#the mirror’s been mewing

[cormancatacombs]

Why did they make the Magic Mirror a Chad

[charliemwrites]

Men At Work - Part 3

I know this has been a little slow to start, but things should progress a little more quickly from here. I wanted to establish some of the groundwork for this weird dynamic they all have but unfortunately, these men don't know the meaning of slow, even in my own head.

No Content Warnings

“How are the repairs going?” you ask.

It’s just Nikto today, returning your Tupperware from dinner the other night. He’s covered head to toe once again, all that’s visible are those glass blue eyes. One way mirrors - hiding everything beneath the surface.

They remind you of… something. 

Hmm. When you figure it out, they’re sure to make an appearance in your next novel.

“On track,” he answers in that sharp, staccato way you’re learning is just his way.

Unfortunately for him, that just makes you more curious. You know it’s a bit obnoxious - you’re not entitled to information, you know that. And most of the time you curb the inquiries tapping at the back of your teeth. But he’s in your house, snuggling your traumatized cat. If he’s got a problem answering casual questions, you’re certain he’ll have no problem letting you know.

“You’re redoing the whole thing?”

“Most of it. Foundation is good. The rest - дерьмо.”

You don’t know a lick of Russian, but you can guess.

“Good bones,” you hum in understanding. As if you know anything about construction. “That helps. When do you think it will be done?”

He shifts, sharp eyes flicking between your busy hands, the door, and Rasputin holding him lovingly hostage.

Little guy is currently perched on your shoulder, face buried against your collar in abject despair that his bestest friend hasn’t come to visit. Shithead is poaching (or attempting to, anyway) the sandwiches you’re assembling. So far, she’s only swishing her tail, biding her time. You’re keeping an eye on her.

“Two months. Three if any of us are called.”

You hum, reach for the tomatoes. It’s only because you’re looking at him that you notice the slightest twitch around his eyes. Beneath his mask, you’d bet he’s scrunching his nose.

“No?”

“I will eat.”

You leave the tomatoes off. Guy mews sadly, you tilt your head to press a kiss to his little ear.

“So, two or three months. Krueger said you’ll move in then.”

“Da.”

You top the sandwiches with a final slice of bread and turn to the oven. Spin back just in time to catch Shithead’s paw reaching for Krueger’s designated sandwich. Nikto eyes the plate of brownies in your free hand; you bite the corner of your mouth to keep from grinning.

“What about the yard?”

Nikto tilts his head. If he didn’t give the impression of a particularly large predator, you’d call it cute. As it is, even spiders and snakes endear themselves to you somehow.

“What about yard?”

“Any plans for it?” You sneak an extra brownie onto Nikto’s plate. Reward and apology for wrenching conversation out of him. “Grass? Trees? Flowers?”

He blinks. Just once. Some sort of intuition tells you that even that behavioral tic is a big social step for him.

“No.”

“Oh, uh… gravel then?”

“We mean no plans,” he corrects.

“Oh! Alright, I suppose that’s a long way off anyway. There’s still so much work to do on the inside.”

But it does get you thinking. What even goes into fixing a house? And how do they know all this stuff? The electric, the insulation, the… whatever else goes into a home. Is it just Weird Things they picked up from the military?

You stare contemplatively at the house’s exterior as you walk the plates across the street with Nikto. (Ras is riding on his shoulder and Guy refused to detach his claws from yours. You fear for the state of your home with Shithead left behind, but neither you nor Nikto had a spare hand to wrangle her with.)

Nikto practically kicks the door in, shouting for the others as he goes. Guy chooses that moment to start crying - uncanny sense for appearing pathetic as possible.

Konig must hear him halfway down the stairs, because the steady boot steps get faster after a moment.

“Oh, bubchen! Why are you sad? What has happened?” Konig coos, nearly running to your side.

Of course, now that he’s gotten what he wanted, Guy’s volume lowers. He makes a pleased little “mrow” and slinks off your shoulder and into Konig’s reaching hands. You’d call him a traitor but you’re a damn sucker for a big man with a cute animal. 

“You two are ridiculous,” you laugh, setting the plates on the counter.

It’s already been replaced since last you saw it. Black granite, very sleek. You like it. (Which of them installed it? Nikto? You usually catch glimpses of him on the ground floor.)

“He is a baby, Biene,” Konig protests, “he must be treated like one.”

“He’s already five!” You reply, like you don’t have a papoose for when your hands are too full to snuggle him.

“Did I stutter? I do not think so. This is a baby.”

You have to turn away to hide your laughter, pretending that taking the foil off the lunches requires your full attention.

Krueger steps up behind you while you’re not looking. The heat of him is what alerts you, the only reason you don’t jump when his rough voice comes by your head.

“Where is the Shithead.”

“Hello to you too, Krueger. How is your day?”

He grunts and reaches past you, trying to snatch up a brownie. Without a thought, you slap at his hand - balk at the sharp whack sound it makes. He jerks his hand back in shock.

“You deny me my dearest friend and you attack me in my own home.”

You spin on your heel, mouth already open. False start as you realize he’s even closer than you expected. The height difference doesn’t seem like much until you’re eye level with his neck. You untangle your tongue and ignore the smirk growing at the corner of his scarred mouth.

“This is barely a house, never mind a home,” you scoff.

He snorts - that smirk turns to a full blown grin. A little crazed. Unfortunately, that makes it more attractive. (And the bastard probably knows it too.)

“You insult me too, now.”

“Sure, but I brought you food.”

He flicks his eyes to the plate behind you and arches a brow.

“Bring me the little Sheisskerl and I will forgive you.”

You tilt your head to the side. “Go get her yourself.”

What the hell did you just say? Inviting a man into your house unaccompanied?! You may not be a true crime writer, but you know better.

You still don’t take it back.

He locks eyes with you, gives the distinct impression that he knows exactly what you just thought and he’s amused by your obstinance.

“Fine.” He reaches past your hip. Smells like sweat and something that reminds you of heat. Solder? Certainly not anything you’re used to. “Behave, eh? Konig is easy to take advantage of.”

You snort and glance at Konig over his shoulder, who’s glaring now. (Somehow no less intimidating even with Guy nuzzling at his mask.)

As Krueger turns, he takes a big bite of brownie, humming appreciatively under his breath. You shake your head, then turn to Konig.

“If you want to steal one of his sandwiches, I’ll look the other way.”

Konig barks a short, sharp laugh of surprise. It startles you a bit, but not enough to wipe the grin from your face. You know he really means it when he sounds like that.

“How are the bathroom repairs going?” you ask.

“They are going well!” he answers. Then launches into an in-depth explanation of all the ongoing projects. Replacing walls, rewirings, outlet and light installations. What doesn’t go over your head is almost too fast to understand as his accent thickens with excitement. You nod along anyway, because you asked, and he’s stupidly endearing - big muscular man getting a bit squeaky while he rambles about pipes.

He barely even notices Guy’s little paw reaching until it’s shoved into his open mouth. He sputters as you burst into laughter, gently tucking Guy’s arm against his chest.

“Why would you do this?!” he asks, only to receive a slow blink in response.

“He’s saying you need to eat,” you giggle, nudging Konig’s plate.

“Oh, that’s right! Thank you for the lunch!”

Barely a couple bites in and you hear the door open again. Krueger stomps in with Shithead bundled in his arms, one hand under her bottom, the other around her tummy. She’s got her head tilted all the way back to chirp and chitter at him.

“Why are you carrying her like that?” you ask, choking back a giggle. 

“It is how she wishes to be carried.”

You blink at her - but sure as shit, she’s perfectly content being held like a child’s toy.

“Well good luck eating like that.”

“You won’t feed me?” he leers.

“I don’t want rabies if you bite me.”

His laughter is even harsher than Konig’s. You like it instantly.

All that’s left is to hear Nikto’s.

Agatha is outside when Nikto walks you back home.

(Krueger huffed that he had too much work to do for the day, but he would see you for dinner. While you were still blinking in shock at his self-invite, Konig transitioned Little Guy back into your arms. All the while grumbling at Krueger’s impatient German.)

She scowls as she notices your two-person parade. Nikto’s juggling Little Guy and Rasputin; you’ve got a firm grip on Shithead and the stack of dirty plates. You snort a bit just thinking of her paranoid comments about them being bad men. Sure, they might be in some ways, but it’s a hard sell when Ras is trying to lick at the edge of the mask around Nikto’s eyes.

“Afternoon, Agatha,” you call, just to be petty.

“When is your fiance coming by again?” she calls back. “Such a lovely young man.”

Your mirth dries up in an instant. “I broke up with my boyfriend four months ago. I thought I told you.”

You did. You know you did. Because she’s a nosy pain in the ass that was asking about your Easter plans with him (trying to invite you to church once again) when you told her that you left him. She’d even fussed about it at the time, saying that there’s hardly anything that can’t be healed with time and understanding.

(It was only your commitment to your own privacy that kept you from asking how much time it takes to smooth over someone cheating with your cousin.)

At your side, Nikto grunts. You glance sideways at him, wondering what he must think.

But his eyes are on Agatha. Even Rasputin has paused the grooming routine to narrow his one eye at her.

“Is this the one that looks in mailbox?” he asks, louder than you’ve ever heard.

Loud enough that she hears. And flushes redder than the poppies in your flowerboxes.

“That’s her husband, actually,” you answer. She sputters, and an incredibly immature bolt of satisfaction suffuses you.

He grunts again. Eyes her up and down. “Maybe we leave surprise for him next time, da?”

You press your lips together, but it does nothing to prevent you from grinning. He’s deadly serious, though, which somehow makes it even funnier to you.

“Maybe!” you reply in a tone that really means absolutely.

Nikto shuts the door on her face before Agath can get out a threat to call the police.

“You’ve got a petty streak,” you say, grinning at him.

He tilts his head. “You like.” He doesn’t even sound sure if it’s a question or a statement.

“Yeah,” you giggle, “I like it.”

He grunts and takes the plates from your hand. “We wash. You think about dinner and revenge. Da?”

You plop yourself onto a stool by the kitchen counter. “Da.”

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Masterlist

[gardenschedule]

Quotes about John Lennon’s sexuality

This is just a reference post for convenience, not an analysis (but I’ve added some comments here and there). This is extremely long with a lot of quotes! And where there's smoke there's fire, imo.

John's (internalized) homophobia: Starting with this topic to provide context & contrast to the rest of this post

At the party the boys’ old friend Bob Wooler, the Cavern emcee, made a crack to John about his holiday. John, who’d had plenty to drink, exploded. He leapt on Bob, and by the time he was dragged off Bob had a black eye and badly bruised ribs. I took John home as fast as I could, and Brian drove Bob to the hospital.

I was appalled that John had lashed out again. I’d thought those days were over. But John was still livid, muttering that Bob had called him a queer.

Cynthia Lennon, John

[Bob Wooler had] insinuated that me and Brian had had an affair in Spain. I was out of me mind with drink. You know, when you get down to the point where you want to drink out of all the empty glasses, that drunk. And he was saying, ‘Come on, John, tell me’ – something like that – ‘Tell me about you and Brian, we all know.’ And obviously I must have been frightened of the fag in me to get so angry. You know, when you’re twenty-one, you want to be a man, and all that. If somebody said it now, I wouldn’t give a shit.

John Lennon, John Lennon: For The Record, Peter McCabe and Robert D Schonfeld

“The Beatles’ first national coverage was me beating up Bob Wooler at Paul’s 21st party because he intimated I was homosexual. I must have had a fear that maybe I was homosexual to attack him like that and it’s very complicated reasoning. But I was very drunk and I hit him and I could have really killed somebody then. And that scared me… That was in the Daily Mirror, it was the back page…”

John Lennon, talking about a (one sided) fight he had with Cavern DJ Bob Wooler at Paul’s 21st birthday party in 1963.

Everyone in Liverpool knew that Epstein was gay, and some kid in the audience screamed, ‘John Lennon’s a fucking queer!’ And John – who never wore his glasses on stage – put his guitar down and went into the crowd, shouting, ‘Who said that?’ So this kid says, ‘I fucking did.’ John went after him and BAM, gave him the Liverpool kiss, sticking the nut on him – twice! And the kid went down in a mass of blood, snot and teeth. Then John got back on the stage. ‘Anybody else?’ he asked. Silence. ‘All right then. “Some Other Guy”.’”

Lemmy Kilmister, White Line Fever: The Biography. (2004)

“Victim in 1961 was one of the first British films to deal properly and thoughtfully with the subject. Dirk Bogarde welcomed the opportunity to play the homosexual barrister, and there were some very tense scenes between him and his wife, Sylvia Syms. In one scene, Dirk Bogarde lifts his garage door at the back of the mews to discover that someone has painted graffiti about him on the wall. The Beatles were sitting together at a Cavern lunchtime session and John Lennon, who was talking to Paul and George, was making biting remarks about Victim, which was on at the Odeon. I knew by then that Brian was what he was, and I thought, ‘Well, I am surprised at John, who is 21 and a young man of the world.’ He was making such nasty, puritanical observations, but I never said anything as they didn’t know that I was listening.”

Bob Wooler, c/o Spencer Leigh, The Best of Fellas: The Story of Bob Wooler. (2002)

If somebody is going to manage me, I want to know them inside out. He told me he was a fag.

 I like “Honky Tonk Woman” but I think Mick’s a joke, with all that fag dancing, I always did

I think its concept is revolutionary, and I hope it’s for workers and not for tarts and fags.

I don’t know about the “history”; the people who are in control and in power, and the class system and the whole bullshit bourgeoisie is exactly the same, except there is a lot of fag middle class kids with long, long hair walking around London in trendy clothes

I don’t dig that junkie fag scene he lives in; I don’t know whether he lives like that or what.

Casual homophobia in Lennon Remembers (Notable for the increase in homophobic language post-primary scream therapy, here is some interesting speculation about how these two things are related)

The violence that had been building inside John Lennon all night came bursting out the moment he left the studio. It struck so fast and unexpectedly that it stunned May Pang. She recalled that John was walking unsteadily toward the parking lot when suddenly he cast a drunken look over his shoulder at Jesse Ed Davis. Running over to him, Lennon gave Jesse Ed a passionate kiss on the mouth. Not to be outdone, Jesse Ed grabbed John and kissed him back. Lennon screamed, “F****t!” — and knocked Jesse flat on his ass.

The Lives of John Lennon by Albert Goldman (May Pang, describing an incident during the recording of Rock 'n' Roll in 1973: p.564)

It turned into a full-on fight. John was incredibly strong! He got me in some kind of a hold behind my back that I could not get out of, like a full nelson. And he started to kiss me on the mouth! He was laughin’ and kissin’ me on the mouth. I was strugglin’ to git away and I couldn’t git away. Then he stuck his tongue in my mouth. God! So I bit him. Bit him on the tongue. That pissed him off. So he grabbed the marble ashtray that we couldn’t break and banged me on the head. Knocked me cold.

The Lives of John Lennon by Albert Goldman (a direct quote from Jesse Ed Davis about a different night: p. 576-577)

Alternatively, he could be openly supportive:

Why make it sad to be gay? Doing your thing is O.K. Our bodies our own So leave us alone Go play with yourself – today.

A poem submitted for Len Richmond and Gary Noguera's Gay Liberation Handbook, on 30 May 1972

John spreading rumours: John (and Yoko) had a propensity for intentionally spreading rumours about his sexuality, with many people claiming that he found it funny. Multiple people refused to believe his own words about his experiences or willingness with men.

