#oh i did this with angels i just find the concept fun

[doctorprofessorsong]

Destiel Fic Recs

Let's all pretend that I didn't just do one of these because I have clearly been consuming fic at an alarming rate.

A Beginner's Guide to Communing with the Dead by suspiciousflashlight @huntingthehaggis (Mature, 77k,)

Listen. I am actually mad at all y'all cause this fic has existed since 2013 and nobody told me to read it until now.

Detective Dean Winchester is haunted (literally) by the murder of a little girl. Unable to move on, he makes the decision to summon an ancient creature, Castiel, using forbidden magic. But the murder is only the beginning and he and Cas find themselves in a race against time to fight an ancient evil.

This fic has everything. Immaculate worldbuilding. Trueform Cas. Impeccable humor. Seriously, I devoured it. I'm shocked it took me this long to find it (probably because it's older), but I'm so happy I did.

The Beginning by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) @valleydean (Explicit, 129k)

A horrorfest Endverse fic, Mallory tackles what happened between the Croatoan infection and Dean and Cas' arrival in Camp Chitaqua. It's canon compliant and it really digs into Dean losing hope and becoming the darker version of himself and Cas falling into addiction and losing his angelic powers. 

It's angsty and brutal and gross in the way zombie stories are. It's also got shining moments of love in the face of hopeless odds. Plus there's a character named River so you know it's good.

I also think watching the degradation of these two characters, and the way their love can't be denied even then is just really a good read. 

Above & Below by murron (Explicit, 45k)

Speaking of older fics to lose your fucking mind over, this fic is absolutely immaculately done. Steeped in canon and set in S6, Dean, Cas and Soulless Sam embark on a journey through the circles of hell. Their mission is to recover Sam’s soul and their brother Adam from the cage.

It's really beautifully constructed with the vision of Hell pulled from various pieces of lore. This is a horror story for sure, but it's not a hopeless one. It's more like an epic mythological journey. And at its heart is the love story of Dean and Cas, and a lot of healing for Dean and Sam.

It's high concept. It's poetic. It's a top tier story to meltdown over.

Sentinel by Followsthebees (Explicit, 15k) @follows-the-bees

A delightful entry from the monsterfluffer bang, Dean finds himself increasingly enamored with a gargoyle on the roof of his work. What he doesn't know is the gargoyle feels the same way.

This has some absolutely delicious smut. 10/10 magical creature porn. But also Dean is so cute and lonely and full of love and Cas us such a delightful little creature. A fantastic time was had by all (me). Canon is integrated in a really fun way in a few places and the humor is fantastic.

Just a complete romp.

A pun regarding the word "bull" by zation @zationao3 (Explicit, series 41k)

Smutty and fluffy and oh so horny, this fic is a fun AU with light angst, a lot of sexual tension, but ultimately it's just a fun ride with a happy ending.

Castiel doesn't have time for attachments, but his money does afford him all the comforts of wealth and a string of casual lovers. When he spots Dean on the back of a mechanical bull, he decides he's found his next conquest - and a very willing one at that.

But after that night, both men can think of nothing but a repeat performance. Unfortunately, they failed to exchange numbers. Even more unfortunately, Dean just happens to be the new contactor engaged by Cas' company and therefore off limits. 

There is some delicious smut in this one. The angst is counteracted with a sweet, soft pining and a profound bond type immediate connection that is a delight to read. 

You Better Not Stay by FriendofCarlotta @friendofcarlotta (Explicit, 17k) 

A fantastic horrorfest thriller, this one delivers jump scares and teen scream delight.

Dean and Cas have been best friends just short of forever and lovers for a year. But now that high school is behind them, Cas wants to leave to find freedom from his fucked up family. Dean can’t bring himself to join him. There’s Sam and the family business.

On the cusp of separation, Dean decides to take Cas on a little date to the abandoned skating rink they used to love when they were kids. Only they aren't alone, and if they're not careful, their last night together could be their last night on earth.

This one is great for the jumps and screams. But it's the soft way they love each other and the vulnerability that make this one memorable. Dean is heartbreakingly earnest trying to impress the man he loves. And Cas is sarcastic and sweet in a perfect balance.

And you're the sky by Desirae (Explicit, 28k)

Quite by accident I have two fics on here following the missed connection/one night stand reappears in your life trope, but they are very different. This one has a lot more roommates to lovers domesticity and some delightful Wings (the show) vibes.

Dean’s best friend, Gabriel, has been grounded due to medical issues. In order to save his small airline, he calls upon his estranged brother, Castiel for assistance. Being a good friend, Dean happily offers up a room in his house to Cas. Only when he shows up, he happens to be the one who got away - a hookup who was going by the name Jimmy.

This fic is soft and sweet. There's a lot of caretaker Dean and domestic vibes. It has the soft vibes of a fic where the two main characters are circling one another and you almost feel like it's inevitable that they will eventually find their way to each other. There is some family trauma, but the angst is largely countered by a lot of intentional healing. Throw in a fantastic cast of characters and this one is definitely worth the read.

Check out my other recs at @riversrecs

[misc-obeyme]

Okay this is a request from @suphomiesr2l who asked for an MC who accidentally gets turned into an angel temporarily due to an accident with Solomon's experimental cooking.

So I wrote this as a ficlet with Solomon because listen... writing about him being a menace in the kitchen is so fun lol. However, I do think it would be really interesting to consider how the brothers and everybody else would react to this particular situation. So if that's something anyone is interested in, please let me know and I'd be happy to do some headcanons about it. I really like the MC-turned-into-an-angel concept, too.

So I had a lot of fun writing this!

Thank you for the request!

GN!MC x Solomon

Warnings: none other than Solomon's cooking lol

You were sitting in your room in Cocytus Hall, minding your own business, when something made you shudder. A change in the air that indicated something was not right. You frowned and left your room immediately to check it out.

You were sure you would run into Solomon at some point. You knew he was home and he likely sensed whatever you were sensing - some kind of magic that shouldn't be here.

Following that feeling of magic, you strode purposefully through the halls, making your way to where you hoped to find the source of the disturbance.

You stopped as soon as you reached the door to the kitchen. It was definitely coming from inside. And that could only mean one thing…

You had a choice now. You could either go inside the kitchen and try to stop Solomon from making whatever horrors he was in the midst of creating or you could turn around and pretend that you knew nothing.

Leaving was not the responsible thing to do and you knew it, so you sighed and went into the kitchen.

Sure enough, Solomon was in there. The counter was full of… stuff? You couldn't even tell what most of it was. And everything was an absolute disaster. He looked entirely thrilled with himself, standing by the stove, stirring something that looked noxious. He was dressed casually with a pink apron on over his clothes. He smiled when he saw you.

"Oh, MC!" he said. "I'm almost done with this. Why don't you sit down and have some? You haven't eaten yet, right?"

You folded your arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

Solomon only laughed at you. "I know, I know, I'm not allowed in the kitchen," he said. "But I saw this interesting dish on DevilTube and I really wanted to try it. I figured you wouldn't mind!"

You groaned and sat down on a bar stool at the counter. "Solomon, there is a reason you are banned from the kitchen!"

Solomon waved a hand at you, turning back to the pot and giving it a stir. "Just give it a chance, I think it's turning out really well!"

"Okay, did you follow the recipe they were showing in the video?" you asked.

Solomon didn't turn back to look at you, only shook his head. "Things are always better if you leave room for experimentation."

