#it's really nice to have actual physical art of them...

[sevenslayerdip]

There’s a tendency in fandom to make Spike a poet. While it has its roots in canon, and Angel doubles down on this, I think it’s actually a misrepresentation of what was going on in “Fool for Love.” Spike isn’t writing love poetry because he’s an artist; he’s desperate to express his feelings but completely lacks the means to do so. He can’t confess his love to Cecily directly (either in words or, as he would come to prefer later, physically), and so he struggles to convey what he feels through this unwieldy medium. Ultimately, he fails: his poetry is bad. It’s relevant that he labors over the least important aspects of poetry, particularly—and just writing this makes everything interesting about my observation seem so on-the-nose—adhering to a formula that isn’t working for him. (It won’t be the last time.)

While a poem at this period needed structure (rhyme and meter), there’s no one structure that every poem needed to fit, and so he might have been able to put his sentiments into a slightly different form to accommodate his style. A real writer concerned with rhyme, rather than a dilettante doing something amateur, uses rhyme as a function of meaning—words and lines become associated because of their rhyme, and this affects how we understand them, and an artist is aware of this and cares which associations she makes. A real writer comes to a final poem as a union of content and form, not ad libbing rhyming words together. Spike is painstakingly trying to mimic a form for his own ends, not creating an art object. The way that Spike reacts to Drusilla’s advances tells us that Spike does think of himself as some sort of artist, or visionary, but it’s also clear from his interaction with Cecily that he knows he’s not an inspired poet. (The episode shows us that he’s perfectly capable of spinning a nice phrase, but only on his own terms. His attempt at poetry is an attempt at wooing, not an attempt at writing.)

So Spike isn’t really a writer, and instead he’s a guy failing to express himself. His bad poetry, in this light, has two implications. The first, metaphorical, is that his feelings weren’t worthy of being expressed in poetry. We know from the episode that his feelings for Cecily were shallow—love isn’t an emotion that you can truly feel for someone from afar. It was, to borrow from another Buffy episode in this season, just a crush. (While feelings can certainly be unrequited, it’s the distance between his perception of Cecily and who she actually is that tells us his feelings don’t have anything to do with her and are instead just a projection.) The second implication is that what he needed was really another mode, probably the physical. His attempt to woo Drusilla by killing the slayer during the Boxer Rebellion is successful. And, in the present day, Spike is most eloquent with Buffy when he’s fighting her: the moment in which they are most in sync (and of course communication is about understanding, which can exist without words) is their fight scene. Spike can telegraph his entire fight with Nikki Wood because he knows precisely how Buffy will respond to each of his movements; Buffy, reciprocally, never falters. It’s an illustration of the dance that Spike described, but it’s also a language that Spike has found which finally works for him. And Spike is actually more eloquent (in the way of words, not just metaphorically) when he’s fighting or talking about fighting. Everything that was missing before, in his human life, he has here: a new means and a better subject.

In fact, the traditional language of romance continues to fail him—when he tries to kiss Buffy, she’s disgusted. It was only through violence that he could communicate clearly. There is, perhaps, an underlying notion that Buffy is willfully ignorant of Spike’s intent and over-corrects disgust because she does, in fact, feel some attraction for him. Her response to him parallels Cecily’s, but we know that, for Buffy, this is an aberrant behavior. She’s not usually this mean, and, if she is, it’s only ever to Spike. Buffy’s mean girl act feels like that—an act. If it’s not, we then actually read a very strange new thing from her behavior, which is that there’s a facet of Buffy’s self that only comes out around Spike. This is simultaneously a true expression of a hidden part of herself and a part of herself which fails to express truth, through cruel hyperbole. A jibe may have aspects of truth, but it’s always an exaggeration and shuts down communication. So, when Spike couldn’t have communicated well with Cecily, it was because he didn’t know her well enough, but in Buffy’s case it’s because she’s putting up barriers to communication (that’s also a theme in her relationship with Riley this season). I like this reading because it helps to set up and explain Buffy’s later behavior, and because it un-tidies the parallel. It allows for more meaning because we can contrast the differences—it tells us as much about Buffy as it does about Spike. If Buffy and Cecily are truly the same, then the lesson is that Spike is also the same, regardless of his badass persona. But, their difference complicates it.

Taking all of this into account, I want to briefly touch on the link between violence, love, and communication for Spike as it appears in the final scene of "Fool for Love." Spike is only able to communicate his affection with Buffy smoothly while he’s holding a gun meant to kill her. His words of concern are sincere, and perfectly appropriate (saying an appropriate thing is an anomaly for Spike), but Buffy rejects them. This performance certainly seems to reflect that Buffy is channeling her distress into being mean to Spike, not that she fails to understand his offer, but it's a continuation of the barrier that Buffy has maintained against Spike's advances. However, when Spike places the gun to his side—and even the act of putting down his gun is awkward, it gets caught up in his coat—he has to resort to patting her on the shoulder; without the specter of violence, he is left adrift to express love as ineloquently as ever. This shoulder pat is where we see the biggest change for them. Because the love he’s expressing is true and unselfish (support for someone he does care about, in her time of need, without expectation of reward), Spike’s awkward communication is actually perfectly clear. And Buffy now silently accepts his compassion, where she rejected his voiced concern. Buffy’s guard is down, but she’s not able to speak to him or even look at him. It’s the inverse of their “dance” in which eloquence and meaning are married. Despite the lack of style (perhaps we could call it using blank verse), they’re as in sync as they were while fighting. The silence they sit in seems to be companionable, and is doubly interesting for its being the result of both spoken and unspoken desire: Buffy expresses that she does not want to talk, which Spike (almost shockingly) respects, but he also continues to provide the comfort of company.

Actually, the final shot of the episode is of the two of them taking a big breath in unison. It’s a visual cue that they’re—again—in sync with one another, but it’s also a hallmark of modern dance (another sort of blank verse, this time altering Spike’s definition of “the dance”). It’s a new style of communication for both of them: not the physicality of sparring or the performance of poetry. Is this the real expression of love? The moment feels echoed in “Touched,” with Spike and Buffy sleeping alongside one another, again because Spike needs to give Buffy moral support. Of course, the latter scene is more overtly romantic, but it’s also about Spike and Buffy finding a new way to relate to one another. This new language is one that they both need to practice.

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

A compilation of my favorite Makoto lines you get if you fuck around in chapter 6 instead of investigating where you're supposed to:

The shelves in the warehouse: How can they afford all this stuff? Are they making that much money off their damn "killing game" broadcast? That's the only way I can think of for them to be able to buy all this. Whoever they are, they must be an adult. A dirty, awful, evil adult!

The bath water inside the bathhouse: I just realized I haven't taken a bath since I rolled around in all that trash...I could really use a nice bath to clear my head...but there's no time!

Sauna: Urg...it's so hot. Makes it hard to even focus...I feel like I'm slowly losing my mind...Y-Ya know, if you pronounced "Thursday" like "Thaursday"...that'd be kinda funny...

The machinery/control panel thing in the physics lab: The sound of the machinery seems like it's trying to tell me something...It's exploring the structure of the materials, recording the interaction of the elements...From individual particles to cosmic systems, including the phenomena of life itself...That's physics!

The shelf in the physics lab equipment room: Now that's a big shelf.

The locker in the rec room: This is where Toko hid when Sakura...It almost seems fitting. Not that I'd ever say that to her... [wtf do you mean by that, Makoto???]

The chess-themed bottles in the rec room: Did Monokuma make this bottle himself? Like...by hand? Or paw? Or whatever?

The pool table in the rec room: The pool table...For some reason, I feel like Byakuya would be into something like this. [side note: based on my notes and what I remember, I genuinely don't think Byakuya stepped foot into the rec room until Sakura's death. Like, there's not even a free time slot where he's hanging out in there. So why would Makoto think this lol. Is he just fantasizing about Byakuya?]

The Monokuma statue in the art room: I have to assume Monokuma made this statue himself...What kinda big-shot wannabe makes a statue of himself? That's so medieval...

The plaque on the trophy case in the gym entryway: When I look at this plaque, I think..."so what?"

Hiro's room: This is Hiro's room. I don't have any reason to want to go inside...

Hina's room: This is Hina's room. I don't wanna imagine what she'd do if I went in without telling her...

Byakuya's room: This is Byakuya's room. If I set foot inside without asking, he'd feed me to the vultures...

Kyoko's room: This is Kyoko's room. I think she'd be *very* unhappy if I just barged in without permission...

[Interestingly enough, despite being alive, Toko's room doesn't get a personalized thought like the other 4 do, that line of dialogue isn't that much different than the one you get when clicking on the doors of all the dead students. Meanwhile Sayaka's room actually gives you something ever so slightly different. Just an interesting thought]

The gun by the front door: This makes me think of that evil robot from Robocop...I really don't have time to be thinking about Robocop. Still, what a great movie...

The cardboard box in the A/V room: Maybe there's some Monocoins hiding in here somewhere... [followed by me immediately finding a Monocoin]

The DVD player in the A/V room: I mostly rent DVDs, so I don't really have too many of my own. That's probably true of most people, so I dunno why I bothered to say anything... [nothing dates this game and says "this was made in 2010" quite as much as this line imo]

The clock in the dining hall: Time is money, they say. Which means I'm burning through my life savings just by existing...

And then finally, my personal favorite:

The swimsuit hanging in the laundry room: You know, all this time the swimsuit's been here, I never found out whose it was. Let's see...Ah! It has Hiro's name written on it! I've been lied to! In so many ways!

[vhalesa]

Guess who is actually capable of proper watercolor drawings if she really wants to?

[sysig]

Some possible* Tala stickers :D (Patreon)

[l0rd-0f-c0ws]

I frequently feel completely isolated no matter how much I talk to people. So that's fun

[doctorweebmd]

last graduation celebration of my medical training happened last night and it was so beautiful and touching; for the first time it felt real and in that same sense, final. it felt like the perfect way to close the curtain on this phase and the start of the next.

goodbye academia. hello the rest of my actual life.

[kuronarnze]

hihii, do you take requests? if so, can i request where reader is a really good cook where we're talking gordon ramsey type of skill? (≧∇≦)

a/n: hihiii anonn !! of course I take requests! (≧∇≦)/ I LOVELOVELOVE doing requests, thank you for requesting!! Enjoyyy !

