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megthemewlingquim · 4 years ago

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This Is Your Wilderness

Summary: You learn new things about the world you have entered, both the easy way and the harder way.

Pairing: Adam x Reader

Warnings: foul language (it’s a given for Adam), violence, angst

A/N: This is for @just-the-hiddles 's 3500 Follower Writing Challenge! The prompt was Bliss: A shot of pure, self-indulgent euphoria! A scent that is very, very wicked in its own way: the serotonin-slathered scent of pure milk chocolate. This turned out to be much more angsty than I expected, and you can thank @empower-bi-women for that little nudge. This is also an AU where Ian never died.

“Adam, don’t be so paranoid. No one has come around for ages.”

The tall, dark figure at the window sighs. His fingers had only moved the curtain for a second, and he had peeked out and looked down, but now he shifts, lets the curtain fall again. His eyes glint in the dim lighting, and they seem black. “Yeah, but I’m still worried,” he mumbles.

“I could try and get them to stay away,” you say lightly, a suggestion you know will fail tremendously. “Say it’s all fake, what with you and your reclusiveness.” You fiddle with a chess piece, a white rook, in your right hand, glancing back up at Adam. “It’s no trouble.”

“You’re the only zombie I trust now, you know that.” Adam moves back over to where you sit cross-legged on the floor. “You’re all I have. I’ll be damned if I let you go out there alone.”

He sits back down across from you, eyeing his own black chess pieces. Currently, he is down two pawns. “Besides, if the Others find out about you, they’ll… fuck, they’ll kill you. They’d kill you and leave me alone. Because they’d want me to suffer.”

Your eyes widen and your breath hitches. Adam never speaks about the “Others” — at least, never more than a mention of the name.

“Why?” you ask. “Why would they want that?”

“Because I don’t care about their fucking wars. The zombies cause enough trouble as it is. When the vampires and werewolves started their clans, I was not there to join them. I was... I was actually trying to settle down with someone.”

“That’s why you’re in hiding? Because you love?”

“I love, yes. I love and I care and I don’t just survive. This isn’t the goddamn 14th century anymore. I don’t just drink someone and throw their body in a ditch. I get my blood from hospitals. That is if it isn’t fucking... contaminated.” Adam winces. “That’s how Marlowe died.”

“Wait, who’s Marlowe?” you ask. “Was he a friend of yours? Another vampire like yourself?”

He smiles, an amused hum leaving him. “Yeah, he was a friend. Eve knew him longer than I did but we were friends. He was a visionary, an absolute genius. He wrote most of Shakespeare’s plays, y’know.”

You have to take a second to process this, and another to make the timeline match up. “You don’t mean the Christopher Marlowe?”

“He was one of Shakespeare’s biggest influences... and one of Shakespeare's real writers.” Adam smiles. “He really died a couple of years ago. Blood poisoning from a French hospital.”

“Is that why you only use me for your blood?” you ask softly. He nods. You look down, realizing the severity of it all. “So no drugs, huh?” you ask jokingly.

He laughs, a small amused chuckle. “Yeah, no. Drugs... if you’re still helping me out, are off limits. The occasional coffee is okay.”

“‘S okay with me.” You shrug. “As long as you stay safe.”

“And I can say the same to you,” Adam says, coming back over to sit beside you. He brings you close, resting his chin on your head and cuddling you from behind. “All I’d ever want is for you to be safe. Which is why I can’t have you talking to the Others... or anyone who might know them. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” you say. “I do.”

After a long pause, you perk up.

“We should go to the store.” You glance at the electric clock, which reads 1:43 AM. “I’m sure some convenience stores are open. Do you need anything?”

“You ask me that every time we go,” Adam mumbles amiably. “I don’t need anything, no, but I’ll go with you if you want.”

And so you go.

All you get at the end of the trip is a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and some milk chocolate bars (an essential in your opinion).

“I’ll go for my actual shopping tomorrow,” you say, getting the gallon out of the freezer.

The air is cold all through the tiny store, and the surprisingly satisfying scent of beer cooler is all around you. Adam wears his sunglasses and gloves, and looks around the shelves. He has nothing in his hands.

He glances at you. “Okay,” he says hesitantly, standing quite rigidly.

When you step up to the counter, the cashier looks suspiciously at Adam, who stands behind you, looking at a beer bottle: it has a tiny little Dracula on it. He is reading the flavor: blood orange.

It seems like the cashier had not heard the two of you talking, but had only seen you look at each other.

“Is this man here, uh, bothering you, miss?” he whispers.

You do not see it, but Adam’s head lifts, just a little.

“N-no,” you say, trying to make your voice as firm as possible. “No, I’m with him, actually.”

The cashier nods. “Uh huh,” he had said, not sounding convinced at all.

Adam comes up to accompany you at the register. Even through his glasses, you can see that his gaze is piercing. “She’s with me. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to leave.”

Maybe it’s something about Adam’s gaze or his dark tone: the cashier looks slightly worried, but he does what he was told. In a few seconds, you are out, Adam following closely behind you.

“Don’t want anyone coming close to my girl,” he mutters, his breath steaming in the crisp air. “Even if he means well. We’re out in the open now. And I can’t take any chances.”

Without saying anything in response, you both make it into Adam’s car, your little plastic bag sitting peacefully near your legs. Adam turns the key and the car rumbles to a start, and he is just about to shift into drive when he looks up.

He freezes, nostrils flaring in anger. His grip on the shift tightens, and your eyes go from his gloved hand to the dashboard, to see what he sees.

As if on cue...

There are three middle aged men in front of the car, almost completely shrouded by the darkness. The sides of their faces are lit up from the left by the white light of the store’s inside.

Their eyes seem black, and their faces are deathly pale.

“Stay in the car,” Adam hisses, his voice dark and angry.

“Adam—” you try to protest.

“Stay. In. The fucking. Car.” Adam’s teeth are gritted, and his voice gets even angrier, if that’s possible, but he never takes his eyes off of the three men in front of you.

“Wh-what are they going to do? Wh-wh-who are they?” you ask, stammering.

“Lock the doors,” is all he says.

He takes the key out of the ignition. The car stops its rumbling. He opens his driver door and steps out, placing the key in his back jean pocket. He shuts the door behind him.

“Adam!” you whisper, knowing he can still hear you. “Adam, get back here! We can just drive away.”

You see him mouth something: No.

You lock the doors.

Your ears are unable to pick up what they all say: but I will fill in the details.

One of the men steps forward, his white teeth showing in a sickly sweet smile. “Adam,” he says, welcoming in tone. “It’s been a while. When was it we last saw each other, hmm? 1805?”

“Walter… Henry… Jesse,” Adam says quietly, nodding at each of the men. “It has been a while, yes.”

The first man — Walter — glances toward you, and winks. “We've come to talk to you about enlisting. But... this is much more interesting. What’cha got there, huh? A little mouse?”

The name is not positive, nor is it cute. With Adam, it would be. But, right now…

You’re already petrified. From a wink, and a bittersweet smile.

Your heart pounds.

You know, then, that they can hear it. All of them. They can hear your heart racing, the blood rushing through it. They can probably see you shaking, hear the breath leaving your mouth in trembling whispers.

Adam. Adam, run.

“She’s no one,” Adam says darkly. “She...found out about me. I have to kill her. She can’t know about me. About us.”

“How did she find out?” asks another man. Quite tall, nice looking, with light brown hair and stubble at the jaw and cheeks. A gold chain is around his neck, and he wears a brown jacket and white t-shirt. He is also pale, extremely pale, just like his friends, and his eyes seem black.

“There was a friend of mine who broke the confidentiality agreement. That friend is dead now. I killed him, too. But she also has to go.”

“Did she tell anyone?”

“No, Jesse, she didn’t.”

“Good,” the third man — Henry — says. He looks nice, too. Black hair, olive skin. He looks a little older than Jesse or Walter, though. “We can’t let that happen, now, can we?”

“Hey…” Walter says, getting an idea. His smile is not a good one. “Why don’t we help you out? She’s gonna die anyway, isn’t she?”

Adam, by all means, should say yes. It would give him some more time to banter, to discuss horrible ways of torture and death. It would help to keep your cover. He should shrug, say yes, and let you out of the car. Then, he should rip the other three vampires to shreds.

But he doesn’t.

Adam growls — and though you are not able to hear it, you can see his expression. It is hunger, it is defiance, and it is anger. “You are not to touch her. She’s mine: mine to kill, mine to torture — ”

“Yours to marry, yours to love?” Walter asks, mockingly. “Yours to fuck?”

Adam freezes.

“Nobody we know — you least of all — would ever get that protective of a fuckin’ zombie. What are you not telling us, Adam?”

“Get the fuck away from us,” Adam snarls, suddenly furious. “I don’t want any part in your little wars — and neither does she.”

“So you’re admitting it,” Jesse says, almost excitedly. “You love her, don’t you? That's what this is about?”

“That, and the fact that that he hasn't joined a clan in his entire existence,” Walter murmurs over to Jesse. “We discussed that already.”

“I told you once, I’ve told you a million times: I don’t want to be involved with you,” Adam groans.

“You know it’s frowned upon. Both things,” Jesse says.

“A vampire hasn’t mated with a zombie in centuries. And you remember how that went, don’t you?” Walter takes a singular step forward.

Adam’s eyes narrow. “Don’t,” he growls, his voice practically dropping a whole octave with anger.

“It’s only for the good of our survival, Adam. You mustn’t blame us,” Henry says, a mad glint in his eye.

The next five seconds happen with lightning speed. You only recognize the sound and feel of broken glass when it hits you, and a bloodied hand unlocks the door. You blink, it seems, and you’re suddenly pulled roughly out of the car and onto the cold pavement below. Then, you’re hoisted up into someone’s grasp, and into standing position. They still hold you tightly and roughly, and their grip is harsh. A cold hand is slapped onto your mouth.

