#i haven't done this kinda coloring in a long while

[theokusgallery]

Why, hello there, Virgil. Long time no see!

[m0nsterqzzz]

Cat's Out of the Bag La Rue

pairing: Clarisse La Rue x reader

summary: Valentines Day rolls around, and what kind of girlfriend would Clarisse be if she didnt get you the only present you've been wanting?

a/n: i wrote like 5 fucking valentines day fics yesterday (one with natasha, one with wanda, one with clarisse, one with carol danvers, and one with katniss everdeen) yet this is the only one im posting and i kinda hate it. literally the shortest oneshot i've ever written. also, I'm literally a dog person writing about cats. what has life come to?

is this the worst thing i've ever written? yes. do i hate every other piece of written recently cuz im in writers block and haven't updated in like 3 weeks? also yes. im so done yall.

With a baseball cap covering her head, tucking her curls against her head and being the best disguise she could come up with, Clarisse’s eyes dart all around the cab. It zooms through the streets of New York, making the child of Are’s slightly concerned for her and her siblings safety as they get honked out. The man driving seems like he’s barely paying attention to the road, but in the end it doesn’t really matter as long as they get to their destination. 

There are three children in the yellow car; Clarisse, her half brother Mark, and her half sister Ruby. They were the only ones who she could convince to come with her to town, past the safe bounds of camp half blood where nothing but their weapons can stop monsters from hunting and hurting them.

It’d be a lie to say Clarisse isn’t nervous, but she pushes the feeling down as she grips her spear tighter in her left hand. 

This is for you. She’s going into town and risking getting in trouble for the end result of seeing her favorite smile. Your smile. Her partner of one year. It may not seem like a very long time to some people, but you guys are demigods. It’s surprising you made it through the year without being killed by some horrible, ugly monster.

The car stops and the guy counts the large amount of money Mark hands him before telling them to get out of his cab. It may have annoyed the teenagers on any other day, but it doesn’t bother them too much since today is a special day.

“Why are we here?” Ruby asks, eyes scanning the area around them as if sure something is going to jump out at them. In the blonde haired girl's defense, it’s very possible something will.

Clarisse gestures to the small building in front of them. It’s run down and in desperate need of a paint job, but it doesn’t matter. That’s not what grabs the child of Ares attention. It’s the small animals chilling in their little spots inside the store. That’s what she’s here for.

The sign above the small colorful store reads, “Mike’s Animals”. Boring name, but gets the point across. She can already see the little animal she came here for when they walk through the door, the loud bell ringing from the action of opening it but no employee comes to help them. Clarisse lets her siblings stare in awe at the other animals for a few months before shoving towards a section near the back. The kitten section. You had been showing her a website on your phone a few days ago, one with a different selection of the small animals. The website was for Mike’s Animals, but you explained that even though you’d really like a cat, pets aren’t allowed in Camp Half Blood. It’s a rule.

Well you wanna know what Clarisse says about that? Screw rules. What her person want’s, her person gets.

So if the police ever come around, asking you why Clarisse shoved a black and white kitten into her brother's coat pocket and then made a run for it while the store manager chased after them, that’s what you have to say.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

You're laying on your bed reading a book when your girlfriend walks in, a large box covered by a piece of fabric under one arm and a bouquet of flowers in her free hand. She ignores your siblings' gazes as she walks towards your space, setting down the box with a type of gentleness nobody in camp but you gets to see and then holding out the flowers.

They’re your favorite, clearly straight out of the flower fields by the slight glow they give off. They’re wrapped in a brown type of paper with a pink bow clearly down by one of the Aphrodite kids to hold it all together.

“Hey my love.” She starts. “These are for you.” You take the plants with a large grin on your face, bringing them closer to your face to smell the amazing natural scent coming from them. Something moves inside the box she sat on your bed, making you hold in a scream as you jump closer to your girlfriend and farther away from it. “What the hell is moving in that Clarisse?!” You ask, your siblings' attention all over you guys now.

Clarisse just laughs, but she seems slightly nervous as she puts the crate in your lap. “Just look. I hope you like it.” She continues to nervously ramble as you remove the cloth from the top of the box, letting out a small gasp when you see the small animal looking back at you with wide, curious blue eyes.

Your girlfriend stares as you gently pick him up, him instantly curling into your hold with a soft pur as you hold him close to your chest. “You um…you like him?” She asks with a small smile.

“Of course I do! He’s adorable, Risse!” She lets out a relieved sigh, laying down next to you as your siblings surround the bed trying to get a look at the animal. “You know Chiron will never let you keep that right?” One of your brothers asks with a laugh, and you frown as you look at your girlfriend.

She thinks about it for a moment before she says, “We’ll just hide him. He can lounge around the cabin while you’re gone, and you guys can hide him somewhere during cabin checks. Chiron will never know.”

Your siblings eventually leave you alone, going back to their acticicus as your two favorite beings cuddle up to you. Clarisse cuddles up next to your side, and the kitten on your stomach. “I really like you Oreo.” you whisper to the animal, making your girlfriend laugh. “Oreo? That’s the most original thing you could think of right?”

“Okay if you're so great at naming things, what should we name him?”

She goes quiet for a few seconds before mumbling in defeat, “I like Oreo.”

You guys enjoy the silence that surrounds just you guys as you pet Oreo, but then a small laugh comes from you when Clarisse gently grabs the cat and pulls him off your chest so she can lay her head there. “He’s been here for half an hour and you're already jealous?” “He was getting way too touchy. Mine.” She teases and then fakes an annoyed groan when he crawls onto her back and lays down, stretching himself out just to prove a point.

“Will you be my Valentine, my love?” She asks as she places her chin on your chest to look up at you. There's a certain softness in her eyes that you and only you get to see. In fact, it’s very, very rare you ever see the side everyone else talks about when they talk about Clarisse towards you. “You guys just don’t know her like I do.” You tell them. Not like they believe you, half of the camp still believing you somehow put a spell on her.

“Only if you’ll be mine.” You whisper back as if it’s a secret.

“Oh…this is awkward. I already agreed to be like ten other girls date.” Her voice is teasing as she tries and fails not to giggle.

“Is that so?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Hm.” You fake being offended as you cross your arms over your chest and look away. She laughs, and the sound practically forces a smile on your face.

“I’m kidding. Only you, angel. I’m yours. Always.” 

“And I’m yours, Clarisse La Rue.” 

“Always?” 

“And forever.”

There’s a knock on your cabin door, and you figure it’s another camper until a voice calls from the other side of the door, “Clarisse? I know you're in there. Your siblings told me where you went. Cat’s out of the bag La Rue.” Chiron says. Very terrible choice of words. She groans into your stomach, rolling off of you and successfully getting Oreo to jump off her back and onto the bed.

“Those little snitches.” She snarls as she gets up to open the door, making you instantly miss her warmth.

You place the cat under your sweater, giggling and then shoving his face back under when he crawls to put his head through the neck hole. Once she knows he’s covered, Clarisse opens the door. Chirons eyes fall to you, and it’s only then do you think about the fact that there is a giant Oreo shaped lump in your sweater.

All your siblings fall silent as they watch to see what’s gonna happen.

“Mac and cheese day am I right?” You try to joke with a nervous chuckle, but he doesn’t laugh. He just runs a hand over his face and then stares at you. “You know what? I don’t care. You find a way to feed him that isn’t taking resources from us, you make sure he doesn’t do any damage to the furniture, and you keep track of him at all times, you can keep him.”

You grin at him, letting the small animal out of your sweater who in turn lowly hisses at the sight of Chiron.

He groans, walking off as he mumbles something about needing a very long vacation. There's only so much of your girlfriend bending the rules to get you presents he can handle before he was bound to just accept it.

The cinatar leaves, your girlfriend flipping him off when he can’t see. He yells over his shoulder, “I know what you’re doing Clarisse! Stop it or no dessert!” 

She stops flipping him off. Next to you, chocolate cake is what she lives for.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

That night, as you sit with Clarisse at the bonfire, she listens to you complain about how much you miss Oreo. Usually, you’d be too busy roasting marshmallows and cuddling with her to think about anything else, but your girlfriend doesn’t do anything other than smile, happy she made you so happy.

“So how’d you get him anyway? You don’t have that kind of money and there’s no way Chiron gave it to you.” You say, and she freezes in her spot on a log, slightly tightening her arms that are wrapped around your waist as she avoids your eyes.

“I stole him.” Her voice is slightly quieter than usual, and she says this in the most casual tone she can muster.

“CLARISSE LA RUE!”

[kj-beastboy]

Love you art. My favorite thing is definitely your coloring. Flug does give t boy swag. Hope to see more of your drawing soon. Out of curiosity what do you hope for season 2?

Thank youu🥺💜

I know what you meant but just the entire term "T boy swag" reminded me of my fav rapper who just goes by "T" and since I wanted to do that for a while anyway (his songtexts would resonate with Flug so much) I used this as an excuse to redraw one of his album covers, so I love that, I'm gonna steal that heheh

(relatively unrelated for everyone except me lol but I always throw in some art when replying to asks)

umm yeah so... we're not even done with the first season, so idk. from S1-B I predict more of what we've had so far; more or less episodic comedy, slowly easing us into a connected plot. 6th episode already kinda introduced that.

it's gonna be one of those cartoons like TOH who start off silly and episodic in the first season and develop into a melodramatic serialized show from 2nd season onwards.

this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I actually do not 100% vibe with that, I prefer episodic cartoons like SpongeBob or South Park without overarching plot; comedy over drama. but it was always obvious that Villainous is gonna have a fuck ton of lore so I'm not disappointed.

my criticism rn is that I feel it's already way too many characters I'm sorry. it's getting pretty convoluted. I'm just not a fan of that but again pretty subjective. I can't bring myself to care for absolutely any character that we haven't seen animated yet. it's been too long for me to throw too many new characters in the mix, I've been nonstop hyperfixated since 7 years so I'm skeptical about changes.

as for the plot, I have no idea. we're in so early that I can't even imagine where this is gonna go.

for the end I wish that no ship with the main 3 becomes canon. it's just going to create fandom wars, just leave it open

I just want to see Flug happy...

I'll always just hope to get as much information about Flug as possible

definitely hope they explore Miss Heed's character too, as long as she doesn't end up with Flug l'm interested in her. I would like to see her getting worse (maybe switching sides?) before finally healing and learning to love herself

I want to know more about Goldheart and consequently about Flug's past

I wish for Demencia to snap out of her brainwash some day and learn about her past. I need Flug and Demencia to become real good friends and escape together with 505. I do NOT want them to become heroes but in order to find true happiness and peace they'll have to leave this place imo

but I think most of that is WAY in the future, this won't all happen in the 2nd season. but idk how long this series is gonna be, I doubt the crew even knows, so ye!

[absolutebl]

10 BLs That Shook Me

@trribledelight asked for "BLs that made you think or learn smthg or shook you culturally? Eg the political considerations in Not Me..."

Let's get the rough ones out of the way first, shall we?

1 2gether

Green. One of the most egregious reps for punching down humor against femmes in BL (and there sure are a lot out there). Seriously GMMTV? Must you?

At the time we all watched this because there wasn't anything else to watch, and it's been a long time since I bothered with a rewatch, but Green is one of the reasons I just can't with this series.

I'm not knocking the actor, but the character and how the other characters behave around him, and the director with regard to this aspect of the plot and portrayal was rough going.

What shook me was how casually homophobic 2g was. It was just so odd to watch a gay romance gloss over and degrade queerness. I was like, wait, aren't they supposed to me on our side?

(Ah, the before times.)

2 Fish Upon the Sky

Shall we address the head wrap in the room? This BL has some of the most shockingly racist content I've seen in a long time. Also punching down humor. I fast forwarded through it and I still don't want to think about it. GMMTV should be throughly ashamed of themselves... Again. I was shook, but in a bad way.

Okay, now for the ones that shook me in a good way.

3 Until We Meet Again

I watched this early in my Thai BL journey (while it was airing) and I had no idea what to expect. Frankly, you could watch it now and still not know. It's just very unusual for a Thai BL.

The plot twist about how they each ended up reborn. Just so brilliant. I still can't get over it. So simple. SO CLEVER. So punishing for the families.

Fantastic!

4 Secret Crush On You

This one kinda shook me all along but that Daisy & Touch scene. It lives on in my head rent free forever. Just because it was so beautifully sweet and genuine and kindly towards a femme character.

I still don't like this BL.

But I love that scene in it.

5 My Beautiful Man

I went on a JOURNEY with this show. Mostly because I didn't think Japan had it in them to land something this complex. But they managed it beautifully by not shying away from the delicious messy ugliness of it all.

Possibly the greatest final episode in all BL.

And from Japan. Usually so bad at endings.

I remain gobsmacked.

6 Unknown

I shouldn't have been shooketh by this one but I really was.

The style of it while staying so down home and gritty.

How old school Chinese BL it felt yet it still managed to be very modern BL about it.

The execution and quality of the acting.

How it was aired (available in YouTube?! we NEVER get that from Taiwan!)

Also the pair branding. We haven't gotten this level of pair brand from the leads in a Taiwanese BL since SamYu.