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Blue lock boys with a reader that is a Gordon Ramsay-Level Chef !

ft. Isagi Yoichi, Itoshi Sae, Itoshi Rin, Shidou Ryusei, Nagi Seishiro, Mikage Reo

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Isagi Yoichi

- At first, he underestimates your skills. Like, sure, you're a good cook—he’s had friends who can cook, right?

- Then he tastes your homemade bento. Silence. Actual silence.

- “...This is… like a five-star restaurant in a box??”

- He watches you cook with sparkles in his eyes like you're performing magic.

- Catch him secretly studying your techniques to try making you something decent in return.

- “Can you teach me how to make that sauce? No, wait—teach me everything.”

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Itoshi Sae

- He's hard to impress. That smug face? Unshakable.

- Until you serve him handmade pasta with black truffle oil, freshly baked focaccia, and perfectly seared wagyu.

- "…You're not normal." That’s the closest you get to a compliment.

- Now he casually texts: “Cooking tonight?” and shows up at your door uninvited.

- He’s smug but respectful. “You might actually be better than my private chefs in Spain.”

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Itoshi Rin

- His walls are high, but food breaks through.

- First meal you cook? He stares at you like you summoned it from heaven.

- He tries to hide how much he likes it.

- Keyword: tries.

- “Tch… I guess it’s okay.” (He finishes the entire plate and doesn’t make eye contact.)

- Secretly takes photos of your food and hides them in a locked folder labeled “Important.”

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Shidou Ryusei

- “Ohhh, you cook? Like real food? Not instant ramen?”

- Doesn't believe you're that good… until he takes one bite and literally moans out loud.

- “YOU’RE A GODDAMN HOT CHEF. HELLA GOOD FOOD. AND THE ONE WHO COOKED IT IS HELLA HOT TOO?? MARRY ME. FEED ME FOREVER.”

- Now follows you around like a gremlin and begs for food.

- Tries to “help” in the kitchen once. You ban him instantly after he lit a towel on fire.

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Nagi Seishiro

- Lazy boy is your biggest fan. He acts like he doesn't care—until he smells your cooking.

- Physically gets up on his own just to eat. That’s love.

- AND YES he actually had the will to eat a full meal.

- “Mmm… This is better than sleep.”

- He wants you to feed him like a spoiled cat. He pouts if you don’t give him bites from your hand.

- “You should open a restaurant. Or just stay here and cook for me forever. Whichever’s easier…”

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Mikage Reo

- He’s rich, so he’s had the finest cuisine… but your food? Instant obsession.

- “Wait, wait—did you make this from scratch? Even the bread?”

- Treats your cooking like high art. He wants to film it, photograph it, write poems about it.

- Tries to convince you to open a luxury restaurant with him as your investor.

- Spoils you in return by getting you rare ingredients and top-tier kitchen tools.

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

TYSM FOR READINGG have a nice daayyy, plsplspls send me requests, i honestly don't have anyyy idea on what to writee.

[spiderb00bs]

headcanons of yellowjackets x reader (teen timeline) and reader who is beefy and tall and everyone kind of has a crush on her, but you can make the focus be Lottie Nat and Shauna, please please please

⚽You were always the pride of your parents, always doing every kind of sport you could. If you were any good, you'd be taking lessons.

⚽Your parents never cared that you liked girls - which is amazing for you, actually - just as they never cared that you hated sports or that you liked arts and music. But they always demanded maximum commitment from you in your academic and sporting life.

“I don't care what you like. Just don't let it get in the way of your athletics!”

⚽Your parents were ice skaters, and when your mother became pregnant, they gave up everything for you, which is one of the main reasons why they won't leave you alone until you're a full athlete.

⚽When you went to high school, your parents immediately pressured you to join the girls' soccer team. And lucky for them, you were quite a player.

⚽You had it all, the muscles, the speed, the physical fitness, everything. You could certainly have been team captain if you'd cared enough.

⚽Soccer wasn't your favorite sport, in fact, you didn't even like all those sports your parents pushed you into, but you knew that this was something very important to them, so you sacrificed a little.

⚽You learned to like the Yellowjackets, you learned to put up with the training, and you learned to make friends with all those girls. Being in the sports world wasn't easy, especially when everyone saw you as an imminent threat.

⚽But that wasn't the case with the girls on the team. They liked you, they were friendly and nice, never treating you like an opponent.

🦌The first to approach you was Lottie. She complimented your expensive soccer shoes and laughed when you made a joke about stealing them from a store. She became very comfortable with you from then on.

🦌You were seen together in the hallways, and Lottie was always very physical. Holding your hands, hugging your shoulders and holding your biceps while laughing at something you said. She was nice.

🃏And then came Natalie.

🃏The girl with the bleached hair appeared to you as a really unexpected surprise. The one you didn't suspect, the one you didn't even know existed.

🃏Not that you hadn't noticed Nat, but she seemed from a completely different world to you. Always getting into trouble with her friends and skipping classes. You only saw her at training and you'd never really spoken to her before.

🃏You don't usually talk much, you're quieter, in the way that made people want to know more about you. But no Nat, the blonde girl hadn't really noticed you until that fateful day.

🃏Seeing the girl walking down the sidewalk and being bothered by two guys in a car was worrying, you walked close to her just to make sure nothing happened. And just as you imagined, one of them got out of the car when Nat didn't pay any attention to the idiotic words he was spewing at her.

🃏When you saw the boy get out of the passenger seat to reach the blonde, you hurried your steps, shouting at him when you saw the idiot grab one of her arms.

🃏He didn't even see you coming, or the punch you threw at him. Falling to the ground, the boy groaned in pain, while the other one sped off in his stupid convertible car.

🃏You accompanied Nat home that day - or at least as far as she allowed - just to make sure the other boy didn't come back to disturb the blonde.

🃏Nat started paying more attention to you from that day on.

🖊️🎀The next ones were Shauna and Jackie, yes, because if you have the attention of one, you have the attention of both.

🎀Jackie was the first to talk to you, but Shauna had been watching you from afar for a long time.

🎀It was hard to understand the mixed signals Jackie was giving you, she was very flirty, but she had a boyfriend, and you honestly didn't understand what all the small talk she was having with you was about.

🖊️With Shauna it was different, you saw her through Jackie. Not that you didn't like the Taylor girl, but you didn't want to get involved in whatever was going on between her and her boyfriend.

🖊️So whenever the Yellowjackets' captain wasn't in sight, you got a little closer to Shauna. You thought it was cute how she could always talk about things she liked around you.

🖊️🎀And you may not have noticed the look on her face, but the Taylor girl saw from afar when Shauna's eyes lit up when she talked to you in the stands, or when she was away with Jeff at lunchtime. she always watched.

👓Just like Misty.

👓You didn't know Misty very well, you only knew that she was in love with Coach Scott. The poor girl would completely lose it around the guy, who was obviously gay. You knew one of your own when you saw one, but you thought it best to leave that to yourself.

👓You and the girl with the curls never had a full interaction, but you noticed the looks she gave you when you were a bit nicer to her than the other girls.

👆If you hardly noticed Misty, you didn't even know Mari existed. At least not until you saw her at the nationals party and discovered that she was basically a born follower of Jackie.

👆All you saw of Mari was the completely drunk girl blatantly trying to flirt with you. You thought it was funny at first, but how clueless she seemed made you a little worried.

👆You didn't have much time to check the girl out, at least not when Lottie pulled you away from her when she saw that Mari was too close to you.

🦌You and Lottie kissed that night. The night before the nationals, the night before all the chaos happened.

⚽That night, Shauna saw you and Lottie kissing. That night she got into a fight with Taissa. You remember how you and Van tried to defuse the situation, and you remember whispering a little apology to Laura Lee when all the girls told her to shut up.

🧤You remember Jackie forcing all of you to say kind words to each other. You remember telling Van that you loved her hair, and that she was a great goalkeeper.

🧠And you remember telling Tai that you loved her intelligence, and that you thought she was one of the most beautiful girls you'd ever seen.

⚽You also remember giving Lottie and Nat a lift - the blonde finally told you where she lived - that night, dropping Lottie off first, and then dropping Nat off.

🃏Except that the blonde girl didn't get out of your car. She looked at you, unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped on you, kissing your lips with desire.

🃏The next thing you know, you're in the car alone as Nat pulls into the trailer park.

⚽After the plane crashed, it was as if something had clicked in your head, everything seemed to have changed.

⚽On the one hand, it was the first time in years that you didn't have to race against time and do everything your parents wanted. But on the other hand, you were stuck with a bunch of teenage girls who were starting to get very strange.

🦌The weird stuff started with Lottie's visions. You were the girl's safe haven, Lottie couldn't stay away from you for long. And of course you were able to notice how strange things started to get.

🦌The shivers she got when you went into the cabin, that stupid game of conjuring up ghosts or some shit like that. You saw a version of Lottie you'd never seen before, and as much as you didn't want to, it scared you a little.

🃏You didn't have much time to discuss it with her, at least not when you were one of the ones chosen to hunt with Nat and Travis. The blonde girl practically forced you to go along with her because she didn't want to spend time alone with the Martinez boy.

⚽you didn't tell Lottie about how you kissed Nat that night. And you certainly didn't tell Nat how Lottie had kissed you hours before the kiss happened.

🃏When Lottie walked away, things between you and Nat started to blossom. Even though Lottie kissed you at the party, and you've been a great support to her ever since, you've never talked about dating. And that's why you allowed yourself to test the waters with Nat.

👔It was clear that you wanted to push a certain boy away.

👔You didn't like Travis, but observing had always been your strong suit, and you could clearly see that the boy wasn't at all happy to see you and Nat getting close.

👔Travis was clearly insecure, you could see it a mile away, and it all intensified when the girls seemed to look more at you than at him.

👔It started small, the girls complimenting you and your physique when you took a dip in the lake. And although he heard Mari say that he was hot, he also heard when Jackie said;

“Ew, you can't be that desperate… at least not when she's here,” while pointing at you.

👔Then it was with the gun, you were good, you knocked over all the cans without even looking at them properly. It seemed easy to you, like second nature, and Travis hated it.

👔It got worse when he tried to chop wood. You needed wood for the fireplace, and Travis quickly grabbed the axe, a proud smile on his face when he managed to chop the first board. Happy to finally be able to show that he was better than you at something.

