#it's also a very personally beloved story for me bc 'dream a little dream of me' was one of the lullabyes my dad always sang to me as a kid

[talentforlying]

so there was that one uquiz i did where it decided that constantine's symphony was 'the nocturne' and i just realized during my reread earlier that the volume of sandman in which constantine's story shows up is called 'preludes & nocturnes'......i'm unwell

[princesschimchim1325]

hi i’m not much of one for sending stuff in but i’ve had an idea in my brain ab a poly yingxing x reader x dan fang where reader is short life who was also an artisan like Yingxing as well and dies after Yingxing and Dan Feng both banished and is reincarnated wayyyyy later but unlike dan heng, they accept themselves as both being themselves and also the person they once were, having memories of the past, dreaming of them both. they meet Dan Heng on the Express but Dan Heng makes it clear he has no interest in being close to them, wanting to separate himself from his past life (he does he’s just emotionally constipated).

So they respect his decision. but later they meet Blade by chance and Blade is more than accepting (in his own way, he’s also a constipated weirdo as well, and he’s a little coo coo for coco puffs), and after some time and lots of thinking they end up leaving the express and joining the stelleron hunters to help Blade meet a permanent end because they blame themselves for not stopping Dan Feng and YingXing for their stupid ass decisions.

the rest is up tew yew ☺️ KDHAKD I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS AB THEMMMM like my brain,,, it swirls 👁️_👁️

You are so real, they make the brain gears start working.

I never really considered a reader who died after they committed their sin 🤔 hmmm. Idk maybe bc I think Dan Feng and Yingxing would never abandon their spouse? I cant really comprehend them willingly abandoning their beloved spouse? Your ideas sounds really good but that part really made me think ngl. I think the only way for reader to die after they were exiled is if that reader was brought back to life bc of their actions but died again due to either many factors such as other wars or old age.

As for the reincarnated part, yeah sounds legit tbh. Dan Heng being emotionally constipated and rejecting reader as a way to reject his past is very on brand of him. Even if he does ahve genuine feelings for reader, he thinks it's Dan Feng's lingering love for his spouse.

Blade being a lot more accepting is also very on brand of him if u look past his mara stricken rages. Bladie is pretty chill but at the same time is a weirdo. Alexa play I'm a creep by radiohead. Blade thinks hes being normal but is very obviously not lmao. He probs no longer want to be called Yingxing but just as Blade or Ren.

Reader leaving the express to help Bladie meet his permanent end while Bladie learns to love again and Dan Heng pines from afar is the kind of kdrama angst I wanna see tbh

The self loathing/blaming omg yes, especially if they are the reason why their idiot husbands did what they did, no wonder reader wants to make amends.

When you're in a toxic throuple competition and you see RenHengxReader lmaooo

The ending to this story could be RenHeng and reader make amends and be a throuple again until their life ends and Elio finally gives Blade his permanent end. Dan Heng is left behind to reincarnate and forget about them. Maybe in another life, they'll meet again.

This was such a rollercoaster ngl.

[blueparadis]

a concept:

tattoo artist kaeya having a thing for u, his regular client rosaria's cute little roommate, who is the exact opposite of her. he feels bad for touching himself to the thoughts of u but he can't help himself bc he likes u so much

❝ INKED SECRETS ❞ + KAEYA ALBERICH !

+. CWs —» tattoo artist au + modern au, f!reader, fluff, light angst with comfort, some canon elements, love at first sight, mention of cigarette smoking, bad relationships, hookups, stranger to lovers, smut ( fantasies, m-mastarbation ) ; word count — 2k.

+. NOTES —» thanks to my beloved yoru ( @anantaru) for helping me and beta reading this otherwise i would've opened the gates of kaeya-brainrot; also, thank you for being patient. This ask was almost a month old and I know this was supposed to be short but the thing is kaeya is the one who had me invested in genshin impact. However, surprisingly I've never thought of writing about him so thank you for your muse. I loved writing this so fucking much. Thank you. Tattoo artist kaeya shall live forever in my mind. If you wanna check more of my writings, click here.

Kaeya Alberich. The name of the mystery man who would always be the talk of the topic for Rosaria. He was more familiar to you than your roommate ever was. You two shared a room yet you could never read Rosaria but she was thorough with you; maybe that is why you two clicked. Every one of your friends considered it a mystery how a sunflower like you would ever survive in the company of a moon. Everyone including Kaeya. He had his own proportion of confusion every time Rosaria talked about you. 

Kaeya knew how you looked, talked, and liked to eat ice cream in winter. Not only that, your favorite colors, bits and pieces of your small dreams were known to him. And all because Rosaria wouldn’t stop with the constant blabbering about you whenever he directly hung out with her, emphasizing the fact that you were nothing but an angel in disguise. Kaeya had to endure all of it, every bit of you that Rosaria seemed to find alluring. At moments like this, one could say that they exchanged personas since Kaeya was a guy of smiles and chitter-chatter while Rosaria was quite the opposite.

True, the friendship between Kaeya and Rosaria was another talk of Mondstadt’s inhabitants, but they both did not seem to react as people expected, as people thought they should. You would, barely, call them lovers. While Kaeya enjoyed different takes of his customers about Rosaria, she, on the other hand, brushed those petty rumors off, with just a glance keeping her stoic persona. 

But, among all these happenings, Rosaria had the front-row seat of the chaos that was about to unfold. She had her beauty salon just above Kaeya’s tattoo parlor. They have been working together for at least five years. Rosaria had her shop on rental and the five-storied complex was owned by none other than Kaeya Alberich himself. 

Anyone who wanted to go to her parlor had to cross Kaeya’s floor; hence, no one slipped past the grip of his galactic eyes. He knew the regulars of her shop and had an immense influence on them. He believed it was his charms while Rosaria begged to differ.

But she was just being professional, clearing non-financial tabs that she owed to him, for bringing the immense influx of customers to her salon. Sometimes, it worked both ways, but whenever they fought, the elders of the locality had more spice to flavor the rumors that had just started sedimenting.

January, the prime of winter, of snow and the freezing cold, Kaeya laid his first glance at you. Warm and alluring: you were every bit of beauty that Rosaria spoke of, in fact, now that he had finally seen you in person, he thinks Rosaria fell short of speaking of your angelic aura. 

“Hello, I have a parcel for Rosaria, could you please deliver it to her? I would have done it myself if I wasn’t in such a hurry.”, you kept the package on my desk, “Thank you very much, Mister . . .”, you looked at his batch that reads Kaeya Alberich, “. . . Thank you so much, Mister Kaeya Alberich.” And before Kaeya could say anything back, you fled out of his sight like a bird.

He watched you get into a cab holding the package in his hand, barely registering what you asked him to do. His mind had drifted far off to all those times when Rosaria was talking about you. He checked his watch and smiled to himself. Oops! Rosaria’s smoke break was ruined since he joined in with the package you had left for her, with many questions.

For a tattoo artist, Kaeya seemed the least bit invested in its antics, yet he had a steady influx of customers, mostly because he is very professional and dedicated to his livelihood. He pays special attention to his regular customers, sadly, you weren’t one of them, not yet.

Still, he would stand and smoke at the corner of the entrance so that he could watch you go like the wind to meet your roommate with a package in hand. He would notice the color of your dress, the matching nails, shoes, and every little detail thinking how flawlessly sexy you looked. 

But he abruptly stopped the second he had bruised his fingers with the cigarette burn. Fortunately, it was his left hand but with his line of work, he needed both. 

Today, during the lunch break when Rosaria told him that y/n wanted to have a tattoo, his blood rushed to his cheeks and ears. He did not think you’d be interested in tattoos or piercings. He definitely did not see the next blow coming. “Yep. sure.”, he supplied, coughing back the lump in his throat. Of all the parlors you could choose you had to choose his. What in the lord’s fuck was going on?

