#and ive forgotten most of my points by now

[kingmaximusboltagon]

ok so these are pretty jumbled thoughts because i keep thinking of making this post while im at work and then forgetting what i was thinking about. but anyways.

ive been off and on thinking about maximus and blackagar and their status of king/prince. although the show version of maximus does seem to enjoy being king (more on that... eventually, in a different post), in general, it seems like neither of them particularly want or enjoy being king.

maximus spends a pretty significant amount of time trying to steal the throne, yes, but whenever he actually has it he doesn't seem that happy. as he says in uncanny inhumans,

he gains more enjoyment being a menace than anything else. being king is a large responsibility, and when blackagar isn't actively fighting to get it back, there isn't chaos. attilan's citizens don't seem to mind maximus as king, at least not enough that i can remember it being brought up, so he doesn't face much in that regard. and typically attilan isn't under some outside threat while he's king - or if they are, he doesn't show much interest or take charge, and the rest of the family deals with the problem.

then there's him allowing blackagar to reclaim the throne without any fight at all in,,, war of kings? silent war? one of those space war comics that all have similar titles, iirc.

AND him not caring even slightly when medusa has the throne in new attilan, claiming it's a boring headache.

whenever he's king, he's miserable. whenever medusa is ruling alone as queen, he shows no interest. the only time he actually cares about or shows signs of wanting to be king, is when blackagar is. and ive been trying to come with why. jealousy? does he just think he'd be better at it? believing bb is just too dangerous?

probably yes to all of that, but i think it might also have a lot to do with their parents. because yes, they died, and max blames this on bb (also more on this later), but i think it also has to do with how they ruled.

as much as blackagar has questionable morals and some really shitty behavior throughout a lot of his ruling, he clearly doesn't think or act exactly like his parents. his thoughts on the genetic council, on exiling vs killing, his constant willingness to forgive those who have harmed him, even at the cost of putting attilan at risk, the alpha primitives - all things that are pretty significant to their society that bb doesn't treat in the same light his parents did.

and as shitty as their parents were, bb and max do seem to love them. bb never really knew anyone else prior to being let out, and though max kept his powers hidden, his parents surely knew, making them the only people he could confide in. both of them were extremely isolated from anyone but their parents, and had extremely high expectations put on them from birth. they both, even well into their adult life, never seem to question or acknowledge this mistreatment, and hold their parents in extremely high regards.

royals even implies that his part in their deaths is the one thing maximus truly regrets doing:

(is this even implying? this is basically outright stating that he feels guilty about the deaths he's caused trying to oppose bb, and his parents are the ones telling him this. even if it only lasted five seconds, under the assumption he's telling the truth about this time-frame, it still existed for him)

royals also has a panel of maximus initially blaming himself for their deaths, something once and future kings also includes.

although he does end up placing heavy blame onto bb for this later, more than once it's shown that his initial reaction is to blame himself. he's definitely pretty messed up about these two deaths.

these strong regards he holds his parents in, paired with his guilt about their deaths, probably left a lot of unresolved guilt and a need to make them proud, to fufill what they wanted, even if they couldn't be there to witness any of it. max seems to think they're great rulers, and wants to do right by them.

blackagar, on the other hand, has a lot more support, from his family and from society, and although i do think their deaths affected him very heavily as well, he seems more secure in not placing it on himself. max seems to do it more as a coping mechanism, while bb just logically knows it was an accident neither had meant. he loves his parents, but he's more concerned with being a good king than being what they wanted him to be.

and if blackagar is a good king, and blackagar is doing different than their parents did, then there's some poor implications being created about their parents. if bb is a good king, and he does the opposite of their parents, if he changes the laws and allows exceptions, then whatever their parents did might be classified as wrong.

so maximus has to either confront the idea that their parents weren't perfect and all-knowing, or take the easier way out and say bb is just a bad king. i dont think maximus wants the throne because he truly wants it, but rather he's trying to preserve his parents' legacy by keeping everything exactly as they left it.

(plus, he seems to be much more chill with bb whenever they're working against a common enemy and bb is willing to harm or kill in order to protect attilan. something im sure agon would do.)

[pankomako]

sometimes i think about interactions boat and i have had and things he's said to/about me over the years and it makes me feel as though i must occupy some little space in his heart. like i live in his mind rent-free the way he does for me, although not nearly to the same extent lmao.

speak of the goddamn devil i just got a steam notification he's playing tf2

anyway i never thought i'd have that kind of effect on a person, much less my favorite content creator. but it sure appears to be that way, and idk. it makes me feel special. warms my heart n all that :)

[thevoidshere88]

┐⁠(⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠)⁠┌

[gibbearish]

theres a kickstarter i backed back in march 2021 thats been going through issue after issue during the production process but has been keeping backers updated the whole time and a couple months ago they announced they were finally able to start shipping orders im excited

[upsidedownwithsteve]

Love Sucks IV. The Siren

Vampire!Steve Harrington x fem!reader

He's just a gloomy, little guy.

It just… happened.

An autumn night, an evening without the younger kids, movies in Nancy’s basement. Jonathan was running late, apologising profusely when he burst in the door to the sound of Eddie’s booing, kernels of popcorn thrown at him from Robin’s direction.

His hair was still damp from a shower, work uniform swapped for fresh clothes and he slumped down in the empty spot beside Steve.

It happened then. In the dim light, in the glow of the television screen. You were beside him, legs thrown over his lap, curled into his side and you smelled like honeysuckle and hibiscus, your fruity shampoo, the leftover scent of sticky butter on your fingers and lips from the popcorn, cherry on your neck from when you spritzed some perfume all of nine hours ago.

Steve could pick out your scent from a mile away, something that smelled like home, the same thing that clung to your sheets and most of his clothes now.

But something else invaded all of it, a sharp tang of metal and warmth, copper pennies and delicious, cutting through the sweet, summery smell of you.

Jonathan.

Steve’s head whipped to the side, eyes wide and mouth watering, the distinctive shlick of his fangs sliding out from beneath his gums. You turned, confused, watching Steve watch Jonathan and then the gentlest kind of chaos ensued.

Steve didn’t attack, he didn’t throw himself onto the other boy, he didn’t snarl or bare his teeth and his eyes didn’t turn crimson, his veins didn’t protrude from his skin.

No. Nothing scary like that.

Not all.

Steve just frowned and gulped, looking at Jonathan with a gaze akin to adoration and he asked, “please?”

The other boy scrunched his face in confusion and was about to ask what the hell Steve was talking about but then the vampire reached out a gentle finger and prodded at Jonathan’s pulse point in his neck, a barely visible thrum under his skin.

“Dude!” Jonathan gasped, eyes wide with surprise and he batted at Steve’s hand, offence written across his face.

Everyone else’s attention had been stolen now, the movie forgotten and Robin looked confused, Eddie was grinning, ready for live entertainment and Nancy was running to the kitchen, yelling something about getting the bottle.

“You smell,” Steve inhaled deeply, crowding into Jonathan who leaned back at a comical degree, head pressed into the cushions and his shoulders shrugged up to his ears to his his chin. “So nice.”

Honestly, you felt a little put out, Steve had never reacted to you with such genuine hunger, a starry look in his gaze, a faraway, dreamlike wonder. But before you could voice your jealousy, Nancy scrambled back into the room with a squirt bottle. She aimed in at your boyfriend and a small jet of water hit him between the forehead.

Steve blinked.

He turned to Nancy, looking even more offended than you, than Jonathan. Eddie cackled around a mouthful of popcorn.

“My hair,” he implored, sulking, irritated.

“Dustin told me this was holy water!” Nancy sounded disgruntled, annoyed but you gaped at her, arms flung wide.

“Holy water? Nance!”

“What!” The girl looked a little guilty but she pointed at Steve all the same, gesturing at how your boyfriend was staring wide eyed at Jonathan, the tiny tips of his fangs poking out from his lips. “It’s fine, it didn’t even work!”

Jonathan swatted at Steve again, crawling over to where Robin was sitting, his knees nudging uncomfortably over her lap and the girl promptly shoved him to the floor.

“It could’ve!” You accused, “what if you’d melted him! What then!”

