#a few of these are fanart for a really good fic called then it becomes it becomes it becomes a problem

[kwamiwayzz]

Jeckole Yapping

Had to dig through my old posts to find the template, but I'm bored and doing this again but for Jecka and Nicole this time. Mostly headcanons and such below

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• When or if I started shipping it:

I'm going to be honest, but I don't remember. I only got into Co09 a few months ago. All I know is that once I watched the out of context videos on Class of '09 and Re-Up, I wanted more content of them and came across a lot of really good fanart and fanfic.

I think there were a lot of boxes checked off when I slowly went down the rabbit hole lol. There's an emotionally constipated dark-girl paired with a preppy blonde girl who acts as the former's foil. I think what really drew me into them, fanart aside, were the foils and parallels between them. The codependency, expanded upon by Progman, was probably the final nail that dragged me down the brainrot.

• My thoughts:

I've known about them for awhile, and thought they were some random white girls in a cult classic VN that somehow regained a surge of popularity last year. I didn't know the VN was relatively new, and most of the time when I do ship Jeckole, it's without the creator in mind. They have a certain flavor to them that hits in a way where I can't stop brainrotting over them.

Someone mentioned this in a fic comment, but they see them as foils when it comes to dealing with people and the world around them--where Nicole acts as this snarling animal that will bite you if you get too close, while Jecka acts as this wall that doesn't allow things to get to her even if it does bother her. In a way, they envy each other for that, and after reading that fic it reinforced why their dynamic is one that I gravitate towards compared to the others. They have pieces of each other that they're missing and they can't live without the other (I love codependent Jeckole).

• What makes me sad about them:

In-game, they probably wouldn't last after high school when they go their separate ways. As much as Nicole sees Jecka as a slightly more "special" person to her than most people at the school, their friendship is more for convenience--with Nicole finding Jecka to be more tolerable and cool compared to everyone else (along with the added bonus of not being a loner), and Jecka finding Nicole more fun to hang around with than all her other school friends despite knowing how much Nicole is a fucked up mess and bad influence. In-game Nicole is also someone who would continue to keep everyone at an arm's length and also wouldn't fight too hard (outside of the Jecka and counselor smoking scene) to maintain any meaningful relationships once they're out of her reach.

But also, who cares what the creator thinks because fanart and fanfic exists lmaoooooo.

• What makes me happy about them:

There's a scene in Flip Side where Nicole calls Jecka first thing in the morning at 7am asking her where McDonald's keeps their frozen patties, only for Jecka to say they don't have them because McD serves breakfast during those hours. Then Jecka calls Nicole stupid, and I just found that scene funny in an oddly comforting way.

Nicole is comfortable enough to bug Jecka and wake her up so early in the morning for something so mundane, while Jecka just stays on the phone listening to whatever antics she's in instead of hanging up immediately and going back to bed. I also mentioned this in another post, but someone on Twitter said the thing they love most about Jeckole is how Nicole was willing to get to know Jecka even after saying she has no desire to make any connections at her new school. It can be interpreted as a convenience thing on Nicole's end, but every route in the original game has her willing to either ask for Jecka's name or share her name when they first meet.

To me, their back and forth dynamic keeps them balanced enough to stay fucked up with the potential of becoming well-adjusted in the future.

• Things done in art/fic that annoys me:

There's a number of interpretations when it comes to the Co09 characters, so I understand it can be hard to write them. But for me personally, I'm not a fan of when Nicole is depicted as either way too nice and uncharacteristically soft or way too mean and following the stereotypical SBN interpretation that "Nicole doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything".

• Things I look for in art/fic:

When they're codependent :) or when they're codependent with a slight chance of them getting healthier over time. Also, just them being stupid together.

I'm also one of the few people (I haven't come across too many others yet) that seek out future Jeckole stuff. Whenever I picture them as adults, it's always aurawra21's art in mind.

• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

I'm a monoshipper when it comes to Class of '09, so probably no one. It adds to that codependent flavor :) but if you want a real answer...

For Nicole, probably Emily.

For Jecka, probably Emily also.

• My happily ever after for them:

Moving out of their town, healing from their trauma, and getting healthier over time. Maybe they won't be better people exactly, but they'd at least be less fucked up and a little happier (with Nicole finding some will to keep living past 30) after cutting off their toxic families.

• What is their favorite activity?: 

Nicole forcing Jecka to watch Mythbusters and How It's Made with her (in exchange for watching Smallville and Charmed with Jecka). Also, probably smoking together, assuming that Jecka hasn't quit her smoking habit ten years later.

[socvincjpeg]

doodles i made while first reading tbob!! Plus heres some magma stuff from a gf server

[kiwi-but-the-bird-not-the-fruit]

I really like your Nefero. How about a story where he helps femReader with her look. Like, one day, I'm talking fashion disaster. Reader is going through it and to make things worse it's picture day! And Reader and Nefero planned also do it couples photos! When Nefero gets a call from his girlfriend that in desperation, he comes to recuse with a army of help from his home's staff

Thank you for your time.

Thanks for the request (^v^)

This sounds AMAZING!!

Love our fashion couple,this is gonna be good.

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Male! Nefara x fem!reader

Prompt- reader has a bad makeup & outfit  morningd and needs immediate help from her boyfriend and it's senior picture day with also couples pictures in the next few hours! We have code fashion emergency

Using [Name] as substitute for (y/n)

Fluff/ comfort/kisses

Nickname for the reader- my jewel or my queen

(Readers Nickname for nefero in here with I'll probably use from now on for any fics with him hehe)

(H/c) Hair color

(H/t) Hair type

(There's not that much fanart so I'm using what I find so it may repeat sometimes.)

*Art not ime found it on pinterest*

____________________________________________

___________________________________________

It's 6:30 am senior picture day and a ghoul is stressing more than ever before.

We see [Name] in her lush (f/c) bedroom, she is seen frantically rushing back and forth to the mirror and the closet, she holds up different skirts and crop tops in a rush.

"What to wear what to wear"

She tried one look "ugh no" and another "disgusting" and one more out of a hundred she had tried on "this is unmatchable and not what I need for our photo shoot"

She wears shorts and a crop tank top to help her see easier what would work but as she picks up and throws clothes all around it's quickly becoming stuffy in the room.

She curses under her breath and instantly thinks "maybe if I do my makeup first I can pick my picture Day outfit more easier" rushing to her vanity , picking up the essentials she quickly makes a base for her eyeshadow, she looks through her drawer picks up the eyeshadow pallets she recently got from her boyfriend as a in his words "a pallet with reds and greens that show my two favorite thing,  money and you since you are my scarlet fire that burns within me"

She smiled as she applied the vibrant and rusty colors on her eyelids. Moments later she looks at herself and frowns

It all looks wrong. The way it looked so smeared like a toddler was the one to help her, the shimmers were all over the place, the blend was outrageously horrid and why did she start with red instead of green to be easier to show up!

"Ughh what is going on with me!" She screeched throwing the makeup brush strongly to the ground, [Name] grabs the makeup remover and reusable rag and dunks a ton of it, she sneers at her reflection. Then vigorously wiped her face in anger.

Stopping for a second looking at herself again she noticed her long (h/c) (h/t) was not as good now as when she started this horror show.

Tears start to sting and drip down from her cheek down to the vanity  "w-why now *sob* i- I can't be this bad at doing something so easy...it's second nature to be good at this *snif* *hiccup*"

She looks at the clothes discarded on the floor and walks to them, "i need to call Nefie *sniff* i-i need him" she thought of how they were supposed to be doing a couples photo shoot and she wouldn't disappoint him it was special for him and her

Going through the piles of clothes she finds her phone in the small plush seat she had in front of the mirror that got forgotten at the start of her panic.

She drops to her knees onto the soft lavish rug she got as a gift from him as she makes the call.

                           RING RING-

it takes only two ring for her loving boyfriend to pick up the phone "my jewel good morni-" he stops as he heard her sniffling "WHO HURT YOU" he demands making her slightly laugh be it breathy between sniffles "N-no one Nefie I'm *sigh**snif* I'm having a terrible time getting ready and- can you come I need you here" her voice was soft yet rigged, tired & honestly done with today even if it hadn't started "I'll be there in five" he states before hanging up

5 minutes exactly [Name] hears the familiar sound of Nefero's limo and another one?

And as fast as she question there where rapid footsteps going up from the stairs and straight to her room "SLAM" the door opens to reveal Nefero dressed as handsome and beautiful as he is with dark green velvet bell bottoms with a matching suit, a dress shirt opens to reveal his chest, adorn with layered golden dainty necklaces with one that had a crimson red diamond to represent his darling.

"My queen" he said with extreme tenderness Nefero gets on his knees and embraces her in his strong gentle arms, caressing her back as she cries new tears not of frustration as she did only moments ago but of happiness that he was here to comfort her and help, truly touching to her ghoulish soul

She hugs him tight her grip strong it seems to dumb but this is just good

"Take deep breaths with me jewel" and she did in and out, holding him and vice versa after a few minutes she lifted he head up and looked at his purple eyes, smiling "thank you for being here" [Name] leaned forward and kissed him,  broke the kiss "whatever the cost I'll gamble my way yo see you" he proclaimed "now let's help you up" taking her by one hand and another on her back he pulled her up from the ground.

Nefero looked at her up and down "now let's see what we can do, you up for being my model this morning?" Grinning [Name] replied "always... especially now haha"

Nefero claps his hands and comes in a group of professional fashion artist, makeup artists.

"Now let's get this going for you my queen" he took her hand and lead her to her vanity that was immediately cleaned out except for foundation, pallets and other things, Nefero sat her down went straight to the makeup artist told him the theme, the artist came in front of [Name] and got straight to work.

He did greens & golds with red shimmers and eyeliner that could kill and lashes that fitted on top of the ones you had.

Nefero was seated next to you as the fashion artists worked and got his approval for dresses, skirts, tops all while having one hand on his lap and the other on your thigh,squeezing  just right, every once in a while when he found something he definitely approved of being a specific dress or looking at the progress on your gorgeous face but mostly looking at your lips.

"I'm loving this my jewel~" he held a hand to his mouth practically foaming, looking at her made his mad and week at the knees, the overbearing feelings to just worship her as many did when he was alive was a thrilling feeling he liked, to be on his knees for only her~

"Thank you Nefie~ I like anything you put or take off me" She lowered her tone leaning towards his face as the makeup artist was looking for something to the far side of the long vanity

Nefero blushed, his eyes filled with desire. He took a long breath, his chest heaving, hands itchy to touch.

"Alright just the setting spray and we are done" they came back and sprits her face.

"Good now for my favorite part♡" Nefero jumped up from the chair took [Name]'s hand and to the front of the tall mirror, there were three stylists holding different clothes that she hadn't seen before which means Nefero had for sure got for her before the original mess.

