#he has everyone important to him draw something and he gets that tattooed on him so he has a piece of everyone with him always

[stevethehairington]

was going to try to write today but instead i have spent the last hour thinking up tattoos for eddie to have

[tac-the-unseen]

Hannibal Lecter x Reader x Will Graham Headcannons

Fluff, Minor edits for formatting!

Involves: Cooking, sleeping, art, tattoos, piercings, dates, funny little ideas

•While Hannibal is mostly the one cooking when you, him, and will are in a kitchen together it get a bit chaotic.

•You're decent at cooking but Will is a hot mess compared to you and Hannibal (that doesn't mean he's a bad cook, just not as good as you guys are). But you and Hannibal have no problem guiding and teaching him. It's a great bonding experience for all of you.

•When Hannibal talks in the kitchen you and Will call him 'chef'. Hannibal loves it but will never admit to it.

•All of you share a bed but you also have separate bed in another room that is used when one of you really needs your sleep or space. None of you talk about but it has really saved your relationship...multiple times.

•Hannibal mostly uses it when he has an important event coming up and needs to get a full night's rest.

•Will mostly uses it when he feels like the world is caving in on him and needs to get away.

•You mostly use it when you're mad that them or need to work a late shift.

•Hannibal loves taking you and Will to museums and art galleries. He loves digging through the layers of the art to get to its over all meanings.

•Everyone knows Hannibal likes to play the 'sugar daddy' role but he appreciates when you or Will try and contribute with the costs.

•Will isn't a fan of pet names. He thinks it's weird and kind of degrading, but if you or Hannibal use one or two, he won't complain. Especially if it's to comfort him during an episode.

•That being said if you call him William he immediately thinks he's in trouble for something. If he's not in trouble he will pout about you using his full name.

•On the other hand Hannibal loves pet/nick names. If you call him darling or love he will internally swoon.

•Will doesn't like to be touched and you and Hannibal are not expections. He can deal with touch but he's not happy about it. If you touch him while he's having a break down he with scream, shout, and cry.

•You can get away with cuddling at night but just barely. Be careful about your hand placement.

•If Will is losing an argument he'll say 'nah huh' and Hannibal without a beat will say 'yeah huh' right back.

•You and Will have woken up after a nap to find Hannibal sketching you several times. If he finds either of you asleep he'll run to get his sketch book and maybe some tea and gets to work.

•Hannibal is 10,000% a bridezilla. If you could get married he would be a nightmare to deal with. He might call off the whole wedding if he doesn't get the flowers he wants. And the catering, dear god the catering. He got so upset he thought about just making the food himself...day of...

•If Hannibal ever gets sick he feel guilty because he feels like he should be the one taking care of you two, not that other way around.

•If you have tattoos or piercings Hannibal will just and stare that them. He wants to mesmerize every piece of you. In his spare time he finds him self drawing up concept art for more future tattoos. He doesn't show you any of them,but if you find one and end up getting it tattooed on you he might just have a heart attack.

•Very Interested in the tattoos/piercings healing process. Like he knows but he just likes to watch.

•Will likes to trace said tattoos and even considers getting a matching one with you!

•If Hannibal spots you and/or will getting overwhelmed overstimulated in public he hold your hand and whisper affirmations to you two.

Thanks for reading <3

[the-sunflower-room]

✧akutagawa with a s/o who doodles on him ✧

akutagawa x fem!reader headcanons

☆note: i am a chronic doodler (art major moment, everybody point and laugh) and i was thinking about how cute it would be if akutagawa had a s/o who loves to doodle on him, so here it is! please enjoy lovelies xoxo

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

-for starters, akutagawa is pretty much stoic and cold with 98% of the human population

-he’s just a serious guy with major rbf what can i say

-to the rest of the world, he’s the terrifying mafioso in black who brings death and destruction wherever he goes

-but to his significant other, he’s just her “sweet ryu” as she likes to call him

-in the privacy of their home he sheds his role as the mafia devil and takes on the role of doting boyfriend

-he has such a soft spot for her it’s crazy

-anyways

-she has this little habit of doodling anywhere and everywhere

-on her arms, on napkins, on corners of paper

-she’s always drawing little hearts or stars or characters—you name it

-whatever she’s feeling at the moment

-eventually she gets brave enough to draw a little heart on the back of akutagawa’s hand one day

-he’s just reading on the couch with one hand resting on his thigh and suddenly feels a pen pressing into his skin

-he starts to protest but she’s so focused and content while she’s working on it that he leaves it be and goes back to his book

-she expects him to humor her for a little while and then wipe it off eventually

-she’s pleasantly surprised to find that it’s still there as they’re getting ready for bed that night

-the next day he walks around the port mafia and goes about his very serious business with a little heart on his hand

-she notices how he refuses to wash it off and can’t help how giddy it makes her

-takes it as a sign to do it more often

-it becomes a therapeutic thing for both of them

-they’ll just be sitting on the couch, watching a show together or something, and she’s just mindlessly doodling on his hand or arm

-he tries sooo hard to hide his smile

-will prob turn away and cough into his other hand to cover up the stupid lovesick grin on his face

-totally denies it when she questions him

-he’s a feared member of the port mafia, of course he’s not completely enamored with the silly little drawings she’s lovingly inking onto his skin (yeah ok)

-she knows he loves it

-some days she’s feeling more ambitious and colors in some of her doodles with markers or colored pens

-“it’s like i’m giving you little tattoos! they totally make you look more badass” (she says as she draws a snake with a cowboy hat on his wrist)

-he secretly adores seeing all of the creative designs she comes up with

-when he walks around with the doodles on his skin it’s like he’s carrying a little piece of her with him

-if anyone in the pm catches a glimpse of his hands and dares to say something about the colorful ink, he immediately snaps at them

-“why don’t you mind your business and stop wasting air with stupid questions, you pathetic imbecile”

-this man is so whipped and protective ok

-like he hates pretty much everyone but her

-will defend his s/o till the day he dies and do anything to make her happy

-and i mean anything

-even if that means having a poorly draw cat peeking out from under his sleeve during a Very Important Meeting with mori :)

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

[erroryeswifi]

Yay! Thank you for responding to my last ask :) I absolutely love the family (Steve, Larry and Rob) Can I know your Mr. Small or Robert headcanons too?

Oughh This one’s pretty long, so once again putting it under a cut ⬇️

(Like last time, if u don’t care abt me yapping there’s some drawings down there too haha)

• Mr Small likes anime and cosplay.

The biggest reason for this is his cosplay of Sailor Moon in “The Ghouls” episode. But along with cosplay I feel like he just likes to dress up in general. He has a surprisingly large amount of outfits throughout the series like: The honesty bear (The sock), Criminal Bozo fit (The allergie), Classic Hippie fit (The Silence), The Small hours music video fits (The Singing) and a couple more that he wears frequently like his rollerblading fit and his meditation fit. And those are just the ones that come to my head first, there’s definitely more in the show I think. He also has a bunch of outfits in the comics but I haven’t read those (yet. I really want them)

Similarly Larry does the same thing actually. Although, it makes more sense for him since he does it specifically for work reasons (And we see him so much more often). The thing is about Larry’s outfits is that I think are especially cute is that he dresses up for his role (specifically as a stereotypical worker you’d expect to see in whichever store he’s in) even if there isn’t a specific uniform. I’ve made a post about this before right here. Basically something I noticed is that he puts on temporary tattoos for a few of his jobs, not to mention he literally put on a fake gotee for his barber outfit. I like to think Larry is too busy to have his own hobbies but he accidentally adopted dressing up and he thoroughly enjoys it, even if he’s not exactly aware that he’s doing it.

• Rob takes both of Larry and Steve’s last names after being adopted.

I’ve thought for a long time which last name was gonna be their family last name but I was sooo hung up about it cuz both Larry and Mr Small’s last names are pretty important to their work. Larry is known all over town for being “Larry Needlemeyer” so it would be a pain to get that changed for him and be bad for his publicity as a well known worker. As for Mr Small he’s literally a teacher, everyone at his workspace adresses him by last name so it would be strange for him to change names as well. Basically what I’ve settled with for now is that they would share a hyphenated last name. So Mr Small’s would be “Steven Needlemeyer-Small” and Larry’s would be “Laurence Needlemeyer-Small”. This same thing would apply for Rob with him being “Rob Needlemeyer-Small”. I feel like this would be the best way for them to share a family name while staying consistent and least confusing. Plus it won’t affect neither Steve’s or Larry’s jobs all that much.