You scream through it, though, your voice muffled and frantic.

In an instant, Adam’s alert, animalistic, beastly. He growls again, and spits out, “You will not harm her!”

“Adam, what are they doing?” you pant frantically through the hand covering your mouth, knowing that he can hear it loud and clear.

“We’re gonna fuckin’ skin you alive,” the one holding you whispers, gripping you even tighter when you flail and whimper in fear.

“No, you won’t,” Adam murmurs. “Let her go.”

“How do you think this’ll go, Adam?” Henry asks. “You think you’re gonna come out on top? You think you’re gonna stay away from our destiny? You need to help us, Adam. You need to be a good soldier and join us in the wars.”

“I’ll die first!” spits Adam.

“No. You won’t. But she will... whether you say yes or no. Because you’ve gone against our code anyway. Being with... and mating with... a mortal. Now, Adam, you’re better than this.” Henry’s tone becomes condescending.

Adam’s eyes glint with offense and anger. “If you say one more word, I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Not if we kill her first.”

You hear something, then. The breathy sigh of someone holding you... it sounds like a grin. A hungry grin.

You’ve heard that noise before. It happens whenever Adam drinks blood... yours included.

Your stomach drops to your feet.

A childish, delusional part of you wants to say something. Hey, ya want some chocolate? We got some in the car, it smells really good! Really sweet! Sweeter than blood!

You go mad, flailing and screaming, trying desperately to escape, but the one holding you keeps you in his grasp.

“It’s dinnertime,” Henry says, and his voice is a growl.

The next ten seconds happen in a blur. You hear several whooshing noises, feel light brushes of wind all around you, and see blurs of black, white, and gray all around you. You also hear growling — feral, ferocious, angry growls.

You land on the pavement, scraping your knees. Not enough to draw blood, but they sting all the same. In a frantic rush, you scramble as far away from the fight as possible. And that is what it is — a fight. A fight between four —

Three vampires. One of them has dropped to the ground in a heap. You fight the urge to vomit when you notice his head is at an extremely abnormal angle. It is not Adam, however.

Adam was the one, you realize, that has broken the vampire you don’t know to be Jesse’s neck. Adam is lunging, swiping, roaring at the other vampires, who are doing the same. They dodge each other’s grasping hands and punches. You can see flashes of white in the middle of this: fangs.

“Go!” Adam screams, and the breath leaves your lungs. You’ve never heard Adam shout. His voice has never risen above an indoor voice or a menacing mutter.

“Not without you!” you cry desperately. “Adam, they’ll kill you!”

“RUN!”

This time, you know there’s no argument to be had. You run as fast as you can away from the scene, tears stinging your eyes and your legs burning with the effort.

Eventually, you have to stop your running and settle for walking on the cracked sidewalks. Something howls as the night grows deeper and darker. Fortunately, you know the way home, and you also know that whatever is out there, howling at the moon, will not hurt you. Adam made sure of that one.

You’re a lone figure, shrouded in darkness, walking back to safety with cold arms and stinging knees. Occasionally, you glance behind your shoulder, but you don’t see anything.

After a long while, you start to hear the rumble of a car’s engine driving up behind you. You look behind you and see that this car is driving quite close to the sidewalk. Moving further to your right, you avoid it — that is, until it slows to your walking pace and stays beside you. Keeping your head down, you try to walk a little faster. The car, you notice, looks a bit like Adam’s, but it is not. Your heart pounds, and you almost start to run when a car window is rolled down, and —

“Hey — what’re you doin’ out here?” A soft voice. He sounds like he’d be a surfer in another life.

You recognize it. “I-I-Ian?” you stammer, your eyes widening. You turn to the car and exhale a sob of complete relief. It is Ian, driving slowly beside you and looking at you with the utmost concern.

Ian has known you for a long while, ever since you started dating Adam. He has always been sweet, kind, and considerate, and has always been a good friend to the both of you.

“Y-yeah,” Ian says softly, “what... what’s the matter, sweetheart? You ok?”

You shake your head. “No,” you mutter. “A-Adam got into some trouble. We were attacked in the parking lot of some shitty convenience store. He t-t-told me to run, and I did. R-Reluctantly.”

“Holy shit...that’s fucked up,” Ian says incredulously. He leans “Is Adam still there?”

You feel tears rising to your eyes again and you sniff. “I don’t know where he is... or if he’s ok, and — and — I don’t wanna go home and wait and find out that —” Your voice is dangerously close to cracking.

“Hey,” Ian says, his voice a little firmer now. It still keeps its compassion. “Y’want me to take you home?”

“Would you?” you ask desperately.

“Of course, sweetheart, come on in.” He leans over and, with a little grimace of exertion, unlocks and opens the door. You can't get into the car fast enough. You slam the door beside you and slump against the seat.

“We're gonna get you home, ok? It's not far from here. Want me to turn the heater on?”

You drive in silence for most of the trip. Ian must know you don't want to talk too much.

Ian's head comes into your peripheral vision. You're looking down at your feet.

“Hey... Adam's gonna be fine,” he says softly. “He can take care of himself. Something about him just tells me that. My guess is that he's driving home now, actually. He probably fucking destroyed whoever did this to you.”

You nod. You know it's true.

“He cares about you a lot. He loves you. I've... I've never seen Adam look at someone the way he looks at you. Well, maybe except his wife. But... that was some time ago. And she—”

He stops himself. You can both feel the tension there, and you shuffle nervously in your seat.

“Anyway,” Ian continues hesitantly, “he — he cares about you. He'll come back, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you whisper.

You get to the house, Ian driving slowly up to the curb. The house, as always, is dark.

“Check the back?” you ask. Ian drives further, and you crane your neck to eye the garden. There's an empty spot where the car normally would be.

Your heart sinks.

“Hey, sweetheart...” Ian says. “It's alright... I'm sure he's just...” But he trails off. “A fight wouldn't take this long,” he mutters under his breath. You can still hear it.

There's a pause in which none of you move. You're hesitant to get out of the car and into the house. Ian watches you, waits for you. The rumble of the car is quiet and hypnotic.

“I don't... I don't wanna go in alone,” you say, and you inwardly scoff at your own childishness.

“I can stay with you if you want,” Ian says. “Adam mostly leaves his doors unlocked, doesn't he?”

“Yeah.”

“Why is that?”

You hesitate. “I don't know.”

But you do know. Regular people are pretty much out of the question — they wouldn't come in, because they think the house is abandoned. If they do come in, Adam could play it off as nothing suspicious and get them to leave as soon as possible. The werewolves wouldn't hurt you, and vampires suffer awfully bad luck if they enter a threshold uninvited. If the Others did come in, well... Adam could take care of them, couldn't he?

“Maybe it's because he's all reclusive. He probably doesn't think anyone will actually come in. Those rock 'n roll kids are exactly that. Kids. They won't do anything.”

You nod. “Er... could you stay with me, Ian? Please?”

He smiles. “Yeah,” he says. “I can do that.”

Ian parks the car on the edge of the road, and shuts off the engine. The cold seeps in your skin again and reaches your bones.

You both get out of the car and walk up to the door. It opens without any struggle.

The house itself is completely dark, and there's no sign of Adam anywhere. The room upstairs — Adam's studio — is completely silent and dark, and he's not in his bed.

Without any words, you two go into his studio again and turn on some lights. Together, you sit on his couch and wait.

After some time, Ian sits up suddenly.

“Oh, shit! We should've called the cops!” Ian cries.

You shake your head. “No,” you say.

Ian looks at you, baffled.

“Ian, Adam's... not one for the police. And, like we said before, Adam can take care of himself. He's strong like that. I'm sure he's...” you trail off. “I'm sure he's fine.”

“Did they have any weapons on them?”

“I don't think so,” you say, remembering the flashes of pointy white teeth.

“Then, what the hell happened afterward? Why isn't Adam back yet? If they didn't have any weapons, and you know Adam can throw a punch and take care of himself, then why the hell isn't he back yet?”

“I don't know,” you say miserably. A part of you thinks Ian is somehow mad at you, but the rational part of you takes over, and decides that he is not.

Ian pauses.

“Fuck it, I'm calling the cops.”

“No,” says a voice behind you. It is sharp and commanding, but you recognize it in a heartbeat.

You turn to look. Standing in the doorway, all battered, bruised, bloodied, is Adam. His sunglasses are nowhere to be found, and neither are his gloves.

“Oh, my God,” you whimper, rushing toward him. Immediately, you're engulfed in his scent, his warmth, his comforting embrace. It's a rush of relief. “You're — you're okay,” you whisper, sniffing as tears of relief come to your eyes.

“Baby, it's alright,” Adam murmurs, “I'm here. I'm here and I'm okay. It's all OK. We're fine.” He rubs your back with a hand.

“Adam, what the fuck happened, man?” Ian asks. “We were worried sick.”

“I'm sorry,” Adam says. “That took way longer than expected. I was also questioned by the authorities. They're looking for the kids now.”

Something tells you that this is not what happened.

Ian looks at Adam skeptically. But, after a few seconds, he shrugs. “I mean... I'm just glad you're alright, man. And I'm glad she's safe, too.” He gestures toward you with a small smile.

“Thank you, Ian,” Adam says gratefully. “Thank you for keeping my love safe. Thank you for staying with her. Now... I think it's time for you to go... Do you need anything before you take off? You can piss in the garden if you need.”

“You sure you don't need anything? You wanna take a look at those bruises?”

“We'll be fine, thank you,” Adam says.

Ian blinks. “You never fail to amaze me, Adam.” He stands up, and rubs your shoulder. “G'night, sweetheart. You're in very good hands now.”

“Thanks, Ian. See you soon, ok?” you say.

“Alright.” He starts to walk down the stairs. “If you guys need anything at all, just hit me up. Later.”

