#I might compile all my art of this year soon! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ikeuverse · 11 months

Text

MARRY ME — l.heeseung

PAIRING: heeseung x fem!reader GENRES: fluff, humor WC: 6.1k+

WARNINGS: mention of alcohol, kissing and i think that's it. let me know in case i have forgotten something.

NOTES: here i am with my first enhypen story. this plot came to me from some funny video compilations i saw of hee and knew he would do it. so i just let my imagination run wild. i don't have a taglist yet, but i can provide one for the next stories. english is not my first language, so sorry for any spelling mistakes too. hope you like it!

masterlist

You felt that since you met Byeol, your best friend since the third grade, you would never be alone again. And you were really right. You look at that little girl who walked shyly into the classroom, her front tooth almost growing into a gaping smile as she clutched her box of crayons against her chest.

"Hi" was the first thing she said as she approached you "I'm Byeol, what's your name?"

"Y/n" you smiled too, but unlike her, your tooth had grown long enough since last month.

And since that moment you two have never been apart. Not even when Sunghoon, the younger boy next door, wanted to play with you in the school playground. There was born the purest friendship trio you could ever imagine.

Afraid of the inevitable changes in life like school life for example, your thoughts were flooded with "What if they find a better friend than me?", or you and Byeol always talked about Sunghoon starting dating in high school and just walking away from two female friends because the girl would surely die of jealousy.

"That will never happen" Sunghoon smiled at you two during the coffee the trio shared every Thursday morning before math class "Because I know you two long before you have all your full teeth. You are like my sisters."

That was extremely cute and comforting to hear, even more so coming from Sunghoon who rarely showed his feelings to anyone. But not to you and Byeol. As he himself said, you were like his sisters, and that was amazing.

In high school a lot changed, for sure, but the friendship of the three of you always became stronger and stronger. You both saw Sunghoon cry when he got a low grade in science, and Byeol comforted you together with Sunghoon when his model broke down because of the rain that had come without warning on the day of the art assignment. The three of you were each other's safe haven. You were always together and always shared almost everything - even the people around you. Like, for example, Byeol's younger brother.

Heeseung had never been anything but the youngest brother and later became one of Sunghoon's best friends. Byeol knew that this would happen even because Sunghoon would not deal with two female friendships for the rest of his life. And Heeseung was always close, so the feeling of losing his best friend would not be a problem. But for you it had been a nuisance.

Well, not so much. Heeseung was beautiful, outgoing and very funny. And this last fact made him make fun of practically everything that might be going on. And that wouldn't leave you out.

It all started with little teasing that he also had with Byeol. Because you two were always together, he might see you as a second older sister, hence the teasing and funny nicknames he gave you and your sister. But it wasn't just that.

You regretted the day you were at the Lee brothers' house, studying for the next big exam for the second year of high school. You and Byeol were paying attention to all the video lessons she had separated with the content while eating the last piece of chocolate cake Mrs. Lee left for both of you. Your attention quickly came to a screeching halt when a squawk came from the kitchen door.

"Who ate the last piece of cake?" Heeseung was panting and in baggy workout clothes. The basketball just below his arm and his hair stuck to his forehead in his sweat wave.

"Me" Byeol smiled victoriously as soon as her brother's scowl was present "And y/n helped me" at that moment you felt a strange chill in your stomach as his expression softened. Soon an angelic smile that was almost never given by Heeseung.

"Oh, she can."

"Why?" Byeol asked raising one of his eyebrows.

A short period of silence until Heeseung went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. He made his way around the counter so as not to get in the way of the study session and returned to the kitchen door.

"Because since we're getting married, we need to give things away for each other. Right, y/n?" he cast a wink in your direction, leaving shortly thereafter.

And that's when the saga began.

Each and every opportunity that Heeseung had, he said that he would marry you. And the reason? You didn't know. Because he always annoyed you, just as he annoyed Byeol. So why, all of a sudden, did he simply say that he was going to marry you?

In the third year of high school, where parties became more frequent, it seemed that Heeseung took even more pleasure in saying this to each and every person who was around him. Besides Sunghoon, he now had a few other friends that he had met because of basketball and the extra-curricular classes he took to try to get a good college education. Jake and Jay joined the group without much effort, while Jungwon, Sunoo and Niki, even younger and in other years of high school, met because of the friendly basketball games Heeseung liked to play on the outdoor court on the weekends when the school allowed it.

"What's up man, are you okay?" Heeseung left his drinking cup on the kitchen counter, looking intently at Sunghoon, who was sitting in one of the chairs.

"I think…" the boy sobbed "I'm drunk" Heeseung let out a loud laugh.

"You think?" he saw that his friend was going to answer, but was interrupted by his arrival.

"Oh God, Sunghoon, I finally found you" you sighed with relief, nodding to Heeseung as you approached your best friend "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough for me to find him" Heeseung replied "Where's Byeol?"

"With Jay around" you shrugged.

"What?" Heeseung froze every muscle in his body, imagining Jay's hands on his sister's body and whatever he had to do to her. Soon a frown of disgust showed on his face.

"Come on, like you've never done that" you reached for a glass of water to offer Sunghoon.

"Of course not" he boasted "I'm waiting for our wedding day, then I can do whatever I want."

Again, you rolled your eyes at the typical answer, but you smiled because he was smiling - or because Sunghoon laughed, you wanted to believe faithfully in the latter option.

And over the years this had never changed, but you also didn't care how often Heeseung talked about it. Your friends had gotten used to the amount of flirting he gave you, and how your eye rolls had become smaller in comparison to the dull smiles you threw in his direction.

"It's a win" Sunghoon muttered once to Heeseung, pouring the cheese packet over his french fry. Heeseung tried to deny that it had made his heart beat faster, so he took a bite of his salad and went back to paying attention to his college book.

Because now he needed to graduate. Being in his last year was a lot of work, but he liked what he was doing. He liked the path his life was taking and he saw that all his friends were happy and fulfilled, so this made Heeseung call this the best moment of his life.

The best until he looked at Jay's dark orbs on a Saturday night, glowing and he didn't know if it was because of the light of the room or because they were watery.

"You… you're going to propose to her? Oh my God, man!" Heeseung now looked more nervous than his best friend.

"I don't know… Do you think it's a good idea?" Jay stammered "I mean, it's been two years. We've graduated and I've just stabilized myself in this new job, I wonder if I'm being hasty?"

He knew he wasn't. He knew that Jay had planned this since the third year of high school when he started dating Byeol. Heeseung was a jealous brother yes, but he was fully aware that his best friend made his older sister happy. And this was also due to the fact that if she was happy, the whole atmosphere was happy.

Your friends supported this, you and Sunghoon supported this, so Heeseung had to support it too. He had to give a positive sign so that Jay would finally make the big request.

And that was why now Byeol, you and Sunghoon were sitting at the bar. At the present moment of their lives.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Byeol asked Sunghoon "You are part of Jay's party, not mine" her sneaky smile made Sunghoon chuckle a little, turning his attention back to you.

"Am I being kicked out?" he whispered, but not loud enough since both you and Byeol heard perfectly.

"I guess so, and you know she's right" you tried to look serious, but giving away your lie as you smiled along with the boy.

"Okay, I'm leaving" he held up his hands in a sign of surrender, straightening to get up from his chair "I only came here because Jay and Heeseung wanted to know if everything was okay."

"Oh, yeah" Byeol rolled his eyes "Soon the girls will arrive and everything will be fine, I promise."

Sunghoon nodded and drank some of the contents of the cup that was right in front of him. You grumbled quickly, but let him drink, since you would soon fill it with soju once more.

"Okay, we'll get them as soon as you two can no longer pronounce your own names."

"You're the best friend in this world" Byeol hummed.

"Hey!" you pretended to be offended.

And with a stretch of her arms, she motioned for the two of you to come closer. You, who were sitting next to her, slid down the bench and soon snuggled in. Sunghoon approached seconds later, hugging you both as tightly as he could. Placing a kiss on the top of both of your heads as he whispered:

"I love you both too much, please stay safe until we come back for you."

Saying that you both loved him too, making sure that he could be reassured while he was with Jay and the rest of his friends, you and Byeol smiled until he left the bar.

"Okay, enough soju… How about something stronger now?" she winked at you, and as if your best friend read your thoughts, she nodded to the bartender in search of the most fiery drink in that bar.

"Shit, how am I going to call Jay now?" Byeol forced her eyes down the screen of her cell phone, trying to press her fingerprint to unlock.

"Ok, are we that drunk?" you giggled to your friend, staring at the other girls chattering at that table and continuing to drink the round they had ordered.

"I think I am" she laughed as well "Do you want to try calling?"

"To Jay?" you asked, wrinkling your forehead as she gave you her cell phone to call. She shook her head positively, hoping you were a little more sober. But maybe not. You and Byeol had about the same intolerance to alcohol, so you were either equally drunk, or you were even a little more drunk than she was because you had turned the last glass of booze over as if your life depended on it - or because you swore it was a little water and were too thirsty.

Your miserable attempt to unlock Byeol's cell phone took a good few minutes before a name started flashing on the screen. Your vision tightened just enough that you saw Heeseung's name flashing.

"Your brother is calling you" you pointed the device at her, but didn't actually hand it over. Byeol didn't ask either, letting you answer the call right away "Hi, Heeseung."

"Y/n? Hi" a little noise was heard in the background of the call. He and the boys were also at a bar for Jay's party, after all "Are you two okay?"

"Yes" Byeol always agreeing with your every look, as if you were going to lie to her little brother.

"That's great" he laughed muffled on the other end and right next to your ear from the pressure you were putting on the phone, it made your whole body shiver "Do we need to pick you and Byeol up now?"

A short pause for you to put the phone away and ask your friend if she wanted to leave at that moment. She nodded, but kept refilling her glass as she offered more to you as well.

"Y/n… Are you still there?" Heeseung called out.

"Hee, hi, yes I am"

"Yeah, you guys are totally drunk" he laughed.

"What? What do you mean?" you asked after drinking a crazy concoction that Byeol made. Projecting a quick grimace as you listened intently on the other end of the line.

"You called me Hee without any effort" he hummed victoriously "So if I talk about our marriage now, would you accept?"

"Yes" you replied. And it was Heeseung's turn to pause briefly before continuing.

"Okay, you guys are completely drunk. We'll be right there" and then he hung up.

From your drunken state, you didn't even notice Heeseung's nervous, flustered tone. Never had you called him by that nickname. And never, under no circumstances, had you accepted his offer to marry you. In all these years. Either you were very drunk indeed, or your thoughts of that offer were beginning to be considered deep in the back of your mind. And in your current state, you didn't even know what was actually true.

You and Byeol sat on the couch in Sunghoon's apartment, each at one end while the boys divided themselves up around the room. The three youngest in the group had said goodbye to you when they picked you up at the bar later that night. Byeol still tried to drag Niki to stay, so that he could save himself some of the lectures the older ones would probably give. But he couldn't. Niki had a faculty exam as did Jungwon and Sunoo, so they just said goodbye before Heeseung drove them home to meet all of you at Sunghoon's apartment.

"I didn't think you guys were going to drink that much" Jay was serious, not in his usual way because Byeol couldn't look at him straight. Maybe out of shame of his state, since he and the boys had gone out too, but they were nothing like you and her.

"Look, we can defend ourselves," you began, seeing that Byeol wouldn't say much in his current state.

The boys let you continue, nodding one at a time until Heeseung stared at you, as if trying to pass on the confidence you needed to continue.

"The girls arrived shortly after Sunghoon left" Byeol finally looked at you. Her head bobbing up and down as he agreed with your sentence "It would be rude of the bride, at her own farewell, to deny any drinks."

"That is true" Byeol said "Did you deny something your friends offered you?" she finally looked at Jay.

He then stared at his three best friends, Jake's laughter in the background as his fiancé's state started to get awkward and speechless. Jay didn't know what to say.

"Maybe they both have a great point in this" Jake held Jay's shoulders in the process.

"See that, I always liked you a lot better, Jake" Byeol celebrated.

"Hey!" Sunghoon, Heeseung and Jay said at the same time, causing everyone in attendance to laugh.

"Okay, since you guys worked it out" Heeseung stood up and walked around the room, stopping next to Sunghoon this time "How about we go home?"

"Can you give me a ride?" Jake smiled at his friend as soon as he got out of Jay's grip.

Being there at Sunghoon's apartment was the closest to the bar that Byeol had chosen for her party, so going there just to get some fresh air and chat before leaving seemed like a good idea. Of course, now his best friend had the need to be alone, take a long shower, and fall into bed. Jay's farewell had been lively and he even felt his stomach hurt from all the laughter he shared with the boys throughout the night.

"See you all in a few days" Sunghoon hugged you and then Byeol "The last preparations until Byeol puts up with Jay forever…"

"My God, you are terrible" Jake laughed when Jay threatened to slap him, but backed off because his hands had been caught by Byeol at that moment.

"Hey, why are you standing there?" your voice came out without thinking, looking at Heeseung who had been the only one not moving in that room. Everyone was already near the door to leave.

"Because Sunghoon didn't hug me too, and I demand that before I drive home."

"Really?" you laughed along with Jake. And Sunghoon really had to hug you because he wouldn't get out of there without teasing his friend and leaving.

Meanwhile, the walk to the car had not been uncomfortable because Jake kept you both company. He chatted with Heeseung all the time while sitting in the back seat, but leaning towards the middle of the driver's seat - where Heeseung was driving - and the passenger seat that you occupied. They were completely random subjects because Jake had this power, he liked to talk and you, in your normal state already talked a lot, drunk so you gave him even more subject so that the whole way was one long comforting chatter.

"And this is where I'm staying" Jake waved to both of you, squeezing your shoulder and Heeseung's in an affectionate way of greeting you as he got out and said goodbye. You and he waved before the boy drove back after Jake entered the house.

"Will you drive me home?" your question came out low after it was just you and Heeseung in the car. The U-turn he took on a familiar street indicating that he was, yes, taking the road to your house.

"Sure" he replied sarcastically "Or do you think I'm going to leave you here alone to get going?"

"Idiot" you grumbled next, choosing not to say anything else the whole way. Not least because your apartment wasn't that far from Jake's when you were driving. So it wasn't a long time in silence until Heeseung parked in front of your building.

"Okay, safe and sound" he turned off the car engine and picked up his cell phone. Typing a few things and quickly exiting the vehicle to make the turn. You stood there, waiting - not knowing why - until he opened the door next to you.

"What—"

"I was seeing if Jay and Byeol arrived safely" he put his cell phone away in his pocket "And now I'm taking you to the door of your apartment."

Strangely his smile made your heart beat more than usual. You mentally thanked yourself that any and every blush on your face had the drink as an excuse, and not Lee Heeseung's damn smile.

"I think I can make it on my own…" your sentence was interrupted by his laugh, causing you to frown in response, but still unbuckle your seat belt to get out of the car.

"You? Find your apartment alone?" Heeseung denied with a nod, braking the car and putting his hand on your back to guide you. The small, minimal physical contact making your whole body shiver. Maybe it's the cold in the city, you thought. But it wasn't even cold… what the fuck did you want to invent, anyway?

"What's the matter? You think I can't?" you asked.

"Well…" he shrugged, walking with you into the building "Last time you got drunk, you called Sunghoon because you pressed third floor and couldn't find your apartment at all" he let out a chuckle. His free hand pressing the button to call the elevator "And I remember you live on the fourth floor, it's not that hard, y/n" Heeseung wasn't whispering, but from the proximity you could hear the intonation of his voice a little lower.

