#i did my best to make this as coherent as possible but its not perfect which is ok im happy to answer questions or debate about this 🥺

[sun-of-4-gun]

Stick, The Monkey King's Plot Device: An Analysis

a matter of Free Will, Creativity, Control, Ownership, Choice, and Consent of an animated inanimate character

aka chronological notes of what happens in the movie with interpretative thoughts

for 5,000 years, stick only ever stood in one place in silence

the crystal palace was either; built around him, or he was left there tho it's hard to believe the center pillar of dragon king's home just has a spot reserved for him. I believe it's the former however it was, he never had a choice

dragon had stick stuck in a machine that will force and use him and his power to create a storm and flood, which is the opposite of what his original purpose was that got him down there to begin with thousands of years ago. an overglorified water meter

monkey was in search of the ultimate weapon, but stick said the first word. he's been waiting and immediately calls him "the most powerful being". this is promptly followed by being complimented not once, but twice from the guy he just met (ie "you are incredible") it is important to note monkey had never any positive assurance in his entire life, yet he says these things to stick, he makes this about stick, rather than himself

stick jumps into action and carries the battle, but he prioritises monkey's safety

he is a go-getter, taking the lead to take his new friend forward. he is a driving force that enables monkey to do what he does. he is excitable, violent, eager to please. stick has never been used in so long, he has a lot of pent up energy just bursting to get out. he protects monkey, but he is obedient to the point of losing his self by taking things literally. this should teach monkey how he works, that he is dependent on his wielder, his master, and that's why he couldn't have left the palace or dragon himself. he is a tool, who's entire existence is in the hands of whoever possesses him. he wants to be used and be useful. he wants to serve a purpose

monkey tells stick what to do, he listens, monkey tells stick to stop, he does so. and stick will do the best possible thing for them to show monkey what they are capable of together, giving him the confidence to trust his weapon as much as stick's chosen to trust him, that no matter what happens as long they communication, they will have each other's back

stick shares monkey's joys and sorrows. he cheers along the troop for his new name and groans when it seemed monkey got sad. they share excitement and aggressive tendencies too

they are more like a single entity with two equal parts rather than a pair, but it's not wrong to call them that either. mind & body, heart & soul, in action they are one, as people they are two, but must be kept together in order to work perfectly. stick is an extension of monkey, and monkey is an extension of stick. they match each others freak save for minor differences in preference and personality. when not in use, stick stands on his own, he reacts similarly as monkey, turns to him, and provides emphasis for the occasional words. he is completely supportive and always by his side if only a foot apart or at arms length, never out of reach

monkey is the same in the way that he values stick's own desires that are seemingly separate from himself. he is considerate of his weapon's wants despite having no impact or benefit to his own except maybe boost his ego. they share an ambition, yet something so minor like playing the guitar is so important to him because it's something stick wants. he didn't even ask if stick wanted anything, he already has him in mind, it was a matter of what and absolute that he gets it

the theme song is sung by stick's voice actor, the singer "ultimate screaming master" aka nan li from voodoo kungfu, an outstanding "world heavy metal music" band. so you could say stick wrote and sang a song about monkey throughout their 99 demons together. I know the lyrics are from monkey himself, the words are his, stick is the music, together they create harmony

stick is bloodthirsty, and he is an artist. both actions are forms of self-expression after lying dormant for millenniums. the same can be said for monkey in that he created an imaginary family, paired with his and stick's signature head-bashing, skull-splitting move, except he does this in sought of attention for being deprived of it his entire childhood, stick has always been the center of, yet was never heard, and the only thought he wants and cares about is from monkey

it was his idea the way they defeat red girl, unpromptly suggested

stick left his "home", because he finally could. he was stolen from dragon, who housed him. he was found by monkey, who allows him to be. stick can't be on his own without his wielder's permission and even then they're in close proximity of each other. monkey allows for stick's autonomy and will to be as free as he can be. he treats stick like a person more than the actual people he interacts with, while dragon still treats stick as property even after discovering he could talk. he doesn't care that stick has feelings, he only wants to abuse his power

Monkey: “What's wrong, Stick? You know this chump?”

Dragon: “Stick? You never talked to me!”

when dragon showed up, this is the only time stick vocalised in a way that it aggravated monkey enough to close his ears. stick doesn't get to say anything else, and he doesn't have to because no one but monkey listens to him, he doesn't need an explanation to come to his friend's defence. the same way stick is in-between the demons and monkey, this time monkey is shielding stick from dragon. a former roommate, acts like a controlling parent or possessive ex

Monkey, to Dragon: “You love my Stick, everyone loves the stick, but no one appreciates Stick like I do.”

Stick: “[incessant urgent warbling]”

Monkey: “Quiet Stick, the grown-ups are talking.”

of course monkey isn't perfect either, in the heat of the moment he ignores stick to protect him, and stick never holds a grudge or resentment towards monkey for his blunders, only dragon was met with initial hostility, but then none at all for the rest of the movie. stick is never really even annoyed with his partner, it just seems like he loves everything about him and wants the best for him, because that would mean what's best for himself too

dragon tries to talk to stick to come back, but monkey says he only listens to him. dragon responds with "I don't see a ring on it, honey" which is from the euphemism for a marriage proposal. dragon clearly doesn't approve of their relationship though this implies that in order for them to be together, they need to be wedded

without monkey, stick doesn't have a will. without a person, he is useless. he has no life, no will to life. it's meaningless without monkey, who he's waited for forever

he laughs at his jokes, they share a sense of humour

stick knows about hell. he knows about the scrolls of life and death

he could not have learned this during the 100 demons slaying because monkey would have known. the reason why stick never mentioned "crossing your name to cancel your death in order to become immortal" is that monkey was under the impression he would win the immortal ones' approval by conquering demons like the elder lead them to believe. why stick never corrected him, this wasn't the mission. stick is at his service, not looking specifically for the most efficient way to do things. he is able to have fun and live his best life with monkey and if the adventure ends, what is there left to do? he wouldn't want to be abandoned again. so he answers monkey's questions because monkey asked, not because stick has an obligation to be conscious or aware of how things play out, but because he's literal and needs to be direct with. whatever it is, he will enable monkey's desires, because what he wants, they both do

they argue about bringing lin along, in which stick advocates for her and scolds monkey because he knows her worth and neither of them can read. if monkey completely owns stick, why would he allow him to knock some sense into himself and fight about something like this? does stick actually have free will to be independent and has merely been sassily playing with monkey and dragons feelings because he enjoys the attention of those two competing for him, or does monkey allow stick to be his own person without the restraint of pleasing his ego in that he is cared for even if he doesn't like it because he subconsciously understands he can't do everything on his own and needs stick to be his conscience too, for both their sakes

their expressions often mirror each other, the way they move even apart is in sync, and they exchange glances, like you do with your best friend

stick also knows about cloning, which he also never told monkey that he knows they can both apparently do. the situation called for it so it's pretty reasonable, but why does stick know more about monkey's abilities than he himself does?

steroids, another song by voodoo kungfu, is used during the fight

although apparently stick didn't know enough as "cancelling your death date" only makes you half-immortal, but monkey immediately blames lin despite it being entirely stick's idea

stick is already immortal, he's an eternal object and looks good for above 5,000 years old. he just needs to keep his friend, who he's known for at least a couple years, alive. least he becomes alone again

stick finds monkey's prank on lin hilarious, monkey makes him laugh

stick sings along with monkey while they search for lin, he yells at her after too

monkey considers stick his best friend and family

stick doesn't care to say anything during the entire peach grove scene. not about benbo & babbo, not about dragon, even though he was used to jab at him. monkey is drugged, therefore his mind isn't intact, which seemingly affects stick's behaviour as well in that he isn't very conscious. they both get knocked ou

he jolts awake after monkey does

stick is empathetic, monkey is apathetic. there is a little bit of the other to them in a yin-yang sense, because stick only empathises with monkey, and maybe lin twice on-screen, while monkey has no consideration for anyone but himself, stick, and eventually lin to an extent. they only care for each other, as stick isn't concerned about anyone else, but monkey does in a way. both for selfish reasons

stick cannot be wielded by a baby monkey, he goes to sleep

monkey tells stick to help lin, he shrinks down for her to use

he sleeps again when monkey is kicked through the roof

despite being unconscious, stick extends himself towards monkey to give the elixir

stick is just as excited as monkey is, if not more, and is ready to fight, but when lin falls, he got worried for her too

lin teases monkey, talking to stick, and he laughs with her. he isn't above laughing at his friend's expense and with someone other than him no less, someone monkey handed him over to in the moment. he was trusted with to assist her and wasn't even aware of lin's attempt to steal him away. if monkey was a controlling master and stick the obedient weapon that he is, how is it that he's able to freely make fun of his own best friend? monkey shuts him up, and he complies, but the fact is while he is always supportive of monkey, he is capable of poking fun at and arguing with him too, usually provoked

stick is left alone with lin again, and is promptly sold out

"momentary fling" sir this is a family movie

stick is inactive throughout his entire hold in dragon's clutches. he is nothing but a prize to be won, a tool to be abused. monkey may need him in every battle to win, but stick has been a damsel-in-distress twice. he is handled by dragon, forced back into a machine that awakens and makes him grow. none of this he chose, none he wanted, he can't leave without help. while he is fulfilling a purpose, he isn't doing this out of his own will. he doesn't choose dragon and doesn't consent to being used this way, but it doesn't matter because dragon doesn't need his compliance, as long the machine works and he's useful

they are so happy to see each other, and missed one another so much,,,

stick is devoted to monkey. he enables him, needs him for his entire being and existence. if it were to be anyone in the universe he will always choose monkey. caught in the middle of the final battle, despite the brief grasp dragon has on him, he is able to fight for his self because monkey is there for him to return to and fall back on. to live in utter depravity under someone who only takes from and forces you into doing his bidding, it's not living at all. monkey gives him a life, stick lives for him and gets to be himself because he's allowed to be as much of a person any object is capable of

monkey is incredibly significant to stick. he is his entire world, and the same goes for him to monkey

they're separated again, the last thing he heard was monkey's desperate cry of his name after he couldn't handle buddha's clutch

lin found stick, either by chance or he called out to her. and he shrank for her once more so she could easily reunite him with his monkey. he doesn't even know she's the one who gave him away, but I don't think he'd hold it against her. he's a staff, not human or demon with complex thoughts and feelings. a simple stick who has a colourful personality, vibrant soul, and passion for music

he flies right into monkey's hold thanks to lin

monkey is stick's home, he is his best friend, his family, his life. they are symbiotic and co-dependent, for breaking them apart would leave them wrecked on their own, one completely helpless and the other out of his mind. there is a fear of abandonment within stick and separation anxiety in monkey, but only one of them has the ability to do something about it, and monkey allows for stick to be unbound by his own ego. they're a team, each others comfort

they meditate together, being one with each other, and stick is just as important as monkey because "the world needs us"

to summarise; stick is a deeply emotional, straight-forward, fun-loving, whimsical, thrill-seeking sentient weapon who's been deprived of activity for thousands of years, which affected the way he expresses himself through bloodthirsty violence and screaming, but he does have an ambition to learn and play the guitar, already being a singer himself. it is a creative outlet for him to release all that pent up energy when he lay dormant, and is allowed the freedom to live a life he wants alongside the one person who values and loves him for who he is

in conclusion... they are both crazy, and stick likes that about monkey

[sepetajmikolikomehoces]

I seriously do not know how to make this coherent. I think if we just dive in not expecting it, it won't feel so disjointed.

