#gotten more comfortable with sharing my oc stuff again

[dragonichaven]

Another old thing that I honestly forgot that I made! Featuring Margaret's mom, Myria from BoFIII. They're not on good terms.

[ask-train-trio]

~.~.~𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐎 ~.~.~

INTRODUCTION MASTERPOST!!!!!

(ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ɢɪꜰ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʟᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴏᴏ ʙɪɢ ᴏᴏᴘs)

This is an askblog for @lunozapp 's Indigo Park OCs! This post contains everything you need to know about this ask blog/AU and its characters! Context, boundaries, references etc. Asks are contextualised a little differently here, so check the blog description for the tl;dr on the context.

Check out issue 1 here!

CONTEXT:

This is DappleTilez24, also known as Tilez. He's a relatively small streamer in his universe's indigo park community, and is known for tirelessly completeing run after run, trying to beat his personal records (with.... varying sucess).

One day, he tries to speedrun a build of the game that he's never seen before...

...and stumbles across 2 MORE Rambleys than usual, much to the surprise - and confusion - of the Rambley we know and love!

Naturally, our hero Tilez is pretty damn confuddled... so he (mistakenly) asks his live chat for an explaination.

This is where YOU fantastic askers come in!

You act as Tilez's live chat. This means you don't even have to answer his queries, just say whatever you want to this interdimentional triplet of trash pandas, just like a REAL insufferable livechat would!

...within reason, of course (jokes aside, please read the boundaries)

[updated as of 04/07/24] CHARACTER REFERENCES: (in the animation i forgot twimbly's GT badges lol)

CHARACTER BOUNDARIES:

I want to make it entirely clear that i see the raccoon trio as brothers, especially with their very similar origins.

This is to say that I would not feel comfortable with any of them being shipped with eachother and I forbid the public sharing of that kind of content. If you see that kind of stuff around, please just mention this to the OP and block them if they refuse to respect it.

FURTHERMORE, please keep in mind that I ( @lunozapp ) am a MINOR. SO DON'T PUBLICLY POST NSFW/FETISH ART OF MY CHARACTERS, PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

However, shipping Twimbly, Ranglore, Rambley and Tilez with other characters that aren't related to them is fine by me (e.g. any of the original indigo characters x any of them, since they're not related)!

Again, please just keep it sfw.

ASK BOUNDARIES:

Pretty basic criteria, really. Just please don't spam the same ask over and over, I will guaranteed see them all unless this thing gets an explosion of attention out of nowhere lol

if i don't answer, its probably because either the question doesn't really fit the kind of story i have in mind for these characters or i just don't feel comfortable answering it. please respect that.

If you have a question for me specifically, start your ask with '[OOC]' (Out Of Character) or just ask me directly: @lunozapp

FURTHER INFO:

Asks are moreso used here as a prompt for conversation rather than the basis of an entire issue. More often than not there will be more than 1 ask in an issue, so going forward I'll make sure to tag everyone who asks without annonymity.

Also, please TRY to keep them as actual questions and not goofy 1-word sentences, the asks help me actually formulate a coherent premise for an issue

I don't OWN the concept of making ocs based off lore.mp4 and the GT thumbnail. if u see someone doing the same, try not to be all like 'OMG TWIMBLY/RANGLORE!!!! THEY ALREADY EXIST THIS IS PLAGARISM YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!!!11!!11' unless it is blatant plagarism. Just use ur common sense ig

In terms of fanart/other fanworks, A MILLION THANKS IF YOU FEEL CALLED TO MAKE THAT!! The stuff i've gotten so far is genuinely so awesome, make it all you want if you feel called to do so. I'll try to reblog any fanart I find on here. If you want to go straight to asks, just click on the tag '#train trio asks'

alright, that's everything. Now what are you still doing here? Throw 'em a question! Or a compliment!! Or an insult.

or don't idrc just have fun here haha

fun fact!! putting everything together for this took a WEEK

[p1a9u3]

PeepHole Ch.1: Moving Day

Masterpost Ch.1 - Ch.2 Pairing: Dylan Matthews x Fem Oc

Rating: 18+ (mdni)

Genre: Neighbors/Strangers to Lovers, Smut, Angst, Fluff, Slow-burn

Summary: Moving isn't as exciting as Amoya thought, plus she may have pissed off her new neighbor.

Words: 3.2k

Warnings: (This story takes place in 2024) Mental illness (anxiety, ocd), Violent intrusive thoughts, Language, Age gap (5years), Using phone while driving

Status: Unedited

Author note: This is the first fic that I've ever posted, I've written before but I've never finished anything and published it so don't tear me to shreds, please. I chose to make an oc instead of just writing as a reader mainly because I made a whole character in my head before I wrote this so I decided to just make her an oc, if you would like a post going more into this oc of mine feel free to ask (I might post it anyway because I like her), there is no smut in this chapter btw. Please give me feedback and suggestions, constructive criticism, etc. Don't be a bitch about it though...please. I'm thinking of making this a series POSSIBLY, but I procrastinate a lot so that may never happen. To my fellow troublemakers hopefully, I do Dylan justice and my writing is at least a little bit accurate to his personality. Still, to be fair I'm a fairly new troublemaker having only found out about this man a few weeks ago, so if something isn't accurate please correct me...politely. He's become my new hyper fixation so when I saw there aren't really any fics about him I decided I should make my own so here we are. Anyway with that being said Enjoy <3. Update: Dylan is barely in this chapter

Monday, February 26, 2024 Time: 8:30AM Moving out was less relieving than you thought it would be. Having been by your mother's side for almost all your life, you'd gotten comfortable always having someone around.

'You can't live with your parents forever'

People would remind you whenever the topic of anyone's living situation would be brought up. Being twenty-seven and still living with your mother wasn't something you wanted to keep telling people, no one would take you seriously. Though your mother never pushed for you to move out, never mentioned it actually. You think you know why. You never say anything though, so you deal with the slight embarrassment, and ignore the judgmental stares you get whenever someone brings it up.

'They don't know our relationship'

More excuses you make up to justify your obstinance; and to mask the anxiety you're feeling as finish up packing your U-Haul. You had finished packing your stuff from your shared apartment and were now finishing the few boxes you had in storage. Now in the elevator mustering up the strength to carry the last two boxes back down to the truck. Grabbing the lock you had left on the floor, you place it on top of one of the boxes and stack the box onto the second one, bending down and lifting with a soft grunt. Long strides carrying you to the elevator, you push the down button with your foot. The doors open soon after, you step inside setting the boxes down as you push the bottom floor and wait. Pushing off the wall as the doors open you pick up the boxes once again, you quickly load them up into the U-Haul before grabbing the padlock from on top of the box, and then heading to the front desk of the storage building.

"Here, the unit is clean and empty." You smile at the woman as she takes the lock and keys with a thank you.

Turning on your heels you walk back to your U-Haul giving everything a once-over before locking it all up, now turning your attention to the hitch attached to the back of the Truck where your precious car is hitched too. It was a black and cherry red 1993 Nissan 240SX with a red interior, you had seen it while driving with your mom past a repair shop when you were 25, back then it had no windshield or wheels. You won't lie and say you fixed it yourself but you did invest all the money you had at that time to fix it up and color it how you wanted; you still would say it was worth it. Checking the hitch and chains attached to the bottom of the car making sure everything was set and ready.

"Everything looks good?" Your mother said making you jump

"Yah! A warning ma, please! And yes everything looks good, I packed up the last two boxes and returned the keys and lock to the front desk while you were in the bathroom." You let out a breath calming your heart from the scare you just had, your mom snickering next to you. You turn to her rolling your eyes playfully as you walk to the front of the truck, your mom following behind you.

"Good, let's get on the road." Your mom hops into the passenger seat and rolls down the window. "I wanna get home by Wednesday."

You climb into the driver's seat, buckling your seatbelt then checking your mirrors. You two had agreed on driving to your new apartment, taking turns every 5 hours, once you got there she'd help you unload and unpack on Tuesday, and your mom would then fly back to New Orleans on Wednesday. The more you think about it the more you feel yourself panic a bit.

"Okay."

Time: 9:00AM Starting the car, you let out a breath putting the car in drive and pulling out of the parking lot of the storage building. You could tell your mom was trying to keep herself calm by the way she would rub her right thigh with her right hand, it was a nervous tick she passed down to you. Unfortunately, you were just as nervous, so you decided to turn on the playlist you and your mom made while eating the night before, mixes of all kinds of genres put into one playlist to keep you both entertained during the drive. Pulling off the main road and merging onto the freeway, you glance over to your mom to see her smiling wide looking back at you. She has that look in her eyes, you know it well.

"Its happening ma." You smile back at your mom then look back to the road

Your mother places her hand on your thigh, letting out a long sigh and a soft squeeze before returning it back to her own lap. You see her wipe a single tear from your peripheral; you don't acknowledge it. She'll start bawling the second you tell her not to cry. So you pretend not to see it and start singing along to Erykah Badu, your mom turns the music up a bit and starts singing along too. You smile to yourself as you glance out your side window, watching as familiar buildings pass by in a blur, You think you'll miss this place. No, you know you will, but a part of you is kinda excited, relieved almost. You've silently always longed to live on your own, but another part of you calls you selfish for even wanting that until now

'How could want to leave your mother'

You know it's normal to want to move out of your parent's home, every grown adult has to move out at some point, and twenty-seven is a perfectly normal age to do so, You wanted to move when you were twenty-four. Hell, some people live with their parents till they are far in their thirties.

'But you know your mother may need you right'

All your brothers have moved out, they are doing good on their own, and you're the only one left. It was only a matter of time; you tell yourself. Your mom will be fine, she's dating a new man who treats her great and takes care of her. Hell he tried to hire a moving crew to move all your stuff, but you wanted to do it yourself and your mom wasn't going to let you drive almost halfway across the country by yourself.

'you could've found a place closer to her you know'

Phoenix, Arizona. You chose Phenix simply because it was affordable for you and close to LA, your mom agreed it was a good choice. There is work in LA, California is just so expensive, so you chose the next best thing. The apartment is nice from what you saw as well, one bedroom, two baths with a study. It was perfect for you.

Time: 11:23AM The drive was going well so far, your mother eating a bag of chips she packed along with all the other snacks and drinks. You were eating a Honeybun, one of your favorite snacks, and drinking water. Your mom had turned off the music and started watching YouTube with mostly commentary so you could listen and drive, Right now a video was playing talking about some ice cream drama in North Dakota. Author note: if you watched this video featuring Dylan is in Trouble, I know it's technically in the future but I don't care, this is all fake anyway. You found it interesting and kinda funny, laughing every now and then when your mom would pause to add her opinion. About two-thirds of the way into the video you glance down at the screen, there are two guys now instead of one, and one of them is wearing glasses, you glance back down looking at the title of the video 'Insane Local Ice Cream Shop Drama (w/ Dylan Is In Trouble)' You made a mental note of the second guy's name for later, his voice was nice you told yourself, he was also fine as fuck. You leaned your seat back as far as it would go, which wasn't very far, getting comfortable. You still have two more hours left to drive.

