#anyway I just wanted an excuse to do this meme with them

[amoural]

a silly au with singer!hermione and her biggest fan 🤭🎤🎶

[unexpectedbrickattack]

shenanigans

[folerdetdufoler]

i finally deleted twitter! it sucks that i’ve lost that little corner of the fandom, but it didn’t make sense to maintain once it was in musk’s hands, so this was long overdue. i will always credit the skam fandom that i found over there back in 2017 for shaping me as a writer, as well as for inspiring me to travel. i know it was considered a toxic place for the fandom even back then, but it was a platform i grew up with and could communicate on, which meant i connected with some very lovely people. i was devastated when my original account was suspended back in like, 2021? because i had lost a lot of early writing and some friends who had moved on to other fandoms at that point. but i tried to take screenshots of what i had left. a lot of my links to twitter won’t work now, either, but that’s what you get when you depend on someone else as an archival tool.

anyway, a couple of years ago i was thinking about even’s notebook and that became these tweets below the cut. my shorter ideas might end up here now, or on bluesky.

[bluejaybytes]

show us your oc lore!!

I'm so sorry but it's exclusively my Splatoon OCs

I'm not at ALL confident in how legible this is, but this is my Web Of Lesbianism(tm), AKA how (almost) all of my lesbian sploon OCs connect to each other, excluding a few who only connect in small places and/or I don't feel like making icons for. Sorry to Scarlet, who absolutely warrants a place here, but I simply Do Not Want to make an icon for </3

Lore under the readmore because I get extremely rambly. whoops and apologies and this is probably the only time i'll ever let myself get THIS infodump-y in a Tumblr post. I'm writing this after I wrote it all out and I'm so fucking sorry it's literally over 2k words because I have no ability to stop once I've started and I've been outright POSSESSED by these losers for the past month. Here's basically everything about my Splatoon OCs

FOR NAMES. Top right is Basil (Blue tentacles), middle right is Penny (Her name is just written because I haven't drawn her yet), bottom right is June (Pink tentacles), bottom middle is Jake (Blue tentacles), bottom left is Parker (Purple tentacles, also the sanitized icon), middle left is Ruby (Orange tentacles), and top left is May (Pink tentacles)

Everything starts when May, Jake, and Ruby are all around ~16-17, while June, May's little sister, is around ~9. May is VERY into Jake, and Jake's just generally a big flirt and a huge romantic, though it's unsure if he really realizes May's extremely obvious crush on him (He doesn't), or he reciprocates, which is unfortunate, because Ruby, who's May's childhood best friend, is also very into her, but May doesn't realize this. When [UNDECIDED EVENT] happens and May and Jake both come to the realization they need to head to the surface to escape the oppressive Octarian domes, Ruby being with them is very clearly an afterthought, and she knows it. So, her jealousy over Jake being someone May has known for less time yet clearly loves more than her, and the fact that trying to escape being very, very illegal, she turns them both in.

Jake manages to call May before he's caught to warn her that Ruby turned them in and the cops will already be heading to her parents house, which gives May enough time to run home, grab June, and make a run for it. Both May and Jake manage to outrun the cops, with May and June ending up far into the outskirts of the domes, while Jake only gets further and deeper within them.

Around a month or two after their initial escape, May's spotted by a patrol of soldiers stationed right around the way to the surface, with the soldier who spots her specifically being Scarlet, the oldest sister to Ruby (Who's not featured here because I don't want to make her icon), who remembers May from when she was a kid and, alongside that, has been feeling disillusioned with life as a soldier, despite her high ranking, and decides not only to let May go, but to even share rations with her. This only increases as Scarlet realizes May is the runaway who's known to have a young child with her, and it goes from Scarlet sparing her own rations to stealing rations from the squad she leads to make sure both May and June are able to eat properly.

Of course, this doesn't last long, as Crimson, the middle sister to Scarlet and Ruby, and fellow soldier stationed with Scarlet's squad, gets suspicious of the missing rations, Scarlet's dismissal of the issue, and her wandering off frequently, and ends up following her and finds her giving the stolen rations to May. A fight breaks out between the two, with Crimson managing to nearly take Scarlet's eye out in the process, as Scarlet's the only person ever to bring a gun to a knife fight and lose. May booked it the MOMENT Crimson jumped out, so she's long gone by the time the scuffle ends, but Scarlet, having just been caught stealing rations, aiding a runaway, and now attacking a fellow soldier (Even if in self defense), bolts to try and make it to the surface as well, albeit she doesn't know where May ran off to.

May ends up making it to the surface around a month after that incident, after wandering lost for the time between, and, while struggling to try and buy some clothes thanks to the language barrier between her and the commonly spoken languages of the surface, one of the employees working there, Penny, is able to help figure out what May's looking for, and helps her with the whole process, since it's a lot different from how it was in the domes. They don't end up seeing each other after that for around a year, but it's important when they do, as Penny's was the first person on the surface May really had a good experience with, so when they randomly run into each other, May's very happy to be able to tell her how meaningful that was to her, and that she's much more adjusted to the culture and language now.

Meanwhile, Jake! Jake ends up wandering deep within the domes, far away from where the actual settlements and cities are, for over a year, just barely surviving through scavenging and avoiding patrolling soldiers. Still, he's not great at it, and eventually he ends up being held at gunpoint by Parker, who insists he tell her his rank and what he's doing out here. He has no idea, as he was never in the military and lies through his teeth. Luckily for him, Parker is a military deserter, and would've had a much worse reaction had she believed him, instead realizing that he's not a soldier and has no idea what he's talking about. Parker's been hiding out in the area, an abandoned sewer system that's frequented as a supply route for soldiers, for several months at this point, and while she actually enjoys her life of living down there, it's a lot of work to survive on her own, and realizing Jake's a fugitive also means he's a potential survival partner.

The two end up meeting up once every day for around a week before Parker feels confident enough that Jake isn't going to screw her over or try and turn her in or anything, and invites him to live with her at her "apartment", an old maintenance closet that's very secluded and not marked on any military maps, under the agreement that the two of them actually work together. Jake instantly agrees because he's been miserable and awful for the past year, while Parker's doing surprisingly well for herself, she even has multiple sets of clothes that she's stolen from nearby outposts (As well as an entire mattress she stole, and her most prized possession, a full deck of playing cards, and an Octo Shot she definitely killed a man for), as opposed to Jake, who's been going off of only what he had on him when everything went down, which is... practically nothing.

The plot basically slows down and chills out here for a while, May and June end up moving in with Penny after a few months of May and Penny hanging out instead of having to live in the shitty motel they'd been living in before (Albeit, the motel was better than the wilds they'd been living in before that), and Parker and Jake get adjusted to their lives in hiding surprisingly well. May and Scarlet even find each other on the surface again, they run into each other while May's out grocery shopping, and it's a very important moment for the both of them, as they've spent this entire time carrying around the guilt of feeling responsible for what happened, so them seeing the other and seeing how much better they're doing on the surface helps ease those guilts.

And then the events of Octo Expansion happen in the background. Parker and Jake know the routines of the soldiers in the area after years of living together, but the supply lines end up being used by sanitized Octoling soldiers after Kamabo starts massively ramping up production, leading to patrols of sanitized soldiers at seemingly random intervals, and outside of the predictable patterns that Parker and Jake were used to. Parker's out doing the laundry when a patrol finds her, and, greatly outnumbering her, end up nearly killing her, and dragging her back to be sanitized. She's in too bad of condition to be saved and reused as a test subject, so she's just sanitized instead.

Jake, naturally, notices when Parker never comes back from doing the laundry, and proceeds to be missing for upwards of two weeks. Jake does his best to look for her, but he also doesn't want to stray too far from their "apartment", as he's scared she might return home when he's gone, and with the unpredictable patrols, he doesn't feel like it's safe to stay out for as long as he wants to to look for her, so he ends up sticking close to home and just hoping he'll be able to find some clue of her. Of course, when he finally does, finally spotting her hanging around the entrance to the hallways that lead to their apartment, it's Not a good thing. He runs up to her to ask where she's been, and the moment he calls for her she turns and attacks him. It's not even a fair fight, even if he went in expecting a fight, he wouldn't have won, but this was a complete surprise. She quickly attacks him and takes him back to be put into the metro as a test subject, and, since he was brought back in much better shape than she was, he actually can be salvaged as a test subject!

And then he isn't. He's in the process of being readied as a test subject, namely, having his memories messed with, that the entire plot of Octo Expansion actually happens, and he's freed when the entire facility shuts down, and the metro is just a normal transport system again. He ends up wandering around for another month or so, except doing so very poorly, as the effects that being prepped to be a test subject had on his memory is bad, and basically erased all of his knowledge on how to survive on his own. Eventually, and luckily for him, he's found by one of the rescue teams that have been sent out in the aftermath of Octo Expansion to rescue lost and sanitized Octolings, and FINALLY gets brought to the surface, as well as being hospitalized for a whole myriad of problems, mainly being severely dehydrated from not remembering safe ways to find and gather water reliably.

When he's ready to be discharged, he realizes he has really nowhere to go, but since he still remembers May's phone number from when they were kids (As it's been years at this point, May and Jake are both in their mid 20s now, and June's around ~17), and calls her to ask if she can come pick him up and also if he can crash at her place for a bit. May is more than a bit surprised that her childhood friend she was fairly convinced had died years ago, and that she feels guilty for abandoning, is not only still alive, but super casual and chill just. Calling her cell and asking if he can sleep on her couch. At this point, June's already moved out, having been encouraged by both May and Penny to get out on her own and try getting out of her comfort zone, and is living in Splatsville with her roommate Basil, and not really having any major plot moments of her own. She's having fun and coming out of her shell and having silly lesbian shenanigans with her roommate in the background while Jake and May are experiencing the horrors.

Ultimately, this is about where thing stop being decided and I still need to figure out what happens next. Jake is living on May and Penny's couch (The universe will never let them have their house to themselves. Not even 3 months after June moves out, Jake's crashing on their couch), and has no memory of his time with Parker, Parker's MIA and potentially dead, and May's struggling with the idea that Jake's either in denial of some major trauma he must've faced through the years, or that she's somehow uniquely fucked up from what happened to them. To make matters worse, Jake's memory issues become more and more apparent, as he continues to struggle to remember Penny's name, instead repeatedly calling her "Parker", yet getting confused when he's corrected. I'm ultimately unsure what I'm going to do to resolve this plot thread, but May and Penny do realize that whoever Parker was, she was someone Jake knew in the time he was missing, and are trying to figure out just exactly who she was, if not where she actually is

Whether or not Parker is dead... it's up in the air. I initially planned for her to die and stay dead, but I'm the worlds biggest sap and I feel bad about killing her off permanently, as well as the fact I have plenty of silly ideas for what I could do with Parker once she's on the surface, so I'm still debating if it's more narratively satisfying for her to die or not. There's, if you believe it, actually a ton I'm glossing over (The intricacies of Jake and Parker's dynamic, the reasons why Parker left, basically everything about Basil and June, literally Basil has an entire friend group that has their own mini-plot that's not at all connected to this and doesn't get mentioned, Crimson is going to be more relevant once I figure out what I want to do with her, ect), but uh. That's the very long gist of it.

