#i don’t know how pinned posts should look since this is the first time i’ve made one

[bumpscosity]

Signa/Bumpscosity - she/they/it (go hog wild no preference idc)

don’t remember who i am or why you followed me? here’s all my old urls!

Icon by Matthieu Cousin

i just post about whatever’s living in my head rent free at the moment, i reblog from the coolest people on this site so go give em a follow :)

my favorite colors are purple and periwinkle and my hobbies include making up scenarios and drawing sometimes

been here since 2017 and don’t plan on leaving any time soon but if this place DOES go to shit here’s my cohost 👍

spam reblogs/likes are welcome

feel free to ask for something to be tagged, if i post about it a lot i may decline to tag it but there’s no harm in asking :)

mutuals feel free to message me i love getting messages AUOGH and any non-mutual feel free to send asks i love getting asks so so much

i have a sorta dni here, generally no radfems terfs maps etc

here’s a bunch of important stuff/donation links from others

here's a couple different ways to support me monetarily if you'd like! don't feel pressure to though, it's just for fun stuff :)

more stuff under the cut 👍

my header is a reference to the greatest video on the internet

i’m POSIC so if you ever see me being emotional about objects just know i’m not exaggerating

if you REALLY wanna go hog wild with names/pronouns you can use some from this secret list, most of the stuff there i’m still testing out so if you use them for me you’re a certified pronoun/name beta tester

the only tag i consistently use is #sassy speaks which is for my original posts, i tag some other interests of mine too, usually under their acronyms

i used to trigger tag with a tw at the end (e.i. #spiders tw) but not i just tag the trigger (e.i. #spiders)

i’ll probably add some blinkies and other stuff here at some point but for now uhhh

here is one dollar for reading all the way thru <3

[shaunamilfman]

i had died the tiniest death

summary: You've gotten used to the feeling of being watched since you broke up with your girlfriend, Shauna Shipman, but you never thought it was more than just your imagination till now. Still, maybe you should have been more afraid to wake up to your scantily clad ex-girlfriend straddling you than you are. A/N: based on this post by @deerlottie . wrote this in three hours i fear. im so normal about her i swear

You wake up with a start, bringing your hands up to rub wearily at your eyes as you breathe out a sigh. You've been having the weirdest dreams, night after night. You'd started to get paranoid lately that Shauna was following you, lurking at the edges of your vision and quickly disappearing from sight the second you whirled around to look. You knew how crazy it sounded, but the fear was even bleeding into your dreams. 

You turn your head to look at your nightstand, nearly groaning at the time staring back from your alarm clock. Knowing you had to be up in four hours did nothing for the crushing weight on your chest– weight on your chest? 

You close your eyes as you turn your head back, dreading having to open them. You peek one eye open, your whole body tensing as you attempt to quell your instinctive urge to scream.

“Shauna, what the fuck?” You spit out, staring up warily at her as she looms above you in the darkness. Your voice is shaky, but you try to infuse it with a hint of annoyance in an attempt to mask your fear.

You shift anxiously beneath her, pinned down by the weight of her. You knew you could get her off of you if you had to, but you weren't keen on pissing her off before you knew why she was here. Pulling a knife on you wasn't something you'd ever put past Shauna, and that was before you had actual confirmation she was stalking you. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” She complains, shifting her weight from her knees to your hips as you instinctively grab at her waist. You can just barely make out her smile at the action as she leans forward, boxing your head in with her arms as she places her palms flat on the bed on either side.

“I missed my girlfriend,” Shauna whispers, brushing stray strands of hair away from your face as she stares down lovingly.

“Your girlfriend–” You start, trailing off as you struggle to articulate the multitude of questions running through your mind. You catch yourself, quickly realizing that it isn’t your most pressing concern. “How long have you been here? How did you get here?”

“So many questions,” She murmurs, her breath warm against your ear as she breathes in the scent of your hair. “Can’t you just enjoy it?” She exhales shakily, nosing against your neck with a desperate noise.

You have to bite your lip to stop a sigh from escaping, shivering under the ministrations despite your best efforts. “No, Shauna. You broke into my house.”

“I didn’t break into your house,” She denies, a hint of a smirk on her face as she continues. “This is an apartment.”

“God, you’re such a bitch.” You tense as Shauna jerks away, sitting back up on your hips to glare down at you.

“A bitch?” She scoffs, looking angry for the first time tonight. She grabs at your throat as you try to speak, effectively cutting off your sentence with an embarrassing squeak as she quite literally takes your breath away.

“You don’t get to call me a bitch after everything I’ve done for us.” Shauna shakes her head, only letting go of your throat as you nod quickly in response. You gasp for air the second she allows it, staring up at her in a mix of disbelief and fear. Shauna had always been a little rough, but this was something else, even for her.

“For us?” You wheeze.

Shauna nods, giving you a crazed smile that’s honestly hotter than it should be. “You made a mistake breaking up with me.”

“I can see that,” You say dryly. Shauna squeezes warningly at your throat, and you certainly don’t need to be told twice.

“I kept waiting for you to realize it, but you’ve always been so damn stubborn, haven’t you?” You stay quiet, staring up at her as you try to will your heart to stop pounding in your chest.

“And then you started talking to other girls,” She continues, an accusing frown on her face.

Your eyes widen as the thought suddenly crosses your mind. “Are… Are you the reason Jenny runs away crying whenever she sees me?”

Shauna nods eagerly, looking happy to have her efforts recognized. “I had to have a talk with her. She needed to know that you’re mine.”

Jesus.

“You are, aren’t you?” Her gaze is intense, searching the depths of your soul as her hands play with the hem of her shirt. “I just want to know that you’re still mine.”

You reach blindly for your nightstand as you maintain eye contact, nearly crying in relief as your fist closes around the new phone Shauna had gotten you a few months ago for your birthday. It seemed oddly fitting to call the cops on her with it. You’re just about to dial 911 when you catch sight of something… interesting. 

You let it slip from your fingers as your hand comes up to the hem of her shirt, pulling it taut so you can get a better look at it.

“Are you– are you wearing my jersey? Where did you even get that from?” You ask in disbelief. 

Shauna stares down at you for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Closet, obviously.” She says wryly. “Good thing you're pretty.”

You scoff, pinching the soft skin of her thighs between your fingers. Shauna gasps in pain, hips instinctively rocking into it as she rubs herself against your stomach. Your eyes widen at the feeling, gaze slowly trailing down her body to land on where the hem of your jersey rests against her thighs. 

“Are you wearing anything under this?”

“What do you think?” She smirks, slowly rocking her hips so you can feel the drag of wet flesh against you. 

You wish you could say she wasn’t this crazy when you were dating her, but that wasn’t entirely true. Honestly, the more you thought about it the more this seemed within the realm of possibility when it came to her. You’ve got to stop sticking your dick in crazy.

“I think you need to leave,” You assert firmly, doing your best to ignore the slick feeling as she continues. God, she always got so wet.

“Don’t be like that,” She chides, her voice breaking slightly as she chases the perfect angle. “I need you back. I need to feel you against me. Don’t you want me?”

Oh no. 

The moonlight shining in through the window throws Shauna’s shark-like grin into sharp relief, quickly pouncing on your weakness the second she catches sight of the change in your expression. 

“I just need you so bad. Please?” She rests her hand on your chest as she leans forward, using her other hand to move your hand to her ass. You instinctively squeeze, kneading at the flesh before you even know what happened. Shauna certainly takes it as an encouragement, moaning as she presses herself impossibly closer. You can feel her weight bearing down on your chest, already sure her hand is going to end up leaving a bruise on your chest.

She always loved leaving you bruised, staring at them even through your clothes long after they faded. She was just so damn possessive. No matter how much of you she had,xfi it never seemed like enough. Shauna digs her knees painfully in your sides, already tiring of your mind wandering as she puts on a show.

Your eyes narrow, getting more than tired of this whole thing. You had to put up with her theatrics when you were dating, and you certainly weren’t going to do it now. You grab firmly at her hips as you roll her on her back in a fluid motion, her hands grasping uselessly at your shoulders as the landing knocks the wind out of her. 

You shove your hand between her legs without fanfare, finding her wet and waiting. Shauna's reaction is immediate, her leg wrapping around your hips as she grinds against your hand. 

“Fuck,” She moans shakily, whining in protest as you slap your hand over her mouth. 

“Shut the fuck up,” You hiss angrily, leaning close to nip at the skin of her jaw. “My roommate is home.”

Shauna’s complaint is muffled against your palm, a frustrated look coming to her face that you enjoy more than you should. She squirms beneath you in an attempt to free herself, giving up and planting her foot flat on the bed for leverage instead as she rubs her pussy against your hand.

You hold your hand still as you palm her, watching the way the muscles in Shauna’s thighs flex as she ruts against it. She gives you a pleading look as she licks at your hand, making you wrinkle your face in disgust as you pull your hand away to wipe it on Shauna’s cheek. She huffs, blowing a stray strand of hair at her face as she gives you a dirty look.

You roll your eyes, quick to wipe away the nasty expression on her face as you thrust two fingers into her without warning. Shauna’s back arches off the bed as she bites at her own palm to keep quiet, almost thrashing beneath you as you start a harsh rhythm. Shauna whines in your ear as she grabs desperately at your back, her ragged breathing and the squeaking sounds of your mattress as she tries to meet your rhythm filling the room as you try to get your temper under control.

She was always doing shit like this, and you hated the way she always seems to manipulate you into going along with it. If you were honest with yourself, you knew that this wasn’t healthy for either of you, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care as she clenches around your fingers.

“You were such a shitty girlfriend. This is all you’re good for, you know that?”

“I wasn’t,” She protests pitifully, rolling her hips as she chases her high.

“You were. Always too busy with Jackie.” You curl your fingers, slamming into her roughly with no regard for her enjoyment. It didn’t seem to matter much, she was just as into it now as she ever was before. It almost makes you angrier. You couldn’t even take your anger out on her without her enjoying it.

“Oh, I can’t. Jackie needs me. Jackie needs this. Jackie, Jackie, Jackie,” You mock in a high-pitched voice, thumbing roughly at her clit in a way you know she’s always hated.

She cries out as she attempts to arch away from the touch but you don’t let her escape from it, pinning her hips down as you make her take it.

“Now you have the nerve to be a fucking creep? Couldn’t make the time of day for me when we were dating, but now you want to follow me around?”

“I’m sorry,” She pleads, almost kicking you as she tries to avoid your thumb.

“Stop fighting,” You huff, curling your fingers as she goes limp beneath you. She stares pathetically up at you, burying her head in your neck when it doesn’t seem to implore you.

You finally take pity on her at the sounds of her heavy breaths as she barely chokes back her tears, slowing back to a more manageable pace as she trails kisses up your neck.

“Tell me you love me,” She whispers commandingly against your ear.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?” She whines, digging her nails into your shoulders as if that will change your mind. You shake your head resolutely, firm on setting at least this one boundary.

“Tell me you love me,” She repeats, pleading this time. “Please. You know I need it. Just once.”

You hesitate for just a beat too long before repeating yourself. “No.”

“Let me have you. Let me show you how much I need you. Don’t you want to make me come?” Her hands slide down your back, thumbing at the waistband of your boxers as she looks at you imploringly. As if sensing your dwindling will to oppose her she throws her head back in a quiet moan, exposing the length of her neck as her eyes slip closed.

You groan irritatedly, throwing caution to the wind as you give in. “I love you.” You notice the smug grin come to her face just a moment too late, but by the time you’ve realized she’s managed to get one over on you again, she’s crying out as she falls apart. 

Your jaw clenches in anger as you work her through it, stoically ignoring the way she murmurs praises and “love you’s” into your ear the whole time. As you start to pull away she wraps her arms tightly around your shoulders, holding you close as she flips you over onto your back. 

You grunt in irritation as you try to push her off you, but she’s just as strong as ever as she manages to pin your arms to your side, burying her face into your chest with a contented noise that relaxes you more than it should be.

“I hate you,” You complain, trying to squirm away as Shauna’s hand makes its way down your stomach and to your boxers.

“No, you don’t,” Shauna says, choosing to be the bigger person for once at not comment on the way your breath hitches as she touches your waistband.

“You’re crazy.”

Shauna laughs lowly, pressing a kiss to your chest as she nods in agreement.

“I don’t want you anymore.” Your voice is hoarse as you push at her shoulders, refusing to be pushed around this easily. It was for your pride if nothing else.

“You don’t get to just throw me away,” Shauna says harshly. “You’re mine and you always will be. I’m sorry I’ve upset you, but we’re going to move past it now.”

You breathe out shakily as Shauna finally slips her fingers beneath the waistband, silently spreading your legs in invitation. “I’ll show you how much you need me,” She promises.

[vampbloodx]

DIY Basics

-Goth DIY Tutorials Number 1 (Part 1)- Hi there, I decided to start a little DIY series! I’m not the most professional at anything lol but I’ve been doing DIY and crafts my entire life and been part of the goth subculture for 10+ years. I’ve seen a lot of baby bats and people inexperienced in crafts online saying they don’t know how to DIY thrift store clothing to be goth so I’m here to help! I believe DIY is super important to the goth subculture and should be easy and accessible, and if I can stop anyone from buying big fast fashion brands I’ve done my job.

For the first post of this series I thought I’d link some sources for people new to DIY or looking for some easy projects to do yourself (projects will be in part 2)🖤This will help you find a starting point if the idea of DIY is overwhelming.

None of these links are mine! I will be posting my own tutorials as part of this series though:)

Some of the most basic starting points for goth DIY are using fishnet tights as a top (just cut a hole in the crotch and cut off the feet), putting safety pins in everything, adding holes to clothes, and adding pins and patches. I like to make my own patches, either by free handing or stenciling, which I linked a tutorial for in this post.

Helpful tools to have:

(I don’t agree with buying from aliexpress but their other sources are great!)

