#STILL! it was a lot of work to make the background look like that. lots of scrapped trees and colors and whatever

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Just Another Typical Day

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Summary: It's just another typical day living and working with the Thunderbolts* and also dating Bucky Barnes.

WARNING: THUNDERBOLTS* SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

"Wakey wakey! Time to start the day!" Alexei enters your shared room with Bucky at the New Avengers Tower. His loud Russian accent echoing throughout the room, "Up and at 'em, as you Americans like to say, eh?" The Red Guardian leaves as quick as he comes in.

You pull the blankets over you and Bucky and curl into his side, "I thought he'd tire of that by now," you grumble, nuzzling your face into his neck.

Bucky sleepily chuckles, "Same, we greatly underestimated him."

"Yup," you lean in to kiss him, but there's a knock at the door this time and you hear Yelena say, "You two better come out soon. You know how Alexei gets when it comes to breakfast."

Bucky groans, "Maybe I should've kept my place in Brooklyn."

"Yeah, maybe," you giggle and kick off the blanket and sheets. You and Bucky made sure to start sleeping with clothes on after Alexei had barged into your room while you two were naked far too many times.

You two quickly dress and step out into the hall, the same time Bob steps out of his room. You bump shoulders with him, "Mornin', Robby."

He shyly smiles and nods, "Y/N, Bucky. Morning." Despite knowing and living with the guy for a little over a year, he's still very shy with you and the rest of the New Avengers.

You all meet in the kitchen where everyone is spread out doing their own task of cooking breakfast.

Today, John is at the stove cooking the bacon, Ava is making omelets, Bob and Yelena are working together to make French toast.

"Just in time! Bucky and Y/N, you'll cut the fruit for the fruit salad!" Alexei gestures to the section on the large kitchen island where an array of fruits are spread out.

Alexei considers breakfast and dinner time as family time. Therefore, he makes sure everyone cooks and eats together like a family. Everyone except for him because, despite his good intentions, he's not very good at cooking. Therefore, the Red Guardian sits back and lets everyone else do the work while he scrolls on his phone.

You and Bucky stand beside each other, cutting your respective fruits and tossing them into the large bowl. Bucky hums to the music softly playing in the background and you sway to the music.

You also hear Ava and John arguing at the stove, "I just don't understand how you don't like scrambled eggs?" Ava says in disbelief.

"I just don't like the texture!"

"Most people usually say that about sunny side eggs."

"Well I'm not most people!"

You tune them out because arguments and bantering is very typical with this group. You weren't there when the group was first formed, but you take everyone's word for it when they say that they all tried to kill each other in the beginning.

Honestly sometimes it still seems like they're trying to kill each other.

You clear your throat and speak up, "So, John, you excited for visitation in a few days?"

John's wife, Olivia, had filed for divorce and got full custody of their son. Bucky smirks at you, you often played mediator when members of the group began to argue.

John clears his throat, "Yeah. I'm meeting them at the park again. He-He's getting used to me again, which is nice."

You nod, "One step at a time. Just gotta continue to show that you still love and care for him. You got this."

"Thanks," John murmurs.

"Dang it," you hear Bob say and you look to the other side of the kitchen island. He has egg all over his hand.

Yelena chuckles, "It's okay. At least you got it in the bowl this time."

"You good, Robby?" you ask him with a smile.

Bob sighs, "I've been watching a lot of cooking shows recently so I wanted to try cracking an egg with one hand."

You chuckle, "Not everyone gets it on the first try. Bucky sucks at cracking eggs. Gets shell bits in 'em every single time." You look at your boyfriend with a teasing smirk.

Bucky groans, "Must you always-"

"Yes, because it's funny and adorable," you kiss his cheek and it makes Yelena gag.

"You two are cute and disgusting. I hate you guys."

You throw her a wink, "Love you too, Lena."

The rest of breakfast prep continues with more banter and a few burnt bacon strips, but, overall, a success.

Everything is plated on the table that you're all sat around. Bucky serves you your food first then grabs his own food. You all eat and chat with each other, enjoying the normal morning you have before the business of work and saving the day hits you all.

You look around the table with a grateful gleam in your eyes. You're happy you joined this band of misfits turned heroes.

(A/N: AVENGERS TOWER FICS ARE SOOOOO BACK!)

[better-setterv2]

𝒯𝒶𝒾𝓁𝑜𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑜

Authors Note: Hi All! Wow. Lewis Hamilton absolutely slayed this look! I should be studying for an exam right now but I couldn’t help but write something for the Met Gala 2025. I hope you all enjoy! Lots of love xx

Summary: Lewis Hamilton and his girlfriend share an intimate reveal of their outfits before making a stunning entrance at the Met Gala, capturing the spotlight with their love and style.

Warnings: mentions of sexual content

Taglist: @hannibeeblog

MASTERLIST

࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊

The morning sun filtered through sheer curtains, casting warm golden streaks across the hotel room. The air was still quiet, humming softly with the calm before chaos.

You stirred awake to the steady rhythm of Lewis’s breathing, his body curled behind yours, arm slung over your waist, holding you like something he couldn’t afford to lose.

You didn’t move for a long time. Just laying there, pressed against him, listening to the world spin slowly outside while his presence grounded you. In these rare hushed moments, Lewis wasn’t the 7x Formula 1 World Champion, the activist, the fashion icon. He was just yours. And you were his.

A sleepy kiss pressed to your bare shoulder made you smile.

“You’re awake,” you whispered.

“Mhm,” he mumbled, voice rough with sleep. “Been awake. Just didn’t want to let go.”

You rolled over gently to face him, fingers sliding between his multiple braids that framed his face. His eyes blinked open, warm and full of something deeper than just affection. Something heavier, quieter.

"Big day," you said, brushing a thumb across his cheekbone caressing it.

"Biggest," he replied. “But not because of the carpet. It’s because I get to walk in with you.”

He said it so casually, but the words hit you like a warm wave. You kissed him, soft and unhurried. Your hand sliding to rest on his bare chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath your palm. He rolled over you delicately, pinning you beneath him with a smile that was both teasing and reverent.

“Do we have time for” he trailed off, nuzzling into your neck, “just a little more?”

You laughed, pulling him down into another kiss, slow and languid. Time stretched and folded into itself. Even if the world outside demanded perfectly tailored tuxedos and curated appearances.

This moment was gloriously undone, just the two of you tangled up in sheets and skin. Whispering promises and breathless giggles between kisses that lasted too long.

When the knock at the suite door finally broke the spell, it was with an audible sigh that Lewis rolled away, mumbling, “Why can’t the Met Gala be tomorrow?”

࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊

The room buzzed with an intensity that almost felt electric. Stylists, assistants, and fashion press worked tirelessly to prepare the final touches for the Gala.

A mix of anticipation and excitement filled the air, but amid the controlled chaos, there was a quiet understanding between you and Lewis.

Both of you had decided to get ready separately, not out of superstition but because you wanted to preserve the sacredness of the moment when you saw each other for the first time. Fully dressed, in your Gala attire. No cameras, no flashes just the two of you. In a private world of your own. It would be a reveal just for you.

Your dressing room was a sanctuary of elegance. Soft, golden light filtered through the windows. Bathing the room in a warm, almost ethereal glow. The air was thick with the scent of perfume, freshly pressed fabric, and the soft sound of music playing in the background - classical, yet full of emotion.

You stood in front of a full-length mirror, a whirlwind of stylists and assistants working around you, their hands moving in rhythm as they made their final adjustments.

Your gown was custom, of course. It was everything you had imagined and more. The color was a stunning shade of bronze silk, so rich it almost seemed to glow under the lights. The fabric shimmered with every subtle movement, as though it had a life of its own. The corseted bodice fit your frame perfectly, hugging your figure with a sculpted precision that felt like second skin. The waist was cinched in just enough to create an hourglass silhouette, while the skirt billowed outward, its shape reminiscent of the regal gowns worn by queens of centuries past. The way it moved, catching the light and swaying ever so slightly made you feel like royalty.

But what truly set the gown apart were the intricate details. Geometric embroidery, inspired by African diasporic design, was woven into the fabric in rich metallic threads, glistening with every angle. The embroidery wasn’t just a decorative touch.

It was a bold statement, a celebration of culture, history, and tradition. It felt like the very embodiment of power and beauty, as if you were wearing not just a piece of art though a piece of your own heritage.

You caught sight of yourself in the mirror and for a moment, you almost didn’t recognise the woman staring back. There was something about the attire that transformed you. It wasn’t just the design or the craftsmanship, it was the way it made you feel. Empowered. Strong. Confident.

Lewis had introduced you to the designer and you could see now why he had been so adamant about this specific choice. He wanted you to feel more than beautiful. He wanted you to wear something that spoke to your strength, to your identity and to who you were at your core. The designer had crafted a piece that was a perfect blend of tradition and rebellion, history and modernity, just like you.

"He's going to lose it when he sees you," your stylist whispered, her voice filled with admiration as she pinned the final piece of fabric into place. "You’re going to take his breath away."

You felt a warmth spread through you, a flutter of nerves mixed with excitement. The idea of revealing yourself to Lewis, of showing him what he had helped create felt almost surreal.

You could already picture his reaction. The way his eyes would light up when he saw you, the soft intake of breath, the way he always looked at you like you were the only person in the room. But most of all, how everything else fell away when he focused on you.

For just a moment, the world outside your dressing room seemed to disappear. The buzz of the fashion press, the voices of assistants in the hallway and the chaotic energy of the event. Everything was muted. It was just you, this gown, and the promise of a moment that would belong only to the two of you.

You ran your fingers over the delicate fabric one last time, feeling the weight of its significance. It was the culmination of your journey with Lewis, of the moments you had shared, of the power and love you had found together.

And in that quiet sacred moment, as you prepared to step into the world of the Met Gala. You couldn’t help but think that this moment would be one you’d carry with you forever.

࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊

The moment finally arrived.

You knocked softly on the adjoining door between your suites. “Ready?”

There was a brief pause, then Lewis’s voice, warm yet playful, “Only if you are.”

You smiled to yourself and pushed open your door just as he opened his, and time seemed to stop.

