#if there’s one thing I’m an expert on

[teruuu]

Exploring The Complexities of The Lamb and Narinder’s Relationship

Long post warningsgsgsgsgsh!!!!!! 🥺🥺

For those of you who want a quick rundown of what the AU’s about, check out the link at the bottom of the post.

Warning: Mentions of Cannibalism, Unhealthy & Obsessive Relationships, and Spoilers for The Art of Acquiring Devotion

Now, firstly, I’ll have to give my thanks to @nimbudcat for providing me with ideas as to how the relationship would function and opening the gateway for me to fully explore all the nooks and crannies of their romance.

I’m no expert on the deep complexities of toxic relationships, so I don’t have the courage to fully label the Lamb and Narinder’s love as ‘toxic’, but I know damn well that it’s not a normal love at all. Let’s think—what is a normal, healthy relationship composed of? Trust, of course. Mutual love and trust, absolute honesty... Those are the most basic building blocks of a healthy relationship. In this AU, for Narinder and Lamb, those concepts are extremely warped. They have all of those components in their relationship, but it’s so twisted that it’s difficult for me to define their romance as either healthy or unhealthy.

Narinder and Lamb trust each other, and it runs so deep that the best descriptor for that trust is pure devotion. They trust each other with their lives. This may not make sense since they are immortals, but think about it—the cannibalism that they inflict upon one another results in death for the two, each and every time, and they trust only one another for their resurrections. They allow the most vulnerable parts of themselves only to one another, and this is so incredibly meaningful because of all the aspects of their pasts. They trust themselves of course to always only tell the truth to each other, and the love that they share is simply reverent.

Now, let me elaborate on why all the things I expanded on above mean so much. Let’s start with the Lamb. I as I said in my previous post, the Lamb’s past for this AU is derived from my fanfic. We don’t know much at all about pre-sacrifice Lamb in-game, so I took the liberties to expand on their world myself. I’ll allow some passages from my fanfic to speak for itself:

It was through these traumatic experiences that the Lamb became hungry at the thought of companionship. No, the Lamb doesn’t just want some of Narinder’s Big Fluffy Gyatt™. As I’ve depicted in my other artworks, in this AU the Lamb considers Narinder as their savior, their one and only salvation, and perhaps the only person that has ever cared about them. And this is where things start to get murky—it’s because of this that the Lamb is so incredibly attached to Narinder and is absolutely insane about him.

The Lamb isn’t just attached, actually. They’re obsessed with Narinder. So obsessed that they develop a panic if they don’t hear his voice after more than half an hour. So obsessed that they begin to see any and all followers that interact with him as an enemy. This is also why I hesitate to consider this as toxic, because, see, Narinder likes it.

Moving on to Narinder’s part of the AU, it’s important to understand that, although he pretty much brought it to himself because of his high and mighty behavior, he was also quite isolated in his earlier years.

For Narinder’s side, he firmly believed himself to always be in the right. Think of it as a mad scientist whose ideas are way ahead of his generation. He had innovative thoughts and concepts in mind in the duration of his reign. He’d been supplemented by the knowledge that Shamura had provided him with, and that caused him to possess the mind of a radical inventor. Unfortunately, his ideas were less than desirable for the rest of his siblings and his own followers, so little by little the worship he received dwindled. Narinder was frustrated by this—why couldn’t anyone see the genius that he had to offer? Initially he had good intentions in mind, but he grew a tyrannical mind and eventually decided that the only way for the world to see his wonders is to force it beneath his feet.

Eons of imprisonment provided no aid for his mind. What once was a head full of wonders that could potentially change the world for the better became a twisted and cruel version of itself. Violence and revenge plagued his mind, and it became his one and only obsession. So, when the Lamb came to him, he relished in the worship they had to offer.

Their devotion for one another is purely mutual, but at the same time fully in their own self-interests. The Lamb is devoted to Narinder because Narinder is all that they care about in their mind, and they desperately require Narinder for them to continue living on. As for Narinder, he had never acquired such a passionate follower before, and he grew an addiction for the love that they have to offer. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not.

They are incredibly violent for one another because that’s all they know. They don’t understand what it’s like to have a normal relationship. They cling to one another, kill for one another, and eat one another because they need each other so badly. The cannibalism is an expression of their eager desire to simply blend into one another because that’s just how much they want the other.

They know it’s wrong. They hate that it’s wrong. They hate each other for making each other feel so wrong and so crazy. But they so, so want it to be right.

