#you cannot understand the speed at which i had to make this as soon as i saw the preview images

[sage-nebula]

[voidcat]

i. welcome to summoners rift

characters: narumi gen, gn!reader

a/n: the game i had in mind while writing this is league of legends.. boo i know. anyways i tried to keep the LoL terms down so itll be easier to understand. reader is implied to be a part of first division- part time operations leader but more involved in data collecting and medical side of things, (I’ll decide fully later)

. i need to make this pathetic loser suffer in games so bad its not even funny anymore... first of many more fics to come im afraid

The first few times to play it safe and because it’s what you’re used to, you take a generic support class— Seraphine got crowd control, enough damaging spells to trigger a DoT or do some extra last minute damage, provides shield, speed and health.

A well balanced support and pretty, Narumi cannot help but think as the Seraphine on his screen hits ctrl+3 and dances for the third time while waiting for the opposing team to make a move. You seem to know what you’re doing, you placed wards, dance when it seems idle but keeping your attention enough to cut it when you suspected an ambush few times. Plus it’s one of the most recent skins you got for the champ so he knows you know how to play the champion, despite your low score on her-

After all, not everyone has been playing this damn game for 5 to 10 years now, a newbie is no problem as long as they know how to play and show it. You leave the minions to him, heal him at critical moments the enemies thought he was dying so he can attack back and get them one by one— you’re good, and you’re especially good with him.

By the time the entire team gathers on the same lane, pushing to the opposing team’s base, you send your ult at the perfect moment, charming four enemies at once and creating the dream situation of any player.

Well, the rest of your team slowly dies because of heavy damage over time they took but it’s alright. The screen says in big letters: PENTA KILL! With his champion icon right under it, and in the game chat even the opposing team congratulates him, saying it was insane game play.

Then Narumi hears that same melody since the beginning of the game whenever you hit the dance animation and a new message in the game chat:

> victory dance for that lovely penta ( *｀ω´)

Reading the message, he watches your champion dance with his eyes glued to the screen, heat rising up to his face… absolutely adorable is what it is. Standing there with his champion, he then hits ctrl+3 as well to join you on the dance, letting the minions carry on.

The game is about to end, the opposing team begs in the chat to not end, to keep playing, meanwhile his team makes some jokes referencing early minutes of the match. Then at the last second, Narumi quickly types in and hits send.

The chat box reads: ‘support diff’

Before queuing up for another game, his hand acts on impulse and invites you to the lobby.

And to his surprise, you accept!

The sound of message notifications reaches his ears short after and he quickly reads over.

>awww >seems like someone enjoyed my presence;P

Adorable and cheeky, this just might be his best in game interactions by far. without a word, he queues up another game and another, the night goes on.

messages from you in-game keep on coming, at one point he thinks to himself "what he hell is a fryslan bop" to which you just send a keyboard smash followed by a "its a song lol"

so you are a chatter, he gathers quickly. not often but when you do, you send in a lot. he soon catches up to when you're actually talking versus spamming a song's lyrics while having Seraphine dance in your stead.

until you cancel the queue start up and send a message.

>gotta go >its late >booo >we jst got started >work tmr sry T-T

with a sigh, he watches as you leave and tries playing another match, but for some reason during the entirety of the match, he has no fun.

when you log into your game accounts in the evening, relieved to have an easy day, you notice a few friend request. "kaijuslayer"

you click accept and before you can open another tab, you instantly receive a lobby invite. its unreal how quick this person is... and how much he enjoys gaming, apparently. with no plans for the night and no desire to do anything else, you accept the invite.

Narumi is over the clouds to see not only has his request being accepted but also his invite too. gaming is more fun when you are winning, and thus playing with people who know what they're doing. you pick the same champion again and accomodate to his various picks, supporting him however he needs. it's perfect, it's distracting. while the two of you wait for the client to find another match, you begin to talk. since it's a friday, he tries his shot and asks if you'll stay for longer this time.

>nah >my v much serious v grownup job has saturdays too >and awfully early waking hours >sucks to b u> v serious v grownup huh >yea? >im starting to suspect u might b a child >OLIFSDJFIGOJSDOLŞGJSDFOLŞG >the calls coming from inside the house

before Narumi can send a reply, the 'match found' screen pops up and the two of you leave it there.

the match starts off smooth. he's farming a good amount, the two of you reached level 6 before the others, and as the opposing lane tries an ambush, you hit them with your ult, charming them in the process. as narumi begins to unleash his combo, your slowing down waves slither there gently, quitely. then follows your shield and speed buff, and right before his very eyes, your now-powered-up-double skill hits the enemies and the screen reads: "TRIPLE KILL" with your icon next to it.

as much of an ideal support as Seraphine is, Narumi remembers the fact all too painfully that Seraphine was first released as a midlaner... a very much capable AP damage unit if built that way. a part of wants to see, and a part of him is afraid of what he might see if he goes to check which items you have purchased- or if it was a brilliant calculation by itself.

as Narumi stares at the screen, Seraphine dances again, sometimes ending the animation to go around him. seeing him frozen for far too long, you ping him few times. as if his misery, and his kills stolen wasnt bad enough already, your team's jungle has the audacity to send a message to in-game chat. 'supp diff'’

complimenting his support? his duo? Narumi begins to see red.

as you begin to teleport back to the base, you send an emote of one of the characters, tongue poking out, winking and doing a peace sign.

and on his side of things, narumi gen cannot find it in him to stay mad at the turn of events- because just look how endearing and cute you are! it's alright if you took a kill or two by accident, you're still his support, his duo after all!

despite the... technical errors, the game ends in another victory and with you doing a victory dance again, now pinging him if he's staying idle until he joins you as well. his heart cannot take it. it's too much... and as if you are dead set on being the final blow, you send cute emotes, and whenever he sends one back, you reply with another, it goes and goes until the matches end.

a flood of message notification sounds brings him back to earth again.

>heeeey >r u gonna start the queue some time this year? >oh btw pick a color

puzzled at the last message, he says a color, not expecting much out of it. until he sees you have picked another skin with the chroma he said. candy and teeth- you are so adorable and charming, so bad for his poor health. waiting in your lane, you begin the dancing animation again and narumi grins at the screen, watching you dance.

oh no, this is bad. this is pathetic even for him now... he cannot be possibly finding some gamer maybe across the country, someone he never saw nor even heard the voice of charming...

maybe that annoying part time operations leader was right about his... pent up frustration... if he's this down for a game model supposedly representing a person, maybe you had a point when you implied he goes to seek some action and revive himself of whatever's been building up down there.

there is no way he can let anyone learn about this- worst of all, you. with your stoic face and condescending eyes, you'd never let him live that down.

Him! Narumi Gen! the first division captain and the strongest anti-kaiju combatant! he'd rather die than give you the satisfaction of knowing he's so desperate to get some sort of friction he's starting to mix an online person with the character they're playing.

aggressive pings snap him out of his running thoughts and he realizes he's a little behind game-play wise.

now, looking over at the match stats, it doesn't seem all to unsalvageable. he better get to it, there's a match to win and a lovely duo to impress.

[hikari3601]

Floral Crowns

Home page

Pairing | Al-Haitham, Cyno, Kaveh and Tighnari (separate) x Reader

Author’s Note | Try as I might, I couldn’t get this out of my head

CW/TW | Mention of death in Tighnari's part, but it's really him just being shady.

Synopsis | Making flower crowns with Sumeru’s men.

'It can't be that difficult' was his initial thought seeing as the diagrams were quite simple to understand...

Needless to say, the scribe thought very wrong.

After multiple failed attempts he eventually resumed his reading with a defeated huff, leaving you hysterically laughing, it wasn't every day you saw the aloof Haitham frustrated.

The next morning he tried again, remembering your little tips and found that it was never that deep difficult. Then again a good cup of coffee always fixed everything. Soon enough he had multiple crowns laying on the table beside him as he idly paged through some records -waiting for you to arrive.

Suffice to say, you were pretty surprised upon your arrival... Actually, that was an understatement, it shocked you out of your wits to see how pretty they were, almost as if he had years of practice under his belt.

—————

"What the actual hell?" You gaped at their perfection as you looked through the bunch, admiring the flower's unique scents and beauty.

"book learning alone cannot–" He started, smirking as he flipped the page.

"Please don't start with another lecture."

Cyno is surprisingly good at it. I mean, he'll miss a loop here and there but after a few more tries he's smiling at you like a little idiot.

It'll become sort of a thing between the two of you. Whenever you had a moment to spare, you'd find yourselves combining different varieties of flowers and when you'd meet again you would go through this little presentation -essentially trying to outdo the other. He’s just competitive like that

At the end of your little showcase, you'd exchange crowns and wear them around until they wilted.

For the record, he really loves the crowns you make. At one point, he forgot he was wearing one until he noticed none of the other Matras could keep their eyes off of his head

Flower puns ensued throughout the rest of the meeting.

—————

"I'm telling you once and floral, don't stop beleafing. Just like I rose to the occasion, you can too!"

He used to weave flower crowns when he was a kid and you can't tell me otherwise.

He eventually stopped, but after you asked him to teach you, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he still remembers the patterns and tricks.

Needless to say, this becomes something of a pastime for the two of you, when he's not swamped with work...which is rarely.

Though you love the process of making a crown every once in a while, the best part most definitely lies in seeing him wearing it.

He’d look so pretty wearing a flower crown...help.

He also adores seeing you wear his crowns he secretly incorporated your favourite flower crown in one of his designs. So don’t be surprised to find a familiar pattern on the rim of a chandelier or a decorative ceiling.

—————

“Isn’t this your model?” You questioned, examining the small cluster of Sumerian styled spires.

Without looking up the blond hummed, dosing off on the seat besides you. “I finished it this morning.”

“Wait, these facia boards—“

“I liked the pattern you made the other day, I thought it would suit the aesthetic I was going for.” He mused, “I was wondering when you were gonna notice.”

Tighnari, much like Kaveh, probably taught you how to weave the flowers, telling you facts about each of them as his fingers nimbly formed a crown at record speed.