👔But as the morning wore on, the Martinez boy's arms grew tired, and before long, Taissa simply told him to get some rest, saying that you would take over from now on.

👔You missed the look of anger and his jaw twitching with rage when he saw how much faster you cut the wood. And you certainly missed the angry snort he let out as he stomped away after seeing some girls spying on you doing the heavy lifting.

🎀Jackie was there, watching you too. Although the girl felt useless in the wilderness, she always forgot when she looked at you.

Then the doomcoming happened.

🎀Jackie dragged you away from the girls while the party was going on. She brought you back to the cabin, whispering to you all her intentions from the start.

🎀Telling you how much she wanted you, telling you that you were better than Jeff, telling you everything she ever wanted to tell you.

🎀Until she stopped talking and your lips were pressed together.

⚽You hadn't seen Nat anywhere at the party, and you didn't have anything serious, it was more like escapes to relieve each other.

⚽At that point, you thought you were going to die, so you were going to enjoy whatever the wilderness gave you.

⚽But that night ended badly for you.

⚽Being kissed by all those girls, and then chased and tied to a tree with a pine cone in your mouth, just waiting for Shauna to put a knife to your throat and have the courage to do what Lottie was saying needed to be done.

⚽That night may not have ended so well for you, but you can't complain, at least not after what happened to Jackie.

⚽When winter came, everything seemed robotic. You hunted, chopped wood, ate, slept and did it all over again.

⚽Your brain went on high alert after that episode - which you later discovered was because of Misty's mushrooms - and since then you've been on the back foot with all the girls, except Nat.

🃏Things between the two of you were going well, but in a friendly way. Nat knew that everyone was going through a difficult time over the winter, and after what you experienced that night, she gave you a bit of space.

🖊️Everyone knew that that night was a blur, but it was still very vivid in your memory. Incredibly, Shauna was the first to apologize.

🖊️You always knocked on the fridge door when she was inside, with Jackie's dead body. Reminding her that dinner was about to be served and that she needed to go in.

🖊️It was you that Shauna held on to when everyone agreed that they were going to put an end to Jackie's corpse.

🖊️And she clung to you even tighter when you actually put an end to Jackie's corpse.

🖊️You never thought that Shauna would see you as anything other than a friend. But you were wrong.

🖊️You were the first (and only) person Shauna became attached to after Jackie's death, and I mean it!

🖊️You're the mother of her baby, no matter what anyone says, no matter that Jeff is the real father, no matter that you don't know!

🖊️You're her baby's mother!

🖊️Maybe it's the fact that you're always there, you always make sure that she eats well (within the conditions of the wild), giving her some of your food so that she has milk to breastfeed her baby. you always make sure that she sleeps well, she even says that she only sleeps well when she's next to you. You do everything for her and that's what makes her start to believe that you're the mother of her baby and that you're going to get married when you get out of that hell.

🖊️When she loses her baby, you're the only person who can "comfort" her. Letting her have her space, and she still feels everything so strongly.

🖊️you can't blame her, she's just lost a child. That's simply traumatizing, and adding it to everything you've been through, you understand why she's so sad.

🖊️Honestly, you didn't think much of it. You were Shauna's shoulder to lean on, right?! Someone she could confide in and expect loyalty from. At least that's what she thought.

⚽So imagine how mad she was when you swore loyalty to Natalie. Your new queen, the one you had to swear loyalty to for your life, the one the cards picked out.

⚽The same girl who stole you from Shauna's hands.

⚽But you certainly didn't imagine what would come next.

⚽Nat was the Antler Queen. Shauna was out of control. Lottie was some kind of God.

⚽And you, well, you were in the middle of the crossfire.

⚽Ever since Shuana had become this authoritarian figure, she and Nat were always in a silent battle.

⚽You were always caught in the middle, trying to make things cool between them, which only ended up making things worse for you.

🖊️🃏While Shauna would purposely push you, bump into your shoulders just to get a reaction out of you, and leave angry bruises on your skin when you played "capture the bone". Natalie would wipe the blood off Shauna's bites, kiss the purple bruises on your skin and draw imaginary stars around your scars.

🖊️And that certainly made Shauna much angrier than before.

🖊️And everything got worse! The discreet (not so discreet) threats, the macabre tone of voice, the scary stares… everything made you scared to death of Shauna.

🖊️And that's exactly why you had to raise your hand and declare your vote against Coach Ben.

⚽You didn't want to, you swear you didn't! But the look Shauna gave you as she whispered the words "You're dead!" was enough to make you raise your hand in the same second.

🃏You couldn't look Nat in the eye after that, and apparently, neither could she,, since you were practically thrown out of the hut you shared, standing for a few minutes at the makeshift door before being dragged away.

🖊️You didn't even have to look up to see that it was Shauna. You felt it, the rough touch on your skin telling you everything you needed to know.

🦌However, not looking up made you miss the look of curiosity that Lottie was giving you. That puppy look, that look of pity, that look that said "I can take care of you!"

🦌You and Lottie hadn't been very close since the beating Shauna had given the girl, and although you didn't have that much time to think about Lottie, you sometimes found yourself wondering what your relationship would have been like if none of this had happened. After all, Lottie was your first.

⚽The rest of the days are almost a blur for you, living on Shauna's threats, Lottie's strange looks and Natalie's disturbing silence.

⚽You didn't want Coach Ben to die, but you almost thanked him the day it happened, the day Natalie killed him.

🃏You saw her coming out of her cabin, knife in hand, ready to do what should have been done a long time ago.

🖊️You were cautious as you pulled a sleeping Shauna off your chest, walking slowly towards the faded-haired girl.

🃏That night, Natalie spoke to you for the first time, that night, you supported her decision, that night, you apologized to her.

🖊️And when day broke and Shauna didn't find you by her side, she was furious. She was even more furious when you defended Natalie, when you wouldn't let her be killed and when you stood in front of her, daring anyone to walk over you.

🖊️Shauna had never seen this side of you, and she certainly didn't like it. The way you put yourself above her word, the way you seemed to have finally discovered that you were much bigger and stronger than the Shipman girl made her teeth grind.

🃏all this to defend Natalie.

⚽When Lottie announced that she would be the new queen, your stomach churned, you thought you had finally achieved a form of rebellion, free from Shauna's grip on you.

⚽That day, you helped Natalie prepare dinner. That night, you saw Shauna holding hands with Melissa, and that night, you saw Lottie kill your chance to go home.

⚽You certainly weren't a fan of punching or hurting people, but you can't lie and say you didn't let a little smile slip when the other guy shot an arrow at Melissa.

⚽You knew that girl was circling Shauna the whole time, waiting for a chance to present herself as the obedient dog she so desperately wanted to be.

⚽But you didn't care.

⚽Running through the woods to catch those strange people so they could finally take you home.

🃏You remember running a few meters on your own, before feeling Natalie's hand slip through yours, running along with you, squeezing your hand for comfort.

🖊️🃏You also remember Shauna's body passing between you with enough force to break your entwined hands.

"Come on, it's not time for this kind of bullshit!"

⚽You returned to the camp with Hannah that night. You also remember interrogating the woman. You don't even know what you asked, because the important thing was that you were all going home!

⚽At least you were, until Lottie started saying the strangest fucking things! She gave you a knowing look, as if silently asking if you really wanted to go back to your fake life, living the life of your parents.

🃏You almost let yourself be convinced, but Natalie's warm hand sliding over yours brought you back to reality.

🖊️That seemed to awaken something in Shauna, who quickly joined Lottie's side. It was the second time she had used the girl, using the crazy things she said for her own benefit, a twisted way of getting you closer to her.

⚽You didn't go home.

⚽But nothing could stop you from hatching a plan to make it happen.

🖊️You knew Shauna had noticed, you knew she was furious. Fortunately, you were no longer her punching bag.

🖊️It was foolish of you to think that the consequences of Shauna Shipman's actions wouldn't come back to you.

🖊️When Shauna's scream chased Melissa out of the cabin, you felt a shiver run down your spine.

🖊️That scream used to be directed at you.

"NOBODY GAVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU TILL ME!"

🖊️Those words probably hurt, but you have no idea how it got to you, the whole thing escalating too high for you to keep up.

"All right, go back to her." Melissa said, pointing with her head in your direction. Turning her back soon after. "Just don't come crying to me when she realizes you're fucking crazy."

🖊️The sound of the gun, Melissa turning around, her hands shaking, Shauna telling you to repeat what you said…

🖊️The shot.

🖊️You saw it all. The shame of a girl standing there with wet pants, even Shauna's stupid, cruel smile.

⚽You didn't understand, the whole thing had turned all of you into animals! How could Shauna, the girl who liked to write and made fun of you for watching bad movies, now be terrorizing people? How Lottie, the sweet girl who talked to you on the first day, told you her secrets, made you feel special. Was she now a completely insane girl, killing people for the sake of the wilderness?

🃏You became attached to Nat, she was the closest thing you had to humanity, the closest thing you had to home.

🃏The closest thing you ever had to love.

🃏And out of love, you did what you had to do. Out of love, on that winter's day, in the midst of all that savagery, in the midst of all that, you found yourself by Nat's side.

🃏Kissing her lovingly after she and Hannah had changed clothes, asking if you could go with her, telling her that you loved her.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Of course I do, you idiot."

🃏You remember leaning your forehead against Natalie's, your two breaths mingling before she nudged you lightly with a smile on her lips, telling you that everything would be all right.

⚽You watched the girl head off in the direction of the mountains, you took a deep breath before following Hannah back to the campsite, intertwining your fingers with the woman's as Shauna looked in the direction of the two of you.

🖊️You winced when Shauna spoke to "Nat", hoping that it was enough of a distraction for your girlfriend to make it to her destination.

🖊️You held your breath when Shauna removed the mask from Hannah's face, revealing the woman's face.

🖊️But you couldn't help the little smile that escaped your lips when Shauna grabbed the thick fabric of your clothes, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"WHERE THE HELL IS NATALIE?"

Okay, I don't really know if this is good, but I hope you like it Anon <3

ngl, I love writing for Beefy!reader (I see myself in this)

[theelvishfiddler]

AN ARTIST'S GUIDE TO HANDS

No, sorry it's actually not an artist's guide to drawing hands. Those are just warmup studies (which I'll talk about in this post.)