If anyone actually, genuinely reads through all of this. Thank you, apologies, and I love you

[chaostudee]

leaked , george russell

summary : you are george russell's assistant to the public eye but to george you are much more than that. warnings : language. faceclaim : maria isabel a/n : literally had this idea at like 2am last night but im acc obsessed eeek

y/nusername i'm just a girl

by landonorris, georgerussell, oscarpiastri and 560,819 others.

landonorris are those my shorts 👀

y/nusername maybe.....

user i want to be y/n when i grow up !!

f1fan GIRL WE NEED THE CURLY HAIR ROUTINE

username_67 we need a clothing line asap girll

kikagomes ugh my gorge bsf 💋

oscarpiastri i'm just a girlll 🎶

y/nusername you get it

user829 stopp y/n's relationship with all the drivers is adorable :)

georgerussell summer break, with the best company 🫶

liked by lewishamilton,landonorris, charlesleclerc and 1,679,910 others.

f1fan ugh to be that dog

landonorris basic asf fit

georgerussell this acc hurt me

user829 awwww

f1lover_88 this is so cute omggg

charlesleclerc you up for a playdate with leo??

georgerussell ofcccc

y/nprivate summer with you <3

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri, georgerussell and 200 others.

georgerussell i love you sm

landonorris WHY WASN'T I THERE

oscarpiastri fr

y/nusername selfies.

liked by landonorris, georgerussell, lewishamilton and 382,920 others.

kikagomes im obsessed with u acc

y/nusername 💋

user829 oh wow

f1fan ugh to be her though

f1lover damnnnn

landonorris 👀

georgerussell 👀

georgerussell WE ARE BACK!!!

》 y/nusername mine

》 georgerussell all yours

》 user22 oh yum

》 f1fan yesss we are backkkk

》 user11 acc cant wait for this weekend omggg

y/nusername

》 user819 HELP PLS I LOVE HER

》 f1fan WBJSSNSSK

》 user01 george memes give me life

》 georgerussell me running to my phone whenever u post

y/nusername this weekend :)

liked by lewishamilton, georgerussell, landonorris and 632,891 others.

user10 mercedes one two :)

justaninchident ugh my queen

user9229 i wish my weekly dump was like this 😩

f1fan y/n how do u feel this weekend went??

y/nusername great, as usual george and lewis tried their best but so happy with a double podium hehe

landonorris should've been me and oscar on the podium

georgerussell boy please 😀

y/nprivate date night

liked by kikagomez, landonorris, georgerussell and 471 others.

kikagomes love u both smm <33

y/nusername love u smmm

landonorris cuteee

georgerussell my gorgeous girl

georgerussellupdates GEORGE RUSSELL SPOTTED WITH HIS ASSISANT Y/N AT A KNICKS GAME !!

liked by f1fan, justaninchident, f1lover and 56,910 others.

f1fan WHAT WHAT

justaninchident guys calm down they are just close friends they have literally seen this before

f1lover i love them idc what ya'll say

user11 not y/n plsss i hate her she's so annoyinggg

anon why george

user337 omfg leave them alone its acc none of our business

username_92 👀👀

y/nusername last night 🏀

liked by georgerussell, oscarpiastri, kikagomez and 711,620 others.

knicks hope u had the best time

y/nusername yesss ilyyy 🙈

user818 outfit details plssss

f1fan why tf was she with george

user910 shes literally his assistant wdym???

kikagomes ate

y/nusername thanks to my stylist ;)

landonorris girl since when do u like basketball

anon gold digger

y/nusername

》 georgerussell i still don't understand this trend 🙃

》 y/nusername it's okay i love u anyway

》 user929 and this is why y/n is iconic

》 landonorris george is demure, oscar is mindful and im cutesy.

》 y/nusername no because literally 😭😭

》 oscarpiastri i hate this trend acc

y/nusername my bsf (and her annoying bf)

liked by kikagomes, pierregasly, georgerussell and 916,810 others.

pierregasly umm excuse me but why am i annoying???

y/nusername because u stole kika from me 😪

user82 my fav wagsss

f1fan78 no cause why are pierre and kika so cuteeee

user11 oh to be a wag

justaninchident hehe i love them

georgerussell hi everyone i just wanted to come on here to address a few things. a few days ago a social media account posted private messages between me and my girlfriend y/n. i am utterly disgusted that our privacy and private life was invaded this way and i do not condone any hateful backlash and comments to y/n or our relationship. for this such reason we decided to keep our relationship out of the public eye. i hope you can all understand that me and y/n will be taking a break from social media to focus on ourselves. thank you for all your support always ❤️

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri, lewishamilton and 2,829,923 others.

y/nusername ❤️

georgerussell ❤️

lewishamilton i'm so sorry that this happened to you guys, i'm here for you both.

georgerussell appreciate it mate 👍

landonorrris y/n and george stan forever

oscarpiastri mom and dad

taglist ⭑.ᐟ

@mxryxmfooty

@hadidsworld

@llando4norris

@lottalove4evelyn

@heavy-vettel

[blackfilmmakers]

Hello! I was wondering if it was Okay to ask for some tips on how to write a black horror antagonist respectfully? I’m a horror author and I realized that my horror villains are not very diverse, but I’m afraid of falling into stereotypes.

Things to consider when making a Black Horror Antagonist:

-Who is the protagonist in relation to this Black antagonist? Is it a White kid? A group of people with fairer skin compared to the Black antagonist? If you aim to make diverse stories, you can't just make the antagonists poc and call it a day. Society already use the narrative that Black ppl are out to terrorize White neighborhoods with malicious intent, to justify killing us. Birth of a Nation glorified the Klan so well(cinema-wise) it literally brought back the Klan. We also have this ongoing rise of anti-Haitian crimes(AntiBlackness overall) because some White woman wanted to make a meme of Haitians eating cats

-If they are a magical antagonist, is the magic they used based on Black or Brown cultures that are already demonized enough? The recent rise of anti-haitian propaganda does stem from the stereotype that Haitians practice cannibalism for their "satanic" ritualsm. Which the word, "cannibal" was a slur that refers to islanders apparently. Anyways you can have your magical Black antagonist, but if they start writing in vodun symbols and wear feather headdresses, reconsider that it's just "if it's a vague Black/Brown religion it's automatically scary"

-What is their personality like? Are they cunning and creative and clever? Or are they a simple-minded beast? In The Promised Neverland we see two caretakers(they are antagonists): Isabella and Krone. Isabella is a fair-skinned woman who is presented as intelligent and cunning with her villainy. Whereas Krone's villainy depicts her as a monstrous beast. We already have enough Black antagonists that are essentially the main villain's attack dog, with very little focus on their motivations. If you wanted to write about a monster/beast that has no intelligence you could always write that instead. But if you have a Black human being, well humans can be written in so many different ways, do use that opportunity

-Consider whether or not your Black Horror antagonists are ableist narratives. Ableism is already a problem in horror stories already. But when it comes to Black neurodivergent/disabled people, you have to be extra careful with that. Sonya Massey's disability (and aave) made those cops murder her because at the end of the day, she's a Black woman they didn't bother to hear out, and needed an excuse to shoot her. What you write as a "scary" trait for your Black antagonist, could support ableist narratives that disabilities/neurodivergency are inherently dangerous

-Colorism can be an issue here as well. Even if you do have a Black protagonist, are they someone who is lighter than the villain? Dark=/=Inherently Bad, and Light=/=Inherently Good

-Horror is all about exploring a fear (societal or individual). So this is when you have to ask yourself, what do you fear? What do you think your readers' fears are when they read about this Black villain character? You can't control your readers' perception, sure, but fiction doesn't exist in a vacuum. It can challenge societal expectations or support them. So with all the points I listed down above and whatever points I didn't say, this could all attribute to the "horrors" or the "thing you need to fear" in the story. Do your readers find the Black antagonist scary because they are a well written antagonist with proper motivations? Or are they conditioned to see Black people as scary?

-In terms of how these characters speak or their motivations, that I have to advise getting several Black beta readers(that aren't just your friends) to have review your work. If your character is a disabled Black person, get a disabled Black reader. If they are Jamaican character, get a Jamaican reader. Hell, ask these readers if they even find your Black villain intimidating or compelling.

All in all, if you write about a Black character you really need to write them as you do for your White characters. The problem I think most nonblack writers have with this advice though is that they read that as "write Black characters as White(the default)". That won't work. You always have to consider a Black character's Blackness and how that interacts with the world you created

@/writingwithcolor and @/creatingblackcharacters would probably have more input

TLDR: Make the final girl a darkskinned Black woman

[star-girl69]

i think aphrodite kid reader x clarisse is simply just better??? like the trope is just superior??? like, we have clarisse who is tough, and mean and one of the strongest people at camp, then we have reader who is kind and compassionate and really doesn’t care all that much about fighting. so naturally, clarisse is super protective and treats reader like a princess?? how could people dislike it 😔😔

no exactly and i actually must write about this - basically this is just all about the little things clarisse does for her perfect princess angel daughter of aphrodite gf (me!!!!!!)

okay as payment for my absence please accept some shitty headcanons I LOVE YOU ALL BYEEEE

she’s just always DOING THINGS FOR YOU

she’s so perceptive and she always knows exactly what you want and need even if you don’t know it yourself

like if you like wearing high heels one) clarisse genuinely wonders what is wrong w you

she sees no practicality in them bc there isn’t lol

but also she’s like omg???? MY GF feels safe enough around me to wear shoes she can’t run in???? WHAT JOY!!!!!!!!!

and you’ll come back to your cabin being all ugh omg my feet hurt so bad laying on the bed and putting your feet UP

and clarisse is like “well i could have told you that”

excuse me????

“don’t get me wrong baby you look gorgeous and i love you wearing heels but it’s your funeral”

“DIE”

she just laughs and takes your shoes off

she’ll continue to bully you as she’s literally massaging your feet like ok girl yeah we see you

clarisse is also a MENACE about making sure you eat

“did you eat today?”

“babe you SAW me at lunch”

“just making sure….”

you’re just so kind and amazing and clarisse loves you so much but you are not the best at fighting!

she is constantly stressed when you’re not by her side

bc no one loves you like her who will protect you 💔💔💔💔

when someone takes advantage of you she gets so PISSED OFF

bc it’s not like someone is beating you up it’ll be like someone is using you as their personal therapist or smth and you’re just like “pls go speak to an actual professional wtf 😭😭😭”

and she’s so pissed off bc WHY IS THIS BITCH PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY TORTURING HER GIRL??????

she’s not afraid to beat people up for you and actually enjoys it!

anyways, clarisse is also a koala bear

and an emotionally stunted caveman

she’s not good with her words so these actions are all she has to show you that she loves you

idk if y’all have noticed but clar rarely saying ily to y/n bc it’s my personal headcanon that she has such a hard time saying those words. she shows you she loves you but for some reason it’s just so hard to get the words out. (…BC SHE IS AN EMOTIONALLY STUNTED CAVEMAN)

so she quickly adapts to do all these little things

if you’re walking down a flight of stairs trust she is holding your hand

QUEEN of opening jars for you

if you’re not feeling well or you’re tired or just feeling lazy she’ll bully someone into doing your chores for you

also this bitch is NOT afraid to stand up for you and make sure you get what you deserve.

like that one meme

“UM… she said NO PICKLES… you fucking dumbasses…”

“CLARISSE 😭😭😭”

also like in “better than revenge” she loves to watch you do your makeup

finds it so fascinating that you can only get PRETTIER

like she’s okay at makeup but you can do that shit perfectly like standing on your head

you make it seem so effortless

she’s not a HUGE makeup girly but sometimes she’ll let you just go crazy

so you can sit on top of her….. that one sapphic meme yes…..

also she’s constantly bragging about you

“yeah… i have the prettiest gf in camp… y’all are just losers what can i say”

ofc if anyone were to agree w her she would go insane

“yeah y/n is so pretty”