Time: 12:35PM Your mom had fallen asleep about ten minutes ago, YouTube was still playing, The next video had been the same guy as before. You looked down for a second, looking at the title of the video that had been playing for about fifteen minutes. 'Guessing Finales After ONE Episode (ft. Dylan Is In Trouble)' You smile to yourself a bit recognizing the name at the end of the title, you let the video play just listening to the guy talk for ten more minutes. You caught yourself smiling again when you recognized the second guy's voice as he joined in for the rest of the video, you took a sip of your water glancing down at the video, seeing him pop on screen whenever he had something to say

"he's funny." You mutter to yourself quietly, thinking out loud.

The video had ended and your lips fell back into their original position, as an ad played before the next queued-up video, you looked down at your GPS. 1322 miles to go; you let out a sigh.

'200 miles closer to leaving you mom'

She was helping you unpack, so you technically wouldn't be leaving her really. If anything she was leaving you since she had to fly back home. You prop your left elbow on the open window, your left hand holding the steering wheel, and your right hand comes down to your thigh, rubbing small circles back and forth.

'What happens if Devon goes back home'

Your oldest brother Devon was working at a mental facility. He was on his medication and was doing good, he managed to get a job there and has been making decent money. He was doing fine, He is doing fine.

'What if he stops taking his medication again.'

They will keep tabs on him, they know his habits, his symptoms, He is fine.

'Has another episode and gets out'

That wouldn't happen. He's fine

'He'll be there when mom gets back'

No.

"Hes gonna ki-'

-beep! beep! beep!-

Time: 2:00PM Your mom's alarm goes off, making you jump a bit. Reaching over to turn it off, your mom moans a bit as she wakes up from her short nap, stretching her arms a bit as she yawns.

"Jeste li spremni za promjenu." she yawns out, going for a sip of her water ( translation: Are you ready to switch)

Your mother's Croatian tends to slip when she's just woken up, or delirious. You nod your head looking at the next exit sign to find a gas station, spotting a Love's off the side of the freeway. Slipping off the freeway you pull up to the gas station before parking next to a pump.

"Bathroom?" You look over at your mom, she nods, unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping out of the truck, you do the same.

You both enter opposing stalls to relieve yourselves of all the water you had been drinking, washing your hands after. Your mother heads back to the truck to pump the gas as you browse the aisles for any extra snacks, spotting a honeybun you instinctively grab one, then two, and head to the cashier. You place your honeybuns on the counter and then look up at the cashier who seems to be invested in something on her phone, she wasn't wearing headphones phone volume at maybe thirty percent, you could hear what she was watching. You recognize the voice, the cashier finally looks up from her phone quickly apologizing for not paying attention.

"Oh I'm so sorry, will this be all" She quickly rings up the two honeybuns.

"No you're fine, that'll be it actually." You dismissively wave your hand pulling out your wallet to pay.

Looking down you notice her phone, she had put it on the counter, and the video on it had been paused but on the screen was that guy again, though it seemed to be a video of his own this time. You pull out some cash and hand it to the young woman behind the counter, she takes the cash, counts it, and then goes to get your change.

"No, it's fine, keep the change" Flashing a smile then grabbing your honeybuns you take another glance at the women's screen before it turns off from being left alone for too long.

Opening the passenger seat door, you climb into the seat buckling yourself in. Pulling out of the gas station your mom pulls off back onto the freeway continuing your journey. You pull out the bag you had brought for little activities, pulling out your book of choice. You had splurged at a Barnes and Noble a few weeks before you began packing, picking up a bunch of books you had either heard good things about or had been wanting to read. Red Rising was one of the books, it was also the one you were currently holding.

"I'm gonna put my headphones on, so you can listen to whatever you want." You tell your mom as you put your headphones on and pull out your phone.

You had gotten the book on Audible a while back and wanted to read and listen at the same time. Pressing play you turn to the first chapter and begin reading as the narrator spoke. Your mom seemed to have put music on, you could feel the bass as she turned up the volume and began singing along.

Time: 10:56PM Hours had passed, it was your turn now with two hours left till your next switch. Your mother was knocked out, lightly snoring as you drove in silence, you had stopped reading once you had switched. You also decide to put off reading it until you were moved in, the book had grabbed your attention, so much so, that you wanted to be able to focus on it solely; so you chose to wait. You had a couple hundred miles left to go and things were sinking in more as you drove silently. Your mind doing its usual thing, making you worry about things that most likely won't happen, even if it did, you know it wouldn't be your fault. You couldn't help but think maybe it would be though, it was a dumb thought but you couldn't help it

'What was that guys name again'

Your brain blanked for a second, random but ok, your brain goes back to the YouTube video your mom had been watching, that cashier was watching him as well. Dylan is in Trouble, you wonder what kind of videos he makes, most likely commentary. You pull your phone out glancing down and go to YouTube, you use the voice to text and hold your phone up to your mouth.

"Dylan is in trouble"

You press search, going back and forth between looking at your phone and watching the road. You look down to find his channel, press his icon, and scroll through some of his videos. Movie commentary is what you mostly see, occasionally you'd spot something different, you decided you'd dive into his channel later when you weren't driving.

Time: 5:00AM You were in the driver's seat, you had let your mom sleep more after she had been driving for about three hours. She was up now though, you could tell things were starting to catch up to her again. She was fidgeting a lot more now, well so were you, she looked very tense. She helped you find this apartment, but you assume she wants to see the neighborhood for herself, in person, wants to see how good the security is and what the neighbors are like. It's only natural, she's a mother and her only daughter is moving twenty hours away from her. You look down at your phone, your GPS says you are pulling up now, you look around the area, it was very nice, wasn't too far from the city. You spot the complex to the left, it was pretty big with multiple sections with apartments, you were building three, kind of in the middle of everything. You pull into the complex parking in front of the leasing office to speak to your landlord and to get your keys, your mom comes with you of course, sizing everything up.

"Hi welcome to Arts District Apartments, it's Amaya correct, my name is George?" An old-looking man stands from his desk, his hand reaching out to shake yours

"Thank you, George, it's Amoya actually" You reach out and shake his hand with a smile.

You two talk a bit about the complex and its rules etc. Your mom chimed in every now and then to ask her questions. Before you know it you're unloading the truck into your new apartment, you're realizing now that you didn't have as much stuff as you thought. The last thing you had left was your bed, you and your mom had been doing well with just the two of you, but after you two had gotten the mattress inside your mother's back began to bother her. Now you had your bed frame, you told your mom to relax for now and that you could get the frame up yourself. Partial lie, you previously took apart the bed frame and so there were mainly long pieces that weren't too heavy except the backboard, that thing was heavy as fuck, luckily you had a dolly at the storage building to help you carry it out, but now you have to carry it to the elevator and down the hall. You managed to get it down from the truck, and from there you lifted it and sped walked to the elevator, almost dropping the bed frame on your foot as you set it down to push the button. The doors had closed on you twice as you tried to pick the frame back up and lift it into the elevator, but alas you made it, now on the third floor and outside the elevator. You took pride in your body, you considered yourself strong, regularly went to the gym, and you would say your legs were the strongest part of your body, with that being said, you tried to make as little noise as possible since it was still early in the morning, you lost your footing. You were almost there, your door being right in front of you; but you fell. Landing on the door behind you hitting your head with a very loud thud.

"Bumbo." You whisper yelled at yourself in Jamaican as you set the frame down and leaned off of the door. (translation: Fuck)

Holding the frame upright you walk around it reaching for your door, the frame slipping from your fingers and falling against your neighbor's door again. You prayed that your new neighbor was either a very deep sleeper or wasn't home right now, though maybe you didn't pray hard enough. You lift the bed frame from your neighbor's door, getting your phone to get your mom to hold the door open for you so you can slide it the rest of the way inside. Stopping, you hear the door behind you click open. Your bed frame blocked your view of whoever had stepped out, but you could hear him.

Ch.1 - Ch.2

Updated Author note: Hopefully this was an enjoyable first chapter or part. The apartment is just a random apartment complex I saw on Zillow, everything in this is all fictional besides the YouTube videos and things that are obviously real. Anyway, I have decided to make this a series, I've gone into too much detail on little things like Amoya's intrusive thoughts and all that, and it'd be a waste to shorten and delete half of what I put and speed through everything, Amoya's intrusive thoughts and anxiety is a trait I added from myself, so you'll notice a lot of internal thinking and scenarios she makes up in her head. Hopefully, the idea is as cool as what I thought of in my head. If this does well, I will upload the other chapters one after the other, If it does bad I'll just delete everything, but please be patient I procrastinate a lot and I want the writing to be good. Please be honest and let me know how you all feel about this, if you like the writing, the main character, the pacing, the storyline, length, anything, and everything, I need criticism but don't be a bitch about it.

[mattybraps10]

Roommates | Joseph Woll x OC

Summary: Jane Cambell is Mitchell Marner's best friend, and when he asks her to let the rookie goalie stay in her guest room, who is she to say no?

Word Count: 1704

By: M

Mitch and I had grown up next door to one another. There wasn’t a birthday party, school event, or family function where we weren’t together. We were inseparable. So, when Mitch got drafted to the Leafs, it made sense for me to follow him and attend the University of Toronto. I loved being around the team and doing homework at practices. I was thrilled to interview Mitch for my final papers, to spend time with him again. Once I graduated, I went on to work for the team, Mitch and I stayed close. When Mitch met Steph, I was overjoyed. She was perfect for him, but it left me with more time to myself. Something I didn’t understand what to do with. I found myself wandering aimlessly after work, never having plans. 

When Mitch told me the team had called up a new goalie, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Since he had recently moved in with Steph, he had asked me if the new guy could use my spare room until he got on his feet. I, of course, said yes. Mitch had always been a great judge of character and if he felt comfortable letting him stay with me, then I felt comfortable. What I didn't expect, however, was for this man to come through the door with lego boxes stacked above his head. And like… goalies are tall, but I couldn’t even see his face.

“Hey! Thanks for letting me crash, let me just set these down in the room and we can properly introduce ourselves…” He said, his voice muffled by the many boxes in front of him.

“Oh yeah of course, um it's the door to the left of the TV.” I replied, stepping aside so he could walk in. It took him about five minutes to set the boxes how he wanted them, the echo of fallen boxes and muttered curse words heard throughout the apartment. 

