#maybe you could also use it for better harvesting so like with it you could clear a two block radius

[gardenoftransexuals]

personally i think mojang should add scythes to minecraft

[n0tamused]

HSR characters as dragons

A/N: Hellloo, it is I once more with my dragon rambles. This time we're moving onto HSR a bit more. I do hope you all like how these turned out, and if you'd like any specific character turned into a dragon, please do lemme know in the comments or reblogs. Idk when I'll do the next part, but I do plan to continue this little series.

Content: Dr. Ratio, Luocha and Blade as dragons, x reader, gn reader, fluff, angst(Blade's part)

Dr Ratio:

-A lot don’t consider him a dragon, and they’d have a point since visually Dr. Ratio does lack in the stereotypical dragon aspects, and he himself would classify himself as a “gryphon” much more than a dragon. 

-Nonetheless, he makes the list of many dragon related magazines and novels and research papers

-Dr. Ratio is huge (doctor- you’re huge!)(not sorry) in this dragon form, he certainly does not lack in mass either, hiding quite the muscular form under all the feathers and fluff which he pays a lot of attention to

-One of the life goals he has set is that search for knowledge and more knowledge and to cure the illness called ignorance and stupidity. This life-long dedication has brought him to a lot of places, and a lot of forgotten where he truly hails from.

-Due to his size, he usually cannot fit in many places, and since he frequents cities, schools and so on, he is more often seen in his human form, handling his business accordingly and swiftly. He is calculated, and sometimes considers his beastly form something that represents 2 things. 2-The future version of what he wants to achieve; dragons and gryphons are often classified as hoarders of knowledge, being one of the wisest species that there is, and if he could achieve that peak form, he might have a better time fulfilling his goal. And 2-A representation of a more negative side of himself, driven more by beastly instincts. Quite the contradiction to the first point, which led Ratio to some insecurities about his form. He doesn’t want to risk being impulsive or acting on animalistic impulse, so he doesn’t take on the form that often at all.

-He doesn’t flaunt it either, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive of gorgeous to look at when he does take on the form of the giant bird-dragon

-Due to his build, he is quite well prepared should a fight arise - but as per his morals and protocol, he would much rather take the diplomatic route. Although if the intimidation factor would have any good use, he may arrive at the negotiation site in his dragon form, showing off his size and big claws before reverting to his human form when he lands.

-Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise, but his fur and fluff is so soft and he also smells really nice. (I could fall asleep in his fluff and never wake up)

-He is really cautious in his dragon form, stepping lightly and gingerly around anything that could be damaged or broken easily, specifically you. Speaking of that - for a dragon his size he really does step lightly. His footsteps don’t echo or tremble the ground like you may expect, and also similarly - he flies very silently. You don’t hear him approaching at all.

-He would let you pet him only after a lot of nagging, feeling a bit embarrassed mentally about the situation as he just sits there and then there’s you, a tiny human hopping around him all giddy and with stars in your eyes as you pet him and maybe even try to climb him. He’s grumpy, but he is flattered- especially since it is you bringing forth all this mirth and compliments for this beastly form, and also him as a human too

-He’s also ambidextrous, both in human and dragon form. 

-.... I'm tempted to say that in dragon form he can also use his hind legs as hands too due to this... like bro is skilled okay, knowledge gave him writing buffs lmao

Luocha:

-(pretty dragon pretty dragon-)

-A very kind looking dragon, gentle and smelling of spring and reminiscent of a bountiful harvest with his pale gold scales and flowing golden mane.

-It is unknown where exactly he came from, as he sort of just appeared one day and came to exist within the people’s memories

-Some of the jewelry decorating his mane and body were gifts from some youngsters he came across. He accepted these gifts and polished them before putting them on himself, wearing the gifts with pride, earning the trust of the locals smoothly and swiftly with his humble demeanor

-He is well versed in medicinal herbs and has offered his aid to many individuals, even fellow dragons. While he does frequent his dragon form a lot, as it also makes carrying wares easier, he is still human and both dragon and human need to eat. While he has offered free services to those in dire need, he does charge others, and although his prices are not high, the price is still there.

-Some claim he uses magic to grow his herbs, since everyone that got their wares of herbs from him claim that they instantly felt better, after a sniff or a first sip. 

-His front legs are a bit shorter, making his hips stand a bit higher when he is walking on all fours, but he is also able to walk on his hind legs, and his front legs are very flexible. He can harvest and plant his own herbs just fine in his dragon form. His heavy tail gives him a great balance and if need be he can run very fast. He is quite agile, whether it be on 2 or 4 feet and, despite the gentle nature, can fight.

-You can often catch him laying down in some sun-kissed spot near the city, surrounded by kids after his business hours, all kids admiring his form; playing with his mane or claws or scarves on his body, one kid is braiding little braids on one side, and there’s a kid that somehow  climbed their way up onto his forehead, holding onto his bangs for dear life. Luocha lays his head down, huffing as the kids exhaust themselves jumping and playing. Although if the sun is setting he doesn’t hold back on telling them to go home or telling them some ghost tale to scare them back into their parent’s arms. 

-He does love picking you up too if he is feeling cheeky, setting you on his back or his head as he walks back to your shared residence in that place.

A:n: Luocha is one of my favorite designs that I’ve done so far, look at him auhfoisfahofsg

Blade:

-Once a young, moon-kissed and pale dragon was now a shell of his former self, with only small patches of pale fluff standing out as a faint reminder of what he once was.

-His illness made spiky protrusions grow from his underbelly and it ruined his maw as well. However formidable it all made him, dark and scary, he was in constant pain.

-He is rarely ever seen, and ever since the ‘incident’ he has become a ghost tale to scare the kids with, a warning to any other long-life species as to what may happen if they follow down his route and what can happen if they're struck with the same illness as him

-Blade avoids any reflective surfaces in which he may look at himself, as that can sometimes make his mara flare up. He often spends his time in solitude, be it doing missions or spending his time in forgetfulness. Forgetting has become a hobby now, staring at the dark walls of some cave he found as he slowly realizes his memories are shrinking. It's as if all his puzzle pieces are being taken away from him, thrown away or hidden from his clutches.

-Blade frequently takes the form of the dragon, the pain seems more manageable when he is huge and terrifying. A lot of people that catch a glimpse of him also stay far far away, and unless they're the object of his mission - he won't go after them either. The sight of him alone is terrifying. 

-Big curled horns that are dark gray like the dark side of the moon, and if you look close enough there's small shimmers in the shadow clad corners of his scales and horns. Up close he is…pretty in his own right, his subconscious struggling to keep the remaining pieces of his past intact through physical attributes.

-His long flowing mane is soft and well kept, even if Blade doesn't particularly pay much attention to it, or the other fluff spots on his body. 

-He doesn't know where the jewelry in his hair came from, but there's something about it that forbids him from removing it. 

-The red sash around him was put there by Kafka and you, and if often maintained by you two. And there's something intimate about tying the bow at his back or putting the big golden clips into his fur. It's the trust he puts into you, and while it may seem like such a mundane action like helping someone button up their shirt, it means a lot more when Blade is in question, someone who doesn't let anyone else touch him or go near him.

-I think it is safe to say that this bad boy can fight. And fight he does. His mara has hardened his teeth further, and if any fall out during a scuffle, another one will take its place soon after. Although he is a bit long, he is quite strong. The only disadvantage he has is the fact that he is flightless. His species might as well fall into some branch of a drake. He can breathe fire though, and that ability has served him before in making weapons - these days though he doesn't use it much. He has teeth and claws, and that's enough. 

-During more easy days, he does like having you around, when his mara is silent and not dragging him under, your presence is comforting. He'll just lay down near you and soak in your presence. He will scoff or huff if you decide to shuffle closer, but he will most likely give in in times like these. Touch him, run your fingers through his fur, the fluff and the mane, he'll close his eyes and sigh. 

Size chart:

-Listen, I had a hard time trying to figure out sizes for them since they'd almost the same, but in the end I settled with this.

-Dr Ratio > Luocha > Blade

-Blade is huge but he is more long lol, and if it came to a hypothetical fight with either of the other two, Blade is winning no argument there, unless they yank him into the skies and slam him down idk

-There is a little difference in size between them tbh

Ⓒ n0tamused. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

[miru667]

The whole Once-ler family is working full tilt!

Here's my full piece for the VK Onceler Zine! I was very lucky to get to be a part of it...🥹 I used concept art as my inspiration this time: [link] Keep reading below for my process vid and all my director's commentary!

Thank you for being curious! Here's a video of my WIPs:

Deadlines were TIGHT for this zine! We were given only 2 months (compared to the 6 months I had on the previous onceler zine), so to make sure I could finish on time, I decided to do only base colours and lighting, with almost no shading anywhere. Still, trying to balance all the colours took the longest for me, as you can see in the vid. xP

Also idk if anyone noticed, but for the face I chose to use an already existing onceler doodle: [link] Why? Well, why not! I really liked that doodle and I didn't want it to go to waste. 😆

Things that I enjoyed sneaking in:

-the golden spiral! Vaguely, at least! At the very least I hope your eyes can follow the order of thneed production, from the fallen tree at the window to the tuft harvesting to the thread spinning, to knitting the thneed and then drawing up plans for bigger and better things, and then ending with him pulling on his iconic glove to show he's going to take control now

-15 cents, a nail, and a great great great grandfather snail, as well as a tin pail since that's where you're supposed to deposit your payment

-combining things from the 2012 movie and concept art, the 1972 movie, and the 1971 book (e.g. that funny wrench he uses to fix pipes)

-Miss O'Schmunce-ler! You can see from the vid that I added the bracelet pretty late, because it was a late decision to have a Miss O'Schumunce-ler somewhere. I chose her to be the one picking up the pencil in the end, since she's pretty good with a pencil in the movie hehe. You guys can pretend the arms holding the phone is Miss Funce-ler.

-a thneed, a seed, and a (grickle grass) weed on the floor. The thneed is just the first of many that will soon create a giant pile. The seed lies forgotten in the corner. The weed is foreshadowing the future.

-hinting that Lorax and Once-ler were actually good friends, like they were in the Lorax musical stageplay. 🥺 I kept this part of the script in my mind for this piece:

This was aftermath Once-ler talking to the Lorax, reminiscing on their good times...and also being stupid and inconsiderate because the Lorax was in fact there all along as his friend, trying to warn him of what was going to happen. 😔

So in my zine piece we're witnessing a peaceful time before all the real biggering really starts. I like to think that in this scene, the Lorax had been sitting on the Once-ler's lap, holding his gloves for him and having a nice chat together with maybe some harmless bickering, but then the Once-ler gets a phone call so he cuts their convo short and rolls his chair over to the window to answer it. Putting business over friendship as usual, of course. Inspo for the lap sitting comes from this fanart by Emi that I love: [link]

What else...the parts that I'm proud of the most are the stool (I spent 2 days just drawing this stool), the curtains, the fact that I was able to include every truffula colour, and the Once-ler's pose. I was close to giving up on that pose because I had no idea how to draw it but I'm glad that I tried again. I wanted to show him at ease during a stage in his life that we never got to see much: the happier and more innocent days of his biggering when he only had a small shop. 😊

That's all, I think! Thanks for reading if you did! Once again it was an honour to be part of this zine!!

[oh-no-its-bird]

Fic where, in practicing to get edo tensei right, Orochimaru uses Izuna as a test subject and tries to substitute DNA to make it work, using Suigetsu's bc like it's extra flexible or whatever bc shape change

Edo tensei mermaid Izuna locked in a tube somewhere in Oro's lab,,

He's SO mad about it and has literally no information ab what's going on at all bc hes locked in a fucking tube !!

Bonus points if Orochimaru doesn't even specifically know who he is

They unearthed him w the rest of the founders on a whim but bc no one really requested him specifically, the body just kinda sat there and eventually got mixed in w the rest of the Uchiha corpses, till Orochimaru requests an Uchiha corpse and they shrug and send him over

He still has Madara's eyes too (left alone either by oversight / or bc they decided not to pull them before he got mixed in w the other bodies, who had by then already gotten scooped of their eyes so they assumed he'd already been harvested)

Ok but like. No one even tells him what happened/where he is/that madara made the village. Why would anyone?? The only one Izuna sees regularly is Orochimaru, and he doesn't know those facts would matter??

Izuna doesn't even know what Konoha IS, he isn't gonna recognize the name

From Izuna's perspective, he died in his bed and then BOOM. Tank time.

Orochimaru might tell him it's been some years since his death (thinking he died in the massacre) and even if Izuna doesn't believe him bc like, enemy, enemy territory, he sure as fuck probably won't be thinking "Ah yes it's been decades since my death and my brother went against my dying wishes to make that village"

Tho he might get nervous and start picking up those cues when he sees the tech

Oro mentions offhand that the Uchiha were all killed and Izuna immediatley assumes the Senju won the war and loses it

He'd figure it out eventually obviously (probably after being set free, most likley by Sasuke w Suigetsu) But he'd also probably keep that to himself, bc like, enemy territory n stuff

Mermaid shapeshifter Izuna terrorizes the shinobi world,, Sasuke doesn't know what he just unleashed.

Ok actually but like. Suigetsu's shape-shifting but bc Izuna has a fire chalra nature, make it liquid fire shape-shifting. Fuckin, fire mermaid Izuna. He has an awful time retaining his form and actually for the first chunk of time, him being in that tube is genuinley just for the best. He keeps turning into liquid fire with no real solid body and can't put himself back together for hours.

Izuna hears his brother is still alive and running Akatsuki and is so down to clown till he realizes THATS NOT HIS FUCKING BROTHER HOW DARE YOU USE HIS NAME

Anyways oh my god Izuna on team Taka,,

He and Sasuke would be SUCH a dynamic actually, they look alike so much?? Sasuke doesn't recognize him but he's clearly a close relation, so there's some mystery there. Sasuke is like super shaken by finding a member of his clan and Izuna, by that point aware that apparently the rest of his clan is dead, is sticking to him like GLUE. Sasuke is bitchy little brother coded and Izuna understands this is probably karma bc he is also bitchy little brother coded

They probably clash a lot, especially bc both are expecting to be in charge here, but ultimately I think they'd get along better than Sasuke does most people, and there's also that bonus vulnerability of like. Izuna is an older Uchiha boy who's trying to brother him (with a noticeably different brother-ing style to Itachi too) and Sasuke has been alone for so, so long.

Sasuke accidentally calls him nii-san then promptly has several break downs about it

Suigetsu and Izuna either get along ALARMINGLY well or they hate eachother. I think I wanna go with the first bc it sounds more fun. They couldn't talk to eachother in the tanks but they could still see eachother, so maybe they kind of developed some sort of code to communicate?

