#lets make it a tag folks

[printed-paws]

Thinking about trans Billy Loomis

[sideblogdotjpeg]

ive been thinking about the red string superstition recently and also sol bufo always and it makes me sick how uncannily caldwell tanner has made sol to perfectly target me personally

(+ cropped versions !)

[ardentrob]

MORE MONSTERS!!! Some halloween-y cassette beasts requests I got after my last batch :D

[viperwhispered]

Too Hard

Woop part 2 of the trip inside Jamil's head. Part 1 here.

The next time Jamil caught sight of you on campus, his first instinct was to turn around on his heel.

What a stupid thought to have because of you.

Besides, that would only make him more conspicuous, not less.

So, when your eyes met his, Jamil gave you a short nod in greeting. He would’ve left it at that and kept on his way, had you not walked up to him.

“Hi Jamil! How’s it going?” you said with that impossibly disarming smile of yours.

Why was it so difficult to look at you like he normally would? You had no right to make him feel so stiff, so unnatural.

On autopilot, Jamil exchanged a few pleasantries with you - those lessons from his parents had been instilled too deep in him for him to falter too badly in a simple exchange such as this. Still, Jamil quickly excused himself by telling you he still had to find Kalim before his next class.

Jamil didn’t miss the way your smile faltered. Had you hoped to get something out of him?

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you two later, then.”

Something about that irked him, though Jamil did not allow himself to dwell on it further.

His heart really had no business still racing as it did when he walked away, unaware of the frown on his face.

Just act normal. That’s all he needed to do.

After all, he had no time for dwelling in silly fancies.

If Jamil had been acutely aware of you before, it only seemed to worsen now that he was making a conscious effort to not act any differently with you. In fact, the harder he tried to keep you out, the more you invaded his thoughts, unsettling him.

The most innocuous words from you looped in his mind, and even the simplest actions caught his eye. For goodness's sake, he’d found himself staring at you while you were queueing up in the cafeteria the other day, not even doing anything other than standing around and looking bored!

For once, Jamil found himself grateful for all his duties. At least they provided him with something else to occupy himself with.

After all, if he was busy enough, it was difficult to think about those bright eyes of yours, your sweet laugh, or the way you bit your lip while thinking.

Still, sometimes it felt like no matter which way he turned, you were there, ready to throw him off-kilter. Not like it was his fault that often the most convenient route to class intersected with your daily routines. Or that your face seemed to jump out from any crowd, catching his attention.

Which certainly did not help his basketball performance. Jamil certainly did not recall you having such an interest in sports before, yet suddenly you were always there, distracting him. What had changed?

Could you possibly-

Jamil scoffed to himself, forcing his thoughts back on track for the nth time that day.

He picked up the tray of food and started taking it to Kalim. After dinner, he’d need to help Kalim with his homework, there were some housewarden tasks that would need dealing with, not to mention the preparations for the next-

Jamil froze in his tracks.

The voice he heard was quiet, but it was unmistakably you.

Really, it should not have come as such a surprise to him. You had become a rather frequent visitor to Scarabia, and Kalim often invited you to stay for meals. In fact, Jamil had started planning the dorm’s meal prep with your tastes and dietary restrictions in mind, just in case.

Jamil rounded the corner with strange exhilaration, his heart fluttering needlessly.

Yet, his mood evaporated when he saw you.

Why did you stop talking and look so guilty as soon as you caught sight of Jamil?

Jamil knew that look you gave to Kalim, had used it himself a thousand times. The one telling Kalim to keep quiet about something.

What could there possibly be that you would be comfortable sharing with Kalim, but not with him? That would give Kalim reason to sit so close to you, a comforting hand on your shoulder?

Jamil's mind raced with possibilities, yet could not settle for any single explanation.

He’d have to ask Kalim about it later.

Jamil gave you a short, polite greeting, his eyes lingering on you in an attempt to read what you were hiding.

“If I’d known you were coming over, I would’ve prepared something for you to eat as well,” Jamil said, already thinking about which parts of the dorm’s dinner to spruce up for you.

“Oh, no need, just figured I’d pop by. I’ll get out of your hair soon enough,” you said, something sheepish about your expression.

As expected, Kalim asked you to stay and dine with them, and with just a bit more persuasion you agreed - though not before telling Jamil that he should join you too and have himself a breather.

And since Kalim agreed with you, Jamil soon found himself sharing a meal with you and Kalim. Yet, even as he sat down with the food, his mind raced.

