nishimura riki - boyfriend headcanons °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡

gn reader- 10 headcanons - masterlist :)

⋆˙⟡ if you work at a job where you use your hands a lot and end up getting cuts or slivers on your nail beds when you both are alone he will kiss the cuts and small damages on your fingers. you don’t have to always have your nails done or things like that bc he genuinely doesn’t care

⋆˙⟡ if you do have your nails done or like to get them done he likes to be able to customize one nail himself. he thinks it’s fun

⋆˙⟡ the on melancholy hill gorillaz trend - you and him are BODYING…. can you imagine riki’s cute little eyebrow quirks and pouting while the camera pans to him. i’ve been thinking abt this one for a few days- same w the kisses on the fingers

⋆˙⟡ if you leave early in the mornings for whatever reason he will wake up till you leave. even if he has to day off or can sleep in, if you leave early he will get up just so he can say goodbye to you

⋆˙⟡ riki loves dancing, obviously, but sometimes he just wants to be goofy and dance without thinking. so little dance parties where you both are uncoordinated are very common.

⋆˙⟡ when traveling if you can’t go, he will bring you stuff home. like a simpsons plush or whatever you wanted from universal studios when he went

⋆˙⟡ if you do go, he’s definitely giving you those staff uniforms and concealing you. he thinks it’s funny (if you have long hair) to tuck all your hair in the hybe hats and have you record vlogs. (he pays you under the table in kisses for helping)

⋆˙⟡ if you get hurt, whether you’re younger or older than him, he likes to take care of you. everyone is always taking care of him and sometimes he feels guilty about that, so he goes the extra mile to take care of you.

⋆˙⟡ matching clothes, he loves it. he loves to match and take photos. especially candid photos of you. even if they come off goofy, to him it’s the memory of the moment not the contents of the photo.

⋆˙⟡ genuinely a really good boyfriend and tries his best to make time for you. he can get snappy sometimes and tired but he doesn’t outwardly take it out on you unapologetically. he makes sure to be there and present and kind.

⟡ one extra head canon- he prefers you calling him riki over his stage name bc it’s more sentimental to him (real quote 💪 i pinky promise i have the video)

What I the brothers hands would look like

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Lucifer

His hands are in pretty good condition but they are always covered by his gloves

Long but chonky fingers, his fingers are thick and strong but they are quite long aswell

He keeps his nails in Prestine condition, having Asmo redo his nails if the paint chips

He keeps his nails short because of the gloves, but i like to think he picks them if he's stressed so that's another reason to wear gloves, making sure he cant ruin the skin around his nails

The top of his hand looks very pretty but his palm is rough, calloused, and scared.

His right hand having that little bump on his fingers from where he rests his pen

Has hands mixed between average and rough

Mammon

His hands are second to asmo's, he needs to keep his hands in good condition because he is a model

Lanky fingers littered in rings, not only do they look nice but they are quite good for pick pocketing

His nails are quite nice most of the time but after a night out or a night working for some extra cash, his nail polish does get chipped and scuffed

Hear me out, he accidently burnt off his finger prints in a hot pan one time while trying to get into a safe, not knowing it was a temperature not even demons can handle. Got smooth fingertips now

Got a few scars on his thumb and index fingers, covers them up with rings sometimes

Has soft hands

Leviathan

This man has vainy, Lanky hands, you cannot tell me otherwise

His fingers are extremely fast because he plays alot of rhythm games and games that require quick reaction time

His nail varnish gets chipped alot because he chews on them when he watches anime or watches game cutscenes

I like to think that he gets ruri~chan nail stickers and decorates his nails with them, much to Asmo's annoyance after finishing his nails

He likes to wear bracelets that complement his nails, alot of anime themed bracelets to match his nail stickers

I just know this mans palms are clammy and sweaty

Satan

Sorry Satan stans but I do think this man has average hands, fingers just a little over average length

His hands are scared from when he first came down to devildom, when his wrath was extremely explosive and impulsive. The scars are faded alot not but you can still see them faintly

I like to think his nails are in alright shape, he lets asmo redo them after a while as they gossip over it

His palms are alittle rough after resting them against the books he reads and his fingers are rough after the scars left deep marks. He uses hand cream to make them softer

Asmodeus

He has the nicest hands and nails out of his brothers

He has lovely long fingers that he sometimes decorates in rings, his nails are always nice and his hands are always soft

his knuckles and finger joints have natural blush and he is proud of it, he sees people on devil gram do tuts about how to get that with makeup and he will just respond with "Wait, people don't have it naturally?"

He always has different nail shapes when the trends change and go but his nails are always healthy. He prefers press on nails over acrylic, he doesn't like it when his nails are frail and weak after getting the acrylics off

His hands are the softest out of the brothers

Beelzebub

He's got the hardest hands out of his brothers due to all of the work outs he does

He has large hands and thick fingers, his fingers are long and his nails are quite scuffed

His hands are quite scared and are pretty huge, he can fit a entire coke can in the palm

Chews on his nails subconsciously sometimes when he gets hungry, much to asmo's annoyance

His fingers and palms are really rough and calloused because of how much he uses them

Belphegor

He's got long, bony, and vainy hands. They haven't seen the sun in years so they are really pale aswell

I think his nails are the most unkept out of all of the brothers, they get quite long because he sleeps alot of the time

Has scars on his wrist from where you scratched him and dug your fingers into him from when, you know, when he killed you. He thinks about those scars alot

He would be sleeping and asmo would just come up and fix his nails for him, shaping them down for him and painting them in a nice colour

His hands are actually extremely soft

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This was sitting in my drafts for a while and I felt bad about the last post so here you guys are, I hope you guys enjoy<3

finally delivering on the princess tutu headshots i promised... love these dysfunctional teens 🩰💖💕

LOTS of notes about headcanons/design choices under the cut! like. a lot. dont say i didnt warn you

starting with my specialest guy fakir:

i had a suuuper clear vision for fakir, and i couldnt be happier with how he turned out, he looks exactly how i imagine him! trying to translate his Bird-Shaped Hair into my style gave me SERIOUS homestuck flashbacks. my affinity for knights with Problems knows no bounds...

adding the hyperpigmentation around his eyes and his acne scars is what really solidified this for me-- i put those in and was like oh!!! there you are!!! my boy!!! and you can tell because i gave him acne scars + thick eyebrows that he IS my boy... there are very clear trends among my headcanons for my faves lol. big noses, thick eyebrows, skin imperfections, heavy eyebags, long dark hair... and fakir truly has it all 😤 he is so Ideal Character Design to me

i think fakir is actually pretty self-conscious about his appearance tho! we see characters like pike and lilie say hes handsome to ahiru, but i dont know how often he actually hears that? and im sure its hard not to compare himself to mytho, who is straight out of a fairy tale; being a regular teenager dealing with regular teen body stuff is hard enough without your roommate being a magically beautiful eternally youthful storybook hero. i think he probably internalises more that people see him as scary and angry, and that the girls who do have crushes on him always frame it in contrast to mytho, who is Good and Kind and Handsome, implying (or sometimes outright stating!) that fakir is Bad and Mean and... Well...

fakir is very sensitive but quiet about it, so i think its a very private point of self-consciousness. i think he puts a lot of semi-secret effort into his appearance; canonically he has a lot of very funny and clearly customised clothing, and he chooses to keep his hair long and in a very particular style (i have a whole breakdown in my mind of how he achieves that style and it involves a surprising amount of pins and an unsurprising fuckton of teasing. i think his hair is a little fried from heat damage!), and i think that probably extends to other things, too, like manicuring his eyebrows and doing a lot of very Teenage Skincare that doesnt actually help his acne much lol. i think he probably has a lot of self-injurious habits and BFRBs like skin picking and chewing, mostly at his acne and around his nails (both of which he hates, because he knows he shouldnt but does it anyway). i think if he does it enough that theres noticeable evidence it feels, like, world-ending for him, ESPECIALLY if anyone asks what happened lol. do not perceive him except in the very specific ways and contexts he approves of THANKS

on to the narratives favorite princess, mytho:

again, i had a pretty clear idea of the vibe i wanted mytho to have going into this-- i want him to have, like, extreme prince charming vibes, very Classically Handsome without necessarily being 'conventional.' i thought a lot about 'the happy prince' story while i was working on this, and really wanted him to look like a cross between how the prince statue looks in my head and a porcelain doll. and also a cross between jonny brown and brigitte bardot? lots of very direct influences for him lol. so! lots of gold tones, gemmy eye color, cute little tooth gap, quivering wide-eyed thousand-yard-stare doe eyes and big ol dolly anime lashes, which were the very last thing i added because i was NERVOUS about pulling those off lol. they turned out cute tho! ive only done a handful of pieces for this series and i can already tell princess tutu is gonna make me up my lash drawing game considerably, these kids all look like they blink and cause a hurricane from the gale force wind of their falsies

also wait i lied the very last thing i did was add his freckles/beauty marks because he needed that little extra oomph and those were It. i think he probably has some on his hands/wrists too 💕

i was a little unsure if my idea for his hair would translate with this flat-color approach but im pretty happy with it! its supposed to be afrotextured hair (somewhere between 3b and 4c i think? wide range of potential i knowww but im still kind of hammering out my headcanons okay, this is exploratory lol) thats been rolled and finger-styled into his little feather shapes. i think loose, chunky twists would be another fun way to interpret his hair and twists are one of my fave styles to draw do i might draw him like that at some point too...