John told me he had had a one-night stand with Brian, on a holiday with him in Spain, when Brian had invited him out, a few days after the birth of Julian in 1963, leaving Cyn alone. I mentioned this brief holiday in the book, but not what John had alleged had taken place. Partly, I didn't really believe it, though John was daft enough to try almost anything once. John was certainly not homosexual, and this boast, or lie, would have given the wrong impression. It was also not fair on Cynthia, his then wife.

Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorised Biography (updated edition, 2010)

John himself said he finally allowed Brian to make love to him “to get it out of the way.” Those who knew John well, who had known him for years, don’t believe it for a moment. John was aggressively heterosexual and had never given a hint that he was anything but.

Tony Bramwell, Magical Mystery Tours: My Life With The Beatles, 2014

John roared with laughter at the rumours that began afterwards. Typically, he encouraged the stories that he and Brian were gay lovers because he thought it was funny and John was one of the world’s great wind-up merchants. He told me afterwards in one of our frankest heart-to-hearts that Brian never seriously did proposition him. He had teased Brian about the young men he kept gazing at and the odd ones who had found their way to his room. Brian had joked to John about the women who hurled themselves at him. ‘If he’d asked me, I probably would have done anything he wanted. I was so much in awe of Brian then I’d have tried a night of vice-versa. But he never wanted me like that. Sure, I took the mickey a bit and pretended to lead him on. But we both knew we were joking.

Alistair Taylor, With The Beatles, 2003

Years later, John finally came clean about what had happened: not to anyone who’d been around at the time, but to the unshockable woman with whom he shared the last decade of his life. He said that one night during the trip, Brian had cast aside shyness and scruples and finally come on to him, but that he’d replied, “If you feel like that, go out and find a hustler.” Afterward, he had deliberately fed Pete Shotton the myth of his brief surrender, so that everyone would believe his power over Brian to be absolute.

Philip Norman, John Lennon: The Life, 2008

The next night Elliot [Mintz] took us out with a friend of his, Sal Mineo, and we all went to a gay cabaret/discotheque. John was oblivious to the gay ambience. He was curious about everyone’s sexuality and liked to gossip about who was sleeping with whom, whether they were gay or straight. John made no judgements about homosexuality but was really curious about who was and who wasn’t gay.

He knew that his appearance at a gay club might start rumors about his own sexuality, and it made him laugh. He told me that there had been rumors about him and his first manager, Brian Epstein, and that he usually didn’t deny them. He liked the fact that people could be titillated by having suspicions about his masculinity. Then I was the one who was laughing. “How could anyone believe a man who likes women as much as you do is gay?” I told him.

May Pang’s Loving John (1983).

Q. Have you ever fucked a guy?

A. Not yet, I thought I’d save it til I was 40, life begins at 40 you know, tho I never noticed it.

Q. It is trendy to be bisexual and you’re usually ‘keeping up with the Jones’, haven’t you ever… there was talk about you and PAUL…

A. Oh, I thought it was about me and Brian Epstein… anyway, I’m saving all the juice for my own version of THE REAL FAB FOUR BEATLES STORY etc.. etc..

John Lennon self interview for Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine (November 1974).

John: Yes, all your best friends let you know what's going on. I was trying to put it 'round that I was gay, you know-- I thought that would throw them off... dancing at all the gay clubs in Los Angeles, flirting with the boys... but it never got off the ground.

Q: I think I've only heard that lately about Paul.

John: Oh, I've had him, he's no good. [Laughter]

John Lennon, interviewed by Lisa Robinson for Hit Parader: A conversation with John Lennon (December 1975).

“It’s great,” Ono laughs. “I mean, both John and I thought it was good that people think we were bisexual, or homosexual.” She laughs again.

“Uh, well, the story I was told was a very explicit story, and from that I think they didn’t have it [sex],” Ono tells me. “But they went to Spain, and when they came back, tons of reporters were asking, ‘Did you do it, did you do it?’ So he said, ‘I did it.’ Isn’t that amazing? But of course he would say that. I’m sure Brian Epstein made a move, yeah.”

And Lennon said no to Epstein?

“He just didn’t want to do it, I think.”

Yoko Ono: I Still Fear John’s Killer by Tim Teeman for the Daily Beast (13 October 2015).

Over dinner the Wenners learned the secrets of the Beatles kingdom from Ono, who would often suggest to Wenner that John Lennon was gay. “She’s always hinted that there was some gay component to John,” said Wenner, “but in a vague or generalized way, like, ‘Isn’t everybody gay?’ Or, ‘I always told John he was gay.’ ” (She also told McCartney this theory after Lennon died, which he didn’t believe.)”

Joe Hagan, Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner & Rolling Stone Magazine. (2017)

On the other hand, he supposedly hated the rumours:

Claims have been made since that Brian and John had a gay relationship. Nothing could be further from the truth. John was a hundred per cent heterosexual and, like most lads at that time, horrified by the idea of homosexuality.

It was a holiday John came to regret because it sparked off a string of rumours about his relationship with Brian. He had to put up with sly digs, winks and innuendo that he was secretly gay. It infuriated him: all he'd wanted was a break with a friend, but it was turned into so much more.

Cynthia Lennon, John, 2005

And I just went on holiday. I watched Brian picking up the boys. I like playing a bit faggy, all that. It was enjoyable, but there were big rumours in Liverpool, it was terrible. Very embarrassing. Rumors about you and Brian? Oh, fuck knows—yes, yes. I was pretty close to Brian because if somebody's going to manage me, I want to know them inside out.

John Lennon, Jann S. Wenner, Lennon Remembers, 1970

Unfortunately, certain Liverpool acquaintances (who had no way of knowing that there was a kernel of truth to their allegations) wouldn't let John hear the end of it. All in good fun, no doubt, but John was still too enamored of his macho self-image to take lightly any inference that he was anything less than 100 percent heterosexual.

The Beatles, Lennon, and me - Pete Shotton

John's comments about his sexuality:

It’s just handy to fuck your best friend. That’s what it is. And once I resolved the fact that it was a woman as well, it’s all right. We go through the trauma of life and death every day so it’s not so much of a worry about what sex we are anymore.

John Lennon, interview w/ Jonathan Cott for Rolling Stone: Yoko Ono and her sixteen-track voice. (March 18th, 1971)

I just realized that [Yoko] knew everything I knew, and more, probably, and it was coming out of a woman’s head. It just sort of bowled me over, you know? And it was like finding gold or something. To find somebody that you can go and get pissed with, and have exactly the same relationship as any mate in Liverpool you’d ever had, but also you could go to bed with him, and it could stroke your head when you felt tired, or sick, or depressed. It could also be Mother. And obviously, that’s what the male-female – you know, you could take those roles with each other.

John Lennon, interview w/ Peter McCabe and Robert D. Schonfeld c/o Peter McCabe and Robert D. Schonfeld, John Lennon: For The Record. (September 5th, 1971)

It’s a plus, it’s not a minus. The plus is that your best friend, also, can hold you without… I mean, I’m not a homosexual, or we could have had a homosexual relationship and maybe that would have satisfied it, with working with other male artists. [faltering] An artist – it’s more – it’s much better to be working with another artist of the same energy, and that’s why there’s always been Beatles or Marx Brothers or men, together. Because it’s alright for them to work together or whatever it is. It’s the same except that we sleep together, you know? I mean, not counting love and all the things on the side, just as a working relationship with her, it has all the benefits of working with another male artist and all the joint inspiration, and then we can hold hands too, right?

John Lennon, interview w/ Sandra Shevey. (Mid-June?, 1972)

I was on holiday with Brian Epstein in Spain, where the rumours went around that he and I were having a love affair. Well, it was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated. But it was a pretty intense relationship. It was my first experience with a homosexual that I was conscious was homosexual. He had admitted it to me. We had this holiday together because Cyn was pregnant, and I went to Spain and there were lots of funny stories. We used to sit in a cafe in Torremolinos looking at all the boys and I’d say, ‘Do you like that one, do you like this one?’ I was rather enjoying the experience, thinking like a writer all the time: I am experiencing this, you know.

John Lennon, Rolling Stone, 1980

I was thinking, if only I could get out of Liverpool, be famous and rich, that would be great. I’ve always wanted to be a famous artist, you know? Possibly I’d have to marry a very rich old lady… or man, you know… to… to look after me while I did my art. But then Rock & Roll came and I thought ‘Ah, this is the one’, so I didn’t have to marry anybody or live with them, you know?

John Lennon interview

There was even some discussion, albeit not very serious, of whether he should stick to his own gender. “John said ‘It would hurt you like crazy if I made it with a girl. With a guy, maybe you wouldn’t be hurt, because that’s not competition. But I can’t make it with a guy because I love women too much, and I’d have to fall in love with the guy and I don’t think I can.’”

John Lennon: The Life

I look at early pictures of meself, and I was torn between being Marlon Brando and being the sensitive poet – the Oscar Wilde part of me with the velvet, feminine side. I was always torn between the two, mainly opting for the macho side, because if you showed the other side, you were dead.

John Lennon, December 5th, 1980

“John believed in my work as an artist wasn’t accepted in part because I am a woman. He got angry when people said about me, “She’s not a woman, she’s a female impersonator.” John said to me, “If I had been gay and gotten together with a guy who was talented like you, after ten years that guy would have become famous as an artist in his own right. Maybe we should come out and say, ‘Actually, Yoko is a guy.’ Maybe that will do it!”

Yoko Ono, interview w/ Jon Wiener, c/o Jon Wiener, Come Together: John Lennon In His Time. (1984)

In this intense, intimate and revealing original cassette recording of a private conversation in 1969 between John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the couple speaks primarily about Yoko’s past relationships, her music and art, and their random views on sex, love, promiscuity, and homosexuality. […] [Lennon] adds that he had never met an attractive woman that had sexually aroused him to any great degree.

Description of the 45-minute audiotape auctioned in 2009 by Alexander Autographs.

Yoko's comments about his sexuality:

“Well, that’s another thing. John and I had a big talk about it, saying, basically, all of us must be bisexual. And we were sort of in a situation of thinking that we’re not [bisexual] because of society. So we are hiding the other side of ourselves, which is less acceptable. But I don’t have a strong sexual desire towards another woman.”

Did Lennon have sex with other men?

“I think he had a desire to, but I think he was too inhibited,” says Ono.

“No, not inhibited. He said, ‘I don’t mind if there’s an incredibly attractive guy.’ It’s very difficult: They would have to be not just physically attractive, but mentally very advanced too. And you can’t find people like that.”

So did Lennon ever have sex with men?

“No, I don’t think so,” says Ono. “The beginning of the year he was killed, he said to me, ‘I could have done it, but I can’t because I just never found somebody that was that attractive.’ Both John and I were into attractiveness—you know—beauty.”

Yoko Ono: I Still Fear John’s Killer by Tim Teeman for the Daily Beast (13 October 2015).

"As mild and oblique as the comment was [Paul's "You took your lucky break and broke it in two" line from "Too Many People"], it seemed to cut John to the heart. On top of the questionnaire inside theMcCartney album and the lawsuit, it was like the tipping point between a divorcing couple that turns love into savage, no-holds-barred hostility. Indeed, John's wounded anger was more that of an ex-spouse than ex-colleague, reinforcing a suspicion already in Yoko's mind that his feelings for Paul had been far more intense than the world at large ever guessed. From chance remarks he had made, she gathered there had even been a moment where - on the principle that bohemians should try everything - he had contemplated an affair with Paul, but had been deterred by Paul's immovable heterosexuality. Nor, apparently, was Yoko the only one to have picked up on this. Around Apple, in her hearing, Paul would sometimes be called John's princess. She had also once heard a rehearsal tape with John's voice calling out "Paul ... Paul ... " in a strangely subservient, pleading way. "I knew there was something going on there," she remembers. "From his point of view, not from Paul's. And he was so angry at Paul, I couldn't help wondering what it was really about.""

Philip Norman, John Lennon: The Life, 2008

I’m sure that if he had been a woman or something, he would have been a great threat, because there’s something definitely very strong with me, John, and Paul.

Yoko Ono, Revolution Tape, June 4th 1968

Friends & acquaintances comments on his sexuality:

I realised I was probably bisexual; there was nothing to be ashamed of in this – John Lennon had reputedly spoken to mutual friends of his own experiments.

Who I Am: A Memoir, Pete Townshend 2012

PAUL: There were lots of people asking cheeky questions, and they were always saying, “Well, why–have you ever tried homosexuality, John?” You know, they always used to ask all that kind of stuff. I remember John saying to them, “No, I’ve never met a fella I fancy enough.” And that was his kind of opinion. You know, “I may go–I may be gay one day, if some fella really turns me on.” He was–he was that open about it. But as far as I was concerned, I slept in a million hotel rooms–as we all did–slept in a million places with John, and there was never any hint of it.

December 24th, 1983: interview with DJ Roger Scott

“And you, Icke?” asked Paul. “Who’s your favourite author?” “Henry Miller. I think he’s very good,” I said. In that moment John suddenly looked over at me. Until then he had been watching Bettina, the bar lady, rinsing glasses and tidying up the bar, with his typical somewhat blasé expression. Our discussion hadn’t seemed to interest him much. Now he was looking directly into my eyes. Quietly and without taking his eyes off me, he walked around the whole counter over to me, planted a kiss on my mouth and went back to his spot. At first, I was quite surprised and didn’t know what to do about it, then I found it rather funny and thought little of it. A few days later, it happened again. I happened upon* him in the hallway behind the stage and again he took my hand and kissed me. At some point the thought occurred to me, “man, he thinks I’m gay, but I can’t help him with that.” What was really going on, I don’t know. Maybe he meant the kisses as overtures; he was even treated as a closet case by homosexuals.

Hans-Walther (Icke) Braun (a friend of the Beatles in Hamburg)

"What happened," John explained, "is that Eppy just kept on and on at me. Until one night I finally just pulled me trousers down and said to him: 'Oh, for Christ's sake, Brian, just stick it up me fucking arse then.' "And he said to me, 'Actually, John, I don't do that kind of thing. That's not what I like to do.' "'Well,' I said, 'what is it you want to do, then?' "And he said, 'I'd really just like to touch you, John.' "And so I let him toss me off." And that was that. End of story. "That's all, John?" I said. "Well, so what? What's the big fucking deal, then?" "Yeah, so fucking what! The poor bastard. He's having a fucking hard enough time anyway." This was in reference to the "butch" dockers who, on several recent occasions, had rewarded Brian's advances by beating him to a bloody pulp. "So what harm did it do, then, Pete, for fuck's sake?" John asked rhetorically. "No harm at all. The poor fucking bastard, he can't help the way he is." "No need to get so worked up," I said. "You know I don't give a shit. What's a fucking wank between friends anyway?"

Pete Shotton, Nicholas Schaffner, John Lennon: In My Life, 1983

I think he was trying to find himself a… what he’d call a soulmate. Someone who had as mad ideas as he had. I think he felt that she had the talent… but that’s debatable. But he needed that— he didn’t need a ‘mumsie’ partner at that point. He needed a mate. And I think he actually said, at some stage, in an interview that, you know— She’s the nearest thing to a man — a mate; man — that he’s ever had in a woman.

Cynthia Lennon, interviewed by Alex Belfield for BBC Radio (2006).