This is a guide to Your Hands and how to take care of them when making art.

No one ever sits down and teaches artists how to take care of their hands. They didn’t even teach me this while I was in art college. This is just what I've learned myself through years of pain and scouring the internet for advice.

This is going to be a long one and geared towards illustrative traditional/digital/pen/pencil artists specifically, but artists of other mediums and crafts should take care of their hands too! Well, we all should take care of our bodies in general, but this is about hands.

(advice is below the read more)

First off I'm not a professional or anyone with actual medical advice. I'm just some guy with chronic hand pain who makes art. This advice is free for you to use or discard.

WARMUPS!

Ever sit down in the morning to draw and wonder why your art is so stiff and looks so much worse than what you were drawing last night? It's because you didn't warm up!

You know how for physical sports they all warmup and do stretches before getting into the actual sport. To prevent injuries and all that? Yeah, it's good to do that for art too.

One way to warmup is to just draw lines. Try to keep them as straight as you can. Going up and down and diagonal. Draw squares. Big squares. Small squares. Circles! You are warming up, keep it loose and relaxed! Basically just scribble away.

(examples. I usually keep going until there is no paper white left. This can double as practice for drawing straight lines without a ruler, which is a great skill to have when freehand city drawing.)

Before hopping right into drawing people you can try doing some quick gesture drawings. Line of Action has timed sessions with a large variety of clothed or nude models. I usually do the 30 min class as it has a nice balance of short and long timed poses. The point isn't to draw nice art, but to warm up. Try to get the basic form down, not the details. I find that doing a full class session can really help my drawings feel more loose and grounded in reality for the rest of the day.

Some examples I found in my folders. I suggest looking into what a line of action (not the site) is and giving it a try with some of the studies!

COOLDOWNS!

For sports it's to return your body back to your everyday baseline after a workout.

Example; you are working on a big project! A masterpiece! It's detailed and cool! You have been focusing on this for hours and drawing so intensely. But you need to stop working for the day.

A cooldown is for winding down out of the go go go mindset. Put away the big project and do a couple small doodles and sketches. You are relaxing your hand and letting it stretch out. Keep the sketches loose. Let the art happen slowly. Don't polish anything, that can happen another day. Just ease yourself out of drawing.

...

Cool! Now we get into the meat of this thing.

HAND PAIN

How to avoid it and how to manage it if you already have it.

I love you artists and creatives, I am begging you to please take care of your most important creative tools. I really don't want this to sound like scare tactics like "oooh you better do this or blah blah!" Nope. I just had to learn all this the hard way and I'm extremely passionate about it.

Take this advice or don’t ╮(ﾟ～ﾟ;)╭ I can't tell you what to do, I'm not your dad

Adjustments and Small Solutions

If you are feeling physical discomfort while drawing there are many different solutions to try! Here are some suggestions that may or may not work for you.

Hold your pencil more loosely. Stop gripping that thang so tightly!!! Relax that hand! They make these… squishy pen grip things... I think they are called Adaptive Pencil Grips or Adaptive Writing/Drawing Aids? They stop your hand from being all cramped up by making your drawing tool wider. It's going to take a bit of time to adjust to drawing with it, but it's worth it for those who hold pencils too tightly.

Don't press as heavily. For traditional art, if you find yourself pressing really hard to get darker lines try moving to a softer pencil. Most standard pencils are HB, the B pencils have softer graphite. Experiment until you find the right one for you. For Digital, adjust your pressure settings so you don't have to press as hard to get thicker lines. You should not be pressing so hard all the time, it wears out both your hand and your tablet! It takes a bit of time to adapt to pencil or pressure changes. Try doing some unimportant sketches, they don't have to be good. You are just training your hand and mind to adjust using less pressure.

Draw with your arm and not your wrist! It's small repetitive motions that cause the most strain. You probably hear this one a lot, what does it even mean? It means moving your arm with the motions of your line, and trying not to make too many tiny movements with your just your fingers or wrist. This one is hard! It takes time and conscious thought to change the habit. Tips? Work bigger. Zoom in more. Use bigger sheets of paper.

(Motions exaggerated for a clearer example)

Change the angle of your drawing surface. They make angled tablet holders, angled desks, angled desktop raisers. Experiment, find and angle that is comfortable and the one that causes the least pain. (It's also good to make sure you don't have to hold your head at an uncomfortable angle when drawing. Staring straight down or hunching over a paper flat on the table can cause pain!)

Compression Glove? Wrist brace/tensioners? Some folks use them and I've been thinking of getting one for years now. I can't give advice on this one, because I don't have experience with it. Look into it if you want!

Managing Pain

First things first.

IF YOUR HANDS START TO HURT WHILE YOU ARE DRAWING. STOP! Put the pencil/pen/paintbrush/whatever down. The art will still be there for you to continue tomorrow.

I know from experience that it's extremely hard to pull away when you are hyper focused on an art piece. It's hard to remember all sorts of basic needs like food or bathroom when hyper focused. But you Need to stop when you feel that pain. (Preferably even before the pain…)

Take Breaks! Let your hands rest when you can. Just like a machine, if you don't schedule maintenance, the machine will schedule maintenance for you. Often that means having to wait a few days for it to return to functional. Best to take a day off from heavy usage or take an occasional 30 min break throughout the day to let your hands rest.

Stretching is important! Full body stretches are good; your arms, shoulders, neck, and spine are all connected, but I'm specifically talking about HAND and wrist stretching. There are a lot of stretches and massages for carpal tunnel and arthritis out there. I find they work for hand pain in general. Move into and out of each stretch slowly. Do not push a stretch if it hurts!! Be gentle!!

I am not a qualified professional and I will not be giving out specific stretches (that is beyond my personal comfort level). There are other artists out there who have made helpful stretching info-graphics which are cool, but I will not be because i don't want to be responsible for someone accidentally hurting themself. Ask your doctor for stretches & advice or look some up on your own.

Don't feel bad about forgetting to stretch frequently! Of course it is good to do it regularly and frequently, but I would be a hypocrite if I said that I remember to stretch daily. Setting timers for stop and stretch sessions can work for some people, but also doing stretches whenever you remember is fine! If you are sitting on the toilet you can idly do some hand stretches. On the bus? Laying in bed? At the beach? Do a couple stretches! Even just once a week is better than… nonce a week.

Using Cold or Heat to treat pain. If you really overdid it, put your hands in some cold water or wrap a cloth around an ice pack and apply it to your hand. Cold works best for me, but warmth works for others. This is just pain reduction and reducing inflammation from overuse! This is not a permanent solution.

If your hand hurts a lot! Frequently! Talk to your doctor? Idk mine has never given real advice. Just gently poked my hand and told me there isn't much to be done about it :/ but there are really good doctors out there who will care and give helpful advice!

Again. IF IT HURTS TO CONTINUE DRAWING. STOP DRAWING! This is not a "no pain no gain" type situation. Drawing so much that you hurt yourself isn't noble, it's just… limiting yourself. You only get one set of hands. These things are very handy to have.

Other Advice

Things I couldn't figure out how to fit into the earlier sections.

Your other hand can't handle the strain! Lets say you hurt your drawing hand... the other hand is right there free to use for art. Right? Wrong. Your other hand can't keep up with the demand, it hasn't been trained to the same extent as your dominant hand, it does not have the built up muscle. If you want to use that hand for drawing you are going to have to use it s l o w l y and train it bit by bit over a long period of time. When I tore a tendon in my right hand I decided to just keep drawing with my left and I got Really Good at it. It only took like two months before my left hand hurt too much to move. Then I had 0 functioning hands to pull up my pants. Not fun!!

People who draw on phones. That is extremely impressive! I'm amazed by the things people can create on such a small space. But phone artists are the ones I see most frequently mentioning hand pain. please please please make sure you are taking breaks. Would a stylus work instead of using a finger?

Outside of Drawing. Sometimes it's things outside of drawing that are causing the pain. For me there are multiple sources, but I also have tiny baby hands. Holding a phone too long causes pain. The handheld mode for my Switch causes A Lot of pain. The way my hand rests while typing on my laptop hurts! Playing tense videogames for too long hurts! Find the source of your pain and make some changes. The same things will apply to most; take regular breaks, do some stretches, and find soft things to prop up or rest your arms on.

Change your Artstyle. This one is more of a last resort. You might have to change your art style if you are getting sharp pains every time you draw. I loved drawing tight clean lines and many small fancy details, but drawing like that left me in so much pain at the end of the day. In 2023 I had to take the better part of year off from illustrations just to learn how to sketch and draw more loosely. I had to learn how to be gentle. To stop gripping my pencil so tightly. Learn! Adapt! You might discover a new style that you love even more!

A lot of this stuff gets more complicated in a work setting where you have to draw fast and long in order to get paid. Things like reducing your workload can help, but that can be... financially rough. But outside of that, it’s ok to be a slow artist. Going full steam and hurting yourself is not worth it.

Aaaaaanyway, thats all folks. Today's rant brought to you by me! The guy with chronic hand pain who always forgets to stretch! The guy who got frustrated with a sketch yesterday and decided to push to keep drawing for just one more hour! The guy who woke up this morning and had to spend 2 hours massaging and stretching their hands. The guy who probably shouldn't have typed all of this out because ooww ow ouch

If your hands do hurt, it's going to be ok! You don't need to be a speed demon who draws all the time. It's ok to take your time and take frequent breaks. You are going to do great things! Just be gentle with yourself...

[jillianallen14]

Dear Baby Bats - Goth Band Recommendations

As a middle sibling goth (I’ve been in the subculture for 10 years now, so not a baby bat but not an elder goth either), let me turn you on to some bands because we do not gatekeep in this house!! Also, if you want consistently good lesser-known & brand new goth band recs, go follow Awfully Sinister on TikTok and Instagram. He’s a DJ & has great recs. I've found so much music through him because it's really hard to keep up with all the new bands cropping up every year. You want to avoid the goth subreddit because they are extremely gatekeeper-y and argue over labels constantly. It’ll just confuse you, and they are not nice over there.

