#I've still been stuck in art limbo

[gadzooksgalore]

Another potato bug plushie? On my blog? It's more likely than you think.

I once again used this lovely pattern (with some personal modifications) to create a new buggie pal, this time for a good friend of mine! We're doing a craft trade, which means I'll be sending her this potato and she'll send me a little crochet creation in return. I've never done a craft trade before but I'm very excited :>

My friend loves purple so I used a periwinkle fleece for the shell this time around, and I think it turned out very cute!

[higherhell]

Popping on to say sorry for the extended absence once again and that I'm not sure when I'll be back in full capacity. To paraphrase that one old newspaper clipping about life being one damned thing after another being an understatement, The Damned Things Are Overlapping, quite a lot right now. Miss you all and I hope to catch up at some point but I don't know when exactly. One would hope soon, but everything feels like shaky ground right now, so no promises. Love you though 💜

[hephaestiions]

author reclist: wolfpants

over the last few months, i've been devouring @wolfpants' works. ever since reading pages of you in two days, their rendering of harry, draco and a vast array of incredibly compelling side characters have irrevocably hooked me.

wolf is an author in enthralling motion. their fics often feature places, temporalities and contexts far removed from where canon holds & leaves us, while simultaneously being tenderly familiar, like coming home. wolf's sense of & grasp over setting leaves me breathless and dumbstruck. their different spatialities inform & infuse character in admirable ways, at various levels of craft, enjoyment and inspiration. this fandom knows and loves the draco and harry they give us, but we delight in discovering new dimensions & aspects of these characters. it's always done brilliantly believably, especially in the framework of the worlds they construct— a breath of fresh air in a forest where the trees still know your name.

wolf's works also demonstrate, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly, a really significant political sensibility. most of their fics are set against backdrops tight with political tension bleeding into the characters' circumstances and interpersonal dynamics. whether through a spectrality haunting the narrative or the crucial central diegetic thread, wolf's works are layered, interrogating and collapsing delineations among private, public and political, between history and contemporaneity and between narrative and commentary.

in the interests of length & theme of this list, i've specifically selected some fics that, for me, showcase wolf's mastery & playfulness with setting, understood as deviations in place, time and universe. the broader recommendation is, of course, to check out everything wolf has ever written!

nightcall (E, 1k) ft. a long distance phone call

On a top secret Unspeakable misson, Harry calls Draco from a remote phone booth on the Isle of Skye.

a stunning portrait of desire, longing and familiarity that uses distance as a device to intensify every element. it's unbelievable how much character & context 1k words of (mostly) smut can pack in. the slivers of backstory demand your investment, inform the dynamic in crucial ways and set up some delicious stakes and tension. and some absolutely fantastic dirty talk. see also: @getawayfox's gorgeous art for this fic!

long haul (E, 8.6k) ft. plane rides, mile high club, nyc

The last person Harry expects to run into on a long haul flight to New York City is Draco Malfoy.

the way wolf writes movement— between places, between people— strokes its way up your spine, warms you, walks with you. draco and harry, buoyed in the air, let preconceived notions fall away, to be replaced by startlingly rapid and exquisite intimacy. the liminal settings, specifically, allow mature, open-minded, desirous characterisation & some of the most glorious, soft, tender sex to fall into like a warm bed.

look for me in the sun (M, 8.7k) ft. americana, roadtrip/on-the-run vibes

Harry and Draco are on the run in America after a mysterious string of werewolf-like attacks in the Muggle community causes the Ministry to impose new and harsh anti-werewolf legislation.

atmospheric writing dialled up to eleven, like the smell of ozone in the air before a thunderstorm. the sense of limbo— transience, out of place and time, the complication of home— that afflicts the circumstances of draco & harry here is heart-wrenching. a taut rumination on otherness in a variety of ways, rendered through some of the most tense and subtle writing i've encountered.

under giant mountains (E, 33.7k) ft. norwegian dragon reserves & rampant escapist tendencies

Harry doesn't know where he's going. Everyone else has their life paths figured out; he doesn't even know where his map is. Who'd have thought Draco Malfoy bathing in a Norwegian forest would be the guidepost Harry needed?

opens with harry, stuck in the same place for far too long, and draco, avoiding fixity like the plague. this fic looks at both stagnation and escapism as iterations of each other & treats them with the gentlest empathy. the norwegian dragon reserve setting, whose visuality wolf's writing captures beautifully, becomes the canvas to explore both. desire, here, was simultaneously so evident from the outset and took its time to build— longing tinged every interaction & payoff, in the form of a sequence of some of the most emotionally fraught sex scenes i've ever read, was that much sweeter.

romp and circumstance (E, 35k) ft. a historical au set in the 1800s, regency era england

Since the war, Harry Potter has gone from Saviour to Scoundrel—not that he’s complaining. With a schedule full of gorgeous men, alcohol, and late nights, why would he want to change? Enter Draco Malfoy: beautiful, sharp, and completely untouchable. When Draco comes to Harry with a proposition to help him attract an engagement, Harry’s up for it—after all, how hard can it be not falling for his former nemesis? Very hard, apparently.

the very first wolf fic i read, in a brief little fandom interlude back in 2022. i remember thinking, then, what an author, i'm really missing out these days. one of my favourite post-war harry characterisations— raucous, promiscuous, messy and at heart, a hopeless romantic. also one of my favourite draco characterisations— pristine, a little uptight, cool and distant and untouchable, except what he really wants is to be unbuttoned, messed up. the transforming sentiments of their relationship were so compelling, the build of harry's feelings was perfectly achey and tender and this draco was a complex, nuanced, frightfully sexy version that i just couldn't turn away from.

pages of you (E, 101k) ft. a 1980s non-magical au

Summer, 1980. Harry is floating between university and becoming a Real Certified Adult. He's not ready. He really isn't. In a desperate attempt to have the Best Last Summer ever, he takes a casual job at his godfather's bookshop in London, starts an illicit pen pal affair with a wordy posh boy that he's catching feelings for, all while dealing with the son of Sirius's business rival, one Draco Malfoy, insufferable know-it-all extraordinaire.

gosh, what a fic. sensitive and sprawling, this work brings the spatialities of london, sirius and remus' queer comfort of a bookshop and harry's room at the residence halls to pulsing, colourful, splendid life. i can still close my eyes and imagine the spaces this fic occurs in, how important they are to the push and pull, ups and downs of the dynamic between harry and draco. a coming-of-age/sexual awakening & exploration story, summer romance and queer political fiction rolled into one, this is a fic that's hard to summarise and easy to obsess over. perfect characterisations, writing that burrows into your soul and a plot that unfolds with the slow and steady depth of gentle lake.

and lastly, a fic that's on my tbr:

terrible people (E, 52.7k) ft. cruises, beach holidays and more of @getawayfox's masterpieces

What happens when Harry and Draco end up on the same Muggle gay cruise? They certainly didn't plan for it to happen (but their friends might have). They're stuck with each other for a week, they might as well make the most of it, right?

in conclusion: vivid, descriptive, immersive storytelling from an author who understands the intricacies of different narrative elements and leverages them masterfully. can't wait to read the works i haven't, and for everything wolf writes in the future!

