#but there was no version of it uploaded here so i had to straight up RIP IT FROM MY CD to upload the mp3... the things i do

[transxfiles]

And when he came to Ballymore, he stole the Parson's car And he sold it to the Bishop in the town of Castlegar

[clairegregoryau]

I've been tracking this down for a while now and I've finally found confirmation of what I suspected: Google Maps imagery for Piha Beach in Aotearoa New Zealand captured the setup for filming of Our Flag Means Death's Season 2, Episode 8!

[EDIT 25 June: the north end current imagery is sadly no longer this version, but I've captured it for posterity here, and it's still visible in the free Google Maps Pro app- read on for more info].

On the left is the north end of Piha Beach with the inn set. On the right is the south end carpark with the film crew base.

Why is that cool to me? Because it truly was a fleeting moment in time, no more than a handful of days of possibility, and yet it was captured as the image on the map, at least for a period of time. As an archaeologist I love a moment preserved in time, and in this one you can even see the OFMD production crew on the beach and on the path. It's places and people caught in the flashbulb of this aerial image.

The specifics of how I pinned down the imagery and the date are in this Twitter thread, but the short version is, I was hunting for a better visual on the area immediately surrounding the inn while writing Full Fathom Five, and noticed that the carpark in particular seemed to line up exactly with images from the final day of filming.

The final day of filming overall was 13 December 2022, filming at Piha was on 12 December 2022, and this aerial image was taken on 11 December 2022.

I had already been through the first image to make a comparison to the aerial map and it looked like a match, but Google Maps had 2024 in their attribution. [Noting that I'd put 13 Dec on my image notes, but I'd got that tangled with the last day of filming in the Kumeū studio the next day, and it was 12 Dec on location].

Thankfully Google Earth came through with the actual date.

And I just took a further dig into Google Earth Pro, which allows you to switch between previous satellite images, and it confirms a date of 11 December 2022 for the north end image as well.

[EDIT 9 September 2024- thinking about this again and suddenly realised... you know what, very often things will put the date it was in the US when a picture was taken, even when that picture was taken on the other side of the world, in a different timezone. Which made me realise that actually, if this was taken on the 11th of December in the US, that was on the 12th of December in AoNZ. A quick search shows that Google Maps confirms the date can be one day out, so- odds increasing that we're seeing the actual filming of Ep8 here!]

You can also compare this to a few months earlier in March 2022, right around the premiere of OFMD S1 (everything moved so fast in hindsight!) when there was no inn in that spot.

Which means we now know that for now, if you hop onto Google Maps (not Google Earth, because they have a different image for the north end that does come from 2024) and zing on down to Piha Beach, you can take a look at a preserved moment in time from the filming of S2Ep8.

[EDIT 25 June: the north end image has now been updated to the 2024 version across all of Google Maps and Google Earth, but the south end is for now still from the filming day. You can find the previous version for the north end on Google Earth Pro].

You can hop straight to the inn here.

And straight to the parking lot here.

And remember to put the layers into Satellite mode to view the aerial imagery.

Everything that was/is shown at the north end lines up with what we've seen both in the show and in behind the scenes content, all of which I delved into in this Twitter thread last month. That goes into a lot more detail about specifics, but the evidence is solid across the board.

The sandy path that runs beside the inn is a distinct feature seen in the show.

The peak that sits behind it, likewise (from Google Maps user uploads here and here).

The inn itself, and the way the path gives way to an unseen carpark, from Simone Nathan's TikTok video.

Based on all of that, it's easy to see that we've got our inn right here circled in red, preserved in that moment in time, even though it was no doubt taken down as soon as filming was done.

Prep looks like it took a couple of days before filming; filming was pretty much done in a day, according to an article at the time.

So, there you have it- it's a minor little thing and it won't be up forever, but for now you can hop into Google Maps and see an aerial view adjacent to the filming of S2Ep8 at Piha. The other beach scenes from Eps 1, 3 and 8 were filmed at Te Henga/ Bethells Beach.

[thehazelmist]

So, I just had a dream about Mr. Puzzles (SMG4). It's very weird, so brace yourself. - Mr. Puzzles/Reader Fanfiction I guess??? created by: HazelMist's Unconscious

Um, so…I just had a strange dream with Mr. Puzzles. Specifically, a dream where he announced the new PuzzleVision merch. It was a 1960s style commercial…kind of, I guess. I have barely watched any 1960s commercials, so I'll just say It was black and white, except for Mr. Puzzles smile. and the commercial was animated.

So In the start of the dream, I wake up. and see In my notifications, that SMG4 uploaded a video. titled "NEW PUZZLEVISION MERCH!" I was extremely excited and hoped they had made a plushie of Mr. Puzzles. so I clicked on it, and uh...this Is how the commercial was.

So, he Is first walking down a lonely street, and see's someone leaning on a pole. uh, that person was Y/N... And they were wearing a plain T shirt, with oversized baggy pants. Not very fitting for the 1960s, but 🤷‍♀️. Mr. Puzzles noticed them, and walk right up to them and said

"Well, hello there my dear~! I'm your friend Mr. Puzzles, and- Oh god, what the hell are you wearing. Your outfit Is so boring, It makes an Average Joe look special."

Uh…Couldn't tell If my unconscious was insulting me or not, because I enjoy wearing plain T shirts and baggy pants. Then Y/N looked down in embarrassment. Then Mr. Puzzles grabbed their hand, and kept walking. but Mr. Puzzles was so tall, that Y/N was almost tripping. but then he stopped, and looked right at Y/N, and suggested

"Hey, I've got the solution to your problem! Why don't you buy some of the latest PuzzleVision merchandise? Your fashion sense would be amazingly blinding! Why not try on our Mario's Mysteries T shirt? Blue's clues and Mario fans would be confused by your stunning (not bootleg…) shirt, and you would attract many PuzzleVision fans!"

The shirt was basically the Mario's Mysteries thumbnail, Then he handed Y/N the shirt, and they responded "W-Wha..? but I don't even watch-" Then Mr. Puzzles cut them off

"Oh, and If you didn't like Mario's Mysteries, we have T shirts of our other episodes too! It would normally be 300.000.00$, but since you are special to me~ I'll make a discount! It's now only 30.00$!"

The shirts were also the thumbnail of the episodes. Then he threw them In a dressing room, and Y/N came out with the Once upon an SMG4 T shirt on. Mr Puzzles clapped his hands excitedly and said "Oh my dear! You look absolutely gorgeous! And If you get cold with only a T shirt, Buy our Mr. Puzzles Hoodie! It's 50.00$!"

The hoodie was a picture of Mr. Puzzles sitting in a chair, with his legs crossed. with a smug face. then afterwards, he said to them

"And I will be going soon, but If you want to keep me with you forever, then you should get…"

Then he pulled out a Mr Puzzles plushie, except It looked kinda weird. He didn't have his bowler hat, and he didn't have his color bar smile, It was just a straight line for a mouth. Anyways, he continued

"This adorable version of me, In plush form! Take It with you everywhere you go! Or If you don't want to get it dirty, just keep It on your shelf! But If you aren't the plushie collector type, Here Is an awesome figurine!"

It was a figurine of Mr. Puzzles doing a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure esque pose, with his maniacal face. and then he showed another figurine.

"Oh, and here Is another action figure of….that one inkling guy!"

The figurine barely looked like Oneshot wren though, and It wasn't even an Inkling. It looked like someone tried to recreate Wren In Plotagon. and didn't Western Spaghetti already have It's own merch? I kind of forgot what else Mr. Puzzles said, but he showed some Mr Puzzles Pins and Keychains that were both In chibi style. they were really cute! not like that Oneshot Wren figure…And after showing all the merch, He said

"Now, Let's skip time to a few weeks, and see how much these items have affected you!"

And then there was the Spongebob time card that said "2000 years later" and we are back with Mr Puzzles and Y/N, Except he is holding a microphone now, and asks them

"So, how much have my great merch helped you In life?" and then Y/N says something like "Nothing much has changed-"

and then the commercial rewinds, and goes back to when Mr. Puzzles asked that question. and then Y/N says "Oh, I feel much more happier now! with my amazing T shirts, I have so many more friends, and everyone wants to hang out with me! and I am enjoying your company, In plush form! Thank you, Mr. Puzzles!"

Then Mr. Puzzles responded "You're welcome! Have a great day, my darling!

Then, the commercial cuts to a blank screen, showcasing all the merch. and some strange announcer voice, that was definitely not Mr. Puzzles, their voice was very deep. says something like… "Go buy the new PuzzleVision Merch In smg4.store today!"

And then the video finished, and I was very confused of what I just saw. but then I might have waken up.

and uhhh…I think thats all I remember. If you made It this far, thanks for reading me ramble about some nonsensical dream I had last night. I probably dreamt It because I am TERRIBLY DESPERATE to have a Mr. Puzzles plushie. If I feel like It, I might try to make an animatic based on this dream. I might post It on Youtube. But I dunno, would you actually want to see that?

[lesbiandanhowell]

Sam reacts to: Dan and Phil Get Married, Have Kids and Retire

Objectively hilarious video honestly.

- You know what I hate them so much actually WHAT THE FUCK ON VALENTINES DAY?!

- I do love all the We're Doomed Talk tho because I was THERE HEHE.

- CLIPS FROM THE SHOW ALREADY?! @danrifics ?!

- Dan you should be pink, come on pink is your color and it would suit you so well! (But also purple is basically the nonbinary option so I will take this win.)

- Phil just fully leaning into Dan when doing the scooter bit, why. Also Phil can fully not stop looking at Dan, rather than the other way around for once. What is up with that, is it the WAD confidence and hotness Dan has because same.

- "Happiness is Penis" WHAT THE FUCK PHIL

- I also love Game of Life by the way, like I was obsessed with this game as a kid but never had anyone to play it with so someone play with me?

- Still not over them uploading this on VALENTINES DAY what has happened to them pretending Valentines Day doesn't exist?! The only thing we used to get on valentines was sometimes live events and suddenly a clickbaity video, times really are changing.

- "I want the they/them" DAN DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HOW WEIRDLY VALIDATING THAT FELT

- Henry... I literally just watched Phil's spooky hotel video where there was a ghost named Henry.

- I literally had a breakdown over Dan saying he wants to smell bisexual and nonbinary. Like you don't understand what this means to me okay?! I am struggling to keep my focus on anything after this.

- "Give the straights nothing" YES real

- You can tell Dan is tired from doing two shows back to back and they probably filmed this Monday, I like that he still does it for us I feel very appreciated by his effort.

- Phil picking baby over pet, I have thoughts... (The thought being that this is another moment of not talking about what is more real, aka them getting a pet.)

- Phil living a very different life having wife and kids and Dan just being still being a version of him aka a )pop)star, OnlyDan's...

- Dan looked so fond of Phil wearing the glasses and yes they are too small for Dan's face but they are objectively hilarious glasses to own.

- Dan is SO SALTY and Phil is enjoying teasing him so fucking much this is hilarious. Dan being a sore loser is truly the way I relate to him the most because I too can not stand to lose and will become a whiny child.

- Dan's absolutely lack of luck with WAD somehow seems to extend to this game.... I feel slightly bad for him.

- DAN DON'T EVEN THREATEN IT (a hiatus)

- One video, I want one video where they don't talk about piss thank you.

- GREY SWEATPANTS

- "danisnotadad" SOBBING STFU these endscards are something else and also the fact Phil just did the endscreen on his own, Dan was like 'actually, I'm out bye' and just walking out, drama gay.

(If you're new here, hey! I write down my reaction to almost every video they upload because I have a lot of them and like sharing them!)

[dimplesandfierceeyes]

Don't know if u r still taking bad buddy prompts. But if u r, high school patpran teaching kissing or practicing kissing and Pat realizing his feelings and getting together.