They were lined up with one holding short and long dresses, the second holding short skirts and long shirts, the third holding tops cropped and not.

Nefero went up to the first one and said "my jewel this one if most definitely for today" he held up a red velvet short dress with a backless heart and a green velvet bow that tied around her waist, he signed for everyone to leave.

" i thought the green would be a good reminder that you are my crimson fire and I will always be the fool who marchers toward it holding it for warmth" he held her face delicately, [Name] smiled " and I'll for the rest of my being subside my radiant flames to keep you within my embers"

They embrace each other with a kiss soft and warm just the way they liked

  ~~~~                                                     ~~~~

At the room for the pictures it was empty after everyone had gone, the happy couple liked that it was just them.

And as they held eachother close & intimate, smiling calmy just enough it reach their eyes you could see a glint in them both since they only looked at eachother.

__________________________________________

Nickname for nefero is Nefie

I'll fix some grammar that passed me later but here it is!

@myjerseygirlblog

[ersatz-ostrich]

A Sweet Discovery

Connor & gn!reader, RK900 & gn! reader

help why is the gif ENORMOUS

Analyzing… Analysis complete. Conclusion: delicious. Connor and Nines try jam for the first time.

[A/N]: WELCOME BACK EVERYBODY! I BRING CONTENT

After seeing fanart on Pinterest of tiny Connor and tiny RK900 trying jam for the first time, I had an idea that really spiraled out of control (if the word count says anything lol). Although the word 'jam' only appears 45 (!) times during this fic, I swear I've typed it out so many times that the word's become surreal to me. Like, jam, jam, jam...um, what does 'jam' mean again? Anyways...

read here on ao3

You stirred the bubbling pot on your stove, humming pleasantly. It was a lazy Saturday in the peak of summer, and you had decided to spend your free time trying your hand at canning what was abundant and in season instead of rotting on your couch or in bed. Various ingredients and equipment were strewn about your kitchen—a colander, a large jar of sugar from the pantry, cutting boards, and boxes on boxes of fruit. Alongside your pot of jam-to-be, you had set another pot of water to boil with glass jars in it to sterilize them. 

You stirred away, mind drifting, until you were pulled back to the present by the chime of your doorbell. Your head turned to the screen set up on your counter, where you saw through the footage of your doorbell camera two androids and a large Saint Bernard waiting politely at your front door. Grinning, you departed from your post at the stove momentarily to hit the button to let them in. 

“Come on in, you guys!” You called out from the kitchen. The lock clicked, and Connor let himself in, followed by Nines.

“Good morning, Y/N.” Connor piped up first. “What are you doing?”

“Well, I wanted to do something useful with my time off, so I decided to make some jam.” In a most Connor-like fashion, he tilted his head, curious. While Sumo settled contentedly on the carpet in your living room, you beckoned the androids into your sunny kitchen. “So, what brings you two here?”

“We were walking Sumo and passed by your home.” While you only lived a few blocks from Hank, you found it interesting that they had chosen to show up unannounced. “I thought we should pay you a visit.” He gave you an easy half-smile, something that had become more and more common as he grew accustomed to deviancy.

“Are we intruding? If so, we’ll be on our way—”

“Nonsense, Nines, of course you can stay,” You waved him off as you agitated the bubbling jam on the stove, which was coming along nicely. “I’m not doing anything particularly important right now. Have you two ever had jam?”

“Jam, as in…fruit cooked and preserved in sugar and other additives?” Nines inquired. “I’m afraid not, Detective. We were designed to analyze samples of organic matter from crime scenes. Jam, so far, has not been one of those samples.” You chuckled at his response. 

“Well, would you like to?” You pulled the glass jars out of the pot of water and onto an awaiting towel with a pair of tongs, all while stirring your jam. “I’ve got some blueberry jam in those jars on the kitchen table.” You reached for your utensil drawer and handed a spoon to Connor. “Try it.”

Connor took the spoon and eyed the jars on your kitchen table, LED spinning. Taking the lid off of one, he spooned out a generous dollop of the dark purple substance, which stuck to the spoon and slid off lazily when he put the spoon in his mouth. 

Silence passed over you and the androids; the only sounds in the kitchen were the burbling of your jam and your spoon scraping against the walls of the pot as you watched Connor’s LED glow a bright, whirling yellow. 

The moment the jam hit Connor’s sensor-studded tongue, his processors were flooded with input. He dropped the hand holding the spoon, and the spoon fell out of his mouth and clattered onto the table. Flavor, or as much flavor as a deviant android like himself could sense, bloomed on his tongue and sent pleasant sparks coursing through his artificial nervous system. The data came flowing in as his LED continued to spin; he detected a delicious bouquet of volatile aromatic compounds and acids, no doubt from the fruit, and a torrent of carbohydrates. If he had possessed any human taste buds, he would have registered the taste of the jam as tart, sweet, and delicious.

With astonishing speed, Connor snatched up the spoon from the table, scooped out a helping of the jam, and unceremoniously shoved it into his successor’s mouth.

Nines’s LED flashed red as Connor insistently jammed ; then yellow as he processed the data he was receiving from analyzing the jam in his mouth; and then, finally, pulsing blue as he began to appreciate the jam’s agreeable taste. 

“It is…interesting.” Nines spoke when Connor finally removed the spoon from his mouth. “I have never analyzed anything like it before.”

“Yes, but how is it?” You asked. “Do you like it?”

“I cannot determine whether or not I like the data I receive from analyzing samples, Detective.” Nines cracked a small smile. “But…I would say that the sensory stimulation I received from tasting the jam was pleasant.” Upon hearing his comments, you beamed, glad to have been given the RK900 seal of approval. 

“It sounds to me like you like the jam, Nines! I’m glad.” You smiled softly as the androids chatted over the kitchen table. It was so gratifying to help androids like Connor and Nines experience things both mundane and complex without the restraints of their Cyberlife programming. Something so simple as blueberry jam, you realized, could brighten their day.

“Are these blueberries from upstate? Blueberries are currently in season in Michigan.” Connor inquired.

“Yeah, I got them from Rose’s Farm outside of Detroit. They let you pick your own blueberries and the price is pretty great for the freshness and quantity you get.” You knocked your spoon against the rim of the pot to let your now-finished jam drip off and transferred your pot onto a square pot holder to cool. Connor raised his brows upon hearing you mention the farm owned by Rose Chapman, whom he knew to have harbored deviants leading up to the day the androids had won their freedom. He had first learned of the woman from a group of androids from Jericho, not long after he had become a deviant.

“I see,” Connor mused. “Is this your first time making jam?” 

“No, it isn’t. I definitely wasn’t this good the first time around.” You laughed sheepishly, taking some jars off of your kitchen counter and presenting them to the two androids. “See, this one’s started fermenting. I noticed when I opened the jar today and it smelled off. I think I didn’t sterilize my jar right or something,” You explained. Connor dipped a spoon in the deep red jam. After a brief analysis, he determined the failed jam to be contaminated strawberry preserves.

“You are correct. I detect trace amounts of alcohol in this sample from fermentation,” He replied after a second. “I also detect a certain strain of mold. These preserves should not be consumed.”

“Yeah, I’m going to dump it. Try this one,” You held out another jar of strawberry preserves. Visually, Connor couldn’t tell what was wrong with it at first until he stuck the spoon in the jar and realized that the consistency was too thick.

“The sugars in these preserves have caramelized,” Connor concluded. 

“I kinda…screwed up and burned my preserves.” Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Nines reaching into the utensil drawer for a spoon to sample the contaminated strawberry preserves.

“If you would not like to waste these strawberry preserves, Detective, I could take it. Androids are not affected by mold contamination or fermentation.” He began.

“You sure? That stuff’s gonna grow some pretty gross mold colonies after some time,” You responded, wrinkling your nose. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you take some of the jam I just made? I have so much jam in my house right now and I don’t know what I’m going to do with all of it.” You screwed the lid on the blueberry jam Connor and Nines had tried and pressed it into the RK900’s hands. “Oh, and—” You hurried back to the kitchen counter to pour out some of the jam you just made into one of the sterilized jars you had left to dry. “—take this, too. It’s raspberry jam.” You handed the warm glass jar to Connor, who accepted it enthusiastically.

“Thank you, Detective. I—we appreciate your generosity.” Nines replied, pleased.

“I can’t wait to try your raspberry jam. I’m sure it’s delicious,” Connor added.

“You’re too kind, both of you.” You laughed cheerily, walking with them into the living room where Sumo raised his head to greet you. “I’ve got plenty more fruit to preserve, but I don’t want you two to keep Hank waiting for too long.” With Sumo’s leash in one hand and a jar of jam cradled carefully in the other, Connor waved goodbye and stepped out the front door. Nines followed suit, nodding politely at you.

“Thank you for showing us something new, Detective. Thanks to you, I feel like I have expanded my horizons greatly since becoming deviant.”

“It was my pleasure, Nines. You’re welcome to stop by anytime.”

“Hey, whatcha eatin’, Tin Can?” 

“Blueberry jam, Detective.” Spoon still hanging out of his mouth, Nines offered the jar to Gavin. “My filtration system can only handle about a spoonful every now and then, but I enjoy the taste. Would you like some?” The abrasive detective inspected the jar with a critical eye.

“Fuck, who put you on human food?”

“Detective L/N.” Nines answered placidly. “L/N is very good at making jams.”

“Shit, is that where Connor got his jar of jam from?” asked Hank, stopping by Nines and Gavin’s desks on his way back from the breakroom. “The one he keeps on his desk alongside a spoon. I catch him eating spoonfuls of the jam from time to time.” Nines nodded.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Gavin muttered. “Androids eating jam. What’s next? Donuts?”

While Gavin’s speculations did not become a reality, Connor and Nines continued to enjoy the simple pleasure of homemade jam. It wasn’t long until their android brother Sixty discovered it, and he responded with equal enthusiasm for the stuff.

Noticing their newfound habit of shoving jam-coated spoons in their mouths during lulls in work at the precinct or after visiting particularly gruesome crime scenes, you continued bringing them different flavors of jams and preserves for them to try. What had been your way of killing time at home had become a full-fledged hobby.

“They’re my android guinea pigs,” You joked to anyone who asked. “They’re the first in line every time I experiment with a new recipe.”

Finally, after Connor had turned up on your doorstep to return emptied-out jars for the umpteenth time, you decided to teach him how to make his own jam. 

“Look, I’m not saying that I don’t want to make jam for you guys anymore. I just think you’d like it if you tried making it yourselves,” You explained. “I’m sure you can download some executable that magically gives you culinary skills through the power of software, but you’ll still need practice, right?” 

“I’m not sure, Detective—” Connor replied uneasily. “I was not built for domestic work, but I will try.” He had elected to wear an apron as you walked him through the process, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Connor standing in your kitchen wearing a red gingham apron over his impeccably neat clothes. He was eager to learn, a trait you had always liked. What he had once called “Cyberlife’s social integration module” had made him adaptable, open-minded, and a great listener. 

