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the-100-days-of-junkan · 3 months ago

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Day 100

One hundred fuckin’ days. God. Actually happened.

I spent 3/4ths of the year drawing more Junkan art than I think anyone else on the internet ever has. Which might be presumptuous of me, maybe i’m just looking in the wrong places y’know? I’m a solid second place bare minimum.

And like, that’s still pretty funny right? This whole event is something I’m gonna cherish forever, the memories, the art itself, the friends I made because of it. But like, c’mon. I drew 100 fucking pieces, learned new skills like digital painting, animation, all that shit, for a ship that I used to hate, and a ship that for the longest time I thought was gonna get me fuckin banished to the deepest depths of the internet just for drawing a poor sketch of them kissing. This ship has become more deeply entwined into who I am as a person that it’s passed up Tokomaru, the ship that literally made me realize I’m a woman.

It’s gotta be at least a little funny, right?

Ah but enough of that, I can talk more on that subject a bit later. For now I reckon I should focus on our art piece for today! Wouldn’t you agree?

Yeah it’s the Wedding. I’d say even before Day 60 I decided the final pic of the Project would be The Wedding, even before I decided to draw a comic of the proposal. Because like, c’mon, it’s basic but how the fuck else was I supposed to end of the project? With something that ISN’T a wedding????

And very shocking to hear after this entire project has gone by, but I did in fact scale back this pic massively. You wanna know what the original idea was?? 22 images, each one depicting different parts of the wedding and afterparty, including the kiss at the end. And the kiss at the end? I was gonna feature every character from the 3 main classes + Ruruka, Seiko, and Yasuke. Fucking why??? Because Excess is all I know people ITS ALL I KNOW.

However I had decided that I wanted this project finished and ready before October, because I wanted to do the Vampire Fic to coincide with Day 30. And again, say it with me here, “Jem was severely burnt out on the project!”

So it went from 22 images, to “However many I can get done in time + the big group shot” and then that became “Just the big group shot,” and then finally, i cracked and just drew The Kiss.

Speaking of which before I divulge some more info about the original plan, i’ll get all the fun things about the actual art I did go through with.

As you can tell I shaded this differently from anything in the project. I normally have two different ways of shading art, I don’t think these are the proper words but I call them Soft Shading and Hard Shading. If you need immediate examples, Day 95 was Soft Shaded, and Day 94 was Hard Shaded. Generally speaking I prefer to do Hard Shading, as I think it works better with the rest of my style, and also just looks better in general. Soft Shading is what I do for pics with like, a very specific tone and energy to them that I can’t really put to words. It’s also significantly easier to do compared to Hard Shading.

A few months back for a commission of Kaede and Marceline from Adventure Time hanging out (yes this is relevant) I was trying to capture a very specific aesthetic that I’m obsessed with called Frutiger Aero. This mostly was in the background, however when lighting the pic I needed a very specific aesthetic that I didn’t know how to capture with just one of my shading styles. So . . . I fuckin did both. And in my opinion (which is crazy because this requires I compliment myself) it looked fuckin great. That said it was significantly harder.

I think I’ve done it only one other time after this, but I don’t remember what the pic was if it exists at all. But obviously as you can see, I decided that to really commemorate the occasion I’d go all out and do both shading styles again. It was very worth it, but fun fact! Doing this style on Roses is a fucking pain in the ass and if I ever have to do it again I will fucking SCREAM!

Anyway, the pic was definitely a lot harder to work on because of that stylistic choice, but the end result makes up for it by a massive margin.

Hope ya’ll like the dresses because they were the hardest part of this! Fun fact, Val (She’s back!) did a chapter for her legendary Year of Love and Despair fic where the gals are in wedding dresses. And the designs she came up with are amazing! I still really wanna draw em when I get a chance! However! I woulda felt bad if I just yoinked em for this, so I had to do everything in my power to come up with completely different designs. And given that I am a perfectionist, that was significantly more difficult than it probably shoulda been. But I did it! I really like how Mikan’s dress turned out specifically, I thought giving her a fit that covered up more skin than a normal wedding dress would be fitting for her. Also I really like drawing Mikan’s hair in a bun, I never had a chance to say that so I’mma say that now.

Wow fuck I just realized there’s probably a lot of random details or thought processes I have on this ship that I just never got an opportunity to talk about, either because I had a different topic to cover on previous posts, or I just forgot, or I just didn’t have a good segway! Crazy right?

Also yes! Shading Junko’s hair was heavenly~

Okay i’ve run out of words on the art. Time to tell you about everything I cut! Now I’m sad to say but no, I didn’t actually cut 22 planned images. I never got far enough to actually figure out each individual pic. Only a small handful, which I almost speedily sketched out for this post, but I don’t have it in me, especially on my current schedule. So i’ll just do my best to describe what I had in mind!

First piece would have been Mukuro being on Security for the Wedding, because of course. She would have also enlisted the help of Mondo and his entire gang, because that combination in this context sounds funny. Don’t worry though they were well behaved.

Ruruka was gonna handle the Wedding Cake, with Teruteru on the rest of the food. Either Ruruka or Mukuro would have been giving him a death glare during the process of course.

Behind the scenes Mikan would be getting prepped for the Wedding. And by prepped I mean Seiko, Ibuki, and Sayaka would be trying very hard to keep Mikan from crying as a result of how happy and overwhelmed she is (Ruining her makeup). Seiko trying to blow air into her eyes to keep them dry while Sayaka and Ibuki desperately try to find an outlet to plug in a hairdryer in because that would be significantly more efficient.

On the reverse, Junko would be doing all of the work on prepping herself for the wedding, with Ruruka, Yasuke and Tsumugi standing in the background, questioning why they’re even there. Junko would yell at them that they’re morale support in this instance.

Warriors of Hope would of course be there being scamps of course, Kotoko would be the Flower Girl because I play favorites. Toko and Komaru would probably be there trying to keep them in line.

I didn’t have anything in mind with the afterparty but I more than likely would have drawn the drunkest Junko I possibly could. Maybe even Mikan too!

For the Bouquet Throwing I was gonna have Syo jumping at it like a feral animal, and thinking about it now I’d probably also have Tenko jumping for it with killing intent in her eyes.

And I think that’s it for ideas I had prior to cutting them. Which means it’s time for me to get sappy about the fact that the project is finally ending! Fuck! Usually when I write these I try to have a decent idea ahead of time of what I’m gonna fucking say, this time however I’m just gonna talk, and i’m gonna keep talking until I’m either struck down by nature or I run out of things to say. Sorry!

This is going to get silly, sappy, and maybe even a little venty, jump in at your own risk.

If you told me at the beginning of 2024 that I was going to draw 100 days worth of Junkan related art, including a gif and a music video, 2 comics, and also get back into writing to make gay fanfic, I’d be so god damn confused. Because what the fuck right? And that’s not even counting everything I drew AFTER I fuckin finished! Like hold on a minute i’m gonna count up how many times i’ve drawn these two, including the individual comic pages from the three i’ve made.

204.

Fucking, I. I didn’t even know we passed 200 by this point.

And that’s not counting the sketches I’ve drawn on paper in my sketchbook. It’s also not counting unfinished pics. It ain’t counting the art I might draw WHILE writing this! It’s not counting the stuff I probably forgot about while searching my files cause I suck at naming the aforementioned files!

AND I’M STILL NOT BURNED OUT EITHER?

I got burned out on the project sure but the moment I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted I fucking IMMEDIATELY drew a Junkan pic for Halloween. And then I kept going, and then I didn’t fucking stop, and I don’t think I CAN stop! I don’t even WANT to stop but you’d think by now I’d be like “Well I don’t have any ideas right now-” NO I HAVE TOO FUCKING MANY IDEAS! I KEEP FUCKING THINKING OF MORE IDEAS, AND THEN I COME UP WITH AN AU AND THAT COULD HAVE LIKE 10,000 MORE IDEAS. JUNKAN IS A MENTAL HYDRA YOU DRAW ONE PIC 2 MORE POP UP IN ITS PLACE!

I can draw these pieces in like a few hours if not shorter, because I don’t have to fucking sketch them properly anymore. I feel like I shouldn’t be able to do that! This ship has done unspeakable things to both my mind and body! And i’ve said it before but i’m not trying to complain here, as you’ll see when I start talking about this ship like it saved me from falling into the grand canyon. But it’s just, so, absurd???

Danganronpa is only like my third favorite piece of media behind Bo-bobo and Fairy Tail and yet I’ve drawn more art of JUST THIS SHIP than I have of just general art of those series! That’s not even counting all the other ship art I’ve done! Like Tokomaru! Remember Tokomaru? The ship that is responsible for me being a woman and being able to find the happiness of being my true self? I think i’ve drawn that and Syomaru a combined like, 20 times across my entire life as a DR fan. ALL OF THIS JUNKAN ART SAY FOR LIKE, 5 OF THEM WERE IN ONE YEAR.

And bare minimum for 2025, assuming I don’t make ANYTHING ELSE OF THEM (Which I will. You know I will.) I’m gonna draw 21 pics for Junkan Week, because you know I’m gonna just draw EVERY prompt from all three lists. And then 30 more for the Month of Junkan (Will try to have that prompt list up soon btw!). So that’s 51 I’m going to do. That’s over half of what I realistically was supposed to do bare minimum for this project. That’s so fucking much, and I’m gonna do it, because I love this ship, and also it sounds REALLY funny if I did that.

I think genuinely the only other ships I could fucking do this for are like, Toko/Syomaru or Flarelu. Maybe Togachako if I did a reread of MHA to get me back in the spirit for that series. And even then i’m not sure I physically have it in me to go that distance even for those ships. I certainly want to draw a lot of them, especially Flarelu because that’s a ship so rare that it makes Soft Junkan (before I fucking flooded the tag on tumblr) look like a bustling city.

Speaking of tags, I still think about sometimes how like, the Junkan Tag maybe got like, a post like, a few times every month. The normal amount for a ship of this general Rarity. And now it’s like, for so many pages, just half of it is me. Because I was asked to bring something to eat to the function for the buffet table and I fucking crashed a Food Truck through the wall. I feel bad about it sometimes, sometimes. I’m imagining the scenario in my head where someone who likes Junkan but didn’t check the tag super often because it wasn’t like, a super commonly updated one, and then pressing it for the first time in a year and being like “What the fuck happened here?” You know what still shocks me? Not once have I gotten hate for any of this. I was so fucking scared for like half of this projects creation that I was going to get bombarded with people angry at me for shipping this, and NOTHING. I’m not complaining I’m just confused. I have to at least have had a few people block me right? It’s just so eerily quiet. And it’d be one thing if it’s just a thing of like “Why would people who hate Junkan check the Junkan tag” because yeah, that makes sense. But also I’ve been putting at least one Junkan pic in both characters tags every day for 3 fucking months, there had to be at least one Mikan super fan who is eternally fed up with my antics. Like, awesome that I didn’t get harassed over a ship, that actually gives me a little hope that nature is healing, just. Crazy right???

So like. Fuck.

I guess I’ll get to the sappy shit now?? I think I ran out of things to be confused about in terms of what I did this year because of this ship. So I guess I’ll just start talking about how much it means to me, both the ship, and this project.

(trigger warning, mentions of abuse, nothing super graphic in my opinion but could be mildly uncomfortable. Either skim ahead or stop here)

2024 kinda, fuckin sucked for me to be honest?? I have like 2 good things I can speak for it in terms of major positive points (Obviously I had other good experiences but if I just said “Oh I read a I Love Amy and it was one of the greatest things ever” it lacks the same impact). Not counting getting this project to like, work, obviously.

I finished the 5 chapters of my webcomic that I wanted prepped so I could actually make a website and start posting (ignore how I didn’t make the fuckin website yet). And I started dating my darling Yves and Rivette. Who I cherish deeply. I made other friends this year, a lot of them in part cause of this ship. And I went through a lot of emotional change.

But to get that change it required I unpack a lot. And by a lot, I mean one bag that was filled to the brim. Gonna try real hard not to like, talk about this in excessive detail or turn this post into some woe is me bullshit, but I feel like I should at least make mention of it.

At the beginning of the year, I asked Yves (who I wasn’t dating yet) about my previous romantic relationship. And she confirmed to me that, based on everything I had told her about it overtime, that yes, it was abusive.

During 2021-2022 I was in a relationship with a girl I won’t name here, you wouldn’t know her of course, it was a completely different community. It started out as friends, I got a crush, jumped at it because I was still inexperienced with feelings, and it didn’t work out. And that’s the simple way of putting it, and that’s how I viewed it till Yves opened my eyes.

From the getgo it wasn’t healthy. She was manipulative, constantly had outbursts towards me, and yanked me around emotionally constantly. I would later find out that she had a previous history of just, generally being an awful person. Even after we broke up we still stuck around each other, mostly because I felt guilty for breaking up with her, and was also just generally terrified of her. The abuse was all mental of course, it was long distance so she couldn’t hurt me physically at all.

I of course, didn’t process any of that as me being abused, I even viewed myself as being at fault for a lot of it. The experience was so bad that I identified as Aromantic because just convinced I wasn’t able to feel proper romantic feelings for someone. It wasn’t till much later when I got another crush that I realized that I’m Panromantic, and me being Aro (and very briefly Aegoromantic) was basically just a coping mechanism to write off my trauma. I still feel guilty about that since it feels like I devalued the importance of people who do identify on the Aro spectrum, but that isn’t relevant here.

Point is, a lot of bad shit happened to me because of that woman, and even after a year and a half of us not talking because we both mutually decided it would be better for us to not stay in contact, she still found ways to worm her way back into my life. One conversation we had just by chance, to catch up, that’s all it took and I was thinking of her again. I never talked to her after that, and I have her blocked now, but I didn’t need to for shit to hit the fan.