There he stood, every inch the vision of class and style. He was dressed in a bespoke cream suit designed by Wales Bonner, tailored to perfection. The suit clung to his form with a sharpness that seemed almost sculpted, its rich texture telling stories of past generations while pointing toward the future. His accessories - gold pins gleaming against the cream fabric, stacked rings that caught the light, delicate chain links that added an elegant rebellion to the whole ensemble came together like a quiet revolution in fashion. It was a bold statement, one that demanded attention without shouting.

He looked like the future, wrapped in the finest memories of the past.

And there you were, standing before him in your custom bronze silk dress, glowing with an ethereal radiance. The gown hugged your figure and billowed elegantly, the intricate embroidery shimmering with a life of its own. The light caught your skin and for a fleeting moment, you were both in a world of your own an artwork brought to life.

“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath blinking rapidly, as though he’d forgotten how to breathe in the face of such beauty.

You couldn’t help but smile, your steps slow and deliberate as you walked toward him, savoring the moment. “Good wow, or too much?”

He laughed, his voice full of disbelief, still unable to tear his eyes away from you. “There’s not enough language in the world for what kind of wow this is.”

Your arms slid gently around his neck, drawing him closer as you leaned into him, your body fitting seamlessly against his. “You clean up pretty well too, Mr. Hamilton,” you teased softly, your lips brushing against his ear.

He grinned, his hands finding their way to your waist as he tilted his forehead against yours. The quiet intimacy of the moment hung between you two like a secret, just the two of you in this space. “You make me wanna skip the carpet, you know that?”

Your heart swelled at his words, a rush of warmth and affection flooding through you. You kissed him softly, lips lingering as if savoring the moment. The taste of him lingering on your tongue. “Let’s give them something to talk about first,” you whispered against his mouth.

And with that, you pulled back the connection lingering between you even as you straightened. The anticipation of what was to come humming in the air. Together, hand in hand you stepped into the world awaiting you - ready to turn heads and ready to be unforgettable.

࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊

The limo ride was a soft, velvet pocket of quiet between the chaos. You sat beside him hand resting on his thigh, your fingers intertwined.

He watched you from the corner of his eye, unable to stop himself. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

You turned to face him, blushing. “You say that now.”

“No, I’ve seen podiums, wins, thousand camera flashes. But this?” He lifted your hand to his lips. “This is everything.”

Your gaze softened. “I know tonight is huge for you. I just want you to be proud.”

He leaned in and kissed you. Deep, grounding. “I already am.”

Loud yells and cameras clicking could be heard outside the limo. The slick black car rolled up to the Met Gala before stopping.

When you stepped out of the car, the world erupted.

Flashes exploded like fireworks. Reporters screamed your names. The red carpet was transformed into a living runway, but you two walked it like you owned it.

Lewis kept you close, one hand on the small of your back with an expression proud and protective.

Everywhere you looked, people stared. Some with admiration while some with envy. You weren’t just guests. You were the couple. The moment.

@NYCFashionWatch: “Lewis Hamilton and his stunning girlfriend are the blueprint tonight. Tailored excellence and bronze royalty. #MetGala2025”

@F1InsiderBuzz: “They said power couple, and they meant it. Lewis Hamilton serving cream couture, his partner redefining grace.”

@BlackStyleArchives: “Lewis and his partner pay homage to Black elegance through tailoring and textile. This is more than fashion. This is narrative.”

@VogueOfficial: “We have to talk about the chemistry. The styling. The hands never letting go. The looks exchanged. The whispering smiles. It’s romance, but it’s also power.”

Backstage, stylists and other guests approached the two of you with warm smiles and hushed compliments.

“I’ve never seen him like this,” one editor whispered to you as Lewis stepped away to speak to a designer. “He’s softer. Brighter.”

You glanced toward him, watching as he laughed warmly with one hand still subtly reaching for you.

“He’s just himself,” you said. “All of him.”

࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊

The theme Lewis had co-chaired “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, was alive in every curated corner of the Met.

Lewis walked you through the exhibition with the quiet awe of someone who had helped build it from concept to creation. His hand rarely left yours, his voice dipping to a near whisper when he leaned in to share details about specific pieces.

“That one’s inspired by Dapper Dan’s original Harlem cuts,” he said, nodding toward a sharply shouldered double breasted jacket displayed in a glass case. “No label. No runway. But it turned the world upside down.”

He paused at a minimalist charcoal suit designed by Bianca Saunders. “She’s the future,” he said. “Structure, soul and softness too. I love how it folds, almost like origami.”

You looked at him then, not just at his words but the way he stood. Shoulders straight, fingers gently brushing the edge of a plinth like he was touching memory itself. His passion for what this night meant was written in the way he held space for each garment, each stitch.

Every few moments, he turned to you, eyes warm. “This one,” he murmured once, standing before a velvet frock coat hand embroidered with ancestral symbols, “this one I want to show my mum. She’d cry.”

People floated by, murmuring greetings and admiration. Journalists, designers, museum curators. But you and Lewis moved like the eye of the storm still, centred and deeply connected in the whirl of celebration.

And then came the cameras again.

Not the frenzied clicks of paparazzi, but the poised intentional elegance of Vogue, Getty and Vanity Fair. Followed by the host of other publications capturing the official portraits inside the Met.

“May we get the two of you here?” someone from the Cut asked politely, gesturing toward a marbled archway beneath soft amber light.

Lewis glanced at you with a subtle nod. “Let’s give them a show.”

He pulled you gently to him, one hand settling on your waist, the other holding yours just so elegant and firm. You tilted your head slightly toward him, the curve of your lips soft but confident. As the camera clicked, your eyes found his.

And that’s when it happened, the moment.

A brief flicker of something unspoken passed between you. Love, pride, history, maybe even a quiet rebellion. And the photographers caught it.

Lewis with his jaw slightly clenched, standing tall in his cream suit. You regal and glowing in bronze beside him, your hands perfectly clasped between you.

The next shot was a little more relaxed. You turned to him with a smirk as he dipped his head to whisper something only you could hear. You laughed softly, leaning into him.

Click. Flash.

You posed for more, shifting from classic to casual. One photo had you seated beside each other on a velvet ottoman. His hand resting on your thigh, your fingers loosely laced with his, your gown cascading in a pool of silk. Another showed Lewis fixing the single curl that had fallen near your eye while you watched him with visible affection.

@VogueRunway: “Tailored storytelling. Hamilton and his partner exemplify everything the 2025 Met Gala aimed to celebrate: legacy, craftsmanship, and unmistakable connection.”

@Essence: “The intimacy. The elegance. The statement. Lewis Hamilton and his partner didn’t just arrive. THEY embodied.”

As the Met wore on, the gala unfolded in waves of live performances, curated cocktails and speeches about representation in fashion. But no matter where you moved, Lewis always found you in the crowd.

Between poses, he kissed your knuckles. Between conversations, he leaned close to ask if you were okay. During the speeches, his fingers remained gently curled around yours.

At one point, a photographer caught you two standing alone in front of a towering black and gold tapestry that mirrored the patterns embroidered into your gown. The lighting framed you like royalty with Lewis whispering something in your ear, your eyes crinkled in laughter, the champagne in your hand forgotten.

That image would later go viral, dubbed by Twitter as - “The Met’s most iconic candid. Not just a look. A love story in motion.”

The rest of the evening blurred in art and elegance, but the thread never snapped between you. You were each other's constant, each other's mirror, muse and memory.

࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֶ 𓂃࣪𓏲ᥫ᭡ ₊

Back at the hotel room, the atmosphere shifted. The bustling energy of the Gala had given way to a soft, intimate quiet moment of just the two of you in a world of your own. The luxury of the night was still present, but now it felt like a backdrop. Almost like a memory waiting to be tucked away as you peeled away the layers of opulence.

You started with your dress, slowly unzipping it. The fabric, once fitted perfectly to your body now slipped from your skin with a soft sigh. Pooling onto the floor in a heap of bronze silk and intricate lace.

The contrast between the elegant exterior and the warmth of your bare skin was almost poetic. You felt an overwhelming sense of freedom. No cameras, no lights, just you and him, as raw as it could get.

Lewis stood behind you, watching every movement. His eyes filled with a quiet admiration that made your chest tighten. As your gown fell, you turned to him, your gaze locking for a moment. His hands moved toward you, fingers grazing the curve of your waist.

He stepped closer, eyes never leaving you. Delicate lingerie covered you and that felt like the only real thing in the room, Lewis’s gaze never wavered. His breath caught in his throat as he took you in, your bare skin and every curve. He looked at you like he was seeing the most breathtaking masterpiece, yet with so much admiration and tenderness that it made your heart flutter.

You reached for him, gently slipping his tuxedo jacket from his shoulders, fingers grazing the smoothness of his suit. The material felt cool beneath your fingertips as you undid his cufflinks one by one before finally removing the shirt that clung to his body like a second skin. When it fell to the floor, revealing the taut muscles beneath, you couldn’t help but admire the quiet strength in him. Everyone about him so sculpted, yet so unassuming.

With a soft gasp, you leaned forward your lips brushing against the smoothness of his collarbone, feeling the heat radiating from his body. His hands cupped your face, guiding you back to meet his gaze. His eyes were darker now, focused only on you, though softness was there, an affection so deep it made you melt inside.

He kissed you then, slow and deep. Lips moving against yours like they had all the time in the world. The kiss was full of everything you had shared tonight, the glamour, the adrenaline and the electric energy of the world watching. But it was also full of something so personal, something between the two of you that no one else could touch.

“I know we were dressed for the cameras tonight,” Lewis whispered between kisses, his voice rough with his lips trailing across your jaw and down your neck. “But every time I looked at you, I forgot the world was watching.”

His words sent a shiver through you, making your heart race. You pulled him closer, your bodies pressed together now. Fingers threading through his braided hair. You didn’t need to say it, but you felt the truth of it in every inch of your skin. Here, in this moment it was just you and him. No one else.

You smiled against his lips, your fingers trailing down his tattooed chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. “That’s okay,” you murmured softly. “I only saw you too.”

He paused for a heartbeat, his forehead resting against yours as if absorbing the weight of your words. The quiet tenderness in the space between you was so palpable. But Lewis’s hands began to roam over your back gently guiding you toward the bed, where the sheets awaited soft and inviting.

