#i will go back to hiatus but i needed to draw this because this is apparently An Episode | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yinses · 1 year

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pairing: gn! reader x hantengu clones (sekido, karaku, aizetsu, urogi) rating: explicit warnings: absolute filth with no plot. oral sex, creampie, unprotected sex. general demon shenanigans that i'll be speak to my therapist about under duress a/n: nobody @ me about this. blame this tiktok and many more that came before. i'm going back on hiatus before i embarrass myself more.

they never split off with out reason or insentive. it certainly took you a few years to realize as shared body between several minds meant just as many twisted ambitions and desires. around you, they were rarely ‘one’. the singularity know as hantengu was meant to fold itself as a rouse inorder not to seem as a challenge to the other ranked upper demons; there was enough posturing within the top three alone.

but frankly, it was hardly an issue, because despite the ceaseless mission appointed by muzan, there was rarely every a need for them to be present as one. or as such had been the truth of the mater for nearly a century now.

it was in this instance, that four minds were better than one truly had the strongest effect. because whereas the rest of their brethren had to divide their time in order to achieve their assignments, the hantegu only needed to divide themselves in order to appease both muzan and you.

SEKIDO

with you sekido’s anger is compressed into the tightest ball of frustration as he tempers every urge to ruin you for himself and everyone else. a heavy groan blows past his lips as his grip on your legs flexes—once, twice and thrice more— as he regains enough clarity not to hurt you as he folds your body into a tighter mating press.

even this fucked out, this absolutely cock drunk and choking on the amount of orgasms he’s drug you through, you have the audacity to look like you could take more. how spoiled you have become during your journey to please all of his brothers. sekido’s fists the sheets above your head as he rolls his hips harder, balls slapping against your ass as he soaks in your soft sighs of pleasure. he absolutely knows you’d let him tears as many climaxes from you as he wanted and still roll over to the others after. the thought should make him so angry—

“am i doing okay, sekido? is it still good for you?”

fuck

sekido ignores you in favor of watching your eyes cross with pleasure as he pounds you raw. and more so, until you're mewling and involuntarily fighting against the firm press of his body as you spaz through the aftershocks.

for once, he wishes he were a lesser man so that he could relish in the scratches that would have surly marked anything other than the demon blood coursing through his veins. but for now, he was satisfied with the sight of his cum leaking from your entrance.

“yes, you were good. always so good for me.”

KARAKU

the only thing karaku was obsessed with more than the sight of you, was the image of you watching yourself from your position bent over with him seated behind. karaku split through his own commands as his hand curls into your hair with a tug, drawing you back just enough where you hovered off the ground. it was a precarious position for you, vulnerable, as you couldn’t rely on the hands tied behind your back to rescue you should he decided to unceremoniously let go.

of course, that was the last thing on your mind as his lips brushed against your ear.

“such a pretty thing you stay. it’s amazing the integrity you manage to cling to despite taking all our cocks.”

he doesn't expect an answer. how could you with how hoarse and wrung out your throat was from the weight of him and the screams. so maybe it was a touch cruel the way his hand landed a harsh slap against your ass when you didn't even try.

“no gratitude for me? after all i’ve done for you?”

what you do release is a strangled moan as he slips out of your heat, while his hand taps the sloppy weight of his cock against the red swell of your backside. his amusement clear as he jerks his fist again to remind you to open your eyes. as expected, those tears came bubbling free the moment your lids opened.

“see that’s what i mean.” with no warning, he slides his cock back home, shoving your face back into the mat. “so.” he pistons again. “fucking.” and again. “pretty.”

you may not be able to speak, but he still manages to make you sob. and for them that is enough.

AIZETSU

he had the echoed memories of his 'brothers'. how they molded your body to be pliable to their needs. it certainly made for an arousing cinematography—seeing you laid out, bent over and put on display for their pleasure. it help him soak in the uniqueness of his own preferences even more as he kept himself upright against the wall.

in his own personal opinion, he thought you looked best like this, tongue lolling sloppy against your lower lip as you slammed down against his thighs. you were an absolute mess as you bounced up and down, finding a rhythm that suited you both. it left aizetsu entranced as he reached out to cup your chest and squeeze.

“you’re beautiful.” and he means it as he pants, running his other hand along the curve of your torso in an offer. eventually your legs would give out, they always did. compared to the fire coursing through your veins as exhaustion strained your muscles, he had not even scratched the surface of his stamina.

and yet despite the glaring facts, you urge yourself through it all, ramping up the intensity as your nails dig into his shoulder for purchase. it’s obviously too much for you and you're bound to pass out at his rate, but you don’t stop. aizetsu can feel the determination emanating from you pushing on regardless, wanting this for more than yourself, for him.

his eyes rolled back and a whimper escaped his lips as he sat back and let you take. its intoxicating everything, your body against his, the way you clench so desperately around his heavy length. and the sounds; sloppy, squelching sounds from the concoction of his releases and yours. his brother’s might call him weak for scumming to something as human as overstimulation.

but if this was what letting you have a sliver of power gave him, then it only strengthened his inclinations.

UROGI

he was aware that each and everyone one of them pushed you past the brink of exhaustion. it couldn’t be helped, even if it was only one of them, you were already facing a steep obstacle. so with this knowledge, it wasn’t necessarily him taking an advantage. you were equally as eager to please as he was to receive.

sometimes he can’t properly handle his need for you. it starts with the possessive arm wrapped under you to bring your slumped form back to your knees as he fucks you through your last peak and into another. he’s relentless as he mouths and bites against your shoulder and neck, fingers stimulating you further as they twist and pinch at your nipples.

at this point, he’s sure the pleasure is numbing; he lost count after ten and didn’t see an end point yet. it could be accounted as cruel, the way he angles his hips to reach even deeper inside. but even as the perpetrator, you would never complain. instead, tears roll down your cheeks as you clench around him anyway, soaking in the endless strings of curses falling from his lips.

“you want more don’t you? you always do.” had to, no doubt conditioned from their attentions to only want them and nothing else.

urogi still gets you to scream, every time beyond this point, as he picks up the pace until he’s pounding into you. you were amazing, always exceeding their expectations despite the way they were surely running you into the ground.

and maybe in, perhaps not. to him, you’d already earned your worth. pephas with time, it would amount to something above mortality.

you’d already given up on humanity after all.

#sekido x reader #karaku x reader #aizetsu x reader #urogi x reader #hantengu x reader #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #demon slayer imagine #demon slayer x reader #*long sigh of disappointment&

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mewtwoandme · 3 months

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Alright imma be real with ya'll...

I haven't been doing great mentally lately. You guys have constantly heard me bitching about my seasonal depression and it getting in the way of my artistic motivation yada yada lol Well, it just keeps refusing to let up. I've been trying to fight it, work through it, hoping that it would go away if I just keep working, when in all honesty that's mentally draining me even more. Now, there have been a few times where the drive to draw would come in spurts and I would finish a few small things here and there and I recently did the new blog banner and all, but as quickly as that motivation appears, it vanishes again. It's been an ongoing cycle since December, I haven't been very productive at all with the more important things and I've barely even touched the Baby Arc since SD hit. And lately this rut has started to bleed into things outside of art and affect my motitivation to do daily responsibilities as well, to the point half the time I feel like a vegetable while house work continues to pile up around me...I'm thinking I may need to do things a bit differently for awhile.

Obviously it's been too difficult to draw right now. My SD had never been this severe before, so there needs to be a change. I can't keep up my usual routine of wake up, go to work, come home, draw, repeat. I need a bit more variety for the time being, maybe making time to do other things that make me happy aside from art will do me some good. That being said though...ugh I hate this, I don't even wanna say it, but the Baby Arc might have to be put off yet again for awhile. I thought about all this last night and was literally crying over it because like, I'm finally here!! We made it to the point of Blu being officially introduced and then seasonal depression decides to come in and fuck up everything I've been trying to do. Like I took a step forward, then three steps back! It just really feels like a kick to my nonexistent balls man...Regardless I think a step back right now is necessary, so hopefully you guys understand, yall usually do anyways ^^

So yeah, I guess here's another art hiatus...don't expect to see anything probably until the end of February, or even March, cause I'm hoping the SD will start to go away by then

#this whole post makes me angry #but its something i feel i need to do anyway #for my sanity's sake #cant help but feel disappointed in myself though...#mod speaks #mod announcement #art hiatus

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autismprotocol · 1 month

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TMAGP Theory Board ( EP 10)

Hi guys sorry for the late post I ended up drawing a lot for this update especially because it's the last one before the hiatus so wanted to give it a little more pizazz :D

What Happened in Episode 10: Saturday Night

Interview with Nigel Dickerson. The inccident report this week was all about Mr Bonzo. If you remember from last episode Nigel is the famous tv personality who created the character of Mr Bonzo. During this interview he recounts the rise and fall of Bonzo while being ominous and on edge the whole time. what I gathered from the interveiw is that Bonzo is either trapping Nigel or Bonzo and Nigel are linked somehow. (when he say "he won't let me leave" and refers to himself as "us") we also learn about the murders that are connected to the Bonzo suit, first by the serial killer Terrance Menki and very recently 3 unsolved murders. Nigel also mentioned that the actors who wore the Bonzo suit would be prone to injuries on set which is also really stange. Could be they were used as Bonzo's victims near his begining

Gwen meets Mr Bonzo. The other section of the episode dealing with Bonzo is when Gwen goes to Nigel's house on her first assignment as the Externals Liason. So turns out Bonzo is maybe a hitman for the OIAR! Also, big thing Mr Bonzo is atually alive and is introduced with some kind of practice almost resembling a ritual. I heard somone mention they think Bonzo is an avatar of the Stranger and I can definitely see this. I'd love to hear if anyone else has a theory for what entity Bonzo may be connected to.