You had to decide if you were going to actually eat whatever monstrosity was served to you or not. He seemed so enthusiastic, but you also valued your life.

It wasn't long before the dish in question was placed in front of you. Solomon was beaming, as usual, either completely oblivious to his inability to cook something decent or purposefully pretending that he was oblivious just to mess with you.

The food appeared to be some kind of pasta with a thick and viscous grey-blue sauce that had been the source of the questionable fumes on the stove. It looked like something you might dredge up from the bottom of a swamp.

"Oh, hang on," Solomon said. "Let me add the finishing touch."

You watched as he picked up some leafy green - was that darkness thyme? - and dropped it on top of the mound of pasta and sauce.

"Um," you said. "That doesn't look right…"

Because the moment the green leaves hit the sauce, a bubble of magic began to form.

"Well, it's certainly not something you would normally garnish a dish like this with," Solomon said, seemingly unconcerned.

The bubble burst. Magic washed over you. You could feel yourself changing. Your clothes became white and gold with hints of blue, long fabrics and dramatic cutouts. Your body changed, too, a sudden weight sprouting from your shoulders and a gentle light emanating from you. And there was no denying the feeling of a new kind of magic inside you.

When the transformation was complete, you sat in stunned silence for a moment. You looked up at Solomon to see the same look of surprise on his face. His eyes were wide, his mouth open a little in shock.

You looked down at yourself. There was no question that your clothes had turned into an outfit like the ones Simeon and Luke wore - the clothes of an angel. A peek to your right and left confirmed that the extra weight belonged to a pair of white feathered wings.

You gasped. "Am I… an angel?"

Solomon was still staring at you. He closed his mouth as a blush spread across his cheeks. He took a deep breath, as if trying to control himself. "I'm so sorry, MC."

You stood up from your chair and left the room. You had to see yourself in a mirror. Solomon followed you out of the kitchen and down the hall to your room. You stood in front of the full length mirror there, taking in the full effect.

There was no doubt that you looked amazing. Somehow, the outfit was perfectly tailored for you. And the wings spread behind you, emitting their own soft light. A thin halo sat above your head, casting a gentle light around you. You seemed to be glowing, all gold and white and softness with only those subtle hints of a darker blue.

Solomon was behind you, watching you, looking like he couldn't take his eyes off of you. The light blush was still on his face and he seemed uncertain about what he was feeling.

You turned to look at him. "Are you okay?"

Solomon managed to smile at you. "Me? You're the one who was changed. Are you okay?"

You thought about your response. There was something inside you now, something that you thought must be the angelic blessing that made an angel what they were. You didn't know how to use it, but you could feel it.

"I feel different," you said. "Like… there's this warmth inside me. Is this what Simeon lost? Back in our time?"

Solomon sighed and nodded. "Don't try to use it. That could alert the Celestial Realm and I don't think we need their intervention. This happened because I used an ingredient I shouldn't have. It's up to me to return you to normal."

You stepped over to Solomon and took his hands. "This is why you're not allowed in the kitchen," you said with a smile.

Solomon closed his eyes and frowned. "I really didn't think anything like this would happen."

You took a step closer to him and curled your wings around him. You had only had them for a few moments, but they already felt like they were part of you. You moved them instinctively, like you'd had them your whole life. Solomon opened his eyes and looked at you within their soft glow. There was something alight in his eyes as they searched your face.

"There's something about this that bothers you, isn't there?" you asked.

Solomon reached for you, putting his arms around your waist like he couldn't help himself. "There is no doubt that you look absolutely stunning like this, MC," he said softly in your ear. "But I very much want you to be your normal human self again."

"Well, that's up to you now, isn't it, oh witty sorcerer?" you said teasingly, melting easily into his embrace. "You caused this mess, so you'll have to fix it."

Solomon leaned back to cup your face. "I take full responsibility."

As it turned out, the effects of this particular magical accident were temporary. While Solomon was attempting to find a way to change you back, you returned to your normal self on your own after a short time.

Solomon actually stayed out of the kitchen for a little while after that. So long, in fact, that you began to think he had learned his lesson and would finally heed the ban that you had in place. This was only wishful thinking, as it turned out. He couldn't possibly keep himself away forever. But now you knew better than to even go anywhere near it when he was cooking.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[blood-choke]

Since u r an artist as well as a writer I'm reslly curious as to what ur process for designing the ROs was like for this game. I would love knowing more about ur character design process.

oh this is fun! prepare for a long obnoxious answer for some questions you didn't even ask!

blood choke has been through a Lot in terms of the brainstorming process. Valentina was probably the first character i finalized, though originally she did not have a history with the mc, she was not a main character in the sense that she is now, and she was actually "the villain." the game was very different tone-wise, though it was roughly the same concept with an mc who wakes up with no memory, though originally they were a newborn vampire.

then i changed gears, decided i didn't want to make the game this way, and tried something else with a set mc & a single set love interest (this is Valerie & Angel, my ocs i post about sometimes on my personal blog.) but then i didn't like that either and i scrapped trying to make it an IF and just wrote a novel instead LOL

Valentina stayed around, she is very similar to Leda, who is an antagonist in that novel. but once i finished that i came back to still wanting to write a vampire IF.

there were a lot of ideas i didn't get to expand on in my novel, that i'm revisiting in blood choke. it's why i chose to genderlock all of the characters and make the mc a lesbian.

i knew i wanted the ROs to be very clockable as lesbians; i wanted there to be a femme and a butch and a stud.

i rewrote the foundation of the story; the mc would not be a newborn but they would have no memory of what they were or what happened to them. and Valentina became more ambiguous and less of a real "villain", i expanded on some previous ideas, and when i made up my mind on setting the mc as butch i decided to include a lot of that early butch/femme history in her backstory & their relationship. i wanted her to be a bit goth in appearance as well because i wanted her femininity to be subversive; she likes to wear corsets and leather and veils and likes how people perceive her as "weird." she's still feminine but in her own way.

and while Valentina is femme, i read a lot of Kitty Tsui's writing for Valerie (who is a Chinese butch) and that influenced my decision, along with the time period that i planned for, to make her Chinese.

“In the spring of 1988, Jill Posner approached me. She said, “By the way, I’m the photo editor for On Our Backs, and we’d really love for you to pose for us.” And I said, “Frankly, I don’t read the magazine, and I’m not really interested in taking off my clothes.” I’d later thought about it and realized that the stereotypes of Asian women are either that we’re very passive, docile, servile, nonsexual entities, or that we’re the very, the Susie Wong prostitute, fiery dragon woman. I decided that I wanted to pose for the magazine to show that not only are Asian women beautiful and strong, but that we are whole women. I realized that I had a butch side, I had a very butch side, and I also had a femme side, and that I could be all of those things. And I had an androgynous side.”

you can find more about Kitty Tsui here.

