#we have a bird gift theme going on

[thedawningofthehour]

Pillow pets were really popular when i was in grade school. my friend had a ladybug one and i feel like mikey would love a ladybug pillow pet.

Don't make me look up what kind of pillow pets there are now, I'll be tempted to buy one.

I mean, Christmas is coming up and my mom does love cutesy stuff like that...

[thedeadthree]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

AIRIKA HI TY TYY DEAR this is the cutest thank youu and i hope ur well!! i adore yelling about tunes EEEK 🥀💌☺️

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖 — hozier, bear mcreary.

𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐄 — charli xcx.

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐒 𝐕𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐒 — cocteau twins.

𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 — the crane wives.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 — ramin djawadi.

[brillantradiance]

What kind of lover Sung Jin Woo would be?

Warning: this post may be a little suggestive some yandere themes if you squint. Unedited.

It would be very subtle. Definitely more through actions rather than words. Since we all know that Jin Woo is very reserved.

Slowburn but when Jin Woo falls he falls hard.

Jin Woo would love deeply. So much so that it utterly consumes him. Reason why: As the story progresses Jin Woo loses more and more of his emotions. However if someone could rekindle that side of him and remind him what it’s like to be human. He’ll be obsessed 100%.

And if you were by his side when he was weak. Congratulations he’ll be even more obsessed. Mostly because chances are he would actually trust you as you were able to respect him and care about him despite him being weak.

That being said, you’ll probably have this perpetual feeling of being watched due to Jin Woo monitoring your actions through his shadows.

overprotective. To the point, where you jokingly stated that he would rather keep you locked up in tower so he could have you all to himself. (Little did you know he has thought about keeping you in his realm on multiple occasions. This thought would occur much more if you were a hunter and continued to go on raids despite him begging you to retire).

Deep down Jin Woo is so afraid of losing you that he can’t help wanting you to be in his presence at all times.

Jin Woo is possessive in nature. He would appear nonchalant but within him a tempest is brewing. During Hunter events he would maintain physical contact always. Usually his hand around your waist surveying the area of any wandering eyes or If they can’t get the hint your obviously taken potential targets.

Jin Woo’s desire to keep you to himself has manifested in multiple ways including smothering you (affectionately) while you sleep. Jin woo is touch starved. Most contact he has with any other living is usually violent in nature. So being able to hold you just completes him. So when he comes home seeing you laying on his bed he can’t help but to hold you close. He tries to be careful knowing well how easy it would be to crush you but sometimes he can’t help it. He brings you close enough that you can hear both of his hearts beat. As Jin Woo relishes in your warmth he drifts off to sleep. He won’t let go and with his vice iron grip good luck getting out of bed in the morning.

Even after finally getting up that morning Jin Woo would be draped over the entire time trying to drag you back to bed. (He doesn’t need the sleep he just wants to spend more time with you).

Hypocritically Jin Woo is a morning bird. He will wake you up so you can accompany him during his morning run.

He loves to provide for you. Whether it be cooking for you. Buying you gifts. Etc.

Intense eye contact. He would stare at you for hours. Maintains it while talking to you as well. He’ll lean closer to you. You’d think to hear you better but he just wants to be closer.

He loves to hold you and kiss you for hours. He’ll kiss you until you’re out of breath. And when you finally breakaway he’ll just follow your lips. And if you can’t handle that he’ll go for your neck. His breath grazing your pulse before planting sloppy open-mouthed kisses. He’ll keep going until your a mess in his arms. That being said….

HE’S A HUGE TEASE. He knows exactly what you like and will make you suffer smirking the entire time. He loves to see you squirm and blush. This includes working out shirtless in your vicinity. He acts all innocent but he knows exactly what he’s doing.

He’s lowkey a brat tamer. Like if you tease him back he’ll enjoy the challenge. Push him to the edge he’ll take great pleasure putting you in your place. Also gives him an excuse to be a little rougher than usual.

Don’t get me wrong Jin Woo is a gentle lover. But he’s definitely holding back this intense beast within him every time he’s with you because he loves you so much and would be devastated if you were to be afraid of him because of that intensity. However, in bed if you were to tell him to let go. That you can take everything he could give and more. Be Prepared.

I think this is my first Jin Woo x Reader. I hope you guys enjoy! Thank you for reading :)

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Um

Where did you buy that magnificent dinosaur hanukkiah? I didn't even know those were a thing in the world, but now I must own one

Target! Apparently they're just doing a Dinosaur Hanukkah theme, which I'm not complaining about to be honest. if we have to live in technofeudalism/late late stage capitalism, I'm going to enjoy the bread and circuses

here's the hanukkah gift I got my spouse wrapped in fantastic dinosaur hanukkah wrapping paper from target (plz ignore how messy my house is, I'm a grad student with a spouse who works a horrifyingly energy draining full time job and we have five birds my house is just an eclectic mess):

the Hanukkiah (Menorah) in question, for those unfamiliar:

[zorosbeau33]

Courting~ Natsu Dragneel Alpha Headcanon

❖ Fairy Tail, Natsu Dragneel x gender neutral reader

❖ Headcanon, Possible future series, fluff

❖ Tw: none~

❖ wc: 1045

❖ @tojiseviltwin @kimnamshiks ❖ Masterlist ❖

. ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

This is a alpha beta omega au~ Reader is assumed omega in this but you are free to decide for yourself~

. ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

To begin, to make this easy let us establish this Dragon Slayer is an alpha. If you did not know you might suspect he was a beta with how he is so careless and goofy. Not your stereotypical stern tough guy alpha.

Natsu doesn’t care if you see him as an alpha or not, and he doesn’t care if someone doesn’t believe he’s an alpha. His status as a dragon slayer and member of Fairy Tail is his pride not something decided by birth or gender. Gender, who cares about that, are you strong or funny or nice? Thus goes his priorities.

So needless to say he’s not really into the whole, he has to court you by rules xyz due to his secondary gender. He’s going to court you how he believes a dragon slayer and guild member (because you will be adopted into Fairy Tale if you're not in it already) should be treated.

It might have taken him a long while to realize he wants to court you though. At first he just knew he liked being around you, and isn’t that enough? Spending life going on adventures and laughing together are most important to him. 

Once or twice he feels like frowning or growling when he sees someone get really close to you. Not just proximity wise because he too is a skinship with all the friends kind of person. But seeing someone attempt to get close to you romantically or emotionally and nudge him aside and out of frame? He doesn’t understand why but it burns him up inside.

I hate to say it but he tries to train it off, or just cling onto you and insist on starting a job right now. No he hasn’t picked one and yes it might be midnight but it's the perfect time to start a quest! No really-

He may go and confide in Master or Mira Jane. He knows he may get teased for it but he can’t figure these emotions out, and it's imperative to him to know because it's becoming stronger. His anger (its jealousy), his thoughts about you, why your scent is smelling sweeter and sweeter to him, all of it.

Bless this poor boy's soul because he really couldn’t figure out why he was “hungry” when he smelled your scent. He thought he needed to eat more food or fire because we don't eat friends. Thankfully they explained it's a physical and emotional longing to be closer with you.

This was not his first birds-and-bees talk but it was the one that made him realize he wanted you, and without them having to say more Natsu realized he wanted you as his mate.

Thankfully he does know from seeing others do it, although he thought it stupid at the time, the basics on how to court someone

His heart cannot take this he's so jittery and happy as he bounds up to you, if it's night time he may have broken in but that's okay! To hand you some hand picked flowers and a snack. He’s pretty forward about this, not subtle on starting the courting process. 

“Why? Because I want you to be my mate partner too of course!” Queue big happy grin

Lucy has helped him go shopping several times for you, blankets for your now shared nest. Food gifts galore.

No seriously everywhere you go, and you go to all places together now unless you ask for some space. He gets you food.

You looked away for two seconds and he disappeared. Don't worry he’ll be back in ten minutes with something scrumptious for you. 

If he has to go on a mission without you, or if you decide to take some time to yourself, expect a small little sweet or scone to be placed on your desk or in your hands. They are often a shade of pink, or dragon themed so you’d think of him.

Not huge on you wearing his clothes, with the exception of his scarf. He adores seeing you in it before he started courting you because he hadn’t realized yet, now he is obsessed wrapping it around you both as you cuddle. Or do anything for that matter.

Natsu did realize it's not practical while walking only after clotheslining you once…or twice…

He is super attentive to your needs, perhaps not romantically, but he knows you’re hungry before you do. 

Shivering? Not around him he knew to warm you before you knew you were chilled.

Tired, and he somehow has drafted you for a cuddle and nap session or has told the other guild members to go away so you can nest in a corner where he can keep an eye and make sure you are safe

Guild member pissed you off, he’s already squaring up to fight with you

You are feeling needy? He's right there giving you a hug

It all stems from his fighting experience funnily enough. He’s gotten really really good at reading body language because of it and he has yours down to an art form.

Natsu is strong and independent despite his love of skinship and kinship. However he will always be longing to be just a little bit closer to you and his gifts sometimes reflect as much.

Never in his life before would he have wanted to buy a massage, but here he is getting vouchers for couples massages. He heard about it from Elfman and it was a lightbulb moment.