i guess fakir is the one who styles his hair for him before mytho gets his heart back? i imagine fakir is pretty meticulous about maintaining mythos health and appearance, even at the worst stages of their relationship. i think itd be hard for fakir to frame the way he treats mytho as For Mythos Sake if he wasnt doing some level of actually beneficial care for him, so being really fastidious about things like mythos diet and sleep hygiene and hair care and such gives fakir an outlet for his 'you just have to do what i tell you' thing that helps him convince himself it really is helping, no really, hes doing this for mythos benefit and he just has to be strict with him because mytho doesnt UNDERSTAND he needs PROTECTING and fakir is the ONLY ONE who can do it so mytho HAS to let him because if he doesnt then why does fakir even EXIST, if he cant manage this then what is he good for, and--

yknow. the usual complexes. and their relationship is so complex!!! but also so simple, but like. in a good way. fakirs behavior is complicated but his motivation regarding mytho is SO straightforward which makes that downward spiral into harm really easy to map out... i wont go much into that in this post since this is about visual/appearance-related headcanons but just. augh. i love this show and i love these characters!!! and i hope its apparent in my work that i do love them so <3

im hoping to do a set of these for the girls next!!! i have some other stuff to finish first but hopefully... Soon... Some Birds...

Purples, Blues, and Gold

Words: 1,800

A prequel to Rosemary, Lilacs, Lilies and Bergamot

Astarion is at a loss on how to go about picking out something new for himself when given the chance. Floundering a bit he reaches out to his love for help and receives some supportive guidance. Just a short and hopefully sweet fluffy one-shot that's been living rent-free in my head since buying him an outfit at the Facemaker’s Boutique.

Bodies scattered the floors and blood soaked into the rugs at the Facemaker’s Boutique. The staff and owner were still rattled by the murder attempt. But at least Figaro ‘Facemaker’ Pennygood was so thankful to still be alive that he offered a discount to them all on the spot. The last thing Astarion expected was for their defacto leader as well as his lover to actually take up the offer so readily. But in their early days, she was not above picking up rags and anything else not nailed down for a bit of extra coin to buy one more healing potion or spell scroll.

With a soft clap, Anna declared, “Well now that bit of unpleasantness is all sorted out, how about we all do a little shopping?”

He watched as Gale and Karlach gave one another a tired but agreeing shrug. They both made a beeline to pick out some long overdue fresh undergarments to start. Astarion however felt rooted to the spot for so long that she noticed, drew close, and offered her hand. Stopping just short to give him the chance to decide if he wanted the contact or not. He stared at it for a moment before thinking to take it in his, give it a nervous squeeze, and side-eye the others. His lips pursed tighter as one of his brows cocked high in quiet alarm.

In a discrete murmur, so low only he could hear she guessed, “Star… has it been a while since you’ve picked something out for yourself?”

After a soft embarrassed clearing of his throat, he admits in his own way, “To say I’m out of touch with the current trends would be an understatement. What do you think I should get?”

Read on here:

mick schumacher is interviewed ahead of qualifying, azerbaijan - april 28, 2023 (transcription below the cut)

Interviewer 1: "But Mick, welcome. Thanks for joining us. How are you doing?"

Mick: "I'm alright. How're you?"

Interviewer 1: "Yeah, very well, thank you."

Mick: "Awesome."

Interviewer: "We are all excited about this qualifying session that is to come. Do get in touch out there, as well, wherever you are watching, hashtag F1 live. We'll start with Mercedes Mick. That is where you are at the moment. James Allison coming in as Tech Director, coming back to that position; what impact are you expecting that to have?" Mick: "Well hopefully, yeah, a positive one. Obviously James has been part of the team for quite a while and has had some success here, so it's great to have him back." Interviewer 1: "It is, indeed." Interviewer 2: "Mick, you're properly embedded in the team at the minute and there was a real turnaround in form for Mercedes in Australia. Did you really feel that, and did it feel like, inside the team, you turned a corner?" Mick: "Well, I mean, it definitely was a very strong weekend for us and it's good to see that, and we'll have to wait and see how this one pans out but, yeah, hopefully we're on an upwards trend." Interviewer 3: "It's a very different weekend format this weekend, for all the drivers. Massive pressure on everybody; just one hour of practice and then straight into qualifying. You're a Formula 2 champion. We've got a couple of rookies in the field this year who are used to that similar kind of format in Formula 2: one practice straight into quali. Do you think this will suit the rookies?" Mick: "Well, I mean, yes and no. For me, it wasn't long, but I really appreciated the two extra free practices. On the other hand, I think it's a pretty cool format. You know, having two qualifying sessions, it's a lot of action, and yeah, I think that the sprint qualifying, a lot of people will go nuts out there, so we'll find out how it'll be tomorrow." Interviewer 1: "Mick, this track, the characteristics of it are so different. There's almost three distinct sections. It's almost impossible to nail a setup, isn't it, for it? How do you get the best out of the car around here?" Mick: "Well, I guess you have to sort your priorities; what is it that you wanna target? Is it the race, is it the qualifying, is it straights, is it corners, and I think every team will choose something different there and will play on their strength, and hopefully, yeah, we have played on ours." Interviewer 1: "One hour earlier on, but it was heavily interrupted and very limited data will be taken from that. We knew it would be limited anyway, and it's limited even still after the red flag, the yellow flags. What's the feeling in Mercedes, coming into qualifying?" Mick: "I think everybody's quite calm. Everybody's quite, well, concentrated on what they have to do, and I think everybody's, yeah, just excited to get going now." Interviewer 1: "And how much are you enjoying being part of Mercedes, as well? As Lawrence said, fully entrenched within this team. How much are you learning and getting from this and, indeed, feeding back, as well?" Mick: "Yeah, no, it's great, obviously. I'm able to join every meeting and it's been super helpful already. Obviously I want to be racing and driving-that's my aim and that's my goal-but I feel like it's definitely an add-on for me to be here to learn from the best, at the end." Interviewer 1: "Mercedes one of all teams, I think, bringing upgrades here. How does the upgrades, how does this car, suit the track here? As we said, it's kind of difficult to even nail a setup for one part of the track. It changes so much. That's part of its charm, I suppose, around here." Mick: "Yeah. I guess that, you know, it will really, hopefully, shine in the longer races and in the longer sessions. But yeah, it's hard to say, after one hour. The track obviously not cleaned up yet, so yeah, everything is going okay so far and we're just gonna try and understand it further." Interviewer 1: "We had cloud, mist, cooler temperatures this morning. It's now getting a lot hotter as the sun has burned some of that mist away. We're seeing a lot of wind. Of course, it is the city of winds. It's no surprise here in Baku. How does that effect things out on track; the wind and, certainly, the rising and cooling temperatures, as well?" Mick: "Yeah, well, it can catch out people and it can catch out drivers, so yeah, hopefully everybody will be able to get around all the corners just fine and nail the laps, and hopefully our drivers will be able to do that the best."

Roman Socks and Shoes

So, I like to knit socks while reading, and this got me curious about what ancient Roman socks looked like. Because we don't have evidence for knitted socks in the Mediterranean before ~1000 CE (or 300 CE if you include naalbinding).

It appears that before form-fitting socks were a thing, Romans (and most of the ancient world) used rectangular footwraps. You can make these from any kind of woven fabric, not just knitting. Heck, you can even make them from animal skins, which is likely how they originated.

Footwraps have some advantages over modern socks: They last longer, since you can alternate how you wrap the cloth to reduce the risk of getting holes; they also dry quicker. Plus, they're cheaper to make and can fit any size of foot. (Very convenient in a pre-industrial world where all cloth is expensive!) The downside is that if you don't wrap them correctly, the wraps can be uncomfortable or even cause blisters. Knitted socks are stretchier and more forgiving.

If you needed extra warmth, protection, or leg support, you might also use a leg wrap, or puttee. These can also be made from a long rectangle of cloth, wrapped in a spiral, and fit anyone. It's likely that these are what Augustus wore in the winter, because the Romans thought pants were Barbarian Savagery.

Nowadays, socks have replaced footwraps and leg wraps nearly everywhere...except in the Russian army, which started reissuing footwraps in 2022. Because they attacked Ukraine without making sure they had enough socks. Yeah...

What would a Roman wear over their wraps? The most common shoe was probably the sandal, which came in tons of styles depending on your region, wealth, fashion trends, and personal tastes. Sandals were worn both indoors and outdoors, with and without socks.

If you lived in the country, though, you'd probably wear carbatinae, strips of leather tied around your foot. They wore out quickly, but were easy and cheap to replace. You might also wear clogs for muddy roads and fieldwork.

