#this sort of sucks

[cosmic-canines]

love and change (a fine line between fear and longing, and a healthy dose of suffering)

i think i am afraid of love in the same way that i am afraid of change.

i do not like the cold, unfamiliar dark. i much prefer the warm, well-lit spaces that i am used to, even if i know that through that cold darkness is a world a little bit better than the one i am in right now.

love is not like change, in the sense that love is not cold and dark. love is like change in the same way two words invoke the same feeling, despite only being loosely related. yet to my fragile mind and fragile heart, i fear both things in the same way.

change is like a dagger pressed against my throat. i don’t particularly fear daggers, i’m just afraid of what’s to come. i don’t want to die, or at least not tonight. i cannot move, i cannot run. what’s coming is inevitable. i must embrace it, but i am afraid.

love is not like the cold blade of a dagger against my throat. instead, it is like a fire that is roaring before me, ripping through the world and burning everything in its path. i do not particularly fear fire, i am just afraid of burning to ash alongside everybody else. yet still, maybe i deserve to burn for my desire to step closer to the flames. yearning and fear wage wars in my chest.

love is as powerful and warm and life-sustaining as the blazing inferno. i stare into the flames, enamored by the light and shadows it casts, engulfed in the way that it burns. it could kill me if i step too close, yet i long to step into the heat.

desire pounds in my heart, desire to indulge in the white-hot warmth. but i know better, i learned my lesson. i won’t fly so close to the sun this time.

i suppose what i am trying to convey is that despite my fear of danger, i am so consumed by a desire for the adrenaline.

change is a cold and unforgiving blade, love is a blazing flame. both are deadly and inevitable. and also both beautiful and desired. it confuses me, but i guess it’s not for me to understand.

i guess i’ll continue to be so afraid of the things i desire the most.

[theresistanceneverquits]

There’s not enough people talking about how important Stephanie is to Damian’s growth pre-Flashpoint.

Bruce had seen Damian as a beast to be tamed, Tim sees him as a ticking time bomb, and Dick is far better with him but he’s still an authority figure for Damian to combat with. But then he meets Stephanie, a college-aged girl who nobody trusts and he bullies her relentlessly and becomes inseparable from her.

She doesn’t interact with him based on his past, but on what she can see. This 10 year old just threatened to kill her? Wow he doesn’t get outside much. He’s not old enough to have seen Gremlins. What do you MEAN you’ve never been inside a bouncy house before we are fixing that immediately.

They are like cousins to each other. They poke fun at each other for being lame and stupid and Dick has to tell them both to shut up. She doesn’t see him as a project to be molded and redeemed, he’s just a kid with a crappy childhood like her and if he’s nice to her for 5 seconds she’ll do something with him to let him feel like a kid. And he doesn’t look at her and see a liability or a failure or a lost cause, like everyone she’s ever interacted with does. When he’s awful to her, it’s because he’s an obnoxious preteen boy.

And then you get the “there’s room in our line of work for hope, too” scene. Because Damian has gotten to know Steph and he can’t fathom why she’s here. She obviously has had to deal with crap and is still working through being kept on a leash by Nightwing and Oracle, but she isn’t broken like the rest of them are. Damian is surrounded by people who were molded and shaped and torn down and broken to become the monoliths that they are, and then there’s this girl who seems so at peace with herself and is constantly making quips, and it’s so foreign to him.

And she tells him that she’s in his world because she believes people are worth fighting for.

[alicornze7]

Silly guys goin' on silly adventures:]

@rorydrawsandwrites's puppeteer au but the only difference is that jax gives consent

My contribution to this wonderful au has been long overdue:')

Rambling in tags ehe (cw: ribbun:p)

Well maybe it's not the only difference

[try-set-me-on-fire]

birds all sing as if they knew

[eliseliedl]

Infinity Nikki (2024)

[heartorbit]

the star you've longed for

[bluuscreen]

watched sonic prime, have some doodles [no the “classic” universe doesn’t really make sense However i wanted to draw tiny shadow so whatever]

text under the “classics” since it may be hard to read:

- shadow is arguably nicer, but he’s affectionate in the same way a grumpy cat is

- not the actual classics [obvi, since shadow doesn’t have a classic vers.]. they’re in roughly the same point in the timeline [as regular sonic and shadow], they’re just small

[doctorho]

this one is for eveyone who needs some extra love around these times.

