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#first post in WEEKS lol sorry
hiraethminds · 11 months
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A few of the silly tinks I did weeks ago when I was trying to figure out how 2 draw him
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nyaaamato · 4 months
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AKATSUKI ASSEMBLE! late day 1 pic for @obito-week 🎉
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yardsards · 1 month
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i needed to express a sentiment in the creative stylings of @dunmeshiminimumwage
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#eliot posts#dunme#delicious in dungeon#dungeon meshi#sorry to put toshiro in the roll of shitty job interviewer lmao#but he was the best fit for ''guy that wants me to read their mind''#laios being my internal monologue here#i was on my THIRD interview of the day i was Dying#tho since the prev two interviews i had were for similar positions and told me their salaries outright at least i could use that number#(though tbh my work persona is more of a kabru. my customer service voice is unparalleled)#(at my first job even my coworkers thought i was sooo cheerful til i got too comfy and casually made a joke abt wanting to asphyxiate on a#plastic shopping bag like a sea turtle. in front of my sweet elderly coworker. oops!)#(also this job was during quarantine and after weeks of working together i took my mask off in front of one coworker for the first time#and she called like half the department over from their registers to look at how pretty i was??? prettyboy powers unmatched ig)#(also my first interview today went SO well i charmed that interviewer so good despite my lack of qualifications)#(she even complimented my social skills and said i seemed like the type who could get along well and make good conversation with anyone!)#(which is important bc i was interviewing for an elder care position. also old people especially tend to think i am a Delightful Young Lad)#(unless i accidentally make a morbid joke around them ig lmaooo. or. well. some of them like those too. but not that one coworker lol)#(if only that skill transferred over to actually making friends irl. my autistic ass has so few close irl connections)#(i hope my exceedingly short list of character references does not prevent me from getting hired)#AND ALSO my first job asked the same wage question and i said twelve dollars#and they were like all our new employees start at 7.75#the union insists that we pay all new employees a whopping 50 cents above min wage. (we'd pay less if we could)#like dawg why did you ask that then??? if my answer did not matter at all???
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l3irdl3rain · 4 months
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How is my best friend Arthur has he helped you baldur any gates
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He’s been good! My washing machine broke last week and I hauled it out the other day in preparation for the new one and he’s been loving his new Top Secret Hiding Spot.
We are taking a little bit of a Baldur’s Gate break right now just because I was getting burnt out. We’re slowly making our way through Mass Effect Andromeda for the second time. I’m very excited to get back to BG3 tho.
I left off right at the start of Act 2. I’m playing a Githyanki monk named Ez’rai and spent way too much time coming up with a backstory for them. I’m going to be romancing Wyll this time. I think Ez’rai growing up in such a harsh culture that didn’t have room for soft romance will go together in such a fun and cute way with Wyll. A noble’s son who is just so sweet and romantic and good.
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masterbaiting · 10 months
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"Nero's eunuch bride playing a role in the vicissitudes of the imperial succession" The Thick of It & the life of Nero;
The Thick of It, The Rise of the Nutters, 3x07, 3x08, season 3 deleted scenes, 4x02, 4x04, 4x06, 4x07 / Roman Homosexuality, second edition, Craig A. Williams / Suetonius' Life of Nero, 28, 46, 47, 49, trans. myself / Plutarch's Life of Galba, 9.3, trans. Aubrey Stewart
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thosewildcharms · 1 month
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I love how the story of Michonne character ended and her development. At the very beginning we had a closed, broken Michonne who lost her family and had no one to rely on except herself. Michonne is so strong, smart, beautiful and capable of taking care of herself but still she finally found this partner in whom she can rely on, gets to be protected and loved so loudly and completely by him. She finally found a safe place. In him and their kids.