If you wanted something more durable, you might buy a pair of caligae, or army sandals. These snazzy boys had hobnail-reinforced soles for better traction, and open leather straps to keep your feet cool on long marches.

Incidentally, "Caligula" means "little boot" in Latin, and was a childhood nickname given to him by his father's soldiers. Caligae were standard for legionaries, although in colder climates they later switched to closed-toe boots.

Closed-toe boots also formed the Rich Man's Shoe, the calceus. Like the caliga, it was tied above the ankle and bound with hobnails and thick leather. A calceus might be dyed or decorated depending on your social status, with patricians and senators getting fancier ones.

Calcei could get hot and uncomfortable, and you didn't want those nails messing up your pretty mosaics, so most wearers would switch to sandals indoors. Augustus was a bit of a weirdo for wearing calcei indoors anyway. On the other hand, Scipio Africanus, Mark Antony and Caligula were criticized for wearing sandals outdoors, since other rich dudes saw it as low-class and effeminate. They finally pulled the sticks out of their asses sometime around Hadrian's reign.

Also around that time: the soccus! A slip-on shoe cozier than the calceus but sturdier than the carbatina! Initially there was a lot of mocking and hand-wringing from macho guys about how effeminate comfortable footwear was, but the power of cozy was overwhelming and socci became so popular they gave us the word "sock."

What about going barefoot? Only the poorest of the poor, very unlucky slaves, and Cato the Younger did that. It wasn't a smart idea in a crowded city that still used chamber pots. But Cato looked at barefoot statues of heroes and concluded that shoes must've been invented by wimpy modern people who weren't as tough and manly as their Real Roman ancestors. (He was wrong, by the way. Bronze-age peoples quite rationally wore shoes, too.)

So there you have it. Personally, I am happy to be a wimpy modern with my decadent barbarian socks. But I gotta admit those socci sound pretty snazzy.

This is not me defending Nintendo's shoddy writing when it comes to heavy parts of the Gerudo lore. But I do wonder if some of their really bad missteps are because of their lack of knowledge of Western racial politics. A lot of Japan is still heavily xenophobic, and racial diversity is almost zero, so they might just not actually think about the implications because they just... don't know they exist. It's not an excuse, because Nintendo IS a global company, and there should be some extra research done, since stuff like that is just really fucking iffy. I'm just trying to figure out where that stuff comes from tbh, and why it's still around, instead of being weeded out. So maybe that's a reason, in which case... maybe get some writers who can write depth into their characters.

Hey, thanks for the ask!

So... I feel many things about this, and I completely see where you're coming from, and I think you have hit the nail on the head about why Nintendo do not feel like handling this issue is necessary, or that it doesn't concern them altogether... but I have to be honest, I feel like we give Japan way too much slack on these issues in general, and it's a very common problem (thinking of the controversy on FF16 for just another recent example, or the way queerness is handled in a lot of anime and games). Regardless of, just, the artistic integrity to incorporate the rest of the world as existing alongside you which isn't... mandatory of course, but I believe is important for the sake of honesty: there are japanese people of color, there exists a queer japanese community, and a lot of immigrants living in Japan have to deal with rejection and being considered a second-rate citizen all of the time. Not to mention anything about the new generations of people who were victims of their occupation not so long ago, a subject which is still regularly repressed and ignored by their government (and by the world at large, the US had interests in quieting down some of the worst things they did due to Cold War stuff, and in the West we mostly focused on Germany and collaboration --which makes sense, it's what we knew, but anyway it's complicated and not the topic). This is not a case of mere innocence, it is a case of politically construed ignorance; which is very different, and should not be regarded as equivalent.

But even beyond their own internal socio-political issues, which I am not qualify to speak about beyond what I know from second-hand stories I heard and what I have personally researched, The Legend of Zelda is an IP that is tailored for the West (TM). It is incredibly more popular here than it ever was in Japan. It is a product designed for export. Trying to anticipate what the western market enjoys and fitting right in is part of their responsibilities as a brand if they want to succeed. So, either they did not consider this aspect, which was absolutely something they should be criticized for, as subjects of diversity are hot and trending right now (even without getting into their moral implication) and they did what I consider to be the bare, cynical minimum in this department; or they had an inkling, and considered their choices wouldn't be a dealbreaker. Which... they clearly were not.

Again, I am sorry to be a little cynical here, but while I certainly don't think Nintendo was being consciously malicious here, like making choices to actively play into harmful stereotypes and strict gender roles as some form of active ploy in some sort of culture war, Nintendo is run by conservative japanese men with capitalist interests and a responsibility towards their own government as a major player for japanese soft power. The company will *never* question its own biases, especially if the West just eats up whatever they do and build a human wall of excuses to justify their absence of accountability. This, beyond the game itself which is good and fine and also kind of soulless the more I think about it (in my opinion), is what depresses me and what makes it hard for me to move on: to give them a free pass on these subjects is a choice everyone is collectively making, because it is the Nostalgia and the Childhood and we are desperate for wonder and joy --and it ultimately makes us somewhat toothless as consumers.

And I want to add I am absolutely not immune to this, and it doesn't mean I'm condemning the practice of fandom or the possibility, or even the necessity, of holding several simultaneous truths about a piece of media at the same time and navigating them depending on what is being discussed; but Nintendo is obsessed with controlling its image as a company, curating things as acceptable or unnacceptable as they see fit, approving or disapproving of their consumers' behavior and punishing them accordingly (as well as the rest of the industry *side-eyes the thirty patents on basic gameplay actions*), and it's to say nothing of how employees may be treated beyond the perfectly curated Pikachu yellow walls. This corporate image of being non-controversial is enforced. It doesn't mean I don't admire them for a lot of things, their genuine commitment to game design innovation, their virtuosity when it comes to level design in particular, the way they foster pools of raw talent, their devotion to open up the market to new demographics of gamers, or for the risk they took with the Switch and the wonderful venues it opened for indie devs. I love their games, profoundly, and I owe the company a lot of my joy.

But again, I think it's important to consider several realities simultaneously; and this joy, this goodness, this beauty, while absolutely wonderful and worth preserving, always runs the risk of getting in the way of our discernment in what is getting sidelined.

Summoning | Human Female x Male Demon {Part 1}

"Pretty thing thinks we will be sent away," he spoke slowly, his lips working carefully over sharp fangs. "Silly thing."

⟿

Overall, Jessica Baker wouldn't consider herself a jealous person. The Bakers were a fairly well to-do family, and as a child Jessica wanted for nothing. So long as her interests and desires aligned with their familial and religious values, Jessica was free to pursue her interests. Horseback riding, sewing, ballroom dance and ballet, karate — she got to try it all. Right up until her interests twisted towards the paranormal, and the occult.

In her burgeoning adult years, Jessica acknowledged that her interest was potentially a byproduct of her sheltered upbringing. No matter the case, she liked the paranormal, and she liked the occult, and despite her family disowning her for pursuing those particular interests she remained devoted to them. She fought tooth and nail to become a name in the paranormal ViewTube community, while still working full time and it was a lot of work. Jessica taught herself to edit all of her videos, she learned all of the ins and outs of all of the equipment that she had purchased, she organized travel and lodging, and planned out her night-time ghost hunts. She did it all.

So when Delilah Murray managed to become the target of an entity's interest, Jessica wasn't just jealous. She was borderline enraged — and she hated herself for it. Not only because Delilah was very obviously terrified (she had every right to be), but because Delilah didn't appreciate the gravity of the situation and what it meant. They got video evidence of paranormal activity, and Delilah didn't care. She wanted it done, and over with and gone.

Jessica had been begging for such an opportunity since before she started her ViewTube channel, and Delilah came out on one hunt and she hit the mother-load. Her fanbase was hungry for updates about Delilah and Jessica didn't have a whole lot of choice outside of giving them that. Her single attempt at getting Delilah to watch the video they caught from the haunt had been a wash, and despite Delilah's on-camera vehemence for her to drop the subject and leave, Jessica's audience wanted more.

They were ravenous, and with no information coming from Delilah, Jessica winged it, and informed the public that she was absolutely fine to calm any worries. All the while, Jessica was rigging up all sorts of things to occur during her videos, random sounds and closing doors but the audience remained uninterested. She just got the attention she wanted, her channel was finally picking up. She was trending. After all of her hard work, she didn't want it to go away. The jealousy evolved into desperation. Especially when Delilah hinted that the entity was still with her…

And desperation was a funny, funny thing.

Over the course of a number of months, Jessica called on old owed favors, and chased down different leads. Eventually, she scraped together everything she needed to summon a demon. Theoretically, anyway. There were enough half-cocked bullshit tutorials drifting around online, and while she didn't put too much stock in actually summoning an entity out of thin air, she figured it would, at bare minimum, be a decent vid. She would make some edits; cut some scenes out to make it mysterious, amp up the sounds a bit with a few ASMR elements. Hell, for extra flavor she could take the summoning out into the woods, or find an abandoned building to do it in. It only took a handful of days to hammer out all of the details.

