#i forgot to add another one of those thingies on those thingies

[misctf]

The New Doctor

“Oh come on, another one?” Dr. Luke Hoffer groaned as his pager went off.

Another patient to add to the growing list. He walked briskly towards the room where his newest patient awaited him. The young doctor knew he shouldn’t feel this burnt out already. He just graduated medical school a few months ago, but they weren’t lying when they said this part of his training would be busy. He couldn’t recall the last time he had a night off, and the hospital he was rotating at didn’t have the best clinical support. But he did his best to put on a smile as he entered his new patient’s room.

“Bro, what’s up?” Luke maintained his smile but inwardly cringed.

“Mr. Reedy, correct?” Luke asked. The name sounded familiar. One of the senior doctors shared the same last name. But unlike Dr. Reedy, this man looked like your stereotypical bro. Similar to the frat guys who Luke used to see piss drunk during his college EMS days, “I see you must’ve injured your arm there.”

“Dude, the name is Cole.” Cole chuckled dumbly, “Mr. Reedy is my dad’s name.” Luke nodded. He didn’t have time for this, “But yeah broski, totally wiped out. Brett said I couldn’t climb a tree drunk, but like I knew I could.”

‘Evidently not.’ Luke thought, jotting down a few notes.

“And like, I know what you’re thinking. Broken arm. Must’ve fucked up and like I did, bro. But I made it to the top.” Cole smirked and went to punch the air victoriously but recoiled from the pain, “So yeah doc. That’s why I’m here.”

“I see, well thank you for sharing.” Luke replied, “Would you mind if I just listened to your heart and lungs? I’ll check out your arm in just a moment.” Cole nodded and Luke started his exam.

“Oh sick dude. I’ve always thought those steth... stetho-things... the ear listeny thingies were pretty sick.”

“Stethoscope.” Luke said bluntly, leaning in to listen, “And I need you to be quiet during this part of the...”

BURRRRPPPPPP

Luke recoiled as the most foul smelling burp blasted him in the face. It smelled of cheap beer and chicken wings. He immediately took a step back and did his best to hold back a gag. Cole blushed and chuckled awkwardly.

“Sorry bro, maybe you should check out my stomach.” He chuckled.

Luke forced a grin, all while mentally gagging. Maybe Cole was right about that. Whatever had crawled into Cole’s stomach and died definitely needed more help.

______________________

Luke sat at his desk after finishing his exam with Cole. Luckily there hadn’t been any other surprise burps. The young doctor continued typing away, trying to get as much paperwork done before the next inevitable wave of new patients. He hoped they weren’t like Cole. Sure, there was nothing outright wrong with the guy. But he reminded Luke of all the stereotypical meatheads he encountered growing up. Words like brash, loud, stupid, sexy... Sexy?

‘Where did that come from?’ Luke thought as he massaged his temples, ‘Must be from lack of sleep. Yeah, totally.’ He yawned and stretched his arms above his head.

“Dr. Hoffer.” Luke turned towards the nurse that called his name, “Your patient in room 15 wanted to talk.” She raised an eyebrow and Luke looked at her quizzically, “Um, Dr. Hoffer, uhhh.” It looked like she was choosing her words carefully, “Have you been using a new deodorant?”

Luke raised an eyebrow, “Uh no, why?” He raised his arm and was taken aback by the massive pit stain. But worse yet, the smell that followed caused him to gag, “Oh god, I must’ve forgot tonight.” He blushed, “Thanks, I’ll grab a new top and I should have some extra deodorant in my locker.” She nodded and Luke groaned as she left, “How fucking embarrassing.” He mumbled.

______________________

“Yo doc, what’s good?” Cole grinned when Luke entered his room.

“I heard you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yeah bro.” He chuckled dumbly, “I uh forgot tbh.” Luke did his best to hide his annoyance, “But uh, like do you have anything that can help me with my gains?”

“Your gains?” Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “No, nothing in particular. Just keep going to the gym.”

“Fuck I love the gym.” Cole remarked, “Yo doc, did you hit the gym or somethin’ after we talked. You’re lookin’ swole bro.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. Yeah, he hit the gym once in a while. Mostly cardio and occasional light weights. But he wasn’t someone you’d describe as swole. But when he looked down at himself, he couldn’t help but notice that his arms were just a tad tighter at the sleeves. And in general, the scrub top seemed to be a tighter fit, especially around his chest.

‘Must’ve grabbed a small or something.’ He thought and turned back to Cole, “I had to change my scrub top. Totally forgot to wear deodorant tonight, bro.” Cole grinned but Luke blushed. First, why did he tell Cole he forgot deodorant? And second, why did he just call his patient bro?

“Yo, you and me both, man.” Cole chuckled and took a whiff of his pit, “Smells ripe tonight. Nothin’ wrong with letting your natural scent come through.” He raised his hand to give Luke a fist bump.

“No thank you, I uh need to go see another patient.” Luke said, quickly rushing out of Cole’s room.

______________________

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Luke turned to face his newest patient- an older woman with stomach pain.

“Uh yeah, sorry.” He said, scratching his firm chest absentmindedly.

“I don’t think you were.” She replied. Luke internally groaned. Just another entitled boomer, “It looks like you’re more interested in that stupid game.” She gestured to the TV.  

“Stupid game?” Luke chuckled. Baseball was far from stupid, although Luke couldn’t understand why he was suddenly so interested in it, “Well yeah, tonight’s the big game. Like, if they win tonight, they’ll go to the playoffs.”

The woman’s face flushed red with anger, “Get out, I want to see another doctor.”  

Luke shrugged, “Fine by me.” He barely noticed the hairs now poking out from his collar.

But when he left the room, something dawned on him. Did a patient just fire him? He narrowed his eyes, confused at what just happened. He was always commended on his professional demeanor and good patient relationships. This wasn’t like him. He turned around and entered the room.

“Hi ma’am, I’m sorry for my behavior. Is it okay if we restart?” He asked politely.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” The woman huffed.

And so Luke was able to breathe a sigh of relief. And despite his urge to turn and watch the big game, he did his best to do a thorough exam.

______________________

Sitting at his desk, Luke pulled up the baseball game on his computer. He could watch and write notes at the same time. But the real distraction was his increasingly more uncomfortable scrub top. The sleeves were definitely way too tight on his arms and for a fleeting moment he thought that it would be best to go shirtless. But he shook the thought out of his mind and started typing.

“Patient presented with abdominal pain likely secondary to cholelith... chole...” He narrowed his eyes as he tried to think of the correct medical term. He should know this- it was basic, “Likely secondary to big stones.” He wrote confidently. He scratched his chin and was met with something that he knew couldn’t be right. He quickly pulled out his phone and looked at himself in the camera, “Since when did I grow a beard?” He whispered, “I swear... I mean I had some fuzz but it never grows this quick.” But before he could think more on it, another page came through, “Of course...” He whispered.

______________________

“Dude! Where’ve you been?” Cole asked as Luke entered his room, “Doc, you don’t look so good.”  

It was true. Luke looked and felt nauseous. The walk over was weird. He felt heavier somehow and unfamiliar in his own body. Each step required more thought as he adjusted to these new sensations.

“It’s nothing, brah.” Luke commented, barely registering what he said, “So uh, like what did ya call me in here for?”

Cole grinned, “Dude! Have you been watching the game?” Luke nodded, his eyes filling with joy.

“Bro! It’s awesome. Did you see that homer?”

“You fuckin’ know it. By the way, wanna come back to my place and watch? A few of the bros are there and we’ve got beer. And Andy’s bringing his sis. The one with the fat tits.”

Luke chuckled, his voice deepening as he did, “Dude that sounds sick, and like beer is awesome but I’m more into dudes.” Cole’s eyes widened.

“Wait really bro?” He said and Luke feared he was about to be judged, “Same, man! Huhuhuh I just mentioned Andy’s sister ‘cause I assumed you’d be into that.”

“Nah bro, I’d much rather suck you off.” Luke’s eyes widened this time as the words left his mouth. And while Cole’s smile widened, Luke was hit by a bombardment of thoughts telling him this was wrong, “Shit, I shouldn’t have...”

“I won’t tell anyone dude.” Cole remarked, “Besides, I could go for quickie right about now.”

“No, this isn’t right.” Luke insisted, “I uh... I need to go finish some notes.” He quickly left the room, not noticing that his scrub top was now straining against his growing musculature-threatening to rip at any moment.

______________________

Luke was growing more frustrated by the second. He tried to sit down to work on his notes, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember basic medical terminology. Nor could he remember the correct format of a medical note. He instead opted to stare blankly at the baseball game.

“Sir, you shouldn’t be back here.” Luke looked up to see his nurse standing over him, “It’s for employees only.”

“Huhuhuh very funny, brah.” Luke replied with a grin, “But like, I’m the doc around here.” He went to fish out his ID but was struggling to find it, “Uhhh like... just give me a second here...”

She raised an eyebrow, “Look sir, I’ll have to call...”

RIPPPPPPPPPPP

The nurse blushed as Luke’s scrub top finally tore and fell to the ground, revealing his chiseled pecs and tight abdominal muscles. Luke for his part, didn’t really seem to care as he continued to search for his ID. He looked up at her and chuckled.

“Must’ve lost it, bro.” Luke remarked, scratching the back of his head. His exposed pit filled the room with his masculine musk, “Uh like...”

“Sir, I’m going to have to call security if you don’t leave immediately.” The nurse said firmly, doing her best to not stare at the hunk in front of her.

“But like, I’m the doc.” Luke insisted, growing somewhat frustrated, “Like look.” He gestured to his stethoscope, “Doctors always have steth... stetho-things... the ear listeny thingies.”

“Stethoscopes.” The nurse replied, raising an eyebrow, “And I’m pretty sure a doctor would know what they were called.”

“Huhuhuh I guess you’re right about that, brah.” Luke chuckled dumbly, “Well like, fine... I’d rather hang out with my bros anyway.”

Luke stood up. If they didn’t want him here, he’d go somewhere that people would. He walked with a confident swagger to room 15.

______________________

“Bro! Looking swole! Where’d your top go?” Cole asked as Luke entered the room.

“Dude, my muscles can’t be contained.” Luke chuckled dumbly, flexing his biceps, “But like, let’s get out of here, brah. Everyone here’s an asshole.”

“Bro, I hear ya.” Cole remarked, “Why’d ya think I took a break from this place?”

Luke’s slow brain was confused, “Whatcha talkin’ about?”

“Dude! You don’t recognize me? Cole Reedy? Dr. Reedy? Well not really anymore I guess.” His dumb laughter filled the air. Luke just chuckled along with him, “So, you ready to get the fuck outta here?”

Luke nodded enthusiastically, “I heard there’re some bros watchin’ the big game. And beer.”

“Yeah man! And I also heard there’s a guy lookin’ to suck some dick.” Cole grinned. A lightbulb went off in Luke’s smaller brain and he grinned.

“You know what they say, brah. A blowjob a day keeps the doctor away.” Luke chuckled at his own joke and the two bros fist bumped.

Luke couldn’t fully process what happened to him that night. Or how he wound up sucking Cole’s dick in the back of his truck. Or how he eventually got dared to climb a stupid tree while drunk. Or how he now found himself in the emergency room, this time as a patient. But what he did know, as he burped in the face of the doc taking care of him, was that he couldn’t wait for their newest bro to join their ranks.

[py-dreamer]

...um...hi?

so if anyone's concerned, no I'm not dead.

Thankfully the digital studio is intact this year (thank god I would've had another mental breakdown istg-)

to all my lovely marshiemallows, thank y'all so much for your patience omg!!!!

(and to all my mutuals, @furornocturna and @violetjedisylveon in particular I'm so sorry I haven't been responding or active online at all, I'm so sorry-)

But to sum it up:

I'm on holiday in my home country rn and have been having a blast personally. Meeting relatives, childhood friends, the food, familiar places ect.

and I'll admit I do have a lot of free time outside that but honestly I do feel a wee bit burnt out ngl.

And with my spare time, I've jumped down the demon slayer rabbit hole

(huh who would've guessed)

Basically it's all been a huge break for me.

But I will still post lmk stuff dw. Though don't be surprised if you see a kny thingy pop up somewhere in the dreamscape!!

