#I will probably play with her design a lot soo this is by no means final

[milkyboybluewriter]

The Disappointing Case of Wendy Corduroy

Wendy Corduroy has a lot of potential, but too often is pushed to the side by a lot of fans, and even by her creator.  But not for lack of trying, or an interest in the character.  In fact, Alex’s idealised view of Wendy may have been her greatest obstacle in receiving a story of her own.  Dipper isn’t the only one who seems to consider her ‘the coolest person he knows.’

Wendy was inspired by the first girl who ever spoke to Alex Hirsch, as well as several people the creative team thought were cooler than them. These were likely special memories or people in order to base a fictional character on them.  But that puts her on a pedestal.  And when someone puts you up there, it’s hard for them to take you back down.  Either for fear of ruining you or concern that, when others look closer, they’ll be disappointed in what they see.

He wanted her to be a main character (in the same way Soos is, if not Stan, Dipper, or Mabel) but in many ways Wendy feels like a side character.  She never receives her own episode, and lacks the character arc that even some side characters like Pacifica and Robbie received.

Her family, her friends inside the Shack and out, her physical abilities and survival skills, the drama of being a teenager, not to mention being a resident of the weirdest place on Earth.  All of these can lead to a hundred stories across the spectrum.  So why do people not write more stories about her?

Maybe it’s because she wasn’t given the opportunity that others had.  

As a cool, older redhead, Wendy’s main role in the show was being Dipper’s crush.  Which already puts her at a disadvantage because it means they designed her purpose first, character second. In fact, this is probably why she changed so drastically from her vegan-hippie prototype seen in the Gravity Falls bible.  Everything from her boots to her hat has changed since then, save the way she makes Dipper’s heart go faster.  

Most of her appearances in season one featured this one-sided romance and Dipper’s attempts to impress her, which usually resulted in a morality lesson about being yourself and not doing dumb stuff to impress others.  Pretty standard cartoon crush territory.  But between the episodes, a real friendship bloomed. 

In The Time Traveller's Pig, she gives an indifferent shrug as she casually agrees to go to the fair with Dipper, yet before her injury - and in the timeline where she avoids it altogether - she’s shown to genuinely enjoy his company.  A couple of episodes later and she’s outright excited at the prospect of working alongside Dipper at the pool.  They have regular movie nights.  They crack jokes and tease the Shack’s customers.  Climb trees and play at the arcade.  Wendy spends more time with Dipper than any other character.  Which means she must care about him more than she does the rest.

The crush might be one-sided but the affection is not.

But in the DVD commentary of Into The Bunker, Alex Hirsch, Matt Chapman, and Rob Renzetti mention that fan feedback convinced them to end Dipper’s crush sooner rather than later, even supposedly having ‘KILL THE CRUSH’ as one of their main story goals for season 2.  Understandable.  The crush episodes weren’t always the best, and if it was always intended as an unrequited attraction then better to get it over with rather than draw it out.  And it’s a good lesson to have a young boy learn, especially around twelve.  Love and puberty are relatable, but no less frustrating for it.

Into the Bunker is my favourite episode for multiple reasons, not least for Wendy’s presence in it.  She shows off her friendship with Dipper in the cold open, reveals her lumberjack and fighting skills later, and shows she would be an excellent adventurer.  I see it as a prime example of What Could Have Been.  I especially adore the ending, where she lets Dipper down so gently, it’s a beautiful scene.  As sad as Dipper feels, he’s also been told by someone very special to him that he’s very special to her too.  Maybe not in the way he wants, but perhaps in an even more important way.  

I had high hopes after that episode.  I remember thinking this meant she would develop beyond just being his crush, especially now we’d seen her hold her own against the weirdness and danger.  I really wanted to see more of this adventurous, sensitive Wendy we’d missed in season one, and wanted her to be a regular companion and friend to the twins.

Wendy appears in 16 episodes in the first season, and 15 episodes in the second if you don’t split Weirdmageddon 3 into two.  In season one she appeared in but didn’t participate in the adventure of key episodes like Dreamscaperers or Gideon rises.  In season two, she joins the adventure in Society of the Blind Eye, The Last Mabelcorn, and the Weirdmageddon trilogy, but has limited interaction or story impact in most episodes, save Love God.   She only has what amounts to cameo appearances in Not What He Seems and Tale of Two Stans, two of if not the most important episodes of the series.  

Including each of the Weirdmageddon trilogy, she’s referenced via Dipper’s lingering crush six times, including episodes she doesn’t even appear in.  So, after Into The Bunker, Wendy goes from being Dipper’s crush to…his crush that appears less.  

Wow, they really failed that Kill the Crush mission, didn’t they?

Perhaps the biggest issue is that she is so keenly tied to Dipper.  I love the Dipper and Wendy relationship, I could write a massive essay on that alone.  But it is such an incredible waste that she didn’t get a chance to interact with the others nearly so often. Every other main character has relationships with others.  Soos has a father-son bond with Stan as well as a friendship with the twins.  Ford was introduced later in season 2 and still interacts with Soos and Fiddleford as well as his family.  It’s a hindrance to her character that most of her interactions were for Dipper’s arc, yet she received nothing of her own.  

Wendy spends some time with Mabel, trying to help her with boy trouble (not the best person to get dating advice from, Mabel) in Hand That Rocks the Mabel and Society of the Blind Eye, then goes along with the girls to keep them safe in Last Mabelcorn.  This lets us see her affection and big sister vibes don’t end with Dipper, and should have been explored far more.  Her interactions with Soos and Stan are also limited, mainly to the workplace.  Her only dialogue with Ford is one line in Journal 3.  

Yet we also never see her be by herself.  We never see her home life, or how she entertains herself away from her friends or work. She's always interacting with a main character or her group of friends.  No alone time or personal interests are seen beyond pranks and reading magazines to avoid work.

We even get to see Robbie Valentino’s home life and musical hobbies, but not hers.

This lack of independent material has even continued in the Book of Bill where two of her very limited mentions is in regards to Dipper being stuck on a tree and another is his search history.  Even her own dream is made into a joke at Dipper's expense.  Ten years later, and so much of her is tied to Dipper, specifically to mock his feelings for her.  I don’t know if that’s more insulting to Dipper or Wendy at this point.

Speaking of dreams, let’s get to another issue: her mother.  Who we know nothing about.  In a show so heavily focussed on mysteries, the fate of Mrs Corduroy is a question that’s been left hanging since season one and we have come no closer to an answer of any kind.  Even a direct question from fans on both the Alex Hirsch and Bill Cipher AMAs were answered so vaguely they told us nothing.  She’s no longer with her?  A Fountains of Wayne reference?  Even the Book of Bill’s reveal that Wendy dreams about her most nights says nothing.  Are these good dreams?  Nightmares?  Memories?  The implication is that she’s dead, yet not even that has been confirmed.  For all we know, Mrs Corduroy could be dead, missing, abandoned her family, or could be working on an oil rig for the summer.  Your guess is as good as anyone’s by this point. 

We know she’s Manly Dan’s oldest and his only daughter, but we didn’t even learn her brother’s names until a paste up sheet was released in 2017.  She barely shares a scene with any of them, and when it happens it’s in the background.  The only exception I can think of is their group hug in the Fearamid.  A tender moment which would have been so much better if we’d actually seen her engage with them beforehand.  Her lack of interaction is especially jarring considering her confession in Society of the Blind Eye:  "Okay, I'm not actually laid back. I'm stressed, like, 24/7. Have you met my family?"

Not really, no.  And for a show that’s about family as much as it is about mystery, it’s a shame that Wendy is let down in both areas.  

Even side characters like Robbie, Pacifica, and Grenda receive more character development, despite their limited importance or screen time.  In fact, it was recently pointed out to me that Archibald Corduroy, Wendy’s ancestor, is more integral to Pacifica than his own descendant.  Once again, Wendy’s interactions come up short, including from her own family.  

With the release of the Book of Bill, some people were hopeful that she might finally get some attention.  I wasn’t.  Personally, I think Bill simply has a low opinion of Wendy anyway since he called her a pushover in his AMA, so it can be fitting he doesn’t mention her often.  But it’s also the context of these mentions, and those on the website.  On Thisisnotawebsite.com she’s referred to twice - Her one contribution is a simple note where she pranks the reader.  Then she’s mentioned in Stan’s list of embarrassing moments.  

Ten years later and not only are her contributions incredibly minor, but they’re as much to do with other people as herself, if not more so.  She’s supposed to be a main character but she might as well be a cameo.

Her lack of representation is so bad, that I realised my friends were celebrating her being mentioned in The Book of Bill.  That’s how desperate we’ve become for Wendy material.  And I’m sick of it.   At this point, I’m anticipating a Wendy story as much as I am Winds of Winter.

Last month I was discussing some of my writing ideas with my father.  And he gave me a very hard truth: it doesn’t matter how good your ideas are, if you don’t act on them, they’re only ideas.  And he was absolutely right.  It doesn’t matter how great these ideas are in my head, if they’re only in my head then what good are they? 

Hirsch has been saying for years he’s wanted to do more with Wendy, but he hasn’t. Not in the show, the comics, or the other material.  Intentions, like ideas, are useless if you don’t do something about them.

I honestly hate how harsh this sounds.  I love Gravity Falls.  And I love Wendy.  And I believe Alex Hirsch does too, he just…doesn’t know what to do with her.  As he says in the Inconveniencing commentary: “We wanted to honour her so much that we couldn’t figure out the right episode with her because we didn’t want to mess her up.”  He’s put her on a pedestal just like Dipper did.  And I think she needs to come down so we can see how awesome she really is.

So, what can be done to fix this?  Well, when creators don’t have the time, interest, or ability to do something for a series, that leaves the fans to fill in the gap.  

I urge other Gravity Falls enthusiasts to try and give her the attention and character development she sorely deserves, especially now there’s a resurgence of activity and interest.  Draw or write her if you can, have her interact with other characters, not just be a crush, explore her depths.  And if you can’t, seek out those who have or can and ask their advice, or thank them for their work, offer encouragement.  For Wendy if not for them.

I want to leave this on a happier note and say that I’m going to follow this up soon with another essay, this time offering advice on writing Wendy.  Even talented writers I admire have surprised me by saying they struggle to write her, yet I’ve found it pretty easy.  So hopefully I can encourage other people to write her too.   

But if I could summarise what I want to see and what I think will help people write Wendy, it would be this: She’s not just Dipper’s crush, and she’s not just the cool girl.  She’s bigger than that.

She’s Wendy Flippin’ Corduroy and she deserves so much more.

Cheers, Milky Boy Blue

[km3tt0]

hi hi hi hi hi I'm a new follower!! Can you tell me anything and everything about Aurora Soothsayer? Pretty please? I love starbee sm and I really like Aurora's design- (I also really like that Starscream is the carrier because that's kinda rare in this ship which is a SHAME, because I feel like the starbee dynamic gets 100% more cute and funny if Starscream is all whiny and needy and constantly uses the 'I'm the one carrying our child' argument 24/7)

IVE BEEN DYING FOR SOMEONE TO ASK ABOUT MY THEORIES HAND ON - I MADE A MODEL! /REF

ONG YOU ASK ABOUT HER! THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU REALLY MAKE MY DAY SO MUCH BETTER!

YAP ALERT! Bc I have so much to talk about her!!! (Also I’m glad you like the Star Carrier concept because YES, to me it just felt right and thinking about a more whiny Starscream it’s funny to think about!!)

Okay so LETS BEGIN!

1.- Her names are both a mix of Human + Cybertronian names. Bee suggested the human name (it was TC’s idea*) and Starscream suggested the Cybertronian name, because no way in hell his sparkling is going to be name after something the “fleshings” invented. They had a full debate on how to name her and it took them months before deciding that both names are okay.

[Ironically Starscream calls her Rory and Bee calls her Soo]

2. She can be considered a very spoiled child, she basically gets all what she wants if she asks, their parents give her everything but she doesn’t act like spoiled child, she’s actually a very sweet bot once you gain her confidence! Spoiled sweet if you want to name it

3. She’s a Sire’s girl. After the war and Bee trying to play the diplomat (again) he just realized it wasn’t really for him, too much pressure and basically became the cybertronian equivalent of stay home dad, while Starscream (after getting his body back) with tons of effort and trial, became a judge inside the Supreme Justice Court in the New Cybertron.

