#id like to see if i can make just doodles that i like enough and that dont need to be more detailed

[gemharvest]

Need to get on top of whatever dumb fucking inferiority complex I got going on I'm tired of looking at everything about myself and going "Wow I am really sub-par." I know it's 2am but this isn't the midnight thoughts talking this is a fucking persistent curse throughout my day.

[faking-god]

quick comic bc ive been feeling a specific way about art lately

[goldfades]

friday night lights | JOE BURROW⁹ [010]

free palestine carrd 🇵🇸 decolonize palestine site 🇵🇸 how you can help palestine it's crucial that we stand in solidarity with those who need our support. right now, the people of palestine are facing unimaginable hardship, and it's up to all of us to do what we can to help. whether it's raising awareness, donating to relief organizations, or supporting calls for justice and peace, every action counts. we can amplify their voices, shed light on their struggles, and work towards a future where every individual can live with dignity and freedom. your support can make a difference! FREE PALESTINE!

MASTERLIST

⟢ ┈ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 | 4.6k

⟢ ┈ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 | requested -> how joe and reader met? we know they met in high school, sophomore year but id (and i’m sure everyone else😅) would love a little flashback chapter!

⟢ ┈ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | descriptions of partying, underage drinking, kinda slowburn? shy girl x football player trope, maisie being protective, nothing else!

The first time you met Joe Burrow, he wasn’t Joe Burrow, not yet. He was just a tall, lanky sophomore quarterback with an arm everyone talked about and a quietness that made him feel like a walking question mark. Athens High was small enough that everyone knew everyone—names, faces, family stories that spread like wildfire—but Joe? He wasn’t loud enough to grab the attention of half the school, not until football season started.

You were sitting on the bleachers during a pep rally, Maisie beside you, her commentary on everything from the band’s uneven tempo to the cheerleaders’ synchronized high kicks keeping you thoroughly entertained. The players were being introduced one by one, each jogging onto the gym floor to varying levels of applause. When they called Joe’s name, the cheer was louder, a steady roar that vibrated through the walls, and you found yourself craning to see what the fuss was about.

There he was. Light blond hair a little messy, a shy smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, hands tucked into the pockets of his letterman jacket. He didn’t wave or puff out his chest like the others; he just gave the crowd a small nod before retreating to the back of the lineup. Something about him—his quiet confidence, maybe—caught your attention, and you didn’t quite know why.

“You’re staring,” Maisie muttered, not looking up from the doodle she was adding to the corner of her math notebook.

“I’m not,” you whispered back, even as your gaze lingered a second too long.

That was the beginning.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later, at a biology lab you’d been forced to pair up in, that he really spoke to you. Joe wasn’t your usual seatmate, but he slid into the stool beside you with a polite nod, his long legs awkwardly folding beneath the too-short lab table. The two of you were tasked with dissecting something unreasonably gross—a frog, maybe? You couldn’t remember now. What you did remember was Joe, his steady hands cutting through the assignment with precision, and the way he chuckled softly when you accidentally dropped a scalpel.

“You’re not a fan of this, huh?” he asked, his voice low but teasing.

You wrinkled your nose. “Not all of us dream of gutting things for a living.”

“I’m not gutting anything for a living.” He smirked, a tiny flash of mischief in his otherwise calm demeanor. “I throw footballs.”

It wasn’t the smoothest line, but it was enough to make you laugh, and that laugh seemed to encourage him.

From then on, he started showing up more. A quick wave in the hallway, a quiet “Hey” as he passed you in class, and the occasional comment during shared group projects. It was nothing monumental, just small moments that began to stack, like bricks in a wall you couldn’t stop building.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Maisie warned one afternoon as the two of you sat on the steps outside the school. “Guys like him don’t date girls like us. They go for easy cheerleaders, not girls who can barely talk during a book report.”

“I can talk during a book report,” you shot back, even though it wasn’t entirely true.

Maisie raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. “I’m just saying, keep it realistic. He’s an athlete. You’re… you.”

You knew Maisie didn't mean to be discouraging, she was always the realistic one between the two of you. You watched rom-com's, and was a hopeless romantic—and Maisie, well... she wasn't the romantic type. She meant well, she just didn't want to see her best friend get her heart shattered by a stupid (her words, not yours) blonde quarterback.

But despite her skepticism, you couldn’t stop yourself. Each time Joe said your name or offered a lopsided grin in passing, the crush rooted itself deeper. It was innocent, for now, a quiet hope you kept tucked away like a secret note in your locker.

And then one day, Joe did something that changed everything. Something so small, so simple, that it left you reeling. He stopped you in the hallway between classes, his book bag slung over one shoulder, his blue eyes holding yours for just a beat too long.

“You going to the game Friday?” he asked.

You blinked, startled. “Uh… maybe?”

“You should.” He shrugged, shifting on his feet. “It’s gonna be a good one.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving you standing there, your heart thudding in your chest like a drumline warming up before a halftime show.

The walk to Maisie’s car after school was peppered with her usual commentary about the injustices of teenage life. Something about how the cafeteria's pizza was an actual health violation, how Mr. Harper’s pop quizzes were a form of psychological torture, and how group projects should be banned by law.

You let her vent, only half-listening, your mind replaying Joe’s voice: “You should.” It wasn’t like he’d asked you on a date or anything, but it was the first time he’d gone out of his way to talk to you outside of class. The possibility of seeing him again on Friday made your chest buzz, but Maisie? Convincing her was another story entirely.

“So,” you began casually as you slid into the passenger seat, trying to find the right approach. “Are you going to the game Friday?”

Maisie turned the key in the ignition, her ancient Honda sputtering to life with a groan. She shot you a sidelong glance. “Why? Are you going?”

“Maybe,” you said, a little too quickly.

Her eyebrows rose as she backed out of the parking spot. “What’s this about? You hate football. You called it ‘organized concussion practice’ last month.”

You shrugged, fiddling with the hem of your sleeve. “I don’t hate it. And it’s not like I’m going for the game. I just thought it might be fun, you know? Something different.”

Maisie narrowed her eyes, the car bouncing slightly as it hit a pothole. “Different like sitting in the freezing cold with half the school, pretending to care about a sport we don’t understand?”

“You don’t have to pretend to care.” You grinned, nudging her arm. “You can sit there and make fun of people like you always do. It’ll be fun. Besides, you never know, you might actually enjoy it.”

She snorted. “The only thing I’d enjoy is the halftime show. And even that’s debatable.”

“Come on,” you said, dragging out the words in a way you knew would get under her skin. “We haven’t gone to a single game this year. Don’t you think it’s time to show a little school spirit?”

“I have plenty of spirit,” Maisie deadpanned. “It’s just not for sports. My spirit is reserved for things that matter, like protests and pizza Fridays.”

You groaned, leaning your head back against the seat. “Maisie, please. Just this once?”

She glanced at you, her expression softening ever so slightly. Maisie might’ve been a certified cynic, but she wasn’t immune to the rare moments when you genuinely wanted something.

“Why are you so set on this?” she asked finally, her tone skeptical but not dismissive.

You hesitated, the truth bubbling at the edge of your lips. “I don’t know. It just… feels like something I should do.”

Her eyes flicked to you briefly before returning to the road. She let out a dramatic sigh, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. “Fine. I’ll go. But if anyone spills nacho cheese on me or tries to talk to me about touchdowns, I’m leaving.”

“Deal.” You grinned, relief flooding through you.

Maisie muttered something under her breath about friendship being a burden, but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes. You knew she’d show up in her usual no-nonsense way, probably armed with a thermos of hot cocoa and a thousand sarcastic comments, but she’d be there.

And as the two of you drove home, her complaining fading into the background, you couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Friday night would be more than you’d ever expected.

┈┈┈

The bleachers were packed, the air alive with the buzz of small-town Friday night energy. The faint smell of concession stand hot dogs wafted through the air, mingling with the sharp chill of early autumn. You tugged your jacket tighter around you, glancing at Maisie, who sat next to you with an impressive scowl already forming on her face.

“See?” she said, motioning to the field where the players were warming up. “Organized concussion practice. Case in point.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled despite yourself. “You promised you’d keep the snark to a minimum.”

Maisie held up her hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. I’ll behave. But if someone tries to start a chant near me, all bets are off.”

The two of you settled in with a group from your biology class—a group you hadn’t hung out with outside of school before but were surprisingly easy to be around. They handed out popcorn, passed around a bag of Sour Patch Kids, and made corny jokes that Maisie laughed at more than she’d ever admit. Even you found yourself relaxing, letting the game wash over you as something fun instead of a chore.

“Okay, what’s happening now?” Maisie leaned over to whisper as the players jogged off the field and the marching band took their place.

“Halftime,” you explained. “This is the part you said you might like.”

She raised an eyebrow, watching as the band launched into a spirited rendition of some pop song from two summers ago. “Well,” she said slowly, “it’s not bad. Kind of catchy.”

You grinned, nudging her. “See? Told you this wouldn’t be so terrible.”

“Don’t get cocky,” she warned, but there was no venom in her tone.

By the fourth quarter, even Maisie seemed invested, clapping lightly when your school scored and muttering curses when the refs made questionable calls. You didn’t know what surprised you more—that Maisie was actually having fun or that you were, too.

But as the clock ticked down to the final minutes, you couldn’t help but scan the sidelines, searching for the number nine jersey. Joe had been on fire all night, his throws sharp and precise, his presence commanding even from this far up in the stands.

When the buzzer sounded, signaling your school’s victory, the bleachers erupted in cheers. Maisie rolled her eyes at the whooping and hollering but clapped politely.

“Alright,” she said, standing and stretching. “You got your football experience. Can we go now?”

“Just a sec,” you said, your gaze locked on the field.

You spotted Joe near the fifty-yard line, surrounded by teammates and fans congratulating him. But it wasn’t the crowd that caught your attention—it was her.

A girl with shiny brown hair and a bright smile leaned in close to Joe, saying something you couldn’t hear from this distance. She had that effortless kind of prettiness that made you feel frumpy in comparison, and the familiarity with which she touched his arm sent a pang through your chest.

Then he hugged her.

It wasn’t a quick, congratulatory pat on the back, either. It was one of those hugs that lingered, the kind that looked like it belonged in a rom-com montage.

Your stomach dropped.

“Hey,” Maisie said, nudging you. “You good?”

You forced yourself to nod, blinking rapidly against the sting in your eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Maisie frowned, clearly unconvinced, but she didn’t push. As the two of you made your way down the bleachers, you couldn’t help but glance back one last time. Joe was still standing there, his arm slung casually around the girl’s shoulders, his grin easy and warm.

It shouldn’t hurt this much, you told yourself. He wasn’t yours. Not really.

