#if i remember i may make art for this for next halloween

[musiclover2732]

OKAY here are my little thoughts on this. essentially if the Lords in Black met The Gang. yes, it’s past Halloween but i wanted this to be good and we can suspend our disbelief for one more day.

putting this under a cut for length and also spoilers for IASIP, TGWDLM, Black Friday, Nightmare Time, and NPMD

Dennis & Pokey: from the outside this looks like personal bias just putting two of my favorite characters together but actually it took me a bit to fit these two together. they wouldn’t join up but Pokey would easily persuade Dennis to join the Hive. Dennis is like the perfect candidate to join the Hive as someone who loves singing and would just generally not be opposed to the idea of everyone just being on the same page like that. Hidgens wanted world peace and Dennis wants the gang to no longer be his main source of stress always relying on him. he wanted the illusion of power with no responsibility and for things to just be calm and ‘normal’ so he can be his idea of happy and Pokey offers that. and Dennis would be a good gateway to bring the apotheosis because he would infect the gang fairly quickly and the gang is known for bringing everyone around them down with them so that’s all of Philadelphia for Pokey just from one guy. Dennis is the head, the most vulnerable and the thing that brings down everything else. Pokey would kill Dennis.

Dee & Blinky: these two were actually the easiest for me. Dee loves to act and while she may not be good at it, Blinky could definitely see her value in manipulating other people to amuse himself. we know she can bring out the worst in people (Rickety Cricket, the Waitress, the stripper from PTSDee) for a scheme or her own amusement so she has Blinky’s sadistic nature. i can’t help but draw comparisons between PTSDee and Watcher World because they both went “hey that’s a pretty strained Father/Daughter relationship, it’d be a shame if someone were to annihilate it beyond all hope of repair”. even the gang was alarmed by how far she took things and that’s saying something considering what they did to her in The Gang Breaks Dee but also just how they treat her in general. she wouldn’t be a Sniggle but rather more like the people we see with purple irises that are essentially vessels to Blinky to watch people with. Blinky would ally himself with or simply use Dee.

Charlie & Tinky: the hardest pair honestly. this is more just similarities cuz these two would not give each other a second thought. Tinky only cares about Ted and by extension the Spankofskis; a Kelly means nothing to him. and similarly Charlie has his interests in his friends, the bar, and his obsession with the Waitress. at most they could sit down and compare notes and their special people. in all honesty i can see Charlie becoming friends with Webby over any of the LiB. she’s a spider and he clearly listens to and trusts what spiders have to say. Charlie is very perceptive and would be able to see the LiB’s bullshit for what it is and not give in to it. while i don’t think Charlie would have a connection to the Black & White like the Foster sisters, Webby could still find an ally in him. they both have strained and complex relationships with their respective families. Tinky would ignore Charlie but Webby may take a liking to him.

Mac & Nibbly: Nibbly is the hungriest of his brothers and only really cares about eating humans and their souls. yes, he has a cult but their only real purpose is to bring him a yummy snack every year when he wakes up. the Honey Queen is chosen because she has the strongest desire and while Mac would not be entering the Honey Festival any time soon, he does have the strongest desires of the gang. he wants love more than anything. whether it be from his family, his friends, or God, the guy just wants someone to love him unconditionally. that’s like his big character motivation/trait. Nibbly would eat that desire of Mac’s right the fuck up. Nibbly would kill Mac.

Franky & Wiggly: ngl this one was fun. two characters that should never be allowed to meet. Frank doesn’t have that (god)hole that Wiggly dolls will fill because he’s living his best life. in his mind, he has peaked and nothing is better than being bed buddies with Charlie and funding the gang’s schemes even tho he doesn’t know what’s going on 90% of the time. i can see him being like Uncle Wiley to Wiggly. kind of his supernatural manager who helps him take advantage of humans and take over the world. Frank could get Wiggly dolls mass-produced and distributed everywhere with his business skills. he’s surrounded by people who would extremely vulnerable to Wiggly’s false promises and he wouldn’t mind taking advantage of the gang like that. hell, he could’ve been the one to give Wiggly the idea of a doll by mentioning Dennis’ godhole theory. evidence suggests that Wiggly is the oldest and the leader of the LiB so he and Frank kinda already have the same role in their respective groups. Wiggly as the mastermind and Frank as the enabler. i would pay to see that. Wiggly would ally himself with or simply use Frank.

this is so much more of an AU than i intended it to be but it was fun to mess around with the idea. hope you enjoyed if you got this far.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Gang as The Lords In Black from Team Starkid’s Hatchetfield series

Dennis Reynolds as Pokotho

Dee Reynolds as Blinklotep

Charlie Kelly as T’noy Karaxis

Mac as Nibblenephim

Frank Reynolds as Wiggog Y’wrath

i’ve been pondering this since watching Nerdy Prudes Must Die and i think this works best. figured it would be fitting for Halloween at least. gonna reblog this tomorrow with a full break down of my reasoning cuz i had fun coming up with them. Paddy’s feels cursed in the same way Hatchetfield is honestly and if i had the energy i could do a whole crossover thing but i like to keep Sunny grounded in reality so this will just be restricted to Halloween i think

[schlattslonghairytoes]

across the way🚪📖 🖌️

A.P calc teacher schlatt x A.P studio art teacher reader

moving to a new school as a art teacher is an extremely difficult shift, especially when your class is in the middle of the math wing, far from all the other art teachers

so meeting new friends at this school is particularly difficult

until a lesson plan needed for 5th period requires you to use the math teachers printer one early morning

“Hey, can you help me with this?” you asked the tall muttonchopped man next to you, seemingly making a cup of coffee.

“yeah no problem, let me see” after a few seconds he fixes the printer, and your lessons begin to continue printing. “the ink was loaded in wrong" he chuckles "are ya’ the new A.P art teacher?” you smile up at him and nod.

“and if ya’ don't mind me asking what is it you teach?" you say.