You and Adam don't speak until you both hear his car driving away from the house.

“What did they do to you?” you ask immediately, suddenly frantic and worried, stepping away to get a good look at Adam.

You blink, it seems, and Adam's bruises, cuts, and overall tired appearance are gone. He looks perfectly normal now.

“They did that,” Adam says. “I killed two of 'em. One of them got away.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“No, thank God for that.”

But there's something... off... about the way Adam looks. He seems sad, worried.

“Adam... what is it?” you ask slowly.

“One of the Others got away. He's bound to have talked to his clan by now. I'm still not gonna join them. And I'm sure as hell not gonna give you away and leave you.”

“So... what's gonna happen?”

Adam takes a deep breath. “How do you feel about Tangier, Morocco?”

#jth3500writingchallenge #adam olla #adam x reader #adam olla x reader #adam headcanons #only lovers left alive

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ladyseara · 4 years ago

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Infinity is just the beginning (1/?)

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Rating: Mature

Tags: Nano Kojiro / Kaoru Sakurayashiki, Kaoru Sakurayashiki / Shindo Ainosuke (one-sided), Langa Hasegawa / Reki Kyan, Alpha / Beta / Omega Dynamics, Fantasy AU no one asked for, Miya Chinen is Joe’s son and I mean it, Miya Chinen is an illegitimate child, Forced marriage, Political marriage, Elf!Cherry, Demon!Joe, Elf!Adam, Carla is half-human / half-Elf.

Words: 2141

Kaoru Sakurayashiki knew his value and his place as an Omega Prince. He might have been born as a High Prince, descendant of the great Sakurayashiki House, which rules the Sun Elvish Kingdom, but at the end of the day, beside his lineage, he was still an Omega, a child who cannot ascend the throne. Of course, for his whole life he was treated with the respect and care he deserved, being prepared to become a suitable First Prince, until his brother, Langa, was born. The small Alpha has quickly taken his place in the line, but Kaoru was not angry with that. He loved his brother deeply, maybe even more than he loved his parents.

The High Prince, after his baby brother was born, got the freedom he never knew before. He was growing up, throwing himself into his studies. He was spoken to be the wisest of the family, more intelligent even than his grandfather, who was believed to be the greatest king in the history of the Elvish Kingdom. Many thought that if only he wouldn’t have been born as an Omega, he could have achieved even more. Kaoru was not only brilliant, he was brave and he was a visionary. He was not afraid of combining magic with technology, creating weapons and useful tools.

If he would had been born as at least Beta, he could have lead the army. But Kaoru was not concerned about that too.

The reason behind that was the Moon Elvish Kingdom’s Prince, Shindo Ainosuke. They met when they were both six years old. Firstly too shy to talk to each other, soon they realized they share a lot. Their parents were friends, so Kaoru and Shindo spend a lot of time together growing up. At some point, Kaoru was charmed by a young Alpha. They even shared a messy, a bit tipsy kiss in the garden, during some party. At that time Kaoru knew that one day he will marry this man. The Union between Sun Elves and Moon Elves, an alliance against the Demon Empire. Shindo, the Alpha, would lead their army to the victory on the battlefield, and he, Kaoru, would lead the rest of the country as his Consort. The mere thought of them, living such a bright future, was enough to send shivers down his spine.

One can only imagine Kaoru’s confidence, when at the day of his 19thbirthday, he was summoned by his father to his study. Omega Prince already knew the news: he will get married soon, in less than a month, in order to seal the alliance. He was more than ready to leave his title as a Sun Prince behind and become the Consort of the Moon King. Kaoru could only imagine new opportunities, lying in front of him. He was dreaming big.

“My King”, he said, greeting his father with a little bow. “You have requested my presence.”

“Yes, Kaoru. Sit down please.”

Kaoru sat in front of his father desk. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the King’s study. The room could be a little dusty, but it smelled of pine trees and lemon. One of the servants put a cup of tea in front of him and left quietly. “I think you are aware of the topic we need to rise today, Kaoru.”, his father looked a bit tired. His hair has turned white few years ago, but they used to be the same color as Langa’s.

“Yes, father.”, Kaoru said respectfully. “I know my duty as a Prince. I will marry the King.”, he said with a little smile on his lips. Of course he would marry The Moon King. Shindo was his friend, and now he will become his husband and lover…

“I am pleased to hear that, my son. I must admit that I was worried at the beginning. You were not raised like other Omegas and I was expecting you to rebel against my decision.”

“My King, I could never. The Union of two Elvish kingdoms will bring peace-”

“Kaoru, wait,” his father interrupted him. “I think you got the wrong idea, my child. You are not going to marry King Ainosuke.”

His world fell apart. Kaoru opened his mouth a bit, like a fish out of water, unable to breathe. He must be dreaming some nightmare. It could not have been real. Marrying Shindo Ainosuke was his destiny. There were friends, they would make such a good couple… It could not get worse.

“The Moon King was not interested in your hand,” his father explained. “Moreover, I think our Langa should marry Ainosuke’s younger brother. You, my child, you will marry The Demon King.”

Oh. So it could be worse.

“What-.. Father, please. Think about it again,” Kaoru said, pale and shocked.

“You have told me you know your duty, Kaoru. Your marriage will ensure the peace between us and The Demon Empire.”

Kaoru was thinking fast. He had to do something in order to stop this madness. There had to be a way for him to avoid being wedded to the barbarian Demon King. He needed to contact Shindo quickly. If The Moon King will hear about this, he would definitely change his mind and marry Kaoru, the Omega was sure about that. Ainosuke would never let Kaoru be taken away to The Demon Empire, moreover, to be married off to the brutal Alpha. He had a month, a whole month to cancel this insane plan and came up with a better one…

“Our guests will be here tomorrow, Kaoru,” his father said, as if he knew what was going through his son’s head. “Both The Demon King and The Moon King. We are going to sing a pact and then you will marry Nanjo Kojiro, The Demon King, and our Langa will be engaged to Prince Reki.”

“What?”, Kaoru could felt his lips moving on their own. “Aino.. The Moon King knew about that?”

“Of course he knew, Kaoru. It was his plan after all.”

“Master, are you alright?”

Carla’s quiet, emotionless voice brought him back to reality. Kaoru did not sleep that night. He was betrayed by the whole world. All his plans, dreams, ideas… All was destroyed in one moment. Both his family and his friend sold him to The Demon King. He was a tool, a bribe to The Demon Empire. Of course, he understood the reasons behind that. Langa, an Alpha, had to marry and Omega, so Prince Reki was a perfect candidate. And there was not a need to unite two countries with two marriages, so the spot for Kaoru’s husband was left open. Selling him off to the Demons were the best idea. Even if he dies, not matter how and when, Demons will be shackled with the pact. Moreover, if he dies after he gives birth to the Demon King’s heir, the child will link two counties even harder.

“Master? You look…”

“Terrible, I know”, Kaoru replied, looking at himself in the mirror. He was dressed in furisode, white with cherry blossoms embroidered at the bottom of the sleeves. His pink hair was carefully combed and Carla put a cherry blossom hair pin into it. She also put a little make up on his face, to cover dark circles under his eyes.

“Worried. You are worried, my Lord,” the girl said. She learned about the future of her master and decided to go to the Demon Empire with him. Kaoru saved her few years back and it was her duty to protect him. “And I am no surprised.”

Kaoru looked at her in the mirror. Carla’s skin was darker than his, she had black hair and purple eyes. She was half-human, half-elvish. Many would despise her, but Kaoru found her pretty, smart and loyal. He could not imagine his life without her anymore.

“Thank you, Carla. I think we should get going. Our… guests… will be here soon.”

“I overheard the guards, Master. The Moon King and his people are already in the Capital. The Demons were spotted near the border, they will be here in less than an hour.”

Less than an hour and he will meet his future husband. Less than a twelve hours and he will be married to The Demon King. Less than a day and he will be mated to the barbarian King. In less than two days, he will leave the Sun Elvish Kingdom ans travel up north, to The Demon Empire. He would be lucky if he dies in the meantime.

Kaoru was scared. When he was thinking about being wedded to the Shindo, he was a bit nervous, but sure that their intercourse would be gentle, sweet even. He was dreaming about The Moon King caressing his body, worshiping it before they connect with each other. Kaoru was dreaming about children, with blue or pink hair, running around and making their lives even more meaningful. Now he was scared that The Demon King will force him every night to sleep with him, force his body into his until Kaoru will give him an heir. He will simply fuck him, like a whore.

“Master, you are…”

“It’s fine, Carla. I’m ready.”, the Omega Prince said, wiping a tear from his cheek. He was an Omega Prince, who knows his duty. His life and his body do not matter, if he could buy a peaceful life for his people with it.

Kaoru stood at the top of the stairs, when Demons arrived. He was holding his head high, forcing a little smile on his lips. He will never show his fears and anxiety to those, who were around him. For them he was a definition of the perfection, and Kaoru was more than ready to uphold his reputation. He could be falling apart on the inside, but on the outside he will never show.

Of course, the first person he spotted, was The Demon King himself. Riding the biggest horse Kaoru has ever seen in his life, the Alpha was dressed all in black. He had green hair, which makes him look like a giant tree. When The Demon King came closer, Kaoru saw small horns at the top of his head, partly hidden inside of his hair. The Alpha was smiling lightly, with such confidence, that it made Kaoru annoyed.

The Omega Prince was not small, but when the Alpha dismounted the horse, Kaoru straightened up. It did not help much; he still was smaller than the Alpha and the top of his head reached slightly above the place the heart should be, if The Demon King had one.

“I shall welcome you, my guests,” Kaoru’s father took a step towards the Demons. Elves and Demons have not met since the last war. Kaoru knew his father and The Demon King must have exchanged letters, but this… This was a milestone in their history.

