#so there were three of them with this subset

[aparticularbandit]

but also for someone who has definitely played around with amnesia and rebuilding and reliving and such stuff in fic before (just because i never posted it doesn't mean i didn't play around with it), i. now kind of want to figure out how to play around with that with junko. the scenario would need to be different. but.

[au-roulette]

AU Roulette Challenge 2025

What is AU Roulette? A casual fic-writing challenge encouraging authors to play around with different types of alternate universe stories, which will be randomly assigned to each participant regardless of the fandom they sign up with. The goal of the challenge is to encourage creativity and get authors to write fics with premises they might not otherwise have considered, with varying difficulty levels of participation for writers of all experience levels.

How does it work? Writers will be able to sign up from now through the end of June with a fandom of their choice. At the start of July, each participant will be assigned three AUs from a masterlist using a random number generator. Each author will then have the choice of completing the challenge one, two, or all three of the AUs. Any fic exceeding a 500-word minimum will be considered a completion, so long as it employs the AU premise. The fic-writing period of the challenge will run for a month. Fics can be posted at any point during this time, and authors will have the option of having them added to an Ao3 collection for the challenge if they desire. They can also be posted to tumblr using the tag #AU Roulette 2025

What kind of AUs will be included in the challenge? The AU Roulette challenge will focus largely on popular, staple AU types with broad applicability to any fandom or relationship type. For example, a possible result might be something like a Time Travel AU (encompassing all the possible subsets, such as fix-it time travel, time loops, or other tropes under the same umbrella), but more restrictive AU types like a Soulmate AU that make assumptions about the author’s interpretation of character relationships in canon have been intentionally kept off the AU masterlist. The official list of AUs will be shared halfway through the month of June, with 36 different prompts on the list.

What if I get an AU type that doesn’t work for the canon I chose? Limited re-rolls will be allowed on a case-by-case basis. You are also encouraged to be as creative as you want with your interpretation of your assigned AUs, which may help with making them fit. The goal of this challenge is to encourage weird, creative fanfic, not to have every author who rolls the same result write cookie-cutter versions of the same types of stories. If you were to get a Coffee Shop AU, for example, there is no requirement that the coffee shop in question be a real-world 21st-century Earth Starbucks. In fact, deviating from the mold is highly encouraged. So long as you can make a case that you filled the loose premise of your AU type, you will get credit for having completed it.

Can I participate if I am not a writer? AU Roulette is a fanfic writing challenge, so official sign-ups are for those interested in writing (regardless of skill level or experience writing AUs). However, if you are interested in the challenge but not in writing fic for it, consider having a look at the #AU Roulette 2025 tag or the official AU Roulette 2025 collection on Ao3 once authors have begun posting their stories. If one of them really speaks to you, it might be a nice gesture to draw a piece of art, make a playlist, or create some other fanwork inspired by the fic and share it – in which case you would also be more than welcome to use the official tag!

(Authors are of course also welcome to do this for their or other participants’ stories, too.)

How do I sign up? Fill out this form with your email and fandom of choice.

Looking forward to seeing the AUs everyone creates this year!

[epicspheal]

Words Are Unnecessary! A Red Analysis

Picture this: You’re a 90s kid, you got a Gameboy and this new game called Pokemon (or as your parents likely called it, Pokeman). And you get one choice of protagonist, a boy from Pallet Town named Red. 

Game Red is a silent protagonist turned silent NPC, so one may think it might be hard to do a character analysis on him (compared to say his Origins, Pokespe or Anime counterparts). Yet like much of Kanto, Red is a character told through environmental storytelling.

Let’s start with his name, in all official translations his name is Red. The color Red is a primary color which low key represents his role as the protagonist and the top of the Kanto hierarchy. This is most apparent when you compare Blue’s Japanese name Green which is a secondary color (implying he’s the second best of the Kanto trainers). Symbolically the color red represents passion, love, strength, confidence and importance. As time has moved on and TPCi has made Red an important character just as much as a protagonist, we can see that he embodies so much of the symbolism of his namesake color.

He’s described as having a quiet passion and love for Pokemon. He exudes strength and confidence in any game related adaptation and he’s quite possibly the most important trainer in the series. When you consider the fact that originally, Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal were supposed to be the last games in the series you realize that Red’s naming was not just random but meant to be a story of his arc. From your entry into the wonderful world of Pokemon the formidable passionate flame on top of Mt Silver that would serve as your final obstacle. 

Alright so let’s take a look at Red’s team. Now canonically we know he completed the Kanto Pokedex of 151 unique little critters. That’s a huge accomplishment that affords him a vast rotation of Pokemon that most trainers in the world will not have. Yet in his NPC appearances we see that he tends to stick to a certain subset of Pokemon and this actually gives a lot of insight into his character

Like most Pokemon champions he opts for a more balanced team with varied typings. I’m going to focus on his HGSS team since that’s the one that is used the most over generations. We see he has a Pikachu, the three Kanto Starters, Lapras and Snorlax. The first thing that stands out is his use of a (very high leveled) Pikachu in a team of otherwise fully evolved Pokemon. This is of course a reference to Pokemon Yellow, but it also just shows his trust in his Pokemon. The fact that he would still keep one of his Pokemon unevolved due to the Pokemon’s own personal preference shows that Red respects the choices of his Pokemon. He even gives his Pikachu a Light Ball to hold in order to boost the powers of his moves, further showing how much he wants to work with his Pokemon to achieve their ultimate potential rather than deciding for them. 

The three Kanto Starters are a way to not formally canonize which starter he chooses, but they’re also a reference to Pokemon Yellow as all three can be obtained from gifts. The same goes for his Lapras and Espeon (in GSC) which are also obtained as gifts. Snorlax rounds out the team as the Pokemon he gets by waking up with the Pokeflute (the Pokeflute being a gift). So what does this all mean for Red? It shows that despite having caught the entire Kanto Pokedex (including legendaries and mythicals) he ends up prioritizing the Pokemon he got as gifts. This shows a very sentimental side of him. This makes sense when you consider the guide to Pokemon RBG where it shows he wishes to regain his friendship with Blue back after the latter starts being mean. The Kanto journey for Red is as much of a coming of age story as it is a sentimental one as he really wants his best friend back.

Now taking a look at the moves Red chooses for his team we can see he has a varied amount of attacks that helped to hit most types for super-effective damage. A couple of things to note here is that he does seem to have a preference for moves that give status conditions as a secondary effect showing that he tries to open multiple paths to victory in battle. This shows he is calculating and knowledgeable about the moves he uses. For his HGSS Mount Silver battle you’ll notice the Kanto starters all have the three ultimate moves: Frenzy Plant, Blast Burn, and Hydro Cannon. This once again symbolizes the high degree of love Red has in his Pokemon. 

However those moves are much like elemental Hyper Beams in that they require a recharge turn. And indeed Red has Giga Impact on his Snorlax which also requires a recharge turn. Not only that he uses moves like Focus Blast which has not the best accuracy. He also uses moves like Flare Blitz and Volt Tackle which give recoil damage. All this to say, Red has a bit of a reckless streak as well. Which checks when you think about how he single-handedly drove Team Rocket out of Kanto, and his actions during the Pokemas Kanto Villain arc. I do want to point out that he has the move Blizzard on three of his Pokemon which is normally a low accuracy move…except in the Hail. Which, what do you know, Mount Silver has Hail (er snow). This shows that while Red can be reckless he also is very smart in taking advantage of his surroundings. 

I’m actually going to jump to his Alola Team because you see aside from levels nothing has really changed except for the moves. Once again he still has some high risk-high reward moves but they’ve been toned down a bit. This actually provides a bit of subtle character growth as we see he’s toning down his reckless streak as he has become an adult. We also see in his moves and items in the battle tree that he varies the strategies he uses against opponents in terms of moves and items used. This is fitting given that this time he’s now known as a Battle Legend. He uses quite a few mega items in the Battle Tree which once again affirm the love and trust he has for his Pokemon.

Now let’s take a look at the few quotes we get from Red

"Hi! Do you like Pokémon? Uh no, I just asked you. Huh? You're strange!" 

"Hi! Thanks for earlier! Pardon? Is it that fun to mimic my every move?" - Talking to CopycatThis is one of the non-Pokemon Masters spoken words we get out of Red from RBGY/FRLG. Here he’s talking to Copy Cat who is…copying every word he says. It’s a funny bit of dialogue that shows despite being a living legend he was still definitely a kid with brutal honesty by calling CopyCat strange. But we get to see he is a polite child as he thanks CopyCat for the TM he get while also still curious as to why CopyCat seems to enjoy mimicking him.

"…?""…?!" -if Red defeats the player in the Pokemon World Tournament In Pokemon Black 2/White 2 When most of us think of Red, we think of the fact that he typically speaks in ellipses. I really liked this set of ellipses from the Pokemon World Tournament as it’s possible for any character to beat the player without forcing a rematch to progress the story. So that means any of the champions can claim victory. In the case of Victory with Red, here he seems to express a bit of shock that he won against Nate/Rosa. This shows a great deal of humility for him because by the time of the second Unova story events, he’s well regarded as a living battle legend.

