#threads; || tiger lily;

[llimerrence]

"I've heard about this Big Ben, but I don't understand. Is he called that because of how tall he is? Or is it because of how strong he is?"

[multimuse]

       “Can you fly? Peter does it all the time. I’m afraid I can’t do so without help from Tinkerbell.”

[purplebass]

Calla was Lila's fairy godmother in agos and made her have an unexpected Cinderella moment when she wanted a disguise to attend the party. Calla believed Lila wanted to get pretty for Kell because she assumed they were together so she gave her the dress and did her hair and make up and subtly told her: go get him, tiger <3 Bring Kell's guard down he will fall even more for you it will make him look stupid and at the end of the night he would 100% want to rip this dress off you like the feral kitties that you both are

[elsewhereuniversity]

For the sewing kit, because I was warned not to keep it: here is the thread that I tied tight and took with me in, and down, and let me find my way back out again. I don't know if it will work a second time; sometimes things get better at their task the more they do it, and sometimes it's not fair to ask it of them twice, and sometimes They get wise to a trick if They see it more than once.

I will secret it away, to be given where it will do the most good. In turn, a charm for you: a brass locket, oval, the size of a quarter, bearing a design of tiger lilies on the front. There is much more space inside than you'd expect. The previous owner filled it with pieces of broken toys - very small pieces - but so long as it holds some small reminder of your own personal mistakes and lost things, you can use it like a dowsing pendulum to find a way out.

[rjalker]

I need 3 suggestions for animals that will be public domain characters who are stuffed animals. Already got a rabbit. Need at least 3 more

done:

rabbit

otter

fox

lemur

lion

doll

Update:

Here they are so far!

[ID: A digital drawing of an original character labeled: "Stuffy Bunny, it/its/itself. Red plaid, white sparse floral pattern, black plastic eyes. Filled with canna lily seeds -- heavier than other toys. Given life by a witch who was later mysteriously kidnapped. The toys must go on an adventure to rescue them!". There is a smaller label over the rabbit's head that reads, "1st born". The rabbit stands upright like a teddy bear. One of its ears is solid red plaid, the other is white floral, with red plaid for the inner ear. It has shiny black eyes, one of which is slightly larger than the other, and its head, body, and left leg are white floral fabric, with the right leg except the toe, the right arm, right paw, and its round belly in red plaid. Noticeable stitches mark the transitions between each fabric type. End ID.]

[ID: A digital drawing of an original character that is a stuffed animal, labeled, "Grey Gray, he/him/his/himself". The first Grey is spelled with an E, the second with an A. Another label below reads, "Given life by a witch who was later mysteriously kidnapped. The toys must go on an adventure to rescue them!". Grey Gray is a toy grey fox, with mostly black, grey and white plaid on his face, body, legs, and tail, with highlights of orange plaid for the front of his ears, on his shoulders, paws, and outlining his tail. His nose, chin, and the backs of his legs is white with a sprinkle pattern. His eyes are turquoise buttons with threads of black forming eyelashes. One drawing shows his face from the front, also labeled, "2nd born", the other drawing shows his whole body from the side. End ID.]

[ID: A digital drawing of an original character that is a stuffed animal, labeled, "Yvain, ot/ots/otself", with another label below reading, "Given life by a witch who was later mysteriously kidnapped. The toys must go on an adventure to rescue them!". Yvain is a toy otter, with bright yellow and orange webbed feet, and most of ots body covered in brown fabric with a floral pattern of pink, red, and black flowers. Under ots chin is a patch of white with black spots. Ots eyes are small, shiny, and black. Ot is labeled "3rd born" above ots head, with one drawing showing ots face from the front, the other showing ots full body from the side. End ID.]

[ID: A digital drawing of an original character that is a stuffed animal, labeled, "Reyna Ringtail, they/them/their/themself", with another label below reading, "Given life by a witch who was later mysteriously kidnapped. The toys must go on an adventure to rescue them!". Reyna is a toy ring-tailed lemur, with mostly grey fabric with a pattern of rainbow sprinkles, with white paws, belly, and face, with black diamonds around the eyes and mouth, and a long tail with stripes of black plaid and blank white. The eyes are bright orange with black pupils. They are labeled, "4th born", and are posed as though jumping through the air while turning to smile at the camera. End ID.]

[ID: A digital drawing of an original character that is a stuffed animal, labeled, "Lyre Liger, heshi/himer/hizer/himerself", with another caption below reading, "Rescued from the trash and given life by the witch! Is terrified of bio-dogs.". Lyre is a stuffed lion, drawn first showing hizer face from the front, and then hizer whole body from the side. Heshi has one eye shiny plain black, the other is sparkly pink with a black pupil. Around the pink eye is green plaid fabric, with the rest of hizer face, and one round ear with pink on the inside solid tan. The other ear is pointed and has orange and black tiger stripes, with green plaid on the inside. Hizer head is surrounded by a short-cropped red-brown mane, with another patch of green plaid on the back, and more tiger stripes. Most of hizer torso is tiger striped, with one patch of tan near hizer neck. The front right leg is green, the left tan, with the opposite arrangement for the back legs. The tail is green at the base, then tan, with a tuft of the same red-brown as the mane. End ID.]