“Just one little taste?” Steve was following Jonathan around the room, both of them crawling and stumbling over furniture, Eddie’s legs, a stack of video tapes. The bucket of popcorn spilled at your feet. “Jonathan. Jon. Jonny. Buddy.”

“Steve!” You tried to intervene, helpless, but Steve just gazed at you sadly, like you were trying to take away his favourite treat. “Babe, you can’t bite Jonathan.”

“But he smells so good!” Steve tipped his head back, petulant, his voice a soft wail.

“Is Vamp Boy in love with Byers?” Eddie finally stood, giving Jonathan a solid structure to hide behind. The boy peered at Steve through Eddie’s curls, eyes narrowed and suspicious.

“No, he’s not,” you and Nancy said together, both voices hot and impatient.

Steve looked guilty, Jonathan didn’t look convinced and Robin snorted.

Steve walked to the car later that night with his head bowed, skulking behind you like a proper little cryptid, pouty and forlorn. He gazed behind him as you fumbled with your car keys, his eyes trained on the small window at the base of the Wheeler’s house, the one that showed off the warm glow of the basement.

Even from the sidewalk, he could see Jonathan, talking animatedly to Nancy, his fingers pointing to his neck, his facial expression aghast. Steve sighed, world weary and hard done by and he licked his lips.

One day, he vowed.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Butterfly IV

a/n I hope y'all are still enjoying this! Do let me know if you want me to continue to write this or should we have one more lovely chapter to end this with.

summary: When Joel thinks that his life is over his little butterfly sends him a new reason to stay alive. The only problem is that he doesn't know how to love but when you are the meaning of love itself how can he not fall.

Previous chapters are on my blog cause tumblr ain't letting me add links.

warnings: mention of past trauma, forced starvation, fainting spells.

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Your eyes snapped open in a frantic attempt to search for the body that was laying pressed right beside you all night long. Ellie wasn't there. You sat up quickly, your hand instantly coming to hold your head as a wave of pain shot through it. The sleep seemed restless at best. You tried to first fall asleep in the bed you and Joel shared, but the sheer size of the emptiness that surrounded you only made your heart hurt more. So you made your way to Ellie, wrapping your hands around her as you focused your mind on her presence.

Yet your dreams were still filled with images of Joel. Of the times you two were utterly, truly, fully emotionally naked in front of one another, when the knives you two held for self-defense were long forgotten. Pushed to the side. And you two just were. Fingers laced together as you started at one another. No words were needed at moments like that. Eyes said it all. Truly the window to one's soul.

If only loving and staying true to yourself was that easy. Writing it all off as the consequence of the outbreak felt lame after twenty-plus years. Surely by now, people would have adapted. Moved on from the past. Well, if not moved on, at least make peace with it. You hated the fact that all you wanted to do now was cuddle closer to Joel, hiding your face from the morning sun in the crook of his neck just like most mornings. He had been your shelter. He still was. Nothing besides death could truly keep you apart. If that scared you, it sure as fuck scared him. With that, you fell back onto the bed. Eyes staring at the ceiling.

"So what is this?", Ellie had slipped out of bed to the sound of Joel walking downstairs. The sight of you asleep, even if your eyebrows were slightly crunched up, made Ellie choose against waking you up. So she made the best of the situation and followed Joel. Now, about an hour later, she was inspecting the car that was supposed to take you to three places. Joel looked up from the side of the garage, "A wing mirror." Ellie looked around, "Where's the wing?" She questioned, truly invested in breaking down every part of the spaceship in front of her. "Have you never seen a car before?", Joel asked, and Ellie quickly shook her head.

Joel was not expecting Ellie to follow him out to the garage. When he heard someone stepping in, he hoped it was you. He needed to clear the water. The tension and the lack of your presence in the past 24 hours had been torture for him. "Sorry for pointing a knife at you," Ellie had first croaked out, and Joel had shifted in his seat. He cared for the girl. Even if he was constantly telling himself that he didn't. He had started to care for her the moment he bashed her into a wall. Joel wasn't expecting to do that to a kid. He could have given her a concussion.

"You defended Y/N; good to know you have some serious balls," Joel said, turning away from Ellie as he looked over the wall of guns. Ellie snickered, "You said balls", "You're a kid if it still makes you laugh", Ellie went into a defensive monologue after that. Trying to prove Joel wrong, but his face stayed blank. She offered to help him do whatever Joel was doing, but that mostly resulted in her getting star-struck by the car as she circled it.

"You want to sit in it?", Ellie's eyes grew big at that suggestion, a light smile tugging at her lips. "Get in then", Joel stood up to approach her. The worrier inside was afraid that if he was too far away and Ellie somehow got the car started, he wouldn't be fast enough to stop it. He watched as Ellie looked around the inside. Fingers grazing over different buttons, "Don't press anything", Joel said firmly, yet deep down he was enjoying seeing her like this.

"Dude, it's a spaceship," Ellie said as her hands clasped the steering wheel. Until she moved to turn it slightly, at which point it yielded to her motion. Ellie's hands instantly came off the wheel as it did, eyes snapping to Joel. "If you'll let go of it like that in the middle of the road, you will be dead", Ellie could swear she heard a light snort before Joel said it. Her eyes fell to the side mirror, catching a figure in it. She turned behind her but was met with the seat instead of the view of the garage. Quickly leaving out of the door, she turned to look back again. "Look, I'm in the car wroom, wroom," Ellie chirped happily.

Joel turned to the side as well. He met your gaze as you stood there leaning onto the door frame, hands crossed over your chest. For the first time, Joel found it hard to read your face. He couldn't make out if it was anger or just pure nothingness that lingered in your features. Was this how you felt looking at him? When he had one of his masks on. Or have you learned to read through them as well?

"Looks like you two have been busy," you said, taking a step closer. Joel debated whether he should speak up. More importantly, he didn't know if he could take being ignored by you. "Morning," you muttered to him as you passed, strolling closer to Ellie. A breath got caught in Joel's throat, and all he managed to do was nod his head your way.

"Missy, your things are still unpacked. If we want to leave today you better get going", you pointed your finger Ellie's way, and she copied your actions. Pressing her finger against yours. "Are we leaving today, though?" Ellie questioned, turning to Joel. "Yes, it's best if we do that and as soon as possible", Ellie hopped out of the car before embracing you in the side hug. Head resting right below your chest. You ran your hands up and down her side as you smiled down at her.

You couldn't and didn't blame her for making up with Joel. She probably needed him more than she needed you. And they had been secretly wanting to grow closer. Just instead, they constantly stepped on each other's toes. You moved to drag her with you. Her hands did not leave your torso as you pulled her through the garage. Ellie's laughter echoed throughout the place. "Could we possibly talk?", Joel's fingers skimmed over your skin, making you stop in your tracks. Ellie quickly looked between the two of you before muttering something about how she preferred to pack alone anyway as she stepped out of the garage.

You only stood there. Keeping your gaze fixed on the man in front of you. A male with whom you had been through a lot of shit. You two always made it. No matter how darn hard it was. You always clawed through. You could see it in Joel's eyes that this whole tension was suffocating him as much as it was suffocating you. "I didn't…I," Joel stuttered, quickly running his fingers through his beard, "I overstepped a line." You let out a bitter laugh, eyes coming up to look at him. "Ain't the first time, now that we think about it, huh", you wanted to be sweet and let him off. But you had done that for too long. Joel's jaw clenched, yet he didn't say anything in return.

"I'm trying to see eye to eye with you," "Joel, come on, your eye to eye seems backward", you pulled out a chair for yourself, sitting right in front of him. Joel's arms came to rest over his knees as he looked at the floor. "Well, forgive me that I want this. I want calmness, a touch of normality. I'm tired of running," you rasped. You knew those things you both envisioned differently. Or, more accurately, Joel had never discussed his vision for the future. If he even saw one. Sometimes his carelessness led him on suicide missions. Once again proving to you that he didn't want to live. And there was only so much you could do for a drowning man.