[roseofhybrids]

i put a microphone near your face

how are you feeling after that md stuff huh

Well, the fact that it'll be the end of the series makes it a bit bittersweet, but it had to end at some point. If the story can be told in 8 episodes then so be it. 8 is a lot more than what I had a little over a year ago when I first decided to watch it

I've been invested in quite a few projects that I've never seen get a conclusion to (mostly webcomics, so so many unfinished webcomics). Which is probably where I got the patience to wait as long as I do for these sorts of things. It's easy to wait a few months for an episode to air after waiting multiple years for things that never came to be

Having an ending is much better than the limbo of always being stuck somewhere in the middle, just being left to wonder forever what was meant to happen. So I'm overjoyed that we'll get to see this story get a proper ending

But it is still bittersweet. The show will end, and for a lot of people that means the fandom ending too. I don't believe that's the case, no matter how old something is or how long it's been over for, I see no reason to stop getting as invested as one does with a brand-new piece of media. But still, not everyone can stick around forever. So I'm preparing myself for people to move on. It's sad, but as inevitable as the show itself ending. No matter how long-lasting a fandom, members will move on to other things eventually. Personally, I don't see myself stopping the fan art any time soon. I've never had a reaction to a show like this before. I've gotten really invested in things the same way before, but all those instances it eventually died down after a few weeks and I could stop binge-watching/reading the thing over and over and just be normal about it.

Murder Drones on the other hand. It's been well over a year at this point. I managed to pull my shit together after two weeks like I usually do, but a fraction of the intensity lingered. Now I'm here, with 109 post tagged "murder drones fanart" and 623 just tagged "murder drones" according to the Tumblr archive

I still get giddy rewatching the episodes, still have a long ever-growing list of drawing ideas, still think about the little robots on a daily basis. So yeah, I think I might just be stuck like this the same way I'm stuck forever liking animals, ghosts, and roller coasters. Eventually I'll have to get back to drawing my own characters and one day make my own comics and such. But as things stand, I can see myself still drawing MD art for years. One can only hope I can balance the two out

So yeah, how I'm feeling, Excitement for another episode and finally seeing how this all ends. Dread for the inevitable change, not looking forward to that part, (the joys of living with an anxiety disorder am I right fellas? c'est la vie, c'est la mort) and just a touch of nausea, because this is a lot of excitement after just waking up

so anyhow, gunna go watch the trailer on repeat a couple times and then see if I can't calm myself down a bit afterward

[anarchictemptation]

So, I've had a bit of an emotional journey when it came down to getting these trolls uploaded and, uh.I'm sort of in a venty mode, so I'm doing a read more cut just so I don't bother people (TW for Drug Abuse and Suicidal Thoughts mentioned)

It became less of "lol, look at all these trolls I've had over the years, let's sell them" to a bit of a crippling "I did this to cope with what was happening to me and this is the financial repercussions of that"

When I joined the Homestuck fandom, I was 16. A long ago ex-friend had gotten me into it because he was an obsessive fan and I REALLY liked astrology at the time, so obviously what was gonna stop me from getting into this silly little webcomic? (Nepeta my BELOVED! Leo's for life!!!)

I've never really shared this with anyone outside of my CLOSEST of close friends, but I was in a really nasty situation. My parents were on drugs, deeply into it at the time of me joining Homestuck, and were basically nonexistent at that point of my life. They'd disappear for days at a time with no sign of them coming back anytime soon, so, while looking after my little brother, I'd get lost in this fandom and obtaining fantrolls was my own sick little kick

I wasn't creative at the time to really make my own, I'd just use sprite bases and all my own guys were basic as hell, but, when I found out troll adopts were a thing, I was OBSESSED

Some oldies might remember me being EVERYWHERE back in the day on DA under the unusualKitten alias. I was on every single page I could find trying to get at least ONE fantroll that someone had posted newly in the groups. It was amazing! I could drown myself in these guys I was getting and bury myself in art of them so that I could avoid the world that I was stuck in

Honestly, without that "distraction", I probably would've killed myself years ago

It was all I had in a shit world, it even led me making a short-time friend in my final year of high school, but it was fun

And then I grew up

Some things happened that involved me being the fucking savior of my family by dragging them out of that hell with my own two broken hands only for the sake of my brother. My mom got clean, my dad died because he couldn't get clean, I had been working a job in which case they'd have stolen my money almost every time I got it (like THAT was anything new), and we were just sort of stuck in limbo for a long time after that

I was still a part of Homestuck, but I wasn't A part of it anymore, if that makes any sense. Most I done was win a spot in the For Fans By Fans design contest with my Heir's Tears submission (Only 1 or 2 people bought the shirt and, two those people, I FUCKING LOVE YOUUUU, y'all are so cool), but I was pretty much dead in the water

Until I reconnected with my bestest friend

She helped me to regain the love again, as we'd rp a lot with all our different versions of canon characters bc we're maniacs (Which will ALL be featured in MSCOTT once I get back on the ball for writing it!)

And, as I sit here today, looking back on everything that happened 11 years ago, I've realized that things are a lot different now. I'm no longer the heavily traumatized kid I was back then, I have a life outside of the fantrolls I've hoarded over the years

And, yeah, it hurts seeing a lot of these guys go, it feels like a bit of myself is leaving with them, but that's not a part of my life anymore, that was a part of HER life

Don't get me wrong, I STILL love fantrolls and still have a handful of my own that I'll fight ANYONE over, but. I think it's time to let go of a past that I don't really want to be haunted by anymore

(But I hope this explains why I generate a LOT of fantrolls and then suddenly they're being given up as soon as something's done with them, hha, old habits die hard)

Thanks for readingggg, time to go cry a bittt!

[mpekamitzii]

i saw your comic about ryan not being able to shapeshift back into a human a few days ago and since then i can't stop thinking about death strands. first of all, obsessedddd with your art style, it just feels sooo nice to look at i love it

i wanted to ask about orange (i've been reading your lore explanations on insta whenever i have free time) like when did she die? does she still age? is resurrection a second chance of sorts, or is she stuck in the form that she died in until (as she seems to believe) she resolves whatever unfinished business she has? also can i ask how she died or is that too spoilery (hope you're fine with all my questions lol)

Long post ahead!! Thank you so much :')) <33

Oh my gosh Orange lore.This is heavily outdated !! In the outdated version, orange died in a car crash but somehow refused to actually pass away, seemingly like how ghosts are stuck in limbo because of unfinished business,and her point was to figure out what is keeping her behind by doing all sorts of random tasks.

In current canon version, orange is a human born with the rare gift of the spirit whisperer, meaning she can communicate/see spirits typically only highly charismatic witches can spot.It is also likely orange is of witch ancestry,as she lives near a witch village in a ranch.She is childhood friends with nora,and later sydney and Michelle.

Something something she befriends the crow that constantly outsmarts her father's traps to get to the seeds,which comes with a set of 2 more crows, said crow is literally the manifestation of wisdom and the last guardian of the All seeing's prison (more info on that soon) but also a silly little bird called Friday!!

Silly birds. Somehow Orange can understand Friday, and through Friday 's interpretation she can talk to the other two crows,April and March.April is the grey hooded one,which is lowkey feral and WILL bite.March is an old bird that sleeps a lot but he's LOUD and can mimic human speech. shenanigans occur.

Something something Friday sensed the All seeing's awakening (Michelle summoning them and opening a portal through the real world and their prison) and guides orange to the Light spirit's resting place, who long story short is pissed he got awaken and needs time to re adjust.

Something something Light trusts Orange enough to give her the gift of magic,which she can use through his staff and with the help of Friday.

Something something Light had some ulterior motives for this.

