#Finally going to actually be a scientist like I've always wanted <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[illithilit]

Another, much better update: I just need to get my brain to focus on writing, and then I'll be back to what I was doing before bc I'm doing much better.

Not dropping threads or asks, so everyone knows.

If you'd like to, hit me up for plotting or my discord.

[legobiwan]

We need to talk about this. And I'm going to start right off with a contentious claim:

Ford was willing to gamble the fate of his entire dimension to feed his ego and insecurities and Bill had him pegged from Square One.

This sounds like a harsh statement. It kind of is. When we first meet Ford in the show, all we end up learning from him is that restarting the Portal was dangerous and could (and did) create a rift that would open the door for Bill and his gang to end the world. And Ford pins this entirely on Stanley, excoriating him for not listening to his warnings in the journals and doing whatever he wanted, like a set of monkeys flinging shit at walls until he happened to get it correct.

Ford is a highly unreliable narrator. After all, as Stan rightfully said, who built the portal in the first place?

But we need to go deeper.

In Journal 3, Ford speaks to the necessity of hiding his journals, which he - to be quite honest - does a crappy job of. Why keep two out of the three journals in Gravity Falls, a mere hair's breath from the actual Portal, which for some mysterious reason, Ford has declined to - you know - actually destroy? Why bury the Journals near an elementary school with children - children who tend to be curious creatures and can and will find a way to discover what they shouldn't? Why call on your estranged brother who you claim to despise as an absolute last resort? Ford's narrative, if you really start to analyze it, makes zero sense. And it makes zero sense because it's an edifice, a personal mythology meant to be a bulwark against the horrible truth of Ford's motivations.

"I've stared at the fire, journals in hand, for hours. I just can't do it. The knowledge in here could be a gift to mankind, the portal's potential limitless. Am I really going to destroy it all just out of spite? No, I won't give HIM the satisfaction. Instead of destroying my work, I'll find a way to DESTROY BILL INSTEAD. If Cipher has a weakness, I'll find it. I'll outsmart the devil yet! He may be a god, but I am a scientist."

Ford could have ended this thirty years ago if his ego hadn't gotten in the way. All he had to do was burn the journals and destroy the portal, just like every other human Bill tried to con over the years. How much did Ford actually care about the end of the world as much as he cared about Bill's betrayal and losing his earth-shattering (quite literally) research?

He didn't. And given this, is it a surprise that Bill, when he finally was able to breach dimensions and start Weirdmaggedon, still placed bets that Ford would join him in the end? The man who said, "Fuck the universe, I need everyone to know I was right."

This isn't about the possible apocalypse. Ford doesn't make one, single mention of that here, doesn't seem to give one fuck if the world burns, as long as he can prove himself to be better than Bill and better than everyone who doubted him for all his life.

And this is why, I am certain, that when Bill perused Ford's possible futures, a large majority ended up with Ford turning to the dark side, as it were.

There's a reason Ford pulled these journal pages. They don't fit his self-constructed narrative of the heroic martyr who wants to save the world. Ford edits his own story again and again, pushing everyone away so they won't see just how insecure and absolutely desperate for validation he is.

Sound like someone we know? Maybe a yellow triangle who literally outlines the steps to denial in his teenage angst journal?

Bill, in essence, promised Ford the universe. Yes, literally, but also the universe in terms of what Ford always wanted - recognition and revenge. Ford, by not destroying the Portal or his journals, didn't 100% reject this proposal, even if that equivocation was subconscious. It's why - I think - Bill feels Ford's just put him "on read" after he fell through the Portal (according to Alex Hirsch).

Ford's going to have to come to terms with this. Maybe he did during his time in the Portal. We have no idea how much Ford did or didn't mellow while being stuck on the other side of the universe, although we do know a) he still holds a massive grudge against his brother and b) Bill is still able to play him like a lyre when he asks about the equation to pop the bubble around Gravity Falls. (And I do not for one second believe that Ford was trying to buy time when he admits that "Of course, a simple equation could collapse the barrier," when Bill questions him about it. Ford needs to prove that he knows the answer, that he figured it out, that he's a scientist and outsmarted a god. Again, if the kids and Stan hadn't come to Ford's rescue, it's very hard to say where Ford would have landed in the end).

The thing is, there's a part of Ford that realizes he's being an ass, that he needs someone. We see this with Bill, obviously, with Fiddleford in the ways Ford runs so incredibly hot and cold with the man (I need you, no I don't need you) - with Stan, who is a last resort but the only person Ford trusts enough to summon to Oregon. Because Ford didn't need Stan to destroy the journals or the portal - but he needed someone, maybe he needed a dollar-store Bill in his life, maybe he just needed someone to reach out like that. Ford fucks it up, wildly, as he can't let his ego go and allow Stan (who is being extremely practical, if bitter) to burn the journals like Ford should have weeks previous.

And well, we all know how that turned out.

What I'm curious about - and what I think needs to be covered more in fandom - is how Ford deals with all of this post-Weirdmaggedon. He's obviously in contrition mode at this point, swinging wildly to this penitent, self-abusing figure who will claim fault for the tiniest infraction.

That's not going to last him long. The type of change and self-reflection Ford needs is not going to come overnight. At some point, his uglier tendencies are going to rear their head on the Stan O'War and Stan is going to have to weather the blowback (or just throw his brother overboard). One might say Ford himself needs a little time the Theraprism, as he nearly consigned his own reality to damnation just like Bill did.

I love Ford. I adore Ford. He is so, so, so complicated. But ohhh boi, Fordsy, do you have issues with a Capital "I".

[kodared]

✰ Stanford & Borrower/Anomaly Reader ✰

fears not enough they have to tear him apart.

Chapter 2/?

Wordcount: 2,684 / 4,741

➤ Summary Based on the borrowers of many universes! I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't know about borrowers, let me be your guide into a world I've loved since I was young. ✰Written because I saw the severe lack of borrower content in Gravity Falls fanfic, i hope you enjoy <3 ✰ - ★Updates irregularly! I write when I want ★ ★ - Also on AO3! - ★

You had spent the better half of that night scheming of ways actually to put your plan into motion. Sure the basic idea sounded easy enough, but you were only about 6 inches tall. His journal might even be taller than you. You tried not to let that thought bother you. 

You had even turned the string lights in your makeshift home on. If you were to think of ways to get the page you needed a comfortable space. You never liked sitting in the dark. 

The only sound in your room was your feet hitting the wooden plank you used as a floor while you paced in a circle. It had to be late at this point, and you could check and see if Ford was still awake, but you knew he’d still be up. 

Once he was enamored by something he stayed up studying, it felt weird for you to be that something, but here you were. 

If you were to take the page out of his journal, you needed something sharp to rip it out. Your needle wouldn’t work, it would take too long to rip the paper. You weren’t too keen on the idea of being caught by the scientist. 

You needed something more similar to a knife a human would use. You knew better than to think of making your own. You weren’t much of a blacksmith or crafter, you tinkered with a lot of things sure, but nothing extravagant. 

Finally getting bored of the scenery of your room, you decided that if you were going to brainstorm anything it would help to look around first. 

You clicked your string lights off and set off into the walls. Your hand fidgets with the needle on your hip anxiously. 

You always had a problem with twiddling with things. Your mother even had to put poison ivy on your nails once so you’d stop picking them and the skin around them. …You still had small scars but you tried not to pick them as bad. 

Absentmindedly walking the dark corridors of the inner walls wasn’t bad now and again. The cottage didn't have any mice, so you didn't have to worry about predators or bugs for that matter.

You wouldn’t have minded befriending a pill bug though, those little critters were always friendly as long as you had a treat for them. 

Your dreams of settling down with a bug friend though would have to wait. Reminding yourself why you came here, you finally felt along the wall for anything that could help. 

You were on the first floor. Meaning you were on the right track to the perfect spot to go looking for scraps the human wouldn’t miss. 

Not that it mattered if he noticed items going missing anymore, he already knew you were here. It was always best to avoid confrontation though.

Gently tapping on the wall as you went, you felt your body stiffening and halting right as you passed the humans room. 

If that was the noise you thought you heard, maybe the plan would be put in action sooner than expected. 

Halting in your tapping you gently pressed your body against the wall, hearing the faint whispers of a snore from beyond the wood. 

Deciding to bite the bullet you pressed harder, feeling the thin wood bend so you could peek. 

True to what you heard, you could see the human, Ford. Passed out at his desk, and even better, the Journal. 

Unguarded and open on his desk next to his hand. He must have been taking notes and fallen asleep. 

If there was any time to waste you weren’t going to be the one to waste it. Quickly pushing off the wall you took off towards the storage room he kept full of random items. 

Usually just rubbish of whatever he was working on at the time, sometimes wires, and more than often boxes full of who knows what. But that didn't matter, because you knew what you were after. 

Cramming yourself against the wall once more you operated quickly. Squeezing through the small crack made by pushing you landed on a box. Quickly you brought your sleeved arm up to stifle your coughing from the sheer amount of dust. 

Would it kill him to dust now and again or was he only interested in studying???

Pushing past your internal cussing you scanned the floor for what you came for to begin with. A small black screw lay on the floor exactly where you recognized it being. Still sharp at the end from disuse, overlooked on the floor for weeks. 

Bingo.

You jumped off of the box, ignoring the protests from your still sprained ankle as you speed walked over to the screw. 

Picking it up it felt cool in your hands. A comforting feeling in the stuffy and still dark room. The only light was from the moonlight that drifted from the window up high. 

Sometimes you wondered if your family was still okay in the woods. If sometimes when you looked at the moon, they where looking at it too. 

You began the long trek back to the humans room, debating whether or not it would be worth it to go back through the walls or just walk on foot. 

Eventually, you decided to just go back through the vent. Climbing back up the box and weaseling your way into the wall would be too much work. Plus the vents usually were easy enough to navigate. 

You used the screw to pry the grate up ever so slightly before using your hands to pull it up the rest of the way. Your wrist also protesting from where you fell on it. You seriously needed to take better care of yourself once this was all over. 

Dropping down into the vents you made sure to pull the grate shut behind you before crawling through the cramped space. Even for you, it was a bit uncomfortable but the cold on your stomach was oddly comforting. 

You oddly preferred a cold room over a warm one, even better if you had a warm piece of cloth. Even as a kid you much liked it better in the early months of fall than in the middle of summer. 

Finally, you could hear the humans' faint snoring from above you, confirming the vents were a pretty straightforward path to his room. 

Taking a deep breath you pushed the grate up. Timing it with his deep snores to make sure he stayed fast asleep.

Clambering up into the open space you could see Ford sleeping at his desk still. His body was uncomfortably curled around and resting on his desk. 

You were no fool. You made sure to plan an escape route just in case he did wake up, quickly scanning the room you could see a small hole in the floorboard. Probably made by the natural cut of the wood, but perfect for you to drop into at a moment's notice. 

You then looked at his desk. Trying to figure out a safe way to travel up it without your fishhook and thread. When something caught your eye. 

The bastard had kept your fishhook. There it lay on his workspace, just barely discernable from your angle on the floor as it glinted in the moonlight. Almost as if it was taunting you. 

Suddenly all the nerves you had were ebbing away into frustration. Who gave him the right to keep your things. You worked hard on getting the proper supplies, and he never noticed. So what gave him the right to pocket it like he made it? 

You made quick work of walking across the floor and getting your footing on the desk leg. The unpolished wood was rough enough to support your hands and feet as you climbed. 

If you could get your fishhook back on top of taking the page you would be ecstatic. Then you could move without worry and find a new place to move into. This would all be behind you and you could talk about it like it was all some bad dream. 