I'm was absolutely riveted by everything about this show and its production.

I loved seeing it. I hope we get more BLs like this from Taiwan as a result.

But I ALSO hope they realize that a big factor in the popularity and the success of this show was in distribution.

It's what's for dinner.

Along with the stepbrother trope.

KOREA'S SUPRISES

I watch a lot of Kdramas as well as BL, and have done for a really long time. I'm riveted by Hallyu, from an entertainment industry perspective (what I wouldn't do to get my hands on some of their proprietary data). I also listen to a ton of Kpop.

Therefore, Korea dominates the P'ABL gets shooketh list because I had (and have) more expectations firmly in place around Korea's media product sfyle than anyone elses. Even before they started to make a big play into the BL scene.

My favorite BLs from Korea, like Semantic Error and Light on Me are EXACTLY what I expect from them, manufactured perfection. But I was also shook more times by Korea than other BL nations because I had such rigid expectations.

7 Color Rush

Yeah yeah. But it starred an idol. It started out pretty and stiff and everything I was expecting and then the concept hit me up side the head and I never recovered from the CLEVER of this show. I'm not used to my Kdramas or my BL being this high concept and SMART about their sanitized perfection.

8 Blueming

What with the 8th Sense and others since, Blueming seems to have been somewhat forgotten about. But at the time, I was shook by the down home grit of this show. By the actual pain from the characters. By the higher heat concept. By Korea actually going THERE.

And then these babies came along...

9 The 8th Sense

I just didn't think Korea had it in them. Yes, I realize now that it was a bit navel gazey, and we were weighted heavily towards the seme and his pain. I would have liked a better balance between the leads, but that's in retrospect.

At the time I couldn't believe it. A KBL dealing with mental health?

And can we talk about those sex scenes? How insanely comfortable the actors were with each other? How easy in each other's personal space? I've not seen anything else quite like that from Korea. It's super rare. I had assumed they, culturally, just didn't do casual intimacy, or if they did, it wasn't allowed on screen.

Of course now I know the CAN do it, I want more.

10 Love for Love's Sake

Okay, lots to unpack with this one. A genuine isakai BL, in the original sense of the term. The death twist didn't shake me up, but the execution, acting, open gayness, and a couple other things did. Enough to make me still think on this show with fond surprise and affection, despite its undercurrent of darkness.

I like to be shooketh.

(source)

[ikimaru]

when and how did you find your art style? has it changed much over time?

I'm gonna go on a tangent here bc it's pretty interesting for me to look back on aksjd

I don't think it was really linear in a point A to point B kinda way, I still got it more or less where I wanted it to but I can't say it felt streamlined

my first fandom was pokemon anime, so I was 100% set on learning that style first bc that was fun to me, instead of learning basics or anything I went right in and learned how to draw humans in that style, then I got into Death Note so I had to learn an entirely different style bc the previous one didn't help at all, I didn't stick with it very long tho because THEN I got into vocaloid and various anime and more colorful characters so it was pretty much the huge eyes - dot nose style for a while

*then* I got tumblr and this site was very.. overwhelmingly cartoon-oriented so I quickly took an interest in cartoony styles and learned the style which I used between 2011-2016 pretty much, I think that was the first one where I could be like "it's mine" bc I was actively figuring out things I liked and putting my spin on them and it was so fun

but by the time I got into vld I wanted it to be more more complex so I was focusing more on learning lighting, anatomy and making the faces less cartoony annd I really wish I tackled the style of faces differently and I didn't end up hating drawing for several years in the process without even realizing it BUT Anyway

with gnshn last year is when I finally started compiling all the things I liked about drawing again from past styles and also new things so I can all combine it together at last, which is something I haven't done in huh 6(??)+ years.. ughhh lmao I really had to stop and be like "what do I WANT my art to look like?" and I'm still working on it

but yeah basically, it IS a lot more streamlined if you pick tutorials and go like that's a good™️ style to learn and go from there, instead of learning/unlearning things over and over like I did, I don't regret learning the previous styles tho, each of them were what I wanted out of it at the time, but there was a learning curve every single time

anyway your art path is your own whether you choose to get better in the faster way possible or do detours or something else, once you have a set of things that feel personal to you in how you draw them and you can comfortably use that to draw whatever u want to, you'll just know, it doesn't have to happen asap c:

[lottielovelace]

technically

(Valeria Garza x Reader)

summary: You're working as KorTac's reserve medic on an assignment in Mexico, leading you to a "nameless" woman.

You don't know her name. You don't know what she's done and who she's killed. All you do know is that she is very dangerous, very powerful, and you're going to have to do surgery on her. In a bikini. No pressure!

Prior context if you haven't read the prior installments: Reader is König's long-lost half sister. Code name Prinzessin (Sinn for short). Recently graduated from Med school. There is more, but it's not relevant to this specific fic so I'll leave it unspoiled in case you end up reading the series. For people who have been following the series, Ghost x Reader is still endgame, but they aren't together yet and I think Reader's life shouldn't solely revolve around him. Plus she's going to go through the wringer later, so let her have some fun now. And in case it's not obvious, since this is in second person and you don't know Valeria's real name, you know her as Bravo-Three for most of this fic.

originally posted on ao3 (wordcount: 2.2k)

Rating: E

Relationships: Valeria Garza x Reader

Ao3 Tags: Improper Medical Procedure / Cunnilingus / Flirting / One Night Stands / (though actually more like a two night stand)

this is a part of a series

Many thanks to @xstanceh3x for beta-ing!

Technically, this was a work trip.

Only technically.

In everything but name, this was a reward. Your reward for graduating with flying colors: a trip to Mexico.

Now, technically, you were a reserve medic for König, Horangi, and their allies. But you weren’t working in the field—not yet at least. Instead of being in the thick of the action, you were nicely holed away in the villa of their contractor. Not half-bad.

Hell, so long as no one got hurt, it was a free vacation.

So of course midway through your pool lounging, your radio crackled with Horangi’s voice.

“Sinn, are you there? Over.”

“Loud and clear. Over”

“Bravo-Three got hit, I’m taking her to you.”

“How bad is it?”

“Stable, but needs immediate care. I could try taking the bullet out myself, but I figure your stitches will leave the smallest scars.”

“I’m not afraid of another cicatriz,” an accented voice drawled out. Bravo-Three. You didn’t know her name—it was redacted from the files assigned to you—but you knew her face. You’d been briefly introduced when you arrived at the house—her house. The files didn’t say it, but your brother privately divulged that she was the one bankrolling this entire operation.

She was beautiful, stunning in a way that kinda made you forget everything for a second (just enough time for her to gut you). She had a quiet confidence to her. If you looked close you noticed that, while lacking the bulk of her male compatriots, her frame was bound with muscle. Not that you’ve been staring at her, of course. 

Horangi made good time. You were barely able to get out your equipment before the elevator dinged.

Shit, you didn’t even have time to change. You hastily slapped on a mask and gloves. A bikini may be impractical, but so long as it was paired with other PPE, it wasn’t the end of the world.

Horangi stumbled in, Bravo-Three leaning on him. He gently deposited her on the sofa. Her forehead was slick with sweat, messing up her normally immaculate hair.

“This is your medic?” Bravo-Three sneered through gritted teeth.

“Graduated top of her class,” Horangi reassured.

You smiled at her, “I would offer my hand, but I think it’s best for the both of us that these gloves remain sterilized.”

Bravo-Three’s eyes traced your attire with an unimpressed eyebrow but an appreciative gaze.

“I see you have proper scrubs on.”

“Well you did catch me a little off guard.”

“You should be better,” Bravo-Three reprimanded. “This is a job, not a vacation.”

Her tone was firm, but she was not being nearly as harsh as she could be. You remembered overhearing her dress down a subordinate last night (something about some “product” being missing, you weren’t sure, you didn’t speak Spanish). It’d been terrifying (and a little exhilarating). Bravo-Three could be very cruel and very scary when she wanted to be. This was neither. Maybe she had a soft spot for you. Or maybe she was just taking pity on you (or the piss).

“If you want me to change, I’ll change. But I would rather treat this wound immediately.”

“Fine,” the woman relented, a shark’s smile emerging on her face. “At least it’s a nice view.”

You couldn’t stop your blush. You know she saw.

She takes the bullet extraction like a champ, barely wincing as the forceps pull the metal out. It lands onto the living room ashtray with what feels like a deafening clatter.

Changing your gloves, you allow yourself to breathe. Step one down.

Antiseptic in hand, you cleaned her wound before beginning to suture. Even though you were scared out of your mind, your hands didn’t shake. You were too well-trained and practiced for that. Still, your anxiety was noticeable.

“You’re nervous,” Bravo-Three all but purred.

“You’re kinda a big deal. I wouldn’t want to screw it up.”

“I already told you, I’m no stranger to scars chula. No matter how big or small it ends up being, it will be in good company. As long as it heals, all is good.”

She pulled the neckline of her tank top down to give you a visual demonstration. You paused your work to look up and scold her for moving, only to be struck dumb by the sight of bare skin.

Tattoos and scars crisscrossed over her tanned skin. She still had her sports bra on—just as clothed as she would be in the gym—but something about this felt incredibly intimate. Maybe it was the way her dark eyes stared into your soul.

You bit your lip, forcing yourself to focus on the task at hand.

“Just don’t take it out on my brother and Horangi. No matter what happens, pay them in full.”

“Don’t worry, I keep my promises. How did you know, I’m—”

“Your body armor. It’s the good stuff.” A half-truth. You weren’t going to rat on your brother, and her body armor was expensive (your time at the KorTac base taught you that operators had THOUGHTS on armor brands and styles). “Done.”

She looked down at your handiwork.

“Not bad… Princesa, isn’t it?”

Your call sign rolled off her tongue in a way that made you shiver.

“Yes.”

“Nice, very nice.” The woman leant in. She looked even prettier up close. “You know, I don’t like being indebted. I ought to repay you.”

“You don’t need to do that,” your voice was breathless. “Just doing my job.”

“Let me thank you.” Her hand found its way to your waistband. It rested there like a promise. “Would you like me to show my gratitude?”

Want thrummed through you, but your tongue refused to comply—still shellshocked that someone like her would want you. You settled for a nod.

The woman sank to the ground.

You still didn’t know her name. You didn’t know what she’d done and who she’d killed. All you did know was the following three things:

She was dangerous. She was powerful. And she was on her knees for you, wanting to make you feel good.

She parted your legs with one hand, untying your bikini string with the other.

Her touch was gentle but firm. She had a job to do, she knew how to execute it, and she was damn well going to see it through.

You hated to interrupt her but, “Wait, what should I call you?”

“What do you know me as?”

“Bravo-Three.”

“And nothing else?"

“I’ve heard… whispers,” you conceded.

Bravo-Three looked up at you, intrigue now mixed with her lust. “Yes?”

“That you’re known as… the nameless one? I don’t know. I don’t speak Spanish. Either way it doesn’t really roll off the tongue, especially in the heat of… the moment.”

The woman thought about it for a moment, before deciding: “You can call me V.”

“V,” you tested the name on your lips. Clearly another pseudonym, but you didn’t mind that. It was yours to use for, yours alone.

You had only one more request before you surrendered yourself completely.

“V, please don’t tear your stitches.”

----------

She started with soft, little licks. Exploring the way your body reacted. Learning what made your breath hitch and insides clench. She didn’t want to break you, not yet at least.

As she began to get a feel for you and the way you… tick, her movements increased in both speed and confidence. You always prided yourself on being able to keep your mouth shut, but V had this… unpredictability to her that allowed her to pull moans and gasps and other little sounds from you with embarrassing ease.

The noise seemed to embolden her. But you know what they say about cockiness.

She’s skilled. Obviously. Undeniably talented and experienced. But slightly and frustratingly off target.

She’s so damn close to where you need her, but ever so off.

“Harder,” you moaned out.

V’s tongue didn't move. 

But after you add a desperate “Please”, her lips do.

With a jolt you realized that she was smirking. She knew damn well what you needed and was pointedly refusing.

You couldn’t help but let a groan of frustration slip out.

Fine. Guess you have to do it yourself.

You began grinding your hips, rocking her tongue into your cunt, riding her face .

V paused her gloating for a moment, reveling in your movements.

She made a muffled noise. It rumbled against your lips, tantalizing vibrations that only brought you closer to the edge. A laugh, you realized.

Teasing you was fun, but she’d had her fill of it.

Lifting you with ease, she pinned you against the wall—tongue still buried in you. Safely against something sturdy, she started writhing her tongue like a woman crazed. It’s intense, setting every nerve of yours ablaze. Scrambling, practically getting fucked silly, you reach for something— anything to steady yourself. Your hand winds up tangled in V’s beautiful locks, much to her apparent delight.

In the end it’s her canine—not biting, but instead—grazing against your clit that does you in. The shock of cool enamel, the reminder of danger, of the sharp teeth hidden in her plush mouth… your brain went numb.

Your head snapped back and for a second everything was blinding white. For a second you didn’t feel the wall behind you, or V’s grip on your waist, or her arms holding you up. All your body could even comprehend was euphoria.

