#monster ballads

[ilikebeesandflowers]

Cas walks into a thrift shop for a new pair of jeans and maybe a book to read in the car. He leaves with a pair of cargo pants and a paperback copy of Cat’s Cradle that fits nicely in the pockets, and a gift for Dean. He doesn’t know how to make a “mixed tape,” but this audiocassette of “Monster Ballads” looks just right.

[balthazar-sketti]

Monster Ballads infomercial.

[may12324]

Recently I had the joy of reading "A Ballad for Slayers and Monsters" by Rita A Rubin , and I enjoyed it a bunch! I'm excited for you all to meet these two hotties, it comes out in April! Lets just say, its like The Witcher, but its sapphic 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[weirdlookindog]

“Oh, long and weary is our way”

Joseph Noel Paton (1821–1901) - Elfinland Wud

illustration from Samuel Carter Hall's 'The Book of British Ballads', 1842

source

[laurachouettepoetry]

[silverycryptid]

that one ghost girl

[maysrinn]

Deep in the Meadow 🥀

The songbird and her two little fledglings, its just gonna be the two of them for quite some time ✨🐦‍⬛

Lucy Gray is making each day at the edge of dawn strolls with both her gremlins through the meadow while singing soft lullabies. While Janus is off in minutes it takes longer for Clementine to fall asleep simply because she doesn’t wanna. She wants to stay up and chase the glowing bugs! and eat them

[solstrix]

Yeah, you could say I’m pretty amped about this design lmao- (gets sniped)

[theboarsbride]

"What is a marriage but a mating bond bled onto parchment with ink, and sanctified by human prayer?"🐉

Alt ver.

Some lore beneath the cut

So uhhhhh big angsty bit about Saoirse and Ser Llyr is marriage and love...

Saoirse is conflicted as her newfound dragon instincts want to claim Llyr through a mating bond to make him wholly her own while her human heart wants to love and hold affection for him and she doesn't know which emotion is more genuine, and she's confused because she's never had these kinds of feelings before...she wants them to have a human marriage since she views it as Llyr claiming her as his own just as she does to him with their mating bond. Llyr meanwhile is conflicted because he uhhhhh may or may not have cheated on his wife back home with this scary dragon lady that saved him from a cursed forest?? But he loves how said dragon lady makes him feel secure and protected and helped him explore a long-dormant, long-repressed sensuality and therefore helping him achieve a new sense of freedom?? But his wife remarried, thinking he was dead, but he still feels guilty about it because she was still a kind wife?? Lots of messy feelings but in the end..........dragon lady wedding and happily ever after :)

[godofstupidsentences]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins / Antigone, Sofocles

How do you mourn a brother you wanted dead?

[ballad-of-elgado]

Really wanted to draw Link again + my rathian subspecies as the featured monster. More or less just wanted to doodle a little and colored it on a whim.

-> Support me on Kofi!

[ao3-anonymous]

Fastest Growing Fandoms on AO3 This Week (12/25/2023)

Every week I pull data on how many fics are in each fandom and compare to the previous week, then calculate the percentage increase to determine fastest growing fandoms.  Since this naturally skews towards smaller fandoms, I have included the same data filtered to Over 1k, 5k, & 10k fics.

Overall:

Over 1,000 Fics:

Over 5,000 Fics:

Over 10,000 Fics:

Source: AO3 Fandom Dashboard

[kartoonkane]

[simplegenius042]

Music Monday & Ship Aesthetics Template

Tagging @voidika @raresvtm @josephseedismyfather @noodlecupcakes @imogenkol @socially-awkward-skeleton @inafieldofdaisies @aceghosts @cloudofbutterflies92 @cassietrn @direwombat @adelaidedrubman @derelictheretic @icecutioner @shallow-gravy @strangefable @statichvm @carlosoliveiraa @g0dspeeed @wrathfulrook @starsandskies @ladyoriza @la-grosse-patate @thewanderer-000 @omen-speaker @alypink @shellibisshe @josephslittledeputy @skoll-sun-eater @afarcryfrommymain @strafethesesinners @turbo-virgins @florbelles @minilev @justasmolbard @yokobai and @seedsplease + anyone else who'd like to join.