Sewing Tips for Beginners:

T-Shirt Design Methods:

This is just s few ways to weave t-shirts, there are a ton of different ways to do it and YouTube has some great tutorials, especially on Angela Benedict's channel

RIT Dye Tutorial:

Patches:

Sewing them:

Stenciling them:

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for reporting two 18+ blogs for being condescending towards minors?

I (17f) like to look at nsfw but never interact with the blogs except to look because I’m almost 18 and because I can’t search google because my parents are christen and will ground me anyway I was looking at blog and saw they had reblogged a post with someone asking if another person was 18 and they replied they weren’t and apologized as they didn’t read the pinned post throughly enough and would block and instead of thanking them the blogger yelled at them saying they should obviously know the account was 18+ and that they should know better for their safety and their own which rubbed me to wrong way for 1 how the fuck is it for our safety? If we’re seeking out this content we obviously want it and 2 why get mad at the person after they said they would bock you? So after I went to the account and reported it for both spam and 18+ content and both went through then I scrolled away but then reported the blog who reblogged because they made a post saying to put your age in your bio dumb fucks which I thought was rude and reported them two, I don’t regret doing this and am only asking because this is the first time I’ve done this and don’t want to make it a pattern if it’s wrong

additional info as well: I have alway been bothered by blogs who get extremely made at minors for looking at their stuff, I’m ok with bloggers blocking and being upset what I’m not ok with is them acting like minors are disgusting devils for looking at there stuff and shaming blogs who want their privacy by saying 18+ instead of an age range and I have to see this when every I want to look at 18+ content because I can’t search google and I’ve tried using incognito mode but my parents still found out and punished me heavily so this is the only way I can do it since I can search specific sfw things and find 18+ content also don’t tell me not to look as these blogs I’m gonna do it anyway and the blogs were not posting there own nsfw just things from anime so I’m not looking at them as well as I don’t get off to them while I do get aroused,I don’t do anything about it I just like the feeling and what I mean by my parents punishing me heavily just know this is me finally feeling safe enough to do this

What are these acronyms?

[blommp717]

I try to follow what you are saying, but I find your content confusing, and based on some of your repeat asks, I’m not the only one. The way you explain ND could use improvement, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because English isn’t your first language or because your understanding of ND is more theoretical than experiential—it seems like both. This is fine, but have you considered improving your English (or teaching in your mother tongue and paying a professional translation service?) and actually living in the ND state of being (not just reading or watching videos about it) before attempting to teach in a language you seem to struggle with? You could be more successful and less misleading.

There’s a lot of misunderstanding and inaccuracies in your writings, and your pinned post gives the impression that you aren’t the type of person to humbly take advice and cultivate self-awareness. Which in and of itself doesn't really reflect what one would expect from a guru or someone who has reached a profoundly deep nondualistic understanding and wishes to guide others. You seem bothered by critique or questions that you haven't already read the answer to. Maybe you could sincerely cultivate Self-awareness of how you are appearing to people who have genuinely experienced the ND state of being, not just an intellectual understanding, and those who have not. Maybe I’m wrong (I very well could be), but it seems like you read about it but haven’t actually had experiences beyond reading and thinking about it. It feels shallow and without real rooting in experience, not just theoretical knowledge. This is just a humble observation from another seeker on the path, so take it with many grains of salt. May you find equanimity and authentic awakening and be of genuine assistance to others. Peace.

I most definitely think you’re coming from a space of aggression instead of actually trying to inquire firstly, moving forward. I don’t really get how people asking questions is an indicator of me not knowing what I’m really talking about as opposed to people learning to accept how easy it is. Allot of these people come from LOA so they think there’s a process, they think there’s work to do, so having such a drastic shift will obviously not feel easy at first 🤭and secondly I’m baffled about the language comment, I have zero clue what makes you think that kind of stuff is okay to say to anyone, regardless of if it’s true or not, please seek some humanity and get it together. You don’t want to be saying all of that b.s to the wrong person. I reallllyy hope you don’t act like this in person with anyone.

Alright so, to what the actual focus of your text should have been.

If you notice, my pinned post was allot more recent than when I started posting, it was more of a response to someone claiming I’m giving false hope and that explaining the idea of “manifestation” alongside non-duality is wrong. Which I’m literally not, im not sure if your truly following up on what I’ve posted because I make it very very clear since the beginning and almost in every post with a long ask that I. Am. Not. Teaching. You. How. To. Manifest. There’s absolutely no such thing, it might look like it and feel like it but it’s not. I even have a post where the entire thing is me talking about why there’s no such thing as manifestation. And I have zero clue where you got any of that information about who I am as a person from that post alone when all I’m stating is how I’m not going to stop helping people? 😭😭

I think another confusion people who “enter” NonDualism have is they think awakening is real. You told me to reach a state of ND being or the State of ND which I’m not really sure what you mean by that because it doesn’t exist. It’s sadly time to burst the bubble. There is no awakening, if you truly understand nonduality, there is no journey, there’s no goal, there nothing that you can do to achieve enlightenment because it doesn’t exist, these are concepts and ideas self realized to give the “self” and “I” a reason to exist. I perfectly well understand what nonduality at its core is and have hundreds of what I’m sure people would call “succes stories” with it. My old posts have plenty of explaining as to what, just, no duality states regardless of getting what you want. How can there be a journey? There is no self thst has a journey, just ideas and thoughts spinning together in a flurry and naming it “self”. You don’t exist.

And for you, you want to understand no duality? I’m going to try not to be cryptic but here we go. You can’t and neither can I , no one can understand and seek, you’re not a seeker and there is no path, this is the truth. And no one can have a journey because there is no identity in any of this, there is no self as a person, there is no “me” on a “path”, there is no “one” here who understands anything. It’s all self actualizing thoughts making it seem like there is a journey, the “I” or what people call ego, needs purpose to exist. It feels like a threat when everything is dissolved. The idea that there is more to do, will be true for as long as you pretend it is. And without the false idea of a journey this “self”or “me” loses its purpose. It can be “hard” to accept but truly it doesn’t matter because the nature of existence will not change. Think about it why does the idea of something higher, a bigger step, some grand moment seem so enticing? And for who does it seem so enticing for? The false identity, the “me” the “self”. It’s just another story. You might sit and be, it may lead you deeper into sensations in the body and most likely a “profound” sense of understanding, but quite honestly if your looking for a tiny spark of magic to keep you going on and thinking there’s even more and even more to experience, it would be absolutely useless.

You are already all, whats there to find

Understanding nonduslity is realizing, how can any of this be more grand if there is only one, how can more be achieve if there is a constant state of nonduality? How can the illusion reach a higher state… the higher state is also just illusory, the self, body and world is just illusory. You as everything are pretending to be a person pretending a self and pretending that this person is also self and needs to understand and reach more profound states of being.

This is how “manifestation” is possible. There is no one and nothing “happening” all there appears to be is what you appear as, it’s hollow, almost like a projection. This can’t be turned off, you appear as all there is and as long as the body is here thoughts will appear, ideas will appear, visualizations will appear, you take it as just thinking or talking to yourself or daydreaming or predicting what might happen next, but that’s all what “manifesting” is. In every timeless moment (instant is not fast enough so I say timeless) stories are realized, you take it effortlessly as how your life is. Simple things like how you expect your parents to respond to you not picking up their phone, or what kind of day at your gonna have at school to literally everything, it’s constant, it’s everything, it’s always “on”. Your luck, the compliments you receive, how things work or don’t work out for you, all of it. This is not just life as it is but the entire “manifestation” it’s an experience of what “it” (you) appears as. And if all is what you are and the appearance relies on the perception of the appearance, then perceiving any type of story like, having brown eyes but you want blue. Okay, “I have blue eyes” this is not an affirmation, this is a truth, this is what “ “ (you) now appear as, timelessly, and needing proof or evidence is useless as it puts the attention back at “has it changed it”. If you understand its all you, you also know needing evidence or proof is truly completely useless. “But I checked the mirror and my eyes are still brown” with what understanding did you move to the mirror with. An expectancy of brown eyes? Hmm.

Well I think this is getting long winded, I’m not gonna make this even longer than it is, hopefully you find some clarity in this and I strongly urge you, before making random comments or being just rude, ask yourself with what state of mind am I moving forward. Do I really need to say it this way? Because truly, I’ll remain here doing what I do, I’m incredibly grateful that I can be able to help so many people so it brings me a sense of joy (though unreal 🤭). But I hope you understand there is a proper way to question and criticize, and well, your claims feel like they were based off reading 2 posts and calling it a day 😭😭. Anyways I actually will thank you regardless, I’m sure many people can learn from what you’ve initiated me to explain, have a great life, I hope to see you come again in future posts 🫶🫀🪷🪷☀️

[drunknillawafer]

right down the line: zuko x firebender!reader | part 7

You grew up close to the Royal Family due to your father's position as a General, but you ran away from home after the agni kai against your best friend, Zuko. Now, you've joined the Gaang and plan on doing your part in ending the 100-year war.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

hi part 7... picking up right where we left off... i think I'm going to post a masterlist & keep it linked on my pinned to make it easier to sift through and find, esp since i do plan on posting other fics once i finished my very first >.< also i want to post the songs i listen to while I'm writing and some visuals hehe... just to make it much more immersive. again i do not own these characters and they are not mine! (except my mc i guess) like comment reblog if ya like... enjoy! about 1785 words

⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

We’re standing on a sand-colored platform of a structure currently being renovated or changed to fit Fire Nation standards. The usual for when they occupy lands that don’t belong to them. Aangs in front of me, with Sokka to my left and Katara to my right. We form a triangle and I'm thankful for the partial covering.

I’m thinking of the best way to summarize the threats ahead of us, just in case they try to change the plan. There’s a good chance this will go south.

“Mai, in the center, has good aim with her blades, but it’s Ty Lee, on the left, you should keep an eye out for.” I try to give my friends the run-down on my, I guess, old friends one would say. But we’ve only got so much time before all three of them realize that I’m here.  

They lower King Bumi from the top of the building using a metal crane. They’ve got him in a coffin-shaped cage with only his head showing.

“You brought my brother?” Mai speaks first, breaking the silence between the two groups. She squints at the sight of me, but I’m too far away for her to be sure it’s me.

“He’s here.” Aang solemnly replies. “We’re ready to trade.” In these moments, he’s got the grace of a 112-year-old.

Suddenly, Azula speaks to Mai in a hushed tone we can’t quite hear. Fine is never fine with Azula, nothing is ever the way it should be with her. There’s bound to be some trick up her sleeve that only feeds into her misery.

“I’ll help with the girl on the right, she’s the most vicious,” I warn them. I briefly make eye contact with Sokka. We haven’t talked about what was said and now wasn’t the time, but I couldn’t help but yearn for his gentleness. A reminder that I wasn’t like the enemies in front of us, but someone new. Someone he couldn’t hate.

Then, Mai steps forward. “The deal’s off.” With a lift of her gloved hand, King Bumi is raised once again by the crane.

“Bumi!” Aang cries out for his old friend and starts heading towards him, defying the laws of gravity bestowed upon the rest of us. It’s enchanting to see an air-bender. It’s so different from the rest of the elements. He looks like he’s flying.

As he does so, Azula strikes, and I see her blue flame for the first time. She must’ve perfected her oxygen levels for complete combustion; but if she’s the Azula I’ve always known, I know how to beat her. This time, I won’t go easy. I won’t make that same mistake again for nostalgia.

Aang’s head covering flies away as the air moves around him and his arrow is exposed.

I look down at Azula’s reaction and she’s close enough now to hear.

“The Avatar. My lucky day.” The princess smirks, re-organizing her plans for Omashu in her head.

“Remember, don’t let Ty Lee touch you!” I warn Sokka and Katara and dash toward Azula, offering Aang some support against the crazed fire-bender.

I follow her upward, burning the knot on the pulley to cause the rope to lift.

Azula can see me through the grids as the ropes pull us to the top of the building, and I can see her in real-time realize who I am.

“Well, if it isn’t the Royal traitor. Seems like you and Zuzu still share a brain.” She gloats.

“Leave the Avatar alone, Azula. I mean it!” We break through the ceiling made from wood and reach the roof of the building under construction.

She attacks Aang with a blue blast, causing him to break the metal chain. Aang instantly heads downward with King Bumi. He cushions their fall with an air bubble, and they land on the well-known ramps of Omashu. Azula quickly follows them using a cart, and I’m on her tail. If only I had Sokka’s boomerang right now, it makes so much sense to carry one in these situations.

We catch up to Aang, giving Azula the chance to strike him and Bumi.

I distract her with my own fire-blasts, making sure to lean forward and crash into her cart.

“Out of practice?” She questions.

“Out of patience.” I growl, punctuating my sentence with a blast from my right hand.

As we continue our fight by speeding through the ramps, I see Appa in the distance. Relief washes over me as I conclude Sokka and Katara must have gotten away from Mai and Ty Lee.

Aang attempts to lift Bumi onto Appa’s saddle with his bending, but he miscalculates and Bumi’s off to land on the ground. But his friend won’t let him go on his own. Together, they land on another ramp and head down to ground-level.

Azula’s right behind them, and I’m right behind her.

She attempts another attack, but a rock blocks her offense and bursts her cart into dust. I leap off mine before the impact breaks my cart too and we both land on our feet, an homage to our identical upbringing.

She lets Aang go for a reason I can’t quite put my finger on until she turns around to face me. We're still standing on the ramps.

“The key to never losing is knowing when you’re beat.” She says with her hands in defense, signaling that she’s waving the white flag.

I’m still in fight mode. I’d never let my guard down around her, not now, not ever. “You’ll always be beat as long as I’m here.”

She pauses to truly grasp my presence. It’s been three years since we’ve seen each other, and everything’s changed. We used to be on the same team, never friends but bonded by our birthplace. It’s the first time we no longer owe each other pleasantries. Azula, however, uses sweetness as a weapon. “Where have you been, Y/N? You’re missed at the Royal Palace.”