This was one of the most magical weekends of my life, by far the best one this year so far and I think it will hold up pretty damn well in the long run. I am so, so happy that I didn't end up selling my Saturday ticket, despite it being an upper level seated ticket. I was afraid I'd feel very removed and that the view would be obscured, but it was all but.

Like that is pretty dang good.

Didn't queue for overly long either day, and met some really, really lovely people. If you feel like you at any point talked to me, hi, hello, I am so happy to have met you!!

Openers were really good, I enjoyed both Pilvet pilvet and JC Stewart, and I hope to hear more from both in the future.

Saturday's setlist was a bit of a shock, ngl. No ASTP? No NGVOT? No Barve?? On the other hand: my soul ascended during the Gola opening and I was very emotional during Vem da greš. It's been an anthem for me since last fall, and getting to experience it live, even from my seat, was just... yeah. A Lot. We'd gotten folded paper butterflies to hold up if they played Metulji and it was one of the most beautiful renditions I have heard of it, with Jan on the piano, Bojan singing and a sea of paper butterflies floating. I could be wrong, but Bojan seemed a bit taken by the whole thing in a positive way.

I had maybe had a feeling that Everybody's waiting would be a song that would come into its own right live and it definitely did. This weekend really made me fall even more in love with it, and though Bojan was clearly nervous about it, it was nice to see a bit of humour around the performance, with Jan having to help play the intro notes.

The two new songs they premiered on Saturday were such bangers, I have not been able to get them out of my head. Between Šta bih ja and Bluza, I am leaning more towards Bluza. There is something about it that gives me the same kind of emotional response as Vem da greš, but they are both going to be on heavy rotation, the sound is just... chef's kiss for both.

I know there had been a lot of hype and expectations re: Käärijä and the possibility of him doing a song with them. As much as it would have been fun, I'm actually happy he didn't, and simply got to enjoy the show as a spectator. Getting Häärijä as Hojan was more than enough, I think I pulled something laughing so hard.

We got the band out for a second encore (after Carpe Diem and Novi val), and they did Šta bih ja again, and it made my heart so fucking happy to see them so excited and bouncy.

For Sunday, I had early entrance, and let me tell you... when Bojan announced they were soundchecking ASTP... my soul left me, I was fucking LEVITATING. Getting NGVOT with Kris after that (following a very random rendition of Ring of Fire by Bojan) was just perfection. I also completely froze when Jure came over and talked to the girls in front of me. Like I fully just glitched, couldn't make myself speak, couldn't make myself take a picture, just stood there like the personification of bluescreening. That sunshiney fucker has too much power.

They switched up the setlist for Sunday and as sad as I was at losing out on Vem da greš up close, I felt more than happy about instead getting Barve oceana and Padam, as well as another new song. Setlist said it was called Schlager, Bojan said it might be named Behind Those Eyes OR Galaxy of Me, so it's going to be fun to see what they settle on finally. Either way, the song was a whole damn vibe, and I hope people going to the rest of the tour will get to enjoy both these and other new songs.

Padam had me up in my feels HARD. Again with Jan accompanying on the piano, it was just a really raw and intimate rendition that hit me right in my soul. I've had "Zdaj padam in padam, a me bo kdo ujel?" on my letterboard at home for the last two months, and hearing this line... ooft, my heart.

Having seen recordings of Novi val live is NOTHING compared to experiencing it live. It is one of the best songs out there and the chorus hits me every. single. time. There is something so sweet and gentle about the setup of it, Kris on guitar, Bojan singing and the rest of them just enjoying the moment, taking everything in.

I think the thing that I'll ultimately cherish the most is the easy atmosphere, the connection the band had with the audience, and the fact that I got to be there and that I got to do all of this with friends. This weekend has been a beacon for me since they announced it and since I got the tickets. Going to a JO gig has been on my bucketlist. I got to cross that off and have so much fun while doing it, and you can bet your fucking ass I will try to get tickets to Ruisrock this summer.

[never-enough-golden-kamuy]

Warmth of the cold-blooded sniper

I barely finished second WEEK of this semester and I'm already and still getting owned by my uni. I had to write these stories or I will burn out at best.

Over 1,6k words, Vasilyxf!reader, fluff per usual

Enjoy!

The climate on Karafuto was usually cold. However, when Vasily lowered the binoculars and his eyes fixated on a distant point, the temperature seemed to drop an extra few degrees. 

[Y/N] watched as the man knelt on one knee while resting his rifle on his shoulder. It was one, coherent and smooth movement. Years of practice led to perfection and left no room for any slack. Blue eyes followed the victim's movement above the barrel, devoid of any emotion. His entire body seemed to be detached from the surrounding reality, concentrating on the shot like a well-aimed arrow. 

The sound of gunfire pierced the air, causing a minute of chaos. The frightened birds jumped into the air with a terrifying screech. Smaller animals fell through the undergrowth, leaving only torn leaves behind. Even the small cloud of her own breath froze in the air. 

Meanwhile, Vasily didn't even bat an eye. Only with a learned movement, as natural as his heartbeat, did he reload his weapon, ready to finish off the animal. The clicking of the sliding mechanism sent shivers down her spine as the man continued to stare at his prey, as if even a second's distraction would make it suddenly vanish into thin air. The young deer fell into the undergrowth, thrown about with the last jerks of its life. There was no need for a second shot. Sniper precision was flawless as usual. 

Vasily let out a satisfied hum and signaled her that they could now descend the hill. [Y/N] scrambled out of her spot among the bulging roots and followed him. The woman stepped over irregularities in the ground and ducked under low branches, carefully imitating the man walking in front of her. Her thoughts were already too far away for her to pay attention to her surroundings. 

Sometimes she forgot how deadly dangerous Vasily was. The memories of his laughter and affectionate gestures contrasted sharply with the chilling sight from a moment ago. She also never dared to ask how much of the war was still in him. For her, the war was something distant, it never really affected her. She had no father or brother to take part in the draft. News from the front rarely reached the village, and even if it did, it was hushed in the company of a young woman. 

Is now a good time to ask? Is it even a question possible to answer? 

She almost bumped into the man as he tried unsuccessfully to get her attention. He frowned for a moment at her thoughtfulness and pointed upwards. [Y/N] looked up at the quickly darkening sky. 

They won't make it back home before dark. 

* 

[Y/N] stared blankly at the glowing coals, inhaling the musty smell of the woven bunk she was lying on. Little more than 4 walls and a hearth, long ago deprived of its rightful owner, but still standing intact. For years this old cottage has served as a shelter from the night and bad weather for travelers, a proof of the diligent work of the old days. Its usually quiet and dusty interior was now filled with the pleasant warmth of the fire and Vasili's calm breathing. 

How did he managed to fall asleep so quickly? He didn't seem to care about the hard boards and thin blanket. Are these some secret techniques of the Russian military? She looked at the figure sleeping on the floor. Tucked in his own cloak, he frowned even in his sleep. 

The old bunk creaked softly as she reached towards him, ready to see if the two vertical wrinkles on his forehead were permanent or if there was any hope for him after all. She froze, however, when the glow of the fireplace was reflected in the barrel of the rifle lying within his reach. 

The warning flashed before her eyes. The cold of death bit her fingers and ran up her arm, making her shiver. Vasily never talked about his experiences at the front, and she never had the courage to ask what effect it had had on him. What was the chance that, startled from sleep, he would take up arms? She never saw him sleeping so deeply, will it differ from waking up from a nap? 

As a matter of fact, it was the first time they were sleeping in one room. Grandmas from her village would be outraged if they knew. Two unmarried youngsters sleeping in one room? ALONE? 

Suddenly aware of the whole situation, she blushed and withdrew her hand as if it had been burned. She stole a glance, unsure whether Vasily had magically heard her thoughts. Fortunately, he didn't and continued to sleep, unaware of her dilemma. On the other hand, Vasily didn't seem to be a person who cared about what others thought of him. Fixated on his own goals, he could make decisions completely contrary to the views of the village babushkas. Such as deserting, leaving everything and traveling through foreign territory without a yen to his soul just to get revenge. 

Sometimes it seemed so stupid, but at the same time it was what she admired about him. The ability to make his own decisions and even sticking to them. 

Torn, she bit her lip nervously. The sight of the ice-cold sniper clashed with the memories of the same man, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he tried to capture the smallest details in his drawings. Fear froze her in place, but the flame of hope and curiosity burned brighter. 

She could now put aside her worries about the gossips the next day. People will say whatever they like about her anyway. However, there was still the question of Vasily. Will she startle him? Will he be mad? 

[Y/N] rolled onto her back, her head full of shouting voices. The cautious part of her absolutely forbade any antics that would result in being shot or rejected by Vasily. The rational part of her rightly reminded her that Vasily had never miss fired before, and therefore the likelihood of him shooting her blindly was low. Meanwhile, touch-deprived part of her was laying on the debate table drooling at the mere thought of holding hands. 

And how can you make any decisions in such team? Sometimes it may be better not to think at all. 

The woman took a deep breath, seeking agreement between all parties, and rolled out of bed before anyone could change her mind. She landed softly on her feet and glanced quickly at the rifle. Certain that it wasn't pointed at her yet, she gathered her blanket and spread it on the floor, squeezing herself between the man and the fireplace. She watched what he was doing with one eye and the absolute lack of reaction from him with the other. 

Since he decided to stay in the village for a little longer, the inhabitants took advantage of his youthful strength and efficiency in all possible works. Despite their generous payments in the form of money, food and hospitality, the constant tasks must have exhausted him. 

She lay down on her makeshift bed, wrapping herself in her own cloak. She tried to get as comfortable as possible on the hard floor and closed her eyes, still seeing through her eyelashes the hand lying at the level of her face. Without thinking, she covered it with a piece of cloak, protecting it from the cold of the night. 

And suddenly everything went quiet. As the tension drained from her body, the sound of the blood in her ears diminished, replaced by the rhythm of their breathing. The crackling of the dying fire soothed her frayed nerves, slowly pushing her towards sleep. 

At least until Vasily removed his hand. 

[Y/N] blinked in surprise and looked up, meeting piercing blue eyes. The entire world froze, went deaf, and plunged into darkness, shrinking to the size of just the two of them. She had stared at him blankly for decades after someone had dropped a hand grenade into her brain, depriving of all thought. She wasn't sure if she was breathing at all. 

“The bunk wasn't comfortable” she muttered without even the slightest involvement of the brain in formulating this statement. Vasily raised an eyebrow skeptically, but even in the darkness she could see the slightest lift at the corner of his lips. 

He touched his ear and nodded. >>I could hear<< 

The world went up in flames, burning down all her hopes for a decent life. She was fully ready to sink into the ground and never emerge. 

“Sorry to wake you up,” she mumbled, closing her eyes with a sigh, unable to look at the circus show she just performed. She didn't even flinch when Vasily moved. He could go ahead and take the bunk, or walk away from her life forever. It didn't matter to her as she was about to die right where she lay. 

She flinched when she felt a hand on her back, and then, completely effortlessly, she was moved the few dozen centimeters that separated them. Vasily shifted in his seat and held her against his chest, shielding her from the world. And suddenly the wooden floor of this old cottage was the coziest place on earth. She exhaled softly, the tension leaving her body again and the arm around her keeping them from separating. She swung her arm over his side, feeling it rise in rhythm with his breathing. She pressed her forehead against his shirt and the dull beating of his heart allowed her to finally fall asleep. 

He was warm. The cold-blooded sniper was very very warm. 

[stobinesque]

intro & masterlist

read • 29 • ze/zir/zirs

I follow and interact from @amusingdisplacement.