The Return of Colin. Colin isn't dead!! Shocking absolutley everyone Colin is still kicking. a few episodes ago he was sent on mental health leave by Lena after his parnoia caused him to mentally snap. Celia sees him while on break and they have a short convorsation. Colin tells Celia that he need to figure out the computers. also big thing Colin is back without the permission of Lena. It will be interesting to see what hes looking for and if he'll continue to sneak behind Lena's back.

Sam and Alice's Adventures into the Institute. Probaly the biggest development lore-wise was Sams and Alice investigating the ruins of the Magnus Institute. They don't find much (but I'm still am gonna talk about it for awhile) Alice mentions that there were weird carvings in the floor which she later equates to the worms on the ground. If you are a Archives listener hearing about worms in the archives starts seting off all kinds of alarms. This means in this universe the Jane Prentiss attack still happens, which is especcially iteresting because If I'm not mistaken in TMA the worm attack happened spesiffically to mark Jon with the corruption. Was Jon ever part of the institute? or if not Jon there must have been an archivist role in this Magnus Institute that would require Jane to attack it.

ERROR and the Tape Recorders so far in protocol we have been listening to the characters through either the computers or though their phones. But during the last few minutes we here the click of a tape recorder. and TMA fans around the world rejoiced. The magnus archives is entirley told through tape recordings and are a tool used by the web (spesifically the avatar Annabelle Cane) does this mean Annabelle made it to this universe? or it could also signal the presense of Jon (since the tape recorders are linked to him) Alice and Sam investigate the archivist office looking for a place for the key when the floor collapes and Sam drops the key. After some Sam and Alice banter, they leave but the recorder stays running we then hear the scraping sound and some shutterd breathing. This is when I highly suggest going through the transcript after listening to an episode becuase they specifically what were hearing and who is breathing.

I included the snippet from the transcript that pinpoints every not verbal sound we hear

water from the pit under the archives is disturbed

thud on wood then a rattle of a padlock

Key being dragged across the wood then fumbled into a lock that clicks open

trapdoor opens and ERROR imerges

ERROR takes 3 breaths

ERROR has been used before for redacting the roles played by Johnny, Alex and Tim (aka the voices of FR3-d1) during the cast anouncements for protocol. This makes me think that ERROR must be someone from the Archives universe my running theory is that it is a entity that houses Jon, Martin and Jonah's souls or consiounous. but It could literally be anyone. I'm also thinking ERROR has been locked in the tunnels under the archives (Mentioned in TMA)

And thats about Everything! plese let me know your thoughts or if you wanna correct me on any mistakes :)

Also I would love to know if you guys would prefer this style of post where I illustrate moments and scenes from each episode? it would probably delay when I'm able to post the breakdowns but I'd love to know if you guys perfer that format over the less illustrated one.

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iarrelm · 2 months

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Hazbin Hotel Swap AU - Alastor. Husk. Nifty.

Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel

I saw a few different versions of this AU going around and thinking about it made me want to draw my own take on it.

I don't have this fully fleshed out yet but I've been thinking about it for the last few days so here's what I've got so far.

Alastor -> Charlie

He still started out in Hell as the Radio Demon

However, when he disappeared for 7 years, he came back as a seemingly changed man. The first broadcast on his radio show after 7 years of silence was an advertisement for the Radio Demon's new project: The Hazbin Hotel.

Not very many sinners actually managed to hear that advertisement but those that did thought they were hallucinating tbh

I wanna say the reason why he wants to try rehabilitating sinners is mostly because he spent his 7 year hiatus with Lilith, who asked him to do this for her so she could try to convince Charlie (and Lucifer) that they're wrong about sinners. And Alastor decides to do it because Lilith promises that she'll free him from his deal the moment he gets a soul into heaven.

For this AU, I'm gonna say the person who has Alastor on a leash is Eve, and his deal with her is completely unrelated to his 7 year absence.

Because of all that, despite founding the hotel, he doesn't fully believe it's possible to redeem a soul. And it shows sometimes no matter how much he tries to convince the guests otherwise.

Nifty -> Vaggie

When Alastor brought up the hotel and asked for her help, she jumped at the chance and agreed without hesitation.

Alastor is still an overlord and still owns some souls. He owns Nifty's but made it clear to her that he was asking, not ordering, her to help with the hotel.

Before Charlie brings in more staff, she was the one that handled cleaning and pest control and all that other stuff.

She helps him brainstorm ideas for activities. Unfortunately both of them are pretty unhinged so at least 80% of those ideas are unusable

Husk: What the fuck is "Knife Monopoly"?

Alastor and Nifty: :)

She's Alastor's biggest cheerleader and helps him out by enthusiastically participating in any and all hotel activities with a smile

Husk -> Angel Dust

Instead of Alastor, Husk sold his soul to Vox, who became interested in the Gambling Demon after Alastor was seen going in and out of his casino.

Vox ends up using Husk as something like a personal assistant. He runs around all over hell doing anything and everything Vox asks him to.

Immediately after losing his soul, he moves into the Vee's Tower. It's nice because the Vee's tower is one of the most protected places in the pride ring, which means none of the souls he used to own will be able to try to come after him. Unfortunately this also means that Vox has access to an employee that can work overtime whenever he needs him to.

Husk is... so tired.

So when Alastor offers him a room at the hotel, Husk agrees before he can finish his pitch.

Later, he hears the full thing - that Alastor is trying to redeem sinners and thinks he can get Husk into heaven. Husk isn't sure what exactly made Alastor believe that, but a free room is a free room

(He is grateful though. So even if he doesn't think there's a chance in hell that he's getting into heaven, he does put in some effort toward rehabilitation.)

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel swap au #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel husk #nifty hazbin hotel #my art #i was coloring these and i wanna say that alastor's color palette almost defeated me #i wanted him to look a bit more friendly so i added in some brown so the red wasn't so overpowering #but then picking where to use the rest of his colors and where was a struggle #husk and nifty were easy af #i just gave husk and shirt and a tie with vox's colors #and for nifty i just added some yellow and moved her blood splatters around #this would never happen in the show but i really want husk and alastor to be friends okay

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mazeofyeni · 11 months

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( 📂 ) ... KAIA'S REALATIONSHIP WITH SKZ !

♡. BANG CHAN (seobang) !

when 16 year old chan met 12 year old kaia, the only thing on his mind was to protect the girl from anything harmful.

he packed her lunches for school; he walked her to school, he brought her food, and came to all the showcased she was in , people thought they were really brother and sister.

when jyp came to him about forming a group; she was the first person to come to mind, he went to her one day and the rest was history.

he's helped her a lot throughout the years, and he's always there for her when she needs it and is struggling.

♡. LEE KNOW (kaiho) !

wasn't too keen on a girl joining the group, but the second he met kaia all the discomfort went away.

something about the girl made him draw closer to her. the heartbreak she felt when he was eliminated was unreal.

he was more pissed off when she was eliminated than when he was eliminated.

a popular ship because of how much he takes care of her on and off camera, people who've met them says that minho always has kaia close by to make sure she doesn't get hurt.

♡. CHANGBIN (changa) !

sunshine and sunshine protector duo fr.

changbin has and will call out someone's weird behavior if he even senses that she is uncomfortable in any situation.

knows that she has a lot of stress of being the only girl and he tries to understand her when she's going through something and gives her the best advice that he could give.

and older brother figure, she probably has a better relationship with him than what she does with her own step-brother because she doesn't have any blood siblings.

♡. HYUNJIN (hyuna) !

the most dramatic duo you'd ever meet in your life.

lowkey didn't like each other during predebut days, he didn't understand why chan was so keen on her joining, he felt like adding a girl was unnecessary, and she didn't like the shade he was throwing so she kept away from him.

when they debuted, they were close, but not to the point where they rest were. they really connected during his hiatus.

they actually talked out their problems and they began to spend a lot of time together working through their issues, now they're bond has never been stronger.