And still carrying that fucking smile on his face.

You resolved that you wouldn't say anything else for the rest of the way - and because you were intimate enough with that proximity - so you just let the sound of the buttons on each floor of the elevator be the only sound in the room.

As soon as the elevator stopped at your floor, you got out first and Heeseung still behind, this time his hand no longer holding your back and you felt a huge void where his fingers had last touched.

Stop being ridiculous, y/n. Are you drunk and having these thoughts right away with Heeseung?

You sighed as you stopped right in front of your apartment door.

"Okay" showing his teeth in another smile, now a little warmer, he nodded "Now no risk of getting lost out there."

"Thank you, Hee" you said simply, noticing the wide-eyed look he gave in your direction.

"You… You did…" what the fuck, why was he stuttering?

"What?" you began to feel guilty, thinking you had done something wrong.

"You called me Hee again, and with such naturalness…"

"It's your nickname," you shrugged, trying not to sound affected by how natural you were being around him.

"But you don't even call me that" he joked "The most affection you call me is seductive jerk."

"Which is not a lie" you smiled along with him, Heeseung crossing his arms in front of his own body afraid that his hands would give away his nervousness at the closeness.

"Now I'll leave you alone, you need to rest" he tried to change the subject, forcing his brain to work on something other than the fact that at this very moment your eyes had gone straight to his lips.

He might have had something in his teeth, or you were aiming so hard that you were trying to punch him right there. But no, you just stared restlessly at the spot where Heeseung timidly bit his lips. And it seemed that you had realized that he had noticed your gaze, because you quickly turned away to face his eyes.

"You also need to rest, take a shower, and stop driving around town at this hour. It's getting late" you stuck the key in the lock, unlocking the door.

"Worried about me?" he forced his lips into a pout, you turned around quickly and rolled your eyes.

"What's your problem?"

"None" he winked at you "But I promise to get home safe and sound, nothing will happen to your future husband."

"Ugh" you rolled your eyes again "Don't you ever get tired of that?"

"Never" he celebrated you scowling, taking a few steps towards you to brush his lips against the top of your head "Good night, y/n" Heeseung whispered with his lips still in your hair.

That touch made you close your eyes for a moment. That was literally the closest he had come to you in all these years, it was the only time his mouth had ever touched you - even though he had plans for it to happen in other ways - but Heeseung never crossed any boundaries. And you wanted him to do it now.

Maybe it was too bold and you could even blame the drink afterwards, or blatantly say that you wanted it. So taking advantage that his lips still remained on top of your head, you pulled back far enough to tilt your head up. Heeseung hadn't moved to move away, so it was the perfect moment for you to lift one of your hands to meet his cheek. Your fingertips glided across his skin only to pull his chin toward you and seal your lips in a quick kiss. Leaning your mouth against his, the warmth of both your lips in mere seconds until you pulled away.

"Good night, Heeseung" you whispered with your face still close, turning and rushing into your apartment.

You just brushed your mouth against his, not going into the depths of that kiss at all. It was something simple, a kiss that anyone could receive. But why had it caused Heeseung to remain motionless in your hallway? Without feeling his legs, much less knowing how to react afterwards? You had finally kissed him, and never in his life had Heeseung thought that you would take the initiative.

Heeseung took a deep breath, trying not to let any tears fall as he held the glass firmly in his hands.

"Hyung, are you okay?" Sunoo asked genuinely concerned, while Niki held herself to keep from laughing.

"Yeah, it's just… Byeol is getting married, my older sister…"

"And he's all sentimental, so he wants to cry" Jake joked.

"What?" he shouted in amazement "I don't cry!"

"For nothing?" Sunoo asked again, Heeseung agreeing with a quick nod before clearing his throat to really not be a hypocrite at his own sister's wedding.

"Oh, I think y/n is flirting with a guy at the bar" Sunghoon came over to the table with a few glasses of drink, setting them down there. At the same moment Heeseung turned with all speed towards the direction of the bar, only to find an old couple - probably some relative of Jay's - but no y/n there.

Sunghoon, Jake and Sunoo fell into laughter.

"That wouldn't make you cry, but it sure as hell almost knocked over our drinks" Jake picked up his glass and raised it with his other friends in a quick toast that Heeseung also participated in.

"We found you guys" Jungwon came over to the table with Jay in his wake, both holding their glasses as well "What did we miss?"

"Heeseung almost crying" Jake spoke after taking another sip of his drink.

"Heeseung believing y/n was flirting with someone" Sunoo added.

"Heeseung almost killing you all" he said quickly, rolling his eyes before standing up.

"Come on hyung, I think you're a little nervous today" Jungwon said softly, trying to keep a tender smile on his lips.

"Actually since—"

"Don't you dare" the boy faced Sunghoon with his eyes glaring in his friend's direction.

Yes, he had told him about the kissing episode at his apartment door. Also, it was a subject he needed to shout out to his friends while they were trying on suits for Jay's wedding. Something had to be the subject, and this was a topic they all followed early on.

The boys were trying to encourage him to talk to you, after all, it was a kiss. You really kissed him even if it was only for a few seconds. But Heeseung thought you would barely remember because you had alcohol in your system still, even if you weren't completely drunk.

"You know that y/n, of all of us, is the one who remembers things the most when she ingests any drop of alcohol, right?" the phrase from Sunghoon echoed through Heeseung's mind all week until the present moment. And he knew it was true because you barely looked at him at the wedding. Your gazes would cross and you would quickly look away. When it came time to intertwine your arms in his as best man, Heeseung swore that you were trembling under his touch. Or he was trembling more than you, the boy couldn't tell. But you just followed everything as planned until you sat down after the ceremony. He had to drink something or he would go crazy.

"I think you have to go talk to her" Jay loosened his tie after long minutes of dancing, greeting the guests and thanking them for every congratulations he received. Heeseung let his eyes roll around the party only to land on you again. Now you were smiling and saying some compliment to Byeol and his amazing hairdo.

"Why?" he stared at Jay, at which he sighed heavily and waved to the boys who said to go dancing. Sunghoon decided to stay too, he wouldn't pass up a good gossip, even more so involving the relationship - not established, but well known - he and you.

"Because you two finally kissed" Jay spun the empty glass in front of him "And this relationship you and y/n have goes back long before I met your sister…" the other two at the table listened to everything intently as Jay stared at them "It's about time you and her were straightforward enough."

Silence. Only the music and side conversations at the party could be heard. Heeseung snorted.

"That means you're right, Jay" Sunghoon hummed "And he's probably cogitating the idea of getting up and going to talk to her…" Sunghoon seemed to be narrating exactly what was going on in Heeseung's head. Because as soon as he stood up and walked towards them, he looked back one last time to see Sunghoon laughing, Jay raising his thumb in approval and the other boys approaching the table. Probably wondering what had happened for Heeseung to be moving away.

"I just didn't like that nail polish" he heard his sister's voice loud enough as he approached her and the group of friends and bridesmaids "It could have been something more… Sober… Oh, little brother."

All the girls - including you - turned in Heeseung's direction. A few hopeful smiles coming from the girls who always complimented Byeol's little brother.

"Hi" he greeted them shyly, and Byeol looked at him fondly "You look so beautiful" Heeseung couldn't help but compliment his sister, and it made her eyes water at the statement. She quickly moved closer to him to hug him as tightly as she could.

"I love you, you know that, don't you?" Byeol whispered, causing him to close his eyes and hug her a little tighter.

"I love you so much more" Heeseung said soon after.

"Now go, you need to say it before it kills you inside…"

"What?" he whispered still hugging his sister.

"I'm your older sister, Lee Heeseung" she joked as soon as she pulled away enough from the embrace to be able to look him in the eye "I know you like the back of my hand. And I approve of what you are about to do."

Having Byeol's approval meant a lot to him. Even though they lived off of picking on each other, Heeseung never stopped being protective and listening to what his sister had to say. So hearing this from her seemed to give him even more courage.

After the little hug between the brothers, it seemed that the conversation between the girls was no longer focused on staring at their younger brother Lee. So this helped Heeseung to approach you without anyone staring at him for too long.

"We… Can we talk? In private" he called to you with a quick tap on your shoulder. Your eyes quickly landed on his and then you agreed, nodding and smiling at Heeseung.

He walked ahead of you, afraid that you would see his nervous expression and the bites on his lips that indicated that he might almost faint right in front of you. On the other hand, you felt the palms of your hands sweat and your legs almost wobble, but you pulled yourself together and followed him outside the party where there was no one.

"Is everything okay, because you're starting to make me worried" you said trying to break the silence that had settled since he had called you. Heeseung finally turned toward you and you could have sworn it was your turn to almost faint. He looked incredibly gorgeous, which was nothing new, but the serious look and his countenance contrasting with his perfectly lined hair made an almost inaudible sigh leave your lips.

"You know y/n, I want to know if you remember… If you… Well…" why did he feel like an idiot who couldn't form a single complete sentence? This intensifying after you let out a low chuckle immediately afterwards.

"Of course I remember kissing you" you said bluntly. Maybe the conversation with Byeol about your feelings starting to make sense for Heeseung, and her and Jay opening your eyes about how you could finally let it roll.

"Really? I mean—" he straightened his tone a little trying not to sound so excited because you remembered kissing him that night "You really wanted to do that?"

"Yes—" remember Jay's words, always be honest. You are an adult and to keep circling that conversation would only postpone what you no longer wanted. Spending years denying the requests - even jokingly - that he made, only brought you ruin because now you wouldn't stop thinking about him.

"Then do it again."

"What?" you widened your eyes. Being direct and honest was your part of the conversation, you just didn't count on Heeseung being much more like that than yourself.

"You heard me, y/n" he took a few steps in front of you, in a bold act to lift his hand and place it on your waist, pulling your body towards him "But kiss me decently this time, please."

What the fuck was the effect Heeseung had on you? Because with that simple sentence you couldn't say anything else, just close your eyes and feel his breath beat against your nose. Your hands went up to his neck and the moment Heeseung's lips touched yours, you finally had time to give way for his tongue to touch yours. Perhaps it was this decency of kiss that he was asking for. Tongues entwining each other as his lips pressed against yours slowly, in a synchrony surreal compared to the speed both of your hearts were beating. The whispers between the kiss contrasting with her nails on the back of his neck made Heeseung tighten his fingers around her waist and, consequently, press her body against his. Now that kiss was decent. Now that could be called a real kiss.

As the two of you clamored for some air, he decided to nibble your bottom lip to finally finish kissing you, but without disconnecting his forehead from yours so that their breathing calmed down a bit.

"I think… I think we can do this more often" he whispered still panting. You laughed low, sealing his lips once again as a silent response that you agreed with him in a long time.

"I found you two" Sunghoon said loudly.

"Oh my God" Jake shouted after seeing you and Heeseung still hugging, your lips both reddened from the fresh kiss as he didn't want to let go of you. But you pulled away enough to face the two of you who were in shock looking at you and him.

"What do you two want?" Heeseung asked, pretending to be angry at being interrupted.

"Byeol is going to throw the bouquet now" Jake said all too loudly, excited enough to finally see you and Heeseung together.

He then looked at you next, a smile making its way onto his newly kissed lips. Heeseung's perfectly aligned, white teeth right before your eyes.

"Will you take it to finally accept my request?" he looked hopefully at you.

"When will you give up?" you asked him.

"After this kiss and all the ones we're going to have for the rest of our lives?" he asked back, seeing that Jake had already come screaming into the party that you and Heeseung kissed. Sunghoon ran after, probably announcing that he had won the bet with Niki "I don't think I'll ever give that up."

You walked into the party, but you chose to stand a little further away and not pick up the bouquet, entwining your fingers in Heeseung's when you saw him slightly disappointed in that.

"You know what?" you said, and he hummed and looked in your direction, not caring who had picked up the bouquet at that moment. His eyes were far more inviting than that "I don't want to marry Byeol's bouquet."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I want you to choose them, after all, I find it much more romantic to marry your favorite flowers. Don't you?"

A glimpse of Heeseung's bright gaze, his smile widening even further and making even his jaw hurt. In all his life he would never have believed that you would actually consider his idea of getting married.

Even if it started as a teenage joke, he also didn't know that he woulddevelop feelings for you over the years. He didn't know that you would match him with it. Much less did he know that you would be kissing him at his sister's wedding, holding hands, and contemplating the idea of - finally - marrying him.

#heeseung fluff #heeseung au #enhypen au #enhypen fluff #enhypen x reader #enhypen heeseung #enhypen scenarios #enhypen masterlist #heeseung fanfics

644 notes · View notes

sunny-days-and-warm-mournings · 6 months

Text

It is finally finished!! I am done and is so happy!!!

This is an AU exploring the concept of Sūn Wùkōng/Dàshèng as a Yaksha and Tu Di Gong, rather than being a Yaoguai Warlord during his later years reigning as the Monkey King.

This AU follows the beginning (with some changes here and there) up until Wùkōng's shenanigans with Ao Guang, then he went on a separate path from Wu Cheng'en's novel.

In this iteration our favourite Monkey explored the realms as he burned up time, but then he took a particular interest in the humans' ways of producing food. Since Dàshèng was so used to the grandeur and bounties of Huagoushan (being surrounded by such lush forests and mountains that never withered nor died) he sort of took pity on them before deciding to help them grow their crops much better.

But this is just the very much shortened summary of the beginning of this AU, and I have compiled some research and even more lore in my Google Documents just to expand on this idea more.

This— Westward To Tathāgatagarbha Lore Google Documents

This is the Google Document of my AU, which I highly recommend for you to read! It explains all the other details and such on this story! I did my best on making them but there would be still mistakes that I have yet to find, but it should be decent!!

This is a more casual look for Dàshèng/Wùkōng for this AU as well as some brief pointers! I made this before the portrait so some things might have changed.

(Don't mind him holding a cup of beer it's fine.)

Taken from the server (with some hints for the next half of the archives/docs) which instantly kickstarted this whole thing haahahjjjss, but it really was so fun talking about it to others! They gave me more inspiration that I can handle.

And what is Tathāgatagarbha you ask? (Brief)

In Buddhist philosophy, Buddha-nature is the potential for all sentient beings to become a Buddha or the fact that all beings already have a pure buddha-essence within. "Buddha-nature" is the common English translation for several related Mahayana Buddhist terms, most notably tathāgatagarbha and buddhadhātu, but also sugatagarbha, and buddhagarbha. Tathāgatagarbha can mean "the womb" or "embryo" (garbha) of the "thus-gone one" (tathāgata), and can also mean "containing a tathāgata". Buddhadhātu can mean "buddha-element," "buddha-realm" or "buddha-substrate"

The Chinese translated the term tathāgatagarbha as rúláizàng (如来藏), or "Tathāgata's (rúlái) storehouse" (zàng). According to Brown, "storehouse" may indicate both "that which enfolds or contains something", or "that which is itself enfolded, hidden or contained by another." The Tibetan translation is de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po, which cannot be translated as "womb" (mngal or lhums), but as "embryonic essence", "kernel" or "heart".

The term tathagatagarbha first appears in the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras, which date to the 2nd and third centuries CE.

There will be more to this in the future when I'm finished researching more about it.

Also, speaking of people that inspire me, I'm calling my dear friends here who I think might like this: @digitalagepulao @kaijufluffs @sketching-shark @lavaflowe @sixteenthchapel @jttw-monkeybusiness and @hcdragoncat !!

Special thanks to Pardal and Grandpa Sun for getting me to write more of this too :D I had such great fun!

