#but as usual you're free to interpret them the way you wish

[your-name-is-jim]

You can tell how much Jim missed his best friends after almost 3 years without them and the Enterprise, because when they come back and they start talking about science and stuff, Jim just looks at them with the happiest expression on his face. <3 <3 <3

It looks like he's thinking "OMG I love them, I missed them so much", and even if I wasn't there, I think it had to be great for the fans who watched TMP for the first time in 1979, because this isn't just Jim's reaction to Bones and Spock, it was every fan's reaction after seeing the main characters on-screen after 10 years.

Another interesting detail is that Jim is probably trying to be more professional with Spock because he's on the bridge: Decker and other new crewmembers are there and we know that Jim acts differently when he's in his captain-mode. But when he meets Bones, there are just Rand and Scotty around, who are both old friends, so he can be more like himself (that's how I see it, at least).

Anyway, this is not the face of someone who's thinking about "engine design difficulties" :D

[head-empty-just-ace]

Oh, well. What did anyone expect from my url alone? So, here ya'll go— how Ace would be pinning over someone he likes. There's also a song below (there are other interpretations of the song but i liked the lyrics as is to match the hcs). However, I do suggest listening to Sweet by Cigarettes After Sex. Seems to suit Ace better imo.

'Cause my love is mine, all mine I love mine, mine, mine Nothing in the world belongs to me But my love mine, all mine Nothing in the world is mine for free But my love mine, all mine, all mine

Portgas D. Ace x GN!Reader

CW: None. Just pining and fluff.

Word Count: 566

Silent pining from afar.

He'll keep his feelings close to his chest like it's a secret that only he knows. In a sense, even if you can't be his, that warm flutter in his chest from your smile will be his alone.

The type of guy that would use his haki to his advantage, sneaking glances at you across the room so that you're unaware of it— he makes sure no one else sees either.

Whenever he spots you dozing off somewhere from exhaustion, he'll make sure to place a blanket over your shoulders. And he'll even leave you some of your favorite snacks nearby so you'll have something to eat when you wake up.

If he notices that you're having a bad day, he'll secretly find ways to make sure the crew isn't making it worse. Oh, someone wanted to bother your break? Nope, he'll discreetly steer them away and offering to be the one of service instead.

He'll be extra patient and gentle with you whenever you need help with something. Teaching you through anything you needed to know that he could help with. If anything, he overheard you struggling with something that he wasn't familiar with and researched on it best he could, just to help you.

He'll casually show off, no doubt. He's sparring with the commanders, and he knows you're watching? Will flex a lot more than usual and be even more motivated to win. Catching your gaze every now and then to cast you that boyish grin.

It isn't like he doesn't interact with you or anything. He does. Hell, he even makes it his personal mission to make you smile whenever you look sad. Better if you laugh at his schemes or jokes.

Ace gives the vibes of a secret admirer. That guardian angel over your shoulder that refuses to show himself. The guy that always does his best to help you in little ways even without you knowing that it was him.

Nobody realizes this. Just him. Not even Marco, Thatch, nor Izo (Whitebeard knows but respects Ace's decision to keep it quiet though he wishes that commander would just spill it out). So, you don't know about it neither.

However, it eventually gets to a point that his feelings just grow so much that he can barely hold it back.

His gaze starts to linger a while longer, barely even caring if anyone else sees it. Fingers brush against your skin for a moment longer than necessary. Naked adoration in his eyes whenever your eyes meet. He looks at you as though you hung the stars in the sky.

The crew slowly start to catch on. Though they try to tease or insinuate, he just brushed them off. Most of them give up, thinking that the two of you are just best friends by that point. Others continue to tease him whenever they can.

What really shifted things was that night at a party the crew held. He was drunk. You couldn't find a seat. He offered his lap with a playful smile. You agreed.

Oh, boy, the whole crew started getting sick of the tension linghering in the air. Didn't take long before you confessed. By then, you were pretty sure he had feelings but would always refuse to say anything no matter what.

~~~~~~

Here's my masterlist if you want to read more of my work!

~~~~~~

To my OP Moots: @captainportgasdace @ofoceansandtombsanew @lynndt-chocolate @custardcreamdemolisher @that-student-that-has-homework

[transfemmbeatrice]

beatrice muchadoaboutnothing is a trans woman: a brief treatise

thematically, i think in a play about the social vulnerability of women, having a character be a trans woman just makes sense as a way to provide depth to that idea. specifically, i love the concept of beatrice's view of men being informed by her own experiences as a closeted trans woman (it's amazing what people will say in front of you when they think you're one of them) and as someone later facing sexism and transmisgoyny.

usually when someone does a trans reading of this play/character, they look at beatrice's famous speech about wishing she was a man and interpret her as a trans man, which is perfectly valid! but this idea started for me with the simple thought that i wanted an out and accepted trans character to play with rather than a closeted one who cannot transition, just as a matter of personal preference at that particular time and with this particular text. but then i kept thinking.

as above, the concept of beatrice reading men for filth in the context of having lived among them is great. the "oh god that i were a man" speech is extremely disparaging of men and what they claim to be vs how they actually wield their power. what she wishes is that she had the power that men have automatically in her society--felt all the more keenly because there was a time when she was able to wield that power and she gave it up to be happy, to be herself, to be free in a different way. (here is where i sometimes imagine beatrice regretting ever transitioning, believing that her own happiness and health is less important than having the power to protect hero's happiness and health, because i love angst.) but now that the worst has happened, she is reduced to begging a man for help and it's demeaning and infuriating and tragic.

i also love turning on its head the line "i cannot be a man with wishing, therefore i will die a woman with grieving." being a trans person, dealing with internalized transphobia, knowing that transitioning will put a target on your back, wishing you could just be the gender you're born as--but no amount of wishing will make her not a woman. i think she loves herself and her gender but the play is focusing on points of conflict so that's what i'm talking about here.

in a play about misogyny, the vulnerability of women, and the hypocrisy of men, a trans woman has a unique perspective on both masculinity and femininity both as genders and places in society. (in the ideal version, i think john would be a trans man to mirror this experience, but that would require him to be rewritten to have actual depth and personality and all that is a different essay). there is also just a particular kind of strength that comes from having to carve out and defend your identity in that way which i think fits her very well.

lastly, a couple of other miscellaneous things from the text that can tie in:

beatrice recounting "a double heart for his single one" meaning both "i loved him twice as much as he loved me" and "i loved him as two people: [birthname] and beatrice"

benedick insisting he wouldn't marry her even if "she were endowed with all that Adam had left him before he transgressed." Adam, not Eve. in MY illustrious opinion, this is benedick saying "i don't care HOW big her dick is i'm NOT gonna marry her."

[crustaceousfaggot]

Why you should give Text Adventure games a try (and how to do so)

There is not nearly enough love for Text Adventure Games here on Tumblr. Or anywhere really. But especially here, I feel like you guys would really get a kick out of them. Here's why:

(quick note, I'm gonna be using the words Text Adventure and Interactive Fiction pretty interchangeably here. Technically that's not perfectly accurate, they are technically different things, but I don't care to explain the difference Just roll with it.)

So

Do you like weird short stories told through unconventional mediums? That's most of what Interactive Fiction is

You like story based video games but hate the finicky combat? Congrats, there is literally no combat skill required beyond the ability to type "hit guard with crowbar"

Blind or visually impaired? Since these games are (with a few exceptions) entirely text based, they work great with a screen reader!

Sick of profit motivated AAA titles with no creative integrity? Well, these games are almost always produced by a single nerd (usually a horrid amalgamation of computer geek and literature geek) with no budget and no responsibilities of the product they're making. And they're usually not paid, since these games are free. Text Adventure is a labour of love, and in most games you can feel the care and effort the creator has put into the game.

