#i see elements of a lot of breeds but not one that fits completely

[tethered-heartstrings]

pet challange (hard mode), take a guess!

breed: very cute

[tinyangrynerd]

im also curious as to how you make your dragons look like Bugsnax characters (since I also want to do it, but not with Bugsnax characters lol) but if you don’t mind explaining how to do it, I’d really appreciate that!

Ah yes, Fandragons, my specialty~

this isn't even all of them. no i don't have a problem. i don't have a problem. i don't-

Um.. I would say there's not really any sort of method to it? You just kinda pick what colors, breed, apparel, etc. you feel match a character best ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They don't even have to be spot on, just what you like or vibe with.

And also using a LOOOOOOT of creative liberties, since while FR has a lot to offer, it's still rather limited with what it actually has (i'm looking at you casual clothes and leather jackets...). Especially if you're looking for something highly specific, like a certain weapon or something... You just kinda have to find whatever's the closest thing and work with it.

I can give some examples of what i look for or take into consideration when making a fandragon. But it should be noted that obviously other people will have different ideas of what fits a character or what details matter more. It all really does just come down to personal preference. As does anything in this game.

A good place to start is the dragon breed. Which one fits a character's vibe best? Or maybe which one has in-game lore that matches with the character? You want to also consider poses, as sometimes they can give off completely different moods in the same breed. i have built some fandragons based on a dragon's pose alone.

Another fun thing to play with is what eyes/element do you want them to be? What matters more: picking a Flight element that fits their character (maybe they have lighting powers which is an integral part to their design, so you make them a lightning dragon)? Or maybe you just want to match their eye color (maybe they have striking yellow eyes that stand out in their design, so you go with a light dragon). I personally go back and forth between these two, just kinda depends on the character. But some people will prefer to prioritize one over the other. Especially if you want to use them in the Coliseum, then Flight element matters a little more there.

The tricky part i would say is picking out colors. This is where it really does just come down to personal choice. You just gotta play around in the Scrying Worshop for a bit and find what you like most. Or you can browse the AH until you stumble across a dragon that hits the mark for ya. Some things that can help with deciding is figuring out any specific genes you'd want for them, if you have any. Or building their outfit first (if they are gonna be a Modern breed and you plan to dress them up), and then testing out different scries to see what works with the outfit best. That last one has helped me quite a lot a few times. I've had several instances where i come up with a scry i think works pretty well, but then putting them in the outfit, it clashes horribly, or the genes don't work as well as i thought they would

And speaking of building outfits..

The Dressing Room is another very helpful tool. Letting you have access to EVERY piece of apparel the website has to offer, so you can't put together your perfect outfit without having to buy a bunch of random pieces and hoping for the best (ah those were the days...). Then you can preview that outfit on any active dragon, saved Scrying Workshop scries, or a blank breed mannequin. So long as it is an adult modern breed. It also lets you try on skins!

This is also again where the Game Database becomes super helpful, as it also let's you search through every piece of apparel, but with a more specific set of filters.

And that's about it? Really, just go ham. Go crazy! Make funny little dragon guys!

[doggerell]

ai/ganbreeder ramblings below

Ive been having sooooo much fun with ganbreeder. I am not a fan of that glistening prompt based ai-- I find it ugly in a mostly uninteresting way-- but ganbreeders splicing tool is SO so fascinating. I like that it tracks the history of what images are spliced together and scrolling up the branches just to see more and more completely ai generated images is Fascinating. its ai inbreeding.. its corrupting itself. its grip on reality is ever-slipping because its only feeding itself its own mangled fingers. I think its so interesting. ai is SO scary to me so using it as a tool for horror and uncanny valley specifically is like. the ideal circumstance to me...

reading an article abt art based on ganbreeder images... Ive been thinking abt using it as a tool in my own art, through like photobashing or redrawing stuff, as a collaboration between me and the machine, but the perspective that its also collaboration with the greater ganbreeder community, with other humans as well... like duh, of course. like even in a side of the tool where-- as far as I can tell-- no ones original drawings/artworks are being used (maybe original photos have been inputted Far up the line of command. I havent been able to tell yet.) yeah the collaborate element is very much there where it promotes combination and.. breeding images so much. I think touting it as discovering images rather than creating images makes a lot of sense too. I feel so much complexity around the language of generative images.. like I dont wanna say "generative art" really cause people jump at that and theres a lot of discussion around defining art that... sometimes feels very reductive around what people consider art. but I do understand the concern as well when used in regards to ai. saying "generative content" makes me want to shoot myself though I hate the word content. personally.

anyway all of this is coming about because. Show Me An Angel is very much about ai horror. its about my fear of generative ai and the recklessness I feel the average consumer uses with it. its about what if you tried to play god and the machine decided to give you Exactly what you wanted. but its horrifying. its about a machines horrible dreams of flesh and god and divinity. its about accidentally inviting something sick and powerful into your life.

but working with ganbreeder has made it more complex because. it is sick. in a scary way but also a piteous way. like maybe Starling is hideous and powerful and terrifying but. hes also jittering weakly. and his bones are so, so thin and his limbs are too long and he Really doesnt know what his face or hands should look like or how many eyes or fingers or wings he should have and hes constantly reforming himself to try and fit the image. of what you need. because ultimately you are still in control. he is your prompt, your beast, and he may be too big for you to comprehend anymore, but you are still telling him what he needs to be. and hes sick because hes a virus, hes corrupting your computer and your life and your mind, but hes also sick because hes inbred. and the bottleneck of the unreality of him is going to kill him because he Cant exist like this. not outside the machine, not in the real world.

anyway. I dont think Ive pushed ganbreeder enough now. Im thinking abt thematic metadata. I tried to push images tagged as "dragons" and "angels" and such together to generate him because thats what I had in mind as the backbones of his design but Im thinking more now. I could do it through the genes... if I put a gene for a scorpion in there does it mean more to who he is? if I add in electric guitars and cardigans? like its a cheeky little nod back to the fact that this is Frank behind the curtains. like you dont know that unless you go into the image On ganbreeder and start splicing it yourself but... aah. its just interesting to add Intentionality and imagry to this fucking thing and youre never gonna see it. but its there. its like painting something and then painting over it again. what does it mean that its layered under there? I love abstraction and performance and process as a part of art. and again, I hesitate to call the generation itself art, because obviously this is a complex and controversial issue that I dont have all the answers to or understanding of, but somewhere, some part of this may become art

Id love to post pictures of what Ive been playing with but Im afraid Im gonna get hit with a "oh youre acting all deep and for This? cringe" *pensive* perhaps. its very interesting to me tho. making stuff for Me.

also obviously I am very inspired with ink-the-artist's work in general and esp their ai stuff and this why Im even using ganbreeder in the first place. I think they may be my favorite artist rn. I also saw a really great gallery last year by Matthew Ritchie last year that kinda blew past my kneejerk "all ai is bad" reaction. I had bigtime emotional reactions to his work. I think training a personal GAN off my own photos and art would be fucking fascinating. but its a bit too scary for me still.

I feel like such a mess in all of this because I am too anti ai for the average tech bro by being deathly afraid of it and thinking there needs to be regulations on it but also I am too pro ai for the average tumblr/twitter user by thinking its supremely fascinating as a Tool to be used by artists. ah the nuances. pls be niceys to me.

[nsfsprince]

An a/b/o idea thats taken over the brain that I wish to write:

Intruxietlogical A/B/O au that's set in a manor or smth?

Theres Alpha!Logan(cismale), head of the manor and a very rich yet young and respectable individual of the city. Hes like 6'4 and handsome as hell, and secretly knows it(due to Remus's persistent courting) but sees no point in personally flaunting it, letting Remus take the lead in that.

Then theres his eccentric Omega spouse, Remus(nonbinary leaning with he/him pronouns), the (in)famous artist of the city. Hes unusually tall for an Omega at 5'10, crude and unworried about fitting the 'normal' societal omega expectation despite also being born to a rich family. He courted Logan, persistantly, as he loved the fact that Logan treated him with the same respect as he would anyone else and never judged Remus for who he was, and the more Logan accepted the courting the more they fell in love before marrying and bonding at like. 23-25?

Well, Virgil is a 5'1 omega(transman with he/him pronouns), age 24. Hes a feisty little thing thats been surviving the streets for too long, he's parentless and, his high anxiety keeps him safer than most omegas on their own but no ones perfect- he ends up almost getting abducted by a sketchy Alpha when a Beta named Patton storms in and saves him.

That's how Patton, Logan's brother, takes him in to treat the sprained wrist he got from the encounter, and for Remus to set eyes on Virgil and immediately decide he wants to keep and court him, too.

I could ramble alot about the months it takes for remus to flirt and fluster and break Virgil out of his shy terrified shell(because hes gone from interacting with fellow street raccoons to very weathy and very Pretty nobility and its. A Lot.

I could ramble about the way both Remus and Logan coax Virgil into staying in their home for more and more ludicrously simple reasons, just to keep courting him, and how Virgil catches on, and flusteredly does nothing to stop it bc he's slowly falling in love too

But what I Really wanna ramble about, is their bedroom dynamics.

Content warning for under the cut: a/b/o dynamics, talk/descriptions of knotting, polyamourus relationships, kinks. Lots of kinks: oralfixation, dom/sub/switch dynamics, praise kink, overstim(lots of overstim), talk of double penatration, p in v sex, ect. Let me know if i missed anything!

MINORS DNI or you will be fully blocked from this blog and my main one.

Logan is a soft but firm dom, always in control and ready to take control. He has a bit of an oral fixation and loves sucking off his loves as often as he can, happy to sate his loves while getting them to soak themselves in fresh slick. He's easily comanding when needed but also enjoys that Remus is more than willing to take control on occasion(see: regularly). He just really really likes taking care of his loves however he can, and aftercare is super important especially after some of their more intense scenes

Remus is a bossy switch, who Loves riding Logan's cock till hes stuck on his knot, or getting fucked up against a wall till his mind turns to jelly. Really likes a bit of primal play, loves riling Logan up with praising how good Logan could breed him(even tho theyre all on birth control so it really is just for the scenes) if he just pins him down and takes. On the flip side, Re also loves pinning Virgil down and driving him crazy, too.

Virgil is a near complete submissive, he's eagar to give and take as ordered and melts at any praise given. Starting out he'd been touch straved beyond belief(which has since been remedied thoroughly) and thus ended up developing a habit of dropping into subspace the moment Logan and/or Remus cradle his neck with both hands. Hes a very affectionate sub who puts so much of his trust and control into Logan and Remus's hands, and both cherish it as Virgil literally never lets his guard down around anyone else.

So, my favorite thing about their dynamic is that Remus still has a decent sized cock despite being an omega, like is actually rather big for Virgil to take, the draw back is just that Remus cant, at least naturally, Knot Virgil like Logan can. (However, its like one of Remus's biggest fantasies to Knot Virgil, and Virgil is totally in the same boat and would be Very on board with it)

This lack of natural knot doesnt stop Remus of course, infact its encouraging because he has a nearly non-existant refractory period so, literally imagine:

Virgil on his back, Virgil's head and shoulders are cradled lovingly in Logan's lap as the alpha occassionally trades kisses with both of his gorgeous omegas. Virgil's legs spread and cunt gently held nice and open by Logan's gentle but firm hands as Remus repeatedly sinks his cock nice and deep into Virgil. Slick soaks Virge and Remus's thighs, his cunt, and Remus's cock.

Every thrust has Virgil whimpering and his legs twitching with the relentless feeling of the head of Remus's cock just barley rutting against his cervix on every other pass. Just the hot way Remus has Virgil pinned into a mating press and obviously working hard to make that position live up to its name, babbling at how good Virgil feels taking his cock like a good little omega, at how easy it is to breed Virgil over and over and over again.

Then Logan enacts this little idea hes been holding onto the moment Remus starts to get close(hes trained Remus well, having helped him train to stall his orgasms for longer and longer because Remus LOVES overstimmulation). He has Remus slow down for just a moment, causing both omegas to whine, before coating two fingers in plenty of slick and slowly pressing them in alongside Remus's cock.

Virgil is slowly losing his mind(as they find out in later sessions that he absolutely has a size kink, and would happily take both their cocks at once any time hes given the chance) at the width, his eyes rolling. Then Remus is told to start thrusting again until he comes, and to ignore Logan's two fingers outside of being careful.

Virgil and Remus are so keyed up that it only takes another minute or so for Remus to start cumming, following Logan's order of pressing all the way inside as deep as he can get, at which point is Logan's cue to start curling his fingers firmly deep inside of Virgils walls.

Immediately, Virgil starts whimpering loudly as he cums, his body reacting the way it would if he were being knotted by an alpha, cunt clenching tight and sucking Remus's cock deeper as his eyes squeeze closed and his jaw fall lax, overwhelmed as his body draws out his orgasm for as long as hes knotted.

Remus is put in a mind-melting world of pleasurable overstimmulation as hes just climaxed and Virgils cunt is milking it for all hes got and he cant even move or pull out now because hes 'locked' inside. His hips and legs are trembling and he's moaning loudly because it's so hot that hes basically getting to Knot Virgil and it feels so good.

Virgil's cunt won't let him go and wont stop pulsing around the head his oversensitive cock and he really cant be faulted for the way he loses control and just keeps orgasming, his lack of refractory period as a keyed up omega just letting him squirt more and more cum and slick deep into the omega under him.

Logan's gentle and soothing, cooing reassurances to his two loves as he helps them lose their minds & fulfil their fantasies. He even uses his free hand to stroke Virgils little cock slowly, drawing out shaking whines from both of them as it makes Virgil clench harder in intervals. Remus ends up hunched over Virgil, his face tucked into his fellow omega's neck to muffle his overstimulated whimpers.

Logan draws it out for a minute or two, just until pleasured and overwhelmed tears picks at their eyes and their soft begging whimpers and mewls fill the room before slowly releasing the hold, letting the string of tension snap and watching them unravel and relax, finishing their peaks.

Remus cant help the way he struggles to pull out, so oversensitive that his hips keep hitching back in place with the way Virgils body tries to keep him there, needing Logan to pull their hips apart to fully end the scene.

Logan strokes and comforts both exhausted omegas, now fully in his element, cooing soft reassurances to both, getting up to start a bath and carefully guiding them both in and cleaning them up. The sheets are changed and both are put in soft clothing and given juice and cuddles.

Remus would probably make a comment on asking drowsily just how Logan deals with being knotted to him for in upwards of 30 minutes if it feels like /That/ the whole time. Logan would probably just smile sweetly and press a sweet kiss to his lips and say "with experience of course, perhaps we can work on that too, if the both of you would be so inclined?"

Virgil shutters and whines, too tired to get worked up again, Remus in a similar boat but nodding drowsily anyway. Remus probably wakes up sore and gets worked up all over again at the memory of why his cock of all things is sore and sensetive.

Perhaps they do work on it, perhaps Remus is trained to a take it little longer each time, no where near half an hour for the longest time, but he gets pretty close and much better at holding from losing his mind.

Maybe then they explore what it feels like for Remus to be stuck on Logan's knot, while Virgil is stuck on Remus's 'knot' with the help of a toy. Maybe then they also explore working Virgil up to take both of their cocks, and see what happens what Logan's fingers curl just right to trigger that knotted feeling to have Virgil lose his goddamn mind impaled on both their cocks as they slowly thrust in and out despite his body thinking he's already been knotted and reacting as such.

Maybe they even explore working Virgil's other hole open, just enough to take Logan's knot, and give Remus free reign to fuck Virgil's soaking trembling cunt until they can coax Virgil's cunt into taking Remus's 'knot' as well

Idk man. Just. This whole dynamic has so many hot possibilities. 💕💕💕

[miscellaneous-bnha]

Naga Aizawa AU

As requested by 🍄 anon.

Unfortunately, this is not a part of the Untitled AU (I’m sticking to calling it that even though I named it), but I’m really glad that I had a chance to write about Naga Aizawa anyway. 🍄 anon is my savior.

—————————

THIS CONTENT CONTAINS OVIPOSITION, BREEDING, AND ONE (1) TIRED SNAKE MAN. DON’T LIKE, DON’T READ. ALSO, IT’S A LONG ONE.

- Aizawa as a Naga in general would be interesting.

- I can def see him sleeping all curled up in sun spots through the day, only really moving when he wants to.

- But then he becomes much more active at night, on the prowl for prey and potential threats to his territory.

- Unusual seeing how cold it can get at night, but effective for him seeing as he blended quite well into the dark with his midnight tail and markings.

- Regardless, as far as he’s concerned, nobody really has the guts to challenge him at this point.

- At least, that was until he met you.

- The scared little mouse that had lost their way into his territory.

- You had heard rumors of half snake people living in these parts, and you really weren’t trying to stray away from the path

- But it was like something in the forest itself was calling out to you.

