#I WAS CURIOUS TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY ART OF OUR KIDS AND SAW THIS

[theoperaregina]

@gonguji

scarameow

[kkukverse]

his dandelion

pair: Taehyung x athlete!reader (fem.reader)

genre: high school au, childhood friends au

warnings & ratings: mentions of injuries | fluff, angst

word count: 4k

author's note: happy birthday, winter bear.

You were both thirteen when Taehyung wanted to be your friend.

He sat next to you in art class, only with his dark charcoal pencil as his utensil. He drew peculiar lines and shapes and sometimes portraits. Your teacher loves them but you cannot understand it. 

Your teacher once said that he would’ve made an astounding art prodigy if his arts were to be seen by the world. She said his talent is hidden in this crappy little island. But Taehyung doesn’t really mind it, he once whispered to you, “I like it here, I don’t think my art is that big of a deal anyway. It’s not like I’m Van Gogh or something”

You laughed along because at thirteen years old, you never knew nor cared about a guy named Van Gogh. Taehyung used to tell you about that guy. Not wanting to look ignorant, you used all of your extra pocket money to get into Mr. Lee’s cyber cafe. Using the internet to find out more about the man Taehyung always talks about. 

You were confused, for someone who painted in vibrant color, Van Gogh is actually a sad guy. 

Unlike him. Taehyung was a vibrant kid and you noticed he only used dark colors in his paintings. You always paint everything in red and yellow. Those are your favorite, probably because of your field and track jersey. Since you keep seeing those colors, you tend to use them the most.

One day, on your practice day, Taehyung sat spreading his legs on the bench. Quite close to you but you still squint your eyes. Unsure if it’s actually him or just some other boy who wore the exact baggy beige pants that you always see on him, why is he here? Maybe he’s waiting for a friend. 

You just finished a total of five set a hundred meter runs before you realized that he is actually looking at you. From almost a yard away from him, you waved your hand “Taehyung?”

“Yea,” one arm on his knee, the other one waving back at you.

“Waiting for someone?” you yelled, hoping that he can hear you.

“No one, just watching you,” Taehyung answered.

You jog closer to him, because you think you misheard that he was here watching you, not waiting for someone. Wait? 

“What?” You pant while wiping sweat on your forehead. 

“I said, I was watching you running,” he beamed, looking up at you. He was holding back a laugh seeing your face twitch in confusion.

“There isn’t any particular reason. I was just nearby when I saw your team having a practice.” 

“And somehow you decided to stay?” You asked.

“I am curious. I really wanted to see you in the field. I saw you in your jersey all the time after our class. I never gets to see you in action, so yea, I decided to stay and watch you,”

“Well, that’s…”

“Too weird?” Taehyung scooted to provide you some space on the bench. His big hand lightly taps on the free spot, luring you to sit next to him.

“No, not really. We just don’t really talk in class and I was just..shocked?” You’re making sure there’s a gap in between your thighs and his because you’re conscious of your sweaty smelly self. 

He chuckled and you stared at his boxy smiles. There it is, the infamous smile that swooned everyone in this little island.

“Silly, I thought we’re already friends? At least I considered us friends the moment you let me borrow your yellow paint.” He turns his whole upper body, fully facing you now. 

The yellow paint was a cheap one. It was not even that bright. In fact, all colours in the paint set are dull and pale. It was affordable and your mom did her best to buy it. Bless her heart. Taehyung uses your yellow paint for the dandelion he drew. What you didn’t know was, he may purposely draw the dandelions so he can talk to you. 

“Oh yeah.” You agreed along.

Crap. I’m so sweaty like a pig right now, you thought. 

“Let’s make it more clear, can we be friends?” Taehyung smiles at you.

“Sure,” was your only answer. 

Dammit you can feel the sweat running down the valley of your prepubescent beasts and you wanted this to end before Taehyung can see it through your thin jersey. 

Since that day, Taehyung never missed a day of your practice. Just sitting all by himself on the bench until it’s over, and after that you walked home together. 

At seventeen, he wiped the tears and kissed the pain away.

If Taehyung was told to rate three of his hardest moments in his life, number three would be sending you off on the ferry to town. 

You have become a successful athlete, number one track runner in your hometown representing your school. You were always away for running events.

Once a month, you’re cruising on the ferry, off to the big city. It pains Taehyung to watch you go out of the island where he is still stuck there. But he insisted on sending you and picking you up. Because that way he can soothe his heart by sending you safely and knowing you will always come back home.

Just like any other month. Taehyung is waiting by the station on his bike. Ready to pick you up.

He is imagining your silly face with a gold medal on your neck. “Taetae I won! Again!” Like any other month. Taehyung can’t help it. He has grown to care about you a lot. He has become your number one supporter, always there at the finished line.

Taehyung knows by heart the schedule of the ferry. The ferry leaves at seven every morning and the last trip from the town is always at before five in the evening. He knows the schedule like the back of his hand. It’s a small island. Nothing really goes wrong. Except if there is a storm or if the sea is unpleasant. Which was rare. 

He knows that the journey took two hours. It’s always two hours back and forth to the big city. Somehow right now his watch is pointing at seven. Later than usual. He kept himself calm by picturing you running to him. 

His eyes lit up the moment he saw the ferry. He patiently waits until every single one of the passengers is out of that ferry. Just like any other month, he predicted your loud scream can be heard by now.

 Except, this time it was silent.

The ferry was here but he couldn’t hear your giggles, his heart was beating fast. Something is not right.

Standing up straight, he runs to the ferry. Calling for you. 

His frantic eyes caught a few people still coming out but he couldn’t find you. What happened? Times like this makes him more anxious because he couldn’t call you. At seventeen, having a phone in this little island is a luxury. Promising himself to get a phone soon with the money he collected from part time jobs.

One hand on his hip and the other is rubbing his face, he broke into a cold sweat. His mind is moving too fast with questions. Were you left behind? Did something happen to you? Are you alone?

Just before he almost turned around and grabbed his bike to look for your coach or your mom, he saw a solemn figure at the back side of the ferry. 

His second hard moments in his life is watching you injured.

His heart beats like a drum when he sees you in crutches, one leg is wrapped and head down looking at the floor. He walks with a heavy heart to you, whispering your name as if calling you out loud would break your already fragile state.

“Hey, look at me,” Taehyung says softly as he holds your chin. Prompting you to look up to him. He gasped after his eyes set on your face. Your lower lip is busted and red with dried blood, your eyes are swollen, which he assumes from crying. He hates that he was right.

His greatest fear, your tears.

“Taetae,” the break in your voice is stabbing Taehyung all over the place.

“Shh, It’s okay, you’re okay.” He cupped your face with his hands. As gentle as he can. Eyes frowning seeing you in pain. Taehyung wishes there are things such as transferring pain because right now he wants to take yours.

“I lost,” you sob, letting tears and snot rolling down your face. The sting on your lip is the least pain you can feel.

“Oh dear, it’s just one lost. I’m sure you did your best.” Taehyung cooed as he wiped your tears and snot.

“No, it’s not gonna be one lost from now on. I tripped and fell so hard. It’s gonna take months to heal,” you hiccups and Taehyung swears this is the sound that breaks his heart the most and he vows to keep you away from it.

“I’m gonna miss the nationals, Tae what am I gonna do?” you wail. Breathing becomes hard. With hiccups and sobbing and a blurry view because of the tears, you’re breaking down in his arms.  

“Shh shh, take a deep breath for me. Come on baby, don’t scare me. Please, please breathe.” he puts his forehead on yours. Hoping to ground you back to him. Thumbs rubbing softly on your cheeks.

The term of endearment didn’t go unnoticed by you. Baby.

“Taetae,”. You were still sobbing as you leaned on him.

Taehyung is terrified, he never saw you cry this hard. He doesn’t know how to calm you and it kills him to not be able to do anything to lessen your pain. So he kissed you, softly. On your forehead, on your cheeks, on your eyelids, on your nose. 

The traces of his kisses feel like a feathery touch. And your sense is following his trails. Closing your eyes you’re no longer sobbing. Only soft whimpers fill the space.

“There we go. No more tears, baby.” Taehyung is relieved now that he can feel you breathing at a steady pace again. “Let’s go home,” he hesitated when his eyes landed on your lips. Swollen red from the biting. 

You noticed the lingering stare and with a beat of the heart you crashed your lips on his. Seeking comfort and warmth, Taehyung is soaring high. The kiss was like a warm wave. Languid and soft. Taehyung is so gentle. He peppers soft kisses around your busted lips. 

“Don't wanna hurt you,” he breathed. Pulling himself from the kiss, he rubs a soft circle on your cheek. “Let’s go home,” he added. 

He piggybacks you home first and comes back again later to pick up his bike and your crutches. From that day onward, you both knew that you aren’t just friends anymore.

You have been itching to get your feet back on track and once the cast is off, you swear you’re gonna spend every evening running. It wasn’t ideal since the injury was bad and you were advised to stay put until it completely healed. 

But you were so determined to get back on track because your only goal is getting into nationals. You have planned it out. Since you don’t perform well academically, running is your only golden ticket out of the island. You got to join the national teams. You must.

The evening after you took off your cast accompanied by Taehyung, you asked him to drop you off at the track field.

“What are we gonna do in the field? You’re not planning on running aren’t you?” Taehyung speaks with scrunched eyebrows. 

“Taetae, please. I really missed the track.” You pouted and he’s a goner.

“No running!” He pointed his finger at you. You smirk before pretending to bite it. 

“I’m serious. No running,” he gently flicked your forehead. “We’re just gonna take a walk, okay?” he hums, turning around to make sure you’re securely safe on the back of his bike.

“I promise.” You squeezed his waist, an answer yes I’m alright back here Taetae.

You have no idea how much you missed the track until Taehyung helped you down from the bike. The sudden gush of air fills your lungs like you’ve come up from drowning. Taehyung can sense that you’re become quite overwhelmed. His hand enveloping yours as he kissed your temple.

“Come on,” he whispered.

Rahhhh!! Rahhh!!! 

The chant of the crowd broke a smile on your face. You missed it, you missed smelling the old burgundy track, feeling the burn from the sun, the sweat and the satisfying burn in your lungs when you reached the finish line. 

You missed a certain someone waiting there. With his ridiculous boxy grin, and his booming cheers, muting other sounds and you can hear nothing but his voice. 

It is so hard to be the one sitting in the audience instead of being on the track.

