#And for the Love word. The monkey paw curls

[panpanghost]

_"I-I didn't do anything! Please. Let me go. I didn't do anything. I swear. It- It wasn't me! I didn't do anything." The little Six-eared Macaque curled up in the corner of the room, was crying and shaking like a leaf.

No one even said a word to him after he woke from Lady Bone Demon's control. He just ran like a startled kitten the second he opened his eyes and saw every around him, well, to be precise, when he saw Sun Wukong beside him.

_"Macaque..." Wukong's heart was crushed by the scene, after all these years, he finally got to see the closest person to his heart and that person can't even look at him, "Calm down. No one's-"

_"MONKEY KING!" That yell jolted the king in his place before he could reach Macaque, to everyone's surprised, that sound came out of Sandy.

"I believe we should step outside and give the little guy some time to calm down on his own." Sandy noticed the way the little monkey hid his ears with his hands and shut his eyes, his tail almost snapping his ankle with how hard it was twisting on his leg, his breathing faster. Sandy might not know much about resurrection, but he knows fear. And that monkey is scared.

Wukong didn't answer right away, he looked at Sandy for a moment then back at Macaque. It doesn't matter how he feels, the blue guy's right, but... he doesn't want to leave Macaque's side.

_"Monkey king, I think we should listen to Sandy." MK said, his face filled with worry.

_"Alright." Wukong grudgingly agreed, he took one last look at Macaque before stepping outside the room.

_"I'll leave him in your care, Momo." Sandy whispered to his blue cat before closing the door.

Momo didn't waste any time, there's someone in distress in front of him and he'll help him no matter what.

Momo placed his paw on the crying monkey. When the monkey didn't notice him, he had to go further, so he climbed up to the Macaque's knees and started licking his face. It took a few licks before the monkey finally relaxed a bit and opened his eyes.

_"Oh-" The Macaque breathed and lifted his head up, and Momo didn't waste this chance, he immediately placed his face under his chin and moved left and right, all the way up to the ears.

"A-are you trying to cheer me up?" The Macaque asked gently, placing his hands around the blue cat.

_"Meow." Momo answered, waiting to be petted.

_"Thank you." Macaque said and hugged the cat, then gently started petting him with shaky hands, slowly calming down.

The scene outside wasn't that calm though. Wukong was stressing everyone else with the way he was pacing one minute then sitting and shaking his leg the other.

_"Who wants some tea?" Sandy asked breaking the silence as he placed the tray on the table.

_"Me! Me!" Mei jumped.

_"We'd love some! Thanks!" MK said on behalf of himself and his dads, Pigzy and Mr. Tang.

_"Oh! Macaque loves tea. I'll get some for him." Wukong said grabbing a cup of tea.

_"Uh.. Monkey King. Maybe it's best if I give it to him." Sandy stopped the King, "He just calmed down, we don't want him to have another episode."

_"Yeh. Sure." Unlike his words, the way Wukong's face frowned showed how he truly felt. He wanted to go see Macaque himself. He's restless and it's already been over 15 minutes since he saw Macaque.

_"Alright then. I'll be right back." Sandy stood up and went on his way.

Macaque, who finally calmed down, was playing with the kitty's paws before he heard someone walking closer.

_"Exuse me." A voice said after a knock, "I'm Sandy, I brought you some tea. Can I come in?"

Sandy didn't hear an answer, but he did see the door open and he took it as a sign to come in.

"Hello." Sandy greeted, looking down on the black furred monkey, who was still sitting in the corner, before crouching down, "I brought you some tea. Thought it might help your nerves."

The Macaque took a look at the tea before mumbling: "Thank you."

_"Is there anything else you need?"

_"..."

_"I see you're getting along well with Momo."

_"Momo?"

_"That's my cat Momo. I think he likes you. Do you like cats Mr. Macaque?"

_"I do."

_"What a coincidence. I also love cats. I have a bunch of rescued back home. Would you like to see them sometime?"

_"W-where is your home?"

_"I live on a boat in the ocean. Do you like boats?"

_"N-no, not really. Ocean breeze makes my furr-" Macaque stopped to look at his hands, who is he kidding, his furr wouldn't get any more damaged by some ocean breeze. His once thick fluffy furr...

"F-forget it. I would like to see your cats though."

_"You're welcome any time."

_"H-how about now?" Macaque's eyes were basically begging, but it wasn't out of excitement, no, it was fear.

_"I don't mind going right now. Just give me a second to let the others know."

_"No! Don't! You can't tell Monkey King! He'll get mad!" Macaque jumped and grabbed on to Sandy's pants, shaking like before.

_"If you say so." Sandy gently grabbed Macaque's hand and placed it back on Momo's head. "I can text MK later. We can leave right now. But I don't see how we can get out without being noticed."

_"I-I can open a portal."

_"Oh. We're set then."

_"C-can you be more specific on-on the location of your home?"

_"I can show you on my phone. Would that help?"

_"What's a phone? Is it a magical device?"

_"No. But it might seem like it. It's actually a scientific invention."

_"Umm. I- I would love to hear all about it. B-but can we leave first?"

_"Oh. Silly me. There you go."

And in a blink, Macaque opened the portal and left with the water demon.

_"Why is he taking so long?" Wukong asked, clearly irritated.

_"Just give them some time." MK tried to calm him down.

_"I've waited long enough. I'll go check on them."

_"Uuuuhh.... You don't need to." MK said, looking at his phone, "They left."

_"What?"

_"Sandy just texted me. They are on his boat. He said not to come because Mr. Macaque doesn't want anyone neer."

_"UGH! I knew something was happening! Which way?"

_"What?"

_"Which way is the blue guy's boat?"

_"Uhhhh.... I'll tell you when you calm down."

_"I AM calm MK."

_"Really? Cause you don't seem like it."

_"Just tell me where he is."

_"...no."

_"No?"

_"Macaque will come back when he wants to. It's wrong to force him to meet you."

_"What? I'm not forcing him to anything, I just want to check on him."

_"Sandy says he is fine. So let's just give him some time and Sandy will keep us updated."

_"Fine. I'll wait." Wukong spit out then walked inside his home.

But unlike his words, he was not fine. He had already waited long enough to see his mate. He is not waiting any longer. He'll drag Macaque home with force if he has to. But not today, MK will stand in his way.

(This could either go #shadowpeach or #lunartides, nothing's decided.

In this one, Macaque and Wukong were married in the past, Wukong had a short temper and would usually fight with Macaque. Macaque is a scardy cat who can't control his powers when emotional and Wukong uses that fact to constantly push him into coming back home. Macaque is scared of Wukong and doesn't want to be anywhere neer him, but he is also sure that Wukong is the only one that can stop him if he loses control so he doesn't want to be that far away from him. Mk and the others see how toxic and unhealthy that is and keep trying to get Macaque away from Wukong.)

[crispy-art-on-fire]

How would Optimus show affection to Blitzwing? And even better question, will he end up showing affection in your comics? Maybe we’ll get the ‘L’ word. ‘Love’ not ‘lesbians’!1!1!!

He does it in a very subtle way! Unlike Blitzwing his affection is more casual and doesn't really verbally express it all that much. Taking note of what Blitzwing likes and acting based on that.

(Wings isn't very used to non-sexual intimacy)

[lavenderprose]

I do love the idea that Rook is just constantly doing Hot Girl Shit while being followed around by a 52 year old queer who looks like he's either A: Disapproving or B: Freaking Out every time he enters a room. There's Rook doing backflips off Venatori cultist's noses and bodying Qunari six times their size and meanwhile their sugar daddy stands behind them clutching his staff, looking nauseous. Then the monkey's paw curls and you realize that's just his chronic bitch face right around the time he laughs out loud and power word: Scrunches you into the next Age. There is a dead mercenary wailing inconsolably in a dark corner of the Fade, not because he's dead but because on his last breath he watched That Fuckass Necromancer and Rook (You know, Rook?) absolutely DEVOURING each other's faces and had the brief but devastating realization that his death was foreplay for these insane motherfuckers.

[cestacruz]

Sweet jesus this is absolutely gorgeous

I am . Dying. This is so good..!

Thank you so much for this, this was everything and more than i hoped for

Everyone please read this gorgeous piece or i Will show up. Eventually.

And thank you So Much again! I am incredibly grateful😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Falls to my knees , hiii so like... the requests.... would you be so kind as to consider Ushiwakamaru|Yoshitsune (and her wife Shizuka Gozen....) (she gets 1 dialogue in Heian-Kyo (Incredibly romantic line about wishing to follow Yoshitsune until the very end) and mentioned in Little Big Tengu)

Scenario... Ushi getting reminded of Shizuka and realizing how much she misses her...im basic i am starved

The idea of Ushi joining the "i miss my spouse" club and Tomoe being there is hilarious honestly. I am rambling

I am very sorry if this ask was too late </3

The monkey's paw curls.