Sick of spending $20-70 on a video game? Lucky you, I've been playing TA for years and I have not spent a cent in doing so (Fallen Londen will try to make you pay. But Fallen Londen sucks and is run by bigots. Fuck Fallen London.) Games are either available free on a browser, or as free, small downloadable files (most of which can be played using the Parchment Interpreter)

Wish you read more, but reliant on the quick dopamine of digital media? Well now you can read while also being an active participant in the narrative.

Bad at puzzles? Me too! Games from the 80s and 90s, as well as more famous newer games, have walkthroughs and hints easily available online. Newer games tend to either have a "hint" command, or come with a walkthrough file.

Do you like weird surrealist horror? Well there's... A lot of it.

Okay, but where do I start?

So there are two types of text adventure. The one you might be more accustomed to, and which sees more modern use, is called Hypertext Interactive Fiction. The other is called Parser Interactive Fiction, it's generally seen in older games, as well as games that are larger, feature more puzzles, or involve more exploration.

Hypertext games

Basically, the game will give you a scenario, and then a list of options (hypertext links) to click on to decide what to do next. These are usually more beginner friendly since you don't need to fiddle around with parsers, but personally I find them a bit limiting. Nonetheless, if you're new to Text Adventure, they're a good place to start.

Some of my favourites hypertext games (summaries in green)

My Father's Long, Long Legs is an interactive horror story about family, unease, and loss. Really more of a story than a game, but still good. Very nice use of sound. It does have some visual aspects, so this one might not work with screen readers

Scene Kid Simulator is pretty much what it says on the tin. A cute, nostalgic, coming-of-age slice of life story from the POV of a 2000s scene preteen. Nothing special, but a fun time.

The Uncle Who Works at Nintendo is a strange, unconventional, witty, and heartfelt horror game. Your friend has an uncle who he says works for Nintendo. You're about to meet him, or so he says. A fun and spooky look at childhood, childhood friendships, and childhood lies.

16 Ways to Kill a Vampire at McDonald's is... A joy to play. The name says it all honestly. Witty, charming, tense, engaging, and emotional when it wants to be. I actually found this one through a lucky Tumblr Blaze, which makes sense since this is perfectly suited to Tumblr sensibilities. This one has more puzzle aspects than most hypertext games, but it's still relatively easy and beginner friendly. You're a vampire hunter. It's your night off, and you go to McDonald's. But there's something wrong with the customer sitting beside you...

Toadstools is a game about hunting mushrooms. You have trespassed in a national park and you are wandering blindly through the woods looking for rare fungi. Good luck :)

Parser games

Okay these fuckers are where I really get excited. These games have the classic flashing cursor line where you input text like "go north", "search bookshelf", or "kiss my husband", and the game's rudimentary AI parses your input to decide what happens next. These are my favourites. They really allow you the feeling of exploring the game world, immerse you in the protagonist and the story, using just text on a screen and simple inputs. This does make them considerably more difficult, since a) you need to decide the right way to phrase what you want to do, otherwise it won't work, and b) more possibilities means more chances to mess up and miss things. Unlike video games, your cursor won't light up when you see something important, you'll have to search stuff and work things out on your own But, in my opinion, it is so, so worth it. Summaries in red

The first text adventure game I ever played was One Eye Open. It's an extremely graphic and gory medical horror game (although I would consider it tasteful medical horror, in that it never derives horror from medical procedures, disability, or ooOoHh gross scary sick people) You play as a volunteer test subject for a medical research facility, having to unravel the mystery of the hospital's bloody past. It's good. It's fun. It's tense. It has some really dumb mechanics. Don't play if you're sensitive to descriptions of gore, death, or corpses. This one doesn't have a walkthrough, but I've played it enough times to know the puzzles by heart, DM me if you need help.

Anchorhead is possibly my favourite piece of interactive fiction I've ever played. It's incredible. You play as a newlywed woman, moving to the small seaside town of Anchorhead after your husband Michael inherited a mansion from some distant relatives. There's something wrong with the town though. There's definitely something wrong with your husband's mysterious ancestors. And you're starting to think that there might be something strange happening to Michael. Get ready for some wonderfully atmospheric and immersive Lovecraftian horror, action sequences that are incredibly vibrant for Text Adventure, and a super compelling mystery that the game lets you work out on your own. The puzzles here are hard. I'm not gonna lie, I used a walkthrough at several points during this game. But my god it's worth it. Big massive huge content warning here for mentions of incest, sexual assault, and pedophilia. Not in excess, and nothing explicit, but it will be mentioned as part of the story.

Little Blue Men is a short, strange, sci-fi-ish horror-ish comedy-ish game by the same author as Anchorhead, though the two games are wildly different. You are an office worker. Cope with it. Take The Stanley Parable, Stella Firma, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, mash 'em together, and you have Little Blue Men. It's bizarre. It's evocative. It's pretty darn good.

Coloratura is a strangely beautiful sci-fi story. You're a weird little alien blob. You've been separated from your home and are trapped aboard a human spaceship. You need to get home, need to make the humans understand in the only ways you can: color and song.

Slouching Towards Bedlam is a brilliant little steampunk game about language, choice, cults, Armageddon, and triangles. This game has multiple endings. It's neat in that none of the endings are really "good" or "bad". Rather, you need to decide where you stand, and act in the way you think is best.

The Lurking Horror is the grandparent of horror interactive fiction, released in the late 80s. You're a tech student in university. Something more than electricity is powering the school's computers. Find it, but don't die along the way. Besides the comically archaic descriptions of computers, this game doesn't feel all that dated. It's tricky, puzzle-heavy, and charmingly surreal. (Fun fact, this game and another old TA game called Zork inspired the "darkness kills you" mechanic which would later be popularized in Don't Starve!)

Nine Lives is a very short, very weird, very cartoony game where you play a cat that is very bad at staying alive. Cw for non-graphic but repeated cat death.

Spider and Web is one of the most ingenious uses of Text Adventure as a medium I've ever seen. It's famous for having one of, if not the singular best puzzles in video game history. It's tense, it's fast-paced, it introduces you to mechanics slowly and then lets you test them out on your own. I won't spoil too much, but you play as a very badass spy, reliving your brilliant heist during an interrogation. This game even features a character destined to be a Tumblr Sexyman. It really has it all.

If anyone actually read through all this, and has even considered playing any of these games, I'll be a little surprised. This post turned out a lot longer than I wanted it to be. It was meant to just be "hey interactive fiction is a cool and underappreciated medium, go check it out", but this is my special interest, and not one I often get to talk about. I guess this was me infodumping to the only place that will listen, the empty void of the internet. But these games are fun. And they do not get enough love. Text games are a dying genre, if they're not dead already. Give them a chance, show them some love.

[inkdrinkerworld]

idk if you're currently taking requests or if you've already done this idea before but I just thought about it and directly thought of you anyway

what if reader's dealer is currently out of city so they send her to get whatever thing she usually takes to one of his trusted dealer friends, the og dealers friend being dealer!remus and like reader doesn't know bc it's the first time she buys from him but turns out she's the sister of one of his friends (idk which one it free for you to choose lmao) and obv she doesn't want her brother knowing abt her little drug secret so she makes a deal (like agree to go on a date w him or smth)with dealer!remus so he doesn't snitch on her.

I hope that was clear enough cuz in my head it sounds as clear as day but k just realised this request is so messy I'm so sorry luv u xx

i get what you mean babe! it isn’t messy at all! cw: bbf!dealer!remus, a little bit of anxiety,

you can’t believe your luck when you get to the dispensary and see remus.

your belly is swimming with anxiety but you know you can’t back out now. you’re the only one in and his soft, “i’ll be a second.” is making your heart race.

“fuck,” you whisper, fingers wringing each other as you approach him. “hey remmy.”

he turns around with record speed and shakes his head at you.

“you’re not here to pick up the cookies are you, dove?”

you really wish you weren’t right now.

“if i say ‘no’, will you still give it to me and not tell sirius?”

remus gives you a gentle smile. out of all of sirius’ friends, you and remus were the closest. he always had your back and was always interested in what you did.

you watched a new movie? remus would love to hear about it. read a new book? give remus a review so he can read it too.

you were almost a little bit closer than him and sirius but that was partly because you and remus danced around the fact that you liked each other more than friends.

