#Joey is also a key part in this au

[aplatypusshapedkite]

I was talking to my friend about some of my aus, and they suggested I should post them here. After a moment to think about it I've decided that I should. Welcome to my "I can't shut up about hurting Jimmy" era.

[inkdemonapologist]

Thoughts on the BatIM books not being canon?

Originally typed up an answer based on the one TheMeatly tweet about creators being given “freedom to make things their own” when telling stories in their world, and that the games decide the canon. I thought that “the books aren’t canon” would be a bit of a reductive takeaway from that – like, I read it as the idea that the books don’t determine the canon, and aren’t beholden to some grand future plan to make sure they fit with the games, so they aren’t a trustworthy predictor of what’s going on in the games and in the case of contradictions, the games win. Like, the books can’t be counted on for theorycrafting, but that doesn’t mean Buddy or Abby are “noncanon” Bendy characters – just that they’ll never intersect with the games. But recently Mike Mood tweeted that “if it’s in a book, it’s not canon” pretty directly, so I guess Adrienne has just been writing a Bendy AU all this time??? Lmao.

I still think this is sort of not surprising after BatDR. Before BatDR actually came out, I was advocating pretty enthusiastically for little references to book characters – I know this was sort of controversial at the time, because people were worried about the idea of making the books “required reading” and references you don’t get if you don’t READ UP ON THE LORE – but I don’t think this would be necessary. If you give Dot an audiolog that’s like “I may just be an intern here in the writing department, but even I can tell there’s something fishy going on. I’ve got to investigate. Wally’s always losing his keys in [hint for the player], I bet I can find them” then if you’ve never read the books, that audiolog tells you everything you need to know, isn’t tangled up in any Book Lore, introduces the character as if she’s new, while also being a fun chance for the book readers to be like YOOOO MY GIRL IS HERE. Even just a schedule that says Joey has a meeting with Abby Lambert, or Ms. Lambert’s name on a desk somewhere in the art department, or a couple of animation cells on desks with characters from Crack-Up Comics, would be a fun wink to the book readers EVEN IF you want the canon to not be tied up with the books. Heck, you’ve got the non-audio-log memos in this game, you wouldn’t even have to give book characters a canon voice.

But, when BatDR had NOT ONLY no acknowledgement of the books, but also….didn’t even seem to be going in the same direction? I think the writing was sort of on the wall --

-- the people writing the games aren’t taking the books into account and the books aren’t going to be referenced here. The only question was whether the books were written with the plans of the games in mind and… I’m gonna be real. The idea that the Bendy franchise doesn’t really have Plans as such and so the books are just guessing and theorising, but the games reserve the right to go off in a completely different direction if they want to is, uh, not that surprising either. Bendy and the Ink Machine has never really seemed like a thing that had a grand plan, to me, it was just fun to pretend that it did – and then when the books were actually GOOD, it sold the idea of trying to puzzle that world together even more.

So there’s a cynical part of me that’s annoyed about this being mentioned now, you know, after 3-4 different books have been purchased by fans who were interested in learning some lore while waiting for BatDR, and now that BatDR’s out it’s like “oh, well, we’ve never felt this was CANON canon” when before it wasn’t really sold that way. If this has “always” been true, then all the “is Joey gay” questions could’ve been so easily dodged by admitting that the books were doing their own take rather than determining canon, but that fans are free to accept that interpretation. Adrienne answered one AMA question about what would become of Dot in a way that implied she didn’t know, as if she’d created this character who now existed in the world and it was up to the creators of that world to determine her fate. All of this combined with that one clarifying tweet about how EVERYTHING IN THE ORIGINAL BATIM IS STILL CANON before BatDR’s release creates the picture of intentionally selling on original BatIM’s love of theorycrafting and lore-collecting because that’s what would keep fans engaged. Either they were carefully Not Mentioning that the books aren’t canon during a time when they needed the books to sell, or the decision to treat books as “noncanon” is more recent than TheMeatly claims.

But despite my complaining, I do think this is like… wise. BatDR makes it clear that writing a Mystery With Deep Lore isn’t really what they want to do with this franchise now, if it ever was, and so now that BatDR has done reasonably well they can go ahead and admit it. If they want to be able to just hand a comic project to some comics people and not have to collaboratively run every design through their own art department to make sure it’s one they’d be willing to use in the games if that character ever appears, then it’s nice to go ahead and tell fans point blank that these designs are an interpretation by a third party, not The Canon, and should be treated as such. I think it’s not a bad way to run things, to give these other creators freedom to do their own thing with the material.

But, well, as for me and my feelings… I liked the books. I got into this franchise backwards, from a fansong and fanfiction that made me care about characters from a game I’d neither played nor watched, and then finding the concept of Sammy’s ink addiction in DCTL compelling even if I’d only heard bad things about DCTL at the time – I started writing Taste of Ink in hopes of getting this out of my system so I could move on, haha. And then Illusion Of Living came out, this incredible picture of everything I wanted from the franchise, and unfortunately nothing else has ever quite measured up. Maybe that makes sense; a lot of Bendy fans had a hard time getting through TIOL. I think I wanted a different franchise all along, and back when there wasn’t any new content in the True Game Canon, it was easier to play out the thing I wanted in the leftover ruins of this one. But then the original creators came to restore those ruins, and it was a cool thing they built, but it wasn’t anything like the ruins I’d had so much fun in anymore. I’m… genuinely proud of how much I contributed to this fandom, and so thrilled that people have enjoyed what I made here. If you weren’t following me a couple of years ago I really do recommend looking back through my blog because I made A LOT OF CONTENT………. Early on I got an ask of “does ur back hurt from carrying the entire bendy fandom,” which obviously I couldn’t post because there were definitely other creators carrying it with me, but tbh there were very few of us back when I fell face-first into this obsession and I have to admit that ask gives me some warm fuzzies to this day, haha. Like, there was a little stretch of time when the version of BatIM that I imagined helped to keep the fandom afloat! But it, like the books, was never the direction that the franchise was going to go. The BatIM I loved was was collectively dreamed into existence by people who found that game’s premise compelling.

I still love Bendy. I don’t think I ever will stop. This franchise made such a huge impact on me for reasons that are still KIND OF MYSTERIOUS LMAO. I still care a LOT about this world and these characters, but I don’t know if I’ll make much more canon-adjacent fanstuff here. Cthulhu AU is giving me the human batim content I crave and several of the AUs I’m involved in have sort of become their own thing. Maybe someday I’ll figure out how to capture whatever it was in BatIM that took over my brain so intensely for more than 3 years, but I don’t know if I’ll find it in the franchise anymore.

[gx-gameon]

Gx watch through continues

This is the part of Gx where they start throwing things at the wall and see what sticks. It makes the show both endearing and ridiculous

Episode 12

Jaden your a butthole. Walking three batters so he can get the chance to pitch to Bastia and get even. I love your competitive spirit but my boy rein it in.

Crowler why are you putting down Chazz to put up Bastian? Like I get you want and obelisk blue to beat Jaden but to publicly humiliate Chazz and tell him you will drop his dorms if he loses all because he lost to Jaden is wild. (Like I want Chazz to become a better person but Crowler stop bullying your students)

I love Bastian getting Jaden and Syrus to help him paint his dorm and hang out. Also I love how much they support Bastian.

Meeting Chases brother for the first time. I hate them just as much as I remeber

I love Bastian coming to sleep over at the Slifer dorm. (This is setting up for all the students who start living there in season 2)

I love Dorthy coming to tell Jaden about Bastian’s cards getting thrown into the harbor. I love Jaden’s worry for his friend. (Chazz that’s such a dirty trick)

I love Alexis and Zane coming to rat out Chazz’s actions. (But Alexis why didn’t you get the cards out of the water? Like I get it it’s dark and harbor deep but Joey Wheeler jumped off the side of a moving ship to get Exodia. You knew those were someone’s cards and you act like your deck is your life, so why not try and save a few? By the time Jaden gets there they are ruined but not when Alexis is there. Obviously the current is nonexistent if the cards haven’t moved between Chazz dumping them and Jaden finding them. Fl just jump in!)

Love the reveal that Bastian has six decks strapped to him at all times.

I love Bastian’s chemistry deck. I wish they did more with it. Making creatures based on the elements of the period table and then creating fusions for compounds would be sick. (I know they have something similar but I want more of these element themed dinosaurs)

I love Jaden and Zane (we will throw Alexis in to) complementing Bastian’s dueling skills to Syrus

Bastian proving that Chazz stole his cards by showing the formula he wrote on one, amazing “Chazz you stole you cheated, you lost, you deserve to be demoted.” Why didn’t we get more of this Bastian?

Also Bastian refusing to become obelisk until he’s the number one duelist in the freshman class. And then turning to Jaden and saying that’s you.

Episode 13

The monkey looks like and Xenomorph with the helmet and wires on it.

Chazz leaves the school. Jaden calling out how awful Chazz’s friends are. Then they all decide to go and look at him.

A dueling monkey named Wheeler. Enough said.

In this au this episode is summed up with a picture of Jaden and Wheeler going in the family group chat. “It’s me and Uncle Joey.” Joey is high key offended, how could his littlest buddy betray him like this. The. Jaden tells them what happened. Joeys still mad but now at Kaiba.

Jaden also tells them about how the scientist were going to take all of the monkeys and the student if Professor Banner didn’t come to their rescue. Seto’s furious. “Oro-san I never ask this, but can you fire these guys?”

Episode 14

I love the duel spirit is showing up this early.

Jaden not going home for the holidays shows that his cannon parents and him aren’t close. In this au I think he stays because Syrus and Chumley are staying.

Using jinzo to call back to the DM show (Joey’s getting so many shout outs)

Jaden offering his soul to save three other people, it’s very heroic, but Jaden please work on your self-sacrificing attitude before people (your friends) take advantage of it.

I love that Jinzo see Kuriboh and is surprised Jaden has a duel spirit beside him. Jaden’s “he’s a friend first and a spirit second.” I love them.

Jaden ending the episode knowing that duel spirits are real, and dangerous. Great set up.

Episode 15

This dumb episode.

Why are we dueling over Alexis? To be her fiancée? Her and Jaden are first years and this guy is a third year. (It’s giving ‘where my hug at?’ Energy)

Alexis saying the only reason she’s still there is to see if Harrington is as strong as Zane. Fair. But also I wish she was more active.

I already said that Jaden doesn’t know what a fiancée is in this au because Yugi and Seto skip that step. But I also see him being very upset at the way Harrington talks about Alexis. He was raised around Mai and Téa. He’s not taking this.

He was already annoyed with the way Harrington kept interrupting their conversation with his over possessiveness. I think when Harrington challenges him and says ‘winner gets to be Alexis fiancée,’ Jaden might not know what that means but he’s not a fan of this guy trying to make decisions for Alexis. He turns to Alexis and points at the guy. “Do you want to duel him or do you want me to?” Harrington is upset because he challenged Jaden! But Alexis is touched that Jaden puts the ball in her court.