YES. i'd written a post years ago after 7x12 about how much i love michonne's progression as a character and all of that is even more true now than it was then. the ones who live feels like a natural extension of that progression because michonne's love for her family is the driving force and beating heart of the entire narrative. the whole show hinges on her deciding to bring rick home, about reclaiming this family she fought so hard to create in the first place. it's reiterated over and over again that she's not just trying to bring rick home for herself - although that's certainly part of it - but for their children. because judith asked her to, because RJ deserves to know his father, and because it's what carl would have wanted. it's why it's so important that her telling rick the way he's acting is hurting her is what makes him fold - because it's a reminder of who he is and of what made her feel safe enough love again in the first place. i know i go on and on about rick's love for michonne but honestly it's because it's nothing less than what she deserves - for someone to love her as selflessly and completely as she loves him, who is strong so she doesn't always have to be, who would follow her anywhere and do anything for her, who makes her feel safe and would do anything to keep their children safe. i think it might be why that last shot of the show looks the way it does. as much as i think it would have been more ~aesthetically pleasing for it to have been centered between rick and michonne with their kids between them, i do kind of appreciate that the show ends on rick's back as though he's shielding them all, including michonne. she did the impossible and got him back and now she can rest too, enveloped and protected, with this family she fought so hard for. she did start off alone but now she'll never be alone again :')
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drawnfamiliarfaces · 2 months
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Do you know how to fix the "Shloomp. There It Is" episode? This can be done MIS style by putting Chase Young in Nomicon's place. After all, Chase Young was able to obtain the evil essence Omi of the Yin-Yang World. Why doesn't he do the same to Randy for a chance to get to the First Ninja? This idea addresses many important issues. Firstly, a dubious lesson from Nomicon (he put the guys in danger in the original plot development), and secondly, the very existence of NomiRandy. Where did he come from? Thirdly, this will limit Randy’s activities, which means he will not be able to get out of the Yin-Yang world on his own and get into someone else’s body. Poof! I forbid rc9gn characters from moving into other people’s bodies so easily!Randy's fall to the side of darkness will infuriate the First Ninja, which fits perfectly with the concept of his relationship with Chase Young. In addition, it will be a kind of bitter reminder: “Look, I took from you the one who at one time took from me the best chance to win you over to my side.” The First Ninja was at his most vulnerable mentally when he was going through a crisis, and only the appearance of Randy made him perk up. The First Ninja will not be able to come to terms with the fact that Randy has become evil (and even more arrogant).NomiRandy may be more than just arrogant. He may represent the vengeful part of Randy. He will probably say something that will plunge the First Ninja into long thoughts, because he will not be able to deny what he said, since it is a part of Randy, and not just his opposite. NomiRandy is everything that the First Ninja never wanted to accept in Randy himself, so this will be some kind of test for him? Very high quality test. Another plus in the karma of this idea.NomiRandy is not stupid, but he is a brutal teenager who doesn't need anyone. Because of this value system, he will not be able to become a part of society, because when he grows up with his peers, his brutality will lose its meaning. Deep down, Randy wants to show others his rebellious nature, what he can really be, but he will have to understand that being NomiRandy all the time is depriving himself of a future. Then this thirst will stop snowballing. A good lesson for any teenager, including Ninjas.So this idea is great, it has conflict, meaning and a "little" Chase Young/First Ninja feud of course. Chase Young is going to give morals for once (especially for the First Ninja), even if that wasn't his intention in the first place, because damn it, Chase Young was never JUST evil. He is many hundreds of years old, he is wise enough so that he does not have to prove it to others. That's why in this scenario I put him in the place of Nomicon, who was supposed to teach the Ninja. He could have locked Randy's moral self in the Yin-Yang world, not just to annoy the First Ninja and force him to accept his terms, but because "I may take YOUR place in the eyes of YOUR students, but the outcome will be the same as the outcome of the one that NomiRandy has taken Randy's place" (that is, a crossed out future for the whole world), or "we can feud not only physically" (Chase Young is a manipulator; he can not only give dubious advice to Randy, but also really important lessons for both him, same for the First Ninja; a kind of care, similar to medicine: whether you like it or not, sooner or later you will need it, but by taking it, you are slowly destroying yourself, because it contains a small dose of poison, and Chase Young will give for his own purposes you just enough to destroy you). What happened will also hit the value system of the First Ninja, which he chose in the afterlife. Chase Young has never been susceptible to petty mischief. In a ship with someone like the First Ninja, this should be emphasized more often.
What other episodes would you like to fix in this way?
Oh, wow, this is a very intriguing and very detailed idea that is certainly worth exploring!
There is a lot to process, and I've been thinking about it for...like a week, and I'm not sure if I got everything, so if I misunderstood anything I apologize (my brain no work so good sometimes lol sorry), but I wanted to offer you my opinion if you want it!