“um ok yeah you don’t have to say it i say it enough….”

even if one of your siblings gives you a compliment she’s like HOLD THE FUCK ON- then she remembers THATS YOUR SIBLING ITS OK and she’s like oh this is so embarrassing.

will she stop? no ofc not

she’s constantly telling you how pretty you are. beautiful. gorgeous. exquisite. all the words

loves kissing you all over

KISSES YOUR HAND 🤭🤭

anyways going back to the clarisse koala bear agenda that got away from me

she’s just always touching you

hand on the small of your hand guiding you somewhere

hand around your waist

SITTING IN HER LAP AT CAMPFIRES

no matter what type of hair you have she’s obsessed w it. if you have pin straight hair she’s so obsessed w the fact that you don’t need a huge curl routine like her, finds it fascinating

if you do have curls she loves doing a curl routine together

whatever whatever type of hair you have she’s obsessed with it and will wash it for you if you want

so soft and lovingly like a more of a scalp massage than a hair washing

will brush your hair for you, braid it for you, anything you like just OBSESSED

she loves when you like sit on top of a picnic table and then she gets to sit in between your legs on the bench thinks it’s so so fun and so so silly

she LOVESSSSS sleeping w you OBVI.

on top of you, you on top of her, she’s a koala bear. like entirely wrapped around you

partially bc she is as aforementioned a koala bear and partly bc she is overprotective even in her sleep

if you move in the middle of the night even just a little bit

she’s a super light sleeper i feel like

always on the guard fr ✊

a little bit better when you’re there tho

so if you move in the middle of the night she’ll just like caress your hair and kiss your cheek and try to shush you back to sleep

like bitch you’re still asleep have you never heard of ADJUSTING? MOVING? SHIFTING?

hope you’re not one of those people who has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night bc with clarisse that will stop

you can’t abandon her even for 2 minutes even for basic bodily functions like you just can’t it’s so inconsiderate to her… 💔

taglist:

@lvrue @t-wylia @laughingcheese037 @kroumi @urdeadpoet @colezb @rey26 @harmzilla @elliewilliamsbae @amberfreemansburntface @kyuupidwrites @neverwaakeme-up @shark1008 @liballer @heyimadison @nvirskies @pnsteblnme @mar2ss @restellsss @ravisinghs-wife @marsconer @evangelinexo @randomhoex @luvrrish @rebecca37 @saltair-and-palemoonlight @ace-spades-1

[frommybookbook]

Earlier today, some friends and I were discussing one of those Star Trek captains memes. You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones that pit the captains against each other with pithy descriptions that glorify and champion the men and shit on Janeway. The ones where Picard is describe as the wise teacher and scholarly diplomat; Kirk is the brave trailblazer and lovable rogue; Sisko is the take-no-shit commander and more-than-human uniter; Archer is the quick thinking explorer and the avenging do-gooder; Pike is the empathetic Boy Scout and the quippy everyman…and Janeway is an irrational murderer and erratic loose canon. And, as usual, I went on a bit of a rant. They (looking at you @redsesame, @epersonae, and @emi--rose) told me to share it here so, if you trudge through this whole thing, blame them.

Does Janeway make some questionable decisions throughout VOY (Prodigy!Janeway is a different conversation for another time)? Yes, absolutely. But here’s the thing: every captain does. What I still love about her though and will champion until I'm blue in the face is that Janeway owns her decisions more than I think any other captain does.

Picard and Kirk hide behind the Prime Directive a lot. That's the reasoning Picard gives for not interfering in the drug running in “Symbiosis” and leaving the Ornarans trapped in dependence on the abusive Brekkans. His line, “Beverly, the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proved again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well-intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous." is a cop-out we hear from him time and time again, especially to Dr. Crusher, as she is the one who most often calls him on his bullshit.

Kirk does the same thing. We still this when he leaves Shanna and the other thralls behind in "The Gamesters of Triskelion" and when he forces Elaan of Troyius into a marriage she clearly doesn't want because it's "for a greater good." And all the while, he's got Spock at his side giving him confirmation bias that he's following regulations.

And Sisko, Sisko makes some of the most horrific and destructive decisions of any captain and uses not only the Prime Directive to fall back on, but he's got the Dominion War to blame. He poisons an entire planet to get back at one man he feels betrayed him in "For the Uniform" and don't even get me started on his actions in "In the Pale Moonlight".

Enterprise is so unjustly shat on by the fandom that I almost hate to bring some of Archer's questionable choices into this conversation but I'm going to do it anyway. Similar to Sisko and the Dominion War, Archer has the threat of the Xindi in his back pocket to excuse some of his worst behavior. If Tuvix is the worst thing people can point to for Janeway, then we have to talk about Archer and Sim, the simbiont created solely to be a living tissue donor for an injured Trip, a procedure that will kill the living, breathing, sentient Sim. Archer orders Sim created against the arguments made by Dr. Phlox. He rationalizes his decision with the same argument for the greater good that we see from all the others. He says to T'Pol before Sim is created "…we've got to complete this mission. Earth needs Enterprise. Enterprise needs Trip. It's as simple as that." And it doesn't end there. When Sim is grown enough for the procedure and has figured out what's going to happen to him, he challenges Archer himself, arguing for his own right to live, and Archer sticks to his guns. This exchange directly between Archer and Sim is haunting.

Archer: I must complete this mission; and to do that, I need Trip. Trip! I'll take whatever steps necessary to save him. Sim: Even if it means killing me? Archer: Even if it means killing you. Sim: You're not a murderer. Archer: Don't make me one.

Not only do all of these captains (except Archer, who arguably writes the damn thing himself at the end of the series) have the Prime Directive to fall back on, they also have Starfleet/the Federation/Vulcan High Council right there on speed dial to validate their choices and hear their excuses and give them another commendation. They all know that ultimately, they can turn to someone higher in command to turn to for help.

Janeway is alone. She is alone with her crew 70,000 lightyears from home with only her training and her own moral compass to guide her. Yes, she claims the Prime Directive a lot but she also goes with what she feels is right and she is clear about that with her crew. When she makes the decision to split Tuvix, despite what everyone else says, she sticks to it and more importantly, does the procedure herself. Picard would have forced Beverly to do it, saying Doctor I gave you an order, your conscience be damned, and Archer does the same to Phlox with Sim, but Janeway takes the tool out of the Doctor's hand and says it's my call, I'll do it. When everyone is angry and mad about her destroying the Caretaker's array, she stands up for her decision and says yes, I did it, because it's what my Starfleet training said to do AND because I think it was the right thing and it's on me to make the hard choices.

She also can admit when she made the wrong decision, which isn't something we see from the other captains. In the season 5 opener, "Night", we see her in a depressive state because she's questioning her decision to effectively strand her crew in the Delta quadrant but she comes out of it when she's reminded by her senior staff that the crew believes in her and trusts her, she should do the same for herself. When the Doctor has a mental crisis in "Latent Image" after questioning his own choice to save the life of Harry Kim over that of another crew member, Janeway admits she did the wrong thing by first deleting his memories of it so he could get back to work and then sits with him for days while he works through it because that's what captains do.

And she does all of this without the backup and support of Starfleet. She doesn't have anyone higher on the chain of command. She's 70,000 miles away from the admiralty and her support system. There's no one higher than her to give her a break from making every decision.

To quote my fellow Missourian Harry Truman, for Janeway the buck stops with her in a way it doesn't for any other captain and she is painfully aware of that and owns that and that is why I love her and she's my captain.

[kislnd]

can i get a what would it be like dating willne?

dating willne~

ofc pookie, here you go!! i love making these, it just gives me an excuse to type my silly little thoughts hehe

-> will doesn't strike me as the type of guy to be big on pda so i think as a consequence he would be extra touchy behind closed doors. he would always need to have part of him touching you, whether it be you on his lap or even something small like him resting his hand on your thigh.

-> i feel like he would be protective of you so you would probably have quite a private (but not secret) relationship. both of your social medias would only show snippets of your lives together - will likes it this way because he gets to have you to himself and you can enjoy lots of things together without worrying about public image or anything.

-> you guys would definitely share clothes. his wardrobe would become your wardrobe and it wouldn't be uncommon for him to lose a jumper only to find that you were wearing it. he definitely wouldn't mind though, it would make you even more attractive to him.

-> couple naps - because he is always close to you and probably like a human heater, it is so easy to fall asleep. there would be many cases where people would walk in and see you and will cuddled up having a nap just because you are both so comfortable.

-> he makes doing mundane tasks like cooking or washing up much easier, he would always be willing to help and would always have his horrendous puns on hand to make you laugh, even if it is just because of how rubbish they are.

-> when you're upset, i think he would be trying to do anything in his power to make everything okay again - i feel like seeing you sad would be one of the most stressful things for him because he never wants you to be unhappy.

-> he would love to take you out on dates. i imagine he would always want them to be a surprise for you so he would just tell you what to wear and the rest would be up to him. he would take you out to fancy restaurants and give you the princess treatment you deserve but i also think he would take you on more chill dates, maybe activity based ones like to the arcade or to places like the beach. if neither of you can make time to go out, he will make sure to cook you your favourite meal at home.

-> it would be impossible for you to get out of bed in the morning, he would try to drag you back in or get you to stay in his arms by promising to get up in five minutes instead (it's always more than five). it would take a lot for you to convince him that going to work was more important than five extra minutes of cuddling, the only way for him to let you go would be by promising to pick up where you left off in the evening.

-> i think you would get on really well with his friends and they would consider you part of their group - there would be many occasions where they would invite you to hang out or to go out for drinks.

-> he would always bring things back from the shop for you without you asking. any time he goes out, you can expect him to come back with something extra, like a packet of your favourite sweets, especially for you to enjoy.

-> your opinion would be very important to him, he would always be asking you about video ideas or showing you what he has made for you to judge. you would be like his quality controls - he knows if you like it, other people likely will too.

-> always sending you stupid reels / tiktoks / memes, you would hear his laugh from the next room and without fail your phone would vibrate within the next seconds following. let's be real, he would probably send you some brainrot that you would laugh at anyway just because you could hear how hard he was laughing.

[midnight1nk]

EPISODE CONCEPT #7

What if... SMG4 takes a vacation?

[more below cut]

For context... c'mon, can't a guy catch a break? :) Time for a vacation! Also available on Wattpad - [link]

Let's hope Four doesn't waste all the bajillion dollars I just gave him. Am I right, @bowlolol? (yep it's part 2 of concept #5 - link)

"No regrets."

Four zips up his suitcase with an exhausted yet satisfied “hmph”. He sat the case up to its wheel, facing the Crew.

SMG4: “You guys have always been telling me to take a break from editing, especially because of WOTFI and Marty months ago. It’s about time. Besides, I just finished editing the video I’ve worked on for the past week.” [*pulls out his phone and presses publish*] “And…there, I should be good for the whole vacation. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a 10-hour complication of Kermit clips!” Mario, on his knees: “SMG4, please take Mario with you!” SMG4: “Sorry, Mario, but the giveaway only had one ticket to give out. It was such a good deal too!” [*points over the pile of empty Rizz soda cans in the corner*] “Totally worth it.”

While Mario was pleading Four sneak him in his suitcase, shaking him, Meggy was on the phone.

Meggy: “Thanks again, Auri, for being SMG4’s guide. Just make sure he doesn’t lose his suitcase like I did.” Auri, giggles: “Of course, anything for you, partner! I’ll be sure to meet him at the port. Guy with the blue “S” cap, right?” [*Meggy nods*] “Alright. But I hope his ship gets here before the storm does, heard it was going to be really rough.” Meggy: “Yeah, SMG4 can get a bit seasick. Well, we’re just about to drop him off by the docks. I’ll talk to you soon, Auri!”