And for those curious about the fic:

I'm sorry I haven't updated at all, the wips are still in my drafts. I have no formal posting schedule but after returning and getting some work sorted out I'll see what I can do! But no promises!

Regardless, about the pic then.

It is a WIP. It's a sketch for a shadowalkers piece (Wooh! Haven't heard of that au in a while eh?)

I have redesigned mostly Bai He's outfit and added a little pouch for Macaca. The change was mostly so I had more freedom to do different top designs for the new members of the fam!

If anyone has suggestions for outfit designs or accessories or jewelery, hair, anything! let me know pls!

This is just the WIP stage and I really want to achieve that semi-wild, untamed but mysterious and refined gypsy look.

(Also its a guilty pleasure of mine to dress up my characters in aus or just for the fun of it lol)

And fun fact: Wukong's the only one in the fam wearing shoes lol.

Another fun fact: That brick pattern rag he's wearing? Was once a part of tripitaka's cassock from their days on the mountain. (see shadowalkers lore summary for context)

I didn't forget their tails this time! Wheeee!!

Oooh! Ooooh! Also the top half of Wukong's body? I did that myself sans references!!! Woooooooh!!!

Not that there's anything wrong with references of course. Pros and beginners use them and I do recommend them for poses, ideas and such.

Though I am proud I could think of something off like memory and make it work! I think...you can tell me otherwise lol

(BTW this is the after of the main plot where shadowpeach reconciles, they escape the town and Bai He gains a new stepbrother!)

SH!T I REALIZED I FORGOT MEI!!!!

UM I'LL ADD HER IN!! PROMISE!!!!

[icecreampizzer]

i like to think that- in saving the phoenix at the end of KBOOM- roxana's hands suffered some pretty serious burns from willingly getting so close to the magma. i, too, have occasionally had a thought of prism and solaris meeting up, and those thoughts always eventually flow into solaris taking note of the scars and assuming that the phoenix caused them. which, admittedly, why should she imagine otherwise? when all she knows is the trail of fiery destruction they leave in their wake, and the familiarity of the burns on her own skin.

there's something there to me about solaris assuming she can have a kinship with another inventor, and prism... obviously having a slightly different take on the whole phoenix situation. both so similar and so different at the same time.

all this to say by the time you add john in there i think it would turn into public debate class💥

OUUH YES you reminded me that I Forgot to add that bullet point in the relationship thingy, but I didn't have enough space as it is...I'm very sure that their perspectives on Phoenix are a common cause of arguments between them, ranging from silly to maybe serious. All their lives changed by that one agent, in drastically different ways...

Solaris and Prism could probably still bond over a lot of things (inventing and all that Zoraxis Baggage:tm: maybe even fabby) but they're certainly stubborn about how they view Phoenix. Now I'm wondering if Prism could change Solaris's mind about them.. knowing her though it's better to not push it because I def think Solaris isn't the type to let go of grudges so easily.

Also I got inspired to do some doodles on the topic :thumbsup: Solaris's house is never gonna have a moment of peace for a long time *sitcom theme song plays. but bond style somehow*

[amxrany]

!! CHAPTER 7 / DIASOMNIA ARC SPOILERS !!

Hi I just got home, so let's get to it (Part 1):

Picking up where we left off, where the main gang meet up with Idia. Sebek thought that all of them were awake in the real world but Idia was like "nah we're still stuck in the dream world"

I completely forgot that Idia barely touches grass (joke) in the main story so he introduces himself to the Silver and Sebek and when Sebek introduces himself Idia got scared cuz of how loud he was ����

Since Idia's awake, Silver immediately goes on defense thinking that the darkness or even Malleus will attack. But then, Ortho comes on screen (like literally he appears on a monitor) telling the gang that they don't have to worry about that for a while.

Edit: There's this one part I legit forgot to add which I will now cuz it's funny where Silver and Sebek were just sandwiching Idia and Idia's says something along the lines of getting hurt from being squeezed between armor (Sebek) and HARD MUSCLES (Silver) LIKE WE GET IT IDIA WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Ortho then explains to the rest about how he managed to escape the dream world and transfer his consciousness to STYX. Although he's not able to conjur Unique Magic because he's not a mage, but rather a humanoid robot, he still has his unique perks (aw that's cute)

Flashback Time: So we have Cerberus Ortho investigating the current situation of Sage Island, trying to prevent the thorns from spreading as well as break through the shield, which is apparently much harder than the open gates of the Underworld. But don't worry guys the Shroud Parents are also there to help him out.

Ortho was given a 20 minute time limit to analyze Malleus's magic, because once those 20 minutes are up he shuts down, which was difficult. UNTIL THE MAN OF THE HOUR MALLEUS APPEARS, who's surprised that Ortho was awake. But Ortho tells Malleus that he simply switched bodies cuz he's an AI, which is something Malleus probably doesn't understand (damn AHAHAHAHAHA)

Knowing that he needed to buy some for the machinery thingies (idk what they're called don't even ask) to collect the needed data, Ortho challenges Malleus. Malleus admires the fact Ortho can keep his sanity for so long, thinking that it's the pinnacle of technology. It was a crazy battle, with Ortho losing one of his dogs

OH MALLEUS I LOVE YOU BUT YOU BITCHHHH (mostly the latter btw)

Ortho's running out of time, with only 30 seconds left and Malleus is about is to put him to sleep. he says he's sorry to his parents NOOOO

BUT SOMETHING HAPPENS, the attack stops; STYX came in just in time to intervene. The Shroud parents uses their drones to attack Malleus's shield and Ortho uses a full blast to get him out of Sage Island and land himself back to STYX and we get this moment of the Shrouds (minus Idia) collapsing into each other's arms.

MALLEUS NO

Ortho regains consciousness after awhile and tells his parents that he's guilty the the two robot dogs were destroyed (oh yeah forgot to mention the other one was destroyed too whoopsie), but Mama Shroud said that they can just repair them and we just have this heartfelt moment in the family.

That is, until Papa Shroud brings up that the magic used by Malleus reminds him of the ancient magic surrounding Grim. Another thing is that it's downright impossible to destroy Malleus's realm from the outside UNLESS Malleus himself disappears. They can't destroy the realm by force either because it will also permamnently lock all victims inside of it. The only thing they can do is to be as persuasive as possible to let Malleus let go of everyone (but trust me when I say I don't think that will work)

So they bring up Maleficia as someone who can persuade Malleus, but Mama Shroud has something else in mind and shows Ortho a live from Idia's dream, which is when he notices something was off. It's possible that she found a way to access everyone's dreams (and let's just say Idia is just like his mum). That;s when Ortho realizes what his mom meant, and that is to find a way to get everyone to wake up and find a way to disrupt the dream world.

Okay Ima end the first part here for now, sorry this took awhile guys I had lots of things to do the moment I got home 😭. But I promise to get things out as quick as I can (I still have a reflection paper to speedrun lmao)

Next: Part 2

[zkoh001]

All the ninjago kiddos! That I remembered, lol.

Also I'm not sure if Echo counts, but this is my art soooo... He does now

Fun fact, way before Dragons rising was an idea, I had a little theory/AU thingie, where the ninja got sent to another realm, where time passed differently. (How funny, it was way before SotFS...) So basically these kids formed a replacement ninja team to fight the evils treathening ninjago, discovering they themselves are elemental masters. And that's been in my brain, slowly adding all the new kiddos to it. Might make some art, and a post about that too, because I would love to draw them.

Here's my spitballing on these dummies and their designs.

The Darkleys kids!

The little shits. They would be the ones to have kidnapping as their first resolve.

- I kinda didn't know Sally existed, but I liked all the art, so she does now. Also, she loves pink, I love pink, we all love pink

- Brad is definitely the muscle of the group, with a big heart, but not the greatest mind. Also, he has a babyface, that's very hard to make look evil.

- His design kinda grew on me with time, but it still feels a bit lacking...

- There's this theory that Gene is Skylor's brother, and Chen's son, that I kinda absorbed into my brain and ran with it so yeah.

-Also, the hand thingie is not a glove, it helps hold his hand together after a nasty injury :)

- The bowlcut was uniform at Darkleys, but Gene was such a nightmare they just gave up with him.

- They have matching pins and earpieces. Cause of course they do. Also, dumbo boots uniform.

The Paperkids!

Antonia and Nelson are a given, and I just kinda added Unagami on there, since he waved at them once. Also, I think it would be cute if they were friends.

- I know he doesn't anymore, canonically, but I like to think he still wears his purple gi under the jumper. Who knows when someone will need the purple ninja?

- He has a scar from the injury he had when he met with the ninja. Also, am I the only one who tought something much worse was going on than a broken leg? Obviously a kid show can't have a terminally ill kid, but fsm that's still how I remembered it.

- Antonia! I loved drawing her hair. Also kinda like her badass big sis vibes.

- She has her hands out to make sure the two kids, but mainly Nelson, don't go missing somehow (happens more often than you think)

- Even if he can shapeshift, I like to tjink Unagami keeps his line-marks in whatever forms, since it's apart of his skin. He can hide them, but it takes effort, so he just doesn't bother.

- He can change his form generally, but you could still tell it's him by the lines, eyes, and hair

- He has a little nick in his eyebrow, and so does (did i guess) Jay. I just think that's a cute detail

The Forgotten ones...

Just called that cause I had to add them on a separate canvas after forgetting them. I forgot Skales Jr, shame on me, I tought Jake and Nelson were one character, and I was still debating Echo. But here they are!

- It was surprisingly not that hard to draw him, even tho I was very scared

- Since he has white on him, I was trying (and failing miserably) to replicate those partially albino reptiles. Also added some pink scales, since he is also Selma's son, who's pink.

- I don't know to this day why Echo was introduced only to be left behind.... Nevertheless he's a sweetheart

- I guess if you count Mr.E, but then he would be dead... Unless the kids fix him (lightbulb moment)

- Also, ahy is his head weirdly tiny? How did that happen?

- Jake. Goddamnit, how were you the hardest to draw? Somehow I couldn't get the head right...

- The giant pants is an idea that lived in my head. I like yo think he would be able to fix ancient artifacts with hairties, ductape, and sheer force of will.

- He might have a bowlcut, but cmon, are you telling me he wouldn't at least try to replicate whatever the hell Kai's hair was in the beginning?

I guess that's it folks, lemme know if any of you are interested in my weird Ninja kids au thingie!

[donutz]

Bobby Bearhug x reader Valentine's Day special[3♡8]

A/N|| Sorry for this not being uploaded on Valentine's Day, it was school and stuff, I was also very tired! And had to do Taekwondo(╥_╥)

—☆You are a smiling critter in this, if u want to know which one(but don't know what animal or insect to pick) you could start out as a sheep!

What did they do in the morning on Valentines?

— She woke up super early, searching every square inch of Playcare, making sure she didn’t drop anything while getting the supplies for her gifts

— She was stressing about it but she was pretty excited

— Also was REALLY hoping that nothing would get messed up or she forgot something

— Then she woke you up with a bunch of kisses!!

What did they do for you?

— Spent a few hours each day making and perfecting her gifts

—  Asked you to be her Valentines the first day of February

— Left a rose near your bed each day, and it slowly multiplied

What did they get you?

— A very big bouquet

— Your very own Bobby Bearhug plush(she kinda stole it)!

— A medium sized goodie bags that was decorated with hearts

— A card that was all about how much she loved you, she wanted to decorate the inside but she wanted all the space for her writing

— Another card that was just based on your favorite things

— And a drawing(with the help of Craftycorn) that was of your favorite animal, show, etc.

— She was going to give you her childhood toy, but you refused because that’s something she should keep, she was insisting but you couldn’t because you’re not good of keeping track of anything(in this story at least)

What did you give them?

— You feel kind of bad because you didn’t get her that much stuff as she got you…

— But anyways you gave her this plush of yourself

— Many heart candies

— A heart shaped box of chocolates

— And other heart shaped thingies(she loved all of them, especially the little plush of you)

Did they do anything special? (Extra hugs, kisses, changing their routine etc.)

— YES.

— She put a bunch of Valentine decorations around and in her beehive, aka her house

— She woke up earlier everyday before Valentine's Day 

— EXTRA hugs and kisses

What activities did you both do?