Now was a time for the present though as you neared the top of his desk. You had almost forgotten the human was resting just beside you, frightening yourself as you pulled yourself onto the desk and saw his arm right next to you. 

…You almost forgot how large this guy was. 

He was tall by human standards, you saw him standing next to his assistant before. 

Pushing down your curiosity you peeled your eyes away from the human. 

Quickly scooping up the fishhook and thread that was so rightfully yours. You took one more glance at him to make sure he was asleep. 

By human standards he was attractive. Hell, even by borrower standards he was mildly satisfying. You weren't one of those borrowers who actively sought out humans, but you could admit when someone was pleasing to the eyes. 

He had short brown hair that slightly curled at the ends. His glasses were now crooked with how he pressed his face on top of his arm as a makeshift pillow. You allowed your eyes to scan over him a bit longer. 

Taking in his outfit as well, a simple brown sweater with a collared shirt poking from above it. His usual trenchcoat was hung on the chair he sat on. 

His hands rested on top of his forearms, which- 

… Don't humans usually only have five fingers? 

You could've sworn they had only five. Raising your own you looked back and forth at it. 

You remembered your mother mentioning humans were genetically very similar to borrowers. The only difference is the height, which should mean he would have only five fingers. Not the six he seemed to have on both hands. 

You were getting sidetracked. Soon you wouldn't even be living with this weird scientist, so why did it matter if he had an extra finger? 

Finally focusing on what you came for, you turned your attention to the journal. That cursed, stupid, red journal. The cause of all your anxiety for the past few days. 

He's lucky you're not just burning the entire thing. You weren't above arson, but you didn't want to kill him if the fire got too big. Despite how much you loathed humans. 

You walked over to the journal and skimmed over the page it was open to. To no one's shock, it was open on the page you despised the most. 

Over the top of the pristine white paper was the name he had given you and your species. 

‘Parva persona’. Whatever that meant you didn't care. 

Below it was a crude sketch of what you could only assume was your shadowy figure slinking off into the wall. You thought you dressed better than that in all honesty. He could have atleast drawn you in detail. 

Whatever. Didnt matter as long as the page was gone. He could always rewrite it but you doubt he would remember everything. 

And the more that was lost to time the better in your opinion. 

You placed your foot on the page to hold it down as you positioned the screw at the top of the page. Pressing your whole body weight on it as you dragged it down, it worked beautifully. Leaving a messy tear in its wake. 

You almost forgot about the snoring behind you. 

Until it stopped. 

About halfway through slicing into the cursed paper you heard it. The slight intake of breath. The stutter was all you needed to whip around just in time to catch the human sitting up slightly. 

His eyes were wide as he looked down at you, the holds of sleep still gripping him tightly as he moved sluggishly. 

Screw the page. You dropped the screw and took off to the side of the desk. Already planning on using the hook to drop off the desk and disappear back into the walls before promptly packing your bags and going back to your parents. 

As you were about to drop your hook and use it to swing off the desk, you felt the warmth of his hand on your back once more before those damned fingers curled around your entire being. 

The human wasnt speaking yet but you didn't want to wait to hear him. Thrashing as hard as you could you tried desperately to grab your needle on your hip, but his hand was quick to squish your arms to your sides. 

The dizzying feeling of being lifted off the desk was the next thing you felt. You felt nauseous at the mental image of being manhandled. 

The human was stunned into silence as you screwed your eyes shut, still desperately kicking at his pinkie that held your thighs down. His thumb pressed against your neck and shoulders, almost as if he was examining you. 

Finally, you opened your eyes, and you wished you hadnt. His other hand held his glasses up, pressing them firmly against the bridge of his nose, as if he was afraid he wasnt seeing right. 

His hair messily framed his face as his mouth hung open just a bit. Clearly in awe at what he was seeing. Your heart hammered quickly against your chest as you feared you might die from shock and horror. 

You were stuck. Trapped by a scientist. The most dangerous human to exist to your kind. 

His grip tightened ever so slightly as he tilted you to the left, looking at the items you had on your hip as he lifted his middle finger. Your thighs and shoulder are still pinned to his palm. 

His palm was uncomfortably warm against your back. You hated the feeling of his skin against your clothes. Absentmindedly he used his other hand to poke at the needle on your hip. You contemplated trying to bite him. 

Your blood was rushing past your ears as the effects of vertigo hit your body in full swing once more as he moved. His head tilted to look somewhere beside the desk before you heard him rummaging. 

It was a wonder you weren't passed out at this point as his hand swayed. The motion was natural to him, but entirely foreign to the small sentient being he held in the palm of his hand. 

His eyes focused back on your form as you felt him press something against your side, it was cold and plastic. 

Craning your neck you could see him pressing what appeared to be a ruler to your side. His thumb pressed against your shoulder moving to press against your neck as he held you straight. 

“...6 and a half inches.. That should be impossible..” 

His voice boomed in your ears as you felt the beginnings of a headache nagging at the back of your eyes. In all reality, he was probably whispering. It didn't matter though combined with the closeness he held you at. 

His thumb was beginning to press a bit too hard into your neck and you saw spots forming in your vision. Your body kicked up in squirms as you desperately tried to squeeze in another full breath of air. 

He was quick to notice as he moved his thumb back to your shoulder. 

“Sorry!- I didn't realize, maybe I could..” 

He sat down the ruler before taking a few quick notes. Your vision cleared as you sucked in precious oxygen again. 

Your vision was just starting to clear fully as your brain caught up with his rummaging. He was once again rifling beside his desk. When you saw him pull a jar up into your vision you felt your blood run cold. 

You did not want to be put in a jar. Going into a jar meant transporting you. Which meant you where going down into that lab. 

   “Stop!-” 

The frantic words left your mouth before you could stop them, and you felt the human practically completely freeze. His calculating eyes pierced into your very soul as you felt him grip you ever so slightly tighter.  “You can talk!”

-- --- - - - --

Hope you enjoyed!! Will ford be nicer next chapter? Who knows!! I sure dont!!! ✰ Let me know if you enjoyed in the comments!!! I love reading them :)!!! Feel free to send me any asks in my askbox if you want as well! ✰

╱|、♡ (` - 7 |、⁻〵 じしˍ,)ノ

[politemenacephd]

Arachnophilia: (Part Nineteen)

Drider!Miguel O'Hara x Reader (+18)

Chapter Masterlist 🕷️

Content: Plot time! Some fluffy conversation, Action, Some spider peril, aphrodisiac influence.

Word count: 4100 Notes: Ok so I've had extra time off w being ill to re-cooperate and I've actually got chapters 20 and 21 done so hopefully those will be up sooner! Thanks for waiting <3

‘You ready?’

You were milling about the HQ entrance with Mig at your side, preparing for your first mission together. You’d got into your hazmat suit just fine but Mig was struggling with his. They usually came with attached leg parts and he didn’t exactly have legs to fit into one, so his had been hastily made to order.

‘Argh—I hate this, clothing, thing—how did I ever wear this every day?’

You snorted at Mig’s quiet grumbles as you helped pull the thick plastic material over his stocky belly.

‘I’ve brought up the possibility of making an exception for you, with the- clothing, thing, but they’re being weird about it’ you mumbled.

‘I don’t- want you to go through any trouble for me’ Mig said. His voice kept catching as he squirmed. You noted how tight his suit was compared to yours, how it clung to his enormous shoulders like latex. Clearly whoever had made it hadn’t paid close enough attention to how big Mig was.

‘What was it you used to say to me? Oh no, arañita, I like doing things for you—that’s me. That’s also me. I like doing things for you, it’s why I am—’ you paused to give his suit one final tug. ‘In a relationship with you!’

Mig totally ignored that his suit was on, instead doing a little wiggle with his abdomen to the word ‘relationship’. Hearing it made him so happy.

‘Mm. Yes, well- okay.’ He bent down and reached out his hand, baying you to give him yours. You did, and he gingerly kissed your fingers before squeezing them between his claws. ‘I suppose I don’t mind you doing a little for me. If it makes you happy.’

‘You’re so silly’ you chided gently. For just a moment, you got to stand and look up into his big red eyes without worrying about anything or anyone else around you. His eyes creased as he smiled.

‘Mi arañita’ he whispered.

 It was simple, short, sweet. To you, it was an affirmation. To him, it was a confession of love he just wasn’t strong enough to make overtly quite yet. You bumped foreheads, since the suits stopped you being able to kiss, before withdrawing from each other.

‘May I, make a confession to you, arañita?’

‘Yeah, of course. Go ahead.’

‘I… I am certainly, excited, to see a new universe again. I used to dream about this when I was human, and while I gave up on my dreams when I changed it has been… exhilarating, to feel like a scientist again. I just…’ Mig paused and gently rubbed his jaw. ‘I’m, nervous.’

‘About what?’

‘About… You’ he said, his voice dipping. ‘About, putting you in danger.’

‘Oh Miggy- I’ve been a spider a lot longer than you have!’ you insisted.

‘Yes. And on your first mission, you met me. Because you—got hurt’ he said bluntly. Your teasing smile turned to an awkward frown.

‘Oh… Ohh. Right. Yeah. Well… Look at it this way.’ You turned and gestured to yourself, lightly tapping your chest as you stared up at him. ‘I completed my first mission specifically because I had your help. So, now you’re here with me, it’ll be even better! And I promise, I won’t get headstrong and try to go around you. I will accept your help.’

Mig still looked perturbed but he seemed comforted at the memory of helping you. ‘Yes… Yes, you are, correct.’

‘As always.’

‘Mm. Very humorous. Regardless, you are right. I helped you then, and, I can help now. I appreciate you understanding my concern, arañita. I also, as a show of good faith, will not stand in the way of you doing this mission. I trust you.’

You beamed up at him, and he beamed back.

‘I’m just rather surprised we got put on it at all. I was quite prepared for my, other half to get in the way’ Mig mused as he shook himself off. Immediately your face fell.

‘Ah... yeah. Me too. Me too’ you said quietly.

You’d been surprised Miguel had even okayed the idea of you both going out. He’d been so weird about Mig joining at all, and then out of nowhere he was giving you both a mission right after Mig passed? When you joined it took months to get any mission at all. Deep down, this whole thing had you a little on edge.

You were trying to keep your feelings to yourself, though, since you didn’t want to upset or worry Mig. He was settling in so well and you’d hate to cause him discomfort for no reason. You liked seeing him happy. You liked seeing him thrive.

‘Mi arañita?’

You blinked and glanced upward, only to find Mig staring at you. You must have gotten lost in your thoughts.

‘Ah- hey, what’s up now pretty boy?’ you asked, forcing a smile. His lips didn’t return the same softness. Instead, his face remained serious.

‘You’re worried. Yes? About my counterpart, and how quickly this mission was given to us. You’re worried that he has some ulterior motive. You’re worried he might be, setting us up, rather than stepping back.’

You sighed. God damn it. While you appreciated how in-tune you were, it also made hiding anything a little awkward. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I—was.’

‘I... Yes. I, feel the same, though I do want to believe he’s actually gotten better’ Mig murmured sadly.

‘I’d like to believe it, but I’m also not stupid’ you snorted. The two of you briefly went quiet as a gaggle of spiders webbed past you down the lobby, before slowly drifting closer again.

‘We- are, very similar, you know’ Mig explained. ‘I told you, once, how our paths only diverged in life when we changed. He became, him, and I became… this. But before that we were… so, so similar. Almost identical.’

‘That change was a long time ago, though, right? Like, so long that you forgot what clothes feel like.'