Harrington is throwing a fit so Alexis tells Jaden he can duel but she’s not going to be anyone’s fiancée. After the match Haden goes over to her and asks ‘what’s a fiancée anyway?’ Which surprises everyone and allows Alexis to responded with “it doesn’t matter. We’re friends.” And Jaden just shrugs it off. If Alexis doesn’t care why should he.

Episode 16

Crowler being stressed about his obelisk’s losing duels and having Antes with are against the school rules. (Didn’t Chazz’s first duel with Jaden have an Ante? Look how many rules that boy broke)

Also him comeing to Jaden to fix his problem. (And so it begins, Jaden being the school aron boy.) “no homework for you and Syrus for the rest of the year!”

Chumley asking Jaden “do you even know how to say no?” And Jaden looking confused that’s it that’s the root of all of Jaden’s problems

I love how much more active kuribih is. And that there is a track in the academy for kids who want to design games, not just play them. Since that is what Seto and Yugi do they grow up to make games/game tech.

Jaden you did not just put Winged Kuriboh up as an ante. Atem is going to lecture you hard when he finds out

Jaden figured out the duel giants identity in less then 24 hours. Anyone who says Jaden isn’t smart is wrong. He just has tunnel vision.

These two losers being willing to sacrifice their dreams for each other. Jaden not turning them in because he knows what it means to be made fun of. I wish these two were reoccurring characters. Jaden is such a good person

Also the two returned all of the ante cards. Way to go Jaden.

Episode 17

Unlabeled sandwiches! This place is ridiculous

A whole episode to practice the destiny draw.

Over all thoughts for the au

These probably won’t get full chapters

Bastian’s duel probably will as will Alexis. And the jinzo episode defiantly will get covered.

but the duel monkey, duel giant and destiny draw episodes will be covered in text messages between Jaden and his family.

[minecraftbookshelf]

what even Happened during the MOS rivendell siblings childhood, anyway? or, what are you willing to say that's not a spoiler? like, apparently Scott wound up living feral in the mountains? Xornoth disavowed both of his original names and burnt down the entire palace in a coup??? everyone thought that he killed Scott for some reason? i'm guessing that their parents didn't take the whole "divine connection" thing well, but i am still very confused

So yeah, A Lot Happened to the MoS Rivendell siblings!

I am avoiding talking some parts of it, not because of spoilers or anything (I genuinely do not care about spoilers) but because I've labelled some key things off limits purely so my brain doesn't decide "well, we've talked about that, no need to actually write the story!"

That being said...

Scott didn't so much live feral in the mountains as there were some emotionally volatile moments in his (equivalent to) teen years that he dealt with by running away into the mountains. Usually for a day or two at most and he never went too far. Basically anytime he and Xornoth had a big fight that is what would happen. (small and medium fights he would either go to the sheep shack or the owlery. Sometimes the church.)

Xornoth did disavow their original two names. They are going to get a whole backstory fic all to themselves so a lot of that will be covered there. And yes, Rivendell no longer has a palace because Xornoth did indeed burn it down! (From a worldbuilding and plot perspective, that comes from the way that Smajor picked a location for a palace but never actually built it. For the Doylist explanation XD)

Basically after Xornoth's coup, Scott just disappeared from public life. He's out and about in Rivendell's capitol itself of course, but a lot of the other elven villages haven't even had any kind of visual confirmation that he wasn't killed along with his parents. Internationally, Xornoth brought Rivendell out of isolation so none of the other emperors besides Katherine (and maybe Pix) had ever even met Scott before and none of them ever really got a solid answer on what went down when Xornoth seized power. So most of them assume that Xornoth killed their brother along with their parents. (This is also the only reason some of the other emperors even know Xornoth ever had a brother. This will come up in the fic I have in progress about Joey and Xornoth's first meetings.)

And the sort of brutally practical truth of the matter is that most of the other emperors either can't afford to care about that, or only care about it in the sense of being wary of Xornoth in general. Pearl is the one who has spent the most time with Xornoth one-on-one in informal settings and she is pretty sure Scott isn't dead just from what she's picked up both about Xornoth as a person and the occasional things they've let slip but Xornoth is very tight-lipped about Scott in general.

Katherine knows Scott is alive and even visits sometimes but is sworn to secrecy.

And yeah, their parents did not take it well. At all. Thus the series of events that led to eventual patricide and coup. (Which wasn't originally intended as a coup, that was kind of accidental.)

It's okay that its a bit confusing right now, there's a lot about this au that will be revealed in bits and pieces as the story goes along and eventually it should all make sense!

[onboardsorasora]

in honor of a maxiel second row for the mexico gp…what if Enchanted AU update? (On your own time frame tho 😅)

Hi Nonnie! I woke up to this and said 'they're absolutely correct'. I'd started something a few days ago but didn't know where I wanted to take it. And this prompt along with yesterday pointed me in this direction. I hope you like it! Its also unedited, so hopefully it reads well and has no mistakes lol

Part 1 | Part 11

Part 12

Daniel cackled gleefully as the wind blew through his long curls. They were driving through the hills, like Max pinky promised they would, and he was having the best time. They've been cruising for what felt like hours and when they got to empty strips of road; they’d floor it like a drag race. 

Daniel’s favorite part might be when Max grabs for the hand hold overhead. He always enjoyed making his Dad do it, Michelle was harder because she knew his driving style by now. Max had been a whole new challenge, being a race car driver used to high speeds. But Daniel had been excited to learn that all it took to break Max was drifting around a blind corner going down the mountain road. 

It was exhilarating.

Daniel pulled off to the ridge that had a bannister and bench– boasting a lovely view of the sunset over the city.

He all but jumped out of the sports car positively vibrating with happy energy. Chelle would call it his zoomies. He needed to sing, he needed to run with a horse! He wanted to tear his shirt off!

"Don't do that." Max came out of the car, catching his breath.

Daniel's mouth snapped shut, apparently he was singing. A bird flapped its wings overhead and landed in his curls. Daniel bounced from leg to leg, the wide grin set on his face like clay.

Max eyed him consideringly, a small smile on his face. He armed the car and slipped the key fob into the pocket of his pants.

"Hey Daniel?" It was comical how quickly Daniel's head snapped over to his direction, his brown eyes were wide and sparkling.

"Yeah Maxy?" Daniel bit the cuticle on his thumb, waiting for Max's next words. He didn't expect them though.

"Race you!" Max yelled and then he was off like a bullet. Daniel squaked in outrage before apologizing to the bird on his head and running off after the race car driver.

Max lead him into a short copse of trees where they zig zagged through the foliage in an approximation of tag. Daniel laughed joyously, waving to the different animals that came to watch or lead them in different directions. Obstacles were added by a deer that knew a "better path". And a family of rabbits wanted Daniel to win!

Before long they collapsed in a sunny spot, giggling intermittently. Max's face was flushed from exertion and Daniel couldn't look away. He knew he was equally flushed and sweaty, but Max was lovely.

"Where did you learn to drive like that?" Max broke the silence first.

"My dad taught me. I wanted to run with the horses but it wasn't the safest idea, he'd said. So we drove his truck alongside the herd." Daniel preened, Max liked his driving.

"You learned to drift because of horses?" Max's disbelief was clear. Daniel cackled.

"No!" He sang. "I taught myself to drift to scare Papa. He was always so cool and calm so I wanted to ruffle him a little. It was Joey's idea to scare him. Joey's an alpaca."

Max nodded with a snort. He could see that. Joe was always the silent luker in his calls with Michelle. Like he was watching and waiting for any slip ups. He was very protective. Max supposed they truly needed to be. 

He'd only just gotten back into good graces after the video incident.

"You could've been a racer." Max said offhandedly and Daniel's eyes widened comically. 

He'd been playing with the grass by his hips and before he knew it he found himself on his back with an armful of Daniel. He was hugging Max so tightly.

Daniel leaned backwards a little, hovering over Max with the widest grin, so wide his eyes almost disappeared in their crescents. Daniel positively glowed and his tattoos that had been merely fluttering in the afterglow of their playing were moving almost wildly. Wings fluttering, petals blooming, legs dancing– the works.

"Thank you Maxy. That means a lot." Was all Daniel said and Max knew that there was more to it. But he wouldn't focus on that right now. Not when Daniel was looking so lovely above him, glowing under the rays of the sun.

Part 13

[scarlet-cookie]

Ink Demonth Day 10 : Exhibit

A strange archives hidden within the halls of Archgate. An exhibit displaying the brief history of Joey Drew Studios.

Wilson scrunched his brows, his hand still holding on tight to the broom in his grip. He kept pondering the particular nature of this archives. It seemed to be akin to a museum, immortalizing the legacy of a bygone studio, yet, it was also a hassle to access, having to get through halls of the building before one could see it. It seemed illogical, as if it wasn’t meant for the public. Of course, it could be that Nathan wanted to let the outside world see Archgate’s work environment as well, but wouldn’t it be too risky? A well disguised thief could easily sneak in and learn the insides. Wilson’s expression turned strange as he considered his father’s slacking of being wary. Usually, that man would keep his trade secrets to himself..

Or was it because he was indeed hiding these items from someone? Wilson knew a person or two who would match that description. 

Or..

The fake janitor carefully placed away his broom, examining the items on each shelf casually. He had seen them one too many times, but this would be the first he could examine them up close. Back when he was hiding in Gent, Alan would always switch the location of certain objects periodically, making them hard to track.

He was curious as to how the wonders of that ink machine truly worked.

Wilson had a brief understanding, but that was it, just a brief understanding. It was nothing to brag about against people like Thomas Connor or Joey Drew.

He wanted to investigate deeper into the potency of such a machine.

He tried to see if any of the items was having a strange reaction, but he couldn’t notice any. Failing to gain anything, he went to the far back of the archives to access a locked room.

The room containing the ink machine.

Wilson stared at the particular machination for some time. It wasn’t the first time he came here, but every single time, the machine remained quiet. The gears didn’t turn, nor any weird liquid seeped out of the main tube. It was no different to a big metal box at the moment.

He knew Alan had used various methods and elaborate techniques to activate it all the time, but besides a few loose water pipes and electrical wires, there was nothing that could be of help to Wilson.

Aside from that, the room had three pillars scattered on both sides of the hall. It had pictures to resemble what item should be placed on top, but none of those items existed within the exhibition. Wilson questioned why Nathan would order these pillars to be erected if they had no correlation to the machine. 

That simply meant those pillars were the key to the machine.

Wilson slumped against a nearby wall, sighing out of exasperation.

It seemed a certain janitor would be treasure hunting for a while.

Bendy : The Untrsuted AU - Intermission (Part 3.5/5)

[chameliyun]

Fic Masterlist

Everything is on AO3 at BookishFlyingGecko unless otherwise stated, and a couple are also on fanfiction.net under the same name.

