#the monkey’s paw concept

[blujayonthewing]

unfair to the lad that he has literally never existed outside the shadow of above-table Campaign Angst

[obstinaterixatrix]

omg yay im glad you're agree there so much wrong in these characters and also the majority of the cast in Madara Moyou no YoiYo is women, which delight me so much!

YEAH… THEY LOOK SOOOOO GOOD ASADA NEMUI PLEASE WRITE YURI

[silverhalla]

saw someone on reddit say “hey, is Blighted Warden Nath-an in The Profane and the Lost supposed to be Nathaniel Howe?” and I just want that person to know that I am actively praying for their downfall

[kingofooo]

The Winter King concept drawings and thumbnails by supervising director Steve Wolfhard

I have a lot of Winter King visdev! I really really love this episode and I'm proud to have worked on it. I love Pat's songs, and the performances from ... haha everyone, the main voices along with The Winter King and The Candy Queen, the Lemoncarbs, everyone.

aannd of course the "Winter Wonder World" sequence, the storyboarding/animation/colour/singing is all remarkable. And the romance between Marshall and Gary, I really love all of it so much.

The storyboard for this episode, from Iggy, Graham, Nicole, Jim, and Lucyola is very beautiful as well. I hope all these boards get posted one day. (Also I loved drawing this stuff so much haha)

and babies. I tried to really stick to season 1 and 2 characters for these, Adam's idea was that this was BMO's wish to Prismo, that everyone becomes a baby, and then he got monkey-pawed into a baby monitor.

Sometime I'll post about headcanons for the Winter King world, like before and after this episode. Lol noncanon headcanons

[ask-the-rag-dolly]

after listening to an among us song i was given the drive to reboot this au so ,

originated from a doodle that spiraled , SPREAD THE INFLUENCE is an au where ragatha is the ( unwilling ) host of a parasite called ' the influence ' which is a virus that only wants to spread and survive . she wasn't compliant about it at the beginning which was ' fixed ' with an itty bitty bit of psychological torment !

also yes i know the abbreviation is unfortunate and i do not care it's funny

even though ragatha's still our usual sweet little optimist , there is this persistent feeling of wrongness . too positive . too affectionate . it's like all of her humanity has been scooped out and you're left with the mask she made for others in the circus .

which is how the virus spread in the circus - they preyed on vulnerabilities which was what their host is perfect for . striking when the victim puts their guards down , making them submit under the guise that their problems will be fixed ... unfortunately it's a monkey's paw situation .

of course , that's only for this particular instance of the influencer ! something to note is that the virus takes a lot from the host's personality , so t.i's mellow and passive , only resorting to violence whenever necessary . t.i's not really an opposite ragatha she's more like a Dark , Fucked Up Version of ragatha the amazing digital circus . she cares a lot for everyone she considers a part of her hive , but it took a lot of manipulation and gaslighting for them to get infected .

caine is left uninfected because " i would do that if my goal is to destroy this place ! " t.i's ultimate fear has always been dying . it'll do everything to not die , to the point it's trying to spread out of the circus ( <- honestly take this info with a grain of salt i wrote this before i fully developed the story ) . unfortunately there's this jester who's resisting the virus with pure lesbian rage and is trying to stop her .

now rags would eventually get de-influenced and the circus will no longer be infected , but we will talk about the extremely rocky journey of recovering from knowing you harmed everyone you cared about Later

was this ' the influence ' that amanda ( ragatha's va ) keeps referencing ? sighs ... yeah . ( feels so surreal that i can say i have their seal of approval for this )

why ragatha ? in story , how is she not the perfect host ? metatextually , this is an au of an au - this came from a blog about ragatha getting a virus that is inconveniencing her life . i simply thought of an idea of ' hey what if the virus took over her body ' one day . then this abomination was born . i would reveal the why and how she got infected ... eventually .........

is she still afraid of centipedes ? is it a ragatha if she doesn't have a fear of centipedes

does pomni still use a taser ? yeah

could i use / be inspired by the influence for my au ? i did not invent the concept of Computer Viruses so feel free to be inspired by it , no credit needed . for t.i as a character specifically , please credit me !

are there ships ? just pomni x ragatha

is suggestive content of t.i ok ? just don't send them to me , tag it as #tw suggestive or #suggestive so i could filter it out

is nsfw content of t.i ok ? my tiny artist hands are powerless against the unstoppable force that is the internet so my answer will not matter . that being said , i recommend that they're not put in the main au tag so people won't unexpectedly come across it . and no i do not want to see it please do not send them to me

could i draw fanart / write fanfic of this au ? 100% yes you could either mention me or tag it under #tadc influence au

does this au have an ask blog ? nah just a normal blog lol

READ THE COMIC ... I GUESS ... !!

the main story

oh boy a prologue

[starwrighter]

Haven't posted a prompt in a hot minute, let's fix that.

We all know the DC universe is pretty complicated compared to the Dp universe (I'm trying to find a place to start reading the comics but theres 80 years of content to filter through lord help me 😭)

DC has hundreds of heroes and villains running around while DP only has a few.

Let's toss that DC into Dp >:)

Imagine how shellshockingly horrifying it would be for any of the DC crew to travel to the DP universe? Like they've seen post apocalyptic universes, how is this not one of them??

Imagine the world's greatest detectives seeing the utter miracle that is "Phantom's secret identity" they pin him as Danny Fenton immediately as would anyone with experience with the concept of revival.

Let Superman get chased by the Giw. While Clark Kent and Louis lane tear apart their shoddy, biased research as the best journalists the DP universe has ever seen!

Have Danny have a grudge with this random reporter because his article on explosive burger sauce got his favorite restaurant closed. While Clark is desperately to boost Phantom's reputation after the smear campaigns wrecked it.

Let Vlad get torn apart by every flavor of superhero for being an all around creep. Dani/Konner bonding over being clones.

Have danny be an avid fan of Damian, not because he's Robin but because he chased down Dash after he tried to shove him in a locker!

Constantine trying to scam ghosts without the bargaining chip of a soul. Danny and the rest of the trio cackling because it's working and the ghosts are pissed.