— Definitely represented what you could do for a friend on Valentine's Day for the kids’ activities

— You two also were holding the hands the whole time, while helping kids with the activity

—When the other critters were managing the kids, it was pretty cold, so you both sat on a big pillow with a big blanket

— Cuddling with each other, you also almost fell asleep

— Obviously, you both had a ‘date’

Did they seem brighter today?

— YES!??! IT IS HER DAY.

— Honestly this is probably the day she was born(human or toy)

Anything new about their appearance?

— She wore a little bow( ´ ▿ ` )

— And she made her rose scent stronger

How many times did they say I love you?

— Every time she saw you, which wasn't enough, the amount of times she said it by the way

— She was with you the whole day, so she added a lot more I love you's

Did they ask to be your Valentines, or did they ask if you could be their Valentines? There’s a difference!

— Her voice was all soft, asking you to be her Valentines

— “O-Or if you want it to be the other way around—!” I hate typing out stuttering dialogue, but it's what she'd do

What did they do the night before Valentine's Day?

— Try so hard to sleep

— Surprisingly could

— By thinking of you telling her to calm down

— Because she knows you would

Were they shy asking to be your Valentines or when they asked if you could be their Valentines?

— She was very shy!

— She was also trying so hard to not stutter

Did they add anything extra to their areas(their little homes)? Or their activities?

— She hung up a bunting(I had to search this up, it’s those lines that are decorated with things that get hung up)

— She spread rose petals on her floor, while doing it she was so jolly!

— She has a calendar, and on Valentine’s Day she drew a heart around it, on the calendar

— She also hung up a list, marking off the gifts she got/finished making for you

What did they do when it was time to sleep?

— She gave you a small smooch on your cheek when she was going to sleep

— Almost decided on staying up

Another A/N|| I will be closing requests for now, I want to finish this Valentine's Day special series and some other requests

Question♡ Did you celebrate Valentine's Day? If so, what did you do?

[dridsimsheart]

📩 Simblr question of the day: You can answer one or both parts of this question! 1️⃣ Part one: If you make Story posts, what do you do for scenes? Do you build them yourself, do you download lots from the gallery or do you download them from someone online? 2️⃣ Part two: If you make Gameplay/Legacy posts, what do you do for a house? Do you build it yourself, download a home from the gallery or do you download them from someone online? Additionally, do you build onto that home or demolish it and rebuild the house when needed? (E.G When another child enters the picture or someone moves in) ❎ If you do none of those for either half, what do you do? Do you use someone else's save file? (WIndbrook by Folking, Willow Creek + Magnolia Promenade by Theneighborhoodsave, Silent Pines by Silentpinessave... etc)

( freely share this SQOTD around, anon or not, and use the hashtag " SQOTD " ~ 💛 )

Hello!! thanks for the question again!

Actually... I mostly use lots from the game hahaha, I usually redecorate the inside and let the outside the way it it's, I'm not very good at doing exterior 😭

In sims 3, I used to use costum worlds a lot, so I think it counts as downloaded lots?

When there is a new child or someone moves in I usually add another room and new objects, for me part of the fun is taking a simple EA house and continue to redecorate and rebuild it to my sims needs and how much they can afford.

One time I took a simple starter studio house in a costum world in sims 3 and transformed it into a very big one with 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms, that plant thingy I forgot the name 😭 (to plants not to froze during winter) a garage and a basement!! So I really like to do that.

I don't usually do storytelling, but my OCs generally have houses I built, because I think it adds my personal touch and I won't really play so it don't have to be funcional hahaha 🤣

[achoshistor]

[HSR] comments on music structure

i think i lied when i said i was becoming normal. i think its funny how even with the zelda brainrot i know i have like 2-3 people reading it but i feel like no one gaf about these posts LMFAO. i dont think im gonna transcribe anything out yet bc im really lazy

anyways im sure this is all because hsr has maybe 2-3 people that do the music so obviously its gonna sound kind of similar but the one hallmark i keep noticing is this really idk bright/deep (its so embarrassing but i've only studied western classical theory and forgot half of it) bass reminiscent of a lot of older splatoon music (this one has it playing what i hear as the real main melody) which add another layer of harmony to the songs tbh. u can hear it at about 1 min in jing yuan's theme and maybe at about 0:55 in the 2.3 trailer and again its used in fu xuan's theme at maybe 0:55 again which lowkey sounded like " i took a pill in ibiza to me" ngl... (more on this one later); but tbh you really only hear this instrument w/ character themes (esp luofu) which honestly shows characterization thru the music ...(sam feels like an exception bc his theme is very bass driven after all despite not being from any of the xianzhou ships)

the next type of thing they tend to use in music a lot is really driven bass guitar lines... e.g. in bootleg's theme . this follows a pattern where at around 1:15 youll hear a bass melody then around 1:27 youll hear an almost imitation of the melofy which goes thru + builds up back into the main theme where he starts talking again. the concert commercial thingy does something similar but with the melody this time w/ the transition from guitar into a pretty much repetition with various insturments regarding each character (erhu for jingliu, ?? for argenti, then sax for that twink (more on him later)). space comedy does this too with the main melody we hear for herta/belobog then into luofu (i dunno the next thing about chinese theory so i cant really say much there)

anyways back to fu xuan... her theme is one of many orchestrated themes but it mixes it with that edm or whatever element but it still has those orchestral qualites of a really idk harmonic timbre. sparkle, black swan, also do this (more on the dance theme in another post i feel like that one needs more) but onto firefly and aventurine. firefly is actually what inspired this post bc at 0:12 or so that note is the exact same as aventurine's theme opens with. firefly's theme does the same as fu xuan's where it mixes traditional with electronic but with western instruments this time. i think aventurine really belongs with the upper category if not for the orchestral hits going on in the back and the call and response everywhere in his piece which give it direction because otherwise it feels like its going no where; but like before it uses imitation and repetition of past melodies with different instruments to create direction in the piece tbh

ok. maintenance ends soon trust. hopefully by next post i have more knowledge and my nail grows out bc its BROKEN and i cant play any string instruments. gootbye

[dixons-sunshine]

___

__

Seen as how we’ve had a nice convo before then hopefully this is something else that can be continued..

I have my firm belief that the character, Joshua/ Josh ‘Scud’ was around timeline of the first Blade..

Too coincidental that Deacon Frost is an overlooked character in being smart, smart enough to understand hacking dynamics; definitely see Scud already doing stuff with engineering but clearly picked up hacking as another way to stave off boredom, make money & keep his life around vampires as the creatures need all the ends and outs to continue to live..

Scud wasn’t the Familiar to the second timeline villain vampire, at least not in the way he was to Deacon; taking the mark was a ploy, it was to make sure all the ends an outs were noticed in taking out Blade, Scud deep down hated the guy & his mentor for taking out his actual boss, friend & love..

Look at how both men dress, it has some similarities; casual/dressy with hint of sloppiness-(shouldn’t look good but it does😳😂).

The similarities aren’t that far off in the world of what you’d do with your significant other or friend; Deacon doesn’t come off as a guy to care about how others dress but when it comes to Scud he clearly did as he was in fact, his man, his human.Both smoke too, how it went was Deacon smoked cigarettes as being a vamp didn’t do anything in taking green while Scud was the one who did the green ‘cause he could feel the affects; firmly believe that Scud used to have an addiction problem to something else, the eating snacks isn’t just a means because he’s hungry, no, it’s to help fend off wanting other cravings.Deacon helped out in getting Scud clean so the guy could be better to work with before other things happened between them..

I also find it interesting that Deacon considers those beneath him, like humans for example, cattle and later Scud says the same thing when later he confronts himself in being a spy; Deacon once thought Scud the same way but changed his mind, he saw something in him that wasn’t beneath himself, he saw him as a true partner & Scud never forgot it, even to his death..

You can also see that Scud doesn’t wanna be called, Josh, he automatically says to call him, Scud an while he gave a reason for that it wasn’t the actual reason; Deacon called, Josh-Josh & it’s very reliable to say that the name could’ve been used when the guy did something slightly stupid or something completely wrong, the name, Joshua is definitely what was used as an everyday thing as it sounded sophisticated/ strong..

There’s more to say but this rant is pretty long enough😂

I actually have wondered if Scud was Frost's familiar first and it definitely would make a lot of sense. I don't have a lot to add to this as I've only ever seen the Blade movies once, but this is definitely an interesting thought. And I also didn't pick up on the cattle reference, so that's a cool observation! Scud being Deacon's familiar is something that I've talked about with one of my friends, because it would've made a lot of sense, but there's no confirmation, so it's just a thought. And Scud always eating donuts or something else to stave of cravings for, ahem, things other than joints makes a lot of sense too. I have a family member who used to smoke who regularly eats sweet things whenever they're around someone else who's busy smoking, and I've asked them about that. They told me that it's to get rid of the urge they have to ask for a cigarette, so once again, that would make a lot of sense for Scud doing that.

Deacon Frost is wayyyy too overlooked as a smart guy. If I remember correctly, someone from the vampire council thingy told him that translating the ancient vamp text (?) was impossible, but yet he succeeded and got his way, even if Blade won in the end (barely). And for the reason why Scud doesn't want to be called Josh, that kinda makes sense. I read something kinda similar to your reasoning online and it could be a reason as to why.

I don't really know how to elaborate more on this, (it's almost midnight and I'm tired af), but it was cool to read about this. I have my own theories as well, and Scud being Deacon's familiar is one of them. Sorry if this response was kinda lackluster, but if you ever have any other theories or headcannons you wanna share with me, feel free to! It was nice to receive this in my inbox.

[edgy-dragon-trash]

tell me about the dragons

Yippee!!!

Yeah boss I will, I have a nice collection. When I say I got these over the years I mean I just kept alot of things from when I was young.

Tumblr fucks up my shit alot when I put things under the read more thingy so lets hope all is well. I also had to switch to the browser in the middle of this to add more pictures so that also adds to my worries yippee. Tumblr is a perfect website.

Anyways lets start strong, this one is a fave of mine. Love the pose, love the colors, classic dragon shape. It sits on my nightstand.

10/10

Up next, another good one. Very beautiful, very powerful.

10/10

This one? The last dragon I bought, latest in the collection. He was in a really odd place, between a bunch of books. And I felt a very strong urge to save him.

10/10

Haven’t really got a new dragon since this one, because these things are getting stupid expensive. Enjoying yourself is slowly becoming a privillage. But lets keep this post light hearted.

This one is from when I was younger. One of the spikes on its back is a button. You press it and the wings and jaw move. Its old tho so the springs don’t work well anymore. It also has bendable legs.

This bad boy guards my manga and very special mcr funko pop.

10/10

These are not dragons, but they are draconic. So they deserve a mention. And they look sick as hell and thats what matters.

10/10

These dudes are very clearly broken, one missing its jaw, the other a leg and both missing their wings. They were gonna be thrown out but I took em in and gave them a home.

They were meant to walk around making loud dragon noises.

10/10

Yeah the pictures says it all. I lost 4 httyd action figures. I’m sure they are in a box somewhere but I didn’t find them so far.

They were 10/10 to me tho. As is any dragon.

Speaking of httyd, heres something I didn’t lose. A toothless funko pop and bootleg plush.

10/10.

This is Murdoc, he quickly became a fave. His shape is perfect. Saw him in the last moment, epic find.

10/10

it seems I have to switch to the browser to add more pictures oh for fucks sake.

Videogame dragons!! Thats my good friend Spyro! My good time boy! And the ender dragon! Did you know her name is Jean? You do now!

And of course, before you ask, I am looking for a Spyro plush.

10/10 and 10/10

A pop out pet. I got this one many years ago so idk if they are still relevant anywhere but the ideea was that its 3 toys in one, and you just switch them inside out. Mine is fantasy themed, it has a dragon, an unicorn and a phoenix. Of course I keep it as the dragon. It became a little lumpy over the years.

10/10

Big boy. Massive. Old as fuck too I don’t remember when or how I got this guy. I just know they are loved.

10/10.

Uhh these guys. I got the small ones from 3 different people. And the big guy from my mom. I never told any of them about this because the more dragons the better.

10/10, 10/10, 10/10 aaand 10/10.

I almost forgot about him but, Mega Charizard X who is a dragon type so at least poor Charizard has that going on every now and then.

This mega evolution is one of my fave pokemon. Yes the mega evolution specifically. Shut up.