You had invited Connor into your kitchen on a sunny Saturday morning, much like the morning Connor and Nines had first tasted blueberry jam. By noon, he was strolling back to Hank’s place with a spring in his step, carrying a box that rattled with glass jars of his own preserves. 

Making jam soon became Connor’s new favorite hobby. He enjoyed the endless variation in recipes and tasting things other than forensic evidence. You started seeing jars of jam mysteriously popping up on your desk every couple of weeks. When you asked Hank if Connor was the jam fairy behind the gifts on your desk, the lieutenant feigned ignorance.

Connor was also able to branch out into the android community of Detroit. He began to frequent the android-populated New Jericho neighborhood that had formed after the government acknowledged androids’ personhood, where he met current and former employees of the Detroit Urban Farms project and other androids with green thumbs. They exchanged the produce they grew for the preserves he made, which they sold at a farmer’s market downtown. Connor declined a share of the profits, saying that he wanted to support the burgeoning android community with his hobby. He was building a life for himself that he had never expected to have when he was a machine, and that was enough for him.

As for Nines, his newfound sweet tooth led him to discover a different interest. On his days off, he liked to explore the city in which he was assembled. On one of his walks, he discovered a candy shop on a street corner a few paces away from Bellini Paints. There, he was introduced to the delights of various different candies. Soon enough, he couldn’t go anywhere without stashing a fistful of lemon drops or hard caramels in the pocket of his raincoat or suit jacket. His coworkers—especially his partner Gavin—found the sight of Cyberlife’s most advanced investigator android and (former) killing machine licking contentedly at a heart-shaped lollipop jarring, intimidating even. However, his penchant for hard candy endeared him to the children he encountered in his line of work—scared, stressed children who would have previously cowered away from his imposing figure and piercing stare. 

One time, Officer Miller had brought in a sandy-haired, freckled five-year-old boy who had been separated from his parents while attending a large parade. The child had wandered the streets for the whole day. The officer had found him sitting by himself on a park bench, teary-eyed. 

Upon taking him back to the precinct, the child was inconsolable, crying until his tears dried up and continuing to tremble and whimper softly for his parents. Nines, who had just returned from the scene of a crime, noticed the boy sitting on a bench across the hall from the bullpen and being attended to by an ST300-model receptionist. Nines locked eyes with the android.

How is he doing? The ST300’s LED flickered yellow as she responded,

Not very well. He hasn’t stopped crying.

I’ll see what I can do.

Nines crouched down to reach the gaze of the boy’s stormy, downcast eyes. He produced a lollipop from a pocket in his jacket, unwrapped it, and offered it to the boy.

“It’s blueberry-flavored,” Said Nines. “Blueberry is my favorite flavor. What’s yours?” The boy sniffled and jammed the treat in his mouth.

“O-orange.”

“That’s a good choice,” Nines replied with a smile. His usually stoic, frosty expression softened. “I have a brother who makes the best orange marmalade ever.” He took a seat beside the boy. 

“I a-always wanted a b-brother,” The boy hiccuped. “B-but Mommy and Daddy are g-gone, a-and—” His hiccups turned into sobs. Nines let the boy lean on him, placing a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” Nines whispered. “You’re safe here. Everything will be alright. Everything will be just fine. We’ll find your parents, I promise.” Even if it takes Cyberlife’s most advanced android to track them down. He continued murmuring soothing affirmations to the boy, whose shoulders stopped shuddering as his sobs quieted.

We just confirmed that the boy matches the description of a missing child that was reported earlier today. His parents are on the way, Connor silently informed Nines from his desk.

Understood , Nines replied. He and the child lapsed into a comfortable silence as the misty-eyed boy continued to suck on the lollipop.

“What’s your name?” Nines asked the boy.

“Luke.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Luke. My brothers call me Nines.” 

“That’s a weird name,” Luke blurted.

“My coworker, Gavin, thinks so, too.” Nines replied, side-eyeing the detective, who was idling in the bullpen. “You know, Luke, brothers are a handful. I have two—I’m the youngest.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They’re always up to something and I have to stop them from getting themselves into trouble.” Nines chuckled softly as some of his android predecessors’ antics came to mind. “My big brother, Connor, is the one who makes jam. Tell you what, I bet I can get him to make orange marmalade just for you.”

“Yeah?” Luke raised his gaze to meet Nines’s.

“A big jar, all for you.” A wide grin broke onto Luke’s cherubic face.

“I love orange mara-” Luke frowned. “Marmam-”

“Marmalade,”

“I love orange marmalade!” Luke giggled.

From the bullpen, Tina and the other officers craned their necks from where they were stationed at their desks to get a good view of Nines giving a rare, bright smile as the boy clung to his arm.

“Who knew Mr. Thirium-Pump-of-Ice was so good with kids?” Tina whispered to Gavin.

“I dunno,” Gavin whispered back. “If he didn’t act like such a stuck-up prick all the time, maybe more people would approach him. Kids included.”

“The RK900 is equipped with a social module similar to that of the RK800 line,” Connor piped up. “His software is capable of adapting to the behavior of children, including consol-”

“We get it, Connor!” Gavin whisper-shouted. 

“I think it’s kinda cute,” You offered. “Even though he’s deviant, Nines doesn’t show us this side of him often.” 

“Aww. Maybe Nines is a softy after all.” Ben joked. 

“Ooh, don’t let him hear that, Collins. You’re ruining his street cred.” Gavin retorted.

While the officers watched on, as discreet as a zebra at a horse show, Luke willingly climbed into Nines’s arms and let him carry him out to the precinct lobby where his parents were waiting anxiously. Just before he exited the bullpen, Nines cast a glance at Connor, LED flashing yellow. Connor’s LED flashed likewise.

“Connor? What’s up?” You asked as the RK800 stared off into the distance. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know where I can get some good oranges, would you, Detective?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end or something idk~~~~~~~~~

[A/N]: I initially wanted Nines or Sixty to discover honey/take up beekeeping after discovering jam/fruit preserves...but then I realized that bees are extinct in Detroit: Become Human :( hope you guys liked this little tangent! until next time x

let me know if you want to be part of my general taglist!

[naturallyteal]

Good Omens fic recommendation my “best of September”:

Find the Light by @klikandtuna

“Find the light

But the light finds you

The shadows slide off, no dusk, no dew

Can mar the glory of what you’ve become

Preserved in amber, born anew

From pondwater

Pondwater”

(quote from the song lyrics in this fanfic)

(My fanart for this fanfic based on the painting “Bachschleuse” by Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, 1827-28, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Germany. It’s very symbolic. 😎)

In the ever flooding ocean of stories, there are some that stand out, that I think about days or weeks later, that touch me more than others. Once a month, I make a post about one of those:

This story takes the reader on a journey of hurt and comfort, trauma and healing, fear and courage. Instead of the summary, I’d like to quote the beginning, that told me right from the start that this was going to make a rewarding read:

~

He stood at the window, full in the afternoon sunshine that angled in between the curtains—velvet, once the color of a fine Zinfandel but now somewhat faded on the outer side, with a few trailing threads at the hem that brushed over the floorboards. Every year, Michael would suggest replacing them; every year, he would pretend to consider it. But he loved those worn old curtains. He reached out as he stood there, closing a fold of the fabric between two fingers to feel the warmth that the sun had infused there, the soft prickle as the tiny strands shifted.

The intercom chimed. A pleasant sound—a low, musical chirp. (They had cycled through seven different machines before finding one whose alert had pleased him.)

“Sir, Adam Young to see you.”

~

In 15 chapters and ~ 97 k words, this e-rated Human AU with teacher Aziraphale and rock star Crowley is a story that captured me, that made me think, that is still with me weeks later. It’s so well written that it, again, makes me regret a lot of those “real books” by “professional authors” I bought and read in the years before I found the AO3, a lot of which did not come up to this high quality. There’s music in here, a poetic song, metaphors that really spoke to me, and flashbacks that were expertly handled and used to tell the story the best way possible. There’s also fanart! Needless to say, the characters are relatable and loveable.

One word regarding the e-rating, as this is something many people either love or hate: the scenes regarding sex in this are rather rare, can not be called smut at all, are very tasteful, some are more described symbolically than explicitly, and still manage to be highly erotic.

👍

GO read!

Tagging List under the cut

Let me know if you want on it for future posts of mine!

Let me know if you want off the list:

@echogracebeloved @oxribs @copperplatebeech @thescholarlystrumpet @simonezitrone79

@siriosa @captainblou @alphacentaurinebula @ineffablefool @ashfae

@fellshish @vidavalor @thindarkdukewrites @crowleys-bright-red-hair-streak @kimberleyjean

@dragonfire42 @lickthecowhappy @ineffablenlghtingales @turquoisedata @di-42

@dierama-mojo

[yennas-stuff]

An E/riel said that “Emerie and Rhys have a better chance at being friends than Gwyn and Rhys - he already flies her to and from Illyria” and while it is possible that Rhys and Emerie will become friends, I still believe that Rhys and Gwyn are going to become very good friends for many reasons, but that’s a whole different post.

And while we’re on the topic of Emerie, E/riel’s only bring her up when they want to put down/make Gwynriel’s, Gwyn stans, and Nesta stans look bad (I stated this in another ask). That we don’t care about her and we forget about her. Emerie week was announced not too long ago and the majority of them were dead quiet. “Emerie deserves better” they say and then it’s radio silent from them. It honestly feels performative. I have a lot to say about this actually.

The majority of Gwynriel’s/Valkyries fans have made so much fanart of Emerie (and Emorie), short fics, headcanons, little blurbs of how she inspired young girls in Illyria, theories of her getting green siphons or even getting Truth-Teller, and praise her for being brave and hardworking. I’ve even seen some say how it would be cool if Emerie got a little camp of her own for the woman who want to be a Valkyrie and it would be like a safe haven. And if E/riel’s have the Gwynriel, or Gwyn, or Nesta, or Valkyries tag blocked then that’s probably why they don’t see some of it. Even without those tags there is still lots of love for Emerie, so when I see them talk about how we don’t appreciate her or only care about Gwyn because we ship her with Azriel it makes no sense to me.

And also, a lot of E/riel’s bring down the Valkyries by calling the sleepover and them making friendship bracelets childish, how the three of them aren’t really friends because all they’ve done is hang out a few times and read books and had a sleepover (?), saying the Blood Rite was lackluster/stupid, “the power of friendship”, etc. So how exactly is bringing down those girls and their friendship being supportive of Emerie? (I think they only do this because they don’t like Nesta or Gwyn).

This topic really makes me heated and annoyed. Like I said it just feels performative from E/riel’s. @yazthebookish actually made a very good post talking about this a little bit ago, but I think it’s deleted now. (Apologies to Yaz if I made you uncomfortable with tagging you❣️)

🍒 anon

Helloo 🍒 anon,

sorry for responding late. There's a heatwave, and I'm just barely surviving it.

Every *feminist*, girls girl take from E/riels feels performative and fake. They always end up saying something indirectly misogynistic.