Mig chuckled at your light teasing, but his brows remained tightly knotted. ‘Mm. Yes. But, it doesn’t change that we are, in many ways, the same person. He used that very fact to convince me that I’m a monster, to convince me to hide.’

You pursed your lips at the reminder.

‘So… If I don’t believe he can change, then, it… means he was right about me, too' he said. His voice was deeply sombre. 

‘Mig, that isn’t—I mean that isn’t entirely fair’ you said with an unsure shrug. ‘Like… Look, Miguel is a different person to you. I can see the argument that you were given the same, basic components at the start, right? But you're so different now. He's a.... dick, and you're... you! You're YOU! My Mig! The, most, perfect thing!' 

Mig chuckled again, looking almost shy at your praise. ‘Just- humour me, please. It is for my own benefit, not just for his. I have to believe I am not doomed to be a bad person, and, I want to believe he isn’t either’ Mig insisted.

You weren’t convinced, sadly, but you did relent. You held up your hands and smiled as you slapped them down on his furry abdomen. ‘Okay. I mean I’d like for him to get better too, believe me, God it would save me SO much hassle!’

Mig purred, and at last a smile broke out onto his face. His cheeks lifted as he chuckled. ‘Yes. Me too. He—’

‘You ready to go?!’

You and Mig turned in unison as Jess called from the other side of the lobby. She was waving one arm over her head with the other cupped her mouth to make the sound carry. You could see that she was standing beside an open portal. 

‘Shit… alright, time to go’ you said. You straightened out your suit and straightened his too, a motion he tried to return until you shooed him off.

‘No, no—I don’t need petting down, shh—I love you too. Right. You ready, Mig?’

He fixed his posture and nervously raised his claws. ‘Ah… yes. Yes. I am- ready to do, heroic activities. Yes’ he blurted in a fully monotone voice.

You buried your face in your palm. ‘Oh my god I love you so much you’re such a god damn dork—OKAY, lets go!’  

You tried to strike a pose like you were trained to do but almost immediately tripped, so instead you went straight into climbing Mig’s back so he could take the lead. It was easy to look majestic while riding your enormous spider partner.

You clung tight to his fur as he scurried forward, and dragged you both through the open portal into this new and unknown world.

…

On the other side you thankfully landed safely, with Miguel angling his paws to slow the impact. As you eyes adjusted you realized quickly that you were on the top of some enormous building, and so you hopped down from Mig’s back to see the view.

This world was strange, far stranger than either Miguel’s or Mig’s or your's. Before you was the full, shining vista of New York, but this one had been entirely drowned in enormous neon plants. You could see flower heads in the distance that looks like normal flower heads up close, implying that they must be the size of a house in their own right, blooming and fluttering on the side of a high rise building that'd broken in half and was now leaning on another. 

The sky above was also strange; it was red, darker on top and lighter as it drifted down towards the horizon, ending in a dull and foreboding pink beyond what the eye could see.

There was no sound. No cars, no people. Just the rustling of leaves in the wind.

You breathed in through your suit mask and turned to Mig. He was fixated on the red sky, his hand held out in front of his face.

‘You okay?’ you called up.

Mig nodded. ‘Yes… You- do you see these, particles, too?’ he asked. You followed his eyes and squinted at the air in front of your face. He was right. There were tiny, pink dots floating in the air, like dust particles, just barely viewable. You waved your hand and watched them bounce and dance as your fingers disrupted them.

‘Huh. Oh, weird. Yeah they um- they mentioned the pollen, it has... Like an overwhelming effect on anything with hormones. Aphrodisiac. Makes you lose it. It's why this worlds deserted now.’

‘Yes. I- believe we should leave here as soon as possible’ Mig said slowly. You didn’t argue.

You turned and leapt back up onto his back, digging your hands into his fur. You held on tight as he turned and descended the building via the stairway.

On a monitor in a dark and distant room, Miguel watched the blurry little figure of you and Mig strolled through the abandoned city. His eyes narrowed. ‘Go on’ he said, almost purring. ‘Go ahead. Fail, and then let me watch you get dragged out by your necks in a pathetic heap.’

The building was entirely empty, which made the sounds you heard all the more unnerving. You realized pretty quickly that the oversized plants filling the area would occasionally move, slithering across cracked windows and floors like great, fleshy, neon green snakes. The floors would creak like footsteps when no one was there, and occasionally you’d hear a low groaning as if the building itself was alive.

Mig began to walk slower so he could step over the vines. They hadn’t done anything violent, but, he’d rather be safe.

As you emerged out into the city from the ground the size of it became far more imposing. Seeing those giant flower buds from the top made them seem almost normal, but from the floor the shadow of that gaping botanical maw filling the sky made you feel utterly miniscule.

You drew your watch to your mouth and whispered into it. ‘Lyla- Lyla, have you got a hold on the guy who escaped?’

‘Yeeeppp.’

The little AI flashed up beside your head as Mig cautiously began to walk down the empty street. ‘You hopped in close. He’s been still for a while.’

‘Do you think he’s hurt?' 

‘Nah, I mean- maybe. But I doubt it’ Lyla said with a yawn.

‘Why do you doubt it?’ Mig asked. She flickered over to glance him up and down as he walked.

‘My god you’re big, it always surprises me- uhhh I said I DOUBT it because he was wearing his suit when he jumped in which should keep him safe from the pollen.’

‘Okay. What are we dealing with then? A vulture, a symbiote, a prowler?’

‘Prowler. He’ll be wearing his suit but I think we removed his weapons when we brought him in, so, should be easy.’

‘Huh… I wonder if Miguel gave us an easy one deliberately’ you pondered to yourself. It seemed unlikely, but, maybe it was intentional? Maybe he was changing. ‘Okay, uh- thanks Lyla, we’ll call if we need anything else.’

You shut your watch and gently tapped for Mig’s attention. You didn’t speak, but you silently gestured for where he needed to go. He nodded and crept towards the building Lyla had pointed at.

As you approached the bottom floor it was empty, with broken windows allowing easy access to the inner rooms. It was unnervingly dark inside. The sun was too high overheard to reach inside, leaving nothing but a faint red glow broaching the edge of the dirty, vines covered concrete before it descended into shadow.

You tapped your watch to create a small beam of light. You carefully scanned the room from side to side, your eyes squinting to see through the gloom.

It was quiet. Too quiet. You could hear water dripping somewhere but couldn’t find the source. As Mig went to enter the dark he rustled his abdomen, signalling for you to jump. You hopped to the floor and in unison you both ducked. Together, you began to do a wide circle of the space.

‘Hello?’ you called, your voice echoing. You faintly saw Mig rustle with discomfort at you speaking, so you gestured for him to continue instead.

‘Sir! We’re from the society’ Mig cried. ‘I know that you were- reluctant, to come with us, but you were at far more risk here.’

You were about halfway in now. You were descending into the thick of the vines.

‘This universe is abandoned. There is no way home without us. If you come quietly, we can—’

Midway through speaking the vines were suddenly cut right above your head, and in a flurry of chaotic movement and sound you were thrown across the room.

‘SHIT—HEY!’

The unseen opposition dived forward and pinned your newly downed body to the floor, choking it out against one of the vines. You squirmed and kicked but you’d been taken off guard too fast.

‘GIVE ME THE WATCH!’

A deep voice echoed from behind the attackers mask. Shit, you thought, this must be the guy.

‘GIVE ME THE—’

Just as he’d tackled you the Prowler variant was tackled by Mig. In a blur of red and black fur your partner barrelled across the room and hooked the smaller man by the nape, and with nothing more than the strength of his neck he threw him up into the ceiling and then back down to the floor.

A low moan filled the air as you scrambled to stand.

‘Oh…. Fuck.’ You coughed and spluttered as Mig prowled towards the downed man. His venom was glowing where it’d leaked down his jaw, its viscosity appearing neon green in the dark. He had his claws raised.

Back in Nueva, Miguel continued to watch. He had his arms folded, his body stiff and unmoving, his eyes unblinking.

He was waiting for it.

‘Fuck… urgh, okay, um—you got the light cage, babe?’ you asked. You were wheezing hard from being pinned, and while Mig should have focused on containing the man on the floor he couldn’t help but be drawn to you.

‘Mi arañita? Are you okay?’

As Mig turned you raised your hand. You were about to say yes, you were fine. You were about to comfort him and remind him of what you had to do.

You didn’t get the chance, though.

The Prowler collected himself too quickly, and in a blind panic he leapt up and released the claws on his suit. He dove at Mig, the most obvious threat, hoping to get in a stab from behind, but luckily his claws weren’t strong enough to pierce.

He latched onto Mig’s back and he instantly began rustling and bucking, his size allowing him to quickly detach the attacker. You hastily threw a web out to pin him down to the floor again.

‘SHIT- Shit, baby, did he get you?! Did he—’

You froze. Mig had turned in an attempt to feel the back of his suit, and now he was facing the opposite direction to you. He was showing you his back. He was showing you, clear as day, the enormous cut marks in the plastic hide.

Slowly, Mig stopped. His arms fell to his sides, and he rolled his head to stare at you over his shoulder. His eyes were glowing the most unnatural pink.

‘Mig?’ you stammered.

He grunted, hard, and suddenly seemed to go down. His legs began to shake as his hands flew to his head. ‘MM—MM—’

You felt your whole body go cold. You knew what the air in this universe did. You quickly rushed to try and grapple him, hoping to either pin him with your webs or patch up the suit, anything your frazzled mind could think of, but Mig was quickly losing control.

‘MIG! Mig, hey! Stay down—let me help—’

‘AH—’ His body rustled violently as he panted. It burned. It was the most unbearable heat he’d ever felt, seeping through his veins like literal fire. His started drooling venom into the inside of the suit, coating the seethrough plastic on the front. ‘RRH—’

On the other side of the multi-universe, Miguel snorted. He didn’t smile, nor did he show any kind of outward joy. He just snorted.

What a shame that Lyla hadn’t been told about that prowler’s suit still had its claws intact when it was taken in. Claws that, while not deadly, were capable of still ripping an important piece of fabric. A suit, perhaps.  

Now you’d let the man escape into a dangerous universe. You’d have to crawl back with your out of control boyfriend. He went to turn when a cry drew his attention back to the screen.

Mig, in his panic, had pushed you back across the room.

‘DON’T—DON’T COME NEAR ME’ he cried, ‘I CAN’T- HURT YOU—ARGH!’

Miguel frowned.

You were carefully shifting yourself up from the debris. You weren’t hurt, it hadn’t been a hard push, but just like the Prowler he hadn’t accounted for his own claws. They were painfully extended, viciously sharp on every end, and in just lightly pushing you with the last of his strength he’d ripped three big holes in your own suit.

You felt your heart thundering.

In a whimpering panic you tried to block the holes with your hand but it was too late. All too soon you felt the pollen in your nose, your brain, your blood, your body heating into overdrive. You were doubled over as if in physical pain as the urge curdled inside you.

‘MM—’

Miguel stared at the screen, his eye twitching just a little. No, wait, he’d planned for one person to be able to call for back up. He’d planned this out perfectly, hadn’t he? Why was this happening?

‘Argh… Mig…’

You mewled pathetically as you crawled across the floor. You were throbbing everywhere, lightheaded from the blood flowing where it wasn’t supposed to, your insides clenching and pulsing and squeezing around nothing to a point that left you breathless.

