#in the picture its monk

[cloudofspacedust]

Feast

[spotsupstuff]

day 16

without plants and equipment's skill issue version below:

[sandcastle-art]

Working on a little crossover/au character design project with Rain World and Starbound :] I was going to wait to post these until I did the rest but there's literally like 10 of them and I am not that patient lol.

[enchantingruinscandy]

found on r/mildlyinteresting and found it very interesting (i was researching extra digits on hands. there's more of a variety than i was expecting)

[pyomatic]

oh don't mind me.....crying in the corner over early medieval graffiti

[reasonsforhope]

Once on the brink of extinction, rare Mediterranean monk seal populations are rising, thanks to conservation efforts.

The Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, known as MOm, is a charity dedicated to the care and protection of these rare marine animals.

Nearly half of the world's estimated 800 Mediterranean monk seals live in Greek waters, where the extensive coastline offers an abundance of sea caves that provide shelter for females to rear their young.

The rare seals are the only seal species in the Mediterranean. They have big, round eyes, prominent whiskers and are remarkably fast in the water...

In the twentieth century, habitat deterioration and destruction, as well as deliberate aggression from fisherman has caused a drastic population decline, prompting the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN) to classify them as 'critically endangered'.

The population had decreased so dramatically that at one point the species faced extinction.

Pictured: Panagis is one of dozens of monk seals nursed back to health by the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, known as MOm.

How conservation efforts are changing their fate

Dr Alexandros Dendrinos, a marine biologist and coordinator at MOm, explains that the Mediterranean monk seal is "one of the rarest species of seal and marine mammal in the world."

"To protect an animal like the Mediterranean monk seal in its natural environment, you essentially have to protect the entire marine ecosystem,"

MOm is the only centre of its kind in the region, and has cared for around 40 seals both on location and at its facilities.

They respond to members of the public who find an animal in distress, aiding adult seals on-site when possible and bringing young seals, like Panagais, to the rehabilitation centre at Attica Zoological Park in Athens.

The young seals receive veterinary care, specialised nutrition, and swimming practice. 

They are often named after those who found them, but human interaction is kept minimal to ensure their successful reintegration into the wild.

Once they have reached a healthy weight and developed natural hunting instincts, they are tagged for tracking and reintroduced to their natural habitat.

"This year, we had a really pleasant surprise," Dr Dendrinos shared.

A female seal they rehabilitated and released four years ago was recently spotted nursing her own pup.

Conservation efforts have yielded significant results as the species moved from critically endangered to endangered on the IUCN Red List and, in 2023, improved even further to vulnerable.

-via ABC Australia, March 12, 2025

[evegwood]

Nosferatu’s Contracts: A Linguistic Deepdive

(This is one half of a blogpost I put on my website! Read the full thing for a full list of sources and even MORE information on the contract from the 1922 film).

So I saw the new Nosferatu film the other day and while I didn't think it was all that fantastic (I loved the first half okay, calm down) the one thing that did stick out to me was the absolutely gorgeous scripts used for the contract that Thomas has to sign. Thank you to this Reddit post for sharing a picture of the entire thing:

The BEAUTIFUL red calligraphy is called Vyaz, a form of decorative Cyrillic calligraphy. In Vyaz script, letters are all joined and interwoven together to create a beautiful, ornamental typographical piece. The Wikipedia page about it is fucking pathetic but it does feature this example of text with a coloured breakdown of the individual words that comprise the piece:

Obviously this itched my language brain like crazy. The best resource I have found since to learn more about Vyaz is this full, free guide written by Viktor Pushkarev. He has also released a 254 page PDF for 25 euros called the Modern Slavic Vyaz Calligraphy Workbook and I think I'm going to have to buy it. His examples look stunning and I would love to learn more about this style of calligraphy. Thank you, Nosferatu.

The Vyaz calligraphy is only one style of writing used in that contract. The other is a completely different style of writing and, surprisingly (or not, maybe?) the best place to look for answers turned out to once again be Reddit. This commenter suggests it's another form of Cyrillic:

Here's some Glagolitic, to compare:

In a different thread, this commenter claims to have cracked it:

This commenter replies with an addition:

So that's cool! In that same thread, this commenter says that the contract looks like a Romanian hrisov, or medieval chancellery charter, and recommends this video explaining how they were written. As you can see from the example below that the commenter shared, these traditional contracts look pretty damn similar to Orlok's contract! So let's talk about them real quick, because it's interesting!

The video is by Adrian Gheorghe, a historian whose speciality is the editing and translation of all documents regarding Vlad the Impaler. He talks about how unlike letters, which would be written in Latin, these charters were written in Slavonic, a liturgical and "literary language, based on Slavic dialects of the Balkans, developed by monks in the 9th century" (X). Viktor Pushkarev suggests a book called Grammar of the Church Slavonic Language if you want to learn more about the grammar and syntax. Slavonic was often written in Glagolitic and hey, we've seen that before!

These charters also had explicit and strict structures that they adhered to. This strict standard served to not only prove the legitimacy of a document, but that "the document was drawn up with all due solemnity" (X). Interestingly, each charter would invoke God in the opening lines or would simply have a cross at the beginning, and according to the translations given above Count Orlok's contract does not seem to include this. I recommend checking out the video in its entirety to hear more about this cool bit of history.

But of course... that's not all that's written on the contract, is it? Thomas signs it, and he signs it in Kurrent script, an old traditional form of German cursive. If you'd like to learn how to write in Kurrent, there's a free guide by Margarete Mücke right here! Here's a screenshot I took of the scene along with a Kurrent alphabet for comparison:

Kurrent has a really interesting history. It evolved from gothic cursive at the beginning of the 16th century, which saw a lot of use in the medieval ages. Compared to the vast variety of gothic cursive writing styles, Kurrent was "beautiful, fast to write and comparatively legible" (X). It soon moved out of use solely in chancelleries and into everyday use, becoming more and more standardised.

This script saw a bit of a rollercoaster of popularity; in the early 1900s it was established and taught in all German schools, then steadily became seen as "antiquated and ugly", then the Nazis declared other writing scripts "Un-German" and promoted gothic typography until 1941 when Hitler declared Kurrent and its sister writing style Fraktur "to be of 'Jewish origin' and therefore taboo". More information about this can be found on this page about the history of Old German Script (another name for Kurrent).

So that's that! Count Orlok's contract is based on traditional charters of the region with set structures to highlight their legitimacy and importance as documents, using traditional scripts and handwriting of the time, and is also a style of document that is directly tied to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula and ultimately Nosferatu. Extremely cool and also totally makes sense considering Robert Eggers interest in authentic linguistic detail (like I didn't even mention the language that Orlok speaks throughout the film, which is Dacian, an extinct ancestor of Romanian). Lots of really tasty stuff to look at and I had a blast putting it all together.

Except.......... it's not the end. There's a whole second saga to be told about the contract from the 1922 film, and if you wanna read that (I get deep into talking occult symbols and angel languages) you're gonna have to read the original post on my site!

[cryptotheism]

How many languages do you speak?

You are always talking about alchemist that lived all around the world in very differente time periods. And you have mentioned several times that there's a ton of numerology hidden in their texts, counting syllables and letters of certain words and paragraphs. So one would assume you need to read them in the original language it was written, right?

That's a really good question! As with most really good questions, the answer is "kinda, it depends!"

So! Most alchemical texts are written in some form of coded language, but the nature of that code depends on the era and culture the text is being written in. Depending on how its written, modern scholars have a lot of different tools for cracking open alchemical esoterica.

Most ancient Greek/Byzantine texts are written in postclassical Greek. But, they're often written in dense philosophical prose. The reader needs to be familiar with the likes of Plato, Aristotle, and the early Neoplatonists, to make sense of them. Luckily for us, people have been studying postclassical Greek for nearly 2000 years. There are many excellent translations into English.

Late Egyptian alchemists wrote almost entirely in pictograph code. Not as in hieroglyphics, mind you. Egyptian alchemical recipes often made use of custom character sets and symbols that represented alchemical concepts. (One famous example, the Formula of the Crab, uses a complex diagram that looks like a centipede to represent a particular gold compound.) These are damn near impossible to read without expert help.

At the same time, Jewish and Syriac writers of the era could get by on the fact that not everyone could read Hebrew and Syriac lol. The language barrier itself acted as a sort of copyright system for protecting their ideas. Luckily for us, many of these texts were preserved and translated by medieval Arab scholars!

Speaking of Arabic, once you hit the Islamic Golden Age, the amount of alchemical literature increases by a factor of ten. Thing is, the Islamic Polymaths weren't all that interested in obscuring their work. The Islamic Golden Age was all about copying and translating older works, and compiling them into big textbook/dictionaries. They're not intentionally encoded, they're comparatively easy to read once you get a good translation. Thing is, you gotta know your Neoplatonism. Medieval Islamicate scholars love Neoplatonism.

