#blupjeans week

[yaboi-julien]

Last minute submission for @blupjeansweek!! (Day 7: Reunion)

Sorry I haven't been drawing at all lately, my health has been absolute trash lmao.

[blupjeansweek]

[ID: A white banner with black text and a drawing of bluejeans with heart patches on either leg. The text reads “Blupjeans Week 2024″. End ID.]

Announcing Blupjeans Week 2024, a whole week dedicated to Barry and Lup from the Adventure Zone Podcast!

The week will run from Sunday May 26th to Saturday June 1st, honoring the anniversary of Episode 64. Any creative content is accepted, so feel free to share whatever you create! AI-generated content will not be accepted.

For Visual Artists: image descriptions are deeply appreciated! I'd like to make sure this event is as inclusive as possible, and not having to describe all the images myself allows me to run things much more efficiently!

Prompts Are:

May 26: Memory

May 27: Alternate Universe

May 28: Strings

May 29: Duet

May 30: Kiss

May 31: Loss

June 1: Reunion

Tag your posts #blupjeansweek2024 and @blupjeansweek to make sure I see it! If your post is not reblogged within a day or two please send me the post through message so I can reblog it here!

Happy Creating!

[entguarde]

Day 1: Refuge @blupjeansweek

[Image description: A digital painting featuring Barry Bluejeans and Lup from The Adventure Zone. Lup is a slim elf woman with medium-brown skin. She has long, wavy brown hair with the tips dyed dark blue and cyan, like a flame. She has blue eyes. She is wearing her IPRE robe and a white t-shirt. She’s holding a sandwich

Lup is leaning on Barry’s shoulder. Barry is a fat white human man with light brown hair in a mullet, stubble, and hazel eyes. He’s wearing an IPRE jacket with a trans flag patch on the shoulder. He is also wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. He’s holding his glasses; they have square rims and the middle is taped together.

Barry is looking at Lup with a nervous but genuine smile, holding his glasses as if he were to clean them. Lup is looking up at him with a mischievous grin, and she’s chewing on a piece of her sandwich. They are both in a makeshift shelter made out of logs. It is dark out and raining, but the two are lit from below, and embers float in front of them. End description]

[ethersierra]

@blupjeansweek day 1: refuge

Barry and Lup are ready to visit Refuge for their second (? Who can keep count in Refuge) time.

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

@blupjeansweek day 1: Refuge

The sky opens up in a fickle instant. A moment ago, nothing but blue skies and fluffy clouds. The next, Barry’s clothes are getting soaked through and he’s looking for some kind of refuge from the storm. 

He ducks into the first structure that has something more substantial than a thatched roof. Lucky for him, he finds himself not in a private residence with an unhappy homeowner, but inside a cozy bookshop. Cozy is putting it gently; he's certain that there are more books than there are square feet in the shop. Precarious stacks loom taller than his head, small trinkets sit where they can find purchase, and handwritten signs vaguely outline some organizational structure. 

He can't see any kind of checkout desk or register. He assumes he's not intruding; the door was unlocked, after all. 

The shop smells mildewy, a signifier of a good bookshop. More signs lure him further into the shop, promising more books in branching rooms and rarer books downstairs. 

Thunder cracks outside, loud enough to make some of the stacks wobble. Further in it is.

He's several twisting hallways and branching rooms in when he sees another soul. A dark brown cat with tan stripes and intense brown eyes. It's perched on a desk, sitting like it owns the place. 

Barry keeps himself at a distance; doesn't want to risk an allergy flare up in such tight quarters. But he smiles at it. Truly he's cursed with his allergy whilst being fond of cats. It's never an allergy foisted upon cat haters, that's for sure.

The cat meows at him, almost expectantly. 

"Hey! Hi! I'm just checking the place out."

The cat meows again. More interrogatively this time. 

"I'm Barry." He sneezes, though whether it's from the dander or the rain, he isn't sure. 

The cat seems satisfied with this answer and stretches, walking its paws up a stack of sturdy hardbacks. One goes toppling off the stack. Barry bends down to pick it up, but a voice stops him. 

"Oh, I got that, don't worry about it!"

By the time Barry straightens up, the cat is gone and in its place is a beautiful woman, sitting on the desk, putting the book back in its place. 

If Barry were in some kind of fantasy novel, he'd remark on the similarities between the woman and the cat in a way that's somehow more than just people looking like their pets.

But that'd be silly. 

She smiles at him. "So. Barry. Are you cool?"

A frown. No? Historically, no. "Yeaaaaah," he says, surely so convincingly. 

"Just trying to see if you're a narc, dude."

"Not a narc."

"You sure? You gotta tell me if you are. That’s the law, probably."

"Hundred percent not a narc."

"Cool! I'm Lup. If you promise not to get rain on them, you wanna come down to the basement and see the collection of rare books I've got? I also have a pretty dope coffee maker down there, if that sweetens the deal for you." She pauses and ponders. "This isn't like, a Cask of Amontillado situation, I promise."