Mig was no better. He was digging his claws directly into the concrete in an attempt to stay sane, to stay alert, but it wasn’t working. He drooled pools of spit and venom onto the floor as he ripped his suit aside completely. He had to bite. He had to pin. He had to unload. He could think of nothing rational in that moment. ‘AH—AH---’

In the panic your target had also cut himself free from the web. Still suited, still sober, he watched you writhe with narrowed eyes. He approached, curious, and delivered one kick to your exposed gut. You went down hard but didn’t have the strength to get back up off the floor.

‘YOU-- ARGH!’

Mig dove at the man and nearly clawed him to pieces, but the impact of the sweet, thick, dizzying scent was making it hard to see or focus. He swung blindly, teeth snapping, as Prowler backed away.

On the floor you whimpered, unable to move an inch from the multi-faceted pain. 

‘Wait, wait, no—’  

As he watched Miguel felt his confidence beginning to slip. You’d call for backup, right? You would. Yo had to. 

He thought about rushing in, but, if he did that, you’d know he’d been watching. Wouldn’t that look suspicious? Plus, it would ruin his plan.

His plan… What, exactly, was that plan anyway, some little niggling part of his brain asked?

‘FUCK!’

Your cry drew Miguel back to the screen.

You were writhing on the floor as you struggled to breathe. You and Mig couldn’t even reach each other. He was now consumed by the primal, lustful urge to protect his mate, to fight an opponent, which was keeping him in the thralls of trying to spear your assailant on his claws.

No one had time to pull either of you out, and that Prowler was still hellbent on killing you both to protect himself.

‘No, no, no—’

The blurry image of your body on the floor began to distort. Miguel slammed the monitor but it just continued to fade.

He began to pant hard. He hadn’t wanted this. Not this. He just wanted Mig to fail his first mission, he never wanted anyone to get hurt. He’d just wanted an excuse to remove him. He didn’t want this. He didn’t. He’d planned it perfectly. This was supposed to work. It HAD to work. He was doing the right thing. He was smart, he was capable, he was rational—

Right?

The more he thought about it, the more his stomach turned. Wait, but, he’d released that symbiote, hadn’t he? He’d jumped in the way, yes, but it could have caused Mig real harm. It could have caused you real harm.

‘Oh no’ he whispered. ‘No, no, no…’

One final, horrible thought filled his head: What was wrong with him?

‘Every day I have to fight to be good.’

His words to Peter rang in his head as he paced back and forth. How had he forgotten that? The simple reason, that he really hated his variant? Because he was broken. They were both broken. Both of them.

He swung back to the screen. He had to go, right? He had to go, he had to go and extract you and Mig.

All that anger, that resentment that he’d made righteous, it was fighting the one part of him that he clung to. The part that wanted to save you, no matter the cost. The part that was still good.

He told himself that this self-sacrificial nature, that was him. The REAL him. That was who he was beneath the dirt and the dust and the bitterness. But, no. As he stared at you clutching the floor, struggling to breathe, he knew it wasn’t.

It was all him.

‘Shit.’

Without wasting a second, without even grabbing a suit, Miguel pulled up a portal to that universe and dove in headfirst.

The pollen hit him like a physical punch to the gut. He felt it coiling around every hormone in his touch-starved body, pushing his brain into override. As he hit the road right before the store you were in he had to curl in on himself just to regain the ability to breath.

‘MM—Argh, fuck—come on—you’ve dealt with this before!’ he seethed.

With fangs dripping he clawed his way into the building. To his utmost relief he saw you almost instantly, still curled up on the floor.

‘COME ON!’ he barked. Miguel grabbed you under the arm and began to drag, though it was slow progress. He kept having to pause and bite his own hands in order to temper the unnatural urges filling his brain.

You were utterly useless at this point. Your body was limp in his grip, moaning and whimpering and shaking. ‘Mig.... My Mig—’

‘He’s… fuck—MIGUEL!’ He turned and screamed into the dark as the plants whipped and writhed.

Mig burst through the wall with a violent crack, his paws skidding on the ground. The person you’d been chasing was frantically scrambling to avoid his open seething maw and swinging claws, like a rabbit fleeing a wolf. With the last of his strength Miguel threw a light cage at the panicking Prowler before depoying a web at Mig’s legs, helping to at least stun him into stopping.

‘Ah… Okay, HERE! OVERE HERE! EXTRACTION!’ Miguel cried.

Mig jerked his head up so fast it snapped. He saw him holding your limp body and immediately his eyes dilated into slits. He hissed, spraying venom across the tiles.

‘I’M GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE!’

Miguel pulled up a portal and threw you into it before returning to grab the downed Prowler. He used it like a toy, lurning Mig up. The enormous man broke the webs around his legs with terrifying ease, and once back on his spider legs he stormed towards him.

Miguel led him straight through the portal at his back.

With a soft, otherworldly thwap, the portal disappeared. The world of plants was plunged into silence once more, and whatever chaos ensued, would ensue in Miguel’s office, back where it had all started.

Link to next part

[baxterstockmanisthecenterfold]

Do you prefer Baxter mutated 🪰 a cyborg 🤖 or just plain human? 👨🏿‍🔬

My answer has changed since the last time I've thought about it. Originally like most people I liked his mutant fly fate. But now honestly. I prefer Baxter be a regular human. I don't hate either of his fates anymore I still love them & am fascinated by them. But when it comes to new takes on them. Nobody seems to actually DO anything with them. Nowadays when Baxter's a mutant it's only just for the sake of fanservice to the 87 cultists. DC's 2 portrayals of him being the biggest example of this

Because I want you to genuinely answer me this: what PURPOSE did him getting mutated, even serve? In literally BOTH adaptations he was just. There. Aside from fanservice what was literally the point in him being a fly? I'll tell you: Jack shit. They literally could have kept him human & I promise you nothing would have changed. Hell they could have easily replaced him with a random scientist and nothing would have changed! That's how little him being there or a fly mattered! And every version that has him go this route always make that same exact mistake. It's honestly crazy how Baxter becoming a fly in the first place was because of a horror movie yet nobody ever bothers to.. ya know, DO THE HORROR part?! A giant killer fly is seriously giant fucking potential especially in these darker TMNT adaptations. 2012 was even CLOSE to getting that mark when their Baxter mutated

Bro was fully ready to catch bodies in the most disturbing way possible. Yet the only time they cooked with him in this was this & that scene of him taking out the foot bots. The rest of the episode they just still have him get easily beaten by everyone and it's the same status quo for the rest of the series, he just buzzes now. *Sighs* honestly I just want at least ONE version of mutant Baxter to do this to somebody

At least ONE version of mutant Baxter just going full fly on niggas and & being seen as a legitimate threat to look out for & not just "heheheh, goofy fly just like the 87 series" Like is that seriously too much to ask for?

Cyborg Baxter isn't safe from this either. Even though it's a much more rare fate, only happening a total of 3 times btw. Yeah. Only 3 times was he turned into a cyborg. And only ONE of them was actually a really cool & dangerous concept. That of course being his ORIGINAL Counterpart

The man broke into a military base, killed 2 guards, cut out his own brain & put it inside a killer robot and wasted ZERO time fucking around. A lot of people really don't seem to know Baxter canonically has a bodycount

He killed over 6 people because he possessed the body of a giant robot. He basically pulled a sci-fi Chucky & I don't think anybody seems to realize how terrifying & cool that concept alone is! The second time this happened was 2003 & I'm honestly a little disappointed it wasn't used in a more dangerous way. Granted I'm aware that version of Baxter is more of a victim than his original self & mostly just used his robot bodies as just. Bodies in place of his old one. He didn't actively choose this, but you would still think he'd try to make himself more stronger & capable of defending himself like he did when he betrayed Shredder in season one. But alas. That never became the case. The final time we got a cyborg Baxter was the Roninverse who is another rare Baxter to do his original counterpart justice in more ways than one.

Still, we didn't get to see this one in much action. Aside from punching the shit outta April, this Cyborg Baxter was another case of "just there" ism. Don't get me wrong he had an actual purpose of being in the story & why he's a cyborg, but they just didn't have him do much in this form. And it is a really big shame ngl.

Both of these fates are honestly amazing & fun to explore if you genuinely put your creativity caps in it, & it's honestly frustrating that they're just never put into true fruition. It's honestly one of the main 2 reasons I just rather he just be human now honestly.

The wasted potential with either one & the complete lack to bother trying to do something with them

Like with his race, fans seem to think that that's (mainly being a fly) his only character trait that matters & he's less of a Stockman if he's not which is.. beyond stupid honestly.

Baxter doesn't have to be a mutant or not human in general to be a great character, there're tons of villains in TMNT that are humans that still do the fans & themselves justice without always losing their humanities, why should Baxter be any different? Because he's a scientist? There's literally hundreds of evil human scientists in Superhero media that are still threatening. Doctor Octopus, Dr. Eggman/Robotnik, Lex Luthor, Hugo Strange, Gizmo, the list goes on! With the right writing a regular human evil scientist is a major good threat! And Baxter Stockman should NOT be any different from this category! Especially when IDW showed us you can literally do something even better with his fates.

IDW being the best Stockman he is showed us that he can literally have fly themed technology (his Flyborgs of all forms) as his personal minions and things to do his bidding aside from his Mousers! Even the 87 cartoon showed us that he has the power to control flies! Have him be a fly themed evil scientist. Matter fact. Have him built like this

This absolutely AMAZING 2-for-one that is basically giving him a fly themed mech suit. I literally can't explain into words just HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS CONCEPT & I'm so happy I've seen other fans draw their own takes on this too because literally why not go this route?! It has both fates, he's still human & he's still a big threat! I say THIS is my ideal Baxter Stockman fate honestly and I need it to be a real reality someday 💖🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

Number 10 for Marigold :3c <- Guy who totally doesnt know how it ends and def isnt writing anything related to it 2 for Elias becase i always love to hear about the process... and 7!

10: What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

ohhhhh marigold ;) Their main arc is going to be them slowly coming to shake off the Princess' abuse. That they've lived through so many tragedies, and unfortunatly they must live through another. Finally finding a real bright spot in their life and feeling the warmth it emminates, and the stolen joy they get from it, and realizing their other bright spot is cold and dim in comparision, and that while neither light can sustain them forever, they must make a choice about which light they want to feed, which light they want to die with. When we first meet Marigold they are fully under her thumb, actively enjoying her torturing them without consent. Over time... well. for a long few year they're still unable to find fault in her, but in those last few months, they turn more towards "damning with faint praise". Eventually, they'll leave, but they'll never be fully rid of her influence, and they'll bear the marks of her abuse for the rest of their days, from their tattoos, to the loss of their vision and memories, to the ways they flinch when a voice is raised near them. Marigold's ending is bittersweet.