IN PROGRESS (sorted by update date):

[podfic] Shouyou Hinata and the Mirror of Erised Fandoms: Haikyuu!!, Harry Potter Rating: G Chapters: 17/27 Characters: I'm not tagging everyone it's an ensemble cast lol Pairings: n/a (lots of friendships tho) (Current) word count: 68 (because it's mostly audio) Summary: First book of the Haikyuu at Hogwarts series, narrated by yours truly and written by Jester (Killthespare on ao3)

Varian Is Not a Wizard Fandoms: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure/Tangled the Series, Inn Between (podcast) Rating: G Chapters: 3/? Characters: Meltyre and Varian, several OCs Pairings: n/a for now (Current) word count: 14,009 Summary: Varian's portal to capture Zhan Tiri malfunctions and sends him into another dimension, where he meets Meltyre at his wizard school.

Sent from the Heavens Fandoms: Heroes of Olympus, The Lunar Chronicles Rating: T (currently only on fanfiction.net) Chapters: 2/? Characters: Linh Cinder, Leo Valdez, Calypso, Carswell Thorne, various Greek gods Pairing(s): Leo/Calypso (Current) word count: 4,837 Summary: When the Rampion crash lands on a (seemingly) deserted island, Cinder goes to look for parts. Instead, she finds a giant bronze dragon and a couple new acquaintances. Set post-Blood of Olympus, during Scarlet. On hiatus.

COMPLETED:

Bent out of Shape Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender Rating: G Chapters: 4/4 Characters: Toph Beifong, Penga, Ho Tun, The Dark One, various OCs Pairings: n/a Word count: 11,726 Summary: Once upon a time, Toph Beifong decided to start a metalbending academy. First, though, she had to find some worthy students. Based on the ATLA comic The Promise, mostly canon-compliant.

Tsuki no Hana Fandom: Haikyuu!! Rating: T Chapters: 1 (with breaks) Characters: Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Akiteru, Miya Atsumu, Miya Osamu, Mother Gothel, Ennoshita Chikara, Hinata Shouyou Pairings: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, background Ennoshita Chikara/Tsukishima Akiteru Word count: 20,984 Summary: Tangled AU with Yamaguchi as Flynn Rider and Tsukishima as Rapunzel. Written for the 2023 Tsukkiyama Fic Exchange.

ONESHOTS:

Draw Me Near Fandom(s): Death Note Rating: T Characters: Near, Sayu Yagami Pairing: see above Word count: 2,635 Summary: Post-canon AU where Near and Sayu spend time with each other after Light's death.

Midnight Coda Fandom: Death Note Rating: G Characters: L Lawliet, Watari Pairing(s): n/a Word count: 938 Summary: L celebrates his 24th birthday.

Mmm, Jello Fandom: Death Note Rating: T Chapters: 2/2 Characters: Mello, Joey (see A Shot in the Dark), Near Pairing: Mello/Joey Word count: 3,835 Summary: Unconnected AU oneshots of the pairing getting together. Currently two, but more are possible.

Frosting and Freckles Fandom: Haikyuu!! Rating: G Characters: Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi Tadashi Pairing: you guessed it Word count: 2,716 Summary: Mutually pining idiots decide to make Christmas cookies together. You'll never guess* what happens next! *you can probably guess if you've read enough fanfiction

Is it ever over? Fandom: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Tangled (sort of in between so I tagged both) Rating: G Characters: Rapunzel, Pascal Pairings: n/a Word count: 1,086 Summary: Rapunzel has a dream/nightmare after moving into the Corona castle.

Barfbending Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender Rating: K+ (only on ff.net) Characters: Toph Beifong, Sokka Pairing: hints of Toph/Sokka Word count: 1,156 Summary: Toph wakes up in the middle of the night not feeling well...but she's not the only one. Set during The Painted Lady (s3e3).

[shyrose57]

Empires AU(or fic idea, take your pick) where in order to cure Gem, Katherine ends up having to wipe her memory like the trolls did with Anna in Frozen-except instead of just erasing her memory of Scott’s magic, it ends up erasing her memory of Scott entirely...and everyone else.

Despite her lack of memories, and everyone seeming determined to keep the truth from her(or what they think it is), Gem’s aware that something is amiss. And she’s equally determined to get to the bottom of it-starting with tracking down Scott before the people out for his head do, and getting the real story. 

And with her on her journey for answers, a strange half-demon who she found in a crystal, the apparent ruler(or so he claims) of the Lost Empire, and her cat.

This can’t possibly go wrong!

Gem pretty much only remembers vague things about the other rulers. Scott was erased entirely from her memory, and she doesn’t know anything about anyone else. Being curious, and having a feeling that something’s kinda not adding up about this whole story, she does some investigating.

This investigation leads her to several places. One being a secret meeting room she reads about in a half-burnt letter, where she finds a red crystal.

Turns out this red crystal was, for some reason, housing a half-demon? At least, she’s assuming that’s what he is, the dude never really clarified. 

After a bit of chaos, the stranger ends up awkwardly introduces themselves as Conner. He apparently has a few memory gaps of his own, but looks alarmed when she explains why she’s looking around.

‘Conner’ doesn’t know Scott specifically, but the story seems familiar enough to him, and he keeps mentioning a Eternal Winter prophecy potentially being behind it. 

Information on said prophecy is probably in an ancient library that Conner luckily knows the location of, so they head that way, only to end up bumping into Joey, who saw Gem headed to Rivendell, and, knowing her condition, decided to make sure she was alright. 

Though her new friend seems a bit nervous around him, they give him the same rundown, and Joey joins the party.

They go to the library, ad discover some not-so-great things. Turns out that cure? Only temporary, because the ice magic is more powerful than the healing magic used, and will eventually overwhelm it. And, while the ice is connected to Scott, it won’t melt if he dies, it’ll just stay frozen forever. Oh, and also, if he doesn’t get a reign on his powers, he’s at risk of having his own heart freeze over, but instead of killing him, it’ll either just make him completely apathetic to others, or turn him into a frosty spirit/monster with no qualms with attacking anyone in his way.

Everyone agrees that’s not good, and should be prevented at all cost.

Fast forward a tiny bit later, and Gem and her new companions are setting off on a journey to find Scott, stop things from going horribly wrong, and save the day in general.

Yes, Conner is Xornoth. The close proximity to the Antlers allowed him to be partially uncorrupted. He doesn’t remember much, but he knows some, which is why he panicked when he saw Gem, and ended up telling her his name was Conner when they realized she didn’t recognize him.

Among the things he remembers is Scott, and the pain of corruption-maybe it’s not the same thing that happened to him, but he wouldn’t wish anything like it on his worst enemy, and while they may be distant now(he assumes at least), that’s still his brother. 

Also, he’s waaaay too used to heat now, winters are miserable enough as it is, but an eternal one? No way, not on his watch.

Now here’s to hoping he actually makes it that far without Joey recognizing him, or Gem freezing. He’ll do what he can to help(just because she’s probably a key part of this, not because he’s growing fond of her or anything), but...he’s not sure it’ll be enough.

Fwhip’s trying to track down Scott as well. He started before them, hoping killing Scott permanently will free them all, but is majorly misguided and desperate. Luckily, Gem’s surprisingly more equipped to deal with this, and her group ends up ahead of his early on.

Nobody has actually realizes Gem went off except for Sausage-he’s doing his best to cover for them, because based on the very vague note left, it seems pretty important, but she definitely owes him one.

Basically just three people who make questionable life choices banding together to stop one very bad life choice.

[bigskydreaming]

@hood-ex

Okay but re: the subject of wingfic.....picture this....His Dark Materials style AU where instead of kids having daemons who shapeshift until they settle, kids have wings that are constantly shifting and trying out new forms until they settle.

And maybe Dick’s generation is the first one to have this.....like, the DC multiverse is constantly having these universe-altering Crises, that are all metaphysical and unleash and reshape cosmic and universal creation energies....and early in Dick’s tenure as Robin, let’s say the DC multiverse undergoes a Crisis whose resolution has an unexpected side-effect.....at that point forward, teens begin manifesting their like, soul or whatever, in physical or metaphysical form, in the shape of wings.

They first pop up around when kids start entering puberty, and tend to settle around them kinda ‘finding themselves’ as adults....and we’re not talking just bird-type wings. Wings of any kind, any shape, any material. They’re described as ‘metanatomy’ not in the sense of metas having altered anatomy but more in the sense of how metaphysical relates to physical.....these wings don’t have to prescribe to any biological or anatomical rules because they’re not biological in nature. Kory’s people describe the wings as a child’s ‘over-soul’ - a manifestation of their fundamental, individualized essence that’s overlaid on top of their physical self.

So, many wings are bird-like in nature, physically capable of being touched, damaged, healed, etc....but just as many are batlike or dragon-like, they can be just wing-shaped and made of fire, they can be mechanical appearing or insectoid or pretty much anything. There was a period when Dick was around fourteen when his wings were just wispy wing-shaped stormclouds behind him, lightning constantly flickering up and down their lengths as though it were the wings’ veins.....another period where they were just giant sweeping shadows behind him that he could nevertheless fly with, and while he was Robin, they most consistently manifested as bright, gleaming swaths of luminescence that glowed as though they constantly had spotlights trained on them. 

(Which had Bruce paranoid it would just make Dick an easy target, until they realized that a ‘side-effect’ of Dick’s wings when they looked like this was instead of making it easier for the bad guys to train their weapons on him, even the most hardened villains would find themselves hesitating to pull the trigger. Some kind of pulsating, emotion-laced effect of those wings drawing their attention was it was more like moths drawn to a flame....they were so busy being momentarily entranced or hypnotized by the spectacle of them that they were usually a second too late in actually firing....by which time Dick was in a position to strike them first. Well, at least that’s how it went until the Joker managed a lucky shot anyway. But then, when isn’t that asshole an exception to the rules?)

Some wings had little quirks or fringe effects that went with them taking on a certain form or appearance....though those didn’t tend to stick around when the wings shifted to a different appearance, unless a person’s wings settled in the shape a particular fringe effect was associated with. Like when Roy hit adulthood, his wings settled in the appearance of bright red feathered wings with black accents......his wings are fairly small and not suited for long range flight, or even flight in general, as they tend to be more useful in helping him glide in short, quick spurts. But they also come with a perk unique to him....when Roy uses his own feathers to fletch his arrows, those arrows never ever miss. 

In adulthood, Donna’s wings settle as giant bird-like wings, all black feathers with silver specks of stars scattered all across them, same as her Troia costume. They’re like patches of night sky sliced straight out of the heavens, and when Donna’s in costume she’s impossible to see cutting through the dark. Her huge sweeping wings would cast an easily noticed shadow over the ground if not for the silver specks dotting her feathers, but thanks to those, by the time she’s close enough for you to make out her features, distinct from the night sky, its far too late to do anything but go oh fuck.

Wally’s wings are more of a presence than a visual. Hummingbird type things that match his speed but never manage his stillness. Beating at the air a furious several hundred wingflaps per second, so even when he’s standing still he’s far from motionless....the air around him thrumming with movement, humming with vibrations that make it look like he’s constantly surrounded by shimmering ribbons of heat baking off an asphalt pavement. And again, that’s when he’s just standing still. When he actually gets agitated, they hit the air like a thunderclap. Sparks shooting up from the points of contact as the friction of them is so fast and furious it ionizes the atmosphere around him all on its own.