“I doubt it.” Zuko and his mother haven’t touched that home in years, making it impossible for anyone there to actually miss me.

“Your father misses you.”

“I know you’re lying, Azula.”

“You’ve never trusted me; I’ve never liked you. Now we don’t have to pretend do we?”

“Leave us alone,” I get in my fight stance. “Got it?”

“Fine. Loud and clear.” She dashes away in her infamous run toward the unfinished building, probably to catch up with her friends.

Fine isn’t fine. It’s I’ll get you somehow. I think to myself.

I watch her figure fade into the distance, when it hits me: “Seems like you and Zuzu still share a brain.”

Did Zuko abandon his ship?

Is she lying? She would have no reason to lie about something like that, other than to get to me or Aang. I can’t pinpoint a motive. I still won’t believe her 100 percent, but I’ll keep it in my back pocket.

I slide down the ramp Aang took and find the both of them at the very end, standing on a platform in another unfinished building. Once I’m off and my two feet hit the floor, Bumi bends rock to lift his metal enclosure up the ramp in a fit of laughter.

We both watch him go. “Your friend is very… eccentric.” I tell Aang, as he’s standing with Momo on his shoulders.

“Yeah.” I turn to face him, something’s wrong. He’s disappointed.

“He’s not going to teach you earth-bending?” I assume.

“No, he has to stay here to protect Omashu. I guess I got to find another teacher.” Now, he looks like a twelve-year-old boy with the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. There’s no way he’s meant to do this alone. I’d rather be here helping him than with Zuko.

“We’ll find one in no-time.” I reassure him.

“Who were those three girls?” He changes the subject.

“They were old friends too. Azula is Zuko’s sister.”

“Wow.”

“I know.” I sit on the edge of the platform, waiting for our ride with my feet dangling. Aang sits next to me, and for now, we’re just two kids talking, staring at the beautiful Earth Kingdom in front of us.

“What was it like… to grow up with them?”

“It was easy with Zuko. Azula… not so much.” I wince.

Aang’s face contorts, as if he’s remembering a distant memory. “Was Zuko good? Yaknow, back then?”

A smile creeps up on my face. “He was.”

“Do you think he still could be?”

Aang and I stare at each other. We’re choosing to live in the moment before my answer. The moment in which the possibility of Zuko changing his mind, realizing his mistakes, and helping us stop his father exists.  

“I don’t know.”

☆

The heat and the prickly bushes are upsetting him further with each and every single step. Looking for food when you’re used to someone cooking for you is daunting, Zuko realizes. How is he ever supposed to live like this? How did Y/N?

As he’s walking back to let Uncle know he couldn’t find anything edible, he touches the side of his hair. It’s grown back a bit since cutting it, slicing off his ties to the Fire Nation. Trading in the red for green, hoping to camouflage with the land and the Earth Kingdom people.

What a stupid idea, he thought. How could anyone ever confuse him with anyone else with the scar on his left eye?

But it seemed to be working so far. His sister hadn’t found them, and they haven’t been arrested for their crimes against every other nation.

In the humid morning, on his long walk back to where his uncle was staring at a tea leaf, he thought about the Northern Water Tribe.

He wondered if Y/N was okay from his strike. Maybe the water-bender girl could heal her, and she’d be okay again. He didn’t mean to. He’s been this hard and heavy with everyone else for the sole purpose of returning home, he forgot Y/N was his home. He’s been in fighting mode for so long, he’s forgotten to turn it off.

She wasn’t home, though. She was with the Avatar. Defending him and betraying her nation. How did she get there? He wondered. He had so many questions about everything. Zuko’s sure she had just as many questions for him.

Could he find her now that he was labeled a traitor?

Where his mind led made his empty stomach drop.

If he found her, he’d find the Avatar. Then, he could go home. But if Y/N was not there, would he still want to go back? Did his father’s acceptance matter above all else? It didn’t for Y/N, but she was always braver than him.

Zuko wasn’t ready for that thought, so he pushed it away.

It wasn’t hard to do when your stomach was louder than your thoughts.

------------------

tag list <3: @camilleverreault @staygoldsquatchling02

[tspud-whiteboard]

[Full Previews, Final Files and Extras can be found on GoogleDrive!] !!! THE DEADLINE HAS ARRIVED !!! (End of June it was) I am currently working on putting together the final files, but as this might take a while, YOU CAN STILL KEEP SENDING ME YOUR FELLAS! Once I’ve prepared the actual, finished, fullsize versions, this pinned post will unpin itself and I’ll put a different one here, with the final previews, the download links and some information what the future may hold... maybe I’ll do a Season Two if the interest is there. But we’ll have to see about that. For now, [SUBMIT MORE] like the wind while you still can! Hello, hello! Welcome to The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe Whiteboard Collaboration (a just-for-fun fan project)! I’m assuming that you found your way here because you’re well aware what The Stanley Parable is, and that you are curious to know what a Whiteboard Collaboration might be about!

Let me cut straight to the case then. It all started in 2023 - the 27th of April, to be precise - which just so happened to be the One Year Anniversary for the release of The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe on Steam and consoles, along with the historically very important and internationally renowned - or at the very least grudgingly accepted - 4/27: STANLEY DAY!

To celebrate the occasion, and only one day too late on the 28th, an idea came forth to put together a Whiteboard, containing all those Stanleys by all the fan artists out there (all credited, of course!), a worthy tribute to the Man of the Hour! And as you can see... we’ve already got quite a few collected!

But why stop there? Since plenty of people also came up with their own Narrator designs, and there’s a good few Timekeeper-Settings-432s and Curators, and plenty of other characters (defining the term loosely here), we might as well give them all their own little space to look absolutely dashing next to each other! Imagine, all those different designs, united in one glorious collection!

My point being... I’d love to see yours in there as well.

So... how can you join in?

The gist can be found up there in the first image, but let me also put it into text form down here, with some extra information:

[Submit] your Stanley, Narrator, 432 or Curator mugshot (or all of them at the same time!). You have [some other canon TSP favorite]? Go ahead, submit ‘em, too! We’ll find a spot. The format of the picture needs to be 300px (width) x 400px (height) to fit with the others. I can resize and cut them into shape if needed, but it’ll be easier on all of us if I don’t have to do that. All pictures will have a small white frame added by me afterwards, to give them that authentic printout flair.

Should the [Submit] button not work for you (I triple-checked and it works for me, but then who knows what this thing does while I’m not looking), sending your artworks through PM or tell me where you posted them is fine as well!

AUs and all art styles are fine! Please only submit one picture per character (if you have more than one design, maybe pick your favorite, or elegantly squeeze them into one picture. If you absolutely cannot decide, sending two pictures per character is okay, but I’d like to cap it there to give everyone equal amounts of space.

Must be Safe For Work!

This is also very important: Tell me how to credit you! Your name will go under your artwork, I do have to put something there. I’ll likely default to your username if I have nothing else to go by, but it’s best if you directly tell me, right there in your submission.

I will publish your submission(s) on here as soon as I’ve added it to the queue, so you’ll know it went through okay, and so you can show it around to others if you wish! (I can’t do that with PMs, of course.)

THE DEADLINE: Please try to submit your artworks before the End of June! Yes, 2023. This month. In this year. There’s a chance I’ll change this if a sudden influx of new entries rolls in, but as of now it looks like it’s a good time to start wrapping this up. I want my life back and all. ...But prove me wrong, why don’tcha? Why not tell your favorite TSP artists that they NEED TO BE ON THIS THING? NEED TO! WE CRAVE THEM, PRECIOUS. ...Sorry, got carried away there.

I give updates regularily. Previews of the latest Whiteboard statuses, questions that need answering, sometimes I might just add some nonsense rambles, all inclusive, for free.

The FINAL files, whenever they’re ready, will be 8000x4000px in size each and are mostly a much bigger version of the previews, with maybe a few small changes for the aesthetics.That’s quite massive. Humongous. It’s really impressive to browse all those artworks next to each other at that size. Here’s the [Google Drive] link, for all to download from and share around. So far, you can always find the latest Previews and a bunch of random Extras there, along with the first fullsize Stanley board as a test. Please do make suggestions if there’s better options, or if you can’t drive the Google.

I also post on Twitter and the Crows Crows Crows Discord server (fanart channel). If either of those are more comfortable options for you, or if you know someone on there who might also be interested in joining this collaboration, maybe poke me so I can give you directions. Or you might be able to find it yourself, I’m not actively hiding them away. Not even passively.

I think that’s all for now! If you have questions, suggestions, reservations, my Asks should be open. Looking forward to hopefully a lot more additions to the Whiteboards, there’s quite a few of you guys I’d loooove to see on there!

[whispering-radiance]

| Glow of amber | Chapter [#1]

Word count: [ ~2890 ]

Hello everybody! This is the first story that I’m actually showing to people — so I’m a bit nervous … Although I feel confident about my English, it’s not my first language so there might be some grammatical errors along the way.

I’ve made a post explaining this AU some time ago, you can give it a read if you want to, but I will explain everything in the story eventually.

With that being said, I invite you below

The corridors of Norrisville high were unusually quiet. There was no soul around, not even a single student running late for their classes. Janitor had already done his round around the school, mopping the floor and sweeping dust bunnies under the lockers. Halls remained empty for most of the day, not unless a teacher had to rush to the building to file some important documents or to prepare materials for another school year.

While the other parts of school slumbered, the main hall brimmed with life. As usual, a great Ninja battle had left a great damage on the property, and this time, the repair team was tasked with fixing a considerably huge hole in the wall. But since the school year was ending, there wasn’t a need to do it immediately, so all of the heavy work was left for the vacation period. 

As careful as they wanted to be, they unfortunately caused some small, additional “scratches”. Cement was splattered on few lockers, a bucket of paint rolled all over the floor, a new guy made some mistakes while reading the blueprints and connected water pipes into one big circle, and heavy machines were dragged across the most beautiful thing in the Norrisville highschool, a carp mosaic decorated by strange, yellow gem.

School itself didn’t have anything precious to guard, but the business responsible for the construction team and equipment demanded to hire someone to protect the expensive materials.

It was a bright night and a full moon decorated the sky.

“It’s just you and me, buddy!” A night guard shook his flashlight and locked the back door. He also pinned a card with “Jeremy” written on it.  “Maybe they don’t pay much but after tonight we’ll be able to afford a brand new keyboard!”

He kept talking with his trusty flashlight as he walked down the hallway. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, he made sure to bang on every locker to check for hidden intruders, but he found nothing. Maybe it was for the better, even if it meant the rest of the night being extremely boring.

The sound of his own footsteps was creeping him out. He wished he could at least turn on the big lights and get rid of the uncomfortable darkness, but due to safety and financial reasons, power was cut off for the night.

“Ughhh! This stinks!” He moved his light around him.”I know I’ve said that I’m over my fear of the dark but… Jeez… I will go insane before this shift ends.”

Jeremy glanced at his flashlight again.

“I heard that this school has a glass ceiling” He shook it and made a squeaky voice. “It’s in the main hall! And you know what else is in there? Equipment we have to keep an eye on! How about we just go in there and enjoy our shift under the bright moonlight?”

“Oh buddy!” He smiled. “You always have the best ideas!”

Thanks to the gentle rays of the moon, the Main lobby looked enchanted, despite it being a construction site.  Heavy machines and bags of cement were covered by large blankets, and the hole in the wall was well secured. The whole room seemed very inviting, yet something felt weird. The giant mosaic of golden carp was beautiful, but bathed in moonlight it gave off an eerie energy. Jeremy agreed with his trusty flashlight that they should avoid getting closer to it.

After doing the necessary check up, he lied down on the floor and leaned against a pillar.

“Everything is where it’s supposed to be…Nothing was stolen… no intruders…” He yawned. “Darkness was terrifying but besides that…– Well I didn’t expect this job to be this boring”

His eyelids felt heavy.

“What if I just… take a quick nap…?” He looked around the room one last time.”If there’s no boss around then you can do what you want.”

After just a few minutes, he was drooling on the floor.

“I’ve been stuck here for far too long…”

 A husky voice echoed in his ears. Jeremy’s eyes were quick to open. He didn’t know what he was seeing, but one thing was sure, he wasn’t in the lobby anymore. The amber sky seemed to be stretching for miles. Whatever he was standing on didn’t feel right, on the one hand it was slippery like glass, but at the same time it felt sticky, like if it wanted to trap him.

Jeremy looked around, he wasn’t alone, but he couldn't locate the person he had just heard.   

“I’m alone— All alone!” The voice cried loudly. “What’s the point of keeping me here anymore?! The Sorcerer is gone after all…”

A gigantic shadow of a bird flew just above Jeremy’s head.

“But it’s not about the sorcerer!” Huge bird landed and laughed to itself. “It’s because he hates me. Oh, he wants me here for all eternity!.. To hell with him!”

Demonic creature hit the floor with all its rage. This was enough to make Jeremy fall down and scream out of fear. As he was laying on the floor, slowly sticking more and more, he expected to wake up at any moment. He heard another hellish screech and sound of sharp talons getting closer very quickly.

Jeremy opened his eyes, hoping that he would see the familiar moonlight. But instead he was greeted by a pair of glowing, red eyes analyzing his every movement. The head of the creature was just a skull of a bird with a few blue markings that resembled a warpaint. The bird demon was smiling, sending chills down Jeremy’s spine.

“A visitor…” Its voice echoed through his head. “Tsch, not anyone I know…– How bothersome.”

“I.. I am… I…” Night guard was squeaking like a mouse.”I’m Jeremy! Just a simple guard!”

“I didn’t ask! And frankly I’m not interested in hearing about your pitiful life!” The demon screamed and threw Jeremy back. “I hate humans. You always think of yourself as heroes! Think that your lives are somehow more important than other beings!”

“I don’t consider myself a hero…” He tried to stand up. “I’m nothing compared to our town's savior, the Ninja!”