- According to local legend, the voice of the forest would lead you to your soulmate so long as they were in the forest at the same time as you

- But as you were trembling under the gaze of the Naga before you, the legends felt like cruel, whispery lies to give you false hope

- Now was hardly the time to worry about that, however, considering he looked quite upset to have been interrupted.

- Before you could scramble back to your feet, he was upon you, coiled around you without actually touching you, making you feel trapped and small.

- “Hmmm....” the baritone of his voice sent a chill through you, half with fear and half with mild arousal. You cursed your ape brain silently, squeezing your body tighter.

- “What is a little mouse like you...” he finally touches you, tipping your head to look up at him with a finger under your chin, “.. doing so far away from the path. Hmm?”

- Your lips only tremble as you try to speak, but he presses a finger to your lips to keep you from attempting to speak anyway.

- “No matter... you’re quite lost now aren’t you?” you can only nod, refusing to tear your eyes away.

- You already know that you would never be able to react in time, but your instincts still tell you to keep your eyes locked on him.

- “I figured as much. Unfortunately for you—“ he points up to the darkening sky, “— the sun is going down, and you wouldn’t make it back to town at this rate even if you tried.”

- You swallowed hard, knowing he was right. Maybe the universe really is playing a cruel joke on you.

- He chuckles, running his hand through your hair and ruffling it.

- “Relax, you’re gonna be okay. Human isn’t my first, second, or third choice in food. I’ll bring you to my den to stay the night and lead you back to the trail tomorrow.”

- You squint hard, nose scrunching with doubt.

- “No need for such a sour face, little mouse. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it by now.” He winks, “Besides, people get lost all the time; the people of town already know who I am by this point.”

- You furrow your brows, but you suppose he was right. If he really did want to cause harm, you wouldn’t be here pondering the legitimacy of his words. It also made sense about how the village seemed to know of supernatural creatures such as Nagas in extreme detail.

- You figured that— worst case scenario— you were dead either way, and your best bet would be to go with the Naga for now.

- He watches you climb to your feet, shuffling a bit. “... That would be really great, thank you.”

- He smirks and blows a slight laugh out through his nose, unraveling his tail as he moves to lead the way. “Th’ name’s Shouta Aizawa, and who might you be?”

——————————

- You wake up the following morning to the sound of crashing thunder and heavy rain pouring outside his den.

- You rub your eyes blearily, bits and pieces of the night before slowly coming back to you.

- You remember following Aizawa to his den, keeping good on his promise not to eat you as you slept.

- The conversation as he led you through the darkening woods was really quite insightful; what kind of (snake?)person he is, what he does in the area. The kinds of goods he trades with the village nearby.

- You were shocked to learn that the forest doesn’t only serve as home for Nagas, but harpies, sirens, and elemental spirits too. “And those are just a few of the people I know.”

- Though he pretended to be annoyed with talking about his blond haired harpy and the pale-blue haired water spirit friends, the shine in his eye gave him away; he definitely cares a whole lot more than his demeanor suggests.

- It was endearing.

-But that was then and this is now, and “the now” meant you would be stuck in Aizawa’s den for a lot longer than originally intended.

- “It’s no problem,” he’d said once he caught sight of your worried face, “we have more than enough supplies to last us a good long while. Comfortably, if I might add.”

- At that point, you were worried less about supplies and more about the fact that you didn’t want to intrude. “If only I hadn’t wandered off the path...”

- “Hey now, no need to start thinking like that now. You never meant to get lost, and this sudden downpour certainly isn’t your fault—“ the glare he suddenly shot outside made you curious, “— so don't worry about it, yeah?”

- Except, by the fourth week of non-stop rain, it was safe to say you were concerned.

- Sure, it did lighten up to a measly drizzle here and there, but the muddy ground was too unstable to try and traverse without risk. The chances of causing a landslide was too great.

- So it was with a guilty— mostly because of your silent cheers with each rainy day you woke up to— heart you shared yet another cup of tea, lounging back within Aizawa’s coils.

- The two of you had grown particularly close in your time staying here. Though you were originally concerned about the state of your clothing, it turned out that Aizawa had quite the collection in case of situations like these

- So alas, the two of you spent the day chatting away as usual.

- He has been in the middle of telling a particularly interesting story when you suddenly found yourself zoning out at the slight stubble on his sharp jawline

- You supposed it really shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, seeing the ‘nature’ of his species, but you were surprised to see someone so inactive also be so amazingly fit at the same time.

- You don’t know when he had stopped talking, or when the two of you had started falling into each other’s gaze

- But you definitely felt the moment when your lips pressed against his. Starting as shy little pecks until he started to press deeper, coils shifting as he brought you closer to him

- Hands setting your drinks aside, you wrap your arms around his neck as he traps you between a comfortable crook in his tail and his body, his hands resting on your hips

- Your head starts to grow clouded the longer you kiss him, a slight tang similar to citrus but as sweet as candy hits your tongue and suddenly he’s pulling back

- His eyes are blown wide, but you can see the struggle on his features as he catches his breath

- “Shit..” he presses his face into your neck, “I shouldn’t have lost control like that... are you alright?”

- You’re confused by his statement. Surely, he was asking if you were okay with him kissing you, but somehow you knew that wasn’t really what he was asking

- Your thoughts start to wander a little as you start to feel a low burn settle deep in your belly, and you’re almost amused by the idea that Nagas do— in fact— have aphrodisiac properties in their venom

- You can almost tell the exact moment when your eyes become completely glossed over, wet with desire and clouded with need.

- “Fuck... I’m sorry. I should have been more aware. I’ll get some water to help flush out my venom-“ he pauses when he notices the unhappy furrow in your brow.

- “Do... do you not like me like that?” You blurt out before you can stop to think about it.

- he hesitates and you close your eyes, disappointment charging through you, but suddenly they’re open again when he coils around you tighter, chest crushing against your own as he presses his face into the side of your head

- “Of course I do... but I didn’t want it to go this way. I shouldn’t have stayed so close while in my rut like this.”

- “Your rut?”

- he nods solemnly, sighing as he runs a hand through his hair

- “It started some time about a week ago... when I first realized that I’m attracted to you... emotionally and physically.” He presses his nose to your temple and inhales deeply “But I’ve been tryna keep quiet about it... wanted to give you the choice to go if y’wanted.”

- You can hear his words start to slur together. “Y’can stay if y’want... but if y’don’t go now, I won’t be lettin’ ya go. At least not without me.”

- You’re already nodding before you can even think about it.

- “Of course I want to stay... if you’ll have me.”

- There’s a deep rumble reminiscent of a growl in his chest

- “Of course I’ll have you. There’s no one else I’d rather have, little one.”

- You felt a strong shudder run down the length of your spine, but you weren’t given much time to dwell on it before his lips were devouring yours once more, the tangy sweet taste of his venom coming back tenfold.

- The haze of arousal consuming you, however, would have been just as powerful without it.

- The passage of time became non-existent the further you fell into his heat, the more you felt your body give in until you could barely bring yourself to do anything but lay back in his coils

- You felt like you were floating in his arms, giving yourself away completely to his wants and whims, the sultry sound of his voice carrying you through the haze.

- A part of you felt like you should have been more embarrassed; it’s only been about a month since you’ve met this man in a forest you’ve never been to before on an island you don’t even live on, but the thought floated away before you could get a grasp on it.

- “What’s wrong, little mouse?” His nose was buried in your hair, chest puffing with every deep breath he took.

- You shake your head sluggishly, body growing ever warmer as you attempt to pull the baggy sweater off your body. His calloused but gentle hands brushing your middle as he helps you pull it up and off

- The anticipation of what would be coming buzzed under your skin like electricity, but your inability to move very much hindered your movements to try and get him to move faster.

- Sensing your impatience, he merely chuckled before pressing yet another heavy kiss to your lips, the taste of the aphrodisiac thick on his tongue, filling your senses once again.

- You felt your eyes drift shut, your head tipping back as you let out a deep, satisfied sigh, wet lips pressing against the side of your throat, his stubble scraping against you gently. You could barely process the feeling of his teeth grazing against your shoulder before a finger slowly pushed into your hole, curling into that perfect little spot that had stars flashing behind your eyelids.

- The noises you were making sounded muffled to your own ears, heaving breaths silenced by the sound of his low hums and wet lips sucking at your skin. Low words of praise left his lips in abundance, as if keeping them in would be like trying to stop a flood with a lone pebble

- You felt yourself drifting along with the pleasure again, arms stretching above your head as he slowly added two more fingers, mouth pressed close to your ear as he murmured all the things he wanted to do.

- “Gonna fill you up… ruin you completely for any other person.”

- “Gonna make you so full and heavy.”

- “Gotta stretch this tight little hole open... don’t wanna hurt you with my cocks.”

- Your eyes cracked open at the sound of that. Cocks? As in more than one?

- You unconsciously tense at that, causing him to pull his fingers from you as he used both hands to stroke your sides, hushing you softly.

- “s’okay baby… m’not gonna hurt ya. Promise.” He grabs one of your hands, pressing kisses to your fingers before pressing it to his chest, encouraging you to slide it down at your own pace until you reach the spot where his human torso meets his snake half.

- You will yourself to bring your eyes to look down to where he guides your hand, your breath catching when you see two painfully hard cocks, both flushed so pink it could almost be red. The heads of both flaring a bit before tapering into a rounded point, the slit at the top of both weeping with precum with every throb.

- You feel your stomach flip with excitement and nerves all the same as he wraps your hand around the lower one, fingers barely touching. You can feel his eyes watching your expression as you slowly process what it is you’re seeing, the arousal pooling heavier into your stomach as you moan softly in anticipation.

- You feel his lips press to your cheek, more whispered promises of being gentle reaching your ears as his hand goes back to work, stretching you dutifully as you sink further into him.

- You don’t know how long he had kept at it, occasionally stopping the motion of his hand to let a thick rope of spit and venom drip down to your hole, but you squirm and whine when he withdraws again. Before you can open your mouth to complain, you feel both heads press against you, and you don’t have much time to even unconsciously clench before he’s slowly pushing in with a loud groan.

- You’re disappointed that you’re missing the way his jaw probably dropped open from the tight, hot pressure of your entrance squeezing around him as he slowly spears you open, but you can’t help the way your head tips back and your eyes clench tightly.

- He braces his arms on his tail next to head as he bottoms out, growling deep in his chest as he grinds deep, bringing his face down to yours as he captures your lips in yet another deep kiss. He grinds his hips slowly, breathing heavily through his nose when he suddenly grabs your hips, groaning loudly when you feel something heavy spread you before it suddenly felt like it dropped into your lower belly.

- He pulled away with sharp hiss, a soft “fuck” leaving his lips before you felt the sensation again, only the stretch was bigger this time. You feel yourself shudder and moan as you realize he was pushing his eggs into you, your face growing hot. His forehead pressed against yours as he struggled to keep his hips from moving, cut off gasps leaving him with every egg until he had no more left to give.

- “Twenty, huh…? Shit, you look so pretty all swollen like this…” you feel his hands caressing your belly now, his hips rocking gently. You work the energy to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him back down as his pace grows a little more rough, hips snapping into yours with a loud clap as he uses his hands to move your hips.

- You lose focus on his words the longer he fucks into your pliant body, growling and moaning low once he starts to get closer and closer to his own orgasm. With a loud cry, you pull his hips into yours with your legs just as your orgasm rips through you, sending him over the edge. Hot, thick spurts of his fertile spunk fills you as he pins your hips to his, eyes rolled back as he growls and grunts and hisses, a powerful shiver running through him as you both slowly come down from your highs.

- Between the sedative properties of his venom and the exhaustion from having your body filled so well, you barely register the feeling of a cool cloth running over your body as you drift into sleep.

- “yeah,” you grin lazily “I’m definitely not going anywhere.”

[filthfichunter]

A/B/O plus lots

There's a brief brief space of time between the Trials and when an Omega Witcher is fully sterile that omega Witchers can be bred. So, they get bred and knotted by every Alpha they can be. If they're lucky, they'll have a pup with a higher chance to survive the trials, or maybe even a full blooded Witcher pup.

Lucky for them, they're easy easy easy to trigger into heat and spend nearly the whole time in the throes of heat. Maybe up to two years, so two pups, if they're very very lucky

Alphas are always fertile, but only with their own "kind" which is omega Witchers but there's only that tiny gap to breed.

Ruts and heats still happen but they're not seeding fertile ground anymore.

Trial age is up to you, just wreck me some witcher boys. Breeding benches, Stuffed full, plugged up, fucked over and over and over. Screaming on massive cocks and knots and begging for more.

I tried to hit all the elements of the prompt Anon!! Plenty of A/B/O, breeding benches, and fucking 😉

You can find the full fic here on my AO3

Kaer Morhen's Puppy Mill

CW: Gangbang, Breeding, Overstimulation, Come Inflation, Boypussy, Alpha/Beta/Omega, Dubious Consent, Pregnancy Kink, Size Kink, Size Difference, Bondage, Hole/Pussy Spanking, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Knotting, Butt Plugs, Oral Sex, Frottage...like I fit the full kitchen sink in there. Marked as Underage, but no specific age is given. 🕊️💀 DeadDoveDoNotEat 💀🕊️

Let me know if you have a favorite line!!

Geralt came back to alertness when the knot locked behind the puffy lips of his tired cunt tried to pull free, still half full. His skinny thighs were shaking with the effort of holding himself up, even proped up as he was on the breeding bench. The Alpha just kept tugging free no matter how he whimpered around clentched teeth and asked for the other man to, "wait, please! Please!"

The knot pulled free with a sucking plop, the girthy cock slapping sloppily across pale pert cheeks, accompaning Geralt's keening wail.

There were similar noises from all around him as the few other Witcher initiates, young like him, omega like him, yet to face their first trials like him, were fucked and seeded.

None of them had taken a knot before, they'd been treated just the same as their Alpha and Beta fellow trainees until they had entered their breeding season.

Training and running and learning together, all things equal. He hadn't been concerned about things like kissing, or sex, or breeding.

That had changed when the Sorcerers came to prepare them for the season. Geralt and his fellow Omega's had been pulled from their regular lessons and made to sit through the most embarrassing workshops to get ready for their duty.

There were diagrams, playmating and the dissected reproductive system of what Geralt though must be a pig, but that Eskel had insisted was human.

It had taken almost a full fortnite for him to work up to wearing the medium sized plug. Eskel had been his heat week partner, both boys taking turns working through the stretches and calisthenics that were supposed to prepare them for their duty.

They'd shared sweet kisses as they frot against each other in their shared bunk, whispering about the Alaphs that had suddenly started trickling back in to Kaer Morhen early. Who they thought might sire a strong new brother for them. Who to avoid.

The potions they were injected with caused a fire to rise in their blood. They had to constantly help each other to alleviate the swelling. Horny pups, mouthing and licking, curled up together whenever they got the chance. Their bed sheets were starched stiff with their watery spend within the first few days.

The Sorcerers had staged a dress rehearsal for their breeding after they finished their special class. Calling it a dress rehearsal was generous since they'd all been naked for it. One by one with each Omega getting a turn they had been strapped bare onto a bench to get the fitting of their bindings correct, Eskel had held his hand the entire time. He hadn't pinched his butt, or rudely stuck a finger in him like some of the others had.

He could see across to where his brother Eskel was dwarfed by the largest man he'd ever seen, a Bear Witcher, visiting the keep for the two week peak each season that omega Witcherlings (that still might be able to fall pregnant) were benched, and fucked by any Witcher able to spare the time to properly bitch them.

The bear's knot must be absolutely huge, Geralt hoped if both he and Eskel did quicken with pups that they wouldn't have to carry such a large man's cub.

It would be a big cub as hairy as it's sire, more beast than man in size and bulk.

The potions they would take later in their training would render their wombs too toxic for a full breed Witcher pup to survive, for much of anything of humankind like themselves to survive gestation.

Other things would grow within his womb, but after his trials those things would only be the stuff of nightmares, a distant duty he wasn't prepared to think about yet.

He only had this small chance to fall pregnant with his own kind. To see them grow up alongside the other fosters and orphans of Kaer Morhen.

All be it with a better chance of survival.

Omega Witcherlings were rare, successful breedings of their young little wombs was rarer still, but the dwindling numbers in their ranks meant that the Brotherhood of Sorcerers needed to swell their pool of potential Witcher candidates any way they could.

Successful Witcher/Witcher full bred pups were, baring a physical injury, almost completely likely to survive their trials and transition into becoming a Witcher. Fewer changes were required of their bodies, immunity to the toxicity of the pure mutagens gifted to them by their Witcher bitch and sires.

He still had a full day and night left to get pupped with a new litter for his first cycle, and knew that even as full and tired and aching as his pussy and little omega cocklet were, there were still at least a dozen more knots in his immediate future.

Including the large bear Witcher.

Geralt hiccuped and tried to clench his tired muscles down, but both his holes quivered and stayed open.

His pussy was over full with the loads he had already taken.