10/10

And here is the dragonology book who was doing the hard work in those pictures. Aswell as the page it was open on, which is about diffrent colored dragons.

I’m also on the lookout for the famous dragonology book so I can be part of the cool kids.

wait I forgot a dragon. This guy!! Love his tail! 10/10

[russetfoxfur]

what if i wrote something on this

One night Gem takes her out to the spawn shore for some stargazing.

“Look,” she’d told her, “we’ve all been way too cooped up indoors with Decked Out, and, well, I thought me and you should get some fresh air! I mean, I know I need it as much as you do.”

Pearl looked at her bemusedly. “And why don’t you take Impulse out too?” she asked, twitching an ear.

“Well, we need some Soup Girl time!” Gem proclaimed, shoving her playfully. “No dwarves interrupting our stargazing! Just me. And you. And the big, big sky.”

That had been in the daylight. Now, the sun has gone down, and Gem sits on spawn shore, scrolling on her Comm. A purple wizard hat perches on her head, yellow stars scattered around it.

“Oh, hey Gem,” Pearl greets, coming to sit beside her. “How’s it going?”

“Aaah!” Gem yelps, jolting back. “My goodness, Pearl, you scared me!” After a moment, she adds wryly, “Sneaky as a wolf, right?”

“Coyote, actually,” Pearl reminds her. “So? Didja bring any soup?”

“Night Vision!” Gem exclaims cheerfully, grabbing two stews from her inventory and presenting one to Pearl. “Sorry if there’s any petals or stems, I sorta remembered last minute.”

“Oh, no worries,” Pearl tells her. “You should see Impulse’s.”

“Hey, hey! We don’t slander another Soup Grouper!” Gem wrinkles her nose at Pearl, but there’s no bite to the statement.

They giggle a bit—Impulse could mine a mountain, but somehow could never crush the flowers right—before they settle back into silence. A comfortable silence, one that crickets and mosquitoes fill. October is already a quarter through, and the leaves on the trees are turning warm colors.

The starry eyes that come with Night Vision are unsettling to Pearl, and she doesn’t know why. It’s like looking into herself, like a reflection of her soul, a little bit like condemnation. But it is rather good on Gem. Pearl can only wonder if, in a past life, she dealt with the stars and the dark that came with it.

When Pearl eats hers, there are no petals or stems or flowery things like that. The broth is a bit too watery for her liking, and Gem forgot to add noodles again, but it is good. Magic thrums through her blood, and when she blinks, her vision is sharper, clearer, and full of vivid stars. Gem is grinning and holding a booklet in her hand. It has a picture of nebulae aglitter on the cover.

“You ready? I got a stargazing manual thingy!” Gem tells her brightly. After a second, she adds, “Also, unrelated, but if Joe asks, I never stole anything of his, especially not any stargazing books or anything like that, it was Cleo.”

Pearl chuckles. “Oh, I see how it is.”

More silence. Pearl lies back and winces a bit at the chill of the stone on her back. Gem lies beside, and they clasp hands. It’s odd, being out of the dungeon. There are no stars there—just ice, and frost, and sculk; that which looks like stars but kills far more. This, Pearl thinks, is good.

“Okay, so—“ Gem begins.

“Those stars over there are Empires,” Pearl says abruptly, and she’s not quite sure what she said.

Gem is quiet for a moment. “What do you mean?” she asks. “What empires? Why are those stars empires? Are there evil emperors guarding those stars?”

“I dunno.” Pearl shrugs as well as she can when she’s on her back; which is to say, not very well. “Just—came out, I guess.” But she thinks she can remember.

Something about—

“Or maybe not,” Pearl rescinds, flicking her tail back and forth. “That’s weird. I only remembered it right this second.”

“Ooh!” Gem says, sounding a little too enthusiastic for her liking. “A mystery!”

“You’ve been doing Phasmo too much,” Pearl says dismissively. But there is something about it—something strange, something that could fit in a ghost story. Remembering only at night. That’s—that’s odd, to say the least.

“Oh-kay, fine.” Gem puts down her book. “Tell me more about these Empires.”

And as she says that—tell me more—it comes stronger. Like—like a tide, she guesses. It’s always been there, except it has to be revealed by the waves receding, or something like that? She doesn’t know. What she does know is this: that she did not remember Empires when the sun was up, and now that the moon is out, she does.

“Okay.” Pearl straightens on the shore, and takes a proper look at the constellations. The lingering autumn chill seeps into her bones, despite her hoodie and leggings. “Um. Let’s see. How do I begin this…?” Because for all she lives on a server riddled with story, for all she is a race that keeps the tales of the Universe in check, she doesn’t know how to start this one off.

“How ‘bout a classic?” Gem suggests. “Once upon a time…”

A classic. Okay. She can do that. “Once upon a time, there was a player,” she says. Yes, that sounds right. Let’s do that. Pearl looks at the stars. She can see one—Cassiopeia’s something, her hair or maybe her braid. An old Player’s myth, kept to cherish and delight. There was a story behind that. Let’s retell it—let’s make a new one.

“Once upon a time, there was a player,” Pearl says, and the weight of an untold story presses on her chest like destiny. “And the player was an empress in a world where everyone was, and she was the goddess of farming.”

…

Pearl watches the world tremble.

The Goose stands beside her. Its feathers glitter gold, bright gold, like the egg it was hatched from. The field is shaking with the intensity of it. A pig beside her stumbles and falls with a defeated oink. It’s not dead—not yet.

Not yet.

She runs back to her kingdom, and finds nothing. When she is summoned to spawn and finds out it was fWhip who did this, she returns to see her kingdom in shambles. The world is ablaze. The smoke is thick and it hurts to breathe in and where she steps there are embers and smoldering coals.

She only notices then pale black streaks running ip her arms. She doesn’t note more than that.

Pearl brings her animals. Sausage is there too, and his voice is so worried as they sit inside the highest chamber on the beanstalk. It shakes as the fire burns, fueled by corruption and netherrack. The Goose is up here too, and its size is massive! She wishes that she had some way to put out this wildfire.

But even though she can’t, she’ll rebuild. That’s what any good emperor does. A good emperor knows when to submit and when to stand tall, a tree in a storm. She’ll submit now. The smoke comes even up here. It tastes like death.

A cat purrs against her chest, and she tells Sausage that it’ll be alright and they’ll wait this out. He isn’t convinced—she knows him well enough to know that—but he nods, and smiles, and both of them ignore how his lips tremble.

After a moment, Pearl peers over the edge of the platform. The fire is bright, but the beanstalk is hardy. It will not collapse. She knows it. The beanstalk is standing tall. The cat, pressed close to her chest, purrs like a thundering storm.

She names it Susan. What else is there to do? Welcome, Susan, to Helianthia. I hope you enjoy your stay. The words are bitter in her thoughts. Maybe the next kingdom won’t be Helianthia after all. Maybe it’ll be Daisical, or Rosalia. The sunflowers have had their day. It’s time for another—

And something in her chest catches aflame.

She gasps, a wheezing thing, and her lungs are on fire. It feels like inhaling smoke. All at once it is hot, and fiery, and bright-too-bright. The air is scorching where before it was cool with altitude.

Sausage gasps. “Oh, no! Why’re you burning?”

“Why—I’m withering, why am I…?” Pearl trails off. And she is. It burns, like smoke and ash and cinder. She glances down to her fingertips, black like poison, black like wither rose, black like death. It hurts to move them. They’re shriveling up. The blood is evaporating, and the bone is burning, and she’s died to wither before but it doesn’t burn. It doesn’t burn, not like this. Wither is slow and cold and choking. This is bright and hot and suffocating.

She remembers the coal black streaks on her arms. Remembers burning. Remembers life, and Sausage’s magic, and what came of it.

“I don’t know what to do, Pearl!” Sausage is shouting, sobbing, crying. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t—why are you burning?”

“Wait,” Pearl says, terrible realization dawning on her. This, she thinks, hurts far more than the fire, which is scary, because it has no right to be so. The fire is killing her. She is dying. And yet—this is worse. This is worse because—because now she knows why. “My kingdom. It’s burning. And I’m—I’m burning.”

“No!” Sausage cries like a forlorn dog. “What does that mean?”

“I’m connected to my kingdom,” Pearl says quietly, and her tone is reserved for reasons she does not grasp. It’s like she has died before, in as tragic a way as this, and has come to terms with its inevitability. That doesn’t make sense, though. She does not remember anything before Empires. And there are no deaths in this world as terrible as that. As this.

“Oh,” Sausage says, and then, “So that’s why it’s not going out.”

“Because of all the magic you did to make me connected. We have to put out the fire.” Pearl nods and squares her shoulders. She can do that. She will do that.

“I don’t—we can’t put out all that fire in time to save you,” Sausage says very quietly. “I—no, I can fix this!”

“I don’t think there is any way to fix this other than that!” Pearl’s voice raises to a wail—to grief, sharp and splitting; to fear, haunting and creeping; to pain, burning and withering. She is dying and it cannot be changed in any way.

“No, no! I can do things with my magic!” Sausage’s voice is breathless and desperate. Pearl’s heart breaks at it. But there is no other way out. They have to put out the flames, or—

“Last time you tried to do magic, it turned Goose really big,” she recalls. “What if it just does that to me? Or nothing?” And she doesn’t want to die—but there is no other way. The stars are hidden by smoke and fog and light. This is not how it is supposed to be. This is how it ends.

“No! I’ll—I’ll fix this, I’ll reverse this!” He gets out his scepter, which is admittedly pretty. That’s what Pearl can see, at the end of her life. Sausage’s scepter is pretty, and it is clear like water in a blazing landscape. She sinks to her legs as her feet fall out from underneath her.

“Don’t let my animals die,” Pearl tells him as a final will, because—in her code she knows that this won’t work, and Sausage knows too, and this is called a tragedy. It was always gonna end this way. It never had to.

But she will make sure her animals are safe, if anything, because even though she will die, her animals don’t have to. They are not fated like her—to fall into ruin at the end of a fire. They do not have the smoke and embers in their chests. They do not have the weight of destiny on their shoulders like a hawk waiting to strike. Her knees are gone. There is no coming back.

“Okay! I can do this!” Sausage readies the scepter, and her hands are gone and they both know this won’t work. Hopefully Sausage can save her pets. He will not be able to save her. “Hold on, just hold on Pearl! I can fix this, I promise!”

She nods and smiles quietly and she is being burnt alive. Somehow, it doesn’t hurt. It has all the right to hurt, and it doesn’t. It feels like a warm little tickle, like a held back laugh, like sitting by a fire. Like the sunlight that came through the shuffling leaves of summer trees. Like the End Poem. Like that. It does not feel like death. It feels a little like a goodbye, though.

And he is too late.

As her arms and legs die to the fire, it consumes her too quickly, and she cannot feel it. There is no time left, no way to reach her over this chasm she has fallen into. There is only one way out, and the world is smoke and fire and ash. She cannot cry. Sausage cries for her.

Death doesn’t hurt in the end. It’s the one she left behind that does.

…

“You need therapy,” Gem states flatly as she finishes.

Pearl’s throat is dry, like the fire that claimed her in the end. “No I don’t,” she says stubbornly.

“That’s what everyone says!” Gem tells her. “But they got therapy anyway! Come on. I’m gonna—“

“No!” Pearl bats away her hand. “I swear I’m fine.”

“You just told me you were burned away. Graphically. Tragically. In a fire. Prolonged-ly. That’s traumatic!”

“No, you can’t!” Pearl’s tone is wild like a wolf’s. “It won’t—it only hurts now because I’m only remembering now!” And it comes out of nowhere, no good evidence for it, but it is true and she knows it.

Gem stares at her. “Oh my God,” she says quietly. “Oh my God. You have amnesia?”

“This won’t last long!” Pearl argues. “Look! There. Big Dipper, Little Dipper!”

“Pearl, now’s not the time for stargazing!” Gem protests. “I’m gonna go get—“

“That’s the Life Series!” Pearl realizes with a sharp gasp. “That’s—Little Dipper’s Last Life and Big Dipper’s Double!”

“Pearl!” Gem cries again. “No! Stop it! You’re going to remember more bad things!”

“And once upon a time—“ Pearl begins, feeling the memories take her. She slips into the new dream, this time willingly, and it tastes like blood and freedom.

