#r i p my back

[veinsfullofstars]

"Still trying to intimidate me? Cute."

(ID: Kirby series fanart of Meta Knight and Galacta Knight based off of a couple dynamics template by @/ReddsMess on Twitter. Original template and source below the cut, as well as a HAL language variant. Top-left panel - high-angle shot of MK lit from above, standing firm and glaring up through his mask, his wings curled out and breaching the panel in places, subtitled "Well well..." Top-right panel - low-angle shot of GK lit from below, looming in the air and leering down through his mask, his wings curled out and his hands spread wide in challenge, both of which breach the panel in places, subtitled "Look who came to see me..." Bottom panel - MK & GK stand next to each other, the latter leaning towards the former and gently caressing the side of his mask with the back of one hand, grinning smugly and wrapping a wing around the knight, subtitled "My Knightmare." MK stands stiffly with his fists clenched at his sides, blushing vividly and glaring away from the warrior. A little flurry of white hearts emanate from GK, while one small one hovers above MK. END ID.)

Started 03/30/24, finished 04/02/24, updated for color correction 11/02/24.

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HAL language variant:

Original by ReddsMess (template link) NOTE: The artist has marked 16-18+ in their bio, so browse at your own risk!

[tea-tuesday]

05/30/2024

where have i been, you ask? bar prep 24/7, baby!! well more like 24/7 dread about bar prep and only several hours of studying after calming myself down....... the only thing getting me through this tumultuous time is wearing cute shoes, drinking coffee, and using my cute new planner🌼

[sysig]

Two skeletons in a trench lab coat (Patreon)

Bonus:

He’s very careful! Everything was fine before you interrupted!

[jojo-rolo]

Raph

Please credit me if you repost/use/add an original caption to this blank version

[carbonatedlight]

[stuckinapril]

so unimpressed w men rn. it’s just so whatever

[deus-ex-mona]

daily nagisa till kimikawaii gets an mv: day 1

[qkmlh]

Still ducking hilarious to me that Zoro & Sanji began their beef because they thought the other was misogynistic and it came to a head of no return when Zoro felt his title of ‘Luffy’s specialest boi’ threatened by Sanji’s comment

[pup-pee]

i woke up & started crying so i drew the goobers

SHIT I 4GOT BARTS GOGGLES N STUFF IGNORE THAT PRETNED IT THEREAAAAAAA

[lav-endermoon]

“c!tntduo would never have stood a chance together” yeah well maybe c!tntduo is all about hope. “they make each other worse/are incapable of having a healthy relationship/are doomed by the narrative” well yes but maybe they could heal together. maybe there is endless potential, an endless amount of new stories to be written. “the appeal of c!tntduo’s dynamic is their toxicity” yeah i get that but what if the appeal of c!tntduo is the notion that two broken people are still capable of love. think abt it. are you thinking about it

[justaz]

once merlin puts arthur to rest, the world around him disappears and he’s in ealdor staring at his mother’s back. his sobs from the lake grow worse at the sight of his mother and he wails like he’s a child again, calling repeatedly for his ma. she spins around and finds him, without asking any questions she dashes forward and pulls him into a hug, holding his weight as he falls apart in her grasp, choking out nonsensical words and soaking her dress with tears, snot, and drool, his overwhelming grief causing him to ignore any sense of shame he might’ve felt at such a scene.

he doesn’t remember explaining anything to her, frankly he doesn’t remember much beyond the cries he pressed into her shoulder, but she says he’s been in ealdor for a week. she’s clearly worried and asks, no, begs him to eat or drink but he doesn’t feel the need or desire to, and even if he did, he simply doesn’t have the energy to bring the sustenance to his mouth. she cradles his head in her lap and runs her finger through his hair like she did when he had a nightmare when he was younger. it’s almost enough to make the entire thing seem like a horrible, horrible dream. but theres blood on his tunic where he held arthur’s body to his own so he knows it’s not true.

his mother doesn’t ask any questions, the look in her eyes telling him that she knows anyway. perhaps his nonsensical babble created a clear enough image for her to understand. maybe she just saw the broken look in his eyes and came to the conclusion on her own. she doesn’t mention him. merlin isn’t sure if he’s relieved about that or not. in the end, he brings it up, he asks how she was able to go on after balinor left. he asks how she was able to pick herself back up on her own two feet and carry on life as normal after receiving his letter informing her of his passing. she says sometimes she can’t, sometimes she lays in bed and listens to the birds sing and can’t help but hate them. she says she lives on for him anyway. she pushes herself up and makes food and works in the fields even when she hate the world around her.