Then we get the reintroduction of alchemy to Europe around the 10th century. What you get is about 400 years of monks painstakingly translating medieval Arabic into Latin. A lot of these texts are very well preserved, and have good translations into English.

Then, around the late 14th century, European entrepreneurial alchemy kicks into high gear, and THIS is where we get all those fancy numerology encoded alchemical texts. Renaissance alchemists loved themselves some puzzles. This would be fine if they were all just writing in Latin, but the printing press meant they could write in any damn language they please. You get a lot of French, German, Dutch, Italian, and antiquated English alchemical texts, and they can be a bitch to read without help.

BUT the introduction of the printing press also gave us something useful: cheap picture books! Late renaissance alchemists loved writing in word games and coded metaphor, but they also loved including esoteric diagrams. And the thing about esoteric diagrams is --if you know your stuff-- you don't need to speak 15th century french to read a picture. Which isn't a replacement for reading the original translation, not even close, but the explicit purpose of these images was to prove to other alchemists that the author knows what they're talking about. So if you can read them, you can get a damn good sense as to what the text is about.

This was fun to write so I'm gonna plug my patreon if you wanna see me write more about alchemy.

[cavegirlpoems]

On Blorbability

I think one of the strengths of modern D&D is the ability to efficiently describe the blorbos you make with it using understandable components. Like the template of Alignment + Species + Background + Class lets you put together a quite evocative picture of who a character is quite efficiently, just by swapping in and out those components like those mix-and-match monster flipbooks.

Like, to take a character I played, when I say:

Lawful-Evil Drow Monk with the Inquisitor background.

you can immediately picture that character, right?

You can do this indefinitely. "Chaotic-Good Halfling Bard Criminal" or "Chaotic-Neutral Human Barbarian Outlander" or "Lawful-neutral Elf Wizard Accademic". It clicks.

There's a sweet spot of having the right amount of slots you pick from, 3-4. Less than that and the blorbo comes out flat, more and its too granular. An OSR character is probably one template (class), two if you're doing race+class AD&D style, and thats not quite enough detail to go full Blorb. Same with most PbtA games where you just pick a playbook. A gurps character is pretty darn granular, and is also not a particularly legible blorbo even if you can be very expressive with it.

The actual *stats* don't matter, what your attributes and spells and gear are don't matter much, the point is that you're madlibsing archetypes together in a legible way.

Like take vampire the masquerade as another good example of an extremely blorbable game. Here, the actual weight of your character is carried by attributes/skills/disciplines/backgrounds/merits, right? But you can still describe them with that same combination of archetypes. Here's a character I'm playing right now:

Ancilla Noiad Anarch on the Path of Harmony.

Age + Clan + Sect + Path. Simple. Four tags and you get a good picture of who this character is. And like, I bet you could take a good guess at what she's like mechanically, right? From that description, I bet you're picturing somebody with Survival and Stealth and decent combat and probably leaning hard into Protean, and that's accurate!

Here's some more VtM characters. "Camarilla Ventrue Elder on Humanity", "Camarilla Ventrue Elder on Honorable Accord", "Sabbat Tzimisce Elder on Path of Ecstasy", "Independent Giovanni Neonate on Humanity". If you're familiar with VtM, you can picture the shape of these characters.

+ + +

So I'm taking this idea and applying it to my Magical Girl project. You have two playbooks that slot together - one magical and one mundane - and then you pick whether you're heroic or villainous. And on top of that, in the late game you might become Something Else like a Spectre or a Princess. So that's 3-4 mix-and-match slots. A player character can be expressed as:

Villainous Ruffian Blaster

and you can picture who she is. The combinations work. "Heroic Recluse Spy", "Villainous Fangirl Summoner", "Heroic Weirdo Cheat becoming a Princess", these are legible just from the options picked.

Which I think is a good sign, it means its easy to picture and communicate the sorts of characters you can have in the game.

[lotusloong]

If you're cool with song fics, would you do one based on "Suffering "from Epic: The Musical? (It has a choke hold on me for the past few days...) I personally don't know which Wukong is most fitting, though...

Waiting

Relationship: Sun Wukong X Female Reader

AN: HHOOOOOO okay! So first off, I fucking love greek myth, and I love the take of Epic the Musical, amazing songs. 

So I really really really liked this request! I hope I did it justice, I like to think I did, at least the first half lol. 3k words in im like ‘some smut would pair really nice with this’ and another 4k words later here we are. I have more requests cooking, this one just ended up getting away from me a bit lololol! I also wasn’t sure which Wukong this prompt works best with so I left it up to personal preference! I hope you like it ♥

Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, like...really horny smut, Violence, Wukong losing his temper, Wukong wanting to be a baba, Slight Pregnancy talk sprinkled throughout, I have a kink okay don't judge, Let me know if I missed any tags pls

Read it on AO3!

The wood of the long boat felt sturdy under his feet and the gentle breeze felt cool against his fur, but Wukong kept his gaze on the still water. The keeper of this valley had warned them of a shapeshifter in this lake, and the Monkey King was not willing to let his Master drown today. He had been tempted to take the group the long way around, through the mountain range, but the longer path would have meant more opportunities for other yaoguai to attack. In the end they agreed to take a short cut across the lake itself, his fellow disciples agreeing to surround the Tang Monk if trouble showed up and let Wukong handle the tricky nature of the shapeshifter.

The boat ride has been peaceful so far, and they were over halfway across the lake. And that's when he felt an unfamiliar magic probing at his mind. If he were a lesser demon, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

“My darling?” The surface of the water broke with a gentle ripple, and suddenly Wukong was looking down at a familiar face. 

Your face. 

The creature dared to wear your skin, to use your voice, to trick him. 

“Don't you miss me?” Your voice sounded like music to his ears. It had been so long, too long, since he had last heard it…

He almost felt grateful to the yaoguai, for reminding him of how you sounded. That gratefulness wouldn't protect them from his simmering rage, however. It was insulting that they would dare try to use you against him, as if they had the right to try and imitate your beauty.

He leaned over the edge of the long boat just enough to show interest and quickly hit his tail against the wooden floorboards. His ear flicked at the sound of Bajie and Wujing moving closer to Tang Sanzang and Bai Long Ma.

He had to put on a show to distract the shapeshifter, and that's something the Monkey King was renowned for. 

“...More than you know.” He spoke, his voice soft. He didn't like being so obviously vulnerable about his feelings towards you to a stranger wearing your face, but they say all the best lies have sprinkles of truth in them. At his words the yaoguai moved closer, looking the picture of innocence. It wasn't you, and it was more obvious the closer Wukong looked. 

Your eyes, normally so bright and alive, looked shades darker than they were supposed to be, as if there was no distinguishable pupil. Your hair wasn't the same, the color was also the wrong shade and the texture didn't look right. Even your smell, the sweetest and most intoxicating scent he had ever had the pleasure of breathing in, wasn't right. This fake-you smelled of kelp and bad lake water.

It filled him with fury, an anger so strong he desperately wanted to give in to it, to let it control him as he beat this thing into the muck for daring to use your perfect image against him. 

“Then come in the water and kiss me~” Not-you purred, fluttering its eyelashes in a way that made his stomach churn. His tail twitched in irritation, and not-you’s eyes followed the movement. He had to keep playing along.

“My love I've told you this before-” He looked at the dark water before him, lifting a foot and taking a hesitant step back from the side of the boat. “You know I'm afraid of the water.” He wrapped his tail around his leg in an act of embarrassment and shame. Not-you's eyes widened, looking from him to the water with surprise. It was quickly covered up, confusion in their voice as they kept trying to soothe him.

“I'll make sure you're safe, love. This isn't nearly as deep as the Eastern Ocean, when you went to visit the Dragon King…?” They started hesitantly, watching his reaction to their words. Wukong gave them a pleading look, making up an excuse on the spot. 

“But his palace is at the bottom of the sea. It's not as…scary to sink in water when you have to go down that deep anyways…” For a moment he worries they won't believe him, their brow furrowing in disbelief. Then suddenly, their eyes light up, and they smile with a grin that is much too wide for your mouth.

“Oh! Y-yes, I had forgotten! Because of the stone you came from, you sink in water!”

“Yes, exactly, hehe…” Not exactly. He could swim no problem. He glanced over his shoulder to his companions, still huddled protectively around their Master as the distant shoreline grew closer and closer. Just a little more, and with his Master safe on dry land he would take great pleasure in tearing this yaoguai apart for their transgressions.

“Well, you don't have to worry about that here. I'll be with you! And…and you can come see our little ones! They miss you terribly, you know.” He felt a sting in his chest at the thought of his monkeys, at how they must be doing at home with you, slowly rebuilding from the damaged remains of your shared mountain. 

