#so then I have to learn but like God Damn so much Music exists it’s crazy I will never listen to everything that exists in my life time Damn

[pebblezone]

Thinking so hard about sertegra dancing fic that has not yet been created

[yourwitchybrother]

Apollo, My Beloved

Perhaps I couldn't wait any longer before I finally addressed my beloved patron and godspouse. Both of which are terms I will define in this post. Apollo has been part of my life, well... since birth! Being my Patron, he has been around for all of it. He's seen me at my best and at my worst, he's seen me through my relationships and my hardships. He saw me through my hardest moments, through the easier times, and through the trauma I've faced.

So yeah. He and I are pretty close. Let's get into it, this is going to be a long one.

Who is Apollo? ☀

I have heard Apollo referred to as the God of many things, and this description of him is not incorrect as much as it is a gross minimization of the things he takes Godly precedence over. He is the god of:

The Sun; Light; Poetry; Music and the Arts; Healing / Medicine; Plagues; Knowledge; Order; Prophecy; Truth; A God of Beauty; Agriculture; and Archery.

Some of these things are not as well known as others, and there are absolutely some things missing from that list. Again. He rules over a lot of things.

Apollo, in my life, has been more present as the God of music and the arts, and prophecy. A major part of my practice is the art of prophecy and divination, the concept of time and the future. Of course, I do not have as much time as I would like to delve fully into the concept of time as much as I'd like, but I still like to dip my toes into the concept of prophecy. It took me a while to accept the fact that prophecies do, in fact, exist, and they are things that can be accessed by someone who is not the Oracle at Delphi.

Apollo is also known for having many lovers and, more nuanced, has been claimed as a patron God of Queer individuals. He has had his fair share of gay lovers himself, and in fact, is quite known for having a series of lovers who have then turned into plants. For example:

Hyacinthus, who was turned into a Hyacinth. Daphne, who was turned into a Laurel tree. Cyparissus, who was (unwillingly) turned into a Cyprus Tree.

At a certain point, it is almost comical.

Apollo, as a Worshipper and Devotee.

Of course, everyone starts somewhere. And for a good portion of my practice, I started as a worshipper and devotee of Apollo. This meant that I was dedicating certain acts to him and gifting him little trinkets and leaving him offerings. My favorite instance was when I left him a pack of cookies for about a month. After a month, I went to eat them as to not waste them. The cookies gave me static and shocked me. Apollo and I had a conversation about boundaries following this.

I have been devoted to Apollo my whole life, I like to say. Ever since I could improperly hold utensils within my digits, I drew on things. When I first learned how to make illegible sounds, I sang. When I learned how to create poorly worded poetry, I crafted it. By no means am I a lyrical genius or a poet laureate. In fact, I'm horrible at writing song lyrics and I have only ever written one catchy verse, and in all my years of playing Ukulele, I have never been able to play and sing until November of last year.

However, in my early childhood, leading up to college, I was nearly prodigal when it came to musical instruments. I graduated high school knowing how to play clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, flute, xylophone, euphonium (my favorite), bass guitar, acoustic guitar, ukulele, trumpet, trombone, and kalimba. I'm sure there are people out there who know more instruments, but all things considered, this is a damn collection of instruments that I'm pretty okay at. In 8th grade I was the back-up singer in my military schools rock band, I was the acoustic guitarist.

I've also been acting for about 9 years (I'm about to be 20), which is a good portion of my sentient and cognisant life. I've done work both on stage and off, but yet still have not managed to be in a musical. They scare me.

Not to mention my history with other forms of art. In fifth grade, I painted a still life that was elected and ended up in a local art gallery. In the first week of May, one of my photos from study abroad was selected as being the best in its category and I won a prize. My history teacher hung a drawing I did of her daughter in the classroom because she adored it so much. However, that may have just been because it was a picture of her daughter.

This laundry list of artistic endeavors is not meant to be a flex or a brag. It's meant to showcase my extensive history in the arts and my devotion to Apollo. He has been an important part of my life. Before every performance, I pray to him. Before every concert, I'd ask him to send me humility and patience. Before every drawing, I ask Apollo for inspiration and a dash of creative whimsy. I also say hi to the sun every morning, wishing him a good morning while I drink my morning coffee.

Apollo, as my Patron.

As my patron, Apollo is my biggest mentor. He is there for me through thick and thin. When the going gets tough. I know I can lean on and rely on him.

My mother calls me Sunshine (my hair sticks up and gets all frizzy, and so she calls me Sunshine because she considers my hair to be rays), she always has. This is reflective of Apollo's presence in my life, in my opinion. A little ray of the sunshine that he emits.

But back to the mentor thing. Apollo has always been someone I can look to whenever I need guidance. Whether that means consulting the cards and asking him for some guidance, or using a pendulum and having an asinine round of "is that a yes or a no" with him, or him sending me a sign.

Very recently, I asked him for a sign that he's still there. That he hasn't gone anywhere or left me. I asked him to send me something bright orange, out of the ordinary, that I wouldn't expect to see. About two days later, at the beach, one of the friends we had been waiting on shows up wearing a bright orange dress. And I mean neon. And she never wears bright colors like that.

But, enough hyperspecific personal anecdotes. If I keep going, this post would be an autobiography.

Apollo, as a patron, is a very hyper and mischievous guide and mentor. He will say things that don't make sense in the moment, but will eventually make sense. He likes his riddles. He likes his complex-meaning messages. That is why it's important to write things down, of course.

Apollo, as a Godspouse.

So, let me start with the definition of a Godspouse. A godspousal to a God, Goddess, or any divine being with the intention to devote yourself to them wholly and fully for the rest of your life. This can look like a lot of things. It can be entirely platonic, it can be romantic, it can be a continuous boss-employee work style relationship, pretty much anything. The only difference between this and a normal worship or working relationship is that it is sort of binding. It is not a light decision to make, and it should be a decision you make after years of already devoting yourself to the divine being.

I am of the unpopular belief that you can start deity work at any time during your practice, not just later on. Apollo started my practice with me, and I am of the firm belief that I only understood parts of my practice and have made so much progress with his assistance. It obviously depends on the deity you work with, which deities you accept help from, and who you let into your life. But this is an entirely separate post for another time. Apollo and I have developed a strong, firm bond over the past 10 years. And in the grand scheme of my practice, we've been godspoused for only a short while.

Our relationship is more of a romantic kind, in the sense that we have our affectionate nicknames for one another (he calls me his songbird and sunbeam, and I call him Sunspot / my sunlight). We flirt back and forth and send one another gifts (I, in the form of offerings, and he, in the form of signs and literal gifts through people in my life). It's a sweet little give-and-take we have. My end goal, though, is to become a sort of oracle for Apollo. Again, this loops back to my obsession with time and prophecy.

The End (Finally)

If you read all of that, you rock! Apollo is important to me and he has left a major imprint in my life. He is a major source of light for me and to not ramble about him this much would be a cardinal sin of which I would have to repent for. Plus, he loves and adores attention. But I will stop running my mouth. As usual, if you have any questions or requests, feel free to comment them here or submit an ask via my tumblr. Blessed be, may the sun be your guide! A domani!

[givemeanaccountalready]

My friend told me to check out Milgram while I wait for my new computer to arrive so I can fixate on something since I cannot write on anything except my phone’s Notes app. And oh. My. God. This premise is horrific yet hilarious. I love it.

Before you kill me, take a step back and think about it.

Can you just imagine being Kazui, a 39 year old man, or even Shidou, a 29 year old doctor, just two grown men with life experience and enough regret to weigh down a rocket, waking up in what is definitely not their bedroom and learning that they’ve more or less been kidnapped to a special jail where they have 3 trials to be deemed innocent or guilty and that everyone in this special jail has killed someone. I can only imagine that they walked out of their rooms thinking they’d see other men of their age, being a little bummed out at seeing 23 year old Mikoto, 22 year old Mahiru, and 20 year old Fuuta and Kotoko and being like, “Damn, they’ve hardly lived and they’ve thrown it all away like we have. How sad and terrible.”

Then there are two high school girls, Yuno and Mu. And then they see a literal fucking 12 year old girl. There is a literal fucking 12 year old, who hasn’t even started junior high yet. The girl is an elementary schooler! And she’s killed, and by all accounts, not especially bothered about it because it was a punishment ordained by God. Yes, I’ve listened to both music videos and voice dramas, and poor Amane needs so much therapy and cult de-programming, but the crosses the line twice humor about it is her attitude:

“Maybe if you didn’t fuck around with God’s will, you wouldn’t have had to find out.” -Amane, a literal 12 year old

And by the way, a rabbit is the warden of the prison. He is a jackalope who can cook and talk, but only the 15 year old prison guard with amnesia can understand him.

Edit: I can’t believe I forgot Haruka. I didn’t know that the voice dramas existed so his video came up and I was like what happened to this poor, little meow meow, watched his MV, and was like “Oh, he not a widdle fucked up, he a wot fucked. Never trust appearances, got it.” I had no idea why the internet voted him innocent until I heard the voice drama and was like “Okay now I think I get why.”

