#and also a giant mass of animal people
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u all will perceive Cake
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Several weeks ago, my retirement-age mother requested that I play Baldur’s Gate 3 for her because she has trouble with controllers/keyboards and wanted “to see what all the fuss is about with that cute wizard boy.” For context, my mother and I have done this sort of thing in the past with certain RPGs (dragon age, mass effect, etc.), but it’s been a few years since she’s personally requested a game like this. Basically, I control her Tav but let her make all the choices so she can determine how the story plays out without worrying about mechanics. She treats it like a choose-your-own-adventure book.
Anyway, here is a list of some of the things my mother has said and/or chosen to do throughout the course of BG3 in no particular order:
She is (obviously) romancing Gale. She is quite smitten with him and his passion for books and learning; she also thinks he’s polite and qualifies as “relationship material.” She also REALLY likes the things he’s said about his cat so far (my mom is a cat lady), so I know she’s gonna flip shit when we meet Tara in Act III.
She’s playing a normal druid Tav with a generally good alignment. Her favorite spell is Spike Growth because she thinks it’s hilarious whenever enemies walk into the AOE and die. I usually end up having to cast it at least once per battle per her request. Sometimes twice.
Contrary to her alignment, my mother tasks me with robbing every single chest, crate, barrel, and burlap sack we come across; this also includes people and their pockets. The party is always at max carrying capacity. ALWAYS. She doesn’t like selling things because “what if I need them.” The camp stash is in literal shambles. There is no hope of organizing it. She’s got like fifty seven sets of rags and a billion pieces of random silverware.
She MUST talk to every animal and corpse in the game. I think five hours of her total playtime so far (47ish) has been spent speaking to animals as many times as humanly possible. Like, I was thorough in my own playthroughs, but this is on a whole other level.
She did NOT get Volo’s lobotomy, but she did let Auntie Ethel take her eye in hopes of a cure for the tadpole. I did not understand the logic then. I still do not understand it now.
She is far more interested in fashion than equipment stats. Do you have any idea how much gold I’ve had to spend on dyes just to make things match? SO much. Same vibe as that “please someone help me balance my finances my family is starving” tweet but instead of candles it’s thirty thousand fucking bottles of black and furnace red dye.
We broke the prisoners out of Moonrise, but they got on the boat too early and bugged the fight by leaving Astarion and Karlach behind. Wulbren Bongle somehow got stuck in combat mode even after engaging the cutscene on the docks below Last Light; he he kept trying to run ALL THE WAY BACK TO MOONRISE nine fucking meters at a time while I frantically tried to finish the fight with the Warden, otherwise Wulbren would have run straight into the shadow curse. (I would’ve let him go; fuck Wulbren Bongle, all my homies hate Wulbren Bongle. But my mom didn’t know that, and she wanted to keep him safe. So.)
She had me reload a save like eighteen times to save the giant eagles on top of Rosymorn Monastery. Wouldn’t even let me do non-lethal damage just to get past things. I think getting that warhammer for the dawnmaster puzzle took us like an hour and a half alone. (Yes, I know you can use any warhammer, but SHE didn’t.)
She’s started keeping an irl notebook to keep track of her quests between play sessions. She writes down ideas and strategies when she thinks of them during the week, then brings them to her next game session at my house. I think she wrote about three pages on possible approaches to the goblin fortress alone.
She insists that I pet Scratch and the owlbear cub before every single long rest, no exceptions. Sometimes I have to do it multiple times until she is absolutely sure that the animals know exactly how much she loves and cherishes them. She has also commissioned a crocheted owlbear plush from a friend of hers and is very excited.
I’m sure there’s a bunch of stuff I’m forgetting, but those are some fun things I thought of. She’s enjoying the game and is telling all of her retired friends to get it and play it for themselves. She asked me “what is Discord” yesterday and I think my life flashed before my eyes.
anyway shout out to my mom for being neat
Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5
#bg3#baldur's gate 3#gale#gale of waterdeep#astarion#gale dekarios#laq talks#I talk#she stares at me real hard after she makes a choice too#like squinting to see if my expression gives anything away#if it was a good or bad call#I keep my face blank as shit it’s hilarious#I have not told her I’m writing fanfic for this game#nor will I ever#jesus christ
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[ Visitors pass by some of the iconic sculptures of prehistoric life within Crystal Palace Park. Photo by Richard Baker. ]
"When the Crystal Palace and Park opened in south London in 1854, it was an instant sensation. Visitors came from far and wide to see the giant glass structure that had been rebuilt there, bigger and better, after the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park. Wide-eyed spectators wandered freely through Egyptian and Medieval Courts, delighted in high-wire circus acts, and were transported by a 4,000-piece orchestra.
Tucked away in a corner of the vast gardens that fanned out from the palace, past sweeping terraces and more fountains than even at Versailles, was a smaller but no less ambitious attraction. Scattered across several islands in the middle of a lake stood three dozen life-size sculptures of prehistoric animals, including several dinosaurs up to 30 feet long—the world’s first attempt to model them at full scale.
The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs were the work of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, a natural history artist who, aided by some of the leading scientists of the day, had dreamt up a grand experiment in visual education, bringing to life the “dry bones or oddly shaped stones” found in the British Museum and introducing the masses to the burgeoning science of paleontology. By reconstructing Britain’s long-extinct animals, he hoped to “render the appearance and names of the ancient inhabitants of our globe as familiar as household words.”
The palace burned down in the 1930s, but, almost 170 years after they were crafted, most of Hawkins’ original sculptures still stand sentry in the park. Today, they’re mostly famous for being wildly inaccurate. With few complete fossils to work off, Hawkins had to use his imagination and the advice of comparative anatomists to breathe life into his models, which, in addition to four true dinosaurs, also depict prehistoric mammals, reptiles and amphibians. As a result, the sculptures look suspiciously like many modern-day creatures.
“People kind of scoff and giggle, because they look so wrong today, but at the time they were really cutting-edge,” says Bob Nicholls, a paleoartist who, through careful study of archival images, recently reconstructed a lost sculpture that had disappeared from the park sometime in the 1960s. His tapir-like model of Palaeotherium magnum, an animal we now know looked a lot more like a horse, was unveiled in July and now stands among Hawkins’ own surviving creations."
Read more: "How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology" by Yannic Rack.
#palaeoblr#Crystal Palace#Crystal Palace Dinosaurs#Dinosaurs#Article#Information#London#England#Photo#Sculptures
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Yk one thing I barely see talked abt is the fact that Mace Windu's lineage and thus legacy is one of the longest Order 66 surviving ones in Star Wars WHO STAYED TRUE TO THE JEDI ORDER'S PRINCIPLES.
Like damn, Mace rly managed to establish a liniage of highly competent and compasionate Jedi. The Shatterpoint Lineage either outlasted or survived for nearly as long as the Disaster Liniage who pretty obviously stopped truly representing Jedi with Obi-Wan (only rly returninh to the true jedi way with Luke if ya see him as part of that lineage)
Like- who do we have in the Shatterpoint lineage ?
-Master of the Jedi Order , died trying to save the galaxy from the Sith
-Former council member, died saving her padawan from her brainwashed men
-Rebel Jedi training a student despite everything that went down , died saving his padawan & loved ones from a giant explosion
-THE GUY LITTERALY ABLE TO GET THE CHANCE TO FORCE TIME-TRAVEL WHO SEND HIMSELF INTO EXILE TO PROTECT THOSE HE LOVES & THE GALAXY
And who do we have in the Disaster Lineage :
-Guy with questionable methods who did his best
-OBI-WAN who rly doesn't need any explanation (who's also the last true Jedi with expection of Luke (if you counf him) to come out of this lineage)
-a genocial manbaby with an alergy for any sort of moral code or basic logic
-a pick me shitting on her own adoptive family, who isn't even a Jedi if we are being honest (sry Ahsoka, but your character to assasinated to a point where I just can't anymore)
And honestly ? It says a LOT that Mace Windu's lineage stands as pretty much last bastion of a true Jedi Lineage from the old Order.
Agreed 100%
And ngl I find it so funny that people constantly praise the Shatterpoint lineage- (Depa, Kanan, Ezra) -and then shit on Mace like, my dude, WHO DO YOU THINK TAUGHT DEPA AND PASSED ON THOSE VALUES TO HER AND THEREFORE HIS LINEAGE???
But no, Mace's lineage is by far the best imo---I love Obi-Wan and Luke and Yoda, but they get negative points for having not one but TWO genocidal fascists in the lineage- (Dooku and Anakin) -and then someone who thinks the Jedi brought on their own genocide- (Ahsoka) -and then someone who decided that the fate of the galaxy was less important than her feelings and probably kickstarted another war- (Sabine, apparently, since Felony shoe-horned her into the lineage).
Meanwhile the Shatterpoint lineage has the head of the Order who almost won the Clone Wars and stopped the Empire from being created, who only failed because he was betrayed- (Mace) -then an amazing and empathetic general who was literally so selfless that she sacrificed herself to save her padawan- (Depa) -then someone who fought against the Empire, successfully overcame his own issues to both train a padawan and then forgive those who he thought willingly murdered his family, and then sacrificed himself to save his family and give the Rebellion a leg up on the Empire for the Battle of Lothal- (Kanan) -and finally someone who let go of all his grief, rejected the Dark Side SEVERAL TIMES, and then sentenced himself to a life in exile to protect the galaxy from a genocidal fascist- (Ezra).
Like...there's really no competition here.
In the Imperial Era, Mace was probably sitting back as a Force-ghost, watching the Disaster lineage fuck up the galaxy and then have to fix it all over again, smugly staring down Obi-Wan and Yoda like-
Mace, smugly: Hm, did you know that today Kanan taught Ezra how to connect with animals? I'm so proud of them.
Obi-Wan, watching Anakin commit even more mass murder and Ahsoka blame the Jedi for Anakin's actions: Must be nice.
Yoda, staring down Dooku, who literally tried to take over the whole galaxy with a fascist regime: Yes. Nice, it must be.
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Are We Returning To 2000s Era Shonen Anime/Manga (A Discussion)
So this is going to be way more of a thinkpiece than I usually do for this blog, but recent trends in the space and niche that I devote a lot of time to, Anime/Manga, have been showing themselves that got me thinking. This is not meant to be a serious sociology case study taken as fact, it's going to be more a theory based on observations of the community that I, like many others, devote a lot of time into than a full on claim, but I do want to ask, is the anime and manga community is experiencing a resurgence in 2000s era shonen manga?
Background
Now let me get this out of the way, there is bias in these observations as I am a western anime fan, but also a North American anime fan. Meaning my gateway and gauges of pop culture are mostly determined by the history of my area of the world’s relationship with anime. From the OVAs of 80s hyper violent and hyper sexual sci fi that you had to purchase from the backs of video rental stores, to the Toonami era of 90s and early 00s programming block the centred around action anime and cartoons, the 4kids era of mass market japanese animated kids shows that were really just giant commercials with some of the earliest memetics in western sphere, and the explosion of shonen battle series in the western sphere in the mid to late 2000s marked by the rise of the colloquially named “Big 3” of shonen jump.
I understand that continents like South America or Europe may have undergone a different exposure to the Japanese medium, but as I am going in with some bias in this observation, I would like to make it clear on where the formula is coming from.
I also would like to lay down a certain clarification before making this, when discussing the topic of nostalgia I think a lot of people have forgotten what it actually means. If we go by the Cambridge dictionary definition, Nostalgia is “a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past.” This is often invoked when talking about pop culture because people from say 20 years ago don’t seem to enjoy or relate to the interests of today. The belief is that nostalgia is generational ergo if you grew up in the 80s you’re likely wishing to recapture the feelings of childhood that you associate with those trends from 20 years ago. In fact, most revaluation in media has often been catalyzed by a difference of those who grew up in an era rebuffing the opinions of those who didn’t.
There is the well known “20 Year Rule” regarding pop culture nostalgia. That every decade it longs for what was popular 20 years ago. Probably no better example than “That 70s show” being popular in the late 90s, the return of many beloved 80s-90s franchises like “Ghostbusters” returning in the 2010s as well as series like “Stranger Things” that wrapped itself up in 80s aesthetics. DC's New 52 relaunch that seemed to bring back trends from 90s era comics.
Now it goes without saying that the 20 year rule isn’t a “real” rule, rather an observation that certain trends make a return to popularity because the ones who grew up with a certain media will be the ones who add to the discourse when they come of age and will be the ones having a chance to create consumable art for the masses and that may just be revivals of once popular IP. This isn’t necessarily wrong in regards to nostalgia, but I do believe that one doesn’t need to have been born in a certain era to be nostalgic for something when we discuss pop culture. Pop culture is really just trends and preferences that become en vogue and people can acquire a taste at any given time. Sometimes it can be due to those who grew up with something now having the chance to create and drawing upon their own childhoods, sometimes it's just due to not being exposed, other times it can be a certain feeling of disillusionment of the now, and seeking something that peaks your interest, and even sometimes it can be major corporations or networks looking for things with existing audiences to draw upon that actually expand the audience. In fact one of the most prominent Netflix adaptations of the 2020s has been live Action Avatar the Last Airbender and One Piece, both shows that got their start on American televisions in 2004 and 2005. One of the biggest animated shows right now is Invincible, based on a comic book from 2003
So I want to stress this is not necessarily about how if you grew up with the original Mobile Suit Gundam show you are being replaced by the kids who were watching GetBackers. And or if you are a fan of shows that came out in the 2000s you yourself were born in the 2000s.
But what was the landscape of the English speaking anime community like back in the 2000s? Well let me paint a portrait for you.
What was the 2000s like for anime fans?
The term I used, “shonen boom period”, is somewhat mythologized in the western anime sphere. There was a glut of high profile shonen anime running around the same time that most people identified with this time period and was arguably when we saw the most influx of people getting into the hobby. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach served as big series known for their massively large casts, MCs with a level of attitude, some of the most hype centric power supernatural/extraordinary power systems, and certain brand of “Japanese-y” humor.