(Okay sorry for the bad essay lmao adios)

[kairawrites]

date night.

a/n: a random, unedited post I forgot to share.

🌺masterlist🌺

pairing: jude bellingham x reader

summary: graceful on the pitch. off the pitch? not so much.

The roller skating rink was a vibrant mess of flashing lights, thumping music, and laughter. The air hummed with energy as couples and groups whirled by, lost in the rhythm of the music and the fun of the night. Kids whizzed past, making your boyfriend wonder what they thought seeing someone his age wobbling around.

Jude, was decidedly not having an easy time of it. For a man who seemed to effortlessly glide across the pitch, the sight of him clinging to the railing of the roller rink for dear life was something out of a slapstick comedy.

"I agreed to this date thinking it would be fun," he grumbled under his breath, trying to push off the wall without wobbling like a baby deer.

His eyes darted around, scanning the rink for you. You had disappeared earlier to swap out your skates, leaving him to fend for himself. And while he waited, struggling to stay upright, the rink felt like a war zone of expert skaters zooming past him.

Then he spotted you, and suddenly, all the chaos melted away. He watched your eyes scan your surroundings, your face lighting up once your eyes met. You, unlike him, were skating effortlessly, a sight to behold.

To Jude, you looked as stunning as ever, your natural curls pulled up into a bun, with a few loose strands framing your face perfectly. His latest gift—subtle but beautiful gold earrings—hung delicately from your ears, catching the light every time you moved. He had given them to you earlier in the night, just before you left for your anniversary dinner. Skating was part of the date you had picked to celebrate this special moment.

The stress of the recent weeks the motivator for your picking of the roller rink. You knew, once he got out of his head, Jude would have some much needed fun.

Now, seeing you in his England sweatshirt, slightly oversized on you, paired with the fluttering fabric of your skirt as you glided effortlessly across the rink, Jude couldn’t take his eyes off you. You moved with such ease, singing along to the music, your body swaying to the beat with confidence and joy. Watching you like this, so carefree, made him smile. It was moments like these, the small, intimate ones, that reminded him why date nights were so important.

“Show-off,” Jude teased, though he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips.

You skidded to a stop right in front of him, your lips twisting into a grin. “Still holding on for dear life, huh?”

“Yeah, well,” he replied, glancing down at his skates with a raised brow, “these things don’t exactly come with football studs. And why does it feel like the floor’s out to get me?”

“You're just out of your element," you teased, reaching out and tugging his hand from the railing. "But you're not getting out of this."

“So,” he said, raising an eyebrow as he caught your hand in his, lifting it to his lips. “Do those earrings let me off the hook?” His voice was playful, his lips brushing gently against your knuckles, sending a little flutter through your chest.

You gave him a mock glare, a smirk playing on your lips. “You think you can buy me off with jewelry? Unlucky for you, I’m not blinded by your money, Bellingham.”

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I suppose that’s a blessing, isn’t it?” He kissed your knuckles again, slower this time, and you could feel the warmth from his lips spreading through you, making your heart skip a beat.

Your eyes flicked over his appearance, taking in his casual outfit—just a plain black hoodie, jeans, and a snapback worn backward, an attempt to blend in with the crowd. But it was him, through and through. Despite his simple attire, he had a presence that made it hard not to stare. You could never get used to the feeling of eyes on you when out with Jude. But for once, it seemed Jude paid it no mind.

Because the way he smiled at you, right now that easy, relaxed grin that was yours and yours alone. It didn’t matter that he was out of his elements. He was happy here, with you.

You raised an eyebrow, your smirk turning into a smile. “Besides,” you teased, “I distinctly remember you saying I could have whatever I want tonight.”

His grin grew, eyes gleaming as he leaned in a little closer, that mischievous spark dancing in his gaze. “I meant it. I just hoped you’d take that in a… different way.”

You rolled your eyes with a giggle, shaking your head. “Jude!” you chided, but your smile didn’t fade. “First, I want my boyfriend to relax. Get out of his head and stop overthinking everything. Two, just focus on me.”

Jude nodded, still grinning as he squeezed your hand gently. “Okay, fair. I can do that. And I’ll focus on you—I can definitely do that part.”

You smiled, your heart swelling as you saw the sincerity in his eyes. “Good,” you said softly. "Come on—let’s get away from the wall. You’ve got this.”

Jude shot a wary glance at the other skaters zipping by. Suddenly remembering where he was. “I use my feet for a living, you know, I need these things in working condition.”

"You're the Golden Boy,” you said, laughing as you started skating backward, pulling him along. “Aren’t you supposed to be good on your feet?”