“No—“ Gem cries out, like Sausage so long ago—

“Once upon a time, there was a player who lived in a world of bloodshed and chaos, and she was deadly and bloodthirsty and thriving.”

…

In Last Life, she gets Boogeyman, and it feels like freedom.

Scott is gone, taken by the curse that thrums through her veins now. It is like some twisted, evil freedom that wants blood and death and she must satiates the gnawing hunger in her gut. When she looks at Cleo, she sees how easy it is to stab her; how easy it is to run her throat through with her favorite sword, the one with the chip in its hilt. The curse longs for bloodshed, for murder, for shrieks of terror and struggling prey and tasty, tasty blood.

So she does so. She leads them down to the Green Life Club with a laugh in her throat and a fire in her chest. They loot the chests—the Reds shouldn’t have them, and now that Scott’s Red that’s a hazard—and Pearl leads them to the dance room.

The one that’s trapped.

And Martyn hands her a ‘poppy’ disc and she pretends to play it and instead presses the button that ignites the TNT.

She looks up as the explosion goes off, and expects the three in the room to die. Foolproof! She knew this would happen. Now she has a way out, and… she doesn’t know what’ll happen when it’s just her and Cleo against the world, but they’re both tough as nails and Pearl doesn’t care about it then because they are right there and the burning in her chest is rising.

There is only one buzz on her Comm, not three, and when the smoke clears, Martyn and Etho are still standing.

Etho leaps away from her, and Martyn trembles where he stands, but where it might have felt satisfying before, it feels sad now. What she has done sets in, but Pearl is not one to cry. Ren is not yet gone forever, not like poor Jimmy or Impulse. He is just gone in mind, eyes Red like blood or death or betrayal or fire.

That hurts, but she is reserved in ways she does not know, and so she does not despair over that. Martyn laughs nervously and says he only heard the sizzle, and Cleo triumphantly crows that she knew Pearl was the Boogey! And Pearl has nothing more to say, so she smiles and nods and laughs along with it.

Later, she is killed by a bang, and wakes Red, and the burning in her blood is back again. It clogs her throat and her nose and her chest and it is hard to breathe through the haze of bloodlust. It does not taste anything like freedom. It tastes like warning, and survival, and desperation, and fire. This is how it will end.

Her smile is wide and sharp and she asks Joel, “Can I have my sword back? Can I have my sword back? Now that we’re on the same side and all…” Her voice is high and threatening and bright like fire. Like a wildfire, willing to consume all that dare try to control it.

She laughs when she throws the potion and laughs when they try to kill her and laughs when she tells Scott in a voice like smoldering coals, “Because it’s fun. You gotta live life on the edge!”

Ren joins their little posse (are you sure you’re not afraid of me? Pearl asks him, and she’s slightly disappointed when he denies it) and when Etho and Cleo give up their tower to a few threats and arrows (lame!) her own tame dogs join too.

She kills Etho and it feels like biting into an apple on a cool summer night, like gazing into the stars that twinkle above. Like light that fell from the crisp sky of winter, where a fleck of light in the corner of her eye might be a star, boiling its planets in order to be visible to her for a moment. It is relieving and she hates it and she loves it all the same. Her hunger does not leave her, but it dulls. The taste of blood in her throat thickens, and the red haze thickens, and she finds she does not care.

And when she takes the final yellow life?

She is burning, and it feels like victory. She killed Martyn! Their cheers are loud in her ears, and she laughs bitter and harsh and he falls with a scream. His bones crunch as they hit the ground, and with that, the server has gone mad.

The hunger relents again, and she laughs and laughs until her tongue is heavy in her mouth and her breath leaves her gasping.

Cleo, Grian, Etho, and Joel die so quick it leaves her breathless. Scott kills half of those. She cheers him on too like he did for her and this is what friendship is like. Tentative and desperate and vicious. She cannot find it in herself to care.

And so they split up. Pearl runs north, past Magical Mountain, and heads back sure. She will kill this time like she has before. She is a victor! She is Pearlescent Moon. Soon she shall win these twisted games and unlock the secrets of her memories, the ones that hide from her all the time.

But that is not how this story goes.

In the end, it is her own lava that sabotages her. She is knocked back into the flames, and while she took fire res, it pools around her ankles and slows her down. She cannot fight, not like this. Death is painful, and sharp, and biting like fire. She regrets it.