If you’re very new to the subculture, and you haven’t yet listened to all of Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Christian Death, Cocteau Twins, Clan of Xymox, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode, go do so now. You'll want to know which of them you really enjoy the most because it will help you know which sub-subgenre(s) of goth you want to watch out for, and it'll tell you what to look for to find it. For example, Sisters of Mercy is the gothic rock subgenre, Christian Death is deathrock, Cocteau Twins is ethereal wave, Clan of Xymox is like the original darkwave, Joy Division is classic post-punk, etc. I haven’t included industrial, despite its proximity to the goth subculture, just because I actually don’t really know that many industrial bands beyond Skippy Puppy, Ministry, and Throbbing Gristle. Some other goth/goth-adjacent staple bands (that are very popular and very influential) that you should listen to if you haven’t already are The Damned, Killing Joke, The Cult, and Adam and the Ants/Adam Ant). I didn't know where to put She Wants Revenge or London After Midnight either, but they're also great.

I’ve bolded some of my absolute must-listen to goth bands, and I've put monthly Spotify listeners for each band so you know which ones deserve WAY more love. And in my pre-list ramblings for each OG band, I've given you some key terms to look up so you can more easily find music that's similar to what you enjoy. Okay, here we go:

If you like Bauhaus:

Bauhaus is a hard one because honestly, nobody really sounds like them, and they aren't really that closely associated with a specific sub-subgenre of goth. They were post-punk, they were art rock, they were experimental, they were sometimes very punk and at other times very gothic rock. They liked to call themselves “dark glam rock” (all four members are massive Bowie, T-Rex, and Iggy Pop fans), but you’re gonna have a hard time finding bands that sound like them if you look that term up. They probably have one of the most unique sounds of all-time. They’re my favorite band (I even have a tattoo for them, like I am devoted lol), but even I have a difficult time finding other bands that scratch their particular itch for me. These bands I’ve listed are as close as you’re gonna get to Bauhaus’ general vibe imo.

Virgin Prunes (80’s band that is technically deathrock but has the same absolutely unhinged, danceable sound that Bauhaus has, so they’re going here; one of my favorites; no one else does it like them and no one else ever will; I would actually give my left foot to see them live); 13.2k monthly listeners (this is actually physically painful to me, how is it this low!!! don't walk, RUN to go listen to them)

Alien Sex Fiend (80’s classic unhinged goth); 77k monthly listeners

Sextile (modern band that has some very Bauhaus-sounding guitar work at times but with heavy industrial influences); 147k listeners

The Danse Society (80’s unhinged goth; has similar experimental vibes to Bauhaus imo; one of my fave goth groups); 36k listeners

Sex Beat (80’s); not even really on Spotify

Ritual Howls (modern band; I don’t know why it gives Bauhaus, but it does; one of the few modern bands that scratches that particular itch for me); 45k listeners

The Agnes Circle (modern band; one of my favorites; they have the right Bauhaus-like atmosphere for me); 52k listeners

Traitrs (I can’t explain why they remind me of Bauhaus, but they do; another one of my fave modern bands; they make me want to start levitating and doing the Ian Curtis dance in the same way Bauhaus does lol); 239k listeners

Paralisis Permanente (underrated 80’s; they have a lot in common with Bauhaus’s sound actually, def give them a try!); 54k monthly listeners

The Birthday Party (80s band, totally unhinged; they’re less dark and atmospheric than Bauhaus, but if you take one listen to their album Junkyard, you’ll know exactly why I put them under this category haha; Nick Cave is the vocalist, which is amazing); 54k listeners

Tones on Tail (80s; Daniel Ash & Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus formed this group; I’d put Love and Rockets as well, which is all of Bauhaus’s members except Peter Murphy, but Love and Rockets weirdly bears little resemblance to Bauhaus’s music; but if you just generally want more of Bauhaus members' work, Love and Rockets is great, too); 81k listeners

Dalis Car (80s; collaboration between Peter Murphy and Japan's bassist; their music is extremely weird, so only listen if you really love the batshit insane Bauhaus songs or if you really live and breathe Peter Murphy like I do lol; their description on Spotify is so fucking funny); 7k listeners

I'd also recommend listening to Daniel Ash, David J, and Peter Murphy's solo work. They're all great!! Peter also did some amazing collaborations with Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails); the version of Reptile that they did together is better than Nine Inch Nail's original version imo, and you can find that entire session on Youtube!

If you like Siouxsie and the Banshees:

Siouxsie is another one that's hard to pin down sound-wise because again, they don't really fit into one specific sub-subgenre, so all of these recs are just goth bands with female vocalists who have the same kind of powerful vocals that Siouxsie does.

Second Still (modern band, one of my faves; singer sounds a lot like Siouxsie to me at times); 69k listeners

Skeletal Family (80’s band; has the same “women in punk” vibes that Siouxsie has); 55k listeners

Xmal Deutschland (80’s band; has the same powerful vocals that Siouxsie has; makes you wanna go stupid go crazy the way the Banshees do); 73k listeners

Secret Shame (modern band w/ woman singer; has the same rage that Siouxsie songs have to me, especially early Siouxsie); 6k listeners (let's get those numbers up, folks!!!)

Rosegarden Funeral Party (modern band w/ a woman vocalist); 57k listeners

Mephisto Walz (90s & 2000s; sounds so much like the Banshees at times); 56k listeners

The Creatures (80s; a Siouxsie Sioux & Budgie side project); 34k listeners

Madhouse (listen to Repulsion! 80s group that’s technically deathrock, but I put them under this category because the singer has Siouxsie-like qualities); not really on Spotify

Strange Boutique (90s; vocalist is Monica Richards of Faith and the Muse & Madhouse; this is probably my favorite project of hers); 112k listeners

If you like Depeche Mode:

For Depeche Mode enjoyers (which DM is kind of on the fringes of what’s considered “goth,” but they’re so entrenched in the subculture that I included them anyway), you’re gonna want to delve into goth playlists and modern goth that leans towards synthpop/synthwave. So those are the kinds of playlists you’ll want to search up for similar sounds to DM.

Nuovo Testamento (modern band; combines post-punk and pop elements in a way that’s very similar to Depeche Mode; lots of fun live, and they have a good sound); 25k listeners

Boy Harsher (modern band; relies heavily on synth; feels like it should be playing at every goth club); 558k listeners

ULTRA SUNN (modern band; singer sounds like Dave Gahan); 217k listeners (they just blew up on tiktok recently, which explains why this just skyrocketed since the last time I was on their Spotify page lol; good for them, good for them, they deserve it)

Ministry's first album (called With Sympathy), which was synthwave/synthpop before they went industrial (this is one of my all-time favorite albums)

French Police (modern band); 252k listeners

Closed Tear (modern band); 152k listeners

Night Sins (modern band); 33k listeners

Panic Priest (modern band; vocals sound decently similar to Dave Gahan & there is a lot of reliance on synth; In All Severity is a gorgeous song); 5k listeners

Fad Gadget (underrated 80’s; I just feel like if you like DM, you’re also gonna like Fad Gadget); 58k listeners

Martin Dupont (underrated 80s cold wave/synth pop; Inside Out is one of my favorite 80s songs); 26k listeners

If you like The Cure:

You'll be hard-pressed to find a goth band that wasn't influenced by The Cure, so I really can't give you any key terms for what to look up lol. They also changed their sound so frequently that it entirely depends on what era of The Cure's music you're looking to find similar music for.

Vision Video (modern band; combines post-punk and pop elements like The Cure does; one of my fave modern goth bands; they are INCREDIBLE live); 52k listeners (I'm gonna need y'all to get a song or two of theirs to blow up on tiktok expeditiously lol)

Urban Heat (modern band; great live); 36k listeners

The Chameleons (80’s band; very underrated; they are also very good live); 167k listeners

House of Harm (modern band, very new; also very good live; has pop elements); 44k listeners

Deceits (modern band, another very new one); 28k listeners (it's crazy how much this number has grown the past two months because it was in the single thousands not that long ago; everyone say thank you, tiktok)

Drab Majesty (modern band; their instrumentals remind me of The Cure); 172k listeners

Double Echo (modern band, one of my faves; their instrumentals also remind me of The Cure); 15k listeners (let's get these numbers up!!!)

The Bolshoi (underrated 80’s band that combines new wave and goth elements in a similar way to The Cure); 114k listeners

The Essence (underrated 80s band that sounds so much like The Cure it’s actually insane, but they’ve got their own sound too; they’re like a perfect blend of all of The Cure’s different sounds); 25k monthly listeners

The Glove (80s; a Robert Smith side project with Steven Severin from Siouxsie and the Banshees); 25k listeners

Crimson Ivy (80s band; singer sounds so a lot like a more yelly version of Robert Smith sometimes); not on Spotify

Miss Teen America (brand new band from NYC! They only have one single out right now, and it’s well worth listening to); 940 monthly listeners (y’all know what to do!!! Let’s get those numbers up, up, up!) link to their single: https://open.spotify.com/album/4nvdZeUVLLrMv3tEziCqm7?si=2WVS7-eYQLGR7Id3wLiKhg

If you like Clan of Xymox:

Most of these bands will be modern ones because Clan of Xymox was honestly way ahead of their time. (They are also amazing live, so go see them before they eventually call it quits!) For playlists that are full of their vibe, you’re gonna want to look up “darkwave” playlists. Clan of Xymox pioneered darkwave, so any darkwave band you listen to is gonna be influenced by their sound in some way or another.

Harsh Symmetry (modern, very new; very heavily relies on synth); 29k listeners

Ssleeping Desiress (modern band; instrumentals similar to Xymox); 55k listeners

Twin Tribes (probably my favorite modern goth band; they are fucking incredible and so good live!); 276k listeners

ACTORS (modern band; heavily relies on synth); 86k listeners

Mareux (modern; heavily relies on synth); 4.8 million listeners (this is wild!!!! everyone say thank you, tiktok)

Sixth June (modern); 23k listeners

Plastique Noir (modern); 40k listeners

Rendez Vous (modern); 160k listeners

Minuit Machine (modern); 97k listeners

The Frozen Autumn (90s & 2000s); 31k listeners

If you like Christian Death:

All of these recs will be deathrock recs or goth bands that heavily leaned on punk sounds. So if CD is the OG goth band you’re most fond of, you’re gonna want to delve into deathrock playlists for similar sounds.

Asylum Party (80’s band); not on spotify

45 Grave (80’s band); 47k listeners

Voodoo Church (80’s band; probably my favorite out of this bunch; I actually like them more than Christian Death); 7k listeners (let's get these numbers up immediately!!!!)

