when you mentioned in your tags that there was hardly any laughingstock i didn't believe you at first, but holy shit ur right. YOU AND @krasytoonz MADE ME INTO A LAUGHINGSTOCK BELIEVER. I WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO THESE SKRUNGLY FUCKERS SOON, MARK MY WORDS *shakes fist into the void*

no yeah Seriously though its just us out here, fighting for our lives in the fucking Trenches. in ten years someone is gonna use the word 'laughingstock' casually in conversation and im gonna have War Flashbacks

Before domestication comes a good, thorough hosing down

So, uh. This was supposed to be a wet beast wednesday and "stinky sewer troll" joke in one. And then it got entirely away from me. I continue ignoring canon and living in my made up timeline of Severing Hell's Leash (if you look closely, you can see Angor wear his ring!), and in that timeline he needs a shower.

Also version without the water below the cut

reminder that if you're not watching Crayon Shin-chan then you are living a hollow and empty life. this is not edited. this ripped straight from the movie (Movie 8: Jungle That Invites the Storm, highly recommend for fellow Masaaki Yuasa lovers)

if you need further convincing: these monkeys run an animation sweatshop

sparkle on, tiberius ✨

changed my tune so fast just bc of youtube autoplay lmao ok here have some sagau diluc thoughts

the player, diluc thinks, is an incredibly endearing being.

he's come a long way from the curt and wary attitude he used to put on around the traveler (and by extension, you), and today is one of those days where he finds himself privately thanking whatever powers there may be that allowed your paths to cross, with him staring at the reflection of you hidden deep within the traveler's eyes in the wake of his fight with the abyss that fateful night in mondstadt.

as one of the first people to have their constellations manifest in the sky of teyvat, diluc is more than aware that the fact that you still choose to ask for his company in your (or, well, the traveler's) journey is a gift he must treasure deeply. he knows that it is your presence in this world that gives vision bearers a chance to become something greater than they presently are. he also knows that he is no longer as impressive of a companion in battle as he used to be from back when the sky wasn't as bright as it is now (when the world you knew was smaller and he was still a figure that you could look to and proudly call "your main").

but you always come back to him. when he least expects it, you invite him back to your party and diluc can't help but privately think, privately wish, that it's because you're as fond of him as he is of you.

standing in silent prayer while you bestow upon him artifacts that thrum with divine power is an experience he can never tire of. the claymores you give him, the food he eats, all the materials he needs to reach a breakthrough in his capabilities... he understands that you aren't teyvat's creator, but this world and everything in it seems to exist just for you. you, the provider, the sustainer, the beloved of all. sometimes, diluc feels that everything he has and ever worked for have all been for the sake of one day meeting you.

he's not a religious man by principle, and he loathes people of absolute power. the only exception to this, however, is you. he's not foolish enough to believe you're some omnipotent, omniscient being that lords above all. no, you're not like that. he knows this because the longer he journeys with the traveler and feels their bond strengthen, the faint whispers he used to strain himself to hear grow clearer and clearer until finally, one day, he hears you.

you're both nothing and everything he thought you'd be. you view the world of teyvat with so much awe and joy that it's infectious, and he finds himself smiling more often than not to the privilege of finally hearing you. the traveler always looks at him with an understanding smile when diluc slows down in their travels to listen to you. he lives for the moments when you talk to yourself or to someone else (a companion of your own, maybe? from your place beyond the stars?) because this is how he learns. your favorite food, your favorite nations, your favorite "characters" and more. he holds every morsel of information you unknowingly give close to his chest where all his affections and wishes hide. he likes to think that this way, he can be closer and better for you.

but he knows he's not the only one who hears you, and it is the traveler that is closest to you out of all them. even so, diluc harbors no ill will to the avatar you chose to see and travel the world through. you're so fond of the traveler, and how could he ever come to loathe anything graced by your love?

