#arch gate studios

[nightmaretherabbitsideblog2]

Hey y'all who should I make a reference sheet for now?

[venolfy]

„Ink is calling us, my dear...”

I really like Wilson! Even when he was broken into little pieces. Kinda funny when you think about that xD (I really laughed after that scene. I'm bastard)

[ask-the-friendly-ink-demon]

Hello!! I'm Elaine. Nice to meet you!! How are you Inky and Bendy :D

"just- prowler. only my close friends and family can call me Bendy... also again. inky? there's no ink demon next to me." he says, grunting at the whispers he was feeling in his mind, those voices. it all felt so familiar. elsewhere in the studios, Lanky kept silent as the lady kept walking, oddly quiet and almost. upset? the lady in violet didn't seem to notice as she keeps on walking

[gbhbl]

EP Review: Spree by The Harvest Trail (Self Released)

Australia’s rising stars of melodic death metal, The Harvest Trail, release their brand new EP titled Spree on the 14th of April, 2023. For fans of those great bands like At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, In Flames, Darkane, Dark Tranquillity, and The Halo Effect, The Harvest Trail hit hard with a relentless onslaught of melodic death metal. Hailing from Australia, this fierce quartet channels…

[stereo-91]

CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES CC SET

NOW AVAILABLE ON PATREON!

Everyones favourite Chateau is finally here!!!!

After a lot of hard work, we have finally finished making our Versailles CC set.

Ever since the Sims 4 first came out me and Anna have always wanted a Versailles CC build set in the game. After learning many new CC creation techniques together over the last few months, we decided to attempt a Versailles set of our own.

Now simmers can build an accurate Version of this very popular and beautiful palace.

This set includes

* Stone Balcony and Gilded balconies with their platforms ( separated )

* Huge Sculpture with the Clock in the middle

* Full Columns in 2 different sizes

* 2 different Wall Columns in 2 sizes

* 2 Types of Shelves for your walls

* 2 Types of stone benches with their pedestals

* Stone Vase decor

* Rooftop railing and pedestal

* Friezes, ornaments, keystone as you see in the pictures

* Front Door with multiple swatches to choose

* 6 Different windows in different sizes and shapes

* Arch in marble

* 2 Types of Niches for the walls

* Marble and stone floor tiles set for the entrance

* Rooftop Windows ( both )

* 3 types of golden chains railing for the rooftop

* Roof tiles matching Versailles

ALL BASE GAME compatible, except for the golden entrance gate that requires Vampires EP 

Se hope everyone enjoys building using these new CC items to create their dream house or palace

We will be creating the back facade in set 2 in the future.

We really hope you enjoy this set

LINK BELOW:

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This 1928 Spanish Revival in Long Beach, CA has so many wonderful retro features that are preserved. 3bds, 2ba, $1.02M.

Small foyer with a fancy carved arch and sconces sculpted into the wall. I've never seen anything like that.

But, look, there're more. Beautiful Spanish style fireplace and a recessed built-in bar.

The dining room has a shallow recessed wall niche that's just big enough to highlight a sideboard.

Check out this wonderful original kitchen. Vintage stove, cabinets, tile, everything. I have to appreciate how the owners took such good care of it.

Original backsplash and faucet.

The mirrored door opens to the old milk delivery window. They must've put that little plastic shelf in the wall for steel wool soap pads (when everyone knows that you simply put them back in the box and they're good as new).

Wonderful vintage stove.

What a lovely, sunny kitchen dining space.

And, look, it has 2 corner cabinets.

Check this out- not only does it have a folding ironing board, but it has a little board for sleeves.

And, look at this- a little galvanized metal lined cabinet for the iron. I wonder if the vintage iron will convey.

TV room. (Could they have chosen more uncomfortable chairs?)

Now, here we are in a closet.

A trap door in the floor opens to the basement. Since I only see one step, it must have a ladder.

This bedroom is lovely, but it's not very big since they have the bed on an angle.

The bath! It has a big built-in vanity table.

And, orchid plumbing fixtures. I've seen vintage colored sinks and tubs, but they always have a new white toilet. They may have gotten this toilet from an architectural salvage yard.

In the hall, ahead, there's a built-in desk. On the left is a built-in armoire. And, there's also a phone niche with a folding seat.

The primary bedroom is so royal looking. It looks like Old English around the ceiling border. And, look at the built-in with the pull-out mirrors.