I hope this gets posted Tumblr please

[algolstare]

hello again and welcome to the fire 2: out of the pan

featuring the promised photos of my dear sweet Baby who is the sole thing keeping me from falling apart!! hiiii hiiii i am so sorry to be asking for aid again, i really have been doing my best!!!

tldr: abuse survivor & cat need help keeping housing

we are still looking for regular jobs, it has been going terribly on that end even when i am lying about having finished hs (which i could not do for having been stuck in abusive home hell) to be able to apply for more. ive gone back to a different kind of work, and i have even made quite a bit!!! but it is in payment processing limbo so it won't be here til after the 1st!! 🥹

i have to be able to keep this room, or else i am going to be homeless or worse. i won't be going back to my family's home either way, i refuse to do it, even if nothing else is viable i won't be going back there. i would rather die. i would have started with this other work sooner, but i was hoping id be able to finally do regular work and not have to hurt myself this way to get by.. it was very foolish of me to assume it would be easy to find a job!!!

it is so incredibly frustrating, because i did not want to have to ask for more help, when i am already only even safe here because of the mercy of others. it feels like too much, still, but i am setting aside my issues because my kitty baby is dependent on me whether i think i am deserving or not.

in order to be able to stay housed and safe, we need 665, i had to pay for food because i couldn't get help with food or else i'd have saved more of my initial funds ;w;

rather than go through gfm or bmac, because gfm takes fees and bmac's processing times are also stupid long, i've revived my kofi page so things can be super simple and not painful

so if you would like to help us ensure our wellbeing and that of our sweet cat, you can do so here!! the goal is also set up over there so you can see before i update over here

you could also commission us here if you would prefer that! examples of our art are there too 🎨🧸

0/665 as of 2/20 w/ 9 days left 🐻🏡

(at the very least, if we can get through this, paying april rent will be a breeze since I've already made nearly enough it is just taking too long to hit the bank 🧸🪦)

[zepickiddzan]

Status Updates Regarding Uploaded Hetagames:

Night of the Legion

Night of the Legion's currently stuck in development limbo since around 2021, possibly even earlier, reasons being that since it's a jam entry, looking back on it there's a bunch of things writing, graphic, and gameplay wise that I wanted to change.

Also the Romania sprite resource that was used in the original game ended up getting disallowed from editing (AFTER I uploaded the demo, what luck), and I did end up making my own. Though I started updating the maps in XP, before porting it to VX Ace, and now I want to get a copy of RPGMaker MZ before continuing on the project.

Archmagi: The North's Light

Archmagi: The North's Light is what I'm currently working on, for an update in graphics, the worldbuilding, writing, and gameplay, and I'm still making notes and art about it even now.

For example, I've improved on making custom sprites. So here's some silhouette concepts as well as poses for the new battlers! (For some reason the current Mathias battler gives me the urge to punch him).

This year's been slower when it comes to updating Hetalia fangames (though I believe it's the result of a post-COVID world and the developers have had significant life changes and new schedules since their previous updates) so I wanted to get a new demo (with more story progression from the original demo) out in the coming months.

Bioterror

This October unfortunately didn't give me enough time to work on Bioterror (due to an unfortunate case of the COVID, then catching up in uni, and birthday & Halloween-related preparations. Though I did move my notes over from OneNote & Twine to Obsidian, which is a bit more efficient for me. Also I wanted to update the game menu graphics, so that it looks more cohesive.

[lunarneo]

If your mind feels like its walling up, like is getting tangled, sizzled in static or deformed to every which way, don't let it define how you see yourself.

I've been on my meds for a while, but it still happens, and is frustrating to feel as if the world, as if your skills are slipping from your hands, as your mind and senses fog and blur and the rug is pulled under you, and I committed the error many times to put the fault, the guilt and even shame on my back, but is not my fault. What I've accomplished, that's mine, that's my doing, and when I can't, that's not my fault or the culmination of my errors.

I say this because I hope it makes you feel a bit better to know you are not alone in that and because I hope you don't fall in the demoralizing cycle I've fell in before.

Because your work, that that truly displays you, is fantastic, is welcoming and relatable for me and my friends that for years have enjoyed what you've created.

I assure you, is not what detail, what shape or proportion, what colour or technique you use, but the things you've told, be it just a passing thought, or an emotion rooted deeply that you want to pull out, that always made itself shown no matter what, and even if now things are so hard, so blurry and frustrating. You are still great ^^

And, I might have completely missed the point here, but if I didn't, I hope that my words managed to ease the stress and frustration a little little bit, because I really wish you success and happiness, as I find your work, and the little I've known of you as a person over the years, to be fantastic, and deserving of much more ^^

Also, I sent this as an ask as to not send it like a DM, as I've done that before and I feel makes things a bit less awkward, with that I mean that I just wished for you to read this in hopes that I might be able to help.

I wish you good luck!

I really appreciate this message a lot. That drawing was a cry for help, but a very indirect one. I needed to hear every paragraph here- I'm on new meds that i can't tell are helping or making it worse. I was blaming myself for fucking up all over the place. And felt i couldn't create good enough art while I'm stuck in this limbo. I shouldn't let it define me. I'll allow myself to feel frustrated and upset, but not AT me. It's not my fault. That part, saying it's not my art, but my message, that's going to stick with me for some time. Like holy shit... that's deep, and helps me feel more powerful to just let art flow how it's gonna flow

Thank you for this message, truly.

[mathmusiczelda]

Legend of Zelda Fic and Comic Recs

Guess I've read enough fics and comics to do one of these now

(General warning for strong language and canon-typical violence)

Comics

- @linkeduniverse (LU), a fandom classic, excellent art, intriguing story

- @ovegakart's stuff is awesome--there are several ongoing series and lots of LU references

- @bonus-links, a Links meet AU, lovely art, I'm interested to see where it goes

- TOTK "Eternal" by @/blueskittlesart, two-shot, very pretty and poetic

- Time Twilight Tears by @/jhoca-art, non-LU comic where Time and Twilight follow Wild/Tears around during TOTK, also featuring all their Zeldas. Very fun, very pretty art

Fics

Uncategorized fics:

- Dimensional Links by ChangelingRin. A Links meet AU that isn't Linked Universe. Very fun and chaotic

Twilight Princess fics:

- Dear Hero by @/thecagedsong. A post-canon Twilight Princess rom-com that's not only hilarious but insightful, packed with lore, and has excellent characterizations. I'm not usually into rom coms but this one was fantastic

- Wolf Boy by Bookwrm389. A pre-canon Twilight Princess fic where an orphaned Link comes to find and trust Rusl and Uli, told feom Uli's perspective. Very well written, lovely and soft

- A Tale Past Twilight: Forked Tongues by GrayGuard06. A post-canon Twilight Princess fic where Link goes to help a village with a monster problem and walks into a whole can of worms. Note the violence tag, but it's got plot and a good ending

Breath of the Wild fics:

- The Girl at the Museum by wavebreeze. Modern AU, sort of a meet-cute, short and sweet. I don't usually go for these but it was surprisingly fun

- Feast by webcomix. Tw grief but super cute/heartwarming way for Link and Zelda to meet as kids

- Hold Your Destiny by webcomix. Long fic, basically a novelization of pre-calamity BOTW, loved the characterization (sequel is LU-related)

- A Hero's Spirit by SilvermistAnimeLover. Long fic, Link basically dies defeating Calamity but his spirit gets stuck in a limbo state so he's still able to help Hyrule start recovering from 100 years of destruction (sequel is LU-related)

Linked Universe (LU) Related fics:

- all of @/zolanort/Cullhach's fics are delightful

- Willow Bark and Chamomile by schrodingers__cat. The Chain gets separated and confused. Legend has never been more prepared for anything in his life