The day came faster, faster than he had anticipated. Needless to say, it did not go like he thought it would. It was safe to say he was more nervous than you were. “Are you sure about this?”, “Ya’know it’s gonna hurt, right?”, “Should I use some anesthetic on the area?” His questions wouldn’t stop and you were trying your best to stay as patient as possible It is true, part of him was nervous but another wanted to spend and enjoy some time with you.

“And done!”, Kaeya playfully mused as he wiped over the work of ink, careful enough not to accidentally graze his fingers over your inner thigh but of course, he did want to.“y/n” he spoke, his tone low but clear enough for you to hear, “so, how many tattoos do you have now?” Kaeya shifted in his chair as he intently watched you normalize your heightened breathing

“Didn’t you keep count?”, 

“nine”, he said, letting out a breathless laugh. “which means you dumped your ninth partner.” and he was not wrong. Of all the regular customers he had, you were his favorite because you had an amusing story to tell whenever you had visited his parlor. He would listen to you the moment he was finished with his handiwork.

But this one in particular, was quite a different story. You never told nor was he allowed to ask about the guy you dumped, ever. Part of him wanted to console you, and tell you that good things take time but another part of him was too afraid to lose you, realizing it was unprofessional of him to offer any form of painkiller against a situation like that. Because on any other occasion, his usual customers weren’t as chatty as you were. 

He never thought of a case where it might be the opposite. With that, he thought that you, of all people, being dumped by someone was utterly ridiculous, because who wouldn't want to date someone like you? He knows he would, after all, and if he could, he would make sure the ninth tattoo is to be the last tattoo on your body.

“What about you?”, you asked, swinging your legs in the air while sitting on the bed. “For a tattoo artist, you are awfully blank.” 

“It’s somewhere. . .”, he started, “wait I’ll rather show you . . .”. and when you, in a sliding second, unexpectedly flashed him, his hands immediately found their way crawling at the hem of his turtle-neck.

“Wait. wait. Wait. stop. Just stop.” kaeya panicked as you partly opened your eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest while your eyebrows jumped and stayed intact for seconds. Pin-drop silence and then both of you simultaneously laughed. Some might think it’s corny, and maybe you did as well but it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you were smiling right now. 

That’s good. That’s really good. 

Kaeya checked his watch as you left his place to run upstairs, checking to see if Rosaria was done with her chores; after all, she was almost approaching the closing hour of her shop so she should’ve been done by the time you had arrived at her place. Fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes before you and Rosaria would come out of the elevator to go home;  maybe he could if he’d finally stop thinking about it in such an unhealthy calculative manner.

Yet, well, there was just one problem. His ears felt hot, his mind was restless and he couldn't focus on a single task. Generally, it took ten minutes to close his shop and he does it every day, all alone so if not his mind, his muscle memory should be functioning properly. But all he desired to do was to touch himself and relieve himself from the agony of months boiling in his core.

June, the prime time of summer and ice cream. Kaeya slides his right arm under his vest while grazing his lower belly, eagerly thinking of the last time, but eventually, his arm ends up slipping into his pants, his fingers clamping around his length, and finally, a soft groan escapes from his mouth. The tip of his tongue kisses the corner of his lips as he takes out his cock which was coated with warm white fluid, at the tip pre-cum.

For a moment, he is surprised, and then he suddenly is not. There is a crescent formed along his lips as he taps the tip of his cock, smearing the reddened end with its pre. “Oh fuck. This feels so much better.”, he groans, mumbling to himself, thinking why he didn’t do this way sooner.

He palms his member, a little harder, this time trying to imagine how it would feel to be sheathed by your gummy walls. He started to pump his cock as his pants slipped, now clustered at the bottom of the chair while his legs were trying to give as much space as possible by spreading them further apart.

With half-lidded eyes, he checks if you had locked the door before leaving or not. You did not and the thought of you walking onto him turned him so bad that he thought he might cum right away.

The moment he closes his eyes he could see you, your calloused fingers around his cock and now he is pumping his cock rashly, the hem of his vest being buried in between his teeth, muffled moans escaping his mouth as the squelching noises had gotten louder and louder.

His other hand gradually made its way towards his nipples, pinching and circling around them thinking of your lips instead. “Oh fuck.”, he hisses as his toes curl, his hips bucked up with a force as he thinks of how euphoric it would be to have your soft lips wrapped around his cock, to have your puffy lips on his, to have your boobs tightly pressed against his bare chest, pronounced nipples grazing against each other while Kaeya’s cock is hitting your sweet spot with precision, blessing his ears with the prettiest desperate moans from you.

He squeezes his eyes shut as his hands move up and down his swollen cock, hitting his girth with calculated thrusts. He paces up as he feels his orgasm approaching, huffing and panting, not caring how vocal he has become until the coil at the core of his flat belly snaps, making him dizzy, his hand movements sloppy, and his inner thighs gradually closing, relishing in the high he had just experienced.

Kaeya’s chest rises up and down frantically as he finally opens his eyes, watching the spurs of milky white fluid all over the floor and his study desk. A heavy sigh leaves his body as his breathing normalizes. “Fuck . . .”, he mumbles throwing back his head before closing his eyes and thinking of you, again. He takes a few deep breaths to relax before cleaning the mess.

Yet, when he suddenly heard the footsteps, his heart sank. He regrets touching himself while thinking of you, he regrets not saving himself for you, he regrets chasing love so fast, so insanely that he almost lost his hope for finding the one. 

“Hey Kae-ya, you done?”, you asked, opening the door, “Rosa is gonna be late today. So, I’ll stay and help her. I’m going out to buy some food, you wanna come with me?” You let your exhausted body lean against the door frame while Kaeya remained silent. 

It just made him crazy how blatantly you ignored him, his magnetic affection for you, and the truth was, he cannot even blame you for that. He has always enjoyed this feeling, to like you in secrecy. The more you are unaware of his emotions, the greater chance he has to be around you. Kaeya does not ask for much, just a few more days till he musters up enough courage to finally ask you out.

—

@tokyometronetwork

[strandedcrow]

hi friend you're a video essay enjoyer i believe do you have any recommendations people and or videos? need somethin interestin to listen to while tryin to draw

HELLO FRIEND ok so skipping over the obvious popular ones (victorious, roblox oof, defunctland in general, my house.wad, etc) some of my favorites are:

The Downward Spiral of Watching Velma: one that i only found recently, a lengthy deep dive into the shitty hbo velma show so that u don’t have to watch it

How SunnyV2 Ruined Video Essays: also one i found recently, a shorter one which provides a meta analysis of video essays on youtube, also got me back into video essays tbh

How Sponegbob Explored Existential Nihilism: VERY short one (under 10 minutes) but actually neat

I Found Every OSHA Violation in FNAF Security Breach: there are so fucking many

The Biggest Cheater in Clone Hero History Was Finally Caught: honestly it’s been a rocky past couple weeks for the CH community bc just recently Multiple big name players have admitted to cheating so like calling this person the biggest cheater might not even be accurate anymore but like. still a rlly good watch

Bojack Horseman Full Series Retrospective: if you want lengthy here it is (almost 6 hour analysis of every season)

Disney Trash Can Tier List: not rlly a video essay at all however it’s such a random tier list to make and it’s delightful

Dream (Market) - The Infiltration of the Dark Net: literally an insane fucking story one of my absolute favorite barely sociable videos bc the whole story is just so fucking wild

The Dark Side of the Silk Road: one of my other favorites from barely sociable

Explaining: This House Has People In It: one of my favorite youtubers providing a complete analysis of my favorite arg/analog horror project HIGHLY recommend this one btw

DHMIS Explained: another from the same youtuber, but this time with defunctland style production (before defunctland started having these vibes. honestly maybe a little the other way around given this is 6 years old)

Fear of the Deep: nexpo is the third of my horror/unsettling internet history trifecta that i watch in this list (barely sociable, night mind, and nexpo my beloveds), this one was made just before oceangate, but talks about a few different projects that focus on. ig a fear of the deep really

[prettyboykatsuki]

FANG!! Hello, beloved :3 💋🫶🏾💚

I hope you have been well <333333

I know pretty much zero lore about genshin and honkai, just a few characters.