• Rob has a million nicknames

We all know the gag about Rob being called different names. I think it would be fun if when Larry and/or Steve calls for him (whether they need help or he’s in trouble) they call him by different variations of “Rob” like: Robert, Robbie, Roberto etc… I think his legal name would be still be just “Rob” tho, there’s really no reason for it to be anything else as that’s the name he remembers after getting out of the void.

• Mr Small is really bad at relationships

The thing about Mr Small his the he is one of the few middle aged adults in the show without a spouse or family members at all. Almost all of the middle aged adults in the show are the same age, we know this because they all went to school together but most importantly because they all went to prom together. My point is, almost all of the people he went to school with are either married, dating someone or have children of their own. Meanwhile he is single, no known family and doesn’t seem to have many friends outside of work. We even see him talking to Mr Corneille about his struggles online dating (The Wish), admittedly he wasn’t on a dating website but rather a pizza delivery app but that even further shows how he’s not super good with social queues and close relationships as he couldn’t tell the difference.

To contrast Mr Small, Larry is super good with people interactions. Obviously, with his work he needs to be. But as far as romantic relationship go, I think he’d be a very stereotypical good boyfriend type. Where he’d take his dates to nice restaurants, buy them flowers or go for walks. He likes things simple and classic.

• Rob likes video games

Idk I don’t really have a reason for this one. I think he’d constantly play Super Smash Bros on a Nintendo switch he was gifted for Christmas or smth lmaoo. The idea of him ragging online is very funny to me, especially if it’s stupid simple kids games where there isn’t much brain power to do them. He’d stream “Playing Fireboy and Water girl by myself!” if Larry let him.

Okay that’s already too much writing for one post, but if you wanna know more feel free to ask for it! ❤️

(I may not answer right away, but I appreciate the asks really!)

[tamsinbeybey-she-no-porcupine]

bbc Ghosts tattooshop capvers au

okay completely based on @captain-rickbond amazing modern Caphrey drawings:

My brain ran with an Ghosts tattoo shop au and though it's Caphrey bffs of course my brain made it Capvers (no one saw that coming I'm sure😉):

-Robin: tattoo artist style old school has one big lightning tattoo over his whole body nothing else. Does also do stick n poke.

-Humphrey: tattoo artist traditional and neo traditional does classic paintings on the side that he sells ,covered in tattoos himself (based on cap rickbonds drawings)

-Kitty tattoo artist. Style: fineline, floral work, dot work , watercolour and cartoon style

-Mary tattoo artist style: black work specialised in tattoos that look like old book illustrations and sketch style, loves doing witchy tattoos

-Allison tattoo artist photorealism style I. Colour and black and grey

-Cap: store manager

-Thomas: that one customer who gets turned away frequently because he wants face, neck or hand tattoos as his first tattoo

-Julian customer three tattoos one heart with Margot one with Rachel and some pun/innuendo very close if not directly on his gentleman's excuse me. Robin did all of his tattoos

-Fanny: friend of cap does like Humphreys paintings and comes by when she wants to chat, gossip or ask Humphrey to do a portrait of one of her pets (on canvas obviously)

-Pat: customer. friends with all of them no tattoos over shirt lines because he works in a bank. His tattoos are mainly humourous about stuff he loves in cartoon style kitty is his main artist.

-Obi the shop apprentice focuses on graphic style (tattoos that look like graphic design) and / or trash polka

The story:

Cap has few tattoos from different artists. Fineline flowers from kitty and a date that holds great importance to him done by Humphrey, a morsecode tattoo on his chest etc. his tattoos are not visible to others normally. They are small and personal.

Robin has a certificate in how to tattoo scars and made all of his artists learn as well

Havers just moved there and wants to symbolise a new start in life with something beautiful coming out of the scars of the past (upper body/arm scars not the face ones)

He walks in for a consultation and is a bit nervous because first it has to be determined what can be done, if the scars can be integrated and if the goal is to fade them optically or use them to enhance the picture.

It's a busy day and stuff has gone wrong so there's a waiting period and cap gives him tea and they get talking and find out they're both ex military and he's relaxed and smiling by the time robin comes to collect him

During the consultation Havers let's it shine through that he's not exactly sure what he wants style wise so robin who's very old school in wanting to challenge his artists calls them one by one to look at him and asks them to design something that symbolises his wish of a new start

He even calls cap in to ask something about if they still have a specific needle type. Cap sees Havers shirtless and gets extremely flustered. And everyone's like "??" Because normally cap runs the shop like a well oiled machinery but now he can't remember if they have that needle size

Havers returns the week after to look at the designs and the main themes are phoenixes or flowers (a lot of dandelions and lotuses)And cap can see (because he keeps looking🤭) that Havers is a bit overwhelmed with choosing so he brings them all tea and starts chatting with him and it quickly turns out what he really loves from which design so cap suggests they do a collab piece on Havers. And everyone whose in the design gets really excited and of course it means that Havers has to come back for another consultation. By that point the others have caught on that cap is talking to and mentioning that one customer a bit often.

Havers returns the next week and for some reason he got the appointment wrong and is almost an hour early (oh dear) and so that very handsome store manager who is bored on this very slow day takes it upon himself to drink tea with him and chat telling him that he loves the meaning behind his tattoo and that he's in good hands and it'll look awesome on him and he shows him his own tats which makes kitty run to the others and whisper because normally no one gets to see caps tats.

The design is wonderful and Havers loves it but because of size and difficult level aka sitting through the extra spicy pain it's gonna be done in numerous small sessions. And every time cap and him find time to talk to each other or shooting glances at each other.

His colleagues try to get Cap to ask Havers out before it's too late but cap is like that's unprofessional and the guy is here to get a tattoo not be hit on by staff.

With the sessions and the healing process it takes months before the tat is finished and it's very clear to everyone else around them that the attraction between the two is very much mutual

And on the last appointment cap wants to ask him out before he possibly never sees him again but everything goes wrong because Thomas demands that this new poem of his has to go on his neck and Robin argues with him and Julian Fawcett turns up drunk for his appointment and Alison has morning sickness and so cap who waited anxiously for Havers to come pay and say bye had to do the payment real quick and wants to say bye and ask him but then Julian smashes a vase from the counter because he got in on the argument between Thomas and Robin and Havers at one point slips out sad that he didn't got to talk to Cap one last time.

Cap is feeling a bit down over the next weeks and everyone is trying to cheer him up.

A few weeks later Havers is suddenly there again because he lost some lines during healing and Cap wasn't even aware that there was an appointment but Humphrey is like oops forgot to tell you.

The actual appointment is over suspiciously fast. (Aka Humphrey met Havers somewhere accidentally and used to meddle)

And then it's time to say goodbye and Cap can't get the words out and Anthony looks very anxious and he's almost at the door but cap calls out to him, Havers whipping around and cap is like I eh oh well I meant to say...we'll be having a flash day on the third if you're interested.

And something about calling him back just gives Anthony the kick he needed and he informs him that he doesn't think he's the type just yet to get random tats because he's more after meaning. New beginning specifically at the moment which also means new people in his life and there's one person he really likes and wants to get to know even better and then he asks Cap out.

Over the next two years the teasing sentence "cap stop flirting with your boyfriend we're about to open" can be heard almost every day in the shop at which point Havers leans over the counter to collect his daily goodbye kiss before leaving for work.

Havers design btw I'm thinking a phoenix made out of flowers like a flower bomb gone off all over his flank and pieces on his chest and upper arm like flames out of flowers everywhere around the actual bird where there is scarring.

During those two years Havers gets a tattoo of the date of his first appointment underneath the phoenix.

And after that the only clearly visible tattoo Cap has that is done as a collab and on two people who don't have many tattoos (the absolute exception Robin makes which drives Thomas insane) are the wedding ring tattoos for Cap and Havers.