“Skating doesn’t count,” he replied with a crooked grin, trying his hardest to keep his balance while being pulled away from his safety net—the wall. "And why are you skating backward? You’re showing off now.”

"For you?" You winked. "Of course."

Jude's hand instinctively tightened around yours, his wobbling getting worse as he tried to find his balance. His other hand flew to your waist, a last-ditch effort to steady himself, but it was too late. Before either of you could react, his footing gave way, and with a sharp squeak from you, he toppled backward, pulling you down with him.

The two of you hit the floor with a soft thud, the moment almost in slow motion. Jude winced, the embarrassment flooding his face as he lay there, sprawled on the rink. Meanwhile, your laughter bubbled up, bright and carefree as you giggled, still sprawled across his chest.

“Are you alright?” you asked between giggles, pushing yourself up slightly, your hand resting on his chest.

Jude groaned, running a hand over his face. “Not my finest moment,” he muttered, feeling the flush creeping into his cheeks.

You sat up, your eyes sparkling as you took in the sight of him blushing. Leaning down, you pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, your hand cupping his jaw.

“You’re doing great,” you whispered against his lips, the warmth of your voice soothing his bruised pride. “And honestly, it’s kind of cute seeing you like this. You had me thinking you were perfect.”

"Not around you," Jude let out a breathy laugh, his cheeks still burning, but your words and that kiss had a way of melting his embarrassment away.

"Don't worry," you giggled. "Your secrets safe with me."

"Come on," you said with a grin, standing up and offering your hand. "Let’s get you back on your feet.”

Jude took your hand, letting you pull him, feeling steadier once he was on his feet.

You slowly began skating, gently tugging him forward.

"Relax, Bellingham," you smiled softly, skating effortlessly as he gripped your left hand, looking like he might topple over again any second. Guiding his right to your waist, you watch his eyes instinctively drop to his feet again. The warmth of your fingers finds his chin. “Stop staring at your feet, Jude. Look at me.”

He let out a breath, eyes locking onto yours instead of nervously watching the floor. His nerves didn’t entirely fade, but having your hand in his gave him a little more confidence—enough to stop wobbling for a second time.

His nerves came back, though, when he realized you were still skating backward. "You’re gonna fall,” he warned, eyeing the rink behind you as if it was full of unseen dangers.

You leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, silencing his worry. “Trust me.”

You spun around gracefully, pulling his hands to your waist. With your body in front of him, his grip on your waist, he found himself getting the hang of it. He could follow your lead, letting his movements mimic yours. It was a strange, wobbly dance, but it was progress. By the end of a lap around the rink, Jude's fingers no longer pressed into your skin.

“See?” you called over your shoulder. “I told you—you’ve got this. You’re practically a pro now.”

Jude let out a shaky laugh. “Pro? Not sure about that. More like... less embarrassing than I was five minutes ago.”

You slowed down, finally bringing the both of you to a stop in the middle of the rink. Skaters passed around you, but it was like you two were in your own little bubble. You turned in his arms, your hands finding his cheeks, your thumbs brushing softly against his skin.

"Hey," you whispered, leaning closer, your lips brushing the tip of his nose before they hovered over his. "You’re doing great. Now relax. Stop worrying about falling. I’m right here."

Jude couldn’t help but smile at that, feeling his tense muscles begin to unwind. He leaned into your touch, the warmth of your hands on his face anchoring him.

“You’re right," he murmured. "But it’s a little hard not to worry when you keep skating backward like you're trying out for the Olympics.”

You laughed, your breath ghosting over his lips before you closed the space between you, kissing him softly. The world around you kept moving—skaters rushing past, music booming from the speakers—but in that moment, it was just the two of you. His hands rested on your waist, pulling you a little closer, the warmth of your body against his easing his nerves completely.

Date night had become something Jude looked forward to more than anything else. It was officially set—every two weeks, no exceptions. With the whirlwind of his career, the media, and everything that came with being him, those nights were like a breath of fresh air. Most people would assume he'd want to go all out on those nights—high-profile dinners, glamorous venues, the works. But in reality, date nights with you were his safe haven, a chance to just be without the world watching.

What he loved most was how normal he felt with you. No cameras, no expectations—just the two of you, lost in your own little world. Your presence grounded him, reminded him that this, you, was what mattered. You had a way of making him feel lighter, more carefree. With you, he didn’t have to be "Jude Bellingham, football star"—he was just Jude, the guy who couldn’t stop staring at the love of his life and thinking about how lucky he was.