Matching funny hats at the amusement park

Small little quirky dates to places to do things together, like making matching earrings. Or a food tour of a town together, quality time is his utmost number one gift and treasure. It's the best thing you can give him too, volunteer to spend time together and he is over the moon.

This goes without saying but Natsu is above all else, protective. You are strong or weak, it doesn't change this, he will fight god and anyone who looks down on you or tries to hurt you. Even if it's a guildmate in a pre ordained face off, someone will need to hold him back. You are too precious to him to risk losing, so please stay by his side forever.

[nvuy]

an ode to a nightingale — sunday

summary. you were never anything. sunday begs to differ, in his own twisted way.

notes. a thing i did as an experiment and also as a little gift to a special someone (you know who you are) because we both enjoy staring at this guy's face. he's a funky little dude and a massive green flag. 100%.

i redownloaded hsr and i’ve started penacony. i have no idea what’s going on. it’s probably because i’ve been stuck staring at dr ratio’s boob window the whole time. i’m like a toddler watching cocomelon. i cant look away.

warnings. mdni, for safety. implied explicit content, dark themes, manipulation, sunday is a controlling dickhead, you’re an implied streetwalker, yandere themes, insulting, threatening, possessiveness, mentions of kidnapping, gaslighting, obsessiveness, lots of nice stuff like that. please let me know if i've missed anything!

“What do you want from me?”

You looked in the mirror as you spoke, and you saw some pathetic state of a person staring back at you. Behind the edges of the golden vanity was the outline of the filled bathtub with steam wafting from the surface.

And him.

You watched as he sank into the water with a satisfied gleam on his face.

You refused to linger on the scratch marks that left gorgeous red and white lines down his arms, and his chest, and his spine.

It smelled like coconut. Coconut and dusted sugar on creamy pastry. And the clogging smell of mascara.

It smudged down your cheeks, and your lips were ruined and swollen, and your skin was painted in purple bruises and teeth marks.

And you were sore. Every part of your body was aching.

Sunday was leaning against the edge of the tub, staring at you through his lashes. He always preferred his baths boiling, as if he wanted to melt his skin off. Usually, he’d bring a book with him and read it during his off time when given the chance.

He didn’t answer.

“You’ve changed,” he said instead. His voice echoed off of the white tiles in the bathroom.

“I look the same as the night you took me off the streets,” you murmured. “Like a whore.”

Sunday hummed. “Is that how you see yourself?” The wings extending from his ears dipped below the water for a moment. “A ‘whore?’”

You didn’t want to turn to face him.

It was difficult enough to hold his unwavering gaze in the mirror.

“You’re not denying it.”

“Because I think you look damaged.” He was honest this time, and there was bitterness swelling with his tone. He instinctively fluttered his feathers to dry them off.

“By your design.” You were speaking of how he made it his duty to ruin your skin with his teeth.

“What I’ve done to you is nothing. You had already ruined yourself by offering your body to those disgusting animals before I had ever even laid my eyes on you.” He waved his hand as if he meant no harm with his words. “I’ve merely saved you.”

Your jaw clenched.

He fluttered his lashes at you in the mirror and sighed.

What a pretty sight.

“‘Saved me?’” you repeated hoarsely. You tried not to claw at your skin in frustration. You willed yourself not to lunge at him and puncture his eyes from his skull. “Do me a favour and save me from your arrogance next. You’re deluded if you think trapping me in your bedroom is praiseworthy.”

He smiled.

“Think of it this way: a bird is much safer trapped in a cage than free to the winds.” The smell of coconut and sugared powder made your head spin. Of course, he would use the soaps and creams you wore when he first met you. The smell was engraved into his mind like a branding.

Although covered by a robe, you felt vulnerable. His gaze held strong. You weren’t sure if he was even blinking.

Sunday seemed too relaxed. Your freedom was a joke to him; what is freedom if you’re too busy giving your body to strangers? Did you want to go back to that life?

“You want me to get in the tub just so you can humiliate me,” you accused with a dangerous flash of your teeth.

You wanted to sound angry. You wanted to sound furious, but it was only a pitiful whimper of a phrase. You felt pathetically weak.

He was quick to answer, “I did not request your company.” He patted the book with golden edges that sat on a ledge of the bathtub. You didn’t want to ask of its contents. “You came here of your own fruition. You felt lonely.”

“You think you know everything about me.”

“But of course.” Sunday plucked the book from the ledge, careful not to wet the pages as he turned to the page he’d marked. “You are mine, after all.”

His tone was light. Confident.

Your face was burning. “Fuck you.”

Who even were you? Who were you next to him?

Nothing, was the appropriate answer. He insisted otherwise, though he’d never given you a definitive answer of what you were. He’d never explicitly stated you to be a whore, disobedient, disrespectful, too independent for your own good.

Everything you hated to hear about yourself, even if it was all true.

He’d only tut and usher you away with a wave of his hand.

You’re his, as well.

His teeth in your skin, his feathers tickling your neck, his wandering fingers that crept below your navel. He’s stained your skin with his. It’s hard to wash off—even harder when he shares the same soaps as you.

Perhaps he knows this, and that’s why he hopes you share a bath with him.

So you’re reminded that there’s a chain around your ankle.

“You’re a fuckin’ hypocrite, y’know. You think you’re so high and mighty, and yet you’re naked and pining after some street whore. And then you insist that I belong to you, but also beg for me beneath your own sheets.” But that wasn’t true.

As soon as the words left your lips you screwed your eyes shut and you leaned over the vanity.

His smile only grew, and the tip of his tongue touched the sharp edge of his canines.

Your fingers curled around the edge of the marble countertop.

Here he was, vulnerable. Susceptible to a swift slice of a blade to his neck, to being held beneath the surface of the water until he stopped flailing.

And you’re still so afraid of him.

He reads you like the book in his hands.

Sunday cooed. “Just like water, you are destructible, easily poisoned, and ever changing. You are lost, entrapped within four walls, so desperate to escape, but you cannot think for yourself.”

You furrowed your brows.

He turned the page of his book. The water sloshed as his arms moved.

The smell of coconut was hurting your head.

“You speak in tongues because you’re scared of ruining your perfect image,” you said. “You’re just an insecure little boy who's stuck in a daydream.”

That forced his head to turn. He almost snapped his book shut. Instead, his fingers froze on the edges of the crisp paper.

Then, he let out a hearty laugh.

“Allow me to rephrase: your beauty is wicked. It is rotten, vile, and evil.” The sweet scent of sugar was a cruel joke. It juxtaposed everything that spilled from his filthy lips. “Your blood is muddied and ruined. You’ve allowed strangers to see your skin.

“You’re lucky I’ve tolerated your behaviour for this long. If you were anybody else, you would have lost your foul tongue after our first night together.”

The way he said it all made you feel so much smaller than you were.

You finally turned around to face him. The reflection in the mirror made the bathtub seem further away than it actually was.

The tub was in the centre of the room, craved meticulously from a blue crystal. To you, it closely resembled aquamarine. It was big enough to be considered a swimming pool if you removed the golden faucet, but you refrained from insulting his fussy craftsmanship and adding fuel to the fire.

Sunday was particular about everything; sizing, shapes, colours. Everything had to match, everything had to make sense, everything had to be perfect and presentable. Any faults or flaws were dealt with swiftly, whether that be a person or an object. You weren’t sure if you were considered one or the other.

Then came the specifics. A ledge for placing things, voids in the walls for storing soaps, adequate cupboards, flooring, walls, forms, everything.

Aeons forbid you dropped a glass and scratched the precious tiling.

And he was particular about you, though he never clearly stated what he wanted from you.

He wanted you. That was clear from how he would coax you to join him with gentle words and fleeting touches. How he would stain your skin and leave an imprint of your body on his bedsheets.

Anything other than that was muddled, muddied, lost in his own deluded mind.

“What do you want from me?” you asked him again.

Sunday fluttered his lashes at you. “Nothing at all.”

“Have you ever told the truth?”

You had instinctively drawn yourself closer to him. You leaned over the tub, fingers curled around the rim of crystal.

Sunday sighed. He looked sick, like delusion had twisted through his mind like poison ivy crawling along the walls of the gardens outside. “You are afraid of the truth.”

“You’re lying again.” He wasn’t lying, but you refused to make him feel as though he was in control.

That was he fed off.

Your fear, your touch, your taste, your words, every inch of your skin. His. All of it.

“I want everything,” he stated.

You wanted to break the tub and slit his throat with the shards of crystal.

“I want you to give yourself to me. All of yourself.”

How selfish of him.

He still views you as an offering.

You turned away and moved to storm out of the bathroom. You would wait until he was finished. You couldn’t be in the room with him.

The steam was burning your skin, and your scent on him was making your head feel like it was splitting apart.

He grabbed your face and forced you to look back.

You would have described his eyes as beautiful; golden irides with hints of plush velvet and a deep sapphire. But all he did was stare. He’d never look away, and he never wished to.

He saw things you did not.

“I want undying loyalty.” When you squirmed, he held your cheeks harder. “I want hopeless devotion. I want compassion. I want to see the silhouette of you in my bed first thing every morning.”