When you finally came to, it’s to those same goddamn teeth, smiling at you through lips covered in your slick.

----------

You do end up having to redo her stitches. V has enough self control that they remained intact while she went down on you, but when you returned the favor she got… carried away. Arched a little too quickly and they reopened. When you said you wanted her gushing, that wasn’t what you meant.

“It’s a compliment, cariño,“ she reassured as you fixed her up again.

“Yeah, yeah.”

----------

“Well done, the wire transfer should process in two to three business days.”

“That’s good to hear.” Even though your absence perturbed Horangi, the fact that El Sin Nombre was walking around and discussing financial details—relaxed and fully stitched—was a good sign. “How did Sinn do?”

“Nicely. She’s very good with hands. Talented.”

He didn’t like the smug smile plastered on Valeria’s face.

“Where’s she now?”

“Resting. She worked hard. Very hard.”

Horangi thought about it for a moment before deciding, “I don’t need to know the details as long as she’s safe and on the flight home tomorrow.”

Valeria rolled her eyes.

“Yes sir.”

Her words held neither ire nor deference.

----------

You woke up to V’s voice. You groggily opened your eyes to find her on a phone call. Even though she didn’t seem angry with the caller, her voice was sharper than it ever was with you. This was business. Talking in rapid fire Spanish, you didn’t understand a lick of what she was saying—and judging from her ease at discussing such sensitive information with you present, she knew it.

You sat up, eyes still half lidded. At the sight of motion from you, V hung up, redirecting her full attention to you.

“Looks like someone’s a dormilona.” You groaned in response. “There’s some breakfast in the fridge.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You had quite the appetite yesterday.”

“That’s not…” you began to nod off before a gentle nudge from V woke you up once more.

“Come on, I know something that’ll wake you up.”

She ends up leading you downstairs, dressed in her pajamas, still half asleep. You two wind up at a door. V barked something at the guards down the hall. After getting acknowledgement from them, she opened it and flicked on the lights. Blinking away, your eyes adjusted to the brightness revealing a private shooting range.

“What are—”

“I’m not a very popular woman. I have enemies, enemies who’d like to hurt me through any means possible. Even if I never see you again, you’re still in danger. I would like to ensure you can defend yourself.”

“You do care.”

“You have such a pretty face. I’d hate to see it ruined. Can you shoot?”

“Long distance yeah, close range no.”

Her eyebrow leapt.

“How’d that happen?”

“Sniping is a family tradition. Plus the boys aren’t the biggest fan of the idea of me being in close combat.”

“With a chica like you, it’s a matter of when, not if that will happen. You know how to load a gun?”

You demonstrated for her. She tsked.

“Needs to be faster. While you’re fumbling for a round, someone else will have unloaded one into you. But speed only comes with practice, which we have no time for right now. Though when you get home… Anyway, let’s see what you can do.”

You tried your best to get into position. The handgun’s weight felt so unfamiliar, center of gravity completely different.

“This isn’t sniping. You can’t wait for the perfect shot to align. You need to make do. Your enemies already see you. You won’t be giving your position away.”

Her hands made their way to you. One landed on your waist, the other on your shoulder. After she noticed that “Dios you’re stiff,” she let her lips rest in the crook of your neck, accompanied by a simple order: “Relax.”

BANG

Even with noise protection, the gunshot and its recoil were more than enough to wake you up.

“Not bad, cariño. Again. Faster.”

Several rounds later V declared, “I think that’s enough for today. You have a flight to catch. And you should probably shower, I don’t know how your brother would react to you coming home smelling of me.”

You smiled at her from under your eyelashes, “All by my lonesome?”V chuckled, “Eres una chica muy traviesa, ¿lo sabías?”

[osleeplessflowero]

Hi! I saw your post asking for requests, this is my first time asking so sorry if I break a rule just delete if it makes you uncomfortable. Can I get a platonic reader x bad sanses or star sanses? (Or whoever your want I'm not picky) maybe how the reader sees them as a brother or father figure? Thank you in advance!

you're totally fine anon! this is a great request!! :] let's see..i've done quite a few bad sanses oneshots previously, how about we show the star sanses some love? 🌸

CW: Light Emetophobia, Ink is known to throw up when he gets too excited! It only happens once and for a brief second.

It's a peaceful day in the corner of the Doodlesphere that Ink had placed the Star Sanses base in. You sit in your assigned room on your bed, playing one of your favorite games on your laptop. The lights from outside shine in through your window, imitating sunlight. It gives the room a nice, comforting feeling. It's peaceful for a little while, until Ink BURSTS into the room, leaning against the door and holding it shut. You raise a brow in confusion, lowering your headphones.

"Hello Ink." You greet him with a blank look, waiting for him to explain himself. He chuckles sheepishly, jolting when something begins hitting the door.

"Heeey, you! So, funny story.." Another thud. "I kiiinda made Berry mad at me and I need to take shelter here, is that cool?" He holds up his hands as if to pray, pleading with you. You raise your index finger to your chin, contemplating.

"What did you do to Berry to get him this mad? And where's Blue?"

"Blue's in his universe, he left Berry here because they were gonna talk about stuff. And uh..I may or may not have hit him with paint balloons. Bright, neon colored paint balloons."

"Ink, you dumbass-" You sigh, saving your game and closing your laptop. "You know not to provoke the kid."

"Okay, but in my defense, it was insanely funny." He snickers, moving a box of random things you own in front of the door and plopping down on your bed.

"You do realize that won't hold him for long, right?"

"Yeah, but I'll savor my freedom while I still have it. Soooo, what have you been up to? Haven't seen you a lot today." He lies upside down, looking up at you with the goofy grin he always has.

"Well, I was just playing my favorite game and chillin'. At least, up until you broke in." You poke his forehead, earning a chuckle from the skeleton.

"Hmmm..sounds like it would get kinda boring after a while." He rolls over, resting his chin between his hands. "You should come hang out with me, Dream's busy and Blue's gone."

"I mean, I could. But what would we do?"

"We..Huh." He blinks a few times, the small symbols in his eyesockets changing each time as he thinks. "How abouttt.. we go paint the outside of HQ? We could make a masterpiece!" He grins, sitting up with his legs crossed. "C'mon, what do you say?"

"Sounds pretty fun, Ink. But if you throw paint balloons as me as well I might have to kill you."

He laughs, giving you a playful nudge.

"Wait, so does that mean you'll actually join me?"

"Yeah, just let me change first-"

He grins wide, shaking you back and forth excitedly before pausing, running over to the nearest window. You wince as you hear him throw up a bunch of ink, letting it fall into the depths of the sphere before closing the window and leaning back in.

"This is gonna be great! C'mon!" He gently tugs your hand, before the door bursts open. You both freeze like deer in the headlights, looking down at the skeleton approaching.

Berry was a small fellow, much smaller than blue and having an overall cyan color scheme in comparison to Blue's calmer tones. A bandana with a large ribbon behind it is tied around his neck, his eyelights constantly being shaped like stars, where in comparison Blue's only occasionally do the same thing. At the moment, those eyelights have shrunk to mere pinpricks, as he holds up a comically large knife, pointing it in Ink's direction. He hides behind you, as if you were able to defend him. Gee, thanks Ink.

"INK- You Have Dared To Cross Me, And Now You Will PAY!" You can't help but snicker a little at how adorable the little guy looks, covering your mouth with your hand.

"Look, Berry, I said I'm sorry!" Ink struggles to hold in a laugh.

"You'll Be Sorry Alright, WHEN I GET YOU-" He charges forwards, but you interfere, grabbing his head. He struggles against you, swinging his arms to try to get to Ink.

"Now now, Berry, let's just cool it. Ink apologized, let's move on. You wanna come paint with us to make up for it?" You smile as the little skeleton perks up at that, making his blade disappear into his inventory.

"Really?! You Mean It?" He grins wide, his eyelights expanding to a much bigger size.

"Yeah! Right, Ink?" You turn to him, watching him nod before looking back. "Well, it's settled then."

You pause, hearing the sounds of shortcuts, before grinning and running into the living room. Blue and Dream seem to be having a casual conversation before realizing you're there, smiling towards you. Blue promptly runs over, picking you up and spinning you around.

"Ha Ha! I've Returned! Did You Miss Me?" Blue grins before putting you down, putting his hands on his hips.

"You know I did, Blue! How's Paps doing?" You tilt your head, genuinely curious. He chuckles at your reply.

"He's Doing Well! He Wanted Me To Give You A Small Bag Of Suckers That He'd Been Holding Onto, So Here You Go! Try Not To Go Through All Of It At Once, Okay? Sugar Rushes Are.. Scary." He briefly glances over at Berry, narrowing his eyes. You let out a laugh at that, putting the little bag he hands you into one of your pockets.

"Noted." You turn to Dream, who holds his arms out for you. You grin as you leap into his arms, embracing his warmth and the pleasant scents that surround him.

"Oh, I've missed you! How've you been doing while I've been away? Good, I hope? If not I'll have to give Ink a stern talking to." Dream glances at him from the side, earning a laugh from the more colorful skeleton.

"Don't worry, I've been alright. I've just been hanging out in my room, and I just split these two up from a fight." You point towards Berry and Ink, the former putting his knife away the moment he's spotted and smiling innocently.

"Goodness, Berry! What Did I Tell You About Having Knives In HQ?" Blue frowns, walking over and carefully taking the blade away from his shorter "cousin". "You Know Better."

"Sorry, Blue.." Berry pouts, crossing his arms. The taller skeleton pats his skull, smiling a bit.

"Just Be More Careful Next Time! You Don't Want To Hurt Anyone, Do You?"

Berry looks at Ink. "..Maybe."

"Berry! Bad!" Blue frowns again, poking the smaller skeleton's forehead as you finally let go of Ink.

"Me and Ink were just about to go outside and paint, if you'd like to join us. You guys don't have anything else to do today, right?" You offer, silently hoping they'll agree.

"I'd Love To Join In! It Could Be Good Exercise." Blue puts his hands on his hips in a hero-like manner, his cape swaying out behind him.

"I'd like to join, even if I just end up watching. Ooh! I could make some tea for everyone, how does that sound?" Dream smiles as everyone agrees with that idea, stepping into the kitchen to make some magic-based teas for everyone. He made sure to remember your favorite kind in advance.

Everyone moves outside, Ink stopping you a moment so he can use Broomy to paint a grassy area for you all to stand on, grabbing some paint cans he'd left beside the house and walking over to the first blank wall.

"Okay everybody, let's get started!" Ink grins, handing a smaller brush to you. You pause a second, realizing that due to getting caught up in your excitement you forgot to change into something you're okay with getting paint on.

"Wait a sec, I'll be right back." You run back inside to your room, changing hurriedly before rushing back outside. Ink paints a few step stools using Broomy so those who can't reach taller areas can use them, balancing on the large brush to paint patterns with smaller ones.

Berry jumps up onto Blue's shoulders, standing up on them so he can reach the upper areas thanks to the bigger skeleton's height. Blue doesn't seem to mind it all that much, instead focusing on what to paint outside of his room. Dream walks out and places down a yellow gingham blanket, then goes back inside to sit the teacups down where everyone can easily access them.

You stand outside your room, beginning to paint whatever comes into your head that relates to you somehow. You want to ensure that the space feels truly yours, so you put a lot of thought and care into each stroke. Of course, you could always just repaint later, but it's the thought that counts. Berry eventually runs out of ideas and goes to talk to Dream, so Blue takes the opportunity to paint a little bit beside you.

"So, how's adventuring been, Blue? Is it..everything you'd hoped?" You paint a little star pattern. He hums thoughtfully, completing a heart you'd forgotten to finish.

"I Suppose You Could Say That! It's Given Me A Lot Of Opportunities To Meet New People And Experience Other Worlds. But That Can Also Be Kinda Stressful..Especially When You Start Running Into Variations Of You That Are..Well.."

You both look over at Berry, who's currently zooming around a very confused and startled Dream in circles.

"Yeah..I don't know how I'd feel about seeing so many of Me. I mean, the three of you guys alone is a stretch. Imagine if all of the variants were in one place?"

"That Would Be Very Much So Impossible- Which Really Makes You Think..Just How Big Is The Multiverse? What Parts Of It Are So Closed Off, Even Ink Hasn't Seen Them? It's All So..So.."

"Mysterious?"

"Yeah! Exactly." He smiles at a little cutesy painting you made of him right below his window, looking as if he's holding it up. "But I Suppose That's How It's Always Been."

"I feel that. It makes me wonder if we've ever met before, in some other timeline. You think things would be much different?"

There's a short pause.

"Nah, I Don't Think It Would." He smiles, you share it. You continue painting side by side in peaceful silence, until you hear the sound of something splattering. Sharing a worried look, you turn back to see Dream looking down at the ground, a green paint balloon having hit his head. Ink is frozen like a deer in the headlights, and Berry is laughing hysterically.

"I- I am so sorry, Dream, I meant to hit him, not you--"

Dream looks up, an eyesocket twitching as he picks up one of the balloons Ink had left lying on the ground, throwing it and hitting him square in the face. Berry collapses, laughing even louder.