In general I prefer to leave canon alone and just loosely refer to events that happen in cartoon, especially RC9GN, so I never thought of rewriting/fixing an episode (I mean they are sort of 'rewritten' in my head with better lore and just cooler but like nothing definite). With MIS I tend to concentrate primarly on Finja and Chase first, and the kids are sort of in the background for me. I only had like two? three? ideas that are episode & Randy/Monks related and those are mostly in Xiaolin Showdown, and one of them is in Favorite Warrior AU, lol. And even those are not rewrites/fixers but crossover fusion - the events happen almost exactly the same but just with more characters involved. So I can't say I have many idea for rewrites/fixers in RC9GN that would involve MIS.
But what I do like, is using canon to suppliment idea for 'after' cartoon canon, so after reading your idea, I wanted to offer you a slightly different take: let the canon episode happen, but then use it to build an even more serious situation with Chase, like you described and it would hit everyone involved even harder.
Let me explain my reasoning more (this might get a bit long, be warned!):
Let's start with canon first - In my opinion 'Shloomp There it is' episode is fine by itself, however dumb it might seem at first.
I kind of agree with you on the first point, about it being a dubious way to teach a lesson, but to be absolutely fair - it was a very dubious and silly problem originally, that Randy created by being a little bit of an idiot himself. So as in theme with the show, the problem and solution kind of fit each other.
Secondly, NomiRandy. I also agree about your point of Where did he come from and where the heck did he go? Well I have (most likely unpopular) opinions about that.
Personally I believe that NomiRandy is not an actual evil representation Ninjanomicon somehow created from Randy himself, but rather it is a caricature of him that Nomicon created by itself. It's an absolutely fake doppleganger that only looks like Randy on the surface - with many of his negative and opposite traits amplified to a comical degree, but not really an evil entity made of Randy's deepest dark desires. It's nothing more but a papermache puppet Ninjanomicon used to teach a lesson and later discarded, and thats why we never see him again, because he wasn't real in any shape or form so after returning to Nomicon he doesn't exist anymore.
(I am very much aware that my headcanons about NomiRandy are probably in minority, because this fandom absolutely adores NomiRandy, lol)
So, NomiRandy was a relatively mild threat used as a mild solution to fix a problem created by Randy being a bit of an idiot.
Your third point, about Randy being limited in his activities, is where I have to disagree with you a bit more. Because what's the point of teaching the lesson if a big part of Randy is not there to learn it? I mean, in canon version Randy actually witnessed NomiRandy act as an asshole which helped him realize that he himself was acting foolishly. And him having to fight himself but in Howard's body was actually pretty interesting concept of Randy having to actually physically confront his failings and bad traits head on.
There is also something to say about the fact that the only ones involved into body swap were people who were in the Nomicon at first , so one could argue that the body/mind swap was controlled by Ninjanomicon, that it used to make a point for Randy. (But that would be a thought for another time, lol.)
So, as you can see, in my opinion the episode is relatively fine by itself, and if we replace Ninjanomicon with Chase - the total tone shift will change all of it drastically. Not to mention the lesson itself will change, becoming more serious and with actual consequences - all of it would be something completely different.
And while it absolutely could work and the idea of this rewrite by itself is incredibly intriguing, I think it would work better as a continuation, as more dire development for after the end of the series.
You might ask why the end of the series? Well primarily because of my own headcanon that Chase in general tends to stay out of Norrisville Ninja business out of respect to First and also because they change so fast, (I mean what are 4 years to immortal??) he rarely gets to pay attention to them, let alone get interested in them and their usefullness to his agenda with First. But if something big happens, like I dunno, Randy defeating Ghoulian and unmaking the Sorcerer himself it would make Chase pay attention to Randy and realize how useful he can be.
The other important reason, is because of episode 'Winner Takes Ball' where we catch the tiniest glimpse of the actual evil side of Randy that appeared thanks to influence of Chaos Ball. He is power hungry, he is so sure of himself, he is cocky, he is merciless and ruthless and most importantly he still loves being THE Ninja. There is no annoyed apathy and uncaringness that NomiRandy displayed, this Evil Randy would have been just as hyper as normal Randy, enjoying his newfound powers just as much, but also would be unburdened with morals of using those powers.
Because, you see, I think Actual Evil version of Randy is in many ways would be a lot like an Evil version of Omi. Evil Omi was hyper pumped, thriving on newfound power, in this new freedom from morals, ruthless and doing what he wanted, rather than what is right. And what he wanted is to fight, to show everyone how talented he was, that he was the best warrior there ever was.