Mostly Stobin, Steddie, and Lucas Sinclair content here, but I am, broadly speaking, a multishipper! (There is the occasional canon-Stancy-critical reblog here and there, tagged anti-stancy for filtering purposes.)

No DNI criteria, but minors take note that there's fairly frequent 18+ content here. And B*lly Hargr*ve fans who don't think he's canonically racist: we will not get along.

links & nav guide

[ ao3 account ] • [ spotify ]

tags:

#read.txt : original homegrown ramblings. sometimes there are even coherent headcanons here.

#read writes : general-purpose writing tag

#read microfic : where all of my microfic drabbles for my 250 follower celebration can be found!

things i currently ramble about a lot:

#jeff is steve's bi awakening au | #wayfinder tag [s4 lucas pov fix-it] | #first light tag [rockie apocalyptic first date fic] | #wigwag tag [steve's gay slut-discovery era: the fic]

fic list

highlights:

currently posting: Follow Celebration Microfics!

newest: held frozen like an angel to me • E • steddie • [read on ao3]

biggest hit: lay your cuts and bruises over my skin • unrated • Steve-centric • [ao3 only]

writer's higlight: the firmament in you • T • stobin • [read on ao3]

SERIES

semiotics 'verse

[series masterpost tk]

/ˌsemēˈädiks/ plural 1. the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. "Queer identities, and the everyday practices and performances associated with them, cannot be dissociated from the ways in which they are expressed by language—in all its subtleties and implicit associations as well as explicit self-reports—as situated in dynamic contexts of social norms and values, politics, power, ideology and various media" (source)

lay your cuts and bruises over my skin

3/3 | wc: 22k | Unrated | Gen / Steve-centric | ao3 only

People like to say that Steve can’t take a punch. But that’s not strictly true. The other accusation—that he’s no good at throwing a punch—is closer to the truth. But really the issue can be neatly summarized by the fact that he’s a little too good at taking a punch. OR A history of Steve Harrington’s bruises.

plinth

One-Shot | wc: 1k | G | Gen / Robin & Max | read on ao3

There are monsters in Hawkins, Billy Hargrove is dead, and Robin is sitting next to his kid sister while her summer job burns in front of her.

phryctoria

7/7 | T | Gen / Stobin & Steve-centric

Sometimes your gay awakening is just having someone to show you it’s possible. After Starcourt, Steve realizes he's gay, comes out to his best friend, and starts figure out how to navigate his new reality with her. Sometimes your gay awakening is just having someone to show you it’s possible. After Starcourt, Steve realizes he's gay, comes out to his best friend, and starts figure out how to navigate his new reality with her.

A Cure for All That Ails You

One-Shot | wc: 6k | T | Gen / Stobin | read on ao3

Steve gives her a despairing look. “Please don’t tell me your only experience of grilled cheeses have been ones made with Kraft singles.” “Okay, I won’t tell you!” She says brightly. Steve looks to be on the brink of tears. “Hey…it’s okay, Steve. I promise you can pop my good-grilled-cheese cherry!” Steve’s expression, if anything, grows even more pained. “Please, for the love of God, do not put it like that.” For Lex's Spicy Six Summer Fanworks Challenge prompt: “How did you go through life so far without knowing how to make a grilled cheese sandwich?”

perfect creature rarely scene

held frozen like an angel to me

One-Shot | wc: 10.3k | E | Steddie | read on ao3

There's a figure in the doorway, silhouetted by the chandeliers he keeps faintly lit in the receiving hall. Eddie sees the outline of wings. Of horns. A flowered crown. No sooner has he had the thought to reach out than the figure is stalking towards him. Eddie still can't move, and the beat of his heart picks up its pace. Not yet pounding in terror, but racing like he's just started a chase. He wants to speak. Wants to cry out, wants to— "Hello, my pet."

ONE SHOTS

the shape of things lost; the shape of things to come

T | wc: 1k | Gen / Stobin | cw: Major (Canonical) Character Death, Post-Season 4 Vol. 2, Grief & Mourning, fatalistic thinking

hitch, loop, hand & heart [ READ ON AO3 ]

E | wc: 2k | cw/tags: Bondage, Shibari, Hand Kink, Praise Kink, Anal Fingering, Soft Dom Steve, Good Boy Eddie, ‘puppy’ used as a term of endearment

the mouth that feeds you [ READ ON AO3 ]

E | wc: 4k | cw/tags: Office Sex, Desk Sex,Lingerie, thigh biting, Stone Top Robin, Sassy Pillow Princess Nancy (kinda), ‘sir’ used as an honorific, Praise Kink, Oral Sex, Dacryphilia (just a dash), Edging, Vaginal Fingering, Squirting [there’s…a lot going on here]

CHALLENGES & PROMPT FILLS

Steddie Week fics:

Day Two: Fluff [T+]

Day Three: First Kiss [T]

Day Four: Familiar / “let me be the void you fill” [T+]

Days 6: Misunderstanding & 7: “Freedom!” by Wham / “talking could, if we’d just dare (you know that i’ll forgive you)” [part 1][part 2]

Steddie Microfic Challenge fics:

July

prompt: 'pool' original wc goal: 442 bonus round goal: 273 title: center stage • rating: E / M • cws: Kink, D/s dynamics, Public Sex, Bondage, Chastity Device (briefly implied), Boot Kink, Light Degradation/Humiliation

August

prompt: cake wc goal: 311 fill 1: gilding the lily • rating: E • cws: cockwarming, facials, group sex, “puppy” used as term of endearment

fill 2: avarice for pearls • rating: E • cws/tags: D/s dynamics, free use, sloppy seconds, Daddy Kink (no age play)

Spicy Six Summer Challenge fics

A Cure for All That Ails You One-Shot | wc: 6k | T | Gen / Stobin | read on ao3 prompt: “How did you go through life so far without knowing how to make a grilled cheese sandwich?”

TK: the firmament in you [prompt: Dancing under the stars. - stobin] TK: first light on the horizon (at the end of the world) [prompt: First date - rockie]

prompt fills

prompt: “Just pretend to be my date.” [stobin] rating: T (for language) | wc: 771

prompt: things you said but didn’t mean [stobin] rating: T (for language) | wc: 616 | cw: hurt/comfort, arguments & misunderstandings

prompt: things you said through a closed door [steddie] rating: M (for frank discussions of sex) | wc: 679 | cw: hurt/comfort, erectile dysfunction, internalized ableism

prompt: things you didn’t say at all [stobin] rating: G | wc: 276 | cw: angst, hurt/comfort, ambiguous loss

Playlists!

fic related mixes

World's #1 Babysitter Mixtape [rel: lay your cuts and bruises]

Steve & Robin's Scoops Tracks [rel: lay your cuts and bruises]

Steve's Heartbreak Playlist [rel: Steddie Week Day 7 fic]

Stobin Car Tracks #1 [Summer '85] [rel: phryctoria]

Jeff Taste Profie ['84] [rel: 'Jeff is Steve's Bi Awakening AU']

Wayfinder playlist

first light on the horizon [a Vickie mixtape]

(at the end of the world) first light vibes playlist]

the firmament in you playlist

perfect creature rarely seen series playlist

get to know the author mixes

Stobinesque's Ten Song Recs

STOBINESQUE [username playlist]

STOBINESQUE [vol. 2]

AMUSINGDISPLACEMENT [username playlist – main]

[malikarchive]

A Deep Dive Into The Beat-Tape "reflective" By Aerate and Areyetee

Written by Me, Malik (aka kingmalik)

On November 3, 2023, the beat scene world was shocked by storm when rising producers aerate and areyetee dropped their surprise collaboration project "reflective". Till this day the project stands as one of the most cohesive and groundbreaking projects of the post-dirteesoulhop era beat scene. And with aerate (aka PSICOSE) gaining some extra traction in the scene after winning Dibiase's beat battle, I think it's about time we shed light on, in my opinion, one of his best projects to date, a partnership/collaboration made in heaven resulting in "reflective"

We are introduced to the project with what sounds like clips of random vhs samples, and then a sampled house track, which instantly lets you know what the inspiration and direction of the project will be.

Words from the producers : 

Malik - “so what was the thought process behind the tape?”

Aerate -” Honestly like i was in the mindset of like trying to keep it as coherent and smooth as possible. From my POV it was like putting pieces of a puzzle together”

Areyetee - “i kinda just sent chops and made beats and let roy do the busywork so yea what he said lol”

Malik - well it definitely did come out cohesive. With that being said was there any moments in the tape, whether it be transitions or sample choices that were purposeful?

Aerate -"Im glad you asked that cuz frankly i rarely see appreciation for like skits or transitions

The art of finding random vhs rips on youtube and finding that little piece of audio gold is most of the time completely accidental LOL

you never really know when youre going to find a little piece of audio that sounds absolutely perfect and i live for that really” 

Areyetee - “yea all the transitions and skits n shit were heavily scrutinized i would say. i did do all the transitions and skits on my side of the tape so I guess that's my contribution to keeping it cohesive. just making sure it sounds clean and there's a good balance between music and downtime was all basically”

On sample choices 

Aerate - And as for this i mean.....im a house fanatic so most of the chops and samples i sent were of house songs LMFAO”

“im on a road to making sure everyone flips house at least once”

Areyetee - “on the other side of that though i feel like you’ve carved your niche in this scene with to the point where to me it sounds like im biting u most of the time i try to flip house LOL

Aerate - “Its kinda funny cuz like whereas im not that great at flipping rnb and i dont flip it often, most of the niggas in this scene are like fuckin pros at it

"Its the status quo atp”

The first track, whatsmissing is what sounds like a soul sample accompanied by fast kicks & heavy sidechain, giving it a stutter-y feel. as if the voices on the sample are struggling to breath, but just pushing through and the catchy drum pattern guides u through it with a bounce .

Appealing to the cohesion of this project, onme is seamless transition from what’s missing, the beat takes you aback by its complete abstractness. you just got hit by surprise. and just as your getting used to the beat , the drums disappear and the beat is broken down and there's a tv ad esque transition into the next beat

The third track righthere is a simple flip of the airy intro to singer Olivia's "its on again” from the early sounds of 2000’s r&b gives the audience a moment to take in what was just heard. this is probably my favorite out of the whole tape as the snare rolls keep the accelerated beat pattern thru the first few beats continue, and what sounds like bird sounds give off the feeling of being one with nature, floating.

getyou is another fast kick heavy beat, drum pattern carrying the groove of the track. and throughout you hear what sounds like a female voice coming in and out which reminds me of that house/disco sound. To further the musical ride we are on with this project, the beat is broken down and a vhs rip is brought in to transition to the next beat

The track fun sounds just like its name, I might be reaching but the voice in the sample it sounds like he’s saying fun at some moments, one of my personal favorites off the tape.

On sequence we get a lowpassed sample that is a pleasurable contrast to the chaos heavy part of the tape. not much to say abt it but its repetitiveness was addicting and you get lost in it's sauce, one of those tracks you upload an extended version of 10 minutes up on YouTube to.

Next up, the beat for spring is introduced gradually with a spaced out sample before we get those avant-garde drum patterns we all know good and well from aerate. as the beat ends we hear the words “spring” shouted out as it dissolves to nothing but white noise..

The track aura, brings what sounds like a more jazzier approach to the sampling in this project, with the closed hat and snare combo clashing against each other it feels like the drums are having a conversation with the sample, with more drums being added to the track as the song progresses, definitely one of those tracks you have to put both earbuds in to fully grasp what's happening. This track feels like the beauty behind chaos.

The interlude marks the end of the first half of the tape, where aerate’s distinctive drum and mixing style flourished.

