#i just think that if cats can be happy we can too..... (starts comic with sad cat)

[cloudsthatglowinthenightsky]

heard i missed a day specifically for making terrible comics... decided no i didn't. enjoy :3

[threepandas]

Like A Dangerous Cat: Yandere!Aizawa

See, here's the thing. (And don't get me wrong, to each their own.) I come across Yandere!Aizawa fics time and again, that forget his crucial truth. This man? THIS man... is fuckin EXHAUSTED.

No sexy body or "ooooh~ IMPRISON ME sempai~♡" energy is gonna motivate him enough to get out of his damn sleeping bag. No today, not tomorrow. Not EVER. He's best friends with Nemuri, for god's sake. He's seen finer tits for far less effort.

And HURTING you? Why would he do THAT? You got something to confess? He has more then a few cops on speed dial. He WILL if he must... but for your sake. Do Not Make Him Do That.

It's his napping time.

He gets that so, SO fucking rarely.

But! Does this mean he can not become a Yandere? Are we cursed to a hot hobo-daddy-less Yandere-free world?

The FUCK it does!

He has SO much love to give. And is that not the CORE of the Yandere? The love? The OBSESSION. Hey, real quick, how much of his personality has he completely reshaped around the hole Oboro left in his life? How far do you think he would GO for Mic? What do you think he would DO?

The thing is? He's not the sort of Yandere that would ever hurt or humiliate his Darling. Oh no, he'd sooner die. Take you all with him. No...

No he's a HERO.

He's gonna PROTECT them. Make them HAPPY. Bask in the light of it, like a cat on a sunbeam. And? HOW he protects them? What he needs to DO, to make sure everything is SAFE? That their dreams come true and their path is full of nothing but rose petal n light? Well... they don't need to know about THAT do they?

That's his JOB, isn't it?

To be a HERO. To PROTECT. Keep watch, just in case.

And? He is the sort of Yandere you'll NEVER notice. Others will. They'll never get the chance to WARN you, but they'll notice. Or, they'll already be so wrapped up in his madness, that it all feels normal.

You'll just... start finding your life easier, all of a sudden. Little things will start going your way. Then bigger and bigger. That creep who kept cat calling you? Finally stopped! The rumored pervert around the neighborhood? Caught! Oh! Look! You didn't even KNOW about this sale!

Wonder how the ad even GOT to you...

Still, you'll brush it off. Pet some cats. Wonder why all the guys who used to hit on you STOPPED. Figure they were messing with you. Oh, hey! Promotion! You buy nicer coffee for the weird hobo looking Hero that uses your balcony as a patrol rest stop.

You DID offer.

Even set up a lil coffee maker out there. Electric kettle. A lockable snack box n stuff. You figured he wouldn't trust food left to the open air. It's suspicious, right? He knocked on your sliding door and asked about it. You guys had a conversation and everything. Was pretty cool.

And? Slowly? He'll pull you in. Vague thank you notes becoming polite but generic "how are you"s. Which of course meanders in to questions about things you mention. Longer responses from you. More and more notes. Until? Oh, he just HAPPENS to be early today...

Slowly, carefully, dragging you into his friend group. Letting Mic do the heavy social lifting. Letting Nemuri do the loud girls nights. Letting you roam free, happy and oblivious. Careful as he peppers in the benefits of working for UA. Good pay, excellent protection, unmatchable care package...

Ah, but he's rambling, you were mentioning your unreasonable boss?

And of course, his friends will tease. He has a "crush". That's one word for what he feels. They suggest dates and hookups. It sounds awful. He has an almost comically low sex drive. You would too, with working hours like his. WOULD he though?

The second you showed interest. In anyway you'd have him. Like it's his life's MISSION to get you off. He'd do RESEARCH. Deep dives. Your computer? Hacked. Your search history? Gone through with a fine tooth comb. He found your smut stash WEEKS ago. Has copies of every title, been going through them like he's studying for a final.

He's been friends with Nemuri for YEARS. Knows things youve never even considered. If not from HER, then from her 18+ Hero work friends. They're loud. He's vaguely annoyed that it actually HAS become useful knowledge.

And? The thought of having you completely, taking you apart, holding you, boneless and soft and warm against him? Makes feels like some horny teenager, for how quick that does it for him. He has FANTASIES of what he would do to you, if he actually had enough time of to be well rested.

Wants to pamper you. Wants to limp, bruised and sore, to your apartment, so you'll WORRY. Want to pamper HIM. Want to focus on him. Pay attention to him. Be soft and careful and gentle with him. Your poor wounded hero...

Ah, he bets he could convince you to let him sleep, propped up in your arms.

It'd be so WARM.

In the meantime? He'll slowly get you used to him. Use Mic to do it. That's right, every hour is cuddle hour. It's good for mental health and hormonal regulation. Perfectly logical, really, to get some casual touch from trusted friends, right? Honestly, there's nothing to see here. He's harmless. Of course he can help braid your hair. Sure you can lean against him. Cold? Let's share a sleeping bag.

He's harmless.

Like a grumpy cat.

A big, dangerous cat.

[doe-prince]

I love Golden Shrike! I've had my own comic idea for about a decade now, but I'm wondering, for you, how long did it take you to be confident enough with your art to start your comics? had you attempted panels and backgrounds earlier and didn't put them out because you weren't happy with them yet? I'm almost done with my characters and writing but I'm worried I'm not good enough to actually start doing panels

(these are just my views and experiences! there's as many approaches as there's artists)

I was BAD when I started comics, but then I again I was a kid who didn't care if my bunny-cat-digimon comics weren't good enough, it was just fun to do. Which is what it should still be, fun and a fulfillment to you. I think the happiest an artisit can be is when they can draw like they have no audience.

My comics stopped in my teenhood when I actually wanted to make something good. I made so much groundwork but VERY rarely got to the actual page production because I thought everything should be perfect, but we all know there's no such thing. When I noticed all my attempts were doomed, I stopped making them for like ten years until I was zapped with Fuck It We Ball-mentality. And it's the best thing that has happened to me. Childhood whimsy. Make your own toys.

Did I make test pages for Golden Shrike before starting production? Well, the first page of the comic is a test page. And the second page. And the whole first chapter. I just never stopped. Not smart but it's what works for me. Starting these 'test pages' has kickstarted two bigger comics for me, Golden Shrike and Jet and Harley.

Sure I made couple of style tests for GS even though I had a clear visual vision from the start, but Jet and Harley I just started to draw without any real practice pieces, just based on couple of CSP brushes I wanted to use. This isn't very smart as you'll likely find out later that MAN, this style takes too much effort, but if you're unlike me and don't care so much for consistency, you can always simplify it on the fly. And even I've had to change it: I stopped shading after chapter 5, briefly used 3D assets in upcoming pages, now I'm gonna shrink the font a little. They're teeny tiny things for readers, but huge for me.

There's many comic authors who like to plan every little detail before getting to work, but it doesn't work for me so I can't say much about it. I have a skeleton to follow, but I fully flesh out each chapter one by one when I reach them with pages, because I like to revisit my old visions with fresh brains. When you actually get to work, you might realize some scenes aren't needed, or they'd be better changed. Don't be scared to crack some ribs off your story skeleton. Being too loyal to your old vision can often hinder you.

Starting production is the biggest monster in comic making, but after the first step you'll mow over it leaving it in your dust and create a baby you can be so proud of. I wish you, and everyone else on the cusp of their projects GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, LOVE YOUR WORK.

[factual-fantasy]

25 asks :}} MERRY CHISTMAS! 🎄🎄🎄

Jevil and Seams world still exists, its just so horrible that they don't ever want to go back to it..

Grillby and River persons AU were both destroyed/de-stabilized..?? Their worlds don't exist anymore.. they cant go back.

Goner Kid's AU still exists, but another version of her already exists in it. Its like a duplicate..? Of her was created when she fell into the void. When she tried to re-enter her AU, it was hurting the other Goner Kid. In order for her to go back, someone would have to kill that other Goner kid. But that Kid has a family, real memories, emotions.. she's a person too... no one had the heart to kill her. She cant go back..

Spamton's AU still exists, but he doesn't want to go back. There was nothing for him there. He had no friends, no family, he hated his life. And being in his own world for some reason causes his pain to be more extreme/less tolerable. So staying away from his AU brings him some relief..

Asgore's AU still exists, but he cant go back. Or else he will continue turning into dust and eventually fully die.. staying out of his AU is the only thing keeping him "alive"..

@abaroo

I don't know if their boss status really played much of a role.. mostly their friendship started with Jevil helping Spamton, and then sparked into something more by them having a similar sense of humor. :00

As for the phone person? I haven't decided if my Spamton had that phone guy or not.. but if he did, I might make it so they're different people. Or maybe the same person but from different aus..?? 👀👀

The group might not keep in touch consistently. But I can see them occasionally returning to this AU to seek shelter, knowing that they're safe here.

Like imagine they got in a wicked fight and some of their toughest members are all beat up. They retreat to this AU and hide out in the forest to rest. Some of the Queens guards find the group and bring them to her. She's surprised to hear that they've been living in the woods.

"Why did you not return to my castle?"

"We didn't want to intrude or overstay our welcome..."

"Nonsense! You are always welcome here."

Now as for Seams relationship with her? I imagine its complicated.. Of course he thinks she is wonderful and very gracious. Having freed him from his chains and continuing to welcome them into her castle..

But Seam can't help but be afraid of her. She is the same species as the Spade King. He cant help but be reminded of the king when he looks at her and feel uncomfortable or intimidated..

Seam is probably stressed and uncomfortable being in her castle, despite how kind the Queen is.. Everything just reminds him of the King and all the horrible things associated with him.. its just.. man, its complicated.

@tanileaf

WAAHAHRHHDHF THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!! 😭😭💖💖💖

@mishishiwritings

Aw its ok! <XD Don't worry, it really is mostly a design choice now. But to go over the story again..

When I was designing my sona I wanted something to be on my hands. Gloves? Different skin color? I didn't really know.. Now at the time my fingers/knuckles were covered in band-aids due to dry skin and cat scratches.

So I thought hey! I can give my sona edgy bloody bandages! And I can call them my weathered artists hands! XD And so I added them.

Although my hands still aren't in the best shape today, I'm pretty hard on them- the bloodied hands don't have any darker or concerning origin. Just cat scratches and dry skin. I appreciate the concern though! 🥺💖💖💖

Also thank you! Happy holiday and a happy new year to you too! :}}

@taizarack

Yeah, my sona is kind'a all over the place <XD for funsies I made this little chart that might help explain the strange forms I take XDD

Basically, the drippy-ness and blood is when I want to emphasize my exhaustion and/or emotions is some way..?