- Rain and Mountain Climbing Don't Mix by Isti-Tanu. A fun little one-shot of Wild being wild and everyone reacting as expected

- Whistling on Deaf Ears by CrimsonRavioli. A hurt/comfort fic (heavier on hurt but has a happy ending) where Twilight's sensitive hearing works against him

- Running with the Wolves by alternatemind. The Chain wonders if Wolfie is lonely and decide to do something about it. Light angst, mostly fluff

- Dog Days AU series by alternatemind. Twilight-centric AU where Twilight gets stuck as a wolf just before he meets the Chain. Hilarity ensues

- The More Things Change series by Iffondrel. The Chain compares and contrasts references to their own worlds while they explore Wild's Hyrule, includes TOTK content

- Language Barriers by Kastaborous. The Chain meets Wild fic where the 10,000 year gap between other heroes is acknowledged through language drift. Interesting and entertaining read

- A Home for Flowers by faufaren. The Chain meets Elderitch!Wild. Charming characterization and storytelling

- What Hero? by AimeeLouWrites. (tw gaslighting) The Chain meets Wild fic where Wild thinks they're Yiga and pretends that there is no hero, and then never quite really decides to tell them when the game is over. Borderline crackfic, very fun read

- Child's Play by AimeeLouWrites. The Chain meets Wild fic, de-aged Wild and Flora meet the Chain and decide to be as confusing as possible

- Level One by LightBlueScrubs. Linked Universe Hospital AU where everyone (except Wild) is a doctor working in a trauma unit (where Wild is the patient). First couple chapters are a bit squeamish due to being very medically realistic, but a great fic overall

[billiemilou]

I've been posting all my old art on Cara for the past few weeks and it's been a wild ride just going through my art and seeing how much I've drawn.

I've been stuck in art limbo since last year, so it's wild to me I used to draw like every other day sometimes. I'm still drawing, just posting less of it because I don't really have any finished pieces to post. But here's some random old work from various years that I remember fondly that I thought I'd share here again.

Thanks to those who keep finding my work and reblogging it, it keeps my spirits up!

[fabdante]

Another one for the "Where the fuck are you getting your information?" list:

In the art gallery that you can enter for Secret Mission 4, some of the art looks like either places in Limbo, or its got a similar color scheme to places in Limbo, in particular the fair pier in the first mission. Some demons, too, maybe, with one picture looking like it's depicting the conflict between angels and demons, maybe with humans caught in the middle. Which I know isn't saying much, since Limbo is just a bunch of vivid colors, and most of the paintings we see are pretty smeared, and the shapes are more suggestions that solid pictures, but still.

The main reason I bring it up is because of the one picture that we DO absolutely get a solid picture of: That of a young man, shirtless with blood smeared on the lower half of his chest, in black pants, holding a sword in one hand, and resting his hand on a Tyrant's severed head on a stick or maybe another sword. The arm that's holding the sword (the one that doesn't have the Tyrant's severed head impaled on it) is colored black up to the shoulder, and the young man's face is completely smeared out. The sword he's holding looks nothing like Rebellion, but I'm willing to bet that's a picture of Dante, possibly when he was in his mid teens.

I know its probably just a bit of concept art they wanted to toss into the game for funsies, but given all the weird graffiti we see in the twins' old playground and even on the walls of Limbo City, sometimes (which I know could've just been done by Kat, but if it WASN'T, then that begs the question as to who DID?), I couldn't help but notice it, and it stuck with me. I love the idea that there are other psychics like Kat running around, just not aware enough of the truth post-Limbo collapse to really do anything about it. Seems like good material for fic.

Idk if it's the same art gallery that Dante runs/slides through in Mission 4, but it could be? It looks vaguely similar, but I haven't checked it against screenshots or anything.

Admittedly, I'm bad at video games and despite playing it often and liking it's gameplay the best, I've never been like...Great at the reboot and tend not to collect most things. So I usually don't get the key's for the secret missions and usually don't go in to play them due to that.

I guess, as a result of that, I just also never consider them a very literal part of canon. Like they're not really a part of my gameplay experience and what is and is not canon is very subjective and all that, but further then that the fact that they're added in the series as such a primarily gameplay focused thing, I've never really thought about them being canon before. So, I don't have much to add about what the art in the gallery might be asdfghj

If we do take it literally though, it does beg the question who is painting all of these things and that would be fun to explore in a fan fic. Like a psychic who's powers are more based in recall and divination who doesn't really understand what they're seeing but has to get it out somehow.

[radley-writes]

Hi there! I'm a fanfic writer who has been suffering with burnout for the past, um, three months and I was wondering if you had any advice. Thank you for the writing tips!

I dug back into the dark, mulchy recesses of my inbox to find this ask, because dang, if it ain't relevant at the moment. I'm sorry it took me so long to piece together some relevant advice!

Sweet nonagismus, if you're still stuck in burnout limbo, here's what I want you to do.

I want you to find a mirror.

I want you to look yourself in the eyes.

And I want you to say, 'I have poured my heart and soul into my creativity. I have given my breath, my energy, my life to my art. And I deserve to rest.'

Because we do. We really do.

Burnout is not something that can be cured with a few bulletpointed tricks on a Tumblr post and a flex of your self-discipline. Especially if you have any mental or physical disabilities, burn-out is your body and mind crying out for mercy. If you don't listen, all you're going to do is make it worse.

I burned out hard during university. Seriously, I didn't write a word of original fiction for years.

At the time I remember being so frustrated with myself. I didn't want to write; I couldn't write - I couldn't even bring myself to read. Still, I felt like I had to be creative. Everyone knew me as a writer, an artist, a wannabe-novelist. It felt as if creativity defined me as a person, and I was nothing without it - worthless and lost.

This led to me continuously trying to pressure/threaten/cajole myself into writing - which, in turn, made the overall problem worse. I never gave myself permission to lie back and absorb the world around me, rather than constantly translating it into art.

So, my advice is:

If you have a professional creative deadline coming up that you need to meet, it is worth forcing yourself through the burnout to make money, as we live in a capitalist hellscape and food is kinda important. But know that you are likely to crash hard after, and if you can, prepare. I'm talking lots of easy-watching films, snacks, warm blankets, etc., and minimal responsibilities.

In literally any other scenario, embrace the burn-out.

I finished Liesmyth last weekend. I have spent the last week reading very little and writing nothing at all.

Instead, I've been catching up with a few shows I've been meaning to watch. I've been tending to some household chores that were neglected while I was in creative hyperfocus-mode. I've been baking and experimenting with new dishes, going on long walks, putting in a few extra hours at work. I've been paying more attention to the world around me, embracing every experience, and letting myself be present in the moment rather than lost in a writer's dreamworld 24/7.

It's incredibly hard. I have not always been able to do this, and I am still learning how to let myself rest. But I have burnt out, poured gasoline over myself and set myself alight enough times to know that eventually, all that's left is ash.

If you have rested and regained your energy, but are struggling to figure out how to return to fanfic, I would reccommend returning to your source material and watching/reading/playing it again! Or, if you're an original writer, read a few old favourite novels. We're talking a gentle, familiar reinduction to the craft.

Take it slow. Take it gentle. And remember:

You are under no obligation to create. Don't let creativity become subconsciously associated with stress and misery. You owe yourself that much.

As the old saying goes, if you do not schedule system maintenance, the system will schedule maintenance for you.