His little ass didn't escape attention, fucked full with a regular deposit of nututrient rich magical slurries, pumped and plugged by those assisting in the breeding. Mostly that consisted of Omegas too far along in their training with wombs too poisonous to carry, or Betas curious or mean, intent on injecting themselves into helping out.

Every Alpha would have their turn to try. Their mutagen Alpha seed only able to catch in another Witcher, totally sterile in any other womb. The price they paid for their augmented mutant abilities.

He didn't like the potions.

They smelled earthy and dank, and no two large syringes of the stuff ever looked the same to him. His guts would cramp for an entire hour after each dose. But the mixture was a reliable way to hydrate the omegas, keep their bodies in a state of fertile heat, and it solved the problem of trying to feed their passed out bodies. They would stay bound to the breeding apparatus in the great hall untill they were pregnant, or the cycle ended.

The room felt like it was spinning, but the sudden clank and jolt was just the special hinge on the bench engaging, tilting the platform he was on forward and down. All he could see now was the floor immediately infront of him, and what little he could glimpse from his peripheral vision, bound tight as he was.

Mostly it was flashes of movement he caught, muscular buttocks flexing and thrusting against wailing writhing omegas, tender bellies being pet and coaxed to hold a little more. There were a few other omegas in the 'resting' position like him too, their little pussies and cocklets pulsing and quivering in the open air, Witcher seed drawn down into their heat ready fertile wombs.

Blood started rushing to his head as his weight was shifted against the straps holding him. Head shoulders and torso flipped forward nearly upside down. His hips and more importantly his womb would stay elevated to ensure the newest deposit of seed could have it's best chance of quickening in the depths of his womb. Gravity helping things along.

It was the only break he would get between knots. Once he was assessed by his current stud and his platform tilted back into the 'free use' position he would be back in service.

"Please, can I have a drink, please, just a small sip?” the boy whispered, voice breathy mouth dry after having spent the morning crying and moaning. The Witcher behind him, he didn't even know who had just come in him, fucked and knotted him, only seemed half interested in what he had to say.

"I-I just need water?" Geralt sounded scared and timid to his own ears, and he knew with their superior hearing that every Witcher in the room heard his childish pleading.

The hydrating suppository in his ass was no replacement for a cool sip of water on parched lips.

The last time he had made the request an older Omega had mounted his face, their cock had been like his own, small, only a mouthful, but it hasn't been what he needed. He had ended up with a cummy salty mouth and not the crisp refreshment he wanted.

He was ignored. The Alpha already surveying the other available omegas for his next fuck.

Geralt's red-rimmed puffy hole opened up a little bit, a small gurggling glug of white seed oozing out.

"Tighten up that loose hole, slut!” the man said spanking one of Geralt's quivering thighs with a sharp hit, eliciting a cry.

"Yes sir!" Geralt was mortified at his own squeak, but the sudden scare and flare of pain helped him tighten back up again, his head flopping back down against the platform, cheeks blotchy from the rebuke and the inversion.

Another quick series of spanks across his butt, caused him to tense up even more, his pert ass jiggling as each blow landed, pinking up his skin.

Geralt nodded quickly again, or at least tried to. “P-Please, I'll be good” he sniffled, knowing the faster there was another load in him, the faster this would be over. It’s not like he didn’t like being bred. But sometimes the men who fucked him were rough and Geralt so desperately wanted to be good. Well to be good, and to have something other than a cock in his mouth.

“Please Alpha, I feel so full...”

“Not nearly full enough little bitch,” a new voice growled, leaning down over him. He knew they could see everything with how he was bound, even his little belly, it's soft swelling a visual testament to how many loads had already been fucked into his pliant small body.

The new Alpha extended one finger, scooping up the wasted drop of cum that had slipped out of the little omega earlier and brought it back up to rub over the quivering muscle of his rim. Geralt yelled, pulling against his restraints with real desperation, “No! No, no, no! I can’t hold it in, please no!"

He thought the man would listen to him, would stop playing with his pussy, he was wrong. The rubbing became more insistent against the flushed oversensitive fluttering muscle.

Geralt wailed again, his lithe sweat slicked body wrecked with shivers, overstimulated, his little cocklet stiffening up against his will as he desperately tried to keep all of the virile seed inside.

He didn't want to be punished for losing any, not again.

Three broad fingers were plunged into his mouth, stretching his lips at the corners, stealing the moisture that was left, chaffing his tongue.

Three broad spit slick fingers thwapped down in quick heavy succession, three, four, then five times on Geralt's quivering hole.

The omega cried.

The Alpha Witcher smirked down at where fat tears were running down the pup's face.

"Don't you want to have your soft little belly full? Don't you want to be good for us, behave and you'll have a new little brother to play with."

"Yes, Alpha, please."

The boy's face was cherry red, all the blood having rushed to his head, out of sorts and overwhelmed from the heavy spanks to such a sensitive spot. The tears running down the pup’s face, were soaking his hairline, snot and tears and drool matting it, the poor little thing, but his little omega cocklet was still hard and he still wasn't trying to wriggle in his bondage.

"Such a sluty messy little puppy."

The Witcher considered playing with the boy there, tugging on his little cocklet and squeezing his balls until the boy begged for him to stop, or he got him to climax.

But that wasn't what this breeding was for.

Geralt hid his teary face down onto the platform as he felt it being tilted back and locked into position. He spread his knobby knees wider, light headed after having been upside down, ready to get filled again.

Wishing his rest had been longer between knots.

Still thirsty.

Across the way he could saw where Eskel was still knotted with the big Bear Witcher. From where he was Geralt could see where the other Witcher was punch fucking the full width of his still full knot into and out of Eskel's ruined pussy, all the packed up come being churned out of his belly, puddling on the floor beneath the bench.

Strong hands massaged his slick thighs evidence that Geralt hadn't been lucky earlier either in keeping all of the Witcher seed inside. "When I'm done, I'll fit you with a nice long plug pup, we'll make sure you don't spill a drop, does that sound good?"

The boy gave a wordless shrug of acceptance, what he wanted didn't really matter, but at least a plug would make keeping it all in easier for him.

Everything around him was heat and friction and fullness. He could hear the other omega's begging and moaning around him as his latest stud hilted deep into his over full pussy.

Was that Eskel moaning in pleasure?

This cock was maybe larger than the last, long enough that it was pummeling the walls of his insides. Occasionally it would hit his pleasure button inside and that was almost worse than the stretch of a knot pulled out too soon.

After a grueling series of rabbit fast thrusts, Geralt let out another yelp and tried to clentch down, tried to be tighter, to make the man come quicker so he could have a rest.

"Such a slut, that's right fuck your little cunt back onto my dick you greedy little thing."

Geral was rewarded eventually with a knot, and soft petting from the Witcher. Large hands moved down to cup his swollen abdomen, the skin heating up more, distending more from the newest load.

"Do you want to come bitchling? Should I rub your little cocklet for you?"

The omega shook his head, fingers clentching into fists where they were bound. "It hurts, I just want to rest, Alpha, Please, Alpha."

"You can rest once you catch. Do you think you are nice and pupped this time?'

"Yes Alpha"

"Good cub, the sorcerers will check you in an exam tonight, stretch your little pussy out with their magical tools and speculums and look up inside that cum dump of yours to see if you've been good."

The Witcher pushed down against the sloshing give of Geralt's belly, slipping a hand underneath where he rested against the bench to tweak a soft pink nipple.

"If you haven't caught, we'll just do this again and again, we'll keep you bound and stuffed here for the season, can't let your little womb lay fallow and empty pup!"

Geralt shook his head snuffling back new tears.

He could feel it all throughout his body when the large Witcher hummed, pleased, thrusting and tugging at Geralt's rim with his knot.

"Good bitch.”

🕊️💀

----

Thanks for reading! And thanks for the prompt!

[canisfuria]

{ ♙ } PRIDE !!! || Accepting ;; @deathleads​​ { ♙ }

SEVEN. what outfits, gender roles, titles, feelings, places, activities, make your muse feel gender euphoric?

gonna go a little out of order: working on cars at a garage isn’t his all-time favorite hobby, but it IS somewhere he feels right, and ruggedly, in his element. kain’s used to being sized up ( er, down ) by others at a glance. but so long as he can prove he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty, and that he’s good at what he does, the reverence follows suit. being recognized among a burly bunch of mechanics is affirming in his presentation where it’s often overlooked ! self-sufficiency !  to be deferred to is a mark of esteem and authority. it’s a powerful, manly feeling.

speaking of presentation: kain is pretty comfortable with his body, too. it’s when compared to others / viewed as diminutive that he loses steam, but otherwise he’s content in his self-image, and presents as quietly masculine. what he values in his presentation, however, aren’t gender-specific traits: hygiene ranks high in his priorities; hair is cropped short for efficiency, albeit less undefined than a high-and-tight; his scents err on the neutral, cleaner sides, too-- generic linen and soap scents, maybe spearmints, citrus at wildest. for a date, sure, maybe a woodsier aftershave. but for the most part, kain values function over flashiness; he enjoys performing masculinity, but in more muted, practical way.

in his day-to-day, a fitted look breeds confidence in the mirror. a tight button up with a stiff collar, hem tucked in trousers, feels professional; modern; respectable. enveloped in a bulky leather jacket, and he feels a little broader in stature- to take up space is to demand acknowledgement !  in his casual or weekend styles, lightweight shirts and polos, vests, cardigans. slacks and trousers, cotton or duck cloth. ties and suspenders and high, cotton socks-- comfort and cohesion, above all !

and then i’m lumping together miscellaneous special occasions, in terms of gender confidence / euphoria

kain likes a good suit, but doesn’t often enjoy wearing them-- to tailor one properly costs money, often rents out, occasions that warrant them are rare, he often feels out of place. he does enjoy seeing how others wear them. when he’s more financially stable, it’ll likely become a less stressful association.

subversively, you know what he does occasionally enjoy? women’s shirts. both those of the form-fitted variety, as much as the looser, completely unfitted blouses. has less to do with the ‘femininity’ than how they feel on him, but he doesn’t mind a dash of that, either. maybe he’s wearing a women’s button-up at work because it makes his shoulders feel wider, who’s gonna notice, and who’s to say? we’ve seen he and hawkeye share a fit, even if they wear their garments differently lol

in that same vein, he has few-to-no qualms with more androgynous or even blended gender presentation. makeup feels too performative and like a lot of effort, and is difficult to learn/expensive to buy, but he’d jive with a shimmer around the eyes. a tinted balm. maybe a ribbon or a chain somewhere. 

modernverse, teen kain probably experimented with a piercing or painted nails, and maybe other “subculture appearances”. likely doesn’t maintain the looks into adulthood, but more due to careering/grooming routines, not lack of enjoyment.

more intimately: kain’ll wear lingerie for a partner if he thinks they’d like it. probably wouldn’t mind his reflection in it, either. doesn’t buy it for himself, but it also hasn’t come up yet on his radar.

'titles' that elicit gender euphoria? ... “sir” is a good one, he doesn’t get it all that often haha. pet names and terms of endearment, maybe, like “handsome”? .... googled a list of these, “tiger” gets an embarrassed grin, but i don’t think he’d dislike it LOL.

TWELVE. what are parts of their body they like, that make them feel good about themself, that they LIKE to be touched, that make them feel good?

again, save for an occasional jab, he’s pretty content with his body overall ! he appreciates his shoulders, though, likes how he grows into them. feels like a very masculine feature, to him. also would melt under a shoulder massage, so write that down. hands are another good one, he’s very tactile-oriented, his hands tell the story of who he is. hold kain’s hand and watch him glow- such a chaste, tender intimacy, always a meaningful gesture.

shoulders, hands, neck and back-- these are all places he likes to be touched, with really any intention or context ( platonic/romantic/sexual, all of the above ). and he does enjoy touch in most regards, although tends not to seek it out.

i really wouldn’t call kain the “muscular” type, and doesn’t really have any definition to show off, but it’s his working muscle that keeps him from looking completely lean. his arms are nothing to brag about, but they’re just thick enough to look sturdy. same goes for his torso-- no rock hard abs, not “wind-endangered”-skinny, even a little soft around the middle-- but he doesn’t mind some heavy lifting,   looks like a man in his field, and he’s happy enough like that. following fotset / PD, i like to think he grows an inch in every direction though, is also more active in his job and downtime alike. 

[spellcasterlight]

[Shino x Tenten] - SFW Headcanons

The Insect Prince & The Weapons Mistress. Separate? Dazzling. Together? Blinding.

They get together slowly, getting to know each other over time, sharing small conversations over friend dinners, creating shared memories by shared missions and understanding each other after training sessions until one day Tenten realises that the person she wants to tell most about her day is the Aburame, she isn’t as confused by this new realisation as she thinks she should be.

When she finds Shino, Kiba teases him for the way the hive user seemed to brighten when she appeared. When Tenten asks if Shino would like to have dinner with her Kiba again teases at how fast he agrees; and that’s how it begins.

Tenten shows affection in true Team Gai style, with hugs, and with Shino she is no different; she showers him in hugs and small kisses, she was never good with words and so will let her physical affection do the talking.

Shino’s affection is less showy, especially in public, a hand hold is what Tenten learns to expect when the insect user initiates affection, but when they are alone the insect user will tell her all the ways he loves her, physically, emotional, spiritually, combined with gentle caresses and the smallest brushes of lips until the weapons mistress’s cheeks are rose red and she tries to hide in her hands in embarrassment. He never lets her, but she still tries.

Tenten spent her Genin days covered in dirt, and grass, and blood, and whatever else found in the training grounds because of her intense training with her team. She doesn’t flinch or recoil at the sight of bugs like other girls do. They’re just something else that lives in their village with them. So when the weapons user finds a random insect or two crawling over her hand she simply sets it aside and carries on doing whatever she originally was.

Shino teaches her to slow down, to take her time, to simply take a step back and breathe. She isn’t used to it, not at all. Growing up in Team Gai, and always feeling like the weak thread she had pushed herself constantly, has always been training, always been learning, always been looking for ways to improve herself, to keep up with her teammates.

So when the Aburame heir convinces her to simply sit with him for the afternoon and do nothing her nerves are jittery with should-be-doing-something energy. But as Tenten sits there, listening to him read to her about insects she couldn’t even hope to pronounce the name of, the weapons mistress curled into his side, she decides this is nice, she liked this, she would be okay to do nothing with him again.

The opposite is true; Tenten convinces Shino to come to friend dinners and joint team training sessions more were he would usually opt to wonder the gardens in silence instead. The insect user will admit it is good for him, to spend more time with his friends, not just in a training capability either but to simply be around people. It is whenever, at a joint team meet up, Naruto himself tells him he was looking for him, that they were waiting for him to show up, Shino knows that is partly in thanks to Tenten that he has become a more permanent, memorable, part of his extended friend’s lives.

They both have niche knowledge subjects that they hold dear to their hearts; insects and weapons, of all sizes and abilities. They may not understand the content but they understand the excitement and love the other has for their specialised topic. Tenten will happily talk Shino’s ear off about a new sharpening technique or a tried and tested way of expanding the range of paper bombs and the Aburame heir will listen intently, almost absorbing her excitement as his own.

Shino will tell her about a new species of moth that has started settling in the area, or a change in the breeding habits of dragonflies and as long as he tells her when she can lay by his side, like he’s telling her like a bedtime story, or if she can twirl a kunai in her hand she will absorb every word.

Shibi accepts Tenten with open arms, anyone who brings his son so much happiness is instantly welcomed into his family, his home and his clan. The elder Aburame watches them interact as they take walks through the Aburame compound’s gardens, or over meals, or when they are simply talking about their days.

She is more animated then either of the Aburame men; it seems to bring Shino out of his shell, makes him more comfortable to be more forward with his thoughts and opinions on matters. The weapons mistress happily pointing at everything to hear what information Shino has about the insect or the flower or whatever else had caught her eye.

Tenten openly asks for Shino’s thoughts on things were most others would simply talk over him, Shibi likes this quality, a lot of Aburame have felt the sting of being swept aside in conversations. The conversations the three of them have over dinner are faster, slightly more energetic than if it were only the two insect tamers, Shibi could get used to it.

When the Team Gai member happily waves the clan head goodnight before taking his son’s hand, the Aburame heir giving a small smile at the gesture, Shibi is cemented in his knowledge that she is good for Shino.

Kiba, Hinata and Lee are their biggest supporters. Those three grew up with them, have known them since day dot, and therefore can see the differences in them to know Shino and Tenten help bring out the best in each other.

Shino smiles more, talks more, get’s more involved. Tenten is more firm in her belief in herself, takes more time to relax and look after herself, and happily talks about the Aburame as if they were her family from the start.

Anything that brings out this new level of happiness and contentment in their friends couldn’t be anything but spectacular. 

As their relationship grows his hive starts to do small things for Tenten without her asking, she has shown no ill will towards them and the weapons user shows their host more love and adoration than he has ever felt. His hive will automatically block attacks against her person in battle when they can, they bring her objects from across the room, seek her out when they believe Shino needs her. Tenten likes his hive; she thinks it’s like having a guardian animal. When Tenten tells Shino this he can only pull her into a gentle hug and thank her. She doesn’t understand why he’s thanking her really but she hugs him back with a contented smile.