Creature went silent, and so did the boy. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, everything felt so real that he started questioning if it really was a dream. Bird demon approached him in silence.

“Ah… so he’s a hero.” Its last word came out with a lot of bitterness. “Yes… Hm, yes, it was very heroic of him to slit my throat with his blade, disrespect my body by ripping away my feathers… and then trap my spirit here! Who you call a hero is nothing more than a filthy murderer.”

Jeremy stood confused. 

“From what you’ve said… It sounds like… well… you don’t paint ninja in a good light” He tried pinching himself in order to escape this dream. “I don’t think he would have done all that without a good reason.”

The black shadow of a bird turned into flames, and from them it reformed itself in a much different shape. No longer was it a monster looking down at him, but simply a man. His body was translucent and colored like a bright ember. He was wearing damaged samurai armor, wings dragged behind him like a cape, and in his hand he held a broken blade. His gaze was intense and drilling, but not as wild as in his bird form.

“Did I say something wrong!?” Jeremy was trembling. “I am terribly sorry! I… I know nothing about the ninja… but… I thought he’s an honorable guy!”

“I think this whole conversation started on a wrong note.” Warrior dropped his blade.”Don’t think I’ve changed my mind about humans— my hatred runs deep. But since you’re already here, I think you deserve to learn a few things about your hero.”

“Well… I don’t want to take your time!” He shook his head.”Maybe you can just— wake me up! And I won’t be bothering you anymore!”

The spirit tried his best to give a sincere looking smile.

“You’ll miss out on some valuable knowledge.” He shrugged. “You know, in the past people would do anything to have such a conversation.”

Night guard took a deep breath.

“Then if I may ask… who are you?”

“I’m glad you asked.” His chuckle sounded a bit forced.”People used to call me a Tengu— a bird spirit. I was the greatest swordsman in the land, and a noble one as well. I never declined a duel, not even to a human. I always fought with honor.”

“Why are you here then?”

“Because of the ninja, of course!” Tengu was making circles around the scared boy. “You see, one day he challenged me to a duel. He was confident about his powers, but confidence alone isn’t enough to win. I defeated him and sent him on his way.”

“But…”

“Shhh” He put his finger up.”Some time had passed and I was sure I wouldn’t see him again. Oh but I was wrong— He was furious that I'd managed to defeat him! He came to claim his victory and he was ready to do so at any price!”

“If you’ve beaten him once— then how come you didn’t manage to win again?” Concentrating on Tengu’s story made him stop shaking.

“This time he had a friend.” He clenched his fist. “I don’t know what he had said to that goddess to make her think I was the enemy… But he was successful…He challenged me to an uneven battle. I couldn’t win against someone backed up by a heavenly power…”

Tengu gasped theatrically.

“They imprisoned me here.” He spread his arms.”In a stone they’d called “Eye of Eternities”!”

Jeremy scratched his head.

“This is confusing…” He was trying to analyze the story. “I’m having a hard time believing all this— It was hard for me to believe in ninja… and you’re spitting nonsense about spirits and gods.”

“You humans used to be more spiritual back then.” Tengu frowned. “You may want to argue with me about your beliefs, but you must believe me that it’s all real.”

“First of all, this is a dream!” Jeremy spouted. “This is just a figment of my imagination!”

“Wrong.” Tengu moved his hand towards the orange sky and after a moment it became clear like a window. “There you are. Lying unconscious on the school floor.”

“But— how— this is impossible!”

“Oh well— If you knew anything about spirits, then you’d know that you should be very careful about what you do during the full moon.” Tengu shook his head in disapproval. “For you, it might seem like a dream, but for me, it’s a very real visit.” 

The young night guard wandered lost in his thoughts. Nothing made sense. Things he considered to be just fairy tales were real this whole time. 

“Why didn’t you just attack me?” Jeremy felt like he should have asked this question earlier. 

“If I’ve attacked you, you’d simply wake up…None of us would have gotten anything out of this meeting.” 

Even though the mind of a Tengu was broken after centuries of imprisonment, he knew he should always take the opportunity when it’s there. It’s not everyday that he has a chance to speak with someone. Boy was naive, he noticed it right away. Maybe if he plays his cards right, he’ll be able to make this night interesting.

“Tell me, Jimmy…”

“It’s Jeremy, actually.” He said quietly.

“Whatever…” Tengu said under his nose.”Do you like helping others?”

“Oh I…— I… sure! Who doesn’t?” Jeremy giggled. “I’ve had many bullies during middle school and high school, but no one was kind enough to give me a helping hand…So now I help others in need!”

“Truly amazing…” He ran his hand across his face. “Would you like to help me then?”

Boy stood shocked.

“Me? Help you? But…—“

“You’ve said you help those in need, am I right?”

“Jeez… yes…—“ He tried looking for an excuse. “Well… From what you’ve said… it seems there’s no reason for you to be here… But how am I supposed to help!? I’m just human! And I didn’t even have my 20th birthday yet!”

“Don’t panic and listen.” Tengu grabbed him by his shoulder. “I can’t free myself from the inside, this prison can be open only from the outside.”

“Didn’t you say that this stone was made by a god?” Jeremy was sweating nervously. “Isn’t it like… crazy powerful?”

Tangu looked up.

“Maybe at the beginning, yes” He chuckled. “But nothing is truly eternal. This stone went through a lot and it was even cracked on multiple occasions. I can feel how weak it has become. I don’t think Ninja is needed for the job anymore.”

He smiled mischievously.

“A brute force might be just enough to shatter this prison.”

“You want me to crack the stone?” Jeremy panicked. “But that would be a destruction of property! I’d be punished for it! Oh man— I don’t have money for such a fine.”

“No one will know about it!” He screamed enthusiastically, trying to earn the boy's trust. “After you get me out I will simply fix it! I promise!”

Jeremy looked at Tengu with mixed emotions. 

“All you need is a hammer, or other tool!” Tengu smiled. “It just so happens that the equipment is right there!”

“And what will you do once you get out?”

Spirit turned around, hiding his face from the boy.

“I’ll return home.” He exclaimed. “I miss my mountain…Maybe I’ll even say hi to old friends.”

He felt conflicted. Tengu’s story felt genuine, but despite his reassuring words, he still felt freaked out by the spirit. 

There were several outcomes of this encounter, and he preferred not to know how it would end if he said “no” to him.  

“I’ll try my best…” There wasn’t much confidence in Jeremy’s voice. “Just…– How do I wake up?”

Spirit of the warrior smiled and came closer to the boy.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.” Smile disappeared from his face, and he lowered his voice. “I’m counting on you…– Don’t fail me.”

His last words sounded like a threat. But before Jermey was able to  say anything, he felt a powerful punch hit his stomach. He hasn't experienced such pain before. His eyes faded to black.

He was back.

Jeremy jumped up from the floor. He was sweating and breathing quickly, he could feel his heart pounding his chest, like if it was about to break free from the ribs of his body. He tried to calm down but what he just experienced was simply too much. He was scared for his life.

He grabbed his trusty flashlight.

“I’m so glad to see you again!” He screamed. “I’ve had the weirdest dream of my life! There was this giant bird, and then shoosh! He changed into a samurai, and he told me…”

Jeremy turned his head towards the mosaic. The stone was glowing like a warning sign, it was bright enough to light up the whole hall. It was calling him.

“...He told me to break the stone…” He put down his light. “I’m sorry… I think you should just wait here…Close your eyes while we’re at it…”

He took a deep breath and walked towards boxes of equipment. He didn’t want to do this, but what will happen to him if he decides to flee now? Will he be cursed forever? Will his family die? The thought of spirits, or worse, demons, haunting him for the rest of his life was much worse than paying a few bucks for destroying one thing on the property.

A hammer laid heavy in his hand. 

As he was getting closer to the stone, he felt as if the golden carp was judging his every action. It looked angry in the bright moonlight, and the glow of the amber prison made its scales look alive.

Stress was making him gasp for air. He knelt down and lifted his hammer high, ready to strike the stone.

His whole body was shaking.

“Please… let this be over with.” He closed his eyes and struck the stone.

His first hit was met with a lot of resilience, but it didn’t make him stop. On each next hit he was striking it harder and harder, and with each one he could feel the surface cracking.

The light coming from the stone was getting dangerously intense, and after dealing another blow, he was violently thrown across the hall by a strange and powerful force.

Tiny bits of amber scattered across the floor, and the hammer hit the ground with a loud bang. Jeremy tried to pick himself up, but his body was hurting from the fall. 

And then he heard it, a terrifying screech.

If you’ve managed to reach this section, I want to give you my biggest thanks for taking time out of your precious life to give my story a read ♥️♥️

I might not be the best writer, but I enjoy what I do — and besides, there’s always room for improvement

And remember kids, don’t ever trust a Tengu trapped in a magical stone, he’s mad and insanely good at lying

[modelbus]

hiiii would you be willing to do a tommy x fem/gn reader where the reader doesn’t have a prom date and tommy offers to fly to america to be their date teehee … perhaps starting platonic and ending romantic ?

Starting platonic and ending romantic my beloved Also, uh, this got a bit long...

Pairing: CC!Tommy x gn!Reader (who wears a dress)

Perfect Prom

“Where have you been? It’s been ages since I’ve talked to you!” Tommy whines when you join his VC.

“It’s been a day.”

“You didn’t answer any of my messages!”

“Someone is clingy.” Tubbo coughs.

“Fuck off! No I’m not!”

You sigh, opening Minecraft to join him. His stream is pulled up on your second monitor so you can see his expressions while talking to him. It seems to be a chill day today. Or as chill as it gets with Tommy and Tubbo in the same stream.

“I was busy!” You defend

“Too busy for big man Tommyinnit? What were you even doing?!”

“Helping my friends shop for prom. It’s a whole day thing, you know?”

“Oh!” Tubbo exclaims, suddenly sounding eager. “Is your prom soon?”

“A week, yeah.”

“I expect photos.” He tells you.

You give an awkward laugh, moving your Minecraft character to try and find Tommy and Tubbo’s. “Uh, I’m not going?”

“Why not?!” Tommy yells.

This was the embarrassing part, the part you were about to admit to thousands of viewers.

“I, um, don’t really have a date.”

Your popularity started and ended online, leaving you completely and utterly alone. Sure you had friends, but they all had dates. And with prom in a week… well, you had just given up. It wasn’t like you wanted to go to prom that bad.

“What?!” At least Tommy seems outraged for you. “What about your friends?”

“All have dates. I’d rather hang out with you guys and stream anyways. Right chat? You’re more important than some dance.”

Chat seems to disagree with you, but that’s fine.

“So you don’t want to go to prom at all? Not even a little?” Tubbo questions.

“Nope.” You lie. “Now where are you at? I can find you.”

“Have you ever heard of the man cave?”

The topic doesn’t get dropped forever though, coming up later off stream. Tubbo had left the VC immediately after ending stream so it was just you and Tommy now.

“Genuinely, you’re fine with not going to prom? That’s super important, isn’t it?” He asks, breaking the post-stream silence first.

“I wish I could, but the administration has rules against going alone.” You shrug despite him not being able to see you. “Besides, what’s the point of buying a dress if I’m not going with anyone?”

“So you want to go?”

“You’re just rubbing it in now.”

“I’m not! All you need is a date to prom to go?”

How many times did you have to repeat this for him to understand?

“Yeah. All I need is a date.”

“Then I’ll be your date!”

Immediately, you choke on your own saliva in shock. “What?!”

“I’ll be your date to prom! So you can go!”

“Tommy, there’s a few problems with that. I’m in America and prom is in a week, for one.”

“I’m already looking at flights.”

“Second, you do realize a date is romantic right?”

“Platonic date then.”

“Why can’t you just let me be alone?!”

“Because,” he starts earnestly, “that’s shit. Besides, it’ll make for a pretty cool vlog.”

“Tommy, you know I couldn’t ask you to-“

“You’re not asking, I’m offering. Say yes for the content if not for yourself.”

“…fuck this. Yeah. Come to America and be my prom date.”

He cheers, making you laugh.

“I’m gonna get to experience an American prom! No more content searching! There’s a flight out tomorrow.”

“Should we, like, ask Phil about this?”

“Probably, but I already bought my flight.”

“This is going to be a fucking mess.”

-

“This is so fucking stupid! Why won’t it stay in the fucking pocket?!”

You laugh, trying to adjust the pin pinning the flower in his pocket to no avail. “I told you the corsages were a bad idea!”

“Dream said to buy them. All or nothing.”

“And here we are, putting holes in your suit. Isn’t this a rental?”

“How dare you think me so low that I’d rent a suit instead of buying one.”

“Aha! The flower is on!”

You step back, taking in the sight of Tommy in his full suit. He had gotten you both matching corsages, red and white flowers that stuck out on his black suit coat and your wrist. Tommy turns to the bathroom mirror, filming with his phone.

“Oooo! Damn, I am sexy.”

“Okay, we’re going to miss the reservations.”

“Oh! The ones at Applebees?!”

“I still can’t believe you wanted to go to Applebees. We could’ve gone literally anywhere.”

“Okay, but Sapnap said-“

“Do you think Sapnap got any bitches?”

“Have you seen Sapnap?”

You stare at each other for a moment.

“He’s from Texas. Never trust a man from Texas.”

“So Applebee’s isn’t good?”

“I’ll let Applebees talk for itself.”

“Really? It’s that bad?”

“It’s… it’s something.”

With the newfound lack of courage in his choice of restaurant, you two set out for Applebees. Considering most people go somewhere nice on prom, it’s pretty dead. Maybe you’ll actually get good service for once.

“I swear the waitress just quit.” Tommy laughs, glancing around.

“Or maybe she’s disgusted by the fact you got a medium rare steak.” You suggest.

“Hey!” He yells, throwing a fry at you. “Don’t insult Dead Henry!”

“You named your food?!”

Dodging another fry, you start to throw your own back at him.