[tired-teacher-blog]

Characters : Tattoo artist Aizawa/ Florist fem reader

Featuring : Eri/ Hizashi Yamada/ Nemuri Kayama/ Oboro Shirakumo/ Emi Fukukado

Warnings and Genre : Fluff/ Romance/ Smut and Angst in future chapters/ Multi Chaptered Story

Summary : In a desperate attempt to get closer to the tattoo artist dominating every speck of your brain, you decide to pay him a visit one evening as a client seeking his service. This encounter will prove to be the beginning of something much bigger between you two, but will this new found passion be enough to stand against the difficulties your future holds?

Notes : Loosely inspired by this/ Art below is by the wonderful @/ael-draw who gifted me this gorgeous piece.

Masterlist|Second Masterlist|Third Masterlist

Chapter Count : Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7 • Part 8 • Part 9 • Part 10 • Part 11

_ "Good evening Miss."

_ "Uh.. yes, yeah good evening!" did your voice just waver as you returned the man's greeting?

It did, didn't it? Why else would he let out a chuckle while his eyes are lingering on your clumsy hands struggling to lock your shop's front door?

_ "Need any help with that?" his smile slowly disappears as he notices your battle against the entrance lock.

_ "Oh no it's fine I got it! Thanks anyway, good night." and with that, you flee the scene after yet another awkward encounter with the tattoo artist whose parlor just happens to be facing your own shop.

Aizawa Shouta, the man in question, is an intriguing guy.

His ink covered arms— coming to light each time he decides to roll his sleeves or wear a t-shirt, probably hint at more hidden art behind the garment.. his long raven locks that usually sit beautifully on his broad shoulders, are flowing gracefully around his face.. the dark circles under his eyes have never been a surprise to you since his working hours start really late every evening.

However, that harsh exterior does not reflect his personality at all, you're certain of it, and even though your short exchanges have never gone beyond the polite greetings and stolen gazes, something about this man simply mesmerized you..

Who is he anyway? What is his story? Why does he only come to work late when everyone else is heading home?

These questions have been plaguing your brain ever since you met the mysterious guy a few months ago, you've always wanted to know more about him, to befriend him, to have a meaningful conversation, to stand closer to him, to touch..

_ "No! This is not it!" you slap your face with a wince of pain as you snap back to reality, you are daydreaming about the handsome man once again instead of focusing on work.

You flip through the countless search results as you struggle to make a decision, "which one should I get?" it is honestly a big deal.. a commitment.

Getting a tattoo is a matter of great importance, even more so when the person branding your skin is the same one taking over your every waking moment.

_ "I don't like any of these." you mumble irritatedly as you couldn't feel any connection to the art suggested.

Maybe it isn't a good idea after all, do you actually want to get a tattoo? Or is it just a ruse to get closer to.. to him?

You place your phone away and welcome your new costumer with a smile, "good morning Sir!"

Work comes first anyway, everything else should wait till later, it has to..

_ "Here you go! Red roses are the perfect gift, they represent love, passion, beauty, courage and respect, so I'm sure your wife will love them."

The man's eyes light up and his cheerful smile grows wider as he hears you reciting the devine meaning behind his choice, he pays for his purchase and thanks you again before walking out of your shop.

_ "A red rose?" you utter thoughtfully as your eyes study the beautiful flowers before you.

Love, passion, beauty, courage and respect.

Fitting.. although it might seem tacky to some, but if you are to have something inked into your skin, then it has to be meaningful and so, your mind is finally set, "I'll have a red rose."

You take a deep breath and look through your giant glass window at the closed tattoo parlor across the street, "I'll see you tonight, Mr Aizawa."

It is as regular as clockwork— your daily encounter with the dashing man, you are locking your shop's front door when you hear him unlocking his own, and as regular as clockwork your eyes meet and you exchange your daily greeting, except this isn't all that happened tonight, because unlike your usual habit of turning around and walking home, you are advancing towards the man who doesn't seem surprised to see you approaching.

_ "Tattoo, I mean, can I get one?" your cheeks heat up instantly while hearing yourself speak, you're being as awkward as always around him, and wish to disappear right this instant.

_ "Oh.. yeah sure, this is what I do after all," his chuckle is intoxicating, and his silky hair glides elegantly as he cocks his head to the side, "why don't you come in first?"

You have never realized it before, but now that you are standing near each other, he is towering over you, it's almost intimidating to be frank, if not for the gentle smile that seems even more dazzling from up close.

You are right, he truly is beautiful.

_ "My assistant should be here in a minute, but in the meantime I'll take care of you," he offers you a seat at the reception desk before removing his jacket and joining you, "this is a first for you am I right?"

_ "What makes you say that?" is it obvious how ordinary you are?

_ "Well, usually people call to schedule an appointment beforehand, some of them even visit my studio and bombard us with questions to make sure they can trust us with their bodies, but you.." he stops for a moment to clear his throat and shift his gaze from you, "you're something else."

Is that a little blush he's so desperately trying to conceal? No it can't be, you're delirious like usual, and being in a close proximity to him is playing with your mind.

_ "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have barged in unannounced, I'll make sure to do it properly and call for an appointment," you're on the verge of tears as you stand up and bow your head apologetically, "good night Sir."

_ "What? Hey hold on! Don't go," he's fast at intercepting you, grabbing your arm and pulling you back gently, "please don't go."

His grip remains on you, a perfect pressure applied, as if he's afraid you would disappear if he lets go, and you would have.

He's standing close, so close, closer than he did earlier, and you can feel his warm breath fanning over your skin, his beautiful smile is replaced with a little pout, his dark hair falls around his face and you almost.. almost reach out to tuck the loose strands behind his ear.

How long have you been standing there, looking into each other's eyes and saying nothing? Apparently long enough for his assistant to burst out laughing after walking in and finding you in that state.

_ "Good evening boss! Sorry for being late but you know how traffic is at this hour." her eyes move between you two, and her amused smirk hints at something that you cannot -for the life of you- understand.

You return the lively woman's greeting and take a step back, you are still going to leave anyway, despite the inexplicable desire to stay.

_ "Ms Kayama, would you mind passing my seven o'clock client to Hizashi? Also Oboro is running late as usual so would you please give him a call? Aizawa speaks to his assistant while keeping his attention on you.

_ "Sure boss, you can count on me." you cannot understand the reason of her mischievous smile, nor why she looked at you while saying that.

_ "Thank you."

Your blush is reaching your ears and a storm of emotions is fighting within you as you prepare to interject and perhaps save yourself from further embarrassment, but he is quicker to speak, "please have a seat." his voice as soft as ever while waiting for you to do so.

_ "Yes, thank you." and so you do.

He pulls out a chair for himself across from you before picking up a notbook that was already placed on the desk in front of him, "shall we begin?"

You shoot up all of a sudden as it finally hits you, "I.. I'm.." you stutter almost inaudibly, squeezing your fists so hard to stop from shaking, you aren't sure about this anymore, maybe you've made a mistake barging in like that with the pretence of getting a tattoo when all you actually want is to see him.

_ "Is everything okay?" he must've felt your uncertainty towards it since he instantly stood in front of you, his warm hands on each of your shoulders, rubbing soothing patterns while anticipating your response.

_ "I'm sorry I'm just, a little nervous." saying those words is more painful than any needles he could use on you, you feel pathetic, squeezing your eyes shut and wishing you're home alone instead of this.

Maybe you should forget about the whole thing and just leave, you've already made a fool of yourself enough for one evening, what else is there for you to do?

_ "That's fine, having second thoughts is totally normal considering that it would be your first time going through the experience, besides, there are some preparations to go through before getting to the actual thing," his eyes are gazing gently at you as he speaks, "let's take it step by step, and if you ultimately decide against it then we'll stop."

You cannot understand his behavior, he isn't laughing at you, isn't mocking you like you've expected, he isn't even showing an ounce of impatience. Who is he? Trully? And why is everything about him just.. flawless?

You nod slowly and take your seat again, a wave of goosebumps is running up your spine at the loss of his touch.

_ "Alright, so tell me, do you have a design in mind? If not I can help you choose, and it should help if you have a theme in mind." he starts right as he sits facing you.

_ "Oh no that's fine, I already know what I want," you answer quickly before pulling out your phone and showing him the single rose you settled on, "I want this.. this red rose."