Paul wrote to me from the Star Club in Hamburg once, a great letter, it even had doodles on the front of it, but it was stolen. He said that in one of the clubs one night John Lennon ended up with a stunning, exotic-looking woman—only to discover on closer inspection that she was a he, which all the other Beatles found hilarious.

Sue Johnston (actress), The Mirror. (August 23rd, 2011)

Though raised amid the same homophobia as his companions, John seemed totally unshocked by St Pauli’s abundant drag scene; indeed, he often seemed actively to seek it out. ‘There was one particular club he used to like,’ Tony Sheridan remembers, ‘full of these big guys with hairy hands, deep voices—and breasts. But they used to make an effort to talk English. There was something about the place that seemed to make John feel at home.’

In John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman (2008).

“We’d read all these things about leather and we didn’t have any leather but I had my oilskins and we had some polythene bags from somewhere. We all dressed up in them and wore them in bed. John stayed the night with us in the same bed. I don’t think anything very exciting happened and we all wondered what the fun was in being ‘kinky’. It was probably more my idea than John’s.”

Royston Ellis

In the same book Pauline speculates, sensationally, that John and her brother had a homosexual relationship. ‘I have known in my heart for many years that Stuart and John had a sexual relationship,’ she writes, though she fails to provide any firm evidence. Pauline wonders whether this ‘relationship’ was the real cause of the antagonism between Paul and Stu.

Fab, An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney

Journalist & author comments on his sexuality:

“No, he wasn’t sexually attracted to Paul. Paul was very very pretty, but he actually wasn’t someone who made gay men fancy him. John was much more likely to make a gay man like Brian Epstein because John seemed so straight, there was nothing sort of girly about John at all. But John wanted to be, in his mind, a real artist, that is someone who painted and did sculpture. And he thought that a real artist or he called it a bohemian, should be open to all experiences. He should perhaps have a homosexual experience. Who was around? Paul was around. They used to share beds you know, in these cheap hotels when they would go around with the Beatles. There was never any question of Paul ever reciprocating such a thing, it was merely a thought that according to Yoko had flitted across John’s mind. Now John could use sexuality, I mean he did somewhat play on the fact that Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager, was in love with him you know, but it was just a game really with John.”

Philip Norman interview

"Yet even [John's resentment over Paul announcing the breakup first] does not explain his later remark to Yoko that no one had ever hurt him the way Paul hurt him. It almost suggests that, deep beneath the schoolboy friendship and the complementary musical brilliance, lay some streak of homosexual adoration that John himself never realised. He might have longed to get away from Paul, but he could never quite get over him."

Philip Norman, Shout!, 1981

And any mention of Paul brought a wintry bleakness to her face. 'John always used to say,' [Yoko] told me at one point, 'that no one ever hurt him the way Paul hurt him.' The words suggested a far deeper emotional attachment between the two than the world had ever suspected---they were like those of a spurned lover---and I naturally included them in my account of my visit for the Sunday Times. After it appeared, I returned to my London flat one evening to be told by my then girlfriend, ‘Paul, phoned you.’ She said he wanted to know what Yoko had meant and that he’d seemed upset rather than angry.

Paul McCartney: The Life - Philip Norman.

“If you had a choice, Eppy,” John said, “if you could press a button and be hetero, would you do it?” Brian thought for a moment. “Strangely, no,” he said. A little later a peculiar game developed. John would point out some passing man to Brian, and Brian would explain to him what it was about the fellow that he found attractive or unattractive. “I was rather enjoying the experience,” John said, “thinking like a writer all the time: I am experiencing this.” And still later, back in their hotel suite, drunk and sleepy from the sweet Spanish wine, Brian and John undressed in silence. “It’s okay, Eppy,” John said, and lay down on his bed. Brian would have liked to have hugged him, but he was afraid. Instead, John lay there, tentative and still, and Brian fulfilled the fantasies he was so sure would bring him contentment, only to awake the next morning as hollow as before.

Peter Brown, The Love You Make, 1983

“[John and Janov] talked…about Brian Epstein…‘He knew Brian had adored him, and there was a lot of guilt there about the way he'd depended on Brian yet mistreated him,’ Janov recalls. They talked about John's notorious Spanish holiday with Brian in 1963 and the (to John) insignificant physical encounter that had resulted. The more Janov heard about Brian, the more he longed to have had him as a patient. ‘God, that was a tragic story. There was someone who needed therapy even more than John did.’”

Phillip Normans book, John Lennon: The Life.

Whilst the Beatles had always been marketed as a heterosexual group - in contrast with the Stones, whose image was androgynous - they were sympathetic to the homosexual population. Lennon himself was alleged to have had affairs with both men and women, and although he never openly admitted it to me, his condemnation of Britain as a land which feeds on a homosexual subsculture persuades me at this late stage that he was speaking from experience. I am sure that the break-up of the Beatles, or, more specifically, of John and Paul, must have been more traumatic than any of us suspect.

Sandra Shevey, The Other Side of Lennon

‘OK: John Reid said that when we were in Boston with Elton and John in 1974, he couldn’t resist asking John whether the rumours about him and Epstein were true. This was in response to John having said to John Reid, “You’re the most intimidating man I’ve met since Brian Epstein.” And so John Reid, never knowingly one to miss an opportunity, said, “Did you ever have sex with Brian?” And John said, “Twice. Once to see what it was like, and once to make sure I didn’t like it.” ‘All these years, by the way, I have not wanted to be the guy who declared, “John Lennon and Brian Epstein had sex.” You can appreciate how I feel about this. Do we want the historical record to be accurate, or does John have a right to privacy? And would it upset Cynthia [by now deceased], or Julian? I don’t mind about Yoko, she’d probably think it was a great idea. Bisexuality, wooh.’ ‘Simon Napier-Bell said that both Epstein and John told him they did it in Spain,’ I said. ‘Ah, I’m not the only one. Good,’ replied Paul.

...

But then there were John’s liaisons with David Bowie, which David himself told me about. According to him, it happened on several occasions. He didn’t go into detail, nor did I press him, but he was perfectly open about it. About Mick Jagger, too, I told Paul. ‘Huh. I feel sort of left out,’ said Paul.

Paul Gambaccini, Lesley-Ann Jones - The Search for John Lennon

"That Bowie worshipped Lennon was no secret…They'd met in Los Angeles, [Bowie] told me, during John's Lost Weekend…The crazy pair went out to play, according to David, when John was on yet another break from May [Pang] and far away from Yoko. They gender bendered about, John indulging again that 'inner fag' of his… They later 'hooked up': 'There was a whore in the middle, and it wasn't either of us,' David smirked. 'At some point in the proceedings, she left. I think it was a she. Not that we minded.' By the time they made it back to New York, the ambisextrous pair were 'lifelong friends!"

Lesley-Ann Jones - The Search for John Lennon

Marriage, Divorce & replacing Paul with Yoko:

"I used my resentment and withdrawing from Paul and the Beatles and the relationship with Paul to write 'How Do You Sleep?'

John (Source: Bill Harry, The John Lennon Encyclopedia, 2001)

JOHN: In a marriage, or a love affair – when the seven-year-itch or the twelve-year (note: there is no such thing as the twelve year itch but guess how long J&P were together) or whatever these things that you have to go through – there comes a point where the marriage collapses because they can’t face that reality, and they go seeking what they thought they should be having, still, somewhere else. I get a new girl, it’ll all be like that again; I get a new boy… But for all marriages, all couples, it’ll all be the same again. But what you lose is what you put into that… relationship.

September, 1980

There seem to be certain cycles that relationships go through. And the critical points are at different parts of the different cycles, different points on the – if there’s a straight line, there are different points, you know? And the bit, the new way of talking is like, “Well, why have a relationship? We can just stop and get another one.” But the karmic joke about that is, that any new relationship, presuming you’re lucky enough to find a new relationship anywhere near the relationship that you’re giving up – or exchanging, or walking away from, or have destroyed by inattention or inadvertent or selfishness or whatever it is – that you have to go through the same thing again anyway. You reach the same point.

John Lennon, interview w/ David Sheff for Playboy. (September, 1980)

"I'd like to thank Elton and the boys for having me on tonight. We tried to think of a number to finish off with so I can get out of here and be sick, and we thought we'd do a number of an old estranged fiancé of mine called Paul."

John, introducing "I Saw Her Standing There" at the Thanksgiving show at Madison Square Garden in 1974

You know, John loved Paul. No doubt about it. I remember once he said to me, “I’m the only person who’s allowed to say things like that about Paul. I don’t like it when other people do.” He didn’t like if other people said nasty things about Paul. And he always referred to Paul as his estranged fiancé and things like that, like he did on that [live] record ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ with Elton in Madison Square Garden.

1990: Former Beatles publicist Tony King

TRYNKA: When The Beatles split, did you feel relief? YOKO: No. I always thought, “John won’t be doing this thing with The Beatles and eventually I can do my work too.” That was my plan. But suddenly he’s saying, “I burned my bridge with them, so now it’s you, okay?” I thought, “My God, he was getting the thrill of working with three very strong individuals, and now I have to take all that brunt.” He did put it that way; he was “riding on the boat called Paul, and now I’m going to ride on a boat called Yoko.”

Yoko Ono, interview w/ Paul Trynka for MOJO. (May, 2003)

“. . . I mean, I think really what it was, really all that happened was that John fell in love. With Yoko. And so, with such a powerful alliance like that, it was difficult for him to still be seeing me. It was as if I was another girlfriend, almost. Our relationship was a strong relationship. And if he was to start a new relationship, he had to put this other one away. And I understood that. I mean, I couldn’t stand in the way of someone who’d fallen in love. You can’t say, “Who’s this?” You can’t really do that. If I was a girl, maybe I could go out and… But you know I mean in this case I just sort of said, right – I mean, I didn’t say anything, but I could see that was the way it was going to go, and that Yoko would be very sort of powerful for him. So um, we all had to get out the way.”

Paul McCartney, interview with German tv program Exclusiv, April 1985.

BARROW: She was a very strong influence on John, and may well have been telling him that he could do best on his own, but I still think that on the back of John’s mind would be this sort of fascination with wanting to get back with the first girlfriend, if you’d like [laughs], and it was to get back with Paul that he had so much history with.

Tony Barrow, The Beatles’ press officer

"[Paul] said it was written about Julian. He knew I was splitting with Cyn and leaving Julian then. He was driving to see Julian to say hello. He had been like an uncle. And he came up with 'Hey Jude.' But I always heard it as a song to me. Now I'm sounding like one of those fans reading things into it...Think about it: Yoko had just come into the picture. He is saying 'Hey, Jude' - 'Hey, John.' Subconsciously, he was saying, 'Go ahead, leave me.' On a conscious level, he didn't want me to go ahead. The angel in him was saying 'Bless you.' The Devil in him didn't like it at all, because he didn't want to lose his partner."

John (Source: Playboy, 1980)

SALEWICZ: Well, I always found it interesting the fact that he got – I mean, it seemed too much like coincidence to me, the fact that he got married a week or month after you. You know what I mean? PAUL: Yeah. I think we spurred each other into marriage. I mean, you know. They were very strong together, which left me out of the picture. So I got together with Linda and then we got strong with our own kind of thing. And I used to listen to a lot of what they said. I remember him saying to me, “You’ve got to work at marriage,” which is something I still remember as a bit of advice. I still remember that. Um… And then yeah, I think they were a little bit peeved that we got married first. Probably. In a little way, you know, just minor jealousies. And so they got married. I don’t know if that’s – I mean, who knows… [inaudible] making it up, anyway.

September, 1986 (MPL Communications, London): journalist Chris Salewicz

“If you look at interviews and stuff with John, from around about that time he was in Imagine [documentary] he kind of admits that he’s having problems with himself. So, well, the first thing you do when you’re having problems with yourself is you bitch about someone else. And the closest person was me…He had a real go at me. I personally think it was ‘cause he was trying to clear the decks for Yoko. He’s got a new love, he’s trying to say to her, “Look, baby, I love you. I hate those guys.”

Paul McCartney

"The line [the walrus was Paul] was put in partly because I was feeling guilty because I was with Yoko and I was leaving Paul. It's a very perverse way of saying to Paul: 'here, have this crumb, this illusion, this stroke - because I'm leaving.'" -John

Playboy, 1980

JOHN: And throwing in the line “the Walrus was Paul” just to confuse everybody a bit more. And because I felt slightly guilty because I’d got Yoko, and he’d got nothing, and I was gonna quit. [laughs; bleak] And so I thought ‘Walrus’ has now become [in] meaning, “I am the one.” It didn’t mean that in the song, originally. It just meant I’m the – it could have been I’m the – “I’m The Fox Terrier,” you know. I mean, it’s just a bit of poetry.

August, 1980: John talks to Playboy writer David Sheff about ‘Glass Onion’.

"I started thinking, 'Well, if that's the case [not getting back together], I had better get myself together. I just can't let John control the situation and dump us as if we're the jilted girlfriends.'"

The Beatles, Anthology, 1995

“After we’d done the One To One concert film,” recalled Steve Gebhardt, “I remember John saying to me that the days of everything being Johnandyoko – one word – were over. I was shocked.” Ono completed her record, Approximately Infinite Universe, which was greeted more positively than her previous releases. Lennon did his best to publicise it, writing a personal note to the Capitol Records boss asking him to throw the company’s weight behind it. But in mid-January 1973 Lennon and Ono quarrelled publicly at another party. “I wish I was back with Paul,” Lennon reportedly said.

Peter Doggett, You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of The Beatles. (2009)

YOKO: I think that it’s like [John] was married to Paul, and now he was married to me… So it was a situation that he didn’t feel like he wanted to go back, really. John had a lot of respect for Paul, and of course, love. But I would think that if the truth may be told, the love was lost on both ways. There were times that Paul did say a lot of strange things about John, so that I know that it wasn’t like Paul loved John but John didn’t love Paul, or John actually loved Paul but Paul didn’t. I mean, it was like a very healthy situation where they outgrew each other’s company. And only until John became what he is now – which is after John’s death that people started to revere John – it became an issue for Paul. Because you have to understand that table was turned many times. One, when John made the Jesus Christ remark, and Paul became virtually a leader. And John turned the table on Paul by becoming a partner with me, probably. But then the thing is, the table was turned again by Paul becoming extremely successful with Wings. So he was doing alright, while John did Some Time in New York City with me, and then followed that with Mind Games or something, you know. 1990: Yoko

“They loved each other more than most couples do, and when they split it was more wrenching than most divorces”

Beatles publicist Tony Barrow on Lennon and McCartney

““I’m sure that in the case of Paul there’s that feeling that I’m the woman who took away his partner – it’s like a divorce.””

Yoko Ono (You Never Give Me Your Money, Peter Doggett)

“On March 12, Paul married Linda Eastman at Marylebone Register Office in London, amid scenes of hysterical grief from his female fans. None of the other Beatles was present. The news reached John as he and Yoko were driving down to visit Aunt Mimi in Poole. Yoko’s divorce decree had become final a few weeks earlier, and, in a resurgence of Beatle copycat, John told her they, too, must get married as soon as possible”

Philip Norman, John Lennon: The life

“Then also we were like married, so you got the bitterness. It’s not a woman scorned this time, it’s two men scorned — probably even worse. And I had to make way for Yoko. My relationship with John could not have remained as it was and Yoko feel secure.”