They are "cause problems on purpose" friends. They're also "wdym I can't kill him???" *looks of genuine confusion* buddies. They're giving Sasuke the biggest headache actually, someone stop them. If you leave them to "take care" of a problem, there will be carnage.

Also, like, Izuna literally has Suigetsu's DNA in him. That's a thing.

Mmm maybe some complex thoughts ab how Izuna has effectively become a bloodline thief against his will (the ULTIMATE taboo for shinobi from his era) and he's like, actually fucked up about it.

Running joke where they refer to each other as cousins, could be funny. They argue over who's the bastard child (it's Izuna obviously but he won't just take that title lying down)

Izuna is like, in his 20s, and Karin is around 16 or 17 at this time I think?? She definatley has a bit of a crush on him (which helps take the edge off Sasuke) but like, he's not acknowledging that beyond patting her on the head. She'll get over it eventually. (Sasuke hides behind Izuna when Karin is trying to flirt w him and Izuna absoloutley laughs at them both)

Izuna is actually really impressed w Karin's sensing abilities specifically. I think he'd be a bit on edge around her at first, bc Uzumaki -> Senju ally. But he'd quickly assume she's a deserter (he has no idea the Uzumaki are pretty much wiped out rip) and becomes cautiously chill after a minute or two (also when he first escapes, he REALLY doesn't have the luxury to pick and choose his allies. He's instantly attached to Sasuke and cautiously fond of Suigetsu, and Karin seems to have Sasuke's trust at least, so he'll keep an eye on it but otherwise trust Sasuke's judgment)

Izuna and Karin besties arc where they paint eachothers nails is a must. I love the take that Izuna is really into fashion n stuff and he and Karin should like, trade hair tips or smthn. Karin knows modern soap brands where as Izuna bought his soaps from clan vendors who no longer fucking exist, so like, it's definatley helpful.

Karin is the only one of them to have any real hint of where tf Izuna came from (tho even she doesn't have the full details) it'd be cool if she was the one to figure out more details ab his general mystery— maybe something about her chakra sensing gives her a hint as to how old he really is?? Or she finds the paper trail that hints towards the bodies being mixed up???? Idk but she deserves to have an "aha!" moment

Also Izuna's medical knowledge/standards are NOT up to modern and Karin is so mad about it, she's giving him hella lessons on first aid n shit and he's very, very interested in all this free medical knowledge

I know the least about Jugo so bear with me on this one pls— I think Izuna would find Jugo to be pretty fascinating as a person actually. He enjoys tentatively poking him with sticks, and comes to genuinley like him as a person (when he's calm) pretty quickly

Also cats love Izuna so he gets bonus points from Jugo bc of that, they can bond while petting Izuna's contracted cats or smthn idk

Yeah I really don't know much ab Jugo so that's all I have to offer sorry

Ok let's backtrack a bit, back to Orochimaru ->

Fun scene towards the very start of the fic, where Izuna still has no fucking clue what's going on, but recognizes Orochimaru as a member of the Orochi clan. He says as much, and Orochimaru has to pause.

No one's mentioned his clan to him in years. They haven't been relevant in Konoha since Orochimaru was born— even before that, they were barley relevant. Izuna should not know who they are.

(The only reason he does know is bc they had a neutral to positive relationship w the Uchiha back in the warring era, and Izuna had visited them once before)

Immediatley, Orochimaru is squinting at this guy. He's giving Danzo a ring asking who exactly he got sent over, but Danzo doesn't actually have anything to offer him??? The paperwork is a mess and there were a LOT of Uchiha. He's not registered as a shinobi tho.

Hmmmm.... ok.

Orochimaru is suddenly aware there's some kind of mystery here now, which is dangerous for Izuna. Izuna is, again, in enemy territory, and he's able to pick up on the fact that Orochimaru doesn't actually know who he is. This ofc means that HE sure as hell won't be telling him.

Maybe he bares his teeth and sarcastically says he's the second coming of Uchiha Madara (not even that big of a lie when u think ab it)

Pivoting time ->

Izuna is listed in the data books as like, being equally as talented as Madara and I think we should talk ab that more actually

I love Tobirama but he really did get him by surprise

Izuna just got cocky and taken by surprise!!

HE DIDNT EVEN GET COCKY HE JUST LOGICALLY DIDNT EXPECT TOBIRAMA TO FUCKING INVENT TELEPORTATION

Then he went down in the history books both in canon and out of it as the weakest of the 4, that's so tragic

Izuna gets mermaid edo tenseid and (once people know who he is) everyone is like "Ok well at least he's uhh. The weakest of the 4 right?? I mean tobirama killed him when they were like only 19/20 so we'll probably be fine???"

Then he just fucking bodies them all bc hes a nightmare actually AND on whatever special test trial edo tensei steroids they gave him

Izuna is fueled on rage and spite and he's full up on both

Imagine he gets the full story of everything that happened while he was dead too, like.

Ok so Madara goes against his EXPRESS dying wishes and makes his village. (what the fuck!!) Then backs out (yay!!) but in an awful way that effectively fucks over the entire clan for years to come (nii-san what the FUCK)

Then gets literally backstabbed by Hashirama (HE FUCKING TOLD YOU!!! WHAT DID HE FUCKING SAY!!!!!)

Then the Uchiha seem to thrive and like. Ok. He's still mad about it, but at least something... kind of nice came out of it.

THEN BOTH THE VILLAGE AND MADARA'S(?????) SCHEMES KILL THEIR ENTIRE CLAN

Izuna is SO mad at literally everyone, holy shit. The only one safe from his rage is Hikaku, god rest his poor, poor soul

Actually, I think it'd be funny if Izuna was like, indescribably extra awful mad at everyone— but then is like. Normal mad amounts at Tobirama, who was a bitch but at least didn't seem to carry on a personal fucking vendetta against the Uchiha like EVERYONE ELSE INCLUDING FUCKING MADARA FOR SOME GODDAMN REASON

Izuna is going like, "FUCK you, FUCK you, OH, EXTRA FUCK YOU���" then squints at Tobirama and goes "...fuck you." Then goes back to screaming

To be clear, Tobirama absolutely contributed to the end of the Uchiha, but like. A) it'd be funny, and B) at least his seemed slightly less on purpose than literally everyone else

There's also I think a difference of like. Izuna never expected Tobirama to suddenly turn around and be pro Uchiha

Where as everyone else (again, including his brother!!) Was like. A genuine betrayal

Tobirama fucking over the clan was never a surprise

He never pretended to be on their side (like Hashirama lowkey did)

Tobirama vs Izuna but it's them getting to relive their rivalry where as Izuna vs literally anyone else is emotionally charged as hell and filled with demented screaming

Leaving it there for now, I might actually try to write this one but who tf knows

[alexanderwales]

Alright, here's my dream Stardew Valley style game, designed for my own tastes.

You come to a small town with the usual twenty to thirty people. It's in the middle of nowhere. It's a fantasy town, and no one actually farms anymore, partly because it's only questionably profitable, partly because a lot of the knowledge has been lost. Instead, everyone uses these magic doodads which are very powerful but also very limited. The tavernkeeper has a doodad that makes him a single kind of weak ale and a single variety of off-tasting wine. The clothier has basically a square mile of linen to work with, and everyone wears her drab clothes. Tools are made from a doodad that the blacksmith owns, not even made of any actual metal, just a material that wears away after a month and needs to be replaced by a new copy from the blacksmith's doodad. People get their meals from the doodads. They get their medical checkups. It's all a bit shit.

Because I'm a worldbuilder at heart, I would have this all exist in the wake of a large-scale war that depleted the town of its fighting-age population, with the doodads being a sort of government program to ensure that more of the lifeblood of the town could be drained away. And for there to be some reason for the town to continue existing, perhaps the government is harvesting some resources necessary in the creation of doodads. That's enough for a pro-doodad faction and maybe some minor drama with them, though I do like the idea that the only reason things are Like This is because there was a war and things got bad. It's not necessarily a bleak town, but there's definitely a listlessness to it, a "what's the point".

So you're a farmer, but no one is really a farmer anymore. Maybe there are a few books, but you don't learn farming from books, you learn it from practical experience; that's a lot of what this game is about. When you start, there's no one to buy seeds from, there's just a bunch of wilderness where farms once stood, now all long overgrown.

So you go out and forage, for a start, and you clear the land, and you pay attention to the plants and how they can be used, and you start in on making recipes with them, maybe with the help of your grandfather's old, partially incomplete books. You find some wild corn that's a descendant of the old times. You find some tomato seeds in an urn. You discover potatoes because you see them dug up by a wild boar, which itself was once a domesticated animal.

In my ideal game, you need to pay attention to the soil quality, to how far apart things are planted, to what crops work well together. Farming is a matter of companion planting and polycultures. You get some chickens by giving them consistent feed, and you keep them around because they're natural pest control. Your climbing beans climb the stalks of your maize. You're attracting pollinators. (From a gameplay perspective, yeah, we probably put this all into a grid, and you have crop bonuses from adjacencies, and emergent gameplay that comes from all that, some plants providing shade, others providing nitrogen fixing.) You're a scientist making observations about the plants, maybe with your incomplete book giving you confirmation on the nature of all your crops once you hit certain production goals or a perfect specimen or whatever.

Cooking is the same. There has got to be a system that I like better than just "combine tomato with bread to get tomato bread". I'm pretty sure that it's some variant of the actual process I use when cooking, which is making sure that things are properly cooked, balancing flavors against each other, adding in a little salt or acidity or umami or whatever. Time in the kitchen, in this game, is often about making meals, ensuring that if you have a fatty piece of meat you have some asparagus that's coated with lemon to go with it. (From a gameplay perspective, I think building the dish once is probably sufficient and it can be automated after that, and building the meal is the same. I don't want to play this minigame every time I'm cooking a dish, I just want to play it a single time until I have good knowledge of the best way to grill a BBQ chicken breast with a homemade sauce.)

But if we're having a little minigame here where we pay attention to how long we're cooking the kale to make sure that it's the right texture, and we're paying attention to abstractified mouthfeel and palette, then we can get something else for free: variation. See, you're not just cooking to get an S grade, you're cooking for people with different tastes. The cobbler has a sweet tooth, the librarian loves fruity things, the mayor cannot stand fish, that sort of thing. From a gameplay perspective, maybe we represent this with a radar graph with some specific favorite and least favorite individual flavors, and maybe it's visible to the player, but the important thing is that player gets feedback and have a reason to strive for both "good" and "perfection" and some of this is going to depend on the quality of the ingredients.

And this is, gradually, how the town is brought back into the fullness of life. You're not just cooking for these people, you're also selling them food, and they're making their own recipes, and all the stuff that's not food is making their businesses not suck anymore. After the first test keg of ale goes swimmingly, the tavernkeeper wants more, a lot more, and puts in an order for hops, wheat, grapes, anything he can use to make things that will improve nights at the tavern. The clothier will skeptically take in wool and spin her own yarn, and then eagerly want more, because how awesome is it to have a new textile? There's a chemist who is extremely interested in dyes and paints, and wants you to bring him all kinds of things to see what might be viable for going beyond the ~3 colors that the doodads can provide.

So by year two, if you're doing things right, you're the lynchpin of the revivalist movement. People are now moving to the town, for the first time in decades, because they hear that you're there and doing interesting things with the wilderness. Maybe there are other farmers following in your wake, but maybe it's just new characters who are specifically coming because a crate of wine was shipped to the capital city. Maybe some of them bring new techniques for you, or a handful of plants from a botanical garden, and there are new elements for the minigames, or maybe some automation for the stuff that's old hat.

I think something that's important to me is that there's a reason for the crops you plant and the things you do. I always like these games best when it feels like I'm doing something for someone, when I can look at a plot of cabbages and think "ah, those are the cabbages I owe to Leon". Where these games are at their worst, everything is entirely fungible and I've planted eight million blueberries because they have the highest ROI.

And yeah, in most of these games, there are other minigames like fishing and mining and logging and crafting, and since this is just a blog post and not a game, I definitely could massively expand an already sizeable scope.

I think for mining the player would use doodads of their own, and maybe you could make a mining minigame out of that, using the same planting tile system to instead create an automated ore harvesting machine that plumbs the depths of the earth (possibly dealing with rocks of different hardness, the water table, and other challenges along the way).

Fishing is a question of understanding the different fish species, what they eat, where they congregate, and then setting nets or lines, since I have never met a fishing minigame I really enjoyed. Again, there's some idea that the player is gaining information over time, building up a profile of these fish, noticing that some of them go nuts when it rains, understanding the spawning season, that they go to deeper water when it's cold, etc.

Crafting really depends on what you're crafting, but if you're reintroducing traditional artisan processes to this town, then people are going to need tools and machines and things. I'm not sure I know what a proper crafting game looks like. The only experience I have to draw on is wood shop, where I made wooden boxes, cutting boards, and picture frames. Since this is an engineering-lite puzzle-lite game, you could maybe do something in that vein, e.g. defining a number of steps that get you the correct thing you're trying to make, but ... eh. I love the idea of designing a chicken coop, for example, or building a trellis if I want my climbing beans to not need maize, or whatever, but I don't know how you actually implement that. There are definitely voxel-based and snap-to-grid games where you build bases, and I tend to find that fun ... but it's mostly cosmetic, for the obvious reason that doing it any other way than cosmetic requires programmatic evaluation, which is difficult and maybe unintuitive. The closest I think I've seen is ... maybe Tears of the Kingdom? Contraption building? But I don't know how you translate that to a farming game. Maybe I should ask my wife about this, because she's always doing little projects around the house (an outdoor enclosure for our cats, a 3D-printed holder for our living room keyboard, a mounting for our TV).

Making an interesting crafting system is difficult, which is why pretty much no one has done it.

And if I'm talking pie in the sky, without concern for budget or scope, I want the villagers to all have a mammoth amount of writing for them. I want petty little dramas and weird obsessions, lives that evolve with or without my input, rudimentary dialog trees that let me nudge things in different directions. This is just an unbelievable amount of work on its own, it would be crazy, but I would love having a tiny little town game where sometimes other people would fall in love. I would like to be invited to a wedding, maybe one that happened because I encouraged the chemist to hang out with the clothier, and in the course of working together on dyes, they fell in love. With twenty people in town and another ten that come in over the course of the game if you hit the right triggers, I do think this is just a matter of having a ton of time/budget. You write tons and tons of dialogue so there's not much that's repeated, you have some lines of conversation between characters that are progressed through, you have others that trigger off of events, and then you have personal relationships between NPCs that can be progressed through time or with player intervention. Give single characters a pool of love interests, have their affections depend on their routine which depends on what's changed in town ... very difficult to do without spending loads and loads of time on it though.

Anyway, that's one of my dream games. No one is ever going to make it, it would be a niche of a niche, and as scoped here, is too much for a small team to ever actually finish, let alone polish. But it's the sort of thing I'm imagining in my head when I think about playing Stardew Valley and its successors.