So, I wanted to indulge you and ask more about this man Sunday whom you seem quite fond of lol. Could you share a little about him? In general and whatever you would like uwu.

I’m curious about him bc i have been staring directly at Boothill who keeps appearing to me 👁️👁️ (I desire to devour him eternally though I also don’t know really anything about him lmao), and Sunday shows up in a lot of fan media with him.

Kissing and cuddling u forever 💞💞💞💞💞

HIII MY BELOVED TWYLA...FIRST OF ALL THANK U FOR INDULGING ME

this is Sunday from hit game Honkai Star Rail.

he is a major story villain and character in the latest patch quest. he has a little sister and was adopted as part of an organization known in-game as The Oak Family. as an adult, he is the Oak Family head. he plays an important role in taking care of this place called the dreamscape

he is also . Utterly Insane . he believes in a fallen god named Ena and this thing called the Order, so much so he intends to trap people in the aforementioned dreamscape forever so they don't have to suffer ever again. he believes that suffering is indeed human nature and is generally pessimistic - so his solution is trapping people inside of a sweet dream eternally so they never have to face reality ever again <3 he doesn't think there's anything wrong with that either and even fights our player characters fairly bc of it

he is a big loverboy in his own special and insane way and he really loves his sister who is a pop idol!! they are very close. he is a very philosphical character but he has a sense of responsibility that takes him to extremely dark places and is not just an outright evil or selfish character which makes him interesting. he's genuinely well-intended and much of the religion he follows is intended to be a parallel to Christianity

he has canonically taken confessions and they are not subtle with the biblical imagery and references to genesis in the slightest <333 he is a halovian (we can assume at least) which means he has telepathy but he also has powers from his aeon (aka god). so he's super angel coded lmaooo. his powers make it so that it's impossible to lie in front of him but it has to be consented too seemingly.

here are some examples of his personality and his beliefs that tickle me (make me feel horny) and represent his characters. this post is generally spoiler heavy but its good to have examples for when other non hsr players stumble upon him

[rayshippouuchiha]

went ransacking through my ao3 bookmarks bcs i live vicariously through these when the going gets tough. some of these might have already been recc'ed alrd but im too lazy to check 🫠

The Menagerie by zegez

Tsuna collects everyone as pets, literally, most if not all of them are animals. it's glorious and very cute

Bad Influence by Emric84

Toji and Tsuna meet, what follows is a catastrophe for everyone else. Toji27 is the most left field ship i had ever encountered but by god was it good while it lasted. ABANDONED but had enough content to it BUT STILL GOD IM SO SAD THIS WAS SO GOOD????

body aches by HeavenlyDusk

In which KHR was originally a very different story.

This one is a little heart breaking but also really hopeful bcs tsuna is learning to be more comfortable w/ being Tsuna™ the protagonist while still maintaining some semblance of himself from a past life. its still ongoing but i have it as one of my comfort fics <3

Overcast universe by Ocearna

a khr rewrite where 1827 meet and bond as kids and tsuna getting that cloud influence. cloudysky!tsuna my beloved.

Beginnings and Middles But No Ends In Sight by Ourliazo

Arcobaleno shenanigans before the curse.

in the hearts of men (there be madness) by Silverfox579

YKNOW WHAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ALWAYS FASCINATED ME IN CANON AFTER I GOT OVER THE ANIME ENOUGH TO NOTICE IT??? THE HYPER DYING WILL MODE PERSONALITY like after the kyaa badass tsuna lets gooo, you start wondering what the fuck is going on there actually bcs basil is not like this,, what goes on here 👀👀

or!! dark!tsuna au-ish in reborn's pov

Bargaining chip by Mina37

like the one before but in xanxus' pov this time

My Sweet Affinity by Chaotic_Roses

criminal minds au featuring tired w/ a mysterious bg leader tsuna, freshly released from prison hitman reborn, intern gokudera, Hana, and scammer kyoko.

[this could've been] a villain's origin story by petroltogo

Tsuna running into and unknowingly helping villains after helping release xanxus from the ice box should've really been the hill where it all went wrong, surprisingly tho, only shenanigans. featuring!! chikusa and tsuna childhood friendship that i very much adore

whisper in my ear (i'll build your dreams on bones) by Silverfox579

its only a one shot but gOD I WISH THEY EXPAND ON THIS ITS SO COOL I AM IN LOVE W/ THIS FIC I HAVE THIS FIC PLASTERED ALL OVER MY SOCIAL MEDIA, IF I HAVE ANY WAY TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR I WOULD ASK PERMISSION TO PRINT AND BOOK BIND IT FOR PERSONAL USE BCS THIS!! CONCEPT!!!

or!! the five times the stress of war and battle got to tsuna and wakes up the God in his head. (the last two are spoilers for the manga but hnnnggg i NEED to rec this)

a rose by any other name (would taste just as bitter) by heyimflamel

sealing flames has very, very dangerous repercussions. not only are you sealing this person's will to live but sealing someone w/ sky flames whose purpose is to harmonize? you get something dangerous indeed. dark!tsuna corrupting flames one guardian at a time.

High School Montage by HeavenlyDusk

a montage of vongola tenth gen as they navigate through high school through outsider pov. slice of life-ey and very chaotic (the side story w/ the childhood friends oc my beloved 🫶)

The Boy in the Ice by eloquentelegance

UA has to deal w/ these weirdos lurking around their courtyard all thanks to the mysterious ice pillar that just dropped from the sky w/ a boy frozen inside.

rattle this ghost town by blackkat

Mukuro meets Naruto and spirits him away lmao

Set the Skies Ablaze by cywscross

K(anime) and khr crossover that took me by the neck and never let go. it's essentially discontinued now but the 3 chapters it has??? keeps you coming back in hopes that it does, miraculously, update 🫠

To the Beat of My Own Drum by Seito

College AU where reborn is the normal one and tsuna and his friends bring the chaos in his life. the found family that this fic gives and radiates is so 🫶🫶🫶 like i love it so MUCH

that's it for now bcs im sleepy hehehe

!!!!!!!!

[lurakha]

book recommendation tag game ✨️

rules: recommend as many books as you like. please include genre and some basic information on it (either your words or a copy+paste synopsis). feel free to include cover art, a personal review, trigger warnings, and anything else! just don’t spoil the book!

thanks for the tag @dekarios 🫶🏻

still somewhat getting back into reading after a longer slump so here's some of my go-to favs/recommendations 🤍

BOG CHILD by Siobhan Dowd

Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she’s been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him—his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what—a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls.

Genre: Historical Fiction

This was on the list of assigned reading for a literature seminar on the Troubles in Northern Ireland I took back in uni so I didn't really expect it to be so nice™ and it quickly became one of my favourite books. It was a lot 'lighter' compared to the others on that list, both in terms of reading level and also the overall mood of the story.

THE POISON THRONE by Celine Kiernan

Wynter returns from a five-year exile in the bleak Northlands to find her beloved homeland in turmoil. King Jonathan's civilised, multicultural realm is no more; the gibbets and cages have returned. Days of laughter, friendly ghosts and gossipy cats remain only in Wynter's memory - the present confronts her with power play, dark torture chambers, violent ghosts, and cats (those still alive) too scared to talk to humans.