♡. HAN JISUNG (kaisung) !

the only one jisung didn't have beef with when they were trainees.

because she'd come right back with the comments she wouldn't let win a single argument.

now they argue, but it's mostly for fun, he makes a smart comment and she gives him a kiss on the cheek just to annoy her, it's her way of letting him know that she isn't upset with him.

besides that, they understand each other on a level that maybe none of the other members do.

♡. FELIX (yonga) !

two babes with a lot of love to give. as

much as he wanted to get to know her, the poor baby didn't know how to communicate with her when they first met, due to his lack of confidence.

but it didn't stop her, she'd always come up to him and offer him food. she always spoke in english to make him more comfortable when he was still having trouble with it.

her personal moodmaker, she claims when he hugs her, it makes her mood go up 1000x more.

♡. SEUNGMIN (kaimin) !

a pain in her ass part 1, oh he knows how to get under skin, more than han does.

at first she thought he was making fun her her for real, so it made her upset, but then she realized the only way to beat him was to beat him at his own game.

so then it became this never ending thing, he annoys her and she annoys him.

but it's completely out of love, because then they also like to make fun of chan together (help him plz).

♡. JEONGIN (jeonga) !

a pain in her ass part 2, except she'll put him in a head lock if needed.

these two show love by physical touch, and i mean throwing hands with each other. regardless what they show on the camera,

people who went to the same school they did said that they spent most of their time together and were extremely friendly around each other.

except the three times she put him in a headlock and he dragged her by the ear down the hall.

©️MAZEOFYENI

#fictional idol addition #fictional idol community #fictional idol oc #9th member of skz #fictional kpop community #fictional kpop oc #skz 9th member #stray kids 9th member #stray kids female addition #stray kids female member #skz female member #skz female addition #skz ninth member #9th member of stray kids #stray kids female oc #stray kids added member #skz added member

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why-animals-do-the-thing · 2 years

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Do you do “cuteness”/safety ratings?

I do not. I am not a fan of the concept of “ratings” blogs in general, honestly. There’s a couple of reasons for that.

Firstly, I am a Tumblr Old, and every ratings-type blog I’ve ever seen that existed to tell people if animal content was okay or not has imploded over time. Sometimes that has been related to their content/topic of choice, sometimes not. It happened when the first blogs like that showed up, and it’s still happening now. Either way, they seem to be a direct path to endless drama, and I want none of that, thanks.

Second, ratings blogs have to be really, really tightly curated to the expertise of the blogger in order to be trustworthy, accurate sources. And when you’re in a position of being seen as an expert on animal stuff by the internet, it’s incredibly tempting to step outside your area of expertise to pass judgement on things. People like your opinions and want to hear them! You’re respected for your knowledge! It is a seductive, seductive path to being far too comfortable speaking outside your wheelhouse.

This is actually part of why the blog slowed down a few years ago and eventually went on hiatus for a while: as it got more and more popular, people wanted me to cover more and more things, and I ended up kinda paralyzed by the need to do so much research in order to respond to those requests. I didn’t want to spread misinformation, but it was so hard to just say no and not try to answer questions. I’m much more comfortable now setting boundaries for myself about what I know enough to address and what I don’t have the appropriate credentials for.

Third, to do any successful science communication - which is what running a rating blog effectively is - you have to know what you don’t know! This is something that comes with time and professional experience in a field. You can’t speedrun it or skip it. And if you don’t know what you don’t know on a topic you want to write about, you’re at high risk of spreading misinformation. Guess what? I know this one from experience! There were times I overreached in the early days of WADTT, either because I didn’t know I was unaware of something, or because it just felt so good to have people want to know what I thought! (My goal is to find the time to go back and share those posts with updated, corrected content and commentary).

As mentioned above, I do a lot of work to be comfortable with not knowing things. I either do the research needed to find an answer when I run into an unknown, admit I don’t know and can’t answer, or simply don’t engage with the topic if I can’t contribute productively. This is where a lot of ratings blogs run into issues, as they generally reflect just the individual knowledge of the blogger(s) writing them. There’s a big difference between having an opinion that you discuss with your friends, and having an opinion that you share with thousands or tens of thousands of people. If you’ve shared an incorrect opinion about something in a way that’s amplified across tumblr, even if you fix your mistake publicly, there’s no way to stop the earlier misinformation from continuing to spread.

And fourth, there’s that word I keep using: authoritative. Content that provides a rating is very black-and-white. This is bad. This is good. Do support this, don’t support that. Unfortunately, there are so, so few situations involving animals are actually that clear cut. This is especially true when we’re talking about recorded animal media, like photos, videos, and even documentaries, because a lot of the context has been removed. So that authoritative perspective? It’s really just someone on the internet telling you what you should believe.

I’d rather teach people how to think about animal content and draw their own conclusion. People gain so much more knowledge from engaging with the concepts themselves. If you just give someone an answer about a video being ok or not, for instance, they don’t learn how to assess the next one themselves. But if you teach them what questions to ask, how to work through what they want to learn, how to assess context, and where to find the information they need, they’re able to do it themselves with content in the future. Teaching and encouraging independent analysis of animal media is a much better way to stop misinformation or unethical content from spreading compared to just telling people some stuff is bad and they should stop sharing it.

So nope, no ratings here. Sometimes I’ll comment on things that my professional background allows me to be comfortable having an authoritative opinion on (e.g. the danger of unmonitored interactions between dogs and babies) but most of the time, I’m going to tell you what I see, what I know, what I don’t know, and what my thoughts are and why. My goal in running this blog and teaching people is about the journey, not the destination.

#blog ethos #teach a man to fish etc

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genericpuff · 6 months

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The Extended Mishandling of LO's S3 Midseason Finale Premiere

Alright, so I had mentioned leading up to the release of the newest LO episode that my feelings regarding LO returning were pretty "meh". Not hyped, but not completely back of mind either. Just sort of a weird calm before the storm type feeling that could go either way.

I'm glad I got to have that moment of calmness because good god, this episode was an absolute shitshow. And honestly, I'm not surprised, for several reasons:

Rachel has never been good at maintaining a buffer, even back at the start of the series she only ever had 2-3 episodes ready ahead of her schedule which is NOT an ideal buffer for an originals series.

Rachel has never been good at writing, she's very "draw first write later" and has stated as such in interviews that when she gets 'stuck' on what she's writing, she'll just start drawing and fit the pieces in later.

Four months is NOT enough time to both rest, attend massive conventions, and work on improving a project while also getting buffer episodes ready.

Because of the FP episodes remaining locked over the hiatus, technically Rachel only needed to have ONE episode ready upon return for the newest FP release, not multiple like she'd usually need like in the past during the S2 midseason hiatus or the season finale episodes which would unlock those FP releases like normal - so for all we know, she could have drawn this episode literally last week, especially when the promo material was so last minute. Frankly I think it was REALLY stupid for whoever it was who decided to keep these FP episodes locked (whether it was her or WT, it was more likely WT) but you can read all I have to say about that in my review of the midseason finale episodes.

All that's to say, no, there was never any guarantee Rachel was going to somehow "turn around" the ride we're currently on. I know that many of the critics were hoping for that to happen, but with the circumstances of the hiatus mixed with Rachel's bad habits of putting her best efforts into the procrastination projects that aren't her actual comic (ex. the few original pieces and LO sketches she put out during the hiatus) it just wasn't in the cards. This is where the comic is at and this is where it will remain until it's over.

I want to also point something out about this episode that was... really glaring to me.

As with all of these hiatus returns, LO got priority advertising in the first two banner slots and push notifications AND a popup ad within the app. This is unsurprising, Webtoons is still trying to milk this thing for what it's worth.

I know a lot of people are gonna focus on the art, or the fact that WT is continuing to shill LO, but I wanna point out the part that WT implemented specifically - "NEW SEASON".

This is literally just false. At best I'd like to think some intern just messed up and thought this was a new season, but it's literally not, the episode designation still says "S3". Note that the creators only design the banner art, the actual labels on top are put there by Webtoons.

But at worst, this feels like blatant lying to continue to hide the fact that LO is ending. Mind you, Rachel and Webtoons have still not put out official posts stating that this is the final arc. There is NOTHING from either of them to communicate to the audience that the comic is ending next year. It feels like they're trying to avoid the topic altogether out of fear of losing the fanbase they still have, rather than hyping up the comic's end for those who have stuck around to see how it all wraps up. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case, considering they're now trying to funnel the fanbase into Penguin/Inklore with new marketing deals and the whole Rachel Smythe Presents thing. They're trying to make this seem like the beginning of something "new" when it's really just a quiet shifting of management (Penguin House).