And what does Randy want? Constantly throughout the show Randy expresses his delight at being the Ninja (unlike some protagonists that find themselves suddenly thrust into a hero role, Randy takes to it instantly, there is literally ZERO hesitation from this boy), he loves it and most importantly he wants to be this strong, powerful, capable and amazing.
But that is also one of the most important Ninjanomicon continues to impart on the Ninjas - not to be this prideful and arrogant, and chase after power with such disregard to everything else.
So, now picture it like this:
Chase learns about Randy and what he has done, and how talented and powerful this new ninja is. At some point he discovers about NomiRandy and what happened, and it gives him an idea.
Chase Reverse Chi-s Randy, and this Evil Randy is still Randy in many ways, and it would absolutely devastate First to see him like this - power-hungry and ruthless, disregarding everything that Ninjanomicon taught him to prevent exactly this fall to Darkness and Evil, and the worst part is he has been taken under Chase's wing not only to nurture and encourage this new evil seedling - but to taunt First and Ninjanomicon, because - isn't it what you once wanted to teach him by creating NomiRandy? About his dark self that should be kept in check and balanced in a good warrior, good ninja? But your lesson was deeply flawed and now look at me, I will do a so much better job than you ever attempted, and I will show this young Ninja, that it's not only the bad side that needs to be balanced but the good side as well.
Which would play into what you said earlier - NomiRandy, or in this case just Evil Randy - will be so power-hungry and thirsty for fighting, he will disregard many things, like the fact that existing like that is impossible - even such urges must be tampered in order to actually live a fullfilling (if evil) life. And who is better to show and teach it to him than Chase Young, who (most likely) spent centuries in the beginning of his immortal life so hungry for battle, he served as an attack dog for Hannibal Roy Bean. But with time Chase has found balance in his new evil existence, and that helped him to overcome Roy Bean and rise to new heights.
That comparison about how Roy Bean controlled Chase, can also can influence how Randy views Ninjanomicon (and by extension First), and how tightly it tries to hold reigns of Ninjas it teaches. I mean, Randy sometimes resented the lessons and rules Ninjanomicon gives, we've seen it a few times, but Evil Randy will feel all of that frustration and annoyance even more, like a rebelious teenager that saw how controlling the authoriive figure in their life is and it will poison his relationship with Ninjanomicon.
And First? Well, Evil Randy could also bring up how Randy, a supposedly not-good enough for your high-and-mighty Ninja Rules and Forbidden Powers managed to do what the original oh-so-powerful Ninja could not - finally defeat the Sorcerer. About how a teenager that you dumped your mask on, your responsibility, and kept holding back with all your stupid rules and limitations - did what you couldn't in 800 years. And what can First even answer to that? Because its all true, no matter how poisoned Evil Randy's view may be, the bare facts are all true.
So, First can only watch, helpless and angry and so so sad, how Chase takes under his wing the one who saved the world from Sorcerer (not even once, but twice) and twists that raw power and energy that served for good into something that will serve evil. ( And the worst part, is that it all happened because of First - because of Chase's initial interest in First. All in an attempt to get to him.)
And well, like you said, there could be two endings - where Evil Randy is here to stay (aka Very Bad Ending lol), or where Good Randy makes it out of Ying-Yang world and reunites with his Evil self again.
But even then, the damage will be done. Because Chase's lessons could still continue. I mentioned earlier about lessons in balance, and how in good warrior, not only his dark side should be kept in check, but his good side also. In a way, I think Good Randy will lack a very important part to being a Ninja - and its the ruthlessness that Evil Randy brandishes like a blunt weapon, but with Chase it could be sharpened into a precise tool, and if Good and Evil reunite, the lesson will be still carried over.
And not only that will be carried over, but all the words and feelings that Evil Randy experienced -Randy will remember, and that can forever change and/or damage his relationship with Ninjanomicon and First. And Chase? Well, Randy will also remember that Chase was not just an Evil Jerk that split him in half - he actually tried to help and teach his Evil self to control himself better, so the seedling of mentor&mentee relationship will still be there.
After all of this, I have to admit, unlike you, I have a harder time imagining how exactly the situtation will help Chase sway/manipulate First to his side. I mean, this way Chase might probably sway Randy to his side, especially if he somehow orchestrates the return of Good Randy and says that all of this was just a lesson to help Randy be a better warrior, because he just couldn't watch all this talent wither away under Ninjanomicon's dubious tutelage.
