#she can appreciate the aesthetics of a bear

[madamemimic]

mirabelle voice All the men here are so nice!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Days of Yore

Warnings: some dark elements. Not all kinks or triggers are tagged. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Summary: You show up uninvited but are welcomed nonetheless.

Character: Geralt of Rivia

Day Twenty-Five of the December Daze Challenge.

Prompt -an unexpected guest at the holiday get together.

Note: As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

“Wow,” you gape up at the immaculate array of lights strung across the facade. “This place is amazing. Who’s house is this?” 

“A friend of a friend’s, I don’t know,” Wendy shrugs. 

“A friend... Oh? Are you sure it’s okay we’re here?” You wonder with a furrow between your brows. You now feel a bit foolish for getting all done up when you might not even have been invited. 

“Open invite! Besides, no one will notice,” she assures you. 

“Right,” you mutter doubtfully. 

“Loosen up. What else do you got going on, huh?” She grabs your hand and pulls you through the open iron gates. They accentuate the medieval effect of the house. Now you don’t feel done up enough. 

“Not much, I guess,” you admit. If anything, you’ll get a bit of free food then ditch. It's not the first time you’ve unintentionally party-crashed with your wayward friend. 

“You know Sienna, it will be fine,” she tuts and comes up to the front doors.  

Again, you’re awed by the aesthetic of it all. You notice that the lights aren’t coloured, but only white, and the decor doesn’t bear the typical Santa or candy cane theme. In fact, it all has a historic tint. Traditional in a strange way. Dried oranges hung on long strings and holly twisted into bunches. For a moment, you’re remind of that dusty history degree hidden in the back of your closet. 

Wendy knocks with the heavy iron knocker. She waits and chatters as she wiggles her legs below her short skirt. She didn’t dress for the temperature. She searches the door frame and grumbles. 

“You think someone who could afford this place would have a doorcam or something,” she chuffs out a cloud of steam. 

The door opens and startles you both. You look over as Wendy as good as jumps inside. She seizes the woman who keeps a hand on the door. 

“Kami! You look... nice,” she holds her and gives her an eye up and down, “is this velvet?” She drags her hands down the green fabric. 

“Designer,” Kami pushes away her touch. “You brought a friend.” 

“Yeah, Sienna said so--” 

“Mm, sure, it’s just... whatever. No one will notice,” Kami rolls her eyes. “You have to come. Lucas has the funniest story! I was just dying.” 

Your shoulders fall and you clasp your hands together. You trail after, unwelcome and unacknowledged. Uninvited. You frown and silently configure how you can excuse yourself and leave. If you wait long enough, Wendy will forget about you. It might be easier to sneak out. 

You stop to hang your coat with all the rest and Kami makes a point of telling you to take your boots off. The floors are old wood, polished and well-kept. The entire house is immaculate. An antique on its own. 

You follow them into a high-ceilinged room adorned in strings of threaded popcorn and dried clusters of flowers. The air is fragrant as mulled cider steams in a heated bowl on a table, copper cups waiting to be filled, and dishes of appetizers in a line. The smell makes your stomach churn hungrily. 

“Who the hell owns this place?” Wendy asks the question nibbling on your ears. 

“Oh, he’s a funny guy,” Kami chuckles. “A bit... eccentric. Sienna’s been trying to loosen him up a bit, I mean... look at this house. That’s a good bag.” 

You try not to show your disapproval. You don’t have much luck with men but hearing the way some of your friends talk about them, you don’t know that you’re cut out for it all. It really doesn’t seem that anyone is out for a genuine connection, they just want a good set-up.

Can you really blame them? You’ve been handwashing your clothes since your building hiked up the machine prices. Turns out a couple quarters can really break the bank. 

Your guilt compounds as you realise that you’ve cosigned this entire extortionate affair. This party seems to have been a ploy by a hopeful prize winner. You know Sienna and she’s always sure to show you her Fenti and point out the label, though she can never remember the name of the man who bought it. 

“So what? He gave her full run to do all this? It's not really her... style. I expected more pink,” Wendy scoffs. 

“Nope, he’s a tight ass apparently. They were up for nights making the decorations and the food.” 

“What?” She squeals in surprises as your whispers from your mouth. That’s a lot of work. 

“Very old-fashioned,” Kami remarks. “But he’s not just rich you know, he’s fucking hot.” 

“Ah, jackpot,” Wendy giggles. 

You keep behind them, as good as hiding behind them. You bob and clutch your purse as Lucas excitedly hugs Wendy and Sienna drunkenly echoes him. You know a few of the partygoers standing with them but none of them even look in your direction. It seems Wendy’s already forgotten you. 

This is why you said no at first. This is how it always goes but she begged and begged, guilting you fro making her show up alone. What about you? Why is it okay to ditch you every time? 

You glance around. There are just as many strangers and none of them seem eager to mingle past their trio or pairing. You wish Wendy mentioned the dress code. You don’t think your H&M clearance rack attire is very suiting. 

As an elbow hits your arm, you back up. No apology. You’re a piece of decor to these people. You back up and turn. Well, no one else seems to want to indulge. What a weird party. 

You go to the table and take a cup. It’s times like these that you enjoy being invisible. College was tough, you longed to be noticed, to be like the other girls. Since then, you’ve grown comfortable with just being there. It’s much safer. 

You ladle the cider into a mug and the steam roils from the top. A slice of blood orange and a few cranberries float in the rich amber liquid. You blow over it and retreat. The warmth is a comfort. It makes you feel a little less out-of-place. 

As you turn, you nearly collide with another. You bring your other hand up to steady the cup and barely keep from sloshing the cider all over. You squeak and step back on your heel, your eyes skimming up the large figure in front of you.  

You haven’t seen eyes like those since... 

“Geralt?” You utter dumbly. 

He looks down at you. He looks different but not. He always had his own vibe. The white hair, the bright eyes, he wore his individuality without meaning too. Yet some things are his own doing. 

When you were in Early Modern History or Medieval Weaponry and Warfare together, he always dressed as if the clocks were set back to the Victorian era. Stiff jackets, high collared shirts, even a pocket watch. He was a bit of a dweeb then but too big for anyone to say so. And he was the only person who wanted to talk about history outside the lectures. 

Now he wears a tunic, silver trim on black, slightly less stuffy but just as dated. Half of his hair is twisted back behind his head, the tails of it spilling past his shoulders. 

He says your name and tilts his head, “I didn’t invite you.” 

It’s a statement that makes your heart sink. You peer down at your cup then around the room. “I’m sorry, my friend, she knows Sienna, she--” 

“It’s good to see you,” he interrupts. “It’s been a very long time.” 

You wince and dare to look at him again. “Yes, college was a while ago.” You slanted your lips and press your hands to the hot metal cup. “This is your house? It’s very nice.” 

“It is. I don’t often entertain, so mind the cobwebs,” he intones. He still has that way of speaking; so matter-of-fact. “It wasn’t my idea.” 

“Mm, right,” you nod. 

“Is the cider good? I found the recipe in an old journal from 1764.” 

“Of course you did,” you hold back a laugh. 

“Of course...” he begins to repeat curiously. 

“It’s all very you, is all,” you say. 

“I suppose,” he agrees. 

You smile shakily and swallow. You make yourself try the cider. It’s hot but not scalding. A very spiced. Not in a bad way, you just don’t expect that much. 

“Mm, it’s... heady.” 

“Mulled for days,” he explains. He shifts on his feet and smooths his tunic. “Can I show you something?” 

“Um, sure,” you accept. “It’s not the door, is it?” 

He lets out a small snort, “leave the cider.” 

You peer around and he takes the cup from you. He puts it down on a leather coaster on a tall wooden table and beckons you after him. You peek back as you sense a hush and notice that Sienna and the rest of them are watching. Great, they already don’t care much for you. 

Geralt stops and waits for you to catch up to him. The staircase is wide enough for both of you. Your ascent is quiet, almost torturously so. 

“You did not bring a boyfriend?” He asks. 

You nearly laugh at the abrupt question. You get to the top of the stairs and he gestures you left. 

“Well, I’d bring my cat. He’s the only guy sleeping in my bed,” you kid. 