As the kiss broke, he sighed. “Alright, alright. I guess I can trust you not to let me crash.”

You grinned, giving him a playful nudge. “See? Told you. Now, come on, show me what you've got, Mr. Bellingham.”

With that, you pushed off again, pulling him along. This time, Jude didn’t feel the need to look down or grab the railing—he just kept his eyes on you, laughing softly as you danced and twirled in front of him. For once, he wasn’t thinking about his feet.

[emberdew]

Be More Ghost Chapter 2: I Love Ghost Hunting

Summary:

A Be More Chill AU where Danny gets a Super Quantum Intel Unit Processor (or Squip) to help him become cool and win over Valerie, but things don't really go as planned.

Masterpost | AO3 Link | Word Count: 1,746

I love ghost hunting because it’s the best! Because it is fun. I love ghost hunting and I get depressed whenever I’m done.

As Danny stood in the doorway, he immediately wanted to turn back. He thought the classroom was going to be empty, but it wasn’t. Valerie was right there in the front row.

“Uh, is this where we meet for the ghost hunting club?”

Valerie turned to face him. “No, this is the play rehearsal.”

Danny turned to go. Valerie called after him.

“Wait, I was kidding, yeah this is the ghost hunting club!”

Danny turned back to face her and nervously sat at the desk next to hers. “Oh, um, cool.”

Valerie smiled at him. “I’m kind of surprised to see you here, Danny.”

“Haha, yeah…” Danny didn’t really want to explain himself. This was a really bad idea. Just being near Valerie made all coherent thought leave his brain. He was shaking a little bit. Valerie noticed.

“Are you nervous?”

“What? No I’m just…” Danny shivered. “I’m just cold.” He rubbed his arms. He wasn’t lying, he did suddenly feel a lot colder. Was the AC broken in this room or something?

“Oh, well it’s okay if you are nervous,” Valerie said. “I’m a little nervous about coming to this club too, but mostly I’m excited.”

“Yeah?” Danny probably should have expected this. She was the Red Huntress, after all.

“Yeah, I love ghost hunting!” Valerie said. “I think it’s the best! I mean, it looks fun.” Valerie didn’t know that Danny knew that she was a ghost hunter, so she was still trying to cover her secret, at least a little bit.

Danny just nodded. He wasn’t sure how he should react right now.

“I’m just really passionate about it, since those ghost scum really need to be eliminated,” Valerie started to rant. Danny looked intently into her eyes, though he wasn’t really listening anymore. Even though her wrath happened to be directed his way, he couldn’t help but love how passionate she was.

“Oh, I think the club should be starting soon,” Valerie said, glancing at the clock above the classroom door.

“Where is everyone then?”

“I guess it might just be us two-”

The classroom door opened and all the A-Listers walked in, chatting loudly as they moved to their seats at the back of the classroom. Mr. Lancer arrived shortly after and stood next to the desk at the front of the room.

“Hello, welcome to Ghost Hunting Club… I’m glad some of you are taking the initiative for this extra credit opportunity.” Mr. Lancer seemed to be staring directly at Danny. He cringed a little bit and slid back in his seat.

“When do we get to hunt the ghosts?” Dash asked loudly from the back of the classroom.

Mr. Lancer crossed his arms. “Mr. Baxter, please wait until the end of my explanation for questions. This club is going to be more about ghost hunting research than field work, since that is best left to the experts.”

Danny saw that Valerie looked disappointed at that information. He tried not to show that he was relieved. Ghost hunting research was something he could probably manage. Maybe this extra credit stuff wouldn’t be so bad.

Mr. Lancer started pacing as he continued. “Your assignment will be to create an informative presentation about ghosts and ghost hunting that will be shown to your classmates in one month.”

Danny looked over to Valerie as Mr. Lancer explained what the club was going to do. At least she seemed excited. Danny didn’t feel great about potentially having to present anti-ghost propaganda.

A shiver ran down his back and a cloud of cold air escaped his mouth. Danny straightened up in his seat and looked around, but didn’t immediately see what had triggered his ghost sense. No immediate threats, but it would probably be good to go check-

Danny’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Valerie’s watch beeping. Her ghost sensor had picked up the ghost too. He and Valerie stood up at the same time. She glanced at Danny with a worried expression but he looked away and walked out of the classroom without saying anything. Valerie followed behind him.

Danny quickly walked around the corner out of Valerie’s sight and turned invisible before phasing through the door of a nearby storage closet. He heard her walk by as he took a second to wait before transforming and then flying outside.