And last one for now:

[ID: A digital drawing of an original character that is a fabric babydoll, labeled, "No Name, she/her/hers/herself", with another caption below reading, "Rescued from the trash and given life by the witch.". No Name is mostly made of soft fabric, with tan plastic for the neck, feet, and the one remaining hand. The simple torso, arms, legs, and head are made of a white fabric with lighter grey stripes, and sunflowers. In the center of her chest is a heart with a peach fabric with red simple flowers, with another stripe of this material on her right leg. Noticeable stitching marks where each fabric meets another. Attached to her back is a peice of fabric that lies out behind her like a little blanket that is tan with strawberries. Her eyes are made of buttons, one magenta, the other dark purple. She has a happy smile made of black thread. End ID.]

The witch does not have a design yet. If I were to animate this (I don'tk now how, lol), I would have it so that we never see the witch's face, only their hands, legs, clothes, ect.

Something something we only know them from how they interact with their beloved and loving creations something something.

[companioncrow]

got tagged by @ambergriis to list five songs i've been into recently! i'm not usually one for tag games, but this is cute :} thank u!!

1. field of tiger lilies - kikagaku moyo

2. katarsis - she past away

3. black sand - glass beams

4. pirouette - covet

5. mun ante - jan usawi

tagging @redheaded-techpriest @londonknights @freezedriedrose @queriesntheories & @needle-thread-thimble-spear - if you feel like it, i'd love to know what's been on your rotation as of late!

[dre1mp1r1site]

(Ghostie fearlessly approaches Folly again and from his bag, takes out a crocheted plushie of her. It's made out of a very soft chunky kind of yarn and even has a little red button eye sewn on with yellow thread)

"I made another thing for you miss Folly, since you liked the crochet tiger lily!"

(He gives the plushie to her, smiling proudly. Considering the quality of the plushie, it probably took quite a bit of time)

~ @ghostietheblueghost

"U sure are made of gifts! this one is probably my favourite by far..."

"U remind me of someone else.."

(Folly took the plushie of herself, she looked at it for a split second before glancing back at u and doing a thumbs up)

[ipsen]

Blank Canvas 15

Read on AO3. Words: 4251 Summary: Cochlea again. The board begins to reveal itself. Chapter 14 Chapter 16 Master Post

Haise left his and Hide’s apartment at midnight.

“None of these people worked in the Washuu Task Force. Like they were off-limits or something.”

He exited the final train from the 12th ward to the 23rd, taking a deep breath to psyche himself up.

“And each irregular victim… opposed the Washuu family in some way.”

He wrung his hands as he navigated the dark alley once again. Nothing happened, but the fear of the unknown clung to his brain like a tumor, whispering terrible falsities and sapping his confidence with each step in the shadows.

“Some were part of a different political party, others voted against this bill or that… The list goes on.”

Two in the morning, late autumn. Cochlea. Again.

He stood inches away from the gated fence, feeling a little chillier than the last time he was here. Funnily enough, he’d arrived first again.

The distant sounds of cars rushing down the streets made him flinch, and the occasional flicker of a light tricked Haise into thinking someone else was there. Fictional horror was one thing, but the real deal? He would rather not.

And yet he and Hide could very well be sitting on one of the largest conspiracies in recent times. The Washuu Task Force, working with the likes of Donato Porpora? If the Priest himself was in on it, then who else could be in their circle?

He looked past the fence and at the square towers making up the prison, at the possibility of answers.

Sen had to already know. It only made perfect sense; the reason she didn’t have anything on her record was because the Washuu Task Force deemed it so. And if they were working with Donato, then it followed that he had to play by their rules, no matter what. Even if it meant Cochlea for life. After all, one man against an entire organization? Laughable, from all angles.

Haise considered jumping the fence early and entering the visitors’ center to get shelter from the cold. He could always text her, right? Right. Plan in place, he fished out his phone, found her name in his contacts, and—

“Breaking into a high security prison all by yourself, handsome?”

He looked up, and smiled; there, leaning against the corner of the alleyway, was the woman of the hour.

Another outing, another hairstyle: two thick braids, messy and tangled, on either side of her head, tied at the end with pink ribbons. She wore a matching scarf decorated with a tiger lily pattern, a striped blue sweater over a purple shirt, and her favorite choice of black skirt, tights, and flats.

“Well?” Sen stepped further into the light, presenting herself further. “What do you think?”

He let himself admire her for a bit longer before he responded. “Do I have to say?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “I like hearing you say it.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle; who was he to deny her? He said the same thing he always said: “Beautiful.”

It was a word often used to describe her, but it was too often spoken by shallow tongues that hadn’t bothered to understand why. Some may have read her books, but they were just that to them: books. Selfish entertainment with little else to offer.

So when he called Sen beautiful, and when she preened, Haise’s chest swelled with pride. However, her hunger wasn’t sated yet. “How?” she asked, stepping closer.

Her scarf was within reach, and he threaded the ends through his fingers. It was a soft material, and he appreciated the pattern. “Like a pink sunrise, greeting a field of flowers.”

Now her body was pressed against his. “And what else?”

His other hand trailed over her arm, brushing her sweater. “The ocean, its waves calmly lapping against the shore.”

A hum as she thumbed his hand. “So I’m a field of flowers, blooming by the oceanside as the sun rises.”

He kissed her knuckle. “And more.”

Now she giggled. “Charmer.”

Despite that, how he wished his description did her justice. No amount of flowers or fields or views could truly describe what he thought of her, even if she basked in them.

In the distance, a car streaked against the asphalt, jolting him back to reality. “W-We should get inside!”

She pouted as Haise scaled the fence, but said nothing in protest. After he landed on the other side, he expected her to drop next to him. However, when he glanced up, he saw her perched at the apex instead, her legs dangling over the edge with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Sen…” he said, trying to sound threatening.