“King Sakurayashiki,” The Demon King smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.”

When the Demon moved his hand, Kaoru was sure he is going to stab the Elvish King. But instead they simply shook their hands as a greeting. Then the Demon welcomed The Moon King the same way. He exchanged few words with the nobles, at the end finally standing before him. “I hope,” the Demon King smiled to Kaoru’s father, “That his is your precious son.”

“You got it right, Lord Nanjo. This is my older son, Kaoru. The one who is betrothed to you.”

Kaoru felt a lump in his throat. He was glad he hadn’t listened to Carla and haven’t eaten anything, because at that moment he felt nausea. What a great beginning it would be, if he throw up on his fiancee feet.

The Alpha was big. Bigger than any man Kaoru knew. His shoulder were large and Omega was sure that The Demon King could kill anybody with his bare hands. For what reason he had a sword, attached to his belt, if he clearly does not need it? Moreover, he smelled like a danger. A mixed scent of sweat and sandalwood.

“You wasn’t making this up,” the Demon King said, “When you wrote me he is beautiful.”

Kaoru felt anger, boiling inside him. Does the Demon Lord think that he is deaf? He was talking with his father about him, without actually speaking directly to the Omega! Disrespectful ogre, Kaoru thought, but bit his tongue.

“Good afternoon, my dear Prince”, the Demon King finally spoke to him. “Forgive me my surprise, but you are breathtaking.”

Kaoru used his fan to cover half of his face, forcing a small smile. You were fine breathing and talking nonce just a second ago, you brainless gorilla, he thought.

“Welcome to the Sun Elvish Kingdom, my Lord.”

I hope you will die during this trip, Kaoru added in his mind.

#matcha blossom #kaoru sakurayashiki #nanjo kojiro #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #sorry for my English

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rovinky · 4 years ago

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Retrograde - chapter 4

Rated: E Pairings: pynch, rovinsky, pynchinsky Tags: canon divergent | polyamory | angst | fluff | suicidal ideation

Canon divergent AU where the visionaries come for the dream pack and Ronan alike, while Ronan explores his feelings for Kavinsky and Adam.

“You can’t dance to trap.”

“You can’t fuck to it either.”

Kavinsky blows smoke out of the open window while Jiang and Proko argue about what he’s blasting through his speakers. They’re waiting for Lynch and his crew to show up at the Planet and he’s already sick of their bickering. He agreed to drive them in his car because Proko’s is fucked and Jiang didn’t feel like driving. He should have told them to walk since they clearly like to bitch about his taste in music.

“You’re both fucking pussies,” Kavinsky muses with no intention of changing the music. His kingdom, his rules.

“Let’s listen to something else,” Proko suggests but Kavinsky ignores him, his eyes on the side mirror, waiting for Lynch’s headlights. When Proko reaches to change the stereo, that’s when Kavinsky snaps back and he smacks Proko’s hand. “Ow!”

“Don’t fucking touch a man’s stereo without asking first.” Kavinsky shoots a look over to Proko in anger. “That’s a fucking sin, asshole.”

“Sorry, K. You don’t have to be such a prick about it,” Proko mutters but he quiets down and turns his eyes out the window, content to listen to whatever Kavinsky plays. Master and dog.

Kavinsky looks away, drumming his fingers across the Mitsu’s steering wheel. He feels caged and pent-up, like he needs to do a line or break something. He can’t do the first thing and there’s only so much public property he can deface without the cops being called. His father may be a mob boss but he isn’t omnipresent and not every cop in the area is beholden to him.

He shifts his eyes to the time on the dashboard. 09:15.

Leave it to Lynch to be late and grate on his fucking nerves.

#rovinsky #pychinsky #pynch #joseph kavinsky #ronan lynch #trc #adam parrish #the raven cycle #my fic #my writing #i wasn't going to post this and i'm not even sure it matters but #here it is

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nevidimochka · 4 years ago

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Character break down: Gabriel! Or if he's already been asked, Michael!

thank you!! ahhh i’d love to talk about both of them... maybe i’ll do a speedrun 👀 @ceilingninja

gabriel~

How I feel about this character

gabriel my beloved...this is a big statement but i think he may be my favorite spn character?? his episodes are certainly my favorite in any case

All the people I ship romantically with this character

sam!! i can never get enough of them and their chaotic dynamic. it’s fire meets gasoline, baby, and i’m so here for it! i love how reactive both of them are, and how much fun it is seeing their chemistry and the tension and all of the nuances between them that i’ve already rambled plenty about. when i was over spn, it was sabriel that i was most nostalgic for! their dynamic is so unique. definitely The one true pairing for me in this fandom

but i also do like gabe and kali; they’re so different that it’s fascinating thinking about what it is that brought them together and made them so affectionate for each other!

My non-romantic OTP for this character

hmmmm. i still do love gabriel being kevin’s archangel, butttt charlie - gabriel friendship is also fantastic. also gabe and balthazar would have been exactly the kind of chaos i love. buttttt gabriel and little bro cas? 🥺🥺🥺 i just really love all the relationships gabriel has with other characters. i feel like when he meets someone, he either gets along very well, or it’s going to be a rough ride all the way down, and both are really fun to explore.

My unpopular opinion about this character

gabriel is more fun when he is loki, not wearing loki’s stolen face.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

i really wish the whole asmodeus torture arc never happened :/ it just felt so OOC for gabriel and just his entire character vibe and left a horrible taste in my mouth and i still can’t watch those episodes because i just hate the premise so much

michael

How I feel about this character

adore! i’ve liked him for a long time, especially @novakki ‘s depiction of him. the softness combined with willingness to use force when necessary...unmovable object! the absolute authority!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

15x8 opened my eyes to midam and i’ve been obsessed since. i just love the fact that michael, who was established as an unmovable and unyielding authority and executor of god’s will was able to come to a point where he has a relatively healthy relationship with a human--especially a human who isn’t his perfect vessel! there’s something so special about michael’s change through his relationship with adam that really compels me, and i really love exploring archangel/vessel dynamics through them. (who is like god? -- man)

midam truthers who have been around since s5... i take my hat off to you. y’all were truly visionary

My non-romantic OTP for this character

this sounds out of the left field because it’s not there in canon, but i actually really love the idea of michael and castiel having a meaningful relationship? there’s a lot of layers to it and i really love the idea of michael’s affection towards an angel of a lower rank (as typically, i see him associating mostly with other archangels and delegating most tasks to other angels rather than interacting directly) because castiel is loyal and a good soldier and strategist but a little too introspective and fascinated by humanity--but despite it, michael also genuinely cares about him. i love the additional agony castiel would have endured when deciding to rebel against heaven if it also meant rebelling against michael. i hesitate to portray castiel as the Most Special Angel who has everyone’s attention in heaven, but this specific relationship could have been fun.

My unpopular opinion about this character

peaky blinders michael.... we’re not even talking about that... AU michael doesn’t exist he’s just a bad dream he can’t hurt us

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

i just wish the entirety of spn was centered around the archangel conflicts. when they established the parallels between sam + dean and the archangels, it really felt like it grounded their apocalyptic conflict the spn’s central themes and the main characters in a way that worked exceptionally well. i think michael and lucifer’s conflict should have been central to the show’s finale and not just a insignificant and underwhelming moment. it connected to the themes of free will, destiny, god’s plan, and overcoming cycles of abuse/carving out their own destiny so well! (but also more raphael and gabriel always)

#sorry this is so long i had to do both because i have Opinions #ask games #abuse mention cw #gabriel #michael #spn

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b--tchcraft · 4 years ago

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「 ʰᵃᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᵉᵉⁿ 𝓶𝓪𝔂𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓵𝓲𝓷 ʸᵉᵗ ᵗʰⁱˢ ˢᶜʰᵒᵒˡ ʸᵉᵃʳ ?? ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ⁱⁿ 𝓸𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓪, 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓲𝓻, ᵒʳ 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓫 ?? ⁱ ʰᵉᵃʳᵈ ˢᵒᵐᵉ ʷⁱˡᵈ ʳᵘᵐᵒʳˢ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉ 𝓼𝓲𝔁𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷 ʸᵉᵃʳ ᵒˡᵈ ˡᵃˢᵗ ˢᵉᵐᵉˢᵗᵉʳ, ᵇᵘᵗ ⁿᵒʷ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉʸ’ʳᵉ ᵃ 𝓳𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓸𝓻 ⁱᵗ ᵐⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵇᵉ ᵃ ᵈⁱᶠᶠᵉʳᵉⁿᵗ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ. ᵃᶜᶜᵒʳᵈⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉⁱʳ ᶠʳⁱᵉⁿᵈˢ ᵗʰᵉʸ’ʳᵉ ᵖʳᵉᵗᵗʸ 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷, ᵇᵘᵗ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗⁱᵐᵉˢ 𝓼𝓱𝓮 ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉ 𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰. ʷʰᵒ ᵏⁿᵒʷˢ, ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵐⁱᵍʰᵗ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵇᵉ 𝓱𝓮𝓻 ʸᵉᵃʳ ! 」

LIGHTNING ROUND

full name: maya ruby matlin

date of birth: may 9, 2004 @ 11:50 AM (16y/o)

star signs: taurus sun, leo rising, capricorn moon

birth order: youngest

gender: cis female (she/her)

sexuality: bisexual

romanticism: biromantic

personality: ambivert, idealist, infp-t

moral alignment: neutral good

temperament: melancholy-choleric

hogwarts house: slytherin

spirituality: undecided, only vaguely spiritual

positive traits: tender, prodigious, visionary

negative traits: naive, intrusive, self-involved

faceclaim: kiernan shipka

AN OVERVIEW

tw: illness (multiple sclerosis), hospitals, overdose, addiction, eating disorder, mental illness, anxiety, depression

this interpretation of maya matlin is a little bit all over the place since i wanted to have her come in on a mostly fresh note (especially since so much is au around here so obviously a lot of her more formative plotlines didn't happen) but i wanted to keep what i consider to be some of her key character traits. so some liberties have been taken not that anyone ever cares xx

maya was interested in music from a very young age while simultaneously always having trouble with making friends. when she was in second grade and her parents noticed that she’d been invited to way less playdates and birthday parties than her older sister, katie matlin, did by her age, they figured getting her music lessons would be a good way to both enrich and socialize her.