“I'd love that, but…” He shifted on his feet again, staring at the still water like it might bite him. He saw not-you stifle a roll of their eyes, swimming closer still. They looked at him then, and Wukong could feel that same gentle probing at his mind, matching the magic he felt earlier. He braced himself for what they would say next, biting his tongue until he tasted iron to keep his anger in check. The shore was right there-

“...Our daughter also misses you, love. Won't you come with me to see her?” 

The absolute fucking gall of this creature. 

The anger he pushed away comes flooding back full force, so intense and burning it feels like he's on fire. Perhaps he is, considering how the creature in front of him looks suddenly terrified, their face - not yours, it could never be as beautiful as yours - suddenly lit up by a vivid red glow from his eyes.

They try to swim away, but it's too late. He feels the boat lurch underneath him as Bajie drags it onto the sandy bank, and his hand shoots out to grip the forearm of the shapeshifter with enough strength to bruise. His claws dig into skin that's not as soft as yours as thin rivulets of blood leak down to their elbow, dripping into the water below. They immediately cry out, using their free hand to pull and hit at his own arm, for all the good it will do them. He catches another whiff of their scent and his nose crinkles in distaste, canines on display. 

“How dare you.” He growls. He didn’t have a daughter. He wasn’t allowed one, no matter how desperately he wanted such a thing. “You dare use magic to look at my inner desires!? To use them against me!?” The shapeshifter looks terrified, their shaking form slowly losing shape as their hold on their magic fails at their internal panic. 

He had wanted to start a family with you, since the beginning of your relationship. Many early days of your courtship had included the two of you spending time together, cloud watching and fruit picking on the lush mountain ridge of Mount Huaguo as you talked and talked for hours at a time. It was then he learned what love was, what a mate was, that he wanted you by his side forever. And during those months you talked about what you would want in the future, and the topic of families and children came up.

He had loved the idea from the beginning, seeing you surrounded by little ones with his fur color and your eyes, or your smile and his laugh. It was a far-off daydream the two of you shared in whispered breaths, foreheads pressed together as you lay side by side under a cloudy sky and imagined what your kids would be like, who they would grow into.

But those dreams had never had a chance to start.

He had grown worried for the future, the concept of mortality weighing heavily on his mind. He didn't want to say goodbye to his people, to you or your possible children. So he set off with the promise to find immortality and return to share it with you and your subjects. That was the start of it all, his quest leading to him wanting to better defend his home, to get a proper weapon to protect those closest to him, and eventually…the Celestial Realm taking notice of him.

For over 500 years your shared desire to have a family had been put on hold as he dug himself deeper and deeper into trouble with the other gods. You had stayed by his side through it all, until he was trapped away by the Buddha. When Tang monk finally released him, he rushed to where the Jade Emperor held you captive and freed you with a desperate kiss.

Now you were back home, trying to rebuild a kingdom from the ground up without him, because he had to be ‘redeemed’ in the eyes of heaven.

Wukong knew it had been painful for you. It had been painful for him.

Now his only goal was to deliver his new Master across the continent and back so he could finally fly back into your waiting arms and live happily with you. And this time, he would stay. Stay, and start that family you both so desperately wanted.

How dare this vile thing try to use that against him.

“I should kill you now, you pathetic wretch.” He hissed, dragging the shapeshifter up and out of the water to be closer to him, the surface of the lake splashing. Fear filled its eyes, and it whimpered in fright. It was still your voice, however poorly imitated, and it made him hesitate for just a moment. The yaoguai noticed, and immediately tried to take advantage.

“M-my love, you’re hurting me! Please, please stop!” It cried, and tears gathered in its too dark eyes. Wukong huffed, trying to ignore the instinct to not hurt his mate, knowing it wasn’t really you. He dragged the shapeshifter closer, gripping them by the neck with his free hand, delighted by the choked gasp they released.

“How many of you are there?” He growled, voice raspy and dark with promises of harm. Not-you shook in his grasp, throat bobbing under his palm as they tried to breathe. Their voice changed when they next spoke, the illusion falling further apart.

“I-I’m sorr-y-! Mercy, m-mercy puh-please!” They cried, real tears of distress running down their cheeks, which were slowly growing scales and changing color. Not satisfied, Wukong loosened his grip just enough for the wretch to stop choking and answer his question.

“Tell me! How many of you are there?” He gave it a good shake to get his urgency across, and the creature wailed further at this treatment. “Tell me or I’ll drain this entire lake and kill every living thing I find!” He hissed. He heard his Master on the shore, a displeased noise at the threat.

“M-my pack! My pack is here b-bu-but they won’t-! Please, pl-ease! I-I am s-s-so s-sorr-yy!” Wukong snorted in response, his breath billowing from his nose in a steamy cloud, framing his face. His glowing eyes looked like hot coals as he glared at the yaoguai. Bajie and Wujing looked over the surface of the lake from where they stood on the sand, wary and waiting for another shapeshifter to burst from the water. The one Wukong held by the throat thrashed and whimpered some more.

“I-I’ll tell them to-! Huughh-to le-eave-! I-! I just wanted immortality! The m-monk-!” Wukong gave the creature another shake at their words.

“So you think to take my Master!? To use the face of my wife!? You dare look through my mind and use my desires against me!?” He was heating up, smoke billowing from his mouth as the desire to burn this creature to a crisp festered inside him. Or perhaps a shock of lighting to permanently scar it? His eyes glowed a deeper red, and the faint smell of urine hit his nose.

The wretch had wet themselves.

Disgusted, Wukong threw it back into the water, snarling as he did so and stepping on to the sandy bank himself. The creature scrambled and fumbled with trembling limbs in the shallows to get into a frantic kowtow. More of its true form was on display now, a thick fishy tail and claws on display.

“Pl-please, let us go Great Sage-! I’ll-! You’ll never see us again, we won’t ever attack any other travelers!” They pleaded. Wukong growled low in his throat, the desire to kill this wretch screaming at him to finish the job, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. He jolted, looking behind him to see his Master.

“I believe they have learned their lesson. Why not show mercy?” The Tang monk smiled, a pleading look in his eyes. Wukong snorted, clenching and unclenching his fists. He stalked forward, giving the yaoguai a swift kick to the side that sent it sprawling.

“By the grace of my Master, you live. Get out of my sight.” The words had hardly been spoken before the shapeshifter fled, disappearing in a puff of mist. Wukong turned away from the sullied lake water, to the approving gaze of his Master. Tang Sanzang lifted a hand, intending to place it on his head.

“I am very proud of you, my student-” The monkey ducked away from his touch, furious still. His tail thrashed behind his every step as he walked.

“I should have killed the damn creature. Pretending to be my beloved, the fucking gall they have-!” He stalked past Bajie, who side-stepped away from him and his anger, sending a panicked look to their other companions as Wukong jumped into the trees. Tang monk held up a hand to his students, a sign to leave the monkey be, his eyes concerned.

“Why don’t we camp near the area for tonight? Wujing, Bai Long Ma, would you start setting up? Bajie, accompany me as I look for mushrooms? I have a craving for them tonight.” The others nodded at the words of their Master.

Wukong did not return until the sun was sinking towards the horizon in the late afternoon.

He did not speak to anyone, simply walking through their camp and jumping into the lower branches of a tree, sitting and staring out into the wilderness. His tail hung low beneath the branch, flicking back and forth, showing how agitated his thoughts still were. Sanzang waited a few minutes before standing, making his way to the base of the tree and sitting comfortably under it. Wukong’s tail continued to flick by his head.

“This area seems rather safe.” The monk spoke.

“Hmph.” Was the only response he got. The monk took a deep breath, trying to keep the smile off his face as he spoke again.

“I think it would be fine to settle here for a couple days. To let us rest before moving on. The mountain range ahead will be quite challenging to cross.” Wukong sat in silence still. “I would also think…it would be safe for you to leave us for those couple days.”

The tail stopped its twitching, freezing in place.

“You travel so far and so fast with no issue, it wouldn’t surprise me if you jumped all the way back to your mountain and came back within the span of three days! It wouldn’t be a challenge for you, in any case.” There was shifting on the branch above him, a single leaf fell and landed on his lap.

“...Are you sure, Master?” The Monkey King’s voice was soft, a whisper filled with hope. The monk couldn’t fight the urge to smile anymore.