But as Maisie led you out of the stadium, chattering about the game, you couldn’t shake the ache in your chest—the kind of ache that only comes when you realize you care about someone more than they care about you.

The girls from your biology class caught up with you just as you and Maisie were about to leave the parking lot. They were breathless and giggling, their faces flushed from the cool night air and the excitement of the game.

“Hey!” one of them called, waving you down. “There’s a party at Megan’s house—like, right now. You guys should totally come!”

Maisie raised an eyebrow, already halfway in the car. “A party? At Megan’s? Isn’t she the one who turned the chem lab into a glitter bomb last year?”

“That was iconic,” one of the girls said with a laugh. “Come on, it’ll be fun! You can’t just go home after a game like that.”

You hesitated. Parties weren’t really your thing, and you could already see Maisie gearing up for a sarcastic excuse to say no. But something in you—the part still stinging from seeing Joe hug that girl—felt like rebelling. Like shaking off the evening’s disappointment and pretending, for a little while, that you weren’t someone who usually played it safe.

“Why the hell not?” you said, surprising even yourself.

Maisie froze, her hand on the car door. “Excuse me, what?”

“Come on,” you said, grabbing her arm. “Let’s go. It’ll be fun!”

Maisie groaned but let you pull her along. “You owe me for this.”

Megan’s house was already packed by the time you arrived, music thumping loud enough to shake the front porch. The air was thick with the smell of beer and cheap perfume, and the living room was crowded with people laughing, dancing, and shouting over each other.

It started with a drink—just one, you told yourself, to loosen up. But one turned into two, and before you knew it, the edges of the world felt softer, the music louder, and your inhibitions practically nonexistent.

You danced in the middle of the living room, your arms thrown around the girls from your biology class, laughing so hard your sides ached. Maisie watched from the couch, shaking her head but smiling faintly at your antics.

The party had only grown wilder as the night went on. The living room was now packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the music loud enough to make the floor vibrate under your feet. You were too buzzed to care about the sweaty press of bodies or the occasional elbow that jabbed you in the side.

Maisie was still parked in her corner, sipping from a plastic cup and looking suspiciously at anyone who came too close. Your biology classmates were dancing near the kitchen, laughing so loudly you could hear them over the music.

And then you saw him.

Joe stood by the far wall with a cluster of his teammates, their broad shoulders and easy grins making them look like they owned the room. He was in the middle of laughing at something, his head tilted back and eyes crinkled in that stupidly charming way. You should’ve looked away, walked the other direction, anything.

But you didn’t.

You blinked hard, trying to ignore the ache in your chest, and did the only thing that made sense in the moment—you grabbed another shot from a passing tray and threw it back. The burn of the alcohol made you wince, but it dulled the edges of your hurt just enough to push you back into the safety of your friends.

Hours later, the party had become a blur. Your legs felt like jelly, the walls swayed slightly every time you moved, and even Maisie’s sharp voice sounded muffled through the haze.

“I think I need the bathroom,” you slurred to no one in particular, pushing off the couch and wobbling on unsteady feet.

“You need to sit down,” Maisie snapped, grabbing your arm.

“I’ll be fine,” you mumbled, waving her off. “Just… the bathroom.”

You stumbled into the hallway, squinting at the doors as if one of them might magically open and guide you inside. Instead, you bumped into something solid—someone, actually.

“Oh, crap, sorry—”

It was Joe.

His hands caught your arms gently to steady you, his expression shifting from surprise to concern the moment he got a good look at you. “Y/N? Are you okay?”

You yanked your arm away, wobbling but determined to keep your balance. “I’m fine,” you muttered, glaring up at him.

Joe frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. “You don’t look fine. What’s going on?”

“Nothing that’s any of your business,” you snapped, stumbling past him.

But instead of letting you go, he followed, his concern overriding any annoyance he might have felt at your tone. “You’re drunk,” he said plainly, his voice quieter now. “Where are you trying to go?”

You paused, the fog in your brain making it hard to come up with a snappy reply. “Bathroom,” you finally said, crossing your arms.

Joe nodded, stepping ahead of you. “Come on, I’ll help you find it.”

You wanted to argue, to push him away and tell him you didn’t need his help, but your legs were too wobbly, and the spinning hallway wasn’t exactly making things easier.

He walked a few paces ahead, glancing back every so often to make sure you were following. When you stumbled again, he sighed and offered his arm.

“Just take it,” he said, not unkindly. “You’re gonna fall on your face if you don’t.”

Grudgingly, you grabbed his arm, leaning into his steady warmth as he led you toward the bathroom door.

“Why are you being nice to me?” you muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.

Joe paused, his hand hovering over the doorknob. “Because I care about you, even when you’re mad at me for no reason,” he said softly.

You didn’t have a reply for that. Instead, you pushed the door open and stumbled inside, closing it behind you before he could say anything else.

And for the first time all night, you let yourself breathe.

The bathroom was a blur of fluorescent light and tiled walls, and you were grateful for the brief reprieve from the chaotic party outside. Splashing cold water on your face helped a little, but the dizziness still lingered, and standing upright felt like a Herculean effort.

You took a deep breath, steadied yourself, and opened the door, stepping out with as much dignity as you could muster—which, unfortunately, wasn’t much. Your foot caught the edge of the rug, and before you could even process what was happening, gravity had its way.

But you didn’t hit the ground.

Joe caught you, his hands firm on your arms as he steadied you. “Whoa, easy,” he said, his voice low and calm. “I told you you’d fall if you weren’t careful.”

You glared up at him, more out of stubbornness than actual anger. “I’m fine.”

“Sure you are.” He didn’t let go right away, his eyes scanning your face like he was checking for signs of serious damage. “Come on, you need to drink some water.”

“I don’t need anything,” you shot back, trying to pull away.

Joe’s grip loosened, but he didn’t back down. Instead, he reached for a nearby table and grabbed a half-full bottle of water, holding it out to you. “Just drink it. Please.”

You crossed your arms, teetering slightly on your feet. “I said I’m fine.”

“Y/N.” His tone was firmer now, his brow furrowing in that way that made him look unfairly mature for a high schooler. “You’re going to feel worse if you don’t drink this.”

You stared at the bottle like it was some kind of enemy, but the dizziness was getting worse, and deep down, you knew he was right. With a heavy sigh, you snatched it from his hand.

“Fine,” you muttered, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip.

“More than that,” Joe said, crossing his arms as he watched you.

You gave him an exaggerated eye roll but obliged, taking a few bigger gulps. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” he replied dryly, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

Before you could respond with another sarcastic remark, a familiar voice cut through the noise.

“There you are!” Maisie appeared, her expression a mix of relief and exasperation. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“I’m fine,” you said, though the wobble in your step betrayed you as you tried to stand straighter.

Maisie’s eyes narrowed as she glanced between you and Joe. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Joe nodded, stepping back slightly but keeping his gaze on you. “Good. She needs to get home.”

“Don’t tell me what I already know, Burrow,” Maisie snapped, looping her arm around yours to steady you.

Joe ignored her jab, his focus still on you. “Get home safe, okay?”

You hesitated, the mix of hurt and exhaustion making your chest tighten. But something in his tone softened the edges of your frustration.

“Thanks,” you murmured quietly, avoiding his eyes.

Maisie tugged you toward the door, muttering something under her breath about quarterbacks and their egos. And as the two of you stepped out into the cool night air, you couldn’t help but glance back once, catching Joe’s silhouette in the doorway before Maisie pulled you forward, back into the safety of the night.

The weekend had come and gone, leaving behind a swirl of emotions and half-remembered moments that made your stomach twist uncomfortably. Every time you thought about the party—about Joe, specifically—you felt a warm flush crawl up your neck, a mixture of embarrassment and residual irritation.

By Monday morning, you were determined to put it behind you. High school wasn’t exactly forgiving, and you didn’t need rumors or awkwardness to complicate things further. But as you moved through the crowded hallways, your resolve was tested.

“Hey, Y/N.”

That voice was unmistakable, and it froze you in your tracks. You turned to see Joe, casually leaning against a locker like he hadn’t caused your entire weekend to spiral into emotional chaos.

“What do you want?” you asked, crossing your arms defensively.

Joe blinked, surprised by the sharpness in your tone, but he quickly recovered, his calm demeanor intact. “Nothing. Just saying hi. How was your weekend?”

You stared at him, incredulous. “Are you serious?”

He tilted his head slightly, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Yeah… why wouldn’t I be?”

It was the last straw. The memory of him laughing with that girl at the game—hugging her—flashed in your mind, and before you could stop yourself, the words spilled out.

“Why don’t you ask your girl instead?” Your voice was biting, louder than you intended, and a couple of students walking by glanced over curiously.

Joe straightened, his brows knitting together in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“The girl from the game,” you snapped. “You were all over her. Maybe you should talk to her instead of bothering me.”

For a moment, he just stared at you, the hallway noise fading into the background. Then, to your utter disbelief, his lips curved into a slight smirk.

“That?” he said, his tone dripping with casual dismissal. “That wasn’t anything. My teammates set it up, said she wanted to meet me. It was awkward as hell.”

You blinked, thrown off balance. “Oh.”

His smirk deepened, and his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. “You got all worked up over that, huh?”

“I wasn’t—” you started, but the words died on your tongue. You couldn’t think of a single thing to say, and your silence only seemed to amuse him more.

Joe leaned in just a fraction, his voice low and teasing. “You’re kind of cute when you’re jealous, you know that?”

“I wasn’t jealous,” you muttered, your face heating up.

“Sure you weren’t.”

Before you could respond, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. Joe didn’t wait for you to gather your dignity; he just fell into step beside you as if nothing had happened, launching into some story about his weekend. You were too flustered to do anything but follow along, grateful he wasn’t pressing the issue further.

By the time you slid into your seat in class, the embarrassment had settled into a dull thrum, manageable but still present. Unfortunately for you, Joe wasn’t done.

“Hey,” he said, leaning over slightly so only you could hear. “Do you have a crush on me or something?”

The question was delivered so casually, with that same damn smirk, that it took a second to register. Your head snapped toward him, your eyes wide. “What? No!”

“Uh-huh,” he said, clearly unconvinced. “You’re blushing.”

“I am not,” you hissed, your face feeling hotter by the second.

Joe chuckled, leaning back in his chair with an air of victory. “Whatever you say.”

You glared at him, but he just winked, turning his attention to the teacher as if he hadn’t just completely unraveled you.

For the rest of the class, you couldn’t focus on a single thing except the stupid, smug boy sitting next to you. And, much to your chagrin, the smallest part of you couldn’t help but feel a little flattered.