“Can you help me grab my bags? I don’t really have that much stuff yet… I mean I’m not really new to Toronto but I just lived with teammates when I was on the Marlies so like…” He said, rambling on as he stepped back into the main room. His blue eyes caught mine and he quickly lost whatever thought he was about to share. Like seriously are piercing blue eyes mandatory to be on the Leafs? Because, wow.

“I’m Joseph… Uh Woll… yeah. But I mean most people call me Joe haha…” He said, his left hand scratching the back of his neck and holding his other out awkwardly.

“Jane, but my friends call me Janie.” We shook hands. Joe and I found our rhythm easily. He would leave before I got up in the morning and I would meet him at the office for lunch before going to meetings. We’d head home together on off-days, laughing about anything and everything. I felt like that missing piece I’d been searching for had been found.

The hard-part was always away games. Joe and Mitch would spend weeks away, traveling for games whilst I was left in a mostly empty office, planning future events and booking flights. When the boys are away Steph and I usually grab dinner and talk, but I was hesitant to have to answer questions about my relationship with Joe. He and I had gotten increasingly close and several of his teammates had picked up on some of the underlying tension on my end. It was clear to me, at least, that Joe wasn’t interested in me, despite what Kniesy kept saying. Kniesy and Joe are pretty close, but I can’t help but feel like he’s just messing with me. Plus, I mean I don’t even know what Mitch would do about me dating a teammate of his. I mean he was always protective growing up, purposefully keeping me from his teams. The one time I did go out with someone from his team, we realized we’d be better off as friends, which is how I ended up with Matthew Tkachuk as my fantasy football teammate. 

I decided to go to dinner with Steph anyway, as I wanted to catch up with her. When I sat down across from her at the restaurant, my phone started buzzing. I mouthed, “hold on” to Steph as I stood up and answered the phone.

“This is Jane Campbell speaking…”

“No I know, Janie it’s me, I- I just needed to hear your voice” The voice on the phone, Joe, said clearly out of breath.

“Joe what’s going on? Are you okay?” I started panicking, why was he calling me. He never calls.

“It’s. I’m fine. I just- Did you see the game?” I hadn’t. I was so busy getting ready to see Steph and finishing work, that I’d completely forgotten to tune in.

“No- I- Tell me what’s happening.” I felt like screaming, what wasn’t he telling me? The walls felt like they were closing in.

“It’s Kniesy.” Two words that first had me breathing a sigh of relief and then feeling guilty as the walls crashed in once again.

“Okay,” I took a breath, “okay. What do you need from me? What happened? I’m with Steph. Do you need me to get there?” 

“Just stay on the phone please. He’s. He just collapsed. I mean the hit didn’t look that bad but I guess it was? I- I don’t know Janie. I don’t know.” A sob erupted from him as he tried to keep himself composed. Where was the game again? I could have sworn I’d written it down somewhere… I looked through my bag, dumping the contents on the table in front of a concerned Steph.

“Are you still there?” His voice almost whispers, having been wrecked by his sobs.

“Yeah, I’m here Joey. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” The nickname escaped me before I even knew I was saying it. Shit.

“Joey?” His quiet voice still shaking.

“I- I mean…”

“No- I- Uh- I like it- It just caught me off guard that’s all.” His smile was clear even through the phone.

“Okay wait- The game’s in Buffalo right? Let me just… I’ll see you in a few hours, okay? What hotel are you in?” I blurted out, before I could even process what I was saying. All I know is that Joey needs me and I want to- no, have to- be there. 

“You don’t have to come, I mean it’s fine. I’ll be fine.” He rushed, trying to convince me not to go, but it was too late.

“See you in a bit Joey, bye.” I quickly said, trying to hang up.

“I L-” I hung up.

“Okay Steph, I gotta go. I- uh- I’m so sorry, I’ll venmo you for the salad.” I said, grabbing my coat from the back of my chair and shoveling everything back into my bag.

“Is everything okay?” Steph said, panicking.

“Yeah, Joe’s worried about Matthew, apparently he got hurt during the game. I’m just gonna fly out to Buffalo to be with him.”

“You and Joseph, huh?” She said, winking, “I mean I told Mitch y’all were a good match, but he didn’t think it would happen this quickly…”

“Oh- Um. No, we’re not together. I mean- I don’t think he even likes me like that… Not that I like him or anything.”

“Mhm, and he called his ‘platonic roommate’ for comfort when his best friend got hurt, and, said ‘platonic roommate’ is flying to another country to check on him… Okay!”

“That’s exactly what’s happening. Plus, New York is barely another country.”

“Sure… Sure. Have a nice flight Janie.”

“Thanks.”

The flight went quicker than I expected. I sat in my seat, my knee bouncing as I waited to see Joe. I was still unsure of what happened to Matthew, but if Joe was worried, so was I. The little pest had started to grow on me.

I rushed into Joe’s hotel, asking the front desk to let me through. Joe had let them know I’d be coming and to let me in. When I got to his door, I took a breath before knocking.

“Janie, thank god.” He said, opening the door and scooping me into a big hug.

“I’m here Joey, I’m here.” He stiffened at the nickname as he released me. 

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Nothing… I- I just like when you call me Joey, that’s all.” He said, letting me into his room. 

“How’s Matthew?” I asked, grabbing his hand for moral support.

“The doctor said he’ll be okay, just a concussion. It just really scared me, you know? I mean one moment we were laughing about him asking a girl out, and the next he’s on the ice.”

“A girl?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.

“Yeah, I mean it feels silly now but he wants to ask the barista at the coffee shop by the rink for dinner.” He smiled, squeezing my hand.

“That’s such a good idea omg! Not silly at all, I mean she’s really pretty and nice.”

“It just got me thinking, you know? Like what if he wasn’t okay? What if he never got to tell the girl? It feels so trivial to worry about rejection at this point.”

“But he will get to tell her Joey. And she’ll say yes and it’ll be great and they’ll be together!” I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but I’m doing my best to reassure him that Kniesy and the Barista will get together in the end.

“Will they?” He asks, furrowing his brows.

“Of course, if they’re meant for eachother, it’ll happen.” I smiled, looking up at him, my hand still in his.

“Will we?” He asks.

“Will we do what?” I ask, confused.

“Will we get together?” He asks and my stomach flutters. 

“Joey?” I feel like I’m hallucinating there’s no way he means what I think he means.

“Jane. Janie. I love you. Every moment we’re apart is like I'm drowning and you’re my air.” He grabs my face, angling my eyes up to his.

“Joey… I love you too.” I closed my eyes as our lips met, fireworks erupting as the butterflies dissipated from my stomach.

[unabashegirl]

Safely

Author's note: HAPPY NEW YEARS! I hope you all have plenty of blessings this year. I wish you lots of love and health. In honor of the holiday, I wanted to give you a little piece. A unique piece that only my members of Patreon will be able to read further on. I've been writing it for a few days, and I hope you like it. I was thinking of making her an OC (Patreon exclusive) and make other pieces based on their relationship and surroundings. Let me know in the comments if you liked it!

DISCLAIMER: I decided to make this an OC, exclusively for my Patreon's, but I wanted to share at least ONE PIECE with my Tumblr followers.

--

It had been an exceptionally long day at work, but she was finally getting into bed and getting some rest. The apartment was noticeably quiet, causing her to struggle to catch sleep. On top of it, her dog was away, and she felt unprotected. Either way, sleep got the most of her, and she allowed herself to fall into it.

“Hello?” Her phone had been ringing for what felt like hours even though it had only been two minutes. It had rung long enough to wake her up. She didn’t even bother to open her eyes to check the caller ID. Whomever it was they had pissed Y/N off.

“Kitten” A single word was enough to get rid of any grogginess from her. She pulled her phone away from her ear, trying to read the time. It read 3:06 causing her to groan.

“Please, don't tell me you are arrested again” She heard his attractive chuckle from the other side of the phone. She threw the covers off her body and sat up. Y/N already knew the answer, and she didn’t need it to come out of his lips.

“Where are you?”

“At the apartment” Y/N grabbed the first pair of jeans that she could find in the darkness.

“Why?” She rolled her eyes. He was going to lecture her. She was supposed to be staying in the house with the family. “The fuckin’ dog isn’t even there with yeh! You know where you are supposed to be when I am not home” She could picture him, spatting into the phone, worried about things that weren’t as important.

“This whole authoritarian attitude isn’t such a panty dropper like when we first met” She teased, enjoying how easily his buttons could get pushed.

“Call Henry and tell him to get here and take your ass home”

“Now?”

“Yes. Now, Y/N!” he hung up on her. He worried more about her safety than his. Sure, he had taught her how to defend herself, but he could never be too safe. He wasn’t rude or pushed her around, but his priority was always her safety. Ever since they met on that rainy day.

A stupid mistake had landed him in jail again. The fucking police officers had intercepted one of his calls and had busted in before Harry could put a bullet between the other man’s eyes. Although, the police were the least of his problems.

“Styles? You are free to go” Harry smiled with cockiness as he walked past him. “We’ll get you don’t worry” He stopped and turned to look at him. His eyes scanned for his name on his super chest.

“Copper isn’t?” He was straight out of the academy, and unfortunately, he still had no idea who he was dealing with. “I’ll make sure to remember your name officer cooper” It was an empty promise. He had no intention of going after the young officer. He just enjoyed making people uncomfortable. Harry also hated police officers.

“Here is your shit, Styles” an older officer threw him his phone, wallet, keys, and everything else that he had been carrying in his pockets when he had been detained. He remained quiet, picking his stuff off the counter. He could see Henry and the rest of his closest men outside, waiting for him. “I hope you see you soon here”. He just rolled his eyes and continued walking.

“Give me a cigarette” he interrupted Henry before he could say something to him. He had a few ears to pull or cut off. Henry closed his mouth; without any response, he gave him what he craved. “Let’s go home,” he said after he had gotten in the car. Harry didn’t want to say anything until he was in the comfort and safety of his house. He also craved Y/N. He wanted to see her, but he had to wait because business always came first for the family.

“Harry—”

“I SAID TAKE US HOME!” Henry then feared for his life.

----------

The state was on the outskirts of the city, and he preferred it like that. Even his father had opted for it when he was in charge. Of course, that had been a long time ago. It was much safer for everyone. The entire place was always patrolled by his men and cameras had been set up in every nook and cranny of the property which was why he had been so upset with Y/N earlier. Because there was no safer place.

“Lineup” he sternly dictated; he wasted no time. Harry was going to teach them a lesson in the foyer. He had no energy or patience to take them downstairs or to the other house where he usually took care of business. He lit up another cigarette, trying to ease the anger that was eating him up from the inside out. “Hope you don’t mind” he smiled sadistically, yanking a gun off one of his men. “What’s your name?”.

“Arthur, boss” He gulped heavily, trying his best not to pee on himself.