I have so much more to add to the docs and here but this is all for now :) and honestly this is one of the greatest projects I've started aside from the older ones. I'll come back again soon with more additions and art! And lore (And maybe some interactions with a few West Heaven occupants??)!!!

198 notes · View notes

unorcadox · 5 months

Text

UNORCADOX

howdy, i'm mabel! it's the 3 year anniversary of unorcadox today, so i've prepared a decent bit of surprises. (and yes that means i started this blog in 2020, which is terrifying to think about.) i'll go into those new things under the cut, but first... check out the carrd linked in the header text of this post :3c

sooo soo so so so where on earth do i begin. uhh honestly let me just break down the new stuff first since i can talk about that more easily.

THE NEW LOOK! ok so like truth be told, i've been a faceless blog on purpose up until now. it wasn't until this summer where i actually liked how i looked or had any solid sense of my own aesthetic or what i wanted to look like. it also made it easier to protect against dysphoria and transphobes in the same breath, as no one could ever comment on any aspect of my appearance, or even the mere suggestion i even had one to begin with! but that all changes now, i'm going to actually have a presence on this blog, as it is MY blog and tbh i'm tired of being so faceless on here. that's why i've been doing more asks and non-edit posts recently, and those will increase in frequency. check out the carrd for more info, my sona's ref, and art credits for assets on here <3

mondays -> MUSIC MONDAYS! so it might come as a shock i'm actually a musician in addition to making stuff on here! i've promoted my music a couple of times by now, but nothing all that substantial. sooo, considering that, i'm going to be replacing monday oc posts with a music post! just a link to a song on my bandcamp and a little description about it. i don't really care if these perform particularly well, but i want to give people a chance to actually hear it without having to deep dive through my entire internet history to get it. i also will be releasing more soon-- whether via compilations of older work or new stuff altogether :3

MORE IN THE FUTURE! i have a couple other ideas up my sleeve, we'll see how they pan out but i wanna keep trying new possibilities on here. i think at this point i've proven my consistency, and it's about time i let myself have a little fun and explore my options. these will be announced individually but probably added here over time as this is the new pinned post lol.

----- ----- -----

ok so anyways, i do wanna have the mandatory sappy segment because of course i do. i want to say a couple of things but i'll split them into bullet points again bc yeah i do that.

this year has been really good for me and the blog, in most ways it's been the straight up best year of my life uncontested. not everything has gone perfectly, i had other plans that fell through, but hey that's just how life goes huh. at one point, i was easily projected to hit 20k by the end of the year, and now i'll be happy if i hit 17k lol. tumblr has not been that kind to my blog's growth this year and it's making me consider other options in the future, but everything's so scary rn i don't wanna commit to anything.

as for the blog itself, i've kinda been in a weird spot with it for a while. i've been scraping by on here intermittently for the entire year on and off, and i might have some ways to help keep me on top of the ball during the next year, but i also do wonder how long i can really keep doing this, and how long people will still like weirdcore and my work in particular. i've been considering branching out in terms of my presentation, or format, or style, but i feel incredibly weird about doing so.

in my personal life, this is the year i finally started transitioning and seeking treatment for my most pressing issues. i've finally started dating the love of my life, my best friend of 10 years, and despite some interpersonal turmoil all around me, i think i'm finally finding safe ground and knowing what i wanna do next. i don't really talk about it on here because i'm very private about it, but i've been kinda slowly becoming like a Real Adult Person this year. i didn't really have much of a chance to prior and i still am struggling a lot, but hey i know what i want now!

it's really silly to say but this blog still means a lot to me! it's seen me through the craziest times in my entire life, it's brought me so much perspective and knowledge and opportunities i wouldn't've had otherwise. i wake up every day and go on here and never stop feeling starstruck that people chose to follow me. i know tumblr success means nothing but to me it's the only community i've ever actually belonged to, so thank you all.

ok so like i really just don't have much else to say anymore, so i think i'll end it there! thank you all again, i can't wait for year 4 as it's going to definitely be a crazy one lol. let's hope it's a good one too!

#not edits

40 notes · View notes

nijigay · 9 months

Note

hiiii :3 I noticed ur one (of a few) ppl who ships boniji on tumblr, and I wanna know if you know any accounts/artists who ships them so I could follow them to satiate my boniji fixation >.< Also, some bocchi x nijika questions I wanna personally ask: what songs do you recommend that reminds you of them? Also, what are some boniji fanfics you recommend/like? I probably already read most of their fics but I wanna know what others like. Lastly, ur personal boniji headcanons if you don't mind sharing... 👉👈

I only ask blogs rarely cuz I'm shy so no need to answer immediately...

I'm just brainrotting over boniji so much! im so normal about them (◔‿◔)

AWAWAWA i love boniji like so much like too much like its become my main personality trait!

but youre right!!! it feels like boniji fans are mostly japan natives and there dont seem to be many english speaking boniji fans! ohhh i wish there was more of a following! imagine a boniji zine in the west! i would pay money to get involved with that

im kind of embarrassed about shoving my ships in ppls faces all the time and this might get long and its just me like rambling about my OTP so like .. gona put it under a read more lol. seriously this post is like almost 2k words long thats longer than my average fanfic chapter

i hate to be a shill but im going to be a shill for my fic recommendations:

ive been working on a lowkey corny boniji hanahaki fic on AO3 and some other oneshots, so maybe you would be willing to check my own stuff out?? (if u want .-. im really amateur with this stuff despite being an art student lol) its been on hiatus for like half a year but im just adhd af and keep restarting. im still working on it frequently tho and im secretly hoping to start updating on a consistent basis soon. but i also liked fics like "Midnight and Daydreams" and "Bubblegum Detergent" and "A Sellout Night" and "Just Enough to be Enough" and "A Kiss is Not A Cure". MANNN i remember that last one fucked me up bad when it was posted. it was only the second ever dedicated boniji fic and like I LOVE angst but with how small the sample size of fics was at the time it was like AUFHAUIJKADGF. all those fics are super super good though! i also love the third one, i love the trans bocchi HC personally

umm as far songs songs tho, i guess the ones i associate with boniji most are:

"veil" by keina suda, i remember drafting some animatic for an angsty AU of Hitori living on post-Kessoku

"STEP&CLAP" by yoshino aoyama (aka yoppi aka bocchis VA <3), i think yoppi making the song speaks for itself but its a rly cute song and i love thinking of Hitori and Nijika like tap dancing to it?? check out the rest of yoppi's debut album too!! her voice is so pretty and i was so happy finding out that there are 11 songs with her voice, instead of the 1 from the anime

idk why but i also think of them a lot when listening to PMMM's ost by yuki kaijuri, like "desiderium" and "not yet" and "mada dame yo"? these r kinda a stretch though but idk!!

i also like compiling music that reminds me of them into spotify playlists, if youd like some inspiration for your own! this one and also this angstier one

i have a lot of boniji headcanons but i feel like its hard for me to like list them all in one spot because they usually come to me with context during relevant conversations?? but ill list whatever i can think of!:

this ones not necessarily boniji but i was thinking about it like an hour ago, but i really like the idea of Seika being a huge boniji supporter. like in the source material she already finds Bocchi really cute, so I get the impression she would really like to be an older sister figure for Bocchi (and probably gets jealous of Kikuri for holding that spot in Bocchi's life lol), and so Nijika being a potential love interest for Bocchi would make Seika double down hard on supporting boniji. she'd probably be the one who brings Bocchi up to Nijika more than Nijika would bring her up to Seika?? i also like to imagine that for Seika she has a similar complex to Yoyoko. but instead of "Bocchi is stealing my spot as Hiroi's younger sister figure," it would be "Kikuri is stealing my spot as Bocchi's older sister figure" LOL . if that makes any sense at all

this ones actually taken from a japanese twitter user, but they moved on from boniji after the anime ended. but they had some headcanons that REALLY stuck with me. my favorite was the idea that Bocchi and Nijika both have inferiority complexes with one another. iirc their (translated) words were along the lines of "Bocchi thinks of Nijika as a pure, comforting light in her life, one that could be muddied if Bocchi got involved with her. On the other hand, Nijika thinks of Bocchi as a reliable hero who outshines an ordinary girl like her." i just REALLY like it. it also reminds me of this conversation that Yoppi and Suzushiro had on the BTR podcast, about Bocchi and Nijika's first meeting! like nijika literally brought light into Bocchi's life awdsfsgdhgfjh

actually that same user above also made a tweet that is the reason why i associate Keina Suda's "veil" with boniji! they made a tweet about an AU idea, where, in the event that Nijika would ever pass away, Seika would give Bocchi her ribbon, which Hitori would wear from that point onwards as she continues to play music to honor Nijika's memory. they also suggested that in the opposite event of Hitori passing away, Nijika would possibly do something very rash out of despair but thats dark hahaha!!!!

i kinda think this goes without saying and i think its actually a fairly common HC for BTR characters in general, but I can definitely see Bocchi being trans

I like to imagine that shortly after Volume 2, Bocchi and Nijika would probably have another conversation

eventually, i'm sure if Bocchi and Nijika pursued a relationship that they'd eventually move in together (or like into the same room? if Kessoku Band had a sharehouse?), and since both Bocchi and Nijika tend to be minimalistic with their room decor, their shared room would again become filled with a ton of Ryo's clothes and items and instruments, like how Nijika's room at Seika's apartment is

i think they'd both end up being really touchy with each other, especially when nervous? Bocchi kind of already does this when she's in new places (eg bringing Kita to Shimokitazawa, or going to FOLT for the first time and being dragged by Nijika), but I think it would grow to them finding comfort with each other?

idk if this is necessarily a HC but i really like how Bocchi and Nijika emotionally support each other, even in source. Nijika is shown to have a really good read on Bocchi (to the point of Bocchi worrying that Nijika is actually a psychic), knowing Bocchi's common thought processes, and picking up from Bocchi's mother during her first visit to Kanazawa that karaage chicken can bring Bocchi out of her anxiety attacks, and seems to be the only character who actually comments on Bocchi's growth as an individual and actively tries to facilitate it; but she also doesn't lovebomb Bocchi with praise, striking what seems to be a good balance for pushing Bocchi but also being a reliable confidant for her too.

one of my favorite details from the anime that i really feel doesnt get talked about as often as it should is when Nijika finally notices that Bocchi is guitarhero! she definitely wasn't the first to notice (Seika noticed first, but it seemed like Seika only knew about guitarhero via Nijika. When she notices that Bocchi's playing sounds familiar, her thought process immediately goes towards wondering why Nijika isn't noticing, and then she just tells them to get back to work) but she was the first one that Bocchi admits it too. but my favorite part is how Bocchi says that she wanted to change and grow as a person before telling them the truth, and she says that she especially wanted to grow before Nijika in particular found out! its just really cute, i love how Bocchi was worried about disappointing Nijika. and i like how, after some growth, Bocchi's dream turns from "becoming popular" to "making Kessoku Band the best band it can be" which is like almost basically the same as Nijika's dream! and so it's really nice when Bocchi doubles down on that goal by not remotely entertaining the idea of leaving Kessoku Band, even when goaded by promises of popularity.

last headcanon! because i ran out of thoughts and just came up with this on the spot. but i also like the idea that as the years go on, Bocchi and Nijika in particular may kind of become more similar in personality. i mean, they'd definitely still be distinctly them, but i like to think that Bocchi would eventually start picking up more optimistic habits and stop grimacing all the time, while Nijika would eventually become a little more lax and not reflexively try to dismiss her own negative feelings via looking at the silver lining. i thought of that when Nijika kinda dismisses her family dynamics with her mother's passing and her father's neglect after Kessoku's first real performance, as well as Nijika seeming to admit after inhaling Bocchi Dust(?) during her and Kita's Kanazawa visit that some of her optimism is performative

ok another one Nijika seems to have her art skills commented on sometimes so i like to imagine she has doodles of Bocchi in her sketchbook (alongside everyone else but mostly Bocchi). like think of like Miles Morales drawing a ton of Gwen Stacy like that kinda deal but with Nijika drawing Bocchi. and like Bocchi finds the sketchbook and Nijika freaks out and Bocchi actually doesnt look bc she doesnt want to do something wrong. but then Ryo or Kita take it and look instead and then show Bocchi and Bocchi melts into a flustered puddle

wowwow this got long! sorry! i really mean it when im like OBSESSED with these two like i think ive thought about them on a daily basis ever since the episode aired where Nijika bought Bocchi a cola. isnt that cute, too!? she picked up on Bocchi's favorite soda so quickly! and her buying a box of energy drinks for Bocchi despite not understanding why at all! girlfriend behavior

i really really want to make more boniji content, i'd like to be more active in posting my fics and drabbles and drawings, someday soon. right now most of my boniji content is just illegible sketches in my sketchbook lol

also thank u so much for like sending this ask im like BEGGING internally all the time to be given the chance to talk about them! i dont think theyre like a rarepair or anything, especially with them seeming to be like the second most popular BTR ship in japan, but i do think that not many people talk to them in the english side of the fandom! theyre super super cute and have really good chemistry.

this entire post is probably like a total carwreck i hope its even readable

ill also use this post as an excuse to post my own HCs for a Kessoku Band's relations chart. it's a bonus for reading this far. i'm sorry for draining 22 HP from you with this brain dump

#can i tag this #IM TAGGING THIS #boniji #bocchi the rock!#headcanons #hitori gotoh #nijika ijichi #hitori gotou #uhh what else would i tag. ...#my fanfic is in this #i really. really really REAAAAALLY like boniji #bocchi wants a cosplayer gf and the next day nijika starts fuckign cosplaying #what a coincidence #crazy right #long post #under the read more

26 notes · View notes

whelmed-birdie · 5 months

Text

Comic List + Thoughts

so basically i'm just gonna compile a list of all the comics i've read and write a little commentary about them - this is mostly for my own benefit because my memory is pitiful so i need physical evidence of what i've read.

Nightwing Vol. 1: Leaping into the Light (2021)

I enjoyed this! I think it was a good beginner point for the most part because i came here with an interest mostly in Nightwing. I liked the art, and while i was a bit confused bc i knew next to nothing about this universe, so therefore did not understand any of the references they made. i still enjoyed it, the writers keep new readers in mind, and don't necessarily regret reading it first.

Robin/Batgirl: Year One (2002)

this one was good too. I got a bit bored at times but it was a good introduction to batgirl/barbara and how she started and got to be involved with the bats. (basically them just following her around while Barbara's like 'leave me alone tf')

Batman: Dark Victory (1999-2000)

also pretty good, I was kinda bored until Dick came in (mostly because he's the character i've really become invested in so far) but i loved seeing the very beginning of his character. sidenote: i love alfred

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet (1997)

this one was fun to read! I dont have a whole lot of commentary on it but it was more good backstory and seeing dick as robin.