[laismoura-art]

Ok so...

Twice now i’ve seen people approach @elsa-fogen about a take that is “Alastor is in hell because of Voodoo” (the latest one basically saying he is in hell solemnly because of Voodoo”) and I can’t help but feel there’s reeks of religious intolerance from his take (even if it’s not intentional) cause let’s not forget, Voodoo is a religion (main one in places such as Haiti and Gana), and it’s often stigmatised and viewed through the wrong light. So you all can understand how a take like this could rub someone the wrong way and be deemed as religious intolerance.

But as I know this fandom is PAINFULLY stubborn and probably will want to keep exploring this take even if it makes some people uncomfortable (take the people who refuse to acknowledge Alastor as aro and the people who refuse to stop calling Alastor a wendigo for instance) I would like to offer an alternative take: 

See, I’m not from Voodoo and it’s not that big of a religion here in Brazil, however, we do have two other religions here that are similar/derivatives from Voodoo (Candomblé and Umbanda) and face similar prejudices, so I’m making this based mostly on these two but know that it also applies to Voodoo. 

In Umbanda, we have a higher god, the Orixás (entities that provide guidance and protection) and we have spirits, these spirits divide in different groups and offer advices and guidance to all types of people, there are spirits that look after women, children, grieving parents and even the lost (such as drug addicts).

But as we have good spirits, we also have bad ones. they are popularly known as “espiritos de porco” (pig spirits) who are usually mischievous and even ill intended spirits that might loom over you if they feel a bad energy coming from you or if you are spiritually unprotected and they will start to cause you misfortune and even make you feel weak and sick.

Some ill-intended people use these bad spirits against people they want to harm, the bad spirits may guide them in performing a ritual or maybe the spirit will loom on this targeted person. 

It’s (partly) due to people like this that these religions have such bad reputation, but these people basically perform their religion in a corrupted way! Umbanda is a religion that connects you with nature and guides you spiritually, it’s deeply connected with healing practises (mentally, physically and spiritually), but as I said, like EVERY other religion, it can be corrupted and used to harm.

I think the best use of “corrupt vs proper use of religion” I’ve seen comes from Disney's The Princess and the Frog. People usually remember Dr Facilier better, who used Voodoo against his enemies and to harvest power (much like a certain deer man we all know and love) but we also had Mama Odie (which is a real figure in voodoo, mind you. Also present in Umbanda, a Mama Odie is sort of a priestess of the religion) notice how she is a much more accurate representation of the religion, she lives in contact with nature, she performs her rituals and prayers in the wide while dancing with a very positive energy around, and she wears white (which is the most recommended colour to wear during rituals, as it’s a neutral colour and pleases all Orixás). 

So as you can see, there’s good voodoo practicants and bad ones, and in the end it’s all about how you use your religion, if you use it as you were taught, with pure intentions, seeking guidance and protection of good spirits and Orixás, or in a corrupt way, surrounding yourself with bad spirits and helping them spread their bad energy. 

So what I am hoping with all this is is that people put a stop to “Alastor is evil because he uses Voodoo” and adopt the “Alastor is evil because he does malpractice of Voodoo” which is a much more accurate to reality and respectful take. 

I’d even like to offer a headcanon of my own: 

That Alastor's mom was from Voodoo (maybe even was a Mama Odie herself) and taught Alastor all she knew and he corrupted her teachings and started using them for evil (perhaps even to aid him in his killing) and THAT, that corruption, was what sent him to hell, and true redemption for him would not to give up his powers/forsake his religion but actually to go back to his roots and use his powers for good (perhaps in a way that he ends up healing/saving someone (hopefully Charlie or Rosie)👀

[taintedheartx]

Unsaid words

Pairing: Neteyam x fem!Omatikaya reader

Warnings: slight cussing, angst, childhood friends, unrequited love, miscommunication trope, friends to lovers, one sided pining, she fell first he fell harder, jealous neteyam🤭(uses of y/n)

Synopsis: neteyam doesn’t know how to feel when he finds out his close friend/eye candy is slowly moving on from him and leading to him confessing.

A/N: don’t know how to feel about this one I was kinda high when I finished it lol so we’ll see if that did us justice.. sex education s2 reference.. also not proofread

For the past few weeks Neteyam has been noticing you haven’t been coming around as much as you used to which was rare since you are consantly around.

Whether it’s too join kiri with the daily tasks you both shared, hunting with neteyam, or just tagging along with loak to whatever mischief he can find. You were always right there.

Your almost convinced that the sully’s are tired of your constant presence so you always remind yourself to not be so nosy and give them their space.

After all, years after trying to get a certain someone’s attention was clearly going nowhere and you were tired of giving signals just for them to always go unnoticed.

Neteyam is a very oblivious Navi but he also has many good qualities to him that is what attracts him the most to you.

His nobility and determination to prove himself worthy amongst the clan, his natural desire to excel at things so he can be reliable clan leader.

His attractive personality was undeniably alluring which kept all young girls in the clan enticed in a trance.

You didn’t know exactly what would catch his attention.

You tried just about everything, to offering him cut up fruits during training, to crafting him armbands with emerald green beads woven in. You felt so foolishly in love with him.

You even tried to outdo all the other girls so that he would surely pick you but he never did.

You were so desperate.

You tried to involve yourself with what he enjoys doing. Hunting, fishing, ikran riding, you name it. Not to mention shamefully embarrassing yourself in the process.

No matter what you do though you feel as though he will always see you as a friend nothing more.

Whereas where neteyam stood was with you completely although he was to nervous to admit it his true feelings.

He was too afraid of you rejecting any idea of a future with him; so he decided to keep his mouth shut for now.

Unbeknownst to your internal frustration.

You eventually gave up trying to give anymore signals, fully convinced that your efforts of interest were depressing at this point. He had many women pining after him anyways you figured he wouldn’t notice.

~time skip~

It was a blissful day as every other and you were waiting for your mother to finish your hair so you can go harvest fruits with kiri and tuk.

When she said something that caught your attention.

“So I’ve been meaning to tell you something ma’ite”

Your look up at her as she continues with her rant.

“Rai’uk’s parents have been asking your father and I if you would want to go on a hunt with him, maybe get to know him a little better?”

It came out more as a question which made you want to immediately say no but you knew that you could only avoid this for so long given that the whole time you were showing interest in neteyam, she was waiting for an opportunity to bring up you finding a mate.

Since neteyam wasn’t taking an interest, you had no choice but to start looking for other suitable mates within the clan.

And in this case you had to oblige this offer.

After another day you suddenly found yourself in Rai’uk’s company.

He was nice to say the least certainly not neteyam but he was tolerable and could hold a conversation for the most part. He is a exceptional warrior in the clan and has great hunting skills.

You did it for you mother really, she wanted you to be more social in a sense to be more willing to find a mate at a early age just like she did with your father.

You don’t know how to feel but you obviously didn’t want to disappoint your family so you just go with the flow.

Mother says, “ you’ll learn to love him.”

During communal dinner you usually sat next to neteyam usually talking to him about his day and trying to scooch yourself close enough to where both of your knees were touching.

But, today he noticed after a few minutes that your usual spot stayed empty and instead kiri came and filled the gap.

His brows furrowed in curiosity as his ears perked up and his eyes wandered to all nearby surroundings trying to spot you.

Until he spotted you with him.

He didn’t know why but the minute he saw you with him his heart began to race.

Why weren’t you sitting with him? Was he why you haven’t been coming around as often? When did you start talking to him? More importantly why didn’t you tell him?

So many questions filled Neteyam’s head to the point he felt it might explode.

His ears twitched and his tail flicked annoyingly behind him to which kiri noticed and followed his gaze.

“Oh yea y/n parents made a new arrangement”

His eyes now darted over to his sister, why wasn’t he made aware of this? When did this happen? If y/n’s parents made this arrangement and she was unhappy with it, why didn’t she show it? Did she like him?

So many thoughts ran circles in his mind before his eyes caught a glimpse of you scooting a bit closer to Rai’uk to where your knees were touching, just like you did with him.

He felt an uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach seeing you show the same simple acts with another that was your usual with neteyam.

He always had felt your presence next to him during meals so when he saw you so close to another made him jealous.

The tuft of his tail gently rising, he stared in your direction until loak came to sit down next to him making him snap back into reality.

“What are you looking at bro?”

He pinched his eyes together as if it would help him not see the situation and directs his head towards his little brother.

“Nothing” He exclaims letting out a sigh.

Loak was one to witness how you acted around his brother ever since you all were little. He also took notice of how neteyam was when you were around.

You always coming over for to play with him and his sister but always had lingering eyes for his older brother.

You were the only girl that really hung out with the sully children since childhood, so with that neteyam never ever minded your presence and found himself craving more of your attention the more you guys grew up.

It was obvious that you had such as huge crush on neteyam. So you didn’t know why he just ignored all of your signals unless he only saw you as a friend.

Even loak didn’t know why neteyam wouldn’t want to court you now that you two were older while it was still obvious that you still had feelings for him.

Until loak saw you with Rai’uk, he knew that it was likely that it was not your choice and more of your parents.

But he also couldn’t help himself from rubbing it in because his brother was too much of a skwang to admit his feelings.

“Looks like she’s found someone” he exclaims hands squeezing his shoulders and slowly jolting him forward.

Neteyam lets out a frustrated hiss and harshly swats his hands aways, getting up quickly and walking away leaving both of his siblings dumbfounded.

Moons past of you spending more time with Rai’uk, and to say neteyam having been jealous would be an understatement.

The way that even when you briefly came to stop by for kiri or loak you didn’t even bother to greet him anymore.

The sudden change in the way you didn’t even bother with him anymore. Like he never even once mattered to you.

It was driving him crazy knowing your attention wasn’t on him anymore. But instead another man.

What did Rai’uk have that he didn’t? He was an exceptional warrior and the youngest to complete his iknimaya at that.

He didn’t know why you were suddenly drawn to him.

But all he knew was he was willing to at least talk about with you, maybe then you will understand that he reciprocated your feelings all along and to forget all about this skwang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After all day of waiting for training to be done and for his father to give him a opportunity to bail he eventually did with intentions to immediately find you and talk to you.

You had finished all your tasks patiently waiting for your sister to do the same, so you can hand her over to your parents and take off with kiri and loak to go fly.

You hadn’t even noticed neteyam approaching if it weren’t for your sister.

“Watch out the mighty warrior looks like he’s walking with purpose.” She says humorously.

You had stepped aside so you can get out of his way. When you felt his hand pull you back a bit and kept it’s hold on your wrist. “Y/n I have to talk to you”.

He gave a brief description and didn’t really give you enough time to respond before you felt his tug your hand as a sign to follow him.

After a few minutes of just continuous walking you were growing curious and impatient as to why he was taking you so far and for what, he made it seem like it was the most serious thing in the world.

“Just tell me neteyam, is this about kiri?”

“No” he said shortly, if he was being honest he could’ve stopped anytime he wanted but he still trying to figure out how he was gonna spit this out.

He didn’t know how you would react to this now that you obviously now started something with Rai’uk but he just couldn’t keep this from you anymore.

He led you to a secluded spot in the forest, eyes gazing all around the treeline to make sure you were alone before speaking.

His eyes meet the ground as silence fills the air surrounding you and all can be heard is screeching ikrans in the far distance.

“I messed up with you” He looks up at you with his desperate amber eyes.

“What” you innocently say scrunching your eyebrows.

“There’s a time where I thought maybe you liked me….and I liked you back..and I got scared so I didn’t tell you how I felt…. and then you met Rai’uk.”

He felt a familiar tightness in his throat similar to when he gets reprimanded by his father and feels himself wanting to cry. He hated hearing himself say how hurt he was.

“It’s really hard seeing you with him everyday.”

Your don’t even know how to process his words, you find yourself breaking his gaze and looking at the forest floor as if it was suddenly so interesting.

“W-Why are you telling me this now. ”you manage to stutter out not wanting to bare anymore silence. Confusion plastered on your face.

He lets out a deep sigh knowing that his confession was probably soon going to be lead to rejection but he didn’t care. His hand finds a place on your arm gently pushing it back to make you face him.

He scanned your face noticing the sudden change of mood as expected but he was overcome with nervousness.

“Because it’s true.” his hand comes up to the edge of your shoulder.

Your eyes constantly dart all over the ground as your face turns a bit angry and your ears pin back. An evident frown on your face appearing.

You let a few moments of silence pass before he speaks again, “why do you look angry?” His hand leaving your shoulder and going back to wrist.

He frigidly says not aware of the effect of his words on you. You had worked so hard to look past him to forget all about the advances you once had the effort to make.

Why now would he say this? If he would have said this a month prior you would’ve been thrilled that he would have finally noticed you.

But now.

Now that you had taken an interest in someone else for a change and he now says all of this. had you not given him countless chances?

“Because neteyam that- that not fair, I liked you I really liked you I fucking turned myself inside out liking you.” You look everywhere else but at him out of irritation.

“You did like me.” He says softly, eyes widening at confession you made yourself.

You gaze up at him swiftly, “yes of course I did…and now your telling me you felt the same.”

He tripped over his words but managed to find them.

Uh- yea I..was confused.” His heart felt like it was going to break this was worse than what he imagined, in all aspects, he figured you would forget all about Rai’uk and his unimportant advances.

He expected you to fall at his feet like all the other women did in the clan.

But you were very different, very stubborn.

“I made myself get over you neteyam, this would be unfair to Rai’uk.” You shake your head and back up from him.

Neteyam feels utterly crushed that in the time you spend with Rai’uk, you were acting like you’ve known him as long as you did neteyam and it made him jealous beyond belief.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, were you expecting me to forget all about Rai’uk because you finally noticed what’s been obvious for years.”

He doesn’t know how he should answer, he doesn’t have an answer. He just shamefully looks at the ground blinking profusely as to not let the tears fall.

“I should head back” you say wanting to create as much distance as possible. You start to turn around and walk back in the direction you came. His grip on your wrist was still there and lightly tightened keeping you in place.

“Y/N I’m really sorry I made things like this, I just didn’t know how to tell you, and I waited too long.”

You nod your head already wanting to be done with this conversation, “I need to think” was all you managed to quietly say one of your hands coming up to your neck, and rubbing it out of nervousness.

You were conflicted this was the man you wanted all your life, but this was such a inconvenience now another was involved and you had to worry about his feelings as well now.

His grip on you loosened as you walked past him, and into the greenery of the forest. Your mind still freshly thinking of his burden of a confession.

[unclewaynemunson]

'What's your favorite holiday?' Steve asked while they were looking at the fireworks, pressed against each other in the dark of the night. They had been dancing around each other for months, ever since Eddie woke up in the hospital with Steve already at his bedside. They had taken their time to get to know each other better, to let that something between them grow and to figure out what it all meant exactly. But around the time Eddie graduated, it had finally culminated into what it had been destined to be from the start.