She grew up mostly with Bee, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love her carrier just as much.

4. Aurora absolutely loves Windblade and Windblade absolutely loves her.

I hc that Bee and Wind see each other as siblings, so that’s her fav auntie, because by Primus, she has a lot of aunts and uncles (courtesy of Bee’s friendly personality). And from the Elite trine, she likes to hang out with TC more, she likes to hear what his new script going and also stories of Marissa and Buster and wishes she met them.

5. One of my fav details about her. Her eyes. Probably you notice but Aurora is basically the carbon copy of Bee, everything about her is just like looking at a femme Bee BUT her eyes are completely different. She got her eyes from Star, it presented as a manifestation of Starscream’s true form, almost like a sign of “you were able to become your true self”.

And of course, Starscream loves her eyes. And it’s more deep than just vanity and seeing himself somewhere in her. He’s happy she had the opportunity to be who she was intended to do, something that was took away from him.

6. She is the equivalent of a 18-19 year old in Cybertronian years.

7. She never got to met Optimus nor Megatron. She did hear about them and the war (I mean of course Bee and Star are basically veterans) she knows more about Optimus and she constantly has a dream where she meets him. Bee tells her he’s probably visiting her, that’s something Optimus will do.

Megatron is a more mysterious topic for her, she knows him by the stories others tells her but she hears almost nothing about him from Starscream. He tells her is better to leave it that way, Megatron’s memory doesn’t deserve to remain hunting him or his family. (Tho that doesn’t stop Star from still making fun of Megatron )

8. (this is more a Starscream fact inside this universe but it’s still related to Aurora) Starscream had a hard time trying to find a way to show her affection towards her without fucking it up. When he discovered they were having a sparkling he was nonchalant at first but as soon as he started to actually feel Aurora’s spark growing inside him something in him changed. He started to panic, so oddly of him, but he realized he doesn’t know how to be a parent and properly show affection.

Sure, he does show affection towards Bee, but that’s because Bee made it easier for him. Bee was a full formed bot. But this little sparkling was something new, something HE DID and for the first time he tried his best to not self sabotage himself ever again.

Aside of Bee, Windblade helped him a lot to process his feelings and he started to stand her, just a little.

[*Aurora’s name]: Thundercracker being the one with the idea of Aurora’s names is an understatement.

It was more like: Bee went to TC to ask him for advice because he couldn’t decide a name. TC was just nodding while writing his new script and Bee ranted in the background, he nodded at every statement of Bee, not really paying attention.

And accidentally he blurted aloud the name of Aurora while also coming out for the name of his new co-protagonist and Bee absolutely loved it and basically stormed off from TC’s home. He was so confused.

[bittasol]

The thinf you said about the mafia au and dynamics being unlocked is so true, another thing that I really liked about this chapter is the Opera/Ameri rivalry dynamic they have going and I find it really fun!! It's so different from what we're used to seeing from them (actually I don't remember if they've actually interacted that much in the original) (but them being rivals and fighting each other is so fun!!!! I love it)

YEAH even down to its bones the way characters are being presented is very different from the main series! Azz azz’s loyalty to Iruma taking multiple chapters, the age and manner in which Iruma meets Sullivan, Opera and Irumas dynamic being more sibling/partnerish than canon etc BUT it all feels true to the characters i think! Iruma still loves his family and is willing to do anything (even the impossible) to help them, love trio is still together with secrets between them, Kalego and Opera still have their beef)

THE OPERA AND AMERI DYNAMIC is sooo tasty omg…both are so protective (and a tad possessive) of Iruma! Plus they’ve both grown with him and protected him in the different eras of his childhood! It’ll be fun to see them squabble in the future. I’ve always compared their designs as two red/orangey demons with fuzzy ears, both strong and both people who are close to Iruma, so its extra fun to see them as rivals.

Mm yeah they’re sorta an underrated dynamic! Iruma kun has soo many characters to juggle, its easy to forget who and when characters meet. Thank you for the excuse to gather up their major interactions^^

Chapter 70: Walter Park

She’s in Opera’s group during the Walter park arc! They have fun playing dress up along with the misfit girls.

Chapter 81: Invincible Maiden

Ameri fights a mouse beast during the terrorist attack; Opera observes and compliments her bloodline ability.

When Ameri is discouraged, Opera encourages her, assures her shes quite strong with room to grow and even invites her to be a sort of assistant under them within the Sullivan household. I think this is an extremely high compliment! Opera’s a demon who’s been shown to be very protective of both Sullivan and Iruma, and who finds value and purpose in being able to serve them, so wanting Ameri to work with them shows a lot of respect and admiration toward her ability and person

(She turns down this request but then realizes this would mean she’d be around Iruma so she backtracks its very cute)

Chapter 143: Heartful Cooking Lesson

Opera teaches Iruma and Ameri how to cook after noticing they’re both terrible at it.

Chapter 167: The Sound of Anticipation

This one is small but I think its funny how they both set up to record the Misfits’s performance cuz they both love and support Iruma 110%! And Opera shuffling Ameri’s equipment over implies she’s got the best angle in the house, you could read this as a power move from them jeje.

Chapter 277: Opera-Sensei

When Opera becomes a teacher, they go around the school and greet everyone including Ameri. Ameri’s super excited, and because she values Opera’s strength, asks them to train the student council given they have time for it. I think this is such a sweet example of Ameri’s character; She’s strong, ambitious enough to ask for extra (hard) training, thoughtful enough to value their time and ask in a way thats not demanding. I think it also speaks of her respect toward Opera, who could theoretically be a poor teacher considering they’re new, that she trusts in them so much!

I’m sure theres more tiny bits of them but it’s been a while since I’ve properly read or watched iruma kun.

My thought process is a little scattered but I did wanna mention that I think these two would meet and be good buddies even without Iruma kun’s presence in their lives! Sullivan being the head of Babyls, and Ameri being a top student as well as a child of a 13 crown, I dunno I feel like they would have ended up training together at some point anyway. Probably not with Opera as an offical Babyls teacher, considering they only become one to keep an eye on Iruma, but in some universe where Iruma isnt in the picture and Ameri reaches for the Demon King’s seat yk? a private lesson or two!

Cannot say the same for Mafia AU tho… Iruma’s the reason those two are doing what they’re doing, and I think it’ll be up to him to get them to get along lol.

[daflangstlairde-art]

A Catalog of Non-Definitive Acts — Chapter 1, 6167 words

Part 3 of DFL's Whumptober 2024

Work Summary:

Love was cauterized out of him young, because that is how you survive.  But coming back home with the Splintersons, Leo craved.  He craved and he ached and he hungered. Because the Jitsu family loves. They love ardently, fervently, they love in a way Leo has never, ever seen before, they love in a way Leo could never even conceptualize much less dream of. (She’s always taught him, by word but much more by example, to take what he wants and settle for nothing less.) 

“Three, two, one–” 

“TAA-DAAAAAA!” all the Jitsu siblings yelled in a chorus, Michelangelo doing jazz hands, Donatello setting off some sort of sparkler, April popping confetti, all as Raphael yanked the off-white curtain aside to reveal–

Oh.

...A cell. 

Leonardo—well, Leo, he supposed—shouldn't have hoped for anything different. He was new to their family, and he hadn't proved himself yet. It made sense!

“Wooowww!” he hummed, grinning, stepping forward with none of the disappointment he felt, to look around the cell. It was a nice cell, to be fair. Nothing like his old bedroom, but leagues better than Big Mama’s dungeons, eugh. Those things were a violation.

This cell had an actual bed with a bed frame, and a mattress, and bed sheets! Even a pillow. Wow. 

And it was all furnished! It didn't have a window—which made sense, they wouldn't trust him to not run off at first opportunity, and they probably wanted to keep an eye on him at least in the beginning. But really? Not even a window with some thick metal bars or something? But it had a ceiling light, and a night light on a nightstand by the bed. 

There was also a wardrobe, which implied he’d get to keep some of the outfits he would be given! That’s fun. He was looking forward to that. Well, if they were nice outfits. The Splintersons weren't really the “dressing” type... 

Even now, they were just... wearing gloves and socks and sashes and stuff. Only April had the decency to be in her usual fit. Leo himself was dressed decently. Not his favorite, but hey, he was in a rush, and he needed to be comfortable. Just a white button-up of a flowy material, and black slacks—not exactly comfortable wear, but it was better than the fancier stuff, and he hadn't exactly had access to his Nexus fits designed for movement. And he had to literally move, during his “moving out”. He took exactly zero accessories, too. 

There was also a desk, so that meant they had some studies planned for him! That could also be fun, maybe... depending on the studies. He usually preferred learning hands-on, not... hunched on a chair, but, he’s excelled at his teachings for years now. He was sure he could keep impressing even more. 

And there were empty shelves on the wall. For... he wasn't sure for what. Weapons? Gifts? Probably gifts. 

While he was doing his inspection, the Jitsus all had their hands clasped, leaning in, waiting for him to act out his part of the script.

“Soo?? What do you think???” Michelangelo– well, Mikey, since they were brothers now. Officially, that is. 

Oohh, that meant Leo was pushing it, if he was being nudged so obviously to reply. Had to play up his reaction even more then, to justify the build-up.

Because he was long, long trained in easily picking out the meanings of people’s words that laid underneath what they said. In this case: Where are your manners? We did this for you, now return the gesture and behave as we want. Be grateful.

He whirled around, a grin on his face (not too wide, so that he doesn't look manic or obviously artificial), and exclaimed “I love it!” 

“YAAAYY!”

“WOOOO!” 

The other four cheered and wooped, and it threw Leo off for a second. That wasn't the script he was expecting, but, okay! That was a lot of emotion, but he was starting to learn the Jitsus are... kind off... like that. In general. 

No wonder Mamá had tricked them so hard in their first meeting. If Leo hadn't interfered– well. 

...Oh no. He didn't know where the script went from here. Usually when it was Cell Time, he’d just... be left inside, locked, to endure his punishment or until he did better or something.

But they were just looking at him. They expected something–?

Oh, right! Leo was such an idiot, how could he forget? Years of classes on manners and how to do social interaction, and the moment he’s starting his own life, boom, fail.

“Thank you so much,” he told them, smiling. When receiving gifts, he has well learnt he needs to show his gratitude (even if he didn't like the gifts), and then work hard if he wanted to keep the gifts (even if he didn't want them) and to repay them. Big Mama liked giving gifts. And then taking them away. And then giving them again. Making sure the script stuck with Leo. “It’s wonderful,”

“I installed air conditioning,” Donnie pointed to a sort of vent close to the ceiling. So it was secured, then, if he was pointing it out so obviously. No escape from there either, emphasizing that it wasn't worth it to even try.

Leo, of course, read the meaning under the comment: Look how much effort this is. Your reaction isn't satisfying. 

Damn, what was he missing? He didn't know their specific scripts yet, but he was trained for this stuff! He should figure it out quick. For now, he’d just rely on the standard ones. 

“Oh, that is great, I love my air conditioned,” Leo said cheekily, and felt a little relief and satisfaction as Mikey giggled and Donnie rolled his eyes and all. 

Okay, not perfect, but he’ll figure it out. He will.

He wanted to stay here. He wanted to be with the Jitsus—they were nice, and not fake-nice, actually nice. Even when it was at their detriment. 

He’d gone through aaall the trouble of... hm, let's call it moving out, away from Big Mama to join them, because he really did think they could be worth it. 

And he was grateful, he was over the moon actually, that they also wanted him here. That they had not only accepted him, but helped him make his elaborate, arduous get-away. 

So he would put in the work. Learn their scripts and earn his place until they even allowed him to be in a room and not a cell. 

“Bathroom one is down the hall there, and bathroom two is next to it,” Raph pointed. 

Oh, was Leo even allowed to go to the bathroom whenever he wanted? Sick! 

“Wanna see my lab??” Donnie said, excited in a manic sort of way.

“Of course!” Leo voiced his dialogue, grinning.

“And then we can have dinner all together!!!” Mikey waved his arms around. 

And you can show us how well you behave now that you are in our territory.

“Sounds like a plan!” Leo agreed.

“Let’s go!” Donnie declared, whirling around to lead the way.

Leo followed. He couldn't help but note that he had no door. It was just a curtain. 