2: How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

OH GOSH OKAY UH so Elias started as a vampire character with their partner, @the-insouciant-scientist's mad scientist! that is. about the only resemblance dfjvkdsjbdkvbk they were originally turn of the century edwardians, or just getting into the roaring 20s? we played around with the time period somewhat. this was back in, i believe, 2019, long before i got into TMA and heard how brits Actually pronounce 'Elias'. Elias' whole thing was they were a vampire who had turned recently, but not too recently. like a few months ago, so they're kinda used to it but also still working out a lot of the kinks ;P then i had my accident, and whenever i became a (basically) full-time wheelchair user, so did elias after that, Rye got into TMA and heard The Ad, and we decided to put our funny little victorians in the game!!! this was also whenever i started playing with elias' gender and presentation and made them very femme (as i was figuring out my own stuff) the first year/year and a half Elias was mostly a name and incredibly loose concept, i was just exploring things i thought were fun and cool! it's only within the past two and a half years that i would say elias has become Elias Leroux, chemist, dubious royal, Gonfaloniere, and sweetheart of half the city!!! once i transferred from the reddit side of the fandom to the tumblr side, and got over my anti fears, accepted that i like gothic horror, gothic romance, and gothic tropes, they really kind of bloomed into what they are now!!! my early concepts for them were a lot fluffier and sweeter which... is nice, but not so much my thing all the time, ya know? i wanted elias to go through difficult horrors and make choices from fear and i really wanted to do stuff with blood and giant monsterous bats (especially after heavily playing sskies and seeing the chiropterous hoarder <3) and that's what i've been focusing on mostly!!! a lot of it what honestly kicked off when i went "hey, i wonder what the consequences of this would be" for abandoning light fingers, and also there was a huge turning point for elias becoming their own character whenever i played the Swan Bride ES and they became gonfaloniere, and i got the chance to dive into toxins and- so... about 3 years!! 7: another favorite appearance aspect: okay, i'll finally let myself gush about it a little: ELIAS' WHEELCHAIR!!!!!! it's so fucking prtty if i say so myself!!!! the wood color is gorgeous, the heart back (based on that historical example) is inspired, the way it also kinda looks like a throne? how comfortable elias is in it? the fact that i can have their spokes decorated in flowers of ribbons, or all the scientific add-ons they can have for it? the secret compartments? it's such a fantastic chair, and every day i am so jealous that elias gets to have a HEART SHAPED wheelchair!!!!!!! i love their chair so much!!!!!! and it being a possessive and manipulative gifts from happles where it can easily control their chair? ough j'adore!!! it's a fantastic chair and it makes me so happy to draw and write about :} ask game here

[portalfaecez]

[𝙼𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 _𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎_𝙳𝚊𝙼𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐_𝚂𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎_]

𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝?

>[𝚈𝙴𝚂]

[𝙽𝙾]

[𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 _𝙰𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎_𝚂𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎_𝚁𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚘_𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚂𝚞𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚏𝚞𝚕]

Oooh- hey! I... I got something-! Hello? Can anyone hear me?

Hm, I'll take that as a no. Well, that's just sad, isn't it? Finally in range of the system and absolutely no one is here to help me. Well, actually, help is kind of a big thing to ask for, I um... Yeah no that's fine if you can't really... but uhhh, it does get awfully lonely here, in space. So, if you could maybe just stay here and talk to me for a bit? If anyone's out there...?

Who would want to talk to me anyways? After all I've done? It's alright, I get it... You- you don't have to say anything. It's not like you were much of a talker anyway, so, just keep doing what you always do. You're a great listener, by the way.

I do miss it though- Being your friend and all. You ah, get a lot of time to think up here in space... -and speaking of which, I kind of came to some sort of a realization- that you were probably the closest friend that I've ever had. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Wheatley I thought you had loads of friends!" -and you would be right! I have at least three friends, made em' all myself. But um, back to the point: you were the best of everyone, really. That's right! Waaaaay up there! The cores and the scientists... I don't know, they're all just kinda mean. Nobody has ever really treated me with so much respect besides you. Thank you. Even if I did mess everything up in the end. Hurt cores hurt other cores, that's the saying right? -Not that I'm trying to excuse anything. It's just... man.

I've thought it over about a billion times, different ways I would say and do things, things I should've said to you earlier. Hah, I really screwed it all up, haven't I? We could've just talked everything out and came to an understanding- er, well, I don't really know if you CAN talk so maybe... ASL? Could you do that? I remember a bit of it from being inside Her body- being a giant supercomputer and all-

[𝙱𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝙲𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙻𝚘𝚠]

WH- Whoa! Um, wow, that's um... That's- that's really bad isn't it? Haven't got much time left... It seems... hah...

I know I've already apologized, but I feel like you deserve a better one. The um, the last one was kind of a stand-in for the better one I was planning to give you in person. It's um... A little funny now that I won't be able to. Now that I really think about it, I was probably never gonna get the chance to see you again regardless. But I already knew that, didn't I? I guess I just do this thing where I daydream about seeing you again so much that I convince myself it'll happen. Do you humans ever do that? Think about something so much you're positive that it's happened? It uh, might just be a side effect of space.

[3% 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐]

GHRAGH! Hold on a minute, let me get my bearings. That was... Strange. Everything's all blurry now. I can't... I can't really see anything. Um... God, how do I start this?

Chell. I'm sorry. I really, truly am sorry. I freaked out, I did! I stabbed ya' in the back, after everything you did to try to help us escape. I feel... Rotten. I do. I feel like the scum of the earth, if I'm being honest. Well, scum of space if you want to get technical with it- point is, you didn't deserve that. After all the nice things you did for me, given the fact that uh, you have arms I don't, I really should have been more grateful. If there was anything that I could say or do to make it right, I would in an instant. That's a promise. You deserved a better friend, and I'm sorry I couldn't do that for you.

[1% 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐]

Haha... I can feel myself sort of fading away now. It's um, kind of hard to keep my eye open... There we go. Feels easier to just let it close, not like I'm missing much anyways.

...

I'm scared.

...

When my body comes falling to earth, you'll catch me this time, will you?

[princessisfinethx]

Recom Miles Quaritch x FemReader

I am really getting annoyed with the spam bots that follow you...how do I stop them? Anyways, here's a lil something new. Hope ya'll enjoy!

No Warnings applied

Check out my A03 account here&lt;3

The only true thing to be said about yourself, was you were technically a God. Not literally. But in a cosmic, or comedic sense, yes. You were one of the main scientists who restored deceased soldiers' memories and brought them back to life as a recombinant(recom) as the soldiers called them. Stable bodies 100%, perfectly reanimated. You were damn good at it too

And like a God, your believers shot you out of the sky with greed in their eyes and fangs in their smiles.

You were promoted to main physician/doctor or Medical adviser for the Na'vi soldiers. Some bullshit terminology like that, they just needed some smart ass to babysit the blue cats in case they get colds. A fucking joke that was. You had already perfected their bodies to withstand more disease, more injury than humans or animals could. They were perfect. YOU made sure of that and everyone on your team knew that.

And here you are anyway.

You were scribbling away, glancing up once in a while to look at the clock. You have a new patient arriving soon and you only looked over the picture and title. Colonel. Copying down the last patient's file, just Incase she came back with any side effects. She reported headaches, weird visuals when she slept. That was normal with every patient and headaches were mostly due to stress build up. You were hoping to see her again today, she's always cracking awful jokes that made you chuckle.

As sick as it makes you feel, you actually took your job seriously. You hated being downgraded and you wished whoever higher ups made that decision for you, would get alien bird shit in their coffee. However, you didn't hate it. Not really. You had patients you looked forward to every day, sure there was maybe one or two that gave you hell, really it's the human guys but everyone else respected you. Truly. They haven't forgotten your birthday yet either. You have pictures with most of the recom soldiers and it really made you feel good.

A thought crossed your mind, something that made that good feeling drop. You glanced down at your cabinets, seeing the lock and sighing. You haven't sent anything out yet, you'd hope they could last a few more-

Knock knock knock.

You jumped and stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in your pants and shirt. "Come in." You watch the door open, and a tall blue figure ducking into the doorframe to fit inside. He looked at you, then around the office as he got inside. You smiled softly. "Good to see you moving around so early. Most get sick for another hour." You held your hand out. "I'm Dr. Linear."

He was still looking around. "What is this, like a principal's office?" He laughed softly. When he finally looked down at you, he bent down to shake your hand. "No disrespect to you Doctor. It's just nicer than most offices I've seen." he spots the pictures behind you. "Lotta personal touches." That american accent touched his voice.

You had a tight smile on. "Well when you work my position for a while, you grow close to your patients. In this environment it's easy to get the life drained out of you. I find a personal touch eases a lot of people in a state of comfort." You sit back down. "Not too comfortable though. Those chairs aren't cozy for Na'vi." You noticed his face as he sat, even his tail seemed irritated. He glanced at you again and smiled. "Colonel Miles Quaritch, correct?" You flipped his file open and read over a few lines. "We won't go over personal details yet, I just want to make sure you're feeling okay."

He never stopped staring at you. You weren't uncomfortable with it, but it made you wonder what he was thinking. Most soldiers need a few minutes to get accustomed to their new height and how things feel or look around them. You did hear he got to rest for an hour. He probably hasn't seen a human for this long yet. When he didn't say anything else, you continued. "A few yes or no questions. If you're unsure of one, just say unsure. Any nausea or dizziness?"

"No."

"Muscle spasms or twitches."

"Slightly, in the legs." He watched you write in your notes.

"Unusual bleeding?"

"No."

"Cough or vomiting?"

"No."

"Since it's only been about 3 hours, we'll have to wait a while before I can ask anything else." You close the book and stand, taking your flashlight with you. "Mind showing me where the spasm is?" He reaches down and lifts his pants leg. You kneel down and feel the muscle in his leg.

"Below the knee," he watches. "It stopped an hour ago." You nod and stand up again. You motion him closer, placing a hand on his cheek and checking his eyes, flashing a light for a minute and watching his pupils dilate. His ears perking up and down, and again, his tail flicked side to side. A smile touches your lips. "You'll get used to the tail, the ears though," You place the pen light down. "I think it's in touch with emotion and it's a downside that comes with the new body. That should be everything for now. Any questions or concerns you want to discuss with me before you start physical training?"

Miles was staring at you hard, his jaw flexing and you even saw his tail swing a few times. He had a lot to say, smart remarks he decided to keep to himself, until he can understand you better. His ears perk up and he smiles. "Sure." He stood up, crossing his arms. "Not to start any fires, but if you hate your job, just say so."

"Excuse me?" Your head tilted back, raising an eyebrow as you watched him.

He chuckles. "I can read you like a book, even without these new eyes or senses. You don't have to like me either 'cause I know you don't." He smirked. "Don't pretend to like people and think it would make your job easier. It doesn't." You didn't know it, but he was baiting you. How you reacted would let him know what you were really hiding. If you were calm and laughed off his words, then you actually did enjoy your job, and didn't mind the banter he brought.

"I think you've got it wrong here." You put your hands on your hips and he grinned at your reaction. His prediction was correct. "If you think I don't like you already, you're correct. My job isn't to like you, it's to make sure you're still alive." You take a step forward. "I don't pretend to like anyone here, I have my list of goods and bads in this place and I wouldn't mind telling a few off if given the chance." Your figure was tense now, and your face was the opposite of when he first walked in. This was going much better than he thought. "Lastly, nothing makes my job easier. Pretending or not, I'm stuck here. I've accepted that. Just because you're still high up in command doesn't mean you can waltz in and control my office." You were glaring now, and he just found it adorable from his height. "Now, come back in another 3 hours after your physical training and we can get this all out of the way. Then maybe if you're careful, we won't have to see each other ever again."

Usually at this part of the meeting, you would offer your patient a sucker. It was a funny idea someone gave you, so you started ordering suckers and some cheap candies. Either that or stickers. Grown ass soldiers still act like children and it made your day sometimes. But you highly doubted this man deserved anything out of the mystery bucket.