Garth’s can be a bit unwieldy when on the surface, but in the water they make him glide faster and smoother than any Atlantean before him. Stretching out from torso to underarms like the wings of a manta ray, they’re black and gray and streaked with purple like his eyes and the tattoo around it, just inverted. The material of them thick and coarse enough that when he flings his arms out or wrapped around himself just so, the folds of his wings draped around him create a dense barrier capable of shrugging off any number of projectile impacts.

Vic’s are mechanical marvels, smooth and sleek metallic expanses that aren’t dissimilar to Marvel’s Archangel, but where Warren’s feathers are knife-like flechettes, Vic’s host a variety of sensory arrays and feed him all sorts of data. Gar’s never fully settle....they shift as often as he does, sometimes vast and feathered, sometimes batlike and leathery....always green though, and always there no matter what animal he shifts into. He’s never a snake so much as a feathered serpent, a pegasus instead of a horse, a manticore instead of a mere lion, and well, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Beast Boy take to the streets of Manhattan as a T-Rex with giant pterodactyl wings. Why his wings never fully settle could be due to his shape-shifting or it could just be in his nature.....Gar’s the original Lost Boy who’ll never FULLY grow up.

Raven’s are purple and black on the outside but bone-white on the inside.....like her empathy, they cut both ways. When she pulls her wings tight around her and someone else like a protective shroud, they can shield her and those in her care from prying eyes and scrying magic....when she throws them wide and strikes out with them at enemies on either side, the touch of her feathers is like feeling the cold of the grave. Kory’s are a deeper, royal purple juxtaposed beside Raven’s shadowed inky violets.....but rather than feathered, Kory’s are tall and draconian, imperious and imposing canvases adorned with swirls of red and green like nebulas painted across a cosmic backdrop. Curling emerald flames lick around the edges of them just like her starfire sometimes dances through her hair.....even when ‘ablaze’ her wings are cool to the touch if she invites you to touch them, but touch them uninvited and you’re going to get burned. Badly.

Lilith’s are four enormous feathered wings of green and gold and black spread behind her like the many layered wings of a seraph. They’re decorated in various places with dark concentric circles like those found on peacock feathers....until those circles flare and open wide and you realize you’re staring at dozens of eyes that are all looking back at you.....each a window to your own soul, freezing you in place with a glimpse of your own darkest secrets or possible destiny.

Joey’s are many-hued mosaics, like wings made of stained-glass windows. Hazy and indistinct shafts of rainbow light slanting through his varied ‘feathers’ when he spreads his wings in the air behind him.....like viewing screens or windows they show glimpses, afterimages of everyone he’s ever joined his soul to when riding shotgun in their bodies.....making them forever a part of him, a link he can tap into at will and rendering his power less about possession and more about connection, a forever-door that lets him merge with one of his previously tethered-to teammates, no matter where they are in relation to him. But with the slight change that now what he makes up for in range, he loses in stealth, as his wings show up behind the body of his ‘host’ for as long as he remains merged with them.

And Dick’s wings finally settle in adulthood to sweeping feathered wings of blue and indigo banded with gold.....but where his presence is less attention-commanding than in his younger years, his impact is definitely felt. As his settled wings act as an epicenter for a kind of gravitational bubble around him that’s keyed to his mood.....when he’s lighthearted and in high spirits, everyone around him feels a little bit lighter, purely in a physical sense, gravity within his sphere of influence being a little less heavy, leaving his friends and teammates a little lighter on their feet, quicker in their reactions, etc, etc. When he’s feeling heavy though, his immediate environs feel it with him - though that’s not always the worst result when surrounded by enemies he’s better off having feel overburdened, weighed down, like they’re struggling to get to their feet and the air itself is sitting a little heavier in their lungs every time they take a breath.

[zaffrenotes]

[ROD] When You Say Nothing At All

When You Say Nothing At All - 00-00 - You’re All I Want

Series Summary: After Jin and Logan seemingly part ways for good, she heads to the East Coast to begin a new chapter of her life at Langston. While she forgave Logan for The Lie, she was never ready to let him go, and neither is he. Can they repair their relationship with miles between them? Pairing: Logan x MC (Jin) Series Rating/Warnings: 18+; language; series will include ns*w 🍋 scenes Chapter Rating/Warnings: T Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * I had a bonkers idea to write an i-don’t-know-how-many-parts series for @rodappreciationweek that also reflects the Time Capsule challenge * This is an ambitious AU to my Mixtapes Side A & Hidden Track series, where Jin chose Logan. It begins a few months after the canon events in RoD concluded (my Choices math guesstimates July 2018 for this series), and will span roughly 12 years into the future * It will also include prompts from 50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You” and a little literary 🥚 for kicks * A/N 2: * I meant to post this earlier for Logan's Day, but like everything else I write it got away from me * Includes a very old Friends/Joey prompt from @ofpixelsandscribbles * chapter title is from a Cigarettes After Sex track * Word Count: ±1000 (4 minutes reading time)

Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed for updates on this series): @ao719 @burnsoslow @gkittylove99 @neotericthemis ofpixelsandscribbles @rainbowsinthestorm @superharriet @the-soot-sprite @choiceskatie @jaqren @choicesarehard @client-327 @queenjilian @saivilo @its-all-about-rod @bitchloveskcbaseball @lovehugsandcandy @troublemakerinspace

2019

Logan took all of Jin’s words to heart, keeping the phone tucked away in a lockbox. He added the key to a new chain around his neck, not only for safekeeping, but to remind himself of what he was working towards. Days passed into weeks, then months; Logan only noticed the passage of time by the weather. He had to buy a real coat to keep himself warm, and decent boots to keep slushy, snowy pathways from freezing his toes.

He tried writing letters to Jin, only to burn the half-inked pages over the stove, messy words curling and fading into the air. Dozens of e-mails mocked him from a screen, clumsy apologies disappearing into the void with a few abrupt taps. Every time he tried to get the words out, it didn’t feel like it was enough.

By March, Logan was absolutely miserable. Winter had been a good excuse to ignore how long his hair had grown out, hidden under knit caps and beanies, or tied back in ponytails. His usually high-maintenance locks morphed into a mess of natural curls and waves as a result. The somewhat scrappy beard that appeared on his face protected him from biting Chicago winds as he commuted to and from work on the train, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep it when the weather eventually warmed up.

The garage where he lined up a job didn’t ask too many questions; most of the guys were in AA and could tell he had his own demons to deal with. The owner knew someone from Logan’s old crew in Detroit and put in a good word for him. The place was just a few blocks from the L, and after a week of navigating his beloved Devore through the pasta strainer streets of downtown Chicago, taking the train actually worked out to be kinder to his wallet.

He woke up one morning, completely disgusted with his appearance. Even though it was his day off and he had no plans, Logan made his way to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He grabbed the electric clippers from one of the drawers and trimmed his beard down as short as he could, letting the wiry black hair collect in the sink as his jawline slowly unsurfaced with each pass. He scooped the hair into the trash before taking a long shower. The hot water soaked through the mess of curls in his hair and down his back, rivulets splitting and reconnecting down his legs as they made their way to the drain.

Showered and dressed, he set to work cleaning up the small studio space that he called home, tossing out old takeout and empty pizza boxes. He organized his small collection of books in a crate, taking care to set the book Jin had given to him on top. After lunch, Logan stripped the sheets and pillows of their bedding and stuffed them into a duffel bag along with his dirty clothes, making his way to a laundromat.

Once his laundry was washed and dried, Logan stuffed everything back into the duffel bag and tossed it into the back seat of his trusty Devore, before walking a few yards away to the strip mall barbershop. He exchanged a silent chin nod greeting with his barber, who was working on another customer, and grabbed an empty seat. As he tapped through apps on his phone to read the news and look at memes, he listened to the conversations happening around him. Two older men were jokingly giving each other a hard time as they played cards, while a small group of teens jumped from sports to comics to discussing dates for an upcoming dance. He wondered if Jin had gone to any dances since prom, and his heart twinged at the thought of her dancing with someone else.

When his barber eventually called his name, Logan rose from the faded vinyl seat and pulled the knit cap off his head as he approached the empty chair. They exchanged pleasantries, not without some teasing about his disheveled appearance since his last visit before the leaves had changed colors. As his barber worked on making him look more like a young man and less like someone who’d been raised by wolves, conversation drifted between work, racing, and girls.

All of Logan’s responses were short by nature; his work involved tune-ups and oil changes. He’d done a little racing on the side for extra cash until it got too cold and the roads were too slick. He could race under any conditions, but black ice was one of the few things he wouldn’t go up against. As for befriending someone of the fairer sex, he shrugged his shoulders in between hair snips.

“Girl problems, son?” The barber at the station to Logan’s left had chimed in to the conversation. “You’re too young to have a broken heart.”

“She was one in a million,” Logan replied, glancing over to the elder man. “No one else shines as bright as she does. What am I gonna do? I keep trying to get rid of these feelings, but they’re just…there.”

“She tell you what she needs to fix it?”

“I know what it’d take,” Logan huffed. “I just…I can’t really give that to her right now.” How can he be in her life when he’s nearly one thousand miles away?

“Why the hell not, son? Seventeen years with my missus has taught me you end up somewhere between option A and option B. If she’s the one, find a way to meet halfway.”

The conversation ended when the card game sparked a disagreement, diverting attention to the noise at the front of the shop. Something clicked in Logan’s brain, and once his barber finished up, he left the barbershop, heading home with renewed hope.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Angel of the Ink Machine, Chapter 1: An Unlikely Encounter.

Alright, this was a long time coming. And by a long time, I mean I have literally had it in mind since Fall. As a result, I’m going to ignore new information from TIOL so that I can do it as I originally planned.

The premise of this AU is simple: Sammy leaves the studio instead of Henry, and as a result, Joey needs a new partner in crime. He finds one in Allison. Power struggles, sacrifices, passion, ecstasy and tragedy ensues.

---

Sammy never even bothered to formally quit the studio, and it fell on Henry to explain to Joey what had probably transpired.

“He told me a few days ago that he wanted to get Mr. Arch’s attention and maybe a job from him. Sorry to say, Joey, but I think he got what he wanted.”

Joey’s face twisted with disbelief and anger and then back to serenity. “No, Sammy loved it here! I’m sure he’ll be back soon- he’s probably just sick. And even if he isn’t, well, we don’t need him anyhow, do we, Henry? So long as we have each other.”

“Hm? Yeah.” Henry didn’t tell Joey that Nathan had made him an offer as well, and that he was beginning to regret not taking it.

After a few days, Joey accepted that Sammy was gone and promoted Jack to the head of the music department. It was better that way, anyhow- Jack wasn’t so demanding, and let Joey have more run of the music room when he wanted it.

For the next decade, things went along as usual. The studio grew, Henry remained Joey’s finest and most hardworking artist, and Joey even began to look into some dark magic that could help him make his vision for the studio a reality. Joey was, however, beginning to feel increasingly alone in his vision. Henry had grown bitter and distant to him over the years, and then quit. It was disappointing, but not a surprise. It left Joey feeling rather empty in the realization of how little he’d lost. The loyal, invaluable partner he’d once had had turned into just another artist years ago.