OP.

OP OP OP.

How did you know?

How did you know this was my weakness?

Anyway, when this prompt came in the whole plot basically appeared in my head fully formed and all I needed was the time to make it real. I hope you all enjoy!

~~~

Practice Makes Perfect

(I know, I know, the least original title ever)

Pran wasn’t sure when it had become an unspoken rule that they would meet in his bedroom. He guessed it made sense. Pat’s family was nosy; they walked in and out of each other’s bedrooms unannounced and didn’t seem to like doing anything alone if they could drag another person into it too. Still, every time Pat was in his room, Pran’s heart rate skyrocketed with anxiety. (Only anxiety, definitely only anxiety.)

Pat was here again, all lanky-limbed six-foot of him sprawled over Pran’s bed like he was entitled to it. He’d grown again. Up until last year they’d been neck-and-neck for height but this year, Pran had slowed down and Pat, annoyingly, hadn’t. Not only that, but his shoulders were getting broader too whilst Pran’s stayed stubbornly slim, just like his mae’s. Not for the first time, Pran wished he’d inherited more of his father’s easy musculature.

“So we just gotta watch the scene and answer these questions right?” Pat asked, staring at the sheet he was holding in front of him. He was lying on his stomach, propped up on his elbows so he could screen while Pran had claimed the desk chair.

“Yes.” 

“Oh, cool! That’s easy.” 

They were working on literature homework: the interpretations of play adaptation. This was the second version of this play they were watching and the questions were mostly about drawing comparisons. Pran clicked on the file the teacher had uploaded and blinked as a thumbnail popped up showing two male characters.

“I thought this was supposed to be the kiss scene?” Pat questioned. “Has the teacher uploaded the wrong file?”

“I don’t think so. Nobody else has said it was a different scene,” Pran replied. He was still staring at the screen, his heart pumping so much faster than it should have been as he considered the only other possibility. 

“So basically it’s a BL version,” Pat laughed.

“I guess.” Pran furiously told his heart there was no difference between watching a straight kissing scene with Pat or watching a BL one. It didn’t listen.

“Alright, let’s get started, I guess.”

Pran had never wished for his parents to get home early from the weekly shop but it turned out there really was a first time for everything. Unfortunately, no engine noise rumbled up to the front gate and Pran was forced to accept that this was, in fact, happening. 

He could barely pay attention to the questions on the sheet of paper in front of him, though he spent as much time as he could staring down at it as the men on the screen danced around each other, feeling the other out, before finally shattering the tension, reaching for each other as if starving. Pran had watched the exact same scene in class between a man and a woman without even blinking. Now he was hot all over, hyper aware of Pat lying on his bed behind him watching two men kiss on his computer screen, and he could only hope that his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt they should be. 

The end of the scene couldn’t come soon enough.

“Okay,” Pran said as professionally as he could manage, lifting his sheet in the air to show he meant business as he quarter-turned in his chair so he had his profile to Pat. 

“What do you think it’s like for the actors? To kiss a guy, I mean,” Pat chimed in with his usual inability to not send Pran’s mind into chaos. 

“Pretty much like kissing a girl,” Pran replied tightly, lifting his sheet a little higher. It was once again ignored.

“Do you think it is? Just the same as a kissing a girl? I think it would be different.”

“Why would it be different? They’re both just people.” Pran replied, unable to believe he was actually locked into this conversation.

“I don’t know,” Pat shrugged. “Have you ever done it? Kissed a guy?” 

Pran barely managed not to choke on his own saliva. “Wh-What business is that of yours?” 

Pat’s eyes went as round as saucers, his mouth dropping open. “Wait, you have?”

“I didn’t say that,” Pran replied rapidly but he could see it was already too late.

“Holy shit, you have! Why didn’t you tell me?” If a tone of voice could be a pout, Pat’s would have been a prime example.

“Why would I tell you that?”

“Who was it?”

“Why would I tell you that either?”

“You know all the girls I’ve kissed,” Pat complained.  

Unfortunately, Pran thought to himself. “It’s not like I ever asked for that information.”

Pat ignored the jibe, steamrolling over it. “So, was it? Was it different from kissing a girl?”

“None!” Pran replied spitefully, despite having never kissed a girl.

“Oh,” Pat looked disappointed. “Not at all?”

“What sort of difference should there be?” Pran asked, exasperated. 

“I don’t know, it just feels like there would be.” Pat frowned for a second before suddenly his expression released and he looked at Pran like he’d just thought of something. Pran got a sharp and defined sense of foreboding. “What if we tried it?”

“What?” Pran squeaked.

“I mean, I know you didn’t think there was a difference, but maybe it would be different for me,” Pat reasoned. 

"And this is my problem, how?" Pran managed to force out as his entire body launched into a state of panic hitherto only observed in mice fleeing a hungry cat. 

"Oh, come on," Pat whined in a way that was terrifyingly close to the way that had wheeled Pran into truly remarkable levels of trouble several times. "It's not like I'd be your first guy; I'd just be your second! It's not like it's special or anything."

"What kind of logic is that? Then I'd-I'd be your first!"

"I don't mind," Pat replied with a shrug and Pran's mind gurgled. 

He knew he had to say no, that if he kept just pointing out problems Pat would just keep countering them. But then he’d be saying no. To Pat kissing him.

“Come on, what do you want?” Pat asked, sounding exasperated.

“What?”

“I know you’re just stretching it out because you want me to agree to lose at something in return.”

“I don’t need you to agree to lose; I can make you lose any day.” Pran replied automatically. Pat rolled his eyes.

“Just name your terms, Parakul.”

Pran flung out an idea from the void. “The next rugby match. If I’m close to the goal post, find a way to fumble the ball to me.”

Pat frowned, brow furrowing as if in dilemma, before huffing dramatically. “Fine. The next match is yours.”

Pran’s already abused heart was electrocuted by the words, now hammering at double the speed. He’d agreed. He might not have actually said the words, but he’d agreed to let Pat kiss him. He didn’t know if he was a genius or insane. 

Pat seemed to be waiting for something and it took Pran a second to realise it was for him to walk over to the bed. His mind rebelled the idea, it felt too much like a capitulation to be the one to move. And what if he looked eager? He couldn’t bear the thought.

“I’m not going to you,” he said as dismissively as he could manage. “You were the one who wanted to see how different it was.”

Another huff was released and then Pat rolled his eyes so dramatically his whole head got involved in the action, but he did start to lift himself off the bed. 

Pran only realised what a mistake he’d made when Pat was already looming in front of him. Then Pat was leaning forwards and Pran was caged in, one of Pat’s hands on the desk next to him to steady himself and the other reaching for Pran’s cheek. It found it with a gentleness that was foreign, strange. Pran’s lungs pulled in short, sharp breaths through his nose as Pat’s long fingers settled around his ear and he was pinned by Pat’s uncertain gaze.

He waited for him to call it off, convinced that this alone would be enough to make Pat retreat, that he would pull back, laugh, shake his head, proclaim how weird it was, but instead… instead…

Instead Pat’s eyes fell shut and his head tilted and he bowed lower and lower until his lips made contact with Pran’s. The touch was soft but without hesitation, lips slipping open to catch Pran’s between them. Then, already, they were pulling away, leaving Pran’s mouth cold and wanting. Pran flicked his eyes open, not sure even when he’d closed them, and watched as Pat opened his own, slow and unfocused.

“You call that a kiss?” The question was supposed to be scathing, mocking, anything that brought them back to their status quo, but Pran’s voice was suddenly hoarse and breathless, as though he hadn’t spoken in weeks and his throat was parched. 

There was no hiding the want in every syllable.   

“What would you call it?” Pat asked. To Pran’s devastation, he sounded just as rough.

“Barely anything,” Pran replied, his voice half a whisper as adrenaline flooded through his veins. 

Because he knew what he was going to do next. 

And he knew there was no way of stopping himself even if he tried. 

As if the want inside of him had torn into his limbs, seizing control, his hand shot up and grabbed Pat by the back of his head. He dragged him down, no gentleness, no subtlety, no mercy. He ransacked Pat’s mouth like a thief ripping through a household, eager to take everything he could before occupants woke up. 

He didn’t expect Pat to fight back. 

There was no paralysed surprise, no frozen astonishment, Pat let him take and take and take and then stole it all back and more. His hand gripped at Pran’s hair, his teeth nipped and scraped over Pran’s lip, his tongue licked into Pran’s mouth like he wanted to own it. Pran could barely breathe under the onslaught, control slipping away from him as he tried to process the ferocity of Pat’s response. Then all the competition seemed to slip away and they were just kissing, kissing, kissing.

By the time they broke apart, they were both gasping for air. 

Pran looked up at Pat in astonishment, but Pat didn’t look back. His eyes were still closed, forehead bent against Pran’s forehead as he hauled oxygen into his lungs, like he was trying to fix the memory of their kiss in his head forever. The only sound in the entire room was their broken breathing.

Then he smiled, the single most beautiful and most ruinous smile Pran had ever seen, before he opened his eyes. He tilted his head as he grinned down at Pran like they were sharing a secret. Pran felt his mouth respond in kind and Pat’s gaze dipped down, catching on his lips before dragging back up.

Instinctively, deliberately, somewhere in between, Pran’s eyeline dropped from Pat’s captivating gaze to his tempting mouth. His lips were red and puffy, shining with a hint of…

Me, Pran thought. That’s from me. 

And he looked back up in time just to see Pat lean back down and then he was being kissed again. He responded instantly, surging up to steal more of Pat’s taste, and somehow ended up standing, his hands in Pat’s hair. Pat’s arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, making Pran’s heart jolt as they were pressed together from hip to chest and Pat’s heat bled through their clothes. 

He’d never been this close to another person. Not even the only other boy he’d kissed, who’d sat next to him and kissed him awkwardly, neither of them entirely sure what they were doing. This—Pat—was something else entirely. He felt submerged in him, Pat on his tongue, on his skin, on his body, everywhere and anywhere, all at once, and he sank into him rapturously, a willing victim of his own drowning. 

Pat tugged and Pran followed, edging carefully, unhurriedly, across the floor as their mouths danced to a rhythm of their own making. Then Pat pulled away to drop down onto Pran’s bed, dragging Pran after him. Pran settled eagerly into his lap, unable to resist one little quip before bent his head to kiss him.

“In my bed already, Napat? Are you always this easy?”

“No, you’re just special,” Pat replied breathlessly and then Pran had to devour him. 

Pran didn’t know how long their fourth kiss lasted for but by the time they broke apart, the streetlights outside were turning a burnt umber and Pran’s lips were so sensitive they were tingling. He swallowed weakly, hands still twisted in Pat’s hair, hips almost bruised with Pat’s fingerprints.

 “So. Any differences?” he found himself asking. Pat chuckled breathlessly. 

“Just a few, yeah.” 

Pran smiled back at him, his lips almost sore but in a pleasant way as he curved them upwards. One of Pat’s thumbs had found its way under Pran’s shirt and was rubbing over the skin at the base of his waist. 

“Can we do this again?” Pat asked, eyes dropping to Pran’s mouth. “More than once? Can we do this many times?”

Pran laughed. “How often are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. Once a week? Once a day? Once an hour?” Pat grinned cheekily and Pran’s cheeks were going to ache from how broad his own smile was. 

“You’re gonna wake up every hour, are you?”

“It would be worth it.” That was too much for Pran. He closed his eyes, shaking his head as he laughed again.

“You’re so cheesy.” 

“Pran, I’m serious. I think we should date.” Pat continued earnestly, a smile still colouring his voice like a warm sunset.

Pran opened his eyes, wide and uncertain. Pat looked back at him candidly.

“Pat…That…”

"You don't want to?"

"I… didn't say that." 

Pat beamed, somewhere between delighted and smug and Pran shoved him backwards with more show than force. Pat faked falling anyway, tilting backwards dramatically before bouncing up with a grin. Pran tried not to be affected by it.

“If our parents found it, they would kill us,” he pointed out.

“Why would they need to find out? I sneak into your bedroom almost every week. They’ve never found that out, have they?” 

Pran loved how stubborn Pat was.

“We won’t be able to tell anyone. I mean, anyone. Not even Duke. Not even Pa.” 

“Is this you saying yes? Pran, are you saying yes to me?”

“Who said I’m saying yes,” Pran tried to sound aloof but it was hard when he was still straddling Pat’s lap and his hands had settled on Pat’s shoulders.

Pat’s smile spilled out over his entire face, eyes little more than curved lines as he laughed. “You are. You are saying yes,” Pat told him. Pran didn’t disagree.  

He also didn’t disagree when Pat said they should kiss again. 