Genre: Fantasy

The Moorehawke trilogy was the first book series that really got me into reading as a hobby. While it's been some time since I've read it, this series and its characters still hold a very special place in my heart.

BLOOD OF ELVES by Andrzej Sapkowski

For more than a hundred years, humans, dwarves, gnomes and elves lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over and now the races are fighting once again - killing their own kind and each other. Into this tumultuous time is born a child of prophecy, Ciri, surviving heiress of a bloody revolution, whose strange abilities can change the world - for good, or for evil... As the threat of war hangs over the land, Geralt the Witcher must protect Ciri from those who are hunting the child for her destructive power.

Genre: High Fantasy

This recommendation probably isn't a surprise bc I can never shut up about the Witcher but still. All the love. Technically my favourite of the series is a tie between Time of Contempt and Tower of the Swallow but it makes more sense to recommend the first book of a series.

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger. Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

One of the few books that I actually put tabs in to re-read certain paragraphs and lines. You know when you just find something at the exact right time? This book was one of those. Made me feel all sorts of things. Made me smile and sob and laugh. Made me feel a little more alive. Also I'm just a sucker for anything butterfly effect/what if.

TW for this one are big so I'm including them: the main underlying theme/premise is mental illness (namely depression) & suicide (attempt)

Tagging anyone who sees this and wants to do it too 💞

[hiding-under-the-willow]

oooh ok LaHoF questions

1. what was the first scene you came up with? (im pretty sure it was . well. the house on fire. but just in case.) (and if it was where did you go from there/what did you think of next?)

2. how did you come up with the idea did something inspire you or did it just spontaneously appear in your mind one fateful day or what?

3. what is your favorite part(s) ?

YIPPEE!!! These are such good questions man

1. The first scene i came up with was actually the tent scene from the first chapter! The fire came next, the rest of it came from me trying to figure out how to link those two scenes and build on the themes and deciding where the story would go after that. I think the deep dark thing was the third thing that came up. Oh, fun fact! The chapter with Wels and Hypno, the one where Wels and Hels have their fight out in the nether, didn't exist in the original story outline! I got to that point in the writing process and went 'no wait there's something missing here' and ended up with that like 7500 chapter which helped immensely with pulling everything together for that bit of the story.

2. Okay. This is the point at which I let you all in on a little secret. At least half of the things I write start off as Zeph storylines in my head. The tent scene was originally thought up as an encounter between Hels and Zeph, bc I was interested in like the idea of what would happen if a hermit were to mistake him for Wels, how he would use that opportunity. Zeph is like my little test dummy I throw scenarios at them and sometimes I take one of those scenarios and extract the themes out of it and go 'oh actually this would be incredibly compelling with this character instead'. Which is exactly what happened with that tent scene.

I had always kind of wanted to explore Hels and Beef's dynamic before this since it isn't explored in canon and tbh is kind of ignored by a lot of fic writers, but this was the only idea I had which had ever really compelled me in that department. It was like watching the puzzle pieces all fall into place at once it was great. The fire also came very naturally. I've always had an association between Hels and fire, and the idea of him burning one of the hermits' bases has always kind of been living rent free in my head bc of his whole 'I am going to destroy this place and everything you hold dear' mentality. It's something that's bounced around in Zeph storylines, and a series of dreams I had a few years ago that a few old followers might remember me posting about, but this was my first good opportunity to put it to paper in a way that was narratively fulfilling. Something about the season 10 setting just really lended itself to this narrative and I don't know how to explain it but it is quite literally the easiest a fully formed storyline has ever popped into my head in my life.

3. The chapter 3 deep dark scene is so everything to me. The fire as well is obviously beloved in many ways. There are a million little character moments i could name that drive me personally insane. I actually fucking loved writing Beef's dream flashback to the cloning machine from the fire chapter? Something about taking the actual events and dialog from his video and recontextualizing it was so satisfying. I love artistic recontextualization!!!! Then there's a chapter coming up soon. That i am very excited to write. To say the least. I've had a draft of the dialog sitting around in my notes for months. There is an illustration already done for it that I can not wait to post as well.

[barbatos-sama]

so the final test in sploon 3 happened a few days ago and it kind of me sad bc i reflected on how little i played the game, which has also made me vow to play the game religiously again like i did with sploon 2 once sploon 4 comes out (it hasn't been announced yet but like. everyone is pretty certain sploon games aren't stopping any time soon)

anyway the teams were past, present, and future. the squid sisters represented team past, off the hook with team present, and deep cut with team future.

here's the thing, team future lost HORRIBLY. like ABSOLUTELY BOMBED horribly. and the thing is, it's entirely because people just don't like deep cut as much as the other idols, myself included. i'm using this post to say what i've always known in my heart of hearts: deep cut is ugly and i don't like them. and deep cut fans are like, "well they were sidelined in their own game!! they gave the other idols more attention than they should have!" and it's like, yeah because they realized how unpopular deep cut was and started including the other idols to compensate 😭

the point really boils down to: frye is unforgivably ugly pug faced, and does not have the personality and charm to make up for that like pearl does. shiver is kind of cute (the lack of eye mask is still offputting) but doesn't have a strong personality. and big man; well he is perfect, but he isn't a cute girl, and waifus sell.

so despite "present" being the most boring option, it didn't lose because it was marina and pearl's team, and they are beloved by the fandom. team past won, and i think it's a combination of how iconic the squid sisters are, plus most veteran sploon 1 fans chose it and they're the best at the game, plus "past" is just the best option for a final fest win, because all final fest wins contribute to the themes or aesthetics of the next game. (callie losing in the callie vs marie final fest and becoming an antagonist in sploon 2's story mode, chaos winning the sploon 2's final fest making the third game's aesthetic very mismashed and crazy plus marina becoming a mind controlled antag in the dlc). so a game based off the principle of "past" has a lot of interesting possibilities.

anyway i would have chosen team present aka marina and pearl if i'd played. they are my little blorbos.

i have no idea if sploon 4 would actually add new idols after the failure that was deep cut... i mean it Would be absolutely wild to have 4 teams during splatfests, but it would probably be chaotic and unbalanced lol. it probably means i'll never have my dream of a cute male idol 😔 but oh well as long as marina and pearl are there i don't care

[six-of-ravens]

Main Seasons of TAZ Ranked (according to my own personal opinions):

Balance. No-brainer, one of those beautiful happy accidents that happen sometimes. The evolution from "4 comedians playing DND for a lark" to "seriously amazing storytelling and collaborative effort" is flawless. Also the story and characters are so fun. Taako revolutionized me as a person.

Amnesty. Beloved monster of the week. Flawless characters, exciting paranormal-sci fi plot, unique and interesting monsters, delightful little ski town. FRENCH ONION SOUP. goatman disguised as Ryan Gosling. gets a little muddled at the end and the gang did miss several chances to include key side characters like Pigeon and the FBI Agent, but overall a solid effort

TAZ vs Dracula. Absolutely delightful. Spiritual successor to Balance in some ways. Perfect gothic setting. Excellent hilarious side characters. Sports druids. Love triangle between Dracula, Frankenstein, and a clone of Dracula. Phyleaux (sp?) getting turned into a puppet in like episode 3. Mutt being like an 1800s Winchester brother. Lady Godwin my eyes are up here thank you.

Steeplechase. Fucking amazing setting, Justin was truly living his Disney dad dream. Characters didn't stand out as much to me but the setting and adventures made up for it. Love the whole setup. The Abandoned Child Floor. The people who have fallen for a conspiracy that they're in outer space instead of a theme park. Krystal with a K. So many delightful shenanigans.