On Excellentmecha we instantly hear a change in mixing choices, the drum pattern sounds completely new. We’ve reached areyettes side of the tape

On Wayward the beat starts with just the kick and the sample before the rest of the drum pattern comes in one by one. And once it reaches a climax, white noise is introduced, the drum pattern is taken out and the kick and the sample are left in. the detailed yet simple sound of this beat is reminiscent of the “soulhop” sound like that of ohbiliv, yet with a house inspired take on it.

The track heaven is a house sample chopped and sidechained by the kick in a way that keeps you hooked and addicted to the weird vocal placement. The vocal sample makes it one of the more standout tracks from this tape.

On Incomingfire areyetee shows off his crazy side with a groovy chaotic beat that quite literally sounds like.. incoming fire 

With the track Deject, this might just be my ears making its own comparisons but this track has a heavy benja influenced sound to it. 

And continuing the common theme of cohesiveness, the stuttering end of Deject takes you into backhere .

off the strength of the stuttering transition, backhere's never ending snare rolls work well with the beat and the transition as it all feels in one with each other. With this track the project got somehow even more experimental, with the snare rolls acting as ear candy reminiscent of gun shots. The piano and ambient sounds coming in and out keep u hooked, before the beat is slowed down and video game esque transitions come in flowing through both backhere and the next track

glad (remix) marks one of the only tracks where we get a definitive female voice present in the track, a noticeable contrast in aerate’s sample choices . fun fact, this was a spin on a previous beat called “glad” by aerate. The reason for the remix - “I just felt the original beat was lacking in its impact and i knew areyetee could do the chops way more justice than i did so i sent them his way” - aerate

The track aqua comes as one of the more laid back calmer beats of this project, the (as what i like to call them) “michael jackson chords” keep u relaxed throughout the track. Before the beat ends and the transition comes in. Looking at this track and its placement retrospectively it could be signaling the end of the road-trip this beattape serves as.

The penultimate track Train feels like the accumulation of all the inspiration the project pulled from. after all the house samples and influences throughout the tape, we finally get that staple “kick on the 1 2 3 and 4” drum pattern on a track.

On The outro the tape closes out with yet another vhs rip and brings to an end to a very cohesive and smooth tape. 

To me, this tape sounded like a statement, aerate and areyetee staking their claim as one of the best producers out, this project was the result of chemistry and synchronization between the two. In my opinion the tracks aura and heaven are the defining tracks of this project as they serve as aerate and areyetee's coordination at it's finest points.

If you haven't heard this project yet, this is your sign to check it out.

Peace, Malik

[illwynd]

What are your top 5 Halloween movies?

Oh nonny it is too hard to narrow it down to 5! Let's make it 10, and this will be a mix of horror movies and not-really-horror and various other things that I have to watch when October rolls around.

Prince of Darkness. Possibly my fave horror movie. John Carpenter does good stuff, and this one is a lesser-known gem. The devil in a bottle under an old church in LA. Theoretical physics mixed with the supernatural. One of the best uses of dreams in movies. Plus, Alice Cooper.

Lost Boys. Do I even have to explain? An '80s classic. Young Kiefer Sutherland. Fun on-screen brotherly relationship. Timmy Cappello swinging his hips on stage. So many quotable lines. All the damn vampires.

Flatliners. Maybe this is a weird choice? Not horror but it is set around Halloween, and it is another lesser-known gem and a personal fave (with yet more young Kiefer Sutherland). It mixes a moody, eerie aura with delicious angst and tantalizing concepts and perfect scenes. (Yes, yes, ignore the medical realism or lack thereof. Just roll with it, it's fiction.)

Trick or Treat. If you can't enjoy an undead heavy metal musician in the era of satanic panic, brought back to life by a high schooler playing his records backwards and revealing the backmasked messages, with a cameo by Ozzy as a televangelist, I don't know what to tell you.

Innocent Blood. If you can't enjoy a mafia boss accidentally turned into a vampire, and the little French vampire woman who did it having to go up against a growing mob family of vampires to stop them while being tracked by a formerly undercover cop, with a Sinatra-heavy soundtrack, I don't know what to tell you.

People Under the Stairs. An inexplicably fun mix of social commentary, over-the-top violence, villains so awful they're comical, and actually likeable protagonists. Ridiculous horror with a heart. One of these years I'm gonna dress up as one of Alice's brothers for Halloween.

Young Frankenstein. I love me some Gene Wilder, and this one is a classic for a reason.

Crimson Peak. I wish this hadn't gotten billed as a horror movie, because it's really not... but also it totally is, just not the way most people might be expecting. Also gorgeous and heartbreaking.

Pontypool, just because this list somehow doesn't have a zombie movie on it yet, and I like the unusual take on the genre in this one, with its linguistic bent. It is a very claustrophobic movie since it is almost entirely restricted to the single setting of the radio studio of an out-of-place morning shock jock, and it does a lot of neat stuff with that restriction.

I was going to include at least one of the obvious ones, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Addams Family, Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas, that sort. And I do love all of those, but so does everybody, right? So instead I'll conclude with Coherence, which isn't technically horror or Halloween-related at all but is nonetheless spooky and compelling despite the tiny budget.

[smaeemo]

I have a hard time with writing, only because I have so many ideas and thoughts, but getting them down in a grammatically correct way that is also readable is unbelievably hard. I envy the people that love to write, because I love to talk, love to share my ideas more than anything, but finding people who want to listen? Harder than it seems, so writing seems like the best answer right? I wish it were as easy as that, I just word vomit on a page and hope it's coherent enough to get my point across. I think that one day I will get good enough at writing that people will want to read and enjoy my writing. I have so many good ideas, and enough time on my hands to perfect a short novel. I just can't find it in myself to write well, and I am sitting here going "I think I am writing this Tumblr post well, so what will people think?". But as it seems, I still don't think it's good enough to share.

Sometimes I write things down in a diary and then leave it, but it's too much pressure, what if someone reads it and starts to not only judges me but also judges the writing. "That's not where a comma goes" they'd say.

I started writing my thoughts and feelings on paper, then trying the courage to burn them. I got scared of that too, I don't want to start a fire I reasoned. I held the matches up to the pages, the same matches that light my grandmas yahrzeit candles, it just didn't feel right, so I put the papers down and put away the matches. "Tomorrow I will do it" I said to myself.

The pages are still in a box I like to call "My shit box" where I keep all of the "shit" I don't know where to put. Inside said "shit box" are small weird glass animals (lol) that I got from my ex-therapist's office every time I went to see her. I later fired her for "being too empathetic" and then moved all of the animals from my desk into the sad repurposed shoe box. And Thus "the shit box" became as it is now.

Over the years it has started to accumulate, pictures I liked, but not enough to hang up, movie tickets I saved from a cancelled "date", old math homework that I got 100% on, "My kids might want to see this: I said to myself at 3AM while hurriedly cleaning my room because I saw a beatle in the corner of my room while trying to sleep. The box also has small knick knacks I found while "out and about", a leaf I thought looked perfect enough to save, a bottle cap that had slightly melted into the asphalt during the summer from hell, and a pair of earing that my grandma gave me for purim. "I saw these and thought of you" she said to me. They are ugly sparkly red white and blue giant studs that are possibly the last thing that I would ever wear, even after I got my ears re-piecered.

The earings themselves aren't what made me put them in there, but instead I put them in there because my grandmother is 80, and "She's going to die soon, keep everything she gives you as a memory". I think I only just realized truly, I don't really want her to die. I mean I never did want that or wish for it in the slightest. I just never really thought about it until she broke her hip, and started to "make the turn".

I made her paper flowers the other day. I used some old news papers (she still buys them every day and asks me to get them for her when the porch is icy) and cut them into separate flowery pieces on accident. I had originally been looking for something to cut, I had just found my good scissors and wanted to make something. I was going to use paper, but my grandmother had called me into her room a week prior to tell me "I worry so much about your generations paper usage" as if her generation didn't also use an outrageous amount of paper too, given that they didn't have computers for better or worse. Anyways, I used some news papers, stuff I assume was from a while ago because it had made its way under one of our three couches in a living room clearly designed for no more than 1. I started by taking the newspaper and making some paper snowflakes, because you know scissors and paper and fun and all that. But that slowly blossomed (lol) into paper flower heads. I stuck all the newly made "blooms" onto some already destroyed paperclips that I wrapped in a destroyed sock (curtousey of the last time I found my good scissors) and then put them all in an empty medication container that I then wrapped in stickers. I set this all in her room with a note that said "Thought you may enjoy some flowers that don't wilt" and left it at that. 2 days later she walks into my room and goes "did you make these for me?" "yes I did" "oh how nice", then over the next week she kept walking in and asking the same inquiry if I had made them or not. Sometimes she would compliment them and other times she would simply state how wasteful I had been. I realized then, I should start saving all of the moments I have with her. So now when I look into my "shit box" and see the ugly patriotic earings (I was born on July 4th and she takes that very seriously), I no longer see what a younger me would have seen "she doesn't know me that well" has a brand new meaning. I decided I no longer wanted to look at the earings she gave me, and dwell on the fact that I had indeed saved them for a reason, and instead started to sift through the box. Finding all of the letters I had written and meant to burn. "Maybe today is a better time, after all it just rained". So I pack up my papers under my arm and put away the "shit box" and head downstairs. I start my hunt for the matches forgetting why I didn't burn them the last time. I find the matches, but evidently I put them away again. "better save those for my grandmother" I say to myself, unaware of the truer meaning behind those words until now.

"oh" I say as I head back up the stairs.

"Maybe next time," I say as I put the letters back into the "shit box" pointedly avoiding eye contact with the earrings.

I sigh, and sit in my chair, and try to write another letter, that evidently, will never get burned.

[nothingtherefornow]

What do you think about the Claims that The Derision Flashback is a Retcon?

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE EPISODE DERISION (AND ABOUT A DETAIL FROM THE SEASON 5 FINALE) :

In a way, I can understand why people see it that way, on the surface, very few things in the behavior of the characters's involved in the Derision flashback indicates that these events took place before the beginning of season 1. And yet, if we push the psychoanalysis far enough, it remains coherent in my eyes.

We must take into account the fact that Derision was written quite some time after the beginning of Miraculous Ladybug, and it would make sense that between the previous seasons and the writting of season 5, vision of the scriptwriters on their story and their characters has evolved. It's possible that the ML writters realized at some point that it was not that cool to make fun of Marinette's anxiety with her love life, and that it woud be best to give an explanation about her cringiness. Also, I would not past them wanting to shut up those who calls Marinette a creepy stalker and Chloé a saint with the Episode Derision. So yeah maybe its a retcon, but one that isn't fully illogical or inconsistent with the story in my eyes, for the following reasons :

I think that what we see in this flashback makes perfect sense storywise telling, there was always subtile signs in Marinette's behavior that she was bullied by Chloé and didn't have friends before season 1, all her classmates were mostly acquaintances, because Chloé did her best to keep them from befriend Marinette and vice versa.

The ML characters already proved before that they don't like to remember nor think about embarrassing incidents, just look at the whole incident with Lila's false accusations and Marinette's temporary expulsion during the episode Ladybug. After that episode no one seems to remember that Lila is supposed to have a "lying disease", and Alya clearly seems to have forgotten about the fact that Lila lied about being Ladybug's best friend, or she just doesn't care about it.

Some people after being victim of an embarrassing and traumatic event, can prefer not to think or talk about the incident in question again, and can come to put the negative feelings and memory of this specific event somewhere in the back of their heads. And the intense negative feelings related to this traumatic experience may reappear only later, when the person is in a situation where they feel more vulnerable and stressed than usual.