"...I accept your challenge!" - To Blue before the Pasio Tournament Finals

This was a very touching moment between Red and Blue. Blue was admittedly rashly challenging Red to a battle due to his own insecurities about being a good rival to Red especially given the Pasio format of three on three battles. Normally when Red accepts challenges he does so silently, but here we see him make a verbal acceptance. This is huge because it shows how important Blue is to him. He recognizes Blue still struggles with insecurity in regards to the rivalry and rather than just wordlessly accept a battle, he tells Blue he accepts to show that he acknowledges Blue not just as his best friend, but as his rival. Even when he’s challenged by champions like Leon and Cynthia he is wordless, but with Blue he speaks to affirm the challenge. It speaks volumes about how much Red cares about Blue. Again going back to the RBGY guide book that talks about how Red wants to get his friend back, you can see how Red doesn’t want to lose Blue as a friend again and is willing to verbally affirm Blue, because he recognizes that words of affirmation are a love language to Blue.

"(Blue, Leaf...Let's win this—together!)" - in his head Okay so he didn’t actually speak this out loud but this counts. As they’re preparing for the finals of the Pasio Tournament, you see once again how much Red values his two childhood friends. He doesn’t just want this to be “The Red Show” where he, the living legend, effortlessly takes down the opponents and with all of  the glory going to himself. He wants to win it with the help of his friends. This once again shows how sentimental Red is as a person

"Congratulations! You won!"

This is also major in one of the few times he speaks after losing, but also in front of a large audience. Him verbally congratulating Scottie/Bettie and their team for their win shows a high degree of respect that he has for the rookie trainer to be able to lead a team to victory against him and his closest friends. Considering that (despite what team you use against him) the cutscene shows Rosa, Misty and Brock this is also a way of him showing major respect to the first two gym leaders he ever took on when he began his journey in Kanto years ago. 

"... ... ... ... ... ... Words are unnecessary!"

I remember seeing this “A Day with Sygna Suit Red” the first time and absolutely dying of laughter when these words were uttered. Red was absolutely trolling Flint and Scottie/Bettie at the moment knowing very few would believe them if they said they heard Red speak. It’s nice to see a more playful side of him that also shows why he, Blue and Leaf all get along so well. They’re all little shits. 

Alright I’m going to add a few more quotes from some other characters to give a bit more context to Red’s character

"Red is never satisfied with how strong he is. He's always looking for new ways to grow as a Trainer and bring out the potential of his Pokémon." - Professor Oak

With this quote from Professor Oak, we can see once again how despite how strong Red is he never lets it get to his head. He’s always constantly seeking improvement."With Red, what really stood out to me wasn't that he was strong but that he seemed very gifted as a Trainer." - Brock

Even though it may seem like to some that Red is portrayed as having always been this ultra strong trainer, Brock’s words here show that he had to grow into his strength. Yes he may have had a bit of a knack of battling, but those early victories weren’t flawless. He’s still fallible

"Well, don't go overboard with the tough love, Red." - Blue

To be honest, it was hard to choose a quote from Blue, since he won’t shut up about Red. But I really liked this one from the Neo Champion event. It gives some more fallibility to Red as he doles out tough love to his mentees and Blue cautions him about not overdoing it.  "Winning makes you two happier than anyone, while losing makes you the most frustrated. You're both unbelievably straightforward and earnest when it comes to Pokemon" - Blue, again And more quotes from Blue! Here we see him talking to Leon and comparing the two showing how similar they are on a core level. This comparison highlights Red having a straightforward philosophy when it comes to how he interacts with Pokemon and how he deals with battling. It's simple but as we can see from his results it's been very effective in catapulting to the sheer ability and strength he has.

“He’s been battling nonstop, even cutting back on sleep” - Elio That tough love he dealt to his mentees during the Neo Champion event also extends to himself as he pushes himself extremely hard after his close win against Leon in the Arc-Suit story. This tracks with him disappearing for years on Mount Silver to train after becoming the Kanto Champion. This highlights his drive to improve but also his reckless streak. It also shows just how much he respects Leon’s strength as he’s pushed Red to a limit he’s not used to being pushed to. It's also telling that he picks the three trainers (Elio, Rosa and Ethan) who in the mainline games are shown to be able to defeat his team. Once again highlighting Red's continuous strides for improvement.

Red throughout the years has been a powerful icon of the franchise and is in many ways a symbol for how as the generations pass, GameFreak continues to find new ways to explore the potential of the world of Pokemon. He’s a quiet flame filled with endless passion and a bit of recklessness. But above all he’s filled with love, love for Pokemon, the human friends he’s close to and the thrill of battle.

[comicaurora]

hi red!! i'm doing an analysis of sun wukong's (and journey to the west in general's) impact on modern culture for my world mythology final, and for some reason i'm having a hard time finding sources. is there anything you can recommend?

The fact that Journey to the West has contributed an enormous number of tropes to modern media is very clear when the media in question is examined, but I don't know of a specific secondary source that's already done that analysis for you. However, this IS a very good excuse for you to plow through a metric buttload of shonen manga, since the lineage is basically Sun Wukong -> Son Goku -> like a solid third of all shonen action heroes written in the last forty years.

Dragon Ball kicks things off:

Started in 1984 and almost unquestionably the most influential manga ever made. Its first arc features the weird super-strong monkey-kid Son Goku - which is just the japanese pronunciation of the characters of Sun Wukong's name - meeting up with a wacky crew of thinly-veiled expys of the Journey to the West crew, with teen inventor Bulma filling the role of Tripitaka, Oolong the pig-man filling Zhu Bajie's role and Yamcha the desert-based bandit as Sha Wujing.

Hijinks ensue, and while the story drifts pretty far from Journey to the West's original plot, it actually stays pretty solidly referential in weirdly unexpected ways. Several the villains of the week are JttW references, and even the later appearance of three more Saiyans lines up with the surprise reveal of three more Wukong-like mystical apes in the original story.

The connection between Dragon Ball and JttW is very unsubtle and a frequent reference in the chapter covers and supplemental art.

Not every subsequent JttW reference is the result of Dragon Ball popularizing it or anything, since it was already enormously popular, but I think it's pretty hard to extricate Dragon Ball's influence on anime and manga from the original influence of Journey to the West itself.

One way that a distinction can be drawn is in the differences in characterization between Goku and Sun Wukong himself. A lot of the next generation of shonen protagonists were kind of Goku-alikes - pure-hearted dumbasses who only care for the three Fs: Food, Fighting and Friendship.

But the original characterization of Sun Wukong is not really all that similar. He's a trickster, sure, but he's far from a young, friendship-motivated goober. He's profoundly intelligent, pretty much the most well-educated entity on the planet, and routinely brings up that he's centuries older than most of his peers. The Goku-alikes from the later decades of shonen anime are tellingly far-removed from that original characterization. So you get characters based on Goku's cheerful idiocy, but it's just a small subset of the broader influence of Journey to the West on the space of literature.

In general, Journey to the West frequently shows up in very small, bite-sized tropes in other stories. It's less "this is wholly based on Journey to the West" and more "oh, I know where they maybe got this idea/aesthetic/power/weapon/villain of the week from." There are way too many to list, but some of the ones that tend to jump out at me are-

Sneaky characters with monkey motifs:

Tricksy, highly mobile characters who fight with a staff:

Characters afflicted with a magical restraint artifact that allows a much weaker character to stop them from misbehaving:

Specific esoteric weapons, eg. magical fans, rakes, gourds, namedropping The Sword of Seven Stars, etc.

Villains with prominent ox or pig design motifs:

Characters whose primary combat strat is just making Shitloads Of Disposable Copies Of Themselves:

Honestly it just keeps going like this. It's kinda everywhere. Finding the JttW in things is my favorite conspiracy theory rabbit hole because it's 100% harmless and more often than not completely correct.

[alleycatchitchat]

Just rewatched The Three Caballeros and wasn't expecting such a goldmine of cute little moments that specifically appealed to a certain, uh, subset of the fandom... anyway have some Three Gay Caballeros screenshots

Donald Duck, coming on strong

Lots of dancing together in this film but I specifically like that Donald and José are reflecting the couple behind them in this scene

If I had a nickel for every time Donald leaped onto José and clung to him tenderly I would have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

I call this one "Gay Panic"

José and Panchito's little cuddle here is really cute. Notice that Panchito pulls José closer; their heads are probably touching underneath the sombrero.

No thoughts head empty just thinking about Donald's head resting in José's lap

José is having the time of his life right now

Donald kisses him 6 times during this sequence btw. if you even care

LISTEN. LISTEN. I HAVE REWATCHED AND REWINDED THIS MOMENT SO MANY TIMES. Slowed it down, gone through screenshots one by one, nitpicked and analyzed and I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME DECIDE WHETHER PANCHITO IS SLAPPING DONALD'S BACK OR HIS ASS

I think my general conclusion is that Panchito slaps Donald's back and then lets his hand slide all the way down before he pulls away. But again, not 100% certain.