Sure i can write that for you!

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It’s a quiet, clear night, the full moon shining brightly down on the trees, the courtyard, the roof of the mountaintop compound.

Sitting on that rooftop, one knee tucked up and the other dangling casually from the edge, foot swaying back and forth, a figure clad in a Japanese armor sits alone, drinking and looking out at the light of the city far below, long unbound hair fluttering slightly in a gentle breeze.

Behind them, a scattering of gold motes of light blows into shape and coalesce, as a woman dressed in similar armor stands behind them, posture straight and proper, sharing the same view.

“Ah, Lady Archer.” Her voice, normally energetic or cheerful, is subdued yet friendly. She turns, casual and unmannered, to smile thinly through the weight of emotion at her guest. “Please, come,” she says, offering the bottle and a small cup to her visitor. “Share a drink with me, and some familiar company in this foreign land.”

Archer ignores her offer, continuing to stare out into the city.

“…Lord Saber. I would kill you here, now, if our Masters were not allied.”

“Mm.” She nods, acknowledging the statement as true, if not important. “Such is the nature of the war we fight.”

Archer’s eyes narrow.

“…I will state the truth plainly, then. I would kill you if there were no war. Knowing you live, I would seek your death. Only duty now stays me from seeking vengeance for my Lord.”

Saber takes in a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh, staring out over the city.

“…Fair enough. I can’t apologize for anything I’ve done to serve my own Lord. But, if my Master permits, once our alliance is over, I will give you a proper fight to the death.”

The wind blows through the trees, rushing, cool. The tips of Saber’s hair blow in the breeze. She takes a sip, and studies the bottle of alcohol with casual interest.

Archer’s fists clench, the sound of friction audible like a creak of leather, before she lets her fair, callused hands relax.

“I am surprised to hear you’d take consideration for anyone other than the master you serve.”

Saber’s head bobs in positive appraisal. She continues to stare out into the night.

“My Master told me to convey to yours that he is to meet her in the shed tomorrow in the morning to discuss plans regarding Caster and Rider.”

Saber nods again. She stares into space for a moment, as she convey the message through the link.

Then, she takes another sip of alcohol, looking up at the moon.

Archer waits a few minutes longer.

Her eye twitches.

Just as she prepares to leave, Saber speaks again.

“It was a night like this, when I last saw my love.”

Archer regards her carefully.

Saber smiles, wistful, fond. “She liked to go for walks at night, and I would go with her, and stand close to keep her warm. Even on hot summer nights.”

For a moment longer, she looks out over the edge, features softened into a sad smile.

Then her face falls.

“But the last night I saw her… we didn’t have time for such happiness, such peace.”

She looks down, now, into the courtyard, at the earth.

“My retainers managed to convince me to run, when my brother decided to put me down. I gave it my best, really. But I knew he would catch up to me. And… I think she knew, as well.”

Archer stares at her, uncompromisingly.

“She wanted to stay with me, even so. I never… really understood people, or love. I don’t know what I did to deserve such loyalty. Or maybe that’s just how she was. But I appreciated it. I needed it. To know there was someone with me who would never move, never leave, even as I am… how I am. Who really cared.”

“If you really appreciated it,” Archer says, voice heavy, tinged with venom, “then why. Why did you send her away, before the end?”

Saber turns and looks at her. She smiles, faintly.

“Because I wanted her to live.”

Archer snaps.

“Selfish! You say you appreciated her loyalty, yet you would trample it for your own selfishness!”

“…Mm. It was selfish.”

Archer stalks toward Saber, where she sits balanced at the edge of the roof, “If her love, her loyalty truly meant so much to you, then why deny her the chance die alongside her Lord!” she demands, breathing hard, long-restrained anguish bleeding through into her fury.

Saber makes no move to respond, to back away or take a defensible position. She curls, hugging the knee tucked up against her chest, eyes cast down.

“Because… I always knew she would die for me, but I… I would always serve my liege, first. In the end, though, when my brother decided I should die… I thought, for once, I would like to return that devotion. To thank her, for always… for always supporting me. If I was to die… then I could still give her a life, to live on. I could do that for her, at the end.”

“I was never good at expressing my feelings. I knew enough, to know it would hurt her. But still… I wanted to do that for her.”

She takes a sip of alcohol, and smiles ruefully.

“I failed in the end, though. My brother captured her anyway. I was dead, by the time it happened, but…”

Archer stares at her, still breathing hard, glaring, body tense. But the earlier fire is gone from her eyes, and they instead search through old emotions.

“… We do not decide how fate will turn. It is the choices we make that speak for us.”

A moment later, she turns away.

She pauses.

“…Saber. The Master you serve…”

“Hmm?” Her face brightens visibly.

“…” Archer looks up, over the compound, fists balled at her sides. “…That person is not worthy of your devotion.”

She dissolves again into swirling gold motes of light, and they blow away in the gentle night breeze.

“… I wouldn’t know,” Saber says, to the empty rooftop. “I'm not the best judge of people. All I want… is the chance to faithfully serve, until the end.”

—

Cautiously, Tomoe Gozen enters the ruined compound, the remaining fires burning low. The building where she spoke with Saber on that night in the first days of the War is rubble, pulverized by the shock of Rider’s Noble Phantasm, and then cleaved in half.

Master— she begins, reporting out of habit.

Foolishness. Her gentle, composed Master is gone. She feels the loop of prayer beads at her side where they hang under her robes.

Rest easy. For my Master’s sake… I will see your wish granted. I will save them.

She is cursed, cursed to always be the survivor.

She’s too late to witness the conflict, but the state of the war has shifted dramatically. She picks her way through the buildings to see what she can still learn.

The night is darker, now, the moon waning. The courtyard is in ruins, stones broken and split, the lonely pear tree torn up from its roots. Great slashes are carved into the walls of the sturdy storage building that makes up its other side, and the wall has fallen over.

As she proceeds toward the center of the compound, she finds the headless body of Rider’s Master, lying flat on its back.

One of Caster’s siege defense machines has fallen from the rooftops, burnt almost completely, its bolt still loaded lying on the floor.

She tightens her grip on her self control as her oni blood flares, threatening to overtake her reason. She looks up to survey the surroundings

The other giant crossbows that line the remaining buildings are mostly intact. The one farthest back is split in half, jagged wooden remains stained by a heavy spray of blood.

But they are pointed into the heart of the compound, not at its surroundings.

A trail of blood leads her way deeper into the compound

A pit of dread fills her stomach. She worries at the prayer beads that keep her temporarily sustained with mana, her Master’s parting gift to her.

She materializes her sword with a lick of flames, and raises it in preparation before turning the highly defensible corner.

She finds the remains of the body Assassin was puppeting, leaking black ichor.

A few paces away, one of the giant crossbow bolts has buried itself into the earth. It’s stained red with blood.

The trail of blood thickens beyond it. There are bloody handprints, smears against the walls.

Tomoe Gozen narrows her eyes, and steels herself, and proceeds through the bounded field into the heart of the compound.

It’s burning. Ichor and bloodstains everywhere.

At the far side of the space, the largest crossbow is spattered with blood. Beneath it, the severed sleeve of Caster’s robe lies trampled on the ground. And beside that, a mangled figure.

Maintaining her alert, she makes her way quickly across the space.

Saber—Yoshitsune lies slumped against the building’s wall, still clutching her sword in her hands. Her skin is blistered, her long hair burnt away. Cuts and pierces litter her ruined armor. And a crossbow bolt the size of a wooden beam pins her against the building behind her.

So it’s true. Saber’s Master has taken Rider as his Servant.

The loyal general Minamoto no Yoshitsune has once again been betrayed and cut down by the lord she serves.

Tomoe Gozen feels no joy at the sight of her husband’s killer.

The lively, energetic Saber is almost inert, staring blankly up at the sky with dulled eyes. But as she approaches, she looks up at her in awe. Her sword falls from her fingers. Her bare, dry voice whispers.

“…Shizuka?” Tomoe’s heart drops.

She kneels by her foe, and takes her remaining hand in her own. Sightless, dull eyes cast toward her, feebly.

“… ah. My Shizuka. You’re safe. I’m glad… I’m glad.” She sighs, shuddering. “If you live… then all was not lost. I—“ she heaves a breath, and smiles. “can meet my death, without regret.”

Tomoe takes a ragged breath. Suddenly, her vision is full of tears.

—

“Lord Yoshinaka, I beg of you—“

“I have given you my command!” Her husband shouts, voice trembling with fervor. “Leave this battlefield! I will meet my death with Kanehira at my side!”

He looks at her, then, and feeling flashes over his face. Love. Sorrow. Pain. “I will not—“ his voice chokes, rough, raw. “—be shamed by dying together with a woman.”

She takes in a deep breath, trembling, spine straight, mastering her feelings. Then she bows stiffly.

“—As my Lord orders it.”