Joel shook his head, "Don't you apologize, I don't blame you for it", you let out a sigh, fingers twisting the strand of the hair between them as you contemplated the next step. "You can be angry all you want, but all I ask of you is human decency. You can want the whole world to get fucked because of what happened, because of the things that got taken from you, but there is a line in Joel". He opened his mouth to speak up, but you quickly lifted your hand. "I'm not asking you to become a ray of sunshine. In all honesty, that wouldn't suit you", you reached for his hand, and to Joel, it felt surreal to once again feel the warmth of your skin. He felt like an addict. Who through the years had formed a serious dependence on you. "Just try to be more human. Emotions are a natural thing, you know", you whispered the last part. Your eyes glossed over with tears once again. Joel pulled you closer by the hand. Instantly wrapping you up in his embrace. Finally being able to breathe. Finally being able to think. You were here. You were with him. You two were going to make it through. Yet the hug didn't last long as you pushed against his chest and stepped away from Joel.

"I'm not ready to forgive you." Those words cut deeper than Joel could have imagined. But he nodded his head anyway. "It'll take more than one nice conversation with Ellie," "I know. I… I will try", Joel spoke out with not that much confidence but he was willing to. Mostly for you. But he was willing to. You nodded. Just like the evening on the terrace, your fingers grazed over his chest as you stood to leave. "Meet you down here in twenty?", you asked softly. Joel's hand moved up to catch your palm, letting his fingers linger on your skin just a little longer. "Okay," he rasped out as you walked out.

Your hand was pushed out through the open window as you drove through the empty highway. The breeze was nice and cool. Ellie was passed out in the front seat. Like a true kid after too many stimulations. Joel barely allowed you to drive. Most of your attempts were met with him saying that you needed to rest or that he wasn't as tired yet, so after a while, you dropped your attempts. The last couple of days felt repetitive. Stops at every potential gas station or by any left-out car in the open. Sleeping somewhere deep down in the woods or further down the main road. Then repeat. Repeat. And repeat.

Ellie had slipped into the abandoned station as you and Joel walked around the cars checking for petrol. You stumbled slightly, bracing yourself against the broken-down car. Black dots start to cloud your vision. You let out a sharp breath. "Not now," you whispered under your breath as you slowly lowered yourself to the ground.

Your food supply was good, but knowing your overthinking brain, you had opted for lowering your portions and making sure that the two of them ate more instead. In situations like that, you were familiar with Joel and his habits. Bad habits. Habits of not sleeping. So if his body wasn't getting sleep, he at least needed to make up for it with food. And Ellie was always hungry. Like a true little puppy. As long as there was food in front of her, no one was going to stop her from eating.

You heard Joel's voice, "Y/N." Cursing under your breath, you tried to get back up but failed miserably. Hands slip down the side of the car as your bum hit the ground. "Love," Joel put the fuel tank down as he walked towards you, "You okay?" You nodded your head. Nonetheless, your eyes rolled to the back of your head, as your consciousness started to slip. The ringing in your ears became increasingly loud. It seemed like there was just not enough oxygen left in the air.

"Did you fucking eat today?", Joel was kneeling right in front of you now. He cupped your cheek with his hand as he snapped his fingers in front of you, trying to keep you alert. "Ellie!", Joel shouts, turning back. Ellie quickly turned her head towards the two of you. The sight of you on the ground forewarned her instantly. "Fucking fuck", your head limped into Joel's palm as he held you up from falling over. "Hand me your jacket", Joel reaches for Ellie, and she quickly shrugged it off her shoulders. Worried eyes watching Joel. He carefully lowered you to the ground so you would be lying on your back before moving to lift your legs slightly, rubbing his palms alongside your thighs, "Come on, now love, come on".

You had your fair share of fainting spells when you two had just met. You were severely underweight then. The fuckers who had you under their control had run you down to the last drop. Joel had visited them after he got you to a somewhat stable state. That was the moment he realized he was ready to burn down the world for you. QZ was painfully quick to realize that you were Miller's girl. And sure as hell, only brainless people dared to cross your path after that.

"Joel," Ellie's worried voice jolted Joel out of his reverie. Making him remember the first time he saw this happening. Genuinely thinking the worse. "It's okay. She just fainted. The front pocket of my bag, grab a packet or two", he had never seen Ellie move so quickly before. She took off like a bullet, coming back with handfuls of tiny glucose packets that Joel always carries with him. "Hold this up", he motioned for Ellie to replace him by your legs. Joel quickly opened the packet, pouring some of it into his fingers. Ellie frowned as she watched Joel rub the white powder on the inside of your cheek before his fingers moved to rest over your pulse points. "Joel…", she whispered again. Ellie had never seen people faint. It looked too close to death for her liking, and you couldn't die. Not now. Not ever.

Joel only got to glance at Ellie as your eyes twitched, and you started to blink frantically. "Here you are, here you are, easy", Joel's fingers ran down the side of your face as he looked at you. "You didn't eat," he said firmly, "You two needed to eat", you rasped out. Hating the bright sun that found its way into your eyes despite Joel's shadow. "Y/N," Joel said in a warning tone, yet you were quick to copy him, "Joel."

"Should have told me at least", now came in a worried tone. It always slipped out. "Our communication is complicated at the moment," you sassed back as, he slowly helped you sit up. "It's not funny", "Who's laughing?", Joel only rolled his eyes. He was glad you were okay. That's all that matters now. He reached for the water that Ellie must have brought with her, handing it to you, "Drink this, and then we'll try to stand up." You downed the water as if you hadn't drunk in days. Your body still felt strange, but that little rush of sweetness seemed to have been enough to kickstart your system.

"Y/N," your gaze shifted to the side, where a concerned Ellie stood. You reached your hand towards her, and she was quick to sink next to you. "I'm a fine baby," you muttered, kissing the side of her head. "You should have listened to Joel," you snorted, "Oh, nice, you two are now ganging up," making Ellie giggle as well. "But he does know best. Sometimes…," you raised your eyes to Joel, giving him a small smile that he returned.

"Okay, let's get going", Joel helped Ellie up as she picked up the fuel tank that was closest to her. Joel's arms sneaked under your legs, "I can walk", you fought back as he carefully lifted you up, "Yeah, and I can carry you", in any other way, you would have argued back, but you still didn't have it in you to do so. So you let him. Wrapping your arms around Joel's neck, you cling closer to him. Joel hoped the walk to the car would have lasted forever. He missed your touch. Even if you were in speaking condition, it was clear that you had drawn a line. You were just business partners now. The affection you two once shared was nowhere to be found.

You were sat by Joel now. Ellie said she wanted to sleep in the back, but you knew the real reason, and so did Ellie. Joel still wanted to keep an eye on you. It was quiet for some time until Ellie pulled something out of her back. The ruffling of pages caught your attention, making you turn around to look at her. "There's not much reading here, but the pictures are quite something," she said, as Joel's eyes looked up to the rearview mirror.

His eyes grew big as he turned to her, "Throw that away now", his voice had a warning tone but the sense of panic was way more visible. "No way, dude, I want to see what the fuss is about!", Ellie shifted the magazine in her hands, flipping through the pages, "How do you walk with that thing between your legs?", "Let me see", you curved towards her, and Ellie was quiet to turn the picture to you. "Y/N, don't encourage it", Joel growled from beside you, but you only let out a laugh, "Oh, this is average. I've seen bigger and better".

You clapped Joel's lap a couple of times as you turned back around. A smirk spread over your face as you bit your lip, trying hard not to laugh. Joel shook his head in disbelief before glaring at you, "I will throw you both out of the car." You lifted your hands defensively, "Only speaking facts." A gasp left Ellie's mouth once she finally clocked in on your words, "Oh gross, you've seen his… no, don't answer that", she pulled a disgusted face as she lead closer to the window to get rid of the magazine. "Seen? Girl, I've…", "No!", Ellie clapped her hands over her ears and hummed a loud melody to herself to muffle the noise. You let out a laugh. Eyes meeting Joel's as he turned to you breathily, shaking his head, "You are losing it", you let out another giggle, "For you? Always".

The camp for the night was set, and Ellie was already fast asleep. Clenching your hand in hers. You looked at the ever-so-slowly approaching darkness. How it slowly seeped through the trees. The suspense of what was still ahead of you was unsettling. Were you doing the right thing? What if you were willingly bringing Ellie into even more danger? What if you didn't even make it? What was Joel thinking? Was he thinking of you?