Taehyung left you for a minute to buy some lemonade and you desperately need him to ground you. Otherwise you’d be a crying mess. Yearning to be on the track but your almost healing leg is holding you back.

It is an annual event, something like sports day for the people in your island. It wasn’t even a big event, unlike the ones you used to compete in. But your heart hummed in a painful tone. You’re jealous of those who can run freely on the track you held dear to your heart.

A soft tap on your shoulder broke you from wallowing in self-pity. Taehyung sat next to you, hands holding two cups of lemonade. He knows coming here is not a good idea but you woke up so early and dressed up to be here. He doesn’t have the heart to say no.

Seeing your frowning face, Taehyung started to think maybe he should’ve said no or maybe brought you somewhere else but here.

“Hey, did I tell you that Miss Choi is helping me submit my art to the National Art School?” Taehyung winced at his futile attempt to distract you. No, Taehyung, this isn’t about you. He bit the inner cheek. Handing you a cup of lemonade before he could think of anything to turn back the time.

“No way,” you gasped. He knows you’d be excited for him. But he didn’t expect how your face would just glow in excitement like this. He was glad. 

“Taetae! Why did you just tell me now? How could you!” you punched his shoulder. It doesn’t hurt a bit. Taehyung is still lost in your happy smile. 

“Ah, I'm so happy. Finally, Let the city people look at your art. They're gonna praise you Taetae!” You smile adoringly and Taehyung hated that he had one thought you wouldn’t be happy for him.

“Yea, but I’m not sure yet what piece I should submit. I’m not that good and nope before you can scream at me let me finish,” he raised his finger on your lips. Just managed to stop you from gasping out loud. 

What an outrageous statement! Kim Taehyung’s arts are the most magnificent arts. Though you have no clue how to appreciate art, you would break hell if people couldn’t appreciate his art.

“It’s a tough competition, even if my piece were received and reviewed, the chances of me getting in there are slim. There are so many talented artists out there, baby. Let’s not have high hopes. Not to mention I haven’t had a decent piece to submit yet.” he sighed. Shoulders slumped and he emptied the lemonade in one go.

He is nervous.

Looking at him, you squished his cheeks with your hands. “Look at me,” you demanded.

“Your art is the most breathtaking art I have ever seen, Kim Taehyung. And it’s a lot coming from me, who is practically blind when it comes to looking at paintings. I have zero knowledge about art but I know for sure, yours are gonna blow some minds. There’s people out there who studied arts, they will look at yours and be amazed by them.” You said.

“And you will always have good arts, they’re not just decent. You always said when the inspiration comes, it comes. Don’t pressure yourself,” you whispered as if it’s the only secret between you and him. And you’re selfish, not wanting to share the moment with the rest of the crowds.

Taehyung didn’t know how a heart could break until that night he received a call from your mother.

“Taehyung, she fell. Again.” 

The static noise filled his ears as he ran to the jetty. It was midnight and there’s no ferry to take him to you.

Stupid, stupid girl!

He cried while banging his chest. He could’ve prevented you from going. You told him you wanted to participate in a tournament. It was not even a month after you recovered. Teahyung did think you were so stubborn to go because apparently it was for a scholarship. You were hellbent on going because you knew, the moment Taehyung got accepted to art school, you will be left alone. 

You wanted to be in the city with him. You were so sure Taehyung would get accepted and the only way to be with him is to get the sports scholarship and join him in the city.

Taehyung was unsure at first. You just got better. He was scared that one slip could jeopardize your whole dream. Again, he hated that he was right.

Your mom was sobbing when she called him. “She can never run again Tae, her muscle was torn and there’s no way we can afford a surgery. She hasn’t woken up yet, she was under a high dose painkiller. I don’t know what to tell her Tae.”

Taehyung wished he could calm your mom but he couldn’t. Not when he was crying too.

You always tell him the same dream of yours. Joining the national team, go to the Olympics. Becoming the fastest runner of the country. Run until you can never feel your legs anymore. With him always telling you he’d be on the finish line. Cheering you on and on. And now the dreams will stay as dreams.

He couldn’t control his anger and thinking about your pain, he collapses on the ground. Letting the tears touch the ground. It wasn’t until he was collected enough to ride the earliest ferry to town. To come to you.

Taehyung stays by your side nights and days. Helping your mom as you don't have any male figure in your life. His parents understand it and he is thankful for that. They know how much you meant to him and they were so proud to see their son has been such a reliable shoulder especially in this trivial time for your family.

He was the one who meets up with the doctor with your mom. Discussing the recovery plan, and just being there to be your pillar. You were so quiet on the first day he arrived. The dark circles under your eyes and the hollow stare is tearing his heart apart. 

Not saying much he helped feed you, and carried you to the bathroom. You were still quiet, though Taehyung tried to engage you in small talks. He makes silly jokes, the repeated jokes you always laughed at only to be received an empty response from you now. 

“Tae, I wouldn’t know what to do if you weren't here. Thank you so much, son.” Your mom cries to him. Taehyung was so heartbroken to see your mom keep crying as he himself couldn’t do much to ease the pain. 

“She’ll get better, she is strong.” He said. It has become a mantra every time Taehyung sat alone, thinking about you.

One day, when the doctor allowed you to go home, you reached for him. Mumbling, “Taetae, will I be okay?” your voice was strained, rough and broken. Eyes still staring into the void but your hands held onto him so tight. Like you’re so afraid if he lets go.

“Yes, you will. You’re a strong girl, you’re my strong girl,” Taehyung replied without hesitation, kissing your forehead in hopes of banishing the negative thoughts from swallowing your mind. 

“But I can’t run anymore. What’s the point? I am no longer a runner.” 

“Maybe there’s another opportunity for you. Maybe we can try other things, I’ll help you,”

You scoffed, he sounded silly and unrealistic. “I am nothing without running. It’s my only purpose, Kim Taehyung.” 

He winced at his full name used by you. “I get it but you shouldn’t lose all hope. There are other possibilities for you out there, we just have to push harder to look for them. I believe in you.” Taehyung pleads.

“You don’t get it. All my life, one thing I am sure about is the track. I beat the time every time I’m on the track and now I am defeated with a broken leg and a stupid brain. Forget academics, you and I, we both know how terrible I am at learning. I’m not you! You’re a prodigy in everything. You have people who want to buy your art. I only have the track to stay valid so no, no one gets it. Not even you!” you were seething through your teeth. 

All of the pent up anger and frustration were let out to the one person you cared about. It’s too late to regret, now that his face shows nothing but hurt.

Taehyung feels like being punched in his gut with your words. How could you, when he himself couldn’t sleep a wink from the day he heard about your injury. When worried about you every time you were at a tournament. When he can barely sit still watching you running on the track.

He couldn’t say anything after that. He knows whatever comes out from his mouth will only make it worse. You were devastated, he got to understand that. You need time and space, and you will be okay again. 

Ever since you arrived home, you refused to meet anyone. Not even Taehyung. You were angry and most of all you were just sad. You wanted to be mad at something, something to blame but you couldn’t find it. 

Maybe it was yourself, maybe if you weren’t so stubborn, maybe if you waited a little longer. 

Taehyung did not give up. You were pushing him away and he didn’t move a flinch. He realizes he is being a pushover but you need someone. You were stubborn, through and through. You don’t have to come out of your room to talk to him nor him entering your room like he always does, but you know he’s around, he is home. 

He even followed you and your mom to your routine physiotherapy. But you ignore him. A part of you feels selfish and guilty for treating him this way. Another part is, you think you’re dragging him down on this stupid island. You tried to distance yourself from him, but Taehyung didn’t care. He stays stuck next to you. 

Even though you went to school all by yourself, Taehyung always follows behind you quietly. You didn’t talk to anyone and yet he still comes to your locker to help you carry your book. 

You forgot about his art submission, until one day he came up to your room. Knocking softly. He didn’t speak but who else would be in your house other than your mom. You opened up to see him holding a big white canvas under his arm.

He turns it to you, showing you a painting of a girl in her yellow and red jersey. The girl is running in a field of dandelions.   

“I want to submit this but I need you to see it first. You are my muse, you are my girl. It kills me to see you in this state and I want nothing but the very best of you. I used to cheer for you on the finish line but this time let me run by your side. Let me help you. If I get accepted, I will make a lot of money and I will make the best life for you, so you can stop worrying so much. We’ll learn together, just let me in.”

[bloomshroomz]

I don't understand the whole, "You can't explain gender stuff to kids; they're too young to understand" argument. Refusing to explain anything just results in more confusion.

As a kid, I thought that trans people were a really cool hypothetical, but didn't realize that could actually be a real thing until years later. I used to try to find portals where I could step in and swap my gender in elementary school, because I thought that would be the only way.

In third grade, we had a project where we were given the letters of our names and pictures of our faces, and we were supposed to draw the rest for a sort of classroom student book thing. I dropped some of the letters in my name to make it masculine, cut off the hair, and drew stuff that I thought was cool.

The teacher saw this and said, "Is that really how you want people to remember you?" clearly expecting me to say "no."

But I said "Yes," and the teacher argued against this for a bit, before giving in and allowing me to use the art that I made. They still made me create a version that aligned with my AGAB, though. The masculine version was only kept in black and white.

(Fun fact: My chosen name is actually almost identical to the name I chose in third grade. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, even with my limited knowledge on what I could do.)

I fantasized about being able to change my gender a lot as a kid, whether that meant being a boy, or being neither a girl nor a boy, or being between/some sort of boygirl. I wished that I could "genderbend," because that was the terminology I knew.

I learned that trans people actually exist in like... Middle school? And people were super transphobic at the time, so I internalized that for a few years before accepting that I'm trans. That pain could've been avoided if I had been taught from a young age that trans people exist, and that it's okay to be trans.

I was a trans kid, and I didn't know that was what I was until I was a teen, because I wasn't given the opportunity to know. Trans kids exist, regardless of whether you give them language to express their experiences or not.

And I've met trans kids who knew that terminology, and knew that they were trans because of it. I've also met kids who weren't trans, but still experimented with pronouns and gender expression for a short while to see how they felt, because they were given the freedom to do so. It's good to let kids explore who they are.

I'm also openly trans, and I don't hide this from anyone. Kids understand, even if I'm the first to explain it to them. It's not a hard concept to grasp. My little brother was introducing me to his friends as his big brother even when I was expressing myself very femininely, and hardly any kids batted an eye. Some of them were curious why I looked so feminine for a guy, and it was easy to explain. It has also been easy to explain what being nonbinary means.