~~~

Aaaand done. Don't think about what happens after the concert. @miscellar already made that mistake. Just don't do it yourself.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed it OP! And all the others that come across this mini fic! Look out for an actually edited version of this to appear on AO3 sometime soon....

[3ofpents]

Fresno Nightcrawler Houndstooth // Fabric Design for @shapeshiftersvt and The Cryptid Collection

Remember way back a few weeks ago when I posted the Squonk poster and I said that once I'd designed the fabric to go along with it I'd start posting the fabric designs here? Well guess what! It's time!

For those who don't remember or who didn't know, I am the co-owner, site manager, and graphic designer for @shapeshiftersvt. 2024 marks our 10th anniversary and we wanted to do something big and special and new to mark the occasion and my partner, co-owner, head tailor, fashion designer, and founder, Eli, pitched a fashion line themed around cryptids. We call it The Cryptid Collection and it features six of our and the internet's favorite cryptids: The Fresno Nightcrawler, Mothman, the Jackalope, the Jersey Devil, Champ, and the Squonk.

My parts of the collection were designing the posters, and creating fabric designs for our very own, truly Shapeshifters designed chest binders and sports bras. But since we utilized Spoonflower to have those fabrics printed, they're also available through the Spoonflower marketplace for anyone to buy for their own sewing projects.

And now that all of the fabric designs are done and uploaded and proofed and listed, I, as promised, am posting them here to talk a bit more in-depth about them, the thoughts and inspirations behind them, and the design process.

Starting with the Fresno Nightcrawler.

Part of the reason I'm starting with the Fresno Nightcrawler is because this was the very first design that I finished. When we were planning out the fabrics, it was the most solid design concept I had that wasn't just adapting the poster design to fabric (mostly because ... I hadn't done the poster yet). It was the first one I really came up with, the one I was most excited about, and the one that pretty much stayed the same from concept to execution.

I love houndstooth. Which is weird to say when I don't think I've ever owned a single garment or accessory in with a houndstooth pattern? But I do, I love it. I love the teeny tiny classic version of the pattern; I love a blown-up graphic version of the pattern; I love plays and variations on it. So when I was trying to brainstorm what kind of fabric pattern I could make inspired by a creature with such a simple shape whose only colors were white and black, the idea came pretty quickly: A houndstooth. Or a Nightcrawlertooth, if you will. It was a trick, though, and a real learning experience, especially with this being my first design.

Getting a pattern to repeat smoothly is a skill unto itself. Basically you have what's called a tile, and the tile contains the part of the pattern that you want to repeat. Then, when your pattern is created, the original tile just gets essentially copy-pasted over and over so 1) you don't have to draw the whole yard of fabric, and 2)all of the repeated parts of the design are identical. But by doing it this way, you have seams you need to take into consideration. If you think of putting the pattern together, it's sort of like making a basic quilt: You start with one square (or rectangle), then attach four more squares to each side, and then just keep doing that. Each one of those seams (top, bottom, left, right) is a place where the pattern might not match up, which means when it's applied to a yard of fabric, it's not going to look like a smooth, seamless pattern.

Of course there's ways to avoid this altogether. If you're doing a simple stripe, using the line tool in your drawing software will keep your stripe a consistent thickness, and holding SHIFT while you draw it will keep the line straight. Or, even easier, you can create a pattern where the part that repeats doesn't straddle a seam; like a polkadot pattern, where the dot(s) can be centered on the tile and seams only cut through a solid background.

The trouble with a houndstooth, though, is that not only does the tile need to repeat, it's made up of repeating figures that interlock. I can't just center the white Nightcrawler on the tile and call it a day, because then the black Nightcrawler straddles the seam. On top of that, they needed to be shaped in such a way that the negative space between the white Nightcrawlers left a shape that was also recognizable as a Nightcrawler and similar enough to the white one that the pattern is mostly seamless.

I fully admit that I was not able to do this on my own. Enter: Eli. Eli is, among other things, a math nerd who enjoys an excuse to break out the graph paper. They found a tutorial online and got to graphing and shaping and, in just a couple of hours, had gotten the shapes down. I took that tile, illustrated it, cleaned up the seams (shoutout to Eli for also finding an easier way to do this than just manually copy-pasting), and voila! A Fresno Nightcrawler houndstooth.

Now, you might look at that image up there and say, "Well that's all well and good, Pents, but they're kind of blobby and the lines are wobbly and it's all a little uneven." To which I say ... yeah, that's true. It's also kind of intentional. Like, I'm not gonna sit here and claim I got the basic pattern done and wasn't exhausted. But also I could've left it and come back to it the next day to clean up the lines and shapes a bit more, make everything really smooth and even. But, like. Look at this guy.

He's just a weird kinda blobby little dude. So I left the pattern kinda weird and blobby.

Even if I'd cleaned it, it's such a blobby little shape that's so at odds with the classic houndstooth that's all straight lines and sharp angles. So I made a deliberate choice to not polish it up. To kind of lean into the kodama vibes:

I am really so so proud of and pleased with this design. It came out almost exactly how I pictured it; it was really the most true design collaboration between Eli and I; and I'm just so pleased, after a lifetime of being a houndstooth lover, to now also have designed a houndstooth.

If you'd like a custom-sized, handmade, made-to-order binder or sports bra in this houndstooth like the one in the photos, you can find those listings (as well as the poster listing) here, on the Shapeshifters website. There are three pattern size options, the classic teeny tiny version; a somewhat bigger medium size; and a super graphic large size. Our binders are the most comfortable and effective on the market thanks to our finely graded internal sizing system. Because we're a small operation that makes every garment to order, both our binders and sports bras are highly customizable, and can be made to ALL measurements with flat pricing across sizes.

If you'd like to purchase the fabric yourself for your own sewing projects, you can order it through our Spoonflower shop, where we have it listed in the same three pattern sizes.

[homestuckreplay]

!!!! page 413 revealed !!!!

(page 409-418)

7/28/2009 Wheel Spin: Sburb Lore Verdict: INCORRECT

7/29/2009 Wheel Spin: Character Switch Verdict: CORRECT!!!!

First, we get the details of John's shift from hammerkind to handlekind. It's a fun mechanic, but I'm a little sad because I really liked the idea of John needing to use both separate halves of the hammer to defeat the shale imp. Also, being able to repair the hammer just by merging cards is definitely consistent with existing captchalogue lore, but it's a tiny bit unsatisfying if a weapon getting broken isn't a meaningful risk. Still, I like getting clarification on the rules, it definitely helps for future theorizing.

Dave is pestering everyone here, as is seemingly his way. I like his silly face being in the speech bubbles on p.411 and p.415, and I know it's for the player/reader and doesn't exist to the characters, but it raises the question. Do John and Rose have any idea what Dave looks like? He's a photographer, and in 2009 digital cameras have just recently become affordable enough to be mainstream. It's cute to think about these kids taking grainy digital pictures of themselves and figuring out how to upload a picture to Pesterchum so that they can show each other what they look like. But it's also funny to imagine that booting up Sburb was Rose's first ever time seeing John's face.

I expected Rose to bring the generator back to her house, but no, she's straight up in the mausoleum. Just setting up a tiny home with her tuxedoed dead cat and her books and pillows and violin. This is unquestionably the most goth thing she's ever done, and it totally rules. She also shares some perspectives on how the dead should be buried, and while she might just be being contrarian and going against what her mom has done, I think it fits with her character that she'd have strong opinions on this. She's the kind of kid who might have already drawn up a funeral plan for herself.

One thing I 100% agree with Rose on? Generator safety IS everyone's business. I think it makes sense that she'd know about that given that she lives in such a rural area, and it's cool to see her exercise those practical skills.

And I gotta say, good on John for noticing the door had been put back into place. I had to scroll back through the comic a bunch to notice what was out of place - he doesn't have that luxury and he's been through a lot recently. He's definitely more perceptive than I give him credit for.

We end this segment with an absolute slam dunk of a prankster's gambit from John's nan. And really, who's surprised? She was probably the OG prankster of John's family, and taught John's dad everything he knows. And now she's come back as a ghost, merged with a mischievous, one-armed, cake-smeared harlequin doll, and is basically the absolute embodiment of mischief. The fact that she was killed by a Colonel Sassacre's and a ladder, and that John recently got up to some urn based antics, can't hurt either.

Everything that has happened to this woman in canon has been classic comedy related - and this plus the Ghost Dad parallels make me think that her coming back as a pranky ghost has been planned from the start. And her reveal moment is very satisfying - glowing, hovering, unapologetic, her prankster's gambit bar at max having just succeeded on an often-pulled prank that's classic for a reason, an old timey version of Harlequin playing. Hoo hoo hoo indeed.

[clairewriteshaikyuuxreader]

His kid asks him to stay away (Oikawa, Atsumu)

Inspired by two scenes from Gilmore Girls. 

Part of the AU: His best friend's wife (Osamu's side)

Oikawa is surprised but beaming when he finds his daughter standing outside his hotel suite. "Hey, princess!" He envelopes Yuma (悠真) in a tight hug, which she reluctantly returns.

"I'm sorry I didn't call–" 

Tooru shakes his head, squeezing her shoulders. "Nonsense. You're always welcome here. Hey, I made that corned beef that you like. The one with potatoes? I can heat them up right now. Come inside."

"No, that's okay. Listen, dad..." She takes a step back, pulling herself away from his arms. "Mom has a boyfriend."

Tooru blinks. "Oh."

"It's Uncle Iwa."

He inhales sharply. "Yeah, I...I heard."

Japan's team had a plethora of colorful characters, and the more noisy members liked to talk online and post photos of their unknowing teammates, coaches, and trainers. One particular trainer had many candid photos of him and Oikawa's ex wife in the background. You were never active in social media, so Tooru shamefully relied on his daughter's posts to see how you were doing. Her posts were always the same: friends, school, you and her together. You two were like the happier, healthier version of the Gilmore Girls. And there was no other man in your life as far as he can tell.

Everything was fine until last month.

Last month was your first birthday after the divorce. Tooru was in Argentina and could only send a polite greeting and of course, you only sent a simple 'thank you.' 

The same time, his daughter uploaded two photos: one was of you two, and the other was of you and his best friend, sitting awfully close to each other. 

He remembered that day like it was yesterday. After seeing Iwaizumi so close to you with the faintest red in his face, he had to know, he had to ask.

Three rings before the trainer picked up.

"What the hell, Trashykawa–"

"Are you seeing my wife?"

"..."

Tooru didn't even need an answer. The silence spoke for itself. But he wanted to hear what his friend had to say.

"Oikawa..."

"Please, Iwa-chan. Tell me the truth," he whispers. Iwaizumi had to have known how much Tooru still loves you, how much he wants to turn back time and fix everything. He had to know, because Tooru cried to him the night he signed the papers.