Next trio of Hazbin Hotel songs is for Life, Despair & Monsters, A Radioactive Calamity Of Love, Bombs & Gore (TW for that) and The UnTitledverse as well as template for the two main protagonists of An Old Ballad Of Chance And Ember Hearts Trilogy. You can listen and view below the cut and find the blank template at the bottom:

[TW: Minor discussion of Fallout's in-game representation of substance abuse and addiction first up]

In my Fallout 4 WIP A Symbol For A Better World, there's a topic that I believe has never been handled properly (amongst many other topics) in majority of the Fallout games (but most especially those influenced by Todd Howard), and that is of addiction, and characters afflicted by addiction. It's something I noticed in Fallout New Vegas and had become evident to me in Fallout 4, and one of the many things I wanted to personally do justice in my A Radioactive Calamity Of Love, Bombs & Gore, especially when it comes to companion quests, most specifically Cait's. Her story ends with her addictions being magically cured by a machine that instantly gets rid of addictions, something that I've noticed had brought a sour taste in many people's mouths. Now I'm still working on the WIP, especially with Cait's story, so it's probably gonna be a while before that comes out. Here's "Poison", another Hazbin Hotel song that I think tackles the topics of substance abuse (including the victim often suffering under the people/supplier exploiting the victim's addictions), a few really unhealthy coping mechanisms for the addict themselves and the shitty experience of that in general rather well. I acknowledge it doesn't entirely encapsulates everyone's experiences with addiction but it is something that does happen. Listen below:

"I got so good at bein' untrue I got so good at tellin' you what you wanna hear I disassociate, disappear Yeah, yeah, yeah

So far beyond difficult To resist another gulp

Yeah, I know it's poison, you're feedin' me poison I'm chokin' from the taste and I can't help but swallow Up your poison, I made my choice And every night I'm wasted like there's no tomorrow

Oh-oh, oh-oh Any way you want me, baby That's the way you got me, I'll be yours My story's gonna end with me dead from your poison

Poison, I'm drownin' in poison I'm fillin' up my glass but it's always hollow Full of poison, I'm sick of the poison Wish I had somethin' to live for tomorrow."

Next song is my all-time favorite Hazbin Hotel song, "Loser, Baby", and even though I've done this from an older post, I'll do it again! One of the key relationships in my House Of The Dragon WIP The Thorned Crown Of Iron Thrones is between Prince Aegon II Targaryen and former assassin Okkotsu. Aegon and Okkotsu meet after the disastrous funeral for Laena where arguments were had and blood was spilled and fingers were pointed and family secrets emotionally damaged Aegon's older adopted brother Corvus. In the chaotic fray, Aegon runs off into the nearby woods to get some alone time, before bumping into Okkotsu, a rather infamous woman from a foreign land who attempted to assassinate the Targaryen royals several times before she gave up when it nearly costed her life one too many times. Aegon feels like a failure to his family, Okkotsu is a self-accepted failure, and they bond over this. This is a key canon-divergence, as unlike Viserys who mentally checked out on raising Alicent's children, as well as Rhaenyra, who wants nothing to do with her younger half-brother, Okkotsu, although she doesn't become his step-dad, instead she becomes the dad who steps up. And that's not hyperbole, I literally have a line saved for her where she more or less tells Aegon "don't worry, I'll be your dad from now on". And through the power of accepting themselves as poor sopping wet meow-meow pathetic blorbo screw-ups, she unknowingly changes the course of Aegon's future as he's no longer an unsympathetic piece of shit... he's just the first cringefailure loser in Westeros. "Loser, Baby" can be listened to below:

"So things look bad, and your back's against the wall Your whole existence seems fuckin' hopeless You're feelin' filthy as a dive bar bathroom stall Can't face the world sober and dopeless You've lost your way, you think your life is wrecked Well, let me just say you're correct!"

"Wait, what?"

"You're a loser, baby A loser, goddamn baby You're a fucked-up little whiny bitch! ("Hey!") You're a loser just like me!" ("Thanks, asshole!")

You're a screws-loose boozer An only one-star reviews-er You're a power-bottom at rock bottom But you got company! ("This supposed to make me feel better?")

There was a time I thought that no one could relate To the gruesome ways in which I'm damaged But lettin' walls down, it can sometimes set you straight We're all livin' in the same shit sandwich!"

"I've been born to high-borne royalty!" *

"Haha! And you think that makes you unique? Get outta here, man!

We're both losers, baby We're losers, it's okay to be a-" "Blitzed-out, booze-drinkin' ho?" * "...Baby, that's fine by me."

"I'm a loser, honey A schmoozer and a dummy But at least I know I'm not alone!" "You're a loser just like me!"