And the "stable" version is usually seen at the start of comics before I've consumed any energy. Or in posts with 1-2 drawings that don't take much time/energy to make. Also being a drama queen is fun. Does that make sense..? <:D

@purplelordscp035j

THNAK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDDD

I'm assuming you're talking about the ruin mask? If so, that would be very bizarre.. they wouldn't know what to make of it. How is this thing even possible?? <XDD

@lizard-queen-things

Wow, 2020? That feels like forever ago-

And well I just kind'a lost interest in tfp. <XD I never even finished the show due to lost interest- such is life :/

@citrusfruitman

XD You're the first person to ever send me that I believe. Season's Greason's indeed :}

Nooo, <:/ I had already planned out my AU before the Ruin DLC came out. No room/reason to add prototype Freddy.

@starrypaint09

Fank u! :}}}

Here's a link to my FNAF master post! (Its also in my pinned post <XD)

I got an ask about this recently, :0 I'm sad to say that I'm actually unfamiliar with this game.. sorry! <XD

Part of me thinks it would be very foreign to their (probably cruddy) Fazbear brand pizza. <XD Chica would love it though!

This is a really good question! :0 I had to think about it for a sec XDD

For Freddy and Glamrock Foxy I imagined their vice would be the same, hoarding. They would try to latch onto things and objects that make them feel better. At first it would start with collecting certain posters of event that they had a good time at. Or if someone gave them a plush they would hide it from employees so that they could keep it. But then it would quickly spiral into something worse..

They would both start stealing from the other animatronics. Taking things that they see as valuable and worry the others might throw away. Or if they had a nice time at a kids birthday party they would try to collect souvenirs. Like the present wrapping and bows. Trash and plates with food still on them.

Freddy would collect all this trash and stuff and hoard it in his room. The food would get moldy and make his room a hazard. But Freddy would become very protective of his room and his collection. The employees would try to clean if but Freddy just wouldn't have it. They would have to clean out the worst of it little by little so Freddy wouldn't notice..

Foxy would be the same except once his room got too full, he would extend his collection to Pirates cove. Parents would complain about Pirates cove being dirty and about there being trash all over the floor. But just like Freddy, Foxy would be very protective of his collection and it would be a hassle to clean..

For Glamrock Bonnie however, his is harder to describe.. but I imagine he is completely opposed to change. Maybe OCD you could call it..?

I can see Bonnie being hurt by all the change in his life. When Freddy and Chica died that was a huge change. When the glamrock era began and they threw out everything familiar to him.. it hurt. It was a big change.

I can see Bonnie hating change. For 5 seconds, he wants everything to just, stay the same. This might manifest in Bonnie not allowing any employees in his room. Becuase he doesn't want them moving anything around. He wants to come back to his room after a stressful day and have his room be exactly the way he left it. This would mean Bonnie's room gets very dirty/dusty but he wont allow anyone to clean it.

Not sure how this could spiral to something that effects other people.. Maybe he doesn't like the new songs that they are told to sing. He just wants to sing the same familiar songs he already knows. This could cause problems for the other animatronics because Bonnie wont cooperate? Things like that. :0

I suppose anyone who doesn't have a river person in their AU would be spooked yeah <XD Poor river person :(

XDD Yeah "Mommy look! A Kangaroo!"

Bonnie:

Yes, Seam is absolutely devastated with guilt. Not a day goes by where he doesn't feel horrible for what he did to Jevil.. And despite your point, Jevil holds nothing against him. Not anymore, and here's why.

Jevil was there when the king threatened Seam. When the king commanded him to lock Jevil away. It was very clear from the situation that the King would hurt or even kill Seam if he did not obey. Seam was torn, tears streaming down his face. He was shaking.. He had no choice. It was lock Jevil up, or face the Kings wrath. He had to.. if he didn't, both of them would probably have been slaughtered..

He doesn't resent Seam for locking him up. He knows he had to. But after years of being down there.. Jevil did develop a bit of resentment over Seam never visiting him. He always expected Seam to sneak down to the dungeon to see him.. but he never did.. that he resented a bit.

But as soon as he escaped, and found out why Seam never visited.. that resentment all vanished.

Seam tried to visit Jevil. But he was caught. And what was his punishment? His eye was gouged out, his mouth stitched shut, and heavy shackles clasped around his neck and wrists. He was told of he ever tried to visit Jevil again. The king would kill them both.

How could Jevil hold any resentment after that? There was nothing else Seam could have done..

I think it was the opposite. Jevil saw the danger of the situation. It was clear that if Seam didn't lock Jevil up, the King would likely kill them both.

Seam was extremely hesitant. He was crying, he didn't want to lock him up..

Instead of begging the king for mercy, knowing the king would not listen. Jevil probably just tried to comfort Seam..

"Seam.. i-its ok... j-just.. just do it... just do what he says.."

I don't think I ever gave them claws.. I suppose if the situation calls for it they'll magically have them XD Not sure about scratching post though, they'd more likely just want to use a nail file :0

I sat on this ask and thought about it for a while.. and every time I think about it I picture the same scenario..

Asgore comforting a neutral route Undyne..

@beryl-shade

I'd like to think that Bibi can because he's very cat-like. but Cici? Mayyybe not? <XD She's more mouse-like to me.

@britneyt

WOAH HANG ON!- I cant make THAT many arms! XDD

Also thank you! Good night/day to you as well! :}}}

Oh yeah, it likely happens a lot. :( And you know Jevil is either gonna deny it, or curl up under a blanket and refuse to let anyone touch him in an attempt to not spread it..

[artpoint420]

A Long Winded Analytic Defense of Nermal Cat from Garfield -DRAFT

I’ve said before, Nermal isn’t that bad, y’all just mean.

Go ahead. Hate me. Send me to Abu Dabi. But I am a Nermal apologist. I think Nermal makes a good addition to the Garfield cast and he's even a bit of an interesting character, the world's cutest kitty cat yet the most overhated.

I can understand why he's hated, certainly. I'll admit he does deserve some hate.

HOWEVER

As a cat crazy individual, I will never hate a cat. That's my main reason for not hating Nermal. In fact, I want to adopt Nermal so bad but he's just a cartoon character at the end of each Monday (and everyday), unfortunately. There are other reasons I defend him too and here (and next parts) I'll give a detailed overview/ analysis of all Garfield media Nermal has been in, the role he plays, his dynamics with the other characters, and his behavior.

PART 1: THE COMIC STRIPS (early era Nermal)

Let's start with the obvious, his first appearance in the comics.

... to which Garfield immediately hates him. But hey, it's a great way to immediately establish their dynamic, and show the main reason Garfield dislikes Nermal is his jealously (and annoyance at how he interuppts his naps.) The fact Nermal looks so happy to meet him though <3

The next few strips feature Garfield telling Nermal how he hates cute, his general disappointment in Nermal, and all the little ways Nermal annoys him. Here, Nermal is just the naive baby of the group and doesn't seem to mean to annoy Garfield. It's honestly reminisent to how Garfield and Odie were when Odie was introduced early on as well as a reflection on how cats tend to treat new cats, which is usually not very well until they get used to each other. (I have three cats trust me.)

Nonetheless, it doesn't take long until we get strips showcasing the ways they actually enjoy their time together, finding ways to play that shows their friendly side with each other without completely altering their established dynamic.

These are some of my overall favorite Garfield comics. Jim Davis honestly deserves kudos for being able to draw and write his characters in ways that feel like a natural sibling rivalry with both good and bad moments. But when the moments are good, they're so damn good. Here's more examples:

God this is my favorte Nermal and Garf stirip. I can hear them giggling as they confuse Jon.

I don't blame you for thinking that Nermal.

He's just his little baby brother and I will accept no other answer.

However there's this one:

If nothing proves Garfield's hatred is fueld mainly by jealously, this will. So much for Nermal being the "evil" one. (They both have their evil moments I suppose.)

In this one, Garfield fully admits it.

To move forward because I can analyze each and every comic, truly I can, but I also have so much more I want to talk about, I'll just say there's a few basic formulas for a Garfield and Nermal strip in this era I've observed, and that's one of these few:

-Nermal being snobbish towards Garfield to which Garfield is reasonably annoyed.

-Garfield just being a jerk to Nermal unprovoked or scolding him harshly usually ending with Nermal being tossed out the door.

-Garfield yearning for Jon's attention upon Nermal getting attention.

-Garfield trying to copy Nermal and/or have Nermal teach him to be cute (you are cute though Garfield, you're a cat, of course you're cute, Jon or Nermal just won't admit it.)

-Nermal and Garfield asking each other what seems like genuine questions out of a true interest about each other's lives.

-Something a bit more on the wholesome or brotherly side.

Or something kinda random.

Now, before both our attention spans die out, lets quickly look at modern Nermal comics and how Nermal's character has developed over the years. As we can see, early on, he had his snobbish moments but could also be sweet enough to break through Garfield's walls he puts up. Does that sweetness remain or get replaced?

To be honest, their dynamic hasn't actually changed too awfully much. There's so many modern ones with Nermal that feature Garfield's age and birthday more often than the past one's. Nermal is usually insulting Garfield's age but there's one where he does try to comfort him, proving he's still a cute sweet kitty despite his smart-aleck attitude. But I'll have to continue in part 2 because there's already 29 pictures in this post and I can only add one more which isthis one, which I coudn't leave out:

"Garfield! You're blocking my sunlight!"

Tee-hee, yep, one more cute one for the road. Can't get enough of it? Tune in for my next post because we'll have to do a Part 1 part 2!

[aihoshiino]

chapter 148 thoughts!

New chapter! New arc! New - Osh no Beach Episode?! Uh - sure, fuck it! Why not!

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Completely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 5

It felt weirdly jarring to realize it was late summer in series for some reason lol… I think it's a combo of it still being pretty chilly here in the UK and me just having entirely lost track of the passage of time while we were in Movie Arc Purgatory.

I actually don't have a ton to say about this chapter as it's kind of just an echo of what we got with 138; a little breather beat between emotional upheavals that sets up the oncoming drama at the end. I definitely think it does so less gracefully than 138 and I ultimately enjoyed it less. That's not to say it's a bad chapter and watching everyone have goofy fun in the sun was cute - it just didn't quite Hit in the way I was itching for, especially after last chapter was… well, the way it was. There's some stuff I have to complain about which I think will make this post read as more negative than it maybe is, but it's one of those chapters where the good stuff doesn't really warrant a lot of comment other than 'i liked it'.