[raythekiller]

what are your personal headcanons for the pretty ladies? i don't see enough people requesting them 😭

🗒 ❛ General Headcanons ༉‧₊˚✧

Featuring: Kate The Chaser, Clockwork, Jane The Killer, Nina The Killer

#Notes: on god I love women

˗ˏˋ back to navigation ´ˎ˗

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Kate The Chaser

She used to be in the track team while in highschool, which is why she's so fast now. Not mute, but basically non-verbal, so like Hoodie she communicates mostly through notes or ASL. When she does talk, her voice is very low and raspy, never above a whisper. Almost never spends any time in the manor, opting instead on sleeping in a tent in the woods around it, even though she has a perfectly good room waiting for her. Speaking of her room, it has basically no decoration or personality in it since she stepped inside of it like, 2 times since joining Slenderman.

Genuinely loves kids. Sally calls her "Aunt Kate" and it's just the cutest damn thing ever. Kinda wishes she could have some of her own, but given her environment that's pretty out of the question. Actually quite good friends with Hoodie and Toby, having a sibling relationship with both of them. Hoodie because she likes the fact he can't speak and they communicate in a similar way, plus he's just pleasant to be around, and Toby because she genuinely finds his shenanigans funny (even if she never laughs). However, doesn't like Masky one bit, and he's one of the main reasons why she works alone instead of with the other proxies. Also, super random, but she listens to Billie Eilish.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Clockwork

She has a buzzcut and I WILL fight anyone on this. Long hair gets in the way of her killing, also the hoes love bitches with short hair. She's a total womanizer, even though she's technically bisexual, women just hit different for her in general. Toby actually had a thing for her for the longest time and was pretty obvious about it, but in all honesty she finds him... Well, weird, so it was a hard no from her and now they kind of have this bad blood between them and avoid being in the same room together cause it just gets awkward. She loves drawing, mostly tradicional art with no colors, and hands it on her bedroom walls. They're covered head to toe in various different sketches.

Again, speaking of her room, it's the definition of those indie rooms you find on Pinterest. She loves plants as has like, 20 of them just laying around on shelves, windowsills and the floor. Also, she's not super into videogames, but she loves The Last Of Us and got Ellie's tattoo on her arm (y'know, the one with some plants and a moth). She has a guitar, but honestly spent more time decorating it with stickers and such than learning how to play.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Jane The Killer

My version of Jane is Jane Richardson, the one who was a government experiment, so she's one of the only creeps (if not the only one) who doesn't live in the manor or talks with any of the others. In fact, she hates almost all of them. Not as much as Jeff, but still. The only person she's okay with is Clockwork because they met before she even knew Natalie was a serial killer and found her flirting funny, so they're kind of friends now despite the probabilities. When she does bump into some of the other creeps, Masky avoids her like the plague (she scares him). She's a trad goth AND listens to the music, mostly Evanescence and Within Temptation.

Definitely knows how to play the piano. Personality speaking, she didn't change much after the tragedies happened - she's still the loving, caring person she was before, even if a bit more cynical. She believes in kindness and how it persists even in the worst of situations, and she's not about to let some emo bitch boy turn her bitter.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Nina The Killer

Has every nail polish color in existence and is the reason why most of the creeps nails are painted (yes, even Jeff. She did it while he was sleeping). Speaking of Jeff, they actually don't get along in a mutual sense. Sure, she was obsessed with him, but that was before meeting the sleazy fuck that he actually is and not the prince she fantasized about. She does, however, get along great with Toby, who's one of the only people who can match her energy and so they hang out all the time. She was also obsessed with true crime and generally any morbid media, like Death Note (Misa was her bisexual awakening). Also, definitely collects Monster High dolls.

As any alt kid, she loves fashion and customizing her own clothes. Has patch skirts and tie-dye shirts and everything in between. Absolutely a scene girl, her favorite bands are Mindless Self Indulgence and Get Scared. May or may not write weird fanfic in the notes app about the singers, who knows. She loves playing Stardew Valley and will go days on end without sleeping, trying to save up enough money to upgrade her barn.

[badaseyebags]

͙͘͡★ what is love ¿

minah lee x reader

genre: angst (i’m so sorry😭)

warnings: toxic relationships, mentions of cheating, sa, abuse, trauma, insecurities, god damn there’s so many what the hell

word count: around 1,4k (i toned it down y’all)

author’s note: hello guys i’m so sorry for not publishing frequently, i will try my best to fix it soon. hopefully such a topic isn’t difficult to read and isn’t too taboo. on a real note this is just something that’s always been in the back of my mind and i never got the chance to speak about to anybody, so this feels a little freeing. thank you to all those who read 🫶🏻 promise more stuff (not angst) is coming soon!! 🍞

do you really have no shame? attempting to enter my life over and over without a single care in the world. thinking you could start fresh and break me all over again, just so you could make me feel something towards you. is that why you kept letting me down? because by breaking my heart, you’d have the chance to be the person to glue back the pieces for me? so tell me, do you really regret the pain you’ve caused me? or do you just miss being important to someone who forgives and never changes no matter how much time passes? too bad you’ve lost that spot you’re never gonna get back. maybe you’re this way because of how dirty other people did you in the past, and how much you feared vulnerability. i guess that’s why i never held it against you, instead blamed myself for being weak and getting hurt.

so why is it that i can’t imagine myself becoming someone like you despite all i’ve been through? if pain changes people, why am i still the same person? have i just not been hurt enough? is that why you kept going? after all your words were clear. “one day you will meet someone who will treat you worse and hurt you more, and then you will realise i wasn’t so bad.” those words stuck with me. more than any other words you’ve told me. more than any memories of you, and the words stung worse than your actions themself. younger me never forgave you, so she chose to forget. memories i can’t even recall, memories i am not even sure myself are real. no matter how many times i try, it’s all foggy. as if it never happened, those memories almost feel like they disappeared. i know they’re there, i know they exist. hidden in some drawer that’s locked with a key i don’t recall hiding. maybe i wished too hard to forget you until it became true. that name that made my heart drop when i heard it, now passes from one ear to the other, falling deaf with no reaction. “Minah.” it all means nothing now.

just a word, just a name. yet back then it meant so much to me. back then when i had no clue about what love should and shouldn’t be. now that i’ve learned what it shouldn’t be, am i ready to find out what it should be like? is it in my destiny?

so what exactly is love…? a question i wondered about since i could remember.. it almost feels like that question existed before i could ask myself who i am, who i wanna be, and what even is my name. a question i hear so often, daily, monthly, yearly.. all the time. in person, on the tv, in music, in books, in my mind. perhaps that question was born before i was. is it a feeling? is it a person? is it both? is it neither?

you’d think i’d already have an answer by now, right? maybe my heart is still too childish to understand such a thing, or maybe i’m just too busy trying to protect that “childish” heart from falling into the wrong hands again. somebody who builds a house of cards just to blow them away with a single breath.

I never want to meet another you in different body. another fake promise, another one hundred chances when you didn’t deserve a single one. somebody who doesn’t treasure the idea of love, someone who takes those words so lightly, just for the fun and laughter and their own benefit, according to their needs.

am i scared of love? no, not real love. i’m more scared about not ever finding it. so what exactly prevents me from getting the answer to my question? is it my own brain that’s filled with overthinking? the same brain that keeps telling me once a new person gets to know all my fears, doubts and insecurities, they will disappear and turn into who you are now. just a stranger with movies worth of memories. a stranger who once had my all, and it still wasn’t enough.

was it love when you promised me that one day we would live together in a little house in the country side with nothing to worry about? just us and our promised pets we agreed to raise together? the same promise you later claimed was childish and stupid, saying we were too young to even know what love is?

…you were in the heat of the moment, you didn’t mean it. i assured myself.

was it love when you yelled at me for seeing the photos in your camera roll, the messages popping up on your screen, the phone calls you answered thinking i fell asleep in your arms, telling me it all meant nothing to you and i’m just not in my right mind for accusing you of wrong doings?

…she just didn’t want me to see it and get hurt over assuming the worst, it was just a misunderstanding, i’m sure of it.. i lied to myself.

was it love when you didn’t allow me to leave you and ended up taking everyone i care about away from me? ..she just wanted me all to herself, i lied again.

was it love when you apologised for the way the palm of your hand clashed with my cheeks a bit too often? and when you insulted me over and over again, after you finally stopped claiming it never happened? ..she was probably just too guilty and wanted to forget about it so she could start over. i found comfort in my own lies, in the version of you i hoped you were.

or was it love when you pressured me into doing things i was deeply scared of? things i never wanted to do, things i wasn’t ready for.. things that you knew kept me up at night, as i cried myself to sleep in fear. i just didn’t want you to leave me for those other people who weren’t as slow as me and suddenly.. i stopped believing all those lies and started seeing the truth. and as if it were magic, i was no longer scared of you, or you leaving. i felt relief.

you took so much of me that i lost my self for a second. but you.. you lost me forever.

i thought i’d never be able to insult you, until your name itself became an insult.

my scars have healed, they no longer bleed. but could somebody ever look at them, and still want to show me.. what true love is meant to be?

i have the answer now, you don’t have to tell me. it wasn’t love. it never was, you showed me what love should never look like. what is love though?… that question still remains, and i wonder once again.. is love even meant for someone like me? someone so clumsy and fragile, confused and naive. someone with a heart made of glass. i want love.. i really do.. but the question is, does love want someone as unlovable as me?

so why is my heart still hoping, that one day someone will come into my heart and prove everything you said is wrong. prove my doubts wrong, prove my fears wrong. teach me how to love and experience it all with me. paint my white heart red. little by little, soft shade of pink turning into a deep scarlet. painting it so gently, stroke by stroke. my heart was always a white canvas, waiting to be painted. you stole the paint brush, but not to paint it.. you took it by the other end and stabbed right into it. was it because you wanted me all to yourself? funny enough your brush had no paint on it, and my canvas remains uncoloured. uncoloured but scratched up.. ripped in places it shouldn’t be, covered up by colourful bandaids to hide it all. what kind of a painting could i be now? could i still be beautiful to someone? can someone really paint me to their liking and be proud of the image they created? is a broken canvas still worth colouring? will someone enjoy our shared laughter as much as our shared tears? am i dreaming too hard? please tell me there’s someone out there who will tell me, love is not just a fairytale.