merlin tries to relate, tries to understand, tries to imagine himself getting up every morning and living on in his name. he can’t. his parents loved each other, he knows that, but they were their own people and were able to stand the years apart. merlin…merlin is arthur’s, even in death. everything he is, everything he’s done, has been for arthur. he is half of merlin’s soul, the center of merlin’s world. how can anyone expect him to move on as if he’s capable of being alone? how can anyone expect him to function as if half of his soul, half of himself, isn’t dead in a lake? merlin can’t do it, he can’t imagine living a life without arthur. he barely got through the week and that’s only because he was passed out for a majority of it. how could he make it a year, much less another fifty?

he can’t. he can’t do it. he can’t breathe, he’s in agony, the world around him doesn’t exist anymore. not without arthur.

he’s back at the lake now, tears still streaming down his face despite the pounding headache from dehydration yet it doesn’t matter, not anymore. none of it does. he stumbles into the lake and sends his magic into the water to tug excalibur from the depths. he can feel freya pulling the sword back, but his magic overpowers hers easily and the sword springs from the lake, gleaming in the afternoon sun. freya’s face appears in the ripples of the water next to him, her expression pleading and sorrowful. merlin whispers an apology before turning back to the sword, staring at the sharp point of the blade. he brings it closer to hover just over his heart, the metal pressing against his skin but not enough to draw blood just yet.

peace washes over him. the sun warms his skin and the water cools him to keep it from being unbearable. the birds sing in the trees as the wind whistles through the leaves. merlin stares up at the brilliant blue sky and pure white clouds roll by, images of bunnies and birds and crowns and horses staring down at him. he wonders if avalon will be this peaceful, if he and arthur could lay out in a field for eternity, basking in the sun and laughing as they point out misshapen clouds that supposedly look like the other.

he plunges the sword into his chest, right through his heart, and falls back into the water. bubbles trail out of his mouth up towards the surface, blood spills from his wound and mixes with the water. he closes his eyes as he sinks further and further. he knows when he opens them, he’ll be with arthur once more. it’ll all be okay. he doesn’t feel his body hit the bottom before blackness fills his mind.

arthur awakens from his fitful slumber in a bed that is not his own. he squints at the room, or rather hut, around him and finds an old man hunched over a book in the corner. arthur tries to speak but all that comes out is a squeak of air, his throat too dry to speak. the man hears and whirls around to begin treating him once more, prattling on and on about how he found arthur in the woods outside his village donning shiny clothes which he discarded bc of the blood staining them yet he couldn’t find a wound. arthur’s hand reaches up to his side but there’s no stab wound there, not anymore, though he does sport the scar. he remembers how he got it, he remembers stumbling away from the battlefield, he remembers being found by merlin- merlin.

he asks the man about him but he seems confused and denies ever knowing someone by that name. arthur climbs out of the bed (the flash of golden eyes) and hastily pulls on his armor (“i’m a sorcerer. i have magic.”). he’s out the door before the old man can protest. he’s in a village he doesn’t recognize, they must not be anywhere near camelot (“i’m still the same person.”). he turns to the old man hobbling out of the hut and demands directs to camelot. the man stares at him oddly and scratches his ear before informing him that he’s never heard of a camelot before (“you’re my friend and i don’t want to lose you.”).

he instead asks for directions to the woods where he was found and sets off in that direction, the old man shuffling after him (“me, i was born to serve you, arthur.”). it doesn’t take long to reach where he was found. if the old man had carried him home it couldn’t’ve been much of a hike (“and i’m proud of that.”). he steps into a clearing where the man panted that he found him here (“and i wouldn’t change a thing.”). it’s no where near the lake where merlin held him as he took his last breath, it’s no where near camelot. the man didn’t even recognize the name of his kingdom (“it’s not why i do it.”).

arthur sits in the grass as he thinks on his next move and the man who watched over him sits next to him (“i’m not going to change now.”). he speaks lowly of a prophecy about a man from a time long forgotten sent on a journey, a quest, to retrieve what has been lost. he says how the prophecy led many to a sword lodged in stone (“i’m not going to lose you.”) but no one could pull it free. he points out arthur’s armor and calls it odd, he mentions camelot, a kingdom of which he’s never heard, and gestures around the clearing where he found the mystery man. he concludes that perhaps the prophecy spoke of him (“i can’t lose him.”).

arthur, with no other options, follows the man’s directions to a lake. not exactly lake avalon but close enough. theres a small island in the center that seems more like a hill. the sword, his sword, excalibur is buried in a stone covered in moss, misshaping it’s actual form. arthur wades across the water and climbs the hill. he wraps his hands around the hilt of excalibur and closes his eyes. he imagines merlin confident and reassuring expression as they and all his men stood in the woods around this damn sword in a different stone however long ago it was. he breathes in and out (“he’s my friend.”) and pulls.