He hums but doesn’t comment. 

“So, how’d you meet Sienna?” You ask. 

He shrugs and stops to open a door. He pushes it inward and reaches around the frame to turn on the lights. He waits for you to enter first. You do with a gasp at the interior. 

The walls are hung with various weaponry and you can tell at a glance that it’s genuine. It’s like walking into a museum. You traipse forward as you stare and barely notice the door click shut. 

“Wow, how—Geralt, how the heck—what do you do? I mean, how can you afford all this?” 

“I make replicas for TV and stage productions,” he explains. “This is my personal collection.” 

“It’s... wow,” you hug yourself, feeling even smaller than before. 

He’s quiet again. That’s just how he’s always been. He never said more than he needed to. It made studying very easy. 

“You asked about Sienna. She is persistent but we are older now. I don’t see her as viable,” he says. Again, just a fact, nothing emotional. 

“Oh, uh, well, I heard otherwise. Maybe you should tell her that,” you chuckle nervously as you admire the executioner’s sword with its blunt tip. 

“Perhaps,” he agrees as he slowly crosses the room to stand next to you. “I’m... pleased that you showed up. It is a coincidence, isn’t it?” 

“Sure, must be,” you agree. 

You keep your eyes on the groove in the blade as you feel his on you. You sidle along and turn your head away from him. The door is shut. He stays close. 

“Here,” he steps around you, startling you. 

You spin as he goes to a large wooden chest on a table. “The smaller things are in here. Thumb screws, some daggers...” he flips open the lid as you turn and follow, keeping your distance. He holds up a curved blade, possibly a jambiya. “Hm, come,” he waves you around as he reaches in again, “you’ll like this one.” 

You sway before you move, hands clasped to each other. You slowly pace around to him and he moves so quickly you nearly stagger. In a moment, there’s a weight around your wrists. You cry out and raise your manacled arms. 

“Geralt!” You exclaim. 

He laughs. You don’t hear that often. You look at him and tug on the chain. 

“Centuries old but they are strong still, yes?” 

You frown, “please, it’s not funny. I don’t like it.” 

“Aren’t they wonderful?” 

“No, Geralt, please, take them off.” 

“Hm, I’d have to find the key...” 

“Don’t play,” you warn. 

His laughter trickles off and his face returns to its stoic mask. He stares at you. Silence rises and roils around you as the chain clinks in the loops of the cuffs and you fidget. You wait for him to pull out the key and undo them. 

Instead, he hooks a thick finger around the links and tugs until your arms are above you. He holds you like that, trapped and prone. You shudder as you stare up at him, terrified at the glint in his pale eyes. 

“I’m not playing,” he intones. “I’ve been waiting to get you in those. Far too long.” 

[comicaurora]

Have you read/watched Nimona? If so, thoughts?

The kind of emotional gutpunch I can't bear to watch without ample preparation. The first ten minutes are the hard part for me - it's always a wrench for me to get through a "good-hearted character is cruelly framed" plotline, so I really appreciate how quickly they get that out of the way and how Nimona immediately brightens the mood when she shows up.

Overall, truly one of the best examples of how a creator can use their personal grief and rage at injustice as a medium to sculpt a story. The narrative manages to feel deeply authentic to a real emotional journey while still feeling completely contained within the story. I'm not entirely sure how to put this, but sometimes when a writer gets allegorical with their experiences, it can feel like the story gets put on pause so the characters can turn out to the audience and speak in the author's voice about their thoughts on the subject - a pretty clumsy way to communicate a message. Nimona does not do that. Instead, the many real-world parallels to bigotry, propaganda, queerphobia, church corruption, xenophobia, and regressive policies driven by terror of change feel like they arise naturally from the setting within the story rather than being imposed on it from the outside, which is extremely quality writing and characterization. Nimona's story is so clearly informed by ND Stevenson's life and gender journey, but Nimona herself feels like her own person who is messy and grieving and putting up walls and self-destructing and still - still - a fundamentally joyful, gleeful person who absolutely loves being alive when she isn't being brutally beaten down for the crime of existing inconveniently.

Also, it's a comparatively minor thing, but I really like how, like with She-Ra, Nimona creates a world that is passively non-homophobic, with gay relationships front and center and evidently regarded as completely fine and not worth commenting on - which, to me at least, made both stories remarkably relaxing and comfortable to immerse myself in, because I wasn't being randomly jumpscared by reminders of real-world hate - but it still uses allegory to address the real-world roots of homophobia in the form of xenophobia, correlated injustices like classism, and the monster-ification of The Other. So it can clearly state "hating people for how they exist is Always Fucked And Wrong" without having to dunk the queer audience in the icebath of "hey remember how people in the real world think you personally should be dead?" Again, not sure I'm phrasing this super clearly, but it's a balance ND Stevenson consistently strikes with his work, and I really love how he does it.

Animation's gorgeous, voicework is consistently top-shelf, love the aesthetic of Cyberpunk Arthuriana. Wins across the board.

[fishfooddude]

The Playdate

Richie Jerimovich x Reader

Single parent meet cute? I had this idea a couple of days ago, and it came out almost as good as I wanted.

The Bear MasterList

Directory

“Hey. Everything okay?” Richie asked as he answered Tiffany’s call that afternoon. She was frazzled as she explained being held up at work, Frank was out of town, and Eva needed to get picked up from a sleepover… or something like that. She’d been talking so quickly that Richie could barely keep up, “Can you please pick her up and watch her for a couple of hours? I’d really appreciate it, Richie.” 

Richie agreed and quickly pulled on his jacket before walking out of his apartment and to his car. Tiffany had sent him an address on the other side of the city right before the afternoon rush hour; what should have been a 25-minute drive turned into 45. Richie was annoyed when he approached a light yellow house with large flower bushes encapsulating a small front yard decorated with lawn gnomes and large, colorful pinwheels. He rolled his eyes at the sheer asshole-ary of the entire aesthetic. 

He walked up to the front porch and rang the doorbell. He waited a few moments before you answered with a quizzical look. Richie felt himself square his shoulders as he took in your appearance; you weren’t dressed up by any means. Your hair was tied up in a messy bun. Glasses perched on your nose. Funky patterned pants that were practically painted across your thick thighs. A slightly cropped sweatshirt that showed a sliver of skin. Richie noticed the intricate mandala tattoo on your left hand and fingers. He didn’t want to come off as creepy, but it was hard not to check you out.

“Hi, can I help you?” you asked as you leaned against the doorframe. Richie swallowed softly before answering, “Yeah- I’m Richie, Eva’s Dad… here to pick her up. Tiff got held up at work.” 

You nodded, “Come on in, the girls are in the backyard.” 

Richie followed as you walked down a short hallway decorated with family pictures and memorabilia. You opened the backdoor and allowed Richie to walk through before you. He smiled when he saw Eva and your daughter playing on a swing set, happily singing along to the music playing from a portable speaker on the back deck. “Hi baby,” he called, getting Eva’s attention. She waved before looking at your daughter. The two girls nodded before flinging themselves off the swing set. They erupted into laughter when they landed in a patch of grass. You shook your head, “Those girls are gonna be the death of me.” 

Richie chuckled in agreement as you checked your phone for the time. “Hi, Dad!” Eva yelled as she came running up to you and Richie. You smiled as he bent down to scoop up the girl. You didn’t know much about him, just that he and Tiffany divorced a couple of years ago and he worked in the restaurant industry. “Momma, can Eva come play again this week?” your daughter, Violet, questioned as she joined the three of you on the deck. You checked your phone for the date, “I need to talk to your Dad about it, but I think we can figure something out.” 

You watched Richie put Eva back on the ground. “Get your stuff, Eva. We gotta go.” Eva frowned at Richie’s request, but when Violet grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house, the two were back to laughing. You smiled and pushed your glasses up, “Did they drive you crazy?” Richie asked as the two of you walked back into the house. You shook your head, “She’s a good kid, and Violet loves her.”

Richie nodded as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his track pants. “Is she with you or her Mom this weekend?” you asked out of curiosity. Richie thought momentarily before answering that she was with him that weekend but would be back with Tiff on Wednesday. You nodded, “I think Violet’s Dad is coming into town next week, but I can figure something out with Tiffany.”