After Auri says goodbye, they hang up and Meggy turns to see Mario being dragged around by his grip on Four’s ankle.

Meggy: “Ready to go?” SMG4: [*thumbs up*] “You bet!”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

The Crew waved Four farewell as he did the same as he was on board the ship heading towards Port Aurora. Once the ship was out of sight, they all went back to what they were doing, content with the fact that Four wouldn’t be in front of the screen all day. Well, everyone except Mario, who was staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom out of boredom.

Don’t get him wrong, Mario is happy for Four. Ever since the ‘perfect’ incident, each of them were secretly weary of Four spending too much time editing a video. Not that they could stop him completely, he’s a YouTube content creator after all. So, they would occasionally go up to him and ask him for something or straight up to take a break. Mario remembered he did it one time, when he asked Four for milk. Sure, it wasn’t the most solid plan but it was at least something that distracted him for a bit. What other plan was there anyway?

Ask him for a cup of sugar? Pfft. That’s pretty lame excuse, even for Mario.

Mario groaned, getting off from his bed. Four finally takes a break but without him around, the poor plumber was left alone, bored. There wasn’t really anyone to go along with his funny shenanigans. So, he tried it with his other friends.

Luigi ended up having to clean up the mess he did at the flow shop. Melony was busy working on her second book. He got bored listening to Boopkin’s stories. Three was also busy, running the cafe and streaming. Saiko was in band practice with Kaizo.

Then, there was Meggy. From what he could tell, Meggy was unsure if she could keep her red beanie. Unsure what to do with her life anymore. He couldn’t blame her, after Western Spaghetti and what Mr Puzzles did. It was a lot to take in. It’ll be best to give her some space, away from his silliness.

So, he tried doing stuff on his own, like reacting to some Nintendo memes in the game room. But it didn’t feel the same. Tari was also there, focused on a gaming session with Belle and some other online friends. However, seeing how Mario drooped in his chair, Tari paused her game.

Tari: “Sorry guys but I need to do something real quick. Be right back.” [mutes herself and goes over to Mario] “Hey, Mario? You feeling okay?” Mario: “Mario was just so bored. Wish SMG4 was here.” Tari: “Oh, Mario, it’s only been a couple of hours. He won’t be back until after 3 weeks.” Mario, eyes shot open: “ONLY A COUPLE OF HOURS?” [*shakes Tari by the shoulders*] “Tari, someone is messing with the time gods! It’s the end of the world!” Tari, reassuring: [*grabs his hands*] “You really miss him, huh?” Mario, calms down: “He is Mario’s best friend, we have done a lot of stuff together.” Tari: “Hmm, do you want to hang out with me?” Mario: “Thanks, but it won’t feel the same.”

She takes a moment to think, pointing a finger on her chin, until an idea comes to mind.

Tari: “Why don’t you send SMG4 a video postcard?” [*Mario looks at her curiously*] “I’m sure SMG4 misses us too, so maybe you could send a video of our friends. Around the Showgrounds. You could ask him to do the same in Port Aurora. That way, you guys will still be in contact.”

Mario’s eyes sparkled, jumping with enthusiasm. He shakes Tari’s hand, thanking her, before running out of the game room. With a camera in hand, he goes around recording everything he can and the first person he went to was Luigi, of course. Mario apologized about the mess but he is willing to make it up to him by helping out doing some labor. Luigi was happy at the offer.

While Luigi handled with customers and arranged flower arrangements, Mario was going around doing deliveries. It was the best part, after all, steering the wheel while making airplane noises. Nearly crashing into several cars, y'know the usual. But then he passed by Meggy’s house. Wanting to cheer her up, he asked Meggy to come along.

Meggy: “I don’t know, Red.” Mario: “C’mon, it'll be fun! Certified Mario promise.” Meggy, still unsure: “Well, okay…”

Mario let out a “yippee” and dragged her to the delivery truck. As Mario drove, Meggy was reading off the list for him since he’s not a fan of reading.

Meggy, stopping at a particular address: “Wait, ‘Wright’? As in, Phoenix Wright?” Mario: “Oh, yeah. That was the lawyer guy you’re a fan of, right?” Meggy, excited: “Can we go see him?”

Mario was surprised by her sudden change of attitude but he smiled, gladly changing the route for her. Stopping at a tall office building, Meggy and Mario went in and searched for Phoenix Wright’s office. At the reception desk, they saw the man himself, talking to two younger lawyers in red and yellow. The secretary, seeing the duo, called out to Phoenix.

???: “Ooh, looks like someone got a nice bouquet!”

Phoenix, seeing the familiar faces by the desk, excused himself from his co-workers before greeting the M&M duo.

Phoenix: “Hello Mario, Meggy! It’s been a while. Do you guys need more legal help?” Mario, holding out the bouquet of red roses: “No, Mario's just here to help Luigi out.”

Phoenix grabs it from his hands and examines the card attached. From reading it, he grew a fond smile on his face.

Phoenix: “Thanks for the delivery.” Meggy: “Um, actually, I could use some advice. Between friends, if that’s okay.” Phoenix: [tilts head, then nods] “Sure, why don’t we take a walk?” [turns to the secretary, handing the flowers to her] “Truce…” Trucy: “Don’t worry, I’ll let them know. Just be back before we need to meet for lunch.” Phoenix, chuckles: “Oh, yeah.” [*impersonating with a mid-Atlantic accent*] “Wright, I reserved this days ago and you’re here drenched in rainwater. This is what happens when you’re late.” [*back to normal*] “Alright then, take the wheel. We all know how Apollo was last time.” ???: “HEY! That wasn’t even my fault!”

Phoenix and Trucy shake their heads. He guides Mario and Meggy out, and to a nearby park. Mario had some packages to deliver nearby so he left the other two to walk alone.

Phoenix: “So, what’s in your mind?” Meggy: [shrugs] “It’s just…” [sighs] “A lot has happened.”

Meggy goes on to explain what happened after the Nintendo lawsuit. The ‘It’s Gotta Be Perfect’ incident, Western Spaghetti. Mr Puzzles, Leggy. With the Crew, every day is another adventure but it’s starting to take a toll on her sometimes.

Meggy: “Everything I am was because of One-Shot Wren. Splatfest, Desti. I idolized him so much that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I get where he was coming from, I do. But he hurt my friends, me. It’s like I lived through a lie, my entire life. I just don’t know what to do anymore.” Phoenix, nods understandingly: “I see. Y’know, you remind me of a friend. He, too, idolized someone, put them on a pedestal. I think it was because he knew what he lost, and he wished he could have it back. Like you, he pursued the same career his idol had, following every guideline to a 'T'. When he discovered his idol was nothing but a cruel man, he felt lost. What else can you do when you are just a pawn in someone else’s game?” [*pulls out a locket from his pocket, clicking it open*] “So, he went to rediscover himself. What it means to be a prosecutor, was what he told me. He found that answer, pursuing the truth. He taught me a lot of things, and I guess I did the same for him.”

Phoenix hands the locket to Meggy, to finally see what was in that locket. It was a small family portrait: Phoenix, another man around the same age, one girl with a raven black ponytail, and another girl that Meggy recognized as the secretary she just met. What caught her eye was the gold rings both men wore.

Meggy: “Wait, you’re married?” [*hands the locket back*] Phoenix: [*laughs*] “Not a lot of people suspect the infamous Turnabout Terror being married to the city’s Chief Prosecutor. Yes, before we got into law, we were childhood friends.” Meggy: “Ah, well congrats! You seem to have a nice family.” Phoenix, hums: “I do. And don’t think we don’t have our hardships. The point is, Meggy, it’s not too late to rediscover who you are. If you want to continue with Splatfest, do it. If you want to continue doing law, do it. But do it for yourself, not to prove something to anyone. Like I said, the truth can help you a lot when you want to find it.” Meggy: [*nods in gratitude*] “Thanks, I really needed this.”

Mario comes back to get Meggy, both saying goodbye to the lawyer. Meggy soon learned about the postcard idea Tari proposed and wanted to help Mario out, thinking it was a great idea. After the deliveries, they went along filming postcards for everyone.

Luigi and Shroomy preparing a giant flower float of an incoming parade. Melony and Swag presenting the publishing gathering of her newest book. Boopkins having a friendly hangout with Hatsune Miku, talking about anime. Tari and her friends in a gaming tournament. Bob trying, and faliing to get rich at a nearby casino. Saiko and Kaizo performing in a live audience.

After gathering all of the film, Mario went to go edit them in Four’s room. Four, being a content creator and all, would surely have the best editing software. Pulling the app up, Mario noticed Four left a project open, labeled “video3_draftdraft(unfinished)”.

Mario, skimming through the video: “Huh, a 10-hour compilation of Kermit clips…” [*shrugs*] “Ah, classic SMG4, he forgot to save and close out.”

Mario went ahead and save it, dragging the file to the ‘Complete’ folder Four had. The outlier, the rest of the files in that folder were either labeled “final” or “(ready)”.

Mario: “All done.” [*does a thumbs-up*] “Now, time to do the postcard.”

Editing the videos into a single one, Meggy came to check in on how he was doing. Overall, it looks awesome. Except for one thing…

SMG3, annoyed: “What do you want?” [*points at Mario*] And what’s with the giant camera?” Mario, with a comedically large camera: “We’re gonna send SMG4 a video postcard!” Meggy: “It’s almost complete, we just need something from you.” SMG3, changing to amused: “Well then, I’ll gladly make a clip all about me!” Meggy: “SMG3, be serious. This isn’t time for you to gloat, you can do that any other time. It’s more than a postcard, it’s to show that we care about SMG4 as his friends.” SMG3, mixed expression of bashfulness and denial: “Friends?” [*looks away, crossing his arms*] “Uh, no. No, we aren’t friends.”

Both Meggy and Mario shared a suspicious brow. Yeah, sure.

Mario: “So, can we film?” SMG3: “No.” Mario and Meggy, surprised: “What? Why?” SMG3: “Because I said so.”

Knowing Three, perhaps too well, Meggy knows he’s hiding something.

Meggy: “Well, if you want to, you can just film it yourself and send us the clip. We’ll leave you be, c’mon Red.”

Three watched as M&M duo walked back to the Castle before being back in the cafe. Nearby Eggdog barked, warning him that it was almost time for his stream.

SMG3: “You’re right, thanks Eggdog.” [*pats Eggdog on the head*] “Pfft, sending a sappy video to SMG4. As if!”

He went ahead to stream Mario Party for tonight, the usual routine. After thanking the chat for the subs and donations, he logged off and pulled out his notebook to write about the day. Just as he turned to a blank page, his finger stopped at a particular page and he stopped to see what it was. It was the drawing he drew at the end of WOTFI 2023, of him and SMG4 sharing a coffee together. Three’s face softens.

It’s such a phenomenon, isn’t it?

Rivals, friends, none of it matters when it comes to Four and Three. They would always cross each other’s paths, bounded by a cosmic link. And yet, the roles they play were already set in stone the moment they landed in the Mushroom Kingdom. Good and bad, light and dark.

Two sides of the same coin.

It was always one pressing the other, to keep on their toes. Three supposed that was the thrill of it all, his life ever more exciting. He always wondered if Four felt the same way. If he suspected that it was the case, then it would be even more proof that they can keep up each other’s pace. Three knows Four, and Four in return. It’s what essentially saved Four from the ‘perfect’ incident.