-

The motel, while seedy, reached all of the necessary criteria for Jessica to call it home for two days. Over 10 hours from her apartment, the little log cabin styled building was only a handful of minutes from the Batona Trail in New Jersey. Notorious for tales of the Jersey Devil, Jessica thought it would be a fun backdrop to perform her ritual. Kicking off the video, she asked the older woman at the front desk about local legends. She had the segment edited before loading up her car that evening. Before setting off, she mounted her dash cam and hit record. Though she packed light, knowing that once she got to the trail she would have to find a place with enough room to set up her gear and carry out the ritual, she was determined to record every second.

A little after noon, Jessica reached the parking lot for the hiking trails. After setting up her go-pro she set off, hiking into the woods. It took about an hour to find a decent place to set up shop for the night. It was a ways off of the main trail, but it wasn't completely inundated with trees and foliage. The soil was pleasant, soft and cool. When she dragged the end of a stick through it, the design kept. It took an additional hour and a half to hike back to her car, get her supplies, and return back to her decided ritual grounds.

Then she got to work. She went about the meticulous process of drawing out a wide and decidedly perfect circle in the soil. She plotted and transcribed each and every symbol she had been instructed to, and then she filled in the designs with a soft red powder provided to her by one of the witches from the local coven that (eventually) provided the finer details for the alleged ritual. Jessica didn't know what it was. It smelled like sulfur. She drew another wider circle around the already designed ritual space, and filled it in with a mix of salt and powdered egg shell. This one was for protection (or so she was told). This one was supposed to contain whatever she summoned. She set out a few extras here and there for aesthetic purposes, a beautifully bleached skull that she had found on some curio website, herbs, flowers. With everything set up, and her camera equipment secured in place, Jessica hunkered down to get some editing done until it was time to put on a bit of a performance for the camera.

Despite all of the legends, Jessica found a strange level of peace as she waited for nightfall. It was quiet, with the occasional bird chirping and being away from WiFi ensured that she actually got work done, instead of getting distracted with shopping and pursuing her next ghost hunt plans. Before she knew it, the sun was setting.

Picking one of the cameras to stand in front of, she started her introduction for the evening's events. She left the camera running as it got darker and darker. She left it running as she lit a fire, and while she changed into a soft white dress that was more theatrical than it was conventional. For her sake, more than the camera's, she reviewed the instructions again to verify that she did everything correctly. She reviewed the chant, prayed that she wouldn't be attacked by some wild animal, and began the ritual.

She stepped inside the circle of eggshell and salt but stayed out of the detailed ritual circle. She took a deep breath, and started the chant. It was a strange and weirdly fluid chant comprised of something that sounded like Latin but not quite. Having rehearsed it so many times in the last few days it was simple, and once she got going she was able to recite it without putting conscious thought to it. It was like one of her favorite songs, she knew every dip and pause, every crescendo.

So invested in the ritual, Jessica didn't even notice the stillness that surrounded her, or the dead-quiet that even the popping fire couldn't pierce. She cast vials of liquid into the ritual circle, chased them with powders and herbs and then she needed to bequeath the final offering. Hiking the linen chemise up around her thighs, Jessica knelt to the ground. The list of instructions she had received (which she had copied into a grimoire-styled book) mentioned an offering, and listed various elements that could be used. Short of offering up her own blood, or something truly obscure like flesh or body parts, she took the most simple route possible to reach her objective.

Kneeling in the dirt, in the middle of the woods, Jessica hiked up her dress and pushed her hand down into her panties. She was suddenly thankful for being a one-woman team. There wouldn’t be any odd editing notes. She’d scrub this section and never mention it to anyone ever. The chant still on her tongue, she set to work massaging her clit. Her body was already primed, perhaps because she had worked through these steps to completion so many times. While she was more than sure that what she had to offer was adequate, she chased after a nearing orgasm. With the help of one of her tried and true fantasies, she rolled her hips into her fingers of one hand while she massaged her clit with the other. All the while, the chant continued. It ebbed and broke in its intensity as her pleasure mounted and the gentle throbbing need drew her muscles tight. Jessica imagined being pinned down, and ravished. She imagined a ruthless lover, intent on wringing every bit of pleasure from her body that he possibly could while he whispered dirty things in her ear.

Somewhere between imagining being fucked into the mattress and imagining a voice at her ear telling her what a good fuck she was, Jessica achieved orgasm. The chant faltered as she shivered through delicious pulses of heat. Withdrawing her soaked fingers she dried them off on the hem of her dress. As she stood, she removed her panties. She used the already slick-streaked fabric to dry herself off, and then she tossed the material into the ritual circle. Another round of the chant as she procured an athame, and with one last verse she stabbed the dagger into the middle of the ritual circle.

The sounds of the world flooding back to her. In her own quiet she was suddenly very aware of the snapping pop of the dying fire, the wind shaking the trees. For a long time, Jessica watched, and she waited. She knew damn well nothing was going to happen, but she needed to put on the show of hope for the camera. She was absolutely fine. There was absolutely no part of her that thought that any of this bullshit was going to work.

"Well," she said, her voice sounding small even to her. "I guess that's it." She peered down at her fake grimoire, at the instructions. She had done everything listed, except…

Peering down at the tiny addition to the paper down at the bottom that looked like it had almost been erased. She read out loud, "Ortus?"

The earth around her lurched hard enough to bring her to her butt. The grimoire was dropped as Jessica looked on in shock. The dirt inside the ritual circle began to roil and bubble like boiling water in a pot. The fire that lit the area dwindled, and died in a matter of seconds, leaving Jessica alone in the dark, scared and confused and— Just as quickly as the fire died, it roared back to life.

Jessica's jaw dropped.

Standing in the middle of the ritual circle was something straight from a creature-feature horror movie. The thing was tall and lanky. She had imagined some sort of beefcake of a creature, and instead she got long limbs and an impossibly narrow waist, but with every movement it made, Jessica could see muscle. It stood on long, digitigrade legs. It's clawed hands stretching down below it's knees. The shoulders were broad, making its waist look even smaller. Its face was featureless save for the gaping maw that housed too many sharp teeth, and a too long tongue that was lolling and flicking like a snake scenting the air. All of it was housed in pallid gray skin that seemed to be etched with scarred over symbols and designs.

Jessica watched, horrified and transfixed, as the creature tilted its head back and inhaled. Its chest expanded, and its slenderness filled out, to look full and bulky and then it deflated. Only to happen again, and again. Jessica realized, just a little too late, that one of its big clawed hands held her panties to its face. A low hum came from the beast, and then it seemed to turn its attention to her. It had no eyes, yet she felt the weight of its attention on her. A feral smile stretched across its featureless face and it lowered down to its hands, still clasping her panties.

"Hello, pretty."

The voice was like gravel and breaking glass; harsh and sharp. The creature lowered further still, seeming to attempt to get level with her. It's head tilted one way, and then the other, its tongue flicking the air yet again. The corner of its mouth curled in a smirk. It prowled forward, stepping forward on one of its hands, leaving the ritual circle, and closing the distance.

Jessica gasped as if she had been stabbed, and scrambled backwards. Her feet caught on the hem of her dress, she heard the material tear. Once she cleared the circle of salt she fell flat on her back and exhaled in relief.

A chuckle was released from the beast, and Jessica wished this issue could be done away with by saying 'Goodbye' on a Ouija board. At least the salt circle was in place. She was safe.

"My pretty little thing," it rasped in roiling sing-song, rising from its slouched posture.

Jessica pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the dirt that marred the delicate chemise. She did her best to stand tall, with her back straight, taking the beast head-on. She pointed to the salt circle.

"You will never cross that line. It would be in your best interest to tell me how to get rid of you." Jessica's voice was stern, and strong and yet it elicited a harsh laugh from the demon.

"Pretty thing thinks we will be sent away," he spoke slowly, his lips working carefully over sharp fangs. "Silly thing."

"You—" she swallowed, and doubled down on her stance. "You will not cross that line."

The demon took a step forward. He toed the line of salt and inhaled deeply. Its long tongue lashed the air, flickering out towards her.

"Mm, we can smell your pleasure, pretty." The panties were lifted, and he gave them a pointed sniff.

It turned from her, walking along the inside of the circle, pacing like a caged animal. Jessica relaxed, even while it turned its head to face her. The movement was followed by the turn of its body in a curiously bestial movement.

"Tell me how to get rid of you," she ordered.

"Mmm, no," it chuckled, coming to a stop across from her.

"Then you will never leave," she snapped.

Another barking laugh.

Jessica yelled, "Stop laughing! You will die here, in that circle. You will never—"

"Forgive us," it drawled as it began to rise to its full height yet again. "We just think it silly that you would believe that salt would keep us from what is ours."

It took an intentionally slow step forward, stepping over the only line of defense that Jessica had, and then another. It was unharmed. It didn't stop him. Jessica's mouth went dry, her eyes practically bulging as a clawed hand closed the distance between them. It caressed a lock of her hair with its thumb.

"Come, pretty," it purred. "Do not run from us."