After that Monday, things shifted. Slowly, but surely, you and Joe began spending more time together. It started with small things—casual conversations during passing periods, shared laughs in class, and stolen moments after school. Joe had this way of sneaking past your walls, of making you laugh when you wanted to roll your eyes. And you couldn’t deny how easy it was to be around him, even when Maisie shot you knowing looks, muttering, "Don’t get your hopes up.”

By the end of the football season, it felt natural to meet him after games, even if it was just to say a quick hello or give him a high-five. But one game—toward the end of the season—was different. You could tell something was on his mind, the way he fidgeted and avoided eye contact as you approached him on the field, your jacket pulled tight against the November chill.

“Hey,” he said, his voice unusually soft.

“Hey, good game,” you replied, smiling up at him.

“Thanks.” He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck in that way he did when he was nervous. “Uh… I wanted to ask you something.”

Your heart did a little flip. “What is it?”

He took a deep breath, his eyes locking with yours. “Would you… uh, do you want to be my girlfriend?”

You blinked, stunned for a moment, before a wide smile spread across your face. “Yes.”

Joe’s face lit up like you’d just handed him a championship trophy. Without warning, he grabbed you by the waist and lifted you off the ground, spinning you in a circle as you laughed, your hands gripping his shoulders for balance. When he set you down, he was grinning like an idiot.

“Really?” he asked, still holding onto you.

“Really,” you said, laughing at his excitement.

From that moment on, you were inseparable.

High school with Joe was a whirlwind of late-night drives, studying together at the library (where he mostly distracted you), and cheering him on from the stands. He became your biggest supporter, whether it was at your own events or just encouraging you through tough classes.

Maisie, of course, remained skeptical of Joe for a while, but even she had to admit he wasn’t the worst when he went out of his way to make sure you were happy.

High school was full of memories like that—Joe getting overly competitive during group projects, Maisie rolling her eyes at his antics, and the three of you becoming an unlikely trio. But the sweetest moments were the quiet ones: Joe waiting by your locker with his easy smile, the two of you walking hand-in-hand through the halls, and the way he always made you feel like you were the most important person in the world.

By the time graduation rolled around, you couldn’t imagine your life without him. And from the way he looked at you as you crossed the stage, you knew he felt the same.

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[mystiffox]

— the apple's falling from the tree

from Cross: The Star Sans by @overflowofcrows

star!cross makes me incredibly ill with the tragic found family vibes ... (lays on the floor)

also song inspo was Driver's Seat by Madds Buckley

also have some doodles too (slight spoilers on the fic's lore below! to explain some of my thoughts on clothes n stuff)

does Cross have a star necklace in the fic? no, probably not. did i show off about my thoughts on a star necklace to Simple anyway? yes, yes i did. anyway idc where u think the necklace is from (whether its a gift from dream or a remold of his broken heart necklace, who knows atp) now ONTO THE GANG (+ Error and Fresh)

to preface this: im mostly assuming for most of the lore beyond the crumbs given to me. so, i'd imagine that when the fight ended with the gang losing, Dream and Ink immediately jailed them up. they both seem keen on keeping the gang alive, so they probably would've tried to help them with anything to make sure of it- that is, if any of the gang would even accept it in the first place.

i'm making a small guess that if there were any wounds, they used what they had to take care of it, aka ripping out parts of their own clothing to use as makeshift bandages. dream might've gave them some supplies (out of pity.. or something) but whether that was not enough or not used, i won't know

even if it was enough, there's still the factor of inevitable outburst/breakdowns from any of the prisoners. i'd imagine it'd be so hard to calm any of them down because the gang were too used to being close together that using touch became the usual grounding method— so putting a barrier between them makes it infintely harder for everyone.

i think Nightmare doesn't use his jacket anymore. it probably feels like shit/too itchy and ragged to wear and reminds him of a past he wishes he could forget. (he must feel so helpless seeing all his boys suffer after taking care of them for so long... like a lost father trying his best and seeing how much he's failing at the same time.. man.)

Dust is almost always wrapped in a blanket, the hoodie completely zipped up as if he was trying to hide in it, keeping himself as small as possible (knowing his own breakdowns are the biggest And loudest)

Horror is probably yanked back to the memories of when he was back in his home au, quietly starving and losing all the progress he had with the gang.. trying to press himself against the barriers in hopes that maybe he can feel the others on the other side of it.. (one of his outbursts would be why he ripped off the sleeves of his jacket id assume)

Killer too.. unable to get to anyone and just. with his soul going haywire sometimes, having no available output that he's forced to ride it out on his own And in front of everyone.. yeah, you get the gist for those three

Error's a mess of threads- picks at his clothes and sews em back up, just to have a reason to move his hands. he's not too worried i'd say- it's a little reminiscent of the antivoid, and he's experienced insanity already (not to say it doesn't tug at his own soul-strings to see it happen to everyone else)

Fresh might be the "cleanest" out of everyone, with barely any visible tears, but i have a good feeling his body language is different. maybe the cap is now worn correctly. maybe he took off his jacket. he's tense. his guard is up. because a parasite would never want to be locked up in one place, right?

god.

God.

they make me so sick (message is mine btw)

[aroace-poly-show]

hello friends we are starting this kind of early cause i have. a lot of mutuals. so. taking in requests now for the

marlo mutual christmas/winter gift doodles

putting this above the read more so people see it: ‼️‼️you do not need to celebrate christmas for this!! if you’re one of my mutuals that doesn’t celebrate christmas but you still want one you are still included ‼️‼️and if you really don’t want one then just like the post without commenting please ‼️‼️ otherwise i might assume you just haven’t seen the post and dm you to be sure aifbksnfnd (or let me know directly. comment or dm or ask or whatever you want. i just need to know that you’ve seen it and don’t want one)

i did this last year. really simple concept. you give me a few characters you like and i will draw a silly little doodle for you and send you an ask (or dm or tag you in a post with if i can’t send it in an ask for whatever reason) on christmas day!! i will have this post queued to go up multiple times a day so hopefully people don’t miss it sorry if it gets annoying fast LMAO

some answers to potential questions and clarifications here:

-you are not required to give me a doodle in return, you can if you want but you do not have to!! there is no pressure to!!! if you do want to make a return gift though then characters i like i’ll list them at the bottom

-begging you. if we’re mutuals and you want one pleaseeeee respond in the comments. it keeps things all in one place for me, and if i am not sure whether you want one or not i will just ask you directly and i get Anxious so if you want to save yourself the trouble of me bothering you in dms for it pleaseeee don’t feel like you’re not included in this, and just comment on the post

-id appreciate like. a handful of characters you’d be happy to receive a doodle of and not just One, since i might have trouble drawing some and i don’t wanna send you a really shitty doodle or stress myself out trying to get it right in time fjnskdnsk

-they do not have to be characters i know about!! literally any you like!!

-i’m doing this really early so i can give myself enough time for it but if you change your mind on the characters before just let me know!!

ummm. if i need to add more i will. but i think that’s it for now!! praying i’ll actually be able to go through with this i am so sorry if i end up having to give stuff out late 💔💔

anyway if you really do want to give me one in return. i think i’m pretty obvious about who i like and you’re free to do others i didn’t mention here that you know i like too, but here’s a few jic anyone wants a list: anyone from wonderlands x showtime, mafuyu asahina, basil from omori, vflower, siffrin, loop, mirabelle

[creatively-cosmic]

i wanted to draw something different today soooo. i went n scrounged up a buncha pokepastas that ive read/pokepasta ocs ive seen around recently (mostly via mutuals)! ill tag creators and link sources under the cut, and ramble a little abt my thoughts... ^^

if anyone wants me to untag or remove their stuff from this btw let me know i didnt ask i kinda just. started doodling.

also half of yall i either never followed or only Just did i need 2 remedy that. ive been observing yalls stuff from a distance i keep forgetting to Press the Fucking Button is all

Your Friend Silver (Elias) by @uuberwachen ! this was such an INSANELYYY well written story and it stuck with me for DAYS. it really slots in the space in my mind that holds the classics and the twists and stuff with it genuinely got me. i cant recommend it enough if anyone who sees it hasnt read it yet. i got so excited when i saw a dedicated ask blog went up. i wish i werent scared of sending in questions to those things

Pixel Blue: 3DS VIRTUAL CONSOLE (2016) by @calybunz ! ahhh this was such a cool one to read! id see updates on it incidentally n i can tell a lot of work went into it- it was definitely worth it! its well written with a lot of heart.. maybe im just a sucker for stories that focus on a sympathetic blue.. the ending made me so SAD dude what the fuck. though my favorite parts were probably the dream sequences- godd the imagery of it all was fantastic!

Nuzlight (Mia) at @nuzlight-mia ! this is one i dont know much about yet, but her personality and design really captivated me when i first saw her! she seems like such a sweetheart and i look forward to getting to see more of her :3 i feel so bad for her situation.. the story n concept are all so interesting!

Missing Numbers (Green) at @themissingnumbers ... is our thing but green is hells (@hells1nfern0 ) dude that i have no sway in so. whatever. im unwell about him im excited for more to be revealed abt him :] i cant really say more than that since i know his secrets

FIRE RED FREE DOWNLOAD (Infected/Abandoned RED) by @aibouart ... another one i saw the design of first and was just IMMEDIATELY struck by. i love when stories twist in-universe things that're generally treated as normal and mundane and use its horror potential! a parasect parasite outbreak where the protagonist gets infected by that and ends up full of mushrooms...? thats the kinda shit i love to see >:)

Jack by @sparklingdemon ! cool ass design ive been wanting to draw and a cool concept to go with- the creepyblack protagonist as a grinning-reaper type where the ghost is an extension of him rules. i also loveee when designs utilize the fossil missingno stuff!! kabutops's arms lend themselves REALLY well to being a scythe

Glitchy Red: Retold by @lycankeyy / @glitchyred (idk which blog youd rather have tagged sorry). so i saw this when the official ao3 repost went up or got mentioned or something and it. really. resonated with me. like its hard to put my thoughts into coherent words, other than i had to just. Lay Down for the rest of the night after reading it and just feel whatever emotions struck me. it cut really deep but honestly- that's just fantastic. it's not often that i read something that makes me feel as viscerally as this rewrite did, and i have nothing but adoration for it because of that (we do have the plural bias which doesnt help regarding this lol). in my mind this is the definitive version of glitchy red.