Joey needed another person who truly understood his vision. Sadly, he didn’t know anyone that could have fit the bill.

And then he found her.

The place he’d found her had been a speakeasy during the prohibition- a hub of all sorts of illegal affairs. Joey had come here for booze and the occasional round of cocaine during the prohibition and had discovered magic that way. Now, the prohibition was over, but criminals still came to peddle their wares, and Joey, a frequent user of magic now, still came to supply himself with books and reagents that couldn’t be found anywhere else. It was a sleazy place- dirty, greasy, full of prostitutes and men who looked like they could rob you. So it didn’t surprise Joey when a woman- mid-twenties, curvaceous, and on the tall side- approached him while he was buying potions. He figured it was just a prostitute trying to find a customer.

“I need three of the generic restorative ones.. And a vial of clean animal blood, and a liter of chloroform, please.”

The woman next to him chuckled. “You know that restorative potions are horrendously marked up, right? And you could get the animal blood... from an animal.”

Looking at the woman for the first time, Joey realized two things. First, the nearly knee-length pink dress and grey leather jacket she was wearing looked far too new and expensive and a bit too modest to be a prostitute’s, and she looked awfully healthy and clean for one. Secondly, he recognized her from somewhere. Still, he wouldn’t let the woman embarrass him. “Well, yes. But I haven’t practiced making my own yet, and I don’t want to test the first few on myself! And I just so happen to have plenty of money for them.”

The woman finally made eye contact with him. Light grey eyes, Joey noted. “Really? So, you been into magic long, Mr…”

“Drew. Joey Drew. And not too long. My specialty is in the demonic, but I’m experimenting with a bit of everything. Trying to figure out what will work with my vision. Yourself? Actually, why don’t we have this conversation somewhere more pleasant.” Joey paid the man for the potions, and the two walked out of the dark alleyway and into the city lights.

“My specialty is potions. I brew my own. I also really like charms.”

Joey’s eyes went wide. “Charms? You criticize me for buying potions, and you buy charms? There’s no way of even knowing if they work!”

“Well, unlike you, I’m not working towards any grand vision. I think charms work. I think they make my life better. And that’s good enough for me. Honestly, some magic users forget that magic is meant to enhance life, not fill some kind of void in it. Heck, I could say the same of some artists.”

“Funny you should mention art. I’m an artist. And my life’s goal is to reflect life in art. It seems we have a similar view on life, don’t we? It’s just that I want to be the one to show it to other people. Say- would you like to see a bit of my vision tonight?”

“Sure!” Allison said with a smile.

Joey took her to his car and held the door open for her.

“Oh. A gentleman. And a rich one, it looks like!”

“Yes. I own one of the greatest animation studios in the world: Joey Drew Studios.”

Allison giggled. “I’m no cartoon expert, but if it’s one of the greatest in the world, then why haven’t I heard of it?”

“Well, it might not be the very best yet, but it will be! Especially once the project I’m about to show you takes off.”

“Great!” Joey could see the excitement in her eyes, and he loved it.

“And what do you do, Ms. Pendle? I feel like we’ve met.”

Allison’s face darkened a little. “Well... I used to be a Broadway performer. I quit. You see, I have an ugly history with cocaine, and some of my coworkers were getting me back into it. I knew I couldn’t stay without it ruining my health... so I didn’t. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, though.”

Joey could remember her now- a backup dancer in one of the plays he’d seen. He committed everything she’d said to memory, knowing it could be useful later on.

Before long, they were at the studio, and Joey showed her to the pedestal room.

“Wow. You got your entire staff to participate in your rituals? That’s amazing.”

“Just a few of them, actually. But yeah, a little power goes a long way when you’re dealing with magic. And this isn’t even half of it. Come. I assume you aren’t a vegetarian witch?”

“Well, I’ve never slaughtered an animal for magic, but I’m up for it so long as it’s not too often. It’s no different than meat, really.”

“Fair enough,” Joey said. Maybe it was stupid to trust this woman that he’d met this same night, but he got a good feeling about her. He just had to share everything with her. The elevator wasn’t romantic enough, so he took her to the ink machine, suspended with chains, and watched the amazement on her face as it lowered until its top was at floor level. Joey stepped onto the machine and pulled Allison along with him. He held her waist as the machine lowered until it hit the floor of the very basement.

“Wait a moment,” he said, before climbing down the machine and running to turn on the lights.

Allison’s heart was beating a million miles a minute looking at all the pentagrams on the floor, the supplies on the shelves, and the strange machinery. A small part of her was glad she’d packed a knife in her jacket pocket, especially given the human-sized iron cages. Mostly, though, she felt like she’d died and gone to magic-user heaven. Joey had thought she wouldn’t be scared off by this, and was more than happy to be proven correct.

“This is amazing!” Allison beamed. “What do you use it for?”

“Well… nothing good, yet. I’m trying to create life, but there’s only been failed attempts. Let you show you my best one.” Joey led her to a supply closet that only he had the keys for. The door opened to reveal a metal cage and little else. When Joey clicked on the lights, a mound of black sludge, maybe a foot and a half tall, made itself visible. A cartoonish mouth floated down about where an ear should be, and two black mounds that vaguely looked like pie-cut eyes rested at its base. “I don’t know what to do to improve results,” Joey admitted. “Ultimately, I want to bring my cartoons into the real world. But can you imagine me presenting this old thing on a stage?” Joey laughed. “Wouldn’t exactly have them cheering, now would it?”

“Hmm... well, it’s a long shot, but a while ago while I was traveling, I stayed with a witch for a while and learned the recipe for a special potion. I kind of... stole the recipe from her, so I don’t know all about how it works, but it’s had all kinds of effects on the substances I’ve used it in in the past. I once burned all my hair off by mixing it with shampoo! So, you wanna to see what happens when you mix it with ink?

“Why not?” Joey said. He was sure to hear an earfull from Thomas the next day about some mechanical nonsense, but at that moment, Joey didn’t care.

“Alright,” Allison said, digging out a small vial of clear liquid from her bag. “Where do I put this?”

Joey directed her to the insertion nozzle. Allison put in the substance. Joey gathered some film of Bendy and added it in as well. And then, Joey started up the machine. What came out was an abomination- a strange, humanoid creature made of ink, its spine and joints jutting out at sharp angles from its body. It had Bendy’s horns, his smile, and one of its gloves, but the similarities ended there. It looked around at its surroundings before beginning to wander off.

Allison yelped. “What do we do? I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be,” Joey said in an extremely calm voice. “Just be calm. Find an iron cage big enough and open it for me.”

Allison did as she was told, and Joey calmly approached the beast as it took in its surroundings. “Hey, there, buddy. Come with me. It’s okay.” He offered the beast his hand and led him towards the cage. He and Allison wrestled the creature into the cage and locked it. Joey sighed in relief. “That could have been ugly.”

“Yeah. That was amazing. But I’m sorry for causing it!”

They made eye contact. “Don’t be! That’s the closest I’ve ever come to making a functional toon! I mean, it still needs something... but thank you.” Joey ran his hand over her arm. “Allison. You can sing, right? You sang on Broadway?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been looking for a person who understood me- this side, the artistic side, the lust-for-life side- for years. Would you like to join my studio as a voice actress and help me with this grand project? Help me to do what no magician has done and create sentient life with me?”

“Yes! I’ve been looking for the next adventure since I quit Broadway!”

She hadn’t hesitated. This could only end well.

“Okay. Now, I’ll want you as a partner in crime and voice actress either way, but would you like to go out to dinner on Friday?”

Allison rolled her eyes. “Oh, well, pentagrams and demonic machines were one thing, but dinner? Now you’ve gone too far.” A pause. “I’m joking, Joey. Of course I will.” Dangerous just so happened to be Allison’s type, and she knew she could handle this little adventure if it turned sour.

[thatonecrookedsmile]

“Dear Henry

It seems like a lifetime since we worked on cartoons together. 30 years really slips away,doesn't it? I hope you are doing well after all these years. I know it's been a long time since we last talked. I would like to apologize for the silence on my part. Things have been pretty busy at the studio lately.

The company has gone through a lot since you left many years ago. You'd be surprised how much things have changed around here.

I assume that when you finally receive this letter,you will be confused,and that you will have many questions popping into your mind. Questions about me,about the studio,and about your old friends you left behind.

You always have questions,and I believe you deserve the truth. After all,the company was,in a way,yours too. I think you would like to know what exactly happened to your colleagues and creations after all these years.

I also believe that it's finally time to put some "unfinished business" between us to rest.

If you're back in town,come visit the old workshop. There's something i need to show you. Your best pal, Joey Drew.”

                                                            -----

And to start the new year,finally,a more recent drawing. Made during the Ink Demonth 2021. (Ok, maybe not that recent)

A "scene" featuring my design of Henry Stein that takes place at the beginning of one of my AU that follows,in a way,the events of the original game (Or at least the key events that happen in each chapter)

Our old man receives a letter from an old friend. Although,in this AU,old Joey's letter is a little different from what we saw in the game. I don't have a problem with the original one,but I thought it would be nice to make things just a little bit different in this case. (Consider these one of the things in my AU that are different from the original game)

It was a lot of fun to redo and expand Joey's letter. It's the first time I've done something like this and I am happy with the end result. 

Although,on the other hand,I don't consider myself a very good "writer". Like,I “write�� (sometimes),but it's usually small stuff and not "big fanfic stuff" you know, and I consider my story writing skills...not so good.

I tried my best not to make the extra writing in the letter too "cheesy" or "cringy" to read. I think it turned out...decent in the end. Maybe it could be better,and maybe I could rewrite it in the future.

I can post the letter separately eventually,idk. We will see.

[inkdemonapologist]

Another Chance AU thoughts

Okay so, I do not have the energy to sit down and WRITE A NARRATIVELY SATISFYING AND COMPELLING FIC of this idea so, for anyone who’s interested! here’s a Long Bullet Point List of my overcomplicated timeline thoughts around the idea I ended up dubbing “Another Chance AU,” the AU where Dot is stuck in a loop and transfers the loop to Buddy, and also some Boris Joey stuff happens later:

THE BUDDY & DOT PART:

This mess begins when Joey does magic bullshit and gets himself stuck in a time loop in 1946. He was trying to go back to fix whatever made the Ink Demon come out wrong, but no matter what he does differently, the loop won’t break, and he just keeps repeating those few months over and over.

Joey does not figure out how to undo the loop, but figures out how to shove it off on someone else, so naturally he shoves it off on this nosy writer intern who seems to be on the verge of figuring out something is up with him every loop (assuming that she’d be stuck looping while Joey just continues with his life)

this does not happen! Joey’s STILL stuck in a loop, just now he’s not steering it, so he doesn’t remember the other loops or what happened in them, just feels certain he’s done this before

(Which might be impacting Joey’s weird reaction to Buddy in DCTL: he vaguely knows Buddy is important and immediately recognises him but doesn’t know why yet)

When Dot gets the loop, it adjusts to her goals -- she’s trying to figure out what the heckie is going on with Sammy Lawrence, so it loops from a bit before his accident to a bit after his attempted ritual, which just happens to be Buddy’s time at the studio.