“A.P Calculus. why’d they place you in the math wing?"

the conversation continues and it's very pleasant, you keep talking and realize your classes are no joke across the hall from each other

your friendship starts off slow, only talking during breaks or occasionally borrowing things from each other, considering your subjects barely align 

until one day you're busy making him and some other art teachers you became friends with paintings for their room, and in conversation you remember him liking orcas, and that his room is very bare and needs some decor

so when he waltzes into your room to borrow yet another ruler (of which he definitely has enough but we can look past) and sees the painting, yea he asks for your number soon after.

from then on the only art in his room is made by you or his students

weeks pass and your becoming very close friends, but it never goes past that, strictly school.

until one day during your free period that you share with your new best friend Mrs. Haynes (Sabrina), the recently hired health teacher, tells you something she heard in passing

"okay so you know the hot videography teacher? yeah Mr. Nivision, yeah turns out him, Mr. Keane, and Mr. Schaltt are like close friends." shes is such a gossip, she began opening up her lunch, but before she started yapping you cut her off.

"okay, now quick detour what does this have to do with me?" you joke as you continue reading over your students essays, your class was currently doing art history, which was your major in college. so naturally you were having fun.

"well you will never guess what schlatt said about you!" your eyes widen and you begin to speak but sabrina shuts you up. "its not anything bad, quite the oposide actually!"

"he said youre hot as fuck." you almost spit your coffee out when she said that.

now you werent sure what to do with this information

i mean sabrina had heard it from tuckers wife Emma, who had heard it from tucker, which tucker heard from ted, and ted, the primary source, was told by schlatt himself

you felt like you were a highschooler again

but all you were sure of is you didnt want to make this awkward

by the time halloween rolls around a bunch of teachers had made plans to hang out

schlatt had offered to host everyone he deemed cool enough, which to your luck included you

the only problem was that halloween was three days away, and niether of you had made a costume yet

so the day before halloweekend, while you were actively teaching a class may i add, Mr. schlatt knocked on your door.

"hey jay, whats up?" you opened the door for the giant infront of you

"can i come in?" before you could even respond he already began walking into your class, saying hi to students he recognized

you werent fully worried about your class watching you talk to schlatt, except for one table right up front

it was a table of six girls, who in the span of two months had become the equivilent of little sisters to you, you knew everything about them, and in turn they knew everything about you

that included the time you accidentaly mentioned your small crush on the 6'3 calc teacher across the hall.

but god you really hoped they had forgotten about that

"so ive been meaning to ask you a question." he said looking around your room, seemingly taking it all in.

"shoot away" you smiled up at him

"well i still dont have a costume for Saturday and to my knowledge you dont either?" he asked

"no i dont, why you wanna match with me mr schlatt?" you tease lightly, and he laughs

"yeah, i would, only if you also want to?' he raised a brow softly

"i get to pick it." you demand quietly

he begins walking out the class, not before leaving a "that was a given." smiling and closing the door softly behind him.

when you hear the giggling and snorting of your six favorite sophomores, you sigh.

your fucked.

[queensharotto]

Brittle Doughie’s Cookie Run x Reader Masterlist (Part 7: Spring 2024)

A masterlist of @brittle-doughie’s Cookie Run stories organized by month.

Genre Emojis

😞 is for angst, 🎃 is for Halloween, 🎄 is for Christmas, 🍪 is for Cannibalism, 💗 is for Yandere, 💝 is for Valentine’s, 👻 is for Horror, 🎂 is for Birthday, 💚 is for Yandere!White Lily Cookie

The Indents are related to the featured cookies. If there are numerous cookies (Over 10 Cookies Featured), I’ll make a note on that as well. Additionally, I’ll categorize various cookies if they’re associated with a specific hobby, location, food etc.

Also, the ⭐️ will indicate a story featuring one of Brittle’s OCs while ✨ will indicate someone’s interpretation of Y/N Cookie.

Additionally, many people proved art to showcase to Brittle, which will be indicated by this: 🖌️. I will also mention who provided the art.

April 2024 ☔️

• “Meeting White Lily Cookie” 💚

Featuring: White Lily Cookie

• “The Sound of a Divorce” ⭐️

Featuring: Crowned Cupcake Cookie

• “Angry or Grateful”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “The Perfect Vessel Doesn’t Exi-”

Featuring: The Five Beasts

• “Harbinger’s Bride” ⭐️

Featuring: Crowned Cupcake Cookie

• “Intolerance for Malevolence”

Featuring: The Cookies of Darkness

• “A Brave Advice”

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends, Pure Vanilla Cookie and White Lily Cookie

• “Legendary Group Chat”

Featuring: Legendary Cookies

• “Flirtatious Margarine”

Featuring: Royal Margarine Cookie

• “Frosty Affection”

Featuring: Frost Queen Cookie

• “Dessert Report” 🍪

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “New Lock”

Featuring: The Time Balance Department

• “Hail Deity”

Featuring: The Weather Deities

• “Who Touched Y/N?!”

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “I Know You”

Featuring: Stormbringer Cookie, Wildberry Cookie, Black Raisin Cookie, Crunchy Chip Cookie and Dark Cacao Cookie

• “Goddess of Apathy”

Featuring: Mystic Flour Cookie

May 2024 💐

• “Remember Who?”

Featuring: Starch Noodle Cookie and Pitaya Dragon Cookie

• “A Date?”