On that note, things I liked: everyone hanging out was really cute! I was honestly hoping we'd get more interactions like this during the Movie Arc with everyone scrunched together onto a single project but I'm happy to see it now.

Gotanda being being Dads With Cats this chapter was also really cute. It's a throwaway line but that little lore crumb of him having been looking forward to starting a family at some point is… honestly really sad and interesting? I think it adds a lot to the way he takes to Aqua and looks out for Kana, on top of the way he throws himself into his art.

frill taking a big ass break between projects is really good, too. i hope she has a very good time doing absolutely nothing.

that said. the fact that the only time we've gotten an acknowledgement of ruby and taiki's sibling relationship in the manga after like 80+ chapters is him making a comment about her tits makes me want to put aka akasaka through a pasta maker.

but no, for real. joking aside. Taiki and Aqua's relationship and Taiki going from being standoffish to accepting Aqua as his younger brother is one of the more understandably sweet relationship arcs in the series and it feels like a waste that we didn't get anything similar for him and Ruby. In general, Ruby is starting to feel very isolated from the rest of the cast which I'm not a fan of.

frill's full body wetsuit was a god tier joke though i gotta admit

Kana hyping herself up to flirt so overtly with Aqua was… funny, if a bit weird, especially given the note the chapter ends on. But Akane going right in and getting all over her thighs. holy shit, girl.

tsukuyomi at the beach what will she do

Akane's chat with Aqua also made my ears perk up in the way it continues a theme established by 143, of Aqua being challenged on his dedication to his self destruction by the people around him. Ruby and Kana were able to poke and prod at the issue but Akane, having the full picture as she does, is able to more directly shake Aqua and point out what he has to lose. In trying to self destruct, he will only end up destroying the thing he's trying to protect.

Also worth pointing out; Aqua is back to double black hoshigans as of this chapter which seems to line up with my thoughts on them representing his wavering dedication to his revenge play.

And then Kana….. whooooooooooo boy.

Like I said earlier, this ending feels super jarring off the back of both the last AQKN interaction and Kana's attempted flirting in this very chapter. As part of her overall arc, I think it makes sense but within the scope of this chapter it's too abrupt and lacks any real trigger. I can assume she saw AQAK talking to each other and made some assumptions but we don't actually see it. As it's presented in the comic, Akane basically walked up to her and triggered a cutscene lol

It is interesting to me that we're getting this overt push towards romantic resolution happening now given that… well, I'm not keeping that 'chapters since 143' count going just for goofs. I'm honestly torn between frustrated and darky amused at how much of a nothingburger 143 has turned out to be in the long run given that its only persistent status quo change (Aqua's white hoshigan) has fallen back by the wayside again. Neither Ruby or Aqua are acting like anything at all has happened. Literally right now it feels like you could skip 141-143 completely and not miss anything. It's baffling and it really does feel like that kiss was used as cynical reaction bait. Ruby's feelings are being treated with little to no respect and I'm honestly tired of it.

Obviously we're going to be getting some future resolution eventually because any Aqua-related romantic resolution is going to end up dragging Ruby into things but man. The fact that THIS is how Akasaka is choosing to drag it out is just insane to me. What was even the point of that kiss if it was going to have literally no impact on either character or the status quo whatsoever?

As for what this means for relationships… who even knows at this point. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to make a call, I'd say that in a romance manga, this would make me very confident in a Kana endgame. 'Girl tries to selflessly give up her love' is a pretty huge 'winning' flag in these kinds of situations. But Oshi no Ko is not strictly a romance manga and there's so much other relationship baggage floating around, who even knows what this is all going to mean. You could tell me this is the flag for an Aqua/Minami endgame or something and I wouldn't be surprised at this point.

At least we'll find out next week, assuming Akasaka doesn't offscreen the rest of this talk lol

[seas-of-silver]

"I'm sorry Master Fu, but... I don't think I can do this anymore."

‘I’m sorry, Master Fu, but… I don’t think I can do this anymore.’

Adrien watched as Master Fu’s eyes bugged out. ‘What?’

‘I can’t keep doing this anymore,’ Adrien repeated.

‘You don’t want to be Chat Noir anymore?’ Fu asked, voice strangled with panic and alarm.

‘Of course I want to be Chat Noir,’ Adrien answered, ‘but I can’t keep being him if things are going to stay this way.’

The panic and alarm gave way to confusion. ‘Do you mean with defeating Hawk Moth?’

Adrien shook his head. ‘I mean being a part of this team.’

-oOo-

Chat Noir landed on the rooftop where Ladybug was already waiting to start their patrol. His heart skipped happily at the mere sight of her, and he sighed in relief. Since that brush of lips, that near-kiss he had with Marinette at the wax museum earlier that day, he had been an absolute mess of emotions, wondering if his heart was so fickle that one little kiss could make him fall for someone who wasn’t his Lady. But now, with his heart doing its usual routine of happy backflips upon seeing Ladybug, he decided that all was right in the world (and that he could examine his newfound - perhaps temporary? - feelings for Marinette later).

‘Good evening, m’lady,’ he greeted as he sat down next to her at the edge of the rooftop.

She turned to him, smiling happily. ‘Hey, Chat!’

He couldn’t help but smile in return. ‘You are in a good mood. Did you have a good day?’

Ladybug grimaced like she had just bitten into a lemon. ‘Wasn’t the greatest, but luckily not as horrible as it could’ve been.’

‘Oh?’

‘I’d rather not dwell on it,’ she said, before shaking her head, and her expression cleared. ‘But I’d rather talk to you about something far more pleasant!’

‘I’m all ears,’ he said, wiggling his faux cat ears, and grinned when he was rewarded with a giggle. She turned where she was sitting to face him, struggling to sit still as if she were a puppy and he was holding a bone in his hand.

‘How’s your training with Master Fu going?’ she asked enthusiastically, the words practically bursting from her. ‘I’ve been desperate to ask for ages, but I didn’t want to bombard you too early, because I didn’t want to jump too far ahead of where you might’ve been in your training, but surely you’ve learnt enough for us to talk about most things freely together, and-’

‘Ladybug, wait,’ Chat cut in, and she paused, her arms comically frozen in the air from when she had been waving them about excitedly, ‘what training?’

Her arms dropped and she frowned. ‘Uh, the training on the Miraculous?’

‘I’m supposed to be getting training?’ he asked, and her frown deepened.

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘When was the last time you saw Fu?’

‘Saw him? Uh… when we fought against Party Crasher? But if you’re talking about having an actual sit-down conversation with him-’ she nodded, ‘-then not since after we faced Syren.’

‘Syren?’ she repeated incredulously. ‘But that was months ago!’

‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘but that chat was more like a general overview rather than anything I’d consider to be training.’

‘Ugh!’ she exclaimed, jumping up to her feet and starting to pace. ‘What is his problem?’

‘What do you mean?’ Chat asked, turning where he sat to face her.

‘Back around the time of us facing Syren, you were getting frustrated by your role and being left in the dark with identities and all things Miraculous, remember?’ she began.

‘Yeah, I remember,’ he responded. ‘I almost quit that day.’

‘What?’ she yelped, swivelling around to face him. ‘Y-you almost left? Why?’

He cringed; he had never wanted to admit to her how low he had felt that day, but now that it was out, he supposed he should address it.

‘I didn’t feel like you trusted me,’ he confessed, his heart breaking as he saw the pain in her eyes. ’Suddenly, there are more Miraculouses, and I didn’t know about them until you put them into play. There were new team members that just popped up mid-battle that you didn’t trust me with their identities. When we started being superheroes, it was just the two of us, and the only secrets we had between us were our identities, but at some point, that changed. I felt less like your partner and more like your out-of-the-loop sidekick. I had no knowing where it all went wrong, and your lips were sealed tighter than a jam jar. I didn’t feel valued.’

‘A-and now?’ Ladybug asked, her voice soft but the guilt was earth-shatteringly loud. ‘After Master Fu spoke with you when Syren was over, did those feelings change?’

Chat sighed.

‘They lessened for a time,’ he admitted, ‘because he had explained he was training you, and that’s why you couldn’t tell me everything. He told me that he was the Guardian and gave me an overview about his role, he handed me the power-ups, and then he left. And that was enough for me back then, getting some answers for what was going on, but it’s still hard. Even after Syren, I still don’t know our temporary teammates identities, so only you can go get them and bring them to the battle. Only you and Master Fu knew how to make our power-ups. I don’t know where Master Fu lives, so I can’t just go talk to him. I… if I think about it too much, it hurts.’

Arms wrapped around him.

‘I am so sorry, Chat Noir,’ Ladybug apologised. ‘I told him to stop leaving you in the dark, and when he said that he’d take care of it, I thought he was bringing you up to speed, not just giving you a one-off chat. I hate keeping secrets from you, especially things to do with the Miraculous. Never doubt that I trust you with my life and the Miraculouses - you are my partner and my best friend.’

Chat returned the hug. ‘Thank you, Ladybug. That means a lot.’

She pulled back and looked him in the eye. ‘I promise you, Chat Noir, that I’ll talk to Master Fu and make this right.’

-oOo-

’After that, she gave me your address so that I could reach you in case of important discussions that need to happen, and for emergencies,’ Adrien explained, watching as Master Fu frowned deeply.

‘She should not have done that,’ Master Fu said sternly.

‘Yes, she should have,’ Plagg retorted, staring the old man down. ‘If she hadn’t given him your address last night, I would’ve brought him here anyway, and he would’ve learned your address either way. But she trusted him, and so should you.’

‘What makes you think I don’t trust him?’ asked Fu. Plagg stared at him, unimpressed.

‘Did you not just hear everything my kid just told you?’ Plagg responded dryly. ‘Ladybug and Chat Noir’s relationship almost fell apart, Adrien was going to give up being Chat Noir altogether, leaving Hawk Moth a step closer to victory - just because you couldn’t bring yourself to trust Adrien as much as you do Ladybug.’

Fu seemed unmoved by Plagg’s words. ‘He can’t just give up - he has a responsibility-’

‘And what about your responsibility to him?’ Plagg countered. ‘Has he done something wrong?’

‘No.’

‘Has he proven himself less reliable or trustworthy than Ladybug?’ Plagg continued, cutting Fu off.