Honestly, he'd be the type to congratulate you after your first attempt but correct you like one of his pupils don't mind his swishing tail, he's trying to act like he's not elated to be sharing an old hobby with you.

After you really got into it, he'd sometimes send you flowers whenever he travelled with a little note describing how to look after the bouquet –turn the card over and you'll find a small pressed flower attached.

He expects you to hone your skills with different flowers -to ‘master your new talent,’ in his words.

It's really an excuse for him to send you pretty flowers.

He’ll also wear the crowns you make, but unlike the rest he’ll be extremely nonchalant about it too.

Giving a lecture to some curious Academia students? The crown stays on.

Checking up on some of the plants at Pardis Dhyai? Why’d he even consider removing it?

Clearing a withering zone? The flowers withered. He returned his ears hanging low, please make him a new one.

Of course, the flowers stayed on as he scolded a group of reckless adventurers as well.

—————

Four adventurers sat before a rather livid Tighnari who, try as he might, couldn’t refrain from giving them a mouthful.

“I mean, how can you look at a random mushroom on the ground and think ‘Hey this colourful mushroom that I’ve never seen before looks particularly delicious, let me eat it!’ I understand that you can get hungry while on the road, but you can’t eat anything if you're dead. You’ll have better luck looking for a Forest Ranger! I mean really what if I didn't—“

The silence was deafening as the Chief Officer’s ears twitched in aggravation before he sighed in defeat. “At least try to not look at my ears. Yes it’s not an everyday sight and yes the colours of the flowers are vibrant… are you even listening!?”

[wonijinjin]

seventeen members teaching you how to drive

author’s note: very self indulgent since i am working on getting my drivers licence rn, for the members that cannot drive let’s pretend they can in this;) please note that this is purely my opinion and is not accurate nor was made to criticise the members in any way, thank you<3

synopsis: what the title says.

word count: 1.3k | genre: fluff, humour/crack | pairing: seventeen x gn! reader | warnings: none

cheol would be one of the least calm ones, we know that he is a good driver and he knows it too, therefore he would love to comment on every single move you make, getting frustrated with you within like 10 minutes. he would yell and scream at you for “not understanding this simple thing” (driving is complicated af nobody can tell me otherwise) while literally wanting to snatch the wheel from you because as he puts it you are a terrible driver being a danger to society lmao. overall 5/10, taking away points because he would definitely make you cry at some point

jeonghan is one of the best ones; his skills are solid, he is kinda chill and doesn’t worry too much. however, this would not be the most beneficial since he is known to be a menace and would be casually clowning you at every move, making you question the knowledge you already have about driving and the road. when you panic and don’t know what to do he would switch back to teacher mode, being very quick to help you, getting you back on track in the journey. overall 9/10, only taking a point away from him because of his tricks my man needs to chill and let you be confident

now although shua may be one of the quieter ones who won’t yell or freak out, he would give up on you quite easily tbh. he is very good at keeping his cool so he would try to be gentle when guiding you on the roads, but if you had struggles with driving frequently during the journey there would be soon a moment when he would sigh and lean back in the seat, contemplating on just getting you a more professional person to help. overall 8/10, he is a bit lazy but can be convinced to stay

jun is at a bit of a loss when explaining, just like some other members he would not always know how to express what you did wrong, since it comes naturally to him at this point, so the process of both of you trying to figure out what exactly felt off with a move you did might become a common thing with him. he is very excited for you though, and would give you all his support! overall 5/10, could be better but he is trying his best so A for effort

if you want to learn how to drive safely i would not recommend getting hoshi to teach you; he is a very fun person to go on karaoke rides with, however he is not always aware of certain limits (speed limits *cough cough*) or the surroundings when being caught up in the moment. he tends to be a bit careless when he is having fun which with you would be evident since he loves your company, however he has a job to do which is teaching you, so please be careful with him since he doesn’t always see the whole picture. overall 5/10, you would definitely fail the exam for the first time

wonwoo is another chill one, his flaw would be that he was bad at explaining; whenever you would ask a question about how to proceed he would tell you, but wouldn’t be able to explain why, which is a very important thing as you should understand why you do what you do (he knows this aswell). he would recommend learning the rules again saying “it all makes sense if you know the rules well enough.” (not always, but gotta admit he has a point) overall 7/10, would be one of the best ones attitude wise

woozi is a very straightforward person, he tells you what to do and expects you to do it. or not. he is quiet and doesn’t get mad easily when you make mistakes, it is part of learning things for the first time afterall. he would gently guide you through the journey only getting a bit taken aback when you do something that even you know is a big mistake. he is not a man of many words in the car which would be the downfall of the learning process, however he is very attentive and observant so after exiting the car he would help you understand the cause of the mishaps during the drive. overall 6/10, a bit quiet

dk is very enthusiastic about teaching you how to drive and would be grateful that you chose to trust him. he would spend endless hours in the car by your side to absolutely get everything done perfectly so you could pass the exam, although he might not be harsh enough at times to tell you when you actually mess up badly, so be careful and don’t take every praise he murmurs to you for granted, as he would not want to say bad things about your skills (even though they were needed to be said, he is a big softie sorry not sorry). overall 7/10, he might be a bit too nice

minghao is pretty much teacher material, strict but not so much that you would get discouraged, balancing out the way he would guide you through every important step sternly, but nicely, hinting soft comforting words along the way to keep your motivation alive and spirits up. if he would be in charge you can bet you would pass the practical exam on the first try, him having a cocky smirk on his face when he saw that all the hard work you two put into it paid off. overall 10/10, i would sit next to him any time he is such a good driver

mingyu is hands down the best person to learn from. he is an experienced one; he practically taught the others how to drive aswell, so you are just another routine learner in his eyes (obviously not, he is the softest with you). his instructions are quite easy to understand and follow, and he is good at giving you helpful tips to make your work easier later on and on the exam. he is witty and entertaining so you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with the fact that he is teaching, making driving seem so fun you could never be pried off the seat of the car. overall 10/10, friendly and efficient

seungkwan is a shy one; hesitant about how to start and how to help you the best. later on during the drive he could completely switch and could become easy to anger (yall know my man has anger issues) therefore him sitting next to you would be a rather nerve wrecking experience with his judgy expressions escaping against his will. for good measure i gotta say he would try to save the scolding for after each round so you wouldn’t get stressed out while at the wheel, he knows panicking won’t help. overall 6.5/10, he is trying to stay calm we gotta appreciate that (cheol if he was patient)

vernon is the most chill out of them all, this is why he wouldn’t be of much help if i’m honest. he would just nod and sit next to you silently, looking out the window and sometimes opening his mouth to say that you are doing well, poor boy would not have a single clue about how to correct any of your mistakes, saying that “it has been a long time since he learned to drive” aswell. overall 5/10, sorry he is just not teacher coded

dino is more gentle and patient than he looks in my opinion, and he is a relatively good driver who knows a lot about road rules and stuff, so him being on the passenger seat would give you a flashback about the days when you would study the names of the road signs and how the different rules should work in practice; he is the mediator between theory and practice, putting them together nicely with you in teamwork. overall 8/10 pretty solid methods and skills

[eluxcastar]

May I request Arlecchino finding her lover collapsed on the floor in tears from a fever they are suffering from and then taking care of them?

Arlecchino and her poor sick s/o

── ୨୧：arlecchino x reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: a terrible fever leaves you effectively bedridden for days

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, mentions reader vomiting but does not happen within it, the reader is a massive simp, oh and also they're married because I said so

୨୧﹑words :: 2.6k

I haven't abandoned you honeys I'm just working on a time-consuming Arlecchino request that's like 8k words long ❤️ so here's a little something to tide you over for a bit in light of the newest teaser from mihoyo

You have spent three days curled up in your bed with a temperature so bad Arlecchino almost considered taking you to Dottore to sort it out, but you were more than happy to wait it out instead.

Those three days had been spent swiftly losing any food you tried to eat and barely keeping down the water you forced yourself to drink so that you wouldn't get dehydrated with how much the heat made you sweat.

Now that days have passed, your throat hurts, and you curse your gag reflex. You don't even want to drink water, and the dizziness that prevents you from getting up has hardly subsided. You've slept through most of it, yet you can't bear to spend another minute glued to your bed, tossing and turning amidst your covers. They're thoroughly a mess, no thanks to hours of indecision as you become hot under them and cold without them for too long.

It's a frustrating thing to be confronted with your weakness.

There is truly nothing worse. This time last week, you would've been by your lovely Arlecchino's side, helping her with her work as she managed the less enjoyable affairs for the House of Hearth. It's always nice to have someone with you to curb your boredom when you have to do menial work.

But since you woke up in the middle of the night overwhelmed by dizziness so horrible you couldn't figure out which way was left, you have been stuck here where you cannot reach her for much of the day. She insisted she should remain with you, but you weren't eager to take up more of her precious time for no reason other than your conscience. You know she would be happy to. You just don't want to trouble her.

While she's gone, you should remember to do the things she made you promise to do: get lots of rest, drink water, don't push yourself.

By what is basically the force of fate, you have been good at resting and not pushing yourself. It's the water you're struggling with. You tried to force yourself to half something earlier, using whatever surface was available to support yourself, but you found yourself with an upset stomach and an awful lingering feeling in your throat.

Your second trip to the kitchen for a glass of water is equally unsuccessful.

She asked only three things of you, and even that is out of your depth? You must be pathetic. Soon, Arlecchino will return home, and she will see the glaring problem that you're dehydrated and be disappointed that you couldn't even listen to her requests.

The floor is the most comfortable spot to sit or kneel awkwardly on your hands and knees after quickly lowering yourself to the floor when you are hit with a dizzy spell to avoid hitting it at a high speed once you inevitably fall over.

Is sickness making you a wreck? Were you always this quick to give up? You never feel this uneasy. Your fever must be messing with your head and making you overemotional, but you feel so useless, whatever the reason. Suddenly you understand those people forced to retire from their work only to become restless and idle all day from an overwhelming absence in their life, if only for a few days.