"Oh Dear, It Seems Ink's Declared War." Blue chuckles, laughing a little as he speaks, watching them begin to form more paint balloons to throw at each other. A devious grin crosses your face as you look back at him. His expression slowly shifts to a worried one. "Oh No. Don't- Do Not Even Think About It-"

"I'm joining in!" You pick up a balloon.

"Pick your side!" Ink grins, getting hit in the side of the head with a red balloon.

You shake your head. "Nah..I'm taking my own side!" You throw balloons at the both of them, before getting pelleted with them yourself. Blue huffs as he watches you, before going still when he feels a presence behind him.

"Nothing Personnel, Double." Berry grins, throwing a cyan balloon at Blue's back.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN PHRASE IT RIGHT-" Blue sighs, joining in the battle. Paint balloons fly across the yard, splatting the walls as well as everyone laughs, having a great time. The commotion grows so great, even Error finds himself popping his head in from the Anti-Void, before closing up the portal to avoid a balloon to the face.

After a while, you each grow tired, huffing and raising up little white flags before drinking the tea that Dream brought out (that thankfully is somehow still warm, and paintless). You then turn to the walls, seeing a beautiful mess of color accompanying your art from earlier, smiling a bit at your collective handiwork.

"Y'know, I think it looks good like this." You hold up your hands like a camera, smiling.

"I think so too! Hey, you know what would fit?" Ink turns to Dream, seeing if he'll catch on.

"Oh! A picture!" Dream rushes to his room, grabbing his camera and running back out. Everyone stands in front of the wall together, grinning and posing. "Say cheeeese!"

"Cheeeese!"

Getting to spend so much time with the skeletons you both look up to and admire is an experience you wouldn't trade for anything in the multiverse. Anything at all.

"IIIII say..on this momentous occasion, we should all watch a movie. First one to fall asleep gets their face drawn on!" Ink holds up a washable marker menacingly.

"I've got coffee, you won't be getting me anytime soon." Dream grins, going inside to clean off the paint and change his clothes to wash them later. Blue follows after him to do the same.

"It'll probably be you first, Ink." You snicker, using a towel to get some fresh paint off of your face. He calls out after you as you start to head to the bathroom attached to your room. "NUH UH!"

"YUH HUH!" You shout back, going to take a warm shower to get all of the paint off of you.

An hour or two passes, and you find yourself building a strong pillow fort with Blue and Berry. Dream sits to your left, Blue to your right with Berry leaning on him, already looking pretty tuckered out. Ink observes everyone from his spot in front, eagerly waiting for the moment someone falls asleep.

Dream whispers to you as Blue looks through a selection of movies for you to watch together. "Did you have fun?"

You whisper back. "Yeah, I've had a lot of fun with you guys today. I love having peaceful moments like this..it's really nice. I really have to thank you guys for taking such good care of me lately..it means the world to me." You lean on him a bit, and he smiles as he places an arm around you.

"Of course. You're a very dear friend to us, never forget that we care for you. We'll always be here for you, no matter the circumstances."

You yawn a little, the comforting aura emitting from him making you feel safe enough to rest. "Thank you, Dream.."

"Careful." Ink grins like a cheshire cat, watching as your eyes begin to close. "There's still an active threat in the room." He says in a sing-song tone, waiting to attack.

"I'm gonna fucking Get You later."

"I'd like to see you tr-" Ink pauses mid-sentence when he sees that Berry's fallen asleep, grinning madly. "Well. Looks like you'll be spared after all."

"Oh boy." You snicker, the rest of your little group grinning amongst themselves as the movie begins. Ink claps his hands so the lights dim, sitting closer to you and relaxing on some pillows, giving commentary from time to time. Soon your eyes begin to close..those around you growing tired as well from a long day of adventuring.

It's peaceful for a while.. the perfect environment to relax.

..Until a portal opens.

"IIIIINK!"

"Ah fuck."

"Language!" Blue frowns as Ink stands up to go outside. Blue considers carrying your sleeping form to your room like he always does, but decides not to since Dream's already asleep with you. He'd rather not disturb you both, at least not until he needs Dream's aid..

Oh boy.

[scribblestatic]

Hey yo, time for a dose of Sheepzun :3

----

Shen Yuan snuck his way further onto Qiong Ding Peak in search of his student. He rammed a few demons along the way, leaving them laying about in his search. Which, yes, he was leaving a mess, but he didn't have opposable thumbs to clean up after himself and he's kinda busy right now!

After some searching, he heard some wild commotion. It looked to be coming from the central platform of Qiong Ding, right in front of the main hall. Who would attack the main hall first except for some show-off, ah? If you want to infiltrate, start from the corners and bleed inwards so the main brass doesn't notice until it's too late! That's the kind of method that works best in this dog-eat-dog world!

Regardless, he kept himself concealed as he approached, noting that most of the disciples, as expected, wore Qiong Ding Peak colors. A smattered few wore Qing Jing Peak ones, with only a dotted minority wearing those of other peaks. When his ears flicked backwards, he heard a few more Qing Jing Peak disciples on their way.

Ah, interrupting the demons in their effort to break the bridge was a good idea! Perhaps Qing Jing could protect these lambs while waiting for more powerful backup. However, Qing Jing Peak didn't have many disciples, right? If it was one of the other peaks, there'd be more backup...but, of course, they'd mostly be lambs.

Where were the instructors, ah?? Their cultivation should be better than these little ones!

Frustrations aside, Shen Yuan snuck around the back of the crowd, easing his way toward the front. He had to be careful several times to avoid rushing disciples, keeping them from knocking into him or his horns.

Eventually, he made it near the front, only to see...dancing?

No, it was a battle. But it looked more like dancing to him than expected. Their fighting was elegant in a way, but it wasn't the sort of bloody event he'd been expecting between an immortal and a demon. Though, perhaps that had to do with the immortal's lack of spiritual sword. She must be of Luo Binghe's generation, some of whom haven't received their swords yet.

As such, her sword didn't ring with powerful energy, and as Shen Yuan watched, he saw her make a few mistakes. She overextended her arm at times, spun a little too loosely, just minute errors. But they built up, resulting in her loss once the demoness she battled struck her arm and chest.

After she picked herself up from the ground, she walked over to a lofty immortal who was leisurely fanning himself and--

Ah! Wasn't that one of the immortal lords he'd rescued in the cave? He was well! How wonderful!

Indeed, his colors were clearly Qing Jing, and he'd managed to clean himself up quite well. Perhaps he'd been cultivating in a different cave before finding the other...err...the pretty one. Yeah. Shen Yuan looked around briefly, realizing he couldn't see him anywhere. Maybe he was still recovering? He couldn't imagine it took that long, but he's a ram. Maybe it worked differently for humans.

Anyway, this guy, in his silver hair crown, fanning himself leisurely, was clearly some sort of immortal master. And he'd saved this guy's life? Perhaps he had some golden thighs to cling to after all!

...Eh? What a strange thought he just had. What 'golden thighs'?

"This disciple has lost and disgraced the mission, I request that Martial Uncle Shen punish me."

Punishment? No, she didn't deserve any sort of punishment. She'd done her best all things considered. Instead, she needed to learn the places she could've done better and continue her educa--

The immortal huffed, dismissing her with the wave of his fan, his expression curled in derision. The veiled girl managed a respectful bow despite her injured arm, then joined the gaggle of other girls in purple garb much like her own.

?

???

???

What an asshole???

Excuse me, Mr. Immortal, this ram had to save you in the caves! Where do you get off on acting like that little lamb was bothering you with her earnest attempt? Aren't you something of a teacher? Shouldn't you use this as an opportunity for her to learn?!

This Shen guy--

...Shen.

As in, Shen Qingqiu?

The demoness who won against the veiled girl smiled coquettishly, her body loosely covered in red bolts of fabric. So much skin, there was little left to the imagination. Ah, but Shen Yuan didn't think too much of that. As it was, his tail and wool were all that maintained his decency, in the humanoid sense, anyway. He would not be a pot berating a kettle.

Rouged lips parted to show bright teeth, canines a tad too sharp to be strictly human.

"This third trial will determine the victory! Who will you send up for the next trial, Elder Shen? This time, you had better choose carefully."

Agh, it really was Shen Qingqiu, wasn't it?

This lofty immortal with no teaching ability, this man was his Bing-lamb's human shizun? What a waste of a handsome face!

Ah, no, he should wait. It wouldn't be right to judge someone so quickly. After all, that immortal had been trying to help his pretty comrade in the caves, only for his messed up meridians to hinder him. If anything, the fact he's cultivated up to a core formation shows his dedication to the craft. Indeed, perhaps this man was simply somewhat cagey.

When the man spoke, a handsome, if not snide, voice rang out.

"No need for the Young Miss to trouble herself. This Shen has a person in mind."

Oof, he's definitely cagey. And quite apt at insults.

The young miss in question called out for a warrior on her side to come forth for what was apparently the third trial. So, there had been a battle beforehand? Who had fought?

But Shen Yuan's thoughts quickly became distracted when the ground below him shook. He moved out of the way as disciples around him shook and clustered in closer, clearly feeling some fear.

Not that Shen Yuan would blame them, considering the one that stepped out!

The huge demon elder was definitely some sort of giant! At least ten zhang tall, with a thick, hefty build, wearing thorny armor all over his body, he dragged an equally-large sledgehammer behind him. A toothy grin peered out from behind his shaggy hair and helmet.

The demoness in red spread her arms in display.

"I'll give everyone on this immortal mountain a warning first. The spikes on Elder Tian Chui's armor are covered with my family's strongest poison. This kind of poison has no effect on demons, but if a human is pierced, there is no cure."

...Excuse me, Young Miss?

Why would you bring an incurable poison to an immortal's mountain unless you meant to murder? Why bother playing around and fighting three rounds when the last one clearly shows your intent? What kind of infiltration is this?!

Also, Tian Chui?! Was this elder born carrying his sledgehammer the entire time?!! Did his mother look down at his body and say, "Dear demon child, look at you, born with a hammer! Your hammer will one day pierce the heavens and fight the power of the immortals!"

Terrible naming! Absolutely the worst!! Spit on your mother's grave, Tian Chui!!

Shen Yuan was so close to stomping his hooves in irritation, he had to grit his teeth to keep himself from doing so. But goodness, he'd never felt so enraged in his life! Something about being away from Qing Jing and Luo Binghe just made this world and its intricacies ten times worse.

Where was his little lamb? He should get the boy and go back to Qing Jing immediately. At least to get away from this mess!

The disciples around him clearly agreed, airing out their frustrations.

"Stinking demon girl!! Competing is competing! Using a strong poison--what fairness is there!"

Damn right, boy in Qiong Ding robes!

But the demoness just laughed.

"I didn't hide this point. If you feel anything's unfair, or if you're afraid of getting poisoned and losing your life, the custom is to cede the trial. There would be no more need to compete then. We demons won't laugh at you since we cherish life." Her grin sharpened then, clearly mocking. "It's only human."

Ah. She's a bitch.

Shen Yuan's not sure what a 'bitch' is, but whatever it is, she's that. He'd have to find out later.

The disciples continued their complaints, angrily condemning the demons. And, of course, none of them stepped forward. Who would? It's not just human nature to value your own life--it's the nature of all living organisms! Who in their right mind would throw it away once you told them an action would end it?

Shen Qingqiu was clearly thinking the same thing. After all, he was being quite quiet as the bantering slowed. As an immortal master of some sort, surely he wouldn't threaten the lives of his little lambs. He was an adult! It's important to give lambs the opportunity to grow, but it needed to be under controlled circumstances.

Before, with the demoness, there wasn't a threat of death. Now there was. Surely, the master would argue--

“Luo Binghe, you come out.”

...

Eh?

After a beat of silence, the Qing Jing disciples immediately started yelling. Disciples from other peaks barely did so, but they could be excused. They didn't know that Luo Binghe, instead of being a head disciple with 30+ years of cultivation under his belt, was just a wee lamb with less than two decades under his belt, more than half of which were spent in the mortal realm.

Of course, knowing this, Ming Fan--Ming Fan of all people--paled, suggesting he wasn't suitable for the task. A young girl also in Qing Jing robes cried out, attracting Shen Yuan's attention.

Sure enough, he finally found Binghe.

His lamb was stiff, eyes wide. The girl who had cried out was clinging to one of his arms--ah, yes, Ning Yingying--saying in a sort of babyish cry that she didn't want Luo Binghe to fight, stamping her feet much like Shen Yuan wanted to.

Of course! Good girl! She got his Binghe into trouble a few times, but she had a good heart overall!

But the immortal simply raised a brow.

“I said to let him go up so he should go up. Are you unsatisfied with this master’s judgment? Ying-er, let him go.”

As Luo Binghe comforted the girl, his tanned face pale, Shen Yuan shook, his hearing turning to white noise.

What was this? Was this really happening right now?

The boy's just barely 16, and he has had next to no battle experience at all. Although Binghe told him about the trip down the mountain and how Ning Yingying had gotten kidnapped, that experience barely counted for anything. A skinner demon was substantially less threatening than this bear of an elder.