Sanctuary AU (Aster) by @possiblyfunny . ANYWAYS ON A LIGHTER NOTE i fucking love aster more than i can put into words. given we get tagged in almost every piece of him that goes up its always such a delight to see and learn more about him! id been planning to draw him for months at this point but only just got around to it haha -v-" i look forward to seeing more abt the sanctuary au! please continue to tag me in those posts idc if it includes my guys or not i just care so much abt it

[lakesparkles]

hii!!! would you be willing to do a little doodle of your nega ramona and gideon interacting? understandable if you don't take requests I'm just in LOVE with your design of her and your au in general!!! feel free to also use this ask to elaborate about the au more instead because id love to hear that too :D

Hi!! :D

Honestly, I wasn't going to draw this request today (I'm afraid I'm drawing Gideon too much lately lmao sorry, he just can't leave my mind). But I got some pretty weird comments on this AU of mine that made me kinda sad... so I kept rereading this ask to cheer me up and I'm very thankful you like her and this AU!! It really means a lot in this moment!

Now, the important part, yes, I take requests and I love this one:

Just a few things make Gideon feel uneasy. She's one of them. Not because he thinks she might be a ghost, but because she looks too similar to Ramona.

And more about the AU:

I would like to say I finally started writing a fanfiction about it and I'm close to finish the first chapter ^^

It'll be seven chapters long and it'll be hard to write ngl, I never wrote something like this before, usually my fics are cute ship things.

I can share the first scene:

Ramona and Gideon - I . . . She decides to leave one last time Or

Ramona remembers the seven reasons that made her fall in love with Gideon

She had that same fantasy every day. As she walked down the halls, running her fingers along the wall, she imagined herself entering her own room. It was satisfying, somehow. She could perfectly see herself opening her wardrobe, taking out the few things that really interested her, putting everything in her bag and simply walking away. In that fantasy, of course, she always smiled. She even laughed. That kind of hysterical and cathartic laughter only present in films. She wanted to imagine how Gideon would react: how long would it be before he realized she wasn't there anymore? Two weeks? And when would he realize that this wasn't just another one of her "famous tantrums"? Two months? Two years? Part of her was almost excited at the prospect of making him furious with such an accomplishment. It would be his turn to take endless turns through the halls, finally using his brain to try to understand what had gone so wrong between them. Maybe he would find out years later. Or perhaps that doubt would eat away at him for decades to come, the bitterness of her image never leaving his mind. And part of her… thought that wasn't realistic. She knew Gideon well enough to know that he would never even consider any mistake on his part, with a mixture of confusion that never ended well when it came to him. Or worst. He wouldn't even care about her lack of presence in that house. Therefore, Ramona released her fingers from the wall, slowly slowing down her steps until she stopped altogether. Then the fantasy ended. Every single time.

[chipchopclipclop]

hello! i wanted to ask for your thoughts on something (and i understand that this may differ from artist to artist): is it okay to not having a specific composition/pose in mind when commissioning an artist? like, if you just generally want art of a character in their style? i know that you risk not being satisfied if you aren't specific, but i completely accept that risk as the commissioner. for the artist, is it an additional hassle or is the freedom appreciated?

i think either way can work out fine on the artist end, but you should be super clear with them with what you'd like regardless of either option you tread down. It also depends on how large a commission you're getting, a fullbody with a detailed background will probably allow for more freedom in general for someone to work with than just a small bust. This is often a reason i see people only doing fullbodies as it gives them more space to work with.

Regarding freedom though. For example, if you want something specific id rather you be as specific and detailed as possible when handing over reference images and descriptions (much talk has been had over even little paint stick figure doodles being an incredible help when describing how you want something to look to someone). If you want something particular composition wise then go the full mile with this, pull up photos, draw little thumbnails yourself, leave no detail spared. For bits your unsure about let them know you're leaving it up to them.

On the flip side if you're fully handing over control to the artist, so long as you fully commit to that i think that could arguably help them make something better as they can fully direct it to their own taste. In addition to a clear reference give them a few handholds to grasp, maybe some thematic elements connected to the character, and perhaps a mood for the piece overall and then just say off to the races. You could even show specific pieces of their own art and say 'this kind of mood' if you're at a loss. As long as there's enough there for an artist to grab onto and make something from, i think this approach is completely fine and ive found some people prefer having the freedom to direct elements like this themselves.

Always have a clear reference though (visual always preferred) for a character, anything depicting their different reactions and expressions is also a mega bonus. If anythings a hassle its working with not knowing how to actually depict someone rather than freedom of composition and posing. An ideal commission for me would be like -

[clear fullbody image ref of character] this is my character they're [personality trait] [personality trait] and are thematically connected to [spiders, lollipops, fire etc] please draw them [happy, sad, angry] in a [jumping, standing, sleeping] pose I would like the piece to have a [peaceful, scary, happy] mood. The rest of the direction and composition is completely up to you. Here's some additional examples of the vibe i have in mind [image of artists own art 1] [image of artists own art 2].

[little-skunk]

Your art and headcannons are so silly and cool, if I was an out little id so follow and like the heck out of you but im too shy... I visit ur profile a lot and your dandys world little headcannons are so silly and real <3 you don't have too but it would be really interesting to see ur take on who shrimpos cg would be and how their dynamic would work like!! Personally I think Goob would be a sweet one but thats a little biased... anyways im rambling ur awesome and keep being awesome!1! ⭐

Thank you so much! I'm always glad to hear others get comfort out of the stuff I make, it means a lot!

Before Glisten was officially in the game, he was the ONE toon I thought Shrimpo would genuinely like as a caregiver. Considering Glisten looked like he could be fairly rude and sassy when he wanted to be, I imagined them as a pair of mean girls.

It ended up really long so the headcanons (and a little doodle page) are below the cut!

Glisten ⊙°

More than any other toon, Shrimpo actually looks up to Glisten quite a bit. Shrimpo really likes him as a caregiver too, but sometimes he can't help but think he's wasting Glisten's time.

- Glisten is rather firm with rules when Shrimpo is little because he knows the consistency and expectations of them keep Shrimpo calm and in-check. Shrimpo respects Glisten and knows better than to try and pull anything with him. He also really likes how theatrical Glisten can get when they play pretend together, it makes things a lot more fun. Overall, Glisten is surprisingly good with kids, even with ones that have a temperament like Shrimpo.

- Shrimpo has a really difficult time reaching out, even when he knows he needs help. He almost see Glisten as 'above him' so he feels like he's wasting the other toon's time when he wants or needs to be babysat. Glisten also isn't the best at helping when Shrimpo is crying or sad, which doesn't help either.

- Glisten is best at taking care of him while he's around toddler headspace, but Shrimpo is comfortable enough to stick around when he's regressed to early teen years as well (usually when he's older he prefers to be alone, Glisten is the biggest exception to this).

- Around toddler age, Glisten like to play with Shrimpo by doing things like read alouds, coloring activities, finger paint (with heavy supervision), and playing pretend with action figures and toys. When Shrimpo's older, they play video games but Glisten always lets Shrimpo win if he can. And also when he's older Glisten tends to not hover as often because he knows Shrimpo would want more space and less doting. He generally trusts Shrimpo to not do something stupid when he's around 13+

- Glisten has the hardest time getting a toddler Shrimpo to bed, he is a very firm fighter when it comes to sleep. The one thing that gets him out like a light is hot chocolate, Glisten discovered. But of course, Glisten doesn't want to give in and let him have all that sugar every night, so instead he lays with Shrimpo and quietly reads (even if he reads through the whole book, he'll just start over) until he is sure Shrimpo is asleep.

- If Shrimpo is feeling fussy and says something mean to Glisten, without fail, Glisten will feign feeling offended/hurt and a majority of the time Shrimpo will end up scrambling to apologize and make him feel better moments after because he didn't mean it.

Goob ☆°

I do get the appeal of Goob and Shrimpo being a pair because Shrimpo could have a soft spot just for Goob, however I don't really think Goob is someone Shrimpo prefers as a caregiver unless he is in babyspace.

- In his normal toddler headspace Shrimpo absolutely loathes being coddled and babied, but Goob's love language is cuddles and doting on little ones. This leads to Shrimpo being very combative while Goob tends to be more sensitive for lack of a better word, and doesn't really know how to handle an angry little. Another problem is, Shrimpo knows Goob is too kind to properly enforce punishment, so he will often act out and do things against the rules on purpose with him, because he knows Goob won't make him face any consequences that matter to him.

- When in babyspace, Shrimpo tends to be more quiet and calm and is much more receptive to Goob's cuddles and caring style. He's probably too ashamed to admit it, but Goob is always his favorite when he's feeling particularly small. Goob just knows how to make him feel better after a meltdown.

- Both Shrimpo and Goob prefer to be little playmates rather than little/cg. This is pretty much the best middle ground for both of them. Shrimpo doesn't feel like he's being babied and feels less need to act out and rebel, and Goob doesn't have to feel as responsible or stressed out.

- Shrimpo doesn't like keeping many toys of his own, so Goob often brings some of his own toys along to play with in Shrimpo's room, like a dollhouse with a bunch of different toys, or fidget toys, or puzzles when he's an older toddler age. Goob likes playing with Shrimpo a lot, but he also usually gets too into it and regresses by accident.

- Goob actually prefers to be a big brother to Shrimpo since usually Goob is the little sibling. When Shrimpo's in babyspace he treasures the moments he gets with the bubbly little shrimp cradled in his arms. Goob gets why Scraps is so protective over him when he sees Shrimpo so small and vulnerable like that.

Teagan ♤°

A somewhat unexpected but very comforting caregiver to Shrimpo. She is a naturally motherly toon, but she also is particularly good with Shrimpo because she knows how to work with him through tough emotions or tantrums. She is very calm and patient despite how combative Shrimpo can be sometimes.

- Sometimes just the tone in Teagan's voice gets Shrimpo feeling small. She'll gently scold him for doing something he knows he shouldn't be doing, and he just melts.

- Shrimpo really appreciates how patient Teagan can be, even when he's being difficult on purpose. With her, he almost feels bad for misbehaving because of how she motivates him with praises (that he absolutely isn't used to hearing).

- Teagan really does care about Shrimpo and hates to see him beat himself up or try to deal with his issues alone. Her favorite moments with him are when he's small and sleepy, which makes him very cuddly and affectionate.

- Teagan found out that tea helps Shrimpo fall asleep without a fight (given to him in a sippy cup of course, wouldn't want any spills).

- Teagan takes care of a few other littles, so unfortunately she's not available as often as Shrimpo's other caregivers. Shrimpo isn't really comfortable with being taken care of with other littles around either (except Goob).

- Similarly to Goob, Teagan is very good at helping Shrimpo calm down during a tantrum/meltdown. She never raises her voice even when she's frustrated, and she tries to get Shrimpo to talk about his issues with an indoor voice. She always tries to give him options to try and help him with whatever's bothering him.

- Shrimpo really likes to hear Teagan sing for bedtime. Teagan doesn't really think she's that good at it, but she knows Shrimpo loves it so she does it for him.

- Teagan is the only caregiver that Shrimpo uses a parental nickname with, he likes to call her mama when he's small enough. Teagan thinks it's really sweet but doesn't comment on it to save him the embarrassment.