It hurts, mentally mostly, but the physical pain of it all is hardly helping. Something about fevers is so draining to your body.

Water. You'd just like to drink some water. Is that too much to ask? Surely not.

Water…on the floor underneath you. It's only a drop, but you never even made it to the fridge. Where could it have come from? You place your finger on it, confirming it is most definitely not a product of your fever-driven imagination as it feels very real. Another drop lands on the back of your hand, then on the floor in quick succession, too quick for anything like a hole in the ceiling. Holes in the ceiling can't pass water through your head, either.

Tears? You're not crying-- you reach up to feel your cheek. Oh, you are. You are crying.

When did that happen? You never cry, not in good health anyway. It's completely unlike you. Though not in good health, maybe it's not so unthinkable. Maybe you are weak like this, even mentally. You didn't think a little sickness could bring you down very much; evidently, you were wrong.

You first settle back on your kneels, wiping your eyes clean of the tears that started and won't stop coming, especially now that you realise it. Like a wound that doesn't hurt until you look at it and realise how bad it looks, it hits you all at once that you really are quite miserable in this state. Water is too hard for you to get. Really? Is that how far you've fallen?

This powerless feeling is horrible, like a weakness eating at your bones every moment you spend sick. Conclusively, you really hate being sick.

You must not have noticed the sound of the door opening, possibly because you were distracted by your condition and its inhibition of your simple desire to drink a glass of water so that you could tell Arlecchino that you did it. Maybe that was supposed to prove to her you were getting better or something. You obviously weren't, but it feels nice to lie to yourself sometimes and try to convince yourself that you won't be bearing with this sickness for very long.

On the other hand, you certainly do notice the footsteps encroaching on you and your pathetic state. It doesn't matter who's there. You don't want anyone to see you this way. Not Arlecchino and not any fatuu she may have sent to check on you. Not that you're on the floor, and most definitely not that the reason you're down there is because you're crying. It would be too shameful to handle ever publicly showing your face again. You scramble to try and get back on your feet and wipe your tears, but it only proves your weakness to you as you get up so fast you make yourself dizzy again and stumble to find something to hold onto before you fall again.

The only reason you don't end up flat on your ass is because Arlecchino grabs you by your shoulders and holds you close, so close you feel her poor jacket soak up your tears. You want to pull away so you don't wet her clothes, but you can't. She is your only anchor right now. If you do that, she'll really know you're crying. Of course, she is already aware that you are, but if you at least stay with your face buried in the fur of her overcoat, you don't have to acknowledge that she knows.

Evidently, bed is the best place for you right now, and you are promptly returned there so that you can lay back and rest.

"I didn't even realise I was crying, swear!" Your attempts to save yourself are pointless, as she never cared whether you were crying or not in the first place. It's natural to cry, even if she doesn't want to see you upset.

"It's alright. Covers on or off?" There is a certain gentleness in her voice that makes you look away in embarrassment, though it is undeniably attractive that a hot woman would take care of you while you're sick. The 'in health' part is really sexy too, but the sickness part stirs butterflies in your stomach...

"Off," you respond.

It’s even hotter you get to be married to that woman.

She places a kiss on your forehead, as gentle as the rest of her actions, a degree of care present that she does not usually impart. She is not heartless and cold toward you, but this side of her is a rare one reserved for the moments when you feel especially precious. Sickness, injury...

It is a rarity that you treasure because it means a lot to you.

"I just got overwhelmed I guess." You can't think of a way to explain it to her that actually makes some degree of sense. Any explanation you think of sounds stupid to your brain and probably hers. "I'm fine, I promise."

"I know, I know. Glass of water, and something to eat small enough it won't upset your stomach." Her thumb brushing over your forehead is enough to settle those rampant emotions of yours, though still teary-eyed and moody.

"Just give me a second and I can do it." Again with your insistence to not be helped, you're just spouting off lies at this point, fooling yourself but not her.

She laughs at your stubbornness. "No you can't." She says that so matter-of-factly you can't even be bothered to fight as the words die in your throat at how amused she seems. It's one of your endearing traits, you like to think. The slight smile she walks off with would certainly support that delusion.

You're probably fooling yourself about that part too, but something about her collectedness while your brain is all scrambled up and chaotic calms you, and you fish around the bed for the coat she had discarded and laid out at your feet before she left. It's nice and heavy but not too warm when laid across you so haphazardly that it overheats you. The fur around the collar is uncomfortably wet in one spot.

However could that have happened? Sure hope someone didn't get their tears all over it.

What's best is that it smells like her, covered in her scent from top to bottom, and now you are too. It's like getting a warm hug from your wife in the absence of a hug or your wife

Ok maybe it's impossible to marry you and not know that you're really stubborn when you want to be.

"I'll stay with you like this for the entire week if that's what you want. I don't mind if I catch whatever you managed to get." Her words are so sweet that you get those butterflies again. Could you really handle a week with her like this? Probably not. You might just drop dead, but if nothing else, you'd be dying happy.

"I would definitely mind that." You laugh back, trying to match her responses and diffuse the idea you might want her gone.

"What? Don't want to take care of me?" She's just teasing, but her expression doesn't give that away at a glance.

"Didn't say that!"

You can't help feeling happy. You like this as your medicine a lot, and it has nothing to do with your face being this close to her chest and everything to do with her warmth and her words like everything is normal, and you're both just messing around. If that were the truth, it might be really nice too, but it makes being sick a hell of a lot more enjoyable.

It can't be more than a minute or two before she returns with a glass of water and some dry biscuits. The only two things that you can keep down seem like heaven in her hands despite how bland both of them are. It feels nice to finally be hydrated, and it feels great to have something in your stomach aside from an empty feeling.

Arlecchino takes the time as an opportunity to settle into bed beside you.

As you set the glass of water down on the floor beside your bed, you turn back over to squirm your way into her waiting arms, now receiving a warm hug from your wife in the presence of both a hug and your wife.

You are comfortable with a bit of pillow shifting, some wriggling into place and a slight repositioning of your head. You are not smothered by her and can breathe while remaining in her arms. Your head is not in a position where your neck hurts, and your legs are comfortably intertwined with hers. Dreams do come true, and on that note, you won't be moving from this position for the next few hours if you can help it.

"You can keep the coat if you want. I'll wash it once you're better." Her voice is low, trying not to be too loud when you are so close but audible.

You would shake your head but don't dare, only mumbling back to her. "You need it for work tomorrow."

"I'll take a day off." She says it so off-handedly it sounds suspiciously normal for a moment before the shock of it hits you.

Your eyes open, and you tilt your head up just enough to see her face, completely serious. "Are you sure? You'll have a lot to do--"

She makes a face like she is thinking, though it is an act to emphasise what she says next. "I'll use it to manage files from the House of Hearth if it would make you feel better about getting to steal all my attention at home."

"Accepted." Evidently, you are far too easy to bargain with.

She laughs to herself nonetheless, hand stroking your back. "I don't want to leave for work only to come home to you crying again."

You go dead silent and look away again. "...Sorry."

"I didn't mean it in that way." She tries to reassure you with those words, and it works a little but doesn't take away from your embarrassment. Are you going to remember that for the next five years wondering if she's judging you for it knowing damn well she's not and probably doesn't remember it? Hopefully not. "It worried me, that's all. I want to be here if you need me."

Ok maybe that's really hot too.

"Well, if you're sure, then I'm not going to tell you no." You wouldn't stop her anyway because, secretly, you would really like for her to stay with you. You wanted that from the start and just couldn't swallow your pride to admit it.

The small chuckle she lets out hearing that tells you that she is very aware of that fact. Maybe it's hard to marry you and not know that.

Ok maybe it's impossible to marry you and not know that you're really stubborn when you want to be.

"I'll stay with you like this for the entire week if that's what you want. I don't mind if I catch whatever you managed to get." Her words are so sweet that you get those butterflies again. Could you really handle a week with her like this? Probably not. You might just drop dead, but if nothing else, you'd be dying happy.

"I would definitely mind that." You laugh back, trying to match her responses and diffuse the idea you might want her gone.

"What? Don't want to take care of me?" She's just teasing, but her expression doesn't give that away at a glance.

"Didn't say that!"

You can't help feeling happy. You like this as your medicine a lot, and it has nothing to do with your face being this close to her chest and everything to do with her warmth and her words like everything is normal, and you're both just messing around. If that were the truth, it might be really nice too, but it makes being sick a hell of a lot more enjoyable.

[cocogum]

There’s something off about Yugo now.

‼️ SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 ‼️

LEAVE AT THE WARNING IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FIRST FOUR EPISODES.

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Way before 2024 hit, when Tot was still teasing us with some snippets of Season 4 on Twitter, there was a time when one of his tweets made some people think about what he meant.

The specific tweet was made on the 10th of January of 2023 at 5:10 AM which showed a small scene of Yugo once said that THIS scene in particular was going to change Yugo forever

Here’s the full translation:

“Season 4 of Wakfu is going well my friends…Here’s a small snippet of Yugo that makes me want to cry. 🥲”

We didn’t know at the time what he could’ve meant by that or what that specific scene that saddened him was even about.

But now that Wakfu Season 4 is out, we were able to watch that same scene that happened in episode 3.

And omg it makes perfect sense now.

In his tweet where he addressed his feelings for the scene, Tot specified that this moment would be the last time we see Yugo, the last scene before saying goodbye.

Some people, back when the tweet was still recent, thought Tot might have been implying that Yugo would actually die or possibly gain his adult form through this scene where he’s surrounded by his mother’s blue hues.

But now that we’ve watched the actual episode where this same scene Tot was talking about took place, we can all finally confirm that neither of those two things happened.

Because what happened ended up being far worse than that.

Yes, what’s worse than Yugo dying or growing up to an alarming speed is nothing compared to what actually happened :

Yugo’s mindset changed.

When Yugo met the Eliatrope goddess for the first time (in this life at least), he explicitly told her that he does not know her, therefore, he cannot sympathize with what she’s saying to him. Yugo could see how she was crying when she told him, Nora, and Qilby she missed them as well as her other children and that she promises them she wouldn’t be away from them any longer.