Before she turns away for the last time, filled to overflowing with mastered emotion, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes—

She sees something like peace come over her husband’s face.

—

She trembles, kneeling before Saber.

Her mortal foe takes in a slow, desperate breath.

“Ah, but Shizuka. Your Ushiwaka… has so rarely received an injury. It really… hurts, after all.” she laughs weakly, and then coughs, and trails off.

Tomoe draws in a deep breath, steadying herself.

“Lord Yoshitsune,” she says. “Allow me to ease your pain.”

“…thank you,” that haggard voice says, relieved. “Thank you.”

Saber slumps forward, presenting her bare neck.

Tomoe stands, and draws her sword.

“…forgive me!”

With one swing, she separates Yoshitsune’s head cleanly from her shoulders.

A moment later, in a shower of gold mana, the body of her great enemy, of her husband’s killer, dissolves and fades away into the smoke-filled night air.

Tomoe stands alone. She cleans, and sheathes her sword.

“Lord Yoshinaka,” she whispers. “Your wife has avenged you. And if it gave you peace, then I will proudly carry forever the shame and sorrow of surviving you.”

With one final lingering glance at the place where a crossbow bolt lies embedded in the wall, she leaves the place of death behind.

Her Master, still, remains to be avenged.

There are yet more ghosts for Tomoe Gozen to carry.

[nekohime19]

Mini Mac # 45 : Lil guy's giant

Monkeys courting. Babies being devils. Sanzang being kidnapped. A normal day.

Wukong didn't like the place they reached. Bramble Ridge, as it was called, was full of mist and odd whispers. The forest was veiled by an aura of deceit that pricked his skin. Nonetheless, Sanzang was tired, and everyone was looking forward to resting. As such, they decided to stop here.

“What are you even afraid of, Monkey? There are no traces of humans, let alone beasts here.” Snorted Bajie, as always eager to mock his elder brother.

“Aren't you being a bit over-precautious?” Tentatively asked Wujing. It was no secret that since Wukong confessed to Macaque, he became even more protective, if it was possible, of his tiny family. Wukong huffed, well as long as he was here, even if the forest was haunted, he could deal with it.

The great sage looked down at his heart-pocket, Macaque and the cubs were resting there, protecting themselves from the cold mist, curled together in a cute pile of fluffiness.

“We stopped?” Asked Macaque. Both cubs peeked from their dad's belly and looked up with wide curious eyes. Wukong cooed at his family.

“Yeah, Ao Lie is making the fire.” Macaque nodded at that, he climbed out of Wukong's pocket, the great sage carefully took him and put him on the ground.

Once they were put down, Savage leaped off Macaque's arms and ran on all-four around the camp, her tiny paws were soon full of mud, same with her tiger skin kilt. She was faster and faster these days. Wukong was excited for when she would try to walk on her own two feet.

“Well, that will be a delight to wash.” Sighed Macaque as he watched her daughter roll around in the mud. Rumble was put down from Macaque's arms too. These days, Wukong and Macaque were trying to make him walk on his own. Rumble looked up at them with a pout, he didn't like to walk on muddy floors, especially when he could be cradled.

“Come on, bud. You can do it.” Encouraged Wukong with a nod. Rumble pouted harder, he looked up at the great sage with puppy dog eyes. He lifted his chubby arms and tried to reach for Wukong, looking cute.

“Mrrp.” Chittered Rumble. And because he knew his parents loved it he added some incomprehensible blabber “waaa.” Contrary to his sister, Rumble didn't blabber a lot, he only did it when he wanted something.

“Awww” Cooed Wukong, he was about to cave to his son's whims but Macaque stopped him.

“Wukong, can you search for food please?” Asked the black-furred monkey with a soft smile. Wukong fur fluffed up and he nodded frantically.

“O-of course! Anything you want!” Squeaked the great sage before scrambling to satisfy his mate's wishes. They were still in the early stages of their relationship where they wanted to do everything the other wished. It was especially the case with Wukong. He became overly clingy. Macaque was more one for words. He was too embarrassed to do this sort of thing in public. But he was whispering honeyed words to the other all night. It began with “You look great today” and before he knew it he found himself writing full stanzas for Wukong.

It's been one week since their confession, and they were both in the thrall of the honeymoon phase.

Macaque crouched down before his son and playfully flicked his snout. “Now you can't use your Pa to get out of this. Come on, blossom, just walk a little.” Rumble sneezed because of the flick and glared at his dad. He pouted harder but he knew his dad wasn't as weak-heated as his pa. The cub let out a grumpy “mrrp” and began to slowly walk on all four.

Macaque cooed at him “That's good! You did good. You need to exercise those lil paws of yours once in a while.” The black-furred monkey picked up his son after a few minutes of crawling and walking. Rumble was pouting, he wiped his tiny muddy paws on his dad's chest.

“Mm, I should have seen this coming.” Winced Macaque as he looked at the pawprints on his chest.

Wukong came back at this moment with a huge pile of fruits, as tall as a pinetree. Macaque sweatdropped, he didn't ask for this much.

“Here I got food!” Proudly chirped Wukong as he showed off his enormous pile. He wanted to impress Macaque!

“You idiot Monkey! What are we gonna do with that much fruit!” Groaned Bajie.

“Eat them, what else?” Huffed Wukong.

“Well at least we're gonna eat well.” Cheered Wujing, always the one seeing the positive.

“Oh, he got dragon fruit too! Nice.” Added Ao Lie with an approving nod.

“Courting monkeys are the worst.” Grumbled Bajie as he pinched his eyebrows.

“You only say that because you have no mate, Piglet.” Mocked the great sage with crossed arms.

“At least I did not pine for litteral centuries.” Sneered Bajie. Both monkey and pig glared at each other.

“Let's not fight!” Interrupted Sanzang, he was trying to reach the lil devil who climbed in his headdress. Recently, Savage decided she wanted to explore Sanzang's headdress. It was big and shiny, and how could she leave it unexplored? Macaque sighed, he could already imagine all the muddy pawprints on the monk's headdress.

“Excuse me, great sage?” All the pilgrims stopped and turned towards the newcomer. It was an old man with a plate of steamed cake. “I am a local Deity of this forest, I welcome you here. But I'm afraid the only thing I have to offer is this plate.”

Bajie reached for the steamed cake, eager to eat them, but he was stopped by Wukong who grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back.

“A local Deity?” Wukong frowned and scrutinized the old man, his smell screamed demon. “Who do you think I am? Get out of here!” Wukong grabbed his staff and swung it at the old man.

The demon clicked his tongue and transformed into mist, blinding everyone. He whisked away Sanzang and left quickly. Once the mist disappeared the pilgrims looked around and realized their master wasn't here anymore.

“Master!? This demon!” Growled Wukong. Macaque squeezed Rumble tightly, he paled once he realized Savage was on Sanzang's headdress.

“Savage was with Sanzang!” Fretted the black-furred monkey, Wukong paled before tightly gripping his staff, his daughter was in danger.

Meanwhile, Sanzang was transported to a hall with numerous other persons who all pretended to be righteous. They began to talk about poetry and philosophy. “Well, I've seen weirder.” Muttered Sanzang.

The monk grabbed his headdress and picked Savage, the tiny monkey peeked from the monk's fingers and looked around with wonder. “You stay still, alright?” Fretted Sanzang. Savage chirped, excited, and began to pawe at the fingers holding her. She wanted to explore! “Oh boy.” Sweatdropped the monk.

Sanzang managed to gold the tiny cub for one minute. It was an achievement in itself. But then he blinked and she disappeared. The monk yelped and looked around, panicked. He smiled tightly at the man around him talking about poetry and looked for his niece. He found her on the head of someone called Apricot Immortal, a young woman with luminous starlike eyes. Sanzang nervously approached the woman, she beamed at him.

“This is a great day isn't it?” She purred with delight. Sanzang gulped, his eyes darted to Savage, who was pawing at the women's hair. Luckily, Savage was so tiny her paws felt like feathers hitting you.

“Yeah, the greatest of days.” Gulped the monk. The next minutes were one of the most embarrassing of his existence. Clearly the young woman was trying to seduce him, which was already awkward because of his buddhists belief, but he had to pretend to be receptive to get ahold of his niece.

“You know you have great eyes.” Praised Apricot Immortal.

“Thanks. They're natural?” Replied Sanzang. How did people even flirt these days? He pretended to chase a fly and tried to reach for Savage, but she skillfully avoided his fingers and remained on the woman's head. The monk was at the same time frustrated by his niece slipperiness and impressed by her agility.

“You know I've been so lonely in recent years.” Sighed Apricot Immortal. “I long for company.”

“Well, huh, I'm sure you'll find it. Someday who is not today.” Awkwardly replied the monk, he patted the woman's head and grabbed his niece before she could run away. Savage squeaked in frustration. The monk then bid his farewell and walked away, as stiff as a board. He didn't know where he was but he needed to get out of here.