Hana came next, and again she was a part of the original story, and worked for Valentina when she was the "villain." i wanted her to have that sporty/jock laid-back kind of vibe, compared to Valentina's high-strung dramatics. i think Hana came out way more friendly and personable than i originally intended; i wanted her to be kind of stand-offish, hiding in her hood a lot, but she had other plans i guess. in the end i think she balances everyone out and i like her contrast with Valentina, and i like how much more weight her voice carries when she does get serious.

i knew from the start i wanted Hana to be Black and from america, because i really wanted that perspective included in the narrative i had planned. again, with the time period, i chose to make her Korean & African American. i looked at a lot of models when i first drew/designed her, mainly jenny park, who is Korean-Nigerian. i went for a more jock/streetwear look because i wanted her to be visible as a stud, which is a specific Black lesbian identity.

screenshot from The Same Difference.

then came Clear. i knew i wanted a human RO, and i wanted her to be big and butch cus i like subverting expectations lol. i actually based some of her design on corky from bound, mainly her hair and tattoos:

if you haven't seen bound, go watch it. one of my favorite movies.

overall i designed three characters that i knew i as a reader would want to read about, and i as a writer would want to write about. that sounds very obvious hahaha but a lot of this story is just me writing very specific things that i want to see as a lesbian author. butches & studs are one of the most underrepresented groups, even in queer media, and butch/femme is largely considered "historical" or "problematic." so i wanted my characters & this story to be very in your face & unapologetic about it.

[notstilinski]

One Last Stop Starters !

Taken from the 2021 novel by Casey McQuinston, One Last Stop Some of these have already been edited. You can change them however you see fit!

“(Name), stop telling people about frog ghosts.”

“They’re on (Name)‘s sleep schedule, though. So, a ghost in the night.”

“It gave us nine great years. And carpet can hide a multitude of sins.”

“If they’re gonna kill you, get their DNA under your fingernails.”

“That little twink contains multitudes.”

“They love me as much as they love anyone else.”

“You like jokes. I don’t.”

“Do you realize you just say words in any random order like they’re supposed to mean something?”

“I can’t decide if I’m impressed or horrified?”

“Definitely brought me back from the dead more than once, so, thank you.”

“Really out here smashing pussy, (Name).”

“We get about a hundred hot lesbians through here a week. You’ll find another one.”

“Sorry, like, it’s your life and all, but do you not hear how badass that sounds?”

“That sucks. I’m your mom now. The rules are, no Tarantino movies and bedtime is never.”

“You’re a bullshitter.”

“Because you have, like, the energy of someone who knows things.”

“A frontal lobotomy to forget the night I had?”

“Never thought I’d see a vampire I didn’t want to fuck.”

“We’ve kissed, like, three times, but they have that thing where they’re terrified of being loved and refuses to believe they’ve deserved it. It’s so tedious.”

“Does it ever, like… I don’t know. Make you lonely? To love somebody who can’t meet you there?”

“I hadn’t pegged you for a scammer.”

“I’m mysterious by nature, (Name).”

“Jesus. What did ya’ll do this time?”

“Hey, what’s up with you? Who hurt your feelings?”

“Who do we have to frame for murder?”

“A gift from (Name)? What god have I pleased?”

“Oh, I’m loving this already. What kind of creatures?”

“Cute. Maybe a poltergeist. A cute poltergeist. Can I meet them?”

“So, you’ve gathered us here to tell us you’re boned up for a ghost.”

“What? Pick the lock? What kind of feral child are you? Are you Jessica Jones?”

“You know, I thought you were a little spicy when I met you.”

“I swear to God, if a ghost kills me, I’ll haunt the shower.”

“Your friend is weird.”

“I told you, I think, I’m. Something’s wrong with me.”

“Honestly? The day I met you.”

“Yeah, guess I don’t have the whole magical soulmate bond you have with them.”

“(Name). Can we maybe not treat them like a creature of the week?”

“Like you’re their Pop-Tart angel. Like you shit sunshine. Like you invented love as a concept.”

“I think I should kiss you.”

“I’m repressing it! Let me repress it!”

“You’re so mean to me.”

“So many questions for someone who does not come to work.”

“Yeah, exactly. Forever. As in, it’s the only thing I know how to do.”

“I know logistically how to perform some tasks.“

“Go where? I’m trying to have a nervous breakdown here.”

“Can you turn that brain of yours off for a second and trust?”

“It makes me feel like I’m going to die!”

“You trusted me, right? Now trust yourself.”

“Big dick energy is gender neutral.”

“I mean, it’s as if you like to be emotionally tortured.”

“God, you are the most useless bisexual I’ve ever met in my entire goddam life.”

“I’d disappoint them. They don’t deserve to be disappointed.”

“Loving the sacrilege.”

“Wow, holy shit, you figured it out. You’re gonna win a Peabody Award for reporting.”

“As fun as it is to break your brain, no one at work knows. Tell them and I break your arm.”

“Is your family horny for Jesus too?”

“I’m not cute. I’m-I’m tough. Like a cactus.”

“Where does that disembodied voice keep coming from?”

“They’re always wearing the exact same thing. That’s ghost behavior if you ask me.”

“And I left them. That’s… Fuck. I forgot how that felt. I left them.”

“Yes, thank you. I invite you to eat a dick. Goodbye.”

“Maybe no good timing means there’s no bad timing either.”

“You’re a normal person. Under un-normal circumstances.”

“That’s new for you, huh? Being able to get drunk?”

“Is this a date? Am I on a date right now?”

“(Name). Any way you want to kiss me is the way I wanna be kissed, okay?”

“You’re like—like a fucking painting or something stupid like that, what the fuck. You just walk around like this all the time.”

“Sorry, was I skulking? Sometimes I skulk without realizing.”

“Okay, still, let me be a mom for a second.”

“(Name), we’re adults, just say you got your back blown out.”

“I guess criminal behavior isn’t as much of a turn-on for me.”

“Never go to a second location with someone unless you’ve checked their trunk for weapons first.”

“Let go of me. I deserve to be free.”

“They’re not gonna leave us if they get married, (Name).”

“How did this become a roast of me? (Name) is the one under the table.”

“I’m wearing a shirt and no pants. I’m Winnie the Pooh-ing it.”

“What do you mean? Why would they leave me something? I’m the shameful family secret.”

“No. I hit him. The lip is from when someone else pulled me off of him.”

“It’s like I died. I died, except I have to feel it. And on top of that, I have to feel everything else I’ve ever felt all over again. I have to get the bad news again every day, I have to deal with the choices I made, and I can’t fix it. I can’t even run from it. It’s miserable.”

“No, you didn’t. But you made me realize it. You made me remember. And maybe that’s worse.”

“Just because you can’t run doesn’t mean you can make me do it for you.”

“Uh-huh, and this wouldn’t have anything to do with the way you reflexively ice out anyone who even appears to have rejected or wronged you?”

“Oh, so they… they thought I just left without saying goodbye?”

“It’s not a heist. It’s… an elaborate, planned crime.”

“Okay…hmm… oh, I’ve made friends with a subway rat.”

“Judge all you want, but I’m the only one who will be spared in the inevitable Great Rat Uprising.”

“No, it’s cute! You’re such a nerd. It’s endearing!”

“What can I say? I’m the one that got away.”

“I have to say, I’m impressed. This is definitely the most organized crime I’ve ever been involved in.”

“Sometimes the point is to be sad, (Name). Sometimes you just have to feel it because it deserves to be felt.”

“For what it’s worth, you’ve never disappointed me once since I’ve met you.”

“Is there anything else you want, before tomorrow?”

“I just did it because I thought you were hot.”

“I was really lonely before I met you.”

“I like when you’re in crime boss mode.”

“They have to kill him. It’s the only way.”

“I can think later. Right now I just want to be here, okay?”

“I’m here. I’m not leaving.”

“You’re the most important person I’ve ever met. And I never should have met you at all.”