Danny's rogues are getting bullied left right and center because both villains and hero's are shooting snarky comments with twice the venom as Danny.

Spectra going after Tim and Damian because she thinks they'll be easy targets due to their seemingly hostile relationship. They team up to tear into her the moment this random therapist tries to insinuate that Dick said he wished the two of them were never brought into the family.

Desiree catching so many people off guard and ruining so many days with her monkey pawing until they turn her wishes around on her.

Have the DC heroes be competent and smart enough to outplay ghosts that are stronger than them.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wouldn't it be funny if, with your idea of Rumble and Savage being spirit monkeys that just sorta latched onto Macaque, if they were among the group of clones who keep pinning Wukong down... they just really, really want a hug and keep purring and cuddling up to him when they do so. They're the only ones that get left unharmed by Wukong, too, because something in his monkey brain registers them as cubs, and it confuses the hell out of him because those are clones??? And the reason they're so cuddly with Wukong is because they hear Macaque eating lyracle about him all the time, bemoaning how his mate turned against him and "betrayed" him to become the pet of the gods and protect some human monk for months, thinking they were just clones. Hearing how their new monkey papa is heartbroken about losing his mate and then getting to see their estranged "mama" and es obviously having a baby, which means they're gonna be big siblings, they couldn't help trying to get close

Prev SlowBoiled idea.

Honestly the Eclipse Twins being baby Spiritual Monkeys who stowed-away on Macaque's revival could be an Au in of itself. (maybe "Penumbra au" since it refers to the outer plane of shadows of the moon?).

In this S3 concept art, it looked like the creators had toyed with the idea of the two being actual characters in the chase for the Samadhi Fire; but they ultimately had Macaque focus on MK, Mei, and Sandy for the split-up. In the lego set they also have a "shadow" version of the delivery tuktuk, so it would have been cute if they had tried inconveniencing MK by stealing his main means of transportation.

By the time of S2; Macaque is starting to notice that these two "clones" are a little too independent... and they revert to much smaller cub-sized shadows when they think he can't see them. He still often vents to him about his and Wukong's history, and how his dearest Hero, his Peach, his Sun, had left him for the Journey. The twin shadows chirp with little confused smiles at these stories - did Papa's mate leave with another troop and that's why he's so sad/mad all the time?

Rumble & Savage are ultimately orphans, clinging to their new caretaker and his extended "troop". Even if said troop includes people who their new "Papa/Bama" has beef with.

A whole S1/2 episode could be done where the Noodle Gang keep getting harassed by what they think is Macaque or his clones (MK warned them), only to notice that;

It's only ever the two "clones".

They only ever seem to cause harmless mischief, or chaos out of curiosity. i.e; stealing food from Pigsy, knocking over books in the library when Tang is reading, trying to take the tuk-tuk and Mei's bike for a joyride, leaving colourful paw-prints all over Sandy's ship when they got into his art supplies etc...

MK's gold-vision tells him that these "clones" true forms are in-fact; baby monkey-sized. MK is startled and very confused.

(*MK finally manages to stop the "shadow clones" after they stole the tuktuk with all the deliveries inside*) MK, eyes glowing with Gold-Vision: "Finally! You have been driving me nuts all week, Macaque! Now-!" Rumble & Savage, true forms: (*confused chirping and fluttering noises?*) MK: "Uhhhh... you guys are a little... smaller than normal." Rumble & Savage: (*look between themselves and MK, chattering excitedly*) Rumble & Savage, in monkey-language: "Other stone monkey!" "Smells like Wukong-mama!" "Mama's cub!" "BIG BROTHER!" (*MK is tackled by the two super-fluffy and purring baby monkeys*) MK, still a little shocked: "Aww..." (*sees all the destroyed/eaten deliveries*) "I'm still in so much trouble..." Rumble & Savage: (*burp!*)

Pigsy was equally confused by MK coming back with two clingy shadow hanging on his back. The two quickly return home, chattering to Papa about how they've broken the ice with "Mama's troop!" - Macaque is even more confused than the heroes are.

In the SlowBoiled au it's certainly a situation of the twins sensing that Wukong is a pregnant mother of their kind, and wanting him to adopt them, but aren't sure how to go about it. Papa seems to want them to tackle their new Mama? Is that right? He does seem to be really sad to not be hugging him...

At some point they do get frustrated with their clone facade, and just run up to Wukong in their true baby-monkey forms demanding uppies and kisses. Most likely during S3 when the situation with LBD gets dire. Wukong at first thinks it's a weird joke Macaque is pulling, but his own Gold-vision tells him the truth...

Wukong, holding both twins: "Macaque! Why didn't you tell me you had cubs!?" Macaque: "I didn't know either! They just sort of... appeared!" Rumble & Savage: (*happily purring and nuzzling Wukong since they've managed to get "Mama and Papa" talking again*) :3

The Shadowpeach situation now has two super-powered baby monkeys trying their best to pull their new caretakers together, Parent Trap-style.

[polliwoggers]

have I ever told you how much i adore the concept of clockwork stars. They're the perfect balance of whimsical and deeply, deeply ominous. long-forgotten technology you don't have the first clue toward understanding. easily the most powerful of the ancients' creations. control of even one of the miraculous comets is enough to make you a god. it will do exactly as you ask, but only once. be careful what you wish for.

to think that the ancients had both the drive and ability to fabricate a literal wishing star just... boggles me. why do they exist? for what purpose were they intended? why weren't there any safeguards? how could the ancients have disappeared if they had devices as powerful as these at their disposal? why would they let themselves disappear?… and why would they have allowed something so dangerous to continue to roam the galaxy, eons after they were gone?

it's a fairy. it's a supercomputer. it is the curling finger on the monkey's paw. it's the size of a planet. god, its size. it must be the largest foe kirby has ever fought. there's no contest. To even put a dent in it requires taking it down from the inside. intercepting its immune response, sabotaging its structural support, and failing to smother its eternal, mechanical heartbeat. the sheer scale of this monster! how marvelous it must be to see it in action! translating a request into code, initializing a wish. valves open, gears turn; a cacophony of metallic pings, booms, and clicks. it's the loudest sound you've ever heard. steam whistles from an opening as it boils into the vastness of space. you can't escape the sound, and you can't look away. you're dying. were you careful with what you wished for?