Other than Four, no one else could truly understand. Even with Four, there are secrets Three hoped they would never see the light of day. It was the role he was chosen part, and the show must go on. If he revealed all of himself to the rest of the world, surely people wouldn’t be happy about it. Hell, people already despised him for not being threatening anymore. How far was he truly going to go for them? For Four?

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he supposed he could do a clip.

Indeed, take after take, he tried to make a video he was satisfied with. But no matter what he did, his words weren’t right. His silence wasn’t right. Naturally, he was frustrated at that fact but he pushed himself to give one last take.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Looking over their shoulders, Three’s eyes chased after the mouse cursor. He already sent the video to Meggy, trusting her more than Mario. Three already knew Mario would tease him for what he essentially said to Four. Regardless, he kept an eye on the M&M duo editing the video, occasionally warning them to not look at his clip. To not even think of listening to it.

After saving the video, Meggy exported the final video to Mario’s phone.

Meggy: “And, I think we’re done!” [*shares a high-five with Mario*] SMG3: “You better delete my clip from your messages, Squid.” Meggy: [*rolls eyes*] “Don’t worry, I got it.” [*shows her phone screen as proof*] Mario: “Yippee! Mario can’t wait to see Four’s reaction!”

When Mario send the video to Four, a warning pops up on the screen. “No signal.” Mario shoves the phone to Meggy.

Mario: “Meggy?” Meggy, looks over: “Hmm, that’s strange. There should be signal in the island, let me call Auri.”

It took a couple of rings but Auri finally responded.

Auri, concerned: “Meggy! I’m so sorry.” Meggy, shocked but quickly reassured: “Auri, calm down. What happened?” Auri: “I promised I would find your friend. But when the ship arrived, I was running late and he wasn’t at the port when I got there. I tried looking everywhere, but I’ve lost him.” Meggy: “Hey, it’ll be alright. Maybe he went off on his own.” SMG3: “I’ll call the hotel.”

Three pulled out his phone and dialed the number Four gave to them.

Receptionist: “Hello, this is Hotel Aurora. How can we help you?” SMG3: “Hey. Listen, we’re looking for a friend who booked a room in your hotel. His name’s SMG4.”

A pause, the muffled sound of the keyboard typing in the background.

Receptionist: “Sorry, sir, but we don’t have anyone under the name SMG4.” Mario: “What are you talking about? He was the winner of that giveaway the Rizz soda company had.” Receptionist: “What giveaway? We hadn’t received anything from any company about that.”

Meggy, Mario, and Three all looked at each other, their eyes widened at the implications. Where in the world is Four?

The Showgrounds went into complete chaos. The Crew tried contracting Four with no response. They contacted the cruise that took Four over sea and according to their logs, Four never got off that ship. Meggy asked Auri for a team to search the island.

Waiting was agony. But what else could they do?

Mario apparently did, suggesting to use the tracker on Four’s phone. It worked last time when Mr Puzzles planned with Puzzlevision. After contacting the phone company and requesting Four’s last location, they couldn’t believe what they heard next.

Four’s phone was in the Mushroom Kingdom. As if he never left.

The Crew immediately contacted everyone they knew to create a search party. Bowser, Shroomy, the military, FM & X, Wario, Waluigi, the Anti-cast, all of the Mario recolors. All of the volunteers as well as the Crew gathered outside the SMG4 Castle while Meggy stood on a stage with a megaphone.

Meggy: “Alright, everyone. SMG4 could be here in the Mushroom Kingdom but the tracker couldn’t pinpoint where it is! We need to split up to cover more ground. If anyone finds him, contact us and tell us where he is.” [*scans over everyone’s worried faces, taking a breath*] “Just be careful out there. We’ll get SMG4 home.”

The crowd scattered, each going their own way, but Meggy pulled Mario aside.

Meggy: “Red, I know it might be impossible but there’s a place I want to check out.“ [*hold up her Splattershott*] “Want to be my backup?”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

BOOM

Meggy and Mario busted in through the office door, a trail of unconscious patients on the floor behind them. Ugh, the Meme Rehab. They didn’t exactly had a choice but it was better to be safe than sorry. They glared at the man who’s now cowering in the corner of the room. Meggy goes over and picks him up by the collar.

Meggy: “Alright, Mr. Niceguy, where’s SMG4?” Mr. Niceguy, confused: “SMG4? But I haven’t—” [*Meggy slaps him*] Meggy: “Don’t play dumb! Tell us where you’re hiding him!” Mr. Niceguy: [*screams*] “I swear I don’t know where he is! I swear it on my mother’s ashes, please don’t hurt me!” Mario: “Uh, Meggy.” [*points at all the containers filled with other patients' lobes*] “Mario thinks he’s telling the truth. No SMG4 lobe here.” Mr. Niceguy: “The red guy is right, I would’ve done another lobotomy on him if he came back. I swear that he didn’t, though.” Meggy: [*sighs, letting the doctor go*] “Great, another dead end. I’ll let the rest know then.” [*send a text to the search party group chat*] Mr Niceguy, mutters: “He was such a great patient. Well, if he wasn’t so weird.”

Mario and Meggy shared a confused look, then to the doctor.

Meggy: “What do you mean by weird?”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Hearing a ding from his back pocket, Three saw Meggy’s message of Four not being in the Meme Rehab. As much as it seemed uplifting, It only made Three’s concerning suspicions grow larger. Walking down the path, he spotted something familiar. He ran and picked it up, it was Four’s phone. Turning it on, he saw the dozens of abandoned calls and messages, dating all the way back to the day SMG4 supposedly left for that vacation.

Looking ahead, he saw a figure on the horizon, a dot of blue, and his blood ran cold. He begged each and every star, hoping Four wouldn’t be back here. But he was. Three sent a quick text to the group, telling them that he found him and where, before he ran towards that dreaded place.

Four was standing by the edge of the Pit of the old Castle ruins, looking down at the demonic gateway.

Once Three managed to get closer, he slowed down his pace to a halt, afraid that one wrong move would scare Four into falling in.

SMG3: “SMG4?”

Four doesn't say a word but he slightly tilts his head, listening.

SMG3, confused and frustrated: “What, you’re not gonna say anything? Where the hell have you been? Everyone has been going around like headless chickens, they thought you got kidnapped! I thought…” [*stops himself before genuine worry rises within*] “What are you doing here?”

A beat. A rumble of thunder coming overhead.

SMG4, unusually calm: “You guys shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions. I’m fine, SMG3. I actually had a great time during my break. It helped me with a lot of things.”

Three approaches him slowly. There was another ding from his phone but he shut it off. Light rain started to drizzle.

SMG3: “C’mon, let’s just get out of here.” SMG4: “I’ve been thinking back at all the stuff I did. What I’ve chosen.” [*shakes head*] “No matter what I do, everything goes wrong.” SMG3, arm stretched out: “Four…”

Once Three’s hand was hovering over Four’s shoulder, Four gripped his arm. Within a blink, Three was flung into the air and slammed, the impact causing the ground to crack. Three groaned, thinking that Four might’ve broke his back, until Four picked him up by the throat. Three’s hands immediately tried to pry himself free but Four’s grip was firm. With enough strength, Three looked at Four and he felt his heart sink.

Four’s eyes, they were pink.

A familiar goo enveloped his eyes, the pink plunging into the dark void. His expression was blank, before it suddenly formed new eyes. Jagged and irregular, glowing white. It wasn’t Four anymore. He wasn’t even human. One eye was shaped like a triangle and the other was circular. After a blink, a wicked grin crept on Four’s face.

SMG4, voice growing an echo: "I should've saved the USB over you. It would've made things a lot better, wouldn't you agree?” SMG3, choking: “Four… don’t…” SMG4, snapped: [*eyes cycled to different ones*] “You have no idea how many hours, weeks, I sacrificed for that perfect video! And then, you had the audacity to say we’re friends, you just wanted to save your own skin.” [*back to the initial set*] “But that’s about to change, and everything will be perfect.” [*holds out Three over the edge*] “Goodbye, SMG3.”

The unnatural strength gathered in his arm, Four tossed Three into the pit, and with that, time seemed to slow down. From the corner of his eye, Three could see the satisfaction beaming off of this man. It isn’t Four.

But it was too late. There was nothing Three could do other than to meet his demise.

Suddenly, a force grabbed him by the side, and was pulled out of the way to solid ground with a thump. Three placed a hand over his head and sat up, to discover that the force was Mario. The red plumber looked exasperated, more of worry than anything else.

SMG4: “What?”

There was a flinch in his eye, as if it was sensing something from behind. Then, when time slowed once more, he dodged the paintball that raced towards him, missed by a hair. The paint, along the goo covering him, were gone. Four spun around, a trail of pink light from his eyes shimmered like a comet, until he landed into a defensive stance. He moved like a glitch. As the trail faded away, he growled at his newfound threat.

The terrified Crew ran over the hill, Meggy leading them with her Splattershott.

Meggy: “SMG3, get away from that thing!” [*takes another shot*]

Effortlessly, Four manages to dodge that shot as well. He glared at Three, a silent promise that he’ll be back, before escaping. A clash of thunder strikes the ground and the Crew lost sight of him. As Mario helped Three up, the Crew finally reached to them.

Mario: “SMG3, did SMG4 look different to you?” SMG3: “Yeah, his eyes were pink. The goo.” [*shakes his head, starting to get frustrated and lost*] “Can someone tell me what’s going on?! Why the fuck does SMG4 have that goo from incident?”

The Crew looked at each other, unsure what to say to Three. What can they say? Meggy, mustering up the strength, took a step forward.

Meggy: “There’s something you should know.”

Recalling everything from the interrogation in the Meme Rehab, the surgeon explained that during the lobotomy, he discovered something unnatural in Four’s body. It looked like goo. When he tried poking at it, the goo grew eyes and screeched. He felt like his ears were about to bleed so he quickly finished stitching Four’s head up. His curiosity, however, got the better of him.

Taking a sample of Four’s blood, he examined it under a microscope and observed tiny black specks plaguing the red blood cells before consuming them. Becoming one.

Meggy: “It never left. That goo has been taking over SMG4 this whole time, reacting to his emotions. He said that, at the rate that it was going, there won’t be anything left of him.” SMG3, still confused: “Wha…what are you saying?” [*she hesitates*] “Meggy.” [*she refuses to look at him and he grabs her by the arms*] “What are you saying?”

Meggy takes a breath, her mind trying to find a way how to put it delicately for Three. But in every way she sliced it, it just wouldn’t be fair for this man. She had to tell him, the way it has to be.

Meggy: “SMG4… is dead.”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

He wanted this to end. Begged for it. He wanted someone to shake him by the shoulders, to wake him up. From his nightmare, from this sick joke. This level of cruelty, he wanted it to stop.

This was no nightmare.

It has been a week since the Crew last saw “SMG4”. It was best for it to stay that way, but they knew that thing would stop at nothing to take its vengeance. While the rest of the Crew was preparing the Castle for a grand meeting with the search party volunteers, Meggy was on the other SMGs. Other than the Crew, they were on an expedition and the first to receive the news. Currently rushing back to the Mushroom Kingdom from essentially dropping everything immediately.

SMG1: “This storm is affecting us a lot more than what we were expecting. But, we promise you that we are on our way. Just stay put.” Meggy: “Okay then, bye.” [*she hangs up, her hands holding her head*]

Tari, noticing Meggy’s distress, walks over and brings her into a side hug.