No lock, to keep him inside. But no privacy. It was the final confirmation—this was his trial period. They’d observe how he followed his schedule and behaved and they’d judge whether he was fit to earn a real, permanent place in their home.

He really, really hoped he would.

—

Dinnertime rolled around, and if Leonardo didn't have years of experience, he’d be drained. The last few days were already so close to leaving him a wreck—he had to not only spend weeks planning how to “move out”, the whole time not letting even a single sign that anything is happening; and then he actually had to execute that plan. With all the obstacles that had popped up. 

And let's just say—outplaying the biggest criminal boss in the entire Hidden City wasn't easy.

Good thing Leo was probably the one person who could match her. He was raised by her, after all, and she was thorough in teaching him her ways.

But it's fine. Leo could handle a dinner! Even if mealtime was always one of the most taxing slots in his schedule. He had to watch all tableside manners (which he used to really struggle remembering), while also keeping his perfect act. 

But he was good at the social events. He was a master at them, at this point. He could handle the underlying meanings of conversation like a professional handling a bomb. He could navigate conversational minefields in his sleep.

...

Even if the Mad Dogz evidently had no interest in, like, any of that. 

There was no order to the seating arrangement, because the table was circular, so Leo had no clue who was supposed to be the head. He was currently between Raph and Donnie, April next to the latter, face propped on her hand with her elbow on the table, and there was one seat left for Mikey because he was serving. Right, they didn't have servants, that's... weird to them, apparently.

It smelled really good. Some sort of soup. Fish stew?

Donnie had his feet up and was tapping away on his phone. Raph was already chewing on bread before any set of cutlery was even arranged. April was debating with Mikey... uh, which types of fish prep was better? Wait, was she also a chef? 

“Leo! How hungry are you??” Mikey asked in the middle of their argument(?). 

Weird way to ask, but Leo knew his lines. Like he said—social events are so his thing.

“Hungry as a turtle,” he said, cheeky. When uncertain, he could always rely on answering with a half-joke—it was just ambiguous enough to be inoffensive and charming, and therefore had a low likelihood of bring incorrect. Even if the lack of commitment and confidence showed, which made him look incapable.

But the Jitsus were highly receptive to his smartass responses so far—and again, Mikey giggled and April snorted.

“So, two ladles? Three?” 

No. Leo hadn't eaten nearly all day. He was hungry.

“Perfect,” he said easily. 

“We were gonna order pizza to celebrate, but Mikey wanted to do it with a homemade meal!” Raph chimed in, and Leo hummed in acknowledgment.

We're doing even more for you. You’ll have to pay it back. 

“Awe, Mikey, that’s so touching,” Leo commented, with the appropriate amount of heartfelt-ness. 

Mikey flashed him a grin, and then he started serving the soup.

And, insanely enough, he placed the first bowl in front of Leo–? Instead of... whoever was the head at the table???

...Oohh, right, he was like... an honored guest! Right? Yeah, that made sense. Like a special occasion.

The second bowl went to Raph, who immediately started eating. Third bowl to Donnie, then April, then, at last, Mikey, and he sat himself down as well.

So Raph was the head of the table. Got it. 

Well, he was eating, so Leo followed suit. 

...Even if... they had only one spoon per person, that's it, not even a napkin. And also... no glasses for water or other beverages–? Except for Donnie, who had a single regular glass cup???

Boy, Leo had a lot to learn. He's barely been here for a few hours and already everything was wildly different than his previous life.

“Man, Leo, can't wait to show you Jupiter Jim–!” 

“Oh we really gotta skate together–!” 

“Oohhh and we can show you our favorite spots around NYC–!” 

Leo nodded along and agreed to their enthusiastic ideas with a smile. Chipped in with a fun little comment or joke when there was a pause.

It really felt like the Mad Dogz might want him here.

Anyway. In the middle of the conversation, April just... got up, opened a cupboard, and poured herself water from the sink. Sat back down, continued like nothing had happened.

Aaaalright theeeen. Soo... there was a level of self-serve...? That– that made sense, Leo supposed.

Right, again, no servants. And they had insisted multiple times that they were all “equals”... he was still trying to understand that. 

Still, he didn’t risk it for now. Wouldn’t want to majorly goof it up on the first dinner! That would be humiliating. He’d save that for the thirddinner. 

Plus, they were being so welcoming. Making a nice meal just for him. He wouldn't want to be unappreciative and rude.

—

They were only waiting for April and Donnie to finish up their meals, and after that dinner would be–

“So, how ya feelin’ Leo?” Raph asked. “We can have a movie night! Or do you wanna head back to your room and rest? You gotta be pretty tired,” 

–oh, dinner was ending now, apparently.

Leo inwardly groaned. Damn, thanks Raph, giving him virtually nothing to figure out the correct response.

He knew what “movie night” meant in concept—they’d mentioned it, during that one conversation about Lou Jitsu and stuff, way back when they'd realized he was the current Battle Nexus champion. It was one of the ways they spent time together, like, bonding and stuff. 

I.e. it was their time. It was family time. Wouldn't that be intruding, if he joined? Or would it be rude if he declined the offer, instead? Raph had suggested it. But he’d also offered Leo go to his cell. 

...Oohh, or! Or maybe it was a weird way of saying, join us and behave, or do you WANT to go back to your cell? You know, behave or be punished.

All this figuring out, of course, happened in the span of a second, because not replying for long periods of time is awkward and rude. Man, all of this had become like second nature after years of practice—it was wild, being back to having to actually think about it.

“I’d love that,” Leo answered. 

“Watching movies or going to your room?” Donnie asked flatly, just looking at his phone, and Leo kept his reaction entirely internal. It felt a little like he’d been shot with a dart.

Nuts. He totally blundered that. Idiot. Get a grip, think. Be better!

Come on, he had to give an actual, clear answer now, commit. 

“You guys wanted to show me some movies, right?” he replied indirectly, still grinning, always grinning. 

“YEAH!” Mikey yelled, grabbing him by the arm, and wow the little guy was as intense as always with his reactions. It was a Mad Dog Thing™. It still took Leo off-guard, though, especially in tense moments like that. “You will LOVE Jupiter Jim, I JUST know it!!!” Mikey exclaimed. 

Leo exhaled unnoticeably. Great, perfect, he’d nailed it. Okay, more social time. He’d be introduced to something they love and to a nigh sacred familial ritual of theirs, he could not mess this up.

...

Easier said than done, because rules and structure at the Jitsu household were only getting more confusing.

In front of their projector, there was a couch and two beanbag chairs at each of its sides. Leo wasn't sure where to sit. Nobody told him. 

The three brothers were too busy squabbling over which movie to start with, which was a little funny. April was the only one who sat on the couch like a normal person. Well, sort of like a normal person, considering she kicked off her shoes and brought her feet up, stretched out, instead of just... sitting. 

Leo stared at the tussle happening while he tried to figure out his place in this arrangement. The couch? No way. He hadn't reached that level of... acceptance, yet. That'd be invading on their turf. Not his place. 

So, one of the beanbags? But which one? There were two, so probably, usually two of the Splintersons would occupy them? Which one belonged to who, however?

...Aaand then April noticed he was still standing and leaned over, patting the spot on the couch next to her. 

Okay.

So.

The couch then.

A clear invitation like that overrides previous structure. He was grateful to her as he moved over to the couch and sat. Normally. 

The brothers were still arguing which Jupiter Jim movie was the best, and Leo absentmindedly kept track of their conversation, as he did with all conversations. Well. Whenever he could. 

Paying attention wasn't... his strongest suit. To this day, he struggled with it, always a tiring fight. But! He really cared about figuring out the Jitsu ways and mastering them, so he paid attention to each specific word use and each preference stated, keeping a log in his mind. Memorizing their personalities. You never know what information could turn out to be useful, and if you're skilled enough, all information can be useful in some way, even minor.

Like, for example, if he was one on one with one of them, and they asked which movie was his favorite, he could say, well, I quite liked– and then say whatever their favorite is. One of his favorite cards to play, because it always worked well. It let him charm them by saying their favorite, while not explicitly marking it as his favorite, so if two opinions clashed, he could say I like both of them and please all parties.

“BOYS!” April finally cut off their arguing. Pretty sure all three had resorted to biting, hah! “Just pick the first one and let's start! We have loads of time, Leo will see them all!” she reasoned with them. Good compromise. 

They huffed and grumbled for a moment, but quickly moved on, inserting the first movie. 

Everyone sat on the couch. Luckily it was big enough. 

Everyone besides Donnie, who sat on the beanbag to the left, pulling his knees in. Actually, Mikey also sat with his legs crossed, right next to him. Okay, so, Leo was slowly learning they had... no care for how you sit. He was still going to sit properly, but, good to know.

Despite the movie not being their chosen favorite, all the Mad Dogz were full of energy as they watched it. Donnie sang the musical numbers and Mikey commented on the set design and Raph reacted to some scenes like he was seeing them for the first time, even though by the way they were able to recite the dialogue, Leo was sure they’d seen it at least a dozen.

And April seemed to be mirroring Leo’s own reaction—watching the goofs do their goofy thing, amused and affectionate. Even if she was far more open about it. 

She also seemed to have lower energy like him (she had school today), which made him feel more comfortable with not forcing himself to be... well, like the other three in order to fit in. 

It was... nice. 

Busy with the movie, there wasn't a whole lot of performing that Leo had to do. He could just observe, and occasionally react with the emotion that a specific scene called for. But he really could just... enjoy the others’ presence, the expectations for his behavior far lower than he’s used to. 

He hoped he would get to get used to this now. 

—

Leo kept his composure until he was cleared to finally leave to his cell. He kept his composure as he brushed his teeth with a toothbrush they’d gotten him. He kept his composure as Mikey and Raph hugged him for good night, although that had been a close one. It's not that Big Mama was never physically affectionate, it's just... it was just different. He didn't know how or why.

(“And don't hesitate to holler if y’ need anything!” Raph clapped him on the back.

“Will do,” Leo was smiling back, and made a mental note that he should go to Raph if there was a medical emergency. Weird, he would've thought Donnie was better at that stuff, what with his affinity for science stuff.

“Yeah! Even if you just wanna hang out!” Mikey beamed, and that– hm. Leo would decode that later.

“Thank you,” he said simply, and thankfully it was enough for them.)

He kept his composure even when he was finally alone in his cell, because first he had to check for cameras. He found none, which meant they wanted to observe him without him knowing it. Ugh, he always hated that. 

Only when he finally got in bed (a bed!), and almost completely covered himself with the blanket, facing the wall, did he let the act slough off of him just a little.

They didn't give him his schedule, which was unpleasant since he didn't know what to expect from tomorrow, but that's alright. Thinking on his feet and adapting are some of his best strengths. They probably didn't have time to quite organize it yet. He had a clock in his new cell (which, again, big step up compared to his old one), but he was not informed of when to wake up. 

Would someone come wake him? Or would it be safer to wake up early and just wait until they came to get him for his first slot, whatever it contained? Hh. 

Leo sighed soundlessly. All of this was kinda bringing back unpleasant memories from his early childhood. Before he got good. Before he started understanding how the world works. 

Back when a cell was his only room, and he didn't have the plush, spacious, beautiful-though-still-locked, real bedroom. Back when he’d go weeks at a time in there, months even, with barely any human contact, except for Big Mama and whoever Big Mama approved that’d work with him on his education and behavior.

He'd been such a... raw child, was the only way he could describe it. He’d expressed his emotions as they were, the moment he felt them. He hadn't understood a lot of things. He’d been desperate for an affection that just doesn't exist and would only ever be given to him as a manipulation tactic. Which always worked shamefully well on his stupid, stupid brain, always starving for even a shred of love, even fake love. Heck, he still sometimes fell for it to this day! That desperate, childish, emotional hope that he could be loved, actually loved, in the way that just doesn't happen.

Except when Raph picks Mikey up in a tight hug and spins him until Mikey laughs. Except when Mikey gets Donnie going on a real good infodump. Except when Donnie spends hours neticulously personalizing a gift for them. Except when they cuddle up and watch movies and share hugs and snacks and I love you’s, again and again and again–

Leo gritted his teeth. Curled into his blanket more.

...He wanted that. He’d learnt it would never happen with Big Mama, but... with them? 