the cello was love at first sight for maya. her parents tried to talk her down to a violin since she was comically small compared to the larger instrument, but she couldn't be swayed. she was also a natural when she got her first lesson as a sort of trial run, and so maya x cello began.

growing up hearing things like gifted and talented, even child prodigy did make her ego grow with her, but it wasn’t without reason—even she could see how much she excelled in orchestra compared to her classmates, to the point where she took up other instruments along the way just to keep feeling challenged. but other than that, she didn’t have much going for her; her overall grades were pretty good, and she was generally nice to the other people at school (even the ones she had no problem telling her family she didn’t like) but no friendships ever stuck. music really was like her one thing.

so, her parents did what they could to nourish it—including enrolling her in a middle school for the performing arts, which she loved. but in a few years when katie started high school at degrassi and was more well-rounded than ever—having friends, clubs, soccer, taekwondo, etc.—it really did highlight how little maya did outside of her little musical world. mr. & mrs. matlin started to worry that, in allowing and encouraging this, they were only enabling maya to alienate herself from other people and opportunities in the world. so, much to her dismay, the next year she, too, was enrolled at degrassi.

with lots of cliques and friend groups carrying over from previous schools, maya felt like a new kid in the worst way. luckily for her, one kendra mason noticed how much she looked like a lost puppy and took her under her wing, already knowing her way around despite being in the same grade since she had an older brother in katie’s grade and already knew most of their peers. to say that maya latched onto bonding with kendra would be a massive understatement, and the two have been best friends ever since.

although maya’s made no secret of her disdain for how undemanding degrassi’s music curriculum is, with kendra’s friendship (and the way she has no problem telling maya when she’s being a little brat) she finally started branching out more, joining a few clubs, making some more friends, getting crushes (lots of crushes) and just enjoying being a teenager for the first time, like, ever. so, imagine her heartbreak when she found out kendra was gonna be going away to boarding school the following year.

despite how much more involved she was now, maya started sophomore year feeling lost all over again. however, she at least knew that kendra’s ex, toby isaacs, would be missing kendra just as much as she did, especially since it wasn’t like they had broken up on bad terms. so the two gravitated towards each other—well, no, it was more like: maya gravitated towards him, which got them to hang out more and actually become closer friends, and that was nice for both of them...but maya also totally developed a big crush on toby in the process that was not only unrequited but unspoken about so that no one would ever know (except maybe katie, who could always read maya like a book). it really wasn’t even that she had any intention of dating him, he had just kind of become her closest friend at degrassi without kendra there and they both bonded over missing her and it was nice, and i mean, it’s toby, he��s nice, and funny, and adorable, and oh my god did maya not want to be feeling any kind of way about her best friend’s ex and had a whole lot of feelings about the whole thing and wrote a whole lot of songs about it that she never wants to see the light of day. but she never did get rid of the journal she wrote them in.

eventually she got over it, at first because the weirdness of it all turned her off from the whole idea of liking him, but then especially when she found out kendra was coming back. whether that had more to do with guilt about ever having crushed on toby in the first place or just the sheer excitement of getting her bestie again remains unclear. she just tries not to think about it too much.

A RUNDOWN

maya’s trademark savior complex is still very present, having started with her mom; with her dad usually working and katie always busy, maya grew up spending a lot of time alone with her mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. while, fortunately, margaret matlin maintained a lot of her independence, some days were worse than others as with any chronic illness, and maya was always checking in on her and seeing if there was anything she could do to help. her compulsion to “save” her loved ones later grew when katie wound up hospitalized from an overdose, and maya learned (from general talk among the parents and medical staff) that not only did her sister have a pill addiction but had struggled with disordered eating as well.

although none of it had anything to do with her, maya couldn’t help but feel like things might not have gotten so bad had she monitored katie more closely like she did their mother, but she didn’t want to make it about herself, so she just kept quiet about these thought patterns, only internalizing it more. at the fault of no one in particular, this developed into a sort of anxiety, which makes her worry a little too much about her friends and family—often to the point of nosiness or straight-up invasion of privacy in the pursuit of a maya matlin wellness check. the fact that she goes to degrassi, of course, doesn’t make this any better, by the way, with all of the shit that goes down there all the time.

this habit of catastrophizing has also led to a currently undiagnosed mild depression, which often even seems totally latent in her behavior but does circle back to worsening her anxiety. she tends to fixate on stressors (usually personal, but sometimes as big as world events) and will have racing/spiraling thoughts. her lower points tend to be worsened based on circumstance, so she’s more likely to “look” or “seem” depressed in times of higher personal distress, contrasting the heightened nerves and paranoia that will often come beforehand (and serves as a good warning sign). basically, the girl needs therapy, we’ll get there eventually.

ANYTHING ELSE?

i definitely played up the amount she was affected by her mom and katie (even tho i will argue that those were starting points in her mental health journey) but since we’re in a super au and i was trying to serve fresh maya realness alongside later!maya personality/mentality traits, i kinda had to chopshop her backstory a little. that’s also why this turned out so long, i knew i had some differences that needed some explaining.

(also pls note if we do get a katie who doesn’t want to keep the aforementioned plots OR wants to change it up some, i’m obviously open to that!)

i also figure that maya’s relationship with katie would be figured out more when/if we get a katie, but by default, i like to imagine they’re very close with a pretty clear “wiser big sister looking out for her baby sister who thinks she knows everything” dynamic, like best friends but katie puts on the big sister hat when she needs to.

i’m also trying to be very mindful of her mental health because i don’t want her to be quite the extent she ever reaches in next class, but i did also appreciate and apparently relate to a lot of the nuances in how her mental illness really surfaced and inevitably spiraled. so she’s going to be a little mix of happy lil early day maya and the nervous wreck she became later one, with just a splash of next class’s touches like “disaster porn” and having days where stays home from school because she just feels too down. basically, it fluctuates.

maya kind of always knew that she was bi, but like, quietly, since it’s never really been a big deal to her but she also didn’t want to seem like she was looking for attention (not for that, anyway). she definitely acts more outwardly boy-crazy though.

she is also a serial crusher and goes through them faster than even she can keep up with. other than toby, some highlights of the crushes she’s had include: adam torres, alena montanez, alex nunez, amy peters-hoffman, ashley kerwin (like, right when she started her cool goth look), danny van zandt, dave turner, imogen moreno, reggie dever, sean cameron, spinner mason, yael baron, and obviously zig novak. she’s totally got a thing for cam saunders at the moment, and she thinks that craig is, like, the coolest, but not even in a dating kinda way just in a wow-you’re-so-cool-and-talented-i-wanna-open-up-for-you-on-tour-one-day-pls-notice-me-senpai kinda way. and she’s almost definitely felt some type of way about kendra that’s more than friends, more than once, at some point, but even she hasn’t realized that.

despite the fact that she’s got a song written for almost half the school, maya has never dated anyone or even had her first kiss! obviously nothing wrong with that, but a fun trivia bit.

the basement of the matlin house is practically dedicated to being maya’s studio. it’s like half practice room, half hangout, filled with just about every instrument maya took an interest in over the years (mostly string instruments, some miscellaneous, she’s currently trying to build up a drumset that she’s convinced she’s gonna teach herself, and her next fantasy/goal is to get a theremin) as well as an iMac with a composition and production softwares, a sound system, and then just like a couch and a tv and stuff. it’s a pretty impressive amount of musical equipment that looks like a lot (and it is) but again, it’s really like her one thing and her parents want her to be happy. most of it comes from various holidays and occasions since she only ever really asks for additions to her collection as gifts, so between that and random bits and pieces she saved up to buy herself (and a few her parents just felt like treating her to) it’s built up over the years.

yeah i literally always play maya with this basement, it’s basically become a staple of my maya matlins, i’ve designed it a couple of times but i’ll probably redo it once more for this verse because it’s her favorite place to hang out.

aaand i’m gonna make myself end there because i’ll just keep going and this is already far too long but yeah welcome to the world my latest edition in maya matlins~

#ch: maya #bio: maya #*: maya #hqdintro #tw: illness #tw: hospital #tw: overdose #tw: drugs #tw: addiction #tw: eating disorder #tw: mental illness #tw: anxiety #tw: depression

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hklnvgl · 4 years ago

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Hello! For TRC, can you share a scenario you wish to write but haven’t gotten to yet? And what is a H/C you have about the upcoming book? Thanks!

hi there!

i’m actually in the middle of planning various different trc aus that i don’t really know when or if i’ll eventually write but one trope i’d really wish to write that i haven’t found the right approach to yet is a soulmate au! i love the idea of pynch as soulmates and i love reading about them, but i just can’t find a way around the fact that one of the things that i love the most about this ship is that they chose to be together. so idk if i’ll ever find inspiration for this one 🤷‍♀️

and i’m actually very excited for book 2 in the dreamer trilogy! i’m planning on rereading cdth bc i’m a bit fuzzy on the plot details, but i’m mostly hoping we’ll get to learn more about mor o corra and how dreaming works! i don’t have a lot of hc or predictions, but i do think (perhaps it’s wishful thinking?) that adam will be a more important character in future books! i’m around 60% sure he’s a visionary—the other 40% of me thinks he’s not but that the other guys (farooq-lane, maybe?) will come for him bc they will think he is. i’d love it if he and hennessy worked together somehow against the lace? i think bryde’s not really trustworthy but i’m not entirely sure what is it that i don’t like about him. i do want matthew to gain more agency! And i think ronan’s unanswered text to adam will be of some importance—i’m not entirely sure it’ll be something harmless like adam was just in class and couldn’t answer, but i also don’t think it’ll be as straightforward as him being kidnapped or something like that. we’ll see!

thanks a lot for the question! i haven’t discussed cdth much but i really liked the book and i’m now very hyped for the next one! 💛

#cdth #call down the hawk #trc #fic #ask #d #creativefiend19 #pynch #tdt

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ilusionis · 5 years ago

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ this meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. multi-muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

my muse is: canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK.