On the other side of the line, Iwaizumi inhales. Then he says, "She's not your wife anymore."

Tooru hung up. He was glad that Japan was an ocean away, because he would've driven straight to Iwaizumi's house and beat him up.

"Dad?" his daughter calls out to him.

"Sorry, sweetie, daddy spaced out for a bit."

His daughter examines his face, her own expression hesitant but determined. She sticks her hands into her coat pocket and speaks up again: "I want you to stay away from them."

Time stills and Tooru feels sick. "You...what?"

"Dad, I love you but...but you hurt mom."

"Honey, I– "

"And it doesn't matter if you mean to or not, you just do. You just do. And before you start, you should know that mom never speaks bad about you, well, not in front of me anyway--"

Tooru should be proud. Even at this moment his sweet Yuma retains his and your snarkiness. But right now he just wants to throw up. 

"My point," she continues, "is that I'm not here because mom says you're the devil."

"I know. Your mom isn't like that."

"So then you know that she doesn't deserve getting clobbered."

"... I do."

"She deserves to be happy, dad, and Uncle Iwa makes her happy. I know that you must be mad and hurt but I'm begging you to please let them be."

Tooru can't bring himself to open his mouth as his daughter brushes back her hair, trying to hold back her tears. "I'm still gonna visit you and you can visit me. You can get angry at them and me but don't do anything because... because you should see how mom smiles now."

He understands. Looking back at it now, he couldn't recall the last time you smile so genuinely when you were with him.

His little girl, acting not so little anymore, rubs her face. "Anyway, that's all I got to say. It was nice seeing you."

"Wait–"

"I still have to meet up with my friends."

"At least let me drive–"

"This isn't Argentina, dad," she points out. 

He doesn't have a car here. "Right." 

She gives him a pitying look but only mutters out a "bye" before leaving.

Tooru silently opens the door to his hotel room. 

He heats up the leftover corned beef from last night and sets down his plate on the table, settling in front of the TV.

But he doesn't eat or even listen to the news.

He cradles his head between his hands.

His only daughter, his sweet, little princess who should be free of troubles, came here just to tell him to stay away.

"Dammit." He swallows the lump in his throat as he fiddles with the ring he refuses to take off. "I'm pathetic."

You didn’t ask much. You always supported Atsumu, always defended him from your family when your parents accused him of abandoning you, always made excuses and did everything–everything to keep your relationship happy. 

You loved your job and if someone were to go back in time and ask you if you would sacrifice your career for a guy, you’d throw your head back and guffaw, because the idea was insane. But then you met Atsumu, and he wasn’t just some guy. He was the guy. He was sweet and funny and supportive. He adored his mother, he had a good relationship with his brother. He was passionate and he shone brighter than anyone. 

And you loved how much he loved volleyball.

So you didn’t ask for much. 

You didn’t complain when he had to leave you alone when he was off to Argentina or China for weeks and months.

You didn’t whine when he couldn’t accompany you to family reunions and weddings of close friends.

It was your idea to quit your job the moment the test came out positive. 

Sure, you loved your job–love your job–but Atsumu was your whole world. You never thought you’d have someone like him in your life and you were determined to be happy with him and the bundle of joy you two made.

Your son was born healthy. Hiroyuki (ヒロユキ), you decided to name him. Atsumu was there and he showed off the little runt to the doctor who delivered, to the nurses who helped, and your family members waiting outside.

You didn’t expect yourself to end up the way you did, but everything was fine.

Your boys were healthy.

Your husband was doing great. Every week there was always a shower of praise for your genius setter.

Your son grew up nothing like his dad though: while Atsumu was brash and loud-mouthed, his son was a quiet and polite boy who hated conflict; while Atsumu lived for volleyball, his son hated getting dirty and sweaty and preferred academics.  

You and Atsumu still wanted him to be healthy though, so you encouraged him to exercise and pursue other hobbies.

Your son only begrudgingly agreed to get you both to shut up.

Everything was great.

You were great. You were content. 

But then you saw it, a single message from an unknown number on your husband’s phone.

“I had an amazing night. Call me when you’re in the city.”

Your shining world crumbled in an instant.

You couldn’t remember what you did next. You vaguely recall smashing the device into a mirror and locking yourself in the guest bedroom. 

The next six months were a blur, too.

You froze out your husband though you didn’t tell your son the truth, only telling him that mommy and daddy just couldn’t be with each other anymore. Some people were appalled that you wanted to get a divorce. “Because so what if he cheated?” They had asked. “Think of your son.”

You did think of your son. Ever since you discovered you were pregnant with him, you always thought of your son. 

The divorce was for his sake as much as yours, because you had no guarantee that you wouldn’t end up murdering his father if you stayed next to him.

So you bought a different house in the next city, got your old job back, and got divorced. Shared custody. 

The whole ordeal felt unreal. Every day, you felt like you would float out to space, but you had Hiroyuki, who liked to tug on your pants and remind you: “I’m here, mama.”

You would laugh and give him the tightest hug every time. You wished you didn’t cry so much every time though. You wanted to be stronger for both of you.

And you were strong enough.

With your baby and your job back, you became too busy to even think about your cheating ex. 

Fast forward years later and it’s now your baby’s middle school graduation.

“You’re now a man!”

“Stop it, mom.”

“Whatever happened to ‘mama’?”

“Mom.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” You kissed his cheek. “Your dad should be here soon.”

“It’s okay, I’m not a kid anymore, you don’t have to lie.”

You gently flicked his forehead. “I made sure to tell him.”

He blinked. “You did?”

“I did.”

“When…when did you tell him?”

“Last week–”

“You didn’t have to tell him.” 

“He’s still your dad.”

“Yeah, my dad,” he bitterly repeats. Although the lawyers agreed on shared custody, the man was rarely around. When it was Atsumu’s turn to take care of Hiroyuki, he was almost never at home and the people who took care of the kid were either his mom or his brother. Truth be told, Hiroyuki didn’t care. How could he possibly forget the many days he caught his mom trying desperately to hide her sadness and the many nights she sobbed in her bedroom when she thought her son was asleep? Children weren’t idiots. And Hiroyuki never bought into the idea that kids needed a mother and a father either. Why would he? He grew up with only his mother being there for him, so why would he need his father now?

“I would’ve called him myself if you really wanted him here,” he says.

“It’s not about me wanting him here, it’s about him having to want to be here, and he should be here. It’s his only son’s graduation.”

“Middle school graduation. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

“It’s a celebration in mediocrity.” 

“That’s a lot coming from the valedictorian and…” You fall quiet.

“What’s wrong?” He turns to follow your line of sight. 

He exhales when he sees his sperm-donor walking into the auditorium, dressed in a clean polo shirt and some woman hanging off his elbow.

His Uncle Samu’s right: the man’s an idiot.

“Hey, mom, could you get me a soda?”

“Huh?” You snap out of your trance. 

“I’m kinda thirsty.”

You try to protest but quickly quiet down before giving your son a sad smile and walking towards the cafeteria.

Hiroyuki inherited his father’s height so it only took a few strides before he caught up to the man and his plus one.

“Hi dad.”

Atsumu grins at his son. “There he is, the man of the hour. Happy graduation, kid!”

Hiroyuki bites his lip. He hates how oblivious this guy is. He hates how he could smile like this and bring this woman with him like nothing’s wrong and that everything is okay. 

He doesn’t say anything else and an awkwardness falls between the three of them.

Atsumu clears his throat and gestures towards his date. “Have you met–”

“–no.” Hiroyuki shuts him down. “Dad, can we talk? Alone.”

The woman looks peeved and makes a face, like she’s expecting Atsumu to get mad on her behalf, but the volleyball player only shrugs and pulls his arm away from her. “Sure thing.”

The two guys walk to a corner in the room, away from prying eyes.

“Hey, I got you some cash but it kinda feels like it’s not enough, so do you have anything you want for today?”

Without hesitation, Hiroyuki speaks up: “Stay away from mom.”

Atsumu’s head swerves and he is forced to look straight into the clear, unyielding eyes of his only son. 

There is a pause.

Atsumu lets out a nervous chuckle. “I’m sorry, I thought I just heard you say that you want me to stay away from your mom.”

“You heard right.” Hiroyuki crosses his arms. “Dad, I know what you’re trying to do.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Bringing that woman here? I know you’re trying to make mom jealous.”

“That’s ridiculous! First of all, that woman is named Ochaco.”

“What’s her last name?”

“...”

“Dad, just stop. That’s the best thing you can give me.”

“Son–”

“I know you still love her.” Hiroyuki knows how the man looks at you, because it’s the same look you had whenever you heard his name or saw him on the news. He hates that you’re still in love with your ex, because those feelings blinded you from realizing how his Uncle Samu looks at you; Samu who helped you move, Samu who packed your things into boxes because you couldn’t bear a second longer in Atsumu’s house, Samu who made sure you and Hiro were always fed, Samu who could comfort you in ways Hiro couldn’t because you didn’t want to look weak in front of your boy. “But you can’t be together, not anymore, so please just stop these stupid games and go back.”

“What?”

“I have mom, I have Uncle Samu, they’re all I need.” 

“Hiro–”

The speakers blared with feedback before the emcee called for all graduates to find their seats. 

“I have to go. Bye, dad.”

Atsumu wants to pull back his son, to talk with him, but seeing his little boy walking confidently away from him broke his heart.

He bites his lip.

He really did f*** up. 

[priincekin]

Hyuluka Oneshot - Of Warmth and Withering

Luka, now an Alien Stage victor, comes to Hyuna's door in the dead of the night seeking a place to stay; Hyuna is more than reluctant to agree.

CW for an unhealthy relationship dynamic.

For in-depth tags, please check the AO3 upload! Apologies for any formatting issues, this is my first time ever posting fanfic on Tumblr.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOW AN OLD VERSION. If flow and quality of writing is important to you, I implore you to check the AO3 link.

“Miss Hyuna?”

In her room, Hyuna lay on her stomach, gripping a pillow tightly. She pressed it against her ears, trying in vain to block out the irritating sound of Luka’s quiet, yet persistent. knocking. Each knock sounded like nails against a chalkboard, each making her more frustrated. Clenching her teeth, she prayed that the knocking would stop soon so she could retire for the night.

“Miss Hyunaaaa.”

Another knock, louder.

“Hyuna, please, hear me out. My quarters are freezing tonight, and I cannot sleep. I understand the need for discretion given our situation – rest assured, I can be quiet. A little secret between us, perhaps?”

He trailed off, mumbling the last part more to himself than to her. Hyuna rolled her eyes in response. As far as she was concerned, he could keep talking to himself forever for all she cared. She was determined not to let him in, not this time.

"Hyuna," he said, his voice growing more desperate by the second. "I know me winning Alien Stage might have put us at odds. It's bitterly cold out here, and frankly, you’re the only one I feel I can approach. Could I perhaps trouble you for a bit of warmth and company, just for tonight?" At odds? What an understatement.

Hyuna shut her eyes tight, nails digging into her pillow as memories flooded her mind. She could see little Luka in her mind’s eye, outside her door, tiny and shivering in his too-big white fur coat, his cheeks flushed from the cold. Those memories hit her hard - all those nights when a scared, sniffling Luka would tiptoe into her room, looking for the kind of comfort only she seemed to know how to give. He'd huddle close, his small hand holding hers, feeling safe only next to her. Things were simpler then, their friendship a little haven from the hell they lived in. But now, well, things had changed, and he had no place in her room.

Still, Luka persisted, each knock slowly gnawing away at her resolve.

‘He doesn’t deserve your sympathy’, she reminded herself. ‘Not after everything.’