We can’t deny that it wasn’t just these series however, as series like Fullmetal Alchemist became many people’s introduction to more narratively intricate series interspersed with a somewhat gothic action style. The gothic and somewhat edgy Death Note became many fans' first ever “battle series that’s not a battle series” that also incorporated many biblical and gothic horror elements into its presentation. And things like Code Geass also incorporated this combination of hyper stylized cat and mouse with ornate and gothic aesthetics and fighting robots.
Series like Ouran Highschool Host Club and and Haruhi Suzumiya were basically gateways to the more hyper extraordinary slice of life series that didn’t shy away from fanservice and loud comedy. With ecchi like Rosario + Vampire taking it to an even greater extreme. For people willing to go even deeper, series like Fairy Tail began to pop up and share a distinct similar flavor to series like One Piece and Naruto which arguably started the popular conception of it coming from the same magazine as the latter. That’s not also discounting the amount of holdovers from the 90s like Dragon Ball z, Trigun, and Yu Yu Hakusho, which also had an edge towards fantastical combat and comedic oriented series.
All of this is to generally illustrate the media diet of what an average anime fan was expected to have some level of access to. As this was far before the eras of Funimation or Hulu having online services. Not a homogenized spread by any means, and im certain plenty of readers could name more underground or smaller series like Mushishi or Elphen Lied, but generally the popular mainstream you could tell that there was a consistent theme of long form media with a very loud, very flashy, and very action oriented type of series. Which I think is fair to say had skewed some people’s perception. And while I cannot claim with utter certainty that Japan was the same in this regard, you can look at magazines like Shonen Jump and notice a somewhat synchronistic trend. With series like Hitman Reborn, Gintama, D. Gray Man, Eyeshield 21, Bobobobo, etc.making a clear marcation of what was commercially successful at the time.
Even series not inside the magazine but had smaller nicher, Tokyo-pop-esque series like Rave Master, Flame of Recca, Air Gear, History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi, Soul Eater, etc all had a similarity to the shonen jump magazine. To the point it was not uncommon to see so many jump characters in a collage and one from shonen sunday or shonen magazine in there as if this was all coming from the same place.
Changing Landscape
Now with the advantages of the modern internet, we have the ability to actually keep up with the jump magazine in real time as opposed to the common practice of relying on scanlation site and fansubs that were often devoted to the most popular works. But with simultaneous publication and services like Crunchyroll, being able to access a wider variety of shows and series that we may or may not have access to. I believe that the 2010s in the english speaking fanbase was the decade we saw a somewhat expansionism of what people perceived as anime. Anime could be One Piece and Naruto, but it could also be Erased, it could be the Promised Neverland, Attack on Titan, K-On, Haikuu, and Durarara. With the representatives of the 90s no longer being holdovers in syndication like dragon ball but rather full on revivals of the likes of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Hunter x Hunter.
All of these could be "shonen" but also other genres like Seinin, Josei, and Shojo all had their own varying layers of what they could be in their demographic
The mood of what was popular was also changing, not just in the fact that more flavors of anime and manga were becoming mainstream, but new works from shonen jump showed a rise in almost subversive series like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer that seemed to consciously deviate or place new spins from traditional tropes of the 2000s characters, and we saw works that were derivative of previous serious like Black Clover drawing upon Naruto the same way it was known that Naruto had drawn upon Dragon Ball before them. Series like The Promised Neverland and Doctor Stone offered up more dramatic series that still infused a certain energy of the shonen genre.
And of course the series like Attack Titan whose much more darker and gorey storytelling seemed to have become one of if not the biggest hit of the generation with a well regarded adaptation, but something that had felt so removed from what were once contemporaries like the then ending Bleach or Naruto. We can also note that the late 2010s saw the rise of series like Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen that began a trend of popular urban fantasy stories. Where fantastical concepts were now in contemporary Japan and the stories that focused on concepts like self identity and the harshness of maturing were juxtaposed to the real world inhabited by monsters.
It seemed many tropes of the previous decade were still alive in the rise of Isekai anime. Which was particularly the only popular outlet for fantasy stories with an action orientation. But these almost felt disconnected from the wider world of manga as things like heavy harem action series had actually decreased in mags like shonen jump. There was also new tropes being established in this subgenre that became unique popularizations of tropes all on their own, such as the overpowered protagonist whose power everyone believes is weak. But many of these were based on light novels, a form of media that only in the last few years western readers are having official access to and not simply scans found on the internet.
We in North America truly have gone from anime being a niche that was primarily accessible through dedicated TV blocks like Toonami, to a full blown cultural relevance shift.
We also need to talk about this era in its perception of the past also shifted. The 90s and the early 00s often blend together as classics of the anime community. Somewhat encased in amber. However, there is no denying that “feels like a 2000s series” had become a bit of a shorthand for very goofy, Very horny, very action heavy series. Series like Fire Force and and Undead Unluck had their show what more problematic elements be equated to the problematic trends of the past that people just accepted as “a part of the medium.” But lets keep in mind, this is not really describing a time, more a trend. Superficial elements that invoke similar feelings of the past.
Speaking of anime fans…
Fan Culture
So while I wanted to paint a picture of creatively the landscape has changed, there’s no denying that in the age of internet accessibility, the anime fan community has also changed. It is much much easier now to get in contact with people who are anime fans now than it was to rely on word of mouth like it was back in the day. I can still distinctly remember my anime club which wasn’t even really a club devoted to anime but rather other geek stuff like D&D and TCGs. Our hobbies just happened to have similar overlap.
Now though, anime fan culture is much more relevant and thriving. Going from just posting weekly reviews, to long retrospectives, comedy videos, abridged series, clickbait articles, fan theories, and podcasts. However, I think a defining feature of fans of the 2000s era of anime that were at their most prominent was hype culture.
Due to many of the biggest anime series at the time being released weekly and focusing on action, many many many discussion boards and videos were often about staying in this cycle of wanting to see what happens next and the action made people very excited to see just how characters were going to win fights or even if they’d have fights at all.
I want to make it clear that this type of activity doesn’t belong to a certain era, but you can see it shaped by the 2000s era. Especially when discussing “what is the next big 3.” As if it were a true position and title, rather than a moment in time where there were just three very distinct shonen series in the fanbase.This doesn’t necessarily have a “negative” effect on the discussion of anime/manga but you can see that certain genres lend themselves to hyping fans up more and more.
Someone isn’t reading the most recent chapter of a romance like Blue Box with the same level of anticipation of who will face who like it was One Piece. But there have certainly been series that try.
The Present
Now we reach the 2020s and this decade is still young, so it is hard to say what the future will hold for certainty, but we can look at the last four years and notice some significant waves being made recently in Shonen Jump alone. I already spoke of Undead Unluck, a series that almost wears it would now be considered retro inspirations on its sleeve. With an opening chapter that establishes an MC that seems motivated by a sexual joke, A power system follows a verbal naming gimmick, and a loose enough world that allows for characters of varying aesthetics and to be incorporated into groups. With groups of these powerful characters splitting up to face each other and use their ridiculous power to the extreme. Even in the series' own meta arc about creating manga, the in-universe analogy for Undead Unluck’s manga is commented on as feeling retro.
There is no doubt the biggest viral hit of the decade so far has gone to Kagurabachi, a manga about sword fighting and magical crime lords that seems almost indulgent in its stylistic slicing and or dicing of baddies. Its memetic success was primarily due to a somewhat sincere and somewhat ironic belief that it would be the “next big thing” as it promised to be a stylized action series. Another surprise viral success has been the manga Nue’s Exorcist which sees another supernatural swordfighter boy harness the powers of his sexy spirit lady while getting into harem shenanigans that echo a particular form of ecchi of anime’s past that had actually been somewhat absent in the past decade in jump. Both of these series have a somewhat noticeable similarities to Bleach, a long running shonen action series that has seen its own revival in the last few years of writing this with the long awaited adaptation of the final arc of the bleach anime.
While the other members of the “big 3” never truly went away and became almost inter-generational, Bleach truly did feel like a “come back” as it was absent for so long. And unlike Hunter x Hunter and Jojo which were never really popular in the west and even their older anime are more regarded as anime deep lore. Bleach was one of the most popular series in the west at the time to never receive a conclusion animated.
Speaking of anime of the 2000s Trigun Stampede was a reimagining of the original late 90s show. This errs a bit similar to Hunter x Hunter’s style of revival, but also seems uniquely its own in actually trying to find a balance between the original series but adding in things cut from its original late 90s early 2000s counterpart.
And now we must examine other shonen magazines. Series like Gachiakuta created by a former assistant of Okubo, the creator of Soul Eater, carries with it much of the similar energies of that series. Its also noticeable as being a truly dark fantasy series. Not an urban fantasy, but rather a completely new world that had a very grunge and dirty world building. And then there is Daemons of the Shadow Realm, a series by Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa. This series is also set in modern day japan with supernatural elements, however Arakawa’s style of writing is practically unchanged from her time on FMA. With an emphasis on action, intricate mysteries, and character building comedy with her trademark over exaggerated blocky style. There is of course Hiro Mashima who has started another new series, Dead Rock, and his style has also not changed that much. Then there is just flat out sequels to 2000s series like Gamaran Shura.
This to me shows that we are seeing a bit of a combination of people who are now entering the workforce inspired by creators of the past, but also that creators of the past still exist 20 years later and are still making content that hasn’t really undergone significant change.
Of course, we can’t also forget the implementation of the Manga Plus/J plus service which has opened up a very interesting ground for creators to have some of the most creatively out there series than what you may have expected from the shonen jump brand. I genuinely don’t think series like Make the Exorcist Fall in Love or Fire Punch would’ve ever been acceptable in the pages of a weekly shonen series. However one series in particular does feel like it could've and boy its been quite the success. Kaiju no 8.
Kaiju no 8 almost feels as though it is the AoT of a new generation with the amount of anticipation this one series has as well as the similarities between the series superficial elements. However, I'd say the key distinction between the two has been the tone. AoT took a dark and practically dour tone on its titan infested world. With an MC declaring war on all of his enemies. The pain was realistic, with human bodies being brittle and vulnerable. And the belief that just because you were a good person you weren't going to make it out alive. Kaiju no 8 instead opts for a more action oriented tone. Down playing the bleak realism for more "Hell yeah!" moments. With super science weapons that feel more akin to a tokusatsu show and fights and battles between humans an kanji the feel like the Dragon Ball style wrestling matches of old.
And of course, that’s not to say Jump hasn’t continued with series that feel more modern like the realistic and mellow romance of Blue Box or the dramatic coming of age story of Akane-Banashi.
But the presence of these series has caused somewhat of a friction with the popular conception of the magazine. Its safe to say that while “shonen” tends to think of action male oriented series, it can really just mean works aimed more at adolescents. But I think many tend to associate this familiar feeling of “what is shonen” with their popular introduction of the magazine. With a saturation of action and brash comedy series. This is further complicated by the fact many action series in jump are actually ending over the last decade. With new ones not popping up to replace them as frequently and series like One Piece and MHA and Black Clover basically stretching out across an entire decade or longer.
In fact, I don’t think it's unreasonable to believe that the hype for something like Kagurabachi was in part a belief that it signaled a return of a type of familiar series and genre that had been missing. Or at the very least, looked to fill an inevitable gap the magazine was obviously going to be facing. Followed by the other commercial success of Nue’s Exorcist, we are likely to see these series last for a long time. At the time of this writing, Tokyo Revenger’s author Ken Wakui has released Astro Royale, a series that feels very similar to his previous work yet infused with this almost GetBackers flavor.
So that leaves us with the question at the start, are we seeing a rise in 2000s nostalgia in anime and manga?
Conclusion
So I'm sorry if I disappoint, but the best I can say is, I’m not certain. I do believe that from my observation I think it is reasonable to say that we are seeing a rise in creators in the shonen space being ones inspired by series from 20 years ago. However, I think we are also seeing creators who are from that time period also returning to write how they have always written.
On the consumer side, I think we can see that fans of anime and manga have changed in the sense their tastes can now be shaped by a much larger catalog of series at their disposal. But in the case of shonen, I think we are simply seeing those who likely got their start in anime at around the 2000s resonating with newer series drawing upon those series, but also with younger fans now likely to grow up with the tail end of what was popular in the 2010s now being influenced by the 2020s.
I also believe that one of the defining features of the anime community in the last decade is hype culture. And currently we are seeing a rise in series that actually feel more catered to hype, be it a revival of a series they liked or predicting what will be the next success.
All and all, this piece was trying to tunnel on the shonen demographic in general, which is more likely than not going to have similar traits relative to itself. I do see us as a community endorsing trends of the past and there’s an excitement for these things to “come back” even if they may or may not have left.
If you liked this please drop a like or reblog because I may do more of these think pieces in the future.
#anime#manga#think piece#discussion#shonen#shonen jump#kagurabachi#gachiakuta#nue's exorcist#undead unluck#kaiju no. 8#bleach#one piece#naruto#yomi no tsugai#attack on titan
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Lucifer AU idea- Rabbit Hole
Y'all know that Rabbit Hole by Miku song with the animation trend? Imagine Luci doing that dance ugh
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The song is Angel Dust's first official music video that he wrote after breaking free of Valentino's deal.
Ozzie had offered him a job to Club Ozzie's first Pride ring branch and Angel never felt happier.
He got into music as an outlet for his emotions, releasing 'Addict' and 'Poison' to the public via Al's radio show. (He managed to convince Alastor to do it cos it would make his ratings skyrocket past Vox and Alastor loves nothing more than kicking Vox when he's already down)
After the success of his first 2 songs, Angel decided that maybe the 3rd one should have a music video.
With the help of Ozzie as his producer, the project is a go.
Writing the song was the easy part. Angel wanted it to sound fun but also resonate with his past experiences (just read the translation of the lyrics! The one angel wrote is from this Cover!)
One day, he and Ozzie were brainstorming at the Sin's office at the Pride branch.
