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... I am the same guy
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do it :3
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sieveyourtea · 1 month ago
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Born Archivist AU Wrap Up Post
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Image ID below the cut. Art by @dcartcorner !
Series Summary:
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different...
...Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, is eleven years old when Mr. Bouchard comes to see him.
A massive thank you to you all. For reading, especially for commenting, and for all the support in getting this over the finish line.
If you're interested in reading or seeing more art, please check out the links below the cut. You do need an Archive account to read!
My ask box is open, I'd love to chat theories, questions, and thoughts anytime! Please don't be shy!
What to Know:
Child of Illumination is a fic series with three primary story arcs that follows John Sims from age eleven to his time as Head Archivist of Magnus Institute after being adopted by Elias Bouchard and Peter Lukas.
All three main arcs are rated T and suitable for those who can enjoy the same sort of content as in the podcasts. CW's are provided on individual chapters.
The Main Story:
Part One: Child of Illumination:
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different...
...Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, is eleven years old when Mr. Bouchard comes to see him.
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Image Id at the end. Art by @sarcasticscribbles!
Part Two: Shadow in the Hunting Grounds
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different.
Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, has lived with fathers for six years. Like for a lot of other young people, University presents a time for self-exploration, and a first occasion of being out on his own without someone...Watching quite so closely.
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Image ID at the end. Art by @sarcasticscribbles!
Part Three: Blood of the Covenant
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different.
Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, has spent three years working as a Lead Researcher at the Magnus Institute. For someone for whom home has had a less than solid definition, the Institute offers a chance for safe place for John to finally answer the questions that have followed him for as long as he can recall.
Being able to work alongside his father is simply an added bonus, of course.
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Image ID at the end. Art by @sarcasticscribbles!
Art:
COI wouldn't be what it is without the amazing artists who have brought it to life!
Official Scene and Summary art is by @dcartcorner who does exceptional work across the board.
Official Covers for all three main stories are by @sarcasticscribbles who's art is one of the reasons I started to engaged in fandom at all!
Official additional art of some choice scenes as done beautiful by @mxwhore who I cant thank enough for their amazing work!
Other creators who have made art related to COI include @obscuravoid, @the-awful-dread-that-leaves, @novae-viking, @basilikum7, @hemi-demi, and @moominmammaonhero1n!
Please, go and show them some love! I will post an Art-chive into the series on A03 as well to link back directly to all of the amazing work that's been made! If you've made something and don't see your name here, please let me know!
Additional Content:
Part of the fun of the series are the additional side fics. They cover a range of topics from John's interactions with various people, time spent with Peter and Elias, and the horror content that makes TMA what it is. There are all flavors, from G to E, and all can be found at the hyperlink above.
These are NOT necessary to understand the story and do NOT contain critical plot points. They're simply for fun! .
A special shoutout to @selinko for a lovely set of memes that absolutely made my day and continue to do so!
FAQ's:
The following are just some things that have come into my inbox the last couple of days in particular!
Can I make fanart of this story?
Sure! Please tag me, I'd love to see and spread the love!
Can I make other fanworks of this story?
Sure! Same as above, please tag me. I'd love to see and spread the love!
Will you be writing more?
I may do additional side pieces, but the main story is happily done. I have a total of 105 fanfics, 104 of which are Magnus if you're interested!
Can I send you questions/thoughts/songs/things that made me think about the story?
Yes, my ask box is open and there is an anonymous option. I will delete rude asks, but otherwise am happy to answer. Any spoilers, I'll put below a bar.
Image IDs:
Cover Art: A painting showing John Sims at the center, playing chess with an unknown opponent. On either side above him are Elias Bouchard, surrounded by books, and Peter Lukas, holding a stack of playing cards. Together, they hold a crown of gold and green eyes over John's head, framed by a spider-web window. At John's feet are three animals--a lion, a cobra, and penguin, looking up from a base of fire that shows Agnes Montague, Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood, and Sasha James respectively. 
First Cover: Cover Art of John giving a statement to Gertrude the portrait. He is 11-13 years old, wearing square glasses and talking to her as if she is an old friend.  
Second Cover: A family style portrait of Elias Bouchard (aged around 40), John Sims (aged seventeen to eighteen), and Peter Lukas (aged around 50) years old. 
Third Cover: John Sims and Peter Lukas are playing a round of cards. John is debating whether or not to be on this hand with chin resting in his hand. Peter is holding a 2 of diamonds and a 7 of clubs, considered the worst draw in Texas Hold 'Em. Elias Bouchard, with a faint green light around his eyes, watches from behind John's shoulder, the whole viewed over by a Portrait of Jonah Magnus with the same faint green light. 
Thank You!
Thank you all again for letting me share this story and journey with you. After one year and nineteen days of writing, I am very happy and rather proud to say the series is complete. It's my longest fanworks project by a mile and wouldn't have been possible without all of your lovely support.
With all the love in the world, Sieve signing off.
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lanadelreyscokewhor3 · 3 months ago
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LIKE A LOVE SONG- JOSH WASHINGTON
pairing: best friend!josh x fem!reader
word count- noo idea yet... writing this rn
summary: you and josh have been best friends for years, and the crush youve had on him hasnt subsided. things are all fine and dandy, until one night, the cat is pulled out of the bag...
warnings: implied SMUT, hella dirty talk, voygerism, dry humping, josh being a huge tease, pet names, some mocking, reader and josh are intoxicated, biting, etc etc
notes: hey so i need this man sexually! thats it thats all, im gonna open my account up to write for more fandoms and hop around:) just testing out the waters with this one
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"josh we are sooo gonna get caught.." you slurred, hiccuping with a giggle as he tugged your arm, pulling you down the empty hallway, leaving your scattered friendgroup behind in the abyss.
a glint was in his eye as he looked back at you, full of mischief and hunger, and you couldn't help but bat your eyelashes at him. he was so dreamy it was making you swoon.
you had always thought he was beautiful- like a dream come alive. ever since he had accidently bumped into you during freshman year of college, you had be under his trance.
"shit, shit i'm so sorry, i shouldve watched where i was going. are you okay?" he had asked as he quickly bent down to help you gather your spilled papers. it was straight out of a chick flick, and you had finally felt like the main character instead of the extra.
he made you feel so special, always making flirty comments (though he did that with everyone), and giving you looks that had your head spinning.
tonight was no different.
the booze in your system made you extra giddy, and you felt his grip tighten as the two of you neared an empty bedroom down the hall.
not a doubt had passed through your mind when josh asked if you wanted to escape from the group for a while- clearly a bit intoxicated, but still stable enough to make a coherent decision. not in a million years would you pass up a chance to be alone with him.
"isn't that what makes it so much more fun?" he cooed, tugging you into the empty room, slamming the door behind you with a whoosh. without a second to gather your breath he had pinned you back against the door, hand darting out to turn the lock.
"do you actually-" you hiccuped nervously. "-wanna do something with me? do you wanna have sex?" you giggled, your bluntness making him laugh.
"yes, i wanna have sex with you. i have for years. is that okay?"
your eyes widened. did this man just say for years?
"oh."
he bit his lip, eyes roaming down your body, stopping to admire every trance from under your fitted clothes. "you gonna let me fuck you? or are you too scared chris is gonna wanna join in?"
"oh shut up."
he smirked, breath hot and heavy on your skin as he placed a soft kiss on your collarbone, nipping it with his teeth enough to make you hiss in shock.
"he does, cause you're so sexy. like a porn star. you have such a tight bod. wonder if your pussy is just as tight."
his dirty talk had your face heating, brain turning to mush as you moaned, leaning into his touch.
"you know how much i've wrapped my hands around my cock wishinng it was you? too many times." you squealed as he bit down on your neck, hard, hard enough to make a mark for anyone with a set of eyes to see, but you didnt care.
"j-josh fuck i-"
"whats up baby? need some cock to make you think straight? you've been giving me those pretty googly eyes all night, thinking i haven't noticed. so naive." he cooed as you ran your fingers through his hair, back arching into his touch as his large hands traveled down to your thighs before swooping you up so you clung wrapped around his torso.
"you're so fuckin hot. makes me so hard just thinking of you."
you rutted against him, sighing at the friction it caused, sending shocks down your spine stright to your core. his lips found yours, teeth and tounge clashing, nothing nice about the kiss. it was rough and hard and full of need.
"fuckin pathetic, humping me like some bitch in heat." he growled, his mocking turning you on even more. you reached down, struggling to tug at his belt, needing it off.
the less layers between you two- the better.
you gasped as your wooden support was removed, as he took you over and tossed you down on the bed with ease- as if you were a doll. you barely had a second to look at him before he was on top of you, smirk coy as he rutted his denim clothed cock on your cunt, already soaked through your shorts and tights.
he was toying with you.
"im gonna fuck you so hard you're not gonna be able to walk for days." he murmred, lifting your hips up as he tugged at your bottoms, nearly ripping them in half.
"then how are you gonna explain to the group why you're limping around like some fawn hm? cause joshey fucked you so good and so deep and your tight little cunt couldnt take it."
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changisworld · 1 year ago
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How skz members react to getting your period during sex.
word count;1,701
Obvious MDNI, 18+ SMUT WARNINGS UNDER THE CUT
©ANY translation, copy & paste, posting of my work is strictly forbidden for ANY posts/ writing i post.
main masterlist here
SMUT WARNINGS: period sex(obviously), menstrual blood, cunnilgus, cum play, soft sex, degradation, praise, petnames such as; hunny, baby, babe, gorgeous, pretty,, degrading names such as; dirty, dirty talk, mention of multiple orgasms, spit, fluff upon fluff, slight dom x sub dynamics in some.
BANGCHAN
You are currently in a mating press as chan is fucking into your swollen, wet walls as his chest is on top of the back of your thighs, leaning against them as he is kissing you, swallowing the whines you're currently making. Chan bites your bottom lip before leaning slightly lower to whisper & groan some sweet words into your ears.
"Love ya so much baby... fuck, ya feel s-so good, pussy so warm around me, fuck." He says before kissing your nose & standing fully upright again, still buried inside you.
His eyes shut as his eyebrows furrowed as his head tilts towards the ceiling before he looks down at your pussy & stops dead in his tracks. You feel the sudden stop & get up onto your elbows to look at where you're both connected.
"Why'd you stop Channie? keep going baby please" You say, sounding whiny as you pant, out of breath.
" Ah, babe you,eh- you've started your period... i'll get a-a towel." Chan pulls fully out but before he can move away fully, your legs cage him in as you wrap them around his waist.
"Well i mean.. we've already started... we can continue if you want to baby, you have said you wanted to try it before, it feels good anyway hunny don't worry." You give him a faint smile, cheeks turning a bit red but no way near the redness on Chans cheeks.
Chan looks at you, a bit stunned & surprised by what just left your lips. "Oh wow, you sure baby? don' wanna hurt ya y/n" he says to you in a low voice, his fingers falling to wrap around his hard cock again to pump it slowly to relieve some of the tension.
You take his reaction into account & unlatch your legs from around his waist, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Channie if you don't wanna we don-" you're interrupted as chan leans over you & shuts you up with a kiss. He breaks it momentarily to breath out the words: "don't be silly baby, of course i want to, if it makes you feel good who am i to stop hm?" He kisses you again & slides back inside you, letting out a small groan into your lips.
LEE KNOW
You are currently making out with leeknow, underneath him as he is in-between your legs. His hand slowly teases your nipples & then drags down until he finally puts his hand underneath your leggings & into your panties.
His finger starts teasing your folds as he continues kissing you, you biting his tongue playfully every once in a while. Leeknow breaks it but keeps his face just above your face as he pulls his hand back out of your leggings to bring them up to your lips but stops as he notices his fingers are now coated red. You also realise this.
"oh fuck leeknow i'm so sorry, oh my god" Your face turns bright red as embarrassment overwhelms you, you try to squirm out from under him but he doesn't budge.
"hey hey hey, stop apologising, you're acting as if i'm not a fully grown man, baby, a bit of blood isn't gonna bother me y/n" He says, kissing the tip of your nose as he wipes the bit of blood from his fingers onto his sweatpants, carelessly. "I'm more than happy to keep going pretty, just say the words."
You are a bit taken aback by his words & you think for a moment before trying to grind your covered core against him but he nips your thigh & you wince as you stop. "I said, say the words y/n." Leeknow says, smirking at you with his cat eyes, fingers that nipped you now found their way back to the hem of your leggings.
" I-i want you, t-to continue, please touch me daddy, need it" You whimper to him, hands coming up to cup his cheeks, trying to convince him. "Good girl, since you asked so nicely, i'm happy to help." He says as his fingers dip back down into your leggings.
CHANGBIN
You're currently being bent over the edge of the couch as changbin is pounding into you, your eyes rolling back as he has already made you cum around his dick twice, close to a third.
"Holy fuck, baby, uh, you're bleeding, am i hurting you?" Changbin asks, coming to a halt inside you, still got his shirt in between his teeth, holding it up.
"No? you're not hurting me at all Binnie, wait.. what's todays date?" You ask, eyebrows frowning as you try catch you breath. Changbin makes an "uuhhhh" sound as he struggle but manages to reach over to the coffee table, still buried inside you to where your phone is & taps it.
"It's the tenth today, hunny when is your period due?" He asks, caressing your nips with his hands, kneading the skin.
You let out a small chuckle at the question. "It was meant to be here yesterday but didn't arrive, i was actually gonna buy a pregnancy test after valentines day if it still hadn't shown up... but i guess i don't need to anymore? you can pull out if you want Binnie i won't mind." you say, chuckling a bit. Changbin chuckles too.
"Don't be silly of course im not pulling out if you're giving me the option to stay in here, it's really hot to be honest. Kinda sucks that you'll be on your period for valentines day though, wont be able to give you a babyyyy" He whines, thrusting into you slowly as he leans over your back to kiss your shoulders.