Barry laughs in spite of himself."Uh. Yeah, yeah, Lup. I'd love that. Promise not to rain on the books." In fact, he feels remarkably dry now. Weird. Must have been in here longer than he thought. 

"Dope! Follow me," she says, disappearing from sight with a remarkable speed. 

In fact, he doesn't see Lup trotting downstairs, but the cat from earlier. 

"Um. H-hey Lup? Are you the cat? Because you gotta tell me if you're the cat! It's the law, probably!" He gets no answer.

He follows the cat, of course. He thinks he has to. 

[soapsoupy]

Nothing wrong with being noisy in a library if it’s abandoned.

Happy blupjeans week! I am here just in time. @blupjeansweek

[image description: a watercolor painting of Lup and Barry from the adventure zone balance sitting and having a conversation on the floor of an abandoned library. Lup is a tan-skinned elf with curly, long blonde hair pushed back by a headband. She is smiling cheekily and holding a coffee mug. Barry is a pale-skinned human man with a brown mullet and patchy beard. He wears glasses and has one hand on Lup’s back. He is pointing at her excitedly with the other hand as though she just said something very funny. There are several empty speech bubbles above each of their heads. End ID.]

[orykorioart]

From Feb 2023

Legato Conservatory + When someone leaves your life.

[ID: A set of 2 parallel 3-panel-comic illustrations.

For the first image:

1st panel: Lup is front and center, excitedly holding hands with an off-screen Barry. She is smiling back at him as she runs, hair fluttering in the wind. Behind her are sunflowers blooming on a slightly pink background.

2nd panel: Lup and Barry’s intertwined hands, the background is a hazy pink and blue.

3rd panel: Barry is smiling up at Lup, following her hand in hand. Behind him are daisies flowing in the wind, on a slightly blue background.

For the second image:

1st panel: Lup in her red robe, hunched over, with a slash on her back. The background is a dark red and gray.

2nd panel: A hand holding the note saying, “Back soon”. The background is a dark gray.

3rd panel: Barry in his lich form, shedding a tear, with something resembling worry on his skeletal face. The background is a dark blue and gray.

End ID]

(Wanna try to finish the first part at least, bc I do really like the sketch)

[raspberrybluejeans]

i wanted to try and cough up one more picture for blupjeans week but i am fresh out of sauce. hexed myself with the last evil image i made

[noodyl-blasstal]

Cool, Calm, and Collegiate ch 1

It's @blupjeansweek!! Lup's returning to IPRE summer school for the first time since she attended it as a kid. Some of her colleagues are pretty awful, but one of them... Well... He's very interesting.

Find here or on ao3

--

Lup [14:45]

Made it safe, don’t burn the plants down and remember to water the kitchen.

Taako [14:45]

Instructions unclear. Filling bath with mayonnaise.

Lup [14:46]

You’re the worst <3

Taako [14:47]

Stop texting me and go teach kids space magic or whatever.

Lup [14:48]

You need to know I’m flipping you off right now.

Taako [14:48]

Never doubted you for a second, now go do your thing. Be safe, don’t talk to dogs, pet a lot of strangers.

Lup [14:48]

<3

Taako [14:48]

<3

Lup double checks the instructions, then stows her phone in her pocket, adjusts her rucksack, and definitely doesn’t give herself a pep talk, she doesn’t need to, she’s Lup fuckin’ Taako. They’re lucky to have her. These kids are gonna know so many things about space and magic and no one’s gonna act like she doesn’t belong.

“Eward! It’ll mess up my hair!” A tall elf looks perturbed as Edward, (her twin? Judging by the fact they look like mirror images they have to be, plus, twin recognises twin) holds out a satchel bag.

“It’s your bag, Lydia, dear.” Edward, clearly an optimist, continues to hold it out.

“Can’t Harry get it?”

“Oh yes. I’m sure he can come and sort this out.” Edward makes a sweeping gesture to the ever growing pile of bags and cases the poor taxi driver is piling on the pavement.

“I’ll call him.” Lydia snaps open her clutch.

Lup’s transfixed by her acid green nails and the wildly impractical heels. Not to mention Edward’s wearing a short sleeved suit jacket with embroidered shorts that Taako would kill for… how rude is it to photograph strangers?

“Harry… yes… sure, whatever… uh huh… well you’ll be glad to know that we’re here… yes… so can you come be a darling and get our bags?... I’m not sure that Daddy would like to hear that you’re being so unfriendly on our very first day… Thank you so much darling, we’ll see you soon.” Lydia grimaces and slides the phone back into her bag and shakes her head at Edward. “Such poor service here.”

It takes everything in Lup not to say something. Sure, their fashion sense is glorious, but they’re a caricature of awful if this is how they treat people. Lup’s ready to swing on poor Harold’s behalf. Not to mention the taxi driver they definitely didn’t tip, just waved her off once she’d finished hauling their ridiculous bags out of the minivan.