Ozzie: Angel, this is your first music video! It must be grand! Showstopping! Jaw-dropping! Never before seen! Revolutionary!
Angel: But how do I do that, big dick boss man? I don't think even being greatest porn star Hell has ever seen will wow people now. I've done lots of things and I can't think of anything else.
Ozzie: Hmmm
Just then, Lucifer enters the office.
Lucifer: Ozzie! Just who I'm looking for. I need you to do some inspection regarding your crystals. I just talked to Belphagor and she said that her team just confiscated a whole ton in some imp warehouse in Greed. I know I don't need to meddle but I wouldn't be worried if it was anywhere else. Who knows what Mammon is doing with those and- oh! Angel!
Angel: Heya, Short king.
Lucifer: What are you doing here?
Angel: I work here, baby~
Lucifer: Oh! I knew that haha. And what's this?
The King of Hell gestures to the board they were using for notes.
Angel: Don't tell anyone, but I'm gonna be releasin a new song and it's gonna have a music video!
Lucifer: Really?! That's great! It hasn't been that long too since Poison, wasn't it?
Angel: Yeah, but we wanna catch these motherfuckers off guard
Ozzie: That's why we're brainstorming how we can wow these desensitised demons. I still think we can do-
Lucifer: Why don't I do it?
Angel and Ozzie blink in surprise at the King's words.
Angel: Do what?
Lucifer: Act! In your music video! You know, instead of you, I'll be the uhhh 'rabbit girl'? Not that- you're uh- not enough I just mean that uhm- I think the last thing they'd expect is the King of Hell a sinner's music video.
Angel: Babe, you do know this would be a not safe for work type thing, right?
Lucifer: Yeah? I know? I know you better than you might think, you know.
Ozzie: You sure? Cos Charlie might see this.
Angel: Yeah. I know I don't wanna see my dad basically naked dancing to music.
Lucifer: You can go through it with her if it makes you feel any better. But I'm up for anything.
The two others in the room just stare at him with their mouths wide open.
Lucifer: But if you don't want I...
Angel: Hell no! We are doing this!
Ozzie: Hell won't know what hit em.
---------------------------
Charlie gave it a green light cos she's so excited about her dad finally socializing and breaking out of his cocoon to really realize what everything is about. Angel wants to record a reaction of the hotel for research purposes.
A few weeks later, the video is done and it's dropped out of nowhere.
Ozzie invited the Sins to the hotel for an exclusive live viewing (he and Angel ofc knew what time it would be released and set the whole thing up)
Everyone sat in the lobby in front of a giant projector (No, Alastor, you can't watch a video on the radio!), and as the clock struck at 9:13 AM on a random Tuesday, the video played.
Let's just say that it certainly did leave mouth agaped and caused mass panic.
---------------------------
Ozzie anonymously sent a copy to Heaven and somewhere in a bright glowing building, 6 archangels lay unconscious at the ground due to shock,
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If you guys want me to write some dialogue for that first reaction in the hotel, drop the comment!
#hazbin lucifer#hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel lucifer#hazbin angel dust#hazbin hotel angel dust#helluva asmodeus#helluva boss asmodeus#asmodeous#lucifer harem#lucifer centric#lucifer au#lucifer morningstar fanart#lucifer morningstar#lucifer magne
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UNWOUND FUTURE RAAHHHHHHHH!!! What an AMAZING trilogy conclusion with such a perfect setup for future sequels. I cannot recommend playing Professor Layton enough.
All of the Professor Layton stickers are from @jordydrawsmerch which can be found here and here. Every other sticker is from Daiso!
All the writing is typed below!
Rating: 9.3
Played: Fa 2023
Port: HD mobile (iPad)
Favorite? Y
Replayable? Y
Recommend? Y
Comments:
the way the PM walked T^T
LMFAO STACHENSCARFEN
Layton’s about to be beat up bc of his top hat (skull emoji)
Getting major DGS 2-3 vibes
FAMILY GOON
An arc arcade? You’re speaking my language
I LOVE THE BLOCK HAT PUZZLE PIECES SPELLING LAYTON IN JAPANESE!!!
FLORA STICKER
BABY LAYTON BLUSHING IM SCREAMING
I really love the picture book and its music
THE DEVIL IN THE TOP HAT NOO
Luke always takes the opportunity to roast the Laytonmobile (skull emoji)
THEYRE JUST SHOOTING AT EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING
THE ORIGINS OF LAYTONS HAT IM GONNA CRY T^T
I love that bi Luke has his own puzzle solving sequence
Where the fuck did you take us future Luke
The battle of wits was so fun omg
I cant get over evil Layton
BIG LUKE AND LITTLE LUKE
Omg Hershel in the background
Based p. Layton newspaper conversation
LMFAO Hershel trespassing and Luke stressed
The bee???? T^T
FLORA PUZZLE SOLVED SEQUENCE T^T!!!!
GO OFF FLORA!!!!
Ooo pretty Chinese arc
Hershel i swear
Hmmm young sir… who is big Luke?
NOT AVOGADRO
Did all the scientists piss their pants?
I have a lot of questions
Love the design and music of the pagoda
Where tf did Hershel go (skull emoji)
Omg Luke’s a Sherlock fan
I feel like Layton was replaced with evil Layton
I swear Dimitri had a mustache??
THE BARS
WHERE IS FLORA
DON PAOLO LMAO
THE LUKE MOBING SCENE MAKES ME WANT TO CRY
How many secret hideouts are there T_T
NOOO FLORA
The barkeep is v sketch
Chad laytonmobile
I can see how this game inspired dgs
THE KAZUMA AND CLIVE PARALLELS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY
BEASLY AND PUZZLETTE HOLY SHIT
“That’s funny” :[
Ive been side eyeing some of these designs the past 2 games but yeah bostro’s design is def racist
DON PAOLO TURNIGN EVIL BC OF CLAIRE LOVING HERSHEL LMAO T-T and the running into the river omfg
Working with don paolo has been fun
I DIDNT THINK LAYTON WOULD ACTUALLY CUT THE ROPE
Where did Layton learn all this about Clive??
Summary:
WHAT A PHENOMENAL GAME!!! Truly what a great “conclusion” to the main trilogy. You learn so much about Layton, Luke, flora, and many other characters like don paolo. The ending reveal of Clive was CRAZY. It really reminded me of movies like howls moving castle/the iron giant. I also just love how complex Clive is. He was driven to violence because of how the government treated him and his family, but he never truly wanted to hurt people. He was without any hope and thought mass destruction would finally bring some change to the government, but he also made sure to include Layton in his plans because he so desperately wanted someone to stop him. It’s tragic and terrorism definitely wasn’t the way to go but at least this is a fictional story and that death machine looked kinda sick Ngl. The story of Layton and Claire was also so tragic yet so healing. Layton could finally take off his hat without feeling grief, you never would’ve known he was hurting that much. I loved Claire, she seemed like such an amazing person and I’m glad Layton wasn’t swayed to try to bring her back, although he did falter when he had to say goodbye again. Although I highly enjoyed the game, I am slightly disappointed there was no actual evil Layton. How fun would a game with evil Layton be omg. The whole game constantly caught me by surprise, even by small scenes like Beasly and PUZZLETTE. I’m still a littel confused about the lab experiments with Gumbo and subject 3, I’m not quire sure why they added that plot (and have no resolution) but I liked Gumbo fine. My favorite coin animal will always be hot dog though. I cannot recommend this series enough, I am having the time of my life. I can also see how DGS was heavily inspired by these games and im so glad about it bc dgs was game changing. I can’t believe there was a 26 year wait in between UF and NWOS but im glad to be a Layton fan :’) so fucking glad!!!!
#journalsouppe#bullet journal#journal#video game journal#professor layton#unwound future#professor layton and the unwound future#unwound future spoilers#professor layton spoilers
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Blackbeard Pirates Art Skills Headcanons
Basically, my headcanons on what type of artists Blackbeard and his crew could be. Do what you will with this information.
Blackbeard: He's not the greatest artist, but he's not terrible either. He can do pretty good sketches of people, animals and objects, which he takes some pride in.
Burgess: He's about as good an artist as Luffy is, which is to say he's not very good. For this reason, he's not allowed to help draw up a raid plan for the crew to embark on. Well, actually it's not that he's not allowed-he just doesn't want to because of all the criticism he got the one time he did...
Burgess: Okay! I helped draw up the plans, Laffitte!
Laffitte: Oh, very good! Show it to the group so we can go over it.
Burgess: *lays down drawing, which is the most barely comprehensible drawing the group had ever seen*
Blackbeard: Uh...I can't tell what's happening here...Like what is that big blue and gray mass???
Burgess: It's the marine ship we're raiding.
Laffitte: What's with the giant letter T on that brown square we're all standing on???
Burgess: That's the raft.
Augur: What's with the devil giraffe holding...god, I don't even want to say what it looks like...
Burgess: That's YOU holding your GUN!
Augur: Why is my neck so long???
Burgess: Necks are hard!
Doc Q: Is that amoeba riding that deformed dog supposed to be me and Stronger???
Burgess: *grabs drawing and eats it* I HATE CRITICISM!!!
Blackbeard: Maybe don't draw so badly and we won't criticize...
Laffitte: Will draw the most detailed and perfect images ever, like Da Vinci level art, and say "Honestly, I can't even draw a circle!"
Van Augur: He's a roughly okay artist, but he doesn't draw much so he doesn't mess around with improvement.
Doc Q: He can draw organs, he can draw skeletons, he can draw muscles, he can draw any body part you can think of, but he CANNOT draw people "intact and with the skin still on them", like Blackbeard would probably say. He can draw realistic animals pretty well, though, especially horses. He can also draw cute anthropomorphic animals (Minks? Hybrid Zoans?) pretty good, which was discovered when he was asked to draw up the raid plans one time...
Doc Q: Okay, I got the plans drawn...
Laffitte: Very good! Now show them to the group.
Doc Q: *pushes drawing towards group*
The entire crew are drawn as cute anthro-animals, such as Blackbeard being a hippo, Burgess being a tiger, Augur being a hunting dog of some sort, Laffitte being a dove, and Q being a horse.
Blackbeard: Uh, why are we all Minks?
Doc Q: I can't draw humans...
Burgess: I like how I'm a tiger! It fits me!
Augur: Well, I suppose this is a step up from Burgess's drawing skills...
Burgess: Hey!
Laffitte: Aw, you drew it so CUTE, Doc! I didn't think you had this in you!
Blackbeard: Yeah, I mean, considering how you are, this is a big surprise. Makes me rethink you as a person, actually.
Doc Q: ... *grabs drawing and releases it in the wind*
Laffitte: Aw, no! Don't do that! We were praising it! Not teasing you!
Q's got a reputation he likes to keep intact. He doesn't draw in that style very often.
Shiryu of the Rain: Cannot draw and refuses to demonstrate how bad he is.
Catarina Devon: She can draw perfect images of women, but men...she's not very good at and refuses to improve. One time she was asked to draw up plans, and she drew the entire crew as women, which raised eyebrows.
Blackbeard: Did you seriously have to draw us like this?
Devon: I can't draw male bodies well.
Blackbeard: Okay, I guess that's fair. Which one of us is supposed to be this lady here? Cause, damn! You made her the most hideous!
Devon: That's you.
Blackbeard: *starts to fume*
Augur: Why are Laffitte, Doc and I drawn so...beautifully?
Devon: Eh, you're the most attractive boys out of the crew, so I tried to match that.
Laffitte: Ohhohoho! Thank you!
Doc Q: You think I'M attractive?! *coughs up blood*
Augur: ...Okay.
Blackbeard: *fumes more*
Avalo Pizarro: He draws in a surprisingly cute style, maybe something close to chibi or cutesy-western cartoon style? But he gives everyone cat ears for some reason.
Vasco Shot: He's not the best artist, but he's a LOT better than the crew expects. He claims he draws best when he's really drunk.
Sanjuan Wolf: His drawing style is pretty simplistic, like stick-figure type art. What he draws is pretty comprehensive though, since he usually adds a detail to signify which figure is who, like a top hat for Laffitte, a scythe for Doc Q, or a sword and cigar for Shiryu. He can only draw in the sand or dirt due to lack of giant paper, though.
#blackbeard pirates#blackbeard#marshall d teach#jesus burgess#doc q#laffitte#van augur#shiryu of the rain#avalo pizarro#catarina devon#sanjuan wolf#vasco shot#headcanons#one piece#one piece headcanons#op headcanons
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I regularly eat meat so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but I think when people try to "own" the concept of veganism with "facts and logic" as either a diet or a moral stance, they generally misunderstand what they're trying to criticize.
Like, you can say that the "real" problem with animal agriculture is capitalism encouraging animal abuse and factory farming, but like. Vegans know that's bad. That's not the only problem they have with the industry. You've got the slew of environmental problems it causes plus the whole, y'know, killing/exploiting animals thing that they don't like.
Someone who values the life of a chicken as equal to that of a human won't give two shits if it had a good life before being slaughtered, because to them it's the moral equivalent of killing a person for food. By saying that they're simply ✨wrong✨ for seeing a problem with the killing part, you're missing the entire point. "It had a good life" hardly means anything if you don't think of human life as inherently more valuable. You can disagree with that premise all you want, but you're not gonna change their minds.
I also challenge you to actually come up with an argument for why you feel human life inherently matters more than all nonhuman life, because I've never in my life seen a cogent argument for it that includes all humans and excludes all nonhumans. It's just that evolution hardwired that value into most people (including me, I agree). I think it's fine to feel that way and live accordingly, but you should know where your values come from. Vegans act on that too - getting rid of an infestation would be the equivalent of mass murder. This isn't a dig, by the way, it'd be impossible to have a decent quality of life if you stuck to "humans = nonhuman animals" completely.