“You could also just figure it out with me.” Richie rebutted flirtatiously. It made you blush. Richie bit the inside of his cheek as you ducked your head to the side to prevent him from seeing it. “We could just do that.” you laughed as you pulled your phone from your pocket, “What’s your number Richie?” 

The two of you exchanged numbers as the girls bounced down the stairs, laughing about something. “Ready?” Richie questioned, looking down at Eva with a goofy grin. She nodded and looked at you. “Thank you, Y/N!”

“Of course, sweetheart. You’re always welcome at the house, okay?” you responded as the four of you walked back to the front porch. Eva nodded and hugged Violet tightly before she and Richie walked down the walkway to his car. You stood in the doorway and watched him help Eva into the car before walking around to the driver’s side. He waved in your direction with a grin before getting into the car. You bit your lip and quickly scurried back inside. Would it make you a horrible person to ask your daughter’s best friend’s Dad out on a date sometime?

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

Linkon University

Location: Linkon City

Details:

Linkon University (also called the University of Linkon) is one of many universities in the in-game world. In Rafayel's "Addictive Pain" Anecdote, we learn that he served as a visiting professor for one year while the protaganist was still a student. Though we know the protaganist studied at this university, her major has not been specified in-game.

Campus:

Linkon University's campus is open and accessible to everyone. A tour beyond the school gate would likely showcase its lush greenery, red bricks, and various tree-lined paths. In spring, a lot of people like to visit the campus to admire the peach blossoms there. Over the years, students have developed many campus legends. For example, legend says that if you reach the end of a specific campus path in exactly one hundred steps, you'll have a better relationship.

Buildings & Facilities:

Building No. 3:

When the protaganist gives Xavier a campus tour, she starts by taking him to “Building No. 3”. This building is often used for weekend classes, but is also a popular location for studying.

According to legend, if you fall asleep in the last row (the desk in the farthest corner of the classroom) of Room No. 303, you can predict certain things. For example, the protaganist says that when she had fallen asleep in that spot, she dreamed she failed her test. When she woke up, she actually did fail it.

Chemistry Building:

The chemistry building is described as white building that can be seen from a window in Building No. 3. Its equipped with a laboratory, which is featured in another campus legend. According to this legend, the laboratory is always "cold as ice" because it's haunted. But Xavier deduced that the "ghosts" were little more than a malfunctioning air conditioning system.

Art Center:

The Art Center building is crowned with a glass spire bearing the name of the university. Here, one can find the Art Center Studio and multiple auditoriums/lecture halls. When Rafayel taught there, he held his lectures in the Art Center's largest auditorium.

Campus café:

The café on campus offers various options for refreshment, some of which are coffee and cake. The protaganist mentions a specific shell-shaped cake served here called "Sea Salt Cheese".

Track Field:

Though I don't see a track portrayed, the image below is shown when the protaganist takes Xavier to see the campus track field. It is described as "old, but familiar".

Rumors say a tireless shadow always comes to this track field at midnight, and weird grunts can be heard at 6:06 AM. But the shadow is just a girl who likes to do long distance running at night, and grunts are just a guy from the track and field team practicing his shot put.

Colleges & Departments:

The following departments and colleges have been mentioned in-game:

Department of Deepspace Energy

A character named Morgan is a professor in this department, but he is never portrayed. This is the only detail the game provides about this department.

College of Fine Arts

It was the Dean of this college who invited Rafayel to his office for tea and subsequently proposed he teach as a visiting professor. When Rafayel agreed, he was given a two-page contract to sign.

Courses:

While a handful of majors have been mentioned (art and biology), few specific courses have been mentioned in-game. But the game has mentioned these two courses by name.

Art Appreciation and Criticism:

A highly sought-after elective course in which non-art majors learn to appreciate art while art majors learn criticism. Rafayel taught this class during his time at the university. Course evaluations from past students say Rafayel had a reputation for nitpicking everything. One even claimed that the best way to get out of the class was to bring a cat. But central points from its curriculum include:

Appreciation and criticism: the union of sensibility and reason

Critique is a personal journey, shaped by individual aesthetic preferences. Its an active recreation by the viewer

All appreciation is interpretation. The key to interpretation lies in trusting your gut

Notes from the class include:

Lost Sea: Lemurias's Art and Civilization:

This was Rafayel's first lecture series at the university, and it made Lemuria a popular topic on campus. Because of this, spots for these lectures filled up as soon as they opened.

Interesting Details:

Students here have a mid-morning break.

The university has a course evaluation system.

The university has its own news team.

The protaganist once participated in a promotional video for the university, in which they featured her poetry slam. The student who was supposed to compete had gotten sick, so the protaganist had filled in for her.

According to an unnamed student, students with the protagonist's major don't have a fixed classroom. But they typically take their electives on the fifth floor of one of the campus buildings.

One of the buildings on campus has the Ever Group logo on the outside (below)

[starrydaycare]

could you please do an agere crying child/evan afton regressor moodboard? with soft colors/items, please! the aesthetic can be sort of a soft space one? headcanons would be appreciated too but i dont mind anything— tysm!

Yep! I sure can :D

💧Regressor!Crying Child/Evan Afton Headcanons

⚠️TW! Child Death mentions, Bullying mentions.

🧸Crying child, or Evan Afton, is a Trauma regressor. He started regressing without knowing before his death, due to the various stresses of his life. Michael and his friends teasing and bullying him, his father being so busy at work, the scary animatronics... It was all so stressful and scary! He was sensitive; or so he was told. He cried a lot, and that in of itself made him sad and anxious. So a lot of times, his mind would feel cloudy and he'd feel like a little kid again.

💧He wouldn't dare tell Michael, knowing the teasing and harsh words that would follow. Father was too busy working and stuff, Elizabeth was also dealing with father not being home a lot. He could technically tell mama, but... He was scared. What if she left him alone because she thought he was a crybaby, like what Michael said?

🧸So he kept it his own little secret. He got to the point where he was regressed most of the time, which only caused Michael's teasing to get worse. He'd regress between 1-5, usually 1-3 on worse days. During bedtime he'd regress, the comfy, soothing blanket and dim lights making him feel super small... He'd suck on his thumb, holding his Fredbear stuffie he got close.

💧He's a very sensitive and soft regressor, so if someone were to take care of regressed him, they'd have to be careful. Treat him nicely, please. Give him his bottle full of warm milk, some crackers and plenty of blankets, stuffed animals and pillows. He loves being comfy while regressed, and bright lights stress him out. So a blanket fort with plenty of comfy cozy stuff, some warm-colored fairy lights and maybe a childrens book would be like a dream come true for Evan.

🧸Loves affection of all sorts. Hugs, cuddles, forehead kisses, hand holding while walking across the street, he loves it as much as he loves kind words of encouragement, praise, soothing words to comfort him, and words of understanding. He likes presents, too, as most children do. Give him a new teddy bear and he'll be super happy! But you don't have to give him stuff for him to be happy, just you being there with him is enough.

💧He likes books a whole bunch! Especially bedtime stories. He struggles to read while regressed, but if you read him some stories then he'll listen happily. Though if he falls asleep as you're reading, don't take any offense to it. It's not boring or anything, he's just a sleepy little guy when regressed.

🧸He loves those footie pajamas for kids. Y'know what I'm talking about? Those onesies that cover the feet. He thinks that they're super duper comfy and they make him feel safe, like he's in a fuzzy, warm blanket that no one can steal from him.

💧He likes wearing diapers, but he doesn't like going in them. They feel comfy and safe; reminding him of a time where he felt safe and comforted, but he still doesn't like making a mess in them.

🧸Overall, Evan's a sensitive, very sweet kiddo when regressed!

💧🧸🩹

[redstringraven]

Your OCs are in my head rent free so have a question for each of them:

Cassia: How is her relationship with April? and by proxy Casey? Does Splinter see her as one of his children?

Nyxram: I think it would have been interesting if The Ultimate Ninja challenged Nyx to a duel to the death like he did Leo. How would that have gone down?