So I asked Yves that question, she answered, and I now suddenly had to deal with the fact that I was abused, and that I was traumatized as a result. And like, I never really viewed myself as a traumatized person up till that point, I viewed myself as someone who wasn’t very smart but tried her best to do good by people who didn’t have too much baggage beyond some sucky school memories.

When I had to unpack what happened that kind of spiraled into severe Self Confidence Issues and even more Self Hate. I struggled to accept even the slightest compliment if it wasn’t directed at my art. The reason I even quit weed is because I used it almost exclusively to suppress all of the negative emotions I felt.

I’m in a somewhat better place now, I’m trying to give myself more breaks from artwork, rather than overworking myself constantly just to feel something (and being fully open, I realized near the end of december that I pretty much used Overworking as a form of self harm). I’m gonna really try this year to like, actually let people be nice to me, and in turn try to be nicer to myself. And I have goals to work towards for this year. But I wouldn’t have gotten to this point without two things. One, my girlfriend Yves, who even before we started dating helped me through multiple breakdowns and has helped/allowed me to grow into a (I hope) better, healthier person. And even after I got over most of my feelings related to my Ex, has continued to help me cope with my self hatred. I cherish every moment we share and wouldn’t trade her for anything.

And the other thing, which I know will sound silly right after I talked about my girlfriend, is well. Junkan.

Let me say this, I didn’t get into Junkan to cope with my abuse. I have toyed with the notion in my head before and the idea of it pisses me off to a quite frankly irrational degree. I was into Junkan before I realized my issues. If you want my coping mechanism it’s Alex from Minecraft and no I’m not explaining that right now.

That said, it, like all the yuri ships I like, was a source of comfort for me. Originally I read stuff like Tokomaru fics just to help me reduce stress, back when I dealt with really severe anger issues due to the online spaces I occupied. And to this day reading a nice, fluff fic can calm me down a bit. But now they can serve a much deeper sense of comfort, away from all the bullshit, and obviously, gave me a way to distract/calm myself from the storm of negative emotions and memories that filled the brain.

I see myself in Mikan more than I’d like to personally admit, obviously not to the extreme, but in aspects. So it’s just, nice to see a better timeline for her with Junko, ones where she gets to be happy and maybe even heal as well. It just so happens that I also think there’s a lot of genuinely good potential for the ship from either a canon or non-canon perspective, and Junko’s just a really enjoyable character.

Working on this project helped too. It gave me a way to dive deeper into my love for this ship, and gave me a sense of purpose and validation that helped me work through the rough. Whether it was the really bad mental health days, or just a shit streak of commission work that tore away at me because my job even if I love drawing can be a real drag at times, and i’m unfortunately a workaholic (Trying to work on it though).

I think i’ve said it before but even something simple as Val showing her excitement over the art pieces I was prepping could genuinely brighten my day even while I was at my lowest.

And then when I really started pursuing this as a project, rather than just a secret stash to satiate myself and one other person minimum, I realized I could do something good here. For the people like me who loved this ship but might have been too nervous about expressing it, the people who were just really craving it, and the people who had already made all of the fics and art that sent me into this spiral of obsessive passion in the first place! A gift to all of them, to make ya’ll happy.

In hindsight, may not like, the healthiest mindset for setting off this whole project. But hey it all kinda circled around into eventually helping my mental health recover. So like, win?

And i’ve already spoken on how Day 60 allowed me to feel a lot more emotionally free as an artist even if I still have my struggle days. I’ve gotten better just in general as an artist as I improve more at stuff like expressions, posing, linework, etc. And I’ve even managed to make friends with some of the people I used to look up to as idols and can finally just view em as normal people now. (Even if I might still be a bit excessive in my praise, I swear I’m normal about ya’ll besties I just don’t have like, a middleground for showing my appreciation and affection for my friends. It’s maxed out unless I’m tired as shit)

I find myself comedically terrified of how this ship has affected me over the course of 2024, and how it will likely continue to affect me through 2025 even as I try to move onto other projects not related to Junkan. I wanna show off my love for Fairy Tail on my main blog, and I really think that with a full years time and the first five chapters done I really can get my comic off the ground and focus on that for the foreseeable future.

But hey, 2025 at least we got two whole Junkan Events. And with Junkan Week I’d like to keep that going for as long as I can, unless someone else takes the reins way down the line. So this ol’ blog’ll keep going for a good while I imagine, even if it’s a lot smaller. Maybe I’ll find other ways to keep this place active, I’ve considered just making it a one stop shop for all things Junkan though I don’t think I’m really suited to manage that. Maybe someone’ll read this and try there hand at it down the line, maybe someone’ll do their own 100 Days of Junkan!

Oh hey did I ever tell ya’ll I was gonna make a comedic video just making a guideline for how one could make their own 100 Days Project. It was gonna be like, pretty obvious points just framed in a very exaggerated and comedic tone.

Alright anything else I should cover? Fun facts? Deep personal anecdotes? Sappy stuff?

Lemme check my files, maybe i got another dumb joke image-

. . .

Oh . . . Well there’s somethin.

Alright, don’t get to excited ya’ll, but just for a bit of fun, how about one last day in the project. I know 101 days doesn’t roll of the tongue as well, but I think this is vaguely interesting enough to make up for that! Tune in tomorrow. Same time, same place.

As always, Reblogs, Comments, and Little Notes in the Tags are appreciated!~ They always make my day!~

#danganronpa #junkan #junko enoshima #mikan tsumiki #junkomikan #enomiki #junko x mikan #enoshima junko #tsumiki mikan #shipping

54 notes · View notes

luffyvace · 1 year ago

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Her brook Idk if your req are closed so read this at your convenience 🙏

I wanted to ask for a male harpy reader strawhat hc or if not just hc with luffy, more specifically based off a bird with heavy feathers like a snowy owl cause I’d love to imagine that he complains about the heat a lot and wonders why he’s sweating more then usual but it’s just luffy hugging his legs cus he’s so soft

Love your work brook 🙏☺️

nope! Still open lovely anon<3

when I tell you I did NOT know what a harpy was 🤦‍♀️ I had to do research for accuracy 😅😋

but don’t worry it’s all good I’ll be more than happy to do your request!

I’m telling you right here right now luffy would most definitely be interested in a reader like this!! You know how many unique animals and such he tried to recruit into the crew that weren’t even human?? 😂💗

and thank you!! I’m so happy you enjoy my headcanons :) that makes me very happy!

Okay I’m just saying…….like chopper…if you look more animal than human….his first thought is to eat you

”you think he tastes good?” 😋

😭😭

IT JUST IS !!

moving on…♡

He thinks your wings are really cool

I mean a 6.5 ft wing span…….I do too!!

definitely wanted to measure them to check after he learned that

to which he got himself wrapped up in the measuring tape

Both you and luffy eat “strange” animals

such as sloths, monkeys, porcupines, squirrels, opossums, armadillo’s, anteaters and sometimes parrots…..other birds too 😋🍴

No animal is safe 😭

every island you go to the two of you immediately start scouting for whatever variety of yummy foods you could find

”I’ve got news for you two—normal people don’t eat those animals”

- Nami ♡

it taste absolutely delicious to you!!

honestly you probably got Luffy into eating them

which so funny because he already loves eating all types of weird things

which is probably why he was so easy to convince him to eat it too

like he would normally see a monkey and go oh cool a monkey!

but now….😈😈

not all the time tho

mostly when he’s hungry

……….so I guess I lied, yes all the time 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

he saw you eating a armadillo with some sloth on the side and was like

oooo I gotta try that 🤪🤪

you might dislike for cats seeing as though a harpy’s predator is a jaguar

Least baby harpy’s anyway…

still! 😠

it’s good for you that the sunny is big once y’all upgrade from merry

it has plenty of rooms with shade for you, since a harpy’s natural habitat is rainforests

and they mainly stay in the shade anyway :)

franky probably had a room built that simulates a rainforest for your comfort 💕

like how he simulated the grass

once Luffy found out harpy’s are rare to find and you found the tori tori no mi - model: harpy- it was pretty much settled for you to join the crew :)

like he loves rare stuff!

it’s like treasure!

and you know darn well a pirate will fight for his treasure! 😼

you use your high pitch bird call to reunite the strawhats whenever you guys get separated (which is like- every time you go on an adventure 😀 besides the point-)

it’s loud enough and ranges far enough to the point where it’s more efficient than yelling

very much so comes in handy when your in danger too

also not to mention luffy is 100% gonna wanna fly on your back since you have wings

he probably won’t even ask

he’ll just rocket onto your back while your flying one day and refuse to get off cuz it’s fun

it likely ends with him spotting something cool, telling you to go over to it and getting you two into trouble

just be ready for the

😬😁 ✊😠 💥💥 😖😓

sequence again

flying also comes in handy when saving the strawhat’s BUTT!

You and Robin like 🦅🦅

LOLLL

but no fr you literally just swoop in and save the day 🦸

SUPERRRRRRR M/N!! *super man pose* better yet *franky pose*

Zoro will also appreciate it if you catch him while falling because I swear that man is always getting smacked around-

same with Nami 🧡

another time

Robin was stating facts about harpy’s when the strawhats first met you, and you were confirming

she mentioned that they typically lived 35-45 years (but she was talking about the ANIMAL.)

Luffy—of course—mistook this

“WHAAAT?! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME OUR NEW NAKAMA’S GONNA DIE SOON?!”

*Nami steps in*

”CALM DOWN IDIOT THATS NOT WHAT SHE SAID!!” 💥💥

“……..and besides..! M/n’s not an animal! He’s still a person you know?! Sheesh…..of course he’s gonna live the lifespan of a human”

Sanji will of course cook any animal of your request into your meal

if it’s more nutritious for you—then certainly he’ll do so!

he always prioritizes nutritional value in his meals, and thats different for everybody!

Luffy however….he will get annoyed with 😂

”GO AWAY STUPID *kicks across room* YOU DONT NEED THIS TO SURVIVE! THIS IS FOR M/N!”

your like one of the few men in his life Sanji doesn’t hate

okay I know that was more harpy facts related so now I’ll get into the scenario you mentioned 😅💗

Luffy uses you for warmth in the winter (all the strawhats do)

like chopper ;P

especially with your large and soft wings

”M/n…spread your wings out..we need your warmth..”

-Zoro

you’ve been complaining about the heat all day

You felt like you were ON FIRE.

like seriously?! What was gon on today?!

it’s not like birds need to shed……so why are you burning up!??

”mmmm…your so warm M/n!”

”LUFFY?!”

”shishishishishi!”

”no wonder I felt heavier than usual!! Get off me Luffy!”

”awwhhhh WHYYYYYY?”

”what?! Why?! Because I’m burning up! I already have all these feathers! You’ve got to get off of me Luffy!”

*whines* “but mmmmm/nnnnnn! Your so waaaarrrrm!”

*sighs and face palms* *attempts to pry him off*

“noooooo m/nnnnnn! I don’t waaaaanna get ooofff!!”

Luffy practically had you in a literal choke hold

he was not about to let you go.

and you know he’s got himself wrapped alllllll the way around 😂😂

once again thank you for the compliment my dear!!

Hopefully I did your hcs justice and that you enjoyed them! <3

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cal-daisies-and-briars · 1 month ago

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Jaylin, Jaylin, Jaylin, my gal, sincerely wtf is your dealllll???

⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️

-💋

I promise I WILL get there.

148 or 1k for ⛰️:

---

Like she’s going to come take something from him personally. Not just Buck.

Maybe that’s the biggest indicator. He starts to feel like Arthur is his. His baby. His son. Even if those thoughts are kept deep, deep inside.

One night, Arthur wakes them up around two in the morning. The kind of cry that Eddie now knows means he’s wet himself and is uncomfortable. He never knew any of Christopher’s cries apart. He’d never been around for a long enough time to distinguish them.

Buck starts to get out of bed. He emits a little sigh that betrays how tired he is. He’s exhausted. They had a long shift that day. Buck took the brunt of the physical labor during the rescue.

“Let me get him,” Eddie says.

“It’s okay,” Buck argues. “I can.”

He can. He does. Most of the time. In fact, it’s sort of hard for Eddie to get Buck to let him do any of the less pleasant parts of raising a baby. Like he’s afraid allowing Eddie to do more than the cute, sweet parts is a burden Eddie doesn’t want. But that’s not true. He wants all of it. And not just because of Buck, anymore.

“You’re tired and sore,” Eddie whispers, leaning across the bed to pull him back and kiss his temple. “I’ve got him.”

Buck sighs. “Don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

“I know,” Eddie says. “I want to. You know I love him, right?”

Buck takes a deep breath.

“I know.”

“Then let me go do the dad thing, okay? You sleep.”

Buck relents. Eddie climbs out of bed and makes his way towards Arthur’s bedroom.

“Hi, Artie,” he says softly, lifting him out of the crib. “Hi, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

He changes Arthur, gets him all buttoned back up in his pajamas, and begins to put him back into the crib. But then pauses. He brings the baby back up and holds him to his chest for a moment. Tilts his head so he can inhale that weirdly perfect baby head scent.

He missed all this with Christopher. He regrets that all the time. His kid is fifteen. The best kid in the whole world. But time moves so fast. So, so fast. So Eddie takes a minute. With this child, who isn’t his, but who feels like it anyway. He takes a minute to let it feel slow.

iv.

October 1st is a Thursday, so they have Artie’s first birthday party two days later. The anniversary of the day they learned he was born. How fitting.

It’s a really nice party. The whole day just sort of fills Eddie with an easy warmth. Everyone shows up. There’s cake. There’s decorations. There are far too many presents. Eddie takes an obnoxious amount of photos. The atmosphere is entirely joyful.

At one, Artie is a lot of things. He’s turning more and more into a little person every day. He’s absolutely packed full of energy. No surprise there, considering his paternity. He’s an absolute chatterbox, despite his limited vocabulary. He will stand and dance on the spot to any song he hears, wiggling around like a wind-up-toy. He loves animals. He loves the beach. He hates really windy days. He thinks Chris is the best person on the planet. He calls both Buck and Eddie dad.