Beautiful vintage shower room.

This home is amazing- gated driveway with porte cochere and 2 car garage.

In the large yard is an addition.

It's a large addition and has this great studio, plus 2 other big rooms that use for storage.

And, look at this detail in the wall outside- a little gnome niche.

The lot is .15 acre.

https://www.compass.com/listing/1985-san-francisco-avenue-long-beach-ca-90806/1532701137276580849/

[sunflower-ozzy-online]

Omega's Grove

As an omega traveling on your own after your boat crashed you look for the rumored arch druid for help managing your suppressants. (set before the events of Baldurs Gate 3) (smut starts in chapter 9 xoxo kisses) (unfinished and in progress)

Chapters: (link to AO3 the end))

1: The Sea

2: The Library

3: Withers

4: The Grove

5: Druid Doctor

6: Preparing

7: Stewing in Slick

8: Darling Druid

9: Heat in a Cold Bed

10: A Literal and Metaphorical Door.

11: Come In

12: Let Me Do It For You

13: Knot Talk

cont.

Ao3 link - my AO3 has version of a smut with a penis reader instead of just a vagina.

Image credit and character credit to Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios

[audreyhepburninblackandwhite]

Audrey Hepburn's cover story for Illustrated's 2 June 1951 issue.

Carefree, off and on duty.

Audrey — The Other Hepburn

Photography by Joseph McKeown Story by Charles Hammlett

After four years of theatres, cabarets, and films, a young dancer takes a day off from career building

The Sphinx of Hollywood, otherwise Katharine Hepburn, actress and movie performer, recently spent a few days in this country wrapped in rain and  mystery, and wearing an old pair of eye-catching, publicity-snatching slacks. As one of the country’s legends, Miss Hepburn has earned the right to flinch at the rustle of a reporter’s notebook, or to duck at the sound of a photographer’s footfall.

Even as pressmen determinedly pounded the Hepburn beat, a few miles away at Ealing Studios another Hepburn was quietly performing in front of the camera—as yet blissfully unaware of the hysterical mobs and frustrated fanatics who often make the lives of Hepburns, Stanwycks, Gables, or Turners unendurable.

This other Hepburn was Audrey—Britain’s answer to every filmgoer’s hungry dreams. Twenty-two, brainy, beautiful, tantalizing, and talented, she is a girl of simple tastes to travel to Ealing by Underground from Marble Arch, takes Sunday afternoon strolls in Hyde Park, and stops to listen to the geniuses of Orator’s Corner.

Restful spirit at Rottingdean . . .

Over a gate for home . . .

She rides on buses or browses in the Charing Cross Road bookshops. Visits to cinemas and theatres are still fun for her. Given a day off, she will rush to the coast and join countless other holidaymakers. Audrey Hepburn is also a hard and fast worker. Just over two years ago, Jack Hylton selected her from 2,000 other girls to dance in High Button Shoes. After this “break,” Audrey tripped into the chorus of Sauce Tartare. There she caugh the eye of producer Cecil Landeaus sufficiently to be given a solo part in his sequel Sauce Piquante. This, in turn, caught the attention of the theatre critics and the public.

Among the regulars who went to see Audrey’s performance was film producer Mario Zampi. He went fourteen times. Like many pretty showgirls, Audrey had frequently been told she ought to be in films. Zampi not only said it, he gave her a small part in Alastair Sim’s Laughter in Paradise. Other “meatier” parts followed in The Lavender Hill Mob and Young Wives’ Tale. She obtained a contract with Associated British Pictures and a leading part in Ealing’s The Secret People—before her first three pictures were released. During the next few months, filmgoers will be able to make up their own minds about Audrey. They will see a lithe, dark-hair, large-eyed girl who slightly resembles Jean Simmons. Unlike Jean, however, Audrey has a cosmopolitan and somber background.

Secret performances for members of Dutch Resistance were some of Audrey’s experiences during the war. Now, at twenty-two, she takes the part of a refugee dancer in the film The Secret People.

A mixture of Scots, Belgian, and Dutch, she was in Belgium at the outbreak of war. After the Belgian capitulation, the family moved to Arnhem. Their house there was shelled during the airborne landing.