Are they underrated? YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main story? YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO.

How’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

how strictly do you follow canon? — closely, especially if we’re referring to general outline of Bleach lore and making my headcanons / metas fit in its scheme. i follow canon events but I’m not opposed to exploring aus (i have a few in mind that i definitely wanna write down); i try to stay true to aizen’s personality and psychology at the best of my capabilities, but all of us are bound to look at a character through our own distorted lenses, so i’ve kinda made peace with the fact that my interpretation of him might have strayed from his original portrayal by the author. still, i hope whatever i add of mine contributes to enriching aizen as a character, rather than just twisting him into a fan version. i am only adamant about all my stuff fitting in and making sense to the complex landscape of the bleach universe, and yes, i can be strict about that.

SELL YOUR MUSE ! aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals. — oh worm? aizen is a visionary. he makes you see the things no one would notice, makes you doubt what you’d otherwise take as granted, makes you (the reader, but also the character he interacts with) reconsider every truth. he provides conflict and mystery, which are the core of adventure, and he’s a multi-layered, polymorphic character you never stop learning about and from. aizen, as a character, takes and takes - but he also has the potential to give endlessly. i realize this is a weird rambling but i could fill essays on why aizen is spicy ... i mean, sometimes bleach does fit into the dystopic genre, and aizen is the key to understanding most dynamics of the bleach universe. if you rp a bleach character, especially, it comes without saying interacting with aizen is always a good chance at character development.

now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?). — i’m biased but i don’t think aizen is ever uninteresting. if anything, sometimes interactions can feel stagnant because he’s extremely secretive, and also because he’s on a wildly different level than most ... idk, lieutenant-level (or lower) muses around. it’s not just strength that can act as a barrier, though; disinterest on either ends of an interaction can be a tough obstacle. aizen doesn’t really make small-talk, interacting with him requires commitment.

what inspired you to rp your muse? — i don’t really remember anymore. i started bleach because i was curious to learn more about aizen, and the love for this character made me appreciate the overall story even at the first quick read. strictly talking about rp, i guess it was just the curiousity to explore and understand him better? plus an old friend of mine enabled me lol.

what keeps your inspiration going? — i’ve only recently returned after a long hiatus and i was surprised to find myself so full of energy to pour into this character. i wouldn’t know how to explain it tbh? he’s a tiring muse, but one that fills me with pride. that’s a good reason to keep going. also, i love the bleach universe, i love to extrapolate themes from it and aizen is one of the richest characters it has to offer, one of the most complex and complete. my biggest inspiration is the aizen himself, looking at him from all possible angles and perspectives, finding literary / musical / other media references to get an always better grasp on him.

some more personal questions for the mun.

give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO.

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO.

Do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO. (i gotta change this tbh, i got one brewing)

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your writing? YES / NO.

Are you a sensitive person? YES / NO.

do you accept criticism well about your portrayal? — i guess it depends on the wording; it takes nothing to be mindful and polite, and if you are, i definitely won’t mind the criticism. expect it to rouse a conversation, though, i’m quite rooted in my portrayal and what i feel is my understanding of aizen’s character by now, and i need the criticism to be in-depth.

do you like questions, which help you explore your character? — absolutely! i might be slow with them because i don’t like half-assing my answers, but i dearly appreciate every question i’m sent.

if someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why? — i crave feedback on my headcanons / metas, positive or negative. if you disagree, tell me why! i might have made a mistake and you might be saving my life, or still it could prompt an interesting confrontation, make us both notice new stuff, etc. if by the end of it we still disagree, good.

if someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it? — peace. i’m always open to discuss disagreements, but if they really don’t like my interpretation, i’m sure there’s plenty of fish in the sea 😌

if someone really hates your character, how do you take it? — i’m protective of aizen, don’t hate him or get ready to throw fists, ao.

are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors? — prepositions are my recurring nightmare. sometimes i post replies without thoroughly proofreading them and you might spot grammatical errors or typos; please point them out or fix them for me. especially if u spot a recurring error.

do you think you are easy going as a mun? — i am, i’m chill, but i can strike as somewhat distant, not gonna lie. i’m terrible at smalltalk because i’m not super inclined to disclose stuff about my private life unless we’re friends or i feel really comfortable doing so. i’m slow, somewhat careless, and i like my boundaries respected. that said, i consider myself friendly and i’m game to talk about anything as long as you give me a topic. i don’t think i come off as intimidating??? unless we talking about food.

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

Tagged by: @skyvar i don’t know you but you seem nice! :D Tagging: 🤏🤏🤏

#snow makes the best memes uwu

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red-wardens · 6 years ago

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Red-Warden’s OCs: Champion of Kirkwall

Worldstate 1: Akono Hawke the “Chaotic Chill Champion of Kirkwall”

Basics: anarchy and wit and chill. Jack-of-all-trades mage (knows one basic spell from each school of magic) but specializes in Ice magic. Is also a skilled Spirit Healer. Magic manifested at age 11 when he made it snow indoors on a very hot summer’s day to keep the twins cool. Varric’s nickname for him: “Frost”. Gay/Grey-sexual. Fenris Romance.

Physical: age 25-32 (DA2) and 36 (Inquisition), 6′4, tall, strong well-muscled build, very muscular arms, colorless/silver eyes, black hair in thick cornrow braids, brown skin tone, black well-trimmed beard, dark purple face tattoos, handsome. Modern AU he is half white/half African-American coded with Nigerian ancestry.

Psychological: Purple Hawke (almost exclusively, except a few Blue moments with Leandra and Carver). Chill, funny in a dry way, introverted, shy, impressively patient, brilliant visionary and planner, prefers not to lead directly but pull strings from the shadows or behind a mask. There’s a million ideas always running through his head but he focuses these many ideas, narrowing down those that are illogical and discardable. His intelligence propels him in everything he does, shaping his values, shifting his actions. Akono is passionate about equal rights and overthrowing oppressive establishments- but still maintains a healthy sense of humor and ease. Painfully empathetic but hides it; Devout Andrastian but anti-chantry. Chaotic Good

Decisions: Carver became a Grey Warden, Dueled the Arishok (was not Basalit-an), Sided with Templars publicly most of Acts 1 and 2 (lets mages escape when Templars weren’t involved) to gain their trust (his plan was to get Meredith alone somewhere to assassinate her). Did not help Anders place bomb in chantry. In the end, sided with Orsino/Mages. Killed Anders by his request (to become a martyr the mage rebellion could idolize). Privately agreed with Anders, but publicly will deny it. Survives Adamant (Loghain left in the Fade).

Relationships: Full/high Friendships with everyone (including Carver) except Merrill, closest with Isabela and Varric. He looks out for her as if she were his little sister but she doesn’t forgive him for not giving her the tool to fix the Eluvian (full Rivalry). Considers Aveline Vallen and Sebastian Vael family, but has few other close friendships due to his shyness and preference for privacy. Main party: Act 1- [Carver, Isabela, Varric] Act 2/3 - [Fenris, Isabela, Varric]

After Kirkwall: Stays for a little while to help rebuild Kirkwall, but leaves a few months after, using his gold to buy Isabela a new ship. Leaves his mabari “Tor” to Aveline. Brings Fenris with him and the three become pirate liberators on the seas, hunting down slaver ships and freeing the slaves (while adding gold and ships to their fleet). Does this for years up till Inquisition while accumulating wealth to hire mercenaries. Is planning to lead the last slave rebellion of Tevinter and overthrow the Archon. Will seek aid from Inquisitor Adaar. Writes to Warden Carver regularly (they’re very close).

Links: Aesthetic Tag // Pinterest Board //

Worldstate 2: Henley Hawke the “Red Queen of Starkhaven”

Basics: tired eyes and sharp edges and spite. Arcane/Earth focused Mage (Specialization: Blood Mage). Has great difficulty learning any kind of creation/healing spells. Magic manifested late at age 16 when she caused a small earthquake while in a very bad mood after being slighted by a nobleman bachelor. Varric’s nickname for her: “Queen of Hearts”, formerly “Queen of My Heart.” (”Queenie” for short). Biromantic/Asexual. Sebastian Rivalmance.

Physical: age 25-32 (DA2) and 36 (Inquisition), 5′10, tall and slender, gray eyes, shoulder length burgundy red hair (secret: exact color is maintained with magic) styled into loose curls daily, pale skin, dark smoky eye make-up to hide dark raccoon eyes from lack of sleep. Suffers from anemia, chronic insomnia, and night-terrors since childhood. Resting bitch face but is strikingly lovely anyways. Modern AU she is Irish coded. Faceclaim: Elizabeth Gillies

Psychological: Red Hawke (almost exclusively, except a rare Purple remark at Varric). Difficult to faze but stubborn. Vain, selfish, paranoid, antisocial, but well-educated and can hold stimulating conversation on a wide variety of subjects. Is often mean for the sake of getting people’s reactions; full of blunt criticism. Too straight-forward to ever lie or be sarcastic. Exceptional memory for names of people and places, important events. Can mingle with mobility effortlessly. Easily bribed, considers every deal with demon but rarely actually accepts. Very motivated by the goal of an easy, luxurious life and more than willing to marry money to achieve this goal. Is unbothered by any killing she does to get her way but does not actively enjoy it. Neutral Evil

Decisions: Carver became a Templar, Refused to duel the Arishok and instead team battled (was not Basalit-an), Sided with Templars most of Acts 1 and 2 so they wouldn’t bother her. Helped Anders place bomb in chantry. In the end, sided with Orsino/Mages after flipping a coin (she didn’t care for either side and would have picked Templars if Meredith had paid). Approved of Anders but executed him to keep Sebastian. Survives Adamant (Alistair left in the Fade).