Eddie loves him more than anyone but Christopher.

When it happens, they’re sitting at the dining room table. Artie and Daniel are in side-by-side high chairs, both absolutely smearing their faces with blue icing from birthday cupcakes. Chimney is recording it, laughing. It’s one of those happy, perfect moments Eddie wishes he could pause.

“They aren’t going to sleep tonight,” Hen warns.

“Worth it,” Buck shrugs. “Look at them. They’re best friends!”

“Do they have any other choice, Buck?” Bobby asks.

“Well, no…” Buck admits.

The doorbell rings.

It’s weird that the doorbell rings. It’s weird, because everyone is here. Everyone who they invited, everyone who said they could come, is already here.

“I’ll get it,” Buck says, equal amounts of confusion clear in his expression.

He strides off towards the front door, and for whatever reason, Eddie feels compelled to follow him. To see. He doesn’t know why. He’s not usually so suspicious of someone coming to his door.

He has good reason to be.

Eddie is standing maybe six or seven feet behind Buck when he opens the door. Before Eddie sees who’s there, he knows. He knows, because Buck’s entire body language goes rigid. Eddie knows. He knows, and he instantly feels the need to puke.

“Jaylin,” Buck says. His voice is stern. Cold.

Eddie takes a small side step so he can see her. Her hair is shorter. She’s pretty thin. She looks nervous.

“Hi, Buck.”

Eddie’s jaw is locked tight. He wants to tell her to fuck off and never come back but that is neither appropriate or his place. And also, he simply cannot.

“What are you doing here?” Buck demands. “Where have you been?”

“It’s… I know I’m late for his birthday,” she says. “Uh, I was traveling back and… And there were car troubles.”

“Car troubles?” Buck echoes icily. “Jaylin, it’s been nine months.”

“I know. I know. But it’s his birthday and I’m his mother,” she says. “I need to see him. Even for a little bit. Please, Buck.”

“I-I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Buck says. “We’re in the middle of a party. He doesn’t know you.”

“I’m his mom! He’ll… It hasn’t been that long. He’ll remember.”

Eddie’s not proud of what he does next. He really isn’t. But the important thing is that it’s not against Buck’s wishes. Not exactly. Because he hears the next words from Buck’s mouth. And those words are Jaylin, no. Not right now. And he just reacts.

He turns and walks as fast as he can without running back into the dining room.

#daisies and briars writes #upward over the mountain fic

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quibbs126 · 3 months ago

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So I also ended up making this this afternoon

So basically the story behind this is that I decided “eh screw it, I said I’d try making that megop kid idea, might as well try making some helm designs to start out with”. And I made a bit of one for TF One, though specifically inspired by their cogless designs since I’ve drawn them a fair bit

But then it dawned on me that outside of TF One, I haven’t actually drawn that many Megatron and Optimus designs. Like I drew Animated Optimus like a couple times when I was starting out, but that’s it. And also the idea itself doesn’t really work with TF One, since as it stands the war hasn’t technically even broke out yet. It works far more in a series where it’s actually been happening

So I figured, I should start at the basics and get myself some practice on g1 Megatron and Optimus, since you know, they’re the classic designs

Also side note on g1 that isn’t really related but I wanted to add in anyways, today I got the complete set of the g1 cartoon (minus the movie but that’s okay). It was a Christmas present that was supposed to come earlier but finally came in today. And I learned my PS4 can play Blu-Rays (which really shouldn’t be a surprise, I’m aware that’s what made the PS2 sell so well, but I didn’t realize they kept doing it), so that means I am now able to watch g1 on an actual TV, legally, with presumably higher quality, and possibly even subtitles

So you know, I’m doing pretty good right now. I’m glad my dad is supporting my Transformers fixation and the fact that I’m insisting on using a DVD player (for the movies at the library, but still), which means actual DVDs

Anyways, side tangent aside, back to the drawings

I think they turned out fairly decent, they don’t really bother me. I do kind of wish I added shading/lighting so the drawings weren’t so flat, but regardless

Admittedly I think I do need to work on actually doing poses and things with these designs, I’m doing a whole lot of nothing with them right now. I need to pose those cubes

Also there’s some colors shared between the two. I don’t know if this is something actually done in the show, and maybe it makes the colors look inaccurate, but I think it’s neat to use the same colors elsewhere

Now on to random things about the characters’ designs I just wanted to mention

First off, this isn’t really a character design thing, but these were the pictures I used for references, outside of some concept art I have for full body basic anatomy (getting screenshots from the show is my preferred form of reference), and I gotta say, it took a fair bit longer to find a picture online with a proper look at Optimus’ head than Megatron’s

Like it didn’t take that long, like 1-2 minutes, but I just noticed how a lot of screenshots don’t really focus on his face, unlike Megatron. I assume because in g1, he doesn’t really have much of one, given his mask covers half of it

Also while Megatron’s helm itself is relatively basic looking and doesn’t really have a lot going on, the rest of his face has got a fair amount of details

Like he’s got defined cheek bone lines (I think), but he’s also one of the few (again I think) characters to have the shadow around his eyes that becomes more common later on

Then there’s also that whatever he’s got going on above his eyes. I’d say it’s eyebrows but I don’t think that’s what it’s supposed to be, given these characters don’t really have those yet

I saw someone, aka the person who makes Transformers Until One, granatu888 (idk if I should tag them here or not), turn the thing into a battle mask that drops down onto his face, and frankly I think that’s really cool, and that’s what I now choose to believe it is. Hasbro, make that what it is

Anyways, moving on. I don’t really have a lot to say on Optimus other than his helm being a lot more simplistic in its shapes than I’m used to, as well as very triangular. Like compared to TF One Optimus, who’s got a lot of details going on, his is super simple. I also didn’t make his antenna full triangles going down because I thought it looked weird, now they’re more like TFA Optimus

Also one last thing, but I swear the way I drew him looks just like that how one artist does, the one who draws Sparkplug (sorry, unlike the last mention I don’t actually remember the artist’s name, probably because I don’t follow them. Which tbh I should probably rectify, I like their Sparkplug stuff). Sorry it was just something I noticed afterwards and can’t unsee it. This also applies specifically to the face, they draw the actual rest character much better than me

Anyways, back to Megatron. Random thing, but he’s got a whole control panel on his torso. I’ve known he has it, because he has it in TF One, but why does he have it?

This kind of goes hand in hand, but random other thought I had today that connects, his design in general is a bit off compared to other characters because in g1, he doesn’t transform into a vehicle, he turns into a gun. Like that’s not to say he looks out of place (I mean I still think his helmet looks weird), but like, he doesn’t have a lot of kibble because of it. Like he’s one of the characters with no glass on his body because guns don’t have glass

Also does he have two guns? One on his shoulder, another on his back? I don’t know, I’m only now realizing that. They probably combine together when he transforms. Also I think his fusion cannon is just supposed to be his scope in gun mode, which ironically I’m pretty sure aren’t actually involved with the damage part of shooting. I don’t know, random observation

And uh, I think that’s it. It was mostly just random design details, and honestly not as many as I was expecting. I didn’t really have much to say on the art itself, mostly since it was just me trying to draw the g1 designs

But yeah, it was neat, I think I have a better understanding of their general designs, at least here. Now to actually use them in any way

#don’t know if I will be using these for the original purpose I outlined #but you know it was good practice anyways #transformers #transformers g1 #my art #megatron #optimus prime

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frozenjokes · 1 year ago

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A Mermaid Learns English, Races Clams, And Breaks Up What Was Definitely A Vicious Human Fight

I’ve decided to post these ‘one shots’ on tumblr as well since y’all seemed to enjoy the last one

With the passing of a couple days, Mumbo was beginning to pick up on a few more human words. There was ‘Hey!’ to get Grian’s attention and ‘Look!’ to get Grian’s attention and ‘Clam!’ to get Grian’s attention, all of these words usually used in quick succession. However, Mumbo was most proud of figuring out the human pronoun. He. That’s what it was. Scar was a he and Grian was a he and they had both considered Mumbo a he, which was cute! It was like Mumbo was an honorary human with hes and hims just like them, how sweet! (And they were okay with that! Excited even! He was excited, yeah, look at that! He! Me!) How many other animals did they consider to also be human? Did humans even use separate pronouns for their own species and others? Maybe every animal was just a really big or really tiny human to them.

Regardless. After learning about human pronouns, Mumbo learned that Scar and Grian talked about him constantly. Constantly! They talked like Mumbo wasn’t there, even when he very much was, and he knew, because whenever they bothered to include Mumbo in their conversations about him, they would be looking directly at him. At first it was flattering, and then it was a little bit annoying, and currently it’s been quite frustrating! What are you squawking about? Tell me! Mumbo made sure to let them know how he felt. He got pushy, getting in their space (never closer than a few feet), but they didn’t seem to register that as aggression at all, in fact, Scar never looked anything less than delighted. Utterly confusing! Though, Scar in particular was quite physically affectionate with his human friend.. was that how humans always acted, or was something wrong with that one’s head. Grian didn’t seem to reciprocate very much, sometimes pushing the other off of him or simply doing nothing (looking generally displeased, though that’s how he always looked), but who knows! Humans were weird and apparently not very protective of their own space.

“Look! Look at that, Grian, he’s getting so comfortable with us! He gets closer every day, isn’t that great?” Scar waved his arms around carelessly, and Mumbo had to shimmy back to avoid being touched.

“I don’t know about that. Can’t tell. He doesn’t emote very much, does he?”

‘Will you two quit talking about me.’ That got their attention, whistling clicks always did, but when they didn’t hear a word they recognized (their names), they just stared before going back to chatting with each other. Fine. Be that way, then. Mumbo was hungry anyway.

So he left, trying to throw in a bit of petty flair, but Mumbo didn’t have to look back to know the gesture went over their heads. Given the splint still holding his sore tail in place, Mumbo doubted a mermaid would have understood either. Ugh. Hunting was going to take ages like this.

And it did.

Mumbo spent an hour in deeper water getting batted around by currents and the like, but chasing fish as he usually did had been out of the question since getting stuck in Grian’s net. So he had to wait. Wait for fish to come to him.

Mumbo was not very good at waiting.

It wasn’t that he was an impatient person. He could be plenty patient when he needed to be, but Mumbo was also a fidgety mer, and typically fish aren’t too keen on swimming very close to the visibly hungry big thing with sharp teeth.

He did not get many fish today. He did not get many fish yesterday. He did not get many fish all week. Maybe there was a reason he was starting to get so irritable.

Regardless, Mumbo wasn’t too worried about starving or even losing all that much weight; if he was really having problems he would just have to take a detour back home to the deep and get fixed up. He could go today if he wanted. But he didn’t, not really. The humans would miss him! They would wonder where he had gone. (Not that Mumbo would be thinking of them as well, worried about what they were getting up to. But humans were so fragile, and these two in particular seemed to have impaired survival instincts. What if Mumbo left, came back, and they were gone? What if he never saw them again?) Needless to say, Mumbo was only going hungry for normal, sane reasons. Maybe he could steal some of the humans’ food, though, they hardly ate anything at all. Wouldn’t be worth the grief.

When Mumbo returned, hungry and irritated about still being hungry, Scar was looking for clams. That seemed to be his favorite activity, sifting through the sand, digging up clams, piling them up, then at the end of day, scattering them back in the sand. Today, Scar was lining up his clams on the shore, letting them sit in the sun for whatever reason. Mumbo wondered if he ever planned on eating them, or if the clams were just toys to humans. Maybe Scar didn’t understand how to get inside them? Mumbo snorted, bubbles floating to the surface. Humans probably thought the clams would just open up for them if they waited long enough.

But not even his sour mood could withstand Scar’s bright smile as the human spotted Mumbo returning; its entire body lit up, every single encounter met with the same excitement as the first time it saw him. Sure, Mumbo was more easily flattered than most mermaids he knew, but anyone would break under the weight of that joy. Was Scar that excited to see everyone, or was it just him? He hoped Scar knew he felt similarly. He wished he could tell him.

Scar’s attention quickly shifted back to the sand though, bending over to sift through with a hand then plucking a clam out of the water. “Oooh this is a big one!”

Across the water, sitting on a rocky outcrop, Grian rolled his eyes. “Pretty sure you’ve shown me that same clam every day since you first got here.”

“It’s big though!”

“It is pretty big.”

“Do you think she’ll win?”

“The- did you finally remember to bring nail polish? And I don’t know, I’ll have to take a look at all of them before I decide.” Grian went back to fishing (and Mumbo was keeping a closer eye than he’d like to admit on the line), but Scar seemed satisfied, taking his bounty to the shore to line it up with the ten or so other clams.

“Well you’d better get ready, because our athletes are all lined up! They’re revving to go, Grian! You should look before they speed away! They’re chomping at the bit I tell you, they’re gonna run right away if you don’t come and look right now.”

Grian made a small noise of assent, not moving. “I'm in no rush.” He re-cast his line.

Scar huffed, trotting to his bag (which Mumbo couldn’t help but notice was placed very far from the shore, what was up with that anyway? Did they not trust him? They could trust him. Come on, no harm in putting them a little closer to the water..) and producing a small vial. Mumbo dragged himself a little closer to inspect it as Scar sat back with his clams. It smelled weird.

“What,” Mumbo said in human, another very useful word he’d learned, and Scar smiled, unscrewing the top.

“We paint our..” he paused, thinking, before gesturing to his dull claws, “Nails.” With the brush attached to the cap, he drew some of the brightly colored liquid inside across one of his ‘nails’, coloring it. Huh. So humans painted their skin just like mermaids did sometimes, very interesting. Unfortunately, Mumbo didn’t have the materials to show him. Scar examined his hand thoughtfully when he finished, throwing Mumbo a soft smile. “This won’t last. I’ll save it for the clams.”