“Hello, ghost child,” Skulker greeted as Phantom returned to tangibility few yards above the school’s roof. The large mechanical ghost was already pointing a missile at his face.

“Hey, Skulker. Got some new toys from Plasmius?” Phantom asked, whirling away as a missile launched a bit too close to his face for comfort.

Skulker just grinned in response as he fired more missiles. Phantom returned the fire with some of his own ecto-blasts in rapid succession. He was about to aim a blast right at Skulker’s head when a bolt of pain shot through the back of his left shoulder.

He turned and saw Valerie in her ghost hunting suit, floating on her board a few yards away from him. Smoke was still coming out of the gun she just hit him with.

Phantom waved with the arm she hadn’t just shot and gave her a smile. “Red! You’ve come to join the party?”

“You’re going down, Phantom!” The huntress glared at him through her red helmet, not lowering her gun from his direction for a second. Phantom sighed and started dodging around both Skulker and Valerie’s attacks.

He knew she was dangerous and literally shooting at him, but he still thought Valerie looked beautiful as she dove through the air on her hoverboard. Something was probably wrong with him. He felt one of Skulker’s missiles graze his leg as he took a second too long to fully dodge. He shook his head and tried to focus.

“Time to become ghost toast, Skulker!” Phantom charged a bigger blast in his hands and fired at the ghost’s neck. As he’d hoped, the strength of the hit was enough to knock Skulker’s mechanical head off his body, leaving the tiny green blob ghost plummeting to the ground.

With one smooth motion, Phantom grabbed his thermos from where it was attached to his belt, uncapped it, and sucked Skulker in before he hit the ground.

“Got him!” Phantom rattled the now-occupied thermos and then turned to look for Valerie. He winced when he felt the gun touching his forehead.

“And I’ve got you.” Valerie sneered at him. He gulped.

“I… kind of have something I need to get back to, think we can reschedule this?” He grimaced as the gun poked harder into his head.

“I don’t think so, ghost. I’m enjoying this too much to leave now.”

Phantom had to admit she wasn’t kidding earlier when she said she loved ghost hunting. She did seem to like it a lot and was also very good at it. Almost too good at it.

He heard the gun whine as Valerie tensed her finger on the trigger. He had to do something soon!

With a jerky flail, he grabbed the gun and whacked it away from his face and the shot blasted right next to his ear, hitting a tree behind him. He turned invisible and flew at top speed back into the school and into his familiar storage closet.

He sunk to the ground, panting as rings of light appeared from his waist and swept over his body.

“That was too close,” Danny muttered as he checked for any new injuries. Luckily, he had gotten through that fight without too much damage. He rubbed at his sore shoulder, then opened the closet door and started making his way back to the ghost hunting club.

Mr. Lancer didn’t acknowledge him as he walked back to his seat. A few minutes later, Valerie entered the classroom and took her seat again too.

“And that is it for this session. Start doing some ghost hunting research to get ideas about what you’re going to present!” Mr. Lancer concluded the meeting and walked out the door.

Danny grabbed his bag from the floor. He turned to Valerie, hoping to start another conversation with her but was surprised to see Dash standing in front of her desk. Valerie seemed surprised too.

“Hey, Valerie.” Dash seemed almost nervous. Why would Dash be nervous talking to Valerie?

“Baxter? What do you want?” Valerie put her hands on her hips.

“I, uh, wanted to apologize for how you got kicked out of the A-Listers. It’s super not cool that happened to you just because your dad lost his job.”

“Why are you apologizing now? That happened last year, Dash.” Valerie glared at him. He seemed to quiver under her harsh stare. Danny thought Dash was probably feeling the same intimidation he felt when she pointed her gun at him earlier. Man, she was so beautiful when she was angry.

“Yeah, I know. I just wanted to say it now. I think you’re still A-Lister material,” Dash adjusted his letterman jacket, “and I think it’s cool you’re in the ghost hunting club.”

“Really? I didn’t know you were interested in ghost hunting. I assumed all the A-Listers were here for the extra credit or something.”

“No, I am interested. I think it’s cool. Anyway, cya later Valerie.”

“Bye Dash.” Valerie waved and started gathering her things. She had a thoughtful expression on her face.

Suddenly a spike of pain seared his injured shoulder as Dash punched his arm. Danny gasped and turned to look at the bully.

“Hey, Fenturd, someone wrote ‘BOYF’ on your backpack,” Dash said and left the classroom, the other A-Listers trailing behind him.