But all that aside, let's actually get into the episode. It's one episode after 4 months, which is not standard for LO's hiatuses, typically FP episodes release on schedule (meaning free readers start hiatuses 3 weeks after FP readers do), the only time this has been an exception has been with the 2 week breaks because the whole point of those was to build a buffer (which you can't do if you're going ahead and releasing the FP episodes anyways). For extended hiatuses like these, usually free readers still get their FP episodes, but that wasn't the case here. That means Rachel technically only needed one episode ready for the comic's return, and it shows. It really fucking shows.

FROM HERE ON OUT THERE WILL BE FASTPASS SPOILERS REGARDING EPISODE 254. DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED !!!

As per tradition, we get a title that means nothing at all. It just says what we already know.

Our collective husband Zeus is dying, no thanks to the poison cupcake fed to him by Apollo. For those who don't remember, Apollo had tricked Zeus into eating the cupcake by making him believe it was from Hebe. We are fully aware that it was Apollo who poisoned him. Remember that for later in this review.

Right off the bat we're off to a hilarious start, both with a cryptid appearance from Apollo in the background (lmao) who is, for some reason, ALREADY returning to the scene of the crime he just committed because... who knows at this point. Apollo and Psyche know it was Apollo at this point, I might add, but I have no clue why Apollo is actually returning to the scene of the crime when he has no idea Eros and Psyche know.

Moving on from that, can we talk about this hilarious dialogue?

"We have to call a doctor! Let's call Asclepius!"

"No, we can't trust him! Gosh darn it, why are we only bothering to think of ONE doctor in this universe where we've seen more than one doctor?? Guess Zeus is just gonna die! What a horribly contrived situation this is!"

And that's literally how I can best describe most of this episode. Contrived. There is a LOT of manufactured drama in this that makes ZERO sense even on a surface level.

And what do you mean exactly, Eros? "What a terrible system!" Is this supposed to be a joke? Lampshading? We've seen Persephone go to the gynecologist. There are non-god doctors who tend to gods all the time here.

Eros just doesn't seem to be that pressed over this, he sounds like Ned Flanders and that's NOT a good way to open up a scene like this... let alone an episode people have been waiting four months for.

Anyways, after a few pointless reaction panels (again remember I have to cut a lot of what I show here for Tumblr image limitations but I promise you, I'm keeping as much important stuff as I can in this, there's just THAT MUCH filler at this point), Eros and Psyche confront Apollo and he is... good god.

There is... so much to unpack here.

First of all, remember those theories about how Rachel was clearly trying to write Apollo as this "secret twist villain" the whole time but it doesn't work because Apollo is simultaneously written as both a 'conniving villain' and a massive dumbass at the same time?

Well, I finally have a more appropriate term for him. He's your average red pill redditor - someone who thinks he's smarter than everyone else when really all he does is sit on reddit all day using big words incorrectly in arguments he gets himself into with a bunch of equally-air-headed dumbasses.

"You can't possibly understand the nuances of the Olympian political system," Apollo said proudly, a man who had, ironically and obliviously, run for president in a monarchy. The union of kettle and pot is eternal.

He's the Slappable Jerk but instead of it being a painfully hilarious impression, it's just painful and hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

this is so stupid because it's 1.) Eros pointing out how obvious Apollo's plan was, despite Apollo acting smart two seconds ago with a goddess who, mind you, has been a goddess for ten years, and 2.) patricide isn't even intrinsically linked to politics, there's nothing 'political' about a guy trying to kill his dad except in, idk, a monarchy, which again, Apollo has spent ten years trying to rise to power in as a president which is a completely different form of government.

If I wanted to be really granular with this, I'd like to think Apollo is making some kind of point about the critics who call out LO's whack as fuck political system (especially in the trial arc) - as if he's saying "well you're just a stupid reader and this is fantasy where you don't understand exactly what political system we're using, so shut the fuck up you stupid twig" - but I don't think it's meant to be that deep. I think it's just Rachel trying to write a smart character and then failing at it because she, herself, is not a smart writer. And I'm really inclined to believe that more than the theory about this being some kind of meta-narrative about the critics because this entire plotline is contrived and stupid down to its core.

I did not cut anything out here, that's the pacing. Leto literally just appears out of nowhere and uh oh spaghettio's, she has Kassandra! Remember Leto? The character we were led to believe was truly "pulling the strings" until she disappeared from the story completely after she realized that Apollo and Persephone weren't a thing, even going so far as to call out her own son for being a fucking dumbass? Well, she's back and once again she's being involved as some kind of "double agent" in this whole thing, even though we literally haven't seen her since halfway through S2.

"Mm yes, you're so stupid, falling into my trap! Even though you had no reason to remember Kassandra anyways because she's literally a mortal woman you just met and you yourself have committed acts of violence against mortals without a shred of care! I'm so smart! My plan is all coming together!"

We've never seen Apollo do anything except cry and poop his pants, the closest he got to being "powerful" was his attempts to murder Daphne (who he seems to have forgotten about in this "master plan" of his) but ultimately he's literally just a piss ant baby and there's no reason to believe that he could somehow outmatch the God of Love who can literally manipulate people's emotions and states of mind with his arrows. But yeah sure go off, you're so powerful and smart.

The worst part is, I can't even buy this as the narrative trying to be like "see how manipulative and conniving he is?" because it's just silly. We've SEEN this man cry with his victim complex, we've seen him say and do the DUMBEST things that don't lend to any amount of "intelligence" he may have, it comes across less as him being "smart the whole time" and more as him trying to sound smart but ultimately sounding incredibly stupid. And I can't even immerse myself into it and buy that maybe that's the point, because it doesn't feel like the point, it just feels like inconsistent writing, he doesn't feel like a 'threat', he's just monologuing.

Bad art and Apollo literally just repeating what Leto already implied so this is a waste of the audience's time.

This is the funniest panel in the whole episode because I can't tell if Apollo is supposed to be in the background (for some reason, despite him literally being in front of Eros and Psyche two seconds ago) or if he's in the foreground and just REALLY small for some reason. This is so off-putting. And of course, it's just Apollo explaining what we're ALREADY SEEING ONSCREEN.

You see, in addition to this episode being contrived, it also talks down to its audience a LOT by explaining exactly what we're seeing onscreen. It's like Rachel saw the criticisms about her not including enough to depict what's actually going on in her head and so she thought the solution was to spoon feed information over pictures that are already doing the job of explaining what's going on. Rachel really doesn't know how to write and even when she tries to implement changes that reflect criticisms that have been made of her writing, she somehow makes things worse because she completely misses the point of what those criticisms are trying to get across.

Anyways, without even trying to resist (for some reason) Eros and Psyche get sentenced to horny jail.

They're now trapped in a basement that Leto somehow has in her home. How do we know that?

HAHAHA FUNNY LAMPSHADING SO FUNNNYYYYYYY

Leto claims that they shouldn't try to escape because the dungeon is "enchanted", but she doesn't even bother to explain what that means. So they literally don't bother trying. They don't try to call her bluff, they don't try to teleport out of there, they literally just go "well shoot", shrug their shoulders, and accept their fate. Just like with the whole "we can't trust the only doctor we bothered to think of" situation, Eros and Psyche are turning out to be some of the stupidest, lowest-effort characters in this comic who literally can't be bothered to try because that would require too much brain power.

Notice how much time we've spent on this and we haven't gotten back to where the cliffhanger of the last episode left off? Well buckle up because there's still more to cover.

So it turns out Hebe was still inside with her dad, in FULL VIEW of what was going on through glass which is somehow COMPLETELY soundproof, and when Apollo steps inside, she just has no idea what happened. She never bothered to even look outside to see what was going on with Eros and Psyche, she's just been sitting on the floor staring at Zeus' dead face for what was likely several minutes, unless Rachel is seriously trying to convince us that conversation and hostage negotiation from earlier only took 2 seconds. The timeline is such a mess at this point that characters basically freeze in place as soon as they're not the focus of the scene.

Apollo rushes inside, acting shocked over the situation, and when Hebe asks where Eros and Psyche are (again, she could have just looked out the window at any time), he's just like "dur idk they just left lol" which Hebe just... buys, I guess.

That's just Persephone but yellow. She's even missing her beauty mark.

See how Apollo put his hand on Zeus' chest/shoulder by the way?

Apparently, despite Mr. Smarter Than Everyone Else trying to pretend it wasn't him, he's able to discern that Zeus is dying from a toxic and rare poison just from touching him. He doesn't even really seem to use his powers, he just touches him and goes "welp he's dead i guess lol don't bother asking me how I know that".