Relationships: Full Rivalry with everyone (including Carver) except for Varric Tethras (full Friendship). Generally, she is awful, and Varric is the only real friend she’s had in her life and she is begrudgingly in love with him through the 3 years between Acts 1 and 2. After he betrays her in the Fade, she begins to pursue Sebastian out of desire to become Queen of Starkhaven. Over the years, she comes to tolerate and eventually love him. She is loyal to Aveline though they dislike each other (like sisters with a love-hate relationship). Oddly attached to her elf servant Oranna, she considers her “hers” and is very protective possessive. Main party: Act 1- [Carver, Varric, Anders] Act 2- [Aveline, Sebastian, Anders] Act 3 - [Aveline, Sebastian, Varric].

After Kirkwall: Leaves to Starkhaven with Sebastian most immediately after defeating Meredith. Gives her mabari “BC” (”Better Carver”) to Merrill. Brings her servant Orana with her as she is the only one she trusts to serve her loyally. Becomes Arcane Advisor to the Prince of Starkhaven and eventually his fiancé then wife. Becomes known as “the Red Queen”.

Links: Aesthetic Tag // Pinterest Board // 5-Gif Summary

Worldstate 3: Claira Hawke the "Bluebird"

Basics: conversation and anxiety and adaptation; Alyss Amell’s cousin. Short-bow Rogue (Specialization: Shadow). Varric’s nickname for her: “Bluebird”. Bisexual. Anders Romance (after Fenris Rivlamance).

Physical: age 25-32 (DA2) and 36 (Inquisition), 5′5, average build on the softer side due to eating carbs and sweets constantly, toned legs maintained by daily running and stretching; wide hazel eyes with under-eye bags, dark brown hair down to mid-back kept in a messy bun on top of her head, fair skin tone, freckles, red lipstick, wears a red-hooded cape. Faceclaim: Lydia Graham

Psychological: Blue Hawke (60% Blue, 40% Red); devoted but dynamic, brave but panics easily, smart but naive, easily excited but easily depressed; friendly but with a savage temper, values peace, foul-mouth though tries to control it. Doesn’t really know who she is but does her best. Devout Andrastian but kinda slutty (in just her time in Kirkwall she sleeps with: Athenril, Fenarel, Fenris, Isabela, Templar Hugh, Cyril de Montfort, Anders, a tal-vashoth, and propositioned Seneschel Bran but he turned her down); uses hookups and casual sex as a coping mechanism for stress, also may have commitment issues. Modern AU she is English coded and has diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. Neutral Good

Decisions: Bethany died in the Deep Roads, Dueled the Arishok (was Basalit-an), Vocally and actively sided with mages all Acts 1 and 2, Emotionally manipulated into helping romanced Anders place bomb in chantry. Sided with Orsino/Mages. Spared Anders and tells him to “just go”. Survives Adamant (Stroud left in the Fade).

Relationships: Full Friendships everyone except for Fenris (full Rivalry) due to bringing him everywhere while being very vocal and helpful to the “freedom for mages!” cause. Gets along well with everyone due to intense desire to please and be liked but has few close friends (Aveline and Merrill). Main party: Act 1- [Fenris, Bethany, Merrill] Act 2/3 - [Fenris, Merrill, Anders]

After Kirkwall: Flees Kirkwall with Anders immediately and though she’s broken up with him out of anger for the lives lost (disapproved) in the Kirkwall Chantry, she comes to forgive him eventually but they do split up and go their seperate ways. A couple months later she realizes she is pregnant and sends a distress raven to her friends. Aveline is busy in Kirkwall holding off Sebastian’s invasion, and Varric is already captured by Cassandra, but Merrill, Fenris, Isabela come and help keep her safe through her pregnancy. They eventually part ways again about a year or so later, except for her best friend Merrill who stays by her side. They eventually become romantically involved, raising Claira’s son Silas together.

Links: Aesthetic Tag // Pinterest Board // 5-Gif Summary

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Check out my Heroes of Ferelden!

#my ocs #hawke #my hawke #akono hawke #henley hawke #Claira hawke #da2 #oc masterlist #hawke list #my hawkes #my birds #symbolism in their pictures #akono looks forward #Claira looks back #henley focuses on the present and on herself #long post #da2 spoilers

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storybookhawke · 6 years ago

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AU with talented but easily flustered architect Anders who cant help giggle nervously when beefy construction site manager Hawke flirts with him.

Oh goodness I love it already. So I wrote a little for it!!!

Hawke’s worked a lot of build sites before. His crew is experienced, taking his direction well and working quickly but safely. They’ve been through plenty of on-site issues together, but have always managed to get through the worst of it by working as a team. Hawke is proud to say that most of the issues over the years haven’t been the fault of their own, but rather fussy management or picky inspectors.

But, in all his years, Hawke has never met anyone like Anders.

The man is the architect, the true visionary behind Kirkwall’s first true housing project. It was a controversy between city officials, but Anders himself pushed the initiative through and insisted it was something the homeless citizens of Kirkwall would truly benefit from. From what Hawke has gleaned from conversations and reading the news, Anders dedicated months of his life to designing it and meeting with donors who supported his cause. The hardest part was getting it past the mayor, but the council superseded the woman’s adamant refusal.

The man in question is currently bent over the blueprints, shoulder-length golden hair tied up in a ponytail. His long, slender fingers trace the lines of the draft currently being built, as if to follow it’s realization in real time.

Anders tends to arrive just after noon, to speak with Hawke about the construction’s progress. Normally a daily visit from the job’s architect signals a hellish experience for Hawke and his crew–painstakingly perfectionist oversight means overtime and countless alterations over the course of a build.

But not with Anders. He simply inquires about the proceedings, reviews the drafts, and takes a walk through the build site with Hawke. Sometimes he even brings Hawke a sandwich from the local deli, or a cold refreshment if it’s particularly hot. At first he didn’t think twice about it–Anders just seemed like that kind of person–but then a few of his workers pointed it out one afternoon.

“That architect has a thing for you” Gustav said one afternoon. “You’d have to be blind not to see it.”

“He looks at your arse all day,” Carver with a flat look, annoyed that this even had to be said aloud about his own brother.

Hawke steps into the shade of the tent, removing his hard hat and wiping the sweat from his brow. Anders doesn’t look up from the blueprints, but Hawke knows that he’s been noticed since a slight smile sets upon the man’s lips. Now that Hawke knows to look, he notices that Anders’ cheeks have turned pink simply by his presence.

“Afternoon, Hawke,” Anders says. “Things are looking good, as always.”

“No problems yet,” Hawke replies, leaning against one of the tent’s poles and crossing his arms. “Though I shouldn’t say that so early in the process.”

Anders hums in agreement, flipping through a few more of his drafts until he finds the part they just poured foundation for today. It stirs something in Hawke’s chest to see someone so devoted to something he’s building. Anders truly put his everything into this housing project, and it shows in his support and attention to detail.

As is his nature, Hawke has flirted with Anders before, but the man has always managed to escape the situation or stutter his way through a diversionary topic. This time, Hawke can’t stop the words from slipping out, heavily laced with all the innuendo he’s been considering since learning about Anders’ possible affections.

“You really like to be ‘hands-on,’ don’t you?”

Anders’ finger pauses it’s path around the lines of the draft, cheeks turning pink and this time not from the sun. His words, though quiet, ring loud and clear to Hawke.

“More than you know.”

#dovabunny #ilu you're really great #this made my afternoon #that and banana bread #all hail handers and banana bread #handers #mhawke #hawke #anders #da2 #modern au #sbh ask #sbh #sbh writes

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rovinky · 4 years ago

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retrograde

Summer is around the corner. Adam will be home soon and he’s still not sure what he and Kavinsky are doing could be called dating. They have a lot of sex. They dream up impossible things. They keep each other from going insane. They hang out and have wild fun together.

But he wouldn’t call it dating.

No, he wouldn’t call it dating.

Canon divergent AU where the visionaries come for the dream pack and Ronan alike, while Ronan explores his feelings for Kavinsky and Adam.

#rovinsky #pynch #pynchinsky #the dream pack #joseph kavinsky #ronan lynch #adam parrish #trc #my fic #xenos

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bluetapes · 8 years ago

Video

youtube

pre-order here: https://bluetapes.bandcamp.com/album/x-ray-five-the-sparrow-12

Deluxe ultra-clear 12" vinyl screenprinted with ‘moth’ artwork

The post-genre sounds Blue Tapes and X-Ray Records has mined and curated over the past couple of years might not immediately code as metal, but as early as our home-dubbed tape days we were exploring death metal’s potential as vocal-only music with blue ten: EyeSea.

Jute Gyte is unambiguously metal music and I genuinely believe that Adam Kalmbach, the sole musician and producer behind the project, is the most important musician in metal since Death’s Chuck Schuldiner, himself the most important metal musician since Tony Iommi, the man whose fingers created metal.

As a teenager into the Mortal Kombat soundtrack and Nine Inch Nails, Adam learnt metal guitar. Later, he studied composition at university, and had his brain nuked by early and baroque music, serialism and Sibelius, and the universes of potentials opening like wormholes in his head created Jute Gyte.

