#also like 9 times out of 10 the scheme of the week was still to just smash buildings and hit people

[littleeyesofpallas]

Okay so i still have L5R verymuch on the brain and trying to find ways to incorporate a fun occult supernatural plot to things I can't help but look back on Samurai Sentai Shinkenger of all things and love what a fucking wildly good premise it had. Not for the stupid hero squad, but for the villains.

The Gedoshu[外道衆]: "Heretic/Demon Masses" (lit. Gedo[外道]: "Outside-way") are the race of monsters, ayakashi, menacing tokyo every week. But unlike the usual invading force of aliens or whatever else that every season of super sentai has, the gedoshu leader, Chimatsuri Dokoku, has a very specific goal and and very specific mechanism behind it.

In this setting the ayakashi are all former humans who transform directly into monsters after committing some corrupting act, usually tragic, that allows strong negative feelings to consume them. And any time humans feel misery and sorrow and pain, their tears become the water on the river Sanzu, the river that divides the world of the living and of the dead, and from those waters new monsters are inevitably born --never crossing the river to the afterlife, yet not truly alive or human anymore. And it is on a boat on that river that the big boss, Chimatsuri, has been sealed in a kind of limbo between life and death.

So, to facilitate his escape and ultimately revenge, he sends his minions to earth in order to cause so much human suffering that the river Sanzu overflows, allowing him to just ride his ship into the human realm without technically breaking the terms of his imprisonment.

And like? That's so fucking cool??? Like that is a great set up, and it's just wasted on a regular rotation kids' saturday morning show??? And I love that unlike the usual routine of slapping some monsters around once a week, the premise makes it clear that the villains are still very much making progress towards their goal even if the heroes beat them. The accumulation of human suffering is inevitable, it's just a question of how soon it'll hit critical mass, which is maybe the best way to keep the enemy threat feeling real even as they continually lose individual fights.

Also this season had kind of a mixed bag when it came to monster of the week designs, but the big recurring villains were all phenomenal

[akanemnon]

TWIN RUNES MASTERPOST

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 -15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 21-1 - 21-2 - 21-3 - 22 - 23 -24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 36-1 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 52 - 53 - 54 - 55 - 56 - 57 - 58 -

59 - 60 - 61 - 62 - 63

!!!!!!ON HIATUS UNTIL JULY 14!!!!!!

To be continued...

TWIN RUNES MINI COMICS

Glasses - Fallen down - First steps - Press [C] - Frisk Dance - But nobody came - Whatstheirface - An acquired taste - Eye opening - Smalltalk - Connection issues

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TWIN RUNES - FAQ

What exactly is this AU about? Twin Runes is essentially a comedic crossover AU between the universes of Deltarune and Undertale. No fancy nicnacs. Just the characters being their chaotic selves. But there might be some darkness lurking up ahead...

When is the next comic? The comic updates most Sundays at 6:30 PM Central European Time.

Why is this AU called Twin Runes? The name is more or less a play on the typical naming format of most AU's by featuring the "Runes" part. There are no literal Twin Runes. The whole name is more of a stand in for Undertale and Deltarune as parallel worlds. Hence the "Twin" part.

When does Twin Runes take place? This AU takes place between a hypothetical Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of Deltarune. On the Undertale side of things, it takes place post neutral route just as Frisk was about to deliver Undyne's letter to Alphys.

how many pages are there going to be? The script for this comic estimates that the comic is going to be 137 pages long (if I don't make any major changes).

Is the player a thing in this AU? The player lost control over both human children as soon as Frisk entered the world of Deltarune.

When Chapter 3 and 4 are released, will it affect the story? Any chapters after Chapter 3 won't affect the story in the grand scheme of things. If possible, I might make a reference to Chapter 3, but all in all Twin Runes created a new timeline so to speak.

What's up with Kris' and Frisk's hair? The red bits of their hair is more or less a representation of their souls. That in turn is also why Chara doesn't have that feature. They are soulless. It's a stylistic choice.

What's that thing on Kris' chest? It's a scar they got from tearing out their soul.

And why do they have weird lines all over their body? Both Kris and Frisk's anatomy resemble that of ball-jointed dolls. They appear just as markings across their bodies. Think of them as elaborate birthmarks. Kris and Frisk are still made of flesh and blood, but are in fact hypermobile. The reason as to why they do is still a little secret :) People here like to refer to these markings as "puppet limbs". You can get a better look at them and the scar in this artwork

Why does Kris have braces? This is why:

Why is Dark World Frisk green? Frisk changes their main sweater colors with Kris when they enter the Dark World.

Can other ghosts see Chara? (pre Darkner transformation) No, only Frisk and Kris are able to see Chara.

IS KRIS NOW FRISK'S COUNTERPART OR CHARA'S???? :)

So, was Chara in the locket all along? No, Chara possessed the locket to become a Darkner.

Where are Jevil and Spamton? Are they in Castle Town? The Fun Gang have already fought these two in the previous chapters and added them into their inventory. Outside of that little dream sequence, neither will be making an appearance.

Is anyone from Undertale Yellow gonna make an apperance? Outside of a tiny cameo from Clover (that has no greater bearing on the story) no one from Undertale Yellow is going to make an appearance.

Is (insert character here) gonna go to the Dark World/underground? With the way the story is going to play out, only the main group will be heading to this new Dark World. The rest of the story will be taking place there.

Is the Group Project miniseries canon to Twin Runes? It was made before Twin Runes was conceived and before I had any idea I would make a series. It is it's own self-contained story. So it is NOT canon to Twin Runes, but You can read it here: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

How did you come up with the idea of Twin Runes? Twin Runes is an offshoot of a separate script I wrote. It's a similar concept but turned on its head. The funny moments in that script made me just continue what now is the start of Twin Runes. I pretty much just wanted to see if I am actually capable of drawing a comic to begin with. So... in a way Twin Runes is my first attempt at a comic ever. If I ever finish Twin Runes, then I know I can tackle turning that mammoth project of a script into a comic too. In the grand scheme of things these two projects are sister series. They have A LOT in common and even share similar plot elements. When Twin Runes is over you will automatically also know certain mysteries of The Other Script.

What is The Other Script? As of this moment I call The Other Script: "Lost in the In-Between". At its core it's an inverse of Twin Runes. I.e. Kris falling into the underground and being aided by Frisk on their quest to return home. The story and jokes are a considerably more grounded than in Twin Runes and so are the characters. Though they do have their moments from time to time. The overall mood of that script is a lot darker in nature and it's a 200+ page passion project of mine.

Am I allowed to make fanart? ABSOLUTELY! You are very welcome to make fanart if you feel like it. Please let me know if you do by tagging me, so I can share it with everyone to see so that you get the appreciation you deserve :)

Can I use the funny faces you draw for memes or for private stuff with friends? That's what they're here for :)

Is there x ship in this comic? The focus of the story is not on shipping. If it's in the game it will very likely be mentioned or brought up, but that's about it.

What pronouns do you go with for the human children? I try to stick as close as possible to the games so I use THEY/THEM FOR ALL OF THEM WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTIONS.

______________________________________________________________

ABOUT ASKS

Asks will open for 24 hours after a new comic has been released. Your questions will then be answered over the course of the week.

Try not to submit multiple asks. If necessary, just keep everything in one post.

Keep in mind that I receive AL LOT of asks, so not every question can be answered...

Questions containing spoilers will not be answered on principle. Wouldn't be as fun if the surprise was ruined, right?

Before leaving an ask (mostly for everyone who's new), please make sure to read the FAQ section above. A lot of times your question might have been answered already :>

I love memes and dumb jokes as much as the next guy, but try not to spam

It probably goes without saying, but please stay civil. I want to give everyone the respect they deserve, and naturally like to be treated the same way.

Please be mindful about drawing requests. It is understandable if you're eager to see a certain character drawn in my style, but I do not like to be bombarded by requests. The more it happens, the less likely I am to do it. Be kind and ask nicely.

Don't use other people's posts that I reblogged to ask me questions! It has happened before and I do not wish to see this!

______________________________________________________________

REFERENCE SHEETS

The following are ref sheets of characters that don't have established Dark World forms yet (as of writing this comic). The list will be updated as soon as a new character enters the Dark World. Here you will also find references of characters that might appear as surprise cameos, or maybe even completely new faces...

______________________________________________________________

FULL ART

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Venus enters retrograde zone

Timeline (current events in bold)

Sunday, June 4, 2023, 15:00 UT - Venus’ greatest eastern elongation, 29°06’ Cancer

Monday, June 19, 07:18 UT - transiting Venus enters pre-retrograde shadow, 12°12’ Leo

Sunday, July 23, 01:33 UT - transiting Venus stations retrograde, 28°36’ Leo

Sunday, August 13, 11:15, Sun-Venus inferior conjunction, 20°28’ Leo

Monday, September 4, 01:20 UT - transiting Venus stations direct, 12°12’ Leo

Saturday, October 7, 9:21 UT - transiting Venus exits post-retrograde shadow, 28°36’ Leo

Thursday, October 24, 2023, 02:57 UT - Venus’ greatest western elongation, 14°02’ Virgo

Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 15:33 UT - Sun-Venus superior conjunction, 14°30’ Gemini

Friday, January 10, 2025, 09:59 UT - Venus’ greatest eastern elongation, 7°35’ Pisces

Tuesday, January 28, 2025 - transiting Venus enters pre-retrograde shadow, 24°37’ Pisces

That is rather more timeline information than I usually write - I wanted to show the whole process, if only to enable people to find the similarities and differences between Venus’ and Mercury’s retrograde zones.

But what does it all mean? Here is Martin Bulgerin’s take (from www . biopscinst . com):

When Venus is in retrograde, the emotions and instincts go haywire. Our usual sense of what is beautiful, pleasing and attractive is suspended. Some astrologers warn against buying anything for its aesthetic appeal during this cycle, since the object will seem like a "lapse of good taste" at a later date. Relationships begun now can be the same way. I'd double-check any decisions made by "gut level instinct" or by the way the situation feels while Venus is backing up.

How does this translate into Venus’ areas?

Art - I knit and crochet, and I consistently have found Venus Rx to bring me all kinds of excessively elaborate ideas for dazzling future projects; they invariably fail to materialize.

Beauty - the classic Venus Rx problem here is the drastic haircut that ends up a disaster. Don’t do it!

Love - and the typical event in this category is the return of former lovers, whether we want to see them again or not.

Money - Venus rules money; Leo rules gambling and investment. Not only is Martin’s caution about splurging on something tacky very valid (Leo has a tacky streak), but we are also in danger of spending too much on bad investments eg “get rich quick schemes.”

All our Venus functions are due for a little recalibration. (Venus as ruler of Libra, the Scales, can get behind this.) During these pre-retrograde shadow weeks, we need to be alert for the themes which we’ll focus on.

Venus will make some “three-peat” aspects during her time in the Zone. If they trigger anything in your chart, watch out! The following all occur during the pre-retrograde shadow:

Sunday, June 11 - Venus/Leo square Jupiter/Taurus, 5°37’ (I know, this was technically not in Venus’ retrograde zone, but it’s still a three-peat!)

Thursday, June 29 - Venus/Leo trine Chiron/Aries, 19°42’

Sunday, July 2 - Venus/Leo square Uranus/Taurus, 21°46’

Saturday, July 8 - Venus/Leo trine Eris/Aries, 25°14’

Saturday, July 15 - Venus/Leo inconjunct Neptune Rx/Pisces, 27°37’

Some scaffolding, if you’re in need of it:

Consider your natal Venus by sign and house - this is the cause, the instigator, behind what’s about to happen. (Venus in Taurus and the 6th, conjunct my Descendant.)

Which house(s) of your natal chart will Venus Rx be parked in? Here’s where the action is. (Back and forth between my natal 9th and 10th.)

Will Venus make any aspects to your Sun, Moon, Ascendant/Descendat, &/or MC/IC? These will be Very Big Deals. (Sextile, trine, square, conjunct/oppose - jackpot!!)

Is anything else going on in your chart, Venus-related? (Transiting Jupiter will be conjunct my natal Venus for the whole period; ditto for transiting Neptune semi-square natal Venus; my progressed Venus enters Leo in early August.)

[differenzeartistiche]

Gavin Creel is 47 today!

It’s my yearly tradition to bring back this old post of ranked performances to celebrate the birthday of this wonderful performer, so here we go! Updated this year with Into the Woods!

Gavin Creel, 16 performances, ranked!

16. Nick Piazza in Fame

This show has some merits, although it’s definitely not one of my favorites. It’s Gavin’s professional debut, and I can forgive him some naïveté in an otherwise competent, beautifully sung performance. His rendition of “I wanna make magic” is lovely.

15. Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities

Ok, so this was a concert performance, so it’s not really fair to compare it to the others, but I’ll just throw it in here. Mainly because it’s such an unusual show for Gavin. It’s something that tries very hard to be on the level of Les Miserables, without much success, and Gavin is not a huge fan of that kind of show. That said, it’s a nicely sung performance of a classic romantic hero role. Nice, nothing more.

14. Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles

Great show, poor but still competent production. The role is easily the most boring in the whole play, but he gets to sing the cute “With Anne on my arm” and he nails it.

13. Troy in American Horror Stories

Oh this was a fun one, Gavin playing outside his comfort zone, far removed from his preferred genre and into an over-the-top, sexy role that is rather unique in his career. I wish the material he had to work with was better, but his scenes with Aaron Tveit were superb.

12. Hollis Bessemer in Bounce

Sadly a lesser show by Sondheim, I still love some aspects of it, and Gavin’s wide-eyed artistically-inclined dreamer is one of them. His big solo “Talent” is the best song of the show and touches me on a very personal level.

11. Matthews in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Gavin voicing a Disney villain! A Disney villain with a secret! A Disney villain with a French accent! Talk about playing against type. There’s something of Kodaly here, and of Lumiere and of Pepé Le Pew. You can tell he had a blast recording this role, and the design is exquisite.

10. Cinderella’s Prince / The Wolf in Into the Woods

This is Gavin at his hammiest, and I’m here fot it. He obviously has loads of fun with the Wolf, oozing sleaziness from every pore, and as the Prince he’s perfectly balanced between superficial, phony and clueless, you can really believe that this candy-colors clothed fool was “raised to be charming, not sincere.”

9. Bill in Eloise at the Plaza / Eloise at Christmastime

Effortlessly hilarious on screen as he is on stage, he goes full-on old-time Hollywood star in the Christmas-themed sequel and I love it. A mix of Dick Powell and Fred Astaire.

8. Dr. Pomatter in Waitress

Sara Bareilles’ little gem of a musical often finds its strength in the absolute realness of its characters, flawed human beings looking for a little sparkle of happiness. Drew Gehling’s Dr. Pomatter was awkward and fun and sad-eyed, but I think Gavin wins infusing the character with tenderness and truly lived-in melancholy. A few weeks in a well-worn musical could be seen as a footnote in a great career, but it’s such a lovely performance, enhanced by the incredible chemistry he has with Bareilles.