Your nails were frozen digging into his wrist, still wet and hot from the water.

He seemed as though he wished to say more, though refrained when he let go of your face. He’d abandoned his book now, his gaze remaining locked onto you.

Your cheeks stung from his fingerprints. You feared the patterns would be burned into your flesh.

“I want you to stop,” you whispered.

You knew what he was doing.

“Oh, I will.” This time, when his fingers raised for your face, he simply grazed them along your sore cheek. “Join me.”

You didn’t answer at first. You didn’t even move from your spot, frozen as if he’d drawn ice down your spine.

You breathed out. Your fingers were trembling.

“I’m not stupid,” you said. You were trying to convince yourself it was true.

Sunday only tilted his head. “No, you’re not stupid.”

He was already pulling the string of the bow around your waist. His wings bristled.

“I know what you’re doing,” you insisted, holding onto the fluffy material when he undid the knot holding the robe together. “I know what you’re doing.”

He smiled playfully. His hands pushed away the robe. “What am I doing?”

Your eyes welled with tears.

You don’t know what he’s doing. You are stupid.

You wished you’d never met him. You wished you’d never let soft hands and kind words and those pretty eyes of his draw you into his bed.

You shouldn’t have ever crawled back to him.

You let out a pathetic sob.

“Oh, you sweet thing.”

Sunday tutted pitifully and offered his hand.

Almost instinctively, as if it had been written in your blood since the moment you were born, you took it and leaned into his embrace.

His hair smelled of sugared tea. The feathers of his wings grazed over your face, now soaked with your tears.

He gently drew you into the water, murmuring something bordering on praise. You didn’t even hear what he said.

“I will make you all better.”

The water was hot. His lips on your cheek made you dizzy. The mirror had completely steamed up by now, and your chest pressed flush against his.

You tried to push him off you. You tried. You really did. You’d done this before, many times. Letting him break you down and watching as you lost control of your limbs and clawed at him until he held you.

He was good at that. Predicting. Letting things form the way they always did.

You were so angry. Angry at yourself, at him, at everything. Weakly, you curled your fists and hit his shoulders defeatedly. You heard him laugh.

All you did was betray yourself, surrendering and stilling as his cold hands dipped below the water.

“I will make you whole again.”

[skyloftian-nutcase]

After a month of Whump, it’s gonna be Fluff Time!!

Hello! This is Fluffvember, a month long event of pure fluff and comfort! This was originally an idea made by @/kjpurplepineapple, to follow a month of whump (whumptober) with a month of fluff, and I loved it so much I’ve just carried it on for the last two years. :) Figured I’d make some prompts so we could all have fun together.

RULES:

The prompts are listed in a numerical order, but they are not tied to any given day. Do whatever prompt on whatever day you like! If prompt #1 appeals to you but you don’t have time to get it done by November 1, do it any day of the month. :) You are also more than welcome to just stick to the order listed.

Writing/art can be pure unadulterated fluff, calm slice of life moments, easygoing reading… it can even be hurt/comfort! As long as the comfort heavily outweighs the hurt, all warm, fuzzy vibes are welcome. ❤️ The point of this event is to share nice vibes, both to our characters and each other. :)

You don’t have to tag me if you don’t want to, but it would be fun if you tag your writing/art with #fluffvember so I and others who want to indulge in comfort/fuzzy vibes can find it!

Without further ado, here are the prompts! Pick a theme/word prompts or a quote, or both!

Snow // “I’m stealing your blanket”

Blanket fort // “Come back to bed”

Nature walk // “I’m sorry, when did we step in paradise??”

Hot spring // “This hits the spot”

Apple picking // “Oh my gosh, you do not know how to cook”

Windy day // “Come closer, I can’t hear—ahhh too close, too close!”

Massage // “I didn’t know you could sing”

Bird watching // “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Homecoming // “I missed you”

Accommodating // “I’ve got you”

Teaching/learning // “It’s tradition”

Dog/cat/pet // “I can die happy now”

Friendly competition // “You’re going to love this”

In the rain // “Let me help you”

In the firelight/candlelight // “I love you”

Hug // “This isn’t a negotiation, friend”

Favorite book/story // “I wanted to share this with you”

Music // “I learned this from my parents”

Family time // “We’re very blessed”

Coming of age // “I’m so proud of you”

The Reluctant Softie // “UGH FINE I’LL DO IT”

Teddy bear/animal plushie // “Give [insert] a kiss for me”

Self care // “Thank you for believing in me”

Cuddle pile // “You’re not gonna let go, are you?”

Washing someone’s hair // “I can stay with you”

Infodumping // “I love hearing you talk about this”

Gift giving // “This made me think of you”

Inside joke // “I definitely missed something, didn’t I?”

Accidental acquisition // “Uh… whose kid is this?”

Cooking as a love language // “Do you like it?”

[feartoxinjelloshot]

clipsverse SWAP AU! for fun! character elaboration under the cut because it gets kind of wordy:

selina's deal is pretty straightforward: she has the typical “saw parents die as a child" backstory, but she’s obviously not a millionare so she’s operating out of some kind of condemned underground parking lot... somewhere. authentic gotham grunge i guess. she’s a functioning alcoholic and i am obsessed with her. she's a hardboiled detective like batman, but tends to be a bit more cynical - sort of like if rorschach from watchmen was a normal person and also didn't hate sex. firefly is her "guy in the chair" similar to what alfred is to batman in canon, minus the surrogate parent part, obviously. public opinion is pretty split on if the bat is a man or a woman under there. i don't really have swap ideas for the robins ironed out, but i'm thinking that cass and stephanie are her robin and red hood equivalents (cass being dick, stephanie being jason). cass would have an allblack bird theme going on, so she might be "crow" or "blackbird" instead of robin. dunno what stephanie's red hood rendition is like. purple hood? i'll figure it out eventually.

bruce’s parents are alive, but he has a terrible relationship with them and with his own wealth so he mitigates the guilt complex by dressing up as a cat to steal and redistribute resources to people who actually need it. he could probably do that in daylight but there is something very wrong with him. i don't think his dumb slutty playboy persona is entirely genuine even without his parents' deaths, but he does lean into it more and incorporate parts of it into his vigilante persona over time. i think this version of bruce is just generally very lonely under the surface. he tries to be normal in his daytime life and he's very bad at it - theft aside, in a certain sense being the cat(man? woman?) is his own break for freedom; he felt a need to plunge himself far into the deep end of what normal society calls a 'freak'. ...writing it out like this, we're probably lucky he didn't start killing people. fortunately batman isn't really that kind of guy in any universe.

meanwhile on the other side of the rails: ivy! her deal is slightly unformed right now due to the fact that the hatter and the joker also swap places in this au - so the hatter is a dangerous, evil mastermind intent on controlling gotham to suit their whims, and the joker is... just a harmless silly little guy. yeah. i don't have swap-hatter's exact personality ironed out yet, so detailing his and ivy's dynamic would be difficult, but i can say that while she is his loyal second-in-command at his table of advisors, she is also plotting against him. ivy is a consistent loner in both mainline cv and here, and while she doesn't have the same tumultuous, antagonistic, emotional relationship with him as harley does with the joker, she is also frankly not interested in being his number one until the end of time. she wants to do it herself and she wants to do it right. this is an ivy who, in lieu of her own world-altering gift, is scraping tooth and nail to successfully supersede the most powerful entity she can get her hands on. the hatter is blissfully unaware of this - we can't all be perfect.

harley, for her part, is very tame in comparison. she mirrors ivy's canonical backstory pretty closely: an esteemed scientist studying stem cell relations who was denied funding, mocked, and forced to experiment on herself to prove a point, unwittingly connecting herself to a worldwide hive-mind of plantlife. this version of harley, while still dressed as a scientist, is far more surface-level emotionally volatile than mainline ivy, more impulsive and irrational, and probably willing to lean much farther into the classic poison ivy reputation as a villainous seductress, to varying degrees of honesty and success. it takes ivy an incredible degree of patience and control to maintain the mental and physical balance she strikes with the green, and this version of harley has far less of both. she lets it use her body as a conduit of earthly rage and she lets the poison infect her skin and organs until mottled and decaying. she's not unhappy, but she's not exactly stable, either.

jonathan is a mysterious, faux-sleazy lounge singer who lost his left arm to a snake bite infection as a child and thereafter became obsessed with the symbolism of the balance of life via games, tricks and questions - winning and losing, birth and death, etc. the ouroboros is a common symbol in his theatrics. he possesses a certain degree of social confidence that the mainline jonathan has never quite been capable of - while he doesn't have the same fervent need for attention as edward, he takes a compulsory delight in the mental influence he achieves on small crowds and will employ many avenues to get ahold of it. he's certainly not outgoing: he keeps almost entirely to himself offstage, uninterested in fame outside of his show persona. unlike mainline jonathan who views the scarecrow as a genuine self-inflicted diety, this jon sees his persona as more of a mantle or responsibility that he must take on in order to discover new truths about the world. like his canon counterpart he is asexual and uninterested in sex, but i imagine that he has less qualms about leading people on as an act to get what he wants from them. he's not terribly famous in his singing career, but he's become a bit of an underground legend for his resolute 1920s-inspired style and occasional genuine debonair charm.

edward in comparison is not nearly as ritualistically compelled as mainline scarecrow, but he’s far less cagey about his own machinations and his mental relationship to them: he lives in a tricked-out barn somewhere on the far outskirts of gotham, and he spends his time as a propmaster creating elaborate saw-trap-esque haunted houses and escape rooms to invoke panic in his “guests”. he wanders the halls of his own houses along with the guests, repairing and tinkering, or just scaring the shit out of them. he also makes a genuine living by making and selling cosplay props and other related objects online; he's developed a bit of an internet presence through this channel, though he's not as fixated on it as the mainline riddler would be. he still craves spectacle and attention, but he's more of a "quality over quantity" guy according to his own standards and is rarely happy with the work he creates, hence the endless roundabout of creation and reinvention.