Yugo doesn’t react to this, only Nora and Qilby truly understand the power behind her words.

But as soon as the Eliatrope goddess puts Yugo to rest for a while, the moment he wakes up was as if he changed his mind completely.

He claims that his mother is the purest of the pure and that she’s so perfect that she can’t express any negative emotions. Keep this in mind for later.

He truly believes what he’s saying and cannot fathom the fact that she may be imperfect in some ways.

His mind did a complete 360 to the point where he immediately joins the Eliatrope goddess, Nora, and Qilby’s cause. He changed his mind so quickly that even Nora noticed and brought it up.

When the assembly began, Yugo was proud of showing up first to welcome his mother and he proudly stated her arrival to the rulers. He had even told Joris that he insisted on being as forward as possible to the rulers and to welcome his mother appropriately.

Now, remember when I stated that Yugo does not believe that the Eliatrope goddess can express any negative emotions?

Well, it turns out he was wrong.

Not even a full hour passed, and the Eliatrope goddess was already in a full confrontation with one of the rulers, the queen of Bonta, Astra. When someone, especially a higher being, is claimed to be a pure being with no flaws, it usually means that they cannot even fathom the idea of expressing a negative emotion or struggling to keep it in.

But the reason why this scene was just so important to focus on was because THIS is supposed to be the goddess of love, the goddess that represents purity (no wonder people were beings suspicious of her. How are you gonna be called the embodiment of ‘love’ and yet express something that is out of your agenda?)

So the reason why we need to focus on this moment, is because the goddess hesitated.

This is what makes Yugo’s claims about her being perfect completely wrong.

And since his declarations were very much flawed, his current way of thinking can only mean one thing :

Something has gone wrong.

From what we’ve been able to witness from his slumber, Yugo was able to see how he and his siblings were created by their mother, how their original planet came to be, how their mother got thrown aside, banished by the other gods and ended up in the Necroworld, and how she got saved by Nora and Efrim.

To us, this sequence must’ve probably lasted for about three minutes or so but to Yugo, this moment lasted far longer than that. He must’ve seen the details, heard a lot of recrimination from the other gods, and seen his mother’s suffering from being cast aside. All of this pain and suffering that she must’ve felt was what made Yugo side with her and her cause.

But as much as his sudden want to be closer to her makes sense, it doesn’t mean that Yugo’s portrayal of his mother is true. Anyone can tell that the Eliatrope goddess had broken a very important major rule: DO NOT use a planet for yourself. She had betrayed the trust of the other gods without any explanation other than wanting to have children and making a world for herself.

Yugo saw it all and yet he did not think that she made a mistake. He does not care if she went against the other gods (creating a world for herself), he does not care if she wants to monitor the world (she has told this in front of all the authorities of the world), he does not care if she wants to infuse vigilantism (again, she told this in front of the leaders of the world), and he does not care if all the commanders of the world do not side with her ideas (he deliberately chose to follow her as soon as she left the assembly).

But it seems like even when he was not, at the time, sleeping under her energy, he didn’t care if people with bad intentions got paralyzed for some undetermined amount of time as punishment (he was watching Nora and Adamaï fight the rogues). That could have been an early hint that he would do much more than just stand aside and not say anything in matters like these but rather silently do what his mother wishes to do.

Since he embraces everything that she is, he embraces everything that she wants to do or has done.

Another thing I should mention is the fact that ever since he woke up, he started calling the Eliatrope goddess “mother”, implying that he now felt completely comfortable with knowing and understanding that she was truly his creator, mother.

As you can see, every time he addresses her, it’s always by calling her his mother, which is factually true, but again, he has just met her and is already completely enamoured by her. His admiration and respect towards her makes sense because he has seen everything that she’s been through while sleeping.

The problem is that even when he considers her perfect, he doesn’t seem to understand that the people around her (besides Nora and Qilby) DO NOT agree with her plans.

Yugo does not understand why Adamaï left because his intuition was telling him that something was very wrong about all of this (even though Yugo wasn’t too convinced by the Eliatrope goddess, he was still taking a neutral side at the time. Even though he didn’t completely understand his mother at that moment, this still counts as an event where Yugo did not think about the Eliatrope goddess’s ways even when his brother told him something was off. Also, if Yugo did see his mother’s suffering at that moment, he would have still most likely sided with her.)

Yugo also does not understand what the leaders are trying to say and how right they are (even though they have mistreated the Eliatrope goddess in the process). One of them, the queen of Bonta, makes very good points that the goddess should have answered and explained.

But instead of taking a moment to think about it or try to at least think about how the rulers are feeling right now, Yugo simply leaves them and goes right back to the goddess.

This is a very surprising decision of his because Yugo has lived his entire life in the World of Twelve. He has not only lived here but has met a lot of different people, gone through life and death for them, saved numerous victims and fought off enemies for them, and did all that in the same world where he is currently turning his back to the very rulers of it.

Tot wasn’t wrong when he said Yugo wouldn’t be the same.

And we’re starting to see it.

It’s becoming more obvious and I’m sure that at some point, there could be another fight between Yugo and Adamaï happening, or perhaps even a misunderstanding.

[teejaystumbles]

Last Line Tag Game

Rules: In a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or however many you like)

@ginoeh tagged me for that Pinterest game but I don't use Pinterest so when I saw them doing this game I decided to this instead! because I've wanted to share some WIP stuff for a while 😅

I've been working mainly on my Big Bang fic, of which I can't share anything, but I've also worked on my Daniel/Hob series so here's a bit from the second chapter of Kaleidoscope:

“You were a gift. From my sister, Death. To Morpheus. He struggled to connect with humanity. He did not understand how humans could live their lives the way they do, he could not see what reality was for. Do you understand?” Hob shook his head slowly, frowning. “Not quite…” Daniel hummed and stirred his tea, looking down for a moment before continuing. “Dreams are the opposite of reality. They are, to Morpheus’ understanding, far better than reality, because, after all, dreams are limitless. The limit is your imagination, nothing else. Reality cannot win against that… can it?” He looked up and looked at Hob, curious. Hob shook his head again and leaned forward in his chair. “‘Course it can! If you can dream it, you can make it come true, all it needs is a bit of work and effort, and time- what?” Daniel was smiling at him, brighter than Hob had ever seen him do, and he blushed at the sight, feeling his heart speed up.

💚 I've also been working on the Labyrinth dream comic so here's a WIP of one of the upcoming pages:

There are a lot of pages to finish and I haven't had the energy to do that yet, but I hope to give you the rest of this short spicy comic soon.

I'm tagging everyone who wants to share something since that is what I did :)

[kanmom51]

JK on Bruontheradio - coming soon

*Disclaimer: This post came out way longer than I initially intended it to be, and is a little bit of a brain fart. You have been warned, lol.

Josh “Bru” Brubaker

Love how even with this we have Jimin reference.

JK just cannot help himself.

He did tell us "the love of my life".

And what about the first thing that JK shows us is this:

Bad lighting he probably didn't really count on, but yes, his hand tattoos.

And I know there will be those that will say: "he's showing us ARMY", but I say it's a double for him, cause man ain't stupid, he knows fans will go crazy he's showing ARMY, and at the same time I believe he's showing the JM tattoo as well. You know, the JM that did the exact same kind of clip before him. The JM that spent 5 days WITH HIM in NY (and CT). The JM that is his "love of my life". That JM.

Same JM that @andy-wm wrote a beautiful post about just a few hours ago:

Ok, so I guess I'm going to talk about this here, even though I will probably repeat it many times to come.

Seven for JK is about love not fucking.

There. I said it.

And why do I bring this up here?

Because of the hand he so graciously showed us.

Because of JK's JM tattoo.

Because of said tattoo's placement.

Ring finger. For all to see.

How long have we known the J over the M stood for JM?

Us Jikookers?

I'd say since forever.

It's the rest of the fandom that kept trying to find excuses why it wasn't. Why it stood for everything under the sun other than the obvious. The one person that JK puts above others. The one person JK has been showing for years now that is special to him, in a way that is way beyond even the best of friendships. When you tattoo someone's name on you that is a statement. You are literally branding yourself with their name till the day you die (yes you can erase tattoos, but when you are having a tattoo done that is not what you are thinking of, in that moment in time you are painting your skin for life).

And JK did that. One sided.

He also made sure to let us know that the theories running around for years about what that J meant (you know, the army and J means all the members bullshit) were crap. Yes, he didn't tell us out loud that the J placed over the M stood for JM, but he didn't deny it either. He omitted that. Which is understandable given they are still a closeted couple and we all know that admitting to that, would be admitting to their queerness. As much as JK wants out of the closet, as much as he wants to scream blue murder that JM is his and his alone, he won't do it as long as JM isn't ready. And saying the JM is Jimin out loud, that would be outing not only himself but also the love of his life, when said love of his life is not ready for that yet. So he said the J stands for Jungkook and moved on at the speed of lightening. Without addressing the huge ass elephant in that room - why place it over the M knowing EXACTLY what it looked like? (we know the answer to that, but omitting is the name of the game - said that already).

So yeah, JK tattooed JM on his hand. For all of us to see. And he keeps touching it up. Darkening it. At times specifically those two letters.

I actually had a post in draft that is kind of redundant now, about how I noticed his JM at the airport leaving for the States.

That pinky ring, that actually isn't a pinky ring cause it's JM's ring, which he didn't wear when JM was there in NY with him, but had it back on travelling to London, JM gone back to SK, looks kinda too small even for his pinky, lol.

Now to Seven.

Like I said, JK sees Seven as a love song.

Yes, he sang the explicit version, but that's not what HE feels the song is about. And he's said it multiple times too.

This is what JK thinks about Seven:

and from the MV making:

and:

and from Stationhead radio 20th July appearance:

I think JK is being very clear here. Pity people aren't listening to him. This, for him, is a love song.