7. Bert in Mary Poppins

My introduction to Gavin and since then I’ve come to appreciate him as heir to impossibly gangly male leads like Dick Van Dyke, so this feels like such a natural fit. I find the show a little bloated, but watch him defying gravity in that “walking on air” scene: it’s irresistible.

6. Ugly in Honk!

Having him play the ugly duckling ALSO feels like a natural fit. Gavin’s at his best when he plays lost and confused dreamers, and the fairy tale touch with the surreal setting makes for a wonderful variation on that theme.

5. Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me

Easily the odd man out of the list. The evil, scheming, suave and self-centered Kodaly is a delightful departure from all the romantic leads and clueless buffoons of Gavin’s career. The showstopper “Ilona” brings out all the manipulative nature of the character, a snake that always finds a way out and always gets what he wants. A remarkable performance that makes me want to see him branch out into even more strange territories.

4. Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie

Again with the old-time charm and humor. Millie is a show dominated by women, and Gavin’s male romantic lead manages not to be swallowed whole by them by being so wonderfully easy-going, hilariously aloof and occasionally sassy. It does also help that in “What do I need with love” he has one of the catchiest numbers of the show.

3. Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly!

PUDDING. That alone deserved the Tony. It’s an overwhelmingly funny turn that makes the best of the original, almost vaudevillian nature of the show. So full of tricks and ticks and winks to the audience, deliciously aware of its own absurdity, it’s the kind of scene-stealing performance that not every actor can pull off. And oh my god, has anyone ever sung Jerry Herman’s beautiful tunes so gorgeously? You almost wish he could have sung “Put on your Sunday clothes” in its entirety.

2. Elder Price in The Book of Mormon

Somewhere between the rubber-faced humor of Jim Carrey, the earnest straight man hilarity of Jack Lemmon and the physicality of Dick Van Dyke. A perfect combination that captures the sarcastic, yet disarmingly sweet nature of the show, with its hints of meanness and self-devouring doubt.

1. Claude Hooper Bukowski in Hair

Unquestionably the masterpiece of Gavin’s career. A towering performance that starts with the iconicity of the role and the visuals associated with it and finds the core of Claude’s humanity: a scared, earnest, sometimes self-centered, mostly clueless young man that has to face something so much bigger than himself, something that is so far from the made-up world of fake accents and films in space that he has created for himself and that will eventually consume him. Moments like “Where do I go” and “The Flesh Failures” are moving and brutally honest.

[phantastragoria]

1, 10, 21, 25, 28 for the comic ask game 👀

1. Who's your favorite character and why?

I love all of the five main Guardians equally (plus associated others to varying degrees) but Peter Quill is my little silly man who I want to put into an enclosure so I can study him through a glass wall. I could write various essays about his character and WILL whenever I get some free time because the world NEEDS to understand him the way I do...

Despite his many inconsistencies in personality due to inconsistent writing, I find him to be a very fascinating character with his usually bright exterior but inherent loneliness even as he constantly surrounds himself with groups of people... the never-ending cycle of reinventing himself because he never seems quite comfortable in his own skin for prolonged periods of time... his abilities that I don't think anyone else quite understand because it's too complex... No matter how many times he gets his ass beat or fucks something up he always manages to find a way to continue on even if he really doesn't want to :'/ my scrunklie...

10. Share a favorite comic panel.

Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1 and Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) #10

Sorry you're getting 2-for-1 pages because I CANNOT choose between the two nor just pick panels. The first I genuinely love just because it's soooo mundane... is there anything better than a suiting up scene... Timothy Green/Victor Olazaba really got across with so little just how completely tired he is of the universe's bullshit while contemplating alone.

The second is because that page is just the coolest with everything coming together... the payoff to Peter returning with the gained knowledge of his sun-elemental abilities... getting part of the gang together to take down a space weirdo... Juan Cabal's composition & Federico Blee's coloring are just SO good. All their issues on GotG (2020) were fantastic but shout-out to the last few they worked on together and especially with #9 as THE standout in my opinion.

21. Share a favorite piece of comics lore.

The most important lore ever is that Drax/Arthur Douglas' favorite meal was macaroni and cheese... we stan a simple king.

25. Who's your favorite villain?

This one is hard because I don't tend to keep up with any of the villains just on their own. I want to say Mysterio SO BAD but I'm not even a hardcore Spiderman reader, and he's done nearly nothing in the grand scheme of things, the mere concept of him is just so funny to me... But hmmmmm, I enjoy Galactus + some of his heralds, I have complicated feelings on Thanos... I find Shuma-Gorath interesting but his appearances are so inconsistent and lacking in giving him any real character of his own...

I actually really enjoy when the various Elders of the Universe show up. I think they work well for setting up an ongoing arc and or just to be a villain of the week thing, there's just such a big variety of extreme hobby fanatics to choose from for any occasion. I don't have a specific favorite out of them all though, maybe En Dwi Gast?

Now, specifically a favorite villain for the Guardians? I really liked the #evil Olympians in Ewing's GotG (2020) and part of me wishes they had been the main threat for a little longer. Greek mythos mixed with cosmic stuff is fun! Plus I feel they were thematically appropriate and a good foil for the team as a whole while also tying back to Peter with the usually forgotten Spartax stuff, the final battle/confrontation with them was great. Ultimately however I think Adam going Magus Mode in the DnA run and the tragedy of him turning after dealing with the fissure Fault and the team trying to do everything to prevent it, failing to do so and then Magus fucking with all of them, is still the most directly personal/effective threat they've had to deal with before or since if that counts for this... I know Magus wasn't directly their problem for more than a few issues but still.

28. What got you into comics?

I was super invested in the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics when I was way younger after getting a free comic book day issue LOL that eventually faded away as I grew up and then my timeline was essentially:

Saw the first GotG film > read the current (at the time) comics and was like ehhhhhhhh and fell off for a bit >> eventually went through and read the Annihilation era stuff and then went further back for individual characters >>> by that point All-New Guardians launched in 2017 and I LOVED the first half of that run >>>> Then it devolved into mass crossover event insanity and completely dropped Gamora's personal stakes in the plot to have a random soul stone monster being the mastermind of it all >>>>> Saw IW + EG and was SO HEARTBROKEN by the Guardians treatment in those movies that I completely put off reading anything Marvel related for a while LOL >>>>>> then the Eidos game came out and broke me and I read thru all the stuff I missed after Infinity Warps/etc and now I'm here.

[sunwarmed-ash]

First Lines of 10 Fics Game

rules: share the first lines of 10 of your most recent fanfics and then tag 10 people. If you have written less than 10 fics, don’t be shy and share anyways :)

tagged by: @babygirllinds

thank you so much for the tag!!!💜😈🔥💋

shit, I have 81 fics on Ao3 now👀 well here are the 10 most recently updated 😉

10. Death changes everything: Mungrove/Steddiegrove

Death changes everything; and not just for the people who mourn. 

It restarts time, relationships; past biases, and grudges. It Alters your view of the world, and what's considered important in the grand scheme of life. It all changes, and anyone who thinks it doesn’t is a fucking moron. 

Some things change for the better. Like his relationship with Max. Their bond now is the strongest it's ever been. 

Some don’t change at all. Like with his fucking father, who still hated him with the burning passion of Dante’s inferno, and had since he caught him kissing his boy best friend in 5th grade.

And some relationships change for the worst, forever. Like with Steve, who refused to even look at him since he returned to Hawkins.  

He didn't blame Steve, not anymore at least. He can understand things better now that he’s had time to process them. He’s not the same Billy Hargrove he was when they first met. He's just not. He’s not the same angry boy with powerful fists who kissed like the world was ending and fucked like a hurricane. He’s not the same man Steve fell in love with, mourned, and then attempted to process his sullen, haunted return to school 3 months later. That Billy died July 4th, 1985. 

9: Eastside: Harrigrove/Steddiegrove

For parents who swore they’d never stop loving him, ‘no matter what’ that sure seemed to stop the second they found out he might not be as straight as they all thought he once was. To be fair, he’s still adjusting to it. Steve didn’t even know he could feel like this until one Californian transplant Billy Hargrove moved to town. 

Steve thought his rage at first was fueled by simply adrenaline and jealousy; the blonde man’s need to make the right name for himself as soon as possible. Billy was already at a disadvantage starting a new school, in a new town, in the middle of the semester. Steve learned a short three weeks later that was not the whole story. 

Things changed at the Halloween party. Because after their fight and his and Nancy’s inevitable break up, the following events resulted in them both getting drunk enough to actually talk and Steve learned the blonde wasn’t nearly as intimidating as he was trying so hard to convince everyone else he was. Steve started feeling things after that night. But he initially discounted it, because he was healing from a broken heart, and it wasn’t fair to treat Billy like a rebound. Even if he did that night. 

Billy didn't mind. As soon as Steve’s tongue made it into the mouth he didn't hear another word from the man outside of his quiet moans.

8. The Eden Club: HankCon/HankConVin/HankVin

Ever since the tragic, bloody end of the Battle for Detroit, Connor began living with Hank undercover. Though the Androids ‘won’ the civil war, the public opinion regarding deviated Androids was still, very publicly, negative, so the second he could, he lost the LED and branded suits. He also lost his job at the DPD, which sucked, for a lot of reasons but mostly because he had never been programmed for anything else. Being forced to go undercover only compounded the identity crisis that came along with the addition of consciousness. He struggled significantly to understand what parts of his programming could be considered his true identity anymore. Now that he had seen behind the curtain, there was no way to untake the red pill. 

‘You weren't even built yet when that movie was made, you shouldn't be making that reference.'

Connor laughed aloud in the empty kitchen at the memory of Hank’s cranky response to his attempts at social bonding through pop culture references. But Connor couldn't help it, the more he learned about Hank's interests the more he wanted to try them himself to see if he liked them too. He genuinely found enjoyment in a fair amount of things Hank also enjoyed. Dogs, absolutely, terrible buddy-cop movies from the early 2000’s, the entirety of the Matrix Series, and the collection of new, (well new to him, hand-me-downs of Hank’s) suits that fit his slender frame almost perfectly. Connor appreciated and felt more comfortable in something that looked and felt more like his original loadout, without the bright blue identifying triangle. 

But he missed his cop days with Hank, and Hank did as well. It was probably the hardest adjustment to their new life. Especially now since his demotion meant Hank was stuck with that ‘foul-mouthed, sassy little Chicago prick!’ (Hank’s crude but also accurate description of Detective Gavin Reed.) He didn't know the full reason for the animosity between the two officers, yet. It had been an opened, unanswered tab in his synthetic brain that plagued him for months. It just, seemed to go deeper than just a workplace feud and was something that Hank may be unnecessarily carried with him every day. 

7. Silence isn't golden(sequel): Drarry, dubcon Snaco

We apperated onto the floor of our small, emphasis on small, one bedroom flat in Edinburgh after a whirling sensation stole the rest of my faculties. I had planned on taking us to the Manor, so Snape must have overridden my cast and brought us to our undercover home instead. It was logical, Voldemort had probably arrived there by now, and we would be walking right into his hands. This was supposed to be our safe house for… after. After I was supposed to murder Dumbledore. I didn't, and Severus took over. Speaking of Severus, his intimidatingly large body was on top of me making it impossible to breathe. I shoved the older man off with a huff, straightening my tie and brushing the dust off my clothes in an attempt to regain some of my dignity and composure while also freaking out about the next steps. What does this now mean for me? For mum? For Harry?

"Draco-"

My body winced, his voice was like ragged steel on my nerves. Just the sound of my name on his lips made me so furious I could vomit.

"Don't! Just don't, okay?" I had no patience for this.

Severus was on his feet now, looking far more sympathetic than I’ve ever seen the elder Slytherin. He was essentially pleading, pathetic.

"Please Draco, let me explain."

I practically choked on the irony.

"Explain what! T-Th-That you were going to kill Harry? Right in front of me? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

My feet moved faster than my brain, and I was shoving Severus back with a force I didn’t know I had in me. His back hit the drywall with a satisfying thud and I used the free moments to locate my wand.

6. Watch me cum apart: Steddiegrove

How they started the conversation regarding kinks he didn't remember. Eddie didn't care anymore frankly, because either way it led them here, to this moment, in the locker room. But why did Billy pick one of the most frequented places by the male student body to fuck his brains out? Probably because Eddie’s got a big fucking mouth, and he may, may , have let himself get a little too loose-lipped the last time they got high together. Though in his defense, Billy’s hand was on his cock at the time…

“So you like it when people watch you get off?”

“Yeah, but it's- not just that,” he pants, because Billy is twisting his fist up towards the head, and Eddie’s brain shuts off. The pressure around his cock releases immediately and Eddie’s head snaps up with a bratty whine of disapproval. 

“I’ll keep touching you Sweetheart, but you didn’t finish answering my question.”

That was- fair. Tough, but fair, Eddie huffed anyway. He wanted to stick his tongue out at him but then Billy might not let him cum at all. 

“I like, how they look at me. After. It's really, good for me.” 

“Good boy,” Billy grins with a purr, canines sharp and prominent as his hand returns, slick and warm. Eddie’s brain melts out his ears. 

Which is why they were here, in the boy's locker room, after school, just minutes before basketball practice was starting...

5. He can't do it on command,(but he's working on it): Petercest(Peter 1/Peter 2/Peter3)

They'd caged and edged him for days. Granted, Peter had asked for it, practically begged for it actually. Mostly because he was curious how long he could last, but now, on day 8, he was severely regretting that choice. 

He had cried for over an hour yesterday when the denied orgasm left him feeling like a wound tight spring. He almost safeworded, but they helped ease him back down gently, and promised, swore, they'd let him cum tonight.

Fuck, he was already hard against the metal cage just thinking about it. 

They insisted on taking him out to dinner first, which seemed like a nice enough gesture on the surface. But seeing as it was Pete and Parker, he should have known it was all just an elegantly crafted ploy to get him to lower his defenses so they could torture him further within moments of arriving. 

When Pete’s hand slid under the table to pull out his caged cock from his sweatpants, he gasped so loud it attracted more than a few eyes their way. 

Peter flushed hot with embarrassment as he cleared his throat and hid behind his menu in a desperate attempt to save face. He can hear and feel the metal unlock and fall free under Pete’s nimble fingers and Peter’s brief moment of cage-free relief is squashed when the man tugs his overly sensitive cock a few dozen times to get him nearly whimpering before letting go cruelly.

Pete then slips the cage into his pocket before resting both hands on the table with an innocent smile and nodding towards their blue-haired waitress who was now approaching...