excalibur comes free just as it did before. arthur watches the metal pull free and as it does, the moss on the stone falls away revealing its form. it looks like a collapsed figure, excalibur having been lodged in it’s chest, right where it’s heart would be. arthur squints at what looks like the head and feels a flash of familiarity. the stone slowly fades away from the hole where excalibur was all the way to the hill. as the stone fades, it leaves behind skin and clothes and hair and…merlin.

arthur drops excalibur and falls to his knees to hold up merlin’s limp form. he feels warm, as if he didn’t just spend however long with a sword in his chest as a stone. he’s not breathing. why isn’t he breathing? arthur grasps around, shifting his clothes out of the way to find the wound where excalibur had once been. the skin is stitching itself together with tiny golden threads. arthur looks back up at merlin’s lax face as the wound fully closes. he inhales sharply as his eyes fly open, glowing gold, and all around him it seemed the world finally inhaled after suffocating for millennia.

merlin exhales and golden sparks shoot from his lips to flurry around in the air. the grass under them grows longer and curls around both his and merlin’s body where they rest against the ground. the water around their island clears from the murky brown to a blindingly clear blue. the air is crisp and clean, the sun brighter and warmer, and one soul finally whole again.

[babychosen]

prompt idea: vic’s pov on amangela, especially when they visited the smosh office for tntl

word count: 608

Vic’s visit to the Smosh office was short, but it showed them a lot more about the cast and crew than they ever expected to learn.

Like, how Erin orders coffee up to three times a day, and how Tommy spends multiple hours in one of the bathrooms. Or how Courtney and Shayne are the most professional and yet affectionate couple they've ever seen work together.

But there was something that went unspoken within the office: Amanda and Angela.

Sure, Vic had worked with both of them in the past, but the chemistry between the two in the office was unmistakable. Vic found themselves constantly looking around subtly in a ‘Is anyone else seeing this?’ kind of way whenever the duo was in the same room together.

Attached at the hip was an understatement. If they were beside each other, their bodies were always touching. Whether it was an arm around a shoulder or a waist, or hands intertwined, their skin somehow made contact. And if they weren't beside each other… well, heart eyes (and ‘fuck me’ eyes, if Vic's being honest) were frequently exchanged. Vic knew they worked well together on screen, but this was something else entirely.

When it came time to film the Try Not to Laugh episode, Vic watched as the pair steeled themselves for the cameras; like they put on masks for the audience. But throughout the video, the chemistry only ramped back up.

Vic could swear Angela was ready to pounce at them behind the partition after they kissed Amanda for the bit. It was a side of Angela they had never seen before—possessive, and jealous. The animosity cleared up quickly when they moved onto new bits, but it left Vic curious about the dynamic between Angela and Amanda.

They were so open about being so into each other, so surely everyone already knew?

No, no. It wasn't their place to speculate.

When the day was over and they finished shooting everything Vic was scheduled for, they said their goodbyes and started packing up their things to leave. 

In the cafeteria, Amanda approached Vic with Angela trailing behind her.

“Hey, Vic! What are you doing tonight? Would you be up for a home-cooked dinner?”

Amanda’s question threw them off. Not that it was unwelcome—in fact it was flattering—but Vic considered themselves closer with Angela than Amanda. 

“Oh, gosh, no. I wouldn’t want to intrude. It’s really kind of you to offer, though,” Vic said, an appreciative smile on their face.

“Please, you wouldn’t be intruding. Angela talks about you so much.” Amanda playfully rolled her eyes and glanced back at Angela having a conversation with a few cast members. “Plus, we’ve been meaning to have people over to our new place, and we both love cooking.”

Vic felt time stop. 

We… we?

OH.

They tried their best to mask their surprise when they came to the conclusion that Amanda was inviting them over to her apartment with Angela. As in, they live together.

“Well… I mean… why not!” Vic answered enthusiastically, their demeanor mirroring Amanda’s own excitement.

Vic’s surprise slowly turned into acceptance as they recalled all of the interactions they witnessed at the office that day; the touching, the flirtatious behaviour, the closeness—it all made sense now. Not to mention the subtle positive changes Vic had noticed in Angela’s mood over the past few months. The realization made Vic feel giddy.

Amanda beamed at Vic’s response, and Vic watched as Angela approached her from behind and proudly put an arm around Amanda’s waist. 

Angela asked what they were talking about and all Vic could do was smile knowingly at the couple.