HYUNJIN
You're lying on the bed, on top of a towel, in missionary as Hyunjin is slowly & sensually thrusting into you, pressing into your lower stomach so it feels that bit better for you, also helping him feel how deep inside you he is. He has already made you turn into basically just a puddle on the bed with the multiple orgasms he has pulled from you, made that bit more intense by the hormones from your period.
Hyunjin moans in a deep but loud pitch as he cums inside you, you whine along with his sounds as you feel his cum paint your walls along with the blood. He leans down & kisses you before gathering his breath & then pulls out before wiping his dick on the towel you're lying on before he slides off the bed, onto his knees, face at your swollen, blood covered cunt & clit.
"Baby whatcha doin? cmere i wanna cuddle" You say while leaning onto your elbows, moving your legs to shut but he stops you & holds them open. "We can cuddle soon gorgeous, but for now, hold your legs open for me baby, i wanna taste all our juices together mkay?" He says, voice cheerful but low in tone before he pushes your legs back, making you reach out & take them as he licks one long stripe from beneath your hole to the very top of your cit. He keeps his tongue out of his mouth to show it to you, a strip of red with a tint of white along his tongue, He hums at your flushed cheeks & blown out eyes as he digs back in.
He begins suckling & nibbling at your clit which makes you begin squirming & thrashing him around slightly but Hyunjin is quick to hold you back down. He moves slightly to let his nose bump & rub against your clit as he starts playing around with your folds & lets his tongue worm its way inside. You squeal at the new feeling.
"Fuck J-jinnie s-s-so good holy f-fuck your tongue feels so good gon-gonna cum alrea-dy" You whine, hand reaching down to wrap your fingers in his hair, pushing him impossibly closer to your cunt, him humming at the reaction coming from you.
Your high hits you a minute later, hyunjin still slurping away at you. You begin to get overstimulated as you come down from your high so hyunjin takes one last loud suck of your cunt before unlatching himself from it, admiring the glistening of your pussy, every inch except for your actual hole, practically as clean of blood as it can be. He worms his way up you & taps your chin. You open your mouth & he spits the mix of cum, blood & your wetness into your mouth.
"Thank you for letting me do that for you baby, cleaned you up so well" He rubs his nose against yours before he begins to move off you to clean his face but you pull him back & kiss him. "no, thank you for cleaning me up, my pretty boy."
HAN JISUNG
Han is beneath you currently blindfolded & tied to the bed by his arms as you finally pop off his dick, letting all the spit that accumulated from the blowjob you just gave him, him whining & complaining because of the loss of pleasure after being edged for the fourth time, tears beginning to wet the eyemask.
"You want my pussy now baby hm?" you ask, taking your panties off & now straddling his waist, grinding along the tiny seat. "yes m-m-mommy p-pulease, i'll do anyt-thing" he whines, trying to wiggle his arms out from their ties but it's no use. "fine, since you have been so patient & such a good boy, i guess you can feel it." You say in a low but pretty sounding voice as you raise your hips slightly when you notice blood on his lower waist, where you were just sitting.
"Oh.. uh Hannie, i.. my periods just came." you remove his blindfold & he does his best to look down & sees the small patch. "so? what's that got to do with anything?" he asks, boba eyes staring at you. "Hannie... you still wanna keep going? it will be.. you know.. messy." you reply back, still got your hips raised & still holding his cock in your hand. "of course i wanna keep going, it's hot as fuck." He giggles, still watching you for a reaction. You blush at his words & you nod before letting yourself sink down on him, both whining (han obviously whining louder & more than you.
FELIX
Felix is playing his Genchin at his PC but isn't paying much attention to the game itself since you are on top of him, riding him. His hands are on your ass helping you as he uses his strength to pull you up & down. You are a babbling mess at this point, drool leaving your mouth & dripping down your chin as he smirks at you & keeps groaning in his deep, heavy voice.
"I can feel ya clenchin' around me, ya gon' cum for me babe? I'm close.. fuck" he moans, leaning in to kiss you, hand leaving your ass to rub your clit.
"B-b-fuck im' cummin'" you squeal, burrying your head in his shoulder as your orgasm squirts onto his balls, shirt & gaming chair beneath him. Felix cums the second you do, your walls clenching him too tight to hold on.
He lifts you up, still inside you as he walks over to the bed & drops you down on it as he kisses your lips, cheek & then forehead before slipping out.
"I'll be right back baby." felix says, jogging into your bathroom. He comes back a minute later & you feel something warm against your pussy which makes you jolt. You look up to see Felix wiping your pussy with a warm damp towel. " What you doing lixie? is something wrong?" you ask, still unaware as to why he is doing this. "ah.. well you started your period babe, i wanted to clean you up a bit so you didn't get embarrassed" he says, blushing. "Oh... i'm sorry i uh.. messed your cock up with my blood, but thank you for cleaning me up lovely but i needa go bathroom, can you help me seeing since i dont think my legs work too well" you chuckle to him & he chuckles too before lifting you up around his waist as he carries you to the bathroom, still kissing you.
SEUNGMIN
Seungmin is under you right now as your thighs are on each side of his face as he is as deep as he can in your pussy as he is balls deep inside your mouth. Spit is dripping from your lips, down his balls, pelvis & legs as he is slurping every bit of juice you are leaking. You feel your orgasm about to hit when he suddenly lifts your hips up slightly so you pull your mouth off his dick.
"i knew you tasted different, kitten got her period, i know you keep track of it so did you do this on purpose hm? wanted me to eat your bloody cunt? that's dirty y/n." He says to you in a low voice, repositioning you both so he is now behind you as your ass is up & your face is cheek down on the bed>
"No sir.. promise, i didn't know it was due, we can stop i don't mi-" You are cut off as you feel his tip impaling you. "Why would i stop now hm? i've already came this far, might aswell feel if it's worth it seeing since i already tasted if it's worth it. You want my dick covered in your blood hm? mark it up even more hm?" He asks you rhetorically, starting to slowly thrust as your legs shake slightly, struggling to keep you up. "y-yes p-please let me sta-stain is sir" you whimper out, knuckles turning white from the grip you have on the bedsheets.
JEONGIN
You & Jeongin have been dating for around two months & you are now under him for the first time. You are in nothing but your thong & matching bra as he has your bra pulled to the side to suck on your nipples. He lets go with a pop when they're both fully hard as his other hand slithers down to your thong.
"You're this wet already? i feel honoured" He gives you his gorgeous cheeky smile & you chuckle back before he slithers his hand under but you realise the wetness he's dragging his fingers along feels.. different. You instantly jolt back which makes Jeongin jump.
"ARE you alright? did i hurt you? do something wrong?" he asks, eyes wide as plates.
"Eh, goodness, i think my periods just started? It.. the wetness feels a bit more thin... if it makes sense" you say, voice slighlty shaken as you grab Jeongins hand & look at it & you indeed do see red on his fingers.
"Holy fuck.. Jeongin i'-i'm so so so sorry, oh my god this is so embarrassing.." You shake a bit & Jeongin reaches over & hugs you tightly. "Don't worry bout it, it's natural so don't be embarrassed. Why not you go get cleaned up & do what you need to do & i'll go get food from the fridge since based off your reaction, i'm guessing you don't want this to be out first time." he giggles slightly & lets go of you to cup your cheeks, wiping the small tear that had rolled down your cheek. You nod at him before he kisses your nose then goes to the kitchen.
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elitadream · 5 months ago
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Hi guys~! ⛅👋
Long time no see! Much longer than I ever intended, in fact. Truth be told, I wanted to make a public post sooner, but I've had a lot to catch up on in terms of notifications and messages since logging back in a few days ago. I've also made some changes that I will address shortly, but first of all I wanted to thank those of you who have reached out with so much care and understanding during my absence. Adjusting has been a slow and fragile process for me -still is-, and I sadly haven't responded directly to everyone yet because of it, but I wanted to say how much I appreciate your patience and support nonetheless. 🥹 🙏
Long story short, I was gone for five months due to a huge burnout, then progressively found my spark again somewhere along the way and have since mostly recovered. It was my wonderful friend @drones-of-innocence who reached out to me outside of Tumblr, and her sense of initiative is largely the reason why I managed to make this post in a somewhat reasonable delay. 😅💖 With that said however, I must also mention that I've deleted a lot of stuff from my page and have removed most of my work from the public eye as well. This may seem quite drastic and frankly a little unsettling, but I assure you that it was a thoroughly considered and reasoned decision! The thing is that I was still getting lots of notes on these drawings everyday and… To put it simply, I didn't want that anymore. 🙇‍♀️ Experiencing popularity was very detrimental to me in the long run and I needed to put an end to it for the sake of my own wellbeing; at least for now.
Which brings me to my next point.
After mulling it over for a while, I've decided that I would not be returning as an active creator in the Mario community this time around. 👐 Making fanart for this franchise (with such a high and continuously maintained degree of involvement) had a lot to do with my health's decline and I've come to realize that I wanted to direct my focus elsewhere going forward. For that reason, there are things which I know will never be repeated again in the future, both in regards to my art and online presence in general, but that's alright. Things change, as they do and should. I'm looking forward to reuniting with folks and would be very happy to stay in touch with those of you who wish to message me privately. Like my lovely pal @istadris said, what matters most about any fandom are the friends you make in it. ☺️
And speaking of which-
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@ody-and-fanatu That's so sweet of you, thank you! 💗 I'm glad you've enjoyed my contribution to the fandom. It was fun while it lasted! 💫 My visual ideas may be gone from my page, but most of my written posts and replies are still there for anyone who wants to revisit those at least, so there's that! And I'd also like to answer some of the asks I still have in my inbox at some point. Knowing that you hold my art in such high regard makes really happy! 🥰 Unfortunately, the other account that I have is reserved for my professional work and I prefer to keep them separate from one other, but the good thing is that I intend to go back to this blog occasionally. Hoping to see you around! Cheers! 🥂
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@heiressofdoodles Thanks, I appreciate that! ✨ I'm honestly doing much better than I was earlier this Spring. Back then, I was running on empty and on the verge of crashing without even knowing it. Being in constant physical pain was one thing, but feeling mentally and emotionally drained on a daily basis was another entirely, and something had to be done. It took me a moment to really figure out what was wrong, but thankfully I realized very quickly what was causing it and applied the breaks with all my might. One of my main priorities now is to be more alert and respect my own boundaries to make sure that this never happens again. 🥲
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@keakruiser Thank you. 🙏💐 I'm just glad to have found my footing again. Feels good to be able to create freely.^^ Hope you're doing well too!
Special thanks also to @pianokantzart, @jelly-fish-wishes, @katlyntheartist, @triniji and @wahooitsamee for their kind words. 🫂 Your graciousness and consideration means a lot to me. 💝
As for all the nice people who sent me anon comments and well wishes, I tried to summarize my thoughts as best I could in this update, but if there's anything else you'd like to say or know, don't hesitate to ask me anytime! Now that I feel like myself again, I think I'm gonna hang out on Tumblr for a little bit. I'll be excited to see what you guys have been up to in the meantime! 🤗 Wishing you all a very good day and pleasant Fall. 🍂
-elita 🌸
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Note
up until recently i ran a pretty popular radfem blog (stay with me, this ask is in good faith) but after i took a social media detox, i realized i don’t share those beliefs anymore and in fact i might be trans myself. i just kind of abandoned the blog, but i’d feel bad if i didn’t tell my followers what happened. i’m scared of telling anyone because i feel like i’d be a bad feminist if i transitioned. (i know, you can be trans and a feminist just fine, but that’s just the kind of thing radfems tell you.) even worse, i’m scared of posting about it on my main or radfem blog because radfems and trans people by and large hate each other (obv), and i’m scared to mention i’ve been in both groups because of the hate i’ll get
Lee says:
When I first started as a mod, I would have told you that you need to immediately post on all your blogs to disown the transphobic beliefs you had previously expressed to try to make up for the harm that you may have perpetrated as a radfem.
Now that I'm a little older, my feelings on the topic have shifted a bit. Before anything else, I think you need to slow down and make sure that you ensure your own safety and mental health.
If you believe that revealing this change to your followers could result in backlash online that would affect you emotionally, it's crucial to prepare by turning off anonymous asks and muting notifications from social media apps.
You should also make sure you have a non-online place to turn for support. If they used to be your community, you may feel like you've lost online friends, so make sure you don't become too isolated. Instead, lean on your IRL connections and seek support from trans-friendly people in your community.
You may even want to consider looking for a therapist-- questioning being trans can be difficult for anyone, and adding a layer of internalized transphobia doesn't help.
When you're ready to share your feelings on your blog, you should write a thoughtful post explaining your journey. You don't have to justify your identity; rather, focus on your personal growth, how your views have evolved, and how you came to understand yourself better. Acknowledge the complexity of the situation and that you're still learning.
These people were once your buddies and there's a chance you may be able to make some of them question their beliefs too if you don't lash out at them and trigger that instinctual defensive us-versus-them mindset, so I would try to keep a friendly tone even while noting that you no longer support them.
So thank your followers for their support and engagement over the years, but tell them you aren't comfortable staying part of their community now that you've realized that the beliefs underpinning the group are doing damage and you are trying to unlearn that type of thinking.
Gently challenge any misconceptions you once held or promoted. Clarify that being trans and feminist are not mutually exclusive and that everyone deserves respect and equality, regardless of their gender identity.
If you're comfortable, share resources that helped you on your journey. This could be educational materials, support groups, books you found helpful, or contact information for trans-supportive LGBTQ+ organizations. If there's anything you'd recommend to others who were once in the same place as you were on getting out, this is the time to share your advice.
Understand that reactions will likely be mixed. Some followers may feel confused, betrayed, or angry, while others might be supportive or even share their similar experiences. Remember, you're not responsible for their reactions and you don't need to respond to them if you don't want to argue and they aren't willing to have a respectful conversation.
Be clear about your boundaries. Let your followers know what kind of comments you're willing to engage with and that hate or harassment won't be tolerated. You can even stop engaging with the account altogether if you don't think you can deal with the hate that you may receive.
You don't have to post about this immediately. Again, it's okay to take as much time as you need to feel ready. It's okay to wait until you're in a safe and stable position before making any announcements.