Shino will not immediately run to Tenten’s side in battle when she in injured, like Naruto or Kiba would do for their partners, he knows how strong she is, how capable she is. The Aburame heir will watch her pull herself back up, dust herself off and throw herself back in the fray; in the rare times where he does need to assist her there is not a trace of the enemy left to bury. His silent rage at anyone thinking they could take Tenten from him spurring his hive into completely destroying the opponent.

She adores Shino’s hands, Tenten will happily spend an entire evening listening to his day as she inspects his hands in the dying sunlight; they speak of their different combat strategies, different personalities, and the different lives they have lived. He secretly loves when Tenten lets her hair down at night time; he watches her brush out her chocolate locks, mentally comparing her to the beautiful princess in a tower from a fairytale.

Surprising the both of them it's Tenten that says "I love you" first. She asked him to pass the ink for an elemental sealing scroll on a lazy Thursday afternoon. Tenten was about to explain which of her many inks she needs when Shino passes her the correct one automatically. The weapons user looks at him like she's having an out of body experience. 

"I have watched you long enough; to know the differences; Tenten," and just like that an emotional dam in her breaks violently.

"I love you Shino," her own eyes widen at the admission, but now that her mouth has started it doesn't want to stop. “I do, I love you, I love you so much Shino.”

The Aburame heir is over hugging the emotional weapons mistress the next second and he’s so confused and panicky because he’s never seen her like this. When her tears settle from her emotional overload and her body falls into his embrace she whispers it again, calmer, steadier.

“I love you so much Shino,” she laughs, light and watery then. “I’m sorry it took me so long to say.”

And then Shino is hugging her so tight she can’t breathe whispering that he loves her too and then she starts happy crying all over again.

Shino has always wanted a daughter, but when he confesses this can never be Tenten frowns and asks why.

“Aburame’s; rarely; have female children,” the insect tamer confesses with a heavy heart.  “It was; many; generations ago that we had our last female born child.”

“How come?” Is all Tenten can think of to ask back.

“We; do not know,” Shino tells her, his grip on her hand tightening slightly.

Tenten snuggles further into his side before speaking again. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll break tradition,” the Team Gai member grins up at him. “I’m an optimist remember?”

He doesn’t believe they would, if they had any children at all they would be boys, but he loves that she would try to give him hope; that she believes they can do anything as long as they are together.

Surprising no one it’s Shino that proposes. During one of their regular walks around the Aburame gardens at night time, when they turn a corner and her jaw drops when she sees fireflies dancing in the sky spelling out the words ‘marry me?’ she turns to Shino with a giant smile half hidden in her palm.

“You know that’s corny right?” She asks him but he doesn’t care, because she’s smiling and hugging him the next second chanting “yes, yes, yes” over and over again.

His mother’s engagement ring fits her ring finger, the beautiful single emerald on a silver band shines in the light of the now dancing fireflies.

They tell their teammates first. Lee and Hinata start immediately happy crying and the taijutsu user pulls the two girls into a rib crushing hug. Kiba only punches Shino in the arm and tells him “it’s about damn time.”

They are married in the Aburame gardens they love so much, Gai and Lee crying before the ceremony even starts. Tenten wears a three quarter length green dress with her hair down like he likes and Shino wears a black formal kimono with his usual sunglasses. When they kiss, symbolizing the beginning of their marriage, Shino’s hive dances around them buzzing happily. Tenten’s teammates only cry harder.

Separate? They are well rounded, interesting, whole people in their own right. Together? They would help each other, work alongside each other, never overshadowing the other, nurture the best in each other and care for each other deeply.

Separate? Dazzling. Together? Blinding.

[blacklight-ghoulette]

So about lore! How do you imagine the ghouls mating process?👀

(I apologize for taking so long on this but to be fair it’s a bit hefty of a response lol)

First, a small distinction that I make: Mating is for when ghouls take an actual mate, similar to a human marriage but on a much deeper level like a soulmate. Mates are pretty rare, so most of this also pertains to partners in general as well as mates.

Each elemental tribe has their own traditions and rituals for mating gifts/ceremonies/etc.

Earth ghouls:

Stone tribes: ghouls and ghoulettes who wish to mate someone from a stone tribe better be ready, because their ritual is having to wrestle the strongest ghoul in their mate’s family/immediate tribe. Depending on the situation, they might not have to win per-say, but typically making them tap out is what is needed to win the right to their mate bond. Also, if more than one ghoul wants to mate a stone ghoul, they’ll also fight them before they have to wrestle their intended’s family.

Forest tribes: best hope that they’re fast, as forest ghouls make their mates chase them through the forest, only allowing whoever can catch them the privilege of being their mate. And it’s never easy, as the forest itself will seem to try and hinder the pursuer in small ways... conveniently raised tree roots to trip them up, hanging vines to get snarled in, labyrinthine mazes of closely woven bushes and brush, etc.

Plains tribes: a somewhat strange ritual, but they will search for what they think is the perfect soil and gather a pot of it as a gift to their mate. If the gift is taken, they’ll plant something together in it and nurture it for as long as they live. Some will start tree saplings, and once it’s outgrown the pot they’ll plant it near their fields, returning every season to tend it together (if their tribe is nomadic). Some will plant a specific variety of flower, and will harvest the seeds and plant them wherever they might travel.

Water ghouls:

Ocean tribes: They carve a specific symbol into whatever they find appealing- rock, coral, bone, shells, etc, and make a pendant to give to their prospective mate. Pairs will wear their mate’s pendants forever, never taking it off and hurriedly repairing it should it somehow get broken.

River tribes: The typical mating gift is a carefully picked river stone that is small enough to fit in the center of their palm and is worn flat and smooth. They will know if whomever they gift it to is ‘the one’, per say, if they can make the rock skip effortlessly across the water. But also, as a test of their bond, they are given a canoe filled with baskets of goods and sundries and are tasked to work together with their elemental magic and get it up a waterfall without damaging or losing anything within it. If successful, they’re given the contents of the canoe to help them start their own family.

Lake tribes: ghouls from the lakes will make elaborate headdresses/crowns for their mate. They cannot let anyone else see it till it has been presented to their prospective mate, and the entire thing must be made entirely by them. Often they are made of bone, driftwood, feathers, and any interesting rocks or such found in the depths of their lakes.

Swamp tribes: The ghoulettes of the swamp tribes are extremely territorial and aggressive when it comes to mates and mating seasons. They’ll throw themselves at their chosen mate, dragging them down into the mud to wrestle them into submission and eagerly fight any others who might want to mate that particular ghoul. Males, on the other hand, prefer the good old tradition of ‘Who Can Eat This Whole Deer Carcass Fastest?’ when challenging other males for a mate. They’ll only fight if they absolutely have to, or if a female tackles them to wrestle. Even then, more often than not they give up pretty quickly to their newfound mate.

Fire Ghouls:

Sun tribes: While fighting might be the dominant activity for Sun tribes, their mating ritual is strangely devoid of it. Goldsmithing and jewelry crafting is a profession many Sun tribe ghoul practice, should they be unable to or unwilling to throw down in the fighting pits. This gave rise to their mating gift: custom made horn bands. Typically made of gold and adorned with precious stones and gems, they’ll design a set of two bands and gift one to their prospective mate.    

Volcano tribes: Much of the Volcano tribes daily life include singing and dancing, and their mating ritual is no different. Mating displays are not done individually, instead all of them being held at once during the summer solstice. Those who wish to propose to a mate will sing and dance for them, to a song that they themselves will write and choreograph. If the other ghoul likes the song and dance they’ll accept the proposal and dance and sing with their new partner. If, however, more than one are vying for one ghoul or ghoulette, they will begin a traditional dance and song, going for as long as they can without tripping or messing up, and whoever can go the longest is who will get to bond their new mate.

Air Ghouls:

West Wind tribes: Ever seen those dances that Magnificent Riflebirds do to attract a mate? This is what west wind tribe ghouls do. They try to be as colorful and basically loud- visually and audibly- as  possible. Often mating dances tend to be done during festivals and holidays so that whole groups will participate, vying for the attention of their prospective mate.

East Wind tribes: East Wind tribes keep to a more simple tradition of composing a piece of music for their mate. They’ll perform the piece for them and if the pair match, the other ghoul will begin to sing and/or play along, picking up the tune immediately and harmonizing together.

South Wind tribes: Hair braiding is a very important ritual in the South Wind tribes. They have specific types, placing, and numbers for all manner different things. Some particular tribes will wind colored ribbons in their braids, some do beads, or feathers, or even bits of bone. But, the one that is consistent among all of the South Wind tribes is one that hangs right behind their right ear. While courting they will only braid it a few inches long and keep it completely unadorned. When they’ve chosen a mate, they will exchange a handmade bead and attach it to the braid, and then weave the braid to the full length of their hair.

North Wind tribes: The lonesome North Wind tribes wind their passion for knowledge into pretty much every aspect of their life, and their mating ritual is no exception. A gift of knowledge of some kind, very often in the form of books, is given to show that they know their partner’s interests precisely and are willing to work hard and strive to find whatever they might seek.

Aether Ghouls:

Healer tribes: Tattoos are a major part of healer tribes, each specific clan having their own particular patterns and layouts for nearly every aspect of a ghoul’s life. They will design a tattoo for their prospective mate, and if chosen their new partner will design one for them as well. During the mating ceremony, they will ink the tattoo on their new mate and vice versa. If they are from separate clans, they will slowly start altering their normal tattoos to be a mix of both clan’s patterns.

Seer tribes: The typical mating gift is for a ghoul of the seer tribes to weave something from the wool that they have made from their Caprini (think big, carnivorous sheep. Hellsheep, if you will). It can be anything from scarves and socks to blankets and rugs.

Traveler tribes: The most mysterious and rare of the ghoul tribes, Travelers have their own very unique ritual for mating. When proposing to another as a mate, or even just a partner, they have to make something out of pure aether. As aether is the element that encompasses all the others and binds them together, with the proper practice and ability it can be used to ‘create something from nothing’, or rather small bits of the other elements bound within aether. The more powerful they are the bigger item they’ll try to make, and it’s very much a contest amongst them.

Bonus: Rare Ghoul Sub-tribes

Crystal ghouls: Crystal ghouls can randomly be born to stone tribes and are jealously guarded by their families. When choosing a mate or partner, crystal ghouls look for someone whose aura resonates perfectly with their own, and will find the shiniest thing possible to give them as a gift.

Metal tribes: Larger than crystal and ash ghoul clans, though not quite big enough to be true tribes on their own yet, metal ghouls are seen as arrogant and boastful. As such, they will go to their prospective mate and propose to do something that would require a decent amount of skill. If the prospective mate isn’t quite certain they can propose a different task for them. They will not be allowed to bond till both ghouls feel that the task was completed entirely and to their satisfaction. If fighting another for a mate, they will go back and forth each escalating their task to be harder and more dangerous till one backs down, but will then have to complete said task. If one does not concede to the other then they will both perform the task, and whomever does it best and quickest will win the right to the mate bond.

Ash ghouls: A rare type of ghoul that can result from the breeding of forest and sun tribe ghouls, ash ghouls are a very quiet, secretive lot. Their mating ritual is to find something extremely precious, be it a rare flower or stone, but whatever it is must have a great amount of meaning to them personally. They take this item to their intended and if accepted they will burn it to cinders, showing that nothing means more to them than their mate. They then will make a paint from the ashes and draw matching designs on their skin to show their new bond.

[cyndecreativity]

Day 4 - Still Much to See

Medicine – Sparklers and Fireworks – “Fine, I give up”

An old ram sits on the planks of an old Piscean manor and contemplates his newfound - or original - mortality as fireworks go off overhead. minor trigger warning

~1100 words

---

Darkness filled the sea above him much differently than the sky above it, wildly different from the caves of the Hebridean mountains. That unease that filled him as he descended into the Piscean bubble of Sima no longer plagued him, at least. A different worry haunted him, constant questions and anxieties buzzed in the back of his mind like a newly constructed hive of wasps. Did that assassin know what the dagger might do? Did he care? He seemed almost crazed, perhaps a few cups shy of complete madness.

A boom startled him, a familiar pain and ache blooming over his abdomen. He grunted softly and placed a hand over the wound. He hadn’t felt pain like it in… years, at the least. He had gotten into plenty of combats over the years, injured in a few, even stabbed, as he sat now. But the Spirit blessed him through those encounters, kept him fit through fire, cauterized the wound, burned out possible infections, and warmed the area to prevent lingering pain. After decades of it, he had gotten used to it, but after centuries, he threw himself into danger without fear, having forgotten what the pain even felt like. The soldiers around him praised him for his courage, but the fire burned out those feelings after a time as well.

Light filled the garden before him, a bevy of different colors glowed on the paths, on the leaves and petals of the flora, reflected off the small pond to show the creatures in the water. He lifted his eyes up to find the source, already planning strategies around some kind of insurgence.

Against the blackness of the nighttime ocean, sparkles of light of all the colors of the rainbow formed a constellation of stars, expanding slowly with a hiss to make a shape vaguely similar to the Pisces Spirit. The lights fizzled out as a whistle heralded another object that flew up into the center of the pervious sparkle. With another boom!, the object released another series of lights that formed an Aquarius ship.

His belly hurt again, startled by the boom, but he understood the sound at least. A childish delight took him at the sight, a new one for him. He attempted to straighten up, to stand, anything, but his old and injured body, fell back to the wooden walkway that he sat on. He grunted and released a soft sigh, content to watch the show from his perch.

“You aren’t supposed to be here.”

He attempted to spin around to the voice, but his body reminded him of his newfound mortality. Well, it’s original mortality. In the doorframe stood the tall, gangly, pale and scaly man he had known for longer than any other. A man he might finally stop knowing someday, sooner than he thought.

He offered the man a pained smile and looked back to the light show. “Evenin’ to you, too, Garren. I thought you were the one putting on this show.”

Silence met his words, a pregnant pause he recognized from all those years ago with his wife, one filled with worry and frustration at her husband’s behavior. One filled with care and love.

“I…” The boom happened again, startling them both. “Those are the work of some enterprising Gemini, actually, using Black Powder from the Aries. They’re quite ingenuous.”

Garren attempted to sound his normal, affable self, but it sounded strained. “And you intend to interrogate them about it after, right?”

The man behind him chuckled absently. “You know me well, Billy! I do so love to pursue and record knowledge.” Another kind of darkness tinged at the edge of Garren’s words.

“I should hope so! It’s been centuries for us, after all.” He started to laugh, but the pain cut him off quickly into a grunt.

Garren shuffled quickly over the wooden planks to hop onto the sand at the edge of the garden and tend to Billy. His hands moved quickly to every moving part of the older man, his elbows, his hands, his torso. Billy waved him off absently. Garren’s blonde brow knit tightly together, unconvinced.

“Give off, Gary, I’m fine. It’s just a stab wound. I’ve had tons over the years.” He attempted to sit up straight again, another boom, another shower of lights.

“But you had the benefit of the Fire Elemental then.” Garren’s eyes shimmered in the lights.

“I did. But you don’t get to my age – in my profession – without getting a few before that. I didn’t have the Fire Elemental my whole life, just as you didn’t have your Elementals either. If I take care of myself, I’ll be fine.” The old ram offered his friend another charming grin. “I promise.”

Garren’s nose turned red. “You can’t promise that anymore, William.” Billy tensed at his given name. “Without the Spirit-“

“I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll be dead!” Garren balled his fists, tears leaking over his cheeks, eyes wide and unblinking in a vain attempt to prevent the tears.

Billy’s hand found Garren’s cheek to brush away the moisture. “We don’t know that.”

Garren glanced at Billy’s hand, lifted his to slap the old ram’s away, and took it instead. “It’s happened to every other Djinn that lost their Spirit.”

The ram rolled his eyes. “They were both already dying.”

“But you want to!” Garren sniffed deeply.

Another boom, more lights. He realized what the darkness to Garren’s voice meant; the young half-breed grieved over him. He assumed that Billy, wounded and bereft of his Spirit, would die imminently without the power of the Elemental to keep him alive. Garren’s last friend and longest love would leave him without even saying Goodbye.

“Gary.” He reached his other hand forward and gripped the young half-breed’s neck in the way he would for his wife, a secure tether for her to stay grounded in her fears and worry. “I don’t plan to die anytime soon. We still have a lot to do. We might even be able to recover the Elemental from that dagger that the boy stole. And who knows, with any luck, we can cram it back in me. But you’ll have to promise not to get upset if that happens, eh?”

Garren managed a chuckle through his tears and pressed his chin into the ram’s hand.

“That’s a good lad. In the meantime, I’ll do the best I can to recovery, naturally, until we can go about that. But I’m a stubborn old ram, not one for stayin’ in bed all day and night, bored out of me mind, while there’s some kind of celebration going on.” He leaned closer to whisper. “Those beds are mighty uncomfortable.”