Unfortunately, he was apparently as scary to Sen as a small poodle. To add insult to injury, she only seemed encouraged by his feeble resistance. “Oh, don’t be such a killjoy.”

“We’re not doing this; you could get hurt!” Haise’s gaze darted about the lot. “Plus, we could get caught!”

“What if I say ‘please’?”

He ground his teeth together. The compliments were one thing— they had been on the other, safe side of the fence— but this was too much. “Sen, I’m serious.”

“Pretty please?” She tilted her head until it was almost parallel to the fence. “With chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on top?”

That sounded way too sweet, but she made her stance clear: she was going to drag this out. She was going to drag this out, and wait until he caved, or until he convinced her otherwise. Right here, right now, in Cochlea. Where anyone could see him, where anyone could see her. She was risking her entire reputation for what amounted to a stupid joke.

Haise looked at her again. She had thrown her head back, taking in the night sky and smelling the air. Her two braids slipped over her shoulders, fully exposing her neck to the light of the streetlamp, the stars, and a crescent moon. A slight breeze pushed her skirt against one of her legs, and she let it affect her ever so slightly.

“Wow…” The word fell out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Hm?” She glanced back down, all traces of mischief replaced with curiosity. “What was that?”

He blinked, then chuckled. “Nothing.” He held out his arms, folding like paper. “Ready.”

Sen turned brighter than the stars. “Yay!”

In one swift motion, she tossed herself off the fence and landed safely in his grasp, bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into it.

“See? Totally safe.” The warmth of her breath brushed his skin.

He let out a high noise resembling a laugh. 

She craned her neck to kiss him. He indulged in the pressure of contact briefly, and in any other situation, he might have leaned in further, felt closer to her. However, the nearest light flickered off for a split second, and a distant car zoomed past, making him jolt back.

“C-C’mon,” he said. “Big Bin’s waiting for us.”

“Aw…” Sen pouted again.

“I-I just don’t want us getting caught!” Haise put her down as gently as he could, then walked toward the visitors’ center.

“Why?” She stayed in his vision, grinning. “Because it’s ‘wrong’?”

“N-No!”

“Because it’s against social customs to flirt in a prison lot?”

“Well, uh—”

“Oh, I get it. It’s not about the law; you just don’t like getting in trouble.” A giggle. “You’d do all sorts of messed up things if it meant you didn’t have to face the consequences.”

As she said that, she slyly traced the shape of his back, lingering on the base of his spine.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Haise stuttered, even as a few scenarios cropped up in his mind like weeds.

Her hand slithered into his grasp. “We can always—” she yanked him down to her height and whispered into his ear— “experiment, if you’d like.”

Images of blindfolds, shower walls, and a concerning amount of rope flashed across his mind, and he would have spit out his drink if he had one. “I-I’m good!” he forced himself to squeak.

“Pity.” Sen punched in the code on the keypad, and she let them both in. “I’ve been wondering what sorts of twisted things you’ve been hiding from me, you know. You’re a horror artist, yet you’re so… demure. Surely there’s something I’m missing…”

He felt his palms grow sweaty as the earlier images became clearer. “O-One of us has to be, right? We balance each other out!”

“Do we now? Don’t you think there’s a bit of overlap?” She went ahead and ducked under a pipe, hands clasped behind her back. “You know, I distinctly remember a quote from Jung…”

“‘Th-The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances.’” Despite himself, Haise recited the quote from memory. “‘If there is any reaction, both are transformed.’”

“Exactly!” She held open the door for him. “I’m curious what sort of monstrous influence I’ve exerted on you.”

He paused. “You’re not a monster, Sen.”

She gave him a quizzical look as he put his palm above her head, holding the door in her stead. “You’re just saying that.”

“That… doesn’t make it less true.” He frowned.

For a moment, she held his gaze, then shook her head. “You have quite the twisted perspective, Mr. Sasaki, you know that?”

He sighed, but he was smiling. “I am a horror artist.”

She tutted, even as she squeezed his hand. He wondered if that was because of his influence on her. There was this spark of joy to her that wasn’t there before. It was hard to believe he could have such an effect, but the facts were staring him in the face.

As they walked down the last hall, Haise figured he’d mention something to her now. “Hey, Sen?”

“What’s up, Haise?”

“This weekend, there’s gonna be a get-together for my, uh, my friend.” Hide had organized it between their file hunt and tonight with Kimi and Nishiki.

She plucked something off Haise’s shoulder, seemingly uninterested. “Sounds nice.”

He felt the urge to explain. “H-Her sister’s the one that died recently. Torso’s latest victim.”

“Ah… Wait.” She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. “Nashiro Yasuhisa?”

He nodded.

There was another pause. “Small world, then. I didn’t think you knew a Yasuhisa, of all people. Strange.”

Haise thought about it. He supposed it was a little strange. The Yasuhisas, once upon a time, were extremely rich and influential, and he, most certainly, was not. “A-Anyway, I was hoping you would come with me. As support?”

Sen raised her brow. “Not exactly a resort vacation, is it?”

He chuckled. What nostalgic territory. One of them, inviting the other to meet their friends, during a Cochlea visit. “W-Well, I mean, I don’t want to force you to meet my friends, especially under the, uh, the shadow of death, haha!” He cleared his throat. “Forget I asked. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. Sorry.”

“Hey, I didn’t say no!” She elbowed him gently. “I’d be happy to go. Honestly, it’s a bit overdue.”