With great care, Scar began to examine his clams one by one, picking them up and spinning them in his hands, saying something about names to Grian, then painting little symbols on the shells once they were dry enough. But why? Mumbo got the sense Scar was preparing them for something- to eat, maybe? Mumbo have never actually seen either human prepare any food; they seemed to bring pre-hunted meals with them every day. Was this.. part of the process..? Why in the world would they name their food?

Well. It was possible Scar wasn’t trying to eat and Mumbo was just thinking about food due to his own hunger. But then what was the point!

Apparently, the painting activity piqued Grian’s interest despite his previous dismissal, a common trend for that human it seemed. Despite holding a somewhat stubborn facade of disinterest, he was quick to contribute a name, and eventually, stopped fishing altogether to check out what Scar was working on.

“This one will be Jellie, the cutest, prettiest, fastest clam,” Scar said, practically shoving one of the clams in Grian’s face. Mumbo couldn’t quite make out the symbol painted on it, (none of the human symbols meant anything to him) but Grian seemed to understand, reaching insistently for the paint in Scar’s other hand. Scar held it out of reach, leaning away, but not without a smile on his face. “What? You don’t like Jellie?”

“Let me make one.”

“I thought you didn’t care about clam racing,” Scar grinned as he shoved back, Grian stumbling a bit in the sand before scrambling back to Scar, throwing himself across the other’s arms in a way that made Mumbo’s fins stand on end. What were they doing? Why were they fighting? Was it about food?

“You can’t put Jellie in the race without Maui and Pearl. At least one of them! I want to draw them.”

“There’s only so many slots for the race, Grian. I’m afraid your cats didn’t make the cut, very sorry, very very sorry.”

“You haven’t even painted all of them yet!” Grian said, in a tone that could have been a growl, though Mumbo had never heard a human make that noise before. Grian pushed at Scar’s face, and Scar laughed(?) hurriedly trying to cap the paint before he dropped it. Grian climbed onto Scar’s back, but as soon as the paint was secure, Scar fell backwards, howling as he crushed Grian in the sand behind him. Grian squeaked, the breath knocked from him, but it wasn’t long before he was squabbling under Scar’s weight, clawing and pushing and being very loud in tones that made Mumbo’s skin crawl. He had to stop them somehow- they were going to hurt each other!

Mumbo tried whistling, ‘Stop, stop, stop,’ but they were too preoccupied in their wrestling, Scar yelping as Grian poked at his eyes. He meant to call their names, but his voice wouldn’t form the human words, even names, the sounds refusing to materialize on his tongue. The humans were close to the water, close enough to splash maybe, but Mumbo’s use of his tail was so limited with his splint and the water was so shallow. Who knew if he’d even be able to kick up enough water to distract them, or if they would even stop? If he was going to hurt himself, better to make sure it counted for something.

Mumbo closed his eyes, bracing himself before heaving out of the water and grabbing Scar’s arms with his hands and a shoulder in his jaws, yanking backward. Two things were immediately clear; one, Mumbo failed to remember how small and weak and light-weight humans were, and two, their skin was so fragile. All this to say, Mumbo was thoroughly stunned at how far back he pulled Scar, and even more alarmed to taste blood, the shock at both of these two things overpowering even the electric pain in his tail. Scar yelled and Grian shrieked, and suddenly everything was just too frightening and overwhelming and Mumbo needed to be away, away, instinct so strong, he pushed away with a strong flick of his tail despite the splints, agony shooting up his body. But in a way, that was okay. He was gone. All he needed was to be gone.

But being alone and safe from the noise gave way to thought, and in a way, that was worse.

He felt bad. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know if he had hurt Scar, or how badly- he hadn’t meant to! He didn’t want anyone to get hurt at all! Mumbo buried his face in his arms, hiding from the sunlit surface. Mermaid fights were nasty things, and it usually took multiple sets of teeth to dislodge one mer from another, not to injure of course, just to hurt enough to get them to see sense and release each other, which, honestly, was a hassle in it of itself; mermaids with long tails could get all sorts of tangled. Why was human skin so thin! Were they built to die!?

Distantly, Mumbo heard the humans talking. Grian was saying Scar’s name an awful lot, loud as he always was, and it sounded like they were arguing even more than before. Mumbo buried his face deeper into his arms. He hadn’t even made a difference.

Then, splashing. A lot of splashing, both humans by the sound of it, but the second source quickly stopped short at one, big splash and- oh.

Mumbo lifted his head, and there was Scar, swimming directly toward him. There was a definite bite mark in his shoulder, still bleeding, but it didn’t seem to be bothering him at all, the human still swimming strongly. Mumbo put his head back in the sand.

“Mumbo! Hey, Mumbo!” The words were barely recognizable under the water, but Mumbo didn’t care to hear them anyway. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to move. Everything hurt and he was hungry and all he did was make everything worse. Humoring the human with zero survival instincts wasn’t going to make him feel any better. The human lingered regardless, though mercifully kept its distance. It got air several times before finally realizing Mumbo didn’t want to talk and eventually, after what felt like ages, it left him alone. The lack of disturbance in the water was a sensory relief. Still, he heard the humans talking above the water.

“Still think he was trying to kill me, Grian? Seriously. He feels awful, the poor thing. We probably set him off or something, I don’t know. Like how some animals can’t tell the difference when we raise our voices playfully or because we’re mad.”

Grian took a long time to respond, but when he did, his voice was stony, “That was extremely stupid, Scar.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You don’t know what he was thinking. You don’t know! Sometimes it feels like I’m the only person here who gives a shit about your life. That’s not a person, Scar, that is an animal, an animal that has been documented as something that eats people. I don’t care if he ‘looks sad,’ personifying him like that directly after he attacks you is going to get you killed. Even if he is ‘sad,’ jumping right in after him is an objectively insane thing to do! You could have set him off a second time and there would have been nothing either of us could do. I- Honestly, Scar, I really shouldn’t be having to tell you this! You know this! You own a god damn zoo!”

“I don’t agree.”

“What do you mean you don’t agree? What about?”

“I think he’s a person. And I think we have the opportunity to do something really special here, so I’m not going to throw it away over a dumb misunderstanding.”

Another pause from Grian, longer this time. “Scar.” Scar didn’t say anything and Grian didn’t either for a while, long enough that Mumbo thought the conversation was over. It wasn’t though, apparently. “Can’t you wait? Wait until he comes back to us? We’d know he’s calm at least, safe.”

“No. He might be flighty and I really don’t want to scare him off from this. I just have to make sure he knows we’re good.” Another pause, but Mumbo got the impression it was more from a lack of things to say. It didn’t last long though, Grian breaking the silence after a bit of shuffling.

“Hey- what are you doing, Scar you can’t- those are my fish.”

“How much do you sell these ones for? I’ll pay a better rate.”

“No. No, absolutely not. No. This is the bad idea to trump all bad ideas, I am not going to let you throw away your life trying to feed- Scar, come on, I’m trying to work with you here and you’re being impossible!”

“I won’t take them if you say no.”

“I’m saying no! I’m saying no, Scar, I’m saying no so stop- stop looking at me like that.”

“This whole thing means a lot to me, Grian, I just want to preserve it.”

“Well you mean a lot to me and you don’t seem to care at all! How can you just stand here and be okay with throwing your life away- do the people that love you mean nothing to you? Do you even think about it? I think about it! It drives me crazy when you just-“ Grian made a strangled noise, “Don’t! Think!”

More silence, the heaviness permeating the water as much as the air.

“I won’t go in. I just need a fish. The smallest one you got.”

“You won’t go in?”

“I won’t go in. I promise. And I’ll pay for it, I mean it. I’ll pay for everything you caught today if this works out.”

If Grian said something, Mumbo didn’t hear it, only hearing the muffled shuffling of above-water activity that went on for ages. Eventually, he heard the telltale splash of Grian’s lure from the other side of the cove. The whir of the reel was nice; a soft white noise.

Not so nice was the massive splash right above his head, frightening Mumbo off the sand in a cloud of dust, frantically looking around for the source of the noise. He smelled the blood before he saw the fish, eyes widening at the sight of it. Certainly dead, but also fresh, the kill just about as clean as it gets; if Mumbo had found this in the wild, he would have assumed it had been sick and avoided it, but the little gash in its face was a clear enough indicator on how this was caught. The rock tied crudely to its tail with fishing line was a bit of a clearer sign of human intervention.

After calming his racing heart, Mumbo drifted over to inspect it, somewhat painfully aware of Scar’s eyes on him from the shore. Was this a gift? Mumbo touched the fish gingerly, then flinched back. It was cold. Why was it so cold? Did humans have some sort of cooling ability Mumbo didn’t know about? He was pretty sure he’d have heard about a thing like that. Hunger stopped that train of thought. The fish was a small thing, not much in the scheme of things, but right now Mumbo would take anything. After a short inspection (and removing the rock), Mumbo devoured the whole thing, pleased.

Maybe this was okay. Scar clearly wanted Mumbo to know he wasn’t angry, and while he still wasn’t sure about Grian, maybe there was something proactive he could do about it.

Mumbo didn’t even surface before swimming deeper, straining with his injured tail. His foray onto land might have broken his splint; it sat uncomfortably now at the sides of his already throbbing scales, but there was nothing Mumbo could do about it now. That would have to be a later fix.

As much as his tail hurt, Mumbo really wanted to catch something fast, and at this point, it was sort of feeling like he was already going to be in pain for awhile, so why not make this hunt quick. He didn’t go deep, hardly much deeper than Grian’s fishing lines, but deep enough to catch an alright sized fish if he could push through the pain enough to chase it properly. He was still patient; Mumbo wasn’t about to swim after every fish he saw, but in the end he did end up giving chase more than intended, and by the time he had something suitable, his entire body felt like it was on fire. But that was okay. Now he could deliver his own peace offering.

And it was a good thing he surfaced when he did; Mumbo had gotten a bit worried when he stopped hearing Grian’s lure, and it turned out that was because the two humans were getting ready to leave. Alright. Fine, good even.

As much as he longed to eat the fish he had caught, Mumbo still dropped it to whistle, ‘Scars,’ and both humans turned around, surprise coloring their faces. Not a particularly bad emotion, Mumbo hoped. He brought his fish to the shallows, wincing heavily as his tail touched the sand, the splint hanging off and bumping it in increasingly uncomfortable ways.

“Oh! Mumbo, you shouldn’t have, really!” Scar met Mumbo near the water, and while Grian hesitated, he joined his fellow human, though lingered a little further back. Mumbo dropped his fish, though Scar didn’t take it, only looking to Grian, “Can you use that?”

Grian grimaced, “No, probably not. I mean, I’m sure we could eat it, but it’s a bit mutilated. I definitely can’t sell it.”

Scar nodded, turning back to Mumbo, “You keep it. Unless you’re not hungry, but I feel like I barely ever see you eat. I guess you don’t really know what I’m saying, I’m probably just confusing you by talking this much, aren’t I.” Mumbo stared. Scar stared back. Why wasn’t he taking it?

Mumbo craned his neck forward, straining to grab the fish again to drop it closer. Moving across the sand felt like dragging himself across magma, and he couldn’t help the small hiss that escaped through his gritted teeth. When he managed to open his eyes, Scar’s head was cocked to the side, and he still hadn’t taken the fish.

“I think he’s hurt,” Scar said, soft and sympathetic, “Whatever’s attached to his tail looks kinda broken, doesn’t it?”

“I’m sure he is, he’s been swimming oddly all week, and a couple weeks before is when he got caught in my net and bit me. He was really tangled, I think his tail was at a bit of an odd angle. I think whatever’s attached is a splint to keep it somewhat still- did you not think so?”

“No??”

“What did you think was on his tail?”

“I don’t know! I thought it was like- mermaid fashion? How was I supposed to know!”

“I thought that was a joke!”

‘Will one of you just take the damn fish!’ Mumbo whistled, irritated by the bickering and quite honestly, a little concerned they were going to start fighting again. Thankfully, the humans stopped, both staring at Mumbo again with wide eyes.

“I think he wants you to take the fish, Scar.”

“I don’t want the fish! I want him to have it!”

“Well right now he probably feels like you don’t like his gift. Does the bloody mess in the water not appeal to you?”

“You know I’ve seen worse.”

“Then take it!”

Scar frowned, bending over to gingerly touch the fish, though he didn’t look like he was all too thrilled about it. Did humans.. not eat fish? They must, surely they must, humans fish all the time! But the way Scar was holding the fish away from his body, touching it with as little of his hand as possible, Mumbo was really starting to think they didn’t eat fish. Why were humans so weird? Though, Grian seemed to be laughing at his friend, so maybe Scar was the weird one. Mumbo wouldn’t be surprised.

“I want you to have this,” Scar said, slowly extending his arm back toward Mumbo, and Grian seemed to find it extra funny when Mumbo huffed, but ultimately accepted the returned gift. Whatever. He was still hungry and had absolutely zero intention of letting this go to waste.

And.. that was that.

Mumbo retreated to deeper water where his tail felt a little less like his scales were going to peel off his skin, and the humans left soon after, the clearing returning back to its tranquil quiet. Not a great day, definitely not, but maybe that was just part of learning. Interspecies relations were never going to be easy with all the different customs and body language. Mumbo had little idea how Scar and Grian were feeling most of the time, and honestly, no matter how stressful they could be, he was grateful they were so expressive. Gosh, reading him must be a nightmare; mermaids didn’t emote nearly as much. Mumbo had tried copying some human expressions on his own time, but he was pretty sure he physically couldn’t, just lacking the facial muscles. Strange. Strange..

But good too. This was still good. And as much as Mumbo really should be headed back home for more help with his tail, right now, there was still no place he’d rather be than here.