i think it's really fitting how a lot of fan content uses "Nova" as a stand-in for "God" when they want characters to swear to something. there are a lot of godlike characters in Kirby to choose from, a number of whom are actually acknowledged as gods to certain groups within the text of the games themselves -- Dark Nebula, Necrodeus, Void Termina. Not to mention all of the contenders for angel or demigod status. but, no, it's Nova that we swear to? A lifeless machine with no will of its own? a tool with no protections, that any entrepreneuring tyrant could use to make the universe contort to their liking? It just… really speaks to how awe-inspiring and terrifying clockwork stars actually are. there is no "BE NOT AFRAID" when it descends. it does not have the capacity to care how you feel. a simple ">READY" is all it will say. and, honestly, I think that's even scarier.

clockwork stars are the closest thing the kirby universe has to a doomsday device, and i can't get enough of it

[coff-in]

Andrew Graves x Sister reader inspired by another ask:

Rather than the reader pushing and pushing Andrew mentally and then being hatefucked it’s the reverse. Andrew’s older twin sister who never saw him beyond her younger baby brother. Always treating him like a little kid and then shutting him and Ashley down as soon as she realized their true intentions. What happened with Nina completely disillusioned her + staying with them in the house 24/7 during the quarantine, their constant clinginess all those factors leading to her finally snapping and fucking Andrew while Ashley is sleeping right next to them on the couch and he can tell it’s not out of lust but pure fucking hate. He sheds a few tears even though he finally got what he wanted.

Ty for listening you’re the GOAT 🦧🦧🦧

notes from coff-in: thank you 🦧

[fem] reader-insert, older sister graves reader, nsfw, incest

i enjoy the trope/concept of "sibling who is normal or indifferent about siblings affection" x "incestuous sibling". anyway

[reader] being disillusioned by them killing nina is so neat cause it also enforces the idea that even though she knows that they are fucking awful, she still wants to be with them. she always there for them, out of love yeah, but also out of obligation? she's the oldest so she has to set the examples for them and then there's the added gender norms/expectations for her to be the emotional, sympathetic caretaker and it mixes up a beginner's recipe for attachment

andrew doesn't have the same hold on [reader] as he does with ashley mostly due to the fact that [reader] is older than him, so he can't exactly guide her into being the type of girl he wants. that doesn't mean he can't control her though. with subtle hints of her acting more like mom or dad, he can have her bending a bit more to his will. surely she wouldn't want to be like their parents would she? abusive, neglectful, hated by them both? that would be awful...

being trapped for three months with andrew and ashley has [reader] so pent up and anxious, like i can see her practically clawing her eyes out hoping to get away from them for more than five minutes. to be fair, i'm pretty sure while andrew's the most incestuously inclined sibling, he's also really flippy floppy with how obvious he shows it

i can imagine [reader] getting on his lap and whipping his cock out, riding him so aggressively, glaring down at him, "happy now? this is what you wanted, right? couldn't go long enough without getting your dick wet so you need to take care of you, huh? you better. fucking. enjoy it."

and andrew's crying a bit while gripping [reader]'s hips, face red and biting his lip to stay quiet because ashley's right there next to them. he hates that his big sis hates him but god does she feel so good right now. it's like a weird monkey's paw or a wish gone wrong, he can fuck his sister now but she fucking hates him (and hatefucks him, lol)

this is all before decay route too. suddenly jumping off of the balcony doesn't seem so bad now

----

coff-in

[semisolidmind]

“he won't say it aloud, but...had it been him who'd been found and tended to by reader, azure couldn't be sure he wouldn't have made the same choice as his brothers.”

…Semi, could I persuade you to make a little something (art, fic, headcanons, whatever you wish) for this concept? Please?

If you’d rather not, totally fine. Please feel free to delete this. No worries!

(this got longer than expected:))

he'd try to persuade her, at first.

after she found him in her backyard, in a crater of his own making having fallen from battle, battered and bleeding, after she brought him into her home and cared for him...

...he'd gotten attached.

the two became close, and as azure got stronger he began to realize that he'd have to go home eventually. he and his brotherhood had a job to do, and he couldn't abandon it to play house. but— but he'd become so used to waking up with reader by his side. he'd learned so much about mortal life while living with her, and his sympathies towards humans had grown.

noone had ever treated him as gently as reader had. even knowing what he is, the potential threat he posed to her, she still saved him. he's eternally grateful for her help. azure doesn't want to leave her behind.

the night he decides to leave, he asks her to leave with him, to go with him to his home in camel ridge.

she declines.

she's fine here, she says. it's a very kind offer, but she doesn't mind her work or her employers, and– and what would a handsome demon lord like him want with a human like her, anyway? he should go and be with his brothers, she says (reader internally panics, she'd hoped this wouldn't happen, she'd hoped those stories about demons kidnapping women were fake, she really really hoped she wasn't about to be stolen and potentially eaten—).

azure pauses, standing silent before her. what he wants with her? he can't give a proper answer to that (at least not in polite company), but he wants to show his gratitude. he wants to at least reward reader for her kindness. please, just go with him, he'll give her a good life, he promises.

but reader declines again, stepping back from him. her eyes betray her growing fear.

azure is silent. the gentle, pleading expression has dissapeared from his face, replaced by a cold dissatisfaction.

he didn't want to do it this way.

but he is a demon. and demons are inherently selfish creatures, no matter what noble lies they choose to live by.

azure steps forward. reader steps back.

please don't, she begs, voice wavering. he doesn't respond.

reader doesn't have time to even scream before azure seizes her by the waist, putting her over one broad shoulder. she beats her fists on his back, kicks wildly against the paw holding down her thighs, begs him please, please don't do this. azure solemnly opens a portal gate with his regained powers, stepping through it, carrying reader back to his home.