‘No, but-’

‘Has he ever showed any signs of wanting to betray Ladybug or wanting to join Hawk Moth?’

’No, he hasn’t-’

‘So then-’

‘Because there are extenuating circumstances!’ Fu yelled.

‘Like what?’ Plagg yelled back.

‘I can’t say, it’s too dangerous,’ said Fu tersely.

‘Can’t or won’t?’ Plagg shot back.

Fu didn’t answer, opting to silently fume with a red face.

‘Does Ladybug know what you aren’t telling us?’ Plagg prodded.

Fu pursed his lips, but averted his gaze in discomfort.

‘I’ll take that as a “no”, then,’ Plagg stated.

Adrien was finding this conversation frustrating. He knew Ladybug would talk to Fu sometime soon - she had only made her promise last night, after all - but he decided to try and talk to the Master himself when his fencing lesson cancelled last-minute and he had some free time on his hands. The last few instances he had met Master Fu, the old man seemed kind and understanding, so Adrien thought this discussion would go smoothly. How wrong he was.

There was no reason for Fu to not trust him - the man had said so himself! There was something Fu was hiding, and he clearly wasn’t willing to disclose whatever it was that was preventing him from trusting Chat Noir the way he does Ladybug. Adrien opened his mouth to speak-

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Adrien jumped where he sat, turning to look at the intruder as Plagg zipped under the table.

‘Fu! You have some explaining to do!’

The door closed shut with a quiet click. Eyes met.

‘Marinette?’ he asked. He had never seen her like this before. Her body was tense like a lioness about to pounce on her prey. Her heavy breaths foretelling a storm of epic proportions. The fire in her eyes burned like a bushfire raging in the peak of a dry summer. She was livid. But not at him.

‘Adrien? What are you doing here?’ she asked evenly. No stutter. No stumble. No sweet blush or cute little smile.

‘Marinette, this is very rude of you-’

‘I’m here for a personal matter,’ Adrien said, cutting off Master Fu as he held Marinette’s gaze. ‘You?’

The blue fire blazed. ‘I’m also here on a personal matter,’ she began, turning the inferno towards the old man across the table, ‘and it’s a matter of urgency.’

Marinette looked like she’d eat Master Fu alive if Adrien left them alone. Adrien didn’t know if he should hold her back from ripping Master Fu apart for whatever he had done to rile her up so much, or if he should sit back and enjoy the carnage, but one thing was absolutely certain - he was staying put.

‘Why don’t you sit down and join us? Adrien offered brightly, ignoring the wild eyes Master Fu was sending him. Marinette, too furious to question Adrien’s motives, sat next to him.

Master Fu cleared his throat. ‘Uh, well, since these discussions are both personal matters, we should discuss them without mentioning other people’s names,’ he suggested.

Adrien agreed, and Marinette nodded stiffly beside him. Secret identities needed to remain a secret… then again, Adrien thought that if he was allowed to entrust anyone with his identity, Marinette would be at the top of the list.

‘Why don’t you go first, Marinette?’ Adrien suggested, earning him a curious look from her. ‘I’ve been here a little longer than you have, and you said your matter was urgent.’

Marinette nodded with a small “thanks”, before turning towards Master Fu.

‘I have this friend,’ she began, ‘and you know him well, Mr.Fu. And you have done him a great disservice.’

‘What happened?’ Adrien asked.

‘My friend and I were working on something together, and we had been for a good few months before I met Mr. Fu. Mr Fu decided to give me tutoring in the area me and my friend were working in,’ she explained, her voice unusually even for the fury that emanated from her. ‘I kept asking and asking Mr. Fu to tutor my friend as well, but he refused, citing “security reasons”. But my friend had noticed the sudden difference between my level of knowledge and his, and began to question it, and I could see him getting upset when I couldn’t answer him because I had made a promise to Mr. Fu here that I wouldn’t share this knowledge with anyone - that promise was a condition of my tutoring.’

Adrien could understand her friend’s perspective. Maybe he should meet this friend and teach him some breathing techniques to avoid being akumatised.

‘One day, I told Mr. Fu that it was time for my friend to be brought into the loop, to be trained the same way I was.’ Marinette was on a roll now. ‘He had agreed, and promised that he’d “take care of it”, which I thought meant bringing my friend up to speed, but no! I just found out yesterday that it was just a quick little one-off chat that did barely enough and my friend still feels on the outer! Things haven’t been fixed!’

Something was niggling in Adrien’s mind, whispering that this friend of Marinette’s had an eerily similar situation to himself, while the rest of his brain fought to ignore that very thought.

‘I can’t believe you, Mas- Mr. Fu!’ Marinette exclaimed as she jumped to her feet, body tense with anger, ready to fight. ’The way you’ve been treating him is totally and unnecessarily cold! Why? What’s he ever done to you? He is just as much of the team as I am, and instead of guiding him and teaching him, you’ve been treating him like a mushroom - keeping him in the dark and feeding him shi-’

‘Marinette!’ Master Fu gasped. Adrien almost pouted; he had never seen Marinette so mad to be on the verge of swearing, and he never knew that he wanted to hear her swear until now, and Fu just prevented him from hearing it. Yet another thing Adrien wasn’t able to experience, thanks to the old man. All the while, that niggling feeling grew stronger.

Instead of looking abashed at Master Fu’s scolding, Marinette looked even more infuriated than before, and a lot more hurt.

‘He almost left!’ she shouted, tears forming in her eyes. ‘He almost left his job, he almost left me because of you! Before you came, we trusted each other, we were partners, equals! But your blatant favouritism towards me and obvious disregard of him made him distrust me! He didn’t feel valued anymore, and almost left! This needs to change!’

Tears started to fall from her eyes. This was his Lady. She was crying for him, and he didn’t know what to do.

‘I can’t do this without him,’ Marinette declared. ‘He is the only reason I stayed after that first day, and if he goes, then I go.’

Adrien’s heart leapt into his throat. If he ever needed any proof she cared about him just as much as he did her, that was it. He stood up, placed his hands onto her shoulders, and gently turned her to face him.

‘You can’t go, m’lady,’ he told her gently, watching her eyes cloud with confusion before widening with realisation, ‘Paris needs you more than I do.’

‘I can only stay if you do, Kitty,’ she responded with equal softness, voice hitching with wet hiccups. ‘Paris needs both of us, because I can’t do this without you.’

He held his arms out and she all but jumped into them, hugging him just as desperately as he was hugging her. Adrien knew that he still needed to resolve the issues with Master Fu, and there was the whole matter of the unexpected identity reveal to deal with, but that was for Future Adrien. With Plagg resuming his staunch defence of Adrien to Master Fu (now joined by Tikki), and with Marinette in his arms, he knew they’d be okay.

[whysojiminimnida]

WELL I SEE IT'S TIME TO TALK TATTOOS AGAIN

Holy cats, hoes mad:

I just adore Black&White KM, don't you? Honestly, never yells at me no matter how often I steal their pics, they give out freebies at concerts, they're respectful -- if you're gonna make a living off photographing famous people, do it like they do. Honestly. So they're in Qatar doing their whole job and hoes losing their shit all over the internet, apparently, all because a certain JM is darker. STILL.

This is not a brand new development.

Y'ALL HE DID THIS MONTHS AGO WHY ARE WE JUST NOW FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT?

This is at LAST YEAR'S GRAMMYS Y'ALL:

And completely unedited, unretouched, the JM was darker enough then that I did a whole post about it.

I MEAN DAMN have we not gone over this, like, several times? (In case you're new to this house elf situation we have here, yes. YES WE HAVE.) We have talked about Jungkook's tattoos at GREAT LENGTH. Well, I have, as far back as a while ago, most recently along about here but also here and here and here and several other places. There is zero tag organization in this house, I don't know what else to tell you.

Anywho Jungkook's tats do not, as nearly as I can tell, mean this:

Because, like the nice graphic above says that I just edited, THIS IS FAN-MADE BULLSHIT. I dunno who made it but I suspect the addition of the J upset some folk enough to need to make JeiKei's motivation anything OTHER than Jimin. Because, as we know, he started out with his ink like this:

Yes, that is a pic someone ripped off. I don't like using it. But it's what we have, and it's years later, and it's been out there for a long time, don't shoot. But I have expounded more than once on why it makes NO SENSE to GO BACK LATER to add one letter to a near-complete hand piece. It doesn't. And that A is not, never has been, a V. In Korea you can go literally anywhere and see Samsung logos, Shilla hotel logos, and of course Jimin's dad's cafe' all using that stylized A with no crossbar.

And I think it's pretty clear what JK thinks the JM means. It means Jimin. Ji Min. JM. DUH. And just like his "rather be dead than cool / make hay while the sun shines" crossword ON HIS ARM, he has a crossword on his hand. A very obvious crossword. Who he loves is written for all of us to see: ARMY, and JM. And lest I forget about that crown:

It's THE SAME CROWN. Wanna go one better but likely utter fanfiction, you could even go heart-arrow-crown like so: 💜 > 👑... ... and make that story work. It actually makes more sense than one J for four people and four letters for three. But we're not here for that. Occam's Razor tells us that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one, and the simplest explanation is the one that's got bitches tearing their hair out. Because THEY KNOW. They KNOW that JM means Jimin, and they HATE IT. (And so what, to quote JeiKei directly. We're gonna talk about fan hate today, too, just... not in this post).

MEANWHILE JUNGKOOK is always showing us his hand, too, have you noticed? Ever since he got the tattoos, but I think more in the last year. It's gotten really pronounced since the PTD dates.

Jeon Jungkook does what Jeon Jungkook wants, and what he wants is for us to pick up what he's been throwing down since, oh, FOREVER but even more recently. Like, it's NOTICEABLE, the way he gets that tattoo in frame at every opportunity. I'll run out of image space before he runs out of ways to show us his touched-up hand.

Yeah. I think the fanmade bullshit has been exposed for what it is. Some of us have known it all along, but even if you're baby Army and you accidentally got stuck watching a lot of comic sans rainbow font youtube garbage (or got up on the wrong side of stan twt), there's no shame in that. I ain't even mad. I'm just happy you're here. Jeon-Park house elves, how we doin'?

[little-tunny]

My new year's resolution this year was to draw every day. I've never been very technically good at drawing so i feel like I'm starting from 0. I really admire the energy and expression in your art! Do you do anything to warm up? What's your process like when you have a technical skill you want to get better at? How do you choose the animals to represent people in your comics?