“do i get to know how long you’ve been partaking?”

you sigh, digging at your cuticles making remus frown. he reaches for your hands and squeezes them.

“about two years? maybe a little longer?”

he only nods, not wanting to say anything that can be interpreted as judgement.

“but no one knows rem. siri can’t find out- he’ll lose his shit.” you say and remus sighs.

sirius might lose his shit. he might not. he might lose his shit specifically if remus sells to you.

“we can make a deal okay? so he doesn’t find out.” you nod, hands shaking in remus’ and he really feels bad that your other dealer bailed.

but he also feels like this is a good time to act on his feelings for you. this predicament gives him an easy way into confessing and he can’t deny the opportunity.

“what kind of deal, remmy?”

he kisses your knuckles, “we’re gonna go out tomorrow night. someplace nice, just me and you. okay?”

you frown. “what kind of deal is that remmy? you don’t really get anything from that.”

remus chuckles, “of course i do, dove. i get the evening with you, in that pretty dress you bought last week.”

you give him a bashful smile and remus knows he’a on the right track.

“just me and you? and you don’t tell anyone?”

“my lips will be sealed. oh, and another thing,” you wait with baited breath as he leans over the counter into your space a little, “no going back to your other dealer.”

you nod, your eyes flitting to remus’ lips and then his eyes again. “no going back to my other dealer.” you repeat and he smiles, kissing your cheek before pulling away.

“let me bag up your cookies, dovey.”

[ticklish-n-stuff]

Hello! I LOVE your writing! If you're still accepting prompts for tickletober, may I please request (bsd) Lee! Fyodor and ler! Dazai (romantic preferably, but whatever's easier for you) with day 18, magic?

Dazai can cancel Fyodor's ability, making him the only one who can touch Fyodor without dying. I have a headcanon that every time Dazai touches Fyodor in a certain, very light way, Fyodor will feel a tingly sensation wherever Dazai touches him as a result of their abilities interacting with each other. Usually, it's just a bit tingly, but it gets very ticklish when Dazai does things like poking, rubbing, tracing etc.

When the two are having a sappy romantic moment (not often, let's be honest XD), Dazai will be a little shit and place his hands on Fyodor's neck/jaw before kissing him, making Fyodor all giggly and flustered. For a more platonic scenario, Dazai is (just like before XD) being a little shit and he thinks it's funny when Fyodor loses his cool. So he quickly grabs Fyodor's hands, causing Fyodor to do a full-body shiver and try to yank his hand back, but since Dazai is stronger than him, he's stuck there, forced to endure the tickles until Dazai thinks he's had enough.

Sorry if this is long, feel free to decline. Have an awesome day!

Tickletober day #18: Magic

Hsjdhskhdjsh I hope this is okay, writing a russian rat and suicide maniac together is quite challenging and after the latest season, I have a hard time visualizing them as romantic partners

I am a Dazai x Sigma believer ✌️

___________________________________________

Fyodor x Dazai (interpret as you wish)

Lee: Fyodor

Ler: Dazai

Warnings: Tickles!

___________________________________________

“You’re not so scary now, are you?~” Dazai teased, having pulled Fyodor onto his lap with ease and more importantly, without getting obliterated in the process thanks to his special ability.

“And look, I can even touch you all I want~” and just like that, Dazai’s hands started to playfully roam all over Fyodors torso.

Being touched like this was foreign to him, to say the least, but he didn’t plan on it to feel so damn ticklish!

“Oh, what’s this? Did I hit a sensitive spot?~” Dazai whispered teasingly close to the russian male’s ear, causing him to jolt upright.

“Tch, I don’t get sensitive” Fyodor let out a huff, trying to cover up the laughter that threatened to spill out of his lips. How foolish of him to think that Dazai would just leave it there, it is Dazai, after all. He thrives on other’s misery.

“Then surely you won’t mind if I do this, right?~” there was an evil smirk on Dazai’s face as his bandaged fingers found their way under Fyodor’s shirt, making sure to touch every inch of his torso.

“Mph!” his eyes instantly shut tight at the growing sensation, trying to squirm away from the offender, but he was too weak when in such a vulnerable pisition.

“C’mon, y’know you wanna laugh~” Dazai’s index finger poked it’s way to Fyodor’s navel, earning a startled gasp from the latter.

“Gah! Pfft! Ahahahaha! Dazai nohoho!” the damn finally broke and Fyodor’s laughter echoed across the room. His pale cheeks quickly turning tomato red as he tried and failed to control his reactions. How embarrassing! Someone so feared being brought down with something so childish, and yet, it didn’t feel all that bad to be touched so gently. Not like Fyodor would admit it out loud, but knowing Dazai, he already has an idea.

“Better get comfy ‘cause I won’t stop for a looong while!~” and thus, Dazai kept softly yet consistently tickling all over Fyodor’s belly and sides. Feeling like he was on cloud 9 for hearing such genuine laughter for once from this man. Even if neither voiced their enjoyment of this moment, it was pretty clear to anyone the giddy expressions they both wore.

___________________________________________

Update: After doing a very crack rp of me playing as Fyodor, I can say I believe in FyoZai love LMAO

[melit0n]

Part two of my FX Sleep Token post! Again, hope these make sense, and I'm not just spouting nonsense lol.

Part Two includes: Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb (below the cut, of course)

Part One -> One, Two, Jaws and The Way That You Were

Part Three -> Take Me Back To Eden

+ If I've missed something, feel free to add your own thoughts!

Note- some of these are FX, others are sound mixing and music bits I wanted to mention. Any song you don't see mentioned are songs that I couldn't find anything to pull out of them. Plus, reminder; these are my interpretations, I'm sorry if you can't hear what I hear, or you think something different.

The Night Does Not Belong To God

- At 2:48, an odd, muffled noise emerges. To me, it sounds like an excerpt of a crackled phone call; the type where whoever you're calling is far away, and both of you can barely hear what eachother are saying. It reappears, quietly, at 3:00, 3:12 and 3:55 (loudest and closest to actual words here). A fruitless confession the other will never hear. (I hope that makes sense).

The Offering

- At 3:40, a drum beat starts that sounds like a panicked heartbeat. With the build up of backing vocals, and white noise, it creates a very stressed atmosphere; makes you feel like you want to run. It's primal, almost.

Dark Signs

- Massive use of backing vocals in place of instruments (along with the usual synths and beats) in this one. Lots of general vocalisations and the lyric "I might break and bend to my basic need to be loved and close to somebody" in the background of the chorus. The build up of the backing vocals make the song slighty cluttered, in a good way, and gives off this impression of a bunch of different thoughts overlapping eachother; an uninterpretable inner monologue.

Give

- White noise that raises by two chords at the end of each lyric. It's subtle, but it makes the song feel more full. This is throughout the whole song, minus the chorus.

+ Would just like to mention Vessel's breathing at the end of Gods. Gods itself doesn't have any specific FX notes, but I felt like that alone needed a mention.

Drag Me Under

- Unironically, the opening chords sound like Undertale's Fallen Down

- My favourite thing about this whole song, other than how ethereal and soft it feels, is that the vocals steadily get louder, along with the instruments. Vessel's asking to be dragged under, and, as the listener, it can be interpreted two ways. The person Vessel is looking for is 'under', where you are as the listener, and he is steadily decending towards them until he gets cut off. So close, yet so far, y'know? Or, you are, as the listener, above Vessel. He's asking to descend, but, instead, he's acending towards the listener and away from what he wants. Away from love, and towards Sleep. Hope that makes sense.

+ I just wanted to mention the piano at 1:15 in Blood Sport. I had my friend listen to their albums, and her instant reaction to this part was "Sounds like stars twinkling and atoms colliding. Kind of like the start of Gustav Holst's Jupiter." and I thought that was pretty cool, so I thought I'd mention it.