4. Empathetic asshole: Harringrove

He woke up groggy. Which was normal after a night of smoking so much weed he forgot how empty the space he was currently occupying was. He could get lost in the intoxicating haze and forget the agonizing loneliness that came from being stuck inside a pitch-black mansion while his parents went and did whatever they wanted without him. He didn't want to get up, his muscles felt like lead, and what was the point? To walk around the day illuminated but no less empty halls of his home? That didn't sound appealing in the slightest. He supposed he should probably get up though. Dustin would be ringing his line non-stop if he wasn't on time to pick him up. 

He groaned aloud only to inwardly flinch at the hoarse, pained sound that escaped his throat. His throat was raw, and sounded like he’d been gargling glass all night. Hot coffee would probably help. Well, maybe not if it hurt this bad, but the warmth would at least help Steve feel more human, more in his body than he currently felt. 

He yanked himself up quickly.

“Ah, fuck!” he wheezed as a blinding, crippling pain in his left side had him collapsing solidly back against the mattress. The ordinary motion had completely knocked the wind out of him. It hurt so bad he couldn't even unclench his eyes to check out the source of the pain. He held his side and cried as he waited for the spasms to stop. What the hell did he do last night? Did he fall and just not remember? 

It was a solid 10 minutes before he could even think about moving again.  When he did, even at a snail's pace, the pain flared up and had him gasping between shaky breaths. 

“Yeah okay, I hear ya. Definitely cutting back on the weed,” he mumbled to the devoid space, wincing when the pain in his throat compounded. 

Okay. Step 1: Stand. Step 2: Coffee

By the third try, he was able to stand. Barely, but at least he wasn’t in the bed anymore. He was able to shuffle across the room in a handful of careful steps. Step 1 complete, on to step 2. 

He yanked open his bedroom door and took a single half step before colliding torso first into a huge, solid, mass. He fell back on his ass hard, yelping as the pain in his side was now felt throughout his entire body. Oww, oww oww. Fuck!

He shook out his head to try and figure out how he got from the door to the floor again. Oh yeah, he ran into something. His eyes flew open and his mouth dried at the visual of onyx steel-toed boots. (There were other colors splattered across the toes, but Steve didn't want to spend another moment analyzing if it was blood or mud.) Because, he may have gotten higher than the Empire State building last night, but he knew for a fact his house was empty. 

So who the fuck was this? 

3. Deja Vu: Peter 1/Peter2, previous Webb!parksborn

Peter 1 and his little high school entourage had just runoff in an attempt to round up the rest of the overflow of Spider-verse Baddies leaving just the two veteran Spidermen alone in the Wizard’s dungeon. 

Well, not completely alone, as Norman and Otto’s constant bickering through magic prison glass reminded them, but they both seemed content to sit in the shared silence for a while. Mr. Cool Youth Pastor was the first to break it.

“So. I hate to ask, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since that uh, ‘guy in the chair’ kid asked me.” 

“Yeah?" Parker tensed up a little.  Call it intuition, or his uniquely Peter Parker 6th sense, but he could feel the question at the man’s lips before he even said it.

“How did you lose your Harry?”

2. You know what they say about assuming: Steddiegrove, Buckingham

All he had was a suspicion.

And a hell of a lot of nerve for doing something that many would consider to be pretty fucking stupid, not to mention reckless. Reckless wasn’t even the right word. Try social suicide. Because this was Hawkins, i.e. Red White and Blue, ‘Backyard BBQ and Beers duuuuude,’ Breederville USA. He would bet the new Iron Maiden cassette he bought this morning he was the only queerdo in town. 

But Hawkins had a new kid in town, didn’t they? And well, like he said, he had a suspicion. And the deepest, subconscious, unstoppable tick to poke the bear whenever possible. (Ask literally anyone at lunch today, he insulted most of them.) All it took was the addition of one baby blue handkerchief half-tucked into the back, right pocket of his favorite ripped, dark wash skinny jeans to prove it.

To those who didn't know, it was just another random, unnecessary addition to Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson’s ever-changing wardrobe. No reason to expect anything out of the ordinary here. But for those who did know… well, let's just say their stupefied burst of unbridled shock was his favorite part. Today’s contender was one newly transplanted, King Billy, ‘California Dream’ Hargrove whose eyes widen at least three times their normal size when Eddie turns to his back to say hi to Gareth, flashing the sign.

1. Cat got your tongue?: SpideyCat, BlackSpider (felicia hardyxpeter parker

“If there’s one thing I know about Felicia, she’s meticulous when she wants something.” 

“Oooh I love it when you talk dirty,” MJ chuckled, the heat of her genuine arousal obvious through the phone.

Peter’s whole body flushed with that insinuation and his heart burst out into a sprint. Well, this certainly wasn't how he thought this phone call was going to go…  

“MJ… stoppp,” he chuckled, though his suit was arguably feeling a bit tight. 

“Why, you're not hard in the suit already, are you? ” she teased.    

He’s starting to sweat. Of course, he’s fucking hard. That's the whole reason he’s going to see Felicia in the first place. Hard, frustrated, conflicted, and exhausted. He feeds MJ an unconvincing line. 

“No… of course not…”

“Well, that’s because you're a good boy, aren't you Pete?” She coos playfully. 

Peter bit into his lip in an attempt not to whine. MJ knew his kinks better than anyone else, even if she and Felicia knew some parts of him equally, intimately well. And he did like to be good, especially for MJ. That’s all he’s ever wanted to be for her. Felicia was the one who usually preferred him bad…

“Whoa!” He shoots a web west and just narrowly dodges the sharp branches of an Elm to the face. “MJ please, come on.” I can’t use both of my heads at the same time. 

“Why babe, don't want to show up to your date already hot and flustered, practically cumming on her doorstep thinking about her strap in your ass and whip on your back?”

Now Peter did whine audibly. That visual sent a zip of pleasure to his spine so strong he nearly lost his balance and fell out of the sky. He shot a web 40 degrees east and attached himself to a building to wait until MJ stopped verbally sexting him. 

“Fuck, MJ, please stop.” He was weak, he was so weak, and he didn’t want to cum in the suit. But his cock was leaking, hard and desperate because the last time Felica wore the strap Peter ached for days. 

“Tell her hi for me, and swing back by my place when she's all done with you.” Then she cackled, “If you can , that is.” 

Peter grabbed his cock between his legs with a whine, holding back his orgasm that was threatening to spill for her. 

“Oh god, okay. Deal. Please, MJ -” 

She giggles and it makes his heart swell. 

“Talk to you later babe, love you!” 

“I love you too.”

Peter's heart was beating so hard that he had to take a few moments to compose himself after the call. All his blood was in the wrong head. Fuck, he loved MJ. He couldn't really believe this was an arrangement they could make work, but after the whole, spider-baby thing, let's just say something had to give, and he was glad it was their dedication to monogamy. 

Peeps to tag :3 @tentoriumcerebelli @writerwhowritesao3, @youweremovingyourfeet, @spaceofentropy, @shaed, @harrygroves, @ashyfur-524, @ooo-protean-ooo, @mjanddeacy, @tradedsymmetry, @destroya2005, @lizzy0305, @disdaidal, @moirail-mate, @irishbeings, @ezra-starkiller, @houndstoothjacket, @eevylynn, @flugames

[sylvieeee5]

IT. IS. MBS TIME

AAAAAAAAA

HI!!! Don’t know if you know me, but I’m Sylv! I do liveblogs of MBS (I’ve been a fan since fifth grade haha) that are QUESTIONABLY readable and cat-picture heavy!! Speaking of… a little kitty update!!

If you’ve been reading my LBs for a while, you may remember this adorable bean:

Well, I’m delighted to announce that Sonic has found his forever home- with my grandparents! Congrats on winning them over, little man- can’t wait to see how much you’ve grown when they come to visit next week!

okay i actually have to watch it now hhhhh

fear. and excitement

alright.

MBS Season 2, Episode 1: A Perilous Journey.

Let’s go.

!Warning!! Book/show spoilers ahead!

0:32

Welp, she said it! Roll credits on the whole production, boys. (actually no don’t habsgshdhssh)

0:44

SQ SIGHTING SQ SIGHTINF

ahem.

1:53

DR GARRISON SIGHTING

GIRLBOSSSS

okay we haven’t even made it past the RECAP yet, come on sylv-

2:39

OH NO

MADGE HOW COULD YOU

rip mouse 😭😭😭

3:09

WETHERALL FARMMMMMM

3:14

boomerang????????

3:24

hey king cmoN IT WAS COOL

3:29

baby!!! also we have her name said for the first time!!!

3:56

yes.... yes you are 4:12

IT’S NIGHT NOW

NEW INTRO?????????????

4:20 (ayy)

THE GOLF CART

THE A L PA C A HUH??????

also “not identical”  👀

4:30

dog man...?

4:50

i amn... intrigued

4:59

THANK YOU KINGS!!!!

5:21

smug... fishing for compliments... yep this is the loser we all know and... love?

5:27

Ah Connie girl- trying to use your newly-discovered psychic abilities to kill him through the screen?  I don’t blame you tbh

5:36

OH SHOOT

who’s he blaming for this one???

5:37

OH YOU B I TC H

NO

HOW D A RE YOU DO MY GIRL LIKE THAT

6:15

Heavily used in the trailers... might I be detecting a bit of double meaning?

“I can”- make anyone happy... and control what they’re saying.

6:19

ugh.

6:25

YES QUEEN GO OFF

7:43

NO

the only sane one-

7:13

JHWGKASYHADAKDUHDKAWAIWAJWSUAIHDIUWDHiuldawhawd

DO IT GIRL

7:18

rhonda: completely unbothered

...how many times has constance tried to do this sshkj

7:28

🙄 babies.

7:49

awwwww

okay, i know they’re not legally sisters in this ‘verse, but... sisters

8:13

THAT’S THE SCREAM

HJSFJKSDAUSHDASUSHSDIA

mission failed. we’ll get ‘em next time

9:23

very reassuring.

9:44

girl what????

are you forgetting the tried-to-take-over-the-world part???

10:28

well crap

10:54

THE SOUND I JUST MADE

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

milligannnnnnnnn

11:00

It’s been a year, but Kate’s still struggling with healthy independence vs. shutting people out,,,

And their relationship... It’s still new, to both of them. It’s a struggle to go back to... being father and daughter.

man

11:07

katie-cat,,,

11:30

gsajagjdgjj

parents expressing interest in your fandoms be like-

12:09

12:41

“We know each other.”

12:48

such a good ammaaaaaaaa i’m going to cry

ms perumal i love you

13:51

excellent icebreaker queen

13:57

the SMILESSSSSS

14:17

US TOO STICKY

US. TOO.

14:59

dogman?

16:37

a firm no

16:54

okay i know that was a trick but...

hug

17:28

girl what

17:41

fyueawkiWHQdiquhlJHSDKKADSUKI hey. don’t diss the sweater vest.

17:57

the well.

18:41

Everyone’s a critic

19:46

she really said  👀

20:13

TRUEEEEEEEEEE

also WHAT

21:09

o-hoh no

reynie

22:15

22:59

constance he IS your father and you CARE him

23:06

they play chess

24:00

AYKUEYUAD SHE DID THE REYNIE FACE

24:19

sibling behavior

24:24

constance behavior

24:37

“A book in a book... Bookception.”

that was. remarkably stupid

25:08

the journal that... isn’t a journal and is just a nonsense book.

 huh?

25:46

AHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHASDJJAHKDUSHADW

26:12

sdjkdhkhkskdw

26:45

what’s that got to do with it constance

27:14

Everybody knows that, Kate.

27:52

STICKYYYYYYY

brave boy arc :)

28:33

WATER POLO ALERT

29:49

That’s not a verb, sir

30:18

kate i adore you

30:41

local fish population decimated. sugar prices skyrocketing. great job guys

30:54

oh my god

31:48

wh

what have i just witnessed.

32:04

his stupid gOLF CART

they’re coming right on THROUGH with the curtain loser energy

32:35

this ain’t a pyramid scheme king(derogatory)

32:58

WUH-OH

33:40

AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

WELL

I’m so stoked for this season!!!!! So far, apart from the Curtain stuff (which I, still have not fully processed,,) it seems pretty 1-1 with the book... but as we know, things will certainly diverge...

wait

WAIT

NO ROLL CREDITS MOMENT?????? THAT’S THE STAPLE OF THE SERIES

OKAY I’M MAD NOW

I give 201: A Perilous Journey a 9/10! A lovely little bite of what’s to come- only prevented from a perfect score by the laCK OF A TITLE DROPPPPPPPP

I am. so upset about that.

See you later today for episode 2!

[seer918]

Comparing Megaman robot masters to Megaman Battle Network netnavis part 2: The very belated one

Soooooo I totally forgot I was doing this. Shows how bad last summer was if my brain melted to the point I forgot

Oh well, time for the next batch

Score so far is 5-2 in favour of the navi because I count ties as a point for both, and I feel like that gap’s gonna get larger

First, MetalMan and MetalMan.exe

God these designs fuck (affectionate)

Not a big fan of the yellow on the robot master, and I enjoy the addition of gears and the mechanical fists to make .EXE more metal themed rather than just buzzsaw themed

Point for MetalMan.exe, raising the score to 6-2

Next, AirMan and AirMan.EXE

Ehhhh, they’re both...alright? Kinda dumpy in different ways

Not sure I like the addition of green to the Navi design, but do like its slightly more threatening fan

But there’s just something truly iconic about the classic design, even if I didn’t grow up with it. I also prefer the overal bulkiness compare to the inexplicably lanky thighs of .EXE...

It’s a tie, 7-3.

Okay, next up is...next up are the Bubblemen

...it’s a race to rock bottom, folks. Another victim of the random chibi-fication but instead of ruining a solid design it’s just another version of a really ugly look

Why the cheek marks and the fat lips? But then again why give a robot a diving mask? Why make a water robot green?

I’m half tempted to remove a point from BOTH games’ score but instead I’m awarding both games a point as compensation for having to look at these two.

8-4

Thankfully the next up are a nice change of pace, pun semi-intended, QuickMan and QuickMan.EXE

Both are really solid designs, but even putting my personal navi bias aside I do like that .EXE looks like something that can move fast. And all the sharp edges make the idea of simply getting in his way a fatal choice.

9-4, but it was REALLY close this time.

Skipping over CrashMan since I guess they didn’t want to think about how overpowered a program with CRASH in it’s name would be to fight, we move on to FLASH, AH AAAAAAA~

...this batch (with one notable exception) so far has really been the ‘close to the original’ round, huh?

Ironically given the name, I like the mostly darker colour scheme for .EXE, since it makes the actual flashing parts POP a bit more.

10-4 and that’s mainly because the pauldrons on the robot master being light blue annoys me for some reason, otherwise it’d’ve been a tie.