What sort of...

He blinked, ears still ringing, and Luo Binghe stood before the hefty demon, like a sproutling before a fierce storm of demonic energy.

Like a lamb to the slaughter.

An anger like no other struck through his body. This...he had to stop this. If Luo Binghe met his end here, he wouldn't be able to live with himself--

But another thought came to him.

He was a teacher, was he not? At least, Luo Binghe trusted him to be a teacher.

And this situation... Luo Binghe was not prepared for it. And so, he should step in...

But something told him to wait. Something nagged at the back of his mind to stay his hooves and watch. It was the same sort of feeling that drew him to the cave, only this time, it was...light.

Positive.

...Although this sort of thing could be like a lamb to the slaughter, an old story he'd heard from another culture also came to mind. Of a young man wielding only a slingshot against a giant. He couldn't remember the names of the subjects in the sacred texts...Dà Wèi [大卫 - David] and Jùrén [巨人 - Goliath], maybe?

Anyway, from what little he could remember in his strange, hazy recollections was that Da Wei, despite being heavily outclassed, won against Juren just using that slingshot he had.

Shen Yuan's little lamb...perhaps he was just as powerful.

Despite his strong desire to interfere, he shakily placed his hoof back down, teeth gritting.

...He would trust in Binghe's power. What he needed more than protection was belief. He needed someone to truly believe in him. And so, as his shizun, he would take that position and put all of his power into believing in Luo Binghe's success.

And so, with the heavy slam of Elder Tian Chui's sledgehammer, the battle began.

Shen Yuan watched carefully, his eyes solely on Luo Binghe. If he would not interfere, then he would catalogue all his movements. Every single place he could've been better, every single move he could improve. He would do his job as his teacher.

He choked down a bleat the first time the hammer made contact with Luo Binghe's body.

But he also watched as the boy rolled, redirecting as much of the pressure as possible to reduce damage. He was, undoubtedly, still hurt, but he showed no weakness.

Indeed, a prey animal could not show any weakness. Doing so could spell death.

Even a mouse, when cornered, opens its mouth and squeaks a war cry against the cat hunting it, threatening with its little teeth.

With enough of an opening, that little mouse would jump forward and bite.

Luo Binghe had taken such lessons to heart, searching for the best place to strike. But it was very difficult. Trying to strike would mean getting closer to the poisoned armor which could kill him.

He was as spry on his feet as possible, still getting hit and nicked at times, but far from the sort of failure one would expect of a poorly trained disciple.

Even so, Cang Qiong's disciples were losing faith.

“Isn’t this a sure loss? What is there to compete?”

Shut up, Qiong Ding disciple.

Eventually, even the demon side recovered from their stupor, jeering at Luo Binghe as he took and avoided hit after hit, no closer to landing a single blow on Elder Tian Chui than before.

The elder bellowed out a laugh that echoed across the area as he caught Luo Binghe with his hammer again.

"This little doll had better admit defeat soon and get off the stage! This old man can still leave you a life!"

A life. Not alive.

Being alive and living a life were two different things, with the context changing depending on who said it and what they meant.

Many of the mortals below were living a life. Those with crippled legs and blinded eyes were living a life of struggle more so than others. The wealthy and affluent could be said to truly be alive. The immortals, with the resources to pursue their immortality, could be said to be living a life worth being alive for.

For some reason, Shen Yuan thought of a human in a strange white room.

He heard beeping from several tall devices near some sort of futuristic bed.

The figure in the bed had short, wavy hair, some of it splayed on the pillow, and a clear mask-like device over his face.

He was pale, dark circles under his eyes, and when he opened them, they stared out at the window, the light too bright for Shen Yuan's imagination to see what was outside. But he could see it.

Longing. Desire.

A painful, reaching drive to leave the pale, beeping room and be alive.

Binghe will be alive.

He is alive, and he will remain that way. He need not accept the scraps of life some elder demon would throw at him. No, Luo Binghe could take it for himself.

With that in mind, Shen Yuan put power into his thoughts, and, mentally reaching out to the boy, he spoke to him.

--

'Luo Binghe, you will win.'

[seaoflove07]

Love Planted a Rose 🌹

~ Dark ~

• Artwork by The Drawables •

Full Art Cover and Story Description, Here.

OCXCanon. 🔪 Azusa & Christine’s Story. 🌹

Fan Fiction Written by Me.

Fandom: Diabolik Lovers.

Masterpost.

Monologue

Sadness...

Sadness is all I can feel now.

I was just slowly recovering from my heartbreak from Mark.

But now, I was sent here to Japan.

To be a blood whore to vampires.

My hands can’t stop shaking.

I have no escape...

What will wait for me when I go back to the Mukami mansion?

Azusa is gonna attack me for this.

He’s gonna see Reiji’s bite marks.

No makeup will be able to cover these marks.

I keep shaking...

Knowing that this hell of a night will not end...

- The scene starts in Yui’s Bedroom -

Yui: “Christine-san, I brought you some lavender tea. I hope it calms you a bit.���

Christine: “Thank you, Yui.”

She grabs the tea with shaky hands.

Yui: ... ...

“It saddens me to see you this way. I apologize again for not checking on you earlier.”

Christine: “It’s not your fault and don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”

She takes a sip of the tea.

“Mmm... it tastes really good. So this is your room?”

Yui nods.

Christine: “I see you like the color pink. We have that in common.”

A smile spread on Yui’s lips.

Yui: “I’m glad we have that in common...”

“Christine-san? How is it going with the Mukami Brothers?”

Christine: “A lot of weird things have been happening lately… but I was able to get to know a little bit about Azusa’s past. Because of that, my heart aches for him and I can understand why he's the way he is.”

Yui: “So that's a good thing that the two of you are getting closer.”

Christine: “To be honest, he doesn't leave me alone but I’m kinda getting used to it.”

Yui: “Why doesn't Azusa-kun come with you here?”

Christine: “I think Ruki doesn't let him. I don't know why.”

Yui: “I see. How do the rest of them treat you?”

Christine: “I don't interact much with the other brothers. I can say Ruki is the one I talk to a little more when we are doing chores together and thankfully, he hasn't tried to suck my blood. With Kou and Yuma, I have made a few small conversations when we eat together at the kitchen table. I'm with Azusa the majority of the time.”

Yui: “I see. It’s a good thing that the other brothers haven't sucked your blood. I still think Azusa-kun chose you and that's what’s keeping the other brothers away. Who knows? Maybe Azusa-kun and you will fall in love.”

- Christine gave her a sharp look -

Christine: “I don't want to fall in love. I've been in love before and that ended badly. I'm still not fully recovered from it. I'm not doing that again.”

Yui: “You’ve been in love before!? I'm sorry it didn't work out. I don't want to get into your business, but… I want to get to know you. What was his name?”

Christine: “Mark…We dated all throughout high school and college. Well, he is still in college. My courses were shorter than his.”

“But long story short, I was madly in love with him, he was my first everything. My first love, my first kiss, and the one I lost my virginity to. I honestly thought we would grow old together...”

“At first, the relationship was going well until he got tired of me and was treating me like garbage. What makes me angry with myself is that I let him verbally abuse me to his heart's content. His words were so bad that I began to believe him and tried to do my best to be good enough for him…”

“But nothing was good enough for Mark, and we were having terrible arguments every day. He was calling me, “Fat” telling me I needed to lose weight. I ended up having an eating disorder for a while, and that's not all, he did more terrible things to me and I was starting to get depressed. But I still stayed with him.”

Tears run down her cheeks.

“Then he began to cheat on me behind my back. A friend of mine from back home caught him with another woman at a party and she told me about it. When I confronted him, he told me he was done with me and left me broken…”

(My heart aches so bad…)

“I was stupid for not having the courage to break up with him first. But if I'm being honest with myself. I think it was best that he walked away first, because…”

More tears keep running down her cheeks.

“I don't think I would have let him go… I'm so stupid and was blinded by love! So you see, Yui. How can I give my heart to someone after this? I don't think I would be able to handle a second heartbreak.”

- Yui suddenly hugs her -

Yui: “Oh, Christine-san! Please don't say that about yourself. You are not stupid. You were just a girl in love. But there is always a second chance of happiness, you just haven't found it yet. I'm sorry that the relationship with your first love didn't end well.”

Christine: “Don’t worry, I'm fine. It took me a while to move on with my life… but now, I ended up here and it's not going any better. All I have to do is try to survive.”

Yui breaks the hug.

Yui: “Keep surviving Christine-san and stay strong. Please, don't harm yourself ever again by not eating. You are beautiful the way you are.”

- Christine smiles -

Christine: “Thank you, Yui for your kind words, and don't worry I will never go through that again. No man is worth starving for, I know that now. I love food and I eat good portions now. Also! You are beautiful too.”

Yui: “E-Eh!? No, I'm not.”

Christine: “Oh stop! Yes, you are.”

They both giggle.

Yui: “Thank you, you are so nice. Say, Christine-san? Have you figured out what Karlheinz-sama wants with you?”

Christine: “No. Ruki told me he would keep trying to find out any information. Have you heard anything? Maybe from one of the Sakamaki’s?”

Yui: “No. Ayato-kun and the rest of the brothers haven't mentioned anything. I don't think they know either. Karlheinz-sama is a very mysterious man and he never fully discusses his plans…”

“From what I heard the Adam and Eve plan is still not completed. But out of all the brothers, he does send letters to Shu-san since he is the oldest. Usually, when he sends out plans or orders for everyone, Shu-san is the first to know, so maybe… you should try to ask him.”

Christine: “Gosh! Is that the sleepy one? I doubt he will be any—”

- The door opens -

Ayato: “Chichinashi! I was lookin’ everywhere for you. Whatcha doin’ in your room with Chihuahua?”

Yui: “A-Ayato-kun! I was helping Christine-san since Reiji-san bit her and—”

Ayato: “Four eyes? Hahahaha!”

Christine: “It is not funny!”

Ayato: “Stop yappin’ You already hog my Chichinashi long enough from me. Now be gone! I want some alone time with her.”

Yui: “You are being rude!”

Ayato: “The fuck you talkin’ about?”

Christine: “It’s okay, Yui. Don't worry. I'm not offended. Besides my work shift is over so I'm gonna go and try to find Kou so we can leave.”

Yui: “Alright then. I'll see you next Friday, Christine-san.”

Christine: “Yes, see ya. And thank you for everything, Yui. Have a good weekend.”

Yui: “Thanks, you too. Be safe!”

*TimeSkip*

Christine was walking through the hallway and saw Reiji walking towards her.

Christine: (Oh No!!...)

They both stopped and stared at each other not saying anything for a while.

Reiji: “Your manners earlier were foolish, and you certainly need a lot of discipline.”

He walks closer to her and runs his fingers on the bite marks on her neck.

“I will say my marks look lovely on your skin and the taste of your blood was high quality for being a mere human.”

Christine: (I feel disgusted with his touch but I don’t push him away. I don’t have the energy and I don’t want to repeat what happened earlier tonight...)

Reiji: “You are remaining quiet I see?”

He grabs her chin.

“You sure are a beauty, but you lack manners. I need to start training you. With my training, you would become the perfect lady.”

Christine: !!!!

“W-What do you mean by—“

Kou: “Reiji! Let go of Kujaku-chan.”

He shoves Reiji.

Reiji: “Don’t you dare put your filthy hands on me again! Or I will snatch them next time.”

Kou: “Fufu~ I would like to see you try.”

He looks at his watch.

“Guess it will have to be another night. Our time is up.”

- Kou grabs Christine’s hand -

“Let’s go. It’s time to go back to the manor.”

*Timeskip*

- In the Limousine -

Kou: “Kujaku-chan! I left just for a tiny moment and look what you got yourself into! Ruki and Azusa are gonna scold me for this.”

Christine: “You should have known that it takes only a second for the Sakamakis to take any opportunity.”

Kou: “Dammit! And he got you good. Your neck is full of his marks.”

Christine: “I’m aware! I need to hide from Azusa.”

Kou: “You must be dumb, there is no hiding from us. We can smell your scent anywhere, even if you hide he will find you. Also, Reiji’s scent is all over you.”

Christine: “Fuck! So I guess another torture awaits for me.”

Kou: “You sure have a dirty month.”

- The limousine stops -

“Well Kujaku-chan, we are home, get out.”

*Timeskip*

Once Christine got to the mansion she didn't see Ruki and Azusa. So she immediately walked nervously towards her room. She was getting close but felt someone was behind her.

Azusa: “Rose-san, welcome back.”

She froze for a few seconds and slowly turned around to face him.

- Azusa flinched, then furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at her -

Azusa: “Say, Rose-san? Who’s marks and scent… that is all over you belong to…?”

Christine: … …

(I’m so afraid that I can't even answer…)

Azusa: “I see... so… you have someone else you prefer...”

Christine: “No! Azusa. Please let me explain it’s not what you—”

Azusa: “You do not have to explain... Just tell me... who was it...?”

Christine: “It was Reiji.”

(I can hear my heart beating like crazy…)

Azusa: “... I see...”