Featuring: Crunchy Chip Cookie and Wildberry Cookie

• “Letters from the Three Houses”

Featuring: The Triple Cone Trio

• “Deliciously Evil Banquet”

Featuring: Gingerbrave and Friends, The Cookies of Darkness and Pure Vanilla Cookie

• “Under the Castle” ⭐️

Featuring: Dumpling Cookie, Blueberry Pie Cookie, Financier Cookie, White Lily Cookie, Moonlight Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie

• “How NOT to charge your phone”

Featuring: Stormbringer Cookie

• “Gotta Go” 💗

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies, Black Raisin Cookie and Princess Cookie

• “The Wishful or the Regal”

Featuring: Lotus Dragon Cookie and Longan Dragon Cookie

• “Important Talks”

Featuring: Dark Fondue Cookie

• “Destined to be with You”

Featuring: Mystic Flour Cookie

• “Cocooned”

Featuring: Mystic Flour Cookie

• “Don’t Leave Me”

Featuring: Caramel Arrow Cookie and Dark Cacao Cookie

• “Late Arrival”

Featuring: The Cookies of the Dark Cacao Kingdom

• “Browned Butter Cookie”

Featuring: Financier Cookie

• “Such Drama”

Featuring: Romance Cookie and the TBD

• “Return to Flour”

Featuring: Dark Cacao Cookie and Mystic Flour Cookie

• “I thought we were friends”

Featuring: Shadow Milk Cookie and Mystic Flour Cookie

• “Longing Tide”

Featuring: Sea Fairy Cookie

• “No Escape” 💗

Featuring: Mystic Flour Cookie

• “Disintegrate” 🖌️

Featuring: Dark Cacao Cookie

Art by sei-cookie

• “Plans of the Harbinger”

Featuring: Dark Enchantress Cookie

• “Uh Oh” 💗

Featuring: Longan Dragon Cookie, Pitaya Dragon and Starch Noodle Cookie

• “Bitter Enemies”

Featuring: Chocolate Frosting Cookie and Street Urchin Cookie

• “The Lone Giant”

Featuring: St. Pastry Order

• “Broken” 😞

Featuring: White Lily Cookie and Silent Salt Cookie

• “Living Legend”

Featuring: The Ancient Cookies

• “Picked Up”

Featuring: White Lily Cookie

• “Sacrifice”

Featuring: White Lily Cookie

Divider Source l Next Masterlist l Previous Masterlist

[clown-cafe]

After talking about this with a friend earlier, I wanted to make a post as a place to theory-craft about Jonathan potentially being the Little Pale Girl's next vessel (the witch?)

I know this is a popular theory

But these are things I've picked up on that made me personally believe it. I'd be super interested if people have other ideas/interpreted any of these differently 👀

1) In Terrifier 2, Jonathan wanted to dress up as Art for Halloween. That's always felt like foreshadowing waiting to happen to me personally.

2) Sure, Sienna can see the Little Pale Girl in Terrifier 2 because she's some kind of warrior angel force for good. What about Jonathan being able to see her? Is it just because they're related, or was he chosen to be able to see her?

3) Sienna and Jonathan always felt like direct parallels of Art and The Little Pale Girl to me. Not exactly evidence, but I've always correlated them in my head.

4) The Little Pale Girl/Victoria have already nailed mimicking Jonathan's voice. I know she also mimics Sienna's aunt and uncle, but mimicking Jonathan twice in two different forms... Hm...

5) Jonathan is seen taking medication and telling someone in a very deliberately included shot of his phone that "It's getting worse/bad again (can't remember wording - I need a rewatch)"... what is? We never find out the details of his trauma. We never find out what exactly caused Jonathan's meltdown. Are his issues similar to Sienna, or is he dealing with something far more sinister.

6) We never see what Art and Victoria did with Jonathan. I do not believe he's dead. I simply do not. Maybe they're holding him somewhere. He feels like a real ace in their sleeve for dealing with Sienna - why wouldn't they kill him in front of her if they wanted to break her that bad.

7) Victoria/Pale Girl were built up to be a very important figure in Terrifier lore in Terrifier 3. But Victoria is presumably dead now as a vessel. She'll n e e d a replacement.

8) Jonathan is particularly closed off and calloused in Terrifier 3 which, don't get me wrong, can definitely just be his trauma. But he wasn't at the start of Sienna's hospitalisation. When he was studying demonology and writing to her that they "Need to kill the Little Pale Girl before it's too late." He of all people knows what she is - where's his urgency.

9) Lastly, this may be entirely unrelated. But Art ate Victoria's face. Then she was possessed presumably by the time she attacked Monica Brown.

At the end of Terrifier 2, Art is seen attempting to eat parts of Jonathan.

Not killing him.

Biting him.

With all his tools that he has there

That he could have been torturing him with-

Biting him.

And I'm sure Art has bitten more people and I just forgor

But it keeps coming to mind again and again.

Feels significant somehow.

With all the chances Art had to kill that boy.

Why was he alive so long.

[palenutbasement]

(all scenes are depicted as platonic)

So every Inktober I try to do something more challenging, and this year I thought I would make a short comic/fanfic. I think I got the idea for this one a year ago but I was already wrapped up with another Inktober. Eventually I solidified the idea by making my own prompt list some time ago.

This comic is split into three parts with 10 days focusing on each of them, 30 in total, everything is compiled here. I wanted to post them after October in case I wanted to change anything.

This first part takes place in the summit.

The comic is basically all improvised, that means no planning for the composition, plot, or sketching any drawings. The most planning I did was write a few scripts ahead of time within the month to save me some time but most of them would be changed last minute anyways.

As for the plot, I won't go too deep into it because I don't want to talk too much, so you'll just find commentary on the making of the comic and stuff.

This first part is a little gimmick-y compared to the next two, with new elements appearing almost every day. It’s because I relied a lot on the prompts (dog, milk, etc.) to keep things happening, eventually I move further away from them.

What is surprising to me is how much the art changes as the days go by especially within the span of one month. I did refine a few things to keep it more consistent but this is nearly indistinguishable from the original drawings.

I should also mention that my favourite aspect of this project was adding references to the game and subtle details (if you can find it all, awesome!!) This may have been done quickly but I like to have those things and put at least a bit of effort into the dialogue.

Part 2

Eventually I figured that drawing the same setting for 30 days straight would drive me insane, hence why this comic is split like it is. I’m glad I did because it makes the story a little more interesting, seeing the characters have different attitudes in different places and whatnot.

This one takes place in the cave directly after pt 1. Admittedly I do better drawing outdoor settings, it's what I'm used to, but the cave wasn't so bad to figure out.