Viktor knows better than he'd like that life isn't always...pretty. Or simple, or easy, or fair. No matter how hard most of Piltover seemed to pretend that there was something magical in the midwinter turnpoint that made everyone suddenly forget the suffering and misery and the complexities of real-life situations, he knows that's not the case.

Which is why he doesn't ask stupid questions when you stay at the Academy over winter break. He doesn’t pry; he doesn’t need to. It's evident enough in the way you preoccupy yourself with work that it's something you'd rather not discuss. You're focusing harder than usual, and he's familiar enough with what that precarious, tight-knuckle grip on being okay.

And Viktor?

Well. Viktor's more than happy to be a distraction.

When he gets to the lab, mid-morning, you're already there. He's not exactly surprised; he'd anticipated this. Maybe even hoped for it. He'd worked with you for a while now and grown exponentially more attached to your company - not that he'd told you the extent of his affections. But he'd get to that. Hopefully.

He came prepared with two warm drinks and still-steaming pastries, and he silently starts unloading those to the common desk that had been designated as the makeshift kitchen of the room.

"Good morning," he says casually, "I brought breakfast." He thinks of adding if you want some, but upon reflection, doesn't. There's a fine line between respecting someone's free will and pushing them to make good choices, and he's currently erring hard to the side of I don't know if you've eaten anything yet today but you definitely should.

You only hum in response, not lifting your eyes off your current project.

In response to this, he hums back and tilts his head, studies the organized mess on your desk; circuit boards, either half-assembled or half-taken apart, he's not sure, stripped wires, a steaming soldering iron. Your hands, shaking a little.

He places the drink intended for you on your desk, just annoyingly out-of-reach, and waits for you to look up.

"When was the last time you ate something?" he asks, holding up the pastry now that he has your attention.

"Why does that matter?" you ask, reaching for the takeaway cup on the edge of your desk. Viktor leans the handle of his cane to block your reach, which makes you look up at him. Properly.

"Just trying to determine if I should make you take a lunch break while I'm bothering you, or if the pastry will suffice."

He lifts his eyebrows, waiting for you to answer.

You shift in your seat. He can hear your back crack in several places, and not in the pleasant type of way.

"Last night," you answer, leaning back with a sigh, then quietly add, "I think."

Viktor reaches over to turn off your soldering iron. "Lunchbreak it is, then. These can be dessert."

"I'm fine-" you start, and he lifts an eyebrow.

"I don't believe you," he says, completely casually, "I think you're pushing through low blood sugar to get this-" he gestures towards the desk, "finished, and I can tell you it's much easier to make mistakes when you aren't thinking clearly."

When you're quiet, he continues, picking up your coat and offering it to you. "You can trust me on this," he says, "I have more than enough experience."

You take a deep breath and sigh it out, feeling somewhat like a toddler.

"I promise you can go right back to poking at this later." He adds, and you slowly take the jacket from him.

"Good," he says, "I know a place."

It's a careful dance, and he knows this; he doesn’t want to push you. But he's been there, and he doesn’t want you to suffer more than absolutely necessary. And he really does know a place.

He re-packs the drinks and the pastries, and you follow him to a nearby cafe-and-drink-cart that's serving small steaming dishes outside. They're serving small steaming cups of - stew? Soup? And warm bread filled with different things, and you hadn't really noticed it before, but now that you were looking at - and smelling - the food, you were starving.

By the time you've registered the selection, he's already ordered for the both of you, and then the guy at the cart is offering you a brown paper bag and Viktor is moving again, and you take a few hurried steps to catch up with him.

"Where are we going?"

You can see him smile before he answers.