The mere mention of running seemed to jump-start her baser instincts, and Jessica took off like a bullet into the dark. 

FRI(END)S : THE SONG

This post is part of a series of my thoughts on this release. It's time to finally get these out of drafts and posted before Hobi's release. Here are links to the other posts:

QUICKCOMBO: Continuation

QUICKCOMBO: Termination

The Song (this post)

The Music Video

The Promo

First, if you haven't heard the song yet, please give it a listen and make your own impressions.

Initial Thoughts

The night this was released, I was having some sudden internet issues and was slightly panicking about being able to work the next day so I was admittedly a little stressed by the time I got to listen even though I stayed up specifically for it.

Usually I would listen to it first on Spotify before watching the music video but I was able to get the mv to load first for some reason. My first impression on the song itself was actually a little bit of confusion as to how long the track actually would be given all the 'non-song' space in the mv.

When I did finally get Spotify to work, I definitely thought it was too short but I was so excited that I was vibing with it as much as I did. V's solo work is very hit or miss for me, with most of LayoVer being a miss. I don't think the album was bad, I just had a hard time with it since none of the tracks really appeal to me. But Fri(end)s? I liked on the first few listens. Which is kinda funny because I was actually wondering pretty early on if Fri(end)s would work as part of LayoVer...more on that later in this post.

I still think the song is too short. I realize that's the trend these days as it's more of a marketing tactic but that doesn't mean I have to like the trend. Especially with the extremely clear folding of the song into two parts, it's pretty obvious to even some casual listeners that there's something missing. Not enough to make it a bad song but it just feels slightly unfinished.

Performance

If you haven't already watched the Live Film, I highly recommend it.

I know it's kinda a flex in music communities to value live versions over studio releases but I rarely fall into that camp. (I honestly think it has something to do with a sensory issue I have and extra noise that is often present in such recordings...anyway back to V). This performance is so great! It perfectly embodies both Tae's personality and the energy needed for a song like this. I honestly just felt so good listening to him sing this because he did it in the exact same way I do when I sing along to music; adding extra little rifs and bits just for the fun of it and avoiding the typical notes that all of the members leave out of most performances.

I'm not qualified to comment on the musical technique needed for this song but there are definitely some fun challenges that make for a satisfying singalong once you've nailed them!

LayoVer

If you haven't listened to the complete album in a while, here's a link. Always a good idea to give an album a complete top-to-bottom listen every once in a while, especially this one with how Tae agonized over track sequence of his solo work as mentioned during Festa 2022.

So, if you just list the key words of the lyrical themes and musical elements of both Fri(end)s and LayoVer, you'd think they'd be an easy match but the more I investigated, the less I think so.

First, I'm not really a music researcher when it comes to credits or following specific contributors but from what I can tell, there weren't any of the same individuals listed between the two projects except Tae himself. Which honestly surprised me.

Just going off of memory, I thought it'd fit in smoothly either before or after Slow Dancing but after trying it out, it just doesn't land for me. It absolutely deserves to be its own single and I'd initially wondered if it had been ripped out of the album as the track to tide us over during this chunk of ms but I really don't feel that way at all.

It honestly reminds me a little of how JK released 3D as a separate track. That song (as much as I don't love it) does stand on its own without the support of an album. Maybe Fri(end)s was one of the other songs Tae found during his search for LayoVer but that team didn't have enough material for a cohesive album? He didn't want to lose it so kept it as a single to release later.

I want you all to know that I wrote the above before seeing this video...thanks for proving me right V!! 😆

More thoughts on some of the meaning(s) of the song in my mv post!

(Sidenote, if you haven't seen the full set of the gif at the top of this post, I highly recommend checking it out. It's gorgeous! Absolutely astonishing work @kimtaegis 😍)

i kinda wanna see the triple frontier boys and reader do the “lala” or “okok” challenge from the song see you again by tyler the creator and kali uchis. i’d like to see your interpretation on who’s who and their relationship dynamics.

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Melodic Friendships - Through the Scope Drabble

Rating: everyone ?? (im just having a fun time with this hehe)

Word Count: 2.3K

Notes (more at the end as well): i received this ask maybe two weeks ago and have been meaning to tackle it ! i saw this trend on tik tok back when it was really popular and it seemed like such a fun idea to characterize the TF boys and Estrella using it ! i will preface this post by saying that while i was trying to nail down what the exact definitions for what 'lala' and 'okok' were so i could correctly apply them to our boys,,,i found that each person had their own take/idea/meaning for it. so in the case of this little project i will be defining each term like so ...

'lala' characters (to me): people who are more extroverted, cheerful, talkative, carefree for the most part, and easy to get a long with

'okok' characters (to me): people who are more introverted, a listener, a planner, and easy to be around

*this is also going to be an unedited/stream of consciousness/off the top of my head kinda vibe so i'm sure there will be grammatical errors and i apologize for that now*

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Benny Miller - lala

There was once a time where Benny thought that nothing could compare to being out in the field with his brother and two best friends. He loved the feeling of holding a gun in his hands, the feeling of never knowing what was around the next corner, and constantly knowing that his men had his back. There were some draw backs...okay a lot of draw backs. There was always the fear of his finger getting trigger shy, that what was around the corner could be to much to handle, and coming home one man short. Even so, he didn't think he could love anything more. That was until he opened up Brass Knuckles. And then, he found, his love grew even more when you came to work with him.

You kept up with him in everything he did. Honestly, you did more than keep up with him. If he had cleaned three workout benches, you had already cleaned the last four and were on your way to start another task. If he asked if the water was stocked in the mini fridge, you would roll your chair back with a grin and reveal a full fridge and sneak in a comment about how you 'picked up an extra pack from the store yesterday after work'. Everything was a competition, but it was all in fun. It was so refreshing to not be the youngest anymore. Not that he ever let it stop him. He was the youngest in his academy graduating class, but you better believe he snagged that number one spot. Will had told him once he was 'a one in a million talent' and he wanted to prove it every single day.

The two of you could talk for hours about absolutely nothing and never get bored. He wasn't even sure if either of you ever took a breath the entire time too. It was always go go go with yall. He could always count on you to act as a spring board for new ideas he was concocting for the gym. If his own ideas fell flat, you were there to air them back up with imaginative creations of your own. The pair of yall were a fucking powerhouse. It extended far past the gym too.

Whenever he managed to bully you into having a night with the guys down at The Barrel, neither one of you were quiet the entire time. It was like you were feeding off of each other like batteries that never lost their charge. The other guys would look around try to get a word in, but both of you had already moved onto greener topics. The others could only laugh and look at yall with intense amazement because who knew there was another person alive who could go toe to toe with Benny's mind. As cheesy as it sounds, you made him feel like he got his spark back. He didn't even realize he had lost it to being so wrapped up in life until you showed up either. You were his platonic other half.

***

Will Miller: okok

Will liked to be around people. However, he was picky about who he was around. He guessed that's why he didn't have many, if any, friends outside his group. They were all that he needed. He knew he would never be pestered for being on the quiet side or mocked because he was a little particular about the way he liked things. He was happy for Benny when he hired you. Lord only knows how much help his brother needed running that place. Of course he helped out whenever and however he could, but he had a job of his own.

He was wary about meeting you, he wasn't going to lie. Sure he would treat you with respect regardless, but for all he knew, you were just another employee. Nothing more and nothing less. However, he was taken aback at how naturally you bantered with Pope. When it came time for him to introduce himself to you, you didn't let him down either. You had a bright smile and a firm handshake. Not that he would call himself old fashioned, but he regarded people who had a solid handshake quite high. If he only knew that your grip would capture his heart as well.

You had been convinced to join all them out at The Barrel one Tuesday evening. He was already waiting with Pope at their usual table when you and Benny arrived after closing duties. Frankie would be running late due to his NA meeting, but that wasn't his truth to deliver to you. He watched you walk towards them with that beaming grin on your face. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one in the bar that noticed. Men turned their heads and stared at you as you plopped yourself down to his right. He felt his chest swell with pride as you reached over and hugged him so lovingly. He wasn't much of a physical touch enthusiast, but you somehow made it seem bearable. For you, he was more than willing to make an exception.

When you realized you had left your wallet at the gym, you were insistent that you went back to get it. You said 'just because I'm a lady doesn't mean yall have to buy me drinks all the time. Maybe I want to buy yall drinks sometimes and I can't do that if I don't have my card'. He pushed away from the table just as you did and gave you a look that meant 'you are more than welcome to go, but you're crazy if you think you're going alone'. He listened peacefully as you pointed out constellations to him in the sky. You looked so pleased with yourself that he didn't have the heart to tell you that he already knew where each one was and how to navigate by using them. He just liked hearing you talk.

On the way back he found himself on the opposite end of the conversation. You had managed to get him to tell you about his job and what it entails. It felt so natural to talk with you by his side. Usually he is the one with a quippy one liner or words of caution, but with you, someone who used to be a stranger, he is comfortable enough to really talk. You pull him out of his shell and make him want to shed the armor he had built up around himself. It felt safe to do that with you.