[mathmusic8]

Legend of Zelda Fic and Comic Recs

Guess I've read enough fics and comics to do one of these now

(General warning for strong language and canon-typical violence)

Comics

- @linkeduniverse (LU), a fandom classic, excellent art, intriguing story

- @ovegakart's stuff is awesome--there are several ongoing series and lots of LU references

- @bonus-links, a Links meet AU, lovely art, I'm interested to see where it goes

- TOTK "Eternal" by @blueskittlesart, two-shot, very pretty and poetic

Fics

Uncategorized fics:

- Dimensional Links by ChangelingRin. A Links meet AU that isn't Linked Universe. Very fun and chaotic

Twilight Princess fics:

- Dear Hero by @\thecagedsong. A post-canon Twilight Princess rom-com that's not only hilarious but insightful, packed with lore, and has excellent characterizations. I'm not usually into rom coms but this one was fantastic

- A Tale Past Twilight: Forked Tongues by GrayGuard06. A post-canon Twilight Princess fic where Link goes to help a village with a monster problem and walks into a whole can of worms. Note the violence tag, but it's got plot and a good ending

Breath of the Wild fics:

- The Girl at the Museum by wavebreeze. Modern AU, sort of a meet-cute, short and sweet. I don't usually go for these but it was surprisingly fun

- Feast by webcomix. Tw grief but super cute/heartwarming way for Link and Zelda to meet as kids

- Hold Your Destiny by webcomix. Long fic, basically a novelization of pre-calamity BOTW, loved the characterization (sequel is LU-related)

- A Hero's Spirit by SilvermistAnimeLover. Long fic, Link basically dies defeating Calamity but his spirit gets stuck in a limbo state so he's still able to help Hyrule start recovering from 100 years of destruction (sequel is LU-related)

Linked Universe (LU) Related fics:

- all of @zolanort/Cullhach's fics are delightful

- Willow Bark and Chamomile by schrodingers__cat. The Chain gets separated and confused. Legend has never been more prepared for anything in his life

- Rain and Mountain Climbing Don't Mix by Isti-Tanu. A fun little one-shot of Wild being wild and everyone reacting as expected

- Whistling on Deaf Ears by CrimsonRavioli. A hurt/comfort fic (heavier on hurt but has a happy ending) where Twilight's sensitive hearing works against him

- Running with the Wolves by alternatemind. The Chain wonders if Wolfie is lonely and decide to do something about it. Light angst, mostly fluff

- Dog Days AU series by alternatemind. Twilight-centric AU where Twilight gets stuck as a wolf just before he meets the Chain. Hilarity ensues

- The More Things Change series by Iffondrel. The Chain compares and contrasts references to their own worlds while they explore Wild's Hyrule, includes TOTK content

- Language Barriers by Kastaborous. The Chain meets Wild fic where the 10,000 year gap between other heroes is acknowledged through language drift. Interesting and entertaining read

- A Home for Flowers by faufaren. The Chain meets Elderitch!Wild. Charming characterization and storytelling

- What Hero? by AimeeLouWrites. (tw gaslighting) The Chain meets Wild fic where Wild thinks they're Yiga and pretends that there is no hero, and then never quite really decides to tell them when the game is over. Borderline crackfic, very fun read

- Child's Play by AimeeLouWrites. The Chain meets Wild fic, de-aged Wild and Flora meet the Chain and decide to be as confusing as possible

- Level One by LightBlueScrubs. Linked Universe Hospital AU where everyone (except Wild) is a doctor working in a trauma unit (where Wild is the patient). First couple chapters are a bit squeamish due to being very medically realistic, but a great fic overall

[sofiiel]

Dial Tone Ch.1 | Through The Cutting Room

Chapter Theme Song | Masterlist | Next Chapter

It was a brilliant day in early February, bright sunlight and no breeze to chill your bones. The birds sang happily as they played in the trees, they sang happily over the argument below.

"Again? You're serious?" Eddie asked you, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes narrowed. "Y/n this is the fifth night you've missed." Eddie scowled the look in his eyes sparked an unsettling amount of guilt in your chest, "I had to put Fjora under a spell of endless sleep last week to explain where you've been. That Party is struggling without their hunter." He raged dryly. He'd been let down again, it's not a look you're used to receiving.

Eddie's eyes filled slowly with growing anticipated disappointment.

"I'm sorry, But I have three make up papers to write, and I'm pulling an extra shift down at Thatchers," you sigh pinching the bridge of your nose, unable to look him in the eyes. "Which, by the way, Harvey says if you miss another day he'll fire you." You warned.

"So? Do your papers after the game, I can help." Eddie offered.

"Help? You ditched Mr. Walsh's class to sell that shit, Eddie. Do you even remember what's been going on in class?" You asked him. Eddie side glanced, "Y-yeah," He stammered.

You raised your brow.

"Alright," Eddie sighed, "no, but you smoke that same shit, and that shit pays for Hellfire's expenses." Eddie shot.

"Because it's so expensive, when half the props are made by you? With my old art supplies?" You asked.

"And by the way, I haven't smoked in two months. you haven't even noticed" You added, It's the way things have been lately, you didn't expect him to notice but there was a hope inside.

"I've been busy, between Hellfire, sales and gigs." he murmured.

"Anyway, what's gotten into you? You used to love it, Hellfire. You're changing." Eddie said, his eyes became pained, "and I can't tell why. It's not because of friends, you don't have any after well.... Holland, and it's not someone else..." Eddie murmured to himself.

Dark eyes flickered up to look at you, "is it?" he asked, gently biting his lip.

"Oh, tell me you're not serious." you say flatly.

"So serious, actually" Eddie uttered under his breath. "Then what is it, Y/n? What is it? Illuminate things for me." He said, matching your tone.

"I grew up Eddie!" the words bubbled forward in a frustrated shout.

Eddie's eyes grew large, it wasn't often you shouted, not at him. Your anger was usually in the form of silence, muted easy rumbles of rage.

"I grew up." you repeated calming yourself, "I tried, but I can't do it anymore. I hate this place, and the way we're going, we'll never get out. I'm 19 going on twenty, Eddie, and I'm still stuck in senior year. We're still stuck in senior year. We're not kids anymore." You explain.

"Hanging out in Jeff's Garage, giggling at the game table, bullshitting down at skull rock and out here, it can't be the rest of our lives, Eddie. Corroded will never grow that way, Your life can't move forward that way and neither can mine. You have to grow up, you're twenty, Eddie. You're not a kid anymore, we're not teens anymore."

Eddie looks down at his feet, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket as he kicks the dirt.

You wait for an answer, but he stands quietly, glaring at the dust.

"You couldn't have honestly thought these days would last forever? Yeah, they're great, but it's time to jump forward and find a new season of ourselves." You sigh.

"Maybe I did." Eddie whispered.

"Maybe I'm not ready for a new season," He admitted.

"I'm graduating this year Eddie, I'm moving forward, and I'm not stopping for anyone. You've got to fight whatever fear is keeping you in limbo. I can't fight it for you." You push.

Eddie rolled his eyes, "So I'm supposed to drop everything I love just to what? Excel in a way that is standard?" He asked.

"To excel at all Eddie, I want a life," You say.

"I want it with you" is the echo in your mind.

"I want you to have a life. You can't help Corroded or yourself this way." You try to reason.

"Do you? Because I hear a whole lot of I's in what you say. You don't care what it is I want, or you wouldn't be missing game nights, you know what they mean to me, and lately you're never there. I almost feel like calling you dad." Eddie barked.

"That's not fair." You whisper.