…i whisper as i make a wish upon a shooting star.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

[crushedgraham]

Fic where Widowmaker’s girlfriend secretly learns a love song in French for her because she’s shy and bad at expressing her feelings 🫶?

Suns and Stars

FICS ARE COMINGGG ive been busy with projects and tests BUT IM GONNA LOCK IN FOR KINKTOBER REQUESTS but enjoy this fluff :)

It's been 6 months. 6 damn months in you and Amélie's relationship and you still hadn't said the three big words: I love you. You've tried. But every time you get even remotely close, the words die on your tongue. God, you can't even kiss her without your body temperature skyrocketing - so how the hell were you supposed to express how much you loved her?

Everyday at exactly 8 AM, Amélie does her morning stretches, yoga and cardio sessions. You've been using this to your advantage - sneaking out of bed a few minutes after her to practice your French in an abandoned music room on the far side of the castle, then slipping back in before she comes back to take a shower. This morning followed the routine.

Soft padding from your fluffy slippers shuffling against the tile floor echoes against the stone walls, the sounds barely registering in your groggy mind. Your eye lids still felt heavy from sleep - a soft huff of a yawn escaping from your lips. The room is spacious yet empty, forgotten pieces of furniture scattered amongst the dust but a grand piano remaining in the middle. Faintly you can just barely make out on the body of the piano, a neatly carved heart with the cheesy "A+G" initials in the center - a testament of the history now long gone.

The squeak from the rusty hinges of the fallboard causes you to cringe while lowering yourself to the cold leather bench. From your pocket, you unfold the sheet music to "Je l'aime à mourir", small notes and lines scribbled across the paper. By now you know the song by heart but every time you hear even the slightest noise you lose concentration and forget the notes.

In a practiced motion, your fingers draw towards the correct keys. Time seems to stop with everything in your mind fading with it except for one name: Amélie.

The lyrics begin as a soft hum, gradually increasing with the piano in crescendo. Melodies flutter throughout the room, carrying the harmonies deep into the rest of the castle - unbeknownst to you.

A pair of golden eyes stare at the back of your head, a far off look present in the irises. The overwhelming rush of emotions is almost painful, her heart defying the countless hours spent to repress any and all traces of soul left in the shell of the French woman. Distantly Amélie can feel the mourning, the grief, the utter anguish squeezing at her heart. Memories of her past life - the life that she could never have - glimmers like twinkling stars; Thousands of miles away yet shining ever so brightly.

But bittersweetly, the only happy ending she can envision is a life with you. Gerard may have been her stars but you are her sun. The warmth and light of her life - the very reason for her existence.

"Je l'aime à mourir" (I love her to death)

The French rolls off your tongue perfectly and raw, unadulterated love floods through her veins. Amélie believes that no experiment or torture can take this feeling away.

As the final note fades out, you nearly jump out of your skin as cool air brushes against your ear.

"You play beautifully Chérie, such a talented girl," Amélie's voice lacks the usual teasing undertone, sounding unusually vulnerable. You move to turn your body but her strength outmatches yours. Her forehead rests against your shoulder, a worrying dampness sinking into the fabric down to your skin. Instinctively your hands reach behind you to stroke her purple tresses, a small attempt at comforting your lover.

"Do you mean it?" Amélie's voice is hushed and muffled against your body, quivering ever so slightly.

The question makes you hesitate but not because of your love for her. No, you knew with every atom in your body that you loved Amélie - but saying it out loud had your body tensing. Though your silence sends the wrong message. Amélie begins pulling away from you, off put and disappointed by the lack of a response.

"Je t'aime! I- I love you so much." The words stumble out clumsily in one breath - desperately trying to make up for your silence.

Amélie pauses and you swing your legs over the bench to face her. She leans closer, her eyebrows pushed together - traces of fear and vulnerability lingering in her orbs.

"Truly?" Right now, she was just Amélie, not Widowmaker, not the emotionless assassin - right now she's just your Amélie.

"Yes! God - I'm so stupid. I should've told you sooner but I just couldn't get it out! I...I really do love you though, Amé"

In a flash, her lips surge to capture yours. The force slams your back into the keys creating an ugly shrill, piercing sound, akin to a noise in a horror movie. But you pay no attention to it, hell, you don't even notice it when Amélie's lips are devouring yours. The kiss is bruising and your chest burns from the lack of air but it didn't matter, no only Amélie mattered right now.

Sharp, black nails dig into your soft robe, pulling your body impossibly closer. Her lips trail up to your ear, a fanged canine catching the lobe as she whispers:

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that Mon Amour, je t'aime aussi"

Je l'aime à mourir - I love her to death

Chérie - Darling

Mon Amour - My love

Je t'aime - I love you

Je t'aime aussi - I love you too

[grace--le--domas]

PJO- Some Show Recommendations for the showrunners if s2 is greenlit

Season 1 was kinda...boring? Honestly, that is the last thing I expected a PJO adaptation to be. The books aren't perfect, but they are fun! There is friendship, adventure, humour, all while still the characters grapple with some pretty serious stuff. The show (except for the first two episodes and the finale) feels stiff.

Show is too exposition-y, the pacing is off and it of course breaks the cardinal rule of show- don't -tell.

Thankfully, the concerns are easily remedied. Coming of age stories are a dime and dozen, and I think that the showrunners could actually learn from the TV shows and movies of past. So, I compiled some recommendations for them :) Read on if extensive analysis is your thing :)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer- Honestly, this is theee coming of age story. It follows Buffy (the chosen one), as she navigates high school, college and eventually adulthood, along with slaying vampires. And instead of a sullen main character, we as an audience are treated to a sassy, take-no-prisoners variant of the chosen one trope. There are so many similarities between Percy and Buffy- both are loyal to a fault, sarcastic and stubborn. They understand that they cannot escape their respective destinies, but they'll be damned if they don't see things through their own way. Both are brave to a fault, and adore their found families. The writers could take some inspiration from BTVS and Buffy's character arc (to an extent). Bonus- BTVS has great examples of melding humour in serious situations.

2. Mission Impossible Series- This one might be a bit controversial, but hear me out. I know most people consider the MI films popcorn flicks-and they are- but most the movies in the series are paced excellently. There is a sense of urgency in MI films- which was severely lacking in the PJO show. Have a deadline, let me feel anxious for these kids.

MI also has some excellent action scenes. And before you say, well PJO is not an action series, I would like to say that I agree- but the beauty of adaptating something is that you get to change things. Well paced action sequences, even if they are about a minute or so, are necessary break up the exposition dumps. It breaks the monotony. It makes you feel afraid for these kids, who are running from one dangerous situation/monster to another.

3. Dune (2023)- Thematically, Dune is vastly different from PJO. I am including it in this list for several reasons- editing, cinematography world building and sound editing.

To put it bluntly, I don't feel connected to the world of the PJO series at all- which is a shame because it is an incredible world! Greek mythological creatures co-existing with the modern world! Modern myths! Greek gods!. But it is all introduced in the most boring, exposition-y way possible.

The cinematography doesn't shine until the last episode. I want interesting shots, fluid camera movements- just anything that breaks the monotony of scenes. For example- I loved Poseidon's introduction, why wasn't this type of cinematography present in the rest of the series. Shoot the gods differently, make use of different camera compositions. Experiment a little for god's sake.

Coming to sound, yeah this one was the most disappointing of all. There are no memorable sound motifs, which is a shame because sound can convey so much more than words in certain scenes. I say Harry Potter music and you instantly think about the charcteristic symphony. This is missing sorely in the tv show.

Sidenote- I would have chosen Nathan Barr as the music composer (missed opportunity Disney). Look up his work, and you'll understand why I said this.

Coming to editing, yeah the editing is clunky at best. That is all I have to say about that for the moment.

Let me know if anyone wants a part 2 :)

[melishade]

How is Erwin doing in the 'New Age' Anthology? Also do you think Onyakopon have time to talk to Agent Fowler about his flying skills and how can he still fly without a proper pilot uniform just like he did during the original TFP series?

Main Story

Eren Jaeger

Negotiations

Catching Up

Good question! Let's focus on Erwin for a bit!

Erwin was learning how to use the remote for the TV in his, Levi, and Jean's shared quarantine space. He used his flesh arm, not the cybernetic arm, to mindlessly flip through the channels. There were many things that did weird him out with every new channel he saw. He saw strange, moving, drawings committing acts of violence that were supposed to be played up for laughs. He saw strange creatures waging war, committing acts of violence, and a group of humans banning together to defend the world. He saw historical lessons on the creation of a country. He saw reports on war, chaotic storms, diseases, political violence, despair, death, and-!

"Sir, can you please turn that off?" Jean croaked from his bed.