“I guess so.” He rubbed his neck. “Thanks…”

Big Bin was at the desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper when they approached. He looked up and grinned. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my two favorite lovebirds.”

Haise and Sen flushed the shade of red. Despite her earlier teasing, it looked like she was still embarrassed when it came to her friends.

“Oh, you even look the same; that’s adorable.” Big Bin chuckled.

“Yes, yes, we’re a circus and you’re the audience. Incredible, whoopee.” Sen waved him off. “Is everything ready?”

Big Bin typed something on the nearby computer. “Yes, ma’am. One visit to Shachi, coming right up.”

“‘Shachi’?” Haise couldn’t help but ask.

Big Bin raised a brow. “Sen, you gotta stop keeping your boyfriend out of the loop with this.”

“Ugh, but not knowing is half the fun!” she whined. “It gives a mysterious allure to it, don’t you agree, Haise?”

Haise scratched his cheek. “Yeah, a bit…”

Big Bin let out a mirthful sigh. “A match made in heaven. Anyways, his real name’s Matasaka Kamishiro.”

As with all Cochlea visits thus far, Haise blanched. “K-Kamishiro…?”

“You know him?” Sen turned.

It… No, it couldn’t be. That was way too much of a coincidence. “I-I’m sure it’s not the same…” he said, more to convince himself than anything. “I know— knew a Kamishiro, but, er…”

“Lots of people under Shachi took the Kamishiro name at his behest,” Big Bin said. “He was imprisoned for housing illegal immigrants, you see, and he let them use his surname in order to start securing permanent citizenships. Rumor has it that he did the same, and that ‘Kamishiro’ isn’t even his real name.”

“I-I see…” If that was true, then who in the world had approached him in Anteiku all those years ago? “That, uh, that would be something…”

Sen was studying his expression, but instead of saying something like she usually did, she nudged him out of it by linking their arms. “We shouldn’t overstay our welcome. Come on.”

However, it was a short-lived oddity. As soon as Big Bin pointed them in the right direction and they were alone, she stepped in front of him.

“You okay?” she asked, those jade irises of hers scanning Haise’s face.

He cupped his chin, rubbing the area. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine…”

She grabbed his wrist with a huff, waggling it in front of him. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a terrible liar?”

He blinked and shook his head.

“Well, you are, so talk to me.” She gripped either one of his arms, setting him straight. “Shachi’s not as cruel as Donato, but I’d prefer it if you were put together before we meet him.”

Haise pursed his lips, and relented. “It’s… about the Kamishiro I knew— I know.”

“I figured as much.” Because Sen was amazing like that.

“Her name was Rize,” he continued. “It was a few days after The Black Goat’s Egg released, and I… I’d always been, um…”

He trailed off. Should he really be talking about his ex in front of his new girlfriend? That felt super wrong, not to mention insensitive. 

“You were into her,” Sen finished for him. “So, at the resort, when you pushed me… That was because of her?”

He bit his lip, and nodded slowly. “Yes. It was. She… disappeared four years ago. Just left me. And— And I remember, when it happened, wondering if, despite everything she did to me, if it was my fault.”

Sen didn’t say anything— she simply stood on her tippy toes, pressed her lips against his, then embraced him. At the end of the day, she was a woman of action, and speech was a waste of time.

Not only that, but he knew that she understood what it was like to be left. To be like a toy abandoned by a child who had outgrown them, or worse, had grown bored of them. It wasn’t the fact that they left; it was the crushing loneliness and darkness immediately following that stuck out the most. The creation of a new void in your heart that would never go away, no matter what was filled in its place.

“Come on,” she said, pulling Haise down the hall.

But the spectacle could certainly be beautiful.

—

“You know, Shachi used to work at the Furuta Corporation.” Sen filled the air with trivia. “He was pretty up there until he was caught.”

“That’s… u-unfortunate.” Haise couldn’t really think of another word.

“Not really. In his attempt to retain both his standing in a greedy corporation and the respect he’d gained by bypassing laws, he ended up losing both.” She shrugged. “When you plant a sapling in a forest, it’ll never get the sun it needs to flourish. Better to place it on the outside.”

That was certainly one way of looking at it. Double agents had to perform a balancing act between their opposing factions, and to lose one would be to lose the other. Not only that, but there was always a secret dividing them from their fellows, keeping them from forming truly meaningful relationships. Still—

“If he was… ‘up there’, then wouldn’t his access to otherwise restricted content help?” If Haise remembered correctly, the Furuta Corporation was an airway company. If Shachi played his cards right, he could smuggle people using their planes. In fact, in some respects, his standing might even be necessary for success.

“True, but does it attack the root problem of illegal immigration in the first place?” Sen countered. “Think big: Does it help solve why people feel the need to cross the border illegally? Does it improve their chances at a stable life wherever they go?”

Haise offered no rebuttal, letting her continue.

“Manipulating systems in order to achieve the opposite has its place, but it isn’t a sustainable model; there will always be a breaking point, and people will always get caught one way or another.”

They rounded a corner.

“Shachi was first discovered about six years ago with a handful of illegals, some of them high-profile criminals in their home countries. Do you know how quickly he was caught after attempting to go into hiding?”

Haise shook his head.

“Two weeks.” They arrived at the door. “Meanwhile, the Torso’s run rampant for ten years. Strange, huh?”

“Strange…” he repeated.

Very strange, actually. Was Shachi just terrible at hiding? No, he had to have known the risks of being caught. He would have had reserve funds, as well as loyal allies who could help him, when the going got rough. Yet the Task Force captured, detained, and imprisoned him.