… …

“Hit me… show me… that I’m needed… here… cut me with this knife… Christina, Justin, and Melissa… would like to have more friends…”

He walks closer to her.

Christine: “No! Stay back! Please, don't come near me.”

She steps back.

Azusa: “Why…?”

Christine: (I can see the anger on his face…)

“Because I know what you're gonna do to me and… I don't think I can't handle it tonight. So, please. Go away and leave me alone.”

(His hands are shaking…)

- Azusa drops the knife to the floor and grabs her wrist tight, pulling her closer to him -

Azusa: “I will not go away…!”

- He suddenly pins her down -

• Artwork by @//yuma-mukami-garden-god •

Azusa: “Don’t you see, Rose… This jealousy is killing me…! Do you know… how messed up in the head… I am… because of you…!”

Christine: “I haven't done anything to you! You're the one who is always after me, and It’s not my fault that Reiji bit me!”

(There’s still anger in those lavender eyes...)

Azusa: “You chose me, Princess... you came into my dreams… and now… you are my precious Rose … I will not let you get away from me...”

Christine: “What are you talking about, Azusa!?”

Azusa: “I will not let anyone else.. have you…”

He stares at Reiji’s bite marks and pulls down the strap from her dress.

Azusa: “This will hurt… but... please endure it... okay...? I will... remove his marks... from you...”

Christine: (Oh no!…)

- Azusa bites on the exact same spots Reiji did -

Christine: “Ah!”

She holds on to him tight.

*Slurp, Slurp*

Azusa: “Aah…It’s always so very sweet… It is sticking… to the inside of my throat... I can't get enough of it...”

He keeps biting her deeper and deeper, making it hurt a lot.

“...Nn... Haah, haah...”

*Gulp, Gulp*

Christine: “Please! I can’t bear anymore…It hurts too much...”

She tightens her grip on his shoulders.

Azusa: “Does it...? But I can still see... traces of him... so please... endure it a little longer...”

He bites her again.

Christine: (This pain! Is like I can never escape it. Is this going to be my life from now on?…)

- Christine starts sobbing -

He sucks a little more before finally stopping and licking the new marks.

Azusa: “I don't know why… my heart always aches… every time… I see you cry…”

He wipes her tears.

“Come…”

He helps her stand up and hugs her.

“I’m sorry... Rose-san... You can hit me… it will make you… feel better…”

Christine: (His apology and sudden hug took me by surprise...)

She hugs him back.

“No Azu... I don't want to hurt you, and even if I wanted to, I don't have the strength. I’m feeling dizzy. I lost too much blood tonight...”

(I feel my head spinning now...)

Azusa: “I‘ll take you to your room...”

She tried walking but the second she moved her foot she fell backward, Azusa caught her in time and lifted her up in his arms. He takes a moment to stare at her lovely face.

“Rose-san... you fainted on me again...”

He admits he’s still angry about the fact that Reiji bit his Rose. Suddenly a Flashback comes to his mind of warnings from the Princess.

Flashback

Azusa: “Nn... Hah... Nn.... Princess...?”

Princess: “Yes…?”

Azusa: “Can I bite you...?”

Princess: “No Azu. I need to warn you about something before our time is up. Even though we belong to each other. There can be situations that won’t allow us to be together. Human me is very vulnerable right now, and destiny can be changed. You need to be careful someone else doesn’t claim her before you do.”

Flashback Ends

His heart sank just by the thought of her being vulnerable to Reiji. He can not allow not even an inch. His hands began to shake badly even having her in his arms. His heart doesn't stop aching.

Azusa: (Even though I love being physically hurt but emotional pain makes me so very uneasy. I will not hand her over to anyone. Much less, Reiji...)

*TimeSkip*

When Christine woke up she immediately went and took a bath and got ready for tonight. She has a headache and the marks from her neck still hurts. Two vampires suck her blood the same night. It’s a miracle she still has a neck attached to her, she thought. She wanted a cup of coffee and breakfast but first, she needed to thank Azusa for bringing her to her room safely after she fainted. She knocked on his door but he didn't answer. She was about to leave thinking he wasn't there but suddenly she heard breathing.

She opens the door and walks into his dark room.

Christine: (I can smell a strong scent of blood…)

Shock washed over her at the sight of Azusa sitting on the floor with a lot of blood, and him holding a knife still cutting himself.

Christine: “Azusa!!”

She runs to him.

*Stab, Stab*

- Azusa kept cutting himself, lost in his thoughts with tears in his eyes -

She kneels in front of him and grabs his hand to stop him.

Christine: “Please… That is enough… Azu.”

Tears filled her eyes.

Azusa: “Rose… what are you doing here…? And… why are you crying…?”

Christine: “I wanted to say thank you for bringing me back to my room safely, and I'm crying because… it hurts me to see you harm yourself.”

Azusa: “You don't like it… when I am…hurt...?”

Christine: “No, I don't like it. It breaks my heart to see you like this.”

- More tears kept coming down from Azusa’s eyes. -

She gently took the knife away from his hand and placed it on the floor.

“What happened?”

Azusa: “… My life… has always been a disaster… and I wanted to forget… this strong emotional pain… that I'm feeling… right now…”

Christine: “Azu, I'm truly sorry that life was so hard for you.”

She cups his cheeks.

“I know, I probably won't fix your problems. But I have told you before that whenever you feel this way, please come find me and I'll be here for you. There are other ways to cope with emotional pain, and I promise you I will find a way to keep you entertained. There are so many places we can go together, and I remember you told me one time that you don't mind, if I read poetry to you. I would be happy to read my favorite poems to you.”

He sighed and gave her a gentle smile.

Azusa: “Would you really do that for me…?”

Christine: “Yes. Plus, the more time we spend together, the more we get to know each other. Wasn't that something we both wanted?”

He cups her cheek.

Azusa: “Rose… I’ll do anything… to keep you near me…”

Christine: “A-Azu…”

Azusa: (Her cute blushy face, I love seeing that side of her. She has no idea how much she means to me and how scared I am of losing her…)

“Rose-san…? Will you..stay by my side…regardless… Even on my worst days…?”

She nods.

Christine: “Yes, I will.”

They both smiled at each other.

Azusa: “Thank you, Rose-san… I'm feeling a bit calmed… because… you are here with me…”

Christine: “I'm glad that you feel calmer. Azu, your arms are bleeding a lot. Let me clean and put new bandages on your wounds and then we can eat breakfast together.”

He nods and they both stand up.

*TimeSkip*

After Christine and Azusa ate breakfast together she was happy to see that Azusa calmed down and was in a better mood. Now she was in the manor’s library with Ruki dusting the shelves and organizing books. It was the weekend and her day off but Ruki asked her if she could help him with some chores in the Library. Since she loves reading and the library she said yes. She did promise Azusa to meet up with him after she was done. Tonight she will read some of her favorite poems to him. She's excited since she always wanted to do this with someone.

Christine: “Ruki, what do your brothers and you like to do in the summer? Sorry for the sudden question. Is just we are already in mid-summer and I haven't seen you guys do anything fun.”

Ruki: “You sure are nosey, Livestock. My brothers and I don't do much. The majority of the time we just stay here and do our own things.”

Christine: (That seems so boring! And I'm getting bored myself. I haven't done anything fun since I got here…)

“How about next weekend we all go together to the beach?”

Ruki: “And why should we do such a thing?”

Christine: “I just think it will be fun and I can tell that you and your brothers are close. I also feel that Azusa needs this trip. It can help him clear out his negative thoughts.”

Ruki: “Hmph... Very well, I think this trip will be good for my brothers. But we are not going to the beach. I do not want to deal with the mess of the sand. That will be troublesome, so the Hot Springs seem like a better idea.”

Christine: “Hot Springs! I've never been to one but I have seen photos online and they do look nice and relaxing.”

Ruki: “I will book everything for the upcoming weekend. Just make sure you are prepared.”

Christine: “I will!”

(I’m so excited for this!…)

Ruki: “Oi, Is just a hot spring, nothing to be that excited about. Now be gone. I don't need you anymore in the Library. I got it from here.”

Christine: “Okay, I'll take my leave now.”

Monologue

I got lucky that Ruki suggested the Hot Springs.

I honestly thought he was gonna say no about all of us going anywhere together next weekend.

So for that,

I am happy.

I truly hope that Azusa can relax and clear his thoughts.

Even though,

Him and I go through rough nights together,

I still want to be his emotional support.

I don't understand his feelings towards me

and I

Don't understand my feelings towards him either.

But Hopefully,

With this upcoming trip.

The both of us can try to heal in some way.

— TO BE CONTINUED —

• Artwork by MonMonArtz •

[sosadraws]

Since some time has passed since I posted this video (go watch it i you haven't seen it already, I worked really hard on it), here are some fun facts about the making of it:

Originally this was going to be a valentine's special, but I could only get the first 15 seconds done and then I forgot about it until Signaliscord announced the contest.

I managed this project as if there were three sepparatte parts:

The first one (colored characters with black bg), which I worked on at home

The second one (black and white with red bg) which I did at work when I had free time

And the one you only see in the storyboard, that I was only going to be added if I had enough time (I didn't), I was going to look like Ariane's drawings. The logistic behind this is that If didn't have time to finish the entirety of it, I could just send the part I had worked on the most, since they stand pretty well by themselves.

The messy/scribbly aesthetic was thought as a way to give me a better chance to finish it, since clear lineart takes me too long to do. In fact, most of the frames were made without sketching, which is why the anatomy is wonky on some parts and details are inconsistent.

The part with silhouettes was improvised. That was supposed to be Elster and Ariane running towards each other, but I didn't have enough time for that.

The ending was going to be different, but I changed it because it felt too tragic, even for my standars 😅. The song ended at the line "when both our cars collide", where Elster with her normal color palette would end in the current Ariane room, sobbing while a geiger counter would go off in the background. Kinda like this:

And later on died lying there.

...So yeah, summarized, the whole project is a "Trust the process" type of thing.

[yoinkschief]

What’s your general HCs for the fellas ? (Identity, race, sexuality etc)

Whooaagh, that's gonna be a long list, I have a ton of like small headcanons for them that mean like absolutely nothing, but I'll try to keep it to a simple list

Just quickly though:

I HC them all to be generally around 27/28 and in their late 30's/early 40's during WTFuture/in the future,, there was no real way to put that in a good list with them lol

And they're all best friends - just cause they're a group of people doesn't mean they only get to have one bestie yk, they're all super close

Also Ellsworld is canon alongside Eddsworld, they co-exist with each other

Tom - Mixed Race (Black/Irish from his mom, White/American-Hawaiian from his father - Trans Masc-Nonbinary (AMAB) He/They/(sometimes)It (It/Its depends on who it is) - Bisexual (massive masculine lean) (worst taste in men EVER) - Styles his hair to look like his fathers (otherwise his hair is usually textured around the 3's,,, like 3A/3B) - Very pear shaped like his father, and hairy too lol, the alcohol certainly doesn't help with that - Wears reading glasses (later this turns into him genuinely needing a prescription,, another thing he gets from his father - he looks very similar to his mother in terms of facial features and skin tone, but has a lot of his father's aspects) - Fear of eye contact (has gotten a lot better about it now that he's an adult, but still struggles with it with people he does not like/does not know) - Autistic - 5'5" (the shortest of the ensemble) - Works at a diner while part-timing music independently - "Monster" form is man made and extremely painful to turn into (there is no way he could control it,,, in some iterations of my headcanons like in different stories there are ways that he can have like a pact with it,,, like in my Mattsworld AU (WHICH I NEED TO POST ABOUT AUGH) he's "controlled" it a bit by making a deal with it,,, of what I haven't quite figured out yet oof) - Has quite a few tattoos on him,,, (Polynesian shark teeth on his left upper arm, cyan colored harpoon tattoos on his left side, a pinup mermaid girl on his right side, and the Nordic rune for "Wolf" on his right outer thigh) - Also he inherited his anger issues from his father as well, forgot to add that earlier with the list of things he's inherited from his old man lol - Momma's boy (/affectionately, not like he can't do anything without his mom, moreso like he really loves her a lot and obviously they're very close since they both lost Tom's father that day so for a while they were all the other had to remember him by) - Tamara is his cousin from his mother's side of the family - His first friend was Edd - His mother died when he was in highschool - father when he was in elementary, it really hit him hard (it was just before his senior year and had he not done so well the years prior he would've failed HS because of it) - Diesss ???? It's like the whole "OMG they killed Kenny" bit more than anything - like if I had to describe it, he has the Loony Toons death curse, where he dies on screen but in the next panel he's fine cause no one can actually die on a kid's show, yk ? - Tons of piercings,, mostly on his face but also in other places on his body too, though it's more like two other places other than his face area - Loves Ska music obviously, but also punk and rock, thinks artists like Destroy Boys, GRLWood,