If you do post about it and get hate, remind yourself that you're doing the right thing by letting go of that community, and that you're not only making the right choice for your own life in allowing yourself the freedom to explore your gender identity but you're also doing the right thing overall since you're now standing up for the trans community (late is better than never!) and no longer encouraging transphobic narratives.
If you feel that your current blog is no longer a space where you can express yourself authentically, consider starting a new blog or platform where you can write freely about your experiences and beliefs. Or just get offline altogether-- your digital detox is what started this, so maybe it's healthy for you to continue it for a while!
If you tell someone "I support trans folks" and they send you hate, that person is not your friend anyway. This is an opportunity to meet nice people who you can be yourself with. I would really encourage you to connect with IRL activists who are actually regularly volunteering and doing something concrete for their community if you have the opportunity.
When I was in high school, I volunteered at my local library's teen advisory board, and when I was in college I volunteered at a local hospital and through my college. This weekend I'm starting training for volunteering in-person for my town's emergency preparedness group which also does things like help to unload trucks for the food pantry, and I also volunteer remotely for two organizations online.
I'm really pushing for you to get out and volunteer (online or IRL) because I know one draw of the radfem community is feeling like you're an activist and that you're supporting women's rights and protecting and defending women. And it is important to support women's rights and protect and defend women! But there are other ways to do that beyond running a hateful blog attacking trans women.
I have a friend who works at an organization for survivors of domestic violence, for example, and she works with volunteers who help staff events, answer the hotline, etc. You can look around and see what local initiatives there are in your community and if you can't find the thing you're looking for you can start a group yourself or look online and join a national or state-wide cause that you care about, like pushing the legislature to support access to abortions.
Giving up the radfem community doesn't mean giving up feminism, and this is a good opportunity for you to take a look at your own time, your values, and think about how you can take this chance to start working to be a more effective feminist. Not everyone has to be an activist, but if you want to be one, think about how you can start doing good in a way that will actually affect people in a positive way.
I've also often been involved in doing events like conferences and workshops and panels IRL from my time in high school to the present day to try and educate folks on the community, but I also know that sometimes you need to take a step back and prioritize yourself. If you think you're not ready to jump into making change that's also okay. Just join something. A soccer team, a book club, anything hobby-related, to have something else to do and talk about and think about and stay tethered to feeling part of something.
Remember, it's okay to grow and change. You're not betraying anyone by being true to yourself. It's a courageous step to admit when your views have changed, and it's an integral part of personal growth. Be kind to yourself during this process.
Whether or not you end up identify as trans, you still will be doing the right thing by separating yourself from that community. I know it may be difficult because they were a place where you felt supported and part of a movement, but I really believe that you're taking steps in the right direction by letting go of that ideology and just living your life!
Followers, if you have any experiences unlearning toxic beliefs please reply with your advice for anon!
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larkingame · 3 months ago
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Hiring Community & Social Media Manager (CLOSED 12/3)
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Hello!
My name is KC Malik and I'm hoping to hire a Community & Social Media Manager for the commercial text-based RPG "Larkin". As of right now Larkin is being worked on by a small team of creatives and we would love for you to join our team.
Larkin is a Vampire-Western that focuses on romance, religious-horror and complex family dynamics. It's rated 18+ for violence/horror and sexually explicit content. It will be released in an episodic format on itch.io, Steam and the Google Play Store.
Here is our website.
Intro Post
I'm looking for people with specific proven experience in social media platforms like twitter/X, discord, twitch, tiktok and instagram, especially those with an interest in indie game development and an understanding of interactive fiction/visual novels/dating simulators and the communities that surround them. Traditional degrees are less important to me than demonstrable work experience.
Your main responsibilities with this position will be:
Helping grow Larkin fan communities on platforms like Discord, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram
Moderating communities like Discord/Reddit/Tumblr Community
Engaging with community members & building a relationship (examples: helping answer asks/questions, replying to messages, etc.)
Social Media Posts/Planning - using social media strategies and timelines to produce growth in terms of audience & reach
Payment will be done via Paypal at the applicants usual asking rates.
Traditional Applications Are Welcome, But Please Be Sure to Include:
Estimated Pricing
Examples of previous work (like posts, accounts, something demonstrable that you've done.)
Links to your social media/website/somewhere else your work can be found.
Work experience, if applicable
Confirmation you'll be able to work on the project for an extended time frame (10+ Months)
If interested, please email the above information to:
While a more traditional "job post" will be made along the usual avenues in a few days--I wanted to reach out here first as Larkin's tumblr audience is what fostered it's initial growth <3
Thank you and Reblogs are very much appreciated!
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reveluving · 2 years ago
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moments that matter ; bruce wayne x batmom reader
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warnings: pure fluff!
a/n: I got nothing to say, I just wanted to give battinson!bruce a try!
check out my batmom m.list!
it's hard for people to believe that he's a married man, let alone a father.
out of everyone in the family, many wonders how bruce had not only proposed to you, but also fathered the former acrobat. at first, they thought its cause the boy lost his parents, just as bruce did. and with dick's more upbeat energy, it's understandable that he likely takes it from you than bruce.
but then, bruce adopts another kid.
and another.
and another.
... and another.
and everyone starts asking themselves if this was all his idea or yours.
oh, if only they knew.
if only they knew your struggle to resist those sad eyes he'd give you.
you just wished the public gave him so much more credit when it comes the kids. you don't think you could even handle the life as a mother without bruce.
and as much as your kids love to joke about bruce's 'teenage phase', one can only imagine the sheer gratefulness they had for him and you.
the perfect balance to this cruel yet sweet world.
it doesn't take long for people to figure out that your children's compassionate side has to come from you, which they weren’t wrong. even bruce himself acknowledged it.
but bruce is anything but heartless, no no. would he even consider taking any of them under his wing if he was? no!
and the idea of fatherhood came easier because you were by his side. so what if he now has eight kids? why would he want to imagine what his life would've been without them?
without the texts from dick, who's all the way in bludhaven, to take breaks?
without jason's interferences when he's outnumbered by a number of gangsters?
without the sounds of tim and damian arguing over the littlest things, only to hilariously end it by shaking hands when you give them 'the eye'?
without attending cass' recital with you, your boys and even alfred, steph, babs and kate as she's the main dancer?
without terry being matt's assistant as the latter tries to treat bruce's so-called ouchies?
without living this life without you?
no. it was impossible to imagine the other bruce wayne.
the bruce wayne he didn't turn out to be.
but hey, speaking of yourself, wanna know a random fact he loves about you?
your style!
whatever your aesthetics may be, he loves you for it! who was he to say otherwise, when he doesn't really take his own into account anyway?
you're in all-black too? that's great! no one's here to judge—not him, not alfred, and certainly not his kids. you're the one able to mix and match like a true professional!
but say your sense of style falls under the bright/pastel/fairycore-like category! gotham's pretty depressing, including the manor itself, so he appreciates it when he's suddenly slapped with a sight of his wife donning her soft pink dress.
bruce finds it endearing that you actually wore the shades he bought for both you and himself. he thought he was being silly at first, wondering if you'd actually wear it, so imagine his surprise when just days after, you decided to match with him when he found the time to take you out to dinner.
he's even more surprised when one day, duke tells him that you've been under the weather because you lost the shades.
instead of waking up to your husband the next day, you find a glasses case on his pillow, complete with a golden ribbon.
he's bought you a new pair, the same kind, but this time, bruce purposely ordered it so that 'mrs wayne' was written next to the frame name.
he comes home, feigning ignorance by raising his brow, though he knew good and well why you were practically blinding him with your smile before you peppered his face with kisses.
˚ · . f i n . · ˚
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d011zk1ll · 1 month ago
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Soooo... New years appreciation post time!!
Honestly, Tumblr is one of the few places where I can just. THINK. And I'll find like-minded people. Like .. where are you all irl??? At the beginning of this year I had, what? 50 followers. And now I have 300 something. Please don't ACTUALLY follow me, especially home! From ASMP, to SBG, I've found brilliant, creative people on this app. I've made some amazing friends, and some moots that I sit and marvel at on a daily basis. How I got here, I'm not sure. But I know some people have seen the entire progression, like @easybakeovenn (I'm praying that's Koda's easybakeoven account, if not!! I'm sorry random person/gen!!)
There will be special mentions under the cut, obviously!!
@what-is-going-on-im-confused ah... Good old Meels. I still sit and stare at the art you've made of Mao and Scarabella daily, I don't think you know how much I SCREAMMMEDDD at Koda when you showed me it. It's, well, incredible. YOU'RE incredible. You're funny, and one of my best mates. Though we still need to restart that stardew farm at some point... This time with the chickens... Thank you for helping me with alyanette august, and I'm really happy you did, because else you'd have hidden away in a corner somewhere, and we wouldn't nearly be as close as we are now
@rot-decay-erosion @catladymasterofsqirl RAGHHHHH I LOVE YOU GUYS. you always find the best stuff to play, and although I wouldn't trust Rot to drive a car, I'd still trust you with my life if I came down to it. You're both such, well I've said It a lot already but, brilliant people. It's always fun to hang out with you, whether it's taking and texting about random things, or playing horror games on call, it's always a nice way to Brighten my day!!
@easybakeovenn @drac0line1nn1t ah.. We've been THROUGHHHHH it the past couple years, we'll have known eachother for 2 years this year. Fucking fascinating. I've seen you both grow and I'm so glad I have, you're amazing people. Even if I don't get the opportunity to talk to you, Draco, often due to my Tumblr DMS being broken half the time, I'm still glad we're friends. We need to do Brighton again sometime!!! And koda... Don't perish when you move like a fish in a fishtank....
@thurio-edau thank you, for attacking me in my DMS and SWARMING me with one of my first SBG posts. Else I'd not have known half the amazing people like @ohquail or @fly-in-amber or Kaz (who's tag ive forgotten... I'm GREATTTT at this, if you couldn't tell) you're funny and I'll never forget when you cut the chocolate with that dagger necklace
Special mentions than I can't write a paragraph for because my early onset probable arthritis is kicking in and my wrists are dying slowly: @low-senka @carpetbug @primalmagic @afrogwhocantdraw @sashaishere14 @cookiedough77 @pineapple-sbg-official (I'm @cimonofficial I just didn't know your main and honestly, you're pretty cool so you make it here too!! YIPPEE)
And all my other moots. Ily guys MWAH happy new year!!
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lincolndjarin · 2 years ago
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Best Kept Secret
chapter one : honeymoon (RE-UPLOAD)
ao3 link ✿ series masterlist ✩ main masterlist ✧
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A/N : i had to change accounts so this is a re-upload of my ongoing fic bks!!
pairing : bodyguard!Din Djarin x afab!princess!reader
rating : 18+ mdni
word count : 6.7k
summary : you've been married off to a far away prince, turns out, he isn't your prince charming. however he did gift you a bodyguard as a wedding present.
warnings, etc. : arranged marriage, language
Absurd.
That is the only word that comes to mind as you stare at yourself in the mirror. “His favorite color is blue.” That’s what they had told you when they adorned you with the gaudy sapphire jewelry. “He’s going to love this.” That’s what they had told you as they pinned your hair into uncomfortable curls, braiding in unfamiliar flowers. They were horrendous, far too large and the smell of them nauseated you, or maybe that was just the nerves, who knows. If you were fortunate enough maybe you would discover a surprise allergy to the flowers and your throat would close and your face would turn blue. You wondered if the prince would like that.
Blue had once been a comforting color but not this blue. This blue was intense, harsh, hard to stare at for too long. Nothing like the blue that made you think of home. On the rare days where the snow stopped falling briefly and the sky was clear, Hoth was beautiful. The blue back home was quiet. The color of the sky seemed to swallow the snow and everything became one soft mix of periwinkle. This is not that. This is loud and garish.  
  The two girls who had been dressing you took a step back and smiled at you waiting for approval as you took in the sight of yourself in the floor length mirror. The dress itself was beautiful, if accompanied by tasteful accessories you might have actually found yourself almost nice to look at. A simple off the shoulder satin gown. On anyone else you were sure it would be absolutely stunning but it was so hot here, nobody had told you it would be this hot. The dress felt as though it was sticking to your skin, you hated the way it made you feel like you were trapped in some sort of fabric prison. But even with the thin sheen of sweat covering every inch of you it was the rest of the ensemble that made you look like you were supposed to be attending some sort of costume party, and not your own wedding. To say that the amount of accessories was excessive would be an understatement. Bracelets, bangles, arm bands, several tacky necklaces, even an anklet you couldn’t even see under the gown. All of the sapphires were so bright they seemed to glow, if you swayed your arms fast enough it almost mimicked the sight of hyperspace. The two ladies-in-waiting who had been assigned to you started to give each other nervous looks as you purse your lips silently taking in the ridiculous blue eyeshadow that adorned your otherwise unmade up face. The young Togruta girl speaks up first.
“Is everything to your liking ma’am?” 
No. You look like you should be working in a pleasure house, not marrying a prince.
But the anxiety in her voice is enough to soften your gaze as you speak what might be the first words to leave your mouth since you landed on Naboo. It seemed like everyone was comfortable speaking for you and you knew none of them cared what you had to say so why bother.
“You two have done a wonderful job… thank you.” You turned around to face them, giving them the warmest smile you could muster considering the circumstances. The relief on their faces as you spoke gave you more comfort than you’d had in days. “I am truly grateful to have such wonderful staff, thank you for making me feel so at home. I’m sorry I didn’t catch your names earlier?” 
“I am Elaine and this is Lysa.” The Togruta girl is the one who speaks up again, pointing to herself and then to the human girl. They both smiled as they turned you back towards the mirror and began to do last minute touch ups. You all stood in silence once more until Lysa spoke.
“You look so lovely, he is going to adore you.” She spoke softly, almost as if it was meant more for her own comfort than it was for yours as she straightened a flower in your hair.