Ethersea. This one was ambitious. I love the setting, and Amber Gris, but I think they tried too hard to make this one serious, and the boys made some character arc choices they weren't able to deliver on because they ran out of time. That said, Justin making his character stop talking to Travis's character because Devo was being a brat and then having to field real life rumours that the brothers had a falling-out was fuckin hilarious. Speaking of, I did actually miss a lot of Devo's parts bc the fake french accent was triggering my misophonia so I ended up skipping through his longer speeches. So that may be partially why I didn't get it. Still a solid arc, and I hope they do a second season someday.

Graduation. Okay, I tried. I really did! I listened to like 20 episodes! But sadly Travis did fall for a lot of beginner writer mistakes like infodumping and having too many side characters, and when you're playing a collaborative game those are amplified threefold, because it's not just "oh this book is kinda boring" there are 3 people who are shut out of the game lol. Also there just wasn't enough action for me, and Clint's vaguely Scottish accent.... misophonia hell lmao. Also this was The Covid Arc and during that time I was so anxious and depressed I basically cut all podcasts except my true crime ones so maybe mental illness is to blame. Idk maybe I'll try it again someday but I didn't like it very much the first couple times I tried.

Outre Space, which I have not listened to because I kept saying I was going to read the comic it's based off of first and I still haven't, and I'm not really into marvel anymore anyway so idk if I'll ever get into it. I feel like they only did this one because they were contractually obligated to do spon con anyway, none of the boys seemed super thrilled in the announcement for it

[all-or-nothing-baby]

15 QUESTIONS, 15 (or whatever) TAGS

i was tagged by @ash-mcj—thanks dude! HERE is their's.

.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYBODY?

my middle name is the name of my mum's friend/dad's ex who died (my folks ended up getting together a year later).

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

about 10 minutes ago? to WELLY BOOTS which is an amazing devil song i've heard 10,000 times before. i honestly cry a gajillion times a day bc i don't just cry at sad stuff but also anything that moves me: from hearing a wonderful piece of music... to someone saying something kind to me or anybody else (real person or fictional character)... to being overwhelmed by the enormity of life and all its fucked-up and wonderful complexities... seriously, absolutely bloody everything makes me cry!

3. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

yes, two of 'em; a brilliant, beautiful, super-talented, immensely kind and outrageously hilarious 24 year old and a brilliant, beautiful, super-talented, immensely kind and outrageously hilarious 15 year old :) they're incredibly different individuals who bicker like siblings absolutely should and love each other a lot. i love them both so much it makes me cry when i think about it (surprise surprise).

4. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

oh, no, never. (probs too much at times—although i don't always understand when others are using it with me #neurodiversesquad).

5. WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

used to do what the american folks call 'run track', back in the day before chronic illnesses became the villain in my story.

6. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT SOMEONE?

whether they, you know, get it (or not).

7. EYE COLOUR?

erm, a bit of an odd sort of dark grey/blue with lots of dark green swirls and splodges

8. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

oh definitely scary movies, horror my beloved <3 i think i'm finally (bc it's been on my list for so long omg) gonna get around to watching RELIC tonight! *scratching at the door noises*

9. ANY SPECIAL TALENTS?

forgetting absolutely fucking anything and everything all the fucking time. ALWAYS knowing the first letter of the word i can't think of. having a bit of a photographic memory. being able to play the william tell overture by flicking my fingernails against my front teeth. making really good pancakes. good at accents. pretty good at drawing faces. playing music by ear. great at making inconsequential lists lol

10. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

blackpool, a seaside town in the north-west of england, UK. imo it's a veritable shithole these days, only good for trashy arcades and getting stabbed... but i do miss the ocean now i don't live there.

11. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

making art, making words, making mixtapes, making trouble, making time for reading, making music, making a mess.

12. DO YOU HAVE PETS?

yes—i couldn't imagine not having critters in the house! i have 4 precious arseholes cats: little jimmy novak and moriarty, who are both house-loving cats—like, they do go out, but are indoors wanting cuddles more often than not. whereas the other two, grace jones ii and goku, are practically feral and only really come home for dinner and if it's raining hard (and the occasional i-will-allow-you-to-stroke-me-and-let-you-have-the-honour-of-me-sitting-on-your-knee-i-suppose).

13. HOW TALL ARE YOU?

5'2". short king.

14. FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

loved art and english in high-school, and also enjoyed drama and history. i studied art at college and fashion at uni (which was a mistake, that world was very much not for me pfft).

15. DREAM JOB?

i honestly don't dream of jobs. but if i did? i suppose a portrait artist or published poet who was paid enough to actually live on, aha.

.

tagging, play or nay: @shealynn88 @sharkfish @novemberhush @greyhavenisback @poebin @jmeelee @raisesomehale @rajalagang @ohhalefire @halinski @kikiroo @lovebillyhargrove @harrgrove @slytherkins @witchsickness @ltleflrt @wellwaterhysteria @deklo @chasingcastiel @racheld93 @gabedemon absolutely anybody else who wants to do the thing!

[theonlyadawong]

was tagged by beloved mutual @devilbrakers in this tag game :D

01. a character you love.

i shant go on about ada wong, the evil resident so instead i will talk aboooooooooooooouuuuut ummmm lucie jurin! from martyrs (2008) she murdered the family that abused her as a child and i think that's wonderful. she is also living with intense survivors guilt and she has a friend who is a girl (girlfriend?) who is by her side (for the most part)

02. your favourite food from your culture.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES MMM MM MM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DELICOUS!!!!!!! also carne guisada ❤️

03. what your dream apartment / room / house is like.

🤔 well, it has to have lots of open space. i absolutely HATE when my living quarters feels cramped. i would also like it to have greenery (even though i can't take care of a plant to save my life), and i would like some green walls and nice brown wooden decor. and all my decorations and knick knacks would probably be nature themed. oh!!!! and also, i would have a papasan :)

04. your personal style or aesthetic.

i wear lots of overalls, tank tops, turtlenecks, skirts, boots, and sneakers, and it's all neutral colors. not a very interesting answer but idk how else to describe it

05. a happy memory.

one time when i was a kid, i won the jackpot on that wheel of fortune game at a putt putt! it was especially cool because i didn't even know what i was doing, i was just pressing the buttons. also one time i won a minor prize playing the stacker arcade machine and it glitched, and it gave me all the carabiners inside.

06. your favourite way(s) to spend time.

drawing (digitally) which ive only been doing since october 2020!!!! aaaaaaaand also watching TV and movies. i recently watched the movie martyrs (2008)for the third time in a month and i just love it. the love between anna and lucie is so palpable and the actors are just stellar. i also love thr sopranos and i have the box set!! I've watched it all the way through 3 times over the course of last year (and a little bit into this year) and it's just so good (though i will day the racism grates at me lmfao.) i also love futurama but ONLY the first 7 seasons. but for the past month ive been playing re4r (which im sure my followers know by now lol) and im having lots of fun!

07. story behind your url / title / quote / description / icon.

obviously, my url is a reference to THEE ada wong buy it specifically comes from me being absolutely positive ada made some reference to her saying she was, "the only ada wong," in re6 but alas she says, "the real ada wong." so i was wrong.(fake fan moment 😔) but once i realized this, i didn't want to change my url bc it stuck with me. and my icon is canceled ada because i get such a kick out of it. it's so funny

08. something that comforts you or brings you joy.

SHELL COLLECTION!!!!! SHELL COLLECTION OF REAL SHELLS FROM REAL BEACHES THAT I REALLY PICKED UP!