Eddie could barely believe they had only been official for about a month and a half, that Steve had only been part of his life for a little over three months. But he knew, with a certainty that he couldn't really explain, that he and Steve belonged to be like this. No matter how scary it had been to fall for him, it had been the only available option.

'Sukkot,' Eddie answered his question with no hesitation.

Steve leaned away a little bit to be able to look at Eddie.

'Was that the one that was, like, three weeks ago?'

'No, that was Shavu'ot,' Eddie answered patiently. He knew that Steve was trying very hard to keep up, and that the Hebrew words didn't exactly make it easier on him. 'The boring one that Wayne's obsessed with.'

Steve chuckled. 'So what is Sukkot?'

'I thought you'd never ask, big boy,' said Eddie, a wide grin creeping over his face. 'It's the best fucking week of the year. We build those huts in our yards where we're supposed to live all week. It's really awesome, we get to be outside all the time and Wayne tells all the best stories about how our ancestors escaped from Egypt and wandered through the desert for years. Back in Virginia, on the farm, it also used to be this celebration that the harvest was done. The best moment of the year, man, like when the summer holiday starts, y'know.'

'Sounds pretty cool.'

'Pretty cool?' Eddie repeated in a mock-offended tone. 'Pretty cool?! Stevie, how dare you, it's fucking magical! It's the awesomest of holidays! You know what? You're gonna have to join us this October and get the whole experience!'

'Are you sure?' Steve looked weirdly hesitant about Eddie's proposal and Eddie felt the excitement in his chest deflate like a popped balloon.

'Yeah, I mean... If you want to,' he said, reigning himself in a little bit. Maybe Steve thought it was weird, maybe he would never quite understand it, maybe –

'Of course I want to,' Steve cut off his spiraling thoughts, like the mere suggestion was completely ridiculous. 'But would it be okay? You wouldn't mind? And your uncle?'

'Why the hell would we mind, Stevie?'

'Well, I'm not Jewish...'

Eddie chortled. 'Yeah, we know that, dude. But you're always welcome in our humble little home.'

And Steve's face lit up in a way that the fireworks in the sky above them could never compete with. 'Alright,' he said. 'Then I'd love to celebrate this awesomest of holidays with you.'

******

And so it happens that a little over three months later, Eddie runs out of the trailer with even more excitement than usual when Steve's way too fancy car shows up. He basically jumps into his boyfriend's arms as soon as Steve gets out of his car – and of course Steve catches him, stumbling only a little bit while huffing out an “oomph” as Eddie wraps all four of his limbs around his body.

'Hello to you, too,' he murmurs with a soft smile on his face. He can't exactly kiss Eddie here, in broad daylight with all of Eddie's neighbors to see, but he lets his hands linger around Eddie's shoulders when he gently puts him down on the ground.

'You're excited.'

'We're building the hut today!'

'The sukkot, right?'

And the proud smile around Steve's lips makes it almost impossible for Eddie to correct him.

'The sukkah, babe. It's one sukkah, multiple sukkot.'

'Sukkah,' Steve repeats, his voice still as unsure as ever when he tries the Hebrew words that are so familiar to Eddie and Wayne and still so foreign to him.

'C'mon, Wayne's already waiting for us.'

Eddie starts tugging Steve along with him towards the trailer. He wishes he could do that by taking his hand instead of the sleeve of his jacket, but he's too aware of how careful they have to be here, out in the open in the trailer park.

They go around the trailer, where Wayne is already surrounded by a bunch of corrugated sheets and some big pine branches.

'We're building it here?' Steve sounds surprised. 'Why not on the porch?'

Eddie sees his uncle's face fall, and his own excited smile fades away as well.

'It's too eye-catching, on the other side,' Wayne explains to Steve. 'Too many folks lookin' to trash stuff 'round here, ya know.'

Almost every year, they find some graffiti on the walls of their sukkah at some point of the week. It has become better since they moved the hut to the backside of their trailer, hidden away from Forest Hills' main roads. Before, when they still built it in front of their home, they'd regularly find the roof or the walls demolished. Nothing ever happened when one of them was home: both Wayne and Eddie were protected from any serious danger by their own scary looks. But unfortunately, the sukkah did not enjoy the same protection when the Munson men weren't present to keep an eye on it.

Wayne doesn't outright say it with that many words – that's not his style – but Eddie can see in the arch of Steve's eyebrows that he gets it. That he understands that Forest Hills is not the kind of place where Hebrew should be spoken loudly and that anything more than a menorah in front of a window can be considered offensive real quick. He sees that Steve understands it, because Steve knows what it feels like to not be able to take his boyfriend's hand when they're outside. It's not the same, but it's similar, in a way.

When Eddie came out to Wayne, his uncle told him that he was sorry Eddie got dealt the wrong cards twice. But that's not how Eddie sees it. Standing here, in the quiet world behind the trailer, with his uncle, his boyfriend and a pile of junk that will soon turn into a refuge, he gets the confirmation of what he already knew back then: that he wouldn't have it any other way. Even if it means having to hide away from prejudiced eyes, he'd choose this right here over anything easier in a heartbeat.

Wayne takes off his trucker hat to reveal the kippah he often wears hidden underneath it, then turns Eddie around by his shoulders so he can attach a kippah to his curls with some hairpins. Eddie usually never wears one: he doesn't like being told what to do in any way, and he proudly wears the pentagram of the Church of Satan on his denim vest. But for events like this, Wayne insists the kippah is important, and Eddie has long since he moved in with his uncle learned that there's no use digging his heels in the sand about it. If it's that important for Uncle Wayne, he'll doesn't mind complying.

'And one for you,' Wayne states after Eddie's kippah is properly secured to his head, turning towards Steve with a third one in his outstretched hand.

Steve's eyes widen in an almost cartoon-like way.

'For me?' he repeats, as if he's unsure if he understands Wayne correctly.

'U-huh,' Wayne confirms with a nod of his head.

Steve's eyes flash back and forth between Eddie and Wayne, still clearly confused, like he's trying to catch some lie or a prank between the two of them.

'That's – would that be okay?' he stammers.

'Neshama sheli,' Eddie says, his voice soft. 'Of course that'd be okay. It's the polite thing to do, actually, when you're in shul – or in other Jewish places – whether you're a Jew or not.'

'Okay, cool,' Steve says with a little shrug of his shoulders. He's slightly too obviously trying to play it cool, and that makes Eddie realize something he hadn't really considered before: that Steve is nervous about this. For Eddie, sukkot is nothing but a holiday of fun. But Steve doesn't know any of those traditions, he doesn't know any of the unwritten rules. For all he knows, what they're doing today is something sacred and solemn – it makes sense that he's afraid to do the wrong thing or mess it up somehow. It's written all over his face: he's afraid to be disrespectful, to be an intruder, to somehow offend Wayne and Eddie without meaning to...

Steve takes the kippah from Wayne and places it on his hair, where it lies dangerously close to sliding off.

'Here, lemme help you.' Eddie digs around in his own pockets to find some long forgotten hairpins and slides up behind Steve, attaching the kippah to some strands of his soft, shiny hair. When he's done, he slides his arms around Steve's waist and tugs him close to his chest.

'Hey,' he whispers in his ear, nuzzling his nose against the soft hair right above it because he simply can't resist the temptation of touching Steve's locks in any way, ever. 'You don't need to worry 'bout anything. We're just gonna build a hut, that's all. And we're trailer park Jews anyway, we don't care about etiquette and shit. Or, well, maybe Wayne does, a little bit, but he's used to me, so... You're good.'

Steve chuckles, then turns himself around in Eddie's arms until they're face-to-face.

'Thank you,' he whispers in the space between them.

Wayne emphatically clears his throat, no doubt worried that the boys are about to forget he's still with them.

'You lovebirds ready to get to work?'

Slightly unwilling, Eddie lets go of Steve and flashes Wayne an excited grin. 'Alright, my dearest uncle, tell us what to do.'

The next hour or so is spent hauling corrugated sheets around and assembling them into a decent-sized hut. While Eddie is drilling their metal walls together, Wayne tells Steve all about the meaning behind what they're doing. He gets like that with every holiday: he loves the big stories, and Eddie has always loved listening to Wayne telling them.

'All of this,' Wayne explains with a gesture towards the half-finished sukkah, 'Is to remind us of what happened to our people a long time ago. They were enslaved in Egypt, far away from their homes. When they got out, they wandered through the desert for forty years, tryin' to find their way back. They suffered drought, storms, heat, famine... But G-d's protection was with them every step of their way, until He safely delivered them back to their homeland. For forty years, they didn't have no place to call home. They slept in huts beneath the stars. That's why, for one week a year, we still live in huts. We don't sleep here, 's too cold for that in Indiana –'

'I do sometimes,' Eddie cuts in.

'Your boy is crazy,' Wayne dryly states. 'But we live here as much as possible. The most important thing is to have all our meals in here, as long as it ain't raining too hard. We're not supposed to make a solid roof, y'know, 'cause it's supposed to be a reminder of how our people used to sleep under the open sky. It's a symbol for how we should submit ourselves to G-d's protection.'

Steve listens attentively and keeps asking Wayne all kinds of questions while they continue working on the roof, which they assemble out of pine branches that Eddie and Wayne took from the woods around the trailer park earlier that day.

'This day's extra special,' Wayne tells Steve when they're almost done, 'Cause it's a Friday evening. Means our first meal in the sukkah is a Shabbat meal.'

Usually, Wayne isn't exactly world's most diligent cook, but for days like this, he always tries to go a little bit bigger than usual. Not that their kitchen is suited for fabricating any kind of fancy meals – let alone that they can afford anything like that – but that doesn't really matter. Not to Eddie, at least, and he's pretty sure the same thing applies to Steve. The most important thing is that Wayne tries his very best to make days like those feel special. So while Steve and Eddie get tasked with setting up the interior of the sukkah, Wayne heads back to the trailer to make sure the food will be all done before sunset.

Steve and Eddie haul a bunch of plastic lawn chairs and a trestle table inside. After the furniture, they add some pillows, a truly hideous tablecloth, and a bunch of random clutter from the trailer to make it feel more homely. Eddie always likes to put this one Jesus sculpture they once got from the old Mrs. Brooks from number 70 in one of the corners, for no other purpose than to get on Wayne's nerves. Steve, on the other hand, actually cares about making the sukkah look good, and he comes up with the idea to walk around the trailer park and go into the woods to find some flowers as a finishing touch. Most of the vegetation around Forest Hills is withered all year round, but Steve manages to find some branches with beautiful autumn colors and a bunch of shiny chestnuts among the decaying junk.

'You manage to make anything pretty, huh,' Eddie notes when they're all done, with leaves of dark orange and golden yellow miraculously brightening up every single corner of the hut.

Steve smiles and pulls Eddie in his arms. Now, shielded by the walls of their dwelling, they can do that without worrying about the watchful eyes of nosy neighbors.

'Nah,' he murmurs, his lips ghosting over Eddie's cheek. 'I don't make things pretty, I attract pretty things.' And the way in which Steve's lips find his, soft and full of promise, tells Eddie that he wasn't merely talking about pretty things. It makes his heartbeat stutter and his cheeks heat up.

Steve pulls back before the kiss can become anything more than a promise, with a sparkle in his eyes and a soft smile still tugging at his lips.

'C'mon, let's go help your uncle with the food.'

By the time they're ready to welcome Shabbat, the autumn sun has long disappeared behind the trees and it's rapidly cooling off outside. Wayne puts on his thick plaid jacket and Steve borrows one of Eddie's favorite black hoodies. During this time of the year – when it's not yet cold enough to waste money on heating – the trailer doesn't really stay much warmer than the sukkah, so they're used to the cold anyway. Steve, however, is shamelessly exploiting the chill of the evening as an excuse to cuddle up close to Eddie at the table – not that Eddie minds that at all.

But when Wayne lights the candle and recites the blessing at sundown, it feels like the sukkah is actually much warmer than any other place in the world. It's because what's happening in this place is special, Eddie thinks. For a week, this hut is their home. It's designed to house two people – just Wayne and him – but Steve fits in this cramped space with them like he was always supposed to be here. And when Steve turns to Eddie to wish him a good shabbos with a smile on his face, Eddie knows that he will never want to celebrate another holiday – Jewish or not – without him.

Some fun facts for those who are interested: Sukkot 1986 indeed started on a Friday (October 17th) The use of corrugated sheets for a sukkah is actually quite common, and I took the liberty to interpret the skillful way in which we see Eddie drilling them down in the Upside Down, as him having plenty experience with creating a refuge with those things. For those who don't speak Hebrew: when Eddie calls Steve neshama sheli, he uses a common Hebrew pet name which literally translates to "my soul." I imagine Eddie loves calling Steve all kinds of Hebrew pet names and this is a truly beautiful one imo. I hope I did right to this really cool holiday with my lil story!

[alpaca-clouds]

Gene Tech is not your enemy

Let me throw one unpopular opinion at you: Gene Tech is actually not a bad. Genetically modified crops and what not are not bad and no, they will probably not give you cancer or anything of the like. In fact, if we want to save the planet and what not, we should totally embrace gene tech and gene editing.

With that I do not mean: "Edit human genes." Which is something that on one hand would be interesting and could have great promise, but on the other hand... would probably make the world so much world and lead to all sorts of eugenics.

No, I am talking first and foremost about editing the genes of some plants and maybe some insects.

See, I live in Germany, where a lot of GMO food is actually outlawed, which I find not good. Now, let me make one thing clear: Nobody should be able to copyright the genum of a crop. So fuck the hell off, Monsanto!

But gene editing can help us overcome many problems.

For once, we just have to face the facts: Climate is changing right now. It is changing and it creates bad harvests in many areas of the earth, because the crops are not adjusted for the new climate. In some areas it suddenly is too wet, in others it is too dry.

Humans have always edited the genes of plants and animals, of course. Just that we did it the very slow way by selective breeding them. Without selective breeding a wolf does not turn into a poodle.

Our ability to directly edit the genum of crops now allows us to quickly adust to the changing climate. Which might save a lot of people, if we allow it.

But apart from that, we can also do other things by gene editing.

We might be able to create plants, that are much better at storing CO2, than they would normally be. We are in fact able to create bacteria and algea, that eat micro plastics. We might in general be able to create bacteria able to dissolve garbage. We might be able to sustain plant species that otherwise might perish due to climate change.

And there might actually be some other things. See, we could maybe extinguish maleria thanks to gene tech. And we might be able to fight invasive species through it.

A lot of people in the conservation movement will be like "No, we should not mess with nature". But the thing is, that we already are messing with it.

Gene tech can help us to actually fix some of the problems we caused.