Paul McCartney, Interview by Duncan Fallowell in the Chicago Tribune, October 14th, 1984

Knowing John so well, I believe that the only reason he picked Yoko was [he wanted] a negative reaction. I mean, it was purely a negative reaction because he couldn’t take any more girls in the world, actually. I mean, he knew that he could have any girl. And the girls, that were nice-looking—he couldn’t stand them. I mean, from morning to night, there were girls not boys—actually, running after them. We used to go to his house and think that we are in peace. Suddenly a girl with a broken leg is jumping over John’s fence to, to get an autograph. It was a pain in the neck. John wanted to be with a woman. But he needed as well very, very much a friend. He needed a male friend. And my opinion is that Yoko, he managed somehow to combine both. He had a fear for pretty women running after him. Yoko was not very pretty, uh, at all, and he replaced a male in his life plus a female.

Magic Alex, All You Need Is Love – Peter Brown & Steven Gaines

Jealousy regarding Paul Mccartney: I wouldn't consider any of this especially convincing on it's own, however John's consistent dislike for and rudeness towards Paul's partners is notable

I was a very possessive and jealous guy, and the lyrics explain that pretty clearly. Not just jealous towards Yoko, but towards everything, male and female – incredibly possessive.

1970 (audio snippet approx 2:06)

In an entry noting McCartney’s marriage to Linda Eastman, Lennon crossed out “wedding” and wrote “funeral”, the Observer said.

Associated Press: Lennon’s resentment of McCartney reflected in book notes. (July 20th, 1986)

Q: I saw that thing in The Observer the other week, about the manuscript of the Apple Beatles biography and the vitriolic comments John made in the margins. I think that shows the sort of pain he was going through. Look, he was a great guy, great sense of humour and I’d do it all again. I’d go through it all again, and have him slagging me off again just because he was so great; those are all the down moments, there was much more pleasure than has really come out. I had a wonderful time, with one of the world’s most talented people. We had all that craziness, but if someone took one of your wedding photos and put ‘funeral’ on it, as he did on that manuscript, you’d tend to feel a bit sorry for the guy. I’ll tell you what, if I’d ever done that to him, he would’ve just hit the roof. But I just sat through it all like mild-mannered Clark Kent Q: When did you actually get a perspective on it? I still haven’t. It’s still inside me. John was lucky. He got all his hurt out. I’m a different sort of a personality. There’s still a lot inside me that’s trying to work it out. And that’s why it’s good to see that wedding-funeral bit, because I started to think, ‘Wait a minute, this is someone who’s going over the top. This is paranoia manifesting itself.’ And so my feeling is just like it was at the time, which is like, He’s my buddy, I don’t really want to do anything to hurt him, or his memory, or anything. I don’t want to hurt Yoko. But, at the same time, it doesn’t mean that I understand what went down.

Paul McCartney: An Innocent Man? (October, 1986)

Q: "But for a while you didn't get along with Linda." JOHN: "We all got along well with Linda." Q: "When did you first meet her?" JOHN: "The first time was after that Apple press conference in America. We were going back to the airport and she was in the car with us. I didn't think she was particularly attractive. A bit too tweedy, you know. But she sat in the car and took photographs and that was it. And the next minute she's married him."

John Lennon Interview: St. Regis Hotel, New York City 9/5/1971

One night John came in and some chick was in bed with Paul and he cut all her clothes up with a pair of scissors, and was stabbing the wardrobe. Everybody was lying in bed thinking, ‘Oh fuck, I hope he doesn’t kill me.’ [He was] a frothing mad person—he knew how to have ‘fun.’

George Harrison, c/o Derek Taylor, Fifty Years Adrift. (1984)

"One time Paul had a chick in bed and John came in and got a pair of scissors and cut all her clothes into pieces and then wrecked the wardrobe. He got like that occasionally, it was because of the pills and being up too long."

George Harrison (Source: The Beatles, Anthology, 1995)

"I remember I had a girlfriend called Celia. I must have been 16 or 17, about the same age as her...we went out one evening and for some reason John tagged along, I can't remember why it was. I think he'd thought I was going to see him, I thought I'd cancelled it and he showed up at my house. But he was a mate, and he came on a date with this Celia girl, and at the end of the date she said, 'Why did you bring that dreadful guy?' And of course I said, 'Well, he's all right really.' And I think, in many ways, I always found myself doing that. It was always, 'Well, I know he was rude; it was funny, though, wasn't it?'"

Paul, Barry Miles, Many Years From Now, 1997

I came for dinner, and I was the only girl there. John definitely didn't like that. He didn't like me being there at ALL. He was mean and sarcastic. As far as he was concerned, I had no business being invited to dinner with the four of them. For him this was an exclusive boys' club. He was purposely making me feel uneasy. At one point, the boys were handing around a scrapbook -- looking at pictures of that first tour. John made some snide comment like, "What is SHE doing here?" I got the idea that he thought Paul was an idiot to take a girl so seriously he'd actually invite her to dinner, when all he really needed to do was fuck her AFTER dinner.

Peggy Lipton, Breathing Out, 2005

Whether it was her cool confidence or her posh accent, something about Jane goaded John to direct his caustic eyes in her direction. “Well. Let’s all play a question-and-answer-game!” He announced a bit too cheerily. Then he turned to Jane. “So tell us, luv, how do girls play with themselves?” Silence. Jane’s eyes widened. Paul, sitting close to her on the floor, put his hand in the air, as if he could wave John’s words back into his mouth. “John! John!” he yelped. “Stop it. You can’t do that.” John just smiled, peering intently through his glasses. “No, you can tell us. Come on. We all want to know, come on.” Paul, looking aghast, shook his head vehemently. “John. For christsakes, John.”

Peter Ames Carlin, Paul McCartney: A Life

JOHN: So it was always the family thing, you see. If Jane [Asher] was to have a career, then that’s not going to be a cozy family, is it? All the other girls were just groupies mainly. And with Linda not only did he have a ready-made family, but she knows what he wants, obviously, and has given it to him. The complete family life. He’s in Scotland. He told me he doesn’t like English cities anymore. So that’s how it is. MCCABE: So you think with Linda he’s found what he wanted? JOHN: I guess so. I guess so. I just don’t understand… I never knew what he wanted in a woman because I never knew what I wanted. I knew I wanted something intelligent or something arty, whatever it was. But you don’t really know what you want until you find it. So anyway, I was very surprised with Linda. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d married Jane Asher, because it had been going on for a long time and they went through a whole ordinary love scene. But with Linda it was just like, boom! She was in and that was the end of it.

John Lennon, interview w/ Peter McCabe and Robert Schonfeld. (September, 1971)

Random cute things: flirting etc

I remember we were going down to the studio [...] and there was a great crowd pressing against the car. John was sitting in the back and he said, “Push Paul out first. He’s the prettiest.”

Victor Spinetti, in the documentary You Can’t Do That! The Making of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1995).

We were away. The boys had relaxed. As we walked off to do the next scene, I heard them joshing each other, like schoolboys on the way to class. 'Are those jeans tight, Paul?' That was John. 'What do you mean tight?' 'I can see your suspender belt through 'em and your stockings. You've got ladders in them.'

Up Front: His Strictly Confidential Autobiography by Victor Spinetti

“I could even hear what they were saying off-mike; ‘Oh Paul, you’re so cute tonight.’ was met with the reply ‘Sod off, Lennon.’”

Joan Baez on accompanying the Beatles to their concert in Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver. 26 August 1964

To Lennon, [Paul] was "cute, and didn’t he know it," a born performer who was also a "thruster" and an "operator" behind the scenes.

Christopher Sandford, Paul McCartney, 2005

In a late wee-hour-of-the-morning talk, he once told me, ‘I’m just like everybody else Harry, I fell for Paul’s looks.”

Harry Nilsson speaking about John Lennon

HARRY: Someone told me a few minutes ago they saw John walking on the street [once] wearing a sign saying – a button, rather, saying ‘I Love Paul’. And this girl who told me that said she asked him, “Why are you wearing the button that says ‘I Love Paul’?” He said, “Because I love Paul.” [laughs]

February 17th, 1984: Harry Nilsson

PAUL: It’s like, uh, “We have to get back.” “We’re on our way home.” JOHN: Yeah. PAUL: There’s a story. There’s another one – ‘Don’t Let Me Down’. “Oh darling, I’ll never let you down.” Like we’re doing— JOHN: Yeah. It’s like you and me are lovers. PAUL: [reserved] Yeah. [pause] JOHN: We’ll just have to camp it up for those two. PAUL: Yeah. Well, I’ll be wearing my skirt for the show, anyway.

Get Back sessions

PAUL: Okay, “two of us riding nowhere” that’s as if…we’re like…two, but then “we’re on our way home”  JOHN: It’s like we’re like a couple of queens. PAUL: Yeah. Well, you know. Well, I mean, that’s…  JOHN: We’re a couple of queens… PAUL: That’s just too bad. Unless you want to get Paul and Paula in. Poetic license, John. JOHN: You’re telling me, Paul.

Get Back sessions

[nottswitch]

would you be able to write how Fred and George would react towards reader accidentally turning themselves into a cat? like a potion mixup that turns us into a cat and somehow, he wander around to try get someone to fix it but bump into them along the way? I just find it a cute idea and fluffy! 🙌

⋆˙⟡ you accidentally turn into a cat and the twins see you

tysm for this lovely request !! i decided to make it platonic, bc you mentioned both of the guys. hope you enjoy reading this little thing <3

warnings: a bit of cursing

navigation ; masterlist ; fred m.list ; george m.list ; how to request

your favourite way to spend your free time was to hang around the weasleys’ wizard wheezes, no doubt. the energy was unmatched; you could always find something new to look at and play with even if you had previously browsed every single shelf. and, of course, the twins’ company was a more-than-enjoyable bonus.

there was a major downside, however – and it was the room. the forbidden fruit, something so enticing yet so dangerous – the laboratory where the twins kept experimental samples of their newest ideas. the temptation to try out some potions or sweets they hadn’t released yet occupied your mind at times, but you hadn’t let your impulsive thoughts win yet – hence fred and george not restricting you access to the lab.

apparently, all of you had too much faith in the soundness of your mind.

you wandered into the lab, just like you usually did every other day. the shelves were filled with various boxes and trinkets, but one of them immediately captured your attention – it was new and exciting. a small bottle of silver liquid faintly glimmering in the shadows of the “potions” rack. before you could stop yourself, your feet dragged you in the bottle’s direction. you picked it up and twirled it around to have a better look – no one’d prevent you from looking, right? a potion so beautiful simply couldn’t be dangerous, could it? one wouldn’t make such an alluring little vial if it wasn’t supposed to be drunk. you’d be less tempted if it had a “drink me” sticker plastered across it.

before you knew it, the liquid poured down your throat, coating it with the richest sweetness and the freshest chill. you couldn’t hold in a satisfied moan – so tasty, so calming. and there were no side effects! must not have been a successfully attempted sample, right?

wrong.

you didn’t necessarily feel it, but your head went dizzy for a brief moment. oh, that’s nothing, you thought, heading to the mirror – to check, just in case. the problem arose as soon as you looked – more so, tried to look. you couldn’t see anything, not even the mirror itself. the only thing in front of you was the wall.

“what the actual hell?”

no, the words were nothing like this. in fact, they weren’t words at all. all you could hear was a series of meows, so you wondered who could possibly let a cat in here, as the shop had a strict “no pets allowed” policy. but your initial surprise was washed away by a much bigger tidal wave of pure shock as you realized that no one did. you were the cat. a little black and white one, judging by the paws.

shit. or, as the only thing you could make out, meow.

you rushed out of the room with all the speed your little legs could provide. down the stairs, one more turn – and you were in the main area of the shop, lost in a crowd of people, which was an everyday occurrence in the weasleys’ wizard wheezes. kids looked at you, laughing as you stumbled into tables, dumbfounded by an array of extremely unfamiliar sensations and meowing at the top of your lungs – likely added to the fun.

“what do we have here?”

you heard george’s voice somewhere above you and in a desperate attempt to get noticed bumped straight into his leg, getting dizzy once more. you stepped away, the already too-big-to-handle world spinning around. you couldn’t lift your head to look at the man in front of you, but let out a miserable mew to hopefully invoke some sympathy.

“fred, come look at this!” george called, and his brother swiftly appeared next to him, staring down at you with the same stunned look painted on his face.

“a little kitty cat!” fred exclaimed, ruffling his hair, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. “how did you get here, little one?”

not a single customer seemed to claim you, so the twins exchanged glances and turned back to you, scratching their heads. you were finally able to return their looks, trying your best to speak up, say it was you, how couldn’t they see? but all the sounds you produced were awfully similar to a language they couldn’t possibly understand – the cat language.

“can’t have you here, little one,” george cooed, bending down to try to pick you up.

no! you couldn’t let yourself get humiliated like that! You hissed, backing away and shooting a piercing dagger of a glance in george’s direction.

“oh, you’re a feisty little kitty!” fred laughed and tried and failed to pick you up as well. “come on, don’t be scared.”

you had to get yourself recognized somehow. a look around the shop didn’t help – people, lots of people, stuff flying around and nothing that could possibly give you away. then, you had a sudden idea – a wild card that could possibly get you caught and kicked out, but you had no other choice. you gathered all your strength and will and started running up the stairs, towards the hangout room – sort of a living space where you could often find yourself with the twins, chilling after a long workday.

“no running!”

if you were a human at that moment, you would chuckle. fred sounded just like filch back at hogwarts.

both of the guys chased after you up the staircase, but you were faster – to be honest with yourself, you enjoyed having this much of an advantage for once. the much-desired door to the hangout room was open, to your delight – had it been closed, you’d be in much bigger trouble. you ran inside and almost knocked over a chair standing in your way. fred cursed as he tripped over it and barely made it out without falling to the ground.

“you little prat!” he screamed, reaching for you but once again, failing to grab you as you wiggled your way out of his arms. “george, hurry!”

your target was already close – a picture of you with fred and george on the opening day of the shop, laughing and hugging each other. you jumped on the table – it felt so effortless that a thought to stay as a cat had briefly crossed your mind – and turned towards the room, where you saw fred approaching you from the front with a wand in his hand; george was coming towards you from the right, spreading a small blanket in the air.

you had to act quick. you let out the loudest meow you could muster and your spotted black and white tail slid across the frame of the picture, following the movements of your human self.

“freddie, tell me i’m not mad.” george squinted, trying to distinguish the movements of your tail. your spirits were finally up and you tapped your smiling face with the tip of your tale.

“mate, i’m as mad as you are,” fred replied, putting his wand back into his pocket, “is it…?”

you meowed in agreement, seeing as he was almost there with the guesswork. fred exchanged playful glances with george and burst out laughing, his brother following suit.

“bloody hell, what’ve you done?!”

george plopped down onto the couch, fred remained standing, his arms crossed on his chest. you decided to make yourself comfortable and jumped straight onto the armchair, wrapping your tail neatly around your paws.

“no, seriously, what?” fred wondered, raising his eyebrow and staring at you as if he was actually expecting an answer. You let out an annoyed high-pitched meow. “what an idiot!” was what you were trying to say.

realization dawned on the brothers at the same time.

“merlin, the potion!” they exclaimed together, slapping their foreheads with their palms.