[codenamesazanka]

thoughts on the chapter

“these differences, both internal and external, allow us to run towards other people and search for a point of intersection” kid out of 8 chapters you spoke like 5 sentences to Shigaraki. What intersection. (I know, I know - the crying child. the only thing Deku can care about.)

Aizawa and Mic visiting Shirakumo's grave

Compress reading Spinner's book with a sad smile...

Did villains just magically stop appearing? because AFO is gone? Because everyone is a bit nicer to each other? Because the rankings got expanded and now everyone wants to get the Eiyuu title?

Shoji says "This award goes to those who rose up 8 years ago." GEE SHOJI. I WONDER WHO IT WAS THAT GOT THEM TO SHOW UP IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I know he's thinking of the heteromorphs that stopped that day. But i just. can't get over the fact that it was Spinner's call to action that inspired them first to even come out.

"peacefully resolving prejudice-based incidents in the rural areas" Peacefully telling a man to put down the rake they're about to hit a heteromorph child with.

I know the intention is de-escalation or something. And that's a good thing! Ideally I don't want the man holding the rake to be smashed into the ground. I don't want the dumbasses spray painting slurs on a wall to be punched around. But the word peaceful here feels like it implies that... it would be victim's fault if they use force to resist violent discrimination. Equal responsibility on all parties and it's up to Shoji, it depends on Shoji to resolve it nonviolently. The originator of the violence doesn't enter the equation.

idk. rubs me the wrong way.

Did Shoji resolve the heteromorph riot peacefully? Not really. He fought Spinner (ah, you might say - well, Spinner was using violence! Shoji has to react to that with punching as well! Yeah. That's what I mean.) Koda had birds shoved someone off a building. What actually stopped everything was one rioter feeling doubts. It's credited to Shoji's words, but Shoji also admits that it's good they showed up and in the chapter here, he calls it an "uprising".

And they showed up because of Spinner.

Well. Maybe Shoji turned to "peaceful resolves" afterwards.

Just to clarify so that no one misunderstands me. Peaceful resolutions are good. I'm glad that's how Shoji is stopping anti-heteromorph incidents. What I dislike is the shallow framing.

"Quirk Counseling Expansion Project" EXPANSION???

Toga became the way she was because she didn't go to Quirk Counseling enough. Needed Expansion. The counselor saying she'll make Toga "nice and normal" didn't go far enough. Needed Expansion.

Again, I get that probably reform is implied in that, or the intent is probably expanding the concept/ideas/tools/methods/scope to include better methods. But wow.

All Might + Crowd of Supporter Statues is the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

Story literally breaking the ending fourth wall to give a happy ending to Deku.

I expect the volume extras to have Shigaraki to come and decay the ending and rescue the league.

It's amazing how the answer to "can someone quirkless be a hero" is a NO. Because Deku's feeling sad and lonely being quirkless and just a teacher and saving a kid from tripping and encouraging a future student. It's not enough. It's not Heroism. So he gets a support item and gets to be a Hero again

And then Shigaraki's Star Wars ghost is just there, not tied into the theme happening on page because Deku failed to saved the fucking guy, but he remembers Shigaraki. for one panel.

Just to repeat this because it's hysterical: This ending is "Can a quirkless person be a hero (and be happy and feel worthy?)" We get a gentle bittersweet but resounding NO. Until All Might comes again to help him out with a 'gift'.

"Remember that day when I used support items to inject acid into an immortal child demon on global TV? The day that you killed a man? Well, data from that day made you this support item. Use it to be a Hero."

Also being a quirkless Hero after all depends on knowing people and having lots of money.

All Might is now about 64 years old.

Shigaraki ghost...........

Something about shigaraki in his original outfit has me all choked up.

That's the appearance he chose to present as in the vestige realm before he disappeared.

The appearance he had in that flashback of him and Spinner bonding over games.

I like how Deku looks back, sees the ghost, but then turns forward and smile. Not even a smile as he's looking at shigaraki. I know this is nitpicky. jfc tho.

"You already destroyed it"/"That depends on what you guys do from now on." I see that there's barely any credit to Shigaraki forcing this amount of change in this chapter. As far as I can see, Deku barely thinks about Shigaraki or even Tenko this chapter. Shigaraki's just a ghost hidden vaguely in all this.

"I'll never forget" lol. The ghost is just like an afterthought from the story to make sure Deku keeps his 'promise'

I don't think a single villain's name is mentioned here. Not a single League member's. Uravity's work towards quirk counseling is not publicly or explicitly credited to her experience with Toga (the vaguest of implication). We don't know Dabi's fate and Shouto is only known as "Endeavor's son" - which might be good? because it's Endeavor's who was the main perpetrator, but still. Spinner lead the uprising but Shoji doesn't mention that. Spinner wrote his book but there's no impact, except for making Compress smile sadly and that's it. Twice has been long forgotten. Deku thinks of Shigaraki's words at the beginning of the chapter, then sees his ghost at the end, but otherwise, nothing.

Truly they've been swept under the rug. A lid put over everything.

Whatever!!!! Shigaraki and the League - the absolute best part of bnha.

[thetxtdevil]

The Haunted House

~Chapter 1~

Ghost Beomgyu x You x Ghost Taehyun

summary: You move into a very obvious haunted house, but you're not running away since the house is cheap and you're not afraid of any ghosts. Only afraid of talking to them.

content: introduction, paranormal themes, human fem.reader, beomgyu and taehyun are implied but not truly introduced

word count: 1.6k

Chapter: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> ...

Dark cloudy skies loom over the old wood of the house before you. You could’ve sworn that creaking sounds came from the house almost tipping over. It was an original Victorian-style mansion not considered a mansion in these modern days but still big for you to live alone. The brick exterior made the building look taller than it was, with steep roofs that pointed sharp making birds awry to conjure about it. Its intense atmosphere however had some fun characteristics with rotted-away gold trimming, faded colors of stained glass windows, and the wooden porch steps indented in the middle as a sign of once frequent use. 

There was no doubt that this place was haunted. The place even contrasted with the neighbors’ bright green grass lawns and summer-colored houses. Never been on the market for its history, but of course, you had to blab your mouth to the real estate agent and say that you don’t have a lot to offer and you come from a long line of spirit mediums. The agent put two and two together and now you’re here, taking your first step the wood crumbles underneath your feet. Looking up in disgust at the agent the woman laughs and continues to show you around.

The front door creaks open revealing an even darker interior, coated with dust each step you take leaves a trail of footprints not to mention the suspicious footprints you see already made going into another room. Heading into the family room the space was cozy, your eye caught the grand fireplace walking towards it to take a better look. You imagine the crackling sounds of the fire and the warmth hitting your face. Looking up on the mantle the only decorations left in the house seemed to be two framed pictures of young men. Inquisitively picking up one photo surprised by the stark blond adorned on his dark hair, quite unusual at his time.

“This house does need a lot of fixing but it's been taking up a valuable lot so we would give you extra money to help renovate if you take it”

Putting the picture back on the mantle, you chuckle “So you’ll pay me if I move into this house.”

The lady nods, fear consuming her aura, eyes watering, eyebrows tilted, you can tell she wants to make a deal right away so she can leave the place. You lean your head up breathing in the dust almost reminding you of the scent of pages of a book. You continue to look around at the beauty that hides behind the vacancy. Going back to the two pictures of the men you suddenly feel an unexplainable warmth blanket you.

“I’ll buy the house.”

❈❈❈

You come from a long line of spirit mediums but your body and mind have yet given in to the gift of speaking to ghosts. Maybe your mother was wrong and you didn’t have the power or perhaps you secretly didn’t want to have any connections with the dead. You became tired of the constant tarot card readings depicting you as the fool, your mother constantly saying it’s telling you to embrace the tradition but you ignore it. Not making a life as a medium you went another route of becoming a nurse in the ICU. You’re still surrounded by death but at least you can cheat it and not have to see what comes after the heart monitor stops.