Gwyn and Ash: Since Ash considers herself dead does she feel any remorse or hesitancy about being used to hurt or kill people? Does Gwyn have reservations about using her like that? Does Gwyn know Ash considers herself dead?

over here being emotional because that made me so happy, and i'm extremely grateful. ;w; for real, thank you for these asks and saying that, i just. ahhhh!! it makes my day. i always get so excited to talk about and further explore my dweebs.

---*---

cassia: how is her relationship with april? and by proxy casey? does splinter see her as one of his children?

cassia's interacted with april slightly more than she has casey, and i think they get along very well! she's also close with april's niece, bree (@/plantdonut's oc), so they run into each other a fair amount. cassia LOVES the 70s aesthetic and weird little trinkets. it wouldn't surprise me at all if she scopes out april's shop for things from that decade, or dropping not-so-subtle hints that it'd be super cool and stuff if april kept an eye out for anything of the sort. no reason. it'd just be pretty cool of her.

as for casey, they get along for the most part. though, casey tends to have moments where he... exposes how much learning and growing he still has ahead of him. like making a comment he didn't consider would be offensive or asking a question without thinking. cassia just stops what she's doing, stares at him and bluntly says "dude." (raph can be seen pinching the bridge of his beak in the background and groaning because his friend is a moron and, oh my god, you're embarrassing him).

thankfully for casey, cassia's willing to be patient with him, since he at least IS trying and making genuine efforts to correct bad habits, so... that's recognized and appreciated. and the turtles or april are there to back her up. ...i don't think esme would like casey very much, though. he seems like the type of person who'd have her on edge the whole time she's in proximity to him, and she'd likely be much less patient than cassia due to mother-bear-protectiveness (her side of the family did not accept cassia's transition; they've since been estranged). casey is someone esme can endure being around, but... that's about it.

i don't know if splinter would go as far as considering cassia one of his own. he does very much appreciate that his sons have a few more friends their age, and that cassia can be a more grounding presence for them. we DO have another slight 'personality clash' situation with splinter and cassia, where she can be high energy and loud, which adds to any chaos that may already be present in the lair that day. she often enables antics between raph and mikey, or enjoys the challenge of managing to pull a prank on leo.

...i can also see cassia developing a stupid one-sided-joke with splinter, where if she and mikey are watching a movie, and the actor pulls off a wild stunt, she turns to splinter and points at the tv and goes "DID YOU TEACH THEM THAT???? dude, that's crazy--that's mega coconuts" and splinter just kind of stares at her.

it's possible this has expanded into more ridiculous things like ...vehicle stunts... anime moves... ...godzilla firing his laser. i'm so sorry, sensei.

nyxram: i think it would have been interesting if the ultimate ninja challenged nyx to a duel to the death like he did leo. how would that have gone down?

oh. he'd. ...he'd die. >xDDD

like. i normally don't like sitting here with the air of "lmao my oc's power level is so high haha"--if this were asked of gwyn i'd waffle around, weigh her chances based off the environment and how resourceful she's allowed to be or if ue even allowed her to use ash as her primary weapon--but this is nyxram.

nyxram was birthed with the intention of forging the perfect killer. she's the only survivor of her clutch because she fought for it from the day she hatched, and that was by design. her parents wanted to weed out "the weak". she was meant to surpass her mother and father in their skills, she's supposed to be walking death, serving the prime leader and triceraton republic. this woman has single-handedly taken out small federation fleets and made it look like they just oopsie-daisy'd and vanished into a black hole.

like. i cannot emphasize enough... ue is DEAD.

being the daimyo's son, i'm pretty sure he's high-profile enough that he'd be on her radar by default. he'd have almost no element of surprise; she'd go into the fight already having an idea of what to expect from him. the SECOND he opens himself to a kill shot, she's taking it. NO hesitation. none. this is, literally, what she was made to do.

there would be some chance she'd spare him if this were post-rebellion, but... --i've had gwyn use this line in RP before, but nyxram would also abide by it: if you're going to kill, you better be ready to be killed.

you challenge her to a duel to the death? ...alright.

i'd ask what you want her to tell your family, but it wouldn't matter. she won't be reaching out to them. you should have considered that before you threw your knife at a reaper's feet.

gwyn and ash: since ash considers herself dead does she feel any remorse or hesitancy about being used to hurt or kill people? does gwyn have reservations about using her like that? does gwyn know ash considers herself dead?

for the first two questions, in short: it's complicated for both of them.

just in case it needs restating, the entire reason they're having to survive like this at all is because, ever since ash wound up trapped in the shape-shifting weapon, they've been followed, tracked, hunted, set upon by assassins and bounty-hunters--just, endlessly pursued. a liáfsian druid, darach, is near always on their heels and trying to get his hands on the weapon (this is an extreme nutshell version of that situation because the question's not about that). neither of them WANT this.

i'd say who has more reservations with causing harm highly depends on the situation, and it's near always done in self-defense. ash wants gwyn to live, and she'll do whatever she can with her limited power to keep her alive. gwyn tells herself repeatedly that if SHE dies, what little remains of ash dies, and thus will do whatever she feels she has to in order to keep herself alive. because she CAN'T let ash "truly die". i can't really say which of them is more prone to lean into violence or revenge or spite; they both have their share of triggers that might cause them to 'twist the knife' more than they need to in a survival situation. but it's usually because one of them feels the other was wronged in a specific, pointed way, and they want the source of it to pay.

they both also have ways of preventing a more violent outcome. like, if ash is currently in the form of a sword and doesn't WANT to used to stab someone, she can simply take the form of a whip instead. gwyn has no control over ash's shape-shifting.

and vise versa, if gwyn doesn't want to use ash to hurt someone, she can put ash in a sheath or other location on her person where if ash tried a sneak-attack, she'd risk hurting gwyn in the process. in most cases if one of them doesn't want the violence to happen? it won't happen.

gwyn does have more autonomy than ash does, though. if ash won't cooperate, gwyn will find something else to do the damage she wants. but this rarely happens because if ash makes it clear she doesn't want a certain outcome, gwyn will almost always listen to her. they tend to be on the same page.

and for that final question: yes. gwyn knows ash considers herself dead. they've had this argument dozens of times; most of them took place in the earlier period of ash's presence in the weapon. as time's passed, ash has grown more and more exhausted with the topic. now it mostly comes up when gwyn's had a near-death experience, and ash is panicked and pleading with her to just let her go and get on with her life already. but gwyn... just won't listen to her. the moment passes. and they carry on.

there're times gwyn wonders if what she's doing is entirely selfish, prolonging ash's torment with her delusional hope. spirits in liáfsini exist, free in the afterlife, and ash SHOULD be among them. instead, she remains trapped in the weapon. gwyn knows dozens of people--several of whom she's never met--have been left suffering in her path because she clings to the possibility she can get ash back in a body. ash's only real agency is her voice, but gwyn's fear of someone stealing her robs her from having her own relationships and connections.

but the more she dwells on that, the more terrified she becomes with the realization that she has... nothing. ash is all she has, all she's ever really had. she doesn't even know who she is anymore if she's not searching for a way to get ash back. so maybe it is selfish. but if she were to leave ash behind and, someday, stumble across a way she could have gotten her back... how could she ever forgive herself? ash gave her life protecting gwyn, after all. guess the whole ill-omen and parasite thing wasn't too far off, was it?

[voltstone]

they adopt a cat named floof (Wenclair One-Shot)

wednesday, for her girlfriend, gets a cat. she finds a way to bypass the “no pet” policy in order to do so. :)

(inspired by this post)

[1,268 Words] | [Last Edit: 11/12/2022] (Full One-Shot Post)

Note: This one-shot has been reposted from my old account onto this one. If it looks familiar, that's why.

Hope you enjoy! :)

Enid has figured, months ago, that she might as well be dating an Eldritch horror.

At first, she thought that Wednesday is just an angsty little goth. Come to find, her aesthetic and snapped wit are the most outwardly charming things about her. Because, as much as Enid loves her, Wednesday is really, really fucked in the head. 

Fucked head or not, though, Wednesday has a heart. She does. Sure, it may be in her foot for all Enid knows, but watching how she plays along with Eugene’s bee-scapades, and how cordial she and Bianca have gotten, she knows there’s a heart of gold in Wednesday. (That or she’s color-blind and it’s not gold but rather, in fact, dirt.)