Again: Fucking Monsanto should not be allowed to copyright crops they created like this. But just because they are using it this way, does not mean, that the technology itself is horrible.

Opposing it just... does not get us anywhere.

[intuitively-her]

How will this school/career year go for you?

Pile 1-(5 of cups, 3 of swords, 2 of swords, The Magician rx, Justice, 10 of pentacles, 9 of pentacles)

This school year will be a huge lesson for you. You’ll learn a lot about yourself. You’ve got some untapped potential. Someone here could be an art major or you’re interested. You may have a lot of interests or curiosity about different subjects. Whatever it is, look into it! Don’t be scared to learn new things or get involved in study/social groups. Try something different! It would be beneficial for you academically and socially. For someone here, you may face some disappointment in regards to school. It feels like you tried out for something or put in an application and things just didn’t go as expected. It just feels like a rejection from something. But that’s okay! There’s something better for you. There will be many situations where you’ll be faced with a dilemma, and it’ll be up to you to make the right decisions. Spirit needs to see if you’ve learned from your past lessons. There will be many moments where you’ll be faced with an obstacle. Don’t let this scare you tho! This is all to build you up into the person you’re meant to be. This year will teach you more about adulting and having to stand on your own two feet. You will be harvesting the fruits of your labor. Your hard work will not go to waste.

Pile 2-(Temperance, The Hermit, The High Priestess, Page of pentacles, The Moon, 2 of cups rx, Knight of cups rx, 4 of wands)

This year will cause you to look within and do a lot of self-work. You’re starting to realize that certain mindsets, habits, and environments don’t serve you anymore. This is your self-improvement era. I see you spending more time by yourself and getting your sh*t together. You’re working to have more balance in your life. I also see you rejecting love offers and may even be in this heartbreaker energy. It feels like you wanna put more focus into the people closest to you and what truly matters. So more power to you! Apply yourself to new subjects or activities that you’d like to learn. I see you really being on your grind with this. This will also lead to an increase in financial opportunities. You’re gonna follow your intuition and inner-knowing more (or you need to) You know exactly what’s right for you, so trust it! Look at the bigger picture in situations. You will start seeing people/situations for what they really are.

Pile 3-(The Emperor, Queen of wands, Ace of wands, 8 of swords, The Hanged man, Wheel of fortune, Ace of swords, Justice)

You will be presented with many opportunities to help you excel in your studies. This will open so many doors for you. You could feel trapped right now, or like you can’t be your true self. Everything will be okay babe. I see a sudden turn of events for you. Many of the cards I pulled have snakes on them, which signify rebirth and transformation. Think of yourself as a snake shedding its skin right now. This is gonna be a huge breakthrough for you. You will have a clear vision of what you want and who you want to be. You’ll see everything from a higher perspective. This new shift will really cause you to toughen up. You will also be more open and confident. I see you having more discipline with yourself and others. You will be living a more structured lifestyle. You’re stepping into a leader energy. Get outta that shell and let you creativity/passions lead you to where you’re supposed to be.

Pile 4-(10 of wands, 8 of wands rx, The Magician rx, The World rx, Knight of pentacles, Ace of pentacles, 6 of pentacles, 9 of pentacles, The Star)

You might be at a point where you feel like you’ve hit a wall. Things might be feeling stagnant right now and as if your efforts are going to waste. Use this time to recharge, because things are about to take off for you! You won’t have time to rest. I heard “booked and busy”. This feels like fame that happens overnight. Maybe some content of yours will go viral or a piece of your work will get noticed by someone very important. This is gonna bring in a lot of abundance for you. I also feel like this is gonna boost your notoriety in your work environment, especially if it’s social media related. Spirit sees how hardworking and committed you’ve been to your craft. This is their reward.

[midnightlazule]

{NSFW} Teratophilia [Katakuri x AFAB!reader] (Mythology AU / 2023 KT)

Summary | Being followed by a dangerous man, and offering your virginity for protection, you meet a mysterious deity that wishes you to be his wife.

CW | AFAB reader / she/her pronouns / mentions of death / loss of virginity / first time / monster fucking fic / p in v sex / size difference / marking / double penetration

It was dark, far too dark for your liking as you walked home, clutching your dress in your hands. It had been a long day out in the fields, pushing along sheep and harvesting all of the ready crops, you had decided to take a nap under one of the many trees that spotted the fields.

You hadn't realized how much time had passed until you woke up, being met with no sheep, and no daylight. The walk through the field was a long one, with the threat of coyotes you were already on edge. The shepherd dogs would be far gone by now, with the sheep that were probably on the other side of the field.

Trying to keep your anxiety under control, you walked through the barren streets of the town you lived in. Not at all appreciating how long it took to get to your house, regardless of the dim lights that spotted the streets, you still felt heavily unsafe. It was so much better in the mornings, not having to worry about dark alleyways that swirled with inky black abysses, or the fear inducing footsteps you heard not too far behind you.

Your heart stopped in that moment, realizing that the footsteps you were hearing were in fact there, and very very real. It wasn't a trick of your ears, nor your anxiety. You could hear their shoes hitting the ground, a small clank of something metal followed right after, could it be a weapon?

Continuing on the path, albeit a little faster now, you tried to keep your breathing leveled. Fear gripping at your heart, and you were no longer worried about the monstrous things that could be lurking in the alleyways.

The sound of the footsteps grew a little more rapid, meaning they had also picked up the pace. You had hoped that maybe it was another random townsperson that was out for a walk, maybe someone who would depart on their own separate path. But those hopes were quickly tossed away when they kept on your tail. You tried to take a few sudden turns, but to no avail.

Suddenly, whoever it was, came running at you. Kicking up dirt you scrambled to get out of the way, their hand narrowly missing your hair by mere inches. They fell back and hit the nearest building with a grunt, knocking over some pottery and causing a commotion.

You used this moment to turn tail and run as fast as you could, sandals digging into the ground as you cried out in fear. Your eyes were wide, tears threatened to spill. The uneven grounds paid no mercy to you, almost twisting your ankle as you tried to get away. Dread settled stronger in your stomach as the lights had vanished, you had taken a road that didn't lead where your home resided.

It was too late to try and go back, you could hear your pursuer catching up.

The wind had picked up, causing your hair to slip out of its restraints, getting in your eyes and mouth you sputtered. The momentary blindness cause you to run and trip onto something hard, a yell of surprise and pain sounded as you hit your head on the rough pavement below you. Scrambling to your feet, you ignored the dull pain in the side of your head and shins.

You had made your way to one of the few unkept temples that littered the area, seeking refuge inside you quickly hid yourself behind one of the far back pillars. The footsteps of whoever was following you echoed as their shoes hit the pavement.

Placing your hands over your mouth, you tried to calm your breathing, trying to stay as quiet as possible in order to keep yourself hidden. Multiple prayers of protection echoed in your head as you asked whatever deity that resided in this temple to help you, promising your forever gratitude and worship.

Tears were streaming down your face, the prayers weren't working. Growing more desperate as the footsteps grew closer, you chose to offer the one thing you had that you knew would entice any deity.

Your virginity.

A loud boom of thunder roared as you made this prayer, the temple itself shook from the sheer pressure. Soon another presence made itself known, the tall and large man was covered in shadows, but his crimson eyes glowed with fury.

Your ears popped from the pressure this being exhibited, having to press your hands to your ears, you curled up into a ball and shut your eyes as hard as you could. The winds grew harsher, and you swore you could've felt something slithering over your feet and legs.

The sound of screaming prompted you to curl yourself up even tighter, tears left your eyes in stream and your body shook with fear.

But just like that, it had ended.

The pressure was gone, the screams had stopped, and the wind died down. You shook as you got to your feet, sniffling. Looking around cautiously, you didn't see a single soul. The man who was following you was gone, and the being who had appeared vanished.

With shaking hands, you laid them atop the stone altar that was in the back middle of the temple, giving a soft thank you before limping out of the temple. The night seemed more calmer now, almost as if you were promised a safe walk home.

You had completely missed the mangled body that sat off to the side of the temple, covered in slithering snakes that watched as you left.

----

A few weeks had passed after your terrifying encounter, you had begun to feel safer, almost as if you had an angel with you at all times, protecting you. During the days when you had time, you brought freshly baked goods, a pitcher of water, and dried herbs to the temple where you were saved.

You still didn't know what deity had previously been worshipped in the temple, there were no pictures, no symbols. It was a plain temple with beautiful pillars and a stone altar that had beautiful engravings on it. Though the engravings were just fancy designs, you had noticed the imagery of snakes hidden within them.

Leaving offerings and gifts became a frequent occurrence, even going as far as to bringing your dinner with you to share with the mystery deity. You had begun to enjoy doing such things, it wasn't repetitive like taking care of sheep and harvesting crops was.

Sure you weren't accompanied by anyone, and no one showed up, but the reminder that someone was there for you regardless of what you had offered, was still a pleasant thing. You had been rather lonely inside this town, refusing to marry any of the men that asked for your hand in marriage.

None of them were the right ones, and you wished for true love. Your parents weren't happy with this fact, kicking you out you've learned to live by yourself until the age of 23. You've been happy ever since, no longer having them nag you about finding a lover, and that true love was overrated.

Pretty soon, weeks turned into months, and you found yourself cleaning up the temple in your free time. Cleaning out all of the cobwebs, scrubbing the dark stains on the floors to the best of your ability. You even removed all the vines that grew on the outside, which was a challenge.

You had to use a very heavy, long stick to attempt to pull the majority of them off since you didn't have a ladder.

One thing you did figure out was the crazy snake infestation the temple had, finding at least three snakes a day, you gently picked them up and shooed them out. Stating that it wasn't a place for them, and that they'd have to find a new home.

One snake in particular you found would constantly pop up.

It had dazzling crimson eyes, much like the ones you saw on the mysterious deity that had saved you. The markings on its scales were a pretty cerise color, shining beautifully in the light. Its teeth were strange, having four teeth instead of two, all of them protruded from its mouth, sitting outside of its mouth instead of curling inside like how they naturally were supposed to.

No matter how many times you tried to get rid of it, it would pop back up, almost as if the temple were its home. You had grown tired of trying to shoo the poor thing out, and instead ended up making a cozy little area for it.

You often ended up complimenting it on its beautiful scales, even though you knew it didn't understand you. You had gone far enough to run your fingers along its scales as it passed by you. It had looked back at you, its eyes watching you before continuing on.

Not once had you imagined that snake would've been anything more than a normal snake with a few peculiar defects.

----

A year had passed, and you continued to show up, you were going to be turning 26. Your visits to the temple continued, and your conversations with the snake grew more frequent, opting to talk to something that couldn't respond rather than anyone in your town.

It was nice, despite your company being nothing more than a snake, you had grown to appreciate its presence. You had even begun picking it up, letting it coil around your arm. It always looked so comfortable as it sat there, eyes watching you as you lazed about.

One thing you had never done was given it a name, always referring to it as 'snake'. You weren't the best when it came to naming things, never had been.

The day of your birthday was an interesting one, everything seemed to be going right for you. The sheep actually listened, the crops were harvested with ease, and the wind didn't torment you on your trek back.

Even the prices at the markets were surprisingly low, you would've assumed that the townspeople lowered them since it was your birthday, but knew it was far fetched. They all thought you were strange, even going as far as to call you a witch with how often you visited the temples.

Returning home with your ingredients, you got started on making your cake.

---

The hour was late when you finished making your cake, taking slices of it to the temple. You laid a plate down on the stone altar, putting your hands together you gave your thanks to the deity once again.

A deep rumble startled you from your prayer, the familiar pressure circled you, its feeling almost suffocating. Turning around, your eyes met with the deity you had seen a year ago, the same one that had saved you.

It stared down at you, crimson eyes narrowed, his face was partially covered. Your eyes traveled down from his face, to his torso, and further down. It was then you realized his lower half was that of a snake, those brilliant cerise scales shone in the firelight that lit up the temple.

It finally clicked with you, that he was the snake you had befriended, the same one you had built a makeshift bed for. Suddenly you felt embarrassed that you had given such a poorly made gift to a deity.

Without saying a word, he approached you, scales slithered quietly over the rough pavement. His eyes never left yours, lowering himself down to your height, he leveled his face with yours. Taking a few steps back, you almost fell back on the stone altar, catching yourself, you flinched as you felt your hand connect with something squishy, and slightly wet.

It smeared under your hand, getting in between your fingers. You looked down and felt the blood leave your body, you had smushed the piece of cake you were giving as offering to the very deity standing before you.

"I-i'm sorry" you squeaked, far too afraid to do anything.

His eyes flickered from your face, down to your hand. Bringing a hand up to his face he removed the large piece of cloth that covered his face. He reached forward, grabbing your arm that was so much smaller than him in comparison.

You closed your eyes, expecting the worse as he brought your cake smeared hand up to his mouth. Feeling something wet in-between your fingers you peeked at the man, face burning a bright red when you realized he was licking and sucking the cake off of each digit.

The blush only worsened when you felt a flash of heat travel down to your core, not expecting to get turned on by such things you covered your mouth with your free hand and looked away.

"Are you not scared?" a deep, smooth voice asked.

You looked over at him, still covering your mouth. He had let go of your hand, now clean from any cake residue. "Scared..?" you asked, "yes, do my features not instill fear into you?" he clarified.

"No? I mean, not really?" you said, though it sounded more like a question. "I.. I've seen you every day, even though I didn't know that it was you, I mean.. at first it was strange since I've never seen a snake that looked like that before, but I got over it, it's really just normal now-" you stopped yourself, realizing you were rambling on about the topic.

"I think you look fine" you squeaked out, feeling ready to faint from the intense gaze he was giving you. A thoughtful hum reverberated in his throat, "it is your birthday today, yes?" he eyed the cake that was smashed on his altar.

"I- yes.. it is" you said quietly, "Uhm.. y-you can have my piece" you quickly grabbed the other piece of cake that was sitting off to the side, offering it up to him. "I know it's not much given you're uh... size but.. I hope you enjoy" You were looking away from him as you offered it, too afraid that he might smack it out of your hands and devour you right there.

A gust of wind was felt, opening an eye you looked over and nearly dropped the plate you were holding. The man was now fully human, despite the scales that still covered parts of his body, and his teeth.

You looked in amazement, eyes traveling down his body you had to prevent yourself from coughing when you saw he had absolutely nothing on to cover his groin. Heat rushed to your face, he was definitely well endowed.

Feeling the plate being taken from your hands, you placed them back to your sides. "It's delicious" he hummed, "I don't think I ever thank you for the food you often brought" he murmured, your heart almost jumped to your throat at that.

"Y-you shouldn't be thanking me it was just- I was just-" you failed to find the words, suddenly feeling bad that a deity, a literal god, was talking about how he failed to give thanks. "It had been a long time since I had someone visit, you were a breath of fresh air, so you deserve my thanks" he lowered his head in gratitude.