This one isn't shippy I just think Panchito looks really cute

I love this little dude look at his goofy rooster face

This one doesn't need a caption I don't think

bruh

I tried so, so hard to find a screenshot of this moment that wasn't cursed. So hard. This was too important to leave out

But still, look at José's horrible beak, that's going to haunt my nightmares

anyway shoutout to the polycule ever! three gay caballeros truthers were right all along

[quinnydoll]

A Good Companion Doll

There are many kinds of doll, as there are many kinds of Purpose for them. It would be quite the labyrinthine task to name every type, but if we were to boil them down to three base categories, we could classify most doll types under the following:

Service Doll

Combat Doll

Companion Doll

Service dolls are often for domestic or commercial use. Their job is to complete a task, and be polite and pretty while doing it. This, much like the other descriptions for today, is an incredibly broad simplification, but for our purposes, it is sufficient. These dolls are your cooks, maids, landscapers, mechanics, delivery workers, and many other things. There are some Purposes for Service Doll subsets which would be unnecessary and inappropriate to name, but much like all dolls who fulfill their Purpose, we can consider them from an outside perspective to be Good Dolls.

Combat dolls are implemented into military and security roles. Their job is either to eliminate or protect. The Purpose of a combat doll tends to be quite straightforward, as long as they're properly commanded by a good Witch/Miss/Handler. Combat dolls come in a diverse range of shapes, sizes, and constructions, but their Purpose tends to remain the same. Just like Service dolls, all who fulfill their Purpose, we can also consider Good Dolls.

Companion dolls occupy a space outside a singular implementation for use. They are often used for service, and sometimes used for combat, but as the category seems to suggest, they are intended first and foremost for companionship, and the tasks that may come along with it. Whether you need a doll to reciprocate affection, or one to entertain your guests, a companion doll may be suitable for you. These dolls can often be fickle, however, and without a clearly defined Purpose, need reassurance when they are in fact, Good Dolls.

"This one is a companion doll, Miss. B-but it's not a Good Doll..." The ball jointed hands of the companion doll having just read the pamphlet that came in its box fall to the soft, frilly apron of its maid dress.

The woman who's opened the box for the newly refurbished synthetic confidante gently slips the paper out from between its fingers, weaving her hands between them instead, "Surely that can't be, sweetie. I'm sure you're a perfectly fine doll!"

The doll shakes its head suddenly in response, "Its defined characteristics for itself being a Good Doll are, service to its Miss, refusal of hostility to all classified as Entities, and unconditional love to all Entities it cares about!"

The woman looks puzzled at the response from her new companion, "But you've been sweet so far... The chats we had before they mailed you to me seemed to suggest to me that you're a Good Doll!"

"It hurt someone, Miss... The one it believed it was going to be with forever. Its love is meant to be unconditional, how could it forget? It couldn't be romantic love anymore, but that shouldn't have made it conditional..." The doll's expression is downcast, and full of sorrow.

The woman leans in and wraps her arms around the doll, "You still care about this person, yes?"

"It does, Miss..." The doll's voice rings out quietly, nearly inaudibly, but still there. She picks her doll up and allows it to lean back in her arms, now nearly cradling it, "Then you're still capable of loving them, aren't you?"

"It... It is, Miss! And it will. It does, okay, this one does!" The doll stammers as it processes the message its new Miss is trying to send it, as its statement ends in mild excitement.

The Miss smiles as she looks into her dolls eyes, "Good Doll."

The companion doll leans up and hugs its Miss tightly around her shoulders, happy to have received this reassurance. The Miss returns the gesture in kind, tightening her grip around it as well. She's read the pamphlet as well, and knows how much her doll needs it. She needs to make sure her companion doll knows that it's a Good Doll.

"Thank you, Miss. A-and it loves you, too..."

[dept-of-monster-affairs]

After Party

Note: previously posted under nicsnort but Tumblr decided to shadowban then terminate the account without warning. (this will be my monster blog from now on, even if the other is reinstated)

m!minotaur (Tyrus) x f!reader

Word count: 4869

Contains: drugs/aphrodisiac cum, talk of breeding, size difference, stranger sex

After your company Yuletide party, you head out to the mixed species club. Even though it is not your usual scene you wind up going back to a minotaur's apartment for the night. A minotaur's cum is said to have euphoric magical effects and you are about to have a first-hand experience.

If you want to ignore my self-indulgent worldbuilding lore skip the indented text

Public Health Alert

Minotaur Essence Products In recent months, the sale of magical consumable items said to contain Minotaur essence in unregulated markets has increased. These items are often sold as giving people boosted energy, increasing their strength, and/or as sexual enhancers. Most often, these items are sold in small bottles similar to energy shots but have also been sold as gels or injections. Analysis by the Department of Monster Affairs shows that most of these items are dyed and flavored water, mundane steroids, or short-term and mild transformative magic potions. A small subset being sold as aphrodisiacs indeed contain Minotaur essence. Specifically, they contain Minotaur semen. Minotaur semen contains compounds similar to alkyl nitrites (colloquially known as the drug “poppers”), which induce sensations of euphoria along with magical compounds that have muscle-relaxing and elasticizing effects. The semen of Minotaurs loses these effects within four to eight minutes of ejaculation. While Minotaur semen is not known to be addictive, it can cause psychological dependency with long-term repeated exposure. Any exposure to unknown sexual fluids carries the risk of sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, for people with uteruses who are ovulating, inserting Minotaur semen into the vaginal cavity recreationally may lead to pregnancy due to the potent nature of Minotaur spermatozoa which can stay alive for over one week without preservation efforts.  The public is warned against consuming any of these unregulated products, magical or mundane, as there may be adverse health risks. If you know of people selling these products, please contact your local Wardens or call or email the Department of Monster Affairs.

The walls of the club throbbed slightly offbeat with the flashing red and green lights. On the dance floor, bodies writhed to the pulsing beat of the music, so loud that they felt the tone vibrate their bodies to a rap version of Jingle Bells. You watched the moving mass from a stool on the edge near the bar. Some work acquaintances had invited you out with them after the company Yule party, but this was not your usual scene. Perhaps that is why you ended up as the designated sober person and drink watcher. Perhaps your acquaintances had planned it that way, but you’d rather not think about it at the moment.

Your eyes swept over the crowd, picking out two of the three people you had come with. Yet, you could not help but be drawn to the sight of the others on the floor. The monsters. Many of the monsters stood out against the crowd of humans. Larger in size or with noticeable horns or tails. Mixed species bars and clubs were becoming more common ever since the tension with the monsters from the other side of the Rift had given way to peaceful acceptance.

You saw a naga dancing with a woman, her long snake lower half undulating around her partner sensually. A werewolf ground against the rear of his dance partner, advertising the goods under his pants. Dancing with one of your co-workers was a faun, his hairy hands roaming over their lean body suggestively.

Your legs rubbed together with desire. There had always been something about monsters for you. They were just better, more alluring, than humans. Maybe it was the forbidden aspect, how those relationships still broke boundaries even in this peaceful age. Not to mention how fascinating their cultures were, and their biology and magic were outstanding in your eyes. Such variety. Not that you had ever experienced anything with a monster beyond a short kiss with the siren dimensional exchange student in high school during Spin-the-Bottle.

Across the dance floor, your eyes made contact with a massive bull minotaur. The air left your lungs, and your core clenched with want at the sight of him. He was leaning against one of the small tables with a drink in his hand, an orc and an elf were next to him, surveying the stock of potential partners in the club. All three were wearing Santa hats and modified business clothes. They must have come here after a work function, too.

“What is a beautiful thing like you doing sitting over here,” a voice asked, a body suddenly pressing against the space beside you.

Glancing over, you saw what had to be a Hollywood cutout of a human pick-up artist leaning against the wall. One of his arms was above his head to take up more space and allow him to lean into you. With that one move, he successfully trapped you between him and the small table on which your and your acquaintances’ drinks sat. It was so intentionally casual that he had to have practiced it. Lame.

“Not interested,” you immediately told him, returning your gaze across the club. The minotaur you had locked eyes with was gone.

“Hey, hey, don’t be like that, babe,” the man said, reaching across your field of view to set his drink on the table. “Come on. Are you feeling self-conscious? That shirt may make you look fat, but the color really brings out your gorgeous eyes.”

You gave the man a look of disgust. “Did you really just try to neg me?! Go away.”

“Don’t be a bitch, that was a compliment.” He went to grab you, but suddenly, a large, meaty hand covered in short black fur wrapped around his wrist. The minotaur from across the club.

“Pretty sure the kyría told you to go away.” His voice was low and deep, almost lost among the throbbing bass of the music, but its edge was just threatening enough to reach their ears.

“Let go of me, animal,” the pick-up artist hissed, struggling vainly against the minotaur’s grip.

“What is in your hand,” the minotaurs asked, not even acknowledging the man’s words. Forcing his hand open, the minotaur pulled out a small bottle of white liquid. Taking it from him, the minotaur sniffed the half-empty bottle. “Really, you spiked her drink with this fake minotaur essence bullcrap?”