Robin and Batman (2022)

I LOVED the artwork. watercolor is loml. but about the actual story: i also enjoyed it. Baby Dick is unhinged i love it. also it was the beginning of me not really liking batman??? i wasnt really expecting that... WFA led me astray :') and honestly that dislike just carries on the more i read so idk whats going on

Teen Titans: Year One (2008)

MY JAW DROPPED. bro when batman straight up hit Dick i was BAFFLED. like i know he was mind controlled and what not but bro why is batman such an ass to dick??? like even after the mind control is gone like hes still just so?? like shut up and let this 13 year old have fun with his friends wtf. anyways i dont like him, sorry, but if im just reading the ooc comics then lmk but so far im 👎🏼 on batman

Teen Titans (1966)

I only read issues #1 to get the intro, and then #14 because i heard it was dick centered. I wish i liked the older comics more than i do but i'm not mad i read them. I do enjoy the titans storyline and characters though so i will definitely read more to do with them

The New Teen Titans (1980)

I dabbled but i cant tell you which issues i read- again i think i need to get used to reading comics as a whole and come back to the older ones :')

Nightwing: Year One (1996)

so i've almost finished this one! Its #101-106 and i'm on #105 rn. again I DON'T LIKE BATMAN. like he's such a man-child. he literally 'fired' and yelled at this 13 year old kid for helping his friends save people instead of being with him like okay bitch. but anyways i like this! its more good backstory plus him going back to the circus was a nice touch. also the nightwing origin!!! dick going to superman for advice :') I like it.

okay thats all i got so far, I'm excited to keep reading. I have definitely spent too much time worrying about backstory and reading orders ( ik i don't have to bc continuity is relative but my brain just wont let me go out of order) but i've gotten a reading list that i'm pretty comfortable with. Also pretty soon ill be reading more with the batfam (specifically batkids) and im excited for that!! (the batkids are most of the reason im here tbh...especially now bc batman is...not my favorite)

okay thats all :)

i might add to this as i go i might not, we shall see.

#dc comics #comic reading #dc titans #dick grayson #nightwing #batboys #batfam #batkids #dc universe #richard grayson #batfamily

10 notes · View notes

all-hallows-street · 6 months

Text

Lingzi's Odaibako/Twitter Answers Collection Volume 1

In case you weren't aware, the author of 1031 All Saints Street Lingzi has a twitter account they update rarely, mostly rt'ing announcements of the Japanese release, 1031 fanart, Jpns comedians, and sometimes posting doodles and answering fan questions through Odaibako. You can still send questions/comments/requests through Odaibako but please be respectful and mindful! As the author stated they will not respond to any questions or suggestions about future content! Also do not spam, Lingzi answers in rare bursts so they might not get to answer your comment any time soon. Here is a compilation of what has been answered so far. Chinese questions and answers are being machine translated and I'm verifying with a friend the Japanese questions translations.

A few clarifications. I will skip some doodle requests/drawn answers and will compile them later in a post with all of Lingzi's twitter drawings. Everything with [] marks an edit so the English sounds more natural.

1. Hello~ Lingzi! What made you want to become a manga artist?

To put it simply, it was because of a domestic comic called "Super Alloy Society". At that time (around 14 years old), I became completely obsessed with it after reading a few chapters, and I was very eager to draw such a work myself 😌

Source

2. Does Nick [have] feeling[s] towards Lynn?

ummm······I would say it's more like “he is curious about/interested in Lynn”

Source

3. Who out of all the character would have the [ugliest] laugh?

Ah-never thought about this before, maybe broken [Cupid]？

Source

4. Will we get stories about Nick's university friends? Their designs are so cool and I would love to know more about them!

maybe? 🤔🤔 let me ask my editor next time.

Source

5. anyone you relate to in the series?

Does this count? Look that is my name on the background 🤣🤣

Source

6. Which character do you enjoy drawing [the most]?

Definitely Nick[.] He's the easiest to draw, also [the] sexiest. 😌

Source

6. Lingzi, do angles live longer than demons?

Yes! Angels basically cannot pass away unless they are killed. Teacher Lynn's age is also in the three digits~

Source

7. I really, really, REALLY love All Saints Street. Thank you so much for creating this series! There are so many diverse characters, and I love the charming and relaxed atmosphere. I find it really difficult to choose a favorite character because I just love them all so much (Nick is objectively the best though). It encouraged me to try learning to read Chinese again in order to read the manhua. Again, thank you so much for creating this!

Wow I'm flattered, thank you for [liking] my manhua 😳😳 I will do my best to keep [it] going!

Source

8. A work of my pleasure! I love you! I love “All Saints Street”! I love you big hair! Thank you for creating such wonderful works!

[Thank you]! 😊😊 Hope you will like the Japanese [dubbed] version too~

Source

9. This is not an ask but I wanted to say thank you for your hard work! Your series makes me very happy and I love it so much! It's inspired me more to continue making my own characters and helped me create art more. thank you so much! <3

Thank you too 😊😊 Glad I [..] helped.

Source

Not a question but a fact related to a previous question that is very much lore relevant:

Fun fact: Although angels live much longer than demons, because demons can reproduce independently but angels cannot, the number of angels is currently less than one-tenth of the number of demons. ( ← A small private device

Source

10. Can Lynn turn into a girl like Nick and Neil?

No~ Transfiguration is a demon thing.

Source

11. Can Ira taste demon blood? or does he hate it?

He can [...] but demon blood is always too strong for vampires, one bite is like [drinking] ten cups of coffee at once[.] They can get really hyperactive by drinking demon blood. Some vampires may like it, but not Ira. (And it's really bad for vampire kid[s])

Source

12. Hi! This is not a question but i wanted to tell you that I REALLY LOVE ALL SAINTS STREET, since 2020 i been in love with this manhua/donghua, thank you for create all saints street, the manhua/donghua really help me in hard times and inspire me to create my own comics. I really love the characters specially Abu and Luis ❤️

Thank you too, glad you enjoy my work 😊😊

Source

13. Who gives the best hugs?

Maybe?

Source

14. Why are Lily's wings so small compared to other angels?

No special reason, I just think it's cuter this way.

Source

REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE: IN CHINESE FANDOMS C P MEANS CHARACTER PAIRING, IS HOW THEY REFER TO SHIPS/SHIPPING

I will replace it with ship because I don't want the use the acronym due to tumblr search.

15. Will it be very Lynn/Nick? Because people keep telling me that Nini/Lily is the official ship, I am troubled. If the original painting is very bad, it feels like I have violated someone else's OC. I'm very sorry for disturbing you, and I really like your illustrations and works!

To answer this question, mainstream ship ≠ is correct. I think any ship has a reason to exist as long as some people like it. I don’t think it is a minefield at all... and even "official" ship does not mean anything. What kind of ship you want to consume is completely up to you, and you don’t need to ask for my opinion, just be happy

Source

Continued in Part 2!

#all saints street #wan sheng jie #1031 万圣街 #Lingzi #manhua

13 notes · View notes

tenspontaneite · 11 months

Text

Assembly (Chapter 4/?)

Through his communications systems, each line of text marches in, and he files it all silently into a new data pearl. A whole lexicon, he realises. Not much of one, barely enough vocabulary for basic conversations, but…a language. One that he truly, sincerely cannot bring himself to believe is any kind of joke. Suns would never joke about something like this.

Slowly, he lowers himself to the chamber floor, and closes his eyes.

(Chapter length: 6.8k. Link to ao3 with workskin)

Warnings: Mentions of canonical character death (Hunter). In depth discussion of past cruel experimentation on sapient beings, and moral and emotional fallout of such.

---

Deep within the superstructure of Seven Red Suns, a new selfling begins to weave together. Its system-in-waiting, SRS-02, sits on the internal network and absorbs their updates gladly.

They’d been nonplussed, originally, to witness No Significant Harassment’s immediate enthusiasm to start making more platforms. Surely one was enough, to begin with? It needed to be tested extensively, or you might well be wasting resources on retrofitting something flawed. But then…

We cannot lose this, Suns thinks, half-connected to their two selflings, and calls to mind the painted hallway. Agreement flickers out across all three minds of their self, silent and steadfast. When SRS-01 leaves the superstructure to go questing, I must have a selfling here. I do not think I could bear to lose art when I have only just begun to find it.

There are the practical concerns as well, of course. Now that they’re decently well-conditioned, SRS-01 has been starting to look into the myriad maintenance issues compiling around the structure. Only for a few hours a day, but already, long-borne annoyances are being extinguished. A wire replacement here, anti-rust treatment there, a reculturing colony delivered to the fraying neural tissue in what seems like every other corner…it is palpably adding up. Suns cannot recall the last time their systems ran so well. And that’s only the start, isn’t it?

If Nish has his way, this will be the start of a grand renewal. There’s only so much they can do with their limited resources and limited hands, but…there is real promise, even so. Suns has been feeling uncommonly optimistic these past days; it’s a nice change.

One day they draw a lizard on their exterior wall with chalk, and they and Spearmaster take turns throwing spears at it. The extruded spines are a little small for Suns’ proportions, but they serve well enough; with the advantage of a machine’s rapid learning, they have grown adept with them very quickly. Spearmaster claps approvingly at a throw that reaches the false lizard’s eye, and they smile.

“…I will be ready to leave soon, I think,” they say to it, and watch it perk up. “Any more learning, I can do in the wild. Now I think I must start preparing for travel.”

“It is far to your friend’s body-home,” says Spearmaster, in the informed position of a small creature who has made that journey multiple times. “Not as far as to your angry friend. But, far. Many dangers.”

“Yes,” they agree, thinking already of how best to prepare. “I had best provision carefully.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: I didn’t tell you about what my selfling experienced, that first outing.

NSH: What, the one that made you fry half your chamber when you synced again? No, you haven’t. I’ve been deathly curious too~

SRS: And yet you didn’t ask. How unlike you.

NSH: I can, sometimes, have tact and sensitivity!

SRS: Hah. I suppose we really have changed over the years, haven’t we?

SRS: …I suppose the most important thing to say is that I confirmed my suspicions. My messenger is a person, and always has been.

NSH: Well now.

NSH: That’s truly something. Fully sapient? You’re sure?

SRS: It makes art. It named itself. ‘Spearmaster’. It never told me – I had to ask.

SRS: It kept these thoughts quiet because it was worried I would disapprove of its sapience. That I only wanted it to be a pet, and not a person.

NSH: …Ouch. I can only imagine how that felt for you.

SRS: It was hard to come to terms with, yes. And given what we’d been speaking about that day already…when my selfling came home with those new memories, it hit very hard.

NSH: Hence your damages. And the new integration protocols.

NSH: …Are you alright, Seven Red Suns? You’ve not mentioned any of this for days.

SRS: My damages are repaired, and my tissues healing.

NSH: You know that’s not what I meant.

SRS: I can’t say I’ve come to terms with it yet, no. Not with how much harm I caused an innocent person, with how I shaped it and treated it like an animal. Perhaps I never will come to terms with it.

NSH: Well that’s depressing.

SRS: Can you blame me?

NSH: No, I suppose not.

NSH: …

NSH: Do you know, yet? If it’s just your messenger that’s like that. Or…

SRS: Or all of them?

NSH: Yes.

SRS: I very strongly suspect that the species as a whole is sapient.

NSH: …I see.

SRS: I can’t say I have overwhelming evidence for it. But based on things I’ve heard from Spearmaster…it seems very, very likely.

NSH: I

NSH: Let me know, if you get that evidence. Before that, I

NSH: I don’t know if I can

NSH: …

SRS: It’s alright. I understand. This is…not easy.

SRS: I’ll keep you appraised.

Within the thoracic compartment of SRS-01, alongside the thinking system within, they pile in as many neurons as will fit. While they are there, the things provide a processing boost to the selfling body; a convenient side effect, if not the actual objective.

Within the spires of Septkai, they source a large traveller’s backpack, of the sorts that the pilgrims once used, making arduous treks through the surface world to visit the holy sites by foot. The effort, they said, made the pilgrimage more profound. In learning the limits of the body, in cultivating their karma against it, they would learn a great deal. Suns cannot speak to the accuracy of that, but the travel packs are a good design, though the material has degraded to uselessness over time. They scan it thoroughly, then return home to their can.

Within the stretches of their bioengineering suite, they do something a little different. It is strange, to take mechanisms made for producing living things, and instead use them to produce various lifeless biological structures. Thick skin as from the hardiest lizards, delicately dappled with the pattern of scales; sturdy hide as what protects the rain deer; chitinous armour plating alike that which the centipedes wear; delicate silks as woven by the Citadel’s ineradicable spiders. They print out samples and test them, tweaking each to their liking.

It is surprisingly easy, to create clothing this way. They have no need of seams as the material is shaped with intent from the molecular level up, the colour is easily customised, and the second they dislike the way a pattern turned out, they can simply throw it in the vats for recycling and try again. Under Spearmaster’s curious gaze, they try out design after design, playing with colour and shape in ways that are unexpectedly delightful. Any fastenings, buttons, and other such details have to be printed out in keratin or bone, then added by hand.

That last detail, the addition of those parts, is the only thing that they could not have done before the advent of their first selfling.

I should have tried this a long time ago, they think, watching a delicate cloak spool together within its bay, each filament carefully coated with biologically-derived dyes. It is a kind of art, itself. Hadn’t the making of clothing and jewellery been among the chiefest of the People’s arts? And Suns could have been doing it for centuries, had they only tried.

They doubt it even as they think it, though. To create such things, with no hands to feel it, no body to wear it…it would’ve felt pointless. And besides, with no hands to move any of it out into the superstructure, it would only have accumulated in piles to clog the bioengineering chambers.

I could have produced tapestries, though, they think sourly to themself. Banners, wall hangings. The patterns and colours are interesting enough that it would have occupied me, especially if I slowed my processing down. I could have been doing something I loved, all this time. I’m sure Spearmaster would have been happy to move them for me.

With the slightest of degrees of mental separation from their greater self, their AMP prods their thoughts along a new track:

Maybe so. Maybe they could have had this a long time ago, if only they’d thought of it. But it is pointless to ruminate upon now. Better to simply move forward, however much they can.

Yes. I suppose so, they think together, and settle in to work.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: Vulture AMP simulations are going well! Not much left to do before the first testing phase.

SRS: Good for you. I think.

NSH: I did end up having to plan for further iterator genome modifications, though, or it just won’t integrate with the AOS. Might need to get you to tweak my cells again.

SRS: In that case, I think it’ll have to wait for your selfling to visit me and oversee the process. It sounds complex enough I’m wary of making those modifications without guidance.

NSH: That’s for the best anyway~

NSH: Gives me another excuse to come and visit you!

They make a little poncho for Spearmaster, patterned and coloured just how it asks: a light lavender grey, with detailing in pale yellow like Suns’ chassis. It puts the garment on and then prances around in it for hours with glee.

They make a carrying pouch, long and narrow and sturdy, modelled after the quivers ancient People had once used for arrows or crossbow bolts. Suns considers it narrowly, wondering if it would be worthwhile to try to manufacture actual ranged weaponry, but eventually gives it up. Replenishing ammunition during long journeys would be difficult, with the world in its current state. Better to go on with what they intended: they speak to Spearmaster, and in short order fill the quiver with extruded spines. A ready supply, if they need to fight.

They produce dozens of different designs of travel clothing, trying each in turn to see how it works. Cloaks, scarves, ponchos, even chitinous plates of armour, just to try it all. It is difficult to settle on any one design.

“Superfluous, I think,” they say of the armour, inspecting how it sits over their chassis. “At least the full set. It’s cumbersome, and not quite worth it when I am already made of metal.”

“Looks impressive, though,” Spearmaster points out, and they laugh.

“Yes, I suppose so. Still, I won’t travel in it. Now, what next…?”

The final choice, in the end, is not as elaborate as some of the designs Suns has favoured. While they enjoy all of their new outfits, most are simply impractical for travel. This one is simple: a basic shirt and pair of half-trousers, both chassis-tight, and then a nice loose poncho over the top in a gradient of red and orange. It’s still a little plain for their tastes, but they can probably add some jewellery later to satisfy their aesthetics. Most importantly, though: it’s decently practical for travel.