You felt someone nudging your shoulder, and moments later Joel slipped to sit right beside you. You two seemed okay the past couple of days. But were you? "You're thinking loudly again," Joel said, handing you another cup. You couldn't help but roll your eyes. He kept a close watch on you tonight during dinner. Joel knew you hated when he counted your bites, but it was for precaution. There wasn't much medication on hand. If your conditions were to go bad again. Well, Joel would have gained a whole head of white hair trying to find the right medication and help for you.

"You know I will be pissing all night if you'll keep this up", you growled, only making Joel smile a little, "I see plenty of bushes that could be utilized," he said and you hit his chest playfully. "How are you feeling?" Joel asked you, bringing his own cup closer to his lips. "About us or in general?", your words took Joel by surprise. Of course, first and foremost, he was referring to your health. That was the most important thing in Joel's eyes now. "I want to give you space. I don't want you rushing into a relationship, especially when I'm like this," Joel blurred out, hands gripping the cup tightly. "Well, it's ten years too late, Joel," you said, moving to rest your head on his shoulders.

"You should give up on me," Joel said, the darkness making it easier for him to speak. He felt like he could almost hide behind it. Like it somehow shielded his fears, "Here you are wrong. Plus, we made a promise to each other." You lifted your left hand. The hand with the butterflies. The hand Joel had slipped a makeshift ring on a couple of years into your being together. He had sat down every night for over a week, trying to make a ring for you out of all the little things he found around the place. Joel had no idea why, but he had to do it.

"We had a little too much to drink and…", "Excuses, excuses. Unless you want me to take it off," you said, lifting the hand that was playing with Ellie's hair and moving it toward the ring as Joel caught both of your hands in his. "You promised to never take it off," Joel said firmly, "And I ain't planning to. That should be an answer in itself." Your hand reached for the side of Joel's face as you once again rested your hand on his shoulder. He gently kissed your palm before kissing the side of your head. Watching over the dark forest in front of him. That's why a man like you and I are here.

[marknee]

bts fanfics i think shakespeare and queen elizabeth i would’ve gossiped about.

chapter ii. ✷ chapter iv.

KEYS ON SEVERITY OF SHAKESPEARE’S STATE:

( ✮ ) — you can’t lie, shakespeare’s got a mouth on him.

( ♬ ) — they’ve ordered everyone out the room. peering through the window as we speak.

( ✎ ) — someone tell him to put that poor teacup down.

( ♛ ) — her majesty royally gasped. she’s clutching her pearls, bless her.

THE SHAKESPEARE SERIES.

WARNING: keep in mind, some of these authors are very strict on the rule that no minors should read their work if they’re underage, and i will honour that. but, at the end of the day, i am not your parent. so, there’s that. but heed my warning wisely. any smut or 18+ content is highlighted in bold.

NOTE: we’re on part three already? damn, times flies. if you’re new here, welcome to the shakespeare series where i write essays about fics that would absolutely annihilate shakespeare — hence the name. if you haven’t read the past two chapters, you can access them in the masterlist above! let’s get into it.

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( ♛ ) MATILDA — by @babystrcandy

!! yoongi x reader | 141.8k !!

brothers best friend au, angst, fluff, eventual smut.

my therapist would absolutely adore this fanfic. maybe i should recommend it to her. or just send her the link. she’d be thrilled.

this series is dedicated to anyone who felt like the second choice, the one always forgotten about, the so-called disappointment, the people pleaser, the perfectionist, the one whose family has let them down over and over again.

reading this, alike reading anything else, transports you to another world. however, the difference between this one and all others, is this makes you feel safe. secure. a safe place. a sanctuary you never realised even existed, where you feel accepted and loved. it takes the idea of home and really drills it in.

if you find yourself relating to this story, like i did, i want to you to know i see you and i truly hope one day you find everything you were deprived of growing up. you deserve peace. you deserve love.

while you’re at it, go give this author some love for seeing us, listening to us, and validating our experiences. and for writing such a beautiful story.

⠀

( ♬ ) DILF JK — by @venusiangguk

!! jungkook x reader | 85.5k !!

strangers to lovers, dad!jk, friends with benefits, smut (18+), fluff.

if some army’s weren’t such delulu’s and so consumed by the imaginary idea that they’ll one day marry a bts member and live happily ever after, this is the type of shit we’d actually get. but no, we’re forever plagued by fiction because of a few overly obsessed wankers.

rant aside, dilf!jk is a concept. one that needs to be studied and researched for my own personal needs. because i thought dilf!namjoon was dangerous (and he most certainly is), but dilf!jk is a whole other… thing? being? story? i’ll leave that to the researchers.

personally, i love when authors mould fiction and reality into one body. they blend the two concepts together to create something beautiful, and this was duly noted within the topic of the age gap. deciding on something real for the benefit of both parties in a fictional story is so fucking applaudable. or perhaps i’m just an angsty fucker, sorry.

most definitely worth all the tissues and all the cheek aching. talking from experience.

i mean, it’s got ‘dilf’ in the title, is that not enough? it’s what made me click, anyways. i’m a dilf lover through and through.

⠀

( ♬ ) A SERPENT’S FLOWER — by @jimlingss & @dovechim

!! jimin x reader | 34.2k !!

fluff, smut (18+), lil angst, hogwarts!au.

realistically, you knew at some point in this series there would be a harry potter!au thrown in somewhere, didn’t you? i mean, come on now. and i’m so happy this is the first one.

this two-parter and it’s sequel both are both due the respect they deserve. the perfect opposites attract trope? enemies to lovers? with a quick-witted slytherin reader and an even wittier hufflepuff park jimin? fuck me, don’t mind if i do.

i never say a fanfic has everything. but this fanfic has everything. character, romance, humour, angst, wit, the list goes on. it’s a fanfic buffet: it’s got it all, and you just help yourself.

and i realise some people don’t read the sequels to fanfics (i know), but i beg of you. read the sequel too. if anything, i think the sequel was my favourite bit. and i know some people don’t like the pregnancy trope, but i’m telling you there definitely is a time and place for it. and this is the time! and the place! trust me.

did i cry at the end of this fic? i can’t remember. but the probability is higher than i’d like it to be.

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( ✮ ) ZERO GRAVITY — by @luxekook

!! namjoon x hoseok x reader | 11k !!

space!au, poly!au, angst, smut (18+), crack, fluff.

if someone doesn’t drop me on a spaceship with two of the hottest men on the planet in the next fortnight, i’m suing. don’t know who that’ll be yet, but some poor sod will have his hands full, that’s for certain.

i love space!au fics with my whole heart and ass. honestly, every time one comes up on my page, i have to save it. it’s a reflex at this point, they’re just too good. you know what is also too good? the built up tension within this fic. jaw-dropping.

i’m not giving out any spoilers, but the author really said, bonk— here is the nastiest smut you’ve ever read in your life. take it, or get fucked. and of course, i took it. but nothing really prepares you for that atmosphere change. not even the sex club was remotely ready. and it’s a sex club.

not going to lie, before writing this essay, i actually went back and read it again, just to make sure i was in the right mind the first time i read it. and yep, sure was. it’s just shocking how insane this fic is.

btw, anyone fancy a visit to throbbing disco sticks? i need a word with the person who came up with the name. and perhaps a kiss too.

⠀

( ✎ ) NO CHOICE (NEXT TO YOU) — by @gukyi

!! yoongi x reader | 13k !!

college!au, frat boy!au, neighbour!au, enemies to lovers.

miscommunication. my lover in fanfics, my worst enemy in real life. hence why i love this fic so much. because it’s not real life. (unfortunately).

we’ve all done that thing where we’ve accidentally eavesdropped onto something we shouldn’t of and one thing leads to another and boom, you find yourself misreading the whole situation. and you’re lying if you say you haven’t.

well, that’s this fic for you. times a thousand. honestly, enemies to lovers fics never do me wrong. they’re always a joy to read — the thrill and the very, very prominent sexual tension keeps you excited, waiting on the edge of your seat to see how everything plans out.

my point? this fic never bores you out. read it a thousand times and it still feels like the first. and not a lot of fanfics have that power, i’ll tell you that. a few, yes. but not a lot.

don’t take reading this for the first time for granted. wish i had that privilege. jealous.