It was at Arnhem that she made her first public appearance as an entertainer. Black, or secret, concerts were given in private houses by performers who had refused to join the German sponsored “Chamber of Culture.” Audrey, then fifteen, was invited to appear at one of these concerts. Her mother helped her to make costumes from old curtains and chair covers. Later, conditions became so bad that cothes and jewellery were sold to provide food for the family.

Looked at from the Mayfair flat where she now lives with her mother, these days seem unreal. Though she entered show business as a dancer, Audrey is rapidly developing as an actress. Unusually tall for films—she is 5'7"—she has passed the stage where producers can brush her off by telling her she is “too lofty for camera work.” A girl with her potential star value can be as tall as a giraffe and still get by.

Audrey Hepburn could gracefully occupy a star’s chair in Britain’s studios. She might even attract some of the international attention now lavished on “Katie” Hepburn, and enable that much harassed star to pursue her life far from the madding crowd.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could you do some head cannons involving dark revival bendy and ink demon and the reader, (this takes place after the game and ink demon technically still exists in bendy) -🌕

After ending the last Cycle, you were back in the real world with a certain inky imp at your side.

With Joey's legacy and studio realm in your hands now, you vowed to make things better for everyone still trapped inside.

While you couldn't pull them into your world like you could Bendy, you're able to ease their pain and make living more bearable.

To start, you freed anyone who was regarded as a "Cyclebreaker" and gave the Gent factory back to Tom, Allison, Henry, and Porter so they can build stuff to protect themselves. 

The Lost Ones made improvements on the city--even the ones infused with rainbow ink joined in.

The Keepers also became the pest control for Widows. You hated those mfs and wanted them GONE.

Sammy became their preacher, and Malice got to sing at the bar and be even more beautiful, with a more perfect face.

The Butcher Gang accepted Carley/Slicer as one of their own, too.

As for the Ink Demon, well, he continued to roam the domain as its “ruler”. He still had to feast on ink to make himself strong, so he returned to it often.

In the real world, he always stayed in the Arch Gate Studio--never leaving it since he didn’t want people finding out he exists.

Trauma from the experiments in previous Cycles kept him mute in his smaller form, although you can still hear the Ink Demon’s thoughts in your head sometimes.

Especially when you compliment him on his cuteness.

“Awh, how's that little choo-choo train working, Benders?”

“I will drag you back into the dark puddles if you patronize me again.....but...this wheel might be coming loose, [y/n].”

"I’ll fix it right away!”

Tbh while life is a little bit nicer, Bendy still knows everyone’s suffering because of Joey. It’s not something that can just end with the scribble of a pencil. And until you resolve it and put everyone to rest, he’s gonna be miserable.

But at least you’re trying to fix things, and that’s good enough for him.

You, an unlikely friend who restarted the Cycle for the better, were the change this Studio so desperately needed.

[voice-of-anarchy]

“It feels good to be back!” Arch Enemy sound antagonistic as hell on new single Dream Stealer

The melodeath squad’s first new music since 2022 has some big choirs and even bigger riffs

Arch Enemy have surprise-released a new single.

Watch the video for Dream Stealer, directed by Patric Ullaeus (In Flames, Dimmu Borgir, Children Of Bodom), below.

Guitarist Michael Amott comments: “First new Arch Enemy song we release in a little while and it feels good to be back!

“It was a blast working on Dream Stealer in the studio, this song just has the high energy and twisted atmosphere that makes it so fun to play!

“Crank it up, loud and heavy! Metal is immortal!”

Dream Stealer was mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Sepultura, At The Gates) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Billie Eilish, Enslaved, Wardruna) at Fascination Street Studios.

It’s the first song the band have released with guitarist Joey Concepcion. Concepcion replaces predecessor Jeff Loomis, who departed the band in late 2023.

Dream Stealer is also Arch Enemy’s first new music since the release of 11th album Deceivers in 2022.

Metal Hammer gave Deceivers a glowing four-star review upon release.

“Such was the blinding quality of Arch Enemy’s early 00s heyday that all subsequent releases have been met with an unfair weight of expectation,” wrote journalist Adam Brennan.

“But yet again, not only does Deceivers earn its place in one of the most reliable discographies in modern metal, it does so by being among the bravest and most entertaining to date.”

[lost-sandwich]

Tried out a new brush/style with some of the Bendy crew! It's nice drawing Sammys long hair and tail again, he feels naked without it even if no hair is his canon design.