“This is fucking war!” He declares, grabbing a handful.

Under the sudden pelt of fries you half hide under the table. Tommy laughs maniacally, seemingly evil. And it’s all because you insulted his choice of steak. You should never get steak from Applebees to begin with!

“Excuse me, sir?”

Oh, of course the waitress comes back now.

“I’m going to have to ask you two to leave.”

Fuck.

“Oh.” Tommy says, apparently too shocked to find a response.

“I am so sorry.” You apologize, scrambling to try and find your card. Tommy’s won’t work because it’s English and Applebees isn’t refined enough to take English cards, so he promised he’d pay you back somehow.

“Yeah, you’re disrupting our other customers.”

Tommy glances around and mouths, “what customers?” to you.

“Mhm, mhm.” You hum as the waitress prints the receipt.

“…have a good day. I guess.”

The second the door closes behind you two, Tommy erupts. “What the fuck?! There were no other customers! It was just us! And she could’ve asked us to stop, not fucking kick us out!”

“It’s Applebees, Tom. What did you really expect?”

“America is the worst!” He laughs, “we really got kicked out because we threw fries, fuck.”

His words make you realize exactly how stupid the situation is. It’s prom night, Tommy came to America to be your date, and you both just got kicked out of Applebees.

Soon enough you’re both laughing at the absurdity of it all.

“How far is the boat?” Tommy asks after a little while.

Because your school was stingy on literally everything else they made up for it by going all out for prom. If you hadn’t known that then maybe you would’ve declined Tommy’s offer, but goddamn was prom meant to be cool.

“Walking?” You ask, pulling up Google maps.

“Yeah.”

“Uh, Google maps says fifteen minutes.”

He nods, offering you his arm. Without a second thought you take it, walking where he goes.

“Where are we going?”

“Prom.” He answers confidently.

“…wrong way.”

“Fuck. I knew that.”

The walk is only slightly cold, but after a few minutes you completely forget about the breeze in favor of joking with Tommy. You definitely owe him a lot. He came all the way to America just to be your date so you could go to prom!

Platonic date. You couldn’t forget that word: platonic. Because although your feelings before this were entirely platonic (were they really...?) seeing Tommy in person was changing that too fast for you keep up with your own feelings.

By the time you reach the docks it’s been well over fifteen minutes, tipping into thirty, which makes it perfect timing.

“When you said prom was a big thing I didn’t realize it was this fucking big.” Tommy says.

“Yeah, there's a lot of people." You agree, joining the line. "At least we're moving quick."

"I was more concerned about everyone dying at seeing my stunning dance moves."

"Oh, yeah, that's a pressing issue."

Soon enough you're both on the boat. It's actually really cool. There are three floors to the boat: the top one has an open-air dance floor, the middle has an indoor dance floor, and the bottom just has food and drinks.

By the time the two of you make your way to the top floor where everyone else is, prom is already in full swing. That is, to say, crowded and loud as fuck. Tommy grabs your hand so you two don't get separated in the huge sea of dancing people, pulling you a bit closer to him.

"Now what?" He asks.

"Dance, I guess?'

With a nod, he steps back and starts doing his weird dance moves. You can't help but laugh, although you do admire the confidence.

"Why aren't you dancing?! Dance with me!" He yells, eyes lighting up at a Taylor Swift song.

"Oh no no no, I am staying far away from you and your embarrassing moves."

"You're on the phone with your girlfriend she's upset!" He sings, grabbing your hands and forcing you to dance. After a second you give in, dancing with him.

The next songs pass so quickly in the blur of having fun with Tommy that you don't even realize he never dropped your hands. In the classic Tommy way, he's just dragging you around and forcing you to do his shitty yet wonderfully fun dance moves.

"Alright guys, we're over halfway through this thing, let's let the couples have some moments." The DJ announces.

As the current pop song fades into a much slower one, you start to head off the dance floor.

"Wait, we have to dance." Tommy quickly says. "Y'know, for the whole prom experience."

"Do you know how to slow dance? Because I don't."

"I am Tommyinnit the womanizer, of course I know how to slow dance!"

You laugh and loop your arms around his neck. "Alright then, womanizer."

He hesitates before placing his arms around your waist. The two of you just sway to the song, slowly relaxing throughout it.

"Thank you." You finally say, breaking the silence that had fallen between you two. "For coming."

"I came for Applebees, not you."

"Oh, of course, how could I not know." You roll your eyes.

He laughs, glancing around. "But of course I fucking came."

"You didn't just come though. You're in a whole suit. You're slow dancing with me."

"Because I'm your date."

"Platonic date." You correct instinctively. You've had to mentally correct yourself for a whole week now.

"...right. Yeah."

He doesn't sound entirely happy with that, and you can't help the way your heart leaps. It's foolish hope, but hope nonetheless.

"Actually, Wilbur's been telling me to make a fucking move for a while now." He suddenly says. "And that's why I offered. I know it's super shitty of me to tell you this now, but I just- you need to know, and I need to know, so I can stop getting my hopes up. I-"

Stopping your swaying, you cut his words off with a kiss. Maybe it's some Disney bullshit, but you swear this feels different than any other time you've kissed someone. Perfect, almost.

"What if I suggested we went to prom as a not-platonic date?" You ask.

"I'd say we're already fucking doing it." He responds with the stupidest grin you've ever seen him wear. "Wilbur's never gonna believe this."

[corvis-crimson]

Basic Writing Advice

Take everything said with a grain of salt because this is just what I do…not what everyone should do

I’d like to give writing advice to people as someone who has written stories since I could pick up a pencil. However, I’m realizing a lot of my advice may not work for everyone…

Despite this I will be posting this post anyway!

Make your rough draft good enough that spelling and grammar aside…you could feasibly send it out into the world! Then go back and fix things that need fixing!

The best way to know if something needs fixed is to have someone else read it! If they don’t understand what’s going on you need to elaborate more!

If you feel like you’re using too much detail or too many words try using bigger words in place of two to three smaller words!

Act out scenes in your book as you write them and be aware of how you do things! Watch how others do things and emulate that! Study people! It’s the only way to write movement well…

For that first draft focus only on getting it to sound good and flow well! Fix grammar the second time through!

Aim to write ten pages a day then get upset when you don’t do that! Guilt yourself into writing close to ten pages a day until your book is finished! You’ll be upset you keep not reaching your goal that you’ll be determined to reach the ten page mark and by the time you start reaching it your book is almost done! It’s a life hack to completing your book under your own nose!

Dont focus on one project by itself unless you think you can get it out in six months or less (what I did with my first ever book linked in my pinned post)

If you’re a reader like me don’t read any books while you’re writing (I know it’s hard but trust me I got way more done when I wasn’t reading) if you must read at least read something from a different genre!

Write in chronological order and make a bullet point list for your plot chapter by chapter if you must! You can go off path but so long as it you make it to the next bullet point you’re good!

Do not pigeon hole yourself into one genre!! You’ll get bored of it if you don’t challenge yourself!

Write for yourself and don’t be afraid to take inspiration from things! So long as you aren’t copying things word for word and so long as you aren’t stealing characters or plots ITS FINE! It’s great actually!! (Think of it this way…I am a HUGE zombie movie fan and just because there are already a lot of zombie movies out there in the world when a new one comes out I will definitely watch it! Not only will I watch it but I won’t care if it’s similar to another zombie movie I enjoyed!)

Get the words out of your head it doesn’t matter how! If writing scrawled words you can barely read across notebook paper gets them out then do it! Don’t let your story die!

If you let anything sit for over a year and it has less than five pages go ahead and re-write those pages! Start fresh from the beginning because you’ll never be in the mindset you were in when you first wrote it again!

If time was a social construct and the human body could withstand lack of sleep, water, and food…if locked in a cell with nothing else to do but write the ideal thing to do would be to push through and write the entire thing in one setting! Get that shit out of your head before it drives you insane! Since the human body does need sleep, water, and food I suggest writing as much as you physically can before stopping! The only reason I’ve ever finished a book was because I wrote the first twenty or so pages in one sitting!

Re-read your book until the thought of looking at it again gives you a headache! It’s the only way to catch all the mistakes…(side note: when combing through the interior of your book don’t make the mistake of slacking on your cover thinking you are now invincible…you’ll make a mistake)

As your book nears its final chapters go ahead and design the cover! Select a style and a theme to match your books contents! Amazon cover designer has great covers but I recommend taking a photo for your cover! (At a later date I will make a post about cover design etc)

Taking breaks is good but taking longer breaks is bad! Get some water, get some tea, some koolaid, a pitcher of lemonade?! Whatever floats your boat! Set it next to you and when you’re stuck pour a glass and have a drink! I call this “Drink and Think” and something about pouring the drink into the glass and taking a sip helps refresh my brain!

[stillfertile]

she said she's only gay for me‼️ and idk what to believe‼️

dewey drabble below

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, had it since I was five.”

Brandon and Middsy are bickering about… something or other. Connor is still half-asleep, so if they don’t start quieting down soon he’s going to throw his tape at them.

“I’ve seen pictures of you as a kid–you’ve shown me pictures of you as a kid! You’re obviously lying, dude.” Brandon shoves Jake’s arm a couple times just for extra effect. 

“No, I'm serious!” Jake says with a shit-eating grin. Connor can hear Zuccy trying to swallow his giggles. “You can ask my doctor, she’ll tell you: Heart problems since age five; Must wear a heart monitor to track it,” Jake nods.

“Fuck off, dude. And what?? If you don’t wear it you’ll keel over?” Brandon snipes. Even though he looks like the most confident man in the room, he’s gullible as shit. Kirill was trying to convince him just last week that the Russians landed on the moon first. It was harder to trick Brandon with that one, being a good, patriotic, Florida-born, boy. Kirill was pretty damn close though.

“Not really, but if I don’t wear it for like a week then you should start worrying about me fainting on you,” Jake says, calm as ever. His poker face is on-point. 

Brandon jabs him in the ribs and now it’s devolving into full on wrestling, as many arguments with Brandon do. Connor is his road buddy, he’d know. Brandon is so fucking squirrely with energy pre and post games, and getting into brotherly tussles is one way he expels it. If they’re watching TV, playing mario kart, laying around doing nothing, doesn't matter. Brandon is going to end up pushing him. Thankfully for him, Connor indulges, and pushes back.

Connor finds himself abandoning his untied skates at his feet and watching the scuffle. Jake has him in a headlock now, and is attempting to shove him into the stall. Brandon is trying to knee him in the stomach, but the attempt is looking pretty fruitless. He’s gripping Jake’s arm tight, though, his fingers are all white, knuckles jutting out, and the veins that crawl up his arms bulge out of his skin. 

Brandon isn’t good at fighting, no matter how hard he tries. Connor can always pin him down. Only a month ago did Connor find out how much Brandon enjoys it. He had him on the scratchy hotel carpet, both of them sweaty from wrestling for a stupid amount of time. Connor was on top of Brandon and fisting his shirt collar and pressing it to the floor so he couldn’t sit up. Brandon was shoving his chest to push him off, his veins big and angry just like now. So to get a better grip Connor wrapped one hand around his throat. Little did he know, it was a string to his fucking dick. Connor can’t forget how blissed out Brandon looked. He told Brandon he was only this desperate because he doesn’t talk to women enough to pick up. He helped him, though. He couldn’t leave him like that.

Jake lets Brandon go, even though Brandon was still egging him on to keep fighting. He never taps out, never. Connor is still trying to find where his breaking point is. 

Jake pushes him back, still grinning like a maniac. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked sooner, how long have we been teammates?”

“I just assumed you wore it to make your pecs look perkier,” Brandon snaps back.

Jake huffs out a laugh. He doesn’t miss a beat, “Why are you looking? Are you gay?”

Brandon’s mouth slams shut and his jaw clenches, and for a moment he fumbles. It’s just a second, really, but Connor can see Brandon shrink back for the time it takes him to decode that Jake is joking. He’s not actually accusing Brandon, he doesn’t know anything. They’re not even doing anything–why is this even catching him off-guard? What they do together isn’t–it’s just easier.

Connor rips his eyes away and ties his skates. He’s heard gay jokes before, he’s made gay jokes before. This shouldn’t be bugging him.

Brandon recovers fast, and flashes a smile at Jake. “Nah, I’m only gay for Dew.”

Ok. What the fuck.

Connor’s head snaps up and he glares at the back of Brandon’s head till he swears he’s going to leave holes in it. What the fuck.

Jake is laughing, multiple people are laughing. But they don’t–they don’t know. He and Brandon agreed it wasn’t anything like that. They agreed. Brandon said himself that Connor’s too socially awkward to pick up, so it’s easier. Brandon’s the one that’s the freak, getting a boner from a simple hand around his neck. He’s the one that’s–He’s–

Brandon doesn’t look at him, just walks out of the room. Clearly he doesn’t give a fuck about who he throws under the bus as long as it isn’t him. 

No–No. Nobody knows.

But for a moment, it felt like they did.

[rai-nie]

are there still beautiful things?

a/n: hi this is my first post plz enjoy :) lmk if there's a name not y/n or n/n because i originally wrote this with an oc

pairing: f!reader x jj maybank

warnings: jj's dad, violence, swearing, argument, abuse, hurt/comfort, angsty, fluff at the end i swear

“We can’t be together, y/n. You’ll end up getting hurt.” 

“I’m with you because I choose to be. Don’t you have trust in us?” 

During all the reckless Pogue adventures, Y/n never got hurt. Never. Until now. It wasn’t exactly a group mission, though. JJ had gone to his father’s house to tell him about the restitution money and he didn’t want anyone tagging along. He didn’t want his friends risking their safety for his well-being. But, he underestimated his girlfriend. She was determined to better JJ’s life, no matter what it meant. 

When Y/n reached Luke Maybank’s home, she could hear the sounds of arguing. The girl began running towards the commotion. Once the back porch came into view, she could see JJ and Luke shouting. Luckily, nothing physical yet. 