All the other guests began to encircle him, and Sanzang clutched Savage harder, not letting her out of his sight. But before one demon could do something, the roof of the hall was ripped off and a giant monkey made of smoke and shadows peered down at them.

Sanzang paled. Well this has been a great life. Savage looked up at the giant and chirped in delight, she lifted her chubby arms and tried to reach for it.

Luckily, the giant turned out to be Macaque and the demons, who were in truth tree demons, were all dealt with.

“I didn't know you could do that.” Muttered Sanzang as he watched Macaque fret over his daughter. Squishing her cheeks and looking all over her. Wukong was fretting alongside him.

“It's a new thing.” Answered Macaque once he was sure his daughter was fine.

“You should have been there, Master. Wukong became all flustered when Macaque transformed.” Giggled Ao Lie.

“Ao Lie!” Squeaked Wukong with red cheeks.

The pilgrims snickered at their brother's embarrassment.

+ cut scenes

Macaque *worried dad mode* *become giant of shadows*

Wukong : 😳, that's kinda hot

 

Sanzang *looking at the giant* : 😭 I'm dead

Savage *looking at the giant* : 😆 Dad!!

 

Rumble *refusing to walk* : I am a precious monkey and I refuse to be dirtied by mud 😤

Macaque : Come on, bud. For dad

Rumble :... I will do it, but only a little

Ch1 / Previous / Next

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 428: Night of the Kouhai

Previously on BnHA: Well at least Spinner is sort of kind of doing okay??

Today on BnHA: I see the check that I sent to Horikoshi finally cleared.

okay first things first, you all know how it is right. I’ve never made a secret of my Kacchan bias on this blog. I promise you I did actually write a recap to 426 and 427 as well, but both of those chapters went HEAVY on the themes and drama and philosophical shit, and my reactions were kind of all over the place, and the Todoroki one in particular was like a million words wrong and it needs a shit ton of editing which I don’t know when I’ll have the spoons for

on the other hand however, a chapter like this which features class 2A cuteness and an absolutely unreasonable amount of Kacchan character development fanservice to hyperfixate on, takes absolutely no spoons at all and in fact actively recharges some of my spoons, so yeah. here we are

anyway so when we last left off Kacchan and Shouto were in terrible danger from a threat more terrifying than any they’ve ever encountered before. so I already knew this chapter was going to be great

“IIDA IS BIG AND STRONG AND AUTHORITATIVE, LET’S HIDE BEHIND HIM, HE WILL PROTECT US” everyone, I’m delighted to announce that the BnHA manga ending arc, despite having its ups and downs until this point, has officially been saved thanks to this panel right here. pack it up folks. this was officially a sweeping success. this panel brought Tomura back to life and teleported Touya’s mind back into his childhood self from roughly ten years ago time travel fix-it style. Horikoshi you beautiful bastard

Shouto trying to explain that he can handle them one on one but just not ALL TOGETHER IN THIS TERRIFYING SWARM LIKE THIS... buddy you don’t have to explain yourself sob. or is he trying to negotiate with them??

meanwhile Kacchan skips the negotiations entirely because he’s already assessed the situation and knows that the best way to handle this is to appeal to Iida Tenya’s boundless love of regulation and social order

y’all it’s killing me that this boy can handle being LITERALLY MURDERED by the greatest evil the world has ever known. but a group of admiring fifteen year old kouhais? no sir. that’s where he taps out

“but I thought Bakugou liked attention” yes well, you see, Shinsou, it’s kinda a “monkey’s paw curls” sort of thing

Kaminari with the BLACK SPEECH BUBBLE lmfao. FRIENDSHIP WITH KACCHAN HAS BEEN CANCELLED. NOW MIDORIYA IS MY BEST FRIEND

“well you see up until recently the ladies all thought Kacchan was a feral troll so they avoided him at all costs” wow Deku this man literally died for you and you just throw him under the bus with zero hesitation just like that

“SOURCE: ME, HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND” just adding in his credentials in that little footnote there lest anyone question his authority on the subject

wait so is Shinsou surprised that girls used to not like Kacchan? or is he surprised that Kacchan and Deku were childhood friends? I can see how the latter might be surprising (oh Shinsou, sometimes I forget that you effectively just got here. we have so much to catch you up on. you will not BELIEVE how badly the two of these kids just want to hold hands all the time), but ngl, I’m rooting for the former just for the implications. “you’re seriously telling me a certified ten like him never had any girls interested in him?”

Horikoshi, hear me out, I know there are only two chapters left after this, and they’ve both already been written. but if you wanted to rewrite one of them at the last minute in order to add about a dozen more pages solely dedicated to Shinsou interrogating the rest of class 2A about Kacchan’s love life, out of what he insists is just innocent curiosity with no ulterior motives. well, I would not complain about that

anyway so yes Shinsou he is still single, for now. though I don’t really think it’s the girls you need to be worried about

meanwhile Mineta is all, “I just wanted to let all of you know MY opinion, which is that Bakugou isn’t morally upstanding enough for my delicate sensibilities.” yes you heard that right. Mineta of all people is weighing in on which personalities are deserving of being popular. that’s some audacity right there

A WILD DEKU FANBOY APPEARS???!

“IT GAVE ME COURAGE” omg yesssssss. jotting this down for essay material at some future point in time!! because THIS. this right here is the true “what it means to be a hero” in my opinion. a hero is someone who brings reassurance, yes. someone who makes people feel safe. but I think a hero should also be someone who makes people feel brave. someone who inspires other people to be heroic in turn. so yes, this, all of this, inject it into my veins. wtg Deku

having an official fanboy apparently broke Deku’s brain. hang in there bud. I know you’ve still got villain angst to work through, but try to enjoy this. you’re allowed to have nice things

IS MINETA STRANGLING KACCHAN BY HIS FUCKING TIE OMFG. THAT’S WHY HE NEVER USED TO WEAR THEM. also you’ve worn my patience down all the way now Mineta. get the fuck out of my blog

also Kacchan successfully beat the shit out of him with his ONE GOOD ARM so take that Mineta

also shoutout to this KiriBaku moment right here which feels like the first time we’ve had the two of them together in ages. good stuff

I’m LOVING this panel of Ochako staring at Deku all indecipherably, but ngl it’s also giving me just the slightest bit of anxiety, because does this mean we’re finally gonna get answers on what ultimately happened to Toga. it better not be sad. please don’t ruin my happy chapter with depressing things Horikoshi

“tell them no” OH MY GOD AIZAWA’S TURNING DOWN ALL THE INTERVIEW REQUESTS FOR HIS KIDS SO THEY CAN JUST BE KIDS AGAIN FOR A LITTLE WHILE nooooo what is this. “yeah but I’m prioritizing the kids who aren’t up for dishing to the media about all of their horrific trauma.” omfg. it’s been too long since my last Dadzawa feels. I wasn’t ready after all this time

you guys Izuku finally got a new hero costume that’s not in tatters after all this time. all it took was his old costume getting literally torn to shreds. and now he’s back to looking twelve years old again lol

JEANIST AND FATGUM REUNION?!?! RETURN OF KACCHAN’S THIRD DAD, AND A SECOND WACKY UNCLE TO BACK UP GOOD OLD MIC? GOD BLESS

FAT HIRED TAMAKI AS A SIDEKICK D’AWWWW

now they’re putting the kids to work. glorified janitorial duty. Deku you better not be using up any more of your embers on this sob

this motherfucker did not just liken my baby boy Kacchan to “distressed denim” omg. we have less than three chapters left and we’re spending our hard-earned time on this and I TRULY WOULD NOT CHANGE A SINGLE THING

“Kacchan on light duty” PROTECT HIM!!! don’t think I don’t see you over there too in the background, Aizawa. he’s surrounded by dads. they’re not letting him out of their sight again until he’s thirty

meanwhile he’s out here quietly sorting through trash with his one good hand without complaint and without even the barest hint of a gremlin face. with his half-and-half costume so we can’t see how fucked up his arm is. AND NO MORE MASK. we burned the mask. my thank you letters are in the mail, Horikoshi. and you too TomurAFO, this was your actual greatest contribution to society

ANOTHER DAD?!?!?!

dfjsdlfksldkfjl

“don’t worry, I’m gradually recovering” fsdfkslfkj r.i.p. my ability to take this man seriously ever again. do you think his voice is like the normal sexy Edgeshot ASMR voice except all high-pitched like a squirrel in a Disney princess movie. it is, isn’t it

he can make hands now. buddy you’re amazing. mvp of the entire fucking manga. my son literally owes you his life. please let me see you sitting Jeanist’s shoulder like a parrot before this wonderful glorious chapter ends

Kacchan’s little cheek scar is somehow both badass and adorable at the same time. I can’t stress how fucking much this chapter is just surrounding me with “protect him at all costs” feelings.