It is funny when they ridicule Valkyries but pretend to love Emerie. Do they know she's also a Valkyrie? And she loves Gwyn and Nesta. And she's a cool character with lots of potential. Especially considering the Illyrians plot.

Unfortunately, as it's a romance series, we are interested in speculating about romance. Hence, the ship wars. I don't particularly enjoy Mor, and that's why it's hard for me to think about the possibility of Emorie. I think Emerie deserves better, but at the same time, I need at least one wlw ship. (Pls sjm, give us something sapphic.) So when there is not much to fight or speculate about... there are just fewer discussion points. We still show appreciation for the character, tho.

I think we would all as a fandom have more energy to discuss Emerie more if we didn't have to debunk more and more unhinged E/riel theories and block trolls every day.

[ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian]

Hello there!

a little "about me" post

my art

♡ My AO3 ♡ My Ko-fi ♡ My Cara ♡ My Pillowfort ♡ My Wattpad ♡

I'm a very long-winded person and when I like doing something, I like doing A LOT of it. I have a lot of fandoms, I like pretty art and cats, I write and muse about stuff - it's all a huge mess if I put it in one place. So that's why I decided to split my obsessions into several neat piles, so people could have an easier time deciding whether to follow, ignore or block my stuff according to their preferences.

Order an OC commission on my Ko-fi ♡

Here are my blogs which you're free to explore and follow as you like:

» ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian

The main blog where I shout into nothingness. But where I also post lots of Star Trek, mainly about Cardassians (bc I love them). I do not do Garashir, tho, look for that particular bit elsewhere (not bc I don't ship them, but bc I'm severely overfed to the point of having an allergic rection). My focus Cardassian is Damar, followed by Dukat. I'm super open to reblogging your OCs, though. My other favorite fandoms you might come across on this blog (which I don't post enough about to make a separate blog): Mass Effect, Discworld, Tolkien, Detroit: Become Human, Apex Legends, Marvel/DC, Hunger Games. I also ramble, post about writing in general, reblog some fitting memes and pets/animals, share my own photography, reblog art etc.

» pixie-in-a-moonlantern

The initiated already know: Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot blog. I post my OC screenshots, my own and reblogged fanfiction, reblog A LOT of blorbos (Halsin, Gortash, Raphael,..), whether it's art or headcanons. I do not have any VP tools, so my screens are only lightly edited to be prettier, and that's it. I prefer to avoid posting negative stuff, so it's just batshit obsession and thoughts.

» shaved-wampa

Diehard fans surely got the joke: Star Wars brainrot, and that goes for every conceivable piece of the fandom, even the bits you might not agree with - I don't discriminate. My all-time favorites are: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bode Akuna. Yes, just the two, because I also have a huge pile of characters I love, but don't really focus on: Padmé, Ahsoka, Ventress, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, Din Djarin, lil Grogu, Cody, infinite number of other Clones, ... soooo many. My top two are just the guys I actually write about. Bode's and Obi-Wan's fics are unfortunately on hold right now (sigh).

» cyber-vianne-77

As the name suggests, this is my Cyberpunk 2077 blog. I used to do a lot of virtual photography in that one - and yes, this time I mean real VP, though still no paid tools, just vanilla and free mods. I love Goro Takemura and ship my fem V with him heavily - wrote a dope fanfiction about them called 'Broken' (and following parts 'Gimme Danger' and 'Last Caress'). I reblog other cp77 vp (especially of Goro) and fanart. I don't currently play the game or shoot photos, but I have a large collection I plan to drizzle over the next few months, until I maybe decide to go back to cp77 for a while again and finally play Phantom Liberty that's been waiting for me for a long time now xD.

» sergeant-sassy

A mix of obsessions with one man in common: John Hopkins, a British actor :). Seen in Midsomer Murders and lately heard in various games as a voice actor. I've fallen for him for the first time 20 years ago - and he returned to me as Erend in Horizon games (Zero Dawn & Forbidden West). I love the games and its characters and take a lot of screenshots, too :). So it's a weird dump of Ereloy, Kotaloy (because Noshir) and Midsomer Murders :3

» goodness-all-around

My "assorted dopeness" reblogs. It's getting 0 attention so I just usually post shit to cardassian or to my private collection to avoid overflowing my main.

I will update the list if I happen to change things or add/remove blogs. Thanks for your attention and see you in the activity notifs! 💛

Bits of trivia: I'm Czech, cis woman (bi & poly and, frankly, hyper), 32, in a relationship, mom to a 5yo boy, a writer struggling to finish and publish her first original novel, drowning her sorrows in fanfic instead :). I got to most of my fandoms quite late in life, because where I live this info only started to properly flow in with the coming of the internet. I'm usually a casual fan, though when I hit a gold vein I can get a bit obsessed. I love writing fanfiction, which is mostly why I'm here on this site. I self-insert a lot (therapy writing) and usually ship us, with the rare occasion of finding a couple where I can identify with one of them (or mold them to my image because I like or even fancy them). I've spent my life believing I was hetero and discovered I'm not only once I (finally) was in a hetero relationship and had a kid, so... my ships are also hetero. It's a habit, not hating, I don't discredit any gay ships (maybe quietly to myself when they don't make any sense to me character-wise, lol). My AO3 account: XindiChick I usually try to write even the most niche of my ships in a way that doesn't require much knowledge of the original, so you're welcome to browse and read to your heart's content if you happen to like my style. I welcome any interactions, especially comments, because I don't get many.

I think it's something everyone should always be aware of, but I've also seen many people ignoring this unsaid rule:

HATERS NEED NOT INTERACT

- lest they get blocked. I'm not here to argue with you about why I like certain characters and why you think I shouldn't. Go simp for your own top picks on your own blogs and leave me alone. Same goes for any of my personal trivia I shared.

Also:

DISCLAIMER: My blogs are a safe space for everyone who doesn't go around hating on everyone else. I will block indiscriminantly assholes of every shape, color, faith, gender, orientation etc., just as I will happily interact with good people of any kind. Idc what your deal is, I just wanna enjoy being on this platform, so if you plan to rain on it, don't expect me to indulge you.

Icons by: @rpschtuff

By the way, a fun fact known only to people aware of my main fanfic novel, The Casualty, the Cardassian in my username was actually born Bajoran, but raised Cardassian, which is why she's a Cardassian in heart and spirit. She's your friendly reminder that not all Cardies are the same and as a nation have the capacity to be much better than how they were presented in the DS9, which is what she's trying to achieve.

[golden28s]

Totally optional, fun Gallavich questions ☀️🌙

thanks for tagging me to the coolest person @callivich 💖

What’s a fic you’ve read more than once? i havent read that many gallavich fanfics since i watched the show in like april BUT im loving Africa and ill probably read it once it's finished

What’s a gifset you always have to reblog? s7 gifsets are really person to me but also maybe s10 and s11 because they reached the peak of softness

What’s a headcanon you can’t stop thinking about? maybe that ian would tell mickey "i told you so" when they become parents and mickey turns out to be an absolute incredible dad that will play, sing, dance anything with his children.

What’s a fanart you love looking at? maybe @gallavichonly @heymrspatel and i accept recommendations btw id love to see more fanart

What’s an idea you’d love to create if you had the time/inspiration? id probably write like a series of one shots based on taylor swift songs

What’s something you’ve discovered since entering this fandom? A new trope you love? A different analysis of the show? Something else? i think that not judging characters, like always be aware of their circumstances and what made them do or say that and that might not justify them but it explains their thought process, it explains why and gives them some sort of humanity to their mistakes idk if this makes sense but yeah that, don't judge a character too soon, try to understand them.

What’s an underrated trope or concept you’d like to see more of? the secret dating, we know they secretly dated and stuff but i feel like it's actually a really fun concept to play with despite their circumstances in the show, it gives you so many possibilities.

What’s your favourite season? And has this changed after multiple rewatches of the show? the early seasons have special place in my heart, so s4-5 and i think gallavich totally saved s7, i love that part of the season

What’s a plot hole you wish had been answered or resolved? i would've loved to see ian healing from the grooming and realizing it was grooming, it would've been nice for the character to heal old wounds and start fresh a new life with mickey in a new neighborhood ready to create new memories

What scene or moment do you feel isn’t discussed enough? the just wondering if we're a couple or not scene, we definitely should discuss more the fact that mickey answered too quickly, he absolutely had been calling ian boyfriend in his head

What line/dialogue/description from something else (a poem, a book, a tv show, a movie, or something else) do you feel describes Ian and Mickey’s relationship? im gonna quote noel fisher and as he said: "Ian's been that kind of guiding angel for Mickey so he's going to have to turn into a pretty much kind of a protective angel for Ian"

What do you think is next for Ian and Mickey post-finale? i think they're gonna learn to communicate even more, they were in really good path already. i think the writers didn't have much faith in them in that aspect but the conversation they have in s11 about going back or not to the new neighborhood made evident that they can communicate, they listen to each other and understand the reasons, each other's feelings. so yeah, i think they're gonna get even better at that and also they're not gonna wait that much to become parents. i think they eventually will find new jobs, ian will have his tomatoes and mickey will adore looking at him doing his thing every sunday morning. i really really think they finally found their peace, their home and are gonna be very very happy and disgustingly in love forever because they're also hopeless romantic and want that so bad.

im gonna tag a few people and as always feel free to do it or not <3 @lupeloto @mikhailoisbaby @mickeysgaymom @redwiccanrobin @lyricailove @energievie @depressedstressedlemonzest @juliakayyy

[friendly-books]

Dresden files Fool's Moon live blog

Fool’s Moon 

Ugh male gaze already

You’ve never mentioned Kim Delaney in your fic so I don’t have high hopes in her survival especially when she’s looking into summoning or binding circle

Sometime apprentice? Eh? How does one become a sometime apprentice

Harry drives a Beetle but he’s so tall and a beetle is so small ha

I’m absolutely blaming you for my love of Marcone and how unreasonably happy I got at the mere mention of his name in chapter two I might have a problem 

“He was one of Johnny Marcone bodyguards” pg. 18 Geez Marcone’s men can’t catch a break. First Tommy Tomm, then “Gimpy” Lawrence, and now “Spike” 

Ahh!! What was that agent Benn thinking? Pulling out her gun?!? I know Harry and Murph were going to live but still. I’m horrified by this lack of gun control 

Murph and Harry are fighting:(

I like Harry being a detective 

Who’s Justin? Why did Harry burn him to death? I’m reserving my decision if Justin is good or bad because while Harry is a good guy Bob doesn't have a moral compass.

Who’s Elaine? What happened to her?

Alphas really that’s the name they chose?

Susan you’re back!

Harry’s talking to himself again 

“What could possibly go wrong?” pg. 102 Harry sweetie you didn’t just say that. I can’t believe what I just read. Harry, you should know better than to say that. Every time someone says that things will always go wrong you’re supposed to be genre savvy. 