"I got an appetite for gamblin'!" "I got an appetite for samplin' every drug and fine wine I can find!" * "Go ahead, baby, sing that song!"

"I got no coin left to spend up!" * "I gave up my mission to save myself * Now I'm stuck on the run!" * "I'm trapped and it gets worse every hour!"

"You're a loser, baby!" "A loser, but just maybe if we-" "Eat shit together, things will end up differently!"

"It's time to lose your self-loathin' Excuse yourself, let hope in, baby Play your card, be who you are!"

"A loser just like me!"

[* First change, Aegon hasn't literally sold his soul to anyone specifically, so being born into royalty (and all the burdens and consequences that come with that) was an easier substitute. Second change, Aegon mostly drinks and hasn't been up to sexual activities at this time (or any time from that point on). Also I put Okkotsu's little "..." pause to that since while she's not exactly judgemental, she is a little concerned. Third change, there are drugs in Westeros I've managed to find out... and also sex toys don't exist at this stage so "fine wine" was a clear and effective substitute. Fourth change, again, as stated in the second change, Aegon hasn't been up to any sexual activities at this stage, so I alluded to his gambling problem instead. Fifth & sixth changes, since Okkotsu hasn't made a deal with any demons that make her obligated to follow their commands, I instead replaced those lyrics with the fact that Okkotsu's given up her assassin career which simultaneously lets her keep her own life but puts her on the other side of both the law and the royalty who sent her after the Targaryens.]

In my Hazbin Hotel WIP Smile Tunes, Alastor is still as mysterious as ever, and Lucifer still retains his goofball tendencies, and both still one-up the other when trying to impress on Charlie's daddy's girl status, but one thing that's changed in my WIP is Samuel's presence. Samuel does not trust Alastor at all, and in fact is the one person trying to investigate who exactly Alastor is, what his game is for the hotel, and why exactly he went missing seven years prior. Samuel also becomes a sort of solid rock presence for Lucifer (whose a second father to him) to rely on and a big hand in helping Lucifer with his depression. Samuel in fact is one of the few people in his inner-court that Lucifer trusts without question, hence why he has Samuel keep an eye out on Charlie because Lucifer trusts that Samuel can look out for her. On another note with Lucifer's involvement, the King of Hell himself is absolutely baffled by the presence of Kingsley (much like Vaggie, hint hint, nudge nudge) despite the fact Kingsley should be recognizable as an exorcist, or at least an angel, due to his close resemblance too them, which alarms Samuel (and Vaggie) on what exactly Kingsley could be. Because if he isn't recognizable as an angel to the most infamous fallen angel of all... than what is Kingsley? Anyway, time to bop to "Hell's Greatest Dad":

"Haha! Looks like you could use some help From the big boss of Hell himself Check out Daddy's glowing reviews on Yelp! ("Five stars! Flawless! Greater than great!") Oh, with the punch of a pentagram I wap-bam-boom, alakazam Usually, I charge a sacrificial lamb But you get the family rate!" "Thanks, Dad!"

"Who needs a busboy now that you've got the chef? ("Whoa-oh-oh!") Michelin-tasting menu, free à la carte I'll rig the game for you because I'm the ref Champagne fountains, caviar mountains, that's just the start!"

"Who's been here since day one? Who's been faithful as a nun? Who makes you chuckle with an old-timey pun? Your executive producer! ("That's true!") I'm your guy, your day-to-day Your chum, your steadfast hotelier Remember when I fixed that clog today?" "I was stuck, thank you, sir!" ("Oh, you!")

"I'm truly honored that we've built such a bond ("Aww!") You're like the child that I wish that I had ("Uh, what?") I care for you, just like a daughter I spawned ("Hold on now!") It's a little funny, you could almost call me dad!

They say when you're looking for assistance It's smart to pick the path of least resistance!" "Others say that in your needy hour There's no substitute for pure angelic power! Who just happens to also be your blood!" "Sadly, there are times a birth parent is a dud

They say the family you choose is better!" "What a bunch of losers!" "Can you butt out of my song?" "Your song? I started this!" "I'm singing it, I'll finish it!" "Oh, you tacky piece of-!"

And lastly a ship aesthetic template for the two now officially named main protagonists of An Old Ballad Of Chance And Ember Hearts Original Trilogy; Jade Smith and Jasmine Rafiq, including their faceclaims too! Read up on them below:

Blank Template below:

[shadepiplup10]

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Zorya belongs to @needle-claw!