[elbiotipo]

I was waiting to see what you would think of Arknights not only because it seems to be up your alley but because it got nations based off Latin America. There's a nation literally called Bolívar with nods here and there about the US dictatorship, and you can argue it's mixed with Mexican, the Gran Colombia and Brazil influences. There's also Sargon which feels like a mix between South America and Africa - or rather, the Amazon rainforest and the Saahara desert. You can argue Eunectes and Flint are Brazilian and Peruvian respectivelly. There's also La Pluma (real name: Rafaela Silva) who's apparently Chilean?? I don't think there's a furry Argentina... at least not yet

OH YES, the moment I saw "Bolívar" I knew that was Furry Latin America, I haven't looked up much of the lore though I did get spoiled with some characters I'm learning on my own, and so far it's interesting. Completely insane but compelling. I also got very confused when they said "Columbian" because I thought it was the classic anglo mispelling of Colombian, but no, Columbia is apparently Furry United States.

I actually just got an operator from Bolívar, an electrician kid (we need to talk about Rhodes Island labor laws) named Greyy who says he wanted to study electricity to bring light to the slums he came from. Yeah. But hey, I'm headcanonning him as Argentine now. I can't wait to find more about Bolívar. Or not. We'll see.

I really like the part in the archives where you can look up all the operators, where are they from, their relationships, what squad they belong to, and all that. It's very fun to see who's friends with who and where they came from. For a character based game they really really took a lot of care with their characters and how they fit with each other, most of the time (other "hero" based games just make them individually based in "cool" concepts and they don't fit at all together, like Overwatch for example) Somehow the angel girl with a machine gun and the italian mafiosa wolf girl fit in the same universe and are coworkers and it makes sense.

[practically-an-x-man]

Here's a fun one: Your OCs are all invited to a fancy gala! Who's coming, and what are they wearing?

Oh fun!! I've asked a similar question to a few friends/mutuals, but I don't think I've ever been asked myself. Let's see here....

Quinn was the first person to jump to mind, because I'm torn about whether she'd accept the invite or not. On the one hand, they're not exactly a formal-events type person. But on the other... imagine the gender euphoria of being able to get done up and wear a nice dress for once. I can't find great pictures of what she'd wear if she did go, but I'm imagining something similar to Gwen Stacy's prom look in Spiderverse

(credit to Kat Tsai for these concept artworks)

Rae would go with something simple - backless, since she loves backless dresses, and loose enough that she can move freely (just in case something goes south... it always seems to).

Indigo's been to a formal event (in her side-piece called Rallentando), and she wears a jewel-toned dress similar to this one below. She'll dance a bit, but mainly sit and chat because her heart can't handle too much physical exertion.

Robin would show up and absolutely SLAY in this dark green dress:

Katherine's going, of course, and I can absolutely see her in gold like this dress here:

Ophelia declines, since she's really got no interest in finery. Jasper declines as well - also not much interest, and they don't have the money to put together a formal outfit.

Madison would probably decline initially, but then it turns out that everyone else at the mansion is planning to go, and Raven and Angel eventually drag her out to go dress shopping...

She ends up in something like this: Raven suggested it, since the markings on her skin are only accentuated by the cutouts in the dress.

Kestrel's going to show up looking delightfully dapper in an embroidered suit like this...

And... just for fun, let's do Eris and Nikoletta as well

Eris would decline unless it's absolutely necessary, since they're uncomfortable with formal situations. Throw them into a battlefield and they're right at home. A gala? Not so much.

Nikolette would go, but would have to plan her outfit very carefully. She ends up in something like this - a bit Gothic, a bit mysterious, and careful to cover up to avoid unwanted skin-to-skin contact

[viksalos]

ok anyway i’m gonna draft this cus this might just be me getting mad about a thing that is very specific to me idk

basically i saw a post (and it really doesn’t matter who wrote it cus it’s more than a year old now and it didn’t even break 300 notes) which was making fun of people for claiming to have religious trauma when OP assumed they hadn’t been to X amount of catholic services. this by itself is a bit silly bc catholics gatekeeping religious trauma as being exclusive to them is obviously myopic, but one of the tags was like “you don’t have religious trauma you have ptsd from familial abuse that used religion against you” and im like. i fail to see how that’s not religious trauma?

like i’ve said before on this blog, my religious education was primarily reform jewish via my mom with smatterings of various christian denominations mostly via my dad; you could not measure any amount of “christian religious trauma” i have by continuous service attendance but like yeah my experience of christianity is still primarily one of punishment, alienation, antisemitism, supersessionism. and like sure, my dad is a dipshit who never stuck with anything for very long including going to any one church, so no that trauma does not include X hours of christian education or whatever. but boy oh boy did he still like weaponizing our “christian heritage” when i exhibited any proximity to judaism!

and i also feel like *part of* my difficulty with christianity is specifically not knowing what the fuck christians are talking about when they talk about concepts that are seemingly basic to them and having to piece it together after the fact from the random smattering of things i *do* know. and these concepts are just woven in the fabric of US society; everyone seems to understand them instinctively but me! or like i’ll be talking with my (ex-)christian friends about our various bad run-ins with christianity and then it’ll be my turn to talk and they’ll look at me like i have three heads because they can’t conceive of religious trauma that’s specifically centered around christian antisemitism. or i’ll be talking with my jewish friends and because *they* had a more rigorous or conservative jewish education, i won’t fit in with them either--and this too can be partially due to religious trauma on their part!

i guess the other thing too is, this post was kind of in keeping with a different post i saw about protestants appropriating catholic iconography when trying to make art about *their* religious trauma. and on the one hand it’s funny to me that we’re supposed to care about the trappings of a colonial institution being appropriated, on the other hand it’s funny as an outside observer cus i do think the iconography they listed as examples are more alike between catholicism and protestantism than they are different. like i remember some of the examples were stained glass and gothic churches (protestants also have those; i live in a city with many protestant gothic churches) and multi-eyed and winged angels (those are described in the tanakh; they are not exclusive to either of you).

and like maybe it’s corny but i do think they have become kind of signaling things for people with religious trauma to find each other and talk about their experiences. are these particular symbols necessarily 100% authentic to everyone’s experience? probably not, but 1.) they make cool art, and 2.) the looming and foreboding nature of some of these symbols (i’m thinking of the exteriors of gothic churches especially) can be evocative of the sense of alienation one feels when you’ve definitively decided you no longer want anything to do with the church, but it’s still ever present. imo these types are mad because they want exclusive use of the cool art symbolism more than they want to facilitate community. if you wanted to say that art symbolism is not a solid basis for a community, THAT would be an argument i’d respect, but that’s not what y’all said.

[secretwhumplair]

Solstice, p.0

701 words | No Warrior (sequel to Swords)

Content | Fear, angst, low self-worth

Notes | Runar telling Yves about upcoming community events. With ~everyone~! How fun!