How is Harry still alive? He went to a hideout of possible murder happy werewolves with minimal tools and or weapons and no backup?

Marcone has arrived yay! It only took 10 chapters 

“Ah Mr. Dresden” pg. 114 Why did I think of Verinari when Marcone said Ah Mr. Dresden? Maybe because Verinari says Ah Vimes 

I love chapter 10 it’s all Marcone and Harry

Why does a demon know Harry’s mom?

“What was left of Kim Delaney lay naked and sublime on the bloodstained floor a few feet from the circle” pg. 143 I didn’t want to be right :(

“Middle-aged, starkly handsome man” pg. 145 Bi Harry counter 3

Why does a demon know Harry’s mother?

“Good-looking detective” pg. 231 Bi Harry 4 counter 

Wait did Harry call Rudolph the person who kills Murph good-looking??? What did I just read?? WHAT?!? 

It’s cool that Harry fights a werewolf 

I’ve now met ID Harry weird that whole bit was weird 

The FBI was in on it?!? 

Marcone to the rescue! 

“A man in his mature prime, his hair immaculately graying at the temples, his custom-made suit displaying a body kept fit in spite of the advancing years” pg. 293 Bi Harry 5

Really Marcone, you're really trying to get Harry to sign a contract now? 

“Marcone looked good in his gray suit and perfect hair and his manicured hands, but he wasn’t” pg. 295 Bi Harry 6

I find it amusing that Marcone and Parker are fighting over Harry for different reasons but fighting over him nonetheless :)

“He won’t accept my offer. He’d rather die.” pg. 297 Marcone knows Harry

“Marcone’s mouth dropped open, and it was an intense pleasure to see the surprise on his face” pg. 297 I love that Harry can get a reaction out of Marcone 

Loving chapter 23 with all its Marconeness 

How old are the characters? Harry calls the alphas kids, Billy calls Harry Mr. Dresden, and Harry talks about Marcone’s gray hair. I’m picturing Harry and Marcone as a mesh of @drawsdenfiles and @kaphkas fanart.

We got a title drop 

Awww Susan got Harry his duster

Why is Marcone’s house so big? Why does he need a big house? 

“If he truly offered you a challenge, he’s here,” Marcone said, his tone completely confident, “I’m certain of it.” pg. 365 Marcone really knows Harry huh 

I like that Marcone’s never underestimated Harry 

“Please remember that I want Dresden, alive if possible.” pg. 375 Wow Marcone really wants to hire Harry. 

Nooo the FBI kidnapped Murph :(

What did Denton see in Harry’s soulgaze? 

Marcone to the rescue again or not, honestly Marcone you should listen to Harry more often

“I guess it could be worse” pg. 394 Why would you say that Murph? Why???

“Mr. Dresden, Marcone said crossly. I’ve asked you not to call me that.” pg. 398 You should let Harry call you John, Marcone 

I love Harry and Marcone’s banter

Marcone’s throwing knives bit was cool

Harry using the belt was interesting. Glad Susan calmed him down. 

“Dresden! The pit!” pg. 417 Nice of Marcone to warn Harry

Harry using his necklace is cool! 

No Murph trust Harry, why did you shoot him?

Yay Murph was shooting Denton 

“Of course,” Marcone said, with a note of disappointment in his voice “I’d just hoped you hadn’t realized it. Nonetheless, Harry-“ 

“Don’t call me Harry,” I said, and hung up on him” pg. 428 I love this entire bit. How come Harry gets to call Marcone John but when Marcone calls Harry by his first name he gets upset? You should just call each other by your first names 

I hope we see more of the Alphas 

Oh Harry’s making connections with the ongoing mystery yay! 

Final thoughts 

Loved all the Marcone we got. I like that we’re getting more on the ongoing mystery. I hope we see more of the Alphas. I liked the fights and Harry’s detective work. More Bi Harry the counter is going up! We’re up to 6. As with the previous book, I'm not a big fan of the male gaze but I think that’s more to do with the length and descriptions used. Harry (or Jim) will go on for a solid paragraph describing women using words I don’t think anyone would use while with Bi Harry it’s not as long and I can see people using words like good looking or handsome. I mostly glazed over the male gaze bits. I don’t know if my predisposition to Bi Harry and a Harry/Marcone shipper is making those parts stand out or if it’s because I’m actively looking for them to add to the counter. Speaking of Marcone I don’t recall if it’s said why Marcone wants Harry to work for him. Yeah having a wizard on staff is cool he can do magic but surely Marcone knows that there’s more magic people and some are more likely to work for him than Harry. So why does he specifically want Harry to work for him? He tried to get him to work for him three times in this book and once in the previous book. There’s trying to hire someone and then there’s whatever this is. I enjoyed this book. Good book for Harry/Marcone moments. Looking forward to the next book!

[your-queer-dad]

ok this is kind of a dumb thing but I wanted to get it out so whatever-

I have ADHD. More importantly, I love fiction podcasts. They are My Thing. I love listening to them and talking about them and drawing characters from them and reading/writing fan fiction about them. I'm the fiction podcast person in all my friend groups. For the past few months I've specifically been hyperfixating on a podcasts called Hello from the Hallowoods. I love it. So much. (also, there are a lot of canonically trans/genderqueer characters in it so yay for representation) It's basically become part of how my brain functions at this point, if you looked in my head, you would see hfth. The thing with hfth is that it has a REALLY small fandom. Like- one of the main characters is tagged in one fic on ao3 and I wrote it. It bothers me a little bit, but I'm managing becauase this is my favourite hyperfixation that I've had.

But I've been listening to The Adventure Zone a lot lately. And I've been thinking about it A LOT. TAZ has a WAY bigger fandom than hfth and there is actually like- fanart of all my favourite characters and stuff. But I'm scared of my hyperfixation changing? It's happened a good bit before, but usually I'm ready for the change when it comes, I'm not really for this one to change.

It's kind of trivial, but this mean a lot to me (thanks for listening to me rant about podcasts)

-Isaac

Hey kiddo!! Those sound awesome!!! I really should listen to more podcasts, thank you so much for the recommendations and for sharing them with me!

- dad x

[ultravioletbrit]

Do you have a rare pair that you like? Will you ever write a fic for them?

Oooo…. that's such a good question!!

I’ll split my boys up and put each of them in a different pair. Even through it breaks my heart to split them and I will always still want endgame Jeggy, but they can have fun with these guys for a little while!! 😉

I am really liking Reg and Kingsley. I think they work so well together, and I love their dynamic. I honestly don’t think I would’ve thought of them together, but after reading a few fics with them (and some very delicious fanart), they are really good together and I have very quickly become a big fan!  

But I have to say my favorite rare pair is James and Evan. I love them together! And I wish there were so many more fics with them!! I also love me some rosestarkillerchaser… But there is just something about solo James and Evan that I love. I’m reading 2 wips right now that have them together and they’re just so cute and so sweet and so kinky and so smutty and I just want to squeeze them! James calling him Evy melts my heart every time 🥹 (I am nervous because neither of those wips have endgame tags and one of them I want endgame Rosechaser (is that their ship name?) and the other I want Jegulus but everyone keeps switching partners and it is so stressful.)

As far as writing them… I would love to write them eventually, but I don’t think I can yet. Or at least I don’t feel like I can. I definitely don’t think I know Kingsley enough to write him yet. I know I can make him whatever I want, but I’d be nervous if I wrote him right now, he would be very James-coded, and I wouldn’t want to do that. And I feel like I ‘know’ Evan a bit better, but I’ve only had him as a side character so far, and I think the same thing might happen to him and the ship would end up just feeling like Jegulus or Rosekiller.  

I haven’t written much other than my microfics and when I was writing a longer fic, I struggled a lot with finding Reg and James’ voices, if that makes sense. I kept bouncing all around different personalities that just weren’t them in that particular fic. And it was very hard for me to keep them consistent through the entire fic. And that was with Reg and James, who I write all the time, and thought I understood very well.

I think it would be even harder for me to write Evan or Kingsley as a main ship right now and be able to give them their own voice and personality and characterization. I have a feeling it would turn out looking more like I wrote a Jegulus fic, then just changed the name. And I don’t want to do that. (I hope that made sense and was all okay to say. If not, please let me know.)

I think once I get more comfortable writing in general, I’ll feel more confident to branch out more. (I’m just a baby ☺️)

This was such a fun question to answer! Thank you so much for asking!! 💜 Sorry if I rambled a bit more than necessary and sorry if anything didn’t make sense. 

[starified-lizzy]

I figured I should redo my intro to my blog-

ELLO >:DDDD

(Edit/Update:) First of all, because my friend and I just had to deal with an art tracer;

YOU CANNOT TRACE, REPOST, CLAIM MY ART AS YOUR OWN OR *WHATEVER*. MY ART IS *MY ART*. MAKE YOUR OWN. ITS NOT THAT HARD AND EVERYONE STARTS SOMEWHERE.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated tho :3

Also- if you wish to use my art as a profile picture, you MUST give me credit as the first thing in your Bio/About me.

(Back to the original post)

Name’s Lizzy! Or Star! I really don’t give a fuck which you use!

Here’s my pronouns card! https://en.pronouns.page/@starified_lizzy

I draw shit for FANDOMS

I write shit for FANDOMS

I got OCS whom I LOVE and ADORE.

“Can I draw fanart of your fics?” My sibling in Christ, we are married. /pos

“Can I draw fanart of your fanart(like DTIYS)?” My sibling in Christ. /pos

“Can I draw fanart of your OCs?” CHRIST. /pos

RAHHHHHH (it’s really fucking early I shouldn’t be doing this now ;-;)

Here’s a list of my socials, it is very limited because I hate the “standard” socials like Twitter and Insta and stuff like that. So it’s more like- fanfic sites, and any other blogs I own for you guys to check out >.>

My AO3

My Art Fight

My YouTube

My TikTok (basically dead at this point, I only ever like/favorite things on it, but I might start up again with my FNF au instead)

My Pinterest

My Spotify because sure

My FNF au blog

My demonpocalypse blog ([possibly] forever retired due to a severe issue in the community it was for)

Blog for food/recipes I want to try because MMMMMMMMMMM FOOOOD

Wow that’s actually not limited like I thought- hot damn I need to touch some grass.

HERES A LIST OF FANDOMS IM EITHER CURRENTLY IN, OR HAVE RETIRED FROM (Also CCs):

Retired-

DSMP (and MCYT as a whole for the most part), dude our community is in *shambles*. I’m so glad I left when I did, but at the same time O W.

ATLA. Technically I’m still in this fandom, but I only really get back into it/brainrot about it if I get a reminder, otherwise I kinda forget about it

FNAF. Same with ATLA, still technically in it, but I gotta be reminded it exists sometimes.

BATIM. Ditto

Wings of Fire. Ditto

Undertale. Ditto. Lizzy, my main persona, was actually an OC created from Undertale, who just ended up becoming her own person, and then ended up being associated with mine and my friend’s Minecraft au instead.

Onto CCs I no longer watch:

Any of the DSMP ppl, with very few exceptions

Jacksepticeye. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still watch a video of his if it pops up and spikes my interest, but I don’t actively seek his content out anymore.

Any of the old Minecrafters. Like DanTDM, Stampy, Tiny Turtle & Little Lizard. Hell, I don’t even think any of the ones I listed even do YT at all anymore. I’ll still watch their old videos tho.

Current-

FNF. I really could give less of a fuck if y’all think it’s “bad” or “for kids (it’s not, I promise you)”. The music slaps, and quite a few mods are really well made, so eat my ass.

Day of Dragons. The dragons are cool. I don’t care about any drama in the community. I’m here for the cool fucking dragons.

The Isle. Once again, I don’t care about any drama in the community. I’m here for the cool ass dinosaurs because you can customize your own skins and they just look and sound cool (Dilo, Herarra, and Ptera are my faves)