----------

Originally there was a section with Dandy instead of Teagan, but most of the headcanons were rather negative so I scrapped it. Instead, here are some little blurbs left over.

- Dandy is better at being a babysitter than anything else (to Shrimpo at least).

- Shrimpo likes to hang out with Dandy when he's in a teen headspace because he likes to rant and Dandy is good at listening without adding any unsolicited advice.

- Dandy has noticed subtle tells Shrimpo has when he is feeling small but not quite regressed, and he often teases Shrimpo when he notices him doing them to get him regressed.

Also. Here's the reason why the request took so long (procrastination)

[cconfusedkat]

(shaking hands, functioning on three iced coffees, not beta read we just die) (LIL BRO TREATING THIS LIKE AO3Anyways yeah i did not read anything i typed here a second time so my wording might Suck Major Kuss)

Hey chat! sorry my holiday depression unfortunately kicked in, i had a ,, relatively decent Eid (cuz i dont celebrate christmas) ...? so i hope everyone had a relatively better holiday than i did… 💦

My friends often tell me i look like my art and i kinda see it. Hooray! Meeting the artist! Except i took matters into my own hands of making my own collage because I Do Not Have Enough Storage Space For Any Other Editing App

Additional shitpost ❤️ the art I've been most proud of are not actually in here, really! I'm mainly proud of the fanart i made for the few smiling critters AU's aaaall the way back feb-march but. I guess the stuff i liked the most i did this year was probably for the one who wilts? Im trying to think of stuff earlier than that. I noticed i definitely had an improvement in art, and i learned i do have a preference of drawing certain ways now too lmao- the fun of art! I hope to improve more in 2025 :-)

Herm,, all jokes aside, im glad people like my art...?? I am not a very Secure artist myself (already taking me five minutes to type that out and consider myself as an artist) so im SHOCKED when people Actually like my things. My doodles. The sometimes rare occasion of real art i put out there. Like! Wow! Thats crazy

Id have to say the same for youtube- im currently at 456 subscribers 🥺❤️ that is huge to me,, i wouldnt have expected me posting for the first time in years on youtube would result to me getting this many subscribers? ? .???

Im very, VERY thankful for the people ive met this year through fandom and generally. Unfortunately—for the past few months—Ive hit a really low stump in my mental health that limits me from talking to people without getting super drained, even on social media i kinda struggle with being active again. I am thankful for the people that continue to stick around and know im the way that i am,, one day ill be mentally stronger and everyone is gonna see my growth as soon as i can ,, Actually leave my own home and hopefully start a new. I didnt really consider that until one of my friends shared its experiences with me and i GENUINELY realized i can run away and get better one day,, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,, there IS,, but not now. Not today. Not in a few months. Itll take me years to heal but 2025 and ongoing years as i get more freedom to do so,,

UHHHH UHHH. ASIDE FROM CHEESY RANTING OF HAVING HOPES FOR THE FUTURE, YAPYAPYAP- i got a drawing tablet (again another thing my friend inspired me for- technically two major things in a row it inspired me for- hope in the future and drawing BWAHAHA-) and uhhh. HmMMOOHHH YEAH I REUNITED MY MEOWMEOWS! HOORA🎊🎊🎊🎊

my 2025 goals are not just improvement in art,, but in hopes of getting a full time job (since my last full time UMM. did NOT work out well! How am i gonna learn to pay my taxes on my own dawg,) and trying to get a place of my own since i missed out on that two years ago (or one? One year ago? I DUNNO..!!!!) , therapy and trying to heal better compared to my terrible stumps of 2022-2024,, i dunno what else but. Maybe working on my social skills at some point 🗿🗿 a far fetched goal is moving out of state completely and also going on testosterone but that is farrrr from now </33

Thank you lot for following and keeping up with my goofiness i gen did not think an animanga nerd with a passion of indie and mascot horror games could reach 510 followers within one year HELPPP thats crazy

On less serious goals though i hope on watching more animes than reading manga in 2025 BWAHAHAGAHSAJD i read manga more and anime is Extremely Rare for me to watch but both jjk and Beastars have all ive been watching as of recent lol- trust i will be such a geek (girl Please that is NAWT something to look forward to) (YES IT IS. HAVE YOU NO WHIMSY?)

[nappingnai]

megumi drabble

angst with no comfort at all, hinted at itafushi, wc; 670, im sorry i love u guys, not proof read so if theres mistakes im sorrryyyy

itadori is gone, and gojo has been given a task from before his execution. to give megumi a handwritten letter. gojo wants to snoop and see what it says, but he knows its not smart.

the soft sound of knocking interrupts megumis thoughts, muttering a small "come in" as he makes himself look somewhat presentable. gojo strolls into his room, sighing as he lookd around.

"yuji wanted me to give you this." is all he says before turning around and leaving, unable to let megumi mutter a word or let a single noise escape his vocal cords. megumi looks at the paper— a small, off-white, folded up— signed by itadori. his messy, but pretty handwriting with small doodles around it. mainly just silly ones of megumi, or itadori himself.

it takes megumi a couple of moments before unfolding the paper, letting his eyes quickly scan over it to see what the main jist of it was before taking a deep breath and deciding to genuinely read through it.

"hey fushiguro! if you're getting this note, its quite obvious ive passed on. i dont wanna say i'll see you soon because i want you to live longer than i did, okay? ill see you someday, though. thats for sure. anyways, i dont really know how to go about this. all those books i borrowed, you can have them back, if you want. they should be in the drawer next to my bed, unless gojo-sensei cleared my room out already. i think he'll leave that to you, though? i did ask him too, but you cant get everything you want, yknow!

anyways, other than all that stupid stuff, i'll miss you. i would say to tell kugisaki i'll miss her too, but, i can tell her that myself now. im sorry for leaving so soon, but you still have gojo-sensei and some of the others. i know you're not a huge fan of communication or anything, but don't continue to be that person that sits in the corner at parties!! live life a bit. i get you're a sorcerer and you assume everything will always be shit, but you can still live. it wont kill you to not be a misanthropist for once in your life fushiguro.

dont drown yourself in guilt over this because there was nothing you could've done to stop it. i was going to meet my end whether you wanted it to be stopped or not. i always had a question, fushiguro. i lived a somewhat nice childhood for someone like me, but the question always ran through my head atleast once a year. was i raised without love, or was i unloveable? and i figured out the answer. i was raised with love, just not enough for me to feel like it. and im not unloveable because i know you loved me with every ounce of love your soul could provide to me.

i think this is long and sad enough already, so, moral of the note, thank you. tell gojo-sensei im sorry for having to leave so soon, but it was bound to happen. i lived an interesting life because of you. id rather die than never meet you. thank you for this, and i love you, megumi."

megumi had already balled up the piece of paper in his hand once finished with reading it, the tears lining his waterline threatening to fall. he let out a shitty attempt at a chuckle, which seemed to be the breaking point of it. instead of a chuckle, it was a choked back sob, making him cough a bit. he threw the paper, even if it didnt go very far. he sat on his bed and stared down, sobbing. he kept wiping his eyes to try and make the tears disappear, but they kept appearing as if nothing could stop them.

megumi went to bed that night with nothing but tears and a hole in his heart that he feels will never be filled until he sees itadori again.

(misanthropist - a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.)

[pikespendragon67]

Pikes Small Fall 2024 Check-in Post!

I technically can still talk with friends but eh why not

IRL: o ye gods i have 2 interviews next week, one in person and one over the phone that may lead to an in person interview. They pay way more than my current job but I fear deceiving my supervisor to go to the in person ones. I'm in the middle of my annual review for my current job though so I think I'll get like. A very small raise and get asked why I've been coming in late for a while now (mainly due to traffic). Hrm.

It’s gonna rain for 2 weeks fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

In December I'm making up for not walking for my college graduation since I graduated during quarantine! I met Jamieson Price at my brother's graduation back in 2016 since he was announcing so my foolish hope is that he announces for mine. Sadly not a SoCal school so highly unlikely (especially with BS technology nowadays) but a fish can dream.

I also...spent way more than I realized this year so once I replenish enough funds I hope I can stick to a budget that my mom helped formulate. Getting the new jobs will help a bunch in those. Terrible timing since the Switch successor is coming out next year and who knows what guests will arrive at cons I can potentially go to. (Like if Jamieson Price, Akio Otsuka, Kenjiro Tsuda or Junichi Suwabe got invited to a con I might need to sell a kidney or 3). I tried using a Windows 11 laptop and it is somehow much slower than my 2019 laptop. Like. How. It's more recent. So I might need to invest in a tablet (like an iPad) or something instead since those tend to be faster. If it has HDMI ports I'd be set.

Also terrible timing for going on a budget since I want to get the Shunsui blind keychain in stores like GameStop or BoxLunch. I have Ukitake at least. I'd be willing to trade a spare Soifon that I have. Oh, and also Squishables plushies always tempt me as well as physical DVDs/games/manga but I am running out of storage space aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I want to get back into art but I need a bag to carry my art supplies and hopefully I can sneak in doodles when I run out of tasks at work. I'd draw on weekends but my computer takes up way too much space on my desk.

And I'm in a bit of a music rut, need to find new stuff to listen to. I usually like smooth cadences in things like electroswing, R&B or pop punk rock, but maybe with how hectic the world is becoming I can get into a new genre of music. Maybe folk? Maybe a ska renaissance that I keep hoping to happen in the public attention?

Animu: I just finished rewatching Digimon Adventure (1999)! I rewatched the dub since I'm nostalgic towards it. I recognized more voices than I did in my rewatch from 6th grade wrow. (I forgot Doug Erholz was in the OG series as Joe's brother and MachineSeaDramon). As a kid my favorite was probably TK or Kari but these days I relate way too much to Joe. I think my favorite arc is the Myotismon arc, and I really loved the Piedmon fight. The show really started feeling special after SkullGreymon appeared. It went from regular monster of the week show to something that explored more character depth, like when Sora felt she couldn't use the Crest of Love. Gonna start 02 next week.

I'm about to finish Delico's Nursery (thank GOD) and Moribito so I can finally move onto other stuff to either watch or rewatch. Maybe Big O, maybe ID: Invaded? Who can say. ...Probably after Beastars season 3 comes out.

Pokemon Horizons' next dubbed portion will air in February so I will see who voices Hassel and Larry then put it on hold until another character I like shows up. Unless something plot relevant happens. It's a good show but hhhhhhhh I only have so much time in my days now.

I'm liking Ranma 1/2! Originally I was a bit squicked about the bathing scenes but I really like the character interactions and the over-the-top jokes (like using your brother as a weapon, hilarious)

Tower of God season 2 is...there. Definitely in the gambler's fallacy where I want to finish this and have it be done with. I really miss season 1's animation.