I see people tossing around eggs and dairy as morally fine because they don't require killing the animals that produce them, but everyone seems to conveniently forget what they do to nearly all the males. It's not practical for farmers to keep all the males alive for their natural lifespan because they aren't economically useful. Some very small farmers might, but it's never going to happen on any remotely large scale. Something tells me that the "killing animals is bad" club isn't gonna be happy about that.
Also, I don't know what's up with people making shit up about domestication but:
Livestock was, in fact, domesticated. Yes, this includes laying hens. We'll breed anything for efficiency.
The purpose of domesticating an animal doesn't dictate what is morally okay to do with it (ex. if you bred dogs specifically to fight, it wouldn't make dogfighting more moral).
In a similar vein, no, factory farming never reduces the need for cropland, and the animal agriculture industry as a whole doesn't either (hint: it's mostly factory farming). I don't know where people get the idea that animals somehow magic nutrients/energy into existence, but a lot of crops are grown specifically for livestock feed, which is less efficient than growing crops directly for human consumption due to trophic levels and waste production. If you insist otherwise, please take a biology class.
I do think that putting so much focus on individual action is a bit silly considering how giant animal agriculture is as an industry and how heavily subsidized it is. Put some of that energy into changing policy please. It'd probably be more useful.
#I feel like emphasizing that humans are a type of animal might help with understanding vegans a bit if they baffle you for some reason#we're not all that exceptional when you think about it#although I think that having a consciousness is a better line than being part of the animal kingdom#also does anyone remember that post where someone convinced people that vegans think honey is ground up bees#people were so mad
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Cat Magnus waiting to see how Dragon Alec will react to people being around him is my new obsession. I love how Magnus is so smug when Alec gets all protective & cuddly. Also I was losing it at Alec eating Magnus jewellery cause they weren’t warded enough 😭🙈🙃
Ok so I have another request (or something I was wondering). What are they like in battle? I wonder if they’d be in sync or if Magnus would be more daring and Alec would be going feral anytime someone/something goes near Magnus. Also how would Alec ward Magnus? Would they fight in different forms? (human or animal or both).
This fic is honestly so amazing and I’m so excited to see it continue to unfold. You’re so talented 😬
alec has opinions okay. and magnus enjoys hearing them, but also he's still working on his draconic understanding so he only gets about a quarter to half of the language when alec's trilling at him.
he did get that alec told the jewelry it was 'no good, unworthy. not allowed' because it wasn't 'good enough to be on magnus'.
alec: i let magnus wear me and i am the most valuable thing here besides Magnus. he can't wear subpar stuff
magnus charmed despite all his best efforts: isn't he so dashing
magnus doesn't typically fight demons in cat form because ichor in fur is messy but he does have a more demonic cat form he uses in edom. magnus has a plethora of dragon battle magic jewelry and a very hungry dragon who is irritated he had to taste magic other than magnus'
unless they fought someone really powerful, alec won't interfere in magnus' kills. that would be like saying he doesn't respect magnus. he'll protect magnus and guard him but magnus made it pretty clear alec can't kill 'pests' so he's basically a giant protective dragon who mopes about not being able to just eat magnus' enemies.
alec crunching grapes: i wish these were the hearts of your enemies
magnus: what was that treasure?
alec sulking and just turning smol!dragon to crunch his grapes in piece and pretend they're peoples organs.
-
magnus when he finally asks alec to kill somene for him
alec: I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
magnus who was just going to ask alec to freeze the person staring as alexander turns into a small mountain and just swallows the person whole like, no hesitation, no questions asked. annoyance now gone. alec licking his lips and looking at magnus, tail moving back and forth and making the building shake: who is next?
cue pandemonium in pandemonium
ty so much!
<3 lumine
-
Alec rolls his eyes from where he’s snacking on magically grown gooseberries, ignoring the battle that Magnus insisted on bringing him to.
It’s a silly little dispute but Magnus seemed hesitant to leave him behind and while Alec knows Magnus is more than competent, he also doesn’t like being left behind.
Which means that Alec gets to watch Magnus be pretty and use his magic to subdue everyone else. It’s the kind of entertainment he rarely ever enjoys and while it’s nothing truly spectacular, he does enjoy watching Magnus use magic.
It also means that when one of the idiotic warlocks messes up a spell — and an explosion of magic heads towards Magnus' only barely acceptably protected back — Alec steps in. The last thing Magnus needs to worry about is his outfit being ruined when he’s always so generous with Alec.
One moment a giant, writhing meteor of magic is about to clip his beloved hoard and the next, Alec snaps the defective, tasteless magic out of the air. It’s with a crunch of his jaws that he untangles the mass of energy and swallows. It barely warms his gullet and he licks his maw, tongue dripping with frozen venom as he turns to glare at the warlock who dared be so useless.
The battlefield is quiet around him, at least until the demons start to scream, fleeing from his very presence. Alec sighs and rolls his eyes as he shifts to a smaller form. Magnus accepts him with a smirk, nothing but pride in his golden eyes as Alec wraps around his shoulders.
“Aren’t you a sweetheart, remembering that I love this jacket.” Magnus croons and Alec nuzzles into his neck and cheek, pleased to be appreciated by his hoard.
—
The problem with Alexander being so protective is that Magnus is quickly running out of excuses for why he hasn’t introduced his dragon publicly, or at least to the Elders and other kings. Especially since Magnus is having trouble leaving Alexander home alone, even with the promise that his dragon isn't going anywhere.
It means that there are more and more confirmed sighting of Magnus and his boy out together. Which would be find, except Magnus isn’t convinced that he’ll be able to keep any meetings civil.
He also isn't sure if Alexander realizes he’s halfway towards being Magnus’ consort at this point and Magnus is carefully easing him into it. However when it’s official, the meetings will no longer be optional and Magnus will just have to hope that Alexander cares for him enough to not kill everyone who irks him.
It also means that Alexander is getting used to being out and about with Magnus, just without ever really being seen in his true form.
Except for now, because his lovely dragon is fiercely protective and if Alexander so much as thinks Magnus has a potion burn, he’ll start snarling and digging through the healing cabinet.
It means that while Magnus isn’t surprised at the scope of Alexander’s overreaction and protection, he’s still viciously gleeful of it. No one other than Cat and Ragnor has ever tried to protect Magnus so swiftly or completely and Alexander doesn’t even have the bonds of their friendship to explain his intensity.
Magnus reaches up, summoning a galaxy pearl and offering it to his greedy boy without a second thought.
—
In the shadows, a warlock only two centuries old winces and steps further away from Bane and his… whatever he’s playing at with an actual dragon. It was bad enough when the rumors began but it’s worse to see in person that they’re true. To be faced with the evidence that Bane is treating the magical behemoth almost like a beloved pet.
Elise opens her eagle eyes and watches them interact carefully, the way that the dragon so effortlessly changes sizes and she swallows harshly. The only reason for a dragon to be able to shift so easily is either that they’ve mastered their draconic form or their power is immense.
It’s with fear that Elise thinks both might be true and she bites her lip as she watches Bane summon a massive galaxy pearl. It’s with terror that she watches him offer the priceless treasure to the dragon curled around his neck and she stares as the dragon eats it.
No matter how important battle magic is, Elise no longer wants to be there. She can learn other places, in fights where Bane and his dragon aren’t. Because Bane was already one of the most dangerous kings and now, well, anyone who had a problem with Bane are about to regret it.
#lumine writes#writing wednesday#writing wednesdays#the taste of his magic#shadowhunters#magnus bane#alec lightwood#malec
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Hello! I adore your Epic animations. Your ruthlessness animation literally brought me into fandom!
I've stumbled upon your beloved king animations, and as a non religious person I have some questions, if you don't mind answering.
Is Saul in love with David? Lyrics imply it, but I'm not sure.
And why did Saul off himself?
Your animations are top tier❤❤❤❤❤
Ah, thank you! 💛 It's so fun to know that my work introduce people to Epic and heck… even Beloved King!
So a lot of stuff is going on with Saul. Buckle up, this is going to be long! (I think)
Is Saul in love with David?
Yes and no! In the musical, Saul lusts after David because he is desperate for control, which then manifests in his inappropriate behavior. I would say that Saul doesn't really love David, but he wants him for himself.
That part of the musical is based on the discourse surrounding David and Saul's relationship as possibly a pederastic relationship (before David became the giant slayer). One of the main arguments is the altercation between Jonathan and Saul (which is the song "Shame" is based on). In the Bible, Saul accuses Jonathan of having an improper relationship with David, causing Jonathan to shame his mother for witnessing her nakedness. "Witness someone's nakedness" is a euphemism, which means it's the aftermath of a sexual act. And that it can pass to other partners. So for example, you are not allowed to be intimate with someone who has been with a family member of yours, because doing so will "witness that person's nakedness" as well. So if we take Saul's words literally, that means that Jonathan must have had a sexual relationship with David, which then David had a relationship with Saul for that accusation to make sense. Then again, there are other people who say that Saul is just crazy, says insane stuff, and we should not take his words seriously. 😅
And why did Saul off himself?
(trigger warning)
This one is also a can of worms. When God abandons Saul, he sends "evil spirits" to torment the king. This is possibly a representation that someone suffering from mental illnesses, perhaps depression or schizophrenia. I don't want to add any labels, but we do know that in the Bible, Saul becomes very suicidal and exhibits behavior indicative of deep depression. He never leaves his room, doesn't want to leave his bed, and stops eating. He recovers when David comes into the picture and helps him. But alas, Saul then becomes paranoid, and drama ensues.
His suicide wasn't viewed as something weak, but instead, something courageous. He ended his life because he didn't want to be captured by the enemies on the battlefield. But we, the readers, and Saul too, know that he has lost EVERYTHING. His sons are dead, he has lost his entire army, God has abandoned him, and Samuel, his father figure, even after death in the form of a ghost, has disowned him. He has chased away David. Even before the last battle, he fell into his depressive state again, and the only one showing some form of compassion was the witch of Endor, who gave him food before he left for battle.
Saul is a very complicated man! Very sympathetic, but he has done some horrible stuff. Like mass murdering... 😬 I think that the Beloved King musical makes a very good depiction of Saul. At least with the songs we have now.
#tw sui talk#beloved king: a queer bible musical#anniasks#long post?#annirambles#I actually recommend the book Jacob's Wound by Theodore Jennings!#That book goes in much more detail of Saul and David's relationship
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Blood and Fire Pt2
Context: Kirishima and Bakugou embody fire, flames and destruction. Their path of carnage and love for their beautiful culture is evident. Yet, who could have thought a human could be soulmates to people like them.
A/N: Hey, so people really wanted a part 2 to this. In all honesty, I already posted this on AO3 but totally forgot to post it here. So I'm sorry my beloved Tumblr fans. It's here.
<Blood and Fire Masterlist>
Note: This chapter is just to be established on Dragon island. Dead animals, eating raw meat (not reader), Heights!, Barbarians being a Matriachal society because I say so, Barbarian men being good boys and listening to their females as they should, story telling, discussions about mating but no Spice yet.
Babe – a term to address a baby/ young child or someone much younger than you (10 years younger or more)
You found yourself in a very odd position. One you didn’t know what to do with. For starters, you were kidnapped and yet you found yourself… okay? Dare you say… happy? You weren’t entirely sure. On the one hand, no one had harmed you and yet every other moment you felt as though something could harm you.
You had spent little than three days in the mountain and you couldn’t call it a bad experience. There was a routine, one you quickly grabbed on to.
Mornings were slow yet nice. With yawns shuffling, and warm limbs. At first it was startling, having never slept beside a man before, let alone two, but even with your racing mind, everything felt right. They kept you in the middle, a way of integrating you into their lives which they had done so already with ease. Kirishima was a heavy mass of sleep and warmth. An arm was always around you, keeping you close to him, and his other always finding its way to hold Bakugou in some way or the other. Bakugou was often the first one awake, body the same as Kirishima but eyes blinking slow and mind at peace. You liked the mornings.
They were often followed with Bakugou dragging you out of bed which led to the two of you having to pull Kirishima out of bed (he hated mornings) and start your day. You were given Barbarian native clothing to wear. It was odd at first because you had never worn something so short before. Adorned in a short skirt or shorts with nothing but bindings covering your chest. But the jewellery was extravagant. You were treated like something sacred. Something to be worshiped and on display for all to see.
It was an odd experience. Dragons had no problem of showing affection nor intimacy in public. It was actually encouraged. Yet at the same time you found it so peculiar yet almost cute.
All the dragons seemed to be like Kirishima and hate mornings. Mornings were the quietest part of the day in the mountain caves and tunnels that made the dragon tribe’s home. Hatchlings were still clinging to their parents and adults still yawned and shook sleep off their shoulders. Even eating was done slow almost enjoying the peace of the early part of the day.
Once sleep had left the giant reptilian like beasts, that’s when the community got to work. Bakugou and Kirishima showed you all that made it function. From the wildlife that lived in the mountain range up with them, to even hatchlings learning how to catch, hunt and fly. Most of them had the tiny wings but couldn’t use them just yet.
It was also the time of day where the hatchlings would use you for hunting practise. Often it would end up with you on the floor, being used as a chew toy and cushion for children not even taller than your knees. They would growl, giggle and bite at you, tickling and nipping at you with their tiny sharp teeth that could harm you if they weren’t so focused on the fact that you were so soft. The adults would often just laugh it off, finding it amusing.
Once being saved by Kirishima, you would spend some time with Bakugou trying to teach you to become stronger. To increase your stamina and strength. He kept on telling you how you needed to be stronger. You didn’t understand what he meant, but you guessed that it had to do with living up in the mountains with them so you went with it. Bakugou was a harsh teacher and very strict. He didn’t allow slacking and it was the only time he was ever truly mean to you. Or you took it as him being a jackass to you.
Of course, once he had his way, he would make sure you were okay. Wiping any scratches you might have earned or helping with your sore limbs.
Once sun had set and it turned dark, that’s when the beasts were the most lively. With so many stories and tales to tell, dances to learn and all the fights to watch. You didn’t understand the fights but they were apparently part of their culture. Used to determine rank and just for the sport of it. Often than not, Kirishima would be dragged into these fights.