“What,” you exclaimed, outraged. “You were trying to drug me?!” Without thinking your foot shot out and nailed the desperate pick-up artist in the stomach. “Get the fuck out of here before I call the Wardens!”

The minotaur released the human as he clutched his stomach in pain. “Fucking cow deserves a beast,” he muttered just loud enough for them to hear as he scurried away.

The minotaur snorted, his hoof scraping the ground, causing the pick-up artist to run all the faster. You flipped off the human before your attention returned to the minotaur towering before you. “Thanks.”

“Minotaurs are guardians,” he said as if that explained everything.

“I thought that was just a stereotype.”

The minotaur smirked, lowering his head, and he spoke into your ear. His low voice resonated in your bones even more than the music. “True for our mates.”

Your face went brick red, your core clenching with desire at his suggestive words.

“Oh,” you managed to squeak out, the noise lost amongst the music. Your face was red hot. In an attempt to cover your sudden inability to speak and cool your face, you reached for your drink.

Then the minotaur’s large, callused hand covered yours. “Hold on, ómorfi̱ kyría; the bastard spiked that.”

“Right,” you replied, your brain still trying to catch up with the attraction and swirl of emotions you were feeling from being flirted with by such a prime specimen of beef. “With the fake, uh, minotaur essence.”

“Exactly, a low move. A woman like you deserves the authentic stuff straight from the source.” He chuckled and leaned in to speak into your ear. “So, can I get you a drink?”

Your mind went blank. No one had ever been so smoothly direct with you before. You weren’t completely sure how you responded, but you felt your mouth move. The minotaur grinned and tugged at your hand, leading you through the press of people. The next thing you knew, the cool night air hit your face, the city night blessedly silent compared to the pounding music of the club. The winter air helped to clear your head.

“My apartment is not far if that is alright with you,” the minotaur suggested as you walked. His low voice stood out even more without the pulse of the music.

“I…that’s fine…”

“There is no pressure, kyría. We can get a hotel room if that is more comfortable for you.” He gestured down the street where a few hourly hotels were set up for people leaving the clubs.

“No, it is fine…I’ve just never done this before.”

“Have sex with a monster or just a minotaur?”

“Well, yes to both, honestly, but more gone home with a stranger from a club. I typically don’t go out to clubs at all…” As you confessed, you felt even more awkward. What were you doing? This was silly. You didn’t even know his name.

He gave a nod. “You are not obliged. I would have stopped that man without wanting you as well. You are beautiful, but you do not owe me.”

A smile came to your face that was sweet of him, something that many humans could not grasp. “Thank you. I-I would like to continue, though. I am simply outside of my usual comfort zone. I am sure once we start, I will feel far different.”

The minotaur nodded again. “Do not be afraid to speak up if you feel uncomfortable. Despite what people say, we are not mindless rutting beasts…unless you want me to be.” He winked. The blush you had felt in the club reentered your cheeks.

As you walked, a crowd of drunken people approached, forcing you to move closer to the minotaur. His hand stretched out and wrapped around you, his strong hand gripping your hips as he pulled you close. A snort left him, steam billowing from his nostrils, the sight causing the drunks to back up and hurry along. Even when the group was long gone, his hand did not remove itself from your body but settled on your waist. Its heavy weight was titillating, reinvigorating your blushing desire. Under the pretense of keeping warm, you pressed against him further.

It was not long before you arrived at his apartment. At most, it was a ten-minute walk from the club and one of the apartment buildings recently renovated to accommodate the needs of monsters. Even so, he still had to duck to enter the elevator or risk catching his horns. As the elevator rose, the massive hand on your waist began to roam. His thick fingers ran along the hem of your shirt, slipping underneath it to tease your skin. The palm of his hand slid down and cupped your ass cheek with a gentle squeeze.

You bit your lower lip but couldn’t suppress the soft squeak of pleasure from your throat. He massaged your ass, his thumb rubbing circles around the end of your spine. While you were still a bit nervous, the arousal you were feeling started to override it. Glancing over at him, you slid your hand up his strong arm, feeling the powerful muscles underneath his short, bristly fur.

“You like that kyría ,” he asked, pulling you closer to him. Two of his fingers slipped between your legs and rubbed your quickly swelling lips through the cloth of your pants.

“Yes,” you groaned, grinding against his fingers lightly. Glancing down, you saw the bulge in his pants growing. You were about to fuck a monster. A minotaur. Anticipation mixed in with the nervous arousal.

A smirk graced his snout, his ears flickering with delight. If a bull could purr he did so, “Good.” 

The ding of the elevator barely registered in your head, but the minotaur dragged you down the hall to his apartment. For his size, the apartment looked small, though that could have been due to the larger-than-normal furniture taking up more space. But you weren’t allowed more than that cursory glance around before his hands were on you again. His hands rubbed against your body before lifting you up. He put your ass on the high kitchen table as he spoke low in your ear. “You said you had never been with a minotaur before. You might struggle to articulate things after catching a whiff of my essence. What are your boundaries?”

It took a moment for your mind to recognize what he was asking. Plucking the Santa hat from his head, you tossed it to the side as you answered. “No butt stuff. Not too rough.”

“Dirty talk, alright? Talk of breeding?” He squeezed your clothed breasts, his thumbs rubbing over your nipples, which were already rock hard.

“Nothing degrading, but yes to both otherwise.” You ran your hands across his broad chest, feeling his strong pectoral muscles flexing under your touch. Many beastfolk, like minotaurs, had a breeding kink (though perhaps it was simply vanilla for them), and you wouldn’t deny the appeal of that language either.

“Inside or outside?”

“What,” you asked, pulling back a bit confused.

“Inside,” he dipped his hand in between your legs, “or outside?” He drew his hand up and splayed it across your stomach.

His cum. Where did you want his cum? Your face went deep red again. Taking a long breath to steady yourself, you managed to get your reply out without too much difficulty. “I’ll take some night tea. So, don’t just talk about breeding me; actually do it.”

A low bellow of want released from him, his nostrils flaring. “Careful, kyría , words like those really will turn me into a rutting beast.”

You were about to formulate a reply when he lifted you from the table. Your legs wrapped around him as he carried you to the bed. Oh, it was a studio apartment that made sense with his horns - fewer doorways. Setting you on the bed, his large fingers fumbled with the small buttons of your shirt.

“Let me,” you told him, quickly unbuttoning your shirt and pants. He watched you remove all but your underpants, his ear twitching and tail swaying with interest. The red of embarrassment began to grow once again under his desired gaze.

“You know,” he said, removing his shirt and revealing his thick, muscled form. “I love how shy humans get about sex. It is cute seeing your face go red.”

He kneeled on the bed, his large, heavy body pressing you down. A wet nose brushed against your cheek. “Now, I will turn the rest of your body red by breeding you all night.”

Your shy nerves hit a tipping point, not to where you withdrew but where the reality crashed upon you. This was happening; this was truly happening. You were going to fuck a minotaur. An excited grin came to your face. 

Lifting your hand, you touched the side of his face and pulled his snout to your mouth for a kiss. His broad tongue plunged into your mouth, overwhelming you quickly. Your tiny tongue could barely fight against him, but you managed to rub it back and forth against the underside of his tongue. He pulled back from the kiss just as you ran out of air. A thick strand of saliva connecting your mouths together broke, landing against your chest. The minotaur huffed, his ears twitching with excitement.

His large hands gripped your body, one holding your thigh, massaging the generous flesh, and the other engulfing your breast. “Mmm, look at these. Your tits are so lovely. I could suckle at them for hours.”

Lowering his head, he took your other breast in his mouth. His lips pulled on your nipple, sending shocks of pleasure through your body. His fingers rolled your other nipple between them, tugging occasionally. He settled into a rhythmic sucking as if he was trying to milk you.

Under his touch, your body writhed, hips rolling underneath him as your pussy swelled with need. Your dripping core brushed against the large member straining in his pants, providing delicious friction.

With a pop, he released your breast from his mouth. The viscous saliva tingling in the cool air of his apartment. “Beautiful.”

He cupped both of them in his hands, massaging the globes, his thumbs circling your nipples. “But just imagine them full of milk. Heavy and swollen. Leaking. I’d hand-milk you every morning while slowly filling you with my cock.”

You moaned at the thought. His hands slid down to your hips. Sliding his thumbs under your panties, he lifted your hips into the air as he pulled them off. Your legs settled around his neck—your slick, swollen core inches from his snout. His broad tongue swept out in a long lick that touched every part of your dripping lower lips. A huff of hot air rushed over your aching clit as he snorted with pleasure.

“Damn, you taste sweet.” His tongue dove back in. Long, slow, broad licks that savored your taste. It felt so good but wasn’t quite enough to make you come. Then you felt his tongue press inside of you. That muscle alone stretched your inner walls; it was as big as most human male members itself. With the same deliberation, he fucked your dripping hole with his tongue. The tip of his tongue pressed against that perfect spot within you, and your vision went white as you came hard across his tongue.

The minotaur pulled back, licking his lips with satisfaction. “Delicious.”