#hermitcraft #gtws #grian #goodtimeswithscar #mumbo jumbo #hermitcraft fic #mumbomaid au #hermitfic

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aerbiscuit · 9 months ago

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So, this may be a super silly idea, but bear with me.

Giants are intriguing fantasy creatures. Depending on how big they are, their existence has massive implications for wherever they live. What do they eat, and how much/often do they have to do so? What is their population size? Where do they live that has enough room for them all? How does their waste not make large stretches of land filthy?

And, most importantly… do they fart?

No, for real, I’ve often thought about this. As a kid, I was taught that cow burps and farts contain huge amounts of methane that could threaten the atmosphere. Now, of course, I know that there are a ton of factors at play in this claim, all of which turn this glimmer of a fact into a misleading claim. (While cow farts, and especially burps, do contain a large amount of methane, the largest contributions to climate change are still human pollution and fossil fuel usage. Cow gas is remarkably small in comparison and we can change their diets to decrease their methane production anyway.)

Still, this has always made me wonder about the gas output of giants. How would their flatulence affect smaller creatures and the world around them?

… well, I now have a gassy mythology about giants. Read on for a peculiar fairy tale.

In my fantasy AU, giants exist. However, they all live on a small continent (which to them is a large island) far in the middle of a distant sea. This land is perfectly suited for their needs. A few large races of animals exist for them to eat meat from time to time, and certain quickly-growing species of fauna provide them with continuous sources of vegetation. They also eat bugs by breeding, collecting, and chowing down on them at once, kinda like how whales can subsist off large amounts of krill. The land is also large enough for them to handle the subject of their waste, which they’ve developed systems to dispose, reuse, and/or filter. They’re a smart race of beings and can live sustainably in their home country. However, they largely stay where they are, and any giant who attempts to travel to the smaller lands is seen as foolhardy and asking for trouble.

Legends say that the reason for the giants' isolation (stories which both the giants and the smaller folk tell) come from a time when lots of giants travelled around the world. Giants were friendly, and even set up homes in smaller lands to learn from the tiny races. There are still a few stories of friendly giants, and the good that they can do.

Unfortunately, many of the smaller races saw the giants as a threat. If a giant didn’t have the time or resources to set up food sources (bug farming, bringing livestock, etc.), they’d need to eat from the small folks’ land, which the small folk saw as decimating their resources. Giants also had to do a LOT of research into where they could piss or shit, unless they didn’t mind accidentally flooding or burying valuable land. As thoughtful as most giants are, you couldn’t help the occasional emergency, or just the handful of people who weren’t as considerate as the others.

And of course, there was the gas. Giants need to break wind too. It’s hard to stay around someone when one of their farts sounds like a thunderclap and produces clouds of smog that take up to an hour or so to fully dissipate. And if a giant strayed too far from a majority bug-based diet, those farts could get numerous and gnarly.

Finally, one cruel and bigoted wizard devised a plan to make enough small folk hate the giants to banish them. He used the entire freshwater lake that a group of traveling giants had claimed for their water supply to make an eternal potion of flatulence, one that was so strong, it altered your very biology into making you sensitive to most food sources. Any meal of standard meat or veggies would turn into a night full of farts, and that’s not counting eating the standard fart fare like beans, broccoli, sprouts, dairy, etc. He cast the spell, complicating it so that only he could possibly undo it, and waited.

Soon, the damage was done, and all the giants in the area turned into giant gasbags. Even if they stayed near their camps, neighboring villages could hear choruses of belching in the distance, or smell the results of dinner on the wind. Finally, enough people got so fed up that they passed official mandates of banishment. All giants, even the ones who didn’t drink from the lake, were sent away, and threatened with war if they returned.

The giants, who are peaceful folk and newly embarrassed by their tremendous eruptions of gas, didn’t put up a fight. They all packed their bags and sailed home.

Upon their return, the giant’s cycle of reproduction showed that the spell was more permanent than expected. Any offspring of a newly gassy giant with an unmodified person became half as gassy. If two gassy giants mated, then the offspring had full fart power. After enough generations of mating, all giants became gasbags to some extent. While the giants grew used to, and even happy with, their new powers, they knew this was the last nail in the coffin of their diplomacy. Now, no giant could try to live peacefully with the smaller races. Barely any giants visit the small lands even now.

The end.

… but, of course, the world goes on after “The End,” doesn’t it?

First, there were the unintentional side effects of the lake. After the expulsion of the giants, the wizard quickly used the last of his remaining power to neutralize the water. However, some damage was already done. While humans were the majority of the small races to hold issue with giants, most of the demi-humans (goat-mans, centaurs, satyrs, etc.) had no issue with giants and were happy to hang out with them, share meals with them…. and drink with them. This is the theory of why these races are flatulent even beyond their animal counterparts’ abilities. Their guts have been forever tainted by the same brew that doomed the giants.

Some of the demi-humans who liked the permanent changes to their digestive tracts acted quickly, bottling some of the water before the wizard neutralized his work. These potions of flatulence are incredibly rare, and possibly no more than legends, but people search for them to this day.

Then there are the members of the small races who don’t mind venturing out to visit the giants. After all, no rule was set up that they couldn’t visit, although some years had to pass before the giants were in a good enough mood to be visited. This is how the small amount of giant-to-small-person communication and research still persists.

And who knows? Maybe in enough time, relations will improve enough to reach the level that they used to be.

Until then, most giants will stay at home, entertaining only the most friendly (or peculiarly inclined) members of the races who banished them.

#eprocto #eproctophilia #fart kink #farting #biscuit thoughts

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ecargmura · 6 months ago

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A Terrified Teacher At Ghoul School

Another anime befitting spooky season with the yokai theme and such, but it’s a lot different than Dandadan’s spooky premise. Ghoul School focuses more on the comedy. However, the pacing feels a little awkward to me. It’s like they meshed a few chapters into one and the clunkiness shows a bit. Why does Satelight keep doing this? They did this with Cherry Magic back in Winter!

The premise of the story is the MC Haruaki Abe who moves to Hyakki Island to teach at their high school. Haruaki is a sniveling crybaby who is super-sensitive to the point that his first teaching job at a public high school had him resign after thirty minutes. It’s only thanks to the school principal at his new school that he got a new job despite him having a lack of proper teaching experience. However, the biggest twist is that the school he’s teaching at is one specialized for yokai. Given that Haruaki is a big wimp, he does not take this fact well. Another big twist is that the school principal is also a yokai and that he hired Haruaki because Haruaki is descended from a famous onmyoji named Abe no Seimei, which means that he’s special in a way? It makes sense given that he deflected two yokai spells in the first episode alone.

Because of the school setting, the comedy is mainly centered around poking fun at Haruaki and making him miserable whenever possible from embarrassing him in front of the class to getting chocolate shoved in his face because a student hates humans to getting German suplexed by another student towards the end of the episode. It does get hilarious with how much the author wants the MC to suffer yet at the same time, it gets a little tiresome seeing him so miserable all the time like one episode of misfortunate feels enough, yet we’re going to have to sit through 24 episodes of the same thing. I just hope the comedy gets creative enough. On top of that, the MC is a teacher who has a school uniform fetish, so it does get a little weird when he’s being bribed with a catalog book of school uniforms. The fact that it seems that he likes girls’ uniform more than guys does raises some eyebrows. It would be nice if he liked both genders’ uniforms…

There are so many students, so it’s hard to keep track of who is who, so for now, I’ll just talk about the major characters who appeared and how I feel about them. The principal himself seems like an enigma because he’s the one who hired Haruaki and is a yokai himself. I do wonder what sort of yokai he is. Then, there’s Sano, who is a Yakubyogami. Since he has ‘Gami’ in his name, which means god, does this mean he’s a god of misfortune and not a yokai? Anyways, Sano is usually composed, but does get irritated with Haruaki’s sniveling and whining. He brings misfortune to whomever he touches, so Haruaki gets the brunt of it most of the time. Mamekichi Maizuka is a mamedanuki, which is like a small Tanuki yokai. He’s super adorable! The fact that the yokai encyclopedia says that his kind transforms by putting their scrotum on their heads to transform is a weird fact and that Mamekichi has to protect his dignity by denying all claims makes it hilarious. Then, there’s Hijita who hates humans and was mean to Haruaki. At least he apologized later on, but it was still mean how he took out his anger on Haruaki just because his sister married a human; he’s a Dorotabou, which is some sort of mud/dirt yokai? Last major character introduced is Zashiki, who is a Zashikiwarashi. She’s a shut-in who got addicted to gaming via Hijita. Fortunately, she’s still willing enough to go to school. I do like how Zashikiwarashi brings either good or bad fortune depending on the color of clothes they wear. I do like learning these little yokai trivia while getting to know these characters.

The voice cast is a mix of big names, rising stars and new faces. Haruaki is voiced by Ryota Osaka. This is actually the whiniest I’ve heard Osaka as he usually plays cool and suave characters. It’s weird to hear him shrieking and yelling, but it’s a nice change of pace from his usual roles. The principal is voiced by Jun Fukuyama. You know the principal is going to be important if he’s voiced by Fukujun. Then we got Ryota Suzuki who voices Sano. It’s funny how he played Kurosawa in Cherry Magic which was also produced by Satelight. Is he a Satelight staple or something? Mamekichi does sound like he’d be voiced by Ayumu Murase, which he did in the drama CD adaptation of this story, but he’s actually voiced by newcomer Reo Tanie who sounds very similar to Murase. That’s crazy. Hijita is voiced by Taito Ban whom I normally associated with stoic and aloof characters like Shizusumi from Given and Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling so for him to voice a hot-tempered siscon is a nice change of pace and it does show that Ban can be diverse in his roles. Zashiki is voiced by Akari Kito who surprised me because I normally associate her with sweet and cute characters so for her to voice the tomboyish and gruff Zashiki is also a nice change of pace. Seriously, the voice actors in this anime are just playing against their typecast and it shows how versatile they can be. I like that!

The animation was good, though. I can tell a lot of time and budget was poured into drawing all the students and their antics alongside Haruaki’s. You’re gonna need a lot of time to properly animate a lot of characters. Though, let me talk about the pacing a bit. It does feel like the anime meshed a few chapters together and made a clusterfuck of an episode. I never read the manga, but it does feel weird that Haruaki just decided to cut class to go find Zashiki to get her to come to school and that Hijita suddenly came back from Hawaii on the exact day he starts the new school semester. It feels as if the Hijita story and the Zashiki stories are supposed to be two separate stories, but got squished into one. Though, I do commend Satelight for making it flow, but the pacing still feels weird…

I honestly can’t wait to see what other misadventures Haruaki will have at Hyakki Academy and how much he’s going to suffer from his students’ antics. I want to know more about the other students too! I hope they get to have screen time! What are your thoughts on the premiere of this episode?

#youkai gakkou no sensei hajimemashita #a terrified teacher at ghoul school #Haruaki abe #Mikoto sano #mamekichi maizuka #Kotaro hijita #Beniko zashiki #school principal #review #anime #anime review #ecargmura #arum journal #fall 2024 anime

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password-door-lock · 1 month ago

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Four Season by Your Side: Sale Shopping

Read it on Ao3!

“I hope we’re not too late,” Saeran worries as he leads you into the store.

“I’m sure they still have plenty,” you assure him, “And even if they don’t have anything left over, we still need to pick up some stuff. I mean, we’re almost out of tissues, and the candy dish is running low, so it’s not like it’ll be a waste of a trip. And besides, it’s still good to spend time together, even if we don’t end up buying anything while we’re here.”

“You’re right, my love,” Saeran concedes, “I should be grateful just for the opportunity to be together. But… I am looking forward to seeing what’s on sale.”

Naturally, while he was stuck at Magenta (and even before that), Saeran missed out on a lot of usual experiences. Many of them are things you’ve done a million times and would never have described as exciting or novel until Saeran brought them up to you. This date is one particular example of something which seems mundane to you, but which your husband is brimming with excitement at the thought of trying.

“They usually don’t sell out of anything within the first few days,” you assure him, “A lot of the candy is meant to last for months, and most people don’t want to get, like, Valentine bears when it’s not Valentine’s season, anyway.”

“Hmph,” Saeran affects an adorable, exaggerated pout, which makes you swoon a little bit. “They can’t enjoy it all year round?”

“Apparently not,” you reply, trying and failing to contain your laughter.

You lead Saeran through the aisles to the back of the store, where the clearance section is located. As promised, the section still boasts a good amount of discounted Valentine’s Day merchandise. There are sweets, cards, ribbons, stuffed animals, and even okay-looking pieces of costume jewelry on offer. To your slight dismay, there are even a few snake-themed items left over from last month’s Lunar New Year collection.

“Wow,” Saeran marvels at a small snake ornament craft kit, “I didn't expect that these would still be here.”

“Well, people won’t be able to use it next year, will they?” You reason, “But, then again, I guess they could always hang onto it.”

“It’s still pretty cute.” Saeran places the kit into his basket. “I’d like to learn ornament-making.” Now that he’s free, after all, Saeran has the time and the energy to try a wide variety of different hobbies. You’re always intrigued when another of his many, varied interests reveals itself.

“Let me find you a Valentine’s one,” you offer, “I’m sure they have some.” You make your way over to the craft section. Although the majority of these craft kits are clearly intended for children, you and Saeran both agree that they can serve as good introductions for adults to try new creative hobbies, as well. “Let’s see… Valentine’s friendship bracelets, heart-shaped pillows, heart-shaped tray— ah, here we go: a heart-shaped ornament. It looks like this one uses punch needle embroidery.” You don’t believe that Saeran has any experience with that.

“Oh, I’ve seen those online,” Saeran looks with interest at the package that you hand him. “That’ll be a lot of fun.”

“Mhm,” you agree, “I might pick up this pillow. Doesn’t it look cute? And I don’t think Apple Turnover is going to give us back the one she’s been using.” Since you adopted her, Apple Turnover has gravitated to a lovely white throw pillow embroidered with a pattern of yellow pears. When she’s not sitting with Saeran— or, occasionally, with you, her second choice— she is curled up on the pillow. It’s turned grey with the addition of her black hairs.