“Oh there you are, Harry, we’re just over here. Don’t worry about not being out front to meet us.” Edward smiles broadly, as if he’s not aware of precisely how much of a dick he’s being.

Lup’s willing to wager he knows exactly what he’s doing.

Harry though, assuming that’s the guy in the blue jeans who just walked reluctantly out of the front of the building, doesn’t look so confident. “Uh. Hi Lydia, Edward.” He tugs at the sleeves of his white shirt, clearly uncomfortable.

“So good to see you again.” Lydia says without looking at him.

“This is everything.” Edward points, as if there were a chance Harry might have missed the small mountain of wealth piled at the side of the road.

“And you need me to, uh, get some luggage trolleys?” Harry, poor sweet Harry, asks.

“If that’s what you need to move them to our rooms.” Edward shrugs, already scrolling on his phone.

“Did you check us in?” Lydia asks.

“Er… the accommodation office is…” Harry starts.

“Oh darling, these heels aren’t made for walking, are you sure you can’t just bring us the keys and let us know where we’re going?” Lydia titters and flutters her eyelashes at him.

Lup sends a beam of strength to Harry. Don’t fall for it, my dude, make them do their own life admin. You’ve go this.

“The accommodation office is over there.” Harry points.

Yes! Go, Harry, get ‘em!

“But darling, how will you know where to take our bags if you don’t check us in?” Edward asks, not looking up from his phone.

Lup watches the fight drain out of him. He fought a good fight…

“I’ll go to the accommodation office, which is over there.” Harry bites out.

At least he’s not trying to pretend he’s not pissed off any more. This is most definitely and absolutely not his job, for sure. Lup was under no illusions when she took this role. Science educator at a Summer education programme was never going to pay well, but coming here set her on the path she’s on now, and the least she can do is give back (and be legally allowed to make explosions for educational purposes.)

“Hey, Harold, mind if I walk with you? I haven’t been to the accommodation office before.” Lup catches up to him quickly, closing the distance in a few long strides.

When he turns to look at her his face is sour. “Please, uh, just, there’s no need to keep doing it.”

“Doing what?” Lup tilts her head, but doesn’t break her step. “Cha’girl needs to find the accommodation office, and you look like you know what’s up. It’s Lup, by the way.” She stops abruptly and offers a hand.

Harry stops too, looks at her for a moment, sizing her up. Then he smiles. “Barry.” He says, shaking it.

“Oh hell no.” Lup can feel the flush of heat spreading across her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, I just heard them say it and…”

“Yeah, well, they’re not always right.”

“Not often right, from what I’ve seen.” Lup mutters.

Barry laughs, once, sharp, perfect. “C’mon, I’ll show you the office.”

“Thanks Barry!”

His smile is glorious.

–

“I’ll help.”

“It’s fine.” Barry huffs as he tries to work out whether it’s better to wheel two suitcases at once in front or behind. “You’ve got your own stuff and you need to get settled.”

“Cha’girl has a single hiking bag because she’s not a complete maniac.” Lup rolls her eyes. “Plus, they’ll just complain if you leave anything on the side while you drop the first lot to their room.” She grimaces so Barry knows how wrong she thinks they are.

“You, uh, well, can’t argue with that.” Barry shrugs. Then adds, softly. “Thank you.”

Lup bumps his shoulder with hers. “Lup’s got you.”

She ends up with her rucksack, three bags on each arm, and the hair-mussing satchel (hair completely intact because she’s capable of operating a strap, thank you very much.) Barry wields two cases with his meat hands, and one with his mage hand. Lup copied him to get the last of the cases.

“How do people even have this much stuff?” Barry asks while they wait for the lift.

“Dedication? Perseverance?” Lup nudges him with her elbow, hands blessedly free as she’s laid the bags down to wait for the world’s slowest lift. “How much did you pack?”

“I didn’t have to, I live just off campus, uh, the street behind the student accommodation.”

“Oooh, happy accident that the job came up and you lived nearby?”

“Well, I… you know… work here. It’s new. But I said I’d help with the, er, the programme.” Barry looks embarrassed about this fact.

Lup raises her eyebrow. “I thought you said you were Barry?”

“I am.”

“They didn’t mention a Barry on any of the forms.” Lup knows for sure because she googled the fuck out of everyone and everything about the programme when she found out she got an interview.

“I’m not sure they put me on the letters or the websites or, well, uh, that stuff… plus, it’d by a different name.” He pauses. “It’s a long story.”

Lup points at the cheerful lift floor light which is currently still stuck on 19. “We’ve got time, my guy.” She’s going to go rogue and hack into the computers to fix it if this school is deadnaming him or something.

“Okay, it’s not really a long story, but I’m not on the forms because I help unofficially, and Barry isn’t my government name.”

“Okay?”

“I prefer Barry.”

“Barry Bluejeans.” Lup points at his denim-clad legs.