Lethal Company. Do it for the Company.

RainWorld. Scugs and Scups. Need I say more?

Hollow Knight. Sorta falling out of this one, but until I beat the entire game (P5) I am not finished.

Minecraft. Technically in “the fandom”, but not really attached to a specific YTer or anything like that anymore. I just like the game.

CCs I still watch:

Astral Spiff. Sprog is a good gamer.

Smii7y and his friends like Grizzy, Droid, Puffer, Blarg, etc.

Jack Manifold. I only watch his You Laugh You Loose and Ghost Sighting Compilation videos. I don’t even know if he still does Minecraft anymore.

8-BitRyan. While he doesn’t swear in his videos, it’s kinda a breath of fresh air. Plus his edits are quite funny.

Markiplier. Yes. Just… yes…

IGP. His content is just interesting. The way he freaks out over shit is funny as hell. Does he do content with IcyCaress anymore? Their banter was funny, but idk if something happened, cuz I just don’t see much stuff with Icy in it anymore.

As of right now, that’s all I can think of. It’s nice to meet you!

[kakashihasibs]

the character everyone gets wrong

sweaty soggy noodle man kakashi is who this is all going to be about so. I don't think everyone gets him wrong. a lot of people do but it's usually bc they're too horny to care lol

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

have you seen him? have you felt his vibes? he is lazy by nature and recoils away from most physical contact that isn't necessary to do his job (and even he doesn't seem to enjoy it). there are like 7 total people he even lets see his face (while knowing it is his face) and most of them are dead by the time he is 13. hang out? sure. do nice domestic couple things? sounds lovely. get naked and fuck? so an enemy can kill him or a loved one while he's distracted? no. he probably has tried scheduling his shits and showers with gai so he's never actually vulnerable. he's also so ace.

Aubu kakashi: "Tenzō I need you to stand outside the bathroom while I shit." baby tenzō: on it boss (thinks this is completely normal bc he is also in anbu)

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

uhhh that kakashi would not only have sex but would want you to call him daddy. that nearly 50 year kakashi who has never worn sunscreen in his life shouldn't actually look old/older. that a young looking kakashi is a health looking kakashi.

4. what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

lol that insinuation that looking young is healthy

5. worst discord server and why

i have never been in a discord server longer than a few days. idk.

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

facebook dude bro fans whoops i misread this. i thought it just said fans. but shipping fans? idk kakairu is a notp for me but the fans aren't overly annoying? maybe the painfully ooc readerx shippers. I haven't seen many in a while tho so

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Iruka lol but only when shipped with kakashi. annoying loud-mouth chunin. whatever dude.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

kakashi fucks and gai doesn't

9. worst part of canon

it's naruto man. everything after the land of waves arc lol

10. worst part of fanon

the bumbling husband and nagging wife characterizations from the kakairu fanon.

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered

bruh lots idk lol

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

tenzō T-T

13. worst blorboficiation

i'm pro blorbo. i am rotating these fictional men in my mind at all times.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

i don't know.

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

fangs v-v and scars.

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

people who love kakashi but don't give a shit about gai. those two are like a packaged deal in my mind. can't have one without the other. they are eternal rivals after all.

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

sometimes i just really need a deep dive into kakashi's head. i love the character study type stuff.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

younger gai and tenzō bumping into each other bc they're both watching kakashi stand at the memorial stone bc they're both worried.

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

there is nothing i am mad/ashamed/horrified about but if you're wondering yes i do enjoy the fanarts of kakashi in bondage. lol

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

the flashbacks are out of control. my memory isn't great but it's not that fucking bad holy shit girl

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

idk i feel like the parts of fandom i interact with are pretty realistic about how good something in Naruto is

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

Yaknow how Obito's dream that naruto sees is Obito is back in konoha and becoming hokage but Rin is still dead? like what does obito wish had changed? I think it's if Minato had recognized him. I think Obito was actually praying and hoping for Minato to realize who he was fighting. Obito had a seal on his heart. Minato could have saved him if Minato pulled his head out of his ass for more that 5 mins at a time.

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

none. my kakashi stubbornness knows no bounds

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

idk kakashi discourse is easy for me to ignore.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

none. i love hatefulness drama and kakashi.

[kohakhearts]

for fic writer meme: 7, 18, 26, and 40, and feel free to answer for both fic and original work if you want :D

thank you!! :D

7: how do you choose which pov to write from?

in terms of 3rd/2nd/1st, usually i default to 3rd but some stories just...are meant to be 1st person, if that makes sense lol. like i have one original project where the mc gets possessed by a demon at some point and it's told in 1st person to like...really solidify the idea that they've become one person in a sense. in terms of which character the pov follows, that's just a result of blorboism LOL. in original works it's just...who the first character i conceived of was, usually. i'd say the protagonist but lets be real - nerissa is NOT the protagonist of osa. she's his older sister :p (she gets protag status by oes on account of getting herself killed so he doesn't have to put himself in harm's way anymore ofc)

18: do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? how do you come up with titles?

it really depends on the fic. sometimes i have a title before anything else. sometimes it comes midway through after i've written a particular line and been like "oh that's good, let's make that the title!" and sometimes it's well after the fact when i'm staring at the ao3 draft like what the fuck do i call you. i'd say usually it's the first scenario though, and then i try to work the title into the text somehow. i've taken inspiration from a lot of things for titles, but in general i like my titles to reference specific lines or motifs in the fic itself!

26: which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

...pretty much any multichapter i've ever written LOL. i'll give a special shoutout to ratc and entanglement for being ideas that i was like "oh this will be like 10k words probably lol" and then turning into novels. entanglement in particular, for getting so long i had no choice but to divide it into chapters lmao

40: if someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

ok there are actually a lot HAHA. i was going to commission a piece of nerissa and poseidon from the scene in oes where they're sitting on the back step at emerson's house after poseidon accidentally possessed her. that's definitely one i'd love to see an artistic rendition of. and probably the final scene in oes, too, or the scene in osa where nerissa carries him out of the sea at namthi!

as for fic...i have a lot of fic, so i'll try to keep this short hjsdfhjdkf but in terms of recent ones...there's this scene from this year's christmas fic where goh kissed gary for the first time:

or tbh...i'd love to see an artistic rendition of my palletshipping hanahaki au. y'know, for the flower imagery

or like ANY scene from sound sleepless, honestly. i love those quiet, late-night conversations (relatedly...a friend drew a scene out of common ground a few years ago, which i ADORE). the scene near the end with ash and lucario is also a fave of mine that i think would make a really sweet drawing.

there's also a scene in entanglement that i won't share bc it's big plot spoilers but it's one of those sappy "character a is crying and character b wipes the tears off their face" scenes we all know and love haha

ok i'll stop here but genuinely....there are so many. and i have received a few fanarts for scenes or character in osa that i love so, so much. and i would love any kind of art someone drew for something i wrote. i love that spirit of collaboration that comes out of things like that!!!

get to know your fic writer!

[sohemotional]

For the ask game: 💛 💚 💜

💛: What is a popular ship you just can’t get behind, and why?

Tbh... unpopular take but most of the popular ships in Glee don't appeal to me. I don't like P*zberry, Qu*nntana, F*berry, P*ckurt, P*ckleberry and H*vans. I won't get into all of it but one of them I just never understood is Kl/aine. Just never got it, even after five seasons I still don't get it, doesn't do anything for me at all.

💜: Which character is way hotter than everyone else seems to think?

Brittany. I noticed that Santana and Quinn basically get all the love in terms of their appearance whereas Brittany gets way more haters calling her ugly or just flat out ignoring her or just being the one who's forgotten about when people talk about attractive Glee girls. She's incredibly underrated. Her performances in the first Britney episode were so sexy and so was Run The World, to name a few examples but she gets so slept on because people prefer the other two. She usually gets the least amount of edits and fanart out of the Unholy Trinity (and maybe even most of the other girls?) sadly.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Oh man... be prepared for a lot of unpopular takes. I wouldn't know where to start with what fandom get wrong about Brittany. Although tbh almost all the Glee characters get mischaracterized by fandom, so she's far from the only one. Based on the headcanons/art/fics I've seen, one thing I noticed is that Brittany gets taken to extremes in their portrayal of her.

There seems to be this constant need in fandom to prove that Brittany isn't stupid at all. Whereas, imo there's nothing wrong with her being stupid. I don't see it as a bad thing. She is smart in certain ways, like emotional intelligence. She's also not very smart at all in other ways. Her being stupid doesn't mean she has no worth or that she doesn't deserve love. It doesn't mean she can't be a good character.

She often gets written as this superwoman/independent woman who somehow is the best scientist/chef/doctor to ever exist with a million talents. She's too perfect. I feel like some fans do this to overcompensate for how she was passive/not super successful in conventional ways and not intellectual in the series. It just makes her way less appealing to me when she's portrayed like that.

She also sometimes gets portrayed in the reverse where she's completely childlike/incapable and helpless in every single way - worse than she ever was in canon even - with no edge or agency either which also is not really her.

Her traits like her quirky side that make her unique get washed out and she becomes what my friends and I refer to as the "Wattpad y/n girl" or the generic girl that's totally bland instead of having her Brittany-isms.

One thing I absolutely hate personally is the obsession with portraying Britt as this super dominant controlling top, or this masculine woman who pushes Santana around. It's just not her and it's gross to warp their dynamic into that imo. I see no appeal.

Another thing I noticed that bothers me is that fics often remove Brittany's sex appeal and femininity entirely for some reason. I often feel it's because they dislike the character or they just don't care about her at all.

I noticed on this site especially Brittany also gets demonized and portrayed like if she's some evil borderline sociopath who only cares about Santana and her cat. It's so weird to me, especially when it's fans of some of the biggest bullies on the show of all people who say they can't support Brittany because she's a "bully." Yeah, Brittany has a mean catty side and she dislikes a lot of people but she's not some extreme bully and no worse than most others on the show.