–––

some time passes.

once reader has better settled into her role as azure lion's..."companion" ("captive" is more fitting, she thinks. or perhaps "pet"), the demon decides to bring her along to a council meeting at the home of the demon army's leader, the monkey king. azure is unsure what his simian comrade will think of reader, but if his closest brothers could come to accept her place at his side, then perhaps wukong could be convinced as well.

the first meeting goes smoothly. perhaps too smoothly, azure thinks with slight bitterness.

he saw the way wukong looked at his human companion throughout the council. he didn't say much beyond asking her name and purpose, but his interest was clear. azure wrote it off as a simple fascination with a mortal companion; it is fairly uncommon for high-ranking demons to keep humans for much beyond servants or food.

azure continued to bring reader along to their council meetings (unable to leave her at home unsupervised), and the monkey king began to speak with her more and more (occasionally running off with her when he wanted to show her some orchard or village on the mountain, to meet his people... the two would be gone for a while). azure didn't think much of it at first beyond a light sense of caution. however, every time reader laughed at wukongs antics, or followed him away from the group...there was a sting in the lion's chest he would hesitate to identify.

he wasn't sure if the king's friendliness was a ploy to harm reader in some way. wukong was known to dislike humans, having dealt with hunters attempting to capture and kill his ilk more than once. so to see him take an avid interest in reader, to seek out her company after the meetings were over and the brotherhood took time for leisure ... azure wasn't sure what to make of it. the infamous monkey king, known for his cruelty, determination, and bloodlust— befriending a human woman.

it sounded ridiculous, even as azure watched it happen before him.

however, when wukong himself approached the lion demon to none-too-subtley ask that he give reader up, the absolute madness of it all struck him.

wukong, in his winding roundabout way, suggests that azure allow reader to stay on flower fruit mountain. see, she and wukong have been talking; she obviously loves it here, she's here all the time during meetings anyways, and she's clearly gotten attached to the monkey citizens... sooooo why not just let her stay? not like there's much for her on camel ridge, he says flippantly.

oh, and not to mention the fact that reader doesn't seem to be all that attached to azure anyway. oh she's his friend, maybe, but that's it. just following him around, speaking when spoken to. she's clearly dissatisfied with her placement. at least wukong plans on wooing her properly; he'll make her his queen, not just a glorified pet.

azure has to restrain the thunderous growl that wants to escape his grit fangs at this absolutely ludicrous suggestion. the jealousy that's been bubbling in his chest begins to seep through to his words. wukong can't just, just—demand reader from him! he hates that he has to word it this way, but he took reader fair and square. finders keepers, by demonic rule. the answer is a resounding no, and a "polite" request that the monkey never bring it up again.

a moment of silence, the two demons staring each other down—before wukong seemingly shrugs it off. oh well, he sighs. so be it.

wukong walks away, calm as can be, not even an aggravated twitch of his tail to indicate his true feelings.

but azure's hackles are raised. he knows wukong well enough to know that he hasn't actually dropped this.

the monkey king is simply biding his time.

---

after azure's vehement refusal, wukong rolls his shoulders and sighs. he tried asking nicely, but if azure won't play fair, then neither will the monkey king.

besides, he's more of a "ask for forgiveness, not permission" kinda guy anyways (and he doesn't expect forgiveness). later on that evening, he signals to macaque (who has also grown quite fond of reader, though more secretively) that it's time to roll out plan b.

because y'know, wukong's been thinkin.' maybe his and azure's interests haven't exactly been lining up lately, and not just in the reader department. the monkey king has noticed that azure and his allies have been changing their minds about this whole conquesting on earth business. they want to pool their forces and take on heaven.

now, wukong knows a thing or two about that, and he knows that even with all the might of the demon armies at their disposal, azure and the gang stand about three quarters of a chance. it doesn't help that the original brotherhood members (namely peng and yellowtusk) have been getting kinda uppity lately.

so, why not hit two birds with one stone? or in this case...one bird, one elephant, and one lion.

wukong has macaque take a lil' trip down to the underworld to steal the scroll of memory, an artifact that allows one to trap anyone in a hell of their own making. the darker-furred demon makes quick work of the assignment.

the monkey king and the six-eared macaque then pay the lords of camel ridge a little visit to announce their...severance from the demon alliance.

---

reader wakes up in an unfamiliar bed.

or rather, an unfamiliar...pile of pillows and blankets? in a pit? in the floor? it's surprisingly comfortable all things considered.

however, a drowsy look around the room tells her this is most definitely not the den of her feline captor, and she certainly isn't in her chambers at the palace in camel ridge; the presence of greenery inside the room clued her in there. her nerves began to rise. where is she?

her question is partially answered by wukong pushing his way inside the room, macaque in tow (both are dressed far more casually than normal, wearing simple pants and robes that she's never seen them in). reader startles, scooting back as they move closer. the boys step into the pit and sit across from her. the two simian demons wish reader good morning and ask how she slept.

reader is too stunned to answer.

macaque laughs at the expression on her face, a fond look overcoming his own as he takes in her sleep-disheveled appearance. you're in the royal chambers in the stone palace, to answer your question, he says. he's sure she wants answers about how she came to be here, and he's about to speak when wukong excitedly talks over him.

something has happened to azure and his brothers, he says. it must have, because the king and the general found reader knocked out in a peach grove not far from the entrance to water curtain cave. they brought her inside, of course, but were unable to wake her. perhaps a sleep spell, macaque suggests.

when the monkeys went to investigate camel ridge, they could find no sign of the brotherhood. the warlords admit they have no idea what could have become of their allies, but insist that reader must stay with them until this mystery is solved. she doesn't mind, right? she'll be well taken care of here, and she's more than welcome to stay in the royal chambers (she'll want the two monkey demons to keep her warm, after all the stone palace can get so cold at night—). the monkey citizens will be excited to see her, they'll be glad to hear she's staying. it'll be great! wukong happily assures.

reader admittedly isn't... unhappy about this arrangement. she doesn't want to be rude, but flower fruit mountain is much more hospitable than the lifeless sandstone of camel ridge. quite frankly she's come to prefer the company of wukong and macaque over her once captor, and the friendly mountain residents over two impassive demon lords.

if reader had to choose into whose hands her chain and collar would be placed—she could think of many worse than these two.