How?

Sen gripped the door handle. “Ready, Haise?”

He gulped. “Ready…”

Giving his hand a squeeze, she opened the door.

The first thing Haise noticed, even from a distance, was just how large Shachi was. He was a mountain towering over his and Sen’s hills, with rippling muscles and a full beard reaching his diaphragm. And that was when he was sitting down.

What in the world did a Cochlea inmate like him eat?

“Hi, Shachi!” Sen waved as if she were greeting an old friend and not a man who could probably break her like a toothpick. “Thanks for letting us see you tonight.”

“Sen,” he said in a deep and powerful voice. It made Haise want to shrink into his shirt. “Who is the boy?”

“This is Haise Sasaki, my—” she paused to think of a word— “partner.”

Haise appreciated the double meaning. He would rather not be redder than a tomato in front of a life-sentenced inmate, even if said inmate wasn’t another serial killer.

“We’re writing a story together, you see, and are looking for some last-minute primary sources, namely—” Sen slid into her seat and pulled out her notebook and pen— “you.”

“Hm.” Shachi’s gaze fell onto Haise.

Haise bowed his head slightly. “It’s, um… nice to meet you, Mr. Kami— Mr. Shachi…”

Shachi scrutinized Haise, raising the hairs at the back of Haise’s neck. It was like being analyzed beneath a microscope, where every single movement, down to his breathing, was observed and recorded for an unknowable purpose.

“And what will you do with the information I give you?” Shachi asked.

A smile slowly stretched across Sen’s face. “Do you enjoy prison life, Shachi? From what the Priest told me, it’s two meals and an hour of exercise every day. Sounds tedious and restricting, if you ask me. I’d go crazy, personally.”

His eyes narrowed, and Haise swallowed.

“Nothing to say for yourself? The Task Force must be so proud of themselves, cowing the great Orca…” She tapped her pen against her knee with her chin in her hand. “You were quite the stubborn one back in your heyday, as I was told. Struggling against your ever-oppressive fellows and being thwarted at every turn! Yet you dug your heels in for such a valiant cause, and at the end of it all… changed absolutely nothing!”

“Er, Sen, shouldn’t we—” Haise tried to intervene. She was getting too personal with this. And off-track.

She cut him off. “The only change you were able to effect was when you decided to operate outside of those systems. When you abandoned the structure and worked on your own terms, your own choices, your actions bore fruit.”

“S-Sen…!” Haise tried again, but she didn’t even seem to hear him.

Shachi simply folded his arms. “So your goal is reformation, then.”

She snickered. “Would that I were so noble and shrewd, Mr. Kamishiro! I’m an author of horror and tragedy, unfortunately— my specialty is destruction, not creation. I’m simply a harbinger of the chaos that’s gone ignored at the door for far too long.”

Now Haise was just lost. “Um, what are you talking about, Sen?”

Shachi’s eyes narrowed again. “You brought the boy here and told him nothing?”

Another secret. Considering where they were, Haise couldn’t blame her. Sen was just a woman of many secrets, and those secrets were uniquely dangerous. She wouldn’t reveal them to just anyone.

“I’d rather he hear it from a primary source,” she explained.

Shachi paused, then gave her an amused look. “Rather unlike you, Sen.”

She rolled her eyes, slightly pink. “I guess.”

The mountain of a man chuckled. The sound reverberated about the room like a small tremor. “So you trust him.”

Sen took a breath, then gripped Haise’s hand, making him flinch. “I do,” she said.

The sight made the man’s lip curl upward, and his hardened gaze turned soft, almost like velvet. “I see.” He took a deep breath, exhaling through his nostrils. “Regardless— boy.”

“Y-Yes?” Haise looked up.

“You may have come this far, but it is difficult to turn from knowledge once one has obtained it.” Shachi’s intimidating aura settled in again. “To learn is to risk your view of the world. To change it irrevocably, and possibly endanger you. Are you prepared?”

To ask such a question was… almost ridiculous, frankly. Haise had broken into Cochlea twice, and even disregarding that, he had also obtained classified criminal files and knew people who were able to get such things within hours of asking. His view of the world had already been compromised; whatever awaited him could hardly be worse.

And… he had a feeling he already knew what was going to be said. He’d been drawing a story about it for nearly six months, thanks to a quick nap in a coffee shop.

“I-I’m ready.” He squeezed Sen’s hand for confidence.

It seemed to satisfy Shachi. “Very well.” He sat up in his seat, letting out a breath. “What do you know about the Washuu?”

The name that continued to crop up. “Well… they’re a private investigative company founded under Allied supervision while they occupied Japan post-World War II,” Haise said, recalling what he knew from a research session. “They were considered traitors at first: some people even called them dogs under the heel of Western interests. However, their purpose— to solve crimes that traditional police couldn’t— kept bearing fruit, and they’ve become widely respected as a result.

“That said… they could have connections to Donato Porpora.”

Shachi’s expression shifted to something like amusement. “You know much already, it seems.”

Haise rubbed his chin. “I-I, uh, had a, um… personal interest in Donato’s arrest.”

Sen, who had pulled out a book to read, smiled to herself. “He’s a resourceful one,” she said, turning a page. “I was impressed by how much he figured out on his own.”

He beamed at her approval.

Shachi hummed. “I see. And how did you come across this information?”

She glanced up momentarily, the way she did when she pretended to be uninterested in something.