“JJ!” She shouted. Definitely a bad decision. Both turned their heads toward her and she stopped dead in her tracks. JJ could see his father start to make a move toward Y/n and his heart dropped to his stomach. JJ quickly moved to block Luke. 

“Who is this, your girlfriend? Does she know what a piece of shit you are? Huh?” Luke was up in JJ’s face at this point, the younger of the two determined to keep a straight face the entire time. 

“Who am I kidding, she’s probably just as worthless as you are.” Luke scoffed. He stormed off of the porch, down to Y/n. She tried to back up, but Luke was quicker. He grabbed her by the wrist, pressing down so tightly she began to lose feeling in her fingers. JJ’s face hardened, if that was even possible, at the sight of his father hurting his girlfriend. Y/n struggled against Luke’s grip to no avail. The man got up in her face, the smell of alcohol more present than she’d ever experienced. 

“Let me go!” She yelled. 

“Shut up! Shut up, you bitch!” Luke’s anger got ahold of him, landing a right hook on Y/n's face, then pinning her to the ground. His hands weren’t around her neck for long before JJ kicked him off of her. Y/n was recovering while JJ fixed the problem. 

The boy contemplated ending it for good, but knew that his life would end too. JJ’s mood quickly changed when he saw Y/n on the ground, cradling her wrist. 

“Hey, hey. Let me see.” JJ took her wrist in his hands, his touch as light as a feather. It was red, and Y/n winced whenever she rotated it. 

“It’ll be bruised, but you’re okay. How’s your neck?” Y/n tilted her head back slightly so JJ could get a better look. At the sight of the red line, JJ could feel his heart break into a thousand pieces. He did everything he could to protect Y/n, and it failed. He failed. JJ stood back up, turning his back to Y/n so she didn’t see the tears. 

“JJ?” She stood, reaching to put a hand on his back, but he flinched. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. Let’s just go back to John B’s, alright? We both need sleep.” JJ stayed silent, but agreed. He took Y/n's good hand and they walked to his bike.

The chateau was empty when the two arrived, which was beginning to be a normal occurrence. Y/n began to drag JJ into the bathroom to clean his wounds, but the boy insisted they just go to sleep. 

. . . 

When Y/n woke up the next morning, JJ wasn’t in the bed next to her. She listened for a moment, hearing the tab of a beer can open on the porch. Y/n climbed out of bed, sliding on some sandals before joining JJ on the porch. 

“Hey,” her voice was hoarse as she rubbed his back. “How’d you sleep?” JJ didn’t say anything, just shrugged. It was obvious that something was bothering him.

“J, what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. You know you can talk to me.” 

“Yeah, N/n. I know that, and I’m so grateful to have you, okay? It’s just..”

“Just what?” 

“I’ve been thinking, and I don’t think we should be together anymore.” 

Y/n's breath hitched. 

“What? Why? Did I do something? If I did something, please let me know because I can fix it, okay?” 

“N/n, you didn’t do anything. In fact, it’s what I didn’t do.”

Y/n tilted her head in question. 

“I couldn’t save you, okay?! I tried and tried but he got to you too, and if we stay together, you could get hurt again, or worse, and I can’t handle that, N/n! I can’t live knowing I’m putting you in danger.” 

Y/n's lip quivered and tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t believe that the boy she loved so much thought he was the one who hurt her. JJ looked at her, two pairs of teary eyes meeting each other. JJ sighed, turning his back and rubbing his neck. 

“JJ, I am with you through everything. That is what I signed up for when I agreed to this relationship. I do not care who your father is. I do not care what shit I have to put myself through to see you alive and well. I love you and I always will. I am with you because I choose to be. Don’t you believe in us? No matter what shit life throws our way.” Tears were flowing freely down both of their faces now and Y/n's voice was cracking even more. “I do not care that I got hurt, because I am fine.” All JJ could see were the marks on her wrist and neck as he tried to listen to her words. He wanted to believe her, and Y/n could see he was trying. 

“What…What if you get hurt again? What do I do then, N/n?” His voice cracked and it broke Y/n's heart. 

“I don’t know, J, because it's hypothetical. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us in the future, but I do know I want to be with you through it all.” 

JJ was silent for a moment before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms lightly around her neck. Y/n sighed in relief and wrapped her arms strongly around his waist. JJ held her as if it was the last time he ever would, but he prayed to whatever god there was that it wouldn’t be.

[astra-galaxie]

Idk if i am too late to ask, but ☾, ★, ☆, ☠, ■, ♡, ♥, ☮, ♦, ☯, ▼ for Tess Goodwin pretty please? <3

The Tess Goodwin expert is asking me for headcanons?! I don’t know if I should be honoured or worried!😶

Dramatics aside, don’t worry; it's never too late to send me requests! Sorry that it took me a while to post these. I was finishing up a chapter for my story and wanted to get that out of the way so I could concentrate on your request!

Now, it's been a long, LONG time since I’ve focused on Tess, so after refreshing myself with her character, here’s what I have come up with for her headcanons!

☾ - sleep headcanon

Tess is a night owl and a light sleeper. She prefers staying up late because she finds that is when she gets some of her best work done, as she is free from distractions. She’s been known to pull all-nighters to finish an assignment or personal project. When she does sleep, she can easily be woken up, as she rarely falls into a heavy slumber. Sometimes, she uses a white noise machine to block out other sounds, and it does help her stay asleep longer.

★ - sad headcanon

Her family disowned her after she was arrested. They wanted nothing to do with her, especially Morgan, and told everyone that Tess was no longer their family. Tess hides the pain of losing her family behind a carefully crafted mask. She had come so far and couldn't let anyone see her at her weakest. But in the privacy of her cell, she let herself cry and mourn the fact that she had lost everyone who ever cared about her in just one night.

☆ - happy headcanon

Tess attended her first Grimsborough sci-fi festival when she was in high school. She had spent weeks working on her cosplay to make it as comic-accurate as possible. She saved her money to buy merch and planned out which booths she wanted to visit most. She even attended a meet-and-greet with one of her favourite actors and got their autograph. While she would continue to attend more festivals, the first one will always hold a special place in Tess’s heart.

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

Tess doesn’t fight with her fists; she uses her words and psychology to defeat her opponents. She knows how to target people’s insecurities, bring them down to their most vulnerable points, and strike them down even further with tailored insults. But while her go-to weapon is words, she’s not afraid to throw hands when necessary. She’s smart and can calculate the best way to attack someone’s weak spots to end fights quickly before someone can get the upper hand on her.

■ - Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

Tess’s rooms have always been disorganized, even as a child. But specifically, as a university student, Tess’s dorm room is covered in research, from papers on her desk to photos and articles pinned to the walls. You know those string boards to track theories? Yeah, she has a couple of those on her walls, and they're as messy as you’d expect them to be! However, despite the mess, Tess can find anything immediately. Organized chaos, she calls it.

♡ - romantic headcanon

Tess has never been much of a romantic, or at least finding love was never her top priority. She never wanted to become someone who relied on another person to support her, so she chose to pursue her education and career first. She wanted to have a stable foundation for her life, as she understood the inner workings of people's minds better than anyone else. Sure, some people have caught her eye around the university, but with her nose always in a book, she never saw if anyone looked at her the way she did them.

♥ - family headcanon

Growing up, Morgan liked to follow Tess around. People would call her Tess’s shadow or duckling. Morgan looked up to her big sister so much and wanted to be as smart and confident as Tess was one day. Of course, there were times when Tess wished her little sister would leave her alone (what siblings don't fight?), but she always loved her. Even after being arrested and Morgan telling her she hated her for ruining her life, Tess still loved her sister. Morgan was always a constant in Tess’s life, and losing her was the worst thing that could have happened to Tess.

☮ - friendship headcanon

Tess has always been a little… Strange, even as a child. She did have friends as a child, but not many. She wasn’t invited to the “cool kids” parties but attended birthday parties throughout her childhood. Even in high school and university, she still had a close group of people she called her friends. Tess never cared about being the “queen bee” or having everyone fan over her for her looks, but she always wanted to have friends.

After it was revealed she was the Rorschach Reaper, Tess’s friends turned their backs on her. With no one visiting her in prison, Tess dedicated her new life to researching the Crimson Order, something she had heard rumours of long before her arrest. Tess might have lost her friends, but she was still going to do what she did best: find the truth.

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Tess has tried many hobbies throughout her life, but few have ever stuck with her. But one thing that’s stuck with her is a love of comic books and cosplay. She enjoys crafting replicas of her favourite characters’ outfits and paraphernalia to wear when she attends the Grimsborough sci-fi festival. Tess also collects comic books and memorabilia; she’s even made some memorabilia of her own. Sometimes, she sells her stuff anonymously through Kevin Parker’s shop (she collects the money she makes from Kevin once a week) and occasionally takes requests/commissions from customers.

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

Likes:

Her sister

Comic books

Cosplaying

Conspiracy investigation

Dislikes:

Beauty pageants

Social Media Influencers

Pyramid schemes

Fake “know-it-alls”

▼ - childhood headcanon

People used to call Tess a genius and a prodigy when she was a child. She was always at the top of her class, with the highest grades and the best attendance. Her teachers consistently praised her hard work and encouraged her to pursue higher education. She could have even skipped a grade, but her parents were worried about how it would affect her development if she missed a grade. But even if she never skipped grades, Tess won countless competitions against older students, and no one doubted she would go places when she grew up.

And that’s what I’ve got for Tess Goodwin's headcanons! I hope these have your stamp of approval, Atlas. Thank you for the request!

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s Difficult Problem Date (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 难题之约, that is yet to be released in the global server! ♡

[Translation Under the Cut]

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [Chapter 1] ✧

The delicate snow falls silently outside the window, and the fire in the fireplace burns warm.

I curl up on the sofa with the computer in my arms, faced with a screen full of red documents, and I can’t help scratching my hair.

After typing a line, my brows wrinkle into a frown, and I delete it again. Having done this back-and-forth several times, I finally can’t resist any longer and knock on the door to the study holding the laptop in my arms.

Victor: What’s wrong?

Victor is busy reading the reports in the study. As the end of the year draws nearer, he has numerous matters to deal with.

Fuming, I place my laptop on top of his reports and point to his countless red annotations, my hand clenched into a fist.

MC: Victor, what on earth do you really want from the LFG New Year’s Eve party?

MC: Why, after modifying five editions, you still made the annotation that I “lack inventiveness?”

Hearing my series of “accusations,” Victor shoots a glance at his own annotations, but his face remains calm and breezy.

Victor: You are the one who fought for wanting to plan LFG’s New Year’s Eve event. A certain someone patted her chest, assuring me that it’s gonna be a big eye-opener for me.

Victor: Furthermore, as Party A, I’ve already clearly told you about my requirements in the annotations.

MC: But you haven’t made your requirements absolutely clear! What did you mean by “the theme is too strong and not sufficiently soft”?

MC: I remember that before this, the theme you decided for the annual meeting was “blooming magnificently, and unstoppable.” And it wasn’t that soft either…

–

[Tidbits]: There’s an interesting little wordplay here ahah~ LFG’s actual name in Chinese is “HuaRuì.” The theme Victor decided on was “华丽绽放 (Huálì zhànfàng), 锐不可当 (Ruìbùkědāng).” So if you take the first characters of each phrase, you get “华锐 (HuaRuì)”~

–

I protest with dissatisfaction, but Victor only lifts his eyes indifferently.

Victor: Being LFG’s Party B is not that easy. Since you’ve dared to do it, you must be prepared to welcome the difficulties as well.

He picks up the red bunny cup and takes a sip of his coffee, his gaze landing on me unhurriedly.

Victor: Besides, don’t you often say that I’m an evil capitalist?

Victor: Capitalists are like this. They only put forward their demands; they don’t tell you how you are to get it done.

MC: ...

Victor’s words cause me to feel even more depressed. I can’t help but take a step forward and pin him down in his seat, staring at him with a condescending gaze.

MC: And do you know what’s the thing every Party B wants to do the most?

Victor: [in an extremely small voice]  What?

He looks at me with an inquisitive gaze while lifting his hand to my side to protect me from accidentally bumping against the table.

MC: That is to tie up Party A and “silence” them.

I make a vicious gesture of slashing his neck, but Victor seizes the opportunity to reach out and draws me into his arms, breathing in my breath.

Victor: [that precious, indulgent laugh]  Even if you want to “silence” me, a certain dummy must do what she’s promised me.

Victor: It’s the fundamental attainment of being the Party B.

MC: …

He doesn’t seem inclined to tell me any more information than this. Regardless, he still patiently accompanies me as I “vent” my dissatisfaction.

But then, my gaze suddenly sweeps over the thick piles of documents stacked on his desk. It seems that Victor’s year-end work is even busier compared to mine.

Heaving a sigh, I let go of my hand that is draped over Victor’s shoulders. I then stand up and pick up my laptop, deciding that I should better push harder on this on my own.

But I haven’t taken more than a few steps when I hear Victor’s voice resounding behind me.

Victor: Wait.

I turn around and find Victor looking at me, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Victor: This “evil” Party A still has a bit of human warmth within him. What do you want for a New Year’s gift?

Blinking, I ask to sound out.

MC: Will you say yes to any request?

Victor: Anything, you name it.

Given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, my eyes light up immediately. This being the case, I also deliberately want to make things difficult for Victor, to have him try out the torment of demands.

After pondering for a moment, I slowly nuzzle up to him, pick up a pen, and write down my request.

Victor looks at the words on the paper, and his brows arch down into a rare frown.

Victor: [reading the note]  “...the most solid, yet the softest thing in the world.”

Victor: Did you get inspired by the prismatic black, or are you taking revenge on me for the annotations I made earlier?

I give him a mischievous smile, mimicking his tone from just a moment ago.

MC: I’ve already clearly told you about my requirements. As for how you are to get it done––

MC: That will depend on CEO Victor’s fundamental attainment as Party B~

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 2] ✧

MC: Where’s CEO Victor? I’ve come to have him review LFG’s annual meeting proposal. Why isn’t he in the office?