Yes, he knows it's very sexual, but it's about being with the person you love more than anything else and wanting to make that person happy. And him saying "the love of my life" that might have been on purpose (wouldn't put it past him) or even as a slip of the tongue, but it cements how he feels about the song, that might not have been written by him, but he most definitley feels an emotional connection with. I'd say kind of like Euphoria or Only then.

And now back to the hand and to JM and their place in JK's promotions for this song.

Not coincidently, JM is laced through every single part of the promotions for this song.

He's in the photo shoot concept.

He's in the MV (yes, what can you do, they had to go with a gf and hetero love story in the MV cause JK's first solo worldwide cannot be a queer love affair MV, that's just the way the cookie crumbles... not New jeans cookie - yuck - just writing that makes me feel ewe...).

He's in the choreography

There are more similarities than those I pointed out in that post. And again, it's not about JK stealing JM's moves from SMF pt. 2 (which we know the man LUVED). It's about JM inspiring him. And believe you me, that JM knew every single step of the way. The song, the MV and the choreo.

It's in the styling (not only the photo shoot).

And JM is just there, with JK all the time, on his hand, just out there for everyone to look and see.

For those saying the J is covered, nope, it ain't. The ring band is see through, cause that's just a thing JK does.

This finger pointing, not intentional in my opinion, just a little coincidence (JK holding the mic, as he does in the GMA performance as well, but in the Explicit performance with no mic in hand he covers his face just like the backup dancers do), and yet, a lovely one at that.

This is the way JK wanted it to be. Since way back in 2019 when he added that J over the M. For everyone to see all of the time!

So, where was I?

To sum this absolutely probably unnecessary post.

JK loves JM.

JK had JM tattooed on his hand.

JK chose Seven because he liked the song (and it's really a good one) and he also connected with it on an emotional level.

JK sees the song as a love song, expressing him wanting and needing to be with the person he loves, the love of his life, constantly, and showing said person how much he loves him and wanting to make them happy.

Yes, there is an explicit version to the song, yay, they replaced "loving" with "fucking". JK sings it, finds it amusing to say the word out loud, but when asked about it, it's the clean version, the love song version that he is connected to.

JK wanted to show us, in the ways that he, as a closeted queer man can, loves JM, is inspired by JM, and that JM is a part of who he is, as a man, as an artist.

Those two may not have come up with the "you are me I am you", but they most certainly took ownership of it. And JK, he's out there showing us just how true it is.

I think maybe it's about time that army:

a. Go read the lyrics to the song and understand that even the explicit version is talking about being with one person, the one you want to make feel good 7 days a week, and not about fucking someone else every day of the week. It's called reading comprehension, I think they need a lesson in that.

b. For once, even just once, listen to what JK is saying, what he's been saying ever since he started the promotion for this song.

This army was listening:

Well, at least to some of what JK has been saying.

I am guessing she's not a Jikooker, lol.

c. This one is for JKKs and PJMs. Try, for just one second, to put your feelings about the way JM's solo debut was treated BY THE COMPANY, and see with untainted glasses just how much this man loves JM. You know how much he promoted him personally and without the company's approval. He adores him, admires him, I'm willing to go so far as to worships him. JM is his catalyst. JM is the love of his life. JK would NEVER do something to disrespect or hurt JM. JK is trying to show us just how much JM is a part of who he, JK, is. He's trying to show us how much he is inspired by JM. How much he loves him. All this anger you are holding towards JK you need to let it go. JK as an artist is not the company as a promoter, they are not one and the same. On the way, I also recommend reading @beautifulpersonpeach's post:

Maybe, just maybe it will give you a little more insight or at the very least food for thought.

Ok, I think that's the end of this one. I kind of think I was all over the place here, and not so sure I got the message through, but it is what it is. Brain farts are not always pretty...

[eruditetyro]

sweetmetals.//art, artist, process//created, creator, creation.

RAINER MARIA RILKE/MAGGIE STIEFVATER/BREAD & PUPPET/STIEFVATER/JOHN SINGER SARGENT/STIEFVATER/B&P/STIEFVATER/B&P/STIEFVATER/EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY/STIEFVATER/RILKE. further description under the cut.

text reads:

"we cannot know his legendary head/with eyes like ripening fruit. And yet his torso/is still suffused with brilliance from inside,/like a lamp, in which his gaze, now turned to low,/gleams in all its power. Otherwise/the curved breast could not dazzle you so, nor could-" - Archaic Torso of Apollo, Rainer Maria Rilke trans. Stephen Mitchell

"-them. If one didn't know any better, one might mistake this for an eccentric art sale for discerning buyers.

But the pieces themselves soon corrected that impression. Jordan could feel their collective power radiating toward her. Her body felt awake, alert, ready for action. It was like caffeine. Speed.

No, it was like being real." - Mister Impossible, Maggie Stiefvater

[letterpress print] "art soothes pain! Art wakes up sleepers! Art fights against war & stupidity!" - Cheap Art Manifesto, Bread & Puppet Press

"-White only drove this home. They weren't great because they were technically perfect. There was something else. Something more. Whether that something could be named--sweetmetal?--she wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that pieces like that all had a way of seeing the world that no one else had noticed before." - Mister Impossible, Maggie Stiefvater

[picture of El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent]

"-would last his entire life. Was this what it had in common with Madame X? Was it it that the painting changed his life, or was it that he knew that it was going to change his life? What was soul? Declan didn't know, but he liked trying to find out." - Mister Impossible, Maggie Stiefvater

"Art sings halleluja! Art is for kitchens! Art is like good bread! Art is like green trees! Art is like white clouds in blue sky!" Cheap Art Manifesto, Bread & Puppet Press

"As her eyes burned, Hennessy swiped a thin, bleeding splash of red on one of the index cards, and then, with the marker, suggested the lines needed to show that it was an anatomical heart, bleeding paint. Beneath it, she just had time to jot angrily: OF FUCKING COURSE.

Her heart was broken, that was why she was really upset, her heart was broken, broken, broken because Hennessy wanted so badly to be as good at living as Jordan was and she never even got close. She flicked the index card across the table at Farooq-Lane.

The mouse woke up." Greywaren, Maggie Stievater

"ART IS FOOD. You cant EAT it BUT it FEEDS you. ART has to be CHEAP & available to EVERYBODY. It needs to be EVERYWHERE because it is the INSIDE of the WORLD." Cheap Art Manifesto, Bread & Puppet Press

"Jordan was beginning to understand how it might be possible for ley energy to be tangled into the art-marking process, too." Mister Impossible, Maggie Stiefvater

"And she could see in her mind's vision plain/The magic World, where cities stood on end.../Remote from where she lay--and yet-- between" - Collected Sonnets, Edna St. Vincent Millay

"-when they make the art. I thought when I first saw one that it was because the art was special to the world in some way. A real original, you know? But it was explained to me later and this makes more sense. They are special to the artist in some way. They are an original for the artist, something new for them, something personal for them. The subject matter, sometimes, how they felt when they were painting it, others. That is what seems to make some of them into sweetmetals. I do not thing it is the artist who does it. It is, like, the spirit of the time. There is a French term-" Mister Impossible, Maggie Stiefvater

"Otherwise this stone would seem defaced/beneath the translucent cascade of the shoulders/and would not glisten like a wild beast's fur:/would not, from all the borders of itself,/burst like a star: for here there is no place/that does not see you. You must change your life." Archaic Torso of Apollo, Rainer Maria Rilke trans. Stephen Mitchell

[mysteryanimator]

Watch it here :D

(heads up for any odd grammar, Grammarly cannot save me from my dyslexia)

I was originally not going to do a breakdown of this because a lot of my breakdowns and thought processes were getting really repetitive (also i was getting embarrassed by them HAHSDASHBDS). BUT boy oh boy this time around I can actually go "wait i can yap without being repetitive here, maybe, idk, we never know until i write it out."

STORYBOARD/ANIMATIC:

It was really fun to adapt AquliaofArkham's fic into a visual format! This is the specific section I had set out to visualize!

(Yes I only did thumbs for that section and freeballed the rest whoops, y'all do not follow by example, i didn't think i was getting this far tbh)

When translating this from written to visual, there were some key points I wanted down:

They are really really close to each other and the barrier between each other is SO thin, but the air is still super thick

visual eye breathing room compressed???

Is having stillness a way to convey that ???

We are following Mizrak's POV, ergo focus on what Mizrak is focusing on, where is his mind going

hold shots for longer???

limited movement due to Mizrak's hyperfocus???

Make shots intentionally heavily detailed ???

Zoom into details???

As much as I am passionate about storyboards, I do tend to get ahead of myself and end up locking myself into lots of close ups HAHAH. I like having each shot matter to me a lottttt so i end up reverting to reusing a lot of super common shot archetypes due to their attached meanings (I'd love to attend/watch some workshops on this, but uni ;-; i'll be free soon dwdw).

By the way, you will notice the animation is longer then the timed storyboard/animatic. This is because I retimed to placeholder dialogue (which y'all will NOT HEAR THATS EMBARRASSING, i dont need ppl to hear me yell clatter lol). Fun fact I originally had it in the first storyboard to help me with timing and then removed it half way through? Not sure why I did that, but regardless I came back around and retimed it so that the length of each shot feels believable enough to hold dialogue and has enough time to be visually digested by you guys.

ANIMATION:

This was a doozy, not because I found the animation hard, this time I actually was satisfied-ish with most of the end result and started implementing different approaches to the animation from all kinds of media; which was my issue LOL. My understanding of animation changed midway through. I can super distinctly see two different approaches, probably because I slipped into that naturally while having animated shows/movies while doing this and I can probably pin point to you which shots was influenced by what show.

First all dialogue and walking forward: rewatched TLOVM b4 season 3 dropped, which by this point is already out, (uh also Nocturne. again HAHAH)

WHICH, you'll see here, two different set ups were taken LOL (also oof you're seeing my setup). Personally, I like keeping my animation folders to the utmost minimum (so like the right! Olrox's folder is a whole character, separate moving bits like lips or even earrings will be in that one folder) because scrolling through can get a tad overwhelming and daunting, BUT, Olrox walking forward had so many small moving pieces with different timings that multiple animation folders was the best way to handle itttttt.