⠀

( ✎ ) THE PRINCE’S CINDERELLA SYNDROME — by @jimilter

!! jimin x reader | 39.4k !!

cursed!jimin, supernatural!au, strangers to lovers!au angst, smut, fluff.

this fic altered my brain chemistry permanently. there’s no going back. i’m officially ruined, you guys. i don’t even know who i was before i read this. it was just- bang, clean slate.

to begin with, i thought ‘this bitch saw him twice and her knees buckled. what the fuck.’ but then i realised that bitch is me, and the so-called him is referring to thee park jimin, so really. i got it. who wouldn’t absolutely power move it after seeing such a sight? i might just jog a little. sprint on a good day.

i would happily write a five thousand word essay for you on how fucking good this plot slash idea was, and an additional ten thousand on how sad, but i don’t think my fingers— nor my mental state would be able to go through that. not again. please.

but as i mentioned in the last fic above, do not take reading this for the first time for granted. however, only because you will lose all rationality.

shakespeare most definitely plagiarised this fic. he wrote it down and her majesty knows. that’s why he looked so proud of himself at tea. the sneaky fucker. just he wait until i tell @jimilter.

sobbing. again. or is this the fourth time?

⠀

( ✎ ) ALWAYS IN MY DREAMS — by @kookskingdom

!! namjoon x reader | 15.4k !!

soulmates!au, fluff, angst, minor character death.

i mean, i already sleep too fucking much. only being able to meet my soulmate through my dreams would just make me comatose. you’d never hear from me. ever.

and yes, you saw the tag. it’s another soulmate!au because everyone knows how much nini loves her hopeless romance. but! who doesn’t. they’re too good to scroll past. so when i finally read this, i knew it was going in the series.

the unknown certainty between the pair of when their next encounter would be with each other, causing them to cherish every single second, that. that’s what i want please. someone who drinks up my existence knowing we will soon part from each other. i cannot.

i love, love, love the concept of soulmates, fate, destiny, whatever. the whole shabang. i bathe in it. so, of course, this fic was a big hit with me. and if that too is your thing, and you love the idea of two souls being intwined inside and out, this is your golden ticket.

@kookskingdom is mentioned in this chapter twice. but can you blame me? you find a ticket to the chocolate factory, of course you’re going to hold onto it as tightly as possible.

⠀

( ✮ ) VOICEMAIL — by @joonary

!! seokjin x reader | 7k !!

fluff, humour, friends to lovers, college podcast!au.

you know those dramas where both the two main characters are so completely smitten with each other to the point you’re practically screaming at your screen for them to “just kiss already!” but won’t because they’re hopelessly oblivious, even though everyone is telling them how in love they both are? yeah, that’s this fic. in a nutshell.

though in their defence, i feel i would definitely do the same. but still, does it stop me from getting frustrated with them? no. i was absolutely raging.

this cute story was so, so sweet i was practically clutching the phone for an emergency appointment to the dentist. my teeth were rotting with all the added sugar, like hello? my teeth? but just like chocolate is, it’s addicting. and you can’t stop yourself.

perhaps i’m just a sucker for friends to lovers fics, but this one particularly caught my attention. it’s 5k of pure infuriation, and 2k of fluff.

but so worth the impatience.

⠀

( ♬ ) FALL IN HATRED — by @jimlingss

!! seokjin x reader | 20k !!

divorce!au, angst, fluff, smut (18+), marriage!au.

first bullet point is just the thought of fuck me, ‘cause where do i start with this?

separation — in some ways — is the easy way out. you just get up and leave. walk out, whatever. boom, just like that. but the emotional repercussions are what make it so distressing. making that daunting decision to leave something— someone in our past, may be one of the hardest things we humans ever have to do.

this fic goes through the rough battle of what it means to be committed to a person. the battles of finally giving up on someone you once thought the world of. and honestly? that may be my worst fear. for someone to love me so deeply, and then lose that over time to see me as nothing more than an inconvenience of their past.

never been through divorce. hopefully you, nor i, will ever have to. but after reading this, i don’t think we have to experience it.

this amazing, yet painfully angsty fic does it for us. and a fucking incredible ending.

⠀

( ♛ ) THE ROAD TO RADIANT — by @kookskingdom

!! jungkook x reader | 25.9k !!

gamer!au, streamer!au, fluff, angst, smut, rivals to friends to lovers!au.

this got a crown on the shakespeare state chart purely for the fact i have never played valorant in my life, and single-handedly managed to impress my friends — who are obsessed with said game — about my newfound knowledge of gaming, purely from this fic alone. felt like a fucking genius.

i was going to add this to part four, but i genuinely had to swap some fics around to put this baby in. i found space for her, so she’s here. and deservedly so. why wait?

this fic does a very good job of highlighting the deep misogyny and sexism that runs within the gaming community towards women. like, can women not be good at gaming too? do people really believe gaming is purely a man thing? is this really the society we live in? yikes.

and if you do happen to read this fic and reach that argument scene with jungkook, please let me know. i want you to know i, too, was absolutely fuming. phones were thrown. naughty words were said. angry voice messages to said best friend were recorded.

final special mention for the smut scene. had me sweating like a sinner in church. lord have mercy.

⠀

( ♬ ) BRASS AND STRINGS — by @jimlingss

!! namjoon x reader | 113.7k !!

slice of life!au, fluff, slow burn, college!au, music!au.

take a shot every time this author is mentioned within this series. you’ll end up blackout pissed. it’s a shame they left this platform, but i hope they’re doing well. their fics have really left an impact on me. and i’ll forever be grateful.

ah, yes. the cheesy clichéd trope of the mean girl and the nerd. a mix of two completely different personalities and flavours that supposedly fit together like two broken pieces of a puzzle. the very foundation of a 2000’s romcom. an iconic pairing that has been hammered into us by the media since day one.

it’s the opposites attract that lured me in initially, but it’s the character development throughout the story that nestled itself into my heart, and got me to stay. this fic holds dear to me still.

i have gatekept this fic long enough, and i am trusting you to bear it with love and extreme care. like you’re holding a small, fragile baby in your arms. do not let me down. please.

one more thing, don’t share this with shakespeare. every time he’s brought it up, i’ve told him it was a really weird dream and he’s only just started to believe me. yes, i feel shit about it, but it has to be done. the man’s a menace.

⠀

( ✮ ) TANGLED WEBS — by @ughseoks

!! jungkook x reader | 14.1k !!

spiderman!au, soulmate!au (yup), angst, fluff.

if any of you say a word about the second tag, i will fight. i will never stop recommending them. me and the soulmates!au are soulmates. irony at its finest.

i genuinely wish spidey!jk was a real adaptation. because even though andrew is my favourite spiderman, i fear there is a large difference between the pair that separates them. andrew can play peter parker. jungkook can (re: could) play peter parker. but could andrew play jungkook? no.

in this fic, the whole characterisation of both jungkook as spiderman and the soulmate!reader is so well written. you can perfectly picture jungkook being that awkward high school boy by day, and secret superhero vigilante by night. i mean, fuck me. how is he not knackered all the time?

mixing in that final zest of soulmates!au everyone (re: me) loves, you’ve got yourself a hell of a plot line.

romeo and juliet were not soulmates, shakespeare. they were children. why aren’t you taking notes? stop talking to the queen. she’s tired of all your bullshit. and so are we.

© marknee, 2023. all rights reserved.

⠀

[vangh17a]

Please can you put your old icon against your new one, ive forgotten it now that its changed.

Also who is/are your favourite characters, from most to least. Please include CJ, Draxum, and any other villians or characters you like.

Yeah I gotchu!

->->->->-> Man it's nuts looking at old updates haha

And hooooo boy that's a lot!! I'm not gonna list everyone, so I'm just gonna do top 3 for both heroes and villains!

I think it's obvious who my #1 is. (Points above) For second, it cycles through the rest of the Mad Dogs. One day it's Leo, then it's Mikey, then it's Raph... Etc etc

3rd is Casey Jr because of some of the amazing comics out there!