Taglist | @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi​​ @castielamigos-whump-side-blog​​ @whump-me-all-night-long​​​​ @whumpadump1939​​ @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight​​ @whumpzone​​ @angel-stars​​ @kixngiggles​​ @whumpsy-daisies​​ @briars7​​ @yet-another-heathen​​ @rosesareviolentlyread​​ @cupcakes-and-pain​​ @hollowtreesinhollowwoods​​ @pleasancies​​ @much-ado-about-whumping​​ @nine-tailed-whump​​ @whump-em​​​ @itsleighlove​​ @newbornwhumperfly​​​ @tears-and-lilies @deluxewhump @whump-cravings @wolfeyedwitch @melancholy-in-the-morning @neverthelass @whumpsday

They were sitting at breakfast together when Runar began, »Yves, s̸̷͜͟͜͞͡͡ẁ̶̶̴̡̢̡͏e̴̶̢͘͟͟͞͏e͡҉̡̛́́͢͜t̴̢͡҉̵̀͢͞h҉̴̶̶̡̨̢͠ȩ̸̡̛̕͜͠͞a̸̷̛̕͘͡͞͡r̶̴̸̡͜͜͝͞t̨̨́͜͠͡҉҉, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. The ś̷̡͡͏̸͘͟ơ̵̸̴̛̕͘͜l̛̛͜͏̶̀͢͝ş̴̷̵̕҉̷͘t̨̀͘̕͢͡͡͞í̷̶̡̢̨͟͜c̷̶̡̛̛̀͟͠e͡҉̡̢̛̀͡҉ is coming up.«

It wasn’t a word Yves had heard before, but it only gave him the briefest rush of anxiety. »The what?«

»Oh. The. Days will start to get longer again. The s̵ól̕s̴t̶i͡c̢e̕.«

Yves nodded; the concept he was familiar with. And it must be coming up; he hadn’t kept exact track of time, he couldn’t have - he didn’t even know, it occurred to him, when he had been rescued, how long he had been stuck in the cold, cruel bowels of the order’s castle. He idly appreciated the way he did think of it as a rescue now, the way he so very much hadn’t when Runar first laid hands on him.

But he knew it had been winter, and days had kept getting shorter, for entirely too long, and he was relieved to hear the tipping point was close.

It must have pulled a smile from him, because Runar smiled back at him.

»We’re having a big celebration. There’s going to be a bonfire and lots of food and dancing… Do you want to come?«

Yves wished he didn’t even have to think twice about it. But the thought of all the warriors assembled, a whole crowd of people surrounding him-

»Is Brandr going to be there?« He hated how small his voice sounded.

»Yes.« Runar put the word down gently like a soft little animal. »Everyone is.«

Of course. It was a solstice festival. Of course everyone would be there. How could he be so-

»But I promise I won’t leave you alone. Signy can help if I need to for a bit. It’s going to be alright.«

But it wasn’t. It already wasn’t alright. He didn’t want to need to be looked after like a pathetic child. He wanted to stand up for himself. It was a festival. He wanted to have fun. That was what festivals were for.

It had become such an alien concept - fun.

He hugged himself. »I want to come,« he murmured, and it was totally true. If only it didn’t seem so dangerous.

Runar sadly smiled at him. »You’ll be safe, I promise. But you don’t have to go if you’re uncomfortable.«

Yves considered this, considered staying alone in this hut when the whole village, including everyone who cared about him, was at a festivity someone else could easily sneak away from to find him-

There were no good options, and a bitter little voice inside him asked why he would have expected there would be.

But he wanted to go. He wanted to go and laugh and dance and enjoy himself.

He felt the tears welling up. It used to be so easy. And now - now he could barely imagine it.

He just wanted it back. He was so tired of always being afraid.

»Yves.« Runar reached out and put a hand over his. He almost flinched, and that was enough to make the tears spill over. »Hey. It’s alright, s̢̨̛͘͡͞͠͞ẁ̶̷̨̕͢͢͜e̷̶̸̢͘̕͠͡ę̷̸̛́͘͢͝t̀͘͢͟͏̵̸̶h̶̶̷̷̀͜͞͝e̶̵̢̡̛͞͞͏a̧̧͟͝҉̵́͢r̴̸̡̕͏̡̡͟t̷̨̛҉̵͢͟͡.«

»I’m so - I’m just so tired of this. It’s a celebration, isn’t it. It should be fun.« He desperately tried to hold back the tears, swallow down his sobs. He balled his hands into fists without thinking, even under the comforting warmth of Runar’s. »I don’t want to be afraid anymore.«

»I know.« Runar gave his fist the gentlest squeeze, so soft it had nothing at all to do with the knights breaking his fingers, even to Yves. »It’s up to you. You can take a little more time before - something like this, if you want. Or you can come along if you feel ready.« When Yves remained silent, he added, »You don’t have to decide right away. Just take the time you need, okay? I will think no less of you, no matter which way you decide.«

The last words took Yves by surprise. How could Runar possibly think less of him, this weak little creature he had to take care of every day?

But then… maybe that wasn’t all he was. He had been working, at the least.

Maybe he could have a life back.

[bimobuddy]

Pride and Giggles

Hazbin Hotel Fic!!

This is a tickle fic, if you don't like it, don't read it.

I wanted to do something fun for Pride Month :)

Sir Pentious x Arackniss

TW: Mention of homophobia

The concept of 'Pride,' when it came to being gay was new to most people in Hell. Angel, Charlie, and Vaggie, of course were all ecstatic about it. But for Sir Pentious, who could have been arrested or killed for it back in the 1800s, or Arackniss who also could have been killed for it, being in a religious family run by his mafia father, Pride was... Well it was new.. It was scary.

Scratch that, it was terrifying.

But it was something they'd do together.

Neither of them knew how to celebrate Pride together. Arackniss normally would just ignore it, but Pentious seemed really eager to celebrate because of just how much he had to hide himself when he was alive.

The snake had read up on the history of Pride, read about all the different flags, etc. Arackniss just kinda sat next to him the whole time, not minding much. He didn't mind too much, but it made Pen happy.

Arackniss had planned on just ignoring the month, but that plan flew out the window when he came home to find the entire house covered in rainbow flags. He scanned over the decorations until he found Pentious struggling to hang up a giant flag in their livingroom.

He sighed and walked further in until he was directly behind his boyfriend, who was nearly stretched all the way out, trying to level the corners of the flag. "Hey Pen-" "AH- Oh... NISS!" He hissed, causing Arackniss to chuckle a bit. Before He could tease, Pentious cut him off.

"Nissy, could you help me make this even?" He asked, stretching back out. Arackniss rolled his eyes. "Don't you think we have enough.... decoration in here? Where did you even get all this? It looks like the Princess vomit-..... You got it from the Princess didn't you?" He asked.

Pentious turned and smiled. ''Actually, dear, your brother gave it to me. He got it from the Princess.'' He said, turning back to hang the flag up. "Now would you help me?"

Arackniss looked at the serpent, stretched out, completely exposing his sides and back. His guard was lowered. He suspected nothing.

Pentious was about to ask for help again, when he felt playful fingers skitter up his back and drag down his sides. He squealed and fell backward, accidentally tearing the flag from the wall. Arackniss caught him and continued to tickle up and down his sides with two hands, and trace around his neck with two more hands.

"N-No NihiHISSSSSSS~! Thahahat's nohot fahair, tihickling Thahahat's not fair! Yohou hahave sihihix hands!" Pentious squirmed and ended up wrapping his tail around Arackniss' waist and torso.

The spider smiled in amusement. "We have enough flags up, Pen. Trust me, it looks like the inside of Angel's mind in here, and that's not a place I wanna be." he joked. He looked down at the tail wrapping around him, and just spidered his fingers over it, making sure to gently trace around the extra eyes in his tail. Pen released him immediately, trying to bring his tail up to coil around himself, the way normal snakes do.