You have become accustomed to brushing sounds for the past few weeks. It was taking a lot of your time trying to scrub years of dust off the cracks and crevices of the house. The first thing to do is fix the porch stairs you broke through and the rest of the porch wood. Calling builders who were experts in renovating such things you divert your attention to other matters the molded torn wallpaper. The leftover burgundy wallpaper was faded, and some parts drooped down showing off a dirty cream wall. Tearing away the paper a domino effect happens, you jump at the sudden movements of all the wall coverings being torn down. Walls cleaned and primed you open a can of emerald green paint, dipping your roller brush, and you start covering the panels.

“Wow, do you need help?” a worker from the porch says. You look at him with disgust, you just started painting why would he judge so soon? Bending down to absorb more paint into the brush you straighten your posture to notice the walls already covered with the vern color. You spin around seeing the whole house was already poorly painted. Walking closer to an area of the wall that hasn’t been touched you study the way the paint has finger-like swipes running through the yet-to-dry pigment. Your head starts to feel heated a warmth consumes you making your vision falter, a green handprint materializes before you slowly streak down. Your mouth dry you decide to walk away, thinking the toxic fumes are already killing most of your brain cells.

❈❈❈

The Victorian house was restored to its former glory, it was less daunting than before but you kept its darker aesthetic to match the peculiar nature. The musky scent of mature wood was long gone and now had a fresh new car smell mixed with your vanilla candle enveloping the entire estate. The walls were cluttered with pictures, shelves as little trinkets, and cozy furniture that made the house seem a little smaller than it was. All is well except for one thing, you constantly have to vacuum up dust bunnies that trail around the house. Another thing that you have yet to renovate is a locked portion of the house. You would think the realtor would give you the key but that wasn’t the case. The dusted footprint trails to this mysterious room all the time, you were not excited to see how overgrown it looked behind the closed doors.

Rummaging through each closet, drawer, and corner of the house to find the key. A glimmer shines in your eye when you walk past the entertainment room. The wooden floors were sturdy and creaked every so often but the shine came from one tiny hole in a floorboard. Kneeling, you curl your finger in the hole opening the floor and there you see a key. Eyes widen in victory once you move your hand to grab it a sudden chill rushes through you the wood falls and slams on your hand. “OW” you hiss grabbing your hand and rubbing the pain away, “you really don’t want me to get in there do you?”

You were talking to yourself and the key, but after thinking over the unexpected motion of the woodboard you might be talking to someone else. Quickly reaching for the key, your suspicions came true when you watched the panel lift to drop down where your hand would have been. Someone doesn’t want you to go through the locked doors. Contemplating the consequences that might occur when you do go through those doors, you stare at the key in your hand the metal feels weird against your palm. One second the item felt warm and heavy pushing your hand down and another second the metal turned cold and light. 

You made up your mind, this is your house and you’re going to see everything you own. Snatching the key so the sensations stop, you get up to walk toward the double doors. The closer you get faint wispy sounds evolve into whispers however the conversation isn’t quiet it seems like an argument between two people that you couldn’t hear clearly. The voices stop when you push the key into the keyhole. The doors went flying open revealing an extraordinary library, walking in and spinning around to see the walls filled with books you felt like the beauty who was shown the beast’s castle library with high ceilings to fit the many bookshelves that shined from the tall windows. The curtains were outdated and probably held a family or two of spiders, and the books seemed in good condition compared to everything else in the room as if they were constantly opened and read. Turning around once more to see another fireplace in the house and above it a big painting of the two men from the mantle of the living room’s fireplace. As you walked closer, you couldn’t help but feel like their brown eyes were following you. Strangely alluded to the men, their beauty seemed more advanced almost touchable. How you would love to talk to them, play with the long strands of hair on the taller one, slice your finger against the other’s sharp jawline.

As your arm extends to touch the delicate colors of the painting a big smack awakens you. Looking around to find the cause of the sound you see an open book on the floor. Forgetting the two men’s painting you walk over to pick up the novel. Getting closer to the open page you’re hesitant at the illustration that is shown before you the book was a guide to tarot readings. The page shows Nine of Swords, from your memory of the meaning someone wants you to fear them, you felt sick instantly getting anxious as to what is to come. Looking back at the big painting you see the two men were gone, a painting of deep reds and black. An unexplainable gust of wind strikes you like a cold sharp dagger into your gut sweeping you off your feet.

You lay there unconscious shivering with closed eyes hiding your fears.

-> Chapter 2

A nuisance,

TxT's Devil

taglist: @inkigayocamman, @naoristerling

[boomthemoon]

I've already said I think Rogue is part of the pantheon, but here is a much more worked on (and insane) theory about how he is in fact the God Mercury/Hermes, or putting it more simply, the God of Travelers.

Basically knowledge on Hermes here to help you understand it better, Hermes is the Greek equivalent of the Roman God Mercury. He is the God of Travelers and Thieves, Trade and Wealth and many other things. He the messenger/herald of the Gods, and guide of the souls to the underworld. Hermes is considered smart, creative and cunning, he's famous for playing pranks (specially on Apollo) and for being really fast, he is the inventor of the lyre, often connected to birds, and known for his ability to constantly cross from the realm of the Gods to the realm of the mortals. As Mercury, he is represented by Wednesday.

There is much more but I'm keeping it short and relevant to the subject.

By now most people made the connection that the ring Rogue gave the doctor had the symbol of Hermes (his Caduceus) in it, so we will start here, but that is just the most obvious of many references made to the God through the episode. There are so many meaning and myths to the Caduceus (being a gift from Apollo, being a symbol of peace, being able to bring people back from the dead) that I wouldn't know which one to go for, so we are sticking with the basics that is represents Hermes and Mercury and their deities. The Caduceus is a staff, with two intertwined snakes and a pair of wings.

The second main point is Rogues ship. Let's talk about the bird theme, Hermes/Mercury is often connected to birds, mostly due to the fact that he is described to wear a hat and shoes with wings (those symbolizing his speed and ability to travel). And then we have an episode all about birds, the villans are alien birds, there are birds in the decoration, but most importantly, his ship is a bird, but more than that, his ship can be invisible. One of the many itens Hermes is know to possess is a cap that allows him to become invisible, in my interpretation, his ship seens to be a reference to some of his accessories, the bird wings that allows him to travel, the cap that turns him invisible, all applied on his ship.

Then there is the third main point, that convinced me of this theory because is too much of a coincidence to be just a coincidence. When the Doctor and Rogue are talking for the first time, you can clearly see a statue of Mercury behind them. And I say Mercury specifically not Hermes because I went to a lot of trouble to find a statue to match this one to prove my point and I could only find it by searching Mercury specifically.

Here is a screenshot of the statue in the episode vs two statues I found, you can see they are very similar.

Now about what happens in the end, Rogue is very calm about the possibility of Ruby being sent to another dimension, and still very calm when he sents himself, you could just argue he doesn't care about her or himself, but the way he acts feels like he was testing the Doctor to see if he could sacrifice Ruby, specially since he knew you could just replace the person that was stuck in the trap but he didn't replace Ruby with Emily when he put her there. So like I mentioned before, Hermes can travel through realms, what in the show context, would just be different dimensions, so maybe the reason Rogue is so indifferent about being sent to another dimension with a bunch of murder bird aliens is because he knows he can just get out of there easily.

Maybe "find me" isn't in some random barren dimension, maybe is just "find me out there in the stars".

Other things it might be worth noting:

"Mercury is sometimes represented as holding a purse, symbolic of his business functions. Artists, like followers of Roman religion themselves, freely borrowed the attributes of Hermes and portrayed Mercury also wearing winged sandals or a winged cap and carrying a caduceus (staff)"

His ring represented his Caduceus as it has it's symbol, the ship represented his winged hat and shoes, and he literally wears a purse.

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but the lines "Fast mover" and "Run!" "I'm normally the one who says that" feels like small reference to him being to fast even for the Doctor (Just like Hermes/Mercury are known to be really fast). I just think that if he is some sort of equivalent of Hermes and Mercury and I'm not going crazy here, the "fast mover" line is actually hilariously clever.

The last bit is how we don't see anyone placing the two first pieces of the trap, we can only presume it was Rogue, but the only way I can think he did it without anyone noticing, is either he was incredibly fast, or invisible, which both track back to my theory.

Look, I'm not a specialist on Hermes and Mercury, I just know some things and did some research, so this might be a reach here but it make sense to me, so I'm sharing. And let's be honest, what is more God of Travelers and Thieves than falling in love with the guy that stole a ship from his own people to travel through space and time?

[starlightcleric]

From the Here to the Beyond

My @secret-st-waidwen-exchange 2024 gift for @xhinc!

Introduction

Before you lies a selection of my research into the divine. Specifically, I have collected stories from across Eora about our gods. Though they may go by different names in different cultures, there is no mistaking our eleven deities as anything other than themselves.

I bring to you today five stories, painstakingly collected. Some traditional, some oral legend, at least one dug out of the bottom of a truck that was buried in a bog for who knows how long.

If I may ruminate upon my own collection, the unifying theme is that of inevitability. Time and again, mortals try to trick, bargain, or otherwise outwit the divine in their area of expertise and come up short. Is the take away, then, the fickleness of man, or of the immutability of the gods? Yet, if I may lean slightly heretical, will not even the unmoving mountain be changed over time by the pecking of short lived, migratory birds?