I remember these two days I was streaming drawing the comic to my friends, so I kinda zoned out while we were talking lol

One of the prompts was about napping, so I made Dwarf sleep. I believe I was tired that day too and it was therapeutic to draw and include that. Also they look cute, I think.

18 & 19 have some of my favourite drawings in the comic. The campfire lighting is what we'd get if I had a bit more energy each day, and I like the perspective in the first panel of 19.

I find this last section interesting, because of all the 30 days, it’s the only one in Dwarf’s POV. I felt like it was fitting to do something like that at the time.

Part 3

Since we were approaching Halloween, I wanted to have a special part for it. It’s related to the other two parts but it takes place some time after. I’m really sorry it’s out of season, if it were up to me I would have had this post out earlier (thank my midterms for the delay)

Out of all the other parts this one is my favourite. Maybe because it’s more recent I’m inclined to think that way but it has some of my fave moments that I've written here.

Other than that I don't have much commentary for this part. More thoughts at the end!

I was caught up everyday atp, but I didn’t have much spare time to prepare for the ending (I wrote it the morning of that day). I think this is a decent conclusion though.

I intend on coming back to this story, maybe next year to make a continuation but we'll see what happens. There are definitely things that I want to come back to someday.

Thank you for making it this far btw. It's been an eventful month for me beyond this (Untitled) comic, but there wasn't a single aspect of this that I didn't enjoy doing. It's a silly project and I care about it.

Also, I'm not going to neglect the 31st of October! That day will get an illustration, where I will pick my favourite panel and redraw it. I want to take my time with this one so it's not out yet, but hopefully I can finish by Christmas.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Now, with the 'Nightmare before Christmas' event fast approaching, how does it feel to know that there's a high chance of your old Oc coming to life? What was his name again? Ah yes, Jinx Skelton I think. Old follower here 👋

Even though I have to be honest I doubt we'll get any new characters this Halloween. I mean wouldn't it be strange for them to release new characters every Halloween? First it was Rollo then Fellow and now again? I doubt it honestly. Besides the thought of seeing a bishounen Jack Skeleton scares me. I love seeing new characters but at times point I'd rather have more information about the mysterious 4-year students.

[Referencing this post!]

THE WAY I FELT LIKE I GOT SHOT BY SEBEK'S UM WHEN I READ MY OLD OC'S NAME 🤡 A ZILLION WATTS OF LIGHTNING ARE COURSING THROUGH MY VEINS... . ..... .... ......... . .. . ........ . . . .... .. . . .

I think I first came up with Jinx like 4 years ago??? And the last time I drew him was like... 2 years ago?? BUT WOW, IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT MY FAVORITE SPOOKY CHILD 😭 I'm so flattered that you remembered him, Anon!! (For those of you without any context, here's a fan art of him as well as my own design!)

adhbadoyqerqwvypnad I'm excited to see what TWST's interpretation of Jack Skellington might be! (I'm sure Yana and team's design would blow mine out of the water, lol) If they end up introducing a twisted!Oogie though, I might just bring Jinx back just to interact with him 👀

I'm not sure if I'm following what you're saying about the possibility of new characters though...? We may have had only Rollo and Fellow so far, but it seems to me that TWST has found a winning formula and an excuse to pump out a new limited SSR card every Halloween meaning more money for them. I don't get why they would backtrack now and do a whole event themed around a Disney property but NOT introduce a new character they can make bank on come next year. The first two Halloween events weren't themed, so it makes sense that no new character was introduced. Because this upcoming one is so blatantly going to be Nightmare Before Christmas-themed, I think it's all but guaranteed that we'll see a new face. adugkvqwodivqdi I JUST WONDER... WILL THE THIRST FOR THE NEW CHARACTER EXCEED THE THIRST OF FELLOWIVES??? Especially considering that the regular Jack Skellington is already a Tumblr sexyman????? Only time will tell...

I understand the anticipation for fourth year student lore, but I don't know that a Halloween event of all things would be good timing to make them relevant? So far, we only know that they temporarily return to campus for cultural fairs, in which NRC demonstrates the fruits of its labor to the general public. The fourth years would probably be better reserved for another kind of event or even later in the main story.

[xenocorner]

Here's some little christmas gifts for some amazing mutuals that have made this year a whole lot more bearable with their amazing content and their amazing interactions and just being amazing in general :']

Long post ahead so divider here to spare your scrolling. (I am also probably gonna get a bit sappy so if that makes you cringe: you've been warned lol)

@lilbitofmac Thank you for being my introduction to the fandom here on tumblr :'''D I really think I wouldn't have stuck around if it weren't for your initial warmth and encouragement. Your Tony remains my fave Tony I go feral over your art orz I may or may not have the clingy ironstrange drawing as a phone wallpaper-

Hope next year is kinder on you man! I know we don't really talk outside of tags/replies, but if you ever need smthn I can help with my inbox is always there.

@strxngetimes I'm just tagging this one blog because I don't want to spam all your other blogs lmao. Thank you for sharing your interpretations of the characters with us, not only the rps with other muses but also the headcanons and brainrot. It's always such a pleasure both to see you on the timeline writing with other muses and on the inbox with the disaster man.

I specially like how you include his Cloak in the mix and give it a personality- I absolutely adore the Cloak :'') So here's it being all clingy to the disaster man. Hope to see more of you having fun with all ur muses in the coming year :D

@starkkawajiri Pretty art!! Hilarious and heart wrenching character interactions!!! I love your designs and lore building so much. Fanboying over the same disaster man and making him suffer always brings a smile to my face. I've wanted to draw your Strange for a while now, so this was also the perfect excuse, I love him so much you have no idea-

Can't wait to see more of your amazing designs and lore stuff for this AU! (and anything else you create next year :])

@nekojetto I think your Strange is the purest Strange there is and the fact that it's based off Supreme makes that so much more impressive. Your animatics are simply breath taking, and whenever I go back to check your concepts and sketches for character interactions I always get a smile on my face :D

I'm sorry I haven't gotten to the collab just yet :'') Plz know I still have it in mind, haven't forgotten about it and am still just as excited to finally get to it as I was the first day!