“Why not?”

“Do you not want them to use your other name?”

“No no, it’s fine, it’s just for, you know, business. It’s what’s on my office door, it’s Sildar.”

“I never thought I’d know two! Sildar! Elf King of the Forest, Thirteenth of his Line…” Lup swishes her imaginary cloak and laughs gently. “Destroyer of…”

She stops, Barry looks stunned. Shit. Maybe he was more sensitive about his name than he made it sound. She’d fallen into a comfortable pattern. Lup closes the distance between them. “Oh, my dude, sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, that’s an…”

“...In joke.” Barry finishes for her. Then draws himself up to a majestic height and swishes his own cloak. “Destroyer of Ill Informed Zombies.” He’s smiling.

“Hallwinter?”

“Tacco?”

“Barry?”

“Lup?”

“What the fuck?” Lup swears she’s buffering, she’s usually not short of words, but this? What is she supposed to do with this? Sildar, in the flesh, not just a guy in a computer. “You’re real!”

Barry laughs. Hard.

Lup pokes him in the side.

“Ow!”

“Just checking.” She smiles her biggest smile.

He laughs again and it sets Lup off too. They’re still gasping for breath when the door the lift light finally blinks another floor down.

“Did the last email help?” Barry asks, pressing the lift button again, as if that’ll help.

“Yeah! The way you explained it made a lot more sense than the textbook.”

“Cyrus.” Barry says like it’s a particularly awful curse word, and shrugs dismissively.

“So you have roughly three thousand degrees?” Lup asks.

“No!” Barry protests quickly.

“Uh huh. Have you forgotten how many you have?”

“It’s only four PhDs. It’s fine. Erm… Look! The lift’s moving.” Barry points enthusiastically at the blinking light which shows a whole floor’s worth of progress.

“You can’t distract me from the fact I’m with academic royalty right now.”

“I’m not academic royalty!” Barry looks offended at the very thought.

Lup just wiggles her eyebrows. “Oh Sildar, can’t I please have your autograph?”

“Lup!” Barry looks genuinely distressed enough that she decides it’s time to stop bullying him.

“So what’s the best meal on the canteen rotation? I figure you’ve been here a little bit? You said you were moving in your email last month, right?”

Barry’s discomfort fades immediately. “So they make this mac and cheese with asparagus in it and the summer school kids hate it because it’s got green bits so they always give you extra. I figure it’ll be different once the students are back, but uh, I guess you’ll be gone then?”

Lup shrugs. “Gotta wait on the post docs to get back to me, but my cheese yen thanks you for the baller tip! What else you got for cha’girl? I’m gonna plumb your depths.”

There’s a long moment. Lup dares Barry to double her entendre. He thinks about it, she can tell, but he doesn’t. She’s not disappointed exactly… but.

By the time the lift finally arrives Lup knows where the quiet libraries are, has a few routes for her morning runs, and, most importantly, knows where to get the good coffee (The Davey Lamp Cafe or Barry’s office. She’s inclined to try the latter first, because Barry has good taste, obviously, no other reason.)

“Okay, tetris time!” Lup zoops the mage hand suitcase into the lift, Barry shoves his in close behind.

“Do you think we can do this?”

“Cha’girl has better things to do than wait another 84 years for the lift, Barold, prepare to get cosy.”

Lup shoos him in with the suitcases next.

“Okay, if I put the bags on top of the cases, and then…” Lup scooches into the, admittedly small, gap next to Barry. “Is this okay?”

“Uh, yeah, fine… er.. Good… I mean… Yeah.”

“Do you want me to get the next one?”

“No! No. I mean, this is okay.” Barry’s swaying very slightly, Lup’s pressed against his side, so sways with him.

“They’re floor 26, right?” Lup asks.

“Oh, fuck, hang on.” Barry lunges towards the buttons. “Yeah, there we go.”

The lift grinds slowly upwards.

“So why IPRE? I imagine everyone was clamouring to get their hands on you?” Lup wiggles her eyebrows and Barry flushes bright pink.

“Well, uh, you know… I really liked their er… ethos?” Barry starts tentatively.

“Funding?”

Barry laughs, relieved. “Yeah, that. They have plenty of funding available. Plus, they seemed interested in letting me, you know, work on some of my own stuff.”

“Bonds?” Lup hisses quietly, as if anyone could hear over the slow grinding noise of The World’s Shittest Lift.

Barry nods and his face lights up. “You remembered?”

“Hard to forget when someone’s so passionate about something, Barold.”

“It’s also closer to Mum.”

“Of course. How is Marlena?”

“Still raving about the cookies you sent. She said they were as baller as you promised, and that you’d promised you would only send them to her so I had to come visit if I wanted to try them.”

“Who am I, but a girl who is willing to engage in cookie crime to help a Mum out.”

“I visit her!”

“I know.” Lup nods, he’s talked a lot about wishing he was closer, especially as she gets older.