Again she dies without the stars to bring her home. What would it be like if they could?

~~~

But in Double Life, she is Scarlet Pearl. She dons a red cape from the very beginning, and trains a pack of hounds to her beck and call.

Of course there is Tilly—wonderful, beautiful Tilly, eyes like embers and collar like buttercups. Tilly is, after all, Pearl’s confidant, her only constant. There are no others—not when Grian glances aside at her like she’s ticking TNT; not when Jimmy closes off the Ranch for fear she’ll set it ablaze; not when Ren casts her out and tells her she is wicked and nothing more. Tilly does not do that. Tilly is the only kindness in this cruel night, the only forgiveness she is willing to accept.

At the end of it all, they dive into the Deep Dark, and Pearl holds back giggles as she sneaks among the ruins of what once was. Tentatively, she tries to rebuild. Scott is quiet when she tells him that he does make a pretty good partner after all, and quiet when he replies that he was the one who got hurt first. Quickly, she retaliates, and it is only when Cleo and Martyn distract them that she lets her fire settle back in her throat, not her tongue. Her mouth is dry.

And then the Reds come to circle. They split up, and Pearl runs. Grian yells that they’re not after her. They’re not, but they’re after Scott, and so they’re also after her. Pearl takes to Impulse’s and Bdubs’ house, and hopes to high hell that Scott is safe and Scott is swift. She hops on a horse the color of dawn fog, and she laughs and laughs and laughs as Bdubs gives chase.

A few minutes later she is bolting up in bed and an explosion that did not destroy her own flesh rings in her ears.

After a rendezvous with the Reds, Pearl and Scott leave to collect armor in a hidden base. Tilly is there. Her eyes are still a glowing amber, her collar like dandelions. Pearl buries her nose in Tilly’s smoky pelt and ignores the huff of disgust that Scott gives. Her tail thumps against the floor agitatedly. Tilly yips in her ear and she smells like withering fire—which does not make sense. Wither is cold and cruel; fire is blazing and choking. But she has seen worse impossibilities, and the Universe is built on paradoxes, after all.

Pearl inhales. “Look, don’t make me feel bad, okay? Look, it’s my turn to ditch you after you ditched me. Consider it karma.” Her voice is trembling. Scott doesn’t seem to notice.

“So, it’s just, we’ve done a full loop,” Scott says with a laugh—not like hers, bitter and harsh, but lovely. She hates it. She hates it so much. “‘Cause you ditched me for Martyn, and then you came back, and then you ditch me again.” The stars around his head are crumbling.

Pearl whimpers like a kicked dog, and swallows it back unsuccessfully. “You ditched me first! Don’t you go pretending that you’re holier than thou and absolutely perfect in every fucking way!” Her ears flatten against her head and she digs her nails into Tilly’s fur. She does not draw blood. She blinks back tears, and the blood in her throat grows rich off her sorrow.

“You didn’t make yourself available, Pearl!” Scott snaps, beginning to climb up the ladder to leave.

“Yes I did!” Pearl does not bother to hide the shaking in her hands, the tears sliding down her face, her sharp teeth bright and eager.

“How was I gonna find you if you weren’t available?” Scott turns back on the rung, and pangs of jealousy strike her heart like swords. Because she was. She was available, and he turned her away, and now nothing will be fixed, will it? She doesn’t care. If anyone asks, she tried. By God she tried. But Scott is not as pure as light claims to be, and Pearl has been trying her best, and Tilly licks every salty tear off her chin.

There is silence, jagged and yawning, and the only sounds are cuckoo calls.

“Right, let’s head out,” Scott says, swinging back around.

Pearl’s fire blisters in her chest, and the pounding in her ears grows stronger, and the red haze thickens still. Scott’s face is pinker. There is blood under her nails and caked on her face. She’s sure no one but Tilly could love her, and that is how she prefers it. There is no ‘we’ in Scott’s statement. There is he, and there is she, but they are not we. A we of them would’ve happened long ago, when Red was a distant nightmare and the dogs still wild in the woods. We does not fit in this messy, jagged stained glass that she has created. We is for soulmates who get along. She says so.

Unfortunately, Scott uses his greatest weapon—logic—against her, and she climbs up the ladder and slips on the fifth rung up. Scott glances down at her with only a trace of the concern a good soulmate should have. Her fingers slip on the smooth ladder rungs, coated in slick blood, but she climbs up regardless.

“Look, I’m trying to keep us alive,” Pearl tells him, and the look Scott gives her is enough to make her Red fire burn and she continues her ill-advised reasoning. “If I stay with the bigger group, we’ll live longer! Y’know?” She scowls as she crests the top of the ladder, and she turns to face Scott. “Why’re you going back to the Yellows? There’s only two of them. Besides, we’re Red. They don’t want us.” Bitterness laces her tone. They wouldn’t want me, no matter what life I’m on.

“I want to go and look at where my stuff was,” Scott says. “Y’know, to see if they kept my stuff or left me a chest or something.”

And so they part, without anything sappy or tragic to mark it. One moment they are talking, quiet and low, and the next the sun is setting and Pearl leaves him to explore her own endeavors. He won’t have her. She is not his. She will blaze her own trail with a set of doggy pawprints behind.

Pearl laughs bitterly when Cleo and Martyn go out in an arrow’s shot, and snuggles with her wolves as the server is Red. That feels a bit like deja vu; Martyn being the last Yellow, Martyn clinging onto his scraps of sanity before the plunge into scarlet. The red in her eyes and skin and teeth and hair brightens when Bdubs declares new alliances be formed now that they’re a Red server, and the taste of it is sickening when they turn on her. She laughs like an omen when Joel suggests a 30 second head starts, and gathers her babies beneath her cloak. “Shh, shh,” she tells them as her Comm rings with the pet death notification. “You’re safe. We don’t need them.” I’m alone again. Why does it hurt so much? Aren’t I used to it by now?

She does not laugh when Grian and Scar die fully. She should. She has all the right to. But something she cannot remember sits in the hollow of her chest and mourns. Pearl does not know why it’s their death that pierces like an arrow, but it does. She feeds her dogs with meat, but she does not build a grave for the panda keeping duo. They weren’t her allies. She doesn’t think so. She does not know why she misses them, then. She does not know why it hurts.

She laughs when Etho and Joel die a few minutes later. That does not hurt. It is sadistic, her laugh, and rings with a song hummed in the gasps between the giggles. Something wicked this way comes, something wicked this way comes… She readies her axe and laughs like a hyena and her wolf ears lay flat against her head. Impulse and Bdubs are running. The fear-scent in the air fuels her bloodlust, until it is only blood and hunger that drives her forward. The dogs follow her, and she laughs to them and does not care when the others shy away.

Impulse and Bdubs flee through a tunnel, and while Scott, Martyn, and Cleo look for a Warden that Grian allegedly brought to the surface, Pearl sneaks out to go find them. Her dogs are her constants, and Tilly beside her rumbles with a growl deep in her throat. “That’s it,” Pearl tells her, tail wagging. Her cloak ripples in the wind. “Good dog.” Tilly yips.

And she finds them.

“Something wicked this way comes…” she sings, an omen once more. “Something wicked this way comes…” They’re careless. Their voices are loud, and neither of them have bothered to meet somewhere safe, and Pearl may be outnumbered but she has her dogs. Pearl is not unsafe with her dogs. Pearl will win. “Something wicked this way comes…”

She bursts out on them with a cry of “How dare you ally with those who killed my dogs!” and lets the arrows fly.

Her giggles reverbate through the clearing, and she laughs and laughs and laughs and kills Impulse and Bdubs and it feels so good so good so good and she laughs and laughs and laughs and the Red does not retreat; rather, it becomes her, rich and bloody and beautiful. Her laughs become an anthem for the Red’s lust and hunger and her throat hurts with the weight of it.

And then—

An explosion hits a dog, and the whimper snaps the air like a lightning bolt.

Pearl’s ears prick, and the blood on the ground is a patchwork of life, and the trees creak with the weight of a Player on their shoulders. Cleo stands in the snow, and she can hear Martyn shouting “Which one is she?” and her laughs run her dry and she cannot bring herself to care.

“I didn’t think you’d be the one to betray me in the end!” Pearl growls, and the dogs beside her raise their hackles and their fur fluffs up. Cleo is the easiest to reach, and soon she too finds herself falling from a great height, and a bang goes off behind her, and suddenly Pearl and Scott are the last two alive.

Pearl’s laugh is remorseless, and her dogs are safe and she is safe and she laughs her heart out because she has won and that is all she needs.

Spawn is splattered with blood, crimson pooling onto emerald. Scott does not laugh as she does when he sees her. “I didn’t think it would end this way.” He pauses for a moment—the only sounds are harsh raven croaks. “There were a lot of ways I thought this would turn out. I didn’t think this was one of them.” He is taking off his armor, throwing it onto the ground.

He takes out a block of TNT.

She leaps away and stares at it, her breath caught in her lungs. He is saying something about deserving. He is saying something about soulbonds. She cannot hear it. She is not laughing.

Death comes quick, and sudden, and it is not Red but orange that delivers it. The black folds in on her. The taste of copper on her tongue is gone. There are no more dogs by her side.

——

Gem stares at her, eyes wide. “What the hell,” she says, and the words feel wrong in her voice.

Pearl can still taste blood, is the thing. Her throat is raw and her nails are bloody and Gem’s soft deer pelt feels like a wolf’s.

“I won,” she says quietly. “I didn’t know that.”

“No you didn’t!” Gem has stayed quiet through her retelling of the life of the Scarlet Witch. Now she is loud and high and strained. “You didn’t win anything! You died!”

“You have to die in the dungeon to win,” Pearl points out, twitching an ear. The skies are wide, and black, and beautiful. “It’s like that.”

“It’s not.” Gem’s voice is firm. “You don’t kill other players! You don’t—go insane or hate other people or raise dog armies to slaughter! That’s not right!”

“But it’s true.”

Gem stares at her again. “I don’t—look, it might be true, but I wish it weren’t. Can’t we—this was supposed to be a fun night out! Stop it! I want to—discuss that later, and right now we can just—“

“Look, Orion,” Pearl says, pointing to a line of stars. “Or, well, his belt. That’s—“ Her breath sharpens.

Oh no.

“That’s moon big.”

“Hm?” Gem sounds wary. She doesn’t remember, of course she doesn’t. Pearl is not quite sure why she remembers. But she does, and the memories are unforgiving and biting as they come back. They are bright.

Of course they are.

“Once upon a time—“

“Pearl!” Gem is desperate. “You don’t have to do this! We can do this later! Not now! Not like this!”

“Once upon a time,” Pearl says, and the silence is deafening. “Once upon a time, there was a player born of the moon who had to watch it fall.”

——

“I’m scared,” Grian admits as they wait for Scar to bring their suits.

The world is collapsing around them. Blocks float in the sky like stars, and the moon blots out the real constellations. Pearl is weeping for them, in her head. She has not lived on this server very long; does not know this sky like the back of her hand. But she is mourning it all the same. What fate has allowed this to happen? Allowed this moon to crash onto this beautiful server? Why now?

“No kidding,” Impulse says in a sharp voice. He’s been like this for a few weeks now. Pearl doesn’t know why.

"Yeah, mate, that's reasonable," Mumbo says. It still throws her off, that his hairstyle is now permanently Grian's. It doesn't look right, is the thing. Mumbo had always had naturally slick hair, black like a raven. Thank all the stars that he's still got his moustache; he'd be nigh unrecognizable without it. His ears are flat against his head.

Pearl hums in reply. "I--I'm mostly scared because I worked, like, really hard on that big mountain. You know. I don't think I get enough credit for what I did on that mountain. I know it was, like, a shared base or something, but..." She sighs. "Well. What can you do."

"Really?" Impulse's voice is harsh, cutting. Exactly unlike the confectionary expert who'd built a giant factory instead of doing something reasonable. Like a mountain! Stick to the theme, Impulse! "Really? So you just don't care about us, is the thing?" His eyes are slits. This is the most unsettling thing about him, Pearl's noticed--he can really dilate his eyes well.

"I mean--that too." Pearl deflates. "But don't you guys ever get the--so, like, I think I've... met some of you before? And--it's a little hard to explain. But---don't you ever get the sense that we've met before?"

There's a long, long silence. It hangs stifling in the air. It's broken by a shaking earth, and it crumbles under her feet. She's a moth hybrid, this time 'round. Her wings flare out against the forsaking of the world, pale blue on the underside and dappled tan on the outer side. They look rather pretty, in this everything-moonlight. They shine. It's a terrible thing, to make the ending be beautiful. But she isn't one to deny the facts--they are beautiful. Or maybe this is recompense, for it, for all that it delivered. Maybe this is the world's apology. If so, it's a terrible one.

When the world finally stills, there's another breath before Mumbo says, "Wow, the moon's really big. Maybe we should do something about it."

"Don't you even," Grian snaps, and there's no mirth to the statement.

"Yeah." Impulse's whiskers twitch. "Too late for that kind of joke now."

"But it is the whole sky," Pearl points out. Something strangled and furious pierces her, striking her like a blade. Because how dare it. How dare it. How dare it take this life from her. She hasn't lived it yet! She hasn't laughed enough, hasn't loved enough, hasn't had enough sleepovers. This isn't how it's supposed to be! She wants to howl in fury. This isn't what it's supposed to be like! Grian had said that--that it was a kinder world, that it was a soft world where they played and pranked and built and took pride and, most importantly, lived. There is none of that here. This is nothing like what Grian promised.

You liar, Pearl thinks but does not say. I trusted you, and you give me this? I poured myself into this server and there's nothing I can do to preserve what I made? Nothing? Is this all a sick joke? Do you like seeing my builds crumble? Why must the moon fall now?

"You're right," Grian says, moving to brush his wings with Pearl's. "I can't see anything but it. No stars or anything. I don't like that."

"It's too wrong," Pearl agrees, clasping Impulse's hand. "It's--I don't want it to destroy everything. Not you, not my buildings, not anything. It's not fair."

"Life's not fair," Impulse says softly. "I lost Tango. Life's not fair. Life's not fair." His voice begins to tremble. "Tango's--I haven't heard from him in so long. Life isn't fair! Life isn't fair at all! Tango's dead! And soon we'll be too!"

"Maybe we'll be reincarnated," Mumbo suggests. "I think that'd be nice. I'd be a vault-builder. Building the best vaults ever. And I'd have so many diamonds! Way more than you, Gri." He laughs, a little sheepish. "But we'd be together again. And the moon wouldn't be quite so big."

"In another life--well, I think I'd rather like that life," Grian says, squaring his shoulders. "But there'd be--I'd know how to fix things. And I'd--I'd be able to have as many friends as I want. Maybe Tim's there. Maybe I have magic. I don't care. As long as I'm safe."

"I want to be safe too." Impulse is quiet and contemplative. "And--I don't think I ever want to see the moon ever again. I'd live underground." He hesitates before adding, "I think in another life--well, me and Gem, we could've been friends. I like her."

"And I..." Pearl pauses. What does she want? She has not completed anything. "I want to finish something. I wasn't done yet." She thinks about her towers and her terraforming and all the work she put into it--hours of meticulously sculpting the land into shapes she liked. It's all been hasty and makeshift and not quite there yet, but it'll have to suffice. She wants to breathe again, feel air in her lungs, let her limbs return. Wants to move her fingers. Wants to have a body again, under gravity, in air. She wants to touch the Universe again at every point, as though she and It were separate things.

"And I want to do this again." She gestures broadly at the mega-megabase. "Be with someone else. Collaborate. Make something new out of us both. That's what I'd like to be, if I could do this all again."

"If I could do this all again," Impulse says wistfully. "But I don't think we can. If I could do it all again, I'd make sure Tango was there, and happy. But I can't. He's..." He trails off. "He's--"

"I've got them!" Scar says very suddenly from behind them--almost conveniently, Pearl thinks. "I also color-coded them! Pearl, you get purple, and Gri gets red, and Mumbo gets black, and Impulse gets yellow..."

"You spent the entire budget--all we gave you--on color coded space suits," Grian says incredulously.

Scar nods animatedly. "Yep! Come on, I know you like it!"

"I'm beginning to think none of us can be trusted with a large sum of diamonds," Mumbo says.

"Wait, didn't he also use it on the space ship?" Pearl asks.

"One, that's shoddy workmanship, it's pointing down to the Void so it better have--something to make it go up." Grian sniffs. "Also, two, we all know Scar actually stole or had everything he needed to build it. But he definitely does not know how to do clothes. He spent all our diamonds on spacesuits."

"Actually, no, I like Pearl's excuse!" Scar says brightly. "Your diamonds went to a good cause! Trust me."

Pearl suddenly finds that she does not very much trust Scar at all. "You just don't get this sort of thing anywhere else," she says.

"Remember the donkey-cars?" Mumbo says.

There's a laugh between the five. It doesn't belong, not really, not here. But she can ignore the moon, ignore it for now, pretend it's sea lanterns and daylight that are causing this. She laughs. The feel of it is familiar in her throat. She can't begin to fathom why.

"Well, let's get on with it." Impulse's voice is short again. "Where are we going? The spaceship? Or did that--did you just build that as a facade, and actually we're all gonna become mole people?"

"That's a really good backup plan!" Scar says. "But we aren't, unfortunately, I think we'd all be really cute as mole people--"

"Agree to disagree," Pearl mutters.

"--we're actually going in that there spaceship!" Scar jabs his thumb at the spaceship currently pointed down into the Void. "So, buckle up, we're going in it--"

"It's pointed the wrong way round," Mumbo offers weakly.

"No it's not! That's for a reason," Scar explains. "Come on up, I'll show you."

So Grian, Scar, and Pearl take off on natural wings (parrot, Vex, and moth respectively) while Impulse and Mumbo fumble on their elytras. At one point Scar has to go back down to help Impulse. The silhouettes against the moon--it's crazy. It's not how it's supposed to be. If someone could paint it for her, Pearl would take it in a heartbeat. It's beautiful. Just because it's beautiful doesn't make it right. Pearl knows that the Universe is built on paradoxes, and that a beautiful apocalypse might be the worst of them all.

But finally--finally--they land in the spaceship. Pearl patiently stands on a trapdoor, and Scar picks up Jellie and nuzzles into her white-and-gray splotched fur. He looks so--she can almost ignore the moon that has filled up the sky. It hurts. It hurts that this is what it's come to. She can almost ignore it. But to have her very sky taken away--her birthright, her mother, her constant--it's like being stabbed a thousand times. How dare they take the wind and earth from her. Why is it that they must take it from her? From Boatem? From all of Hermitcraft?

I wonder what Tango will be reincarnated as, Pearl thinks, and then she blurts, "Hey Scar, if--if all this wasn't happenin', if you could do this entire season over again--what would you do?"

Scar cuts himself off to peer at her oddly, his soft green eyes narrowing in question. It's not dead silent. The world trembles beneath them, but she cannot feel it, not when she is so high above it like an emperor looking down at a magnificent city. Not when she too has forsaken what she has built. Not when she too is escaping this doomed world and leaving her legacy behind for no one else to find.

"We're all so sad now," Scar says finally. He is loud and bold and confident, like he always is--not like Impulse, who has always been steadfast and kind and now his laughs are bitter and trenchant. "I don't want that. I want to bring joy, and happiness--I don't want my big ol' mountains to be destroyed by the big ol' moon. That's really bad. I want something that'll last. I want--maybe a theme park. That can't go too wrong. Yes, a theme park--ooh, with lots of fancy rides, and popcorn, and Jellie too!" He hugs Jellie tighter. "Yes, that'll do just nicely. Would you guys come?"

"Of course I would," Pearl says softly.

"Yeah, sure, if I got free entry," Grian agrees.

"That sounds nice. Maybe you'd let me do the redstone, even." Impulse scratches his head idly.

"I was about to say me, but I don't actually know how a theme park works." Mumbo laughs sheepishly. "So I guess not then."

"But it'd be better," Pearl says, and the weight of it feels like a promise. But there is no promise. There is no hope left. The moon is too big for that. Maybe she is promising that it would be true, that they would be safe, if it were not for the end of the fucking world. Maybe that's the promise. She doesn't know if she can hold that promise... but she'll try, because there's nothing else for her to do. "And we'd be happy. All together."

"And Tango would be alive," Impulse says.

"And I'd be rich," Mumbo adds.

"And everything would be fine," Grian admits.

"And it'd be better," Scar says.

"In another world," Pearl finishes ruefully. "In another world."

When she falls to the Void because trusting people is a terrible mistake at the end of the world, it is final. She knows what she is doing. She knows she cannot turn back. This is a fate written long ago, before she stepped foot on the world, a fate etched into the seed of this server and the blood in her veins. She knows this in the code that makes her up. There was no other way out. The moon is falling, and Pearlescent Moon is falling, and it feels a little like it was meant to be.

Death does not hurt. Death is kind, and forgiving, and loving, like mother sweeping her up in her arms. It is the only forgiveness she'll ever accept for this crumbling world. Death takes her into its embrace and tells her good job, and tells her we loved it, and tells her, you played the game well. Death smiles as it takes her, and so of course she smiles too. It does not matter anymore that she has left behind all that has given her life for the last six months. Because death is waiting, and who is she to refuse it?

In fact, she laughs as she fades and her code becomes one again with the Universe, ready to be thrown into another life just like she wanted to. She laughs and laughs and laughs and when she can finally catch breath no longer she laughs in her mind. It sounds, a little, like a requiem.

---

After that dream, Pearl surfaces to find Gem staring at her--wide-eyed, shocked, and pale.

"I was in that one," she breathes.

"Yes, you were." Pearl thinks she can remember Gem in that dream too. How close they were, how they stuck together because they were new and they didn't know the other Hermits, even in dreams. They went around and made Halloween builds for the others. That was nice. The dream altogether wasn't very good, but there were little stars, even in that yawning expanse of black.

"Maybe it was just a dream," Gem says desperately. "Hopefully."

"It wasn't a dream," Pearl says. "I know it wasn't!"

"How do you know?"

"The same way you know a block palette, or what a block is called, or how use a crafting table, or anything! I just do!" Pearl's ears are flat against her skull. She's painfully aware of how varied she is--a moth and a Watcher and a wolf and a Player. She's lived a thousand lives that she cannot remember, and only catches a glimpse of now.

"But that can't have happened," Gem says, her face still wan. "I refuse it. It didn't happen. The moon isn't falling! That's impossible! If it did, I'd--I'd remember that. Clearly it didn't."

"I didn't remember it until now," Pearl says. "It makes sense that you wouldn't either."

"But--" Gem is at a loss for words. "But--if it--if that did happen--I just forgot about something I built? Or--maybe lots of things! I don't know! I don't know. I don't--why did I have to lose it? I want to--I don't want to forget it all."

"You were in Empires too," Pearl says. "I don't remember what you built in either dream, but you were there."

"Are there any other dreams?" Gem asks, eyes wild. "Just so we can get this over with?"

"I think--" She pauses. She does. She has so many more dreams that she wants to share. But--if it has to be--no. She--it scares her. She has been so brave, but this scares her, this look to Gem's eyes. She does not want to have to face it, to watch her grow more crestfallen with every dream that Pearl shares with her. "I think that's enough for tonight."

"Oh." Gem sounds a little like Impulse. "I--I don't want it to be that way. I want it to be nice. Why is your life so sad?"

Pearl laughs and laughs and it feels like she's been here so many times more. But there is only one Season Nine, and only one Gem who is gazing up at the stars and, probably, wishing this wasn't the case. Her laugh, in this world, is more like Scott's. She doesn't think she hates it, not this time 'round. It's pretty. It's something that doesn't have to be in a world where death lurks around each corner. But she is laughing nonetheless, and it doesn't matter how loud or how biting it is. It still carries itself much in the same way the empress would laugh--regal and sweet, like a goldfinch's song--or the scarlet witch's--hissy and raspy and disillusioned. It's still her laugh. Maybe she's grown to like it.

"I don't know," Pearl says with a bitter chuckle. "The Universe hates me or something."

"Then why do we all forget?"

Pearl's smile fades. The unknown taunts her. "I don't know."

There is a beat of silence, and it feels comfortable, almost. There are no earthquakes or fires or sword-swipes to break it. Hermitcraft Season Nine is a peaceful server. There are crickets' chirps, and owls' hoots, and the hum of redstone. Pearl takes a moment to breathe, and to take it in, and appreciate it for what it is. Little stars in this great night that she is the moon in and all that. It's beautiful, and there is nothing to contradict it.

A cough breaks it. "Could I please have my stargazing guide back?"

Admittedly, Pearl is mean when she laughs at Gem's startled screech and the jolt that comes with it, but she's been meaner--see the Scarlet Witch--so she's pretty sure it's okay.

"Joe?" Gem says, whipping around to stare at him.

"Sorry for scaring you." Joe laughs, and his laugh is rounder and smoother than hers. "I just--it's not nice to steal other people's things, you know."

"i was gonna return it!" Gem whines.

"Uh-huh. I kinda doubt that, because when other people steal my stuff and I confront them, they always go 'I'll give it back soon' and then you end up having to make another armor stand book because your armor stand making friend won't give it back because she can't go out of her way to make an armor stand book. I just don't want that kind of thing to happen again. You know, preventive measures and all that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Pearl says.

"No, don't be! It's gonna happen again." Joe beams in the way that someone very irritated tends to beam. "But. Preventive measures? Yay for preventive measures?"

Gem hesitates a moment. "Fine. But... you're a philosopher, right?"

Joe wrinkles his nose. "Now, that's a very interesting question. I don't prefer to call myself a philosopher, because that makes me sound Greek, and I'm not a very Greek person? Like, okay, I like yogurt, and I heard the Greeks like yogurt, but I'm not gonna, like, challenge their labels by calling myself one. I tend to identify as a thinker! But maybe I should change that, because that implies that no one else can think, and I'm the only one in the world who can, which is also mean! I think you guys can think, right? Or is this a Truman Show sorta thingy where everyone else is just an actor and it is true that I'm the only one who can think?"

There's another beat of silence, though this one is laced with confusion rather than acceptance.

"I think he's a 'philosopher'," Pearl says.

Joe wrinkles his nose but says nothing more.

"Okay. Um, do you believe in past lives?" Gem asks.

Joe's eyes widen. "Oh, I see. That's also a very interesting question." He rubs his glasses. "see, the thing is, my Chat—well, kie tells me all sorts of things about what I did, or used to do, or have done, et cetera. Like, once I lava’d Grian’s base because he wouldn’t stop murderin’ people, or I parodied Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? but instead with Cubfan, or I started a coup to get Season Two up and running, or I once did this thing called Super Hostile and resurrected Cleo because of it—oh! And one time, I got really excited about jumping on a box.” His eyes are bright and there seems to be no irony in his voice. “Isn’t that fun, jumping on boxes?”

Gem clicks her tongue. “Um. Very in-character?”

“Oh, I hope I’m in character. I think it’d be very bad if I weren’t in character! Generally, having a character is a good thing to have, or so I’m told. But I’m always open to suggestions!”

Gem sighs and shakes her head, though she’s smiling. “I can see why Cleo hates you. Here’s the manual back.” She hands him the booklet.

“Thanks!” Joe beams. “I think that’s Cygnus, or Cygnet or something—the Swan. And that’s either Pegasus or Rainbow Dash. I always get them mixed up!”

“Ah yes,” Pearl says solemnly. “My Little Pony definitely existed when they were naming the constellations.”

They laugh, altogether, and it feels like home. No, not quite. Home holds too many meanings to be defined by a moment. But it’s close enough. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness, or something like that. Home is sunflowers and towers and terraforming. Home is complex. That’s okay. That’s good. That’s a life well lived. To have a home that’s fluid and changing—that is a good thing, Pearl thinks.

It’ll never be the same after today, will it? She will wake up and see not only daylight, but a thousand other daylights just like it. She will see a daylight that is tinted Red, or a daylight marred with fire, or a daylight where the moon hesitates to leave the sky. She will always have different angles, different sides, different daylights to wake to. It will never be simple.

“Would you rather forget or remember something terrible?” Pearl asks.

“I think I’d like to forget,” Gem answers quickly. “I wouldn’t want to live with a painful memory to have to live with. That would get real bad, real fast. I just don’t think it would be good, to hurt over and over and over each day.”

Joe is slower to reply. “I’d remember. You can’t kill zombies without a sword, and history repeats itself unless you go free verse. I’d remember so I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.”

Pearl hums. “Me too, Joe, me too.”

But she’d rather it be different. She’d rather live knowing she has lost, and have the grace to remember it and the faith to believe it. That is a life she would like to lead. One where she is a witch and a Hermit and an empress. One where she doesn’t forget how far she’s come, one where the stars trace all the lives she’s lived. She doesn’t think that would hurt as much as Gem thinks it would.

“I think if I’m not careful, I could fall into the sky,” Pearl says with a laugh. The night seems endless, and the skies seem endless, and the stars light it up like salt on black carpet.

“Oh no! Please don’t! Impulse would kill me,” Joe says worriedly. “Or he’d get Zedaph to kill me! And I don’t want Zedaph to kill me!”

“Yeah, what Joe said,” Gem agrees with a shudder.

Pearl does not answer, does not think she can answer well. Part of her wants to fall, to give in to the urge to lose herself in the constellations. But spite boils in her blood, snapping at her to stay. To end this game and begin a new one, and dream again, dream better. To be the Universe, and to be love. To see what the next day will bring. To stay alive.

She thinks she agrees with the second voice.

Pearl laughs, breathless and carefree, and it echoes through the night, so full of promise. This is how it’ll be. This is how it should be. This is right. She is sorry for the empress and the witch and the new Hermit. But she will thrive regardless. In memory of them, and what they sacrificed to let her live.

After all, the Universe says she is not separate from every other thing.

The stars are the last thing she sees, twinkling and vivid in the big, big sky. Pearl falls asleep with Joe flicking through his manual, and Gem drowsing beside her. It is good. Pearl is here, and Pearl is alive, and that is a beautiful thing in and of itself.

——

The stars are not there to usher her from sleep. Pearl wakes, and the only thing she can see is daylight.