Dot felt what Joey did to pass the loop to her and knows the loop can be passed off to someone else, but initially is excited by the ability to DO SOMETHING, to make a difference!! Once it starts to seem like things will go wrong no matter what she does, she doesn’t want to doom anyone else to the loop and still thinks it’s her responsibility

She is speedrunning her friendship w/ Buddy by the time DCTL happens, but while she’s run into Sammy every time, the events of DCTL are the first time she’s seen the ink demon herself (since Buddy had to let him out with her key to cause that particular sequence)

Buddy leaving the party to join her during the Sammy encounter, and apologising and telling her that he knew this is where he should be, is the first time Dot’s ever thought that maybe she could trust someone else to help her

When Buddy’s dying she sort of desperately asks if he wants a chance to try again. He’s confused, but accepts, and she transfers the loop to him

He gets the loop before he dies, but it doesn’t actually restart until after he runs off as a Boris -- the piece that’s getting looped for Buddy is a bit before he gets hired at JDS to a bit after he realised Joey was no good, because the goal the loop attaches to for Buddy is to Stop Joey. 

At this point, Dot and Joey both know they’re in a loop but don’t remember what happens. Dot doesn’t fully remember passing the loop to Buddy, but Buddy catches her up on what he’s learned every time they restart so they can work as a team. Meanwhile Joey is trying to figure out who the looper is and how to take back the loop, though he’s starting from scratch every time it resets. The kids don’t know he knows, but sometimes he has scary moments of awareness when Buddy does something too obvious.

Buddy: “What will make it stop... looping?” Dot: “...that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”

DOT AND BUDDY SPEND SOME LOOPS AS TIME TRAVELLING TEENS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THINGS GO DIFFERENTLY. Also maybe sometimes leaving Joey with the check at Sardi’s because like it wont help anything but U JUST WANNA KNOW IF U COULD U FEEL ME,

Buddy refuses to Kill Joey but is very willing to Let Joey Be Hoist By His Own Petard. Joey knows so much that they really need to know in order to fix the mess he’s made, but they can’t trust him with their secret and he NEEDS to be forcefully stopped. So, if he’s turned into a cartoon.... maybe he’d be more willing to work to undo all of this. He’d be stopped, but his knowledge wouldn’t be gone.

Buddy runs through several loops, letting Joey boris him repeatedly so that Dot can get notes on when Joey shows up and how to do the toon ritual so they know how to spring it on Joey instead

ITS PROBABLY VERY DIFFICULT BUT THEY PULL THIS OFF!!! Joey gets Boris’d. P.S. really love the idea of a version of that scene where Buddy wakes up but hasn’t figured out he’s a toon yet, but it’s Joey this time,,,,

Joey is HORRIFIED, and tries to take the loop back, but it breaks -- Maybe because Buddy actually finally succeeded? The short sequence of Joey being run through the machine, waking up as a Boris, and escaping from Buddy and Dot to try to fix things loops a few times and then the magic abruptly pulls all the cartoon nonsense out of the world and the loop ends.

Joey and Sammy and the Demon and the inky sacrifices are nowhere to be found. Buddy and Dot don’t want to mess with the Ink Machine anymore, and they hope the ink is just gone now, but at least they’ve saved so many people who would’ve been dragged into Joey’s nonsense otherwise. They keep an eye on JDS for the rest of their lives.

THE PART WITH JOEY

When Joey tried to take back the loop, to try to undo this Boris thing, it actually did work... but he and Boris are sharing now. They both have the loop, and so it started back as early as it possibly could: with Joey waking up as a Boris. He can’t go back any further, because Boris didn’t exist before then. He can loop the sequence of how to react to Buddy and Dot, but every time he does, Boris gets a little more aware and Joey has less absolute control

Terrified of losing himself to Boris, Joey instead attempts to shove the loop off onto someone else again, the only person he actually really trusted to care about him personally: Henry. He works the spell onto a letter, asking Henry to please stop by in as casual a tone as he can manage and sneaks it into the mail.

Henry sees a letter from Joey and sighs with uncertain, conflicted feelings and doesn’t open it to activate the thing that would shunt the loop onto him for literal years.

So... the loop stops, which is exactly what Joey wanted on any loop but this one. The ink is out of control, and between Sammy and the Ink Demon and Malice, things are going to get bad whether Joey’s helming it or not. Too proud to admit what happened to him but wanting to save the Studio and his reputation from ruin, Joey-as-Boris tries to sort everything out in hiding -- he’s able to magically shove everything into the sketch dimension, but since he’s a toon now, he gets caught in it too.

Ink hell is not particularly kind to Joey. He becomes the safe house Boris, and between Malice’s grief-stricken grudge against him and watching Sammy fall so far with only occasional sparks of the bright musician he used to be, Joey manages to experience a bit of regret for what’s become of these people he really used to like.

When Henry opens the letter years later (after the studio is shut down and Joey is presumed dead I guESS???? maybe that’s what made him finally do it, regretting that he never did before Joey was gone), the loop FINALLY gets handed off to him and BATIM sort of happens, though it’s very different since fewer people were put in the machine and also maybe Joey is the only Boris????????

Joey is really cheered to see Henry but also this is awkward and embarrassing and he doesn’t actually want Henry to know that “Boris” is him, and makes no effort to correct Henry on that point, though he does get weirdly huffy when Henry sighs about all of this being Joey’s fault.

Henry and his New Pal Boris Who Is Definitely Not Joey work together for the most part though, trying to solve this. Joey actually really would like to fix this, and despite being very nervous about all the ink creatures that want him dead, is doing his best to help Henry survive and figure things out. If they fix it and everyone’s back to normal, Henry NEVER HAS TO KNOW THE BORIS WAS HIM

Henry suspects he could give the loop to someone else, and finally he thinks he knows who to give it to -- Bendy. We’ve spent all this time trying to The End him, but cartoons are SUPPOSED to loop; they’re supposed to be replayed and tell the same story again and again, that’s how they stay alive. 

Giving THE INK DEMON control of the loop sounds like the worst idea, but Joey reluctantly trusts Henry and shows him how to pass off the loop (DONT WORRY ABOUT WHY BORIS KNOWS HOW TO DO THIS, HENRY) and he pulls it off -- returning the loop back where it belongs, freeing the toons from our world and in turn, freeing the humans who were changed by them.

As the toons go home, the humans who were changed by the ink are mostly restored but with some leftover Toon Features, escape AU style.... Joey was really hoping he could just show up and thank Henry for his help and pretend he was behind the scenes the whole time until he realises he still has the ears and it’s very obvious where he was the whole time actually

Meanwhile, DOT AND BUDDY HAVE BEEN TRYING EVERY LOOP TO GET BACK TO THE STUDIO AND FIGURE OUT WHY THEY’RE LOOPING AGAIN?????? WHO STARTED THIS UP AGAIN WE THOUGHT WE BROKE THAT, so obviously as soon as the loop is removed from our world Dot and Buddy burst into the studio to find everyone has been set free. Dot, who has been METICULOUSLY FOLLOWING ALL JDS RELATED LEADS since Joey’s disappearance, is able to get a lot of these people back in touch with whatever friends and family are still around.

Most people didn’t know Henry well and go elsewhere, but he does offer to let Joey stay at his place, and Joey accepts, trying to figure out how to be Joey Drew again in a world where he’d kind of rather hide, with ears that give away his emotions and a body that’s constantly hungry. He is...... trying to be better. He knows how badly he treated everyone at JDS and he knows it’s his fault, he deserved what happened to him and also doesn’t fully deserve this second chance, but he’d still rather relocate to the bottom of the sea than have to apologise or fully acknowledge just how badly he’s behaved. ITS.... A WORK IN PROGRESS,,,,

ANYWAY SO THAT’S EVERYTHING IVE PONDERED!!!!! I think the idea is really fun to play with, but I don’t know how much, like, Content I’ll make for it and I don’t think I wanna be sole arbiter of the AU’s canon -- if anyone else wants to run off and play with these ideas, I appreciate a lil shoutout for the inspiration but otherwise U HAVE MY BLESSING TO DO STUFF WITH THIS!

[inkabelledesigns]

Fun with the BATIM Sims (Mermaid Edition!)

So you’re about to get a huge influx of nutcracker content from me, since it’s that time of year and how can I not celebrate. So before I drag you into nutcracker hell and Christmas vibes, let’s take a minute to relax, unwind, and indulge in the chaos that is putting my BATIM cast into the Sims 4.

Surprise! If you’re not familiar with my work here in the Bendyverse, I have two public AUs (and a few private ones). The first is Searching the Depths, a very sequel-oriented plot where Joey is onto phase two now that he has his former employees trapped in the studio. The second is Kraken’s Labyrinth, where the studio crew is now a colorful cast of merfolk (save for Susie and a few other humans), and Henry is hiding on the surface from the King of Atlantis. I just started playing with my Depths cast last night (Bella, Eliza, Bendy as a cat, Joey, and Belphene), but I then made Henry’s immediate family for Kraken (Eliza, himself, Linda, and their husky, Boris). So that’s who we’re mostly gonna focus on today.

It’s no secret that I’ve struggled with designing my cast for a while, but dear gosh has Henry given me a run for my money. I think this design is the first time I’ve had my own that feels right (because let’s be real, @doberart​‘s Henry lives in my head rent free as what I imagine in canon, he’s just too perfect). But then I realized something cursed/blessed when I gave him glasses.

Not only does he have cheesy dad vibes, but he also has Milo Thatch vibes, the main protagonist from my favorite non-musical Disney movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. God dammit, I channeled the nerd from 1914, no wonder I find him charming! X’’D

Eliza also got glasses. I never imagined her with them before, but since I made her as a mermaid rather than a spellcaster this time, I had to forgo the unnatural orange eyes, and this was what made her face look right. It’s kind of a thing across my AUs that Henry and his daughter have the same supernatural looking orange eyes, they’re like amber almost.

Linda on the other hand, oh man, I really had no idea what to do for her. Definitely some wrinkles and glasses, I think it gives her a studious scientist look, which makes sense since she’s a marine biologist in this world (aka, not a mermaid like her husband). The hair was also key. I wanted short and wavy, but not necessarily the classic curls the 40s/50s are known for.

And Boris. Oh my gosh, Boris. I think I captured his essence pretty well. He’s got the traits of lazy, glutton, and loyal, and I think that sums it up decently. He’s a good boy though, lots of affection to be given.

But now for the fun stuff: getting to live out our wildest fantasies for these characters! Exhibit A: 

Henry finally gets to sleep. Truly the most important fantasy from BATIM. 

And they all get to enjoy each other’s company. Henry hasn’t lost his art, Linda’s happy everyone is together, and Eliza is as curious as ever.