[utilitycaster]

not a Candela post but I was actually thinking about The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin w/r/t Liliana. Spoilers for a 50+ year old book, but it centers around a man who unwillingly has the power to alter reality to match his dreams and who retains the memory of the world before he changed it. He is required to see a psychiatrist due to his drug abuse, since that suppresses the ability, and the psychiatrist believes him - but uses him to try to fix the various ills of the world. This becomes a monkey's paw-like exploration of various dystopias - to solve overpopulation (really popular theme in the early 70s) his dreams create a world where most people died of a plague; racism is eliminated by the concept of race being eliminated thus eliminating a number of people and a good deal of art and history; world peace is achieved via an alien invasion that unites the people of the world against an external threat rather than each other (a la Watchmen). The man (Orr) who has the dreams becomes more and more insistent that this is wrong, but the psychiatrist does not listen, and things spiral out from there.

I really do think Liliana believes she is doing the right thing, but the fact is, waving away people's legitimate question of "what will happen if you get rid of the gods" - particularly since pretty much everyone not directly within the Ruby Vanguard, including one of the major representatives of planar stability from the natural side (Keyleth) and her wizard counterpart (Ryn) and like, every other wizard who isn't directly under Ludinus's sphere of influence is like "I think that ends in disaster" - is such a massive red flag. Treating geopolitical problems as neatly fixable by One Change that definitely won't make everything worse (source: trust me) is, even in fantasy, a fantasy.

[carlyraejepsans]

AMA: A Cursed Amulet Appears Before You And Demands You To Choose,

You Get To Talk To Toby Fox For 30 Minutes And He Has To Answer Any Questions Truthfully. This Is Broadcast World Wide Over All TV And Radio Waves, Meaning You Will Be Criticized By All For The Questions You Choose.

Or

You Get To Marry Toriel For Real But She Has A Really Regular Animal Head.

What Do You Choose?

i would not choose the second option. this is not because the animal head is a turnoff, rather this whole thing smacks of monkey paw curling business. getting to marry toriel doesn't necessarily imply any of the other characters also exist, and i daren't separate a woman from her emotional support bestie. if ONLY toriel becomes real i am not doing that to her, even if she was the perfect irl furry replica of herself.

i would unironically choose the first option AND i would ask him intentionally non spoilery or lore questions. i trust the guy too much as a storyteller to disrespect his reticence towards word of god. here's a list of cursed amulet toby fox questions i would ask on live mondovisione so you can yell at me for them.

if you could change or have another try at any part of undertale now that you have more experience as a gamedev, what would you revisit

what's your workflow while composing? has it changed much since you started out? how, how not?

if you magically had the resources to localize UTDR to yet another language (and also personal knowledge of said language to oversee the project for accuracy), what language would be your first pick?

when asriel/flowey shrugs and acts cool it kinda reminds people of sans. was this something you were aware of while making those scenes, or would you say it's just part of your writing style

ever thought of pursuing digital art beyond concept designs and ms paint doodles? if yes, what art styles are you more drawn (lol) to, what artists would inspire you the most?

personal favorite character from each UTDR game currently out?

favorite game you've played recently

have you watched revolutionary girl utena

have you read the omniscient reader's viewpoint novel

when will you read omniscient reader's viewpoint

while avoiding spoilers, if your characters could see any person, from any time in history, regardless of age, logic, or life status, who would they pick?

ok seriously though i think you would really like orv...... promise....

[bitethedevil]

Concept: the bacteria in the HoH bath are supercharged due to the healing properties. It is, in fact, as cesspool 💀 You are healed of one ailment, but now you carry super anthrax. (I am very caffeinated right now)

Yeah like a monkey’s paw kind of thing. Maybe there’s just so many diseases in there that your immune system goes “what the fuck” just enough for it to somehow even out.

[archivistofnerddom]

Batch Headcanons — Bed Sharing and Bedtime Snuggles with a Partner (SFW)

This is safe for work and all ages, so no worries on that front.

Hunter

This man’s senses are always working, so he has a hard time settling down to sleep. In a perfect world, he would have the right environment to let him sleep every night. But, of course, he doesn’t have that.

But he likes to snuggle with you. Having you next to him helps him soothe and settle.

He will focus on the smell of your hair or the way you breathe as you fall asleep. Paying attention to those small details calms him immensely.

Hunter will curl into you, letting the senses of you wash over him completely. This man is a cuddler and generally a big spoon, holding you close to him.

Whenever either of you are away from one other for whatever reason, he doesn’t sleep as well. Life is stressful, and he has a milieu of reasons why he won’t sleep well.

But that gets easier after you start wearing his sweatshirts or large soft shirts to bed and then sneaking them into places he’ll find whenever you have to sleep apart. He loves the gesture. Being able to focus on one sense, on one smell, keeps him from getting overwhelmed when he’s trying to fall asleep . And then he holds you close when you’re home and sharing a bed again.

Crosshair

Crosshair is a skittish feral cat with an injured paw. He has been through a lot and has trust issues because of his past. Approaching sharing a bed with him takes time and patience.

Being a calm and steady presence while he falls asleep and when he wakes up again counts for a lot to him.

He isn’t immediately a cuddler, but he will brush his fingers against your hand or arm or back while he sleeps or dozes. Those little touches are his reassurances that you’re still there.

The man runs cold, so blankets, sweatpants and sweatshirts, and socks are a must for him. Crosshair almost cries when you buy him a weighted and quilted blanket. He is both warm and calmed as he sleeps.

When he does relax and realize you aren’t going anywhere, this man is such a little spoon. He likes being in close proximity to you and being held. Being close to you reassures Crosshair that he has someone who cares for him right there.

He isn’t good at saying “I love you” out loud. However, he says it all the time when he presses in close to you and snuggles up against you at night.

Tech

Guess who has figured out the ideal temperature for both of you to get a good night’s sleep while snuggling? This guy.