In the end, we can only understand the divine through the lens of our mortal lifespan, and my hope is that these stories shall prove, if not enlightening for some, at least entertaining.

- Heather Bramble, Priest of Wael

Berath - Old Vailia

Long ago, across the sea in the Grand Empire of Vailia, lived a wealthy merchant. History–or Myth–remembers him by many names, but we shall call him Adelmo.

Adelmo was a successful man. His trade deals were good, his wife faithful, and his children plentiful. He built himself a grand villa on a cliff overlooking the sea, so he could watch his trading ships sail in and out of the harbor.

He was a fair man, but a miserly man. As the years went by, his trade empire grew, and so did his pockets.

“Adelmo,” his friends said, “what is it all for? You cannot take your riches with you when you go.”

“I will not go,” he replied. “Everyone has a price, even Cirono.”

“You are a fool, Adelmo,” they said. “You cannot cheat Death.”

“I will not cheat the Usher,” said Adelmo, “I will strike a bargain. I will see my grandchildren’s grandchildren grow up to be happy.”

His friends shook their heads, but it was no use. Adelmo continued to amass his wealth. But suoles cannot stop the march of time. His face wrinkled, his hair turned grey, and he lived to see his grandchildren grow up to be happy. As he tottered, his back bent over, with his cane, he grumbled, “I shall have to have a word with Cirono.”

“You are a fool, Adelmo,” his friends said. “You cannot bargain with Death.”

“Everyone has a price,” is all he would say as they wagged their fingers.

But one year, in his advanced age, as he had lived to see his grandchildren’s children grow up to be happy, Adelmo caught a fever.

As he lay in his bed, after three days and three nights he had a visitor.

The aged, delirious man squinted up at the woman in black armor. “I am sick, I cannot conduct business right now, talk to my son.”

The woman stared impassively down at him. “My business is with you,” she said in a voice that echoed like a grave.

Adelmo started to become afraid. “I will give you anything you want,” he said, “just go away and let me be.”

“What do you think you have that I would want?” asked the Pallid Knight.

“I have money,” said Adelmo, “a vast ocean of golden obles, I will give you however many you desire.”

“I have no need of money,” said the Pallid Knight, taking a step forward.

Adelmo started to sweat. “I have mountains of trade goods: furs, silks, velvets.”

“I have no need of these goods,” said the Pallid Knight, taking another step forward.”

Adelmo backed himself into a corner. “Now, wait just a minute! I have vast fleets of ships that travel all over Eora! Surely I have something you want!”

“You do, Adelmo,” said the Pallid Knight, taking another step forward, but this time Adelmo, using the little strength he had left, flung himself out of bed towards the door.

He ran through the villa in his nightclothes, startling servants as he bolted outside. Adelmo stood on the cliff edge, gasping for breath. If he could not bargain with Death, he would outrun it.

“There is only one thing I want, Adelmo,” came the Pallid Knight’s voice over his shoulder.

Startled, he tripped, falling over the edge of the cliff. The wind rushed past him as he hurtled down into the arms of the Usher.

From above, the Pallid Knight’s voice still echoed, “Your soul.”

Ondra - The Deadfire

Sing to me, daughters of lament, and remember the stories of those who have forgotten. Those that only the Lady of Memories remembers.

Once upon a time, among the islands not so far from here, lived a couple named Kailani and Tama. Everyone agreed they were made for each other, perfect complements. They never argued, and remained fast friends as well as lovers. Their blissful happiness should have lasted forever.

However, not all kith can remain so happy. The Kahanga went to war against the Wahaki, and Tama was called away to man the war canoes. Kailani prayed to Ngati each night to keep him safe upon her back. But the whims of Ngati are knowable only to herself, and Tama was lost at sea.

When Kailani heard the news, she was inconsolable. Distraught, she threw herself at the base of Ngati’s shrine. “Oh great Lady of Lament, I know not why you cause me such suffering, but I ask for relief. If I cannot have my husband back, then take all of him from me. Remove him from my memory so I know not what I miss.”

And Ngati smiled upon her, and Kailani forgot her life with Tama. Eventually the ragged wounds in her mind healed, and she found love again.

But that which is lost can occasionally be found again, and such is the case with Tama. For while he had been lost at sea, he had not died, and after many long years he finally made his way home to Kailani.

His hair grew long and scraggly, his eyes bloodshot as he dropped to his knees in front of their home. “My love!” he cried. “I am returned!”

Kailani peered out the door. “Who’s there? What’s your purpose?”

“Kailani, it’s me! Tama!” He went to hug her knees but was beaten back with a broom.

“I know no one with such a name. Now begone, or I will call my husband on you.”

And Tama knew she did not love him anymore. For all of Ngati’s whims he had suffered to return, it had been for naught. Even if Kailani’s memory was restored, it would only bring sorrow into her current life.

So Tama, heart heavy after so much hope had been lost, cast himself into Ngati’s embrace, so that she could fully take all that was left of him.

Kailani lived happily, never dwelling upon the day with the strange man, and if there was to be any happiness for Kailani and Tama it would not happen until the next turn of the Wheel.

Rymrgand - The White that Wends

My husband’s mother told this to me, so I know it to be true. The Beast of Winter had walked the wilds ten times ten, when to the Glamfellan was born a young girl called Hekla. On the day of her birth, the moon blocked out the sun and the ground trembled.

“This girl is destined for terrible things,” said the clan leader. “For she has the attention of mighty Rymrgand.”

“This girl is destined for great things,” said the wise-woman. “For she has the attention of mighty Rymrgand.”

“She is a child,” said her mother. “And I will hear no talk of destinies.”

So Hekla lived in the clan with no knowledge of her fate to come. Would her fate have been any different if she had known? She grew up into a comely maiden, her beauty famed. She had many admirers, and if this made her a little flighty, well, who can say? But on the eve of her sixtieth winter, she had a vision. The land went dark, and above all towered the Great Aurochs.

Troubled, she went to the clan wise-woman. “What could such a thing mean?”

The old woman smiled. “The Beast of Winter has come to claim you, you are to be his destined bride.”

But Hekla was young and full of life, and had no desire for a groom of endings. “I will run away North, farther than he can reach.”

“He will find you,” said the wise-woman.

“I will turn into a bird, and take to the sky,” said Hekla.

“He will find you,” said the wise-woman.

“I will end my life before I let him take me,” said Hekla.

“Then he will surely find you,” said the wise-woman.

Hekla returned to her home in tears, and began to make plans. She would not sit quietly and wait for the Ending of Endings. She packed up her things, and journeyed to the end of the ice, where she caught a ship.

But as she attempted to travel away from the lands of her birth, the ship was caught in a sleet storm. For ten days and ten nights it rocked, with no ending.

“It is the strange woman,” the sailors muttered. “Throw her overboard.”

They bound her delicate wrists, but as they had her on the plank, she could see the depths of the endless eyes of Rymrgand in the flows of ice. Desperate, she turned herself into a bird and took aloft, fighting against the wind.

Hekla was caught in the wind and buffeted about, pelted with ice and snow. Many spans she traveled, but when she at last found land again it was the White that Wends. The breath of Rymrgand shook her wings. Exhausted, she had to land.

But her landing point was far from any clan, any civilization, and so she sat by herself in her dug out shelter of snow, freezing. She had no food, or water, and very poor shelter to protect her from the Endless Winter. So she sat, her eyelashes freezing, waiting for the end.

She did not move as the Great Aurochs approached, for she had no strength left. “I cannot run from you,” she said to him, “I tried, but you always found me in the end.”

He said no words, simply touched his nose to hers, and she was gone.

That is how my husband’s mother’s father found her, perfectly frozen in the snow with crystal tears in her eyes.

Wael - Eir Glanfath

Long ago, before the men came on ships from the West, there lived in the forests of Eir Glanfath an orlan named Tesni. Tesni was lazy, but clever. Whatever she could avoid doing herself, and instead trick someone else to do for her, she did.

Orlans in those days were known for their long, bushy tails, and Tesni was very proud of hers. At the turning of the seasons, when the rest of her tribe was preparing for the long winter to come, Tesni sat combing her beautiful tail.

Wael was taking a walk through creation when they chanced to spy her. “Oh ho!” they thought. “While all other kith are busying themselves, this one sits idle in vanity. Perhaps I can play a joke.” Wael turned themself into a fox, with a glorious bushy tail to rival Tesni’s, and sidled up to her.

“Miss orlan,” Wael the fox said, “I could not help but notice your beautiful tail, which almost rivals my own.”

Tesni looked at the fox, and had to admit it was possibly true, the fox might have a more wonderful tail than she. Still, she scoffed, “Your tail may be more vibrant, but mine is assuredly softer.”

Wael the fox snorted. “I’ll have you know my tail is so soft, it could be used to wrap a slumbering babe.”

Tesni would not be outdone. “My tail is so soft and fine, that if you were to weave it into a fabric, it could be pulled through a ring with no resistance.”

The fox grinned viciously. “I will take that bet. And the loser must proclaim to all their inferiority, and the virtues of the winner.”

Now Tesni started to become somewhat worried, as she had just been boasting and had not expected to actually have to test her statements. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly take a bet on something so lowly.”