Not that it matters. After too long of a day, Enid is ready to collapse onto Wednesday’s bed and badger her until she stops her “hour of novel writing” in exchange for, uh, osculation. 

Some days the struggle is short-lived. Wednesday gets needy too. But other days, the “hour of novel writing” is extended to several, and a long, long pout-full sleep on her bed. Hopefully today is the former. Given the labs, and the lectures, and the other labs, Enid really just needs to scratch an itch. And by that, it’s really Wednesday scratching it, and then Enid taking a nap afterwards. With Wednesday. (They cuddle.)

The door is nudged open. A hinge creaks, and a floorboard groans. Her eyes find Wednesday immediately. By the window. Waiting for her. Mildly surprised, but, ultimately, glad. Enid smiles widely. “Wednesday! Your novel's…”

���Done for the day. I did it this morning.” She straightens as Enid closes the door. "Enid,“ Wednesday prompts, and though she catches a quirk down her lips, Enid can’t help but feel…cautious. A Wednesday with her hands behind her back is a Wednesday with too big of a trick up her sleeve. "I have a surprise for you." See?!

Wait.

Cautious or not, a wide smile flourishes. "A…surprise?”

“Yes.” A blink. (Surprisingly. Heh.) “You said that you wanted a pet to keep us and Thing in better company.”

If Enid could jump Wednesday’s cold, frigid bones, she would. But, alas, as much as she loves Thing, Enid isn’t sure if she’d appreciate two running around—as a hand, and then a paw. So she stands herself squarely and musters a curious face. “Yeah, I-I did… So…?" A grin is pressed. Oh fuck, she can’t bear holding herself together any longer. Her hands are clasped. The grin cracks glee. "What is the little one…?! A gerbil? A ferret? A—” Enid practically melts off the face of the earth. “A kitten?!”

Wednesday maintains her composure, but that quirk down her lips worms. “Not quite. Close your eyes.”

She does as told, and she hears Wednesday shift with the surprise in her arms. Her grin is wide with her tongue snagged between teeth.

“Enid. I got us a cat.”

There’s a hop, and a skip, and yip! before she has the chance to open her eyes. "O-M-G! Can we name it Floof—?!“ When Enid does open her eyes, she… U-Um. Well, um. She sees orange. And the cat is…staring at her. Except it’s disconcerting and not at all like Wednesday; rather than stare deep into her soul to lobotomize it, the cat is, like, staring…through…it?

Wednesday tilts her head. Another blink. "What?”

The—

The cat isn’t fucking moving. It just…isn’t. It's—

Oh my fuck, what the God did you do, Wednesday?! 

Enid stands in place, feet anchored to the ground, as she stares at the… The— M-Muppet. Dead muppet. There’s a swallow, and then, a squeaked, "…w-why does it look like that?“

Wednesday lobotomizes Enid’s soul (affectionately). "Like what? The child we shall raise? Together?” …that shouldn’t have flipped Enid’s heart over. It’s practically roasting on a skillet now.

Enid lurches a quite tentative step forward. She meets…Floof by its vacant stare. "Did you put googly-eyes on it?“

"Well it is taxidermy,” Wednesday confirms, bluntly. She gazes down at the cat’s face, and the black dots follow. “I felt you would have appreciated her eyes.”

“Instead of what?”

Wednesday stares back at her. “The eyes I found bludgeoned from her head.”

Where did she get this cat?! Enid follows Wednesday to her desk. …Floof is gently set down beside the typewriter, and as Wednesday fixes a bent whisker in place, Enid hears Thing scatter across the room and back under one of the beds. 

Judging from the multitude of blemishes across…her body, it’s clear that Floof spent all nine lives at once. Poor thing. Yet, she looks as alive as Enid supposed she was not months ago—googly-eyes discounted. She imagines Wednesday’s lithe fingers spindling to sew the worst of death, hide it away, and it’s a mellow thought, if morbid. Her coat looks soft, and her body, strong. Put back together, at least. "That's— That’s such a pretty pattern on Fl-Floof’s back,“ Enid comments.

"Goodyear, for a truck—winter coverage.”

…a-ah. Okay.

Wednesday lingers in place, with her eyes avoidant, and hands tied together. It takes a moment before she begins to ramble—a rarity, with Wednesday, and Enid feels her own heart pool to her foot: “You said you wanted a cat, but I told you—again—that we can’t because of the academy’s policy, but you looked like you wanted to kill yourself when I said that—”

“…Wednesday, I’m not…s-suicidal.”

“—so I went out searching for one, on the roads, and I found this one. She looks like a lot of your sweaters, which is disgusting, so I figured it’d work out. We wouldn’t have to pay for any of the necessities she needed alive, though I’m sure enough nail-paint and -remover will do the equivalent.”

Enid grimaces, though her eyes land on Floof’s white paws, and they snag each toe. “She does have nice nails.”

“I filed them.”

A hum down her mouth, because Enid can smell the anxiety off her neck—even from around the desk, despite whether or not Wednesday herself realizes it. But it's…funny, really. There’s a sort of beauty about it, how mental gymnasticshas become the sound way to understand Wednesday’s language:

Want a pet? Can’t have one because of rules. So, here’s a dead one. With pretty nails you can paint, and a head big enough for a bow.

Enid watches her quietly. Wednesday plays with her hands, spindles them together. Her lips are thin. She’s nervous. Her eyes are cast down. She anticipates.

“How long did this take…?”

Wednesday, slowly, murmurs, “Two weeks. I had to…help with the odor. You would’ve vomited or kissed the floor otherwise.” A pause, then, “…and broken your…pretty nose. Again.”

“That did hurt, yeah…” Enid breathes. (It’s still sore. She swears she’ll set Wednesday’s side of the room on fire, someday.) She rounds the desk’s corner, and Wednesday is swiftly tucked in her arms. There’s that initial frigid moment before Wednesday unwinds, and her body remembers that, yes, it’s Enid, and Enid has the permission. She nudges her pretty nose along Wednesday’s neck. “Thank-you…” is murmured.

“We’re going to reconsider the name." You’re welcome.

"No we’re not." No we’re not. 

Together, they eye Floof, and Floof…is staring at both the door and window simultaneously. With— 

Aww, her tongue is almost sticking out. What a cute touch, Wednesday… 

"You’re needy.”

“It’s almost a full moon…?”

Wednesday twists her head, and Enid seeks for treasure.

They osculate. And her lips feel like death, but they’re the most liveliest thing, all at once.

Hope you enjoyed! :)

[des2dream]

A Daydreamer's Holiday Movie Marathon: My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas🦄

Here's another childhood favorite of mine! It's Day 2 and we have My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas which came out in 2005 during the third generation of My Little Pony. Now, I don't have the DVD, but I've seen this film plenty of times on TV. It used to air on discontinued channels like Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney, and The Hub Network. It also recently aired on Discovery Family back in July. You can even watch it online now. This movies stars Minty who is a little clumsy. Every year, the ponies place the Here-Comes-Christmas-Candy Cane on top of the Christmas tree in the middle of Ponyville so its light will guide Santa to the town. Unfortunately, Minty breaks said candy cane! She attempts to become Santa, but after realizing that may not be a good idea she decides to head for The North Pole to tell Santa where Ponyville is and hopefully make up for what she did. Pinkie Pie immediately goes after her along with Thistle Whistle who flies alongside Minty.

This film is ICONIC! It's not perfect, but it's ICONIC! This is also a film that's mixed between fans. Coming from G3 property, some MLP fans aren't too kind to G3 at all since MLP G4 (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) really took off in popularity. Some people don't like the voice acting. Some people don't like the plot. Some people don't like the execution of the story. Some people don't like how "corny" it is. Some people say it's "too girly". I have a soft spot for this movie and I honestly wish it was a little longer. I loved the aesthetic it was going for! I loved the music! I loved Minty as a character! I won't lie, there are times where I wish some scenes were shorter and some scenes were longer. I also wish there was a slightly better direction in the voice acting. However, I love how much this film is a present of it's time and I love how even after years later it keeps airing on TV. It's even available to watch through streaming or YouTube. It's even had plenty of appreciation from so many MLP fans. This is a film I would also recommend you check out, if your'e curious. Though, it is mainly more so directed to kids than the Care Bears Nutcracker Suite. It's a fun time for any pony fans!