---------

Album Notes: My favourite album by far. Sleep Token moves away from the minimal instruments and focuses more on more traditional metal aspects with their songs, allowing for the existence of Gods, The Offering and Higher (while also staying in tune with a 'softer' side, creating Drag Me Under, Take Aim and Shelter). The whole album has a sense of endless, almost unreachable longing to it. Almost feels religious, in some aspects. Again, with the five stages of grief, it's bargaining. Wishing for something you had, but you've lost.

Atlantic

- At 2:37, Vessel starts up with some vocalisations that sound like two whales replying to eachother. And then, of course, there's the actual, digital-sounding whale call sound that's used. Having had a bit of a look around, what they're mimicking is closest to a Sperm Whale's greeting chirp or a Blue Whale's typical mourning call, which, considering both are common in the Atlantic Ocean, fits wonderfully.

Like That

- All of the beginning beats are muffled. Also, if you turn your sound up and put headphones on, there's a continuous door knocking from 0:00-0:15. First lyric? "Trapped under the surface of your words". We listen to Vessel from under the surface Their words.

Descending

- Whole song has a muffled, water effect on it. Can especially he heard in the first 15 seconds. Deeper into the song you go, as the listener, the more the water effect can be heard. You, as the listener, are decending further; drowning.

High Water

- In the final breakdown, from 4:40-the end, there's muffled screaming, shouting and sobbing. It can be heard most in the last 20 seconds.

Fall For Me

- Lyrics from Distraction are mirrored in this one

E.g; "'Cause I'm broken into fractions" -> "Through a fractured existence"

---------

Album Notes: This whole album has a water like effect to it; so many instruments are muffled as if being played underwater and there are water motifs in general. It puts equal focus on more heavy songs, no trad metal this time though, in High Water, Hyponsis and Alkaline, while also, for the first time, allowing for soft piano and acoustic songs like Telomeres, Missing Limbs and Fall For Me. The album as a whole is tragically beautiful in its own sense, and full of yearning and longing. If we're still sticking with the five stages of grief thing, then we've finally hit depression, and it definitely feels like. I will admit this is the only album that gets tears and sobs outta me.

Thank you for reading through all my thoughts and feelings, whoever you are. Remember, the night belongs to you; worship <3.

[skzoologist]

Okay so similarly to that ask you got, the chan comfort one, what about some miho, like you said they dont seek eachother out, but they can often be seen together (I think thats what you wrote..?)

So what about some Minho/Bae moments, comfort either way would work! (Minho being comforted by or comforting Bae, don't matter to me! 😌)

word count: ~1.1k

warnings: none

genre: fluff, comfort

a/n: Hey-ho anon dear, you're right, these two are like sassy cats, you'll see what I mean haha. None of them are the 'let us talk about this problem' kinda person, which doesn't really help with the whole situation 😅 Either way, they still find ways to rely on the other, so I hope you'll enjoy this!

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

It was a regular day for the worldwide known idol group, every member busy with their individual schedules, their day fully packed with different interviews, practices and photoshoots. Bae was no different, having just set foot back in the company building, his previous appointment having required him to go to a different location to be used as a background for his photoshoot. The shooting had a more natural, gentle theme, all the clothes Bae had worn woven with pastel coloured silk and cotton, wonderfully complementing his long hair, the dark strands left freely flowing in the soft breeze.

Through busy hallways he went, slipping free from a packed elevator efficiently, having mastered the art long ago, despite his ridiculous height.

The moment he had stepped foot into the practice room he knew something was amiss, the air shifting around differently, compared to its usual, cheery self.

Two pairs of eyes met with each other, one searching the other carefully, not wishing to accidentally set off a landmine and cause irreversible destruction. Yet, the taller dancer had no time to fully worry about that, his hyung looking away much too fast, not even slowly blinking at him in his usual, silent greeting.

That was the first red flag Bae had noticed, something that settled heavily in his stomach.

The younger took his bag and hoodie off, already fully changed into some loose clothing he could freely dance in long before having arrived at the company. Although, he had to say, even after so many years, he still couldn’t get used to changing in the car hastily, usually not having enough time in his tightly packed schedule to do so in a proper locker room or even a restroom.

Minho silently waited for the otter to be done, eyes watching him through the mirror like a hawk, something sharp in the older’s gaze that usually didn’t reside there. It caused a slight crease to nestle itself into Bae’s forehead, its presence uncomfortable.

Still, Bae pushed through the feeling, opting to instead keep a watchful eye on the older as they started practising an older choreography of theirs.

As the day went by, so did Minho’s patience thin, the man clearly frustrated over something, bottling the emotion up and letting it simmer inside, only to inevitably blow up in everyone’s faces like a devastating bomb.

Bae wasn’t blind, he had noticed the little signs. How his hyung’s moves were more forceful than usual, how his lips dipped down just a tad bit further into a barely noticeable scowl, or how he kept carding a hand through his hair, the strands on the verge of falling out from the repetitive, forceful motion. The younger noticed these easily, having carved everyone’s habits into his very soul. 

The two idols were similar when it came to things like this, never seeking help on their own. Which was also the exact reason Bae knew, he knew Minho wouldn’t just open up to him or to anyone, the man too stubborn for his own good.

A reason that created an interesting dynamic between the dancers, as if they were two temperamental cats, only going to the other on their own terms, allowing the other to catch little glimpses of vulnerability only occasionally. It was a never ending cat and mouse game, only, sitting down and never chasing that mouse being the sole winning condition of this infuriating game.

And so, Bae waited patiently, staying by his huffing hyung’s side silently, even as the man’s aura screamed pure violence and murder, scaring everyone else away and rightfully so. Nobody doubted that Minho could end someone’s life with a single spoon alone, one he was eating his beloved pudding with.

Time crept by as the two just sat there on the sofa, a space left between them that would be considered much too wide on any other day. A stupid little show was put on the TV, a mere background noise no doubt, since none gazed at the device securely mounted on the wall. Instead, they were both scrolling on their phones, a rare occasion for the artist, the man quickly using it to check as many fanarts as he could, all created by their beloved STAY.

Shuffling of clothes could be heard, the little ‘thunk’ following it as the now empty plastic container was placed onto the table, its delicious contents already eaten long ago.

A soft touch reached Bae’s hand, a limb he had purposefully left resting on the pillows closer to his hyung, not fully tucked into his side.

By the time he had locked and put away his phone -not like he had been actually paying attention to it the last 5 minutes-, another hand had snaked itself into his, a head heavily falling onto his lap. That same, clutched hand of his was led to a nest of fluffy hair, no request needed to be gently buried there, drawing little symbols into the skin.

Bae could feel the tension leaving Minho’s body, those hunched shoulders sagging, taut muscles resting at last. A barely audible sigh could be heard, but the younger knew better than to comment on it, letting it silently disappear in the peaceful silence enveloping the two.

With every stroke and every gentle scratch the other melted more and more into him, practically turning into putty in his hands. Not a single word was exchanged, the serene atmosphere never broken, only enhanced by the quiet, satisfied hums that occasionally left the older’s mouth.

The moon was high up in the sky by the time Bae had finally fallen asleep, Minho curled up by his side, head still comfortably laying on his dongsaeng’s thigh. When Chan had noticed this scene, having come back from another long session of songwriting, a smile so soft sat onto his face that it seemed unreal. He gazed at his dear members, his family, for a few more minutes before grabbing a blanket from his room, covering the two as much as he could. The cat stirred, making the wolf still in his place, earning a relieved sigh once he had settled back and started softly snoring once again.

Even the strong needed some time to recuperate, to rest and gather their strength, and Bae felt honoured to grant that for his beloved, cat-like hyung, the one who always cared for him quietly. He would always be by his side, to provide some silent support, no matter what.

[sandalwoodbox]

Vidder asks: 12, 21, 27?

Thanks for asking!