“Be back before sunset three days from now.” Is all he said. The rustling of the trees and the sound of the wind was his only response. When the Tang monk opened his eyes and looked up, the tree was empty.

~~~~~~~

You push your arms high over your head as you stretch your back, spine popping as muscles pulled in a satisfying way that had you sighing in relief. After another long day of work; expanding the fruit tree grove, listening to your subject’s worries and struggles, checking over storage supplies, and any tasks brought to your attention, you were desperate for a good rest. Your chamber in the stone palace of Water Curtain Cave was exactly the place to do that, with your favorite night robes and comfiest blanket waiting for you to snuggle into for the night.

You shut the door behind you, the chattering of your subjects still awake at this time muffled by the thick wood and stone walls. No doubt the guards were transitioning, fellow monkeys making sure they ate their fair share after the large dinner you all had together. That was something you always appreciated about your dear husband’s people, they had a deep sense of community and always chose to dine and share things with each other. It felt…loving.

You glance at your marriage bed, your half still a little messy from your rush to get up this morning, the other half still kept and clean. Cold. The same as it has been for over 500 years now…

Your own half had been the same since the war on the Celestials, but after your release you had made the space your own again. Your husband however…

You looked to the side doors of your balcony, an opening in the side of the mountain that let you see to the distant horizon. The sun was creeping closer to the far-off mountain range, turning the sky an orange and purple hue, the faintest twinkle of stars far above. 

He was somewhere out there, doing a good job, you're certain. Wukong wasn’t the type to give up, and he certainly wouldn’t abandon you and your people. He would come back, someday. You had to be certain of that, if nothing else. If he…if he didn’t come back then you…and your people…

You didn’t like to think about what would happen. It made your heart ache.

You step closer to the balcony doors, gripping the handles and slowly pushing them closed for your privacy. The view was beautiful, but you wanted solitude for tonight. 

Before the doors fully shut, you whispered into the wind like you did every night, hoping that somehow Wukong would hear and know you were thinking of him.

“Goodnight my love…stay safe and protected.” And as the doors finally slid shut, you didn’t notice the tiny golden cicada that slipped in through the crack above you. You turned away and began undressing, removing layer after layer of your hanfu to be washed another day.

“Well, this is certainly a beautiful sight to come home to. Tell me gorgeous, do you welcome everyone this way or am I special?” The voice made you freeze, your under-blouse half untied, leaving your chest exposed. You turned frantically, looking around your bedroom and seeing nothing out of place. Furniture still covered in scrolls and important documents, your vanity covered in hair ornaments and jewelry, your bed in its still half made state.

But that voice…

“W-Wukong?” You whispered, not believing your ears. It must be a trick of your tired mind, exhaustion and heart ache making you hallucinate the voice of your mate.

You were proven wrong as a cicada zipped past your nose and startled you, circling multiple times in the air before flashing with golden light. And there, in all his glory, your darling husband stood.

“Please continue. I was enjoying the show~” He purred. 

He looked tired. His eyes still had that same inner fire to them, but it was dim. His fur and clothing were clean but simple, no extravagant gold decals or jewelry like he used to enjoy wearing. You knew that monks chose to wear plain and simple clothes, but seeing your husband follow the practice, however unwilling, was something you never thought you’d see. The only gold to be seen on him was the fillet on his head, and the sight of the band sent a flash of anger through you. You hated that damn thing.

His frame looked lighter, constant travelling combined with meager meals from campsites and begging from strangers not suiting your husband’s needs. Where he used to have a healthy layer of fat over his chest, tummy, and thighs, the muscle looked more lean. Clearly still strong, but not getting as much nutrients as he needed. Despite your own exhaustion you were overcome with the need to rush downstairs and grab everything edible, to prepare a feast for your lover that he deserved, anything for him to look like his old healthy weight.

At your silence, his clawed hand came up to cup your cheek, thumb stroking over the edge of your cheekbone. He stepped closer, and the feel of his warmth so close to you once again had your breath shuddering.

“Oh peaches…you look exhausted, my sweetheart. Have you been sleeping?” Wukong bumped his forehead to yours, golden eyes staring into yours. It was like a damn burst at his words, and you sniffled, tears gathering in the corners of your eyes.

“I could say the same-…about you.” You mumbled, eyes fluttering as he continued to stroke your cheek, his other hand wrapping tight around your waist and pulling you closer to him. Remembering your own hands could move, you wasted no time gripping his shoulders, digging your fingers into the fur exposed from his collar. Wukong sighed at your touch, his tail circling tight around one of your legs as he nuzzled his forehead against yours.

“I’ve missed you…” You whispered. He shuddered under your touch, and suddenly his lips were on yours in a desperate kiss that had you whimpering against him. His lips were still soft, the imprint of his sharp canines against your own lips a familiar and welcome feeling. You kissed back, letting your tongue peek out to lick along his lips. He opened for you with a heady groan from deep in his chest, letting his tongue meet yours.

You were pushed backwards towards the wall, his arm around your waist moving to your ass and gripping the flesh tight, pulling your hips towards his. You followed his movements, letting your leg hike up to curl around his hips, your already half undone clothing falling further apart. The threads tying your blouse together slipped away to reveal your chest, your breasts squished against the firm plane of Wukong’s own. The rough fabric of his robes felt like too much against your sensitive nipples, drawing whines from you as your hips bucked against his. You wanted his soft fur, his hot skin, against you.

You both broke away from the kiss, heaving gulps of air. Thick tendrils of drool snapped as you separated, your lips already growing swollen from the kiss. With shaking hands you pulled at his tiger skin sash, trying to undo all the knots holding his clothing together that were just too complicated for your lust filled mind to focus on. You had only managed to get one undone before his mouth was on yours again, his tongue forcing its way inside and turning your brain into jelly. You pushed your aching core against the hard length hidden by his clothes, the leg you were still standing on shaking with the effort to hold you up.

His own hands left your body to join yours at his clothing, roughly pulling at the fabric so you could get your hands tangled in all that glorious fur. You bit his bottom lip in encouragement, rewarded with a hiss and sharp buck of his hips against your own. Sash undone, his hands slammed into the wall you were pressed against as he broke the kiss again, staring at you with wide blown pupils. 

“I’ve missed you too, my beautiful mate…” He growled, voice rough and raspy with lust. He bent towards your neck, suckling at the soft skin he found. Your back arched as you moaned, pressing your heaving chest closer to his. With no knots in the way your hands were free to pull and tug at his clothing, his hands leaving their rooted position on the wall just long enough to slip his arms from the cloth. Finally, warm fur under your hands, strong muscle holding you close as you humped against your mate’s hardening cock.

Wukong growled in response to your touch, trailing kisses and bites from your abused neck to your collar bones, and further down still to your chest. One hand leaves the wall to grope at your left tit, his thumb and forefinger pinching the sensitive nipple. You squeak and jolt, and he grins in response.

“Still so sensitive~” He purrs. You blush but don’t ask him to stop. 

His grinning mouth envelopes your tit, sucking the soft skin and nipping it with his sharp teeth. You moan at the feeling, throwing your head back against the wall with a solid ‘thunk’ that you don’t even feel, too focused on the heat of Wukong’s mouth working wonders to your body. Wukong is clearly bothered by the sound though, as his hands suddenly move back to your ass and hike your standing leg up to join the other around his hips. You latch onto his head, keeping it pressed against your soft tits as he suckles away, and the support of the wall leaves your back.

Distantly you’re aware that your husband is walking across the bedroom, but you focus instead on pressing kisses to the crown of his head.

“F-feels so good my love, fuck-” You moan, his mouth trailing kisses across the expanse of your chest to play with your other nipple. Your pussy is throbbing where it’s pressed against Wukong, fluid leaking into the cloth still worn over your legs. A sudden feeling of weightlessness hits you as Wukong’s arms drop you, and the soft feel of your bed hits your back, the plush mattress making you bounce as you land. You squeal in surprise before looking up at him, to see your king staring down at you with a fiery hunger in his eyes. He stands tall and imposing, and you ache to be filled.

His gaze doesn’t leave you as his claws grip the waistband of his pants, pulling the last few ties keeping it in place and letting it drop to the floor.

Your breath leaves in a rush, your mouth suddenly drooling at the feast of a demon standing before you. His chest, littered with scars, heaves with his breath, his tail lashes to and fro behind him, the muscle of his arms and thighs on full display for you. Between his legs his engorged cock leaks prefluid, a prominent vein on the underside throbbing in time with his heartbeat. You want it in you, in whatever way you can get. Mouth, cunt, ass, it doesn’t matter you just want to worship the body in front of you to make up for the many centuries of separation.

Without hesitation you lean forward on the bed, folding your legs under you so you’re on your knees. Your hands grip the thick muscle of Wukong’s thighs, fur tickling your palms, as you bring your face closer to his throbbing dick. 