"Sorry." The channel fell onto some music being played before he pressed the red button at the top of the remote. The music stopped and the screen went dark. Erwin stood up and placed the remote on the table under the hanging T.V.

"Thank you," Jean said as Erwin walked over to him.

"How are you feeling?" Erwin asked.

"Tired but better," Jean answered, "The medicine they've been giving me helps with the pain."

"Good to hear," Erwin said.

"How's the Captain?" Jean asked.

Erwin pulled the current back a little to check on his sleeping form. "Still sleeping."

Jean sighed in defeat. "What about the others? What about the island?"

"The others are in quarantine," Erwin explained, "as are we. I can't say much for the island. I don't know who would be running it, especially with Historia here. The island could be in chaos now that majority of the military was taken out in that Colossal Titan attack."

Erwin couldn't help but think back to his friend, Nile, at that moment. He had a feeling that Nile was no doubt there in Shinganshina when Marley attacked, and that there was a high chance that he was killed during the action. God damn it, he didn't even ask about him in the Paths. He was so overwhelmed with the information given to him and his old comrades that he had forgotten to ask about him. Erwin still had the comfort that Nile is in a better place, but he wish he had an actual moment to say goodbye to one of his oldest acquaintances.

"Sir," Jean called out, causing Erwin to snap out of his thoughts.

"You don't have to call me sir," Erwin reassured.

"Feels awkward if I don't," Jean confessed causing Erwin to chuckle a little.

"My days of being a Commander are over," Erwin declared as he went back to sit down, "Erwin works just fine."

As he sat down in the chair, he couldn't help but contemplate that. He was done being a Commander or leading in an army. He had no real reason to work under Megatron anymore. The power of the titans was gone. The Survey Corps completed the mission it set out to do, and every single one of them was rewarded with a second chance at life.

But now what happens?

Humans were known to be fickle being. So long as humanity did exist, conflict would continue. The coup the Survey Corps did was very proof of that statement. Titans weren't even involved for majority of it, and the remnants of the wall were already turning on each other. There were survivors of the Rumbling, and they were no doubt going to seek revenge, even with the assistance of the U.S. government and Cybertron. He had no idea how the events of the Rumbling were going to be portrayed and whether or not Paradis would be left alone.

He just hoped something good came out of it, because he certainly didn't have the energy or resources to help forge that future forward.

Erwin raised his head when he heard the door open and Nurse Darby walked into the room with a mask covering her mouth and a large black pad in her hand.

"Hey, how's everybody doing?" June asked.

"Fine," Erwin replied.

"Better," Jean spoke to her.

June turned her attention over to Levi and walked over to his bedside to check his I.V., setting the black pad down on ground in the process. She saw that it was almost empty and replaced it with another with ease.

"What does that even do?" Erwin couldn't but ask.

"It gives him his essential nutrients directly into his bloodstream, since he can't eat at the moment," June explained, "Don't ask about the catheter."

"The what?" Erwin tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, it sucks," Jean agreed.

"How are you feeling, Jean?" June asked as she walked over to him.

"Better. Leg doesn't hurt as much," Jean answered.

"I know hospital life isn't the best, but once your quarantine is over, we'll start you on physical therapy," June reassured.

"Learning how to walk again is going to be fun," Jean sarcastically grumbled.

"There are many disabled vets who'd share the same sentiment," June said, "If you want, I can direct you to a support group."

"I think I'd rather see my friends first," Jean declared.

"Fair enough," June stated.

As June continued to ask Jean questions, Erwin couldn't help but turn his attention back to the remote. He walked over and grabbed it before turning the T.V. back on. Erwin decided to flip to another channel and saw a news report calculating a death toll within the nation and across the world. Erwin couldn't help but feel some form of terror. That number was so high. How many people were on this world in the first place? And how many more were going to die?

"Please turn that off," June requested, "I'm already doing a lot here. I don't need to hear about the pandemic death toll."

"Sorry," Erwin apologized as he turned the T.V. off. June's attention was then drawn to Erwin's cybernetic arm. Her gaze when upward to where the metal and flesh were supposed to meet.

"Can I take a look at your right arm?" June asked.

Erwin was confused at the request but complied and held his cybernetic arm out to her. Erwin was surprised when she ignored the actual mechanism and rolled up the short sleeve of his white shirt to see the stub of his flesh.

"Skin doesn't look inflamed," June remarked as she rotated his arm with her gloved hands, "No rashes either. Any pain?"

"No pain." Erwin shook his head.

"Really? No nerve pain or soreness of muscles?" she asked.

"No, just a little extra weight that I'm not used to," Erwin answered, I can tell the difference in weight between my flesh and metal arm."

"How long have you had this?" June asked.

"Over a month at this point," Erwin replied, "Why do you ask?"

"It's amazing," June marveled, "Sure, Earth has prosthetics, but none as intricate as this. We just started to have bionic arm that can flew fingers and legs that can bend, but none of them are actually connected to the nervous system like this. Coat some paint on this, and this looks like a human arm. Stuff like this can bring a medical revolution."

Erwin couldn't help but be concerned at the implications of her statement. "Are you going to force me to stay here to talk?"

"No." June shook her head, "It would be good to observe long term benefits and side effects of an arm like this. If there is a chance that the metal in the arm does poison you, it would be good to detect it early." June let Erwin go. "Besides, we'd probably just ask Wheeljack for the blueprints. He was the one who made it for you, right?"

Erwin nodded his head.

"If we get that, you should be fine," June reassured.

Erwin felt a little bit at ease, but his gaze fell to the dark T.V. screen. "Your world...is chaotic."

"Yeah, that's what happens when there's over seven billion people living on it," June sighed in defeat.

"How are you able to handle a world like that?" Erwin asked, "Our world is fractured with the Rumbling, and it will take time for it to heal. Your world seems to be thriving, but there's so many people-!"

"That it causes a mess," June cut him off, "Doesn't help now that a new planet got the attention of the U.S. government, and my son's going to have to get more involved."

Erwin raised an eyebrow at that. Her son..."Jack is your son."

"Yeah." June nodded, "He got roped into this mess with the Autobots years ago, and he decided to become an agent. I worry about him every single day, but he's says he's leading a fulfilled life."

"Your son was very brave," Erwin stated.

"Yeah, well I just want him to be safe," June explained, "I think what gets me going is the reassurance that he returns home or gives me a call at the end of the day. Helps me keep my sanity."

June's eyes blinked as she remembered the black pad. She walked over to it and picked it up before pressing against it. "Speaking of calls."

Erwin saw the black pad glowing white, followed by a noise. The noise stopped and the white screen changed into that of a massive wall filled with notes. Erwin had a sinking feeling he knew who this was, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw someone scramble across the screen before hitting the ground in the process. They stood up, and Erwin couldn't help but smile at the sight of Hanji's disheveled hair.

"ERWIN!" Hanji cried with joy, "It's you and your bushy eyebrowed face!"

"You're okay, Hanji," Erwin sighed with relief as June handed him the pad for him to hold. The former commander held it with his flesh hand instead of the cybernetic one.

"Where's Levi and Jean?! How are they?!" Hanji demanded.

"Levi's still sleeping," Erwin explained, "But Jean's awake."

"Hey, Commander," Jean called out.

"Jean, you're alive!" Hanji cried out as Erwin adjusted the pad so Hanji could see his face, "There's so much I have to catch you up on!"

June couldn't help but smile at the sight of the three of them talking. She looked back at Levi's sleeping form, praying he would wake up soon before setting a charger on the table and leaving the room.

(In regards to the second half of your question with Onyankopon and Fowler, that's actually something that's super sweet. I'm certain I can't tackle it right now, but we'll see in the future. Also, final day for the Hundred Days OVA Poll is wrapping up soon. So please vote if you haven't!)

[irkimatsu]

There is so much comedy inherent in the idea of Charlie setting up a computer area in the hotel lobby. Sinners who died in the past few decades are going to want computer access, and other hotels have computers! Welcome to the future! ("Future" in quotation marks; these are chunky early-2000's relics. At least Sinners from a certain time period will appreciate them. Gotta look out for the ones who used computers but have never heard of a functioning touch screen.)

Alastor refuses to be in the same room as those screeching phone boxes. A phone connection that appears on a screen? What in hell's name is this? Charlie tries to teach him of the magic of the Internet by telling him he can use it to listen to radio shows. You know what else he can use to listen to radio shows? A radio. He has no need for this.

Do you think Niffty would write creepy romance novels and post them on the Internet? I think Niffty would write creepy romance novels and post them on the Internet. She'd also need to be told that yes, Niff, we know you're trying to help, but please don't use soap and water to clean the insides of the computers, they don't like it.

Three guesses what Angel uses them for. Hell, three guesses what most of the hotel's clientele uses them for. ("Why you think the net was born?" God, Charlie would make a perfect Kate for that song, with the rest of the song by Literally Everyone Else.) Related to that, no one in this hotel knows a damn thing about cybersecurity. Those computers are going to be trashed within days. Poor Charlie, turning on one of those computers and getting blasted in the face with tits by malware. I'm also sure Hell has an equivalent of BonziBuddy that's even more blatant about stealing your personal info. For some reason I'm imagining Mammon running it and basing the design on Fizz. Ten or so computers, all with mini-Fizzes on the screen screeching about how they just stole your credit card info, haha, fucking cuck. Pure music, really.