For the baddies, it goes Hypno, Draxum, then Big Mama :D

[eerna]

hello! this ask ended up becoming a very long tangent so feel free to ignore it lmao. just had some thoughts on tpt and idk who else to rant to

i feel like i generally enjoyed tpt but also agree w a lot of criticism ive seen about it (was definitely put off by wrens lack of agency and so disappointed that we didnt see her reunite w her parents…that phone call w her mom was the most emotionally evocative scene for me in the first book and lowkey made me cry).

idk if someone already brought this up but a small thing that bothered me was that the thistlewitch’s bargain with oak never came back to bite him or was even mentioned again. specifically the exchange where she asked him to grant her a request upon becoming king, and he agreed since he didnt plan to be king anyway even though she implied she’d seen otherwise in his future. i get that this is foreshadowing ultimately that oak would become a king through marrying wren rather than inheriting, but it surprised me that the ramifications of him thus having to put his money where his mouth is re:thistlewitch never actually come up when he has the whole ‘oh i’d still be a king by marriage’ realization in tpt.

like it seems like it should be plot relevant that oak is now indebted to a hag who is somewhat implied to be conspiring (or at least affiliated) with mother marrow / bogdana, given that he specifically questions why mother marrow sent him off to the thistlewitch to get info, when she already could have told him that wren had melliths heart. idk was that part ever explained? i listened to the audiobook so if it was i might have zoned out or something, but i lowkey kept expecting that piece to be revealed as part of the hag conspirators’ plan

i guess that its just a red herring having finished the book now, but i was still confused that oak never even reflects back on it in his inner monologue at some point, especially when he realizes that he is still on track to becoming a king when he marries wren? like the book just ends with him being like ‘i guess ill be a king :) for you :)’ so i suppose hes either forgotten about the thistlewitch or doesnt care

maybe i read far too much into this one interaction or just missed something. but idk it just seems like a missed opportunity and/or dropped plot line to me and i really feel like that red string corkboard charlie day meme just thinking about it.

thank u for reading if you got through it all :,)

No worries, I enjoy reading ppl's takes in my inbox, be it positive or negative~ SAME the Thistlewitch was the BACKBONE to all my TPT predictions and then she ended up irrelevant. Then when the entire consort VS king/queen topic popped up I was like OH SMART, this could be a good middle ground. But no. Despite all his best attempts at avoiding it, he is still getting a crown, hence the hags can still collect that boon one day. And what if the boon is "Reignite the Court of Teeth's insurgence and march against Elfhame and put your hag bride on the throne". What then.

[esther-dot]

Any thoughts on Sansa saying she wants the Great Sept burned? Is she a witch?

Dontos nodded. "He made a great pyre of the trees as an offering to his new god. The red priestess made him do it. They say she rules him now, body and soul. He's vowed to burn the Great Sept of Baelor too, if he takes the city." "Let him." When Sansa had first beheld the Great Sept with its marble walls and seven crystal towers, she'd thought it was the most beautiful building in the world, but that had been before Joffrey beheaded her father on its steps. "I want it burned." "Hush, child, the gods will hear you." "Why should they? They never hear my prayers." (ACOK, Sansa IV)

No, I don't think she's a witch, but there is something to her wishes coming true:

I hope he falls and shames himself, she thought bitterly. I hope Ser Balon kills him. When Joffrey proclaimed her father's death, it had been Janos Slynt who seized Lord Eddard's severed head by the hair and raised it on high for king and crowd to behold, while Sansa wept and screamed. later -> Morros dropped his lance, fought for balance, and lost. One foot caught in a stirrup as he fell, and the runaway charger dragged the youth to the end of the lists, head bouncing against the ground. Joff hooted derision. Sansa was appalled, wondering if the gods had heard her vengeful prayer. But when they disentangled Morros Slynt from his horse, they found him bloodied but alive. "Tommen, we picked the wrong foe for you," the king told his brother. "The straw knight jousts better than that one." (ACOK, Sansa I)

Now, he didn't die, but I still think that's the beginning of a fun little pattern.

Across the city, thousands had jammed into the Great Sept of Baelor on Visenya's Hill, and they would be singing too, their voices swelling out over the city, across the river, and up into the sky. Surely the gods must hear us, she thought. [...] ...toward the end, she even sang for Tyrion the Imp and for the Hound. He is no true knight but he saved me all the same, she told the Mother. Save him if you can, and gentle the rage inside him. later -> Her throat was dry and tight with fear, and every song she had ever known had fled from her mind. Please don't kill me, she wanted to scream, please don't. She could feel him twisting the point, pushing it into her throat, and she almost closed her eyes again, but then she remembered. It was not the song of Florian and Jonquil, but it was a song. Her voice sounded small and thin and tremulous in her ears. Gentle Mother, font of mercy, [...] She had forgotten the other verses. When her voice trailed off, she feared he might kill her, but after a moment the Hound took the blade from her throat, never speaking. Some instinct made her lift her hand and cup his cheek with her fingers. The room was too dark for her to see him, but she could feel the stickiness of the blood, and a wetness that was not blood. "Little bird," he said once more, his voice raw and harsh as steel on stone. Then he rose from the bed. Sansa heard cloth ripping, followed by the softer sound of retreating footsteps. later -> "It's done! Done! Done! The city is saved. (ACOK, Sansa VII)

Twofer! The people are saved and the Hound's fury/assault ends in him weeping.

Not sure if we should count this one, she did want to kill Joffrey back in AGOT and she thinks about praying for Margaery's protection from him, but I can't remember a specific wish in ASOS:

Sansa followed unresisting. I could never abide the weeping of women, Joff once said, but his mother was the only woman weeping now. In Old Nan's stories the grumkins crafted magic things that could make a wish come true. Did I wish him dead? (ASOS, Sansa V)

Martin is even playing this game in TWOW!

This time her eyes met Harry's. She smiled just for him, and said a silent prayer to the Maiden. Please, he doesn't need to love me, just make him like me, just a little, that would be enough for now. later -> “I hope you joust better than you talk.” For a moment he looked shocked. But as the song was ending, he burst into a laugh. “No one told me you were clever.” He has good teeth, she thought, straight and white. And when he smiles, he has the nicest dimples. She ran one finger down his cheek. “Should we ever wed, you’ll have to send Saffron back to her father. I’ll be all the spice you’ll want.” He grinned. “I will hold you to that promise, my lady. Until that day, may I wear your favor in the tourney?” (TWOW, Alayne I)

The guy is charmed. Oops, I almost forgot the best example:

Frog-faced Lord Slynt sat at the end of the council table wearing a black velvet doublet and a shiny cloth-of-gold cape, nodding with approval every time the king pronounced a sentence. Sansa stared hard at his ugly face, remembering how he had thrown down her father for Ser Ilyn to behead, wishing she could hurt him, wishing that some hero would throw him down and cut off his head. But a voice inside her whispered, There are no heroes, and she remembered what Lord Petyr had said to her, here in this very hall. "Life is not a song, sweetling," he'd told her. "You may learn that one day to your sorrow." In life, the monsters win, she told herself, and now it was the Hound's voice she heard, a cold rasp, metal on stone. "Save yourself some pain, girl, and give him what he wants." (AGOT, Sansa VI) later -> much later -> much much later -> Janos Slynt twisted his neck around to stare up at him. "Please, my lord. Mercy. I'll … I'll go, I will, I …" No, thought Jon. You closed that door. Longclaw descended. (ADWD, Jon II)

I understand that politically, it would be a mess for Cersie to blow it up a la the show, and she'd lose all support blah blah blah, but I think the Sept will burn. Maybe that's later during Dany's great kaboomb of KL, but I'd kinda hate it if it was burned as part of everything and didn't get singular focus. Martin so frequently references Ned's death on the steps of the Sept we have this feeling of it being a place of horror and great injustice, and I'd like it to be a real moment. I would find it rewarding if it was Cersei, because she’d unwittingly be carrying out a wish of Sansa’s, a form of justice for the Starks. Also, we have that whole scene of her being enraptured by the tower of the hand burning, she has her own trauma tied to the Sept now, and in her scene of shame, she sees Ned and Sansa, so it’s all very present even as late as ADWD. And we know Martin is prepping another wish coming true in TWOW:

👀👀👀 Regardless of when/how, I do think Sansa will get her wish regarding the Sept and Harry (although I’m sure that one will upset her, she’s very soft-hearted!)