But oh nooo remember that note from before? Well gasp Apollo's gonna use it to frame Hebe! In front of no one else at all!

Hebe of course says she didn't write it, but Apollo continues to try and frame her anyways, even though, again, there's no one else present here, and so it effectively just becomes the most absurd form of gaslighting I've ever seen.

Again, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HERE IN THE SCENE. He's just trying to claim she did it to absolutely no one at all, in the hopes of... what exactly? That she'll just take the fall for something she knows she didn't do? That she'll somehow be convinced? It's not like Hebe has the same thing going on as Persephone where she has a 'wrathful dark side' he could pin it on, this is just a criminal who just robbed a building pointing at the first person they see and yelling "YOU DID IT!"

All I'm saying is that Apollo would be really bad at Among Us. He'd be the type of player to kill someone, hit the report button, then claim yellow did it which, even if he DID convince the rest of the team, would still get kicked anyways as soon as yellow was proven through the eject to not be the imp and everyone would go "okay cool so yellow wasn't the imp, that means obviously it's purple self-reporting." It's a trick that doesn't even work anymore because of how old it is. Hebe isn't a child here, she's an 18 year old woman who should be fully capable of raising an eyebrow and wondering why Apollo is this quick to accuse her - almost like he's trying to hide the fact that he did it.

But Hebe can't catch onto this, just like Eros and Psyche, she has to act stupid for the sake of the plot.

At first I thought maybe Rachel was trying to do some "whodunit" scenario, but that doesn't work here because we already know who did it. And while there are stories that exist like that that pull it off (ex. Knives Out) the problem with trying to do this the way Rachel did is that the person being framed has to have this thing called motive. The reason why Knives Out and Glass Onion work so well is because the person who was murdered (or conspired against) is someone who is being targeted by multiple people who could all be the murderer. It's quite literally called out in Glass Onion as a form of smart lampshading. "It's like putting a loaded gun on the table, and turning off the lights."

But it doesn't work here because Hebe does not have motive. If you're going to attempt to frame a murder on someone, it has to be someone who would have reasonable motive to commit that murder, even if they didn't actually commit it.

And who among Zeus' children has motive?

What about the war-mongering bloodthirsty god of war who has been regularly sentenced to time in the Mortal Realm to fight in wars in which he's been regularly injured?

What about the chaos-seeking wrathful goddess who would do it to get revenge on the parental figure who cast her aside, or even just for the fun of saying she did it?

Why try and pin it on Hebe, the doting daughter of Zeus who's only had a collective of maybe 20 panels in the entire comic?

But then I realized... it's not Knives Out, it's the fucking Lion King.

Which is just as contrived - if not more - than the assumption this was gonna be some attempt to frame Hebe. It's not. He's literally just trying to keep her from assuming it was him. He could have just as easily played dumb without calling attention to the note but he intentionally went out of his way to try and be Scar from The Lion King , while completely missing the point of why that scene worked in the original movie.

Scar wasn't trying to 'frame' Simba for Mufasa's murder. He was trying to hide the murder, while also attempting to get the only heir to the throne out of the picture, so he passed the guilt of the death onto Simba - a child who, unlike Hebe, wouldn't have the ability to rationalize or realize his uncle his a scumbag - who then ran away from home because he was too terrified to face his family for what happened, assuming that it was all his fault when it wasn't.

That's not how this is panning out here. Hebe is the now 18 year old daughter of Zeus, and not one of his only children. She doesn't even fit into the whole "sons overthrowing their fathers" prophecy like Aries would. Apollo is literally just being a big idiot here by saying "well I'm gonna give you a headstart to run away, because if you stay, I might hurt you" (which btw, should be MORE of a smoking gun that Apollo did it??)

And again, it's all so contrived so that the plot can move forward. "Well I'm going to frame you for this murder, but y'know, you should just leave, I'm not gonna try and press it further lmao"

Again, Apollo is a fucking idiot here, because he just attempted to frame someone who has NO MOTIVE to harm Zeus, to absolutely NO ONE at all who would side with him, only to let her go which would leave her to question why Apollo would try to accuse and harm her in the first place before considering other options. And through ALL this he claims he's the smart one, which I can't even be bothered to "love to hate" because it's written so poorly.

And really it all comes down to how everyone else behaves in relation to Apollo that makes it so stupid and unbelievable. Apollo, you're not smart just because all the characters around you are intentionally being written to be as stupid and non-confrontation as possible. If you can only write a smart villain by making everyone else stupid, you haven't written a smart villain, you've written a dumbass whose victory only happens due to contrived plot convenience. It's not even done well like in Glass Onion, it's just bad writing, full stop.

And who does he call to report this emergency? The satyr police? His son the doctor?

No.

The media. Literally just "hello, the media?? I need your best journalist here stat!"

I need you to understand, even if he were calling a tabloid magazine like The Weekly Nark, you don't just... call a journalist to report a murder. These are not the actions of someone who's trying to absolve himself of guilt, these are the actions of a complete dumbass trying to get news coverage of his trophy kill who would be better off just playing dumb instead of trying to play smart. Even Walter White wasn't this fucking stupid despite all the times he fell on his own sword, Apollo is literally just instigating suspicion towards himself for no reason at all. He's self-reporting so hard and worst of all, you can't even take any of this seriously because of how corny it is. There's no dramatic tension, no stakes, it's just a bunch of characters performing in a really bad stage play and reducing every conflict to "well I guess Zeus is just dead now because no one's bothering to make an effort to stop Apollo or ask questions lmao"

It's truly the epitome of "this plot wouldn't exist if characters would just talk to each other."

But finally, FINALLY we mention the thing this episode is named after, the transition point to Persephone.

Just like with the midseason finale episode, there's a lot to cover here, so I'm gonna get more into it in a part two post.

That said, you can see already this is the messiest, most contrived bullshit to ever wind up in LO. It's trying so hard to be smart and it just comes across as a bunch of toddlers in the world's worst stage play rendition of Clue. None of what was done here was in any way dramatic or tense, it's just a bunch of characters infodumping shit we already know, trying to set up new plot threads that don't make any sense, and allowing one another to get away with what they're doing because they don't bother to even try.

It's completely manufactured, contrived nonsense. It's not "smart", it's not "so dumb it's brilliant", it's just dumb.

youtube

#lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus #this is the comic that bought two eisners #uh i mean *won* two eisners #... no wait i had it right the first time lmao

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imagine-knowing-a-name · 7 months

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Operation WandaNat

Summary: Natasha Romanoff is your best friend -- a best friend who most certainly has a crush on your sister. So when she brings her sister back to the compound, you're delighted to finally get an accomplice to help the two Avengers confess.

Word Count: 2451

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff; Yelena Belova & Maximoff!Reader

Warnings: Pietro is dead, 'there was only one bed', scheming, and a very slight innuendo at the end.

A/N: This was a very fun dynamic to write, I hope you enjoy it!

»»————-　★　————-««

“I thought I might find you two here.”

You recognise Natasha’s voice, your best friend coming to join you and Wanda, but you don’t turn to greet her. Instead, your focus lingers on the grave before you. “It’s been a year today.”

The soft tread of boots on the soil ensures you aren’t startled when her red hair invades your vision, finally drawing your attention from the grave to the flowers Natasha sets down, and eventually to the woman herself.

“I, um, didn’t think you’d come here, Nat,” Wanda murmurs. Her bowed head could easily be mistaken as a figment of her grief, but you notice her attempts to smooth her hair and the way her eyes follow Natasha’s every move, so when her eyes catch yours, you raise an eyebrow with a hint of a smirk. She uses her unique, all-powerful telepathic abilities to tell you to fuck off.

If Natasha notices the silent conversation happening around her, she doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she pulls a flower out of the bouquet before rising to her feet and presenting it to Wanda, “I know what it’s like to lose a sibling, through death or…otherwise. I didn’t want you to go through it alone.”

“Thank you, Nat. Wanda and I appreciate it,” you say. Wanda stammers out an agreement and almost melts when Natasha shoots her a sympathetic smile. “You should go look for her, you know. Yelena.”

Natasha smiles, but shakes her head, “We didn’t leave things on the best terms. Besides, I’ve been on TV, I live in a very public location, and it’s been years since I took the Red Room down; if she wanted to find me, she would.”

“If Pietro were still alive, I’d do anything to be reunited with him,” Wanda says, casting a sad look at her twin’s grave before she turns back towards Natasha, “I know you’d do the same, so find her.”

“The team-”

“-are on hiatus until Tony and Steve get their egos in check. Wanda and I can handle things in your absence, so please just go look for her.”

After minutes of contemplation, Natasha decides: “I’ll tell you if I find anything.” Then she runs back to the Compound, leaving just you and Wanda at your brother’s grave.

“So…” you began, “are you going to miss your girlfriend?”