Maybe. Just maybe, it could. He was almost actually grateful for all the lessons she’d commanded be branded into his bones, because now, when it mattered, he could prove himself. Could prove just how perfect he was, so perfect it was basically art. And maybe like art, he could be loved.

But for now, he went to sleep, dreaming of things he’d learnt to regard as nonexistent.

—

Okay, Leo was awake for three hours already. He'd managed to wake up at 7 a.m., which he would usually consider late. 

He frantically got dressed, luckily his one and only current outfit was simple. He made his bed—ages ago, he'd tried doing it even if he didn't have to, considering the staff usually did; but Big Mama had been pleased with him, so, trying to be a good son and impress, he kept it up. It was a habit now.

He’s checked everywhere for anything out of place, and everything was as it was the night before.

Aaand then nothing happened. 

He’d already waited, he’d already done some light exercises (handstand push-ups, some split stretches, the usual). And then he'd done some more waiting and exercises. 

Kept checking the clock. With each empty minute, he got more and more worried that he was doing something completely wrong. That he hadn't gotten the memo for what he’s supposed to be doing. 

He was doing his best to keep calm, but it was really building up, because he really, really didn't want to mess up on his first real day with the Mad Dogz. 

It was as the second hour passed to the third that it occurred to Leo, oh. Right. 

Cell. 

Of course. 

He relaxed once he remembered that. Duh! Of course he’ll be made to stay here! This is how cell time always goes! 

It’s like being told to stand in timeout in the corner, but, you know. For a few hours at minimum. A couple years at most, haha. He was deeply familiar with it. 

He could never decide which type of punishments were worse. Sure, Cell Time wasn't really... painful, like the other types, or emotionally awful. It wasn't boring like doing piles of paperwork. 

But Cell Time was its own kind of awful. It was fine for the first few hours, when Leo could take it as a sort of... break. Rest on the cot, take a nap, enjoy the relative quiet that differentiated it from his otherwise incredibly packed schedule (he hoped the Jitsus would give him his new schedule soon, and he secretly hoped it would be lighter, considering they weren't managing all of the Hidden City’s crime). 

He’d get to stretch, his wounds would get to heal more naturally, if he had any leftover from his most recent performance at the Nexus. 

But as it all dragged on, it really started dragging on. Despite the sheer amount of energy and stress that all social situations brought, Leo was a social kinda guy. He liked mastering social situations, he liked single-handedly manipulating the flow of it, he liked being charming. He liked talking to people, being in their presence. Most of all when it was someone... how could he say this... plain. People who weren't as educated as he was on manners and manipulation and whatnot. People who just said what they thought, who had sincere dreams and experiences instead of a carefully crafted life script. 

It fascinated him. He liked studying them. He liked being around them. Maybe they felt less threatening.

So being deprived of all contact for hours upon hours? It... it reminded him of a lonely and locked off childhood. As the boredom and isolation started settling in during Cell Time, he often wanted the worse punishments. Cell Time was way too good at wearing him down, because at least with pain, he could feel strong and active as he endured it. 

Cell Time always continued until Leo cracked and started saying exactly what was wanted of him to say. And especially in the past, that took a while.

But!

That wasn't happening yet, for now. Well. He was close to it. He really really did want the Jitsus to like him, so he was sitting at the desk’s chair, fervently trying to analyze all interactions he's had with them—before and after getting away from Big Mama—for the right things to say. Should he apologize? What for? Did he make a mistake? Or did they want him to ask politely? Beg? Promise to be better? 

He had to be careful, because whenever he got Cell Time and said the wrong thing, Big Mama would just chuckle or sigh, and say oh, turtely-boo in that condescending tone, it is more than obvious you have learned nothing, my dear, and are simply saying anything to get out, hm?

Which... he was, because he wasn't always sure what got him in trouble. He had to figure it out. But he couldn't show that he didn't know, that was the problem.

He got better at it over time. He was smart and adaptable like that. 

But he got smart with Big Mama’s rules. He was playing by different rules now. And it was like he was eight all over again, crying about how sorry he was and how he would be better, face pressed to the cold door. Because he didn't realize he was in timeout because of all the crying (it was loud and ugly and improper, and it broadcasted your weakness and emotions to everybody). 

He hated being reminded of all that. It was embarrassing, and it was tying his stomach in knots. But if he figured it out once, he could figure it out again. He will figure it out. 

So when there was a knock at– not his door, the wall beside the curtain, Leo shot to his feet. He appreciated the signal to let him know he should compose himself, that was nice.

He smoothed out his shirt and schooled his face into the same easy grin, standing to attention. Hiding away all the tension, because dammit, he still hadn't figured it out, and time was up.

“Heeeyyy Leeeooo–” Mikey’s hand pulled the curtain aside slowly, and then he paused and blinked with an “Oh! ...You're awake!” 

He was surprised? Didn't they see it on the cameras? ...Hm, no, the monitors had been in Donnie’s lab, he was probably the one who handled security. 

“Ready to face the day,” Leo said easily. 

“Nice!” the praise eased him a little. Okay, he'd done one thing right. He made a note to always be awake when they came to get him. 

“Good morning!” Raph also poked his head in, pulling the curtain further to the side, and oh, Donnie was also there. All of them looked to be in a good mood, so, that's good. And they weren't really... good, at hiding their emotions, not like him and Big Mama.

“Good morning,” Leo returned. 

“We have gifts for you!” Donnie declared.

“Yeah! Like... welcoming gifts!” Mikey grinned.

Wow, really? More gifts? Jeez, they were really hamming up the love bombing. Leo would have to watch himself, make sure he didn't get lost in it. He reminded himself it would be pulled away the moment he messed up or they wanted something. 

“Oh? That's so sweet of you, you didn't have to,” Leo said, humble. 

“‘Course we did! You're our brother!” Raph stated proudly, and something inside Leo twisted and lurched. An ache, a hunger, something grasping for that title—brother. Brother to them meant love and belonging and support and care and a myriad of other things that Leo has only ever gotten the fake, cheap version of. 

He wanted it so badly. 

And Raph said it so easily.

“That’s...” Leo said quietly, a little in awe, and then blinked, and caught himself slipping, and recomposed his act. Get it together, Leonardo. You can't blunder it now. “That means a lot,” nuts, too sincere, too genuine, reign it back in or it will be used against you–

“I drew us all!!!” Mikey was striding forward first, handing Leo a... drawing. Of the Jitsu family, all three turtles and April and their sensei Splinter, smiling and together.

All four turtles. Because Leo was there, too.

...First gift and he was already breaking. Damn, perhaps he underestimated them. Perhaps they were master manipulators, and they were actually so good Leo hadn't even realized it. 

Emotions were something he’d been conditioned for years to bury and hide and lock away, burn whenever possible. And yet here he was. Feeling... feeling... he wasn't even sure what. Just an overpowering emotion as he stared at the drawing, with him included. 

...There was... one detail that stuck out to him. Because, well, April and Splinter are a human and a rat, of course they’d be a little different to the rest, though they remained just as loved and just as accepted. 

But Leo was... the only turtle with a bare face. As always, Raph had his red bandana and Donnie had his purple one and Mikey had his orange one, and only Leo’s face was empty, save for his markings of course. He was grinning, neutrally smug, the way he’d been taught and the way he’d practiced in the mirror. To always look in control. Casual, easy, unbothered, unshakeable, intelligent, coy even.

All the others were smiling in joy or amusement, some of them with grins so big their teeth showed. 

Leo wanted to be part of that so, so badly. 

...Oh no, he’d lingered on it way too long, no no, dammit, now they knew it had affected him, oh no–

He wrenched his gaze away from the drawing and again recomposed himself, thinking up a response on the fly–

“And this is Boss Bearhug!” Raph declared, placing a... stuffed turtle plush in his arms. It was big enough to be called a tiny pillow. "'Cause he gives great hugs!"

Leo couldn't help but notice the red markings on its face. That looked exactly like his own.

Like... like the plushie was personally customized for him. 

“And I,” Donnie spoke up before Leo could process that emotional hit, because Donnie can never be too behind, hah, “thought I’d give you a more practical gift, to hopefully aid in the integration within semi-human society, because while I know you weren't entirely shut off from humans, you were mostly distanced from their—and our—way of casual living, and phones are–” he started rambling.

“It’s blue,” Leo whispered, staring at the smartphone in astonishment, and Donnie paused. 

“Huh?” he blinked, and fuck. Fuck. Leo has apparently completely lost his filter, huh? He's messing everything up, he had to get ahold of himself, he was going to ruin all of this– “Well, yes–? I– based it off the color of your mystic powers,” Donnie bulldozed ahead, unaware of Leo’s internal nervous breakdown (as he should be).

When he was little, Big Mama had taken one look at his face and immediately began building his brand around the color red. And Leo quickly caught on and began always claiming his favorite color was red, so when his red clothes or red make-up or red toys would get taken away as punishments, he could only act like it had an effect on him. 

But the truth is... well. When that whole fiasco at Laberinto de Muerte happened, and he was forced to save those dum-dums from “saving” him (he’d been training), things got a bit... heated, haha. And when that was the moment that his mystic ability decided to unlock itself after a lifetime of being a disappointing dud? 

Well. Secretly, Leo had been pleased. Because the portal was blue. 

Blue was his real favorite color. Like the pattern on his shell! But, well, red sold more. Red was aggression and passion and blood and attention and confidence, or, at least that’s what Big Mama and her consultants and Leo’s marketing tutor claimed. It was a great color for his stage presence in the Nexus.

Blue was always something he kept close to his heart.

The phone... case, he was pretty sure it was called. It was a light blue. It wasn't Leo’s favorite blue but it was blue. How did Donnie know to make it blue? 

“...I... I can swap it for, um, rrrred, if you don't like it...?” Donnie spoke up again, and was he hesitant?

No! Leo did not want that!

Okay, Leonardo, time to grab the reins of the conversation again. 

“Donnie, I adore it,” Leo said, smiling, hands too busy with the gifts to gesture with them but that's alright. Donnie’s eyes still widened and he still grinned with those sparkles in his eyes. “In fact, I love all of them, really,” he turned to the other two as well, and they were also smiling.

“We wanted you to have something for your room!!!!” Mikey was flapping his hands in what Leo had learned was excitement. 

“And to not be alone at night!” Raph added.

“And to feel less out of place,” Donnie nodded along. “And to have an easy, convenient way to communicate with us even when we’re not around, and to entertain yourself, and to learn about the world–” he once again picked up rambling about the greatness of phones. 

Leo nodded along, turning around to place the plushie on the shelves, the drawing on his nightstand, and... uh... where was he supposed to keep a phone–? A pocket? Yikes, he didn't have pockets on these pants– 

Wow. This cell... was really looking a bit weird. Like... a hybrid between a cell and a room. There was no window like the big-though-locked one of his old room, no plush carpeting, no fancy wallpaper, the bed was small and didn't have all the fluff and frill he was used to. Leo wondered if they'd keep the same furniture or give him new when he earned his own room here. 

He could hear the Mad Dogz losing their minds with excitement behind him over his enjoyment of the gifts, even though they were trying to be inconspicuous. It made his grin even more real, amused. Dang. These idiots are so charming. They're open like children. It was fascinating. It was endearing. He politely made no mention of it, because he didn't want them to stop. 

“Oh!!!” Donnie exclaimed. “Wait! I can show you how it works!” he waved his hands. 

So, bizarrely enough, that's what they did over breakfast. No manners, no behavior, no script, no rules—leaning over plates and talking with their mouth full, showing Leo how to use the phone. 

Insane. Leo was kinda loving it. 