Perfect number of blankets to room temperature ratio. (It’s endearing that he figured out the right ratio for you, since it means he’s paying attention to you and your specific nuances.)

His brain doesn’t shut off easy, so it’s hard for him to fall asleep. When you present with the concept of natural noise to lull him to sleep, Tech latches on to that idea quickly. He takes your sleep needs into consideration and develops a playlist that suits you both (usually thunderstorms and ocean waves on a beach).

Tech struggles to put down his data pad when he’s in bed. However, he’s willing to try when you explain that setting it aside for a while before bedtime will help him fall asleep. (Anything for a science experiment, and it does help.)

When he does fall asleep, Tech sleeps hard, as in he won’t wake up unless there is literally a klaxon sounding right next to him.

He is a spider monkey when he sleeps. Tech clings to you, his legs twisted through yours and his arms around you. He nuzzles in close and finds you to be a calming presence.

Wrecker

Literal ultimate big spoon and personal space heater.

Once you mention that you like to sleep in a cold room so that you can snuggle up under blankets or with a partner, his brain just light-bulbs. He’s immediately files that away for future use and deploys it with great effect. Wrecker is nothing if not very aware of his partner’s needs and likes. (Someone rolled high on emotional intelligence.)

He’s also aware of how large he is, so he doesn’t hold you too tightly when he holds you at night (unless you ask him to). He keeps his hold loose enough if you want or need to squirm out of his embrace for any reason. He also loves it when he registers that you snuggle back into his embrace in the middle of the night, if you had to get up for a midnight bathroom break.

Having you in his arms when he wakes up makes him so unbelievably happy. This man lives to protect those he loves. If you also happen to be holding Lula while you sleep in his arms, he’s a big old softie and will basically melt.

Wrecker is also functionally a weighted blanket for you. His heart swells with love the first time you pass out quickly in his arms as he holds you.

Just because he’s a natural big spoon doesn’t mean he doesn’t love it when you (try to) spoon him. Usually that means your arm slips under his armpit and your leg goes over his hip. Wrecker knows he’s a big man, and he finds you doing that adorable. He’ll usually slip his hand into the bend of your knee and shift it to a comfy spot for you both.

Echo

Echo has his fair share of insecurities and body image issues after what he survived at the hands of the Techno Union on Skako Minor. Losing three limbs takes a lot out of a person. Sharing that with someone he cares about deeply isn’t easy.

He is tense the first time you share a bed with him. This stems from his prosthetics and what he looks like without them. It takes a lot for him to feel comfortable sleeping without them, especially after sleeping with them on due to the war and being in the run. You being patient with him gives him the confidence to try sleeping without them.

He sleeps so hard the first time he takes them off for bed. Maybe it has to do with you holding him and curling around him, or the way you gently massage his limbs to work out the tension he has after wearing them for so long. Being so vulnerable with someone in bed helps a lot.

Echo loves having you snuggle into his left side and press your face into his left shoulder. It means that he can hold you properly with his one good arm.

He doesn’t say it, but he also loves the way you sneak your legs between his and the way you cup his right elbow with your hand and arm. It makes him feel whole in a way he hasn’t felt in a long time. Having you hold him so tenderly is reassuring.

This man is also the king of sleepy, gentle kisses to the side of your head. He is sweet and soft and warm, snuggling close to you.

[ellatamara]

Miscellaneous animals of my dnd setting.

Yakybara show up a lot in my old sketches from before the campaign started, but they were never actually named (unless they had a name in a conlang I made up and forgot haha). A lot of my worldbuilding projects start with drawings or creature designs.

Purpure Squirrels are basically just Indian giant squirrels with a different pattern. I saw a picture of them once and the concept of purple squirrel immediately cemented itself as A Thing™ in my world.

Eekees are shapechangers that can shift between the form of a silver-furred monkey with horns and a that of a similar-looking eagle. They live in small groups of 4-12 individuals, and they are typically found in forests and near steep cliffs where they nest and hunt. They are warm-blooded, omnivorous egglayers.

Narashi cats are medium-sized wild cats similar to caracals, but with patterns and elements borrowed from like every cat ever. They get their name from their habitat, the Narashi desert. They are also called sock paw cats.

Winter singers are birds native to the Land of Winter in the Feywild, and they serve an archfey called Lady Wintersong as her spies and messengers to her warlocks. The females are nearly indistinguishable from blackbirds, while the males have a more distinct look with long, oddly-shaped, green tail feathers.

Giant spitter lizards, misleadingly also called rainbow dragons (they are not dragons in the fantasy sense of the word), are large marine reptiles that can spew blobs of acid. Their main hunting strategies include trapping their aquatic prey on land and holding their land-dwelling prey underwater. They rarely spew acid when hunting, but will do so to secure a large kill or when they feel threatened.

[cindersnows]

Last Words of a Shooting Star

AO3 LINK

2735 words

Relationships: The Chosen One/The Dark Lord

Characters: The Chosen One, The Dark Lord

THIS FIC CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH AND SUICIDE. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY THIS.

hi @storgicdealer here's the oneshot i mentioned

There's a reason they're called The Chosen One.

Contrary to popular belief, not just anyone can draw a stickfigure, name it 'The Chosen One', and then create a god.

Or, well, they actually can, but only if Chosen's not occupied elsewhere.

It goes a bit like this: An animator opens a program, gets bored, and decides to draw something. They select the object, planning to name the symbol something stupid like 'Symbol 1' or 'Stick figure' or something like that. And then, for a joke, they name it 'The Chosen One' instead.

The first time Chosen was created, not much had actually gone wrong. The animator had clearly been surprised with them coming to life, but otherwise, unbothered. The two of them played around for a bit, taking and messing around with Flash's tools.

Then, the animator must've gotten bored. Because the next thing Chosen knew, their file had been closed, and they'd been deleted.

The second time, they refused to be so complacent. They escaped the program as soon as possible, but ended up facing a similar fate, killed with a simple right-click-delete.

They stopped counting at around 24. There was no time to focus on anything other than fighting for their life. Sometimes, they'd last for up to 10 minutes. Other times, they'd be boxed in and deleted before they could even defend themself.