As you lay down together, everything in the room felt suspended. Like time had decided to slow down just for the two of you. Lewis’s lips found yours again, but this time it was different. It wasn’t rushed or eager, it was a slow lingering kiss, as though he was savoring every moment.

Your hands roamed over him, tracing the familiar yet always thrilling planes of his body. Feeling the heat radiating from his skin as if he was a flame that you couldn’t stay away from. The air around you was thick with the electricity of desire, but it wasn’t just physical it was the culmination of every glance, every smile, every word you’d shared. It was the connection, the intimacy that no spotlight or flashing camera could capture.

His lips trailed down your neck, pausing over your pulse point, kissing softly before moving lower, drawing delicate patterns on your skin. Your breath caught as his hands caressed your sides, pulling you even closer as his body hovered above yours. His warmth enveloping you completely.

In this space, there were no barriers. There were no cameras flashing. Just the two of you, skin and heart tangled in a dance that was yours alone.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Lewis whispered against your lips, his voice thick with emotion. His forehead resting against yours as his hand caressed your cheek. “No matter what the world thinks, it’s just us.”

The words felt like a promise, a quiet vow. And in that intimate silence as his hands traced the lines of your body with so much care and love. You knew this was real. This moment, this connection, nothing else mattered.

Your hands tugged at his waist, pulling him closer, feeling the warmth of his skin and steady rhythm of his breath. The space between you didn’t exist anymore. It was only love.

[whumpsday]

Flatline

@medwhumpmay Day 4

Medwhump May Masterlist

content: grief, monster whumpee, referenced terminal illness, caretaking, angst

-

The night after she watched her best friend die in front of her, she appeared right in front of her door. The ding of the doorbell seemed to drag out, ringing in Caretaker’s ears just like the heart monitor had as she stared at the thing wearing Whumpee’s face.

Because whatever it was, it was certainly not the woman she’d seen flatline less than 24 hours ago.

“Caretaker?” it asked, its voice small and meek like it never was. “Can I come in?”

The doorbell and the flatline sang together, harmonizing in the distance like background music.

“Okay.” She didn’t know why she said it. It came out flat, her words failing to pick any emotion with all the options it had.

“Thank you!” The thing that was not Whumpee strolled into her apartment like it belonged there, far too agile for the frail, skeletal body it had stolen from Whumpee. “I’m really hungry. Can I have something to eat?”

Caretaker nodded in a daze. “Is ramen okay?”

“I love ramen.” It said it like it was reciting a memorized fact, plopping itself down at the kitchen table.

With that, Caretaker got to work, rotely pulling the noodles from the cabinet and starting a pot boiling, two bowls ready and waiting.

She was silent, and the thing followed her lead, waiting pleasant and smiling at the table. It kicked its feet absentmindedly, looking around at her kitchen like it had never seen it before.

“You’re not very good at this,” Caretaker noted. “You could at least try a little harder.”

Not-Whumpee flinched like it had been slapped. “What?”

“I mean, you’re not even acting like her.” She dumped the noodles into the water.

The thing slowly rose from its seat. “Should I go?” it asked, its smile gone now, its voice back to that timid little thing.

Caretaker shrugged. “I’m already making the ramen.”

Just as slowly, Whumpee sat back down. It only had eyes for Caretaker now, its flitting glances gone, quiet again.

She decided to top the bowls with some soft-boiled eggs she had in her fridge, serving Whumpee before sitting down across from it.

Whumpee dove into the bowl, eating ravenously, like it had been starved for weeks. It shoveled the noodles into its mouth, its jaw just a little wider than it should have been. It finished before Caretaker had even taken her first bite.

She shoved her bowl across the table without a word. Whumpee ate that too, just as quick.

“Still hungry?” she asked.

“Yes. Thank you.” Whumpee’s gaze followed her to the fridge. There was a massive beef casserole Whumpee’s parents had loaded off onto her, telling her You’ve done so much and we can’t eat all this food.

She placed it in front of Whumpee, cold. It was gone in seconds.

“What even are you?” Caretaker asked.

Whumpee had the nerve to shrug. “I didn’t kill her,” it defended instead. “Lots of people think I’ve killed whoever it is. I didn’t.”

“I know. She was sick for a long time.” Caretaker took the bowls, clearing the table.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” it added.

Caretaker laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “God, even the monster wearing my friend’s face is saying it.”

“It’s what you’re supposed to say,” Whumpee recited.

“Sure,” she agreed. “You got anywhere to spend the night?”

“Usually I just–” Whumpee cut itself off abruptly, like jerking itself back from a cliff’s edge. “I don’t.”

“Stay here and I’ll make you breakfast in the morning. You usually crashed on the couch.” Caretaker jabbed a thumb at the living room. “You know. Before.”

“That’s true. I did.” Whumpee seemed to roll the words around in its head. “I can really stay?”

“Of course.” Caretaker smiled for the first time in weeks. “You’re my best friend.”

-

Oneshots taglist:

@icyheart-and-friends

@kira-the-whump-enthusiast

@whuarri

@reborrowing

@paperprinxe

@what-if-i-just-did

Everything taglist:

@lilac-and-lemon-whumps

@t0rture-me

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump

@whumpshaped

@pigeonwhumps

@the-scrapegoat

@whumpycries

@lonesome--hunter

@whumpy-wyrms

@all-hail-pigeons

@wolfeyedwitch

@starfields08000

@jumpywhumpywriter

[sam-keeper]

Hey Look At This Comic: The Nib

the kind of essay comics published in The Nib (now sadly defunct) tended to lean towards illustrative panel contents. in a lot of their comics, the images show, basically, what the text describes. it's a way of producing comics that emphasizes clarity of information delivery and tends to have some level of redundancy, with relatively straightforward metaphors. one piece in the "color" issue by Erlend Sandøy bucks that trend in really extravagant fashion. the comic goes against an awful lot of conventional advice about clarity of panel layouts, often choosing sprawling nonlinear layouts or notional strips that run from top to bottom (see the two pages above). the metaphors also come thick and fast, and although most are straightforward there's enough just happening on every page that it enforces a kind of slower exploration of the details.

like, I love the way color (fittingly) and composition work in the fourth page. the smiling bike riders in the bottom catch me, they're discordant with the primary subject of the page--the failure of green parties in coalition to enact their plans and stick to their promises. what's harder to see at a quick glance is the third bike rider who's careened straight into the smog that makes up the frame. it's obscure enough in the print that I totally missed it and put my big dumb fat fingers over it when I was taking the photo! 😩 it's a fun little trick cause it takes the frame, which I think tends even when representational to recede into the background, into another area of panel content. but more than that it brings into sharper focus the overall rhetoric of the page: that green movements have achieved mainly small areas of apparent natural recovery, pushing the deeper structural issues to the margins of discourse. those issues are, however, inescapable.

(I do think the bit about the german greens totally failing to reduce coal power but succeeding in banning nuclear power is quite funny, like gosh do you think those two facts might have some causal relationship? ha ha oops)

the sprawling nonlinearity is also really well suited to a page like the overview of the countries where green parties hold power, which IS a sprawling, informationally non-hierarchical subject. how the reader navigates this page doesn't matter, and it's nice to see someone breaking from the McCloudian/Eisnerian focus on the sequence as be all end all. more than that, though, I just think it's clever and charming! What a good looking gosh darned page! composing the globe out of foliage and having pop-out informational panels be branches with their own leaves? it's great stuff, a pretty immediately graspable visual device that's both pertinent and super flexible. there's all these interesting little details--like look at the ballots flowing out of the US like leaves stuffing that ballot box, juxtaposed with the text pointing out that first past the post means all these votes go, essentially, into the void. the image doesn't make that last bit clear, and the text doesn't spell out the leaf metaphor, it's a gestalt. that's comix, baby! awoo!

the whole coverage within this comic in particular feels like a very even handed account of the green political movement's achievements and also some of its ideological failures--again, often conveyed not directly through fairly neutral text but instantiated in the art itself. it's just one of a number of comics in this issue that feel bold and experimental, and when I first wrote this review in 2023 I suggested picking up a copy of the Color Issue. in fact, it looks like you still can--I guess that must be one issue that remains in stock. but The Nib itself is no more and most of its issues, including gems of experimental documentary comicking like this, are out of print. thankfully, on the way out founder Matt Bors decided to put the entire collection onto the Internet Archive. you can read the color issue there.

this review originally ran on Cohost, Thu, Feb 23, 2023. I am porting these reviews with minor editing over to Tumblr and eventually to my own website, because websites and periodicals may die, but comics are forever.

[x-i-l-verify]

Welp, I was tagged, I might as well give this my best attempt. Full disclaimer, all I know about the Links are from LU. I have never played any of the games, haven’t read any of the manga (though @kuraiacoris thoughtfully sent me 2 that are on my reading list), literally everything I know is from fanworks and the wikis and the occasional video essay. I don’t have any nostalgia for this franchise whatsoever. I am coming at this from the perspective of a LU fan first and foremost. Additional disclaimer is that I love all 9 of these characters v much, they are all blorbo material and I’m squishing all their cheeks, there’s not a one I actively dislike or think is uninteresting. I just think some are more interesting than others. XD

Also, fair warning, rankings 4-8 really depend on my mood and the day, I sat here literally for like 30 mins trying to rank them and going back and forth. >.<

1. Four – Four stuck out to me almost immediately upon looking through the LU concept sketches and eventually the comic just because of his design. It’s very striking and unique, and I love how small and tiny he is. We don’t have enough short kings in fiction imho. I love his hairstyle, too. But it was his personality that really intrigued me. He’s observant and clever, dramatic and very expressive, and so quietly caring. His love language is 100% acts of service, and it’s clear he loves doing things for people and making sure they’re taken care of. It’s no wonder he’s the Hero of the Minish, of quiet, simple, everyday kindnesses. I also find his placement in the timeline fascinating, like what do you mean he’s the second hero ever right after Sky, who never wielded the Triforce or Master Sword but still secured the peace and prosperity for Hyrule for years and years to come? *pokes fandom* Hey, hey fandom, where are all my fics where Four is absolutely awestruck by Sky and they have a relationship like Time and his successors or Downfall Duo, huh? Huh??? Fandom, you are slacking. >:[ I also am not quite sure why so many people seem to have such a hard time writing him or getting a handle on his character. He’s a complex little guy, sure, but not that complex, surely?