@infiniteeight8 Your words make me cry and laugh so much all the time :'') You write the disaster men so beautifully both in serious, fluffy, angsty and funny situations. Reading ur stuff keeps the creative juices flowing!

I remember you liked the vampire Stephen prompt you were sent, so here's some of that, even if it's more halloween-y than christmas-y.

[axel-ambassador]

2024 Retrospective

It's the big 2025, so I wanna just take the time and reflect on the past year. To start off, wow! What a year it's been. So much has happened, and I wanna talk about it.

First off, Ripaxel.

I feel like my account wouldn't be the same without Axel. She's my namesake, despite me not talking about her anymore. I still adore her and her relationship with Ripper, and I'm still happy with the art I made for them.

I wouldn't be remissed if I didn't talk about my first ever fic, Hanging Axe, an 11.5k word one shot full of pure Axel angst. It was my first indication that I could take all of my ideas somewhere, and that I had what it took to write an impactful story that people cared about and wanted more of.

Part of me wants to change my name since Axel isn't my focus anymore, but another part wants to keep it. It's the name I've had for over a year and where I really got my start on this platform. It's here to stay, at least for now.

And now onto my next hyperfixation. I adore Vaggie and Chaggie with everything I am. And I wanna thank my college buddies, whom I wouldn't have even watched Hazbin without so, thanks guys.

I'm very proud of how far my art has come. I've learned so much, and I'm still learning! Comparing these from May and October, just look! I certainly wouldn't be where I am now without her. Even when I was stressed, drawing her provided a needed outlet.

And as much as I hated summer school it really gave me the time to practice and hone myself so thanks summer school 😑

And now, my fics. Good Lord, my fics.

I never expected these silly (AND ENTIRELY SELF INDULGENT BTW) AUs that I made to gain so much traction, both here and on AO3 especially. I wanna thank everyone that's read them, left kudos, commented, bookmarks, etc. All of it means the absolute world to me.

I deeply appreciate everyone who's ever made fanart, sent an ask, or just simply engaged with me on here. You guys make it all happen, y'all are amazing!

I wanna give a quick section to Total Drama as a whole. I'm sure almost none of you remember my Total Dram Supers comic. I still love TDS as a concept, but idk if I'll revisit it anytime soon. I'd rather be posting other things and focus on what I'm really interested in at the moment.

That being said, I still love Total Drama! It's the reason I'm even on Tumblr to begin with! I don't talk about it as much as I used to, but I'll pump out some art for it occasionally. Long live Gwourtney.

And lastly, my Tumblr exclusives, as I've taken to calling them. Thanks everyone for indulging in my HP fixation. I love story crafting and I love what I've done with this AU so far, and there's more to come!

As for Hotel of Horror, believe me I've been meaning to work on it. It's not cancelled or anything, making that clear, I'll get around to it eventually, but it's like...not as urgent as my fics or anything. (Maybe I'll just wait till Halloween next year lol)

With all of that said, I'm very proud of how far I've come as both an artist and a writer. Thank you to my followers, my friends, my regulars, anyone who's ever left a note on my stuff. It means a lot to me.

Stay safe everyone, here's to another year!

[aftgficrec]

Any neil& aaron recs? Not with a relationship with them necessarily as endgame but something like triptych or the one where they're on the hunt for andrew (cant remember the name rip, but i love that one)

There are a good amount of fics for Neil and Aaron — their relationship is fertile ground to explore angst or growth! The stories run the gamut from mutual disdain to familial warmth, from bad or awkward situations to quests (like hunting for Andrew together in ‘I'm leaving this town…’), from friendship to lovers and even plain ol’ sexual experimentation (see ‘triptych’). 

Though you weren’t keen on Neil/Aaron as a couple, you might enjoy ‘Every Sinner Has A Future.’ It’s friends to lovers and spends significant time developing their relationship. Find it and the fics you referenced among those featured below. -A

Neil & Aaron in situations/working together 

Aaron & Neil stranded together here

Aaron & Neil stuck in a bad situation here

‘Calm down. I look a lot worse than I am.’ and ‘climb a mountain (hold his hand)’ here

‘they who made you/they made me too’ here

‘Identity Theft’ here

‘Apart from Your World (A Part of Mine)’ (selkies) here

‘The World Beneath Our Feet’ series here

‘Crossfire’ here 

‘For You I'd Bleed Myself Dry’ here (updated)

‘If Neil, Then Fox’ here

Neil & Aaron relationship because of Andrew

Aaron & Neil rapprochement here

Aaron accepting andreil here

Aaron & Neil's talk at the cabin here

Neil meets the in-laws or foxes here

‘Did You Get What You Deserve?,’ ‘The Ash is in Our Clothes,’ and ‘common ground??’ here 

‘Married To Annoy,’ ‘head case (what to do with you),’ and ‘AJMICKEY56's Fanfiction Palooza!’ chapters 2 and 82 here 

‘Hold each other...ch 8: Time Does Things’ here

‘Muscle memory’ (completed) and ‘The Memories I Never Can Escape’ here

‘No More Fucks To Give’ here (updated)

‘Neil Fights the Foxes’ here

‘on the tip of my tongue (say something)’ parts 7 & 8 here

‘No straighter path than to struggle,’ ‘The Road Trip,’ and ‘An Olive Branch’ here

‘what even is baseball anyway’ and ‘Holding On and Letting Go’ here

‘Hold me close (in fact, bury me)’ here

‘a girl so bright she'll blind you’ here

Neil & Aaron friendship

Aaron & Neil = Andrew/Neil here

Neil & Aaron friendship 2 here

domestic fluff w/twinyards bonding + Neil & Aaron friendship here

the tumblr posts in Neil/Aaron or Neil & Aaron ask here

‘Make This Leap (Geronimo)’ here

‘Math, Exy and Middle Ground’ here 

‘every piece of you, it just fits perfectly’ here

‘i just wanted you to know (this is me trying)’ here

‘togetherness’ here

‘More Than Words’ here (updated) 