I feel like I only really care abt this BUT FILE MANAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT AAA. You should've seen my file management this time last year, actually horrific, but I'm so glad I figured out how to be cleaner, in turn speeding up my process. (which honestly was just thanks to being thrown into a studio environment and going "Oh my god so that's what I should be doing" and picking up things I noticed from other animators, which genuinely my learning comes from picking me up and throwing me into the deep end)

Secondly, Olrox arm and a scrapped walking scene: I was watching Prince of Egypt (literally that whole week, planning to rewatch again lmao), Sinbad, Road to El Dorado, and then work from Modernday James, Toniko Pantoja, Edward Kurchevsky

Fun fact, the very first walking was intended to be animated, and i redid it about four times before scrapping it completely. The first three iterations i didn't save because they were sooo clunky . It made me realize I gotta revisit my principles again I'm rusty (and i do LOLOLOL). I scrapped the anim because it did not flow into the next shot nicely but, It was good practice regardless HAHA

While mentally I feel like none of the shots match each other, they still do have some cohesion to one another

COMPOSITING:

The new thing, finally manually did the edge shadows in CSP HAHAH.

I will say this too, I got really nervous atp about the overall "quality" of the anim + the backgrounds. I was getting super hung up over it because I was alr worried abt the animation due to the safer choices I made (but also, I don't have to reinvent the wheel LMAO). SO, when I got to comping it was like "oh actually its actually fine LOL".

i stayed pretty sketchy with these since i was getting way too worried about it and wanted this to stay as a fun side project, also these are without comping- they become way more purple with compositing LOL

I feel like here too I ended up doing less then what I normally do, which I think mighttt be on part to finding more efficient ways to go about compositing things together (and faster too).

Also, I definitely got pushed into trying to lower the layer amount when I saw a tweet about layer efficiency/layer stacks and them mentioning applying Mattes and CC Composite. Actually a godsend, I didn't realize I could combine my effects like that to lower the amount.

Also, I swear no amount of precomping can save me from this. There's probably a better way to go abt this um LOL, everyone is getting a peep at my file management.

Also, I'm realizing I could've done a tad more with the actual composition itself, like the placement and movement of Olrox in the scene where he's walking forward. For now I have to leave it, because also, the intent for this one was to have fun rather then making every anim an exercise or else I'd burn out so fast LOL

Side tangent but, I've been digging my heels into the animation school club workshops on youtube rn due to having a moment with the scrapped Olrox side walk. Which holy shit, things have clicked for me, so I'm going to try and do more rough exercises b4 i do another finished anim again. It turned a light bulb in my head LMAO, and it pushed me to do the recent maria anim and mizrak and olrox kiss which has a massively greater understanding of timing and confidence LMAO

Ok now this is To Love a God finished! Another animation done :DDDDDD I'm super happy to be adapting a fanwork, it's always really fun and super exciting to bring other people's stuff to life, which what made this more enjoyable then anything else.

Will I do another polished anim before next year/before s2? Time will tell but for now i rest and speed to finish another semester of uni (there is a high chance for another anim because of a joke tweet i did not expect to get traction lol)

Thank youuu if you stayed this far, this was really lengthy and i think i went into different unrelated tangents, so i hope you enjoyed me pulling you into different directions HAHAHA

p.s i uploaded this to youtube and theres an age restriction BECAUSE OF THE FEET. Not because Olrox tells Mizrak he would fuck him, no it's his FEET. I've tried to appeal it but cant do much LOLOLOL

[honeyhotteoks]

🌟 a quick little announcement / ask from me --

i really, really appreciate all the positive reception my fics have gotten over the past year+ of me publishing.... but i've gotten a lot of anon messages recently that i just want to address without singling anyone out.

recently i've been getting a lot of anon messages asking when i'm going to be updating fic, posting new fic, going back to aurora, etc. or asking again when i'll be back on a regular posting schedule. typically i'll answer the nicest anon with something like "soon i promise!" etc., but many of these i just delete because.... i just cannot physically answer them all. but at this point i just think i need to make a little blanket statement. the answer to when am i going to post is "when i write it" - at this point that's really the best answer i can give. i had a posting schedule for aurora but that's because most of it was written in advance, but i do not have a posting schedule as a writer in general. i don't mean to be quite so blunt, but usually if i don't post for a week or a little over a week i get flooded with these messages, some of which go so far as to ask why i'm not posting more altogether. i really don't mean to be mean or harsh at all, but the answer just is that i have no idea. i try to be really open and transparent with y'all, but the issue boils down to the fact that i just don't write as much as i used to, but there's a reason for that and i think i should be honest about why. when i got into ateez last year, i was in the downswing of a major depressive episode. i clung to them and my imaginary little world really fucking hard just to get through that, but it led to me writing a metric fuckton and posting tons of content almost weekly. in the past year i've been pulling myself out of that headspace and to be honest, i'm feeling MUCH much better and much less dependent on ateez. to be clear, they are still a huge part of my life and my everyday, but i'm no longer using them to get by and ultimately it just leaves me writing less frequently. that combined with a career change that leaves me working 50+ hours a week, having a healthy relationship with my partner, seeing friends, and most recently moving apartments, it just leaves me writing in what small pockets i have left. i personally put a lot of pressure on myself to write more and write faster, but sometimes i'll sit down to write and physically just can't do it because i'm making it into this big thing in my head. getting so many messages asking me when i'm posting and why i'm not posting more really just makes that pressure and guilt balloon in my mind. i know these questions are coming from a good place, but with the way my brain works it sometimes leaves me feeling bad and guilty. i guess this is all to say..... please understand that while i want to write more and write faster, i'm in a very different place in my life now than when i was writing aurora. please understand that i am just not able to publish at that speed or quantity anymore, and i've been feeling terrible about needing to make this kind of announcement because i know it's disappointing. but honestly.... i'm proud of the work i've done in the past year and i'm so happy i'm not feeling quite so bad anymore, and while i want to write more, i wouldn't trade it. so i just want to ask for your patience and your kindness on this one, i really am just doing the best that i can. please keep messaging me, please keep interacting and talking about fic, that makes me so excited to write! i love talking about my characters and writing and ateez in general, it's SO fun - but the asks i get on a weekly basis that seem irritated with me have to stop, i can only do so much for so long and if i had stayed at that pace i would have burned myself out completely. thank you all so much for reading and for respecting this, i honestly love this little fic community so much which is why i feel like i can be honest about this. i have a lot of fic plans and a lot working, but for now, i really don't know when i'll publish what. what i can promise is that i'm always writing, even in small ways. so more tnt is coming, more aurora, more one-shots, etc. i just can't promise much more right now. thank you again, i love you all. 

[msbeanfl]

Back to Contents

Fragment #2: Orphans of Spite

Hush now, no scribble nor scratch, not a single sound. Betrayal by stylograph would be an ironic ending, although it would come all too soon. I hide amidst crates, stolen away by a dirigible. This story would not end in New Newgate, no. This story is only just beginning.

It has been some time, dear journal. Allow me to bring you up to speed.

Alighting from the dirigible, subterranean London became my new home. My identity shattered, memories still fading, I sought comfortable street corners at every avenue. Fortunately enough I still have my wit – and as such began work for a rather distractible investigator on Moloch Street. Nevertheless I felt aimless without sense of self, and found myself wandering into Spite on one odd eve.

Spite makes orphans of us all. All too frequently people push away that which they do not understand; this depressing truth extends even into our interactions with other people. And we do this all without ever asking the question: is it that you cannot understand, or that you simply refuse to?

My mind whirls with such questions. And when my psyche begins to buckle under the stress of such equations, I seek out the place of refuge I had discovered on that fateful night.

If you ever find yourself walking the streets of Spite, you might be beholden to an inexplicable sight: a solitary bench perched on high - positioned all so precariously, between the turrets of the tallest spire. Unreachable, insurmountable, unobtainable.

It was barely my second week in London, but I took what little my new name possessed and invested in rope and pitons. Without funds for a harness I still committed to the climb, establishing a foothold, inch by cautious inch, until finally I claimed my prize. And for a while, that bench became my home.

My perennial palace of serenity sat high above the busy streets, and although the climb retained some difficulty it was still worth the stillness of mind that ascent afforded. However, as with all things in this fallen city, oddities began blooming like dandelions.

Mysterious packages, echoing giggles, and an uncanny sense of being watched. At first, they bided their time from a distance. To my surprise, their unidentified parcels contained the occasional aid; and all the more surprising to my false sense of security, I otherwise received cruel pranks. I must have been a good sport, for after a while my mysterious benefactors finally revealed themselves.

My bench is no longer quiet. It is now home to a rowdy gaggle of urchins, who still are beholden to their own whims whether they bring gifts or grief. I tried showing them some of my work, and despite lacking in literacy they cherished my gift of words. In return, I was given a name.

Artichoke, Boots, Slipper, Truncheon. I know not the naming conventions of these guttersnipes, but they named me Bean. I was brought to tears by their kindness, and even more so when they tried to pass it off as an exchange of convenience: my namesake predecessor was a close friend of theirs who passed from this world all too soon, and they were determined not to let it go to waste.

And similarly determined am I - Ms Bean - to ensure that this newfound life of mine isn't simply tossed away. Despite its missing letters and borrowed nouns, I shall make this identity my own.

My memories fade. My old life is all but vanished now. New memories blossom in the wake of this strange new reality. And finally, I feel more myself than ever before.

[strawberryya]

ghost pipe

lee chan x reader

synopsis: He's a reckless driver, you're not. If only there could have been some balance - maybe it could have all worked out in the end...?

word count: 1.2k

genre/contains: angst, established relationship, reckless driving, a rather toxic relationship, mentions of previous arguments

rating: pg-13

a/n: thank u @wondernus for the header!! and thank u @idyllic-ghost for proofing it for me! and if anyone is interested: go listen to the entirety of lizzy mcalpine's album but specifically reckless driving which was the thing that occupied my mind and inspired this little take on it with chan :))

the little symptom sentences are from this website.