[milkbreadtoast]

I didn't see anyone else translating it so I went ahead and translated ep 46(s2 ep 1) of the TWSB webtoon! Enjoy... huff huff... (the ep can be read for free on WEBTOON KR)

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TWSB webtoon ep 46

(rough eng tl by milkbreadtoast)

y: woww...

y: So this is Yvelines!

g: It really is beautiful, your highness!

g: I think I just heard a seagull!

It seems the sea is close by.

(whoosh...)

y: I feel like I can live now...

y: Summer vacation really was a good idea!

a: Little prince, is your body okay now?

y: I've never felt better, Your Eminence. Thank you so much for graciously allowing me to accompany you both to Yvelines.

a: There's nothing to thank us for~ We were also planning on coming after all.

[Cardinal Aurelie Boutier: The empress's "religious partner." the one who saved Jesse(Yeseo) from the empire's heat.]

a: Isn't that right, Frédérique?

(step)

f: Well, I suppose.

Marquis Duhem agreed to vouch for your identity, and...

we couldn't just abandon someone who fainted despite it not even being that strong of heat wave.

[Frédérique Riester: The Riester Empire's Empress, and Cédric's Mother]

y: I, I thank you for your Imperial Benevolence...

(f: well, as long as you know.

a: so cheeky...)

a: Oh?

come to think of it, I don't see Duke Yvelines.

(step step)

attendant: I greet Her Majesty, the Sun that has descended to earth, and Her Eminence, the Cardinal. His Royal Highness, the Duke has gone to the outskirts of the territory to clear out pirates.

(y: ah, Benjamin! Can I talk to you for a second...

b: ?)

(whisper whisper)

y: By any chance, would you know what type of person Duke Yvelines might be?

f: (loudly) So you don't know who Duke Yvelines is?

y: UWAH-!

y: (y...you heard that;;) I apologize. It's true I don't know anything about the Duke, but I have read a fairy tale book written by the Duke's father, Grand Duke Yvelines.

(A book called "Kaboom! Yves' Grand Adventure"!)

f: Never mind the book. There's nothing to apologize for. That name is only used within the territory, so it'd be strange for the prince of the Holy Kingdom to know.

y: Ah... I see.

f: (Hmm~) But seeing your flustered expression right now...

It should be worth seeing a few days from now after we meet the Duke.

y: (Wh, what'd be worth seeing...?!)

(that smile is making me uneasy for some reason...)

a: Frédérique, don't tease the pure little prince so.

f: I never teased him. REAL teasing would be something like this:

(SMIRK)

f: From this moment forward, no one is allowed to tell Prince Jesse anything about Duke Yvelines.

That is an Imperial Decree.

y: (you're going that far just to tease one person?! I-isn't that a little too childish?!) (huff puff)

--

[the North Sea, Moutet County]

(RUUUUMBLE)

(splash splash)

soldier: Young Countess! The pirate ship is fast approaching!!!

(clack clack/big strides)

e: Order the civilians to evacuate the beach immediately, pack only their valuables and take shelter at the Count's estate!

[Élisabeth Moutet: vice captain of the imperial guard, heir to Moutet County]

(c) wo~oah~!

c: A pirate ship really did appear, huh!!

[Christelle de Sarnez]

e: Yes, that's right. They don't show up every year, but they really are a troublesome bunch.

c: (hop) I see.

c: Ah, right! Would you mind if I lent a hand as well? (pat)

e: I'd be grateful for your help, Young Lady Sarnez.

c: Ah, could you call Teacher Johann and the priest as well? Just in case we might need their help.

e: Sure, let's do that. Marcian(?), you go on and deliver the Young Lady's message as well.

soldier: Yes, understood, Young Countess.

(BANG)

(KABANG)

(soldiers): DEFEND!

THE BASTARDS ARE APPROACHING THE DOCK!

(BOOOM)

e: Then I shall head to the frontline. I entrust the rear to you!

c: Please leave it to me!

c: hoo...

(PAAA...(water rushing)

Jesse: There's no need to get me a birthday present.

I'm fine with just a small souvenir.

(SHOOO (water rushing)

c: I wonder if a pirate ship can also count as a souvenir~~

--

y: (I'm not curious.)

(I'm really not curious at all.)

(I've got my hands full with my own problems, so why should I bother caring about who Duke Yvelines is?)

(But back at the estate palace, didn't the chief chamberlain call the duke "His Royal Highness"..?)

chamberlain: How about some light refreshments while you get some air?