In the episode Derision, Marinette finds herself in a context where, following her failure as guardian, she is more than ever in the grip of doubt when it comes to her own feelings. And the fact of finally having a date with Adrien after several months where nothing worked, everything seems too fast and sudden and it makes her uncomfortable. She explains it very clearly to Luka during the episode Determination

Marinette never treated Kim like he traumatised her before because she is a very forgiving person in nature, she gave a chance to Hawkmoth of all of people to make the right decision during heroes's day and sorry for the spoil, but she'll once again give him a chance to right his wrong at the end of season 5. So I'm not surprise that if Marinette can forgive somoene as monstruous as Monarch, then it makes sense that she would remain nice and supportive of Kim after his cruel prank. And by extension, it makes sense that she still gave a chance to Chloé with the Bee miraculous in seasons 2 and 3

Speaking about Chloé, yeah her behavior in the Derision's flashback is worse and more monstruous than we've ever seen her before, and yet it perfectly fits her own words during the episode Sole Crusher, that she used Marinette as a "sufferer" for years for her own sick pleasure, and that she kinda got soft after becoming Queen Bee. And in the previous seasons Chloé did held back the worst of what she could do not just because of Queen Bee, but also because of Adrien. I think that for a time Adrien's presence prevented Chloé from doing all or worse to Marinette of what she did to her the year before, but also because bullies are so cowardly and weak-minded that they prefer to go after insecure victims who don't fight back. So when Marinette finally gained a backbone and more self-confidence, it caught Chloe off-guard enough for her to calm down her bullying for a while.

On a personal note, I speculate that the writting team also make the episode Drision to raise awareness about bullying in school. The episode Quilin was written after after a large wave of protests in France where police violence has become more present, and recently, cases of school harassment are becoming more and more known in France (as to whether harassment has increased in France in recent years or if we talk about it more today, I cannot confirm it) I clearly remembers recent news which focused on two cases of suicides due to school bullying, a 16-year-old girl in high school, and a 13-year-old boy in college

So in the end, I personally don't think that the flashback in Derision is a real retcon, just the usual clumsiness and inconsistency that has always been present in Miraculous

[kitty8804]

What if the Danganronpa V3 Characters Were Given Digimon? Pt 2

Part 1, Part 3 , Part 4(I will add links as I get more done)

Hello everyone I am back! The only reason that this was was done relatively quickly was because I already had the digimon of this character planned, and I had a lot of free time. I just thought adding them last post would make it too long. I explain what the heck I am doing in part 1 so go check it out. But I do want to clarify a couple things I did not make clear in the first post.

1. Almost everyone will be given a dark digivolution of some kind. (There will be a couple exceptions that I will explain if I do those characters.) Since Danganronpa has a hope vs despair theme I think having an evolution that represents despair would be fitting. It is not a default digivolution though. It’s an Agumon to SkullGreymon scenario. They can happen at any stage (except rookie) since a dark digivolution has happened at least once in every stage in digimon media. So different characters are going to have dark digivolutions at different stages. Alternate evolutions (not dark ones) are a possibility but not a guarantee.

2. I will be doing my absolute best to not include repeats. If I do repeat it will only be one digimon in the line. But I will be more lenient with that rule if I do end up doing characters from different casts. This is mostly because a good handful of characters have similar (or in some cases the same) Ultimate talents, which do play a huge part in my decision process.

3. I realized that while making this post tumblr will only allow me to use 10 images per post. This is obviously a problem if I want to include pictures of a full digivolution line, including dark digivolutions and alternate forms, and the character. This makes it almost impossible for me to do more than one character with everything that I want in one post. So I will have to do only one character per post. But since some might take more thought than others, or I just really want to do more than one, separate posts could be posted on the same day.

Kaede Akamatsu

Before I start can I just say how hard it was to find digimon for Kaede! I wanted a music theme since she is the Ultimate Pianist and I knew trying to find something piano themed would be impossible. I did not realize that the most well know music themed digimon are the Gekomon line and I didn’t think they suited Kaede. When I thought I had something that kinda worked the Ultimate ruined it, so I had to scramble to find something that works. So her digimon line might seem a little odd but I think it works.

Rookie: Cutemon

After a lot of searching once I remembered Cutemon I thought that it would be a good rookie for Kaede. I believe that Kaede likes adorable things and Cutemon definitely fits into that category. Also since a lot of her color scheme is pink I figured a pink digimon would work well. Cutemon also has headphones which can kind of relate it back to the music/sound theme that I originally wanted. Rabbits also have big ears and have sensitive hearing which can tie back into music? I know it’s a stretch but like I said there are not a lot of music themed digimon and even less that fit Kaede. I briefly thought about using Shoutmon, but quickly decided that Cutemon was a better fit. (Shoutmon would be a better choice for a certain musician) I can totally see Kaede constantly cuddling and hugging this digimon because Cutemon is just so adorable.

Champion: TeslaJellymon

Yeah this is when things are starting to get a little weird for this evolution line. I originally wanted to use Turuiemon and then the rest of the default Lopmon line after. While I still think that would have worked there was a certain ultimate that was so perfect for Kaede that I needed to use it. While digimon do not need a super obvious or coherent transition, I still think that after I reveal the other digimon in the line many would agree that the transition from Turuiemon would have been a little wack. So I had to find some way to connect Cutemon to its future Ultimate. I thought about Seahomon since it’s head kinda looks like a trumpet and it can tie into the music theme, but that had the same problem as Turuiemon. Not as bad, but I wanted something better. In the end I figured that TeslaJellymon was the best choice. You can kinda see Cutemon in there. The antennae look similar to rabbit ears, the tentacles (?) look similar to Cutemon’s scarf, and the bits of pink kinda look like Cutemon burst out of its own fur. I actually think that the sweet Cutemon being given a more mischievous Champion form serves as a good parallel with Kaede. A lot of people look at Kaede as see a very cute, sweet, and innocent girl. While the first 2 are true Kaede is far from innocent. This can be seen through her more … perverted side of her personality. Have you seen her interactions with Tsumugi? She is very dirty minded! This can also be seen through her trying to kill the mastermind. TeslaJellymon also easily leads into an aquatic theme that will be very important for the transition into the Ultimate and Mega. 

Ultimate: Sirenmon

Ah yes the digimon that is the cause for all my grief. This digimon is the whole reason I had to revamp Kaede’s digimon line. Once I found out that Sirenmon existed I knew that I needed to give it to Kaede. Sirenmon fits into the music theme that I wanted for Kaede perfectly! It even has music notes in its design! It’s a perfect fit! But obviously going from a fighter rabbit to this bird/fish to another rabbit was not going to work, which is why I dropped the idea of using most of the Lopmon line. Since TeslaJellymon is a jelly fish and Sirenmon has fish-like characteristics I figured that the aquatic theme would provide a smooth enough transition. Sirenmon is also super adorable like Cutemon and I think it and Kaede would get along well.

Mega: AncientMermaimon

So the Mega left me kinda stuck for a while. I originally wanted to use Cherubimon Virtue, but I already explained why it wouldn’t work. So I decided to stick with the aquatic theme and use AncientMermaimon. Mermaids are commonly associated with songs and sirens, so it can kinda fit into the music theme I wanted. I could have gone more of the bird route with FrosVelgrmon, but other than the fact that it looks like it can be in the same line as Sirenmon there is no other good connection for it. It doesn’t really connect to Kaede at all. At least AncientMermaimon has some connection with Kaede working for it, even if I am searching for crumbs at this point.

Now it’s time for a dark digivolution. So I will once again be going into fanfiction/anime mode. I feel like the cause of her dark digivolution would be very similar to Tai and Takoto. Kaede can be very pushy and will get tunnel vision so bad that she won’t notice the problems that she will cause others. Her intentions are good, but everyone just ends up suffering. This can be seen through her insistence of the cast to keep going through the death road of despair, despite everyone repeatedly failing and getting injured. I can totally see her trying to force her partner to digivolve either because she is in a rush to get stronger or something bad happens and in her rush for revenge she forces her partner to digivolve to Cherubimon Vice.

Now that Cherubimon idea I had can finally be put into use. We lose the aquatic theme, but still think this works as a good dark mega for Cutemon. Not much for me to say. Cherubim on Vice is one of the most well known examples of a dark digivolution. Just the idea of something so cute turning into something so evil fits Kaede really well for some reason.

I will admit this line might not be the best pick, so feedback is always appreciated. I know the sudden aquatic theme may seem weird, (especially if I do a certain swimmer eventually), but I still think they managed to fit Kaede in some way. Sadly no alternate evolutions in this line. I just couldn’t find a lot to go off of, and I didn’t want to cause more suffering than this line already did.

[wintcrstcrfall]

Hearing Shane admit that he had dreamed of this special, vulnerable moment between them, did something to her, something that felt a lot like excitement and giddy anticipation. A part of her brain wanted to ask him to tell her details, to tell her everything they did in those dreams and then to do them with him all over again in reality, but for now the redhead bit her tongue and kept silent. There was time for this, there was plenty of time for this; right now all they needed was to savor this moment, right there. The woman wasn't the best in that - in stopping and just enjoying everything the moment had to offer; but right now, for their first time, it was worth it to try with all of her mind.

And then, her attention snapped right back to him. 'I'd love to hear you moan my name.' If Shane's cheeks had turned a little flushed, hers were bright red. That action, compared to the clear, intoxicating love and lust mixed together in his endless eyes - and Carinna knew she would never stop shaking. Not because her body was cold, yet simply because her mind accepted everything that he said, accepted the touches of his fingers, the way it made her skin to hum and burn in a clear reply and couldn't deal with it in any other way. The passion with which he said all of it, combined with how gently Shane's fingers trailed over her exposed skin, leaving a tingling path behind, it slowly overwhelmed her senses. The redhead tried to remember the last time someone had wanted to be this gentle with her and failed to; she didn't even know that it was something her body craved on such a deep, primal level. On its own her body arched, hips lifting to help him once he unbuttoned her pants. Shane was waiting for her to tell what she wanted but how was it possible to put into words everything her body and soul needed? Suddenly, she was the one struggling to form coherent thoughts. Anything more than whispering to take her, to make her his, was impossible to form into her brain - the same one she prided herself with in any other case. "I want...", she finally started, greedily reaching a hand to run up and down his chest and stomach. He really was the most perfect man her eyes had ever seen. "Oh, Shane, I want everything. Everything with you." Just thinking about it, him on top of her, then her on top of him, Shane in between her legs, his wild curls free for her hands to touch and grip at, and Carinna could feel herself moving a little in sweet anticipation. "Luckily for you... I have this mole right here," one of her fingers tapped on the left side of her stomach, right next to her bellybutton, and the redhead grinned, "that is awaiting your kisses." But despite the teasing sparkle in her dark eyes, for a moment she managed to swallow and place her hand on his. "Shane? No one's ever..." Maybe she shouldn't have said anything but something in her made her want to do it. To be honest with him about everything, just like she had been from that first night at the beach. "No one's ever tasted me before. Just promise to tell me if I'm doing something wrong, okay?"