Great resolution!! Drawing is the best. :^) Set small goals for yourself and reward yourself when you complete them. AVOID BURNOUT AT ALL COSTS! I never draw more than 5 hours in a day. 30 minutes of practice, at least 5 times a week, would be an attainable goal. When you complete it, buy yourself a fun treat! If it's not fun, you won't want to do it, and you'll burn out. Draw things that make you happy! I love animals, so I really only draw animals. I stopped feeling guilty about being self indulgent years ago. Some of my favorite artists are just strange little dudes who only draw cats, and we all love them for it. I don't do many warmups, usually I just have an idea in my head and start chipping away at it. But if I'm left with a pen and paper I'll absentmindedly doodle all over it every time. I've never been to art school, but always wanted to take a figure drawing class! Some day I will. You can take figure drawing classes on youtube, but drawing from life will give you a better sense of something's form. Sites like sketchfab have all kinds of 3d models you can turn around and draw from any angle. Copy some works from artists you admire (its alright as long as you're just doing it to study and not posting them as your own!) Think about what part of their work draws you in. Mix and match elements from different styles you like. Steal someone's eyes and yoink someone else's hands. Make a Frankenstein of all your inspirations. Draw your pets sleeping! Draw a weird chair in your house! Redraw a funny meme you like! Draw weird objects you bought from the thrift store! Turn them into cartoon characters. Break real things down into their most basic shapes/elements and rebuild them. Small things build up to big things. I would prefer to have finished works than perfect works. You will learn more by doing more, rather than trying to perfect a single drawing for hours and hours. Get it done and move on to the next thing. I just get a sense of people's aura for their tunny assigned fursona, and mix that with an animal I think would be fun to draw. Sometimes I just think "this old man seems like a fish" and then i google around for the silliest species I can that fits the vibes the best. I don't think of myself as very technically skilled, but I do love drawing, and so I hope this helps you love drawing too!

[aalissy]

Dress-Up

Here's day 28 :). I hope you like this lil fluffy oneshot. I had a fun time writing it. Now Ima go sleep bc I'm tired and do nottt wanna go to work tomorrow hehee.

AO3

Marinette stood in her room, her hands on her hips, surveying the array of costumes strewn across her bed. Tikki floated nearby, giggling softly.

"You really went all out this time, Marinette," the little kwami remarked, her tiny hands clasped together in delight.

Marinette grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Well, it's not every day you get to play dress-up with a superhero. Plus, it's a great way to test out new designs and have some fun!"

A soft tap on her balcony’s trapdoor drew Marinette's attention. Quickly, she pushed it open, beaming at Chat’s grinning face, his usual confident smirk replaced by a curious smile. She gestured him inside, and he was careful not to ruin all of her neatly laid clothes.

"Hey, purrincess," he greeted, his green eyes scanning the outfits. "What's all this?"

Marinette felt her cheeks slightly warm at the nickname but quickly brushed it off. "It's a surprise! I thought it would be fun to have a little costume party. Just you and me."

Chat’s eyebrows raised in intrigue. "A costume party, huh? Sounds like a purrfect idea."

She rolled her eyes playfully at his pun but couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Alright, kitty. Let's get started!"

She lifted up one of the outfits that she had made, holding it up as she struck a pose before gently placing it back down. There were superhero costumes, medieval attire, animal onesies, and even a few historical ensembles. Chat’s eyes widened as he took in the assortment.

"You've really outdone yourself, Marinette. Where did you get all of these?"

Marinette chuckled. "There are some old designs that I made, others are more recent, and there are a few that are just things I've collected from various costume stores over the years. Now, pick one!"

Chat scratched his head, looking a bit overwhelmed. "Hmm, how about we start with something simple?"

She nodded and reached for a couple of animal onesies. "How about these? You can be a bunny, and I can be a lion."

He laughed a deep, genuine sound that made her heart flutter. "A lion, huh? I don’t know though. I can’t purromise not to hop away too fast. Afur all, you are a lion."

Marinette rolled her eyes even as she giggled. She handed him the bunny onesie and picked up the lion costume for herself. Quickly, she slipped behind her dressing screen to change, while Chat simply stepped into his onesie. A few moments later, they both gazed at each other, stifling laughter. He looked particularly ridiculous in both a cat and bunny suit.

Either way, he beamed at her, the fuzzy bunny ears sitting comically on his head. Every so often his cat ears twitched making her giggle. He twitched his nose, sniffing the air playfully, managing to make Marinette laugh harder.

"And here I was thinking that you were a cat, not a little bunny," she teased, adjusting her lion’s mane.

"Well, every cat has a bit of bunny in them," Chat replied, lifting his nose even higher into the air before gazing back down at her. "But look at you, my furbulous lion. You look fierce."

She puffed out her chest, raising her head even higher. "Thank you very much, Chaton. Now, what should we do next?"

“Hmm, well how about... tag!” he shouted, hopping away from her as quickly as he had tapped her.

“Hey! Get back here!” Marinette huffed, chasing him around her room as the two engaged in a friendly game of tag.

They bounced around each other, giggling and teasing as they did so. It was light. Carefree. No worries fluttered through Marinette’s mind as she tried to avoid Chat’s slippery paw for what felt like the millionth time. It was nice. Eventually, they both collapsed back onto her chaise, breathing heavily as they panted for air.

"That was really fun," Marinette said, turning to look at him as her cheeks flushed with happiness.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed, his smile softening. "You always know how to make everything more exciting, Marinette."

She looked at him, feeling a warm glow of something in her chest. "Well, it's easy when you're around, Chat. You always make me laugh." She poked him softly.

He reached out and gently adjusted her lion’s mane. "And you always make me feel like I can just... be myself."

Marinette's heart skipped a beat at his words. Before she could respond, Chat stood up, a glint of mischief returning back into his eyes. "Alright, what's next? I believe we have plenty of costumes left to try."

She laughed and quickly jumped onto her feet. "How about something historical? We can be knights and go on a quest!"

Chat nodded eagerly. "Sounds like a plan, my lady."

They changed into their new outfits—Marinette in a beautiful blue set of armor, and Chat in a nice set of black armor that matched his super suit. Both were only complete, however, with a cardboard sword. Once again, they fell into their roles, this time embarking on a quest to rescue a captured prince which was, unsurprisingly, a stuffed animal that Marinette had placed at the top of her wardrobe.

The hours flew by as they continued their playful adventures, each new costume bringing a fresh wave of creativity and laughter. They dressed as pirates searching for hidden treasure, superheroes saving Paris from an evil villain, and even royalty hosting a grand ball.

As the evening drew to a close, Marinette and Chat found themselves back in their original outfits, a sense of contentment settling over them. They sat on the floor, surrounded by the remnants of their costume party.

"That was amazing, Marinette," he said, his voice filled with genuine gratitude. "Thank you for this. I needed it."

She smiled at him softly. "Me too, mon Chaton. It was nice to just... be ourselves for a little while."

He nodded, his eyes meeting hers. "Yeah. Sometimes, it's easy to forget who we are underneath the mask."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of their words hanging in the air. Then, Chat stood up and offered his hand to Marinette.

"One last dance before I go?" he asked, a playful twinkle in his eye.

Marinette giggled and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Alright, as long as you don’t expect me not to step on your toes. I may be just a bit worn out from all those adventures ."

Chat bowed dramatically. "As you wish, purrincess."

They danced around the room, their laughter echoing off the walls. For a brief moment, they were neither superheroes nor civilians, just two friends enjoying a magical night.

As the dance came to an end, Chat pulled her into a gentle hug. "Thank you for being you, Marinette. You make everything better," he whispered quietly into her ear.

She hugged him back, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. "And thank you for being you, Chaton. You always know how to make me smile."

They pulled away, their eyes meeting in a moment of understanding. No words were needed; they both knew the special bond they shared.

With a final wave, Chat slipped out using her trapdoor and vanished into the night, leaving Marinette with a heart full of joy and a room full of wonderful memories. She stood there for a moment, looking up at the twinkling stars and feeling grateful for the unexpected adventure they had shared.

As she closed her hatch and turned back to her room, she couldn't help but smile. She knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, she would always have nights like this to remind her of the simple, beautiful moments that made life so special. Even when akuma attacks left her positively exhausted.

[phoenixisobsessed]

Okay guys, I know there’s still a while until I’m done with the catformers, but I’m starting to wonder wtf imma do after. I still wanna be an ask blog, so I’ll leave it up to you guys what I should do!!

I might put it up again closer to the ending of catformers, if I don’t feel like enough people saw it / feel like they may have changed their minds.

MORE DETAILS ON EACH ONE:

People will send in character requests as usual, but will send in a catpicture themselves together with their ask. In this version, characters going double doesn’t matter anymore (I think) xD

Just any funny or silly picture. Can be cats, can be dogs, can be humans. Anything you’d find on r/blursedimages basically. Can even be popular drawing memes! Open for anything.

Before catformers I really just wanted to re-design a bunch of characters, and have people ask for specific characters to be redesigned. Like man idk which ones I wanna do. But I do have the Elite Trine right here. Also did some panel redraws that may also be included in this category. (Said I’d never draw IDW again LMFAOO let me just clown on myself rq)

Vines, ideas for comic skits, interactions between characters, funny trends again. I think this would be funny.

I really enjoy my OCs, so this would include drawing them and answering questions about them. Also in this is talking about the AUs and headcanons for all of the characters, including ships and such. So it’s not all OC stuff okay also others. I draw also your ships and headcanons!! (Rarepairs, hell yes! Proshippers, get the hell off of my page 🥰🙏) Will I draw your ocs? Mayhaps I will. Your ocs interacting with other characters? Your ocs interacting with MY ocs??? I’m going too far in my yapping I need to stop now sorry guys.

Just all of it. Plus, I’ll answer any whacky or silly questions you have to me about transformers (I think it again goes into point 5.) but basically people can ask for anything they mf want!! And I’ll get to it.

We want the consistent theme of cat transformers going. So I keep it as a series on my blog, maybe every second day or so, who knows, but we also want some diversity. Want to be able to spread wider and ask for other things.

Anyway, I just want to know what we are interested in keeping here, I’m open to anything really. I’ll probably either way accept asks of anything, but only openly “advertise” the blog as the thing that wins (if all of the above doesn’t win xD)

And thank you to everybody who has stuck around! I love seeing interactions from so many blogs I recognise as consistent followers of the 100 cat transformers series. Even if you think I don’t recognise your blog name every time, there is a high chance that I do! I’m not going to name you all now, but I see you (totally not creepy LMFAO). I read every single reblog I get and I love each one of them. I want you all to know that I appreciate you staying with me along the journey, being basically just as, if not more, passionate about it than me and I hope to still see you sticking around. Again, thank you all so much. <3 Couldn’t do this without you amazing people.