“Are you afraid?” asked the fox.

“Not at all,” lied Tesni, “except that there really are no stakes. How can I just neglect my duties getting ready for winter for something so petty?”

Wael looked at where she sat, with nothing but a comb for her tail, and grinned viciously. “Then let’s raise the stakes. The loser loses that which they prize most.”

“That’s vague,” said Tesni.

“That’s what makes it fun,” said Wael.

Tesni did not like this deal, but was also proud enough that she couldn’t believe she could lose to a fox. “Alright, I'll take your bet.”

“Excellent,” grinned the fox. “Let us return with our tail fabrics tomorrow morning to see who can pass theirs through the middle of a ring.”

“Fine,” sniffed Tesni. But as the fox walked away, she began to worry. She was not an accomplished weaver, and everyone was busy with real work. She tried to get Alda, the village weaver, to help her, but she was shrugged off for the importance of making blankets. She next tried to get help from the spider queen, but the spiders too were busy preparing for winter.

So Tesni sat on her stump and thought until she had an idea. She sat up a tiny frame made of sticks, and took six hairs from her tail. With three on the warp and three for the weft, she wove a teeny-tiny “fabric” from her tail. For neither she nor the fox had specified how large the fabric had to be.

So Tesni and Wael-as-fox returned to the clearing the next morning. The fox had with them a beautifully woven, deep russet fabric that shimmered in the light. Tesni, producing a ring from her finger, was able to easily pull the fox’s fabric through. However, when she reached for her own, the fox stopped her.

“If you measured my fabric with your ring, it is only fair that I measure your fabric with my ring.”

Tesni had to concede this was fair.

“Now here is a gift from my friend the bumblebee,” said the fox, producing a miniscule ring.

Tesni produced her miniscule fabric.

Wael laughed. However, they were able to pull the fabric through the ring, but not without resistance. “It seems I am the winner,” they said.

“But, but, you cheated!” protested Tesni.

“Only after you cheated the spirit of the challenge first,” said Wael. They turned into a large aumaua and grabbed Tesni by the tail. “Now I shall take that which you value most, as you have proven that orlans do not deserve their tails.”

Tesni tried to protest, but the god took her tail, leaving her as if she had never had one in the first place.

“In fact I believe I shall take them from all your kin,” said the god, and it was so. “But do not worry, Tesni. You are cunning, and that cunning will serve you well, now that you have less to be vain over.”

And that is why orlans have no tails, and also why they are the favored of Wael.

Woedica - Aedyr

Not so long ago, across the sea in the Aedyr Empire, lived a man named Aedelstan. For many years he was a well respected judge, but the many long years of viewing the worst of kith hardened his heart. Where once in his heart burned the fires of justice, now only smouldered the embers of selfishness. While his reputation maintained him as an honorable man, he began to take bribes. Under his watch, as long as you had enough gold, murderers began to walk free while the innocent went to the noose.

People began to whisper, but no one dared speak out against him until the case of Wynnflaed. She was a young widow with a young child, who brought a case to court against her maid. Myldreth, the maid, had long been stealing silverware and other small valuables, but had finally been caught red handed. The case was straightforward, there were multiple witnesses, it should have been open and shut.

But Myldreth the maid came to Aedelstan and seduced him, with body and riches, and convinced him to judge the case in her favor. Aedelstan ruled that the young widow Wynnflaed was in the wrong, and to silence her, sent her to the gallows.

Wynnflaed did not go silently to her death, instead screaming out before all present, “Oath breaker! The Oathbinder shall punish you! Never sleep tightly, for this perversion of justice the Strangler shall end you!” Then her life was cut short.

Aedelstan paid her no heed. She was not the first to curse him, nor did he expect she would be the last.

As evening fell, he walked to his home, down his usual path. He did not notice, but the usually bustling streets were empty. The sound of kith was replaced by the sound of the wind. But Aedelstan ignored these portents, for his pockets were full.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, but dismissed it. There were plenty of stray animals on the streets. He continued on his way, down a street where the streetlights had gone out. Behind him, he heard the slap, slap, slap of bare feet on cobblestone. He did not turn around. There were plenty of orphan children who played in the streets, and they were no problem of his. He did not turn when someone reached out for his shoulder. There were plenty of beggars in the city, and he paid them no mind.

Only when the crooked fingers began to close around his throat did he turn around. An old woman in tattered fineary, her face badly burnt, squeezed his hands around his throat. Aedelstan tried to cry out, but his windpipe was crushed, and the streets were empty.

The last thing he saw was those piercing dark eyes, as he learned too late that the Burned Queen sees all transgressions, and does not forgive.

[heartinhyacinth]

Please read fully if possible.

For a brief moment, I was unsure about sharing this here. Then I remember the scene from TGCF between Xie Lian and a farmer from Yushi Huang’s kingdom.

“If I am causing trouble for the rain master, I will not pester any further.”

However, the farmer said, “why won’t you pester? Because it’s shameful? This is about the survival of your {kingdom}—shouldn’t you pester us to death? Is it so hard to lower yourself and ask?”

Then I remember Hua Cheng. To watch your beloved in pain with your own eyes and be unable to do anything—that’s the worst suffering in the world.

The doctors, as well as I, strongly suspect cancer. Amputation was recommended as pretty much the only option to reduce pain, but there lies the risk that the cancer has metastasized to her chest or throughout other areas of her body. We cannot afford to do both. If we take more X-rays and find out it hasn’t spread, we cannot afford to amputate her paw before it does. If we do not check if it has spread, we may go into debt and put her through more suffering only for it to be too late for amputation to help much anyway. We would not be able to afford any more treatment after that.

If you had asked me before what the worst pain of my life was, I’d have said something along the lines of suspected gastroparesis or the time I had to get surgery for a badly infected ingrown toenail when I was thirteen—nitroglycerin was sprayed on my toe as a numbing agent before a needle as thick as spaghetti was inserted into it and a quarter of my nail was removed nearly all the way up to the joint.

However, If you’d ask me today what the worst pain of my life was, it would be this. If you’d ask me a week from now, it would be this. If you’d ask me in a year, though perhaps as soon as even a month, I fear it would be something far worse.

She is in pain and action needs to be taken as soon as possible. This world thrives on insisting upon every chance imaginable that money and independence should live as the core themes of humanity. So far, it is getting its way about the ‘money’ part. I ask that it does not about the ‘alone’ part.

Her name is Lily. She is the friendliest cat you will ever meet in your entire life. She does not care if you are a human, a dog, a cat, or even a rock—she will love you. She sleeps in my jacket when it’s cold. She lays on my face. She sits on wrapping paper like the gift that she is. She loves bread and tortillas and cheese. She sticks her head in my water glass when I’m not looking. She bosses around her best friend—a cat twice her size that everyone else is scared of. She cuddles with her and sleeps with her head tucked in the crook of her neck. She sticks her whiskers up my nose when I’m sad and makes me laugh and licks my tears away. She sits on my shoulder like a bird. She sleeps between my arms with her head on my pillow next to mine. She walks on the piano and plays music. She loves kisses more than air itself and perks up when she knows they’re coming. She cuddles up so close to me I always say it’s like she’s trying to crawl inside my mouth. She purrs more than she doesn’t. She is sassy and will bite your nose or your toes if you put them by her. She looks at me like I’m her entire world and she is mine. She’s my bright-eyed girl who was happy from the moment she arrived.

She is my child. She is my best friend. She is in pain.

This world says her life is not worth it if I cannot pay. This world will not compromise.

This world says If I cannot do it, I am alone. I am asking you to be the compromise. I am asking you to say this is not our world. I can’t do this alone.

Anything at all is appreciated more than you can ever know. Even if all you’re able to do right now is share this ❤️

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Mario Land

Debut: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

So I was lying awake in bed, thinking. What is up with Mario Land? Everyone knows that the setting of the first Super Mario Land game is Sarasaland. Nintendo loves to vaguely allude to it in character descriptions for Princess Daisy! But where does Super Mario Land 2 take place? Well, it’s in Mario Land, of course! Now, Super Mario Land does not take place in Mario Land. It takes place in a Land, in which Mario is a participant, but he doesn’t own the Land, just as he doesn’t own the World or the Galaxy. But he does own Mario Land!

Nothing is really clear about how Mario came to own Mario Land. Nintendo Power once described it as his ‘kingdom’, while the Wiki describes it as Mario’s ‘private island’. Lots of people immediately remark on how odd it is that Mario owns a castle in this game, and they’re right! It is odd! We don’t think of Mario as an avaricious man. He is a humble, working class individual. He lives in a cottage with his brother despite being a world-renowned hero. Except here, where he owns an entire landmass, with a castle! My personal canon, in my head, was that Peach or someone else gifted him with a large chunk of land and a castle as a reward for his heroic deeds. It seems the most likely, given what we know about Mario! But why couldn’t he settle for a vacation home, or anything of the sort? Why are we placing the responsibility of land ownership on such a modest soul? 