I plan to do more after this, most likely the butcher gang, searchers, lost ones and maybe I'll even try Alice!

Design notes and character backgrounds (contains spoilers if you're going through my askblog! [i promise i'm working on the next part but animation is hard to get motivation for]) in the read more ^^

For Norman I made him a failed Bendy as he said he often lurked around the studio as a projectionist so he likely saw the demon or heard of him around the studio from Joey or Tom. Long arms, hands and legs reflecting that, he came out very animalistic and has a large bundle of thick wires from his projector and back gathering to make a tail. He was made soon after Buddy as Joey thought that after his success he'd get better results but Norman fought back and ended up dying before he could be put through the ink, a projector being knocked over and breaking over his head.

Buddy has a little less in common with cartoon Boris reflecting his different mindset from Boris and giving him more wolf-like legs and a tail. He is still mute but wanders the studio a bit more, trying to gather more for his bunker because he feels like something will happen soon, something bad.

An OC I made! His name is Edmund Murphey and worked in a gift shop that was added to the first floor of the studio. He resides in the city seen in the Dark Revival with a copy of his shop. A band of angry people stormed the studio one day and ended up killing Edmund, impaling him with metal rods found at the breaking down studio (pre arch gate) and his cash register bashed into his head. He now wanders his shop, docile to the player unless they steal items and food without first dropping some slugs on the counter where he will chase after them, angrily rattling his register and hitting them with projectionist-like strength.

The Ink Demon is the largest thing in the studio other than Bertrum and the hand in the ink rivers. Its long thin legs end in pig hooves, its imitation of a demon even failing to copy the usual goat hooves. His tail is long and thick, also failing to copy a demons tail. Machinery replace one of his ankles after Buddy and Dot cut part of his leg with an axe.

[multi-level-shipper]

so as I stated before, I'm re-reading Joey's gay memoir. and here's the thing.

Joey talks about how he LOVED Coney Island as a kid, and he seems to hold it to a slightly higher degree of reverence than the theater. Probably a few reasons for this- it was his vacation as a poor kid, it was time spent with his family, and he also draws some very strong connections about the heart and the soul to his experience being there.

"We arrived at the gates of Luna Park on Coney Island just when they opened."

"The gates were tall towers, with a huge arch entrance beneath. Above, between the towers, was a giant heart, bright red, freshly painted, with the words The Heart of Coney Island written on it. I think about those words sometimes, even these days as I trudge through the mud in the Meadowlands. I think about what it means. The heart. The soul of a place. The beating core."

"I have been searching for the soul for so long myself. That one illusive piece to my puzzle. Art imitates life, that was the solution. But how to live within an imitation? How to step into the cell of a cartoon? How to break the fourth wall? With a hammer? An axe?

Or a whole world." (Pg 200)

There are a few things I want to say about this.

As if we needed any more proof, this is a really long way of getting the point across that Joey craves living in a fantastical world. He needs this sense of creative wonder to feel fulfilled. Directly on the next page he goes on to say that the train ride home sucked balls, and he only felt as if the corners of each of his five senses were fully reached while having this experience at Coney Island.

So, firstly, he mentioned that he was "searching for the soul" for so long. But what in the fresh hell does that mean? Well, either Joey doesn't know how to define the parameters of what a human soul even is (which is a fair and complex question to be asking,) or he's been searching for his soul. Or rather, his purpose in life. While he has the studio and Sexy Lawrence at this point, he might be doing a bit of serious introspection here- which, let's be real, Joey never does this unless he's scared of something to do with his own well-being.

I don't have too much to say about the "heart" side of things. Although, this seriousness about the amusement park could explain why Joey was so ungodly finnicky with the Bendyland edits he kept sending back to Bertrum. He had to make things just right within one of the studio's most important features, or he might actually explode.

The SOUL, however, where do I even start. Firstly there's a direct parallel here we can add to the conspiracy board- the Ink Demon has no soul, and here in IOL Joey is trying to find his own. Another thing to note is how he personifies Coney Island, a non-breathing and non-living place, giving it a heart and a soul. It would be safe to assume that, seeing as Joey Drew Studios is his own form of safe haven, that he would ALSO personify the studio in a similar way. Also willing to wager that he saw Joey Drew Studios as a perfectly curated fantastical world to surround himself with- which is why he would simply not allow anyone to say anything otherwise. He had to keep up this illusion, or the safe haven would fall apart.