“Now I can go more.” Barry adds.

“You sure can, I’d better look at the recipe book.” Lup winks at him.

–

“Leave them here.” Lup shrugs. “You’ve done your bit.”

Barry dithers, and knocks again. “I don’t know why they went ahead of me to get the key when they specifically asked me to check them in.”

“Weird power play.”

“Really?”

“Definitely, I’ve met their sort before. Just leave their stuff here, don’t hang around waiting. You’re the guy, they’re nothing in the scheme of research. This is absolutely not your problem.”

“Yeah. Yeah…” Barry keeps his hands on the cases.

“Barold?” Lup takes his arm gently to pull him away.

Barry twitches slightly, like he’s about to pull his arm back, there’s a moment where Lup worries that she’s gone too far. Sure they’ve sent some emails, they joked in the lift, but this is Sildar Halwinter, Magic Science guy. He wrote the textbooks, or should have, he’s got the cutting edge papers… He’s not just a cute nerd for Lup to boss about. Thankfully though, he relaxes, lets himself be tugged away towards the lift.

“Yeah. You’re right. I’ve given them enough of my time.”

“Yes! That’s the spirit.” Lup punches the air. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Which floor are you?”

“3.” Lup says. “I don’t have fancy parental connections to get the good view.

“Well, at least you’re in luck if the lift goes out.” Barry says wrly.

“You truly are a genius, Dr Hallwinter.” Lup nods cheekily.

Barry throws her a sideways glance, and smiles. There’s no blush this time, maybe he’s easing into it.

This time, they stand slightly further apart in the lift.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Barry asks. He sounds like he means it.

Lup wants to say yes immediately. There’s absolutely nothing she can think of that Barry can do for her right now, but she likes hanging out with him. He’s fun to talk to online, and more fun in person, if just for the immediacy… also she gets to look at his face. Er… she means… shit.

“I’m not sure I need a hand with my bag, but you’re welcome to come check out the digs if you want?” She realises too late that it sounds like she’s propositioning him. ‘Come look at my room’, she may as well ask the guy in for coffee.

“I’ve actually already surveyed the rooms, so I’ll let you get settled, but if you decide you want coffee before the staff briefing this evening then stop by my flat, I’m heading home for a few hours.” Barry smiles warmly.

Uh… did Barold just uno reverse her? Bam! Proposition me will you? Here’s one right back! No, no way, he probably just means coffee. Would she go if she thought he didn’t just mean coffee?... Nope, stop! Bad line of thinking. He’s being kind, it’s generous. They’re friends! She’ll see.

“Cool, I’ll get settled, write a postcard, then maybe head over when I go to post it?”

The lift dings to announce its arrival at the third floor. “No pressure, I’ll see you later, Lup.”

–

Hey Ko’

I know you’re gonna roll your eyes, but you’re getting postcards, just like we wrote to Tia back in the day. Today was fine. Those twins I messaged about are fucking awful (that’s right, I can swear in these now, when you’re the teachers no one checks!) they kept calling this guy Harry, turns out his name’s Barry. Barry Bluejeans (well, not officially the last bit, but he was wearing them, so sue me.) They made him carry their bags, so obviously I helped, and we got talking and I was all “he’s really cool. No idea why they’re so mean to him”. Anyway, anyway, turns out his Government name isn’t Barry. It’s Sildar fucking Halwinter! That one, yeah. So I guess my pen pal is my person pal for the next 8 weeks… I’m gonna make the most of it, I just need to figure out which questions to ask.

Anyway, I’m running out of postcard space, but it’s all pretty similar to how it was, the room’s slightly nicer, only one bed and a private bathroom (thank every god going, I’ll never forgive Greg Grimaldis his bathroom crimes), but it’s still student digs.

Love you always,

Lup xxxxx

---

Thank you for reading! Find chapter 2 here.

[forestknifefight]

Blupjeans Week Day Two!

I thought a modern au working on a pier like Santa Monica Pier would be so fun. Please enjoy!

There is a man in a red robe and crisp, blue denim. He leans over the edge of a grandiose metal hull and stares out at the stares as they pass by. He realizes that he’s being watched, and his body tenses for a moment.

He turns and smiles behind horn-rimmed glasses. The corners of his eyes wrinkle delightfully. He looks happy and in love. Beautiful.

“Lu-Lu,” Taako says after Lup finishes describing the dream she had the night before. “You’re being a bit delusional. Delulu, even.”

Lup’s face pinches. She holds her index finger up in front of her brother’s face. “First off, you know how I feel about Lu-Lu, and second, be nice to me, I saw the literal man of my dreams.”

“Yeah, of your delusional dreams,” Taako mutters. He steps to the side and wipes down the grill of his taco stand, cleaning grease from it.

Lup adjusts her position on the bar stool stationed in the corner of Taako’s small kitchen. She grips the edge of the seat cushion and leans forward.