You knew Kirishima was never really an aggressive person, or at least not with you. He was sweet and kind to you. Even when you would hesitate to be near him or stay closer to Bakugou since he was the most human looking out of the two of them, he never questioned you or took offence to it. Always approaching you carefully and making sure you knew he meant no harm to you. No harm to anyone. He led with a smile on his face and a caring attitude. You never thought such a leader could exist. As much as he was strict in his own ways and very morally led, he was gentle and sweet. He especially loved the hatchlings, and they all love him.
So it was quite the surprise to you when you saw him fight for the first time. You weren’t blind, you knew the hard-earned muscles on his body were not just for show and tell, that he worked hard for them and could use them well to his advantage, but it still shocked you. He had a level of grace to his broadness and strength that made you wonder just how right Bakugou was. How great of a race he was part of that was so much unlike your own. You mostly watched the fights silently at Bakugou’s side, analysing and wondering who was going to win. The blond next to you however was always certain.
“GET HIM IN THE EYES EIJIRO!” He would shout with a look of excitement and a grin on his face. “YOU BETTER WIN, I DON’T SHARE NESTS WITH LOSERS!”
That would often earn a chuckle from people who could hear him, finding the blond’s commentary and form of encouragement amusing.
After all the hustle and bustle of the evenings, that’s when there was dinner. Dinner as you learnt on your first day there, was a bloody affair.
A very bloody affair.
On the day you arrived, it had apparently been asked for dinner to be cooked that night as a sign of trying to get you comfortable. Then you realized the next day that cooked dinner wasn’t an every day occurance for dragons. You were slightly horrified when you watched a raw leg of an animal (deer you had later learned) being placed in front of you, Bakugou and Kirishima like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then everyone just started eating.
You watched with wide eyes as children casually had blood on their faces and toyed with their food. You looked to Kirishima and Bakugou expecting some explanation. All you got was Kirishima practically drooling over the muscles in front of him and Bakugou waiting for the redhead to tear it apart. Bakugou looked to see you rather uneasy. Uneasy was putting it lightly.
Terrified?
More like it.
Although dragons could cook their food, and often did (thanks to Bakugou bringing his knowledge of spices and flavouring to the dragons), it was more of an every-other-day occurrence. Unlike humans that needed to often cook their food if they wanted to eat it (to digest it better), dragons didn’t need to. Having already very efficient digest systems and being predatory beings, it was instinctive to eat your food how you caught it. It was their way of indulging that primal part of them that they kept down more than you would know.
You didn’t eat anything other than a potato that night. However, the next night when you had found your dinner bloodier than you would have wanted it, Bakugou gave you a separate more cooked dinner for you to eat having noticed your lack of appetite the previous night. You thanked him but he saw it as no big deal. He was just providing for you, it was natural. By the end of dinner most nights, even Bakugou had had his fair share, his mouth having a pink hue to it. Kirishima would be biting on a bone trying to bite the non-existent meat that was still on it. He always asked you if you wanted any. Not like there was anything left but it was the thought that counts.
Finally, after a hectic day, it was time to sleep. Often there would be little packs formed by the hatchlings and families of the tribe. Hatchlings would pile atop one another and sleep in bundles in nests while their parents would hang around them, making sure they were safe and warm in the middle of it all. Above all else in the tribe, community was everything. No one felt alone or cold. It was about keeping everyone together and warm.
You found falling asleep hard. During the day it was easier to forget about how you initially got to where you were now. How your life had changed so drastically and the only way to cope and not fracture at it all was to keep going and accept everything around you. It was at these times, with warm bodies next to you and the sound of snoring dragons that you would wonder.
Why weren’t you trying to escape?
Were you okay with their odd and strange ways?
You were attracted to them. Why?
They took you away from your home and forced you into their life with no remorse or plan to maybe fit into your life.
There was so much to think about and so much that made your mind and your heart fracture and muddle more and more.
Yet it would all wash away the moment Kirishima move his head closer to yours and keep his arm tightly around your body, it would all wash away the moment Bakugou would bury his face on the top of your head and sigh in content. Your mind would clear, like a wave washing away the marks in the sand, and you would drift off to sleep, warm and peaceful.
When you had awoken on the fifth day, something was different. The cave was still warm with dim lights from the outside showing that it was just around dawn. You felt warm and safe in the big blankets and furs. In the den, Bakugou was bustling around the cave excitedly. He was packing some items in a bag, opening up chests and searching through piles of treasures. You watched him tired and confused as to what he was doing. He was like a little bee moving around trying to do his job.
Kirishima chuckled. He too was awake. His warm skin always bringing you comfort as he pulled your body back down to be right up against his chest. He was the warmest here, radiating a heat that you were not sure you could ever truly get used to. You were not sure whether it was the soulmate bond or maybe it was the feeling of being held and wanted that made you lean into him so easily. “Morning, sweetheart.” He greeted you, a voice deep yet fine like wine aged for decades. He waited for your body to relax naturally into his hold before nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck, rubbing his cheek against your neck. Bakugou often told you that physical affection often calmed dragons.
“Morning.” You muttered back. You looked back out of the nest to Bakugou. “What’s Katsuki doing?” You asked as you rubbed your eyes of sleep.
Kirishima continued cuddling you, keeping his face close to your neck. A deep rumble came from his chest, showing his content. You liked his rumbles. Something like a purr but deeper and often tickled you whenever he was close to your neck. “We are heading to Katsuki’s village for a while.” Kirishima told you. Satisfied he brought you closer to him, placing his head atop of yours. “Katsuki loves his village, it’s where all his nestmates are and his parents. He is very excited to show it you.” He revealed to you, he still sounded sleepy.
“Which is why, we must get going.” Bakugou placed the bag down and walked back over to the both of you. “Now get up.”
Kirishima let out wide lion like yawn, his sharp teeth on display. Temporarily letting go of you, he stretched letting out a deep growl at his stiff muscles. With you still in his arms, he sat up. “Breakfast?” He asked.
“We can have breakfast there.” Bakugou motioned towards the exit of the cave.
Kirishima gave off an opposing grunt as he stood up with you in his arms. You were like a ragdoll to him, he was unaffected by your weight as if holding you was as simple as holding a stick. “I can’t fly on an empty stomach.” Kirishima grumbled as he pulled a blanket and wrapped you in it. You could easily get cold without him or Bakugou due to your temperature running lower than theirs. Being so higher up in the mountains, you were not used to the temperatures. Kirishima wrapped you in a bundle of furs and carried you, following Bakugou with a tired look on his face.
“It will be so quick Eijiro, you won’t even notice you’re hungry.” Bakugou waved him off.
“But I am hungry.” Kirishima grumbled with a frown as the two headed out the cave. The cool morning air nipped at your face as the morning mountain winds blew against the three of you. Kirishima yawned once more not minding the cold, steam escaping from his mouth showing the contrast between him and the cool winds.
Bakugou looked at the rather uninterested dragon. Kirishima wasn’t very up to the task right now. Bakugou frowned. He thought up a way to get Kirishima to get into action, then an idea struck him. He walked over to Kirishima who still held you safely in his arms. “Eijiro…” He drew out. Kirishima turned to him with a raised eyebrow wondering what Bakugou had up his sleeves. You both watched the blond in curiosity as he walked over to stand next to the both of you. “Please…” He ran his hands up Kirishima’s arms. “My big, strong, manly drake.” His crimson red eyes wide and begging up at Kirishima. He was trying to make himself seem weaker and in need. “I know you can do anything, and this wouldn’t be hard for such a powerful and majestic drake like you. You are our chief, are you not?” He asked, placing one of his hands on you, pulling you into his little scheme. “If you can’t do it for me, at least do it for our wonderful new soulmate. Look at them.” He motioned down to you, his seductive eyes now focused on your being making your face grow warmer. He brushed a hand over your forehead dearly. “This will be the first time they get to see your true form. Wouldn’t you want to show them just how big you are?” He asked Kirishima with a small smile.
Kirishima didn’t say anything. You moved your gaze up to Kirishima and even you went tense. His eyes held a dark message behind them. You weren’t sure if you were scared, anxious or attracted to it. A dark look but at the same time no emotion at all. He sighed. “You over did it with the ‘majestic’ my love, and what did I tell you about treating me like I’m some god. I get enough of it from your tribe already.” He carefully handed you to Bakugou, keeping you in his arms safely. Once Bakugou had his hands occupied, Kirishima roughly grabbed Bakugou’s chin and forced him to look up at him. Kirishima’s face still unreadable. “You do that again…” He started, his voice low and still husky with sleep. His tone of voice made your breathing halter, and your legs squeeze together. “And I’m breeding you where the whole tribe can see you, so that you learn not to test me when I’m hungry.”
He let go of Bakugou and turned to walk a few meters away from the both of you. Your mouth dropped open in shock. You looked over at Bakugou, your eyes wide. He looked down at you with a grin, seemingly unbothered by Kirishima’s warning. “That went well.” He commented. You gave him a look which made him laugh. “Don’t worry, my sweet setsuzoku.” He placed a kiss on your forehead (a rare commodity). “I’ll let you have the next round.”
“Uh Katsuki…” You chuckled out nervously. “I do not kno-”
Interrupting you was a loud roar that sent a chill down your spine. You looked to where Kirishima had gone to and you saw a huge amount of smoke but what really made you freeze was the gigantic dragon that sprouted from the smoke. Its scales were a dark almost black but in the sun shown a deep blood red. With two horns on his head and red wings that spanned wide, it roared into the air once more, deafening your ears to any other sound. You watched in awe as the mythical beast you were taught was extinct lowered its head towards you. The whites of its eyes were black and its irises were a haunting gold. Reptilian slit pupils locked onto you as it bent down to sniff you. You watched the giant beast with wide eyes. It exhaled warm breath fanning your face.
Bakugou lowered his head to the beast in front of him, he carefully put you down on the ground. “He wants to meet you.” He told you. You hesitated stepping closer to Bakugou away from the beast that could swallow you in one go. Bakugou chuckled and rubbed your arms over the blanket. “It’s alright to be scared, but he won’t hurt you.”
Bakugou easily aided you in walking closer to the dragon that didn’t make any sudden movements in front of you, although you did notice his tail move slowly behind him. Bakugou stayed behind you the entire time. Once close enough, his hand snaked down your arm to lift your hand up. He easily settled your hand onto the hot scales of the dragon’s snout. It breathed out more warm air fanning you. You let out a soft chuckle at how warm he was.
“Whoa.” You let out softly. You took another step closer to him, not scared but fascinated. This time Bakugou took a step back letting you interact with Kirishima on your own. His scales were smooth under your touch, beautiful and warm like coals. His pupils widened at the side of you and his eyes closed as he relaxed, pushing back against your arm nearly making you fall back. You let out a giggle at him returning your affection. “Hello Eijiro.” You whispered to him. “You’re… you’re gorgeous.” You told him petting his scales. The dragon’s tail moved faster at your compliment making you laugh. You turned to look back at a proud Bakugou. A soft look on his face as he watched you interact with Kirishima. “Is he always like this?” You asked.
Bakugou let out a chuckle and shook his head. “Nah.” He walked over to stand next to you as he folded his arms. “He recognises you as his soulmate.” Bakugou revealed to you. “He identifies you as a third part to him. He shall not harm you nor dream to make you fear him. He aims to protect you and care for you now. Isn’t that right, Eijiro?” He asked placing a hand on Kirishima.
The dragon opened his eyes and nudged his snout in Bakugou’s direction, forcing the blond to wrap his arms around his snout. You laughed at the action, which made Kirishima’s attention go to you. Suddenly a large wet tongue swiped up your face. You closed your eyes as you soon realized you were covered in dragon saliva. You wiped your eyes and face, your face scrunched up in disgust at the amount of it that was on you for such a quick action. Then you heard it, Bakugou’s laughter. You turned to the blond. His face was split into a bright smile, his laugh loud and his face as bright as his hair. You couldn’t even be mad at his amusement to your predicament because you were too distracted by the fact that the barbarian looked so pretty with such a smile on his face.
Kirishima turned his attention to Bakugou next. He swiped his tongue up Bakugou’s side as well as his face, making the blond barbarian instantly stop laughing. It was your turn to laugh at a Bakugou who was now covered in saliva. His hair brushed to the sky. He blinked in confusion before turning to Kirishima in a scowl. “You giant fucking lizard! I’ll-” Kirishima licked his face in the middle of his sentence making the blond shut up.
You laughed. You pet the side of Kirishima’s face. “Good job, Eijiro. Katsuki needs to shut up, doesn’t he?” You asked him. The dragon nodded his head affirmatively making you laugh.
“Oh yah?” Bakugou asked with a raised eyebrow. You glanced at Kirishima. You tried to run but the barbarian swept you up in his arms. You let out giggles as he started to tickle you in his arms. “Nope. Not getting away so easily.” He laughed. He moved the bag he was carrying to hang in front of him. He hoisted you up on his back, grabbing your thighs securely. He ran up and jumped onto the top of Kirishima’s head. He tapped the top of the beast’s head. “Lets go, Eiji.”
Kirishima let out a huff. He spread his wings and with a huge gust of air he pushed himself off the ground. You clung to Bakugou at the sudden change of altitude. You kept your eyes shut as you held onto his torso, tightening your legs around him. He laughed. “Open your eyes, Y/N!” He shouted. “The else you’ll miss it.”
You carefully pried your eyes open. “Miss wh-” The air was sucked out of you as you saw it. The entirety of Dragon Island. The huge vast island that irrupted from the sea with it’s mountain range behind you and the more softer and liveable lands in front of you. The clouds hung high with you as Kirishima’s expansive wings glided through the air for a moment. You were in awe at the scene in front of you. The morning sun just past dawn as the world started another day.
Bakugou’s light blond hair moved in the wind, his eyes closed as his face was tilted upwards. You were not sure how you knew this, but you knew that it wasn’t the view for him, it was the rush. The feeling of the wind in his hair and the weightless feeling of being up in the air away from everything. It was the freedom that came with flying, that he loved.