Kids latch onto concepts like gender more easily than you think. Out of everyone in my family, my little brother (who still isn't even a teen yet) has been one of the most supportive people when it comes to my transition. I can't think of a time when he has misgendered me- not in years, at least. He caught on fast, and he never gets it wrong. He even corrects people who misgender me. I get misgendered by the adults in my family much more than the children.

Kids get it. All you gotta do is explain.

[angelosearch]

Be brave.

Some Chaos Theory art I commissioned from @thornart (Insta: thorlincorn)

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!! It was such a cool process bringing an iconic scene from my alternate timeline FFVIII fic to life! This scene is from the end of Part 3: Spontaneous Order | Trust Falls if you are curious why Rinoa is in a Galbadian soldier uniform! The scene itself is under the cut!

Thank you to thornart for this amazing work!! I knew I wanted to commission something special when I completed Chaos Theory and then I saw your Locked Tomb fan art and... well, here we are!

The building began to shake violently. There was the distinct sound of engines activating.

They were digging out the drill.

“Come on!” Squall yelled to Rinoa as he started up the stairs again.

A mass of Moombas and prisoners was following them again. At this point, the momentum of the escapees was too great—soldiers were being swept up and consumed by the wave.

The Spiral was designed so in the event of a catastrophic security failure, the drill could raise the building up high enough to prevent escape.

The drill was already a few stories high when Rinoa and Squall arrived on the top of the north drill. Massive drill structures rotated aggressively, kicking up a nearly opaque cloud of dust and expelling an earsplitting whirring.

Squall was horrified to realize that unburying the drill did nothing to deter escape. Dozens of desperate and broken prisoners sentenced to life in D-District prison tossed their bodies off the platform and into the unknown waiting for them on the other end of the dust cloud—if their bodies didn’t get caught on the drills.  

“What do we do?” Rinoa screamed over the grating sound of the twisting drills.

Squall looked back at the entrance they had just come out of. It was swarmed with bodies trying to get their shot at freedom, whether that freedom be in this life or another. They were not going to get back down there.

“Do you have any float spells?” Squall called out.

“A few.”

“Rinoa, we have to jump,” Squall couldn’t see much, but he could see the panic wash over Rinoa’s face. “We have to jump before we get any higher.”

She shook her head several times.

“We don’t have a choice. Just cast float, it might break our fall.”

“IT MIGHT?!”

Squall walked to the edge of the platform. Rinoa walked up beside him, looked over, and cried.

“I can’t, I can’t!”

Through the cyclone of dirt, Squall could just barely see the ground, which was getting further and further with every second. He looked over at Rinoa, who had turned away and was holding herself, terrified.

In the last decade of his life, his only method of fighting fear was ignoring the feeling and pushing forward anyway. But it wasn’t always that way. He was always a fearful little kid. He cried, he hid, he avoided. Ellone was the only person who could get him to stare down what he was afraid of. She would stand by his side and remind him he could do it. Back then, her love was the sword he used to keep the demons at bay.

Squall removed his gloves, walked up to Rinoa, and offered her his hand.

She looked at him with apprehension.

“When I used to get scared… Ellone always held my hand. You can do this, Rinoa. We’ll do this… together.”

Rinoa bit her lip. She squinted her eyes shut and slapped her hand into Squall’s.

“Okay…”

Squall walked them carefully back to the ledge. He did not like how high up they were now, but they had no options.

“Alright, on the count of three, we’re going to jump, and once we’re in the air, you need to cast float, okay?”

Rinoa did not open her eyes but fiercely nodded her head.

Squall gripped tightly on Rinoa’s hand. He found himself squeezing his eyes shut as well.

“One, two, three…!”

Be brave.

The two teens leaped from the Spiral and disappeared into the veil of sand.

[ponett]

with the fallout of bandai namco's idiotic "it's up to interpretation" bs, do you think that it's possible to enjoy queer media made in a corporate environment in addition to independent works? is it even worthwhile to attempt making queer media in a corporate environment? i find it special how well the g-witch production team managed to tell the story they wanted even with the challenges and pressures they faced, but i have to admit that independent works like slarpg are always going to more completely tell queer stories. as someone who has resonated with both slarpg and g-witch, i was curious to know your perspective.

i'm probably less cynical about this than a lot of my peers are - not that i can blame anyone for feeling cynical about queer rep from corporate-owned media. (we've been through so many First Ever Gay Disney Characters at this point, and lord knows blizzard loves to tease that another overwatch character might be gay every year or so as a PR move.) unfortunately it's just extremely hard to get something like a full season of an animated series funded and produced independently, so the artists looking to enter these fields and pour their hearts and souls into meaningful queer stories as a full-time job don't have many options

going indie gives you theoretically endless creative freedom to tell your stories without corporate censorship, but it's also a massive gamble. only an extreme minority of indie creatives in any medium are actually able to make a living. the fact that i came out the other side of slarpg's development with enough money that i can keep being a full-time indie instead of being in massive debt makes me one of the lucky ones. and even with my modest success, i sure as hell don't have the money to hire a whole team, which limits the scope of what i can make. so i can't turn my nose up at the queer people writing disney channel cartoons where they can't say the word "gay" out loud. they have health insurance, i don't. for most people, what i do is simply not an option

with the corporate-produced Queer Stories i enjoy, i'm often able to squint and see what the creatives were trying to do, wishing that they could have done more while understanding that they probably had to fight tooth and nail for what's there

in the realm of children's animation in particular, i'm thankful that the people working at these studios ARE fighting for more, because it means that kids today have so many more positive queer stories to relate with. i didn't have a single gay character i felt i could relate to until i read scott pilgrim at age 16 and saw wallace wells. before that, i felt so alone in the world. i denied who i was for years because it felt like there would be no place for me. i didn't know anyone openly gay in real life, growing up in the south, and in fiction gay people either existed as the butt of a joke or not at all. the fact that queer kids are now able to see people like themselves in so many shows means something, even if we still have a long way to go and the big studios continue to be a major obstacle

on the subject of g-witch, i'm honestly unfazed by the statement from bandai-namco. i guess i wish they could've let suletta and miorine kiss, but like... the text of the show is extremely blunt about them being a couple by the end. it's not up for debate. and it's not like a gundam series having a meaningful story in spite of the wishes of the toy-producing overlords is anything new, this is just our latest example

all that being said, i do think people should branch out more and explore more weird indie shit if they want more wholeheartedly, openly queer stories. people gotta suck it up and embrace more outsider art instead of only valuing things with studio-level production values. start looking at ren'py visual novels, rpg maker games, obscure webcomics, zines drawn in sharpie, artists on bandcamp who aren't signed to a label, all that jazz. maybe part of the reason why i'm not more fazed by the state of affairs with corporate-funded fiction is that i'm constantly surrounded by furry artists who are telling their own little gay stories

[tarzelladraws]

Hi!! My name is Jenna! I just saw your amazing art and edits! Thanks for sharing your talent! I was very curious after seeing your AU artwork if you have any fanfiction written or a fic rec list you could share?

Aw thank you, i'm so happy you like my art! Sorry for the delayed response, I was on vacation. Here’s a list of some of my favorites in no particular order, just my oldest bookmarks to more recent. My all time favs are marked with **

Links are attached in the titles and i hope you like them! I have so many more!

** Mitan, Midi by animal rated E (Rey inherits a home in France, angst)

**Code of Honor by c_ike rated E (my favorite Rey background)

Forbidden by koderenn rated E (Jedi Rey x Senator Ben)

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by Like_A_Dove rated E (Ben and Rey grow up together, heavy angst)

** All Our Days by voicedimplosivesrated E (cannonverse Persuasion AU)

** Good Day, Professor by faequeentitania rated E (College student Rey x professor Ben)

A Royal Mistake by reyofdarkness (mitslits) rated E (Mechanic Rey x Prince Ben)

Compatible by AttackoftheDarkCurses rated E (friends to lovers, sexy vacation)

give you my wild (give you a child) by lizzysbennett rated E (babysitter rey x single dad Ben)

Mistranslations by MissCoppelia rated E (BDSM, Japanese mafia)

** stuck in colder weather by redbelles rated E (More college student Rey x professor Ben)

Ruby Woo Red by HeartSabers rated E (Celebrity Ben x MUA Rey)

set me on fire by no_loose_wire_jokes Rated E (roommates, rey is turned on by him swearing lol)

Good Fences by quamquam20 rated E (Witch Rey x Vampire Ben neighbors)

And Your Kingdom Too by vuas rated E (fantasy royalty au, arranged marriage, single chapter)

Olive and an Arrow by sadboykylo rated E (bodyguard Ben x president's daughter Rey)

Sunshine After a Storm by enloeddmedia rated E (modern cowboy au)

**A Royal Mix-Up by AttackoftheDarkCurses rated E (Ben x rey have a one night stand, he forgets to tell her he's a prince)

Awards Season by gracediamondsfear rated E (actor Ben x personal chef Rey)

**It's Just Us Now by KyloZen rated E (cannon divergent Kylo and Rey are stuck on Hoth together)

**Lifeblood by ebongawk (makeshiftcandy) rated E (modern au vampire ben)

**rumor has it by dachenabritta rated E (spoiled rich girl rey asks ben to sleep with her)

He's got them bad boy blues by Blueyedgurl rated E (high school au)

Three by JenfysNest rated E (an ode to three finger fingering)

**Soup from my Mouth by v_for_verona rated E (HEA TROS, food as a love language, this one speaks to the food insecurity i had growing up)

**D Major by star_pilots rated E (Ben fingers rey on a school bus lol)

**Show Me Your Teeth (i'll show you mine) by KnightFalling rated E (gentle vampire Ben x Rey who has vampire related trauma)

Shadow Song by SageMcMae rated E (ben is in a coma/also a shadow being protecting foster kid rey)

**Diet Coke by Pacificwanderer (CNichole) rated E (Ben is a hot construction worker that rey watches from her office window)

Dog Day Open Hydrant by LinearA rated E (firefighter ben is called to shut off a hydrant that Rey opened)

**Leave It All, Lock to the Tide by alantieislander rated E (Rey lives on a remote island, soldier Ben washes up on the shore)

**Don't Feed It (It Will Come Back) by Aaveena rated E (Rey works at a diner for the supernatural, Ben is a newly turned vampire)

you're the tall kingdom I surround (think I better follow you around) by havingaheavy rated E (Rey stalks Ben, Ben is obsessed with Rey)

To Have and to Hold by bunilicious rated E (historical AU, arranged marriage)

[avatarrecom]

D23 Brazil

New concept art shown at the D23 in Brazil!