‘Ten Percent’ here

‘Tachycardia’ here; ‘Tachycardia (the My Own Soul's Warning Remix),’ ‘It's going tibia okay,’ and ‘What the fuck happened to you?’ here

‘Aaron is Neil’s doctor in the pros’ here

‘Shards of Glass’ here

‘Et tu, Doctor?’ here

‘Art Hoe’ here

‘Beach Bois’ here

‘just a footnote’ here

‘I'll Follow You’ here

‘Call the doctor ( I may need help)’ and ‘we're inside out’ here

‘Andrew Goes to Hogwarts’ series here

‘Minyards' Magical Mischief’ here

Neil/Aaron rarepair

Neil/Aaron or Neil & Aaron here

‘In The Forest (Burning Bright)’ here 

‘Winter Banquet’ here

you may also like

new Katelyn/Aaron here

Katelyn & Neil friendship here

Katelyn & Neil as siblings/lookalikes here

Katelyn-centric hurt/comfort here

Aaron protective of Neil here

Neil mistakes Aaron for Andrew here

Andrew & Katelyn rapprochement here

‘the prettiest blue’ and ‘The Photo Strip Predicament’ here

‘Nor are we forgiven’ here

‘Give Me Another Minute (to Lay Here in Your Echo)’ here 

‘coming loose’ here

‘the roads I traveled with you’ here

‘One day we'll reveal the truth’ and ‘i'm getting static from my better sense’ here

‘you're not next before forever’ here (completed)

‘Before You Drown’ here

‘Five Years to the Day’ here

‘Twilight and Daytime’ here

‘Whispers in the leaves, shadows in the moonlit night’ here

quests and situations

halloween series by zweimam [Collection, Rated T, 44426 Words, Incomplete, Updated Sept 2023]

NB: Part 1 reviously recommended in new twinyards bonding ask

Part 1: I'm leaving this town (and I'm changing my address) [40309 Words, Updated Sept 2023] Aaron tries to assimilate everything, nodding, "How do you know he didn't mean it?" "It wasn't a thought, or anything," Neil says, looking everywhere but at him. "He told me to go away, to leave and run, and I did. I'm very good at running, you see." Or: Aaron has been looking for his brother for six years. Right when he's beginning to lose all hope, he meets Neil Josten.

tw: child abuse, tw: implied/referenced murder, tw: heavy suicide themes, tw: implied/referenced suicide attempt, tw: implied/referenced drug addiction, tw: detailed discussion of drug use, tw: implied/referenced overdose, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: panic attacks, tw: dissociation

Part 2: I know that you'll come if you want [6170 Words, Updated Aug 2023] If Aaron has been looking for his brother for six years, Andrew has been waiting for him for longer.

The Most Unorthodox Way of Fighting Back by orphan_account [Rated T, 1683 Words, Complete, 2021]

Neil Josten is forced to pick up his shoes and run. If not for him, than for the ones who can’t.

tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: murder, tw: blood/gore

Tumblr Bits by gluupor [Rated T, Collection, Complete, 2019]

Chapter 8: Neil Josten: Accountant Spy [2316 Words] Whenever anyone asked Neil what he did for a living, he responded by saying he was a spy. This always was met with impressed faces and probing questions about his job.

till the bitter end on a flat tire by thewintersolstice [Rated M, 10000 Words, Complete, 2022]

neil & aaron end up stranded on the side of the road in the desert. neil wants to talk homophobia. aaron wants neil to shut up for once in his life. aka: my attempt to turn aaron minyard into someone i want to like

tw: homophobia, tw: implied/referenced child abuse

Growing Sharp Edges by Leocante [Rated G, 10218 Words, Complete, 2022]

Aaron just needed some wiggling room. He didn't think he was asking for that much - a few inches of freedom, a miniscule amount of life outside of school and exy, an ounce of control over his day. Well, thruth be told, he wasn't exactly asking asking. Questions like that resulted in a knife under his neck and an unyielding 'no'. But Aaron needed some goddamn wiggling room, and he was desperate enough to ask Josten for help.

tw: attempted sexual assault, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced drug addiction, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced murder, tw: recreational drug use, tw: alcohol

Who is the man in the relationship? by sugaroto [Rated T, 6986 Words, Complete, 2022]

"I'm your type." Neil went on. "Then I'm yours." Aaron shot back, "You're literally fucking my twin, asshole!" "High five!" Neil said, his eyes lightening up, "We're type buddies!" Neil started laughing. "What? What's so funny?" Aaron asked. "We should get married!" Or The time Neil and Aaron got drunk and thought it'd be funny if they got married.

tw: alcohol

NB: fic meme by @sugaroto here

Momentary Disaster by JostenlovesMinyard [Rated T, 1305 Words, Complete, Twinyards Appreciation Week 2022]

Day 2: Disaster Aaron and Neil are sent to do a grocery run but Neil loses something along the way. Aaron is there to help him.