Again, not because she's a witch, because of the author's interest in justice and also, part of his series long project of unwinding simplistic beliefs and notions to replace them with a much more complex truth. Not to say people are dumb to believe in the first place, but more of an examination of faith and how prayers being answered can be the mystical explanation for a something that someone does for us, or we might even do for ourselves. As in, it was Sansa's longstanding kindness to the Hound, the relationship she built with him as well as her treatment of him in the moment that saved her from him.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

Honestly? The most striking thing about the sideburns and other continuity errors isn't even how bizarre they are, how numerous or how they mostly seem like easily fixable things. It's Neil's non-answers! Except for the missing fifteen minutes in the Final Fifteen I don't believe he's outright called any of them continuity errors even when that's surely the simplest option. Of course, even odds he's doing it just to wind the fandom up, but that still leaves a fifty percent chance there might be a Reason. Or, if it is specifically to wind us up and make us chase our own tails, you could argue that makes it a red herring. In which case, what Clues are the continuity errors meant to distract us from?

hey anon!!!✨ okay so here's where im just basically going to talk about good omens in general, both seasons, because honestly? im completely with you, and i think that rationale is bang on the money. its the whole reason why i try to look at outside, sometimes blatantly in a different direction, to what the show (ignoring the book for a hot minute) is telling us.

s2 in particular, but i'll include s1 slightly, feels like it really leans into misdirection as a narrative technique - the red herring. as you rightly pointed out, we have the baby swap/three card monte in s1. we have three cowrie shells in s2. we have the goats hidden as crows, where (by my count) you see two, possibly three, flying off in the background behind crowley. we have the three children hidden as lizards (lots of threes which is interesting but not my Point rn). the bullet catch. aziraphale distracting furfur with the envelope whilst he hides the photograph up his sleeve. probably others that ive forgotten.

so, suffice to say, it's a fairly major part of the story, and this is where i come to my point; in my opinion, tricks are being played on us as the audience, and we ourselves are being led by misdirection. now, im sure some of these may turn out to be true, but the below are a couple of examples of things from s2 specifically that have been spoonfed to us, and therefore - i think - are not 100%, if at all, true:

crowley was a high-ranking angel/archangel

maggie is a demon because she misspelt 'urgency'

the book of life is a book, and has the ability to erase existence

the 25-lazarii miracle was successful in hiding gabriel, or was as powerful as it was because aziraphale and crowley did it together simultaneously.

i've talked about all of them in various tags, so i won't go over them, but i think we need to consider that what we've been taking as read needs further evaluation. that's not to say that one or multiple could in fact be the truth - there is, after all, the actual money card in three card monte - but im hesitant to put a guess on which one is the case.

but this does kinda come back to the batshit time travel theory - does the magic trick extend that far? or, at the very least, what is the trick being played by the varying hair length/sideburns/glasses change, if we accept that they're not factors external to the narrative? if they're deliberate, in-story choices, what is it telling us? there's the speculation that the flashbacks in s2 are skewed because they're all told from aziraphale's perspective - is possibly the case for the entire season? does that explain the colour grading?

personally, i think we're seeing more red herrings than we realise!!!✨

[aragonlediagon]

one more ms pain.t shingyoku because,

its like, ressembling most takes of them ive seen aka the forms are 2 distinct people while i say theyre one but

I much prefer thinking theyre one shapeshifter because it makes them stand out imo but that one more common take is ok too i dont dislike it ok?

Edit: I kind of hate that take now lol. Its mainly because I find people doing thay dont deepen it at all and ditch the yin yan orb form

Or i think it depends which personality people give them,,, i imagine in this take they kind of complete each others, the girl is a big cheerful and mischevious silly while boyo is more the collected and solemn kind (but still gentle). In my prefered take "Shingyoku" is their personal name, but if theyre 2 people "Shingyoku" is a title and both have their own personal name

There I draw them different than my usual take. My usual has same face traits & height regardless of form taken with lots of mirrored details in the designs, while these two are lot more distinct. Tho they still try matching because theyre sillies. I still draw the dude cute because in lots of takes ive seen he looked like lowkey ugly generic isekai looking protagonist and I prefer my longed hair feminine looking bishies :woozy_face:. When i see him drawn cute tho i explode. I dont think ive seen weird looking takes on the girl design but im amused on how people interpret what looks like horns on her head. Theyre definitely horns to me. The dude also have some in my take hidden by the funny futo onmyoji hat.

Also thats a ship and the main point of the story I came up with for this one take tbh, but its far less detailed than all of what I imagined for my main "all forms are one person" take crrr

These two act like parents for Reimu and they break kneecaps together (elbows for ghosts)

I talk too much about a forgotten touhou character w no dialogues damn and ive already planned a long post with all of what ive written.,

[poetrylesbian]

not to be a bummer but i need to rant about this to someone and what better someone than this blog

i am very sad lately and it is mostly because my grandpa is not well and i don't know how long he has left. a year ago i was living with him and he was pretty good, occasionally forgetful sometimes but ultimately himself. but i haven't seen him in a month or two and now ive found out he's had a lot of problems and was actually keeping it from everyone.

backstory is that this is my paternal grandfather and even though my parents got divorced 20 years ago he's always stayed close with my mum, and ever since dad moved overseas my mum has insisted on being very present in his life even more because she's lowkey pissed that dad went and moved overseas when he had sick elderly parents. which was driven home 5 years ago when my granny died. so basically my parents do not get on and barely interact now that their kids are adults but my dad's entire family still gets on with and cares about my mum and vice versa.

so yeah. a month ago my mum visited my grandpa to pick up something of mine from him place bc i was in melbourne and she was worried because he seemed to be thinner and less himself. usually he always invites her in for coffee but he didn't. it was weird.

she texted my dad (even though she hates to lol) and dad asked my grandpa and basically we found out he'd spent some time in hospital and told NOBODY, not even his son who still lives in brisbane, and gotten a pacemaker put in.

basically fast forward to now and he has been in hospital since sunday. my mum was having trouble finding out what happened bc she's obvs not the next of kin and my uncle, who is, is not a great communicator (just like most of the men in this fucking family lol) and was not super clear.

basically, he's had a few falls. the most recent one I think he fell over and hit his head. and it must have been very bad, because he is not well at all. mum and my brother and i went and visited him two days ago and it was like he had dementia. he kept thinking he was back in england. at this point we didn't know why he'd gone to hospital in the first place so we asked him and he said he got a taxi to the airport and took a plane. he asked us about our flight because he thought we had flown to england to visit him. he was worried about losing his permanent residency in australia. he also kept forgetting my granny, his wife, had died five years ago. it was horrible. he said he'd called my dad and he hadn't picked up, then he said he'd called her and she hadn't picked up. at one point when i went to find my brother who had just arrived, apparently my mum asked him if he remembered what had happened to granny and he got upset and said he didn't, and cried. i dont think any of us have ever seen him cry. my mum explained what happened and he thanked her for telling him, because his oldest son (my dad, mum's ex, we don't think he remembered his name) wouldn't have told him that. then ten minutes later he'd forgotten and mentioned granny visiting again.

he also had to ask my brother all about his apprenticeship (poor tom came straight from his job at the quarry and was covered head to toe in dust from fixing a rock crusher) even though of course he should know all about it

he's also very very weak and not eating. when he left he kept trying to stand up to see is off but he couldn't get out of his chair and we had to ask him to stop trying in case he fell again.

but he did have his sense of humour. he was making jokes. there were moments of lucidity. but mostly he was confused and it just made me feel so helpless.

i know things like this are normal when people get older. he's 82. i get it. but it's not something that happened gradually - last time i saw him was only couple of months ago and this is so bad, so suddenly. it's not dementia.

and i feel awful. he's been living alone for the last five years, after spending 7 years caring for my granny 24/7. i am certain he was depressed but he'd never tell anyone. i can't stop thinking about all the times i told him id visit on the weekend and i fucking forgot because im so fucking forgetful. i cant stop thinking about how in 2019 he and my uncle and aunt were planning to rent a house with a granny flat or whatever for him and then covid happened and they basically used that as an excuse not to. and they left him alone, even when he'd had falls, even when he had to wear one of those emergency things around his neck that could detect when he fell and he had to fucking email my uncle every day after he showered to tell him he was alright.

anyway that's my rant.

i stayed in his house for 2 months last year and it was nice but i wanted to be closer to uni and my friends so i moved out when i should have just stayed and payed him rent and helped him and kept him company. and i should have visited way more often after i moved out in december and not fucking let my stupid stress get in the way of making him a priority.

oh also now my mum is telling me i need to beg my dad to visit earlier (he's supposed to be here dec 27) but i don't know! i tried to tell him how bad it was. but i don't know if he really got it.

