#I want to draw them so bad but I just don't have time aaaa

[bread-is-my-life]

LITERALLY my only request is engie and pyro being best friends......... you can draw them doing literally anything it just makes me happy to see them getting along

Thanks for sending the request! I wanted to do more than one drawing but school started and I'm too busy atm :') BUT I will make sure to draw more of those two in the future. As for now have my sillies enjoying music :)

Bonus engi sketch :) (first attempt to draw him)

[nipuni]

Blog time Hello! We are back from our trip! I'd say I'm feeling refreshed but coming back to sweltering dry heat shut down that feeling very quickly. Now we are even more determined to move to the seaside within the year though 🏃‍♀️ It's incredible how much of an effect on your health the weather can have. These days we have been hiking for around 8 hours a day in the mountains and coast without breaking a sweat in 17-22ºc high humidity weather. In contrast, today back home we walked to the store five streets away in a dry 33ºc sun and we felt like throwing up and never leaving the house again lmao and it only gets much worse until september aaaa I can't wait to move out of the city and start a new colder and quieter phase of life where I don't have to dread the coming of summer every year!! But at the same time I've been feeling this trepidation about settling down somewhere permanently, I realized that every 5 years or so I get the itch to move somewhere new and it worries me a bit tbh, I hope it is just my fear of commitment acting up and the fact that we just haven't found the right place yet. And the longer we spend in this place the more we feel like it will be the right one so I'm hopeful!

We have also been watching more of David's filmography! we watched Des, Single Father, Recovery, Bad Samaritan and Deadwater Fell. We enjoyed Recovery, Single father and Deadwater Fell the most, all were really good!! then Des was decent and Bad Samaritan was terrible. But as expected David steals the show every time and you end up sitting through the most ridiculous scripts just to see him give it his all and elevate the whole thing with every scene lmao the sheer range of this man!! let me gush for a second, he goes from the most charming and pitiful train wreck you would kill to protect to the most terrifying monster of a person so effortlessly you can hardly tell it's the same actor. He is so outstandingly good at every role!! Anyway I love watching our little shows of our favourite guy with Nicolas everyday, it has been the highlight of my year 🥰

I've also been meaning to get back into games but I just can't find the right one! I tried the whole cozy farming/survival/sandbox game thing and came to the conclusion that it's not for me, I don't find them engaging enough so it ends up feeling like a time sink 😞 I also thought of going back to FFXIV but the new expansion doesn't sound like something I would really enjoy and while I love RPG I'm finding it hard to commit to 40+ hours of storyline lately, BG3, Cyberpunk 2077 and Disco Elysium have been sitting in my library for ages now and I can't bring myself to play them even tho I want to!! I'm hoping DA4 will get me back into the RPG mood. I've also played Hades II but I'm all out of content until release! Maybe shooters will do the trick, something fast paced I can play for a little bit as a distraction from work. I've been meaning to check how Warframe is doing too, I love it and haven't played in ages, and every time I check it's like a completely different game so that could be fun! but I'm rambling now, if you have any game recommendations let me know! I hope you are all doing well 😊 I'll get back to drawing now and will share some sea pictures later!

[fun-k-board]

AAAA YOUR REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!! :3333 could I maybe request CG Storm and CG Rogue? Maybe them and a little reader who’s a bit on the fussy/ tantrum-y side?

Thank you!!!!! ^^ (u probably know who this is but I’m too scared to come off anon 😭)

X-MEN '97 - Little reader who's fussy and tends to have tantrums

SFW INTERACTION ONLY!! AGE REGRESSION IS NOT A KINK!!

Note(s): HEHHE I KNOW!! It's alright tbh I'm terrified of coming off anon too (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠)

Powered through writing this because you're cool as hell and I like you! 💪 I don't and didn't really have the most idk 'attentive' family, so I'm not the best judge on how to take care of kids or people in a kids mindset, I may be a little bad at writing for caregivers and age regression in general because of this.

ANNA MARIE DARKHÖLME / ROGUE

'Hey, hey now sugah, let's calm down, you don't want to go in time out and I don't want to send ya. Explain to me why you don't like the food, I'm perfectly alright gettin' you somethin' different, there ain't no need to get upset.'

Anna can sometimes tell when you're about to have a tantrum or become more fussy than usual, even if you tend to take a while to throw a full fit, she'll watch you carefully and try to prevent one from fully forming. Gently kissing you on the forehead and brushing back your hair, asking what's wrong with a worried look on her face.

The moment you start yelling, kicking, or even crying, maybe after ignoring her question, she finds it hard not to just fold and give you what you want, after all, you're just so cute. However, her sense of responsibility and care for you overwhelms her need to coddle you.

Anna will say your name firmly, getting you to pay attention to her, and only her. She'll get a tissue for you and wipe your tears away, and ask firmly what you're sad or angry about and if you could possibly explain it to her.

If you can't verbally, for whatever reason, she'll give you the opportunity to write it on paper or she'll play a guessing game with you, the guessing game is only for when you're extremely upset and need cheering up though.

If you explain, in whatever format you need to, that you're upset because of an issue that's causing you distress, maybe food triggered sensory issues, someone was mean to you, etc, then she'll let you off the hook because you clearly didn't mean to cause any harm and you were just acting out.

Rogue will give you a bit of a talking to, telling you that crying and throwing things makes it difficult to help, but that's about it. Given it's not your fault she isn't actually too mad, she just wants you to understand that she won't know how to help if you're kicking and screaming.

If, however, your outburst was because of a silly reason, say you don't like the colour crayons and you throw them at her, she won't be as quick to accept it and move on.

She's still very sympathetic and won't ever raise her voice at you, even when you've done something especially terrible for no apparent reason.

Anna is very lenient and her 'punishments' usually just include a minute or so sitting in the corner, maybe withholding drawing from you for the day, but she always makes sure to explain in detail why you're being punished and it's usually only a last resort.

Rogue is very sweet even when she's being stern, her eyes can't help but go soft and her tone slips from that firm scolding one she uses when you're being bad, to a sweet almost coo-like baby voice.

Afterwards she comforts you like there's no tomorrow, telling you that she didn't want to hurt your feelings by taking away something or sending you to the corner, but you just need to learn some manners and how to handle yourself.

If you're fussy in terms of only liking clothes of a certain colour, food cut or made in a certain way, or things being done in a particular order, she absolutely doesn't mind doing these things for you! When it comes to cooking Rogue tends to ask for Gambit's help, she's not the worst cook in the world, but she can't do it like Remy can.

When it comes to removing parts of food, maybe you like to remove the crusts of bread and have them separate or not at all, she'll happily cut them off for you and maybe even eat the crusts while talking to you.

Sometimes she matches clothes with you! After all, 'If you like these clothes, they must be the best ones they got!' She says with a grin.

ORORO MUNROE / STORM

'My child, it's important to remember your manners when speaking to those around you. I am not angry, but you must tell me what is wrong if I am to correct my mistake or you are able to grow.'

The moment she notices you starting to throw a tantrum, which is fairly fast even if your signs are just a deep frown, asking you if everythings alright and most of the time avoiding any tantrums before they begin.

However, sometimes you refuse to tell her what's wrong, perhaps you go straight to throwing toys or food, pouting, yelling, in replying she will simply hold a gentle hand on your shoulder and kindly repeat her question on what the matter is. Her tone is gentle and her face is one of genuine concern.

Like Rogue, if you're in distress because of something that's not your fault, or maybe you're just overwhelmed, she will never hold it against you at all. If you're comfortable with it and it's something you need to calm down, Storm will pick you up and give you a tight hug, if not, she's alright with just holding a hand on your shoulder, or even removing her hand and only speaking to you.

Ororo will get on one knee, bending down to speak to you in a hushed whisper, she'll tell you that it's all okay, that she'll help you and make it better, give you different food, turn off the lights, whatever you need, she can give it to you.

However, if you're just being fussy to perhaps get a reaction out of her, she'll raise her brow in an almost amused action, as if she finds your attempts to be aggravating as cute as a cat nibbling on its owner's hand. If you're throwing a fit just to throw one, she will definitely tell you sternly that you cannot do such things, at least not in her care.

I don't think that Storm is the type to use the corner or naughty step as a punishment, after all, she has her own fear of tight, dark places, you may fear loneliness, or abandonment, she does not wish her own troubles onto a mind like yours.

Instead, she talks to you, more importantly, she'll help you figure out what you did wrong, how to improve next time, and reflect on her own actions to see if the trouble was caused by a mistake on her part. It won't be an in depth conversation, she tends to use stuffed animals as an aid to show you an outsiders perspective.

If you're struggling with saying your words out loud, never fear, she has tons of paper and crayons, or pencils, pen, markers, etc if that's what you prefer, just for you! She keeps them in her room for whenever you regress and want to keep near her when doing so.

Ororo will advise you to draw your feelings, maybe even write a letter if that's more what you're comfortable with. She doesn't mind bad spelling or handwriting, she's quite good at deciphering even the most atrociously unintelligible handwriting.

At most, and only if you've been really bad, she'll lead you to your room, or hers, just to make sure you don't get embarrassed and act out further. Storm will tell you what you did wrong as firmly as she can so that you'll understand. It's only a light scolding though, she never ever raises her voice when you're around unless you need or want her to.

If she ever does raise her voice and it startles or frightens you, she will apologise, regardless of if you've done something wrong or not. It's never her intention to harm you, you've entrusted her to care for you and she will do anything in her power to achieve that goal.

If your fussiness is about certain clothes, textures, toys, etc, she absolutely doesn't mind exclusively getting you certain clothes or toys, and she won't be angry at all if you throw a tantrum over texture or taste, because she's fully aware it can be distressing to have an unfavourable texture of clothing of food.

Ororo will always ask questions about something before she gets it for you, after a while she knows pretty much all of your likes and dislikes.

She's a great cook and can switch the taste or texture in something with just a flick of her wrist, something she doesn't mind doing, especially if the food she's already making is something that causes a lot of stress.

[erabu-san]

First of all, I would like to thank you so much for all your support and your kind message !! Thank you so much for being patient with me too !! (you will see, I thanks a lot in this post lol)

Haha tbh I believe that ignoring and move on is a great way too! Yeees when I read this anon ask, I was wondering if they are living somewhere where pale person are oppressed and they are personally in this case and it affects them so badly that they have so much hate in them or they are just being hateful toward poc w/o any explication ? It was a bit uncomfortable And what is appealing with Genshin Impact (for me) is the fact that they use real culture to create their game ; even in the last survey, they ask if we like Natlan's authenticity (weird they only ask abt environment and music, i think they know they have issue with character design bahaha). I learn a lot about persian, algerian, but also chinese and even about french culture ! It is because people recognize themself that they start talking about it. I know there is a lot of controversial topic in Natlan, but because of this, I learn a lot on Hawai'i 's culture too. So yes, even if it is fiction, representation *is* important. And it is because they take inspiration of their culture that there is people who want a better representation, and in my opinion, this is something to not ignore !