Edd - British,,, and probably has some Italian in him somewhere, y'know like family rumors/talk of like "well I'm 1/4 Italian" or "your some odd greats grandma was Italian" that kinda thing,,, not quite sure, not curious enough to care to get some DNA test kit - Homophobic (/j) Gay, man kisser, masculine hug enjoyer, he holds hands with other boysss - On the AroAce spectrum, not really a hard no on either, just more of something he doesn't think about on a day to day basis nor really care about unless the thought is put in his head - Moles scattered across his body (not many, just one or two here and there - and none that are particularly bad or harmful) - Wears reading glasses (more specifically blue light glasses cause he's looking at a screen all day every day) - The only one of the gang that doesn't have any genuine mental disorder,,, he's got his problems sure but he's neurotypical through and through - His problems being main character and plot armor - More seriously though he has a raging hero/savior complex that gets him into a lot of trouble at times - 6' even, second tallest of the group - Very apple shaped,,, when I draw him I think very round thoughts if that makes sense - Had a major emo phase in highschool,,, he kinda snapped out of it during Senior year, or rather the summer leading up to it, but man it was wretched LOL - A child of divorce (they still made it work for him - it wasn't like they fought or it was a domestic abuse thing, they just fell out of love with each other and couldn't stand being in the same house anymore, but they love Edd so they made it work for him the best they could) - Works as an animator - professionally and freelancing ! Hard fucking order but he LOVES they process of creating art, seeing the end result is so gratifying to him and being able to see all the love and attention he put into it - Has a Youtube channel where sometimes he reviews animated movies/shows/shorts - he doesn't update it a lot, it's like a "if I feel like it" cause he only does Youtube as a hobby and as a place to hold his animation portfolio - His first friend was Matt, they've been friends since like diapers - REALLY really good friends with Tord - doesn't really know why but they are like bound by the hip - He's only got ear gauges - he doesn't try and stretch them a ton like Tom does, he's fine with just normal sized gauges that don't stretch his lobes all that much - Has a VERY BROAD music taste, anything from Lemon Demon to Oingo Boingo, to PinkPantheress, to Joey Valence & Brae, to Weird Al,,, anything under the rainbow of music genres he's probably heard one song from each - PowerEdd is canon still !! Not the superhero, but the powers he and Eduardo now suffer with lol,, but they're not really potent, his body chemistry is just kinda fucky now cause of it,,, bro glows in blacklight and sometimes just in general

Matt - British/French,,, basically he's incredibly white - Pansexual (he used to also be GenderFluid in my headcanons,,, but in the past year or so I've decided against it - he's more of just a guy who likes makeup and to wear dresses more than anything else) - Ginger with freckles, they cover his body in splotches mostly, but he's got a few individual ones here and there on his body as well (they've clustered around his face, hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and like two separate patches on his back) - His hairstyle has changed so much with me over the years and it's my own damn fault lol, I don't draw him enough but that most comes with the "I don't wanna draw him wrong" thing but if I don't ever draw him how will I draw him right ?? It's a cycle is what it is - The only one with prescription glasses since middle school - he just wears contacts instead, he HATES how he looks in glasses - his parents had him get LASIK surgery to correct his vision,,, since then - His personal account where no one (except like the gang) knows it's him is very unhinged, he says some devious shit on there (it's a public Twitter account) - Also Autistic, but in a DRASTICALLY different way than Tom is, they're like opposite sides of the spectrum (Tom doesn't mask often, Matt masks like all day every day, Tom can't make eye contact, Matt makes intense eye contact, that kinda thing yk,,, even despite the fact they both have texture issues they have very different issues with textures - also Tom was very early diagnosed and Matt only got diagnosed after Tom kept pestering him to do so) - He's some kind of narcissist, just haven't been able to really pin point it down yet,, I need to do some more research on it - this could change in the future because of that so this is like a maybe canon - His father left him when he was very young like maybe 5-8 range, and his mother married his step father WAY too soon after, him and Matilda is his step sister (He HATED her at first, she tried to be very kind to him cause they're the same age and everything, and this is the first time she's had a sibling, but every time Matt looked at her all he could see was his father leaving him,,, it took until after college for them to actually grow closer as siblings and friends) -6'1" just an inch above Edd - Edd was his first friend - they've been through thick and thin together, they comforted each other when both their parents divorced, so obviously they've got a bit of a trauma bond through that, and are really the only ones who understand that kind of issue - at least in their eyes - Twink. Through and through. Despite being partially French he's got very back luck with growing hair on his body, and when he does it's thin and very lightly colored - Works as a model and "social media influencer",,, basically he's a walking propaganda poster - Has earrings, mostly wears a lot of gold - Doesn't like listening to music often,,, this hurts me to write as someone who can't NOT listen to music, but he just doesn't have a music taste,, I've mentioned before how he listens to some female rappers and other song artists like Mitski and Girl in Red, but that's only because he's listened to them on like the radio or had someone else recommend them to him, he doesn't actively listen/search for music - Still a vampire,,, er, really just half vampire ?? I'd like to think they lads did a séance of some sort on him and for the most part it worked but like Edd his chemistry is still a little fucked cause of it, y'know ? Like he's still got pointed ears and teeth, can't really do much about that, and a BIG craving for red meat and the like, but he can survive without a constant need for blood, and his skin was already sensitive to the sun anyway so there's nothing really new there

Tord - Just a Norwegian fool - Trans Masculine (AFAB) He/Him - Bisexual (with a MASSIVE fem lean,,, he IS the bad taste in men) - His hair ? Yeah that's natural - he's got some WICKED cowlicks,,, when he was younger his mom would try to brush them back to make him look more normal, but even when his hair was longer it didn't really do much for him - ADHD haver, VERY late diagnosis and still doesn't really believe it, but that's a whole lot to do with misinformation of negative dumb jargon shoved down his throat - Narcissistic Personality TRAITS, not the disorder, but TRAITS of the disorder (as in he doesn't actively have the mind set and intentions of people with NPD, but he does have the mannerisms and habits of one,, but that's because of how he was raised by two Narcissists - it's a damn miracle he doesn't have the disorder, but either way he's gotta go to therapy about it,,, and he will,,,,,, eventually,,,,,,,,, after you drag him there by his hair but I mean he'll be there) - Tattoos on him as well (Left shoulder to a half sleeve of a snake, tramp stamp of Ouroboros, and between his shoulder blades beneath the back of his neck is Jason Voorhees' mask) - Can not regulate or understand his emotions,,, the only way he really knows how to deal with intense emotions of any kind is through very physical and aggressive means,, it's why him and Tom get into so many spats, but mostly cause Tom doesn't put up with his bullshit as someone who is very good at reading and understanding his own and others' emotions - Bro's got a very broad chest,, he's like incredibly male passing, even before having gone on Testosterone - Redditor. Sorry I don't make the rules except I do and he's a Redditor. - Also has an Instagram account and it's all thirst traps,,, and I'm torn between how much interaction he'd get on them,,, like I wanna say he gets none because he's a damn loser weebcell dorklord, but I've also seen how EW fandom craves him and that makes me think that this would be no different, ykwim ?,, sigh,, realistically speaking he would get a lot of interaction with his posts and I hate that for him I hope something bad happens to him - Technically Tom was his first friend (??) in the sense that Tom was the first person he met in highschool and was the one he talked to the most during then,, at least when Tom's life was stable, it gets kinda iffy after Tom's mom died and that's where the first part of their rift really started - But him and Edd and SUPER close, despite Tom being his first friend, Edd and him just click REALLY well - Has a similar death thing like Tom, except his is more of like the anime death curse - if he dies off screen, no the fuck he did not, he is coming back as the villain - LOVES Twenty One Pilots, favorite band of all time, usually he's not a die hard for a lot of things, but TOP is one of them, he also likes poprock/poppunk, things like that, think like Imagine Dragons and Mindless Self Indulgence (YES THEY'RE TERRIBLE I KNOW, LOOK AT WHO'S LISTENING TO THEM AND GET BACK TO ME ABOUT IT) but he also listens to hyperpop like S3RL and Machine Girl, but that's just cause of all the base it usually has - that's like background music for him to work to

That's pretty much all I can think of off the top of my head of just general thoughts for them,,, I'm sure I could think of more specific ones but then we'd be here all day

[golby-moon]

so I did a thing kind of for @letsdrawcastiel's monthly prompt of Cas doing fall stuff and what's more fall-y than idk pumpkin stuff amirite. also thank @lazarus-rose for getting me to post both of these at once since they are a matching set

uh oh I tried to do some weird sticker thing again, which I haven't done in a while and uh kinda for good reason. but I had the weird idea of using what was originally gonna be a pumpkin as sort of a picture frame and having pieces of Dean and Cas maybe stick out of it in places. the pumpkin looked awful so I tried what's supposed to be a pumpkin pie as the frame and added some fall-flavored colors and made Cas hold a pumpkin and yeah idk somewhere along the line, Dean threw in a bad pick-up line idk how that got there

unofficial continuation I was maybe gonna post after Halloween. the pie is gone and all that's left is an empty crumpled pie tin that's definitely intentionally all lop-sided. this one has a brighter color scheme since it was supposed to be possibly posted on one of thee destiel days (November 5th gkjfdfjf) but yeah have this now instead. I think I made their arms like way too long but ignore that in favor of another horrible pun

think of these things as a before/after where they start out distanced and then become close enough to wear each other's colors and not fill in the 'picture frame' all the way and uh something something symbolism

(10/30/24)

[caffieneaddictt18]

Anything for you

*unedited*

As you're reading a book on different herbs and their uses, metaphysical and physical, you start to play with your hair. It kinda reminds you that the last time you had gotten your hair done was a while ago and it was so you're friend had a model for her graduating test from cosmetology school.

You set the book down and pull out your laptop, looking for hair services. Just a cute trim ans maybe a styling. You just want to feel cared for.

"Hey, honey. Whatcha doin?" Your partner comes over and kisses your cheek before going and starting the kettle, noticing the look on your face. You haven't read in a while and tea was always a great start to entering the 'reading zone' as they called it.

"Just lookin at something. I'm running low on Queen Anne's Lace." A simple little white lie. Shouldn't be too bad when you leave to go get your hair done.

"Oh, are you? I will leave you to it then." Your partner hands you your tea and kisses you again, on the lips, before going to their computer to play games.

You watch them carefully, drinking your tea and scrolling through until you find a place you like. You then put the laptop away, and take out the book you were reading. As you read, you jot down notes about apecific herbs and their uses.

Your partner sees this in the reflection of their glass case, and smirks.

---------‐--------------------------------------------

The next day, as your partner is in their office, you pass by in a comfy-cute outfit. "Hey, babes! I'm gonna go get my hair done!"

"Here you go, baby." Your partner gives you two hundred dollars, cash, that seemed to appear out of thin air.

You stop before you can pass the door and hesistantly take it. "Um... thank you, Baby." You slowly walk away and your partner smirks again. They get up and follow you to the garage.

As you're about to get in, they gently pin you against your car.

"Anytime, Honey~" and they hold your waist tightly as they mash their mouth against yours. They kiss you just long enough to make you feel dazed for a short while. When you finally part, they slowly and carefully open your door for you and get you in, buckling you up. They open the garage door as you start the car.

"Have fun, Baby!" They wave as you drive off to the salon.

When you get back, you show off your hair.

"You are stunning, Gorgeous." They gently take your hands in theirs and spin you, making your hair gently spin too.

----‐-------------------------------------------------

It has now been about a month since you got your hair done, and you still feel amazing.

As you are getting dressed for the day, complete with the evil eye pendant necklace and black bag, your partner speaks up.

"Hey, let's go get your nails done today. I'll pay." They casually just say it like it's no big deal. But this is the first time anyone has done this. It kind of is a big deal.

"Are you sure? Nail's aren't cheap. Especially the ones I like to get." You are hesitant about taking this offer, especially since they have already shelled out 200 just for your hair. It feels wrong somehow...

"Yeah. What about blue, like your necklace, in french tips? Or a dark blue that goes with your outfit and necklace?" They bring up ideas you haven't even thought of. Never would you ever think to do a blue French Tip nail set, let alone just painting your nails blue. You have painted your nails black, and white, and even a clear coat with sparkles in it for 2012 New Years. But never blue. Maybe they saw all the TikToks on women's nail colors and their meanings...

"Okay... if you're sure." You reluctantly agree. They seem happy that you're letting them spoil you.

"I'm sure, Darlin'." They gently caress your upper arms, trying to assure you; before gliding their fingertips down and bring your hands to their lips. Then you both head out the door, awaiting whatever adventures they have planned out.

------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, hun! What do you think about going to the mall?" You shout into the house, not ecpecting a response back.

"Sounds great, babe!" Their voice shouts back at you, "Let's get ready snd then we can go!" You see a figure move from a door and go into your bedroom.

As you both get into their car, your partner asks, "So... what's with the mall trip? I'm not upset. Just curious."

Trusting that your partner isn't upset, you tell them. "I haven't been in a while, so I just want to look around. Possibly grab a few things, but mostly window shop."

"Okay, Dove." They bring your hand up and kiss it as they watch the road, glancing at you whenever they can.

When you reach the mall, you enter and look around. Still has that same magic... Mall Magic.

You grab your partner's hand and take them to the food court first. If your hands are full, you won't get anything. So you grab a large lemonade, and they get a soft pretzel. You drag them through different stores, pointing out things. "Wow! I haven't seen that band in so long!" "Whoa! They actually have it in stock?! I haven't been able to find this anywhere!" "This is pretty."