MORE SOFT KACCHAN FEELS ON THE NEXT PAGE BECAUSE HORIKOSHI WROTE THIS CHAPTER SPECIFICALLY FOR ME, THANK YOU SO MUCH

“are you... [ever] gonna go back to normal?” because if not he’s gonna cry himself to sleep every night for the rest of his life!! no big!! YOU WOULDN’T DO THAT TO HIM WOULD YOU EDGESHOT?

NO HE WOULD NOT. THANK YOU EDGESHOT. ONCE AGAIN YOU ARE A REAL ONE

...or wait. so does he mean he is indeed going to go back to normal eventually? or is it that he’s embracing this new form as an exciting new evolution, hence the “even further”? it kind of feels like the latter, ngl. especially with this weird sad little smile Kacchan gives in response... fuck me. what the hell am I gonna do when this series ends in two weeks. nobody can rip my soul to pieces as utterly and effortlessly as Horikoshi does, man

THEY MADE THE KIDS LUNCH AWWWW. though in fairness there’s something seriously messed up with Japan if any of these kids ever has to pay for another meal again for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. like come on

noooooo goddammit I’m tired of seeing Izuku quietly despairing over things that AREN’T HIS FAULT

I am glad to see this side of the civilian population, though. sure have come a long way since the low point that was the U.A. clown mob. I like this a whole lot better ngl

what’s up with this mysterious bus all of a sudden

OH MY GOD THEY’RE BACK LMAO. QUICKLY BAKUDADS. form a perimeter

they’re apologizing again dsfkjlskdfjlsfd THEY DIDN’T EVEN CONSIDER EVERYONE’S CIRCUMSTANCES!!! holy shit these first years are all collectively my new favorite character

Cementoss couldn’t take the pressure omfg. is this your first year as a homeroom teacher?? YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING OUT OF CEMENT BUT CAN YOU MAKE YOURSELF A FREAKING SPINE, CEMENTOSS. I love him

Cementoss is telling them to go work in the corner so they don’t bother everyone else lmao. stuck them as far away from Kacchan as possible. good looking out, Cementoss. how many dads are we up to now?? five? six if we count Iida????

“hey so anyway what actually is up with these fucking kouhai though” I don’t know but my greatest regret is that this only became a thing three chapters before the series finale. where has this nonsense been all my life

“I don’t really understand” me neither fella but here in BnHA land we just roll with it

now we’re cutting back to Ochako who’s making yet another mysterious face that makes me think she knows perfectly well how much we all want to know whether Toga is alive or not, and she’s deliberately dragging it out just to fuck with us

okay I honestly can’t tell if Ochako is being fake cheerful or genuinely cheerful. but it’s definitely fake cheerful right??

aaaaand there’s a close up of Deku with FULL LIGHT back in his eyes like the clouds just parted for the first time in an age. accompanied by a THROB sound effect. ohhhh buddy. did my boy just have a hormone. is it finally that time

THEY’RE LETTING THE KIDS GO BACK HOME OMG. if they want. awwww. r.i.p. fanfic dorms. poor Shinsou missing out ONCE AGAIN

THEY DIDN’T CATCH THE CONCLUSION OF THE TOGACHAKO FIGHT ON FILM??! oh hell no. that settles it, she’s definitely still alive

tell me this cheeky motherfucker (Horikoshi, not Ochako lol) isn’t going to try and actually END THE SERIES with Toga’s fate still all ~mysterious~ and ~up in the air~ like I’m starting to get the sneaking suspicion that he’s doing

HORIKOSHI I SAID I DIDN’T WANT A DEPRESSING CHAPTER WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME WITH THESE FEELS AFTER I LET MY GUARD DOWN

YOU REALLY GAVE MY GIRL A SYMBOLIC FRODO STYLE ANGSTY STAB WOUND SO SHE CAN NEVER FORGET THE PAIN OF THAT DAY ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW WITH THIS

DEKU AHHHHHH

oh my god lol. I’m so curious what’s going to happen next week. my money for the record is on them bonding in a STRICTLY PLATONIC WAY over their respective dead(!??!?!) villains rather than a Romance Thing happening. but I wouldn’t be bothered if they do go there though just so long as we don’t get any timeskip epilogues where they’ve all got fucking kids and such now. don’t you do that to me Horikoshi Kouhei. I swear to god two chapters left omfg. this is really happening. the inexorable march of time etc. etc. ahhhhhhhhh

[cartoonistcoop]

ShortBox Comics Member Interview: Val Wise

Throughout the month of October, the Cartoonist Cooperative will be sharing interviews with members of the Co-op who have a new comic available at the ShortBox Comics Fair 2024! 

NOTE: The Cartoonist Cooperative is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way formally connected with ShortBox.  

Today’s spotlight is Val Wise and their new comic for ShortBox, In Fair Verona.

We’d love it if you could introduce yourself and tell us about your background in comics.

Val Wise: I’m Val, I graduated from SCAD in 2018. I’ve illustrated a couple of YA graphic novels, and in the past few years I’ve started to become more confident with my own writing. This is my third year participating in the ShortBox Comics Fair.

Tell us more about your new comic?

VW: Here’s the blurb: Two girls enter the service of the Princess of All Blood. One is there to be loved, the other tormented, but strange circumstances have blurred the lines between the two.

In Fair Verona started with a script I wrote in August of 2023, but decided it might be too much to pitch anywhere. I came back to it a couple of months later and decided the fair would probably be the best place for it.

I didn’t have much intentional thought about themes or anything else while I was writing it, but I realized later on that it kind of perfectly encapsulates my struggles communicating with other people. But that’s all I’ll say there, lol.

Tell us about your creative process; how did you develop this comic and what are the steps you took to bring it to the final stage?

VW: The idea of wanting to do a possession story came first. I wanted to make a story about an “ugly” girl who possesses a “pretty” girl and then makes sure they can never switch back. But when I actually sat down to write it out, that idea very quickly changed.

After that, this comic appeared in my brain more fully formed than…anything I’ve ever made. I’ve never written anything that progressed so naturally with so few changes needed from my outline to the final product. A finger has curled on the monkey’s paw, because nothing I’ve tried to write since has come so easily!

Does a sense of audience, even if it’s just an audience of one, enter into your creative process? If yes, how so?

VW: I don’t really think about the audience while I’m writing. But, every step after, I think about it a lot! I have to spend so much time with all of the wild choices I made so quickly in a word document!

I get so in my head about my own decisions, and I have to force myself to not get bogged down in the worst ways my ideas can be interpreted. So, I do try my best not to think about the audience very much, though I do appreciate that people are often more generous than I give them credit for.

Read the rest of the interview HERE! And dont forget to check out the Shortbox Comics Fair to support these lovely creators!!

[thlayli-ra]

Punkintyre; a twisted love story (ii)

Welcome to the next part of my Punkintyre ramblings. Last time I spoke about the players and their motives, now I'll be delving into my favourite themes of the ship.

***As always, please note that this is just my own headcanons and are for a spot of fun***

'Look me in the eye when you speak to me, please?'

Punkintyre is all about obsession; mainly Drew's obsession with Punk. Or to be more exact, Drew's obsession with getting Punk to look at him.

He notoriously said 'don't lower those eyes, Punk. Look me in the eyes when you speak to me, please' (and my lower half burst into a million pieces). There was so much to that one line. How it belittled the veteran; Drew was telling him that things had changed in the WWE since his absence, that Punk was no longer the top dog, nor was Drew the young, starry-eyed upstart. He was telling Punk that their roles were now reversed and that Drew was the one making the orders around here now so Punk better damn start listening!

But then... he said 'please'.

And all the power slipped away from his statement with that one, solitary word. Because he wasn't 'telling' Punk, he was 'asking' him. Asking him to look Drew in the eye and give him his attention, his respect. Everything that Punk had denied him their first time around in WWE. Drew is still bitter about it and now he wants that attention more than ever. When the jabs on social media and on-air didn't get the reaction he hoped for, Drew put Punk front and centre at his match at Wrestlemania as a special guest commentator. That way Punk has no option but to look at him at long last.

That should have been enough! But it wasn't, and after winning the title, Drew found himself drawn to Punk, wanting to lavish in the older man's attention up close and personal. Crawling towards him on the table, rubbing the belt in his face, getting to his feet so that Punk has to stare up at him as he insulted him. And for a while, Punk didn't bite... until he did!

Drew finally got what he wanted; Punk's attention. But it was a double-edged sword and cost him dearly. First Wrestlemania, then the no.1 contendership the following night, then Clash at the Castle, then Money in the Bank. The finger on the monkey paw had curled and Drew discovered too late that Punk's gaze is a curse. He'd opened a can of worms and couldn't just cram them all back in again.

Which leads us nicely onto...