She takes after both of her parents. Very smart, but also very creative.

Just seeing Henry in a lifestyle that lets him spend time with his family is really wholesome, and I appreciate the fact that I can enjoy this now. It makes a part of my heart feel very nice. 

And then a vampire showed up. Because it’s the sims. X’’’D He didn’t hurt anyone, but I may need to hang some garlic up.

Also, this right here is because of Linda, and it makes me so gosh darn happy. 

Just bless Henry man. Bless him. But he’s not the only one with a tail that I made. I’ll show you the other one in another post very soon.~

I didn’t take as many screenshots for Depths, since I’m still making their house, but Belphene and Bendy seem to be getting along well. There’s no demons in Sims, so I made her a vampire, and holy heck, I can absolutely see why @startistdoodles​ did that for Hyde. Holy freaking crow, they’re fun to play with! I haven’t figured out how to feed her other than drinking from another sim, so I may have been a butt and had her feed off of Joey. ^^’’’’ He then went to bed while she ran off to troll the internet. Giuseppe kind of deserves it for being a butt, and it’s not unlike her slowly sipping on his soul like a juice box in canon, but still, I feel very guilty that I’m enjoying it. XD Besides that, Bella is doing a lot of readings and Joey likes to play darts. Since I haven’t finished their house, I’m considering making parts of the downstairs look like Joey’s canon apartment, while having upstairs be whatever, but I’m still working that out. What do you think? 

I also should mention that I foolishly (or maybe not so) made these two households on the same save file, so there’s a possibility that they could run into each other, say if I, sent them on vacation, so that’s something to consider. I could also be a dork and send them to survive in Star Wars, the possibilities really are endless here. I like being able to share and talk about this stuff, so thank you guys for indulging me. I hope I can do this every now and again, it’s kinda fun.

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

The sharing bed prompts I loveee that shit. What about “person A hogs all the covers and person B’s solution is to spoon them” and “does that feel good” with Rami as person B?

All right—I took some liberties with this prompt, and while it isn’t smut, it is fluffy and fun. Perhaps there needs to be a Part II, but for now, here you go : )

Y/N is the press tour director for Bohemian Rhapsody, so essentially, she is in charge of the boys. This is totally AU-ish, and this is also the first time I’ve written Joe and Gwil. Forgive me if it’s bad. 

* * * * *

Having been on the road with the boys for several weeks, I knew it was never anything that was going to make my life easier when they started being exhaustingly charming to me and only me.

“Cut the shit, boys. What do you want?”

Rami grinned, but I shook my head, “Nope—don’t try that either. What do you want?”

Rami’s smile faltered, and he sighed. He licked his lips, tucking his bottom one between his teeth, and I turned away, refusing to let any of his ticks affect me now.

Everyone on the tour could see the way we looked at each other, but I had a job to do. Rami was an actor, and this press tour was only going to be one small part of his life. But for me, this press tour’s success could send my name right to the top of the PR list, ensuring I’d never have to work three jobs to make ends meet again.

And no one, no one knew that.

This was Hollywood; people weren’t interested in the rags to riches story anymore. All that mattered was what your life looked like, so I made sure to consistently project a strong, confident woman with nothing to lose.

Except that right now, it sounded like I was going to be forced to make a very difficult decision: to keep up appearances by giving over to the boys’ demands, or to buckle, revealing how much the success of this tour really meant for me.

Joe stepped forward and popped onto the edge of the desk in my hotel room, crossing his legs and changing his voice to a high, nasally pitch.

“Well, ya see Mista Sheffield,” Joe said in his best Fran Fine impression, “as the nanny, it’s clear ya been makin’ these kids work way too hard. If they don’t get a break, it could be very bad for their health—and yours,” he added with a wink.

Sighing, I pushed back from my desk and looked at Joe, who re-crossed his legs and batted his eyes.

“I’ll consider your offer if you put on one of Nanny Fine’s skirts, Mazzello.”

“Uh, did you not see the pictures of us in drag? Only Rami’s got the stems to pull that look off.”

I flicked my eyes over to Rami and he smiled, although it was a shyer smile than usual. However, I didn’t look back at Joe. Rami was almost always the leader of their schemes, so I asked, for the third time, what exactly they wanted.

“Since our stop in the next city has been delayed, we thought we could have some time to . . . explore Italy.”

“And?”

“We want to rent a car—”

You started shaking your head no, but Rami pressed on.

“We want to rent a car and drive. We have plenty of time to get there—”

“And if something goes wrong? My god Rami—we are talking about an extra 48 hours, not a week!”

“Nothing will go wrong. You have my word.”

“Those are the most famous last words in every movie, television show, and novel produced in the last century!” I said, my voice rising as I stood up from the desk chair.

“We’ve already mapped it out and it only takes twelve hours longer than the train you have scheduled,” Rami spoke in a rush, moving to stand in front of me and to grasp my upper arms. “We have our cell phones. And . . .”

“And?” I prompted.

“And you’ll be with us,” Rami finished, his voice low and soothing as his eyes burned into mine.

I had to close my eyes to escape his spell because what he was saying was actually not as unreasonable of a request as I had been sure it was going to be. Backing away from Rami’s grip, I sat down on my bed with a plop.

“What does Gwil say?”

“It was his idea.”

“Oy vey,” I said, flopping back onto the bed.

The bed bounced as Joe landed beside me, perfectly propped up on his elbow.

“Soooo maaaa, what do ya say?”

“If—oof,” I said bouncing as Rami landed on my other side.

“If Joseph Mazzello agrees to never impersonate The Nanny again, we can take the car.”

The boys laugh and plant twin kisses on my cheeks and I give them both a hard shove away from me.

“But if anything, ANYTHING happens, I am holding you, Rami Malek, personally responsible,” I said as I stood up and glowered down at him.

“Ooo, Ram, man. That means she’s docking your pay.”

“Don’t care, Joey!” Rami cried as he exaggeratedly sniffed the air. “Can you smell that?”

“What . . . should I be smelling . . .”

“It’s the smell of FREEDOM!” Rami roared as he thumped Joe on the chest, hard enough to make him groan, then start giggling.

A small wrestling match ensued before I yelled at them to get out before they broke my bed.

“Go tell Gwil the good news,” I begged, making them freeze as Rami’s head poked out from under Joe’s stomach after Joe had pinned him with his entire torso.

They scrambled off the bed, each of them fixing their hair as they hurried out of the room to tell Gwilym the good news.

I sat down on my disheveled bedding and bowed my head, praying to whatever god that would listen for this minor detour to happen without a hitch.

The boys, as high-energy as they could be, had been giving their all at every event and had been working ungodly hours. If I could do this for them, they deserved to enjoy it.

* * * * *

God.

The master of the universe.

The almighty creator.

The powers that be.

The flying spaghetti monster.

It didn’t matter what the higher power I prayed to went by, whoever or whatever it was, hated me.

No.

It loathed me, and I became convinced that it got off on circumventing any possible happiness I could have in my life.

I fought back tears as I followed the boys through the sopping cow field, at least I assumed that’s what it was because it was nearly 2 in the morning and the only lights we had were our dying cellphones (which had no service, of course) and one tiny flashlight that had been jammed between the seat in the back of our too-small rental car.

It certainly smells like a cow field, I thought as my foot landed in something that felt suspiciously more squishy than sopping grass.

We were all damned lucky that we hadn’t had anything other than our pride hurt when a whopping pile of mud from the endless rain slid across the road pushing our car over an embankment and into a field. The car had refused to start, and we waited for over two hours for another vehicle to pass.

It was getting cold, so I finally said, “We can’t wait here all night.”

The boys all looked out the window and into the pouring rain.

“Look at the sign,” Gwil said pointing at something that was on the other side of the immense field. “Looks like a vacancy banner.”

“Like the boss said, we can’t wait here all night. It’s not like a cellphone tower is going to sprout up from all the rain,” Joe said.

“Pop the trunk,” I said, moving to open the door and step out into the rain.

Rami grabbed my arm and spoke in a voice that was heartbreakingly earnest.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“I know,” I said, shaking him off and opening the door.

Luckily, we had all packed light and our bags were easy to carry. Rami tried to take mine and I refused; the last thing I wanted to feel at this moment was like a damsel in distress.

The walk took well over an hour, but it was exactly as Gwil said: a vacancy sign, except that none of us could have predicted that it was a place that made the Bates Motel look like a St. Regis.

We paused despite the pouring rain and looked at each other.

Joe nudged Rami, who faltered, but then took the lead and opened the ratchety front door, a chunk of sopping old paint glopping down on his shoe as he stepped through the doorframe.

We all shuffled in behind him, and it was clear the lobby was not meant for gatherings of people. Gwil and I stood elbow to elbow, a dusty shelf of outdated brochures brushing against my arm.

Rami angled himself forward and rang the rusty bell.

It made a pitiful ding that matched its home.

Rami’s hair was plastered to his head and falling into his eyes. While we waited, he slicked it back and I noticed it was almost long enough to tuck behind his ears when it was wet.

Meanwhile, Joe hadn’t missed the way I watched Rami, even in this dire circumstance. He was one of the many who knew how we felt about each other and he also knew that had been a strong part of the reason for this trip. Rami had confessed to him that he believed if he could get me to forget about the bustle of the tour, even for a day or two, he’d have a shot at figuring out if I was interested in him.

Joe’s insistence that I was just wasn’t enough. Rami wanted to be sure before he made a move, especially if it could mean turning the great dynamic we had established between all of us into something forced and uncomfortable.

“Hit it again,” Gwil said, his normally patient self becoming agitated. He hated to be dirty, and I knew he was thinking about a hot shower.

Hell, I knew we were all thinking about a hot shower.

Rami reached for the bell again, but before he could press it, a very old man shuffled out to the desk, his hoary head not more than a foot taller than the desk itself. He was wrapped up tight in a robe and there were slippers on his feet.

He began speaking in Italian and the dialect was so strong that we all looked at each other in utter confusion.

“English?” Rami asked in a desperate plea.

The old man cocked his head, little wisps of white hair billowing with his movement.

“I’m guessing that’s a no,” Gwil muttered, his voice tired.

“Rami—”

He turned around and looked at me.

“The key hooks on the wall.”

Rami nodded, his mouth puckering as he thought.

“We need rooms for the night,” Rami said, pointing to the keys on the wall. “Uh, camera, per favore.”

The man nodded, “Si, si,” and took two keys off the wall.

He began speaking once more, but Rami pointed to the last key hanging on the wall, trying to get another room in case one of the rooms was too small for all three of the boys to share.

“No, no,” the man said waving the two keys from the wall in front of Rami’s face and speaking some more.

It was clear we were getting the last two rooms the man had.

“La moneta!” he barked when Rami held his hand out for the keys, and we all reached into our bags for whatever we had in Italian currency.

The old man gave us a total and Joe counted it out. After the man recounted the money, he handed the keys to Rami and pointed toward the darkest section of the motel.

Again, we all cast a glance at each other, but once we were back outside in the pouring rain, Rami took the lead and walked off toward the dark rooms.