There's also a computer at Husk's bar for him to use to check in clients, but he refuses to touch the damn thing. He's existed for over a century without learning how to use a computer and he has no intention of starting. How's he even supposed to type with claws? What was wrong with using a pen and paper for concierge duties? He isn't swayed by arguments that Angel's from the same time period and he's adjusted to technology, so he can do it, too! Nope. Not having it.

Angel: Ya know, they've got websites to play poker...

Husk: Why the hell would I want to use a computer to play poker? How do I know the computer's not cheating me?

(He also wouldn't know how to cheat the computer in turn, but he's not mentioning that part.)

Angel: ...and slot machines...

Husk: ...slots, huh...

And so Husk gets drawn into online gambling. At least until the front desk computer also falls victim to a FizziBuddy because Husk can't recognize scams worth shit. Good thing Husk's credit was already trashed before this.

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

God, I fucking love Lichdragon Fortissax

One of my favorite bosses in Elden Ring.

Sure, even saying that, he would be on my lower end of faves, and I have some grievances with the way dragon fights are designed in Elden Ring (those grievances mostly amount to just them not being designed in the same way that made Midir so special, god Midir is like lightning in a bottle. cannot get over that fight. So perfect. All focused around one weakpoint, the head, and the entire fight feels like a beautiful dance around that very focal point. so much to fucking say about it. Fuck)

Anyways, as I was saying, Fortissax is just so fucking good. What really makes me love it is that the attacks feel satisfying to dodge, and they have some of the most beautiful and emotionally hard hitting attacks in the game. Sure, being close to him can obscure most of them, and you are mainly focused on hitting the legs, with the VERY generous chances to attack you are given very often, making him surprisingly easy come to think of it... yes, there is a very distinct challenge to it, but also a very distinct way to kill him very quickly and get it over with...

The main meat of it here though, is the music, the story, and the visual design. The story of how he saw what happened to Godwyn, something unfathomable, something difficult to comprehend for even a learned person, and just had one thought, that all this was happening to his dear friend Godwyn. He only thought of saving him from whatever overcame him, and thus was consumed by the same death that Godwyn came to embody. Yet even while in the transformed and twisted dreamscape of his dear Godwyn, you can still feel that reverberating desire that Fortissax has to be a hero to his friend. The triumphant tragedy you can hear in his music, those organs representing his nature as the Lichdragon, and the tragic chorus representing how no matter what, despite everything he desires, he cannot save Godwyn, and has been trapped into the same fate that took Godwyn away.

I have a lot of thoughts about this, and I do think this blogpost is kind of muddled, since I am just getting my thoughts out, but damn.

Something about it just hits so hard. That idea of a teary eyed struggle to save a dear friend from a scenario you can't even comprehend, and being transformed like that into a being that exists as a testament to that very tragedy. It's like. Damn.

[mackeydoodledoo]

The Fallen Angel

Pairing: Cirrus (Ghoulette) x (Fem! Fallen Angel)Reader

Summary: You were always enamored with music, but music that gives the aesthetic of promoting your fellow chaotic brethren (Or uncles?)... Was the last thing you expected out of humanity. Disguising yourself as a human, you begin working for Ghost; as their instrument technician: specifically to Rain. A certain Ghoulette crushes on you and you don’t know it.

Warnings: R’s Awkwardness, Swearing, Rain gets injured :(

Key: Italics = Thoughts, +*+ = Time Skip, Bold/Italic = Flashback

Theme: Something About You - Eyedress/Dent May

A/n: Okay listen, I fell in love with Ghost recently, especially with their keyboardist “Cirrus”. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You always had a knack for music; throughout the centuries you’ve existed. But, not one where you’d be so invested in it, you’d learn everything there was to it: right into the nitty gritty. 

Papa and the Ghouls had done just that for you. From a wee fan in their beginning to their most recent tour: Impera. You showcased your skill in many instrument shows. Not just in your knack for ‘conducting surgery’ on a bass guitar or a drum set. But, also playing skill...

“You sure have a knack for playing and fixing,” A man comes up to you

You were in the middle of soldering bass pickups for a client at the show until you look up.

“What can I- OW!” You jolt

You immediately place your heat gun onto its stand and shake your finger that you accidentally burned.

“Whoa you alright there?” He asks

“Yeah it’s fine, happens often,” You sigh, “What can I help you with?”

“I’d like to offer you a job,” He says, “Band’s drummer and bassist need a technician and uhh... seeing your skill with them, I couldn’t think of any other person suitable for the job.”

“I’m in,” You smile

Little did you know about what that person was offering you: had set you up with the notorious Ghouls and Ghoulettes that follow Papa Emeritus IV. 

“Let me tune them first,” You speak into your earpiece

You look to the end of the bass: where the strings were being held. 

“Any requests?” You ask the Tech/Sound board

“First thing that comes to your mind,” One replies

“God you guys are speaking to the most indecisive person here,” You sigh, but ending it with a chuckle, “I hate you all.”

Alright then...

These certain technician sessions, were kind of like performances for you. Just minus a giant crowd. You didn't want it any different really. After finishing your bass guitar soundcheck, you were about to head backstage until you spot Cirrus’ Keytar.

“Hey how much longer until the keyboard technician gets here?” You ask over your monitor

“Not for another ten minutes,” Your boss replies to you, “Why?” 

“Oh... Nothing,” You smirk, “Just gonna do them a favor...”

*Cirrus’ POV* You were in the lounge with the other ghouls and ghoulettes, you hear a loud noise coming from up on the main stage; your Mummy Dust solo...

“Damn who’s that?” Dewdrop asks

“Must be our new bass technician,” Aether answers, “Was able to catch a glimpse of her opening night’s soundcheck. Kid’s got talent. Wonder where the Roadies found her.”

Everyone watches as you get up and begins making your way up to the stage. 

“Where the heck are you going?” Dewdrop asks

“I wanna check her out myself,” You state, “She’s playing MY solo!”

“You’ve done that plenty of nights Cirrus,” Sunshine teases her

She shares snickers with the other Ghouls and other Ghoulette as you scoff at them.

But, Sunshine wasn’t wrong, since opening night, you’ve found yourself watching the new technician. Everyone was TEASING the absolute hell out of you for it.

“Cirrus, you’ve been watching her for the last hour, you need to get ready,” Cumulus comes up behind her

“In a minute,” You lie, still watching Y/n

Cumulus rolls her eyes as she walks right up to you, grabbing you by the arm.

“They’re halfway through soundcheck, get ready. Now.”

You peek out from one of the stage wings s you watch Y/n perform your solo.

Aether was right... She really does have talent.

You think to yourself as you watch the bass technician ‘perform’.

*Y/n’s POV* You run your hand over the keys as the solo ends. However, just before you were turning to return the keytar to its stand, you hear a slow applaud.

"Wouldn’t have done it better myself,” She smiles

“C-Cirrus!” You jump, the keytar’s strap nearly coming undone, “I’ve always wanted to try at the solo and uhhh... Opportunity was there so I...”

“You did great Y/n,” She smiles as she continues making her way to you, “Don’t cut yourself so short.”

“I’ve seen a lot of people posting about you playing this solo and another ghoul before you so... It’s also... My favorite non-bass thing to play,” You chuckle, “Managed to finish up before your tech gets here so...”

“You sure know instruments,” She says

“Well, I had a lot of free time growing up,” You chuckle

+*+

You sit down in the crew lounge... Next to your backpack, hyper fixated on your work.

“Hey,” A familiar voice comes up to you

You look up from tuning up one of the spare basses you brought along; it was actually your personal bass, but you trusted Rain enough to not break it should he break his own for reasons unknown.

“Are you going to watch the show this time?” She asks

“You know I always do, standing by if Rain needs a spare bass or something,” You smile

“Not that,” She chuckles, “To simply enjoy the show.”

“I always do Cirrus,” You reply, “Even when I’m working.”

“Come on,” She says, grasping your hand into hers, “I have to meet up with them soon.”

You nod as you follow Cirrus up to the stage.

+*+

“Where is Cirrus?!” Dewdrop grits his teeth

Cumulus hears ecstatic footsteps from behind her, so she gestures to it. The Ghouls and Ghoulettes tuen to see the both of you hand in hand.

“Cutting it close there Cirrus,” Cumulus endlessly teases her

“For her,” Cirrus confesses

A blush forms in your cheeks.

“If we can save the chit chat for later, we must head up there,” Papa comes in

“Good luck,” You whisper to Cirrus

She smiles as she begins turning to follow her fellow ghouls onto the stage but stops when she realized she had to let go of your hand. 

“Hey,” You come up to her, “I’ll be right in the wings, watching, Okay?”

She nods, finally finding the confidence to let go of your hand to catch up with the rest of the Ghouls.

+*+

You were watching them from the wings, like you promised Cirrus, but you were on the opposite side of where she was, so you didn’t see her very much. A gasp leaves your mouth as you see Rain trip while trying to get up to one of the side stages. you break into a run as he was able to catch his bass, but used his hand to break his fall. Fortunately the lights go down when the song ends. 

“Rain are you okay man?!” You ask, running up to him

He shakes his head as he clutched his wrist. You take his bass right off of him as Aether helps him up, bringing him backstage. 

“Can we get him looked at?!” You shout

EMT officials take him and seat him as Papa and the other Ghouls and Ghoulettes await results from them. You were also waiting but also taking a look at his bass guitar to see if it needed repairs at all.