He. That was how they referred to him. Nobody spoke of him other than to tell you how lucky you were, and how grateful you should be for this opportunity. No one described him to you in the slightest. No one even said his name, you were pretty sure it started with a “K.” Your betrothed was nothing more than a stranger. And as you stared at yourself in the mirror once more that was what you saw. A stranger. You didn’t recognize the woman in your reflection. She was not the young princess from Hoth, she was simply an item to entertain this “he.” Dolled up to be more appealing for a man she had never even met, adorned in his favorite color to make her more attractive to a man she had already decided she did not care for. 
“What is he like?” You cocked your head slightly as you deliberately observed the girls facial expressions for a reaction, you immediately regretted that decision because of the glance they gave each other. It was enough to make you not want to know the answer so you quickly stammer out another question. “What does he look like?” The Togruta girl clears her throat, you make a mental note that out of the two girls she seems to be the voice. 
“He is very handsome, my lady.” She straightens out your dress one last time and they both take a step back and observe you. “He dresses very well. Just like most of the royal family he has very defined features, striking blue eyes.”
“Oh yes my lady, he is very well known for his beautiful blue eyes.” The human girl smiles at you as she speaks nervously standing behind her partner now. A small part of you started to pray that his favorite color was not blue simply because that was the color of his eyes. They both seem to be struggling to come up with any other defining features of your intended which doesn’t exactly put you at ease. 
“He is also blonde.” Elaine chimes in with a reassuring smile as you watch your reflection frown.
You had always had a preference for brunettes. 
He could be worse. 
That was what you had to keep reminding yourself as you sat now in the large dining hall, it seemed like everyone was laughing and chatting it up except for you. The seat to your left reserved for your husband was empty, you could see him in the crowd toasting with a group of men you assumed were cousins or brothers purely based on the physical similarities. Honestly you wouldn’t be able to tell your husband apart from the rest of them if he wasn’t wearing that horrendous electric blue suit. Your table at the back of the room, facing the rest of the hall, was empty. Save for you and Leodall. 
After your husband had so graciously run off after the ceremony to chat it up with his friends or whatever it was that was apparently much more important than you, you were walked to the reception by an orange Twi’lek who introduced himself as your personal servant, Leodall, Leo for short. No one seemed to even glance at you as they began to take to the dance floor. Of course your loving husband didn’t ask you to dance, why would he when he seemed to be taking the hand of a rather pretty red headed girl and wrapping his arms around her waist, laughing as they began to sway to the music. Prince Kodo Harand. That was his name, at least that is what the priest had said during the ceremony. He had given you a rather cocky “hello” once you had walked down the aisle, and he had kissed you with far more tongue than you would have liked, and now you sat alone. Princess Harand. Lucky you. And of course your family wasn’t here to keep you company, you don’t even think they were invited, why would they be? This wedding had nothing to do with you, it had everything to do with finding someone of royal descent to marry the prince of Naboo in exchange for trade deals. You wondered if there had ever been someone who felt as lonely as you did right now, at their own wedding. 
“Leo?” You turned to where he was standing directly behind you. He was also staring at the prince with a rather annoyed look on his face.
“Yes my lady?” He turned his gaze to you. He was far too serious for someone who only seemed to be a few years older than you were.
“I am getting rather tired, I should like to retire to my chambers.” 
You also should like to not watch my husband dance with some of the most gorgeous girls you’ve ever seen. Seems like he has found a rather attractive brunette now to keep him company on the dance floor. Leo looks to the prince and then back to you.
“It is rather early my lady… perhaps you could stay just a bit longer? It is after all your wedding.”
“Is it?” You couldn’t help but raise your eyebrows at him, gesturing to the empty chairs surrounding you. Before he could object you stood and began marching towards the exit. 
“My lady! Perhaps you might enjoy some refreshments! And perhaps you might reconsider your early departure!” Even in the gown you were more agile than him as you weaved through the crowds, waving off muttered “congratulations.” Once through the large doors of the great hall you felt as though you could finally breathe. The halls out here were dark, a few guards seemed to be passing around a flask but they immediately straightened up as they saw you, you pretended not to see them, hoping they might resume they’re drinking. After all, someone should have fun at your wedding. You lifted your skirt slightly and tried to remember where your room was as Leo finally caught up to you.
“Was it right or left…?” You stare down the nearly identical hallways as you hear two sets of footsteps approaching you.
“Wife! Where are you off to? I have a wedding present for you!” How fortunate that you married someone with such a distinct, nasally voice so you can plaster on a faux smile before you face him. You turned to see a disgruntled Leo following behind Kodo. Great. Your clearly drunk husband has a present for you on your wedding night. You have to physically resist rolling your eyes as he takes your hand and begins dragging you towards your chambers, Leo stumbling to keep up with you.
“Are you sure this cannot wait until tomorrow dear husband?” It’s unlikely he’ll want to put this off but there’s no shame in trying. 
“No no no… trust me you are going to love this…” 
Well he certainly is confident in his abilities.
He stumbles through the many confusing halls of the castle until arriving at your door, stopping just outside. He opens the door just a crack and peers inside before shutting it again, putting his hands on your shoulders, a big dopey grin on his face as he drunkenly slurs. 
“I must be getting back to the party my dear wife but your present is inside, I left you a little note on your vanity.” He leans forward and gives you a sloppy kiss, you do your best not to recoil.
“I’m sorry? I don’t quite understand?” You managed to pull him off you long enough to speak. But he’s already walking away.
“Do not fret, wife, you will love it. I will see you at dinner in a few days!” He yells over his shoulder before rushing back down to the party. You turn to stare at Leo who is just as shocked as you are as you can’t help but double over in laughter.
“Is he serious?” You’re laughing so hard you’re practically crying, Leo doesn’t seem to find the situation as funny as you do. You wipe a tear from your lash line as you straighten up. “If our marriage is anything like today has been I suppose it shall not be all that bad.” You manage to say through your laughter. He doesn’t speak, he simply opens the doors to your chambers for you, placing his hand on your back to usher you inside.
“I suppose I should not have expected any less of our prince.” Leo mutters as he closes the door behind the two of you he begins lighting the lamps around the dark room. “Shall I summon your ladies-in-waiting to help you undress my lady?” You open your mouth to answer but you’re stopped dead in your tracks as you stare at the suit of armor in the center of the room. The mannequin it appears to be resting on is rather tall. You can’t help but stare at the way the lamp light flickers against the Beskar. A Mandalorian statue? What an odd gift. You instinctively walk towards it as you mumble.
“That won’t be necessary… it is late, do not wake them, I can do it myself.” Leo looks as if he is about to protest but the note on the vanity catches his eye, he holds it between two fingers and begins to read it to himself as you stand directly in front of the armor now, your fingers raised to trace one of the gauntlets. “It certainly is a beautiful set of armor… I just don’t understand what exactly he wants me to do with it.” You run your hands across the chestplate, admiring the fine craftsmanship before you turn to face Leo, a concerned look on your face. 
This better not be a weird sex thing.
“He doesn’t expect me to wear it, does he? Is this some sort of weird fetish of his?” You find yourself looking back to the armor nervously. “It’s far too large for me… I think I would look rather foolish, like a child wearing her mothers clothing...” You bring a hand up to the helmet, a small shiver running down your spine as you stare into the lifeless visor. 
“Princess… perhaps you should wait a moment.” Leo stares at the note for a moment more before his mouth opens slightly to speak again as he gives you a warning look. But it is too late, you lift the helmet a fraction of an inch and let out a startled shriek as the armor shifts to grab both of your arms in one large hand, pulling your hand back down.
“Don’t.”
 The voice that comes from the modulator is low, it is gentle with you but is by no means joking as he releases his grip on your arm you stumble backwards. 
“Maker! You scared me half to death.” You bring your hand up to your chest as Leo rushes to your side to stabilize you, you stare at the Mandalorian in surprise for a moment before your gaze turns angry and you poke a finger into his chest. “What is your problem! Why didn’t you say something!?” He only shrugs in response.
“I was instructed not to speak to you until you read the note.” 
Bastard. 
Leo leans forward to whisper to you.
“It should appear that the prince has hired the Mandalorian to be your personal bodyguard, my lady.” Leo’s voice shakes as he stares up at the intimidating silhouette of the armored man but you are not so easily swayed, clearing your throat as you speak.
“You are dismissed Leo.” Your eyes never leave the steel visor.
“My lady, are you sure it is wise-”
“If my husband deems him fit to protect me then he is fit to protect me. Unless of course you are questioning the prince’s judgment?” You turn to glare at the Twi’lek who is now nervously tugging at the sleeves of his shirt. He does nothing but stare back at you for what feels like minutes until he finally sighs and makes a beeline for the door.
“As you wish, my lady. Ring for me if you require anything.” He closes the door and you turn back to the Mandalorian, who unsurprisingly hasn’t moved an inch, other than the way his helmet seems to shake ever so slightly but you ignore it as you walk over to your vanity, crumpling up the note and tossing it in the bin before starting to remove your jewelry, setting the ugly pieces onto the table.
“So what exactly is your job?” You don’t give him the courtesy of facing him, not after he scared you like that. 
“It was all written in the note.” 
It’s annoying how unbothered he sounds. You take off the last piece of jewelry, lifting your skirt and raising your leg to rest your foot on the ottoman to unclasp the anklet, you swear you see his helmet tilt in your direction in the mirror, but when you turn to face him he is in the same position, staring at the wall.
“I don’t care about the note. I want to hear it from you.” You fetch yourself a nightgown as you step behind the screen next to the vanity, carefully slipping out of the dress, out of sight of the Mandalorian.
“My job is to make sure you are not harmed.” He speaks so quietly you’re surprised the modulator even picks up his voice. Once dressed you step out from behind the screen and take a seat at the vanities mirror, wearing a gray silk nightgown. It’s fancier than what you’d usually wear but it doesn’t seem like they bothered to unpack any of your clothes you brought from home. You silently pray that they didn’t throw them away.
“So you just… follow me around?” You can feel the frown forming as you begin to carefully remove the now wilting flowers from your hair.
“Yes.” 
Not much of a talker this guy.
“Actually I’m good.” Your voice is snippy and you know you’re being a bit blunt but you’ve had a rough day. Finally, he deliberately moves, his head turning to watch as you undo the pin curls, your hair falling down in waves as you do.
“Excuse me?” Finally, some sign of emotion. Even if it is a twinge of anger.
“Can you not hear through the helmet? I’m good. I’ve already got an ensemble of people trailing me. I don’t need another.” You rifle through the drawers until you find a rag to wipe the makeup from your eyes before turning around to stare at him. “You’re dismissed.” 
“You don’t have the authority to dismiss me.” His voice is tense, if you could see his face you were sure he’d be scowling. It’s good to know he is capable of emotion. Even better to know it isn’t difficult to rile him up.
“I don’t know if you know this but I just married the eldest son of the king and queen. That makes me the future queen, I’m pretty sure I have the authority to do whatever I please.” You hadn’t said those words aloud until now, you hadn’t even thought them. It lifted a weight off your shoulders, somehow it made things a bit easier, to know that despite this entire situation you found yourself in that at the very least you found yourself in a position of power.
“I don’t know if you know this, but I have direct orders from the eldest son of the king and queen to not let you out of my site from the moment you leave this room until you return to it.” He mocks your tone exactly as he crosses his arms.
Shit. He’s got you there. Did Kodo have to pick this man to guard you?
“Well… I’m in this room now. So I don’t require your presence. You may go.” You wish you could come up with something more witty but you're tired, you just want to be alone, to have a single moment to try and process what a whirlwind these last few days have been. You swear you hear an annoyed huff come through his modulator. 
“I’ll see you in the morning.” His voice is sharp and he speaks with a finality that makes you want to argue further.
But he doesn’t give you time to respond. He simply leaves. Once he is gone you rush to the door to lock it and begin to dim all the lamps in the room. In the pale light you stare at the comically large bed and your stomach drops. For the first time since arriving on Naboo you feel cold. The idea of spending your wedding night in such a big bed alone makes you feel sick. Were the ceilings of this room always so high? You find yourself opening the closet. It’s the size of your room back home, it’s perfect. All of the fabric of the unfamiliar clothes that were now yours made it quiet, and soft, and warm. You grabbed a lamp from one of the many small tables around the room, (who needs this many tables?) and bring it to the closet, closing the door behind you as you rummage through the many drawers until you find one full of blankets and pillows, making yourself a nest before settling down in it. It was just as comfortable as your bed back home and you wrapped yourself around one of the larger pillows.
You wanted to cry. 
You should be crying but you're not. You’re just staring at the flickering lamp. There were a million things you could think about to make yourself cry but at this point it wasn’t even worth it. You’re tired, and there will be plenty of time for crying later, after all this was your life now. So instead you closed your eyes and pretended you weren’t here at all, that you were back home, and you weren’t completely alone, your many siblings were just down the hall in their respective rooms. But they aren’t, they’re back on Hoth. You’re on Naboo. They are all still together. 
And you are alone.
He won’t leave you alone. 
It’s been ten days since the wedding but it feels like ten months. And the Mandalorian will not leave you alone. You have only seen your husband twice since the wedding, short dinners the night of every fifth cycle, last night he had told you that he saw no need to produce an heir until his father died.
How romantic.
But as much as you yearn for companionship you cannot help but be grateful that he has not ever joined you in bed. He doesn’t repulse you by any means but he just seems… indifferent. Like he couldn't care less for you, which is fine considering you aren’t exactly infatuated with him. But you’re lonely nonetheless. Conversations with your husband are one sided, once you realize he doesn’t care for anything that comes out of your mouth your dinners become much less awkward, he would ramble on about anything he found interesting for an hour and then leave. You heard a servant in passing whisper something about him going to a brothel after your second dinner. You wanted to be more upset about that but you just couldn’t find it in yourself to care. As long as it kept him out of your chambers. 