About taking well what anon said, thank you so much ! If i can be honest tho, I didn't take it very well neither, or just I don't know how do I really felt at the moment I am an adult but I still hard time to distinguish what is morally okay or not, what is bad and good ? So if someone doesn't tell me they are explicitly a bad person with bad intention, I won't get it haha (ofc I grew up and now I identify my value and morals, but I still questionning if my morals are objectively great or not- yeaaah i was called weird for that, I am aware) Since forever I always try to understand other so I can communicate properly (at least I try), and that's why I am always interested on how does people think, why do they react in this specific way etc etc. Pro, I am patient and can take even the most violent take "well" (all depends. I am still a human) Con, I give free speech to those who have a "bad" take </3 and I apologize for that aaaa

KFSDLFSD I wish to express my angryness sometime but I just don't know if it is really adequate What if I interpret their text in wrong way as they initially try to say ? I wasn't feel offended by what they said, I was just uncomfortable because their opinion is something I consider hateful. and what if i was wrong??? But reading you all's opinion just affirm that's they were indeed rude ! I should stop overthink, life would be easier Maybe next time I have a doubt I will ask my friends's opinion before answering ksdkfsf

Oh my god thank you !!! If i can be honest, I draw Kinich this way because when I draw him w a darker skin for the first time, I thought "Oh !!! he looks so cool !!!!" and seeing a lot of positive comment abt my Kinich just makes me happy so I keep him like this ! And thank you for sharing with me informations !<<333 This is not overstepping at all ! And it is a reciprocate feeling anon ! It might be a bit weird but "angry" is such a complex feeling for me. I feel it but I don't really know how to express it in the most healthy way and it is super frustrating. So... seeing people getting mad at something I also disagree on makes me feel better !! And for this, thank you all !

I SNORT SO HAAAARD Damn Macron you again..........!! I didn't put all ask here but I read them all !! Thank you for sharing with me your opinion and reaction, it is truly interesting (and way more relaxing that the hater anon kskskss) !! and again, your support is truly meaningful for me. You all have sincere gratitude Hope y'all have a great day !! Stay hydrated too <3

[greml1nb0i]

I'm fearing the day when human alastor design on screen as I feel like it's gonna really make the show seem very racist as they where willing to change niffty demon design from yellow to a pale pink. But wouldn't change alaster skin nor hair. Like I understand because people are used to the design, but on the other hand, viv probably should have just made alastor not use voodoo and just literally anything else

Omg yes, 2 points to be made here.

ISTG Viv only gave Alastor the "he's half creole" label as an excuse to not draw black features on him, while yes it is true not all creole men are dark skinned, they're still black and have black features, so Viv' excuse is thrown right out of the water, then and there.

For example:

Vs

you see how the melanin is still there even though these are all different images of light and dark skinned creole men, they still have their features that make them creole men. Alastor doesnt have that. All he has is dark skin in his human design and that's it, there's no other black features.

Also idk where she's getting this idea that Alastor would even be allowed his own radio show, especially in the 1940s-50s. He would've had the worst time just trying to get people to take him seriously. Black owned businesses were a thing back then, however it was so difficult because of the racism, that for him to be able to do it all without any sort of mention of discrimination or a hassle is telling me Viv doesnt think that hard about these time periods.

Viv is [imo most def] racists.

Point 2.

I am pagan, i was raised into it. So you can probably understand why a lot of people, not just those who actually practice spiritual/occult practices, closed or otherwise, get real fucking pissed whenever its used for "ooo evil, scarwy, oh no satan aaaa" type bullshit. Its 2024 people dont do this type of shit anymore for horror or evil characters unless theres a literal reason.

for example:

American Horror Story S3 The Coven, uses allusions to paganism, witchcraft, wicca and voodoo, BUT even though it's used in a horror show, the use of the occult practices is used for both morally good and bad reasons, cuz just like nature there is no good without bad and vice versa. This is made especially clear with the character, embodying the real life Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau. Character Marie uses her practice for both good and morally bad things.

SPOILERS: She was responsible for giving Delphine LaLaurie an immortality elixir before murdering the LaLaurie family and burying Delphine alive. Then, Marie imprisons Delphine and hacks off her hand. For those who don't know, Marie is literally punishing Delphine for her actions towards others, [she's racist, watch the season if you really want to know her story and what all she did.]

Regardless of the moral implication, Marie used her practice for, what she considered to be, justice. She has a motive. Regardless of how some people may feel about AHS now, you cant deny at least they did their research.

However for Viv, Alastor's voodoo powers are strictly used for evil and there's no real reason given as to why he chose voodoo or even practices it.

Voodoo itself is a closed practice, for a reason. It also isn't something to make light of. How is it Viv can make a show that supposedly critiquing Christianity but she uses pagan and voodoo practices as stand ins for evil magic?? you are just perpetuating a stereotype that CHRISTIANS came up with. That the Occult/Spirituality is inherently evil.

& If Viv says "its cuz he's black and so he can," im going to actually scream.

Small correction: Alastor died in the 1930s so that makes his radio show an impossible achievement. Also the first black man to get a radio show host was in the mid 1940s. Alastor wouldn't have even had a chance.

Thank you to @bump-inthe-night for giving me the correct information, so to correct myself.

[riewritten]

what do you think Erwin considers himself that he sucks at but at the same time he enjoys doing it? suddenly i thought of tiktoks that are like "having a hobby you're bad at is okay". do you have any hobbies you consider yourself not good at too?

tbh i think the "bad" and "good" stuffs are all social constructs, but i'm still struggling with crocheting just bc i think i suck but at the same time i know that's something i do for relax. still sometimes i can't afford to think that way??? do you have the same problem and have you overcome it? i have no idea if this is a prompt or just me asking you stuffs.

do you often project what you're thinking into your writing and visual arts and any other form of art?

oh my god this is getting nowhere 🥲🥲 thank you for reading Rie. have a good day!!!

THE BEST BIRTHDAY

ERWIN SMITH X GEN NEUTRAL!READER

TAGS: fluff, slice of life, kissing, comfort, office romance AU, idiots in love, insecurities, and AAAA HAPPEE BIRTHDAY ERWIN (this also goes with my most recent ask)

WORDS: 2.9k

hi @frenchdyer ❤ i know i took this long bc i've been thinking about this. like the otherworldly self-reflectio i only tend to have once in a year or whenever i'm PMS-ing lol. how's your crocheting? were you able to improve somehow months after you had sent me this msg? my sister gifted me a crochet kit, so i've been planning to learn, too!

on a personal note, the hobby i suck at but enjoy doing nonetheless is drawing! perhaps it's a self-esteem issue, but i've been drawing since i was 5. the passion came to me even before i learned how to write! due to the amount of years i've been trying to master it only to have minimal progress, i can say drawing is smth i can never admit i'm good at. but i came to terms to it now (when i was in highschool i was so insecure about it lol) and bc i did, i draw things to enjoy, not bc i'm utterly pressured to improve!

On the surface, even his closest friends would have a different time answering this question. It's Erwin we're talking about, after all! The literal embodiment of academic perfection and charisma!

Erwin also wants to think of something other than an answer. Although he admits his flaws well when someone points them out, he wants to be good at everything as much as possible. For a perfectionist like him, self-admittance would mean giving up!

It is until you said something that made him recnsider. "Sometimes, I don't see you as a human."

In hindsight, the context of your question was, "What do you want to have for your birthday?" but Erwin seems to be the type to already have the things he'd want and need in life, perhaps if one were to speak materially. Every gift he'd receive would only impact him a little, and you want to change that.

He chuckles at the remark, amused as your features remain serious, "Do I feel like an alien?"

"Dunno," you shrug without turning up at him—only at the papers, hiding a frustrated blush. "And if you're actually a slimy organism underneath? It scares me."

You hear the office chair sliding towards you, and as swift as ever, Erwin's hand is on top of yours. He squeezes it gently, and you try to hold your fluster by glaring at him. Luckily. Only the two of you are in the office; what would the others say if they saw this? You and Erwin made it clear to keep your relationship hidden by acting 'decent' in public places.

He lets you feel its warmth first, although unsure of the reason why, then he guides your hand towards his cheeks. He presses your palm on it. 

"W-what?"

Erwin casually leans his cheek to your palms, albeit with a tranquil expression contrary to you, perhaps amusingly watching your reaction. "Mind repeating what you said earlier?"

"I said underneath. Hypothetically. And I don't mean it literally as well."

"Underneath? Well, that's quite a unique way of asking me to—"

You swatted your hand away and lightly hit his chest as you couldn't hold the fluster. "Stop playing with me. I'm not done yet."

"Well, I'm done."

"Please don't make it my problem."

"I'm actually offering to help."

You perk up in glee. If Erwin's to help, then you might as well consider yourself done. You pulled your chair away from your desk so Erwin could look at it.

However, Erwin asks something completely unrelated amidst the heap of your paperwork. "Why do you not see me as a human?"

"You feel like some sort of god."

"Silly, that's a metaphor that would fit you more."

"Oh, you. Stop flustering me." you huff in sarcasm. "You know about the crocheted scarf I was planning to give you before winter ends?"

"Yeah, and it's summer already. I'm still waiting for it, though."

"I threw it away."

"Huh?" Erwin looks at you in surprise, eyebrows twitched in confusion, perhaps in a whine. He knows you've been trying so hard for it. "Why would you?"

"I'm not good at it."

"But you were enjoying it. You told me so."

"Not because I enjoy it means I'm good at it," you then smile in defeat. "Let's just say I'm not as fast at learning as you are, no matter how much the task interests me. Maybe that's why I sometimes can't deem you human, too. Too good for me, I think."

Erwin could only observe you afterward. You don't try to make it a big issue, none but admittance that unpretentiously comes out of your mouth. As much as it is, perhaps, concerning self-esteem, Erwin is the one hit by it. The way you could admit your flaws a bit too easily and go home without pondering on it is something he couldn't easily do even if he tried. It takes one to help overcome an insecurity and another to admit his own.

"That's not true."

"It is. You really excel at everything, Erwin. That's something I also yearn to have for myself. You don't have flaws. Or, well, let's say you have one, but no normal being can see it so easily."

Well, you were able to lay down his flaws then and there. After all, he's having difficulty coming to terms with his flaws—or perhaps, on saying such admittances out loud. You are right. As much as Erwin demands you to open yourself up to him, some facets stay unsaid because he opts to and wants to remain an ideal image, perhaps one who can only admit his inadequacy if someone points it out. You're the complete opposite, though. You could admit your flaws and still end the day happily. The 'incompatibility', or so you might call it, could be giving him a hard time consoling you.

Oh, and when he recently enjoys consoling you the most. He really appreciates having you open up to him, enjoys the privilege of being able to take care of you as you let him, enjoys listening to your blabbers, and offers resolutions just like the strategic man he is. After all, he's one of the few people who sees that.

Only if he doesn't suck doing it.

"Oh no, did I say something that upset you?" you ask worriedly, sensing his silence.

And he's not the one to be given comfort right now, or so he thinks. It's as if you hit a nail, albeit unaware of how and where it hit him.

Just as if closing the distance is the needed nudge, Erwin pulls your figure towards him, holds both cheeks and surrenders to sweet kisses. Erwin's lips are warm, and the pace is languid. Yet, it's overwhelming enough to deprive you of your senses, let alone the urgent question of why he is suddenly acting the way he is. This might be the first time he got intimate with you inside the workplace. You know this type of kiss from him, too—he does it whenever he's dreary or after working on a significant research paper that got him weary.

The worry reverberates, and thus, you withdraw from the kiss, "Is this because of the scarf? I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have thrown it away. Don't worry, I'll make another one and—hmph!"