I noticed that people like to switch Brittana around and try to push Brittany's personality traits on Santana/vice versa for some reason.

For example, they are desperate for Santana to be the more cheerful bubbly one who loves all the New Directions and is super creative while Brittany gets pushed in the background and portrayed as the cold one who doesn't care about any of them except Santana. Which is closer to the reverse of how it is in canon. Brittany was the softer, more creative one of the two and they want Santana to be that instead. Or they portray Brittany as this jealous insecure girl with Santana who gets all heated in her jealousy (that is so unlike Britt - that's Santana). Brittany was rarely ever insecure or jealous at all.

Or alternatively, one thing that's annoying as hell is they want Brittany to constantly act as the protector for Santana who goes after people who they think wronged her, when in reality in canon it was almost always Santana who was actively protecting Britt. Brittany rarely ever went after someone who she felt hurt Santana or attacked them. I think her standing up to Alma Lopez and Artie when they were harsh about Santana were two of the only times but she never just ran after Santana's enemies and physically or verbally attacked them.

I also get annoyed by fandom acting like Britt had no agency at all in her romances. For instance, people seriously still act like Santana practically forced her to have sex with her in S2 or they act like Santana ruined Bram and forced Britt to break up with him. Which ??? that is so off. If you really think Brittany didn't know what she was doing was cheating on Artie in S2 or that she didn't want to have sex with Santana, idk what to tell you.

Another thing about the fan reaction to Britt that's way off is how so many people still say things like "Brittana was one-sided because Santana loved her more" or they act like Brittany ruined their relationship more or Santana was more committed/loyal to Britt than vice versa. I won't even get into that here but it is so untrue in canon.

[eyndr-stories]

Tea Time Tall Tails (FNAF SB Fanfic)

Combining a few cute suggestions from Ao3 for this one! The_TRUE_Fanfiction_Princess: Somehow we discover a setting that makes us make mouse sounds? Gaiko: Reader cheering up Sun or Moon after a bad day? Or alternatively, Reader and the rest of the Rat fam have a game night / gossip party just sit around and spill da tea XD

This chapter is a standalone in-universe scenario for 'I Think I Smell A Rat', no previous reading required! All you need to know is you're a lil robot repair rat who lives in the walls of the plex and you're pals with Sun and Moon.

EDIT: I ALMOST FORGOR!!!!! The new stylish little bowties the rats have are inspired by THIS AMAZING FANART right here by @shirajellyfish!!! Everyone go look at it right now its so cute

This chapter contains: - Silly fun times with the boys! - The rats all make rat noises now, and if you know your rats you'll know that some noises mean a rat is scared or in distress, but for the purposes of this fic, I'm declaring right here that when the repair rats make the noises everything is fine, they're just randomly pulling audio files from a folder called 'misc rat sounds' some software guy put together from synthesized sounds. The squeaks are just cute rat sounds! No rats were harmed during the making of this fic lmao - This really is just a silly fun fluffy chapter ^_^

Ao3 link here!

The main fic this is based off of here: (I Think I Smell A Rat)

Tea Time Tall Tails

     You wouldn't say you had a favorite task per se, you just enjoyed doing the tasks and seeing them vanish off your little list and appear again in the network's completed task archive. And there were definitely some tasks that were easier than others. But of all the tasks, you sure did enjoy fixing the arcade machines when they broke quite a lot.

     All the arcade machines in the plex had either been built or modified after purchase to accommodate repair rats. They had ports just your size in the back, right by the power cable, and the ones built by the company had steep little paths along the inside walls for you to climb.

     You weren’t sure what it was about the arcade machines. Maybe it was just that fixing one had been your very first task ever upon activation. Maybe it was how simple they usually were to fix, making for a quick reward of ticking the task off the list. You weren’t sure, but you were in good spirits tonight. You’d gotten to fix two arcade machines, and with all the rest of your tasks done as well, you were on your way back to the nest for a quick recharge before you got to see your very tall friends in the daycare.

     Charging took longer than expected; there was a decent update waiting for you to power down and install it. A very brief and uncaring glance at the file told you this was actually the second part of a different update you'd received this morning. You'd had to go to parts and service for that, as there were apparently some small new parts to install and older parts to replace. This whole 'update' thing was more a very minor annoyance than anything, and you quickly put it out of mind once you were awake once more. You were excited to get to the daycare and hang out with your friends!

     When you finally arrived, you were thrilled to see a few more of your repair rat friends were already here as well. Ever since Sun had extended the invitation, the daycare had become almost a hub for any rats with some free time. You and the other rats, as it turned out, were somewhat starved for games and play time. You all worked so hard all the time, and before you’d met the daycare attendant, none of you had ever really taken time off to relax or have fun. It was always busy busy busy, work work work.

     Now though, you all had lots of games to play, and Sun and Moon never got bored or lonely after closing anymore either.

     “Tiny friend!!” Sun greeted you with as much enthusiastic delight as always, bounding over to scoop you up the moment you set foot in the daycare. “How are you??”

     You waved your tail and used the light at the end to blink out a reply in morse code. To your surprise however, the moment you began to blink your light, a sound jumped straight out of you.

     You and Sun both froze. You swiveled your head around in surprise, but you and Sun were the only ones around. Your rat friends were all the way across the daycare at one of the plastic tables. A moment later, you processed that the noise had come from you.

     "Did you just… squeak?!" Sun cried. He was practically vibrating with delight.

     "I… think… so…?" You slowly blinked in reply. This time you heard quiet chittering noises coming from you as you did. Those sounds were definitely coming from you. You paused to take a closer look at those update files. "Ah. I've acquired a speaker box, it seems. And several audio files."

     "Yes!! That's right, a few of your friends told me you all got an update! Just when I thought you couldn't get any cuter!!" Sun bounced from side to side and gave your head a little pat. "You make cute little mousey sounds now with your little… squeaker box!" Sun giggled. He held you up closer to his grinning face plate. "OH!! And look at this, it's so teeny I almost didn't see it! You've got a little bowtie now too, ahhh!"

     You had to admit, the pun was amusing. You weren't sure about these noises, though. They didn't really have a practical use. Who thought this was a necessary update?? You had actually noticed the bowtie; that had been a new addition after this morning's parts and service updates, but you hadn't really paid it much mind at all. Much like the noises, it didn't seem all that necessary to your tasks. "It appears I'm set by default to make random noises when certain conditions are met. Tail light activation, task completion, being in standby mode for more than a minute… I believe I can turn these settings off easily enough."

     Sun gasped, as if you'd committed a horrible offense. "NOOO! But the noises are so cuuuuute!! Pleeease please pretty please keep them on??"

     "They don't serve any purpose! In fact playing noises all the time is going to take up more battery power, so I'll be less efficient!" you argued.

     "How much battery would they take?"

     "…" You ran a quick calculation. "I estimate 0.063% battery power will be used for these noises per each charge."

     "Aw common, that's barely anything!" Sun pouted, slumping over and drawing his sun rays in slightly. "I guess if you really want to turn the noises off, that's your choice of course…"

     Sun looked so sad, like this was a true travesty for him. You deliberated for a moment. You hated seeing Sun so upset. "…I suppose I'll leave the settings on for now. Just while I'm in the daycare, though."

     Sun instantly brightened, springing back up as his rays all popped back out. "Yippie!!!"

     You still couldn't grasp why this mattered so much to him, but you'd humor him anyways.

     "Oh, but we've gotten distracted by your adorable new features!! How are you, tiny friend?" Sun asked.

     “I’m great! I’ve been having a great day today. I fixed some arcade machines,” you told him. You squeaked and chirped as you did, and Sun started bouncing again.

     “Oooh fun! I’m so glad to hear that!” Sun’s rays swayed happily. His grinning face plate took up nearly your entire field of view as he held you right up at eye level. You couldn't see precisely what his optics were focused on, but you got the feeling he was admiring your little bowtie.

     You returned the question. “How are you?”

     “No need to worry about me tiny friend!!” Sun did a spin, hands closing slightly around you in a protective manner. He’d never once dropped you before, but he was always extra careful anyways. “Today was a little tense for us… A few little friends weren’t playing nice, but they were playing much kinder after Moon had them take a nap! So everything is fine, no need to worry. Also!! Your friends and I were just talking about having a tea party, would you like to join us??”

     Something about Sun's tone had made you wary, but the mention of a new game immediately stole your attention. “Tea party??” You’d never played that game before! “Sure!”

     Sun happily carried you across the entire daycare in a flash, bringing you to join a small number of other rats all hanging out at one of the small plastic tables.

     Sun set you down at the table, then started setting up while you greeted the others. One of your nest mates was here, RR-TI. They seemed delighted to see you, and you happily waved your tail at them in greeting. Everyone else seemed to have gotten the update already as well; you saw tiny bowties all around.

     “Okay, everyone gets their own teacup! And here’s the teapot, and we’ve got snacks too!” Sun set out colorful plastic cups and saucers and a matching teapot, as well as a big plate full of plastic wrapped packs of fazbear-themed animal crackers, all in the shapes of the glamrocks.

     Not that any of you could eat or enjoy the snacks, but you didn’t yet know the rules of this game so you couldn’t really say much.

     Sun went on. “Tea parties are easy and fun! All you have to do is take turns telling stories. They don’t have to be real, but friendly gossip is encouraged! There is another thing you have to do, but I don’t think it applies to repair rats. You must hold your pinky out like this when you take a sip of tea!” Sun demonstrated, lifting his teacup and sticking his pinky finger up in the air. He tipped the empty cup into his grin. “Mmm, tasty!”

     You weren’t the only one confused by the rules of this game. Several rats flashed questions at once, and a small chorus of chirps started up.

     “But the cups are all empty!”

     “Are the snacks like points? Do we earn them later?”

     “How do you win tea party?”

     “What kind of stories do we tell?”

     Sun gently set his teacup down on his saucer. “There’s no points in tea parties, sillies! This isn’t a game you win or loose, its just a fun pretend game!”

     “Pretend?” You and the other rats shared confused looks.

     “Yes, pretend! You act like something is true, even if it’s not! For fun! Here, why don’t I start us off since you all seem a little confused…” Sun took the teapot and carefully poured nothing at all into his teacup. He lifted his cup next. “I was chatting with the mermaids earlier and you’ll never believe what they told me! They said that miss Roxanne Wolf can count all the way to one trillion! And she’s the best at it, too!!”

     “I can count to one trillion. That’s not very hard,” RR-TI said.

     A few other rats agreed.

     “Who are the mermaids?” another rat wondered. “I’ve never seen a ‘mermaid’ in the building before.”