Had you been getting particularly close to Kalim lately? But surely Jamil would’ve noticed such a thing. Maybe someone from the dorm had been giving you trouble? But if that was the case, then surely you could let Jamil know about it, too. Unless for some reason you did not want to? But if it was something that concerned Kalim, then sooner or later it was bound to concern Jamil, too.

All the while, Kalim was talking to you about this and that, the latest topic being the animals kept on the Asim estate.

“I’ve got some pictures, let me show you!” Kalim said with an excited grin.

Only, a thorough patting of his pockets and a look around confirmed that Kalim’s phone was nowhere to be seen.

Jamil pinched the bridge of his nose. Where had Kalim left it this time?

Before Jamil even had the chance to say that he would handle it, Kalim sprinted off. Jamil hesitated for a moment, automatically halfway up from his seat, before he decided that leaving a guest unattended would be a worse offense than not helping out his master.

Jamil slumped back down with a sigh, mentally tracing the path Kalim took today, trying to recall the last time he saw Kalim handle his phone.

“Breathe. He’ll manage,” you said. There was the faintest of smiles on your lips, and Jamil could not decide if it was knowing or amused. Perhaps both.

Somehow, despite his frustration, Jamil’s own lips wanted to curl up too.

“Hmm. Maybe he will.”

Sure, Jamil could’ve called Kalim’s phone, to make it easier to find, but it was not that urgent, was it?

Jamil took another bite of his food, keeping an eye on you from the corner of his eye.

How was his mind so empty and so buzzing at the same time?

“You know-”

“So-”

You looked at each other, both just as surprised that the other had spoken up at the same time.

Even your surprised look was so-

“You first,” Jamil said. The way you bit your lip... Jamil had to raise a cup to his lips, slowly sipping his drink.

“Just… Feels like it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you be still, you know. Or exchanged more than two words with you,” you said. You were attempting a light, joking tone, yet it was quite clear there was more to it.

“You say that like it would be unusual for me to be busy.”

He was not prepared for the way your soft sigh tugged at his heartstrings.

“No. It is not.”

You were both quiet after, poking at your meals. Normally, Jamil would’ve cherished such a moment of peace, yet this particular silence between you two was decidedly awkward.

Where was your usual chatter? Why weren’t you looking at him like you usually did?

“If you’re worried about me, don’t. I’m fine,” Jamil said, some softness creeping into his tone despite his best intentions.

“That's what Kalim said too,” you said. Yet the way you looked at Jamil made it clear you were still skeptical.

Wait.

Had you clammed up earlier because it had been Jamil you had been talking about with Kalim? That Kalim had comforted you about?

The thought twisted his stomach into knots.

Eta: you can find part 3 here, part 4 here, and finally part 5 here. Hasdhfsdf the way I fought with that last scene I swear. I don't even want to know how many versions I went through, trying to figure out how to say what I wanted without rubbing it into your face or making it too veiled. The joys of trying to convey things through a limited pov. Hopefully it came out reasonably balanced in the end. Rip to all those sentences that were lovely on their own but didn’t work for the whole. Hopefully I can rehome y’all one day. I do have thoughts for part 3 and part x (might be some chapters between those two as well, who knows at this point), so maybe we'll see those at some point, too. Tag list: @colliope @crystallizsch @diodellet @jamilsimpno69 @jamilvapologist @twstgo If you'd like to be tagged for future works, let me know! (Just be aware that sometimes I do also write nsfw, though you can certainly ask to be tagged only for particular kinds of works.)

[royalarchivist]

I say this in the kindest way possible, but I think this style of prose is more appropriate for a personal account rather than an update account. I have no idea who's being talked about half the time. 🥲

[ Tumblr meme via @mikaikaika ]

[timethehobo]

Wrote this on Twitter but wanted to ramble it here too.

Personally? I hope that Emmrich is not a skeleton in a magic skinsuit or whatever the theories are coming up with. 🫢

It’s rare enough to even get distinctly older-looking characters as companions / romanceables, I’d rather not have it taken away to be a token unique character - as cool as the flaming skeleton character in the early concept was. On the off chance he does end up a skeleton for some reason, I only hope it makes sense. I’ll likely still enjoy him, but it’ll be a shame.

Let us have visually distinct older characters who are romanceable because love isn’t limited to the youths or young-looking ancient beings please and thank. Get past the odd stigma that older-looking characters are too weird to be proper romances. 🙏

[rosieofcorona]

hm. might need to pause on the dragon age art for a while i fear

[bucket-puns]

Make you vile, Make you a spectacle.