“Love-” He starts but doesn’t finish, your cute tongue peeking out to lick a solid stripe up his length. He chokes on his words, hands immediately tangling in your hair. He doesn’t push you away or pull you closer, he simply holds you as you worship him. You press your lips against the fat vein you spotted, delighted by the way Wukong’s abdomen jumps in response. More fluid leaks from his pink tip, drooling a steady stream onto your cheek, and you lap it up eagerly, the salty taste making you shudder. Fuck, you missed that flavor.

Desperate for more you wrapped your lips around the head of his cock, giggling in your throat at the cute jerk his hips gave at the feel of your warm, wet mouth. You fluttered your lashes and looked up at him, his claws still tangled in your hair and his cock stretching your lips, a trail of drool and precum leaking from the corner of your mouth. He moaned above you, golden eyes bright and pupils blown wide. Satisfied, you swirl your tongue around the sensitive head, suckling sweetly before pulling your lips off with a lewd ‘pop’.

“Shit-such a good girl for me, my beautiful mate…” He purrs as you move your head lower. You bite your bottom lip, eyeing the thick, heavy ballsack hanging between your mate’s thighs. You can catch the faintest whiff of his natural musk, and you decide you want more. Before you can second guess yourself or be embarrassed by what you’re about to do, you shove your nose right into the fat balls hanging in front of you. Wukong jerks in surprise, but your fingers grip the fur of his thighs tighter, preventing him from moving away.

You nuzzle against the heavy globes, warm skin tickling the bridge of your nose and cheeks. You can feel the weight of his cock above you, resting against the crown of your head where his claws still massage your skull. The balls resting on your face feel so full…it’s clear your mate has been pent up on the length of his journey. Tonight you aim to drain him completely, and the thought sends a shiver down your spine that has your pussy clenching hard on nothing as a moan leaves your throat.

You take a deep breath in through your nose, mind flooded by the musky smell of your mate in its strongest form. It’s enough to make you feel drunk, your mouth opening to suck on a single ball, rolling the sensitive flesh around with your tongue. You suckle it like it’s candy, the heady taste more intoxicating than anything you’ve had before.

“P-peaches, fuck-! F-filthy girl, you’re bold tonight, h-huh?” Wukong gives a breathy chuckle above you as you move onto his other ball, suckling it with the same care as the first one. 

“You’re fucking filthy when d-desperate aren’t you? F-fuuuck~...” You moan in response, wiggling your hips happily at his words. You are, you’re so desperate, over 500 years since you’ve been able to play around like this with your chosen mate, you don’t care if it's unbecoming. You want your husband and you’ll damn well enjoy yourself, even if others would call you a whore for it. 

With that in mind you take one hand off your mate’s thigh, bringing it low between your own thighs to press against the ache you feel. The thin material of your undergarment is soaked through, and the pressure of your fingers has you gasping desperately around the soft skin still in your mouth. Wukong notices where your hand has gone, groaning in need as he bites his bottom lip.

“Sweet girl, lay back-...lay back and let me see you-” Now his hands push at your head, gently encouraging you to release him from your mouth. You whine, not wanting to stop but also desperate for some attention yourself. Wukong chuckles above you, his grin soft at your needy behavior.

“I know love, I know. We have plenty of time though, the next three days in fact.” Suddenly eager for more than just his touch, you lay back against the pillows of your bed. Wukong's claws tail down your chest and tummy to your hips, gripping the waistband of your under clothes and slipping them off. 

“Three days!? We actually have three days with you at home!?” At his nod, you squeal, kicking your feet before grabbing him by his shoulders and dragging him on top of you with a kiss. He follows your pull willingly, his knees settling down between your thighs and his hands gripping the soft flesh of your waist. His tail loops around one of your thighs as he settles between them, moaning into your kiss. He suckles your tongue before pulling away, sitting on his knees and watching his hands caress your skin. Every mark, every curve, his gaze takes it all in with reverence and it’s now you suddenly feel shy. Your body has changed a bit over the centuries, stress and challenges you faced with and without your husband leaving their mark. You cover your face with your hands even as he pushes your thighs further apart to reveal your dripping opening.

“Oh, darling…” He growls, claws moving closer. You jump at the feel of his calloused skin on your inner thigh, and blush even further. Your skin is soaked, the slick drooling from your pussy reaching mid-thigh and coating your husband’s hands as they massage over you. 

“P-please don’t stare-” You whimper, wiggling to close your thighs once again as embarrassment takes over. Wukong’s claws dig into the meat of your thighs, keeping them open despite your trembling muscles pushing against him.

“And why not? A sight like this should be enjoyed and savored…Such a pretty pussy making a mess for me? I’m honored.” You feel your cunt flutter at his words, and you squeak in response. A feather light touch of his fingers against your lips has your hips bucking off the mattress, seeking more pressure to grind against. Wukong chuckles darkly at the movement and you peek through your fingers just in time to see his mischievous grin before he leans down and buries it into your slick folds.

You scream, hands leaving your face to tangle into the sheet of your bed, you back arching as Wukong’s arms lock around your waist, preventing your hips from leaving the hot, wet torture that is his mouth. His tongue bullies its way past the ring of muscle for your entrance and presses up, immediately looking for the sensitive spot in your gummy walls that makes you cry for him. His teeth feel sharp where they sit against your sensitive skin, and despite knowing he would never hurt you more than you ask, the perceived danger of such sharp canines against you has your adrenaline racing. 

He pulls his tongue out of your cunt with a slurp, and presses a sloppy, wet kiss against your swollen clit. 

“Fuck! Wukong!” You sit straight up, hands gripping and pulling at the fur on top of his head. He gives a pleased growl at the motion, encouraging you to pull harder. With you watching, he buries his nose against your folds, and takes a deep inhale of your scent.

Oh. 

Liquid heat pools in your belly at the action, and you tug desperately at his fur again.

“Please love, please just-” His tongue traces a pattern through your folds again, and you feel a sudden sting as he playfully nips your engorged clit. “500 years Wukong-! Please, don’t tease me anymore-!”

He laughs low in his belly at your words, but does lift himself up to slot his hips against yours. You bite your lip at the feel of his cock pressing against you, hot and heavy as it leaks fluid over your mound, mixing with your own slick.

“Alright, alright peaches…Not so shy now-” You buck your hips up, delighted by the brief friction of grinding against him. “Dammit, okay! Settle down, I don’t want to hurt you sweet one.” He shushes you, waiting for you to lay your hips back onto the mattress. You groan in frustration, watching with rapt attention as his hand grabs the length of his cock, rubbing the pink tip through your folds and gathering more slick. You hold your breath, waiting in anticipation for him to move.

His cock presses against your opening, the tight muscle immediately giving way as your mate pushes himself into you. You both gasp at the feeling, his cock twitching in response and you can feel it. You pull desperately at his shoulders and he follows, leaning on his hands above you as you pull him into a desperate kiss. His hips push forward achingly slow, spreading your soft walls at an agonizing pace. You need him now, dammit. Need him to bully his way inside you and break you on his cock like a bitch in heat.

You wrap your legs around his hips, and with one sharp tug and a jerk up of your own, he sinks fully into you. Wukong shudders and groans deep in his chest, his arms trembling under his weight as he sags against you, lips never leaving yours. You keen loudly at the feeling of being so full so fast, your walls squeezing tight around him. You pull away from the kiss, panting desperately as you fall back into the pillows surrounding you.

“...S-Sweet one, so tight-” He hisses, burying his face in your neck. You need him to move.

“Wu-Wukong…fucking move…” You whimper, your body shaking with overstimulation. Your king hisses between grit teeth, shifting into a better position on his knees. Your cunt refuses to give at first, clamped down tight around him before he pulls harder, and a lewd ‘squelch’ echoes between you both. It’s followed by another, and another, as Wukong builds a slow rhythm, grinding his hips in shallow circles against you. You cup his jaw and make him look up at you, breathing each other’s air before he kisses you again. His tongue still tastes like you, and you moan as the pressure in your belly increases.

His thrusts pick up speed as you kiss, his breath coming out in hot puffs from his nose against your cheek. You aren’t doing much better, your lungs feel entirely too empty as your body burns, heat making your toes curl and your legs lock tight around his hips. It’s been so long for the both of you, you aren’t surprised you didn’t last very long, but you truly don’t care. Wukong is in your arms again, he’s kissing you again, your bed smells like him again.

His thumb makes its way to your mound, finding your clit and rubbing harsh, sloppy circles around it that make you cry into your shared kiss. He nips your lips in response, his tail thrashing where it curls high in the air above you both. You feel your peak rising, and pull away just enough to look into his eyes when you cum.

“I-I love you…” Your shaking voice manages to get out before the pressure inside you snaps. You bury your face into his warm neck, biting down, uncaring of the fur getting in your mouth. Wukong moans, his hips stuttering their rhythm as you clamp down tight, your pussy milking him for everything he has. He follows you over the peak, pressing his lips to your ear to whisper back.