Boopkins: “Well, what now?” Meggy: “Once SMG1 and 2 are here, they can handle it.” Bob: “And do what? Use their meme powers to scare the goo away?” Saiko: “Bob!” Bob: [*pointing at Meggy*] “You said it yourself, that goo basically went full ‘Venom’ and took over SMG4! If he is dead, it’s going to find a new host.” Boopkins: “Bob, you’re not suggesting…” Bob: “Oh, I’m very much suggesting.” [*pulls out bazooka*] “It’s time to obliterate that son of a bitch.” Meggy: “He’s right.” Everyone else, besides Bob: “What?” Meggy: “Now that I thought about it, SMG4 hasn’t been himself ever since the incident. It’s more than just trauma. Sometimes he’s strong out of nowhere, or how he got good aim back at WOTFI. He’s been acting strange this whole time, I just couldn’t see it.” [*the rest start to feel a bit guilty as well*] We managed to save him the first time but…” [*glances at Four’s door*] “It was because Four was still in there.” Melony: “And, what if…” Meggy: “No. He’s really gone. I think, to save everyone, the goo has to go. For good. That’s what he would’ve wanted.”

The room filled with silence, it was almost suffocating. Four’s behavior, the debate was did they see or did they wish not to see? Either way, this was the price and they agreed that death would give mercy to Four’s soul from the pain and suffering he had to endure.

Without anyone noticing, Mario slipped into Four’s room, he needed to talk to him. The room was dark except for some sunlight peeking through the closed curtains. Just like outside, it was silent here. Other than Mario was Three, curled up in Four’s bed, refusing to face the door. His hair was in a loose and greasy mess, and he wore a light gray hoodie. It was one of Four’s.

Mario walked over to him, passing by plates of food pilling up on Four’s desk. Untouched. He sat on the edge opposite where Three laid, who was unfazed by the mattress shifting by the weight.

Mario: “…SMG4 isn’t dead.” [*a beat*] “Mario doesn’t know how, he just does. SMG3, you’re his partner. You guys are cosmically linked. You must’ve felt it if it broke, right?”

SMG3 stayed silent in response. Mario took a breath, steadying himself on what he was about to say.

Mario: “They’re planning to go after him and…” [*his voice starts to quiver*] “They can’t kill him! I can’t! I didn’t ask to kill my best friend, SMG3. I… don’t think I can.”

Silent, once again. Mario lets out a sigh and stands up.

Mario: “Mario just doesn’t want to lose another friend.”

He leaves Three alone in the room, the soft click of the door closing behind him.

What Mario couldn’t see were the silent tears that rolled down Three’s face. The news of SMG4’s death. The world completely changed, like someone pulled a rug from under his feet.

And nothing was the same again.

The minute they returned to the Castle, Three had beelined to Four’s room. Perhaps because he was still in denial, he tidied the room up. Four was never exactly an organized person anyway. Three made his bed, dusted his shelves, threw out the food takeout bags. He held on to that hope, that Four was gonna come in at any second and be normal again. That everything will be fine again.

That he’ll be back.

Even when tears started to form in the corners of his eyes, he refused and refused and refused goddamnit. He’d known Four for years, he had been his long-time rival for meme’s sake. Four was stubborn, resilient. The sight of his determination shined brilliantly in Three's eyes, it blinded him as a rival but admired it as a friend. So, why? Why was this the thing that stopped Four?

Those thoughts spiraled in his mind as he folded up one of Four’s hoodies. From its touch, Three remembered when his partner wore it, that tender smile on his face. It was always reserved for Three. One memory was all it took for Three to terms with this undeniable fact, breaking into an uncontrollable sob and burying himself in the hoodie. Back then, when he had control over the YouTube Remote, he asked to replace SMG4.

This was what he asked for. And there he was, a complete mess.

After that, as the rest of the world was, he went numb. His friends came and go to check up on him. Food, condolences. They begged to say something, anything.

He didn't.

Sitting himself up, he looked down at what he clenched in his fist. It was a small USB that appeared identical to the pod Four landed in the Mushroom Kingdom with. Blue and white, fashioned in a bracelet. Ever since their pods flew away, these USB keys were left behind. During the confrontation at the Pit, Three somehow yanked it off from Four’s wrist.

Being isolation, it gave him time to think and one question remained, where did this goo even come from, before the ‘perfect’ incident? That keyboard, it must be a lead. It doesn’t matter how many precautions he had to prevent something like this from happening, he needed to find answers. He already failed Four once, this was the only way he could make it up to him.

With what Mario just told him, he was running out of time.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

“Hey, Gary. I know this is out of the blue, but I need a favor.”

In the depths of the Dark Web, a light passes through the underground labyrinth. Three, a flashlight in one hand, fidgeted with the drawstring of Four’s hoodie. No one must know where the realm’s Archives are, much less that he was one of the Meme Guardians who had access to it.

“Is this about your cafe of yours?”

At last, he reached to a stone-bricked door, moss creeping through the cracks, and his hood was pulled off to allow himself to be scanned. With a confirming beep, the door rolled itself open and a computer covered in dust awaited for him inside. He swiped some of it off with a sleeve to find a small rectangular keyhole.

“No, not this time. I need you for a mission, you’re the only one in the Dark Web I can trust.”

Taking it off around his neck, Three held his black and indigo USB key, strung as a pendant. He inserted it into the keyhole and twisted it. The room suddenly awakens in light, rows of digital manilla folders circled at the ready.

After Three pressed a couple of buttons and scanned his photo, the database became a hurricane, narrowing down from millions. Only a few dozen closely matched the input he put in. He picked up each and every folder, his eyes skimming past unnecessary details until it came to one.

A folder, dated back years ago, long before he was a Guardian, perhaps held a start…

CLIENT NAME — Winston [REDACTED]

AGE — [REDACTED]

PRODUCT — Failed Lab Subject #18

He read through the shopkeeper's notes, how a man asked for a transmutation device that is compatible and adapts to biological matter. “The new evolution” was what he said. The buyer claimed that was a personal experiment on plants, Three highly doubts that it was.

From one file to another, Three chased a lead of this "subject #18" into a spiraling rabbit hole. A laboratory, unsanctioned experimentation. A weapon. All to lead to one name:

Project Horus

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Everyone in the Castle stood around the table, a sense of mourning settling in. Who knew it would have to come to this?

Tari: “How did the goo even get to SMG4? I thought it went down with Peach’s Castle.” Luigi: “Someone must’ve brought it back, maybe the keyboard wasn’t needed.” Saiko: “Well, SMG1 and 2 better be here soon and fix this mess. Forget the kingdom, the whole world will be in danger.” Swag: “As if they were there the first time.” [*pulls out a grenade*] “I’d say let’s blow that goo to smithereens.

Then, they all started to jump in with their own suggestions, shouting over each other that their idea was better. Bowser offered his airship, Steve his buckets of lava, the military their tanks. Bob with his (illegally-obtained) weapons, Saiko her hammer.

But when the question came of who was going to the one to finish Four, they beat around the bush.

Mario looked at all of them in disbelief, a pit forming in his stomach. It just couldn’t be real. His best friend, one he known for years, was gone. And here they were, debating how to kill the shell that was once Four. Meggy could feel his pain and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Meggy: “Red, I’m…”

The doors of the Castle burst open, distracting everyone from their argument.

Everyone, surprised: “SMG3?”

Indeed it was. Three, abandoning the hoodie and loose hair, marched in with a fresh new look. He wore a purple belt holding his black overalls, and his iconic gloves inverted in color. On one arm, he wore a red and white checkered band while the other had a simple stubbed black band. Gary was close behind him with a cart full of weaponry.

SMG3: “None of those are gonna work. That goo mutated from too many experiments that it's practically invincible.” [*walked to the table, leaning on its surface with his knuckles*] Bob: “How would you know that?” SMG3: “The goo was created by a secret government experiment to explore and survive in the Great Beyond. Or am I wrong, Chris?”

They all turn to Chris, then back to Three. Bewildered but it was clear that they demanded an explanation.

Swag: “Hold up, you can’t just accuse Chris of anything! Besides, there’s no…” [*he looks at Chris, who looked tense*] “Chris?” SMG3, to Swag: “I’m not accusing Chris of anything, don’t worry. He might’ve known about the experiment but he didn’t do any of the lab testing himself.” Chris, sighing in defeat: “It’s true. I remember when the whole base was in total chaos when the subject managed to break out of its containment chamber. Project Horus.” SMG3: “After that, it got captured and experimented on twice. A lab in the Dark Web, and Mr Puzzles.” [*the Crew freezes with a note of recognition in that name*] “We’re not going to be here all day pointing fingers on who’s going to be the one to kill the goo. I’ll do it.” Meggy: “SMG3, I don’t think…” SMG3: “I was SMG4’s Meme Guardian partner. It’s only fair that I'd be the one to take it down.” [*looks over at Mario, lowering his head apologetically*] Chris: “If the government couldn’t even control it, what makes you think you got a chance at this?” SMG3: “SMG4 was the one who gave it to us.”

Gary tosses him a black and red rifle. The Dark Web lab’s weapon, dubbed “The Ultimate Virus”, has a single “bullet” powerful enough not only to kill any entity, but it erase their existence entirely. This includes erasing any memory of it from everyone who interacted with said entity, in this case, the goo since it’s all that remained.

Why remember the monster that killed Four?

Though, it is useless by itself, without two particular keys. Well, except if you happened to be lucky. Inserting his and Four’s USB in their designated slots on each side, the rifle sparked to life. Its miniature lights glow red, ready to fire in Three’s command.

SMG3: “Whoever wants to join, prepare yourselves because there will be no coming back.”

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

There were a few who would know about this place. Passing from the Showgrounds and through the woods, there is a flower field on a nearby cliff, overlooking the sea. It’s quite calm, the only company other than oneself was the sound of the whispering breeze and the waves kissing the rocks below. Right above, there was a spectacle of stars.

Three twirled one of the white lilies between his fingers, his cap laid next to where he sat. As expected like an old friend, the wind blew through his ponytail that was tied with a long white ribbon. A finger delicately trailed on its petals, his face in utter turmoil and loss.

“SMG3, are you sure you’re up to this?”

Four was the one who brought him to this place. Three had a nightmare one time and was brought here to help with his nerves. Ever since then, this has been their secret spot. At least, it used to be theirs. Now, it all belongs to Three.

“My partner is gone, Gary. If I can avenge him by killing Horus, then I won’t regret anything.”

The goo, “Horus” was the name the Dark Web lab gave, was the one who took SMG4 away from him. Three could put the rest of the blame onto Mr Puzzles. Or Winston, whatever his damn name is. Perhaps, in another timeline, he would’ve given Mr Puzzles a chance to redeem himself. Three used to be like him, after all. But to go this far, this has to end. He has to end it.

He had contacted Gary for a favor, to bring in the best of the best of his inventory for his friends to defend with. With the material strong enough to withstand Horus, they’ll be fine. However, there was a doubt, lingering in the back of his mind. One he wasn’t willing to show to the Crew.

SMG3: “SMG4, if you’re still in there somehow, show me a sign. And I won’t shoot, I promise.”

He let the wind take the lily from his hand and watched until it flew far, far away. After putting on his cap that hid his ponytail, he got up and walked back into the Showgrounds. The Crew needed a leader for tomorrow, after all.

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

His pink eyes stared above, fascinated by the stars shining ever so brightly. You get tired the same old red tentacles roaming around in this pit. Not that what was left of Peach’s castle helped his boredom either. But the stars, he didn’t know why he was so captivated by them.

Horus supposed this was the consequences of waiting in one place.