.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.

The ghost pipe, also known as Monotropa uniflora, cannot photosynthesize due to its lack of chlorophyll. It survives by feeding off of the surrounding trees. Unlike similar relationships between fungi, plants, and trees, the relationship involving the Ghost pipe is not symbiotic. The Ghost pipe does not appear to give anything back to its host plants. In other words, pipe plants are parasitic… 

It was always going to end like this. From the moment you kissed him goodbye on your first date, you both knew. It was sweet, breathtaking, and mind-numbing. You two were everything good in your world and everything that should never have been at the same time. 

Chan was so perfect until he wasn’t, and yet he had never actually changed. 

His touch was what you craved, his smile was what made your day, and his words were what killed you. With a single “I love you,” he could shatter your entire world, everything you had fought to build and to preserve from him. Any wall either of you put up would soon be breached in one way or another, pain-free or so very painfully. 

Even now, he wanted to know, he needed to understand what you were feeling. Your eyes were focused on the road, not even acknowledging the way he stared at you from behind his oh-so-caring expression. 

“Please look at the road,” you mumbled, hoping he didn’t see the way your entire body was tensing up with every number ticking up on the speedometer. 

“It’s fine.” 

It’s not fine, you thought. Why can’t he be more careful when driving? You wondered as you had so many times before. But you didn’t move, you didn’t meet his gaze even when it was burning your skin.

Boundaries are leaking, the patient may feel hijacked. 

“Just tell me what’s wrong,” he said, his tone was pleading but not enough to hide the demanding one hiding behind it. You knew he cared, you knew he wanted to make sure you were ok. Clearly, it still wasn’t enough for you to nod as you clenched your jaw to keep those burning tears from escaping the hold you had on them. He could still tell something was wrong and he wouldn’t let it go; he never did. 

“Why are you ignoring me?” 

The scenery was a blur at this point, you felt sick. You didn’t want to be stuck in the car with him right now; it felt so suffocating. The speed of the car accelerating pushing your body back into your seat kept pulling at your nerves while telling you exactly how Chan was feeling as he unconsciously pressed down on the gas. He didn’t have any control right now, you could feel it in your guts as your entire body yelled at you to make the car stop. If he would just drive a bit less recklessly…

Chan felt his heart sink as he stared at your tense hands in your lap, clenching the fabric of your jacket and laying across your legs to keep you warm in the chilly air of the car. Why were you acting like this? Did he do something to hurt you again? He didn’t remember. 

You had been alright the entire morning, breakfast had been eaten as usual, in silence while you both read your respective morning news on your phones. You had even kissed him like you always do before you both headed out the door, you seemed happy. During the entire hour since you had woken up in his arms, you showed no signs of anything being wrong. The morning had been unusually pain-free. No arguments, no passive-aggressive comments from either of you, nothing had happened that would spur your reaction right now. Why were you distancing yourself like this again? 

He wasn’t even thinking about his foot on the pedal, pressing only slightly harder the longer he stared at your figure in the dim morning light. 

“Please, just look at the road, I don’t wanna…” you said again, your shaky voice giving away just how much you were keeping hidden. Still, you held out a bit of hope that you would be able to keep this from blowing up in your face, contrary to everything else in your life. 

Sensations of being constricted, pressurized, or explosive may occur.

“Answer me,” he contradicted your plea. 

Your head snapped over to him, meeting his burning eyes, “Just, please! I can’t do this right now.” 

It was a bad choice, you discovered. You felt your heart stop when you saw him, hands barely even on the steering wheel, eyes brimming with tears matching the ones in yours. Fuck. You didn’t want to hurt him, of course, you didn’t. Could you let go without him being hurt though? 

“I… I hate that you always drive like this,” you said, your voice only faltering ever so slightly. Your teary eyes bore into his with the passionate hatred that the simple fact that he never thought twice before throwing himself out into the heavily trafficked roads had set off within you even after the surprisingly uneventful morning you two had had. 

He didn’t answer you, but you saw how his hand twitched around the wheel. 

This wasn’t the first time you had told him you felt unsafe when he drove like that. He knew that, and yet… he always felt so safe when you were there that he didn’t even think twice when he sped up, going way past the limit and making your thoughts go to places you didn’t want to go. 

“I love you,” was all he said, his voice a bare whisper, his words a last plea because he knew that wasn’t all you hated. 

“I can’t. It hurts so much.” 

You were crying now, tears running down your cheeks, staining them with the saltiness they contained. he felt you slipping away with every drop that traced down your neck and wetted the collar of your shirt. 

“Don’t say that,” he whispered, the sound of the car almost drowning his words out into nothingness. 

“I can’t love you like that anymore.”

“Please stop it,” he said, his voice growing firmer as his heart broke into even tinier pieces with every tear that fell down your lap. 

“If I don’t… I think I might die,” you gasped, trying to get the words to come out in between your shallow breaths and tears that wouldn’t - couldn’t - stop.

Chan wanted to argue that he loved you enough for the both of you, but he couldn’t say a single word. He knew it had been there, but he didn’t want to let go just yet, he couldn’t let you go like that. Not when you were the best thing that had happened to him; not when he didn’t know if he would ever have anything better. 

Your eyes flickered over to the road, your heart dropping as they came back to Chan’s gaze still locked on you as if you would disintegrate if he looked away. 

“Please! Look at the road Chan!” you cried out, making him finally tear his gaze away from you when he saw the bright red lights flashing in the distance and lighting up the dark morning road. His foot slammed on the brakes, his entire body tensed up as he realized just how close the cars in front of him were standing. 

Patients may feel cut off, numb, and isolated. A vital connection has been broken, they feel left out, rejected, and alienated. 

.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.

Reblogging and commenting is highly appreciated!! Hearing what you thought is what makes writing and being here overall so much fun! Ty and ily 💕

[navigation post!]

[pplatonic]

Hi! Due to that one extremely popular fan PV, EVERYONE thinks that Two-Faced Lovers by wowaka ft. Hatsune Miku is about teenage pregnancy and careless sex, and as someone who is very probably manic right now, I’m here to channel my manic energy into hopefully somewhat comprehensible ramblings about why you’re wrong and I’m right. 

So the basic literal story of our girl starts with waking up from a dream. She says that “Love” takes over, and continues on to spew out lines upon lines at rapid speed all about how her emotions are all over the place. On the pre chorus, we stop focusing on purely emotional and shift over to physical sensations, where in the chorus it all boils over to some striking imagery involving body parts.

It basically repeats the same thing over again with her consequences starting to sneak up on her, but she jumps back into that emotion and physical sensation nonetheless. The pre chorus and chorus play out straight, until the key shifts up and the chorus repeats and ends with the banging chant of “Love love love love--NO!”

So that’s our literal story. And many people will interpret the colorful physical sensations to be sex, and you’re not wrong the song is literally called Two-Faced Lovers, but I’m telling you that’s NOT ALL THERE IS TO IT.

Let’s start at the start, line by line!! 

“I woke up from a dream full of delight inside my head-space

A perplexing thing called Love took over, and then”

These are pretty self explanatory. The girl is brimming with happy emotions at a dream full of delight, and then an emotion they don’t understand and find perplexing - Love - takes control.

“I couldn't keep my heart-space from splitting in two

Never had the capacity to control it in the first place”

First of all what should be noted is that of the contrast between a “head-space” and a “heart-space.” Most simply, there’s a disconnect between the girl’s logic and the girl’s emotions.

The lines themselves further this theme of disorienting emotions, saying their heart-space has split in two. (This will be brought up again later.) The girl then acknowledges they couldn’t control it in the first place - this was bound to happen with her wild emotions.

“With my mostly naive theory of emotion somewhere in that spray of words

I was someway, somehow looking for a pair of eyes to find out where it's at--LIFE”

I cannot prepare you for the absolute RAWNESS of these lines. Firstly, the way they straight up just acknowledge that the way they connect with and conceive their emotions is naive and pathetic outright?? And they’re just spraying words out rapidly - they’re looking for the eyes that can even see where that theory of emotion is, where that meaning is, and then they just go, “Aw, shucks, that’s life son!” WOW. 

So the first verse sets our stage: an emotionally disoriented girl, trying to make sense of life. The next verse will add on to this by demonstrating the emotional confusion all of this intense emotion of Love is causing her.

“Every day is full of "why" did this, did that, but in the end, it's sayonara baby”

The first part, asking why they did this and that, is the nonsense that life has become with this emotion of Love plaguing her. Her life is nothing but questions, but in the end, all she’s doing is saying goodbye to another baby. Which like, you can interpret that to mean she’s getting another abortion which like perfectly demonstrates the consequences of her careless actions and fits with the theme, yeah, but also what about “baby” as in the pet name for a lover? What if the same line could have a double meaning of hopping from one love and life to another, saying sayonara, as soon as you blink twice?

“One side facing truth, one side running, my two-sided heart”

This is what I think the heart-space split in two is referencing. One side faces truth - one part of her heart is ready to be self-aware and accept what’s happening, the unhealthiness going on. But the other side runs away further into delusion - further into the madness - and such is the dilemma that our poor girl faces. People say listen to your heart, but which side of her heart does she listen to?

“Is there no good out there? I ask my topsy-turvy self

Inside myself, beside myself, insides turned inside out, ahhhh”

A question given out in utter desperation, sprung up by endless confusion and toil - is there any good to be found in the world? She acknowledges that she’s all over the place right now, before she falls apart completely, getting wrapped up in that emotion before we spring into the pre chorus.

“Just touching by instinct with nothing to say

Hurting, touching, gasping, feeling like I could climb to heaven”

Acting purely on instinct now with no thoughts running through her head, experiencing a whole breadth of human experience, using the phrase “like I’m in heaven.” The emotion of Love is taking control of her body and mind, she’s getting totally swept up in emotion.