He cuts you off for another kiss, harsher this time, perhaps classified as a silent sulk for cutting off the lovely exchange, but no—you're wrong. It's not on you at all. Erwin is frustrated with himself. He holds onto your waist until you're seated on his lap and wraps his hand around your neck to press you further to his chest—hoping it would compensate for the distance you two have due to his inadequacies. To be great in giving you solace is to be vulnerable and imperfect; how could he do that?

He withdraws when both of you need air, albeit begrudgingly, "I'm sorry, Erwin. I know you waited for that scarf."

"No, it's not about that."

"Then what?"

He pretended to ponder for a few seconds, eyes roaming the room to gather his words. He pursed his lips before pointing out, "Don't you think the way you perceive me as a human far beyond you is a flaw I might have? Partners are not supposed to see each other that way."

"I'm merely exaggerating."

"Yes, but still."

"Are you saying you must apologize to me because you're such a perfect being?"

"No, because I'm failing to show you that I'm not."

Oh. 

You finally see where he's coming from. "Are you failing by choice?"

He averts his gaze away, "Yes."

"Then it can really be a flaw," you flash him a sympathetic smile, moving his face so he'd see you in the eyes again, "can you tell me why?"

“I'm not brave enough to show it the way other people do."

"You just did, honey."

"Not because I want to, but because I'm insecure about my inability to console you like a normal partner would. The way you perceive me right now says a lot about our distance. And mind you, doing this isn't even supposed to be this hard."

Both of you stopped. That is by far the most vulnerable thing he had said about himself since you started dating months ago—and it wouldn't even sound vulnerable unless it came out of Erwin's mouth. That's how hard he's been all this time.

He expects you to be annoyed. After all, that might be one of the shallowest reasons he had ever given, too.

But then you smile as if you appreciate him for saying that much—just as if you know it takes a lot for the Erwin Smith to admit something like that, "It's not something you can unlearn overnight. Do not fret."

He lets out a defeated chuckle, "That I know well."

"What's strange is that I'm not your first partner. How come this didn't become a problem with your previous ones?"

"Because people are content to perceive me that way. At some point, I preferred that, too. Honestly—" he leans his head on your shoulder, hands on your waist to keep your balance on his lap, "had it not affected the way I console you, I would prefer things to stay that way."

You pepper him with kisses all over his face, something he accepts as a reward, "Honestly, I would prefer you this way, too. A relationship with a god can be a bit of a struggle, after all."

"Indeed it is. What a struggle I have right now."

You glare at him, "What do you mean by that?"

He shakes his head nothing, hands lurking inside your shirt to feel you more, to shower you with reverence, "Let me finish this now. I miss our bed."

Today is his birthday, and you still need to think of a gift that could be deemed special.

As a last-minute reflection before giving up the gift that has been frustrating you for days, you try to ponder on the previous days since he opened up.

Erwin has become more talkative since then. He's always been chatty towards you since you started the relationship, especially when info dumping. However, this has a stark difference. He's trying too much as if matching an expectation no one but him had set up. Wording it as "forced" would perhaps hurt, but it's not something you could deny, either. Only when afternoon came did you realize how to fix it, with Erwin on a couch and crochet yarns on his lap. He has his phone at the coffee table and the familiar tutor video playing in the background. Eventually he sighs, unties the yarn, and repeats—this time with much precision, and you couldn't help but smile. When Erwin is about to learn something new, he locks himself in his office and spends the whole day studying it alone. Only now did you finally unravel why, and it's apparently part of his mentioned flaw that night.

He might be forcing himself lately, but it's the adjustment that counts.

Erwin perks up in surprise when you sit beside him and hold his hand. You guide his fingers into the correct way of tying the knot. You didn't say anything, and maybe you even tried to act like it's an everyday routine. Erwin pretends to listen and pick up the techniques you're blabbering, but in reality, he's just looking at your face. His lips are flat but twitching as he's trying to hold the urge to steal a kiss. He tries to inhale longer to indulge in the scent of your hair but not too much to call your attention. And as the moment passes, thirty minutes, perhaps because the video's finally done playing in the background, Erwin realizes something.

Just… just what held him back from being like this towards you? This is, in fact, a short step. The bare minimum, even. And even so, it felt genuinely liberating. Indeed, he's been forcing himself to be vulnerable recently, but this is the first time it exuded a positive feeling. 

Your hands gently stop, the instruction's done, and Erwin only realizes when you turn to look him in the eye, "You get it?"

"The what?"

"Huh?"

"Oh," Erwin tries to recall what his blank, sappy head might have digested so far, only to no avail. The only thing coming up in his mind right now is the smell of your shampoo. Perhaps his nerdy brain is trying to guess the unfamiliar flavor mix and earn your praise once his guess is correct. "I—uh—"

"You didn't listen at all."

He smiles, guilty.

You sigh, "I'm quite persistent, you see. We're not eating dinner until we both master this knot."

"Wouldn't this wait? I'm not in the mood anymore."

You shake your head and untie the yarn. But just as you're about to quip at his newfound impatience (and how cute he is trying to get the hang of it like a little kid learning origami), Erwin grasps the tool away from your hands and cups your cheeks.

He first lands a chaste peck on your forehead, then the bridge of your nose, then the tip of it, then the two cheeks, and finally, it deepens when he reaches for your mouth.

And because you are indeed a persistent being, you have no idea how shamelessly grateful Erwin was when you did more than just pull him in. He tried to stop himself, after all, for seconds in case it'd do anything better. Maybe you're not in the mood; perhaps you want to see the side of him not knowing better and learning things together. But when his palm glided on your cheek and your eyes widened in response, the tremor in his nerves overpowered the need to ask. 

Perhaps the tremor was gratitude because here he is, not getting any younger, and yet, this is only his first genuine step to face his vulnerability. 

You kiss him back and wrap your arm around his neck to pull him in, albeit quite sure why he's suddenly kissing you like this.

Unlike the previous one, his kisses are full of gentleness, and not a tinge of frustration can be seen. His hands, although huge and hard, slide inside your shirt so softly to feel your bare skin. You withdraw a bit to ask what might be the matter, but quickly forget the question when you see his face. He's blushing as though it's the first time he has kissed like this. His eyes are pretty lidded, lips a bit open, and you realize that although you had seen this expression before, it was for a very brief moment—not immediately after a chaste kissing session. 

He looks at you, quite disappointed for cutting the kiss short again. He grabs you by the ankle until you're sitting on his lap.

"Did something happen?"

He shakes his head, "Saying it out loud would be sappy."

"If you think I'd forgive you for spacing out while I'm—kyah!"

He starts sucking on your neck, "Shut up and don't ruin the moment."

"The what? Hey, don't mark on it. I'm warning you."

Erwin really wants to explain his thoughts. He's sure you'd be glad if you were to know all of this. Even though he could never perceive this as a significant step beyond, he bet you'd be giggling and jumping once you know.

He looks up and tries to explain but realizes how tired he is holding everything in—it took him decades. Erwin addressed it only after loving someone so ardently that he was willing to give up years-long prideful habits—all to love you more. He is exhausted, and your lips are so soft and so near, offering the sheer comfort he needs. It's parted slightly; if his tongue were to slip inside, it would send him into great bliss. Erwin is exhausted right now; perhaps he’d share his thoughts after this overwhelming, trembling warmth subsides.

For now, he at least tries to give a small context, "This is the best birthday I've ever had."

"Y-you think so?!" What have you done? You've been thinking about it for months! How could it happen without you knowing? "We spent the day indoors. We haven't even done anything special yet."

"You'd get quite full of yourself if you knew."

"You're trying to escape for not listening to my crochet blabbers."

"I don't want to get sappy today. Can't we just continue?"

"Well, uh… I really want to know what I did," you avert your gaze away. "I've been at the edge lately, thinking of ways to make you say you got the best birthday today—with me. Now that you finally say it, however…"

Again, it's as if you hit a nail, albeit unsure where and how you did.

"And there you have it. Your answer."

"Huh?" It took you a while to process that. "Because you're with me?"

He nods, albeit in a teasing manner.

"Eek. The sap shudders me."

"That's why I asked if we could just continue where we left off."

"The crocheting, indeed." you tease, but as you're about to reach the tool again, Erwin carries you up in his arms. He doesn't even need to tell you where he'd bring you. The impatient man would straight up lead you to bed to show what he wants.

Instead of scolding him for cutting the lecture off, you sigh and muffle your head in his neck, "You have to thank god it's your birthday today."

"Oh, yes of course," he kisses the crown of your head. "Thank you, dear."

TAGLIST: sorry for causing inconvenience with your notifs, my dears in taglist TT i wasn't planning to publish this tonight but the birthday request activated my brain neurons and said "what if u unload your WIPS and just publish this thing" so yea. sorry. @frenchdyer @watyousayin @collinnmckinley @aeanya @xiaotopia @cadenza-damour @grimistheangerinmystares @rinamars | STORY SUBSCRIPTION FORM

MORE OF SWEET SUBTLETIES SERIES HERE

[sbpstudios]

so! some odd months ago i talked about wanting to make a mascot horror myself. one themed around cartoons aimed for girls. and while i don't have a game yet too show, although i am working on getting everything planned out for it!

i do have some design concepts to show! meet the cast of Rosewood Purgatorium!

i mainly took inspiration from strawberry shortcake for this project, as i grew up on the 2003 series and strawberry shortcake has such a fun and colorful cast that i wanted too play around with it in my hands.

these designs are for the toon characters that we play as in this game. i'm thinking of making a turn based rpg, as i haven't seen anyone do that in mascot horror before (although i might not be the first).

a quick run down on everyone.

Rosie Rosewood: the main protagonist of the cartoon series, your classic mild mannered girl next door sort with a gardening passion.

Honey Sweetheart: your classic supportive best friend type. often worried sick about her friends at all times.

Sunny Day: your classic pretty girly girl type. the kind with hobbies like fashion, makeup and gossip.

Emerald Evergreen: the resident theater kid who acts like she's got this big ego when really she's just faking it till she makes it.

Jay Bird: your classic tomboy type who goes on rough and tumble adventures and got plenty of stories to tell.

Violet Night: your classic bookworm smart guy who always knows whatever trivia the show needs to make it's plot work.

Mauve Melody: Rosie's other best friend. she's a grumpy perfectionist that always has to be convinced to participate in the plot.

Taffy Blush: the show's comic relief. a supposed jokester and prankster but- she's not very good at it.

Pepper Spice: the show's bully character and the game's actual protagonist! she's blunt, hot tempered and stubborn. but not to bad a friend if you actually bothered to get to know her.

the descriptions are pretty simple but that's because i'm saving, the Juicy stuff for later >:) a main focus of this game is gonna be poking at these kinda archetypes.

and aaaa- yeah that's all i got to share today. i'll draw the human cast later once i got them all tinkered.

[keikakudom]

Agsudisg I'm so glad you liked it, Kazi, I literally sat down the moment I finished reading and started drawing cuz you freaking killed me, I MEAN, vox being stubborn and denying help, and Alastor stubbornly giving him the aid he needs, but crouched in their respective toxic egos and self-image? So delicious. Alastor, who needs to know why he was left behind, and vox who's desperately pouring himself into the new thing... Ahhhh...