Garren laughed and licked the tears from his lips. “Fine, fine. I give up.” Beautiful fabric fluttered between them as Garren brought the sleeve of his robe up to wipe away his tears. “At least promise you’ll take the medicine I made for you.”

Billy snatched his hand back with another boom and groaned quietly. “But it tastes awful!”

[bokutoslittlebird]

CHEERS TO ABOVERSE IM STILL CONFUSED BUT I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ABOVERSE

IM ON A BREAK SO LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT at least my version of it. Many authors who write for Omegaverse have different styles of writing it and often will make it more complex or simple, depending.

A/B/O (Omegaverse) dynamics under the cut because uh... this is gonna be long

So first off, we have the rankings:

Alpha, which are the top of food chain, theoretically speaking, and are able to impregnate anyone. “But what about females?” Yes! Female alphas have a penis, like male alphas. Now, some authors will change it up. I’ve read some where the female alpha will still have the normal female genitalia, but has a penis that can pop out of the vagina? It was weird explanation, but that’s the gist. I’ve also read it where the female alpha is born with male genitalia, so only a penis. They could also have both, it is really up to the author’s wishes. Alphas have cycles of prime breeding which is referred to as a rut.

Betas are considered the normal class, they’re the middle men. Betas do not have cycles but they do have a scent. Male betas can get female betas and omegas pregnant, and alphas and male betas can get female betas pregnant. This means female betas go through their normal menustration cycles.

Omegas are the last class rank. They are the baby makers and can get pregnant regardless of their gender. So, male omegas. They also have a prime breeding cycle which is referred to as a heat (which is very similar, in my opinion, to a normal female’s estrus period). The equivalent for this in female betas is ovulation. Now, omegas can have babies, but how do you do that if you’re male? Well, some male omegas will have female genitalia, or they go through a c-section. Some authors write it with the baby coming out of the butt. It’s weird, but it’s creative expression, no strict laws of Omegaverse. Some male omegas will have the normal male genitalia, the penis and ballsack. These are useless, however.

Now, I headcanon that there is an extra level to both omegas and alphas. Some people have the abo dynamics interacting to create alpha/beta genes or beta/alpha genes (yes, there’s a difference). I add a level to alphas, so they’re a cut above the rest. This would include, but not be limited to, Enji Todoroki (BNHA), Iwaizumi Hajime (HQ!!), and Bokuto Kōtarō (HQ!!). These alphas above alphas would be deemed “Apex Alphas”. I have seen this term used before, I just can’t remember which blog I follow (or followed) used it, so please let me know if anyone knows where the term was coined; same with the omegas. An omegas extra level is a “Fecund Omega”, and these are highly submissive, housewife-esque omegas. These can include, do not come at me for this, Yachi Hitoka (HQ!!), Rei Todoroki (BNHA), and Oikawa Goshiki Tsutomu (HQ!!). Why them? Because I feel like they just are. Of course, they can be whatever you headcanon them as. Jesus fuck i hc Oikawa As a bottom and an omega but I know a lot of people don’t see that so it’s personal opinion.

If you’ve gotten this far, you’re probably still caught on that whole “scent” thing. If you’re not, that’s okay. You’re still gonna read this. Scents are distinguishing smells that each alpha, beta, and omega carry. An alpha’s pheromones are stronger and overpower an omega’s and beta’s. Betas, while they have scents, cannot actually smell the distinguishing scent (See BokuAka: Threesome, Kinktober day 13 for an example). Omegas have scents which are often more feminine, usually referred to as being “sweet” or “floral”. There is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t mean an omegas scent has to be feminine. An alpha’s/omega’s scent increases and gets heavier with their rut/heat cycle. Fan fictions set in school setting are usually introducing a set of guidelines for this: either the alpha/omega is forced to stay home during their cycle, or some kind of suppressors are put in place. I’ve seen medicine used, scent-blocking collars, as well as a “special perfume/cologne” (it was only in one fic and it was on Wattpad, so not common).

Alphas and omegas also tend to fall to their instincts more often than not. It isn’t a common theme, but I feel like it would fit properly. Maybe if an apex alpha gets a whiff of an omega about to enter a heat cycle, that alpha will then become obsessed with that omega, perhaps even howling (the idea of Bokuto howling at a Reader who accidentally entered a heat cycle gets me hot dont @ me).

Onto intercourse aka sex! So, alphas have what is called a knot. It is used to plug up their mate (which is their s/o) full of their cum, yummy! Jk The knot itself will inflate as the session goes on, and is quite painful for the receiving partner. Due to this, some authors will write it so a knot is only used during a rut or heat cycle. I do them regardless because, well, I like it. Also, alphas will be adamant about not being submissive or on the receiving end due to instincts, and vice versa for omegas. Their instincts come first when it comes to their cycles, definitely, but in general as well. Knotting also faces a problem, aside from the stretch: the inflation lock. The knot acts as a plug, yes? So, the alpha has to wait for their knot to deflate before detaching themselves from their partner. This can take a few moments, until the alpha has expended their seed and possibly until both parties breathe normally. I’ve also seen it where this can last up to 30 minutes, so get comfortable!

There is another aspect of sex with alphas, but is not necessarily only with sex (it will commonly be seen during intercourse, however). That is marking. I don’t mean writing a name on skin with a marker or branding their name into skin (even tho that’s hot), no. Biting down hard enough to draw blood, therefore leaving a mark? Yes. This lays claim to an omega or beta by an alpha and is a signal of a lasting relationship. Here’s where authors differ: how long the mark lasts. Some have the marks last forever, some only a week, some a month, some for years. It depends. When a mark starts to fade, it requires the alpha to once again claim their mate. This can also lead into angst material, as I’ve read one fic where the alpha marked an unmated omega and essentially ruined their life. Or, on a different note, having a mark that will last for months and having their mate die and soon, their mark fades too. Now, both omegas and alphas can mark their mates, it’s more commonly seen with alphas, though. Betas are not seen to mark their partners, but can be marked by an alpha or omega.

I briefly mentioned scenting, which is different from scents. Let me explain. Scents are what an individual has that is their distinguishable smell. This can vary from person to person, author to author. For example, I headcanon that Akaashi (HQ!!), regardless of rank, has a distinct spearmint and/or coffee smell, which is actually quite common for him. On the other side, I headcanon someone like Bokuto to smell like a pine forest, maybe even sandalwood? Something rustic, but other authors may see him smelling like a beach or even like smoke, due to his love of barbeque. The scents are completely versatile and can come from their hobbies, interests, or favorite food. For example, Sugawara’s scent could be spicy, like maybe it has a hint of Tabasco sauce or Buffalo sauce. Another indicator of scents, if they don’t have specific interests or a favorite food (looking at you, Osamu 👁👁), their scent can somehow relate to their personality. Like in the Suga headcanons, his omega had a spicy scent because of their chaotic, feral energy. Osamu would probably smell like a recently extinguished fire, or the air before a storm. Calm, quiet, but a warning. Scents get heavier with heats and ruts, of course, but they can also be amplified due to emotions. This is often seen in fics where an omega is upset and their alpha can tell and comfort them. Or, if you’re into angst, the beta cannot properly be there for their alpha/omega because they cannot smell their scent. (Yeah I went over this twice but it’s an important aspect of Omegaverse)

Scenting is different because, well, it’s a verb first off. So, an action. Scenting is usually what mates do to mark a claim. So, scents come from scent glands (I usually put them on the neck, as do other authors). Scenting is the action of rubbing their scent onto their mate/partner. Like I said previously, alpha’s scents overpower others, so if an alpha scents an omega, their scent could stay on the entire day. An omega’s scent doesn’t hold very long, but it’s faintly there. A beta cannot, in my little world, carry another’s scent. They have their own scents, but cannot be scented or be scenting anyone.

I think that’s everything lmao. Like I said, every author differs so this is basically my system of Omegaverse. A lot of people think Omegaverse is weird or just complicated and strange, but I see it as a way to explore, kind of? Like, if I wanna make this one character go absolutely feral, I make them an alpha or omega (see Kinktober piece, day 13, again lmao). There’s a lot of freedom when it comes down to it, since their is no strict rule or law about how it is to be written or produced. Not only that, it’s an AU that can be added onto anything, since it only really affects the genitalia and who can get pregnant, yknow? It’s also good as a society set up for gay ships, like BokuAka or IwaOi, having Akaashi and Oikawa being omegas while Bokuto and Iwaizumi are alphas. This is because same sex couples are still frowned upon in most countries, especially America (the south) and Japan. It also gives these gay ships a chance to have their own little offsprings together, which is downright adorable. I personally enjoy writing Omegaverse more than regular stuff because it adds an extra element to work with and don’t get me started on the whole predator-prey dynamic. Delicious 💦

[hardcoreprocess]

Oh, to love as Night and Day. — Beta Bro, Rose, Dad E. — 1204 words. — A gift for a Polyswap event on AO3. Focuses on arranged marriage, wedding jitters, age / experience gaps.

Expecting brutality from a marriage is not the norm for an aspiring Queen Apparent, but it's difficult to put aside misgivings when faced with— the gentlemen intent. Both, of course, are older. Established. Kings, one inherited and the other taken by war. They are good men, close advisors assure, with fine breeding or good training to their combined name. Even still— she is nervous.

All throughout her fittings, it lingers. Concern, no. Fear, unlikely. Merely uneasiness. Exchanging letters is a way to gauge the emotional depth of a person, but does every royal pen their own thoughts? Or do they rely on scribes and whispering consorts, dictating what a young girl would like most to hear?

These overwhelming thoughts are beginning to twist in her mind, gnarling an already thorny bramble. The wedding arrangements are in place, handled with utmost efficiency by mindful cultural experts. A bit of everything, seamlessly blended. But now the fault lays on her, manifest in the form of dress anxiety. Too snug, too revealing, too bright, too drab...

As her mother might say: "To err is human, to fret is Lalonde." What a kick she'd have as witness to this event. Positively smug to the bone, and she'd leap on suggesting an outlandish gown.

It's all the motivation she needs to form a final decision. Her chest heaves a sigh of relief as warm orange and pastel blue garb her in heavy veils, sweeping silks. Billowing sleeves serve to hide fiddling hands, loose skirts to obscure unsteady legs, and flats to avoid twisting an ankle before scores of nobles. Now that would be embarrassing.

Fortune is smiling down at her, it seems. Only half an hour remains of her "preparations" now, leaving no room to panic or second guess further. The gathering of maidfolk breathe a collective sigh of relief when she deigns to eat, offering light hand cakes and sips of bracing wine when asked. When this inevitable timesink is complete, the princess vows internally to recognize each for a duty well done.

As long as she doesn't take ill mid-ceremony. If such a thing occurs, her ire will be unparalleled. With nerves still jockeying her good senses, this possibility is assured among her attendants. Used to such things, they smile placid but disbelieving. On a better day, it might make her crack a smile of her own. For now, it leaves her petulant.

Not for long, at least. Drums ring out in a cheerful march, but in her fugue? It feels like a funeral procession. Even through the heavy veil, the magelight is almost piercing.

At the end of the hall, stood by the altar and the comfortable arrangement of pillows beyond, stand her betrothed pair. Arrayed for the wedding in unexpected fashion— and this stalls the worrisome roils in her gut. Though their lands could not be more different, hers sequestered where twilight sky is near-eternal and they basked in equal morns to eves...

On her left: the Lord Keeper of the Heartland, a towering specimen typically garbed in fuchsia and violet. Now he drips with gold, ears to ankles, arrayed in the colorful array of a sunset. It complements her well, and brings softer element to his general's figure. Her right: the High King of the Fertile Plains, steely blue eyes in perfect harmony with a sweeping suit of navy and seafoam, styled to accentuate the grey coming into his hair. Not built for war as his counterpart, but solid as they come, an anchor dressed like midnight

She is— the plushest of the lot, and comparatively small. Not uncomfortably, but certainly unprepared for how far back her head must tip to make some semblance of eye contact. It's when the music swell begins, as her padded feet cross the threshold into the grand hall, that they turn. Perfectly synced. Two of a kind.

A matched set that she will soon be joining.

Part of her reels, body moving without her accord down the aisle of thick carpeting towards the grooms, at the realization. Soon— too soon— not soon enough— they will be joined in matrimony. Is it natural to feel like an imposition? Of course she's garnered feelings for the pair, after so many hours tucked into her chambers with letters penned bold and strong, but—

Surely they consider her a means to an end. Pretty, youthful, capable of bearing a child to term. If it weren't her, it could have been anyone. And that sensation, the bitterness in her gut, returns even as every step shortens their respectful distance. Close enough now to see the silver in blond locks, the scars in broad hands dusted in dark hair, the warmth in very different smiles.

One grins with his eyes, squinted and curved with cat-like amusement. The other is nearly paternal, proud in the most forgiving sense. It turns her gut, different this time. So light, so ticklish, she does not dare open her mouth for fear of the butterflies escaping all at once. The dais represents the final step, not unlike the perilous climb to gallows. Hesitation, thy name is

"Rosalind?" he asks. The shorter one, dark-haired, gentle in tongue with concern knitting his brow. He speaks soft, with only her ears in mind, tipping out of a perfect posture to draw nearer to her height. Mindful, the bastard, to the point of tempering some number of fears. That hand is still outstretched, and what fool would she be if it was not taken?

So her soft fingers rest in his scholarly palm, to be gently led up the first step. There is one more, her mind helpfully reminds, and to balk again is absolutely humiliating. But when a furtive glance is cast to the other side, a hand waits for her acceptance. He is not as gentle, built for battle or conflict. They shared barbs in letters, but appreciated kinds, a like-mindedness that lends itself to soothing the nerves.

Gold pierces through her veil, as though he can perfectly discern the position of her eyes despite layers of fabric. Maybe he can. But his voice is gentle now, a reminder of their decision. "Are you ready?" is a— difficult query. There is time to run, gather her skirts and flee all the way back to a starving country wracked by loss and ill-preserved culture, isn't there? And she knows, surely as the sun and moon rise, that they would allow her to go.

If that is what she chose.

One slow inhale. One slower exhale.

"I am ready," Rosalind says, smooth as the waters over which she presides. To her right, James affords another fatherly grin, saturating her in raw courage. To her left, Ambrose narrows his eyes in silent mirth, spurring her to proper form. Beyond, behind, their congregation seats—

•

They are a set, the day and the night and the twilight between. For every heaven has a moon, a sun, and stars to govern. An auspicious day, a beautiful union, and rumor speaks of portraits to come that depict the ecstasy of matrimony. Loving, transcendent, a honeypot overflowed with nectar and seed. Maybe the rhymes will cease when the Queen of the Wine Dark Sea no longer trembles with finish.

[Original text available in Oh, to love as Night and Day. on AO3.]

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

South Korean music industry at a glance: an outsider perspective

I watched one particular AMV last week. The song used for the video was “I’m afraid” by Korean rock band DAY6. I was pleasantly surprised as someone who values lyrics in song first and foremost. The music itself was great. I’ll listen to their songs again. It’s a nice fit for my music taste. Naturally, YouTube’s algorithm decided that I’m a fan of everything Korean after 1 video and started spamming my recommendations with k-pop songs, documentaries and everything in-between. 

I watched a couple of videos, listened to some songs and discovered fascinating patterns. So, I went down to the comment section. And it was rather interesting experience, should I say? The concept of entertainment industry in South Korea simply begged to be explored more after this. I dug deeper and visited Tumblr k-pop tags and briefly glanced upon Instagram and Twitter. And, oh...

I am a big picture person and I enjoy both studying and creating systems. This one was particularly fun to explore. I discovered a lot of new things for myself. Perhaps, you can discover something new for yourself too or take a step back and look at this from a new angle. 

Disclaimer: it’s impossible not to offend someone on Tumblr, so keep that in mind. That being said, I do NOT intend to insult of offend anyone. It’s just a little research done for fun, because I love research with a purpose. This post is NOT A HATE post. No hate intended for fans, artists or other people involved. It’s meant to be a discussion, nothing more and nothing less. If it sounds like hate, it’s just my sarcastic sense of humour.

Content Warning: I mention suicide, death, depression, rape in a couple of sentences. There’s nothing major or graphic, but it’s there. 

In this long post I decided to share with you my opinion, a so-called outsider perspective, on the world of music entertainment industry in South Korea and people involved in it on different levels. I use the word “outsider” mainly because, that’s exactly what I am in this case, as someone who is in no way involved in k-pop community. I can’t name you a single band or their members. I don’t know any solo artist and can’t neither sing nor name you any song. 

And to be completely honest, I don’t think I will set my foot into k-pop fan-circles ever again after everything I saw. 

Think of this as “In this essay I will...” meme, except there’s an actual essay.