Harry Styles had a reputation. He ran London’s underworld. Men feared him and he liked it. His father and mother had been assassinated when he was only ten years old. His sister and he had been the only survivors in the family.

“Do you know how many men oversee my personal safety, Arthur?”

“N-no sir”

“Take a guess” he insisted as he finished his cigarette.

“20?”  Arthur looked around trying to estimate how many men were forming the line. Harry kept walking from one extreme to the other. He observed the men that had taken an oath to protect and be loyal to him.

“Get in the fuckin’ line, Henry!” He yelled, noticing that he stood behind him. “You know how I hate to repeat myself!”

“But boss—” Harry took four strides in his direction, and suddenly he was in his face. Henry closed his eyes for a second as he felt the cold metal against his temple.

“Don’t be fooled, Henry. I don’t care if you are my second in command. I won’t hesitate to paint the walls of this FUCKIN’ house with your brains. Don’t you ever talk back to me” He threatened. Harry usually wasn’t this stern, but everything had gone to shit tonight. Hence, why he was on the brim of shooting everyone. “Get in line,” he said between his teeth.

“30, Arthur. And do you know what they were doing today while I was in my meeting?” Harry knew who Arthur was, he was also aware that Arthur’s job wasn’t to keep them safe. Harry knew most of his men. He could recognize them by their faces and their names. It was his duty to know everyone who was working under his roof.

“N-no sir”

“They were playing with their balls and cocks!” He yelled then chuckled sarcastically, outraged by their careless behavior. He needed another smoke, and so he lit one up and took a drag. “Now take a step forward if you were in charge of Y/N’s personal security” Much to Harry’s distaste no one stepped forward which only angered him more. He felt as if the blood running through his veins was bubbling. “No one is going to step up. Really?” He yelled and the estate shook. “Peter”.

The man didn’t bulge and so it seemed like Harry was going to take care of it. He grabbed him by the collar and practically dragged him in front of everyone, with his cigarette still tucked between his lips.

“Were or weren’t you in charge of Y/N’s safety?” He asked, walking down the lengthy line of men.

“Sir, the thing is that —”

“ANSWER THE QUESTION! YES, OR NO?”

“Yes,” Harry turned his back to him as he tried his best not to shoot him in the head. He reminded himself that he wasn’t the same man that had met Y/N that cold afternoon. He had changed. His serenity didn’t last long. Suddenly, he turned around and shot Peter in the leg without hesitation or any remorse.

Peter’s screams echoed through the entire house. The bullet had perforated through the skin right below the knee. Everyone in the house could hear his piercing voice. Although no one said anything, and no one did anything. They feared the man holding the gun and respected him enough not to cross him.

“Let this be a lesson for every single one of you. Y/N must always be protected. Someone must always be with her. Especially when I am not around. Her security comes first” He spat and quietly walked up to Peter, who remained on the floor, applying pressure on his wound. He tried his best not to shed a single tear, but it was extremely hard. “Peter might have gotten away with it, but the next time something like this happens. I won’t be this lenient” he threatened.

Harry kneeled before him and pressed the gun to this wound instantly causing Peter to yell in agonizing pain.

“When I ask you to do something — you do it without hesitation. You are lucky that nothing happened to Y/N. Otherwise, I would have tortured you until you begged me to end your life. Make sure this doesn’t ever happen again” He dangerously whispered to him. “Consider yourself lucky, I’m giving you another chance” He retracted with a smile. “You are dismissed” he mumbled, reaching out for the handkerchief he kept in his pocket. Harry cleaned the blood off his gun and finished his cigarette.

Harry was his most patient with her, but not when it came to her safety. Once, he had come close to losing her — incredibly close. From that day forward he promised himself that he would never allow it again. He promised himself that if it ever happened again, he would let her go and never threaten again with her safety. He would detach himself permanently from her life. Even if it pained him and even if it killed him to see her go.

“That was quick” He found her, tucked in bed, her hair up in a bun with her big, framed glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She paused her show, wanting to devote her utter attention to him. “What happened downstairs?” she had heard his rough tone but hadn’t been able to make out his exact words.

“Why were you in the apartment?” he asked bluntly, without responding to her. He pulled off his blazer, setting it on the futon by the end of the bed, and then proceeded to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt.

“Because it’s our apartment and I can sleep over there if I want to?”

“What was the only condition in staying in the apartment, pup?” He stood straight, chest puffed out, arms crossed across his chest. His eyebrow raised high and pursed his lips.

“Achilles always had to be with me but Har—”

“And where is Achilles, Y/N?” Harry interrupted her, trying to prove his point.

“Getting trained” Achilles was the dog that Harry had gotten her after she had been released from the hospital. It was a Doberman and after lots of tears and arguing Y/N finally allowed him to leave for training.  “So? I had a meeting with a dangerous man. A man that with the snap of his fingers could have sent someone to hurt you” He tried his best not to involve her with his business. He never gave her details or names unless she pressured him into it.  “I could have easily found you murdered in the apartment. Or worst, you could have been kidnapped and tortured! When will you learn? All the security that I send with you is for your safety” the thought of losing her made him want to kill himself.

“I am sorry” she frowned, seeing the desperation and concern in his eyes. Y/N was very stubborn, and she knew that she wasn’t easy to handle. “It’s just sometimes, their presence is overbearing, and I feel like I can’t breathe with so many of them around” her head hung low, and she genuinely looked regretful — not like the other times.

Harry exhaled loudly and walked up to the side of her bed. He sat by the edge and was incredibly close to her. He got a whiff of her scent and instantly felt his muscles relax. Y/N reached out, noticing the exhaustion and the bags under his eyes. She inched closer and cupped his face with her delicate hands.

“I shot Peter in the leg” he admitted as she squished his cheeks together like she always does before kissing him.

“Harry!”

“He’ll live” he rolled his eyes, “His job is to protect you when I am not around, and he failed miserably today” Y/N pecked his lips multiple times before allowing him to kiss her deeply. “Don’t ever go” he whispered as their foreheads were pressed against each other.

“I wouldn’t. I love you”

“Loving you is easy. Deserving you is something else” he whispered back.

[eliyips]

some stream of consciousness words on hermitcraft, and joining tumblr

i have never been a tumblr user! not for more than a week at a time, as i tried (and failed) to broaden my horizons. but now that i'm waist deep in a relatively large fandom, i feel like it's finally clicking for me. it's odd, to just suddenly "get it" like that? but i guess that's what happens with a shift in mindset. getting into hermitcraft made it possible for me to connect with tumblr and understand it's appeal. that appeal being, endlessly funneling posts about one particular topic directly into my brain. and, being able to reach other people who are doing the same thing, of course :)

thanks, by the way, for being so welcoming. this goes for everyone who's said something nice in the tags, or even just interacted with my art. it brings me a lot of joy. I've gotten a lot of attention on my hermitcraft stuff! and it feels good to see that others connect with the silly block people i draw in the same way I do. i have gained some traction on other platforms, reddit especially, but the interactions here have been significantly more welcoming. i appreciate that, especially as someone who is pretty self-conscious about the idea of making/sharing fanart of minecraft ccs. i'm getting more comfortable now!

I'm going to keep making hermitcraft art, and i'm going to keep posting here. regularly, i hope! maybe I'll get my hands on a new drawing tablet soon, too, and I can start moving on from my tradigital era a little bit, and back into my more favored mediums. maybe even some 3D modeling? who knows :)

might start posting oc stuff here too. lord knows i have plenty of oc art to share.

thats all, and thanks again :)

[dipplinduo]

Blog Interaction Guidelines

So in the early stages of making this blog, I was once asked about "rules" for interacting, and pretty much responded with something to the effect of "I really don't have much to say outside of please be respectful and know that there's no place for hate/discrimination here". I have never ran a public blog before this and I felt a little weird telling people how they "should" conduct themselves. In fact, I still kinda do feel this way and prefer to deal with potential problems quietly. However, I've decided to revisit this idea now that this blog is nearing 800 followers. These guidelines are more specifically about things that have been happening repeatedly that I honestly just want to set some boundaries about:

- This is a dipplinshipping account, so the content posted/reblogged here has and will continue to be about dipplinshipping and pokemon. No hate to other fandoms or even other ships - I'm just not necessarily going to interact with unrelated content because it's outside of the scope of this blog. (Referencing other medias in asks about dipplinshipping/pokemon is totally fine, though!)

- I do not take headcanon/writing requests for OCs. Again, no hate, this is just not a self ship blog. I do take headcanon submissions related to dipplinshipping (and react/add onto them). I don't mind headcanon requests about the ship either because it's related.

- Please do not spam my inbox with repetitive messages. And by this I quite literally mean verbatim, word-for-word messages. (They're often unrelated to anything, too). I consider this harassment at a point.

- Please do not submit underaged/graphic/horror content, and/or ship content about minors and adults. Yes I've gotten these, yes they're highly inappropriate.

- Everything in this post (TLDR - please don't send "demanding" asks about my writing, e.g., repetitive, insistent questioning regarding updates, not-so-politely worded “requests” to either abandon certain storylines or add something into a storyline, or expressions of high dissatisfaction/disapproval for when I’m choosing to write for something other than Sweet & Sour Dipplins, which is my most popular work.)

- If you don't like a character I like, that's fine. You do not need to interact with me about it. I do not interact with you about what you should like or dislike.

- If you don't like a fic I write, or the direction of my writing, that's fine. You do not need to interact with me about it. I do not interact with you about what you should write or not write.

- Don't call me an excessive amount of pet names on anon (it seems to occur here almost exclusively). I appreciate kind messages, but this kind of behavior comes off a bit creepy in excess considering I don't know who you are.

- The same honestly applies off anon too, and includes comments that are borderline offensive toward me or others when being "playful". I want to interact with you and have fun! But please remember that if you don't know me personally, we are still very much strangers/good acquaintance mutuals, not close friends who are bantering. (You're more than welcome to call me out if I ever cross your boundaries with stuff like that, too; your comfort is equally important to me.)

- In general, I want to keep the anon feature on if possible because I know it helps some people express themselves with more ease. I've had to turn it off at times because people seemed to a little too comfortable with the feature. Right now it's on again; please don't ruin it for others. I don't want to have to do this since I consider it a very last resort, but I might just start blocking users who are being inappropriate on anon if necessary, as I can't identify who you are and have a conversation with you.

- Don't bash other people's ideas or say x is better than what they're saying, or whatever. Creative spaces are not a competition, but an opportunity to share and collaborate? And frankly, I'm very thankful to anyone who sends me ideas or reactions or whatever. I do not want anyone to feel discouraged from sharing. I will delete your comments or asks if you don't have nice things to say about others and their ideas. Be respectful.

- People seem to have the impression that I own servers on discord. I do not own any servers nor am I looking to continuously advertise servers that are not mine. Please go to the appropriate people if you are interested in joining a server.