“I love y-you-...too-” He shudders, and you feel the liquid heat of his release inside you, flooding your cunt. Your spasming walls take it greedily, until it's too much, and thick globs of white cum leak back out your spasming pussy, mixing with the mess of fluid already painted across your thighs. You both shudder and shake, the glow of orgasm leaving you gradually as you lay in each other’s arms. Wukong practically collapses on the bed next to you, wrapping his arms tight around your back to drag you with him. You adjust yourself, keeping your legs tight around him as he flips onto his back and lays you along his chest. 

The rise and fall of his breathing soothes you, growing slower and deeper as you both come down from your high. You move, lifting yourself up enough to press a kiss to his pectoral, right above his stone heart. When you look up, he’s staring at you, a very soft smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks…upset.

Doubt wiggles its way into your mind, wondering if he’s upset by what just happened.

“Everything okay?” You whisper. He startles, the unease in his gaze clearing up as he watches you. One of his clawed hands comes up to brush through your hair, playing with the strands. After a moment, he speaks.

“There was…a shapeshifter, today. Trying to steal Master’s flesh.” You lean into his hand, the feeling of his fingers playing with your hair, a feeling you have missed over the years. You keep your eyes locked with his to show you’re still listening.

“They wore your face.” Wukong mumbles. You freeze, eyes widening in shock. “They wore your face, and they used some…some kind of magic to see what I-...see what we-” He growls, glaring off the side of your bedroom at some unseen enemy. “They brought up how we don’t have little ones of our own yet. Still.”

You aren’t sure what to say, so you grab his hand that's frozen in your hair, bringing his palm low enough for you to press a kiss against his pulse point. He smiles at you, the familiar warmth you adore coming back to his eyes.

“It upset me quite a bit, everyone could tell. Master…took pity on me I suppose, said I could leave them for a few days to see you.” His thumb strokes over your cheek, trailing down to your jaw and curving around the length of your neck, fingers back in the thick of your hair once more.

“Well, I suppose I’m grateful for that, at least.” You begin, a touch of bitterness to your tone. “Not that I think it’s right I haven't been able to see, touch, or properly talk to my husband in seven years-!” His brow furrows, a sad expression making its way onto his handsome face. You take a deep breath, shoving those feelings aside. 

It’s just for a few more years.

You can handle a few more years of letters and talks through magic portals and dreams as you wait for Wukong to come back to you. And if you’re lucky, maybe more nights where he’s able to actually visit you like this. 

You shift a little, sucking in a sharp breath at the feel of his softening cock still inside you, but now close enough to his face you can press a kiss to his furry chin. He jerks at the feeling of you moving as well, but neither of you makes to actually get up and clean yourselves off. If your gut feeling is correct, which it usually is, your mate will be rested and ready to go again in a few minutes, and for the rest of the night.

“I’m sorry my love, I’m just…frustrated by the distance between us. I miss having you with me every day.” Wukong sighs underneath you, pressing a kiss of his own to the crown of your head.

“I know. Believe me, peaches, I know.” He sighs, and you rise and fall with his chest as he does so. “It’ll be over soon. We’re immortal. Time is…it’ll pass before we even realize it.” You know his words are true, and you can’t help but smile up at him when you next speak.

“And then we could…finally try for that family?” You offer. His eyes widen, but a grin follows soon after.

“I’d love nothing more.” He seals his promise with a kiss.

[i-suc-at-art]

DpxDc prompt #2

Full prompt from this idea

Tim and Danny are apart of an online RPG which is basically DND but anonymous and online. (it’s mainly for secret nerds who don’t have anyone irl to play with)

Danny plays as a changeling rogue who will often swipe things from players they don’t like

Tim plays a Variant Human, monk who wields a pole staff (my guy is not subtle) and will often give back the things danny (who’s known as wraith) (Tim goes by Scarlet Redpoll (mainly just Scarlet though)) stole

Rules of the RPG:

Everyone remains under their game handle (so there’s no doxing) NO REAL NAMES

You can interact with other parties who are using the same campaign as you, however when interacting with main story plot your party will go into its own private server

You can have a party of any size however it’s recommended to have a party over 4.. However you can make it with two or three or solo (but that’s just kinda sad..)

There is a chat feature and call feature in the game, however no hate speech, or bigotry

You can’t join a call unless your apart of the party

ofc this doesn’t stop it from happening but that’s not really relevant to the story

There are Dms (dungeon masters) but your team can also just use the computer for your Dm

Your character can be completely customized, and you’ll move around on a map

Ok now to the fun stuff

Danny and Tim (Wraith and Scarlet) have been playing together for about 3 months, and have made a commitment to play every 2 weeks on sunday (ghosts tend to take a break every 2 weeks on sundays (and B forced Tim to take a break from everything including cases every 2 weeks on sunday) Although sometimes each will get pulled away from the game and they’ll have to end early.

Anyways their campaign doesn’t super matter, only that they are online friends. Ok so one day Tim texts Wraith (they use online name bc y'know tim’s like uber famous) that he can’t make it to their session today bc his dad is forcing him to “bond” Aka he’s going to a gala with Bruce and Dick to stop a heist team that has been rampant across socialite and high society events. Wraith tells him it’s alright, and that coincidentally he’s busy too and was just about to cancel.

As Tim surveils everyone he curses Bruce for making him come. Tim had gotten into the habit of getting a night off from everything. He’d also not gotten a chance to do ample research on the guests beforehand because he’d been working on researching the thieves. He’d heard some chatter about the group looking into a possible haunted vahz, that was on display for the night. Tim had been surveying the party staying near the vahz making sure everyone checked out. Dick had texted saying that he’d cornered a possible thieving candidate and that he needed Tim to run an face ID check, on the picture he’d taken. The photo was of a young woman, her red hair caused Tim to think of Babs, but the woman’s simple teal evening dress couldn’t be further from her style. He’d done a quick search of the woman, she seemed to be some sort of rich young socialite, definitely Dicks type.. Her name was Kelly Jankins, no criminal history, or past arrests, she had a couple of parking tickets that were waved from her late teens. But nothing out of the ordinary. Tim texted Dick the information (save for the part about her being Dicks type) before stuffing his phone back into his pocket and moving from his post to go and get a drink. About 20 feet from his post he bumped into a nicely dressed guy, his hair black and suit tailored.. He also wore a Vladco pin on his left breast pocket.

He’d apologized and Tim told him it was no big deal, his eyes were blue.. But he could have sworn they were green when he first looked up. And his voice.. It sounded so familiar. Why did it sound familiar..?

As Tim walked away it hit him like a truck.. Wraith.

—————

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz had been stealing for some time now, after Danny had been outed as Phantom to the whole town by his parents. Him, Sam, and Tucker had decided to all leave Amity since all of their parents were unaccepting.. Sam’s parents had gone so far as to write her out of their will.. Danny had told her and Tuck to stay in Amity and fix their relationships with their family, but they’d both said ‘that if Danny wasn’t in Amity Park then they didn’t have their family.’ So they left. The three stayed with Jazz for a bit but she was a broke college student that barely had enough money for food and rent. So the three started stealing food.. It was out of necessity at first, and only from big companies, but when Sam got an online invitation to a big gala that was showing off some old artifacts from a rich guy’s private collection, Danny felt a pull toward a particular item from his core. The item belonged to someone in the ghost zone.. and he needed to have it. He needed to return it.

So they stole it. Danny was to be Sam’s plus one as he’s basically a haunted item metal detector. Sam would steal the item and Tuck would turn out the lights and secretly system. Then Danny would get him and Sam out of there. Most of their plans would be similar to this format. Sam would also grift from the other patrons, only stealing from the ones who seemed to have a shit ton of money. Eventually even teaching Danny how to do it too, she’d told him that ‘using his ghost powers were a cop out’ when he brought that up.. and that ‘anyone would be able to feel the chill of it.’ Which Danny was sure that that was untrue.. But he learned how to steal a wallet, or a phone Sam’s way.

Jazz had been against the thefts at first saying that all of these items belonged to the original owner. But soon she was persuaded when Danny told her that they were stealing stolen items. Stolen ghost items. Some of the items even had a ghost core attached to it. So Jazz became their planner, she’d make sure they’d have all the info they needed and that no one got caught.

Danny ends up in jail after being caught trying to lift someone’s wallet.. Jazz was there to legally get him out and pay the bail. Tucker got caught in a backroom of a place they were stealing from. ‘Oh yeah that’s her brother who would often get himself trapped in closets looking for the bathroom.. She apologizes profusely..’

So when Tucker had found their newest item, a haunted vase that had a shit ton of death and destruction attached to it, Jazz had thought up the plan. She’d heard whisperings that Vlad had gotten invited to the party but Danny was going to go in his place since Vlad would never go. Then they had a plan. A plan they were meant to stick to, until someone ran her face and Danny started being followed. So they abandoned the vase opting to get out of there instead of getting caught.

[lovelytsunoda]

wisdom teeth // oscar piastri (headcanons)

summary: oscar's girlfriend gets her wisdom teeth out

pairing: oscar piastri x female! reader

warnings: mentions of surgery, wisdom teeth, anesthesia....you know, just dental surgery related things