Joey giving places a soul also has interesting implications when considering Bendy and the Dark Revival.

We technically don't get an actual ink copy of Joey, we get a "memory" of Joey, as he puts it. However, we don't really see other spirits in BATIM or BATDR that aren't tied to a body. Ghosts are strangely never really explained, with a few exceptions like the ghost train in BATDR. I think this is an interesting distinction to make, because this could imply that Joey's soul is tied to the studio directly. Everything in the BATIM world was created by Joey- our Henry, Alice, Boris, everyone. The BATDR world was created by Wilson, so any existing creatures there are either by his hands, or have been directly taken from the BATIM loop and brought there. It was the assumption that Memory Joey came from Wilson's timeline, but we actually have no idea where he came from specifically, as he quite literally shows up and then vanishes in our first encounter with him.

[thatonecrookedsmile]

"It seems that Arch Gate Studios,in all it's misplaced admiration,was so eager to absorb the life's work of that crooked charlaton,Joey Drew,they didn't fully realize what they had acquired.

Call it fate that I just happened to be there on the loading dock that morning. When the delivery boys dropped one of the crates,it smashed open,and inside there was something truly special. A mass of yellow steel and beautiful rivets. Some kind of machine. No one knew what it was. So the fools put it on display for all to see. But I could tell that this crude device held secrets. Secrets that could be mine."

-Machine-

-----

The Machine lives. And so do I. Day 6 complete,heck yeah,not too long now. I've had this idea since I saw the prompt on the calendar when it was posted. I had to.

You know,with the exception of… certain lines (*cough** cough* elevator scene *cough*) there's something interesting about hearing Wilson's dialogue. It's probably what he says (and what he lies about) that's intriguing,combined with Tim Simmons' voice acting,and the fact that he's such an important character in the plot that I have to pay attention to what he says,but there's something in his lines that ends up catching my attention, it's interesting! Also, yes, the guy highlighted in the background is him! Pre-Cycle experiments. You know, the days when he was healthy (and had hair). Eventually I will show here his complete design.

And while we're here, and I've never seen anyone mention this in here before: did you ever notice that the model of the little Ink Machine in ArchGate is different from the model used in Joey's apartment at the end of BATIM? The general design idea is still the same, but the model used in BATDR has certain differences when you compare it to what was used in the first game. Like, in BATIM, the machine has small wheels underneath it, but in Dark Revival, the wheels have been removed. Or how the model from the first game seems to be bigger than the one from the second game. (Or the fact that in DR the machine doesn't have extra gears on both of its bottom sides, but only one on the left side, which I only realized now after finishing this drawing, oops)

I thought it was something interesting to talk about.

(just to be clear, I'm not implying that the machine at the end of IM and the one at the beginning of DR are completely different machines in-universe. I'm sure the one on ArchGate is the same one that was in Joey's apartment, I just thought it was cool to note the design differences between the models, that's all haha)

[camillathe6th]

Snippet. You catch me, I catch you.

DISCLAIMER: Obviously, this is all inspired by Baldur's Gate 3 and Larian Studios. CONTEXT:  Another short snippet to explore my Tav's demeanour, her bullshit, the vibes of the group, her dynamics with Astarion and all that. The goal was to write your character(s) caught in a lie, and observed by a third party. Shadowheart is the POV of choice for this. SOME DETAILS: Hero is a bard, she plays the lyre, she loves psychic damage, she's weak of arms and poofy of shorts. If you're into her, she appears in another snippet here. I think that's all you need to know! There's no spoilers in this, this is just for fun and the location/quest is invented.

Somewhere in Faerûn, 1492. (SHADOWHEART)

It happens like it always happens—sometimes, more and more, I do wonder. I do wonder if they already know and delight in being caught all the same. The theatrics of the aftermath. Sharing something as real as anger by way of the lie.

The jewellery case lies at the back of the room; we have agreed to leave it alone. It will curse us all, said the sentry; it will mess with our heads, and our heads are already tilting on an unstable axis. Mine, because it is full of shadows; theirs, I surmise as they grow in power, because it is feasting on illithid parasites. Better focus on the delusions that come for us at night, and look away from the Amulet of Godliness.

I believe too much in gods to be tempted by it; Hero believes in them too little. But Astarion…

“I’ll scout ahead and lockpick the door,” he whispers, slipping on his gloves. “Wait for my signal.”