[flowercrowns-n-punks]

btw lark & sparrow as a little mushroom fellas btw. what is ur take

(u don't have to draw anything if you don't feel up to it :3)

NOW YOU ASK ABOUT THE FAMILY I AM SO OH SO WAY TO TALKING ABOUT???? [My irl friend tek has to deal with at least almost 4-6 times every day at this point i swearfrom how much i talk about the oaks]

Okay first off i do wanna do doodles ill reblog this with the doodles after or later in the day when ive gotten some sleep.[i need to consider my options here]

This will be long

But from what i think first off same mushroom type cause twins or two mushrooms that get mistaken for eachother easily.

I could easy n give them two very different mushrooms that fit them.

But no they are to codependant on eachother, their own paralells and oppsites are screaming i dont go the easy route here.

So the mushroom would need to be unexpecting but harmful if i were to give the same mushroom.

Which im leaning towards.

First idea

Fly agaric mushroom

The classic the pretty red & spotted mushroom. But like thats to classic, doesnt scream the twins to me.

Death cap mushrooms were the next option

small, green-tinted mushroom might look innocent enough, but it is actually the most toxic mushroom worldwide and is responsible for the highest number of fatal mushroom poisonings across the globe.

Seems beyter honestly if had went a different mushroom for each twin route Lark would been this.

BUT I FOUND THESE.

Funeral bell mushrooms or Galerina marginata!

Poisonous and deadly, these little mushrooms definitely live up to their ominous-sounding name. They grow on dead decaying wood or tree stumps.

And just idk why but the symbolism of funerals to me with the twins as if they had a funeral to the boys they were before the forgetten realms, a funeral to the kids that they were msde into because of the forgotten realms.

The funeral of time turning its next chapter on "reconciling" with henry when lark released tge doodler. So on so forth!

To now what they are now these mess of adults/parental figures broken and mournimg so much by the actions they both took.

And just from A art stand point

It fits nicely with their color schemes too-

But like Funeral Bell Mushrooms. Are what id def be doodling the twins as lil mushroom fellas

[small-spark-of-light]

Im telling you guys about my theory on evadare and what the void is(threat/j)

for context(according to what i heard from people who are in rems server): the events of evadare and xrun are REAL events that actually happened to Rafe. this is confirmed

The Void is a VERY big mystery, y'know? like, vaguely gestures. the two main things ive seen are: Is Whats Going On In It Real and Whats Happening.

Heres my thoughts on what it is, and i even have Evidence!!!

I think the void is a weird pocket dimension, in that bermuda triangle-esc thing we see the ship shipwreck into, that projects the viewers traumas and fears into reality as a form of Nightmare, and the way to beat it/get out is to "beat your nightmare". weird right?

this is in Rems video titled "Incredibox || Evadare Chapter III - Void || Announcement"

Now onto why i think the void projects peoples traumas and fears and to why i think its Not Real!! in that order

Do you see those warning triangles that say "OXYGEN LOW"? those are the same warning triangles we see in the Galaxy Bonuses on Rafes space suit

and have you noticed the Void gasmasks name? its 072021. 07/2021. July 2021. its a date, and if you look at all of rems youtube posts during that time, you can see that they all relate to Galaxy:

July 2nd, 2021 Galaxy Mix, "Good old times"

July 13th, 2021 All Unused Galaxy Files

July 18th, 2021 Galaxy's Bonus 1, The Forgotten (remake)

July 27th, 2021 Galaxy, the Zodiac Update

July 29th, 2021 Galaxy, All Bonuses

Nearly suffocating to death in space, only being saved by either his friend sacrificing himself or Aries stepping in, Must have been traumatic for Rafe. and seeing him die(again depending on what you believe) would be terrifying!!

this friend, seen in both the 2nd galaxy bonus and evadares 3rd bonus. Rafe has to see nightmare crush his friend. the next screenshot is from voids 1st bonus, right before it happens

His friend dying is either a severe Trauma to Rafe or a severe Fear. either way, the void takes advantage of it. Now onto whats actually a fear.

Capitan(and his crew by proxy) is one of the only allies Rafe has in this entire journey, and you can see this in his sound in the mod too!! him Telling Rafe that he should stay and he will be kept safe.

it makes sense that seeing him die would be a major fear of Rafe.

And now that we went into what the Void Does, lets go into if its real or not. as i said i don't think it is, and the secret is in the sprites/voids bonus!!

Look at the sprite between Nightmare and Jacko.

They're similar, but Noticeably different!! nightmares eyes and mouth are different, and the shapes his sprite is comprised of are bumpy and rough, compared to Jackos face and smooth/clean sprite-work.

and another: notice the differences between gasmask and 072021(along with 072021 being a incarnation of Rafes trauma from galaxy)

different outfits. but thats not really one im paying attention to tho, despite it being worth noting.

what i want to talk about is their Animations!! gasmasks only animation is his head moving up and down to the rhythm of his sound, and his mask lenses fogging up as he exhales. while 072021's animation has the cheeks of his mask puff up and sink in as he inhales and exhales!! very noticeable difference. especially considering the point i made before

now onto the most notable point:

Rafes cuts on his face are completely missing.

we can clearly see in Voids 1st bonus that he has the cuts on his face he gained in Xrun:

but later, in the same bonus, As SOON as he enters the void and we can see his face, they are GONE COMPLETELY:

you may say its a mistake and rem forgot, but she included the blood spatter on rafes face he got from Capitan dying at Nightmares hands, his cuts stayed the entire time in xruns bonuses and the beginning of Voids, so they are an important detail in his design!!

The blood spatter is even in his sprite!! theres no way rem would include the BLOOD FROM CAPITAN DYING and THE SLIT IN HIS EYEBROW and not include the cuts on his face

That concludes this VERY long post about my theory!!!! i hope you guys consider this :DDDDD

[blacklight-ghoulette]

SHOW ME YOUR 3D STUFF RIGHT NOW I BEG?!!

It's mostly just ghoul masks and small costume bits right now (grucifixes, the buttons on Papa IV and the Impera ghoul jackets, those things) as far as Ghost stuff goes, and a small collection of hcs for ghoul horns, so there's really nothing quite impressive or very interesting yet...

(kinda image heavy warning you now lol)

At one point I was working on a full body model for I think Primo?

But as you can see I had (and still don't) have a grasp at modeling cloth... uhhh that one was like 2 years ago and I'd like to go back and either redo it entirely or start fixing it at some point...

I'd forgotten I'd started modeling the Fantomen guitars right before the Impera tour started. Then I found out Dew was playing an entirely different guitar and I kinda just gave up on it...

I also did the Papa IV Caligula coin but I hated it and never did anything with it.

Oh, and, totally unrelated to Ghost, is my final for a 3D class I took at the beginning of this summer and I still really like how it came out.

I really like my lil moth dude, it was a very fun project.

There's other stuff too I just haven't really gone through all my files in a long while... and honestly most of the stuff I've modeled recently has just been redoing my earlier ghoul masks because I did a horrific job on my original models and they needed remaking so they could print better... and also like, be a wearable piece... I was not smart and did not use a headform when I made my original Meliora and Prequelle masks, so the proportions and sizing were so off but I've finally fixed them properly and am working on a full-size ghoulette mask atm.