They need to calm down from hitting each other with pipes

[deiaiko]

#19.3 Unravel

It had been some time since Agni felt this nervous. Not even talking with Jinsung Ha recently had made him feel like this. He fiddled with the mask on his hand as he waited for Grace to come back. He had thought hard on how to deliver the news, but he knew that no matter how he phrased it, Grace would be upset. Velt nuzzled under his palm and Agni gave her a few pats, before deciding that she would be better inside her bowl in his lighthouse, just in case the shinsu acted up around Grace after he received the news.

Grace came back wearing the comfiest shirt and shorts Agni knew Grace liked to wear on lazy days. He joined him on the floor, and they ate dinner together. Agni always finished last, so while waiting for him to finish his meal, Grace told him about his day with Bam. Grace was intrigued by how much his way of thinking had changed, and how glad he was to be able to be by Bam's side when he was having a bad day. It reminded Agni of the hidden floor, when Grace faced his sworn enemy.

They left the used bowls on the coffee table and went to brush their teeth. Afterwards, they turned off the light and went upstairs to sit on their bed. Grace's curious gaze never left him, and Agni curled his feet nervously.

Grace was the one who broke the silence. "So…what is it?"

Agni's breath hitched. This was the part he dreaded most. "I talked with the crocodile earlier. Did you know that he could manipulate stone already?"

"Huh." Grace needed a few seconds to let the information sink in. "Didn't Rak learn it on the Hell train? How does he know it?"

"Turns out our crocodile also traveled back to the past like us. He found the young crocodile and taught him."

"What?!" Grace gasped, wide eyed. "That means our Rak is–!!"

"He's dead." Agni quickly snuffed out that hope. They had been in delusion for long enough; it was time that they faced the bitter truth. "He suffered a fatal injury from the explosion. He couldn't have lasted long without proper help." Agni omitted the actual cause for Rak's death, but still kept his words true. "I'm sorry."

"…Oh." Grace looked lost, just like Agni was. His lips parted a little, but they closed before any sound escaped.

Agni gently squeezed Grace's hand, encouraging and comforting as he let the silence stretch on, giving Grace some time to process the information.

"Agni…" Grace whispered, "do you think Hatz and Isu…?"

Agni bit his lip and avoided his gaze, as the nightmare of that day replayed in his mind. He witnessed Hatz get his arm ripped off when trying to protect him. He could still recall the clang of a sword hitting the floor, and Hatz's suppressed scream that gnawed deep at his guilt. He witnessed Isu get beheaded after being taken hostage, the memory of warm blood painting them both still vivid like it happened yesterday. 

Agni refused to acknowledge their possible deaths, because it felt like a nightmare that one day he could hopefully wake up from. He avoided the topic when Grace brought it up, so he wouldn't have to say it aloud and make it real. He had been so hard on himself, because he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he had failed Grace and everyone else involved.

Agni knew this had to change if he wanted to live better, now that they had gotten a second chance. So he swallowed down the lump in his throat that had built up over the years and asked mostly to himself; "What are the odds of their survival?"

"There's always a chance–"

"Grace." Agni looked him straight in the eye. "They were already severely injured before the explosion hit."

Grace fell silent and went still.

Agni felt a pang of guilt upon witnessing Grace's reaction. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap." Agni fiddled with his hands. He realized that he didn't know how much Grace knew of what happened. "My scar…do you know how I got it?"

"I…was told it was from the family heads' battle." Grace looked thoughtful. Agni knew he was trying to be careful with his words. "A stray attack?"

"It could have been worse." The memory of the scorching heat on his skin felt like it had only happened yesterday. He passed out right when he was about to heal Isu, and only found out later that he also lost sweetfish at that time. The days he spent recovering from the burn, to withstand the excruciating pain every second he was conscious, and finally coming to terms that it'd be a permanent scar, was one of the turning points that had changed him forever. Were Grace not there to care for him, he might have ended up destroying himself even more.

Agni hadn't realized he had his left hand clawing on his cheek until Grace pried his hand off and frowned, "You're doing it again."

"Maybe I should wear the mask…" Agni muttered to himself. After all, Grace gave it to him less so he could hide the scar but more to prevent him from unconsciously hurting himself. The only time he could safely take it off was when Grace was around.