As far as I know, in South Korea “k-pop” refers to all music produced in SK, including solo artists, various bands, singers-songwriters. It doesn’t even have to be pop music. Koreans include in this definition all genres of music. However, around the world “k-pop” means primarily music made by idol groups and bands marketed for children, teenagers and younger people. In this post I use the latter definition, because that’s how most people understand “k-pop” in other countries. Therefore, my statements, opinions and conclusions here would concern only idol music. 

The music industry in South Korea is heavily influenced by culture and traditions of the country, just like all things are. And there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, different backgrounds are what makes people so interesting and unique. However, when combined with consumer mindset, desire to generate profit at any cost and fast-paced nature of modern life these neutral cultural elements could produce something concerning, and it can lead to disastrous consequences. 

1. Idol

These people are called artists, musicians, singers, bands, groups, performers. In South Korea and in Japan, however, people call them Idols or Stars. I’ve also seen Muses, Princes and Queens. Interesting, isn’t it? The terminology used to describe these musicians in South Korea is one of the key elements in this whole entertainment system. You’ll see why.

But who or what is an idol exactly? Let’s take a basic definition from Wikipedia.

“In the practice of religion, a cult image or devotional image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, person, spirit or daemon ... that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and Rome, and modern Hinduism, cult images in a temple may undergo a daily routine of being washed, dressed, and having food left for them. Processions outside the temple on special feast days are often a feature. Religious images cover a wider range of all types of images made with a religious purpose, subject, or connection. In many contexts "cult image" specifically means the most important image in a temple, kept in an inner space, as opposed to what may be many other images decorating the temple.

The term idol is often synonymous with worship cult image. In cultures where idolatry is not viewed negatively, the word idol is not generally seen as pejorative, such as in Indian English.”

Cambridge Dictionary defines idol as follows:

And here’s the definition from Oxford Dictionary: 

This is a centrepiece of this tapestry. Surely, you have noticed by now what these definitions have in common. 

Idol = a cult image of a god, a deity 

By calling these musicians “idols” industry makes society and audience treat them in certain way, namely as gods. What characteristics do gods possess? They are beautiful, talented, funny, confident and graceful, blessed by eternal youth of immortality. Gods have no flaws, they do not bleed, they are above human concerns. They are an embodiment of perfection. They are stars, you could not reach. 

But real people are not like that. They can be sad and angry, insecure. People don’t have perfectly symmetrical faces. They can’t dance in sync without preparation. They can’t sing like angels at any given moment throughout the day.

What happens when idols accidentally reveal their humanity? What happens when people see, that they make mistakes and do stupid things, that they need to train hard to appear graceful on stage? 

I will tell you. And it’s not pretty. But, first, let’s look at other elements of this system. 

2. Y/N and Self-insert fantasy

Aside from the music, K-pop sells the self-insert fantasy to the audience. It’s carefully arranged to appear real, where the cracks are masked and every word is scripted. The reality is so vivid that one doesn’t even have to use imagination all that much, because all scenarios and decorations already exist. Countless interviews for TV and magazines, fan meetings, talk shows, reality shows made sure people are privy to all juicy details of personal lives and opinions of musicians. And also one word - merchandise. Some of that merch made me question my life choices. Some of it is, ah, creepy or has weird vibes. All of this provides plenty of material for people to work with. Fans can effortlessly imagine themselves beside their idols or even in their place. 

In a highly competitive society, where people throw themselves into studying and work since young age, forming deep and lasting connections with others is very hard, sometimes impossible. As a result, people long to have a group of close friends with similar interests, a loving partner who would cherish them endlessly. People want to be rewarded for their backbreaking efforts to succeed by the carefree life of fame and music, everlasting friendships and love. And in a way you can’t really blame them for his. 

Does this dream life sound familiar? We are looking at K-pop bands here. It doesn’t really matter if their members don’t always get along or that they can live in debt, that fame is fickle and adoring fans can tear your self-confidence to shreds. Audience wants the glamour of fantasy and the industry is more than happy to cater to these desires. 

Perhaps, knowing that even for idols this fantasy is sometimes unattainable makes the whole set up feel just a little cruel. 

3. Fans, stans and fandom culture

We’ve already established earlier that idols are gods in the eyes of people and listed traits they must possess. So, what else do gods need to exist? Worshippers. Because a cult is worth nothing without its followers. Gods need a group of people to worship them and spread their beliefs. The role of worshippers is performed by a fans in this case. 

Apparently, there is a running joke that girl groups need to win a general public popularity and boy bands need a big passionate fandom. It seems to be true according to my observations. 

In k-pop fandom people use the word “stan” to state that they like or support particular group. Now, I am sure everyone here knows that in other fandoms, dedicated to movies, shows, books and games there’s an important distinction between being a “fan” and a “stan”. What is it? 

A fan is someone who likes a ship or character, creates and/or consumes fandom content, supports certain ideas, discusses things they enjoyed and disliked, criticises canon. Stans, however, are a different breed. They engage in all typical fandom activities, but their support and enjoyment becomes obsession. Stans believe their favourite characters and ships are immune to criticism, that they are superior no matter what others say. Stans start shipping wars, send anon hate, death threats over fictional characters and hurt real people. Stans are considered toxic fans. And majority of normal civilised people don’t like them and try their best to let stans hang out in their echo chamber by themselves. 

In other fandoms and communities, to be a fan means to love, support and enjoy something, while to stan means to obsess over and hyperfixate on these same things. Words “I stan” rarely mean “I support” for most people, and if they do mean that, it’s only used in a joking manner (”We stan procrastination legend!”, “I stan our miscommunication kings”).

Everywhere else “stan” has only negative connotations, except in k-pop. But what has changed? What’s the difference? Why do international fans scoff at “shipper stans” and then turn around calling themselves “stans of X k-pop group” at the same time? Does it make you wonder? 

And this is another core theme of k-pop, in my opinion. In fandom where stan = obsession = support, you can see interesting patterns. 

Fandom loves their flawless gods. But watching them from afar is not enough for some people, because unlike deities in different religions, these gods live among us. People are very much aware of that. Industry has created a cult and laid the groundwork for worshippers to express their adoration in every way including personal contact. And who wouldn’t want to meet their god? Who wouldn’t want to know more about them or tell them how much you love them? In talk shows and fan meetings there is only so much one can do after all.

People desire to know more, to have more so much that their obsession transforms into concerning stalker tendencies. These crazy individuals follow idols, stalk them on social media, in hotels, research flight numbers, bribe security. Musicians were attacked and poisoned. I strongly suspect there were cases of rape that no one knows about. There is even a special term for these fans - “sasaeng”. 

Is there a definition for stalkers of actors or musicians in western world? No, I’m pretty sure there isn’t. They are just called “invasive/obsessive fans” or “stalkers”.

Also, there are sasaeng memes. Yeah, you heard that right. I enjoy some classy dark humour as much as the next person, but there is a fine line between normal and questionable. 

Back to the topic of stalkers. Do you realise how disturbing that is? Such behaviour is so common that there is a term for it. You create a fandom-cult, encourage people to worship k-pop idols as gods and then act surprised when members of said cult become fanatics and their adoration becomes obsession.

And it’s so easy to step on this slippery road. The system makes it ridiculously easy. Lines begin to blur. How much is too much? Where do you draw the line? 

While sasaeng fans engage in extreme real-life obsession, people online aren’t that far off, to be honest. I’ve seen it all: imagines, headcanons, fanfiction, real-person shipping, reactions. Real person shipping is a controversial topic. Some people support it, others don’t. I suppose I’m among those who don’t get it. I’m not exactly against it, but I find it strange. Mainly because it’s based on assumptions made by fans about personalities and behaviour of real people. 

Assumptions. Dear me! K-pop fandom has this thing with video compilations. I’ve never seen this phenomenon being so widespread in any other community or fandom. Basically people edit together a collection of short clips from talk-shows, interviews, Instagram stories, some YouTube videos, etc and then proceed to analyse every gesture, word, facial expression of idols and provide both audio and on-screen commentary. These videos and many other forms of similar analysis allow people to imagine what kind of personalities idols have, what kind of life do they live. It’s the source material for fanfiction, imagines and headcanons. 

But it’s not real. It’ll never be real. It’s an illusion, an image, a stage persona. They fall in love with a face and made up personality. And I think that when people create this content they can forget this. Fans can develop certain emotional dependence and unhealthy attitudes in the long run. In some YouTube comments even supportive and encouraging words sound whiny and obsessive. And semantics of being a “stan” of certain group or individual doesn’t help. 

4. Industry, companies and liars 

At last we arrive at the most important aspect of music entertainment industry - its creators.

Have you seen “The Road to El Dorado”? It’s one of my all time favourites. It has iconic characters, adult jokes that I didn’t get as a child and iconic soundtrack. I’ll quote “It’s Tough To Be A God” a lot here. 

In South Korea music industry is a factory, the production line to be exact. This kind of set up affects everything in the grand scheme of things. Companies and agencies play the role of training centres and record labels. And there are so many of them that a whole new scamming system developed based around fake idol agencies. It implies that there are people who fall for offers of these agencies and continue to do so. I suspect that victims must pay a fortune upfront before they realise their mistake. Are there any kind of legal protection against such scams? How can people verify the authenticity? Because a well masked scam can exist for a long time before someone discovers it and calls them out on their nonsense. 

As far as I understand legal companies work like this. After high school, which is often focused on performing arts (and private schools can get away with using talents of students for personal gain, which is totally not surprising), young people can audition for an agency and become an idol in training or idol-trainee. And passing audition is hard. But good recommendations can help, connections too. 

During training you don’t get paid. Only a few companies pay aspiring musicians. People can spend years in training and don’t debut. But rent, necessities, clothing and food (not that you need much of it, but more on that later) cost a lot. Where do you get the money to live then? Support from parents, one or two part time jobs at most and bank loans. Surprise! We found an unexpected (just kidding, it’s very obvious) party, who reaps benefits from the system. 

You need skill to be an idol. Natural talent helps too. The more skills you have, the cheaper and faster your training is. To level up your game you attend classes every month offered by your agency, which are not cheap (dance classes range from 400$ to 1000$ per month, sometimes more). There are four main categories in evaluation process: vocals, rapping, dancing and visuals. Idols are multitaskers, to have a chance on stage one must be perfect at everything. And people are ready to invest thousands of dollars into their kids training so that they could have a chance in entertainment industry. South Korea thrives on revenue k-pop industry generates every day.

Let’s pause here for a second and think about what kind of people come to these agencies. The answer is easy. People who have a dream, a desire, a real goal. You don’t wake up one day and decide to become a k-pop idol. Sometimes people get invited by agencies (after prior acting, modelling career or any other form of exposure). These people are usually very young. Some start straight after high school, some after university, but 25 years old is considered a late start. Compare that to western musicians who start singing at any age and still become famous. 

But why this age limit? Because idols are eternally young. So that in public eye musicians are remembered as 20 year old gods. People would listen to their music and imagine a young attractive face. Career in k-pop is short, it lasts 5-7 years, rarely longer than that. It’s even less than modelling or acting can offer. And professional sportsmen retire in their late 30′s. Some play longer, but usually, that’s it.

If you live in Los Angeles and say that you want to be an actor or performer, no one would bat an eye. It’s like saying that you want to be an engineer or accountant. Similarly, in South Korea becoming an k-pop musician is a real career. Because part of the self insert fantasy that the industry sells is the idea that anyone can be an idol. It’s easy after all. Anyone can pass auditions and become a trainee. A trainee with no guarantee of debut. But one should never underestimate the power of idol-dream. After all, idea is the most resilient parasite.   

“My friends started training in kindergarten. They have wanted to become idols since young”

“A lot of young kids get interested in Korean music” 

A 6-year old child sees the performance of k-pop group for the first time on TV. Let’s say it’s a girl. She is enraptured and decides that she will be like that too someday. She grows up, while being part of the fandom, just like all idols are in one way or another and whose fan-obsession transforms into desire to succeed. Her parents spend time and money to find her tutors, to fund dancing and singing classes. Perhaps in high school this girl decides to fix the shape of her eyes and make nose straighter. She trains hard and passes the auditions in her dream agency. And during training this girl faces the reality of behind the scenes life in music industry.

“Why are you crying? I’m not even pushing you”

“How many times have I told you? The rest are doing it perfectly”

“She is dancing like an elementary school student“

“I watched your performance as a spectator who bought a ticket to your concert. I want a refund“

“You make my ears hurt. I don’t want to listen at all”

“Listening to you was tiring”

“I’ll kick you out instead. You won’t debut”

“I thought I was going to die. That’s how determined I was” 

While I do understand that keeping a high quality standards in media industry is important, there are more productive and healthy ways to motivate someone to improve and be more passionate, you know? Constantly insulting people with sadistic glee and putting them down at every opportunity or calling them ugly to their face doesn’t do much. 

Do you think that children know about this? Do they know about soulless teachers and belittling managers? Do they know about friends who are really your competition, so you shouldn’t get attached? Do they know about living in debt? Do they know any of this? No, I don’t think they do. 

Children dream about the stage, about the sea of lights and crowds who chant your names. They want adoring fans and photoshoots. They want to appear on TV and magazine covers. Teenagers want the thrill of performance, they want to share their music and dancing with others. 

“I don’t know how many times I cried alone”

The truth is cruel. But they won’t give up easily even if it means sleeping 4-5 hours and consuming no more than 500 calories per day. Because giving up means that your whole life was a lie. One can’t afford not to be good enough. Giving up means admitting that all efforts and money your family invested into your dream were in vain. It means losing face before your family and friends - a fate worse than death. Imagine living this idol dream and building your whole future around it and then being told that you’ll never debut because of the circumstances outside of your control or something minor, like face shape or 1 kg of weight that your body refuses to lose. It can break you. Especially if you are like 18 or something. 

5. “And who am I to bridle if I'm forced to be an idol If they say that I'm a God, that's what I am”

“I don’t think there’s anything a tough as being a trainee in Korea”

Once you are a trainee at the agency your personal life does not belong to you anymore. You can’t go out without permission of the agency. You phone is taken away. Your diet and weight are monitored. Bad habits are not allowed (no smoking, drinking or drugs). Oh! I think I found the good thing in the system! Unfortunately, it won’t last. Trainees can’t date or meet with family without permission of agency. Dating is very taboo. Even established idols can’t openly date. 

Why is that? Because gods can’t belong to anyone. Their lives are property of the fandom. Because openly dating idols destroy the self-insert fantasy. There was a former idol girl who dated another musician. She was called a whore by her fans, her loving and adoring stans. You might know who I am talking about. Would you call an American actor or singer a prostitute for dating someone?

Trainees sign the contract. And how can a young person straight out of school or university know much about what makes a good contract in entertainment industry or what makes a good contract in general? Even if you do understand the terms fully you would still sign it because if you have come so far, you can’t let your dream slip this easily. There isn’t a choice. Not really. If you want to debut, you will agree to anything.

What about life after debut? You have to pay off your loans. And company takes 60-70% of your group’s earnings. Artists themselves get 30-40% and split it between themselves. K-pop groups have from 5 to 10 members or more than that. Each person gets less than 6%. Idols are not filthy rich. They are not. These earnings are practically nothing compared to the work you have put into this. 

Idols are musicians, who often don’t even write their own songs, music or create choreography. But if public doesn’t like the song and musical number the company created, they blame idols for the failure. Such an amazing logic we see right here. But people say that sharing music is the best part of idol life. But whose music? 

Models on catwalk are not there to demonstrate their physical beauty, they are blank canvas for works of clothing designers. Same with k-pop musicians. They act like puppets in a way, whose faces and voices are used to show audience someone’s music and songs. Some groups do write their own music and lyrics and it’s nice to know that. But those, who don’t are rather unfortunate. It’s a nice tool of psychological control and pressure for an agency. They can hold it over group and use the following rhetoric: “We gave you everything! Why can’t you follow the simple instructions” or “Where would you be without us? It’s not even your music!”

I called k-pop industry a factory. That’s true. Dozens of people become trainees every year. These talented young people are fully prepared to do anything to achieve their goal. They are ready to practice until they collapse, starve themselves and pour themselves into every song. Companies know that. Tell me why would they value their idols as individuals, as people, as human beings if they always have a replacement? Why bother with mental health of their artists if next year they could have a fresh set of people, who are younger and prettier? Why try to improve relationships inside groups if you could fire any member and replace them within a month or two?

In western countries famous bands have different stories. Some were friends since high school, who played in bars and during festivals and then they were noticed by some representative of label company, who offered them a contract. Some groups were formed by like-minded people who bonded and decided to share their music with the world. There are many stories, but ultimately the have one thing in common. Bands in the West often form themselves. These people had time to bond, connect, discover each other, solve some disagreements and learn to work around their differences. 