- I try my best to keep this blog more on the PG side since this audience is more generalized/might have more variety in age. Many of you may follow me because I'm the author of Sweet & Sour Dipplins, where there's a time skip that ages the characters and has a suggested audience of mid to late teens and up (and in general is meant to be more in this YA genre). It's more than okay to send me stuff that references some of the themes depicted in there and in other works I may write for audiences that go beyond a general audience. I often get really funny and iconic asks in this direction, actually. But! Know that because I'm aware of the general audience on here, I might not be able to post and interact with you publicly about it (especially as people who don't read the fic don't have the context). I can interact with you more directly on spaces like AO3 comments! Otherwise, I'll try to message you to let you know you're hilarious. :)

- Regarding fics that are not by me & playlist recommendations: I actually would love to promote them provided it's related to dipplinshipping and they're appropriate! I just might need a little time to be able to sit down and screen through it myself because I want to be conscious of what I'm promoting, is all. So keep sending 'em!

I think this about covers it. If reallllyyyy necessary I might comment on this again? But I'm hoping not to, because at the end of the day I'm really just here to vibe and have a good time and I hope you are too. Please rest assured that if you aren't sure if you've done some of the things I listed here, that means you're probably fine. If you have, it's no biggie so long as the behavior stops (with the exception of the underaged/graphic/horror stuff; those I've just straight up handled so it doesn't apply to anyone as of now).

Thanks for reading, and feel free to let me know if something I listed here is unclear so we can have a better understanding of each other. And as always, thanks for your support and engagement! 💕

Lots of love,

dipplinduo

[thealphavoidofficial]

So decided to share some Lore about my main Oc, Void:

So basic backstory:

They are one of the creations of the Creator before Sun and Moon, however unlike the past attempts the Creator used Void as more of an experiment, using a power Core composed of Anti-matter (what a WitherStorm is made of) and implanting it into the bots chest as a power source, and of course these had certain effects, such as making them partly organic, such as resulting in them having a fully organic rib cage, a tongue and saliva, and with some nano-machines, an artificial stomach able to process any and all Materials.

When Void first activated they were put into the care of their handler, Cathryn, a young women who had only recently started working at the Pizzaplex. Void was assigned to the Daycare theatre and left to adapt.

Cathryn showed them all the ropes, and soon Void caught on to the routine and was soon doing their job like it was already programmed into their code. Soon they grew so fond of Cathryn they had registered them as ‘Mother’, which she did not mind in the slightest.

Although, once Void has properly assimilated into their Job at the Theatre entertaining the kids, the Creator put his real plan into action. While Void and Cathryn were preparing for the next rush if kids the Creator activated a dormant administration code inside of Void, cause them to become a brain dead robot, Cathryn walked over to see what was wrong, and with just a click of a button on the Creators end, Cathryn was dead by Voids hands. And once Void came to they were horrified to have seen what they had done, looking at their bloodied hands in shock and horror.

Security soon rushed in and shut them down, soon awakening again in parts and services where they were violently dismantled and used for parts while still active, after the many hours of agony they were dumped into an alleyway and left to die. Void unfortunately died on that stormy night, however a relatively large size changing Water Dragon animatronic, named Angler, had found them and taken them into a secret factory sized room hidden in the maintenance tunnels of the pizzaplex, where he had been taking in and hiding all the discarded and scrapped animatronics thrown out by the Pizzaplex, and Void was brought back to life from a strong infusion of Nano-machines.

Void soon settled in with their now adoptive father and siblings, however still lived in fear of being controlled again.

One day they went to far with their anxiety and snuck into parts and services while the Staff were on break, and used the computer to enter their own systems and forcefully delete any access codes the creator put in them along with their factory reset, this resulted in their code becoming highly unstable, resulting in their Ai becoming corrupted, all safety protocols off and gone.

When Void returned Angler immediately knew what they had done, and he also knew that damage like this could never be fixed, but he supported them and did his best to comfort them the best he could, but one thing he couldn’t stop was Voids newfound hatred and bloodlust towards humans.

Fun facts:

- before Voids system corruption their eyes actually used to be green.

- Void hates all humans but tolerates curtain humans that have gotten on their good side………and children.

- the purple eyes mean they are either hunting, or have completely lost it and you need to run.

- the oval shaped power core in their chest is not only able to store a copy of their memories and personality, but also acts as a 3rd eye.

- their power core is made of the same stuff that Witherstorms are made of.

- like Sun and Moon, Voids nanites can regenerate them, but at a more advanced and quicker pace

- they CAN and WILL Eat anything.

- they can sprout 4 or more barbed black tendrils from their back if they want to.

- at some point they found out they can digitise their physical form and control technology

- they have a secondary jaw that can move independently like an eel

[capt-sievert]

1, 3, and 30 for any of your ocs! :3

-❓️

Thank you for participating! Alright, so;

1) Does your OC have a voice claim, if so who?

So far, the only one set in stone is Nikolai's as Will wood (see me/myself/i). I don't know about him too much but, from what I've seen, he has the absolute same energy and intonation of his voice as what I've imagined for Nikolai.

Isaiah and Emily are matching with the voices of the singers of the bring me to life song. I'm not able to elaborate though

(I've gotten another user who asked me about voice claims so I'll continue with the other characters there)

3) What song describes your OC?

Oooh that's an interesting one!

Nikolai's is "Fish in a birdcage". I feel like it represents how she views himself and her intersexuality, especially when she was younger. Cause, you know, growing up intersex and visibly queer in 1970s USSR probably wasn't very fun.

Pripyat's "Судно". Like, the doomer-esque vibe and the lines about the hospital are accurate about his lore and his views on life and his recovery.

Emily's "Good luck, babe!" Because of course it is, she's a sex worker who's actually a lesbian.

Darien's "Everbody's Gotta Live" because I feel like it fits her and her newfound peace after years of troubled time in the foster system.

And, last but not least, Isaiah's song is "All around me". Again, because of course it is. As goth and alternative as he is, he's still a priest after all.

30) My OC and your OC are friends. This isn't a question. I'm not asking. (How do they respond?)

(I'm interpreting this as they've already been friends for some while, and not like they just met)

Pripyat would be really cold towards you, but he'd care a lot. He'd buy you trinkets or draw you sometimes, yet almost never let you see him smile.

Nikolai would be really hyped and talk to you nonstop. Bring you places, organize parties for you (if you're into this), etcetera.

Darien would build you bracelets and/or show you nice stuff she likes (like cool rocks or pretty flowers). She'd also ramble nonstop about frogs

Emily would lower her guard with you and be much less hostile. She'd be comfortable talking with you and acting less sexual around you. Overall, her relationship with you would be much more wholesome than what you'd have if you met her on the streets.

Isaiah would be really open with you, letting you vent and taking care of you when you're down. He'd share his music with you and listen to your recommendations, and even bring you to concerts with him if you want.

[optiwashere]

Howdy there,

I just wanted to say that I really really love your work! Reading your fics about Asheera was really inspiring to me. Her characterisation, her dialouge, her relationship to Shadowheart. It's all so <3.

After reading some of your thoughts on Fandom aswell it inspired me so much that i made my first actual tumblr! I've never written fanfic or made fanart but watching you do so made me wanna at least try!!!

So i wanna 'break ground' as it were by giving you my first art I made! It's a Sketch page of Asheera as I try to figure out how to draw her as well as draw at all. I plan on drawing her a bunch as I make stuff for the fandom!

I don't really know how tumblr works when it comes to posting or tagging (the closest i've gotten to an online presence is liking posts) so I'm sending it directly to you so everyone knows its your Asheera!

Thank you!

(i also drew Jarlaxle since i love him <3)

Heya!

First of all, thank you and it's incredibly flattering to me that you decided to give fanart/fanfic/fandom stuff a shot because of my work! That's incredibly lovely.

Trying these things out with Asheera is even more... I dunno, surreal to me. This is so amazing and I love seeing your sketches of her and the one-eyed wonder rat!!!! Ugh, and Shadowheart staring at her from that screenshot with all the hearts around her 💜

I hope you have a ton of fun practicing, and I hope you share whatever it is you make whether it be Asheera sketches or anything else!

Thank you so much again for sharing this with me. It's making me kinda weak in the heart in the best way. What a way to start the day!

Also, I'm sure you'll pick up tagging trends for the fandom over time, Tumblr takes a minute to learn! Going into the bg3 or bg3 fanart tags might help you see the tagging trends folks tend to follow. Ones like putting "@[username]" in the body of a post to credit an artist or in your case to say whose OC you drew :)

Either way, I'm happy to share anything you send until you get more comfortable with posting!

[letstalkwhump]

Let’s Talk Whump No.7

Welcome to Let’s Talk Whump, a series of interviews that spotlight the amazing people in our whump community. I’m Malice and I’ll be your host. 

Today we have @kira-the-whump-enthusiast joining us to share his whump story!

Tell us something non-whump related about yourself!

Hi I'm Kira! I'm just a guy on the internet who has something wrong with him (affectionate). Outside of whump I do a lot of regular OC stuff! Though, it always ends up angsty. I draw a shit ton, I watch video essays, and I pet my cat. He's adorable and amazing, by the way!

What does whump mean to you?

God, I don’t know man. It's when the character gets hurt and it makes me smile, I guess. For me it usually ends up being brutal torture of the physical or mental kind!

How did you discover the whump community? 

So I found the whump-culture-is blog, and I kinda skirted around the whole idea cuz I wasn't super comfortable with it yet. And then I stumbled upon Hazeshift by @whumpwillow!!! That was the story that got me into whump, it clicked a switch somewhere in my brain. And from there I started following more whump blogs, creating some OCs to whump, and eventually made a blog! Now I’m here.

It seems to be a common thread that everyone has a specific whump story that just clicked! Have you found that your whump tastes have changed over time?

I think my favorite tropes have largely stayed the same, same as my hard preference for OC over fandom. But I've gotten way more into making whumpy art lately! It's mostly on my art blog @kira-does-art-sometimes So, I haven't exactly been writing. I am still doing some though,  I'm just really bad at finishing it.

And your favourite whump tropes?

May the devil bless my soul, I am not mentally normal about any of this. 

First of all I am an avid whumper-turned-whumpee and villain whump fan. This is the Main Trope I enjoy because it is just so good. Look man, I just need to see the somewhat sympathetic (or not) bad guys get whumped and then maybe get a hug afterwards because even if they did bad shit before, they still don't exactly deserve bad things to happen to them? I dunno know, it's a bit soothing. Also god, there are so many good dynamics you would have. Reluctant caretakers, righteous whumpers, whumpees-turned-whumpers,,,, god, I am insane for this. Also the angst potential is ridiculous and I love it. 