Danny gritted his teeth and rubbed his shoulder. How did Dash always accidentally aggravate his injuries? Well, at least with the A-Listers gone, maybe he had a chance to talk to Valerie again. He looked back to where she had been but saw she was pretty much already out the door.

Right before she left the room, she turned back to where Danny was still standing by his desk and waved.

“Cya, Danny.”

“Oh, uh, bye.” Danny waved back weakly with his good arm. Valerie smiled at him and left.

Alone in the classroom, Danny got up and started to leave.

“I guess that could have gone worse,” he muttered, trying to reassure himself.

[rrr-is-gay]

Hello kids, today I’d like to preach to you about the deep eroticism of The Fight, because warriormale literally lives in my mind and compels me to speak.

When Ram and Bheem wrestle outside the governor’s palace, they are releasing so much sexual energy, it’s actually insane. Hell, even before the wrestling, when they’re exchanging punches, there’s this sizzling tension that they’re both too heartbroken to actually think about, but it comes out subconsciously, in how their bodies react to each other. Bheem takes each punch standing up, then fuckin smacks the shit out of Ram, knocking him to the ground, showing his dominance. Ram whips his head to the side to LEER at Bheem before deciding his next attack.

And what is his next attack? TO CLIMB UP BHEEM’S THIGH and THROW HIM TO THE GROUND so he can MOUNT HIM. Bheem does not kick out of this hold or push Ram’s body away, he ROLLS OVER, TANGLING HIS LEGS with Ram’s, keeping him close. He refuses to go on the defensive, he must stay on the attack, to overpower Ram with the strength of his thighs. This need, this primal masculine aggression, is shared by both men as they continue rolling over each other. It is such an intricate ritual!

They are so deeply, intimately familiar with each other’s bodies. Think of how Bheem yanks open Ram’s legs so he can get right between his thighs. He knows where Ram bends and folds. He’s been here before. Think of how Bheem shoves his hand over Ram’s face to hold him down, covering his lips and nose, feeling his heat and insisting upon his submission. Think of how Bheem LIFTS RAM UP dirty-dancing-style to twirl him around, embraced by his thighs, testosterone spiking like adrenaline.

There’s a raw physicality that is shared between sex and combat that’s difficult to describe to those who don’t feel it. It is so primitive, so base, it defies logic. Ram and Bheem have absolutely no reason to be turned on during this fight. They’re both utterly heartbroken, to a point where they’re basically dying inside. And yet their bodies tingle with desire; the desire to touch, smack, yank, bite, grab, hug, roll, spread, fuck. They can’t help it! That’s why they fight so close and tight, because the magnetism pulling them together is stronger than the betrayal tearing them apart.

Absolutely nobody on this earth can convince me that I’m wrong!

[wasabi-gumdrop]

dunmeshi modern labru au where Kabru wants to try fromsoft games to understand why they’re so popular.

he gives elden ring a shot and surprise he gets fucking rolled. can’t get past tree sentinel, tries to fight Margit at level 15, put all his stats in intelligence and not enough dex, hasn’t even found a proper staff, picked warrior as his starting class.

he’s ready to uninstall but he paid full price for this game, he’s at least gonna defeat one boss goddammit. so he tries summoning players for aid and just his luck, he summons cooperator WolfChimeraWyvern.

and this cooperator is SO GOOD, he solos Margit without getting hit, and Kabru is just. in awe. so he adds him as a friend.

and that’s how he meets Laios, expert on all things fromsoft (has literally read every item description, knows the most obscure lore by heart, don’t ask him how many hours he’s played, he has all the platinums)

[slashify]

We all love tattoo artist Eddie, but consider tattoo artist Steve.

He has an American Robin perched on a trumpet on his bicep for Robin. He gave her a brightly colored ice cream cone on her shoulder in different shades of pink. She rambled about cultural tattoos and the history of tattoos in America when she wasn’t bitching at him (‘Ow! For the love of all that is holy, Dingus!’ ‘Do you need a break?’) the whole time he was doing it.

He finds one of the kids (Max) attempting a stick n poke and gathers them all around for a lecture on safety and cleanliness. He promises the kids he’ll tattoo them for free when they’re old enough.

He and Will have art sessions where they’ll pick a subject and draw it traditionally and then Steve gives him pointers on how he would make the design better for tattooing. Will ends up apprenticing with Steve when he turns 18.

Steve still wears blue jeans and polos. His work is good enough that his customers don’t give a shit how he dresses.

He’s compassionate about coverups. He knows what it’s like to have changed so much that who you once were doesn’t fit anymore.