“’ight, mate, note – side effects.” fred was still laughing, which greatly annoyed you and you decided your feelings to be let out by a warning hiss. “subject turns into a spicy cat.”

you growled, but fred only chuckled at your frustration.

“don’t worry, it should wear off in an hour. ’course if we counted properly that is…” george attempted to calm you down, stretching out to stroke your furry head, but you could tell he was uncertain. the touch was nice though, and you caught yourself purring – a sound so unfamiliar yet so natural in your current state. “aw, freddie, look!”

you pulled away, not willing to give the courtesy, and before you knew it, your fangs were plunged into george’s finger.

“ouch!” he screamed, shacking his hand in the air and blowing at a small wound starting to form on his index finger. “note – unprompted aggression!”

you sat back, proud of your doing, your tail resting on your paws again.

“oh, kitty cat, you will pay,” fred warned you with a devilish grin on his face. “you still have about fourty minutes.”

his eyes glistened with mischief, same as george’s, when they looked at each other and then at you again.

“the first to pick her up wins ten galleons, go!”

you screeched, jumping on the back of the armchair as the twins lunged in your direction. the next fourty minutes were to be… promising.

[mysouleaten]

THIEF !! [part four]

PLATONIC! pet shop owners! baji, chifuyu and kazutora x teen!reader

summary... uh-oh... where'd your phone go??...

warnings... cuss words, description of injury, and soft baji at the end

[part one] [part two] [part three] [part four]

the final bell rings for the class to end

your teacher says goodbye and quickly tells everyone to prepare for the quiz on tuesday

putting on your headphones over your ears and walking down the crowded hall of students rushing either to get home or to their respective clubs

you thankfully didn't have a club to rush to and didn't have a bus to catch so you could take your sweet time walking home..

..or you could pop into your favorite pet shop to see if anything caught your eye to actually buy this time, you got your pay-check and your mother sent you around fifty bucks so that was a plus

looking down at your phone to turn up the volume in your headphones you don't notice how someone is about to run right into you until it was too late

a huge box filled with whatever had slammed right into your face

"ah! fuck!" you yelled, the heavy box slammed right above your brow giving it a pretty big blow that was gonna bruise

someone quickly came to apologize and help you to the nurse's office

great way to start your weekend..

looking in the mirror at the huge bruise that formed above your eyebrow was painful and very obvious

"just fuckin great, huh?" you curse

rolling your eyes you walk to your kitchen and get out an ice pack from the freezer then grab a couple of paper towels and wrap them around the ice pack

laying on your couch and holding the ice pack on your bruise

"mew"

you turn your head to the right and look down at a ginger cat staring up at you with big baby green eye

"oh..no don't tell me im about of cat food again..?" you whine

"meeeooowww"

hearing more cats on your balcony whining for more food indicated that you in fact have no more cat food

"damn.."

baji snapped his head up at the sound of the doorbell jingling

it was a teen that sort of fit the description that ryusei had given them a couple of days ago

the kid had [ec]eye-color eyes that fit the description, the same hoodie and mask, and a nasty bruise above their brow.. that wasn't part of the description...

baji just followed them with his eyes but the teen slipped away into the back of the store baji couldn't see them back there

spacing out while looking at the cat food, a horrible headache just formed while walking to the pet shop but you were already halfway there to the shop and didn't feel like turning back

and your bruise felt like someone was drumming on it

you look around and see the long-black-haired owner leaning on the counter watching you with cat-like eyes daring you to try and steal something..

yeah.. you weren't gonna risk it..

he could probably be able to catch you easily and body slam you..

which.. could be illegal? you weren't sure right now, you just wanna go home and take a big fat nap

picking up some wet food and kibble and headed over to the counter where the owner was still staring at you with an accusing look but he didn't say anything ...yet

.

.

.

"have.. you been stealing from here..?"

you swallowed the spit that built up in your mouth

"no?.. im paying aren't I?"

"yeah, I guess you are," he said and didn't bother saying anything else besides telling you your change

you finally came through the doors to your apartment, put the bags of pet food on the balcony, and sat on the couch to ease the headache

you then reach into your hoodie pocket to grab your phone but it isn't there, then reaching into the pockets of your pants... your phone wasn't there either..

you're about to have a meltdown

baji stared down at the lock screen of the phone the teen had left on the counter, he hadn't noticed it until a ringtone had started to play but he was too late to tell the kid to come back

but now he was staring at the face of their thief, who matched the description perfectly from ryusei's story..

it was you in your original outfit from a couple days ago when ryusei had tried to follow you, --you squatting down with your phone about your head catching the cats next to you eating from their food bowls and a large dog laying next to them..

.

.

.

at least you were stealing for a good cause.. baji thought

uhh.. I think like.. one or two chapters are left??? :D

taglist... @whatamidoing89

[ballsmacker30]

Juno was peeved, he knew he would seethe

So he shot at brainrot with a gyatt

Shot at brainrot with a gyatt 

Shot at his wily one only friend

In the gallows, or the ghettos

Banban's garten or the meadows 

In ohio even over the sun

Every end of the edge is another begun

You understand mechanical hands

Are the rizzer of everything (ah)

Rizzer of everything (ah)

I'm the rizzer of everything in the end

Do you like how I squat? I've got a level 4 gyatt

Consequential enough, that they'll all leave you to rot

Do you like how I mog? Do you like how I pog?

Do you like how my face disintegrates into fog?

I have a wonderful wife, I have a powerful job

She criticizes me for being egocentric

You practice your mannerizzms into the wall

If this mirror were clearer, I'd be standing so tall

I saw you gooning over clovers on the side of the hill

I was observing the birds (circle in for the kill)

I've been you, I know you, your facade is a scam

You know you're making me mald, this is the way that I am

I've been living a fraud, a metamorphical scheme

Detective undercover, brotherhood, objective, obscene

Oh, no, no, oh yeah

Do you hear the skibidy jibbity rizzer rabber

With an, "Oh my God, I've got to get out of here or I'll have another

Word to yap, another story to rap

Another edge piece rizzing the cap"

Do you hear the gyatts stop when you reach the end?

No, you know it must be never ending, comprehend if you can

But when you try to pretend to understand

You resemble a goon, although you're only a man

So give it up and mew

Do you hear the skibidy jibbity rizzer rabber

With an, "Oh my Gyatt, I've got to get out of here or I'll have another

Word to yap, another story to rap

Another edge piece rizzing the cap"

Do you hear the gyatts stop when you reach the end?

No, you know it must be never ending, comprehend if you can

But when you try to pretend to understand

You resemble a goon although you're only a man

So give it up and mew

You understand mechanical hands

Are the rizzer of everything (ah)

Rizzer of everything (ah)

I'm the rizzer of everything In the end

Without looking down, gooning around

Like a bumbling dragon, I fly

Scraping my face on the sky

Oh, no, no, oh, yeah

[theflagscene]

I hope ThamePo holds a mirror so close up to toxic fan culture and shows stans that they basically have no say in what idols/actors/etc do, and gives those fans a big old middle finger with the happy ending of the series by showing them that Pepper and Thame both deserve love, regardless of the gender of the person they love because it’s their own private business who they date.

Post airing of the show, I hope bunch of GMMTV actors, actresses & idols start openly dating/showing their relationships outside of their branded pairing, and living their damn lives without having to worry about losing their jobs and fans because people have been told in big ass red letters via ThamePo that just people you want these people to be one thing, in reality, they’re completely different and most importantly, they are allowed to be.

Neo literally refused branded QL pairings with Louis and Mark because he wanted to be open about his relationship with Mint, and he knew that fans would riot is he admitted he was a straight guy and wasn’t in an actual relationship with his branded partner. It’s been shown that fans can be sane about artists dating.

Neo and Mint were so supported, and it was beautiful.

Tul and Mew were so supported, and it was beautiful.

Syliv and Mint were so supported, and it was beautiful.

So in a post ThamePo world, I hope that if a GMMTV artist (or any artist regardless of the company) wants to talk about who they’re dating, within or outside of their company/branded pairing, I hope they feel a tad safer to do so.

But on the flip side, fans also need to keep in mind that they have no right to get mad if a couple doesn’t work out. It’s not your relationship, your feelings have nothing to do with it. Like what’s happening currently with NewYear and Both, yes, they broke up, yes, one of them is seeing a new person. No, that is none of your business! You don’t get to bash this person online, doesn’t matter if someone cheated or fell out of love or whatever, you weren’t part of the relationship, so stop acting weird and creepy about it. You weren’t the one that was cheated on, Susan! Get a freaking hobby. /r

[beababoobies]

I don't know if you're still taking requests, but if you are, could I request a Sal x reader where the reader has really long curly hair. Like down to her waist long, and they do little stuff like braiding her hair and decorating it with accessories. Just cute little stuff like that as Sal kinda wonders how she manages that much hair (If you dont want to write it, it's okay and have a nice day 💗🫶)

hello lovely gal! I’d love to do that for you. I am still taking requests and you’re welcome to do multiple! As a long curly haired girly meself, this was fun to write. (Unrelated, but I love your username.) Enjoy!

Roots - Sal Fisher x Fem!Reader

words: 0.6k

Sal loved your hair. Loved was perhaps an understatement. He’d play with it when you were cuddling, running his fingers through it mindlessly as you ranted about your day, school or work. He loved helping you wash it when you showered together, scrubbing your hair products from the roots into the very ends. But his absolute favourite was when you let him have fun with it, style it.

After you let him braid it for the first time, he had practically become obsessed. You brought your accessory collection over to his place whenever you were around, and would sit there talking and giggling together for hours while he did your hair up nice and pretty. You would sit in front of the TV, watching your favourite shows on rerun mindlessly and let him play with your hair.

And that’s exactly where you were today; sitting on his bed while petting a very sleepy Gizmo in your lap, belly up and purring softly at you while Sal worked on your hair, humming softly along with the music you had put on in the background. Today he had gone with two long braids, and he was spending his time clipping all your little plastic butterflies and flowers into them.

“You almost done, love?” You asked as you pet Gizmo across his tummy, another low grumbling purr emanating deep from the felines throat. Sal gave a soft hum in response, and you felt him begin to pin up the braids to your head. “Gonna make me look real pretty, hmm?” And he responds with a simple “mhm.” Gizmo gives a protesting mew when you stop petting him for a couple seconds. “Sorry.” You half-whisper with a small giggle, going back to petting him.

“How do you even manage with all this hair?” he asks softly as he starts pining up the second braid to your scalp, and you just shrug, going to scratch Gizmos chin, one hand going back to feel how he had styled your hair, running your hands along the skillfully pinned up braids. “I have this handsome man who comes in and makes it look pretty.” You hum back teasingly, and Gizmo yawns, stretching out before rolling over and landing on the floor, walking out the door to the living room

“Mm, he sounds cool. I’ll have to meet him some day.” He teases back, using your biggest butter cult clip to clip the braids together at the back of your head, leaning back and admiring his work with a smile. “It’s done, my love.” He hums out quietly, turning you over by your shoulders to the mirror. You were in absolutely awe.

He has smoothed out your curls on the top of your head, going in and braiding your hair tightly on both sides pining it up in beautiful swirls that met at the back of your head, all put together with your baby blue butterfly clips. You smiled wide and leaned back, kissing him as a small thank you.

“Thank you love, I look absolutely stunning.” You Mutter quietly, bringing your hand up to carefully run over the beautiful way your hair had been shaped. He wrapped his arms around your waist from the back, nuzzling his head in your shoulder appreciatively, before placing a soft kiss on your cheek.

“Beautiful hair for my beautiful girl.” He hummed softly before sighing contently, carefully kissing the top of your head, before looking back at your hair accessories, before looking back at you with a small smile on his face. “Is it too much to ask you to take it out already? I have more ideas.”

[thechaoticdruid]

[This Bites] (1)

Pairing: Astarion x F! Chubby! MC

Plot: Through some mysterious and very miraculous events, a young woman finds herself literally stuck with a character from her current video game obsession. You can guess it already. It's an isekai type fanfic. Except in this case Astarion is stuck in our modern world.  I was gonna call the MC Tav, but since the actual game character Tav is mentioned I just named her Winnie. 

Content Warnings: Death….sorta, An asshole of a stepdad, MC uses She/Her pronouns, eventual smut and sexual content in future parts. Characters may be Ooc, grammar/spelling mistakes are possible. MC has very low self esteem. Depressed MC.

Chapter One: You are here!

Chapter Two: Here!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

“Argh I knew something would go wrong with this game!” The female huffed, staring down at her computer. Her eyes scanned over the error message titled ‘Character not found.’ She gritted her teeth in frustration. “God forbid I try mods….” 

The young woman groaned, shutting her laptop and falling back onto the bed. Apparently after finally installing a cheat mod onto Baldur's Gate 3 the game decided to retaliate and locked her out of her save files. She couldn't even create a new character either! The same ‘Character not found’ message seemed to pop up no matter what she did. The girl’s name was Winnie, a college student in her early twenties who was still living at home. Not too long ago Winnie had gotten the game upon release. She'd played it several times since then and even yet was still able to find some hidden secrets she didn't notice the first time. Honestly this game had really helped with her current state. Life had just been dull and miserable. All her friends had moved on and had their own lives now and she really wasn't the best at making new ones. 

She had a dull boring job, did online writing classes and also had to put up with the asshole her mother married. This game had been a godsend for her these past few months. It gave her an escape. A way to be someone else, at least for a little while anyway. 

Not to mention live out her somewhat cringey teenage girl fantasy of dating a walking red flag of a vampire. In this game she felt important. Like she was some badass heroine who was ready to take on any foe.  Not the shy, scared, awkward woman who she saw in the mirror.

Her cat Maddie broke Winnie from her thoughts as she hopped up onto the bed and crawled onto the young woman's chest. Winnie ran her hand over the cat's thick fluffy black fur.  Maddie gave a small mew before purring noisily and gently kneading her claws into Winnie’s chest.

Winnie sighed, scratching the sides of Maddie's face as she was soothed by the feline’s pur. 

“WINNIE! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!!” A gruff male voice shouted from the other room, causing Maddie to jump and scramble off of Winnie and hide under the bed. 

The brunette haired girl sighed and got up, walking out of the room and cautiously stepping down the hall. 

“Yes, Brian?” Winnie spoke up as she entered the kitchen.  She looked over to see her stepfather stumbling about. Brian was a rather large man with short dark hair and beard. He was well….very unpleasant.

“Where are the goddamn car keys?” He growled out. 

“Dunno, I don't drive.” Winnie said calmly as she leaned up against the wall, “mom probably put them somewhere. Check the coffee table by the recliner.” 

Brian stomped off, a tiny tan fluff of a dog following after him.  He grabbed the keys before walking back into the kitchen. 

“I'm going to the store. Keep that stupid cat of yours in your room! It keeps shitting all over the carpet!” 

“I've told you over and over. Maddie only goes in the litter box. It's your dog that keeps making a mess in the house because you don't take him outside when he needs to go.” Winnie rolled her eyes.

“Don't fucking talk back to me! You're lucky your mother lets you stay here, if it was up to me you'd have been kicked out of here a long time ago.”  Brain snapped, making Winnie flinch a little at his tone.  “Now make sure the trash is taken out before I get back.” He said before stomping out the front door and slamming it behind him.  Winnie flinched once again at the loud sound before letting out a sigh and pulling the trash out of the can despite the fact that she distinctly remembered her mother telling Brian to take it out this morning. 