[llycaons]

VS ep14/15. written as I watched 😭

ANNE! a girl character, oh boy! she seems to harbor impure thoughts of theft...oh I cannot WAIT to see how that plays out. I love her big goofy smile too hehe. I wish we had more women in this show! like. any female warriors, too. usually I feel like there's at least one...

the 'love' thing with the priest is a bit dumb imo. vikings knew what love was. like. they have family members and friends. it's kind of strange to see christianity positioned as a moral faith in comparison to the norse pagan faith, when like...we KNOW how much destruction and suffering christians and christianity has caused over the next thousand years.

it's kind of funny to hear the extremely simplistic 'if you don't obey god and jesus Just Because you will literally be tortured for eternity' because honestly that's how a lot of christians do seem to think and try to scare their kids with. so. accurate

OH HOLY SHIT.......oh. okay. yeah. yeah this show does not pull punches

going to be honest murdering an entire village in cold blood and then praying for their souls is kind of. like. offensive? hypocritical? however the villagers are also christian so um. at least there's that

I really like how anne's hands are animated - dry and cracked. she's not a wealthy young woman, or enduring this weather comfortably. also she has the exact same backstory as lin wanyue from fgep so I briefly imagined her she disguising herself as a man joining the army to murder all the danes and then marrying an english princess. I'm much more interested in her interactions with thorfinn and canute tho - just because thorfinn wants revenge on askeladd, that doesn't mean he's not complicit. and just because canute's life was theoretically at risk and he never physically hurt anyone, that doesn't mean he played no role

apparently she doesn't come back tho 😔 my kingdom for a single major female character...I miss ylva too honestly

also canute yelling at the priest for doubting god was like. buddy you are not endearing yourself to me😭 he and thorfinn truly are SO different so I'm really interested to see how their relationship develops. that line about fathers seemed to make him think - norse paganism and christianity truly do 🤝 over the patriarchy

ALSO does the priest know thors? did thors have a run-in with christians? what WAS that?

ragnar is soo funny he's such a mother hen like 'young man you need to eat vegetables' and thorfinn (poorly socialized, never talks with kids his own age, lives to kill, hasn't been parented in a decade) is like FUCK OFF I"LL EAT MEAT FOR EVERY MEAL IF I WANT TO, but then immediately caves bc he wants food and does have a job guarding this guy. ragnar is honestly very different to what you'd expect from his big tough guy design

thorfinn eating well-cooked food for the first time in ???? and clearly being genuinely emotionally touched by it and probably remembering his home and family is so. oh man he's right there isn't he. just under the surface of his aggression and antisocial behavior is that kid. he just needs a little coaxing. some unconditional affection. to stop killing people. this scene is so warm and domestic 🥺 and aw man canute being punished by his father for his hobbies...for class reasons but also it's GOTTA be for gender reasons right. like. you'd assume. and ragnar supporting and loving him...god that makes what's about to happen even worse because I did NOT see that coming at all holy shit? ALSO his DAD wanting him dead? that means thorfinn is going to have to protect him? will askeladd tell thorfinn? doubtful...man this is a complex political situation playing out huh bc askeladd wants canute in power so he can ensure the safety of wales. also another DUEL is coming up!!!! I'm sure thorfinn won't kill askeladd tho. too early. im sure askeladd has far more to do in this story before then

also thorfinn immediately holding a knife to the messenger's throat when he opens the door who's like CHILL OUT DUDE IM JUST THE MESSANGER...like LIGHTNING quick. that was real badass I did enjoy it I love speedy knife fighters hehe

[odukora-lore]

For the friend ask game, how about 9 10 and 12 for the E:I main 5? (<- trying to get you to develop the friend group more >:))

Yayyyyyyyyyy its the Starry Quintet lowkey I was hoping you'd ask abt them cuz they were the first that came to mind when I read that too LMAO I've dumped abt TEF and POE squads enough so abt time the spotlight shifted a little, anyways

When they get together, where is it they hang out?

Lowkey I always hced Arctic to work at a little candy shop esque place where she performs magic shows lmao it kinda doubles as a circus fair in a way, think Pinkie Pie and the Sugarcube Corner where she throws parties and all (her personality is very much vaguely based on hers), I somewhat hc Sundae to also work there cuz the two always reeked of candy makers (they're the only two of the team that are mildly candy themed which is ironic when considering Sparklyn makes pastries during her off time back at her home dimension) but yeah I can def imagine the group to go there and have it be their main place to hang out outside of work hours at the Beyond HQ, its kinda like their little default hideout spot where they're more like friends than colleagues and I just think its a nice touch that reflects their slightly more mundane sides

Is there something they all enjoy doing together? If so, what is it and who is best at it?

Again hanging out at the candy shop is alrdy a common activity so a lot of fun things™ are probably done there too, like mixing flavours and all that and taste tests (a part of me also feels like it's more of a dessert spot so there's probably cookies and ice cream too), Arctic probably knows a lotttt of little magic tricks that are ultimately useless in combat but rlly fun to play w (think common magic Cliff style but a tinge more advanced) so she probably also offers to teach some of them (in which Lune deems it an absolute waste of time but kinda swallows it regardless cuz it makes everyone else happy lmao) oh also tea parties..... Idk it's just a classic hangout thing..... Sparklyn would show up w her home grown tea leaves and everyone would be like ohhh my god this is so fragrant where'd you get it from and she'd be all oh idk bought it somewhere (mf doesn't talk abt her home dimension all that much it's nuts)

In terms of slightly more work related magic Lune is def the best at it being more of the veteran in the team, so I think they actually take part in a lot of pvp esque training fights, also I just thought abt Gale working at an animal creature shelter esque place (she is supposedly the owner of the team pet though I'll have to expand on how they met lol) so I think she'd actually call in the rest to help w the rescues occasionally (in which Lune is slightly more tolerable abt compared to the candy making cuz she's actually doing something beneficial lmao)

Who tends to argue most? Why?

Sundae and Lune ofc lmaooooooo the designated toxic yuri of the group, it just has so much to do w their differing ideologies on what it means to be a glowlin rlly (w Sundae making it her entire identity and Lune deeming it just another part time job to get by, that said Lune has soo much part time jobs ranging from working in a library/cafeteria/grocery store/flower shop, any of the mundane little ones, I wanna slap in a gag where the gang goes out for fast food and she is just casually serving them and they're all wtf u work here too? and she's oh I thought u guys rlly liked eating candy what's all this now lmao) anyways Sundae thinks that Lune never gives her all and doesn't actually care abt keeping the dimension safe (cuz lowkey she just wants to get the job done and leave it be cuz she's got much more to do) and Lune thinks Sundae is too naively enthusiastic that she'll end up overworking and burning out having her entire identity hinged on a savior complex <- they're so problematic/pos, but also just general day to day shenanigans rlly

Sundae is lowkey rlly competitive and thinks of herself highly (I don't talk abt this enough either but when she first joined she firmly believed that she was gonna be the leader of the team lmao cuz she thinks she's giving her allllll for the role, its just a fun ass attempt to subvert the pink magical girl being the leader trope, alas Aeris is so aware that her mildly pretentious but well meaning naivety is something to unlearn she never felt like she would be as good as a leader as she thinks, Sparklyn just has an aura of humbleness that Aeris sensed though she doesn't learn that she's from another dimension until much later lmao she only knows that her civilian form works a rather low profile job as a pastry baker + collecting and selling forest resources (think foraging basically)

Sundae doesn't exactly dislike Sparklyn for having the role but a part of her would trade for it in a heartbeat if she ever wants to give it up, I think there's always this tinge of envy that she had in the beginning when they don't know each other well but eventually she does grow fond of her and the beef just kinda dilutes along the way lmao, and also she's such a hopeless romantic and is lowkey wanting a more prominent role just to get Chase's attention <- in which Lune is mildly pissed abt half *oh he's actually rlly sus* and half *why is she so obsessed w some guy* <- sapphic denial but she doesn't know it yet

But yeah she's such an interesting char to me, idk if EI will ever have a main four the way the other main stories do I'm still tweaking a lot of plot points and finding ways to categorize these damn stories, but in my head if it does Sundae def gets a spot alongside Chase, but alas sometimes I think the main four formula gets a little old sometimes when the story doesn't call for it I'll see how this goes lmao

[rodolfoparras]

Dude it's so sad, because I know Mrs. Voorhees loved her son soo much and Jason loved her too, he literally hallucinates her during some of the movies and uses her voice to guide him.

In the second movie where Jason is the killer, one of the girls finds his cabin and finds Mrs. Voorhees decaying head and her bloody sweater and fucking put on the sweater to manipulate Jason into not killing her😞

In another movie, this boy was obsessed with Camp Crystal Lake and Jason's death, and when Jason was trying to kill him and his older sister, he shaved his head bald and shit to make Jason think he was seeing his younger self ☹️

Ik they do it to survive a serial killer 😭 but it's a little fucked up imo

With the Leatherface, he wears his mask because of his deformities and because he was so bullied during school. Luda Mae loved him and worried about him all the time.

"Taking the child as her own, she brought him back to the Hewitt residence and presented him to Mr. Hewitt who declared that it was the "ugliest damn thing" he had ever seen. Luda May thought that he was beautiful however. She named him Thomas and raised him as her own son."

With the meat factory, it was probably the only job he could get with his disabilities at the time, but he loved it too. Butchering was "all he was good at" because of his behavior as a kid where he'd capture, kill, and skin the hide off of small animals. When the factory closed, he refused to leave and winds up killing the manager because he tried forcing him out.

I love these two so much, especially Jason. My favorite Jason artist is dukesnukes on here, pleeeaaaase go check him out. He has a bunch of really cool ocs too and I think you'd enjoy. He has the best design for Jason imo, you should check his twt (dukes_nukes) out too 🫶🫶🫶

-🐧

Nooo that’s so heartbreaking :(( especially when she’s probably the only person that truly loved him genuinely ppl make way too cruel backstories to their characters 😭

I mean in a way I do understand why she did that bc she probably wanted to survive 😭 but I also see the wrong in tampering with what remains of his moms belongings and playing tricks on practically a heartbroken kid:(

Wait but where do they get this ideas from;!!33! I mean I guess I can understand wearing his moms shirt (even though realistically that’s a silly strategy ) but who thinks of shaving themselves bald in hopes of surviving a killer😭and it’s kind of sad bc obviously the dude has both mental and physical disabilities:( like it won’t take much to trick him

I have to admit I absolutely love stories where you have a couple, ones a grumpy old man who dislikes the accidentally adopted kid and the other is a woman who absolutely loves the kid idk it’s strangely comforting? Like the ppl she loves and trust repeatedly point out the flaws on the kid yet she’s like that’s okay I can love them anyway reminds me a lot of courage the cowardly dog I used to absolutely love the grandmas love for courage

Well you know what? If he loved working there bc he felt it was the only thing he was good at then I 100% am for him working there 😤

I will definitely check it out sugar bee thank you so for the tip!!!

[zack-is-silly]

GAH I think if you have seen like two of my posts you know I literally go insane for music like I could write essays on songs and be happy doing so. Soo obsession with music has got me in a chokehold for Hansel and Gretel by Sodikken so I'm ranting and raving a bit

Gretel's song focuses on her point of suffering being her appearance only mentioning her brother in one lyric while Hansel's song is focused on how much he hates that his sister gets more attention and frankly how the lack of love and attention from others drove him to do crazy things risking his life to try and be seen

Hansel's design is a rat with wings something many people call pigeons. With pigeons people tend to overlook them or think they are dirty but on average they are gentle animals giving the lyric "But there's a part of me that's appealing sweet, I'm sure you'd agree if you got to know me" that much more meaning

In Hansel's song it says "Just like flies are attracted to the rotting, are sadists attracted to misery? In this word there is another word for me" and in Gretel's song it says "No, I'm not a masochist" I love these lyrics because it shows how Hansel sees himself as a masochist and Gretel a sadist and also because it connects the songs in another way

Hansel in the lyric video is walking faster and more aggressive while Gretel walks slow and soft Hansel has a very expressive way of singing and more hype tunes while Gretel has a gloomy melody and is quite sad as she sings

Hansel wanted attention, one of the lyrics saying "At least care to see if I'm okay" and finally getting what he wanted after he died saying "Finally a party just for me" and "Gone from living feces to your priority" and "All of this could have been avoided all I wanted was to speak"

Gretel wanted to be left alone

In the lyric video the animation of Hansel/Gretel walking slowly fades because by the end of their song they died in Hansel's song he fades faster because his death was quick, too quick for anyone to stop it just as he had wanted and in death he was surrounded by people how cared for him, while Gretel's death was slow left to bleed out after being stabbed finally being able to be alone for the first time

There are shapes in the lyric videos a star for Hansel has he wanted attention to be the star for someone while Gretel has hearts as she just wanted to be loved

Some of the lyrics in Hansel's song that show him simply doing anything he could if he thought he would get attention "I'm playing with fire you'd better come save me" "I'm gonna bleed all over the floor and more until you remember me" "So, I'll boost the danger times two (or maybe three)" "How I long for your arms again"

Gretels talks about a lot in her song not really having one focus other then her illness like Hansel does but she does say "Take it from me, looks couldn't kill, no, but they can get you disowned"

Hansel at the end of his song pretty much just says "You only care about me because I'm gone" He says "People please you should be smiling if you cared that much should have showed love 'fore I became a piece of meat" and "Now I've been appointed as your new king I decree tagt it'stoo late to start caring about me"

Hansel and Gretel are meant to represent illness Hansel's being mental and Gretel's being physical. Hansel calls Gretel's illness a "pty getting scheme" while Gretel says "You shouldn't be the one suffering, not with all your intact ateries" both see the others illness as something fake and they see their own struggles as worse

I've seen a lot of people saying that Hansel was probably talking about Gretel when he says "How I long for your arms again" and God if tahts true that's beautiful because in the beginning he says he hates his sister and wishes that "green alligators" had eaten her

I also really think it's funny that Gretel's song is longer so even in death she's still getting more attention but Hansel's song is much more popular then Gretel's having been the song used in two popular trends

That's all for now but I'm sure I'll think of more to add later

[mysticarts]

Charater Dumping

soo, to get my nerves off of the whole LMK competition, I decided to draw a rp Oc, and now I wanna Charater dump on you guys-

Meet: Queen Beeulzeebub (Or known as Madam Bee)

Now, you're probably asking: isn't Beeulzeebub a Seven deadly Sin?