he knows how to play nice. it helps that most of your other chosen are people he can find himself enjoying the company of as well. diluc understands that as much as he wants to be the sole holder of your attention, the world does not function that way. he's willing to extend an olive branch so long as they can all work together to keep you present in teyvat. he can worry about his more aggressive competition later when they aren't at risk of being caught in such an unsightly state by you — all that matters to him, right now, is how to keep your gaze on him for just a little longer and keep you from leaving him again.

it's a daunting thing to be so close to your grace. you take diluc to lands he'd never thought he'd visit again, to ruins of civilizations long past, domains with unimaginable horrors and have him run, claymore and vision burning at his hip, into fight after fight at your command. it's tiring at best and painful at worst, but you always take care to heal him and his companions before leaving, and you always lead them somewhere safe to rest until teyvat brightens and you come again.

his current companions (his "supports", he inwardly preens) rest and talk amongst themselves once they feel your presence leave. it used to be something they, your chosen, would panic over, but now that they've gotten more used to you and all the signs that pointed that yes, this is your will, they've grown to be able to tolerate the harrowing chill that comes when your warmth leaves them. diluc leans back on his chair in front of good hunter to observe them. they're all people he's come to grow fond of in time: diona was prickly, yes, but ha become pleasant to be around once they grew past their misunderstandings. the young master of the feiyun commerce guild, xingqiu, was also a reliable companion both in and outside of battle, and for all his faults, venti has proven himself to be a devout believer, unwilling to be a burden to you or the party you've guided him towards.

under normal circumstances, he never would've met and forged such strong bonds with these people. if not for your own interference, he never would've bothered getting to know any of them at all. though he may have his own gripes and complaints at times of how their dynamic works when you're not around, diluc is still fond of them. he's grateful for the opportunity to grow close to people again, and traveling the world alongside them and the traveler has become one of the few things he's begun to look forward to outside of his duties as "diluc, master of dawn winery." when the day is done and he can sit and relax with them in the tables in front of good hunter, he can rest in the company of others who understand the near-maddening pull in his chest that draws him to try and get closer, closer, to you.

it's days like these where diluc quietly thanks whatever it is brought you to them, and prays that one day, he will no longer have to search through the traveler's eyes to see you.

The Story Behind The Song: Arctic Monkeys’ early ambitions on ‘A Certain Romance’

Lucy Harbron – Far Out Magazine | January 17, 2024

It was 2006. Mortgages were crashing, and businesses were going bust. Tony Blair was on his last legs in office as the longest-serving prime minister since Margaret Thatcher, and the hangover of ‘Cool Brittania’ was beginning to set in with an unexpected ferocity. Things were bleak when a young Alex Turner sang, “There ain’t no romance around there” through the public’s speakers. Arctic Monkeys were about to write themselves into musical history as the voice of a new generation.

The final song on their debut album, there has always been something special about ‘A Certain Romance’. In 2022, after the release of their seventh album, The Car, Turner seemed to find himself reflecting back on that 2006 track. To the musician, that early cut holds a clue to everything that was to come as he said the piece “showed that we did actually have these ambitions beyond what we once thought we were capable of”.

Coming in at over the five-minute mark, ‘A Certain Romance’ almost feels like the Arctic Monkeys’ version of a rock opera, summarising all the themes, feelings and energy that came before it on their seminal album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. It has the cheekiness of ‘Fake Tales Of San Francisco’ and the catchy instrumentals of hits like ‘Dancing Shoes’ or ‘I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor’. Utilising the northern charm of ‘Mardy Bum’, it stands as a final, neatly summarising point on the social commentary found in their early tracks like ‘From The Ritz To The Rubble’ or ‘Riot Van’. Really, it could be argued that ‘A Certain Romance’ is the ultimate example of Arctic Monkeys’ original sound, perfectly encapsulating all the things that made the world listen up and pay attention.

It’s like they seemed to know that, too, always allowing the song a special place. In fact, it was really the band’s opening remark. Years before the offer of a debut album came around, the group were a well-oiled machine with their own local hits. They had the northern live music scene in their hands as their homemade demo CD was passed around like everyone’s worst-kept secret. Beneath the Boardwalk features eight out of the 13 songs that would be on Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, albeit in a slightly different, lower-quality version. But the opening number, ‘A Certain Romance’, sounds just the same.