“That’s a good idea,” Saeran agrees, “Maybe we could work together and make different throw pillows to put on the couch during every holiday season.”

You can’t help but crack a smile at how earnestly your husband has presented such a profoundly domestic idea. You don’t need to voice the fact that two years ago, neither one of you ever would’ve expected to live this kind of life.

“That’s a great idea, babe,” you encourage him with a gentle smile, “Very interior decorator of you.”

“We should look for a springtime pillow kit in the regular craft section once we get done here,” Saeran muses.

“Okay,” you shrug, “I’m guessing they’ll probably have at least something. And if not, they might just have a regular pillow-making kit.”

“You’re probably right, my love,” Saeran regards you fondly. If you weren’t in public, you would go in for the kiss right away. As it is, you make a mental note to do so as soon as you get him home. “Should we look at candy now?”

“Let’s do that.” You take his hand and lead him over to the candy section.

#fun fact the store in my neighborhood still had some lunar new year stuff on clearance the last time I went #mystic messenger #mystic messenger drabble #choi saeran #saeran choi #fanfiction

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noahschnappinfs · 14 days ago

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Are there certain directors that you would like Noah to work with?

i have so many ideas about his future career but i don’t have any directors in mind because i honestly don’t know much about directors because [millie’s voice] i can’t stand sitting for two hours watching a movie lol

anyway, i’d love him to do theatre. i’ve read so many interviews of seasoned actors talking about how hard it is so i want him to go and kill it. it would help him so much because being there and learning from his castmates would be such an enriching experience for him as an actor. leaving the career perspective aside, i have to say that it’s a really welcoming space for lgbt+ actors too which is a plus. he randomly mentioned wanting to try it on his last con so i think that it’s something on his mind so let’s manifest.

he keeps watching A24 films and praising them so i’d like to see him in one. this is going to sound bad but he’s very rich now with all that stranger things money, so he’s got the ability to go the indie way if he wants to in order to build his reputation and establish himself as a serious actor. after all that, he can start with blockbusters. it’s the timmy/mescal route to success and i find it appealing.

a gay romcom is also in my list but let me say that i’d like him to wait a little bit to do that. i don’t want him to be typecasted so I’d like him to show some range first. let’s have jonathan bailey as example of what i mean here because i feel like he’s genuinely an actor who gets lgbt+ roles because he wants to do them and not because he has to. noah’s biggest role is already a gay role so i’d like him to have a moment like jonathan in bridgeton where he can show that he can play any role successfully.

i don’t mind having him still doing drama roles because that seems to be his thing but i’d like him to be in a comedy so bad, he’s got a good comedic timing so i think he can do good there. with this a mean a good comedy, not a adam sanders type (sorry).

voice acting would also be fun because the press tour is a lot of fun in big budgeted animated movies.

we know that he’s been auditioning and judging by his self tape pic that he posted the other day. it looks like a drama so i’m excited. there’s also the fact that he might get behind the camera sometimes now that we know he’s studying film as well. there’s so many options, i’m very excited.

#answered #ns #also old af anon #like this is what i mean #sometimes i write paragraphs and i don’t know how to end it and it stays in my drafts for a while #i just wrote the last part rn the rest has been sitting in my drafts lol #so whoever is waiting for me to reply to anons i’m sorry lol #i’m not ignoring you i just get lazy sometimes

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mytardisiscoolerthanyours · 6 days ago

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You've Got Mail

Chapter 5: Your Favorite Pen Pal

Ch. 4

Timmy!

I was beginning to think you forgot about me! Sorry to hear that work has been busy. An internship and a night job at the same time is crazy, do you ever sleep??

So I've been going over my notes (your past letters) and I've compiled your lore. It sounds creepy when I say it like that. I really only meant to look back and see what we talked about in our last letters and then, I don't know, my data driven nerd brain went crazy. Anyway, this is what I’ve got. So, I know you have an adoptive dad named Bruce who owns a company that you work at. You used to be an only child but now you have three brothers named Jason, Dick, and one you haven't mentioned yet. Any sisters I don’t know about? lol. Also you have a mildly concerning coffee obsession. I made a note to circle back to that, it'll stunt your growth you know. But all in all, you've led an interesting life Timbo. I guess it's only fair that I give you some of my lore too.

I'll start at the beginning. I was born in Metropolis, like I said in my first letter. Mom and dad tried their best, but dad- or should I say sperm donor- didn't care about us too much. He left when I was young. I wouldn't even remember him if it weren't for the pictures that my mom showed me. All I'll say is thank god I got my looks from my mom.

Anyway, we lived there until I was about ten and then it just got too hard. Rent was expensive and I was too young to help, so we packed up and moved to Gotham. A real upgrade I know, but rent here is cheaper and mom was able to find a job she actually liked. She works at one of the children's homeless shelters near Park Row. And since rent was lower here, I didn’t need to find a job to pay rent. Mom said she wanted me to be a kid for as long as I could. But, being an ally-adjacent kid, it wasn't super easy. I eventually found a good group of friends and we were able to manage just fine.

Going back to your absurd amount of martial arts skills. (I still think three is too many at once) I actually learned some self defense when I was younger. Mom organized weekly classes at the shelter and I would always tag along. I can’t classify it as actual karate, but I can hold my own against a mugger.

Also, I can't believe you have a spreadsheet of each hero's powers. You're a bigger nerd than I am. And I knew your whole righteous, “I don't need powers to be cool” speech was bullshit. Everyone wants a power.

Flying is a cool one though. There's so many uses for it, especially if you could turn into a bird. I think I'd choose one of the big birds of prey, like an eagle or hawk. I bet you’d choose something more stealthy, like a robin or a pigeon. You would blend in with all the other birds.

If I could be ANY animal though, I think I would pick some kind of sea creature. Maybe an orca or a shark. Fun fact about me, I'm actually terrified of the ocean. I hate that I can’t see the bottom and that we have basically no idea what lives down there. So if I had the opportunity, I would absolutely go down to figure it out. Fears and all.

As for my summer plans, it's a whole lot of nothing. I was going to get a job, but nowhere will hire me. They want me to have crazy things like “work experience” and “good customer service.” So weird, but oh well. It gives me more time to chill before classes start. Plus I’ve been helping out at the shelter once a week. It's nice to see the kids and do what I can. They even let me practice first aid on them if they had a rough day. Don’t tell them I told you, though. They like to act tough and pretend they don’t need my help. Something about their “street cred?”

What's your night job, by the way. I’m surprised you need one if you're already working at your dads fancy company. That sounded judgy. I just meant, well, it must be something cool if youre doing it without really needing the money, right?

My question this week is, If you had to choose one weapon to use during a zombie apocalypse, which would you choose and why?

I’d take after my good friend Harley (because apparently I'm a super villain now? Thanks for that) and use a bat. It's reliable and easy to carry, basically the best choice.

Thanks for sticking around Tim, it means a lot. Getting your letter every week always makes me smile. And yes, we're going to stick to letters, email isn’t as special. And I think this is special, or at least, it is to me.

“See” you next week!

Your favorite pen pal,

Quinnley

P.S. Yes, that is my real name. Thanks for the compliment <3 My mom thought it was regal and “unique.” I'm just pissed that I’ll never find my name on a keychain when I go to the beach.

Thanks for reading!

Check out all the chapters here!

#batman #dc universe #red robin #tim drake #original female character #batfamily #alternate universe #college #pen pals #fanfiction #ao3 #fanfic #nightwing #tim drake x oc #red robin x oc

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oh-shtars · 10 months ago

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RFTS!AU AskBox #4

Me to @signed-sapphire for the legendary number of 50 Questions Galore they sent me:

Heads up though, you might notice there’s certain questions skipped. I’m either not able to answer some of the asks at all OR they’re either some art requests that I haven’t finished and will post in future posts. So I had to skip them for this post unfortunately…. I apologise as such. 😅

Anyways, let’s get speeding through them shall we?

1. How do you plan to show the songs?

It should be question 6 of this post here. :)

……

2. How many songs do you plan to have in RFTS?

4 or more. Depends on what I come up with.

……..

3. What ‘vibe’ would each song have?

Uhhhhhhh, idk tbh. I’m really just going with the flow of what this story brings me. You can’t wait to see what the RFTS!plot has in store? Yeah, me too.

……..

4. Who’s voicing Valentino and the main cast?

For Valentino, I’m not sure. I’m debating whether it should be younger Bambi or Ronno’s VA. But he basically has an actual kid’s voice this time rather than a deep-sounding one. (Because honestly, I found that a bit weird personally). For the the other characters, I don’t really mind the voices they have canonically.

And I think I’ve mentioned this before, but even though Sueño can’t speak, I could hear him singing this in this voice hypothetically.

………..

5. Write or draw any cute interaction between Ashueño!

Mk :3

………

6. I know Asha will have a different outfit by the end, but do you have different designs for anyone else?

Yeah, I do actually. Some characters have a different outfit to better reflect their current context. (Like how Sakina would have work clothes similar to Asha.) But I don’t want to reveal most of them at the moment since I would like to keep them a secret for now.

……

7. Some Gabo doodles, if you don’t mind. I rarely see the short king in any Wish Art.

Fiiiiine.

His design makes a lot more sense if you were me and you knew the context. Take this art with whatever theories you guys can throw at me 😂

……. 10. What made Amaya fall in love with Magnifico? What changed?

Amaya had a family who greatly discouraged her interest in studying magic and potions since it’s against what their family has done for generations. Meanwhile, Magnifico who was adopted as Rosas’ prince, is expected to learn magic but COULDN’T because he struggles to do so since he hasn’t moved on from his trauma.

When these guys were around 16-15 years old, they were mutual best friends. Mag offers Amaya to read from his magic books while he finds comfort in just having a genuine friend who doesn’t remind or push expectations onto him that he hears everyday in the castle. She’s like an escape from the stresses he has in there.

In their future years, Amaya grew to fall in love with someone who promised her the world if she only asked for it. She finds bits of herself in Mag, as both were people with crushed dreams that deserve better. (In their POV anyway.)

Falling in love was not at all what she expected since she used to believe sympathy would only hold her back from exploring the limits of magic. But you know, Amaya’s as much as a tragic character as Magnifico is.

…….

11. Who fell first and who fell harder between those two?

Is it possible to say that RFTS!Magnifico is both?

……..

12. Any fun fact about the Royal Couple? (You can tell who I’m most invested in. lol.)

The only reason Espino, the royal cat, is in the castle is because Amaya wanted him around. Otherwise, if it were up to Mag, that cat is out to the streets. He’s not very fond of animals and he considers them as pests. Though, Espino gets small bonus points from Magnifico just because he keeps the castle clear from mice which he especially hates.

(Good to know you’re enjoying ‘Grand Despair’ while it lasts :)

……

13. This may be weird but…Body Swap! How would Hopes and Dreams react?

Asha would have zero idea how to get star magic under control. Meanwhile, Sueño finds an interesting realisation.

……..

14. What’s your favourite fanart piece of your AU?

I LOVE all of them so much!! They’re all made by very amazing artists!! I’m so happy to see these silly characters I’ve made be brought to life in someone else’s style. 💖💖

Mere words can’t express this joy enough. I hope you all would love the final chapters once they do come out as much as you loved seeing content of them now. X3

……..

15. Are you telling your story via writing or art of word dump?

I’m planning to share it in chapters like how Anny and everyone else has been doing. Plus some more sketches I would keep making of them obviously.

………

17. Draw Ashueño dressed as another Disney couple!

Hehehehehe guess whooo~ 🙃

………

19. Young!Sueño!

Which one? 🙃

Awww, good times back then when the little guy is still figuring out the forms he likes….

…… 20. Young!Royal Couple!

Mini Magnifico would rather drown himself or drink snake venom than call Oliver his dad- ………

22. Give some more lore on Asha’s father. Are you keeping him as close to the source material as possible? Will we see him in flashbacks or something?

You’ll definitely get to see Tomás at certain points in the story. Either in the short prologue, mentions and flashbacks. He’s generally a friendly guy but at the same time, is also assertive to defend what he thinks is wrong. But even though his life was cut short, Tomás ended up inspiring more people than he thinks. Especially his old friend, Sabino, who hasn’t given another wish or attended any more wish ceremonies after his death.

I don’t think we really knew much about Asha’s father at all in the canon movie, but I’ll pretty much be close to what is depicted there already with some more detail on how he made an influence in the lives of those he loves.

………

23. Give Sueño a stuffed toy for him to cuddle with. He deserves it <3

He adores it so much 💖💖

……….

24. More lore about the Astral Realm!

Not all Wishing Stars have the strong desire to venture down into the human realm someday and that’s completely fine. They can still guide their wishmaker from above. But for those who do want to, they need to answer one important question first:

“Why do you grant wishes?”

Since they would be going down to earth by themselves ALONE with none of their elders to guide them this time, their answer to this question serves as their anchor in case they get lost or distracted. Answers do vary and some may be the same among stars, but that’s fine. As long as they’re sincere with all their core on their answer. Some examples may be: “I like to see them reach their very best and reap their deserved rewards.” Or “I like watching them journey and discover themselves.”

……….

25. SNEAK PEAKS!!

This scene is one of my dotpoints I came up with but I’m not so sure anymore if that would still fit in and whether I should scrap it. Regardless, I thought this would be a nice little thing to show you all. Proof that I’m indeed working on it 😅

(Actually, this sounds so cute to draw. Feel welcome to try and do so if you want to, my fellow artists ^^)

…… 26. How does Magnifico’s magic work?

I made a whole post on this :3

………

27. Where did Amaya learn potions?

She’s self-taught mostly. But I also did mention that Mag generously lets her borrow what is meant to be his books of magic soooo, he played a role on that as well.