author's note: i lost the picture i normally use for my headcanon dividers and its pissing me off because i can't be bothered to go to an old set and save it again....maybe its time to rebrand slightly.

he’s such a lover boy!! so attentive for the whole day and recovery period

drives her to the appointment in their Kia suv, something far more sensible than Oscar’s McLaren is, with the sole purpose of making sure she’s comfortable on the way home

he doesn’t leave the surgery once during the procedure. even though they’re told that it will be at least three hours to remove all four teeth, he simply takes a book out of his backpack and camps out in the waiting room

holding her hand while they wait for the anaesthesia to take effect, and kissing her on the forehead before he leaves the operating theatre

he wanted to say but the surgeon said ✨ not on your life✨

so there he is, reading mark webbers autobiography in the waiting room

when she comes out of surgery, she’s not delirious like he had feared

just fucking tired

“hey sweet girl, lean on me. let’s get you to the car. how about we stop for milkshakes on the way home?”

shes bundled up in blankets, groggy as she pushes the seat back, indie rock on the radio and oscar's hand reassuringly rubbing her thigh

shes asleep by the time he gets to the mcdonalds drive through

he has to carry her inside, securely tucking her into their bed and leaving the milkshake on the nightstand

watching tv in the other room at a low volume so he can hear if she wakes up or if she needs anything

helps her shower to wash off the hospital smell, holding her tightly and whispering how proud he is and how good she is

stroking her hair as they eat soup together while watching something mindless on netflix before she falls asleep in his arms halfway through an episode of monk

makes sure she takes all her painkillers on time, drinking lots of water

waits on her hand and foot, even days later when she’s almost fully recovered

“babe, I’m going for a girls night!”

“like hell you are. are you sure you’re well enough? the surgeon said it could take a week. your stitches still need to dissolve.”

“Oscar, it’s just a few mocktails and manicures.”

“fine. but don’t overdo it. no vodka, no sharp foods and no boxing classes at least until Monday.”

“okay, dad.”

but she’s smiling as she says it

Oscar just wants to take care of his pretty girl, and make sure she has everything she needs to get better

[illycanary]

What Aang’s Relationship With His Kids Tells Us About His Relationship With Katara

Bumi: “Oh, boo-hoo. Must've been real hard for you, flying around the world with dad, riding elephant-koi all day.”

Tenzin: “Oh, so that's what this is all about.”

Kya: “That's what it's always been about. You think you're some savior who has to carry on dad's legacy.”

Tenzin: “Who else is going to do it?”

Kya: “How about all of us?”

Bumi: “Yeah, we're Aang's kids too.”

The whole problem with this family is, Aang didn’t believe that.

Aang has a long, undeviating track record of never questioning anything he believes about the Air Nomads. Who the hell has a perfect and complete understanding of their society, government, international relations, education system, religion, morality, genetics, and reproduction at age 12? According to Aang? He does. 

The entire lynchpin of Aang’s Book 3 arc is all about how Air Nomads are pacifists and cannot ever under any circumstances harm a life. (We’re going to ignore the body count Aang’s already wracked up over the first two seasons for the sake of preserving his feelings because those were soulless NPCs or something.) 

And yet Aang never questions this…

Monk Gyatso’s bones surrounded by a pile of Fire Nation soldier bones. The picture doesn’t fit Aang’s image of Air Nomad peace and harmony, so he ignores it entirely. It NEVER comes up despite its overwhelming relevance to Aang’s internal conflict and the sorts of advice he seeks from authority figures in the third season (despite Monk Gyatso being the penultimate authority figure in Aang’s life).

Another thing Aang never questions?

There’s no such thing as a non-airbending Air Nomad. They’re just all born that spiritual. And spirituality is the golden key that unlocks bending. (Because Bryke said so.)

Despite Guru Pathik not being a bender. Despite the fact that Zhao, literal spirit murderer, is one. Despite Toph—the most un-spiritual, cynical, feet-on-the-ground-head-nowhere-near-the-clouds member of Aang’s friend group—being the most powerful bender of the lot. Despite Hama being a waterbender equal to none but Katara while completely cut off from her culture and turning her back on everything we believe about water bending’s inherent ties to community, connectedness, and love (Iroh’s words). Despite Azula mastering the god-tier lightning technique BECAUSE she’s practically dead inside and values life least of all things. Despite the fact that Princess Yue has the literal MOON SPIRIT THAT IS THE SOURCE OF ALL WATERBENDING living inside her, and yet she still somehow manages to not be a bender.

Despite the fact that Air Nomads roam all over the world, sewing their wilds oats throughout every nation, yet no airbending toddlers ever crop up in Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom preschools. 

Despite the fact that non-monogamous societies where men have multiple partners father more children and boost the population faster than in societies that favor “attached” relationships, yet the all-airbending Air Nomads still somehow have the smallest population of any ethnic group in the world. 

Despite the fact that Aang’s twin, Ty Lee, is RIGHT. THERE. with her unparalleled aura-seeing, chakra blocking spirituality and her GRAY EYES in a world where color coding is ~totally~ not a thing… *sigh* 

But nope. Air Nomad parentage = airbending child. Always.

So when Katara births a child that is… not an airbender? Not any kind of bender at all, in fact. There’s only one logical conclusion (in Aang’s mind). 

That is not Aang’s child. 

Aang never had a problem traveling with non-airbenders before. He was non-exclusionary by nature. Katara and Toph and Zuko were welcome. Sokka and Suki were welcome. The more, the merrier, in fact. Because Aang loves nothing as much as he loves an adoring audience.

Yet Bumi never travelled with Aang.

Bumi’s as old in this picture as Aang was in the first series. He had an entire decade in which he should have been the most important thing in his parents’ lives. His personality was already more or less formed (not completed, but the groundwork was laid) by the time Tenzin came along. Bumi’s inferiority issues began long before there were any airbending children around to siphon Aang’s attention for training purposes. 

Aang and Katara didn’t have another child until Bumi was on the verge of adolescence because Aang was convinced that Katara cheated. And I’m guessing it took Mr. “Let Your Anger Out, And Then Let It Go” about ten years to forgive his wife and give her the chance to get it right. (Which is at least four years longer than he gave her to forgive her mother’s murderer, in case you forgot.)

Acolyte: “Sorry, I thought you were the servants.”

Bumi: “We’re Tenzin’s brother and sister!”

Acolyte: “Avatar Aang had other children? The world is filled with more airbenders?!”

Kya: “We’re not airbenders.”

Acolyte: “Oh… I’m so sorry.”

The Air Acolytes—whose whole identity, purpose, lifestyle, and religion center around every detail of this man's life and beliefs—didn't know Aang had more than one child.

The best case scenario here is that Aang simply pretended his older children didn’t exist because he was ashamed of them and made Katara keep them shut away at all times. 

And maybe that could have worked… If Aang and Katara had ever had any privacy in their relationship. But they didn’t.

The Air Acolytes have been following Aang and Katara since the comics. They’ve been there at every step of Aang and Katara’s life together. Observing. Fangirling. Emulating. Diefying. Looking for weaknesses in the relationship because Katara was only his “first girlfriend.” 

Yet, somehow, they didn’t know Aang had three children. 

I can’t imagine a way for them not to know unless Aang actively told people, “Those aren’t my kids,” and let Katara bear the shame and stigma of having the world believe she was unfaithful. 

All because Aang couldn't entertain the idea that he was wrong about some facet of a society he never understood clearly.

[mysteryanimator]

Castlevania : Nocturne - Eye Colour and their Purpose

This was originally a response to @xshingie asking for my thoughts on the artist choices for Edouard and Richter's blue eyes! The post they made about it can be found here!

So woah, my main focus is Edouard, but I do end up talking about a ton of other characters as I go on a tangent but the Castlevania eyes. This is a very casual thing since most of it is just copied and pasted from a discord message (thank you to the Castlevania Creatives server for reading my paragraph-long rambles) but I do have evidence for my claims so there will be pretty pictures.

So this is just presumptions on what I've seen because i can only guess, but every single character colour palettes communicate all different things, never the one same thing (but there is a ton of overlap), especially their eyes i mean theyre SOOO DETAILED, down to the treatment of everyone's eyelashes (i say this because mizrak's eyelashes are so absurdly detailed and in the first Castlevania, Alucard's eyelashes have shadows).

To bring up the point for Edouard's eyes and why they arent a different colour, an example like green is because Olrox's colour palette is very strictly purple and green, not only in his outfit/design but the locations he's apart of are dominated by all different types of green to showcase the power in the dynamic between him and Mizrak (the courtyard, the breakup hill anddd every other location in season 2 including the bed scene).

Myst why are you pulling up this image, Olrox isn't here BUT YOU CAN FEEL HIS PRESCENE. Not only does the dialogue help, but the act of green in a scene makes his presence feel that much stronger like it's literally looming over Mizrak.

Due to this, Olrox just ends up being associated with all types of green rather then just one vibrant one for his eyes and earrings. By having Edouard and Olrox overlap in this way, it would confuse Edouard's personality and goals since funnily enough, Edouard and Olrox are quite the opposite. Richter and Edouard are allowed to overlap because they fight for the people and their connection to Annette which Xshingie covers.

(Also side note, for a long time due to print colour limitations for comics, villains were often coded as purple and green, think Joker and the Green Goblin. These are complementary colours opposed blue and red, colours given to heroes like Spiderman and Superman. It's one of the reasons why purple and green is associated with antagonists today.)