Next up is a dumpy guy dressed as a lighter and a screaming Hellbeast that looks like a lighter that uses child blood as lighter fuel

The best glow up in this batch and the best navi partner of Mr Match...oh do I have a burning desire to tear into the last one of his fire trio but I’ll wait until the 6th round.

Even if I didn’t have a bias, I just love the jack’o lantern look to .EXE’s face. They really went hard in on the fact that Navi don’t HAVE to look humanoids and I love it.

11-4

And last we have...Oh, nice, WoodMan

The only Robot master who isn’t mostly red or blue in this batch so my eyes are happy. the yellow accents are weird but do help pop against his otherwise dull tone-mm? Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to get a picture of your decendent, WoodMan.EXEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYIKES!

....HE LOOKS CONSTIPATED!

I mean I guess they were going more for the wooden golem look but...why give him big meaty lips? Why does his arms look more robotic than the actual robot master? On MetalMan.EXE that makes sense since mechanical bu-WHY DOES HE HAVE A FUEL GAUGE?!

...I’m dissapointed Battle Network. At least you made his operator an absolute cutie.

11-5. The gap got larger but the classic series is still clinging on

Gonna try and make this at least a twice weekly series since the Legacy Collection will be out soon, even if currently my funds won’t let me buy it until my next paychecque...stupid illness taking out a week and a bit...

Er, anyway I’ll try and have the 3rd batch out tomorrow, be good people

[rai-knightshade-art]

I posted 40 times in 2022

33 posts created (83%)

7 posts reblogged (18%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pitchperfectrarepairweek

@chevalierebf

@creativesplat

@corelliaxdreaming

@androgymagnus

I tagged 40 of my posts in 2022

#myposts - 32 posts

#myart - 30 posts

#star wars legends - 11 posts

#pitch perfect - 10 posts

#pitch perfect rare pair week - 10 posts

#anne of green gables - 10 posts

#zekk - 10 posts

#young jedi knights - 10 posts

#jaina solo - 9 posts

#anne with an e - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#also i know this isnt strictly anne with an e but i think the whole fandom will get a kick out of this particular joke so im tagging it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Y'all know that post about "what if there was a Smash style game but with public domain characters"? This Post? Yeah i had an idea for that 😂 Though my idea wasn't "Jay Gatsby with the steel chair!" (Although that is a very funny mental image), it was "Anne Shirley with the chalk slate!" And so this comic was born! Also i threw in Victor Frankenstein cause he deserves to get smashed over the head with a slate by an 11 year old actually, maybe it'll teach him some humility like it did Gilbert.

Also Marilla and Gilbert would be summonable characters with funny catchphrases, you know they would--Marilla with her "Fiddlesticks!" And Gilbert with an apple pun (as is his wont). Truly I'm sad this doesn't actually exist.

(close ups under the Read More! Image IDs are in the alt text)

See the full post

11 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

#4

I seem to be on a "fave media x 80's cult classic" kick right now (there'll be a Sailor Moon x Back to the Future post sometime in the future), so let's have my latest combo: the Young Jedi Knights Squad (Jaina, Jacen, Zekk, Tenel Ka, and Raynar) as The Breakfast Club! Aka a fanfic that i will never write and yet so desperately want to see written i already made Fanart for it. Go figure. Anyways have some iconic scenes from the movies!

Close Ups and a description of each of the "club" members below the cut, image IDs in the alt text!

The Players:

Zekk is, obviously, the "delinquent"; he's an orphan, he has to work and scrounge up his food and clothes, he pulls harebrained schemes for the adrenaline rush--he's a teacher's (specifically Brakiss's) worst nightmare. Of course, that's not all he is; he's got a key mind for mechanics and technology, helped by his scrap searching; he stays out at all hours because he doesn't like being home alone (his guardian Peckham, who he loves like family, is often away as a truck driver, and it gets lonely in their little house without him); he's kindhearted, and fiercely loyal, he just doesn't want to let anyone in out of fear of losing them, or that they won't like what they see....

Jaina is the "princess"; the only daughter of the Governor, she's been groomed to play nice and hang out with the other children of politicians and CEOs since she was just a little girl. Nowadays they form her primary group of friends, the most popular kids in school, looked up to--or down upon-- by their peers in equal measure. And... She kinda hates it. She stays with them only out of obligation, to make her mother's life easier, but she doesn't particularly care about any of them and doesn't even particularly enjoy their company; it's all drama and gossip and a revolving cacophony of dating and breaking up and bitter exes and rivalries and she is sick of it. She would much rather be spending her time at her dad's auto shop, getting her hands dirty tuning up engines and changing oil and bonding with Han. She can't tell anyone that tho, it would ruin her reputation...

Jacen is the "jock"; the twin brother of Jaina, he also feels a certain pressure to stay in with the popular crowd. He achieves this by being captain of the fencing team; it's no star quarterback position but it is still respectable among his peers. Fencing isn't his true passion, tho; he'd much rather be spending all his time at the local animal shelters, or assisting at the zoo. He's an animal lover through and through, but it's something he hides from his "friends" so that they don't have reason to shun him for being a "sissy." He knows there's nothing ignoble about his hobby, but they don't know that....

Tenel Ka is, for lack of a better term, the "weirdo"; she comes from somewhere called Dathomir, from a culture of fierce warrior women, and boy, does she act like it. She will readily duel anyone who looks at her wrong, she eats entire animal legs for lunch, and she never seems to show much emotion.... Ever. Add to that her missing arm (which no one knows the truth about btw, rumors fly about it being anything from a childhood accident to one of her duels gone wrong), and she cuts an intimidating figure that most students avoid. Is there more to her than that? Oh is there. Is there ever.

Raynar Thul is the final member of the crew; he's the "trust fund baby" that hangs out with a very specific clique that even Jaina and Jacen aren't a part of. He comes across as snobbish and standoffish, unwilling to dabble with anyone "lesser". This is a front, however; he projects this persona because it's what his parents expect from him, and he doesn't want word getting back to them about what he actually does: extensive volunteer work. Raynar has a drive to help people, and has been trying to use his privilege all through high school to do just that, by volunteering at food banks and for highway clean up, and donating as much of his allowance as physically possible where he can. In fact, it's how he met his girlfriend Lusa, but that's a whole other can of worms...

See the full post

11 notes - Posted June 7, 2022

#3

Young Jedi Knights!! Or, ok more accurately they're old enough to be New Jedi Order/Fate of the Jedi/etc etc era but I'm ignoring, like, all of that. So.

@lizartgurl you know that scene we low-key talked about? I drew it 😅 nothing like a good set of parallels in your star wars fan art!

And I'm also of the opinion that Zekk's dynamic with the twins when they were younger is basically 50% Off Makoto and Nagisa, so i present Zekk, explaining one of his many adventures to a pair of kids that i will explain below the cut because their story is... Complicated, and started literally a decade ago 😅

More details and closeups below the cut, image IDs in Alt Text as always!

See the full post

13 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#2

Prompt: "This is me trying"

Pitch Perfect RarePair Week 2022, Day 1

Because we all know the REAL reason Jessica and Ashley didn't get much screentime in the movies was because they were busy being James Bond-esque super spies/secret agents and living out their very own Mrs. and Mrs. Smith AU. Speaking of, hey, Pitch Perfect fandom? I have seen ZERO Mrs. and Mrs. Smith AU's for these two yet and I am APPALLED. It's perfect for them! Secret hidden lives, confusion over names (because they've got so many cover identities it's hard to keep track who's who), JESSICA'S LAST NAME IS LITERALLY SMITH THIS FIC WRITES ITSELF.

*ahem*

Anyways, welcome to my first entry (EVER!!) for Pitch Perfect RarePair Week! I rewatched the first movie recently, hyperfixated, and came to the realization that, apparently, it's "oops all rarepairs and hot takes" for me 😅. This seemed like the perfect way to tentatively test the waters of truly joining in, ya know? And so, I offer this drawing as your prompt, oh fic writers of the fandom; if you want to write this AU, you've already got free fan art for it! And my undying devotion.

This is, of course, for Prompt #1, "this is me trying"; I'm sure this was intended to be an angsty, emotional turmoil between partners prompt, but I couldn't help but turn it on its head into a comedic exchange in the middle of a High Stakes Infiltrate-and-Extract job, ya know? YOU try cracking the safe then, Jessica, if you think it's so easy! 😂

Stay tuned for the rest of my RarePair Week posts, and of course check out everybody else's entries over on @pitchperfectrarepairweek as they come in! There's some seriously talented writers in this fandom! As for me, I've got a couple of different rarepairs I've been drawing for, plus (hopefully) one fic for Day 5 that also ties into Day 6 (and, technically speaking, Day 2, though it's not as obvious)... Provided I can, ya know, ever finish writing the damn thing 😅. Though I will warn y'all, Day 2's entry may or may not be late, as I only had the idea for it a couple days ago and I haven't had time yet to draw it 😅 we shall see how quickly I can get it put together!

Links to the other RarePair Week posts and a close up below the cut, Image ID is in the alt text!

Days I'm participating in (and the Entries I've posted):

Day 1 (This is me trying): You are Here!

Day 2 (I've missed you): Link

Day 5 (If honesty means telling the truth... Well then the truth is I'm still in love with you): Link

Day 6 (There's no way that it's not going to happen with you looking at me like that): Link

Close Up:

Day 7.1 (I can't say it, but I'll sing it): Link

Day 7.2 (part 2 of Day 2): Link

See the full post

15 notes - Posted December 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

"Have I known you 20 seconds ....

......or 20 Years?"

(or: I couldn't find a satisfactory Anne of Green Gables bookmark so I made my own)

(image id in alt text, close ups/alt angles and artist thoughts under the cut)

(quote from Taylor Swift's "Lover")

So, I really wanted a bookmark featuring my all time favorite Anne quote, aka the "diamond sunbursts and marble halls" line. But I couldn't find a good bookmark that I liked that also featured that line, so I just decided, what the hey, I'll make one myself, and I can do it exactly the way I want to! And then I did 😂.

I wanted a double-sided bookmark so I could feature a scene from each of my two favorite adaptations of Anne, i.e. the Sullivan movies and Anne with an E. I knew the Sullivan side would have the main quote since said quote actually appeared in the movies, and from there it was an easy decision to pair it with the reunion scene from A Continuing Story, a) because that scene has lived rent free in my head since I was 10, and b) while the first kiss that came after the actual line was beautiful, the reunion scene brings a different, more desperate emotion to the quote that I really like. It's in the way they clutch at each other desperately, the way Gilbert's face is pressed into her shoulder so tightly you can see wrinkles in his skin appear, the way Anne runs her fingers through his hair, the whole scene just screams "all I've wanted for two straight years was just to hold you in my arms again" and I burn I pine I perish.

After that it was just a matter of figuring out the Anne with an E side. I decided pretty quickly that I wanted the bonfire scene, both to contrast the other side by splitting the image up and because that scene, almost more than the actual first kiss scene, really cemented Gilbert's love for Anne to me, you can see it in his eyes as he looks up at her, illuminated by fire, like he's looking at his own personal goddess. And with that idea came the decision to use his letter as the quote, albeit shortened cause homeboy was rather wordy in confessing his love (which I adore that's a whole other rant) so that I kept the main, emotional hooks.

Then, I surrounded each one with meaningful flowers (lilies of the valley for the og, queen Anne's lace for the newbies), splashed some watercolors across the backgrounds for some flavor, and that was that!

Btw these are both done on toned mixed-media paper, it's thick and it's almost a cross between card stock and cardboard. I designed the whole thing in pencil, inked it in black and white, then threw watercolor over the top before finishing with water soluble markers and retouches to the white gel ink where needed. I plan to laminate this for it's protection but these pictures were taken unlaminated.

Close ups:

See the full post

19 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

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[m-pershyna-arts246-003]

Arts 102: Blog Post, Weeks 9-10 + Reading Reflection

Week 9: This week was focused on my concept statements and the digital rendering of my two logos for Matilda and Trunchbull. I sketched and scanned out the several logo ideas I was most likely to go with (attached below), and chose the floating book with for the character Matilda and the newt trapped inside the glass for the character Trunchbull.

When receiving feedback from professor Khalili, she suggested removing the arch of text for Matilda's logo and doing scrambled letters instead for more visual impact, and removing Trunchbull's hand on the newt logo. I suggested changing my character from Trunchbull to Lavender (she did the original initiation of the prank in the movie), and professor Khalili agreed, resulting in the character change in my project. Class on Wednesday was asynchronous and was focused around the completion of my concept statements (attached below). In my concept statements, I described the character, discussed the Gestalt principles used (similarity and area), the font (Big Caslon Medium and Chalkboard), and my color scheme (contrasting and analogous).

Week 10: This week was focused on the completion of my character logo project. During the weekend, I spent a lot of time working and editing my character logos. Using Adobe Illustrator was a challenge as my logos both featured illustrations (Matilda's hands and the newt) more than shapes, leading to a lot of time being spent in revising and reediting the digital art. Eventually, I ended up using another program, Clip Studio Paint, as a way to complete my digital art as I find there to be more line and tool diversity on this program for digital art. After finishing my artwork on Clip Studio Paint, I brought it back into Adobe Illustrator, and had to make some more digital touchups since my imported images were not to scale and were heavily pixelated. The process was arduous, but eventually, I found myself to be satisfied with both of my logos. My project was completed on Wednesday, when I used an Adobe InDesign template to import my images and concept statements. Then, I sent my work to the printing lab, where it will be printed on 11"x17" matte presentation paper. Though this project came with many of its challenges (The main one being me being a novice student and still learning to achieve proficiency with the Adobe programs), I found myself to be happy and satisfied with the end result.

Reading Reflection (246-291): With app design, I never realized that there are so many factors needed to be considered, such as the state of the person using the device and potential interfering technologies (like headphones). I think it's interesting how this is a potentially high-reward form of design. The work that stood out to me the most was Michel Chanaud's- I am visually drawn to visually vintage works like his Etapes magazine cover, which appears to be illustrated with an airbrush and has hazy color choices, like the fainted blue in the background. I also thought the excerpt on Girls and Games (page 262) to be interesting, as it comes to show how modern open-mindedness in thinking and disattatchment from old stereotypes and beliefs is a valuable trait to have in the world of graphic design. In the section for E-commerce, I found the clean, modern, and floral work of Randy J. Hunt to be visually striking. The edge in Lucy Sisman's ink art designs also stood out to me from a chaotic, yet harmonious stand-point. I found the fact that in the past, message delivery was prioritized over consumers to be surprising- It comes to show on how many fronts graphic design has evolved.

[novelmonger]

Moments That Bring Me Joy: Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace

On a whim, I've decided to go through some of my favorite childhood movies and just list all the moments in them that bring me joy. I'm fully aware that many of the stories I loved as a kid are deeply flawed, but I just want to take some time to appreciate what they did well. Just because I'm focusing on the positive doesn't mean I'm unaware of the negative.