Broken Dreams

At the Royal Rumble 2014, Punk had his last match in WWE. He didn't know it at the time - all that he knew was that he was burnt out, jaded and tired. Tired of the constant struggle, the backstage politics and above all, this sickness that had festered inside him for months. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, the medicine he was prescribed was wreaking havoc with his bowels until he'd shat himself on live television and an angry boil seethed beneath the waistband of his trunks.

As he sat in the trainer's room in Cleveland before Raw the following night, suffering from a concussion that he'd picked up during the Rumble, a medic thrust a cup in his hand and told the famously straight edge wrestler to piss in it. It was the final straw and Punk walked away. Some months later, the WWE fired him. On his wedding day.

At the Royal Rumble 2024, Punk had his first match back in WWE in ten years. He didn't need to return - it had taken a lot of pride-swallowing and bridge-mending - and he had already accomplished so much in his tenure with the company. Except... for one. His holy grail. His white whale. The prize catch that had slipped through his hands time and time again.

Main-eventing Wrestlemania!

And it was finally within his reach, all but guaranteed. His name was big enough, his draw undeniable. He ran into the Rumble with a purpose, a rejuvenated spirit and love for his profession.

Until he was caught on the wrong end of a Future Shock DDT...

At Wrestlemania 2020, Drew McIntyre won the WWE Championship. This was a culmination of his entire life's work and dedication, of pushing through the bleakest of times when all hope had gone, of working through addiction, of picking himself back up and igniting that spark again to light his way back through the shadows. At long last, he'd been rewarded for his efforts. Heaving himself up from his knees, tears in his eyes, he clutched his beloved prize and climbed the turnbuckle to show it off-

-to an empty room!

Drew's greatest moment would always be tainted by the presence of Covid-19. Where there should have been crowds cheering, noise and atmosphere was instead an empty silence. It hardly echoed the weight of this victory for him personally.

At Wrestlemania in 2024, Drew won the World Heavyweight Championship. It was everything that his victory in 2020 hadn't been. Dubbed the Biggest Wrestlemania in history, the noise from the capacity crowd was deafening, almost shattering his ear drums. He stumbled to his wife and brother in the crowd, presented them the title he had won, hugged them, kissed them.

Then, he spied CM Punk, sitting at commentary clapping with the rest of the crowd. He could have turned and left, ignored the call of the siren but he didn't...

At Clash at the Castle in 2022, Drew was the Hometown Hero. Well... close enough! It may have been Wales but it was the UK and he was the biggest name in the company from these parts so he was the one chosen to be the face of the PLE and to main-event it. And what a main event! It was Drew's chance to stare down the barrel of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, and hope was high for a de-throning. Drew had pushed Roman to his limits in the build-up and reduced the Head of the Table down to his knees.

But it was not to be. Despite a valiant effort from the contender, the champion retained, though, not without an unfair advantage from the Usos and their baby brother, Solo Sikoa, making his main roster debut. But Drew was given no time to wallow; there was still minutes on the clock and he was forced to pick himself up, put on a fake smile and entertain the crowd until they went off the air, unable to show the world how his heart was breaking.

At Clash at the Castle in 2024, Drew was the Hometown Hero. For real this time! They were in Glasgow, Scotland, his home country, a mere thirty miles from where he had grown up, in the city where he had studied at university, where he had trained to wrestle, where he had cut his teeth and, above all, the city that had welcome him back with open arms when he had failed. It was here that he had reinvented himself, became something bigger and better, rejuvenated his gimmick and, in turn, his career. He returned a conquering hero, at the top of the mountain and ready to give back to the city that he loved so much.

The stars were aligned so perfectly, like a beautiful constellation that could only be witnessed every thousand years. He could finally feel the darkness of the past few months lift, he had a chance for redemption, to become the hero he was destined to be as he pinned Damian Priest to win the championship that had eluded him all Summer in front of his people, his town, his country.

The referee slid into the ring and counted the one, two...

It's highly appropriate that Drew was the one to kick-start this feud by shattering Punk's Wrestlemania hopes considering that his previous entrance music was called 'Broken Dreams'. Since then, it's his own dreams that have been ripped from him time and again by a vengeful Punk who has vowed that Drew will never hold another championship as long as he's breathing.

As the feud has progressed, there has been less focus on this theme, yet it remains the main crux of it and what it boils down to; having something precious stolen away.

Speaking of which...

The Scarf and the Bracelet

There has been a lot of talk of the similarities between Punk's feud with Drew and his incredible feud in AEW with MJF. The psycho-sexual obsession, the wily veteran taking on the younger talent who's now more established, the match where they are literally attached to one another, the ambiguity between who's right and who's wrong, um...whipping... the list goes on.

But one similarity that I like yet I've never seen brought up is that both feuds involved something getting stolen. In AEW, Punk stole MJF's scarf and walked in the following week wearing it around his neck. He said he was hoping it would evoke a reaction from Max, but then he discovered that it was a cheap replica, one of thousands that cost a few bucks on Amazon. It meant nothing. It was a callous way for Punk to call Max hollow, a poser acting like he was somebody important when in actuality everything he did and possessed was empty and meaningless.

In WWE, Drew stole Punk's bracelet.

And it's acknowledged from the start that it's a cheap piece of plastic, worth only a few cents. But unlike Max's scarf, its sentimental value is priceless. It was lovingly crafted by a fan, a gift for her hero and on it, a sequence of little white cubes spell out the names 'AJ' and 'Larry'. The two people who make up the entirety of Punk's world. He's found himself at the bottom, he's cut ties with his biological family, he's walked away from a lucrative career, leaving behind friends and colleagues who have lived in each other's pockets for years, he's been beaten bloody and humiliated on live TV, he's had his name and reputation dragged through the dirt, he's suffered through injury and surgery and injury and surgery.

And through it all, every time he was knocked down, the two people he loves most have been there to help him back up. After his brutal defeat in his first UFC bout, an emotional Punk was asked what his wife said to him after the match. He put down the mic, leaned back, closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to compose himself. When he picked the mic back up, his voice croaked as he said 'she said she was proud of me'.

Larry was abandoned, left alone and unloved in a pound. Considered too ugly to adopt. Perhaps Punk saw a little of himself in Larry; a rough, scraggly little mutt with a lot of fight in him and a lot of heart.

It's all these sentiments and more that are contained within the colourful beads of a simple trinket. Drew could have stolen anything from Punk but he went right for the one that mattered most besides his wedding ring. Right for Punk's heart.

His family.

And looking at the way Drew handles it, it's obvious that it means the world to him too. But we'll talk about that next time. Sorry! 😈)

[doctorweebmd]

frothing at the mouth awaiting my liege

(monkey's paw curls)

ask and you shall receive

love yourself first - sskk x beast!sskk foursome. in 10k words. because there's something very wrong with me

[lovesickletters]

I have a confession to make: I am a simp for Macaque (lmk) 😔👌 the charming and mysterious characters always got me specially with his villain side 🛐 if you make some yan content of him I'm all eyes, your writing makes everyone melts, it's pure fine wine 💖💖💖

Oh darling I absolutely cannot blame you, there’s something about the charismatic manipulators with a dark and troubled past that always hit so hard, it would be remiss to claim them as anything but a classic💜 There’s a Macaque bouquet in the queue right now so keep an eye out for that sweetheart, but for now here’s a drabble I wrote a while ago!

“Heeeey pal, what’s got you so down?” You stiffened at the familiar voice, quickly scanning your surroundings for the pest of a monkey. The shadows loomed taller than before, and you kept your guard up in case he decided to spring out of any of them. “What? Not gonna say hi to your old friend? And here I thought you’d be thrilled to see me.”

A sudden weight against your back slammed you against the nearest wall, holding you down by your wrists, arms pinned behind you. You snarled, gritting your teeth as his free arm pushed down against the back of your head to keep you from snapping at him. You could feel a fluffy tail curling around your ankle as he chuckled in a manner that made you want to grab him by the throat. “Awww, look at you all worked up. Now don’t you think you could expend all that energy in other ways?” The wet sound of him licking his lips directly next to your ear had you narrowing your eyes as you snapped back a thinly-veiled retort.

“I’m sure you’d love that now wouldn’t you?” His grip loosened slightly in surprise before he laughed hesitantly, shaking away the blush creeping across his cheeks. “Heh, you got some guts pal, I’ll give you that. Unfortunately I won’t be letting go to let you demonstrate so easily~” His nails dug into the nape of your neck warningly as his tail brushed up further against your leg. “You see, I kinda enjoy messing with you a little too much to let you scamper off just like that.”

You resisted the urge to shiver at his breath hot against your neck, instead opting to choose your words carefully as you braved yourself against the wall you were currently pinned to. “Aww, you enjoy being with me?” His grip faltered as his spoke unevenly in an attempt to hide his unusually flustered expression. “What? No-“

You took advantage of his surprise to step on his foot, using your elbow as leverage to flip the two of you until you were on top, the paw-like hands that had previously pinned your wrists now crushed against the wall above his head by your own fists, your back arched to squash him between yourself and the wall with a wicked grin. His expression was delectable for but a second, confused surprise still flustered from your previous comment packed into one. He quickly fixed his shock into a more stoic look, but was yet still betrayed by the steady swaying of his tail between his legs.