Featuring art by @sleepyc0rex

[gldnstrngs]

merlin characters & the kpop groups they’d stan

(this is not factual at all. this is just me putting my interests together as a neurodivergent person is prone to do LMAO)

merlin: he would probably get into kpop listening to 2nd gen groups casually such as SNSD, but absolutely LOVE txt when they have their first comeback with “the dream chapter: magic”!!! trust that he would be at the barricades at their concerts

arthur: he would’ve known about kpop through morgana and gwen, but very likely tease them about it. merlin would be the reason why he actually starts listening and he would become super attached to bts. i can see him connecting to their lyricism and the humanitarian causes they support :’)

gwen: she would love stayc. she is a cutie. stayc are cuties. it just makes sense!!! she would’ve been their #1 supporter since their debut. also she would’ve been one of the stans to defend “teddy bear” with her life (because it IS a bop!)😭

morgana: trust that she would discover purple kiss’ “intro: crown” music video and become OBSESSED with them. she would love their aesthetics and the witchy vibes of their songs. before that, she would’ve listened to dreamcatcher because of their vibes and also casually listen to kpop in general, but it’s purple kiss that she becomes a stan of

leon: i can see him having an appreciation for 2nd gen kpop groups. i’m not really sure why like it’s really just the vibes he gives. he would get song recommendations from merlin and find himself liking shinee the most, but would overall still be a casual listener

lancelot: something tells me that he would LOVE red velvet. no explanation just vibes. i feel like he would bop to “peek-a-boo” and bad boy idk… he’d also probably listen to txt and stayc for merlin and gwen but for him, red velvet stays 🔛🔝

elyan: he would’ve definitely listened to stayc at first because of gwen and like them a lot, but stumble across seventeen and be obsessed with “very nice” 😭 he would probs still be a casual listener but be tuned in for every comeback

gwaine: TRUST that he would stan a group as cunty as kiss of life. he would’ve already started listening to some groups because of merlin (his impact🙂‍↕️) but really vibe with kiss of life when they debuted. he would definitely play “midas touch” on repeat frfr. additionally, he would also love le sserafim and enhypen because they are also cunty

percival: twice. he would love twice. why? because the idea that a big tall strong man loving a slayful girl group like twice is iconic. he would have been there for their pre-debut survival show “sixteen” and be a sana stan for life. he would learn all of their dances in private and try to not dance to them any time he hears their songs

mordred: he would listen to kpop so merlin would finally like him LMAO. he would definitely vibe with txt, but i think he would hear “oh my god” by (g)-idle and be drawn to them. rip mordred you would’ve loved soojin😔

uther: ok hear me out. uther would NOT gaf about kpop. he would probably think it’s evil because of all the magical concepts groups follow. but he would then hear aespa and listen to their entire discography while pretending to be a kpop hater

gaius: he would’ve learned about kpop through merlin (once again, his impact!!!) and like txt. ultimately, he would just be a casual listener mainly for merlin

(if there are any more characters that people want to know which kpop groups they’d listen to then lmk bc this had no business being so much fun)

[icebrooding]

A non-comprehensive first word-vomit of my thoughts abt Janthir wilds in non-chronological order:

Poky is my son and if anything happens to him I will commit Crimes of a very bad nature. I also called he and Braham would be great friends even before it got mentioned as a possibility right at the end.

I really like what they've done with the Warclaw; not only is the new skin extremely cute but I've been having so much fun w/ it's skills. Boing boing boing.

This soundtrack fucks REALLY hard??? Like holy shit??

Isgarren soft boy story reveal (but I already knew he was soft from SotO anyway but this is probably the most explicit we've had about just how soft--)

Greer is gonna have a lot of people horny for him, I can just kinda feel it? If people want to fuck the bog queen, I can imagine people also want to fuck the sexy-voiced Titan.

The 'boss segments' sure felt like boss segments, holy shit. I had no real issues on the first Greer and Decima fights but the one at the end actually caused me a lot of issues. Not sure how, but it did.

I really love the first half of the expac being this kind of 'low stakes' feeling adventure (and really FEELING like a good adventure, the way the maps are designed and their scale making exploring them SO good ouegh), and then the latter half is this slowly ramping 'oh fuck, Titans', culminating in 'oh fuck. /another/ titan.'

I somehow REALLY really appreciate the 'we cannot do this we need to retreat' stuff. I really liked the one at the end, the Commander's hesitance before calling off the pursuit. Feels like they've really learned over the years that rushing in isn't in their (or anyone's) best interest.

I genuinely always thought Sorrow was gonna be a polar bear. Did not expect a grizzly, but appreciate the subversion of my expectations. Even after her reveal I'd expected the lowland appearance to be an illusion of some kind, but nah. Girl straight up grizzly. Gotta respect.

On that note, I did have a joke going on for a few months of 'we walk into the lowland kodan lands and just find her sitting amongst them like 'oh shit'' so this was pleasant for me lmao.

Sincerely curious on how things will go between her and Isgarren after that little catfight. I don't wanna see Dagda crushed by losing her again :sadcat: She's like the kid caught between a really bad divorce--

Can Lyhr finally meet Rand again--

Can Stoic Alder be my new dad? And can he please not die I cannot bear (HAH) if anything happens to him either ; _ ;

where is zojja

Mildly upset that we're shown not to really remember Dagonet. I REMEMBER YOU, BIG BRO :crycat:

on that note did his voice get deeper

I feel like the horror of the White Mantle came across really strongly, as someone who (still, damnit) hasn't gone far in GW1, reading the notes around Syntri really painted a really gruesome and horrific image of the sentiments at the time... it was upsetting, to say the least.

Fuck? Ether towers and Jade Constructs though--

I would have appreciated any warning from my friend abt how going into the water of Syntri was like reliving my least favourite parts of Subnautica all over again.

I'm just gonna pretend we didn't talk to Anise at the end of the story LMFAO. I did not like that, honestly.

I KNOW HE WAS MENTIONED AGES BEFORE BUT ISN'T IT FUNNY HAHA IN SOME WAY THAT MABON, VOICED BY LIAM O'BRIEN, HAS AN ALIAS FUCKIN' NAMED "OBRYN"

spear aesthetic fucks even if i suck at it

Caithe getting to sit on the fireplace is iconic. queen behaviour

look, if we're (MAYBE) going to the domain of anguish (maybe isgarren can scream enough to open a portal again for us) then can we finally just bring legavo there and go ham? i'm sure it'll be fine.

more thoughts at another point when i can formulate sentences

[optiwashere]

✨Let's talk about OCs!✨How would you describe your OC's personality/aesthetic? What's your favourite thing about them? Tell us a fun fact(s) about your OC or their creation

❤️Send this to at least 3 people to spread some OC appreciation!❤️ (I know most of this is already on your blog and ao3 buutttt in lieu of basic descriptions/aesthetics, do you have any other tidbits or fun facts about Asheera?👀)

Aww, thank you! 💜

I can answer the other questions though, since yeah... I think I've described her enough elsewhere lmao.

My favorite thing about her is her interpretations of her oath's tenets. That strong belief guides her, it gives her strict principles to live by, but it also bites her in the ass a fair bit and causes her to make unpopular choices that earn her the ire of her companions (this will actually come up in a fic soon...)

And more Asheera Fun Facts™

Her least favorite food is cooked cabbage. The raw stuff is all right by her, but if it's cooked she thinks it's inedible. She's allowed to be wrong.

She's afraid of rats and mice. I know this has come up in fics, but it bears repeating. Again, she's allowed to be wrong about lil ratties... but she does learn to like them. Or at least tolerate them. Eventually.

The Flaming Fist in the poorest parts of the Lower City know her by face and by name. She got into a lot of pretty brutal scraps when she was younger. Some of them were warranted but not all of 'em.

[nualaofthefaerie]

Hi! This might be a bit of a broad question but here it goes: What is it about Nuala that you love so much in particular? Is it a general appreciation of fairies or something that narratively you are drawn to re Nuala in Sandman?