……

29. What’s Amaya’s opinion on the other Wish AU Mags?

I’m not exactly sure how different her opinions would be on each of them since I think we all decided to have our fun with Magnifico just being a shameless show-off and fun evil villain. I’ll try though.

Amaya would think KOW!Mag reminds her a lot of her own husband, also short-tempered and a disgustingly sweet romantic at times. She’s kind of a play-hard-to-get girl though 😂. One thing she does notice is that what WRTS!, Wish Granted! And KOW!Mag have in common is how loud they are with their ceremonies. Is that a universal Magnifico thing? Eh. There sure is a lot of interesting knowledge to learn from these universes. Hmmm.

TKoRaT!Maggy has that same pained look that falls on RFTS!Mag whenever he’s sulking by himself and needs time alone. Usually it’s because of his old village trauma. It’s an intriguing but ever so familiar cycle she recognises well.

Meanwhile. TFS!Mag is……different, she would say. Not exactly good different. I kinda imagine her eyeing this guy like a cat. This Mag just gives off a very different vibe of non-ruthlessness(?) that she’s not used to.

……..

30. Same for Mag, but vice versa.

RFTS!Mag gets very very very familiar vibes with KOW! And Wish Granted!Amaya. He finds it slightly amusing since it feels like his wife just became a part of some triplets. (He jokingly asked RFTS!Amaya if she had any sisters she never told him. The woman wasn’t amused. She doesn’t really like being reminded of her family.) I’m sorry TKoRaT! And TFS!Amaya, but you’ve made the decision to adopt Asha as your daughter and so he thinks lower of you now. Although…the TKoRaT!couple might just get to redeem themselves for that since they sound interesting enough. They’re going to have the ditch the girl though at some point.

WRTS!Amaya just feels off. He doesn’t know what exactly though? Is he losing his mind or something? Ugh, I think he could use devouring another Wish Bubble just in case…

……..

31. You know what, for Asha and Sueño too!

Oh boy, here we go. 😂

Asha will NOT be able to handle Wish Granted!Star’s energy. It’s so different from the silent but still lively conversations she has with her Starboy. Star just can’t bring himself to stop talking, can he? 😅 Asha thinks WRTS!Aster and TKoRaT!Star are adorable. Cielo may be a bit much at times with his light teasing and flirting, but she’s aware he means well.

I could see Asha’s non-hesitant empathy, patience and genuine concern to Haedus would be a huge comfort for the poor guy. (Trust me, she’s done this plenty before.) She’s a bit surprised to see Naos and Nembus but I think they’d get along just fine. She’s pretty good with playing with kids from her experience with a mischievous Valentino. And lastly, KOW!Aster is a total sweetheart that she jokingly comments could rival Sueño’s. (That comment caught Sueño’s attention quickly lmao.)

MEANWHILE:

Sueño is more hesitant and unwilling at first to approach humans by his own accord. He’ll still keep a short distance buuuut… if they’re just another version of Asha, it can’t be that horrible, right?

KOW!Asha’s drawings are a familiar sight for him and he’s impressed that she could bring her own drawings to life. Same goes for WRTS!Asha with her magic wand. Maybe they’re friendly… Maybe they could both do that together :D He’s neutral with Wish Granted! And Aled’s Asha for now until he gets to know them better.

Sueño recognises that same shyness and timid nature in TKoRaT!Asha. (It’s weird how she does the same thing RFTS!Asha does of turning their head away and hiding behind their hair when he innocently just looks her way.)

And then there’s…….HER. TFS!Asha. Cielo talks about her a lot….😬. But you know, that girl scares him.

Unfortunately, Sueño is staying a relatively farther distance away from the last two Ashas I mentioned. Why? Idk, probably the fact that they’re the daughter of Mag and Amaya-

……….

32. *Gives Sueño an iPad with Duolingo on it* Here my child. Learn Spanish.

I have a feeling you did this so he could finally find out what his name, ‘Sueño’ translates into. Lol, nope. Not yet he’s not.

He still appreciates the gesture though, but the guy got distracted by the other cool features and apps this weird magical mirror-tablet thing(?) had and completely forgot all about the Owl app.

……

33. Will Asha ever attempt to learn Celestial? Maybe with a candle? Like Morse Code? Idk.

Idk. Speaking Celestial is really just stars exchanging screechy sound waves to each other telepathically like words, while their glowing sequences indicates the mood and tone of what they’re saying. Maybe if Asha comes to learn how to harness light magic on her own, she’ll be able to at least convey emotions such as happiness in it by controlling the brightness and duration of each flash.

…….

35. How are you planning out your story?

I usually think of what main message I’m trying to get across first and build the story around it. After some character and world-building stuff (that I keep adding to because procrastination), I put the key scenes I could think of in bullet-point format and then just think up some in-between scenes that could occur between those points.

Usually though, the most usual process is that a random concept/idea pops into my head and then I immediately type it down so I won’t forget it. It’s basically my thing now to organise the giant mess of reminders into comprehensive plot lines.

I’m not writing the story at this point. The story is choosing to expose itself to me XD

Another main thing I do is listen to my Spotify playlist of this AU, read the Wish Artbook, or rewatch a movie that has inspired the RFTS! plot in some way.

……..

36. Are there any kisses in your story?

Hmmmmm….. *glances at Ashueño and Amnifico*

Oh well, since you’ve asked me, I gueeeeess I’m unfortunately now going to have to remove all the kisses I had included since y’all are so desperate to know….. (/jk)

……..

38. Will the Royal Couple have villain transformations?

………..

39. What’s your take on the ‘eating wishes’ thing?

As I’ve mentioned in my last post on how the magic system works in the RFTS!AU, Magnifico eats wish essence to reverse the costly effects of using Curse Magic. To put it simply, he uses them to make him more mentally stable.

.,,,,,,,,

40. What Easter Eggs are you planning to put in your story?

Awwwww, where’s the fun in that? Find them yourselves >:)))

And who knows? Maybe certain fellow creators in the Wish Rewrite Fandom will make a reference in some of the chapters. Keep an eye out 😉

……..

42. What exactly does Asha’s job entail?

Being a king’s apprentice is a way to gain experience and learn how to use magic by the king himself, so you could use the attained knowledge as to however you want. Share the talent with Rosas or Go out into the world.

However, when Magnifico’s reign started, he forbade magic usage other than he and his wife with the claim that it’s for the greater good and safety for Rosas. (He kinda had a point since criminal activity and accidents did decrease in number after that rule.)

Since Mag doesn’t really need an apprentice, Asha is more of an assistant now, following in her dad’s footsteps before her. She’s tasked to do help with whatever Mag might need around his study such as keep the fire going or organise his papers. But Mag doesn’t really like having her around a lot, (since she asks a lot of questions about his wish-keeping system) so he purposefully tells her to go carry out outside tasks such as go into the garden and help the gardeners or something.

……..

43. Did Magnifico make Sueño’s bonds?

If I told you, would that make you more blood-thirsty enough to gather pitchforks and torches for his head? Because if you are, please don’t. I still need this guy to stir up conflict in my story :((

(You can have him all you want though once I’m done with him. Lmao.)

………

44. How was Rosas founded?

Nearly a century ago, the kingdom was first built. I’ve read in the Art book that Rosas was apparently named to reference ‘Beauty and the Beast.’

Like, ok….?

Anyways, I found that roses are meant to represent love, rebirth and beauty. So I decided to add more onto that than just have it as another reference. The kingdom’s founders wanted Rosas to be a place where people who are wary and feel outcasted by their homes can find and start a new beginning. To ‘Rebirth’ and have a second chance to find the ‘beauty and love’ in their lives again,

Blue and white were made the royal colours because the blue was meant to stand for trust and reliability and white for new beginnings. Symbolising the past kings and queens’ responsibility to have their talents in sorcery be used to serve the people who come here. Thus, Rosas’ citizens all are in a variety of different cultures.

……..

45. Over how many days does your story take?

I’m thinking within one month. It’s a race-against-time sort of thing where Asha needs to find out how to confront the Royal Couple before they do something horrible on Rosas’ celebration of its 100th anniversary, which is literally just a month away.

…….

46. What was your favourite part of Wish? Are you translating that to your AU?

I really really loved how Mag’s magic looked and how he went all evil-ish green as a tribute to past Disney villains. If we ignore the awkward transition he had from sympathetic to just plain psychotic, it’s a cool magic display. I kinda wished they went more full out on the final battle because it just felt so underwhelming asf.

I’m keeping the magical final battle but with more magical funsies. :D

…….

47. Least favourite part?

I’m frustrated how bland and empty the character interactions and emotional beats are since those kinds of moments are usually my favourite when it comes to movies.

Magnifico’s tragic loss of his village? “Pfft- What tragedy? We don’t need that in the movie’s 2nd half.”

Asha’s dead father? “Eh. We only needed him for a few mins and he’s non-existent from that point on.”

Valentino claims to be Asha’s helpful animal sidekick. “Did I mention I have a deep voice? Oh, and my butt’s a funny thing too. Did I already mention that my voice is loud and soooo deep??”

Simon’s betrayal? “Oh wow, that was a shock…. Anyways, wanna start a rebellion?”

OMG, Sakina’s wish is back!! “What was the wish about? Idk who cares.”

Asha’s friendship with Star doesn’t even feel that special to me?? GUYS, I felt more chemistry between Rapunzel and Pascal. COME ON, BUILD IT UP. DON’T JUST SAY ‘Awww, you and I are thinking the same thing~’ AND EXPECT ME TO BUY THAT.

……….

48. What’s your favourite aspect of the TFS!AU?

Idk why, but I like how there’s a unique twist in your AU on how Wishing Stars don’t have the best reputation to humans. It’s a nice subversion that makes it stand out a little more. :)) Because usually, the idea of wishing on stars is always seen as a positive thing but that’s not the case in this story. It’s intriguing to watch characters slowly realise that not everything is what it seems.

That, and the hilarious dynamic you’ve got going on between Cielo and Asha and how deep in denial they both are, even though it’s clear as day to the other TFS!cast. 😂

(Wouldn’t it be funny if TFS!Mag and Amaya also noticed? They may be going down a dark path but they’re not blind, girl.)

……..

50. What’s a boring fact about you?

Uhhhhhh…. I like organising stuff by colour for fun...? Like, I used to pour out a box of legos and sort through them as a kind of pastime. I still organise coloured pencils in rainbow order if I could too. 😅 ………

@annymation @uva124 @your-ne1ghbor @ficsinhistory @rascalentertainments @gracebethartacc @spectator-zee

It’s a long read, but I think you guys would enjoy going through it regardless. I hope so anyways.

Btw, thx for all the fun questions Bo! 💖 Might post some more regarding your other doodle requests that I’ve put to the side for now if you don’t mind. :))

#ask #reach for the stars au #rfts au #wish au #wish rewrite #wish starboy #wish asha #wish reimagined #wish magnifico #wish amaya #star x asha #asha x star #ashueño #Spotify #magnifico x amaya #au lore #au dump

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aplaceforallmystupidshit · 2 months ago

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I’m gonna write down what I liked about The Apothecary Diaries before i excise this thing from my brain completely. Very mild book spoilers I guess? I’ll put it under the cut anyway, just in case

Ultimately the thing I liked most was how I perceived Maomao, as a very low empathy female heroine. I guess I don’t read a ton of books in this type of genre, but I feel like a true low empathy female character, much less a sympathetic heroine, is super rare and I enjoyed experiencing the world from her eyes.

I honestly really loved that there was a really really (really) select few individuals who she would genuinely feel angry or sad on behalf of! When almost anyone else was going thru it she didn’t feel much but like, when her dad was suffering she would get furious on his behalf!! I thought it was really special relationship and showed how much she cared about him, and by extension how little she truly felt for most others. Tbh the only people she really seems to show empathy for are her dad (Loumen, the person she considers her father and who considers her his daughter), and those two palace maid girls? Shisui (my fave!!) and the other one. And maaaaaaybe that girl in season 1 that faked her own death? Even then not really, I think she saw them as kindred spirits more than anything. The fact that even after like ~12 books that list can be counted on one hand means a lot, and makes Maomao an interesting POV character.

Disclaimer that I read the official translations before anyone comes at me for not interpreting based on the Aurikat (sp?) translations. But like, I saw some people in the fan discord talking about she was lying to herself or denying her feelings at times but it super didn’t come off to me like that? Maomao seemed like a very straightforward, borderline aromantic, low empathy, neurodivergent woman. She doesnt feel feelings very strongly, which is a consistent piece of characterization.

Jinshi is fine, tbh. He’s alright as a male lead and the only reason I’ve got 1 eye on the anime is cuz I want to see the lil Moon spirit dance. But like. To be sooooo honest I kinda lost a bit of interest in him once I realized he wasn’t actually a eunuch (so like, book 1 lolol). Thought he was gonna have do some palace intrigue but learned (after truly too many books) he tended to be more the one affected by politics than the one instigating them. It’s a shame, I really wanted to explore gender of a beautiful eunuch attracted to women, but alas, another day.

Last point is that i know I lowkey shit talked Lakan up there but he surprisingly one of the funniest most endearing characters in the entire novel? I didn’t expect to like a deadbeat dad but fuck me, I’m still hopelessly endeared by a wife guy. And the kinda gentle mediation on longing, grief, and rememberance occurring the background of Lakan’s story is one of the things I think I’ll remember most about this series. Lakan, Loulan’s whole deal, and little low empathy Maomao

#the apothecary diaries #kusuriya no hitorigoto #book spoilers #It’s been mooooooonths since I read these books lolol

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multiversed-daydreamer · 2 years ago

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Pet

Pairing: Dark!Joel x Dark!Tess x Mildly!Disabled!Reader

Summary: Joel and Tess spot you, new to the QZ and immediately take an interest in you. However, they'll discover you're smarter than you look and not so easily trusting as they might like.