Ausgang (80’s band); 2k listeners (WHAT; they deserve so much more, damn)

Corpus Delicti (90’s band; they are very good; they sound the least like Christian Death on this list imo); 26k listeners

13th Chime (80’s band; very underrated); 6k listeners

UK Decay (you know, I actually don’t know what era they’re from; unhinged sound); 1k listeners (omg)

Super Heroines (underrated 80’s band; Eva O formed it); 2k listeners (you see what I meant about underrated?)

Specimen (80s band; this one could have just as easily gone under Bauhaus tbh, but the vocals are generally higher pitched than Peter Murphy’s, so I put them under this category); 102k listeners

Sex Gang Children (80’s band; just so unhinged & I love them for it); 27k listeners

Suspiria (90s, I think? I don’t actually know); barely on Spotify but 27k listeners

Theatre of Hate (80s); 7k listeners

Bloody Dead and Sexy (2000s, I think); 44k listeners

Mescaline Babies (2000s); 3k listeners

Acid Bats (2000s; Mexican band with Spanish lyrics); 2k listeners

Altar de Fey (80s band; formed in San Francisco!!); 23k listeners

Twisted Nerve (80s band; classified as “gothic punk,” so I felt this was the best category for them; they’re great; their sound also reminds me of early Siouxsie and the Banshees and Killing Joke); 2.5k listeners

Play Dead (80s); 8k listeners

Limbo (underrated 80s; if you like Bauhaus & Virgin Prunes as well, you’re gonna like this band); 413 listeners

If you like Cocteau Twins:

Cocteau Twins’ early sound is usually categorized as “ethereal wave” goth, so those are the playlists you’ll want to look up if you enjoy their early sound. If you like their later sound, you’re gonna want to lean more towards shoegaze for similar vibes. Admittedly, ethereal wave is one of the goth subgenres that I know the least about, so I’m not gonna be much help here.

Dead Can Dance (80’s band; NO one, and I mean NO ONE, was doing it like Dead Can Dance; so fun to dance to in the goth club); 332k listeners

Lycia (90’s band; their music is very transcendent); 20k listeners

Linea Aspera (modern band; gorgeous woman vocals; honestly, their music is just very beautiful); 67k listeners

This Mortal Coil (formed in the 80s; some songs feature Elizabeth Fraser & Robin Guthrie from Cocteau Twins, but even the ones that don’t still have an ethereal vibe similar to CT; Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust is just like the best song ever); 310k listeners

Autumn's Grey Solace (2000s); 62k listeners

Faith and the Muse; (90s); 22k listeners

This Ascension (90s); 4k listeners

Strawberry Switchblade (80s); 400k listeners

If you like Joy Division:

All of these bands will be ones that sound very classically post-punk, so those are the playlists to search out; emphasis on "classic" because post-punk is a very broad term that gets applied to a lot of music. I would argue that Joy Division has had the most influence out of all the OG goth bands on the current goth sound/goth renaissance we're going through right now, so there are a LOT of bands out there for you if you’re a JD fan.

Molchat Doma (modern band); 2.5 million listeners (wow lol, they've grown so much over the past two years, it's actually insane; good for them)

Soviet Soviet (modern band); 152k listeners

Fearing (modern band; very good live); 30k listeners

Ploho (modern band); 146k listeners

Pink Turns Blue (criminally underrated 80’s band; they are SO good live); 98k listeners (this is an actual travesty, this band is way too good to not even be in the hundred thousands)

The Sound (another incredibly underrated 80’s band); 119k listeners

This Cold Night (modern; has the deep vocals of Joy Division and the driving bass but more stripped back than JD); 150k listeners

Bleib Modern (modern; has very similar vocals to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, which is a band listed under the Sisters of Mercy section of this post, so if you end up liking this band, you should also listen to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry & vice versa); 36k listeners

Lebanon Hanover (modern; has the existential angst that Joy Division always ignites in me but more stripped back); 936k listeners (this is crazy, holy shit!!!!!! go, Lebanon Hanover, go!!)

She Past Away (modern; deep vocals); 226k listeners

Belgrado (modern; woman vocals!); 18k listeners (they deserve better than this!!)

Leonora Post Punk (modern; Mexican goth band w/ Spanish vocals! They’re amazing! They have those deep vocals you want when you’re looking for a similar sound to Joy Division); 56k listeners

O. Children (modern; has the deep vocals & interesting bass lines that Joy Division was known for; great band); 29k listeners

If you like Sisters of Mercy:

This is one of my least favorite goth subcategories, which is odd because I actually love Sisters. But if you’re looking for a lot of music that sounds like SoM, I’d suggest delving into the 90’s and early 2000’s goth music scene. Search out those playlists. A lot of the 90s and 2000s goth bands were very derivative of Sisters of Mercy.

Rosetta Stone (90’s band); 54k listeners

Miazma (modern); 10k listeners

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (another criminally underrated 80’s band; one of my fave goth bands); 40k listeners (THEY!! DESERVE!! BETTER!!)

Dreamtime (modern); 65 listeners (ouch lol, please go show them some love)

Fields of the Nephilim (80’s, I think; if you’re a metalhead, you’ll probably appreciate this band); 95k listeners

The Merry Thoughts (80s); 19k listeners

The March Violets (underrated 80s; might be a controversial opinion to put them under SoM, but I’m standing by it); 69k listeners

Horror Vacui (modern; it’s kind of a stretch putting them here tbh, but I couldn’t figure out what other category to put them under); 44k listeners

The Sisterhood (spin-off Sisters of Mercy group that was formed by goth king Andrew Eldritch himself); 3k listeners

The Mission (formed by former Sisters of Mercy members; Wasteland by them was actually one of the first songs to get me into goth music); 180k listeners

Eyes of the Nightmare Jungle (late 80s & 90s; every time a song by them comes on, I’m convinced it’s a Sisters song until the singer starts singing lol); 13k listeners

Ex-Voto (formed in 1982, but most of their albums on Spotify came out in the 2000s; this band is like if Fields of Nephilim had a baby with Clan of Xymox & then sprinkled some industrial techniques in); 6k listeners

Also, if you want a 1500-song, 105-hour goth playlist that’s constantly growing, here you go. The name of it is a dig at my ex lol: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jCV530pMmOEmDHj4CLNka?si=cEVKiyAwQpaieGiV2pMyqw

[beekeeperspicnic]

Advanced warning that this made me cry when I thought about it, and then I shared it with friends and it made them cry too, but I think it's ultimately a nice thought so I want to share it. Sorry if it gives you the sniffles.

I'm always cautious when it comes to parasocial relationships - with actors I don't actually want to know the ins and outs of their lives, they are strangers to me and that's how it should be.

But like a lot of Sherlock Holmes fans I've ended up becoming a Jeremy Brett fan to some extent, because first you love his performance, then you find out the sheer dedication he put into that role, and then you find out how he did so while coping with significant mental and physical health problems, and then you hear story after story which suggests he was a lovely man whose mind seemed to put barrier after barrier in the way of him getting to experience the full extent of the joy he put out into the world. And I think a lot of us identify with that.

There's a quote from "The Jeremy Brett - Linda Pritchard story" floating around on Tumblr where Pritchard describes how one thing which really bothered him at the end of his life was that he couldn't give any more performances for his fans. Apparently hearing that the Sherlock Holmes series was on video (something he hadn't considered because he didn't own a video player), and his fans could watch him over and over again, made him happy.

And of course, my first thought when I heard that is I think he'd be so happy to know we're still watching them and dissecting his every movement and expression.

But it also hit me because during Beekeeper's Picnic recording sessions, Jeremy Brett is mentioned so often. Ok we've got at least one actor who worked with him (and indeed reports unsurprisingly that he was "lovely"!) but also people my age who were kids or not born yet when that series aired - they're professional actors, for whom Jeremy Brett remains 'their' Holmes, their point of reference for the character.

I can't wait for all of you to get to hear our amazing Holmes actor James Quinn, but it wouldn't be feasible to get him in every recording, and so often our actors have to just read his lines and respond. Once, one of them said "I'll just imagine Jeremy Brett," and I love that so much. Somewhere baked into my little game, is an Imaginary Jeremy Brett, called forth by an actor needing a Holmes to bounce off.

Jeremy Brett's performance isn't locked in amber, a thing of the past. It's fresh for each new generation that sees it, and it inspires new performances and new art. He'd adore that, I'm sure.

And to get even more philosophical, I think that goes for all creative work - and anything else you do in life. No matter how big or small the action, you never know how big your ripples you leave behind are. It's worth remembering.

[iliothermia]

hi! your art is sososo gorgeous. i was wondering if you had any advice for artists looking to sell their work like you do? like, what kind of supplies you need/use to make and ship prints? i'm considering trying to sell my own art, though i don't have a following at all right now. thank you for sharing your art and being such a kind soul. i hope you have a great day!

Thank you!! I don't make my own prints sadly- I don't have the room with everything else I make myself all in my room! Some advice:

-I make mine with Catprint, heavy plain cardstock option. It's a nice thickness that does well flat or rolled and feels very sturdy.

-it costs less to ship rolled, but people prefer flat and tracking is safer as flats! Tubes take longer to arrive due to being non-machinable.

-i have classroom shelves like this I keep under my work table, I can fit two of them perfectly under it and it keeps things condensed and organized.

-don't be hard on yourself about how quickly you get business and start slow! I started smaller with stickers- people gravitate more toward things they can use than art for the wall currently, it's easier to justify the purchase.

I'd probably recommend a heat press over a printer if I was starting out, if you were planning to invest in a printer. You can use DTF transfers on fabrics to make your own tote bags, pouches, patches, clothing and even wood things- I make bookmarks, jewelry boxes, and soon wooden wall hangings with it. My heat press was 175$- far less than a decent printer, too. With a wide option of things you can make at whatever pace you want, it's way easier to get started in IRL art markets too!

My final advice is.. be careful with respecting your own feelings and what you want with your work. Sure, if selling your work is all you can do (it was for me, I was on disability) you want to make sellable work but.. make work that's important to you still over what will sell "better". Burnout can be really rough, and then comes art block. Take care of yourself mentally, it's a lot of pressure between marketing yourself, shipping everything, customer service, making the physical items and still needing time to actually make the art.