"Well," he says, "I was thinking we could take advantage of the great hall being empty, and eat there." He turns to look at you with an eyebrow raised, "I can only imagine how displeased the Academy Staff would be if we risked dirtying their marble floors with common food."

"Oh, really, you can only imagine?"

He shrugs, grinning. "Are you insinuating I have experience with matters such as these?"

"Yes," you answer, opening the paper bag to study its contents while you walked.

He hums in answer. "I am shocked by your accusations." He says, then, clearly fighting a smile, "I would never get caught breaking such a boring rule."

You smile now, too. "Right," you answer, "only the interesting ones."

The way he glances at you and smiles is more than enough of a response.

He stops at one of the long tables at the grand hall, and as he shrugs off his jacket and sits down, you place down the paper bag and do the same. He starts unpacking the contents of the bag, focused, placing down steaming bowls with a spicy scent to them, paper-covered wraps of something, utensils, and smaller bowls of... something colorful. Spices? Toppings?

Viktor opens the containers one by one, making the contents of the single takeaway bag look like a pretty impressive feast.

And you study him as he moves. Careful, confident in his movements, calm. While your insides felt like they were trying to hide, and had felt like that for... a good while now, he was calm like any other day. A rock-solid presence in the otherwise empty room.

"Are you not going to ask me?" you ask, "why I'm working through the winter break."

Viktor's only imminent reaction is the gentle lift of a single eyebrow.

"No," he answers, casually, and it sounds simple when he says it like that.

He meets your eyes, and that feels simple, too; because he is here, too.

It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. He unwraps a folded paper napkin with careful fingers, and then places a steaming-soft bread in front of you.

You look at him for a moment, and then take a bite of the bread. It is soft and warm and heavenly, and when you taste the stew-soup-something, it's like it warms you down to your soul. You eat in silence; but it feels like there's a gentle bubble of understanding surrounding you.

You hold the warm bowl, and slowly, your hands shake less and less. The tension around your head gives away a little, too.

"Do you like the snow?" Viktor asks, and you follow his gaze out the window.

"I probably shouldn't," he continues, "the cold isn't exactly gentle on me. But it is pretty, I can't deny that."

You hum in answer. "Yeah," you agree with a small sigh, "it is beautiful."

His eyes meet yours, and he tilts his head.

"Do you want to break another rule?" he asks, something michievous curling at the end of his words.

You tilt your head in response. "A more interesting one?"

"Infinitely," he responds with a smile, and you're already on your feet.

And that's how you end up breaking into the roof of the Academy with him. Or, it's probably not technically breaking, since he has the keys, but you definitely aren't supposed to be in there, so that's what it feels like.

It also feels... breathless. And not just because it feels illegal, but it's... it's beautiful, and he holds your hand in the dark stairway and doesn't let go when he guides you to the expanse of the roof, and there's snow floating down all around you-

and for a moment, it feels like you're the only two people in the world, surrounded by a gentle blanket of snow and silence.

Or... not-silence. There is a song softly floating through the air, like it's being reflected in the snowflakes all around you.

And Viktor is offering you a hand.

You furrow your brows as your head catches up with your heart. "Are you asking me to dance?"

"Would you say yes if I was?"

And that was the question, wasn't it;

would you?

Your head tries to butt in with should you, but... something still-soft and light in your heart comes in way too solid with a yes.

Yes, you would.

So you take his hand, and meet him halfway to an embrace. He pulls you close to his chest, and the dance is as gentle as the snowfall around you; just a soft sway from side to side, breathing in sync with the music.

And Viktor isn't sure if this is a good idea, but... you look like you're further away from that edge now, no-longer shaking, and... he hated seeing you in your head that deep, and if he could do anything to help you find your way back to yourself, he'd do that.

It feels a little selfish, this dance, but... it was difficult to justify that when you were in his arms, breathing calm and even.

"I really am fine," you tell him quietly, and he runs a hand up your back slowly. You swallow. "Or I will be, at least."

"I know," he breathes out, and he means it.