“Just because Pietro’s gone, doesn’t mean you have to take his place, idiot.”

“I’m the eldest, I had that place before the both of you were even born, thank you very much. And I don’t hear you denying Nat’s your girlfriend-”

“Shut up. She’s not! Why don’t you ask yourself that; you’re the one hanging out with her all the time. I don’t even have a chance to talk to her without you hanging around.”

“Because we’re friends, Wands, and I don’t blush the second she smiles at me.” You shrug, then point at the flower she still holds, “but if you want some space to give her flowers of your own, then you should have just asked…” Wanda scowls and you worry her next move will be to chuck you across the field with her powers, something you hope to avoid. So, after one last smirk, you hurry back to the Compound; Natasha needed teasing for the affection she’d just shown towards your sister.

You’d regret it one day, when they finally get together and learn to team up against you, but that day won’t come without your intervention so, for now, you’ll keep it up.

»»————-　★　————-««

Unfortunately, your sister never did get to woo Natasha; she planned and plotted and schemed, but when the two actually ended up in a room together, Wanda stammered out only excuses to leave.

Then, before the two had even had another proper conversation, Natasha disappeared. She told you (and only you, much to Wanda's disappointment) that she'd found a lead on her sister, then two hours later she was gone.

"Maybe when she's back," you tell Wanda in consolation, "you'll get there one day."

But that future day stretches further and further away as Natasha's leave of absence continues to extend: from days, to weeks, to two months later, until she finally returns to the Compound.

Wanda senses it first, before the assassin even steps into the building – something to do with 'feeling telepathic energy' (sometimes you regret not joining HYDRA with the twins; it seemed awful but you would have liked cool powers). Regardless, you heard her cry of "Natasha is back!" and followed her to the door… albeit at a slower, less-crazed pace.

It means you enter the foyer just in time to see Wanda stopped in her tracks by a knife-wielding blonde. "Get that knife away from her!" you yell, even if Wanda can protect herself more than you ever can. Your skills are, luckily, not tested when a familiar face enters and forces the newcomer's hand down to their side.

"You're the guest, сестра, act like it. They're friends."

"Natasha!"

"Hey again, Wands, it's good seeing you again…"

The blonde looks between the pair, her eyes narrowing and her head tilting slightly before she looks up at you. You shrug; at least someone else sees it. Then she coughs, a clearly fake 'let's break this up' kind of cough that does its job and snaps Natasha back to the present.

"Oh, right, yes, this is my sister, Yelena. Yelena, this is Y/N, and their younger sister, Wanda."

Wanda frowns slightly at the way Natasha introduces her, until you subtly elbow her side and nod towards Yelena, encouraging her to shake the Widow's outstretched hand.

"It's nice to meet you," Yelena remarks, "I've heard a lot from Natasha already."

Both Wanda and Natasha look sheepish then, and you sigh, moving to shake Yelena's hand. She possesses a knowing smirk and looks from you to the blushing pair; this time, you confirm her suspicions with a nod.

"Pleasure to meet you, Yelena, I do hope you're staying; I'm sure we'll find plenty to talk about."

"Oh I'm sure we will."

»»————-　★　————-««

Yelena did stay, in a move that did wonders for your sanity, though she found herself growing closer to Wanda than to you, thanks to their matching ages and your already close relationship with her sister. But that didn't deter the gossiping between you two; if anything, it encouraged it.

There were no secrets within the newly formed quartet: Wanda whines to you about her crush on Natasha, Natasha whines to Yelena about her crush on Wanda, then you and Yelena meet twice a week to laugh over the new comments your sisters had made. Not to mention the teasing between both the sibling duos and the friendship duos: you messing with Natasha, and Yelena doing the same to Wanda.

It was truly against both yours and Yelena's best efforts that neither Wanda nor Natasha had clocked each others' feelings yet – you weren't subtle about pointing it out to them.

Eventually, after a lengthy conversation with Yelena, and possibly a few too many vodka shots, the two of you decide to take the matter into your own hands. While your sisters are preoccupied planning the last minute details of their mission, you and Yelena approach Steve with a plan of your own; the biggest surprise of all being how quickly he agrees.

"Are you sure this will work?" Yelena asks.

"I've seen hundreds of shows and books where it happens, trust me."

"There's always the fall back after the mission is complete; it'll work one way or another."

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Steve?" the man had happily interjected, but you still felt like checking, "this doesn't seem like…your kind of style…"

"Meddling in relationships? Bucky and I have been doing it since '29; and now I have experience of what happens when you wait too long. I'm all in."

"Good. Then the plan's all set?"

"All ready to go; I'll keep you two informed… if your sisters don't kill me on the way home, that is."

Yelena shrugs, "I can't guarantee that they will not."

"I'll take the risk."

»»————-　★　————-««

You waved Steve, Natasha, and Wanda off on their mission the next day; it was supposed to be fairly risk free: they would fly out and stay in a hotel overnight, then explore an abandoned HYDRA base for leads the next day. Though there was always a risk of things going wrong, it was safe enough that your… suggested adjustments were approved and set in place without Natasha or Wanda knowing, given they were the two parties involved.

The strategy was cliché and over done, but you wanted to see it play out, booking the pair of them into a room with only one bed. Of course Steve would never dream of sharing a bed with a lady, so he'd have to take the single while they share a double, possibly even confessing their feelings in the night. You didn't actually think it would work, despite what you told Yelena, but you'll take any opportunity to mess with your sister and your best friend.

Then there was Plan B, the backup strategy you hoped for sure would work: at the end of the mission, when the base is confirmed to be empty, the two women will enter a room that 'accidentally' shuts and locks behind them, forcing them to sit and talk until Steve comes to the rescue.

And to make things even better, you don't have to wait long to find out how it goes. The quinjet touches down the following evening; Steve is the first to walk out, with a sheepish bow of his head that tells you nothing important. But Yelena sighs, and you realise that you must have missed something.

"You got cau-"

A hand roughly shoves Yelena back, cutting off her assumption while simultaneously proving it correct. The hand was Natasha's; you only caught a moment of their exchange before your sister did the same to you, dragging you by the ear away from your ally, Yelena, and Steve, the accomplice who got himself caught.

"This was your doing, wasn't it?" Wanda chides the moment the two of you are alone. The Sokovian accent arises with her words, as it always does when her anger is prominent, and it is only then that you contemplate whether meddling had been a good idea after all.

"You have to give more information than that," you taunt further. Why? You don't know. Winding her up is just an occasional need, a familiarity that you're sure she enjoys more than she lets on.

"The one bed? The locked room? This has you written all over it; especially when I'm stuck with Tasha."

You don't miss the slip of a new nickname, but you also decide to wait until later to comment on it. Now is the time to come clean. "Well, uh… did it work?"

A blush rises immediately to Wanda's cheeks, and you realise this list of 'things to tease her about later' is growing large enough that you'll soon need a notebook to keep on top of it. Still, you wait for Wanda to confess it herself, which she does with a shy nod.

"The one bed thing, it made us talk, we were more open than usual. Then in the locked room she was frustrating herself looking for ways to escape, I told her then, to make her take a break and just talk to me."

"Sweet little Wands making the first move! I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Shut up," she groans, though you know by the restrained smile that she doesn't mean it, "I'm still mad at you for meddling."

"It wasn't just me, you know!"

"Oh I know, Tash is scolding Yelena right now and Steve's already had it. You all better be sorry."

"We did you both a service, and do we get a thanks? Nooo, reprimanded instead," you mutter with an accompanying eye roll.

Wanda catches it and glares. "I will blast you through this wall right now-"

»»————-　★　————-««

Despite Wanda’s words, and Natasha’s faux disappointed look when she passes you later, you know neither of them hold true resentment over the incident; the amusement of acting cross displays in their eyes and in the upturned corners of their mouths, even if they hide it in their expressions.

It only takes a day after that for things to settle back into the old routine, with only a slight difference stemming from the dating Avengers. You and Natasha go back to training together and watching movies afterwards, while Wanda and Yelena do the same – it is only when your two activities overlap, and the flirting begins between the new couple, that you exchange one assassin for another and hurry away from the scene with Yelena.

It’s a necessary move since, as the months pass, Wanda and Natasha only grow more carefree in their expressions of affection, something which comes to a head in the common room one evening, while playing a game of truth or dare:

“Has anyone ever made you scream?”

If Tony’s question aimed to draw out stories of your childhood pranks on Wanda, then it was severely misjudged; you had spent many nights comforting your younger sister as Stark’s bombs rained down on the city, and you worry for what Wanda’s reaction will be. You prepare to defend her, but then she smiles, and you think she’s getting ready to scold him herself. Wanda glances at Natasha and the assassin smirks into her drink; it’s an odd reaction, you think, until you realise what Wanda is actually going to say:

“Nat’s made me scream; almost every ni-”

“Ah stop! Stop! Enough! I don’t need to hear about my sister like that. God.”