If you need any more advice or resources I'm always happy to help and send links! And thank you for being very sweet yourself! ❤️

Materials: (I buy in bulk so upfront is a lot but cheaper overall) Print Mailers Cardboard inserts (for stability in shipping) envelopes (fits up to 5x7 mini prints) 5x7 chipboard (backers for mini prints) bubble mailers (fits folded tote bags and non-print things)

[legrzybek]

okay im a bit paranoid abt this one so i just wanna say NS//FW FUCKING DNI THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR YOU <//3 YOU WILL BE BLOCKED ON SIGHT please and thank you if someone thinks this is weird freaky shit im gonna actually cry hro

this includes if you publicly like and/or reblog a lot of nsfw content, i'm very uncomfortable with my art that is intended to be something innocent & comforting to me being seen alongside very Not Innocent stuff. eugh sorry

uerm um. yet another moment whne something that i was jusr doodling turned into a full on finished piece IMCRYING

silly azuretime comfort tickles,..,......SORYR IVE BEEN THINKING THAT IT WOULD BE CUTE OK. OK ☹️ im a lil embarrassed but also rly damn proud of the art so . Augh

it makes me happy so,,maybe it'll make someone else happy too :3

also!!!!,,,some fluffy azuretime headcanons i wrote yesterday for my post-forsaken au as a lil bonus thing,,,,,,, wawawa

post-forsaken azure is very careful and gentle, especially when touching two time; they've become more thin and frail while he became taller and stronger, so he's a bit afraid he might accidentally hurt them. yet his claws aren't very sharp, and the vine 'tentacles' have become a lot softer after the spectre's influence over him is lost

he grows rather quite fond of his new body when it's no longer forced to essentially be stuck in 'attack mode', no longer a killing machine that he doesn't want to be. having essentially 4 extra arms is very convenient for a lot of things, one of which is comforting his partner of course <3 in a way, comforting them comforts him too - he's very relieved & happy that his presence can help alleviate the turmoil they still experience,,, happy that they both now have a chance to recover from everything that happened and finally live a peaceful life

when he hugs/cuddles them he just does it in like.this perfect way where they feel the weight of his arms & the tentacles wrapping around them, but it's not suffocating or uncomfortable in any way, basically its fr like a weighted blanket

he also gives them soft massages to help them relax both their body and mind, and light tickles to cheer them up & very effectively distract them when they have horrible thoughts, he even mixes both sometimes, & they always get cuddles afterwards!!! two time usually ends up falling asleep into a very peaceful rest like that

allat physical affection is really fucking therapeutic for two time bc yk. i hc them to be autistic, and everything is just a very nice sensory experience for them,,,, they finally get to have the tender loving care that they lacked for so long

azure also isn't really the type to tease much, he usually just softly speaks some reassurance to soothe two time even more or checks in to make sure they're not feeling too overwhelmed ^_^

two time's most sensitive spots are at the base of their tail & wings, they just instantly melt everytime azure very carefully goes there, it feels so damn good for them HJDGSJ but theyre pretty much ticklish everywhere honestly, azure likes to do this thing where he lays them down on their stomach and moves the tickles/massages along from top to bottom, then when he's done he flips them around to lay on their back and does the same thing so every spot that they like gets some attention, and oh my spawn they absolutely love that

when getting tickled they often need to have their legs restrained because they involuntarily kick around a lot from happiness LMFAO their wings & tail also slightly move around, almost as if they were wagging,,azure thinks it's really silly

also. how i imagien azure found out two time is ticklish asf,,, he was like examining their body condition more closely, and while he was all worried abt how thin they've gotten and all the scars they have 2time was just trying not to lose their shit 😭 he noticed their little scoffs, how they trembled slightly and how they smiled whenever he gently squeezed or brushed his fingers against certain spots nd he kept that in mind for later - lo and behold a new way to comfort them was born HEL

lil dialogue bits of azure :3

"Shh... I'm here now, it's okay... You're doing so well, my Nightshade...I love you...

...See? Doesn't that feel better? Deep breaths... and keep your focus on the touch, alright?"

"Hehe...There you go...All better now.

...You're simply adorable like this...Your laugh warms my heart, I hope you know that...

I'm just... so glad you're having fun. You wholeheartedly deserve it, silly...hehe..."

[frenchkisstheabyss]

♡ Stray Kids Giving You Booty Slaps ♡

♡ Tis another reaction request fulfilled and honestly these are actually quite fun. Send them to me forever♡

Pairing: boyfriend!skz x reader

Genre: fluff & a tad suggestive

Warnings: all the ✨booty pats✨

♡ @anyamaris and so begins your eternal tags ♡

♡ Hyunjin likes to use your booty as a pillow when he's doing sketches in his notebook or scrolling his phone cause it's so comfy and lightly slapping it soothes him. It truly doesn't matter to him where you guys are at the time. The beach with friends. A picnic at the park. Wherever. If you're lying on your stomach, he's going straight to his fav spot.

♡ Changbin brings you to the gym because he does sincerely want to share his passion for fitness with you but it's also the best excuse ever to slap you on the booty. Even if your form's flawless he'll avoid congratulating you too much, choosing instead to slap your booty every time you slip up which will be often. So obviously he has you working on your squats a lot.

♡ Lee Know considers booty slapping to be a passion. An art, even. There's no reason for him to do it other than because he wants to and this man always wants to. His methods range from soft pats when you're sitting on his lap to grabbing handfuls of ass in public or chasing you around the room slapping it hard simply because he doesn't want you to know peace.

♡ Bang Chan plays your booty like it's a set of bongos whenever you're in his arms. Not only does the physical contact with you feel nice, your booty has some solid acoustics, honey. He spaces out sometimes humming the tunes to songs he's brainstorming. If not for his love of drumming on your cheeks Case 143 may have never happened.

♡ Seungmin uses booty slaps as a way to get you to focus all of your attention on him because he struggles to outright ask you for it. He tries to be sneaky at first with little pinches here and there but if you ignore him he'll get bolder, slapping it so hard that it's audible and you have no choice but to give the puppy whatever it is that he wants.

♡ I.N can grab your butt whenever he wants to but you can't grab his whenever you want to. It's against the rules. What rules? His. Don't question this man. You'll never see him smile wider than the moments when he knows he's made you happy or when he's in a possessive, bratty mood and successfully gets his hands on your cheeks.

♡ Felix loves a nice, soft plushie that he can cuddle, kiss, slap, and squeeze with all of the aggressive affection his little bbokari heart has to offer. Of all his plushies, your booty's his absolute favorite. For this very reason, he can only really touch it the way he wants in private. The risk of him getting way too into it in public and forgetting other people can see is super high.

♡ Han couldn't hide when he was about to pat your booty if he wanted to because he has a habit of being so vocal with it. He has to tell you what a cute butt you have, how adorable you are, and how much he loves you. Once Han gets started it's gonna lead to cuddles 100% of the time so if you try to run and he catches you just get comfy.

[flawseer]

On the False Dragonets of Destiny

Recycled art... Forgive me, I can't physically draw more than I currently am.

Just a little while ago I was looking at some replies to my recent work, and I noticed a nice comment from someone who expressed they enjoyed my comics featuring the false dragonets of destiny, but couldn't really get into them in the books. I am thankful for that comment, but even more thankful for the opportunity to ramble at length about something I kind of wanted to talk about, but couldn't find a plausible excuse for. Until now.

All of this is just my reading of the material, of course. You don't need to agree with me on this.

Content Warning: Some discussion of abuse, trauma, violence. I don't know if it's severe enough to warrant a warning, but better be safe.

General discussion

The false dragonets of destiny, the alternates, or whatever one wants to call them. They enter the story proper in book 4, after having made a few minor cameo appearances before, and serve as a kind of hybrid antagonistic force and pseudo-allies for Starflight during his stay on the Nightwing Isle. During that time, they are very abrasive, stand-offish, uncooperative, and a bit annoying, and I guess that doesn't make them come off very well. But like, in spite of that or maybe partially because of it, I am really fond of these guys, and I'd like to take some time talking them up to you.

One can examine how these guys act and conclude that they are a bunch of dysfunctional screw-ups. And they absolutely are that, don't get me wrong. But one should keep in mind: the majority of the time they are in the spotlight, they are in an extreme, tense, and frighteningly uncertain situation. It's easy to forget how stressful these situations are because the books as a whole really like to gloss over the more frightening kind of subjects on account of being written for young readers. You can't really go deep into themes of abuse, trauma, and depression in a story like that without tripping over some kind of censor on the way, but the implications are there, between the lines for you to find.

Understanding the group

Who are the false dragonets of destiny? They are posited as a mirror image of the true dragonets of destiny, who have all been extensively schooled in matters of education and martial prowess. The first thing we see THIS group do on page is brawl, so one may think they must be trained and capable fighters. Viper and Flame constantly throw around death threats and aggressive quips, so one may think they are hyper-violent and dangerous. They are neither. Nautilus admits the Talons haven't bothered training them at all, they haven't seen real combat, they've likely been deliberately kept away from the war as a whole. Flame doesn't even know how to use his fire breath correctly. Starflight, who is by far the least physically adept of the arc 1 protagonists, is able to outpace them even as four of them team up against him.

They are neither killers nor a crack team of badasses, rather they are a bunch of play-fighting, posing delinquents who talk a big game with little in terms of actual skill to back it up. Realizing this is key to understanding just how out of their depth and ill-equipped they are to handle anything that gets thrown at them on the Nightwing homeland, especially past the negotiations at the Skywing outpost.

Abduction and imprisonment

When Starflight first finds them, they have been on the Nightwing Isle for a good while, and they are suitably bristly because of it.

Look at this situation from their perspective. These guys have known nothing other than their semi-peaceful life in the Talon camp. Then the leader of that camp, Nautilus--a figure they all know and trust, essentially sells them to a frightening stranger, who looms over them and is so physically large he could crush each of them easily. This stranger pulls them away from their home without even giving them a chance to say goodbye to their relatives (I'm convinced Avalanche would not have let Morrowseer take her son if there was a chance to intervene, so Flame must have already been gone when she found out).

A contingent of Nightwing awaits them, blindfolds them so they don't know where the entrance to the Nightwing home is. They pass through a kind of eldritch tunnel that pulls at their souls. When they are finally allowed to see again, they find themselves trapped on an island where there is no sunlight and every breath hurts as the air is thick with ash.