You close your eyes, and believe it.

[bixels]

Bit of a weird question, but what is your overall least favorite thing about MLP? 

Sparity.

[mobbu-min]

hmmmm… i want to watch nosferatu and have malleus on the brain…

(tw possible yan mal? blood and death, not reader tho)

Vampire Malleus that sees you trembling through the ruins outside his territory. A shaky hand holding onto a heavy flashlight and the other wrapped tightly around your midriff. A pathetic form of protection, he muses.

Mortals tend to steer clear from his area. He wasn’t even sure when was the last time he saw one. Surely by your indecent way of dress, it's been quite a long time. Ah, how time flies when you're a creature of the night.

Vampire Malleus that follows you throughout the night. Always stepping out of sight everytime you squeak and flash your light in his direction. He could see the tiny tears pricking at your glossy eyes. Throughout his years, he’s seen fear plastered across the face of many and yet, something about yours has his dead heart thrumming in his cold chest. Maybe it’s your eyes, big and shaky, or your trembling lips that squeaks like a little mouse. Or perhaps, it's because you're just so pathetically human that it lights up his curiosity.

Faintly he could hear the sounds of other humans approaching the area. And suddenly, your fear has disappeared into relief. And Malleus’ serene smile twitches. His fun is over and soon you’ll disappear beyond his reach. It can’t be helped, Malleus sighs. For as fleeting as you were, you sure were entertaining.

And yet as your voice met your friends and you turned to face them, your foot slipped and you came tumbling down. Yelping as jagged rock embedded itself into your palms and exposed knees. You hissed in pain as you examined the blood that began to leak out your poor cuts, dripping and collecting into a puddle down below.

And just like that the smell of your blood has awoken the beast.

The moment your friends made it up the hill they fell down wordlessly. It didn’t even click in your brain what had happened. Eyes couldn’t even follow the large black blurr that seemingly flew down from the sky and picked off your friends one by one. Leaving them not a second for them to scream, not a second for them to feel an ounce of fear.

Shakely you called out for them. No response came, just the sway of the wind. Fear mounted you to your spot. You couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything and the smell of blood, thick and metallic clung to your nose.

And that smell only became more apparent as a pair of sharp slender pale hands reached for you from the darkness. Twisting your head from the lifeless bodies of your friends to the glowing red eyes of a beast. Domineering, lustful. The beast gazed down at you with such ferocity, you were sure you were about to pass. Those hands, stained with the blood of your friends, trailed down to your bloodied hand and lifted it up to its mouth.

A forked tongue slithered from its mouth and slid across your open wound. And just like that, its eyes rolled back and closed, and it visibly shivered. Disgust thick with fear coated your throat at its reaction and your body fought to move. And yet, it’s hold on your wrist turned harsh, knife-like nails digging into the delicate skin of your wrist and you stilled.

Its eyes opened into narrowed slits. Lips parting into a pleased smirk, allowing you to see its long, sharp teeth. And with a voice, deep and smooth and seemingly human, it purred.

“What an interesting find…”

[creativitysloyalservant]

i have decided to break my lack of original posting on this blog to bring you my Thoughts on Rot in Paradise. because i played it as soon as i got up this morning and i have scoured for some opinions after finishing it, and now i have my own!!

(and also i posted this on twitter but twitter has such a Shit wordcount that i'm also posting my things here with More Detail)

so! spoilers under the cut, please go and play the game if you haven't. it takes literally an hour (it only took nearly 2 hours for me because i like voice acting by myself and exploring every nook and cranny) and it's also free. so maybe come back into the tag once you're done.

okay, so i noticed quite a number of people being confused and disappointed on the lack of an explanation for the monster. it's brought up in the story as the central thing driving the plot, but it's never explained on what "she" is, why she's compelling people to eat a ton of fish-related food or hell, metal, and why this doesn't impact June at all.

but you know what I think?

i think that that's the point. the focus of rot in paradise isn't supposed to be on the monster.