"I've always been for you. It's on my skin." Eddie looked away when you rolled up your sleeve to show a wide scar on your forearm. Road rash, "6th grade, when Jimmy Gatsby beat your ass in the parking lot of Benny's and I kicked his shins and got my ass beat too." You said.

Bending over, you rolled up your pants leg, exposing an old burn wound. "9th grade, you almost burned down the prop closet in Drama, and I helped you stomp it out before it reached the costumes or set off the fire alarm."

Pulling at your collar to expose your shoulder, another scar the shape of teeth, human teeth. "7th grade, when they found your mother face down in the quarry." Your voice started to break, and Eddie's eyes welled with water. "And you nearly took a bite out of me to stop from screaming."

Eddie's eyes shut right, "I've got a record for covering for you when you got busted, I turned down a trip to France on exchange in French class, because 'I'd miss you' you said. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret it, because you're important to me, but I can't keep being a safety net Eddie I'm all full of holes, and I am tired of falling behind. Being stagnant." the words are tumbling out, and they wouldn't stop.

Eddie could hear the desperate need for change in your words.

In the distance you can hear the bell ring back at school, lunch is over.

It became quiet, "I'm trying." Eddie said quietly.

"Yeah, barely. You skipped four days three weeks ago, left your essay at the hideout, and haven't studied in months." Eddie thought to himself.

"I want better for you, Eddie, this place doesn't deserve you. This school is hell, and it's the last year. If you don't make it now, you will be stuck in Hawkins until the band makes it. And you guys are good, better than good. But that takes time." You speak in a quiet tone.

The birds are still chattering above your head.

"I don't want to watch you become what she was, dreaming of a one day and watching it fade. Sure, it's for different reasons. But look how it ends."

Eddie bit his lip, you didn't have to say who 'she' was, he could still see his mother sad smile the last day he saw her. Feel the kiss she laid on his forehead before sending him off to school.

He remembered the last note she left in his lunch box. "I am with you, even when you can't see me." it read.

Eddie looked up at you. "That's not what's going to happen to me." he said firmly. You gaze at it and slowly exhale, unsure if you reached him at all.

"We....need to head back to class, and after school... I think we need to continue this." Your words come out carefully, but you can see Eddie's eyes spark and he grimaces. "I know what that means, and don't bother, I won't drag you down anymore." Eddie shot, storming past you.

"Eddie, don't be like that, that's not what I said! A talk doesn't always have to be-"

Turning to walk backwards his gaze fell on you like a weight, "Nope, it's me, not you, clearly, right?" He snarked, tossing his hands in the air, "So, I'll save you time. This is your year, babe." he said, voice softened. With a turn of his heel he turned his back to you walking away, "Take it. Grab it by the horns." He called out, waving in the form of raising his metal horns in the air.

You're left to sit baffled at the picnic table as you watch him vanish between the trees. "He didn't just..." You think to yourself. Tears sting at your eyes. You were aware that pushing him too hard usually resulted in an outburst. You were also aware that things might end.

But not that fast.

"Maybe he just needs air. Space." you sigh, gathering your bag and heading back to the school yourself.

The school day passes slowly, without Eddie you're on your own. You wait by locker, where you usually meet between classes. He doesn't show, avoiding you the remainder of the school day.

"Hey, Y/n you headed to Hellfire?" Lucas calls out to you, you give him a faint smile, "I'm afraid not, again. I'm swamped with make up assignments." You tell him.

"Yeah, I should be at practice, the teams getting an extra session in at the park. But Mike and Dustin would never let me live it down, and then there's -"

"Eddie?" You chuckle.

Lucas tilts his head, He hears the slight change in your tone at his name. "Are you ok?" He asked. "I'm fine." You answer quickly, shifting your weight and looking off.

"Let me rephrase, "are you two ok?" He asked.

You had a look in your eyes he'd seen before. It was that pitiful thing in Mike's eyes when El 'dumped his ass', it was the stare every time Steve saw Nancy, it was the way he himself looked at Max as she passed him in the hall.

"Look Lucas, I really need to be going, Tell the party I said good luck, and I'm sorry to bail again." You say, giving him a wave before jogging to the school entrance.

"Wait, Y/n's leaving again?" Dustin asked as he walked up to Lucas. "Son of a bitch! We needed Fjora to help take down Ulam the Infernal and bring his hide to the Mad Mage." Dustin ranted.

"I know, we'll manage. Come on, let's head to Hellfire, let's see how Eddie's doing." said Lucas.

"He's pissed, that's how he's doing. What do you mean, how's he doing?" Dustin said, following after him. "What happened?" he called.

Eddie waited in his throne chair at the table, his face in his hands as he tried to calm the panic in his chest. "You overreacted because you got scared, dumbass." He berated himself.

"Y/n just wants better, that's not asking much. Just because you think you can't pull off better for her/him. Just because you're afraid of being your old man. You shouldn't have said she/he was." thought Eddie.

The bubbling in his stomach which served as a cauldron for all of his building anxiety was enough to make him ill. "All we do lately is fight, she/he rarely looks happy, we don't spend as much time together as we used to," Eddie thought.

"You might have just tossed out four years." He murmured.

"Four years of what?" Asked Gareth as he entered Hellfire. "Eh...nothing, just something I was thinking for next game." Eddie said quickly.

Eddie tries his best to get through the campaign, but his mind's in a whirl. It's clear to everyone that something isn't right. But the boys don't say anything, though their stares say enough.

Back home, you lay across your bed, books and notes scattered about. Handmade flash cards lay on the bed and the floor, you've gnawed your pencil to the point it looks like orange Swiss Cheese with all the dents.

Your rough draft is nothing but a short single paragraph and many erased lines.

It's hard to think, considering.

The music might be loud, but it's doing a poor job at muting your thoughts. You give a hard blink of your eyes to battle the threatening tears.

"It had to be a fluke. Tomorrow, when he'd had time to calm down. Everything will be fine. He'll see he was being stubborn, and I just wanted to help." You tell yourself.

"Maybe I was a little hard on him." the back of your mind whispered. "It's not his fault this place is the way it is. He deals with it all too." it said.

It took a painfully long time, but you manage to finish your papers, You had to call into Thatcher's and tell the guys you wouldn't be there due to school assignments.

Thankfully, Harvey and the gang were usually understanding when it came to school. It was helpful that Harvey's mother was a teacher when she was alive, at Hawkins High at that.

Drained from days of double shifts down at Barry's Big Buy and Thatcher's, and extra credit assignments to claw your way to passing before graduation, your eyelids start to droop.

Your worries about the day's events give way to exhaustion, and before you know it, sleep takes you slowly and then all at once.

Eddie dropped his backpack on the floor of his room, and rushed to his phone. "She/he didn't call." He murmured, the voicemail light was off. He gave a soft huff as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

Eddie twiddled his thumbs, "I should just call her/him." he said to himself. "It's no big deal, we've fought before." He said.

"You never just blurted out it over before..." Eddie reminded himself. "And she/he might be pissed, she might be done." He fretted. Drawing in a sharp breath, Eddie snatched up his phone and pressed the speed dial. One.

Eddie held his breath, "Hey, you've reached me. I'm not here, though, apparently. You might try over The Hill or across The Water. Or just leave a message after the -"

*BEEP*

Eddie sat baffled for a moment, "she/he didn't pick up." his heart running amok in his chest as his lungs clenched. Eddie tried to speak but found his mouth suddenly dry, unable to find his voice, and soon the disconnect tone echoed in his ear.