(This is part of the Get to know the Vidder ask meme. See all my responses here and feel free to send me asks!)

12. Most underrated vid that you wished had gotten more views?

I'm going to say Stray Italian Greyhound for Dear Missy. I really like this vid because I think it most accurately summarizes what I see as the plot of the actual series - Lu Ke's journey to recognizing, accepting, and ultimately living her feelings for Shen Siyi. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, and it can still fairly reliably make me tear up to watch. It's a really great show and more people should watch it! Even with the weird canonical straight ending it's pretty good tbh 🤣 it has things like men and women dating and breaking up and still being part of the same friend group 🤯 what a concept!

But personally I always advocate for just ignoring the heterosexuality in the last six episodes & just watching them for the bonus Lu Ke / Shen Siyi fluff.

21. How would you describe your vidding style?

Answered here with bonus "what is your vidding process" because I got distracted 😅

27. Advice for anyone just starting their channel?

I'm interpreting this to mean "advice for anyone starting out making fanvids"?

I'd say do what you want and don't expect anyone to see it. Exchanges (like Festivids) and cons (like VidUKon, Fanworks, or WisCon) are a great way to "force" people to watch your vids and not get criticism unless you want it. (YMMV - I am not sure what the experience of submitting to AMV contests is like, for example.)

I'd recommend using a modern fully-featured video editing program like Da Vinci Resolve from the beginning rather than something like iMovie - DVR is more complicated but makes it very easy to separate the vid itself from the source files. That is, you can move the files from your hard drive to a backup drive to free up space and work on something else, then put them back later if you want to go back to a previous fandom!

That said, if a low bar of entry is important, iMovie is also fine. Whatever works for you!

Bonus question 1 (from replies): How do you get ideas for vids?

It depends! Sometimes it comes from blorbos or otherwise loving a show such that I want to share it with other people. Other times it comes from frustration with something not being done the way I wanted in the show, or drawing out a theme that I think the show didn't fully explore. A large chunk of my vids are from Festivids, which is great because I can see what ideas other people have and then make treats for them if I'm excited about what they've suggested and think I have time to pull it off (which is usually only possible for movies and for shows I've already (mostly) clipped, in my experience.) From time to time I'll hear a song and think it's perfect for some character or concept, but I'll generally still end up spending a fair amount of time searching for other potential songs before I actually get started on the vid. More often I'll hear a song and think, that would make a fun vid but I don't know what for, so I stick it in a playlist that I go through every time I'm looking for potential vid songs.

If I have an idea for a vid, I write it down in a spreadsheet. I'll never make most of those ideas, either because I've moved on from the fandom or because I just ended up not liking it as much later. Here's a snippet of vids I will probably never make from my spreadsheet in case it's interesting:

Bonus question 2 (from replies): What makes a vid you're working on feel done to you?

I'm a bit of a perfectionist with my vids, so this can be tricky. I think I would say: Once I am satisfied that the clips on the timeline are doing what I want and there are no clips that I believe would be strictly better, I try to stop.

Overall my process is: I'll generally make a first draft that doesn't have things that feel obviously bad (but I might still have things I'm not satisfied with but don't know how to solve). I send that out for beta and work on other things in the meantime. Depending on how much I care about the vid / how uncertain I am about it, I might do multiple rounds of beta or send it to multiple betas at once.

Depending on the vid, I might do a pass specifically looking at clip timing or motion or color correction (for example, making sure dark scenes are possible to parse), or anything else that I particularly want to work well for the vid.

Once I have something that feels "final" I like to let it sit for a week to a month, then come back to it to see if there's anything else I notice that I'd want to change before calling it done.

But a lot of times I'm working on a deadline for an exchange or a con, which means that at some point I just have to stop and call it good enough.

By the time I'm done with a vid, I often no longer feel like I can tell whether it's good or not because I'm too deep in it, so I see things nobody else would. I can't necessarily tell how satisfied I'll be with a finished vid until 6-12 months after I've posted it. (So I try to keep that in mind if I'm agonizing over whether people will notice a cleancredits glitch that's only visible in the lower left corner of a clip for like 4 frames.)

I have a vidder friend who I can show things to at that point not for beta but just to ask, is there anything obviously wrong with this? Any reason I shouldn't post this? (The answer is usually: It's fine, just post it!)

[the-s1lly-corner]

hii

I've seen you're taking creepypasta requests ? I really like your Zalgo's concept ! so..

can you drop some of your headcanons about him?? I'm really interested!!

stay safe!

Zalgo headcannons!

hihihihi i promise i saw you send this in a few hours after you asked this and i truly didnt mean to push writing this off for so long ive just been going through it (2 new interests have been kicking my ass for the past 7 or so weeks) but we're back !!

CAUTION these hcs are heavily centered around my concept!! i wasnt totally sure if you wanted these as romantic, so i decided to go down a middle road and just make it how interacting with the guy would probably go down + other ideas!! warning this is a lot of scattered rambling because my brain is all over the place and its 7am

the main thing that my take on zalgo and the main fandom interpretation have in common is the fat that theyre both powerful entities capable of causing mass destruction and chaos

however my zalgo exists more so as a... weird half concept half tangible entity if that makes sense? like he indirectly interacts with the world around him instead of going out and wrecking things himself; a close comparison i can think of is mother mabuka from fran bow but even then it seems she has more direct influence in that universe compared to zalgo... or maybe my interpretation of her is all whack too but eh

exists everywhere and nowhere at once, in my au he's responsible for the creation of the other creepypasta characters. for demon characters like slenderman or the rake he hand crafted them himself to cause torment. for characters like ben or eyeless jack he plants the seed to cause them to become what they were. for ben he allowed him to come back as an angry ghost, and for eyeless jack he made the curse that eventually infects the guy (although jack was just the unlucky host, zalgo had no specific target)

and keeping true to the original zalgo comic stuff, he can corrupt media in anyway he wishes, and perhaps implant subliminal messages or 'viruses' to infect more people? that second part is mostly a concept idea but i vibe with it

so how does one interact with a being that doesn't totally exist?

well

you dont

at least you cant initiate it; no if zalgo wants to be perceived by you he'll come to you, typically if you can offer something to him (usually the ability to cause issues for others, ie general creepypasta character criteria)

injecting this really quick but admin is really into the concept of certain characters/entities being just a simple part of nature, zalgo falls under this idea. he just exists because of the laws of the universe

is he capable of forming bonds? sure he definitely has some sort of favoritism towards certain creatures thanks to how effective they are, but like, what about emotional bonds?

probably not, if im being honest; like sure he can check in on you more often than his other agents of chaos, but that doesn't necessarily mean hes your friend

but lets pretend you somehow made friends with the omnipresent and almost omniscient birthplace of wrath and doom:

you cant touch him but he can touch you, kinda. it kinda feel like being wrapped around with a huge freeing cold and immensely heavy blanket when he decides to grace you with his presence

you know how when in adventure time, the lich makes the screen go dark (ex. the fall meme) i feel like itd be something like that

though ive never watched adventure time/never got too far into it SOBS i plan on changing that i promise

oh he is so so so clingy and he so truly hates your mortality

even in death he wont let you go, he'll probably forcefully bring you back, and by extension twisting you into something you weren't before

like this dude is genuinely not someone you want to fuck around with

even if you dont end up dying hes probably going to change you in some way at some point

on a lighter note hes the type to tear the world apart for you, both in the "i care about you as much as a creature like me can" and a "if you ever leave me im going to find you, i already know where you are because i have eyes everywhere"

like i dont like writing stuff that can dip into yandere territory but like. zalgo would do that kind of shit

bonus hcs, he doesnt really care how people perceive him.. because they cant, and even if he allows it he still doesnt care. wanna use any pronouns for him? he doesnt give a damn. see him as a god? as a devil? he doesnt care. truly could not give a shit what you think, he is unbothered

i feel my hcs for him have shifted a bit since i last brought him up in a post but i think

out of all the creepypastas, zalgo is the one i have with the most changing hcs

esp since in this au hes like. the reason everyone exists as they are, and why everything is going on; he is literally the reason all the bad things happened to everyone and hes responsible for the monster-type characters existence

okay thats all i apologize again if this is a mess i simply got. silly and im running off two hours of sleep and im scratching my brain trying to remember my ideas since i havent really thought of zalgo in 2 months (thanks to other brainrots SOBS)