“Who’s all worked up now~?” You purred, looking him up and down with as much self-satisfaction as you could muster. It was easy to see the irritation in his biting gaze, just as easy as it was to hear the short gasp that left him when you pressed even closer against him, shoving one of your thighs between his legs meaningfully.

“You fucking-“ he paused, his voice pitch dropping mid sentence as you thrusted your hip forward playfully. “…oh you’re gonna regret that.”

[gaylittlerichie]

EEE!! i love your work so obv ✅ and 😊!!!

CRIES BC I LOVE UR ART MORE THAN ANYTHING thsi is huge for me

✅ list one or two favorite lines you’ve written and explain why they’re your favorite

super hard to think of all time faves but recently i really liked this line from snaggle tooth 🎸:

The pit of his belly twangs. Like he swallowed a guitar and all the strings just snapped.

and also this whole passage from crosseyed & painless i was always pleased with 🐰:

Neither Maggie or Went are guilty of passing down his teeth. When it comes to those he’s got a working theory that God had appeared to him when he was, like, three, and asked him if he liked Bugs Bunny, and he’d said ‘fuck yeah’ and then the monkey’s paw had forever curled.

😊 say something nice about your writing

this time i’ll say i have lots of fun making up richiese words i think they’re great!! this guy loves an -orama a -zoid

[the-purple-shirted-tickler]

First Session megapost!

As requested, I’ll go into more detail!  Not only did I finally get to have my first tickling session, but I had the honor of being part of a group gang tickling none other than @yourlittlettoy !  Earlier in the day at that little gathering, @theswitchfinch and @mikoz6916 had taken their turns getting wrecked and were looking for some revenge, and Cece said she wanted multiple lers so they invited me to join them in destroying her!

She shyly admitted she didn’t want a safeword, so we agreed that when she was desperate enough to say “tickle” instead of “t-word” we’d take that as a safeword!

We started with her in spread eagle cuffs on a bed, mostly upperbody but all over really.  I’m more of a feet guy personally, but in this first session I was pleasantly surprised just how fun tickling Cece’s upperbody was!

Sometimes it was hard to tell who was getting which reactions with the absolute chaos of three lers overwhelming poor Cece, but on occasion I’d notice the other two had stopped to enjoy the show and what I was doing really was driving her nuts by itself!  You know that incredulous reaction lers have where they’re surprised just how ticklish a lee is?  Yeah, that’s real. (At least this time)

Cece wasn’t blindfolded, but half the time she might as well have been from squeezing her eyes shut and her hair getting increasingly messy from all of her thrashing.  However, I did treasure the moments where we’d slow down and she’d plead with her eyes for things not to get worse.

If you’ve followed Cece’s tumblr for more than five minutes you’ll know most of her reactions: loud laughter, “pleeeeaaaaase!”, “stahahahahahap!”, and the like.  There were plenty of those, and everyone in the other rooms at the gathering surely got to hear it live from where they were, but we discovered a new one too!  Eventually certain reactions included her giving this lower groan as if to say “UGH this is so embarrassing how flustered and ticklish I am right now” so of course we lers were happy to mimic and tease her for that as well!  Still not sure exactly what was prompting that reaction, so I suppose we’ll have to do more science later

Any tag readers on her page will know that Cece claims to be an escape artist.  That’s partially true.  She could occasionally get her arms free from the wrist restrains, but she was no match for the fact that at least one of the three lers would be more than happy to pin down her escaped limbs while the others continued to tickle the sensitive spots that couldn’t quite escape

Speaking of sensitive spots, totally don’t read the classified information in the following strikethrough but I noticed her upper inner thighs, neck, underarms, and soles got some great screams out of her

When she got to the point where she was begging and saying she’d “do anything” to stop her current predicament, I curled the monkey’s paw and had her agree to move over to the bondage table/stocks and have that be a breather for her as we applied the new bondage.

A previous session that day had broken the latch on Clay’s stocks, but the new shin straps on that setup were the MVP keeping her feet in place.  The toeties weren’t the greatest but I suspect Cece was a good sport playing along like her toes really were stuck there for a while because she loves it

I’m told one of the other lers was at her head for the table portion whispering teases into her ears to fluster her even more, but you’d have to ask Cece what was said!  I’m sure she’d love to tell you and won’t at all be blushing and flustered, right?

I went to grab the baby oil, at first originally planning to go straight to her feet with it, but then the other two suggested I should come put it on her underarms while they had them nice and vulnerable!  “Well, don’t mind if I do!” was went through my head.  And don’t worry, I was sure to make plenty of eye contact as I spread it, and Cece being the excited masochist she is was all to happy to reciprocate

I did wind up returning to her feet with the oil and got a good amount of finger tickles on them while the others continued with her upperbody, but I only got about five seconds of hairbrush tickles on one of her feet before the other slipped free from the previously-broken stocks and our session’s timeslot was up!  I think we need more time with that next time, don’t you?

While we were cooling down, Cece was saying "I hate you guys” and she was totally for real and we totally believed it, it’s not like she loves being a ticklish masochist or anything, right?

I did throw in a nice little foot massage during the cooldown, I hope you liked that Cece

Hope you had half as much fun reading all that as I did being part of it!  Thank you so much to everyone there for including me and finally making my dreams come true!

[sorrydearie]

!: that classic collapse into someone’s waiting arms

(something something sickly victorian child)

“Repeat after me—”

“I’m not a fucking child.”

“—we do not touch the haunted dolls.”

“If they didn’t want people touching them,” Martín argued, “they should have put up a sign.”

“You mean on top of the rope fencing them off from irresponsible people with a death wish?”

Ah, fuck.

Martín hated to admit it, but Andrés had a point there. 

The corduroy rope was hard to miss, actually. Bright-red, it looped around the displayed dolls like a bold-faced challenge.

Strangely enough, the dolls were the only exhibits to be fenced off. All of the other artifacts in Señor Rodrigez Cabinet of Curiosities – dusty old ouija boards, monkey paws, and various occult paraphernalia – were suspiciously accessible.

Probably because Señor Rodrigez knew very well that he'd built his empire on random trash.

Even so. Martín didn’t appreciate the snide comment. He wrinkled his nose, annoyed, and made a point to glare at Tatiana when she laughed at him.

Taking sides now, was she? 

Whore. 

Come to think of it, Martín wasn’t usually so hostile. 

It must be the creepy dolls, staring at him with their dead, beady eyes. Those porcelain faces with round, rosy cheeks. The irritably long lashes, like little spider legs…

It unnerved him. Creepy little fuckers.

“Anyway. I’m calling their bluff.” Martín waved his hand, dismissive. “You don’t actually believe that I’m gonna get possessed by a sickly Victorian child if I touch them? That’s ridiculous.”

The corners of Andrés’s lips dragged down. Just like they always did when Martín ‘disrespected’ the dead. Or the demonic. And, one notable time, the yetis. 

“Of course you’re not gonna get possessed,” Andrés clarified, matter-of-factly. As though Martín was slow or stupid – or both. “You’ll get cursed. Plunged into a life of despair. Bad luck is going to follow you around like a vengeful ex and you’ll be left with nothing. No money, no friends, no love life.”

"So no different to how things are right now," Tatiana chimed in, sticking out her tongue. Martín briefly contemplated pushing her into the display of cursed masks adorning the wall. How dare she butt into this?!

He glared at her. “You’re a nasty, disgusting, absolutely vile woman—”

“Martín!” 

Andrés gasped, and Martín frowned. What, was Andrés appalled by how Martín had spoken to his ex? They bickered all the time, it was kind of their thing.

But then Andrés grabbed Martín’s arm and dragged him close, eyes glued to one of the dolls displayed in front of them. 

“Did you see that?”

Martín blinked. “See what?”

“That doll’s arm just moved.”

“Bullshit.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“I’m calling you easily excitable.” Like a hot golden retriever, trained to detect the paranormal. “Maybe the air conditioning ruffled her dress, or something. It is chilly here.”

Andrés shot him an unimpressed look.

“I think I’m knowledgeable enough to differentiate between a gust of wind and a real-life demonic presence.”

“You said that the last few times, too…” Martín trailed off, frowning. 

He hadn’t realized it until now, but Andrés was still holding onto him. His fingers were curled, tightly, around Martín’s bicep. 

It was… distracting.

He cleared his throat, suddenly flustered. 

“Whatever,” he said, playing it off. Like Andrés’s touch wasn’t burning him through his clothes. “The only thing scary about these dolls is their fucked-up eyes. So don’t go pissing your pants—”

It all happened so fast. 