"Shit." Eddie whispered, redialing. "Please pick up." He uttered quietly, bouncing his leg on the tips of his toes; His hand gripped his knee. "Please." He thought.

"Hey, you've reached me. I'm not here, though, apparently. You might try over The Hill or across The Water. Or just leave a message after the -"

*BEEP*

"Y/n? I think things got a little, carried away today. I might have overreacted a little, I think we both did. I just...um. If you, you know...forget what I said at the end there. I'm okay with that, if you are. I just, can we walk about it? Maybe tomorrow? Give me a call when you get this. I can pick you up, and we can go to our spot." Eddie said.

"Say I love you, so she knows you were just being stupid." whispered a little voice in his head. But he didn't feel like he could, "not after you broke things off like that." He thought.

"Just say it." screamed the little voice.

*BEEP*

"Shit!" Eddie hissed.

"You could call back and leave another message." He thought. "Then again, if she/he isn't answering, and you call too much, you'll only piss her/him off." Eddie sighed.

Looking down at his backpack, his eyes fell on the text book and crumpled homework sticking out of it. "Maybe you can show her/him that you were listening to her/him, at least." Eddie muttered, getting up from his bed, he shuffled to his bag.

"Ouch! Motley!" you cried out as little pointy teeth sank into your hand. You watch a black bushed up blur zoom out of your room. Sitting up, you give your eyes a rub as if you wake them.

"Oh no, how long did I sleep for?" You asked yourself.

A blinking on your dresser catches your eye. "There's a voicemail." You mutter. It takes a moment for it to sink it, "Eddie!" you gasp, in your rush to get up you tumble off the bed.

"Damn it." you curse, crawling across the floor. Reaching up, you grab the phone, pressing it to your ear as he hit the speed dial. One.

But then it dawned on you, "no dial tone...." You murmured.

Your gaze floats up to your vanity, and tucked in the mirror is a disconnect notice. "ffffu-" Pulling the phone away from your ear, you look at it hopelessly. "Damn, the grace period is over. I'll have to go pay the bill in the morning." you grumbled.

"Let's hope it wasn't you, though if I'm honest it probably was." You sigh. Getting to your feet, you stretch and head for the bathroom. A hot shower might be just the thing you need.

Early that morning, you head out on your bike to the phone company. Pedaling furiously up the streets. Everyone always talked about how cool it was that you lived on your own, "they never think about having to carry all your own bills." Your thoughts scoff.

Stopping yourself, and pushing the kickstand down, you leave your bike and walking into the Phone Company. Rubbing your hands together to fight off the early morning chill. "Jesus, it's freezing this morning." You muttered.

"What do you mean late fees?" You ask wide-eyed, pulling out the disconnect, you quickly glanced over it. "She's right. This is not my week." you quietly sulk in your head. You give a little growl of frustration.

"Alright, fine." sighing, you hand over your credit card, a funny sound that you've heard all too often echoes. "It says it's declined." Said costumer service.

"Of course it did." you groan. Taking back your card, you slip it into your pocket and turning to leave. "Back to the house, grab your stash, then to the bank and back here...wonderful."

Meanwhile, Eddie sat at the edge of his bed, dressed and ready. He sipped at a glass of orange juice and checked the alarm clock across the room. "It's already a quarter past ten." Eddie thought.

His bedroom door wide open, Eddie failed to notice his uncle Wayne curiously watching the fidgety boy. "He's been there over an hour." Wayne thought.

"Everything ok?" Wayne asked casually.

Eddie's shoulders tensed as he sat up straight. Looking over his shoulder, he offered his uncle a smile, "Y-yeah, everything's good." Eddie said.

The look on his uncle's face told him, "I don't buy it." and Eddie sighed. Pushing himself off the bed, he stole one last look at his phone and shuffled into the living room.

"Actually..." Eddie lulled.

"I think I messed up, bad." He admitted. He stood before his uncle, quietly raveling the ends of his hair. The wet and wavy curls crunched due to too much hairspray.

Wayne slowly set down his coffee and folded up his newspaper. "What happened?" He asked. As Eddie drew nearer, it was obvious he was drowning in cologne. Your favorite scent at that.

Eddie sucked in his lips, "I... I think I broke things off with Y/n" Eddie stammered. "Say what now?" Wayne asked, leaning forward. "You wasn't dreamin' or?"

Eddie shook his head, "it happened yesterday. She/he was on my case again and I, well I didn't actually flat out say it but. I think it still felt pretty clear." He said.

"Jesus, Eddie." Wayne exhaled.

"I panicked when she/he said we needed to talk. That's never good, ever." Eddie said quickly. "It's not always bad, son." Wayne said.

Eddie released a long groan. "I tried to call, wouldn't answer, so I left a message offering to meet up and talk today but..." Eddie looking over his shoulder to the painfully silent phone in his room.

"That explains it" Wayne thought in a weak chuckle.

"The main phone didn't ring, did it?" He asked Wayne.

Wayne shook his head, "sorry bud." he said.

Eddie eased himself down into the chair across from his uncle. He cupped his hands over his mouth and nose. "What do I do if it's over? If she/he sat through the night and decided they're ok with moving on. One fight too many after months of it?" Eddie asked.

Wayne shrugged, "up to you, you keep tryin', or you move on. Depends on what you think is better." He said.

"Yeah, but better for who?" Eddie asked.

"That's also up to you. It's still early, you might get a call." Wayne tried to encourage the boy he looked for, frantic by the second.

It was taking longer than you'd expected to handle the phone bill. Your hidden stash of cash fell short of the late fee. Which meant a trip to Barry's Big Buy.

"Please, Lauren, I never ask for anything. I just need an advance, just this one time." You pleaded with your manager. "I can't do that Y/n you know it, company policy." Lauren sighed.

"But it's kind of critical, crucial even." You press.

"Why what happened?" Lauren asked.

"uuuuh." You tried to think fast, "my pawpaw, he's very, very sick, and he lives w-way across the states in, um..... Oregon and my phone is disconnected, and I have this huge late fee, and we don't know how much longer he's got, and I'd really like to be able to call before he takes the big sleep." You fumbled a quick ramble.

Lauren squints at you, "I've hardly gotten any sleep just thinking about it, my mind's kind of fried." you tag on quickly.

"ooooh you are gonna fry in sacred oil in hell for this awful lie. Yes, you are, you don't even have a grandpa." you think to yourself.

Lauren huffed, "that does sound pretty important, alright, I can give you half of this week's pay." She caved.

"Thank you, Lauren, best manager ever." You cheer with a grin. "I'll tell Pawpaw you helped."

"No, don't keep lying..." Your mind scolds you.

"Don't thank me yet, in return you're working a full shift today." Lauren said. The air leaves your lungs. "Go pay your bill and return here ready to work." she said.

"But, I need to call my-"

Lauren smirked and rested her hand son her hips. "Oh something tells me he can wait." she sang, with a shake of her head, "you're a terrible liar."

You groan, "yes, Lauren." and trudge out of the store.

Stepping out of the store, you bump into a rather tall man. Your bag and everything in it scatters to the floor. "Jeez, watch where you're going, would you? What are you blind?" He called sharply.

"My bad." You say in apology, kneeling to gather your things. "But really, honestly, you don't have to be a jerk about it." You grumble as you get to your feet.

Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you peer up at the stranger. "Yeah, whatever, Helen Keller." He spat. "You are aware that's not an insult yet?" You ask him.

He glanced around with shifty eyes as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and shrugged.