09. what you’re looking forward to.

ik this is a tiny thing in the grand scheme of life but i just bought the infinite rocket launcher in 4r so im really excited to play a whole game with that! >:)

10. something else that’s important to you.

THEATRE! im sadly not much into it now but i love every single aspect of live theatre so much you don't even know. a chorus line, hair, and shuffle along are my favorite shows EVER!!!

uhhhhmmm idk who to tag! but it you see this and you want to do it, then pretend i tagged you!!! :D

[avid-idiot]

It's the season of love! and you know what that means, time to find yourself a valentine! and who better than one of your beloved mutuals? answer these questions, and the mutual with the most mentions your tumblr valentine:

Mutual you can always rely on?

Mutual who never misses a post?

Mutual you share the most interests with?

Mutual you have the most in common with?

Mutual you look up to?

Mutual you'd run away and live in a cottage with?

Spouse material mutual?

Mutual with the best personality?

Mutual that never fails to make you laugh?

Mutual you'd have a crush on if you knew them irl?

Mutual you absolutely cannot live without?

This should be fun. SOZ FOR THE TAGS BTW

Can always rely on @https-true-egoist . It's always been there through the bus stories and my whacky dreams, but also some of the major sad times. Very good listener indeed.

@bakerysnake does an excellent job of keeping up with my shitposts.

I share the most interests probably with @rae-main.

However, most in common? That's difficult to say.

I look up to @silkylious, no doubt. My tumblr crush frfr. When she followed me back, I was over the moon

@cupiditis! AINT NO WAY I'M LETTING EITHER OF US PASS ON THAT EXPERIENCE

Spouse material? Hard to say when marriage is an iffy thing for me. Though, @sintomii is my platonic lover ���

Best personality probably goes to @jogeto. It'll give her a big head, but bestie never fails to match my energy.

@harulove! We don't chat often atm but when we do, it's always something stupid that gets me. Honestly, even when I was crying to her, I think I ended up getting over it in less than 5 minutes bc I was laughing my ass off at something she brought up.

If I knew them irl, I'd probably crush on all of them. Genuinely they're all so gorgeous <3

Hmmmmm..... difficult to say. I'm gonna have to go with @cupiditis again here, she's part of my nightly routine so I'd be out of whack without her ig. (This racked my brain for a little bit, all of you are my homies)

[hklnvgl]

(tagged by the lovely @ailec-12 ✨)

I posted 1,471 times in 2022

48 posts created (3%)

1,423 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@flitwickslittlebrotha

@charactershoesfic

@werewolffeelings

@bloody-wonder

@grrrrrr-argh

I tagged 884 of my posts in 2022

Only 40% of my posts had no tags

#trc - 243 posts

#tdt - 206 posts

#mdzs - 111 posts

#pynch - 79 posts

#d - 54 posts

#aftg - 32 posts

#greywaren spoilers - 32 posts

#fic - 17 posts

#greywaren - 15 posts

#ask - 13 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i also want to check the country of others by leïla slamani out from my library so whenever i do that i'm pushing it to the top of my list

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Rules: List the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. Look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any. Then tag some friends.

i was tagged by both @flitwickslittlebrotha and @kelliealtogether thanks!!! 💕

the real hawk: Ronan knocked, and then knocked again with more force.

est quaedam flere voluptas: On some hidden level, Adam wanted to be the kind of person to effortlessly enjoy parties.

Yiling’s apples: There were plenty of homeless people in Yiling.

overflowing: Sirius regretted many things.

little dolls for sale: It wasn’t the first time Ronan had thought about it.

enormous are the groves: Adam poured himself out of his car, barely pausing to close the door after him.

into silence: It was Blue, Gansey and Henry’s fourth going-away party.

the plum tree flower: Adam inhaled deeply when he got the door open.

arm as a pillow: Declan didn’t technically live with Jordan.

stars parting: The nightmare wasn’t special.

all in all i'm pretty happy with these first lines! so much that some of them doubled as summaries 🙃 i'm not sure who's been tagged already so i'm just gonna tag @of-stars-and-moon @ailec-12 @parakeatswrites and you guys can ignore me if you've done it already 💛

10 notes - Posted February 21, 2022

#4

ages ago (i'm super late sorry 🙃) @andrea-lyn tagged me to do this! 💛 (thank you lovely!!)

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2021. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

when the world is one color (pynch, 2k). so this is the first of the many one shots i managed to write and post last year and i'm very happy with how it turned out! aka how to combat being cold with hugs (missing scene, post-trk, pre-epilogue)

but for their voices (pynch, 5k). this was very exciting to write bc it was fun to explore adam's thought process in this cdth-inspired au. aka adam is not unkowable if you stare at him long enough (different meeting au, college)

a persimmon (pynch, 1k). oh dear i struggled so hard to finish this little piece bc there were many different things i wanted to include, but i'm quite happy with the result! aka adam panics bc he's horny (missing scene during ch. 39 of trk)

the puppeteer (pynch, 3k). i made myself cry while writing this one. aka once upon a dream (sickfic, mi-adjacent)

yiling’s apples (mdzs, 2k). i've fallen hard for their story so i had to write something for it. aka why does everything important happen in yiling (pov outsider, gen)

tagging @ailec-12 @of-stars-and-moon @cheeeryos @behindtheatlantic @parrished @catboyadamparrish @flightspathfic @kelliealtogether @parakeatswrites 💛💛

12 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#3

back in march (😅😅) the lovely @ailec-12 tagged me in this game! i'm super late but 🤷‍♀️

rules: tag 9 people you would like to know/catch up with

Last Song: can't remember as usual 🙃

Last TV Show: twenty-five twenty-one (yes it's destroyed me thanks! 🥺)

Currently Watching: crash landing on you (it's a rewatch!)

Currently Reading: you are not like other mothers by angelika schrobsdorff and i'm listening to beloved by toni morrison's audiobook

tagging @ive-garden @creativefiend19 @kelliealtogether @of-stars-and-moon @parrished @sleepy-skittles @purgatorybfs @catboynecromancy @cheeeryos 💛

12 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

#2

Describe yourself with ONLY pictures you have! You cannot download or search new pictures.

i was tagged by @parakeatswrites @kelliealtogether and @behindtheatlantic 💕💕💕

See the full post

13 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

writing prompts 💖

it's been a hot minute since i last opened prompts and i don't really have lots of time in my hands to write but i think having little things to serve as inspiration is exactly what i need to get back to my usual writing rythm! so. please send me a pairing and a prompt and i'll write a little one-shot 💕 (i'm mainly in the mood for writing pynch and wangxian but if you wished to see any other pairing just send it my way and i'll see if i can write something for it!)

thanks @ailec-12 for helping me compile this lovely list of prompts! 💛

50 Angsty Questions Prompt List

more questions

dialogue ideas

kiss prompts

more kisses

100 dialogue prompts

bad things happen bingo

minifics

anon asks are of course welcome as well! 🥰 thank you!

14 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[good-enemy]

RULES: answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions.