Your partner takes notes of it all and tell you to go rest. Grab another lemonade and something to eat. "You've walked enough, baby. Now rest."

As you are eating your to-go salad and another lemonade, you see your partner.

And their full hands.

"Honey!" You rush to get up, and help them, "What did you do?!" You ask them, worried for their answer.

"I noticed what you bought and what you didn't. But the stuff I saw you look at, was the stuff I got." They smile and walk back to the table, arms lighter now.

"I thought you were on your phone." You look at them quizzically.

"I was. Writing down everything you liked but didn't buy. So I bought it for you." They smile and grab the chicken sandwhich & soda you bought for them.

"Baby... why have you been spoiling me? I'm grateful, but i don't understand why." You take another bite of your salad.

They sigh, setting down their food. This has just turned into a serious talk. "You can talk to me, Baby. What's going on?" You persist, wanting to find out what is plaguing your partner so much they felt like they had to spoil you.

"I... I just see the way you have been treating yourself recently. It's not the healthiest. You skipped dinner last night and then skipped breakfast this morning. You were going to skip lunch if I didn't have you get food. And you have been pushing yourself so hard... I don't ever want you to do that. I love you. I... I want you to love yourself the way I do." They look at you like a puppy with its tail between its legs, like it got caught doing something bad.

"Oh, baby..." You grab their face gently and kiss them even softer.

"Thank you..."

------------------------------------------------------

Author's Cup of Tea:

Okay. I know this isn't typically what I post, but I've been drawn to it like a moth to a flame, so i decided to finish it.

At 9:25 pm...

When I have work at 5 am...

(ihonestlyjustwantthistohappentome🤭imsorry)

[theoldlesbianwithcats]

As someone who never watched Portrait of a Lady on Fire because it looked dull and I’m kind of over the sanitized and demure ancient white women period dramas (would love to see some woc in the mix for once like at least that would be a new take on the genre) I would love to hear your thoughts. I feel like it’s probably a good movie but I just don’t care. Fell the same way about Carol too like where’s the mess and intrigue lol

For period drama with a woman of color, I remember enjoying Mystère à la Tour Eiffel (but I watched it a long time ago) and The Handmaiden (this one seems to get polarizing opinions from lesbians though haha)

I feel like Portrait tries too hard to be smart and artistic, as if Céline Sciamma wanted to create a piece to be studied in film analysis courses, you know? As a result I didn't find it very subtle nor enjoyable on that aspect. (Tbh, I don't really care about period dramas and my favorite genre is comedy, so I'm biased against it in the first place)

Like many lesbians, I didn't like the ending at all. To summarize the plot, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) is forced by her mother to marry a man, but for that to happen the man has to receive a portrait of her, so she completely avoids getting painted. Her mother then leaves her on a small island with a "female companion", Marianne (Noémie Merlant) who, in reality, is a painter commissioned to secretly do Héloïse's portrait. They fall in love, obviously, but Héloïse ends up accepting getting painted because she feels like she has no other choice than to marry that man. Years later, Marianne sees a new portrait of her with a child (and a symbol that shows that Héloïse still thinks about her) and sees Héloïse crying at a classical concert that plays a piece Marianne once played for her.

Céline Sciamma is supposedly a real lesbian ffs! She said in interviews that she struggled with finding lesbian romance books when she was a teen! Why make her protagonist end up in a forced marriage to a man? (Said protagonist being played by her ex-girlfriend of all people, kinda creepy if you ask me)

About that ending, she said "I wanted to question what a happy ending is. We have the romantic-comedy philosophy – a frozen image of two people being together – and we also have the tragic ending. And I wanted neither. Why do we believe that eternal possession of somebody means a happy ending? Love educates us about art. Art consoles us from lost love. Our great loves are a condition of our future love. The film is the memory of a love story; it’s sad but also full of hope." What is full of hope (and not tragic) about knowing that the love of your life is doomed to be raped and forced to bear children 💀

If she wanted to write about lost love and bittersweet ending, she could have gone the classic "protagonist kills herself" route, the "protagonist bids farewell to her lover and disappears/becomes a nun" route or even the "in a desperate attempt to avoid forced marriage, the protagonist kills her mother and ends up in jail/executed" route (I know she wouldn't have done the last one because that kinda ruins the feminist sisterhood vibe of the movie)

Of course the best choice would have been "they make a makeshift raft and get the fuck out of that island while the mother's gone and they create a new life somewhere else", but that's just my opinion 😂

Anyway, if you haven't watched it already, I really recommend that SNL skit about lesbian period dramas with Kate McKinnon:

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

I wrote this probably over 2 months ago and haven't done shit with it since. I thought it was cute but never elaborated on it.

So it is what it is. But it's about Nanami. ANYTHING to bring this man back lol.

SFW from what I can recall. Enjoy <3

Hear ... Me ... Out.

Nanami is at his favorite coffee shop one day and he sees this girl (woman, ok? don't get into semantics over it) and she is just a hot fucking mess.

Her hair is in the world's messiest bun on top of her head. It doesn't look like it's been brushed for a few days. Her clothes are like, less than casual. He doesn't want to use the word "sloppy", but damn. She look so sloppy rn that he has this overwhelming need to go straighten her up.

She's not ugly, not beautiful ... natural, though. But there's something about her that he is drawn to. She's kinda chubby. Which adds to her unique appearance(?), but with the right fitting clothes, she would be so cute, he thinks.

There's not a speck of make up on here face. And Nanami can't help but find that somewhat refreshing. There are stains on her sweatshirt from the coffee she is drinking. Crumbs on the table from her bagel with cream cheese.

GOD he wants to give her a napkin but doesn't want to offend her. What is the etiquette here, he wonders. Could he spin it so he comes off as polite? Caring, even?

He watches her for a while longer. Studies her face as she reads up on whatever textbook she's studying from. He can't get a good look at it, but it's a thick book.

Speaking of thick, he looks down to her thighs. They're thick, too.

His tired mind begins to wander uncontrollably to what she would feel like, what she would taste like. Then Nanamin catches himself staring too long. Spit pools in his mouth and he swallows hard. He looks away, hopefully before you catch him eating you up & out with his eyes.

But it's too late. You felt someone's gaze on you. And not just someone's. Fucking Kento Nanami's breathtaking brown eyes.

So now you're taking him in. And he is the most put together person you have ever seen. His blue button-up shirt is so well pressed that there isn't a single crease in it, even as he sits there in the cafe, it hugs his large arms looking like it was about to give at even the slightest miscalculated move. His tie hangs perfectly around his muscly neck. The light colored pants he wears - Oh God. They look like they're painted on. And they leave very little to the imagination.

He's got a tiny cup in front of him, his regular drink, espresso. But you don't know that's his regular drink. Because you have never seen him before. You don't even come to this cafe regularly. The one you like, the one closest to where you live, is having some renovations done. It has ruined more than one morning for you this week. Seeing the tall, ridiculously handsome man sitting across the seating area is starting to fix some of today's damages, though.

You tilt your head to the left and size him up, just like he was doing to you. But you're not even trying to be discreet. You decided that morning that you had nothing to lose by doing the societally deemed shameful things.

ie: oogling an attractive man, while you're looking like you're coming down from a 23 hour gambling bender with Toji (Nanamin doesn't know you know Toji and vice versa). Not that he'd permit you to keep associating yourself with him if anything were to become of the two of you.

No, he'd put a stop to that years ago. No proper lady of his would be fraternizing with garbage like Toji Fushiguro. No, no, no.

He's already decided he wants to talk to you. And while he has absolutely no reason to be shy about speaking with you, he can't bring his legs to move. That could be in large part to the considerable amount of blood that has pooled in the center of his body. He'll give it a minute and compose himself before he walks your way.

Nanami glances back at his newspaper and continues to read the daily stock updates. He sees movement in his periphery but thinks nothing of it because, after all, this is a busy cafe. It is a Wednesday. More people than you will move around.

It is you, though. You pack up your stuff, purposely leaving behind your cellphone beside your empty coffee cup, and walk toward him, holding eye contact for the entire time you're heading toward the exit.

He gets excited for some reason he can't yet understand and his pulse gets faster and faster the closer you get to his table for 1. Without thinking, he straightens up the scattered papers on the small table surface like he was expecting company. Your company.

But you turn at the very last second and push open the door to the sidewalk. The disappointment Nanamin feels crushes him like nothing he's quite experienced before. You are no one to him. He, in turn, knows that he's no one to you as well. Yet the dejected feelings remain in the forefront of his thoughts.

His eyes squint against the bright reflection of something silver on the table you were sitting at. You'd strategically forgotten and placed your phone to pick up the sun's light emerging from behind the clouds to get his attention.

It worked. He made his way across the cafe to the shiny object left behind. Picking it up, he tapped on the screen. To his great pleasure, there was no lock on the main screen. He had access to your photos. Your contacts. Your notes. Everything. He could look at everything.

Being the gentleman he is, Nanami thought it best to not look through it, though. He thought about giving it to the barista and letting them handle returning it to you. But there's no fun in that. He would track you down and give it back himself.

On the car ride to the "Return To" address in the phone, he felt his stomach turning. There was no reason for him to be nervous about this task, considering what his career is. He dealt with much worse shit than delivering a phone to a woman to whom he was attracted but couldn't figure out why. This was child's play. There was no curbing his excitement though.

Arriving outside your apartment building, he was surprised at how nice the place was. If he had to guess by just looking at you, he'd not have guessed a place such as this.

The doorman let Nanami pass with no problems. Looking as respectable as he does often grants him permissions that other people can't even entertain the idea of.

He pushed the button to call the elevator down and waited for it to carry him to the 14th floor.

Walking down the hallway until he found your place, he smoothed his tie down and knocked 3 times. He heard your footsteps coming as you padded your way closer to your door. And then he saw your shadow moving underneath, on the opposite side that he stood.

"Hello?" He said, his voice rumbly and deep. "You left your phone at the cafe we were both just at. I - thought I'd return it to you."

Nanami watched your shadow stretch out a little more and heard your fingers tap on the door as you looked through the peephole.

@darkstarlight82 @viburnt @arlerts-angel @kazutora-kurokawa @katkusuo (tagging you on the off chance you give a shit =))

[theotherverge]

I need everyone's help! What do you all think about a 140-page middle-grade fantasy book that's accessible to neurodivergent kids and kids who have a hard time reading long, wordy stories? Accessible to lgbtq+ kids who feel unsafe in this current landscape where the biggest book series of all time actively doesn't want to welcome them in its world? Accessible to anyone who isn't a total bigot?

What I'm wanting to do is craft a fictional world that's welcome to anyone. Something akin to Harry Potter and his whimsical time at Hogwarts, MINUS THE QUESTIONABLE STUFF AND THE BIGOTRY! An expansive story with an insane amount of worldbuilding that doesn't involve some inherent shadiness or prejudice baked in. This isn't me saying I want to make the next big thing, I just want to create something with the passion I've had for something with my own style and voice.

If you've seen the show The Owl House, and how that series went out of its way to be a Harry Potter-esque thing without all the terrible junk all over it, that's a big inspiration for me wanting to create a world of my own after a prejudiced author tarnished the magic of one I once loved. (For real though, if you haven't seen Owl House, check it out.)

------‐-------

If you are a lost soul, (Someone who doesn't know what to do with their life, someone who feels like they don't belong, or someone who doesn't even have a loving family to turn to), you may find a permission slip for a summer program in your desk.

The Lost Soul Program is kinda like signing up for the Girl Scouts: Gaining confidence, finding new hobbies and friends, discovering new things about yourself, just... you know... with more rats.

Sign your name on the slip, and on the day of summer break, a school bus will appear in front of your house with other fellow lost souls riding along. Once you grab yourself a bag of clothes, you're on your way to Otherverge, The Land of Endless Nights.

Otherverge is a part of Earth where the sky is always dark and the big cities are always lit up by colorful streetlights. It's a place where the trees glow in the dark and fireflies roam all over the fields. A place where you ride giant, friendly rats as transportation. A place where up on the tallest mountain of the land, an all-knowing bat the size of a whale can tell you the deep dark secrets of why things are the way they are. You could even catch humongous shrimp that roam in the sea, with the help of a local "shrimper" man! I mean, if you want to. (I promise, that'll be the only bad pun in the story.) It's a huge comfort zone, you can do whatever!

Becoming a member of the Lost Soul Program means you can traverse all over the land and then some, earning badges for your sash by doing awesome and unbelievable things to truly find or regain a part of yourself by the end of the summer. From a desert with purple sand and talking cacti to the dark, seedy underbelly of the Raccoon Swamp, Otherverge is a place where you can find yourself while you get yourself lost.

Follow me and stay tuned for more about the story and its world. I will be introducing the main character next time and why she's signing up for the program, so keep your eyes peeled! I will very very VERY much appreciate all the help I can get to make this project a reality, as I feel like the world needs more comfort zones in their bookstores and libraries without having to turn to you-know-who.

P.S: The main character may or may not be based on another character that was done dirty by you-know-who.