But when it comes to First, If anything, I think it will actually backfire horribly. First is already constantly unstable in his regards to Chase, but something like this will only solidify his belief in Chase being a manipulator that could never be trusted, because its one thing to try and manipulate First to his side, but its another to involve his kid successor. First might even lose whatever respect he had for the immortal, because he would view manipulation of children as beneath him (of course I think Chase will argue, that those young warriors are hardly children).
I think I mentioned it before in some ask, but I personally believe that if Chase will try to get to Randy it will just send First into apocleptic levels of anger, and destroy any slim chances Chase had, and will literally set him back to zero in his progress with First, lol.
But that's just my personal view, you probably have some really good ideas about that! ;D
On another note, a tiny thing I got to disagree with a little - is about Chase being above 'petty mischief'. I can agree about Chase not being particularly petty, but mischief? In my opinion, this immortal lizard is very much into mischief, albeit a more strategic type of mischief. xD This is the man who continuously taunted pre-teens while trying to manipulate one of them to his side, and also continuously made poor Jack's life hell.
Though admittiedly, I like to think that being around First Ninja brings out more of Chase's mischevious side (opposite to his cruel and uncaring sides) - partially because First Ninja doesn't always reacts the way Chase expects him to. And sometimes Ninja catches Chase before he gets into a scheme and that sometimes leaves Chase himself wrong-footed. And partially because, Chase grew to enjoy testing Ninja's patience a little too much, after the got to know each other better.
But you are right about the fact that in this ship it should empathized more how much of a threat and manipulator Chase could be, the problem is i can't write this type of characters like at all, lol, to my great dissapointment i just don't know how to do it well. xD So that version of Chase just kind of exists half-baked in my mind, and meanwhile in my art and fics he just turns into a mischevious asshole with all his schemes in background, haha.
Anyway, I tried really hard to adress everything you mentioned and offer some insights and ideas, but i still feel like i might have missed something, so - sorry about that! I know its probably not the answer you quite expected, but I do hope it was sufficient, and if not - that at least it was entertainin to read! ;3
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britneyshakespeare · 8 months
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dallon weekes has a portrait that ages for him in his attic like dorian gray but it also still looks pretty good because he doesn't really do anything wrong
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peridots-pixiwolf · 1 year
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[Start ID. A digital drawing of Minos Prime from Ultrakill, who's wearing a strapless slit dress and sandals of the same deep purple. He faces towards and slightly to the right of the camera, his head is tilted further right. With one hand he gestures in a vague pointing motion, his arm folded and held close to his body. There is nothing in the background, but bracing himself on one arm, Minos is implied to be leaning against something about the height of a countertop. The background is a blank purplish black, save for three diagonal stripes in the colors of the bisexual flag. End ID]
Shading study that quite literally came to me in a dream two weeks ago, after this post apparently beamed itself into my mind
(also a few edits below the cut! they're very slight but whatever :])
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[Start ID. Three different versions of the previous drawing. The first changes the tone of the lighting from blue to pink, and similarly the shading from pink to blue. The second replaces the faint black border with pink, purple and blue, syncing with the stripes in the background. The third combines both these changes. End ID]
#the tags got NERFED so let's try this again.#peridots-art#minos prime ultrakill#ultrakill#ask to tag#organs#...? gore maybe? for the whole ''transparent chest/visible cardiovascular system'' thing. not very detailed/realistic though so#i don't think this has all of the same charm as i usually find in my posts. but i tried my best to make it work so i don't think it matters#also ''not too happy with how this turned out'' is something i've seen tacked onto posts worthy of being preserved in museums#i heard someone say his snakes should be ball pythons. i'm not autistic about snakes so i decided to listen to the masters#i still have seven levels to p-rank before i can meet this guy!! halfway there (lust/greed and 1-3 remaining) i've only had my own copy#of ultrakill for a week and i already have 33 hours in. anyway he's grown on me i think. absolute bi king and only monarch i respect <3#i think it's interesting how i now define my queerness by being gray-ace and trans when i first only identified with bisexual. it's still#an important part of me even if sometimes i forget. sorry that sounds completely unrelated but it's related to my feelings on this piece#anyway (i wonder how many ''anyway''s i've slapped on so far) i also find it interesting how often people draw him with this body type.#i think it's cool there's variety in how people draw the uk characters. it just kinda feels right here? i know i unfortunately don't draw#fat characters often at all (partially due to being a primarily fandom blog who likes to stick to canon designs. i wouldn't say i have#trouble with drawing a realistic amount of fat even on rather thin people though lol) but i try! also genuinely unsure what counts as like.#fat vs chubby? or whatever? i don't know exactly how the terminology works and a fair amount of minos' bulk is muscle anyway but. yeah 👍#men are pretty in dresses my final message. goodbye
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thebramblewood · 10 months
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Ulrike's Big Night, Part I
Previous / Next
Transcript under the cut.