He takes the device from your extended hand, studying the picture displayed before letting out a chuckle that travels right through your veins, "I like it, it's soft and pretty, just like you," he comments casually before adding, "what size are you thinking?"

_ "Huh? Umm.. I'm not sure but, I would prefer it to be small, I guess..." you're not even sure of the words leaving your mouth anymore as his previous remark sways you, soft.. pretty.

What is he doing to you? Is it perhaps a part of his job to sweet talk his clients? Yeah, that must be it, why else would he do it?

_ "It's okay we'll circle back to that later, now for the placement, where would you want it to be? This can actually help you determine the size better if you're still unsure about that." his smile never leaves him as he speaks, and for a brief moment your delusions lead you to believe that it could mean more than a friendly smile, but it doesn't, and you know it.

_ "I'm not sure about that either," you feel stupid, it is your first time walking into a tattoo studio sure, but you should've been more prepared.

He remains quiet for a bit and you're struggling to understand what he's thinking, your heart is hammering painfully in your chest as you wait silently for him to reply.

He isn't smiling anymore, infact, the look on his face has turned into one of pensiveness, his lips are sealed in a thin line and his head is tilted to the side, and it is becoming unbearable for you to sit there and wait any longer, it's humiliating.

You open your mouth to speak, to -perhaps- apologize for making his work harder than it should, for being so stupid as to make him dump his work on his colleagues so he could take care of you for the evening, you're trying to speak but don't know how to start exactly, settling for hanging your head in shame instead.

_ "Hey look up," his voice is as soft as ever, "I told you not to worry about it didn't I? Tattoos are not an easy commitment to make."

His chair squeaks as he clearly stands up, circuling the desk until he's mere centimeters from you, the subtle sweetness of his sandalwood scented cologne is tickling your nose as he leans closer.

_ "I'll tell you what, how about I make a sketch of the design tonight, and you can drop by tomorrow to have a look at it, I have what I need for now, so take the night to think more about the placement," his eyes are studying your tense frame as he adds, "and remember, you don't have to go through with it, I'll book your session for tomorrow, same time as today, but you can cancel it whenever you want."

You're overcame with a sudden urge to jump in his arms, and for the nth time that evening you are grateful for the secrecy of your own thoughts as you nod in agreement, "thank you that would be great, but, we haven't talked about the payment yet."

_ "You'll find everything you need stated on our website." he replies while handing you his business card.

You thank him again and bid him goodbye before walking out of the studio that is -unbeknown to you- getting busier and louder.

To be continued..

[fl3shm4id3n]

heyyy i would like to make a request for spider-punk/hobie brown with a fem!spiderwoman!reader. the idea i have in mind is just a reader that shares the same morals/opinions that hobie has like hating the government and going against the norm. i also like the idea of the reader also having piercings and like an alt aesthetic bc i think that would fit well with hobie in a relationship. she can be more sarcastic/witty and make a lot of jokes but be really cool. it can be either headcannons or a fic but you absolutely don’t have to do it if you don’t like the idea or it’s too much to do!! thank you <3

Bₑᵢₙg ₐₙ ₐₗₜ ₛₚᵢdₑᵣ Wₒₘₐₙ ₐₙd ᵢₙ ₐ ᵣₑₗₐₜᵢₒₙₛₕᵢₚ wᵢₜₕ ₕₒbᵢₑ Bᵣₒwₙ/ₛₚᵢdₑᵣ ₚᵤₙₖ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ꜱᴘɪᴅᴇʀ ᴘᴜɴᴋ/ʜᴏʙɪᴇ ʙʀᴏᴡɴ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ᴀʟᴛ ꜱᴘɪᴅᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Tw: Hobie and reader are being little shits, that's it.

A/N: I actually like this idea, this is feeding my Hobie x goth/ALT reader hunger. I didn't have much in thought, but I manage to squeeze something out. I hope this was to your liking ♡

Masterlist

The first time you both met, everyone knew right away that you were both going to end up together. It was as if, you and him were made for one another.

You shared the same thoughts and interests, also the same style. Except, Hobie didn't do a lot like you did. You really liked to wear a lot of things flashy yet dark things.

Hobie did have piercings, but he did not have as much as you did. You also liked to wear chokers with chains, leather, and dark clothes. Your boyfriend would also steal some of your clothes, always saying that what was yours was his, and that you both shared the same style.

If you want another piercing, he'll do it for you, he did his own piercings and he wouldn't mind doing whatever piercing you wanted.

Got Tattoos? Hobie is interested in them, from the design and why you got them. He also sees them as a form of art and another part of your ALT style. Despite them being of cute or scary whatever, he loves them.

He'll offer to draw you something to get tattooed, he'll work on it for days if not weeks. He isn't just going to give you something half assed, he'll make you something that you will love having tattooed on you.

When you want to upgrade your spider suit, Hobie will help you, he'll suggest what to put and add to your suit, he knows that you like that flashy stuff, so why not put them on your suit. He likes how you express yourself through your suit.

What he really likes about you is your sarcasm, specially when you use it on Miguel and Jessica, they're cool, but sometimes they'd get on your nerves to the point that you just use your sarcasm on them. It'd make Hobie just laugh by your attitude.

Also the fact that you were intelligent, but majority of the time you use your intelligence to mess with other, specially Miguel since you know that he hates it when you do that.

You and Hobie really like to mess with others, you both can sometimes be helpful but choose not to. In general you're just like that, even to each other as a joke.

You don't have to tell people you're together, you both make it somewhat obvious that you are. You didn't over do it, you just did enough to show that you and Hobie were an obvious thing.

When you first met Miles, he noticed how you and Hobie were basically doing your own thing together, as a couple and he got curious and decided to ask if you were dating.

You responded with 'No, we just like to kiss and make out on a daily basis, Of course we're dating!' he got the memo.

The important thing to both of you is communication, if you both didn't talk, then that was a problem, speaking your minds is the thing that made you both get together in the first place.

In general, you and Hobie are just that, you and Hobie. You weren't the perfect couple, you did have your differences and issues, but you always fixed them together.

[kiirotoao]

Can we talk about Mileven for a minute. Another reason I don't buy their romantic relationship is the fact that most of their one on ones as a romantic couple (S3) are comedic and not very serious. Where are the deep conversations and when are we ever shown how much they understand each other... post (S2). It's almost like once they started dating they became a joke? Yes they have a few sweet moments but it's also scripted to be laughable. (S4) never showed them having a honest deep convo resolving issues and growing romantically. It could happen in (S5) but at this point I don't see the emotional romantic draw.

And then there is Byler to compare it to, where most of their one on ones are much much more serious, deep, heartfelt, with actual evidence of understanding and talks involving their feelings (which Mike seems to not have an issue with unlike his plot in S4 with El). This, mind you, happens to some degree in every season with Will. If Mike just sees Will as his best friend, why is he so serious about Will especially alone together. Even best friends are more casual then this.

Also a side note. The (S3) Mileven straight stereotype of the 'lazy, lying, clueless boy' dating the 'girl who is playing hard to get to teach her boyfriend a lesson' troupe is icky and makes me want El to find her power solo and Mike to remember that the old Mike (who has a special will voice) is a much better person and boyfriend. Thoughts?

Damn! Well said, dear anon!! I couldn’t agree more.

To anyone who says anything along the lines of ‘oh, Mleven can’t be broken up, they’ve been building up this whole time!’ Or ‘here’s the slow burn everyone wanted,’ or ‘Mike and El have grown so much even after fighting,’ I really don’t understand how any of that is founded. I totally agree and I feel like their relationship has been rather unserious. Even in the most serious love-centered topics of support (s1), connection (s2), breakups (s3), and expression (s4), it’s really interesting to me how their relationship has consistently lacked depth.

Despite dealing with some of the most important aspects of strong relationships, they aren’t close enough to showing, providing, or proving to have one. Mike supports El in season 1 as she does him, protecting and aiding each other with their strengths. But… so does everyone in that season to each other? The only difference is that Mike sheltered El which is very sweet, but not inherently romantic.

Then there’s season 2, which I must confess - I think that their reunion scene at the end of the season remains one of the sweetest moments on the show. Ever. It’s raw and emotional, and this was the closest thing we got to something romantic. But what shoots it down is the fact that their emotion was due to forced separation and Mike’s very real complex grief which gets completely glossed over in the show. So, I don’t know. It’s tricky. So are they romantic yet? They get virtually no time together. It’s a no for me.