The Nightwings won't let them leave, in fact they don't know if they will ever be able to leave again. Nobody tells them what's going on, what they are meant to do, or what the plan is. They are left confined in some room with nothing to do, and they (sans Fatespeaker) can't go outside without being arrested. Food is brought very infrequently, and usually inedible, so they haven't eaten since they were forced to leave home. They don't know where they are, nor where their parents are, nor if their parents know where THEY are. They are completely cut off from anywhere, isolated, trapped in this little slice of hell with no means to escape and little hope to acquire any soon.

I think if I was in a situation like that, I would be pretty cranky too. More than that, I would be scared out of my wits, and I believe that they are as well. If you look at their actions through a lens of them being frightened, their irritating quirks suddenly become very relatable. Viper is coping by throwing out threats and making herself seem bigger and scarier than the thing trapping her. Flame makes offensive jokes about killing Fatespeaker because making light of the situation helps him keep his wits together. Ochre is hard to read, but I think he's just tuning everything out. Squid is convinced that his father--who is the most important and smart dragon in all of Pyrrhia--has made the correct choice and knows what's best for all of them. And Fatespeaker is in complete denial, choosing to trust an inaccurate vision of the future while ignoring all the red flags that don't fit into it.

I think it's interesting that you can read this as all of them having a different strategy to cope with the uncertain and frightening situation they're trapped in. That's part of why I like them; they're very flawed and make interesting decisions.

Trauma and Empathy

You can look at someone like Squid and see his surface traits: He is annoying, he whines and complains constantly, he brags about who his father is, and he seems completely incapable of doing anything useful. If this guy was in any other story, I would probably dislike him. But Squid has the benefit of being a whiny dweeb in a situation where it is very appropriate to whine and be scared. He has a scene where he makes a somewhat goofy speech at Morrowseer where he calls him stupid and wants to go home, and is subsequently exiled. It's a bit silly in execution, but for me it did succeed in making me feel bad for Squid as he desperately and pathetically pleads for Morrowseer not to send him to his death.

But then you can read beyond the lines a little and view the scene in the full context that isn't really dwelt on. Here, you've got Squid, who is inept even among his peers, sheltered and doted on by his father, whom he has never been away from for any real amount of time until now. This guy, who probably can't even feed himself (otherwise he might have been able to catch fish in the waters around the island), keeps telling himself that his father has a plan, that all of this, even the questionable stuff, is happening for a reason. He hasn't eaten in weeks and he's been the punching bag for everyone else's frustrations (because Fatespeaker is not around enough, hanging out with Starflight). Now he has been chased halfway across the world, forced to cross the ocean while tired and starving, to be told he has to talk to a bunch of violent strangers who hate his kind and want to kill him. He tries to hide but is grabbed by the throat and held in the air by a soldier twice his size. This is likely the first time his life has ever been threatened that directly and with genuine intent.

The strange new Nightwing who was sent with them somehow manages to deescalate the situation enough to save him, but then, without warning, more dragons burst into the room. Suddenly everything is on fire, including the soldiers who just a moment ago threatened him. He is close enough to them to watch their forms twist and writhe in agony as they slowly burn to death.

As he is made to watch this horrifying spectacle, all the feelings he repressed by reminding himself of the faith he has in his father come flooding back in at once. It becomes too much for him to bear, and he breaks. He starts crying and verbally lashes out at their abuser for the horrid conditions they have been placed in and demands--half asserting and half pleading--to be allowed to go home. This isn't really whining anymore, this is a full-scale mental breakdown, rendered to be simple and digestible to a young audience. Imagine how harrowing this scene could have been if it wasn't filtered through a child-friendly narrative.

Closing thoughts

There is a scene some time after that I found kind of poignant. At one point, Starflight looks out and he sees Flame just standing out there, silently staring into the distance. There's maybe one line dedicated to it, and when you read the book normally, you don't really dwell on it since it's so nondescript. But this scene happens shortly after the visit to the remote outpost. The soldiers that burned to death in there were all Skywings. Skywings like himself, and like his mother, who also was a soldier before she joined the Talons. Whenever I picture him standing there, I imagine he is reliving that moment, hearing the dying screams of his kinsmen. I think he will be hearing them forever.

So in conclusion: The reason why I like the alternate dragonets so much is because of the enormous, untapped potential they possess as characters, and how deep some of them run if you take some time to look at them. I feel like all of them have a story to tell, and it's a bit of a shame that Sutherland likely won't come around to telling any of them. If I had infinite time, money, and energy, I would love to make many more comics about them, as they are an interesting lot.

Especially Flame's story I feel is such a heartbreaking tragedy, and thinking about the way it ended saddens me. He's one of my six all-time favorite characters in the series, I wish he could have gone out in a happier, healthier way.

[daydream-believin]

uh oh im gonna commit a cardinal sin real quick and repost art when i have no clue who drew it. look you just need to see it okay i’ve been thinking about it with sad wet eyes all month and it’s one of the top inspirations for. all this. geez…

anyway @spirit-of-the-hollow *ding ding ding ding* congrats you’ve just done today’s Secret Slime Action [Figure It Out, 1997]

man i didnt even send any of this to my beta-reader. if you see this im sorry 😅 proceed with caution and if you don’t like it meet me in the back of the 7/11 to fight (you know, discord lmao)

warnings: suggestive like a couple times. that 18+ ain’t indicative of any smut sorry

SO!

Touch-starved Headcanons for One Michael Afton (18+MDNI)

* oh 100% you know his ass is touched-starved af

* okay i know i only mentioned this on ao3 but LMAO same. but as i’ve said in fic before, it makes your brain a little stupid

* but the thing about mikey is he so deeply believes he doesn’t deserve it. or at least, that he’s not a person that physical affection should be given to

* so when you start showering him in love it’s a bit confusing to him at first

* at first it’s just all the gentle subtle little touches. he’s half convinced it’s all in his head and you’re just like that with everyone. but wait, no you’re not. he watches you (perhaps a little more than he should. babygirl get off those security cameras) and no one else gets the treatment he does

* a comforting back touch here, a purposeful brush of hands there. driving him up the wall.

* no one else is getting their hair combed through with your fingers and their tie straightened. no one else has your arm casually draped over their shoulder when you stand/sit beside them.

* what does it mean? WHAT DOES IT MEAN

* it means you love him, dumbass

* and once mike realizes that he just gets so flustered

* you grabbing his hand to press a quick peck to the top of his knuckles? face on fire. you know, if he had blood to warm him

* you like him? youre flirting with him??

* hold his hand and do the thumb strokey thing. it turns his brain off.

* if you see michael hanging around, come up behind him and tap his shoulder to get his attention. he startles a bit (its cute) but once he realizes its just you and not a blood-thirsty animatronic he’s always so happy to see you. you don’t have to say anything, just tap the mask he’s wearing and he’ll move it to let you give him a little kiss. or two. or three. with the mask held up to hide the two of you of course. just like the movies. and there’s no need for the kids to see you snogging (eww, yucky!)

* and when you stop holding his hand, when you stop kissing him, it feels like you just branded him. the phantom feeling of your touch lingers. he’ll still be thinking about it long after you’ve left the room.

* a real turning point, a hallmark in your relationship, when you hugged him one night, and pressed your entire body into his, and he practically melted into you in turn. and then he didn’t want to let go, so he didn’t. but then you didn’t either. so you two just stayed there, embracing so close your shadow looked like only one person. he could feel your heartbeat against his empty chest and that’s when he really cemented it into his brain that he may have some bigger feelings than he wanted to, like he loves you loves you.. oh no… (i’d go on.. but spoilers lol)

* still, he just can’t believe it’s him. smelly rotting accidentally-fratricidal zombies shouldn’t have people who love them like that and definitely shouldn’t have people willing to touch them. you’re a loony bird, that’s what.

* but once he’s accepted that you’re actually into him and he gets nice and comfy in the relationship? hooo boy

* more like hoe boy— *sound of me getting shot and falling off stage*

* you’ve replaced half his thoughts. instead of reliving his most horrible memories 24/7, now he takes ample breaks to relive moments where your hungry hands were getting their fill. and your sweet face and voice amd personality too of course. but damn, touch him and all he wants is more.

* hands on you always. whether he does it absent-mindedly just so he can reassure himself you’re there, or whether he does it very much on purpose? he’s just a very touchy-touchy man for no goddamn reason (my mans can’t even get it up.. yet. everbody say thank you remnant healing 0////0)

* not like you don’t love every second of it though. “oh no my boyfriend won’t stop giving me affection” literally the most non-problem ever. like get out of here

* ever at the counter? making food at home or standing around the prize booth at the pizzeria? doesn’t matter where, there is a 90% chance you will wind up wrapped in his arms. michael adores holding you, nuzzling his face in your neck, right on those sensitive arteries. it’s pretty distracting, ngl

* and you know what? you get it. seeing michael just standing there, perfect prey for a ‘surprise’ hug from behind? you can’t resist the instinct either. it’s a ton of fun to hang on him and make him lose focus on whatever he’s doing. two can play at that game. and he loves it when you hold him, he absolutely lives for it. it makes him feel safe for once in this miserable horror game y’all call a life

* if y’all are at home? he lets you nose nuzzle him. even if he’s only got like less than half a nose at this point, still lets you rub your snoot all up in his. he’ll even initiate every now and then. it’s especially adorable

* sometimes you just lie on your back in bed or on the couch for some rest, and michael nestles himself on top of you, resting his head on your chest to hear your heartbeat. he loves your heartbeat. and sometimes you’ll hold his face in your hands, letting your thumbs trail over his cheekbones as he gazes up at you softly. and sometimes… uh.. well look he is in between your legs here too so. don’t look at me.

* ah but speaking of cuddles. you are now a giant hot water bottle. every night he sleeps with as much of his body draped over you as he possibly can, doesnt matter what position you sleep in, mikey is a fucking koala and you are the last eucalyptus tree in queensland

* at least he’s pretty cool. like you might be a giant hot water bottle but he’s a cooling weighted blanket. that corpse chill is pretty great for beating the utah heat

* so yeah. in conclusion. like. give him just a little taste of that sweet physical touch love language and he’s gonna go bonkers. totally mental, as he might say.