2. Warriors – I wasn’t sure what to make of him at first, but a dip into the fandom convinced me of what I was missing out on but also that the poor guy was incredibly maligned in some fanwork, made the villain in fic just because he sometimes clashed with fandom darlings Wild or Legend, and that made me determined to support him. And tbh I think the group really needs someone like him as one of its pillars. He’s one of the only Links who has a lot of experience working as a team, and it’s clear he cares a lot about the others and really tries to keep them safe. Yeah, sometimes he can get frustrated with some of the more independent or hairbrained of the lot, but coming from his background, that behavior gets you dead. It totally makes sense why he’d react that way. Add to that, I love his banter with Twilight and Legend in particular, and his semi-canon relationship with Time and Wind from the War of Eras makes me go 👀 👀 👀 👀 Speaking of the War of Eras, if you think about that conflict for more than about 10 seconds, the more horrifying it becomes. That man has baggage and no mistake. And it’s fun to unpack that baggage. B)

3. Time – Time duked it out with Warriors for my #2 spot for awhile before Warriors got a leg up on him, but make no mistake, I really do like Time a lot. I have a big soft spot for team dads, especially reluctant team dads who are like “Shit, I’m the adult in the room, oh no.” XD It’s really interesting to see the Link from OOT and MM in this in-between stage of his life, to see one of the Links all grown up as an adult who’s married and has a happy, peaceful life. Love his relationship with Malon, and the way he tries his best to look after the younger heroes while still encouraging independence is adorable. Plus, he’s clearly still a dramatic gremlin, and I think him being all cryptic with his past exploits is hilarious. XD He’s a cool guy, and I’m glad Jojo went this direction with his character.

4. Sky – Sky kinda fades into the background when he doesn’t have the spotlight directly on him so far, but I watched a cutscene compilation of Skyward Sword and instantly fell in love. <3 I adore how expressive and mellow he is, but also how fast he can turn on a dime and absolutely destroy any threat to his loved ones. He’s also just a huge little shit, and I love that such a sweet face hides such a gremlin. XD Sass king, this one. Also the prospective angst of his place in the timeline as the first Hero and founder of the royal line of Hyrule is choice. I love him. He’s great. If you don’t love him, please go watch some cutscenes of Skyward Sword.

5. Twilight – So now we’re getting into “oh boy, I have no idea how to rank these guys” territory, so take this ranking with a grain of salt. Twilight could be lower on any given day, but right now, he’s at 5 because I really enjoy big brother characters and LU!Twilight’s design is immaculate. I love the Twili markings so freaking much. But also, he’s just a unit, a brick, a fine, helpful young man. <3 You can tell he’s such a people person and has a lot of experience corralling people younger than him. XD His relationship with Time is very interesting, and while I do like his relationship with Wild, too, imho it's really been done to death in fanworks. I’m desperate to see him interact with other characters, which is why I’m so pumped that Jojo paired him with Sky. They will be such besties by the end of the dungeon, mark my words.

6. Wind – I am somewhat sheepish that Wind is this far down in my ranking, especially since I have a friend that blorbos him really hard, but it is what it is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I do like him! He’s a cute kid, and a good kid, helpful and sweet and impish as all Links are. I’m not a huge fan of the super foul-mouthed pirate that fanon tends to make him, as that has little basis in canon, either from the games or LU. Wind is a Good Boy. A big brother that’s now the youngest of nine, and there’s a lot you can do with that dynamic. He’s used to caring for others, not being cared for himself, so giving him eight overprotective older brothers is a fun twist. His dynamic with Time is intriguing, and I’m crossing my fingers and praying very hard that the common theory of him being Four’s descendant is true.

7. Hyrule – I was rather underwhelmed with Hyrule at first in the comic, since he’s so quiet and takes such a backseat to the rest of the characters, but now that he’s gotten more of a chance to shine, he’s grown on me a lot. He may be quiet, but he’s no pushover, and he’s so sweet and kind and optimistic in spite of how run down his own era is. His abilities are so unlike the other Links’, too, and he’s just really mysterious, which is intriguing.

8. Legend – Legend took by far the longest to grow on me during my first read of LU, where I found him annoying and unpleasant (I’m not usually a fan of tsunderes), but despite his placement on this list, he really has grown on me a lot. Despite his abrasive exterior, he really does love very deeply, and he’s been badly hurt in the past, so his abrasiveness makes sense. I think some people take that too extremes, though, especially in fanworks, where he can sometimes be pretty insufferable. Also, fanon Downfall Duo is out, canon Downfall Duo is in. Also Legend+Warriors is the best Legend dynamic ur arguments are invalid.

9. Wild – Yeah, sorry. I know BOTW/TOTK is super popular and all, and Wild is a very fun character to play with, I’m just kinda tired of him getting shoved front and center in everything. Twilight occasionally gets a pass because I have a weakness for his character archetype, but Wild does not have that luxury. I might also be a bit biased because of the mess his games (TOTK specifically) make of the timeline, which directly affects LU canon, since Jojo has to work with what she’s got. But also his recklessness makes me want to drub him over the head with a stick occasionally. Yes, it's funny, but also boi you are taking years off your brothers’ lifespans, stoppit.

Reiterating that all Links are good Links, though. Just throwing that out there.

Tagging @scarlettediscord and @silverne-nonsense, though of course no pressure

Gonna try and start a tag game, so let's go!

We've all got our favorite Links, but I wanna know how ALL the LU Links rank for you.

I'll start! And just to note, I've only played Sky, Wild, and Twilight's games so far.

1. Sky- My favorite Link, though his game is my second favorite

2. Wild- Second favorite Link, but his games are my favorite

3. Warriors- Haven't played his games, but @crazylittlejester has made him one of my top three

4. Time- Gives big Dad vibes, he's just trying to keep his children out of trouble

5. Twilight- Absolutely the big brother

6. Legend- Not as bitter as I often see him portrayed. He's just a (older) kid whose been through a lot

7. Hyrule- Played his games a LONG time ago, never made it past the first dungeon. I don't really have much to say about him though

8. Wind- Cute kid, I like him but don't have much to day about him either

9. Four- I unfortunately don't know anything about him beyond LU, sorry Four!

Tagging:

@skyloftian-nutcase @crazylittlejester @skyward-floored @sprite-and-the-bunnydragons and anyone else is welcome to join as well!

[lsunstreakerl]

having unadulterated brainrot on fmf rn so please pardon these ramblings of a design-obsessed madman 🫣🫣

so many mentions of cloaks..... they're such good character design traits because they're very plot relevant and great motifs for the characters snsjsk they define the respective nations and personalities of our two mains sooozz

(ignore my attempt at kingdomifying the mv logo for house of verstappen purposes)

House of verhoeven, warmer of the two right so linen and thin cotton is the way to go for them for most of the year. single drape cloaks because air flow and they can afford it, i wanted to make their cloak designs particularly well draped to showcase how they have or at least for a while have had more relaxed circumstances compared to the north side while also have it be a single long drape of cloak to show that they're on edge. nothing they can afford to fuss over, but they have time. from a worldbuilding pov, their winters r still warmer compared to the north side, it's still a cotton and linen blend but a fuller coverage drape. + thicker undershirt !

House of verstappen, far far colder. i thought they'd prbly have the tradition of layering rather than draping. a motif for how they r far more focused on practicality and diligence than whimsy, they don't have time. verhoeven had clasps that twisted and turned the fabric, verstappen has clasps that click together as fast as possible, practical. a sense of paranoia, it's enhanced by the cold cold cold. fur-lined over cloaks, they end at the waist unlike the knee/ankle length of verhoeven, due to the main fight style of the northern people being reliant on speed. a cloak at the bottom of their feet would be a hindrance. the under-cloak serves as a way to cut the cold on the bottom half of the body cus the thicker cloak can't, it's still early to move around in so cotton.

the verhoeven colours go from a summery blue to a muted one in the winter, due to there being more resources during the summer and people can work more without risk of disease. the verstappen colours stay the same year round. dark under cloak bc darker = warmer and orange cloak for patriotism. flow vs stagnancy.

i also thought it'd be interesting to point out how the verstappen under-cloaks have raised collars, and then a final guard with the thick fur that obscures the figure in terms of silhouettes. the verhoeven ones are relaxed around the neck and loosely hangs off the figure.

these were done wayyy too late at night so not ideal looking but the point is to showcase how the sharper angular face of a young max is guarded by the fur and high collars. the verhoeven cloak hangs off his back. relaxed.

anyway yeahh it's like 3 am and i have an exam tmrw and im sososo happy for max kells and their baby lily !! but i needed to Yao about character designnn mwah hopefully this makes some sort of coherent sense and I'm srry if i overstepped any boundaries xx

HI WOW YES!! first off— never apologize for art!!! never apologize for creating and for sharing because I LOVE when you guys do that <3 when you decide that my silly little words are worth your actual time and effort to go and create things!! art, pottery, music playlists— all of that is so incredible and it absolutely blows my mind every single time. always share it with me because I love seeing it and all of you are so talented 😭🫶

secondly— yap begets yap, so. buckle in. cloak realness!! you get it!!! they're so... I use them narratively a lot, because A) they are cool, and B) they're good for storytelling. I adore the way you designed them, and your little notes and explanations are so so cool. do you have a design background???

the collar on the house verhoeven cloak is mwah. the buttons on the side, the flowey drapiness of it all— absolutely encapsulates the lighter, warmer climate and attitudes. these are people who aren't as focused on raw survival. they can afford to think about the design and the colors!