YES, YES IT IS. This rp's plot this charater is in is when the Seven deadly sins get tired of working, and choose their children or people in their respective rings to take their place.

Beeulzeebub was the first person to pitch this idea, and the first one to confidently find a replacement for herself. Out of all of the sins, Beeulzeebub is probably the Kindest one.

Now, making a design for a literal Sin of Gluttony is rather difficult, until you remember Gluttony is the overindulgence of things. (If you don't know what overindulgence means, just think if you already ate a lot of food and then say: one more won't be bad.....)

Most people make Beeulzeebub designs off of bees due to the name and sometimes make the characters chubby since when it comes to Gluttony, people immediately think food. Now, none of these ideas are wrong. What I notice is that people don't really expand on the actual meaning of overindulgence

Overindulgence can apply to anything if you think about it. It can apply to loving someone toxic, you keep on telling someone your gonna break it off, but you always come back. It can apply to good things like kindness like when someone keeps on being rude or degrading against you and you just say: I'll keep being kind so I can either get a reaction, or I can them.

Now, when it comes to villans, most can represent Gluttony due to their hunger for power or knowledge. These both can be overindulgence. This is what I wanted to add to my charater.

Beeulzeebub usually does the most paperwork of ALL of the rings, as she reassures everyone that her Taking more paperwork is okay as a sign of indulgence. Beeulzeebub also regularly searches for knowledge and power. Again, a sign of indulgence.

Because of this, Instead of making Beeulzeebub more Bee like or chubby, I made her design cluttered while keeping bee themes.

Personality

When Beeulzeebub was a teenager, To say she was the life of the party was a understament, she'd make the best drinks, the best food, always play the best songs, she was the ultimate party host.

However, despite the fun persona Beeulzeebub had, she had her own insecurities and was extremely loyal to others who have shown loyalty to her.

When she's older, her party persona is gone as it's replaced by stress and despair, Beeulzeebub tries to make spare time to pamper herself, signing hair appointments, going shopping, but it never really worked.

Relationships

Out of the Seven deadly sins, Gluttony may be the one everyone atleast respects. But that is mainly because Beeulzeebub is the main and best cook out of all of them.

Many of them poke fun about her body, always going to her if some of the food have gone missing. Gluttony however, usually ignores the comments, because she knows they won't cross the line considering she's the main reason why some of the other rings are still up.

The only person who really treats Beeulzeebub Kindly is Pride and Lust. Lust more than Pride however, as Pride really takes advantage of Beeulzeebub's kindness (and her romantic feelings) and usually treats her like a servant while Lust treats her like a regular person would.

Anway, if you want any questions about this charater specifically, don't be afraid to ask questions!

[chiefbeifongcanrailme]

Ask Game!

You know I'm back-back when I'm engaging in my second favorite kinda game😌

Thank you, @linnorabeifong for the tag!

Are you named after anyone? Umm, sort of? I don't think it is as intentional as people think it is. However, my dad first heard the name on the stylist who designed his wedding fit and quite liked it. Fast forward to my mom trying and testing names, he suggested this and they both loved it.

When was the last time you cried? Hahahaha this morning on the bus on my way to work. It was raining and smelled like home because of it. And I miss it. High time I go home now, don't you think?

Do you have kids? I have a cat? She is my child. I gave birth to her. You can't prove otherwise.

What sports do you play/have you played? I grew up playing a lot of badminton, basketball and soccer among others. I also danced/still dance- jazz.

Do you use sarcasm? Sarcasm uses me💅🏼

What is the first thing you notice about people? Their boobs. Jk, probably eyes. Someone once said "the eyes are the nipples of the face."

What's your eye color? Ha. It's like a hazel brown.

Scary movies or happy endings? Scary movies with happy endings? Happy endings with scary post movie thoughts? I think happiness scares me so this question is pretty paradoxical for me I'm sorry.

Any talents? I really don't mean to toot my own horn but you guys don't know me. I have a photographic memory- to the point where I'd feel guilty in school during tests (especially when I didn't study/understand the material) and stuff cuz I was "copying" from my mind pictures? I cried to a teacher about this and she died laughing. I can sing and could hop around 3-4 octaves (I am severely out of practice). I also dance- I am a better dancer than I am singer. Also, I write! Bet you didn't know I write.

Where were you born? In a hospital lol. My mother was all about that epidural. Funny story about that: there was a celebrity who was pregnant getting a check up at the same hospital and all the nurses disappeared to go see her while my mother was screaming bloody murder in labor. When my dad received the call that my mother was going into labor, he left his office and somehow lost his phone before he got stuck in traffic in the rain. Soo there was no way to reach him until he finally showed up lol.

What are your hobbies? This is going to be a repetition but dancing, singing, reading, writing, working apparently? I love organizing and shopping and rewatching my comfort shows and they are hobbies I will not hear it.

Do you have any pets? My child doubles as a pet sometimes. She'll meow from time to time. Get zoomies. That kinda stuff. Most of you know her by now haha.

How tall are you? 5' 1" - taller than you.

Dream Job? I currently have my dream job and it ain't it. So I'm revaluating my dreams. Gimme like another 10 years🫠

Tagging: @ilovelin @orangepanic @superliz6 @risingsoleil @wishingforatypewriter @crookedmouth-mountainbones @badlucksav @kinzjoydragon @vr-tb @khrystyav and anyone else who wants to go!

[piratebay]

do all of the music ask prompts (if u want!)

the ultimate music ask game

i DO ! i'm not gonna do the one's where i need a color or song of your choice tho but if you wanna ask those with something in mind please do! thank you for asking! also putting it under the cut because it's so long lmfao

1. are you an albums person or a singles person?

maybe mostly singles? most of the time i hear a song & i like it & am more picky about the album on the whole, but there are some albums that are so integral to my being they'd have to be ripped from my soul, you know? x

2. do you still buy cds (or other physical media)?

i do still have cds! i don't often buy them because honestly i often don't have the funds to, but when i can i do! my car still has a cd player thankfully & i have an external drive for my laptop :] the last cd i bought was rachmaninov: piano concertos nos. 1 & 4

3. do you listen to more oldies or more current stuff?

i would LIKE to think there is a balance but i'm afraid it's mostly oldies lmao

4. is there a song you love but don't like its music video?

oh god recently i was watching music videos with my cousin & my mom & my mom was like "put duran duran on!" so we watched the music video of rio & she was so disappointed & said "this seemed so much better back in the 80s" 😂

5. is there a song you don't like but like its music video?

i can't think of one at the moment but i'm sure there is one. tbh i don't watch a Lot of music videos

6. who's an artist you really like but are embarrassed to admit it?

kiss 😭 i don't like them like i used to, though

7. would you wear a t-shirt of a band you're not into?

no, i don't think i would. unless i really liked the design? i still don't see myself doing that though

8. is there an artist or song that you like, despite being of a genre you don't usually like?

i'm not SUPER into reggae, despite being into its adjacent musical genres, but utu bang bang by ka'ikena scanlan HITS.

9. do you have a favorite band?

i dooo.... it's the beach boys 🥲

10. favorite solo artist?

i've been into sza for a while now

11. favorite songwriter?

stevie wonder!

12. who’s the most obscure artist you listen to?

probably hui ohana lmfao they're soo nostalgic for me but idk how far their reach outside of hawai'i & hawaiian households are...but probably not much...

13. who’s the most popular/mainstream artist you listen to?

rihanna?

14. a song or album from the 50s or earlier:

black is the color of my true love's hair by nina simone

15. a song or album from the 60s:

and then...along comes by the association

16. a song or album from the 70s:

out of the blue by electric light orchestra

17. a song or album from the 80s:

thriller by michael jackson

18. a song or album from the 90s:

nevermind by nirvana

19. a song or album from the 2000s:

white pony by deftones

20. a song or album from the 2010s:

we are young by fun. & janelle monáe

21. a song or album from this year or last year:

unholy by sam smith & kim petras

22. what’s your favorite song or album from the year you where born?

the boy is mine by brandy & monica

23. do you and your partner/best friend share a special song? One you’d call “our song”?

amor prohibido by selena 😭

24. do you play any instruments?

i mean. i can fuck around on a keyboard & bang on some drums?

25. is there a song you used to like but can’t listen to anymore because you associate it with someone you don’t like?

YES. ALL STAR BY SMASH MOUTH 😔 it's tragic

26. have you ever pretended to like an artist/song just to fit in or please somebody?

ummmmm.... no i don't think so. but i pretended to like harry pothead even though it made me deeply uncomfortable before it became a habit to hate jk for her rampant transphobia 🙄 you know, as if it wasn't obvious before that she was a raging bigot...

27. do you enjoy making playlists? if so, are there any you’re proud of and would like to share?

i do! i really kind of like this playlist i made while reading dorohedoro

28. have you ever made/got a mixtape as gift to/from a friend?

ofc oh my god. that's actually most of my cd collection are burned discs. i've also gotten some spotify mixes ❤️

29. songs you love to dance to:

omg so in my early 20s i used to get really stoned off my ass & dance & paint in the backyard to long youtube compilations of disco/funk/r&b/house hits from the 70s, 80s & 90s. i can't find which ones were my go-tos at the moment but they were something like this:

30. songs you love to sing along to:

I LOVE SINGING yay yay! i made a whole playlist actually that i sporadically add to sorry it's sort of lame & also should be played on shuffle!

31. who’s your favorite fictional band or artist?

uhhh lol i can only think of löded diper from diary of a wimpy kid

32. when was the last time you cried when listening to a song, if ever?

sooooo my dad used to really like michael mcdonald & on the day i went to my first pride after he died what a fool believes came on the radio & i had to like snuffle my face in to stop from absolutely bawling, i.e. it occurred to me that he would've loved to have gone WITH me actually oops now i feel bad even talking about it sorrrryy

33. your favorite artist from your city/state/country?

green day lmao

34. your favorite song in your native language (if it isn’t english) OR in your second language (if english is your first):

escándalo by la sonora dinamita

35. a song you like in a language you don’t speak:

intermission: flower by zayn malik

36. a song you like with lyrics in two or more languages:

the girl from ipanema by stan getz, joão gilberto, & antônio carlos jobim

37. if you could travel in time and go to a concert of an artist who’s no longer alive or a band that’s no longer together, who would you choose?

i would go see the gap band!!