“Hope the people out there won’t get too worried on why it’s taking so long...” You mumble to yourself

“Have a little faith Y/n,” Cumulus pats your shoulder, “They can deal with a little waiting. Besides, Papa already informed them and that we’ll keep them updated.”

After a hot minute of waiting and pacing, one of the two EMT officials come out of the dressing room. 

“Is he going to be okay?” You ask

“His wrist is sprained, He’ll need to be on the sidelines for a few weeks...” the EMT explains, “Do you have a stand-by bass player?”

The crew, the Ghouls/Ghoulettes and Papa turn to look at you.

“What are you all?...” Your voice trails off, beginning to catch on what they were hinting at

“Pick up that bass and fill in for him,” Cirrus walks up to you, capturing your hands into hers, “I saw how you were playing at soundcheck, you have to!”

You open your mouth, attempting to make up an excuse to not go on stage.

“How familiar are you... With our music?” Papa walks up to you

You straighten yourself out as Cirrus steps out of his way.

I’ve been on tour with ya’ll for a hot minute, I’m familiar enough...

“Enough to have the basslines memorized,” You awkwardly smile

“Spiffy yourself up,” He says, walking past all of you, “I have to make sure our fans know why our show is being delayed.”

Cumulus and Sunshine take you by both of your arms and begin dragging you into their dressing room. You turn your head over your shouldered Cirrus was right behind you, helping her fellow Ghoulettes.

“Time to get rid of these tacky clothing,” Cumulus states

“What’s wrong with this?” You ask, gesturing to your all-black ensemble

“Too bland!” She says, "You need Pzazz!"

"I might have something in my backpack," You say

You quickly rush out of the dressing room to head to the Crew lounge and grab your backpack and rush back to the Ghoulette's Dressing room. You make haste with making your way back to their dressing room, where they waited patiently for you.

“Get out!” You shout, “Sorry, not in a mean way, I wish to not have ghoulettes watching me strip.”

Cumulus ushers the other two out of the room and quietly shuts the door as you attempt to put on your “be a badass” clothing. You took off your shirt, black ‘dust’ beginning to solidify into wings. Panic sets in as you quickly put on a shirt; the dust disappearing as soon as you threw on your shirt. However, when you panic-picked up your body harness to throw on, you forgot it was a size too small...

Oh shit...

“Uhhh... Cumulus?... Anybody?” You call to one side of the door

You were honestly expecting Cumulus to nearly ram herself through the door, eager to help you out. However, Cirrus was the one coming through the door.

“Hey,” You say, turning your gaze away from her, “Thought you were going to be Cumulus.”

“Apparently she ran off to give an update to Papa,” She says

She takes the back of the vest and helps your arms through the sleeves. she comes around to the front, helping you lace the front together.

“You know I can do this part myself right?” You ask, chuckling

“I know,” She says, not breaking eye contact with your torso area

She tightens the laces, making you nearly gasp for air. However, you note how much closer you had gotten to her; your chest practically fitting against hers. 

“I... Uhhhh...” Your lungs nearly collapse

Not because of the harness... 

“There,” She smiles, pressing her cold palm against the bottom of your sternum, “All done.”

“Thanks Cirrus,” You look up at her, smiling

“Y/n, I-”

Before Cirrus could get the word out, Cumulus and Sunshine burst in.

“Oh- were we interrupting something?” Cumulus asks

“No,” You clear your throat, taking a step away from Cirrus, “What’s up?”

“We have your very own helmet,” She presents to you

You slowly take the helmet into your hands and notice that it looks exactly like Rain’s helmet.

“You didn’t take this from Rain did you?” You look at the two Ghoulettes in question

“No!” Sunshine exclaims, “Take a closer look at it, specifically the horns.”

You look down at the helmet again. You noted that Rain has a horn that breaks through the helmet on the right side. Yours was on the left. You also had a patch on the right side along the temple.

“How long did you guys have this?” You ask, nearly in tears

“We were going to gift it to you at the end of tour,” Cumulus states, “But, it was called for this moment.”

“You guys are too much,” You smile 

You first put on the under mask and then tie your hair back (as much as it was able to) and carefully put the helmet on. It felt oddly a perfect fit, even though you had no clue you were getting your own personal Impera Helmet; hence the no head measurements thing. 

“Okay, we gotta go!” Cumulus practically pushes you out of the dressing room

You grab one of the spare basses as you leap onto the stage, taking the space Rain would have. 

+*+

No one really questioned a ghoul change however, were curious about it.

“As I have mentioned before our main Ghoul; Rain has sustained an injury while performing,” Papa explains again, “However, we have managed to summon a ghoulette that was able to fill in for him. Say hello to Cyclone.”

Wait... How does Papa... Know the name I set up for my own Ghoulette persona?....

You doin’t really try to question him as the loud rumble of applause echoes through the arena. You decided to just go along with it to appeal to the fans.

+*+

From the corner of your eye, you see the keytar.

Cirrus?

You turn your head and As you continue playing the baseline to Mummy Dust, you watch her beginning to walk up to center stage. 

*Cirrus’ POV* You look over and notice Y/n staring as she continues slamming the bassline. You had some time before you had to take center stage to do your solo. Feeling bold, you begin making your way to her. 

You watch Y/n as her eyes grow wide. seeing it from the lens of the helmet.

Got you.

You take your right hand and place it upon her cheek, underneath the helmet. You watch in delight as you watch her lean into your touch. However, time began running short. You begin making your way to center stage front as you let your fingers trail down to her chin.

*Y/n’s POV* Your dumbass nearly faceplants into the stage as you nearly attempt to follow her touch. 

It was like magic... The way her cold hand contrasted with my body heat...

You trudge your way slowly as you continue not only playing the bassline, but to simply watch her in all her glory. 

Your knees ate the stage floor as you unknowingly fall onto your knees. You didn’t even feel the pain. Hell, your body wasn’t even conscious of anything. 

*Cirrus’ POV* As you take in a quick moment to gain all the praise, you turned around to head back to your main spot on stage. You notice how Y/n was simply on her knees, gazing up at you. You chuckle to yourself as you reach down to grab her by her chin.

What an easily influenced wee morsel...

 You gently grab her by the chin and lift her face to yours. 

*Y/n’s POV* Holyshitholyshitholyshitholyshit

Your face was at an ungodly mere inches away from her face.

“Cirrus what are you doing?” You try to scream out to her

But you wouldn’t have been surprised if she didn’t hear you as you watch her walk away.

+*+

You unbend your back as the bridge in ‘Mary On a Cross’ plays, you got a decent break. However, you stand back on your two feet as you begin walking back towards Cirrus’ stage. 

“Your beauty never ever scared me,” You sing to her, unsure if she heard you or not she heard you

However, she answers your question when her head turns to you. She leans forward just as you begin playing the bassline again. Your head meets hers halfway, bonking helmets. However, it stays that way through the end of the song. 

+*+

At the end of the night, you watch as all of the ghouls and ghoulettes begin interacting with the crowd. Like Rain, you didn’t know what you were doing. You no longer had the Bass guitar in your grasp. You were pulled out of your thoughts when you felt Papa begin bringing you to the center of the stage as you finish throwing the last of Rain’s guitar picks. You watch as he takes a step back, allowing you to gain a standing ovation. In the midst of turning around to look at everyone, Cirrus runs up to you for a hug, nearly toppling you to the ground, basically off the stage.

+*+

You head into the crew’s tour bus as you begin switching into slightly more colorful clothing, but comfier. As soon as you removed your body harness, your lungs nearly collapse from the constriction. 

“Finally,” You exhale

You begin unbuttoning your button-down shirt, feeling the cool, condense-ness of your wings beginning to materialize.

You hear a gasp.

“Oh my god!” You yelp

You immediately throw on a flannel: your black wings dissipating underneath your clothing.

“You weren’t meant to see that Cirrus...” You say, panting, “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to come to the afterparty,” She says, “You were apart of the show 

You were beginning to button up your flannel until you felt cold palms touch your shoulders.

"Turn around Y/n,” She tells you, calmly

You found yourself turning around. It was like you didn’t feel like you were in control of your own body. Just how seductively demanding she sounded. 

Her. 

Yes... She was doing that to you.

“Now, care to tell me what the hell I just saw?” She asks

“I’m... Not... Entirely human...” You say

“So what are you part demon or something?” She asks as a joke

“Close,” You shrug, “You wouldn’t really like to see my full form...”

“Try me,” She says

You slowly close your eyes as you begin unbuttoning your flannel. Black ‘dust’ began filling in the negative space of the bus. Cirrus steps back as she watches black wings solidify from the black ‘dust’. 

“I’m... A fallen angel...” You confess

Cirrus doesn’t answer right away as she observes your broken wing. Her cold hands touch the broken wing to feel it.

“God didn’t believe I would have made the best influence on humanity so... He stripped away my title as an angel... left one of my wings right at its base as I fell to earth... Been here since.” You lightly take a sharp inhale

“How long ago?...” She asks

“I lost count after getting to the 1900s...” You sigh

“That long huh?...” She asks

You nod.

“I’ve always wondered how well Fallen Angels’ wings would take care of their wings,” She says

“I just wash like like a bird would,” You say

Cirrus giggles at your answer.

“And I’ve always wondered what you Ghouls and Ghoulettes look like underneath those helmets,” You say, turning to her, “Take off the helmet...”