Goldman: The CEO is at the shareholders’ year-end general meeting. It will be over soon. He said that if you arrive before he is done, just wait for him in the office.

MC: Okay, got it.

But after waiting for quite a while, there is still no sign of Victor. Thereupon, I can’t help but get up and wander around.

While fiddling with the ornaments on Victor’s desk, I suddenly see a couple of advertisement brochures that are pressed down by the report forms.

I can vaguely see the names on them. Most of them are about introduction to jewelry customization, and there are even recommendation lists on diamonds.

Why would Victor personally collect so many advertisement brochures… amid my puzzlement, a flicker of light suddenly appears before me, and I remember the request I had previously made.

Some vague conjectures emerge in my mind, and I can’t help but tug the corners of my lips upwards.

Although jewelry is the most solid of all, it’s certainly not the softest. It seems that “Party B,” too, is unable to comprehend my demand.

After a while, Victor returns. I immediately hand him the proposal and pat my chest, brimming with confidence.

MC: Reporting to CEO Victor, I’m very confident that the proposal will get approved this time!

He raises his eyebrows at my words, casually picking up my proposal.

Victor: Oh. I’ve already heard a certain someone’s “big speech” five times now. I hope that you will be able to deliver on your words this time.

MC: Affirmative!

The office is extremely quiet. The only sound that can be heard is the rustling sound of Victor flipping through the proposal.

It’s not until he’s finished reading the last page that he lifts his head to look at me, and I nervously swallow a gulp.

Victor: Mm, you’ve done a great job. It seems that you finally understood the annotations of “Party A.”

Victor: I’ve changed the hotel location to where the annual meeting was held. Aside from that, there is no other problem with this.

MC: Great!

I breathe a long sigh of relief, so immersed in the joy of the proposal being approved smoothly that I don’t concern myself with why Victor has changed the hotel location.

Victor stares at me, who is cheering jubilantly, a little hint of contemplation flitting through his eyes. He then walks up to me and takes my hand in his.

Victor: Work is over. Let’s go. It’s time to get off work and return home.

–

It’s not until I’m sitting in the car that I think about the advertisement brochures I’ve seen on Victor’s desk earlier.

I glance at Victor, who is driving, and can’t help myself from coughing lightly, beating about the bush.

MC: Umm, now that the proposal is approved, it suggests that New Year’s Eve is about to knock on the door.

Victor: Mm, and?

Victor has always been familiar with my pattern, so he takes my words from where I left off.

MC: So… how is your preparation for my gift coming along? Do you have any ideas yet?

Victor holds the steering wheel with a steady gaze, his voice calm and collected.

Victor: Regarding that matter, I think you can have faith in your Party B.

His voice is steady, and he looks straight ahead, not glancing at me even once. He seems to be very confident. Thereupon, I blink and nod deliberately.

MC: Of course, I have faith.

MC: Mr. CEO will definitely not choose things such as… diamonds… jewelry… or any such items as they do not meet the requirements for the gift at first glance.

Victor’s hands driving the car halt a little.

Coincidentally, there just happens to be a red light ahead. Victor steps on the brake, then turns his head to look at me, not batting an eyelash as he opens his mouth.

Victor: Since we’re on the subject, I actually have an opinion.

MC: What?

He pauses, a slight hint of tardiness taking on his tone.

Victor: Is it possible to narrow down the range of the trial a little bit?

I can’t help but curl up the corners of my lips and look at Victor.

MC: If Mr. CEO is willing to request me now and say, “please, Boss MC,” then I’ll consider narrowing down the range a little.

Victor: [long, hard, helpless sigh]  …

At this moment, the green light flashes ahead, and the traffic flow begins to move forward. So, Victor turns his head and continues to drive without any expression on his face.

He doesn’t look like he will agree to my request. I can’t help but mumble to myself in a low voice.

Humph, it looks like Junior Vic’s proposal is going to be rejected when the moment comes.

–

[Tidbits]: MC here addresses Victor as “小李” (Xiao Li), basically to declare her “upper hand” in this “gift deal” – where Victor is the “Party B,” and she is the “Party A.” It’s also an echo of how she tells him to call her “Boss MC” earlier 🤣

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 3] ✧

Time flies by at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, today’s New Year’s Eve.

The ambiance of LFG’s New Year’s Eve party is fervent. I take a sip of my drink, my gaze resting on the man speaking on the stage along with the crowd.

Victor: Everyone has worked hard this year. And to all, I hope that all of you have a good time and enjoy the rewards of your effort as we welcome the last moments of the year.

Victor: Regardless of what you’ve experienced throughout the year, a day of drinking fine wine to heart’s content and enjoying fine food is the year-end present everyone deserves.

Holding the microphone, Victor pauses for a moment, and his eyes sweep over me.

Victor: I also hope that the architect of this party can enjoy a satisfying time tonight.

He returns the microphone to Goldman and steadily lifts his wine glass to send greetings to everyone. In the audience, I smile back at him and raise my drink to him in response.

Tonight’s New Year’s Eve party is a benefit event for the staff who have voluntarily participated, and everyone can move about as they please. Victor also walks up to me after his speech.

Victor: Let’s go. It’s time for that New Year’s Eve candlelight dinner you’ve been eagerly waiting for.

MC: It’s the last dinner of this year. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s looking forward to it~

I smile and take his arm. He lowers his gaze and looks at me, rather helpless.

Victor: Of course. If I wasn’t looking forward to it, how could I have prepared it?

Victor says as he leads me toward the open-air restaurant. On the way, I can’t restrain my curiosity and open my mouth suggestively.

MC: But you’re right. I’m indeed looking forward to it more than you, and it’s not just because of the beef bourguignon for dinner.

MC: Gee, I also wonder how the result of this year’s last demand will turn out~

But Victor doesn’t give any answer to my words.

Victor: The beef bourguignon in this hotel is made by a Michelin chef brought in from France. Hasn’t a certain someone been craving it for quite a while?

Victor: Now that we are here, let’s focus on enjoying the fine food.

I nod, thinking to myself that perhaps Victor has some “big tricks” up his sleeves and is not disclosing any clues to me on purpose.

–

But… even when we’ve returned to the hotel after dinner, and even after washing up, Victor still doesn’t reveal any intention of showing me the gift.

As I blow-dry my hair, I glance at the clock hanging on the wall. The hour hand is already pointing to eleven, and in less than an hour, the year will be closing down the curtains.

I can’t hold myself back any longer and shift over to Victor’s side with the hairdryer in my hand.

Seeing me suddenly coming up next to him, Victor’s eyes flicker a little. He takes the hairdryer from me and continues to blow-dry my hair, opening his mouth while doing so.

Victor: The New Year’s Eve fireworks display is about to start. I’ve heard that you were personally involved in designing the patterns of the fireworks.

Victor: What’s it like?

MC: You’ll find out when the clock strikes midnight~

MC: On our anniversary, you gave me such beautiful rose fireworks.

–

[Tidbits]: MC is referring to the 5th anniversary final segment~

–

MC: Today, I’m more or less being a “copycat,” you might say. It’s my New Year’s Eve gift to you.

Victor doesn’t say anything more, blow-drying my hair for me. I glance at Victor and speak implicitly.

MC: But, speaking of New Year’s Eve gifts, you haven’t forgotten to get me something, have you?

Victor arches an eyebrow, laughing softly.

Victor: [teasing, soft, heavenly laugh]  What? Can’t hold your breath any longer?

MC: Says who!

MC: It’s just that… I’m wondering if a certain CEO feels that he probably hasn’t been able to meet my requirements, so he finds it embarrassing to bring it out?

I deliberately provoke him. But to my surprise, Victor remains even more composed than I imagined.

Victor: A certain someone has handed me so many bad proposals before and never found it embarrassing. So, why would I?

MC: Then you…

Just at this moment, the New Year’s bell suddenly rings out. And accompanied by the sound of piercing the air, fireworks bloom outside the window.

The bright and beautiful colors illuminate the entire night sky splendidly. The streaming fireworks outline the shape of a panda holding ingots, with the logo of LFG flashing underneath.

The surprised cheers of the LFG employees can be heard drifting from afar. The fireworks illuminate Victor’s side profile as he gives his full attention to watching the light show. I purse the corners of my lips as they form into a smile and speak softly.

MC: Victor, Happy New Year.

Looking at me trying to hang in there and yet unable to help my face from drooping down, an indescribable smile flashes through Victor’s eyes, and he interlocks his fingers with mine.

Victor: It’s obviously the New Year’s a certain someone likes the most. Why did you suddenly turn into a “depressed-faced kitten?”

Seeing that he is knowingly asking this question, I can’t help but puff out my mouth. But Victor immediately follows with the next words.

Victor: [heavenly laughter]  I haven’t forgotten what I promised you.

Victor: It’s just that… now is not the best time to accept the gift.

MC: So, when will it be?

Victor gives me a glance, smiling. He then pulls me into his arms and gazes at the fireworks outside the window.

Victor: [laughs softly]  You’ll find out when the time comes.

His tone of voice carries a certainty. The warm breath belonging to him wraps me up so intimately that I can’t help but be intoxicated by it and give up asking questions.

Since Victor has his own plans, let’s focus on enjoying the present moment first.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 4] ✧

While still immersed in the sweet land of dreams, I vaguely hear Victor’s voice all of a sudden.

Victor: [softest of the softest whispers x1]  Dummy, wake up.

I open my eyes with difficulty and see that the light outside the window is dim, and the sky hasn’t brightened up yet.

I immediately roll over and bury my head under the blanket again, pulling Victor together with me.

MC: It’s so early. Let’s sleep a bit longer.

But Victor is unforgivingly persistent. He wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up. Seeing that I’m still not opening my eyes, he seems to release a sigh.

Victor: [whisper continues x2]  I’m taking you to see the gift you’ve been waiting for so impatiently. Still not gonna open your eyes?

My ears twitch as I vaguely catch the keyword “gift.” My consciousness, however, is still immersed in the half-asleep and half-awake state.

Victor seems to have given up on waking me up. He just directly puts clothes on me, wrapping me up in three layers.

–

After wrapping my scarf, he drags me out of the hotel. I follow him in a daze until we arrive at the mountain behind the hotel.

The cold breeze wakes me up to consciousness. I sniffle and hear Victor’s voice resounding next to me.

Victor: MC, Happy New Year.

Victor: It’s time to accept your gift.

–

As I open my eyes and see the scenery unfolding in front of me, I immediately find myself frozen where I’m standing.

There is a Chinese rose flower waterfall on the mountain behind the hotel. The pink flower branches extend all the way from the hillside to the valley, reminiscent of spring pouring down in torrents.

But right now, all the rose petals are enveloped with sparkling and crystalline ice. Beneath the hazy sunlight of this New Year’s dawn, they seem to glisten and appear incredibly translucent.

It’s as though someone has frozen the entire spring, giving it to me as a gift.

Unable to fathom all this, I turn to look at Victor. He is holding my slightly chilly fingertips, and the air he breathes out dissipates the cold breeze of the misty mountain, his eyes as warm as spring.

Victor: [heavenly, soft^∞ voice x1]  The most solid, and yet the softest thing in the world–– is a flower frozen in ice.

Victor: [x2]  It’s solid on the outside but soft on the inside. This is my answer.

I’m rendered speechless for a good while before I find my ability to organize words.

MC: I thought, what you prepared wouldn’t meet my requirements.

MC: After all, what I asked for was very difficult. Even I, myself, had no idea what it could possibly be, but I can’t believe you really did it…

Victor lowers his gaze and looks at me, his eyes carrying within them a faint smile.

Victor: Disappointed not to see me being embarrassed?

I shake my head and look at the ocean of ice crystal flowers in front of me, my heart incomparably warm.

MC: I received the best and most precious gift in the world on New Year’s dawn, and I couldn’t be happier!

MC: But how did you do it? I remember that the temperature difference between day and night in Loveland City isn’t sufficient to freeze the petals, right?

Victor: It wasn’t too difficult to get the petals to freeze.

Victor: The difficult part was to meet the unspecified requirements of a certain “Party A.”

Victor: And also, to prevent her from turning into a “depressed-faced kitten” because she hadn’t received her gift yet.

–

[Anika’s ‘notes’]: LMAO the pun about having to appease her with “spice-rounds” aksksvkd 😂🥴🫠

–

I can tell that he is teasing me about last night, and I can’t help but blush a little, coughing in an attempt to cover it up.

MC: Okay, I was being too impatient yesterday… so tell me, how on earth did you do this?

Victor’s gaze falls on the nearest flower branch, his voice low and mellow.

Victor: Chinese roses are originally resistant to cold. Therefore, they were watered yesterday evening in advance to seize the opportunity of the temperature difference and have them frozen by the time morning arrived.

Victor: However, when the sun comes out, the temperature will rise again, and they will melt after a few moments.

Victor: That’s why you had to come here at dawn to see it.

Along with the sunlight brightening little by little, this ocean of flowers is also illuminated in even more gorgeous colors.

I hold my breath as I take in everything, trying to securely preserve the beauty of this moment in my heart.

MC: When we were talking about New Year’s Eve before, I seemed to be looking forward to that particular night more than anything.

MC: But today, you’ve made me like the first day of the new year even more~

As he watches my raised smiling face, the smile on Victor’s face becomes even more apparent. He draws me into his arms, and together we enjoy the scenery that belongs only to us.

Victor: [that precious, heavenly, soft tone x1]  For me, it’s admittedly important to bid farewell to the old, but the early morning of the New Year also has an equally festive significance.

Victor: [x2]  I want to spend the first dawn of the New Year together with you, to see the first beautiful scenery of the New Year.

Victor: [x3]  This, to me, is the best beginning of the year.

Victor’s words cause my heart to stir gently. Just as I’m about to open my mouth to say something, I hear Victor speaking again after a pause.