You felt uncomfortable with his display of thanks, feeling like you didn't quite deserve it. You bowed your head in respects regardless. "Y-you're welcome" you stammered, "Um... I don't think I ever got your name?" you said, realizing that you not once had been able to figure out the name of the deity that had been worshiped here.

"Katakuri" he spoke, "but you can refer to me with whatever you please" he almost purred. He had finished the cake, setting the plate down he took a few steps up towards you. His eyes shone with something you couldn't quite make out.

His face was mere inches from yours, you could feel his breath on your lips. It smelt of the cake he had just eaten, along with something more metallic.. blood? Had he accidentally cut something on his teeth? They did look rather sharp.

Reaching up without thinking, you placed your hands on his cheeks, and traced your fingers over his fangs. Trying to be careful as to not accidently nick yourself. Katakuri's breathing seemed to deepen at the feeling of your hands on him, his eyes flickering from your eyes down to your lips.

You wondered how it would feel to have him kiss you, would the fangs hurt you? would they somehow retract? You wished to find out.

As if hearing your thoughts, Katakuri slowly lowered his face to yours, having to keep his neck at an awkward angle to accommodate your small height. Your lips touched his, and it felt as if sparks had ignited, kissing him felt.. right as if it were something meant to happen.

Katakuris hands grabbed ahold of your hips, holding you in place as the kiss grew rougher. You felt that same heat from earlier explode throughout your body, running through your veins and causing your breath to quicken.

A moan sounded from your throat, feeling his hands dig into your hips he lifted you onto the altar, siting you down on it. Neither of you broke the kiss, your arms wrapped around his neck, and he pushed your back down onto the altar, crawling on top of you.

Your legs lay spread, sitting on each of his thighs. The one thing keeping you parted was your dress which covered your clothed womanhood. Placing his hands on either side of your head, he broke the kiss.

"Are you sure about this?" he looked down at you, he might've been a deity, capable of all sorts of horrible things, but he still had morals. You nodded, feeling more sure than ever that this was what you wanted, the spark of lust that ignited between the two of you was something you'd never felt before.

His hands left the side of your face, grabbing hold of your dress he shoved it over your hips. A groan left his throat at the sight of your soaked panties, the beautiful smell of your cunt was more enticing than ever before.

He had waited, waited until he was sure that it was the right moment, to finally take the very thing you had offered to him for protection. But he felt greed overtake him, the thought of having you forever, as his wife, enticed him.

You were beautiful, and much deserving of a spot in his domain, where he could make you his lover, his child-bearer. Suddenly, the thought of pumping you full of his seed, seeing you with a large belly filled with his offspring left him impatient.

He had to fill you, right here, right now.

A startled yelp fell from your lips as he ripped off your panties, grabbing hold of your thighs he ducked his head down and licked a clean stripe up your sopping cunt. Your back arched off of the altar, mouth agape as you felt something entirely new.

His tongue worked wonders against you, it was much longer than an average humans, diving deep inside of your hole. Your nails scraped at the stone beneath you, legs threatening to clamp over his head if he didn't keep them still. You were speaking incoherent words as he tasted you.

It seemed he couldn't wait any longer, licking his face clean of your juices, he pumped himself a few times before grinding his erect, warm cock against your slick cunt. You shuddered at the feeling of his cock rubbing against your clit, stimulating it in such a way that left your toes curling.

Slowly inserting his tip, he pushed in, trying to be mindful that you needed time to adjust to his large size. A light sheen of sweat covered the both of your bodies, the sound of heavy breathing bounced off the walls. A gasp left your lips at the feeling of him pushing inside, the almost foreign feeling of it had you eager for more.

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you pushed him forwards, a heavy feeling of need swirled in your abdomen, bringing about a sinful part of you. Moaning out at the feeling of his large girth finally fitting inside of you, you couldn't help but admire the bulge in your stomach.

Katakuri growled, hands placing your legs on either side of his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around your knees. Keeping them straightened, he started thrusting into you, groaning and tilting his head back from the pleasure of it all. Your own noises sounded like angels singing, the beautiful moans that left your plush lips enticed him to go faster, to fuck you even deeper.

Finding that this position was just not working for him, he quickly lowered your legs, lifting you with his strength he placed your chest against his. Grabbing at your hips, he started thrusting upwards into you, watching as your eyes rolled into the back of your head, he let out a slew of curses.

You felt so good fluttering and clenching around him like that, the way your cunt leaked juices all over his cock and balls was one of the greatest delights he'd ever had. His thrusting became more animalistic, fingers digging into your hips, and balls slapping against you with each thrust.

"H-hnng- K-kata!" you moaned, using the nickname by accident. Katakuri however didn't mind, fuck he loved the way you called his name, shortened or not.

You laid your head against his shoulder, mouth drooling all over his collarbone. You ran your tongue against his salty skin and had the sudden idea to bite down. A deep, guttural groan sounded deep from his throat as you sunk your teeth into his skin. Hips stuttering, he thrusted up into you as far as he could go, finally releasing his cum inside of you.

Removing your teeth from his skin, you looked up at him "sorry" was all you had to say, smiling sheepishly at him. Katakuri breathed heavily, watching you with lidded eyes he lifted you off of his cock, setting you down. "Face the altar" he commanded, and you obliged, feeling a little bit of fear swirl in your chest.

He grabbed his make-shift scarf from the ground, and set it on the altar, making a makeshift pillow of sorts. Grabbing the back of your neck, he pushed you down onto the altar, keeping your ass in the air he ran a hand over one of your soft ass cheeks.

A groan sounded from your throat as he brought his hand down, a 'SMACK' echoed throughout the temple, and a stinging feeling sent shivers up your spine. Your back had arched a little farther upon feeling this, much to Katakuri's pleasure. "Look at you, dirty little sinner" he hissed, rubbing his hand over the red mark adorning your ass cheek.

You said nothing as he brought his hand down once again, the sting causing you to clench around nothing. You could feel your own juices mixed with Katakuri's running down your legs.

Another gust of wind was felt, though this time, Katakuri placed his hand on your head, keeping you from moving. You felt the strange, smooth texture of his scales against your legs, knowing very well that he changed back to his original form. You weren't scared, instead you felt a strange sense of need pool to your core, the thought of being fucked by him while in his half snake form was exhilarating.

He knelt down, leaving soft kisses along your back, being mindful of his teeth. You shivered against his touch, feeling his cock press against one of your ass cheeks. It felt different, heavier, with a ribbed, larger base.

"My love.." Katakuri groaned, grinding against you, "before I begin, I must know if you're okay with this" he asked, fingers lightly digging into your sides as he held himself back. "With you in your uh.. snake form?" You didn't quite know what to call it. He chuckled, "no, no I am aware you're alright with it, I mean breeding you" he said almost matter-of-factly.

Your face flushed at the idea, "you mean having your.. kids? Would that even be y'know.. possible?" you questioned, "You're a deity and I am a mortal" you added, looking back at him with a confused stare. "Yes, but if I breed you, you become my mate for life, we will be forever bound to each other" he pondered for a moment, "that means you will take on ruling my domain with me, you will be my queen, a deity of sorts."

"I must know if you're okay with it, you have already completed your end of the deal, it is my own selfish reasons that I am asking you this" he breathed, placing another kiss on your back. You thought about it for a moment, it wasn't as if you'd be leaving very much behind...

Your parents no longer wished to see you, the townsfolk thought of you as some witch, and you disliked the heavy work you had to do each day. "I'm okay with it" you said softly, looking back at Kataukri the best you could with loving eyes.

He seemed to beam with happiness at this, eyes lighting up. Dragging his fingers across your back, he drew some kind of symbol with his fingers, feeling the light sting of something pricking your back you hissed.

"Sorry, my love" he ran his tongue over the wound, licking up the small bubbles of blood that had formed on your skin. Sliding his hands away from your back, he rested them on your hips, lifting you a bit off of the altar.

Giving no warning, he thrusted inside of you. It felt like the air had been knocked out of your lungs, feeling two cocks inside of you. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, not expecting the sudden intrusion of two cocks filling both your holes. His ribbed shaft allowed for even more pleasure each time he thrusted into you, the wet noise of him filling you echoing around the temple. Digging your fingers into the side of the altar, you cared not for any broken nails as you cried out in pure ecstasy.

The symbol Katakuri had drawn on your back began to slightly burn, going un-noticed by you, you continued to enjoy the the feeling of Kata stuffing you full. His grunts and moans intermingled with yours as they bounced off of the temple walls.

Katakuri leaned forward, pushing his hips into yours he rutted deep inside of you. Leaving kisses along your shoulder blades, he watched as tears of pleasure streamed from your face. "Just a little longer my love... Just a little longer until I fill you with my seed, you will bare such beautiful children" Kata groaned, body trembling as he worked himself closer and closer to release.

He could feel you tightening against him, knowing you were close as well, he wished to try and cum together. Blood smeared over his stomach and chest as he laid against you, the faint metallic scent of it cause his mouth to water.

"So sorry my dear.." Katakuri apologized before digging his sharp fangs into your shoulder. You screamed out, a mixture of pain and pleasure in your voice. An apologetic rumble thrummed in his throat, truly feeling bad. He just couldn't help himself.

Digging his teeth into you seemed to be the one thing that rushed you towards release, feeling the way your cunt and ass clenched and throbbed around him. It caused his own orgasm to hit its peak, giving a couple more strong thrusts he released your shoulder and moaned out, cumming deep inside of both your holes.

His vision nearly went black, slumping against you he kept himself deep inside, determined to not allow you to leak even a drop. The both of you breathed heavily, Kata looked at the bitemark on your shoulder and felt guilt swirl in his stomach.

Dragging his tongue at the bitemarks, he rubbed your side soothingly, feeling you flinch in pain with every lap of his tongue. Leaving a kiss on the middle of your back, he pulled away from you.

He was about to begin cleaning up, until he heard the nearby yells of the townsfolk that lived near his temple. Had they heard your scream?

Cleaning up the temple was no longer a choice, grabbing you and his scarf he looked around one last time before vanishing in a plume of smoke. The only evidence of you being there was your torn dress, the empty plate, and the discarded piece of smeared cake sitting on the far side of the altar.

A dozen of townsfolk approached the temple, weapons in hand as they slowly made their way inside. It was lit up by lanterns, and in the back lay your tattered dress.

[chaifootsteps]

With Moxxies origin, wouldn’t it have made more sense if Moxxie just lied about his home ring? This would explain why he didn’t fit in with the wrath imps in harvest moon and wasn’t used to the culture. It would also have more impact to find out he lied to Millie of all people, because it makes you wonder, “why would he do that? He trusts Millie.” And while Millie is upset and questions it, Blitzø understands. A turn around of the usual dynamic.

Moxxie: Oh no, no, I hate this place. I grew up right over there.

Blitzø: I thought wrath was your old stomping grounds Mox?

Moxxie: Shit, busted. Okay. I haven’t been honest. This may be hard to believe, but I didn’t grow up on a ranch in the wrath fields.

Blitzø: Thats actually not hard to believe. I get it. I’m a greed imp too. Not the prettiest place.

Moxxie: I didn’t know that.

(After meeting Crimson)

Millie: Mox, why did you lie to me about where you’re from, and how come I haven’t met your Pa before?

Moxxie: I just don’t like to talk about this part of my life. I’m ashamed of the things that happened here. I’ll explain everything later Millie.

(Maybe you could add Blitzø telling Millie that some people aren’t proud of their families or where they grew up. This is something Millie struggles to understand, since she’s so proud of her own.)

I feel like there are ways to make new ideas fit with your story, and if they have an obvious inconsistency at first, you can adapt that into characters voicing the same confusion and questions the audience may have. Then just provide an in-universe answer. Book no more explanatory Twitter threads needed for your show.

Don’t just throw shit at the wall and hope it sticks. Or less graphically, don’t paint a wall green then later touch up the paint with blue and call it the same colour. Paint it turquoise.

It makes sense that Moxxie would lie about his home ring since he changed his own name just to hide from it. And that twist even makes the story and conflict better. At the dinner table Millie might even bring this lie up, having Crimson use it to try and drive a wedge between them. Because what else is he lying about? Same with Blitzø going to wrath after leaving Verosika, but in the next episode say to stolas that hes never been there. Both cant be true.

This episode just missed so many marks. On paper, Crimson and Chaz are a good dynamic duo of villains, one serious and dangerous, the other the less scary comic relief. You could have kept Crimsons scene very dark and serious, then after it ends and he goes upstairs to bed, Chaz does the dumb dick jokes. You keep Crimson as a threat, and keep the silliness you wanted, just keep that part focussed on Chaz. That’s what a comic relief is.

I just feel like the show needs consideration of its audience. There are ways to resolve plot holes by adapting the story slightly, even use them to create new reveals and new conflict.

There are absolutely ways to resolve plot holes by adapting the story slightly and ways to paint a green wall turquoise and all of this other extremely good and actionable writing advice. Unfortunately, Viv's solution to writing dilemmas is a mixture of "Do whatever and let the fandom harass anyone who points it out" and "add more rape."

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

making yourself up as you go (a 12x100 about ESMP S1 and transgenderism)

(fic can also be read on ao3 here. cw for gender dysphoria and mild transphobia)

Katherine has, as far as anyone knows, always been Katherine. Always been the beautiful, lithe, perfect fairy they expect when they hear her name.

There is a certain image faer titles bring to mind, to faer fellow emperors and fairies alike. And if Katherine’s magic is any good- and it is good- that is the image they will always get, whenever they think of her.

It is only Katherine, now, who remembers that small and gangly child, hair too short and eyes too bright. He lives only in her mind, now, and Katherine is quite content to keep him there.

---

Shrub still doesn’t really get it, the gender thing. She grew up with something almost similar, but the words he used then, the words people used for his parents and baby sister, sound foreign and wrong on her new friends’ tongues.

So instead, Shrub looks at herself in the mirror, at her stocky build and choppy hair and mismatched socks, and she takes it in stride. It’s not wrong, the words her friends suggest- sometimes they even feel nice. They’re just not his, in the way nothing here truly is. In this way that means he’ll take what he can get.

---

Joey doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. Maybe when he was younger, when becoming a boy was a much darker bruise, he would’ve understood better all the stress his new friends feel about the thing. Nowadays, however, Joey’s settled so well into the feeling that it’s hard to remember he was ever something else. 

It certainly helps that no one he knows nowadays knew him as a kid, or that his closest friend and neighbor is a gnome who doesn’t understand human gender anyways. Joey is a man, now. Does there need to be anything else to it?