This looks so good! I don't know what the scene is, but I hope that it's some sort of bonding ceremony between Lo'ak and Payakan! I would love for Payakan to be accepted back into the community, especially after helping rescuing Tuk, Kiri, Lo'ak and Tsireya! (even though he killed one of my favorite recoms in the proces 🥹)

I mean honestly, if this doesn't make you want to live on Pandora, then I don't know what else will. This looks amazing 💙

I'm really interested in this clan, those aircrafts look awesome!

*Que Norms reaction when he saw the Hallelujah Mountains for the first time*

Again, this makes me want to live on Pandora. I would kill to visit the Hallelujah Mountains. The aircrafts look so pretty! Why can't they make hot air balloons like this on earth 🥲

Que random memory of me and my grandma out on a walk and seeing a hot air balloon fly really low over us with little kids being really enthusiastic and stuff and some asshole teenagers flipped them off.

I can totally see Lo'ak and Spider in one of these things flying over an RDA base and just flipping everyone off just because it's fun🤣 Don't tell Neytiri because Tuk, being the typical little sister, copied them (in her own way, with 4 fingers lol).

Quaritch, babes, where is Lyle? I just know that our favorite himbo wouldn't let his bf get captured on his own.

Also, his captures don't seem to have a (whole) queue? I know that it was hinted at/revealed that they lost they connection to Eywa

But with the deleted scene from the first movie with Lyle cutting off Tsu'tey's queue, which showed him in agony, I'm curious why these Na'vi don't seem to be in any pain.

So, what do you guys thing about it? Are you exited? I'd love to hear any thoughts!

[gleefulquinn]

from the journal of: quinn fabray-collins. dated: november 8, 2024

tomorrow i leave la to head to ohio. it's been four years since i've even been back in my home town, but i think it's finally time to go back. i haven't seen frannie or the kids in months, and my mom has been begging me to bring the kids home for christmas for a few years now. ben is not very keen on me being away from the house for so many weeks, even less so once i told him i don't plan on vlogging during our time apart, but i need a break. i'm so exhausted from being on all the time. it feels like my life isn't real, it's all an elaborate show for some faceless, nameless viewer clicking a like button.

( in the margins · remind alex to upload next week's video on tuesday, and have her run the video by this weeks sponsor. also, find out who this weeks sponsor even is. )

i've been invited by my old high school to participate in the annual arts showcase this year, apparently that's a thing now? since when does mckinley celebrate the arts? that's new. i was a bit hesitant at first, but i think having the kids spend some time in a place where no one is famous and there aren't any cameras will be good for them. and beth's been texting me a lot lately, it'll be good to see her again in person. plus...i admit, i've been a bit curious about my old classmates. i saw tina at an event in la a few weeks back and just being around a familiar face felt...grounding. plus it's been years since i've done anything performance related. thank god for la connections, i've managed to get in a few vocal and dance lessons before leaving for ohio so i won't seem totally incompetent in front of everyone. something needs to change. here's hoping a trip back home will do the trick, i'm at the end of my rope.

to do list: □ pick up the dry cleaner □ call alex, leave instructions for next week □ send raw footage to vince □ finish packing □ double check everyone's passports □ call shelby □ call in darcy's prescription

[hannahlovesluca]

Heyyaa!! I saw ur doing match ups and I always wanted to do this cuz I’m a curious person 😭 feel free to ignore this!!!

My name is chio/chi!! 

Pronouns are she/her :D

Sexuality: bi? Asexual? idk I’m not sure abt these things

Zodiac is a cancer!

I’m an intp- t 

Oshis are : selen tatsuki kotoka torahime luca kaneshiro Mysta rias 

My appearance : I’m like slightly dark and slightly like white in the middle idk how to describe it I’m sorry 😭 I have shoulder length messy black hair, VERY dark brown eyes with visible eye bags but it’s not that serious (maybe) 

Personality : I’m often describe or seen as a childish person since that’s the only thing I show but im a really sensitive but cold person I prefer to be straight forward and brutally honest which often leads to ppl saying I’m mean and harsh other than I’m quite loud and I get distracted very easily 

I love love loveee dogs and ducks THEY’RE SO CUTEEE AAAAA ( ´ ▽ ` ) , I like playing any games tbh except for horror game big no no , I do art , uhh I ea5 any food tbh except for vegetables bleh , sleeping is the best my friends and vocaloid songsss !! 

I hate self centered arrogant and obnoxious ppl or ppl who don’t think twice b4 they say stuff , bugs , ppl taking my stuff without perms, sunlight and interacting w ppl 

Love language (giving) : quality time i only give quality time to ppl i enjoy if I don’t like u I either ignore them or just avoid ik it sounds mean but I’m just tired and giving quality time takes my energy too (*´ー｀*) (I’m sorry 😭)

Love language (receiving) I love acts of services or physical touch they sound so nice like omg hugs r nice holding hands r nice i want them all dnjsjdjdjf

Thats all!!! 

I HOPE U GET BETTER SOON !!! 

thank you for being so loyal!! i often see you in my notifs :))

i pair you with…

Luca Kaneshiro!

hear me out…

• I KNOW THIS ISNT A BANNER BUT ITS SO CUTE I HAD TO USE IT

• again, this is a black cat x golden retriever trope

• i love opposites sm

• one who’s so extremely kind x brutally honest mm mm mm (not that you’re not kind, but yoy get what i’m implying)

• luca loves your black cat energy!!! and he also loves that you can kind of switch and be more dog-like sometimes!

• its a good balance and it makes his heart go 💥💥💥

• his love language is quality time and physical touch so do with that what you will

• as for hating more self centered people, THIS MAN IS THE OPPOSITE SO… just sayin

• oh my flip i love him

• if you’re a part of niji and u ask for collabs or for him to do backup vocals for a cover he’ll just 🫠🫠🫠

• imagine him being emotional support through a horror game 😭💟💟

• also when he got his puppy, he totally kept it a secret from u because he wanted to surprise you with a little “child” 💟💟

• he doesn’t necessarily want kids so this was a really big step for him and you should be so so proud of our big golden retriever :((

• when cuddling, if you bring up the irony that hes so soft w you when he’s supposed to be “mean” and “evil” he’ll pout so hard

• okay this is just turning into hcs what

• anyway, please for the love of god treat him so, so well <3

RUNNERS UP: Fulgur Ovid, Claude Clawmark

[rnoonpie]

For almost a month, I've been working retail for the first time as an electronics department sales assistant in a popular bulk warehouse chain. I was so afraid I was going to hate it, that customers were going to make me lose my faith in humanity, that children were gonna be unbearable.

But I don't. They didn't, they aren't.

I love meeting people and talking to people and I love knowing about the products I help sell. I love helping a customer figure out what's best for their needs, not just directing them to the biggest and flashiest, most expensive phones or laptops.

But most surprising to me, I think, is a reminder that I do really get along with children and love talking to them, even little babies. They're so funny and just make me smile. I love little babies in carriers with stout little fat frog legs dangling in the air, with so much fat on their faces they look like a bulldog when they close their eyes. I love the ones who don't have enough hair to style but they've got one little tuft sticking straight up in a bow anyway. I love waving to the ones who stare very intently while they're figuring out how their eyes work.

But most of all, I think I really love getting to be someone I never had for me in public spaces as a child, and that's treating them like a customer just as much as their parents, asking them what they're looking for, if they have any questions.

The transformation is so complete every time. I see how braced they are for an adult approaching them while they're using the display iPads, expecting to be scolded or told to leave it alone. But when I ask with a smile how they're doing and if they're looking for anything in particular, if they have any questions, they transform into such excited and curious things.

"Um! Um, I was wondering, um, what the difference is between the iPad Pro and the others!" this little girl said nervously, her voice high and thin.

So I told her, in simpler terms, but with the same cadence I would have used with her mother.

"So the Pro line tends to have a better processor, which means it's going to be able to handle a lot more apps at the same time. They're really good for games and I know a lot of artists who like to use this app here — " I tapped the demo Procreate icon and opened it up " — to make art! The Pro also has a very clear and bright screen with a pretty huge amount of colours it can display, which is why a lot of artists like it so much. So the Pro does all these things more efficiently than the other iPads do."

Her eyes were enormous. "That's so cool," she whispered in breathless awe. "That's so cool."

"Isn't it?" I agreed. "This stuff amazes me every day."

Her parents came and collected her not long after that and apologised for the trouble.

"Not at all," I said in deep surprise.

Like her parents were afraid their child's mere presence was annoying or bothersome to employees? Like… nah, man. Kids want to know what the electronics can do, too. They're just people learning how to people.

Adults are the ones who annoy me on a daily basis more than children. You know who love to connect to our demo Bluetooth speakers to blast rude music as loudly as they can? Grown ass men, every single time, without fail.

Children are generally very reserved and polite when they need my help with something, saying "excuse me".

It was another grown ass man who saw me counting inventory, decided it would be hilarious to go "forty-nine, twenty-two, eighty-six…" as he passed by.

The stare that I gave him must have been completely dead-eyed because he immediately flushed and mumbled an apology before hurrying away.

But, as a disclaimer, that's not to say that all the adult men who come into the store are annoying or rude. In fact, the vast majority of them are lively and polite and friendly! Even the ones that fuck around with the speakers haven't given me direct trouble (I deal with the speaker issue by just muting it via the laptop it's actually connected to) and no one has ever been overtly aggressive or abusive to me.

I know it's only been a month. I know that getting a Karen is going to be inevitable — people will always be people, after all — but I know that, broadly, people are good and I love them. I love watching them and talking to them, of all ages, gender, background.

People are fundamentally good.

[narrans]

A Tall and Small Collection | S2.35 | & Everyone Needs a Little Hero :: Crossover :: Saving Our Hero pt. 1

“Look here, Dorian,” Ashlynn said as she pointed out another comment that just came in. “Hey Dorian, I just came across your music and I have to say I’m impressed. I don’t know where you draw your lyrical inspiration from, but dude you rock! Want to release an album? Hit me up and I’ll help with the cover art.”

“What?” asked Dorian, his head was completely spiraling at this point. “You’re kidding! This is… woah…” Dorian rubbed his temples as he stared at the squiggly words on the screen This was absolutely amazing! How could this be happening to him? What did he do to get so lucky?