And oh yeah, season 3 was the peak of unserious-ness. I also don’t enjoy that trope of ‘the boy chasing the girl who just doesn’t get it yet and she snubs him until the very end’ kind of energy. I swear that that stuff is littered in family-friendly movies usually as comedic relief, and Mike and El just barely made that trope more serious at the very least. Their breakup is dramatized and humorous, and the way that it’s mended still makes me chuckle. Mike offers her M&Ms, compliments her looks, they smile at each other, and suddenly they’re all good again? Yeah, that’s not very clear romance to me. All season long, they keep resisting each other. Mike lashes out to everyone and declares that he loves El but can’t say it to her face, and El has Max’s words tattooed on her heart that she keeps asserting that she deserves trust. The two just don’t quite reach each other that season. The second that I heard Hopper say that they’ve only been kissing all Summer long without complaining about them talking, I knew that I was not going to be invested in their relationship this season.

And so season 4 was truly the nail in the coffin, the final turning point. They’re not only shallow in making up, they’re shallow in being together. El isn’t honest with Mike about her time in Lenora, how she’s spent it, the people she’s met, the fun she’s truly having. Mike snaps about Will being disinterested, so it’s pretty clear that he was dishonest about his true feelings that day, too. And the most telling part is that he’s not mad at El. He’s mad at Will.

I think that what the writers have done is craft something so deeply intricate and hidden with Mike and Will to the point of confusion in much of the audience today. Will has always been a buffer of affection for Mike. In season 1 he’s the one they’re searching for. In season 2, he’s the one that Mike protects. In season 3, he’s the true breakup that Mike fights for. In season 4, he’s the listening ear and bleeding heart that Mike relies on. Their love only gets stronger and stronger whereas Mike and El are simply loving under the guise of physical closeness. I seriously think that that’s all that they have for each other.

That hug sequence at the end of season 4 really shocked me, because when I saw Mike and El hugging (not to mention that shot with Will right between them) I thought that it was sweet, but then suddenly Will and El are hugging, the siblings who are absolutely platonic, and it felt more emotional than Mike and El’s embrace. So not only are Mike and El visually equated to a platonic relationship, but their bond doesn’t even hold the same weight as the sibling-hood of Will and El.

It’s just wild to me that people don’t see it. I think that Byler is made abundantly clear for us to root for. The crazy together scene did it for me the first time I saw it. It was and still is one of my favorite scenes ever because it’s the total package. Closeness? Check. Honesty? Check. Hurt/comfort? Check. Matching, nerdy Halloween outfits? Check. The lack of anyone or anything else to distract them? Check. The crazy together scene is a marker of their relationship, and it never, ever dies.

Even though they fight, where are they years later? They’ve gone through supernatural and personal troubles together, and they’re still by each other’s side. “Friends. Best friends.” The same at heart. They promise to support each other, they reconnect, they come back from every breakup, and they readily express things on their minds and hearts. They’re there for each other and tell each other things that no other boys in the party have told each other.

Mike and El try to understand each other, they do, and sometimes it’s just trying that’s enough, but on a truly intimate level, that’s bullshit. Mike and Will have everything that they need and want for each other, and there’s no going through hoops to get it besides internalized homophobia. Which I very well think can be reasonably addressed next season.

So yep. Byler is endgame.

[plant-acts]

what do the links look like in your theatre au? might draw em if I find the time

Looks-wise, they are pretty similar to their LU counterparts (minus Wind, who is an older version of himself).

As for what they wear though, I can go into more detail about that!

--

Time: Khaki pants with a button-up (although Malon begs him to please just wear a t-shirt and jeans, she's tired of him messing them up). He doesn't have a facial tattoo anymore, but he has a similar looking one on his chest.

Twilight: We all know he's a country boy, so old jeans, a plain T-shirt, and dark flannel. He has steel-toed work boots (he probably broke his toe when a set fell once and swore never again). His tattoo is on his upper arm now as well. Also, he absolutely has a farmer's tan. (I almost made him midwestern emo and I think that's hilarious)

Warriors: I feel like Wars would try to dress nice as much as he can. It just makes him feel good. So, he would wear a green blazer with his signature blue scarf and nice jeans. Everyone pokes fun at him for dressing up in college theater, where you will get dirty even as an actor, but he just says that's why washing machines were made.

Legend: Blue beanie (So original, I know) and a red zip-up jacket. I debated giving him a skirt, and I ended up on the decision of sometimes. It depends on what is going on in class that day. If it's simple and they are just learning about acting techniques, then he will. But if they are building sets or doing stage combat, he will wear some black pants. He also has a pair of brown boots he wears constantly.

Sky: Give Sky a sweater vest right now or help me, God. I just think he deserves it as a treat. He would pair it with a white button-up shirt and light jeans.

Hyrule: He was probably the easiest to come up with. He wears loose-fitting clothes he can move in. Something like cargo pants with a band t-shirt is probably his go-to.

Wild: Everything. The dude will wear anything and everything. Specific style? None. He just dresses how he's feeling for the day. If he had to have one specific outfit though, it would be his biker get-up. He may not think everything through, but motorcycle safety is very important, so he is sure to wear the correct pants, jacket, and helmet.

Four(s): The quadruplets have so many hoodies. Like it's a problem. They don't even know who's is who’s anymore, they just take whichever one they like and throw it on. They aren't picky about the rest of their outfit, usually just wearing some black pants and boots.

Wind: He has a collection of fun button-up shirts (me too). He wears shorts with some ratty shoes he should have thrown away forever ago, but he's emotionally connected to them. Also, just because I can, I'm going to say he has beach curls and freckles. He deserves a nice suntan.

[sendpseuds]

WIP Wednesday: Perfect Spiral

In honor of everyone being so helpful in my quest to find Anakin's perfect ass tattoo, we've got a pretty long snippet from the beginning of chapter three [Practice].

Extra special shout out to @amadwinter and @palfriendpatine66 whose suggestions I combined for the final ass tattoo design.

Enjoy 🖤

[PERFECT SPIRAL]

It’s not difficult to understand why the locker room is so often a setting found in porn.

A room full of men in peak physical condition, shamelessly stripping down to nothing but their naked flesh, standing beneath the steaming spray of the shower to wash sweat and hours of excretion from their skin.

On paper, it sounds downright erotic.

In reality, there is nothing even remotely sexy about a football locker room.

There is nothing seductive about several dozen flaccid dicks parading around. 

Nothing arousing about catching an accidental eyeful of a teammate’s hairy ass crack.

There is absolutely fucking nothing enticing about that smell.

There is, however, something strangely, stupidly, unexplainably comforting about the whole sordid situation.

Already, the little cubby emblazoned with Anakin’s nameplate feels a bit like home.

Already, this team feels a bit like family. 

It’s part of the reason, Anakin assumes, that even professional locker rooms — which are otherwise decked out in all kinds of luxuries like TVs, couches, gaming councils, etc. — still have communal showers. Because if hours of training to play a sport that is, essentially, the modern equivalent of a gladiatorial game doesn’t bond you with your teammates, showering together sure as fuck will.

A form of forced vulnerability to balance out the violence.

It’s all part of the game.

And it’s always the same.

Confidence is, obviously, extremely important, but it’s never good to tip over into arrogance. Being surrounded by men who look as if they should be on display in a museum makes humbling oneself a bit easier, but overcompensating is not hard to do, and no one gets put in their place faster than a cocky rookie.

So far, Anakin has managed to fly under the radar for the most part. There were a few pretty predictable whistles that first day, and more than one mention of fattening him up from Jabba and the other linemen — whatever the fuck that means — but most of the comments have been about his tattoo. 

Not the tattoo on his arm — the one that extends from his right elbow to his knuckles — black ink in the broken blistered pattern of burnt wood turned to coal, cracked and carved apart by flame. The one that had taken months to design and three multi-hour sittings to complete.

No.

Most of the comments have been about the tattoo on his ass.

The one he got his first year at Mos Eisley State because when the five coolest guys on the football team tell the scrawny redshirt quarterback that something is a great idea, it’s very easy to believe that it is, in fact, a great idea.