---

Fwhip has been grasping for whatever parts of manhood he could reach since he was young, and he still feels less than halfway there. It’s the small things- reminding ambassadors that it’s Sir, trying to match the bulk and height of his fellow emperors, making his voice sound deep enough to be believed. It’s the big things too, the things that make him taste bile when he catches sight of himself in the mirror.

But it’s easier to ignore the persistent ache, these days, with people, people like him, drowning out the voice of the angry little girl in his brain.

---

Gem sometimes feels like she hasn’t grown past the little girl she was 10 years ago. Sometimes, the face in the mirror isn’t hers, but a child in their mother’s clothes who’s about to discover her greatest secret, greatest joy.

It was hard, for a long time. The Crystal Cliffs only ever knew her as Gem, but she couldn’t help but feel like they could see right through her, through her dresses and long hair to the core of her person, to the too-tall little boy with knobby knees and broad shoulders.

Nowadays, though, all they can see is Gem.

---

Sausage knows how she looks. With her strong, tall build, her dark, coarse facial hair, her deep voice, she knows how she looks. And most of the time, it doesn’t bother him. He finds joy in the familiarity of masculinity the same way he does the novelty of femininity and androgyny.

But Sausage can’t help but be jealous. For all they love their body, they long for the beauty Katherine holds in every step, the androgyny Scott has never had to convince anyone to respect. Jealousy runs deep in Sausage’s bones, and she does her best to push it down.

---

Pearl has been pretty lucky, if she might say so herself. For the most part, her people have been quite accommodating when she slips in (or occasionally out) of being a woman. Farmer Queen or King, as long as Pearl can harvest, can defend his kingdom with fervor, how specifically he does it doesn’t tend to matter.

Pearl finds freedom in her gender, in her fancy dresses and heavy armor alike. In a world that becomes more complicated by the day, it feels good to have something, anything, that Pearl has full control over, and that makes her so happy.

---

Scott was much more of a pushover when he first became King. He let his advisors make decisions, he let the people around him form opinions of him and didn’t dispute them. It came with the territory of being a kid, of being thrown headfirst into a mass of worlds you didn’t understand. Nowadays, Scott has a century’s worth of ruling under their belt, and is much more willing to bite back against these incorrect assumptions.

He cannot deny, however, that people got one thing right. That ethereal androgyny humans tended to assign to elves? Yeah, that one was pretty spot on.

---

Joel doesn’t answer questions about her gender. There are simply more important things they could be talking about. Not only does it not matter, but it never has. No one ever cared about his gender when he was small, why should that change now that he was grown? Now that he was in charge? Lots of things that mattered as a kid didn’t matter now that xe was in charge, and in Joel’s opinion, that’s how it should be. The more power Joel gets, the older she grows, the less the world should place on her shoulders. It’s only fair.

---

When Jimmy washed up on the shores of the Codlands, the fisherman who found him called him a girl. He didn't speak the language yet, so he didn’t know what that meant. Once they learned the language, they still didn’t really understand. But sea knew it didn’t feel right, that calling searself she left a pit in sear stomach that sea couldn’t understand.

Even now, Jimmy doesn’t quite know why this new gender feels better. Codfather, Codboy, man, he doesn’t understand it in the way his human friends do. But that doesn’t matter as much as knowing it feels right.

---

The first person Lizzie met on land was a beautiful woman, tall and slender and suddenly, Lizzie understood everything she’d ever wanted to be. Lizzie molded herself on the humans of Pixandria, the fishfolk of the Codlands, and she took their words that sounded nice in her voice, looked right next to her name, until she’d made a person that felt entirely, totally, hers.

As time has gone on, that person has evolved. They’re taller now, they remember where they came from and what they originally wanted out of life. But Lizzie doesn’t think she’ll ever forget that beautiful woman.

---

Pix is beginning to get sick of being people’s queer awakenings. They’re happy to help, of course, but this is getting ridiculous.

Pixandria has always been removed from the cultures of its fellow humans. Being so far away, it was only natural that its people would care less about the customs that mattered so greatly to their fellows. So Pix gets it, when these young kids stumble through the gates of his city and take in all its differences for the first time, get exposed to the idea of more. He does, really!

But does it always have to be them?

[beemynumberone]

Pictures are all from Pinterest.

Paper Lanterns

-> pairing: Time-skip!Kita Shinsuke x Reader

-> format: point form short-ish story

-> genre: fluff, sfw

-> author’s note: the details are probably inaccurate. but we’re here for the vibes and feet-kicking fluff so why not.

my haikyuu masterlist

You recently graduated in ecology and was looking for work

Fortunately, there was a job offer as a consultant to help a rice farmer make his paddy field more efficient and eco-friendly

The pay was good and frankly, you needed any experience you could get your hands on

The only downside was that you stayed in the city, quite far away from the field

And thankfully, the farmer agreed to let you stay at his place during the two months spent improving the field

You were just worried that the farmer would turn out to be a creepy old dude

But from the text convos you guys had about the job and the farmer’s profile picture, the farmer seemed foine fine

When you first arrived at the field, you got a good shock

The farmer was young, as you guessed. But his looks?! His profile did not do him justice

And also, he was so gentlemanly. Helping you carry your belongings into your room and showing you around the house (or maybe your bar was too low in the first place, you didn’t know)

But nevertheless, you maintain a professional relationship, because you’re here to work

So you started work at the field with Kita, the rice farmer

Both of you ran like clockwork

Got up at 5am, had breakfast (Kita made porridge and you made the eggs)

You guys were efficient workers. You made the data collection and crunched the numbers while Kita worked in the field.

And at the end of the day, you would share your results over dinner

At first, only Kita used to cook dinner until you asked if you could share the load.

After much debate, he relented. Only if he could wash the dishes after you cooked.

Oddly domestic, you thought.

Kita marvelled at your intellect and how you found ways he never knew existed to make better use of the resources in the field

Kita even participated in some of your mini experiments, curiosity taking a hold on him

You used to finish data crunching earlier than Kita finished work in the field

So you decided to try your hand at rice planting

It couldn’t be that bad. Everyone begins somewhere right?

Wrong. By the end of the afternoon of work, your feet are littered with blisters and are sore from the friction of your plastic boots squelching through the paddy fields for a few hours

Kita sees you in pain and bites his tongue to hold back the nagging, scared that he might scare you away

So instead he decides to set up a warm salt bath for you to soak your feet

And he prepares the foot bath everyday until your feet recover, which leads you to feel guilty but also turned on and confused

Dang bro, how are you real? He’s not

So your time together draws to a close

And coincidentally, the day before you leave, the villagers hold an event where there’s a tradition of lighting paper lanterns to celebrate the last day of the harvest season

Kita brought you to experience it. Something about experiencing the true country life before you leave, he told you

You wore the prettiest dress you brought

The night atmosphere was wayyy too romantic for both of your sanities

There were couples, old and young, as well as families present by the water side, waiting for the right time to fly their lanterns

And you look over at Kita. He looks straight out of a dream, hair flowing in the small breeze.

He dressed up too, you notice. In a black button down and khaki slacks, as opposed to the cotton shirt and trousers you’d grown to see him in.

His countenance looks neutral. But inwardly he’s in a dilemma

It felt routine to see you for breakfast and to check out the field and bond under the rising sun

And when he first saw you in that “city outfit” of a blouse and skirt, he assumed you wouldn’t last a week in his lifestyle

Which he realised awkwardly too late that the skirt was a culotte and that you adapted just fine (other than the blisters but that was a rookie problem, he excused)

He was going to miss sloshing in the rice paddy in pink boots (yours, which he was grateful for since they brought him closer to you after the blister incident) and yellow (his)

To see the gleam in your eyes that he grew to love very much, when you found something interesting

To listen to you ramble on about what you were so passionate about

Even the mini experiments you conducted in the field were fascinating

He could never get bored with you around

He was really not looking forward to you leaving

Back to the present: He bought two paper lanterns, one for each of you

And as tradition says, you have to write your wish on it, let it fly and the wish would come true

Be true to your heart, Kita whispered, breath tickling the shell of your ear

Shiversssss (in a good way, of course)

You hesitate for a while. Your wish? - to not leave this familiar routine you’d grown to love, not to leave him

And while Kita has his back turned, you decide to write in really tiny handwriting your true wish 

Kita looks over his shoulder and sees your small scrawl

The words are much smaller than the reports he’s seen you write, he notes

He knows that you can’t deny your guys’ chemistry

And seeing you shy about this whole “thing” makes his heart flutter more

And since he’s always believed in being sincere in whatever he does, he decides to go all out and write his true wish (in a big handwriting, mind you)

And when the wind picks up, you both prepare to let your lanterns go

Looking over, you spot Kita’s wish. And your heart stuttttttters.   

As you look up, he locks eyes with your bright, inquisitive ones

Your hair is swept up as prettily as can be in the wind, flying lanterns in the background illuminating your figure

And Kita yearns a little more never to see you leave for good

He opens his mouth to confess

But what actually comes out is:

“You write like you’re afraid to show your true thoughts.”

Kita comments, awkwardly gesturing to the scrawl on the side of your lantern 

“At least I wrote what I truly wanted to say!” You retorted playfully, with burning cheeks

“Can I have a look?” Kita asks

And you think to yourself

No time like the present. You don’t have anything to lose. Even if he doesn’t reciprocate, you’ll be off and running tomorrow anyway

And so Kita reads your wish while you stand close beside him, practically clinging onto his muscular arm both out of trying to retain some warmth in the cold wind and also embarrassment, praying that he can’t hear your furiously beating heart

And while this happens, the wind stops blowing

Your heart drops, because now you can’t make your wishes

Kita finishes reading and sees your crestfallen face

“Don’t worry, your wish has already come true.” 

Your eyes brighten as you realise what he is insinuating

“Your wish too, Shinsuke.”

And so the next day, you don’t go back

And seated at the entrance of the house are two paper lanterns. 

Here is the vibe I got for their dynamic btw (city girl x country boy):

[phantoms-lair]

88 for the crossover roulette.

Okay, this one took me a while

~~~~ "You really are like a cockroach aren't you?"

Vlad whirled around. No human should be in this place! Especially not one he didn't know. And he didn't recognize the tall lanky man one bit, though it was hard to make out his face covered by a hood. "How did you get in my house?"

"There are many ways to get into places Plasmius." he snarled.

Well that was that then. Whoever he was, he couldn't live. He created a duplicate behind the man, ready to strike him unawares-

Only to scream as the duplicate popped and incredible pain lanced through his body.

"Like it?" The stranger sneered, showing off his belt. "Improved model of the specter deflector. Little bit of the Plasmius Maximus built in too. Good luck using your powers for the next several hours." he crouched before Vlad's prone form. "Now where were we? Oh right, you being a cockroach. You do the stupidest shit and then you escape consequences by lying. You lie to your business partners before you rob them blind. You lied to Valerie about everything about ghosts. You like to yourself about how nothings ever your fault and that Mom would ever like you. You lie to Dad about being his friend while trying to kill him."

"Daniel?" Vlad gasped. The man pulled back his hood revealing a familiar face made foreign by age. This Danial was clearly an adult, though not a healthy one, gaunt and wary. "But the specter deflector?"

"Let me tell you a story Vlad. It has a sad beginning. Hell, it's sad all around, but the beginning packs a wallop. It start with a freak explosions at a fast food place causing the deaths of Maddie, Jack, and Jasmine Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley. None of whom became ghosts after that. One survivor, who only survived because his half ghost body regenerated the damage, one Danial Fenton."

"Originally the next of kin to take him is was his Aunt Alicia, but since reconnecting with his 'best friend' Jack had wanted it changed to Vlad Masters. Maddie resisted at first, but after Vlad pretended to save Danny from Pariah Dark, again an incident he'd caused in the first place and again lying, she'd agreed."

"But Vlad wasn't as happy to have control of the boy as he once would have been. He'd blamed him for living when his mother hadn't. He wanted the boy to act grateful for even being in his presence when all the boy wanted was to have died with his loved ones. Needless to say it didn't work out. But did you give him to his Aunt? No. You decided you just needed a better version of him. You'd already been working at your cloning experiments, even if they weren't...built to last." He looked a tube containing a small girl sadly. "But you did the thing you did best besides lying. You got greedy."

"I was at your mercy. Obviously you could have harvest my DNA at your leisure and made a perfect clone, but you decided you wanted more. You decided to splice your own DNA in, so it would truly be 'your' son and that's where everything went wrong."

"You're the first halfa Vlad, but you know how first drafts are. Or maybe you don't, I doubt you ever did your own work. First drafts are messy and incomplete. And that's you as a halfa. Twenty years of experience, but Little Me was catching up to you in less that one. He was also good to go without any serious recovery time while you needed years of hospitalization and even then had flare ups. In terms of blending I was mayonnaise, kept stable and homogenous. You were oil and vinegar, constantly trying to separate. That's what the ecto acne was, you know. Not some skin condition like puberty gone wrong. It was your human body trying to purge itself of ghostly contaminants. Trying to reject Plasmius. And maybe you'd be healthier if you let it."

"But back to the point. You were an imperfect halfa. And you passed that along to the clones you made with your DNA. They failed even faster and you decided the solution was more power. You used me as a battery, draining my ectoplasm into your creation, damaging my body so much I can't create more. You essentially made me human again Vlad. But it still wasn't enough. And you decided it couldn't need much more, so you decided to transfer a bit of your own, only for your creation to take all of it."

"I guess credit where credit it due, you cured my death wish. I lived. I escaped and warned people. They didn't believe me of course. Thought I was mad with grief, especially Val. Until the attacks started. I don't know what the fuck you made with our combined DNA, but whatever it was it had both our memories and neither of our moral compasses, or at least any you pretend to have. It fed off death. And no one was ready for it. For a while I was imprisoned because it would pretend to be me and as such I was deemed a risk. But time helped that. I aged and it didn't. It's human form would always be 14 year old Danny Fenton while it's ghost form was a horrible amalgamation of us. It killed. It destroyed. Anything we did to keep it out it would eventually overpower. Until we decided to game the system."

"Time travel, Vlad. Remove the triggering incident. But not even Clockwork can change things all willy nilly. But what he did was seed things in the past to make the Observants of then panic and order him to fix it. Of course they did it by ordering my death, so Clocky had to work around that. Prove Little Me was worth the chance. Little Me ended up in my time and guess what you did Vlad? Can you guess? You lied again. Made up a whole sob story of how you were just trying to help me with my grief by surgically removing my ghost half and how my ghost half then attacked and stole yours and you'd spent all those years trying to fix it. And he believed you. He's burdened with guilt for a time that never happened and believes you're capable of changing and deserve a second chance. Your lies always work, don't they. But I know better. You can't lie to me, not anymore."

"But I'm not going to kill you Vlad, do you know why?"

"Because you're Daniel. I'm sure you're telling yourself something about how I'll suffer more alive, but the truth is you just can't bring yourself to do something like cold blooded killing." Vlad sneered.

"Wrong. You have no idea what I had to do to survive the hell you made." Danial smiled. "I just respect dibs."

"What? OW!" Vlad's body spasmed as something was forcefully injected into it. He looked up behind him and saw an older version of Valerie Grey, twirling a pressure injector, almost exactly like the ones he used to treat his symptoms when they reoccurred. (The scheming part of his brain realizing that would mean it wouldn't raise any alarms if marks from it were found on his body)

"A little compound based on one of the Fenton's projects. I strengthens ectoplasm and makes it stronger. It would be a real boost for past Danny or any other ghost. But for you? Well, your human form was barely holding it together with the ectoplasm you had."

Vlad whimpered, feeling the bubbling under his skin he recognized from his ectoacne only a hundred times worse.

"Goodbye Vlad." Valerie uncaringly stepped over his dying form and wrapped her arms around Danny, the two joining in a kiss.

"It worked." There was joy in Danny's voice for the first time in along time. "It really worked Val. The future, our loved ones, they're safe."

"They are." Valerie smiled down on him. "So we doing this?"

"Yeah. It's selfish, but I think we've both earned a little selfish." Danny pulled a USB and stuck it in Vlad's computer, Mikey's code rewriting several things. "There we go, edited to include another clone of me and one of you."

"How long are we going to have to be in those tube?" Val wrinkled her nose a little.

"Not long. The evidence we dropped off should get the investigation here in less than a day. Also I missed seeing you with long hair."

"It wasn't practical." Valerie grinned. "But Little You saw me with the buzzcut so I had to grow it back." Thankfully with all the wonders of the Infinite Realms, something to instantly grow hair was downright mundane and something Clockwork had been happy to maintain the timeline.

The story now was the story that had to be. If the Observants discovered they were manipulated they might undo their undo. But Vlad had to be handled and with the narrative the Observants had gotten they wouldn't do it themselves.

(Valerie had actually ranted about this, about how even in the lie Vlad had spun the Monster was half him, But the Observants had put all the blame on the mourning 14 year old. Typical.) The 'responsible' thing would be to let themselves fade from the timeline. Or barring that disappearing and starting new. But as Danny had said, they'd earned a bit of selfishness.

If they posed as clones of their past selves there was a chance their families would be contacted and taken in. It was a gamble. Maybe the authorities they'd contacted would destroy them or turn them over to the GiW. Maybe the Fentons or Damian Grey would see them as a violation of their children and reject them. But they'd take the gamble. It wasn't any worse than the one they'd just taken to save the future. And besides, their younger selves needed all thee help they could get

Sure Danny didn't have powers anymore, but he had the experience fighting his younger self had lacked. If everything worked out, not even Pariah Dark would have a chance against two Danny's working together.