As the sound of her giggles filled the walls of the apartment and Carinna looked up at him with those big, blazing eyes, the thought that she was indeed perfect crossed the mind of the smitten musician. She was breathtaking, love incarnate in a beautiful, freckled face. He wondered if she had any idea how much he loved her. The man himself was a little nervous about the magnitude of his feelings, but it was the kind of good, thrilling nervousness - the kind you experienced when you knew you were about to start a new phase in your life and longed for it to begin as soon as possible, but, at the same time, wanted to stop time to recreate the feeling forever. If Shane could capture this moment and make it go on forever, he would. Carinna's needy gasp set him adrift, and he looked at her with hooded eyes, as if savoring her. When had he ever felt so close to anyone? When had he ever wanted to feel anyone so close to him? Never, until now, until this very moment. "Whatever you want." With the help of his girlfriend, he ungracefully shed his shirt, tossing it to the floor to reveal his tattooed chest. For a split second the musician ran his fingers through his long locks of hair, feeling briefly insecure about his physique. He should go to the gym more. He should take better care of himself. But the girl looked at him as if none of that mattered, and Shane grunted before his lips eagerly sought Carinna's again, as if he had missed them in that short space of time.

The redhead indulged a small nibble on his lip that sent the mist of passion swirling over his head, moaning as Carinna tugged at his belt to draw him further between her legs. There were loves that burned in a night and others for which a lifetime wasn't enough. And Shane knew this feeling fell into the second category, that one night wasn't going to be enough, not two, not a thousand. He became lost in the depths of his mind as what he felt when he touched her, when he watched her and listened to her words, became more and more intense. "Carinna…" Shane let out a small moan at the back of his throat at her words. "I'm just a man. I've thought about this. God, I've dreamed about this." He confessed with an affected smile, as if it was a secret he only wished to share with her. "I want to taste every inch of your skin. I want to kiss every freckle, every mole." Whatever sanity he had left was already being stolen by Carinna with every smile, with everything he could see in her eyes and that contained entire galaxies. It seemed ironic it was precisely at this moment, when they had ever been closest to each other, that he wasn't getting enough of her. "I'd love to hear you moan my name." There was a soft flush on Shane's cheeks as he whispered it; his eyes however, were hot. "But before I make you fully mine… I'd like to taste you." With his hand he slowly caressed the path from her breast to her belly, anticipating the downward path he wanted to trace with his mouth, until he came up against another barrier on her body, the fabric of her pants. Shane lifted his gaze on those beautiful brown eyes, in which he'd lose himself of his own free will. Without taking his eyes off her for a second, almost without blinking, he started to slowly unbutton her pants. "But I'm not doing anything without you telling me what you want."

[adobe-outdesign]

Could you talk about the Bisharp line? Is one of my favorites, a Pawn that evolves into a Bishop with Samurai-esque features. It's edgy but its the good kind of edgy.

The overall concept for this line is pretty interesting. The blade theme is obvious, but they're also kaijin, IE humanoid monsters. In other words, Pawniard are the mooks that the Power Rangers cut down effortlessly while Bisharp is the cool evil general. The line certainly does a good job at looking like a tokusatsu villain (and I mean that in the best way possible, because I do love me some tokusatsu villians), and I'm always a big fan of abstract monsters to begin with.

(Shoutout to the translators: this wouldn't have made sense to a Western audience, so they chose to name them after pawns and bishops, which reflects their kaijin nature in a way audiences would understand (pawns gather together, bishops lead, etc.). Also, why haven't we gotten a chess-themed Pokemon yet?)

There's also some neat lore in here about how they hunt in packs and fight over sharpening stones. Humanoid Pokemon occasionally suffer from lack of lore about how they behave in the wild, so this is refreshing.

However, while I like this line overall, I do feel like Pawniard suffers from lack of a unique identity. There are a few elements specific to it that look better than on Bisharp, which I'll get into in a moment, but otherwise it's just a smaller Bisharp. Sometimes this can be excusable if it has different lore or behaves differently from its evolution, but it doesn't really have that. There's maybe a bit of progression with the kaijin thing, but it's subtle.

With that said, I do really like the face on Pawniard, moreso than Bisharp. Those yellow eyes pop really nicely, and the sunken-in look makes it look especially ruthless, which is also emphasized by the lack of a mouth. The colors are also simpler, which is good. So it's not bad as-is; it just isn't bringing much new to the table.

While the face is a downgrade, I'd otherwise say I like Bisharp more than Pawniard; the elements feel more purposeful here, even if it's a bit overworked in some areas. Like I said, I love the kaijin look and it works perfectly here, with a slick samurai helmet and plenty of blades. Those almost ungulate-like blade hooves are also perfect.

However, Bisharp does feel like it needed a round or two more of refinement before being finalized (some of this applies to Pawniard as well).

In particular, I don't like those two blades on the stomach, for a few reasons. First, the design flows downward, so suddenly having the vertical stripes cut off by horizontal elements feels off. Secondly, they don't add much to the design. And thirdly, how is it supposed to function with those things? If it puts its arms down or tries to lie down on its side its arms will be cut. The torso could also afford to be a bit shorter.

Secondly, I preferred Pawniard's color use, with the yellow used to make the eye pop and the rest of the blade elements being white. The yellow doesn't add much here and only serves to clutter the design.

And thirdly, the arm blades are odd; it looks like it's wearing oven mitts with blades on the backs. Something more similar to the feet would've worked better, and would've visually established a pattern with the limbs.

Finally, this is very minor, but it drives me nuts how the helmet blade just barely extends down onto the face. Either exaggerate it more or have it line up, I don't care, but it's just creating tension as-is, especially with the mouth. Also, I could've done without the random black around the chin/jaw.

I did a very sloppy edit in like 5 minutes, just removing the first blade and adjusting the colors (and torso length). The design feels a lot more coherent to me this way without really changing it all that much (the hands could also use changed but once again, quick edit).

But as a whole, I do really enjoy this line; it looks cool, the blade theme works, and I'm just a sucker for these kind of kaijin designs. I just feel like Pawniard's too similar to its evo, while Bisharp could've been refined a bit more. It's edgy, sure, but in a good (and punny) way.

[hirokiyuu]

Hello I am someone who deeply loves The Twins and Enjoys Talking about The Twins. There just...It's hard to make coherent words but I love how similar the two are, there arcs are sort of reflections of each others and I really love that, also If I'm friends with one twin I have to befriend the author, I just need to be close to the both of them. On more coherent meta stuff I find both twins perspectives on wanting to be something else really interesting. I'm trying to tiptoe the best I can around possible spoilers but I really do love them. There good lads.

SHAKING UR FUCKING HAND

(cut for spoilers!)

i really love how clearly both tang+dys are like........ HEAVILY damaged by their mother's abuse even on a colony where Everyone Is Family! it's really interesting narratively speaking that even in this supposed-to-be perfect experiment already from the start is like....... someone who's damaged these kids so bad for literally the rest of their lives

like tang's constant desire to basically leave her flesh behind....... fear of addiction yet her own obsession w/science......... fixation on chief engineer as a surrogate mother to the point where she rejects her own brother......... and yet when that brother vanishes she's SO messed up by it so clearly like. she's always looking for some kind of affection+love and yet her own fears+coping mechs make it so hard for her to keep it. ive only dated her once but my friend also did and got a dif ending and we both got dumped so honestly like. if she just dumps u ever time u date. narratively perfect

and then on the other side of the coin is dys and like his Total Rejection of all the ppl around him and like........ his belief esp at the start when u approach him that ur just gonna try and make fun of/hurt him. how in every ending ive had w/him he's become a gardener. his overwhelming desire for connection is sooooo fun esp in conjunction w/how he doesnt think he can ever connect with PEOPLE its so good. i love dys i am cupping him in my palms

i havent gotten them to reconcile yet but my friend was saying smth abt how u have to make......... rex's bar???????????? which requires four pets?????????????????????????? idk man im just squinting but im sure ill get there eventually. not next time tho next time i am unfortunately going full fasc*st kill all the aliens run solely to see what its like

if u wanna come off anon and talk to me in private lmk btw. i am clawing at the walls

[dudeandduchess]

Love your writing! Can we get a history teacher AU? Maybe with some NSFW 👀 fellow teacher y/n always had the hots for Rengoku-sensei but never had the courage to say anything until one day, on his birthday, she finds him alone grading papers and everything just comes out

Hope you’re doing well!

Hey, bby! I’m doing well. Hope you like this one. ❤️‍🔥

Kyōjurō x F!S/O: After School Hours (Smut, Modern AU, NSFW Scenario)

Warnings: Smut, Semi-Public Sex (Library), Clothed Sex, Birthday Sex, Food Play (Body Icing)

Read part 2 here.

***

(Y/n)’s hands were so shaky as she tried her best to get herself from the faculty room, down to the library on the second floor. To say that she was frazzled and nervous would have been an understatement, as she had chosen that day to finally confess her feelings to the enigmatic History teacher— Rengoku Kyōjurō.

She had always harbored feelings for the blond, ever since she had first started at the academy. And even though the other teachers always kept teasing them about being too close to each other— as well as the other women telling her that he liked her— she still held on to the possibility that they were wrong.

After all, it was better to expect the worst; so that she wouldn’t be that disappointed when she received the truth.

The closer that she got to the library, however, the harder that her heart began to pound in her chest. And the more that she began to think that she shouldn’t be so bold.

She had even thought to turn back immediately, only to be plagued by thoughts of her regrets haunting her once she got home. (Y/n) didn’t want all of the ‘what-ifs’ from this one choice to haunt her forever.

After all, the worst that he could do was to thank her and give her a friendly hug.

At that thought, she quickly shook her head— clearing the worst case scenario from her mind— before pushing her legs to walk faster to the empty library.

She only knew that it was empty after having seen Kyōjurō stay there after class on most days. He would grade papers until the school closed down, instead of taking his work home with him.

And after asking him once why he preferred the library, he told her that it was the perfect place to do work; all because the students who did have tiny crushes on him never thought to check for him all the way at the back of the place.

‘Oh gods, I may just be worse than those students,’ (Y/n) thought in a panic, almost dropping the cupcake in her hands. But she managed to right herself at the last second, taking a deep breath in through her nose and exhaling it from her mouth.

��Okay, calm down, (Y/n).” The young woman tried to soothe herself, even going as far as to close her eyes for a brief moment, before stepping inside the library as quietly as she could.

One foot in front of the other— she kept making her legs move, until she was at the end of the aisle that led to the tables at the back of the library.

And right there, in all his handsome glory, was Kyōjurō— pen being twirled between his fingers, and eyes focused solely on the paper in his left hand.

Gingerly, (Y/n) fished the lighter from her skirt’s pocket and lit the tiny candle that she had stuck in the middle of the cupcake; one she’d baked the night before, and decorated with so many intricate designs— all for him.

“Rengoku-sensei,” She called softly, her voice even cracking at his name. Yet it had the blond looking up at her— eyes widening a fraction of an inch, while his lips curled up at the corners.

Kyōjurō felt absolutely flustered.

Especially when (Y/n) walked forward with the cupcake, eyes solely on him to block out the nerves that were trying to consume her.

Thankfully for her, he met her halfway; standing right in front of her, and turning all of his attention towards the woman who made his heart race— in the best way.

“Happy birthday, I baked it just for you,” (Y/n) managed to breathe out softly, before holding it up a little higher for him.

And her heart almost leapt out of her chest when Kyōjurō reached out with his right hand and gently wrapped it around her wrist— holding her shaky hands steady, as he leaned in and blew the candle out.

“Thank you, (Y/n)-sensei. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me,” Kyōjurō stated with a grin, even as his eyes momentarily flickered down to his co-teacher’s plump lips.

He was naught to admit it, but he had racked up so many nights just fantasizing about those lips on him; on any part of his body.

At first it had started as a simple crush for him, but it had evolved into something else; something much deeper than simple attraction. However, what the other male teachers had told him was that she already had someone she liked, so he had held himself back from confessing his own feelings.