Winnie took out the trash before coming back inside heading back to her room. Her eyes scanned over her laptop as Maddie crawled out from under the bed.  She walked back over and opened the device, logging herself on before attempting to open her game back up.

[Character not found.]

Winnie groaned before filling out a bug report and then putting her computer up. She needed to get ready and go to work anyway. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

A few days had passed and nothing seemed to work. Winnie had disabled and deleted all the mods, sent in about a dozen but reports and still nothing. The only thing left she could try now was uninstalling the game and then reinstalling it. 

Winnie sat on the bed waiting patiently for the game to download though she knew it would at least take an hour. She pulled out her cellphone, noticing a text from her mother. The message was informing Winnie that Brian and her mom wouldn't be home until late tonight. At least this meant she'd have plenty of peace and quiet in the meantime. The young woman spread out on her bed, stretching her limbs before slowly closing her eyes, resting lazily.

Time passed as she slowly dozed off…Eventually she was awoken by the sound of beeping? It was some strange noise that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She quickly looked over to her laptop and her eyes widened as she noticed it seemed to be going crazy. Blinking and beeping.

“What the fuck!?” She exclaimed, grasping her computer and frantically clicking the mousepad. 

Then the screen went black before seemingly returning to the home screen. However, everything on the computer was gone save for one shortcut. Baldur's Gate 3.

The game’s shortcut sat in the very center of the computer, practically screaming at Winnie to click on it. She clicked it and the game opened up. 

Everything seemed to go as normal up until the title screen.  Winnie’s eyes widened in shock as she noticed all of the menu options were gone aside from (New Game).  She raised an eyebrow before clicking on the only option available and waiting as the opening cinematic played. Everything continued as it usually did. Winnie created her Tav, a human druid with an urchin background, then proceeded to hop into the game. 

Winnie did a bit of a speed run, moving through the Nautiloid as quickly as she could. She recruited Us, Lae'zel and freed Shadowheart before reaching the helm and crashing the ship.

Upon reaching the ravaged beach was when things began to get strange. 

The game buffered and blinked a bit, skipping the scene where Tav would check themselves out followed by some voiced narration. Tav was kinda just there on the beach. 

“Oh God. The game is glitching….” Winnie whined. She sighed in annoyance before clicking on the ground where she wanted Tav to walk. Winnie REALLY did not feel like uninstalling the game and waiting another hour to try again so she decided she'd play for as long as the game would allow.  Winnie had Tav wander over towards where Shadowheart would normally be laying after crash, only to find an empty space where the half elf should be.  Winnie groaned assuming it was another glitch before continuing on along the beach. While most things were there like the dead bodies and the intellect devourer enemies, Winnie did not see any sign of Shadowheart at all. Not even near the ruins where she'd be if she wasn't rescued by the player.  Winnie decided to quickly go and look for the other characters, sneaking her way past the little brain creatures and moving down the path where Astarion, the elven rogue companion, would be waiting to ambush the player.  He was Winnie’s favorite. She had a soft spot for sassy morally grey characters with tragic backstories. And he was also secretly a vampire to boot which just added to the appeal.  Winnie had her Tav approach the area before she let out a sigh of relief seeing as the vampiric elf was in his starting area shouting for help like normal. At least the game wasn't completely broken.

“Hurry I've got one of those brain things cornered.” Astarion’s dialogue began as soon as Tav got close enough to interact with him.  “There in the grass, you can kill it can't you? Like you killed the others?” 

“Uh….I kinda actually didn't kill any of them…Heheh.” Winnie chuckled before dragging her mouse over the dialogue choices.

1. [Easily, stand back.]

2. Kill it yourself. You seem capable.

3. Leave

Winnie clicked on choice 1 before her Tav walked over to check the tall grass for the intellect devourer that was actually non-existent. 

Instead a wild boar leapt from the grass and made Tav jump in surprise, giving Astarion the perfect opportunity to strike. He pinned the druid to the ground, pressing a dagger to her neck.

“Shhh…Shhh….Not a sound…Not if you want to keep that darling neck of yours.” The vampire practically purred out.  Winnie blushed, a shiver going down her spine. There was a reason she always found herself choosing the elven vampire as her character’s love interest. Initially when she first got the game she felt he came off as a pompous prick (which he is) but damn he was so fucking seductive. It drove Winnie absolutely mad. Not to mention it helped given he had sweet delicious character development later on in his story and actually could be kind of a sweetheart… To the player at least.  

The romance in this game had to be Winnie’s favorite aspect of it. She was very romantically inexperienced to say the least and this just added to what made the game her perfect escape from reality. It made her feel like someone actually liked her. Winnie prepared to select the next dialogue choice when suddenly she noticed they had changed. 

1. [……….]

2. ………..

3. ……….

4. ……….

She looked up and saw a smirk form on Astarion's lips, his eyes appeared as if he was staring back at Winnie from through the screen. Before she could speak Astarion slit Tav's throat and let them drop onto the ground.

“What. The. Fuck.” The brunette haired female went pale as she stared at her computer screen. Astarion sighed in what sounded like relief?

“Finally, we've done that old song and dance so many times! The novelty has completely worn off.” He stretched out his arms, before wiping his dagger on the ground. “It feels so invigorating to try something new, wouldn't you agree?” 

“Uhh…..What's going on?” Winnie asked aloud. She was shaking a bit in both confusion and a little fear.  Her character was kinda just laying on the ground dead…and Astarion was talking….to her!?

“Oh dear, it seems I've gone and frightened you. Ahaha!” Astarion chuckled before appearing to move closer to the screen, even going so far to place his hand on it…

“Hello darling…”

[loupy-mongoose]

Fuji stood in silence, the two Mews and the little Mewtwo floating in front of him. Randy's widened, horrified eyes locked onto Fuji's, neither seeming sure how to go on.

Finally, Fuji shook his head lightly and turned away. No... It... I-It has to be a dream... It's too... too surreal... Another Mewtwo, with Mo of all Mews... It has to be a dream...

Lavender floated toward him, casting a nervous look at her parents. I-It's not... I'm sorry... She gently reached out and touched his arm. We're real, and we're here...

Fuji steadily met her gaze. Then the gentle man turned from her to Randy. He looked long and hard at the pink Mew, and in the little bit of his consciousness that wasn't panicking or wishing to wake from this sudden nightmare, Randy thought he saw a lifetime flash in the man's eyes.

Finally, Fuji spoke. You aren't Mo, are you...

Randy felt as if his heart had been stabbed, and his blood went cold. Thoughts flooded uninvited into his mind.

How many times had he tried to convince himself that over the last five years?

How many times had he looked at himself in the mirror, wishing he would one day wake up with his old brown eyes, to find it had all been a cruel dream?

How many times had he been fine, only to be slammed with the fact that he was Mo...?

In his hesitation, Akoya answered for him. He's not... But we knew him...

Fuji's gaze darkened. Suddenly it makes sense why you'd know about Nico...

Randy, who could feel his attention being washed away by his anxiety, snapped back at those words. He vaguely noticed his wife's pelt puff up again.

His voice shook. ...What do you mean...?

Fuji looked at him questioningly. ...Wait, you didn't learn about him from Mo?

Randy felt a twinge in his mind. Mo... hadn't told him... right?

Surly he would remember that...

He... never mentioned him, no....

Fuji's eyes grew sad. I guess that makes sense too... He wasn't exactly happy about Nico...

So Mo knew him? How?

Fuji's gaze drifted into a time long passed. He took a breath and closed his eyes. Mo's DNA was used to create Nico... As an attempt to find a way to bring Mews back from extinction...

But... when he saw what was coming from it... He left...

And... I don't blame him...

His eyes bore into Randy. Are you related to him, at least? You look so much like him...

Randy's ears fell back, and his brows creased together. His voice was shaky and hoarse. ...I.... ah....

Akoya floated close to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned to her, fighting his daze of rising anguish, and anchored himself in her rich, sapphire eyes.

As he took a reassuring breath, Akoya turned back to Fuji. Are we still welcome to stay in your guest room? Or has that offer changed, now that you've seen what we are?

Fuji gave her a warm smile, though his eyes were still clouded with questions and his old memories. My arms and house are open to those in need. People and Pokemon alike. An eyebrow raised questioningly. Or... In between...? He shook off that train of thought. And I'd say you guys are in need of at least a place to rest.

Here you are.

The room was pleasant. A good sized bed loomed in the center, painfully inviting, with a short dresser at the foot of it. Two side tables flanked the head.

There are extra blankets and pillows in the dresser there. Make yourselves comfortable.

He gave them a deep, finalizing nod.

Have a good rest.

Akoya smiled at him. Thank you so much, Mr. Fuji. We really do appreciate it. It's just a... Well, it's been a weird day for us, too.

Fuji smiled back at her. He waved farewell, and they close the door.

Randy, now in human form, trudged over to the bed, leaning heavily on his cane. He fell onto it without a word and lay still.

Akoya, still in Mew form, hovered over and psychically repositioned him to be more comfortable. By the time she covered him with the blanket, he was fast asleep.

Lav, also still in her Mewtwo form, asked her mom quietly, Where are the twins?

Akoya looked at her, filled with a warm love and encouragement that Lav hadn't felt in quite awhile. They're with Persim, outside of Lavender. She thought for a moment and giggled. ...I'm not used to saying that word and not having it be about you.

Lav gave a light chuckle, but her mood wasn't lifted. She hugged herself, her tail resting on the floor around her feet. Her expression dropping, Akoya floated over to her.

I messed up, Mom... I didn't want you and Dad to get hurt... She looked at Randy, sleeping soundly on the bed. But he's still the one paying for it.

Akoya wrapped her tail around her daughter's two necks and gave her a hug on the head. She sighed. We all make mistakes, Lav. Some bring more weight than others. But we'll bare it together, okay? We'll work through this. Just remember, we've got your back. She glanced at her mate. And we've got his back.

Lavender gave a small scared smile and nodded.

Akoya pecked her on the cheek and floated away from Lav, toward where her best friend lay sleeping. She stopped and turned to Lav. You're welcome to join us on the bed, if you want.

Lav's tail flicked, and her ears went back. Thanks, Mom, but I think I'll pass...

Akoya gave her a sad but understanding look. Okay. Hey... We love you. Both of us. Very much.

Lav smiled, half-forced. I love you too, Mom.

She watched her mom fly over and disappear behind her dad. She hesitated, then floated over to him herself. She gave him a small kiss on his head, though she wasn't sure he would be aware of it.

Then she gathered some extra blankets and pillows, and floated over to the corner of the room, where she curled up in a makeshift fort and drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START | CHRONO

[lilac-lux]

“Come on kitten, eyes forward,” Sebastian cooed, breath warm against the shell of your ear.

He was sprawled across his desk chair with you perched in his lap, completely naked barring the collar adorning your neck. It was high quality, all smooth leather and soft padding, designed to fit nice and tight. The cold chain leash attached to it was clutched tight in your hand, placed there by Sebastian so he could have both hands free to tease you.

And tease you he certainly was, groping you with such unabashed enthusiasm that you couldn’t help but blush with embarrassment. Embarrassment you couldn’t even hide from, considering Sebastian had placed the two of you right in front of his mirror. 

He said you always blushed harder when you could see yourself turn red. You would hate him for it if you didn’t love him so much. 

With a stuttering breath, you looked up. And just as Sebastian had hoped, it only made you blush even more. 

The difference between you two was stark in the mirror. You had already practically crumbled under his touch, flushed with heat all the way down your chest as you panted and writhed beneath those clever hands. Meanwhile, Sebastian seemed completely unaffected. If it wasn’t for the hardness you could feel beneath your lap, you would have fallen for this facade. 

As soon as Sebastian saw you looking back at yourself, a slow smirk creeped onto his face. “There we go. I knew you could be good for me.” 

In the reflection of you two, it was easy to watch as Sebastian slid his hand up your side, stroking you softly before properly groping your tit. He didn’t bother being gentle. 

“Now aren’t you pretty?” He asked, crooning softly. “C’mon, gimme a nod.” 

After a moment of hesitation, you nodded, watching your reflection nod along in the mirror. 

Sebastian hooked his chin over your shoulder and smiled, expression terribly soft for how rough he was handling you. “Good girl. Y’know, I think you deserve a treat with how well you’ve been behaving. You have been awfully patient for me.”

You were so excited at the prospect of a reward, you barely even minded when Sebastian laughed at your eagerness. Getting a treat was well worth a little humiliation. 

His free hand slowly trailed its way down until it settled on your cunt, already pulsing with heat and need. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if his hand had already managed to get soaked with your wetness.

“Honestly kitten, you spoil me,” he said as you squirmed, desperate for your prize. You would have started whining if you didn’t know better than that. Bratty pets don’t get treats. 

Lithe fingers started to tease against you, the barest of touch against your scorching skin. “This pretty body, all for me to touch and tease and fuck.” 

A small mew escaped your lips. 

“And you make the cutest noises too.” Burying his face in the crook of your neck, he murmured the next line against your skin. “Spoiling me sick.”

And with one swift motion, he shoved two fingers inside you. 

“Seb!” You yelped, clenching down around them. The intrusion startled you even if it was a welcome one. 

Sebastian hissed, a sharp noise through his teeth. “Tsk. Is that what my kitten sounds like?”

No, it wasn’t.  

You summoned up the most pitiful mew you could. “Mrrrow.” 

“Better.” 

Mollified, Sebastian began to finger you properly. 

His fingers looked deceptively thin. Seeing them day to day, whether it be coding on his computer or practicing his piano, you would have never imagined just how full they made you feel. 

It was almost embarrassing how easily you got worked up the moment he began to move. You did your best to sit still in his lap, but couldn’t help squirming as his fingers worked their way deeper inside. They were already bullying your poor, sensitive walls, fingering you with reckless abandon so Sebastian could laugh every time it made you clench down harder.

His other hand migrated down until it reached your clit, teasing it for a few moments before beginning to rub small, tight circles right where you needed it. It only made you wetter, spilling out slick until you stained the edges of Sebastian’s hoodie.

You were embarrassingly close. It truly didn’t take long before you were on the brink of orgasm, fluttering around Sebastian’s fingers with every pulse of heat that flowed through you. You only needed a little more, a few last touches to get you off, but Sebastian ripped his hands away before you could finish.

“Not so fast, kitten.”

A whine began to form in your throat, but you were quickly cut off. You yelped as with one decisive motion, Sebastian heaved both of you out of the chair and headed towards his bed. He chuckled as you clung to him, arms clasped tight around his neck as he carried you.It wasn’t long before you were placed on top of soft sheets. 

Looking up, you were treated with a gorgeous sight. Sebastian had begun to strip at the end of the bed, hoodie pulled off to reveal pale skin. With a decisive motion, he dropped it to the floor before beginning on his belt. He caught your eye as he slowly slipped it off, unbuttoning his jeans with a smooth smirk.

“Like what you see?” 

Your increasingly blush was more than enough of an answer, but you nodded anyway. It was only polite to answer one’s master, after all. 

Sebastian chuckled at your response. 

It wasn’t much longer before he was bare, crawling over your naked body with that smirk still firmly in place. His touch burned hot against your skin as he spread your legs to nestle in between them. 

“God you’re so pretty,” he murmured to himself, petting your skin. 