Hesitantly, Hyuna sat up, her heart torn. Could one more night really cause any harm? She wondered. Dewey and Isaac had advised her to be firm, but they wouldn't know about this. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Shaking her head in resignation, she pushed herself up to sit on the edge of her bed. Hyuna reached for a cigarette with trembling fingers, her hands fumbling slightly as she lit it, the orange glow briefly illuminating her conflicted expression. Taking a deep, steadying drag, she let the smoke swirl around her, hoping it would calm her down and let her think straight, Finally, with a heavy sigh, she stood up, shuffling toward the door.

Hyuna yanked the door open with a force that echoed down the hallway, her eyes instantly locking onto Luka's pitiful form. He looked up at her, his cheeks unnaturally pale. Right. He never did do well in the cold.

She propped herself against the doorway, an eyebrow raised. Taking a long, lazy drag from her cigarette, she let the smoke billow out, watching it hang in the air; really, she would rather look at anything other than Luka. “Alright, Luka, out with it. It's too late for your shit. What's the big emergency? Lost your teddy bear?”

Luka flashed a disarming smile, the kind that usually got him what he wanted. “Ah, depriving me of your charming pet names? You wound me,” he quipped, effortlessly sliding past her into the room. With a flourish, he removed his luxurious coat, which now fit him perfectly, draping it over her rickety old chair. He let out an exaggerated sigh, as if shedding the weight of the world along with his coat. “Though I believe I made my situation quite clear. My room is cold, and I cannot sleep, and that is all there is to it.”

“Right. Riiiight. Because the segyein would totally let their precious little pet become an ice sculpture, huh?” Hyuna scoffed and put her hand on her hip. If looks could kill, Luka would be on the ground writhing in agony. She watched, half-amused, half-irritated, as Luka practically sashayed over to her cluttered vanity. He began fussing with his hair, his reflection preening back at him.

“Make yourself at home, why don’t ya?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh wait, you already did. What’s next, Luka? Gonna raid my beer fridge too?”

“Ah, making myself at home? If you insist,” he retorted, catching her sarcastic tone. “Though, I'll pass on raiding your beer stash. Not quite my taste.” He picked up her scarcely used lip gloss, examining it with a curious eye. With a subtle smile, he admired the glitter's shine in the soft light.

“Your thoughts, darling?” he inquired, turning towards her as she sat on the bed. His tone was light, yet there was a sharpness in his gaze, a hint of calculation in his seemingly casual demeanor.

“Call me darlin’ one more time and I swear I'll superglue your lips shut.” Hyuna sat down on her bed, inhaling more smoke. She watched Luka like a hawk, deeply anxious about his every move. Obviously, she couldn’t trust him to behave himself. Why the hell had she let him in? Since when was she that stupid? Between the power he held over her and the shit he pulled in the last round…

“I must admit, I’m not too fond of your recent attitude.” Luka hummed, turning back to look at his reflection like it was a long-lost friend.

“Piss me off one more time and you’ll get more than my attitude. I don’t have the time for your bullshit.”

“It seems to me you have nothing but time for your dear childhood friend.” Luka’s voice dripped with a mocking sweetness as he gazed at her reflection in the mirror. He batted his eyelashes with an exaggerated innocence, a smug smile playing on his lips, fully aware of the irritation it would provoke in Hyuna. She clenched her fists, but kept them squarely at her side, refusing to give him the satisfaction of her anger.

“Oh, please. My childhood friend? That guy’s long gone. This person in front of me? I don’t even know who you are anymore, Luka. You’ve changed, and not for the better. So do me a favor, take your drama and get out of my room. I’ve got no space here for strangers.”

As he did with everything he disliked, Luka ignored her and instead sat down closely next to her. His perfume, a mix of white musk and sugar, was uncomfortably familiar to her.. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "You're right, I have changed as of late. It’s for the better. I’m no longer the fool you had to protect in your youth.” He paused. “But some things haven't changed at all..." His hand brushed against hers, a bold, yet seemingly casual gesture coming from him.

Hyuna's heart raced, but she quickly pulled her hand away, glaring at him once more. What an asshole, having the nerve to try and flirt after everything. "Don't play games with me, you bastard. I'm not one of your fangirls. You don’t get to whisper sweet nothin’s and expect to get away with it, you hear me?”

“I’m not playing games, Miss Hyuna. I genuinely miss us… I miss what we had.”

"Ya can't just waltz back into my life and expect things to be the same," she said, her voice quivering slightly.

Luka extended his hand, his touch unexpectedly tender as he cupped Hyuna’s cheek. “I know I’ve made mistakes, more than I can count. But here I am, darling, trying to make it right..” His thumb traced a soft line across her cheek, a gesture so familiar and yet new at the same time. For a fleeting second, Hyuna found herself yielding to the warmth of his touch, her resolve wavering. It was getting harder and harder to be angry with him.

Anakt, it was awful, the way he could sway her with a few words and a bit of touch. She knew damn well what was happening, that this was the very reason they kept going through this cycle. But she could never bring herself to stop it.

The tense moment was broken by a sudden knock on the door, followed by Dewey's voice. "Hyuna, you good in there? Heard voices."

Hyuna jerked away from Luka as if burned, the sudden intrusion of Dewey’s voice at the door snapping her back to reality. “I’m fine, Dewey! Just… talking to the walls, you know how it is,” she called out, forcing nonchalance or something resembling it.

She moved to the other side of the room, putting as much distance between herself and Luka as possible. His gaze lingered on her, loaded with an unreadable emotion that only added to her agitation.

As Dewey quickly agreed with her and walked off, Hyuna began to pace the perimeter of the room like a madman. Luka’s eyes watched her every. She bit at her nail, her body tight with tension, her mind racing with thoughts she dared not voice. The urge to lash out at Luka was overwhelming, but she bit back the scathing remarks teetering on the tip of her tongue. She knew all too well that throwing him out would only escalate the situation. The segyein were always looking for a reason to come down on her, and Luka, their prized victor, would make the perfect catalyst for her downfall.

“Luka,” Hyuna choked out, finally, after what must’ve been five minutes of awkward silence. “you know damn well we can’t do this. Not here, not now, never. After what ya pulled in the finals, I can’t trust you. Literally pushing that guy to his death?! You played it off as an accident, but I know you! You had a weird-ass look on your face as you approached him, and your elbow jutted out, and-- Anakt, how did anyone fall for that shit?!--“

“Because, Hyuna, no one else sees through me like you do.”

Hyuna whipped around to face him, jaw on the floor. “You… you actually… what?”

“Yes, I admit it. It was no accident, though I prefer to call it insurance for my victory.” Luka’s voice was chillingly calm as he stood up and closed the distance between them, his movements deliberate. Hyuna’s breath hitched, her body instinctively recoiling, but she was rooted to the spot. As his hand reached out, brushing through her hair with a disgusting tenderness, a shiver ran down her spine. “I pushed him off the ledge. I knew I had solid rapport with the segyein, and they wouldn’t think twice about the chain of events. Why, one of them even said that it was delighted with me for getting him out of the competition. You know well how much of a pain he was. He was not victor material. And neither are you…”

The room felt colder, the air heavier. Hyuna’s mind raced, grappling with the revelation. Her first instinct screamed at her to lash out, to confront him with the full force of her rage. Yet, fear and shock stifled her, muffling her voice to a choked laugh, one that sounded hollow even to her ears. “… well, at least you’re being honest for once, huh? That’s rare for you, nowadays…” Her words were laced with sarcasm, but her voice quivered nonetheless.

Luka tilted his head, scrutinizing Hyuna's reaction. "You seem calmer than I expected.”

Hyuna let out a long sigh, sinking down to sit on the edge of her bed once more. "Oh, I'm pissed as all hell. But not surprised. I always knew you had it in ya to pull some underhanded shit like that." She shook her head, a bitter smile crossing her face. "I just didn't think you'd take it that far. Guess you really have changed."

"It was necessary for my success," Luka replied matter-of-factly. He sat down next to Hyuna, tentatively snaking an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened, but didn't pull away. “I’m now in a position of favor, Hyuna. Think about it — they’ll treat me better, and naturally, I’ll ensure you’re taken care of too. Our lives, they’re about to change for the better. You’ll see, it’s all going to work out in our favor.”

Hyuna turned to look at him incredulously, her face turning the slightest bit red. From anger or embarrassment, she had no clue. "Our lives? I want nothin’ to do with your success, Luka. Especially when I know you’d throw me under the bus if it helped ya. Or should I say, under the stage light?!”

Luka's confident expression faltered. He brushed a strand of hair away from Hyuna's face, his voice softening. "You know that's not true, darling. I had nothing to do with your accident.”

"Don't lie to me! You've always been obsessed with fame, you don’t give a shit about me, deep down.” Her voice broke as she gestured down at her prosthetic leg. “Look what you did. That had to have been your fault.”

"That was not me. I haven’t any control over the stage lights."

“Really?! Or did you sabotage it like everything else so that I couldn't beat you?"

Wordlessly, he shifted closer, reaching for her hands, but Hyuna backed away until her back hit the wooden headboard.

"I don't know anymore," Hyuna said bitterly. "Just leave me alone. I don’t wanna talk about this."

Hyuna pressed the release button on her prosthetic leg at the knee joint, disengaging the lock. She gently slid the prosthetic off her thigh, setting it next to the bed. All the while, Luka tried to whisper more sweet nothings in order to change her mind, but she pretended like he wasn’t even there.

With a huff, she threw her covers over her head and laid her head on her pillow; a clear dismissal. If he didn’t get the idea from this, he was hopeless.

She waited for Luka to leave, but instead, he quietly lifted the edge of the comforter and peered in. Hyuna curled up into a ball, pray

Despite Hyuna's closed off body language, Luka crawled into the bed beside her, encircling her waist with his arm. As he curled against Hyuna's back, she tensed, conflicting emotions rising up. His familiar touch, though cold, brought back memories - both sweet and painful.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hyuna said through gritted teeth.

"Nothing,” Luka mumbled, pulling her closer and hiding his face in the nape of her neck.

Hyuna drew in a shaky breath, resentment warring with lingering affection. Silently she covered his hand with her own, not pushing him away or pulling him closer. They lay in silence as the minutes ticked by, bodies entwined, her thumb slowly stroking over his knuckles. Hyuna slowly relaxed in his arms, leaning back into his touch.

“I can’t believe I’m lettin’ ya do this.”

“I can. I know you’ve missed me just as much as I’ve missed you.”

“Shut up. I like you better when you’re quiet.” Hyuna snapped.

Luka lightly chuckled, tightening his grip on Hyuna. At least he had the decency to be silent.

But Hyuna still wasn't having any of that. She pushed him off, a glint of defiance in her eyes. Luka's lip curled in a fleeting show of disappointment, but before he could react, she flipped him over and spooned him instead. "Big spoon? Ha, as if. You're in my world now, Luka," she said. Poking his cheek, she couldn't help but snicker at the warmth of his flush. "Aw, are you blushing? Cute. Don’t even try to complain about being little spoon — You begged to be here, remember? My bed, my rules."

“I’m sure we look absolutely ridiculous right now.” Luka muttered. “Since I should be big spoon and all…”

“Why? I’m taller. I’d argue this looks better!”

Luka huffed, but not once had he attempted to tear himself away from her touch. Hyuna smirked against his shoulder, closing her eyes. This was far more comfortable than she’d ever like to admit…

The good thing was that, by the next day, she was sure that they’d both be denying that this ever happened. Maybe that was for the better. But for now, she’d let herself enjoy the moment, regardless of how traitorous it was.

[vaporluck]

Because nobody else has decided to do it, here is the Ultimate Mad Mew Mew Sprite Sheet:

You can download it here, including a transparent version of the sprite sheet, and all of the raw separated sprites straight from the files.