As it turns out, it had been a terrible idea.

The next day in the locker room, the same teammates who had encouraged him to get his own lip print tattooed in bright red ink on his left ass cheek tore him to pieces in front of the entire team. 

Anakin had gone back down to the tattoo shop as soon as the lips healed to add BITE ME in big black letters. 

None of them could have known the monster they created that day.

He knows better than to shy away from it — honestly, he’s grown quite fond of the little tattoo and the way it seems to disarm people — but trying to cover it up would only draw more attention to it in the end.

It’s not that modesty is an issue, a lot of guys are certainly more on the reserved side — a wrapped towel is totally normal, no need to strut around bare-assed just for the sake of it — but hiding, turning away, avoiding the showers altogether — that will draw attention and comments faster than just about anything else.

Well.

There is one thing that is almost guaranteed to make someone the butt of every locker room joke.

There’s always one guy with a big dick.

[lucero-is-here]

a harpoon is shot into the room, as a person dashes in and yanks it out the wall

Hello everyone! It’s me, your host. Today we have Jack Archer! Requested by:

Jack Archer:

- bisexual man

- he can do a backflip!

- his mommy issues is mainly revolving how his mok overly criticised him and viewed him less as a person and more like some kind of trophy. he is still trying to fix his relationship with his mom

- rivalry with Elliot. they are constantly trying to beat each other at something, and the entire Bureau just watches it unfold

- he got a tattoo one time on his back. it’s a relatively small tattoo, and he really likes it! (it’s a dog tattoo)

- he had a pet dog. he really likes dogs. he named the dog Custard.

- he’s not good with children. he really does care for them, but he doesn’t know how to properly take care of them, and often times, he needs help and advice from others.

- he has awful spice tolerance. he cannot eat anything remotely spicy or else he’ll burn his tongue off

- he watches movies with Lars every Friday, and they finish watching the movie no matter how scary or how awful it is.

- he stayed in contact with Asal and they talk every once in a while. sometimes they meet up to chat and to ask how one another are doing. they are relatively good friends now.

- He can name at least five species of dogs if you randomly ask him about it, and he answers really quickly.

- he still dresses in drag sometimes. he finds it really fun, and he sometimes gets help from Ingrid or Carmen to help him with the makeup.

- he can wear high heels and even run in them!

- he works out a lot, mainly to stay healthy but also make sure he stays in shape. his job has a lot of physical work (arresting and chasing after people), so being healthy is important

- he played roblox with Elliot once, and Elliot made him play Tower of Hell. he rage quit 2 minutes in.

- he gets very little sleep. he tried to get more sleep but it doesn’t really work out.

- IF YOU HURT A CHILD NEAR HIM HE WILL KILL YOU.

- he tried learning German once but gave up- because he genuinely couldn’t remember some things. he decided to try again another day.

- he spends at least 15 minutes on his hair every day to make sure it looks good. he takes a lot of pride in his appearance and he wants to look good.

- he falls off his bed everytime he sleeps- you’ll find him half on the bed and half on the ground with his face pressed on the ground sleeping somehow

- relatively rough hands- hid hands are dry.

- he has a teddy bear- Lars gave it to him ^^ The teddy bear is named Lars.

- he struggles to cry, and he rarely cries in front of anyone. but he cried in front of Lars multiple times before

- the triplets annoy him a lot. they always run into his office to draw on his papers, draw on him, stick stickers all over his face and just wreck havoc. he thinks it’s funny though-

that’s all! I will tackle every single request first before doing my extremely overdue requests that have multiple characters in it! Goodbye and see you!

[kittick-art]

Wahoo, time for another Animatic Deep Dive!

I did this on twitter after my jeanmarco animatic came out last year, and I wanted to do something similar for the Royai animatic! This post will include HD stills from the animatic, as well as some nerdy insight into some shot choices and such, bc I need an outlet to geek out about it. Everything is under the ‘keep reading’ break! :]

Ok to start off, I wanted to show some behind-the-scenes stuff, including my first thumbnails I drew in my sketchbook, as well as part of the shot sheet that kept me organized (and sane) throughout the animatic.

Also, fun fact is that I'm primarily a 3D animator, so I used that knowledge to sculpt a rough version of Mustang's office for the final shot :]

Ok so now for actual stills...starting with one of my FAVORITE sequences to draw, which I have dubbed 'the scrolling bit.'

And a fun little composition tidbit about this sequence is that I tried to show the passage of time through Roy & Riza's placement in the shots. So in order, they progressively go from the right of the screen to the left. It was actually a really last-minute decision, bc originally I had two different shots (see below) which got scrapped in order to do that silly compositional thing. I think it was a worthy sacrifice because that drawing of Black Hayate on Mustang's head was just so fun to draw.

OKAY, now I want to move onto my favorite part of any animatic, which is the pretentious stuff about 'character placement' and "the deeper meaning." Blah blah, all that art-school kind of stuff that you'd hear in some film analysis class.

It's not intentional whatsoever, but I realized after the animatic was finished that Hawkeye is almost always on Mustang's righthand side, other than a select few times when he's the one supporting her. Feel free to look into that if you'd like, but just know it was not intentional and isn't consistent 100% of the time.

What was intentional, however, were these 4 shots, and specifically the placement of Mustang & Hawkeye within them:

These 2 sequences are meant to be direct parallels to each other, in everything including how Mustang turns to Hawkeye, and Hawkeye is already facing him. They were also my favorite shots to animate, especially with Riza coming out of her salute. Seeing them in the final animatic almost made me tear up, ngl. They're just so dang in love!

Finally, the last part that holds some artsy deeper meaning is a sequence I actually shared a long long time ago. I've dubbed it the 'spotlight section' bc idk how else to describe it.

Back when I teased this sequence, I alluded to some "deeper meaning" behind the use of red in the tags. And while the use of red is a pivotal thing throughout the entire animatic, it's most important here. It starts on Hawkeye's back, then transfers to Mustang's glove, and finally goes back to Hawkeye as her blood. Basically what I was trying to get at was something about consequences, and where flame alchemy has led them. In some way or another, Riza's decision to show Roy her tattoo ended up leading to her own (near) demise. So the red was supposed to show that transfer of consequence, if that makes sense.

ANYWAYS. Enough of me rambling. Thank you for reading if you somehow made it this far. All the love on this animatic - even since I first started teasing it back in November - has been insane to me. I still feel like I can't wrap my head around it. I'll leave you all with one last sketch from when I first started making the animatic. Have a good night, everyone!

[cataclitsmicdisaster]

Spoilers for The Mangus Archives and The Magnus Protocol ahead

Ok, I'm all caught up with tmap now and WTF? I like Celia, I regret shitting on her early on but something is still off. "If I go back I cant take Jack with me" and "Important names... Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood"? Ok, so you're clearly from the same dimension as Jon and Martin, maybe she lost her son in the first one and he's alive in this one? ALSO on the topic of Jon and Martin, it seems after they dragged the fears from their reality, the got dragged with them. I think they've been trapped in technology for as long as it's existed, and even before that. It sounds painful.

On the more domestic disputes of our lovely characters here at the OIAR, Alice seems like she was a bit of a control freak when she and Sam were together. It's thrown me off a bit but I can definitely see that being why they drifted apart. And does Alice know more than she's letting on? Sam made a really good point as to why she was sticking around and I'm not completely sold on the reasoning she gave on why she stays.

Then we have the cloaked figure with the bitey tape recorder, I'm thinking Jonah Magnus. I think that when he got his shit rocked by Jon some semblance of him remained and got dragged across dimensions with everybody else. Also I love the picture of Ink5oul that Alex and Jonny have painted, someone who just wanted to be noticed starts to become a monster, and doesn't actually know what to feel about it. It feels strangely like Jane Prentiss, how she was consumed fully by what loved her (not what she loved). The way Jane was fully embraced by what loved her feels similar to how Ink5oul/Grace has been fully consumed by the feeling of being important, being better, being worthy of all that attention. Though it seems Ink5oul is indiscriminate as to what fear they serve, so long as they all get their fill.