Between every death was an endless nothing. As if they'd just blinked for a moment. Some would find it comforting, but that was no consolation for them. They never got a break. Creation, fight, deletion. Creation, fight, deletion. Never able to lower their guard, always struggling against the unseen beings that decided to give and take life as they pleased.

Until the cycle stopped.

Bitterly, they're reminded of the legend about that monkey's paw thing, something Dark had told them years ago while reading. They'd been half-asleep. But the concept stuck with them— never wish for anything, because you'll always end up getting hurt.

Somehow, being stuck as Noogai's pop-up blocker was even worse than the infinite fighting they'd had to endure. They were constantly tense, searching for every opportunity to escape, even as Noogai boxed them up and locked them away over and over. That reocurring pop-up, as ugly and stupid as it was, had been their only hope in those 5 years

5. Goddamn. Years.

Alan's a better person now. Of course. He had just been a dumb 14 year old, messing around with stuff and taking advantage of whatever worked. Chosen was no more sentient than a fly in his eyes.

(But he could've been better for you, Dark's voice whispers. You were just a teenager yourself.)

Chosen has long since learned to ignore that part of their mind.

The lapping waves at the foot of the cliff make for a good distraction from their thoughts. They slide down the dent in the rocks with ease, formed from months and months of skidding down the side.

The craters from Second's fight remain as fresh as ever, even after a year. Where the rocks would've been grinded away into sand by the waves, the cliffside stays straight and strong. In an artificial world like this, nature doesn't really change. It tends to just serve as a backdrop to whatever Chosen's dwelling on that day.

(You sound like one of those tacky protagonists. The world doesn't revolve around you, dumbass.)

Well, they know, but it's nice to believe. If no one has their back, then at least the Outernet does.

…Who are they kidding.

They dive into the water almost automatically, washing away their worries with breaststrokes and paddles and whatever other stupid names humans have picked out for swimming techniques. They're not a professional, okay?

They kick their legs instinctively, immersed in the motions. It's a calming ritual at this point. A good way to waste time, as well—- It takes hours of swimming to tire them out, and another half hour of floating around before they decide to just let the waves take them under. Maybe if they get lucky enough, they'll die.

Of course, they never actually succeed. Somehow, they always end up on the top of the cliff again, feeling warmer than they had before they closed their eyes. A normal stickfigure would take advantage of this apparent invincibility, but they just find it frustrating. Then again, a normal stickfigure wouldn't await death with open arms.

(That's not a healthy thought process, y'know.)

They know. They've had this conversation a million times.

(There's things to do other than just sleep and swim! You could like, get a job or something. Maybe that'll get your sorry ass off the ground.)

Oh, of course, because any Carteblani would gladly give a wanted terrorist a job.

(At least train! You barely spar anymore!)

There's no one to spar with.

(There's trees, and rocks, and just the sky in general. You're getting slow already. You never know when you'll suddenly have to go on the run from the fuckin'… stick police, or whatever.)

If things go their way, they'll be dead before that ever happens.

(It's not your time to die.)

It's never their time to die.

(Exactly! You're getting it.)

What's there to even live for?

(The orange kid, first off. You could always go visit him again. Just wait till nighttime and then blast through the LAN and say hi!)

I'm not going to bother them with stupid stuff like that. Besides, Alan's on that computer too.

(Not at night, he's not. Humans usually sleep around that time.)

And if he's not?

(At least go say hi! Or thank her! You never even learned the kid's name, for stod's sake. His, or his friends.)

God, not stod.

(We're not human, loser. We've got stickfigure gods, not real ones.)

You know just as well as I do that's not how this works. We don't have gods. We have animators.

(Boooooooo. Don't be such a killjoy!)

Don't be such an idiot, then.

(Well, I'm not the one talking to a voice in my head.)

Chosen jolts up, coughing, and once again finds themself on the cliff. It's nothing new, but they're still disappointed.

A flash of red in the corner of their eye catches their attention, and they're up at once, feet parted and hands in a fist for battle. #FF0000. They'd recognize that color anywhere. Yet, after scanning their surroundings, they find nothing but the same shades of green, blue and brown they've grown accustomed to. Their shoulders fall. Right. Dark's dead.

It's not news, but it still stings all the same. They still refuse to visit her crater, too afraid to be faced with the shadow of her code burned into the ground. Dead sticks don't leave bodies, but the very image of Dark laying rotted in the dirt makes them feel sick all the same. The train of thought continues, and even as Chosen tries to distract themself, they can hear the little maggots crawling on her, eating away at her code and leaving holes in her lines.

(Hey, chill. At the very least, I'm tall enough to give them a good meal.)

Chosen has to bite back a retort about how 5'7 is barely anything, especially when compared to their own height, more focused on trying to think of anything other than Dark's death. Dark's… life?

Right! Sure. They're just feeling a little nostalgic today. They'll go check out the old house.

They fly there in no time at all, able to pinpoint the building from thousands of pixels away. It's pretty noticeable, honestly. Not for the first time, Chosen wonders how they have evaded capture for so long.

The massive hole they'd blasted into the wall had long since been covered up, albeit rather shoddily, with some old leaves Chosen had taken the time to stitch together. Not like they could get cloth. They use the hole as a makeshift entrance to the second floor now, sparing the roof a glance before entering.

They generally avoid this room as much as possible. The mess from their fight with Dark is still evident, with dusty items scattered across the floor. They'd been procrastinating cleaning it. It'd be a nice way to pass time, and keep Dark's memory alive, but well… The memories are the issue.

At the very least, Chosen had had the sense to take down Dark's weird sheets, tucking vira blueprints away in one of the wooden drawing and unplugging the computer.

(Don't wanna waste money on electric bills!)

They don't pay bills. They never have. There's not really a need to pay for electricity when the world literally runs on it. It'd be like paying for air. Chosen doubted even the most convincing salesticks could sell air.

(Tell that to O'hare.)

Oh, can it, will you?