Sorry, I know this is a long post, but I had to just happy rant for a moment. I LOVE YOU GUYS /SRS

[pawthorn]

Okay, so this has been in my brain for a while, but.

I love when Lou Wilson and Zac Oyama are in the same actual play show, because their characters so often explore characters in opposite directions.

(Character discussion for main-cast seasons of Dimension 20 and The Ravening War below.)

Lou Wilson often plays characters that are obviously heroically tragic in some way. This is especially apparent in his main-cast seasons of Dimension 20. Fabian Seacaster, son of a banished pirate who can never live up to his father’s ideals and will always be in his shadow. Kingston Brown, healer who has given up everything to protect his city. Amethar, last surviving sibling of his family, trapped in political games that are over his head. Gunnie, a brilliant kid with a dream that came crashing down immediately. Pinocchio, a puppet who can never be good enough to be a real boy.

With these characters, tragedy is obvious and visible from the start. But from there, Lou tends to explore the comedic side of tragic heroism. Almost every one of them has moments where their vision of themselves and the world just does not line up with reality, and comedy ensues. The clearest example is Fabian in Leviathan. Big and boisterous and past thought and reason, Fabian’s grand charge with the warlocks is horrifying, and it’s hilarious. You get the same energy in Gunnie at the casino and Pinnochio talking to Cinderella. Moments that are funny because of their inherent tragedy.

On the other hand, Zac Oyama’s characters are often steeped in inherent comedy. Gorgug, too big for his parents tiny gnome house. Ricky Matsui, Mr. March, whose dark secret is that he wasn’t always a firefighter (because he was a child once.) Lapin Cadbury, crotchety old bunny. Cumulous Rocks, cottoncandy-man of death. Norman Takamori, mean, put-upon, and incompetent space captain. Skip, a slug. Pib, an asshole cat.

Zac’s characters rarely hold the same gravitas as Lou’s at first glance. But the things that make them funny are often revealed to be truly tragic as the story progresses and their depths are explored. I think Ricky’s arc in TUC 2 is the most obvious example of this. What happens when your character is seen as a joke, but you removed the punchline? Ricky wasn’t always a firefighter, and now he isn’t. He isn’t the questing hero. He isn’t anybody. And we get this beautiful three-dimensional exploration of meaning in a character who perhaps seemed flat at first glance. And almost all of Zac’s characters are more than they seem. Lapin. Norman. Skip. Pib.

And once again, in The Ravening War, there’s a mirror in Lou and Zac’s arcs, with Deli starting out heroic, ambitious, filled with purpose, only to be played for a fool (the comic tragedy of his last interaction with Gemelli) and slip into obscurity. Colin, on the other hand, begins in obscurity, a seemingly funny cheese man messing up the clan’s introduction and eating charcuterie with Cleva. By the end, he has the strongest moral dedication of the group, getting the final blow on their enemy and dedicating himself to ridding the world of an evil organization for the rest of his life.

I’m just so happy that the two of them are in the main cast of Dimension 20, that we get to see them play across from each other so often. They’re two of my favorite players, and I can’t wait to see whatever is next for both of them.

[a-libra-writes]

Hello! Can I ask you for some romantic headcanons for comics lackadaisy Wes Clyde.

Incredibly based of u to request lackadaisy PLUS a fairly new/minor(?) Character im very fond of. also uhh oops this ended up being some additional dating HCs as well?

No warnings, reader is intended to be femme.

So - it's easy to get Wes' attention. He likes a pretty face and he frequents places that are full of them - not just the Marigold speakeasy he works for, but other illicit bars and dance halls. It's a special thing for him to keep interested in a particular person, especially when his job has him out at all hours.

His more old-fashioned side comes out, first of all! He wants to be the protector. He wants to have his pretty thing on his arm while they walk down the boulevard, he wants to open doors for them and surprise them by sending flowers.

Yes, this is totally against the persona he has to wear for work. Being with someone allows him to be gentler and more vulnerable, something Wes didn't realize he needed. Going out on the town is fun, but he prefers places his fellow gangsters don't frequent so the dates are more private. When he's totally comfortable, he likes to hold your hand and kiss your knuckles. He likes bringing you close during dances and all but pulling you onto his lap during dinners. If he were around his 'associates', this sort of affection wouldn't be possible.

(That said, no matter how nice the date spot is, he always ends up looking like a gangster... his face doesn't help).

He's excellent at remembering things you like and notices when you admire something. You'll get a modest-looking package at work or home, and it's a charmimg bracelet or necklace you had your eye on. The flowers are ones you've mentioned liking, the date spots are places you mentioned wanting to go to, etc.

(If you compliment Wes on how attentive and romantic he is, he becomes unusually flustered. This is also why your flowers and gifts arrive by mail rather than in person; your happy face will just send him into a fluttery, painfully sentimental and sappy mood. Just thinking about your reaction makes him bury his face in his paws.)

((Though there's a total double standard where he loves flustering you, especially if you're tough to impress.))

The petnames will start to show up after dating for a few months. There's the classic "doll" and "sweetheart", though they sound a little different when he says it. Warmer and more affectionate than you've heard before, perhaps. He starts to use those in lieu of your name, with "kitten" is exclusively for flirting and messing around. For himself, he prefers his name, but isn't adverse to endearments.

If you were the type who was really into the gangster life ... wellll, maybe he'll drive you around the backroads in one of Marigold's souped up bootlegging cars and intimidate some assholes for you. He'll play the part for a while if it pleases you - but for the most part, his work and personal life is separate. No way is he introducing you to his gang members, nor would he want you hanging around the Maribel Hotel. Even if you frequented their establishment before, he'd want you to stay away once the relationship is more serious.

A few reasons for this. Wes likes his privacy, he doesn't trust his fellow gangsters worth a damn (just them looking at you for too long will lead to their nose getting bashed or their ears being boxed) and he wants you to be safe. He's been in the game long enough to know his feelings are a liability, and you can be used as leverage.

He's also not a domestic sort of cat. Being introduced to parents or taking homemade dinners at home is a bit too far and will lead to cold feet. That's something that would have to come very slowy, but he's also a realist. Wes has a dangerous job, one that most don't approve of. He doesn't want to bring danger on your doorstep, or worse - you having to choose between him and a more "normal" life and partner. Because as tough as he is, the thought of being left because he's a lowlife and dangerous hurts. He won't mention any of these concerns, but it's the thoughts that drift around when you try to be more serious and committed about the relationship. Wes' response is usually a gruff, "Ain't it fine the way it is, doll?"

[silverwings22]

Writing Interview Tag Game!

Thank you @annwayne for the tag. This looks like it'll be fun. ^.^

About me

When did you start writing? I really can't remember I time when I wasn't. When we would read storybooks in kindergarten I would try to make up similar ones of my own. (Does that count as baby fanfiction?) As I got older, I'd storyboard ideas, make comics, and write both fanfics and original works just for fun. I wasn't a very social or popular kid, but I had lots of friends in my stories.

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write? I write the themes I love the most: angst, romance, hurt/comfort, and prophecy/fate. I always want to end my stories on a happy note, but I do love a well done break-it ending. I can't bring myself to write mine that way, but I think I put my characters through enough.

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often? A friend in college told me I write like Tolkien, in that I am descriptive of the settings/characters even when the visual description might not really be necessary. But I'm also a really visual person, so that's how I think. In my original work, I think I'd like to emulate Robert Newcomb. His writing, to me, is very viceral and evocative. I love his "The Fifth Sorceress" series.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space? I used to have a TV dinner tray table and a couch, but when my daughter moved out I turned that spare bedroom into a guest room/office. So it's currently a pop up card table with my laptop, ipad for drawing, and usually a fat black and white longhaired cat laying on my arms while I try to type. Constellation is my co-writer.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse? Music. I'll go play through Youtube's suggested songs and write mental AMV's until I get a scene. I have playlists for characters, for stories, for scenes that don't even make sense, but it always comes back to a song. If I hear a new one I like, I'll listen to it again and again until I get an idea.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about? Oh definitely. I grew up in the American South, and my ideas about family (motherhood especially) are very influenced by my raising and the culture I grew up in. There's good and bad sides to it, which I try to explore in my writing.

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you? Found family and motherhood, generational trauma, and breaking cycles. Those were intentional. I sort of accidentally stumbled onto the theme of "lovers get separated and have to re-learn each other and fall in love all over again" but I really like it. So I'm gonna keep writing it, and I hope people keep liking it.

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? Well, I'm currently working on a Hunter Bad Batch fic, so I'm pretty fixed on the female OC lead. Vayryn Vale. This poor girl. I decided to play around with the idea of a dyad in the Force and that Anakin Skywalker was made by Darth Plaguis messing with the Dark Side, so she's the answer from the Light. She's Forceborn, and considers herself his sister. She's the responsible one between the two of them, but they're inseparable as kids. Shenanigans and the lives of the party ensue, right up until the war starts. Her Master is Ima-gun Di. Take from that what you will.

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life? Miria Halcyon and Shiani Illumai, absolutely. I like to think I'd make friends with Vayryn too, but her later character development is a study into my own struggle with PTSD and abandonment issues so I'm not sure if she'd like me. I think I'd get along with Angel Gar and Zenaria Kenobi too, and I'd volunteer to babysit all the OC babies.

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them? I don't know that I'd dislike any of my characters outright. I try to make them at least a little likeable, because I put a little of my heart into all of them. Even when they're being disagreeable, there's always an underlying and usually sympathetic reason in the background. That said, Vayryn is a little mean to Hunter for a while.

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters? I see a canon character. I become obsessed. I decide what kind of person I think they'd mesh with romantically, based on either canon or what I extrapolate from canon and my very surface-level understanding of psychology. Then I write a back story on what would make a person have that kind of personality, introduce them to the canon character, and then throw situations at them that ruin their lives until I've decided they've earned a happy ending. In hindsight, I don't sound unhinged. I sound like I'm not attached to the door frame anymore.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters? You either die someone's sad daughter or live long enough to see yourself become a good mom. Abandoned or orphaned characters. Chronic illness, either mental or physical. Nightmarishly low self esteem. And scars. So many scars.