He’s very versatile, switching between outlines, black and grey shading, subtle highlights, and bold coloring with ease. He can do cartoon work as well as he can do realistic plants, or big cats, or lettering (he checks the spelling five or more times. He’s never messed up, but it’s one of his biggest fears). He has a whole list of referrals from people who like how he does scales. He’s lost count of how many fish, dragons, and snakes he’s done. He’s comfortable with a lot of styles, but he doesn’t do portraits. When Will starts at the shop he excels at portraits. Steve’s happy he’s found his niche.

Steve’s at a tattoo expo to network and check out new techniques when he finds himself stopping to watch an artist doing a tattoo of a demon. The artist has long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a grin like sunshine, and manages to make something grotesque and beautiful at the same time. Steve checks out the guy’s portfolio and sees a lot of fantasy stuff, dragons and wizards and a familiar looking set of dice, and he knows he has to go grab Will from the food court.

[ghostleeeaf]

pikmin

pikmin

[wonder-worker]

"Among their complaints [in 1460, the Yorkists] specifically blamed the earls of Wiltshire and Shrewsbury and Viscount Beaumont for ‘stirring’ the king [Henry VI] to hold a parliament at Coventry that would attaint them and for keeping them from the king’s presence and likely mercy, asserting that this was done against [the king's] will. To this they added the charge that these evil counselors were also tyrannizing other true men* without the king’s knowledge. Such claims of malfeasance obliquely raised the question of Henry’s fitness as a king, for how could he be deemed competent if such things happened without his knowledge and against his wishes? They also tied in rumors circulating somewhat earlier in the southern counties and likely to have originated in Calais that Henry was really ‘good and gracious Lord to the [Yorkists] since, it was alleged, he had not known of or assented to their attainders. On 11 June the king was compelled to issue a proclamation stating that they were indeed traitors and that assertions to the contrary were to be ignored." - Helen Maurer, "Margaret of Anjou: "Queenship and Power in Late Medieval England"

Three things that we can surmise from this:

We know where the "Henry was an innocent helpless king being controlled and manipulated by his Evil™ advisors" rhetoric came from**.

The Yorkists were deliberately trying to downplay Henry VI's actual role and involvement in politics and the Wars of the Roses. They cast him as a "statue of a king", blamed all royal policies and decisions on others*** (claiming that Henry wasn't even aware of them), and framed themselves as righteous and misunderstood counselors who remained loyal to the crown. We should keep this in mind when we look at chronicles' comments of Henry's alleged passivity and the so-called "role reversal" between him and Queen Margaret.

Henry VI's actual agency and involvement is nevertheless proven by his own actions. We know what he thought of the Yorkists, and we know he took the effort to publicly counter their claims through a proclamation of his own. That speaks louder than the politically motivated narrative of his enemies, don't you think?

*There was some truth to these criticisms. For example, Wiltshire (ie: one of the men named in the pamphlet) was reportedly involved in a horrible situation in June which included hangings and imprisonments for tax resistance in Newbury. The best propagandists always contain a degree of truth, etc. **I've seen some theories on why Margaret of Anjou wasn't mentioned in these pamphlets alongside the others even though she was clearly being vilified during that time as well, and honestly, I think those speculations are mostly unnecessary. Margaret was absent because it was regarded as very unseemly to target queens in such an officially public manner. We see a similar situation a decade later: Elizabeth Woodville was vilified and her whole family - popularly and administratively known as "the queen's kin" - was disparaged in Warwick and Clarence's pamphlets. This would have inevitably associated her with their official complaints far more than Margaret had been, but she was also not directly mentioned. It was simply not considered appropriate. ***This narrative was begun by the Duke of York & Warwick and was - demonstrably - already widespread by the end of 1460. When Edward IV came to power, there seems to have been a slight shift in how he spoke of Henry (he referred to Henry as their "great enemy and adversary"; his envoys were clearly willing to acknowledge Henry's role in Lancastrian resistance to Yorkist rule; etc), but he nevertheless continued the former narrative for the most part. I think this was because 1) it was already well-established and widespread by his father, and 2) downplaying Henry's authority would have served to emphasize Edward's own kingship, which was probably advantageous for a usurper whose deposed rival was still alive and out of reach. In some sense, the Lancastrians did the same thing with their own propaganda across the 1460s, which was clearly not as effective in terms of garnering support and is too long to get into right now, but was still very relevant when it came to emphasizing their own right to the throne while disparaging the Yorkists' claim.