~~~~~~~~~

here’s the ao3 if you want to leave kudos or bookmark this or whatever btw.

for the ask game, 🐝: The Space Between The Stars

ooooh a fancy one. a fancy one INDEED. what about...

In which Pearl lies back, looks at the sky, and traces each life she's lived in the constellations that are missing.

[py-dreamer]

Ok so I might've gone over time again a lil bit BUT I STILL MADE IT!!!

"Why is it Nezha? First Mk, then Mei, why Nezha? Shouldn't it be Pigsy or Tang or Red Son? Why are you robbing the less popular characters their spotli-"

SHUSH!!!!

Ok so a reason I made Nezha next, is cause I have an upcoming project due soon and I require our 3rd lotus princey over here to come help me.

Look it's an art thingy and the theme is 'Legacy of the gods' and I did chinese mythology not LMK. As such I couldn't pick an lmk exclusive character like Mk or Mei. Furthermore, since it was about the 'gods' specifically, I'm more focused on the deities and less demons the like.

Also a lot of my project has featured so much JTTW, and I'm sure it definitely will in future...So to break up from that and for a bit of variety, I've added in our lotus friend.

(I mean, I suppose I could've done Chang'e but I just decided Nezha had more myths so he was my best bet)

And I couldn't do Wukong. Cause I'm already doing another piece with him, I made two stickers of him already. They will know I have favorites. And I do, I know I do but damn it if I don't wanna show it so obviously!!!

Actually, originally I had like a list of who I wanted to do and it was mostly like main cast of lmk with some fan favorites/my favs here and there and Nezha was towards the bottom but I moved him up due to the reasons above. And I was going to do Pigsy and Tang today but that's not how things turned out, I'll still do them just everyone's gonna have to be moved up in the list now.

Don't ask me what kinda cake it is, if I had to guess some kinda cheesecake with like a thin layer of jelly on top. The pink/red contributes to his main color scheme and the blue jelly makes it look like a pond and all the decorations and lotuses on top look like they're floating in water.

And I suppose it's different from Mk and Mei's cause like the KNY arts have different cakes sometimes why not do the same for these guys? And Nezha is a prince, and the patron god of children! I think he deserves something nice. (I used Giyu's cake for reference)

The filling is strawberries again, hopefully better drawn this time and actually sakura petals instead of lotus ones. I don't know why I used sakura petals, the color is more like lotuses but the shape is inspired after sakura so maybe it's a hybrid.