“Er, I’d rather not say…” Haise said. “Sorry…”

“Think nothing of it.” Shachi folded his arms. “It is as you say. The Washuu Task Force— rather, the Washuu themselves— have directly collaborated with the Priest, as well as countless other criminals— including the Torso— in order to achieve their goal of continued dominance and wealth.”

Haise felt his blood run cold. If that was the case, then both Mr. Yasuhisa and Nashiro had both been victims of the Washuu’s connections.

“The Task Force is not alone, however. There are others with similar connections, and they operate under a single roof,” Shachi continued. Furuta, Ihei, Arima—”

Sen tensed.

“— Kaiko, Souzu, Sanzu—”

“S-Sanzu?” Haise blurted out. “Like… Like the Sanzu General Hospital?”

“The very same.”

That was where Ryouko had been placed.

Haise didn’t see Sen quietly closing her book to look at him.

“Together, they are an organization that pretends to be a friend to the everyday individual, when they are orchestrators of their suffering,” Shachi said.

The Sanzu General Hospital had forced Ryouko to choose to live and burden Hina, or die and deprive her of her last parent. For something as asinine as money.

“Hope is just a tool, a fire, to them. It can warm hearts, and can inspire or reinforce loyalty. However, if that hope becomes a blaze, becomes too strong—”

They hadn’t tried to save Ryouko.

“— they will create reminders of despair.”

They had killed her.

“They are V.”

———

“Self-proclaimed ‘kings’ of law, moderators of murkiness— whatever you wanna call them. To line their pockets and play God, they’ll do anything— kill anyone.”

— from the draft of Sen Takatsuki’s ninth work, The Folly of the Hierophants

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

GOLDEN

Release date: 3 November 2023

Official page

Announcement

Pre-order notice

Promotion schedule, Promotion schedule 2, Promotion schedule 3

Tracklist

The Tracks: part Ⅰ, part Ⅱ

Preview

'GOLDEN' photo

GOLDEN AGE

'GOLDEN (US Exclusive)’ Unboxing Video with Jung Kook (Eng trans)

Official Youtube playlist

Official merch and artist frame from photoism

After teasing us with two tracks, Jung Kook released his first solo album, titled GOLDEN, in reference to his Golden maknae nickname (because he's the super-talented younger member of BTS).

Concept photo

Release date: 6-8 October 2023

SHINE

SOLID

SUBSTANCE

Jacket Shoot Sketch

Melon exclusive photo

In the SUBSTANCE concept, the graffiti in the background are based on Jung Kook's tattoos on his right arm, including:

0613: BTS' debut date (June 13, 2013)

"ARMY"

"Winners never quit"

"Truth"

Emojis

Crowns

"Make hay while the sun shine"

"Rather be the dead than cool"

A microphone

"花樣年華": The Most Beautiful Moment in Life in hanja, a reference to the eponymous album series by BTS

A snake

Chains

"XCVII": 97 in Roman numbers, a nod to 1997 Jung Kook's birth year

A tiger lily: Jung Kook's birth flower

G clef

A clock

Chains

Tracklist

3D (feat. Jack Harlow) (see this post)

Closer to You (feat. Major Lazer): lyrics

Seven (feat. Latto) - Explicit Ver. (see this post)

Standing Next to You (see below)

Yes or No: lyrics

Please Don't Change (feat. DJ Snake): lyrics

Hate You: lyrics

Somebody: lyrics

Too Sad to Dance: lyrics

Shot Glass of Tears: lyrics

Seven (feat. Latto) - Clean Ver.

Preview

It seems the whole video was filmed in the same warehouse, though I couldn't confirm it for "Closer to You".

We can see 6 posters on the cinema set:

Three of them are Halloween posters created by the Nasa: Galactic Graveyard, The Roasted Planet, Gamma Ray Ghouls

A poster for the movie Footfalls

An anti-rumour poster

Standing Next to You

Release date: 3 November 2023

Poster

Teaser

Lyrics

Other versions: Choreography ver., Lyric Video

Dance Practice

MV Photo Sketch

MV Shoot Sketch

Official Youtube playlist

The MV was filmed in Hungary., in an abandoned plant, Kelenföldi erőmű, and on the Hungaroring racetrack (src).

The female character is played by Pasha Harulia (Instagram).

Tanu Muiño, the MV director, explained in an Instagram post that the MV is inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet. Several fans noticed similarities between the MV and the movie Romeo + Juliet. Baz Luhrmann, director of the movie, himself acknowledged the inspiration. You can refer to Lyna's thread for a more complete analysis.

The background is decorated with graffiti and posters referencing both Romeo + Juliet and the lyrics.

The limousines all have the same type of plate, from X001 to X014.

Version featuring Usher

Release date: 15 December 2023

Video teaser

Performance Video

Photo Sketch

Official Performance Video Sketch

Behind The Scenes

Usher's tweet

They filmed at 516 Anderson (website), an abandoned warehouse in Los Angeles (cr.).

The song is featured on Usher's album Coming Home.