Which was a surprise that she even sought him out on his birthday, when he fully expected her to have gone home with everyone else— as he wanted to finish work before celebrating with his family.

“I wanted to…” (Y/n) answered quietly, before swallowing past the lump in her throat and coming out with it. “Because I like you, Rengoku-sensei. I like you so much that I can’t get you out of my mind- and I- just… I want you!”

Mortified couldn’t even begin to describe just how (Y/n) felt at that botched confession. She could even feel her shame washing over her in waves; making her face and ears red, especially when she looked up and saw nothing but surprise on Kyōjurō’s face.

Instead of pushing her away like she had expected, the blond calmly took the cupcake from her hands and set it down on the table. All before closing the space between them, and staring right at her.

If she were to be honest, she would say that he looked a little… excited.

Gone was his exuberant attitude, and in its place came something much more attractive; a million times sexier than his usual persona.

“That’s great, (Y/n)-s… chan. Because I like you too… and I want you just as bad.” Kyōjurō finally admitted, feeling his own pulse racing as he gently cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to press his lips to hers.

When (Y/n) didn’t try to pull away from him, Kyōjurō decided to be a little more liberal with his touches; pulling her flush against his chest, before awkwardly spinning both of them around, so that he could sit her down on the table.

Thankfully, they had missed the cupcake entirely. Because a lightbulb just went on in his head, as he gently wedged himself between her thighs and began to caress her soft skin.

With every pass of his hands up her thighs, he pushed the hem of her skirt up little by little— making no effort to hide what his intentions were.

“I’ve always liked you, (Y/n).” A gentle kiss to her lips, before dragging his lips down to her neck and sucking on it. “And I’m so happy that you have the same feelings.”

If it was any other woman, Kyōjurō never would have touched them. But it was (Y/n), and he had been holding himself back for two years; that alone was torture for him, so he couldn’t keep himself from indulging in her immediately.

Before either of them could comprehend it, (Y/n) was already on her back on the table, with Kyōjurō kissing down her exposed chest and his fingers circling around her clit.

All the while, (Y/n) was in such bliss that she couldn’t even muster up any coherent thoughts. All she could do was moan and mewl as Kyōjurō kissed her all over.

When he pulled away for a bit, however, she was brought back to reality; keen eyes solely on him, as he reached over and swiped a little bit of the cupcake’s icing on his index finger.

Initially, she thought that it was weird for him to stop for a taste of that, until she realized his plan when he dabbed the icing on both of her nipples.

It was a little bit warm, but it was made all the warmer when Kyōjurō wrapped his lips around her right nipple; licking and sucking on the hard bud, while his index finger circled and teased the other one.

“Rengoku-sensei!” The young woman moaned out, one hand delving into his hair and curling into the soft strands. But Kyōjurō didn’t relent; not until her back was arching and her legs were wrapped around his hips.

It was obvious that she was cumming, and it gave Kyōjurō an all-time high at feeling her come apart beneath him. Especially since he wasn’t even inside her yet.

When she was calm and spent beneath him, the blond pulled away from her right nipple— making quick work of licking her left nipple clean— before pecking her lips.

“Do you want more, (Y/n)?” He asked with a grin, feeling his cock throb in his pants at how beautiful she looked post-orgasm.

He expected her to refuse, but was pleasantly surprised when she shook her head. “Please give me more.”

“Good girl.” The praise had just slipped out and made his lips tingle, but he paid it no mind as he quickly undid his belt and pants to pull his cock out.

Then, as gently as he could, he pulled her ass to the end of the table before pushing her skirt up all the way; groaning aloud at the sight of her panties being so soaked with her cum.

What made it better for him, however, was the fact that she was wearing red lace. As if she had worn it just for him.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it though— cock twitching with need, as he fully pushed the crotch of her panties aside and rubbed the tip of his dick up and down her slit.

“Please, sensei, no more teasing,” (Y/n) whined quietly, which only spurred Kyōjurō to give in to her.

So, slowly, he dragged the head of his cock all the way to her entrance and pushed inside her tight cunt. He almost buckled at how heavenly she felt around him, but held firmly to her hips before bottoming out in her.

His pace was gentle at first, getting her used to how thick he was, before beginning to really pound her against the table. He pushed in hard and fast, milking his own pleasure and adding to it by watching her expressions.

Because, it was guaranteed, that his current reality was better than all of his fantasies combined.

And it was made all the better with how he watched (Y/n) lose control— especially when he lifted her legs up onto his shoulders and held on tight to her ankles.

He just hoped that marks wouldn’t show up later, since he still had plans for both of them; mainly taking her home to meet his family.

***

BONUS:

After everything was said and done, with Kyōjurō’s cum slowly trickling out from (Y/n)’s cunt, he pulled her up to his chest— hugging her tight and pressing butterfly kisses to her neck. “You should get dressed, (Y/n). We have to go home with me.”

“But… why?” The young woman was confused, but she was too boneless after getting thoroughly fucked that her question fell flat.

“So that my family can meet my girlfriend, of course.”

“What? We just- I’m- Rengoku-sensei!” That had pulled (Y/n) out of her stupor immediately. Then, she hissed at him, “I’m still full of your cum! I can’t meet your parents like this!”

“I can lick it clean for you.” Kyōjurō was joking, he really was… at least at first. But he thought that eating her out wouldn’t be so bad. So, they stayed just a little bit longer in the library; much to (Y/n)’s chagrin.

[felagund-fiollaigean]

Felagund's recollections of November 5th, 2020.

This time last year, I was completely bogged down and overwhelmed by college work. Fearful and uncertain of the future because of covid, fearful and uncertain of the future because our country was teetering on the edge of four more years of fascism. Checking the news every couple minutes - are the votes in yet? Will we see any relief to make this horrible year mean anything but death? To get away from the stress of papers and assignments and the world at large I go for a walk. Come back. Go to the bathroom and check Tumblr from the toilet (as you do) and I see... huh. that's weird. that's two consecutive posts abou- no, make that three consecutive posts about destiel. That's odd. I have some supernatural mutuals but this is unprecedented. Why is everyone talking about this. Let me see....

It's trending. Destiel is trending. There was a new episode airing tonight and now everyone's talking about it. I frantically send an ask to a supernatural mutual of mine. "Hey why is destiel trending are you guys doing okay over there?"

No. They are very much not doing okay over there. Slowly, it sinks in. I got confirmation. Destiel is canon. Destiel is canon. Destiel is canon.

Cas said, "I love you" to dean.

You know in that Christmas carol the little town of Bethlehem where it goes, "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight?"

The hopes and fears of the last twelve years were met in that moment. every gay little bastard on this site who ever wished for something to come to pass we all knew deep down would never happen. the thing thousands of fanworks have been created in the name of despite the canon making no official concessions. the thing we stared at (and even if you weren't actually into supernatural, you know you did too) like a cat stalking a laser dot too high up on the wall to reach. the thing reveled in and talked about with the unspoken acknowledgement that it would only ever be a lovely dream.

That dream was real.

It sunk in.

Then I saw a clip of the scene itself. Dean is just staring at him with the stupidest non-expression I've ever seen. Cas gets dragged to hell immediately after the confession. The show did the one thing we always thought they would be too craven to do and immediately backtracked in the worst way possible. Or was it the best way possible? There is a strange kind of comfort in the awful-but-predictable, is there not?

We have, what. A minute? To absorb all this?

Then the rumor about Putin breaks, and that's when things actually start to get interesting.

That was the first time anyone learned about world events (albeit false ones) through the "I love you" meme. Destiel killed Putin. "I'll see you in hell you stupid fruit." Holy shit georgia's still blue. The term "superhell" is coined and infects the site's collective idiolect. Tumblr user is-destiel-canon-yet must be shooting rainbows out of their asshole. Sherlock series 5 and dashcon 2: electric boogaloo. This isn't even a fraction of everything that started happening that evening but its what I remember hitting the hardest. Destiel killed Putin. Could the world get any more weird? Destiel killed Putin.

It's at this point my mom knocks on the bathroom door and asks if I'm okay.

It's a fair question, bless her. I was making these awful, uncontrollable noises; wheezing and squeaking with laughter that was this (🤏🏻) close to tears. I assure her I'm fine. She doesn't 100% buy it (fair), but leaves me to it.

Cause how could I possibly explain any of this? "Well you see mom back in 2008 there was this show called supernatural and this one guy was in hell..." Like, no. Even if I could recount every event that lead up to this moment with perfect accuracy and coherence it still wouldn't make any sense. It was too big. There was too much. Hell, I lived it and I'm still not sure it makes any sense.

But I know what I was feeling. I know my face was bright red and my eyes were streaming, I know I couldn't stop giggling and occasionally going "oh my god" in utter disbelief. I had never been drunk or high before but I wondered if that's what it felt like. I felt like a participant in a Dionysian mystery. I was giddy. I was euphoric. If I could bottle the exact combination of hormones coursing through my bloodstream that night, I'd make a goddamn fortune. I knew there was no fucking chance of me focusing on school again for the rest of the night and we still don't know who's going to be leading our country for the next four years.

And the best thing about this, I think, is that I know the rest of you were feeling it too. I've seen countless posts and replies and memes talking about experiencing this night and how utterly insane everything was. How utterly insane we felt. And that has engendered a deep, compelling fondness for my fellow hellsite users in me, one that will never be forgotten.

Cause even if I can't explain that night to anyone I know, I know you get it.

That's special.

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch.4

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3

Summary: Daniela wingman Dimitrescu

---

Who knew that a door could look so intimidating. The dark wood decorated with golden floral patterns and the Dimitrescu crest in the middle wasn’t unlike most other doors in the castle. This door however had one big difference from the rest: it was the door to Cassandra’s bedroom.

Nicole had crossed paths with Daniela earlier, who wasted no time in placing the duty of fetching the middle sister for dinner upon her. Oh well. She was supposed to meet the brunette anyways. Tomorrow at sundown, Cassandra had said. And that was just after dinner. But the lingering feeling of their lips together, deep in a hidden nook in the garden, left Nicole unsure on what to expect from her.

With a final deep breath, she knocked on the door.

It was silent for a few long seconds. She was about to knock again, sure that Cassandra was still sleeping, but was stopped by a groggy reply that she took as her cue to enter.

“Lady Daniela sent me to let you know dinner will be ready soon.”

Nicole had a split second when she regretted each and every decision that led up to that very moment when she noticed the brunette stirring awake, naked body thankfully covered by soft blankets. Cassandra didn’t seem to mind though, as she yawned and stretched her arms like a lazy cat would.

“That’s a weird way to say Daniela is lazy and sent you to do her job.” She grabbed her watch from the nightstand. “Ugh, it’s early.” It’s 7 p.m.

From where she stood, looking anywhere but at the brunette, Nicole wasn’t sure how to respond. It’s not as if she could’ve said no to Daniela’s request. Or, to be more accurate, order. Apparently Cassandra didn’t wait for a reply, as she got out of bed and shuffled to her dresser, hopefully to put some clothes on. With one of her typical black dresses now on, she tiptoed to the other occupant in the room.

“Modest, are we,” she said, placing her hands on Nicole’s waist, not unlike she did many times before.

“Just trying not to get my eyes gouged out.” Hopefully Cassandra still appreciated her humor.

The brunette slowly spinned the other girl around so she could look in her eyes, as if she were a child inspecting a newly received christmas gift. “Mm...you can keep them. Now come on, spend some time with me since Dani insisted on you waking me up so early.”

Thanks Daniela.

Nicole felt herself get pulled further into the room, barely having time to take in all the trinkets and decor inside before she was tugged down to sit in Cassandra’s lap.