It’s all there, from the rolling opening drums to that final guitar solo. Recorded and produced in a rented studio at only age 17, the existence of ‘A Certain Romance’, one of the band’s most explorative and energetic numbers, in this form this early in their career feels like a diamond sitting in a mine. It proves that they were always onto something special.

They never needed any help. In fact, their producer, Jim Abbiss, noted that they even seemed nervous about the help. “I think they were probably a bit weary, like ‘who’s this guy? And is he gonna make our sound this or that.’”

They didn’t want anything to change too much, as the group already had the songs figured out. Turner certainly did, as the track’s meandering narrative about hometown lads, fights, and local boredom is already there. Talking on a podcast, original member Andy Nicholson revealed the story behind the song. “We had a practice room with a pool table in, and we had a party in there, and we invited another band who were friends of ours, and we all had some drinks,” he said. “Then something happened, someone throws a pool cue, someone throws a pool ball, and everyone ends up fighting,” he added, explaining the lyrics, “there’s boys in bands / And kids who like to scrap with pool cues in their hands.”

But the magic of Arctic Monkeys lies in their nuance. What begins as a snooty analysis of his local landscape is a genuinely affectionate take. “Well, over there, there’s friends of mine / What can I say? I’ve known ’em for a long long time / And, yeah, they might overstep the line / But you just cannot get angry in the same way,” Turner sings, looking around at his bandmates and lifelong friends. ‘A Certain Romance’ is not only a time capsule for the group’s beginnings but is an ode to all the people who were there with them. It’s an ode to the hometown that made them and all its various characters.

But as the last guitar solo roars to life, there is an unspoken statement that they’re going to be bigger than what they came from. “I remember when we were recording ‘A Certain Romance’ and having a conversation with the producer about the final guitar solo,” Turner told NME, recalling the moment these songs were reworked for their debut. But they wouldn’t let anyone mess with ‘A Certain Romance’, knowing exactly what they were doing and trying to say with that one. In the 2003 demo version, all the feeling is already there, and Turner wouldn’t risk it.

“There’s something that happens at the end of that track where we break some rules in a single moment,” he continued. What happens at the end of the piece feels even more special, considering how the album was recorded. “These are the songs we wanna do, and I think this is the order we wanna do them in,” Alex Turner told their producer, recounting the conversation in 2007 to RadioX, “And he goes, ‘alright, we’ll try to record them in that order as well.’” As the final song, that last guitar solo is the last thing recorded for the album, standing as a cathartic outlet and a chance for the band to prove themselves.

“We focused on the [emotional] effect of the instrumentals over the words,” Turner reflected on the track, concluding, “and I feel like we’ve been trying to do that again and again since then.”

+

@arcaneacolyte 's Quasar

For any horror fans out there that haven't read it yet: The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher is SO GOOD. I don't remember ever being so scared by a book

Lee Felix-Centric with bits of Lee Felix x Reader

PIRATE AU FELIX PIRATE AU FELIX AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I have yet to think of something concrete, but... depending, Stray Kids are either a band of pirates under Bang Chan's leadership, ORRRRR each member is a captain of their own ship, and they all form a fleet with Bang Chan as the head of the pirate fleet "Stray Kids Pirates" asdskldfjds

~ Masterlist ~

Focusing on Felix as the pirate of the Sunshine Pirates (yes, it doesn't sound very intimidating, but that's where you're WRONG). Felix looks harmless, but don't let that fool you. He's damn good at what he does. I imagine he has the fastest ship of the fleet, so he's more of a get in quick, get in some good damage, and get out fast. His gunplay is really good also, but he's way better at hand-to-hand combat... and by hand-to-hand, I mean serving some painful kicks. He also uses his youthful features to his advantage in that he takes advantage of the fact that his enemies think he's weak.