There is a grass lawn with a nice view that His Royal Highness the Duke likes to use when he reads.

y: ("His Royal Highness" the Duke..?)

y: (well, he is the son of a Grand Duke, and part of the Imperial Family, so "His Royal Highness" would be accurate.) (Anyway, I'm totally not curious at all, so let's not worry about it anymore...!)

b: Your Highness, do you need help?

y: I'm Definitely Definitely not curious or anything, but is there perhaps a particular reason why outsiders are not normally allowed entry into Yvelines?

(I just thought it might be disrespectful to know TOO little, so...) (Ahaha)

b: Yvelines was originally private land belonging to the Imperial Family.

This land was specially bestowed upon the Grand Duke, so only close family and guests are allowed to enter.

y: Ah, I see.

g: Your Highness, there's no need to think too impatiently about it. If you look around your surroundings, I'm sure you'll be able to find a clue before long.

y: Thanks for the consideration, both of you.

y: (now that I've learned some amount of info about Yvelines,

It's time to think about what's Really important now...)

(flip)

[notebook:

Sadie and the suspicious letter...

- Is Losna my middle name?

- Who is Usil?

- : a friend i don't know, Queen Christanne, Crown Princess Elise

- What did that Sadie punk do with the letter? (circled) ]

(First of all, his middle name... is something only Prince Jesse's family or very close friends could possibly know,

and just who could "Usil" be?) (Hmmm...)

(Usil, Usil...)

("I have faith that you are healthy and doing well. I hope that we can see each other again.")

y: (From the contents of the letter alone, it seems that Prince Jesse has someone out there worrying about him... The tone makes it seem like a friend or family member, but who could it be...?)

(what's more, all the letters and gifts that enter Juliette Palace are subject to inspection, so I wonder how they got past it.)

(If it was the Queen of the Holy Kingdom, she wouldn't have to go to such lengths as a secretive note, but since it wasn't sent through official means...)

(Wait, is it that they "couldn't" send it?!)

y: (Ah!) (Now that I think of it, during my interview with Sara Belliard I'm sure she said...)

sb: They say that the military collision at the border was the Crown Princess acting on her own.

In other words, the Prince Consort and Crown Princess's wills are not aligned. (/The Crown Princess does not agree with what the Prince is trying to do.)

y: (If the owner of the letter really was Crown Princess Elise...

Does that mean there's someone on my side in the Holy Kingdom?!)

y: (No, let's not jump to conclusions.)

(Dame Belliard did say it was just a rumor,

and it could still be a third party.)

(GRROWWLLL...)

g: (Haha...) Wow, your highness! I guess the refreshments must not have been enough?

b: It's a bit early, but I will tell them to prepare dinner.

y: Th, thank you. ;

(step step)

y: (My stomach is nice and full now but...

I still feel way too unsatisfied.) (Hmmm....)

y: (Who is Usil,

and does Sadie still have Usil's letter..?)

(It doesn't seem like he would've handed something this important off to someone else, but...)

y: (hmm..) (Just what is he thinking..?

...Can I trust the Imperial Prince?)

(halt)

y: Huh.

y: The door to one of the rooms is open?

They did tell me that I can enter any room if the door is open, so I guess I'll take a small look around.

(creeak)

(step step) ?!

y: Why is Prince Consort Alexandre's portrait here?

...Don't tell me.

Ah, I get it now.

THAT PERSON must be Duke Yvelines!

--

(crackle..)

soldier: Your Royal Highness, It seems that the pirate sweep will finish even sooner than usual.

c: I'm sure it is thanks to Margrave Moutet's hard work.

soldier: It seems Your Royal Highness will be able to return tomorrow morning. Shall I arrange for you to head to the bell tower when the sun rises?

c: No, I will visit Her Majesty and Her Eminence first.

soldier: I have received word that the two esteemed individuals will also be heading to the bell tower...

...and Prince Jesse will be accompanying them.

c: (Pause)

(Tap)

c: In that case, --

voice: PIRATE SHIP! IT'S A PIRATE SHIP--!

(whooosh)

EVERYONE, GET IN YOUR RANKS!

soldier: Your Royal Highness, shall I send word to Yvelines?

c: There's no need. (step step)

(FLARE-)

c: We will finish them off before Her Majesty finds out.

[davecumstaine]

Peepaw's at it again

🍑 Source 🍑

[kuromi-hoemie]

i love building furniture like wow new place to hang out at just dropped (my new couch, at my house)

[orcelito]

Ultimately I KNOWWW being born in 1997 means I'm not really a 90s kid, I didn't grow up in it, but I STILL do remember the turn of the century (however very very vaguely it is) and thus. People born in 2000 and later will always feel young to me. So I will continuously be surprised when I hear that someone I know was born in 2000 or later. Such is my affliction.