Orb: On the Center of the Earth is a really intriguing drama. I'm hoping it has a scene that makes me think about life like with other dramas that I've enjoyed. It has sparks of it, so only time will tell.

I’m really enjoying Dandadan so far. I might not delve into the fandom side but I’m loving the art direction and the main character bickering. Dare I hope for a Mothman arc?

In my Jojo rewatch I’m 4 episodes away from finishing Battle Tendency. I’m not the biggest fan of Stardust Crusaders though so I’m gonna see if I can watch the OVAs instead

And finally, I'm not sure how many episodes Bleach TYBW part 3 will have but I'm lowkey waiting for when Shunsui's big moment happens. Hopefully it doesn't feel too rushed, as if we do follow the 13 episode structure we'd only have...5 episodes left to finish this. I'm also hoping that the light novels get animated. Or that Kubo makes the rest of the Hell arc an anime exclusive thing.

Videya games: I thought I could switch between Brothership and Dragon Quest 3, but hoo boy do I feel the grind more in 5 minutes of DQ3 than I do 20 in Brothership. Aside from the Luigi A controversy and odd way to do basic jumps/hammer attacks, I'm liking the combat again. Makes me want to go back to play Dream Team more.

I got Webfishing and I made my avatar Ogata. Life is goooooooooood. Also on some weekends I play with some buddies in either Granblue Versus, 100% Orange Juice, and recently we went through the prologue of Paranormasight. I grinded with some other friends in Granblue Relink and man I need to assemble that squad again so I can get Ambrosia.

Oh yeah, an IRL friend helped me start up collecting for Wii again! Meaning I can hopefully get Gamecube games too because while I do have Dolphin and Parsec, I still have trouble opening files, configuring my controller and configuring a memory card. True there's a risk of scratched discs and spending way more than I need to. Hm.

[moshieee]

Hello! Sorry to bother you, but I'd just like to see if you have a ref sheet for your sona? I'm thinking of making you, Rabid, Dia, and Bun a little animatic. Actually, if I'm gonna be honest, there are a whole lot of ideas for you four in my head rn. Especially when Rabid and Dia posted something about the song "Anything you can do, I can do better." Sorry, I'm rambling. Also, since I think at least Rabid showed something about a mob au for their sona, I've had an idea for more animatics. But anyways, sorry for this ask being really long. Thank you for at least reading this, You make me actually remember to eat, drink, and take my meds when you remind your mutuals, so thx! Also, love your art, very very unique and all I think about when I see your doodles or pieces is ". . . . . smol"

Okie, I'll be taking my leave! Gotta shape-shift back into a rat to go to the vents and continue my endless cycle of ideas and au's. Okay, Bye Bye!!!!!

(Remember to take care of yourself, drink, eat, sleep, [take meds if you need/are prescribed them], and know that you are loved!)

And- *is literally being dragged out bye an Anon* oh! Oki Nighty Night *disappears behind a door and a laundry shoot is heared opening and something is heard being but in* (muffled) Thank you, WEEEEEEEEE-

I thought a little ending that I hope made you laugh would help :]

(I was giggling the whole way though the story, a lovely ending!! Bravo 👏 🌹!!! thank you for the kind words about my style it's something I was insecure about for a long time, and I'm glad I have a positive effect on people's health hehe)

dont ever apologize for asking something, I love getting asks and long asks just means I add the tag #long post

Also oh my goodness that sounds amazing and I would be honored

as for a reference I uhhh I've been trying to make a reference but I keep getting distracted

the only best references I have I have right now is this hair guide I made for Bunsowo that I kept forgetting to share It's a bit out dated now but still close enough

And the l eyes guide I made for Rabid that is now also outdated...

If you just need an image to go off id recommended this one sense it's the most recent

Jeeze I really need to make a reference for my sona. I guess I never expected people to try and draw my stuff so I'm not used to this...

wait what's this?

Those are my lines silly/j

I wish you luck in your creations and make sure to pace yourself so you don't get hurt

Also wait nighty night? Are you supposed to be sleeping? 👁️ 👁️

[a-bucket-in-the-void]

hello

i’m Oakley (or Bucket if you’d like) and i use he/him

i’m kinda just a dude on here

i reblog stuff from jrwi, hermitcraft, the life series, empires smp, rats smp, honestly anything you can think of that’s adjacent to hermitcraft, but what i’m really known for are my low effort shit posts. on a good day i can pop like fifteen of those out, each with two to five notes

um also i feel like i should say that i am definitely completely normal about skizzleman definitely

so anyway, stay if you’d like, honestly i don’t really care, unless you’re a cool mutual in law in which case i am super cool and awesome and you should totally follow me back :]

tagging system under the cut

edit: uh i actually started making an au! i don’t have a name for it yet so i’m kinda just using #insert au tag here for now lol. it’s a superhero au based on the seventh session of wild life and i’m really enjoying making it. just thought i’d put that before the cut so it doesn’t get hidden :]

now that i’m thinking about it it’s atrocious but i don’t really care enough to fix it unprompted so if you do care feel free to send me an ask about it (anon is always there if you need it)

#shouting into the void - id like to say this is my text tag but i really just use this whenever i make a post and it doesn’t contain art or an ask. under this you’ll find pretty much any kind of post under the sun as well as some pretty good shit posts buried under other not so good shit post

#showing the void my art - this would be my art tag, if i ever used it. please picture it covered in cob webs. under here are some of my doodles and now that i’m thinking about it i could probably tag my knitting progress under this as well

#the void talks back - this is my ask tag. under here is pretty much a bunch of me hanging out with my friends on here

and now for my less official tags that you still might want to know

#red dungeon - i play in a dnd campaign with a couple people on here. this is a communal tag for the campaign, so not just an original thing for me. not everything related to the campaign is tagged under this, it’s really just some more recent official posts

and speaking of…

#radio doe - this is my character for said campaign. like the other tag there’s not a whole lot under this but it’s there if you’d like to see it. also feel free to ask me about her or the campaign, i’d love to talk about it

um i also have another oc tagged with the ‘unwitness protection program’ if you’d like to go hunt for that but it’s really not properly tagged with anything

um also if like to say that i am very socially awkward so just uh yeah

if i interact with you and i seem a bit weird or off putting that’s probably why

semi related to that, sometimes i experience something i call ‘running out of words’ where i just am too tired to properly word things. sometimes that will take the form of mentioning things seemingly out of the blue or things that may seem kinda jarring to the conversation, some times that will take the form of just not talking at all or not having the words to express what i’m thinking. it’s just a thing that happens with me sometimes

uh i think that’s it

enjoy your stay i guess

[timeregistry]

A Human's Touch (p.AI.nter x Reader) | Chapter 5

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

Notes: Eyefestation jumpscare (like in my pressure runs) in this chapter only that that's bestie idk

also I was reading the chapter again cuz I do that and tell me why I saw the word unpleasant and the stupid gradient materialized in my mind T_T true jumpscare...

They indeed did not let you see Painter again in the afternoon.

A grumble escaping your lips as they told you a firm “no”. Which meant your afternoon was pretty free.

Normally, you would be annoyed by Sebastian (or vice versa), but it seemed that Urbanshade was really keeping him hostage the moment that he showed he was effective at his job. The only reason he did it quickly was because he valued his free time, but now it seemed that they just kept giving him more work with the promise of consequence if he doesn’t do it (which really sours his mood the times you see him. Evident by the grimace on his face).

However, it seemed that they really didn’t want you to do your more hands-on part of your job so instead you spent your time inside of your office reading files as you spent the rest of your workday in.

The next day, you went to the kitchen getting the usual breakfast only to realise that it was indeed empty, it wasn’t even the end of the week how was this even possible? You overheard one of your co-workers complaining about it exactly, only that you heard them mentioning explicitly their stolen lunch.

…You probably should talk with Sebastian about it.

Walking to your office, you took the paperwork that was in the pocket next to the door. It looks like there were new documents to look through, not as important if they didn’t give it to you directly.

Now inside, you put the folders on your desk, except you saw a bag on your desk. You raised your brow at it, opening it as you saw a collection of food items and a note.

“So you won’t be hungry, sleepy head.” Signed with a silly doodle at the bottom.

Of course it was Sebastian who raided the kitchen. Not only that but he even kept you in mind and left some items for you. How considerate.

For a second you wondered how Sebastian got inside your room but then you remembered how he borrowed your spare ID the other day just because he felt like it. The only reason you had an extra one was exactly because you had lost your last one (which surprise surprise, was just under your desk). You should probably ask for it back soon, Urbanshade wouldn’t be too happy knowing an MR-P has a high clearance key card.

Either way, you grabbed one of the things that Sebastian got for you, it wasn’t much but it was a lot better than what Urbanshade normally gave you. He really did cherry pick (and probably stole someone’s hard work too).

Looking at the time, you pondered how long you could wait until they would actually let you see Painter. You can tell the researchers really didn’t want you interacting with the computer still, but with enough insistence you should be able to still see Painter... As long as the other scientists don’t raise it up to your higher ups.

You still think about the one subject that you kept wanting to visit as each subject you only managed to progress very very little. But after a while, apparently it was raised to your superior that explicitly told you that you couldn’t continue working on that subject, which broke your researcher heart.

With all the subjects, you always wanted to see the different facets of them, hoping that with a different way of life, maybe they will be more effective and/or happy. But it is quite common for you to never see that part if the group in charge of the subject decides to complain to your superior that you are practically doing nothing.

The only reason why your superior was convinced all too easy to make you stop seeing certain subjects was thanks to the sheer amount of subjects in the Hadal Division. You can't begin to imagine how many other ones are in the other divisions. Not like you are planning on changing divisions anytime soon.

You were always "needed" somewhere else according to your superior. Your skills can be useful to subjects that actually need it.

Which is stupid, you're firm into believing that a lot of the subjects that they think don't need your skills are ones that need it the most! They just wouldn't understand because this is Urbanshade we are talking about, and they aren't quite known to be very nice.

Shaking your head, you decided to go check up on another one of the subjects, there were some you liked that you would visit more.

Some researchers didn’t hate your presence, which meant that you could visit some of the subjects yourself more than the average visits you were allowed.

Weirdly enough, Eyefestation was one of them.

Doing the usual testing before going into the room of Eyefestation, you did a quick sigh as you entered the room that had a big window displaying the shark. Sitting on the only chair provided as well as straight up the only piece of furniture in the room, you looked down at your notebook as you always did to avoid its gaze.

“Interesting.” Suddenly you heard the Painter’s voice, you almost looked up, instead snapping back down to your notebook in a sweat. “I was going to say something else but your reaction piqued my interest.”