I am also a fan of sicko shit like cannibalism and gore and vivisection. Like yes, cut that guy open and eat his organs. I will never not be normal about cannibalism and also I believe it is completely ethical if it's fully consensual. Anyways, fucked-up cannibalism is very good too. I need the people to eat each other. I need blood dripping from mouths and staining smiles. I need the faux-intimacy of feasting on another. Vivisection is also great for similar reasons. It is very Intense and Torture and I think it's fun!! You can also eat the whumpee's organs. Food for thought, pun intended! 

Glasgow smiles!I love those. I need to give more of my whumpees those. I just think it's neat and it's an alternative gag. You can't exactly talk without pain when your face has been slit open.

Immortal whump is the best. Because you can just do anything, really stretch a guy past their limits and then do it again!!! The fun never ends because they can't die, at least not permanently. Killing an immortal is underrated. And I don't mean permanently. I mean like bringing them back, again and again, and continuing the murder! Is that not fun?! 

Isolation in whump is very underrated. Solitary confinement is a form of torture after all. I think there's something very resonant for me about the simple. Lack of anything to the point that it drives you insane. The only thing making you like this are the walls cutting you off from the world. How do you explain that to people? I also like other fucked up forms of isolation like when the whumpee pretty much only interacts with the whumper or people on their side. The way that it can fuck them up is very intriguing to explore in writing I think. 

I realize this is somewhat sicko behavior. I have decided to not apologize for this. Also if the FBI is reading this, I um. I have little to no desire to do this in real life okay don't arrest me.

I think we’re all screwed if the FBI ever decides to look our way…I look forward to sharing a cell with you all! Do  you have a favourite piece you've written? 

I guess I'd definitely have to say Spirals and Solitaire is one of my better pieces!! Look. I just needed to write about a woman with depression. That's my favorite type of character. It combines a lot of my favorite tropes. A villain with angst for days being trapped in a room and slowly, slowly, going fucking insane. Getting way too attached to the only person that talks to them. And a bystander who doesn't help until it's too late. But better late than never hey? 

Also I am still a fan of Midnight Meal which is really surprising since it's like almost a year old I think? I think it holds up! I just like the cannibalism. And the gore. And I have gotten the best comments on it. Thank you to the nice people who left comments on it! Definitely my most sicko piece out of all my writing. Isaac's my favorite whumpee and this is not even the worst thing that happens to him, by the way. 

I also have this single series, Diamonds to Dust that I have definitely updated recently. I may or may not actually start writing the seventh chapter. I apologize for the radio silence on this lol. Storm and Zuri and Xavier are my beloveds. Also Lusik and Octavia are fucked up lesbians but I haven't gotten into that yet. My favourite toxic ship!

What's your writing routine like? Is there a must have drink or snack? 

My writing schedule fucking insane to be honest. Kinda goes like: 

- At a random point in time I get an idea. 

- I ruminate on the idea for an extended period of time. From like a week to a year. Average is prolly a couple months. 

- After the rumination I finally get some words on the goddamn paper! I write in fucking simplenote cuz I can access it on all my devices. 

- The words never get finished on the first day. From then it is three days to two months until I continue the goddamn thing. Or I just don't. Sometimes that happens. 

- And then the editing. Oh god. The editing. Suffice to say I hate it, I hate it, I hate it but it's necessary so I do it. Actually this takes like two weeks max cuz again. Hate it to shreds. I send it to my lovely whump friends for beta reading. I love yall!

- And then post. God help me when I do that. 

This is why I never post anything sorry about that. 

Usually I write in my very comfy bed in the evening. I don't really munch on snacks or drinks when I write.

Is there anything specific that you find easy to write?

I find that it's pretty easy for me to write characters with depression. When the character is just angsting and going through the emotional ringer, it's pretty easy for me to write stuff. Honestly that's probably how I got Spirals and Solitude finished so quickly. It's literally just like three thousand words of Wrenna having depression. I really struggle with writing like pure fluff. I dunno know,  I just find it hard to create a good conflict when it's so lighthearted.

And  do you have any current projects?

I have like a couple WIPs who are not finished yet. I may finish and post them one day. I am also always drawing. Probably of my OCs or fan art of my friend's OCs!

Bless us with some writing advice please!

You ask me??? For writing advice. Uhhhh I dunno man. Just get a little silly with it. Being Quality is overrated. Someone's probably gonna read it and get something out of it even if it's just like seven words in comic sans or whatever. Or maybe you are the one who reads it and gets something out of it! Self deprecation is overrated too. Your writing is probably fine. It is probably even good. Likely, it is even great and amazing! 

Shoutouts?

Huge shout out to @whump-in-the-closet for being extremely cool and having the best OCs and writing. And also listening to my little sicko OC rants!

@whumpcloud has literally some of the best whump stories I've ever read like god! I go feral for their characters. 

@zillastar13 has extremely amazing writing and very good taste. Love their art!

Anything you'd like to add? <3

Lowkey I think we as a community need more transgender characters. In any role. I just need to see more guys who are transgender. Who get a little funky with their gender. Who maybe even have their transsexuality impact the story in some way. Same for like, characters of color and female characters. I'd love to see whumpees with lots of different backstories and female characters in lots of different roles in the narrative. I personally don't think that the violence that women and minorities face in real life necessarily has to be analogous to the violence faced by a character in a story. I know it can go very badly but it can get a little tiring sometimes to only find stories with cis white male characters. Variety pls.

It was awesome to have you here, Kira! Thanks for stopping by!

And to all you folks at home, have a whump-derful day!

[verdantmeadows]

Vent CW , discussion of false accusations of sexual harassment

I got a notification on my gmail that an ex friend of mine requested access to a google document that we had shared. Last year, this person accused me of sexual harassment (falsely) and it really screwed over my life in a lot of ways, I lost most of my IRL friends, and this person was my best friend, but they were a very mentally unstable person and a teacher at our school did tell me that it was an act of revenge because we had gotten in a fight prior and they wanted to screw me over. And I know I didn't do anything, but I had a friend get back an OC I (didn't) give them that they tried to sell, and like, they called me their abuser and just... I'm so scared of that. I still can't help but think it. They technically could still access my Tumblr if they wanted to. If I try to make art, do anything online, will they try to call me out? Will they call me their abuser and say I sexually harassed them again? Will everyone truly think that of me? I don't want to be those things. What if I just don't think I did those things because of course I wouldn't think those things of myself? I know logically that's not true, because this person was actually very awful to me, they got jealous over fictional characters and expressed so to me and made me comfort them over it, they made me comfort them when I said a friend of mine gives them good hugs and they said I made them feel like I didn't like their hugs because of it, just, a lot of bad stuff... And I feel like it's my fault. They were a few years younger than me, and I was very aware of that while we were friends, and I knew that friendship can be across generations. One of my greatest friends is my auntie (not related to me) and she's in her 60s. But now I think, it must be my fault for being friends with someone younger than me. I can't trust people younger than me now. If I learn someone's even a few years younger, it often makes me so terrified. I'm hyperaware of every single thing I do regarding anyone that's younger now. I'm terrified and have terrible intrusive thoughts about becoming an abuser or hurting those younger than me. It's just so awful and terrible and I don't know how to handle it. I still have nightmares about this person nearly every night and it's been like, a year. I have dreams that we become friends again or that they apologize to me and ones where I really was that terrible person. I don't want to be a creep or a bad person or an abuser. But I feel like I inherently am now, and just... More than anything, I'm so scared of what they could do to me in the future. They could genuinely harm me, get people to hate me, and think I am some sort of terrible abuser. And I don't know what to do about that or how to prevent that. I don't know what to do about these feelings because I've had reassurance, it's been a year, but the nightmares don't stop and the fears don't stop and day by day knowing that they called me their abuser is getting more and more ingrained in me. I've made great steps and made close friends and managed to trust people, but I can feel it relapsing again. I'm finding it harder to talk to certain friends of mine to the point I can't even message them sometimes. I feel so scared of making mistakes with people that I find it easier to just not talk at all. I'm scared if I bring this up that'll make me a toxic person. I just needed to vent about this since it's been weighing on me.

[greetingsapartment]

my very very very long introduction to the welcome home fandom + set of rules

hello everyone!!!!!!

i got into welcome home a little while ago now, and i have finally gotten enough courage to put my headcanons and writing out into the world! and of course, you can request! (when the askbox is open ^_^ of course!!) i do have a few obvious or not-so-obvious rules though, as per every blog! rules below the cut :) it's long!

you CAN; ✦ ask for '(character) and reader'! it is the only thing i specialize in after all on this particular blog lolol, types of pairings that that i don't do are in my 'cannot' section, and if your idea is not there, dm me and i'll see if i can do it! :o) ✦ if you guys have anything in particular you'd like to share, i would love to hear it! i encourage it!! i like hearing everybody's ideas on things! personal headcanons, ideas or thoughts on a character or two, it's all a-okay with me! you can even ask me what i think on a character @:) ✦ ask for fluff, some light angst, hurt/comfort, go wild with it! headcanons galore!!!!!! ✦ ask more than once!

✦ just send silly stuff into my askbox LOL, try not to blow it up though!! you CANNOT;

✢ ask for NSFW, incest, or anything of the like. the first of which (NSFW), clown themself has prohibited because they're not 100% sure if they're comfortable with it yet, and the rest of it is just a blatant, heavy no. ✢ ask for anything on gore or anything TOO heavy on a dark subject. please DM me if you're curious what goes over the line, it's just that i am a person too! sorry if this disappoints!! :( ✢ ask for anything other than GN reader. sorry :( i just prefer to stick with GN as it applies to everybody who might pass by my post, and if they decide to read it, i want it to apply to them!

✢ ask for oc/character :( again, i'm sorry! there's nothing wrong with that kinda stuff, i've just never been too good at it, as i don't know much about your oc! established characters have always just been easier for me, but i could change this in the future! ✢ ask for character/character yet! it's still undecided for me as i'm not quite sure how everybody feels on some ships, as even when all some ships are completely normal, the shipping discourse is REAL across every fandom.