He’d been eager to seem cool and unaffected, and so he’d laughed and thrown out his arms – and knocked over one of the stupid dolls.

It tumbled off its pedestal, frilly dress and laces fanning out like a broken parachute, before sprawling onto the floor in a heap of broken limbs and human ringlets. Its dead eyes stared up at Martín, unblinking. 

Tatiana gasped in horror. 

“Oh shit,” Martín said. “That’s not—”

Good, he’d meant to say, but the words got stuck inside his throat when Andrés grabbed his face, crowding him.

“What are you—”

They were impossibly close, just a hair’s breadth between them. Martín could make out the specks of amber in his eyes, like particles of starlight. He could count Andrés’s lashes, and marvel at the perfect dip of his Cupid’s bow…

Martín’s heart knocked against his ribcage like a fucking ping pong ball. 

“Are you all right?” Andrés asked, searching his face. “I told you not to touch the damned thing. Do you feel any different? Light-headed? Fatigued?”

His words were rushed, and for a split second Martín mistook it for worry. But he knew Andrés better than that, knew how to read the signs: the wide eyes, the hitch in his breath, the flush to his cheeks…

The bastard was excited. About Martín getting cursed. 

Hijo de puta. 

Had Andrés no shame? Did he not care if Martín died at the ant-sized hands of an Annabelle knock-off? What if it toddled into his flat at the dead of night and axe-murdered him in his sleep? Would Andrés get off on that?

Martín opened his mouth, ready to give him a good talking-to, but changed his mind at the last second.

Maybe…

Maybe he could use this to his advantage.

“Actually… I’m feeling a bit faint,” he said, wrangling his voice into a croak. He coughed too, for effect. Look at him – weak and wearied and miserable. The poor, unfortunate victim of a powerful curse. 

He made his knees buckle and slumped forward, as if overcome by a dizzy spell, and Andrés’s arms opened for him. He drew Martín close, encouraging him to lean against him. Just like Martín knew he would. 

Andrés made a cooing sound. His breath tickled the hair at Martín’s temple. 

“Let’s get you out of here,” Andrés said, stroking Martín’s back. “The doll’s power over you will only grow stronger if we stay here.”

Martín nodded, and let out an afflicted moan. For good measure. 

From the corner of his eye he could see Tatiana hiding a smirk behind her camera. Martín couldn’t bring himself to care. Not as long as Andrés kept his arms around him, as long as he allowed Martín to tuck his face into the crook of his neck, and held him close.

Nothing mattered, as long as Andrés gave Martín his undivided attention. 

He’d milk Andrés’s sympathy for all it was worth. 

[blazregaliadream]

Entry No. BRD~ASW: Conflicted Identity

... I’ve wanted to talk about this for a while. I talked about a part of it on Twitter a few months back, but I really need to get it all off my chest here, whatever shit I get be damned. In 2013-2014, my freshman year of highschool, I got introuced to Arc System Works through junior/senior pals introducin’ me to BlazBlue, a franchise that didn’t take long to take root in my heart. I would end up usin’ it as part of my online handle, “BlazRegaliaDream”, and I have stuck with it as the name I use when I sign my art. I’m not the biggest fan, but BlazBlue was a hyperfixation for 4 years since I discovered it. After a serious burnout in 2018, I tried movin’ my sights onto other franchises, but the love held on as a tiny ember that I’d occassionally stoke from just playin’ BBTAG and eventually findin’ a couple of close friends to talk about the franchise and keep tabs on it. Also throughout this time, I also would eye Guilty Gear, seen it around between XX and Xrd, and while it didn’t become a hyperfixation, I thought it was pretty cool. (and I still do lol) Fast forward to 2021. StrIVe has been out, haven’t played it yet. Friends are deep into the JP exclusive mobile BlazBlue Alternative: Dark War, which started at the beginnin’ of the same year. I was eyein’ it, but didn’t wanna sink into another mobile since I already had FEH and FGO (with a few others I fell in and out of). October, I revisit my old BB OC project and then on a whim, I decided to try BBDW. Wouldn’t you know it, I fell in love with BlazBlue all over again and even if I was stuck with a mobile game for new content, I was ready for the future of the franchise post-C-series. And then a month in, BBDW was announced to shutdown in January due to morale issues for the team. “Well shit, I mean, maybe there’s still a shot later, right?” 2022, creator of BlazBlue, Mori, leaves ASW for reasons we may never know. ASW insists that they still want to keep BB alive, but later, an interview reveals they’re supposedly lettin’ GG hog the spotlight because they don’t want the two franchises competin’ Between this and the awful, awful disaster that was Bridget’s return to StrIVe, everythin’ begins lookin’ all too dire... I hate the current state of ArcSystemWorks. I’m so conflicted, so angry with this company, and I just don’t know how to articulate it all so smoothly. My favorite franchise may as well be dead, 6 feet buried, as the creator has left and started his own company and who knows if they’d bother to get him for a new entry, and with the shit surroundin’ StrIVe, I don’t think I can trust this company to revive BlazBlue proper. Is Team Blue even still a thing? It feels like after everythin’, I’ve been gut punched and spitted in the face.

... *sigh* Dammit, there's much I wanted to say, but as I'm typin' this, the words have fled.

I'm just lost. Where do I go from here? The company I once admired just fills me with nothin' but fury, and GG ain't even the first franchise I've seen to pull the shit it has and for what!?

I've thought about rebrandin' before, but I'm too attached to the handle even after everythin', yet still... I just wanted people to see how cool BlazBlue is, and the monkey's paw curled...

(I'll be fine, in case anyone's worried. This shit just sucks too much...)

[pinkpruneclodwolf]

Ok, but what about a morgan Yuu who is still tonelico and has not yet lost complete hope. That when they inevitably go back to fairy Britain, they leave without a word to their friends. Once they figure out where they went they follow for answers.

However, once they get there they find that Yuu has become a completely different person. One whose cold and without that once bright hope shining in their heart. They join the fight to dethrone them because that's the only way to have a conversation and get answers, and hopefully snap them out of whatever is going on with them.

They never get that conversation. The next time they see them, it's Yuu's mutilated corpse that greets them.

They're crushed, but they get even more devastated when everything goes to hell and learn in detail what Yuu Morgan has done to keep this decaying hellhole alive. The guilt they would feel knowing that they contributed to their beloved friends brutal death, and the destruction of everything they bleed, cried, and broke themselves for.

That is saur fucked up because like imagine bro imagine.

Imagine some stranger showing up, there's brightness in their eyes and that little hope they have shining brighter than any star in the sky. Imagine you fight alongside them, you learn to be friends with them, you study, you laugh, you joke, you argue—by the Gods you are friend and you'd lay down your life to defend them.

And then, like a wisp of smoke, they disappear. They leave, and the space in your friend group is so hollow your desperate to fill it with anything.

And you remember their promise. You remember what they told you about their world and you pray, and you hope against hope. And that wish, that soul squeezing wish is granted but its not the same because the monkey paw can never stop curling.

You're sent to a world where the horrors are insurmountable, you band together and all you can do is watch and scorn. Humans reduced to less than cattle, faeries who indulge upon themselves like debased creatures, watching the few of your allies get picked off one by one because the world aches for cruelty, aches to show you the worst side of itself with no preamble.

So you watch and you scorn. The people and its monarch. You watch and you scorn because what else can you do when you're witnessing the depths of base desires in its entirety, watching it consume them inside and out like a rot that only stems from deep within your soul.

Only to find out that the one person behind it all (Or so you believe) was the friend who you'd come to love, aged in ice, but still the friend who'd helped you through the hellish experience of emotions and magic blending into one agonizing episode.

This is the friend who reigns Supreme. So you scorn your friend, barely letting them get a word in because what excuse could you come up with when it comes to human cattle and fae tearing each other limb from limb over petty disputes that amount to nothing? What excuse?

So you fight against them, leaving wounded and hurt at the notion that this is what your friend had fought so desperately to return to, that this is the friend who spun tales about their world and how much they adored it. Of course, you're hurt and upset—desperate to tear down the hellish realm brick by brick.

So you fight the calamities, you watch as the one closest ally dies and watch as the abyss finally sheds it skin to reveal its gaping maw and all you see beforehand is their mangled corpse.

And you learn and you mourn, for their suffering, for their endurance, for people who wouldn't even bat an eye at tearing your heart out. Because why else would they endure it all if not to experience just a modicum of compassion even after death?

I hope you know that you are a DEEEPLY EVIL PERSON for making me ruminate on this like I actually feel sick to my stomach 😭😭😭 Morgan!Yuu stop suffering challenge...... [FAILED]

[borom1r]

saying this w all the love in my heart bc I too would like more SAW merch but the moment u say “I want more SAW merch after the new movie” the monkey’s paw fucking curls and it will all be Billy. ONLY Billy. maybe a pig mask if we’re lucky, but we won’t be. mark my fucking words