It is also sort of alive.

“Smells strange,” Spearmaster says, a little suspicious, sniffing at one trailing fabric edge as if concerned that it might suddenly pounce. “Like a creature? But not. Simple.” It slaps its tail on the floor, dissatisfied with the words. “Like the simple creatures inside you. Same-like. Like the skin on your selfling?”

“It is very similar,” they allow, and stroke the new material with pleasure. “A simple purposed organism. In theory, when it’s dirty, I should be able to activate a mode where it slowly dissolves and consumes particles that are touching it. In theory. We will see if that holds up to testing. And, also…” Concentrating, they reach out to the passive, mindless organism that is the clothing. It’s nothing as effortless as controlling their own skin, but… “Ah, there we go,” they say, pleased, as the fabric slowly and sluggishly changes colour. Not much, though. It darkens but not all the way to black, and only tints slightly red, instead of going fully the colours they intended.

“Supposed to go darker?” The slugcat inquires, and they shrug.

“It would’ve been nice. Better for aposematic display, hm? But it seems I don’t have the trick of making purposed organism clothing that can change colours fully, yet. Something to work on.” They pat their own side, content. “This will do just fine. Now, to more practical concerns…”

They fit the strap for their spear quiver. They construct the bag they intend to carry with them, and test the fit of that too. Then there is only to consider what to bring along.

Neurons, yes. Pearls, full of data…yes, but what to prioritise? Gifts aside, there have to be practical datasets to bring too.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: I’m starting to pack in preparation to leave.

NSH: Oho, that’s exciting. You think you’re ready?

SRS: As much as I can be. The journey will take a while, anyway, and I’ll have Spearmaster with me. Better to set off sooner rather than later.

SRS: I’ve prepared my clothing, bag and so on, and packed a few obvious things, like the neurons.

NSH: And gifts?

SRS: …Yes. And gifts.

SRS: I’m still uncertain which datasets to prioritise though. Do you have any suggestions?

NSH: Hmm. Things that would be practical while travelling, I suppose? Blueprints on various flora and fauna, old maps and the like. Waypoint and navigation data from your overseers.

NSH: I’d recommend taking iterator schematics and such, but honestly I’ve already got that covered, so no need.

NSH: …Ask your Spearmaster, perhaps. It might know if there’s something you need.

SRS: Now that’s an idea.

NSH: Glad to help~

In fact, what Suns had thought of was this: Spearmaster could communicate with other slugcats, and they clearly had a language. If they are to embark on a journey across the surface, then knowing how to speak to – or at least understand – members of a sapient species along the way…that’s valuable information, for certain.

And, too, it would be unquestionable evidence for No Significant Harassment. That, they think, needs to happen sooner rather than later.

They call Spearmaster over to their puppet chamber, ready and keen to learn whatever it has to offer. “We will be leaving very soon now,” they say, and its ears prick up with alert.

“We will?” It signs, interested, then narrows its eyes. “Not you, though. This you. You cannot leave the room.”

Suns blinks their puppet’s eyes, and agrees “Yes, I meant my selfling. The one that is already finished, at any rate. I think we should leave after the second one is finished and confirmed operational, which will not be long.”

“You are not waiting for the selfling of your friend to arrive, first?”

“No, it would take too long. He’ll visit me afterwards.”

In response to that, their creation draws itself up and – does that thing where it seems it wants to hiss, but can only produce a displeased puff of air through its nose. “How long until he comes?”

“I’m not sure. Weeks, perhaps.”

“You will be alone.” Spearmaster’s signs cut through the air. “Only you, and you. Alone in here.” Its ears flatten back.

“…I will still be able to speak with No Significant Harassment, as usual? Even before his selfling comes?” They say, cautious.

“But you will be lonely,” it says, now visibly agitated. “You always are, when I leave for some days. This time I will be with you, but only one part. The you here, in the body-home – you will be alone again. I said before, ‘I will stay with you’!”

“You will stay with me,” they attempt, bewildered. “Only it will be my selfling – my mobile platform. I will be fine here, I assure you. I lived for a very long time before I created you, you know. A few weeks is nothing to the long life I’ve led.”

Displeased, Spearmaster huffs through its nose. “I do not like it.”

“…Are you worried about me, Spearmaster?” They ask, slowly, and it stares at them.

“Obvious, yes.”

That’s…quite touching, honestly. It makes Suns want to scoop the creature up and hug it, but that would impede its ability to communicate. Most unfortunate. “That’s…very sweet of you, but I promise I will be fine,” they reassure it, reaching out to stroke it between its ears. “Having you along with my selfling will be more important, I think. I still have a great deal to learn from you, and you’re the one who has been out there before.”

Grumpily, it seems to concede that point, and settles just a little. “Have to protect you,” it agrees. “Never been out in living wilds. Dangerous.”

“Yes, I was actually meaning to talk to you about that.” They wait for Spearmaster to tilt its head expectantly before they continue. “I…was hoping you could tell me about the others of your kind. What they’re like – how they live.” They hesitate. “The language they use. You seem to know some of it, yes?”

Spearmaster stares, then inclines its head in a very Person-like nod – only one of many behaviours it has picked up, growing up here. Do those gestures alienate it among its kind? How accepting are they of a slugcat as strange as Spearmaster was made to be? “Yes, I know some,” it confirms. “Not very much. It is…hard to learn, for me. I think I did not start to learn soon enough. Other wanderers, who do not meet others before they are grown – they find it hard to learn, too.”

“It was like that for the People, I recall,” Suns muses, interested. “They did not learn new languages very well, once they were no longer children.”

“Like this, yes,” Spearmaster agrees, then hesitates. “You cannot speak the language, I think. You do not have a tail. But I will show to you, the words I know.”

And so it does.

The name of the language roughly translates to ‘Movespeak’. It is a body-based language, like the sign language that Suns taught Spearmaster, but utilising the entire body, head to tail. Slugcats in the surface wilds apparently vocalise primarily for emotional expression and signalling, so even without a mouth or voice, Spearmaster can speak the language perfectly well.

It demonstrates every word it can think of. When it runs out, Suns asks it to demonstrate the language in use, and they have several conversations to help draw out the particulars: grammar, expressiveness, more vocabulary. In the end, Spearmaster really doesn’t have that much. With its help, Suns compiles a lexicon of 842 Movespeak words, with accompanying knowledge of how to use and understand it.

As language always is, it is…revealing.

…It’s evidence, unquestionably, for the sapience of the species. Even if they’d been pretending that Spearmaster was an exception, there’s no ignoring this. Not unless you were desperate enough to believe that one iterator’s purposed organism had come up with a decent chunk of a conlang in its spare time, with all the alien cultural concepts to go with it.

I must send this to Sig now, they think, with a sinking feeling. And I don’t think it will go well.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: If you have any breathing room around your simulations…

SRS: There’s something I need to share with you.

NSH: Oh well. That sounds ominous.

SRS: It’s fascinating, actually. There’s just…

SRS: …

SRS: I had better just send it. Please brace for a long message.

[850 lines of text; title “Sample of words that exist in Slugcat language, otherwise known as ‘Movespeak’”]

In the heart of a superstructure quite a way southwest, No Significant Harassment’s puppet pauses in the air.

Through his communications systems, each line of text marches in, and he files it all silently into a new data pearl, compiling it as it comes. A whole lexicon, he realises. Not much of one, barely enough vocabulary for basic conversations, but…a language. One that he truly, sincerely cannot bring himself to believe is any kind of joke. Suns would never joke about something like this.

Slowly, he lowers himself to the chamber floor, and closes his eyes.

Far below, at one of the exterior walls of his structure, his massive bioengineering bays hum quietly along. By his standards, they are astonishingly empty. All that lies active: one accelerated growth vat, with the foetal form of a light pink slugcat growing within.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: This…

SRS: I’d send you the proper lexicon, but given it’s a body-based language, I’d need to create text-based images to demonstrate every single word like this. I’ll copy the file across when we can meet in person, though.

NSH: ….

NSH: So even the wild ones are this advanced, then.

SRS: It certainly seems so.

SRS: Even knowing that Spearmaster described their naming conventions to me, and things they’d said to it…it was hard to fully believe until I got it to act out all the vocabulary it knew.

SRS: It says it isn’t very fluent in the language. Enough for mutual understanding, but not much complexity. So there’s certainly a lot more to the language than what I sent to you.

NSH: That’s…horrifying, thank you.

NSH: …

SRS: Are you alright?

NSH: Please, for a second, consider how many of these creatures I’ve engineered.

SRS: …Yes. I know.

SRS: I’m sorry.

NSH: For what? Are you apologising for my own atrocities now?

NSH: Look at this list. They have a word for diplomacy. They have a word for a place where they teach each other and tell stories.

NSH: They have a word for karma, and echoes. They even have a word for the void sea! Based on this list, I half think that some of them might have figured out how to ascend!

SRS: …I know.

NSH: They have art, language, culture – maybe even ascension. And I’ve been experimenting on them for decades.

NSH: …What am I supposed to do with this?

SRS: I don’t know.

In the facility below, the three mis-made offshoots of Sig’s personality are sharing their own selfling body. For lack of biological resources to spare, they are co-piloting for now, a manoeuvre that took some speedy coding and clever new drivers to manage. Two of them quite like living this way; the third is anxious for their own body.

All three of them notice the disturbance shivering through the superstructure.

That felt important, thinks Trivial Botheration, broadcast in the in-between mind-space that the three of them share. What’s going on?

Very Significant Divergence reaches out the body’s hand to the wall, feeling it thrum beneath their artificial skin. The mindwall security system their parent-self had developed is very important here – without that, they all three might have been swept away already, too much a part of the network to keep their senses of self intact. Something’s wrong, I think.

Like damage? Has something broken? Botheration prods at their sense of wireless connectivity anxiously, wanting to check in. The other two hesitate for a moment, then agree. They open connection, just barely enough to transmit and receive data through the heavy mindwalls.

The emotion that is shuddering through every cell and process of No Significant Harassment is…beyond describing.

What happened? Healthy Attachment Behaviour thinks, utterly shocked. Did someone die? Did something happen to Suns?

The thought isn’t comfortable for any of them. No matter what actions they’ve taken to diverge from their parent, it’s hard not to inherit some of the attachment.

I don’t like this. Should we go to his chamber? Find out what’s going on?

Negation, from two sources, one more hesitant than the other. Divergence is firm: No, this is acute. Whatever’s happening, the input is still ongoing. Wait for the news or data or whatever to finish first.

Trivial Botheration wavers about it, then deliberately connects to the superstructure maintenance logs, just to make sure there’s not some ongoing physical crisis, like a fatal dysfunction in a sector somewhere. There’s nothing, though. It’s all clear except for the symptoms of major emotional disturbance. Yes, alright. We’ll wait.

He might want us for moral support, or something, once this finishes, Hab agrees, and as a triad they collectively force themselves to relax. They won’t do Sig any favours by tangling themselves up.

Still. It’s very hard to sit and do nothing.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: I treated them like animals. I thought they were interesting subjects. They’re social, intelligent enough for tool use, take well to training…

NSH: …

NSH: Of course they do. They took well to training because they were people. Little freshly-grown people, who never even had the chance to learn language besides what I shoved into their skulls with the mark of communication.

NSH: I have one growing right now! It’s in me, right this second! Developing in a small organisms cloning vat, completely according to model.

NSH: Just a copy of a creature I’ve used and discarded over and over again.

NSH: A perfect little purpose-grown hunter.

SRS: I’m sorry.

NSH: I might as well have cloned Person neonates and raised them as slaves.

SRS: …Your hunters could have chosen to never come back to your can, if they were unhappy with you.

NSH: Perhaps in theory.

NSH: I was their parent, Suns. I created them and told them what their purpose was, and I was the only familiar being they knew. Their choice was between me, and living out on the surface for good.

NSH: What would you have chosen, in that situation?

SRS: …

NSH: And that’s to say nothing of the last hunter. The one I sent to Moon.

NSH: That poor creature hardly even had any time with me at all. Hardly any time alive at all.

NSH: I put the rot in it. One of the cruellest deaths imaginable, and I put it into a person because I thought it would be a good motivator.

NSH: I put it out into the Cycle like that. Can you even imagine?

SRS: Sig.

NSH: What, are you going to tell me it’s not that bad? That it’s okay because I didn’t know they were people?

NSH: You know that’s not an excuse.

SRS: It’s not, you’re right. It is that bad and it’s not okay at all. I’m not going to tell you otherwise for the sake of your feelings.

NSH: …

NSH: Hah. There’s the old Suns. You never were afraid to tell people when they were being stupid, were you?

SRS: I could’ve stood to be more afraid, to be honest.

SRS: Sig. Listen. I knew this would hit you hard. I also knew that you needed to know.

SRS: The ones you’ve wronged are past forgiving you for what you did to them. But, as one failure of a parent to another…

SRS: I do understand a little of how it feels.

NSH: And what does your Spearmaster think of all of this?

SRS: …Give me a moment.

SRS: …

SRS: Do you want to speak to it? I can translate.

NSH: I

NSH: I don’t know if I can.

SRS: That’s alright. I’ll pass along a few things instead. I think it’s been thinking about this sort of thing for a while.

SRS: This may take some time, so please bear with me.

“I’d like your opinion on something serious, Spearmaster,” Seven Red Suns says, opening their eyes for the first time in many minutes. The slugcat’s eyes turn towards them, blinking with concern, and it slides out of their lap in preparation to speak. “Something…very sad. It will likely upset you.”

“Something happened?” It settles on the floor of the chamber, waiting anxiously.

“No Significant Harassment, like me, has created slugcats before. Were you aware?”

Spearmaster nods. “I never met one. But, I know.”

“Well…like me, he didn’t know that they were people. He never knew that your kind have minds. And he made a lot more of them than I ever have. One of them, grown shortly before Moon collapsed…he made it sick, on purpose.” They avert their eyes, not quite wanting to see how it reacts. “A terrible rot inside, that would eventually kill it. He didn’t do it for malicious reasons, but he did it anyway.”

When at last they look back, Spearmaster’s ears are flattened to its skull, and its tail stiff. “That is horrible,” it says, the motions jerky and strained. “Cruel.”

Seven Red Suns flinches, but what can they say? It’s the truth. “Yes. It was very cruel. And now I have told him that you are all people…and he understands what a terrible thing he has done, long past a time when he can do anything to fix it. That poor sick creature must be long dead by now.”

Their own creation seems like it can barely stand to think of it. It gets up and paces around, full of agitation with nowhere to go. Its throat vibrates like it’s trying to cry out, a keen that it has no voice to utter. “Horrible,” it says, in a brief pause before it starts circling again. “Horrible. Horrible.”

Social, Suns thinks, bitterly. They are such social creatures. Such empathy, for a slugcat it has never met. And we do this to them. “Yes. It is.”

Suddenly, with shocking and violent speed, Spearmaster whirls towards them. Its back is bristling with bumps and spines, tail extruding barbs of white just by virtue of sheer agitation. “What does he say?” It demands, more fierce than Suns has ever seen. “Is he sorry? Does he care that he did a horrible thing?”

“…He cares very much, yes,” Suns says, and sees those spines flatten slightly. It watches them, tense and waiting, clearly not satisfied with that paltry assurance. “He is…very, very upset. More upset than I’ve seen him since our friend Moon collapsed and broke. He knows he has done something terrible, and doesn’t know how he can ever make up for it.”