[sophieinwonderland]

im confused about personal plurality, feel free to ignore. for a while now ive wanted imaginary friends (although they are all characters in media) out of- i guess- lonliness? not the best reason, i know, but its lead me down a rabbit hole of researching plurality and whatnot. i know i dont have alters or switches or anything, if i try to call out unprompted i get no response. for some reason im so fixated and almost really wishing i had alters to talk to and experience things with, but i dont. the closest i can get to that is imaginary friends, but they feel puppeted, for lack of better words, and arent autonomous. i really want to make myself belief they are, and in a way i think they want to as well, but i have a feeling thats my brain telling me that, aka not an indication of anything.

if talking about my experiences help at all, for a while i went through a process of mimicking systems, aka having the imaginary friends speak to me in thoughts, but it was all voluntary and scripted. a while later i tried a different method of mentally visualizing these imaginary friends in the same room as me, and sometimes theyd "share" my body, and id pretty much only be the one in control, and theyd just talk to me. again, its not switching or anything, i dont have sudden memory gaps, although my memory of stuff is consistently foggy, ranging from earlier that day to multiple years ago- kinda maybe about a 35% chance ill forget something every time, and the number climbs the longer its been.

with the imaginary friends themselves, its a rough explaination. again, they come from any fictional media i fixate on, but my fixations change nearly weekly, so its never consistent with who it is. i am a copinglinker who links witb these fixations as well, so its a 50/50 of if i want to personally identify as the character, or if they are an imaginary friend. again, conversation is prompted and feels very short, because i think in the back of my mind i know im directing the entire conversation, instead of talking to a seperate person. i want to believe so bad the conversations and opinions are real, but i dont think they are. whenever i ask them if they think theyre autonomous, its either "i dont know" to "yeah, why?" but i feel those answers are fabricated to. i dont know, maybe i just sort through thoughts through characters.

sorry, im rambling. i dont know if this is the right place to go, ans im genuinely hoping none of this is offensive. again, im 99.9% sure im not plural, but i feel /something/ in the back of my mind if i focus hard enough, but then again, it might be confirmation bias or something, i donr know.

if you have any thoughts or advice, please share. this has been plaguing me for nearly a year now and im not sure what to do with the information or how to interpret it. thank you.

Are your imaginary friends actually puppeted, or do they just feel puppeted? Because these aren't the same things.

In tulpamancy, there exists what's known as parroting, where you consciously talk for your tulpa and control their speech. Conversely, there's parrotnoia. This is the fear that you're controlling your headmate even when you aren't.

But if you aren't consciously doing it, it's not parroting.

If you haven't yet, you should check out my article on how to know if your imaginary friend is sentient:

I'll also add that switches feel differently for different systems. For us, it's often like something external is entering the body. But to some systems, it can feel like you're becoming somebody else.

Switching also doesn't usually have amnesia unless you have DID. (Although, if you do have DID, it can be hard to recognize if you have amnesia because... you know... you forget. But don't worry about that right now.)

But it's also normal for some systems to only partially switch, co-front, or just be co-conscious.

If you want them to be more real and developed though, I'd recommend sticking with a few over time. Cycling between proto-headmates every couple weeks means none will get the full development they deserve.

[softguarnere]

A World Without Color is a World Without You (Part 2)

Eugene Roe x reader

A/N: I won't lie -- this story was only ever supposed to be one part, with that angsty ending leaving things open to interpretation. But I got quite a few messages asking for a part two, and I knew that that cliffhanger shouldn't be the end. I hope that you like this unexpected second part, and thanks to everyone who requested it (as always, this is written for the fictional depiction from the show -- no disrespect to the real life veterans!)💕🕊️

Warnings: mentions of war, injuries, hospitals

"Today must be the day, huh?" The Baker Company girl that you've come to know as Alice says from the hospital bed beside you.

Her words draw you out of your reverie. The words on the page in front of you don't even look real anymore, you've stared at them for so long. Still, your eyes linger on them before you manage to tear them away and face her.

"You're gonna go AWOL." Her tone is casual enough, but the slight furrow of her brow only makes the sadness in the depths of her pretty eyes even more noticeable. Green, you remind yourself, still trying to get used to placing names with the colors that are suddenly everywhere. Alice has been helping you learn them.

You glance around to make sure that there are no nurses within earshot. There's one a few beds down. You keep your voice low when you ask, "What makes you say that?"

"You just got that look about you." Alice shrugs. "Seen it enough times to know when a new friend is about to up and walk out when no one is paying attention; you get used to the signs."

Her eyes aren't the only thing that's green -- jealousy drips from her voice, and she doesn't even bother to conceal it. And why should she, when she's been stuck in the hospital for months after getting her leg blown off in Bastogne, watching everyone else return to the line while a problem with paperwork keeps her from returning to the States? Anyone would be bitter about that.

. . . nothing's the same now after Bastogne, the words of George's letter remind you when you glance down at it again. I wish you and Toye were here, but at the same time, you guys aren't suffering with the rest of us anymore.

No, you're stuck in a hospital, even though you can walk just fine, thank you very much. At least, that's what you keep trying to tell the nurses. You have a slight limp that reminds you of the way Guarnere walked around on his cast when he went AWOL, and you're just as determined to get back to Easy.

"I'm sorry," you tell your new friend. "But I have to."

"I know." She shakes her head, biting her lip as she tries to force a smile. "It'll be better for you to get back to him anyway. You should be together."

Roe has been even quieter than usual, the letter had reported. Spina keeps trying to give Doc some free time so that he can come see you, but it seems like everything is so hectic as we get ready to leave.

Easy will be leaving soon. For where, you're not sure. All you know is that you need to get out of the hospital and back to them -- back to the man that you had only just discovered was your soulmate before you were taken away.

Because if you're not reunited now, then when? You have heard of soldiers who never make it back to their original companies, instead being used as replacements to fill the spaces in others, like putty patching a leak on a roof. Even though you and Eugene Roe have been in the same company since Toccoa, you know hardly anything about him. If the war ended now and you were sent home . . . how would you ever find him again?

Which brings on a nerve-racking thought: just because you're soulmates doesn't mean that you have to be together -- many people have rejected the person who would be perfect for them to be with someone else. Just because you reunite with Eugene doesn't mean that things will work out for the better.

Things will work out for us, you assure yourself. Paper crinkles in your hands as you ball them into determined fists. "I have to," you repeat.

Alice nods. From across the aisle, she reaches out a slender hand and squeezes yours when you take it. Her green eyes look intently into your (Y/E/C) ones as she offers you a smile. "I'll miss you, (Y/N). You've been a real pal." She peers behind you, watching the nurse to make sure that she's not listening. "You go now, and I'll make sure the nurse stays distracted."

"Thanks, Alice."

"Go enjoy the colors with your soulmate," Alice says.

Before the nurse can notice, you shove Luz's letter into your bag, sling it over your shoulder, and head out the door, heart thrumming in your chest. The D-Day jump was less frightening than jumping into this unknown, but you push forward anyway, ready for what comes next.

--

With everything that has happened to you lately, lucky would not necessarily be the word that you would use to describe yourself. Watching one of your best friends get his leg blown off, getting shot in the thigh, and discovering your soulmate only to be taken from him immediately? None of that really seems fair.

Later, you choose to think of it as a turn of fortune when you step out of the hospital and hear, "(Y/N)?"

Busted, you think before you realize that you don't recognize the voice. Turning slowly, your racing heart slams on the breaks when you see a Jeep a few feet away from you. A man is climbing out of it. It's impossible to miss the red cross that decorates the band on his arm.