Agni bit his lip nervously when Grace didn't reply. He no longer had the courage to look Grace in the eye that spoke so much concern, so he leaned close and rested his head on Grace's chest. "Rak, Isu, Hatz and Hwaryun were trying to get me out of that damned place. But we were caught while escaping, and…it was a bloodbath. I was…too occupied to react to the incoming heat. Rak shielded us from the explosion. And when I woke up…"

"They weren’t with you," Grace finished it for him after Agni trailed off a moment too long.

Agni nodded dazedly, "I've been telling myself that they're still alive, after a blow that could kill rankers. But…who am I kidding? I was lucky enough to survive with just this little–" Agni vaguely pointed to himself– "inconvenience."

Agni felt a hand gripping his arm, and he pulled away to see Grace looking at him with a pained expression. His eyes were glossy and his lips were pulled into a thin line. Trusting his instinct, Agni reached out to gently trace and cup Grace's cheek with his free hand.

"I'm sorry," Agni muttered. "I'm sorry, for not telling you sooner."

Agni silently witnessed tears that streamed down on his love's face. It was a bitter sight that Agni wished he'd never have to see again, that he had tried to avoid for so long by not telling him. He pulled Grace in and held him close to his chest, as if Agni was trying to gather his own crumbled heart back together.

Grace mumbled their late best friends' names as he held onto him tighter, shaking from each breath he took between sniffles.

Agni felt his own eyes sting with unshed tears. He remembered the years he spent climbing the tower together with his old team. Despite their banter being his source of headaches, Agni knew he too had come to acknowledge them as his cherished friends. Only when they were gone did Agni realize how much he'd miss having them around. Seeing the younger them didn't exactly close the gaping hole in his heart, but at least the emptiness was more filled.

Agni squeezed Grace tighter. "We have their younger selves with us now. We will protect them better this time."

Grace only nodded and sank further into his embrace. And Agni planted kisses on his hair, relishing the thought that after everything he had gone through, Grace was still a constant in his life. As long as he had him, everything would be okay.

When Grace started shaking again, Agni caressed his hair and hummed a comfort song they had known by heart. Still, it didn't make falling asleep any easier for Agni, especially not after admitting that his nightmare was very much real. However, as he had been through grief…this, too, would pass.

Masterlist

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Let me know your thoughts in the reblogs <3

☕ Buy me coffee ☕

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Video by shesasolarbeing on Insta cause apparently unlike TikTok they don't like putting watermarks for their creators. Go check them out!

Friend sent me this and my first thought was @kianamaiart 's magical girl series. Or rather, AIKA REAL??!?1?!1

[dragonagepolls]

how long do we think it’ll take people to finish veilguard. a month? two months?

[thewanderingmask]

obligatory scott and scar posting

[husku-u]

I didn’t remember to take pictures on Halloween but-

Me & @sunsetwaffle345 went as NSH and Moon!

[selfindulgentfandomstuff]

Also on a tangentially related note, regarding my last post. I need to have that gangly teenage boy build like my cis brothers. People only ever seem to take androgyny and gender nonconformity seriously when the person in question is skinny and already conventionally attractive to some degree. I am much better about accepting my body as it is than I used to be, truly, big progress has been made- but I can’t help but feel, sometimes, like I have to be smaller to start dressing ‘weird/cool’. Does this make any sense? Can anyone hear me??

[princessmyriad]

Actionable things to do, from a white childless non-usa womanoid:

- Think global act local

- Act woman-owned, woc/poc-owned, queer-owned, indigenous-owned as much as possible. Research which companies' parent companies should not be given money.  

-uplift women of colour, and lgbtqia+ and femme people whenever you can, know when your voice should be the loudest but give others who sorely need a voice have not just their turn but their respect too. Let them know openly and politely when they have earned some of your admiration, and stand up for them in social situations, if it is safe to do so. Find safe people, we have strength in numbers too. Ask around at libraries and youth group and elder activity halls if theres a space theyd be willing to help you set up a community garden in

- Decenter men, decenter money, focus on community and kindness.

  * adhere to the 4b movement and/or other woman+kindness-focused ideals that appeal to you with as much longterm conviction as you can find. We have been strong for so long and we can continue to be until we do not Need to be Strong anymore. We can, and will, get this right and make the world tender again. But we have to be strong enough for now to recognize our issues are each-others and we need to start with building a community where we are and building it out globally from there. We need to be amplifying the voices of the most truly deeply hurt peoples within our local communities and assisting those people the most, to build companionship and community and creativity and kindness and compassion into our joint futures. We need to not continue to isolate groups of people down further and encourage fear and distrust, this is what They want. Redirect people who are trying into genuine ways to help, instead of berating or complaining. Our issues might not be the same but they stem from the same roots of misogynistic bullshit and it's more important now maybe than ever to stand united and start fixing things locally first from a place of understanding, not separation.