“He cannot,” Spearmaster says, its signs sharp and brutal. “The creature he wronged is dead. It can never forgive him as I forgave you for what you did wrong to me.”

For a moment, the senseless deeply-held reflexes from their genetic source make them feel – breathless. Shocked, like they’re unable to draw air. But of course they are an iterator, and all the air they need to function is inside them. “…Why in the world would you forgive me at all?”

It stares at him, the usual affection of its gaze washed clear by the horror of what it has learned. “You have been good to me, as much as you could be,” it says. “When you learned that I had a mind, you said you were sorry. That is all I needed, for me. For my peace.” It shakes its head violently and slaps its tail on the floor. “Your friend’s creature – he was not good to it. He can never tell it he is sorry.” It stops at that, considering its own words, eyes narrowed. “…He is sorry? Ashamed, hurting?”

“Very much so,” they agree, still shaken by their own absolution.

“Good,” it says, without a hint of sympathy or remorse. “It will teach him to be careful, next time he is cruel to a creature that does not deserve it. Your kind need more teaching, to be careful.” It rubs the scar on its breast, as though it still aches.

…Yes. Suns will need to have words with Pebbles about that, one of these days. “I agree with you, entirely,” they say softly, and the admission seems to soothe it a little. “We have grown complacent, assured of our position as the most intelligent beings left in the world. It makes us short-sighted.” They hesitate. “Would you be willing to tell your thoughts on this to him?”

It startles. “To your friend? Who harmed his creature?”

“Yes. He asked after you, actually. Wanted to know what you think about what he has done.” They hesitate, then go on. “The raising of many of your kind, treating them like animals all their lives. He made them to hunt for him, and they did, going out and coming back all their lives in his service. And then there was the last one, who he put the rot into.” They sigh, and divert a scrap of attention to the pending chat, where Sig is still waiting. What must he be thinking, over there in his can?

The beginnings of a snarl draw tight lines along the creature’s narrow face. “Why does he want me to speak to him?”

Seven Red Suns considers their words very carefully. “You are the best person in this situation to say something, I think. You are a creature created by an iterator who thought you an animal, and did not treat you well. You are possibly the only one left who can judge him properly now.”

It does not speak for a long, long moment. Eyes narrow, face wrinkled with anger, it ruminates. Finally it says, “I could tell him he is cruel. I could say, what you have done is horrible, and it will stain you forever. ‘You will never make this wrong right. You can never be forgiven.’ I could tell him this, and it would cause him pain. Yes?”

Suns feels the fans in their puppet hum into agitated overdrive, letting loose a rare whir of noise into the air. They don’t want to see what those words would do to their friend. They want, in a brief desperate rush, to retract the offer, and not pass anything along at all.

Instead, they close their eyes, just for a moment. They say, “Yes. It would hurt him a great deal.”

Their creation thinks, and thinks, and thinks. Finally, unhappy but resolute, it comes to a decision. “He does not need to be hurt,” it signs. “What he needs, is to change.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: …

SRS: Apologies for the wait. I had to explain the context.

SRS: It has something to say to you. It’s quite long.

NSH: Go on.

SRS: It says, “If you are like my maker, you have very big thoughts. A very big mind. You have spent a long time like this, and so you forget how to see small things properly. I think this is how Sun did not see that I had a mind, even when I was speaking to them. They were too big, and not looking closely. Your kind are all too used to being big, and looking at smaller creatures like they are nothing. It makes you cruel.”

SRS: “I don’t know how your children felt about you. I did not meet them. Sun tells me they went out for you and came back, like me. Lots of times. Except for the last one. This is because they loved you. Sun did not know I had a mind, but I loved them anyway. Maybe it was the same for yours.”

SRS: “It is sad that they lived as your creatures, you never knowing they had minds. But it is not a cruelty. We are strong creatures, and clever. We can find friends in the wild and live well. If your hunters did not love you enough to return, they would have left. Be sad, and have regrets, but this is not a thing for guilt. They are people. They made their choices.”

SRS: “What you did to the last one, that is a thing for guilt. You should be guilty. It was not a good thing to do. It was cruel and you did not need to do it. But do not sit in your body-home and feel useless shame. It is good for nothing. You cannot change what you did to your creature. What you can do is change you. Sun says you have another child growing. I say, you must do better now.”

SRS: “Let it be a child first, if it is not too late. I was never a child, and I think it was bad for my mind. Be a good maker to it. Teach it to speak, and see what it says to you. Be good to it. I think that is the only thing you can do to make better your mistake.”

SRS: …That’s everything.

NSH: That’s everything, is it?

NSH: …

NSH: Tell it thank you, from me.

SRS: It says it is satisfied to give you its thoughts.

NSH: You know, I never thought I’d be getting ethical advice from the heavily bioengineered descendant of a pipe cleaner.

SRS: …

NSH: I know, I know, not really the time for a joke.

NSH: …What did it mean, about never being a child?

SRS: We decant them half grown or more, as standard procedure.

SRS: I’ve been speaking with Spearmaster these past days, and it says it has difficulty communicating with others of its kind. It did not learn their language young enough, and now struggles with it. It has issues understanding and reading their social cues, too.

NSH: Oh, saints drowning. Like a Person who grew up isolated from other People. Stunted social development? Neurological?

SRS: Something like that, yes.

SRS: Just another thing to regret.

NSH: …The current hunter is still prenatal. I’ve never decanted one as a pup before, but I’m fairly certain when I should, if I want it to emerge a neonate. But I’m not sure what their needs are, that young.

SRS: One moment.

SRS: Spearmaster hasn’t encountered newborn pups before, but has found slightly older pups orphaned once, years ago. Apparently they can eat whatever the adults do, but nothing too large. They like to be carried and tossed around. They watch you very closely to learn from you.

NSH: Right. Right, okay. I’ll…keep that in mind.

NSH: …What happened to the pups it found?

SRS: It gave them to a colony.

SRS: …It was afraid I wouldn’t take it well, if it brought them home.

NSH: Oh, Suns.

SRS: I will admit, it’s more than a little heartbreaking.

SRS: It won’t tell me if it got attached to them. That says enough on its own. I…

SRS: I don’t know what to do about this.

NSH: …Take its advice to me, I suppose. Just do better from now on.

NSH: Have you told it it’s allowed to bring children back, if it wants?

SRS: Of course.

NSH: There you go, then.

NSH: …Void take us, Suns. I don’t know how to do this. I wouldn’t know how to raise a Person hatchling, let alone a pup of a species I didn’t truly think was sapient until today. But I’m going to have to figure it out, aren’t I?

SRS: At the risk of sounding insensitive…I think there’s quite a lot of literature archived from the People on the topic of unanticipated parenthood.

NSH: Ha! If there’s anything in your memory banks about raising slugcat pups, let me know, will you?

SRS: No luck there, I’m afraid.

SRS: …We could try to find some, though.

NSH: What? Slugpup parenting literature?

SRS: No, parent slugcats.

NSH: …

SRS: Spearmaster knows enough of their language to get useful information. When we travel to your can, we can keep an eye out, and then when the three of us head off to Moon and Pebbles’ complex, we can search there too. Pass information back with an overseer and you’re done.

SRS: Unless the pup has to come out soon?

NSH: No, no, it will be a while yet. And I can slow down the accelerated ageing, even so. I probably should. Who knows what that does to the neurological development of a sapient creature, even a foetal one?

SRS: Yes, probably for the best. So you have some time to figure out how to be a parent, at least.

NSH: An iterator as a parent to an organic being. What has the world come to, Suns? This is all so…ugh.

SRS: It makes me wonder if any others out there, isolated off in their own little pockets, have found out about any of this.

NSH: Maybe there’s thriving local groups of iterator slugcat parents out in the world somewhere. Maybe they have little slug colonies and teach them about science.

SRS: …

SRS: …You know, Moon would probably love that idea.

NSH:

NSH: She really did like those little things, didn’t she.

NSH: I wonder if she still does. I wonder what she’d think of me now.

SRS: She’ll be happy to see you. I’m certain of it.

NSH: I hope so. I really hope so.

A small creature steps outside.

In the humid mist of early morning, with Suns’ rain still drizzling, Spearmaster slips down the side of their creator’s body-self and goes questing across the surface. It has a task, though self-appointed, and it fully intends to carry it out.

Below, the land is well known to it. For all that it can feed perfectly well from the meat tanks at home, this does not quite satisfy; it descends to hunt better prey fairly often, then feeds the bodies to Suns’ legs. In this manner, it has grown familiar with the regions within the retaining walls. Not quite its territory, but familiar nonetheless.

The rains stop, and the skies clear. In the wet aftermath, all the vegetation comes alive again, unfurling from the earth and spreading stalk and flower and leaf back into the air. Spearmaster smells it all with pleasure. One grows weary of the scent of dust and metal, after long enough.

The scent they are here to search for, though, will be harder to find.

It checks each of the likely places: by the popcorn plants, along the mudfish river, and all the other best places for a normal creature to find food. They kill and drain a lizard along the way, and for all that they are much older than they once were, it is still easy. They carry on.

The day is half gone before they catch the scent; another slugcat has passed by, and recently.

Their ears perk up, and they press forwards. Perhaps, if they are lucky, they can find her before the rains come.

It wouldn’t do, to make Suns worry.

---

Yeah so that’s a more depressing chapter. Had to be done, though.

Please note: Hunter is dead as in canon. She ascended. There will be no miracle curing her of the rot, simply because I find the emotional fallout of this option more interesting to explore. The closest thing remaining to Hunter in this story is the prenatal pup currently growing in a tube, who is an exact genetic match but without the bonus cancer.

Sig’s three pseudo-children are as follows: Very Significant Divergence (Divergence), Healthy Attachment Behaviour (Hab), and Trivial Botheration (Triv/Botheration). Their gender identities are still very much in flux and their pronouns changing constantly. Each of them are taking different measures to diverge from NSH, because otherwise their lives would be very uncomfortable. At present they’re sharing a body, which TB and HAB are having a great time with. VSD not so much.

Meanwhile, Suns is probably angling to become the fashion guru of the local group. Good for them!!

Art of the outfit Suns decides on this chapter, with bonus jewellery:

https://tenspontaneite.tumblr.com/post/719412808752807936/two-different-colours-of-my-first-srs-outfit-im

Fun note: as of yesterday I have now written 50k of Assembly since 20th of May, which means I’m like a week+ ahead of a nanowrimo basically. Quite pleased with that ngl.

Rating on ao3 is going up. Check the ao3 version’s end notes for details on that.

Please tell me what you liked! Keeping the hyperfocus going is hard work, and every comment is massively helpful, in tags or otherwise <3 also I love stats on my stories. likes or kudos or bookmarks. number go up make brain go brr

#rain world #seven red suns #no significant harassment #rw spearmaster

18 notes · View notes

andromedaexists · 9 months

Text

WUPDATE: CALL ME ICARUS

𝚆𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟷𝟿𝚝𝚑 || 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚙 𝙽𝚊𝙽𝚘

y'all i am so busy rn that i forgot to keep yous updated on my progress. moving forward i am going to try and be more present here, i am going to work my way through my backlog of tag games this weekend and queue up all the writing yous tagged me in.

this month is camp nano and it has kept my mighty busy. here is a list of things that has happened this month:

finished the prologue and chapters 1-10. i got them up for betas to read (if you'd like to beta for CMI, the form is still open to apply here)

got in contact with an artist and started the process of commissioning them for a cover (they just sent me the concept sketch and im!!!!!)

set an official publication date (announcement coming soon 👀👀👀)

submitted a query! (and realized that i don't want to trad pub so i'm self pubbing instead!)

started talking to formatting editors. i'm not sure if i'll be able to afford a good formatting review before publication, but i am in talks with someone who will let me use their Vellum!

started research on how to self pub/what company i want to go through (and actually set up a channel where i can dump my research once i compile it!)

cried a lot over this whole process. a lot.

so yeah! a lot has happened! a lot of good stuff, but a lot of stressful stuff as well! that's okay though, i'm just over the moon that i have an official pub date 🥰

i'm going to push through to the end of camp nano, but i am going to try and get back into weekly wupdates and just talking about writing a lot more. i was a little hesitant about joining camp nano given how bad regular nano went for me last year, but a new server i joined has really helped me find my love of writing again (thank you doom and clanky and so many others that i met through the bird app, i love you all)

anyways, enough rambling. let's get to what you guys are really here for: snippets! i am going to add a couple here (read, a snippet for each chapter i've missed updating here) to make up for my relative silence as of late:

Chapter 5:

There are two more encounters listed below it, but before Icarus can read them over he is distracted by a flash of gold entering the shop. His eyes shoot up, latching to the new patron standing in line with their back to him. It’s normal for bright colors and movement to grab his attention, but this time something feels different. He can’t put his thumb on it, but his brain is telling him that he should recognize them. It’s screaming that he should know who they are. But for the life of him, he cannot make out who it is. Whomst? The fuck? From this distance, he can’t see anything that might tell him who they are. Their plain black clothes could be the tell of an Elysian, but that isn’t a guarantee. The only truly identifiable trait is the halo of blond curls cascading over their shoulders. Why do I feel like I know them?

Chapter 6:

Ariadne whistles, a long and appreciative sound as she sees her husband’s work. The tattoo had been a beast to heal, but the hours of torturous pain and restless nights of endless itching had been well worth it. He spent days ogling the tattoo after it had first healed, the feathers look so real that you can almost feel them when running your hands over the inked skin. It is everything he wanted and then some. A feather-light touch runs down the etched skin. There is only one person who had ever touched him with that kind of reverence, his artist must have gotten up to inspect the tattoo. He is admiring his art—as he should—when he says, “Looks like you should have used more lotion.” He lets go of one edge of the hoodie to flip him the bird. It’s impossible to hide anything from his artist, of course, and he knew that his lackluster care would be noted. There are likely small splotches where the ink had fallen out due to his poor moisturizing regiment, but it’s not like he has much of a choice in that. Icarus drops the back of his hoodie with a sigh as he turns to face the artist again. YOU KNOW? HARD REACH AREA ALONE. His eyebrows raise as he speaks, his signs becoming large and boisterous. He then mimes trying to reach the middle of his back. That gets a chortle out of his artist and Ariadne. He hadn’t thought to consider how he would need to reach every part of his back before getting the tattoo, and the fact that he doesn’t have anyone in his life to help him makes it that much worse.

Chapter 7:

“Look,” Andromeda levels at him, voice growing in intensity as they say, “I understand that you don’t quite trust me yet. I mean, we just met yesterday. Hell, I don’t even know your name yet! But-” “Icarus.” He grabs the hoodie on the left and pulls it over his head. He takes a moment to pull his hair up and fasten it in a ponytail before turning and leaning back against the closet door. “My name is Icarus.” “Okay. Icarus. Y’know, that fits.” Their voice is calmer, quieter, as if that piece of information is enough to placate them. Icarus huffs. The name really does fit him, doesn’t it? Always jumping into things without thinking of the consequences, taking risks, and keeping shit close to his chest until he gets a bit too close to hubris and starts to fall apart. Falling in love with the sun personified. Burning, falling, crashing, drowning. Yeah, the name fits him. The only difference between him and the Icarus of myth is that he died at the end of his story. Icarus has no plans of dying. No, he plans of making it out the other end of his story and living to tell the tale.