I especially like the idea of the shorter cloaks and layering further north. not only is it warmer, but it also offers more protection in a fight! it would be easier for a weapon to get caught in the house verhoeven cloak, and then tangle and pull, compared to house verstappen where it's more likely to just slice through.

they're always alert further north. it's cold year round, and they don't have the time or the want to spend the effort to dye their things— and it would make them stand out more than they'd like. your consideration about the faster fighting style up north was really really impressive. I don't think I state anywhere that they're faster than everyone else, just that they're fast— but they have a style that relies on footwork and reaction speed. they're always moving, and their fighting style lends itself to that, a constant flow of movement so they're not wasting any energy. (because when it's that cold and your resources are scarce, energy is a currency.)

tiny max hiding in the hood under the fur I am so endeared. the skrunkly of all time, honestly. rico having his moment off to the side— real.

anyways that's more yap than you probably wanted but I am genuinely STUNNED about this, so never ever apologize for it ever again thank you mwah. I would actually be v interested in seeing your thoughts on the leathers as well, if you ever felt so inclined.

art is inspiring <3 I just write stuff for the hell of it, but every time someone reads it and feels inspired to create is just amazing. the casual talent so many of you have is a little bit ridiculous and I love you all 🤍

[sknyuz]

sticky! | b.s.k.

synopsis — seungkwan’s like a sticky note—bright, impossible to ignore, and somehow always finding a way to stick in your head. it starts with one, and before you know it, you’re saving every single one he leaves behind.

pairing — boo seungkwan x reader

genre — office!au, fluff, workmate seungkwan, f2l, he's adorable

cw — none

wc — ~1.7k notes: requested by my lovely kyu @cuppasunu <3 figured i would cut through the weak hero noise with a little svt again !! this has been in my drafts for a while lol

masterlist | join the taglist | request a fic

you’re still adjusting to the office. it’s not that bad, just a lot to take in—new faces, a load of paperwork, and responsibilities that pile up faster than you can organize them. but you get by, mostly keeping to yourself, doing your work, staying under the radar.

then there’s seungkwan.

he’s loud, funny, and always around when you least expect it. he’s not rude or obnoxious, but he certainly doesn’t make an effort to blend into the background. he’s the opposite of you—always smiling, always making a joke, his laughter carrying through the halls like it’s his mission to keep the mood light.

everyone seems to be fond of boo seungkwan. and somehow, you end up being the one he pulls into his orbit.

you’re hunched over your desk, eyes focused on a report, when you hear seungkwan’s familiar voice.

“hey! i got you something.”

you glance up, surprised to see him standing there with a takeout cup in hand, the steam rising from it. there’s a small sticky note attached to it.

“oh, thank you,” you say, genuinely surprised, as you take the cup from him, bringing it up to your lips.

“you’re welcome,” seungkwan grins, clearly proud of himself. “hope it’s alright, not too sweet?”

you take a sip, and it’s perfect—just the right amount of sugar, warm but not too hot. you peek at the sticky note on the cup. it’s adorable. a cute doodle scrawled on the small piece of paper.

you smile and glance back at him, still surprised. “how did you—”

he raises one finger with a little grin. “you always put just one sugar packet in the americano you brew at the company lounge,” he says, explaining like it's the most obvious thing in the world. “i just noticed.”

you blink at him, feeling a little taken aback. “really?”

“yup, i pay attention,” he says, with a wink, “employee of the month for a reason.

you chuckle before taking another sip of the coffee, now feeling a little warmer inside, both from the coffee and his thoughtfulness. “well, i appreciate it. this is perfect,” you reply, your tone lighter than before.

seungkwan nods in satisfaction, “well, i have to get back to work, but have a good rest of your day, y/n!” he says, flashing you a playful smile before walking back to his desk.

a few days later, the office is quieter than usual. the hum of the printer and the shuffle of papers fills the silence, but you can’t help noticing the small note on your desk.

you hadn’t even heard him come in, but there it is: another sticky note. you take it, reading his neat handwriting:

you can’t help but smile, the corners of your mouth turning up despite yourself. his little notes have been appearing more frequently, always positive, always encouraging. a small gesture, but it makes a difference. you feel a little lighter, even in the thick of the office chaos.

it’s the end of the week, and you’re wrapping up some paperwork when you feel a presence beside you. seungkwan stands there, a bit awkward than usual, but there’s something softer in his posture today.

“you doing alright?” he asks, his voice just a little quieter than usual.

you nod, glancing up at him. “yeah, just wrapping up. it’s been a long day.”

seungkwan scratches the back of his neck, looking around. “well, if you ever need to take a break...” he trails off, but then pauses, his eyes lighting up as he grabs a sticky note from your desk desk.

before you can say anything, he writes something quickly on it, then sticks it right onto your monitor with a swift motion.

“lunch?” the note reads, penned in his near-perfect handwriting.

“maybe we should grab lunch with the team later?” he continues, flashing a grin as he hands the note to you. “i mean, everyone else is going, so it’s pretty much a mandatory event, right?”

you raise an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden invitation. “lunch with the team?”

“yeah!” he says quickly, smiling even wider. “you’ve been so busy lately. you deserve a break. come on, it’ll be fun.”

you chuckle, unable to resist the sincerity in his voice. “alright, alright. i’ll go.”

“nice! great choice, y/n. promise you won’t regret it,” he says, his grin practically taking over his face.

the office is buzzing with its usual chaos, the low murmur of voices and the steady clatter of keyboards filling the air. you’re working away at your desk when you notice him. seungkwan is sitting at his desk, shoulders slightly hunched, his usual easygoing grin nowhere to be found.

you remember the meeting earlier—the way the team leader had snapped at him. not cruel, but sharp, and seungkwan had gone unnaturally quiet afterward. it’s not like him, and you can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

you glance over at him for a moment, he’s already pouting. how adorable. and then, with a small sigh, you get up from your desk.

he doesn’t notice you until you’re right there, slipping a sticky note onto his desk. it’s simple, but it’s all you can think to write:

you walk back to your desk, feeling a little unsure of how he’ll react. but a few minutes later, you see him glance at the note, his eyes softening. then, he looks up at you, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“what’s this?” he asks, his tone a little lighter than before. “someone’s being sweet today.”

you shrug, trying to act nonchalant. “just thought you could use a reminder that you’re killing it here. don’t let one meeting get you down. fighting!”

seungkwan huffs, a smile breaking through his features. “well, thanks. i’ll try not to wallow in my sadness and embarrassment for too long.”

he flashes you his signature grin, and it’s like the lightness has returned to his posture. “you’re welcome,” you say softly. “go take a break, bud. i’ll cover you, but don’t take too long.”

seungkwan’s eyes widen at this, before he rushes to the company lounge to retreat, but there’s a bounce in his step now, and you can’t help but feel like maybe today was your turn to make his day a little better.

the next day, seungkwan is back to his usual self—chirping, joking, his energy filling up the office like it always does. but something feels different.

there’s a bit more quiet in his demeanor now, a little less of the playful teasing. it’s subtle, but you notice it. it makes you curious, even as you bury yourself in your work.

later that day, you walk into the office and find a heart-shaped sticky note on your desk. seungkwan’s handwriting is neat, but it’s different than usual. it’s almost like he’s nervous.

you pick up the note, feeling a flutter in your chest. the message is simple, but your heart stutters when you read it:

your heart skips a beat. you glance up, meeting seungkwan’s eyes for just a second before quickly looking down at the sticky note again. his face is flushed, a faint pink coloring his cheeks. he’s sitting at his desk, tapping away at his keyboard, but you can tell he’s waiting for your reaction.

you don’t respond verbally. instead, you pick up your pen, your hand moving almost on its own as you quickly jot down a response on a new sticky note:

you stick the note on his desk, your heart beating a little faster now as you return to your own work. without looking at him again, you feel the tension shift, thickening in the air, even though it’s silent.

later, after a short break, seungkwan comes back to his desk, and as he sits down, he notices the sticky note on his desk. his eyes widen slightly, and then his face breaks into the most excited grin you’ve ever seen. he reads your note over and over, just to make sure he’s seeing it right.

he bites his lip to hold back the laugh that threatens to escape, clearly thrilled, and with a quick glance toward you—he catches your eye for just a split second. his grin widens, and it’s like his whole face lights up.

without saying a word, he immediately starts typing away faster, an extra pep in his step, clearly already thinking about the night ahead.

you smile to yourself, feeling your heart flutter in your chest. you know tonight might be the start of something new, but for now, you let the silence between you and seungkwan speak volumes.

𐔌 . ⋮ taglist .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱ @ateez-atiny380 @alien0n3arth @cuppasunu @dhaliaa1211 @seokminfilm @babilou-pov @crowneve

[pukefactory]

Sonic the hedgehog x reader headcanons? Platonic or romantic is fine ^^

I love your work! You really delve into the characters and go past their surface

<3

Author’s Note

Thank you kindly for your words, Anon! I was thrilled to see this request and immediately started jotting down ideas. I went ahead and wrote these as general romantic headcanons between the reader and the Blue Blur, but I’d be more than happy to create platonic ones as well if anyone requests them. Happy reading, everyone!

- COMET

✦ . 　⁺ FULL DEMO EXPERIENCE ⁺ 　 . ✦

ᯓ★ Summary: A Compilation of Dating Headcanons Featuring Sonic the Hedgehog X Reader

ᯓ★ Character(s): Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

ᯓ★ Genre: Headcanons, SFW

ᯓ★ Warning(s): None - Completely Safe!

ᯓ★ Image Credits: @hymnis & @sparkledgroove

★ You learned real quick that dating Sonic meant holding on. Not metaphorically. Physically. When he scoops you up bridal-style and bolts across a valley, you’re clinging to him for dear life, fur in your mouth, eyes watering from the speed. “This is my idea of romance, babe!” he laughs, while your spine reconsiders its life choices. But later, when you’re sitting by a waterfall catching your breath, he gives you the softest look and murmurs, “I knew you’d love it.”

★ Sonic doesn’t say “I love you” often. Not because he doesn’t feel it, but because he thinks it’s obvious. He shows it in chili dogs split down the middle, in hand-holding mid-freefall, in the way he always checks to see if you’re smiling after a rough fight. One night, under the stars, he casually drops it like a firecracker: “Y’know, I love you. Like, a lot. Just thought you should know before we jump off this airship.”

★ He makes you matching goggles. They’re hideous. Neon green with lightning bolts on the sides. But he wears his like a badge of honor. “You have to match the brand,” he insists, puffing his chest. You wear them once, trip over a branch, and he laughs so hard he falls out of a tree. “Okay, okay,” he pants, “maybe next time, just take them off.”

★ Sonic gets jealous in a very Sonic way—he doesn’t sulk or get passive-aggressive. He races your admirer. “What, you think he can carry you across the ocean in under three minutes?” he grins, already stretching. It’s less about possession, more about proving he’s still your #1 hero. You remind him he doesn’t need to compete, and he pauses, then winks. “I know. But c’mon, it’s fun watching them eat my dust.”