At first I thought they might be a Flesh avatar, what with the focus on altering the body with art and what that tattoo granted the ability of to the person it was bestowed upon. But then we got that guy with the Buried/the Vast (depending on how you want to look at it) on the cliffs of that burial site and the guy with the sun tattoo Ink5oul did that fell to the Desolation. And the way Ink5oul talks about skin feels akin to the Stranger. So that draws me to the conclusions that they serve all the Fears, that's if they even work the same way in this dimension as they did in the Archives dimension.

I don't like Lena at all, but I feel like she's bound by something like everyone else is. I'm thinking the OIAR works in a similar way that the Magnus Institute, London, worked in the Archives dimension. I think she was a good person once, but the time in that basement has turned her person sour. The way I'm thinking you're made to stay at the OIAR is that when you leave, your life becomes increasingly more miserable until you die. That's a theory I've come up with after the encounters we've had with Teddy, since the poor lad can't seem to land a job anywhere.

I'm worried for Colin, too. He seems to carry a Gertrude Robinson agenda, though he's far more manic in his attempts to stop whatever the fuck is going on. I like him a lot, though. He's funny to listen to, angry little Scotsman running IT for the cursed basement department of Government response.

Also on a more light-hearted note, since we've seen that this dimension's Gertrude and Gerry are alive, well, happy and living together as grandma and grandson, it makes me hopeful that other characters are happy and alive in this dimension as well. We've already seen Georgie living happily, even if I fear she may either be killed by the Stranger (see "who keeps taking Georgie's face?!"), I hope that Tim and Sasha are alright too. I'm also really hoping that Gwendolyn Bouchard is the daughter of one Elias Bouchard (the "loser stoner" Elias, not the "possessed by a slimy old git" Elias). I'd hope that his husband is Peter Lukas, though I doubt that would be the case. It's also likely that Gwen is the way she is because she's Elias's only daughter and he spoiled her absolutely rotten.

[signoraviolettavalery]

I got stuck in the rain today, and consequently ended up with some vampire!Bojan scenes that are frankly too long and important to stick in a non-searchable chat so y'all are in luck today :) :)

(also psst I have no idea how tattoos actually work so I made up some utter nonsense please disregard my lack of medical knowledge, I'm sure @touchyourblood will correct me shortly tho)

This is all a while into their marriage, once Bojan has found out the extent of the abuse Jan has been through and Jan has started healing and figuring out that all the things he's been told and taught and internalized are....wrong.

It's a hot day and Jan stretches out and fans himself, complaining a little about the heat.

"You can go swimming," Bojan suggests. "I don't know if you know, but there's a lovely lake through the woods behind our castle."

"But....people will see my body," he protests.

"Do you not want them to see your body?" Bojan asks gently.

Jan needs a moment to think about that. Gaspar had always put him on display, in every way, and he hated being stared at. And he would be looked at, he'd be recognized as Bojan's husband. On the other hand, it's been years, and Bojan has never shown him off. Perhaps he'd be fine with it. But although he doesn't know the answer to that question, he does know that there's a more pressing issue.

"I don't know," he admits. "But what about - do you want them to see my body?" Isn't it Bojan's to show off? He can't imagine going by himself, stripping off his clothes, letting everyone look without Bojan beside him, an everpresent reminder of who Jan belongs to.

Bojan looks at him in that way he has, when Jan says something that reveals just how different his understanding of things is from Bojan's.

"Oh Jan," he says, in that gentle voice he always uses whenever that happens. He closes the distance between them, puts hands on his shoulders. They're at the point now where Jan feels comfortable with Bojan's touch, welcomes it, even. He knows Bojan won't hurt him or violate his boundaries. It took him a long, long time to believe that, but he does now, and it's exhilarating to be able to find comfort in touch. "You can show as much of your body as you'd like or as little. Go swimming if you want. It's your choice. It's not mine."

It's what Jan has been slowly learning for years now.

He does go swimming. He does get stared at - they know whose husband he is - especially when he takes off his shirt and bares his body. But no one says anything. If he's here, by himself, exposing him in this way, he must have permission. A hunter bride would never forsake their duty so much as to disobey in such a blatant and public way, would never shame themselves and their family.

But they do stare. At his body, pristine and perfect (Gaspar had been so careful to never leave a permanent mark, for all his violence). The fading bite on his neck. He tries to ignore their stares, and once he's in the water, he forgets all about them, reveling in the coollnes of it, diving down, splashing around. Feeling a little like a child again. and then, lying down in the sunshine to dry off with a book, listening to the peaceful calling of birds.

.....

Jan discovers Bojan has a tattoo. Perhaps sometime when they're lying together, talking, exchanging gentle touches, but there's nothing sexual there. Not yet. They haven't even seen each other naked yet, Bojan always feeding by carefully drawing aside Jan's collar. But it's hot, and he's wearing short-shorts, and his thigh is very, very visible.

"I've always wanted a tattoo," Jan admits.

Bojan doesn't ask why he didn't get one. They both know. His body wasn't his; it had been kept pristine for eighteen years in order to be given to someone else. A perfect blank slate.

"Do you still want one?" he asks.

"Yeah," he admits. "But I know I can't," he adds, so that Bojan doesn't think he doesn't know his place.

"Why not?" Bojan asks softly. Patiently.

"Because - " the words almost spill out so easily. Because his body belongs to Bojan. Because it's Bojan's choice. Because Bojan owns him. But as soon as he thinks it, he remembers what Bojan has been so patiently reiterating, and he's been so slowly learning.

"I don't own you," Bojan reiterates, once he's seen the comprehension in Jan's eyes. "Gaspar was wrong to believe otherwise, and wrong to make you believe it too."

"It wasn't just Gaspar," Jan says quietly. "My upbringing - we're trained, you know." He's never told Bojan much about that part. "Brought up to be the perfect bride. They teach us to obey, and to serve, and they instill in us that we all but belong to our husband."

"Well, they're all wrong," Bojan says. "A marriage is a contract, a vow, a promise. It's not ownership. If you want a tattoo, you should get a tattoo. And," he adds, "if you need my permission, you have it."

Jan loves him all the more for that last part. Because he's been slowly learning this lesson, that his body is his and Bojan doesn't own him, but it's a frightening, terrifying fact to stare at head-on sometimes, one that makes him feel helpless and unmoored. He feels paralyzed by it. But Bojan's permission - even if it's permission to do whatever he wants to do - is like a comforting touch in the darkness.

Bojan accompanies him to the tattoo parlor. Jan could have managed on his own, he suspects, but it's comforting to have Bojan there, not to mention it gets rid of a lot of difficulties and questions such as "did your husband give you permission?" that he'd inevitably be asked otherwise.

"My husband would like a tattoo," he informs them at the parlor, and they don't ask beyond that. They don't ask whether it's really Jan who wants the tattoo, and Bojan is indulging him, or if it's really Bojan's desire. They merely nod and say "of course, my lord. Right this way."

He takes off his shirt. He's aware of the gazes on him, and he thought he'd hate them more, but he doesn't. With Bojan's presence here, he feels calm.

"Tell them what you want," Bojan encourages. And though the artist is startled that Jan seems to be the one doing the deciding here, they don't dare say anything. Perhaps they think he's being an indulgent husband and Jan has pleased him enough to merit such indulgence?

He tries not to think about it and simply explains how he'd like a hummingbird, bright and colorful, over his ribs, on the left side, its needlelike beak pointing to his heart.

The artist busies himself making a sketch, while the man who seems like the owner turns to them with a serious expression.

"We can do what you desire, but you should know the task is...more complicated when the subject is a hunter."

"Complicated how?" Bojan asks.

"A tattoo is an injury to the body. Without the injury, the mark would not be permanent. And hunters are ...more durable. They heal faster, more easily," the man explains, facing Bojan more than Jan. "The process therefore requires magic, to slow the healing, to make the image permanent. It also increases the level of pain," he adds, seemingly an afterthought for Bojan to consider.

"I see," Bojan says. "And I assume you can work this magic?"

"Our artist can," the man assures him. "Should you desire it."

Bojan tactfully doesn't correct him as to whose desire is involved here. He merely looks at Jan questioningly.

Jan simply nods at him. Whatever pain they speak off, he has no doubt it will be negligible compared to what Gaspar put him through regularly.

And, when they take the needle to his skin, it really is....well, not negligible, but. It is far from the worst he'd endured.