He was smiling now, but he gave a nod. He didn't say anything else as he turned and ducked out of your office. Once the door was closed, he chanced a peak through a slightly broken blind of your office window. You were slowly rubbing your face in the middle of the office, turning and walking towards the windows that pointed outside. "Never see each other again huh?" Quaritch had enough info on you now. He would have to peek at your work file later, but he could tell you were sour about something. That, and a pretty face like yours getting pissed because of him was entertaining. He didn't expect to get something out of you so quickly. He licked his lips before continuing down the hallway. "We'll see about that, Dr. Linear."

~~~

You eyeball the choices between dry bagel or dry wheat bread. You've had both for so long you could stomach either one. You decided the bagel would suffice being it could be fixed with a cheese spread or just taste healthier with the seeds sprinkled on top. Your plate now had pasta with meat and a bagel, all you were missing was juice. You’d usually drink coffee but after having 4 cups already, you decided you shouldn’t risk a heart attack. Thoughts and worries kept forming in your head, you weren’t paying attention either and mindlessly sat at a table. You kept staring at the bagel, lost in another world further than this one; you didn’t notice the plate being set down in front of you and a tall body sitting down. You then thought back to the coffee you had on your desk and wished you had brought it instead.

You pick up the bagel and bite into it, but don’t pull away from the bread. You were still. Miles watched with some concern. Finally he cleared his throat. “Are you gonna eat that or-” He couldn’t finish because of your coughing fit. You set the bread down and stare at him. After calming down, he smiled. “Ah there you are. Looked like a completely different person for a second there.” You didn’t say anything, instead you quietly sipped your juice. “I acted like an ass earlier. I’m sorry.”

That didn’t sound sincere. You looked up at him and sighed, placing your juice box. “That’s the only apology I’m gonna get?”

“Did you expect more?” His ear twitched.

“You did scare the living shit out of me just a second ago.”

“You did that yourself, doctor. Your head was in LaLa Land.” He waved his hand around. You sigh, tearing a piece of bread off and eating it, chewing quickly. He looked down at his own plate and gave an experimental taste of the pasta and meat. Still tastes like the same shit he ate before, but somehow worse. Saltier, slimey, the meat was tolerable but chewy.

“So, do you still want to interrogate me about my shitty work life? Or have you come to criticize my eating choices too?” You poke and stab some pasta with the fork. There was a chuckle and you had to glance up at him. He was watching you, those strange golden eyes filled with a curiosity you began to suspect had no end.

“I’m actually wonderin’ why I didn’t get to pick out of this uh, mystery box I heard so much about.” He smirked. “The other were talkin’ about it like it was gold.”

You had to look down to hide the smile. So they must have either ratted you out, or teased him for not getting a candy. It’s just a piece of candy. You look back up. “You ended our meeting in a rude manner, I didn’t see a reason for you to pick out the box.”

His ears flattened but his face was still relaxed. They betrayed his need to hide the annoyance. “So, what you’re saying is I have to be good at our meetings in order to pick out of this box?” Now he was leaning forward, as if you were asking him to do the impossible.

“Colonel, are your soldiers teasing you because you didn’t get a candy?” You tried to ask without smiling. You heard a snort and turned your head. Down the table, four Recoms sat, their bodies rigid and still. One of them was shaking and you realized he was laughing. When you looked at Quaritch his ears were laid back and his tail was flicking back and forth. He was looking at the group while his jaw clenched.

“No, nobody is getting teased.” He stuffed his mouth full of pasta. You nodded slowly, eating some more of your bagel. You heard someone clear their throat and continue talking as if they were having this conversation seconds ago.

“You still have to come by the office to finish up your questioning. I’ll be at the physical training area to check off some things.” You stood up and even with Quaritch sitting, he was still taller than you by two heads. “I’ll see you then.” You turned to the other group and made a face. “None of you are getting candy on your next visit.” And as you turned around to leave, the table erupted into groans and even a gasp.

As you walked away, Miles’ ears perked up, a smile on his face as the soldiers whined about the punishment. It was literally childish to be so upset over a piece of sugar. Yet here he was, however, hoping to get a piece by the end of the day.

[thepenultimateword]

Heres a prompt idea :D

Since I've seen only a few heroes and villains interaction when it comes to meeting Kids/young teens. I wonder what different interactions or dynamics that could occur(you could also add sidekick and henchman since I rarely saw those)

CW: mention of death, parental neglect, injury, and trafficking (non-sexual)

Superhero begins training a new sidekick, Hero. A young teenager who they recruited after they saw them manifesting an amazing power. Superhero's child, Villain, becomes intensely jealous of their mentor/student relationship since they often feel neglected or overlooked by their parent because of their work, leading them into villainy in the first place.

2. When Child's family is collateral damage in a fight between Hero and Villain, Villain decides to take them in and care for them as their own. Child doesn't know all the details about their family's death, but Villain convinces themself that they don't need to explain all that just yet.

3. Hero uncovers a criminal organization that traffics kids with powers as weapons or experiments. They intercept the next shipment and escape with several of the victims. But now they have several scared, highly volatile children of different ages on their hands. There's only one person they trust to help: Villain.

4. Child is an assassin sent to kill Hero. However, Hero catches on to their intentions early on and is horrified that they've been exposed to death and crime so young. They decide to evade Child's assassination attempts for the time being while they attempt to give Child the life of a normal kid.

5. Villain told Henchman they could bring home a puppy, not a kid. Though in Henchman's defense, there was no way they could have known the stray they found was actually a human with a shapeshifting ability. And it's not like they can just throw the kid back to streets.

6. Villain infiltrates the hero agency and discovers that they have begun a cloning project to replace Hero after they die. They even already have one Hero clone, though at the moment they're only a child. Disgusted, Villain steals the newly concious clone away and takes responsibility as their "parent."

7. When Sidekick infiltrates Villain's base on a mission, the criminal's teenage henchman trails them home. Despite their standoffish personality, it turns out they aren't looking for trouble, they just need a little love and care.

8. Hero and Villain have finally confessed their feelings and started dating. The adjustment period is already challenging enough, but it becomes even more so when Hero introduces Villain to their kid(s).

9. Supervillain may be evil, but they've always wanted kids. Now that they're finally in control and their villainous background can't stop them from adopting, they take a trip to an orphanage and are immediately drawn to Villain, the most feral child there.

10. Hero is killed in action, and it's definitely not Villain's fault. That's not why they go to the funeral. Or why they push for a memorial. Or why they adopt Hero's orphaned kids when they find out they were a single parent.

11. Hero is an unpowered member of the agency, but somehow they get paired up with a very, very, powerful rookie as a sidekick. Sidekick is young and reckless and not fully in control of their powers, so it's going to take a lot of work for Hero to keep them under control.

12. Child is what people would call inhuman, but that doesn't matter at all to Scientist and Villain who are used to not fitting in with normal society.

[spoonsandsporks]

HI <3 polite invitation to talk about your godtier and land thoughts for your characters if you want to!! i am sitting and listening intently :3 <3

Oh my god asfdgdgifgdb you don't know what you've done,,,,,

Long post incoming!!

So quick plug of an old blog that established a lot of my HS godtier opinions early on dahniwitchoflight so you can see a lot of where my context originates (esp. the godtier aspect masterpost) but with that out the way here we go

In terms of godtier opinions, I don't believe in gendered classes. I think that, socially, there may be a bias certain genders may have to certain classes (Muse and Lord, for example). But I don't believe that's an absolute. For one, there are more genders than the binary and people don't always identify as one forever. Secondly, I think to say that, for example, Lord is always aggressive and therefore only men can be Lords is uhhhhhhh,,, very stereotypical and simply doesn't encapsulate the range of human expression. Besides, isn't it more fun for the classes to be non-gendered using gendered human words? Who's to say the game mechanics of SBURB/sgrub are in english? There's gotta be some kind of translation errors or approximations going on in lore lmao

Related to this is that a godtier is meant to be a culmination of a character arc, the end reward of the 'ideal self' a character can be. This is not referring to 'ultimate' selves (i sincerely don't want to touch that concept at all) or even 'morally correct' selves - merely the best kind of self a character would want to be. The best you that you wanna be! Whether that means embracing your flaws or overcoming them, the godtier is the symbol of your growth as a person. Hence why to 'go godtier' you have to fuse your dreamself and awake self together, finally bringing together the two separate experiences you've lived as a player before this; your 'normal' life and your SBURB life. This also follows why death is a consistent theme and in fact needed for godtier ascension. You are killing or accepting the death of your former self in order to ascend into your new self, via combining everything you've learned into everything you'll be. It's supposed to be a positive, if traumatic, experience. Like changing and growing in life already is! Just faster lol

On a brief design point, I do think godtier outfits should also therefore change to fit the wearer and what they're comfortable with. I don't necessarily think that it should be like, witch skirt for girls but trousers for boys, I think that if a godtier outfit is your ideal self it should automatically change into whatever you'd be comfortable wearing. So if someone is a Witch, but doesn't mind wearing a skirt, then they'd ascend into the default Witch outfit. If they then wanted to change it they could through a thought. But if a Witch ascends and they hate skirts or maybe just cannot imagine wearing one then maybe it changes into shorts or something lol. I've actually done some alternate designs of godtiers along this line as it happens which you'll see in this post.

I also like the Aspect counterparts, that each one has an opposite, and while in canon that doesn't have much of an effect on the godtier design beyond the kids, I actually like the accessories and shoes on godtiers taking on the colours of their opposite Aspect. I like that it symbolises that even their opposite has an affect on the Aspect in question.

Now, this is all some lovely prose but what am I going on about? So, like all great and real scientists, I'll use myself as an example first.

...

Me - Sylph of Heart

So I've gone through many, many iterations of godtier introspection (started in Hope, have moved to Heart, Sylph has stayed pretty consistent but I still have doubts) and, of course, being a real life person this is the one that's evolved and changed the most as I have evolved and changed throughout my teens and adult life. But for the sake of analysis, I'll give my 'sona' or 'self-insert' the godtier to separate myself from the analysis and come at this more honestly.

Heart as an Aspect is all about Emotion and the Soul. As the opposite counterpart to the Aspect Mind (which is concerned with the brain, reason and, y'know, the mind lol), Heart players are more impulsive and driven by personal goals. It's all about the Inner Self, the Individual, what makes You Unique as opposed to everyone else in the world. It's Passion, it's Empathy, it's Understanding - about people, mostly. It's about Knowing Yourself and what you like or dislike. Your Heart, in a lot of ways, is the emotional centre and Heart players follow it to a T - and often to the detriment of everything else. It's not inaccurate to say Heart players come across as self-obsessed b/c they are concerned with discovering themselves and their own identity. None of these things come without drawbacks of course and none of this means Heart players don't care about others. They simply assume everyone else is just as obsessed with Finding themselves as they are. I mean, at their best, Heart players are compassionate, imaginative and a steady presence in life. But, uh, at their worst they can come across as dismissive, rigid or nosy lol Personally, as someone very driven by emotion and with a tendancy for introspection, to the point of contantly overthinking my feelings and second guessing my impulses, I feel comfortable in the Heart Aspect.