You Are So Much More Than Your Father's Son by phan_taloon [Rated T, 3143 Words, Complete, 2021, Locked]

In which Nathan Wesninski has fanboys and Neil Josten doesn't want to deal with them, but Aaron is there to save the day.

tw: panic attacks, tw: flashbacks

A Pain Never Meant to be Felt (I really suck a titles, just pretend its good.) by transandsad [Rated M, 14187 Words, Incomplete, Updated Aug 2023]

Aaron is mistaken for someone he is not and has to figure out how to pick up the pieces in the aftermath.

tw: gang rape, tw: nonconsensual touching, tw: assault, tw: graphic descriptions of csa, tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: blood, tw: flashbacks, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: ptsd, tw: panic attacks, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: murder, tw: drug addiction

Neil and Aaron swap body’s AU bullet fic by @sadboyayeron [Tumblr, 2020]

AFTG Neil & Aaron Gender Swap hc by @sadboyayeron [Tumblr, 2020]

friendship

Oblivious series by greencherrybomb [Rated T, Collection with 2 complete works, Updated July 2022]

Part 1: Oblivious in love (3152 Words) Andrew has been pining after Neil Josten for months, but knows it wont happen. Neil doesnt even swing, so he does the only thing to protect his feelings. Ignoring Neil and eating ice cream. Part 2: Best Friends Brother (3930 Words) Neil has been harboring a long time crush on his best friend, Aaron Minyards, brother Andrew. Too bad Andrew has been avoiding him at all costs and is dating the hottest guy in school, Kevin day. Or at least thats what Neil thinks.

Dear Little Ghost by choisunsanie [Rated G, 4650 Words, Complete, 2022]

Neil Josten starts to be haunted by a naughty blond ghost.

tw: previous major character death, tw: car accidents

And I Swear And I Swear, I Was Burning Alive by Miss_Fun_Fun_and_Fun [Rated T, 1477 Words, Complete, 2022]

Neil is confronted by his ex-best friend's twin brother while still reeling from his mother abandoning him. - A one-shot, alternate universe for Fortheloveofexy's fic, "More Than Words".

tw: implied/referenced drug addiction

NB: ‘More than Words’ was previously recced here (updated)

sexual experimentation

triptych by likearecord [Rated E, 12805 Words, Complete, 2023]

Three parts, three POVS. Aaron, wondering, picks up a guy in a bar. Neil, having learned something, wants to try again. Andrew, knowing nothing, sees something he likes.

tw: explicit sexual content, tw: nonconsensual touching

friends to lovers

Every Sinner Has A Future by OfficialStarsandGutters [Rated E, 29864 Words, Complete, 2021]

Canon divergent Neil x Aaron. - Neil Josten. A shock of red hair and ocean blue eyes. Pretty faced, but nothing special. Except he makes a throwaway comment about Andrew being off his meds and it’s like everyone in the room forgets to breathe. Even Aaron, his body still and tense with surprise that he can tell them apart. Without even having met Aaron, he knew Andrew wasn’t him. That shouldn’t mean anything. Aaron rubs his sweaty palms on his skinny jeans and tells himself it doesn’t, it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

tw: recreational drug use, tw: implied/referenced drug addiction, tw: nonconsensual drug use, tw: graphic description of overdose, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced murder

Art

monsters cuddle pile art by @emry-stars-art

au where aaron and neil are best friends first comic by @02511213942 also on twitter

when Neil tells Dr Aaron he’s fine art by @srslyarts

get in loser we’re going shopping art by @ouijacine

Josten and Aaron on press duty comic by @paradoxolotl

Aaron is a godfather comic by @paradoxolotl

[itsgonnabemagne]

Travel 2024 2/2

To make use of the remaining time of our visas, we decided to go to Paris and Amsterdam for my friend’s birthday. October falls in the Autumn season which is my favorite so far so I was really excited to see how it would look like outside London. :)

Also both cities are included on my bucket list. I remember when I first joined tumblr, I would always reblog pictures and thought will I ever get to explore them? And now it finally happened :’) It felt so unreal, like I was floating on air.

This is also one of the rare travels that I get to enjoy every moment because I’m not actually sick!! Lagi na lang akong may sakit! But this time talagang ninamnam ko kada minuto. :)

PARIS

I heard so many bad stories about Paris and that some don’t want to go back. But after this trip, I proved that they were wrong. It is not perfect and some of the rumors are true but it actually kinda depends on how you look at it. To those who said na mukha lang siyang London na nilagyan ng Eifell tower, probably didn’t appreciate it’s beauty. The art, the aesthetic, the fashion, the food are chef’s kiss!! I was able to enjoy every little detail. Tapos yung feeling na ginagawa mo lang wallpaper, necklace, damit yung eifell tower pero nasa harapan mo na - sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam. Hindi siya piece of metal lang, I swear it looks so much better in person - especially at night when it sparkles! Oh I can’t wait to go back!

Amsterdam

We took a 6-hour bus ride from Paris since we are not in a hurry, and very cheap! Soooo, the most bikeable city in the world didn’t actualy disappoint. We decided to rent bicycles to go around the city for 2 days! Kahit labag na labag sa kalooban ko since sobrang pagod na ko that time at ang sakit na ng hita ko. I actually asked the reception ng hotel if pwede ko irefund yung bayad sa bike but unfortunately the manager wasn’t there. So pinanindigan ko hanggang day 2 where we explored some of the beautiful canals. I didn’t regret it actually, because the roads were mostly flat tsaka parang mas right of way pa yung bikers kesa sa sasakyan tsaka pedestrians lol! Idk about this city but every corner is very dreamy! Maybe the autumn vibes added to it’s aesthetic as well. Sobrang ganda! We also spent the halloween here, and dressed up as 3 blind mice, went to a bar where there was a comedy night/drag show which was really fun! Didn’t get to explore the “coffee shops” though. :’) There was so much more to do as there were a lot of museums and other spots but there were so little time! Next time, I would really love to visit the tulips during the Spring as yun talaga ang inimagine kong Amsterdam. Should I move here?

[burnt2ashleys]

hey.

been a while, huh. I don't remember how many months since I've made an entry here. This is a dlog, or something like it, but I haven't really interacted with this beyond the occasional like and reblog spree.

The past several months have not been kind to me, the last 2 more than the rest. And while I could air out my very real, lame and depressing IRL woes, I think it's best if I spare you and I both from making a wall of text wall-ier.

I draw for a life (not a living, because I've not made much money out of it, but I don't do much else being a NEET), and Clip Studio Paint, my preferred program to draw in, seems to have hiccups I can't fix no matter what, so after months of trying and failing, I went back to Photoshop to draw. It wasn't until a few days ago that I finally felt like I had something going in regards to art digitally (last time I felt this way was in May). Heck, I was (and kinda still am!) even drawing on paper to keep a habit going.