“I--I thought you were going to breed me,” you said with panting breath as you came down from your orgasmic high.

“Oh, that is next. But a woman like you deserves the effort of making you orgasm without the influence of my cum.” Carefully, he lifted your legs off of his shoulders and set your ass on the bed. Standing, his gaze fixed you in place as he pulled the ties of his pants. He was not wearing anything underneath.

His jet-black fur went all the way down his body, covering the heavy ballsack between his furred legs. Jutting out of its sheath was the only bare skin - his meaty cock dripping with precum. The scent of the precum reached your nose. The musky aroma immediately entranced you. Your body was already flushed with arousal, sensitive from orgasm, but you shuddered with pleasure at the mere scent. What would it be like to consume it? 

Eyes dilating, you focused on the magnificent source of the musk. Reaching out, your fingers touched the searing heat of his thick member. You couldn’t even wrap your hand all the way around. Before you could lower your head and press your lips to the flared head of his member, the minotaur’s hand cupped your chin and forced you to look at him.

“Last chance to back out, kyria ,” he warned, “trust me. Once you have a taste, the essence will take full effect.”

Blinking, you realized that, indeed, you had so quickly succumbed to his musk that tasting his cum would put you in a state unable to express yourself except in pleasure. “You’re sweet,” you told him with a smile, “and I intend to take you up on that offer of a drink from the source. You’ll have enough to breed me afterward, right?”

The minotaur grinned and released your chin. “I guarantee you will be thoroughly bred.”

Still smiling, you lowered your head to his weeping member. White beads of his manly minotaur essence drew your eye. Leaning forward, you pressed a gentle kiss against his glands. The scent was overwhelming, and you had to taste it. Opening your mouth, you notice that the creamy precum washed over your tongue. It was salty yet had a rich flavor you found hard to describe. 

Even more indescribable was the sensation of the essence taking hold on you. Almost like breathing in peppermint a tingling sensation coursed through your head, energizing you. Yet, like hot chocolate, the whole round flavor washed over you like soaking in a hot bath as your muscles relaxed. The combined sensation was a lethargic yet ever-present need for the succulent thing in front of you - cock. You needed cock.

With slow movements, as if in awe of the member before you, you began to lick and suck at his cock. You had to get more of that wonderful essence within you. You needed it within you, on you. Your body craved his cum.

Your hands pumped along his length as you tried to work his cock into your mouth. The essence leaking from his tip worked its magical effects. Relaxing your jaw and tongue but also allowing them to stretch past their usual boundaries. Soon, you were bobbing your head. There were still physical limitations, even with his essence easing the way, but you managed to work a good third of his cock into your mouth and down your throat. Usually, you’d choke on something this big, but with the magic of his essence, your throat had become an accommodating zone of pleasure - for both him and you.

His large hand gripped the back of your head, guiding your motions. A snorting grunt of pleasure escaped him. “By Asterion, your mouth is magic kyria. ”

Your hands continued to pump the rest of his length. His was hot and pulsing under your fingers. He forced your head back and forth faster, fucking your throat. Suddenly, his searing essence poured down your throat straight into your stomach. You moaned around his cock, your hands continuing to pump him, as you were rewarded with three more spurts of his creamy cum.

With a pop, the minotaur removed the still-hard cock from your mouth. It felt like you were floating. Drunk on his cock. High from his cum. You reached for his cock once more. You wanted to worship it. You could spend hours sucking him off until his cum bloated your stomach. Yet, he pulled you away and up into his arms, your needy pussy spread wide as your legs were situated on either side of his body.

“No, no more in your mouth. I am going to breed you now, kyria. Your pussy will be overflowing with my cum.”

Oh. That did sound better. Your aching pussy filled to the brim. Cum in its proper place.

His thick cock rubbed along your pussy. You ground against it, the remainder of his cum spreading across your slick folds, starting its magic to make him fit inside of you.

“What an eager mate,” he commented, letting you cover his member with your needy juices. “Look at your beautiful body flushed red for me.”

“P-peas,” you grounded unable to pronounce your plea correctly with how far your mind was gone.

“You can still speak? I’ll have to fix that.” With a grin, he stopped your hips’ grinding.

Dragging your body up, he positioned the wide head of his cock against your dripping hole. Achingly slow, he pressed inside of you. His wide cock stretched every part of you. A deep, throaty moan left you as the thick rod hit your cervix. He was barely halfway in you. The minotaur pulled back his cock, scraping your insides. 

“Nooo,” you moaned as the wonderful fullness left you. He stopped with his flared tip, just barely inside of you. Then with a swift motion, he forced you down onto his cock. 

Your mind went blank from the pleasure. Everything else faded from your awareness. All there was, was the minotaur holding you and the hot cock within you. 

Your inner walls pulsed with orgasm, but he continued to move your hips up and down his length. His essence was slowly opening your needy pussy to his huge cock, but the remnants from your blowjob weren’t enough. You needed more in order to take him all. And he was all too happy to provide.

With a bellow, he forced your hips down as far as they could go as he dumped another round of cum into you. The searing hot cum filled your hole, prompting another orgasm from you. A wordless scream of pleasure left your throat. Your naked body pressed against his fur-covered chest, your fingers gripping his hard muscles.

Yet, even as you came for the third time that night, you wanted more. You tried to beg for that. Plea for more. But as he had promised, words were wiped from your mind. As your lips formed the “mm” all that followed was a long, deep moan. “Mmoooo!”

“There we go, kyria . Give in to the pleasure.” His member was still rock hard inside of you. Shifting your body, he laid you on the bed, his cock never leaving your pussy, so his cum was sealed inside of you, working its magic.

“This is why I love humans. Shy at first. Watching breaking you down until you give into your true nature.” As he spoke, the minotaur maneuvered your legs and hips until he was holding you down in a mating press, his hand holding your arms down so all you could do was receive him.

You tried to beg again, but all that came out was another moo-like moan. He chuckled, the vibration coursing through you, causing a whimper. Leaning over you, he pulled your ecstasy-addled face to his, dominating you with a kiss. “Pleasure-drunk, breeding cows.”

His cock pressed further into you as the cum worked its magical effect. Deliberate, unyielding pressure let his thick, meaty rod sink into your body. Half his cock. Three-quarters. Seven-eighths. He pulled back to the tip. Then with a mighty thrust, his cock hilted in your pussy, his cum squirting out.

The minotaur jack-hammered into you. His balls, heavy with thick cum even after two orgasms, slapped against you. All of it. You wanted all of his cum. He was right. This was your true nature. This is what you wanted all along. To be a pleasure-drunk breeding cow for a minotaur. With breasts swollen with milk for your calves. Your bull filling you with his cock as he milked you.

“Fuck, kyria , your cunt is sweeter than a purebred Bova. I’ve never had a human take me this well.” His hips stuttered as he came once more. You screamed as you came along with him. Your eager walls milking the cum from his cock.

He let your cream-filled pussy rest as he sat on his hooves, his eyes staring at the cum bubbling from your hole. You stared at the ceiling, your chest heaving with effort. Your body limp from both pleasure and the cum’s magic. Slowly you were able to lower your legs, causing a stream of cum to pour out of you. With shaking hands, you reached down and stroked your swollen abused lips spreading his cum around. Once your fingers were covered in the sticky cream, you lifted them to your mouth.

Tongue lolling out of your mouth, you greedily sucked your fingers clean. The minotaur grunted with amusement. Managing to glance at him, you saw his cock half deflated but now regrowing to full size. Grabbing your ankle, he turned you on your hands and knees. Without prelude, he slammed himself into your pussy once more.

“You have turned me into a rutting beast, kyria ,” he told you between thrusts. His huge hands reached around you to hold your breasts. His powerful fingers twisting and tugging on your engorged nipples.

“If this were the old days, I would whisk you away. Guard your fertile body to ensure you only carried my calves. My own personal breeding cow. Milk you when our calf was weaned to keep the milk in you, then breed you over and over. Start a herd.”

You were helpless beneath him. All you could do was moan and pant underneath him. All you could do was receive his cock and cum with ecstatic joy.

Several orgasms and about an hour later, even the mighty virile minotaur was spent. You were filled with his cum, but the effects of it were beginning to fade as you laid on top of him in the bed. His powerful arms were wrapped around your waist possessively. Your hands mindlessly stroked his fur as his chest rose and fell beneath you.

“Are you alright, kyria ,” he asked, his massive chest rumbling under you. “I didn’t go too hard, did I?”

“No,” you replied, nuzzling into him, too tired to elaborate at all. You were still processing the intense experience.

“Good, good…so, I am not sure how much you remember, but I was just caught up in the moment saying I’d turn you into a breeding cow…that being said…I don’t suppose you’d be open to seeing each other again?”

Shakily, you managed to lift yourself up to look into his deep brown eyes. You released a tired chuckle.

“What,” he asked, his hands tightening a tad nervously on your waist.

“I just realized,” you told him with another chuckle, “I don’t even know your name.”

“Oh,” he chuckled now as well, “I’m Tyrus. Pleasured to meet you…um…”

You chuckled once more and told him your name. “It has been a pleasure, Tyrus, and I would love to see you again.”