Victor: So, is my “Party A” satisfied with this New Year’s gift?

I smile and breathe in the cold breeze blown to my nose, lifting my face to look into Victor’s deep eyes.

MC: Party A likes it so much!

MC: And it’s the first gift I’ve received in the New Year. It’s very beautiful; it’s as if spring has arrived together with winter.

MC: I wish that our new year will be like this too, just as fervent and beautiful as this rose waterfall!

I fold my hands together and devoutly make the first wish of the New Year, only to hear Victor chuckle.

Victor: [laughs softly]  Wanting to make a wish whenever she sees something; indeed, as expected of a certain dummy.

He pauses, grasping both my hands resolutely.

Victor: [return of the heavenly, soft voice x1] With you by my side every single day, for me, time is sufficiently fervent and beautiful.

Victor: [x2]  It has been the truth for every year in the past, and it will be the same for every year in the future.

—

[Tidbits from Anika]: In case you’re still wondering about those “jewelry customization brochures,” — a lil spoiler in advance (from the phone call), he customized an “eternal rose necklace” for her, while MC decorated their home with all kinds of roses as a token of her “unconditional love” for him~ 🥹❤️

–

📞 [Calls and Moments]: HERE!

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

[Anika’s scattered afterthoughts, feel free to ignore haha]

—

[polyamorouspunk]

what do you consider 'punk' and how did you get into it?

I’m going to preface this by saying this ask is over a month old. At first I just felt like this was too big of a topic to tackle, and then when a new wave of what I’m going to call discourse in the community came up, it just felt like it was going to add fuel to the fire. I ended up making some posts about it anyway, but I guess since I just got asked this again, it’s time to really sit down and answer: what is punk to me.

Punk is a conglomeration of similar ideas, however, some people have different ideas of what is and isn’t punk. I, for example, do not support the vegan movement, but I do know people on here who have patches like “meat is murder” on their battle jackets. That would be an example of a punk ideal that not everyone shares. The basis, the foundation of punk though, as a political ideal, is anti-government and anti-capitalist. There are some things thrown under those umbrellas too. For example, I think you can label being “anti-cop” and under the umbrella of anti-government if you wanted because law enforcement is a government agency.

Punk is a fashion style. Time and time again we have pointed at large fashion brands (I’m looking at you Hot Topic and Spencer’s) and gone “I can’t believe they’re profiting off an aesthetic built on cheap DIY and making it expensive”. When I went a few days ago I found a black beanie with a safety pin and 3 d-rings that was slightly “distressed” as the fashion industry likes to call it. $16. Go get yourself a black beanie, find yourself a safety pin and some d-rings and cut it up yourself, if you’re doing it right it should NOT cost you $16. And if it looks like it’s going to cost you $16 then either you’re shopping in the wrong places or you need to find a 🖐️ discount on that shit *cough* excuse me I’m not sure where that came from. The most recent example of this (this is July 2023) is Hot Topic selling Hobbie Brown merch for the new Into The Spiderverse movie. Selling branded merch of a character who is anti-brand and anti-capitalist. This is not to say that you can’t pick up some stuff from Hot Topic. There’s nothing wrong with taking a liking to something and picking it up and adding to your style. I truly believe that. I also don’t have room to talk since I’ll be honest, dropping $100 a month on band merch is pretty much the only thing keeping me sane these days. Is that very punk of me? No, probably not. However I’m enclaved in this capitalist hellscape working for $9 an hour on pieces people pay $400 for, so if I need to indulge in buying band merch to keep me sane, so be it. It’s my money and I can do what I want with it, and I’ve also been donating money to trans organizations as well. I also like to thrift and DIY. The piece I’m working on now is a patch I got for like $7 from Hot Topic and a bag from the dollar store and I put the patch on the bag and I’m adding some details. A lot of the patches on my vest came from Hot Topic but a lot also are hand-made from me just buying fabric and going ham with fabric paint. DIY or Die should be the core idea. Thrifting should be the core idea. But it’s also not wrong to pick something up you like here or there. Even then, though, focusing on Etsy and stuff should be the preference. And I’ll shop at Hot Topic over Amazon any day. On that note, it’s okay to have other aesthetics as well. You don’t need to dress punk 24/7. You can have other fashion interests and still call yourself punk. There’s no need to limit or restrict yourself in an effort to not feel like a poser.

Punk is a music-based subculture, but punk music has so many subcategories and bleeds into many other music genres. There are people and perfectionists out there who will demand to draw lines between what is and isn’t punk music, but music is all about taking inspiration from other artists and making it your own, putting your own spin on it. You can get away with listening to any alternative music, whether it be emo music, pop punk, goth music, metal music, ska, etc. Taylor Swift is not punk, though. Neither is really any “pop” artist. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE listening to indie pop music or whatever. I mean even just Imagine Dragons I love Imagine Dragons, but I’m not kidding myself into saying that it makes me punk to listen to Imagine Dragons. My Chemical Romance on the other hand is totally something is some weird subgenre of punk music. Listen to MCR doesn’t “make” you punk but someone doesn’t have the right to call you out for listening to MCR and calling yourself punk in conjunction to it, like Imagine Dragons, for example. Wishing you had the money to spend $2000 on Taylor Swift tickets does NOT make you punk. The MOST I will spend on concert tickets is $200 and I haven’t hit that yet. I think the most on an actual ticket-ticket I spent was $80 for my FOB concert in a few weeks. Once again: I work for my own money. I work while disabled, and whatever I’m not spending on myself goes towards charity and paying the bills. I’ve seen PTV, FIR, and CTE for $25. Local punk shows cost usually between $5-$10, maybe up to $25 depending. Lots of music is even ~free~! Go see some free music even if it isn’t “punk” music! That’s what’s really punk.

Punk is knowing when to be angry and when to be gentle. I think you do need to be angry to be punk. I started calling myself punk because I WAS angry. I was angry at a lot of things. And I needed a healthy outlet for that anger and this blog was born. I needed a place to yell about the things that bothered me, and slowly that became me reblogging posts about people yelling about the things that bothered them, and those things were not having rights, our rights being taken away, anger at murder by cops, etc. supporting that anger. Punk is NOT about a peaceful approach to everything. If you are against the idea of violence in every scenario then you are not punk. If you object to the phrase “punch Nazis” you aren’t punk. And while we’re at it let’s talk about Nazi punks. They exist. You can’t deny that. They are in fact a subculture of the punk subculture. They are punk, I think, in their own way, because they hate the government and stuff, but not for the right reasons. They want to make it worse. They hate the government like people who stormed the capital on January 6th hate the government. For the *wrong* reasons. And in that way they are posers even if they check the metaphorical boxes. Because punk is also about helping the community. It is about a peaceful and loving touch to those around you. It’s about recycling and planting wildflowers and volunteering for marginalized people. It’s about taking that anger in one hand and that want to see a peaceful and loving society in the other and balancing both. You can be angry all you want, and attend protests and yell all you want, but if you aren’t being kind to the people around you then it’s not really for anything. A better world starts with just doing something nice for someone. That’s attainable. That’s in the now. Don’t set your sights so high you’re missing the opportunity to change the world by putting a smile on someone’s face. But yes: you do need to be angry to be punk.

Punk is about individuality and not asking permission. The first way to not be punk? Going on anon and asking a punk blog if it’s okay to call yourself punk for xyz reason. That’s it, you’ve failed the basic test. Real punks do not ask. They do. Punk is about making it your own. It’s about not caring if you’re “doing it wrong” because you’re doing it YOUR way, and if you followed a set of rules on how to do it then that would automatically make it the WRONG way. The hard and fast rules are really just hate the government, hate cops, hate capitalism, hate bigotry, be angry, listen to music that wasn’t meant for family friendly public radio, dress in a way that freaks the right people out, and start doing some activism. That’s how to be punk.

How do you get into punk? You just do. Where I grew up there was a group of older teens who dressed in all black and had dyed hair and swore and lot and sat around and smoked and drank. They intimidated me. I wanted to be like that when I grow up.

I’m so much more than that though. I’m an angry transmasc, someone who rivals in horror and bloodlust as a metaphor for their own violent nature, who scares people enough they lock their doors. But I’m a girl in her 20s who loves buying lemonade at the local boba tea shop and whose favorite animal is butterflies who loves to sit in grass and make friendship bracelets.

So I find things that fit both of my selves and more. I started listening to Fall Out Boy on a suggestion, and from there I found My Chemical Romance, and all these other bands. I started shopping at Hot Topic and wearing all black with band shirts and giant rubber band bracelets. From there I slowly started experimenting by buying some spike bracelets from Hot Topic and started listening to heavier music. I found people on here who had cool battle jackets and I kept an eye out while thrifting and finally found one of my own. I took the patches it came with and started painting over them. My trans patch used to be Obama. Now it’s transgender. Transgender Obama, if you will. I started listening to people online, who told me stories of cops who killed people for no reason. But I thought cops only killed bad people? Well, it turns out that “bad people” is a pretty good metaphor for “people with darker skin”. I started listening to podcasts and I learned horror stories of the US government doing human testing on populations of black people. Can you imagine? They used to do that shit! But… do we really think they just… stopped? Or did they just get better at hiding it…

Getting into punk is about slowly morphing yourself into someone who listens and takes action. It’s okay if you’re like me and you got into punk because you wanted to dress like the scary older kids in your town or you were just really angry so you started a blog called “polyamorous punk” with the work punk in it, or you just really liked My Chemical Romance as a teen. You don’t have to get into punk because you want to fix everything that’s wrong with the world, but that’s how you end up feeling. Over time though as you mature you learn that’s unrealistic. So you do what you can and support the people who are doing what you can’t.

[twilightknight17]

"Guys, holy fuck" - Part 2

Hit the image limit on the other post so I broke it up so I could scream more. XD

So where were we?

Right, right, Shadow Toshiro.

Once the shadow goes down the first time, he goes one-winged angel and turns into a god damn horror monster version of Eri that is GIANT. And that, my dudes, was a fight. That thing had so much health. It was great. :D

Now for some info:

Okay, that makes sense.

Yep, all that, we’ve seen and understood already. Still good.

But why, though? What makes her different? Why can she switch forms? Why is she still basically a separate entity from him? Did you just not want to lose your new character? I almost feel like I’d rather have had a P4 boss fight that ended with Toshiro getting his persona, and have Erina just be his cognitive Eri, based on his memories. Because this is… confusing. Nothing has worked like this in the past, unless I seriously overlooked something.

Yeah, I know, Aki and Mai and Ideal Maki were a thing, but Maki was a Wild Card and also had the DEVA system bolstering her cognition. No one else’s persona has been able to turn into a person and just chill with everyone after their awakening. Erina is basically her own fully-formed person. Like… I don’t know. It’s weird. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it.

All right, yeah, let’s go with that for now.

There’s like, a slight implication here that Toshiro’s shadow wasn’t actually his shadow, but just something pretending to be his shadow? Especially since he never like, reconciled with it. After the giant Eri, it just disappeared. But I only pinged that after the fact, because while we’re just standing here trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Erina, god shows up to yell at us.

“Be not afraid” and all.

I kid you not, I was internally screaming, “YALDABAOTH? IS HE POSSESSED BY THE REMNANTS OF YALDABAOTH TRYING TO SEIZE POWER AGAIN?” But no, doesn't have Yald's stupid feet. This is:

Who the fuck is you, and why does it look like your head exploded off your neck? Are you sure you’re not Yald?

Anyway, this bitch keeps calling us “children” and “lambs” and “pathetic” while it explains who the fuck it is.

I don’t like it, and it doesn’t like our persona abilities. It calls them a “mask of madness, one which will assuredly drive man to ruin.” So it offers a deal: It can remove our powers, and along with them, our memories of this whole horrible adventure, and in exchange, it will put us safely back in the real world. It’s nice like that, even though we’re “infidels who had the audacity to defy a god.”

Hey. You. Got some bad news about all the other gods I’ve met. Wanna know what happened to them? :3

But we shouldn’t answer now! We’re high off a lucky win and our emotions are compromised. We should think it over and tell it our answer when we’re ready. And then Salmael fucks off into the sky. Are we sure that’s not a weird misspelling of Samael? Are you connected to Shido somehow?

Toshiro gets like a thousand points for being completely chill about a god falling out of the sky to tell us we suck. Zenkichi was a lot less calm about the whole thing. XDDD The Thieves, Toshiro, and Erina agree that they’re not giving up their powers, so we’re gonna have to kill god again. But how? How do we follow god into the sky? Whatever shall we do?

Oh, guys. Do you hear that noise?

CHOO CHOO, MOTHERFUCKERS.

Lavenza is here in the Velvet Room Train to pick us up and take us to the sky. No, she doesn’t know why it’s like that all of a sudden. We DO NOT CARE. THIS IS GREAT. Toshiro almost manages to offend her, but we’ve got things to do, so we just put another pin in that.

And that is where I had to stop. It asked me if I wanted to save and I was like “yes, I cannot handle any more Epic right now.” My GOD. I’m so excited Lavenza gets to be more involved, because that’s how I tend to characterize her. She wants to be more hands-on than her siblings or Igor. And she’s not afraid to snark at the others. It’s nice to have the whole team in the Velvet Room again. ^_^

Never change, Yusuke. :P

Actually, isn't this a good thing? If Akira's Velvet Room is now manifesting as a train, maybe that symbolizes him moving forward into the future? Scramble put him back in prison, but this game hasn't. Maybe this is the Velvet Room's final form for him?

Next time: Into the goddamn abyss to once again dethrone god, I guess????

Final note: I’m constantly amused by the one-off poses the sprites have. One single use of the sprite where Makoto’s hugging Morgana. One of Toshiro holding Erina/Yuki. And now apparently one of Makoto throttling Ryuji so he can’t interrupt Futaba and Toshiro. X’D Wow. Pls stop picking on Ryuji, Atlus.