"You have six hands, that's not fair!" Pen whined. But then it occured to him. Six arms. He grinned and pulled Arackniss into his lap (very easy, considering the spider was only five feet tall) and wrapped his tail around him.

Arackniss kicked his legs out. "Wh- Pen! Pen wait what are-" He barked out a laugh when he felt fingers wiggling into his upper set of underarms. He clamped his arms down and bit his lips shut. Growing up in the mafia, he quickly learned how to compose himself and keep quiet in any situation. But this... This was more difficult. He'd never had to deal with fucking tickling of a things.

He was able to hold out for a few minutes, resulting in Pen getting a little frustrated. He knew Arackniss was ticklish, he's seen it before. But then he remembered that Arackniss was one of those people where if you get one spot, he won't be able to stop himself.

Pen wiggled the tip of his tail against his boyfriend's tummy, under his shirt. Arackniss snorted and bent his head down to hide his face while he laughed. "PeheheHEHEHEHEN!" That was all he needed. Suddenly the tickles under his arms felt even worse.

Anytime Arackniss pushed Pen's hand away, or clamped down an arm, Pen would just tickle under one of the other five arms, making his little spider squeal and snort.

Arackniss wouldn't ever admit this, but he really didn't mind being tickled, as long as it was Pentious. Pretty soon he started yelling in Italian, unable to remain english for the moment, his brain to fuzzed by tickles.

"Fermare, FEHEHERMahahaHAHARE!" Pentious didn't speak Italian, but he assumed that meant stop, so that's exactly what he did. He loosened his tail but didn't let Arackniss go yet.

"G-grahahazie.." He giggled out, still twitching from the ghost tingles. He felt Pen wrap his arms around him, staying there on the floor with him. Arackniss looked over and noticed the pride flag was somewhat laying over them.

And for the first time, he actually understood what it felt like.

[eisforeidolon]

A very belated thank you for answering my Who is TW for question. I'm one of those people who enjoyed the later seasons so maybe it's why I initially watched TW, that and morbid curiosity. It was so un-SPN and the monsters/demons too easily defeated and just overall dull. TW was just a notch more tolerable than Bloodlines and Wayward sisters just because the TW characters were slightly less annoying and boring than those characters, but that's it.

Oh no problem at all!

And yeah, I think it's why I didn't give it a chance, even though I did genuinely intend to at one point? Right out of the gate, the concept of going back to John & Mary's YA years reminded me of how I felt SPN was trying to be younger and hipper by increasingly adding YA characters who were clearly meant to be "CW cool". I've long held Robbie Thompson responsible for starting the trend of characters like Charlie having Mary Sue-like fighting abilities and plot armor out of nowhere - and he's also the writer of Angel Heart, IMO one of the most unnecessarily egregious continuity breaks in the series (suddenly souls are divisible to make the MotW scarier, whee!). So him as a first time showrunner was ... concerning. Then the trailers reminded me of how the later seasons leaned way more into treating hunting as a fun light fantasy lark where there aren't any stakes rather than something darker and horrific where characters we care about might die and it might *gasp* actually stick. To be clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong with light fantasy, it's just not what I personally wanted from SPN. I also didn't find the humor in them funny.

I could have gotten past all of that with sufficient reason. However, while I do think there are some people who have found genuine enjoyment in TW? So many of the earnest reviews also seem bad, like yours. Then the few specific things I have heard about it include such lowlights as the debacle of the hair flinging scene which I just still have trouble comprehending the ridiculousness of.

Later seasons of SPN could get away with a lot for a long time because they were building on the foundation of the earlier seasons and our already established and enduring investment in Sam & Dean and Sam&Dean. Without that? Trying to build a show that has the same near nonexistent stakes and questionable continuity without creating an underlying foundation first of investment in this specific iteration of these characters? It's not surprising it struggles to support its own weight for a lot of the audience it [presumably wants.

[alsmp-headcanons]

Angel Scott had trouble finding a home after he died. He had no friends he could stay with... He could build a house, but he didn't want to just live alone like some loser when practically everyone else had a roomate. He could try living with has past lives like Callum did, but...

You see Moth Scott currently residing in the afterlife afterlife with all of the small gang club, plus any other small people that have died.

Vampire Scott well Angel Scott had no interest in even thinking of living with him, he is currently living his retired villain material girl fantasies with the original villain trio. (once they found Shadow Shelby she rejoined the league just so she could retire so all 3 are retired villains)

He attempted to talk to the Wyvern Fwhip, and Joel who lived together since they had given him an offer. He thought they might have felt guilty for killing his previous life, but he quickly realized it was more of a "your now apart of my stash situation" so he left.

He attempted to ask Endarian Oli and Lauren who basically lived together at this point, but they seemed to be going threw something. Seemingly mourning? Maybe guilt? All he knew was that they "Disappointed the Orb" whatever that means.

He then found a roommate that would work though, and they had a lot in common, both served a god, and both were angels....only problem it's Angel Sausage one of the few losers who live alone, The elytren with a god complex....So close to perfect... Scott reluctantly becomes his roommate and he begins enjoys the others presence, strange, right? He even forces Vampire Scott apologies to Angel Sausage for killing him.

OH I LIKE THIS!!!

Angel buddies is such a fun concept

[sapphicbookclub]

Author Spotlight: Alyson Root

We're excited to bring you a guest post written by Alyson Root, author of A Dance Towards Forever. Keep reading to hear how her personal journey through life is reflected in the plot of her first book!

Hey, Alyson here (insert waving emoji) a new author fresh out of the writing closet. Not as scary as the last time I came out, but just as important to me. Anyway, I’m sitting here thrilled that I get to write something for the Sapphic Book Club. However, I suddenly find myself with a blank mind!

Argh, what should I write? What do you all want to read about? Me? My debut novel? Hell, I’ll tell you about both if you’re willing to sit and read what I write.

Ok a little about me first. I’m 36 and Aries, I like long walks on the beach and… I’m kidding, although I am 36 and an Aries. But, less of the bad dating profile and more of the serious stuff. I found writing at the grand old age of 30. I wish I could say it was something I always wanted to do, but that would be a lie.

Yes, I have always been a creative person. That runs in the family, but I’m also someone who has the attention span of a two-year-old at Christmas. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I had loads of different hobbies, but none of them included writing. I could never focus on one thing long enough to decide if I loved it or not.

Fast forward to a time in my life where I could confidently call myself an adult (gross) and that’s when I fell head over heals in love with writing. Actually, it was my wife who encouraged me. I happened to mention that I fancied turning my hand to writing, and she went full cheerleader!

Six years is the time it took me to finish A Dance Towards Forever. That’s 72 months or 312 weeks of me sporadically writing nonsense until I had a lightbulb moment, deleted everything I’d written and then bashed out the entire book in five months.

Once the last word of the Epilogue had been written, I was overcome by pure joy because, after all my years on this awesome globe we call home, I’d finally found my passion. The thing that I loved and could focus on. Hopefully, that doesn't sound too dramatic or cliché!

Moving on… What else can I tell you about myself? Well, there are a few things woven into the storyline of A Dance Towards Forever that ring true to my life. I fell in love with a French woman and ended up moving to Paris. Just like my main character Sam, I am appalling at speaking the language and I have a best friend who swears like a sailor. Oh, and I am a massive sucker for love and romance.