A/N: A spooky fic for the spooky season. Let me know if you want me to continue. This chapter isn't too spooky but it'll get there next chapter and so forth. Thank you @patti7dc for the beta read. I appreciate you! Check out my Masterlist for more!

Tags: MDNI, Mentions of kidnapping, Mentions of potential noncon, Stalking, Manipulative!Tess, Reader has a mild physical disability but can work.

You grit your teeth in annoyance as sweat drips down your temple. It was annoyingly hot and working outside with the sun beating down on you hasn’t helped. Neither did the giant fire raging right next to you. Ugh. Body burning detail. It paid better than most, which is why you took the shift, but you’ll never get used to the rancid smell of cooked flesh. You’re not strong enough to lift the bodies, but you help shovel the ash out and keep the fire burning. You were relieved to learn you weren’t the only one on shift to not be able to lift a body, there were plenty of others that taught you how to tend the fire and where to put the dead ash to keep yourself busy for an entire shift.

He watches you discreetly. You’re far too distracted trying to keep up with everyone else to notice him. He prefers it that way for now. He’d first seen you a few months ago, new to the Zone and trying to figure out how rations work and what jobs were the best to take. From what he could tell, you went back and forth between the easier jobs, like street sweeping and wall painting to cover up Firefly propaganda, to the harder jobs that paid a bit more, body burning and sewer maintenance. What had initially caught his attention about you was the fact that you had some kind of disability. You limp when you walk, and your hands seem to shake when focused on a task that requires finer motor skills, such as counting out rations or writing your name on a sign-up sheet pinned to the wall. It also shows when you talk, your speech is slurred as if you’d been drinking. It has him wondering why the fuck FEDRA has you working. Sure, you’re technically abled-bodied, but they should at least help you out a little bit by reducing your weekly mandatory shifts.

Tess notices you at a market about two weeks after you get to the Zone. She notes immediately that you’re not with anybody, seemingly quiet and observant. She also picks up on the tension in your body when people veer into your personal space, looking very much like a frightened animal. She nudges Joel who had been trying to barter down a price for a can of peaches. “Let it go, we’ll get some from Bill and Frank next week.” She whispers to him, her eyes never leaving you. Tess doesn’t work many shifts, instead choosing to stay hidden and playing her role as everyone’s boss in the shadows. FEDRA often looks the other way, due to discount prices on pills they sell to the officers, and the knowledge that Tess and Joel practically run the QZ anyway. She nods toward you. “Who’s Little Red Riding Hood?” She asked curiously.

Joel looks around the market before spotting you in an oversized red sweatshirt with your hood up, as if you don’t want people to look at you. “Oh. Haven’t caught her name yet. She showed up about two weeks ago on body burning detail of all shifts.” He scowls at the reminder, he still has no clue why FEDRA would let you take such a shift. Sure, you’re a hard worker, but it’s got to be awful on your body. It’s too hard on him, but a little thing like you? He shakes his head and looks away. Fucking FEDRA pricks.

Tess watches him curiously for a moment, her eyebrows raising at his words. “No shit? I’d assume she’d be able to get away with painting the whole week.”

“I’ve seen her paintin’ a couple ‘a times. They don’t offer it every day.” His eyes flick back to you before meeting Tess’s again. They were comfortable in what they had together, but every once in a while, they found it fun to bring in a young submissive playmate for a night or two. Often clients they sell to, most of them hit on Joel anyway, and a fair share flirt with Tess as well. It wasn’t hard for either of them to find a willing sub. ‘Pets’ they call them. Young twenty-something boys or girls take back to their shared apartment and use as an outlet when neither of them feels like submitting to the other. “Are you interested?” He asked, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice, trying not to let on that he was very interested in more than just one night with this one. No. He wants to keep this one. Safe and unbothered by the harsh labors FEDRA inflicted on everybody else.

Again, Tess raises an eyebrow at him. “Are you?” Not bothering to hide the shock in her voice. Joel shrugs as they move through the crowd. They follow her at a distance, neither one of them knowing if it’s intentional yet or not. “I mean, if you’re serious, we need to have an actual discussion about it.” He nods, she’s right. This one is far different than any of the others.

“Yes, I’m serious. And you’re right, we need to plan first.” He admits. They finish their business in the market, keeping an eye on you for the time that they can before leaving to head back home. Once they are inside, Tess turns to eye Joel, who is setting a small pack of beans on the table, their only find for today. It’s a good thing they’re heading up to Lincoln soon.

“So,” she started, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter. “This girl… she’s not at all our usual type.”

Joel settles into a chair, sighing as he stretches his legs. “Ain’t that the truth? Real skittish like, from what I’ve seen. Eager to prove herself though. Wants to keep up with everyone else.”

Tess nods, he certainly has her interest with his unusual find in their next potential playmate. “She with anyone?”

“Nah. Not from what I can tell. Comes alone, and goes home alone. Haven’t seen much of her outside of shift, but she wasn’t with anyone today.”

Tess nods, thinking. “Any interactions?” He shakes his head.

“She’s a shy one, doesn’t seem like she’s comfortable enough to even want friends yet. But she’s polite, professionally friendly, but not overly so. Mostly keeps to herself from what I can see.”

“And how exactly do you plan on approaching her with this?”

Joel goes quiet for a long moment, thinking. “I’m not gonna be the one approaching. You will.” Tess scoffs, shaking her head, already shutting him down. He leans forward, holding up a hand to stop her oncoming protests. “She’ll likely trust a woman sooner than she’d trust a man. If you’re the one to approach her, you’ll have a better shot. I can tell you’re not completely onboard anyway, if you’re the one to try and get her up here, you might be more game for this. Or if you decide you don’t want her, we can look somewhere else. “

Tess nods along. “Alright. I’ll see.”

You’ve been here for about a month and this is only the second day you’ve managed to get off. You make your way through the crowded streets. Damn, did everybody get today off? You head into the market, you have saved up quite a few rations, and are hoping to get enough to last you at least until your next day off.

You buy an extra pair of shoelaces for one card, it can’t hurt just to have. You’re perusing a table with canned soup and bags of beans on it when you feel someone brush up against your shoulder. You glance over to catch somebody wearing a brown jacket next to you. You step over to give her some room, paying five rations for a bag of beans and four rations for two cans of soup before gathering your purchases in a bag you brought with you.

“Haven’t seen you around before.” A woman to your left says. This time you do look at the person who’d brushed against you. She’s tall with long light brown hair and attentive green eyes like it was uncommon for her to not know strangers. Her mouth was crooked in a way that could’ve been a grimace or a smirk, you couldn’t tell which it actually was.

“It’s a big QZ. Crowded too. I haven’t seen you around either.” You return, watching her mouth curl into a definitive smirk. Her eyes trace down your body, and you wonder if she's sizing you up for dinner. Fuck. You hadn’t meant to offend.

“When’d you get here?” She asked as if already knowing it hadn’t been long.

“About a month ago. What about you?”

She chuckles at your response, “Hmmm. About twelve years back now. Arrived with a whole group.”

You watch her for a moment. You want to ask how they all managed to make it, but you worried it would give away far too personal information about your own trek here. So you nod and step away from the stall, planning to say an awkward ‘nice to meet you’ before disappearing, but the woman steps with you, seemingly more interested in you than the food she initially came to buy.

“I’m Tess.” She holds out a hand to you, and your own intrigue rises when you notice that she's wearing rings. Jewelry isn’t too common anymore, outside of keepsake necklaces and wedding rings. The sight of some that had multiple rings clearly just to wear has you fighting not to raise an eyebrow.

You take her hand after a moment, pronouncing your own name slowly as you shake her hand. Her grip is firm and her fingers are warm when they curl around yours. She repeats it back to you and you can’t help a little smile when she gets it correct the first time. A lot of people don’t understand you the first time, it’s always a small victory when a few people do.

You and Tess end up walking the market together. She explains certain booths and why they’re there. She gives you small tidbits of information on some of the people you cross too. Nothing personal, just what they buy or sell and why it could be useful depending on the circumstances.

Afterward, she ends up walking you home too. You notice people eyeing you two curiously, and you wonder why people would suddenly take interest. You’re pretty sure she hadn’t even realized the attention the two of you are gaining, or if she does she’s ignoring it. She’d been asking you questions about why you came to the QZ and who you came with. You’d answered the first, but not the second. You’d been alone by the time you’d made it to Boston, but you had zero interest in letting anybody know that.

“I left with a group, we made our way here.”

“Any of them make it with you?” She inquired. It was awfully bold of her to ask, but part of you immediately liked her because of that boldness. All day Tess had been blunt, bold, and confident. Someone who doesn’t bother to sugarcoat things, something you appreciate, because you hate trying to sugarcoat things as well. It often leaves people thinking you mean something else, or that something isn’t as bad as it seems, which could be deadly in today's cordyceps-infested world.

You don’t want to lie to Tess. You think you might actually like Tess, but she’s still a stranger, and you don’t want her to know you’re on your own. “Just a handful.” You say absently not meeting her eyes. Drawing to a pause on the sidewalk in front of your building.

She stops with you, shifting to the side so you two aren’t blocking traffic. You notice a few people raising an eyebrow at you and Tess as they pass, and again, you wonder about their interest. “Did I make you uncomfortable?” She asks. She doesn’t sound offended or apologetic, simply curious.

“Uh… No.” You shake your head, focusing on her and not the people around you. “No, this is my building. I’m probably gonna head up. Curfew probably isn’t that far off.” You nod to the darkening sky up ahead.

“Oh.” She glances at the building, eyeing it for a moment, before nodding and turning to give you a small smile. “Well, I’m glad I can walk you home.” You chuckle at that. “It was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah. You too. Have a good night!” You turn and climb the steps to your building ducking inside. You glance back at Tess and give her a polite nod when she says ‘you too’ before turning and heading up to the apartment you now call home. You sigh as you unlock your door and get in, setting your stuff on the flimsy dining room table and going back to lock up for the evening. You sit on a chair and stare at the bag on the table. You did far more interacting than you’d planned on today. It was the longest conversation you’d held in weeks and now you’re exhausted. Your energy level was depleted by Tess, the pretty woman with bright green eyes who seemed to know the actual answers to the questions she’d asked you before you told them. With the rings on her hands, and the curious stares from everybody you’d passed by today. She was clearly somebody. Who she was though… You had no clue.

So Joel had a point. Big fuckin’ whoop. They were currently sitting across from each other at their table, drinking whiskey they’d gotten from Bill. Tess was recounting her day with you to Joel, who had opted to stay in today to keep from raising too many suspicions.

“The whole damn QZ was lookin’ at us today.” Tess groused as she took a sip of her drink.

Joel chuckles. “Good. Maybe they’ll take a hint and keep their fuckin’ distance from her.” He mutters, not bothering to hide his possessive intent.

Tess watches him with amusement sparking in her eyes. “You’ve never had issues with any of the others interacting with people.” She points out softly.

He meets her gaze head-on. “I want to keep her.” He states bluntly. Tess doesn’t seem surprised by this, judging by his behavior, he’d given himself away. Joel knows that if Tess isn’t interested he can fuckin’ forget about it, though. She told him all about her day with you. How she’d gotten your name and you had seemed completely oblivious to who Tess was. A surprise, honestly, considering you’d been here a month already. Damn, you must really be keeping your head low. It’s only a matter of time before you do hear about them though, he’d seen you getting closer to a few of the other regulars on the shifts he’s taken with you.

“She’s smart. Perceptive too. She definitely took notice of people watching us today.” Tess leans forward, raising a challenging eyebrow at Joel. “What happens when she figures out who we are and she wants nothing to do with us?”

That was another difference in you as a choice for their games. The others knew exactly what Joel and Tess were capable of and wanted to play their game anyways, hell, they were often also involved in shady shit of their own. Sometimes with Joel and Tess, and sometimes outside of them with others.

You were new and clueless, and from what they’ve gathered from you, you had zero interest in getting your hands dirty outside of actual work detail. Joel sat back and groaned, bringing his own drink to his lips and downing the whole thing in one go. He grimaced, making a puckered face at the bitter alcohol. Everyone they’ve brought home with them had been more than consenting. Joel finally found a potential pet that he wants to actually keep and it’s a high possibility that she might turn them down entirely. Consent had never been a problem before now. Technically they could just find someone else. It wouldn’t be too hard to find a willing partner. But Joel didn’t want to find someone else. He wanted you. “She’s… not supposed to be working in the condition she’s in. She’s going to hurt herself.”

“And it’s supposed to be our job to take care of her?” Tess challenges.

“It could be. She’d probably submit easily. She’s tiny and disabled, it’s not like she’d be a challenge for either of us.”

Tess just watches him, her face carefully not showing any emotion. “You want to take her hostage?” It’s not like they haven’t taken hostages in the past. But they’ve never taken hostages in their apartment inside the QZ, and certainly never considered holding a playmate hostage.

Joel sighs, pouring himself another two fingers of whiskey before answering. “Preferably not. But I don’t want to let her go either.”

Tess considers this for a long moment. “If she says no, and we keep her anyways we’re going to need to come up with a plan. She’s wary enough as is, getting her up here is going to take a while.” She pauses, Jesus. This is going to be way more work than necessary for a single pet. “Well, if we do hold her hostage, we have to keep her. Are you sure she’s the one you want?”

“Yes,” Joel answers her without hesitation. He shifts a little in his seat, trying to hide his own anticipation for what’s to come.

Tess watches him with shrewd eyes and knocks back her own drink. “Me too. Let’s figure out a plan, and start puppy-proofing.” She jokes.

While you are curled up in bed for the night, trying to find some rest, Joel and Tess are across the QZ making plans to make sure you never leave their bed.

#tlou #joel miller #the last of us #joel miller x reader #tess servopoulos #tess x reader #tess x joel x reader #spooky fic #disability representation #yes i am actually disabled

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