“But I'm stuck going nowhere here and there”

She acknowledges that just for a second, this is leading her nowhere, that it’s all going towards disaster, but -

“Take that leap to the other side”

She submits anyway, giving into the whir of emotions, leading us into the chorus!

“Get head over heels in love, breathe from your diaphragm

Jump into a intense taste, front side, flip side, big as life

Force them together, stick them over your retinas

Just give yourself to love! Want-don't-want to see you--NO!”

The start and end of the chorus clarifies fully that she’s giving into the perplexing emotion of Love, even romanticizing it. Other parts of the chorus are vivid imagery of physical sensation - breathing from your diaphragm, sticking them over your retinas, jumping into an intense taste...The end of the chorus is a girl in conflict, does she go to see him or not? In the end she just says NO to it all!

Obviously this can be read as sex, but that’s not all it is. The sex is a metaphor, guys, I’m not crazy. Committing such a personal, intimate, beautiful act entirely on a whim - and facing the deadly consequences afterwards. That’s what this song is about. And the next iteration of the song proves that.

Not much has changed - our girl obviously hasn’t learnt her lesson. She’s still singing nearly the exact same lyrics! Our first key that something is off is that the dream is now full of misery. Then, the end of the verse shows us what’s wrong:

“Mostly vaguely innocent calamity strewn by my swollen ego

Telling me where I'm at, these words I think I've grasped”

She becomes self aware for just a flash about her ego - swollen - leading her to jump straight into scenarios that seem fun but end awfully, causing calamity and chaos in her life. All caused by her listening to her big ego about what to do - she thinks she’s finally starting to understand what’s happening, but she continues back into the same loop anyways… 

I honestly don’t think the second chorus needs a line-by-line breakdown. It’s just a show of how chaotic her life has become, she’s completely lost in the loop and even though she acknowledged before what’s happening she can’t stop it. Then, the key shift happens and the chorus repeats, with the iconic ending “Love love love love--NO!”

(Personally, I like to interpret the last “NO!” as her realizing the full consequences of her actions just as it’s a second too late. Teehee.)

All in all, this song isn’t about teenage pregnancy. That’s the most literal interpretation of the lyrics - a girl carelessly throwing herself into unsafe sex and getting the consequence of pregnancy. But why would she do these things? What’s the underlying message behind that? The sex is a metaphor, guys, I’m not crazy. 

This song is about, TO ME (I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY) getting caught up in a whirl of emotions, and bright-eyed naive you just gets swept up in them while you don’t fully understand them. Even though a part of you is aware of what's happening - and your actions are starting to come back to bite you in the ass - you still continue letting yourself get whirled up in this amazing delightful sensation, and then the consequences of your actions hit you full force. 

As someone with bipolar disorder, this song is just so highly relatable! And it’s why I’m so passionate about it not just being about teenage pregnancy, and instead something more. That amazing whirl of emotion that comes to you like a dream, that takes over your whole life, forces you into impulsivity, hypersexuality, and never thinking about the consequences of your actions. How a part of you wants to aim for recovery but the desire for manic energy nags at your heart, wanting to run deep into the madness. And you ignore the red flags and warning signs, but once everything’s said and done, you’re sat there staring at the horrid consequences of what you’ve done while swept up by mania.

Just to clarify, I am NOT saying this song is about mania. To me it’s about any old whir of emotion you get caught up in. But in the context of mania, it sure is fucking relatable!

Anyway hope that made sense share my ramblings with someone else spread the word kthx bye

[ebaeschnbliah]

That morning they lit a fire in a deep hollow shrouded by great bushes of holly, and their supper-breakfast was merrier than it had been since they set out. They did not hurry to bed afterwards, for they expected to have all the night to sleep in, and they did not mean to go on again until the evening of the next day. Only Aragorn was silent and restless. After a while he left the Company and wandered on to the ridge; there he stood in the shadow of a tree, looking out southwards and westwards, with his head posed as if he was listening. Then he returned to the brink of the dell and looked down at the others laughing and talking.

`What is the matter, Strider?' Merry called up. 'What are you looking for? Do you miss the East Wind?'

'No indeed,' he answered. `But I miss something. I have been in the country of Hollin in many seasons. No folk dwell here now, but many other creatures live here at all times, especially birds. Yet now all things but you are silent. I can feel it. There is no sound for miles about us, and your voices seem to make the ground echo. I do not understand it.'

Gandalf looked up with sudden interest. `But what do you guess is the reason?' he asked. `Is there more in it than surprise at seeing four hobbits, not to mention the rest of us, where people are so seldom seen or heard?'

`I hope that is it,' answered Aragorn. `But I have a sense of watchfulness, and of fear, that I have never had here before.'

"Then we must be more careful,' said Gandalf. 'If you bring a Ranger with you, it is well to pay attention to him, especially if the Ranger is Aragorn. We must stop talking aloud, rest quietly, and set the watch.'

It was Sam's turn that day to take the first watch, but Aragorn joined him. The others fell asleep. Then the silence grew until even Sam felt it. The breathing of the sleepers could be plainly heard. The swish of the pony's tail and the occasional movements of his feet became loud noises. Sam could hear his own joints creaking, if he stirred. Dead silence was around him, and over all hung a clear blue sky, as the Sun rode up from the East. Away in the South a dark patch appeared, and grew, and drove north like flying smoke in the wind.

`What's that, Strider? It don't look like a cloud ...' 

... said Sam in a whisper to Aragorn. He made no answer, he was gazing intently at the sky; but before long Sam could see for himself what was approaching. Flocks of birds, flying at great speed, were wheeling and circling, and traversing all the land as if they were searching for something; and they were steadily drawing nearer.

`Lie flat and still!' hissed Aragorn, pulling Sam down into the shade of a holly-bush; for a whole regiment of birds had broken away suddenly from the main host, and came, flying low, straight towards the ridge. Sam thought they were a kind of crow of large size. As they passed overhead, in so dense a throng that their shadow followed them darkly over the ground below, one harsh croak was heard.

Not until they had dwindled into the distance, north and west, and the sky was again clear would Aragorn rise. Then he sprang up and went and wakened Gandalf.

`Regiments of black crows are flying over all the land between the Mountains and the Greyflood,' he said, `and they have passed over Hollin. They are not natives here; they are crebain out of Fangorn and Dunland. I do not know what they are about: possibly there is some trouble away south from which they are fleeing; but I think they are spying out the land. I have also glimpsed many hawks flying high up in the sky. I think we ought to move again this evening. Hollin is no longer wholesome for us: it is being watched.'

`And in that case so is the Redhorn Gate,' said Gandalf; `and how we can get over that without being seen, I cannot imagine. But we will think of that when we must. As for moving as soon as it is dark, I am afraid that you are right.'

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Ring goes South

[raetreaderarts]

This could’ve been attached to my last post but I didn’t think I was gonna be mentally ill all the way into 6 in the morning (ADHD time works different than regular time and I hate it)

ANYWAYS allow me to discuss these two. Under this little read more tab. If you wanna hear about my stupid gay ass simping for this beautiful old lady. I mean I certainly don’t see a ring on that finger.

OKAY SO I imagine that at some point Virus ends up hitching a ride on the Brave Asigiri and when Diana joins the gang it’s love at first sight for Virus. Like at first she’s like “oh yeah I just think she’s cool” but then she realizes she wants to do things like hold hands and hear her voice and she’s like OH NO. AM I GAY??? Because she’s like 21 at this point, I changed her age cause I’m turning 22 in a couple weeks but anyways, she’s gone through 21 years of her life assuming she’s straight. Meanwhile Diana’s already come to terms with her bisexuality and is quite comfortable with the identity she’s come to know over her 60-ish years, I just put 64 as like an approximation and also it’s like Super Mario 64 which is pretty cool.

Before Diana leaves, Virus finally ends up confessing and Diana already knew Virus was down bad cause Virus’s eyes were always filled with yearning whenever she looked at Diana. But Diana says that this isn’t gonna work cause she’s gotta go and adventure, and Virus is fucking distraught but of course she respects Diana’s wishes. HOWEVER even when Diana does leave she just cannot get Virus out of her mind, so at some point afterwards she sends her squakabilly to give Virus a letter, and they end up meeting again and going on adventures together. Cause Virus is a homebody, but as soon as she met Diana, she became her new home.

They’re pretty great together since Diana is an ambivert and Virus has an anxiety disorder, so Diana can speak up for Virus in public situations but they can also just have quiet vibing hangout sessions. Virus doesn’t fully understand Diana’s passions all the time since she’s admittedly a bit dense but she always listens when Diana wants to share information about Rakua with her.

This paragraph is a tad risqué

Virus is definitely more of a like, naughty thinker I guess, but she feels embarrassed and weird about it so she doesn’t usually say anything until Diana teases it out of her. Meanwhile Diana is fully aware of how dirty minded Virus can be and she loves messing with Virus just to make her get all flustered and red in the face, sometimes whispering an innuendo in her ear or discreetly squeezing a part of her body. Since Diana is experienced with these sorts of things, she knows the exact buttons to push in order to make Virus squeal.

Ok that’s it for the risqué stuff. I know it was pretty tame but I like to add warnings just in case

Both of them have their bodily insecurities, with Virus dreading her round face and pudginess and Diana worrying that her golden years are over, but they both completely adore every single bit of each other. Virus has always been into older people, wrinkles and stretch marks and cellulite drive her absolutely insane so of course she would find Diana attractive. Meanwhile Diana loves Virus’s round face and pudgy body because she finds her to be absolutely adorable.

They’re both fairly competent when it comes to pokemon battling, Virus has her drizzile as her ace and of course Diana has her arcanine. If I had a nickel for every old person with an arcanine I crushed on I’d have two nickels. Anyways since they can cover each other’s weaknesses they make for a great team. While Diana goes for speed, Virus goes for power.

Alright like I said it’s 6 am so I need to go to bed, I was planning on going to bed at 12 but obviously that did not happen, I can see the sun peeking through my window god help me. As always if you guys got any questions you can ask, if you’re interested in this pairing let me know before I end up fixating on Cookie Run again, all that good stuff 👍