I think what is the strangest thing about Mario Land, to me, is that despite being Mario’s Land, it is so devoid of allies. Mario Land is vast and untamed, a collection of wacky themed zones filled with creatures entirely hostile to Mario! There are no maids or servants from Mario’s Castle, who fled Wario’s invasion. There are no Toads or Toad houses to aid Mario in his quest. Mario is entirely alone in a Land that bears his name, but his name only. Once his only symbol of power, his castle, is gone, Mario is back where he began, all alone in this foreign land. All the material goods in the world could not fill the void of - wait I’m sorry I completely forgot a key detail of Mario Land 2’s plot is that Wario put all of Mario Land’s inhabitants under a spell! False alarm everyone!

Everyone in Mario Land is actually Super Nice actually and was just brainwashed by Wario, who has the power of dark magic. The Big Bird from Tree Zone and the Octopus from Turtle Zone, and also Spikey, they all love Mario and see him as their king. I was gonna say the Witch too, but it seems the witch was Wario’s friend. Or are they Wario’s minions? If so, where are the inhabitants of Mario Land? Are they in hiding? We never see them! Who does Mario rule over? Is Spikey a wild animal? A brainwashed citizen of Mario’s country? Or an ally of the wicked and greedy Wario?

And of course, we have to discuss the matter of the Mario Zone. Mario was not content with having a Land, he needed to have a Zone in that Land, which is also Mario! It is actually one big Mario, a mechanical automaton built in his likeness. Mario has always expressed an interest in making toys of himself, as we see in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series, so it stands to reason that his major construction project would be just that, but bigger! 

Or maybe the Mario Zone always existed, before Mario came to Mario Land. Maybe it’s named Mario Land because one of its most famous natural formations is a giant wind-up toy that looks like Mario! And Mario’s Castle is named that by coincidence. I don’t know! I don’t have answers to any questions, ever! I literally don’t know anything! I’m going to bed!

Just kidding! I’m not going to bed. This post is a bit, um... rambly. But I thought it would be a shame to conclude it without appreciating how whimsical Mario Land is as a whole! There is a giant pumpkin with haunted woods inside it! There is a hippo that takes you to space! There is a turtle that swallows you and takes you underwater to a whale! There is a house that is just kind of a normal house but forces you to be really small to enter it! But I probably don’t need to tell you all that! It’s kind of what makes SML2 so wonderful! 

Would YOU live in Mario land? Would you want a monarchy as long as Super Mario is your benevolent ruler? What do you think of the giant turtle? Please let us know what you think of the giant turtle in the comments below. I don’t know. 

[starmendotnet]

RETURN OF THE EARTHBOUND FUNKTASTIC GAMEPLAY SUMMER

Hello everyone! It is with GREAT ENTHUSIASM that we would like to announce the:

But first… what IS a Funktastic Gameplay Summer?

Us Starmen.Netters are bringing back a long-beloved sitewide tradition! The Earthbound Funktastic Gameplay Summer is an event that dates back to 2001, wherein the community collectively plays through EarthBound over the course of several “Gameplay Points” (GPPs). Everyone is encouraged to play along, and our team of stream hosts will be broadcasting their own gameplay on the StarmanClub Twitch channel. In addition, we will be celebrating MOTHER’s 35th and Earthbound’s 30th anniversary!

Maybe it’s been a minute since you’ve returned to the game. Maybe you’ve never played before! The idea is to get fans, new and old, engaging with Earthbound. With introduction out of the way, let’s move on to the deets:

THE SUBMISSIONS

An integral part of Starmen history is fan submissions, where the community creates fanart about the stream events, and just EB in general. As per usual, here are the categories:

Categories!

Writing: Stories, poems, theories… if you wrote it, it belongs here! Handart: Charcoal, paintings, sculptures… if you made it with your hands, it belongs here! Compart: Digital illustrations, 3D models, pixel art… if you made it with a computer, it belongs here! AudioViz: Music, videos, fangames… if it pertains to audio/visuals, it belongs here!

Prizes!

Winners will receive shiny badges on the forum to show off their mastery of Earthbound funk, as well as forum ranks and avatars!

Of course, opening up the floor to fanworks doesn’t come without its fair share of ground rules. Don’t worry though, it’s pretty simple stuff.

Rules!

Submissions must be related to Earthbound/the Funktastic Gameplay streams

If your submission contains content that would require a trigger warning (violence, sensitive subject matters, etc.) please put it in a spoiler box with a warning.

You may submit as many pieces to one category as you like, but only one can place

You may submit to as many categories as you like

Any submission must’ve been made for this event. No previous works!

THE STREAM SCHEDULE

Keep an eye out in our Event forum for the schedule drop, but livestreams won't be the only thing we've got going on!

THE ADDITIONAL EVENTS

If you can’t catch the streams, don’t worry! The streams are only a small part of our summer programming. In addition, there will be other events to keep the party goin’! These being:

Eagleland Scrapbook (July 15th – August 24th):

Get your cameras out and your bug spray on! This summer, we’re running a collaborative photo book! At the end of the event, your photos will be assembled into a digital booklet for your viewing pleasure. So, where to start? Well, we’re limiting subjects to four categories; birds, flora, fungi, and insects.

A couple notes; you’re more than free to submit multiple photos if you’d like, and there is no judgment on the quality of the photos. Just try your best to keep the camera as focused on the subject as possible. The event ends on August 24th, so get snapping! And most of all, have fun!

EB No Natsumatsuri (August 1st – August 24th):

Our highly calibrated MoonWatch Radar indicates that activity coming from the Annual Gift Man’s base is already approaching usual December levels, and climbing! That can only mean EB no Matsuri has come early, and that can only mean one thing: time to prepare a feast for the Gift Man’s arrival! The beloved Starmen.Net tradition returns, but in a brand new form! Instead of gift giving, we would like to encourage everyone to come up with or find a MOTHER-series themed recipe, make it, and share the recipe and pictures of your delicious dish with everyone! It’s a virtual potluck, and everyone’s invited. (Can’t think of what to make? Make Your Favorite Food, of course, whatever it is!)

And now for our final announcement at this time… prepare yourselves for something very special!

A NEW AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITY

This message is brought to you by PorcBanc™

The savvy investors over at PorcBanc™ have very graciously offered all Starmen.Net members EXCLUSIVE and PRIVILEGED access to a cutting edge, Earthbound-themed surprise to our Funktastic Gameplay Summer events! A special surprise will be released to the public on July 21st, 2024. Be sure to stay tuned for more details on all your favourite Starmen.Net media channels! Remember folks:

“With PorcBanc™, we guarantee profits HAM over fist!”

Guarantees or promises made by PorcBanc and its affiliated subsidiaries are intended for marketing purposes only and do not hold any legal value.

An event™ by PorcBanc™

[cyborg-franky]

Can you do a yandere marco where he finds out the female he kidnapped nests for comfort and his male bird instincts kick in of gathering things for her nest and bringing her food and gifts to convince her that he’s the perfect mate for her please

I don't write female reader. I hope you still enjoy this though!

Marco x GN Reader SFW YANDERE THEMES

You missed your island, your home, your life.

You’d heard the Whitebeard Pirates were kind people, they protected places, your home included.

But you had no idea you’d have caught the eye of the commander of the first division, nor did you think you’d have ended up in this room, far away from everything and everyone you’d known and loved.

He’d said something about what if we stopped protecting your island? And you’d taken it very much the threat it had been intended and had gone with Marco without a second thought. 

You hated your situation but you had a feeling you’d have been snatched by the zoan regardless of your answer and at least this way you wouldn’t feel the guilt of being the reason your home and friends would have been doomed.

The boat swayed in the storm brewing out on the sea, only a little, enough to lull you into feeling sleepy. The first time you’d truly let exhaustion overcome you and sleep fill you.

You grabbed up all the blankets you could find, making a comfy nest on the bed, just wanting to bundle up and be warm, seeking desperately the comfort the softness around could provide.

Grasping at anything to help you feel less terrified.

You were fluffing up pillows when the door opened and you glanced over your shoulder fearfully, seeing the tall blond and that growing lazy smile into a lop-sided smirk as his piercing blue eyes focused on what you were doing. He clicked his tongue and tilted his head to one side.

“Making a nest little bird?” He asked and stepped closer, shutting and locking the door behind him before he looked at the set up.

“Not a nest,” You mumbled and gripped the sheet, feeling instantly uneasy in the presence of the zoan. Who tutted before letting out a light-hearted chuckle, like he hadn’t forced you here against your will.

His birdbrain was running a mile a minute, this was his mate and he needed to provide for them.

He started to move around the room, going for a large chest in the corner and pulling out even more blankets, getting on the bed with you he started to arrange them.

You watched with wide eyes as he trilled under his breath, happy to be helping make a nest for him and his mate. You flinched when he turned to look at you again, eyes half-lided as he encroached on your personal space, pinning you against the headboard.

“This will be perfect yoi.” He hummed and leaned down, whispering into your ear about what a pretty little mate you were for him. You felt his hot breath on your ear and you felt a tremble overtake your body, feeling his hand under your chin.

Marco pulled away, tilting your chin up and looking down his nose at your terrified expression, the grin spreading across his face, a feral look on his face. “Mine.”