Elaine and Lysa are sweet but they are clearly intimidated by you, or at the very least they are afraid of upsetting you. So you’ve found that it’s best to just not talk to them at all unless it is to praise them or thank them. They show up like clockwork every morning to dress you and in the evening to undress you. You’re starting to feel like a doll. But they do not comment on the makeshift bed in the closet so you decide they are your favorites. Leo on the other hand has made it quite clear he doesn’t approve of your sleeping situation, you don’t bother trying to explain yourself because you know he won’t care, so now you let him watch you get under the covers of your ornate bed every night before you retreat to the closet. He can be a bit uptight and he’s terrible at conversation but the best thing about Leo is that he doesn’t hover. You honestly don’t know where he runs off to but he’s always there when you need him and he doesn’t overstay his welcome. 
Speaking of overstaying his welcome, you can see the Mandalorian over the top of the book you are currently pretending to read. 
He has become your least favorite person in your new life. He is ranked even lower than Kodo. You were currently dedicating your life to exploring every inch of the castle and mapping it out, you had taken to carrying around a small journal and noting locations you liked and places to avoid. This might be an enjoyable challenge if it weren’t for the walking hunk of metal that seemed to always be standing just out of arm's reach from you. It’s infuriating the way he always stands in your peripherals, you are always aware of his presence even when you are doing everything in your power to ignore him. 
Neither of you had spoken much since your first meeting. He had been rude, why would you speak to him? (Of course you had been rude as well but that's besides the point.) He waits outside your door every morning, and he is there when you return at night. Two days ago you had daydreamed about escaping out the window to avoid him, but considering your chambers were on the fourth floor you decided against it. 
A few days ago was when you had reached your boiling point. He had to sleep eventually, that was what you had told yourself as you opened the door to your chambers at 3 a.m. Under all that metal he was still just a person. (Or at least you were pretty sure he was.) So you donned a robe and a glowrod as you slipped into the hall. For the first time he wasn’t standing there. You just had to find your way to the library, you wanted a few books and you didn’t want to feel his steel gaze judging your every choice, you wanted something cheesy and romantic, something you could read in the closet when you couldn’t sleep. (Which was most nights.) Everytime he followed you into the library you found yourself too nervous to read so now was your chance. Surprisingly it only took you a few minutes to find it. Creeping inside you managed to find five books, clutching them in your arms you stepped back out in the hall and as you closed the library doors as quietly and quickly as you could you turned around and slammed into metal, stumbling backwards and landing on your ass, your books going everywhere. 
“Gods…” You groaned in pain as the back of your head knocked against the door, your eyes adjusted to the darkness as the glowrod illuminated a familiar pair of boots. “You are just- the nerve of you- I can’t even begin to-” Your mind stuttered through a million different insults but eventually you just gave up, huffing angrily as you picked up the light, he reached down to help you up and you shoved his gloved hands away. Leaving the books, you storm off, back towards what you hope is the direction of your room. He didn’t speak as he followed silently behind you, the only indication that he was still there was the reflection of the dim light against Beskar. You looked down two hallways trying fruitlessly to remember which way to go.
“Left.” 
Maker, he didn’t even sound tired. If looks could kill the glare you gave him as you turned left would have him six feet under. As you finally see the doors to your chamber you sigh in relief, just wanting to forget about this silly attempt to have a moment of normalcy. 
“I knew that.” Is all you can manage to mutter, still fuming to the point that you know you can’t form witty insults as you open your chamber doors.
“Sure you did.” 
As you turn to give him a piece of your mind you find yourself in the dark corridor alone. Oh you hate him. This is why he is your least favorite.
You don’t know much about Mandalorians, your mother had always said they were dangerous but that was all that was ever said about the topic. He doesn’t seem all that threatening. Sure he’s tall, and his shoulders were ludicrously broad, and he wore impenetrable armor but you’ve been sitting here staring at him for two hours now and honestly you were pretty sure at this point that you could beat him in a fight.  
Okay you might be starting to lose it. 
You haven’t had a real conversation with anyone since your wedding night, it’s not your fault if you’re starting to feel a little scatterbrained. Maybe you could push him out a window. That armor certainly wouldn’t save him from a fall. That might be too risky, with your luck you’ll end up going out the window with him. As you begin to ponder if Beskar is fireproof a familiar modulated voice breaks the silence causing you to drop your book in shock.
“Don’t.” 
In your fantasies of knocking a candle over onto his cape you hadn’t realized his helmet was facing you now.
“You really seem to love that word.” You cock an eyebrow at him. “You also seem to love scaring unsuspecting girls.” You mumble. 
“I heard that.” 
Stupid helmet with its stupid abilities. You really need to start keeping a list of what that thing is capable of. Maybe the helmet is what makes his stupid voice so deep.
“Of course you did.” You lean back in your chair as you look him up and down. “What exactly is it that you don’t want me doing?” 
“Don’t act like you can outsmart me.” 
Wiseass. 
“I wasn’t doing that, I don’t know if you can see through that visor of yours but I was reading.” You scoff at him as you cross your arms.You hear him hum softly through the modulator as he walks in your direction, standing between you and the book on the floor.
“What were you reading?” 
Dank Farrik.
You’re pretty sure you can see his shit-eating grin through the Beskar. 
“I’m not even going to humor the accusation you’re getting at.” For a split second you swear you catch the start of a laugh before his modulator cuts it off. Soundproof, you can add that to the list. He leans up against a bookshelf as he stares down at you now.
“Maybe it was another romance novel?” Maker, he's the worst. You fight back the pink that threatens to tint your face as you play dumb.
“I’m sorry?”
“Don’t be.” You wondered if you could have him beheaded. Do they do public executions on Naboo?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about..” Is all you can manage to spit out as you reach to a nearby shelf and grab the first book your fingers touch, it looks to be some sort of architecture guide. Better than nothing. “Leave me be, I’m trying to read.” You open the book quickly and as your eyes glance across the pages, much to your dismay, you don’t recognize the language it’s in, he doesn’t need to know that though.
“You left some books out a few nights ago.”
You try to hide the way your breath hitches. There’s no way he went back for them. Unless he did. Why would he do that though there would be no reason. Why is your heart racing like you’re on trial? Why can’t you stop the pink that tinges the tips of your ears?
“I read a lot of books, you can’t possibly expect me to remember every one.” You turn a page and continue scanning your eyes across the unfamiliar text. 
“The Smitten Paladin… My Barbarian Love… Interstellar Bride… The Tongues of-”
“SHUT UP.” You slam the book shut and you can’t fight the rose tint that fills your face now. 
“As you wish, princess.” 
Oh you were definitely gonna kill him now. How hard would it be to get your hands on a vibroblade…? You didn’t speak now, you couldn’t even look at him. There’s no way he had seen those that night when you dropped them, the bastard went back for them. If you could find out where is quarters were maybe you could smother him in his sleep. You assumed he would resume his mockery of you but he never did, he just stared for several minutes as you returned to your book, doing your best to pretend that you knew what it was about until he finally broke the silence. 
“So how were you thinking of doing it?” 
“Doing what?”
“Outsmarting me. Or escaping me, or killing me? Whichever one it was you were plotting.”
You wonder if he was sweating under all those layers as you allowed yourself the first indulgence of really taking him in. He wears heavy black fabric under all of his armor. You wore light and flowy dresses and you always felt like it was too hot. You also can’t stop yourself from wondering if he purposefully makes his voice lower, he must scream into a pillow or something to make it that raspy. You didn’t like how warm it suddenly got in here. This stupid planet and its stupid heat. 
“Well I can’t just tell you my top secret plans, what will you give me in exchange?” You hated the way his helmet tilted to the side to mimic you. 
“How about a walk through the gardens?” 
“We have gardens?” Your eyebrows furrow in disbelief, just when you thought you were starting to map this place out… He nods and you ponder it for a moment before holding your hand out for a handshake. “Deal.” He takes your hand in his and gives you one firm shake but you hold him there and stare at his hand. “Your gloves are stupid, why are the fingers yellow?” He groans as he pulls away.
As he pulls his hand back you catch a glimpse of his bare wrist. You hadn’t really thought about what he might look like under the armor up until now. You’re sort of surprised by how tan his skin is. As you stare for what is definitely too long he clears his throat and you find yourself face to face with his visor. 
Shit, shit shit. 
“Sorry, I got distracted by how stupid your gloves are.”
“Keep talking like that and I won’t take you to the gardens at all.”
“That’s fine, now that I know they exist I’ll just find them on my own.” You stand up, making your way towards the library exit.
“You do realize I follow you everywhere right?” 
“You’re very observative aren’t you?” You scoff.
“You won’t find them on your own. You’ve lived here two weeks and you still can’t find your room without help from Leo.” 
“This is why you’re my least favorite.”
“What?” He doesn’t even pretend to sound hurt, his voice is filled with genuine curiosity and for a fleeting moment you want to give in because for the first time in weeks you aren’t thinking about how alone you are in a castle surrounded by people. Because for the first time since you arrived on this planet you were having a real conversation, and even though you hated him he was the first person who seemed like he actually cared about what you had to say, and not just because you were royalty and it was his job.
“Do you want to hear about my secret plans or not?” You decide to change the subject and watch as for the first time, he walks next to you, not behind you, as he nods.
“I’d love to know how you plan on getting away from a trained bounty hunter.” 
Bounty hunter. You’ll have to ask him about that later if he allows you to keep talking to him. A small part of you hopes that he will. 
“I thought I might start by pushing you off of something high up.” You grin at him. You can’t remember the last time you smiled and it wasn’t for the benefit of others.
“Wouldn’t work.”
“Oh come on, your armor isn’t gonna save you from a fall from one of the castle towers-” He pulls back his cape to reveal a jetpack and you shut up. “Okay new plan, I throw your pack off the roof first.” He nods.
“You would never be able to get it off me but sure. Next plan.” Maker, you hate how smug he is. You want to slap the stupid smile you have to assume he is currently donning off of his face. 
“Well I really only had two plans, plan number two was to light your cape on fire.” 
“Fire’s not gonna kill me, that's just gonna make me angry.”
“Well in that situation I wouldn't be trying to kill you, the fire would be a distraction as I make my escape.”
“There is not a single situation in this world in which you are capable of hiding from me.” 
Why does he have to say it so huskily? Why does it suddenly feel so hot in this stupid castle? You decide he deliberately makes his voice sound deeper to make himself more intimidating. 
You open your mouth to protest but you remember the bounty hunter thing and decide to save yourself from any more embarrassment. He stops walking and you stare at the familiar doors to your chambers.
“Hey! You promised me gardens!” He opens the door for you before taking a step back.
“It’s too late for gardens. We’ll go tomorrow.” You want to argue, you want to do anything to keep talking to him, even if you loathe him and his terrible attitude. But you don’t want to ruin this, and a part of you likes the prospect of more conversation tomorrow. 
“Promise?” You hate how eager you sound.
“Promise.”
You begin to step inside your chambers but he puts a hand on your shoulder. It makes you let out a small gasp as you turn to face him.
“Before you go I have to tell you something, princess.” The voice that comes from the modulator is hushed, he leans in as if he is going to tell you a secret and your eyes get wide, you can see your reflection in his helmet, your face is going pink again.
“W-what…?” It’s embarrassing the way you stutter but he’s so close now that you can’t help it, if he got any closer your breath would fog up the Beskar. You had no idea what he was about to say but for some reason your heart was beating out of your chest. God what is wrong with you today? The heat must be messing with your head.
“It was in Galactic Basic.” 
Well now he just wasn’t making any sense. Maybe the heat was messing with his head too.
“I don’t care for riddles.” 
“Your book, earlier, the one about architecture. The one that you couldn’t understand.” He takes a step back and you furrow your brows, how the hell did he know you didn’t understand it, but more importantly, obviously you spoke Galactic Basic.
“I didn’t realize you were capable of telling jokes.”
“You were holding it upside down.” His hand drops from your shoulder and he takes a step back, waiting for a response but any snarky comeback dies on your tongue as your face burns up, realizing he’s right. Is he leaning forward in anticipation? 
Scumbag.
“Good night, Mando.” As you start to close the door you can hear him chuckling. 
“Good night, princess.”  
Jackass. You hope that he’s ugly under the helmet. 
You also hope he’s brunette.
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meirimerens · 5 months ago
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MEIRI!!!! i am taking a class in art history and i wanted to ask about your favorite paleolithic cave paintings, cause i know you're very passionate about that!
OOOHHAHHGRGHH MY GODDDD
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YOU'VE AWAKEN MY EVIL POWER......
okay so this is gonna be real hard for me to choose. like reallll hard. but i think i can narrow it down. i don't know how much #info you need or how much Lore you care for me to add, but you've activated my trap card, so now you're stuck in the cave with me, i have the torch, and if you try to leave you won't find your way back. okay. let us start.
GENERAL LORE:
at least in the Franco-Cantabrian geographical and paleo-cultural area [this thing], which contains some of the most famous painted caves such as Lascaux, Chauvet, Pech-Merle, Altamira, etc, one main currently reigning hypothesis, because it allows to explain the most amount of [gesture] Stuff Going On, is that cave art exist within a magico-spiritual system of belief of the animist persuasion likely with shamanic elements. The places where walls were painted in the caves, were very, very rarely Living quarters. paleolithic tribes prefered to make camps outside, or just at the very entrance of caves: the depths were Hard to navigate, dangerous, possibly inhabited by predator animals. you didn't got to these places to fuck around; you went because you had a drive, you believed in something about them.