“No, no, Taako, you know this, we’ve discussed this,” she insists. One of her hands comes up, and she points at her temple. “Our brains can’t construct a human face. Every face we see in our dreams, we’ve seen in real life. That means I’ve seen this beautiful, horn-rimmed man before. I need to see him again.”

Taako whips around to face his sister. “Lup, we’ve seen a lot of people,” he says. “We work on a pier. You run a rollercoaster. Speaking of! Don’t you have to be at work right now?”

Lup straightens her back, her face contorting into offense. “You just don’t support my goals and dreams.”

“Not when they interfere with my cooking.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Now get out.”

“Fine.” Lup jumps down from the stool and swipes her bag from the floor next to it. She digs through it and pulls out her employment-issued hat labeled “The Firebolt” and slams it over her head. “I will go to work. I will also not be giving you a free ride today.”

She leaves the small stand, the sound of Taako calling that he doesn’t care following her. She walks around the stand, glancing up at the glittering Sizzle it Up with Taako sign, and rolls her eyes.

The Firebolt is not that far down the pier from Sizzle it Up, but having to wade through crowds of tourists doubles the amount of time it takes to get to the coaster. She rocks up to the control panel, dropping her back next to it, and grins up at Magnus.

“Sorry I’m late, Taako just would not stop talking my ear off,” she says, the lie falling easily past her lips.

Magnus waves his hand at her dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, Lup, sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He scoops up his backpack and descends the rickety metal staircase of the ride.

“Later, Maggie!” Lup calls after him.

She double-checks the settings on the control panel before nodding with satisfaction. She and Magnus run this coaster like a well-oiled machine. She jumps down from the panel to the short line, collecting tickets from each passenger as they step up to board a car.

A slightly shorter-than-average red-haired guy hands her a ticket, and she takes it with a smile. He takes the first couple of steps up to the platform before looking back at his friend.

The friend comes up next and extends a ticket to Lup. She wraps her fingers around it and looks up at the passenger.

Her breath catches.

It’s him.

The beautiful, horn-rimmed glasses of the man she saw in her dream. He stares at her in awe, like he’s dreamt of her before as well.

Lup drops her hand from the ticket. “Congratulations, you get to ride for free today,” she says with a wide grin.

A pink blush colors his cheeks. “O-Oh, really?” he stutters. “Th-thanks, uh…” he trails off as he steps past her and up after his friend.

“Oh, me?” she says with a purposefully accentuated drawl and a hand over her chest. “I’m Lup.”

“Lup…” he says wistfully. He smiles at her, and the corners of his eyes crinkle delightfully. “I’m Barry.”

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Day Three - Myth

There’s something incredibly disconcerting about being able to see your own breath when you breathe out. For someone like Lup, it was always a reminder of where she came from. Cold, windy nights on the street with Taako, hidden in the back alleys of a city that never really went dark, unless you knew where to look. The chill was part of the reason they had moved away. Starting a fresh life somewhere warm had always been the goal.

It didn’t get cold out here. Even in the winter, the lowest it would drop would be the mid-forties. Lup hadn’t seen natural ice in years.

But here she was.

To be completely honest, being a YouTuber wasn’t the hot shit that it was made out to be. To be even more honest, Lup and Taako often put their lives in major jeopardy with the cryptid hunting videos. They had never actually gotten any solid evidence that the cryptids they were looking for existed, but that’s what video editing was for. Instead, the danger came from being out in places like the woods she was in now. Far enough away from town to lose even the shittiest of wifi, deep enough into nature that no one would know where to find her.

They took a lot of measures to make sure they never got separated. And now Lup was out in the woods by herself, with her way too expensive camera and a sweater not heavy enough for the chill that had settled over the area.

And the camera wasn’t even working. It had been static all night, but now it had dissolved into straight nothingness. There was nothing Lup could do to get the view back in focus, or back at all. Maybe if she hadn’t been so focused on it, she would have felt colder. Maybe she would have watched her step more carefully.

Maybe-

There was a flash of red from her left. Lup staggered slightly, then stopped walking. She aimed the camera towards it, just in case. If she was about to get murdered or some shit, then at least they’d have video evidence.

And she’d not be going down without a fight, thanks to the obsessive amount of pocket knives Magnus had given her. They had gotten her out of more than one shitty situation before and she could do it again.

The temperature seemed to drop lower. Just being able to see her breathe was something, but now the cold was starting to seep into her lips and fingers.

Logically, she should stay put. She hadn’t strayed far from where she lost track of Taako. Or Taako lost track of her, or whatever. But there was a dread creeping up her throat that had started with the static and increased with the chill. If it came down to fight or flight, she couldn’t exactly choose the latter and leave Taako behind.

And it was only when the screen of her camera cracked into shards that Lup realized. Oh.

Fuck.