     “There are no mermaids! Just like there is no tea,” Sun explained.

     “No mermaids??” Your friends just looked more confused. “But you claimed to have spoken with them a minute ago?”

     “That was just pretend. I made it up!” Sun said patiently. He took another ‘sip’ from his empty teacup, pinky raised.

     “Made it up?? But why?” RR-TI asked.

     “For fun! I thought it would make for a more interesting story. That’s what’s fun about tea parties, you can tell any kind of stories you like! It’s just for fun, just pretend!” Sun gestured to you. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

     You froze up, still confused as to how this game worked. “Um…” You scrambled to come up with the correct way to take your turn. Sun had said there was no winning or loosing, not even any points, so you supposed it didn’t matter much if you messed up. Still, you were at a bit of a loss. “I… was talking to… the werewolves, and they told me… Montgomery Gator makes delicious soup?” You sniffed at your cup, but there was still no tea in it, and you had no pinky finger to lift regardless.

     “Not bad!!” Sun applauded your efforts.

     “I just used your story as a template and replaced a few details,” you admitted.

     “I could tell! That’s okay though, you still did really good for your first try, even if it wasn’t entirely original. That's how we learn best sometimes! Am I right to think that maybe you're all still a little lost?"

     You and the others all agreed- this new game was very confusing.

     "I don't know how to play this game correctly," you told Sun.

     "There's not really a right or wrong way to play pretend! All you have to do is have fun with it," Sun said.

     How strange. All the games you'd played prior had been very structured. There were rules, points, strategy. You'd had a lot of fun with those, but now that you were thinking about it, you weren't even sure how 'fun' was supposed to work. If the only important rule of this tea party game was to have fun and 'pretend'… you actually had no idea how to go about either of those tasks.

     Looking around, you saw your other rat friends at the table were in much the same predicament. You noticed the sub-network you and all the other repair rats in the building shared had a few low priority query pings on it.

     Task Assistance: How to fun?

     Task Assistance: How to pretend?

     These queries gathered more confused questioning from other rats than answers.

     "You all still look pretty confused. Let me ask you all this… what things do you think are fun?" Sun asked, folding his arms over the table.

     "Chess is fun!" RR-TI said. A few other rats agreed.

     "Tag is fun," another rat chimed in.

     "The arcade machine tasks are fun," you added.

     A different rat chittered at you and shook their head. "Arcade tasks are NOT fun. Those are boring."

     You were about to defend your favorite task when Sun jumped back in.

     "That's all great!! And remember that sometimes different things are more fun for different people!" Sun pat you and your almost-enemy on your heads with gentle fingertips. "Think about that feeling you get when you do these things. It's a lighthearted pleasure, feels just like a fresh charge, right?"

     You and the others agreed with this.

     Sun gestured with his hands while he explained, the bells on his wrists jingling merrily. "The best kind of fun, in my opinion, is when you have fun doing something that isn't also a task that needs doing, or a chore that needs completing. Although those can be fun too! But my favorite fun is when you do it just simply to have fun! Pretend is really great for that, because there's no other tasks to it! No points or scores or winning or loosing, you just be silly and playful and it's fun!"

     "No task? Just fun??" RR-TI wondered.

     You thought you were starting to understand. You weren't sure if you could do anything if it wasn't a task of some sort, but you were willing to try. "I think I get it. Can I try again?"

     Sun nodded happily. "Of course!!"

     You raised your tail and started another 'pretend' story. "I was doing my tasks the other day… when… the whole building flooded! There was water everywhere, and I had to swim around to find… the drain. To get rid of the water! But I couldn't find it… And then Sun's mermaid friends came along and helped me find it, and I opened the drain, and the water went away."

     Sun applauded, ecstatic over your efforts. "That was really great!! Good job, I loved it! You even remembered my mermaids, how sweet!"

     You were delighted with the praise. Was pretend really that easy? All you had to do was tell lies, essentially. But in a way that was, undoubtedly, fun.

     The other rats seemed to be catching on as well.

     "Okay! I have a story too," RR-TI said.

     "Tell us the gossip!!" Sun exclaimed, setting his face plate atop his hands, his elbows on the table.

     "Freddy Fazbear… has a secret golden hat that can… turn you into a plant when you wear it!" RR-TI proclaimed.

     "Ooooh no way! I had no idea!" Sun put his hands over his grin in surprise.

     "He doesn't really, that I know of. I made it up," RR-TI assured.

     "That's right, I'm playing along! That can be part of the fun, like how tiny friend- er, RR-YN mentioned my mermaids in their story," Sun explained.

     "Oh!" RR-TI nodded in understanding.

     You and the other rats and Sun went around taking turns 'gossiping' and telling outlandish stories. You even played off each other, referencing the other's tall tales in your stories, or mentioning that one of the others had been there for the fictitious events, so they could play along with it.

     Sun would occasionally sip his nonexistent tea, pinky out, and you realized that was part of the fun too. Pretending there was tea in the cup. For your next story, you pretended there was tea in your cup as well, and braced your paws on the rim to act out sticking your nose in the cup and taking sips of tea. You proclaimed the tea to be delicious, and Sun thanked you kindly and told you he'd made it himself from scratch.

     It was strange, but you really were having fun. There was no task, no points to win or loose. You were just being silly and saying silly things just for the delight of it. Your friends were all in on it as well and would play along with you, and you were all having fun together.

     When it came time for Moon's turn, you and the other rats were practically experts at tea party. The lights all dimmed and Moon's glowing red optics were met with a small crowd of delighted blinking little lights and happy squeaking.

     "Moon, guess what! I was turned into an octopus the other day!" RR-TI declared.

     "I'm the one who turned them into an octopus!" another rat chimed in.

     "…Ah. I see Sun has taught you all the vital skill of lying," Moon said, squatting in typical hunched fashion where Sun had been sitting.

     "Fun lying," you corrected.

     "And you're all making noises now too. Sun did leave a note about that." Moon watched you all with amusement. Your rat friends were going back and forth now about octopus sorcery.

     "There was an update earlier. I would have turned my sound settings off but Sun seemed deeply upset at the idea," you said.

     Moon's eye lights rolled. "Typical. He mentioned no less than four times in his note how adorable you sound. They're just silly rat noises."

     "I can turn them off for you, if you would rather," you offered.

     "…I didn't say that." Moon absently picked up his teacup and 'sipped' his tea.

     "Pinky out!!" several rats cried.

     Moon scoffed. "That's Sun's silly rule he got from the kids."

     "It's one of the only rules of tea time. You have to stick your pinky out," RR-TI insisted. The other rats backed them up with affirming squeaks.

     "I don't see any of you sticking your pinkies out," Moon said.

     "Sun says repair rats are exempt from the rule, since we don't have pinkies," another rat told him.

     "Unbelievable. Bending the rules for just anyone… what has the humble tea party come to." Moon 'tsk'ed and took another sip of tea, still not abiding by the 'pinky out' rule.

     Your rat friends were all in distress over the broken rule, but you knew just what to do.

     "Well you know what happens when you break the rules of tea party…" you started.

     "What, will you put me in time out? I'd like to see you try, tiny terror." Moon spun his face plate at you.

     "I don't need to… I've already poisoned your tea while you weren't looking," you said.

     Moon froze, then stared down at his teacup. He gasped and dropped the cup, then dramatically gripped at his chest. "You poisoned me?! The betrayal…!"

     "We warned you not to break the rules." You shook your head at Moon.

     "Grahh!" Moon gasped and coughed, then fell backwards. He lifted a shaking hand into the air, then proclaimed one final "blegh." before going limp and laying still on the floor.

     Your rat friends all chirped and cheered, popcorn jumping about, delighted by the performance. Moon laughed quietly from the floor.

     The night went on, and your friends came and went. Some had tasks to do, others needed to charge. You stayed with Moon and kept an eye on the network, where word of playing pretend had spread like wildfire. There were now lots of low priority 'pretend tasks' with nonsensical assignments like 'create a dragon' or 'repair the air' or 'fix 20 turtles'. A few rats were 'completing' these and adding task notes like 'the dragon is my friend now. We are going to go bowling together'.

     Despite this newfound love of silly pretend games, there was something still bothering you in the back of your mind. You turned to Moon as he cleaned up the game of checkers you'd been only half focusing on. It had been just you and Moon at the table for a while, though a few of your rat friends were currently playing tag on the other side of the daycare.

     "Hey Moon… how was your day today?" you asked.

     Moon paused, glancing up at you briefly before resuming his counting of the pieces. "Fine."

     "Are you sure?"

     Moon didn't look at you this time. He recounted the pieces. "What did Sun tell you?"

     "He mentioned something about a few little friends not playing nice, but they were better after a nap," you told him.

     "That's all?"

     You nodded. "Is there something else?"

     "…" Moon put the lid on the box and tapped his fingers rhythmically over the colorful cardboard surface. "A parent was rude with us is all. Happens all the time."

     "But it still bothered you?" you pressed.

     "It bothered Sun. I'm totally fine," Moon insisted, laying his hands down firmly on the box.

     "Oh, I didn't realize we were still playing pretend."

     Moon shot you a look. He set the game aside and folded his arms. "…Fine. I'm slightly bothered. But it's stupid and doesn't matter. I shouldn't be upset."

     "I don't think it's stupid," you told him.

     "…Thanks, tiny terror," Moon mumbled quietly. "It actually is nothing major, just irritating is all, when parents are rude and impatient with us. Sun already forgot all about it when he learned you make little rat noises now."

     You were pleased to know you'd managed to cheer up Sun without even really trying. He really hadn't seemed too bothered, beyond the intentionally vague recollection of how his day had been. You'd have to talk to him about that later and make sure he knew he could tell you about things like this if he wanted. As for Moon, on the other hand…

     "How about you, are you feeling better about it now?" you asked. "Would looking at my new little bowtie help??"

     Moon laughed lightly. "It is a very stylish little addition. I'm doing much better now, tiny friend. Thank you for listening."

     You would smile if you could. You straightened up and chirped happily. "You're welcome!" You paused as you realized something. "Hey, you called me 'tiny friend' instead of 'tiny terror'!"

     Moon folded his arms and swiveled his head around to face the opposite direction. "Did not."

     "You did!"

     "Your new update must have an audio processing bug." Moon snatched up the checkers box and quickly left to go put it away.

     You played with your friends the rest of the night, and soon it was time to charge, and Sun and Moon had to get ready for the day. You read over the pretend tasks on your way back to the nest, delighting at some of the tomfoolery taking place in the network.

     You settled down to charge, eager to welcome a new day of tasks and unrelated fun. As you powered down, you thought you might just leave your new noise settings on after all.