He tried one key, then the other and reached blindly along the wall for a light switch after the door had creaked open. A single lamp flicked on, and we were greeted by the smallest room I had ever seen. There was an ancient television propped up on a stand, one chair, and one bed that looked to be no bigger than an extra-large twin.

Rami glanced at me, then hurried to the next door, shaking the key furiously in the lock to get the door to open.

It was the same room, right down to the extra-large twin bed.

Rami looked at Joe and Gwil and said, “I don’t suppose the three of us could—”

“Oh for pete’s sake, Rami. Come on,” you said tugging his jacket’s sleeve and hauling him back into the other room.

Joe and Gwil exchanged a look, and despite their exhaustion, smiles crept across their faces.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Rami turned around and locked the chain.

With a sigh, he started to apologize again, but I cut him off.

“Rami—no one could have predicted this would happen. I’m sure we will laugh about this . . . if we don’t get axe murdered in the night.”

“Did you ever see that episode of the Twilight Zone where—”

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare plant some freaky image in my mind before we have to try to fall asleep.”

Rami gave me a small smile before he finally dropped his soaked bag on to the floor.

“We may have to wring out all our clothes,” he said frowning with disgust at his wet luggage.

“First, I’m taking the hottest shower in history,” I said, marching into the bathroom, then proceeding to scream as I collided face to chest with a mostly naked Gwilym.

Rami and Joe both burst in from their doors, and then they started laughing.

“Your faces,” Joe squeaked out.

Gwil and I looked at each other and broke, laughing until we cried at the absurdity of the entire situation.

Ever the gentleman, Gwil offered the bath, and yes, it was an old clawfoot bathtub, not a shower, first.

“No—you go for it,” I said patting his shoulder and following a still chuckling Rami out of the door who was swiping at the tears that had leaked down his cheeks during his laughing fit.

I collapsed onto the uncomfortable, putrid yellow chair, a puff of laughter escaping in intermittent bursts as I remembered the feeling of my nose colliding with Gwil’s chest.

“Damnit,” I growled, leaning back in the chair.

“What is it?” Rami asked from the seat he had taken across from me on the edge of the bed.

“My shoe strings are so wet I can’t untie them and my shoes are too tight to kick off.”

“Let me try,” he said, moving to kneel in front of my shoe. “Wow—okay. That’s definitely cowshit.”

Laughter burbled up from my throat again as I stared at Rami’s fingers working my shit-covered laces, and he looked up at me, his nose crinkled, his hair a mess, and I laughed harder until he joined in.

“When you win an Oscar for Freddie, I’m going to remember this moment,” I said, smiling down at him as he freed my right foot.

“Shut up,” Rami said with a smile. “Never gonna happen.”

“Why are you so afraid to let yourself want it?”

“For the same reason you’re so afraid this tour will be a disaster,” Rami finished with a grunt as he freed my left foot and sat back on his butt, getting ready to work his own tennis shoes off.

“What?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rami wiped his fingers on the shins of his soaked pants and looked up.

“You’re not the only one who came from almost nothing, Y/N. We recognize our own kind in this world.”

“But—”

“My parents worked really hard to make sure we had opportunities, but that was about all we had.”

“I didn’t know.”

Rami and I looked at each other, and for the first time I realized what we had in common: an insatiable hunger, a need to prove ourselves.

I know it seems like it only happens in the movies, but as soon as I made that realization, it was like a jolt of electricity went through my body. I had never wanted to kiss someone more than I did in that moment, and just as I was about to drop to the floor and close the distance, Gwil knocked from inside the bathroom.

“Your turn, Y/N!” he called.

I shook my head and stood up, hurrying into the bathroom.

By the time we had all rotated through, Joe going last and informing us with a loud, “Yikes!” that the hot water was all gone, I was exhausted and settled under the minimal covers on the bed.

Rami had been sitting in the yellow chair for the past half an hour, trying to get his cellphone to work.

“We’ll use the phone at the front desk in the morning,” I mumbled sleepily. “Let’s get some rest before the rooster crows. Cuz I guarantee there’s one roaming around out there unless the axe murderer was in the mood for chicken.”

Rami’s laughter was soft as he rose up from the chair and walked over to the light switch.

“Should we leave it on?”

“Try it.”

Rami flicked the switch and the room was plunged into darkness, but after a few moments, it was clear that the light from the vacancy sign was going to shine right through the damn-near sheer curtain covering the window.

“I think we’re okay—you locked the door, right?”

Rami fumbled along the door and double checked.

“Yup.”

I listened as he made his way back to the bed and he shuffled some sort of item of clothing off. When his cold feet accidentally connected with mine, I knew it was his socks.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Can’t stand to sleep with socks on.”

“Me either,” I said to the wall I was facing.

Rami moved around in the bed, attempting to get comfortable and to keep an appropriate distance between our bodies, but when I moved, he gasped as all the covers moved with me.

“Sorry,” I groaned.

“I think this bed is clearly meant for one person.”

“Or two people as tiny as that old man.”

Rami chuckled, and then he sighed.

“There’s a solution . . . if you’re okay with it.”

“Lay it on me, Ram.”

Rami said nothing, but he rolled onto his side and pressed his body into my back. He adjusted his arms, eventually resting his left hand in the dip at my waist.

“At least I’m getting warmer now,” I said sleepily.

Rami took that as an invitation and snuggled in deeper, sliding his arm all the way over my waist so he could spoon me.

“I really am sorry for all of this,” Rami whispered into the back of my neck.

“I’m not,” I said, reaching for his hand and pulling it up between my breasts so I could clutch it to my chest.

Rami hummed contentedly, and we both drifted off to sleep.

[adobe-outdesign]

BATDS Update Liveblog

I was debating on whether or not to liveblog this, but it seems more substantial than the original release so I guess I will. Spoilers under the cut.

Unfortunately I did spoil myself in regards to Milla being Alice, but I do like the bit of foreshadowing with her voice - you can still tell it’s Lauren doing it, and Susie being a VA means that doing other voices is her thing. it’s a nice touch.

I’m confused on what Boris is doing with the corpses. I’m assuming he’s opening their ribs, but they’re already open? And it doesn’t make sense as to why there’s tapes there (okay, maybe Millia’s makes sense, but I’m assuming other character’s tapes can spawn as well).

I like that you can pick up the hearts and Norman just kind of yells at you but doesn’t even bother hunting you down

is there any point to these wall holes? they just seem to be there for no reason

just gonna headcanon that Susie’s father actually was a butcher and she figured she’d work that into her fake backstory

Kind of concerned about that one Wally tape because it mentions the ink moving like in DCTL. Unlike the infections, the Venom shit just... does not work or add anything to the plot, and I’m hoping it won’t be a major plot element here or in BATDR (though I don’t mind the ink seeming to move a little, it’s more when it’s just straight-up conscious that shit starts getting kind of stupid)

I realize Milla’s just Alice trying to... lure in Boris, I’m guessing? But I do wish her tapes had more variety. They’re all just “this fucking sucks save me” and it’s starting to get repetitive.

Then again, it is kind of clever foreshadowing, given that they’re all fake. Makes sense for Alice to ham it up.

I’m assuming the Alice ending is an alternate ending and not canon? would be kind of fun plot twist though if she steals the heart of this Boris and it turns out this was a previous Boris living in the safehouse, and ours doesn’t move in until after this one dies. Then again, the sound of Henry entering the studio doesn’t make a lot of sense if it doesn’t happen anytime soon after this.

BATIM now has FNAF-style jumpscares

it amuses me that boris runs out of stamina by running for like 5 seconds. does he have the metabolism of a hummingbird

I wish the jumpscares were more creative. They’re kind of awkwardly animated and pretty generic

alice recording these like “Boris I swear to god get your bitch ass over here or I’ll hunt you down and disembowel you myself”

AND BEHIND DOOR A IS... A NEW CARE

why was Alice just sitting behind this door anyway. how long was she waiting back there for boris to finally find the damn key

(also that’s kind of funny if he is wally adkflj)

I really like the attention to detail here - might make a post about this, but Alice’s dialogue indicates she used to be more deformed, and has slowly been fixing herself with the hearts. Sure enough, this a prequel, and Alice does look more deformed. It’s good lorebuilding and attention to detail.

and while it makes sense for her to be less deformed, I’ve always wanted to see a more monstrous version of her. This delivers nicely, 10/10

so she doesn’t... kill him? what the hell was the point of that then? esp because she just... sat there and let him leave when it should have been stupidly easy to close the door on him?

also, why in the piss does Alice not kill him when he’s in the station? Bendy seems to be implied to not do it because he enjoys fucking with people, Norman’s mindless, but Alice knows he’s in there and has no reason not to grab him. I know the technical reason is “gameplay” but it feels sloppy.

or she looks exactly the same and that illustration was just stylized. fuck me I guess

boy oh boy it sure is suspicious that the game just happens to be comparing Boris’ score to Wally’s score and is possibly a game he himself made and it’s one of the main things you have to unlock

I’m going to read some transcripts of tapes because it’s gonna be hard to find them in Let’s Plays. hopefully I’ll hear them while watching later or someone will comp together a video of them all, but for the sake of liveblogging I’ll just read for now.

I’m genuinely curious as to why Thomas would steal from Shawn. He doesn’t have a reason to, and it doesn’t seem in-character for him. I smell shenanigans

I’m wondering if this “Nathan” dude is the Unknown tape from BATDR? He doesn’t have a South American accent but it’s not clear if Nathan was born in South America or just moved there. I’m mostly wondering because he and Joey are friends, Joey specifically called on him to help out (which he didn’t apparently), and Unknown knows about the studio and seems to have almost taken over at some point (if it’s an AU or something). And I don’t know why else they’d bring up a new character unless it dies into BATDR somehow.

Final Thoughts:

The good:

They did a really good job improving on this game.- the original wasn’t really bad, it was just a solid Meh. This actually has a bit of plot, more interesting character tapes that actually have meaning, and more lore. I didn’t bother buying the original because it didn’t really seem all that interesting, but now I probably will grab the mobile version.

Hearing from old characters again

Getting to face off against more canon enemies rather than just Bendy

Something resembling a plot

The bad:

The subplot with Millie was clever and interesting... but it feels pointless because it doesn’t amount to shit. I mean, Alice chases you afterward, but that could have happened without that subplot and it would’ve made just as much sense. And like I mentioned earlier, Boris escaping in the first place doesn’t really make sense and feels like it only happened because this is a prequel.

Some things, like Alice not entering the Miracle Stations, feel like they exist only for the gameplay and are pretty sloppy. Environmental storytelling doesn’t really work if things only happen for the sake fo gameplay and nothing else.

It doesn’t really... end? We’ll see if future updates keep adding to it, but the original, while not technically “ending”, had a resolution with Boris remembering who he was briefly and Henry entering the studio, even if you could keep playing afterward. Here, it feels like the Alice part should have been the ending... but then it introduces another character and keeps going for another round, except when you complete that nothing actually... happens. It’s weird.

So basically, this was a pretty solid update.and a surprising improvement on the original. Would recommend.