38. which was the first concert you went to?

hall & oates lmfao

39. which was the last concert you went to?

fa// out b*y 😔

40. which was the best concert you’ve ever been to?

leslie odom jr.! followed closely by system of a down

41. have you ever been to a music festival? if not, would you like to go?

i have not, i feel like it would be too stimulating for me, but i'd like to try it at least once. well wait. i am going to be in a big gala event in minneapolis & kansas city, but i feel like that's different from attending. also it will be my first time touring! :D

42. your favorite(s) “no skips” album(s):

wonder what's next by chevelle, fresh cream by cream, & dirt by alice in chains

43. do you enjoy musicals? if so, what’s your favorite?

i DO lmfao, i would say the phantom of the opera since i practically memorized every part in high school

44. have you watched any musician’s biopics? do you have a favorite?

um i have, i wouldn't say that i have a favorite but whitney houston's was profound

45. a non-musical movie or show with a soundtrack you love:

wellll... a tv show..... cowboy bebop's soundtrack is one of my favorites for sure

46. do you like comedy songs? if so, do you have a favorite?

i think i used to when i was younger. i mean, weird al still hits tbh

47. is there an artist you used to dislike but learned to like because of a friend’s influence?

ummmm, jethro tull?

48. who’s an artist you think is criminally underrated & deserves more recognition?

oh i wouldn't know, i don't think i can make decisions like that, i can only recommend stuff to people

49. is there a cover you like more than the original version?

oh YEAH controversial opinion but i really can't listen to bruce springsteen sing at all but juanes' cover of dancing in the dark is excellent

50. is there an artist you used to love as a child/teenager but now are embarrassed to have ever liked?

i mean... besides kiss? 🤣 probably the beatles. i realized i really just liked psychedelic rock in general

51. is there an artist you used to love as a child/teenager & still like, even if you don’t listen to them as much?

the black eyed peas probably? i mean i don't actively seek their hits but if they come on i'm like. transported back to being a middle schooler

52. do you make playlists to be listened to in a specific order or in shuffle? or both?

both! this one's meant for shuffle:

& this one's meant to be played in order:

53. is there a song you hated the first time you listened to but then loved after listening to it more times?

i tend to keep my preferences for a long while, maybe big time rush? i don't remember HATING their music, i just wasn't a fan, but boyfriend is still good to me

54. an album you loved since the first time you listened to:

i mean... pet sounds by the beach boys 😳

55. an album you learned to love after listening to it again & again:

umm after laughter? i wasn't a big paramore fan in high school unfortunately but later i found them & learned to love them

56. a song/album/artist you wish you could forget so you could have the experience of hearing it for the first time again:

dream a little dream of me by the mamas & the papas

59. do you listen to music when it's raining or do you stop to hear the sound of the rain?

i listen to erik satie when it rains :D very low so i can still hear the rain

62. artists/bands you think have an impeccable discography, with no bad albums:

oh i don't have one. i'm a little picky in that sense, i guess

63. do you prefer live recordings or studio recordings?

whatever sounds better!

65. are there any songs you know the entire lyrics by heart?

i am CHRONICALLY bad with lyrics now i don't know quite what happened but i'm really forgetful. i think too much of my brain is occupied to other things :(

66. share your favorite playlists that you or someone else has made!

here are some i've enjoyed greatly!! :3

[live-love-laugh-lesbian]

hiii!! me again akjsdhkjashd

ELECTRIC SAXOPHONES ARE A THING?!?? WHATTTTT THATS SOO COOL OMG AKSJDHJSDH

omg i think i am 'people' (the type of person who has patience for the latter : visual novel and not the former : working w children askjdhakjsh) i think i just dont have the capability to be able to handle children i cant even handle myself asjdhajsldh

wait thats so cool that your mum works with kids as well! its relatable for me to bc i do computer science and my sister did and her bff does and my bff does its crazy akjsdhkasjh its like a domino affect from person to person lmaooo

oh yeahh i totally get the thing w poorly trained dogs i mainly talk about those tiny harmless ones ir if they are big those sweet chill oness!! ur uncles' dog sounds adorablee!! and so do your cats omg! and thank you <3 i know not alll cats are like that and if i see a cat i will try to pet it ajlsdhalsjhd unless its scared of me ofc

omg i know you mentioned before that your hobbies are sewing and stuff and that you were sewing a trouser but like i didnt know you MADE trousers!! thats soo coolll youre basically a fashion designer!! and lilac trousers i would sooo wear those omg SEQUINED HEARTS AHHHHHHHHH this sounds soo cute

im a sagittarius! one of my best friends is a scorpio!! so whenever i see her now ill think of you!!!! asdaslkdjasld so real w atla lmaooo and also so real w swimming asdjhjasdh

oh yeah i love art too! and spending time w your sister sounds so cute and fun!! and then a date w your gf sounds soo adorable this sounds like such a comfy classic cozy day! i would spend my day probably by playing guitar, art and for the majority sleeping or going on my phone ajksdhkd if its a rainy day id go for a nice hot chocolate and a brownie coated in whipped cream bc who doesnt love whipped cream asdhsaj stardew valleyyy!! my childhoodd!! i like playing games but its mainly like yansim (i swear im not crazy askdjaslkdj i just find it too addictingggg) AKLSHDJKASHD competitive i sooo get that i get really competitive in games as well lmaoo to the point its unhealthy ahhhh

they sound like awesome compliments! for me any compliment is my fav ajksdhkjs i love compliments on my singing, intelligence and this is lowkey weird but my hair ajkshdjsd my hair never looks good for some reason so if someone says it does one day then i will be beaming and happy for the rest of the day ahhh i also love compliments in my art and my coding! and yes professional compliments ESPECIALLY from children are the best validation ever akjshdjksadh

my question for you: what's something about the modern-day world that bothers you, and what’s something about it that brings you joy?

byee! have a lovely dayy!

-swiftie spring exchange anon idek askldhalsjd

Hello again! Apologies if my answer is short, I am ill and very tired but I wanna reply.

Computer science is so cool!! What sort of stuff do you do with that? Programming or uhhh...here's where I show my lack of computer science knowledge...anyways I'm curious XD (Saw you said coding later!! That's so cool!!!)

I getcha XD My other uncle has dogs too! Ex racing greyhounds, he likes to give them a happy retirement. They can be chaotic but I can't blame them too much, they were trained to chase small things after all! As a kid I accidentally stepped on one of their tails...I felt so guilty!! But the dog was chill and I gave him a treat to say sorry XD

I've been making a lot of trousers recently cause I realised I owned like...2. Except then I get more and more ideas and have to narrow them down XD The current pair are...sort of almost done. Made, fabric hearts sewn on, the sequins will go around the edges of them, but it's gonna take a while. Wearing them anyways in the mean time XD

Your day sounds good too!! Brownies my beloved...I have such a sweet tooth it's unreal XD And nah I've played Yansim too. Not for a while, but no judgement! And look if one isn't playing to WIN then what's the point in playing XD (I say that, in games like Stardew Valley I'm more relaxed, but that's not pvp soooo)

Sounds like good compliments!! I used to get compliments on my hair back when it was longer (I was like 18 at the time). It was so long it was inconvenient, I had to move it to sit down lol. And now it's super short XD Complete 180. I'm sure your hair is lovely however!!

Modern day world...tbh how often you need to call people. Like some places don't have emails anymore?? Or require calls anyways?? don't do phone calls really and I HATE the trend of "phone or nothing".

Does government stuff count too? If so like. Governments. They're run so poorly I swear to god. I don't think that's new to the modern world however XD What about you?

Adding to that topic: what's something you hope to see in the next five years? :)

[samadhifired]

My attempt on Monkie Kid OC (and drawing a modern hanfu.... failed at the modern part)

But yeah, she goes by Qīqī. I she is a snake demon, though some sources call her kind fairies or spirits... I’m still going with demon.

And yes. She is based on Qīng shé/Xiǎoqīng/Green Snake. Am I going to design her sister? Probably not. At least, not for a long time.

[dateamonster]

first look at the monster high g3 animated series

alright rather than bombard u all with a series of posts im just gonna go in for a second watch and put a play by play of my impressions under the cut. reader beware: its going to be long and stupid as hell.

watch along with me

0:18 the new design for the school is kind of amazing. like part of me misses the more traditional spooky-gothic-castle but like i cant deny that the big lightning bolts look cool af and i do think it has more character than the g2 which imo just kind of looked like. a school.

0:33 new spectra is soo cute lol she wasnt anywhere near my fav in the old series but smth about the big flowy purple curls is rly charming me this time around

0:47 ghost ms frizzle??

1:10 i rly like a lot of these background monster designs. this zombie girl in particular is very cute and also i think i spied a werewolf boy in the back who i liked.

1:19 still obsessed with this cleo design. hope future dolls get better at capturing her charm and in general they stop being so weird abt her race and skin color. also for all that ive seen folks worry that this gens cutesier design will mean taking out the more horror-adjacent elements for the sake of better fitting the typical Girl Toy brand, im so happy to see mh3 doesnt shy away from a bit of tasteful gore <3

1:29 YUMMERS

2:01 BRITISH TORALEI LMAO?? idek why this is just killing me for some reason. its such a little thing but i feel like it gives her a totally different vibe. maybe its the anglophobe in me.

2:08 i wasnt sure where to put this part but im still sort of struggling with this concept of monsters hating witches, especially considering in this version witches arent like a separate monster-adjacent species (rip casta fierce) rather witchcraft just seems to be something anyone can learn to do? i dont entirely hate it i just dont get it i guess. i do think itd be fun if later there was like a witch high rival school. possible opening for the long awaited ever after high crossover event? anyone?

2:17 FUCK THE HATERS LAGOONA IS SOOOO CUTE i love that she immediately jumps to imagining a star-crossed monster x witch romance which is such a teen girl move imo. and that then she seems to like remember halfway in that we all hate witches for some reason and gets so immediately morbid with it i LOVE it go bestie go

2:45 i know its just a vampire joke but in before g1 purists get mad abt the idea of g3 draculaura actually biting ppl even though shes a vegan in g1. i mean i think theyll probably keep that trait since its a handy way to avoid blood in a kids show and its sorta quirky-endearing to boot but i think itd rule if they let draculaura bite some people this time around tbhhh.

3:00 choklat milk snake B)

3:20 ride or die ghoulies dont even question why their bud needs u to catch a living snack this is why frankie is a real one

3:55 im so obsessed with this frankie. i love that they found draculauras stash and were like neat :-) now to not mention this to anybody :-) iconic behavior

5:08 its just processing for me now that draculaura has this like huge portrait of her dad just in her room. i do think its cute that her character is more perfect-daddys-girl-but-with-a-secret (a trope i largely enjoy a Lot) this time around but thats still wild behavior.

5:11 ok i know i said this when the sneak peak came out but the idea that heath is an actual demon and son of the literal DEVIL this time around, confirming that hell is real in monster high lore, is making me insane. i genuinely love it. wish theyd given heath some cute lil horns or a tail.

5:15 THAT THING WITH THEIR EYES!!!! frankie is so damn cool.

5:37 dracula being this like celebrity in the monster world i think is an interesting take but i feel like im gonna get so annoyed if his character starts showing up a lot. idk i dont hate it its just a weird vibe.

6:05 it took a while to click since clawdeen doesnt talk a lot in this ep but it is kind of weird hearing her (and draculaura) without an accent. i kinda found g1 draculauras voice a little grating at times so i dont mind that and i do rly like how clawdeen sounds more like an actual kid but idk i miss the accent

6:28 theres not a whole lot to say on deuce since hes only here for side gags in this ep but just wanted to go on the record with: i think hes cute

6:42 weirdly super enamored with the food-creatures, especially the burger lol. reminds me of bugsnax. also this whole fight sequence rly displays how far mh animation has come from rigid flash animations of a handful of stock characters. its neat.

7:13 bat!draculaura is adorableeee

8:23 now i rly thought she was abt to say living foods go to hell in this nickolodeon kids cartoon ghjfdjhd

8:35 the headmistress is so cute too wtf it IS snack time snack time so tru bestie

8:56 fghjkjhgf sorry that resolution is ridiculous. im not complaining mind you i just. like. wow. also side note but i think the intercom being based on the monster high skull-with-bow logo is a cute throwback. didnt realize before but i feel like it hasnt been as central in the marketing in a while. its still def around but not as much i dont think.

9:08 lol ok i know its probably just another reference to dracula being bad with technology (cute trait for him tbh) but when i first saw this i couldnt help over-analyzing with my Lore Brain and wondering if it was also a reference to vampires not showing up on camera. but then i realized the kid he takes a pic with also has fangs and bat wings and shows up fine so thats probably not it, especially since drac canonically shows up fine in video.