***

Santiago Garcia: lala

He was smooth. Santi knew he was smooth. He had the body count to prove it and everyone around him knew it. He had never felt so challenged by a woman in his life. Usually they all turned to putty in his hands when he spoke, but you held tough. You were Fish's girl (even if he hadn't officially asked you yet) and he was so excited to see where it went. Yet, that didn't stop him from loving to push your buttons. He knew you could take it. The first moment he met you he knew. What did you say to him exactly? 'Kissing and telling wouldn’t be a good way to end my first day, don't ‘cha think?' God, that was a good line and he would have to put it in his back pocket to use for later. From that day on, the two of you were constantly trying to out wit the other.

Yall were once in the middle of a particularly devious match while grocery shopping together. He had lost at a five way game of rock, paper, scissors to see who had to buy the beer for a hangout. He was pretty pissed about it and it didn't get any better when he heard you volunteer to go with him just to rub in your victory the whole time. He was moping around the beer isle when he saw her. A beautiful woman maybe 10 years younger than him. Unfortunately, you saw her too. 'You couldn't keep up with her if you tried, old man' , 'funny, that's the same thing I told Fish when he said he liked you'. He had to pretend to look at the contents on the shelf to keep himself from laughing at your shocked face. Sure he could joke around with the other guys and they would always joke back, but there was something about your spirit that just matched his so well. Benny was a close second.

However, the one thing he loved more than ganging up on you was when the two of you would gang up on everyone else. 'The entry fee for the table is one shot' you told Fish one night when he showed up late one Tuesday evening. He saw the twinkle in your eye and knew exactly what to do. 'We all did it, man. Now it's your turn'. Will looked like he was about to object, but stopped when he noticed you placing your hand over his. You just had a way with all of them.

He found himself anxiously awaiting each time the two of you would meet so he could pick on you. He felt younger when you were around him. He felt just as spry as he did before his knee and neck surgeries. The weight of his years in the service had started to get unbearably heavy on his shoulders. Little did he know, all he needed was to see you throw back your head in laughter because of something he said to ease his pain.

***

Frankie Morales: okok

Frankie loved watching you. He knew that probably sounded creepy to say out loud, so he kept it to himself. He thought that there was a lot that you could learn about the inner workings of a person just by watching them in their day to day lives. When you called him that your car broke down he went through so many emotions and happiness may or may not have been one of them. After everything was squared away at the shop, he realized he didn't want to let you go. So he bucked up the courage and asked you to breakfast.

You allowed him to chose the spot since he was a local and he settled on a hole-in-the-wall diner. He peaked over his own menu to see you smiling and looking over each and every item the restaurant served. He couldn't help but smile when he would catch you mouthing the description of the food to yourself. Frankie didn't even mind that it took you forever to order either. That just meant that he gets to spend more time in your presence. When yalls plates were brought out he saw you sneaking glances at what was in front of him. He wanted to ask you if you wanted a bite, but did that seem to relationshipy?? After you excused yourself to go to the restroom, he cut a piece of his meal off and set it on your plate. He would have given you his entire breakfast if he knew how bright you were going to light up when you came back and saw what he did.

When breakfast was finished, it was you that suggested that the two of yall do something else. He willingly let you drag him into a bath and body works store. At first he was a bit apprehensive, but you guided him over to the mens section. 'I'll break you just like I broke Benny' , "You'll break me? That sounds like a threat' , 'Just smell the candle, Frankie'. He lost track of how many candles he smelled by the time you were checking out. At this point he wasn't sure if it was the perfumes or you that were clouding his brain and making him feel all warm and fuzzy. 'I noticed you liked this one a lot' you told him producing a three wicked candle 'I wanted to get it for you as a thank you gift for helping me today'. He wondered if you saw his heart jump into his throat.

Although his favorite time to watch you was when you were asleep. He never dreamed in a million years that he would be luck enough to have someone as beautiful and kind as you lay in bed next to him. Your body was huddled up as close as could be to his. Your face was smooshed up against his bicep and he could feel your gentle breathing tickling his skin. He brushed a hair that falls in your face away and cursed at it for threatening to wake you up.

Frankie felt differently in the way that he carries himself since he has met you. Honestly, he had seen a change in each and every one of the guys. He felt like he was coming back to life again.

***

Reader/Estrella- lala

I feel like it is fairly obvious that Estrella is 'lala'. I didn't want to write a specific one for her as she is featured in each of the boy's character descriptions and can be seen displaying 'lala' characteristics. I will say, what I love about her is her ability to so easily adapt to the people around her. Her overall personality doesn't change, but she is able to understand what Frankie, Santi, Will, and Benny all need from her. Estrella can bring Will and Frankie (okok) out of the prisons of their minds and mess around on the same caliber as Santi and Benny (lala). She is talker while also being quite the listener. She knows when one is needed and can let the other take a back seat. Estrella loves these boys more than she ever thought she would and I can't wait to see how she spends the rest of her time in Florida with them.

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Notes: Hello to noonie and everyone else who made it to the end of my little brain dump ! I loved this ask so so much and again im sorry it took me so long to complete ! I hope this sufficiently answers your ask ((: thank you again for submitting it to me <3

{tag list: @cutesyscreenname @rsquared31 @smol-beb @bitchwitch1981 @avastrasposts @hoeslingz @saltybutteredtoast @javicstories @c-justhere @pimosworld @modernperplexity @beboldbebravethings @mxtokko @moonliqhtszn @tanzthompson @megcads @myloveistoolittle @casa-boiardi @jitterbugs927 @partyofone3413 @pedrit0-pascalit0 @golden-library @pati-et-vivere @mashomasho @lilmizmoz @angstylittlepascal @sofiparallel @selflcontrol @adriennemichelle98 @painitemoondust @pedritosgirl2000 @tpwkmera @romanarose @missbabyjay @missgurrl }

ell-hs on tumblr / © stills / unknown textbook (post) / sir gawain and the green knight, tr. simon armitage

YOU ARE ORGANIC / PLUM-HEARTED / OYSTER-THROATED

> root access granted

SKELETON / DOSSIER (ATTACHED) / PINTEREST / PLOTS

> task directory: arrival. introduction. first impressions.

BASICS.

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄. Rohan Ibrahim Abbasi, PhD 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒. Ro 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌. Riz Ahmed

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐒𝐇��𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒. medium height, lean build; cropped hair; short, trimmed beard; casual posture, typically leaning against counters, walls, or doorways with arms crossed; kind eyes. 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒 / 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. none.

𝐀𝐆𝐄 / 𝐃.𝐎.𝐁. 38 / 30 Sept. 1985 𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂. Libra

𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍. Mississauga, ON, Canada 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘. • Muhammad Erhan Abbasi. Father, b. 1949 • Mariyam Abbasi. Mother, b. 1953 • Samaya Hijazi. Sister, b. 1981. Married, two children (17f, 12m). • Naima Abbasi Ito . Sister, b. 1982. Married, three children. (11f, 5m, 5f) • Hanif Muhammad Abbasi. Brother, b. 1987. Married, one child (2m).

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 / 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒. trans man / he & him 𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘. bisexual 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒. single, formerly engaged

𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒. charismatic, focused, creative, enthusiastic, tenacious 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒. stubborn, arrogant, dismissive, self-righteous, overzealous 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒. nail & cuticle biting; interrupting; leaving personal projects unfinished; double texting 𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒. long distance running; a moderator on r/askbiology and frequent contributor to r/askscience; occasional tutoring high school students & undergrads

𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐒 (𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄). none.

THE FOUNDATION.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄. Staff Researcher

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍(𝐒). • May 2018 – Dec 2018. Research Assistant at Site-17, Talbot Lab • Jan 2018 – Apr 2020. Postdoctoral Researcher at Site-17, Talbot Lab • Apr 2020 – Nov 2021. Postdoctoral Researcher at Site-17, Keir Research Group

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓. (November 2021 – Present) Site-169 Anomalous Entity Engagement Division, Schaffer Research Group. Investigating class-B amnestic-facilitated disruption of the hive mind. Tested on colonies with lineages from samples of SCP-1166, SCP-4589, and SCP-171. Experiment ended in failure, requiring fumigation of lab vivariums.

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 / 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒

academic. BSc in Biochemistry with a minor in Physiology (following a drop from the pre-med track) from McGill, MSc in Pharmacology from McGill, PhD in Neuroscience from University of Toronto extracurricular. tbd

EXTRAS.

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘.