The part where he implies he really was running off to die...and Alastor goes all soft...the shared frequency, the antenna petting... I reread that multiple times bc it's so good...and the claws, the claws, vox denies wanting help from alastor to the last, but the claws!

(also we tots need full seasons and reruns of 'Let's Shit on Vox', I bet Alastor even encourages to call in with more info, not that anyone would bc they're too scared. Hey, does carmilla have to listen his obsession LOL)

Btw for the artist questions, if you want, 9, 14, 30?

YOU NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME GUSH, ES AAAA...oh lemme tell you when I lock-in, i do NOT fuck around with toxic old men yaoi. When I get better at writing, I hope to capture all their glory✨

I have never really written in this particular weird genre, I don't even know what to call it? Disgustingly intimate love/hate? At least, that's what I aspire for it to be XD

Heheh the part where "Alastor goes all soft" is also a little on the part of RR!AU characterization, so it's a bit exaggerated. He's trying to ween his way in appealing to Vox again, but RR!AU Vox is just so tired. Alastor keeps bringing up the past....This was kind of a wacky scenario to write because it does skip/make you infer a lot of stages of development, but the AU is close enough to canon that I think it's not far to imagine filling in the gaps hhh....

LMFAO yes, Alastor def encourages call-ins, "The 'Let's Shit on Vox' show, your one-stop opportunity to diss Hell's most saturated overlord!" -- on the rare occasion someone actually called in, Alastor killed whoever said something off about Vox that wasn't to his "flavor" of hate.

Carmilla has already read through these two idiots and just rolls her eyes at their immaturity. If she's there for Alastor's radio show, she's just in the background, utterly done and convinced they're playing everything up for entertainment at this point. Now that has me thinking, if Alastor ever started feeling something unfamiliar and god-forbid genuinely *good*(????), he would probably consult Rosie or Carmilla for it first........and Vox would ask Charlie.....oh..........

Aaaand Artist Questions under the cut, TYSM for the ask <33

9. What are your file name conventions?

I have terrible file organization. Many of them are named "a", "aa3", "asgv", "fhgh", or other random keyboard smashes. Recently, I have a bad habit of naming files "sketch1", "sk1", "skht1", or some misspelled way-- it's gotten so bad I'm up to "sketch22".... I find things by icon only.

14. Any favorite motifs?

Straight edges and shapes, maybe? I started drawing with an anime style though I'm mostly into western media-- I think it's very satisfying to have nice shape design/silhouettes though, but I don't draw in a super cartoony or exaggerated style so it's kind of hard to tell that I like and have fun doing it. I'm kind of scattered and like to dip my foot into everything unfortunately.

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated?

None really, but if I had to pick one for HH, maybe this one.

For my older art, definitely this one. I mean, I don't love it anymore, but I really thought I ATE with the concept at the time.

[tosteur-gluteal]

I just found your amazing art and it is SO SO tasty and I'm obsessed with your MLB omori au. Omofalls too. hell, it's all so so so so good, thank you for sharing it. I love the way you color, btw. The way you draw basil and sunny makes me want to run around in circles and giggle maniacally. They're too good, I love your designs. You're talented with so many different mediums, and everything you make is very pretty and fun to look at. I want to make art of all your aus and hear all about them.

anyways, hope you're having a good day!!! thank you again for sharing your work :D it's going to live in my brain forever now

AAAA I RECEIVED THAT WHEN I WAS SLEEPING (3 hours of sleep. Tosteur tries to sleep properly challenge (impossible)) AND

I saw that in the morning and it made my sleep deprived day amazing 😭😭😭

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Siosjdid I wanna ramble about my aus so bad BUT!!! I need to keep the secret for the fanfics, babeyyyyy

If there are questions you want me to answer, put them in the askbox on the @omori-mlb-au blog! (Or directly in my askbox for omofalls since I don't have a functional blog for it yet) It will take some time for me to answer because of university (and because I like to draw something for each ask) but I LOVE RECEIVING THEM PLEASE SEND ME ASKS ABOUT MY GOOBERS AAAAA

[thepigeonking25]

{The Pandora’s Gem}

(Original podcast transcript about my OCs 😀👍

Drawing of Simon and Elijah)

INT. High tech science facility, on the top floor-Night

A long white hallway for a science facility. The walls are lined with metal doors that are for specific experiments. Elijah is whistling as his footsteps echoed through the passageway. Two guards are in front of the main door at the end of the hall.

GUARD 1

Hey you're not supposed to be here

ELIJAH

(acting as if confused) What? Oh I thought this was the way to the bathroom, my bad lads. I may have taken a wrong turn (Turns away from the guards as if heading to leave but in a second he turns back and shoots them both with his laser gun, Stunting them both. Pushes past them and walks in the room)

INT. Large lab

a large room with a lot of tech and scientific instruments and a big window lining the wall.

ELIJAH

(looking around) Well ain't this nice (Touches his watch and a beep sound happens) Hera got eyes on the goods?

HERA

Of course I do, what do you take me for a rookie? Okay the blueprints gotta be on the computer on your left into the far corner. Don't click anything till I tell you to, got it Elijah?

ELIJAH

Yes Ma'am (Sarcastically)

HERA

Turn on the computer and put in the USD I gave you into the port

ELIJAH

Hmm ok how long will this take? I'm sure the silent alarm already went off and I bet they're already sending some cops over to slap on some coffs on me

HERA

Only a minute, gods you're so impatient sometimes (Annoyed)

ELIJAH

Oh i'm sorry that I don't want to get caught and spend lifetimes in prison for breaking into one of the most guarded places in the universe (Sarcastically)

Sound of a laser heating up and then Elijah ducks out of the way (Cusses under his breath) as someone shot a laser at him melting a hole into the glass window

ELIJAH

The hell!?...of course it's the bloodsucker (annoyed)

SIMON

Hello mutt (Mad/annoyed)

ELIJAH

(Looks at the hole in the window) Someone is a bit upset today, you obviously had intentions to kill

SIMON

Don't be dramatic I knew that you would have moved out of the way

ELIJAH

Or maybe you just have shity aim

SIMON

Oh really (Shoots again barely missing Elijah, Elijah was not expecting that)

ELIJAH

Hey-! Calm down fangs no need to be so trigger happy

SIMON

Can we not do this whole banter thing we always do please ( Tired)

ELIJAH

Thats boring, the best part is the banter

HERA

Done!

SIMON

Done? Done what? The hell did you steal this time Mutt?!

ELIJAH

That is none of your business fangs (He took the USB out)

SIMON

There is nowhere for you to go, We have the place surrounded so I recommend you come with me and no one gets hurt

Elijah glasses out of the window. Simon sight, ELijah shifts into a large wolf and looks as if he was gonna jump

SIMON

No- don't you even think about it even if you shift it still wouldn't break. You would need an explosion to shatter it (He explains as he walks to Elijah)

(An explosion happens)

EXT: Falling out of a building.-night

The whole top floor explodes and the window shattered as the floor falls in on one side making they to fall out of the building and into the Underground

SIMON

AAAA Of course I would die like this, NO get your paws off of me you mutt Nooo AAAAAA (Screaming this as they are falling. Elijah grabs Simon to protect him from the crash. Water splash)

EXT: body of dirty water in the Underground, night

The force of the water makes ELijah to pass out and turn back to normal. They sink in the deep water. Sounds of Simon struggling in the water.

The pull of the water are moving them down stream

SIMON

(Gasping and coughing) What!?...Where am I?...Mutt where are you?! (choking because of the water) Elijah!?!? (Sound of rushing water fades out. Quiet for a few seconds.)

INT: End of the river in the Underground- night

Water crashing against a shore. Simon crawls out of the water as he coughs up water. Elijah has washed up next to him. Simon looks at him then turns him over to lay on his back. He tries to shake him awake.

SIMON

Hey…Mutt are you still alive?...(Shakes more) Hey!...Elijah! ( Slaps him. Starters to panic a bit. Starts to do CPR on him by pushing his chest a bit.) I swear…If you die on me I'll be so annoyed… I can't arrest a dead man. (Nothing happened. He realized that he’ll have to do mouth to mouth) Ughh if you wake up you definitely owe me for this (He leaned down but then a beep sound appeared. A hologram appears)

SIMON

The hell!? (Taken aback)

HERA

Oh you're still here…and he's out cold ( Another hologram appears)

Hmm His vitals are okay so that's good

SIMON

…Do I still need to…you know

HERA

Oh no you keep your pretty lips to yourself . We have some special precautions in place in case things like this happen…which they do…often…very fucking often (sounds more annoyed as she continued to talk)

HERA

Clear! (cheerful tone)

SIMON

What?

A lightning that comes from the watch shocked Elijah

SIMON

Jesus christ (shocked)

HERA

Oh it usually works on the first try…hmm…Clear (Shokes him again and this time he gasps awake as he coughs up water) There you go, Welcome back Elijah i hope you enjoyed your little nap

ELIJAH

You were a bit late Hera (voice still weak) I may need to check your code

HERA

I didn't have to bring you back, all I want is a simple ‘Thank you’ is that too much to ask?

ELIJAH

Thank you Hera for doing the bare minimum (sarcastically, noticed Simon)

Why are you still here Fangs? You're still gonna arrest me?

SIMON

Of course I will! You blew up a fucking building

ELIJAH

No i didnt…why would I do that???

SIMON

…I don't know, maybe to distract us while you escaped

ELIJAH

In all of my years of stealing from rich pricks, I haven't done anything that stupid, and why would I risk my own safety for a stunt like that?

SIMON

(Stayed quiet to think for a counter argument)...Damn it

ELIJAH

I thought that y'all were the ones to do that

SIMON

Why on earth would we blow up our own facility?!

ELIJAH

Oh I don't know, why don't you tell me, sheriff!?

(They are getting mad at eachother)

SIMON

So what do you think that this was all a big conspiracy?!

ELIJAH

Yeah i do, it's not the first time the higher ups have done something this twisted before

SIMON

Bullshit!

ELIJAH

2057 the fall of Sky light that killed thousands of people from the Underground, 2070 collapse of the infinite bridge, killed 6 thousand people from the underground and 2 thousand from the StarLight. It fell on top of a fucking hospital-!

SIMON

Shut up!

ELIJAH

2086 fire of the abyss, killed 9 thousand of people and-

SIMON

That was the rebellion and you fucking know it!

ELIJAH

Oh yeah is that what the higher ups tell you?!

SIMON

The proof is there! Their tag was all over the place

ELIJAH

Bullshit! You don't know what the hell those jackasses put people like me through. They’re all living comfortably on their asses, they never had to fight to survive!!!

SIMON

You don’t understand! They had to fight to get where they are now!

ELIJAH

I can’t believe you…you a hybrid are protecting them!! After all the shit they did to people like us!!!… you’re so desperate to be accepted by humans that you’re trying to become human…pathetic(They are at each other's throats, Simon snaps then punches Elijah in the face. They get into a fight. Elijah is too weak to shift. Simon pins Elijah he ground and puts handcuffs on him)

SIMON

By the grace of the higher ups you have right to a trial and the chance to plead your case, everything you say may be used against you…But I would keep my mouth shut if I were you, Mutt (Elijah obviously struggled, Simon gets Elijah up to his feet. He looks around)

SIMON

Where are we?