Jean Clottes (one of our main prehistorians in France, who wrote Pourquoi l'Art Préhistorique ?, or "Why Prehistoric Art", translated into english as "What is Paleolithic Art" which is fucking stupid, the "why" is the whole question he's trying to answer in the book, is this guy fucking stupid) identifies 4 main concepts that exist within indigenous, nomadic or semi-nomadic, hunter-gatherer, animist & shamanist societies and peoples, that are widely distributed (as such having "universal" elements) and could, likely, have been found within paleolithic societies, and possibly give us clues to their belief system, which are:
the INTERCONNECTEDNESS: of animal species between one another (explaining the numerous accounts of paloelithic art depiction species together, or separated), and of human and animal: including through mythologies in which humans were created from animal(s), or animal(s) later changed into human(s).
the FLUIDITY of the living world: animal species are recognized as kin, for they can become it; animal species are given, or projected-onto attributes that make a tribe, a clan, recognize themselves in it
the acceptation of the COMPLEXITY of the world: paleolithic people likely had deep, complex mythologies and cosmogonies, which we might Never, Ever, know anything about (this drives me insane.) their language, and their rites, might (have) reflect(ed) an understanding of the complixity of nature, or animals, that sedentary, then later capitalist societies might have lost the nuances of.
the PERMEABILITY of the living world(s). this again is seen in beliefs in the permeablity between human & animal, human a animal, animal as human: this is also where Shamanism might come into play. shamanism(s) rest(s) upon the conceptualization of the world as divided-but-permeable between a physical, living world, and an unseen, spirit world: the Shaman is the mediator, the person who can freely go between these two worlds, to communiate, to heal, to direct, to plead, etc. AND, and this is where it gets real interesting for The Caves: potentially, the belief in the permeablity of the cave rock itself: multiple painted sites might contain hints of a belief in the cave being the place where spirits dwell; and painting them is less "calling" or "invoking", even if there might be some of it, but rather "revealing". the cave itself, maybe, could (have) be(en) considered the place where spirits dwell, and come forth/from. more about that later.
WITH ALL OF THAT IN MIND. at least in the franco-cantabrian area, the placement of cave art is, very Very likely, extremely deliberate. it is not just the art that counts, but where it was made. we can ask ourselves, why it was made here, and not elsewhere. i am picking my answer on this axis. some caves might be so beautifully painted, but are The Vibes here? if the expression of this potential magico-spiritual complex and tens-of-thousands-of-years-spanning(!!!!!!!!!! this is nother thing that's fucking insane btw. did you know we are as close to Lascaux as Lascaux is to Chauvet, another very ornate painted cave. MULTIPLE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS) is visible, or #feelable, let's mention it. now onto the good part
CAVE ART THAT DRIVES ME CUCKOO CRAZY:
THE NIAUX (pronounced "Nyo") CAVE
reason: i've been there. twice. sobbed both times. came out changed like genuinely. made me go back to uni. the Niaux Cave is located in the Ariège (a-ryeh-juh) département [think smaller than a state bigger than a county] of southern france, in the Pyrénées (pee-reh-neh) mountains making the border with spain.
the almost entirety of the art is concentrated in the "Salon Noir" of the cave.
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now. come close and listen to me. the Salon Noir is some 700 meters from both the modern entrance and the prehistoric one. today, like back then, you have to navigate rough, slippery terrain, crouchspaces, and generally accident-inducing (source: my dad slipped & fell just like our guide warned us about) walking space. for most of the way, the ceiling is 5 to 10 meters above, and the walls relatively close together (but not claustrophobic). the Salon Noir seems to be "indicated" by, on both of its sides, red symbol markings. now listen to me. the Salon Noir's ceiling is twice as high. even with modern lamps, you struggle to see it. now imagine. having walked all the way there, in the Wet, the fire of your torch or your grease hand-lamp to guide you, and suddenly not only can you not see the ceiling anymore, but the rock seems to speak back to you. the echo is intense, in the Salon Noir, way more than anywhere in the lower-ceiling'ed cave. your voice carries on for 5 full seconds, if you sing the rock continues singing after you. did you know? in france and spain, studies have shown that most parietal (=cave wall) art corresponds to particular acoustic features. did they sing? did they play the flute, the drums? did they use lithophones: the stalagtites & stalagmites, hit of small sticks, to make them ring? in the Salon Noir, most of the animals are bisons, as is very common in the franco-cantabrian area. now this is just something fun that our guide told us, possibly nothing more than an interesting coincidence, for its truth would rest on an unproven-hypothesis-within-an-unproven-hypothesis, but did you now that the female bison has the same gestational period as the human? 9 months.
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the bison to the right, with the red markings and the "eyebrows", is my dad's favorite: he says its profile looks like him, with his beard and his big nose, which to be fair, truly it does. in a previous-previous-previous-previous life my dad as an upper paleolithic era bison. this is my dad's paleolithic fursona.
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my favorite is this horsie. see? she smiles.
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so does this one on the left, a protome (= name for the depiction of only the front of an animal, of a human)
PERGOUSET (pronounced per-goo*-zeh) CAVE
(* but the "oo" sound is short)
i'm cheating a little. because this is not painting, it's carving. but i consider sculpture an art, and parietal carving to be as important and interesting as parietal paintings, so. take it or don't!
yeah the whole cave. you'll see why. basically if i think about Pergouset for too long my skin starts melting i foam at the mouth etc. anyways. since the cave is closed to the public, and basically only available to researchers' viewings, it is quite hard to find images of it, so we'll just ball on this one.
Pergouset is located in the département of the Lot, in southwest-central france. this region is Plentiful with caves, including Pech-Merle that is basically next door, and Lascaux 1.5h away. why this one & not any of those two? well. come closer.
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okay. the pussies & this guy with his penis out cave. what's her deal. Well, first piece of lore is to know that, in the grand scheme of franco-cantabrian paleolithic cave art, human representations are minimal. animals make up the majority of depictions, however, "archetyped" or "stereotyped" human figures that insist on sex characteristics are Plentiful. and within representations of that, "female" archetypes outnumber "male" ones by a lot. basically you cannot cough on a paleolithic "human" depiction without landing on a vulva frankly. many such cases in life as well. one of the hypotheses, which Michel Lorblanchet brings forth in his book La Naissance de la Vie: Une Lecture de l'Art Parietal (from which the picture above is from) is that it could be part of a belief system in which the cave, the whole cave, itself could be a "female" principle or archetype: the whole of the cave a matrix, a uterus. basically its giving, it's giving birth. one of the biggest data point he has for that hypothesis is the Pergouset cave. in the Pergouset cave, carvings of vulvae rhythm a long narrow passage following an underground river. the 3 vulvae could represent that of pre-birth, that of currently-pregnant (with the line in the middle, like the pigmentation line on pregnant belly + carved over a convex part of the stone), and that of currently-actively-giving birth: "vulva 3" is just two streaks in the rock, surrounding a naturally-occuring hole in the rock: as if that feature of the cave itself had been recognized as It's Giving Birth / hereditary voice I Am Your Mother. as you can see on the picture, vulva 1 is all the way back in the #depths, in the #dark, and vulva 3 the closest to the exit, indeed to the light ( -> it's giving birth). now. and this is the insane thing. foaming at the mouth like unwell arms shaking rn. i've had to go pace 4 times since i started typing. in the depths of the cave, the animals that are carved are less (see the numbers on the picture). but also, they're... more fantastic. stranger, more unusual. lacking the realism that is typically associated with parietal art. they're... as if from a dream, an undetermined land of weirdness, of amorphousness. as they get closer to the light, they get more numerous, they proliferate, life crawls the walls: they become also more and more realistic. as we reach the last carved vulva, as it is giving, what is it: giving BIRTH, animals are numerous, abundant, fully formed, their visible selves in the world outside: it is as if the cave itself, the depths of cave itself, gave birth to these animals, formed them inside of itself, let them out from this unknown, amorphous, strange land beyond the stone, where human cannot reach. humans went in, and meticulously, sometimes using a natural relief in the stone for an eye, a feature, "released" the animals from the stone, "revealed" them from their state of hidden-inside-of-the-depths-ness. the whole cave this Mother from which all the animals drawn on the walls emerged.
tldr
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t-lostinworlds · 21 days ago
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Spider & The Slayer | Peter Parker
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PAIRING: peter parker x vampire slayer!oc TROPE/GENRE: meet cute; coffee shop au; fluff SUMMARY: Where Peter meets a girl who isn't who she seemed to be. WARNINGS: cursing, nwh spoilers i guess, vampires, i think that's it? it's pretty tame. WORD COUNT: 5.2k+
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A/N: hello! here's a fic commissioned by @theslayerofthevampires ! thank u so so much for trusting me with this. this was definitely something new for me bc i've never done oc's before. but anyways i hope you're satisfied with it! and i hope u guys enjoy it!
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📍 BLOG NAVIGATION ✩ P. PARKER MASTERLIST ✩ MAIN MASTERLIST ✩
⊱ ─────.⋅♚ *。・゚.★. *。・゚✫*.
It was fascinating how changing one small thing of a routine could have a profound impact on a person's life. You could leave the house a minute early and the series of events that would happen henceforth would be different than if you had left the house a minute late. Whether that was for better or for worse remained unknown.
As for Peter, it was him coming into the café later than when he usually did.
Later in the afternoon once he was finished with his morning errands was when he typically showed up, that way he could go straight into patrolling for the night after finishing a warm coffee or two. But since the night before was much more taxing compared to the others, he found himself sleeping past his multiple alarms.
It only became a domino effect after that.
He showed up late at his morning job, which caused him to clock out later than usual to appease his manager. As a result of that, rush hour caught him so getting to the train station took far longer than usual.
Peter knew of MJ's schedule at the café, so he knew he could still catch her on time, even if it would only result in seeing her for only a few minutes. What he didn't take into account was her getting off early and missing her entirely.
He only found out the second he got inside the café. Because instead of the familiar girl with a certain head of curls standing behind the counter, it was a big, bald, burly man who he knew was the owner of the place. Peter was so used to MJ taking his order that he ended up just staring at the man for a few seconds or more.
"Are you going to order or what?" the man gruffly said.
Just as Peter was about to speak, he was interrupted by the chime of the front door's bell followed by heavy and rushed footsteps.
During the months he'd been keeping tabs on MJ and Ned under the guise of being a regular customer, he had never seen her before.
Beautiful brown eyes with dark brown hair framing her pretty face even though her features sported an annoyed look more than anything else. The red dress she wore complemented her skin tone prettily. She also wore some black tights, knee-high boots and a long black coat—to keep her warm, most likely. Apart from finding her cute, her silver necklace with a cross also had him intrigued.
At first, Peter thought she was just a customer rushing in to seek warmth and to hide away from the coldness of the outside. Yet aside from the sharp glare the man was sending her way, she walked directly past Peter and straight into the back room.
The man turned to Peter and said, "We will be with you in a moment."
The moment the man disappeared into the back, an argument ensued. 
It wasn't a screaming match per se—the voices were muffled more than anything else—but it was loud enough for some words to echo into the front counter. Either way, Peter was only able to discern their exact conversation due to his enhanced hearing.
"You're supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago!"
"The traffic was shit, Larry, what'd you want me to do? Fly?"
"This isn't the first time you've been late, young lady!'
"I'm earlier than my usual shift!"
"If this happens, again—"
"What? You're firing me?"
Peter heard a beat of silence followed by some grumbling.
"That's what I thought. You're already short-staffed as is," the girl scoffed. "Now can I go and do my job?"
There was a few more grumbling before she finally came back out to the front.
Peter caught her heavy eye roll before she locked gazes with him.
As if knowing that he overheard everything, her whole demeanor suddenly turned shy. Or perhaps Peter simply didn't master his poker face yet. He probably looked too concerned for someone who wasn't supposed to hear anything.
"Sorry about that," she said with a timid smile.
"You don't need to apologize," Peter responded, trying to reassure her as much as he could.
She nodded, her smile turning a little more relaxed. "Same as usual?"
Peter looked at her confused.
Sure, he frequented here often but he didn't think anyone else would be aware of his order considering it was always MJ who took it.
Noticing his confusion, the girl in front of him let out a soft yet awkward laugh.
"I usually work at the back but I do notice how you come here often," she explained, looking away immediately after as she waved her hand. "Not in a weird way or anything! I-I mean like, I'm not a stalker or uh, a creep or something—"
"Don't worry," Peter reassured her, chuckling. "I mean, I come here often and I barely know who else works here? It's kinda my fault for noticing you."
The girl became even more flustered than before, so Peter decided to divert the subject and asked for her name.
"Isabella," she said, smiling with her hand out. "But you can call me Elle."
"Parker. Peter," he fumbled, cheeks turning hot as he shook her hand with a chuckle. "Peter Parker."
"Nice to meet you, Peter," she giggled in return. "Now, what can I get for you?"
•••
It was only a week later that Peter found out that MJ had already resigned from the café. He shouldn't have been surprised considering school was starting back up again. Sure, August was still a few weeks out but he figured she decided to go there early to be able to familiarize with the city. He assumed Ned did the same thing too, since he also hadn't seen him around the café since then.
A part of him wished he could've seen them one last time before they got to Boston. But the other part of him was saying this was for the best. Besides, what was he even going to say? It would've made things weird if he said goodbye because at the end of the day, to them, he was just a random customer that frequented the café.
Yet despite the fact that the two main people he always checked up on—the main reason he visited the café in the first place—were no longer in New York, he couldn't stop going.
He told himself it was simply out of habit. After all, he had been going to the café every single day for the past couple of months. It had been ingrained in his routine that not stopping by at least once simply felt wrong in some way.
Yet deep down he knew it was probably something else or rather, someone.
In only a short amount of time, Elle had intrigued him more than he'd like to admit.
Peter wasn't sure yet as to what exactly it was.
He'd like to think that he was simply making a new friend. But would a simple and innocent friendship—if the mentioned friendship didn't have any underlying feelings—make you feel conflicted? 
Even though he was very well aware he was doing absolutely nothing wrong, Peter somewhat felt a sense of guilt hanging out with Elle.
He kept going back to the promise he made to MJ, about finding her and making her remember. But then again, he'd been visiting the café for months yet there was never any progress. And every time Peter thought they were getting somewhere, that hope would immediately be snuffed out once he realized that she only recognized him as a regular customer and nothing more.
Now, she was hundreds of miles away and chasing after her to Boston wouldn't be a good idea. Apart from coming off as a stalker by appearing at every place she was at—New York needed Spider-Man.
Maybe he should've tried harder when she was still here. Maybe he should've just told her the truth right off the bat.
Or maybe it was time to move on.