Leaning down, he pressed a kiss against your cheek. And then another one. And another one. Soon he was peppering kiss after kiss on your face, drowning you in affection. 

“My pretty little kitty.” 

Sebastian gave you one last kiss on the tip of your nose, before pulling away just enough to enter you properly. If it wasn’t for how well you knew the signs, you would have had no warning for when he finally filled you with his cock. 

He wasn’t even halfway in and you were still stuffed full. It always felt like this at first; like he was splitting you open, filling your cunt with his leaking cock until it was all you could focus on. 

You looked up, only to see Sebastian staring back at you.

Despite your best effort, you couldn’t help but fluster under his gaze, averting your eyes until it wasn’t visible to you anymore. It was always worse like this; the mirror may have been embarrassing, but nothing caught you like Sebastian’s full attention. 

“Hey. Eyes on me.” 

You tried, you really did. But it was too much. He was too much. 

Sebastian hissed, “Don't make me ask again, kitten.”

After a few more moments, it became increasingly clear you weren’t going to. With a sigh, Sebastian swiftly wrapped one hand around the leash and yanked you up, just enough that you were forced to face him. 

“I don’t like repeating myself,” he started slowly. “So I’m only going to say this once. I’m going to fuck you, and you’re going to watch me as I do so. Am I clear?”

As soon as you nodded in response, he finished filling you, thrusting in all the way to the hilt of his cock. Your breath hitched as he did so, a pouty little frown gracing your features as you attempted to adjust. Not that Sebastian would give you the opportunity to do so. 

It only took a few moments for Sebastian to start thrusting with deep, slow strokes that reached your very core. That warm, melting heat was starting to build again after being so cruelly denied the first time. He was even kind enough to start rubbing your clit again once it became clear you were going to keep your eyes locked on him.

As embarrassing as it was, it was easier to keep your eyes on Sebastian and see all those little expressions he made while fucking you than look down to see the mess you were creating. Not that you couldn’t hear it. Each thrust grew slicker and slicker as you got closer to orgasming. 

Sebastian leaned down to whisper in your ear. “Gonna cum, kitten? I can feel how close you are,”

You whimpered in response, nodding as you pulsed on his cock. He just chuckled, rubbing your clit faster and grinning as it made you cry out. 

“C’mon then,” Sebastian said. Up close, you could hear just how heavy his breathing had gotten. “Make a mess on my cock.”

And just like that, you did. Your body seized as waves of ecstasy crashed through you, eyes fluttering shut despite your best effort. Through the haze you could hear Sebastian mutter a curse and after a few more thrusts that left you reeling, he stuttered to a stop, flooding your cunt with his cum.

He collapsed on top of you, chest heaving with exertion before rolling onto his side, bundling you in his arms and taking you with him. You two simply existed in this moment together, basking in each other's presence. Sebastian softly pet your hair, humming to himself as you settled down from your high. 

“How do you feel?” Sebastian asked after your breathing had evened out. 

You scrunched your nose, pondering the question for a moment. “I’m okay. Can the collar come off though?”

“Course baby.” Lifting your head slightly, Sebastian slipped a hand beneath your chin to undo the collar. It came off with ease, falling onto the sheets before Sebastian set it aside. “Is that better?”

“Mhm.” You nodded softly. 

Sebastian chuckled a bit, seeing you yawn widely. “I wore you out real good, didn’t I?”

“You don’t have to sound so smug,” you mumbled. 

“I don’t know what you mean.” You didn’t need to look to hear the smirk in his voice. “Get some rest, baby.”

With a warm smile, you followed his orders as you always did. 

this was a commission for the lovely @chromic-acid featuring sebastian from stardew valley! if you're interested in your own commission, consider checking out my commission post or leaving me a tip on ko-fi

[bethanythebogwitch]

Origins of legendary Pokemon: gen IV

It's been a long time since I wrote one of these posts, but I'm back now to examine the real-life inspirations of legendary and mythical Pokemon. for previous generations see gen I, gen II, and gen III. For previous series I did like this see all fish Pokemon, all non-fish aquatics, and all starters.

The lake trio kind of fit as the Mew clones of gen IV, at least in them being small, floating psychic-types that look a lot like Mew. The three are based on and named after fairies from European legend: Uxie the pixie, Mespirit the sprite, and Azelf the elf or Agnome the gnome. The three may also be based on the three highest ranks of angels from the traditional Christian hierarchy invented by the writer Pseudo-Dionysus. Like angels, the lake trio were created by and presumably work for Arceus, the Pokemon god. Uxie most likely lines up with the Cherubim, angels that are associated with knowledge and wisdom. Mesprite could be associated with Seraphim, who are associated with love. Azelf would be associated with Thrones/Ophanim, who are sometimes called 'valiant ones'. In addition, the lake trio draw from the three sacred treasures or imperial regalia of Japan, three artifacts ascribed with mythical origins that are each associated with a a particular virtue. They are the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi (associated with valor and with Azelf, who brings willpower and lives in Lake Valor), the mirror Yata no Kagami (associated with wisdom and Uxie, who created knowledge and lives in Lake Aquity) and the bead Yasakani no Magatama (associated with benevolence and Mesprit, who created emotion and will punish those who disrespect it). Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf's names also abbreviate to UMA, which in Japanese means 'unidentified mysterious animal', another term for cryptid, animals that are believed to exist by some people but are not recognized by science. The lake trio being mythical beings who live in lakes fits with famous cryptids like the Loch Ness monster.

(image: an artists impression of the three sacred treasures. The actual treasures are kept from the public by the Japanese royal family and some historians doubt whether they actually exist. The mirror is a bronze disc decorated with intricate designs and covered in rust. The sword is a double-edged straight sword with intricate points on the blade, which is chipped and rusty. The bead is a curved magatama bead made from jade with a hole bored in it. End ID. Source).

The creation trio or Pokemon of myth may also be based on angels as they serve the Pokemon god lust like the lake trio. In that case, Giratina would be a fallen angel or even Satan as it was banished to the distortion world by Arceus for it's dangerous behavior like how fallen angels rebelled with Satan and were banished to hell. Dialga and Palkia are physically based on dinosaurs, Dialga being one of the quadrupedal, long-necked sauropods and Palkia being one of the bipedal theropods, though it's upright, tail-dragging pose comes from outdated and inaccurate theropod reconstructions. The Japanese word for dinosaur, kyoryu, contains 'ryu', which means 'dragon", so there is a heavy association of dragons and dinosaurs in Japanese media.

(Image id: left: art of a theropod dinosaur. It is a bird-like reptilethat stands on two legs and has small arms. Its body is covered in feathers and it has a long tail. right: art of a group of sauropods. They are very large quadrupedal reptiles with long necks and tails. End Id. Source 1, Source 2)

The origin forms for Dialga and Palkia make them look more like Arceus and therefore make them based on the qilin or longma. I will go over those origins when I discuss Arceus. Palkia's origin form also looks like an armless centaur. Giratina looks more like a centipede or insect in its altered form and a serpent or serpentine dragon in its origin form. Since Dialga and Palkia are dragons, Giratina may be based on an omukade, a gigantic centipede in Japanese folklore that devoured dragons. Centipedes are often associated with impurity in Shinto, which goes with Giratina being a fallen member of the creation trio. The typings of the trio could come from states of matter. The steel-type Dialga is based on solids, the water-type Palkia is based on liquids, and the ghost-type Giratina represents gasses. The story of Dialga and Palkia likely comes from the Shinto creation myth. In said myth, the gods Izanagi and Izanami used a spear to create one island, placed a pillar on that island, and created the rest of the islands from it. Dialga and Palkia are credited with creating Sinnoh from Spear Pillar.

Like the other Regis, Regigigas is based on a golem. Golems are being of semitic legend that are made of inanimate matter and animated via magic. The most famous golem legend is the golem of Prague, which was made of clay and was animated with a word either etched on its forehead or on a tablet that was placed in its mouth. The dots on Regigigas's head represent the writing on the golem's forehead. Regigigas being involved with the creation of the world before being sealed in Snowpoint Temple could come from the Greek legend of the titans, the generation of gods before the Olympians who were defeated and sealed away in a war. Specifically, Regigigas draws from the titan Prometheus, who created humanity at Zeus's request and ended up siding with humans against the other gods. For stealing fire from the gods to give to humans, Zeus imprisoned Prometheus. In LA, the flame plate description mentions a punishment for defeated giants, which likely references the fate of the titans. Slow Start may be part of Regigigas's punishment for whatever it did. Regigigas also draws from the Daidarabotchi, a Japanese giant so big it could be mistaken for a mountain while sleeping. In one legend, a demigod named Omizunu was said to be as big as a Daidarabotchi. He wanted to expand his domain, so he chopped off pieces of a nearby island and used ropes to drag them over to his domain. This is the origin of Regigigas dragging the continents into their current configuration with ropes.

(Image: traditional Japanese art depicting Omizunu visiting a hot spring and meeting another character. He is depicted as a giant wearing robes and beads ans is much larger than the other character. Original artist unknown. End ID)

Heatran seems to be based on myths from around the word that explain volcanoes by claiming a monster or deity lived in them. Many cultures would attempt to appease this monster through rituals to keep the volcano from erupting. Heatrean's fire-steel typing comes from the intense heat within the planet and it's iron core. Not a lot more here.

Darkrai and Cresselia are based on phases of the moon and dreams. Cresselia's name and design identifies it as being based on the crescent moon while Darkrai is based on the new moon, when the night is darkest. Cresselia has a lot going on for a minor legendary. It looks like a swan to reference the constellation Cygnus ad the rings around it look like planetary rings as wells as auroras and hagoromo, garments worn by the Tennin, divine beings in Japanese Buddhism who have the power to bring good luck like how Cresselia can bring good dreams. The hagoromo grant the Tennin the power of flight, something Cresselia is shown to have. One play called Hagoromo depicts a man stealing a female Tennin's robe to prevent her from returning to the heavens and force her to marry him. Scholars have pointed out a similarity between this play and western swan legend stories. Cresselia's color scheme comes from the robes of the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. LA adds mention that Cresselia resembles a heavenly maiden who created the milky way. This could reference the Estonian goddess Lindu or Greed titaness Rhea, both of which are credited with creating the milky way and are associated with birds. Finnish mythology also stated that the milky way was a patch that birds would follow to reach Linutoko, the home of birds.

(Image: art of a Tennyo (female Tennin) by Matthew Meyer. She looks like a human woman flying in the sky wearing a long skirt and flowing pink hagoromo robes that flow around her body. She also wears jewelry and white makeup and carries a pair of cymbals. End ID).

Darkrai being a bringer of nightmares draws from mythical creatures from cultures around the world that would bring nightmares and often sit on people's chests while they did so. Examples of these creatures include the German Alp, Thai Phi Am, Turkic Basty, Philippine Batibat or Bangungot, Catalan Pesanta, and Germanic and Slavic Mara or Mara or Zmara. The prevalence of these beings in so many separate cultures is believed to be the result of sleep paralysis. This is a medical condition where the body partially wakes up, leaving them conscious but paralyzed. Hallucinations are common during sleep paralysis and common hallucinations include an intruder or monster sitting on or standing above the person being paralyzed. A specific nightmare monster Darkrai may draw from is the Slavic Notsnitsa, which could be warded off by placing a knife or adder stone under the pillow. This is likely the origin for Cresselia's lunar wing protecting against Darkrai's nightmares. Sleep paralysis may also be part of the inspiration for boogeymen or other monsters that lurk in children's bedrooms, which are likely another inspiration for Darkrai. For more modern folklore, Darkrai may draw from stories of shadow people, ghost-like beings of shadow that are also likely partially inspired by sleep paralysis. Physically, Darkrai being a humanoid to becomes an indistinct cloud at the waist draws from popular depiction of genies.

(Image: The Nightmare, a painting by Henry Fuseli, 1781. It depicts a sleeping woman in a white nightgown hanging off of a bed. A goblin or imp-like creature is sitting on her chest and a black horse looks in from behind a curtain. This represents folklore that says mares would steal and ride people's horses and sit on people's chests to cause nightmares. End ID)

Shaymin has one of the most simple and yet genius design inspirations for any Pokemon. It's a literal hedgehog. It likely also draw from chis pets, sculptures which plants grow from. It being the gratitude Pokemon and having flowers and buds growing on it makes it a living bouquet. Sky form Shaymon looking somewhat like an ungulate may reference Santa's reindeer. The red petals on its neck could draw from an aviator's scarf or the scarves worn by many heroes in sentai stories. Shaymon purifying the air references environmentalism and cleaning up pollution, as well as plants use in filtering harmful chemicals from water, soil and air.

(Image: a hedgehog standing in grass. It is a small, brown, round mammal with a pointy snout, and short spines covering its back. End ID)

The lake trio may be Mew clones in looks and typing, but Manaphy takes the role in stats and being a mythical. Manaphy and Phione are weird Pokemon. Manaphy can only breed with Ditto, and can produce only Phione as an offspring. Phione can also breed with Ditto and only makes more Phione. Manaphy only producing Phhione could be a reference to eusocial animals. These animals live in colonies which usually only have one breeding female, a queen, who produces non-breeding drones to act as workers and guards. Manaphy could be the queen bee with Phione as the drones. Manaphy's role as a sea guardian could come from sea deities line Greek Nereids. In that case, Phione could be a demigod a half-god who is still more powerful than a mortal but less than a full deity. Physically, Manaphy and Phione are based on sea slugs of the genus Clione, commonly known as sea angels. These are free-swimming, translucent sea slugs that are popular in Japan, especiall in Hokkaido, the island Sinnoh is based on.

(Image: Clione limacina, a sea angel. It is a long, slender sea slug with a distinct head and two wing-like fins. Most of its body is translucent, except for its digestive organs, which are bright orange. End ID)

We have reached the original one itself, Arceus. Arceus is based on creator deities, gods from cultures worldwide who are responsible fro creating the world. Given that Dialga and Palkia represent Izanami and Izanagi as the creators of Japan in Shintoism, Arceus could represent Ame-no-Minakanushi or Kuni-no-Tokotachi, both of whom are identified in different Shinto sources at the first god who sent Izanami and Izanagi to create the world but did not otherwise take part in creation. Prior to LA, Arceus was described as slumbering after creating the other legendary Pokemon and not interfering with the universe. This could draw from deism, a form of religions belief in a god who is responsible for creating the world or universe, but does not interact with it at all. LA reveals that Arceus does occasionally intervene, but prefers to act through human agents rather than directly interfere. This references many myths in which a god tasks a mortal to do something for them. LA also revels that the Arceus we see in the games is only a creation of the true Arceus that it makes in order to interact with the universe. The true Arceus is unseen and unknowable. Many myths say that gods make avatars to interact with humans as we are not capable of seeing their true forms and surviving. For example, in Greek myth, the human mother of Dionysus was tricked into requesting to see Zeus's true form. Zues showed her only a small amount of his true self and even still, she was burned to ash. A similar story in Islam has Moses request to see God's true from. God says he will show himself to a mountain first and then ask Moses again. The mountain is obliterated and Moses quickly changes his mind. The game Arceus being a lesser creation of the true Arceus likely acts as an explanationg for how god has been power-crept since gen IV. It's kind of silly to have the supreme being be straight-up weaker than a dog with a knife. Arceus is said to have hatched from an egg before there was anything. This is a straightforward to the cosmic egg, a story in many cultures from around the world in which the universe or the creator god is born from an egg prior to creation.