She reached over again and gently cupped Dorian. He leaned into her touch, wrapping his left arm over her middle finger and squeezing tightly. He wished, in that moment, that he could tell his mother and father about his music. He wished they could be proud of him; and, in a way, Ashlynn helped to fill that void, as did his brother Soren.

“Well, music man, we’ve got to get you some better studio equipment if you’re going to release an album,” grinned Ashlynn. Dorian looked up at Ashlynn, feeling the threat of salty tears starting to gather in his eyes.

“Really? You serious?” he asked. Ashlynn nodded.

“Serious about what?” asked Soren. Ashlynn and Dorian looked over at the edge of the couch to see that Soren and Mayzie were chasing a dime. Soren had undoubtedly rolled it so Mayzie could toddle along beside it. She was giggling the whole way and watched as the coin rattled to a stop by the leg of the couch.

Ashlynn glanced at Dorian and gave a thoughtful head not to Soren. “Want to tell him?”

Dorian, heart still pounding out of his chest, nodded shyly and slid down Ashlynn’s arm to lean over the edge of the couch to see his oldest brother.

“My music,” he said. “The last song I released is doing really great and loads of people are asking for an album. Isn’t that great?”

Ashlynn, knowing Soren, was obviously suppressing a hint of worry as he smiled up at his younger brother.

“Dorian, that’s great news! But… how…” started Soren.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t released any pictures of me or anything. They only know my voice. There are loads of anonymous artists out there. None of them have to know about me or that I’m a Borrower,” smiled Dorian, already trying to ease his brother’s apprehensions.

The smile on Soren’s face broadened as he once again picked up the dime and rolled it. Mayzie squealed with delight and chased after it. Soren looked up at Dorian, the eldest brother’s eyes beaming with pride.

“Well, Dorian, that is amazing. I’m proud of you. You’re pursuing your dreams and making them happen,” Soren said. Dorian, unable to help himself, reached up and wiped his eyes free from the little bit of moisture that had gathered there.

Ashlynn watched as Soren quickly scaled the edge of the couch, stepped up onto the couch, and walked over to embrace his brother. Soren began speaking to Dorian, but Ashlynn couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. She smiled at watching the two of them interact. Despite recent events, things were finally leveling out and starting to swing back their way.

Ashlynn closed her eyes and listened to Mayzie’s giggling as she continued to chase the dime across the floor. As it rolled to a stop, however, Mayzie’s giggles subsided. Ashlynn, not wanting to intrude on what Soren was saying to Dorian, carefully got up and maneuvered around the table to find Mayzie and continue the game of roll the coin.

It was then that Ashlynn heard Mayzie’s voice again, but she was not laughing anymore. There was a momentary, curious coo before Mayzie whimpered and started to cry. Ashlynn leaned down and saw Mayzie was by one of the electrical sockets. Her arms were tucked tight to her chest, and she was stepping backward. Ashlynn couldn’t see the electrical cover from where she was, but whatever Mayzie was sensing wasn’t good.

“Mayzie? It’s okay. Come here sweet girl,” coaxed Ashlynn, not wanting to reach out and snatch the young Borrower toddler in case it freaked her out more. Mayzie, whimpering, toddled out from under the piece of furniture guarding the electrical cover and climbed onto Ashlynn’s outstretched hand. Ashlynn leaned over to peer under the piece of furniture, but it was a bit dark for her to make out any details.

Then, she noticed a shadow.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched a small figure staggering forward. Before she could get Soren’s attention, however, she heard a familiar sob and watched as Rey stumbled out from under the furniture piece.

Ashlynn was instantly mortified.

It was Rey.

He was covered in several large drops of blood smeared across his body. His clothes were torn. He was clutching his side as though he were severely hurt, and his breath came in sobbing gasps.

“Rey?” Ashlynn’s panic was obvious as she reached forward and managed to catch Rey’s swaying body before it hit the ground. He curled into her fingers, doubled over as he dry heaved violently. “Rey, what happened? Are you hurt?” With another sob, Rey managed to shake his head as Ashlynn stood with Mayzie in one hand and Rey in the other. Ashlynn felt her insides drop as she stared down at the young Borrowers. What happened? What was going on? Was Rey attacked again? Rage threatened to boil over as she stepped carefully up to the couch.

Dorian and Soren broke from their embrace and looked over at Ashlynn, instantly picking up on the change in air.

“Ashlynn? Is that Rey? Is he okay? What’s going on?” called Soren as Ashlynn crouched and set Rey and Mayzie down onto the couch. Soren’s eyes widened as he whole body went stiff. He rushed over and snatched up Mayzie to help calm her down as he crouched in front of his youngest brother. Ashlynn sat next to the couch so she was at eye-level with the Borrower family.

The anxiety was tangible in the air.

“Rey, you’re okay,” encouraged Soren as he held his brother and his daughter tight. Both were now huddled on Ashlynn’s fingers. Rey sobbed once again as he clutched onto his brother. “You’re safe now. It’s alright.”

“N-n-n-no,” sobbed Rey. “It-t-t’s n-not al-lr-right.” Dorian came over and laid a hand on his brother’s back.

“Rey, who did this to you?” demanded Dorian, feeling his insides churn. His brother had already been attacked twice. This was too far. If the Borrowers in the community were responsible, he knew Ashlynn would be unstoppable. He shuddered at the thought. Ashlynn, seeing Rey continue to tremble, pulled over one of the Borrower’s blankets that they kept on the sofa for when they wanted to cover themselves in something their size and draped it over Rey’s shoulders.

Soren helped tuck the blanket over Rey and gratefully took the second one for Mayzie, who had calmed down as her father held her. Soren felt the way his brother trembled and saw that he was covered in blood. Though, upon further inspection, only a few scrapes where his clothes were ripped were his own. The massive dots of blood were not his own.

It begged the question of who the blood did belong to however, which made Soren worry more.

What also made Soren worry was that he and Rey were supposed to be out and about helping Hero.

Where was Hero?

Was he injured?

Was this blood his?

Soren waited only for one more minute for his brother’s breathing to calm before pulling away from the embrace to look him in the eye. His soft blue eyes were rimmed with pink from where he had been crying.

“Rey, I know you’re upset, and I wish I could give you the time you needed, but we need to know what happened. Was this the community? Was this someone new? Did you fall? What happened?”

Rey’s pale blue eyes were swimming with tears. It was obvious he was still distraught but resolved enough to gaining control over himself. He sucked in a few breaths, nearly breaking back down into tears as he did so but managed to muster the words before succumbing to another round of sobs.

“Hero’s been taken.”

The words hit like a lead brick to the side of the head. It was a stunning blow that no one expected to hear.

The stunned silence surrounded them, and it took Rey’s choked words to bring them back. Rey was no longer stuttering, but he did have to take a moment to breathe deeply between words.

“There was a human he hadn’t seen before. She was crying on her bed. He was on top of the desk before I could stop him. She sat up and saw him,” Rey started shaking his head back and forth as he gripped either side of his head, entwining his fingers into his hair. “Soren! I tried to save him! He… he just… slipped… I… I had to leave… to get help…”