Kirishima stopped flapping for a moment, his body moving down towards the earth at a speed that made you scream out in terror as you wrapped your arms around Bakugou. Bakugou laughed as he held on to Kirishima’s horns in front of him. A huge grin on his face. The rush of falling at a rate faster than any thing you’ve ever experienced running through you with adrenalin. Although the sound of wind was near deafening in your ear, it was almost comforting. Kirishima glided over trees and land, heading towards a village not too far from the mountain. It was in a clearing with many barbarian tents and farmlands. It didn’t take you all longer than a few minutes before Kirishima was landing just outside of the village.
Barbarians seemed to rush and gather to head over to the three of you. You smiled up at Bakugou. “That was so cool!” You let out loudly making him laugh. “You get to do this all the time?” You asked him in disbelief.
“Yep.” He nodded. “And now you can too.” You shrugged the blanket off your shoulders since it was warmer down in the valley than on the mountain. Bakugou carefully held you as he slid down Kirishima’s scales. He held you safely so that you would not lose your balance due to the change in gravity for your body. Immediately you noticed the villagers all bowing towards the three of you, heads pressed down to the lush grass on their knees. Your eyes widened. Coming between all the people was a couple that made you look between them and Bakugou.
The couple wore similar clothes as to you and everyone else. Barbarian clothing. Although it wasn’t their clothing but their physical appearance that surprised you. The woman had familiar blond hair and red piercing eyes. She held a soft smile on her face as she had her hands on her waist. She was built strong, an obvious warrior and by the look of the headdress on her head, she was a high ranking one. Standing next to her with a kind smile on his face was a man with a hairstyle similar to Bakugou’s, all puffed out. He was however a brunette and had a small moustache too. He had glasses that sat on his nose that suited him well.
Before you could ask anything about them, there was another puff of smoke. After a few moments, Kirishima reappeared. He stretched his arms high into the air as he got accustomed to his man-like form. Once satisfied, he walked over to stand behind you and Bakugou. He placed one hand on each of your shoulders.
The blond woman was the first one to speak. She bowed at her waist along with her partner. “It is such an honour to be graced in your presence once again, your divine excellency.” She greeted with the outmost respect and devotion.
Kirishima smiled dearly. “No need for such praise, Mitsuki. I come here so often it shouldn’t even be granted a special occasion.”
“But it is.” She insisted, head still down in submission. “Every visit from you and your kind, no matter how frequent, is a gift onto our village.” She raised her head clapping her hands twice. The others raised their heads too. Her red gaze then went to the splitting image of her but masculine. She smiled at him. “Katsuki.” She said pleasantly.
Bakugou scowled at his mother, although she hadn’t done anything to him yet today, he couldn’t help but have distaste in his mouth. He knew it would be but a few humble moments before the female warrior would do something to piss him off. “Old hag.” He spat to her in greeting, but nevertheless, he dropped his head in respect to her.
You turned to Bakugou and Kirishima confused as to why he was being so rude to the pretty older woman. “Who is she?” You asked.
Kirishima looked back at the couple in front of the three of you. “These are Katsuki’s parents.” He motioned to the blond first. “Mitsuki…” He then motioned to the brunette man. “and Masaru Bakugou.” He introduced them to you. Masaru gave you a kind wave which you happily returned.
You then frowned as you looked to Bakugou. You placed your hands on your hips. “Katsuki!” He turned to you instantly, surprised at your tone of voice. The sound of a female shouting at him instantly gaining his attention. You looked at him with slight anger. “Is that how you treat your mother? By calling her an ‘old hag’? How disrespectful.” You scolded him.
“Yah!” Mitsuki agreed with you nodding her head. She turned to you. “Don’t worry babe, he’s been doing that since he was a little babe himself.” She told you brushing him off. Then she realized that she didn’t know you at all. She held no recollection of you and seeing that you were not dead nor tied up yet, you clearly were not a sacrifice. She tilted her head in a similar fashion to how Bakugou would. She turned to her husband. “Honey, do we know her? Is she from another village?” She asked him.
Masaru placed a hand to his chin as he thought to himself. He shook his head. “I don’t think we do, dear.” He answered her.
Bakugou pushed you slightly forward towards his parents. “This is our third.” He introduced you. Your eyes widened at the sudden push towards them. “Y/N.”
You looked at the Bakugous in front of you. You gave them an awkward smile as you bowed at the waist in greeting to them. “Good morning.”
Mitsuki was quiet for a moment before a huge smile went to her face. “Another one!” Without hesitation she grabbed you and hoisted you into the air. You let out a squeak in surprise as she held you like a rag doll and looked you over. “Look at you. You’re so beautiful and so respectful too. What a cute little soulmate.” She complimented. Compared to barbarians and dragons you were shorter than them, not by much but it was evident enough to see. She looked to Masaru. “Isn’t she just adorable Masaru? She’s so small.” She boasted.
Masaru laughed at his wife’s clear excitement at the presence of you. “Yes, dear.” He agreed with her.
Mitsuki turned back to you. “I like you.” She stated with a broad Bakugou grin. “You will make a fine Bakushima female. A fine part of our tribe.” She placed you down next to her, taking your arm in hers. She pointed to you and then looked to her son and his other soulmate. “Human, is she?” She asked them.
Bakugou nodded. “Yes, so be careful with her. We brought her here to get used to our customs not to be kidnapped by my overexcited mother.” He warned her with a pointed look.
Mitsuki rolled her eyes and waved a hand down. “Oh please, Katsuki. Don’t be stingy.” She dismissed her son easily making Bakugou release a low growl in anger, but his head down. Mitsuki turned her attention to Kirishima. “Eijiro, it is rather early. Have you eaten yet?” She asked. Kirishima opened his mouth, but his stomach spoke before he could. Due to his size and nature of his being, he was often eating. Another reason dragons ate their food raw was for it to stay in their body longer, reducing hunger. He gave her a sheepish smile, hoping his stomach answered her question. Mitsuki turned her intense gaze to her son. “Katsuki…” Bakugou knew that tone of voice and braced himself. A harsh slap went to the back of his head, even making you wince. “What type of soulmate are you, huh?” She asked loudly, eyes white in anger just like her son. She grabbed his ear and pulled his head down to the side with no restraint making the blond cuss at the pain. “Did I raise you so badly as for you to not feed his excellency? Just because you’re his soulmate doesn’t mean you must slack on your duties! What type of man are you as to not care and devote yourself to your soulmates? He’s starving! He looks like he’s already losing muscle! Are you happy knowing your mates are hungry and unsatisfied? Have you learnt nothing from your father’s example?” She tsked at him. Masaru shook his head in dismay at his wife’s actions, not the least bit surprised but couldn’t help the small smile at the indirect compliment from his soulmate.
You finally understood where Bakugou got his anger from. Bakugou snapped as he wretched his ear out of her grip. “OI! I’ve been a great soulmate!” He pointed to his bare chest. “I told him we could eat here! I-” Another harsh slap went to the back of blond head, but Mitsuku kept her hand at the back of his head. She forced his head down in submission.
“Eijiro can eat whenever he chooses to, and you should damn well remember that! He’s a deity among men! A sacred being! Just because you’re his mate doesn’t mean you should forget that.” She shouted down at him. She looked at the other villagers that had stayed to watch the whole interaction amused at the scene of mother and son. “All of you! Prepare breakfast for his divine excellency and his new soulmate! They’re hungry!” She ordered. Soon the villagers went bustling to get breakfast ready faster for the three of you. She turned to her soulmate.
Masaru nodded his head knowing what she was asking. “I’ll go see to it, don’t worry darling.” He assured her. Mitsuki smiled at the brunette male. She placed a kiss on his cheek in appreciation, the soulmate mark on her forearm glowing. Bakugou stuck his tongue out at the affection between his parents, making you giggle.
“Take Katsuki with you too, dear.”
“HUH!” Bakugou shouted as his head snapped back to look at his mother. “Why me?” He asked.
“To make up to your soulmates your negligence of their needs, that’s why!” Mitsuki yelled back at him. “Go be a good man and go cook something.” She waved him off towards his father’s direction. Bakugou bit the inside of his cheek at the order from his mother. He nodded his head begrudgingly and followed his father. Your eyebrows raised in surprise to what had just occurred. You had many questions, but before you could ask them, Mitsuki then remembered of you and Kirishima’s presence. She turned to Kirishima and bowed her head. “Forgive me, Eijiro. If we had known of your arrival, we would have made breakfast sooner.” She apologised. Kirishima opened his mouth to object to her apology. “No matter!” She said with a new sense of purpose, her eyes shining and a bright smile on her face. “Breakfast will be ready soon. Come now, how about I show your new soulmate around the village.”
Kirishima took his place next to you. He offered his arm for you to take, wanting to walk alongside you. You smiled at the offer and took his arm, holding onto his bicep as you sided closer to him. Kirishima looked back up at Mitsuki. “That would be amazing, thank you Mitsuki.” He thanked her with a nod of his head.
She smiled. “Now, onto our tour.” She started.
You and Kirishima followed the older blond woman into town. You looked up at the tall wooden posts that marked the entrance to the village. Cor Ignis. As you and Kirishima walked side by side just a bit behind Mitsuki Bakugou, you turned your head left and right to look around the village. The small wooden cottages were spaced close to one another with still enough space for children to run between them. The community was already up and bustling with activity. You watched as some people moved wooden logs along to the centre of the village in front of you, while others carried bundles of wheat or baskets of vegetables and fruits.
Mitsuki smiled humbly as she walked slow, her hands joined in front of her. “Cor Ignis is the central village for barbarians on Dragon Island.” She started speaking. You turned your attention to her as she spoke. “As you can see, our way of life is similar to those of the dragons. Communal living. Everything done for the goodness and prosperity of our tribe. With such a way of life where everyone can have the same things, it promotes our goal in striving for a purposeful society.”
As the three of you walked, you noticed that people bowed in the presence of Kirishima. No matter what they were doing, each one of them upon seeing him, with his gleaming scales that shone red in the sun and his tall stance above all men, dropped to their knees in a bow. Kirishima’s head stayed high, used to the treatment from the barbarian race but he waved and offered smiles just like he always did before.
As you got closer to the centre of the village you noticed how much more busy it was. People moving around doing their jobs as to get the day ready. In the centre of the village was a wide-open pavilion with tables and benches. In the middle of the pavilion were a bunch of men preparing breakfast. Bakugou was one of them, standing chopping vegetables as his father took charge of the whole process. His chopping was fast and efficient as he listened to his father and the other men around him. The grand red pavilion was the centre point of the village, from it one could go to any direction.
Mitsuki led you to the left, passing by the open building, not before motioning towards it. “Here we have all our meals together and have big events like Mating and Binding ceremonies, Inductions Ceremonies and so forth.” She revealed to you.
You motioned over to the pavilion as well. “Mrs Bakugou-”
“Mitsuki, is fine dear.” She corrected you.
“Aunt Mitsuki…” You started again. Kirishima looked down at you intrigued that you wouldn’t say her name alone without a title or honorific. “Why are the men cooking?” You asked confused as she led you towards where all the farmlands were.
A large river of water passed through, next to where all the crops were being planted. Mitsuki stepped onto the bridge that was built to cross over the river. She looked back at you with a scrunched up faist and a raised eyebrow. “Who else would cook?” She asked you. You opened your mouth to speak but you couldn’t formulate an answer you would want to give. Mitsuki looked down at you confused for a moment. Then it hit her. She nodded her head. “Ah, I see.” She safely put her hands on her hips. “Well dear, barbarians work much different to human society. For one, we have a matriarchal system.” She informed you. “Typically, all the men, or male leaning individuals, are… well…” She hesitated as she glanced at Kirishima. She grimaced trying her best not to try and upset the dragon.
Kirishima looked between the two of you confused as to why she had stopped. You looked at him and then you realized he was the only male within your little party of three. You giggled at his confused expression.
Mitsuki cleared her throat. “Well… um… excuse me, your divine excellency, I promise what I am about to say does not include you.” She specified with a nod of her head. “But in barbarian culture it is typical for the male leaning individuals to be the more subservient towards the rest of us. They are our homebuilders; they care for all our young and do what is needed to protect the village.” Your eyebrows raised in disbelief to what she had just revealed to you. Mitsuki bowed at the waist. “So I am deeply embarrassed that my son has not been the epitome of devotion and subservience towards you and Eijiro.” She straightened her posture. She let out a heavy sigh as she placed her fingers on the bridge of her nose. “He gets his attitude and temper from me.”
“But I thought that in barbarian culture, devotion and dedication was an all-around value especially for one’s soulmates.” You voiced out confused.
It was Kirishima’s turn to answer this question as the three of you stopped in the middle of the bridge over the running water of the river. “It is.” He started his answer to you. “However, with their way of life, everyone has their part to play for the community.”
“Exactly, Eijiro!” Mitsuki pitched in. “We might be matriarchal, but we aren’t sexist. For example, Katsuki is a warrior and holds our family title of chieftains of our village despite being a man.” She nodded her head, proud of her son’s achievements. “He has worked hard as a leader of our warriors and displayed the utmost loyalty and commitment to our village. Now,” Mitsuki clapped her hands and turned back around to face forward. “Onto the orchards.”
You watched with a bright face at all the dancing and singing in front of you. In a circle in one of the circles in town, there was a mini celebration. The ‘full’ celebration (as the Bakugous had said) was to happen after your apparent induction. Now, the village was celebrating the second found soulmate for Kirishima. The three of you sat in cushioned chairs put next to one another, an expanse of food laid out in front of you, at least this time the food was cooked (well, most of it was). The chanting to folk songs they all knew was carried high into the air like the smoke of the bonfire that lit the centre of it all.