Helena: “Enough stalling, Faust! At this rate, it’ll be over before we reach the front door.”
Ulrike: “Patience, Zhao. One should never enter the hornet’s nest stone-cold sober.”
Helena: “You make it sound like torture. I thought art was, like, your reason for existing.”
Ulrike: *sighs* “It’s the art itself that matters to me, not the bullshit surrounding it. Sadly, participation is required if you ever want your real art to be seen.”
Helena: “Well, if you’re intent on getting through this thing stoned, I can’t in good conscience let you do it alone. Now, hand that over.”
Ulrike: “Let’s just get this over with.”
Helena: “You won’t even give me a hint?”
Ulrike: “Nope. But they wanted postmodern and I think I outpostmoderned everyone here by a mile.”
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kazuichikazuichi · 1 year
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first new drawing im posting in over a week :) this sketch was weeks old so im glad i got to finish it. also you know the drill, if it's blurry tap on it to make it clearer :')
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irregularcollapse · 8 months
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not gonna lie. very excited for my new fridge to be delivered.
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dustyspines · 4 months
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something the oracles did not foresee
“Careful, people might think you’re trying to court me if you get too close,” Albus says instead, freeing one of his hands so he can brush Scorpius’ hair out of his face, make it so there’s nothing in the way of how they see each other. Brightly, as if the northernmost star in the sky would pale in comparison. “Wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.” Scorpius, at last, stands back up straight. He lets go of Albus’ other hand and drapes his arms around his shoulders instead, still anchoring them together – as always – but releasing a little bit of the pressure that had been building, staining their skin in the form of rose blush blemishes on their cheeks. “Trying? I thought I’d crossed that border when we were sixteen.” Or, five times when Scorpius holds Albus' wand and the one time when it works.
read here on ao3 ♡
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martynsimp69 · 1 year
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hiii so!! here’s a little write up about the docmartyn mermaid/marine biologist enemies-to-lovers au i mentioned here, significantly later but also much longer than i intended it to be. written in collaboration with @daisycraft and @kingtheghast thank u both for letting me steal your very good thoughts and words <3
au contains themes of dehumanization and mentions of violence/injury. the tone gets a little dark at certain points, so just be warned!
— — —
the only thing really known about mer is that they’re sneaky, scarce, and very dangerous. a siren song will lure an unsuspecting ship into rocks and a crew into the water, where teeth and claws and cold, crushing depths await them. so when there’s reports of what might be a mer spotted a few miles off the coast, a team is sent out to deal with it before it causes any casualties.
it’s rare to have one this close to land. it’s even rarer still that its successfully netted, and successfully sedated. several of the crew members are heavily wounded in the process, but no one dies. and, in an unheard-of turn of events, that also includes the mer.
and you see, up until now, mer have only ever existed in vague sightings: pieces of dead ones caught in fishing nets, grainy phone camera footage, strange findings of scales and old dwellings left behind in the ocean, and the wild tales of shipwreck survivors. so this whole thing is kind of a Big Deal. for the first time ever, a live, healthy mer specimen has been found, captured, and brought in to a facility for observation and study. and the honor of leading this unprecedented study goes to doc.