Just asking because I’m always so in awe in how much love and care you have for the character and it’s overall such a nice vibe you bring to the fandom 🖤

What a truly wonderful question! Thank you so much!

I will do my best to answer, please bear with me.

First off, I have indeed always had fascinations with fairies. Ever since I was a child, my favourite characters were Tinkerbell and her gang, which at the time looked a tad different, but Tinkerbell was the very first character I fell in love with.

Both the old Pixie Hollow and later the new Pixie Hollow fairies were my chosen Disney poison.

(If anyone ever asks me, I will go into heavy detail).

Another big inspiration to my character love roster (please, bear with me, this is all relevant, I promise), was the original run of the WINX club.

And specifically from both, my favourites were Tinkerbell and Flora, respectively. Now, I am not saying, there is a pattern, but it is quite...on the nose.

The influence is undeniable, side by side.

Another favourite visual inspiration of mine is the Kpop girl group, Red Velvet. Nuala encapsulates a lot of their aesthetic, so that certainly was there as well. Especially, Wendy, is a very seemless Nuala stand-in to me. Because Nuala sings and there is no voice in the entire industry such as Wendy's. So yes.

However, it is certainly not enough. There a lot of beautiful women in the Sandman - Calliope, Titania, they are close to that concept, however why Nuala?

To me the answer is simple - Nuala is one of the very few modern female characters that encapsulates girlhood. She is not a girlboss, neither does she have it all figured out. Cluracan and by extension, Titania in combination with Morpheus, throw her in for a ride where she is forced to explore all that she is, reevaluate it and come on top of what makes her, her. I think this is such a human thing, where our environmental circumstances put us in situations where we are at a loss, so then we have to actually either adapt or lay down and die.

And that very thing, is what makes her the most unique Sandman character to me, alongside Morpheus. Nuala is diametrically opposed to Morpheus. Being put in imprisonment (Nuala was very much imprisoned in the Dreaming, I could write a whole post about that) Morpheus and Nuala react to their world differently. Of course, Morpheus was far more limited and yet, he could always reach out to those who would've helped him. He didn't. However, Nuala in complete opposition makes the best of her circumstances - she makes connections within the Dreaming, creates a "life" that wouldn't fill her with absolute dread, despite the crippling wish to be free. Morpheus believes he shouldn't bother anyone and hence always carries the world on his shoulders, while Nuala infamously says:

And I think THIS one, THIS panel right here, it made me fall in love with her helplessly. She opposes Morpheus by simply breathing, by simply believing no one has to be alone in this world. She is hope. She is kindness. She remains kind throughout everything that happens to her. And even though she cries for Morpheus, she also realises this os her right and it is her journey. And I think if people took her a bit more seriously, they will see what I see. That kindness is not weakness and kindness can be beauty.

But all and all:

"People need people."

Author Note:

I hope this answer made a smudge of sense.

My inbox is always open!

Love,

Li 🪷

[thenightling]

Tim Burton and Racism

Tim Burton and racism

Now that "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" is coming out people are looking back on an interview Tim Burton did where he unfortunately implied that diverse casting doesn't match his "aesthetic."

And he turned a Jewish folktale (Corpse Bride) into a story set in something that resembles nineteenth century England (even though he said he was heavily inspired by Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations.)

I will NOT justify him saying or doing these things (even though I have a soft spot or Corpse Bride). I will NOT justify his lack of diverse casting in the past. What I want to draw attention to is the fact that this sixty-five-year-old man seems willing to grow and change. And I want to give him the benefit of the doubt about this.

I am NOT an apologist. When Tim Burton's film-making quality went down in quality, along with his questionable views, I started to drift away from him when I had been a life long fan. I switched favorite directors over to the charming, kind, friendly, and sweet, approachable, scary-teddy-bear Goth, Guillermo del Toro. (I want that man's house and its contents!)

I will however look back on a few things about Tim Burton's previous films. One of Tim Burton's first projects was a lesser known TV adaptation (back when Disney Channel was experimental) of Hansel and Gretel, made as a homage in appreciation and love for Japanese film making.

Tim Burton had the great James Earl Jones play multiple Genies in Shelley Duval's Fairy Tale Theatre version of Aladdin. Consider how easy it would have been to have a white man in he role ala Robin Williams a few years later. This is not an excuse for his lack-of-diversity. I'm just listing these things as signs of his potential to grow and change.

Tim Burton was the first person to have a black man, Billy Dee Williams, play Harvey Dent (who comic fans will know is meant to later become Two Face.) Today you know someone would whine that this is woke / race-swap casting. But in 1989 it seemed that everyone just accepted it.

In Edward Scissorhands one of the only sympathetic characters- the ONLY good cop character, is a black man. A kind hearted officer who pities Edward and helps make it look like Edward is dead so he can escape toward the end of the movie.

In an episode of the Beetlejuice animated series, it was a little black boy who was the only one who appreciated Lydia's Spooky Boutique that she and Beetlejuice attempted to open in a mall.

When Tim Burton made Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he made sure that Deep Roy (An Indian man who played all of the Oompa Loomps) was paid the same as the lead actor, Johnny Depp.

Deep Roy was also Napoleon Bone-apart (Gotta love the pun that dates back to Beetlejuice the animated series) in Corpse Bride.

Tim Burton's favorite composer is Jewish man, Danny Elfman, who has done nearly all of Tim Burton's movies.

I know that thanks to some statements by Caroline Thompson (who had a bitter falling out with some of the crew of Nightmare before Christmas) it is now believed that Oogie Boogie was a racist caricature and that "Oogie Boogie" started as a slur. I have yet to find actual evidence of this fact.

The notion of a Boogie man Boogying is quite old. "I'm your Boogie Man" is a popular Halloween song. I used to have a "Little bopper" dancing green monster in a fake leather jacket that rocked back and forth to the song.

Oogie Boogie was inspired by Cab Calloway. If he hadn't been played by a black man, THAT would have been racist.

Ken Page (The voice of Oogie Boogie) has debunked claims of racism in regard to the character and in fact the role has been very good to him. It's become a recurring job in his career for Nightmare before Christmas video games, the Haunted Mansion seasonal lay over, and even stage work in the Disney parks. His voice is currently featured in the Hocus Pocus Spooktacular stage show where he sings a slightly modified version of the Oogie Boogie song, this time addressing the Sanderson Sisters instead of "Sandy Claws." Ken Page never viewed the role as racist. And has even played Oogie in Nightmare before Christmas in concert multiple times.

Now we come "present day" Tim Burton where in 2022 Tim Burton became showrunner for Wednesday (the Addams Family spin-off on Netflix).

Here it felt like people were looking for reasons to accuse Tim Burton of racism. Even though the lead actress is a Latina woman, Jenna Ortega, and Luis Guzmán was Gomez people still latched on to things like "The only black characters are bullies!" which tells me they didn't really watch the show. Yes, a black boy is part of a group of bullies but he's also the only one who realizes that they are wrong and quickly turns against his former associates.

Moosa Mostafa (Islamic heritage) plays Wednesday's close friend, Eugene, with the delightful power to control bees.

And the charater Bianca is annoyingly mistaken as Wednesday's bully. Bianca was NEVER a bully! She was Wednesday's rival and frankly, Wednesday deserved to be taken down a peg. Bianca bested her in a fencing match, that is all. Later Bianca showed her true colors as a loyal friend and ally. She helped save Nevermore Academy. She was a hero.

Joy Sunday, the actress who plays Bianca, has repeatedly debunked attempts to claim Tim Burton was racist in casting her to play "The bully" Bianca (again, suggesting that the people making the accusation never watched the show). She has often said how well-treated she was and is treated on the set.

And there's heavy hints that she is going to have a very intriguing story unfold in the next season of Wednesday.

I am not justifying Tim Burton's previous lack of diversity. But I feel that he may have come to realize his mistakes. I think he might be trying to make amends with things like Wednesday. Jenna Ortega has become Tim Burton's favorite actress to work with. And I think she has, perhaps, had a positive influence on his views of diversity.