✢ ask for frank x reader (romantic) or eddie x reader (romantic), sorry to all frank and eddie simps out there💔just not my place! extra info i will have to update my set of rules and the characters i will write for as time goes on, as new information will inevitably come out, and my writing may be TOTALLY out of character as well! but this blog is simply for fun, and as time goes on, things will change :) and i will adapt accordingly! if i get anything wrong about the characters, please do inform me in DMs! i will resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and make an attempt to edit, or delete the posts in the worst case scenario! i do keep myself updated on them to the best of my abilities, but sometimes i will miss things! even if it is something small, do not hesitate to inform me that that character actually HATES that food, or dislikes being around that kind of weather! and please link me to the source of the info you found if possible, or try to direct me better to it! if and when i receive a request for a reader with any disability or condition, i will try to write it the best i can, even if i do not personally have it or have ever experienced anything like it. if there is anything i can do to improve on my writing with certain subjects, DM me! i will take whatever you give and do my best to include it :) please do not criticize me too heavily for my writing skills. i am still improving on it as we go along, so try to hold back on anything like that! i am not the fastest at getting requests done, but i will definitely try, and i am hoping life doesn't get too busy! if the askbox is closed, do note that it is probably because i have at least 5 or more requests in it, and i need to sort through them, and take my time! or i may just want to write for myself atm! i hope that is reasonable :) i am a HUGE julie fan, if you request for her i am more likely to leave a huge chunk bitten out of my monitor and have eaten all the key caps to my keyboard with only the letters "J U L I" and "E" left. i love writing for julie LOL 😭😭😭 that is it, from what i know! do what you will with all of this, and enjoy yourself, neighbor!!!!!

[rielzero]

Personal question: would you be comfortable sharing some old art vs new art comparison over the years of you drawing? It's very inspiring to see how much people have improved and how far they've come.

Sure! If anyone ever wondered how much I worked on my main sona.. Here's realllyyy old art of him. The first drawing if I recall- made during my 2018-2019 big depresso after I hadn't drawn for almost a year if you count in between months.

This art is considerably worse than drawings I made before late 2018, but I went through a lot so you could say I experienced pretty bad muscle memory loss. It was part of my recovery and learning to care for myself. I didn't draw much during late 2018 and early 2019

Here's some of the most recent work of him:

As you probably can tell his design changed a lot. I used to draw hair really weird and wild, too. I've gotten used to making art with 3D aid.

This is art of my OC Asriel in 2019, I was really struggling a lot with finding my style again. This may be before I started leaning more on 3D, all though I can't tell. This might be drawn with Terawell Design Doll 3D pose as a thumbnail. (note; I pose stuff myself or adjust pre-made poses.) As you can see, 3D doesn't make your art look better, you need to actually understand anatomy somewhat to make it work.

This is my most recent drawing of Asriel. (All though this is technicly Asriel as ''PENDRA'' My coloring style has changed a lot, but I do have a lot of variety when it comes to rendering techniques.

I drew mostly traditional during my depression, which also were my more finished artworks at the time. (I'm not going in depth on my depression itself.)

Last time I drew Tsuki was in 2022, but you can see there's a massive difference in style, and how I draw hair.

I don't really use the above rendering anymore because it became exhausting though.

(I just realized all examples I've given are blonde OCs lol.)

Mizuki early 2020!

The redraw in 2022 (I think it may have been late 2022?) She got buff!!!

Anyway I hope this helps people who feel like their stuff hasn't changed much. Changes can be gradual, like 2020 looks similar to 2019, but the facial structure has changed while the rendering hasn't changed much. Then around 2021-2022 my style started to really form specific noticeable traits that I still really like today.

I'm really happy with my style atm. I like how I draw faces. I could still do better on expressions though- Most of my characters aren't super expressive due their personalities. As for rendering, thats often subject to change. I like a mix of soft shade with cell-shading feels. But comic-y Style.

[thewipartist]

Do you have any hcs about the Time Ripper x your oc? (Yeah, this is the same anon previously)

JDJSJ AH OH UM... KINDA A FEW? The oc is my sona funny enough. I know I DID want to make a version of her that fits more into the universe.

HOWEVER I'll share some the top off my head/ rambles if the regular version DID exist. They are Genderfluid, so they do go by any pronouns!

- I'd imagined a reason to why he hasn't killed them is due to the fact they can shapeshift. Since Wippy is literally a digital shapeshifter of her own doing. I can see the Time Ripper mistaken him as a distortion at first. Seeing another person suffer of same fate of distorting can feel... comforting. Teamwork and such!

- Following that up, she isn't exactly suppose to exist. While she was human, she did sacrifice herself, but screwed the ritual up. Making her body not exactly supposed to exist, but does. She's a digital entity that had her time ended long time ago, yet still exists in time His time-rip ability wouldn't work on her, or at the very least wouldn't function properly. So he couldn't get rid of her normally.

- Wippy herself can be more timid and quiet when you first meet her. So Time Ripper probably found her mostly harmless. Useful but overall harmless to him. Being able to shapeshifter can help a lot when planning and spying on potential victims. Though she isn't naive nor stupid and he can see that.

- They made a deal after a chase, and him catching Wippy. That he would help him and keep their deal a secret. He helps him, and he won't kill them. Wippy, wanting to find a purpose, accepted the deal.

- The first time they both gotten more soft and caring towards each other was finding out aboit their younger brothers. Both had a younger brother that they cared deeply for. Wippy lost her brother due to family issues, and the trauma her mother made her go through. Losing the connection to the brother she practically raised like her own kid. She did find out about Time Ripper's younger brother and it hit her hard. The person who you were protecting... one of the only family you still loved gone because of you. She felt... horrible and in her own way, protective.

- Due to his beliefs, Wippy does feel horrible for unable to be productive like normal people. They feel extremely horrible for "wasting" time they have. Mostly due to her own issues like being bed ridden or burn out. Unable to actually do basic things like brushing her teeth, eating, chores, etc. Despite this, she does try her best to make him happy and do what he asks. Never asking for anything in return.

- Time Ripper definitely got frustrated seeing her wasting time, at first. Until he realizes that Wippy isn't wasting time, she is suffering and dealing with depression. It... scares him, seeing her bad like this. He got... attached, and it does make him feel sick that someone so... kind is in so much pain. Someone who shared a similar pain. So he does try to help her at least feel better about her thoughts. She never asked for much, so it's the least he could do.

- Wippy does not care about him being multiple people. Often times, the brains do speak out their own thoughts about her. Making her flustered or shy again. She has not and never will be use to compliments. They ARE a part of him, and sees him no different. There are times where he held one of Time Ripper's brains like a stuff toy.

- Wippy has a caffeine addict and needs it to function in her life. Time Ripper will *somehow* bring her coffee grounds for her. She isn't picky, so the coffee was his favorite before the distortion. A little small gesture from him for her. Wippy does get reminded of him as well with the bag.

- Wippy practically clung onto him emotionally. The second he showed affection, she nearly melted and cried. She is so use to working hard and not getting praised, having the mindset that she can't do her best constantly, then she is a failure. The one time Time Ripper said he was proud as the day she cried her eyes out, hard. Having someone proud of her hits her hard, as she was never proud of herself.

- Time Ripper confessed first, but Wippy showed signs of falling in love. Time Ripper was one of the few people who could touch her without her freezing up badly. He caught on with how clingy she got, especially when tired or drunk. They would always clung onto his arm for comfort. He would flirt and tense with her, seeing how much she would stim or snort because he give her a nice comment.

- Wippy often says "I love you, all of you" soley because the multiple brains in him. Those are different consciousness, actually apart of him. And she loves them all, no matter what. It feels nice to know that she had many people that do love her. She will always have the softest spot for the Time Ripper.

- She does kiss him, but does perfect cuddling and nuzzling. I like to think Time Ripper can heat up the "mouth" area of his face and press it against her body to mimic a kiss. It's like a heating pad against her skin, and is careful not burn her. Burning her skin slightly is him giving a hickey. Wippy will either pecker kisses or give gentle kisses. Yes, this does include the jars the brains are in if requested.

That's all I can think of right now since I am a little tired. :)

[myers-meadow]

A little goes a long way (House of 1000 Corpses)

Title: A little goes a long way.

Summary: This is my second chapter in the House of 1000 Corpses AU shared with @immortal-velociraptor and @vincent-sinclair-deserved-better. Blinky is Fang's OC. In this one, Doe Eyes finds her footing in the family a little, relationships are formed and she is left with enough to think about as time moves forward. First person POV following Manon "Doe Eyes", my OC.

My first piece of writing in this AU is here. Immortal-velociraptor has done quite a few more about Blinky and their family life, and they are the most wonderful pieces - I hope I did it all justice.

Warnings: none.

Hope you enjoy! <3

Dividers by calanthesfeuillemort and firefly-graphics.

After I was spared, owing my life to Blinky’s kindness and grace, the tension was not yet resolved. All members of the family, except Blinky, tested where my weaknesses laid in their own specifically torturous ways.

Mrs. Firefly made me clean, which was a relief. To busy the hands is to quiet the mind, as my grandmother used to say. While doing one task or the other, Baby would come in, spill a bowl of cereal, or put her dirty plate on top of the clean pile, and say, ‘You wouldn’t mind cleaning this up for me, would you sweetie?’ Her giggle resounding in my ears as she walked away.

Captain Spaulding, who was mostly fine, unconcerned with the pecking order unless when challenged, but had fun making me believe I’d committed a terrible slight against him anytime we talked – then laughed and backed off. Just joking. It made my heart beat terribly in my throat, fearing yet another fight Blinky would have to save me from. One day I’d learn how to deal with him, but goddess knows it's not gonna be anytime soon. Good thing he was away at the gas station most days.

Rufus, or RJ, who was, as his mama called him, ‘shy’, but would block my path any chance he got. Tiny was much the same; quiet, only poked me to see if I’d bite and losing interest when I didn’t. He felt that his basement girls were enough for him. Perhaps I wasn’t his type. He never understood me when I spoke, but I learned a few quick signs, of simple things, like ‘meal’, ‘mama’ and such.

Gramps, with his white hair, was a hothead, but yielded easily to any other. He kept to himself and to his favourite shows on the telly. Bringing him a beer was the least of my worries. He had the wildest stories about a ton of different things, but I never knew if I could believe any of them. I made the mistake of repeating one to Spaulding and Mrs. Firefly and they laughed at me for believing him, but then followed up with another story that sounded even less believable.

Besides the tension, there were the high notes, often involving Blinky – who was fun to be around. They let me stay in their room, where I slept on the bed when they weren’t sleeping. Their chaotic sleep schedule allowed me more rest than I had gotten in the weeks prior – but Baby had a habit of entering unannounced and jumping onto the bed to wake me. She never meant ill-intent as far as I could tell – just liked to play a little rougher.

The most glad was when I got my stuff back. They retrieved everything from the trunk of the car we came in; being surrounded by my own things was the greatest comfort. As the days were filled and I wore my own skirts and blouses again, the nights were spent with Blinky and Baby. They hung out together the most, listening to records, watching old movies on the telly, while I sat back and watched them do each other’s hair and make-up.

“Hey Doe Eyes, lighten up,” Baby laughed, sitting on Blinky’s bed, passing me the blunt that I immediately handed over to Blinky. I’d wanted to go to sleep an hour ago, but now that they were here, that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Yet, it was difficult to be annoyed when their giggles were so infectious and they were having a truly good time.