Note: I chose the word "joy" deliberately. Not all of the moments that bring me joy bring me (or the characters) happiness. Scenes involving death or pain might not be very fun or cheerful, but I find joy in a good story well told.

I wanted to start with Star Wars, because that was my life when I was 8/9/10. And what better time of year to begin a nostalgic look back on Star Wars? Don't look now, but this is going to be long, because Episode I is my favorite of the main six. I used to watch this on average once a week, and still have the majority of it memorized ^^'

I love that Obi-Wan's first line in the movie is the famous, "I have a bad feeling about this." (Also, don't ask me how many times I've found reason to quote him: "it's something...elsewhere...elusive.")

"My lord, is that...legal?" "I will make it legal." That's basically Sidious' modus operandi, isn't it?

I love the battle droids' voices. "Roger, roger."

"They are still coming through!" *Force theme swells* I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, Qui-Gon breaking through blast doors with a lightsaber isn't the most impressive or heroic of feats, but that music works on me every time. I always want to cheer ^_^

"You were right about one thing, Master. The negotiations were short."

"You assume too much." - A very useful quote that I use frequently, mimicking Nute Gunray's accent for maximum effect.

Padme's royal gown and headdress are kinda weird, but so pretty. I also love her official makeup. I had a doll of her in this outfit, and I thought it was the prettiest thing.

John Williams has made a lot of amazing music for this series, but I think my second-favorite is actually the Trade Federation theme. Weird, right? There's just something about it that gets me so excited - probably because it's most prominent in this movie.

"You almost got us killed. Are you brainless?" "I spake." "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent. Now get out of here." - I love Jar-Jar Binks. I know I'm in the tiny minority about that, but I do. He's adorable and I love him.

"That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way." "If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces, and blast us into oblivion!" - I love this line, and I love Obi-Wan's little smirk to Qui-Gon about it XD

When they go through the bubble membrane into Ota Gunga! So satisfying ^_^

Say what you will about Big Boss Nass, but I love him. The clicking, the jowl-jiggling. "De Naboo tink dey so smarty. Dey tink dey brains so big!"

"Master, what's a bongo?" "A transport, I hope."

Jar-Jar's snail-like eyes bugging out at the gooberfish XD

"There's always a bigger fish."

"You didn't tell him about the missing Jedi." "No need to report that to him until we have something to report." Excellent quoting potential.

That sound the battle droids make when Qui-Gon Force-pushes them away!

The handmaidens' outfits are also gorgeous. Oh, what I would have given at the age of 8 to have a dress with a red-to-yellow gradient like that! <3 (If we'd been a Halloween-celebrating family, I totally would have gone as Padme or Leia three years in a row.)

"Where are you taking them?" "To Coruscant." "Coruscant...uh, that doesn't compute. Uh, wait, uh...you're under arrest!"

R2-D2's moment of heroism, fixing the ship's shields! <3

"Mesa day startin' pitty okey-day wit a brisky mornin' munchin', den boom! Gettin' berry scared, and grabbin' dat Jedi, den pah! Mesa here. Mesa gettin' berry, berry scared!"

You're going to get tired of hearing this, but: Padme's look on Tatooine is so pretty! Especially her hair. Oh, I love her hair!

Jar-Jar vs. the pit droids is always fun.

"Ey, ey! Ya wanna wanga?" Or however it's spelled; do I look like I speak Huttese? XD

I love that Anakin just invites these weird offworlders he's never met before to stay at his home during the sandstorm - and that Shmi doesn't put up any sort of protest, but welcomes them in and feeds them. True hospitality and generosity. Later on, Anakin says to Shmi, "You say the biggest problem in this universe is nobody helps each other." They are the exception to that for sure.

C3-PO and R2D2's meeting is so funny and sweet. And just think of how many years they end up spending together and how many adventures they'll go on!

"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods." *snatches Jar-Jar's tongue in the middle of swiping a fruit* "Don't do that again."

"No one can kill a Jedi." "I wish that were so." - FORESHADOWING!!!!! D:

Jar-Jar getting his tongue stuck in the energy binders and going, "My tongue is fat" with his long tongue hanging out of his mouth XD

"IT'S WORKING!!!! IT'S WORKING!!!!"

Just...all of the CG and sound effects of the podrace. It's all so good!!! I'm especially fond of the CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK sound of Sebulba's engines.

That one racer who goes, "Rarrr!" right before blowing up XD

DARTH MAUL DARTH MAUL DARTH MAUL!!!! 8D Definitely the coolest and most intimidating Sith. It definitely helps that he has, like, two lines in the whole movie.

That bemused smile when Obi-Wan and Anakin meet for the first time. They have no idea.... :')

Nute Gunray saying, "Take him away," which sounds more like, "Tuck him away," like the battle droids are going to tuck Sio Bibble in for the night XD

Sunsets on Coruscant are always so gorgeous <3

"You've been a good apprentice, Obi-Wan. And you're a much wiser man than I am. I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight."

The handmaidens' outfits in the final battle of Naboo are really cool, and I love the hair! I remember trying to figure out how to put my hair up like that when I was a kid.

That secret little smile between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan that means they suspected all along that Padme was the real queen.

"Yousa no tinkin' yousa greater dan da Gungans? Meeeeesa lika dis! Maybe wesa...bein' friends!" And the Gungans throw themselves into the defense of their planet! I just love how the two peoples work together.

"Wipe them out. All of them." - Yet another favorite line to quote.

The whole sequence of the battle droids unloading and then marching on the Gungans is so satisfying. Also, I love the sound effect of the lasers pinging against the shield.

"Red group, blue group! Everybody this way!" - Why was this also a favorite line for my brother and me???

DUEL OF THE FATES YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! 8D Absolutely the best lightsaber fight in the entire franchise. All three of them look so cool, the whole fight is interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, you never feel like any of them are just hanging back and waiting for their turn, and that music! That's my favorite track across all the soundtracks for sure.

Jar-Jar getting his foot caught in the wiring of a battle droid and accidentally shooting a whole bunch that way is the best thing ever XD

I couldn't say why, but I've always found it really satisfying to watch Padme's team use their ascension guns to rappel up the side of the palace.

Jar-Jar's overall clumsiness on the battlefield just decimating the battle droid troops is so vindicating for his character ^_^

The way Obi-Wan and Darth Maul's fighting is just so fast after Qui-Gon gets cut down o_o

Qui-Gon's final moments. The way he makes Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin, his final legacy. The way he reaches up one finger to brush against Obi-Wan's cheek. The way Obi-Wan clutches him and presses their foreheads together.... T^T

Qui-Gon's funeral. I don't know, I just really like that the Jedi Council is there, as well as Big Boss Nass, Padme, and even the Chancellor. Qui-Gon deserves that amount of respect.

The final celebration is so full of joy! And of course, Padme looks absolutely gorgeous ^_^

[forastic]

Open Studios interactive project

UCSC DANM grad school winter 2023 - week 9-10

The final prompt for my interactive art class involved a skill share. From one other student I learned how to use a RFID reader with a raspberry pi. From the other I learned how to do needle felting. We each created small figures out of felt and decided to put them in a space together, with different zones that they could interact with. Here’s the felt figure I created.

This was also the first time I ever sewed anything! I sewed the wings. 

Here’s the brainstorming board the three of us put together to create a weird version of a petting zoo:

We planned on showing it off at the art department’s open studio (despite the fact that we’re not part of the art department). While we were able to show stuff at the open studios, other projects ended up taking priority and this didn’t come to fruition the way that we had originally planned.

I wanted to make a reference to Nam June Paik’s TV buddhas, but I wanted to make it softer and kind of silly. I crafted a cute TV out of felt and replaced the dragon’s head. 

I intended on having the dragon (now a TV dragon) watch himself on a TV while it streamed to Twitch. I wanted to install COZYSPACE as well, near where this was. When you place the TV dragon in the right place, I wanted a little bit of music to play. This idea got a little out of hand, but I managed to set everything up that I planned, and it worked fine.

I began 3D printing the shapes in COZYSPACE at various sizes with the intention of hanging them near the TV and the dragon. 

I also wanted to have the controllers for COZYSPACE be closer to my original vision of regular Super Nintendo controllers, but wireless. I got a pair and began painting them to make them cuter.

I used regular spraypaint from the hardware store, using the splatter technique I learned from making stuff for BEARPAD. I chose a purple and teal color scheme with pastel accents, as COZYSPACE was originally intended to chill me out personally, and I like that early 90s party cup/taco bell aesthetic. The spray paint took a long time to cure - the controllers were still a little sticky for up to a week after I painted them.

I rigged a raspberry pi and RFID reader to activate when placing a chip on it, combining a couple tutorials online to get it to also play music using the pygame library. I have only minimal python coding experience and it took a bit longer than I anticipated. I was amused that people recommended playing .ogg files for audio, as I haven’t really heard of those being used in over 15 years. I wrote a piece of music really quickly to play when the TV dragon rests on the cozy spot. I made a synth sound, threw a bunch of effects on it, and improvised in g flat major pentatonic using my computer keyboard in ableton.

https://on.soundcloud.com/7ALpC

Patrick designed a new shape that would look good alongside the shapes in COZYSPACE, but was large enough to hold a raspberry pi and an RFID reader. We grabbed a raspberry pi case design from thingaverse and dropped it into Blender to make sure we had the size right, built a chamber for it, then he built a shape out around the chamber. Here’s some pics of it hanging in action. 

I tried it out streaming on twitch, but it immediately brought up concerns of privacy, so I ditched it and left it on the OBS screen, as though he was about to start streaming on twitch. I felted the RFID sensor inside of the bottom of his head so that his head would activate the sensor. I threaded a wire through him and attached an alligator clip to fishing line from above, so that people could attach it to that and have him rest on the cozy shape, watching himself on the TV. The sensor range was very small, however, making it a little finicky and not the experience I had hoped.

Here’s my todo/sketch board I used for a lot of the install:

I added the LED strips late in the install. There are kits you can buy for ambient lighting that sits behind a flatscreen TV. You plug in your HDMI cable and it takes the video signal and translates some of the colors to the LED strips. I know there are ways to make them with raspberry pis or with arduinos, but i was running out of time and wanted the effect of the colors in the COZYSPACE also changing the color of the 3D printed shapes, so I bought the kit from amazon. It plugged in and worked well enough right away for my purposes. I draped the LEDs a little haphazardly around the install in a way that I thought looked good for my purposes.

Setting up took MUCH longer than I had anticipated. I spent about 2 and a half days of work just blacking out the space, setting everything up, and hanging the cozy shapes. 

I was a little worried I wouldn’t have enough time for everything to get done, but I ended up setting up everything I wanted. I left programming the controllers for last because I didn’t want to spend more time in Unity after not using it for so long. I found a way to address the joystick buttons directly in the code rather than using Unity’s input manager, which was a relief. 

I also made some tweaks to the sound of cozyspace. Each of the 4 channels is playing a sub bass frequency that is slightly out of sync with the others, giving the sensation of something moving around in space around people in the center of the installation. I made the frequencies closer, which made the movement feel much much slower. I also made the looping track twice as long, adding some slight movement to the tracks, and reset everything to G flat major.

The actual open studios was a very educational experience, hah. I learned that people need to be told when you can touch the art. I assumed (incorrectly) that bean bags and video game controllers would be enough, but I had to invite people to interact with it. In the future I’ll have signage with my name and info about the work, even for an open studios.

https://youtube.com/shorts/PYVX6z-7OGc

https://youtu.be/XffYEqUQ8qc

https://youtu.be/y0zdaRWFfSc

[astaroth1357]

Brothers with an Insanely Lucky MC

Lucifer

Honestly, that kind of takes some weight off of his shoulders…

It’s a lot easier to keep a lucky MC alive, even if they’re only dodging death by the narrowest margin.

He really wasn’t sure how to take their impeccable luck at first… It was more than the fact that a weak human somehow surviving within the world of demons. Small things always seemed to go their way…

If he set them on a task, it would always somehow get done even if they forgot about it. Lesser demons could try to eat them, but they'd narrowly avoid their waiting teeth every time...

When he finally noticed that his brothers' plans wouldn't fail quite so horrendously in their presence, he actually started to encourage them to be around them more.

Don’t get him wrong, this wasn’t out of some brotherly desired to see his family succeed or anything. There'd just be less mess for him to have to clean up later... 🙄

Mammon

MC is his new religion.

You think I'm joking? After he discovered that the MC was like a talisman of luck or something he started worshiping them like a living deity.

Man waits on them hand and foot, if they need a drink then he's got it. If they need food, he'll feed them. Rest? How about a back-rub?

Of course, he's not doing this for nothing. They're his ace-in-the-hole baby!!

Pretty much uses the MC like a good luck charm of sorts. He makes them do a whole bunch of weird superstitious rituals when he goes gambling like blowing on his dice or picking numbers for him.

It all must work, because he starts getting into winning streaks more often than not!

Even MORE possessive of them if you can believe it. He almost never lets them leave his sight, lest they disappear and his future riches with them...

Pretty much proposes to them every time they net him another jackpot. He's only half joking...

Leviathan 

It took him longer than Mammon to realize how lucky they were (largely because he was mostly in his room) but even he could see it.

He started catching on when he began taking them to his merch giveaways. Any time he brought them with him, he always got something no matter how rare, how scarce, or how astronomically unlikely it was...

More or less converted to the Church of MC along with Mammon after their presence got him a limited edition Black Mage Ruri-chan figurine, of which only 10 of its kind in existence... 

After that point… well, he was almost as possessive and demanding as Mammon.

Chances are at any point of the day, Mammon and Levi are squabbling over who gets to be with the MC, especially if there's a drawing or contest happening soon.

He can, will, and has summoned Lotan against his brother before and is not sorry about it. Merch is serious business!!

Satan 

Doesn't believe in luck… or at least he didn't at first.

But after watching the MC for a while he did take notice that things often went their way… If they hadn't studied for a test, the teacher would be sick or they'd always be just in time for the last dessert in the cafeteria.

After some time he just couldn't ignore how… "lucky" they were. So he had to run some tests…

He spent a whole week doing little experiments with them. At one point he gave them a coin, told them to pick heads or tails and then had them do a 100 flips…

It was heads 90% of the time. That… that just shouldn't happen… And the rest of the tests went similarly. By the end of it, he was utterly astonished. It was like they were a black hole warping the statistics of the world around them!

In truth, they converted him to a firm believer in luck… not that he planned to use them nearly as much as Mammon or Levi.

He was more than happy to use them to his advantage when pranking Lucifer, thoug. Get the MC in on his schemes and 9 out of 10 were always successful (in some way or another). Good luck, Lucifer!!