Is that enough about me? Probably so I’ll switch to the book. Cue drumroll…

A Dance Towards Forever is my first book and something I am immensely proud of. Jeez, I can’t believe sometimes that I actually wrote an entire novel. At least I can cross one thing off my bucket list now.

Most of the story is set in Paris. At the time of the book's conception, I had just moved there from England. It was this magical city that held wonder and opportunity and it was where my girlfriend (now wife) was, so it was the perfect city in my eyes.

My life back then had changed so dramatically in just a few months that I wrote the book with that feeling in mind. I wanted my characters to go through that kind of life altering situation whilst falling in love because that’s what had happened to me.

I think it’s true that every author gives a bit of themselves to each of their books. I certainly did. To be honest, it was a bit like therapy writing parts of the story, especially the painful parts that I’d experienced myself.

Now the book is out in the world for others to read. That is both exciting and terrifying!

Ok, just so I don’t give myself a panic attack at the thought of people actually reading and judging the book, I’m going to give you some fun facts. Let’s lighten the mood.

First fun fact: I used Dolly Parton’s I will Always Love You because I love her and that song. Her voice is angelic and I would give my left arm to see her in concert.

Numero dos: Just like Sam, I met my best friend in school. Well, Sam met Charlie at university, but the premise is the same.

Trois: My favourite drink is Rum and Coke, but my wife has firmly pulled me over to the dark side. I drink wine now. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a cabernet and a merlot, but that’s ok. As long as I remember to drink a glass with cheese, I won't be cast out of France.

Finally number four: I’m still have a short attention span which is why I’m working on several books at the same time. Keeps things interesting though!

Hopefully I haven’t blathered on too much and you’ve enjoyed reading this. I, for one, am pleased as punch to have had the opportunity to write this piece.

Until the next time (insert another waving emoji)

Alyson

[light-lanterne]

hi ✨💖 i love your writing ❤️ can you briefly explain the titles of your stories? they are very interesting! 🥰💕

hello ! thank you so much~! glad you like my stuff :] i'll try to keep it brief~

🌷 the darkest eyes: this is just a random name, tbh. there's no grand message or complex metaphor; it's just a reference to mike's eye colour as perceived by hopper.

🕰️ the trees are growing restless: so, these are actually the lyrics of the 1994 song 'summer dying fast' by cradle of filth, one of my absolute favourite extreme metal bands. to be completely honest, i was just listening to the song as i worked on the first chapter so the lyrics don't fully fit the story. that said, i think they do fit the last scene of the show rather well~

i watch the storm approaching, the darkness calls my name. the trees are growing restless, they feel the season change. their fruit has putrified, forbidden once and bound to die. the thread of life lies severed on the brink of paradise. grinning winds of hate unfurled. dash towers tall that grip the sun. talons stretch her veil. reclamation, our time has come…

🐈‍⬛ maybe i was destined to—: more lyrics! these are for the song 'strangers' by bring me the horizon. these fit the mood a bit more~ if you search for it, please mind the video. it's very creepy :S

break me down, break me down, make me get better. i confess that i'm a mess, some kind of error. well, maybe i was destined to disappear. we're just a room full of strangers looking for something to save us; alone together, we're dying to live and we're living to die. it never stops, can't erase this, so cross out my eyes, tear the pages. 'cause you and i, we're just dying to live and we're living to die. where did we go? we're all alone, all alone. no place like home; take us back to yesterday. sos, save us from ourselves.

🎻 4'33'': this is another musical one, albeit weirder. it's a reference to an experimental composition of the same name, conceived in 1947 by john cage. i think it's best if you look for it if you want to understand what type of song it is; the meaning and correlation to the story should be relatively clear once you listen to it~!

🕊️ sin deep, my darling angel: another reference to cradle of filth! this is a slight variation from 'sin deep my wicked angel', a rather beautiful and haunting instrumental piece from 2001~ i changed it so it fit the theme better :]

🦇 when our hearts lie six feet under: uh,,, another cradle of filth one x.x listen, their lyrics are beautiful, okei? this is from 2021, from their song 'necromantic fantasies'

when the moon is full and the wolves howl in the forest, would you take my hand and lead us both on our final voyage? would we share our dreams, those necromantic fantasies? really, could we ever be apart when our hearts lie six feet under?

fun fact, the title of the song has a double meaning: the obvious interpretation about dark arts, and a play on words! necro (death) + romantic = a romance that can only happen in death~ i thought it fit the vampire theme rather well

💐 how many tears to nurture a rose: ,,,yeah, uh,,, hi. my name is angel and i get hyperfixated on things x.x anyway, more cradle of filth !! the song (also from 2021) has the same title, but this one doesn't really fit the story all that well :( alas, it was a great title for the concept so here we are !

i did try to use some lyric from another song, 'discourse between a man and his soul', but it's far too dramatic of a title for this story x.x these lyrics are very pretty and fitting, thought~

oh my beautiful friend, i will love thee until the end is nigh. and in time, i'll find thee in my arms on the vast other side.

🔪 ...but here is one: okay, we have escaped the hyperfixation~ we're still on the songs, though. this is from the 1995, stunning song 'all flowers in time bend towards the sun', by jeff buckley and elizabeth fraser. it's an unreleased little song, very intimate and tender, and it's referenced in one of my main inspirations for this story, 'the cat lady'.

all flowers in time bend towards the sun. i know you say that there's no-one for you, but here is one.

in the game itself, it's mentioned by one of the main characters, who is trying to get through to our very depressed protagonist. she's essentially letting our protagonist know that some day she will find happiness, and that she's there for her~

🚀 until the stars all fall down: last but not least ! another song one, this is from the soundtrack of the inspiration game itself, it's called 'everything's alright', by laura shigihara. i shan't spoil too much of it; just know it plays at perhaps the most emotional moment of the game x.x

when this world is no more, the moon is all we'll see. i'll ask you to fly away with me. until the stars all fall down, they empty from the sky. but I don't mind, if you're with me, then everything's alright.

edit: the story is now called “telomeres”. it's a reference to the sleep token song of the same name.

and that's that ! i hope this isn't too long x.x thanks for the question and for being so sweet~!

[raindropsonwhiskers]

4, 5, 8, 17 for the dnd asks but make it for doccy whomst system :D

4. What's your favorite part of DMing?

Getting to design fun situations to put yall in! I'm less big on the NPCs, but I Love making Situations. And of course, seeing how you guys handle it all is so rewarding (minus the puns. You can cease and desist with those.)

5. Do you have a favorite NPC? Or type of NPC?

Having just said what I did re: NPCs, I think my favorite type of NPC to play is Smug Inconvenience (see: the Rani, the Weeping Angel)

8. Do you prefer world or character creation?

Definitely the worldbuilding! So much of the fun of the DWRPG system and our campaign specifically is how it provides almost total freedom to create a cool world for one adventure, and then... not have to worry about it afterwards. Like with the Angel homeworld in Stone Cold! It was a cool concept and now if I ever want to build on it, I can, but I don't have to think too hard about the logistics of the world anymore

17. What's your favorite thing your DM does?

Okay well. I'm picking one thing for each GM because this is a very unfair question otherwise.