Suddenly, he spotted some movement and narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what the object was. Though it was impossible, he thought it might’ve been a falling star. It didn’t seem to present any threat. He curiously waited until he was able to catch it. It was a white lily. His eyes flashed blue.

SMG4?: “…Three?”

But he shook his head and dropped the lily, eyes returning to pink. No, he needs to focus on what’s important. The host must live.

.

.

.

[ END OF PART 2 - PART ONE ]

That's right, my dear fellows, this was part 2 of Concept #5 all along [*insert villain laugh here*]

[ruija]

Well I really love your art, may I ask how do u color? I struggle with coloring turtles and I wasn't to know how do u do that?

Hi anon! That's a very broad question, so you've given me a great excuse to ramble anything I want about my coloring, eehehehee~! This will be in two parts and I'll start with talking about my simpler coloring style.

As in, when I color characters on a white background, with a limited or light palette.

The driving force behind this style is me being lazy. My time, energy, and attention span are pretty limited, so if I want to finish anything, I gotta do it fast. And with fanart, I'm usually just doing it for fun and relaxation, so there's no need to push myself to polish it too much.

Despite that, I rarely post just black and white sketches or line arts. I always try to add at least a little bit of toning or shading, because that makes the image easier to read. The characters and their shapes pop out and catch the eye of the viewer better.

However, in this particular example, just the couple toning colors don't quite do the job. The way Don and Leo are entangled makes the center area of this illustration very busy and hard to read.

As a comparison; this pic has only one tone + mask colors, and it works. This is because all the characters are standing separately and their poses are very stationary and simple.

So for the Don + Leo pic, adding some shadows helps in bringing out shapes and depths. Also in general, if you don't feel like drawing BGs, it's good to at least add a shadow below the characters. It grounds them and makes them feel like they exist within a space.

Sometimes if the posing looks too complex and busy, it might just be best to color in the characters fully.

However, even if I do full flat colors, I tend to use a lighter palette. Putting characters in their neutral/default color on a white BG can look a bit jarring as if they're floating in a void. It feels less immersive and like the picture is unfinished.

Using lighter colors makes the image more cohesive, and fits the characters into the white environment a bit more naturally.

If I'm too lazy to draw a BG, I prefer using stylized and limited colors. It feels deliberate and that the whiteness is just part of the palette, whereas the character-accurate colors on white don't match as well, even if they're more pastel.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with just slapping the flat-colored characters on a white background. As you know, I do it too. I'm just exposing my 'fancy coloring style' for what it is; me being lazy, hah!

Limited and monochromatic palettes are a nice shortcut even when you do actual backgrounds. It's faster and you don't have to worry about clashing colors. And you can still convey atmosphere and mood.

Also, on the topic of conserving your time and efforts; I think it's very common among younger/less experienced artists to think that the amount of time you spend on your art piece = how good and well received that piece will be.

Which has some merit to it of course, but it can lead to putting too much effort into areas where it's not necessary. E.g. filling the piece with tons of details and clutter that don't serve an actual purpose, but rather make the image hard to read. Or doing really complicated shading for a meme/comic, where simplicity would deliver the joke better.

So whenever I'm drawing something I intend to publish, whether it's a quick doodle or a more polished piece, I try to follow these two principles: Make it easily readable and do the bare minimum that needs to be done to convey what I want to convey.

Putting time into practice is important, but if you draw for work, it's also crucial that you know how to prioritize and use your time efficiently!

Anyway, thanks for reading! In the next part I'll go into how I do my fully colored pieces, so stay tuned for that!

[knight-a3]

Hazbin Hotel Sketchbook Tour Part 10

Masterpost

I need to preface this one by saying that Vox(while not my favorite character) is my favorite redesign. I've made him look so wonderfully stupid, and it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

But first, Angel Dust.

Design notes will be under the cut.

Design notes under the cut

Angel Dust: So Angel makes me uncomfortable. The innuendos and raunchy jokes are not my cup of tea. It's part of why I struggled with his redesign so much. But I think I've finally managed to balance it while also alluding to his mobster roots.

I remember reading somewhere(not sure how canonicallt viable this is but I'm running with it) that Angel doesn't dress super provocatively outside of work. He's more inclined to dress comfy. So I gave him some lounge attire.

But I'm sure he would still want to dress up when out and about in town. So I gave him an outfit vaguely reminiscent of a mobster with the pinstripes and pseudo suit jacket, but also diverts away from it by leaning more into the fashion. He may keep up with modern fashions decently, but he's still a product of his time and upbringing. He's still got some mobster in him. I also preferred the look of his shorter gloves from the pilot, at least on his main set of arms. The second set has long ones like in the series, which would help the animators differentiate them. Tbh, I'd scrap the second set of gloves entirely if only it didn't feel in character.

Overall, I like this outfit for him. I think it balances his femininity and masculinity.

Idk if anyone noticed, but I don't like drawing characters with only 4 fingers. Something about it bothers me. So I've been doing everyone with 5. But I make an exception for extra limbs. Angels' second set of arms has 4 fingers, and the third has 3. Also, the extra sets are black and more bug-like than the main set. I do this to others, like Valentino, as well.

I've also noticed a lot of redesigns give him prominent spider fangs, and I just never liked how any of them looked on him. Instead, I gave him normal teeth fangs

Vox: To begin, Vox needed more bulk so his body could concievably support the old TV models. Twink size wasn't cutting it. The change also had the side effect of making him shorter, which just works better proportionately.

I liked the idea that Vox could never get rid of his original bulky 50s TV, but also wanted him to be able to upgrade. So I decided his true body is the 50s TV, and he adds an upgraded monitor as a head as technology improves. He's hates that he's stuck as an old fashioned TV, so he hides that under his suit. Since the monitor is just an addition, it can be swapped out easily. It can be damaged and he's technically unharmed. But he has to reveal his true body in order to see without the monitor. Unless he wants to use surrounding cameras and move via third person view.

Next, I don't like that everyone seems to have sharp teeth. I want more variety. (Similar to the whole bowtie deal) So I gave Vox "regular" teeth, which help him look more trustworthy. It fits the corrupt businessman vibe. Because his head is a screen, his face can change appearance based on both what he wants and what mood he's in. When he's angry, his face may glitch out, become too big for the monitor, and/or his teeth can become sharp. He might have to reboot after a Blue Screen of Death if he gets too worked up. When he's bored or tired a Voxtech logo will bounce around like the DVD logo, or display a screensaver. When hes feeling sheepish his face will get smaller on the screen(not that he'd ever feel ashame about anything, of course), etc. So many possibilities. I really want an excuse to give him a troll face at some point. It may be an old meme, but it feels appropriate.

Anyway, I love how stupid not having a head makes him look. He looks like SpongeBob and it's hilarious.

[yuri-is-online]

Been brainrotting lately and now I present to you what I think is an underused story beat for Yuu. What if “Yuu” isn’t even the prefect’s real name?

Considering that Yuu’s first experience in Twisted Wonderland is waking up in a coffin, wandering around an obviously foreign place, and being questioned by a suspicious man in a crow mask surrounded by people in black hooded robes… I just think most people would not give their real name in such a sketchy situation.

Fast forward to when Yuu is more comfortable with the cast and there is both comedy and angst potential here. On one hand, the reactions to the deception could be pretty funny. (Cue a “woe is me” from Crowley. Of course he can’t find a way home for you when he doesn’t have your real name!) On the other, this could be a great way of exploring the prefect having a crisis. Yuu already lost so much in being taken to Twisted Wonderland, and now in a way even the prefect’s name has been taken.

What do you think?

waking up in a coffin, wandering around an obviously foreign place, and being questioned by a suspicious man in a crow mask surrounded by people in black hooded robes…

Annon, annon, annon, when you put it like that it sounds like Yuu woke up in the middle of a cult ritual of some sort. Which I suppose if you were an edgy Night Raven student idia you might argue that the enrollment ceremony totally is as an excuse not to go

But to be more serious, I have seen a few memes about this concept and I like it a lot σ(￣、￣=) It's a fun character concept, it's not everyday you get a chance to re-invent yourself completely.

That being said, just based off of the few dialogue options Yuu has at the start, I think Yuu is implied to believe that they are dreaming:

Which honestly doesn't make this idea any less valid. If you're dreaming about waking up in the middle of some weird necromancer's rite, why not give him a fake name? It's not meant to be serious anyway. Just go with the flow and hope things don't get too weird (and get offended when your dream doesn't give you magic powers) until it's too late and you realize everyone thinks your name really is that bad joke you made.

If you want to get darker, maybe Yuu really did think they died. A black carriage pulling a coffin really only goes to a funeral, and death has been depicted as an unmanned coach with black horses. Maybe Yuu is only just coming to grips with the fact that they really are alive when they see Riddle overblot and he hurts them. Maybe they now are sitting next to two people who have started to think about them as a friend, a really close one. Maybe they think Yuu is really brave because they charged headlong into danger without a second thought, and won, twice now. Maybe Yuu cries themselves to sleep that night because in a way... you died so yuu could live.

As for reactions, Crowley and the other staff members I think would be the most dramatic, followed by Adeuce and Grim. Jack I can see accepting your reasons and not thinking too hard about it, maybe even respecting your survival instincts, while Epel... well he says he's mad but mostly he's just concerned. He knows what it feels like to have two dueling parts of yourself and trying to find the middle ground. Ortho would be excited, you have a secret identity just like a magical girl/super sentai/anime idol/superhero take your pick really. He certainly doesn't mind getting to know you all over again.

Sebek screams at you for being a threat to Wakasama but it's clear to everyone who actually knows him that he's really just worried about the amount of stress you put on yourself. He would hate for you to have the same issues with self loathing he does. And Malleus? Well he lied to you about who he was because he was worried you would be afraid, even though you didn't know he existed. It would be very petty for him to hold a grudge against you for doing the same.

In general I think this would be something the others would have an easier time understanding as opposed to Yuu's sense of alienation or loneliness at not having magic. Identity issues are common themes in fiction, so I could see them actually seeing it as a problem as opposed to an abstract problem like no government papers (since these kids with one obvious exception don't do taxes.) But it would make for a great way to explore the prefect having a crisis just as you say, in a way it's the perfect example for every problem they might have with being in Twisted Wonderland.

[diagonal-queen]

hello!! how are you doing??<3 may i have hunting dogs with silent s/o??? teruko platonic ofc:3 thanks if you do

Hunting Dogs with a Silent S/O

♡ pairing: Fukuchi Ouchi, Jouno Saigiku, Tecchou Suehiro, Teruko Okura, Tachihara Michizou x gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: How are they with an S/O who doesn't speak?

♡ cw: Swearing, I'm under the assumption that reader is completely silent either because they can't or won't speak, so...yeah!

note: I'm finally fucking posting something, so I'm honestly doing pretty fantastic! I know it's kinda short though I'm sorry T-T It's getting increasingly harder to find new panels of the Hunting Dogs to make banners out of. Like I spend a DISGUSTING amount of time on them and they don't even look good help </3 anyway Teruko solos, I apologise for errors and I hope you enjoy x

Fukuchi:

Fukuchi 'look upon and admire my adorable silent partner or face my wrath' Ouchi

I know I keep saying this but I physically can't see him being anything but extremely proud of his partner and wanting to show you off at any chance he can, no matter how silent you are

If you're up to it, sit with him at meetings and follow him around when he runs errands this man LOVES your company!