Chapter 8:

“I thought the whole ‘Oh, Hestia has a pizza shop?’ ordeal would tell you that I have no idea where to go.” Huh, yeah, that should have clicked with him. It’s not like they could search up directions, they likely don’t have a phone just the same as him. Can’t risk having a way for someone to use GPS to locate him. It’s not like he has anyone to keep in contact with, anyways. “It’s just down the street. Go out the front of the building and head down West Saint Clair, it’s just past fourth street. I’d say can’t miss it but you very much could, there’s no sign out front. It’s the only building that looks like there’s someone living in it on that block, though.” “Got it. West Saint Clair, Fourth Street, not-abandoned building.” Andromeda repeats the directions to themself as they head towards the front door. “Anything else while I’m out?”

Chapter 9:

How could he forget? “Καιρὸς δε, Thanatos,” he mumbles as he stretches his arms out in front of him and rests his forehead on the blissfully cool counter. “And here I was thinking you weren’t gonna remember me.” Long gone is the shrill and timid voice of a sickly kid, replaced by one of the most soothing and deep tones Icarus had ever heard. “…Fair ‘nuff.” The vibrations of a glass hitting the counter top make Icarus look up. A glass of water, just water. He groans, that is not what he wants right now. He’s craving the sweet buzz of an energy drink, but that will require him to get up and walk around the island to grab one. Andromeda chuckles, not moving an inch as they watch Icarus suffer over the glass. “Quit pouting and drink.” He drops his head, turning his face away from the glass. “Oh come on, you big baby. Deja de hacer un berrinche y bebe.” They poke his cheek as he pouts. “Mira, food’s ready. Sit up and eat.”

Chapter 10:

“Why are we running?” they ask, gasping for air after the impromptu sprint. Icarus points to the bird as it hops along the ridge of the tent. He turns to watch their reaction, this is a big deal. Their eyes widen and their jaw drops open, they are just as shocked as he is. His smile has not left, though it dulls as their face drops to sadness and grim acceptance. What? “A crow.” Before he can say anything the look is gone. They beam a bright smile at him. “I can’t believe you found a bird! That’s definitely good luck for us.” But it’s not, their reaction sits wrong with him. He squints his eyes, watches them to see if that glimpse of despair will surface again. When it doesn’t, Icarus forces a smile on his face. If they don’t want to talk about it then he isn’t going to talk about it.

Okay, i think that's enough of a writing dump for now. here's the CMI Taglist:

@flowerprose @isherwoodj @cream-and-tea @touchingmadness @lockejhaven @marinesocks @wildswrites @the-finch-address @writingpotato07-deactivated2023 @leighvalentin @inkspellangel @cljordan-imperium @outpost51 @alleahgrinnon @smol-feralgremlin

Please fill out this form to be added or ask to be removed!

#call me icarus #wip update #writing #writeblr #wip excerpt #wupdate #tragedy #adult fantasy #dark fantasy #andi writes

11 notes · View notes

cactusspatz · 2 years

Text

August recs

August was too hot to live and weirdly stressful, so I've only got a handful of new stories plus a whole lot of my favorite tropes (so much amnesia!) and fic from fandoms I'm technically not in.

NEW STUFF

I Got My Head Checked by @frostbitebakery (Star Wars, Cody/Obi-Wan)

Below the observation deck, the Marshal Commander of the Third Systems Army is being divested of his armor and weapons, shackles heavy on his wrists. He doesn’t struggle, only a mulish stubborn twist to his jaw showing his displeasure at the situation.

Obi-Wan opens his eyes, steps back from the observation window. “I need a week.”

OR: In which Cody wasn’t trained for a Sith sliding into a moral dilemma because of him.

So apparently I AM weak for a Sith!AU when it's an amazing enemies-to-lovers with a redemption arc? Awesome story with beautiful art by the author. It's written in an unusual vignette format that might not be for everyone, but I thought it let the author cover a wide ensemble and scope of story and tonal shifts very effectively.

To the Letter by glimmerglanger (Star Wars, Cody/Obi-Wan)

“How you feeling, sir?” he asked, eyeing his General. They’d, at least, managed to all evac back to the shuttles without losing anyone, leaving the noxious-smelling laboratory where they’d found a pack of Seppy scientists working on new biological weapons behind.

“I’ll be fine, Commander,” Obi-Wan said, without opening his eyes, his voice thick and hoarse. “But comm ahead, would you, and make sure the medics are ready for me.”

OR, the one were Obi-Wan gets dosed with an especially nasty toxin, and Cody helps him survive the following hours.

The first chapter of this story was originally a standalone that I remember thinking was incredibly hot but emotionally unresolved, but glimmerglanger just posted a second chapter where Cody gets into a mirrored situation and it really balances out the whole piece.

Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy (The Untamed, Wangxian)

Lan Zhan’s new liaison at the Caiyi Municipal Cultivation Department is an enigma – ridiculously talented, yet somehow content with mopping up spiritual pests for barely above minimum wage. Wei Ying is slapdash and irresponsible, and Lan Zhan doesn’t like him at all… but then he meets A-Yuan, who loves music and longs for a piano his father can’t afford.

Forced into cautious friendship by a four-year-old's music lessons, Lan Zhan soon realises Wei Ying is more than he seems. The single father is a man of many secrets – including, perhaps, the key to Lan Zhan's life's work. And in the meantime, the background resentment in Caiyi Town is rising to dangerous levels…

I've already recced this by reblogging the fic notice, but it's so great! Plot and romance and feels all well-balanced and creative, with adorable kid content, plus I loved Lan Zhan's research into reconstructing musical cultivation, the modern cultivation worldbuilding generally, and the Lan brothers dynamic.

More tropey recs under the cut!

AMNESIA

Exile by Marchling (Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec)

Imogen Herondale hated Alec Lightwood.

Everyone from Jia Penhallow all the way through Jace himself knew of her animosity towards the person that she felt held her grandson back from the all that the Herondale name deserved. Despite this, Alec never thought she would actually move against him because to hurt him was to hurt Jace.

He had been wrong.

Now, Alec had no runes. His memories were gone. He had no idea who he was, why there was a ragged wound inside of him that he couldn't see or how he had gotten to this abandoned apartment in San Francisco.

All he knew was that monsters were tracking him and staying alive might take more strength than he had.

Technically all that I know about this fandom I got from a four-hour compilation of Malec clips I watched on YouTube, but this fic combined three of my very favorite tropes (amnesia, homelessness, framed/falsely accused) in one glorious h/c epic that just fucking came for my id. Loved it!

Body of Memory by glorious_spoon (Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec)

After a patrol gone very wrong, Alec Lightwood comes to in the infirmary with no memory of the past three years, and that turns out to be just the beginning of his problems. There's an ominous plot afoot, a possible traitor at the Institute, and he's pretty sure that he ought to remember the handsome warlock who was waiting beside his bed when he woke up...

This is a great pairing for amnesia, because they had to work SO hard to get together, and their world changed so much in the process - so it's fun to temporarily reset one of them to zero and watch them fall in love all over again, hah. Fun casefile as well!

And you yourself shall keep the key of it by RubyCaspar (Miss Fisher, Jack/Phryne)

Jack is all set to follow Phryne until a bad accident in a raid leaves him with a serious head injury. When he wakes up, he can't remember anything of the last seventeen months, and as far as he's concerned, Miss Fisher is just that rather exasperating, eccentric lady who's interfered with two of his murder investigations.

Gorgeously cozy and soft h/c fic with a hefty dose of pining, just the way I like it.

OTHER

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by laiqualaurelote (Miss Fisher, Jack/Phryne)

Across a harrowing three days, Jack talked Agent Foxtrot through an increasingly improbable series of escapades and was disobeyed by her a grand total of 117 times. Eventually they managed to fob off nuclear war without destroying any Unesco heritage sites, and then Jack went home and slept for fifteen hours and returned to his office feeling marginally closer to human, only to see perched on his desk an extraordinarily beautiful woman in a frock the colour of fresh blood, spinning the chamber of a shiny golden pistol.

The AU in which Phryne is a secret agent and Jack is her long-suffering handler.

I'm quite wary of modern AUs in this fandom, since Phryne is so much a product of her time and history, but this fic nailed it AND had spy shenanigans and that dynamic I love about this pairing where they've got trust and intimacy and friendship, and yet keep shying away from a relationship because of their issues (but they get there eventually).

Nor Any Drop by @philomytha (Biggles series, gen)

Blowing up the reservoir has more consequences than Biggles expected.

So I still have not read any of these books (yet), but this is a GREAT horror-thriller story set in WWI. Just sit back and enjoy these two being exceedingly honorable slashy undercover enemies (juggling five identities between them!) while trying to survive a terrifying supernatural threat.

What's In A Name? by flawedamythyst (Our Flag Means Death, Ed/Stede)

Captains Grey and Edwards, retired merchant sailors, moved to town a couple of years ago. Tom, the local pub landlord, has spent most of the time since trying to ignore the many, many things they do that directly contradict who they're claiming to be. Still, it's all worth it to have the protection of two legendary pirates for the town.

Sorry, not legendary pirates. Merchant captains. Who are just best friends and definitely nothing else.

Exceptionally cute look at a hypothetical retirement for them, from a charming outsider POV.

Finding Your Bliss by AirgiodSLV (Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec)

On the pathway to Alexander Lightwood's advanced sexual enlightenment, Magnus starts simple. Or rather, he backpedals to simple, because Alec takes one look at the bedroom Magnus has transformed into a BDSM dream dungeon, turns around and walks right back out again.

My favorite kind of misunderstanding fic - i.e. they're communicating healthily but just coming from such different points that it takes them a while to work things out. Sexy, funny, great characterization.

#star wars #cody/obi-wan #codywan #shadowhunters #magnus/alec #malec #amnesia #miss fisher #jack/phryne #biggles #ofmd #ed/stede #the untamed #wangxian #monthly recs #fic rec

50 notes · View notes

marengogo · 2 years

Text

NAKED - 2: Lips on Neck

Clarity - by Saleka [CLARITY]

[Music is a very big part of my life and I’m MOSTLY INCAPABLE of writing without music, so I just thought I'd share what I am listening to while writing this]

–🐺–🐺–🐺–

I know. I know. I know. My next post was supposed to be about Jikook and the Art of Silence … but I am INFJ-T … so I follow my feelings (for the most part) and as a result, I’d like to talk about that particular occurrence in the lives of JM and JK for a second. All that chest, waist, butt and neck talk made me rethink about Hickeygate!

Like I do, in this come naked second of the blog, I’d like to begin with stripping them down of EVERYTHING that has happened to them previous to the day in which JK, at the time a 23 year old young man, vocalist of a band named BTS, came out of a car with a mark on his neck, ready to go to rehearsal. Soon after him, from the same car, out came another young man by the name of JM, also a vocalist for the same band. If I may add, the fact that they came out of the same car should also be stripped down from this story and simply regarded as facts.

This information is being given to us through a compilation provided to us by the company of said band, HYBE. The DVD/compilation is called “BTS Memories of 2020” and it is paid content (there is a whole can of worms about paid content, but this is not for today’s essay…), which is edited by HYBE and mostly directed to ARMY, who are BTS’ fans BUT … we already know aaaaall of that right? So we shall not go deep into the various objective of this DVD, as this is about the two boys: Jungkook and Jimin.

When the cameraman addresses JK, who is monitoring JM’s rehearsal and asks him what happened to his neck, the young man said and I quote -

JK: “Yesterday, Jiminie-hyung and I played around while having drinks. Jiminie-hyung got dizzie and bit me. He bit me and it became like this”

Translation: phorenJJ

In the following scene Jimin is confronted with regards to JK’s mark. This time, the cameraman chooses a different approach and questions JM while he is in the company of JK and two other bandmates (Tae and Jin). JM replies and I quote:

Jimin: “... Jungkookie carried me and kept on going round and won’t let me down so I bit”

Translation: phorenJJ

From both boys’ versions of the event at some point: Jimin’s teeth were on Jungkook’s neck as they both used the word bite. Now I know it didn’t look like a bite. To many, including myself, it looked like a hickey BUT, let's strip them down of that as well. OK? Teeth are located inside the mouth, right? And the mouth is made of lips, just like an ass is made of buttcheecks. Thus, let’s chalk it up to the fact that, at some point during that night, JM's lips were on JK’s neck.

Now, let’s take a second. Let’s imagine. You’ve been drinking. For those who have never drank, it makes you feel lighter, it lowers inhibitions, and the more your drink the less you can control your bodily functions as well; you really need to concentrate in order to do something properly.

Let’s take a step back. Jungkook and Jimin are bandmates but also friends. In a location that is not provided to us, they were drinking, alone, as Tae and Jin seem to have no idea of what was going on. How do you drink with your friends? I'm usually seated at a table on a chair, so are my friends / friend. Some might be on a table, or by a window etc. But each on their own. And we are not talking about drinking while watching a movie or doing something else, because that is another situation and I do believe it would have been mentioned. This was just a drinking and talking night, it seems. Now here comes the piece of information we do not have: How did JM end up getting carried by JK?

Take a second and let’s continue to try to imagine. What could have made JK want to get up and carry JM? ...

So let’s change the scenario. Let’s have them standing, what could have made them be standing? Maybe JM observed that JK now is so strong that he can carry him for example like he does in No more Dream! He knows, JK knows. So … would they need to demonstrate the fact to themselves? I’d say no, but they’ve drank, so for the sake of argument let’s say that JM wants to have JK show him how easily he can carry him … for some reason … and JK agrees. They both stand up and JK carries JM bridal style. Cool. Yeah, cool but apparently there was spinning.

… Let’s keep imagining.

Once being carried, (not for the first time because Jungkook has carried Jimin bridal style many times) they both confirm and can see that Jungkook can carry Jimin, but for some reason JK decides that it is a good idea to start spinning them. Now mind you, they have both been drinking at this point and the last thing you want to do is start spinning. Like, I’m what you call a liquor enthusiast (... to put it nicely 😬…) and TRUST MY PEOPLE, spinning is really the last thing you want to be doing as the brain and the body would not sync and lots can happen from dizziness to throwing up.

… but let’s keep imagining.

At some point during this very controlled, yet under the influence, rendition of No More Dream, JM decides that he wants to get down but JK doesn’t let him. From what we’ve observed JM usually pats JK’s chest to let him down, which he probably tried that night without avail. At which point, apparently we are still spinning (JK is Clark Kent …) and the next thing JM thinks is to bite him. Except, there are no teeth marks at all BUT we will call it a bite mark. JK must have not felt the bite at all or maybe didn’t mind it, and for his neck to get that bruise it means JM was on the neck for more than 15sec at least… after which we have no idea what happened. All we know is that they both showed up together to rehearsal with a clear mark which JK could have covered but didn’t. I’ll get back to this but before this, let’s take a quick step back and rely on some good ol’ physics real quick

Have you ever been on a spinning ride? If you haven't, what happens is that you will be kept closer to the outer edges of what is spinning because of the centrifugal force, which depending on its strength, would make it very hard for you to reach the centre of whatever is spinning. In the bridal spin situation, JK was the center and JM was at the edge of “the ride” and depending on how fast JK was spinning, it would have been hella hard for JM to reach JK’s neck. Now let’s say that JK was spinning him slowly …

try to imagine two tipsy grown ass men slowly spinning in the middle of a room, alone, while one is being carried bridal style and reaching out to bite the spinner in order to make him stop … LOL.