Asmodeus 

Didn't think their luck was anything major until they started scoring the attention of even Devildom nobles…

And it’s not like they were some master of flirtation or anything. They’d just happen to be in the right place or say the right thing to become the center of attention without even trying! They could be having a completely unrelated conversation and then bam, whole room laughs! What kind of social sorcery is that??

He tried asking for their secrets but it turns out they’re just that lucky… Good for them.

Not nearly as obsessed with their luck as Mammon or Levi, but still thinks that it comes with its advantages all the same...

Asmo likes to take them out when he's looking for hookups because even he has better luck if they're backing him up.

Shopping trips are also a must. Sometimes they’ll walk into a store right as it has a sudden flash sale on his favorite brands and it makes him want to kiss them right then and there!

For Halloween, he helped them dress up as one of those Lucky Cats he sees in Levi’s anime sometimes, but that backfired hard because all it did was make Satan carry them off for the night... That was supposed to be him, dammit!

Beelzebub 

Honestly the last to notice how lucky they were, even behind Levi.

Beel’s a very “take things as they are” sort of guy so he didn’t expect that there could be a pattern to his human’s surprisingly charmed life.

Sure he noticed that he won more games when the MC attended, but that could have been anything right? He’d joke that they were like a good luck charm, but he never meant it.

Then he started to notice that the kitchens would mess up and give him bigger (than usual) portions when he’d bring the MC along…

Again, that could have been anything right…? Right?

Finally started suspecting that the MC had something to do with it when he saw Levi and Mammon fighting over them like some kind of deity meant to give them blessings… Huh…

Even after he figured it out the most he ever asked of them was to attend his games. He figured that his brothers Mammon and Levi would take enough of their time as is... Poor human.

Belphegor 

Couldn’t have cared less if they were lucky or not. He’s not a scumbag like Mammon or pathetic like Levi so he wasn’t about to go begging for them to “bless” his shoes or something.

Of course, he did get some passive benefit from it like everybody else. They were sleeping buddies after all.

He found out that on the nights they slept together something would usually happen in to the school the next day to cause either a late start or early out…

Pretty neat, but unfortunately he’d have to literally pry them out of Mammon’s whiny, irritating grasp to do so which meant it didn’t happen often.

Similar to Satan, he picked up that his pranks usually went better with them around. They didn’t even have to do much, they could just poke a tube or something and bang! Instant success.

Between Satan and Belphie, Lucifer really started to regret letting the MC help his brothers with their schemes...

Also realized that a more motivated man could try them out at the stock market, but that wasn’t him and he figured Mammon was so dumb that even luck couldn’t fix his stupid so he never brought the idea up to him. His loss.

[neoculturetravesty]

We met in online class - Part 6

Image adapted from here.

Pairing: Renjun x Reader Genre: College AU, romance, some fluff, lots of angst in this part Warnings: Strong language, descriptions of stress and anxiety, fist fight Word Count: 7.7k

Navigation: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | You are on Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Last Part

A/N: Buckle up for some angst.

They say when it rains, it pours and Renjun was about to learn the true meaning of this expression.

Throughout his college life, Renjun had heard his share of praise from his professors who would tell him that he was gifted in a way not many artists were. But now that the career drives and job fairs had begun, Renjun learnt that at best, he was average. In the real world, he wasn’t ‘golden hands’ or gifted or anything like it--he was just one in a line of millions. Because in the bigger picture, Renjun’s competition was not just people in his school; he was competing with even better artists from even better universities that had even better skills and even better means. His design professor had very plainly told the class one day that out of all of them, maybe one or two would ‘make it’ in the real world, if they got lucky. So Renjun knew that if had to shut up anyone who ever doubted him, compete with the best and place anywhere solid by the time he graduated, he needed to land a stellar internship.

Not that his current internship was going any better. Renjun learnt that even small studios were a handful and that an internship basically meant being an errand boy. When he had taken on the job, he had fantasized about meeting exciting artists and maybe even helping the chief curate his best work yet. But more often than not, he found that he was sweeping the place down, and if he got lucky, he got to make a few calls to potential clients (who would yell at him before hanging up). 

And of course, like any self-respecting college that thrived on the student body’s mental health deterioration, the professors weren’t going any easier on the projects, even with the impending exams. 

On top of everything that was happening, Renjun had developed a constant tension in his neck and shoulders. Jaemin reckoned it was because Renjun was hunched over his paintings all the time as he followed the perfect lighting all over the apartment. You, on the other hand, reckoned it was because of all the stress.

“You’re just carrying a lot of anxiety on these gangster shoulders, Huang Renjun.” you had said as you kneaded your knuckles into his hurt one day as you brought him food. Lately, you had taken it upon yourself to make sure that Renjun was eating and staying hydrated through these pressure cooker times. Because when he was left to his own devices, eating would be pretty low on his priority list, simply because he did not have the time for meals. So you’d bring him a snack any time you saw him on campus, and when you didn’t see him, you’d get something delivered to him and if you couldn’t, you’d text him a reminder to eat. But as one would have it during end-of-semester madness, Renjun had received your food more than your company. Because truth be told, you were just as occupied.

Renjun hadn’t seen enough of you in what he was sure was now going to be a good two weeks running because you had way too much on your plate as well. Like Renjun, you too were swarmed by assignments and exams. But other than that, any time he did see you, you were ‘interview dressed’ for all the on-campus drives that were happening in your department. Renjun had come to wish you good luck on one of them and had seen how distracted you looked because apparently, you had pulled some all-nighters to prepare for this. Donghyuck had been the one to tell Renjun about this little bit. 

Because when you weren’t studying or giving interviews or working on projects, you were preparing to throw an end-of-semester party with Donghyuck. He had to admit, there had been moments where Renjun had been irritated that Donghyuck would know more about what was happening in your life than did he. But then again, who was to blame for that?

Renjun knew it was no one’s fault but his own. Because that’s the dumb precedent he had set from the very beginning--that he wouldn’t get too close. He was paying that price for it because somewhere along the way, you had begun to confide in Donghyuck more than in Renjun, though this development was gradual and subconscious. He supposed that since you had met him, some part of you had learnt that she was walking into a wall anytime things got deep with Renjun. And there are only so many times that people were willing to walk into walls before they learnt their lesson.

Renjun knew that you were always ready to provide emotional support. But he also saw that when you were the one that needed it, you were subconsciously turning to Donghyuck rather than to him. 

And because you weren’t doing so consciously, Renjun couldn’t even be upset with you. Who was he to be upset with you over it in the first place? He had spent all those weeks skillfully blocking you. So, just because he had changed his mind now didn’t mean that he could earn your vents right away. It would take some effort on his part and he acknowledged that.

But it wasn’t you hanging out with Donghyuck that bothered him. It was someone else.

Wong Hendery, it appeared, was always around you these days and for some reason, that really bothered Renjun. You had a lot of friends. You were just the kind of person who made friends wherever you went. His own friends were an example. Lately, any time he ran into his roommates in the living room or kitchen (since all of them were buried in work otherwise), they would inquire about you instead of him. You just made a lot of friends and that was a fact of life that Renjun lived with. And whilst so far, Renjun had been okay with all of them, he had no idea why seeing Wong Hendery around you made him feel some type of way. 

And in the strangest turn of events, he had even found himself subtly voicing this to you a couple of times. It had bothered him even more that you had never taken him seriously any time he brought it up. You had either been distracted or disinterested whenever this came up. Or perhaps you had very tactfully been avoiding the subject. You weren’t exactly the scheming type, so Renjun was sure it wasn’t that. All he knew was that at the end of it, he would just end up feeling stupid, because, well… it was a stupid, baseless feeling to have, whatever this was.

All in all, Renjun couldn’t tell what matter it was from the pillage that kept his mood sour these days. His failure in the job fairs, his increasing workload, the impending exams, his lackluster internship, or something else. He recognized that a big part of it had to do with not seeing you enough. He wasn’t going to be the idiot that denied that anymore. Since the party at your parent’s house, he hadn’t had a moment with you where it was just the two of you and you could talk about… well, the two of you. Not seeing you enough was making him sour, he knew that. However, not seeing you enough combined with the fact that Wong Hendery was around you all the time was probably pretty up there as a reason for his bad moods. 

The only upside in the end-of-semester times was that the damn virus seemed to be under control. Students could now more freely move about and a lot more cafes and parks had reopened. So, at the very least, Renjun could get a change of scenery whilst he painted or studied because he was getting tired of his apartment and the library and the damn studio. 

Today, he had just grabbed his things and sent you a very persuasive text, because really, enough was enough. Yes, you were both very busy. Yes, you didn’t have any time today. But you could at least give him one study date out in the sun, and finally, for the first time in two weeks, he had felt that happiness in his chest when you told him you’d come.

The two of you sat by the river as Renjun sketched and made notes and you typed away on your laptop. Your hair was done up in a bun and you wore the campus hoodie and you didn’t even look up from your work when Renjun leaned over to feed you some rice. It had made Renjun smile. You looked like every boy’s fantasy of a college girlfriend but thinking about it also made his heart a tiny bit heavy. Because after all this time, the two of you still hadn’t had that conversation. Come to think of it, the two of you hadn’t even kissed ever since that afternoon in the strawberry fields. And maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t sat with you like this in a couple of weeks, or maybe it was seeing you share your time with other people. But Renjun felt that he had to address the some elephant in the room sooner rather than later. Because he didn’t want a some relationship any longer. He wanted more.

“No one’s going to be happier than me when this semester is over.” you mutter as you chew onto whatever Renjun had fed you.

“You and me both. Let’s celebrate our freedom together when it ends.” Renjun suggests as he sits up to stretch his neck. 

“Done deal.” You look up from your laptop to give him a fist bump.

“Hey, I was thinking…” Renjun hesitates. “Let’s go somewhere together. After the semester is over.” He feels butterflies in his stomach even as he asks you that. And he knows why. Because this is the first time he’s asking you for a real date, where he wants to take you out for your company, no opportunistic strings attached. But also, he wants to take you away from everyone else where he would have all of your attention and he could finally tell you how he really feels.

You smile as you shuffle your notes. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Anywhere. We could go to the beach and go mudflat fishing. If that’s not your thing, we could go camping instead.”

You finally look at him and smile an undistracted, attentive smile. “I’d like that.”

Renjun looks at you softly as he returns your smile. “My exams end before yours. Let’s go right after your last exam.”

“Oh, I can’t go then.” You say, shaking your head quickly.

“Why?”

“Haechan and I are hosting the end-of-semester, remember?” you remind him and Renjun holds himself back before he could exhale over ‘Haechan and I’.

“Okay, how about the day after?” Renjun asks.

“I can’t go then, either. Hendery and I have to go visit the tower.” you tell him.

This time, Renjun can’t hold back. Because ‘Hendery and I’ was way, way worse than ‘Haechan and I’. Before he could stop himself, he finds himself commenting

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Wong Hendery, huh?” he hadn’t meant for that hint of accusation to lace his tone, but it had come out that way.

“Ughhhh, tell me about it. He says he’d basically be happy never seeing me again once all of this is over.” you say as you steal his bowl of rice and begin stuffing your face. Renjun feels that irritation again because as always, you seem to be blowing this topic off. But for some reason, he doesn’t want to let it go today.

“I just don’t trust him.” Renjun says and he finds himself clenching his jaw a little.

You look at him from above the rice and smile amusedly. “Why though? He’s a cool dude.”

“I don’t know. There’s just something about him. I just… I don’t know, I guess it’s a guy’s instinct.” he says, and like anytime he has brought up this subject before, he’s feeling incredibly dumb.

You raise an eyebrow and look away from him. You don’t seem very impressed by the comment. “Nah, he’s super cool and all of that. You can meet him if you like.” you say in a tone that is way too nonchalant for Renjun’s liking. 

He had met him before, of course. But he didn’t know Wong Hendery even if he did know Wong Hendery. So how could he tell you that the man was bad news based on just a feeling? ‘He’s using you! Why don’t you see that he’s using you!’ Renjun wanted to yell at you. But he says something else. 

“Just, like… I don’t know. He just seems mysterious and unsharing.” Renjun tries to explain.

“So are you.”

There is a moment of silence as Renjun feels a sting and you look at him with no expression. 

You were right. 

Renjun hadn’t shared anything about himself with you. The things you knew about him was information you had probably collected through his friends. The only time he had really opened up to you was that one night in his room. Suddenly, more than irritation, he feels angry with himself. 

What a stupid, stupid, stupid idea it had been to set those dumbass rules with you. How had he expected it would pan out? How did he think he could use you as a means to an end, but not learn anything about you or give away anything about himself? He hadn’t thought this through at all. Then again, he hadn’t expected for it to go on this long; and he most certainly hadn’t expected that he would end up falling for you.

“I just… I don’t trust him around you.” Renjun admits and this time, he has the decency to sound a little ashamed.

“I know how to take care of myself, Renjun.” you tell him quietly.

Renjun looks away because for the first time since he’s known you, you’ve spoken to him that way. He wants to scream and pull his hair because no. You don’t. You don’t know how to take care of yourself. How could he tell you that you weren’t the best judge of character? How could he tell you that you allowed people around you to take advantage of you? 

‘It’s why you’re sitting here with me’ Renjun thinks with another sting. He knew Hendery was up to no good with you because he himself had been one of those people that used you for their own gain. He had used your kind heart and your willingness to see the good in people for his own stupid plan. The stupid, dumbass, flawed plan that he hadn’t thought through in the slightest. He had thought he had, because Renjun always assumed he was smarter than everyone in any room. That was probably his dumbest yet most defining trait; as kindheartedness was yours.

As if to add insult to injury, your phone rings and Wong Hendery’s name shines cockily onto your screen, mocking Renjun in all its glory.

“Hey, are you here?” you say as you pick up. You look around till you spot him and wave at him “Okay, coming!”

Renjun looks to where you had signaled and sees Hendery in his bigass car. He notices Renjun looking, waves at him and smiles. 

Renjun’s eyes close and he takes in a deep breath as you begin collecting your things. He doesn’t know why he’s being this way. He had been jealous before; he was an openly bitter person, that much he knew about himself. He despised every other asshole that did better than him. But this was a kind of jealousy he had never really experienced before. He wanted to protect you, but he also wanted to keep you… because now, he could feel you slipping away from him. 

“I’ll call you, okay? Make sure you eat dinner.” your voice sounds a little resigned and suddenly, Renjun feels his heart drop. It’s a strange feeling, but there it is in the pit of his stomach. Renjun realizes that the feeling really closely resembled fear. And it’s because you’re leaving like this. 

Had this been your first fight? Maybe it had. It hadn’t felt like a fight, because Renjun has fought with a lot of people before, and this was nothing like that. There was no screaming, no gaslighting, no accusations. But it was the tone you had taken with him. Like you were disappointed. Like you expected better. You had never taken that tone with him before. So as you stand up to walk away, Renjun grabs your hand. He looks up from where he sits.