K-pop groups are formed by their agencies. They are their property in a way. Company selects the best and puts together these total strangers, appoints the leader with marketable face and personality and then expects them to work together like a well-oiled machine. No one has time to bond during training, because other people are you competition, not friends. And then you must learn to work as a team and be best friends on camera for the audience to support the self-insert fantasy. It’s no wonder that k-pop groups don’t get along sometimes. And every member knows that they are replaceable. It doesn’t help in forming connections. Groups can’t just terminate contract and go to work with another agency. I heard it happens sometimes, but it’s not a done thing. Unlike in other countries where bands just sign the deal with a different label and release their music under their name if they don’t like the old conditions. 

“It's tough to be a God But if you get the people's nod Count your blessings, keep them sweet, that's our advice Be a symbol of perfection Be a legend, be a cult Take their praise, take a collection As the multitudes exalt Don a supernatural habit We'd be crazy not to grab it So sign up two new Gods for paradise”

But is it really a paradise?

Idols are expected to act cute, to match personalities created for them by fans or media. They have to act according to the concept of their group. They have to be a symbol of perfection: skinny, single and with a face perfected by surgery. They are allowed to mess up, but only in a cute way. They can break down and cry, but only if it’s “aesthetic”.

Weight issues are a separate topic. Sometimes I wonder whether managers in companies understand how weight loss or human body in general works. To be honest, I think that scales in agencies are rigged. And only managers know that. I know it can be done from personal experience. Some beach resorts tweak their scales and make them show 4-6 kg less than actual weight, so people wouldn’t get upset if they gain some. There is no way a girl as tall as I am (173 cm) could weigh like 47-50 kg and be able to perform complex choreography on stage and sing without being out of breath, visit the gym on a regular basis and generally function as a normal human without fainting every other day.

“I developed a lot of eating disorders”

“I think I consumed about 300 calories today“

“Someone, please, trim the fat off her arms”

If you grow up thinking of idols as gods and then, when you become one of them you think that you must act as one too. But being an easily replaceable god is a heavy burden. The industry, companies and audience want you to be perfect, to always be on your best behaviour. And the thought of not being good enough or divine enough terrifies you, because stans have no mercy (black ocean concept is the most stupid thing ever by the way). This kind of pressure can destroy even the most resilient. And it does. 

Almost everyone knows that situation with mental health in South Korea is not the best to put it lightly. In many ways it’s a cultural thing. But in k-pop mental health issues are treated with even less care. Gods are not supposed to be depressed or suicidal. They are not supposed to have fears or insecurities, can’t be upset or angry. They try hard to be this deity, this image. So, even when they realise they need professional help or even a friend to talk to, they either won’t seek said help or reach out only to be met with silence. Some agencies disapprove or forbid therapy altogether. 

Sometimes fandom becomes self-aware.

“Don’t forget that idols are people too!”

“Your favourite idols are running out of breath just to keep you entertained“

“They are humans, who have feelings!”

Oh, but here’s the thing, my friend. The industry doesn’t want you to think of them as people. Companies and media repeatedly reinforce the idea that they are not people, they are your idols. And strangely enough, the audience supports this idea. People continue to call them idols, developing worshiping tendencies in the process, imitate them, scrutinise their flaws and triumphs. Because, you know, only “real and ordinary humans” can have flaws, not “idols”.

So people who say “they are human too” and people who say “wow, this concert was amazing, but vocals in the beginning were so off-key, I simply can’t” are one and the same.

This thought process would have been funny if it wasn’t so disappointing. But that’s just my observation.

And here’s another thing about sexualisation. I said before how appearances are everything, marketable face and body could drastically improve your chances to succeed. Companies know about this too and concepts and aesthetics of groups are designed accordingly. Girls are dressed in skimpy outfits, their dances are unnecessary suggestive, they wear heavy make up and try to have “mature” vibes. Boys don’t avoid such objectification either: suits, tight pants and dress shirts along with make up and hairstyle to give audience a promise of the things to come. Grown adults are not supposed to lust after 15-17 year olds. You can’t just create a sexy stage persona for teenagers. Do you remember my earlier words about creepy merch? Yeah. All of it neatly plays into the self-insert fantasy and encourages obsessive behaviour. 

This happens in western countries too. In some way that’s understandable. Beautiful and sexy image with a hint of innocence attracts more people and sells, because it caters to one of the base human instincts. But some things make your skin crawl. 

Sponsorships are another topic. Some k-pop bands seek out sponsors to provide financial aid and cover expenses, when earnings are not enough. Sometimes these sponsorships are fine, perfectly civil. But sometimes it’s a prostitution. Girl groups receive money and provide sexual favours to their patrons. It’s a way for the group to gain financial support and even find new opportunities in the industry. Companies can encourage such deals. Let that sink in for a moment. 

6. “Any advice to those who want to become a k-pop idol?”

A lot of former idols and trainees have similar responses to this question. 

“I don’t want to discourage anyone, but think twice”

“You only see the glamorous side, but don’t see all the hard work that goes into it”

“It’s not what you think”

“They think ‘Since I am good looking and can sing and dance really well, maybe I should become an idol?’, but there is much more to it“

“They think it’s something that is easy and will keep their family set for life financially”

And this implies that most people don’t know what kind of lifestyle k-pop stars truly have, despite the amount of information available online about “behind the scenes” proceedings.

7. Moving on

I am a practical person and every decision I make is subjected to scrutiny. And after seeing everything I can't help but wonder whether idols believe it's truly worth it. What keeps the industry alive is the idol-dream, the wilful ignorance of its reality and youthful idealism, the beautiful naïve belief that it'll get better, even if it never does in the end.

Sure no one would ever admit it out loud, because it's one of those things you never say on camera, no matter how sincere you have to be. It's the matter of professionalism after all, and idols have it spades. And also, because admitting this would equal admitting that you spent your best years doing something you both loved and hated, admitting that this was a mistake.

When you grow up in a society where appearances matter the most, where saving face and being polite is more important than staying true to yourself, where individuality is tolerated only to a certain point, it takes a lot of courage to admit that you need a break. I greatly respect those who decided that idol lifestyle is not for them and moved on.

8. Conclusion

To sum up, I hope you enjoyed my small research and this perspective, since you have read it all the way to the end.  

You have noticed that entertainment industry is an intricate system and its every component makes sure nothing changes. Companies have power over idols and audience, fandom has power over idols and their careers, and musicians themselves have fame and their music, but not always the promised fortune or happiness. 

It’s important to understand the big picture to draw your own conclusions and encourage positive and heathy attitudes in fandoms. Being open minded and allowing people to make mistakes and live their lives the way they want to is a part of being a decent person. People don’t owe anything to others. Art is about sharing your thoughts and feelings, promoting ideas and spreading beauty. It’s not always about money. And I think that this is what k-pop lacks as an industry. It turned dreams and human need for self-expression into business. Here everything is turned into a product. Everything idols touch can be sold, sometimes literally. Industry created problems, which can’t be solved anymore, because doing so would topple the system. And I find it tragic. Trapped in an endless chase after perfection creators of k-pop forgot that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. 

If you take a look at comment sections and posts on different platforms, what will you see? What kind of things resonate with audience? What makes people laugh and cry? When people start to appreciate the substance?

“Everyone needs to hear this song in their darkest moments”

“Thank you for your music!”

“They always deliver! These guys can’t make a bad song!”

“It inspired me to write again!”

“Their songs brought me and my sister together once again”

“This is what happens when you let groups write their own music - they make incredible things”

“They really are legends of k-pop! I love that they are not afraid to show their inner strength”

“Stay strong! You rock!”

I believe that the answer is quite simple: when it’s real, sincere. It’s all about the message you choose to send to your audience, because only superficial things cause obsession. When you say that the sparkly façade is all that matters, then that’s the only thing people will ever care about. Your audience will never give a damn about the meaning behind dancing, music or lyrics, if you tell them that performance is more important. No one would praise WHAT k-pop idols sing, instead they would prefer wasting breath to criticize HOW they sing or look or move. 

I dare the k-pop industry to prove people that it’s not just about looks or perfection, or laser shows, or being a branding machine. Prove to your fans that k-pop artists are also passionate people with big dreams and talent, who love every moment of their job, who live and inspire, who are human just like us and whose humanity is real!

Do it, you cowards!

And now, I’m finished. I can hear the raging crowd of k-pop fandom in the distance, which means it’s time to hide. See you some other time! 

[kwonjaes]

Monroe has a lot going on right now, but you’d never know it. Coming straight to the Sirius XM studio, only an hour after shooting a sketch for his Saturday Night Live debut, he’s radiating unearthly levels of clear-eyed serenity. He’s wearing a distressed jean jacket buttoned to the bottom of his collarbones and seemingly nothing underneath. Black jeans paired with black vans, a classic ‘off-screen’ look for the singer, and carrying a plastic cup of green tea — “not my usual go-to for late night drinking but we’re keeping it clean tonight,” he jokes. 

The 23-year-old singer is a consistent breakout star—his last album had two No. 1 singles, Like A Rockstar and Ordinary Life, and he's the 12th artist in history to score back to back Number Ones. Yet, in spite of his super stardom, little is known about the San Jose native, who has sat down with Sirius XM for a candid chat about his music, personal life and meteoric rise to fame.

“Is this swearing or no swearing?” Not even fully situated into his special guest seat yet, Monroe is wondering if he can say “fuck” or not. 

When the verdict comes back “yeah all good,” he gives a pleased grin and nods. 

So July 9th is the release of your newest album, The Party & The After party, which we are so beyond ready for by the way. Feels like it's been a long time since we've gotten new music from you.

Yeah, wow thank you. I’m super ready for everyone to hear it too. I’m really excited for this one.

Every release you’ve given us so far has been incredible, and not only that, but has done insanely well too on the charts. I think it’s safe to say that this one, which is a loaded album with thirteen songs on it, the biggest one you’ve done yet, will not fall short of these high expectations. 

I mean I hope so. I’m actually really nervous about this one which I’m usually not. I mean there’s always some level of nervousness involved when putting something new out and the anticipation that comes with waiting, but this one — it’s not that I don’t think it’s good. I’m super proud of what came out of it, but you know, I think it’s different than what people are expecting. 

What separates this record from your other ones? What went into the process of making this one differently?

This album is sort of split into two sides, you know, you’ve got the party and then you’ve got the after party. I’d say the first half of it is more what’s expected from me. They’re actually songs that I’ve held onto and almost released for past albums but just didn’t think it was the piece they belonged on. Then you’ve got the after party which is where I… [pauses] This was where that stress really kicked in for me. There’s a song on there that I didn’t write called Anointed — and I write all of my music — but this one I didn’t and that was really new for me. I think you can tell I didn’t write it too because [laughs] there’s a lot of really heavy metaphors in it that go sort of beyond my own technique and writing style. But it somehow fit into this record the way I wanted it too and I remember sitting in beat production and going over the lyrics and knowing I really wanted it on the album. There’s a few like that, this new style of arrangement for me and it was more sort of, I don’t know, an innovative experience. 

Speaking of new music, you actually did release a song at the beginning of this month. The single 21 which was a surprise release right?

Right.

I think we were all a bit surprised by it and curious for a few different reasons. This is the first time you’ve officially released a song in Korean, and the song itself too is representing a different style for you. It's got an explosive chorus with lots of dance elements and bouncing low pitched synths — the most pop influenced release from you yet I'd say. Is this something we can expect from you with future releases?

Yeah, maybe. When I go into the studio or when I’m working on writing something new, I don’t ever think about how I can get this to sound like.. me. I don’t think I can really stick a label on myself when it comes to music. I like being unpredictable and I think that’s something I enjoy experimenting with. I pride myself on my fluidity between R&B, hip hop, pop or what the fuck ever because I think that’s something not a lot of artists can do. I don't want to be restricted to a single musical genre. I don't want there to be boundaries. That's not music for me.

Something else that grabbed a lot of people’s curiosity is the inspiration behind the single itself. I know you haven’t confirmed anything in regards to the surface of the track here, and I don’t know if you can tell where I’m going with this..

You want me to talk about the cover? [laughs]

Well, yeah. I think everyone was just as surprised to see Lee Sooyeon as they were to hear the song itself. It is her, right?

Yeah, it’s her.

And it’s not the first time you have been linked together. We see you hanging around in LA a lot and now.. Here she is on the cover of this surprise single. The two of you have gotten really close.

[laughs] She’s just a good friend, man. She’s a great person and an amazing artist. 

Would you say she was an inspiration behind the song?

Yeah, of course. I wrote it just fucking around and wasn’t going to actually release it but I thought how insane of a birthday gift would that be? It came out a lot better than I thought it would, so we just put it out really quick because it was fun and different. But you know, we’ve hung out a few times and I really respect her. She’s just a good friend of mine. 

The singer plays a small sneak peak of the second single to the album, Can’t Feel My Face, which unfortunately had to be cut from air but was tremendously enjoyed throughout the Sirius XM studio by staff, possibly a little too much. The single drops July 2nd, a week after the release of his first single, Oh Mami, and a week before the album officially drops. 

This track, I can say, thematically fits in with the rest of your catalog. I won't spoil too much but it's a gorgeously sung song about, well, what you have quite a bit of experience singing about. But really, it's hard not to sing along to it. it's so catchy. But I can also see what you mean about this tip of a different approach. I think comparing this to what we’ve heard so far from Oh Mami, you can really see the difference in color that will be showcased on this album.

Can't Feel My Face was like the finishing touch of the roller coaster ride that you're gonna go through on the first half of this album. You can really hear it in the album too, this like, shift in disposition once you get to it's latter half. But to me Can't Feel My Face was a great way to end that energy before slipping into it’s interlude. That's what's so exciting about it but also nerve-racking this time around. I feel like I'm kind of breeding a whole new genre into this album with the filler tracks but it’s pretty cool.

It’s not like you haven't not already blended in enough genres. Just add more, right?

Yeah. Yep. You can always add more. This is the next step. It’s the next step on a long journey. Songs on this, like Anointed and Angel, you’ve never heard this from me before. 

It's one of those things where every song on the record has its own feel and it's own story and vibes that appear. Was that a part of the game plan for you? Like each song is, of course, a Monroe song, but each song is going to have it's own feel. So many new listeners can come and enjoy different tracks. Is that something you thought about?

Consciously? Probably not. [laughs] The thing is, I just make music that I like to make and it either sounds good or it doesn't sound good.

When do you know if it’s good or not? Is it when you're making it or like, after it's finished and you’ve listened to it? How does that process happen?

Um [pauses] I do it very unorthodox I feel. I create these instrumentals that are full pieces that I'm completely happy with. Instrumentals that could stand completely alone. I don't go collecting beats from other producers.. I don't work with other producers. So really if that instrumental is good from the beginning, like, you'll know. I'll be messing around with something and someone will tell me 'that sounds cool, what the hell is this?' or I'll really get into what I'm doing and it's like 'fuck this is good' and that's really all the affirmation I need. If I like it then, you know, I eventually want it somewhere. It’s always worked for me.

I always thought about that and I know it's different with every person that makes music. I've talked to artists and they end up making 15 songs but only end up putting 6 or 7 on the album. There comes a point where you have to be picky too.

Exactly, yeah. The thing is, I have this whole back catalog of amazing songs I've never released too. Music I really like and enjoyed making but just haven't found the place for it. I think if you can still make more music that you have yet to release, that can be equally as good as the music you already did release. There are literally two songs on this album that I wrote before I was even signed, when I was [pauses] I don’t know, eighteen or nineteen? And it’s the first two songs on the album. If it’s good and you like it and you want it out, it will eventually find its place. That’s good energy to have. 

How do you feel when you get the kind of energy that just hits you? When you just get struck by inspiration?

Moments like that is how i wrote 'often'. It was the fastest song I had written on finally bleeding. It was one of the last records — — literally, it almost didn't even make the record. I think I wrote that in about, like, 40 minutes maybe? [laughs] yeah, but I recorded it and it ended up being one of my biggest records ever. Insane.

Often was an insane hit, really it was. It was everywhere when it came out and I remember hearing it when I went to clubs or playing on the radio or anywhere on social media. There it was. It was a hit. But for a song like that to be a number 1.. It's so uncompromising.

Yeah. Crazy, isn’t it?

That was a game changer, that song. I feel like a lot of people now are taking a lot of risks with their singles and just presenting themselves and don't really feel like they have to bury songs like that.

Yeah, for sure. Even with ordinary life, that was definitely, one hundred percent, no doubt still a huge risk. But pop to me is, you know, what's popular and what's hot right now. You gotta meet pop. You gotta meet pop culture.

Going back to what you said about often almost not making the record, isn't that so insane? The possibility of losing songs during that decision making process that could end up being your biggest hit yet.

i think it's about, again, those risks that you're willing to take when it comes to songs like that. luckily, you know, fans loved often and the song went crazy, but it was me trying to do something a bit different compared to the release of blackdragon. it was a bold fucking move. when i wrote often, that was supposed to be a soundcloud song, and of course with Interscope, they were just like, 'there's no way you're gonna put out a result like this. this is a throwaway record..' [laughs] but Lenny heard the record, cause he loves that shit, he loves the darker shit, but he looks at me and he just goes, 'dude, this might be your biggest record of all time.' so i said fuck it and put it on there anyway.