Not that he would ever acknowledge all of these feelings any time soon, obviously.
For the past few weeks, he'd been justifying his urge to spend time with Elle as a mere curiosity. Because there was just something about her that he couldn't quite put a finger on. And the only way to find out was to be in her company.
Peter only wanted answers to the questions floating in his head.
That was what he kept telling himself, at least.
•••
It sort of worked.
And by that, Peter meant he learned much more about Elle the more they spent time together.
She was the same age as him and an only child of divorced parents. She was originally from a town just outside of Los Angeles and had only recently moved to New York once she was legal to do so. Now, she found herself working full-time at the café to make ends meet.
They weren't at a stage of knowing each other's numbers yet and they mostly hung around the café—as if it was their own little bubble, almost. But the hours Peter spent in his usual nook in the corner had definitely increased.
If she noticed, she never said a word about it.
Better yet, whenever he would study there for an upcoming GED test, she would sometimes sit with him and help him out whenever her boss wasn't looking. She also was generous enough to give him free refills during moments he would stay later in the night.
Peter would be lying if he said it didn't make him feel some type of way.
His cheeks would heat up whenever their gazes would meet from across the room. A certain warmth would settle in his heart whenever he'd hear her laugh, its pace beating that little bit faster whenever it was him who'd made her laugh. He would find himself grinning unconsciously whenever he would catch a glimpse of her smile, the corner of his lips lifting higher whenever that very smile was directed at him—that type of way.
Something that only seemed to grow on the one-month mark they'd known each other—and hadn't stopped growing since then.
It was easy to say that he was starting to really, really,likeher.
He had also learned to simply let things play out—to go with the flow, if you will. So, he tried not to be too hard on himself and just let himself feel what he feels and see where it goes.
After saving the world countless times and this city even much more, he could at least indulge himself in talking to a pretty girl, right?
Still, there was something else that also piqued his interest. Because the more he got to know her, the more questions seemed to keep popping up.
It made him even more curious.
Other than the fact that she seemed like such a nice sweet and funny girl, quite upbeat when you catch her in a good mood, was able to match his sarcasm very well, funny as well as pretty, he could feel that there was more to her than meets the eye.
Peter was noticing things that simply seemed off.
Aforementioned things weren't necessarily odd in a bad way. They could pass as benign at best. Peter would be able to leave it alone, if she didn't react the way that she did.
But that was the thing, her reaction to being questioned was odd.
Like that one time Peter asked her about a cut on her eyebrow. It wasn't too deep, and he could see that it was on the path of feeling. Still, when he'd seen her the day before and the cut didn't exist then, it was normal for him to ask about how she got it.
Peter expected her to shrug and say something simple like bumping her head against the door or some mishap that was caused by clumsiness more than anything else. But then she started to get nervous. She was stammering an explanation he didn't get to catch because she was already rushing away, throwing in an excuse about some delivery she needed to prepare before disappearing into the back room.
He tried to ignore it but then things just kept getting weirder.
•••
"As if New York hadn't been through enough," said an older, scruffy man as he took a sip of his black coffee.
"Yeah, I don't get why we're always the center of shit," a lanky guy with glasses responded. "Why can't it be Indiana's turn or something?"
"Well, heard there's some shit going on in that town, too."
"Huh, you're right."
The two men chatted as they sat at a booth just beside Peter's. They were two construction workers from across the street, taking a break from their night shift.
It wasn't that Peter was nosey—okay, fine maybe he was, I mean, who isn't'?—but he was unable to tune them out as he waited for Elle to come back with a refill of his coffee.
Besides, their conversation was starting to get interesting.
"You'd think the Avengers would've handled it by now," lanky-boy added. "The number of victims is coming up to double digits."
"Do you really think the Avengers would waste their time on animal attacks?" the old man scoffed. "That's way below their pay grade."
Peter found himself agreeing.
Besides, Spider-Man was there. It's not like he couldn't handle whatever these mysterious attacks were—definitely not tooting his own horn.
Either way, Peter was already aware of the situation. He had been keeping up with the reports on the radio and each one has left him confused more than ever.
He'd tried to catch whatever it was that was behind these attacks but he never seemed to get to the scene of the crime on time. It was always already taken care of. The police would already be swarming the place, so it was safe to assume that they'd been called. Journalists would then follow suit, trying to cover the story as best they could.
Peter would watch from the rooftops as they interviewed the very few witnesses. But what truly raised some questions was that they always describe a woman that stopped these creatures, there for one second and then gone the next.
Was there another new vigilante in New York?
"Sorry that took so long, the machine was acting up again."
Peter turned to Elle with a bright smile, "Why are you apologizing? Are you trying to get me to leave quicker or something?"
"Yes, your ass is about to burn an imprint on that seat," she retorted sarcastically.
Raising a brow, Peter leaned closer to her, smirking. "Why are you thinking about my ass?"
Her eyes widened in shock, pretty lips opening and closing with no words escaping them.
Peter couldn't stop his laugh from bursting out.
"Shut up, Parker," she scoffed, kicking his foot under the table. Though she couldn't stop her giggles as she poured him more coffee.
"There's not even an explanation as to where these animals are coming from," old man grumbled, continuing their conversation.
"But what if there is?" glasses said. Lowering his voice, added, "What if they're not exactly…animals."
"Not that rumor again, Bob—"
"Come on, Luke, it makes sense!"
Peter's heard about that rumor, too.
The people who were attacked by these 'animals' were found to have two punctures on the neck. There was also the case of severe blood loss which didn't make sense from a scientific standpoint because it's impossible for such tiny holes to cause that amount of bleeding in little time. So, theories started going around as people drew their own conclusions. It was probably a way for them to soothe their own fears because knowing what it was would enable them to prepare. That was much easier than trying to fight the unknown.
"Really?" Luke scoffed. "Vampires?"
"I mean, what else could it be?" Bob pushed. "Do you really think a wild animal will survive New York city? It would've been hit by a car by now!"
"Vampires are just a fairytale," Luke brushed off, tone turning teasing as he said, "Or that one shitty movie you love."
"Twilight is not shitty," Bob grumbled before sighing, "Look, Thor was a fairytale once! The Hulk is real but you draw the line on vampires?"
"Whatever floats your boat, Bob."
"Okay, then what about the woman?" lanky Bob continued. "Why would people on the street call her The Vampire Slayer if there aren't any vampires?"
Peter was snapped out of his eavesdropping when Ella let out a panicked yelp. It was only then he realized that coffee had spilled over his mug and splattered all over the table. His concern only grew when he saw the way she was clutching her hand.
"Shit, shit, shit," she hissed.
Peter immediately got out of his seat to stand in front of her. He took her hand in his as he grabbed some tissue from his table. He gently wiped her hand clean and started checking how badly she burned herself. A sigh of relief escaped him once he saw it wasn't severe. Peter didn't know that it was but he couldn't help but pull her hand up to his lip and started blowing cool air on it.
The second he looked up, their gazes met.
Peter didn't know how long they were staring at each other, but he found himself not minding it. But the emotions that flickered in her eyes, from shock to embarrassment had her looking away.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a tad bit disappointed. He would've stayed looking into her eyes for much longer if he could.
"You okay?" he asked, softly caressing her tender skin with his thumb.
"I—" She blinked. "Y-Yeah! Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
"I mean your hand—"
"Is completely fine!" she squeaked, pulling her hand away and hiding it behind her. "Don't worry about it."
"Everything okay?" Peter frowned, confused. "You seem spooked."
"Why would I be spooked?" she let out an awkward laugh. 
She never had a mishap before. If there was one thing about her, she was quick on her feet. Peter has seen it countless times from catching a plate before it hits the floor without even looking, or dodging a cupcake with her back turned when a baby had decided to toss it across the room. So, her spilling coffee, on her hand at that, seemed uncharacteristic.
Maybe she was distracted?
Judging from the proximity of those men, she probably heard about what they were talking about or, more or less, was reminded of it since it was the only thing the news had been covering lately. 
"Are you scared about those animal attacks?" he asked in genuine concern. "I could always walk you—"
"Me? Pfft, no. I'm not scared," she quickly brushed it off, waving her hand around. "It's all rumors anyway."
"What, you don't believe in vampires? I mean, punctures in the neck, the evidence is already there," Peter attempted to joke to alleviate the tension but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
The way her eyes widened before rushing to the back and stammering about cleaning up told him as much.
Again.
Weird.
•••
Peter wished he could say it stopped there but what he found tonight brought him some sort of an epiphany almost, a thing that made him slowly connect the dots.
It was the same as any other night of closing the shop, yet as they started to bid their goodbyes, her phone started to beep, loud and fast.
She hurriedly pulled it out of her jacket, took one look at it, and started sputtering her a reason he didn't catch and rushed off, gone before he could even do as much as a wave goodbye.
It was then that he realized that she had dropped something.
At first, he thought it was one of those defense weapons women usually bring with them when they walk at night—a long cylinder-shaped stick with a sharp end. But the more he examined it, the more questions he seemed to gather.
Why is it made of wood?
Is this a wooden stake?
Now, Peter had his moments but he wasn't completely clueless. The animal attacks, the rumors, her sudden nervousness about it, the silver cross necklace, the wooden stake, some woman saving people in the night—could it be?
Surely not…
Right?
•••
It's not creepy if I'm only making sure she's safe.
That was what Peter kept telling himself as he once again followed Elle as she made her way home. He'd been doing it for a couple of nights now, especially since the attacks had only increased. Right after helping her in closing the cafe, they would go their separate ways. Peter would bid his goodbyes as he returned her sentiment about getting home safe.
Yet he was not on his way home.
It might have been wrong to lie, but it was to keep her safe.
But more often than not, Peter somehow would always lose sight of her. Whenever he would look away for a split second, she would be gone. It was either she was quite fast on her feet or she knew how to vanish from thin air.
It only added to the list of odd things he had discovered about her.
Fine, he was making sure that she got home safe, and maybe he was trying to get answers, too.
Both things can be true at the same time, right?
There were simply too many coincidences for him to ignore.
Even more so when he caught her suddenly turning towards an empty alley.
But not for long.
Peter felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat when he saw four men follow in right behind her.
He swung as quickly as he could, heart beating faster and louder at the thought of her being hurt…or worse.
But whatever scenario he was conjuring in his head, from good to bad to worse outcomes—he never expected this.
To say he was shocked would be an understatement.
It's not every day you see the girl you'd been crushing on take down one guy at a time, flawlessly and effortlessly, as if she could do this in her sleep.
She was mesmerizing.
Her strength was unmistakable as Peter watched her send a guy flying across the alley with a simple kick, swiftly swerving the other perpetrator behind her in one move before hitting them square on the nose and knocking them out.
Peter was awestruck.
Does she have powers?
The fight was already over when he got to her, landing just beside the building that covered any source of light.
Yet Peter's questions only seemed to grow as he watched her pull out a wooden stake from her coat—similar to the one she dropped—and started stabbing each unconscious man. He would've been shocked and scared by the brutality of her actions, that until these…men started turning into dust.
So the rumors were true, then?
"Who's there!"
Peter slowly came out of the shadows with his hands up in surrender, showing her that he wasn't a threat. Yet the second she saw him under the light she lowered her weapon.
"Spider-Man."
Peter tilted his head. "You know who I am?"
"Well, duh? New York's greatest defender? You've made quite a name for yourself," Ella said, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised a brow. "Should've just introduced yourself, you know, instead of following me every night."
"I—uh," he chuckled shyly, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that—"
"What? You think I wouldn't notice?" she snorted, amusement painting her features. "I'd like to believe I'm not that oblivious, given my line of work."
"Of course not I—" Peter didn't know what it was, but he decided right then and there that he might as well just go for it. "Elle, right?"
He expected her to be surprised. But instead, she merely narrowed her eyes at him as if to examine him.
"How'd you know?"
"Well…" he trailed off, grabbing the top of his mask and then pulling it off.
He flashed her a shy smile. "Hey.'
"Peter…" she breathed out, blinking for a few times before her grin widened. "I fucking knew it!"
Peter blinked.
"What?"
"That makes so much sense!" she added gleefully.
"Okay, wait no," Peter shook his head, glaring at her playfully as he crossed his arms. "Don't you dare say you had your suspicions."
"Oh I absolutely had my suspicions," she giggled, all adorable and proud. "Besides, Spider-Man following me home immediately after I say goodbye to you after closing the café?"
Peter let out a defeated sigh.
"Yeah, you aren't as slick as you think you are, Parker."
"You're not as careful as you think you are either," he retorted, tossing her the wooden stake she dropped a couple nights ago.
She caught it effortlessly.
"Huh, so that's where it went," she mused, laughing shyly. "I guess we both have our moments."
"So you're the slayer person?" Peter asked, walking closer to her.
"Vampire Slayer," she corrected.
Once he was close enough, he swiftly yet discreetly scanned her form to check if she was hurt, grateful that he didn't seem to see any visible injuries.
Still, ever the observant person—or maybe it was one of her powers, who knows—she still caught him. "Are you checking me out, Parker?"
"I'm making sure you're not hurt."
She blinked at him, surprised. She probably didn't expect him to be so blatantly honest.
"I'm not hurt," she reassured with a soft smile.
Peter mirrored her grin with a nod before narrowing his eyes. "What does 'Vampire Slayer' mean, exactly?"
She raised her brow at him. "It's literally on the name."
Peter deadpanned.
"What?" she giggled, reaching a hand up to settle his hair, made unruly by his mask.
He couldn't stop his heart from doing a silly little dance inside his chest, its warmth slowly seeping onto his cheeks.
"You know," he hummed, daring to place a hand on her waist. He couldn't stop his smile when she leaned a little closer. "You had me worried there for a second, thought you were in danger when I saw those men follow you in. Turns out, you didn't really need any help."
"Well, I'll have you know I'm not some damsel in distress," she scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes.
"Never thought you were," he chuckled. 
"Besides, you're not the only one who has powers in this neighborhood," she said, grinning.