She is looking at him. She does not miss a beat.

“Careful”, she says, eyes alight with a spell I don’t know. “The turret’s beam falls right on the door. You can hide behind the jewellery case to reach the lock.”

She was looking at him; not at the room. I think my brow arch; but he doesn’t see, no: he is looking at her too.

“No traps on the jewellery case?”

She blinks away the diamond glow, and there she is again, the picture of innocence, her face as youthful and soft as a fairy stool.

“No traps,” she whispers, holding his gaze. “Just stick to the shadows, vampling.”

“Trust me, I always do,” he preens, his sharp chin raised, his sharp smile cutting.

She smiles back; here, now, next to his blade of a face, she looks like sweetness incarnate.

“I do trust you,” she says, quickly, just a breath, like a secret escaped, and with a touch at his wrist so fast and artful it manages to look instinctive. The need for contact. The impulse to connect. This is what faith does, doesn’t it?

Of course, that is her biggest lie of the day.

“And I trust you, little lyre,” he lies right back. His fingers against her cheek are a surprise: there is intimacy there I didn’t expect. He turns away quickly.

And there he goes, swift as a sigh, weaving in the darkness of the room, a bare glint of opal through the stone-forbidding hall. I lean back against the wall; our gazes follow his trajectory to the coffers and the case, behind which he disappears altogether.

“What are you doing?” I whisper.

She looks up at me. This time, the smile is genuine. I think.

“Just testing a theory.”

“You think the Amulet…”

The scREAM cuts me off. 

At the back of the room, a column of radiance has fallen on the jewellery case, and Astarion stumbles away with a howl, his graceful hand burnt charred black; around us, the room EXPLODES in sounds of shots and fractures; defensive turrets whirr to life, sweeping the ground for hidden intruders, blasting derelict statues to bits.

“Hero!” Astarion screeches, running towards us through the chaos, teeth bared. “I’m going to ki—”

“Don’t threaten me, you ass-white half-corpse!” Her eyes shine blue, her voice booms above the shattering of rock and glass; Astarion dodges a magical beam but hits the wall nearby, holding his head.

“Stop using vicious mockery every time we fight, or I will use my teeth,” he seethes.

“Is this really the time?” I sigh, redirecting one of the blasts with the blade of my glaive.

“My hand is burnt to a crisp!” Gods, his voice does really reach new heights when he is angry. “How dare you! You said there were no traps!”

“And you said you wouldn’t steal the Amulet of Godliness.”

Apparently, it is really the time. I roll my eyes and pull Hero through the latch from whence we came. This little detour heist will have to wait until the turrets’ have discharged.

“It’s called the Amulet of Godliness. Of course I was going to steal it,” Astarion huffs, following us lithely. “You’ve made your point. Now cure me.”

“No.” Here it is; that face is her genuine one: mouth hard, chin high, she looks like a petulant little lord. And he doesn’t like being lorded over.

“Cure me, bardlet, or I’ll have to take a hand for a hand,” he hisses, fangfull.

There’s something there, though, in the treat of the threat: after all, he could ask me to cure him. He prefers the game of inconsequential violence, I think: a dance of darts, an equal footing of non-lethal strikes. Her stubborn mask melts into a smile as whetted as his dagger.

In the dark, I sit on a chest we’ve already looted, smooth out my leather skirt, and settle for the show.

[queenofcats17]

I've been thinking about how I want to handle BATDR in my AU and this is what I've come up with.

So, after Henry frees everyone from the studio, GENT probably comes in and repossesses the machine, much to Tom and Joey's collective horror. They both try to argue that it should be destroyed, but GENT refuses to listen.

Tom and Joey end up meeting up quite a bit to try and figure out some contingency plans and what to do if the machine gets turned on. They actually start to become somewhat good friends during these meetings. Joey begins to really respect Tom and his knowledge and Tom admires how dedicated Joey is to trying to be better.

And then Nathan buys the machine and some other assets from the old studio.

Both Joey and Tom are nervous about this, but Joey's still in a bit of a self-deprecating slump, so he thinks his legacy would be better off in the hands of someone else. Not to mention, both Joey and Tom are pretty paranoid about what might happen if anyone finds out just what the Ink Machine is truly capable of.