I was tagged by @ace0clubs (thank you!!)

coke or pepsi: coke

disney or dreamworks: dreamworks has objectively better movies but unfortunately i am a disney girlie

coffee or tea: coffee, tea tastes like sadness

books or movies: Both tbh but books are easier to concentrate on so we'll go with books

windows or mac: Windows

dc or marvel: same as question 2 honestly lmao dc is objectively better but i just love marvel <3

x-box or playstation: neither

dragon age or mass effect: idk what either of them are

night owl or early riser: permanently exhausted pigeon gang rise up

cards or chess: i like both but we'll go with cards, theres more variation in what u can play & i am not very good at chess

chocolate or vanilla: ice cream ? if its ice cream then vanilla everything else then chocolate

vans or converse: both are cool but i am a converse girlie

Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: whomst

fluff or angst: angst if it has a happy ending

beach or forest: Forest

dogs or cats: dogs (but i also love cats <3)

clear skies or rain: clear skies please god as a british person please god clear skies

cooking or eating out: eating out is so fun <3 and i can just about cook beans on toast so yknow

spicy food or mild food: spiceeee

halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: merry crisis

would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: A little too hot

if you could have a superpower, what would it be: teleportation, how much easier would travelling be ? no airports, no accomodation, no transport, would never have to drive or take the bus or whatever, also whenever i wanted something from the kitchen and couldnt be arsed moving i could just teleport in and out OHHH You could teleport into concerts and shit

animation or live action: either i guess but i prob watch more live action stuff

paragon or renegade: hm? renegade by paramore only song ever?

baths or showers: Shower

team cap or team ironman: they were literally both right their arguments were not mutually exclusive

fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy

do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they: probably but i cant remember them off the top of my head lmao

youtube or netflix: YouTube

harry potter or percy jackson: ive never read/watched percy jackson but percy jackson wins by default

when do you feel accomplished: when my family are proud of me

star wars or star trek: I havent seen either but i know more about star wars also baby yoda c3po and r2d2 my beloveds

paperback books or hardcover books: paperback, hardcover is way too painful (i wanna preorder the button house archives so bad but the only physical option is hardback ? why)

to live in a world without literature or without music?: Without literature, sorry to all my favourite books but if i went even one day without music i might actually die

who was the last person to make you laugh? uhhh probably either a post on here or a post on instagram

city or countryside? city unfortunately its what im used to and the countryside just has way too many sheep staring into my soul for my comfort

favorite chips? this prob means crisps so im gonna go with mccoys ridged thai sweet chili chicken they are literally divine but bc im annoying like that i will also tell u the best chips are mccains for at home wetherspoons for eating out

pants or dresses? Pants

libraries or museums? museums (i always get overwhelmed by the options in a library and end up reading the most random shitty book ever or something ive already read lmao)

character driven stories or plot driven stories? plot

bookmarks or folding pages? folding the pages down i can never remember where i put bookmarks

Dream job?: *ideal* job is something to do with psychological research but my actual dream job is author/actor/director/singer (yes all of them at the same time lmfao. im gonna write direct and act in my own tv show and there will be a musical episode or 10)

What gives you comfort? music, my family and nice food :)

What are you currently having brain-rot levels of interest over? ghosts, good omens, starkid/hatchetfield, hozier and maisie peters (my brain is rotting quite severely atm)

(added question) What is your current favourite song?

absolutely no chance im tagging 45 people so i will just tag @wtnytv @colifower @bodybetters @cascadeoceanwave @deweyduck @antoniosvivaldi @everysummers @sylvielaufeyz @antlerqueer @taoargents @finalgirlsidney @cobbbvanth @barrowsteeth and @cmorris-art and call it a day ahaha

[fluffypotatey]

--breakdown the narrative mechanics of Lego Monkie Kid because you must understand that there are 2 narratives at play here and they must not be confused as the other.

so *cracks knuckles* let's do this >:3

[so, uh, funny story: this became a monster of a meta and i've decided to break it up into parts. this is part 1...... word count is 2600+]

1)  Understanding Narrative Mechanics

This is going to be my general explanation of the "mechanics" behind story narratives. It will be broad and include almost all types of media (plays, books, shows, movies, video games(ish), musicals, operas, etc) because while they are vastly different in how they tell a story, there are some key details and methods of story-making that they all share.

Anyway, let's begin with some simple examples (hah) first: protagonist, antagonist, and narrator.

Are we familiar with these 3 terms? (I should hope so, but you never know, and it's ok anyways bc imma define them whether you're familiar with them or not.)

Short answer: protagonist is the character of the story you experience the story with together (main character); antagonist is the character in opposition with the protagonist and is the main conflict of the story; narrator is the "person" telling the story of the narrative.

Let me make something clear here. It is possible for the protagonist and the narrator to be the same "person;" however, it is important to not associate them with sharing the same role. The narrator can be anybody. it can even be nobody. but, for the love of fiction, do not group protagonist and narrator together!

Ok, now for longer definition.

Protagonist

They are the main character. They are the one you typically get the most insight one in a story, know their thoughts, dreams, motivations, fears because the author wants you to root for the protagonist, or, at the very least, enjoy the character you spend most of the story with.

Contrary to popular belief, the protagonist does not need to be heroic. Let me repeat that: the protagonist does not need to be heroic. they can be villainous, they can fit into the gray area, they can be the purest little cinnamon- it does not matter. Well, it does matter for their individual story, but that is because the protagonist is the one that typically moves the plot, sets forward new challenges or characters, and all of that depends on the actions given to them by the author

(However: it should be noted that other characters can be used to move around major plot events. Think the gossip from background characters, the greek chorus, and antagonists. I am focusing on protagonists because that is a role they are typically given)

In addition, the protagonist is the character who the story revolves around. journey to the west? It isn't about the great Monkey King who vanquished demons and heavenly bodies alike. No, it's about the monk Tang Sanzang, aka: my boy Tripitaka, tasked with the job to journey west and acquire the sacred buddhist scriptures in order to bring them back to china.

Tripitaka is the protagonist. The story revolves around his journey and growth (his companions also receive character growth and development, too, but the main focus is on Tripitaka).

Song of Achilles? While it does tell a tale of Achilles's story in the Iliad, he isn't the protagonist. Patroclus is. It is a story about Patroclus and his experiences living through the events of the Iliad and how he grew to befriend and fall in love with Achilles (spoilers....I guess. You should read it anyway, it's really good)

Antagonist

Ok, so as I said in the short answer, an antagonist is the opposition to the protagonist, the character that presents or inflicts conflict in the story. Please note: there can be more than one antagonist. additionally, antagonists do not have to be a “person”. It can be nature, the economy, and many other shit. An antagonist is the character that plays the role of disrupting our beloved protagonist’s day or plans. They are the character that can make the protagonist go on a whole existential crisis or be the cause of all of protag’s side characters abandoning them.

And, you may notice, that many antagonists take the “villain” role in a lot of stories you’ve read/watched/etc. Does that mean that the antagonist is always the villain of the story? Absolutely fucking not.

Just like how a protagonist does not equal the “hero of the story”, an antagonist does not equal “the villain of the story”. Notice how when defining antagonist, I said “opposition” instead of villain. Anyone, villain or not, can be in opposition with another.  To be a character’s nemesis or enemy does not equal the characters in opposition being in a hero/villain dynamic. And the protagonist/antagonist dynamic is merely the main conflict of a story’s narrative. It is the driving force of a narrative’s plot. 

Narrator

Now, you may have noticed in my brief definition of narrator, I placed the word person in quotes. That is because a narrator of the story does not need to be a tangible person in the story. A narrator is able to be whatever the author wants it to be– intangible, a physical player in the plot, disembodied voice, observer, etc. It should also be noted that while a narrator is not required to be involved in the story, it can have a character of its own. It can be catty, judgemental, indifferent, sympathetic, unreliable, reliable, and many others. 

It also important to note that the narrator (or narrators because a story can have more than one) of a story is the one that is presenting the “facts” to the audience. Let me say that again with emphasis: the narrator is the one who presents the facts and details to the audience. That is how we come to understand the plot and character motivations (or don’t).

Why is it important to keep this piece of information noted? Well, sometimes, the narrator of a story can lie to you.

What?????

Yeah, I know. The narrator can lie to you. The narrator can omit certain facts and details that would have solved the plot/issue/mystery a lot faster. The narrator can deliver truths in a skewed presentation. The narrator can also have facts and details withheld from it by the author. The narrator can also be lied to. 