★ When he crashes after a long battle, he’ll curl up next to you like a tired dog. Literally. Head on your lap, feet twitching, his breathing steady. He mumbles in his sleep—sometimes about loops and warp rings, sometimes about you. “Hold on tighter, sweetheart… I got you…” You never tell him. He’d explode from embarrassment.

★ Sonic hates staying still. So your dates are everywhere. One day it’s sandboarding down pyramid dunes, the next it’s watching lightning storms from a rooftop. “Life’s too short to stay in one zone,” he tells you, grin sharp. But some nights, he surprises you—plopping beside you at home, chili dog in hand, nudging your arm. “Let’s just chill today. Just us. No fights. No chaos emeralds. Just… you and me, yeah?”

★ He gives awful romantic advice to Tails. “If you like someone, just kidnap them onto a sky ride. Worked for me!” You have to sit Tails down afterward and clarify several things. Sonic just shrugs in the background, biting into a chili dog. “What? You were laughing the whole time.”

★ He’s surprisingly tender with your fears. Water? Crowds? Being left behind? Sonic listens. “Hey,” he says, nudging your pinky with his gloved one. “You’re never gonna be alone again, okay? Not while I’ve got legs.” He means it. You never walk into danger without seeing a blue blur zip to your side, ready with a hand outstretched and a smirk that says, I got you.

★ He never asks you to change for him—but he does challenge you. “Let’s try something new,” he’ll say, dangling a bungee cord over a canyon. “Trust me, I’ll catch you.” And he does. Every time. Even when you flub the landing or scream the whole way down, he’s there, laughing, holding you like the world could end and he’d still have time to fall for you again.

★ Sonic thinks your laugh is the best sound in the world. Better than ring jingles, better than the roar of wind in his ears. When you smile too big, when you wheeze after a joke, when you throw popcorn at his head during movie night—he stops whatever he’s doing just to watch. “That,” he says one night, with a lopsided grin, “is the real power of chaos. You.”

[yanderenightmare]

silly question maybe, but any tips/rules for how to write reader-inserts? like how far can I take reader characterization, perspective, and such

On Reader Inserts

Really good question! Here are my thoughts!

The basic, safe, unassuming reader

This reader doesn't have any visible characterization, personality, background, or perspective, and usually, they don't even have dialogue.

With readers such as this, most of everything relies on the characterization of the other character, where their inner thoughts regarding the reader and their interaction with the reader are the only things that actually make the reader exist at all.

Here, the reader is treated like more of an object than anything else.

It's quite difficult to make such a reader work. And I'd say it's nearly impossible to keep it up for longer stories, even short stories. But it is quite common to see in drabbles and headcanons.

There's nothing wrong with using this type of reader, but it is very limiting. You sort of have to be an illusionist to make it work. Misdirection really is this type of reader's best friend, as the focus always has to be on something else and reflect back on them in order to include them in the story.

I'd say some authors are experts at it. But other times, I think it comes forth as a little boring, at least in the long run.

The plus side of this type of reader is obviously that almost anyone can picture themselves completely as they are in real life.

But that's really the only good thing about it.

And to me, at least, making sure reader inserts are completely chameleon isn't all that important. People aren't strangers to putting themselves in others' shoes, and I think a lot of the joy that comes from reader inserts is exactly that—the opportunity to be someone else for once.

Further in this post, I'll go over the other reader types, ranging from this type of unassuming reader to more brazen readers who gradually become more and more aligned with what some might call an original character, and the ups and downsides to this.

It's alive!

One of the most common readers you'll see will almost be like the one above, but with a few brain cells of their own.

Call it Frankenstein's monster.

Here, the reader will have dialogue and reactions, but nothing too wild that might alienate people and make them say I would never do or say that!

This type of reader is still very much playing it safe. But different from the completely unassuming reader, this reader might go to college, might work a part-time job, might have parents and friends, but never anything too specific, and no type of personality that might warrant a description.

As you can probably guess, Frankenstein's monster is also quite limiting, so it is more common for shorter stories, as well as drabbles and headcanons.

Author's perspective!

This type of reader is also very common, where the reader will carry the same voice and perspective as the text has—i.e., the author.

The reader is still very much unassuming regarding what they look like and many of the details of their life, but their personality is decided, as the reader and storyteller share the same voice.

Here, as the author, you really have to trust that your perspective is something that'll appeal to the readers.

Common to this is a very "talkative" tone throughout the text, including a lot of thoughts and observations made by the author-reader. It's also common that the text has a somewhat humorous or sarcastic tone.

@yandere-daydreams especially uses this type of reader. Their texts always have a type of tough, smart, self-reflective reader whose perspective is central to the story.

But they're not the only one. Plenty of authors use this type of approach as it's their default to simply write the reader with their personal mindset and personality. I do this as well from time to time.

The downside to the author's perspective is obviously that it won't always translate as an all-inclusive type of reader. Meaning, it won't really be unassuming or reader-friendly.

The other downside is that the perspective will solely rest on the reader and the reader alone. Meaning, there isn't any sneak peek inside the inner thoughts of any other character, just pure speculation made by the reader-character. In other words, the story is only seen from within the reader's head, with the reader-character as the only storyteller, fully dominating the perspective.

Of course, you can always shift the perspective, but it can come across as awkward if the storyteller's voice suddenly changes.

Standardized reader!

Standardized readers usually turn up at the start of the post—I like to write them in the trigger warnings.

Not everyone does this. But I like to, at least when I'm finished writing something, only to notice that the reader has a distinctive personality or distinct features that might not be that reader-friendly.

It sort of works like a disclaimer.

Here are some examples of readers standardized by personality:

♡ CRYBABY reader ♡ MORALLY GREY reader ♡ SASSY reader ♡ BULLY reader ♡ BORN-SEXY-YESTERDAY reader ♡ NAIVE reader

They can also be standardized by body trait or other physical features, like this:

♡ FLAT-CHESTED reader ♡ CHUBBY reader ♡ PETITE reader ♡ SHORT reader ♡ STRAIGHT-HAIRED reader ♡ GLASSES-WEARING reader

Or, the most common, by gender, ethnicity or species:

♡ FEM reader ♡ M reader ♡ GN reader ♡ POC reader ♡ FAIR-SKINNED reader ♡ BUNNY reader ♡ OMEGA reader ♡ ALPHA reader

The OC reader!

The OC reader is, believe it or not, the most common type of reader.

This reader has history. They have hopes and dreams for the future. They have fears and issues. They tend to have a specific career or go to college with specific courses. They have parents, siblings, and friends they talk to on the phone. They live somewhere they pay rent. They might have a roommate. They have ex-boyfriends or people at work they dislike. They have certain interests and hobbies. They have a taste in wardrobe and music. They have a makeup routine. They prefer flats over heels and have other such preferences. They shave. They work out. They might even have pierced tits.

Yeah, they're basically fully-fleshed characters that are still relatable enough for readers to easily step into without it feeling all sorts of wrong.

When writing the OC reader, it's paramount that the author really sells the narrative. If the reader doesn't relate to the OC, then the author must make them assume the OC as themself, regardless, as quickly as possible.

In other words, the reader shouldn't even be able to tell they're an OC. It should feel natural. This can be hard to do, of course, but I'll say the most interesting x reader fiction features an OC reader.

The impossible task!

It is impossible to cater to everyone. We're all different sizes, different heights, and have different capabilities—we're different all around. So it's impossible to write anything that's completely reader-friendly or totally unassuming.

So, to answer your question about how far you can take characterization, there really isn't any answer.

You can go for the unassuming reader I listed at the start, but then you'll most likely end up with a boring story with minimal character interaction. Or you can go for the OC reader and upset those readers who find stepping into another pair of shoes impossible.

I say just write what you want, and list those possibly triggering creative liberties you've taken in the trigger warnings. It's impossible to please everyone, so just make sure you're at least pleasing yourself.

[sevgilimsatoru]

Error 410 Author's Note (Updated!)

Hi! So, as I said before this is the author's note for the Error 410 fanfic. There are a lot of things that will be included in this note. But I will divide it into sections so it's easier for everyone (including myself)

This is very important in terms of the story, please read it. And this is the full thing. I have added the things which were left to include.

You can scroll down and read whichever part you are most interested in or read all of it, it depends on what you prefer.

Writing in Error 410

The Error 410 was written as a self- indulgent fanfic. I didn't expect anyone other than @ittybittyfanblog to read this story so all this support is appreciated. I feel like you all will get tired of hearing it but I'm so thankful to everyone who reads my stories. And I love you all. It really does make my day knowing that people like my work.

I started this series on 11th of April and it ended on 1st of May. If I hadn't taken that week long break, I feel like it would've ended earlier. And there are so many people who like my posts and read this story. It's unbelievable so thank you again.

I'd say my style of writing is mostly spontaneous, I do plan things but in the end what I will write, add or remove from the story is just based on what is going through my mind at that moment.

There were a lot of things that I wanted to flesh out and add which I couldn't exactly because of the reason I just stated and I will try to do better on this aspect.

But I'll probably try and flesh it out more in spin off series.

Non MC Reader

I never did give much thought to the Non Mc Reader because it was a self indulgent fic, she is very much based on me and my personal experiences.

I've had crushes and obsessions over fictional characters but at the end of the day, I could never fully find comfort in those fictional characters because a part of mind was always telling me that it wasn't real and the comfort I want is never gonna be given to me. That's why I always wanted to keep this feeling of detachment between them slowly turning into affection though I'm not sure if I was properly able to portray it.

Non MC Reader's looks

I do have a certain image of her in my mind which is the Non Mc Reader being underweight.

Of course it doesn't matter. You can imagine her looking any way you want when you read the story.

I have seen a lot of fanarts with MC and official arts. They are always so perfectly skinny. Chubby MC fanarts are rare and very adorable, I love them. But there is absolutely no representation for being underweight.

It is something I want to see represented more.

Non MC Reader's Backstory

Non MC Reader's Backstory isn't something I have thought about but I can give you a few things I kept in mind while writing her.

Non MC Reader doesn't really have a great relationship with her parents. She loves them and they love her and care for her but things still aren't working out.

She comes from a background where sex is a very hushed topic and as a woman, having sexual urges would always be very looked down upon which is the reason for her disgust towards being hypersexual.