~~~~

Future Danny, Valerie, and Clockwork: We'll seed these images to the Observants so they know all they have to do to save the future is prevent the explosion

Observants: Naturally there's only one way to fix this, KILL THE CHILD

Future Danny, Valerie, and Clockwork: *facepalm*

[vodika-vibes]

as a hurt/comfort and general Whump enthusiast I pounced on that prompt list you shared like a cat chasing a mouse... anyways🤣

was thinking “it’s okay, show me?” And“deep breath, I have you,” with maybe Echo?

I know he’s a member of the bad batch but I still feel like he’s always deserving of more content and is underappreciated

if that’s not rare enough for you, you could also do Waxer😊💛

Gentle Touch

Summary:  Knowing that Echo is alive, and actually seeing it are two different things. But the man you love seems unwilling to have anything to do with you. Even going so far as to block your comm code. So when you’re kidnapped by Organ Harvesters you know that no one is coming to save you.

Pairing: TBB Echo x F!Reader

Word Count: 2365

Warnings: Reader was kidnapped by organ harvesters, death, angst with a happy-ish ending (I'm so sorry)

A/N: I...have no excuse and no explanation. I hope you like it, and if you see any typos it's because I typed it without my glasses on.

Click HERE to be added to my taglist

Your entire body throbs in time with your heartbeat as you stumble down the frigid corridor, your hand pressed against the wall both for support and to guide you.

Echo once told you that the best way to find the exit in a maze is to keep one hand on a wall at all times. You’re not sure if you’re in a maze, but since you’re having a hard time focusing, you figure that the advice might as well be put to good use.

You wish you remembered how you got in this situation.

You remember leaving work, you were going to go to the club with some of your coworkers for the usual meet-up before the weekend. The new girl had been so excited to be invited. You remember her saying that her husband offered to watch their twins so she could have a night out.

Something must have happened at the club.

The last thing you remember is taking a sip of something blue at the club while laughing at a joke that the bartender cracked. Then you were here. 

You woke up on a blanket on the ground, clad in your panties and the camisole you wear under your work clothes. Your shoes, jewelry, and everything else you had been wearing hadn’t been anywhere you could see them.

And you weren’t alone.

Yazmin, the new girl from work, had been stretched out on a blanket next to you…but no matter how much you shook her, she wouldn’t stir.

It wasn’t until you rolled her that you realized that she was dead.

You shudder and wrap your free arm around your stomach, to try and comfort yourself.

Since then, you’ve been walking, trying to find a way out of this building. 

The place seems deserted, but you know it can’t be. Because every time you come to a new room, there are more bodies. Of every species imaginable. 

Your immediate conclusion, that you had been kidnapped to be sold into slavery, has long since morphed into something far, far worse. You were kidnapped by Organ Harvesters.

Slavery would almost be better.

Almost.

You follow the wall around a corner and sigh softly as you realize it’s a dead end. A part of you, a part that’s growing larger by the minute, wishes that you were still in contact with Echo.

He’d come looking for you.

Well. He would if he still loved you. Or liked you.

You stop walking and slide down the wall to sit on the frigid floor, needing to rest your body. You feel awful.

But now that you’re not moving, you have time to think.

And that’s been your worst enemy for the better part of two years now.

Echo’s death destroyed you.

You couldn’t imagine living in a galaxy without Echo, and yet you persevered. You went to work, you spent time with your friends and family, and all the while it felt like there was a guillotine hanging over your head.

Then Echo came back. Injured, but alive.

And somehow your nightmare got worse.

Because he wouldn’t talk to you. Wouldn’t look at you. And any message you sent was ignored or deleted until you woke up one morning and found out that he had blocked you on everything.

You don’t even know what you did wrong.

But it must have been pretty bad for him to hate you so much.

You pull your knees to your chest and rest your cheek on them, turning your attention to the dimly lit hallway that you have to get back to soon.

Then something on the floor catches your attention.

Little dark red droplets.

Blood. A small voice in the back of your head offers, dispassionately. It sounds like Kix. You miss Kix. You’re bleeding. Kix’s voice continues.

That explains the pain, you suppose.

Slowly you stand and focus your gaze on the smear of blood on the wall where you were just sitting.

It looks like something you’d see in a horror movie. For some reason, the thought is hilarious as a short laugh slips from your numb lips.  

You need to keep moving. If you stop moving you die. Echo’s voice whispers in your ear.

Too bad Echo won’t care if you die.

Although, he does sound worried, so maybe you’ll keep moving. Just to keep him from worrying too much.

Slowly, you start walking again, your feet feeling like lead.

You’ll just walk a little more. Just a little further. Just to keep Echo from worrying about you.

You don’t know how long you’ve been walking. It feels like it’s been hours, though it might have just been minutes. You’re aware enough, for the moment, to know that you’re suffering from blood loss.

And probably the loss of other things.

The thought is hilarious, but you manage to smother your laughter. This is probably a good thing because you’re standing in the doorway to a room full of people who look like doctors.

 “That’s one of the subjects, isn’t it?” An old man asks.

“Yes sir,” A young woman replies, “We hadn’t done the removal yet, since there was the issue in the twi’lek room. I had the doctor sew up her back so she wouldn’t bleed to death before the harvest. I see now that that was a mistake.”

“Indeed.” The old man lifts a hand, “Kill her.”

Its probably the blood loss, but you feel strangely calm for someone who’s about to die.

And then a memory swims to the forefront of your mind.

“Hold it like this, cyare,” Echo’s voice has a laugh in it, “And bring it back by your ear, aim, and throw!”

The knife your holding hits the target in the center, and Echo spins you into a tight hug.

“You did it!”

“Why do I need to learn how to do this, Echo?” You ask as he kisses your cheek and then sets you down to collect the knives.

“You never know when you might need to know this.”

“Yeah, but most people have blasters.”

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret,” Echo says as he returns to your side, “15 feet.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Even with your skill level, if you’re within 15 feet and have a knife, you win that fight.” He offers you a blade again, “Again.”

You had forgotten about that lesson, Echo never mentioned it again after that day.

The problem is, you don’t have a knife.

You take half a step back and bump into the counter. Your gaze flickers across the counter, looking for something, anything, you can use to defend yourself.

There.

Sitting in a plastic tub are dozens of scalpels. You pull the tub closer to you and carefully pull a scalpel out of the water.

It’s not a dagger, it’s not weighted for combat, but a blade is a blade, right?

You draw the blade back and fling it just like you remember Echo showing you.

The scalpel, as it happens, is sharper than the average hunting knife. You’re not the only one shocked when the blade hits exactly what you’re aiming at and pierces through your attacker's throat.

He crumples, but you know that he died the moment the blade pierced his throat.

The room falls silent and, much to your surprise, the people who were about to kill you are backing away from you. And not just them, either. The two people who planned this whole thing seem to be backing away nervously too.

Maybe…no one’s ever fought back before?

Well, you’re glad for it. You’re not sure you’re going to be able to stand for much longer.

The next thing you know, the group of people are fleeing up the staircase behind them.

But the moment they’re out of sight, you collapse to the floor, the pain and blood loss finally too much to bear.

Only moments later, though, there’s the sound of gunfire above you. The blaster fire doesn’t continue for long, and you wonder who won the fight.

You hope it wasn’t the organ harvesters.

Light appears at the top of the stairs, and heavy steps hurry down the concrete.

You no longer have the energy to lift your head, but a very familiar-looking pair of boots stops in front of you. A gloved hand reaches out to grip your chin and tilt your head back, you don’t even have the energy to try and pull your head away.

Echo peers down at you, concern and guilt warring for control of his features.

“You can’t be here,” You’re slurring your words, your tongue feels like it’s made of sawdust.

His scomp settles on your bare shoulder, “Why can’t I be here, cyare?” Echo asks.

Oh good, an easy question.

“Echo hates me,” Your answer is matter-of-fact, even through your slurred words. 

He winces, “I…” Echo trails off and then he presses his hand against your cheek and offers a small smile, “I know you’re badly injured. It’s okay,” His voice is somehow softer, more soothing, “Show me?”

Slowly, because you’re not sure if you can do anything fast anymore, you lean forward and press your forehead against his shoulder. You hear his sharp inhale, and you hear his call for a medic. 

Your vision is starting to go grey, but that’s alright because help is here, apparently. 

“I wish,” You mumble against Echo’s shoulder, “I wish I knew what I did to make him hate me so much.”

The last thing you hear before you let darkness claim you is a faint call of your name and a plea to stay awake.

“She’s alive.”

Echo pauses midstep, nods once, and then continues his rapid pacing.

Rex folds his arms and leans against the wall, “She lost a lot of blood, but she still have all of her organs. Which is a miracle, seeing as she was with them for over a week.”

Echo’s jaw clenches, and his hand curls into a fist.

“Seems like they bit off more than they can chew,” Rex continues.

Echo finally stops pacing, “How many people did they kill?”

“There were over 50 bodies down there,” Rex says, “But there were organs from a lot more people than that.” He steps away from the wall and lightly clasps Echo’s shoulder, “She’s going to be fine, Echo.”

“She thinks I hate her.”

“Well,”

“Rex!”

“What was she supposed to think, Echo? You wouldn’t look at her, wouldn’t talk to her, and blocked her without so much as saying a word.” Rex counters, “Of course she thinks you hate her! I would think that too!”

“I was just…I wanted her to be safe.” Echo says with a sigh.

“Well, that worked out swimmingly, didn’t it?”

“I thought you were here to help?”

“I am here to help. Sometimes my help comes in the form of calling you a dumbass.” Rex points out, “Which I’ve said to you. Repeatedly.”

Echo opens his mouth to say something sharply, only to pause when the medic steps out of his cyare’s room, “She’s waking up. I assume one of you want to be with her?”

“He does,” Rex says cheerfully as he shoves Echo toward the room, “I have work to do.” He glances at Echo and points at him, “Don’t fuck this up again, Echo.”

The last thing Echo wants to do is go into her room. He doesn’t want her to see him like this, more machine than man. But Rex is gone, and the Medic is staring at him, impatiently. So he follows him into her room.

He takes a seat at her bedside, watching her sleep.

She looks the same. The same freckles, the same birthmark, the same curl in her hair that falls in her eyes.

Echo finds himself falling in love with her all over again. Which is why he didn’t want to see her in the first place.

A soft groan reaches his ears, and his gaze snaps to her face. Slowly her eyes flutter open, revealing her pretty eyes to him.

Confusion quickly morphs into terror, her heart monitor starts going crazing, her breathing quickens, and Echo swears as he jumps to his feet to keep her from pulling out her IVs.

They should have figured she’d react like this.

He calls her name, his hand pressing firmly against her cheek, forcing her to look at him. She freezes as her gaze locks with his, which is exactly the reaction Echo was hoping she’d have. 

“Deep breath, cyare.” Echo orders, his tone brokering no argument. Then his voice softens when she immediately does as he asks, “I have you.”

Her hand comes up to frantically clutch at his hand, “Echo?”

“Yeah, it's me, I’m here.”

“But—” Her gaze frantically searches his face, “You hate me.”

“Never. I could never hate you.”

“But…but you…”

“I’m an idiot.” Echo interrupts, “Rex told me that Fives was dead, and I decided to run away from everything that made me happy. I told myself you’d be better off without someone like me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I’m not the same Echo you knew before,” He holds up his scomp, “If you looked at me like I looked at myself those first days…” He trails off.

“Do you really think I’m so shallow?”

“No. No, never.” Her heart monitor is still racing, so Echo sits on the side of the bed, “You need to calm down. You’re still recovering.”

“I can’t be here, I have to go somewhere else, I—”

“Listen to me, cyare. This place is filled with clones and other former members of the GAR. None of us are going to let anyone hurt you.” Echo lightly strokes her cheek, “but, you have to stay here. Just until you’re healed.”

“I—”

“I’m not going anywhere, cyare. Not this time. I promise.”

Echo knows that he has a lot to make up for, and he knows that she’s going to be in a foul temper once she’s not in the hospital. He also knows that he deserves every bit of her ire.

But he’ll take whatever punishment she decides on. She’s worth it.

He’s fucked up with her enough.

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