Ray: their character voices, oh my GOD. Caryo, the bear trap, the bees - their Commitment To The Bit is unparalleled

Kitty: her characters. She has a talent for creating just. The most compelling, fucked up little NPCs and I cannot help but get attached Every Time

Skye: how much depth and lore and love xe puts into faer story concepts. I just KNOW that there are layers to whatever it is xe has planned for faer overarching plot that we probably won't get to find, and I cannot wait to hear the behind the scenes for all of it :D

[nellie-elizabeth]

His Dark Materials: The Break (3x02)

Oh boy oh boy!! It's so fun to be someone who knows roughly what's coming, because shit is already getting wild.

Cons:

So I'm going to have a lot of praise for Ruth Wilson, who plays Mrs. Coulter, in a second, but there was one part in the script that I wasn't as wild about. The moment when Will has Lyra and is about to use the knife to run away and leave Marisa behind... see, this is such a pivotal moment, such a key lynchpin of the story, and I wanted Coulter's behavior to be a little more, what's the word, deranged? Unsettled? As it was, it felt like she was still in almost entirely manipulation mode, playing off of Will's feelings about his own mother to get what she wants. And that's such a key part of Marisa's character, her skilled manipulation, I get that... I just wanted this moment to be used to show the ways in which she's unraveling a bit more. A subtle thing, that I'm having a bit of a hard time articulating, but there it is.

I really like Balthamos in this adaptation but I wish there had been a bit more time with him as he's processing his grief and his purpose in life now that Baruch is gone (RIP, buddy, we hardly knew ye). I recall in the books really getting to watch this angel go through, like, a crisis of faith? It was strange and lovely and painful, and I feel like we didn't get enough time with it here. Maybe as the season goes on we'll fold that concept in better, who knows.

Pros:

I want to walk back my light criticism of Asriel from the first episode, because I'm officially obsessed with how deranged he's being. He's truly just willing to do whatever, torture people, kill children, to get what he wants. And we've always known this about him, but it was so stark and shocking this week when he dismissed Lyra's significance and was willing to essentially use her as bait if he had to. But then again, just like Marisa, there's something more complicated going on under it all. As he rushes off to where Lyra and Marisa are in the cave, his daemon points out that his sense of purpose is shaky as he tries to use the intention craft. He focuses up, says he knows exactly why he's going there. And that's to get the knife, that can kill God. It's all about Will, it's just a coincidence that Lyra and Marisa are there too, right? Deliciously twisty, especially since he shows up after Will and Lyra have already vanished along with their new tiny flying friend Salmakia, to find Marisa unconscious on the cave floor.

With Asriel and Marisa we also get some of the most interesting stuff this show does with the daemon characters. I continue to be a little disappointed that such a key part of the story feels like an afterthought, but with Marisa and the golden monkey, and Asriel and Stelmaria, there's all sorts of juicy stuff going on. Stelmaria is acting as Asriel's conscience, his heart, reminding him not to discount Lyra entirely, reminding him that he cares about other people. And the monkey... well, his silence continues to be chilling and disturbing, as does the strange push and pull between the two disparate halves of this same soul. Watching a daemon smash a rock over its human's head was so intense. Obviously she told him to do it, but if anything that makes it even spookier.

Just... everything Ruth Wilson did in this episode was astonishing. Give her an award, stat. She's so good at playing this muted terror as she realizes Lyra is in danger, so good at toying with Father Gomez to give Will time to enact his rescue plan. I love the way she spoke to Will, how convincing she is. That's such a trend with this show, is that sometimes the shit being said by the "bad guys" makes a hell of a lot of sense, and you want Marisa to be able to stay in charge, fix everything. But she can't.

I'm excited that Lyra is awake now and going to be more actively involved for the last run of episodes of this show. The moment when she stood in front of her mother and said "let me go" was another standout in terms of performance, for both of the actresses.

We get a brief check-in with Mary Malone, nothing much to say there, just trying to move her along to where she needs to be. I have this feeling that some of her material will be vastly reduced, or shoved into one episode for the bulk of it, and while I like the stuff in The Amber Spyglass with her, I do think for an adaptation that has eight episodes to work with, condensing some of her stuff makes a bit of sense.

And then there's Will. MVP, child of my heart, such a good kid. His determination to save Lyra is so steadfast, so moving, that when it actually works and the cost is so fucking high, it comes as a real blow. The breaking of the knife is a real shocker. Even knowing it was going to happen, seeing it there in shattered pieces on the ground made me gasp. This episode did such a good job of building up how badly Asriel wants the knife, how much even the angels fighting in the rebellion think it's an essential piece of the plan. Balthamos lost the angel he had loved for generations, all in service of communicating with Asriel about that knife and its bearer. And in a moment of weakness where Will thought of his mother when trying to cut through to another world, it's broken. Gasp!

I love Will and Lyra lying out side by side, Lyra taking Will's hand. It's this moment of peace, of rest, of quiet grief, as they have to figure out what the hell will happen next. And there's so little control they have, now that they've been parted from the things that gave them their strength: the alethiometer for Lyra, and the knife for Will.

I'm really pumped! These first two episodes, but episode two especially, make me so excited to see how the rest of the adaptation is going to shake out. There's a lot of chaos coming!

9/10

[sothischickshe]

Please rank Buffy seasons from most favorite to least favorite and elaborate whyyyyyyy

Oh thank you sweetie, I love this question!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

So I think it goes:

Season 3: I do like the later seasons too but the high school era is my fave. And this is the best of those seasons for me! Edges out s2 bc FAITH, & also the wishverse

Season 2: also a great season! Spike!!! Points deducted for juliet landau's earscraping accent, and also how on the nose some of the angel/us stuff is

Season 6: THE BIG BAD IS LIFE!!!!! Musical ep! Angsty smutty spuffy! The payoff to a lot of willow/magic/power stuff which had built over several seasons!!!! Def my fave season of the post-high school era, I think you can tell the show was being run by a woman at this point, unfairly maligned, extremely iconic.

Season 1: unfairly maligned! A pretty decent intro season, yes there are some eps which aren't great but that's probs true of every season and w/e it also has bangers like nightmares. Points added for being a short punchy season tbh.

Season 4: what a mixed bag! Several of my fave high concept eps but overall as a season it does flounder. Riley is a very boring character, and the initiative plot wasn't particularly well handled, and the fact the show clearly didn't have enough of a budget to do it well makes it seem an odd choice. Chipped spike was a v fun addition to the gang though!

Season 7: it's OK, overall I like it/s finale as a cap to the show & the first is a pretty engaging big bad. But the eps feel very undifferentiated & a lot of the potential slayers are downright annoying.

Season 5: definitely my least fave season. First of all Dawn is an extremely annoying character, I know she does get better in the later seasons but never enough to justify the sudden inclusion of a young character in a show that was pleasantly becoming one about adults imo (the parallel of conor in Angel probs quadruples my irritation lol). But also suddenly throwing us into ~an au version of the show that we just remain in is SUCH a weird writing choice?? AND riley's still there for a good chunk of the season?? 🙄 bleugh! plus I find glory to be quite an annoying villain, she's a god from some other realm who kinda speaks like a valley girl bc... why? Feels like it was written by Mike schur (derogatory). Ben is such a wet blanket boring love interest too 🙄 and the ~madness stuff is downright offensive. I will add that s5 was v confusing the first time I watched it cos it aired pre watershed on the BBC and they just cut loads of stuff out sdftdfg eg the 'bater' side of the master/bater jokes, or Ben's death 😅 & like i do appreciate that last part isn't exactly the show's fault but maybe that did poison me against it a little extra 😂

Pls tell me yours loopz? 👀