Comments and reblogs are appreciated.

Find more stories in my Masterlist

More Tyrus: Sweet Cream NSFW Boyfriend Alphabet

[dcdreamblog]

So, help a guy out. Why are there so many contradictory accounts of the JLA's founding? All the sources I've seen tend to agree it was some sort of alien invasion that provoked it, but whether it was White Martians, Appellaxians, or Apokoliptan parademons is heavily disputed.

Not to mention the discrepancies in who the founders were. Everyone agrees that Flash II, Green Lantern (the Coast City one), and Aquaman were there, but everything else is up for grabs. Most agree on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, but all that don't list Black Canary II as a founder instead. And another subset switches the Martian Manhunter for Cyborg, which makes absolutely no sense given the timeframe...

The foundation of the Justice League, as with any really important event in human history. Especially one that comes with a good story attached, has been told, retold and retold AGAIN. Every layman's version of the tale is slightly more exaggerated than the last, with a few details substituted in for the truth because they sound just that much better to the teller or the listener. But let me tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as best I understand it as someone who wasn't there and wasn't even alive when it happened.

(A famous photograph of the JLA on arrival at their first press conference where the team would be named)

The founding members of the Justice League of America were The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Black Canary. They were brought together by the invasion of energy beings called Appellaxians who were able to animate inert materials and attempted to overwhelm Earth's defenses in prelude to a full scale invasion. Each of the invaders was at first confronted by one of the heroes by themselves before the most powerful being forced them to come together and pool their powers for the first time.

In the following year they would clash with the mysterious terrorist organization Locust, team up with the then brand new Doom Patrol to fight the Brotherhood of Evil and eventually be the spear point of Earth's resistance against the second round of the Appellaxians' invasion that temporarily saw most of humanity's superheroes at that time captured and imprisoned.

The most common heroes who are erroneously assumed to have been present during the League's foundation are, as you stated:

Superman: Was on hand during the team's inaugural mission but wasn't present when the team assembled to defeat the Appellaxian leader. Was offered membership early on but declined due to fears he could not fully commit to the role. Has been granted retroactive founding status.

Batman: Was also on hand during the inaugural separate mission, helping Superman against an Appellaxian invader but was also not present during the team's first combined mission. Was not offered official membership until later because A. the Gotham City Batman was still in large part considered an urban legends and B. he didn't make himself known to the League for some time. Granted retroactive founder status.

Wonder Woman: Wasn't active in the wider world nor had she made a public debut at the time of the Justice League's first mission though she would appear in time for the second Appellaxian invasion and would join soon thereafter. Granted retroactive founder status.

These three are most often included because they are by far the three most prominent superheroes who weren't members of the JLA at its foundation. If not the three most popular and acclaimed superheroes in the country. It seems like, to the idea of the JLA as this mythical pantheon of Earth's best and brightest that they SHOULD have been there day one. It makes the story cleaner.

But the reality is that, like most superheroes teams the League was assembled without warning due to external circumstances and formed of the heroes who responded in a moment of crisis and agreed to stay together afterwards. This is how 99% of superhero teams are made.

The trio's status as "Retroactive Founders" is also confusing but that title is an honorific given by the team's membership to heroes who make up or have made up the team's "Core Membership" and are considered institutional enough in its philosophical make up to be acknowledged as foundational to the League as we understand it. See also Green Arrow, The Atom, The Elongated Man and Hawkman who also hold this title.

Cyborg: I do not know WHERE this one came from because like you said the timeline doesn't make any sense. Cyborg wasn't an active superhero until YEARS after the League was founded and served a much longer and more proud tenure as a member of the Teen Titans. While he has since "graduated" (not that it works like that) to the League his loyalty has ever since been to the Titans first and foremost.

I really don't get this one. Cyborg is cool and all but he's about a decade younger than the founding Leaguers and would have been in middle school when the League was founded. But who ever let the truth get in the way of good mythmaking.

[moltengoldveins]

so I just went digging in my old Word Docs and found like 30000 words of an eldritch fanfic abomination I completely forgot existed? It’s this weird mesh of what is very obviously Emerald Duo and Beeduo In Space (plus what I think might be Tommy and good-guy Dream? Unclear) just with slightly less Videogame names and a completely original plot that is eerily similar to Titan A.E. for my having never seen that movie before and ALSO for my NOT REMEMBERING I WROTE THIS while watching said movie. Also a strange sort of thing where I think every remaining human in the universe has a very strong compulsion to sing? I was perhaps making a statement about how music is what makes us human? But it feels a little weirder than that like maybe I was foreshadowing something else but I Don’t Know. Humans have sorta fallen back on as much Old Cultural Stuff in the face of Earth’s destruction, every human has a name like Athena or Theseus (three guesses why I think this guy is Tommy despite no other similarities) and the AI are like… super weird. Apparently AI were considered way too expensive to run on computers so aliens figured out how to implant them into brains and run them on that but then it was discovered that if you put an AI in a sentient brain it’d just become a sentient AI, develop a whole-ass soul, and start cohabitating with its host, so that idea went out the window and now a small subset of the population just has weird sentient beings in their brains. Techno’s Chat is apparently one of these. I think Dream is also one of these, but like, a brand new one in Tommy’s head. I say I think because again, I CANNOT REMEMBER WRITING THIS. It’s very humans are space orcs I like it a lot but like…. Where did it come from. When did I write this. What do I do with it.

[splatcat64]

OK back with now some specific, isolated skag facts about Tusk's skags!! They were both found locked in a cage behind a skag on a stick stand as pups/juveniles, and had essentially been trapped there most of their life. Tusk, naturally, stole them [cage and all], and ran. Skewer, who was a little older, was a juvenile at the time. She was missing a leg [chopped off]m and is a Howler skag! [A fan-skag species made by @doglintime for Tusk, ty bestie!] Here's some art of them real quick before the super yap.

Jackwes was younger, only a pup, and a normal skag at the time Tusk got them. Both of them have their own respective personalities, and animals they're based off of, but both of them started out as wild. undomestic skags. [To my knowledge, both were taken from their families in the wild] And you may be asking, Splat, why does this matter? Wouldn't Tusk just be able to tame them as wild skags? And the answer is yes, however, it would be a lot harder to do so, with a lot more complications. Which leads into this, that I believe that many, tiny subsets and subspecies of skag exist, and in this specific case, Jackwes and Skewer evolved their own sort of domesitcation under Tusk's care. All of because of environmental pressure. Side note, these are the animals both Skewer [Spotted Hyena + Camel/Horse + Monitor lizards] and Jackwes [Striped Hyenas + Three banded armadillos + Elephants/Bloodhounds]. But Splat! The pressure to evolve wouldn't be too bad, right? WRONG! Sort of, at least. While Tusk, nor anyone else in tftbl put any pressure under the skags in that manner, everyone in the story still are running from Vallory's gang. The skags have to live in an environment with strictly humans [and robots], while on the run. While it's a different type of pressure from the wilds of Pandora, it's still a subtle one. And, since it's still pandora, it isn't exactly the same as domestication here. [They're still gonna eat other skags, etc, etc.] Skewer, I theorize would evolve in a more subtle way, but quicker than Jackwes. She is older, has more pressure on her to change and adapt. All the most common signs of domestication would develop, heightened intelligence, etc etc. Her species is normally territorial, and more solitary than normal skags. [Funfact, the females of her species also grow antlers/horns and all of them can make piercing screams.] It made her training, in the beginning a lot, LOT harder, but she ended up being extremely loyal, just as much so as Jackwes. Near the end of her juvenile she's large enough to be ridden by everyone but Rhys and Tusk [who are both too heavy/tall at that time]. But still retaining her species as compared to the skag riders in the general knoxx dlc and lynchwood. The technical progression would look like this, let's use just a stand in scientific name for Howler skags Skag ululatus -> Skag uluatus familiaris. Not much changes other than the fact Skewer is now a domestic version of a Howler skag. Jackwes, on the other hand, is just a normal skag. The kind you see running around as adults all the time. On top of that, his growth is stunted, and he's about half a head/a head shorter than a normal skag during most of his development. He's often too fast to be hit, and can rely on Tusk, Skewer, or anyone else to protect him. He doesn't need to change, and doesn't. At least to start out. Jackwes, as a normal skag would be used to a large pack dynamic. No problem, seeing as he's in a van with a bunch of other people all the time. But there are times were it's just the three of them. Tusk gets sick, Skewer can get hurt despite her size, and slowly over time, boom, pressure. Jackwes, for a while, would just adapt like this. Skag cunicidae -> Skag cunicidae familiaris. But I thought it would be cool if he went on to evolve to something that wasn't really found in the wild. And while it could happen, it's more a specific product of him being raised around humans and a different skag species. Skewer for the most part has a lot of physical differences compared to a normal skag. Antlers, a longer, more muscular neck, sensitive hearing, worsened eyesight and a terrible sense of smell.