Trying to hide my awkwardness, I reached for the matches on the nightstand, struck one, “Like this?” and lit one of the unlit candles on the floor.

Blinky giggled, and Baby joined in, slapping me lightly on the knee. “You’re funny, you know that?”

“You have to come closer,” Blinky said, patting the spot next to them. Somehow, even after sharing the same room for several days now, it was uncomfortable to get too close. “or I can’t braid your hair.”

“Please be gentle,” I said, as I scooted closer. It was a mid-sized bed, but with all of us on it, it felt cramped. In an attempt to make the brushing to smoother, I finger-combed some of the worst knots out before Blinky could grab the brush.

“It’s silly to be so scared all the time, you know,” said Blinky, before starting on my hair. They were gentle, for as far as was possible when the tangles are unexpected. Gentler than my mother ever was. Baby cocked her head at us as Blinky braided down, a smile on her face that unsettled me.

“It looks good on you when it’s loose too, you should wear it down more often,” she then said, which was so unexpected it flustered me.

“You’re really pretty,” was all I could think of to say. “I could tell James was really into you. Before you killed him, I mean.”

She let out a hearty laugh. “Sure was, huh.” She reached over to hand Blinky a hair tie. It was a tighter braid than I usually make, but they probably wanted to do it really well. It was comfortable. “He wasn’t very nice to you, though.”

“He wasn’t the worst either,” I flatly responded. Not rude enough to earn getting tortured and killed, at least, is what I wanted to say.

“Nevermind that, how are things with Otis?” her tone was teasing and light, but I’d never dare mistake it for good intentions.

“With Otis?” I repeated.

“Yeah, silly,” Blinky gently pat my shoulder, “He’s not that mad at me, so he must be glad you’ve been staying.”

“I haven’t seen him much,” I said. “Other than during dinner.”

“Oooooh,” Baby drew out the sound as she took another drag, puffing smoke out that hung heavy in the air. I’d have to open a window before I sleep, or the smell will linger. “I’m sure that’ll change soon.”

“Why?”

She just shrugged. “I know my brother and I can tell he’s getting antsy. Little antsy-pants Otis. He gets like that, y’know. Yeah, see, Blinky knows. But it’s nothing bad, don’t worry your little head over it, Doe Eyes.”

Despite Baby telling me not to, I did, in fact, worry.

To keep my mind off of it, I asked Mrs. Firefly what needed to be done that day, she just said: “Aw honey, ain’t it already clean enough?” and that she was going into the town that day and was visiting neighbours.

After breakfast I baked simple cookies, stamped out by using a glass, for her to take with her. I left some on the nightstand for Blinky, to make sure they were safe from the other hungry mouths of the family. Since it had been a week or two since I changed the sheets, I started in the master bedroom, working my way to the other end of the hall. Blinky and Baby were still sleeping. Tiny slept in the basement, but they seemed to always take care of their own, so I was unsure whether or not I dared go down there and intrude.

Otis’ bedroom door was open though, the black marker paintings on the walls greeted me from afar. I’d familiarised myself with them enough to dream them up; the face next to the one with the cowboy hat, which was right by that spot that had two knives still stuck in the wall. The room was messy. The bed was undone, there was blood on the floor (some mine, some was already there). My palms itched.

The desk was strewn with books opened up on top of each other, one pile had sank sideways across the other piles of books, a few dirty plates and glassed standing on top of those.

I sighed. This was the one area of the house I didn’t clean. The one space I didn’t want to enter. But my need to be productive and prove my worth won, so I trudged down the stairs with heavy steps, to first get the supplies I needed and carry the dishes back to the kitchen.

My heart beat the whole time I was surrounded by those walls. With the windows open, it was a bit better, a bit less dizzying. First, dishes; then the desk pile; then the sheets.

A chuckle from the doorway. “Hey little lady,” his voice was smooth, almost pleasant. “It’s a surprise seein’ you here.”

Still shaking the duvet out from the cover, I turned around to face him, feeling like a kid caught entering her father’s study. “I’ll leave,” and I dropped the sheets, moving to go past him.

With an arm on the door frame, he blocked my path. It was less intimidating than I anticipated, similar things were a daily occurrence from several of the family members.

“Ah, so soon? Was thinking it’s nice to see you.” He sounded sarcastic. I debated whether I could duck under his arm, but feared he’d just grab me – preferred not to escalate this to something physical.

When I didn’t answer, he continued. “You don’t have to be scared anymore, Doe Eyes. Not after Blinky took you under their wing.” He chuckled. “You’re family now.”

He moved from his spot by the door and shut it resolutely behind him.

“Was thinking about you, you know, the past week’s been pretty rough.”

“Rough, how?” I echoed, reflexively.

“I’ve been blocked, mentally. It’s terrible, terrible,” He moved through the room with the gait of a panther, at ease, confident. “For a guy like to me to longer be able to do art? All sorts of things start going wrong. Remember how great it felt when I finished the big installation a few days after you arrived? Nothing like it. It's hard to do art when no one cares.”

“Blinky loves seeing what you make.”

He gave me a look intended to silence me. “You know what I mean. You know about art, youaren’t concerned with fakepleasantries.” He almost spat the words. That’s what our ‘good times’ were: him showing me his sculptures and paintings as I sat bound in the chair. After the first day, the fear numbed me, and I dared voice my opinions more and more, critiquing each piece relentlessly. It was genuine, but worded unkindly to get at him and piss him off – just to negate the powerlessness of my then-daily existence.

My brain ran a mile a minute to think of the quickest way to resolve this and to be able to leave. Clicking my tongue, I said: “Well, show me then. Show me what’s gone so bad.”

He raised his eyebrows just slightly, picking up on my annoyance. “No need to be so high-strung, missy, it’s just some art.”

I breathed in deep, trying to get myself under control. Just to make him believe it was all fine and I didn’t wanna tear the drawn-on wallpaper off the wall.

“Where’s my chair?” Otis said, shaking me from my thoughts, looking around his room.

“Oh, uh, I threw it out.” I grimaced, motioning to the open window.

He stepped over, leaned over his desk to see the chair, broken, laying in the grass outside. “I’m sorry – I just got so mad when I looked at it, and there’s still blood on the floor where I sat, and I hate looking at these walls but I know the drawings by heart now and-“

Otis grabbed my arms. “Hey, hey.” Like calming down a wild horse. “Focus on me.”

Odd-coloured amber eyes became the centre of my vision, the rest was fuzzy. Slowly there was his hair, the brown and red of his flannel, the wrinkles in his forehead. I breathed deep.

“Alright, little miss, let’s go to the kitchen, then.”

The statue stood on the kitchen table, made of clay. It was… an interesting little blob of materials.

“You intended to paint this?” I asked, breaking the silence. “It’s a little dull in grey.”

“Hated it so much that I decided it ain’t worth the paint.”

“Yeah, good call,” I said, before grabbing the statue. It made an underwhelming noise as I dropped it on the tiled ground, and stomped on it, not caring that the clay stuck to my socks a little. Then I picked it back up. “Think it’s best you just start over and repurpose the material.”

Otis raised his eyebrows at me, before picking sock fibers off of the chunk of clay. Not that it had much shape before anyway. “You could have just said so.”

“I’ll get you the bowl of water to soften it up again.”

Otis insisted I sat with him, on a new chair, in his room, back to the wall I used to face, and guided him as he reshaped the ugly clay blob.

“What were you going for with it?” I asked, although I immediately regretted speaking as it brought his eyes to mine. My heart skipped a beat each time I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of his gaze.

He hummed, took his time in answering, chipped a few pieces of clay away with one of the tools strewn around his desk. “Hmm, a siren. Or a ship made of feathers instead of wooden planks.”

“Will you paint it?”

He was quiet again for a while before answering. Art calmed him. “Colourful, blues and greens and purple hues.”

“If you add too much colour, you’ll distract from the texture of the scales and feathers.”

He didn’t respond, silence made the occasional crackle of a candle audible. The way the wool of my skirt rustled as I bounced my leg.

“Blinky’s been happier since they got you to stay,” he broke the silence, not looking up from his work in progress.

“That’s sweet of you to say. Blinky’s brilliant. I like them, something about them is very… disarming. They’re smart, funny, endearing. I feel like they never had a good big sister before – but perhaps I feel too responsible again.” I chatted idly, watching Otis’ hands as he worked. It was almost nice to watch such a brutal man in the middle of creating something pretty, it felt like sharing a secret – even though everyone knew about his art.

“Blinky has that effect on others, yeah.” Was that a smile tugging at the corner of his lips? “Bet Baby’s still having ‘er fun with you. Baby’s a bitch, but if she likes you, you’re good. She likes whoever Blinky likes. They been treatin’ you nice?”

“Both of them have a habit of waking me throughout the night, but it’s fine. Blinky never sleeps, don’t understand how they’re this energetic despite never sleeping. I keep forgetting to ask Mrs. Firefly if there’s a spare closet space or something somewhere. Perhaps I can put a mattress in there and have some restful nights.”

Otis looked up and put his sculpture down. “That’s nonsense. I have the old bed in here, used to be RJ until he grew like a bear.” He points over his shoulder to something I just then could see was a bed: a simple metal bedframe, brick red sheets on which piles and piles of junk laid. There were books, clothes, art supplies, chunks of clay or wood; and candles on top of each semi-steady stack of books. “I’d have to clean it up, of course.”

“Really?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. It seemed like an unusually kind thing of him to offer his space to me. Suspicious.

He shrugged. “Well, you’re not getting Mama’s extra closet space, she uses it for her robes, or Baby has it for her costumes, so it’s the best thing I can think of.”

“Alright, thanks.” It felt foreign to thank him. “I’ll discuss it with Blinky too, but I appreciate it.”

He laughed, stood up to make his way over to the spare bed, slapping me on the shoulder as he went. “What are you – a diplomat? Just do as you like, Blinky won’t mind as long as they still get you to themselves for some of the day.”

I stood up too. “It’s not Blinky I’m worried about.”

He raised his brow at me, still grinning. “Oh, me? You’re worried about sharing a room with me.” He seemed genuinely offended. What audacity!

“Don’t I have reason enough to be wary of you?”

“Not anymore, missy.”

With great annoyance, I noticed how much he was enjoying this conversation. Clenching my fists and letting long nails dig into my palms helped me keep my voice calm. “That old blood stain by the nightstand is mine. And so is that one by the door.”

He gave me a look as if to say ‘are you serious?’, and raised his voice: “you were the one who cut me first! You were trying to get away.”

“Oh, forget it,” I said, making move to leave. He spoke more, words reaching me before I could get to the door.

“You have a choice now, y’know, you can be difficult all you want to spite us, but it won’t make things better for you. Or you do what you can to help yourself out and make living here a little easier– starting with a good night’s sleep. Up to you.”

And I firmly shut the door behind me.