Now, you may ask why we need this especially after I've made it very clear that The Spriters Resource is extremely reliable. (Next part is very long)

Turns out, if you haven't seen gameplay of the switch version, or played it for yourself, chances are, you may have never actually seen her real overworld sprite(s). This is because, for some reason, many people use inaccurate sprites from Google Images instead of her actual sprite. So where can you find her actual sprite? The sprite sheet website, obviously. Today, however, I learned that for some odd reason, whoever uploaded the sprite sheet there, didn't use the original source for the sprites (the game files of the switch version). Either that or they edited some of the sprites for some ungodly reason. What's different? Those damn pixels on the pink dress sprite's legs. It's obviously inconsistent with her other dresses so for the longest time, I thought her sprite in-game had those pixels but turns out the entire time, they were missing. Now that doesn't mean you should keep using Google images for sprites because that sprite is still pretty inaccurate. So, is there something else wrong? The white dress. The colors were much more saturated on The Spriters Resource sprite sheet. You may also notice a few extremely light pink pixels on her legs, seen here:

These pixels were completely white on TSR sprite sheet. This was such an unknown mistake that for the longest time, a friend and I were completely unsure if the sprite with the light pink pixels was the real one or not. I got so fed up with these sprite inconsistencies that I ended up getting a dump of the Switch version and going through her sprites and finally finding out what her real sprites were like. This is what you're seeing now. Now you might know that old post I made that used the leg pixels as an example of inaccurate sprites. I had NO idea that those pixels were missing in the actual sprite. I know it's not that big of a deal but I'm really sorry to anyone that I told that I had the correct sprite, because I assumed TSR was completely reliable (they usually are). Regardless, I think all Mad Mew Mew fans deserve to have her official sprites for real this time. She's so obscure to the general fandom that nobody has cared enough for so long to even fact check if the sprites they were ripping were even accurate or not, and it's really unfortunate. I want to find a way to upload this sheet to TSR to replace the old one (the overworld one at least, the battle one was fine), so that might happen sometime soon if I can format it correctly for the website.

[jinkookspencil]

maple story and syrup mornings | ksj

a morning with your fiancé, the week he's finally home for good after two long years

tags: jin x reader (f) / ~2.5k words / fluff / slightly suggestive / established relationship, they're engaged! / slice of life / banter! / idol!jin but all it has is mentions of hybe, namjoon, jin returning from the military, a mention of his promise to live stream for army the day he comes back - nothing about "idol life" and it isn't mentioned if yn is an idol or not / also includes: naked seokjin, mentions of his new bulked up physique, swear words, mention of yn gaining weight in the past and that she had been nervous to have sex with jin but it's just a mention, she's pretty confident and happy here :)

note: this was originally supposed to be a very short drabble of only a few hundred words, but.... i got carried away :3 i might post the original one day / i can't believe this is my first jin fic in a while, so many just stay in the drafts and he's always on my mind. i actually have a couple i thought i posted but they're sitting there waiting to be uploaded!!! this can basically be considered a jin version of comfortable, bare, and hungry. i miss jin so much, i'm at a low place rn and thinking of him is bringing me so much comfort. imagining this made me smile when i first thought of it so i hope it does the same for you!! i hope you guys enjoy!! as always, feedback is always welcome! <3

It’d only been a week, but you’d already gotten used to waking up next to Jin again, as you always had. The empty space beside you shook you to your core for half a second as your half-asleep and delirious self feared the worst - that he’d still been in service - and that the past few days were, in fact, a dream. But the faint, familiar sound of his favorite video game, coming from somewhere in your reality, brought you back. He was home.

It’s only when you crawl out of the covers that you realize that you’d still been naked and sweaty from the night before, even aching all over as a result of the hours of passionate lovemaking after so long apart, as well as Jin’s new, bulked up physique. Both the regular sex and his new body would take long to readjust to, especially considering neither of you could keep your hands off of each other, forgetting you weren’t still running on limited time instead of just another day in the rest of your lives together. It brought you comfort to see that, even after spending so much time away from home, Jin was just as he always was and definitely still the man you were more than ready to marry.... even with his typical hobby of gaming, hours before the sun had fully risen. It didn’t make too much of a difference if it happened before or after sleep. Awake too early and still on military time, Jin’s already-enthusiastic gaming commentary was loud and clear, and you listened closely and happily as you slipped into a silky pink pyjama set - one of the many new lingerie and nightwear sets you’d been too naked to wear the past few days...

The early dawn light crept through from below the curtains, lighting the way as you make your way to the living room where your fiancee crouched in the dark facing the television with the controller in his hands and, unmistakably, the same damn sweatsuit he’d been wearing for seven days straight.

“You’re up!” he exclaims before biting his lip for a moment and once again facing the screen in concentration. “My pretty girl. Just a turn, a second,  and… BAH! Okay, I can pause this for a moment. How are you, my love?”

“Jin…. you need to stop wearing Namjoon’s clothes.”

The day he was discharged from the military, Jin had gone straight to Hybe and livestreamed a prepared special celebration for ARMYs on the group’s eleventh anniversary, as he’d promised, before finally returning home to you in clothes that weren’t his own.

“What are you wearing?” you asked him the next morning over breakfast, only realizing his outfit when he re-wore it then... considering you discarded his clothes with close to superhuman speed the second he got home the day before.

“Namjoonie’s clothes. I, uh… didn’t fit into the clothes the stylist prepared for me, so they just gave me this set. It was the only thing left at Hybe that fit him right before he enlisted, considering he'd been bulking up for so long then, too. Nothing in my closet fits either, so….”

Your fiancee had gone red at his explanation, and first vocal admission that he’d obviously gotten much, much bigger while he'd been in service…. He'd always denied it and acted more humble than he should, so you showed him just how much you loved it by taking the clothes off of him in an instant yet again, and spent many, many hours together. The sight and feel of his new body were incredible, to say the least.... but it's been days, and he really didn’t have anything else to wear.

“We already bought new clothes online! It’s not my fault they haven’t arrived yet!” he protests. “And the rest of Namjoon's clothes at Hybe are too small for me - wow, I never thought I'd say that. I can still kinda smell his cologne on it, which is nice, considering how much I miss him, you know?”

“I know, Jin. I can smell it too! And considering you’d been away for so long, I’d rather my fiancée smell like himself instead of his best friend.” You cross your arms over your chest, stepping towards Jin and bending down to bring your face up against the fabric. Not bad, but not your man. A wince was clearly on your face, followed by a pout to match the one on his.

“Honey, I bet you could fit into one of my t-shirts or sweaters and smell like me, the love of your life, instead,” you snark, wondering if he’d ever missed you and your scent all the time you’d been away from one another.

“My love… I tried. Nothing… nothing fits. Besides,” Jin shakes his head, standing up and towering above you before nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck. “I’m devouring you as much as I can.”

Jin's kisses brought you immense pleasure... but the smell was all too distracting. “I love you, honey, but I'm starting to get jealous of you and Namjoon’s shared boyfriend sweater…. Plus, it's beginning to reek.”

Jin wastes no time pulling the sweater off his torso, chucking it somewhere behind you. “Problem solved.”

Your hand quickly finds his nape, pulling at his hair there and almost losing yourself to his touch once again. “Jin… baby, let's shower."

"Mmm," he quietly grumbles against your skin. "I already did, boo, sorry."

"I told you I was looking forward to shower sex with you, Jin!" you protest, pulling away and pouting.

"I'm sorry, my love! I just got so used to working out and showering first thing... Next time," he smiles, pulling your head towards his chest. Feeling his buff chest against your head, you suddenly have no complaints if you had to wait a little longer... it might be nice that Jin is trying to maintain this physique.

"Tell you what," he says, pulling away. "You go shower and, since this is bothering you so much, I'll get the laundry going and throw Namjoon's clothes in. Not only that, I'll make breakfast too. Our signature choco-chip and banana pancakes. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," you say, smiling and rolling your eyes as you give in.

"Go," he laughs, slapping your ass when you finally pull away.

-

"Honey, is that you? Breakfast's ready!" you hear him call.

Done with your shower and haircare, you forego your pyjamas or any other item of clothing, merely wrapping yourself up in a silk robe. Jin had looked too delectable already - you'd be naked with him again in no time.

You didn't expect it to be this soon.

Walking into the living room, you find your fiance, once again, crouched in front of the television and playing his game intently... naked.

"Oh, hey gorgeous," he says upon looking at you. "Let’s eat.”

“Jin.... fucking hell, why are you naked?!" you yelp, taking in the way the streaming sunlight highlighted his body.

"What?" he yelps. "I told you I don't have any other clothes! Let's eat, honey - I'm starving."

"I'm starving too! And I will not be able to eat if you're naked."

“What? A man can’t be naked in his own home?” Jin questions, genuinely confused.

"Not if he's you, looking like that!"

"Honey, I was just as naked hours ago in bed with you. We were both naked right there in the kitchen after lunch yesterday."

"And that was the last time we ate, Jin! Go wear… something. Let’s eat something besides each other, please I'm fucking starving, and you look like a whole ass feast. Jin your...," you stop, licking your salivating lips and proving your point. "There's one thing I want in my mouth right now."

“Baby,” he laughs with a flushed face, almost choking on the bite he’d taken of the banana that had adorned the dish. “I can’t be dressed, and I can’t be naked? Those are a person’s only two options! You’ve seen and felt… all of this…so many times. It’ll likely happen again very soon, and nothing fits! Can’t I just-”

“Are you hungry? Or can we fuck?” you interrupt him angrily, unwrapping your robe and letting it fall to the floor.

“Oh,” Jin moans, melting at the sight of you. “Oh, let me eat you out - that’ll fulfill me.”

“And what about me?” you say with raised brows and a hand on his chest when he wraps his arm around you.

“There’s sixt-“

Before Jin can finish, a loud rumble echoes from his abdomen. Your stomach lets out a similar noise in turn. 

“I’ll get dressed. We’re fucking later.”

“Good. Go." you teasingly push Jin away from you, catching the smile on his face as he reluctantly walks away and towards the bedroom... where he stays for far longer than expected.

“Seokjin-ah?” you call out from the kitchen, dressed in your robe again. “You okay?”

“Don’t you dare laugh.”

The door to your bedroom swings open, and Jin stands by the doorway in a floral skirt of yours paired with one of his regular old Disney t-shirts, so snug on his body like a Y2K babydoll tee and cropped right across his abs.

It was impossible to fulfill Jin's command, and you howl right on cue.

"No. No, you do not get to laugh. You said I had to change. I told you barely anything fits," he says, walking straight up to the dining table while holding back a smile behind his pout, and he finally lets it appear on his face when you inadvertently let out a snort. "Let’s just eat, you dorky, beautiful brat."

The cutlery clangs as you and Jin eat from the same plate, your preferred toppings messily intermixing around the plate. The pancakes were as good as you expected them to be, but it didn’t quite fulfill your appetite. Judging by Seokjin’s silence as he ate, you wondered if the same could be said for him. It was hard to savor any bite you'd taken, as it was just as hard to push away the thought that though he sure looked goofy in his mismatched, oddly fitting clothes... the Kim Seokjin magic was too damn real. With his growing hair sticking to his forehead, abs peeking beneath the shirt, and concentrated expression... he looked delectable as he licked off the fork in his hands. His plump lips are covered in chocolate.... and all you want to do is lick and kiss it off.

“What do you want to do today, Jin?” You'd asked him this question every day, checking in to see if he ever wanted to see anyone else or do anything different. Besides a quick family reunion, he hadn't left the apartment. After years of living on borrowed time, the lifetime you had in front of you together as husband and wife suddenly felt too short. You remember selfishly hoping to spend almost every waking minute with the love of your life while knowing his hobbies, friends, and commitments... and here he stayed.