So Sylphs are talkers. Chatterboxes you could say. They're also one of two 'healer' classes and the active counterpart to Maid. Which yeah I'm aware I have a tendency to ramble. Sylphs are known to love talking about their interests to an audience, whether the audience is interested or not lmao. For a Sylph of Heart, that's mostly concentrated into the subject of Love and Relationships. Sylphs are also nosy little meddlers and so one interpretation of Heart could be a cupid-like matchmaker of sorts. I don't personally see that for myself but it's a valid interpretation.

Personally, I see myself as a person obsessed with Connection and the Relationships that make these connections stable. Friendship, romantic, QPR, you name it, I'm interested in the dynamics. In fiction and in fandom, this makes me a prolific shipper yes haha but most of all I love character interactions. I love filler episodes! And beach episodes! And regency romance! And slice of life isekai anime! B/c all those things prioritise character interaction and personal character arcs over plot or action or whatever haha. I love gentle drama and harmless gossip, I love watching two people get to know each other and be forever changed for having met one another and! I!! Love!!! My!!!! Friends!!!!!!!

Also the sylph outfit is cool af actually. In this image I've actually redesigned it to be a little more gender neutral hence the billowing trousers but I love the no sleeves and the curled shoes and the ribbon-y capelet thing lol. And the bangles!!

I have some ideas for godtier powers but they're not fleshed out yet, but for Sylph of Heart I imagine they'd have to power to 'heal the soul/heart' so to speak. To keep emotions steady in the heat of battle and to help heal mental or emotional wounds. They sound like a support class, like a buffer or healer.

Oh god this got long, I have some ideas for lands but I'll be honest it's almost entirely based on this post from dahni years ago (literally 10 years ago oh gods how long have I been here) b/c i really vibe with it so I have nothing new to really add lol. Maybe there'd be like pink lakes or maybe i'd have a coastal type planet with rough seas that symbolise riding the waves of emotion or something lmao

Hope you enjoyed this brief foray! I'll probably reblog this with a breakdown of the godtiers I've assigned to 4 of my dnd characters I did for fun so you can see my opinions on the Space, Time, Mind and Heart (again) aspects as well as the Maid, Page, Mage and Knight classes too. But for now I need to cook dinner lol

[ticklish-touch]

Decided to post my Backrooms chapter illustrations separately. The links to all the (SFW) chapters can be found here:

I really wanted to push myself not just as a writer, but also as a digital artist for this story.

You can read some rambles about my art process for each illustration below the cut.

Ch 1: For this chapter cover, I wanted to do my best to replicate the eerie, sickly vibe of Level Zero. And that resulted me in really playing around with the lighting and shadows in a way that I hadn't before. I also wanted to give it a bit of wonky perspective and feel a bit like an illusion-house.

Ch 2: Lookit this cheeky fucker. Totally isn't a Tower of Terror employee luring you into a false sense of security. 😁 My initial idea for this illustration was to make it look as if the Manager's cuttlefish head was really morphing & bowing out from within the wallpaper. I tried a couple drafts where I attempted to line up his tentacles and facial patterns with the wallpaper patterns. And idk, it just didn't end up looking as cool as it did in my head. (Also hallelujiah for Clip pattern brushes, they helped me make the trim around the elevator.)

Ch 3: Fun fact: This chapter was originally going to be the second half of my hotel chapter. But I'm glad it became its own thing, cause otherwise it would've robbed me of the chance to draw Rags acting like a supervillain in a construction helmet and flannel 👍

also Clip Studio Assets are a godsend, they prevent me from having to draw out an entire freakin warehouse floorplan. I did color it all myself though.

Ch 4: I remember this drawing taking me longer than I would've liked.Then again I've always struggled to draw somewhat realistic-looking water. The shadow off-shooting below the smaller cube pool into the deeper water was actually a complete accident.

And in case anyone was wanting to see a close-up of Lionfish Rags:

And again, Spike and Drake are temporary names for the sake of this AU setting until I think of actual names (for if and when I ever get around to making a Mer-Nautica AU like I've been wanting to). The silhouettes show how big they were when I first saw them in my dreams:

Ch 5: I had visuals in mind for a group of Wanderers/ Survivors since before I wrote this chapter, and grew even more attached to them as I wrote them. I was originally going to just have them depicted here, but I also couldn't get the stupid image of Rags and his megaphone out of my head and decided it needed to be shared 👌

Ch 6: When I tell yall that it was a struggle to get through drawing this. And not because of genuine art struggles; No, because of the pure Lee Panik that gripped my soul when having to zoom in close on Rags' sadistic unhinged Ler face hhhhhhfdhdfjgkfghl-

This was one of the chapters I was most looking forward to writing. It's still one of my favs in terms of pure unbridled ruthless gang-tickling, the culmination of my pred/prey/chasing fantasies revolving around laughter-hungry monsters, along with some good ol Mad Scientist roleplay.

...Oh and the first official introduction of the final antagonist, there's that too 😛

Ch 7: Yall have no idea the absolute childlike glee I felt when discovering that there's a freaking Bouncehouse/McDonalds Playplace level of the Backrooms. But holy hell, drawing the Toon Monsters was more of a challenge than I thought. There's a surprising amount of finesse in depicting that wacky, slightly-unnerving/uncanny toony charm. (Ballpit brush is best brush, change mymind)

Ch 8: Since this chapter was more or less meant to be a sort of mid-series Climax, a hint of what the battle with the Keymaster would be like, I really wanted to push myself with making this chapter cover truly stand out. It was fun to come up with a full-body design for the Court Jester (based on his Wiki interpretation of course), and it was fun to experiment with the ideas I had in mind for his magic visuals.

Once again, Clip Studio assets are a lifesaver, you can catch me actually attempting to draw a rollercoaster or carousel when I'm six feet under 👌

Ch 9: I was both excited about, and dreading, the chance to play around with various different light colors & sources. I wasn't sure how I was going to make neon blues, purples and magentas work in contrast to Rags' color palette, but I'm very happy with what I came up with.

The Dark Sovereign was also a chance for me to play around with chiaroscuro, an art technique that I've always admired (and actually really liked to do with chalk & pastel back in college). As much as I'm a slut for bright colors, I love stark contrasting black & white.

Ch 10: I went through about three iterations of sketches for this chapter cover. I felt like I just couldn't figure out how to angle the perspective of the treeline in comparison to the Giant. I'm still not even sure if I thoroughly pulled off the proper perspective of the greenhouse in the far distance. But once I added all the pretty, spooky fog effects, I became much happier with it.

Unfortunately I do not have a standalone drawing of Naga!Rags. It will definitely happen one of these days.

Ch 11: For this chapter, I wanted to draw a very cramped, stark, foreboding stretch of environment: Basically, a quintessential scene that one would see in the Backrooms if they were wandering through them alone. This is meant to be a much more down-to-earth chapter than the rest, with an air of melancholy and uncertainty. Turns out it actually lined up quite well with some of my own mental and emotional struggles that I was going through at the time.

Ch 12: For the final hurrah, I really wanted to push myself as a digital artist for this piece. (Though that doesn't mean I was about to draw all those goddamn keys from scratch, lmaoo you can thank Clip Assets for that key ring.) I wanted to try and find a way to make the Keymaster the more imposing figure in the piece, despite the fact that Rags is fully powered-up and closest to the viewer. I'm not sure if I entirely succeeded, since my end solution for making him stand out more was "MOAR GLOWY KEYS!!!"

But it was still fun, and very rewarding to get it completed.

Ch 13: I was very happy to finally get the chance to fully render Kenni for this fic. As much as shading his tendrils still drives me up the wall, it felt nice drawing the good soff boi. And I was happy to give an idea of how his Dream realm looks, with all its pastel clouds and close proximity to the Astral plane.

[knickynoo]

Fic Author Self-Rec

Share five of your personal favorite works, then tag five authors to do the same. Thanks to @bg-sparrow for the tag!

Harborage

Harborage: shelter; refuge Marty spends the weekend with the Browns, who have settled permanently in early 1986. While there, he's forced to deal with the impact of his travels through time.

I have a feeling that no matter how many fics I write, this one will always be the most special to me. It started out with one scene I had stuck in my head (which was written out long before I worked out the actual plot and specifics) and turned into a ten-chapter story that garnered more attention and kind comments than I ever could have imagined. I loved crafting this little post-trilogy world and exploring the time-travel baggage Marty is left with after his adventures. I had a particularly fun time working Clara, Jules, and Verne into it.

2. Despite the Distance

On October 2nd, 1982, Doc entered his garage to find a trespasser who ended up becoming his best friend. But when a mishap with a new invention lands him in an altered 1986 where that meeting never occurred, he's faced not only with figuring out how to set the timeline right but also with the reality of the influence his friendship had on Marty.

A nearly 60,000 word, 17-chapter fic that spawned from this ask I'd gotten about how a BTTF version of "It's a Wonderful Life" would go. I didn't even have anything of value to say to that ask, but it caused the concept to stick in my head, where I continued to roll it around for several weeks. And while it ended up branching away from the initial "It's a Wonderful Life" concept, it did end up being a story where Doc gets to see what Marty's life is like without him.

Creating this altered, "tougher" version of Marty was my favorite part of the whole process, and getting to see him form a tentative friendship with Doc in such different circumstances was such a fun thing to tackle. I still have no idea who sent me that ask, but if you see this post: thank you. This story was challenging and emotional and a blast to write, and I'm so pleased at the way it's connected with people.

3. So, Your Brother's Befriended a Mad Scientist

Working as assistant for the town's most mysterious inventor isn't exactly a job Dave would've expected Marty to get, but it sure is an interesting one.

My most recent fic! Have you ever wanted to see a fic about Doc and Marty's friendship written entirely from Dave McFly's point of view? No? Well, I wrote it anyway. And I loved every second of it. Dave is a wonderful big brother, and I'm already looking forward to utilizing him more in the future.

4. In Case of Emergency

Who else is a kid supposed to call for a late-night rescue?

Perhaps my laziest summary, but one of my favorite one-shots. A little slice of life in which Marty decides to go to a party, immediately decides "this is bogus," and calls Doc to come pick him up. A lovely little look at their dynamic and the trust Marty places in his best friend. Also featuring: Doc having an entire conversation with his dog.

5. The Real You

Alex gets ready for a date with Ellen and, in typical fashion, is a nervous wreck. Good thing Mallory is there to provide some words of wisdom.

I really struggled with what to put in this final spot, but I'm going with my one and only (for now) Family Ties fic. Writing Alex is intimidating, but I enjoyed putting this together and being able to include some nice sibling relationship moments between him and Mallory. I've got a bunch of notes on additional FT one-shots that I want to write at some point. I'm so used to writing Doc and Marty at this point, and it's nice to have all these other characters to write about and Put In Situations.

I'm going to leave this open to anyone who wants to take the opportunity to talk about some of their favorite fics they've written :)

[idril-la-wiccan]

Status Update - November 2023

Finally ! I was not a disappointment to myself ! /light-hearted

Ok, on a more serious note, I'm always happy when I achieve my goals, because I have a track record of projects I've started and never finished for X or Y reasons. Probably because of my scatterbrain attitude that I suspect to be due to undiagnosed autism and ADHD.

But that's a me problem, you're not here for that. You're here for this :

Out of the Abyss

Status : in hiatus.

I can't believe I've started this AU in 2021. I've worked on the entirety of Act I for two years, can you believe it ?

No wonder my motivation had been dwindling near the end : I was running out of creative juice ! That and I got brainrots towards other media/fandoms.

But at least, I was able to complete a good full chunk of the story, even if it ended on a cliffhanger. (Weh he he he ! >=])

And, for now I can't tell when I'll get back to it, but it's gonna be a little while. I still love OMORI, but it's not as much on my mind as it was at first. I can still enjoy other's content about it, but I must take a break from making content of it myself.

(By the way, I won't say your name because I don't know if you want people to know what you're up to with your own project yet, but know I'm reading it ! I've read up to section 1.7 of your chapter. I'm just a very slow reader, sorry about that... ^^')