“Rey,” said Soren, his voice a deadly serious that Ashlynn had never heard before. “Tell me exactly what happened.

~~~^*^*^~~~

Hero stood and looked out across the room at the human girl who was on the bed. He noticed the mascara-colored streaks running down her face. He saw the way her eyes were red rimmed. He noticed her sadness melt away to curiosity as her eyes. The green-eyed Borrower teen smiled, but cocked his head curiously as he heard her speak.

“Woah… Austin was right…”

Austin? Who was Austin? Someone she knew? This had to be another human, right?

She pushed herself off of the bed, smearing the mascara stains on her cheeks, as she fearlessly approached the four-inch-tall boy. Hero, unaccustomed to this approach, stepped back a few steps before stopping himself.

Naturally, this human was curious just like so many other humans in his life. Surely sh-

But Hero’s own thoughts were interrupted as she reached forward, pinched his arm, and started to lift. Her grip was harder than he thought it would be, and it pinched his skin terribly.

“H-hey, ow-,” he said as he squirmed, trying to keep his friendly smile while dealing with the unwanted contact. “C-could you not do that, please?”

“And you talk,” muttered the girl, who did indeed stop lifting Hero. “This is incredible. What are you?”

Rey, who had just made it onto the desk, rolled to the side of what looked like a prop to keep books up and crouched low. His heart hammered in his chest with merciless force. He could see Hero was obviously at risk of being in extreme danger, but Rey needed to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid. He needed to plan an appropriate diversion if he was going to get Hero away from the girl, who now looked more like an adult than a child.

Rey was used to not hesitating, but he was now. What had him frozen to his tracks, however, was the name – Austin.

Was it possible?

No.

But maybe…

Could it be?

Who else would know about them?

Austin – the same human who cause those fatal injuries to Hero’s father, Brady. Austin – the same human who moved in shortly after Ashlynn left and ended up capturing one of Dorian’s friends. Austin – the monstrous human who started making and setting little traps for Rey and his family.

He continued to tremble as he watched the human girl start to pull Hero off of the desk.

“Wait! Wait! What are you doing?” Hero’s panicked voice snapped Rey back into the present moment.

“Making sure you don’t disappear,” replied the girl. She looked away from Hero, scanning the desk, and Rey hid quickly. “Here we go.” The girl’s hands were inches away from Rey as she reached over and snagged a mason jar filled with permanent markers from nearby. She dumped out the pens carelessly and, in one swift motion, let go of Hero and slipped the jar over his head.

Hero, now shaking, went over to the edge and slammed his hands against the glass. What was going on? This had never happened before. Didn’t she know he wasn’t going to leave?

“Hey! Lift the jar and let me out! I won’t leave!” The echo was excruciating and he winced as his words bounced back and pierced his ears. He slammed his fists into the jar, hoping the little *tink* sound would get her attention.

“Yeah right,” the girl muttered. Her voice was distorted as she looked around the shelves. “I lift that, and you’ll bolt. That’s why I need the lid.” Hero swallowed dryly as he looked up at the human girl. The inside of the glass jar was getting stuffy. His vision swam in front of his eyes as he staggered to the side.

No.

This wasn’t happening. This was just a bad dream. He could reason with her. She thought he would vanish like a dream, right? That’s why she was keeping him in one spot.

The girl cursed under her breath and went over to another shelf to look for the lid.

This is when Rey sprang into action. When the girl dumped out the pens, there was a long straight pin, a broken crayon, and a few popsicle sticks in the mason jar. He stowed the straight pin on his side just in case and stared at the jar. He knew he couldn’t get the mason jar up and toppled over in one go, but a couple of quick movements would undoubtedly free his friend.

Chest compressing like he were in a clenched human fist, Rey darted forward when the human had her back turned and knelt by the bottom of the jar.

“Push hard,” he hissed to Hero, making the pushing motion with his hand followed by placing his finger over his lips to show they needed to be quiet. Hero, mildly stunned, needed to be told twice by Rey that he needed to help before springing into action.

One hit.

Nothing.

Two hits.

Just a little more.

Three!

It was just enough for Rey to slip the wooden popsicle stick underneath the glass. They did this two more times until there was a nice little gap underneath. Rey had the brilliant idea of putting one of the markers underneath, making a kind of lever system.

“Good. Now, lift on the edge,” whispered Rey. He and Hero lifted on the edge of the glass, which was painfully heavy. Rey felt his muscles screaming as he used his foot to slide the next popsicle stick under the edge.

“Rey, I… I don’t understand. Most huma-”

“We don’t have time to talk about it,” Rey hissed again as he grabbed the bottom part of the glass. “Now, on three, we’re going to lift. It’s probably going to topple over, so be ready to run. Okay?”

Hero paused before nodding.

“Okay. One. Two. Three.” At three, Rey heaved all of his weight onto the end of the popsicle stick. The mason jar wobbled uneasily just as Hero crouched. Rey did it again and, this time, it was just tall enough for Hero to dart out.

Sadly, it was just a little too much for the jar. It wobbled and seemed to suspend itself in midair before falling off of the desk in slow motion. The two Borrower boys were already sprinting for the line at the edge of the desk, practically throwing themselves over the ridge as the mason jar clattered onto the ground.

“Huh- oh… HEY!” the girl roared as she whipped around and sprinted at the desk. Hey and Hero glanced up just in time to see the human woman’s face eclipse over the edge, striking fear into their hearts. Both of them dropped the last few inches to the ground and sprinted under the desk.

The electrical cover was just within reach. Hero and Rey sprinted for their lives as they heard the slam of a human’s body behind them. Rey glanced over his shoulder and yelped in surprise as he saw two massive eyes peering at them from beyond the darkness.

Two hands rocketed toward them and, before Rey could dodge, he felt his leg being pinched between the human’s fingers. Hero’s shout of surprise told Rey he was caught too. Rey felt himself being wrenched backward toward the human.

A million thoughts and fears shot through his body like he was suddenly plunged into a bucket of ice water. He shook his thoughts away, just as Soren would do, and suddenly remembered the straight pin.

With all of his might, he wrenched himself around, pulled the straight pin from his side and plunged it into the girl’s hand three times, two more shallow and one so deep that it nearly protruded from the other side of the girl’s finger. She screamed in pain and let him go, but still had a firm grip on Hero.

Rey scrabbled to seize Hero’s hands and held on with all of his might. He hoped that the pain would make the human’s grasp on Hero loosen, but her grip held tight as she continued to wrench Hero out from under the desk.

Hero’s eyes were filled with terror. His heart was skipping every few beats and he couldn’t remember when he last took a breath.

This wasn’t happening.

This couldn’t be happening.

Rey tugged with all his might and tried to pry Hero’s leg free from the human girl, but it was of no use. She continued to pull both of the boys as she pulled the straight pin from her finger using her teeth.

Rey, hands wrapped around Hero’s arms, felt the human give a harsh tug, almost making him lose his grip.

All Rey could think was that this was not going to work. He couldn’t save Hero. This was it. His escape attempt was foiled, and there was nothing else he could do.

At least… there was nothing he could do for Hero.

The girl hadn’t reached back to grab Rey at the moment. He still had a chance to get away.

Rey, with horror, realized what he had to do.

No one knew where they were.

The two of them weren’t expected back for hours.

Hero was grabbed and being dragged back to what would undoubtedly be a lidded jar – and Rey would be right there with him if he didn’t act.

Tears filled his eyes as he stared at his fellow Borrower.

He would regret this until the day he died, but the alternative was far worse.

Hero saw the look in Rey’s eyes and, with horror, realized what his friend was thinking.

“Rey…” he stammered, his voice faltering.

Rey, with tears starting to pour from his eyes, kept eye-contact with Hero as he said, “I’m sorry. I’ll be back.”

The human tugged once more forcefully. Thankfully, Rey wasn’t forced to let go, despite the thoughts he had of letting his friend go on purpose. Rey, scrambling backward, watched as Hero was hoisted away out of reach.

He could hear Hero’s voice, but the pounding blood in his ears prevented him from hearing anything.

One thought drove him – get back to the others.

Save Hero – no matter what!

~~~^*^*^~~~

Soren listened to the horrific tale and felt his insides drop lower than they had ever gone before. He was beyond grateful that Rey was back safe, even though it was by the skin of his teeth.

There was the major issue, however, of Hero.

What was the Borrower teen going through? Was he being hurt? Treated as a pet already? Was he being questioned?

Knowing the boy, Soren worried that he might involuntarily start talking to prevent the human from hurting him and in hopes the human would understand they – Borrowers – were just like humans.

“I’m so sorry Soren,” sobbed Rey as he crumpled in on himself. Ashlynn, absolutely petrified and ruled with rage simultaneously, gingerly reached out and stroked Rey’s back in an effort to comfort the teen. Soren shook his head and kissed his brother on the forehead.

“No. It’s okay. You did the right thing. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you did so well,” Soren encouraged. “Do you remember where this apartment is?”

Rey nodded feebly.

“Yes, but it’s not good,” muttered Rey as he sniffed and tried to speak clearly. “Before I left, I looked into the other rooms to make sure I knew where I was. I saw boxes in the apartment. I think they’re moving out.”

“Rey, are you sure?” asked Ashlynn. “There is another family moving in. I saw them before. It’s a dad, a son, and a daughter.” Rey shook his head vigorously as he sniffled again.

“No. We saw them and were on our way back out when Hero heard the girl crying. She must not want to leave,” muttered Rey. It was the only explanation he could come up with. Soren nodded and looked up into Ashlynn’s eyes.

“Ashlynn, I need you to bring me to the counter if you could, please,” said Soren. Ashlynn, mildly confused, stared curiously at him. She felt more concern than anything at the moment.

“Why?” she asked. Soren, with a hefty sigh, nodded and replied.

“I need to tell the Rafters that their son has been captured,” said Soren. Ashlynn’s eyes wide, she opened her mouth to protest, but Soren silenced her with a glance. “No, Ashlynn, we need to bring them in on this. If the family is moving, we need reconnaissance and as many Borrowers as we can spare on this.”

“I can help too,” said Ashlynn. “I can go see who they are and look for any suspicious boxes as they’re carrying them down.” Soren considered this for a moment before nodding.

“Fine. That would work well actually. If you see this girl, don’t confront her just yet. We don’t want to raise suspicion. Most likely, she’ll remember what Austin told her about us and be ready for some kind of counter measure. We’ll need all the help we can get,” stated Soren.

Ashlynn thought for a moment before making the most daring statement yet.

“Well, if you’re recruiting, I should too. Hero made other human friends, right? They may be able to help too,” said Ashlynn. Soren once again opened his mouth to protest, but seemed to consider it for a moment longer.

“It couldn’t hurt, but wait until I get back,” said Soren. Ashlynn nodded and carefully moved her hand from underneath Rey to bring Soren to the counter.

“I want to help,” called out Rey as Soren stepped onto Ashlynn’s palm and crouched low, handing Mayzie off to Dorian.

“Soon, bobbin, but not right now. Ashlynn, time is ticking. We need to move – now,” said Soren.

Ashlynn nodded and brought Soren over to the cover, bringing him up to her lips and kissing his torso before setting him down. Soren reveled in the warmth and softness of her lips before stepping off of her hand.

“I’ll be right back. See what you can see and come straight here, okay?” asked Soren. They exchanged a thoughtful look before Soren seized his hook from the wall and vanished behind the electrical cover.

As Soren sprinted through the walls, he could only hope they weren’t too late and that they could get Hero back safe and sound.

But first, the bigger task was telling the Rafters about their son – and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

::_____::

A Tall and Small Collection

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A Tall and Small Collection | Soren

ASK ME ANYTHING

::_____::

Everyone Needs a Little Hero

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Beginning

Prompt

ASK ME ANYTHING

[naughtycurls]

sex education ࿓ inter!harry

larry fic based on all your favorite teen movies ;) a little bit of regina, jessica, and an exaggerated dose of olive. in this WIP, harry is a sex addicted teen, who can bag almost anyone - except louis tomlinson.

THIS IS NOT COMPLETE, THIS IS ONLY A SNEAK PEEK.

"No, mom! I never ever in my life spoke to a Raphael. No, I don't know why the hell some chic named Royale came down to the house — that's not my problem because I don't know them. Just tell them to shut the hell up if they ever come back!" Harry said before hanging up the phone.

He checked himself in the mirror before heading down the stairs. His father Desmond sat at the table on his laptop, most likely answering a few business emails. "Hi, Daddy." Harry greeted, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Hi, princess. Why don't you drink a cup of OJ to get you started." He suggested. Harry scrunched up his face, grabbing his baker boy hat from the hook on the wall. "Nah, I prefer a chai latte better." Desmond chuckled. "Always a diva."

Harry smiled at his father before grabbing his purse too. "I'll talk to you later, love you!"

"Make sure you don't spend too much after school! Love you, honey!"

Harry shut the door behind him and excitedly headed towards his car. Recently, after his seventeenth birthday his parents finally bought him the convertible he's been wanting since he was a kid. It was nice and a light pink color — his absolute favorite. Nothing could describe the joy he felt when his eyes landed on that car. Harry climbed into the motor, starting the engine. He dug into his bag for his phone and opened it, going to his friend's contact.

"Hi, Melissa. I'm in the convertible right now, you need a ride?"

"Of course I do."

Harry smiled. "K. Pick you up in five." He pressed on the gas, making the car speed forward, something Desmond always scolded him for.

The schoolyard was filled with students either hanging around their cars, sitting on the steps, or lying in the grass. It was always like that before school started. Harry parked into the lot, clicking off the radio. "That was my song." Melissa complained.

"Yeah, well, if you want Sarah on our asses, I suggest we get a move on." Melissa rolled her eyes playfully and opened the car door, accidentally slamming it into someone else's. "Come on now!"