(the role would be a much bigger honor if the mer wasn’t an annoying, stubborn, spiteful little bitch.)
so doc gets transferred over to the marine biology department, where a huge tank has been retrofitted into one of the bigger labs, and brought on to the study of specimen 9201223—which is a terrible name that doc isn’t going to remember, so he starts calling it “martyn” after a childhood pet fish of his.
but yeah, once it settles in and stops hiding all the time? it turns out that “martyn” is a bastard of a specimen. the lab keeps it semi-sedated as part of the safety protocol (they feed it fish laced with a numbing drug that limits its ability to vocalize, so it can’t lure any of the staff into drowning themselves or breaking it out; the sedation is a side effect) and yet it still finds the energy to cause Problems for the research team. it’s tearing up the kelp and gravel along the bottom and stuffing it into the water filters. it’s slamming into the side of the tank, scaring the shit out of the scientists. it’s trying to bite the interns fingers off during feeding time. it’s eating the rubber ball they gave it for enrichment and getting sick. it’s ruined at least three laptops and countless lab reports by splashing the personnel at every opportunity. and it seems like it’s actively trying to be uncooperative with every test they run.
working with the damn thing makes doc want to tear his hair out, but he’s also stubborn as hell so it becomes a rivalry, a battle of wills; doc hates this fucking fish, and he’s pretty sure it hates him right back.
it doesn’t particularly like anyone, of course, but he’s convinced it targets him on purpose. it starts to sit at the front of the tank by his desk whenever he’s in, swimming back and forth, staring with those freaky blue eyes, rapping on the glass when it gets too quiet just to see him jump. it hides whenever other researchers swing by, but when it’s just martyn and doc in the lab, during his late evenings working overtime? god, can’t get rid of it. can barely get any work done with it bothering him.
and then. it’s one of those late, frustrating evenings when martyn is being particularly bothersome while doc is just trying to get some paperwork done, and he’s sick of it. he’s so frustrated with martyn’s constant tapping on the tank that he rips out a page from his notebook, balls it up and whips it across the lab… and then watches as martyn darts off, going as far as his tank will let him go after the ball of paper before he eventually turns and goes back to doc. and that’s the moment doc realizes, ohhh my god it’s going stir crazy. oh my god. it just wants to play.
suddenly, doc has a new perspective on his relationship with the mer, and a lot of things start making a lot more sense. martyn’s not just banging on the glass to annoy him when he plays music, he’s trying to get him to change the song to one he prefers. the haphazard woven band of seaweed around his head might not be some sort of stress response from running into the glass too much, but an accessory, a form of personal identity. the way he stares during observations, the way his freaky eyes follow doc’s hand down the page as he writes his notes—maybe he’s observing doc and his behavior right back, trying to make sense of him.
and, yeah, martyn’s still uncooperative and bitey and impossible to deal with as ever, but doc starts feeling less like he’s working with an animal, and more like he’s working with a very stubborn person. it’s a lot to wrap his head around, and the more he notices it, the harder it becomes to ignore.
still, he and his team run their tests, gather their data, publish their findings. and the media eats that shit up… at least during the first year, when the captive mer is still novel and sensational. after a while, public interest wanes, the studies get more niche, and funding starts to slow down.
that’s when some of the faculty board members approach him with a proposal.
you see. the care and upkeep of a live mer is extraordinarily expensive. the personnel, the food, the medicine, the aquarium chemicals, the water and electricity bills, etc etc etc., it’s all getting to be a bit… much. and, frankly, they’ve already gotten plenty of research done as is. so they were considering that, well, it might be time to retire the mer program and do some final reports, and then perhaps they can move on to some other, less costly studies.
doc doesn’t realize exactly what’s being suggested until the words euthanasia and dissection are dropped. he starts protesting, stammering about the— the ethics department, and— and species preservation, and— and they can’t just—
and he’s told, quite plainly, that the thing's going to die anyways, or have you forgotten, doctor, that we don't know how to keep a species like this yet?
this tank isn't enough for it to live healthily, or very long.
we don’t even know how old they’re supposed to get in the wild.
better to get something out of it before it gets sick enough to be spoilt.
doc takes a deep breath, and tells them to get out of his lab. the board members exchange glances, and tell him they’ll give him time to think on it. doc tells them, louder, to get the fuck out of his lab.