Yelena storms out, dragging you with her by the wrist. Since you still face the group, you take this as your opportunity to fake disappointment, shaking your head slowly at the couple. You do eventually turn and walk beside Yelena, once you’re out of sight, and follow her back to her room. The two of you take the places that have become your designated spots in times such as these, and she offers you a drink.

“So,” you begin, “how long are we staying ‘angry’ this time?”

“Hour or so? The horrified sister act takes its toll.”

“We could always stop pretending.” You say with a deadpan expression; Yelena stares back with the same, until the two of you break into laughter.

“As if,” Yelena laughs, “how do we double down next time?”Bringing Yelena home might have been Natasha’s worst mistake. She and Wanda would never be free of your scheming.

#ikan writes #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff & reader #natasha romanoff imagine #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff & reader #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff #wandanat #natasha romanoff x wanda maximoff #yelena belova #yelena belova & reader #yelena belova imagine #marvel #reader insert #fanfic #self insert fanfiction

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emojackolantern · 22 days

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UPDATE I AM STILL THINKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DAN AND PHIL TAROT AND @slitsfordan ASKED FOR MY RANT ON IT SO HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON CARD SYMBOLISM AS IT RELATES TO DIP AND PIP !!

The Fool - PINOF, particularly PINOF 1. the fool is about new beginnings, pinof 1 is the origin of dnp.

The Magician - superamazingproject. the intro to their collaborative content. the dream they put out into the universe. the seed they planted hoping something would come of it.

The High Priestess - BBC Radio 1. they didn't know when it happened how much would come out of it, they just knew they had to do it. that's intuition baby. that being said whoever said sister daniel you're funny as fuck.

The Empress - DAPG. the empress is about fertility and creation, mf they birthed a whole new channel.

The Emperor - DAPC. to me, if the empress is about birthing new ideas, the emperor is about raising them and giving them structure by which to grow. DAPC is just another in the saga of their collaboration, at this point.

The Hierophant - TABINOF. the hierophant is about tradition and also represents the teacher/student archetype. i think of them kind of like profits bringing the word to the people for the first time lol.

The Lovers - TATINOF. think of any picture of them together on tour and tell me im wrong.

The Chariot - DAPGO. im ngl this one is kind of a space filler for chronology's sake, but them writing a second book was definitely a choice they made that furthered their joint image. they willed that into existence.

Strength - Interactive Introverts. Strength speaks on the bravery and fortitude needed to overcome obstacles. Dan particularly has spoken at length about how this tour was hard for him.

The Hermit - Dan's hiatus.

The Wheel of Fortune - The wheel of fortune is about inevitability of change and the cyclical nature of life. I think this one might be too vague for a direct comparison to a specific event? That being said if you can think of an example of a time they were faced with the inevitability of change I am all ears. Either way drawing this card in line with the rws but with dnp motifs would be fun as fuck

Justice - Justice is about karma, about getting back what you gave. I think of their dynamic as a duo, how they give to each other and get the same energy back. I think generally this card would be more negative, talk about literal justice, but I don't think that applies to them.

The Hanged Man - The hanged man is about sacrifice and surrender. I already said this in previous posts but to me this is Phil— going back in the closet for Dan, staying in London while he went on tour, etc. it's the willingness to let things change how they will because you have faith that no matter how much they change they'll always be a little the same.

Death - the changes themselves. sister daniel is a really good representative of this to me, and of the ways dan- but both of them really- have learned to be more comfortable both with themselves and with us as an audience. it's a change for the better.

Temperance - temperance is about balance, to me the most obvious example is their work/life balance. the value they place on their privacy. the taking weeks off after particularly long stints of work. it's doing what you have to do to make sure this work continues to be fulfilling.

The Devil - Dan and Phil Crafts - Slime (duh lol)

I WILL UPDATE THESE LATER BC IM BUSY BUT ALSO IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS I AM OPEN TO THEM:

The Tower - upheaval

The Star - hope for the future

The Moon - the unconscious

The Sun - success over the unconscious

Judgement - review

The World - conclusion

#dnp #dan and phil #daniel howell #phil lester #amazingphil #phan #danandphilcrafts #dapc

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etincelleart · 2 months

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Now that I experienced it, I honestly think that the best way to enjoy something is to do it with only a bunch of people

Last year before RWBY V9 and while it aired I posted fanarts not really imagining that it could reach so much people. I did fanarts before during V8 too, during the hiatus as well, but I never got an audience that huge before

I'm not saying I regret anything of course because everything was super fine until summer. A lot of people started to like my work and it even got shared on other RWBY groups on platforms where I wasn't and when I think about it it's huge for me

It was all fine when it was me drawing something I enjoyed to share it with others who like it as well. I didn't notice how it changed in some way to become more like me drawing stuff for people to enjoy (don't get me wrong, I always loved drawing Nuts and Dolts for example, but having so much people following me for it made me thought without realizing it that I needed to draw them to make people happy no matter what).

And when today I look back at V9 and how I enjoyed it and other pieces of media before, I find myself thinking that I ended up not drawing for myself and I started to realize it with the Kofi requests last summer, but still continued.

I just thought about all this lately and taking some distance does help a lot. At the moment I know the situation on Twitter didn't help with that, but I don't feel like drawing RWBY stuff just because it comes and goes and I shouldn't force myself. And I know no one ever did or said anything about that, it's all me putting that pressure on myself because I never knew how to handle so much people following you and "expectations" in some way. I saw it when people called me "the NND CEO", "the NND artist ever", and I liked it with the hype and all but it definitely wasn't my goal and never has been (even if I know it's mostly a "title" because my main RWBY content is still Nuts and Dolts, and it did a lot of good on people apparently)

It's pretty strange how I never imagined just a single thing such as gaining an audience like that could change so much about the way you work, the way you see art, why do you draw etc. I had a "tiny" audience before, and I can't blame people for following me for one specific thing, but I wish they could also stop make assumptions and put on you the version of you they imagined, because that's also something that happened from people expecting me to be things I wasn't.

Anyway, I want to take a step back from all of this, go back to drawing stuff when I feel like it, I've been drawing my story a lot lately as well as some fanarts of SSO, Wakfu... And when I have more time with uni I'd like to go back to my online course to continue learning about concept art and digital painting. RWBY hype and motivation will come back when it's the time, and it won't be for anyone but myself

#art #rwby #fandom #fanart #audience #community #rambling

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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 2 months

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The Arcana HCs: Muriel's birthday

~ here's the other birthday I missed (September 10th) while I was on hiatus. enjoy! ^.^ ~

You know he doesn't like surprises. He doesn't like surprises at all

You also know that if he knew that you were planning something for his birthday, he'd draw the line at anything more involved than a cupcake, and even that would be stretching it

The solution is to make the kinds of plans he'll be okay with, and keeping the happy extra details to yourself

A picnic. Surely he'll be okay with a picnic on his special day, at least so that the friends who care about him can come by and wish him without the stress of having them in the hut?

He pouts, but he agrees, assuming that if he lets you have this then you won't trying doing anything else

He assumes wrong, in the most delightful way

You meet with all those invited one at a time, informing them of the picnic, making a suggestion or two for something fun to bring, and asking that (if they were planning on getting him anything) they send their gifts for him to you ahead of time

Because as much as Muriel is learning to accept nice things for himself, you know it's easier for him to do when he's not facing the pressure of multiple pairs of eyes

The morning of his birthday, you wake up while it's still dark

Inanna's snout is in your face, her wet nose snuffling in your ear as she cautiously straddles your sleeping figure and tries to wake you up without disturbing Muriel

This is something you have asked her to do - you don't know how else you'd be able to wake up and feed the chickens before he does

Getting out of bed without waking him is another matter. He's a heavy sleeper, sure, but he's also got heavy arms. Being pinned under them is a wonderful feeling until you're trying to sit up

Inanna guards you carefully as you walk outside to feed the chickens, collecting fresh eggs for breakfast before tiptoeing back inside the hut

It's a chilly autumn morning. The cold is already seeping into your bones after leaving the warmth of the furs and Muriel's steady supply of body heat, so you rush to build up the fire

The sounds of you starting breakfast don't wake him up. Neither does the slow brightening of the dawn through the window, or the growing fire in the hearth

No, it's the smell of mushrooms frying in the skillet

You try to convince him to sleep in a little longer, but he's already slept longer than usual without the hungry chickens scratching outside and Inanna pawing at his face

(the poor wolf does, in fact, get a fondly annoyed look for her betrayal, waking you up instead of him)

He's sleepy and relaxed and happy, bedhead falling over his stubble, morning voice even deeper than it already is

Eating breakfast together is a precious moment. He doesn't realize you're doing this for his birthday until you wish him, and his smile is slow and bittersweet. He never thought he'd have a birthday like this, but he's glad he does

You pull out his gifts afterwards. Warm clothes from Nadia, a fresh pouch of myrrh from Asra in a seventeen, now eighteen year long tradition, a salve for chapped hands from Julian ...