He cannot have pink because thats for the supernatural anddd drolta + maria are coded pink.

Turquoise also belongs to Maria and Tera, but its very important to have those colours focused on them for the fact that Tera's eyes change to being more misty. This comparison is diabolic because they're both closeups of Tera smiling almost both centered but the clear humanity in her from season 1 to season 2 is so starkly different, most notably in her eyes.

Brown is way too human, which is why Mizrak and Annette has them, and Edouard needs to have his character give the air of mystic and ethereal before his transformation as a way to foreshadow it AND that's already something innate in his character, especially with how Annette frames meeting him.

^^ characters tied to their innate humanness and the fight for people

(Literally, Edouard's introduction is his eyes)

Greyish blue is for Emmanuel but also I don't think it'd end up communicating life that Edouard has because they end up so dull. Also Emmanuel's lack of having a strong eye colour comes into great effect when Ezerbet's eyes reflect into his because it shows how Emmanuel has no power against her, lets say in comparison to when Olrox's eyes reflect into Mizrak's. Olrox still gives a ton of power to Mizrak.

In season 2, a lot of the locations he appears in like when burying the monks are really soft and light colours and make you feel like this is more where he belongs. They also really help to contrast whenever he's not in those environments like the prison cells or when he stares at his reflection in the knife because you have this utterly dark interior, violence being threatened against such soft colours and such a disheartening expression. Despite his imprisonment both literal and physical by having him transformed into a night creature, having a clear remanent of his human self shine through as all-encompassing in his eyes is very important. His entire body is made of nudes and brown, and often then not, 'seems' to blend into those environments. The chateau, the prison, the march into Paris, intentionally so, yet his humanity shines through and that's what needs to be communicated to the audience.

His eyes also end up being somewhat similar in shade to Frozen Shade, which then alludes to his influence on her to because they're both connected literally because Emmanuel both gave them their night creature form and Edouard would come later to influence her to lead the night creature fight. In a sense, the colour for freedom and revolution are tied to Edouard's eye colour.

In the same vein that Olrox's green is tied to his presence (and Mizrak/other stuff but itll get too long), the yellow/ish hues when Annette fights in the temple against the creature in which showcases her immense power (the temple name and creature is alluding me so bad)

Something something, eyes are the window to the soul, and this lighter blue helps to communicate the exact mystical airy otherworldly vibe Edouard has as a character. The vibrant blue from Richter feels to me to communicate a lot heavier physical magic aspect that @xshingie touched base on in their post!

Anyways that's my ramble. This is my personal take as an artist who noticed the importance of character colours not only in design but how it comes into play in setting and creating those strong connections so that even in their absence, they can still be felt. So I can totally off-mark here but it is what ive gathered (also kind of preparation as I begin writing the analysis for s02ep8 haha)

[snobgoblin]

chip monk

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Culture

There are many definitions of culture and it is used in different ways by different people.

Culture - may be defined as patterns of learned and shared behavior that are cumulative and transmitted across generations.

Patterns

There are systematic and predictable ways of behavior or thinking across members of a culture.

Emerge from adapting, sharing, and storing cultural information.

Can be both similar and different across cultures.

Example: In both Canada and India it is considered polite to bring a small gift to a host’s home. In Canada, it is more common to bring a bottle of wine and for the gift to be opened right away. In India, by contrast, it is more common to bring sweets, and often the gift is set aside to be opened later.

Sharing

Culture is the product of people sharing with one another.

Humans cooperate and share knowledge and skills with other members of their networks.

The ways they share, and the content of what they share, helps make up culture.

Example: Older adults remember a time when long-distance friendships were maintained through letters that arrived in the mail every few months. Contemporary youth culture accomplishes the same goal through the use of instant text messages on smartphones.

Learned

Behaviors, values, norms are acquired through a process known as enculturation that begins with parents and caregivers, because they are the primary influence on young children.

Caregivers teach kids, both directly and by example, about how to behave and how the world works.

They encourage children to be polite, reminding them, for instance, to say “Thank you.” They teach kids how to dress in a way that is appropriate for the culture.

Culture teaches us what behaviors and emotions are appropriate or expected in different situations.

Example: In some societies, it is considered appropriate to conceal anger. Instead of expressing their feelings outright, people purse their lips, furrow their brows, and say little. In other cultures, however, it is appropriate to express anger. In these places, people are more likely to bare their teeth, furrow their brows, point or gesture, and yell (Matsumoto, Yoo, & Chung, 2010).

Learned: Rituals

Members of a culture also engage in rituals which are used to teach people what is important.

Example 1: Young people who are interested in becoming Buddhist monks often have to endure rituals that help them shed feelings of specialness or superiority—feelings that run counter to Buddhist doctrine. To do this, they might be required to wash their teacher’s feet, scrub toilets, or perform other menial tasks.

Example 2: Similarly, many Jewish adolescents go through the process of bar and bat mitzvah. This is a ceremonial reading from scripture that requires the study of Hebrew and, when completed, signals that the youth is ready for full participation in public worship.

These examples help to illustrate the concept of enculturation.

Cumulative

Cultural knowledge is information that is “stored” and then the learning grows across generations.

We understand more about the world today than we did 200 years ago, but that doesn’t mean the culture from long ago has been erased.

Example: Members of the Haida culture, a First Nations people in British Columbia, Canada are able to profit from both ancient and modern experiences. They might employ traditional fishing practices and wisdom stories while also using modern technologies and services.

Transmission

Passing of new knowledge and traditions of culture from one generation to the next, as well as across other cultures is cultural transmission.

In everyday life, the most common way cultural norms are transmitted is within each individuals’ home life.

Each family has its own, distinct culture under the big picture of each given society and/or nation.

With every family, there are traditions that are kept alive.

The way each family acts and communicates with others and an overall view of life are passed down.

Parents teach their kids every day how to behave and act by their actions alone.

Outside of the family, culture can be transmitted at various social institutions like places of worship, schools, even shopping centers are places where enculturation happens and is transmitted.

Understanding culture as a learned pattern of thoughts and behaviors is interesting for several reasons:

It highlights the ways groups can come into conflict with one another. Members of different cultures simply learn different ways of behaving. Teenagers today interact with technologies, like a smartphone, using a different set of rules than people who are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Older adults might find texting in the middle of a face-to-face conversation rude while younger people often do not. These differences can sometimes become politicized and a source of tension between groups. One example of this is Muslim women who wear a hijab, or headscarf. Non-Muslims do not follow this practice, so occasional misunderstandings arise about the appropriateness of the tradition.

Understanding that culture is learned is important because it means that people can adopt an appreciation of patterns of behavior that are different than their own.

Understanding that culture is learned can be helpful in developing self-awareness. For instance, people from the United States might not even be aware of the fact that their attitudes about public nudity are influenced by their cultural learning. While women often go topless on beaches in Europe and women living a traditional tribal existence in places like the South Pacific also go topless, it is illegal for women in some of the United States to do so. These cultural norms for modesty that are reflected in government laws and policies also enter the discourse on social issues such as the appropriateness of breastfeeding in public. Understanding that your preferences are, in many cases, the products of cultural learning might empower you to revise them if doing so will lead to a better life for you or others.

Humans use culture to adapt and transform the world they live in and you should think of the word culture as a conceptual tool rather than as a uniform, static definition.

Culture changes through interactions with individuals, media, and technology, just to name a few.

Culture generally changes for one of 2 reasons:

Selective transmission or

to meet changing needs.

This means that when a village or culture is met with new challenges, for example, a loss of a food source, they must change the way they live.

It could also include forced relocation from ancestral domains due to external or internal forces.

Example: In the United States, tens of thousands Native Americans were forced to migrate from their ancestral lands to reservations established by the United States government so it could acquire lands rich with natural resources. The forced migration resulted in death, disease and many cultural changes for the Native Americans as they adjusted to new ecology and way of life.

Source ⚜ More: On Psychology ⚜ Writing Notes & References