"You should've parked straight, you dufus!" She shouted back. Harry giggled, patting the girl's shoulder. "Don't put a scratch on my door."

Melissa Jefferson and Harry Styles, it was a popularized name around the school. They had been best friends since preschool, ever since Melissa got on Harry for trying to eat play doh, they'd been inseparable. Harry Styles was definitely a well known name around the school, he was rich, his father was a plastic surgeon and his mother was a sexologist. But, that wasn't what he was known for, yes, people knew he was rich as hell, but what they knew him for was quite... perplexive. Harry was.. in other teenager's words (specifically male) a slut. He liked sex, he had sex, a lot of it. He was basically known for it. If you had a dick, he'd take it. If you had a vagina, he played it, there was no in between, although he did prefer cock.

It all started after finding Anne's sex book in her office a year ago and getting a little curious, which resulted in him practicing on Melissa, which turned into the neighbor's son, to their cousin, to his classmate, to the football team, to the art club, and so forth. Harry felt like he couldn't stop — of course it wasn't an addiction, he could stop any time he pleased but sex was just amazing. And Anne always encouraged him to do what he liked.

Sex was what he liked.

"You know, the other day I saw Danielle." Melissa mentioned as the two walked together. "Campbell?" Harry asked. "Mhm. And guess who she was with? Eric Sanders." Harry gasped, staring at Melissa. "My Eric?"

"Yup."

"I swear it's like she's.... she's trying to tic me off. I swear the next time I see her I'm going to slap her across her slutty ass fa–"

"Hi, Harry!" Danielle exclaimed, walking towards to the duo. Harry smiled, holding Danielle's hands. "Hey, Dani! How are you? Oh my god your scarf is gorgeous."

"Thank you so much! Your hat is adorable!" Harry laughed and they shared a hug before walking away. Harry scoffed, wiping off his jacket. "Such a cunt." Melissa nodded in agreement. "I can't believe she walks around with that stupid smile on her face after what happened."

"Exactly! And I'm going to have a talk with Eric."

"Do it. I told you not to even fuck him, he's ugly anyways." Harry shrugged. "I know a good fuck when I see it."

+++

Lunch was a common thing to worry about, you had to sit at the right table and if you were to be at the wrong... it's over. It was essential to have friends, or at least a person you've talked to before so you didn't end up sitting at a table alone feeling like everyone's eyes were on you when in actuality everyone could care less.

Harry always had someone to sit with. Erika, Sarah, Ariel, and a bunch of other girls he couldn't remember the names of. "So, I was thinking of getting this dress for Taylor's party." Melissa said as she showed Harry a dress on her phone. Harry furrowed his eyebrows, chewing on his fries. "Taylor's having a party?"

"Yeah." Melissa answered. "I never heard about that." Harry mumbled thoughtfully. "Yeah, well enough about that, is this cute?"

"Anything that clings to your body is cute, Melissa."

"It has to be a pretty color and nice fabric." She argued. Harry sighed and placed his fry down. "Okay, we can just go to my cousin's store, I'm sure he has better dresses than that." Melissa hummed, putting her phone back. "Works for me."

Harry looked through the cafeteria distractedly until his eyes landed on a boy in a jumper. He squinted to see him better, noticing that he was talking to someone. "Hey," he elbowed

Melissa. "Who's that guy?"

"What guy?" Melissa asked. "Over there." He pointed. "I don't see anyone."

"You're not even looking!" Harry said, starting to shake her when he saw that the guy was getting ready to walk away. "Oh my god, what!"

"Who is he! Red and black jumper!" Melissa's eyes bulged out her sockets when she saw who Harry was referring to. "Louis Tomlinson?!"

"That's his name? God that sounds so hot." Harry murmured, resting his chin on his hand. "No it is not! He's literally fucking gross, he just gets stoned all day and is like.. an emo."

Harry bit his lip. "That's even more hot."

"No way!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes! Do you know how hot it would be to suck him off while he's smoking. A fucking dream." Melissa shook her head at her friend, watching him pull out his lip matte. "Please don't tell me.."

"Why haven't I seen him before?" She asked, applying the lipstick. "Probably because he's a stoner." Melissa said rudely. "Quit being so judgmental." Harry scolded.

"Says you."

Harry stood from the table, pulling down his shirt. "Watch my food, will you?"

"Whatever." Harry smiled before approaching the lunch line, where Louis was stood against the wall. He made sure to add an extra swing to his hips, tucking a curl behind his ear. He saw Louis' friend's eyes widen and smirked, straightening his posture. "Hi."

Louis turned around and Harry swears his breath was knocked right out his throat. Louis was hot. His body was lean, and Harry knew he just had to be fit underneath that loose jumper he wore. His pants were baggy but his face made up for it. His jaw was sharp, and Harry could see there was a little stubble coming in. His hair looked so soft, a nice caramel color with hair pushed to the side. His eyes were blue.. and it was so electric. It felt like they were pulling him in. Harry licked his lips and gave a small wave to Louis' friend.

Louis raised an eyebrow at the shorter boy. "Hi?"

"My name is Harry." Harry introduced, stretching out his arm. Louis slowly took his hand, and Harry shivered at how rough yet soft his hands were. "Louis."

"And I'm Niall." Louis' friend piped in. Harry grinned, nodding. "Hey, blondie."

Harry rested his eyes back on Louis. "Y'know I don't think I've ever seen you before." Louis pursed his lips, nodding. "You're really attractive, has anyone ever told you that?"

"No, I don't believe so." Harry didn't hear how raspy his voice was until now, and God if you were to hear it. They hadn't even gotten anywhere and Harry was already fantasizing about what an amazing afternoon they could have. "Your hair's really beautiful." Niall said. Harry laughed, touching the ends of his curls. "I think it'd look even better with Louis' hands in it, don't you think?"

Niall gaped, looking at Louis who was almost in the same state, but more subtle. It was no use for Harry though, he already figured out the body language most men had when he made comments like that. Harry grinned slyly and tilted his head. "So?"

"You're a really nice... boy, Harry."

Harry hummed. "But, no. Sorry." Louis pushed Niall forward before walking away. Harry watched the older boy in shock — he never got rejected before. Even worse, by a 'stoner'.

Niall stared at him with a frown. "I would definitely fuck you if you ask—"

"Shut up." Harry interrupted.

"Okay." Niall whispered before following Louis. Harry got back to his table and slumped in his seat, picking at his food. "What happened?"

"He said no! Can you believe that?!" Harry asked. Melissa's mouth fell open. "No way!"

"I'm... I don't even know what to say." Harry said sadly, hiding his face in his hands. "And I really liked him! He's actually really good looking, and now he doesn't want me. How can I make him want me?"

"Harry, you never go after people. Please don't make him a first."

"There's a first for everything." Harry said. "I'm so bummed."

"Don't be. He's just a piece of shit."

"A piece of meat is what he is." Harry corrected.

[silver-tooth-the-panther]

(This was a request from @leviathanverse . It was from a prompt that I suggested a few days ago and I hope that y’all enjoy it!)

The Friendly Beast

(Gyutaro version)

Warning: abuse, blood, suicidal thoughts, and comfort vore

The fight with the jaguar demon took a lot out of Gyutaro. For the longest time, the halving of his blood demon art didn’t bother him. He never had to use it until then. The fight was brutal and the demon was incredibly powerful, but with Tanjiro’s help, they were able to defeat him.

Still, Gyutaro needed to rest. His bones and back were hurt badly by the many undead jaguars that were controlled by the demon. He chose a comfortable spot near a tree to rest. Luckily, it wasn’t too cold, so resting in the forest wasn’t too bad.

He had been sleeping for about a half hour when he heard something rustling in the bushes. Gyutaro grumbled as he got up. He hated people disturbing his sleep. “Who’s there?” He growled as he approached the sound. Gyutaro moved the bushes aside so he could see who’s there. His jaw imminently dropped once he saw what was behind there.

You were sitting on your knees, crawling. You were filthy and you looked like you hadn’t eaten in a while. Your face was covered in bruises and you looked like you had given up. “Oh my god! Are you okay?” Gyutaro pulled you close and wiped off the blood on your face.

“Please..kill me.” You muttered softly. Gyutaro was shocked by your request. “What?! Why?!” He was very concerned about your situation, but he seemed a tad bit angry at your request. “My family..they’re just going to hurt me..no one will help me.”

Any anger that Gyutaro had melted from his heart. He finally understood your situation. The realization of your abusive situation made his heart break. “I’m so sorry, little one.” He held you closer to his chest.

“Please..eat me. I’d rather be dead than have them find me.” You winced through the pain. Gyutaro scratched his neck, thinking of a way to help you. Then an idea hit him.

“Here..” He said as he picked you up. Gyutaro then put you inside his maw, being careful not to scratch your body against his teeth. You thought that he was going to crush your body, but instead he started to swallow you whole.

His throat was a warm and soft tunnel that gently pulled you down into his tummy. It was incredibly soothing and you were surprised that a demon would be this gentle with you. Gyutaro’s belly was also really comfortable. It felt like you were wrapped up in a weighted blanket.

Once he was done swallowing, Gyutaro sat down next to a tree. He gently rubbed his belly. He was definitely enjoying the fullness he felt. “Why didn’t you kill me?” You asked nervously. This demon was definitely confusing.

“I don’t eat hummus anymore. Besides, Tanjiro would kick my ass if I did.” Gyutaro said softly. “Then why would you swallow me?” You were curious about the demon’s motives. “Well I figured that it would be more comfortable.”

He was right. His tummy was incredibly soothing and it was able to put you at ease. Yet, you were still worried about your family. They would come back for you eventually. Gyutaro knew that you would worry about them and so he tried to help you.

“I know exactly how you feel, kid. I was abused by my family before they died.” You were shocked to hear this from the demon. “You were?” You gasped. “Yeah I was. People were cruel to me and my sister because of our family. I suffered so much that I became envious of anyone who had even a slightly better life.”

You understood this completely. You also felt cheated whenever anyone else had a better life. Gyutaro continued, “That was until Tanjiro became the demon king. He showed us what life was supposed to be. He showed me and my sister what love truly was.”

“He seems like a wonderful person.” You said in a dreamy tone. You wanted to know someone who was truly that kind. “Oh he is! He takes care of all of us!” Gyutaro thought for a moment. “You know what? I know that he’ll take care of you. We’ll all take care of you!”