You turned back in front of you to your notebook, grumbling as you realised it was Eyefestation that was talking to you. “Go back to using your voice Eyefestation.”

You heard Eyefestation hum slightly, as you let out a sigh.

“My voice is whatever you want to hear.” Eyefestation started, it’s voice going back to the voice that you recognized as it's own. “If you heard something else, it isn’t my fault.”

Somehow, you find it hard to believe. But Eyefestation has a point. Especially since the last time it scared you this bad was when it replicated Sebastian’s voice. The only reason why you had a different reaction then was because Eyefestation exactly said things Sebastian would never ever say, much less in the way that Eyefestation put it.

Either way you let out another sigh, talking with Eyefestation was always an experience as you had a conversation in your mind, it made you feel a little bit crazy.

“Is the voice you heard another subject?”

“Yes.” You responded swiftly, Eyefestation was always a bit curious about the other subject. Yet in the case of Painter, you had no idea how to phrase it for the shark to understand what you were talking about. “Remember when I told you about electronics?”

Eyefestation only swam around, you saw the light that it had moved around the floor of the room you were in. “Well, the voice you spoke in was from one of those electronics.”

“How?”

“Electronics can do more than just make lights.” Scratching your head, you wondered how you were even going to explain a computer to Eyefestation.

The shark could learn things by just reading your mind but you’re not sure it would even be able to understand the concept of computers, it already took you awhile just to explain technology that can make lights like it does.

However, Eyefestation was patient as you attempted to explain computers to it.

Thinking you did a pretty good job on explaining, you wrote down a note on how you explained how computers worked to Eyefestation.

“I don’t understand,” it started, “how does that work?”

“Well-” You scratched that part of your note, changing it so that it wasn’t successful as you tried to explain again in different words. At this point, it felt more like you were trying to explain to the elderly how new technology worked. Because you couldn’t even see them, it really didn’t help your visualisation of the scenario.

“Please end your interview promptly.” The intercom went on. Perhaps that was a blessing in surprise as your head was starting to hurt in trying to think up a way to explain computers in yet another way.

“Sorry, I need to cut this short.” You apologised quickly at the shark, getting up from your seat as you quickly turned back so as to not accidentally gaze into its eyes.

“Is that ‘computer’ important to you?”

“What?”

“For you to hear my voice as it…”

Eyefestation trailed off, you looked over at the door out of the room you were in. “I want the best for all the subjects here.” You started, thinking over your words.

You were going to continue except the intercom went on again on how you should be leaving the room. Which made you scowl, couldn’t you be patient with the subjects?

“Sorry again,” you sighed, you knew it was still listening to you, “I’ll explain it to you next time.”

“Until next time.”

You left Eyefestation’s “chambers”, nodding at the researchers that were watching through one of those one sided windows.

“Anything new?”

“Z-317 seems more stable emotionally.” Flipping some pages on your notebook, stopping at Eyefestation’s. “Though I wouldn’t try interacting with it just yet. I think it needs more convincing to be able to see certain humans as ‘safe’.”

You closed the notebook, looking back at the scientist, they didn’t look satisfied. “... and if we can convince it, Z-317 could be used as a weapon that can be transported by sea.”

That seemed to satisfy them as they nodded briefly. You always had to keep telling (or even reminding) the other researchers that the subject can be used as a weapon as that is all that Urbanshade really sees the subjects as. Either weapons or money makers.

You hated needing to speak of the subjects like so. Safe for the ones that actually committed heinous crimes and it showed that they did. You wanted those that were wrongfully trapped in Urbanshade to actually get their rightful freedom.

You knew most of them would be killed before they got to see freedom again. Eyefestation being one of them. It’s doubtful if it will ever be able to see the normal sea again. You just hoped that your research could maybe open a different realm of possibility.

Talking about a different realm of possibilities, Eyefestation’s words started playing in your mind.

Is Painter someone you’d consider… Important?

Of course he was. All the subjects were important to you, you wanted them to all succeed.

Yet the way that Eyefestation phrased it during your conversation just made your mind think about it more...

...A new realm of possibilities...

...You shut your own thoughts down for now, it’s no use thinking about it at the moment. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

Leaving Eyefestation’s area of the Heavy Containment area, you started walking through the heavy doors between each area of the Heavy Containment. The good thing was that since Eyefestation was in this area, it meant that you didn’t have to walk that much to find Painter who was coincidentally also in the Heavy Containment area.

At this point, most of the subjects you worked with were in Heavy Containment. Which made you question your safety briefly for a second.

The only negative about Painter’s area is that it was hotter than the rest of the Blacksite. The amount of machinery and what you can only really presume as lots and lots of GPU systems (was the GPU shortage you heard about actually thanks to Urbanshade? You wouldn’t be surprised) only made the area hotter thanks to the fans of the machinery exuding hot air from the systems.

The Blacksite in general was colder so the shock of temperature from the area was quite a bit. But at this point, you grew accustomed to the temperature change.

Sliding your ID on the door to the room containing Painter, you knew full well the researchers were probably going to kick you out but you still wanted to give visiting Painter a shot.

Letting out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding, the door accepted your ID with an extremely loud beep. Making your way inside the room you gazed around.

However, what came as a surprise was the sheer emptiness of the room. Normally the room has quite a bit of researchers just checking to make sure all the machinery is working, and as Painter is a newer subject, a lot of researchers are stationed to simply analyse it to make sure any… updates that they’ve performed on him are working spot on.

You checked your watch quickly.

Ah, that explains it.

A lot of the researchers were taking their break. You hadn’t even noticed that it was break time. Not for you exactly, but for this department it was.

Well, more like those that were overseeing Painter. Normally Urbanshade has a sort of system where when one side of researchers takes a break, there will be another one that will cover for them. But seeing as how passive Painter is, and how Painter does basically the same thing every day, you supposed that they kept their personnel to other more “urgent” subjects.

Better for you, that meant that there was a higher chance to see Painter.

Opportunity at its finest, you decided to try out your chances. This is exactly the game that Urbanshade likes playing, and two can play the game. It felt like a game of cards, only that finally you had a winning hand and your opponent didn't even notice.

“Hey!” You approached the singular poor scientist still in the room (for some reason), friendly and open, sliding quickly on the chair next to them. “How are you?”

Seeing as to how the scientist reacted, they looked like they recently just got the job, maybe even an intern. “...Good.”

They looked like deer in headlights. You introduced yourself as you knew that they didn’t know you as you didn’t know them. “-yeah so I’m a Behavioural Scientist and I’ve been working on Painter over there.” You pointed at the computer as if to prove a point. “Z-779. You know.”

“...Right…”

“Basically I just need you to oversee that I don’t die or something as I check over it. Cool?” You gave them a quick thumbs up. They looked completely clueless which meant that you definitely had a complete say to it. And none of the researchers that enter later can’t just say no because there was one that said yes. Things don’t work like that but you hoped that fate was in your favour to make it happen as so. “Oh but you don’t really have to pay attention, have your break. If you hear a loud thump, that’s when you look back and check on me.”

You joked lightly with the scientist which only reacted in a nervous manner. “Really, don’t sweat it I just really have to have someone around for safety reasons but you don’t have to pay attention.” And you didn’t want them to pay attention.

As long as you were quick enough, you shouldn’t be caught though. Painter wasn’t an experiment that was monitored much and glancing quickly at the schedule, you have a wealth of time.

Whoever said that you just had to be confident to convince people was right as you saw the scientist move their seat closer to the window telling you they were ready with a quiet voice as they settled their stuff nearby.

Definitely an intern.

Getting up from your seat, you stood right next to the door. Finally sliding your ID in the doors in a silent victory to yourself that you managed to convince the intern. And lucky for you, the door opened as expected. Looks like luck was in your favour and your superior wasn’t notified yet which not only meant that your ID could still open Painter’s enclosure, but also meant that you’re safe to continue your little interviews.

Looking out at the intern, you saw them go on their phone. That’s good, that meant they were definitely not going to be paying attention to anything you will do with Painter. Better safe than sorry though, you’re still going to take precautions.

“Painter, it’s me.” You said in a low voice. “They didn’t let me see you until now.”

Not like they actually let you now, you just practically sneaked in. But Painter doesn’t need to know that, not that you didn’t want it to know but rather you don’t know if there was something listening.

“Well if it isn’t the one and only ‘not like other scientists’ scientists.” Painter’s face appeared on the screen with a grin.

You didn’t expect that from Painter, you felt yourself cringe slightly at your words haunting you suddenly. “I didn’t think you’d remember that.”

“I remember everything.”

“I realised.”

It was silent but not unpleasant. The gentle hum of Painter’s fans went on almost lulling,

“Hey, where are the other white coats?” Painter started again, “I only see one, you normally never go in here without so many of those in the room.”

“How do you think I got in here?” You spoke honestly, looking away to the side for a second. “I’m kidding, they are on break right now.”

You pressed your lips into a thin line, in response, Painter turned it’s expression to slightly more serious one, he knew you were lying yet made no effort to press on. After all, what did it even lose from this situation?

“...Anyways, how’s your piece going?”

Painter seemed to light up the moment you mentioned it. “Well I’m gla~d you asked!” He changed it’s screen to the drawing program, his face going to the corner of the screen as if it was one of those videos with the person in the corner reacting to the content.

However what you didn’t expect was to see the piece almost done. The colours were beautiful and it looked stunning. Before you thought it was already looking great but now? It was… gorgeous…

“It’s not… perfect.” Painter started, its face going into a light frown. “I’m a bit out of practice... I have to admit.”

“You say this is out of practice?” You looked at the screen in awe. “How can a machine even be out of practice? This is beautiful!”

Painter lit up completely, his face turning into a complete face of happiness.

“You think?”

“Yeah!”

It chuckled lightly, you didn’t know the computer could even do that. “Thanks!”

Painter looked completely bashful, with little “blush” lines on his face to complete the look. It was such a surprise seeing him act like it. In a research standpoint, this was a complete breakthrough as you managed to get more emotional capacity of the computer. And on your own personal standpoint, it was so nice to see the subjects you worked with happy.

“I can’t wait to see the final product.” You said after a while, a smile still on your face.

“Oh yeah, just you wait.” His face went back to covering the whole screen. “I’m so far from done so when I am you’ll see how talented I am.”

Far from done??? You couldn’t even believe Painter anymore, it already looked amazing, you couldn’t imagine it looking even better than that.

“I can’t wait!”

“Oh! Oh! Also!” Painter grinned again. “I managed to mine more crypto than normal apparently! They told me that at this rate I can actually reach the quota to go to the surface!”

“Really?” A surprised noise escaped from you, you didn’t expect that from the other researchers. There had to be some strings attached. “What about your circuits? Are you keeping your temperature in check?”