You realized that you never saw her without it, the rest of the ghouls really. You tell her, not in a demanding booming voice but as calmly as possible. Cirrus takes a step back a little bit. 

“You wouldn't like it,” She says

“Try me,” You tell her

She stops fidgeting with her fingers as she looks down at you, noting the two words you said that she said exactly to you. She shakily raises her hands to her helmet, beginning to lift it off of her head. However, she begins to struggle trying to get it over her head. You lift your hands and place them over hers.

“I got it,” You say, “Do you trust me?” 

She nods. She lets her hands fall back down to her sides as you carefully remove the bulky helmet from her head. Cirrus raises her hands to take off the under mask and her hair falls to her shoulders. Her skin was that like a gargoyles, small, stubby horns...

How did this helmet not hurt her?

Her eyes were ice blue... But... Her hair. Her hair was the topper. Her hair was dark and straight. However, as it ended to her shoulders, it looked like your wings when you put them underneath clothing. Your fingers go to twirl the ends of her hair but they dissipate through your fingers. 

“Your hair- it’s like... Cirrus Clouds...” You say

“Funny how I adapted my name from damn clouds,” Cirrus jokes about her own name

“I like Cirrus,” You tell her, “I wouldn’t want to call you by any other name.”

*Cirrus’ POV* As you look down at Y/n, heat rushes against your cheeks. 

“Fallen Angel or not,” You begin, “You’re pretty great yourself.”

You lean down slightly as you capture her lips in a gentle kiss. 

*Y/n’s POV* Your heart gives a hefty thump as Cirrus pulls herself away.

“Cirrus,” Your eyes gleam

“Was that... Okay Y/n?” She asks

“That was... More than okay,” You smile

The both of you lock lips once more however, was short-lived when the bus door slams open.

“Cumulus!” Cirrus tries to cover you

But, Cirrus couldn't reach your flannel, so Cumulus easily sees your broken Angel Wings.

“Oh My GOD!” Cumulus’ eyes gleam

“Cumulus, Y/n was just curious what I looked like so I just wanted to show her and-” Cirrus tries to explain

“Y/n had a right to see what we looked like, I’m more concerned why Y/n didn’t show off these babies sooner!” Cumulus says, “But, I’m also in here to see where the hell you went off to. After party is raging right now.”

“Shit that’s what I came in here for,” Cirrus sighs, “I wanted to ask if you were going to join us for an after party.”

“I’m in,” You smile, buttoning up your flannel, your wings dissipating underneath the clothing

“Awwww I wanted to see your wings some more,” Cumulus whines

You begin following Cirrus and Cumulus out of the bus, handing Cirrus her helmet.

“Unless you want me shirtless,” You chuckle

Cumulus turns to face the both of you...

“Don’t push your luck Cumulus,” Cirrus steps in, “I love you but she’s mine.”

[damned-spaghetti]

Every once in a while I remember that Bloom had to earn her Enchantix by meditating on the dragon planet and like… that was fine? Putting the main character at a disadvantage and forcing them to do something different from The Way Things Are Always Done (tm) can be very interesting, actually, and I think having a character become more powerful by learning to embrace their inner self is a pretty good message for a kids’ show. But I’m absolutely baffled that this is what the writers decided to do instead of just… introducing a character or characters from Domino.

I know the show acts like it’s impossible for Bloom to earn her Enchantix the normal way because Domino was destroyed and its inhabitants were frozen, so there’s no Dominians for her to sacrifice herself for, but hear me out: that makes no sense lol.

You mean to tell me that in the Winx Club magic dimension, where the main characters are attending school in Magix and repeatedly visit realms other than their home realms, emigration doesn’t happen? Not a single person from Domino immigrated to Melody to study music, to Zenith so that they could be at the forefront of technological development, to Linphea because they wanted to be closer to nature? Nobody ever falls in love with someone from another realm and chooses to immigrate to be with them? (Bloom canonically does that one btw.) There was not a single mixed race Dominian who was born on Domino and later moved to be closer to the other side of their family?

Even if you want to pretend the Winx Club universe hasn't invented immigration yet (which like... a half assed fandom post isn't really the place to get into a discussion about xenophobia, but if you think that's at all a valid argument, then perhaps you should take a minute to consider why you think that), you mean to tell me nobody from Domino left the realm temporarily? There was not a single Dominian studying at Alfea who was excited to tell their family about acing their last exam only to find their family gone? There was not a single Dominian visiting friends in other realms, or just on vacation who tried to return home at the end of their trip, only to find there was no home to go back to?

Just the idea that there is not a single other person out there from Domino is absolutely nonsensical to me, but it's what the series decided to go with. And that's a damn shame because when you think about it, Bloom is a transcultural adoptee whose biological parents and their culture were victims of genocide. (Domino is brought back, but iirc both the characters and the audience were unaware that was a possibility at this point in the narrative.) There's so much that could be done and said with that.

The musician who made it big on Melody could sing Bloom folk songs that nobody else quite remembers. The person thriving on Linphea could show Bloom their garden filled with flowers they brought with them from Domino; flowers that no longer exist anywhere else. The former Alfea student could hold Bloom close and tell her it's going to be okay even though it won't because while their experiences are undeniably different, they remember being there; in that same environment, being forced to come to terms with the same truths and grief that Bloom is now facing.

And I want to make it clear that none of this precludes Bloom earning an incomplete Enchantix. Like I said, putting the main character at a disadvantage and forcing them to do something different from The Way Things Are Always Done (tm) can be very interesting, actually, and I think there's so many ways that could still be done. (I mean this purely from a storytelling perspective rather than a nerf perspective btw. I get that Bloom being overpowered is a common complaint, but it's actually not one I share. She's quite literally the current mortal avatar of the universe's canon Creator God; she should be more powerful than all the other characters lol.)

Maybe no opportunity arises for Bloom to earn her Enchantix while meeting these people and she's not going to purposefully put someone in danger just so she can save them (although in her most desperate moment, perhaps she considers it) (I am biting anyone who insists someone needs pure intentions to earn Enchantix btw; that's not canon and eliminating the possibility that morally grey or outright villainous high level fairies can exist is boring don't @ me). She can then make the active decision to go on the dragon meditation quest or whatever (perhaps with some guidance from the person or people she met), but is doing so with more knowledge about the people and culture she is fighting for.

Maybe the perfect situation to earn her Enchantix does arise, Bloom saves someone's life, and it just... doesn't work. To earn Enchantix, a fairy must save someone from their home realm, but not everybody has the same idea of home. The person she saves may be Dominian by birth, but in the seventeen-ish years they've had to grieve and rebuild their life, they've started to think of the realm they now reside in as their true home. Alternatively, Bloom realizes that despite being Dominian by birth and desiring a connection to her biological parents, their people, and their culture, she still considers Earth her true home. She doesn't want to go back to Earth and put her adoptive parents or anyone else in danger, so she makes the active decision to go on the dragon meditation quest or whatever.

Or maybe the perfect situation to earn her Enchantix does arise, Bloom saves someone's life, and she does earn Enchantix, but it's incomplete, despite doing everything right. If Enchantix must be earnt by saving someone specifically from the realm a fairy was born in, who's to say it doesn't share a connection to that realm? At that point, Domino is a dead world and Dominians are an endangered people. Bloom is a Guardian Fairy with very little to Guard and so she doesn't have access to the same level of Enchantix magic as other fairies do. This would also mean she would get her full Enchantix powers after Domino is revived; a sign that everything will be okay for the Dominian people.

idk I just have a lot of thoughts about all the missed opportunities here, basically all of them related to the erasure of the immigrant experience and how thoroughly the ball was dropped with the show's portrayal of genocide (refusing to even consider the idea of survivors other than Bloom and basically not discussing it at all beyond how it affects the former Company of Light and Bloom)

[sab-teraa]

Tye Talks: A Diary Entry

(22/02/24 || 22:58 pm)

Good evening friends, I hope you are all well and having a lovely Thursday! Just one more day till the weekend! Yay <3

Inspired by the lovely @the-winds-of-destiny-xxx , I've decided to start blogging about my day. Hopefully, I will be able to stay up to date lol.

Work

Ugh, I've been up since 5am prepping myself to deliver my second lecture of the semester. It went well, kinda. The students were super interactive which is great. Application + practicality > regurgitating information. They did super well. Also, we have a new HoD, and while I really liked our previous heads, the new HoD is a breath of fresh air and I really enjoy their approach towards education.

My full-time job is actually soooo … atm. My colleague has resigned which is all cool and I wish her the best.

But, there’s a trend I’ve noticed recently within our organization … and I hope it does not present any problems in the future. Tbh, I think it has presented a problem before … but idk. Anyway, constructive criticism goes a long long way … only if you’re keen and willing to learn …. which this person defo is NOT.

Enough about my colleagues, the CEO presented me with an opportunity but I'm lowkey nervous .. bc I prefer being a private + somewhat anonymous person lol, but I obviously said yes. Let's see how it goes, anything can happen and this whole project might fall through. Especially in this economy.

All in all, I really love my job and the career path I’ve taken. I hope it does not backfire on me later on in life.

Uni

Gosh. Uni is the bane of my existence atm. Tho, i did make a bit of progress on my thesis today. I know exactly what I need to do, but I just don't have the motivation to it. But, I think I've finally got myself together .. so let's see what happens.

Also, I'm so grateful for my thesis supervisor <3 she is so understanding and supportive.

Health

Is this tmi? Maybe? Apologies if so?