yeah, it's the thing that pushes the plot along besides June and the gang going on vacation in this island. it's what's causing that uneasiness from the moment that guy grabs June's arm at the drinks, to the sheer unnerving feeling of witnessing people going to the ocean to get Raptured basically. i know i personally felt a chill when i saw that one dude literally eating chains and the other hauling an anchor, as if they're trying to make themselves heavier so they get taken by whatever She is.

but that's not the main point! the main conflict is about June and her friends.

as people have pointed out, this game is about toxic friendships and relationships! it's foreshadowed in the conversation that June has with the gang about her cousin (which i will also get into), and it carries it through the way her friends are horribly warped by this ocean Creature. June goes on a silly little vacation trip with her friends only for them to become so so different from themselves that they lash out at her and even hit her in McCoy's case.

but she still sticks it out with them. through the whole game, even despite their verbal abuse, despite being slapped, despite them being people that she can hardly recognise. she stays with them for the whole game, up until the point where you are given the two options at the very end. and she could still stay with them.

because they're still her friends. she cares about them even if they still hurt her. from the way June still tells Carmen to tell June if she needs anything after Carmen literally tells her to shut up and leave, the way June worries about Vonnie eating seafood even though she continues to stuff herself despite being implied to either hate or make an active choice to not eat seafood, to the way June still trudges out to sea screaming for McCoy to come back to the shore as he wades further in even after he slapped her until her nose bled.

it mirrors the conversation about her cousin, the reason for why June was looking forward to the vacation. that while she did comfort her cousin through all of it, June clearly says that "they were dickheads, and she should have ditched them a long time ago".

but it's funny, isn't it? that June, an outsider to her cousin's friend group, easily sees the pain that her cousin's friends are causing her, and immediately calls it as it is. that her cousin should have left the second they hurt her.

and yet now, when her friends hurt her, even though this was a quick and sudden change that happened in a span of three days, June still sticks around. her friends are dickheads right now, and we can see that in the way they interact with June, but she still stays.

because they're her friends. and how could she just leave them like this if it's something that's causing them to be this way?

so no, i don't think the monster is supposed to be the main picture. we don't need to know what it looks like, or why it needs to do this to the islanders, or how it's even doing it in the first place. it adds to the scariness of the game, as per the Spooktober Game Jam, sure, but that's not the point. might be a bit disappointing to some, but that's not the point.

the point is about June, and the choice that she needs to make at the end of the game.

it's a choice on whether she chooses to be pulled deeper into the tides and be with the friends who hurt her and will continue to hurt her in this way,

or to leave them to their fates, whether deserved or not, and resurface to a world where she's alone without her friends.

and even though the first choice hurts much more in the long run, doesn't the second hurt even more in the moment? knowing that you're alone at the end of all of this?

even if it is the right choice, i'm sure the pain must be unbearable in the moment.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Little bright colored outfit with a fun vest ~

(shoes from ebay like 10 years ago. everything else is thrifted)

[anetherealpoetess]

morfydd clark saying if she could steal anything from the trop sets it would be the novelty doorknobs is so funny. she's the best. it makes me sad to think there are men foaming at the mouth like infested mongrels to tear her down because they take umbrage with the fact her galadriel has a personality. do they feel masculine? do they feel smart? do they think tolkien is going to rise from his peaceful grave and crown them the king of gondor after they leave a bitchy little youtube comment on a fan video with fifty views? they've spent two years bullying a woman who is so adorable she would steal novelty doorknobs.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Crack the whip, Seth. Don't let them grieve, Seth. You use too many big words, Seth. Don't treat them like people, Seth. What challenges, Seth? Isn't it your performance review coming up, Seth? Don't speak, Seth. Don't be uppity, Seth. Accept these gifts with grace, Seth. [Patreon | Commissions]

[harpoonsnotspoons]

Do you think he misses him sometimes

[feralnumberfive]

Sloane's absence in S4 is completely chalked up to "Yeah we didn't have enough time and room for her so we're just not going to touch the subject of her disappearance at all and hope fans don't notice or care"