"Gene?" You're so shocked that you let the name slip from your lips before you can stop yourself. Trying to pass the time while in the hospital, you spent countless hours thinking about your soulmate and imagining what might come next. Most people in Easy have always just called him Doc, but you slowly started to think of him as Eugene, and then just Gene, because it seemed to suit him so well. Does he even like being called that?

If the name bothers him, he doesn't let on. In a second he's thanked the driver -- his kindness, even in a moment like this, does not go unnoticed by you -- and is walking away from the Jeep and towards you.

He looks just as stunned as you feel. Your brain feels scattered as you rush to take in the situation, and him -- all the colors that you have learned to name run through your head as you try to place them with his features.

"They let you out?" He asks when he can finally form words again. "No one told me . . ."

You shake your head, still trying to make sense of it all. "No, I'm going AWOL. I --" You stop. How much should you bare your heart to this man, who is both a soulmate and a stranger? "-- I needed to get back to the company. And to you."

Something like relief passes across his face, the tension easing from his posture. "I was coming to find you. The company is about to move again and I wanted to make sure that you came with us."

As far as you know, Gene has never done something like this for any other soldier that has been taken from the company. Maybe he feels the same way that you do -- like maybe if you take a chance, this could lead to something wonderful.

"I can get us a ride back before they notice that you're gone," he offers.

"I would appreciate that very much." Inwardly, you wince at how formal you sound. Being casual around him seems so nice, but you don't know him well enough for that yet. "Thank you, for coming to find me."

He looks a little confused, one of his dark eyebrows raising. "Of course I came looking for you, (Y/N). We're soulmates."

"Well, when we get back to the company, maybe we should spend a little more time trying to get to know each other," you suggest, praying that he can't hear how hard your heart is beating at the simple suggestion.

His shy smile presses his lips upwards, his cheeks tinging pink. "Maybe now we can finally travel in the same circle."

"Shouldn't be hard. From what Luz has said in his letters, there's hardly anyone left."

Gene nods. "But we're getting one of our best back, so maybe now things will be a little better."

Oh! you think. He might be shy, but he knows how to be sweet in a way that makes your heart thrum. You can't hide your smile. His words make it all the more easy to ask what you've been hoping to for countless hours.

"Since we're getting to know each other," you say. "Is it okay if I call you Gene?"

Much like Alice had only moments before, he holds out a hand, his cold fingers intertwining with yours as he smiles, dark eyes lighting up with the action. "I would like that very much."

[boundlesshart]

Mitama does not often rise with the sun. It takes particularly exceptional circumstances to motivate such a result, or so many naps that she somehow manages to derail her sleep schedule back to normal. This day was one of the rarer cases of the former.

She makes sure to stay quiet as she reopens the door to Claude’s room. She knows Claude likes to meditate in the morning before starting his day, and she does not want to interrupt him. When instead of an interruption, she ends up catching his eyes as she peeks into his room, she smiles. “Good morning.”

The door is still closed behind her just as quietly to not draw attention. The gifts she comes back with are not subtly hidden at all, so she does not bother with making any attempt at hiding them either.

“I expect that our very important boss man of a leader might find his attention sought after on the day of his birth.” She holds out the first and much simpler gift, a still warm cup of coffee that she had made her way down to the dining hall to fetch for him. “I do not expect that I might have all your time, but I thought a moment before the vultures swarm might be a good start?”

When he takes the cup, she sits on the edge of his bed. That leaves her second gift, which she is far more proud of. “I made you this.” A book, handwritten and charmed to last. The book is a copy of one she owns, the only difference being that this one contains both Hoshidan poetry, and a translation of each poem for him to be able to read himself. “There are also explanations and details of interpretations in the second half of the book, so that you might read them and come up with your own at first without consulting.”

On the inside cover, a green leaf is pressed between pages. Neatly underneath it, what should be a familiar hand has scrawled; Leaf from the battle / still standing , still surviving / until back to you.

Mitama wishes she had the free hands to bring a cup of her own to fiddle with. “Happy birthday, Claude.”

Stirring in the bed rouses Claude from his sleep—he’s a light sleeper, he can’t help it. Through bleary eyes he can tell the sun is just beginning to rise… so Mitama getting up right now is definitely weird. Claude keeps his eyes closed and breathing slow until he hears the door close (softly, of course). “Huh,” he yawns. Mitama, not just awake but up, at an “ungodly” hour of the morning? Unheard of. Unprecedented! And not even a word of goodbye to the poor birthday boy…

Not a moment too soon, the door opens once again; Mitama with her hands full. "Oh, mornin'." The warm scent of freshly-brewed coffee already perks him up.

"Why, because of my birthday?" Well, Mitama’s instincts are right; birthdays are a good excuse to try cozying up with someone, as politicking nobles usually do. Here, though, the day’s usually quiet, with only a few people stopping him here and there with well wishes. "Take all the moments you want. Today's just another day."

Claude gladly takes the cup, eager to free Mitama's hands and see what she brought for him. Sure, some people only acknowledge his birthday just to be polite... but a part of him is still giddy to see someone go out of their way to celebrate him of all people.

Claude plays it cool, of course, tempering his excitement as Mitama presents him with his present. A book! He's careful not to spill his coffee over it as he sets it aside. "Made it?" Claude echoes. He flips through the pages. Eyes widen, "That, that's your handwriting—wait, so, you're serious? You actually made it?"

For once, Claude is speechless as he continues to turn through the paces, marveling meticulously-copied haiku penned by Mitama's own hand. Eventually he comes to a leaf pressed between pages like a bookmark. After reading the poem besides it, he's at a loss for words.

"..." Maybe it's the result of growing up as a prince among nobility, but Claude has never received anything like this before. A gift handmade by the person who bought to, rather than bought or commissioned through someone else. Honestly, his heart is beginning to stir. Like he's getting... emotional? It's not like him, and yet...

Claude turns to Mitama. Then, he pulls her into a tight hug and presses a kiss against her temple. "I love it." Because you made it just for me. Knowing how adverse she usually is to extraneous effort, to see that she went out of her way to make this for him... "I don't think anything else I get today is gonna top this," he teases.

[words-words-worlds]

Something TF lore headcanons something

So I basically created my own silly lil lore stuff for how new mechs are brought about and created. It's not much, but it's something. I'm putting it all under a cut. But feel free to send in questions about anything that comes up! This is a WIP, after all, so I will be occasionally going back and adding things/making changes.

-General Idea-

Upon a batch creation of sparklings, an event called the Batching (or Batchening if you wanna get silly about it,) a guardian will be waiting to choose one or several sparklings. Once one or more guardians have chosen a sparkling or more to take care of, the sparkling(s) officially becomes "under the name" of said guardian(s). This is an open-to-interpretation or an emergency contact type relationship, in which case the guardians and mechs can be seen as a parent/child relationship, an older/younger sibling relationship, or, arguably the most common, a mentor/apprentice relationship. When you take someone under your name, some paperwork needs to be filled out as soon as possible so the sparkling can be registered as an official citizen.

-Created Without A Guardian-

When batches of young mechs/sparklings are created by Cybertron (for whatever purpose or reasons it has) and crawl out of the Depths of Cybertron, they are usually greeted by mechs looking for apprentices. Or, as mentioned before, the mech is looking for a child to raise as their own, or a sibling to look after. Each time a new batch is ready to emerge from the Depths, this event draws in mechs of all kinds in the area to watch, although most mechs are there to find a sparkling to take under the name. Sometimes sparklings find their way into places that aren't expecting them, or there are too many younglings for the amount of mentors. Sure, there are systems and agencies formed to help support mechs without guardians, but they shouldn't be completely relying on these systems as not every system is for every young mech. They are flawed, and not every system is infallible. These include adoption agencies (talked about in Other Options) and pairing agencies.