This is not just JM calling JK cute, or JK slapping JM’s but, or JM pinching JK’s cheeks, or JK shaking JM’s hands. This is literally JM’s lips and tongue (now stay with me on the PG lane please! 👮) on JK’s neck, and no matter how blurry the concept of personal space is for every member in that band, they do have boundaries. We don’t know in fact if JM spent the night or if the same car did its rounds to go pick them up from separate locations … but that really doesn’t matter does it? As we get back to our speculation of what might have happened, let’s imagine JK, waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror and finding that mark on his neck. We all know that JK has plenty of makeup available, because of work but also personal choice, so covering that up was definitely going to be

... but he didn’t.

And here come my thoughts - JKK_OBSERVATION_5.mg - Part of me thinks that if it were left to himself, when asked about the “bite”, he’d just say that Jimin bit him, but JM had them agree on a story to go with. And it wasn’t like the area hurt or anything, homeboi was touch the hell out of the mark and the whole day the only people that were allowed to touch that “bite” were the bitten (JK) and the biter (JM), now I ask you, if this were just some messing around among friends as some are trying really hard to make it look like, would JK be so sensitive about who touches a non important mark on his neck? I also feel like lowkey (highkey) JK was kinda proud and happy about being able to just walk around with that bite on his neck, I think that was a personal important moment for himself. Not sure what Jimin thought but as the biter he couldn’t quiet dictate how the bitten handled his body, right? Many will also downplay the meaning of a hickey, but let me tell you, just like when you write your name on something to make sure people know it is yours, if you apply that concept from human to human, I can guarantee you, there is nothing remotely platonic about leaving one's own mark on someone else’s body. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

And that’s all from me!

About to go watch Eternals with a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon,

Always respectfully Yours,

Marengo.

#JKK NAK #JKKobservationsMG #Jikook #The Bite #JM #JK

56 notes · View notes

flowerboycaleb · 3 months

Text

january is usually a pretty meh month when it comes to bunch of great records dropping, but this january might be an exception. plenty of amazing new albums here! especially that new glass beach record which i can already tell is going to be in my rotation for a long time to come. anyways, here are my thoughts on all the albums listed above! to check out my thoughts on some of the songs that dropped this month click here!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

plastic death - glass beach

🥇 ALBUM OF THE MONTH

◇ genres: indie rock, art rock, progressive rock I was very unfamiliar with glass beach. I was kinda aware of them, but never really got a chance to dive into the band's music. The hype both leading up to the album and from the first initial impressions of it when it dropped made me check this out. I'm so glad I did. Usually, I'm a bit weary of sprawling, genre-bending albums, but glass beach manages to execute it so perfectly. The band takes inspiration from tons of different places, most notably Radiohead with a lot of art rock instrumentation throughout as well as some of the vocal performances. These never come off as super derivative or anything, at least to my ears. The band manages to take these sounds and shape them into something uniquely theirs. Across the little over an hour runtime glass beach masterfully showcases their strong suits. Very rarely did this album ever lose my attention or ever feel disjointed. Each song had at least one "oh, I wasn't expecting that" moment too. Pretty much every sonic detour the band takes here is a welcome surprise. From the power pop stylings of "puppy" to the screamo-inspired vocals on “slip under the door", this album is full of so many surprises. Lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist J is a key reason why these shifts work so well. She's able to adapt her voice perfectly to everything. From the relatively smaller-scale catchy indie rock or the more grand proggy moments, they're matching it so well. The other members of the band also obviously deserve massive props for this as well. Pulling off an album this ambitious is a tall task, but even after multiple listens, I'm blown away at how cohesive it all sounds. plastic death is one of the finest rock (for lack of a better descriptor) albums in recent memory. I didn't even properly get into how great the lyricism is or just how good the band is at crafting memorable hooks. There is so much to love about this album. Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, but I can see myself loving this more and more in future listens as the year rolls on. I'll probably also end up giving this a proper, in-depth write-up when it comes time to compile my favorite albums of the year list. I really wanna dive into the lyricism on the album because I think it’s really interesting, but I do need more time with it. Anyway, this album is great!

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Wall of Eyes - The Smile

◇ genres: art rock, post-rock

Not too long after The Smile's debut record, we're getting the follow-up. A lot of the things I loved about A Light for Attracting Attention also apply to Wall of Eyes. It sounds like Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are having fun making music again. That's not to say the last Radiohead record was bad, I think it's a masterpiece actually, but there was grief and pain around every corner. It feels like they found the fun in making music again once they teamed up with former Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner and formed this band. The sounds featured on both The Smile records are a bit different than what you would hear from any of their previous work. As a MASSIVE Radiohead fan, this is so exciting. Hearing them dive into post-rock, math rock, krautrock, and many different other sounds is so cool. Are they the best representation of all these sounds? Not really, but there's just an air of excitement surrounding these songs. It feels like they're just following what feels right. The soft, bossa nova flavoring of the title track is a good example of that. Yorke's vocals just kinda bounce along in a very satisfying way. Lyrically the song doesn't exactly grab you, but it just feels so good. "Under Our Pillows" is one of my favorite tracks here and is one where you can hear the Krautrock influence. There are so many cool things the band explores here that it's hard to list all of my favorite moments. I love hearing them explore sounds that wouldn't be found on a Radiohead album. My favorite track here is "Bending Hectic" by a pretty wide margin. That's not a knock on the record at all, it's just a testament to how amazing this track is. When it first dropped last summer, I was obsessed with it, and hearing it in the context of this record makes it that much better. This was a really great album!

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ORQUÍDEAS - Kali Uchis

◇ genres: contemporary R&B, latin pop

Like a lot of people, my first introduction to Kali Uchis was through Tyler, the Creator's Flower Boy. Her amazing feature on "See You Again", the album's biggest track, was incredible and one of the most standout things about the entire album. From there I listened to Isolation and have been keeping up with her new releases ever since. She has been incredibly consistent both with her English language albums and her Spanish albums. This new record is one of the latter and it honestly might be my favorite album of hers to date. Everything about this album is just intoxicating. From the hazy opener, "¿Cómo así?, to the bolero stylings of "Te mata", this album just pulls everything off so well. We also have her signature dreamy vocal delivery throughout and it's so beautiful. Most notable on the second song "Me pongo loca." She enlists the help of some other big Latin musicians here and their presence is very welcome here. I was especially impressed by Peso Pluma's feature on the third track. Overall, ORQUÍDEAS might be Kali Uchis' best record to date. Incredibly consistent, excellently produced, and so much fun to listen to.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Obsidian Wreath - Infant Island

◇ genres: screamo, post-metal I always feel the need to make a disclaimer that I feel out of my depth when discussing metal or most other subgenres of it. No matter how much I explore this sound I always feel like I'm on the outside looking in. Anyway, the point is, I don't think I'm the right person to go to for metal opinions. However, I really enjoyed this new Infant Island record. The band shifts from thundering instrumentation with growled vocals to lush, almost atmospheric instrumentation at a moment's notice. I find myself being a big fan of the albums in this genre that offer a decent amount of variety in the instrumentation. It gives the album so much more depth and texture. The musicianship on here is really impressive, but I have to give a special shoutout to the band's drummer. He's doing some crazy things on this album and it made all of these tracks that much more compelling. The lyricism here is what you would expect, but they're delivered in such a way that hits hard. The moments where the band shift into a more blackgaze sound are particularly arresting. I thought this was really good and I enjoy it more every time I revisit it.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Bicycle - Patricia Taxxon

◇ genre: IDM I'm not super familiar with Patricia Taxxon's music overall. I enjoyed Agnes & Hilda a decent amount, but besides that, I'm kinda clueless. From what I can gather, she's a pretty prolific artist with a ton of different projects to her name. After hearing Bicycle, I might be so inclined as to dive into some of those projects! There are some really cool and unique production choices here. Like the metallic clicks on the opener interwoven with some nice synths. That dynamic appears all over the album come to think of it. Thin-sounding snaps and crackles acting as the anchor of the track while something wild happens above it. "Frat Claws" is a great example of this. They also work well on the excellent closer "I Do." It's very lush and ties the album up in such a nice way. My only issues are that sometimes that sound would wear thin for me and the non-instrumental tracks didn't interest me all that much. I do appreciate the direction Taxxon was trying to take them in though. Check this one out if you like cool electronic music or if you're a furry (i may be both or neither, i'll never tell!!!)

listen here: Apple Music (not available) Spotify (not available) Bandcamp SoundCloud (not available) YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Keep It Goin Xav - Xaviersobased

genres: jerk rap, cloud rap, plugg

I found out about this mixtape from the really interesting Pitchfork review of the project by Alphonse Pierre. The way Pierre wrote about it had me interested even though I'm not really familiar with the jerk rap or the plugg scenes of hip hop. Fortunately, I found a lot to enjoy with this mixtape. The production choices were really interesting and created a cool dynamic with Xavier's often lackadaisical delivery. Sometimes that kind of style would wear thin for me, but I can see that being a me thing. This could be the perfect "vibe" album for some.

It's hard to single out a specific track for that reason. Everything kinda flows together in both good and bad ways. The just under 30-minute runtime works in the project's favor because of that. Xavier is really good at making earworms though. The hook on "Ascend" was stuck in my head for days after listening. Not every track has one of those super memorable hooks, which is disappointing, but plenty do. Overall, I didn't adore it as much as Pierre did in his review, but this is one to check out. I feel like Xavier has a ton of potential and is definitely someone to keep an eye on in the future.

listen here: Apple Music (not available) Spotify (not available) Bandcamp (not available) SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Little Rope - Sleater-Kinney

◇ genre: indie rock To preface this, I adore Sleater-Kinney. Their run of albums from Dig Me Out through The Woods is some of the finest indie rock of all time. The band went on hiatus following that record and then returned in 2014 for the run they're on currently. I've heard very mixed things about these post-hiatus albums overall, but I hadn't heard any of them until Little Rope. I enjoyed some of the singles leading up to this record, like "Hell" and "Say It Like You Mean It", but the rest of the album fails to keep that energy going. It isn't a BAD album by any means, it's just ... fine. Occasionally good, but mostly fine and nothing more. You will get some glimpses of their former glory, but they just never take these songs in any new directions. Even the tracks I mentioned earlier don't really live up to the standards set by their best work. They still get super fuzzy and noisy, but they lack the immediacy and the tension of like "The Fox" for example. It feels like they're going through the motions, which sounds fine if you don't think about it too much. A bit disappointed by this one, but with its brief runtime it's worth a shot.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It's Sorted - Cheekface

◇ genres: geek rock, indie rock, new wave

I feel very conflicted about this album, to be honest. Everything on this album is painfully witty. Everything is a joke in some way which gets so exhausting. Most of the songs here are charming and well-performed, but you have to be very, very funny to pull off a full album of this stuff and I don’t think Cheekface pulled it off here. I understand that’s a very subjective thing and if you dig this late-millennial style of humor you’ll probably get a kick out of this!

Some of these songs are pretty amusing though. I really like “I Am Continuing to Do My Thing” which features a jerky, new-wave rhythm to it which I had fun with. I also enjoyed "Popular 2" which has a bit of a power pop thing going on. Most of these songs are structured decently well, but it's just the lyrics that make me roll my eyes. A good bit of this album meditates on fame and success which does provide a sense of cohesion, but I just find it hard for me to really connect with these songs. I realized a few songs in that I'm probably not the target audience for this. I'm sure if I was like 30 or so I would have a ball with this album, but as it stands now I would much rather listen to a They Might Be Giants album if I wanted to scratch the itch this record is attempting to.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud (not available) YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

New Last Name - Courting

◇ genres: post-punk revival, indie rock

This is such a big step down from their last album. I only heard the single "Flex" going into New Last Name and it's easily the best track here. The rest of the album features the big choruses reminiscent of 90s alt-rock hits that were present on both the band's previous album Guitar Music and the aforementioned "Flex", but unlike those most of the songs on the whole are just one big mess. The verses usually sound bad, both because of the off-putting production and the weak writing. One of the worst offenders here is "We Look Good Together (Big Words)" which sounds like they're doing a parody of The 1975 and I really don't like The 1975!!! That track features one of the few forays into indietronica territory and it never sounds very good. Even if the song structure and almost everything else is lacking, the band can still pull off a really good chorus here and there. The problem is they aren't worth sitting through the rest of the tracks to get through. Besides "Flex", I did find some enjoyment in "Emily G" and the last two tracks. Mostly because they reminded me of their last album. I'm all for bands evolving and trying different things, but New Last Name just feels misguided. Hoping they can come together for a better follow-up.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Saviors - Green Day

◇ genres: alternative rock, pop punk

Green Day has been in a very rough spot for quite a while now. They've been seemingly unable to recapture that "magic" that was present in their earlier work. They've been failing at diving into new sounds, failing to rehash the old ones in an interesting way, and failing to make a single great cohesive album ever since like 2009. Coming on the heels of perhaps their worst record to date, Father of All, the expectations for this album were in the mud and that's putting it nicely. Fortunately, this isn't the band at their worst, but it might be the band at their most boring. The instrumentation is a return to form compared to their last record, but that comes at the cost of rehashing old ideas. There are some decently clever songwriting moments here and a lot of the big choruses are enjoyable enough to at least remind me why middle school Caleb loved this band so much, but even that works against the album's favor. Why would I listen to this if I was in a Green Day mood and not Dookie or American Idiot or Insomniac? I will say there is some really good stuff here. "Dilemma", "Look Ma, No Brains!", and the title track are highlights and some of the best stuff they've done in years.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Letter to Self - Sprints

◇ genres: garage punk, post-punk Let me preface this by saying that I think Sprints has a ton of potential. Unfortunately their debut, for the most part, doesn't capitalize on that potential. This is for a variety of reasons. For starters, the production of this record really doesn't do them any favors. The songs that SHOULD have a punch don't have any whatsoever. The noisy guitars lack the bite that they should have and mostly just kinda whimper along. The vocals are mixed decently, but they still sound far too clean for what I think the band was going for. Another big issue is the actual songs themselves. They're either complete non-starters, or they abruptly end as they're picking up steam, or they drive a hook straight into the ground. The second track "Heavy" is a key example of a song being cut off way too abruptly. It's one of the standout tracks on the record, but it definitely still had some legs. "Adore Adore Adore" is pretty easily the biggest highlight here. It's groovy, the vocals are good, and the chorus is satisfying ... more of this, please!!! I wanted to love this album, but it has way too many flaws. Still, I have high hopes for the Dublin rockers. Saddle them up with a better producer for the next one and see how it goes!!!

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

INSANO - Kid Cudi

◇ genres: pop rap, trap

I really want the best for Kid Cudi. Man on the Moon: The End of Day is legitimately one of the most influential hip hop records of the 2000s. You can hear its influence throughout the 2010s, especially in the emo-rap scene. Unfortunately, pretty much every record he's released since then has been a massive step down from that record (besides the relatively big bright spot in KIDS SEE GHOSTS). INSANO continues that trend, but to an almost embarrassing degree. He enlists DJ Drama to try and hype these tracks up, but even he can't save this thing. The production and beats on this album are the exact opposite of what the album title suggests. They're so painfully boring and Cudi's writing here is, as I said earlier, embarrassing. Cudi proudly raps on the opener "Why they love these raps, haha, to most of these lames I'm Papa." which is just so fucking embarrassing. That's the one word I can use to describe this record. I hope the next one will be good, but judging by this album and his track record overall, that doesn't seem likely.

listen here: Apple Music Spotify Bandcamp SoundCloud YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ thank u for reading :3

#month in review #music #2024 #rateyourmusic #glass beach #the smile #kali uchis #infant island #patricia taxxon #xaviersobased #sleater kinney #cheekface #courting #green day #sprints #kid cudi

5 notes · View notes