Promotion, interviews, and performances

Weverse magazine: "The artists who collaborated with Jung Kook on “Seven” and “3D”"

231013 Music Bank (Bonus ver.), Behind Photo #1, #2

[슈취타] EP.21 SUGA with 정국 Ⅱ

231105 @ iHeartRadio LIVE: 'Seven', 'Standing Next to You', interview

231107 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: interview, "Standing Next to You" performance

231110 Jung Kook Live at TSX, Times Square

231114 Audacy live with Jung Kook

231116 MCountdown

'GOLDEN' LIVE ON STAGE

Rolling Stone: "Jung Kook Shares Solemn New Video for His Ballad ‘Hate You’"

Spotify: Billions Club: The Series featuring Jung Kook, tweet from Spotify K-pop, tweet from Today's Top Hits

[EPISODE] Music Show Promotions Sketch

[quibbs126]

Alright, this might take some explaining, but basically this is just like an idea for an au I had based on my friend’s description of the premise of a show she and her mom are watching that I just decided I need to cross over with Cookie Run. Also I liked the premise

I’ll give you the rundown of what she told me right quick. Oh, also disclaimer, I don’t actually know what the show is called, nor do I know the names of any of the characters, since she didn’t tell me, as well as I believe the fact that she didn’t know how to translate the names into English

So basically, our main character is this prince who got exiled from his kingdom for being part of a rebellion. On his way leaving the kingdom, he gets accosted and loses all his magical items (I’m guessing the kingdom was either magic or divine in some way, I don’t remember if she explained), and basically is now stuck at the level of a normal person. So the prince ends up opening an inn in the mountains. Business isn’t the best but he’s getting by. Anyways, one day, a group of thugs comes in and basically demands the prince (he’s hiding his identity so no one knows he’s a prince and think he’s a regular dude, but I don’t know his name, so I’m calling just him that) lets them stay in his rooms, feed them breakfast (and I assume dinner) and basically do their bidding or they take him out. The prince says something along the lines of “you aren’t even worth a single thread on my jacket” and basically refuses. The thugs attack but it just so happens another traveler was at the inn at the time, and they use their martial arts to take out all the thugs, though in the process the inn gets destroyed. The traveler basically says their work here is done, but the prince is like “um no, you destroyed my inn! I can’t pay to have all this repaired, I don’t have that kind of money! You gotta pay for all of this!”. Now see, the traveler is going to this special tower (I think there might have been a tournament there?) which has something at the end of it. We don’t know what the traveler wants from the tower, but they want something. The traveler says to the prince that they’re going to this tower for a tournament and there will be a monetary reward, and once they win they’ll pay the prince back. The prince decides that they’ll go along, saying it’s to make sure they’ll actually keep their word and not run out on their debt (though my friend said that the traveler’s martial art school was known to be reliable and trustworthy, so he could trust them, it was for some other reason that they decided to join that I can’t remember). So yeah, the two set out towards this tower

And so yeah, in my brain as she was explaining this, I was connecting this to Dark Choco, and here we are. So in this au, Dark Choco takes the role of the prince (unsurprisingly), where after his banishment and losing all his stuff (I’m assuming that includes the Strawberry Jam Sword), he sets up an inn somewhere and one day meets a traveler by the name of Peach Cookie, and after an altercation that leaves his inn trashed, Peach promises to pay him back with money from this tournament at a tower (the only tower I know is the Tower of Frozen Waves, so maybe it’s there? But I don’t know much about that tower either), and Dark Choco, a bit suspicious, goes along with her, and they’re off on an adventure together towards this tower

Oh, or maybe this tournament has to do with that competition mentioned in Tiger Lily’s Golden Warrior costume? The one about the Temple in the Sky? Maybe it could be that instead, so it ties in more with actual Cookie Run stuff

Oh and as for the designs, I just wanted them to wear less conspicuous things (also Dark Choco might have lost his armor so he just has regular clothes), since I imagine they’re trying to keep a low profile. But maybe I should have drawn Peach Cookie in her normal outfit, that probably still would have worked. Unless au things change her backstory or something, I haven’t worked it out

I don’t know where this would go, but I thought the premise was neat and wanted to draw it. Also I just kind of want to see these two interact

Anyways yeah, I hope you enjoy the idea at least, even if there’s not much to look at

Edit: The show is called The Blood of Youth

[reolf]

What is your favorite sentence or line from a fic, either one you've read or one you're writing?

I have so many quotes from rumbelle fics that I LOVE, and I have a couple of them written down in my notes on my phone. Most of them are from @emospritelet because she is a damm good quote writer ;-)

My soul is yours,” he whispered.  “My heart, my love, my life. And all the lives to come.” from The Long Game.

"A frightened child, screaming in defiance at the dark, but too stubborn to turn on a light.” from I think Tiger Lilies.

And " The Earth is littered with bones of men who underestimated women" is a classic.

“I can’t tell if I’m Orpheus or Theseus,” Belle remarked. “Descending into the underworld, but following a golden thread so I don’t get lost in the maze.” from @kelyon because I love mythology and this was a brilliant mix of two of them.

I also cannot pick exactly one but the way @deliriumsdelight7 writes Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat and Breaking Cycles and Changing Seasons and many more blows my mind by how beautiful she spins these words together and it gets me every time.

[purplebass]

A soft name but she uses it like a knife: an analysis of Lila's identities

Because I think about Lila so much and because I like to analyze names and symbolism so much... I realized something about her given names. I could write an essay about her multiple identities and Kell's but maybe in the future. Tes says that names are a valuable thing and people used personal names to curse those they disliked. Her birth name is Delilah which means "delicate". When Kell first meets her, he thinks that she has a soft name but she uses it like a knife, which is an accurate description of her character.

Only the people closest to her call her Lila, which is more informal. Lila Bard is a double faced matryoshka, we could say. There is one side she shows the people closest to her, which are few, and another side she only shows Kell. He's the only one who sees the tiniest doll in the heart of it all, and even so, there are still sides to her that he doesn't know. He's also the only character she openly told that it was fine to call her Lila after their first meeting.