Hypersexuality

 Hypersexuality referred to as compulsive sexual behavior or sex addiction. It describes an intense focus on sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors that are difficult to control and cause distress.

It's a condition characterized by an excessive amount of time spent on sexual thoughts and activities, often to the point of neglecting other important areas of life. 

Why was it included?

I feel like there are going to be people who aren't exactly sure why the Non MC reader was written to be Hypersexual in the fanfic.

There are a few reasons for it :-

Basically lack of representation.

The sexualization of this behavior.

I have said this before but hypersexuality is a very hush topic even in safe spaces for victims. There is this ideology of a 'perfect victim' which is someone docile and terrified, is repulsed by sex and the idea of it but there are people who are on the other side of spectrum.

They aren't given any recognition or comfort because they don't fit in this idea of how victims should act. Because of it, they are often shunned out and made to feel disgusted with themselves.

Hypersexuality being the way for the brain to cope is also a way for a person to fall into the pattern of self-triggering which isn't healthy at all.

The sexualization of being Hypersexual pisses me off the most because no, it's not sexy. It's not hot and it's not something for you to fetishize about. It's something that ruins people's lives, makes them feel disgusted with themselves and their body.

It has and continues to be a problem for me every single second of everyday and it's annoying, really annoying.

How does it feel being Hypersexual?

The best way I can describe it is by thinking of it as an itch. An itch that doesn't go away, no matter how many times you scratch it. It's always there and you want to scratch it but you can't do it every single second of your day and if you keep doing it, the skin will eventually get red and it'll start to hurt.

It's there and you just want to keep indulging it. It's starts with just one and then you just keep doing it for hours and in the end, you just feel so dirty and disgusting and guilty.

The only thing that actually seems to have some sort of value is your body.

The feeling is good but when that feeling goes away- all you can feel is guilt, anger, exhaustion. I mean how much can you indulge in this when you have college or a job or whatever that includes being around other people?

And if you are not around other people and bored then the urge gets stronger.

One more thing that I have heard and experienced is the sort of fear of sexual relationships. I know it's very ironic to be hypersexual and being scared of having sex.

There is always this fear in your mind that you are nothing more than how attractive your body is or how "useful" you are, how attractive you are.

And this fear leads to thought like "what if they don't find you attractive?" or "what if sex is all they want from you and then they are going to leave," at the back of your mind , when you do really like someone romantically.

It's so hard to be sexually active with your partner because it is something you think about a lot and want to do but it's also something you are scared to do because of those thoughts.

Still this is just my personal experience, I'm sure it's different for others.

Caleb

The passage between The Love and Deepspace world and the reader's world.

The passage between these two worlds is something I have thought about and what I was able to come up with was that there are two one-way passages between their worlds. One to leave the world and one to enter. I call them Promethean Passages.

So, let's just say the promethean passage to leave the world of Love and Deep space is Passage (1) and the promethean passage to enter the world of Love and Deep space is Passage (2)

The passage (1) is very hard to find, it has a fixed location in the world of Love and Deep space while the passage (2) is easier to find in the world of Love and Deepspace compared to passage (1) the location they appear is often random, and it is unclear how long they stay in one spot.

You can't go back if you enter one of those passages or tunnels and if something goes wrong, you are stuck there until your body ceases to exist.

I had planned to include it but I wasn't able to so that's why I think it's better to say it here.

As for how and where those tunnels are usually located, it'll be explained more in the spin off.

Caleb's evol

There was a part of me that wanted to keep Caleb's evol in reader's world but there are certain changes that happen to the people's bodies or abilities traveling through those Promethean Passages. As for the reason why the happens, it's in the fun facts.

He doesn't have his evol in reader's world and Caleb had to get used it. Because something like controlling gravity tends to come in handy a lot and he had learn to not depend on that anymore during the time he was studying to become a pilot in reader's world.

Potential self awareness in the other characters in Caleb's universe?

It is a reasonable thing to think that the other characters might become self aware because of the information they received from Caleb but I believe it was sort of different in this specific scenario.

When Caleb went to talk to MC, let's see it from her perspective. You have a friend you grew up with and love.

For a while now, he has been acting strange and you are sure he isn't mentally stable and then he comes to your house after months of not talking and tells you that he has a girlfriend in another universe and wants your help to travel to where his girlfriend is.

MC was really concerned for his mental state at that point. She talked to Sylus about this and he was able to find one of the Promethean Passages through his connections but it wasn't the one that Caleb wanted.

So, to answer your question, I do think it was start for MC and Sylus to be self aware but because Caleb is a very integral part of that world, when he left- his universe basically collapsed since a very important piece was suddenly missing.

That information was the start of a very important and enlightening knowledge and I'm sure Sylus would've tried to study more about Promethean Passages, even try talk Caleb about his mysterious girlfriend.

But unfortunately for Sylus and MC in Caleb's world, they weren't given enough time to really understand everything to the point Caleb did.

Caleb's metal arm/ prosthetic arm

Before I talk about it, I did want to include a prosthetic arm for Caleb in this fanfic and there are a few reasons why I didn't.

First of all, I don't want to represent something in my work that I do not have full knowledge upon or haven't experienced myself. I believe that fake and wrong representation is more harmful than no representation and maybe it is controversial to have that opinion.

But if I'm going to include and represent something in my work, I want to know and understand it fully. I don't want to half ass it or include it just for the sake of inclusion.

I did research on prosthetic arms and the type of prosthetic that Caleb has is known as Shoulder Disarticulation Prosthesis

Shoulder Disarticulation Prosthesis is relatively rare, while upper limb amputations are not uncommon, amputations occurring at the shoulder, including shoulder disarticulation and forequarter amputation, are less frequent.

The prosthesis for Shoulder Disarticulation do exist but they are not as common or available as the prosthetics for other amputations. The only prosthesis that I found even remotely similar to Caleb's prosthetic is from Prosthetic Innovations, LLC

The thing I was most confused about was if Caleb should keep the metal arm he already has or get a new one when he travels to the reader's world.

The new prosthetic arm wouldn't obviously be as technically advanced as the one Caleb has and a shoulder disarticulation prosthesis can range from $60,000 to $70,000 or even higher and Caleb wouldn't have the means to afford it for years.

And if he were to travel to reader's world with his prosthetic arm then neither of them would have the means for any update or repair of his metal/prosthetic arm which would make things really hard.

So, I decided against it in the end. I hope you all can understand my reasons and I will learn more about prosthetics so that I can include proper representation in my work.

FUN FACTS

Promethean Passages is something I named after the characteristics of one of the titans; Prometheus.

I read his greek myth (I don't know why) and what I personally believe is that his myth basically tells us that to have a prize you always have to sacrifice something in return and I really wanted to include that in my story.

Error 410 also known as a 410 Gone error is an HTTP status code, it means that the requested resource is permanently unavailable on your server and it has been intentionally removed.

I wanted the title to fit the story and the theme, I hope I did a good enough job.

Along with the quotes at the beginnings of the chapters, they were written to symbolize the feelings or the theme of the specific chapter. If some of you like re-read my fanfic, I hope those quotes were something fun to read.

END

Okay, that's all the questions I have gotten about this fic and I'm writing a spin off along with a few other stories or drabbles. I hope you like those and again, thank you all for reading my work. I really appreciate it. Have a nice day!

Tag list: @browneyedgirl22 @aneertawrites @etsuniiru @demon-master-zero @angstylittleb1tch @mcdepressed290 @ittybittyfanblog @winwinwrites @alifyairl @huhleighna @calebsbeanpeeler @bookworrm1999 @mentaltrouble2201 @noxus123 @babyx91 @multisstuff @beomluvrr @sunnylittleapple @lunia-likes-pomegranet @imhere2dosomething @lostpsycho13 @april-likes-smut @calebsbabyapple @mephisto-with-a-knife @wooasecret @anatherone @asgardiancoffemaker @sadsaidthesadthing @beppybeesnuggets @lilacflower667 @mangooes @sunnyx07 @30jades

[effietrinket1619]

Some headcanons for you…

Jess, Simon, Kyle, and Keli have all been carried to bed by Hal at least once. Keli more than once. Guy, John, and Jo can figure out who Hal carried to bed the night before based on how much he complains about his back hurting.

The movie that gets watched the most by the group is Treasure Planet.

There’s a video on Jess’ TikTok where they’re having an actual water gun fight. Half the comments are about a moment where Guy gets ambushed by everybody, and the other half is people thirsting after Hal and a few people saying that Kyle has a sleeper build

Kyle once managed to cut his face badly. No one else actually knows how it happened, and even he doesn’t actually know at what point it happened. He’d been home alone and the others all got home to find him sitting at the dining room table eating leftovers and practically covered in blood. This was the day that they all learned that Kyle has an unusually high pain tolerance.

THRILLED people are giving me material for my own au because i run out of ideas so fast

YES hal carries these people to bed. guy and john literally tell him that he doesn't have to as he hoists jess up for the umpteenth time that month and complains about it, but hal literally ignores them flat out or throws a pillow at them before trotting off to do his duty. he cannot be stopped. also it's so dear to me that keli gets that childhood experience of falling asleep on the couch and waking up in your own bed. jo is a little concerned for the old man's back. hal is mad about it (she's right to be worried)

i've never watched treasure planet but after skimming the summary fuck yeah i agree. i think lilo and stitch would also be a favourite based purely on vibes. guy did have to do a purge of their dvd collection because certain movies are just not kid friendly enough.

also lantern movie nights? kinda chaotic when jess and kyle can wrangle the lot of them that night. given their shitty sleep schedules and the unending whims of the guardians, it's so difficult. but they go all out with snacks and fighting over the movie selection and everyone takes turns throwing popcorn at the others (guy and kyle are the usual targets but at least guy can catch the popcorn in his mouth). the movie is torn to shreds if it's an action flick because if there are planes or cars of any kind, simon and hal are fucking on it immediately. 'that's not how it works--' 'SHUT THE FUCK UP JORDAN'

the water fight video? jess thought it'd be a fun and innocent video where they all gang up on guy and laugh about it afterwards. instead, now she's dealing with the thirst comments. after all of them (because when you live with people long enough, everything other people see as new and interesting becomes background noise to you and jess could not have predicted the fallout here in a billion years). hal is the obvious highlight and it's the first time anyone sees him even semi shirtless which might as well break the internet but everyone else? kyle's sleeper build is great and all but they're all superheroes and they're all hot. simon, john and guy get their fair share of attention too and jo and jess? yeah she cannot show anyone these comments for fear of inflating certain people's egos and making other people uncomfortable.

the lanterns' pain tolerance i fear is legendary. they've all been tortured enough to not blink at most things and no one can tell if that's a good thing or not. that instance of kyle getting cut isn't even an isolated one. it still scares the shit out of them all because concussions and brain injuries (god forbid anyone else get severely brain damaged in this family) and kyle insists he straight up didn't know he looks like a murder scene come to life until guy dropped his glass upon seeing him.

of course, then there's the fussing and the ribbing and the mild yelling because what do you mean you didn't know you're bleeding out. it doesn't help that head wounds bleed a stupid amount so it looks a lot worse than it probably is. and honestly? kyle mostly likely got it from standing up and slamming face first into the sharp edge of a cabinet door. something ridiculous like that which he brushed off.

anyway, kyle rayner, as it turns out, might be the ongoing cause of hal's new grey hairs. kyle denies any and all blame. hal needs a new box of dye.