Unfortunately, GENT has already figured out some of the machine's capabilities, having gathered data from the remains of the studio and the ink left behind once everyone was freed. And worst of all... Wilson has caught wind that something strange is going on with his father's old friend and the fact that he doesn't seem to have aged in the 20 years he's been gone.

So, Wilson goes and starts messing with the machine.

And Joey feels the first time it gets turned on. Fusing himself with the Ink Demon for 20 years gave him a connection to the machine and the ink that none of the other survivors have. So, he calls Tom in a panic and the two of them head over to the Arch Gate building. But, of course, they aren't let in. And by the time Joey manages to get Nathan over to let them in, the machine's been shut off and Wilson's cleared out.

This repeats a few times more times as Wilson goes back and forth, building up an empire in the studio world. After the first two or three times, it becomes clear that they can't keep rushing over every time Joey feels the machine turn on. So, they elect to just observe for now, with Joey telling Tom when he feels the machine be turned on so Tom can note it down.

In this case, I think an imprint of the studio would have been left in the ink. None of the people who were trapped there for those 20 years are there anymore, but imprints of them remain, captured in the ink. So, there's a twisted Alice Susie, a more perfect Alice Allison, a Tom Boris, a deranged Prophet Sammy, et cetera. So, it's a pocket dimension like the base game, but also a recreation of the real place.

And while Wilson is messing with the studio, Joey is having dreams about what's going on. But they're pretty vague, just sort of thoughts and feelings coming through from the Ink Demon.

I think by the point Wilson starts messing with the machine, Audrey's been working at Arch Gate for a while. Nathan probably hired her as a favor to Esther and Joey, wanting to give his friend's daughter an opportunity. Not that he goes around saying that, of course. And although Audrey is probably using the name Klein, Wilson knows she's Joey's daughter.

And, like, all the other times, Joey feels when the Ink Machine is turned on when Wilson drags Audrey in. But he also feels Audrey go in. Which leads to another panicked call to Tom to alert him. But Joey ends up going to the Arch Gate building on his own. He can't wait for Tom. He needs to go in there.

So, Joey ends up in the pocket dimension to try and rescue his daughter, forced to confront his mistakes once more.

I think he and Audrey do meet up pretty soon after she goes in. Maybe when she's getting ready to head to Artist's Rest. And, Joey had told her about the things he'd done after he was freed. But being told and actually seeing the devastation is another thing entirely.

I think the Ink Demon and Baby Benders would be especially hostile toward Joey because he perceives Joey as having abandoned him. The Ink Demon didn't get to be freed with the humans. He returned to the Ink. So he didn't understand why Joey had left and why he'd had to go through the pain of Wilson's experiments alone. A part of the Ink Demon also probably both resents and sympathizes with Audrey. Because, on one hand, he feels like Audrey is the child Joey chose. But on the other hand, he knows Joey abandoned Audrey too. So, the Ink Demon has some complicated feelings.

There also probably wouldn't be a cell for Henry in this, or a Henry at all, because it's not a timeloop. But Joey would probably get thrown into a cell when the Keepers catch Audrey and take her to Wilson. Which would mean he'd be the one going through The Cage plotline that's coming up.

I'm not entirely sure how things would end, but I think Joey and Audrey would try to work with Tom to figure out a way to help the memories left behind in the ink. Especially the Ink Demon, whose mind Joey knows he poisoned.

There would also probably be a very interesting conversation with Nathan about how his son is dead.

[clariannahoney]

Love Unveiled - Chapter Two

Plot: Thailand is known for its vibrant Boy Love (BL) culture, and Bangkok is the epicenter of it all. Two young men, both successful fashion designers in the city, have an intense rivalry that escalates to pure hatred. But when they're forced to work together on a project, they begin to realize their feelings for each other may run deeper than they thought. As they navigate through their complicated emotions and budding romance, they must also confront the reality of their status in the cutthroat world of fashion. Will they give in to their feelings or stay enemies forever?

As Kavin stepped out into the night, the city lights blurred before his eyes, a kaleidoscope of colors that mirrored the chaos within him. He walked aimlessly, the weight of Ravi's words pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. The air was thick with the scent of street food and exhaust fumes, but all he could smell was the lingering aroma of Ravi's cologne from their close proximity in the studio.