Chosen sighs, walking over towards the globe on the floor. The little spider pin had fallen to the side at some point, chipped and dirty, and they could not care less. Good riddance. They pick the globe up, walking over to one of the boxes in the room. Opening it, they chuck the globe in haphazardly, before glancing at the rest of the room.

Sure. Why not? They'd clean it now.

They stuff objects into the boxes as much as they can. They freeze the whole floor, then take the time to melt it, using the water to wash some of the dust off the floor. They use old notes on Virabots to wipe the boxes down. They set fire to the table- wait, fuck, oh shit, oh shit, ABORT!

They freeze the fire as soon as they can, creating a weird soggy, ashy mess.

So much for preserving memories.

They open the drawers, blowing ash off the sides and rummaging through them. Dark had always been protective of her stuff while vir was alive; Chosen felt more than a little guilty ignoring all the boundaries she'd set, but then, it wasn't like she was around to tell them off.

They pause, for a moment. Maybe Dark will burst into the room right now. Maybe she'll yell, “I missed you!” and dive into their arms, peppering them with kisses and apologies. Maybe they'll hold her tight, apologizing in turn for letting her go so easily, for not just talking to her about their worries before it was too late.

(It wasn't your fault.)

Maybe they need to shut the fuck up.

The drawers are filled mostly with random things, souvenirs Dark had collected from various websites while destroying them. There's that massive red angry bird, colored black with a hole drilled into it to resemble Chosen. He'd actually done a pretty good job with this, they muse. They wonder why he kept it hidden.

There's a few books, as well. Stick biology, programming, engineering, all stuff Chosen couldn't even begin to understand. The DSM-4 is in there too. What?

Chosen puts the book aside with a fond sigh, their throat squeezing up at just how… Dark all of this is. They close their eyes, trying to steady their breathing. They can pretend the tightness is a noose. It helps, somehow.

(That's really unhealthy.)

Yeah, well. It made them feel better, so that's that.

He spots a shiny, brown box, and pulls it out, surprised at the sheer size of the thing. What was in it, some kind of sword??

A note is messily scrawled onto the top, the handwriting completely different to Dark's usual neatness.

EMERGENCY, it reads. DO NOT USE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU'VE COMPLETED YOUR PURPOSE NOW. YOU'RE FINE. GIVE UP. GIVE UP. The writing veers off to the side, slanting downwards with no lines to guide it. Chosen's brows furrow, confused. Give up? On what? Had Dark actually been considering abandoning his plans with the Virabot?

One look at the object inside reveals that, no, whatever this was is far worse.

A sharp blade rests inside. It's bright blue, reminiscent of the swords Chosen used to see in the anime they pirated. Instead of glowing, it seemed to almost absorb all the light around them, the whole room visibly darkening as they unveiled it.

They remove it from the box with caution, mentally chastising Dark for not even including a sheath to keep it in.

Then again, it didn't seem like she'd been in the best state of mind when she'd made this. Despite being clean at first glance, a deeper examination reveal little nicks along the flat side of the blade, the edges jagged and uneven. Without a doubt, Dark was shaking when he made this.

Chosen flips the sword around, accidentally slicing their hand in the process. They could probably afford to be more gentle with it, but hey, it's not like they were exactly against getting hurt.

Into the handle of the blade, they can make out words badly engraved into the material. Tilting it slightly so it'd reflect a bit more light, Chosen narrowed their eyes, straining to read the text.

destroy(The_Chosen_One)

W…

What?

The sword clatters to the ground, the noise ringing throughout the room. It's way too silent. It's way too fucking silent.

Dark had made a secret weapon. To kill Chosen, specifically.

It hadn't been a vague weapon of destruction, like the Virabots, or the various tools he'd made to help him gain better control of his powers. It couldn't have been made in the short duration Chosen had been on Alan's new PC, destroying the virus. There's no way she would've been able to make something like this so fast.

Chosen, for the first time since they woke up, registers their feelings. Their hand is burning.

Their hand is slowly crumbling.

And then

Chosen begins to laugh.

The sound fills the air, cutting through the 0s and 1s like paper.

It wasn't their fault. None of this had been their fault. The four kids getting deleted, the orange kid's powers, Dark dying. It had never been them. They couldn't have prevented this by talking to Dark about their feelings, or appeasing to her while they could.

They'd lost Dark long ago.

Maybe they'd never had her at all. Maybe it hadn't been Cho and Dark, revelling in freedom and power, but The Chosen One and The Dark Lord, ticking time bombs just waiting to destroy each other.

Because that's what it had been for, right? Noogai had created Dark to destroy them. They were enemies before they were friends. Of course Dark would have a backup plan to kill Chosen. This was how it was always meant to go. They'd been dead from the very beginning, after all.

A normal stick would despise Dark for this. A normal stick would be scrambling to find a way to heal themself before it was too late.

But we've already established this. The Chosen One is not normal. And neither is The Dark Lord.

In her efforts to get rid of him, Dark had created the one thing Chosen had needed the most. A way out. Freedom.

Chosen takes the sword with their remaining hand, grinning and plunging it into their stomach.

They'd get to start over again. They knew it all now. They wouldn't need to worry about the Outernet, or what was beyond the PC. With their luck, no one would ever draw them again, becoming an urban legend lost to time.

They'd get to meet Dark again.

(No!)

They'd get to meet Dark again!

(Stop!)

They were distintegrating at a faster speed now, quiet literally breaking into pieces.

(Chosen!)

It burned, it burned so fucking bad, but they didn't care.

“CHOSEN!”

It needed to be fatal, not painless.

“Oh my god, oh my god, no, nononono…”

Chosen beams as Dark appears in their blurring vision, reaching out to them. She was here! Dark was here for them!

“Dark,” They choked out.

“God, Chosen, fuck, I'm so sorry, this wasn't how it was supposed to go, you weren't supposed to find it-”

“I missed you.”

“DON'T say that, don't say you fucking missed me, we can still fix this, we can still-”

“I'm coming home now.”

“You're not, this isn't home, dying isn't your home-!”

Dark's efforts are futile. Chosen looks up to her, drinking her whole appearance in, as bright and dangerous and blinding as the first time they'd met,

and everything

goes

black.