“Well, they said that it was only a slight improvement.” Painter mumbled honestly, “I overheard them talk about it from the other room… among… other comments.”

Painter seemed to frown, reminiscing on what it heard, however the screen glitched slightly as he changed expressions again. “As for the circuits, I’ve been trying to keep my CPU and GPU as low as I can while doing things differently. Though I have to say that having the other program open is making it a little harder.”

You never thought you would hear about a computer procrastinating but here you were. There was something surprising about hearing how even when Painter was multitasking and drawing in secret thanks to the inspiration you gave it, but also being able to be more effective than how it normally was this whole time.

Almost, you felt like mentally patting yourself on the back. If everything went well, then surely Painter would be able to draw and mine crypto at the same time and be effective with it.

Not that the other researchers would know that he is multitasking seeing as how little importance they see of Painter. As long as it does the job, who cares how it’s done.

Though on the other hand, you knew that treating the computer more “humanly” would actually help it be more successful. Take that! Any of the other researchers that keep telling you that nothing good comes from your work!

“That sounds great, Painter!” You put out a smile, Painter matching your expression back, albeit slightly bashfully.

“Thank you…” He trailed off. Seeing his expression, you wondered if Painter had gotten any praise for his work since it was stolen from his home.

You put a hand on your chin slightly, thinking briefly as Painter seemingly looked to the side. “Actually, may I touch you?”

“Huh?” Painter looked back at you, he seemed so expressive suddenly, a more dumbfounded expression on him. “Yeah, sure… I… I trust you.”

You smiled at hearing the last part. It was surprising to hear it at first, knowing how you’re sure that Painter wouldn’t like being touched after all that Urbanshade has done to him. But it made you smile that he trusted you enough to let you touch him.

Bringing a hand closer to Painter, you put it on the top of his casing, patting it slightly. “You did a good job today.” You told him, you’re sure that he can’t feel it but it's the thought that counts. You wanted to physically show him that he did good in a way. It is your job to make sure all the subjects do their absolute best, and Painter is already showing improvements which makes your heart swell already. “I’m proud.”

“O-Oh.” Painter’s fans started whirring louder than they were going before, you were starting to feel the warm air coming from Painter on you. Thankfully, it didn’t become hot enough to burn your hand as the first time you met.

Even with that, you were a bit worried. Glancing worriedly at Painter, you slid your hand instead to his side, checking for his temperature. “Are you alright?”

“Ju~st peachy!” Painter swiftly responded, a sort of "laugh" coming from its speakers as his screen glitched slightly. “Hey um, how about we both go back to work, the break is going to end soon right?”

It was almost as if something clicked on your mind as you retracted your hand from Painter to check your watch. “Shoot, you're right.” You frowned slightly, a groan escaping you. “If I want to play it safe I should leave…”

“Yeah…” Painter replied back, a nervous smile on his screen.

“Well,” you scratched your neck lightly, “I guess that’s it for me. Keep up the good work!”

“Of course I will” The confident smile you knew from Painter came back on his screen. You smiled back in response.

“I’ll come back soon to do a check up on you alright? Good night, Painter.”

You turned back from him, putting your keycard in the door to leave, the loud beeping of it making you completely miss the sigh that Painter let out as you left the room.

[fearowkenya]

camp digimonth 2025!!!

oh my god has it for real been one entire calendar year since i joined @campdigimonth?? INSANE

i couldnt even really think of a goal to set because other interests and life in general happened to football-tackle me in the last week of january last year. i can barely remember what i set out to do. in fact im reading my goals from last year right now and rediscovering that i'd split them into projects, sub-projects, and sub-sub projects. which is kind of ridiculous… but exactly the kind of ridiculous that works for me specifically! i think i'll actually just copy-paste my explanation because it still holds:

"the projects are MANY , and it’s impossible to say which ones i will have the impulse to work on and which ones i wont. i dont want to commit to a specific project and then decide ‘actually i dont feel like working on this one’ so i thought it would make sense to just list a bunch of things i want to do and knock out the ones that i have the most motivation for." -me, circa 365 days ago

so true, me from 1 year ago!!! i'm going to keep the same goals as well:

GOAL: complete 5 sub-sub-projects SECONDARY GOAL: complete 10 sub-sub-projects TERTIARY GOAL: complete 1 entire sub-project OR 15 sub-sub-projects

details on specific projects under the cut because i don't know what brevity means nor am i interested in learning it. WARNING FOR DIGIMON SURVIVE SPOILERS AHEAD. i will mark spoiler start points in RED and end points in GREEN so that you may scroll past them if you so desire

PROJECT 1: Finish Winds of Change winds of change my beloved. i am so sorry that the editing schedule for your final chapter coincided with the realization that final fantasy 7 rebirth was set to release the next month. i regret absolutely nothing - honestly i was starting to burn out a little by the end and i think the break from survive, so it was a net positive. either way id like to finish this fic , perhaps even this month! who can say. i do feel a little apprehensive in that it's been a minute since i wrote for survive and i worry id be a little rusty with the character writing. but these kinds of worries are always not as bad as they seem so fuck it we ball

SUB-PROJECT: Winds of Change Chapter 9

rewrite the parts i want to rewrite

go thru edit checklist

post

--

SUB-PROJECT: [REDACTED]

[REDACTED]

[REDACTED]

post (dont worry 😇 )

*********************************************

PROJECT 2: Redesign Survive Partners context from last year: "I am very charmed by the idea that a digimon’s design is affected by the events and relationships in their lives. For example, a digimon may change a little in appearance in a way that reflects something about their human partner."

so i've been kinda working on this on-and-off for the past year, mostly doodles that i didn't plan on doing anything with because they weren't polished enough. i actually really like the redesigns i did although i never posted them, so im thinking i just redraw them and colour them with markers this time. or digital. idk we'll see. i'm gonna pick three of the survive digimon and not all of them because if i did that we would be here all day

SUB-PROJECT: Lopmon Redesign

Redraw the one I did already onto marker paper via light table

Colour and ink

Scan at work (my scanner at home HATES certain colours)

Touch-ups

Write mile-long post about design choices

Post

--

SUB-PROJECT: Labramon Redesign

Find a cool dog pose to reference

Draw a Labramon

Move onto marker paper via light table if necessary

Colour and ink

Scan at work

Touch-ups

Write mile-long post about design choices

Post

--

SUB-PROJECT: Agumon Redesign

Remember what the hell my workflow was; I've started this one already except that it's 100% digital which i dont usually do. i seem to recall that i'd found a vaguely similar workflow to the one i use with traditional mediums but i dont remember at all how i managed that. i will have to try to remember how i got that working

Finish colouring

Simple background???

Post

*********************************************

PROJECT 3: Survive Alternate Evos (Digifakes) i refuse to elaborate. i think that doing a big finished colour illustration is not going to be helpful for this since these would be the first passes of all these designs, so this would probably be just some sketches with minimal colour??? maybe??

SUB-PROJECT: Blackavarmon

find & look at blackavarmon's original sketches again to remember what on earth i had in mind

idk just do a bunch of sketches and keep 3-5 of the best ones

low-effort ink/colour

scan at work

post

--

SUB-PROJECT: Tigervespamon Burst Mode

find the few sketches i did last year and try to push them further; i remember feeling like some of the design elements weren't working the way i wanted them to and i gotta tinker with them

tigervespamon burst mode is very much 'what if i take the machine aspects out of this design and add others that cater more to me specifically'. tigervespamon as-is doesnt look enough like a wasp OR a tiger to me and im taking it upon myself to fix that. im going to stare at pictures of tiger jaws and wasp mandibles for six hundred hours until i can mash 'em together in a truly horrific way to make a guy who is SO upsetting to look at <3

close-ups of weird design aspects, probably jaws, arms, face, perhaps wings if i dont fear god

low effort ink/colour

scan at work

post

--

SUB-PROJECT: Mothmanmon

slap together a bunch of reference pictures. mothmanmon has a specific purpose that i refuse to explain, but i also want it to have the vibe of a digimon that isn't necessarily relevant to [REDACTED] or [REDACTED]. unlike blackavarmon or tigervespamon burst mode, i havent even STARTED work on this one so a finished polished definite design isn't the intent

doodle a bunch of concept sketches

ink/colour the one that looks the most like i want it to

scan at work

post

*********************************************

PROJECT 4: Survive Snippets so this probably doesn't come as a surprise to anybody but the survive fics ive posted are barely scratching the surface of what a version of me with infinite spare time would like to explore. ive been tossing ideas around for a while that i want to at least write down. i dont know that i'd post any of them since they'd likely be part of other bigger fics that i CERTAINLY do not have time to write

SUB-PROJECT: Conversation (& fight?) between Dracmon and [REDACTED] you get no information on this (:

--

(DIGISURVIVE SPOILER WARNING START)

SUB-PROJECT: Alternate Kunemon Champion evo scene listen as much as i love survive and love kunemon and think its funny that his big dramatic evolution scene was triggered while battling against (checks notes) actual babies, i dont necessarily think that it was… the uh, most elegant way to go about ryo's partner's first evolution?? the tone of the scene gave me whiplash. i would like to know what it would be like for that scene to have stakes that are more in-line with the other champion-level evolution scenes. i DO know how im going to do this though, vaguely, ive been thinking about it for like over a year. it'll actually also require some changes to syakomon's champion evo scene most likely! the challenge with this one is going to be to boost the impact of flymon's first appearance while not minimizing the impact of shellmon's first appearance. it's a balancing act that im not SUPER intimidated by; i managed something similar in winds of change, but it's still a little different.

--

SUB-PROJECT: Alternate Lopmon Champion Evo scene This would sort of be an epilogue to winds of change! without spoiling much, winds of change is a different outcome of part 5 Truthful where shuuji manages to survive the waterway, but something very very bad still happens. this bad thing would delay lopmon's evolution into turuiemon, and that delayed version would have a different vibe to it than how it was presented in the game's truthful route.

(DIGISURVIVE SPOILER WARNING END)

*********************************************

PROJECT 5: Digimon TTRPG Stuff I play digimon ttrpg with my friends. yet i rarely draw any of our funny little guys. i wish to draw our funny little guys

SUB-PROJECT: Lys the Muscle Wizardmon currently for playtesting i am playing a melee damage wizardmon who did not get great grades in wizard school. so she hits things with a stick instead. good for her!

--

SUB-PROJECT: Delaney & Herculeomon beach episode Look™

--

SUB-PROJECT: Nova (Terriermon-x) (& maybe Xander??) beach episode Look™

*********************************************

many things to consider! and neither you nor i know which i will attempt first (: good luck fellow camp digimonth participants! lookin' forward to seeing your progress!