As such, he doesn't mind your silence. In fact, he thinks it's endearing, and will find alternative ways for you to communicate that make you the most comfortable

(I mean all of this in the most manly macho war hero way possible btw)

To be honest he's not the best at reading you at first, but just give it a little more time and you're like an open book to him. He is that meme where you're sad and then he wakes up in a cold sweat like 'something is deeply wrong'

Of course this is assuming that you've opted not to sleep in the same bed, which he's also fine with, but like, Fukuchi despite being a literal global hero is also a pathetic man who will turn up at your house in the wee hours of the morning because he couldn't sleep because he could sense that YOU couldn't sleep

He is both parts cool and just downright pitiful. Maybe you'll actually be the one taking care of him (behind closed doors of course)

Jouno:

"Excuse me they asked for no pickles" ahh boyfriend

He loves that you're silent. Not only can he already tell how you're feeling regardless because of your body language and other factors, but he also doesn't need to worry about any potential scares or distractions from your voice. Win-win

He's actually a little curious as to why you don't talk but he waits for you to tell him of your own accord rather than asking outright (and if you ask him to keep it a secret he does)

He's more than happy to speak for you at any point. Like if someone asks you a question, he answers for you if you want him to, or if the question is rude he's like 'hey leave my partner alone you pathetic fuck'

Jouno's just a little bit possessive. He just really, really strikes me as the type

Since you don't talk to him, your love language manifests in other ways. He loves when you cling to him, buy him little presents or help him with stuff, he genuinely really appreciates it.

And, honestly, he gives you more than enough compliments to make up for it <3

When you guys are out in public (not when he's at work) you're almost always holding hands. It's like you're glued to each other

Jouno doesn't need to hear you speak at all. The sound of your heartbeat is more than enough for him <3

Tecchou:

I mean...talk about a quiet couple

I feel like the only times Tecchou really even talks are when he's spoken to first, or when he's like talking to a suspect or a witness or whatever his job needs. He's certainly not a man of many words at the very least

Your time is spent together just in each others' presence and that's more than enough for him. Regardless of whether or not you have any conversation he loves your company

If he's given any options for something or any decisions to make ever without fail he'll always turn to you with a blank face and ask what you think, and wait for you to either nod and shake your head

He honestly might find it a little easier to communicate nonverbally with you and that's why he enjoys it so much. (if it isn't already established I am a firm believer in autistic Tecchou)

You two establish little ways of communicating with one another, like a squeeze of the hand means 'I love you' for example. It's honestly really adorable

At this point you could have whole conversations without saying anything. You two are the telepathic communication meme. Everyone else is confused, even Jouno is confused, he has NO idea what's happening

Man, he just loves everything about the way you are. And he'll squeeze your hand many times so that you know it

Teruko (platonic):

Let's be real she does enough talking for the both of you

Teruko is SO FUCKING LOUD, man. Even if you did talk, you're not quite sure you'd be able to hear your own voice. You sure as hell can't hear your own thoughts already

Teruko might have prodded at you for a while when you first met, trying to provoke you into talking. But you didn't let up with your silence and she decided that she liked you as you were anyway.

She really doesn't seem like someone who you should try talking over or interrupting tbh

If anyone else did that to you though, they'd be getting decked (I know I say this in EVERY Teruko post but I adore the idea of her being the 'only I'm allowed to be mean to you' friend)

Unlike the others she probably doesn't always wait to get your opinion. She'll be like 'do you wanna hang' and then before you indicate any answer she's got you by the wrist and has started dragging you around

But she loves you so much for real. Will stick up for you, will include you in things, and will make you feel VALUED.

Like Jouno, is also an 'Excuse me they asked for no pickles' person

Except she'd probably just take the pickles off and launch them at the poor cashier let's be real. And you just have to give them an apologetic look T-T

Tachihara:

He's friends with Gin. If you think he has an issue with your quietness you're a little stupid sorry <3

He thinks it's endearing and will still engage with you just as much as anyone else, like even if you're arguing or something he'll still like pause and wait for you to argue back before continuing T-T

Not that I imagine you'd argue very much but he's a stubborn guy fr (goodluck if you're also stubborn (I'm NOT projecting))

If you primarily communicate in sign language, he'll learn it for you. He might not be perfect but goddamnit he'll TRY.

He's already pretty good at reading your facial expressions and minute body language, so like a lot of the time if he sees your eyebrow twitch a certain way or some shit he'll just be like 'you look happy babe :)' or like 'you look sad what's wrong :('

Sometimes it feels a little random but it's just because he cares about you <3

The two of you text each other ALL the time. Like even from across the room and stuff. He probably did it one day to be a goof but the habit stuck and now its your guys' thing

And everyone else can always tell when you're doing it because the pair of you are just smiling down at your phones and occasionally glancing at each other (Teruko probably bullies you guys rip

You guys might have your little quirks or whatever but who cares? You're still fucking adorable anyway

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fyodorhatr, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl, @kokoenjiandco, @pinkiipeachiikeen

and of course thank you to @flocaelors for this req!

[rozeliyawashereyall]

FINALLY POSTING THIS.

Some Zef and Sera +a secret third thing, again.

The fish boys belong to @obsidian-lantern !

@greaysharkboi requested, and I shall provide.

Do you dare to click?

Headcanons, again.

Also for you @jaetists

The listener will be referred to as 'clemmy'

I. Slaps a pride flag on both of them

The tap water turned the frogs gay and in turn the frogs turned the fish gay.

Them going to a pride parade would be very fun.

II. I think both of them would find surface flowers very interesting, especially since there's not a lot underwater. Zef once tried to keep a rose alive underwater and was very sad when it pretty much got ripped apart.

III. Sera secretly likes his hair being braided or played with, especially in human form—and vice versa! He likes showing affection through actions rather than words, and hair playing is one of it.

Speaking of hair, both of their hair are most likely very messy and tangled. Sera a little less than Zef.

IV. Zef and Clemmy occasionally ramble and rant about the differences between land and sea. Sera prefers to listen rather than join in.

V. They both have no idea what a TV is—Sera has a bit more of a clue but still very confused. He likes watching crime documentaries, Zef tried to watch it with him but got PTSD flashbacks/hj

Zef likes watching the romcoms instead

While they'd both be mildly terrified of analog horrors, they find a slight comfort in liminal space images.

VI. The three of them have gone ice skating, both fish guys almost broke their legs.

Kind of on the same topic, but Sera would be a good slow dancer, probably has danced with Zef before

VII. Clemmy brought Zef and Sera to a planetarium, and they were in awe. Zef refused to leave and Sera was too speechless to process that they even have to leave. Clemmy had to call Eric for help to drag them out.

Star/planet gazing has since become their favourite hang out date

VIII. Zef is the kind of guy who would try to impress his crush, fail miserably, and still get them

He fr got that loser rizz

IX. they did not know what glitter was before Eric accidentally glitter bombed them. All three of them learned the hard way that glitter does not come off easily, especially when it gets in your hair.

X. These two would definitely use Clemmy as a heater. Look, the ocean is freezing, and they're probably just as cold to the touch. A Clemmy with a lot of warmth will be the fish boys heater

XI. They both don't like merfolk themed movies, documentaries, etc. Yes this includes the little mermaid

XII. doubling on what Aspen said here. Both Zef and Sera glow as a form of blushing. Sera would probably play it off as intentional, Zef too embarrassed to come up with a proper excuse

XIII. they'd both be very, very confused by AI.

XIV. God those two would not last with gen z or gen alpha— they are also very confused by memes.

"look at all those chickens!..

"Clemmy, those are seagulls..."

XV. Chat...hear me out...Sera and Zef get drunk for the first time...

Zef would either be a sad or happy drunk, with Sera being a silent drunk. Clemmy would have to drag them out and most likely get crushed in the process.

XVI. Them going to a carnival would be hilarious, especially on the rollercoasters—Zef would try to act tough but in the end throws up. And oof, they would be mindfucked by the hall of mirrors.

XVII. Zef would definitely love indie video games. He has watched the entire 8 hour lore video and all of matpat's vids <- Sera thinks this matpat guy is going insane but let's Zef watch him anyway.

XVIII. Sera is the type of person to not want a cat at first, but does let's the cat does anything it wants after they get it.

XIX. Zef would definitely like scrapbooking.

Yay for help from @willowve01 @lightdragon789 @aspenm00n and @tiefling-chaos for the headcanons!

[olderthannetfic]

People have said this in the reblogs, but people who are concerned about what Project 2025 might do to AO3 should try to prevent that by voting for Democrats, including Joe Biden (or whomever replaces him if that happens), and supporting campaigns by canvassing, phonebanking, donating, sending postcards. If you're not a U.S. citizen, you can't vote or donate but you can probably find other ways to support, including by reblogging pro-voting posts on here. It's not a done deal. One person in the reblogs brought this up too but I wanted to elaborate: There's a huge problem on Tumblr with anti-voting propaganda, especially spread by tankies and other kinds of horrible people. I think that more people need to consider that if they're going to decide "hey, the occasional funnee meme isn't worth following a terf or Nazi or other anti-LGBTQ+/racist bigot" that should expand to tankies. Supporting dictators like Putin and Xi is supporting anti-LGBTQ+ politics, supporting racism (these people all violently suppress racial and religious minorities) and is supporting censorship. They are kind of famous for that. Supporting Putin, especially if you are also downplaying or making excuses for the invasion of Ukraine, is also supporting genocide because that is what he is doing to Ukraine right now. That should be a firm line for you, I think, if your convictions aren't like completely worthless lol. Some things should be more important to you than fucking memes! And at least have the bare minimum critical thinking skills to wonder if people who spend so much time doing apologetics for right-wing homophobic transphobic dictatorships, might be discouraging voting because they're ok with the U.S. also becoming a right-wing homophobic transphobic dictatorship.

One of my eternal vent pet peeve things is how many people make excuse for the blogger heritagep/osts (username is without the slash, but they and their friends are name-searchers). This is a person who regularly reblogs pro-dictatorship propaganda including for fucking North Korea, discourages and shames voting, and also is a vicious anti-semite who tries to hide that under supposedly being pro-Palestine. The way you can tell this is they're constantly making "Zionist blocklists" but if you look at the names that are actually on those blocklists, they're nearly all people who are outspokenly ANTi Zionist but who happen to be Jewish and post about that.

The excuse people constantly use for following them is that their blog is about documenting old Tumblr posts. Which just seems so flimsy because there are so many blogs that do that these days? Nearly all the rest of which are not antisemitic transphobic-dictator-apologists. H/eritageposts' commentary isn't even that funny. A lot of it is "anti" adjacent shit acting like everyone who ever liked Hetalia or Shingeki no Kyojin is antisemitic and responsible for rising Nazi sentiment online, which is kind of rich given the antisemitism and pro-right-wing-dictator stuff they've been radicalized into. Like lol call fujoshis "cringe" all you want but hardly any of the people I know who were into Hetalia in 2010 are antisemites in 2024, but you, on the other hand... Like maybe fandom is not in fact the danger and you can be a sucker for Internet extremism even without it!

Anyway, people, please just have bare minimum standards and compassion for who you follow and promote. No one's saying that you ahve to research everyone you reblog from, but there are blogs who regularly post this shit, you'd notice if you followed them or even glanced at them, that people make excuses for following because "funnie posts." Like come on. Have more self-respect and more actual courage of your convictions than that. All you're showing is that when the actual dictators are here you'll fall right in line the second they make a joke you laugh at.

--

Even if that weasel wins, plenty of people have fought horrendous governments before.

Queer people didn't have any fucking rights in the US when I was a kid, so we fought. We'll just have to fight again if it comes down to it.

Always vote.

Even if all the candidates suck, they're never all the same.