Well… best possible scenario.

This time there was no hesitation when their lips connected, one hand finding its place at the brunette's nape, pulling her close. Cassandra let out a small moan when she felt nails scratch lightly against her scalp, which Nicole took as an opportunity to slip her tongue past black painted lips. They kissed until Cassandra pulled back, opting instead to leave a trail of kisses and black lipstick on her jawline, down her throat, and finally her collarbone. The kisses were getting increasingly more aggressive, with nips at the skin and finally teeth dragging at the crook of Nicole's neck.

Cassandra inhaled deeply but pulled her mouth away from the skin, resting her forehead against that spot instead. When she spoke, her tone was dripping with barely held back desire.

"If you want me to stop, you should go."

Oh no, Nicole didn't just shove her tongue in her god damn mouth for them to stop. Whatever crumble of self preservation was left within her, it got booted out the metaphorical front door of her brain the moment she got pulled into the brunette's lap. The only thing that made her hesitate for a second was whether or not Cassandra could bite someone without actually killing them.

"Do not go near the jugular.”

And Cassandra listened. She dragged her teeth from the neck, down to the shoulder and, after an uncharacteristically gentle kiss to the spot, she sunk her now sharp fangs in the flesh.

Nicole couldn't stop a whimper from escaping past her lips at the sudden jolt of pain. But the sensation of soft lips on her skin and Cassandra's low moan at the taste of her blood made for the perfect mixture of pleasure and pain.

"Cassa- ah," she moaned her name, fingers tangled in black hair which only seemed to spur her on.

The pain steadily faded, leaving behind only a tingling sensation. It stopped her brain from putting together any coherent thought, almost as if being drunk without the actual alcohol. But blood loss instead. Nicole tugged lightly on Cassandra's hair when dizziness started to make itself present. When that did nothing, she pulled with slightly more force.

"Cassandra-" she let out a pained groan, mild panic slipping into her voice.

That made the brunette snap out of it, forcefully pulling herself back and eyeing the bloody mess on Nicole's shoulder. She caught the redhead by the arms for support when she slumped forward slightly, pinching the bridge of her nose with a soft ugh. How much blood can a human lose again? Fourteen percent? And Nicole was also quite small.

Cassandra stretched to grab a tissue from the nightstand and pressed it against the puncture wounds, frowning when Nicole flinched at the pain it caused.

"Uh...are you okay?"

Nicole took a deep breath before replying. "-m good. You should...uh go though. I'll go lay down and-...and meet you after dinner." Then she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to try to alleviate the dizziness and tried to stand up.

Cassandra grimaced at how wobbly Nicole's movement's were and guided her back down, on the soft mattress. The redhead didn't protest, not that she really could anyways.

"No. Stay here, you're no good if you just fall and crack your skull open against a stairwell."

"But-"

Cassandra ignored her, only pushing her down to rest against one of the many pillows littering the bed. "No buts, this is an order from your lady. Now take a nap or something and I'll fetch you after dinner."

Nicole saw her turn around and exit the room, door shutting with a heavy thump. She felt too dizzy to try and fight back. And after all, why would she? The bed was incredibly soft, almost as if it was cradling her small body, inviting her to fall asleep. She slowly pulled one of the blankets up to her waist and positioned herself in such a way that the tissue wouldn't fall from her shoulder. A short nap was all she needed, then she'd be up by the time dinner was done. It only took shutting her eyes for a few seconds to fall asleep, the haze in her mind receding into comforting nothingness.

---

Hot. She felt so incredibly hot. How could Cassandra sleep amongst all these pillows and blankets in the middle of August?

She groaned and stirred, tissue forgotten and covered in dry blood by now. She turned around, trying to find a colder spot and sighed contently upon finding a cool pillow to bury her face into.

Since when did pillows hum?

Nicole snapped her eyes open and jerked backwards, realizing that the "pillow" was Cassandra's side, who apparently had returned from dinner and was now laying in bed with a book.

"I- I'm sorry! I think I overslept and-"

She was interrupted by a slender finger on her lips.

"Get back here, you're so warm."

Too warm, Nicole almost replied but Cassandra's hand mowed from her lips to trace her jawline and neck. Then,when it got to her nape, she pulled the redhead back on her chest, cheek resting on the cool skin.

Nicole froze for a moment but soon melted into the touch. Presumably one of the perks of being an undead being was never getting too hot. At least temperature-wise. She tentatively snaked an arm around the brunette's waist and, when there was no protest, she shifted her body closer against hers.

Checking the time didn't even occur to Nicole until her eyes fell on one of the windows, noticing it was pitch black beyond the glass.

"Shouldn't we have…" she just vaguely gestured, not even sure what they were supposed to do that day in the dungeons.

"Here's one of the perks of working with me darling: if I don't feel like doing anything then congratulations, you've got yourself a day off. Now why don't you enjoy it hmm."

She emphasized her words by bringing her free hand to Nicole's head, nails lightly scratching the scalp. But Nicole was wide awake, despite the pleasant sensation that elicited a content hum from her.

There were so many things to take in that she hadn't noticed earlier. Just like her study, Cassandra's bedroom was like a collection of glimpses into her. The desk was littered with papers and oddly modern drawing supplies, the kind you would get by entering the art supply store down the road from her college dorm. A mannequin in the corner of the room was wearing a most likely tailor made dress, complete with what looked like a matching sword. The wall she could see was half covered in bookshelves, half in deer antlers or horns of different animals. Some had labels with dates underneath them that were too far to read, but Nicole managed to decipher one that said 08.06.1982.

She didn't want to risk losing her precious head scratches in order to explore the other half of the room, so her eyes settled on the one thing she could see without moving. The book in Cassandra's other hand.

"What're you reading?"

Cassandra sighed, realizing that she was still awake but answered anyway.

"Watership down."

She giggled, still a bit lightheaded. "Bunnies…"

Cassandra rolled her eyes, not quite in the mood to go on a lengthy discourse about the themes of said "bunnies". She opted to change the topic instead, voice oddly soft.

"How's your head?"

"Mmm...dizzy."

"Sleep then."

"My room is too far away."

"Sleep here you dumbass."

Nicole was silent for a few moments, putting together the few coherent thoughts still lingering in her brain. Then, trying not to slur her words due to dizziness and sleepiness alike:

"Isn't that against protocol? Do you even have a protocol?"

"The protocol is that our staff serves my family. Right now you're keeping me warm. There, congratulations on performing your duties. Now go to sleep."

The redhead gave in, too tired to keep on annoying Cassandra. She nuzzled her face closer to the brunette's neck leaving a small peck on her collarbone and closed her eyes. The nails still scratching at her scalp, occasionally moving to run through long auburn locks proved more than efficient at lulling her to sleep. She could swear she felt a soft, almost imperceptible kiss on the top of her head before consciousness fully slipped away from her

[infinitewarden]

Okay I'm going to phrase this in a more coherent manner than I did on my main.

So we all know that weapon names often reflect the loretabs that come with them and I've been wracking my brain for the past two weeks on why "Wolftone Draw" would be connected in any way to the tab about Osiris's perspective while he's trapped elsewhere.

Then I realized it was a musical term. A "wolf tone".

A wolf tone, or simply a "wolf", is a sustaining sympathetic artificial overtone that amplifies and expands the frequencies of a played musical note. It is produced when the pitch of the played note is close to a natural resonant frequency of the body of the musical instrument. A wolf tone is frequently accompanied by an oscillating beating (due to the uneven frequencies between the natural note and artificial overtone), which may be likened to the howling of a wolf.

Wikipedia

For those who have trouble picturing what that may sound like here's a video: (That also explains it a bit more clear than wikipedia does.)

Wolfs are inherent to stringed instruments, and they aren't necessarily always bad. They're considered flaws but it's possible to work around them. Let's connect this back to the Traveler.

We know that the Light isn't perfect, we know that the Traveler isn't perfect. In fact, the one who first seems to come to this conclusion (from what we know of) is Osiris.

"Oh. Let him go." Osiris releases. The Ghost dissipates. "Sagira?" "He needed someone strong. A fighter." "Nothing more?" Sagira pauses. "The Traveler was… wounded when it created us. That pain echoes. Some of us make choices we shouldn't. Some of us are scared. The process isn't streamlined." "Flaws." Osiris shrinks against the forest's aphotic density. If there are flaws in the Light, then it could be corrupted. It is not indomitable, and so in time would be challenged. "We're pieces of a whole, but distinct. Unique. You're not Mr. Perfect yourself." He would need to learn patience.

5: Moths to a Flame Part II

Hmmm....

We also know that music is... inherent to Destiny's narrative. There's even the connection between Osiris pursuing the tones Vance discovered with the Lighthouses. How does Vance describe the tones?

There was a hum; the timbre consisted of two distinct resonating tones—one smooth and warm, the other sharp and cold.

Chapter 4: Reflections

A resonating tone... a wolf tone is often described as just that.

Now... what exactly does a wolf have to do with Osiris?

There's more than one meaning that can be drawn from this as well. We all are aware (or at least most of us are) of the Traveler's connection with wolves. From being called Alpha Lupi to even the vision Clovis Bray had of the Traveler speaking to him as a wolf.

At this point it's become a bit of a meme for me but... I believe that Osiris is connected to the Traveler in ways we have yet to see. A couple weeks ago I drew upon a parallel between Wolftone Draw and Dreams of Alpha Lupi

Very little was left, you are sure, because you feel insignificant now. The hard slick heart of your soul: That is what remains. A body small as a river stone, and just as simple. You picture yourself as a piece of indigestible grit, a nameless nothing hiding among other nameless stones. Perhaps you glitter like a gem, yes. Pride makes you hope so. If only you could see yourself. But you have no eyes. Not the dimmest sense survives. What lives is memory, and what slim portion of these thoughts can you trust? The knife stole much more than your body.

Ghost Fragment: The Traveler 3

The slithering dark is cold against my face. I cannot speak, cannot breathe, I reach for Sagira but then I remember… I form a fist but feel nothing, I am bound, and as I thrash the images cut fissures through my mind— Someone… the Awoken prince? He helps me to my feet… but still I struggle in the dark, and now SHE is standing, thanking him, but she uses my voice, MY voice— She has stolen my form, my voice, but someone will see my failure and cast her out… they MUST— ... I am weeping but I cannot weep. I am nothing, only heat and hate, only sickness and shame.

Wolftone Draw

Do you see the similarities?

And at this point I'm sure you've all heard me say the phrase "here's how Speaker Osiris can still win" at least once but... I truly believe that there is more than we realize happening between Osiris and the Traveler.

Osiris's Light was... honestly incredibly strange in comparison to literally everyone else's Light. From making reflections and echoes to all of his elemental Light abilities even outside of Solar Light being gold. It's STRANGE, and he has often had a strange sort of... wisdom and knowledge that seems to often reflect the Traveler's.

Here's an example:

“The best voices,” she said, with infinite grief and unending hope, “never let themselves be heard at all. This lesson is worth teaching again and again. The choice is never mine. It is always yours.”

Clovis Bray's Logbook — Missing Pages: Third Vision

You must say just enough so that the few who can listen will hear. I have done all I can. The rest is up to you. You must trust in me. You must trust in yourself.

Future Safe 10

(As a side, I think it's important to note the prophecy in Future Safe 10.

See who's robed as if a god, who stands with pride above the rest! Destroy this ancient nameless fraud! Destroy the one whose death was blessed!

hmmmm)

So yeah. Uhhh. TL;DR Wolftone Draw has a double meaning: one in its musical meaning and another in its connection to wolves that the Traveler has and it's Totally all connected.