9:50 the "bat out" reoccurring line is so incredibly cheesy it makes sense hes quoting it from some 70s b-movie he was in. but that doesnt make it any less cringey to me. also i know i said he kinda annoys me and he does but i do desperately wanna know how this bitch got into show business. drac backstory please. dracstory, if you will.

10:30 YOUR HONOR THEYRE JUST CUTIE BABIE BESTIES <333333

10:45 im reeeeally excited to see how this plot develops. i honestly assumed this series would be more like the web shorts except longer and more developed. as in, episodic and largely unrelated to one another, but im soo hype to see them doing something more serialized with overarching conflict and stakes. also we <3 classic troublemaking cant mind her own damn business toralei. like girl you have no reason for acting like this. she is simply a messy bitch.

final thoughts: really really liked it. love the visuals and the ways the new characterization plays with old beloved traits. love that this series has more of a familiar cartoon hijinks vibe rather than leaning too hard into it being like a Teen Girl Show just because the toys are first and foremost a fashion doll line. i dont know if im articulating that well i just mean i like that the girls are allowed to have like a full range of motion and action and emotion, and that they can be like gross and funny in addition to pretty. i think g1 had a good start in this regard but was definitely limited both by the animation and the expectation to follow that niche established by like barbie/bratz animated works (no hate to any of those either tho)

there are changes that ill need to get used to obviously, but i feel like the franchise is heading in a strong new direction. i saw some folks complaining that the bits about draculauras witchcraft and clawdeens half monster/half human felt like they were introduced as a means to employ annoying Fantasy Racism tropes, and thats a really valid criticism, but its also kind of something monster high has always done (with regards to monster/human conflict, certain monsters being discriminated against for certain traits, jackson jekylls entire character, etc).

i get the concern, but i feel like in a series so centered on embracing differences its kind of impossible to not include issues of discrimination, and it being a kids fantasy series, that does sometimes translate in a way that feels wonky or oversimplified at best. tho tbh monster highs execution regarding the subject always kind of felt to me like one of the better ones. idk. im just feeling good about this first look and excited to see how the show and the monster high franchise as a whole develops further as we move forward.

anyway stan g3 lagoona she deserves better than the g1 purists have been giving her.

[goldencherryhazz]

skin to skin

A/N: just imagine how cute this would be!!! Notes would be much appreciated, pls don’t copy my work 🤍

boyfriend!harry x reader

Warnings: cockwarming, smutty-ish, soft dom Harry (just taking care of his girl) and lots of fluff

WC: 1k ish

Y/n had had a long day, she was a designer for Gucci, meaning that she was a very busy woman, and had to focus a lot on her job, designing suits and dresses for all kinds of people, but she just couldn’t seem to focus today, not really through any fault of her own as Harry had other plans last night, just not any of them included sleeping.

She had to make four alterations to just one suit, because she couldn’t get it right, realised that she ordered wrong materials for a dress for one of Lady Gaga’s appearances, meaning that it wouldn’t be made in time, so had to rethink everything, which can be a long process, but she had to make it quick. Then to finish she helped one of her fellow designers sew about a million sequins onto a dress, meant for Kylie Jenner.

She felt physically and mentally drained, and could have cried with relief once she finished everything. Yn had to admit, she was driving a little over the speed limit practically racing home, nearly making the breaks of her car squeal when she stopped at a red light, the force of the abrupt stop made some of the contents of her bag fall into the passenger footwell, including her notebook which had all the suit, dresses and every kind of crazy outfit she had ever designed, it had flipped onto a page with a suit, it made her smile because it was one of the many suits that she had designed for Harry’s first ever solo tour.

She remembered how nervous he was to ask her as it was quite early on in thier relationship, they were layed in bed all cozied up ‘y/n I need you to ask you something’

‘What is it Harry’ she questioned

‘You don’t have to, and if I’m asking too much please tell me to shut up, but I’m looking for someone to design all of my suits for the tour, and I was going to ask you, if you could’

She put a finger to his lips sensing that he was going to blabber on about how she didn’t have to do it, because he feared that she would see this as using her, but she would never think that.

‘Of course I will H, in fact I already have some ideas drawn up for you, my beautiful boy’ he blushed a little, a wave of relief washing over him as he leaned up to kiss her multiple times muttering a ‘thankyou’ as she laughed at her boyfriend’s antics. She was brought out of her reminiscing when the car behind her beeped thier horn, signaling for her to start driving again.

/ / /

She walked into her and Harry’s home, shoving her shoes off and hanging her coat up, dropping her bag on the floor and heading to the living room in hope that Harry was in there, she turned the corner ‘hello baby, how are you’ he says from his spot on the couch, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, his hair all messy, looking completely adorable. ‘I’m tired and in need of a cuddle’

‘C’mere then, come cuddle me’ he said stretching his arms out for her, in which she gladly accepts, pulling the blanket from him, kneeling between his legs before pretty much collapsing into his chest, his arms wrapping securely around her, thier legs tangling together, ‘hmmm that’s better’ she sighed happily into his warm chest.

‘How was your day H’ she said wrapping her arms around him

‘Better now that your here, would be even better if I got a kiss from my lovely girlfriend’ he hinted

She smiled turning her head to to look at him, they made eye contact immediately, she gripped his neck with both hands and pulled him in for a sweet kiss, he gripped one of her hands in his as thier tounges danced with each other. They pulled away after a while smiling lovingly at each other, she layer back in his chest, turning her head to focus on the tv, where ‘love actually’ was playing.

After about 5 minutes in comfortable silence she suddenly felt the need to be even closer to Harry, she felt a bit shy asking him even though they had cockwarmed plenty of times before, ‘H c-can I have you inside me’ she stuttered out.

He turned his head towards her ‘is my baby feeling a bit empty’

She nodded her head ‘maybe a little, just wanna be close to you’ she pouted, her big doe eyes practically begging him.

He stared at his girl in awe, he loved it when she was like this, it just made him fall in love with her even more if that was possible, he didn’t think he could ever decline her, even if he tried.

‘Course you can angel, how about you start taking your clothes off’ he said deciding that if they were going to do this now, that they would probably be asleep within the next 20 minutes.

Once they are both undressed, both completely bare to each other, he tugs his cock a few times, not being hard at all but still impressively big. She manoeuvred so that she was straddling his lap, her hands on his chest as his hands smooth over the smooth skin of her thighs and hips. ‘Gotta go slow angel, don’t want you hurting yourself’

She nodded, gripping his thick shaft and lining him up with her entrance, running the head through her folds a couple time to try and collect the little wetness she had before finally slipping him into her, she slowly took him in inch by inch ‘doing so good for me baby’ going a little bit breathless, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Once she was fully sat on him she whimpered, she felt so full and could feel his cock poking at her stomach, they were both in heaven, Harry loving the feeling of her warm walls wrapped around his cock.

‘you good baby’

‘Yeah’ she smiled down at him

‘Look soo pretty, sat on my cock like that’ he praises making her look away bashfully.

‘Hey don’t shy away from me, come here’ he chuckled reopening his arms for her.

She layed on his chest, her ear right above his heart, she could hear the steady thumping, oddly calming her.

They were skin to skin, they could feel every inch of each other, they both felt like they were in heaven. she lazily traced the swallows on his chest, his skin soft under her touch. He ran his hands up and down her back, massaging her tight spots, in which she hums in appreciation.

‘Feel good lovie’

‘Yeah’ she breathed out, finally feeling blissfully content

‘Go to sleep love, you’re tired, you’ve had a long day’ he said planting a kiss to the top of her head, before she lifted her head up to capture his lips in her own one last time before going to dreamland.

‘Hmmm I love you baby’ she whispered into the peaceful atmosphere of thier living room.

‘I love you more angel’

And with that they slowly drifted off to sleep, completely and utterly wrapped round each other.

[your-sweet-cookies]

🙃🌟🍏🍎❤️ 👁‍🗨 🍻🌜💃🏹👻☢️🐇📔🖤

🙃- For a lighter, slightly embarrassing secret

An embarrassing secret? Really my dear? Fine, I guess I will have to tell you: You were my first kiss! I... I never kissed anyone before you, okay? I know it's probably dumb for a 23 years old woman to say this, but that's the truth, you're the first person I actually developed this kind of feelings for and allowed to get this close to me to actually experience romantic gestures.*sighs and blushes intensely*

🌟 - For a secret wish or desire of theirs

A secret wish of mine would be for you to tell me that you love me back, but I know that'll probably remain just a wish and a dream... Oh well, dreaming is free I guess.

🍏- For something they secretly wish didn’t exist

Bullies. I wish all of these scums would just disappear off the face of earth, or even better, rot and burn in the darkest pits of hell like they deserve! Especially that little piece of shit Hina....*realizes she's started to speak without thinking to much, under the influences of the strong feeling of anger that took hold of her in the moment, and shuts up before she says something that might come back to slap her back later* Uhmm... I-I mean...*clears her throat awkwardly* Yeah, bullies should just disappear.😅

🍎- For something they secretly wish did exist

I think a mind reader could come in handy sometimes. It would spare me a lot of trouble and anxiety.

❤️- For a secret crush

Really dear? Are you still going to ask me this question?*raises an eyebrow* Fine, his name starts with an "N" and ends with an "i", you can fill in the rest.

👁‍🗨- Talk about someone/something you like, but pretend to dislike

I usually don't 'play pretend'. I'm a pretty honest and open person, so if I like something I will say that I like it and if I dislike something, again, I will be open about disliking it. But fiiiine...*sighs* I do like your teasing sometimes, even if I pretend to be annoyed by it. It's rather... hot.*blushes*

🍻- For something bad/mischievous you did as a child or teen that your parents don’t know about

Okay, this one is a goofy one! There is this one aunt I have that I just can't stand and she hates me too. When I was around 6 or 7, she got on my nerves so bad that I went and poured an entire bowl of tomato broth into her new at the time designers' purse that probably cost her a fortune. You should've seen her face when she found out about it!XD And no one ever knew it was me because I blamed my idiotic, prankster cousin and everyone believed it was him because he did similar stuff too.

🌜- For a ‘weird’ habit or tic that no one knows about

A weird habit or tic I have?*sigh* You are quite curious with these questions, aren't you? I like to tap my nails on objects when I'm stressed or nervous, but I don't know how much of a 'weird' thing this is.

💃- For a talent that they like to keep hidden from others

I know some interesting tricks with knives, if you want me to show you!*smirks* But you'll have to keep quiet, carrying blades around isn't the most legal thing out there, is it?

🏹- For a talent they wish they had

I guess making people like me? I don't know, sometimes I feel like people don't really like me that much and I can't help but wonder how can some people be liked by others soo easily.🤔

👻- For something that scares or disturbs them, but they refuse to tell anyone

Arachnophobia, I hate spiders, but it's a rather silly fear by some standards so I don't really share it much.

☢️- For a controversy or scandal they have been able to keep mostly under wraps

I'll tell you about that incident one day... But now's not the right moment. I guess you're not the only one with a 'sitting you down' kind of talk.XD

🐇- For a secret item they keep (stuffed animal, comfort object, etc)

I have a comfort blanket I like to cuddle during thunderstorms, since they scare me and make me feel uneasy. Please don't make fun of me for it!>////<

📔- For a secret sketchbook they keep (Bonus: Share a sketch or doodle within it!)

You really have no mercy with those, do you? *Kukki's face goes as red as a tomato from embarrassment* I-I do have a sketchbook in which I draw sometimes and since I know you won't stop pestering me until I admit it... My latest doodles have been of you, okay?>////< I'll show you the best of them, I guess...😳

(( Mun intermission: Please do not blame Kukki for the poor artistic skills since I had to go meta with this one and use one of my personal drawings I have, so if it's bad, it's on me. Yup, this 'masterpiece' is part of my personal sketchbook of 'wonders' and it's the only decent doodle/sketch I have of Niragi so far. In a way this might be the best "cute anime boy" face I've ever drawn in my life, so that's the best I can offer for now: a more bishonen anime/manga version than what we've got in the manga for Niragi to fit Dori, (not that Niragi's manga version isn't smug either! But I was going more for the Dori version and since I don't do realism, this is the best I could do to try to approximate Dori's godliness). ))

🖤- For something they secretly wish they could do with your muse

Something I wish to do with you my dear? Well, I would like to go on a romantic date with you, but then again, I can understand very well that this will probably remain just a dream and a fantasy!>///<