This isn't an attempt to justify his past failings. This is the suggestion that perhaps he is now willing to grow and change. He's sixty-five. How many sixty-five-year-olds are open minded enough to truly grow? I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Actions speak louder than words and I saw a lot of positive change with how he handled / is handling Wednesday.

[melodygatesauthor]

Weekly Update - 07/09/2023

There's a LOT to cover this week but it's all REALLY important so please read <3 (below the cut) ~

Announcements

~ Cruise ~

I'm going on a cruise from 07/15/2023-07/23/2023! I really shouldn't have, but my family peer pressured me into it and now I can't get my money back if I back out so I'm going anyway lol.

I paid extra to have WiFi in my cabin, however I don't know how good it will be. I refuse to pay the ridiculous amount of money to use the data on my phone out there. That being said, my online time will be limited.

If for any reason I cannot access my internet or have issues getting on Tumblr @whatthefishh will give you all an update letting you know. (She hasn't confirmed this with me yet but I assume she will lol)

I'm going to be trying to get some works written ahead of time and scheduled to post while I'm away so it will be like I never left! (except I won't be able to respond much).

~ Masterlist ~

My masterlist is ALMOST complete. Once I'm done with it this time I will NOT be changing it again (unless my aesthetic changes but that will only be a cosmetic update). I'm happy with the way it's organized right now and I don't think it can get any better than it is personally lol. (I'm very proud of it please praise me)

~ FAQs ~

I'm working on an FAQs list to hopefully mitigate some of the repeat questions I get, or so I can just link them instead of having to respond to each individual question.

~ Thank You ~

The biggest thank you possible to those who sent in tips this week. I can't thank you enough. I added the tip thing without the expectation that people would actually use it so to have so many of you this week blew my mind. I love you, and I appreciate you more than you can know.

Disclaimer - I never know which way the winds of inspiration will blow. Timeframes aren't a promise/guarantee, they're a goal.

Fic Updates Legend:

Blue - should be posted this week

Pink - In progress actively (working on but will not be posted this week)

Red - Backburner Fic (will work on later. See WIP list for status)

Long/Chaptered Fics Updates

A Bit Dodgy - This fic is currently on hiatus. The plan is for it to return 07/31/2023. Things may change and if they do I'll let you all know! Thank you for bearing with me. More detailed explanation here.

Always Yours, Never Mine - Chapter 2 is coming right up! Just a couple scenes to add and it will be good to go. I'm thinking I'll be able to churn out one chapter a week but don't hold your breath please haha, things are getting really busy, but this fic is at the front of my mind right now for sure. - New chapter this week

The Fractured Moon - currently working on These Fractured Knights (TFM Bonus Chapters) 🫣😏 - Hoping to have the next chapter out this week. This has been moved to "longfics" since it will be at over 40k words upon completion. - New chapter this week

Mini-series Updates

Feeling You Can't Fight - New chapter coming out this week.

Not a Doctor - Part 2 coming soon - not for a while though.

Worth the Risk - taking a small step back from this for now. It’s not at the top of my inspiration list so I’m moving it down the line temporarily. - will work on a later date

The Good Doctors - idea by @burnincrown - Dr. Marc Spector - It's going to be a long time in the works, and it will probably replace TFM when that one is done. In development - Work on it a different week

Requests Updates

There are 4 ficlets left for my 1k follower celebration. Finally getting them done (I'm almost at 2k now lmao but won't be doing a celebration until a different milestone).

As a reminder, once these requests are finished, my requests will be closed for good. You can see the post explaining that here. Thank you again for the support and understanding!

Moon Boys X f!Reader by @simpforbritgents

Asking for something like Feeling Flustered where the moon boys are doing guided phone sex.

Marc Spector X f!Reader by @blueflowerhat

Marc shower sex based on AI prompt.

Nathan Bateman X f!Reader by @campingwiththecharmings

This is the prompt that hit me like a Nathan-shaped mac truck! -> “if you don’t like my teasing why are you moaning”

Nathan Bateman X f!Reader by Anon

Cam girl reader x Nathan - Nathan turns to a cam girl, he's been kinda stalking her. (Excited hehe)

That's all for now guys! I love you all and thank you so much for all the support you continue to give no matter what. You're amazing <3

[miyakuli]

Flowers - Le volume sur printemps

Amour et les fleurs ne durent qu'un printemps

Flowers is a series of visual novels immersing us in the daily lives of young female students at a Catholic school where friendship and love collide. We follow the shy Suoh, freshly arrived in this new school, whose objective is to make friends and try to detach herself from her traumatic childhood. This springtime introduction is full of sweetness and poetry, but I still felt that certain aspects were still a bit in the bud state.

❤ The aesthetic of the game is really well done, whether for the menu, the illustrations, the sprites or even the text window. It's flowery, soft and cute, and totally in tune with the calm and romantic atmosphere of the story. ❤ Beneath its air of innocence and purity, the game tackles some fairly sensitive subjects, such as psychological abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and neglect… but remains very modest in its approach. Also, in terms of its girl's love theme, I liked the fact that the character asked herself questions about her sexuality and that it wasn't something she immediately assumed. Her reflections on the fine line that can exist between love between friends or a deeper love were, in my opinion, very relatable subjects, especially for a character of that age. ❤ I think the development of the main character is very well carried out. She gradually opens up to the world around her, her dialogues become less indecisive and we gradually feel her more relaxed in her relationships with others. We don't get rid of her shyness, which is an integral part of her personality, but we do see Suoh gain in confidence and self-assurance. I've seen far too many media where the shy side of a character's character was quickly erased in favor of their development, as if it were something to be ‘’fixed‘’, so I was reassured that this wasn't the case here. ❤ The secondary characters are all very engaging (more so than the love interests, which is a bit of a shame) and add a lot of dynamism to the life of this school. A special mention goes to Erika (who's supposed to be the focus of another episode, bless), who has the best affinity with the heroine, and who clearly should have been a love interest (or at least earned the status of best friend, because frankly, she's the best).

+/- The music played by the strings and piano is perfect for accompanying the scenes, but there isn't much of it. One particular piece of music takes up 80% of the sound space and although it is long and beautiful to the ear, the musical redundancy is often felt. I also think there's a problem with the sound balance, as I had to turn the volume of the soundtrack down as low as possible to get the best out of the voices of the dubbing actresses, who interpret their roles very well, and it would have been a shame not to appreciate them more. +/- The story is easy to follow and plays out like a slice of life, with little episodes from the daily lives of these teenagers. Personally, I liked this approach, but some might criticise the lack of more intimate moments with the LIs. On the other hand, I found the last 2 chapters almost inconsistent; relationships suddenly rush in, and the attitude of one of the main characters changes drastically to the point of becoming toxic, with no real transition and no consequences at the end. It's quite confusing, and I was even put off playing this character's route after those events (because, on top of that, the route only unlocks after you've finished the ‘true end’, something that's never made clear). You should also bear in mind that the ‘true end’ is not really a happy ending either which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth once you've finished the whole game. It's a daring decision but one I didn't really like.

✖ At times, Suoh lends herself to games of deduction in which you have to pay attention to small details to solve enigmatic situations (otherwise, it's game over). The problem is that these ‘investigations’ are extremely difficult, as they either involve word games based on kanji that are not translated, or require highly specialized knowledge that is never mentioned in the story. So it's almost essential to take a guide with you… ✖ I don't usually pay too much attention to the cliché of femininity in Japanese games (which doesn't necessarily bother me) but here, it was over-emphasized at times with some rather embarrassing remarks; girls outside the norm of gentleness/politeness are called tomboys, the emphasis is often on the heroine's larger breasts, which make her seem more ‘feminine’ than the others, and too many categories are put on what it means to be a ‘real girl’. The game isn't that old (2014), but it feels that way :/ ✖ There's a lot of typo in the English translation, with mixed-up letters and repeated lines of dialogue. I was even given white text on a white background - genius!

It's a pretty good first part, in my opinion, although it's a bit frustrating in terms of its conclusion, which I think will encourage us to get on with the sequel. I've also heard that the following games are much better and focus more on the secondary characters, which makes me all the more intrigued. In any case, if you like your romances flourishing against a backdrop of slices of life, your spring will surely be more radiant.

➡ My personal VN ranking (in french) ➡ My Steam page