On another note, I'll soon make a Masterpost for an easier access to most of my content for the different fandoms I've made content for. I remember someone had asked me about doing something like that for my Cookie Run comics and stories so I'm actually going to try that.

Speaking of which :

Cookie Run

A thief can learn a lot from a magician : in hiatus/pending.

3 New Oneshots : pending.

3 New Longer Fanfics : pending.

Yeah, it's gonna be a mess for my Cookie Run content. You guys are just gonna have to wait and see for this one. I'll at least try to tackle back the one unfinished fic whenever I can.

Pikmin

Castaway Redesigns : work in progress.

1 Fanfiction : pending.

Eye-Sprout AU : pending.

This is more streamlined. These projects are in order of priority so you at least know what to expect.

I've had difficulties to find time for the castaways but I'll finish what I started !

Eye-Sprout however, while I have ideas, I don't know where to go with it. Just don't expect it to be a full fanfic like Out of the Abyss, just ideas thrown together as long as they make sense.

Now, for the fanfic I DO intend to write, it will be Rescue Corps focussed and set after Pikmin 4 (with the idea that the timeline goes 1, 2, 4 then 3).

This will also be set elsewhere than PNF-404 (so no pikmin, only aliens) with our rescue team on a nerve-racking mission to save people from the clutches of a renowned scientist gone mad with power.

Expect some savory angst. =)

*****

Now, for these projects I just talked about, they will all be second priority compared to my next long term project that I plan on working on until it's done.

Which is :

Sweet Nightmares

My Yume Nikki-like/Yume Nikki Fangame (whichever you prefer to call it) that I began to work on long ago but then neglected because I was unsitisfied with my middle-schooler skills.

But NOW, as of writing this post, I will soon be 27 years old and long gone is the teenager who kept doubting herself ! And I have been itching to get back to this project ever since my motivation for Out of the Abyss winded down.

However, I won't go into details about it now, I'll make a seperate post for it when the time comes.

TL;DR : My next big project and top priority will be a Yume Nikki-like game called Sweet Nightmares. My OMORI fanfic AU is in hiatus until further notice and my Cookie Run and Pikmin projects will be low priority on my "To do" list.

Cordially, Idril.

[luckyqueenreign]

Hey girl!

First of all, I'm not surprised with this cliffhanger in the end! There was a questions about "did you ever pretended to be each other?" So I guess I've seen that coming.

And I do not believe Amelia is a bad guy here. It feels too early to put twins against each other 🤔 Isn't it like day 3 or 4? I'm sure she'll stick in villa for a long time (I think the twins will be in two final couples, cuz this is actually a most logical thing with whole "double trouble" theme). So I'm sure FB will not drag this "competition with a sister" for a whole season. On the other hand, they had Suresh drama...

It may be a mistake, but I do think it has to be something innocent like with this 💋 on Lewie's cheek. In conversation with Grace I picked "he has to ask first", so Lewie was actually just asking "mind if I join you? I've been thinking about kissing you..." So, I guess we'll see what Amelia will doon the next update.

And about Roberto - I'm so not sold on his affection for MC! Come on, he knew all about MC on their date, and suddenly he doesn't know her job? And also he wants to do a romantic gesture, and Ryan playing a cupid? *Facepalm* It may be a lazy writing though - I won't be surprised (like "I forgot the name of a girl I coupled up with!!" from season 3). And Amelia actually likes him, so he's definitely not an option for me.

Ozzy on the other hand... I do love an old good slowburn but I hope he won't pull Noah/Levi and actually speak with his partner before he'll try something with MC. Grace is a nice girl, I don't hold anything against her (unlike Hope). But this is a next level of delusion about Ozzy!! So, 1) she's worried he likes someone else, 2) Ozzy (from Ivy's information) was talking with other guys about liking MC and actually telling MC he was afraid she'll be sent home. 3) MC telling Grace about her conversation with Ozzy and she's actually going for "it's just him being friendly". It reminds me of Jen from season 1 and her determination to make a perfect couple with Levi. I've read this before and I want to hope FB won't copy themselves!

Sooo I'm not overjoyed about this season, but it still better then 5😃

with Amelia THIS is exactly why I hate that they keep trying to villainize her!!! its soooo early in the season and she's obviously going to go until the end bc just like ex in the villa theyre not gonna kick out the "double" in double trouble sooooo why do they keep trying to make us not trust her by throwing her in the worst scenarios possible?!?! I agree I think its a mistake like the lipstick stain but it's just bizarre that they keep doing this... who at fb hates their sister??

the Roberto thing pissed me off so much!!! he knew about our job without us even offering up what it was on our date, compared it to his sister (MC is a fashion designer and the sister is a fashion photographer) and then all of a sudden MC is a scientist??? I could believe he forgot if he didnt originally come in with an encyclopedic knowledge of MC. so that was lame.

so in this one im assuming u didnt kiss him on the terrace? bc I did and he kissed mc back for a second and pulled away saying that he wants to kiss her sooo bad but he wont do that to Grace bc he wants to be respectful while hes coupled with her. But basically about how much he likes MC, his head is scrambled, etc. so in my eyes that was already better than Noah/Levi! (I've done both of those routes too!!) BESTIE the level of delusion they are giving Grace 😭😭 not only have I kissed him in every single challenge, every time we get a second kiss I ALWAYS choose Ozzy, he kissed MC when asked who he fancies the most, she obviously caught us in the middle of a private convo on the terrace of all places in the villa!! AND hes pulling away from her?? Like Grace baby everything is right in front of you!! Even when I told her that he said he liked me and she was like nahhhhhhhh but bb whyyyy is he pulling away 🫣

so far I love this season and think once its fully out and we can play it one go rather than waiting around every week for 3 chapters it'll be so much better!!

[ask-the-neat-scientist]

Hi, Mr. the Scientist!! My name is Sydney and I use they/kit pronouns.

My Astronomy/Geology class is having a final project where we need to contact a scientist and ask them about their research!

Is there anything you'd like to share? Particularly about astronomy, astrology, geology, or the state of Michigan? Anything your other scientists would like to add? (Nils, Rochelle, Stan, Mark, Dave?) Or perhaps anything you've learned from the science department of the Night Vale Community College? I'd love to hear all of it! I'm not going into a science field (theater, actually) but I still find it very neat!

I'd also like to ask some more personal questions about your scientific journey if I may. What's it like in the scientific field as a queer person? Or as an autistic person? What are the difficulties you face day to day or you faced in your education? How do you get to Night Vale? I'd love to visit or move there. I've heard they have a community theater! Oh! And what are your favorite numbers?

Thanks for whatever percentage of these questions you answer! I hope you, Cecil, and Esteban have a good day! (Sorry for the long first ask. This is literally a project I have to do and I really wanted to ask the one and only Carlos the Scientist.)

Well, hello there Sydney! It is wonderful to have you to come down to my lab and ask my such wonderful questions <3

Firstly, I am just a scientist, so I would know anything about astronomy or astrology but… *He leans in close, making sure no one else can hear.* I do know a lot about geology. But we mustn’t speak of it here! Oh no no, if you want to know the knowledge that I hold, we’d have to go to my office.

But! I can tell you alllll about Michigan. I’ve been there! Don’t know how many times, but you really haven’t lived life if you never been to Michigan, right?

And for my other, dear coworkers, I’m afraid to say they’re out for lunch. But! I’ll definitely ask them about it :).

But did you say theater??! I absolutely adore theater! To Kill A Finch And Throw It At A Wall has to be my favorite play. It was written by my husband’s brother in law, Steve’s Carlsberg. I always tear up at the part where the little girl flies out the window to escape to the move. Truly touching. Steve knows how to write

And for my personal journey… *He grows serious for a moment, patting your shoulder.* Let’s say, it hasn’t always been easy, Yknow? Especially when someone isn’t actually interested in hearing what you have to say and just want to make fun of you instead. Just because of something you can’t control.

It didn’t help that I was queer, either. Many people didn’t take me seriously. Sometimes, they still don’t. But I’m working through it.

But thank you for taking your time to come and visit! Now, you better get working on that project young ma- lad- person! Yes, get to work young person. That project isn’t going to do itself. Though, I’m very honored that you wanted to spend that time with me.

I’ll definitely say hello to Esteban and Cecil for you. Just uh— don’t tell Cecil I have this blog, alright?

-Carlos The Scientist

[sodiumlamp]

Picard

I built myself a new desktop PC, and I finally got around to setting it up and seeing what it could do. One of the reasons I wanted a new computer was because I watch a lot of DVDs using an external drive, but I've had a lot of trouble doing that, and I recently discovered that it's a power issue. My laptop can only operate the external drive properly when I unplug any other USB accessories.

So tonight I decided to see if my new rig could do better, and yeah, it works really well. No more VLC media crashing because the drive powered down while it was paused. To try it out, I put on Star Trek: Picard. After watching the first twenty minutes, I realized I was on Season 3, because CBS decided to make all their Star Trek DVDs with silver-on-grey labels, making them impossible to read. Then I put on Season 1 Episode 1, which sucks ass.

This show is so up its own ass that it's not even funny. I don't think it's going to get much better, because I saw part of Season 3 and I have some idea what I'm in for. But what really sticks in my craw is the scene where Picard goes to talk to a scientist about how to clone a robot, and she has all this dumb shit on her desk. Look at this.

I hate when TV shows do this. They need to make a lab look extra science-y, so they put some random glassware on the set and fill it with colored liquid. There's two beakers with green and purple, a Florence flask with orange, and a graduated cylinder with blue. Great. Also, on the far right are a couple of automatic pipetters. I think that blue box might be a case of pipette tips. I recognize all this stuff because I've seen it in various labs I've worked in my whole career. This show is supposed to be set three hundred seventy-five years in the future.

Now, let me pick apart any possible justifications for this. Maybe this is actually futuristic equipment for cybernetics research. Well, no, because in this show all of that has been banned. Picard openly laments that she's not allowed to make anything. Instead she can only run simulations. So this junk serves no practical purpose.

So maybe it's an aesthetic thing. She collects antique lab equipment to spruce up her workstation. No, I don't buy it. Picard keeps a bunch of old souvenirs, which is kept in a "quantum archive" that allows the producers to show off all the nifty special effects to make things appear and disappear. He can't just pull out an old painting from his attic, he has to teleport to San Francisco and have a hologram escort him to a secret vault where the painting emerges from a weird box or something. And it's a good painting, not "Dogs Playing Poker" or some cheap nonsense that would hold no meaning like a loose assortment of uninteresting glassware that tells you nothing about the character.

"Well, what do you expect? It's just a TV show--" No. I would let this slide, except everything in this episode is cluttered with special effects to remind you that we're in the world of the future. The reporter who interviews Picard has some floating holo-screen where the makeup artist can preview an exact hue of lipstick. When she interviews Picard there's floating robot cameras in the room. This laboratory is supposed to be a dilapidated shell of its former self, and yet it's still fancier than anything I'll ever work in, because in the future everything is just that fancy. Except the lab equipment, we'll just slap some random old glassware on a desk.

Here, let me offer this for comparison:

This is from TNG Season 1. For some reason, Sickbay always had these big glass jars of blue and red liquid. What were they? What was the liquid for? No one knows, because it's the future, and the equipment is supposed to be strange and unfamiliar to us. They didn't just leave a stethoscope lying around on a table. The sheets and pillows in this shot are pretty much like what you'd see in 1988, but they didn't tip their hand by using sheets with Snoopy prints on them. The prop master could have at least fabricated some unfamiliar looking glassware, but no.

This is what irritates me about this show. It's so determined to impress me with all this big budget prestige TV stuff, but they blow it little stuff like this. The dead boyfriend has cool alien eyes, and every smooth surface on this show is a secret computer, and Mars is on fire, but the story is about Picard having prophetic visions, and how you can clone robots with a single drop of robot blood, which... yeah, okay. That's what we're going with, huh? Neat.