You can and will be presented with stories that hold many layers. Sometimes the narrator can hold the key and unlock it for you, or keep you ignorant to 50-something layers that the story contains. So, always be on your guard. Keep a critical eye open for when a plot feels too easy or biased (but also be aware that some stories are straightforward with their plot and narratives sometimes. But that is why it’s important to identify the difference between a simple story and a complex/nuanced one.)

That being said, the narrator is essentially the “character” or lens the audience looks through to understand the story, and this can be presented in 3 (with 2 subgroups) ways. (Meaning, you can get a fooled 5 times!)

1st Person POV

Exactly what the title says: the point of view, or narration, will be told in 1st person. that means the story is told by a narrator who is recounting or experiencing the narrative at present. So, you get your beloved “i”, “my”, “me”, “we” pronouns in the story. 

What does this mean for us? Well, it means, the audience (us again!) only views the narrative/story through the eyes of whoever holds the personal pronouns. Our biases come from the narrator. Our opinions are shaped by the narrator in a very skewed and one-sided way. We only see the story in a certain perspective because that narrator wants us to view it in that way. We will not see the behind the scenes interactions of other characters unless our narrator is involved, and even then, we cannot know the thoughts of the other characters except what is presumed by our narrator.

This is also why teachers and professor aren’t a fan of essays being written in 1st POV because it can steer the writer (that being us….maybe…or maybe just me) away from staying objective/impartial to their argument. There is an informality that comes with 1st person perspective. A familiarity. 

Something interesting about 1st person is how it breaks down that 4th wall barrier, and how it communes with its audience. You feel like the story is being told to you by a friend. You feel like you’re being told a secret no one else in the narrative gets to hear. Only the audience and the narrator are privy to.

However, that is also one of the main issues with 1st person pov because sometimes that informality ruins the story for audience members. We don’t truly know the narrator, they are not our friend no matter how much they might be written to be. The narrator is, essentially, a disembodied and fictional voice that is the medium between the story and the readers. Not to mention, someone presuming to know you or tell you all this personal info can feel invasive and presumptuous. And, in the sake of fic, it is why 1st pov can come off as cringey. 

That being said, it is a wonderful tool to use for unreliable narrators.

2nd Person POV

So, remember what I said about 1st pov’s main gripe is because of an assumed presumption of familiarity and that’s a possible factor for why it is disliked in fandom? That has nothing on 2nd pov!!! 

You wanna talk about presumptions??? 2nd person point of view is all presumptions the writer has on you, the audience member! how the fuck can a single writer know the way you think, how you tick, what intrigues you, what catches your eye???? 

Simply put: they can’t. However, if you read a 2nd pov fantasy, the writer will assume you’re a reader with a knack for the fantasy genre and can make certain presumptions there. Will it be accurate? no, but their generalizations will land a little closer than if you were to find a book that tries to assume everything about everyone. 

But enough of that, what the fuck is 2nd pov exactly? Let me try my best to explain this well.

Ironically, I love 2nd pov :D started off with me experimenting because I was curious (I also read a really good book with 2nd pov called The Raven Tower which inspired said curiosity) and now I just enjoy 2nd pov. Have I written any 2nd pov? Once, but ngl it’s a little harder because, again, there’s that issue with presumption that comes with 2nd person. The distance encroaches more than 1st pov because it presents you, the audience, as the narrator even if the audience cannot technically be the narrator for stories unless you're the one retelling it. 

Ok, uh, I am not being short at all, but to surmise: 2nd pov places the narration on the audience even if the audience cannot technically be the narrator because something else is steering into the plot’s direction. Also, works really well with unreliable narrators because you can place trust on the writing guiding you through the story even if it misleads you.

3rd Person POV

Ok, we all know 3rd pov, right? Uses the beloved “they,” “she,” “he,” pronouns and is the point of view with the most distance from the audience and/or plot, yeah? Good.

In 1st POV, the insider knowledge is whoever that narrator is (the “I” person). In 2nd, the insider is us(ish). For both POVs, the only way to obtain the thoughts and opinions of other characters is by them admitting, out loud, to the narrator’s face, their thoughts and opinions.

3rd person? WE DON’T GOTTA ASK, BABY!!!! They give it to us of their free will (ok maybe not of their own free will, but that’s not for them to decide).

Did you also know, 3rd pov has sub-povs????? Oh so special! Such a unique and special pov! The chosen one, it is.

Limited

As the name implies, this pov is limited to only seeing the scenes that are witnessed by the main cast. We only get insider’s knowledge to a small few. Typically, these characters are the protagonist and their friends(ish). 

"Hey, Fluffy didn’t you mention something about distance earlier?" THAT I DID! Now, with 3rd person limited, there comes some caveats. 

4th wall stays rigid (typically) characters cannot talk to you…with exceptions (narrator from Series of Unfortunate Events)

insider thoughts of the characters are more selective. meaning, the author gets to have a better chance at hiding future plot points, foreshadowing more >:3, and keeping the audience in the dark

the narrator itself is not an active character in the story. It doesn’t even need to be personable. the narrator is a disembodied voice telling the audience the tale of mystery or of woe or of fantasy. unfortunately, the narrator can only inform the audience through a very small lens. unlike its friend below.

Omniscient

It is the exact opposite of Limited POV. So instead of being stuck in the perspective of the few, you are now at the mercy of being in the perspective of all. You get a dive into Character A’s thoughts! and you get a dive into character D’s thoughts and you get a dive into the antagonist’s thoughts and you get a dive into a plot the main cast will never see!

Oh to have eyes on all, to be the watcher, the spectator to everything that transpires and— oh, what was that? The characters themselves cannot see everything we see??? So even if their actions are bad in hindsight or they make decisions we know will bite them in the ass, they obviously wouldn’t because they don’t know about Plot B through F???

Dramatic irony, baby!!!! 

Now, this POV is typically seen in older books (at least, that’s what i’ve found), but it utilized the most in plays (because the audience is literally right there), shows, and films because keeping the scenes only of one character is not enough. Sure, we could have the character monologue or something but voicing their inner thoughts doesn’t really translate well from page to picture (with the exception of plays and musicals tbh). The whole point of these fictional mediums is for the audience to have more of an eye on the story. To see it from every angle (though, do be careful bc the camera can also lie to you), to watch the heroes strategize on how to save the world and the villains plan on how to take down the heroes. 

To be honest, POVs typically find better workings depending on genre or media type. Video games are great with 1st and 2nd POV for example. 

And now we have a basis on Narrative, the main roles involved, and who tells the story!!! Of course this is the bare bones of it. The cogs and wires that lie behind the beautifully constructed tale before you. this is the area that is the author’s domain. Tis their home. Where they build up tales and its plot-threads. 

Taking a glimpse inside that humble abode should not take away the fun experience of the story. At least, I believe it shouldn’t. Rather, looking behind the curtain merely establishes the context and understanding of the author(s)’s choices. Can said understanding break the magic? Yes. Can it emphasize and strengthen the magic? yes as well!

Simply remember to keep a critical eye out for it!

And those are the 3 main tools used for almost all media, but let's go ahead and narrow it down a little further for the sake of keeping everything in check because I'm talking about the literary mechanics behind a Lego show. Not giving an English 101 class on how to identify and critically analyze literary tools. (there's a nice book about this very thing called How to Read Literature Like a College Professor that does this very thing, highly recommend!)

TO BE CONTINUED *cue evil laughter*

to understand LMK’s narrative, you must understand that there is a Narrative and a Narrative™️ and to understand that, we have to breakdown the narrative mechanics of LMK, so in this essay i will—