Jute Gyte applies microtonality and modernist compositional approaches to black metal. This isn’t in itself what makes Jute Gyte’s music great, though it does explode one thing that has slowly narrowed into a conservative musical tradition out into something new, that no one has heard before. New sounds and new feelings.

This is not dry, academic music. It is scientific, exploratory, but as physical as the most brutal splatters of 1991-era death metal, which - despite using gore as a convenient if slightly-knuckleheaded shorthand for the abstract, lurching new riff forms of the genre - had a transdimensional element even then.

Jute Gyte’s orchestra of microtonal guitars sounds as though it is vomiting blackholes. But maybe what initially scans as occult horror in Jute Gyte’s music is just seasickness caused by the unfamiliarity of this new terrain.

“I understand how stuff I've done sounds ugly to people,” Adam concedes, “but it doesn't sound ugly to me. Or, it doesn't sound exclusively ugly. It's just a different kind of language. If you haven't internalised that language, then you're going to hear a lot of things that sound like 'wrong' notes. I hear little musical jokes, I hear happy parts and sad parts, and I hear a lot of parts that don't seem to have any emotive content at all. It's not just uniformly ugly, just as Schoenberg's work is not intended to be uniformly ugly.”

For x-ray five, Adam has crafted two side-long pieces. The first of these, The Sparrow, is a kind of modernist black metal symphony that might share some signifiers with the despair-loaded blizzard hymns familiar to fans of Norwegian BM. But those beautiful flocks of guitars - sometimes they sound like they’re hovering, or scrolling back and forth, rather than ‘riffing’. A dazzling murmuration. And it wasn’t some grimoire that provided the lyrical inspiration for the piece, but Stoner author John Edward Williams’ 1965 poetry collection, The Necessary Lie.

The second piece, Monadanom, is from a suite of ambient microtonal guitar pieces that Adam began developing for us in early 2014. It is oceanic, not in the usual new age-y sense most often applied to ambient music, but in that it is raging with life and detail; unfathomable.

Self-released Jute Gyte albums like Perdurance, Ship of Theseus and Ressentiment are acknowledged as modern classics not only of metal or experimental music, but of any genre.

Adam doesn’t self-promote or use social media, play live or collaborate with other artists, but a fiercely loyal fanbase has already swarmed around him. This is his first full release with a label and I consider it to be one of the most important releases for Blue Tapes and X-Ray Records.

This is a metal record, but for me, it makes total sense that Jute Gyte would be on the same label as Katie Gately and Tashi Dorji, rather than Roadrunner or even Relapse. These humans are his peers - artists who are changing people’s perceptions of the possibilities of modern music at a cellular level.

Adam Kalmbach is influenced by Harry Partch, Xenakis, Penderecki, Gloria Coates, Mahler and Brahms; he regards Jute Gyte as belonging to a continuum of ‘late Romantic’ music.

Jute Gyte will appeal to any fans of Stockhausen, Morbid Angel, Sonic Youth, Gojira, Autechre, Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Slayer, Tim Hecker, Daniel Lopatin, Khanate, Ulver, Anaal Nathrakh, Liturgy, Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson or Godflesh.

A FEW WORDS FROM JOHN DORAN, EDITOR OF THE QUIETUS:

"A house sparrow beats its elliptical wings up to fifteen times per second. This may seem paltry compared to the ruby-throated hummingbird which can flap 200 times per second but it simply isn’t. The beats are just slow enough for us to be able to discern the highly focussed power of passer domesticus - the most widespread wild bird in the world. No floating gracefully by on an invisible blur of feathers for the common sparrow just the powerful little upstroke, the powerful little downstroke and all of the other (half and quarter) positions that join them. One sparrow takes wing; then another; then another. Common, ungainly birds? Spiteful little pests? Not a bit of it. If you spent your life watching them perhaps you could frame the astonishing lattice of a meinie of these tiny creatures. Perhaps you could figure the calculus of a tribe of sparrows taking flight. A host that breaks apart on the ground and reassembles on the wing.

"The music of Jute Gyte, made by the visionary musician Adam Kalmbach, makes me feel sick. I hope there has been a distant civilisation somewhere along the way who have paid emetic tribute to their most revered cultural producers, as I do mean this as the highest of compliments to the chef. Because while the harsh, fiercely avant garde, black metal of microtonal progressions and complex time signatures he produces does genuinely make me feel quite queasy, I’d like to think any genuine regurgitation suffered by me would be the kind that precedes the ayahuasca vision or the state of satori triggered by a pure dose of MDMA. The churning thunder of albums such as Ship Of Theseus and Perdurance - and now this genuinely awesome 12”, The Sparrow, on X-Ray Records - is equally matched by a nagging aesthetic of pessimism. While this may well by umami to a depressive realist’s palate, as with The Silence Of Animals by John Gray, this music contains the very real possibility of transcendence. (This being the rare transformative state often promised by modern black metal, yet the most conspicuous by its absence.)

"There is a bird sanctuary on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, near Burscough, called Martin Mere. In the foyer of the visitor centre there is a charity coin spinner, a large money collection device, sometimes also known as a coin vortex donation box. The device is essentially a large, smooth, downward-curving funnel, protected by a semi-spherical clear plastic dome. There is a slot into which you press a coin. Now sometimes, but not often, the coins don’t take and they slide, flat side down straight into the funnel and immediately out of sight into the collection box. Mostly however they circle. This happens slowly at first; a large graceful loop of the shallower edge of the funnel but because of gravity they never make a complete circumference, instead they always travel in a concentric circle, down the funnel, picking up speed as the spiral shrinks inwards. Each pass round the funnel becomes shorter and shorter until it essentially becomes a tube, round which the coin travels horizontally at great speed. It moves so quickly it is hard to tell what is happening.

"Whump, whump, whump, whump. The coin becomes more absence than presence. And then, just for a fraction of a second before disappearing into the dark for good, the coin is no longer touching the funnel wall.

"And at that moment, there is take-off. "

PRAISE FOR JUTE GYTE:

"Lurching, ascending, descending – ever moving in a time that doesn’t seem to resemble time at all. Sometimes the music of Jute Gyte sounds as though it is crawling around inside you, threatening to escape. Whether it is slowing up or speeding down sometimes seems not only subjective, but actually kind of irrelevant. This is genuinely transdimensional music. It obeys the rules of little other sound in our universe. In an era where the ‘psychedelic’ is much fetishized, but oft-misunderstood, Jute Gyte is making music that is beyond cosmic. It looks where space rock has taken us and laughs. Why waste time on sailing a backdraft of flanger up to the moon when you can wrench open reality itself and slide a rotten tentacle through the cracks? This isn’t for people who find black metal cute. And it isn’t for people who find black metal extreme. Microtonal metal might never inspire memeworthy fandom, but right now it sounds like the future. And the past. And the whole ugly present – all knotted together in a vipers nest of ouroboros." - 20 Jazz Funk Greats

"Jute Gyte's Perdurance is a modern classical black metal masterwork" - Noisey

"It's tempting to focus on this album's otherworldly guitar sound and various other unusual technical components, but its emotional charge is its most compelling feature. Many black metal acts address the idea that we're on our own in a blind, hostile cosmos, but rarely does the horror feel so real." - Stereogum

"If you can sit through it, you will be rewarded by relentlessly entertaining cacophony shot through with a warped sense of humour. If you don’t believe me, take my roommate’s word for it: “Could you never play that skronk album again? I really hate it.” So fire up the coals, put some brews on ice, then lock yourself in the basement and twitch to the summer sounds of Jute Gyte." - The Quietus

"Few recent artists have made such inimitable music as Missourian Adam Kalmbach, architect behind the protean madness of Jute Gyte" - Metal Sucks

"Adam Kalmbach has produced vast quantities of what is hands down the most forward-thinking and complex music metal has to offer" - Angry Metal Guy

"Jute Gyte is music for people who don’t necessarily want what they take in to make them feel better, or even good." - Heavy Blog Is Heavy

"Though not a “pretty” or “pleasant” album by any means, Kalmbach’s genuinely alien approach to harmony and composition coupled with a greater emotional weight than much of his previous work makes Ressentiment one of his best albums yet, and one of the best this year." - Toilet ov Hell

"We are hearing a truly original artist completely at ease with his medium" - Heathen Harvest

"Swirling, chaotic, virulent, black and maddening" - Cvlt Nation

"The guitar sounds like it’s being played by an alien" - Nine Circles

"Robin Thicke is a human. Jute Gyte could eat him." - Decoder Magazine

"The music Kalmbach writes is now top notch covering all the bases of brittle, spiteful black metal, creepy atmospherics and a contrasting, unique style that makes his music stand out above much of the like minded one man black metal out there today." - Teeth of the Divine

"Jute Gyte remains one of our most creative and challenging American black metal extracts." - From the Dust Returned

"Jute Gyte’s now signature hyperdissonance meets the ever-shifting polyrhythms of IDM, Gamelan’s chiming bells, and the shifting dread of early electronic music. Perdurance is a strange album whose penchant for the impenetrable verges on Dadaism" - Invisible Oranges

"Ears accustomed to Western 12-tone polyphony can barely process these sounds—they sink into your skull like red-hot stones into ice. It's like you're listening to a tape at the wrong speed, or to music warped by a black hole's gravitational lens on its way here from several galaxies away." - Chicago Reader

"cracked decrepit guitar tones creak against the maelstrom of drone swelling and spilling in harmonious fury, with buried drum machine marching through the void and anguished vocals recounting an ancient war of mass slaughter. electronics and treatments figure more prominently than on other BM projects, sure to piss off purists and blurring the divide between metal and noise: overwhelming buzzing distortion and delay" - KFJC

#jute gyte #adam kalmbach #blue tapes #x-ray records #john doran #the quietus #death #chuck schuldiner #black metal #tony iommi #godflesh #king crimson #mahavishnu orchestra #stockhausen #autechre #blut aus nord

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