“Today? Well, I worked out and showered already - might repeat that this evening for your sake, princess. I'll game. Watch a movie with you later? One of the ones I missed in cinemas while in the service. Dinner. You know... I want to do 'at-home-with-my-future-wife things' and continue this domestic bliss.. forever...” he says, finally looking at you. “Is that okay? Anything you want to do?”

“You,” you smirk, and Jin almost chokes on the bite he’d taken. You’d resisted licking that glimpse of his abs all throughout the meal. No more. "I'm disappointed not to hear the same on your list."

"Honey, sex and kisses were a given, but... even now?" he giggles, pointing to the clothes he had on.

"Even now, Mr. Worldwide Handsome.... This is unforgettable, hilarious and still adorable.... but you probably could've just stayed naked."

“I told you. Come here, baby,” he finally chuckles, and you listen, taking the two necessary baby steps to get to him and quickly help take off the clothes he had on. Ignoring the returning ache in your legs in the process, you straddle his naked body on the chair and loosen your robe to give him a full view of your chest and stomach before placing the plate between your two bodies, taking turns feeding one another the final bites of breakfast. 

When the plate is empty save for the disgustingly sweet combination of all your toppings, Jin calls your name to ensure he has your attention as he dips his three fingers into the untouched, decorative mountain of whipped cream before licking it off in one fell swoop, his eyes staring into yours all the way through. Quickly, you wrap your arms around his neck and finally begin to nibble at Jin's chocolatey lips, guiding his hand to your breast while the other is at the small of your back. The forgotten plate between you loses its balance and drops of the syrupy liquid make their way onto your thighs. Jin jerks as you, and he's quick to set the plate back on the table and wipe away the syrup. Though simple, the action makes your legs twitch, and the ache returns.

“Honey… Does it still hurt? I caught you limping." Jin quickly licks his finger clean before gently grazing your thighs as he begins thinking aloud. "If it hurts... should we start taking it easy? I want you, but if you're in pain... Maybe I should skip my morning workouts. If it’s making me rougher-”

You interrupt Jin with a kiss, tugging at his lower lip hard when he tries to pull away.

“Mmm, ow,” he mumbles.

“Want me to stop doing that?”

“Fuck no,” he says, licking his lips. "But it's different, I-"

“It'll just take getting used to, is all," you say, grazing Jin's chest.

"Do you remember what you told me when I gained weight? And I was scared to have sex with you? You told me that if I hurt you, you'd tell me. And you told me you loved my body no matter how it looked like. That's still true, right?"

You confidently ask the question with Jin's head in your hands, knowing the answer.

"Of course, my love. What are you saying?"

"The same goes for you, honey. Don't keep up or get rid of this physique for my benefit. If you want to skip your workouts, skip it. If you want to keep it up, that's fine too. If it hurts too much, if you’re too rough, I’ll tell you… And we keep promises in this relationship, right?"

Jin nods, his gaze fixated on your lips.

"As you said, we can always find another way, too,” you whisper, brushing the hair away from his forehead to place a kiss upon it and pushing your body closer to his. Feeling his length harden underneath you, you kiss him on the lips once more and undo your robe entirely, letting the silk fall down your back and rest bunched up over his thighs. Jin takes in the sight before quickly discarding the silky garment.

“Oh, my love,” he exhales with a tightening grip on your hips. “I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you... just like this."

[meowmeowriley]

Hi! First ask ever and English is not my native language so sorry if i mess up something or sound strange.

Please, i need to know more about 4, 5, 9, 12 and 13 of your wip list. Anything you want to tell because i am frothing at the mouth at all of them but 4, 5, 9, 12 and 13 in particular.

Thank you thank you thank you! I'll give you a little bit of each of those fics! ❤

4) Oh, Brother. Funny thing about this fic, it was supposed to be a one-shot 😅 too many people liked it though, so I had to keep going. I actually just uploaded a new chapter today! A little summary - Soap and Ghost's families think they need help getting together, so they organize an aquarium date! (Plot twist, they did not need the help, but they loved the excuse to be around one another) It was my first attempt at keeping the boys in character, I think I've done okay.

5) I Don't Think We're in Space Anymore. Oh look at that, another one that was supposed to be a one-shot. Honestly this fic is the one I've put the most effort into. There's a ton of art linked to the fic, drawn by myself and my friend. Ive even been working on a hand written Journal for Soap for this AU. Pictures of those pages are in the fic, and here on Tumblr. Ghost is a shape-shifting alien, and Price decides to keep him. He's violent and destructive, and he's viciously protective of his team. Gaz and Ghost bond over star gazing, Ghost and Soap are both insanely horny for one another, and Laswell pretends she's not as attached to Ghost and his alien quirks as she actually is. (She loves him dearly.)

9) Is That Gonna be a Problem? This is the fic that was supposed to be my first attempt to write a realistic and in character version of the boys, but then Oh, Brother happened. In it, Ghost had met Johnny and his twin sister Jenny when they were kids, and decided to reconnect as an adult. It's going to follow Simon and the MacTavish twins as they get to know each other, and eventually how Simon and Johnny got together. And then of course, the 141 learning that they were together the whole time.

12) Outlaw Outta Time. I absolutely love Red Dead Redemption 2. One day I had the thought that Dutch Van der Lind would absolutely love Phillip Graves, and the idea grew from there. Its gonna have Ghost, Soap, Alejandro, and Rodolfo getting mixed up with the Van der Lind gang, looking for Graves, and trying to go home. All the while Arthur watches (established relationship) Ghost and Soap, and is jealous because he's been pining after a certain clumsy photographer (Albert Mason) but won't allow himself to have him. This story is another that I want to make a Journal for Soap, and also one for Arthur, so it's going to be a hell of a lot of work, and I'm excited for it! 😁

13) This one, I have the least for you. It doesn't have a name, all I have is the idea. I myself use they/it pronouns, and I honestly think Ghost would too. For this fic, Ghost would've been born female, had top surgery, and takes testosterone. Ghost is aware they present male, and therefore never corrects anyone for using male pronouns. Soap is straight. He's sure of it. Except Ghost gets him all hot and bothered. He's not sure how to feel about that. This fic is absolutely gonna end with Ghost riding Soap.

Thank you again for the ask! I hope this was sufficient, but if it wasn't, let me know!

[otakween]

Digimon Frontier (Manhua) - Volume 2

I wonder if anyone on tumblr has read this manhua in its physical form since it was only released in Australia. Also, how many manhua/manga are the Aussies hiding from us?? lol

Ch. 8

Oh okay, so in this version of the story digicode is called a "digital password" (for some...reason)

I do like how this artist draws Junpei. He looked cute with his hair all tousled in this chapter.

Ch. 9

Huh. They completely cut out all of the comedy from this "episode." Nothing about Calmaramon being ugly and her fanboys abandoning her and nothing about her spinning out of control and defeating herself...womp womp.

I'm attempting to read this on my Boox ereader to enhance my experience. Maybe it will motivate me to read quicker lol. I'd be curious to hear my mutuals' preferred format/app for reading emanga. I use a big mix of stuff but in this case it's Tachiyomi + eink

Ch. 10

Yikes, that was so disjointed and weird! They went from the fight with Duskmon back to the Calmaramon fight. I thought that the scans were uploaded in the wrong order or something, but nope!

The transition to the real world was so clunky and confusing.

I did like Duskmon's chapter art, that was pretty badass. His mask looks a little funky though (the fangs are more gnarly)

Ch. 11

More cut scenes messing things up: Takuya expresses his guilt for Koji's predicament, but they never bothered to go over Takuya's reckless plan to fight Duskmon, so it's totally unclear why he's guilty in the first place. Also, we see Takuya go to the real world, but we never see his epiphany for why he should go back to the digital world, he just kinda appears in the next fight scene. -sigh- Who needs character motivations or emotions amirite?

At least they cut out the tickle torture scene. Grateful for that decision...

I think this is the most expressive I've ever seen Mercuremon lol. I hope we see more of him in the franchise, his design is so original.

Ch. 12

I'm still not over how unimpressive the Frontier digivolutions are in some cases. Wolfmon and BeoWolfmon are basically the same thing. I think they straight up got Koji's digivolution name wrong here (called BeoWolfmon Garummon), so that made things extra confusing and anti-climactic lol.

A lot of things were so unclear in this chapter: it wasn't clear that Seraphimon was lending his strength, it wasn't clear how Koji realized that Koichi was a human, and the flashbacks were poorly integrated as well. Also, how did the kids end up inside Sephirothmon and not Bokomon and Neemon? Unclear.

I do appreciate how easy it is to tell Koichi and Koji apart. I feel like they did a good job making them very distinct yet still keeping it clear that they're twins.

Ch. 13

Damn, just terrible translation. They kept calling Seraphimon Ophanimon over and over again. At one point they had the wrong name right next to the correct name on the same page!! How is it possible to be THAT careless!? (I noticed that the scanner acknowledged this in their between chapters' note lol).

It was good to get another look at BlackSeraphimon's design. I already said this in my anime commentary, but it would have been way cooler if we got more of these combo designs from villains using heroes powers...

Ch. 14

I don't have many complaints for this chapter, it was done relatively well. I feel like Koichi's grandma was more explicitly negative when explaining what Koichi's father did to him ("abandoned").

The scene where Takuya is like "are you crazy? You should fight him because he's your brother" also felt weird to me. Like, what if they hurt him badly by mistake? Maybe humans can only be killed if you scan their digicode so there's no risk?

[enigma-the-mysterious]

WIP Wednesday: All progress so far!

Original post

@whimsicalmeerkat @anyctibius @aparticularbandit @somefishycat

GREAT NEWS!!!! I FINISHED THIS FIC!!!! AAAAAAAAAA. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to write it. Here is the complete version uploaded on AO3.

[Blue indicates previously added lines]

"So, how was it this time?" Ram asked the important question. "Did you like it?"

Akhtar wobbled his head in that endearing way he did when mere words would not suffice to express his approval. "It… it is hard to describe it, but once the bitterness wore off, there was a rich taste to it, like something earthy but more soft. It was delicious." 

Ram nodded, his chest feeling inexplicably full. Akhtar's joy over such simple things was infectious. Worried that his face would break into another silly smile for seemingly no reason and make him appear like a fool to his friend, he turned around, finally bestowing some attention to his own drink. 

"That's good to hear," he said, sprinkling half a spoon of sugar into his cup. As he swirled the spoon to mix it up, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the dark, churning liquid. 

His face was split into a stupid grin.

So much for his efforts. Oh well. Maybe he could be a little stupid with Akhtar. Who cared?

@kedreeva @zyrafowe-sny @eriquin @adhdavinci @post-and-out @scifikimmi

"I am arresting you for rebelling against the British government."

"Just look into my eyes, my brother. Look at me."

He did. There was nothing behind them. Just a pair of lifeless voids. A stranger wearing the face of his beloved and donning the colour of the colonisers.

Somehow that was worse. Bheem wished he had never asked Ram to look at him.

+++++

"Surrender if you want Malli to stay alive," the cruel stranger wearing his beloved's face said.

Bheem did. Scott Buxton shot her anyway.

Bheem wept over the songbird's cooling blood. Because what else could he do?

+++++

"Let us hang him in front of Malli," the stranger said.

The noose tightened around his neck. Malli screamed and sobbed. He opened his mouth to reassure her, to apologize to her, but no words came out, no air came out. 

@stonemaskedtaliesin

Bheem felt it for the first time then. It enveloped his heart in its sharp claws, squeezing his chest till he bled. Terror.

@violet-prism-creatively

Did he not know that?

No, he doesn't. You made sure of that.

@auburnlaughter @wizisbored

Everywhere he gazed in his apartment, he saw traces of… him.