…sitting there in that empty room, lit by the blue glow of the tank, doc feels cornered. because yes, sure, martyn is uncooperative and annoying, but also—good lord. he’s smart enough to be uncooperative. he’s smart enough to annoy him. those luminous blue eyes that stare at him through the thick glass are freaky and inhuman, but they’re intelligent. and they just want to—
he could go to the ethics board, sure. he could go plead his case and show them all the evidence, look, look, he’s not just a monster, he’s not just an animal. just spend some time with him, you’ll see. but there’s a lot of people who won’t be happy with that. a lot of very influential and rich people, people whose surnames are carved into plaques outside the building or have their companies attached to big research grant funds. and if they stop paying, doc doesn’t really have a say in what happens to martyn.
he can continue his research quietly for now, but it feels like the rest of the facility is breathing down his neck with expectations and deadlines. doesn’t help at all that the mer still doesn't want to be any sort of cooperative, either, because it’s just delaying an inevitable end that it doesn't even know is coming. the thought that he’s the only person able to protect martyn right now is fucking terrifying.
doc sets his paw on the glass tank, and the mer on the other side smiles a big, sharp smile, and mirrors him with a webbed hand.
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krystaldeath · 1 year
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Headcanons for Shadowpeach being Bai He’s dad’s please? (You can do it for your au where that happens if you want to btw, though you can also do it in a sort of canon scenario where the two adopt Bai He after making up or something)
Ahh I haven’t done anything for my au in a while so I’ll do that!
* So in the beginning Wukong was a bit hesitant to get too close to them, since he and Macaque don’t have the greatest history, but one day he saves Bai He from almost falling off a cliff when she was running around with the baby monkeys (the monkeys (both the babies and Mac & SWK) had heart attacks but it’s ok-) and she started to want to play with him more. So he became close to her before he and Mac patched things up and became lovers again
* Bai He likes to wear her hair in two buns on the side of her head. When Wukong one day finally asks why, she stops playing with her dolls and says, “Because it makes my shadow look like a monkey like my baba and papa!” with the biggest smile on her face. She immediately turned away to start playing again so she doesn’t see her fathers both clutching their hearts and crying their eyes out
* She calls Macaque Baba and Wukong Papa
* Bai He knows that her dads have a history together, and she figures out some things when she’s older by looking them up in books/on the internet. She keeps her knowing a secret because she’s afraid that if she brings it up her family will fall apart. Dw they all talk it out eventually but there’s a long period of time where she has this insecurity
* Groom/Braid train! Bai He in front getting her hair brushed, cleaned and braided by one of her dads while the other does the same to him. Mac is surprised that Wukong is actually pretty good at braiding (Wukong takes mock offense to his mate thinking he would suck at it; Bai He just giggles at her dads’ banter)
* Self projecting the little “Oo-Ooh~!” Id do whenever I saw my parents kiss when I was younger onto Bai He
* When she’s hanging out with the Traffic Light Trio for the Big Sis/Big Bro thing she has to hold back so much bc of MK’s rambling over Moneky King. “That’s my papa. He’s talking about my papa and I can’t even say anything about it. WAIT MY PAPA DID /W H A T/????” This is how she gets her Dad Lore™️, much like a lot of us (I assume or maybe this is just me-): From a person who isn’t her dad. In case you’re curious my mom is my Dad Lore supplier usually. Macaque probably tells her the stuff not usually talked about in stories though. “Oh yeah he was an idiot (affectionate). Still is but-“
* Macaque puts on shadow plays for her all the time, especially before bed. She asks for her favorite story and Mac gets flustered bc Wukong is watching too. “Th-the Hero and The Warrior were like the… the Sun and the Moon-” “Oho, were they now~?” “Papa, shh! Baba, please continue!”(It’s a bit of an edited version of the story from the Shadowplay episode, dw, he’s not putting his daughter to bed with a story about betrayal and heartbreak)
* Big timeskip here but after the events of season 3 (oh boy once I get the basics of this au out and can finally get into the shows timeline with it, yall aren’t ready for the angst), they all have some white in their hair. The family have “Hair Dye Days” where they all dye said white either their natural hair color or a fun unnatural color. Usually it’s just Bai He who does the unnatural colors (like pink or red; red is to match her dads :3), but sometimes Mac will dye his purple and Wukong will dye his teal/turquoise (I do Not know which one is the one he often has as his accent color but it’s gotta be one of the other. Probably)
* Last one for now bc this is getting long: Wukong is a living space heater. Macaque and Bai He will just cuddle up to him on each side and he has to try not to cry bc he’s been alone for so long, with only the baby monkeys to keep him company, and now he has a daughter and a husband and his touch starved self is gonna burst from how much love is in his soul now
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e77y · 3 months
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Procrastinating so hard even though this is a fun topic about my embarrassing old interest... It's literally an excuse to infodump WHY am I procrastinating 😭
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