He found himself at a small, secluded park, its tranquility a stark contrast to the bustling city just beyond the gates. Slumping onto a bench, he stared up at the stars, trying to make sense of the emotions roiling within him. The sound of rustling leaves and distant traffic faded into the background as he replayed the day's events over and over in his mind.

The touch of Ravi's hand on his arm during a particularly heated debate about fabric choices flashed through his thoughts. The way their eyes had locked, conveying more than their words ever could. Kavin squeezed his eyes shut, willing the images to fade, but they only grew more vivid.

"You can't keep running from this," a voice inside him whispered. "Face it, Kavin. Face him."

With a deep breath, he stood up, determination steeling his resolve. He knew where he needed to go.

Back at Ravi's studio, the lights were still on, casting a warm glow against the night sky. Kavin hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the door handle. Taking a steadying breath, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

Ravi was there, bent over a table, his brow furrowed in concentration as he adjusted a seam. His hair was slightly mussed, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing tanned, muscular forearms. Kavin's throat went dry at the sight.

"I thought you left," Ravi said without looking up, his voice tinged with surprise.

"I couldn't," Kavin admitted, his voice rough. "Not until I figured some things out."

Ravi straightened, turning to face him fully. His eyes searched Kavin's face, reading the turmoil there. "What did you need to figure out?"

Kavin closed the distance between them, his heart pounding in his ears. "Us. This...whatever this is between us."

Ravi's gaze softened, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his features. "And what did you decide?"

Reaching out, Kavin cupped Ravi's cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over the stubble there. "That I don't want to fight it anymore. That I want...you."

Ravi leaned into the touch, his eyes darkening with desire. "Are you sure? Because I won't hold back if we do this."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Kavin murmured, his voice husky with need.

Their lips met then, a clash of heat and urgency. Ravi's hands gripped Kavin's waist, pulling him closer, while Kavin tangled his fingers in Ravi's hair, deepening the kiss. Their tongues danced together, exploring, tasting, claiming.

Breaking apart, they gasped for air, their breaths mingling in the space between them. Ravi's eyes burned with intensity as he pressed Kavin against the worktable, the sketches and fabrics crunching under their weight.

"Tell me you want this," Ravi demanded, his voice raw.

"I want this," Kavin breathed, arching into Ravi's touch. "I want you."

With a growl, Ravi kissed him again, his hands roaming over Kavin's body, mapping every curve and plane. Kavin moaned into the kiss, his own hands desperate as they sought to undress Ravi. Buttons popped free, fabric slid aside, exposing skin that begged to be touched.

Ravi's fingers traced the outline of Kavin's erection through his pants, sending shocks of pleasure coursing through him. Kavin bit back a groan, his hips bucking involuntarily.

"So responsive," Ravi murmured against his ear, his voice dripping with lust. "I love it when you lose control."

Kavin shuddered, his head falling back as Ravi's mouth trailed kisses down his neck, nipping and sucking, leaving marks that would tell of their passion. His hands fumbled with Ravi's belt, desperate to feel skin on skin.

Finally, they were naked, their bodies slick with sweat as they explored each other with feverish intensity. Ravi positioned Kavin on the table, his eyes never leaving Kavin's as he lined himself up and thrust inside.

Kavin cried out, his fingers digging into Ravi's shoulders as waves of sensation crashed over him. Ravi moved with relentless rhythm, his hips snapping against Kavin's thighs, each thrust driving them both higher.

"Look at me," Ravi commanded, his voice gruff with exertion. "See me, Kavin. See who I am."

Kavin's eyes locked with Ravi's, the world narrowing down to this moment, this connection. "I see you," he gasped, his body tightening around Ravi's. "I see everything."

With a final surge of strength, Ravi pounded into him, his release cresting like a wave, sweeping them both under. They came together, their bodies shuddering with the force of their climax, their cries echoing off the walls.

Spent, they collapsed against each other, their breathing ragged as they clung to one another. The room was silent except for their mingled sighs, the only sounds the beating of their hearts, synced in unison.

"We should talk about what this means," Ravi murmured, his voice soft against Kavin's ear.

"Later," Kavin replied, his lips curving into a tired smile. "Right now, I just want to hold you."

Ravi nodded, wrapping his arms tighter around Kavin. They lay there, lost in the aftermath of their passion, the future uncertain but no longer something to fear.

As the night deepened around them, they drifted into a contented sleep, their dreams filled with possibilities, their bodies entwined in a promise of more to come.