[deus-ex-mona]

Heyooo so like do you think you could explain the Someya brothers relationship? It’s peaked my interest since the new songs with these two revolve around each other…

Yujiro and Koichirou aren’t related by blood, right? 🤔

Also, what do you think about the new songs that just came out?

Thank you so much for your time 💛💛 Happy New Years 💕

hi! happy new year~~!

this got kinda long so there’s a cut here for length sorry~~~

ngl i’m kindaaaaa fuzzy on the details about the someya bros’ relationship, but long story short, they’re stepbrothers (with koichiro spawning from the resident longleg tamagoro and yujiro being tae’s son, of course) who were kinda pitted against each other when it came to learning how to perform (kabuki) from tamagoro, because longleg’s gotta longleg ig.

then yujiro gets disinherited because the longleg’s still longlegging and koichiro takes to the kabuki stage by himself as the local “national treasure’s” sole heir. so, like, i’m guessing that the events surrounding yujiro’s disinherition may have led to their (frankly terrible) brotherly relationship of “an inferior older brother” and “a superior younger brother”?

though this dynamic carried on pretty much for as long as yujiro longed to perform on a kabuki stage, just like koichiro does (if we were to take the lxl movie’s word for it). then yujiro became an idol and started to work towards a different dream, breaking off from the path (kabuki) that he used to follow koichiro down, which i guess made koichiro start to see yujiro in a different light?

like, imagine you have a lifelong rival who strives for the same goals that you do. however, this rival of yours is less skilled than you, so you naturally grow to have a sense of superiority over your rival, taking satisfaction in crushing them while having full knowledge that they will never be able to beat you when it comes to your shared goals.

however, one day, your rival decides to aim for a different goal, completely ditching your shared goal and stuff, and they actually seem to be doing pretty well in their path to achieve their new goal. how would you feel?

because i get the feeling that koichiro’s initial response to that was to feel betrayed, in a “why are you running away (from kabuki)?” sense.

though, over time, koichiro seems to have gradually come to terms with yujiro’s idol activities, and their relationship naturally (albeit slowly) improved as the days passed, with them going on walks together and bickering with each other like brothers would. which, y’know, is cool of him in a way. he’s learning. he’s still kind of a brat, but he’s growing despite his past mistakes.

as for yujiro, well, he seems to have been looking out for koichiro in his own way from the very beginning? like, man chose not to go against koichiro’s mistreatment, opting to just lower his head and accept it instead.

was it an act of self-sacrifice to protect koichiro’s ego or something? heck, even in the lxl movie, he just took everything koichiro dished at him, and only fought back when koichiro dared to mock his bf aizo. which is. pretty unhealthy, yujiro bro. just tell him you have a proper brotherly love for him for goodness sake. your communication skills s u c k.

um. anyway.

tl;dr: stepbros made to learn kabuki because of their father. older bro gets disinherited, younger bro gets an attitude and mistreats older bro. this continues until older bro becomes an idol and begins to walk his own path. younger bro feels betrayed/annoyed at his older bro for “giving up” on kabuki. younger bro does eventually accept the fact that they have different dreams and supports older bro. seems like older bro has always been looking out for younger bro though, even though he doesn’t say it.

thoughhhhhh seriously, i’m not a someya expert or anything, i just like making fun of the longleg, so… if someone with a degree in someyaology could chime in, it’d be greatly appreciated~~~

as for the new songs, nagisa’s new song is the best of them all, no question. thanks for coming to my ted talk—

[purgaytorysupremacy]

can someone who’s watched Black Sails spoil the Ned Low storyline for me? I’m not sure how much longer I can watch with him not knowing what happens with him. (I’m on S2E2, I think.) It’s just a lot a lot, even on a show about 18th century pirates lol

[sexynetra]

I am on a mission to learn how to draw can you believe these are literally only 4 days apart I’m feeling so pussy pussy cunt cunt rn

[pprodsuga]

i’m going to need everyone at work to understand i am not superwoman

[weezerlvr228]

flippin boobahs!

[getougender]

hello captive audience. have we considered cowherd and weaver girl nobamaki au

[the-abyssal-system]

Singlets stop talking about systems as if you’re an expert because you follow some on tumblr challenge (also warning the tags here are a huge rant so feel free to ignore that)

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

It’s one of the thousands of horribly unsustainable practices that we’ve just accepted as normal but chemically embalming and preserving a body instead of letting it decompose is so absurd to me. We can’t even die without turning it into a wasteful way to harm the environment. If I had my way my body would be composted so I can at least give back to the ecosystem a little bit but of course its currently illegal in most US states