How do you picture your characters? I love to doodle. I'm still teaching myself to draw on Procreate on my ipad, but I pencil-draw all the time at work at my desk. There's an accordion folder in my bedroom just full of concept art and doodles. Some make it into the fics, some don't.

My writing

What’s your reason for writing? Regrettably, I am haunted by the wretched visions. My brain cannot, will not, must not shut up. If I write them, I can focus the unending brain background chatter. If I don't... well, I get very distracted, crabby, and anxious. I am not kidding when I say haunted by the vision, I mean HAUNTED by the visions. Possessed by the creative spirit that cannot be denied. Utterly helpless in the face of my own imagination. Ya'll, I'm autistic, okay?

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating? I love comments. Any comment, on any chapter, just makes my day. Even if it's just smilie faces, knowing that someone is reading this thing that fell out of my head and enjoying it? Peak happiness. Unfathomable delight. That being said, my favorite are the ones where someone swears at me. When the fic hits just right that someone is compelled to send me "how could you, you bitch?" cracks me up every time. I run ideas by my best friend just to get cussed.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers? Well, I hope they enjoy my writing to start off. But I hope they feel comfortable engaging with me, and I hope they think I'm a nice person. I like talking to other people in the fandom (I'm shy, but I'll respond) and I hope I come across as encouraging to other writers. The tumblr community is a cozy little place for me, and I'm by nature a mom-friend.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer? I'm not scared of the nitty-gritty topics. PTSD, disability, social prejudice/racism, domestic violence, sexual abuse, etc. A lot of people in fandom don't want to touch that stuff with a 10ft pole (and they shouldn't have to if they're not comfortable with it, I'm not saying they should.) but I think that there is a niche market of people who really need those stories. Those who have been suffering from said issues can see themselves in the story, and see their heroes rise above those circumstances. I've been told my writing can get dark, but I think the darkness shows us where light can be. And I tag my fics so no one gets caught off guard. I don't want to hurt anyone.

Have you been told what is your greatest strength as a writer is by others? I've been told I'm pretty good at emotional delivery. And sibling banter, which I better be good at because I'm one of 13 kids!

How do you feel about your own writing? I love it. I hate it. I want everyone to see it. I want to hide it in a drawer forever. I want to be a famous author. I want to be a hermit and never see the light of day. Writing is both my greatest achievement and biggest source of stress. But I've made some really wonderful friends throughout the years. My best friend and roommate I actually met because he read a Naruto fanfic I wrote when I was 15. @daytodaycrowthoughts I love you!

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write? Yup. Haunted by the wretched visions, even alone. Actually, I might get more writing done because if I don't have someone else to look after, I'll forget to eat/drink water/pee/sleep. So I might not survive very long, but I'll be writing until then.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both? I always write the scenarios of what I want to write, but sometimes I'll go back over the wording/how it plays out and consider how it would read to an outside perspective. Especially with those "nitty gritty" dark scenarios. I don't want to write trauma porn, I want to treat the tragedy as what it is and make it the monster to be defeated in the end. I do sometimes worry that readers will think I'm a total monster just because of how dark the stories can get.

If you're reading, consider yourself no-pressure tagged. ^.^

[goldendoodlerlockerlove]

Are y'all ready to see my updated wall of art??

But Doodler, won't you have to take all of that down when you have to move out of your dorm for the summer??

Hush. Let me have this. I worked too hard for this beautiful art wall, and I don't want to think about when I'll have to take it down yet.

I'm going to go from the top left all the way to the bottom right, tag every artist who made all the art you see here, and give a little backstory to the art!!

--Starting at the top left, we have Gene as Cat Stevens, which is an adorable sketch that @koko-raccoon made for me for Halloween when I invaded their inbox for trick-or-treating.

--This is a mini-comic I just Commissioned from @drawthethingdoppelganger of Gene and my Bob's Burgers OC, Alexis. I gave her the roughest and most rushed reference sketch to work with, and she did an incredible job. I'm never getting over the fact that she put a Mickey Mouse on Alexis' shirt and a music note on Gene's overalls. It's so beautiful and perfect and adorable and precious and--

--Here's a sketch I requested from @jae-is-drawing of Bob and Linda in the rain and Linda giving Bob a lil' kiss on his cheek 🥺 They seriously went above and beyond for this sketch, it's so freaking gorgeous and sweet. I can't believe they laid down colors, and did some shading, and lighting too!! They're so talented.

--Then, below the Cat Stevens drawing, is another piece from @koko-raccoon that they surprised me with. They made an adorable piece of my Gravity Falls, OC, Maggie, and her younger, triplet siblings, Dipper and Mabel!! It's the cutest thing ever, I'm so obsessed.

--Then we've got a sketch request that I got from @devilh0rnsinc, and it's so freaking adorable!! I asked them to draw Gene and Alexis sharing a milkshake, and they delivered. I can't stop thinking about them going on a milkshake date now.

--Then, below the Mystery Triplets piece, we've got a Commission I got from @alyssaerin of my sister's and my Animal Crossing characters, who is an extremely sweet and talented artist. I have to thank her once again for being so patient with me throughout the process of when I Commissioned her because I had to cancel my first request, and then when I actually got a request moving, I was a bit picky about the details, pfffft. But it turned out amazing and wonderful.

--Next to that, we've got another @drawthethingdoppelganger piece, and this piece she completely surprised me with. She drew up this fantastic, gorgeous, and colorful piece of Gene (inspired by AJR) and dedicated it to me!! I'm still not over it. Look at his wonderful, flowy hair and his outfit!!

--Then, we've got a Gravity Falls piece I Commissioned from @itscalliebeanie (she's only on Instagram, she doesn't have a Tumblr), of my OCs Maggie and Sydney being adorable dorks together. It came out so sweet and it makes me so happy looking at it. I adore Sydney's guitar. She also did such a good job drawing the shoes!!

--Then we've got the first piece I Commissioned from DT, which yes, I am still not over. It's Bob and Linda based on my "Linda is deaf" AU, and takes place during the episode Something Old, Something New, Something Bob Caters For You, which explains the super cute outfits. But if you've seen my Tumblr at all, you already know all of this, as I've rambled about this piece way too much. But she just did the greatest job on it. Their expressions?? The way you can see Bob signing "yes" with his hand?? Perfect. No notes.

--Next to that, we've got a Boblin piece that DT sketched up and dedicated to me and it makes me so 🥺 Look at them being so happy together. I swear, I am so unwell about Boblin.

--And finally, at the very bottom, we've got a piece I Commissioned from @carnivaldemon of Gene and Alexis. It came out so cute I actually squealed, giggled, and kicked my legs when she sent it to me. The way Alexis is holding an ice cream cone and has a heart on their shirt?? The way Gene is wearing overalls and holding his keyboard and leaning over to kiss Alexis on the cheek?? I can't. Yes, all of those things are things I specifically requested, but still--

[jellofish-of-the-deep]

Y/N Dies of a Caffeine Overdose and Lycaon Finds Your Corpse in a Public Bathroom

Read on ao3 here:

It was a day like any other for the employees of Victoria Housekeeping. Rina was ordering her Bangboos (Bangboo? Bangbi?) to dust the bookshelf, Ellen was holding the vacuum cleaner in one hand while tapping at her phone in the other, and Corrin was busy being useless.

In the middle of the room stood Von Lycaon, proud and diligent president of the company, the pocket watch in his paw reflecting gilded sunlight onto snowy fur. In a smooth, practiced motion, he stowed the watch in his breast pocket, sighing.

“Corrin, although I admire your tenacity, your performance has been lacking this morning. I have noticed a twenty-two percent decline in incomprehensible sobbing from you today, and an almost seventy percent decrease in rampant property destruction. At this rate, you are never going to hit your quota.”

“Ah!” squeaked Corrin as she tripped over thin air, catching herself by stabbing her saw blade into their very rich client’s very expensive and irreplaceable rug. The rug spontaneously burst into flames. The pair looked at it for a second, before Corrin practically slammed her head into the ground. “I-I’m very sorry for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Lycaon!”

“It is quite alright Corrin, we each have our off days. However, may I inquire as to the reason for your lapse in focus? If there is any way in which I may assist you in upholding your ‘dojikko-moe’ character, as the kids these days call it, I shall be happy to lend you my aid.”

“Please… please don’t ever say that again, boss,” Ellen muttered emotionlessly, blood trickling from her ears.

“Well, you see, Mr. Lycaon… I-It’s [Y/N].”

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. “The Proxy?”

“Yes! I’m just so worried about them, Mr. Lycaon… Oh, they’re not in danger or anything! At least, I don’t think so…”

Lycaon did that thing that hot fictional men do where they put their index finger and thumb on their chin. “Would you care to elaborate, Corrin?”

“Oh, yes! Well, it started last week…”

One week ago

After two hours of crashing into every single person who walked by, Corrin finally managed to escape the train station and step into Sixth Street. It was one of her favorite places to visit, as it was never too loud and there were plenty of alleyways she could duck into to break down crying at a moment’s notice.

Unfortunately, Corrin did not have time for a nervous breakdown today, as she was here to run an important errand for Victoria Housekeeping: namely, to repair their Butler Bangboo that she mistook for an Ethereal yesterday before promptly brutalizing it with her fully charged EX Special Attack. Now, if she remembered correctly (a rare occurrence), she just had to turn this corner to get to the Turbo Remodeling Shop…

“FUCKING SHIT GOD DAMN IT I’M GOING TO END IT ALL!”

At the sudden string of expletives, Corrin yelped and dove headfirst into the nearest trash can, startling the cats that happened to be sleeping inside and leaving Corrin with a fresh set of claw marks on her face.

“W-What was that?” Corrin whimpered, peeking around the corner. The noise, she now recognized, was coming from the music shop, Bardic Needle.

“WHAT DO YOU M E A N, I’M OUT OF MASTER COPIES??? I HAD HUNDREDS OF THOSE LITTLE SHITS SAVED UP!!!”

A tired, robotic sigh echoed across the street. “Please, [Y/N], this is quite inelegant-”

“QUIET, ELFY, OR I’M DOWNLOADING YOUR AI INTO A B-RANK W-ENGINE!”

That was [Y/N]’s voice! But what exactly was upsetting them so much, Corrin wondered, as she trepidatiously slid open the door.

“H-Hello, Master Pro-”

“CORRIN SWEETIE PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP ME I’M LOSING MY MIND,” [Y/N] screeched, causing Corrin to flinch and knock over an antique record player.