“Hey…” his heart is sinking, he has this awful feeling in his chest and now he no longer knows what to say to keep you. So he brings your knuckles to his lips and presses into them for a few moments before he looks back at you. “Are we good?” He wants to kiss you, he wants to take you in his arms and kiss you and know that nothing has changed. But he knows that Wong Hendery is sitting right there and he doesn’t want you to think that he’s putting on a show of jealous, testosterone fueled possession. 

He watches as your face softens. You crouch so your face is levelled with his. You keep holding your bag that’s slung over your shoulder with one hand. With the other, you gently hold onto his cheek and lean in to press a soft kiss to his lips. 

“We’re good.” you say and you smile and then you lift back up to turn around.

Renjun watches unmoving as you walk away from him and drive off with Wong Hendery. He keeps watching till the car makes a turn and disappears from view.

Though you had told him that you were good, that sinking feeling hasn’t left his chest. Because Renjun realizes that what you had done had felt a lot like a goodbye kiss.

Renjun doesn’t get time to dwell on his aching heart too much, because soon after, exams begin. 

It is as if a lull had taken over the entire campus. Everyone around him had their heads down as they studied and slept and slept to study. Jeno and Jaemin had taken over the living room table as they crammed and kept each other awake through their all-nighters. Jisung would try to take some motivation from them but the boy had never been too fond of studying, so he’d end up asleep on the couch whilst Jeno and Jaemin took the floor. Even Donghyuck--who had insofar made it through college based on pure intelligence--could be seen bent over his notes in the library. For a week, each student on campus had a similar schedule; like someone had hit the pause button on everything else in life.

Perhaps it had been the exam stress. Perhaps it was everything that was happening culminating in Renjun’s mind, but that sinking feeling hadn’t completely dissipated from his chest. He had no way to explain what it was or why it was. But if Renjun had to describe it, it was as if a sixth sense was warning him. What the warning was about, he had no idea.

But as fate would have it, Renjun’s hardships were only beginning. Because right before his first exam, he had received a call from his mother. 

He had picked up because this had been maybe her third phone call to him this entire year. But two minutes into the call, Renjun wished he hadn’t. 

Questions were asked as if out of duty: if he was still in school, if he was still living with his friends, if he was looking for a job. And though Renjun hadn’t even asked for it--how she couldn’t send him money for the next couple of months because the Covid situation wasn’t doing any wonders for their restaurant. Although the conversation hadn’t even lasted a full 10 minutes, Renjun’s mind was fully fucked by the end of it. Why the fuck did she have to play with his head like this, just when he was about to go in for an exam? 

He shouldn’t have been surprised. His mother had a way of sensing any time her son was emotionally strained, because she would always show up right on time to add to his burden. This is how it had been most of his life. She would appear usually when Renjun was at his lowest and remind him that he was a useless fucker that nobody cared about. And because she was his mother, she knew exactly what buttons to press to positively fuck him over. 

Fuck this. None of it was fair. It wasn’t fair that she had called him after months and months. It wasn’t fair that she didn’t even want to know how he was doing. A global pandemic had turned the world upside down and she didn’t even want to know if her son was surviving through it. She just wanted to call to give him another reminder that she couldn’t take care of him. Fuck that. Fuck her. Fuck everything. Renjun didn’t need her or his father or anyone else ever again. Fuck all of it.

Renjun had hung up bitterly and that should’ve been the end of it. But for some reason, she had kept calling after that, which made Renjun throw his phone against a wall. Fuck that. She doesn’t get to call him to rub more salt to his wounds. He wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction.

It’s funny how when you’re truly feeling fucked, you tend to isolate yourself from the people who really care about you. And that’s what Renjun ended up doing following that phone call. Almost as if in self-sabotage, he started avoiding everyone and hid himself away. Because no way did anyone really need him, anyway. Renjun knew that even in his friend group, he was the one the others could do without.

Jeno and Jaemin had one another. They would babysit Jisung well enough, and when they didn’t, Jisung had Zhong Chenle. His housemates didn’t really need him, so hiding from them was easy. Lately, he had also stopped hanging out with Yangyang because he was afraid he’d run into Hendery. Lee Mark hadn’t really hung out with him ever since he joined the 127s. And Donghyuck… well, he had you. 

So even you could do without him. You had been doing just fine without him these past couple of weeks. You had still been bringing him snacks, even after that study date. But Renjun wondered if that was because of your bad, kind habit rather than anything else. Truth be told, Renjun didn’t want your snacks anymore. Because each time he got them, it reminded him that he was nothing special to you. He wasn’t any different to you than Jaemin or Jeno or Donghyuck. He was just another guy that you were kind to out of habit. Fuck that. He didn’t need your kindness, or anyone else’s. He was fine on his own.

But on the night after his last exam, he finally picked up the phone he had thrown and read his messages through his cracked phone screen. Just to see if someone missed him. As expected, no one did. But there were some messages from you.

‘Hey shoulder gangster, remember to put on pain patches before you sleep!’

‘I ordered some chicken for you guys, eat well and study well.’

‘Hey, I tried calling you. I had gotten you coffee, but I couldn’t find you so now hyuckie is drinking it.’

‘Ayo. I hope your exam went well. Sending some Chinese food over, so eat before you study!’

‘Hey, Jaemin told me your phone is busted. Idk if you’re gonna see this message, but just wanted to know you’re doing well.’

‘I tried to see you before you went in for your exam but Jeno said you had already left.’

‘Hey… I hope you’re not still upset with me. I’m gonna stop bothering you so we can both study, but I’ll come see you soon.’

‘Okay, I guess i’ll see you after exam week? Meet soon.’

That was the last of it. After that, you hadn’t sent him anything at all. Even you had stopped reaching out to him. 

It seemed that when it came down to it, no one would ever fight for Renjun. No one would want to find out why he was in hiding, or why he hadn’t replied. When worst came to worst, Renjun was always left to fend for himself. He was all alone in this world. 

Jeno and Jaemin would always know what the other was feeling without having to use the words. Neither of them had to explain to the other what was on their mind. They just… knew. When one was in trouble, the other would come running. When one was down, the other would pick him up. Neither had to ask; the other would just sense it and be there. Jisung and Chenle had a similar connection. 

But no one ever sensed Renjun’s heart. No one just knew when he was sad or upset or angry or in trouble. No one would pick him up because no one loved him enough to know his mind. No one had ever paid any real attention to him to know when he was struggling. No one had ever held his hand and taken him out of his despair. No one would even notice that he was in despair. Because he wasn’t anyone’s special anything. 

He had been hiding away for an entire week and no one had even noticed his absence. No one had called in to check on him. Because no one really needed him. Not his friends, not his family. Not even you.

They say when it rains, it pours, and Renjun was about to learn the true meaning of this phrase. Because just when he is about to put his phone away, he receives a text from his mother.

‘Renjun, I didn’t want to tell you this way. But you’re not picking up my calls. Come see me. Your father and I are getting a divorce.’

Renjun had never really been a big drinker. He’d drink some with the boys every now and then. But that was it. But tonight was an exception. Tonight, it was okay to turn to the drink. Tonight, he wanted to forget.

After the kind of day he had had, he thought that even his demons could give him a break. He felt drained. Like his mind was slowly giving up and his body was doing all the heavy lifting. Putting one foot in front of the other. Making him breathe in and out. Keeping his heart beating. It would be doing his mind a favor, drinking. His mind needed numbing, then maybe his body could follow.

He walks into the bar a broken man. And he wonders if that’s how all men are when they walk into bars. Maybe that’s why men who walk into bars make such good punchlines for jokes. He certainly felt like one. Because the people that should love him seemed to treat him like one. Who was he to think any better of himself?

He had made peace with the fact that his parents never wanted him. He had accepted that they were happy to get rid of him. Then why did he still expect their love every single time? What was it that made him go running to them any time they asked? Why had he expected that somehow visiting them would fix everything? 

Had he expected that they would sit him down and peacefully explain why they were parting ways? Of course, he hadn’t. Had he expected that his mother would cry and apologize for putting him through this? Of course, he hadn’t. Had he expected that his father would own up to his mistakes and call him his son? Of course, he hadn’t.

But he also hadn’t expected that neither of them would want anything to do with him after they parted ways. He hadn’t expected to be the collateral damage of a failed marriage that neither party was willing to own. He hadn’t expected to be summoned just so his parents could have a screaming match about whose son he’d be after they divorced. And that both would want to shift that burden to the other.

It suited them, Renjun thinks as he downs whatever the bartender had handed him. It would’ve been more unsettling to have made the trip to find something understanding and amiable. This was on-brand for them. This is how it had been since he was a child. They’d fight and Renjun would be collateral damage. This was the perfect ending to their twenty-one year old saga. Renjun had expected it.

So, why was he feeling like he had lost everything?

“Huang Renjun?” he hears a voice call out to him as if from miles away. Was he drowning? Then why did he feel like he couldn’t breathe? Why did the voices around him sound like they were coming from far away?

“Yoo Jimin.” Renjun finds himself automatically answering. He looks up and let’s his eyes focus and there he finds her. He smiles. Of course. Who else would’ve been the guest of honor in his pity party?

“What are you doing here?” she asks him and Renjun finds himself making a face.

“Drinking.” he says as he lifts up his shot glass.

“Did you follow me here?” she asks cryptically. Typical. Of course everything had to be about her.

“How would I know you’d be here?” Renjun says, looking away as he downs another shot.

“I told everyone at the party I was leaving to be here.” she says and her eyebrow is cocked as she comes closer.

“Party?” 

“Haechan’s party? All your friends were there. Weren’t you there?” she asks cautiously.

Ah, yes, the party. The end-of-semester party. Here he was, drinking his pain away. And his friends, the people who should be concerned about him were partying. It was all very fitting he supposed. This perfectly fit into everything in his life at this moment. Including the fact the Yoo Jimin had been the one to find him when he was at his lowest.

“I didn’t feel like a party.” Renjun replies.

Jimin scoffs. “Typical. Of course Huang Renjun thinks he’s above a party everyone would enjoy.”

Renjun doesn’t answer. It’s an annoying remark and part of him wonders why it is irking him so. His heart was burdened by bigger things. Perhaps his mind thought that being annoyed at Yoo Jimin was an easier emotion to address. This was an emotion he understood. It was an emotion he could process right away. So he turns to her and finds her sitting on the stool next to him.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, because really. Why is she here, talking to him, sitting next to him?

“Oh, don’t worry, Renjun. I’m only waiting for someone.” she says, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair.

“You can wait for someone over there.” Renjun points to a place far away with his glass.

“Okay, you don’t have to be an asshole. I just came in to see why you were drinking alone while all your friends are at that party.” she says and now more than agitation, Renjun feels anger.

“Why do you care if I drink alone, anyway? You’re the one that broke up with me.” he spits out.

“Renjun, seriously, what is your problem? I’m only trying to be nice to you. You don’t have to come for me like that.” Jimin’s eyebrows are high on her forehead as she matches Renjun’s tone.

“Well, thanks a lot, Yoo Jimin. Thank you for your gift of empathy, but I don’t really need it. Not after everything you did to me.”

“Renjun! Seriously, what is it that I did to you? What did I do to you?” she raises her voice in agitation.

“Well, other than abandoning me? Pretending that you were happy with me then pulling the rug from under my feet and breaking up with me? Not even waiting a month before moving on?” Renjun spits venom right back. Who did she think she was, coming here and speaking to him like that?

“Jesus Christ, Renjun. Would you listen to yourself? Does it ever occur to you that you could’ve been the asshole in this relationship? That maybe I broke up with you because you were the jerk?” Jimin’s face is contoured as she yells at him. It’s good that the bar is relatively full, otherwise this could’ve been a scene.

“I was nothing but nice to you. I treated you so well and you treated me like dirt!” Renjun hisses.

“Renjun, that’s your problem! You only see the faults in others and never in yourself! But you’re not ready for that conversation, so let’s not have it!” she yells and turns away from him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No, no, by all means, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about all the times I mistreated you, please.” Renjun mocks. He was already too used to being gaslighted by his parents. Jimin could join that club. This was already the worst day of his life. It couldn’t possibly get any worse.

“Renjun, this! This right here. You never respected me. You never treated me like an equal. With you, I always felt like some stupid, airheaded trophy. I always felt like everything I wanted was superficial and shallow and not worth anything!”

“And whose fault is that.” Renjun laughs darkly.

“Renjun, you can’t even see what you’re doing! You just think you’re so much better than everyone else! You think everyone around you is a degenerate and that you’re the smartest person to ever walk this earth. I can’t believe I let you treat me that way for so long.” Jimin’s hands go from balling into fists to animatedly helping her point. “Renjun, I wanted to be a model for the longest time. But I didn’t, because of you! Because every time I’d post a picture on my Instagram, you’d tell me it was because I love getting validation from strangers. Every time an agent reached out to me, you’d tell me how showing off my looks wasn’t going to be a long lasting career. You just never respected me or my aspirations. Because all of them were so beneath Mr. Intellectual.”

Renjun turns away. He pours himself another shot and downs it. He didn’t want a lecture. Who was she to show up like this and give him a lecture unprovoked? 

“If it weren’t for Jongin, I would’ve believed everything you ever said to me. That people would only like me for my looks. That what I wanted to do was superficial and shallow and that I would never amount to anything if I followed my heart.” she goes on and Renjun has had enough.

“Save it, Jimin. We’re broken up now, so what does it matter?” he doesn’t look at her. She could yell at him all she wanted. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

“I only came to you because I saw you drinking alone. And I know that’s not like you. I just wanted to see if you’re okay.” her voice has lowered significantly, but the agitation hasn’t left her tone. Renjun wonders if she has more to say, because he certainly doesn’t want to listen to any more.

“Well, that’s very kind of you, but I’m fine on my own.” he says coldly, still not looking at her.

Jimin sighs. “Renjun, when will you realize that the whole world isn’t out to get you? I know your family isn’t perfect. But you’ve got friends that care about you. You’ve got people around you that love you. If only you could stop being an asshole to them for one hot minute and see that.”

Renjun still doesn’t turn. Because she doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know his life. She doesn’t know how alone he feels. She doesn’t know jackshit about what he goes through, what he has been going through. Who is she to comment on his life and stand there like that and lecture him? She didn’t know anything. Fuck her for making him feel like he was the asshole. The world was taking a giant dump on him, and she was making him feel like he was the asshole. Fuck that.

She grabs her purse and gets off the stool. “I’ve got to go now. I just hope you feel better. Whatever it is that you’re going through. Please don’t go through it alone, Renjun.” she says before she walks away.