Bakugou had been pulled into the tide of the dancing more than once and you were pleasantly surprised to find out he was great at dancing. His reply to that was, “What barbarian doesn’t know how to dance?” Of course, accompanied by a smug smile and slightly flushed cheeks, although you couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or he was blushing. You never thought you could find yourself being so happy from his happiness. In moments when Bakugou would forget about the reputation he forced himself to uphold, he was bright smiles and loud laughter, singing and joining in with all the others showing off his culture and the way they celebrated.
Kirishima too seemed like he was more than happy. When he was not watching you and Bakugou being swept up with giggles and dancing, he was eating all the food he could ever want. The barbarians spoiled him rotten, and he was not going to stop them anytime soon. People gifted him new jewels and gold. For the first time since you had met him, you saw the legendary dragon’s greed that was spoken in fairy tales. His pupils would go big and glossy at anything shiny as he picked at whatever was given to him. You wondered how much riches were in the mountain where all the dragons lived. Artefacts, gems, gold and silver hoarded away for the rest of time.
You tried to stifle a yawn as you leaned against the arm rest of your chair. Your eyes were starting to become heavy with sleepy and your limbs felt weighed down. Kirishima turned to you, noticing your decrease in activity. He smiled softly. You weren’t used to how active their lives were nor how much they were used to staying up late into the night.
Kirishima stood up from his chair and bent down in front of you. He took your hands in his. “Hey sweetheart, are you tired?” He asked you, voice loud enough that you could hear him above all the singing, music, and chatter.
You nodded your head as you covered your mouth with a yawn. “Yah. Sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s alright. It’s late, you’ve had a long day.” He scooped you up easily in his warm arms. His warm embrace didn’t help your sleepy mind from staying awake. Kirishima stood up straight and turned to Bakugou who was talking to Sero.
Bakugou turned back to look up at Kirishima. He was about to ask when he looked down and saw your tired form in Kirishima’s arms. He chuckled and waved a hand, telling the dragon that he would be there soon. Kirishima nodded his head and walked away from the celebrations with you in his arms. Away from the bonfire, the air took a cooler turn. Kirishima knew where he was going, his glowing red eyes in the night able to see perfectly in the darkness. Passing other dimly lit cottages, he finally made it to the one Bakugou and him stayed in whenever they were in the village.
He walked up the two wooden steps, with one hand he opened the door and pushed through. The place was dark but had been stocked with firewood and kept clean for them. He carefully moved to head into the bedroom. He placed you on the bed with care before heading to take care of things.
You watched with tired eyes Kirishima walked over to the fireplace opposite the bed. He drew a big gulp of air and then you noticed his chest glow with a deep orange and yellow. With an exhale, he breathed fire out, instantly lighting the fireplace and setting the room up in light.
You watched in awe. You almost forgot that he was a dragon, a fire burned in his soul that could never be diminished. It reminded you of what Bakugou had told you the first nigh you came to Dragon Island. The flames that were first blown into the world and the flames that could bring about it’s end. Kirishima took some more blankets from a chest and moved to the bed. You rubbed your eyes, your body not cooperating with you. For some odd reason you couldn’t relax.
Kirishima crawled into bed, settling his back against the headboard. He spread his legs and drew you to his chest. He draped a blanket on top of you, keeping you warm. With a comforting rumble from his chest, he was satisfied of your comfort.
You looked up at him amused. “You know Eijiro, I would have been just fine on the actual bed.” You chuckled.
He shook his head. “No, mate has to be safe and warm.” He let out factually. He rubbed his cheek against the top of your head. “I assure you, us dragons have ways that have been done for many generations. You are better like this.” He told you.
You relaxed against his hold, placing your hands on his forearms. You admired his scales on his arms. The dark scales that reflected the light of the fire and hinted to that deep red colour you grew to love. Each one beautifully placed with purpose. Kirishima watched as you traced over his scales, all the ones you could see. “Tell me about your ways.” You asked him. “Tell me about dragons.”
He chuckled. “There is much to tell you and…” He leaned closer to your ear. “I don’t think I can fit it all in one night. Not with your sleepy head.” He teased nudged your jaw with his nose.
You both laughed. “Fine then…” You thought about it some more. “Tell me about dragon soulmates.” You asked with a hopeful gleam.
“A romantic I see.” He nodded his head, you rolled your eyes with a hum making him laugh. He squeezed you closer in his arms. He let out a breath thinking of where to start. “Well… If I’m going to tell you the story of dragon soulmates, you will have to know our history first.” He told you. “Long ago when the world was still new and shrouded in darkness, there were five main gods. The oceans, the stars, the land, the storm and the peace. Our god was that of the stars.” Unexpectedly Kirishima breathed a flicker of a flame onto his hand and extended his hand in front of you. A small flame danced on his hand, not burning out or hindering him or anything else in any way. Your eyes widened in fascination. The flame changed colour to a bright white and took up the shape of a dragon. “The Starry Flame. A being that spread it’s wings so wide it could cover the expanse of the world, and flew over it bringing heat and light to an otherwise dark and cold world.” You watched as the white dragon above Kirishima’s hand flew up into the air.
“As the world grew, the gods placed pieces of themselves onto this world and thus, the Starry Flame bestowed star magic into a being of it’s own likeness. The dragons.” The big white dragon of flames broke up into tiny pieces all landing on Kirishima’s hand. Then you watched as all those small pieces swirled and turned into dragonkin. Masculine and feminine shapes with horns, tails and wings. “But as of this world’s design, no being -no soul- was made on its own.” The white flames once again merged together to form a beating heart. “The flames that reside in a dragon’s heart are split up between its soulmates. One can not be whole or reach their full potential without having all the pieces.” He explained.
“So you are at your strongest with Katsuki and I?” You asked.
He sent you a bright smile. He nodded his head. “Yes, you pick up fast.” You gave a firm nod, proud of yourself as you lifted your head up slightly. Kirishima let out a chuckle. “My family is close to the Starry Flame and thus can spit out flames as hot as blue.” The flame in his hand flickered blue, you could feel the change in temperature immediately. “Flames hot enough to melt obsidian and is a substance similar to that at the core of this world. However, us dragons don’t like to focus on personal gain in having a soulmate.” The flames changed into their normal red and orange colour. Then you watched the flame split into three figures. One was big with horns on it’s head and long hair, the other had a cape with spiky hair and a tiny waist and the other was in the shape of you. “Us dragons, we are very romantic creatures.”
You giggled and nudged your nose to his jaw above you. Kirishima froze. You had done something that typically only dragons and barbarians did. A close intimate meaning of great trust, admiration and intimacy between people. Kirishima’s shoulder softened as he felt his heart full.
He forced himself to return to telling his story. “And thus our soulmates are our everything. Together we hold each other up and embrace each other in ways no one else can. No one else can fulfil our desires or make us feel even a glimmer or sense of love or completeness like our soulmates can. Prosperity is our way of life.” The three figures of the flame embraced each other, and you could almost hear echoes of laughter and giggles in the crackles of the flame. “Love, growth, birth… all of it made possible…” The flame once again split up into three but this time moved away from Kirishima’s hand. One white flame hovered over Kirishima’s soulmate mark on his arm, the other flew over to yours while the last one flew in a race out the door. “With soulmates.” Kirishima finished telling his story. “There is still much more to it but that can wait for another time.”
You looked up at him. “That was beautiful.” You told him softly.
“Awww.” The two of you turned to look at the door. Bakugou stood with a pout on his face as a white flame hovered over his shoulder. “You two had story time without me?” He asked almost offended. “I feel betrayed.” He placed a hand over his heart.
Kirishima rolled his eyes. “Such an attention seeker.” He joked making you laugh.
Bakugou’s face fell. “What!” He folded his arms and turned his head away. “I am not! I am the epitome of humble spirit.” He glanced over at Kirishima who looked extremely unimpressed.
Kirishima raised an eyebrow. He shook his head. “I’ve heard you tell better lies, Katsuki. Now come on, we can’t sleep without you here.”
Bakugou grumbled as he walked over to the bed. He took off his cape laying it on a chair before climbing into bed. The three of you rearranged yourselves to find you back in the middle with Bakugou on your left and Kirishima on your right like always. You finally found yourself relaxing more and your eyes drooping having the both of them next to you. “Tomorrow, I’m sleeping in the middle.” Bakugou announced with a huff.
Kirishima laughed. “You miss being the centre of attention already?” He asked the blond.
Bakugou’s face turned pink. “No… I just- I like the middle. It’s comfortable.” He grumbled, one hand tracing your arm underneath the furs and blankets
“Katsuki.” You let out with a yawn. Bakugou looked down at you, crimson eyes having the reflection of the flames dance in them. “Do you like being a barbarian?” You ask him, tiredly.
Bakugou scoffed. “Of course, I do.” He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
You rubbed your eyes. “Even though you’re a male?” You asked him.
Kirishima looked down at you and then over to Bakugou. He wanted to know of his answer as well. Bakugou hesitated to respond. He understood what you were trying to ask him. Having seen other cultures, especially those outside of barbarian culture, he knew that it wasn’t typical for men to act in such a way.
He released a breath and a small smile. “What? You worried about me, pipsqueak?” His fingers pinched your nose briefly. “I grew up in a society where our women were the strongest of us all but with male figures that stood just as proudly. I grew to be strong and a talented warrior, but I also learnt servitude and grace. I have learnt to take pride in offering myself up for others, to make their lives easier.” He gently caressed your cheek with his hand. “So I do like being a barbarian, because there is no greater pride a barbarian can have than having a home they have built. And I do have one. I have you.” He tapped your nose making you smile. He turned up to Kirishima. “I have Eijiro.” Kirishima smiled. The two met in the middle over you, a peck accompanied with foreheads placed against each other. Kirishima released a rumble in happiness. Bakugou smiled and looked back down at you. “So why wouldn’t I be happy?”
You hummed glad about his answer. “Alright then.” You closed your eyes, but then something else pulled you out of sleep. “I have another question.” You opened your eyes again.
Bakugou rolled his eyes and Kirishima chuckled, his fingers tracing your shoulder as he looked down at you, his head propped up by one arm. His long red hair fell behind him free and effortless. “So many questions yet such a tired little mate.” He teased. His nails making a shiver run down your spine.
“Just one more question.”
Bakugou hummed not believing you. “What is it now?”
“Why don’t I get kisses?” Both Kirishima and Bakugou looked at one another in surprise that you would have asked. “I mean the both of you kiss each other. Not saying I don’t like it when you two kiss!” You quickly added. “It’s… I like it…” You added quietly, looking to the side. “When the two of you are together. It’s...” You couldn’t find the words for it. “Striking, to say the least.”
Kirishima and Bakugou looked down at you and then back to each other. Smirks adorned their faces. Bakugou cleared his throat, finding the build-up in tension stirring him. “Well… Eijiro and I thought it best to get you comfortable first before initiating anything.” His fingers found their way to your chin, lifting your head up, exposing your neck. “We wanted you to trust us first before getting intimate, all three of us. Which is why,” He looked to Kirishima with an annoyed expression. “I haven’t had Eijiro’s cock in my ass for the past six days!”
Kirishima shook his head in disdain. “Katsuki, we talked about this. I miss your ass too, but we agreed, after Y/N’s initiation, my cock is at the disposal of the two of you.”
“But I don’t want your dick at my disposal then!” Bakugou argued back. “I want you fucking me stupid into the next day now!”
Your face grew hotter at their words as they bickered between each other. You hadn’t started to think about just how intimate they must have been while they waited and search for you. However, half the things they were saying, you didn’t know what they were or at least the actions they were describing. You started to feel very anxious at the fact that they knew each other so well and yet you had never even had anything more than a kiss. Which in human culture, was already scandalous before marriage or without your soulmate.
“I… I’ve never mated before.” Your voice wavered out, instantly getting their attention. You avoided their heated red gazes as you focused on something else. “So… what’s it like?”
You finally returned your gaze back up to them. Your wide innocent eyes intoxicating. Bakugou stopped thinking a while ago. He’s eyes locked onto you. There was something about the heavy fact that they would have your first, that made his head go blank. Kirishima’s pupils expanded as blood rushed away from his head down to his now irritably restricted dick. He always thought of you and Bakugou like shiny jewels all for him to keep safe.
He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. “Sweetheart, if you don’t mind me asking…” He looked back down at you for confirmation that he could continue. You nodded your head affirmatively. “What have you done, regarding intimacy?”
You shrugged. “Just kisses.”
Bakugou blinked down at you unbelieving. “So you’ve…” He started. “You’ve never pleasured yourself?” You shook your head. Bakugou looked to Kirishima with wide eyes. Both men looked at each other for a second. Bakugou cleared his throat as he tried to think of an answer to your previous question. “Well… mating is like…” He scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink flushed. He wasn’t even sure where to begin.
“It’s the closest thing people can do to becoming whole again.” You both turned to Kirishima in surprise. He looked down his gaze not meeting either of yours. “It’s… its more than just for pleasure or at least in dragon culture. It’s about aligning your souls and hearts together, your bodies together and your minds blank.” He gave a soft smile. “It’s warm, sucks the breath out of your lungs and makes you feel as though you’re falling in the air but you won’t hit the ground. It makes you feel as though the world could end and you wouldn’t notice. All you can focus on is the other part of you.” He looked up, his eyes dark with something you didn’t know but at the same time an intensity that sucked your breath away with a beauty that only he could achieve. He looked down at you, brushed your forehead with his hand. “That’s what mating is like.”
-Glitch1d
Like this? Check out <My KiriBaku Masterlist)>
Also, Want to see updates immediatly when they come out, I update first on AO3. So here's the link to <Blood and Fire> on AO3.
Tags: @thatsharklovingwoman @valyblossms @cheesecakeva @aseme0w0
#katsuki bakugo x reader#mha x y/n#bakugou x reader#kirishima x reader#bakugou katuski x reader#eijiro x reader#katsuki x reader#katsuki x y/n#eijiro kirishima#dragon kirishima x reader#kiribaku x reader#kirishima eijirou#dragon kirishima#kirishima x y/n#kirishima x bakugou#kirishima x bakugou x reader#bakugou x kirishima x reader#mha#bakugou x y/n#barbarian king bakugou katsuki#barbarian bakugou x reader#dragon shifter kirishima#mha fantasy au
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Haze Radio
A story from an apocalypse world of mine.