As a captain, he's really just and fair to his crew. His crew adores him and is extremely loyal to him. However, to enemies, he can be intimidating and even cruel if need be, but he prefers not to be. He leaves that kind of work to Minho or Seungmin. I feel like he's better at making negotiations and he uses his charm to get what he wants

As a pirate LOVER 👀👀 he's definitely gentle and kind, with a healthy dosage of mischievous and teasing. If you're in his crew, or even just a part of any of the members' crews, he's definitely keeping you by his side. He might even try to negotiate with other members for him to take you into his crew lmao. He says it's to keep you safe, but we all know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself if you're in a pirate crew. If you're a villager he just so happened upon on an excursion and he takes a more than just a liking to you, he'll definitely make the effort to visit you as much as he can, or send you letters if possible. It's definitely hard, and he has long since came to terms with the fact that you might move on from him if he's gone for too long. However, when he visits you, he showers you in love, affection, and gifts that have been... borrowed forever, let's just say. While he doesn't prefer to talk about any... plundering and pillaging he does, he does like talking about any misadventures that have happened on his journeys.

I'm running out on fumes trying to think of more things to add here, but it's a start LOL maybe I'll expand this better in the future, but I just wanted to put something down at the very least.

Please feel free to use these as ideas for your fics, just tag me so I can read them too lolol

it's healthy to go back and reread all the nice comments people have left on your writing i think :3

How long have these OCs been around? Did they exist before the 2020 comic or did it pop into your mind just then???

Oh no they were made LONG before I even had the idea of making a fan adventure, honestly I don't even think I knew fan adventures existed when I made them. The main 6 were made (as far as I know it's hard to place when I didn’t date any of my old old sketchbooks) when I was 13 so they are a decade old now. The first image I posted here that had any of them was in 2016 so I would have been 16 then. In 8th grade though I remember actually getting into fantrolls cuz I made a lil mache statue of the first version of Dextra (the weird sona with the purple hair and clock horns) in my art class and I remember drawing her with the very first versions of my characters at some point during that time. Now I know the main 6 came a few months before her and in the OG sketchbook that lines up cuz her first version appeared like 20 pages after they did. I was 12/13 in 8th grade so that's like the only way I can really “pinpoint” when they were made really. I do still have the sketchbook I first drew them in as well I just don't have it dated cuz what 12/13 year old remembers to date their sketchbooks lol 

There's something fun for you, those are all the first drawings I could find of each of them VS the ones I did in senior year of collage with their fancy godtiers, vast amount of development and improvement over a decade.

Soda talks - Gem fusion ideas Gemcyt

Everyone had some really good ideas for how Weird science aquamarine could fuse, the build up! the drama! Ive been thinking about it too! As well as for Midnight pearl. So for now here are some thoughts i might scribble later, for context WS is baised in hermitcraft and Midnight is baised loosely in the life series.

Weird Science ( Grian and Cub ) Grian stumbles upon early testing for total chaos, having 0 clue who built the thing or what it does, hes flies around pokes a few things setting off a chain reaction he doesnt know about. Cub who is tinkering near by gets an alert that an unauthorised test is happeing, he quickly flies up to investigate and sees Grian just floating around while the rocket system is primed ready to fire. As the rockets launch Cub flies directly into Grian, fusing as the fireworks crash and explode into the ground around them, born into chaos Wierd science opens their eye to an ecstatic light show. Midnight Pearl ( Joel and Pearl ) Joel and Pearl have both been through it, first few days and the two still havent managed to form any alliances, they both have a growing discontent over it. One night Pearl comes across Joel poorly trying to hide from her in the woods, they start to talk and find theyre both in a similar position but red tendencies aside theyd make fine allies right? But the unpredictability ontop of that... They both sigh and sit down gazing up at the sky. Pearl cuts the silence "its a crazy idea but-" "wed be crazier not to try?" continues Joel. They both nod, firmly grab eachothers hand and spin as one into Midnight. Taking a new breath, Midnight looks over the valley "How did the others put it? Crazy is what crazy does!"

a post dedicated to me and the other like 3 people who like him

fuck it posting moiraine playlist on main

before i go to bed, here’s a couple of colorings C submitted in the past few days!