Dr. Rohan Abbasi first came to the Foundation’s attention shortly following the defense and subsequent publication of his master’s thesis, entitled “Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species.” (Neuropharmacology 2014). An auspicious start for someone who was, of his own admission, little more than a glorified lab grunt prior to the manuscript’s completion. The Foundation’s growing interest in Dr. Abbasi swiftly followed with his continuing doctoral research into the treatment of complex-PTSD and psychopathies with medical-grade psychedelics and hallucinogens.  Records indicate this culmination of Dr. Abbasi’s academic focus to be some combination of chance — with a Research Assistantship in Professor Szymanski’s research group at the University of Toronto open, and Rohan Abbasi in need of additional funding — and a longer trend of interest in and unorthodox approaches to pharmacology and medicine. It was with this in mind that a small but robustly funded lab at site-17 solicited a freshly minted Dr. Abbasi to interview for an opening postdoctoral research position within the group.  In the seven years since his tenure at the Foundation began, Dr. Rohan Abbasi’s reputation and portfolio tell vastly different stories of the same man. Colleagues and close personal acquaintances of Dr. Abbasi consistently praise the discipline, energy, and creativity he brings to research settings. Indeed, much of Dr. Abbasi’s early career at the Foundation is categorized by a nearly unending stream of proposals submitted, findings published, journal clubs established, and special interest committees formed. It became, however, the concern of his hiring supervisor that such enthusiasm and, frankly, naivete would outstrip the professional demands of this particular role. Following agreement from all parties, Dr. Abbasi’s fellowship continued under the supervision of the Keir group.  Thus, a pattern began to emerge. Dr. Abbasi filled his new position with what former colleagues would now consider characteristic effusiveness and vigor. Rohan himself jumped between several projects, submitting additional proposals for each with or without final approval from his new supervisor, nearly all of which were, unsurprisingly, summarily rejected. This had seemingly little effect on Dr. Abbasi’s commitment to proposing outlandish, unorthodox, unrealistic, and in more than a few cases downright insulting avenues of research or applications of novel (often as-yet-unreplicated) findings.   Neither Dr. Abbasi nor his new team were under any illusions, then, on the circumstances and stakes surrounding the assumption of his third post, now in the Anomalous Entity Engagement Division. Indeed, it seems he has finally understood the precarious situation he has continuously engaged in, and has pivoted to bolstering his professional reputation alongside his personal. It’s with this mutual agreement that Dr. Abbasi has been encouraged to continue his work on class B amnestics.

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒. dm for skeleton-specific details.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 / 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒. tbd.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒. Palamades Sextus ( The Locked Tomb ); The Biologist ( Annihilation ); Cosima Niehaus ( Orphan Black ); Dr. Allison Cameron ( House ); Rose Franklin ( The Themis Files ); Hank McCoy/Beast ( X-Men ); definitely others

𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒. tbd.

Belasco Theater, LA, 12/8/23

I’m often asked why I go to so many Dolls shows. It’s a big question with a complicated answer, but a major factor is the crowds. Most of my closest friends and almost every cool person I know I met at a Dresden Dolls show, and this one continued the trend.

I met Dolly, who had actually responded to a general call on the Facebook group and sent me a birthday card in October. She regaled us with tales of the decade she spent traveling around the country by hopping trains.

We also met Natalie and Julia, a dynamic sister duo. Natalie is a Dolls fan but Julia was tagging along out of solidarity - sisterhood is strong. They were delightful, but Natalie has been saddled with club thumbs, a genetic defect that was common amongst European royalty due to inbreeding. Drawing conclusions from that is left as an exercise to the reader. The venue was larger (~1500) and less intimate (a barrier kept the crowd back from the stage) than the recent run of shows, but the band was better rehearsed and well rested and provided the extra energy needed to overcome these issues. I generally prefer my Dresden Dolls shows with a soupçon of chaos, but watching the band flex their performance chops with virtuosity was inspiring. Annotated Set List:

Good Day

Sex Changes

Gravity

Backstabber

My Alcoholic Friends

Shores of California - Brian said this was the first show they had played within the city limits of LA since 2008, so of course they had to roll this one out.

Mrs. O

Delilah (featuring Veronica Swift)

Welcome to the Internet (Bo Burnham cover)

There was a break in the set as Amanda warned that they were about to launch into a bunch of new songs and gave a lengthy explanation of how the Dresden Dolls are fundamentally a live band and need to work things out on stage. “The thing about playing these new songs is like they’re not quite ready, so if they suck a little bit know that we are going to continue to rehearse them and make them suck less.”

Then Brian explained that Amanda was nervous about playing the new songs and was delaying the inevitable by talking, which shamed her into proceeding into the new material, which has, in fact, gotten tighter and better over the past year. The new album is going to be fire.

Mister God - Despite Boyfriend in a Coma being officially dubbed Tom’s New Favorite Song in Orlando, I think this one is actually my new favorite.

Houdini - This is a close second in the New Favorite Song sweepstakes, which is a bit surprising since I typically prefer the bangers to the slower songs, but this one has power.

Whakenewha

Amsterdam (Jacques Brel cover) - Amanda headed up to the balcony for this one, as is tradition.

Another Christmas (Brian on guitar, Amanda on jingle bells) - An original Christmas song that is exactly as sad and depressing as you would expect. At this point there was a medical emergency in the crowd and the house lights came up as they took someone out in a wheelchair. The response from the security team, the band, and the crowd was stellar all around.

Boyfriend in a Coma - This is a “new” song that was actually written 20 years ago and recently resurrected for the new album. It was written about an old boyfriend who almost died, and, coincidentally, Amanda reconnected with him and is dating him again. But she dusted the song off BEFORE reconnecting, in a cosmic coincidence.

The Runner - This is essentially a run-down of Amanda’s dating history in song form.

The Nail featuring the new third member of the Dresden Dolls: Amanda’s new Moog synthesizer.

Coin-Operated Boy - Amanda paused after the first few bars to comment on the harsh transition from The Nail, which is slow and contemplative, and Coin-Op, which is … not.

War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)

—

Half Jack - It’s traditional to do a long intro that starts minimalist and slowly builds to launch the song, but tonight Brian took it to the next level. After the show I told Amanda if they did a show that was just Half Jack with a 2hr intro I would be here for it. She said that they actually did that at one of the shows they opened for Panic at the Disco! because they were so fed up on that tour.

Girl Anachronism - The original set list had Sing as the closer but Amanda called an audible, which was a solid choice after the medical emergency had drained the energy from the room.

Photo Gallery:

Natalie is a goddamned delight. Despite her … nonstandard thumbs.

Delilah!

The creepy ghost of John Lennon welcomes you to the Internet.

Amsterdam

Dresden Dolls Gothic

What’s a Christmas song without jingle bells?

That’s a wrap!

@seasons-in-the-archives in the archives gift for @lucky-numberme 

I apologize for it ended up not too valentines day theme 😅. I ended up scraping my original design and doing something more fantasy au themes (inspired my the recent solider, poet, kind trend) and got too focused on that! I hope you still enjoy! I included the individual photos, as well as an extra little doodle.

Image ID for the first photo below, rest are in alt texts. Apologizes for it, its my first time making onez

[Three digital upper body drawings of (from left to right) Gerry, Sasha and Tim. Gerry is a pale, blue eyed male. he is look to the right and slightly up. He has long straight black hair, with blond roots. Where the light hits, it shines blue. He wears a sliver spiked crown with black gems. He has on a white shirt with a matching cravat, black corset, and black coat. At the collar of his shirt is a warm-grey eye brooch. He wears sliver piercings: on his left eyebrow, left and right helix, left upper and lower lobes, and snake bites the right piercing have a chain to a piercing on his right ear lobe. He wears a sliver and black ring on his right thumb. His nails are painted black. His left arm is at his side. His right arm is bent and he holds a brown book at chest height. He is against a light pink background. Sasha is a brown eyed women of color with freckles across her face. She looks forward and smiles warmly. She has long curly brown hair which is partly up in a bun. She wears a crown of rosemary. She is in a cream dress with long puffy sleeves and has a green belt with a pouch attached. She has a gold necklace with a blue forget-me-not charm. Her arms are at her side, in her left hand she holds a quill made of a brown feather. She is against a light blue background. Tim is a brown eyed, lightly tan male. He is looking down and to the left, smiling with his teeth. His right arm is bent as if he is leaning on something, his left arm stretched and plan open. Scattered on his arms and face are light brown moles. He has short brown hair, the front tips dyed light pink. He wears a dark gray shirt with no sleeves, two light brown belts, light brown leather cuffs and matching fingerless gloves. Attached to the top belt is a sliver and black dagger. He wears a sliver necklace tucked into his shirt, black stud earrings and black nail polish. He is against a light green background.]