He grumbles over each one as though his fond smile isn't visible, taking his time to admire them before pressing a shy kiss to your temple in thanks

It gives him just enough time to plan his thank yous before you need to pack your picnic lunch and meet them out in the fields

Much to his surprise, it's easier than expected. There's no overwhelming crowds besides the curious ants that stop by

Between Nadia's social graces, Asra's old familiarity, and Julian's capacity to hog all the awkwardness, conversation flows seamlessly and Muriel finds himself quickly caught up in it

After you've eaten comes the one proper surprise you've prepared - flying kites

The autumn winds are brisk and cool, perfect for carrying the whimsical paper creations into the clouds

Watching the Countess of Vesuvia go sprinting down a hill with an excited shout trying to get her kite into the air is also quite the refreshing scene

The afternoon passes by faster than Muriel is used to. Soon enough, both the sky and fields are turning a fiery golden from the sunset, and it's time to head home

You give him some time to himself before dinner - it's been an unusually social day, after all - but he's more than happy to sit close to you as you roast vegetables over a campfire outside the hut

Sitting back against a fallen log side-by-side, feeling the cold nip at your noses while you snuggle together for warmth, smelling the smoke from the campfire as you watch it float towards the stars

The kisses you share there are sweet, happy, full of promises for a good year to come, and eventually, very sleepy

He might be used to feeding the chickens at dawn, but you're not. He's carrying you to bed

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #the arcana game #muriel of the kokhuri #muriel the arcana

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project-reaper · 3 months

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Moving forward into 2024!

I haven’t really had a proper chance to say Happy New Years, so this will have to suffice, with a little breakdown of what’s been going on and what’s to come!

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO

I’ve been spending the better part of the last year working on new projects and endeavors. Both with Time Gate and outside of it. From vendoring at markets and working expo’s for the first time to working on art pieces completely outside of Time Gate, 2023 was a hell of a year and it makes me all the more hyped for 2024. That said, I’ve been carrying a weight with me through 2023 that’s made it difficult to enjoy it to the fullest - the weight of knowing that [AFTERBIRTH] is still on hiatus.

This isn’t the longest hiatus that I’ve been on, but it’s certainly starting to approach the record and I wanna get it back on track. Like getting back in shape after spending an entire winter hibernating and eating nothing but junk food, getting back into drawing [AFTERBIRTH] on a schedule is gonna be a process of rebuilding good habits and learning what I can do better to keep those habits alive and well.

The fortunate side to taking hiatuses is that it always does give me a new sense of perspective. In this case, I learned that I put myself through a lot at the start of [AFTERBIRTH]’s production. Like, way more than I realized. At the time I thought I was super capable - and I am! - but now in hindsight I can recognize it wasn’t healthy or sustainable for me to manage that sort of output all on my own. I’m still grinding away at comics like I always do with those other projects I’ve mentioned, but it’s still nothing near the amount of work I put myself through just to meet my own deadlines with [AFTERBIRTH]. I also have this thing called help now in the form of a background artist who’s been working with me on those other projects, which has been an amazing and enriching experience.

Having that time away from [AFTERBIRTH] not only gave me the breathing room I needed to recuperate from the burnout I got myself into, but also got me out of the routines I had stuck myself into, which has given me some new tricks and skills that I’m really hyped to bring back into Time Gate with me.

This does, in a way, mean that I’ve had to really reflect on Time Gate, a lot. It’s a project I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and drawing as a webcomic since I was around 18-19. It’s changed a lot in that time, but I’m finding while a lot of those changes have been reflected in the comic as it is, there are still so many more I want to make - because like the comic, I’ve changed a lot, too, both as an artist and as a person, and considering Time Gate’s always been a sort of personal extension of myself, I no longer resonate with a lot of parts of it that I’ve since outgrown. It’s not so much that I want to hide or take for granted those parts of it that are ‘uglier’, but I want the writing and art to be expressed in the best way it can be because at the end of the day, I’m trying to tell a coherent story that’s enjoyable to read and experience. I’m also the sort of person who learns best by just getting their hands dirty and learning what not to do, and boy, have I spent a lot of years doing just that through Time Gate.

GOING FORWARD

So, going forward, I’ve adjusted my schedule with my other projects to accommodate the time I need to both get back into Time Gate: [AFTERBIRTH] as well as prepare for the upcoming convention season. I’ve got a bunch of plans for this year’s markets with new ideas for prints and stickers and other goodies that I’m really excited to make! And I just, overall, want to pull myself out of the burnout funk. You can’t force recovery to happen on your own time but there does come a point where you gotta start taking steps otherwise you get stagnant, and I feel like that’s where I’ve been the last few months.

AFTERBIRTH FORMAT CHANGE

[AFTERBIRTH]’s format will be changing back to page format in its second season. Vertical format works for some projects and stories, but not for Time Gate. It’s been fun, but part of learning what I’m best at is learning what I’m not best at and the vertical format is too limiting for what I want to do with Time Gate in the future. Color will still be remaining!

REAPER RECOMPILED

I will also be working on the Recompiled editions of Reaper. These will predominantly be the first few volumes redrawn and rewritten to accommodate a tighter story down the road. I know, I know, “don’t get trapped redrawing/rewriting stuff”, but I feel the changes that I wanna make are so necessary that they’re part of what’s holding me back from continuing with [AFTERBIRTH] into Thread of Fate and beyond. There are a lot of really silly and otherwise unnecessary writing decisions I made back during Reaper that I currently feel aren’t working for what I’m trying to accomplish in its sequels, and let’s face it, I wrote it almost ten years ago when I was still very much learning, so it’s due for an upgrade. It'll be the last time too, because it'll be putting us on Loop 9999 and remember what Matty said about surpassing 9999-

This will be something I’ll be picking at slowly but surely. When it’s ready I’ll basically be replacing the old pages and updating any new mirror sites with only the new version (I’m currently planning on trying out NamiComi and Lemoon and of course I'll be continuing to post on ComicFury and GlobalComix).

THE BIG GREEN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM-

All of that will basically be working towards my biggest step - getting the flying fuck off Webtoons. Because let me tell you, I've basically spent the last two years like this:

Y’all know that I’m not really one to roll over and take shit from massive platforms, and Webtoons is no exception. I’ve been posting to it since 2016 and I’m very very much done with it; just like with Tapas it’s no longer the site it used to be and there’s fresh competition entering the market that I’d rather put my focus on. At the very least, I want my independence back, if I’m gonna be stuck having to market and network my own work anyways I’d much rather be doing it for my own site or platforms that aren’t constantly undercutting its creators by removing core features and not implementing necessary ones. I as well as many others have been doing our own investigating into Webtoons and we’re basically feeling like canaries in the mineshaft right now, picking up on some massive warning signs that we want to get ahead of. The worst that can happen is that I pull the same stats I pull on Webtoons somewhere else, what a tragedy that would be LMAO

LIVESTREAMING

And then of course there are my livestreams. Like learning the hard way that I shouldn’t have been drawing [AFTERBIRTH] on such a strict schedule, I’ve learned that streaming on the schedule I used to be streaming on just ain’t for me. Call it the ADHD but I’d much rather stream when I have something to legitimately talk about or showcase rather than force myself to stream even on days when I’m really not feeling up to talking. And I’d like to get back into doing actual video editing content, whether it’s speedpaints or gaming videos or commentary stuff, whatever have you. Now that I have a proper PC rig that’s actually built to do heavy duty stuff, the possibilities of what I can create are a LOT more vast and I wanna take full advantage of them!

That said, if you wanna see an example of what the streams will look like when we return, check out this lil’ time lapse demo:

Definitely couldn't do that on my old setup! It might not be regular streaming like before, but it’ll damn well be higher quality and more fun to watch haha

WELL THAT WAS A BIG WALL OF TEXT WASN'T IT

So yeah! That was a lot of words but I hope it clears up everything that's been happening on my end. Thanks for following along with my work all these years, whether it’s Time Gate or my lil’ secret projects or my streams, through all the ups and the downs. Long-term projects like these may take their toll but there’s so much joy in seeing them change and grow over time, and I want to fully embrace and reflect that growth as best as I can through what I bring you guys.

Thank you all so much, let’s make 2024 a good year <3

#time gate #comic #webcomic #project reaper #twitch #twitch streaming #hiatus #announcement

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