- Find local shelters or soup kitchens or nonprofit places that primarily help women and/or poc and/or queer people, or facilities that supply safe sexual and reproductive health services for people with utersus, and volunteer in whichever way you can. Things that help often include serving food, preparing food that can be served or heated easily, donating cans or nonperishables. You can also donate blankets and clothes directly to the folk using the shelters if you're unsure of the people ‘running’ the place. Handmade items (knitting, crochet, quilting, sewing, etc.) might be a creative outlet for any frustrations felt too, keep in mind as many body-types that might make use of your item as possible. Some facilities might accept donations in the form of cleaning, or hosting their community bake-sales, or admin, or various other tasks so ask what kind of help they might need that would suit your personal skillset and limitations.

- Acquire books on edible gardening, on human anatomy and medical knowledge, -including mental health knowledge,- on cooking especially with cheap and shelf-stable ingredients. Find books on camping, survivalist tips, and general DIY tips for furniture and clothing and home-maintenance. Plumbing, witchcraft, electricity, tiling, any other book of practical skills could be useful too. Books written by (woc)women and queer people should be your first choice but take what you can get. Thrift stores often have cheap books (or are sometimes willing to give some away if you’re kind enough) but of course this does depend on where you live so acquire books in whichever way is most accessible to you. You can screenshot/save any information you find on the internet too, but it might be a good idea to print or write it out as well, and be sure to get information from smart, women, of colour, who know what they're talking about.

- if youre able, purchase as many contraceptive options and menstrual products as you can. Do not advertise that you have these, give them out to trusted women in need when needed. Do not hoard them, allow other menstruators to purchase them too but do look up the shelf-life of each product. Ive heard that a planB has a shelf life of four years, so thats possibly worth stocking up on, if you have the space and finances and support from within your home. I've not confirmed this though so please take this information with a grain of salt.

- get familiar with your body, aquire sex and selfpleasure toys, learn to use the tools you have safely to reach orgasm or whatever sexual satisfaction means to you. Be honest with yourself about your needs and limits. Post-nut clarity shouldn't be pushed to the backburner for women and femmes and it should be attained without the help of a man whenever possible. Emotional regulation will be hard but this is one of the best ways to stay focused and keep your body and mind from acting out out of a place of loneliness and self-hate. Dance, sing, scream, orgasm, create, do it all as primally as your vessel can handle to regulate, to activate social, empathy, and love and happiness centers of your brain and body.

- Don’t use period trackers or fertility trackers or any such websites/applications. Keep yourself safe online, use usernames and pseudonyms and nicknames that aren't identifiable back to your real life. Keep details of your real life limited to trusted people in trusted circles. Keep community in mind but use discretion as to who’s truly a trustworthy person to tell your thoughts or experiences to. 

- Australians call and write and email your states leaders, everybody do this actually but Aus is rapidly approaching its own crisis-scenario so make your voice heard, make your wishes clear, keep your intentions away from discussion with political heads but remain focused and concise with the outcome of upcoming potential bills and laws that you want to see. Make it clear and factual what you don't want to see too, without making it into personal threats or insults (despite how much you might want to sling some choice words toward your resident Rich Whiteman). Statistics are your friend here but remain honest with yourselves about where the stat comes from and about how Statistics are often played with for the benefit of the author.

***I’m too stressed to think lately. As I find or think of more tips i’ll add them. Please stay safe ladies. Carry a hammer, any weaponry you feel confident to use. Know that knifework can be dangerous to you if you’re not experienced at it. Know too that you must survive. Out of hope, out of spite, out of rage or love you must survive. We can not lose this battle when we have been fighting it for so long. Do not give up now. Please. Rest when you need but please, do not give up now. <3

[lavenoon]

Abyss (~4.9K Words)

You are born in the abyss. Who can blame you for never knowing the light? An introspection piece on Gunmar the Black, with many headcanons towards how he may have grown up, and why his role as the villain was inevitable.

I don't like one dimensional villains so I have been plagued thinking about this guy. Remember folks, a sympathetic villain is still a villain, and this is no attempt to excuse his actions, only explain them.