I do enjoy that it is more detailed than the previous two (especially since I'm using it for a project-)

I actually had a lot of trouble thinking of the sugar cookies cause there's not much associated with Nezha other than his lotus theme and his weaponry. Like at least Mei had her sword and her dragon insignia in different styles! I didn't wanna just do lotuses for like 3 times so I did his universal ring and that golden brick from that one episode. And yes, that brick is an actual thing in the mythos, it's not just a quick visual gag.

I did copy paste the frosting swirls and shells from Mei, don't @ me pls they just looked cool, I needed something to jush up the cake and COME ON THEY LOOK COOL HOW COULD I NOT

No I did not change the color but the minty green broke up all the pink and gold nicely, I think...

I did add the lotus flower and that green thing that triggers ur tripophobia is a lotus fruit. So for those who don't know, lotuses are edible! Not water lilies though. There's a difference. And lotuses can be made into lotus jam and it's delicious! I do recommend trying a lotus jam bao at least once.

Now I know Nezha is a chinese deity and mochi/dango is japannese but Idk what other desert to use and I didn't feel tanghulu fit the vibe...

But yea, those are his flaming fire wheels he skates on, that's why they're on fire, no it's not the rings of the samadhi fire. (I'll be saving that for RS) though now, I do wish I'd just done the outline in a darker shade to make it look like it was an actual image grilled into the mochi rather than a sticker slapped on.

The sneks! Omg! I almost forgot about them! But yea, those are the golden serpent shears we saw in that one episode. They are a bit last minute but I think they turned out decently well. Lil bleps.

Then we have the fire tipped spear and yes, that is Ao Bing. I'm sorry, I know I said I shipped them, and I still do (I see lmk nezha as both mentally and physically an adult don't try me) but damn that idea popped into my head and it was funny. He's fine...I think

(also funny to think Mei's is all dragon oriented and here's Nezha and Ao bing like bleep)

The reason the ribbon is so long is cause it's the goddamn armillary sash that Nezha uses, and it's its own canon magic thing, why not let it be longer and yes I did add some white detail but I just thought it looked more finished and it's a celebration! Let him be festive!

I really like the pose like Nezha receiving a lil present. I think he's the kind of person to not expect presents but be pleasantly surprised at them.

And btw that balloon has lily pads, it's not a globe. I know they should be elevated for lotuses but I can't exactly make the leaves pop out.

So later today should be Tang and pigsy hopefully!

(Also I've noticed a trend in general lmk posts. Ships, duos, trios basically anything with a relationship of some kind always do better than just one character so if I had to guess this like my other birthday posts won't do that well)

Oh and @leesbian42, before I forget, happy almost birthday! If I remember correctly you're turning like 24 right?

[yunjardi]

try to see if you have a email attached to your account cuz then Instagram would email you if anything has been changed to your account such as phone number, email, and even username. If the person didn’t log u out, go to settings(Accounts Center) and click password and security. From there, click “where you’re logged in” and you’ll see another device besides the one or ones you are using. Press on that unknown device snd you’ll see “log out” on the bottom and click that. PLZ I mean PLZ change up your password and set up some sort of authentication/authorization for ur account (codes) so that person has absolutely NO chance of getting back in.

Unfortunately if the person logged you out, when signing in press “forgot password” and press login link. If that does not work, press “can’t reset your password?” Again, from there scroll down on the Help Center to find a tap with an arrow that says “If you think your instagram account has been hacked”. Press “visit this page” and it will take you through a process of questioning, and ends with a Face ID scan for recognition and to make sure you are not a robot. The Face ID will immediately send to instagram, and it will take 1-3 days for them to contact you back. For me, it was a couple hours, but it’s different for everybody.

Hope that helped!! rooting for you to get your account back:)))

- 🪻anon <3

thank you sm anon <3 i don't remember having you on my anon list, so i'll add you on there if you'd like!

unfortunately, i've tried all those things :( i'm gonna keep trying the face id thingy until they accept it bc I LITERALLY LOOK THE SAME AS I DO IN THE PHOTOS I'VE POSTED😭😭😭

ilysm and tysm for the advice, love <3

[schizomothh]

a little elphelt doodle

i love her design so much my brain went ajskkdkd when i saw her shoes. when my hands stop fucking shaking (i dont know the reason why theyre shaking) then i’ll attempt to do a finished drawing of her

[daily-whistlepaw]

@boredom--juvenilefiction this was the encouragement I needed lol.

okay so, I wanted to draw something fun today and since halloween never stops, I wanted to have a second go at a halloween drawing. I decided to involve the new kiddies in this, as last year I drew Whistlepaw's generation for halloween.

since these are kittens I knew the costumes would have to be less scary. Basically elementary school level designs (minus the Popular Fictional Characters because I didn't feel like making them all marvel heroes of disney princesses), so I had to get a little funky.

Whistlepaw was the first one I came up with as I was sketching this and I thought about what adult supervisors often wear at these and I immediately thought about the silly make up they put on. (This is honestly also a bit based on a story a friend told me where she was at a halloween party and had cat make up on, but forgot to take it off before going back home, so the entire way back she had some cat whiskers on her face, and I just found that a bit silly.)

Cat costume would be a bit weird for CATS, but tiger stripes is another popular quick make up thingy; you just throw some stripes on there, maybe fangs if you're feeling funky and now you're a big cat. Here we can imagine that Flutterfoot, masterful painter of the family had some fun applying black dye to make all those stripes.

Then one by one I made the kits.

Brookkit's the one with the least real reason. Brook's mainly black and I lived through (and thouroughly participated in) the halloween boopocalyse, so the black bone cat was still in my mind and I just went with it. I did have some fun making some simplistic bones. not like it'd have to be realistic for a kittens halloween party (tbh, kinda want to draw a full piece. maybe... I've got time this weekend anyway).

Stripekit's was chosen because I imagine Stripe to be a bit of a daredevil terror like his cousin Songleap, and since last year I gave Song a Frankenstein's monster costume, I thought it'd be cute if Stripekit took it over from Song. I intentionally tried to draw the bolts a bit too big for Stripe's head, as these were originally Song's. Just like Songleap last year I did also add a faint green overlay on Stripe (who usually has slightly more blue-purple tones).

Since they are older kits I also thought they could get somewhat "scarier" costumes as they're probably around the equivalent of 9-10 years old right now. Still kids (and Stripe's massive growth spurt still awaits), but able to get a bit spooky. For the younger kits I didn't really choose that intentionally at first, but I didn't want them to have scary things going on. they are the cat equivalent of 6 year olds (and that's generous), so tame (on the scare) little costumes it was.

Branchkit is a tree. Very silly and I did have to think for a bit how in the world I would draw that, but Branchkit is a tree. let's imagine Branchkit came up with this idea himself and is very proud of it, and I am very proud of him too.

Leafkit is an angel mostly because I imagine Leaf to be very sweet and the idea just stuck in my head. Leaf is mostly white already and some wings are always fun to add on a cat, so this one was mostly because it was cute.

Grasskit then is also a tiger. Fiesty little kitten here really has me projecting young me always wanting that tiger make up (why did you think that was the first thing I came up with lol), but I then imagined that Grasskit wanted to be a tiger, but didn't dare to do it alone until Whis offered to also get tigered for the party. There's just something about this spunky little ball of energy being a bit timid here, but being encouraged and thus being able to get the costume/make up that they want that just tugged at my heartstrings enough to draw this.

now this drawing is when they are returning from the party. Stripe and Brook have their own little candy buckets and Whis holds the big bucket that Grass, Branch and Leaf share. Grasskit tried to carry it at first, but that thing is nearly as big as she is (she did NOT inherit the big genes, Branch and Leaf stole those), so that wouldn't have ended well.

and here's the solo images. in order Whis, Stripe, Brook, Leaf, Branch and Grass

daily whistlepaw until ha becomes PoV day 1390

the kids went to a halloween party

[moonandsunwoo]

txt reaction to you moving in next door

# — pairing: txt x reader // strangers to smth

# — genre: fluuuuuff hi

# — warnings: none except a tale as old as time (that we love)

Another requested one!! Thanks for you kind words <3 i wasnt quite sure if thats what you meant (you said txt x reader so i assume a reaction with usual member specific sections) but if it isn‘t then feel welcomed to send another ask and specify! Im probably overthinking this but i just wanted to visualise my thought process (not that it was anyhow long). Have a nice week!

It is a bit longer than usual bc i wanted to include some sort of backstory! I am still scared of tumblr messing with my post as soon as i add a *read more* thingie, so i hope you can forgive me if i dont add one. If someone knows why it does that or how to fix (even better), please let me know!

Soobin — When you moved in, Soobin was thinking of preparing a welcoming gift - a little housewarming present you know. Especially because you would be right next door and he figured that with roommates like his, and their volume, it would be better to start off on a good note. Of course Beomgyu clowned him for it, but before Soobin could think twice, he‘d ring your doorbell with a bunch of flowers (he hoped seasonal but honestly he had no clue), and a box of muffins. Those he almost dropped when you opened the door however because oh my goddess you were cute- he almost forgot to introduce himself. When he returned to the dorm around a warm chat and a coffee in your half-furnished livingroom later, the redness of his cheeks had yet to fade and he (+ txtease) realised that this crush would probably remain for some time.

Yeonjun — He walked out the door one sunny day and straight into a huge box that was (a bit clumsily) placed in front of the it. You had apologised profusely and invited him for tea or coffee as a compensation for his poor foot. Little did you know that Yeonjuns foot had stopped hurting the second he had fully taken you in (which was fast) and he felt not mad but motivated to help you move in next to their dorm asap = so he could get to know you more also asap. And he did help, he carried boxes and lamps and bags into your new apartment, joking and discussing with you as if you and he had always been friends. You were so easygoing and friendly, Yeonjun felt drawn to you. Who knew that one misplaced box could be the start of such a cute friendship - or even further (but thats a story for another day)

Beomgyu — He heard suspiciously loud thuds from next door and decided to check it out. He heard from someone that they would get a new roommate (Beomgyu hoped for someone fun this time) so he assumed that the moving in would be the source of the concerning noises. He was absolutely correct, because the moment he was ringing your doorbell was the moment you singelhandedly decided to move your massive bed across the room. With more or less (less, significantly less) success however. So when you opened the door you were slightly out of breath, hair sticking up and face shiny — and Beomgyu almost cooed. He swore he had never seen something lovelier than you (and you thought the same, in all honesty, c’mon it’s Beomgyu) and immediately offered his help. Later he wondered if the universe really had to test his physical strength to such an extent but ultimately he wasn‘t complaining. Just like his self-proclaimed “minicrush“ wouldn’t stop growing after that :)

Taehyun — The two of you met in the lobby as strangers, entered the elevator as strangers and got off at the same floor as acquaintances. Or as “half friends” how Taehyun would describe it to his friends, not without feeling his heart warm a bit. When both of you pressed the same button it sparked a conversation and a laugh, and somehow the two you just clicked instantly! Taehyun felt grateful that you were the new neighbour and excited to spend more time with you. A frequent thing he’d do, was coming over to help you set up furniture or decorate. He always said he just liked doing stuff like this, but in reality he came for time spent together afterwards. A bit tired from the work and hungry, but happy and in good company, just glad to have met the other one. (I SHIP IT)

Hueningkai — He had been relaxing at home when the doorbell made his heart jump slightly. Opening the door made his heart jump again - for a different reason this time. You had (after overthinking it twice) decided to visit all your neighbours on the same floor and introduce yourself, bringing a little treat. Nothing big, but homemade, and Hueningkai would never grow tired of praising the taste. Like literally, he wouldn’t. stop. That was partly also because his brain short-circuited the second he invited you into their dorm, simply because you were so pretty and he was so not prepared for it. He also completely forgot you would be moving in so all he could really say with confidence, is that your gift tastes excellent (because it did) and since it seemed to make you smile and relax a bit, Kai decided to tap the full potential of it. Look he’s a shy boy, but shy never stopped a friendship from blooming (the lack of effort does tho, btw) and it surely didn’t stop yours from blossoming, trust me.

© moonandsunwoo