But, my nose and throat have been KILLING me recently? Idk if it’s bc of the fan or what … but yup. Thank god for cloves! They’ve helped wayyyy more than anything else I’ve tried lol. Also, my pms is really starting to hit 😭😭 I’ve been in soooo much pain since I got back home.

My mentally, I’m doing okay … there’s obvs moments in the day where I’m like shit?? I’m an adult adult?? Yet my life feels so stagnant 😂 but then I try to keep it moving and not think so much about what I want … and I try to focus on what I do have…. bc I’ve done my best.

Fun and mundane

I finally got to go to my first gym class of the week - I really needed that! The housewives from my class invited me for smoothies afterwards … and they are so fun! Are they my mums age mates? Yes 😂😂 but I loved hanging out with them .. they truly live in their own bubble .. I wanna be exactly like them when I’m older lol.

Oh Oh! And I finally finished the second season of Al Rawabi School for Girls ... flip, it truly broke my heart. What an amazing show.

I really wanted to start the new season of Real Housewives of Durban … but the new Showmax app is truly YUCK! I have the ick 🫠🫠 but, I love the show waaaaay too much, so I’d probs get over it soon lol.

Other than gym and catching up on tv, I made a delicious lasagna for dinner. I'm convinced that my homemade meat sauce and cheese sauce remains undefeated, or maybe that's just me being cocky lol. If I had more space, I would have defo attempted to make the pasta too.

I'm super excited for this weekend bc my friends and I are going to this art and music event and getting food afterwards. I also really wanna buy that duvet set I saw online ... since I'm no longer purchasing an apartment (recession boo boo boo 🍅🍅🍅), I may as well just re-do my current apartment lol. It already looks great, but I've been putting off getting a new duvet set bc I presumed I was gonna buy a bigger bed lol... so I've just been rotating between the two sets I have ... and damn they've seen better days lol.

Relationships

After all he has been through, my brother finally has some great things happening. I am so proud of him. I know he will achieve everything he aspires to <3 This has also done wonders for his self-confidence, he truly needed this, and I hope ... I really hope that it stays on this positive track.

Positive family news aside, idk if anyone saw the post about my uncle? But god damn I'm annoyed af. (Side note: He is my mums cousin btw; but my entire family is close). Anyway, my uncle called my mum to rant … and according to my mum he was sooooo proud of what he said to his wife??? I’m just disgusted. Idk how. His wife could forgive him for this. I’m so glad my mum put him in his place ✋🏽✋🏽✋🏽

I know its not about me and I have no right to speak on other people's relationships, but I hate seeing people put their all into a relationship and even go against their own family to be with someone ... only for their partner to treat them like this. His wife deserves soooooo much better and its sooo heartbreaking that she has to go through. My heart truly breaks for her. I pray everything works out for her.

Conclusion

Anywho … if you made it this far! Thank you for reading my ramblings <3 wishing you a lovely day! Stay safe babes 😘

[iridescentis]

EPISODE THREE WOOO

party time!!

this is so sweet :( <3

okay set up what are these two up to today

nooo why does everyone want to just act like dead people never existed why is this a thing?? i think we all need to go to therapy here

they set that up like this was going to be a huge plot point nope fran just pulls up the security footage likes it's nothing and wooo everything is fine

okay im not a fan of jade she is just too much

angie my love <3333

her dad seriously needs some thorough therapy my god

HOLD ON WHY ARE WE HAVING ANOTHER ROMANTIC MUSICAL NUMBER WHAT

awh fran is so lovely <3

i don't understand why this guy is so obsessed with his own daughter not finding her mother's stuff. what does he think is going to happen??? did he kill her or something?? im so confused

i cant remember friend boys name but this is a fun plot

honestly fran just seems like the best friend ever she's just got it all covered

gregorio blink twice if you need help

i dont know why the bread phone was so funny but i love that

girl why are you stalking him what is this going to achieve

i really need to learn dinosaur boy's name OH ITS MAXI OKAY they just said it

OH okay the boyfriend is león alright

is this like an afterschool school or?? do they teach like maths and science too or is this like an extracurricular thing

ludmila is precious she can do no wrong i do not care

okay how does the old man think she's her mum?

OKAY! damn good for you león that was actually a decent judgement! but as i said she can do nothing wrong sorry sir </3

is jade on drugs? i know she isn't but it really feels like she is constantly high

pretty girl needs more lines

ah the classic cliffhanger this can only go badly

WELL that was interesting! there are quite a few characters i don't remember the names of yet and so much is happening so fast but im getting invested now!

[ekebolou]

hahaha I forgot how fucked up and intense the Daniel/Armand situation was in Queen of the Damned (I'm only like 20% of the way in, I hate Lestat every time he talks (which has been once but I hated it - i would probably like his music and I hate that too), fucking Marius - fuck Marius - and all the lady vampires have gone nuts in so much more interesting ways than the dudes) and I think I've finally identified what Anne Rice did with her vampires that made them so interesting to me when so many other vampire stories haven't been.

they're real fucked up. Like, there's not any kind of softening of their behavior, pretending they're not murderous assholes who've committed more sins than God can count are actively in the process of committing even more - none of this trying to go for likeable, defensible behavior, or even justifications of their terrible behavior

she is actively playing with the idea of otherwordly, non-human patterns of perception. And they all perceive their state differently from each other, so there isn't one monolithic experience. and they're all ignorant fucks (or, they all know different stuff) so they're all working off of different assumptions, their state as humans at the time they were changed becomes in a lot of ways a limiting factor on what they know and become as immortals - it's not quite 'they can't learn' but I'm not sure how to characterize it. they certainly learn and change as characters but not that much? Something original, creative, and adaptive is lost when they become vampires (which is part of why they go ham bone over Lestat)

Anywho, here's a quote from Queen of the Damned that got me thinking about this:

"But of true aggression he knew little. He killed because it was his nature as a vampire; and the blood was irresistible. But why did men find war irresistibly? What was the desire to clash violently against the will of another with weapons? What was the physical need to destroy?

At such times, Daniel did his best to answer: for some men ti was the need to affirm one's own existence through the annihilation of another. Surely Armand knew these things.

'Know? Know? What does that matter if you don't understand,' Armand had asked, his accent unusually sharp in his agitation, 'if you cannot proceed from one perception to another? Don't you see, this is what I cannot do.'"

PS: Dear dead Anne Rice please don't sue me for quoting from your book Online

[je-dood]

If you could visit any location from Lovecraft's fictional settings, which would you choose and what would you hope to discover there?

Man hard question, for this I'm going to assume you are just mentioning the Lovecraft books themselves, so I won't factor in series like The King in Yellow, or any other Lovecraft-inspired work not that they would make that much of a difference in the first place.

There are 2 main issues when tackling this question, the first and most prevalent issue is that many locations in the Lovecraftian mythos [that I have read, as I have only finished 32 of his works], just straight up present danger to your life. Dagon, The Shadow over Innsmouth, The Festival, and The Unnamable, are a small list of examples of settings in which hostile creatures or creatures fit to harm you or turn you into something beyond your present self. Although it may be then easy to claim to avoid all the locations that may present some direct threat over the sanctity of your life when you start to question and factor in your sanity, you start to realise just how miserable a lot of his works are to live in. As the events depicted in Pickman's Model, The Music of Erich Zann and Polaris would most definitely make the most ordinary person go insane. So in the case of trying to persevere in your life, continuity of self in a biological sense, and your sanity, most options but not all are completely restricted to you.

The second biggest issue you would face is that outside the realm of cosmic threats, there isn't any reason to go to many of the locations. Lovecraft loves to create stories which not only have the main character be confronted and challenged by unknown horror, but then be pushed into the ordinary world in which no one understands or believes them, making even the reader question whether the events happened or not. So if you decided to simply for example not go to Innsmouth or one of the other cursed locations, you are pretty much gonna live an ordinary life with some ordinary if not slightly more racist individuals as your neighbours, there isn't any remarkable way you would be able to make your life interesting unless you were either to:

•A. Get a hobby, or

•B. Be absorbed by the unknown and occultism and try your damn hardest to reason with being whose intentions are as mysterious as their existence.

So overall there aren't any "beneficial" aspects, like gaining superpowers or becoming cool, if you travel to any of these locations as your average person. I mean the concept of unlocking the pineal gland exists but I have no understanding of how that works.

However, if I had to choose one place to live, out of all his stories it would probably be, Celephaïs. I mean who would want to be king of their dream and become some immortal celestial warrior? I mean there is the consequence of having to disregard reality become an active narcoleptic, and potentially die on the street, however, I'm sure the eternal pros out way the mortal cons. If I weren't the main character of Celephaïs, I would probably choose "The Other Gods", but unlike Barzai the Wise, I would be cool with it and try and befriend the early gods and vibe with The Other Gods that is if they didn't kill me instantly. Maybe I could potentially go to Cats of Ulthar, and try and learn magic somehow, that would be fun, maybe at some point try and find the Necronomicon. The choice would mainly be those, however, to conclude.

Lovecraft's worlds at first seem impossible, unpractically power-scaled, and overall cruel, which they are, there is still a reason that humans exist to that day, mainly due to human ingenuity and determination, so, so long as you don't hit yourself on the foot on purpose you should be fine.

Although at some point all good things do come like humanity, such as referenced in Memories, so perhaps, the worlds are as impossible as they seem.