Pairing agencies, like adoption agencies, are designed to help pair sparklings to a mech or family of mechs. What makes the agencies different, however, is that pairing agencies typically aim more toward mentors looking for apprentices and apprentices looking for mentors. They are just as popular as adoption agencies; it just depends on what you're looking for.

-Other Options-

While most mechs attend the Batchening, some cannot make it or choose not to go. There are, however, two (2) main options for those wishing for a sparkling: adopting or producing one. Adoption is as it says; the mech(s) that wish to be a guardian must file the proper paperwork when adopting. Producing one, while possible, isn't always 100% guaranteed. There is a ~70% that this method does not work. This is why you'll be told by other mechs that attending the Batchening event or going through an adoption agency is the best choice of action. Some, however, are willing to take that risk.

My thoughts say it doesn't matter what resources you have, everyone has that same 70% failure tied to them. High-wealth cities are built more around the larger batching area(s), while poorer cities are in the "worse" batching areas, meaning they may possibly have to make a journey to the nearest high-wealth city/city-state. But by "worse" that just means that there are few sparklings as compared to the high-wealth cities. You'll likely have to make a journey if you're in the "worst of the worst" areas where there's no access to a batching area at all.

Having more sparklings under your name is mainly a sign of wealth. It shows others that you have the funds and the resources to raise more than one, and having more than one is seen as a good thing…for those with the wealth and/or social status to do so.

-Being Removed From Being Under The Name-

While there are many reasons you can be put under the name of a guardian, there are just as many reasons you can be removed from being under the name. The most common reasons are: (1) the guardian(s) thinks you are ready to take care of yourself on your own or (2) your guardian doesn't want to or can't take of you (such as due to lack of funds.) If the sparkling is still young, such as fresh out of the Depths, to take them out from under the name, some paperwork must be filled out beforehand.

-Extra-

Sparklings are created gray at first to which they either develop color or paint themselves to express themselves. They are also created as mostly mature beings with no life experience. This would be the human equivalent of a teenager around 16 or 17 years old. But, if two (2) or more mechs manage to successfully produce a sparkling, the sparkling in question would be the human equivalent of a small child around 7 to 8 years old.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Self-reflection

@amynchan here is the ficlet based off the idea you gave me on my post asking for ideas to write. I've been struggling with it for a while now, but I think this came out okay-ish.

Prompt: AU in which Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng go to family therapy

Disclaimers:

1. I've never been to therapy (and it shows, I know), so what I'm saying here may not be reflective of how therapy actually works.

2. My opinions on JC might be considered controversial, in that I am critical of his actions and his approach on a lot of things. This is my view on him as a character, you don't have to agree or to like it, I don't claim I'm right or that my opinion is the only valid one. This is my personal interpretation and you are free to have your own, similar or opposing. I won't entertain discourse, if you're unhappy with my ideas/points, feel free to block me!

The car drive home is silent, only the hum of the engine and the sounds of traffic filling the silence between Jiang Cheng and his nephew. It's awkward and uncomfortable, so Jin Ling tries to play on his phone to distract himself from the tension, but he can't focus on any game or social media or even the stupid memes Lan Jingyi sent in the group chat.

He sighs and closes his eyes, thinking over what just happened.

His therapist had suggested he bring his uncle in for a session or two, claiming it would help Jin Ling manage his anger issues and his trauma if his uncle talked to her as well and she tried gauging what their dynamic is.

In reality, all that seemed to do was make his uncle even angrier than usual and so defensive that he even cried at some point from the frustration of it all.

It all started from the moment the therapist asked Jiang Cheng why he felt the need to make (albeit empty) threats towards Jin Ling. Uncle took offense to that, saying it was just part of tough love - to which the therapist said what makes him think love should be tough instead of soft, why he used violent language when he didn't need to. Uncle said he didn't want to raise a weak man - and the therapist asked him why he thought violence equated strength. He said nothing to that.

Then, the therapist asked uncle about his parents. Instead of talking about them, though, all Jiang Cheng did was talk about how his father favored Wei Wuxian, and how unfair it had been for him. When the therapist asked him how he knew it was favoritism and uncle said "it was obvious! My mother even told everyone, my father included!", she asked him whether he was the one seeing the favoritism, or he was seeing it because his mother was, because he wanted her approval and validation. Uncle, once again, said nothing, but he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

The therapist asked uncle about Jin Ling's parents after that. How they were like, what relationship he had with them. But uncle yet again talked about how they died because of Wei Wuxian, and the therapist asked him if that was all that mattered to him in regards to them. Uncle yet again didn't respond, but Jin Ling could see frustrated tears form in his eyes.

The therapist told Jiang Cheng to think about whether his anger is his own or his mother's.

To think about whether it is fair of him to blame all his life circumstances on one person, as if that person's life purpose had been to ruin his own from the start.

To think about whether he was so quick to hate Wei Wuxian because it was easier to do that than to see the bigger picture.

To think about whether he had adopted so many of his mother's mannerisms because he missed her and grieved her and inevitably tried to feel closer to her.

To think about whether this is the kind of man he wishes Jin Ling to grow into.

The session ended and uncle said nothing at all anymore after that. Jin Ling sneaks a look at him, and sees his expression darker and cloudier than ever before.

He wonders if he should say something, but ultimately decides against it.

The drive keeps silent all the way home.

[finsterkiibo]

just letting you know ur saiibo post is cool but i cannot read it due to the way its made as it isn't disability friendly. Would have loved to participate tho, hope it goes well. they're a great pair

ah! i am so so sorry!! i tried making it more legible this year after having issues with my handwriting last year, but I’m not the best with graphic design so that came back to bite me in the ass here augh. here’s the transcript if you still wish to know all that it says!! id love to still have you participate if you truly want to!! i apologize!!

SAIIBO WEEK 2024! JULY 21st-27th !

INFO!

Like any other ship week, Saiibo Week is a week-long list of prompts used to make fanworks celebrating Shuichi Saihara And Kiibos relationship! Usually in romantic context, but it can be platonic if interpreted as such as well!!

All artists are welcome, from digital, to traditional, to writers, to cosplayers, to sculptors, to 3D models, and even editors of sprites or video edits, (as long as things are properly credited) and beyond! Saiibo Week is for everyone!

Don't feel pressure to participate every day if you want to join along, do as many or as little days as you wish! And, if you can't make it the week of, feel free to post your entries anytime afterwards as well!! There is no deadline or anything, this is all for fun!

The prompts are left more vague for a reason, don't feel pressure to stick to their canon designs or just the ingame or non-despair personalities! You can make every prompt relate to pregame, or postgame, or any AU of your own! If you're a furry artist, or a dragon artist or etc. who cant draw humans or prefers to draw non-humans, go for it!! Zero limitations on that front! As long as it's Kiibo and Shuichi, it's free game!

RULES!

Please use the tag #saiiboweek2024 AND tag @finsterkiibo in ALL of your entries, so I can see and share them! If I don't reshare it before the end of the day, feel free to send it to me over DM's or through tumblrs ask system, as I may have missed it somehow!

NO EXPLICIT NSFW! Slight suggestive, and gore/blood not surpassing the amount in the source material is OKAY!

DO NOT attempt to represent their relationship in a pedophilic/ incestuous/fetish-y/toxic/bigoted/or otherwise offensive/gross manner. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. This includes "stalker murderer fanon" pregame shuichi. btw.

Headcanons pertaining to their gender, their sexuality, their appearance and etc. are welcome and encouraged!! Hate or harassment towards anyone's headcanons are not tolerated. Again, if any of these headcanons are bigoted or hateful or related to anything in the above rule, you are not welcome here.

and finally, HAVE FUN!!! :D

SAIIBO WEEK 2024 PROMPTS!

DAY 1 - TRAVEL

DAY 2 - WATER

DAY 3 - DREAM

DAY 4 - TOUCH

DAY 5 - FOOD

DAY 6 - DANCE

DAY 7 - FREE DAY !!!

and there you go!! apologies again for the inconvenience, i hope this helps out!!