Despite doing this for several years, they never really encountered a cryptid before. Like, duh. It’s not like they exist. If the Mothman was real, someone deffo would have gotten that guy on camera. If Bigfoot was out there somewhere, he’d probably be trying to buy some fuckin’ Air Jordans or something. If the Red Robe existed, then he would have been recorded already. The flimsy excuse of him “breaking cameras” was supposed to have been a convenient sidestep.

But here she was. Cameraless, freezing, and stuck staring at the red, hooded figure emerging from the trees.

He was fucking terrifying. Where there should have been a face beneath his hood, there was a curling ball of static that dripped down his chest. What could have been hands looked more like inky black claws, curved and pointed, much like the dozens of pocket knives Lup had on her. Past his knees, the robe began to fade away, leaving a wisp behind him, tangled up in static and empty air.

It was horrifying. But when he spoke—

When he spoke, Lup figured that the most awful part of it all was the ache in her chest.

“Lup,” he said, in what might have been some sort of twisted joy or disbelief. “Lup, you came back.”

Fight or flight, baby. And Lup was all out of flight.

She pulled the pocket knife out of her sleeve.

[blupjeansweek]

Hello All! I'd like to Gauge interest for Blupjeans Week 2024!

[entguarde]

@blupjeansweek day 4: AU

Did yall know that i have an entire fucking bird au locked and loaded at the ready (species list at @i-morko)

[image description: a digital lineless illustration of Barry Bluejeans and Lup from The Adventure Zone, except both are sulid birds.

Barry is depicted as a blue-footed booby, with cream body feathers, brown wings, and brown speckles going into his face. His face is bald and a blue-ish gray. His eyes are blue. His beak is long and spear-like

Lup is depicted as a northern gannet, she’s a bit smaller than Barry. She’s almost completely white, save for the cream-yellow feathers on her head. She has a dark mask over her face and light blue skin over her eyes. Her beak is like Barry’s, except hers has a stripe going down the side.

They are tapping the sides of their beaks together in a bonding display, and both are smiling. Barry is looking at Lup, who has her eyes closed. End description]

[herbgerblin]

I missed Blupjeans week but they still live rent-free in my brain

ID: A comic of Lup, an elven woman talking to Berry, a human man. Lup has tan skin, curly blonde hair, and is wearing a t-shirt, pajama shorts, and slippers. Her shirt says "Born on a mountain, raised in a cave, truckin' and fuckin' is all that I crave." Barry has pale skin, graying brown hair, glasses, and is wearing a plain t-shirt, jeans, and shoes.

In the top panel, Lup is standing over Barry, while he is seated on the floor with the Light of Creation resting on a large metal podium that Barry has clearly been tinkering on. Lup asks, "Hey Babe?" Barry replies, "Oh! Hey Lup! I had no idea you were up!" "Interesting," Lup says. "Real quick, do you remember a certain talk that we had not too long ago?" "A talk?" Barry asks. "Yeah," Lup says. "It was something of a "eureka moments that happen after 10:00pm can wait til the morning" talk." "Well," Barry says. "1:00am is technically morning-" Lup cut in. "It's 4:13am babe."

In the bottom panel, Barry says, "Oh man, really? I'll start packing it in." Lup is now sitting on her haunches in front of Barry in the light. She says, "After you tell me what this latest eureka moment is about" End ID.

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

@blupjeansweek May 30th: Bones

Note: please be aware this particular piece deals with character death and extended observations on human decomposition

Humidity hangs heavy in the air as the river lazily moseys by. The sky’s marred by a bloated cloud full of discontent. All life in the area seems to have better things to do than bask in the dark, sunless afternoon. Certainly, the lich floating by doesn’t help with their unease.

He’s been growing fonder and fonder of the slow life, living on the edges of civilization. Fewer people interrogating him on what kind of discord he plans to sow. (None. He’s just a lich. Leave him alone). However, he grows weary of seeing only the few hundred feet of the cave he’s taken to calling home. There’s only so long he can study his tomes; his whole life was devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, to becoming an accomplished wizard. The preeminent necromantic scholar. A lich.

What all the writings fail to mention is what you’re meant to do after. He was so consumed by seeing if he could do it that he failed to have a plan for when he did. He supposes he never really expected to succeed. He supposes now he ought to keep testing and honing his power.

He prefers taking walks in the sun-dappled woods.

On days like this, he can almost feel the wind on his skin.

What he can definitely feel is this odd pull downriver. It’s been creeping on him like kudzu all morning; gently at first, but now all encompassing. It’s hard to describe, this pull. The best he can liken it to is how the first tome that held information about becoming a lich felt in his hand. Like whatever it is he discovers at this source will fundamentally change his life.

Preposterous.

But can it really hurt to follow this pull? Not like his calendar is overflowing with appointments.

So he does. For some hours, it feels as though he’s just wandering aimlessly through the woods; maybe that’s what he’s doing, chasing some phantom sensation. But he has to believe that it’s something more than that. He’s got an awful lot staked on the strength of his belief now, might as well test it.