Eddie parked his van and hopped out. His steps lethargic as he sulked. Still no phone call. Wayne asked him to run to the store to pick up eggs and milk, it was clear he was just trying to give Eddie a moment to think and get him away from that phone.

But the chore was doing very little to take Eddie's mind off his worries and looking up toward Barry's Big Buy, it was made far worse.

Eddie's jaw clenched tight as he watches you talk to a tall stranger sporting a towering Mohawk. "No way." Eddie thought, his teeth ached, his lungs tightened and his head spun.

"I wasn't insulting you, it's sarcasm, genius." the man said.

"Sarcasm is usually made to insult, dufus." You snap back. The man smirks slightly, amusement glinting in his eyes. He was annoying, but you had to admit, it felt good to aim all of your frustration at something, someone.

"Nice comeback, didn't hurt yourself with that one, did you?" He asked.

"Why are you even still talking to me?" You question right back. The man shrugged, "maybe because you're blocking the entrance." he said.

"Oh..." you didn't have a comeback for that one. "You could have said move." you grumble. "Something told me if I did, I'd never bet inside." he sighed. You laugh in spite of yourself. "You are not wrong, rude stranger. I work here." You sing.

Eddie slowly backs away as he watches you laugh. Turnign quickly on his heel, he hopped back in his van and quickly made himself ghost. "That...that didn't just happen." He told himself. "But, She/he has been ignoring your calls all night, never called back this morning...Y/n doesn't have any friends, who the hell is he?" Eddie's mind was going a mile a minute.

Returning home from work, you abandon your bike near the mailbox of your apartments and hurry to get inside. Keys in hand for quick access, you come to a halt at your door, eyes glued to a letter taped over the peephole.

"Huh?" you exhale, snatching it down and unfolding it.

I just want to say, ignore what I said last night in the message. I've though about it. You're better off without me to tie you down. You're right, you've always pushed me and supported me with my dreams. It's time to go catch some of your own. I can't keep up with you, a shoot star is too fast for a satellite. Maybe I'll catch you when you come back around.

I wasn't being snide, by the way. It's your year Y/n it's finally your year. I'm sorry if I've stolen the past four. It was great in the meantime. But maybe, this is the kick in the teeth I need, that we both need. Here's to you babe and your new season.

Tell him I said he's a son of a bitch.

~Eddie.

Your hands tremble, "him? w-who's him?" You whisper, a drop of water splashes onto the note, the ink runs. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that?" You mutter, crushing the letter in your fist and opening your door.

You rushed to your phone and listen to your messages.

"Y/n? I think things got a little, carried away today. I might have overreacted a little, I think we both did. I just...um. If you, you know...forget what I said at the end there. I'm okay with that, if you are. I just, can we walk about it? Maybe tomorrow? Give me a call when you get this. I can pick you up, and we can go to our spot."

You exhale and fall back onto your bed. "He did call." You whisper, letting the tears slip down your face. "That stupid bill, and my stupid ass for not paying it on time!" you rage.

Uncrumpling the letter, you open it back up and hold it above your head, rereading it. "But if he could just let go, maybe he's right. Maybe we just....need to find out who we are on our own, for a while." You ponder.

The thought hurts, it's always been the two of you. Always.

"I hope this hasn't broken the friendship." you worry. "How do we maintain it after this?"

You roll onto your stomach, still rereading the letter. "And who. The hell. Is him!" you choke in a tearful shout. "Goddammit it Eddie..."

Wayne and Eddie sat out on the front porch, each with a beer in hand. Eddie gazed out at the sunset and sighed for the 50th time. "You alright?" Wayne asked.

Eddie shook his head. "No" he said quietly, his voice void.

"She/he has been my first everything. I don't know where or how to start again." Eddie muttered. Wayne's brows knitted together. "You can always take it back." He offered.

"No I can't, I broke up with her/him twice now. But...the more I think about it. She/he's the kind of person who by now, probably had dreams of college, I remember Y/n talking about wanting to be a psychiatrist, something about a residency program that offered psychotherapy training and traditional medicine because she wants to be able to do both." Eddie said, sighing again.

"She needs to get that diploma this year, I'll keep her away from it, I fall she falls, that's how she operates. I needed to let her go." Eddie muttered.

"And this don't have nothing to do with ol' Slim you said you saw her talkin' to?" Wayne asked.

Eddie glared, and his beer can crunched as he crushed it in. "Not at all, but I hate his face, I didn't see it, but I hate it all the same." Eddie said.

"Eddie, you don't know who he was, she works there, it was probably just a costumer." Wayne reasoned.

"Y/n wasn't in uniform. She/he wasn't on the clock." Eddie said.

"And she/he has a type, wouldn't you know it, this guy would have fit right in that mold." Eddie chugged his beer. "I fucked up, Y/n wants me to grow, so fine. I'll accept this, I'll take my licks. Maybe one day..." Eddie fell silent.

"if I don't get left in the dust, I'll stand another chance." he sighed.

"Well, I know it don't help. But I'm proud of you. It ain't an easy thing you're doing. Even if, I think you should try talking to Y/n again. But It's big of you, Eddie." said Wayne.

Eddie felt the water sting at his eyes again. Wayne stood up and walked to his nephew, gripping his shoulder and giving it a shake. Eddie rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. "You'll be alright." Wayne said gently.

Masterlist | Next Chapter

A/n: and here it is, part one. I'm currently stuck on a few future details. If you want to add your input, please feel free to.

Yes, I went the (semi-)miscommunication route, I'm sorry, but I love me some cliché sometimes.

I am in a debate with myself on if "Eddie gets out" the theme of how. Do people want: Kas Eddie (it's not fully the Kas theory), Lab Kid Eddie (he's not 010), or Normal Eddie (He just managed to survive by his own grit, and a little help from a friend or two).

[hoshigumayuugi]

heres whats happening rn on my twitter situation

i've had an account for over 5 years now that i've used pretty much every day. this account is heavily nsfw, but i haven't had any problems with it regarding breaking rules or being suspended

as of early january i decided to make a second account to have a sfw space so that i could interact with other fans of pomu rainpuff to show love around her graduation around that time. also just to have a separate space for irls who don't wanna follow a nsfw account

note: on neither of these accounts have i broke any rules. i don't send death threats or attack anyone or anything like that. my main interactions are telling people i like their art or encouraging people's personal posts outside of just retweeting art

about 8 days after making second account, it is locked and suspended with seemingly no notification. email stating i was suspended said i was "reported for evading suspension"

i dont know what that means so i look it up in the rules. theres not really anything about it other than "you made a new account to not be suspended." still don't know what that means

also says my account could have been marked because it's considered spam which i could see seeing as its brand new and posting hundreds of times a day about one specific thing (pomu cuz she's graduating duh)

submit an appeal explaining my situation and being as clear as i can be (note: the appeal form is partially auto-filled with your account @ and email linked to the account)

get an automated reply saying "reply to this email with your appeal." okay well i just did that in the form you provided but okay

get another automated reply saying "we can't confirm your email to this account", despite it... auto-filling in both of these things with information on my account... and me replying with the email account you just sent an email to...

same email also states "use the form for hacked accounts to proceed"

go to "hacked account" form and fill it out

get automated reply saying "you have access to your account this case has been closed"

repeat submitting an appeal and same situation happens

so now im stuck in a limbo of "did they receive my appeal? are they waiting for me to reply to that email that says they can't confirm my email? are they even looking at this at all? are they going to throw my new one out cuz i sent too many because they sent me in circles?"