ELIJAH

…

SIMON

Answer me (Shoves him)

ELIJAH

I thought you said that I should stay quiet? (Sarcasm)

SIMON

Don't be a smartass and answer the question

ELIJAH

We’re in the Underground…home sweet home…

(Simon looks around and notices the old rusting buildings that look on the verge of falling apart. Stairs that lead to the busy streets of the Underground. A big hologram showing the news of the exploding that just happened)

NEWS ANCHOR

In the explosion we lost a brave hero, Sheriff Simon Sloan that was in pursuit of the terrorist that just has been identified as Elijah Wood. Law enforcement has said that Elijah Wood was a member of the rebellion. (The news anchor fades away)

SIMON

They think I'm dead?…

ELIJAH

Oh what a shame such a shame (sarcastic)

SIMON

Can you just be quiet for a second without saying a sarcastic comment

ELIJAH

So now I have to stay quiet, which is it? To shut up or talk Fangs? (He noticed a red dot on Simon’s head) the fuck?... (says in a whisper. A far sound of a laser gun heating up slowly appears. He pushes Simon out of the way and the laser misses them both. They fall to the ground)

SIMON

Are you insane!?

ELIJAH

I just saved your life!

SIMON

(He pushed Elijah off of him, he noticed 3 guards in full tactical suites heading to them. Simon smiled)

Back up! Thank god, I caught the terrorist and he's no longer a danger.

2 GUARD

(talking into an earpiece)

Sir they are alive…hmm…just the target?...yes sir…copy that (aims gun at Simon and laser gun heats up again. Simon is confused but Elijah realizes what is happening)

ELIJAH

…run (He grabs Simon’s hand and heads to the busy streets to lose them. They shoot and miss them)

EXT: Crowded downtown of the Underground-night

They run through the crowd. It’s dark and a lot of smoke. It’s dirty and there are a lot of background noises. It’s only lit up by glowing signs and hologram tvs

SIMON

Why did they shoot at me?… I’m the target??? I thought (in shock)

ELIJAH

Snap out of it Fangs and move your ass!!

(They run into any ally. Elijah opens a manhole and drops down)

SIMON

Where are you going?!?

ELIJAH

Just come down!!

(Simon hesitates bc they would be going into the sewer and it smells bad)

ELIJAH

Simon, come on!!!

SIMON

ugh damn it-

(He jumps down. Elijah pushes a button and the manhole cover moves back to its place. There’s an echo of course)

SIMON

God this reeks

ELIJAH

shhhh

(The guards come into the alley. They walk around)

3 GUARD

Where did they go?…

2 GUARD

Damn it-…(Talks into a earpiece)

We lost sight of the target and the terrorist…yes, of course sir…” (ends call)

1 GUARD

What did he say?

2 GUARD

he said to regroup and he’ll send out a search group for them.

1 GUARD

What do we do if we find them?

2 GUARD

kill on sight

(They leave. Once they leave Simon looks at Elijah with a shocked look on his face)

ELIJAH

told you they were evil

SIMON

But why???…I’ve dedicated my life to the higher ups…

ELIJAH

If people see that they were wrong

Then people will lose trust…if they say that you’re dead then you have to stay dead

SIMON

I can’t believe this…

ELIJAH

Come on, it's not that hard to believe. Think about this on the bright side you’re a dead man, all of your debt is gone! Forget your old life and make a new one (walks down the sawyer and Simon follows)

SIMON

This isn’t good! I liked my life! I was respected, beloved…my life was comfortable…

ELIJAH

all the respect was for nothing if they could just throw you away like that

SIMON

…I have to go to see my father, he can help me!

ELIJAH

Are you serious??? What makes you think he’s not a part of this?! He’s the fcuking head of the law department! He’s most likely the one to give the order to kill you

SIMON

no he wouldn’t he’s a good man!

ELIJAH

you’re an idiot…

SIMON

And you’re wrong…(he walks back to the manhole)

ELIJAH

Do you even know how to get back up to the Starlight? You know it’s nearly impossible for anyone to pass the border

SIMON

(Stays silent for a second)

Damn it-…do you know how I can get back to the Starlight?… (he’s annoyed that he had to ask)

ELIJAH

Of course, what do I get if I help you?

SIMON

I don’t know…what do you want???

ELIJAH

Beg

SIMON

what (taken aback) are you serious?!

ELIJAH

….pff- I’m just fucking with you. Come on, If you end up getting killed because of your stupid plan is good for me, you’ll won’t be a pain in my ass any more

SIMON

(Sight and rolls his eyes. Follow Elijah.)

Fine…(time skip)

INT: Sewer in the Starlight

They make it and Simon touched the ladder that leaves the sewer

SIMON

we’re here?

ELIJAH

Yup, just go up and you’re home

SIMON

(Hesitates)…thanks for your help

ELIJAH

Don’t mention it…and don’t look for me ok?…I’m “dead” reminded?

EXT: an ally in the Starlight

Simon goes up the manhole and leaves Elijah.

He’s in an alleyway. He looks down at the manhole and then sighs. He pulls up his hood to hide his face. Suddenly his phone rings. He looks at it and the name says HERA

SIMON

The hell?…(picks up)

HERA

Hellooooo am I coming through?

SIMON

How did you get my number???

HERA

It wasn’t that hard

SIMON

ok but how?!?

HERA

a magician never reveals their secrets

SIMON

Whatever, what do you want? Did Elijah tell you to hack my phone?

HERA

I don’t need him to tell me what to do all the time

SIMON

Ok, what do you want, Hera?

HERA

I have a feeling that your little reunion plan will backfire sooo I sent you the location of our base.

SIMON

Wouldn’t the Mutt be mad if I just showed up?

HERA

Oh yeah definitely but he’s too much of a good man to kick you out, just let the water works out and he’ll fold

SIMON

I don’t know…I not gonna need it but thank you, Hera

HERA

anytime Simon, if you need me just give me a ring and I’ll be there (she leaves the call. Time skip)

EXT: The outside of Simon’s father’s house-Night

Simon walks up to the house and hesitates for a moment. He knocks on the door. A few seconds passed and Simon’s father opened the door.

SF (Simon’s Dad)

Simon?…you’re alive?(surprised)

SIMON

Yeah I am (nervously chuckles)

I’m here

SF

Come in

(Lets Simon in)

INT: In SF’s house- Night

They sit at the dining room table as the father goes to prepare tea

SF

What happened?

SIMON

As you know an explosion happened on the top floor sending Elijah and I to the Underground. He- (hesitates) died on impact and I fell into a body of water. I got out and…some guards found me and tried to kill me…I don’t know why

SF

(Stays silent for a second)

I see…how did you come back to Starlight?

SIMON

I…snuck my way through the alleyways and found an opening.

SF

Hmmm…and you don’t have a clue why they would want you dead?

SIMON

not a clue! I have no idea why the higher ups would want me dead…

(They stay silent for a second then the sound of a laser gun heating up. Simon looked back him and saw his father holding a gun at him)

SF

Forgive me son

SIMON

dad?…(he dogges the laser, chair falls over)

Why?!?

SF

I have to!

(Keeps shooting. Things shattering and breaking. Simon pulls out his gun and stands his father. He passes out. Sirens can be heard coming)

SIMON

You set me up…(out of breath and betrayed)

EXT: out of the house and running through alleyways- night

Simon is running from the cops till he eventually finds a manhole and gets into the sewers again. He takes a second to catch his breath. He calls Hera

HERA

Hellooo Fangs! Let me get your plan went topside?

SIMON

You were right…he tried to-….gods…(voice breaks a bit)

HERA

oh poor baby, this might be a lot for you…sooo are you coming over?

SIMON

I don’t have a chance do I?…

HERA

Like I said earlier, the location of our base is on your phone. Also use the back door, Elijah is gonna loose his minds if he saw you (time skip)

IMT: in a big opening in the sewers under the Underground- Night

ELIJAH

Hera, has all of the files downloaded to the computer yet?

HERA

yeah yeah almost, there’s a lot of info in here ok…if you actually took the time and buy me good hardware this whole process would go much faster (annoyed)

ELIJAH

I’m so sorry that I’m not made out of money (sarcastic)

HERA

done! (Hologram sounds appealing)

ELIJAH

…what the hell does it say???

HERA

I’m not sure, I don’t recognize the language

ELIJAH

This is great, how can we stop the higher ups if we can read their damn blueprints!

SIMON

…it’s Enochian…

ELIJAH

How?? Where?! Why the fuck are you here?!? (Surprised and mad, pulls out gun at Simon)

SIMON

Hey calm down!…I’m…im here to help

ELIJAH

Help? Do you really expect me to believe you?

SIMON

you were right, my father was in on it…he tried to kill me, this was the only place I thought could keep me safe…(sound really sad and tear up a bit)

ELIJAH

how did you know that I would be here?! Did you put a tracker on me?!

SIMON

what?? No Hera send me the location

ELIJAH

(Sighed in annoyance) of course she did, Hera, what's the point of a secret base if people know it's existence?!

HERA

I couldn’t let the poor guy die out there! How could i say no to a pretty face like that

ELIJAH

I mean you could have…

SIMON

I can help you read the blueprint, only if you tell me what’s your plan

ELIJAH

…fine, we think that the higher ups are planning to make a weapon or something to destroy the rebellion at its source,by wiping out the Underground completely. Killing hundreds in the process. We think that this is the blueprint to that secret weapon

SIMON

…That's… ( speechless)

ELIJAH

Yeah…now that you know, tell us what this says now

SIMON

Fine…(Sight then reads the blueprints. A few minutes passed)

SIMON

It says…something about a gem???

ELIJAH

You sound like you're not sure

SIMON

Well i am a bit rusty

ELIJAH

So you lied about knowing how to read that shit!

SIMON

I wasn't lying! Just give me a damn minute…Hera was right you're so impatient…(Continues to read)...It talks about a gem that holds energy to power up something called The Last Resort…Located in the bottom floor in the Everything else are like equations and scientific words that I don't understand

ELIJAH

Can you just right down what you see

SIMON

I can try but it doesn't translate to english nicely

(Time skip)

INT: Elijah’s base- Morning

It's already morning and they stayed up all night to decode the blueprint

SIMON

(takes a sip of coffee) ok so…debrief…The higher ups are making a super weapon called The Last Resort right?

ELIJAH

Yup

SIMON

And they are gonna power it up with a…battery thing? called the Pandora Gem…

ELIJAH

…yeah, I think…wait a minute, yeah that's right…your handwriting is horrible by the way

SIMON

They only have one super weapon but it's like a prototype and if it goes well they are planning to make more. This is all taking place in a secret basement of the facility that blew up and definitely “killed” us

ELIJAH

And they are planning to use the weapon to destroy the rebellion, in other words to completely destroy the Underground and expand the Starlight…I have a bet that they will use the survivors to do all the building and say that it's being built by robots or some shit

SIMON

Ok…so how are we gonna get back into the facility without getting a laser to the head?

ELIJAH

…I haven't thought of that

HERA

I could call-

ELIJAH

No definitely not

HERA

Come on Elijah

ELIJAH

I said no, we don't need them

SIMON

Who are we talking about

HERA

Its Elijah’s-

ELIJAH

No shhh he doesn't need to know

HERA

….older sibling

SIMON

Oh…I dont get why that's a big deal, if they can help we should let them

ELIJAH

You don't understand how annoying and condescending they can be

HERA

Im calling them

ELIJAH

No, don't!! (Here calls them)

JUNIPER

Hello hello!