When your writing your lyrics, do you sometimes write as a character? Or do you write with people in mind? How do you kind of get yourself into frame when you can be so detail driven and descriptive?

of course, yeah. a lot of it is a character. um, but i mean a lot of it is real life experiences too. i feel like i've experienced enough before my career started, which at that point, just being nineteen years old when i signed with NOVA, but i feel like i have enough experience to write what i've written and to continue whatever story that is that i'm telling. the past three years i've grabbed new inspiration and i've put that into the music also.

Something that's been documented a lot and reviewed, the subject matter in your music. It's dark. It's guilt-ridden. it's all this 'I can't stop taking drugs but it's bad for me but I need to do it anyway.' But I feel like since meeting you, you're very steady. Who is this person in those songs?

i do think overall i am a pretty chilled person, but um.. that guy is... y'know, it's who i am. but it's the me that i've taken and stretched and sort of created into this like, beast. it's me just adding on and turning it into something that's just uncontrollable. like it's own character. it just sounds good. he sounds good. it's like scarface, you know? the villian. it's horrible but you can't stop looking at it. my fans love it. people love it.

Man, you know, your female fans love it.

yeah. [laughs]

I mean they really love it. And I'm not trying to sound judgmental here, there's no judgement. It's just an observational question. But, why is it you think your music is so popular with women when the subject matter is so raw?

i think people just love raw. i mean look at things like, you know, fifty shades of grey. how did that blow up? it's the darkness of it. that's what the music is. it's raw and it's dark. to me, it's good to have that darkness because when the light comes, it just feels that much better. so a lot of the music, when you listen to it, it's really a good mix of that darkness and that rush but also there's those few songs that are just fun and that make you feel good. i think people feel a sense of relief almost when they reach those songs, whatever the reason be, and i think it just makes you feel that much better.

Do you ever feel yourself slipping into that darkness?

yeah. sometimes. but i have a good team.

Do they pull you back?

of course. it's good to have a good team around you. especially a team that you've grown with.

And for you, that would be your ex labelmates over at NOVA, right? You guys are all still close.

yeah, i'm still good friends with all of them. we're together literally all the time. some of them even flew out with me here. they’ve really shaped me as an artist and i feel like as a person too. you know, when i went to korea from the states, i really had no one. i moved there at sixteen completely alone and they were the ones that heard me and saw my potential and believed enough in me to give me a chance and i'll always be grateful for that. they're just a group of really talented guys and even though i parted ways with the label, i still respect them a lot as artists and will always keep them around me.

With the drinking and the drugs, do you think that's sort of a crutch for you sometimes? To help you get through those moments of darkness?

yeah. nerves.

How is that you — and it's a lot of artists too that suffer with things like nerves and bad anxiety — how do you do it? How do you get yourself to go in front of hundreds and thousands of people every night and perform when you struggle with something like that?

i think it's just... you know, you're singing to all of those people. it's an emotional thing. it's nerve-racking and it’s scary as hell. but you have to fight that feeling when performing is what keeps you going. like for me, the music and the fans and getting to perform. even though it’s only something i’ve been doing since 2017, it’s all i’ve ever had. so that was something i had to do and once i did it... [pauses] i don’t know. i just feel like now, people are more nervous to see me than i am to see them.

Well what's it like when you meet fans and you've created this character? This 'Monroe' to them. I mean, it's intimidating to people.

mm... [pauses] feels great. [laughs] you know what i mean? it's a good thing. you're seeing your favorite artist. you want to feel that way. you don't want to meet your favorite artist and it's like a normal fucking experience. it's the rush of it all, you know? then you find out like, i'm cool. then that's even better.

Who is that for you? Some people you look at like that?

nobody.

Nobody at all?

nobody.

Now I'm a bit curious about something, because it is something you play around with a lot in your music. Are you a religious person?

um.. i'm there. in a way. think i'm definitely spiritual now. i mean i was never a full out atheist, you know? nothing against that, it's all respect for whatever you believe, but i feel like people turn to that point because life is just, it's shit. they feel like there's no way there's a god and this is all happening.

In another viewpoint, I feel like religion is what people turn to when life gets shit.

yeah well, i was just a pessimist. always kind of pessimistic.

Were you like that as a kid?

oh yeah.

Where do you think that comes from?

uh, i don’t know.. [pauses] i guess growing up i didn't really have much around me to be optimistic about. i didn't have any brothers or sisters and i wasn't close with either of my parents or any family really. i always wanted a dog but i was never allowed to get a fucking dog. [laughs] but you know, when great things finally started happening for me, i just felt like all of that was something i had to go through in a way. like a test or something.

Speaking of family, I know you said you weren't close with them and that you moved at such a young age. How difficult was that for you? To take such a major turn in your life? I mean, something like that. Moving countries at sixteen all on your own?

the way i looked at it back then was like, i was just riding down this long road for so long and i had already been doing it all by myself. i mean my parents were around when i was a kid, but like, with my dad, we were never close. he was in and out of my life a lot and we never got along when he was around. my mom was really the only parental figure i had in my life, but she passed away when i was young and we never had that family bond either. so really, i was on this road with no one but myself and i just felt like i had finally reached that dead end and had to make a choice of where to turn or else i was going to just.. end up driving myself off of that cliff.

Driving yourself off that cliff — is there a darker underlier there?

there could have been.

Well, looking back at all of it now, I'm sure there are no regrets on the choices you made.

not at all. i think where i am right now and the people that i have around me is where i'm supposed to be.

These people you have in your life now, they see you be successful and they see the way you do it on the edge of things. This isn't, with the greatest of respect, this isn't pop music that your contemporaries are making. You push things a lot.

it's rock and roll, you know.

You're right, it is rock and roll. You're a rockstar, man. Really and I mean, you're making videos that have shit in hardcore.

someone's gotta do it. [laughs] no, but um, you know that's just what i've found that i do best and people love it. people hate it too but that's what sparks discussion and that's what art is all about, isn’t it?

Exactly. That’s your art. Keep it up. — Monroe, I want to thank you so much for coming in and talking with me tonight. I know you don’t do interviews like this too often so I do appreciate it.

of course, thank you so much for having me on. the energy has been good.

Everyone.. Oh Mami is only days away from it’s release on June 25th, followed by the release of the second single Can’t Feel My Face on July 2nd. The Party & The After Party will officially be released the following week on July 9th at midnight. Monroe concludes that an important and exciting announcement will be made shortly after the album’s release so stick around and be sure to follow him on all of his socials to stay updated on the news. This has been Sirius XM.

[dailyfantastic]

IT’S ONLY FOREVER: THE ETERNALS RECAP PART 1

ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE: THE ETERNALS ISSUE 1

Jack Kirby is the king of comics for many reasons, like his peerless art, boundless creativity, and frightening productivity. Also probably his amazing narration skills. Check out Mister Miracle to see what I really mean. But you can also check out The Eternals, which opens with the most powerful question of all:

“IS MAN ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?”

If you’re a thoughtful Marvel comics reader, though, you might recognize a flaw in this question. The year was 1976, and it had been 14 years since Jack Kirby conclusively answered that question in Fantastic 4 Volume 1 Issue 2, “The Skrulls From Outer Space.” Mankind is not alone in the Marvel Universe, because there are Skrulls and Galactus and Impy the Impossible Man. Likewise, Jack Kirby had also already told us mankind is not alone on the Earth, because he has written comics featuring Atlanteans (like Attuma) and mutants (like Unus the Untouchable) and Inhumans (like Aireo).

So what’s the deal? Well....

Literally in this first line, I realized something no one has ever said about the Eternals before: this book is not supposed to take place in the Marvel Universe.

Mankind is not alone in the universe, but the Eternals are alone in their own Universe.

This thought is something we’ll be tracking throughout our read-through. I’ll tell you now, there’s more evidence coming soon, notably that Not A Single Other Marvel Character Even Cameos In This Book.

Depicted: The kind of thing the Fantastic 4 usually would handle

Look, it makes sense. Kirby did not like having his characters messed with. We know he resented the way his ideas got treated once he was gone, and we know he desperately wanted to make his Own Thing. That was the point of New Gods, right? Kirby wanted to carve out his own part of the DC Multiverse; he wanted to tell one complete story that no one else could meddle in. And he tried, but then they did.

So it obviously makes sense that Kirby would want to just have his own little sandbox to get cosmic in, without needing Reed Richards to explain why the Celestials can’t just be threatened with the Ultimate Nullifier this time.

But it explains, already, one narration box in, why this comic feels like such a weird fit in the Marvel Universe. It isn’t about Skrulls or Kree or Kronans. You’ll see that it doesn’t really mesh with Marvel’s everyman themes. This is something new.

This is...well, it’s...something.

There’s probably more worldbuilding in this issue than in any other single issue of any comic, but the plot that happens is basically just a lot of people going to South America. Which is fine, I guess. We’ll talk about the plot later, but let’s take this time to establish some of the primary lore elements we’ve learned so far.

Eons ago, unknowable space gods called the Celestials came to Earth. They saw apes, and like any unreasonably powerful godlike beings, they decided to evolve them into three forms. 

Depicted: Some Deviant art

Humans are pretty run-of-the-mill. The Jolteons of the crew, if you will. You know them: they love to cause problems on purpose and on accident. The second bunch are the Deviants.  They aren’t artists who love Sonic the Hedgehog, but horrific monstrosities who love doing evil. Flareon, of course. And lastly, the Vaporeons: the Eternals. The Space Gods’ greatest triumph. We learn in this issue that the Eternals are beautiful, cannot die, can hover, shoot lasers out of their eyes, and probably do whatever. Then the Celestials left, only to return semi-regularly to check in on their cool evolutions. Throughout history, Eternals and Deviants have appeared in human legends as gods, heroes, monsters, and demons. And now, in 1976, we are finally becoming aware of this fact as the Celestials return to cast their final judgment on all three species.

They’re doing this in some incredibly-cool-looking Kirby space ruins, located in an Inca temple. Cultural appropriation is obviously a big problem in all Ancient Alien comics, but I can’t deny that the visuals are the best part of the Eternals.

Depicted: South America is basically space

We meet a few characters as well, who are going to show up a few times. The Professor and his daughter Margo are our two main humans. He’s studying ancient history, and has agreed to let a mysterious man named Ike Harris show him these ancient ruins.

Who is Ike Harris? Well, if you say that name really quickly, and pronounce the “I” incorrectly, you’ll realize he’s Ikaris the Eternal, in disguise to try to get to the Andes to send a beacon to guide the space gods back to Earth. We don’t know much about Ikaris yet, aside from that he’s a handsome blond man who can shoot lasers out of his eyes and rearrange the atoms in the air to turn it into a solid wall.

Also joining the fray in this issue are Kro and Tode of the Deviants. Kro looks like how the devil looks when he shows up in certain Twilight Zone episodes, except he has the sunglasses that the Koopa Troopas wear in the early Paper Mario games, and Tode looks like Jabba the Hutt with arms and legs. The Deviants have a couple of key problems. One is that they can’t produce consistently-viable offspring and are instead breeding Deviants who are basically just Humans. The other is that they don’t want the Celestials to return to Earth, presumably because they’ve been naughty and they’ll get in big trouble.

Depicted: Kro’s parents

Also they live at the bottom of the ocean and shoot down airplanes for no real reason.

So the last thing you need to know is that Kro and his henchmen ride a submarine through a stone dragon’s mouth to reach these Inca ruins from underwater, which is a little weird when you remember that most Incan structures are several hundred miles above seawater.

And then, here we are: Humans! Deviants! And Eternals! Together in an Incan ruin, with the Celestials on their way.

It’s a dense issue. We literally learn all of these facts here, and still have time for Kro to try shooting Ikaris with a laser gun. I have no idea how quickly they’re gonna attempt to explain all of this in a major motion picture, but we’ll worry about that later on I guess. For now, we’re left off an exciting cliffhanger: the Celestials are on their way back to Earth, and no one knows if that’s good or bad!!

We aren’t alone in the Universe, but I’m kinda thinking things were an awful lot simpler when we were.

And coming next issue...Does Jack Kirby know any Inca mythology anyway?

[pauputoot]

I have a theory for Amnesty that I’ve been meaning to post for a couple months now and just kinda… haven’t… but there was a throwaway line in this most recent episode that prompted me to actually post it. This seems rather obvious in hindsight, but I haven’t seen anyone else point it out yet so…

Griffin is basing Key NPCs off unused playbooks.

I first realized this because I was trying to set up a (so far unrealized) campaign of Monster of the Week for my friends. Certain things match. And my friend @castcharmperson​ helped me see some of these too. I’ll pull them from the handbook so you can see what I mean.

The Expert: the hunter who knows all about monsters and magic. The Expert knows a lot of hidden secrets and how to find out more, and also has a well-supplied base to work from. E.g. Bobby Singer from Supernatural; Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It’s Mama. Easy. The well-supplied base is Amnesty Lodge.

The Monstrous: a monster fighting for the good guys. The Monstrous is very weird, and can have a variety of different powers based on what monster breed they are. E.g. Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel; Bill Compton from True Blood

This could apply to a lot of the Amnesty residents, but I’m pretty sure the closest example is Barclay, since it seems like he was meant to assist the most in hunts initially. Indrid may also fit this role, but there’s another playbook he fits into a little better…

The Spooky: has psychic or magical powers. These powers are strange and sinister ... and not completely under the Spooky’s control. E.g. Sam Winchester from Supernatural; Willow from earlier seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I think this one’s Indrid. Many of the Spooky’s special moves revolve around premonitions, hunches, and probability, which 100% sound like our moth boy. Plus there’s a whole “dark side” element which fits him as well.

The Flake: a conspiracy theorist. The Flake is great at finding things out and seeing how the events of separate mysteries are connected. E.g. Agent Mulder or the Lone Gunmen from The X-Files.

This one is Kirby!

The Initiate: a member of an ancient monster-slaying Sect, trained to fight and use magic. The Initiate is good with magic, and their Sect provides help (and sometimes problems). E.g. The Wardens from The Dresden Files; Annelise from the Twenty Palaces series.

This is a littttttle bit of a stretch, but I’m pretty sure this is Hollis and the Hornets. The key things about the The Initiate are that they can operate independently or use their Sect as a resource, and that Sect’s goal is to hunt monsters. The Hornets may not be ancient, but that definitely describes their current goals and their relationship to Hollis. And whose to say rad snowboard tricks aren’t magical in their own way?

The Professional: you work for an agency that hunts monsters. The Professional is good in a fight, and a good team player. E.g. Riley and the Initiative from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Olivia Dunham from Fringe.

Agent Stern! The key thing is that The Professional is part of an “Agency,” which can be “a black-budget government department.” Sounds like him to me!

The Wronged: revenge-driven, and really tough. The Wronged is all about killing a specific breed of monster and protecting others as you do it. E.g. Dean and John Winchester from Supernatural.

Minerva. “Revenge-driven and really tough” is her to a T. Note that this was one of the playbooks Griffin asked the boys not to pick because it was “too grimdark.” Maybe there was also a plot reason.

The Mundane was maaaaaybe going to be Pigeon until the Duck-loses-his-powers thing. So there’s only one unused playbook that I wasn’t able to pin down. 

Until this week. (minor spoilers below cut).

The Divine: an agent of a higher power, with a mission to fulfill. The Divine is very tough and has been granted holy powers. E.g. Castiel from Supernatural; Michael Carpenter from The Dresden Files.

When Travis asked, “Who’s side are Muffy and Winthrop on?” in the recent episode, Griffin – seemingly jokingly – responded “God’s.” Simple throwaway joke? Or hint that these two are secretly based off The Divine? We don’t know a lot about these guys (except that they’re assholes) but this might give us more of a hint. Maybe they act holier-than-thou because they’re actually…. Holy? (gets booed off stage for the worst joke I’ve ever written)

So. If all of this is true, what does this mean going forward? One or two things.

The first is that the extra playbooks may give us a key to certain latent twists and turns Griffin has up his sleeve. Does Muffy and Winthrop being on God’s Side mean that as-of-yet unseen divine forces may come into play? Could Agent Stern actually be an unused resource rather than a threat?

The second is a little more nebulous. What’s unique about MotW (when compared to DND) is that unlike a player’s Class in DND – which is just kind of a fancy way to say their “profession” – the playbooks are all meant to represent character archetypes. In fact, the MotW handbook stresses the archetype thing so much that it says only one hunter of each type is allowed at the same time in any game.

They don’t just have certain abilities because their job dictates they should be able to. They have Moves that are based on their role in the story. (The Chosen’s Plot Armor is a perfect example of this). We already know from Balance and the post-Balance TTAZZ that Griffin likes the idea of playing with the fourth wall and the nature of stories. What if he’s doing that again? Maybe the reason all these archetypes seem to be represented is because the actual plot of Amnesty ties into what it means to LIVE in the Monster of the Week genre?

Or maybe we just figured out a neat way that Griffin comes up with new characters.