The legendary Proxy was hunched over in the middle of the store surrounded by a comically large pile of nearly identical music disks, hair completely frazzled, eyes bloodshot, looking as though they had just snorted several lines of Ether powder. Elfy stood in the only uncluttered corner of the room, hands dragging down her face, muttering to herself about closing down the shop and taking a swan dive into the nearest Hollow because Corruption couldn’t possibly be worse than this. Corrin hadn’t realized that robots could have bags under their eyes.

Corrin cleared her throat. “You seem to be in a lot of trouble… M-May I ask what is bothering you, Master Proxy?”

[Y/N] visibly took a deep, shaky breath, and tried to lower their voice. “Well, you see… I’m trying to farm Fanged Metal Drive Disks for mommy sorry I mean mommy sorry I mean mommy sorry I mean Jane Doe, but these stupid things KEEP GIVING ME HP AND DEF SUBSTATS!!”

Corrin cowered in fear at the sudden volume, but [Y/N] continued to raise their voice to a howl. “AT THIS RATE I’M NEVER GOING TO REACH 420+ ANOMALY PROFICIENCY FOR MY TOP TIER S-RANK DUMMY THICC HOT RAT DOMMY MOMMY WAIFU! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!”

“Please, try to calm down, Master Proxy! I-I don’t exactly understand any of what you just said, but I’m sure it’s very complicated Proxy things that I’m not knowledgeable enough to understand… A-Anyways! Let’s try to think about how to approach this!”

Corrin frowned. “You mentioned earlier that you were ‘out of Master Copies’, whatever that means, but… Is there a way to get more of them? O-Or, maybe there’s another way to get…” she looked around at the hundreds of music disks piled on the floor, “…whatever it is that you need, without them?”

“I can’t get any more Hi-Fi Master Copies,” [Y/N] groaned, “I’ve already maxed out my Fortnite Battle Pass this season. And the only other way to get these is through Routine Cleanup, but I’ve already used my Battery Charge for today… Unless…”

[Y/N]’s eyes widened.

“OF COURSE! I just need to get more Battery Charge, and then I can suck the military’s dick for CDs as much as I want! And the best way to do that is…”

[Y/N] turned around, crouched down into a running start, and tore through the wall of Bardic Needle, leaving behind a [Y/N] shaped hole.

“CAFFEINE!!!” echoed their voice, leaving Corrin and Elfy to stare at the now-demolished music store.

“W-Well, I’m glad I could help?” Corrin called back, hesitantly.

Elfy very calmly turned around, sat down in her chair, and began a factory reset.

Present day

“So, then they went to the coffee shop, you said?” Lycaon asked, rubbing his temple.

“Yes, Mr. Lycaon! I spoke with the barista later. Apparently they had a heated argument, because he’s only supposed to serve customers one coffee per day, but he gave up after [Y/N] threatened to drink a k-cup mixed with ketchup and orange juice.”

“I… see…” Lycaon frowned, unsure as to how to process this.

“Was it with or without pulp?” Rina asked, scribbling in her cookbook. Her two Bangbongle flew out from the drawer they were cleaning.

“Ewwwww, orange juice with pulp fucking sucks!” Drusilla pitched in.

“Fucking sucks! Fucking sucks!” Anastella parroted.

“Rina, for the sake of our clients’… survival, I would urge you not to replicate the Proxy’s handiwork in a professional setting,” Lycaon coughed, as Rina’s Bangbussy giggled to each other.

“Do it when I’m around,” Ellen said, “I kinda wanna try it.”

“Ahem. Returning to the matter at hand,” Lycaon gave a pointed look to Rina and her Boob, “I do not understand much about the underlying issue myself, but I am concerned about how much stress it seems to be putting the Proxy through. Corrin, was this the last time you spoke with them?”

“Yes, Mr. Lycaon, I-I tried to message them several times this week but they didn’t respond, and when I went back to their video store there was only the Bangboo at the front desk… I’m really worried about them, Mr. Lycaon…”

Lycaon sighed. “It is no wonder you have been struggling as of late.” He retrieved his pocket watch and flipped it open. “Well, as proud representatives of Victoria Housekeeping, it would be quite unbefitting of us to leave a client in want of assistance, would it not?”

He smiled and reached down to pat Corrin’s head, who squeaked and leaned into his paw. “Don’t worry, Corrin, I’ll go check in on them, to make sure that our friend is doing okay.”

The mood was becoming too fluffy for a crack fic, so Corrin promptly tripped and broke a vase that was filled to the brim with live spiders.

~~~

After sending the Proxy a message and confirming that there was no response, the first place Lycaon investigated was the Random Play video store. He was greeted only by the cheerful ehn-nas of Bangboo 18, which was disappointing but expected.

He then tried Bardic Needle, which was permanently closed. Listening to the gossip on the street, he learned that the owner of the place had transferred her consciousness into a Bangboo and ran off into the night to find a new calling in life. To each their own, Lycaon supposed.

Finally, Lycaon walked into Coff Cafe, and was greeted by a robot slumped over on the bar.

“Ugh… I swear to god, [Y/N], if you keep coming in like this, your next coffee will have cockroach powder in- Oh wait, you’re not [Y/N]!”

Tin Master looked up at Lycaon and sagged noticeably in relief.

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. “Good morning to you, sir. As a matter of fact, I have come here for the purpose of inquiring about that very person. You’ve seen [Y/N]?”

Tin Master groaned. “Been taken hostage by them, more like.” The robot slammed his head down onto the bartop. “Yes, I’ve seen them. For the past week, they’ve been coming into my cafe every ten minutes to order a coffee. Twenty. Four. Hours. A day.”

The barista sighed. “I know that my cafe is open 24 hours, but even us robots need some downtime to recharge, you know? But every time I try to explain that to them, they just pull out a thermos of that horrid concoction…” He shuddered. “I’ve had to run on low power mode just to survive! Isn’t it awful?”

Lycaon blinked. “I… am very sorry to hear that, sir. Are they here right now?”

“Yeah, they went to use the bathroom. That was what, ten minutes ago, now?” Tin Master looked up at the clock and squinted blearily. He rubbed his eyes. “Huh, I could’ve sworn it hasn’t been that long.. I guess my internal clocks are malfunctioning from battery deprivation.”

Lycaon tried to quell the rising anxiety in his throat. “May I ask sir, how long ago did they enter the bathroom?”

“About two and a half hours ago.”

Lycaon’s eyes widened. “And they’re still in there?”

“I never saw them walk out, that’s for sure.”

Lycaon sprinted past the disoriented barista and slid to a stop in front of the single-stall bathroom. He hurriedly knocked on the door. “Master [Y/N], are you in there? Can you hear me?”

He placed his ear against the door. He faintly picked up on weak gurgling that his heightened Thiren senses were able to identify as that of the Proxy.

“Master Proxy! Forgive my intrusion, but I am opening this door to confirm your safety! Yell at me if you wish for me to stop!” Lycaon shouted as he broke open the lock with one swift kick (he made a mental note to reimburse Coff Cafe later). He pulled, and the door swung open.

The bathroom was a complete mess. The mirrors and tiles that were normally kept, according to Tin Master’s sanitary standards, “shinier than my ex-wife’s crocodile tears during the custody battle, like, she had artificial tear ducts installed into her frame and everything,” were spattered with speckles of fresh and vaguely coffee-scented vomit. In the middle of the carnage was [Y/N], slumped over and drowning in the toilet bowl.

“Proxy!” Lycaon yelled in alarm. His cybernetic leg pistons fired as he propelled himself towards [Y/N], grabbing them by the collar out of the toilet with one hand and steadying them with the other.

[Y/N] coughed and sputtered, dangling limply from Lycaon’s arms. Their skin had turned a deathly pallor, and Lycaon could see their cheekbones - when had the Proxy last eaten anything of substance? They opened their eyes. “Wha- Huh? Where am I-”

“[Y/N]! You are currently located in the lavatory of the Coff Cafe establishment on Sixth Street. What happened? Do you require me to call you an ambulance?”

The video store manager groaned. “Probably, yeah, I think I might’ve had too much caffeine- urp-” They gulped, then turned around and threw up violently in the toilet. “Uh, shit.”

There was now a bloody mess inside of the toilet. “That’s not good,” [Y/N] mumbled, blood dripping from their mouth. “Chat, I think I grinded too hard.”

They collapsed.

“Proxy!” Lycaon yelled, catching [Y/N]. He pulled them close to his chest, and took out his cellphone. “I am going to call an ambulance for you, Master, just stay with me!”

[Y/N] closed their eyes, sighing dreamily. “Oooohhh… I can’t believe I get to spend my last moments on earth cradled in the arms of a furry butler sexyman… My life’s mission has been fulfilled, now I can die in peace.”

Lycaon paused, and coughed into his hand. “You will have to pardon my coarse language, Master Proxy, but I must ask: What the actual fuck?”

[Y/N] took one final breath, and went limp in his arms.

“Proxy? Proxy?!” Lycaon shouted, checking for a pulse. Their heartbeat was as still as a rock.

“No… Proxy!!!”

~~~

The funeral was a sombre one in spite of [Y/N]’s efforts to “spice it up”, according to their will. At one point, an unnecessarily high-quality animatronic made to resemble [Y/N]’s rotten corpse violently burst from the ground, causing Nicole, Billy, and Corrin to faint. Corrin somehow managed to land on the casket and smashed it open, creating even more chaos as everybody scrambled to repair it. Anby was the only person who found it funny, which [Y/N] would’ve considered a win in their book.

Ben, the executor of the will, downed two bottles of aspirin. (As unwilling as he was to set up pranks for a day of mourning, the terms of the will were VERY clear and legally bulletproof. Ben wondered how much money [Y/N] spent on lawyers and elaborate props for this. He also wondered why they had to choose him, of all people.)

Rina floated over to where Lycaon was standing.

“You realize it’s not your fault, dear,” she said to him with a saddened expression, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Even her usually energetic Bag were silent today. “You did everything you could.”

“I know, Rina. It’s just…” Lycaon hung his head. “I have failed my clients in the past, over the course of my career. But never before have I had one lose their life while under my watch. Not just a client, a comrade …” He clenched his fist. “I should have been there sooner.”

“Not even you can be everywhere at once, Lycaon,” Rina reassured him. “At the very least, you made sure that they weren’t alone when they passed away. Speaking of which,” she tilted her head, “What were their last words?”

Lycaon thought about it for a second.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck.”