-

He becomes less sure of himself the closer he gets. If he were corporeal, he’s certain his feet wouldn’t let him go any further. There’s some kind of tangible pressure on his chest, as though some unseen force is trying to keep him at bay. The unseen force beckoning him forward is stronger.

And so he continues his pursuit of the unknown.

But as he comes upon a pond that the river feeds into, he’s convinced he was better off ignorant.

Back by the treeline, he sees something at the far end of the pond, floating on the glassy surface. His stomach twists; it looks like a dead swan. Beautiful creatures. He’s not sure that he’s ever seen one this close.

He’s at the edge of the pond when he realizes his mistake. Floating serenely on the pond’s surface is a pallid corpse.

If he doesn’t look too closely, it isn’t a corpse. Could just be a sunbather. But no. No.

He has half a mind to turn back immediately. But that damned force that has been dragging him here all day won’t let him leave that easy.

He can’t leave her there to the elements. Gods only know what kind of creatures lay below the surface, ready to make a meal out of her. He supposes that’s the circle of life, but he can’t be party to that. His mother raised him better than that.

It’s with a great deal of effort that he gets her to shore. Clever spellwork only slightly improves the ordeal; he’s trying to be delicate, as well. No, she can’t feel a bump or scrape now, but shouldn’t we all be given some softness in death?

Maybe becoming a lich has also turned him into a loon. But she’s out of the pond, laying waterlogged on the bank. After a moment’s hesitation, he gathers a handful of orange and blue and pink flowers growing in small clumps near the water and places them around her.

This whole thing feels perverse. He doesn’t know her. He knows nothing about her. But it feels important, not letting her go unacknowledged in death.

So he sits near the bank beside this unknown corpse. He makes several false starts at a speech, but decides that he ought not to.

He sits beside this unknown corpse for so long that time goes a little soupy. He’s not sure where this kind of unflinching duty to sit sentinel at her side has come from, but he’s hardly the type to question.

It’s after a few days that her hair appears to fall out in clumps.

And a few days more when she’s a myriad of colors not unlike the flowers Barry set beside her.

And more days and more days and more days until Barry is no longer sitting next to a pallid corpse or an exquisite garden or decay, but a collection of pale bones.

He’s staring again, he’s certain. The smattering of bones look like inkblots to him. A ladder here, still a damned swan there, a fiddle here still.

Because it’s remarkable how easy it is to go from breastbone to fiddle. Perhaps you’ve never considered.

Barry had certainly never considered that.

There’s a first time for everything, though.

-

There’s something to be said about wanting to remain a student forever. We all like to believe ourselves to be great students of the world, never tiring of learning.

That’s all well and good when learning botany or woodworking or poetry.

Less good when you're a student of death magic.

He likes to think he was normal once, though when you devote all your time to ghastly rituals with ghoulish components, you likely relinquish your right to normalcy.

However normal he was once doesn’t matter, now that he’s staring peculiar in the eye. Rather, the neck. And the body. And other fiddle pieces.

He’s crafted a fiddle from the hair and breastbone and other bones of that poor woman. Which sounds exquisitely bad just saying it outright. But it’s part of the bylaws of lichdom, collecting and creating macabre memorabilia.

He’s certain that this takes the cake and not just for the sheer fact of what it is.

This fiddle he has crafted is cursed.

That’s impolite. Cursed probably isn’t the correct adjective. Barry knows he’s no great violinist, however he doesn’t believe that a lack of skill is the source of his unease regarding the instrument he has created.

This fiddle he has crafted only plays a single song.

He’s tried little lullabies his mother used to sing to him, catchy earworms he’s heard bards perform in taverns, depressing funeral dirges. Nothing sticks. Everything is this dreadful song that sounds like the howling wind and pouring rain.

This fiddle he has crafted sings a mournful song of how she died.

The song is slow and haunting, it tells tale of a man she and her brother traveled with and trusted for over a year. Their trust was misplaced. They all worked odd jobs together. Evidently his plan was to poison them both and escape with all their money and belongings, but his plan didn’t quite work the way he planned.

This fiddle he has crafted was overcome with grief at the loss of her brother.

She did all she could to make him well. To bring him back. And it was all in vain. The traveling companion long gone, she simply wailed and wailed until her heart gave out. Her wail still rides the wind. Her tears fell like rain.

This fiddle he has crafted succumbed to a broken heart.

This fiddle he has crafted has unfinished business.

This fiddle he has crafted will only sing a single song.

-

It takes time to acquire all the necessary components.

Each night, before his facsimile of sleep, Barry plays the fiddle. And each night the fiddle repeats its mournful refrain of the dreadful wind and rain.

And one night, when each and every ritual requirement is met, his fiddle is no more.

On that night, he meets an elf named Lup.

He listens to her story, a reprise of a now familiar tune.

On this night, he makes a promise to her. A promise to help restore her brother.

And it is a promise he intends to keep.

[blingblandart]

it's blupjeans week apparently so here's a meme