went back to Mary.

14. Is 4 still together? – Kind of. The awful series finale makes their future murky.

15. Is 10 canon? – Yep, all of these ships are. I'm basic haha!

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win? – Well Beast is the most dangerous physically, but he wouldn't want to kill anyone. So I'm going with Chuck and Sarah due to their physical training and Sarah's skill and lack of remorse over killing anyone she needs to.

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 5’s ship? – Mostly Emma herself haha! I guess Neal and David kind of did, but not really actively/aggressively.

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond? –  I strongly believe in all of them, but Belle and Beast are the most in need of defense because some people see them as toxic, so I'm the most prickly about defending their relationship, I guess.

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 3’s tumblr page? – Nope, they're not super popular on Tumblr. I think only 1, 5, and 7 have a strong presence on Tumblr.

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all forever, which ship would you sink? – I guess Catherine and Henry just because they could each easily find someone else to love and be happy with and not be forever devastated by their breakup. They're not, like, soulmates, just two cute young people who happened to get thrown together.

Tagging some people if they want to do this: @loonysama, @thefamilybruno, @annaofthenorthernlights, @bad-at-names-and-faces, @thecassadilla, @keeshya6, @bethanydelleman, @thatscarletflycatcher + anyone else! (No pressure to do this as usual!)

[serpentide]

°• * ˚ ⁀ ➷ @wormsaga ◞♡ ´- ︰ " aren't you quite the unique specimen ? " ( ask and you shall receive ) .

𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 ▬▬ 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒. epithets wholly poignant and futile, but the jester had discovered the importance of names when she was still naught but a homeless child with tear - scarred cheeks and bruised hands: in this world, only those who are either loathed or beloved deserve to be given a name. a harsh truth, one that had burrowed its way into the marrow of frail bones and there, had given rise to a kingdom of quietened aches and achromatic sorrows ( a name was never bestowed 'pon her, she was to forever be a blurred shadow in an otherwise festive room ) . her weight - less existence was, however, not one destined to be unknown for long: tales of a woman in harlequin garments were whispered behind silken fans and in front of golden goblets, it was in such conversations that the monstrous horrors of the grotesque would become wholly embellished with details of awe and wonder / the snake was a feared creature amidst both damsels and knights, more so those that possessed magical properties and whose reverberating echo filled the vacant fragments of moon - less nights. but as it is in the nature of men, the fear of cotton - hearted nobles eventually turned into something different [ ... ] a throbbing desire to discover, a ravenous desire to peel back all the outer layers to expose the skin - less monster within, a gluttonous desire to possess what eluded the allure of their money and their might.

many had come to the jesters' academy to encounter her, each and every single one carrying the heavy weight of hollow promises within the depth of their overly - stuffed pockets. it had thus been unsurprising, to know that someone had braved the wood and the mountain to converse with her ▬▬ a fool, she had expected to meet. but the man that now stands in front of her carries with him neither the proud crest of unfamiliar families nor the flag of tales - old kingdoms. by his side, there is no leather - hewn satchel, nor does he employ the sound of twinkling coins to bait her into lowering her defenses. he regards her as one would regard a beast of olde and serpent can feel how her breastbone swells with a sense of pride, with a sense of self ( no longer shackled to the will and whims of another, she can now be her own fairy - tale monster in the dark ) .

and thus she smiles, a smile that does not make the flowers bloom but that is wide enough to offer a generous glimpse of the sharp fangs that beautifully adorn her man - eating maw. the jester giggles, a sound oh so tremendously girlish in these haunted halls, and folds her arms beneath her breastbone in taunting fashion ; she has nothing to lose, fear is a sentiment hindered to those of her accursed and lonely kind. ❝ snakes do not crave the sugar - sweet taste of honey, ❞ in song and rhyme she responds, each word akin to a chime of golden bells caught in the fury of wintertide winds. from beyond cascading locks in the shade of molding blues, the head of a black python emerges ; its forked tongue flicks the air, tasting the scent of the mysterious and uncanny visitor, before it proceeds to loosely coil around the woman's shoulders. ❝ what has brought you here ? i hope you will prove to be smarter and braver than your pathetic forerunners. ❞