Warning for violence. Also editor was busy so this is not nearly as polished as usual.
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The voice on the radio had been a comfort since the new radio station started broadcasting in the small town a couple years ago. Nobody was sure where it was set up, although some rumors the host took over a nearby abandoned military site. Nobody could really get access there so that’s where everyone decided it must be. The station called itself Haze Radio, so when the host allowed call-ins, people just assumed that was the person’s name. The friendly voice had accepted that as a nickname for themself. People wanted to send gifts to the host so a drop box was set up. Nobody saw anyone take from it, but it was emptied when locals checked so they knew the gifts must be retrieved somehow.
So while the host, Haze, remained a mystery, the whole town grew fond of the voice. The voice reported on the annual scarecrow festival and complimented the ragtag art around the town. They gave reminders of when hunting season started and what areas hunters are allowed in and where not to go. A friendly voice discussed when the weather was good to plant and harvest. The voice praised a rehab project that restored local land to allow animals to flourish when the government approved reintroductions of species previously extinct locally.
The whole town gossiped about the voice on the radio. How did this Haze know so much about everything going on? The voice didn’t match any locals. The station wasn’t heard outside of town. It was all… bizarre. But the town quickly loved their mysterious radio station.
But one day the regular local reports the station gave were… strange. The stranger on the radio had previously warned them ahead of time when a tornado would pass through town so everyone trusted Haze. Haze was never wrong. Haze knew when a freeze would kill off seedlings and to wait to plant. Haze knew when thunder may spook the horses and they needed to be put up for safety. Haze knew when coyotes were too close to the duck farm. But this… It was vague. It didn’t make sense. Just a warning that bad things would happen. That in the next week they need to get their relatives and friends from the cities to come out here through a certain date.
Of course all of them had talked to relatives and friends about the mysterious radio host and how much his words helped the town. About the warning before the tornado even formed, how Haze seemed to know the exact path it would take down to the street corners it would go past. Many out of towners wanted to dismiss the crazy talk of coming to town by a specific date. But when the locals got worked up, many eventually caved. Some locals even claimed needing desperate help after health issues to get far traveling children home.
Those who used deception to get family to come faced arguments over the next days… but eventually most agreed to at least wait to see if anything happened on the date declared.
The date in question came and Haze had a new message. “Stay at home. Don’t risk going outside no matter what. Just watch the news to see why I told you to bring everyone here for safety. I am so sorry I couldn’t tell you more, but if they found out I warned you, I would have been taken away and unable to protect you.”
It turned out the locals had been wise to listen to the voice of Haze.
News announcements on television warned that strange phenomena appeared near major cities and especially military structures. Giant beings, many bearing some sort of elemental abilities came through what were apparently portals of some sort..
The locals became extremely worried. The abandoned military place they all knew about… it might be a target too. They were soon calling each other on the phones and texting, trying to see if anyone had eyes on it. To see if they would be targeted too. The news was reporting mass casualties… as they were trying to make sense, they heard sounds like on the television. The ground shaking and splitting. Looking out windows, word spread fast that two of those monsters were in town. Fire hitting the small police station, the town hall… But nobody was in those buildings. They had listened to Haze and stayed home.
Suddenly a third one of those monsters showed up, attacking the other two. It didn’t make sense. In the new broadcasts all the monsters were working with each other. Why was this one acting different? While the first two had used fire and earth, this one gestures and blasts of water hit the fire one, causing it to fall. The fire giant fell onto the school… which was empty only because of Haze’s warning. The earth one punched the one using water and the beast stumbled, damaging several downtown shops in the fight. Shops empty because of Haze’s warning.
But the fight was moving. Getting closer to the neighborhood. To houses. The fire giant tossed a piece of wall at the water giant, and it shattered, pieces impacting a nearby building with three apartments in it. The water one roared and hit the fire giant again. It yelled at the two other giants and that’s when it clicked for everyone. The water giant screaming at the other two to get the hell out of his town… that voice was Haze. The first time any of them heard anger in that familiar friendly voice. The other two seemed hesitant but talked. Something about a job to do. An assignment. But Haze didn’t back down. “These people have nothing to do with the mission. They are innocent and good. The base here is empty. So go elsewhere. But leave this town alone.”
Finally, the two other giants began to leave. The water giant knelt by the apartment, carefully removing debris and speaking in a soft voice, “This building won’t hold long. You can’t stay in it. We need to move you somewhere safer. I know I must be very scary to you… especially when you are seeing what my kind are doing on the news… but even if you don’t let me help you, you need to get out of here and see what houses may take you in.”
Of course with all the terrible things on the news, it was hard to trust a giant… but he didn’t try to touch anyone. He merely held the fire escape in place against the building so they could get out on their own now that the stairs were ruined. As they started their retreat to the neighborhoods, they glanced frequently. Haze was checking each damaged building for people. He seemed visibly relieved when so many were empty. The only time he came near the people heading to the houses was to move debris that blocked their path.
A couple hours later many of the locals had gathered in one of the larger houses to talk. Downtown was in shambles, but most houses and all the farms were still fine. Most importantly the early warning meant their relatives from the city were far away from the worst of this apparent invasion. The radio was going in case Haze came back on it. If he gave any more information they wanted to have it. But first they needed to decide what to make of what happened. Haze was one of them… but also the reason they were alive.
Arguments went back and forth. He’s one of them, one of the enemy. Probably sent ahead as a spy. He’s the reason anyone is still alive. Warning the government might have saved more people. Warning the government could have gotten him locked up by the government and unable to help. If his people saw him turn traitor in a more drastic way, they would have intervened and the whole town would be dead. Then the argument that sealed the decision: without his help we could still die to the others.
The music vanished and a familiar voice spoke on the radio once more. It sounded… sad. Haze apologized again that he couldn’t do more. Apologized for hiding what he is from everyone. Explained that the rumors of his location were correct… He had been trying to make a shelter that his kind couldn’t access. He knew he couldn’t stop the others… their minds were set. But he wanted to help as many people as possible. He opened the gates to the military land. They were welcome to come… and he would not blame them if they chose to attack him.
Silence after the voice signed off and soft music played again. What he said made sense. One person cannot stop a hundred. But they can guard one small place.
Discussion followed instead of arguments. They already decided that without Haze they wouldn’t stand a chance. But there were still concerns. How to handle this… it wasn’t an easy matter. But it seemed it was time to meet Haze. The mystery radio host was a giant, and their only hope.
#haze radio#giant tiny#size difference#my stuff#my stories#my writing#apocalypse verse#giant radio host
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We put him through the wringer, but the cat is a clinger. It's time to take the keys and let out the fluff please. Can we get some comforting headcannons for New York? :)
[this was terrible I am sorry]
I suppose the baby can have a break <3
So- NY falls and/or stumbles a lot, so anybody he’s close to is literally ALWAYS ready to catch or grab him whether he knows/likes it or not
He has like- the most adorable zoned-out face ever- it just screams *no thoughts. only baby. can do no wrong*
Florida put catnip in his coffee once (this has happened more than once-) and they ended up with a playful-then-cuddly NY
whenever he’s REALLY sleepy, he will have a slight Dutch accent present in his voice.
And if someone’s trying to get him up whilst he’s sleeping, he’ll just make grumbly little angy kitten noises
He can and will climb on everything and he’s good at it too. One of his favorite places to chill is at the top of this GIANT tree that is in the backyard of the statehouse. He’s dragged his brothers up there against their wills on multiple occasions.
^that tree also happens to be where he runs to if he’s being chased by one of his brothers. And it’s usually Mass that is chasing him, but Mass can’t climb trees. So he calls either one of the other brothers, or he calls Texas or someone that CAN climb up and get York. The poor baby TnT
It brings him a ton of joy whenever an animal walks into the room. Even if it means he gets tackled and attacked with kisses by NJ’s dogs (Mar is a boxer, and Murrie is a German shepherd) <3. He will giggle and smile the entire time and the hearts of anyone watching will melt instantly.
speaking of him giggling- this mf has like- the cutest damn laugh EVER- his brothers and friends will do literally anything to hear it-
a lot of the stuffed animals he has have weird teeth marks on them cuz he would always bite them for some reason-
Okay- so apparently the guy (Keith David) that sung “Friends On The Other Side” (from Princess and the Frog) so- I can picture NY randomly noticing that Loui is a tad bit…. Off I guess. And it happens to be a karaoke night, so he sings “Friends On The Other Side” perfectly and can’t help but smile when Loui’s face lights up with happiness cuz Princess and The Frog is his fav Disney princess movie 😭😭
It’s pretty much canon at this point that York steals his older brothers’ clothes and they’re always big on him despite him being the tallest right? Kk.
he doodles on literally any piece of paper he has with him, even some of his state work will have little doodles of cats riding skateboards in the corner.
this boy has most definitely dragged his brothers outside if it had snowed overnight and there was a bunch of snow on the ground, and his brothers are fine with it at this point. Why? Cuz they’ll get a rare phenomenon known as a Cold Cuddly Yorkie after.
York has 100% walked into one of his brother’s rooms, stood in the doorway, knocked something over, and just ran away while they’re like- "����️👄👁️��"
his brothers will bug him while he is laying on the ground or something by wiggling their finger above his face just to see him paw at them like a cat
due to the cultural diversity in his state, I like to believe that York speaks several languages and has very little to no struggle in switching from language to language, tho he speaks Dutch and Italian the best.
York is one of the jumpiest people you’ll ever meet and he gets jumpscared so easily. Sometimes one of his brothers or friends will come up behind him and grab his sides to scare him
Pls let him infodump 🙏 he will tolerate you for all of eternity. Trust 🙏🙏🙏
#welcome to the table#welcome to the statehouse#ben brainard#wttt#wttsh#wttt new york#wttsh new york
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I always thought that icewings were the tallest out of all the tribes. But apparently a person on Pinterest disagrees. So I want your opinion.
What tribe is taller? Sandwings or Icewings?
But be scientific. Some of the people on the Pinterest post I saw believe that icewings are largest because bigger stores more heat(more mass radiate more heat) than smaller and Sandwings are smaller becuz smaller animals generates less heat(less mass less heat) but I am no scientist. And you sound like a smart person.
Either way, I shall believe that icewings are tallest because I’m pretty sure somewhere in book ten Snowfall and the other icewings are described as towering over the dragonets of destiny who have become fully grown adults.
Oh yeah I definitely agree the Icewings are taller. The scientific reason just generally makes a lot of sense, and thematically Icewings being these towering giants really boosts their narrative and in universe intimidation factor. Their spindly limbs and tall and lanky and the spikes of ice following from their skulls to their spine also add into their height, making them even more intimidating to the average dragon. ( On top of the fact that they hold their chins up high and look down on you- )
But I’d also like to share my average height headcanons for the other tribe. So here’s my order from tallest to shortest!
Tallest: Icewings
Skywings
Seawings
Nightwings
Rainwings
Mudwings
Leafwings
Sandwings
Hivewings
Shortest: Silkwings
Having Seawings being tall is a pretty controversial choice but I compare them to whales in my mind so to me they’re really big so that they can retain more body heat!
Nightwings are usually taller but after moving to the volcanic island they have slowly been getting slightly shorter with this newest generation of Nightwings.
I have to be in class in like 30 minutes so I don’t have much more time to write this but if you’re curious how I came to these conclusions, let me know! And vote below whether you think Icewings or Sandwings are taller! :)
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Your hc with the humboldt squids being stereotyped as violent/aggressive always makes me think about how that probably expands to other species especially ones evolved from large/apex predators
it absolutely extends to apex predators (sharks, most notably, which eat like everything). With Humboldt squid it extends to real life, where the mainstream (well, however mainstream you can call an obscure squid species) conception of Humboldts is that they're horrifying, aggressive, deadly and cannibalistic squid that are known to attack divers and drag them into the sea. (And humans REALLY DONT LIKE IT when an animal is rumored to kill us!) I don't actually know the validity of the claim that they'll attack divers or how frequent that kind of thing would actually be... I mean you can approach a Humboldt squid safely enough to make it wear a coat.
If an animal is a predator with giant claws and urban legends and it's the size of a person, it really doesn't take a lot for it to get a bad reputation lol. In the Mollusc era, this reputation is probably worse for the fact that Humboldt squid prey on other squid and are generally much bigger, so they're somewhere in the top predator group (which is not super popular in a world where the food chain still exists, although we still don't know what that MEANS).
It's worth noting that Humboldt squid are local to the Americas, so they would likely be rare in Inkadia. That makes it a bit weirder still to run into one in especially turf war (oh GOD WHY IS THAT GUY SO BIG). Though aside from the negative press, I think Humboldts would get their fair share of adoration for how undeniably cool they are. As a type of flying squid and a very social one at that, they probably have a lot of natural talent in ink battling, boasting both strength and agility. Super jump-wise, they might very well rival japanese flying squid in their ability.
Anyway off to sharks. Sharks absolutely have a bad reputation. They already have a bad reputation in real life, where they don't even consciously TRY to eat us, and the amount of actual shark bites that occur is grossly blown out of proportion to cause mass hysteria. In the Mollusc era though, sharks are apex predators and there's a LOT of sharks, and we know Mollusc Era sharks evolved from wild sharks that very much WERE AND STILL ARE APEX PREDATORS that eat all the other guys. That includes inklings, octolings, like all the fish... you get the picture. I think there's still a lot of people especially low on the food chain that see a guy with a giant mouth full of flesh ripping teeth and go "Uh, no thanks". This is kind of a whole discussion about species in the Mollusc era and what kind of relations they would have based on past, and maybe even current food chain placements; there's a lot of species that don't vibe with inkfish either for sure. After all, they're also predators, and active at that.
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