According to other sources, Delilah could also be the epithet for "traitor" because in the Bible, Delilah cuts Samson's hair and he loses his strength (interesting fact that when Holland and part of Kell's magic end up in the inheritor, their hair turned white - could be inspired by this? Bets are on).

Delilah is also pronounced De-lie-la and I believe she is one of the characters who lies the most in this series and her pov is not 100% trustworthy (which I see as an amusing thing bc she is harder to figure out and it's fun when her lies are unmasked!). She introduces herself with her full name to everyone, but only few people keep calling her Delilah instead of Lila (among them Holland, Nadiya, and Ren). They aren't close, hence they don't dare to use her shortened name, I guess. It's also a way to distance themselves from her or to treat her with respect.

Delilah Bard is one of the identities she has, one she couldn't choose (because her parents gave her this name). Delilah Bard is the exterior, the person on the outside. Even when the text describes her and uses Delilah and not Lila, it's to paint a picture of her from an external point of view. We can explain who she is by thinking about a matryoshka doll: Delilah Bard is the bigger doll, the one everyone sees. Inside there are different sides to her: the magician, the thief, the captain, which have different names as well (the Sarows, the Shadow Thief, casero Bard, even Stasion Elsor).

Lila is the name she seems to prefer for herself, and the name which connects her to her magical part because one of the meaning of this name also refers to the lilac tree. When Lila calls her magic, mostly fire magic, she uses a line from Blake's poem: "Tyger, tyger, burning bright,". The "tiger lily" is also a species of lily flower. Her name Lila then encompasses her magical connection to Red London because it is connected to a flower. But it's yet another interesting connection to Kell because well, the tiger lily is orange-red with black spots. The tiger lily flower is also toxic for cats and we know that Esa doesn't seem to like Lila that much and the feeling is mutual. lol

If you want me to write about more of this stuff send me asks please 🥺

[manwalksintobar]

The Pain Scale // Nicole Callihan

Nearly always, I was a six, somewhere between a five and a six,

I’d say, between moderate and severe, between tiger lily and hot house orchid,

between learning how to sound out a word I’d only ever read, and learning how to spell

despair, be in disrepair, what’s the difference, I asked, between pain and discomfort,

am I feeling pain that you’ve cut off my breasts, that you’ve slit me from hip bone to hip bone

and taken skin and fat from my abdomen, taken the tiniest blood vessels and moved them

to make these sort of breast-looking breasts, or is it discomfort, is it discomfort, is it discomfort

that I cannot roll over onto my side, look at the birds out the window, that someone has to help me

to the bathroom, that someone, or maybe just me, will have to put on these disposable gloves—

bought to go grocery shopping in the early days of the pandemic, o how we washed the plums!—

and use these gloves now to drag the shit out of me, the shit that collects and collects from all the drugs.

Is that pain, is that discomfort, is the crying into the sink, is the nipple falling off in the shower,

or the other that was hanging on by what seemed to be a thread, how I took my toenail clippers to it,

the wince, the flushing it down the toilet so as not to draw rats to the trash. Pain, I’d say, yes, somewhere

between a five and a six, I think, but maybe a two or so, maybe an eight, but god, I’m ready

for a pleasure scale, and not moderate pleasure, I want severe. Severed but raptured. Not comfort but pleasure.

 Pure unadulterated pleasure. Ten, I want to say, ten.

(via Rogue Agent Journal)

[katmaeart]

Reflecting...

I really enjoyed the time Neil spent talking with me in the studio visit. I'm going to be checking out 'Queer Threads' from the DAAP library, and possibly buying it on Amazon ($40ish).

Something I didn't even think about when I did it was that I introduced myself as a painter, but I've been doing cyanotyping. I'm not afraid to call myself a printmaker. Print is an art. Print is not dead. I highly respect it, and need to get back into all aspects, which is why I'm excited to do Lithography soon!

I started reflecting on why I'm doing cyanotypes now instead of oil painting. With my oil paintings, I usually speak on topics of my sexuality and relationship, and I think that I am scared to share that part of myself with this group. Oil painting is hard for me, I used to LOVE it. It takes so much out of me. Focusing on one area for so long, blending away. I'm not saying that print is the easy way out, because there is depth to it. I guess with print, I can shift my brain functions a lot with all the different levels and processes being done. It's easier for my attention to be kept, with ADHD.

I'm wondering if I'll ever go back to painting. I have all the stuff, and so many plans for paintings. I'm not doing anything I thought I'd be doing in grad school, and I think that's completely fine. I like surprising myself. I can paint anywhere. I have access to a fine ass print facility here at DAAP, and I need to take advantage of it while I can. Once I'm out, then I can think about being a member of Tiger Lily, or others alike. Being a student means access. Do everything I can while I have access!

[archive-multimuse]

@wendyfulmother​ / x

“This is who we are, I don't think we'll ever change They say just grow up, but they don't know us. “

“Say, won't you stay forever? If you stay forever, we can stay forever young.”

[heartrendcrss]

@ncbystanders reached for the ☾

❝ I’m stuck here alone with little else but memories of you. ❞ Tiger knew how to lay it on when it came to ex-customers. She knew that there was only so much you could do before you missed your freedom, hers wasn’t the same as the girl’s in front of her. But the longing was similar. Every time she felt trapped, all she could do was think of getting out again. And nine times out of ten, when presented with the opportunity, everyone takes a second taste.