Peter didn't exactly know where the sudden burst of confidence was coming from. Maybe it was from the fact that his feelings for her were definitely confirmed by the fear he felt at the thought of her being in danger or hurt. Maybe he was just feeding off of her high energy and adrenaline. Either way, he didn't hesitate to shoot his shot.
"How about you tell me all about it over dinner? My treat."
"Is this your way of bribing me to spill my secrets?" she said with narrowed eyes. "Or are you so enthralled by my skills that you're asking me out on a date?"
"Why not both?"
"Shut up," she giggled. "About time you asked though. You can be kinda slow with hints sometimes."
Peter looked at her genuinely confused, "What hints?"
"Seriously?" she snorted. "I don't just give free coffee refills to anyone, mind you. It's technically not even allowed."
He grinned, placing his other hand on her waist and giving it a gentle squeeze. "What are you trying to say here exactly?"
"Uh…" She turned shy, then, eyes casted down. Peter could see she was trying to gain the courage to just say it out loud.
"That you like me, too?" he supplied instead, her eyes snapping back up to meet his.
"Too?"
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's slow when it comes to hints."
Peter felt his heart stutter at the way her smile brightened.
"So, pizza at my place?" she hummed, giggling. But then realization dawned on her face. "Oh wait. I still need to patrol."
"Same here. How about I come with," Peter offered. "Then we get pizza after."
"The Spider-Man needing my help?" she teased. "I thought I'd never see the day."
"Shut up" Peter rolled his eyes. "Now, hold tight."
"Why?" she asked confused, yet did so, anyway, wrapping her arms around his neck.
It made Peter feel warm, simply from the fact that she trusted him and his word enough.
Once he put on his mask and made sure she was secured, Peter didn't say another word as he hoisted them up and started swinging, her shrieks and expletives marrying with his boisterous laugh.
After roaming the city of New York and stopping any petty crime they came across—and killing two more vampires, a sight Peter still needed to get used to—they stopped at his apartment to get some stuff before crashing at her place for the night solely because it was bigger than his.
They might have skipped a few steps compared to any normal relationships—they were barely even there, frankly—but then again, nothing about them was normal to begin with, anyway.
For the rest of the evening, as they sat on her living room floor with two boxes of warm pizza sitting on the coffee table, Elle told Peter her story, and in return, he also shared pieces of his.
She got chosen—ironic since there wasn't even much of a choice—as a slayer when she was fifteen, and Peter shared that he got bitten by a radioactive spider at that age, too. She shared how she was given these powers that basically made her an enhanced individual which led to a playful arm wrestling match to see who was stronger. Peter ended up losing solely because he was too scared to hurt her, especially when he himself wasn't fully aware at what level his strength truly was.
She got all pouty about it but it was immediately pushed aside when Peter said she looked so cute when she was pouting.
He got a pepperoni in the face when he wouldn't stop teasing her about it.
But aside from the witches, vampires and demons alike—which was how Peter learned Wanda was actually a witch instead of a mutant—the two of them are surprisingly so similar in some ways. They already clicked before, and now, they seemed to have a lot in common when it came to their second life as well.
They also shared sentiments as to how lonely this life could be sometimes and it was like a breath of fresh air for Peter to have someone understand him. Maybe not to the fullest of extents since whatever this was between them was new, but understand him, nonetheless.
It was safe to say Peter was glad he came into the café later than when he usually did that day.
Fascinating how changing one small thing in a routine could have a profound impact on a person's life, huh?
✫*゚・゚。.★.*。・゚♛ *.
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With regard to donating to fund-raisers and the analogy to panhandlers, what do you make of the difference in scale that the internet makes possible? I absolutely agree with the underlying approach — I keep $40 in my wallet so that I always have a $20 to give to panhandlers I see — but there's a limit to how many dishonest panhandlers a person is likely to run into. Internet spam and scams are of a staggeringly larger scale; for example, the head of trust and safety for Dreamwidth has put the scale of these scam networks in the millions of accounts. Obviously vetting practises help a great deal, and I think initiatives like Crips For ESims For Gaza are great, but I'm a little bit hung up on the analogy to in-person panhandling when the scale is so different.
Disclaimer: my tone may sound harsh here, I am having trouble softening my words one this right now, but I truly mean no frustration towards you and really appreciate this question as an opportunity continue this conversation in the Commons constructively
I mean. Make a budget for it?
Like. I've said this before, but given I've decided to hunker down in this foxhole, let's do it again.
All my life I've had a panhandling budget because I came from a family where you simply didn't say no to such requests if you didn't have to. But much like the tired old analogy at this point, you can't help someone else put on an oxygen mask if you've passed out because you don't have enough oxygen yourself.
So my mom told me this was one of those places in life you set a boundary with yourself. Identify how much you can actually safely reliably spend towards financial redistribution, and set it aside in cash each pay period to give out.
My mom's approach was very first come, first served. Whoever asked her, she handed out all her cash. I found that when I was trying to create a similar routine for myself that this led to a constant exposure to people I couldn't serve at all. So I created "allotments". It became my routine to take out a $20 bill at my bank every pay period, and then have the teller give it to me in $5 bills. The first 4 people I met who asked for it got a fiver.
Then came the digital age. Cash wasn't the main way people asked for money anymore, and my fivers were simultaneously going farther and going nowhere at all for weeks on end, especially during the pandemic when I became largely housebound.
These days, I keep $10 cash in 2 fivers, and each pay period I restock it if it's been depleted, and add $10 to a digital distribution fund (I use money transfer apps like venmo, paypal, and cash app for parking this money until expenditure). My allotment is still the same, $5/ask. During low-density ask periods, I will donate my "excess" at the end of a 3month period to a bail fund or prison penpal program, and if there IS no excess, it's because I was able to distribute the funds myself.
They're not big donations, but a lot of the time I've been able to make them recurring. Obviously, genocide upon genocide upon pandemic upon genocide has meant that I rarely have excesses, and many asks have to go unanswered by me. At least if I want to keep my own household alive and well. And I've been told in the past that some even prefer getting my repeat small petty cash funds over getting larger one time donations.
It's still hard to be constantly exposed to desperate asks you can't answer, but when you treat it like a sustainability thing (this is a thing I can continue doing indefinitely vs this is a thing I can only sometimes do without hurting myself).
Like any budget, sometimes things get tight. Mine has been bigger and smaller at times and there have even been deeply painful periods where my budget was, legitimately, $0. But once that changed, I was right back to it.
The more the world changes, the more it stays the same I guess
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call-me-noa · 2 months ago
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New year, new me.
Okay so it's still a few weeks until New Year's, but I think I'm gonna go ahead and post this now anyway. If you're wondering who this "Noa" person you don't remember following is, this account used to be named Reignsan.
It's been just about 19 years since I came up with the name Reign. I was 11 years old at the time and originally used it for a Sonic OC. I don't remember why I chose that name, I think it just sounded cool. You know, picking things the way that 11 year olds tend to do. Pretty quickly the name Reign went from being the name of my Sonic OC to the name I used everywhere online. For almost two decades that's what I've been called by.
But recently—cropping up every now and then in the last few years, but increasingly more often in the last few months—I've kind of found myself drifting away from Reign as an identifier. When people call me by that it's started to feel "off", like taking a moment to register that they're talking to me.
Earlier this year I renamed my FFXIV character Noa and that name really clicked with me. I like how it sounds. Ironically this actually happened shortly before I played Xenoblade 3, a game where the main character is named Noah, so that's actually a coincidence if you can believe it. I've started slowly transferring to using the name Noa on other places, like my FGO and Twitch usernames (for the record I don't stream, it's just when I'm talking in Twitch chat).
This isn't a trans thing; I'm not cracking an egg or coming out of the closet. I'm pretty comfortable in my gender identity. But it is still an identity thing. I feel kind of stupid making a big deal about changing an online username, but when you've used the same one for almost twenty years it is kind of a leap.
So long story short I'm committing to changing my screen name from Reign to Noa. For people who've known me a long time, especially my friends who've known me pretty much the entire length of time I've gone by Reign, I know this will be an adjustment. But I'd really appreciate it if you could keep it in mind. Of course I know you won't memorize it overnight and there will be slip-ups, but yeah.
So, yeah. New year new me. Please call me Noa.
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crimeronan · 5 months ago
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princess luz fics ranked by how choice the hunter & luz cuddling is:
because in the car i started thinking "wait, is there a single fic where i HAVEN'T found an excuse for them to hug??" and then started laughing. here are the results!
why did love put a gun in my hand
this one's the main plotty one and also the best snuggly one, on account of there being a 10k chapter that's literally just hunter and luz in bed together. snuggling. and arguing with each other. also several snuggling moments prior to that, except they inevitably turn into fights 😔
2. strong enough to stand protecting both your heart and mine
camila fic! she gets to the isles just in time to witness her daughter's case of Holy Shit PTSD. luz has Scary Dog Privilege and hunter is also being her service dog. best of both worlds. he wants to kill for her and also holds her through an emotional meltdown to end all meltdowns. A+
3. the fragile facade you show to me
amity POV of hunter finding out belos is dead! features an extremely choice scene where hunter hugs luz with all the "I Fucking Thought You Were Dead" fervor in the world & amity is like um. this feels indecent to watch. i can't even look at you two anymore
4. pulling up the nails that hold up everything you've known
eda meets luz! hunter is absent for most of this one because eda decides she doesn't like him. however he comes in clutch when luz has a panic attack & eda is like oh. huh. maybe you aren't the devil. face touching as allyship forever
5. i've never let a damn thing get to me (this time it's personal)
this one's a shorter version of the plotty fic, which i wrote first & then had to expand upon bc i had brainworms. the snuggling is short because of this but hunter does hold luz while she cries into his chest. kiddos
6. some synergy had fallen in place
you'd THINK this fic wouldn't have hunter and luz snuggling in it, because luz isn't actually present. this is the only fic luz isn't in. because it's amity POV and about her changing relationship with hunter. however i actually did manage to get some snuggling in there through amity thinking about what it's like to sleep in the same space as hunter & luz. it's like. nauseatingly tender. waow
7. i'm saying agony is not your prayer
0/10. absolute shitshow. no cuddles here to speak of. all we get is a nasty dead-ass corpse hunter haunting luz's mindscape. and she doesn't want to cuddle him for some weird reason. sad! 😔
....that's it for stuff that's published right now. thank u for joining me on this journey.
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innbetween · 3 months ago
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Question more so for Hannah than Tessa but who knows, maybe podcasts exist in the dnd world.
wanted to know if you had any queer fantasy and/or sci-fi audio drama recommendations. I’ve listened to and loved Welcome To NightVale, Jar Of Rebuke, Absolutely No Adventures, Zoo, The Bright Sessions, and of course, Inn Between. Thanks regardless :]
DO I
Yeah I definitely do. I'm actually one of those cishets myself, so just to be absolutely clear, i'm going to include only shows with at least one main character who's not like. You know. One of me. I'm also looking at your selections and noting a sort of steady pacing, respect for exploration, and character focus, so I'll be leaning toward those.
FANTASY
Dragon's Rest is a sitcom in the vein of ANA and Inn Between--a fantasy inn, a grumpy owner, her hapless hero hopeful busboy, the local lush, a bard who, and I cannot stress this enough, is too dumb to read. It's delightful, honestly.
Eeler's Choice is a strange and beautiful oceanic adventure about magic, siblings, and giant eels. The music slaps also.
Electromancy: imagine if Harry Potter was a) not written by a freakin transphobe, and b) actually asked hard questions about imperialism. Like hey, should we be doing imperialism?
The Kingmaker Histories is hard to describe. I can say "steampunk," and "magic" and "magical politics" and "Collette's got a jewel stuck in her head that explodes people sometimes" but that's not even the half of it.
Sidequesting is like, best friends with ANA. Rion, a brave hero, is given a magic sword for an epic quest...and promptly goes and does literally everything else. It's so nice.
Starfall hey what's up Starfall I love you Starfall, Starfall's about a magic theater troupe and definitely not also about how imperialism is bad, actually. Fel and Leona own my whole heart. Friends.
Sci-Fi
Ask Your Father is one of those shows that hits you in the teeth. When an accident sends an astronaut and his AI bestie way off course, he finds himself lost in space, answering questions from his kids and husband that will absolutely break your heart. I cried. A lot.
Gastronaut is near-future sci-fi about a bougie foodie who goes on a journey to discover the food of the Asian diaspora throughout the solar system. And things go...very bad. This show loves food so much and it loves the characters even more.
Midnight Burger is...everything. How do you even describe it. It's hard sci-fi dressed up in a found family package and served with fries. Or maybe beans and rice, if Gloria's cooking. It is a deeply cynical show that nevertheless insists that the universe is worth fighting for, with everything you've got.
The Pasithea Powder is explicitly written for people who like a gritty, uncomfortable, messy romance. Like, did you like Stucky fanfic? So do the writers and it's amazing. The tagline is that a retired fighter pilot/war hero and a disgraced scientist/war criminal used to be best friends. They still might be, if the other one will pick up the phone.
Second Star to the Left is about colonization and xenobiology and the kinds of connections you can make light years away from each other. It's about rules and when it's okay to break them. It's beautiful.
Startripper!! is also very ANA and Inn Between--an accountant decides to ditch his day job, buy the far-future equivalent of a Millennium Falcon replica, and travel the universe for the rest of his life. It's so fun.
The Strange Case of the Starship Iris is like, if Firefly had real Asians in it. It's about a group of space smugglers turned galaxy heroes, and it's absolutely incredible.
Travelling Light is another travelogue, but this one features a person doing archival work for their community and meeting amazing people and hearing amazing stories while they do it. It's so gentle and wonderful.
World Gone Wrong is a chat podcast between two separated roommates who are trying to make sense of the end of the world. Like what do you do with that extra hour in the day now? Is my community going to lose its mind because some of the trees look like women? How can I throw a poetry jam that's inclusive for my werewolf friends? It's so well crafted and well acted. I think about it every day.
Wow this ended up long. There's a few to get you started!
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