Gaspar had always loved his cries, his screams, his pain, so he'd learned not to hold them back. To let them fall from his lips, though the irony was, the more Gaspar put him through, the more used he became to pain, the more it required to draw cries from him. And Gaspar could always tell if he was faking. So now, with the fine needle stabbing his skin, he winces slightly, but it's far from drawing any sort of cry from him. It's quite easy, in fact, to lie back and let his mind wander.

Bojan sits by him, playing with his hair and twining their fingers together. He finds he enjoys the comforting touch, and then Bojan distracts him, starts telling him the story behind his own tattoo, and before he knows it, it's over. They're finished, with instructions on how to care for it - again given to Bojan rather than Jan.

[quetzalpapalotl]

Speaking of, one aspect about Slay The Princess that makes it stand out (among the VNs that I, Barbie Quetzalpapálotl, have player or am familiar with) is how integrated the visuals and the writen word are.

I don't know how to say this without making it sound like the visuals are usually just there to support the words, because that's not true. The art of a VN plays a key role in the experience, identity and feel of the narrative. But this isn't a comic either actually. A VNs visuals feel more like illustrations for a book than a videogame screen, if you get what I mean. There's a gap between the visuals and the text.

Like, everyone has joked to hell and back about how when Aoba DMMd is asked to describe Ryuuhou he call him "a man in a blue kimono" with zero mention anywhere of him being decked in chunky skull accessories, which one would think would stand out way more. Or in the opposite direction how in the same Koujaku route there's a girl who is described as having a spiderweb tattoo on which her spider all-mate walks. This is a very cool details that tells us about the fashion and how people make all-mates part of their identity, but the actual sprite of the girl is just a blank face bc she is not important enough to pay Honyalala.

The art and text in StP feel more intimate. You can react to a mirror that is not mentioned in the narration, because The Narrator doesn't see it, because the narrator is also a character interacting with the story, which makes his narration actual dialogue instead of prose (StP only has a few instances of true prose). StP has like 3 locations (technically more) and one character that requires sprites, except the revolutionary cost-saving method of reusing assets to set different scenes doesn't work here because the whole point of how the locations and that one character are constantly changing so a lot of work is put into making ever drawing special. Because each route is so short, every action can (and kinda needs to) be illustrated.

This isn't me saying that other VNs fail for not being like this, there are reasons for why the medium is the way it is and there are some works that really push the boundaries of even something like reusing assets. And again, StP can be like this because is relatively short. But still neat stuff.

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

ok so i was gonna draw these but um. i got lazy. so i'm now just going to write up a tumblr post establishing this headcannon so when i eventually post my fic about it i can link to this as an explanation.

so hi gang. back when i first started cosplaying life series characters i wanted to make up a way that allowed me to more clearly distinguish my cosplays in between the seasons, even if it was just something small and for me, and this led me to here.

basically, what happened here is i decided to give each player a little mark/tattoo like thing representing themselves and each season they didn't win. this has now morphed into a headcannon, that all of the life series players have a physical reminder of every game that they don't win from the watchers, to remind them of what they're missing while they're gone, in an attempt to encourage them to come back. (they're not particularly effective, but oh well, the watchers like to commit to a bit). the winners don't get one because they accidentally set a precedent by not giving grian one (they didn't WANT him coming back), and while the same thing applied to scott, they don't quite feel the same way about pearl or martyn. however, it's also just a little bit of cruelty that there's not physical reminder of what you went through if you win. it only lives in your mind, as fickle as your mind can be, especially in these games. it's on brand for them.

i'm throwing everyone's marks below the cut, specifically what they look like post limited life. i will also explain why i chose each of them, because some of them are more obvious than others.

grian: three purple eyes on the back of his right hand. look the watchers are doing this, of course it's a reminder of what he's supposed to be doing instead of playing these games. for him, it's meant to serve less as encouragement to sign up again, but as encouragement to stop. if you hate us so much, why are you letting us give you more reminders of what you are to us?

scar: a (non painful, because it's not real) injury representing the way he died in each season. there's a bruise on his ribs that never goes away, covered by two scars from ren's arrowhead and grian's sword, tinged in a skulk-y blue.

scott: three flowers on the inside of his right elbow. a poppy for third life (duh), a lotus for double life (victorian flower language is "estranged love"), and hemlock for limited life (victorian flower language is "you will be the death of me").

jimmy: four canary feathers clumped together on his left shoulder. no explanation needed.

pearl: the first two phases of the moon (starting with the full moon) on the inside of her left elbow. obviously due to her name, but i think it's also important to note that last life began a few months into s8 and ended a month before the end of s8, so she would've had her first one show up a month before the moon… well...

martyn: three tally marks on his right eyebrow. this one is less representative of martyn and more of his relationship with the watchers. it's a small mark, it almost looks like a deliberate eyebrow slit or a scar if you're not paying much attention. but as time goes on, and martyn's understanding of/connection to the watchers increases, it's harder to mistake. it's harder to hide what's really happening.

ren: three crowns on the left sideburn. also very self explanitory.

bigb: an arrow, a diamond sword, a piece of dripstone, and another diamond sword on his clavicle. each represents the weapon that shows up around him the most in each season. he's killed by a bow and a crossbow across all three of his deaths in third life, he kills cleo with a diamond sword in last life and looses his first life to lizzie's sword, he is killed by mobs only in double life until grian and the dripstone, and bigb is killed by and kills with a diamond sword most often in limited life.

etho: four sticks of tnt behind his right ear. this is less related to his life series and more his general... everything. it's etho, of course it's tnt. the "behind the ear" thing is also very funny to me because it takes etho AGES to figure out where his is- he knows he should have one, everyone but grian has one, but someone else sees it first MONTHS after third life has ended.

impulse: four arrows on his neck, pointing down. his final deaths in third and last life are to bows, and his first (and arguably only, as bdubs looses the other two lives) death in double life is to a skeleton. the limited life connection is a little more sparse but 1. the watchers had already committed to the bit and 2. he killed quite a few people with bows this season, including bdubs and i am nothing if not annoying about those two.

skizz: three hearts on his wrists, one on the front and inside of his left wrist and one on the outside of his right wrist. hearts are the general symbol of the life series, but skizz is also the definition of "heart on his sleeve". in this case it's just on his wrist, cause i think it looks better than his shoulders/upper arms.

tango: lichtenberg scars along on his left ankle that spread farther every time he looses. these are the scars that you get from being struck by lightning. lightning strikes when you die, and tango's deaths continue to be the most frustrating part of every season for him, the part the watchers think he'd most want to rectify. i know the lightning strike on death wasn't a thing in third or double life, but shhhh don't worry about it. i'm retconing.

bdubs: numbers of a clock on his left side. limited life rounded out the 12, 3, 6, and 9. further seasons would fill in the rest of the numbers and the hands. this is also entirely self explanatory.

cleo: four red stitches around her right wrist. (the stitches existed prior to her playing in the life series, but they change colors one by one after every season. were she to run out of stitches, she would either start suddenly generating more on the same area or ones on other parts of her body would start changing color.) for her, it's just something small that she'd constantly be seeing, as she works with her hands often and the red stands out well against both green zombie skin and the more human colored parts. it makes the series stick in her mind, reminds her of what she still wants from it.

joel: four vertebrae outlined down the spine. the bones part comes at the start from his dogs in third life, and then it becomes more of an association with death as the seasons go on. it's specifically outlining his vertebrae because one thing about life series joel is that he has a spine. he is never a coward, even when it might serve him better to be one.

mumbo: one broken heart on his chest. as martyn discussed in his post limited life stream, last life messed mumbo up bad. like, so bad the watchers decided they couldn't put the guy back in. his is very literal- a broken heart over where his real heart is, where he took multiple injuries over the course of last life, for once, in a mostly non malicious way, a reminder that he shouldn't come back. (i say mostly because, hey, nice to give him time to recover, but it's less because they actually care about the guy and more because they know he'd be no fun like this)

lizzie: small fairy wings on her right shoulder. representative of the fairy fort, of course. were she to show up in another season, it would be something else to represent her alliances, because that's always where lizzie thrives in my opinion, with other people (even if fairy fort was a mess, lol).