ELIJAH

My gods noo (Whines to himself as he covers his face with his hands)

HERA

Hello love! We need your help

JUNIPER

Oh do yall now?

SIMON

(whispers to Simon)

You're related to one of the most infamous hacker in the world!?!?!

ELIJAH

Unfortunately (annoyed)

SIMON

…I heard that they caused the biggest blackout in Starlight in years…Because they were bored (Lowky scared)

ELIJAH

They did that on accident

SIMON

what

ELIJAH

When that happened we were trying to pirate a new game and one thing lead to another…we were just kids fucking around (trying to downplay the whole thing)

SIMON

…Y'all did that without even trying…(more scared)

JUNIPER

Are yall gossiping about me

ELIJAH

We don't need your help, we didn't mean to call. Hera was just malfunctioning

HERA

Excuse me?!

JUNIPER

Sure she was, its ok if you need my help baby brother (teasing)

ELIJAH

I'm not a baby anymore! (Annoyed)

SIMON

We really do need their help

ELIJAH

Shut up Fangs

JUNIPER

Wow you're so mean to your friends no wonder you don't have a lot of them

ELIJAH

We're not friends!

SIMON

We’re not friends

JUNIPER

Gods I hope yall arent if he treats you like that, wait a minute, aren't you the “brave hero” that got killed in an explosion?

SIMON

Umm yes I am, Im Simon Sloan

JUNIPER

Woww baby brother, hanging out with the enemy this sure is a new low for you

ELIJAH

I didn't want to hang out with this prick-

SIMON

Rude

ELIJAH

He just showed up and made himself comfortable

SIMON

Hera said it would be fine!

ELIJAH

And why would you trust her!?

SIMON

Why shouldn't I!?!

ELIJAH

Because she's a liar!!!

SIMON

That's your fault that you made your AI assistant a liar!!

ELIJAH

I made her to be sarcastic-

JUNIPER

You put so much effort into her personality just so she could understand your stupid as humor and sarcasm, all you did was make her self aware

HERA

And now im alive and free will (Smug)

SIMON

How can someone be a genius but a dumb ass at the same time

ELIJAH

Shut the fuck up Fangs!!

SIMON

Oh why don't you make me Mutt!

JUNIPER

Ladies ladies please calm down haha ok i'll help y'all under one condition

ELIJAH

What do you want? ( annoyed)

JUNIPER

All i want is that my baby brother put his pride away for a second and ask me nicely to help him

ELIJAH

…no

SIMON

Come on just do it

ELIJAH

Hell no i'm not gonna do it

SIMON

Are you really gonna risk the lives of hundreds of people just because you dont wanna ask nicely

ELIJAH

(Stay silent)...Damn it fine! Fucking fine!

(Take a deep breath) Juniper…can you p-...

HERA

Give him a second

ELIJAH

Can you please help us sneak back into a high security building to stop the higher ups?...

JUNIPER

Aww see that wasn't too hard

ELIJAH

Yes or no?

JUNIPER

Hmm let me think about it

ELIJAH

Juniper! (mad)

JUNIPER

Of course I will help y'all. Let me see what you guys have found ( hologram sounds)

SIMON

That's the blueprint that Elijah stole before the explosion, we've already

translated most of it as you can see

JUNIPER

Hmm impressive…ok i have an idea but it's a bit crazy

ELIJAH

We’re desperate so we can take crazy, what do you have for us?

JUNIPER

I've been working on hologram masks for a while and I thought that you and Simon could just walk right in with the masks on

SIMON

How realistic are the masks?

JUNIPER

Oh they are pretty realistic, they also have voice altering effects

ELIJAH

How fast can you take the identity of two scientists from that facility and make us look like them?

JUNIPER

Hmm a day or two

SIMON

Great so that leaves us enough time to plan all this out

JUNIPER

(Keyboard sounds)

Okay I have two people, James and Alice. Inters that help the main scientists

SIMON

How did you get that info so quickly

JUNIPER

Don't ask, you can be James and Elijah can be Alace

ELIJAH

Why am I the girl?!

JUNIPER

Because you're way shorter that Simon

ELIJAH

I'm not that short, hes just tall as fuck

SIMON

(cough) Jealous (Cough)

ELIJAH

I'm going to beat your tall lanky ass Fans don't tempt me

SIMON

Oh the mutt is grumpy

ELIJAH

That's it (Grabs Simon’s shirt collar and is about to punch him)

HERA

(Turns on security alarms)

ELIJAH

What!? (Panic and lets go)

SIMON

They found us! (Panic)

HERA

(alarms stops) finally gods

JUNIPER

Are they always like this

HERA

Yeah unfortunately

JUNIPER

Hmm you know whats their problem, they are too stubborn and petty for their own good

SIMON and ELIJAH

It's his fault!!!

JUNIPER

Gods, it's like dealing with children ok whatever. I'm gonna work on the masks and you two try not to kill each other. Hera you're in charge

HERA

Got it boss

JUNIPER

Talk to yall later (Hangs up)

SIMON

…I like them, they're nice (trying to annoy Elijah)

ELIJAH

Shut up (Pissed. Time skip)

EXT:Outside of the scient facility- day

Simon and Elijah are in their descuses and are gonna walk in the facility (different VAs)

SIMON

We look pretty good, how did you get the clothes?

ELIJAH

I stole them from the people we’re impersonating

SIMON

You did what?!

ELIJAH

What? It's not a big deal

SIMON

What do you mean not a big deal you robbed poor innocent people!

ELIJAH

Oh they aren't if they are apart of this

SIMON

They are just interns

ELIJAH

Shhh look were about to make it to get to the entrance , play cool

SIMON

Fine, but this conversation isn't over (they walk to the front entrance)

GUARD 1

Name and IDs

SIMON

James Raven (Hands him the ID and he's lowkey freaking out)

GUARD 1

Hmm (Beep)

COMPUTER

Clear (beep)

GUARD 1

You can pass…(Looks at ELIJAH)

Umm Name and ID please

ELIJAH

Alice Gold (Smiles he's also lowkey freaking out but he's a good actor than Simon)

GUARD 1

Thank you (Beep)

COMPUTER

Clear (beep)

GUARD 1

You can pass, hmm hey i was wondering if we could go out for lunch some time

ELIJAH

(Taken aback and doesn't know what to do, looks at Simon for help, his ass is NOT helping bc he also doesn't know what to do)

Umm..haha..sure why not. You might have to remind me later tho because my life is a bit chaotic at the minute and you know, but yes. Definitely but not today!...Later yup umm…see you later handsome (Simon and him start to speed walk as fast as they can)

GUARD 1

Yes! (says to himself)

SIMON

…so looks like you got a date after this Mutt (smug)

ELIJAH

Shut up Fangs (Annoyed)

INT: inside of the facility- day

They walk into the building and head to the head scientist room looking for a secret room or something

SIMON

Ok now what?

ELIJAH

Hera can you scan the room for any secret rooms?

HERA

Of course i can (Scanning sounds) odd my censers aren't picking up anything…

ELIJAH

Great we have to do thai the old fashion way, come on fangs better get looking

SIMON

Okay

(they start to look around and move things around. A bit of a time skip)

We haven't found anything, are you sure it's even in this room

ELIJAH

Why wouldn't it be

SIMON

I don't know i think we should start to re organize everything before anyone finds us

DR DALIAS

What are you two doing? (Simon and Elijah freezes)

ELIJAH

Were just looking for…some notes that James left behind

SIMON

Yeah i did haha silly me haha

DR DALIAS

…hmmm…whatever just come with me, you're late

SIMON

Yes Ma'am we are so sorry

INT: a hallway

They follow Dr Dalias down the hallway. Simon whispers to Elijah)

SIMON

Now how are we gonna get out of this without getting our asses killed

ELIJAH

Just follow my lead, if we don't find it today well at least get new info

DR DALIAS

Can you two stop whispering, it's very irritating (She stops in front of a storage room and puts in a pin in the keypad on the door, the door opens but its not a storage room its an elevator) Get in (They get in)

SIMON

…The storage room, really??? (Whispers to ELijah)

SIMON

Shhh (whispers back)

INT: they are in a big secret laboratory

Time skip, the elevator doors open to a big laboratory with big machines and like science stuff, they walk in.

DR DALIAS

Alice you go over the equations you did last night whine James and I look over the pandora’s gem stability

ELIJAH

Yes ma'am (he leaves)

DR DALIAS

(Simon and her walks a bit till they make it to a big tube structure with glowing blue gems in it, She walks to her desk and picks up a glass box with a small blue glowing gem in it) As you know the pandora’s gem can be a bit…unpredictable, here figure out a way to make it stable enough to be used as a battery (hands the box to Simon)

SIMON

Okay, hmm how exactly do I do that

DR DALIAS

Are you serious? I thought you were one of the top engineer in the country and you can't figure out how to stabilize an energy gem

SIMON

Oh yes I do know but, we studied this gem for a while and I want to know your expert opinion on how I should move forward with this….i don't wanna mess up haha…

DR DALIAS

…fine, here look through my notes and fighter it out now stop bothering me. (She hands him a book)

SIMON

Thanks (he takes it then goes to Elijah as she goes into her office)

ELIJAH

Is that?

SIMON

This is the pandoras gem

ELIJAH

So…do we just take it and leave?

SIMON

She has more, like hundreds more so it wouldn't matter if we took one…she said that it was unstable so i think the only way to stop them is it destroy all of it

ELIJAH

Great, how are we gonna do that exactly

SIMON

She gave me a book on many ways to do that (they look into the book, small time skip, they have attached batteries to the gem and are just power it up a lot)

ELIJAH

Okayy test 6 using a fuck ton of electricity is a go (they start it)

SIMON

okay its glowing more but…nothing is really happening

ELIJAH

…we could just try throwing it on the grown really hard again

SIMON

I guess…man who knew a small thing like this could hold up so much energy (he taps it with a pen, it blows up, knocking them back a bit, Dr Dalias storms out of her office

DR DALIAS

The hell happened!?!

SIMON

Oh umm I was trying to stabilize it and it just… you know it blew up haha…

DR DALIAS

Are you insane?! You could have killed us because of your little experiment!!! Just clean this up!...I'll have a word with the higher ups to have you two fired for putting all we worked for in danger!(Simon and Elijah stand there as she gets in the elevator then leaves)

SIMON

…i think we know how we can destroy it…(He turns off the mask and so does Elijah)

ELIJAH

Damn right we do come on lets over power this shit and blow it up to kingdoms come! (they start to look at the machines that are connected to the tube filled with the pandora’s gems, Simon noticed something in the Doctor's office)

SIMON

(he walks in and then he gasps)...Gods…Elijah, get in here quick!

ELIJAH

What’s wrong?...the hell!? (they see a tube with a child in it connected with IVs and in a glowing blue liquid, the kid is alive)

SIMON

(He sees paper work on the doctor’s desk and reads it)...this is The Last Resort…this kid is the secret weapon…

ELIJAH

…its…is it even human? Or like us?..

SIMON

The higher ups made them…ELijah we can't just…

ELIJAH

We can't what?

SIMON

We can't leave them here…they're just a kid

ELIJAH

It's a secret weapon

SIMON

So? That's not their fault…we have to take them with us

ELIJAH

How? It could kill us instantly if we tried to free it

SIMON

They're just poor kid!