“Really?” You seemed to be excited now. All you wanted was a family that would love you. “Yeah!” Gyutaro chuckled, he wanted to do the very thing that no one would ever do when he was human. “What about my family?” You asked in a worried tone.

“Don’t worry about them, little one. We’ll protect you. I promise.” He held his belly close to him. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” You started to cry out of happiness. You never knew anyone that would be kind enough to help you.

“You’re welcome.” Gyutaro felt a sense of warmth wash over him. “You need to rest though. You’re badly beaten and you’re probably tired.” Once again, Gyutaro was right. You gently snuggled into the soft walls of his belly.

Gyutaro then curled up around his belly and held it close. “I’ll protect you.” He muttered. He never wanted anyone else to go through the same pain that he did. Gyutaro then fell asleep, holding his belly close.

When you woke up, you were resting on Gyutaro’s chest. You felt a sense of relief and compassion come over you. You were so happy that you had finally found a family after all your pain. Then, you gently cuddled the sleeping demon.

[topazshadowwolf]

Just out of curiosity, are there any other UT, UTMV, or Deltarune ships that you like/actually ship yourself? You do soriel better than just about anyone, but I am curious.

Not really? I mean there are other ships I like, but not to the extent of Soriel. First, I’ll admit I am fond of m/w or het ships. I can see the appeal of the others but that’s just my personal preference. Next I’m “meh” about Sans being ship with alternate versions of himself. Some I can see the appeal, and have seen some cute art. It’s just not my thing and that's like... 99.9% of UTMV ships. Lastly I am so busy with work and writing UT and UTMV that keeping up with DR is not happening right now. Which is why I have not updated my DR Soriel fic Chocolate Kiss.

There are some very rare pairs I like:

… my monstersona and Grillby is a ship I like…

A friend from Soriel discord has a dog monstersona that is shipped with Asgore that I like.

And another has this absolutely beautiful bird monstersona that is shipped with Papyrus.

Now there is one ship I do like that is often hated (and I honestly hate it 60% of the time too) but I have also gotten to like it at times. Mostly there is just one artist I enjoy seeing art from concerning the ship now. And if you are willing to hear me out about why I'm willing to stand up for this ship, then click read more. But this is concerning Frans.

So… my first experience with Frans was with art and a clearly underage Frisk, So, I was initially disgusted with the ship and wanted nothing to do with it. But then I saw another artist draw an adult Frisk with Sans and I loved her style and went in open minded.

As I poked about, it just felt like self shipping to me which I have no problem with. Frisk really doesn’t have a canon age. And yes,“child” and “kid” are used, but MK says we are a kid because of our striped shirt. So… could be possible that monsters were assuming Frisk is a kid because that is a cultural norms for them and we aren't looking shriveled and old. Frisk could be a short 27 year old and the monsters might be like "that's a child." And what if Frisk isn't that short? What if monsters are tall?

Basically, we play as Frisk, and I know we aren’t Frisk in the end, but in a way we are. I am still moving Frisk when the character tells everyone the name Frisk. It feels like, at that point we are in harmony. So I can’t say Frisk isn’t as old as we were when we played. And if that is the case, Frisk has our personality or at least agrees with what we did. So it is up to player interpretation what Frisk's canon age is.

I do still HATE underage Frans. But if it’s clearly an adult Frisk I am open to it. It is nice when done right. That said, i far prefer dad Sans and so I don’t ship Frans like I do Soriel. But that also means I do get some enjoyment out of it when Frisk is clearly and adult and it is done right and not just a bland self ship to get in Sans pants... I've seen that too and don't like it either.

[alparlaboratories]

To Another Abyss - Chapter 6: Bored and extremely dangerous.

(Chapters -which are usually between 500-1000 words- will be posted daily here first on Tumblr, and will later be posted in 7-8 chapter batches on AO3.)

-

Kanto has changed a lot in the past ten years. The League is no more, and trainers are now only tools for the rich and powerful, either mercenaries or dogs of the government.

Sabrina is the latter. She is to play the role of Gym leader in a sick, twisted mockery of the art she once admired, bearing the name of her childhood idol, a woman who is now wanted across the region. All for the entertainment of Kanto’s shadowy new rulers.

It’s a role she doesn’t mind playing. At least until an unusual challenger comes into her Gym, into the life she’s worked so hard to build, and begins to unravel it all.

-

Chapter 6 - Bored and extremely dangerous:

An annoying, singsongy voice reached Sabrina’s ears on her way to the Gym, instantly giving her a headache.

“Oh Sabrinaaa~”

“Ugh.”

Azure threw his hand over her shoulder, forcing her to drag him along with every step to her great irritation.

Following her previous fight, Sabrina had chosen to wake up uncharacteristically early in order to train in the outskirts of Saffron, and was in the process of returning to the Gym with slow, tired steps, ready to face any new challengers. Not that she’d gotten many lately. 

She hadn’t expected to run into her boss on the way back though. It almost felt wrong, to see Azure out in the open, under the sunlight, a part of her imagining him melting under its rays like some kind of vampire 

“Azure,” she greeted him with a smile like salt on a wound. “What an unfortunate coincidence.”

“I heard about yesterday’s battle,” he said. “Very impressive. Though I was surprised to hear your opponent left the Gym still walking. You’re not going soft on me, are you?”

“Tch. Don’t tell me how to do my job.”

And she threw his arm off of her brusquely. Azure stumbled back a step, making an expression as though he were about to cry.

“You’re always sooo cold,” he whimpered, lower lip shaking. “I thought after all this time, we’d finally become good friends!”

Sabrina winced. Theirs was… in all honesty, a pretty unusual relationship. The distrust she felt toward Azure was still there, somewhere in the back of her mind, but it had slowly been giving up ground, becoming little more than a memory. 

Truth was, she’d become accustomed to him, to his dark sense of humor, his cryptic ways and the always-present scent of blood whenever he’d return from a mission. She couldn’t complain. After all, wasn’t she hemmed in the same scent? It would be too far to say they were friends, but still…

They finally reached the Gym, in between snide comments and bad jokes, though this time they decided to enter through the front door, since it was too early for anyone else to have arrived. Sabrina unlocked the padlock, and as she pushed against the heavy steel doors, she was surprised at what was waiting for her in the blood-soaked arena.

“Finally!” A familiar, annoying voice reached her ears. “I’d almost gotten tired of waiting! Were you planning on running away from our duel!? I wouldn’t expect any less from a coward like you.”

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the arena, Sabrina saw two gleams. First that of a Pokeball being drawn, and second that of the silver crucifix hanging from the man’s neck, swaying back and forth.

“En garde!”

“...Huh?”

There was a moment of shocked silence, and then Sabrina sighed.

“...Right, the religious nutjob from yesterday,” she said despectively. “You really came back. So either you’re a complete idiot or you got tired of living, hm?”

“What’d you say!?” he bellowed, the spark behind his eyes lighting up like coals, though he quickly calmed himself down. “No, it’s fine… God forgives you. But that doesn’t mean I won’t wipe that smug smile off your face, brat!”

Beside her, Azure tilted his head like a curious kid, a smile attempting to lift the corners of his mouth. 

“Wow, okay! I’m not sure what I’m looking at here, but it sure is interesting!” he said, cheery as usual. “It almost reminds me of the beginning of a tormentous love story, don’t you agree?”

“Wh-!?”

Sabrina turned her head so fast her neck clicked, but something stopped her in her tracks before she could insult Azure. The man’s eyes, one brown and one blue, were locked onto the priest’s black ones, unmoving. For a moment… For just a moment, Sabrina was overwhelmed by their presence, as though she were standing in between two wild Pokemon sizing each other up before they could strike.

“Alright!” Azure finally spoke, clapping his hands together. “I better leave you two to it, wouldn’t wanna… interrupt, hehe!”

And he walked away, humming to himself a song Sabrina was unfamiliar with. Of course, she tried her best to bore a hole into his back with her glare, but the man didn’t seem to notice.

Those two pairs of eyes crossing… Sabrina was regrettably ignorant of what it augured. She had no idea her normal life in the Gym had, with that alone, come to a sudden and complete halt.

[intotheindustrialstate]

I sat down with CIRCO to dive into the world of getting up. From his inspirations to favorite styles, and even some advice for aspiring artists, this interview is a must-read for anyone curious about the graff scene in the Midwest.

What inspires your graffiti artwork?

After I got in trouble with the law for the first time as a juvenile, it had me pumped! After my first arrest, I started watching MSK Augor and Revok. What captured me was "Piece by Piece" - everything from the styles to philosophy to the images. When I envision graffiti, to me it is Giant One, MTNW, DREAM, and TWISTO.

How do you choose locations for your pieces?

That's federal not gonna lie.

Do you feel connected to the communities where you paint?

Not entirely, I used to have a belief that we were all in this together, but now, fuck the community I'm connected to the art.

Have you faced legal consequences for your graffiti?

I did ; it was karma. I had no mentor and was doing the don'ts in graffiti, which bit my ass - karma or what goes around comes around. I got arrested, and I remember the cops being quite depraved, trying to confuse my sexuality by throwing a bunch of bullshit in the air, trying to pin me for a drug dealer and potential crimes I've never committed. The manipulation opened my eyes to the fact that life isn't black and white, but I deserved it. I was just a young, inexperienced kid, making mistakes.

Why did you choose your graffiti tag/name?

No comment.

What techniques or styles do you prefer?

Today is more about ups than style. I bomb from time to time. One day, I saw a burner on a train that had my head spinning for hours. I knew I wanted to be more of a style writer, if anything. That's a motherfucker to pull off, and just to get a piece or a burner down is more than bombing for me.

How has the graffiti scene evolved?

I used to bump into some people when we were all bombing at some point, but now we are all just doing our own thing. Some of us are focused on bombing and piecing, so it's pretty mixed for the moment.

Do you collaborate with other artists?

I might have to do that someday.

How do you think the public perceives graffiti?

I see that it is accepted more; you see murals around. I believe that if it's fresh and illegal, and has something that no one has seen, it amazes people. Regardless of any law or shit, the public will love it.

Any advice for aspiring graffiti writers?

Don't let people fuck with you. It's pretty harsh when I go bombing and half of my stuff is gone - from buffs to disses, and a lot of people will look down on you. It will show who's there and how many blessings you still have in life. If you have the vision, intellect, and discipline, you will succeed. My best advice is to stay sober during anything related to graffiti and not let everyone know your next move.