So, Ram did not look anywhere; did not glance at his bed where the sheets were messed up, did not glance at his desk where a half eaten plate of rice still remained, did not glance at the floor where books were strewn everywhere except for the snug space by his bed and the trail leading to the kitchen, did not glance at his cupboard where he knew a grey suit and a light blue shirt were missing.

Ram did not look anywhere. He limped straight towards the bathroom. Only when he reached there did he let himself breathe.

He planted his hands on the edge of the wash basin and leaned his entire weight on it.

[ut-versotale]

A Trip Down Nostalgia Lane

This AU's been in existence for so long, and the most current iteration is so wildly different from the rest. As such, I felt it'd be kinda cool to show you guys how the AU's progressed over the years. I don't think it's too big of a problem to reveal what the initial plans were for each iteration, what I liked and didn't like, and my thought process behind forgoing the old ones

If you don't particularly care for all that, here's the iterations' major characters lined up. (Iteration 4 I only have revealed Asriel and Undyne, so the rest I've designed so far are silhouetted)

Iteration 0.5

Oh boy, where to begin with this one...?

I number it "0.5" and not "1" because there were only two parts that never even officially released on this Tumblr blog. I did upload Part 1 for an April Fool's joke a while ago. But really, it was only ever present on the TS!Underswap Discord server over half a decade ago.

To put it bluntly, Versotale at this point was just a reskinned Undertale roleswap AU. The personalities, while I tried to keep them intact, were not the main driving force. As such:

Asriel is a silent protagonist (And not in a cool clever way like Kris; I mean just straight-up silent)

The only difference with Undyne as a narrator was noting that Frisk was a human at the first save point

Flowey had a more formal speech pattern but was otherwise barely affected despite carrying Chara's consciousness. They weren't even named Asthana yet.

Frisk... well, I can give my past self this, he certainly made an effort to differentiate Frisk from Toriel. I can't say he did a GOOD job at that, but they certainly were different. Awkward dialogue, though, and not much sense behind why they were the mayor of the Ruins at 13 years old

Overall, you can 100% tell I made this as a young teen. Awkward dialogue, barely any effort put into the concept, unoriginal...

It's pretty easy to see why I forewent this version of the AU. Only two parts were ever made. I must thank @beethovenus who gave me a lot of very helpful critiques, such as giving Asriel a voice and making original sprites rather than using sprite edits, as well as encouraging me to make this Tumblr blog for it. Thus, brings us to what I'd like to consider the first PROPER attempt at this AU...

Iteration 1

Ah, this one... this ALSO lasted only two parts. Can't remember why. But I made a lot more headway on this one. Quality aside, I am happy that I had the guts to try and make original sprites of my own back then, even if they aren't particularly good compared to now.

This was where I really attempted to make the characters act noticeably different. Though there were still quite a lot of problems, some that would even persist all the way up until Iteration 4.

I wanted to give Asriel a combination of his regular and Flowey personalities. A cool idea on paper, but the lore doesn't support him acting like that well enough. Thus, I refer to this version of him as Sassriel. This was one of those problems that persisted up until Iteration 3.

Undyne having this snarky back-and-forth with Sassriel. Again, cool idea on paper, but it is not supported by her personality in Undertale, nor the altered circumstances in VT Iteration 1. Also, with Undyne being a disembodied consciousness, it means she's merely an observer of the story and not an active participant, meaning her dialogue got very boring very fast. Undyne in canon was always an active character, so putting her in a role that basically FORCED her to be a passive character was maybe one of the worst decisions I could've made that lasted way too long, all the way until Iteration 4.

You'll notice a whole bunch of characters that never actually saw the light of day in the comic. In the bottom row, starting from left to right, there would have been Pepper (Who DID have a design but I've lost it), Donavan, Dr. Aakil, Lily, and Queen Alice. There's not much to say about them story-wise since I mainly just got the designs down, and you can probably guess what the plot was gonna be like given this was the early days of the AU where it was still very much following the Undertale formula. I think the only UNIQUE things I should mention are that Aakil's version of the amalgamates would've been cyborgs.

Iteration 2

This is the one that's lasted the longest (so far), managing to push its way into the Cold West. I tried to break out of the Undertale formula a tiny bit with this one, to varying degrees of success. There's not much history I can recall or find with this iteration, but I suppose I can give a character rundown of the ones you never saw, ironically enough all positioned on the bottom row again.

Donavan... not very unique compared to Undyne. The main gimmick that separated him from her, I think, was that he had gloves designed by Aakil that were soul-powered.

Valencia... a new character who was meant to be an expanded version of Napstablook's role. Fun fact: Valencia's hooded trenchcoat design there was originally Pepper's Iteration 1 design.

Everyone else was... about what you'd expect.

Looking back on this version, I am... honestly very embarrassed by how badly I butchered the Cold West. I wanted to do so many cool things, like a bounty on Asriel's head and all. But my God... Spade and Pepper sucked so much. Especially Pepper. For characters who at this point were meant to be this AU's replacement of Sans and Papyrus... what poor substitutes.

And honestly, I think that's why I scrapped this one; because I hated the Cold West and how I did it. It felt rushed, awkwardly-written, bad characterization, horrifically-bad puzzles, etc. Thus, Iteration 3 was made.

Iteration 3: Hybrid

I nicknamed this short-lived one "Hybrid" for multiple reasons.

It's where Deltarune became an extremely prevalent influence in Versotale's universe. So no longer is Versotale just an Undertale AU, it can also be considered a Deltarune AU as well.

Many characters could be considered hybrids at this point. Asriel and Undyne shared determination and a body. And, more interestingly, the Mettaton role also shared a body with Mettaton. More about that in a bit

When I was making Part 10-B of Iteration 2, Iteration 3 was meant to flow naturally into it, effectively replacing all of what had came beforehand. That never worked out.

Ultimately, I abandoned this version because it just simply wasn't doing it for me. By this point, the project was beginning to feel stale and boring. Despite my attempts to make a new unique storyline, it just kinda... felt like it was still following in Undertale's footsteps far too much. I mean, you've got the protagonist kid, an old fallen member of their species, the double-crossing flower, a mentor who's lived in a secluded area all their life, a chef who wants to join the guard, a tough grizzled guard captain, a morally-dubious scientist, a celebrity, a monarch... you see how I became dislliusioned with the quality of what was supposed to be my "Unique Undertale storyline." The most unique thing at this point WAS probably Spade. But still, many elements of this version of the story were very fleshed-out. I tried to turn Pepper into a character who wasn't just a bargain-bin Papyrus clone, I had come up with a more unique Hotland area, and it probably could've turned out really nice.

I think the thing I genuinely really liked from this old version was that Shella (This iteration's celebrity character) actually was also possessed by Mettaton. There was this huge backstory thing where the scientist character had monster dust and was injecting humans with it, and since Mettaton was a ghost, his consciousness became attached to Shella's and served as her sort of "assistant." He gave her all the tips and confidence to become famous and gave Mettaton the opportunity to indirectly entertain humans like he always wanted. While a cool idea on paper, having... well, essentially Mettaton technically in the same place as canon Undertale again just felt cheap and lazy. Not to mention it only continued my disillusionment with my "unique story" being far too similar to Undertale for comfort.

But the Surface shenanigans this iteration... man, for as weird as Gaster being king was, I had such a cool thing planned for all the Ebottobia characters. It's something I wanna carry over into Iteration 4 to a certain extent.

Iteration 4: "King Asriel"

This one's really freaking cool. Going back to the drawing board completely, the story resembles almost nothing like Undertale's, with the sole exception of the main premise: People underground, free them from imprisonment through peace or violence.

I'm so proud of these ideas so far, you have no idea. The new Ruins area I'm excited for, the new Cold West feels like an actual proper flowing storyline now, the other areas have way more uniqueness, the characters feel like their own characters with their own stories now (Even the ones that appear in canon), the plot feels completely different... I think you all are really going to like it

That's all. Just felt like taking a trip down memory lane and share some ideas and designs the public never got to see.

[positivelybeastly]

What do you think of Juan Jose ryp art of beast?

So, I actually had to look up which X-Force/Wolverine artist this was, because I . . . honestly don't keep a massive track on who's on what duty for these books. I haven't even capped them, which is. Telling. There's like 80+ issues of comics featuring Beast that I haven't capped because I dislike the subject matter so much.

In fact, you know what, here's some pulling back of the curtain and some statistics for you - you know the little icons that I used for replies?

These are 100x100 icons cut down to size manually after being screencapped from digital copies, for maximum resolution and quality. I have QUITE a lot of them saved up, a lot of them from back when I was first RPing back in 2013-2015.

For Human Hank, I have 208.

For classic/Ape Hank, I have 622.

For feline Hank, I have 1,018.

For modern Hank, I have 457.

For Dark Beast, I have 150.

Now, this isn't EXACTLY how much I like one form over the other, it's also determined by which one I tend to RP as most, but the two definitely influence each other - most people I write with get feline Hank, he's my default for a reason, he's the Hank I know best.

BUT ANYWAY.

Juan Jose Ryp.

Honestly, it's good art. His anatomy is good, he can capture fur texture well, he is certainly drawing the Beast that Ben Percy is asking him to draw. It's just a bit of a shame that it's the single worst version of Beast ever put to page, so I automatically see it, recognise it, and go, oh, yeah, from THAT run.

Honestly, almost any other time, this would be a scenario that would have me salivating, but instead I'm capping this, uploading it, then immediately throwing it in my recycle bin. I don't want it on my computer, straight up. And it's a shame, because the art is eminently very good. The colouring is on point, it has that underwater shine, the shading is excellent, the muscle definition is lovely . . .

I do also have to point out something, though, which. Annoys me. And I hesitate to point the finger at Ryp, because I don't know that it's his fault or not, it could be just how Ben Percy is telling him to draw this, but.

That's the wrong Beast.

I'm extremely well acquainted with every one of Hank's forms, and that is way more akin to THIS

than it is to THIS

Ryp draws 90s Beast. He does not draw modern Beast. Whether this is designed to intentionally repulse the reader, who sees the design, thinks of TAS Beast from the 90s show, and then reads him being an absolutely colossal chode, or if it's just straight up artist error, I don't know. Hank has a habit of being drawn badly or incorrectly. Don't believe me?

This art is from 2012, from issue #24 of Secret Avengers. The Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in.

Beautiful 90s Beast, right?

Except, you know.

He's meant to look like this.

Like a cat.

Aren't we meant to have, like . . . editors, and shit?

But yeah, Ryp draws 90s Beast, and it's flat out wrong. Artistic interpretation, sure, but it's just straight up wrong. Again, I don't know if he's being told to do this or not, but it's something I need to bring up, because this is not something that happens to Cyclops or Wolverine, and it bugs the living fuck out of me.

But yeah, Ryp does draw a lovely Beast, even if he's inaccurate. That being said, he's not my favourite modern Beast artist by a country mile. Cassara and Gill, who drew Beast in the X-Force books, I like more.

I also have an affection for Coccolo, just because he draws a very round and lovely Beast.

Like, yeah, he's a genocidal war criminal, but fuck, he's got such a lovely belly and thick as hell thighs and I am weak.

That being said, they are not my favourite modern Beast artists either, because this is a poisoned run and I don't like to think about these pages.

Sean Izaakse draws the best modern Beast, in my opinion. Is it partly because he illustrated the last time Beast was written in character?

But I do just genuinely think he draws an effortlessly handsome and gorgeous and animated Hank.

George Perez often said he had a good time drawing Hank, even calling him the funny little monkey man, asking his 90s collaborator Kurt Busiek if he could come back so he could draw him more, and honestly, you can see it in his art, in how much love and attention and how elaborate he gets with his work on Hank. I get that same feeling from Izaakse.