ELIJAH

A kid that was made to kill hundreds, im not fucking risking it

SIMON

ok…(Runs to the control panel and start to push buttons to open the tube up)

ELIJAH

No! (ELijah goes to stop him, they are pushing and shoving but Simon succeeds)

SIMON

(Goes to grab the kid, the kid is breathing heavily but they are still asleep, Simon pulls out the IVs) shhh shh i got you

ELIJAH

Do you have a fucking death wish!?!?

SIMON

I can't just kill a poor kid

ELIJAH

(Pulls out his gun and points it at the kid) I can't just sit back and risk hundreds of thousands of people's lives

SIMON

Do it…pull the trigger (Holds the kid close)

ELIJAH

(The gun starts to heat up. His hands trembles but he stop and just lowers his gun)

…damn it…fine but they're your responsibility, got it!

SIMON

(sight out of relief)...i knew you wouldn't have done it

ELIJAH

Yeah yeah…whatever just get up (suddenly an alarm goes off) shit

SIMON

Here take the kid and get out (Takes off jacket and wraps it around the kid then hands the kid over to Elijah, he takes them)

ELIJAH

What?! I'm not gonna leave you here

SIMON

You're faster than me and i know how to destroy the machine

ELIJAH

You'll die

SIMON

Vampers have a faster regeneration than werewolves, i'll be fine

ELIJAH

…fine…you know the way back to base right?

SIMON

Of course

ELIJAH

(Turns to leave)

…If you're not back in like 5 minutes i will comeback for you

SIMON

I'm sure you will, just go (Elijah runs off with the kid leaving Simon behind, he goes and puts all of the machens in overdrive. When he finishes the elevator doors swing open, it's the doctor and a few guards)

DR DALIAS

You! You snake! Guard got him!

SIMON

Stop if you come any closer i'll blow all this shit up!!!

DR DALIAS

You're bluffing

SIMON

This is your last chance (The guards look nerves and they just leave)

DR DALIAS

You cowards all of you!! Simon, you traitor. What would the world think if they found out that you betrayed Starlight for the revolution!!

SIMON

I want them to know what a fraud all this is! Killing innocent people for what!?!

DR DALIAS

You don't understand, this is much bigger than you or I!!!

SIMON

I don't care (shoots the tube and then goes to find cover)

DR DALIAS

Noo!!! (It explodes, fades and we head over to Elijah)

EXT: outside of the facility running far away- day

Elijah made it out with the kid in his arms, he's pretty far away through alleyways

ELIJAH

Hera calls Juniper now

HERA

Got it, they're already on the way…you are worried about Simon right?

ELIJAH

Of fucking coure I am! He's a dumb idiot that just decided to risk his life and for what!?...I know why but…I could have done it!

HERA

You're both too stubborn for your own good

ELIJAH

…i guess…damn it! (A car honks the horn, Elijah stop and knows its Juniper, runs to the car)

JUNIPER

The hell? Why do you have a kid?!

ELIJAH

It was Simon’s idea

JUNIPER

Damn yall move fast, where is Simon?

ELIJAH

He wanted to stay behind to finish the job, he said that he’ll be back before it blew up (Explosion happened)...Simon…

JUNIPER

Leave the kid here, Go get him!

ELIJAH

(He leaves the kid in the car with Juniper and then turns into a wolf and runs to Simon, small time skip )

EXT: outside of the facility

There's a giant hole in the side of the building. There's ruble everywhere, Elijah goes down and tries to find Simon, he turners back into a human

ELIJAH

Simon!!! Where are you !!! (Moving large pieces of rocks)

Come on answer me you bastard!...please (Becoming more panicked)

SIMON

(Caught and moves a bit, Elijah sees him and goes to him helping him)

ELIJAH

Gods Simon…your arm…fuck

SIMON

What…

ELIJAH

You're ok, just…come on (Pulls Simon out of the ruble, Simon’s right arm and leg are gone) fucking hell…

SIMON

I wanna go home…I'm tired…

ELIJAH

Don't you dare die on me, you still have a kid to take care of (Helps him out and they sneakily walk away from the ruble to escape. Time skip)

INT: back in Elijah’s base-day

A few days passed, the explosion was called an attack by the revolution. Simon is in ELijah’s bed to rest. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the kid looking at him with curious eyes, they were wearing old kids clothes. Simon was taken aback

SIMON

…Hi?...

KID

Hello

SIMON

You can talk?? (Taken aback)

KID

Yes I can. ( Walk to the corner of the room where Elijah was sleeping on a chair they shake Elijah awake)

ELIJAH

What do you want, kid? can’t a guy just get some rest (He's still half asleep)

SIMON

Hey Elijah…

ELIJAH

(He instantly wakes up)

Simon! Hm how are you? Do you feel pain?.. Are you hungry or thirsty? I can ask Juniper to make you something to eat if you-

SIMON

I'm ok. (He cuts Elijah off) just a bit sore…(He sits up and then notices his arm) My arm, its…

ELIJAH

Yeah, and your leg is also gone…but hey Juniper made you a badass prosthetic

SIMON

(He moves his robot arm a bit)...thank you…all of this…i'm sorry for all of the years i've treated you like shit…if i had known what the higher ups were doing i wouldn't have dedicated my life to them…

ELIJAH

You know now and you can help me with all the wrongs they have committed…i mean if you want to stick around with me…

SIMON

Do I really have a choice? Ha…

ELIJAH

Well I guess you're stuck with me

The end

[presiding]

I love "the monster in the hull" fic so much and I'm excited for updates!!

Every Emily and Billie interaction are golden and your writing is really pleasant to read; it makes me soo happy!

More focus on Billie in fan content is always great <3

I really adore how you write her, it feels so thought out in the best way

Also not sure how to say it right but i like that you address the way Emily lived before the coup *especially* through Billie's eyes...DH2 really lacked it, sadly (i won't comment on how Arkane handled monarchy & consequences but i hope that what I've said makes at least some sense)

Aaaa <3 thank you so much! It's really lovely getting comments about my work & I never quite know what to say or how to properly express my gratitude, but it means a lot!

Re: "the way Emily lived before the coup" I agree - that makes perfect sense and it's SO fascinating to me, and it was something I really wanted to tackle! I hope you don't mind me having a ramble about this on your ask?

Emily's privileges & her maturity arc are something I've been thinking about a lot with regards to the fic but also broadly :D

Emily's privileges

*grits teeth* Monarchy/politics aside, *unclenches jaw*

I think the game made an interesting choice (/genuine) by drawing attention to Emily's privilege & her struggle with the pressures of leadership. Both Sokolov & Meagan comment on it, and Emily herself makes comments (paraphrase: "I can feel my perspective shifting") but it's a shame there was no follow through. You can FEEL the critique of the Empire in the bones of the story but... it's swept under the rug.

Maturity arc?

The clueless comments from Emily feels like they could be part of a maturity arc, rather than a critique of power/privilege. BUT. A maturity arc is... a choice... for Emily, specifically for a female videogame protagonist.

She's been reigning 14 years by the events of Dishonored 2! Even if a lot of that time she was too young to be taking the reigns, still, she's not new to it, and you would think that Corvo was keeping her grounded. There was no comparable arc for Corvo - his failures in his own game was being framed by forces far larger than he, and trusting when he should not. As another comparison, Daud was slipping, yes, but he was slipping in a noir film antihero way - ie. becoming better as a person - and that was well explored.

By adding the 'Emily is a bad Empress' hints but then never going into detail, and you end up with a woman whose character is scrutinised from an unfair angle by the audience (contrast with Corvo). It feels like the weight of having any privileges, within the context of the Dishonored series, is borne entirely by Emily Kaldwin. But as you rightly say, it's not handled well, so the audience just associates the concept of privilege with her (derogatory).

It brings to mind the Boyle sisters - compared to other marks in the game, in Dishonored 1, their only crime was being manipulated by the Regent, but they were dealt arguably the worst punishment the series really offers. Harsh, right? It's not like other characters don't also have wealth & political power & could be abused. Maybe Emily's ongoing clueless comments is an attempt from the writers to be self-aware (knowing that disempowerment is a running theme but Emily is well-off), but that self-awareness only shoots Emily in the foot.

It's a running theme I have in monster in the hull - I want to kind of explore that like, yeah, Emily never really chose this life for herself, same as the Outsider. That doesn't *negate* her privileges, but informs them. It would be like viewing the Outsider primarily as a victim (as DotO kinda suggests), when realistically he's still the master of his own fate (and everyone elses, same as Emily).

What Dishonored 2 did well

There is an aspect in which the game did follow through, but it's easy to overlook: the importance of recurring characters like Lucia Pastor. Dishonored 2's ending spends a decent amount of time highlighting the new Serkonan advisors ("the city's wisest citizens survived" as the Outsider narrates) and blames them for bringing about peace & prosperity.

A generous read would be that the game acknowledges that Emily the Just & Clever learns that her perspective & intelligence alone was not nearly enough to bring about the change her Empire needs to thrive. This insight gained from her time in Karnaca was what shaped her, and giving more power & more voice to the wise people she rules over, was what ultimately earned her the titles Just & Clever. But... that wasn't really surfaced, hey.

Glad you mentioned because Emily's indifference as a leader is a detail that I love, particularly in the context of her own material/political privileges... even though I know it's why people don't like her. In saying that, the overall picture frustrates me!

Let me know your thoughts this is an interesting topic, love this game :)

[pine-niidles]

I'd love to hear about OCs 2, 14, and 27!

That's Malte (2), Eclipse (14), and Nebula (27) 💗🖤💜

Malte is I think my newest oc? It's hard to keep track lately. I made him for a dnd based rp my friend is running (though I've been ghosting them the last few months aaaa. I need to find an rp group that's active in a non-us timezone)

He's a dungeon researcher in theory but he's spent the last century or two essentially being a secretary for a local guild. He's the kind of person who needs everything to be organized and set up just right before starting and he's an elf with a bad sense of time so he keeps getting sidetracked from the things he wants to do by the things he feels he needs to do... he was trying to change that habit with this newly discovered dungeon the rp is taking place at but unfortunately for him I ended up not being able to be active for a while. I'm thinking about what reason he has for leaving his dream project for two months but whatever it is I'll find a way to work it into his character arc when my wrists feel better and I can be active again. :>

In my wip folder for Malte I have this chibi and emote I'll finish one day

Eclipse I feel like I've talked a bit about on this account recently? So I won't go too deep into her introduction.

Lately I've been really into characters trapped in situations they have no control over and how they learn to live with and work around said situation.

Eclispe is trapped in a loop of multiple lifetimes that all end the same way - her having to make a choice between saving the world she's grown to love by killing the goddess she used to love or taking the goddess's deal and letting the world crumble away around her to pave the way for a new one. She kills the goddess every time and lives out the rest of her life, only for the cycle to start again in the next one as the goddess's death is always only temporary and as long as she lives she will not let Eclipse die permanently either.

I have a lot of Eclipse in my wip folder but the one I'm most excited about is this comic I want to draw for her sometime this year

Nebula I talked about in the last ask and I don't have any wips I can share of them... so I'll drop another piece of lore:

Nebula frequents the same arcade as Carina and the two of them meet in their civilian identities without realizing who other person is.