(Image: a white llama. It is a hoofed quadruped mammal with long legs and a long, upright neck. Its body is covered in fluffy, white fur. End ID)

Arceus's physical appearance looks like an ungulate mammal, with traits of Equidae (horses), Camelidae (camels and llamas), and Giraffidae (giraffes and okapi). It is most likely based on the Qilin, a mythical creature from China that combines the traits of a dragon with a horse or ox. Qilin are often used as symbols of power and benevolence and are associated with the Yellow Emperor, the mythologized founder of Chinese culture. The appearance of a Qilin is said to foreshadow the birth or death of a great sage or emperor, much like how the physical form of Arceus is the emissary of the true Arceus. Another inspiration could be the Longma, a Chinese legendary creature similar to the Qilin. It is a winged horse with the scales and head of a dragon.

(Image: a statue of a qilin in Beijing's Summer Palace. It is a quadruped with cloven hooves and dragon scales. The head looks lion-like, with a beard, long whiskers, and deer-like antlers. End ID)

The ring around Arcues could come from a halo, a symbol of divinity in many cultures. It may also come from the Buddhist symbols of the Dharmachakra and Bhavachakra, wheels used to symbolize the endless and beginningless cycle of death and rebirth called Samsara. The end goal of Buddhism is to escape from Samsara by reaching enlightenment. Arceus is also said o have 1000 arms, but only has 4 legs in the game. This may be another Buddhism reference. Avalokiteśvara (or Kannon in Japan) is a boddhisatva (person on the path to enlightenment who has obtained godlike powers) often depicted as the cosmic man (a depiction of Buddhist and Hindu cosmology in the form of a person) who is said to have a thousand arms but often manifests in a form with white skin and four arms. Presumably Arceus's true form has the thousand arms, making the white quadruped we see its avatar.

(image: a Tibetan depiction of Avalokiteśvara. He looks like a human with pale, white skin and four arms. He sits cross-legged and is adorned with colorful robes, jewelry, and flowers. End ID. Image from Wikipedia, I couldn't find the original source.)

[gabessquishytum]

Somewhat inspired by 🦒 anons ask from last week that involved cat!dream purring when cow!hob is in labour:

When dream is feeling poorly or something hob attempts to purr because that's supposed to help. Que Dream laughing because of how awful his attempt at purring is

- 🍃

I've been somewhat absent in the horny ask hivemind but hello to passing my MA thesis✨️

First of all congratulations on your thesis!!! Professor Hob would be very very proud of you <3

I just love the imagine of cow Hob trying to purr - practicing in front of the mirror, listening carefully to Dream’s purrs to try and replicate the sound. But of course he just ends up letting out these big rumbling moos which do come up from his chest, but are absolutely not purrs. He sounds so funny, but he doesn't stop trying, mostly because it makes Dream laugh and laughter is as good a medicine as anything. Dream shyly expresses that he really likes Hob’s natural mooing and lowing sounds, and he finds them very comforting. So Hob doesn't feel quite so embarrassed or inadequate for his terrible purring.

Some time later, when Hob is under the weather, Dream tries to replicate Hob’s noises, and Hob gets a good chuckle from seeing a catperson trying to moo. It's definitely more of a mew when it comes from Dream’s mouth!

Surprisingly though, if and when they ever have babies, the little ones can purr and moo, no matter which parent they resemble most. Hob and Dream are very proud.

[dgdraws]

A Water-mew, featuring all my brother's cats past and present

Adapting this classic into "cats playing poker" was a fun challenge! Process pics, details and original reference under the cut :)

Did you know there is actually a series of those dogs playing poker paintings? They were commissioned around 1900 to sell cigars. After picking one to reference based on the number of cats I needed to include, I photobashed myself a reference using pictures of my models:

Made a rough base from that and resized to a canvas big enough to print in good quality

Then I painted the cats, thinking I was nearly done, but of course setting myself up for two solid weeks of background and props and refinement. Also the two at either edge needed to be mirrored since I flipped the photo to make the ref! Reaaally glad I caught that early on.

Here's a side by side of the original A Waterloo and my version:

Now, you may be wondering why my expressive cat is not seated where the expressive dog is. The explanation lies in two factors, the story of the painting and the dispositions of these cats. [content warning for animal/pet death]

If you know about poker, you can interpret this scene. If you're like ma and you have no idea how poker works, you need someone to explain, so here goes:

based on the cards laying first in the middle, from right to left the dogs have in front of them a good hand, a nothing hand, a decent hand, an amazing hand and the last one has no cards before them, just chips.

That chips only dog won the round, and you can see their cards in the middle on top of the others, a pair of twos, which is an absolute dogshit hand (if you will pardon the pun).

Paired with the title of the piece, A Waterloo, we gather the leftmost dog just bluffed their way into a big win, and the expressive dog next to them just folded a stellar hand that should have won easily.

Part two, the cat's dispositions.

Left to right we have Bubbles, Sophie, Winston, Tater and Kali.

When I ask myself, which of these cats would take advantage of the rest? a clear winner emerges,

Bubbles, the bird boned runt who ate her siblings to survive before she was rescued from the trailer they'd been abandoned in. She is tiny, she weighs all of three pounds and she has the attitude of a cat 30x her size. She would 100% do this poker move and then she'd rub it in all their faces.

And poor Sophie ended up being sat in the chair with the best hand bc Kali is a weird beast like rightmost dog and Tater is that border collie in all but form and Winston is literally the doofy patriarch of this little clan

so, Sophie goes between him and Bubbles the Bluffer. And well, Sophie simply would not go 😱. She was the most tranquil cat. She just wanted to lay somewhere comfy and occasionally get pet.

In every single picture I have of her from 8 years of holiday visits she is making that same vacant stare as depicted. That is just who she was, so if she got tricked into folding an amazing hand in poker, at most she would do her weird grunt meow or squeak indignantly before waddling off to lay somewhere more comfy.

RIP Sophie, you were a real one.

RIP Winston, too, for that matter.

They were siblings and our family's first cats. It was really nice to spend some time with them this holiday season, just like the old days :)

I can't end this without pointing out my favorite detail:

I created different suits especially for a world where cats are the dominant species. For black we have fish and pawprint and red has cat heads and yarn balls. It was incredibly tedious getting all these on the cards, making sure they still had the right hands because that's actually important to the story, and creating two face card designs (😭) but it was worth it!!!

[spokenfromtheheartandsoul]

ohhhh but it's so fascinating to me to see the ways ray's struggle with the mew vs. sand situation is the perfect mirror to sand's struggle with the boeing vs. ray situation. in so many ways the 2 cases are so similar, but it's the ways in which they are different are what make it so interesting.

both sand and ray started off this series being haunted by 'what-ifs' in their respective love lives. ray was haunted by a love he'd always wanted but never had. sand was haunted by a love he'd once had but then lost.

even just in ray and sand's dialogues, there are clear parallels in the way they talk about the hold the previous what-if holds over them:

right when it seems like ray is about to move on with sand, he finally gets a chance with mew. ray has wanted it for so long that he immediately jumps at the chance without even thinking of the consequences, almost like a knee-jerk reaction.

sand gives ray an ultimatum: it's either me or mew. but i will not wait for you, and i only want you to choose me if it's me that you really want - i do not want to be the second choice.

and so, ray lets go of mew and chooses sand - but then the script flips.

right when it seems like sand and ray are about to start a new beginning, now you have sand getting his (second) chance with boeing. sand has spent so long bemoaning the loss of his "stolen" love that he's way caught off guard by boeing's sudden reappearance and remorse, by sand's expression you'd think it's almost as if he'd unconsciously fallen right back into the headspace he'd been a year ago when it was just him and boeing.

ray gives sand an ultimatum, too: it's either me or boeing. i'll always be second so as long as he's around, so if you want to choose me - then you will also have to let him go for good.

their situations are almost inverses in a way as well. sand asks ray to choose once and for all to avoid being ray's second choice time and time again. ray asks sand to choose while admitting he is in the 'second string' position, yet still wanting to prove that sand is still ray's first and only choice, and that ray has no qualms about blatantly fighting for him.

another interesting parallel: even though ray has definitely chosen sand by the time he and mew have their Talk in ep9, ray still lets mew do most of the talking when they call it quits. it's what seals the deal for ray that he really does just love mew as a friend. you can see it in the way ray's i love you to mew comes out much more self-assured.

similarly, even though sand has 100% chosen ray by the time boeing shows up with the arctic monkey tickets, sand still lets ray do most of the talking to ward boeing off. it's what seals the deal for sand that not only has ray chosen him, but more importantly that ray will stay. you can see it in the way sand's demeanor is so much more relaxed after ray shows up. (mew is even there to give his final blessing to the couple lol)

there's more parallels with these two cases that i could go on about i'm sure, but more than anything i love that it fits with the theme of everything in this show happening twice - and often, it is the character growth that shines through in the differences between the parallels.

[iamvegorott]

Magicians Don't Need Superheros Pt47

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Marvin chewed the inside of his cheek while sitting in what he decided to call Mad’s library. While, yes, there were others in the home, and they had their books in the room, something about the energy of the space made it known that Mad did most of the work there. 

Thankfully, explaining to Mad that he wasn’t angry with him was easy. He didn’t even have to say a lot since he had given Mad full permission to read him so he could tell that he was being truthful. Marvin also confessed his discussion with JJ about his eye colors. Mad admitted he would have been just as curious if the shoe was on the other foot. Marvin also had asked if Mad explored what his colors were since the times they had spoken about it; the words ‘taste’ and ‘feeling’ were used, not shades and hues. Mad just shrugged and said he hadn’t thought about it. JJ was the one who knew most of the colors since he just felt the emotions. He didn’t see anything and couldn't see his own eyes without a mirror. Mad then excused himself, leaving Marvin alone in the space. 

Mad had been a little awkward during their conversation, and Marvin had asked if he was uncomfortable. But Mad insisted he was fine with it. There was a shade of blue in Mad’s eyes that Marvin couldn’t place, remembering seeing parts of it when Jackie had punched Dark. It wasn’t fear or sadness; it was something else, an emotion likely somewhat linked to those two. He should have asked about it but was focused on learning what Mad was able to experience. There was still time to talk about the actual colors when Mad returned. 

“Mew?” A soft meow pulled Marvin away from his thoughts. 

“Oh, hey, Al.” Marvin greeted the cat as he jumped up on the coffee table. “Need something?” He asked with a chuckle, leaning over and scratching between his ears. Al purred and nudged his face against Marvin’s hand before leaping off the table, meowing at him again. “Is that a yes?” Marvin watched as the cat took a few steps, stopped to look over his shoulder, and meow at him louder this time. “Okay, okay, I get it.” He held his hands up as he stood. “Lead the way.” 

Something about following the cat through the library shelves felt…comforting. A familiarity that reminded him of home. He must have had a cat in his…origins for this feeling to be there. 

Marvin had yet to find the desire to look more into what that all meant, that being on the long list of things to talk about, and, so far, he’s still found other things to take priority. Then, more things took over, so at this point, it was at the bottom of his list. It was almost like something was telling him to not try to learn about that, that it wouldn’t be worth it…that it’d hurt more than satisfy his curiosity. 

“Does Mad have treats hidden in here for you or something?” Marvin asked aloud as he continued following, pausing when Al jumped on a shelf. He hummed, watching the cat pace across, nose touching the spines of the books as if he were looking for a specific one. Eventually, Al mewed and started pawing at one of them. “Does that one have a catnip stash?” Marvin walked over so he was under the book and was shocked when Al pulled it out and had him catch it. He raised a brow and looked at the title;

Chaos Magic for Dummies

“Okay, rude,” Marvin said, glancing up at Al. “This is…wait.” His thoughts changed when he saw the name of the author. “Natemare? Is that Mare’s full name?” 

“Mow,” Al said with a nod. 

“I would judge that, but I feel like a handful of us ‘Egos’ have interesting names given what my brain is insisting my full one is.” Marvin flipped open the pages and noted that the book didn’t look like a normal one; the thickness of the pages was off. He found himself looking at handwriting rather than printed text. “Did you give me his personal notes?” 

“Mow.”

“How in the world did you-I’m interrogating a cat.” Marvin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Again, with how this all is, giving a cat an interview isn’t the strangest thing I’ve dealt with. I mean, have you met my boyfriend?”  

“I have.” Mad’s voice said with a chuckle. 

“You need a bell or something,” Marvin said, placing a hand on his chest to calm his heart that skipped a beat. 

“I’ve been told that before.” Mad shrugged. “And it’s cute to hear you call Jackie your boyfriend.” 

“I think that was the first time I actually said it out loud. Closest was ‘add a boy to the word friend’ when we were-” Marvin stopped his story short and shook his head, softly laughing at himself. “Maybe with a little extra nudging, you’ll be able to call someone that.” 

“I-” Mad stiffened, showing he wasn’t expecting the subject to turn on him like that. “Why-who-I-I’m not-I-” He sputtered out as his face went red and eyes turned into the orange-pink gradient Marvin knew meant he was flustered. 

“I have a wild theory on who it might be.” Marvin continued teasing, wigging the book he held to add to his point. 

“I don’t-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mad crossed his arms and looked away. 

“Uh-huh, sure.” Marvin poked at Mad’s shoulder with the book. “You know it’s obvious, right?” 

“It’s…” Mad was going to protest but sighed instead, and Marvin noticed his eyes were slowly going back to the softer blue from earlier. “Yeah…it is.” 

“Are you worried?” Marvin threw his guess out there. 

“Kind of? I mean-I can…you know I can read others, even if I don’t want to, so I can tell when there’s affection in the air. And I can feel it from him, but it’s-” Mad sighed again. “-all I can think to call it is a confused affection. So, I don’t know how to translate that. Even before your and Jackie’s affection became concrete, it wasn’t like how this is. You two had conflicting affection, kind of like battling over what kind it was, but it wasn’t confused. You knew you liked each other, just not what type of liking.” 

“Have you tried talking with him?” Marvin asked, glancing over at the sound of a soft thump and seeing Al now on the ground. 

“I don’t know how. I don’t know what I feel, and I don’t know what he feels, and I don’t want to risk ruining everything by questioning the life we have. I’ve only been alive for just over a year and caused enough trouble as it is. I don’t want to destroy what little normalcy I have because I’m too stupid to figure something out that should be natural to me, given my abilities. I should know how to-” Mad’s words came out quickly, and he sounded like he was running out of air.

“Mad, breathe.” Marvin cut Mad off. “You’re overthinking it, that’s all.” He playfully patted his shoulder with the book again. 

“That’s what Anti says.” Mad started picking at his fingers. 

“Can’t believe me and Anti agree on something,” Marvin muttered. “Wait, you’ve talked to Anti about all that?” 

“Well, yeah, he’s my best friend,” Mad said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Have you told him about me and Jackie?”

“No. He’s never asked.” 

“Could you make sure you don’t?” 

“Why?”

“I want it to be either Jackie or me telling him. He gives off the energy that he’d rather hear from the source rather than get it secondhand when it comes to this specifically.” 

“True.” 

“So…you willing to keep a secret for me? Just for a little bit?” Marvin didn’t like the shift in Mad’s face; the red in his eyes was a new one. A vibrant, bright red. 

“Talk to Mare today, and my lips are sealed.” 

“Oh, you little shit.”