( archie renaux, nonbinary, he/they ) — 🎬 just announced, jaiden ‘jaime' adani is casted as chuck bhatt (chuck bass) in upcoming gossip girl series reboot. the twenty six year old is trending as people are debating if the worn out checkered vans with the hole on the heel, the thrill of surviving imposter syndrome, bruised && bloody knuckles worn proud with a smile, finding yourself stuck in the method acting that they are known for is enough to make them as good as original. a quick google search shows that their fans call them deeply devoted, but internet trolls think they’re more desperate. i guess their newest interview for variety where they talk about how this is their breakout role and the dream of a lifetime will let people to know them better.

basics:

traits: athletic, hedonistic, ambitious, devoted, idealistic, argumentative, stubborn, resilient, colorful, individualistic, non-conforming, hyper-active, spontaneous, forceful, destructive, domineering, envious, greedy.

relationship status: mingling.

sexuality: pansexual/gender blind.

religion: agnostic.

date of birth: nov 9th.

zodiac sign:  scorpio.

skills & hobbies: basketball, acting, watching movies, everything 90s, skateboarding, opposing authority, bare-knuckle boxing, parties, fast cars, being listened too, painting fingernails.

dislikes & fears: their mother, rules, and the answer no // losing his apartment, never making it to the spotlight, half of their co-workers.

quirks: diagnosis: with adhd in 3rd grade, hates authority, doesn't drink beer

fun facts: had auditioned for the roles of troy bolton and ryan atwood but never got call-backs. was shocked to get a call for chuck bass.

pets: their apartment doesn't allow them, but they have one unauthorized cat who has only one eye, and her tail was amputated. she is a rescue and his baby. her name is pizza.

family: no longer in contact with any of them.

inspirations: fiona & lip gallagher (shameless), killmonger (black panther), jordan wilder (famous in love)

backstory:

they were just a kid from oakland - with about a million and two dreams && a penchant for trouble.

kicked out of public high school only two weeks into their freshman year for fighting, and they didn't regret it. no one made fun of jaime when they returned, painted nails && long hair (or shaved hair, or neon pink hair...) && all, that was for sure.

adversity was part of the lifestyle. they bounced between the houses of their mom's boyfriends or cheap rundown places, and jaime (as the eldest) would come home from school && take care of their two younger brothers while their mom worked, partied, dated, or slept.

the house was a revolving door, and there was almost always 1-4 guests crashing on couches, or even the floor.

what brought everyone together were movies - and jaime loved them, dreamed of living the lives they saw play out on social media && on tv, always thinking of a bigger, brighter future.

the day of their 18th birthday, they left oakland, and somehow got their junker car to los angeles.

it then, immediately, broke down. and so began, the harrowing experience of trying to get your name out in hollywood. it was an uphill battle from the start, and aside from minor roles, posing as extras, and commercials... jaime struggled.

their brothers did not forgive jaime for leaving to pursue his dream, especially as years passed, and jamie continued to struggle. eventually, they stopped communicating at all, finding their own trouble && dream in other ways. the family fractured without jaime.

for eight freaking years, they have been showing up to every casting call, every audition, stalking directors on social media, trying to get into the classy clubs, buying the cheap weed... bouncing between place to place like a bouncy ball.

almost ready to give up, jaime gave it one last go - and landed the role, somehow, for chuck bass. he couldn't more different from them, but it's time to own up to the challenge.

jaime's dreams are coming true... but only if they can hack it on the screen, and bring justice to the legacy of chuck bass. it wasn't until filming began they realized the only reason they landed the role at all instead of one of the bigger names floating around was because their co-star demanded a "nobody" to star alongside romantically; and now, jaime has even more to prove.

wanted connections:

gossip girl cast: they already have a lot of tension with his co-star portraying blair, and though they want to make friends with the crew... they may be acting a little aloof due to the nerves of it all. i imagine tension here but hopefully someone can break the ice? share snacks during break?

rival: someone trying to steal their thunder

showing them the ropes: literally brand new to fame, despite having been in la for 10 years now. they don't know the ins and outs, they still get starstruck, and they have no idea how to say no at the wild parties. someone needs to help him.

the judge-y snobs who think they can't hack it: pretty much self-explanatory but as a brand new face, a nobody from oakland who took this long to finally land something, i'm sure jaime will face a lot of adversity and he will work to win them over in unique ways.

crushes/hook-ups/tinder dates: tbh jaime is here to mingle and mingle they shall do. this is their dream life they are living and the love is overflowing.

the mom friend: eventually i will have jaime lean a little hard into the "chuck bass" personna as the show continues filming... being more of a douche, partying too hard, etc. someone will need to care enough to help them out, would love for this to be a slow burn/slow blossom effect so when they spiral, your muse is there!

party/stoner pals: life of the party, and comes down every night with a well-rolled joint. who else?

taken connections:

nariah perry - nothing like loving you (a solo sikoa fic) + character insight.

nariah 'riah' perry is a content associate for wwe - starting off creating content for the nxt brand before recently being promoted main roster content due to increased demand and need for coverage. riah is best described by her teammates as creative and a slight workaholic - she's a perfectionist and is usually in deep dives to see what content will work best + what's on trend. has been known to spend hours sorting through video coverage to make edits for social medias, and has become relatively close with certain main roster stars (usually former nxt graduates) due to her creative direction despite being a rookie. she has no affiliation with the bloodline - in fact she's under pretty strict instructions to steer clear of them as they are handled by a more senior staff member for content. however, chance encounters has her face to face with current enforcer solo sikoa - and it's strange how all of a sudden, her life is always intertwined with his. key personality traits: outgoing, tomboy-ish, workaholic, curious, affectionate, stubborn likes: warm summers on the beach, a cute bikini, her daily starbucks run (brown sugar shaken espresso, extra brown sugar syrup), coconuts, a good slickback bun/ponytail, pasta, a fresh nail set dislikes: soreness after a workout, long wait times, clear phone cases, people who are uncaring & crass, overly aggressive behavior, hairless cats, chihuahuas

need to get my netflix sandman brainworms out somewhere, where else but my newly resurrected tumblr can i put all my teenage nostalgia and cringe

spoilers for the show and comics.

first off, i barely knew this series was even a thing until a short while ago, and i was understandably skeptical that the adaptation was going to be anything other than bad. the comics were quite formative to me as a teen and they are not an easy thing to adapt. i would have been perfectly happy with no screen adaptation ever happening. the show turned out to not be terrible actually, but i’m not sure i would call it “good” either. it had some highs and lows but it brought my inner emo 16 year old a lot of joy so uh. it did something right, i guess?

the good:

- death. her actress was wonderful, she completely nailed it. i think i’ve been in love with death since i was like 16 so it was magical to see her character done so well in this adaptation.

- the entire 6th episode. maybe making the show was worth it for episode 6 alone. this episode is everything i love about the sandman. putting “the sound of her wings” and “men of good fortune” together in one episode was a superb idea. hob and dream’s friendship was one of my favorite things in the comics and they nailed that here too. (and yes, they did come off as more shippable in the show lmao, they always seemed like...disappointingly straight in the comics but that was definitely not the case here! but i will not ship them because dream is just a shit bf and i’m not convinced he wouldn’t screw this up too.)

- the corinthian, what a wonderful bastard. his actor also nailed it. made the best of all the extra screentime the character got. tbh the mouth eyes did not look that threatening in the show but the corinthian was just so fun to watch that i forgive him for not being scary enough.

- other side characters - lucienne and lucifer in particular. lucifer was perfect. that is all. no notes. divine.

- we haven’t seen much of desire yet but so far i do like what i see. excited to meet the other endless if they make another season.

the not so good:

- visually, the whole show was just...underwhelming. i’ve always thought that if anyone was going to adapt sandman to the screen, it should be done as an animated show, and that opinion hasn’t changed. at no point during this live-action show was i overwhelmed by the beauty or surreality of the dreaming. the cgi was just there, and it was fine, but it’s just like...i feel nothing, and i can only keep imagining how much better it could have been with high quality animation instead. the flexibility of animation would have suited the supernatural nature of the story and its characters so much better.

- case in point, the scenes in the second half of the season where rose starts knocking down the walls between everyone’s dreams and everything starts to meld together - in the show, all the people are just dropped in the middle of some random field? and then there’s a tornado? that’s it? ok. none of the dream scenes feel like dreams, they’re nowhere near weird enough.

- i am so tired of every live action show these days being shot in grays, sepias, with lighting so dark that i literally can not watch them during the day because i can’t see shit. please can this trend stop. does no one know what light and color are anymore.

- dream himself is. ok i guess. he doesn’t quite have the gravitas of the comic character. comic-dream seemed way more inhuman, like you could just feel the weight of his eons-long existence every time he did anything. but they kind of softened up the character for the show anyway, made him a little bit more human, a little more relatable, a little more willing to change, though still kind of an asshole. i’m fine with that. i just don’t have any particular praise about the actor and his portrayal. just very meh all around. but that’s better than actively bad, and there are a lot of ways that dream’s portrayal could have been so much worse. so i commend everyone for not messing it up.

-----

now that i’m done, i realized that i spent more words complaining about the show than talking about what i liked, but the truth is that i just word-vomited an entire text post on tumblr in the year 2022 about a live-action sandman adaptation of all things, so the show is doing exactly what it aimed to by worming straight into my brain and staying there.

i have no idea if i would recommend this show to anyone, comics fan or not. all i can say is that it awakened the cringe emo 16 year old in my soul, who is baffled but also thrilled to see this show exist. i will be watching any more seasons they make. sometimes you need a guilty pleasure.

also, i’ve been inspired to reread the comics again, and just finished sandman overture the other day - not my favorite book in the series but the art is the best by FAR. the designs and layouts are so stunning, i wish more of the books had been in this style! but it’s cool that every book has its own art style (even if, imo, some of them are ugly.)