Thanks so much for asking! 💖💗💞And that goes to everyone who did send in an ask - it was a lot of fun to ramble about my ocs, thank you for indulging me

[montammil]

😤 Forgot pt. 2

(Lawrence gets informed here.)

"Alright now, while you're settling down, we'll have a chat." Lawrence took the cap, placing it back on. Before handing it back.

Rex took the throat spray warily, face contorting.

"Do you need a minute?" Lawrence asked softly titling his head to follow Rex's face.

The "boy" in question shakes his head. Swallowing nervously as he goes to stand.

"You don't have to be afraid. I just want to know why you're so nonverbal. Are you scared?" Lawrence whispers watching his son waltz to the bathroom cabinet. It stood juxtaposed to the window.

Which Rex was now drawing the curtains to.

"Honey, are you scared if you speak..." Lawrence pauses searching for words. "That you'll upset somebody? Or your throat will...y'know become more inflamed?" Lawrence tries watches Rex freeze up.

"Your well educated, with an extensive vocabulary. Anything you want to say you know how to say it." He added frustration peaking.

Rex threw him a glare but didn't say anything. Instead closing the cabinet.

Lawrence sighed but decided to grab his phone.

"Honey, if you have something to say you can come write it down in the notes app." He popped the p under his breath.

His boy swiftly sets on the bed. In his mother's spot. Taking the phone.

He spends several minutes typing and erasing.

So, Lawrence begins to get ready for a nap. He combs his hair, checks for stubble acrost his jawline, and brushes his teeth.

By the time he sets on the bed again he sees some paragraphs. He waits patiently for Rex to finish typing. He appeared to be struggling with the bigger text size.

Non-verbal is communication. I am communicating nonverbally. I can't go nonverbal. I can go mute. I think you're referring to selective mutism.

My education doesn't matter when being mute. I don't believe being nonverbal is a sign of low intelligence.

Though these individuals who might be nonverbal are at a greater risk of not being taught like their verbose peers.

And yes, my throat is bothering me. It hurts, my tonsils are achey and they're so warm. I feel like they're an over and my throat and ears are the charred flesh. if you see any typos don't mention it to me. I'll cry. Its been a bad day. My throat hurts :(

With every letter Lawrence swears he can hear a slight attitude. But he brushes it off by the time he's done reading the first few sentences.

Beside him Rex takes a sip from Charlotte's water bottle. She was notorious for leaving them all over the place.

"Hon, in the future come to me when treatment doesn't work. Ok?" Lawrence replugs his phone up.

"You still didn't really answer my question. But that's okay. I get it, it's hard to think when you're sleepy." He tucks Rex in gently before setting the alarm clock on the nightstand for 2:45pm.

"There. That's an hour and a half nap." The blonde hums.

AAAA I love this, Lawrence is so in character this is probably exactly how I'd write him too XD

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

Hello mod of HADAW blog, idk why but I feel like it's now the good time to actually send you this before I backpedal out of embarrassment uhhh (I have never sent any asks before besides to the cfs blog-)

I actually just want to thank you for all the efforts you have been putting in your blog, is all. Before I actually tried posting art of Arjuna here, I have skimmed through your blog (this sounds so weird jsjsjsh) and, well, it feels like to me that you, among other bloggers, have made my experience on Tumblr a good one again, in regards of Arjuna contents. Idk how long I will stay here but I'm glad this time isn't so bad.

Clearly, I'm not good with wording and this has sounded better in my head but... Thank you for creating your own contents for Arjuna(s), with all the silly to memey to distinct-with-seriously-dedicated-effort arts, facts, spitting facts, aggressively thirst posts, reblogging other Arjuna related posts with enthusiastic commentaries in the hastags (you probably don't know but I appreciate this a lot) and so on so on... I give my kudos to you!!

Oh also thank you for scanning the official materials of Arjuna(s) as well. I feel guilty but I admit in saving them secretly and storing them away in Google Drive as references for drawing the bae(s). They just really helped me a lot sjsgjwbve forgive me,,,,,, SO, that's all, now I will skiddadoo away. Have a good day!

OH MY GOD THIS IS SUCH A GREAT ASK

Anon this blog is 100% for people like you. I love arjuna SO much, and while he has lots of different types of content in the jp fandom most of the other English arjuna artists are on other sites nowadays so I wanted to provide something for tumblr. I like to switch between all sorts of art (funny, sad, sexy, serious, epic, goofy) bc I want to show people his different sides and kinds of appeal that i feel from him. I also wanted a place where I could support (and gush) over all the talented arjuna artists that are here! (Bc there’s really talented people aaaa)

He’s such a lovely character and I wanted to talk about all the different things I’d learned about him and how important he was to me, and to try and see if I could get some more people to appreciate him! He got kind of a rough start in fate with how they handled him but I think that even with that he has a lot of good qualities that shine through and he deserves the world a little love from people

I love him! And I’m glad that this blog has been nice for other people who love him! It mostly started as a place where I could quarantine my massive love for him so I’m happy to know the stuff I’ve put here is useful for others ;v; overall I’ve had a lot of fun here and I hope for however long you stay you have a nice time too!

[md3artjournal]

1/12/2023. So I've been working on this drawing since 1/8/2023. Started as an analog doodle in my sketchbook, then scanned, and have been using it to practice/learn how to work with vectors in Krita.

And I've learned a lot! I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of digital drawing!

---even though I still don't have a proper stylus. x_x; I can't see what I'm drawing behind my cheap stylus's giant nib, but using it whenever I can still saves my hand from pain. My laptop actually came with a stylus, but it uses AAAA batteries, that ran out, I can't find them at any of my usual stores, and I'm still a chicken about buying things online. x___x;;; I've never even bought anything from Amazon, to this day, for goodness sakes! x~x;;;;;;;

But my problem right now is that despite feeling proud of the progress I've been making, learning vectors and Krita, it's still not completely satisfying or fulfilling. I feel like I have a strange, unsatisfied itch in my hands from not drawing since 1/8/2023. I mean, what I've been doing digitally for the past few days should count as drawing, but my hand muscles feel like I haven't been drawing at all. Whatever I've been practicing, it's completely different from the need to draw that my hand muscles need.

So I've been considering ending this drawing at this state. Back when I decided to turn my analog doodle into a chance to practice digital drawing to my fullest extent, I told myself I'd practice all the details that I barely do anymore in my analog drawings, because I draw too small, I've been too focused on finishing a doodle everyday, I run out of time, etc. But drawing digitally allows me to make my tiny sketches large enough to add shading, highlights, and other details. So I wanted this drawing to be my chance to practice that. I wanted to be able to take my time, come back to a single drawing, multiple times, and really WORK it---adding onto it, adjusting it, modifying it, waiting for all my ideas to surface, instead of just rushing to get it done. But I don't know how much longer I can hold out not drawing in the way my hand muscles need.

But after writing that out, I guess the clear solution is to concurrently draw a bunch of analog stuff for my hand muscles, while keeping this digital drawing as a work in progress, until after I've added all those details I said I'd practice. I guess that's what I'll do.

Feel kind of bad for not posting it yet though. Because even at this state so far, I like it. But that's what I have my art journal blog for: work in progress pics and random art venting.

[coles-scythe]

Very very rough WIP of my man 2D for a redraw of a redraw of a screenshot of a virtual live performance. Sharing on here bc I don't want this to get much attention and I wanna gush about him a lil. Old art + screenshot and f/o gushing under the cut.

AAAA the improvement from the sketch alone holy cowwww. The drawing is August of 2019, so nearly 4 years ago. Very excited to finish this one, hopefully I can tomorrow.

Anyways-- I wanna talk about my history of listening to Gorillaz and my slowburn crush on 2D. Plus a little of what I've figured out about my S/I.

2D is one of my older F/Os by technicality. I never actively self shipped with him until recently, but I've had that big crush on him since I was a freshman in high school. So around 2016/17. I was vaguely aware of Gorillaz before then, but only because my cousins had shown me two different music videos. One of Clint Eastwood, and the other of Devil Inside by Slipknot. Watching those back-to-back + having a phobia of eyes did not turn out well and for the longest time I was terrified of 2D because my cousins told me he didn't have eyes at all. I later learned from a friend I met in my freshman year that isn't entirely true, his eyes just have eight ball fractures and are drawn to look like they're gone. I had also apparently confused the Slipknot music I had heard for the Clint Eastwood video, so that friend made me watch the video again with them and I realized I actually really like the song lol. From there I fell down the whole rabbit whole for Gorillaz and 2D quickly became one of my favs. Russell is sorta still my fav because I'm biased towards drummers, but Stu is a very close second LOL. I read a bunch of fanfiction, mainly X Readers of him on Wattpad. Fun fact, this is also around the time I started seriously questioning my gender, and started reading/writing male readers to explore those feelings lol.

So then I listened to their music and doodled them occasionaly when I was first starting art in my sophomore year, but I didn't really get involved in the fandom or anything besides reading fanfiction on Wattpad. 2017 was peak for me since they dropped Saturnz Barz after years of silence from Plastic Beach. Despite all the new music I was constantly listening to, my mini-hyperfixation on the bad quickly faded. Two years passed before I realized it, it was suddenly 2019 and I was a fresh high school graduate with a massive hyperfixation on Splatoon. Phase 5 had concluded a few months prior and my brain decided it was a great time to have a little redux of my Gorillaz hyperfixation.

I started drawing them, mainly 2D, more often and got very into the fandom on Insta and Tumblr. Met some pretty chill people, a few of whom I'm still mutuals with on my main :D!! But the entire time, I was still in my "self ship is cringe" phase and kinda ignored anything I was feeling towards 2D. I was still reading and contemplating making my own X Reader fics of him on Wattpad, but that was all irrelevant to me I guess. Eventually that hyperifxation on them passed and I returned to my regularly scheduled Splatoon hyperfix.

Fast forward to another year later in 2020 and into 2021, I finally embraced my cringe and started self shipping again for the first time since I was like 9. First with Erik from Dragon Quest, then several Persona characters (most importantly Adachi lol), then Happy Chaos, and I've been jumping around from crush to crush I've had since I was a kid. Very good for the soul, 10/10 would reccomend reconnecting with childhood F/Os lol. As of a few months ago I starting thinking of 2D as a potential F/O before officially naming him a romantic F/O!!

All this time I've been tossing around different ideas for a self insert, but haven't really explored it until I named him my F/O. I'm still figuring that stuff out, but I at least know they knew each other before D-Day! Not too sure about Phase 1 stuff, but I do know they'll reappear in Stu's life during the band's break between Phases 1 and 2 and maybe they start dating each other by the time Phase 2 does roll around OwO. And then my insert also gets kidnapped by Murdoc and gets shipped off to Plastic Beach with 2D. They become the stand-in drummer for the band while Russ is MIA. Then for Phase 4 and beyond? I have no idea lol.

Sorry for just rambling about this, but I like sharing the origin stories for my F/Os and 2D is one of those that has a very long and somewhat complicated story. I've liked him a lot since I really got into the band's music, but I was so absorbed into cringe culture and avoiding being called cringe that I just ignored any potential story I could tell between us. Plus all the gender dysphoria and less than stellar reactions I got from my friends didn't exactly help matters lol. But I'm no longer an egg, those unsupportive friends are out of my life, and I am cringe and I am free babey!!!