Renjun feels a lump in his throat. How could he not go through it alone? Who was going to be by his side? No one. So what use were his tears? He wouldn’t let them fall. He swallows that lump away, and when it doesn’t work, he takes another shot. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He could just go home and sleep. Maybe that would work. The alcohol wasn’t numbing anything. It was just making him more bitter, but for more reasons than what he had come in with.

So he finds himself walking home. Putting one foot in front of the other. Breathing in and out. Keeping his heart beating.

He felt so alone. Was he the loneliest man in the world? He could bet money that he was. No one knew what he was going through. And that’s what made him feel most abandoned. But then again. Fuck that. He didn’t need anyone. What good were friends anyway? Friendships really meant nothing. Renjun finally realized that what he had were not friends, but connections. Because at the end of the day, that’s what this goddamn college life was all about. Making as many connections as you possibly could, so you could reap advantages from them later on life. All of his relationships were opportunistic. And realizing this was giving him the worst headache of his life. Like all the alcohol was thrumming in his head and blinding him.

He arrives at his doorstep, punches in his code, walks in and freezes at what he sees. 

Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung, Donghyuck, Zhong Chenle and you were all in the living room, drinking and eating and laughing. None of them had even noticed that Renjun had walked in. Because they were all too busy bellowing together. 

Suddenly, Renjun feels his blood boiling hot in his veins. How dare they. How dare they look like one big happy fucking family right in front of him. Renjun pushes back all emotions he’d been feeling and holds onto one: red hot burning anger. He heads in.

“Hey, hey! Look who’s finally back!” Donghyuck says mid-laughter as he finally notices him. “Come join us because Mark is passed out on your bed, by the way.” he laughs but his smile slowly fades as he watches Renjun’s expression. 

“You okay, man?” Jeno asks slowly.

The others slowly start reading his energy as well because his demeanor has gotten everyone’s attention. Renjun wants to pick a fight. He wants to fight with all of them for not being there for him. But he looks around for an easy target. Someone he can direct all his ruthless anger towards. And his eyes zero in on you.

“What are you doing here?” Renjun asks you urgently. Like you’ve done something wrong. 

“I just got you some food. We all thought we’d eat with you since you didn’t come to the party.” you say and you get up smiling and take Renjun’s wrist “Come, sit.”

But Renjun roughly snatches his hand away from your grip, making you look up suddenly. Your eyes are round, but you don’t look angry. You perhaps look shocked, but mostly concerned. And that makes Renjun want to hurt you more.

“You can’t just show up here unannounced. I didn’t invite you here.” Renjun spits at you.

“Hey man, easy. We invited her.” Donghyuck gets up and puts himself between the two of you. 

“Well, this is not your house, either! You can’t just invite her without asking me.” Renjun scowls at the boy.

“Renjun, I just got you some food. I just wanted to make sure you had eaten.” you say gently, stepping up from behind Donghyuck to speak to him.

“Y/N, you are not my girlfriend. So stop acting like it.” Renjun snaps and he finally watches the hurt he wanted to see on your face. He also sees Jisung’s scared expression and Jaemin’s disappointed one.

“I…” you begin “... I know… I just… I came here with the guys… I…” you begin, but Renjun yells again.

“You need to leave. You can’t just show up whenever you want.” Renjun continues and takes a step forward but Donghyuck holds a protective arm in front of you. Whoop-dee fucking doo. Now his friends thought he was some sort of a savage. 

“No, Y/N, you shouldn’t leave.” He says then turns to his friend. “Dude, what is your problem?” But Renjun keeps attacking you.

“These people are not your friends, okay? They are my friends. You’re crossing a line and you need to leave right now.” Renjun loves the reactions he’s getting. He loves that he has provoked every single person in the room. Because Jaemin has gotten up and taken your hand protectively whilst Jeno has joined Donghyuck in blocking you from his view.

“Hey, man. Easy.” Jeno warns. Jisung and Chenle watch this strange confrontation with worried looks on their faces, eyes darting between him and the others. Renjun can’t believe it. All his friends were protecting you. All of them. He was the fucking monster in this room, too. 

“Renjun, I just… I just came here to see you.” you say, but there’s no accusation in your tone. Just annoying, tiresome understanding. He fucking hates it and all his friends can see that he does.

After everything he had been through, after all his life was putting him through, he was the asshole, he was the monster once again. 

Well, then. If everyone thought him a monster, he should become it completely.

“Y/N.” Renjun laughs as he looks away. Then he looks at you with that sinister smile still on his face. “Y/N, the only reason I’ve kept you around for so long is because I wanted to get to your brother. So you can leave now.”

That did it. 

Because Donghyuck’s eyes have closed as he stands in front of you and Jeno’s eyes have widened. Jaemin just looks shocked as he holds onto your hand. As do Jisung and Chenle. But you.

Your face has hardened. He doesn’t see shock or disappointment or the kind of reaction that would’ve given him full satisfaction. He sees your stone face as you finally say something with a hint of venom in your tone.

“Well, in that case, Renjun, you’ve been wasting your time. Because I got you a slot with my brother right after our first date.”

Renjun stands speechless. 

He would’ve remained speechless if you hadn’t pushed past Jeno and him and headed straight for the door.

“Y/N!” Donghyuck calls out and goes after you. Renjun watches the others. Jaemin and Jisung have looked away and he sees nothing but pure disappointment on their faces. Jeno, on the other hand, is looking straight at him. Renjun looks back. Good. He wants everyone to hate him. This was exactly right. 

He hears Donghyuck barge back into the apartment as the door bangs shut behind him. 

“Dude what the fuck is wrong with you?!” He yells and Renjun finds himself shoving the boy, pushing him so he wasn’t in his space.

“What’s wrong with me? Please, Donghyuck. Don’t even pretend like you haven’t been using her the same way I’ve been. You’re not any better.” Renjun punctuates the last bit with another shove and Donghyuck grabs at his collar and roughly pulls him by it. Before it can escalate, Jeno and Jaemin rush forward to break the two of them apart. Jeno grabs onto Renjun, Jaemin onto Donghyuck, prying him off and creating some distance between the two. Jisung and Chenle look from the couch, mouths hanging open, visibly distressed.

“You didn’t have to do that, man. You didn’t have to be an asshole to her.” Donghyuck accuses as he tries to free himself from Jaemin’s grip and come face to face with Renjun again.

Renjun laughs bitterly. “Well, now that I have been, you can have her. Live your happy fucking life.” Renjun spits at him and he gets the reaction he was looking for because it makes Donghyuck lunge at him once again, making Jaemin tighten his grip and pull him back.

“What is wrong with you? You fucking asshole! Why do you think everyone’s out to get you? Stop acting like a little bitch and start acting like a man for once!” Donghyuck shouts and that does it. 

Renjun feels his headache blinding him. And yet, he doesn’t know how he frees himself from Jeno’s grip. But before he knows it, he has balled his hand into a fist and aimed it straight for Donghyuck’s face.

Copyright © 2021 NeoCultureTravesty. All rights reserved.

[differenzeartistiche]

Gavin Creel is 46 today, time to bring back an updated performance ranking!

I’m adding American Horror Stories since I last posted this last year.

Gavin Creel, 15 performances, ranked!

15. Nick Piazza in Fame

This show has some merits, although it’s definitely not one of my favorites. It’s Gavin’s professional debut and I can forgive him some naiveté in an otherwise competent, beautifully sung performance. His rendition of “I wanna make magic” is lovely.

14. Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities

Ok, so this was a concert performance, so it’s not really fair to compare it to the others, but I’ll just throw it in here. Mainly because it’s such an unusual show for Gavin. It’s something that tries very hard to be on the level of Les Miserables, without much success, and Gavin is not a huge fan of that kind of show. That said, it’s a nicely sung performance of a classic romantic hero role. Nice, nothing more.

13. Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles

Great show, poor but still competent production. The role’s literally the most boring in the whole play, but he gets to sing the cute “With Anne on my arm” and he nails it.

12. Troy in American Horror Stories

Oh this was a fun one, Gavin playing outside of his comfort zone, far removed from his preferred genre and into an over-the-top, sexy role that is rather unique in his career. I wish the material he had to work with was better, but his scenes with Aaron Tveit were superfun.

11. Hollis Bessemer in Bounce

Sadly a lesser show by Sondheim, I still love some aspects of it, and Gavin’s wide-eyed artistically-inclined dreamer is one of them. His big solo “Talent” is the best song of the show and touches me on a very personal level.

10. Matthews in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Gavin voicing a Disney villain! A Disney villain with a secret! A Disney villain with a French accent! Talk about playing against type. There’s something of Kodaly here, and of Lumiere and of Pepé Le Pew. You can tell he had a blast recording this role, and the design is exquisite.

9. Bill in Eloise at the Plaza / Eloise at Christmastime

Effortlessly hilarious on screen as he is on stage, he goes full-on old-time Hollywood star in the Christmas-themed sequel and I love it. A mix of Dick Powell and Fred Astaire.

8. Dr. Pomatter in Waitress

Sara Bareilles’ little gem of a musical often finds its strength in the absolute realness of its characters, flawed human beings looking for a little sparkle of happiness. Drew Gehling’s Dr. Pomatter was awkward and fun and sad-eyed, but I think Gavin wins infusing the character with tenderness and truly lived-in melancholy. A few weeks in a well-worn musical could be seen as a footnote in a great career, but it’s such a lovely performance, enhanced by the incredible chemistry he has with Bareilles.

7. Bert in Mary Poppins

My introduction to Gavin and since then I’ve come to appreciate him as heir to impossibly gangly male leads like Dick Van Dyke, so this feels like such a natural fit. I find the show a little bloated, but watch him defying gravity in that one “walking on air” scene: it’s irresistible.

6. Ugly in Honk!

Having him play the ugly duckling ALSO feels like a natural fit. Gavin’s at his best when he plays lost and confused dreamers, and the fairytale touch with the surreal setting makes for a wonderful variation on that theme.

5. Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me

Easily the odd man out of the list. The evil, scheming, suave and self-centered Kodaly is a delightful departure from all the romantic leads and clueless buffoons of Gavin’s career. The showstopper “Ilona” brings out all the manipulative nature of the character, a snake that always finds a way out and always gets what he wants. A remarkable performance that makes me want to see him branch out into even more strange territories.

4. Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie

Again with the old-time charm and humor. Millie is a show dominated by women, and Gavin’s male romantic lead manages not to be swallowed whole by them by being so wonderfully easy-going, hilariously aloof and occasionally sassy. It does also help that in “What do I need with love” he has one of the catchiest numbers of the show.

3. Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly!

PUDDING. That alone deserved the Tony. It’s an overwhelmingly funny turn that makes the best of the original, almost vaudevillian nature of the show. So full of tricks and ticks and winks to the audience, deliciously aware of its own absurdity, it’s the kind of scene-stealing performance that not every actor can pull off. And oh my god, has anyone ever sung Jerry Herman’s beautiful tunes so gorgeously? You almost wish he could have sung “Put on your Sunday clothes” in its entirety.

2. Elder Price in The Book of Mormon

Somewhere between the rubber-faced humor of Jim Carrey, the earnest straight man hilarity of Jack Lemmon and the physicality of Dick Van Dyke. A perfect combination that captures the sarcastic, yet disarmingly sweet nature of the show, with its hints of meanness and self-devouring doubt.

1. Claude Hooper Bukowski in Hair

Unquestionably the masterpiece of Gavin’s career. A towering performance that starts with the iconicity of the role and the visuals associated with it and finds the core of Claude’s humanity: a scared, earnest, sometimes self-centered, mostly clueless young man that has to face something so much bigger than himself, something that is so far from the made-up world of fake accents and films in space that he has created for himself and that will eventually consume him. Moments like “Where do I go” and “The Flesh Failures” are moving and brutally honest.

[ohmygodtheywereparabatai]

I HAD A THOUGHT A COUPLE DAYS AGO and now the concept won’t leave my mind bc of hOw hiLARIOUS IT IS--

KAZ AS THE SUN SUMMONER

1. How did it happen? When did it happen? Did he know? LMAO IDK mans out for a stroll and BAM

2. Of course word spreads and he’s quickly collected to be taken to the Little Palace, whether it’s against his will or not (yeahp definitely against) BUT he does arrange a couple things

3. “I don’t give a flying fuck if you need me to end the war, how much am I getting paid”

General Kirigan, very tired: Picture how much kruge you desire. What you’ll receive is tenfold.

Kaz: *smacking his lips* ᵃᵈᵉᵠᵘᵃᵗᵉ

4. HE STILL leaves the Crow Club in Heleen’s hands because he is nowhere near sure he’s up for the task and doesn’t want Inej to lose her freedom

5. We are ALL AWARE of how amazing the relationship between these two will now be (read: this very accurate summary of ep something):

(okay not the meme i was thinking of but STILL ONE SMOKY BOI VS THE DARKLING AND WHO WINS??)

6. (back to fax) Kaz HATES the Little Palace. Ohmy god he hates it so much.

Within weeks he’s “befriended” the palace messengers (as in, he knows who’s sleeping with how many women that aren’t wives and how to contact them) and has them riding out in every direction, smuggling anything he steals off the walls and shelves to the neighboring poor… Anybody underprivileged makes a fortune by selling in the shadier markets, and a cut of their compliments are funneled back to Kaz.

The servants have less to dust. They’re also, uh, missing half the china and gold. He’s esp notorious for grabbing DeKappels 🗿🗿

7. Kaz: Boy this Black Heretic guy was a pussy

General Kiri-ling, very tired and close to tears: please stop wearing black better than me

8. He won’t lose the cane until something matters more to him. Even if the limp can be healed, it’s a piece of home. Genya comes near his leg or gloves and he hisses like a cat

9. BUT THE ONE PLACE he doesn’t completely hate is the library! When he isn’t dragged outside to train, he’s poring over whole volumes. Along with memorizing guard rotations and the schedule of preparations for the fete, Kaz has his nose deep in history, culture, the arts … somewhat of an appreciation for them sparks in him. All he started out knowing was that he wanted to speed up the damn job.

10. And la de da…… at some point he’s BOUND to stumble across a clue to something mighty Fishy 🐠 goin on around here. A strange passage in a book, a foreign map, a false retelling.

11. Enter: The Scheming Face

12. Does he unmask the conspiracy? Die trying?

How many times does he tackle the Fold and get roughed up (pretty badly)? What does the gang back home do? What drives his power ~ the memory of Jordie? Revenge on Pekka? Inej’s laughter? IDK BUT I SURE AM WONDERING XD

13. Inej, sobbing at the sight of him: SANKTA KAZ! Oh, they sent you to rescue me and I never even properly knelt at your feet--!

Kaz: MG they once put gold shavings on my dessert??? I want to throw the next stiff that comes parading down the hallway outside one of their perfect little trimmed windows. absolutely disgusting

Inej: oh nevermind it’s still you

Jesper: [cackling gay noises]