Jackwes, on the other hand, barely has any differences, other than his smaller size. And that gave me an idea, what if he filled in that kind of pack role? A tracker skag, [hence the previous elephant and bloodhound base, which I am SO sure does not make sense other than in this context, just for their olfactory senses.] He could fill in for what Skewer absolutely can't, and that would make his full "evolutionary line" Skag cunicidae -> Skag cunicidae familiaris -> Skag vestidae familiaris. "These Skags have shown subtle, yet significant changes upon living and pack bonding with six humans."

[toaarcan]

Man, the more I think about it, the more hilarious Team Rocket's downfall is in the Pokemon games.

Like there's a certain subset of Pokemon fans who only really like Team Rocket as villains, and dislike all the others, because Rocket is allegedly more "grounded." Compared to the other bad guys having crazy world-conquest plans, Team Rocket are just the mob.

But they're also a mob that packs up their entire operation because their leader lost a Pokemon battle to this one ten-year-old three times in a row.

Like, sure, Red/Leaf does foil their plans multiple times throughout the RBY/FRLG, but those plans don't have an end goal. Sometimes there's a world domination thing factored in but within the original games it's basically just "Do crime, get money" and they could 100% go to ground and continue doing crime and getting money.

But they don't. Giovanni stakes his entire operation's future on a fight with some kid, brings a fucking Onix (and yes, I know, Karen Quote, but I will never not make fun of the giant rock snake with less base Attack than a goddamn Oddish) to the first of those fights and a Lv.50 Rhyhorn (Rhyhorn evolves at Lv.42) to the last and then goes "Fuck it, I'm out."

And then three years later, his successor, Archer, sends out a radio broadcast begging Giovanni to come back from buying cigarettes, gets his ass handed to him by a second preteen and the operation collapses again. The Celebi event reveals that Giovanni actually did get that message, but then lost to Ethan/Kris/Lyra and also gave up again.

Man, at least most of the other villains give up because the protagonist makes their goal impossible. Lusamine gets rendered comatose after fusing with Nihilego (SuMo)/has no reason to continue being evil because Elio/Selene beat Necrozma (USUM), Rose has to go on the run but Eternatus is recontained by Gloria/the other dude, Lucas/Dawn catches Dialga/Palkia/Giratina and renders Cyrus' plan impossible, Calem/Serena catches Xerneas/Yveltal and renders Lysandre's plan impossible, etc.

The only other villains who give up just because the player beat them are N in BW and Ghetsis in BW2, and with N it's a case of "We staked our ideals on this fight and you won so I guess I was wrong", while with Ghetsis it's more of a "Man so egotistical that losing to two separate teenagers renders him catatonic."

Also shoutout to Maxie and Archie, both of whom were defeated by Brendan/May and promptly went "Great job kid, I'mma wake this dinosaur/whale up anyway." It immediately backfired on them but they're the only villains in the entire franchise who did not stake their plans on a fight with the protagonist at all.

[au-roulette]

AU Roulette Challenge 2024

What is AU Roulette? A casual fic-writing challenge encouraging authors to play around with different types of alternate universe stories, which will be randomly assigned to each participant regardless of the fandom they sign up with. The goal of the challenge is to encourage creativity and get authors to write fics with premises they might not otherwise have considered, with varying difficulty levels of participation for writers of all experience levels.

How does it work? Writers will be able to sign up from now through June with a fandom of their choice. At the start of July, each participant will be assigned three AUs from a masterlist using a random number generator. Each author will then have the choice of completing the challenge one, two, or all three of the AUs. Any fic exceeding a 500-word minimum will be considered a completion, so long as it employs the AU premise. The fic-writing period of the challenge will run for a month. Fics can be posted at any point during this time, and authors will have the option of having them added to an Ao3 collection for the challenge if they desire. They can also be posted to tumblr using the tag #AU Roulette 2024

What kind of AUs will be included in the challenge? The AU Roulette challenge will focus largely on popular, staple AU types with broad applicability to any fandom or relationship type. For example, a possible result might be something like a Time Travel AU (encompassing all the possible subsets, such as fix-it time travel, time loops, or other tropes under the same umbrella), but more restrictive AU types like a Soulmate AU that make assumptions about the author’s interpretation of character relationships in canon have been intentionally kept off the AU masterlist. The official list of AUs will be kept under wraps until assignments are given, but will have over 30 different prompts to ensure authors receive a good variety of options, and if you have suggestions or concerns about what AUs are being included, feel free to reach out.

What if I get an AU type that doesn’t work for the canon I chose? Limited re-rolls will be allowed on a case-by-case basis. You are also encouraged to be as creative as you want with your interpretation of your assigned AUs, which may help with making them fit. The goal of this challenge is to encourage weird, creative fanfic, not to have every author who rolls the same result write cookie-cutter versions of the same types of stories. If you were to get a Coffee Shop AU, for example, there is no requirement that the coffee shop in question be a real-world 21st-century Earth Starbucks. In fact, deviating from the mold is highly encouraged. So long as you can make a case that you filled the loose premise of your AU type, you will get credit for having completed it.

Can I participate if I am not a writer? AU Roulette is a fanfic writing challenge, so official sign-ups are for those interested in writing (regardless of skill level or experience writing AUs). However, if you are interested in the challenge but not in writing fic for it, consider having a look at the #AU Roulette 2024 tag or the official AU Roulette 2024 collection on Ao3 once authors have begun posting their stories. If one of them really speaks to you, it might be a nice gesture to draw a piece of art, make a playlist, or create some other fanwork inspired by the fic and share it – in which case you would also be more than welcome to use the official tag!

(Authors are of course also welcome to do this for their or other participants’ stories, too.)

How do I sign up? Fill out this form with your email and fandom of choice.

Looking forward to seeing the AUs everyone creates this year!

[astriiformes]

AU Roulette Challenge

What is AU Roulette? A casual fic-writing challenge encouraging authors to play around with different types of alternate universe stories, which will be randomly assigned to each participant regardless of the fandom they sign up with. The goal of the challenge is to encourage creativity and get authors to write fics with premises they might not otherwise have considered, with varying difficulty levels of participation for writers of all experience levels.

How does it work? Writers will be able to sign up with their fandom of choice starting Monday, July 31st. Sign-ups will run for one week, at the end of which each participant will be assigned three AUs from a masterlist using a random number generator. Each author will then have the choice of completing the challenge on easy (writing one of the AUs), medium (writing two of the AUs) or hard mode (writing all three AUs). Any fic exceeding a 500-word minimum will be considered a completion, so long as it employs the AU premise. The fic-writing period of the challenge will run for a month. Fics can be posted at any point during this time, and authors will have the option of having them added to an Ao3 collection for the challenge if they desire. They can also be posted to tumblr using the tag #AUroulette2023.

What kind of AUs will be included in the challenge? The AU Roulette challenge will focus largely on popular, staple AU types with broad applicability to any fandom or relationship type. For example, a possible result might be something like a Time Travel AU (encompassing all the possible subsets, such as fix-it time travel, time loops, or other tropes under the same umbrella), but more restrictive AU types like a Soulmate AU that make assumptions about the author's interpretation of character relationships in canon have been intentionally kept off the AU masterlist. The official list of AUs will be kept under wraps until assignments are given, but will have over 30 different prompts to ensure authors receive a good variety of options, and if you have suggestions or concerns about what AUs are being included, feel free to reach out.

What if I get an AU type that doesn't work for the canon I chose? Limited re-rolls will be allowed on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you signed up to write fic for His Dark Materials and ended up getting a Daemon AU, your result would automatically be re-rolled. Similarly, if you were writing for a different fandom entirely but were unfamiliar with what a Daemon AU entailed and wanted to write something you didn't have to research the premise of, I would likely approve a re-roll (However, you would be free to give it a try! My goal is for this challenge to be accessible to people with all levels of familiarity with fic tropes, so you are also welcome to reach out and ask about your assignment).

You are also encouraged to be as creative as you want with your interpretation of your assigned AUs, which may help with making them fit. The goal of this challenge is to encourage weird, creative fanfic, not to have every author who rolls the same result write cookie-cutter versions of the same types of stories. If you were to get a Coffee Shop AU, for example, there is no requirement that the coffee shop in question be a real-world 21st-century Earth Starbucks. In fact, deviating from the mold is highly encouraged. So long as you can make a case that you filled the loose premise of your AU type, you will get credit for having completed it.

Can I participate if I am not a writer? AU Roulette is a fanfic writing challenge, so official sign-ups are for those interested in writing (regardless of skill level or experience writing AUs). However, if you are interested in the challenge but not in writing fic for it, consider having a look at the #AUroulette2023 tag or the official AU Roulette 2023 collection on Ao3 once authors have begun posting their stories. If one of them really speaks to you, it might be a nice gesture to draw a piece of art, make a playlist, or create some other fanwork inspired by the fic and share it -- in which case you would also be more than welcome to use the official tag!

(Authors are of course also welcome to do this for their or other participants' stories, too.)

How do I sign up? I will be reblogging this same post with a link to a Google form for sign-ups on Monday, July 31st! Watch this space and feel free to send me any questions you have about the challenge!