[seriouslysam8]

Hey Sam!

Since it is Monday, can we get a sneak peek of something you are working on to get us through the day.

I have a story worm that worked its way in my head on Friday and I've been thinking about it ever since. It's a random one-shot where a three-year-old Harry mysteriously appears in Sirius' cell in Azkaban. Luckily, one of the Aurors who comes to take Harry is a very sexy and compassionate Auror who actually listens to Sirius. Anyway....

While Sirius didn’t know how long he contemplated the impossible, he certainly didn’t like when he saw the unfamiliar Patronus on a boar barreled down the corridor and stood in front of Sirius’ cell. Sirius held his breath, his grip tightening around his sleeping godson. He knew Harry couldn’t stay with him, but Sirius couldn’t let him leave at the same time.

A group of Aurors appeared outside of his cell. Sirius immediately recognized Alastor Moody leading the pack. There were a couple of Aurors a couple of years older than Sirius, remembering them from school. There were also a couple that he didn’t recognize that were a lot older than him. The door to his cell opened and five wands were trained on him.

“Did you kill him?” Moody growled, limping forward.

Sirius didn’t say anything. Harry stirring in his arms was more than enough proof that the kid was still alive.

“See-See?” Harry asked, his fist pushing his glasses up to rub at his eye.

“What did you do, Black?” Moody asked in a low voice.

Harry tensed, turning to look at the group of people. He immediately shrunk into Sirius, his hand gripping the front of Sirius’ robes.

“I didn’t do anything,” Sirius replied, his hand pressing against the side of Harry’s head and trying to shield him from the newcomers. “He just appeared out of thin air.”

“Did you hurt him?” Moody asked, his stare cold and hard.

“No, I would never hurt him,” Sirius replied, trying to control his temper.

Moody snorted. “Let him go.”

Sirius swallowed. “You can’t take him back to his relatives.”

“You have no say in the matter, Black,” Moody announced, gesturing towards Harry. “Robin’s grab the boy. Robards grab Black. I want him in an interrogation room on two.”

“Look at him!” Sirius shouted, his eyes snapping at the familiar woman stepping forward.

Her long chestnut hair was pulled back in the front. Her dark eyes-maintained eye contact with him. Sirius remembered her from school, but the name Robins wasn’t familiar to him. She must be married, despite the lack of ring on her finger. When she knelt down in front of him, suddenly she clicked in his mind. Tegan Emerson had been two years older than him: prefect and head girl in Gryffindor. He had never really gotten in trouble with her while at school. Her partner had been Gawain Robards after all, and he was the one to torment. James liked try to make the little vein in his forehead pop. Sirius could vaguely remember Tegan stifling her laughter in the background.

“I didn’t do it,” Sirius whispered, his breathing picking up. “I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t hurt Harry.”

“Okay,” Tegan said, offering in a closed mouth smile. “I still need to take Harry though.”

Sirius shook his head. “Look at him,” he insisted in a strangled whisper. “His relatives are hurting him. They’re neglecting him. He can’t go back there.”

Tegan frowned, her eyebrows tugging down. She looked down at a quivering Harry in Sirius’ arms. Her eyes flickered back up to Sirius. Gawain stepped up behind her but didn’t rush them.

“Is there another family member who could take him in?” Tegan asked.

Sirius shook his head. “I’m the only one left.”

[backjustforberena]

H goes off on a tangent about Sally Ride's positioning in "The Challenger Disaster" and the storytelling behind it:

I don't know if it *is* deliberate (a question for the director or even the screenwriter), but I do like that, in "The Challenger Disaster", the character of Sally Ride is sort of... of the shot but not in the shot for a lot of things. She's on the edge, rarely centralised. Sometimes, even, she's hidden.

When Feynman is outlining the probability and the certainty that an answer can be found, we're looking over her shoulder: she's opposite him at the conference table.

When we land and the committee is going to see all the parts of the shuttle, for the first time, she's part of the establishing feet shown.

When Feynman is talking to Chairman Rogers in that hanger, also, she's in the background of the shout, out of focus. When Feynman is shown as being rebellious, we see Kutyna clock all of this and walk across in the direction where Sally was.

When Feynman shows Rogers his theory on the cracked engine blades, Sally is in the background, but fully visible, and looks up as if she's listening, interacting with no one and nothing else in the scene.

In this wide-shot, here, she's literally hidden behind the model of the rocket. Though we hear her having a conversation with Kutyna (who is the person she gives the information to, to then pass along to Feynman).

Even when we come to the televised hearing, she's well on the edge of the screen, in the last seat - something that was not the case in real life. Which meant, again, we got shots with her being hidden by the model rocket:

If Feynman is an outside, so is Sally. Like in this shot: even though she still occupies the same space as everyone else, she's still in the foreground of the group and distinct in colour, in sitting down, and also has her head fully turned away, same as Feynman.

She's got a consistent presence: it's she that Feynman comes across to ask whether his notes were delivered, she's the one that Kutnya is frequently seen huddling with (behaviour that is ultimately the reason Feynman realises who she is) when Feynman enters a room. If there is a trio, it is the three of them, even if the better relationship and the focus is on Feynman and Kutnya.

When Feynman delivers copies of his report to the Committee, she's there again, yet half hidden behind a wall, but pleased:

And all of this positioning makes so much sense when we know, at the end of it all, that Sally Ride was the whistleblower, who gave the information that ultimately led to them finding out about the o-rings. And, more specifically, that NASA knew of the faults in the o-rings at low temperature, yet Challenger was still allowed to launch, despite the cold that day.

It's also just lovely that when Feynman first floats his theory on the low temperatures as the factor, the camera lingers on Sally before we cut to the next scene. Feynman is able to do what Sally is not:

We linger with her again, even more so, when he zeroes in on the o-rings becoming rigid. This works not only in her role in bringing up the theory in the witness hearing, but means more when we consider her as the whistleblower.

And when Feynman proves the flaws in the o-ring, with his demonstration... look at Sally. She's relieved because the information is not only public, but understandable to the public:

When the movie reveals that Sally Ride was the source who gave the insider information from NASA, there's a repeat of this practice. Sally is there: a feature, but not a focus. There she is:

[mahou-furbies]

Are you gonna give your thoughts on the Winx reboot transformations eventually (no pressure, I'm just curious what your thoughts are)?

I like them! I think they have fun and creative ideas, a lot of interesting animation/movement, vibrant colours, represent everyone's theme/element well, and overall give the impression that there was someone passionate about getting to animate a new and unique henshin, rather than just cranking one out before a deadline. They don't spend that much time in the actual transforming part (which is always what I look forward to the most) though and are more about vibing in the void, but the animation is interesting enough that it's not really a problem. The song works too, it's not quite on the level of some of my Winx faves like the Enchantix or Sirenix themes, but I wouldn't mind listening to it again.

The most issues I have are more about the character designs than the henshin itself; I'm not a big fan of some of the textures for the clothes, and some of the clothes look too skin tight, like they were body paint instead of actual cloth. And 3d animation in general has the issue that it can look awkward if you don't have a Pixar budget and that is present here to some extent, but it's not that prominent and overall the henshins still look great. Thumbs up from me!

Flora

A really strong henshin overall. I really like the beginning with the flower opening with a spin and the other plants growing, and waking up inside a flower is a fine way to start the flower themed character's transformation. And the bit with the vines has a lot of fun and energetic animation.

I remember seeing some criticism that this doesn't fit her personality, but luckily I don't remember a single thing about her from the og show so that's not a problem for me.

Tecna

Not much to comment on this one, I like the "techno" effects and sounds and I think this fits fine for a technology themed magical girl. I do really miss the way her wings formed in the original henshin though.

Musa

Starting with a water bubble is a bit strange given her theme, but otherwise I like how there's a lot of different music themed imagery (headphones, musical notation, guitar, dance floor). I don't feel like she's dancing to the rhythm of the background music though? Which should be a given. Or maybe that's just me.

Stella

The beginning is a little strange, the other girls start from a "cocoon" of some kind, but Stella is just curled up in a fetal position out in the open. Maybe the sun behind her is supposed to represent the cocoon? Even if it is it doesn't really work for me. I do like the part where she flips night into day a lot.

I'd say Stella suffers the most from the fact that 3d animating long hair is expensive.

Aisha

They packed a lot of different water animation here! I really like the Ariel reference and the parts where the water streams twirl around and after her. The transition part from the water droplets to surfing was a little strange, but ultimately ok. The soft sunset setting looks great.

Bloom

The cosmic setting makes her look really powerful, and the heart and the butterflies are fit for a magical girl. My favourite part is the fire (?) she emits from her hands.

[mmiirage]

a VERY belated drawing for the 10th anniversary of over the garden wall 🍂

[likesdoodling]

It's been a little over a year since I started using Photoshop, this piece is from the last few days (February 2025 yeye), while the piece below is the first thing I drew with Photoshop (January 2024). A lot of stuff has happened since then (reaching the end of Ascendance of a Bookworm for example-), but Rozemyne is still a character I draw pretty often, and I still have Photoshop, so this is to see if I've gotten better art wise since then (I would say I have :D)