Looking forward to seeing the AUs everyone creates!

[changeling-rin]

What are the secrets of RGBV that have yet to come up? (Servo+, feeling colorful)

None of their favorite colors are the colors that they're wearing. Link's favorite color, before the split, was yellow. RGBV's favorite color is still yellow, but there's a silent pact that none of them get to wear it because otherwise that would be unfair. They've all, separately, grown fond of their assigned color though. This will probably result in Link-the-composite wearing a near-literal color explosion to compensate, once the time comes to put the Four Sword back

Red has a running list of potential names in his head In Case Of Merge, because Link-the-composite can't be called Red! Similarly, Vio has a running list of potential synonyms In Case Of Red Wanting Names In Case Of Merge

If they lean into the Four Sword connection, they could pull a Four with very little effort. Full synchronization and everything. This does not, however, mean that they want to

Technically, all four of them can break the walls. It's just that Blue is the only one brazen enough to do it on purpose. Red just hasn't thought about doing it himself, Green is secretly tempted but too responsible to try, and Vio actually is against it

Of course, by these ratios, Link-the-composite would most likely carry on Blue's legacy, because there's not enough real opposition to stop that part of him

They are not very good singers or musicians

On the other hand, they're pretty decent dancers

The Four Sword split them evenly, but not necessarily in a way that would make sense. For example, Red is the one with the majority of the cooking skills, but Green is the one with the patience and the focus to actually stand in a kitchen and make something

They have a decent amount of spelunking experience and are among the few Links in the group who will willingly hop into a strange cave with no questions asked

The existence of Moon Gates in their native Hyrule have effectively skewed their entire perception of how common alternate/dark worlds are. Oh, multiple other Links have one of those too? Must be pretty normal then. (Spoiler: it is not)

They don't like to be cold. Warm-weather boys all the way

Their eyes have changed color to match their color. Vio has violet eyes, Blue has blue eyes, etc. Ironically, for all that Green can usually claim keeping their original color scheme, Link-the-composite did not have green eyes. (They were blue)

There is no such thing as a consequence-free soul merge, and therefore there is also no such thing as a consequence-free soul split. There's an event-horizon of no return with the Four Sword, and if they cross it they're effectively going to be a system when they merge back into Link-the-composite. They don't know this (nobody documented it), and they haven't crossed it yet, but...

Despite occasional evidence to the contrary, all four of them are actively and constantly making sure that the other three are within sight at all times. If it goes too long, they get twitchy. There's a little Four-Sword-influenced voice in their heads going 'those are your other pieces, do you know where they are? do you know they're safe? keep them close. don't lose them.' It's a safety feature so that the wielder is less likely to lose a facet permanently, because three remaining pieces trying to make up what was previously a four-pieced person... doesn't go well. It'd get classified as co-dependency, if they weren't literally pieces of a whole.

And lastly, they're amazing at group strategies - but only within their specific group. Left to their own plans, the four of them are the most in-sync team imaginable, outside of the actual Four. Add in additional Links and ask them to make a plan, and they're probably going to forget that there's other people they need to account for. This is why Green is not a leader of the whole Chain, but is still the de-facto leader of his Four-Sword-subset.

[tacoma-narrows]

Let's Get Back! presents the Shockwaves Tour!

[Disclaimer, this is not a real tour, this is just for fun lol]

AAA I have wanted to make a mockup of what a Let's Get Back! tour poster would look like for months now and I finally got enough an idea nailed down to make something!!

This was a super fun project to make!! I'd wanted to do some drawovers of some still shots from the music video for Beat Crusaders and Tropical Gorilla's song Droog In A Slum (the original pics will be below the cut) because I thought they really conveyed the sort of "action shots" I guess that would come from a band being on tour lol. With the originals being black and white as well, I wanted to see how that looked on my guys and I think they look pretty cool hehe

As you can also see, Let's Get Back! is not the only act on this tour! They're joined by Deadmeat as the opening act! Deadmeat is a band made up of @macaronichewtoyz's OCs and drawing my OC band collabing with a friend's OC band is something I've also wanted to do forever :3 If anyone else has an OC band (I know at least one or two more hehe) they will have a LGB! collab at some point !!

In terms of the tour locations, I didn't wanna assign dates to it bc that would have been WAY to complicated for the scope of this project, but in terms of locations, I tried to hit up areas relatively close to where my friends and mutuals live so they'd be able to see the show if it were an actual thing :3

Lots more goodies below the cut! Closeups on all the pieces in the poster, the logo, the original images that I drew over for the LGB! pics, etc.!

Hope you guys like this one!! Is LGB! coming to a city near you? Would you go and see them if they were? :3c

Closeups on all the LGB! pieces here! I rlly had a good time with these! Very much enjoyed the posing on PB and Rye's especially :]

Headshots of the members of Deadmeat! Requiem [she/it], Priscilla [she/her] and Brae [he/him]! Again, owned by @/macaronichewtoyz :3 Lots of things I've never (or only once or twice) drawn before with these three that was fun to work with! I am sure u will see a more dedicated Deadmeat piece from me in the future hehe

Here's the logo for the tour! I chose the name the Shockwaves Tour bc A) LGB! is out there making waves in their music scene, shaking things up, B) it ties in with their BLAST! album from earlier this year, C) it just sounds rlly cool as a name, and D) yes it also connects to the show Shockwave which is a subset of a special interest of mine lol. I was rlly happy with this logo tho! The perspective on it especially hehe

And then lastly, here are the pics from the Droog In A Slum music video that I based the pieces for the LGB! guys on :]

[mllemaenad]

Taash has a nemesis now. Okay, sure, why not.

Here's the thing, though. I have leave now, for the Christmas holidays, and I caved in and bought Tevinter Nights to celebrate. So I have just read Three Trees to Midnight, and am now making distressed noises about the Qunari again.

For a start, I'm still not completely clear on why and how "the Antaam" have rebelled. I mean: I know why. I'm not claiming to not have read the Codex entries. But a bunch of it doesn't quite sit right with me. We know that the Dragon's Breath operation was led by a member of the Ben-Hassrath (Viddasala), and Rissan is apparently involved in the subsequent invasions – so it sounds like the Ariqun is up to their neck in this.

The Dragon's Breath operation was apparently also broadly popular in Par Vollen: you've got a whole population terrified of magic, and now there are holes in the sky and spirits and demons everywhere. So, sure, the general feeling among the Qunari was "that bullshit needs to stop right this instant".

I get that. There was discontent against the more open-minded Arishok, but the discontent is society-wide. I think it would have to be, in order to prompt a widespread rebellion.

We also know that not all of the Antaam did rebel. Most of them did, but some of them stuck with the old Arishok, and they've just now all rebranded as members of the Ben-Hassrath.

It feels like the rebellion should be more cross-sectional: Antaam heavy, because they're proposing a military operation, sure, but with some subset of the Ben-Hassrath, Tamassrans, and the craftsmen working under the Arigena also on board.

But then ... despite the fact that all of this sounds like a mass religious schism, which should result in two versions of the Qun operating simultaneously (and might make a fascinating parallel to the Orlesian and Tevene Chantries) they then turn around and go "Nah, the Antaam are just rioting across Thedas. Because they're bad people. The Qunari put all the bad people in the bad people army and now they're being bad on the grand scale".

There isn't a leader: no replacement Arishok to put up when they tore down the old one. There isn't a plan for Dragon's Breath v2. It's not even that those things existed but it all fell apart somehow. They're just bad people who do bad things. And despite the fact that achieving mastery is a core tenet of the Qun (and one that I suspect would be hard to throw off, even if one left), all of these people just being outrageously bad at their jobs all the time does not seem to bother them.

All of which is to say that I quite enjoyed Three Trees to Midnight. The escaped prisoners who are chained together and must learn to work as one thing is hardly a brand new concept – but I at least found myself looking at a version of the Qunari rebellion that I understood.

The story's villain, the Bas-taar, believes that he is following the Qun, and that he is in fact bringing the people of Tevinter to the Qun by conquering them. There's a subtext to his story that he feels like the rest of the Qun will turn up to help eventually, once they accept that the Antaam were right. He is also, as Strife frequently puns, kind of a bastard – he has difficulty thinking about bits of the Qun that don't directly apply to his role and falls back on brute force when out of his element.

And where, where, in Veilguard are these guys:

"I am Saarbrak, of the Ben-Hassrath," he said, and the other Qunari scrambled away, turning their backs on Myrion and Strife and the bear as though he were suddenly the greatest threat. "I heard rumours," he said, walking forward and looking to the Qunari in the clearing, "that the Antaam who took Ventus did not act in accordance with the Qun." He sounded disappointed. "Some of the bas now call us monsters." He gestured up at Myrion and the others on the hilltop. "And they are not wrong. This is what threatens the Qun." – Tevinter Nights: Three Trees to Midnight

I cannot tell you how much I want some tired Ben-Hassrath agents (possibly even the old Arishok's men) to turn up and sigh, and point out that they don't know what those idiots think they're doing but it ain't the Qun.

Were they going somewhere with all this at some point? Why aren't they anymore?