But, things seem to be flowing again. At least, for now. Everything is still very tenuous and things could still go breasts-up at a moment's notice, but I'm willing to believe that I'll make it out okay despite everything.

That said, it's October, the halloween month. And I made myself a new avatar! It's my first time painting in a very long time. Check it out:

I don't know about you guys, but I feel I nailed this. I'm really proud of it!

And I feel kinda confident, almost excited to tackle some of the projects I've been letting gather dust for several years. Though, whether or not I'll be able to do anything concrete this month remains to be seen. It'll be a busy, busy next few weeks and months.

To whoever reads this: Thanks. I may not know you, but I'm thankful someone took some time out of their day to read... whatever this is, really.

[jungwnies]

hi maeby! its been a while, im sorry this took too long and I don’t know exactly when you’ll see this but know that i’m writing this on december 16 for reference hehe (this will essentially be a 2023 recap but ill try to be as short as possible)

last time i was here i think it was the end of june or beginnings of july and a lot has happened in my life, on august i turned 21 and i also went to the eras tour!! definitely one of the best days ever in my life and maybe top 3 on best days of 2023  🤍

talking about my birthday its little sensitive topic, for the past five years or so my birthdays has kind of been something that I’ve dreaded so much and i'm just the opposite of happy, its like those posts you see everywhere of people crying in their room during their birthdays and this year wasn’t  the exception, this years birthday..lets just say it will be memorable but leaving that aside august was kind of okay

the concert experience may be on of my favorite memories just because it feel so cathartic, it was just so beautiful talking to strangers and us bonding over music and art, listening and singing to my favorite songs, getting to go to a concert for the first time on my own, traveling with my sister (just the two of us) for the first time, all the beautiful pictures and videos and people that i keep with me because of that one experience it just something that I will eternally be grateful for (also, so. many. friendship. bracelets.)

i remember looking back at my life and my lowest points in it and thinking (and hopefully it won’t get too sad) “well maybe someone out there was right, i just needed to hang on a little tighter, cause imagine missing out on this” 

september was filled with delicious food and me going out a little more often

in october was my sisters birthday, so she held a halloween costume party and i got to dress up as an elf/fairy, i also went to one of my best friends birthday party and felt amazing seeing a couple of familiar faces after months, and some of them even years, waiting. also yes, this means i ate a lot of cake on october (my moms birthday was also on this month hah). i also took a ceramic class. i loved it (I made a small bowl :))

november i went out a lot, bought new clothes, bought christmas decorations, studied korean, went to the doctor cause i thought i was going to die (turns out im not, even far from it : im as healthy as a horse) 

and as of december, planning christmas dinner with my mom and sister, got a bad haircut that made me cry so hard and then got it fixed at another salon, had dates with friends, retook ceramic classes (i made two cups, three heart shaped plates and a little jewelry organizer), scheduled one more therapy session before the year ends after months of not going, took more buses this month than in my whole life and i guess im slowly figuring out my stuff a little more. 

i discovered new artists this year, feel in love again  with old ones that I had forgotten about, learned new cooking recipes, got a little more out of the house than last year, made amends with my body and established boundaries even though it hurt :)

turning 21 this year essentially meant a lot, i don’t want to go into more detailed as to not make this any longer but lets just say im planning on getting 21 tattooed on my next year haha

i hope the rest of the year was kind to you, if you feel comfortable to answer with maybe your favorite parts of 2023 would be great! if not just know that i love you and missed dropping by here, hopefully starting 2024 i'll be back here regularly <3<3

take care, stretch, rest all you need, take your time, and remember that im always right here rooting for you and hugging you 🩶🩶🩶

happy holidays :) love youuuuu

-🧸anon

hiii 🧸anon <3

it has been literally so long, i was taking a break from tumblr, honestly i didn't even think i'd come back but seeing this upon logging in literally brought joy to my heart knowing you're still around! :)

i've read everything, from your birthday to your christmas dinner with your mom and sister. starting with your birthday i'm glad that 2023 you had a memorable birthday after dreading it for so many years, and i hope 2024 also brings you joy! onto the concert next, i know exactly how you feel, it's something that you don't feel often and the crowds are just so amazing because it's people who share the same love for the same artist, and it's like you are in your own little world for a few hours. next, september & october, i'm glad it was filled with food and another birthday, it seems so fun to have a halloween themed birthday honestly!! november, i'm glad it was a good month besides the scary doctors visit >.< december seemed to have been a busy month for you, and hopefully your hair is okay now :( hopefully the therapy sesh went well. I'm glad your year was overall not too shabby, and I'm glad that you had a lot of character development. Hopefully 2024 brings you absolutely nothing but joy! 🖤

now onto my year, i guess i'll go with the highlights. i essentially had a relatively good year, i was able to do a lot of things, and uni was not too stressful, but it's a little harder this semester. starting with my august, i didn't do much except get ready for the semester, signed up for my september classes etc etc, it was relatively boring. my september was a little more eventful, i took a marine biology class which was so fun, and i'm not even majoring in marine bio, we got to talk about sea legends and a lot of the lore behind mermaids and other stuff. in october i did the same thing, but i made one of my best friends ever, except uhhh we're not really friends anymore as of recently, but my heart goes to them, they meant alot. in november i built a new computer, a little nerdy but i actually really enjoyed it except i had a mental breakdown trying to do cable management LMFAO 😭😭in december i had a good month, except the basement flooded so that wasn't very slay but regardless it was a good month filled with nothing but holiday spirit and gifts.

now with a short little update on my 2024, because it's been awhile. in january i went back to school for the second semester, and it's been tough i'm not going to lie. i also got a boyfriend so like !?!??! kinda crazy, he's not too bad but like every relationship we definitely have our downs. in february, it was a short month but nonetheless eventful this is the downfall of me and bestie tbh, but it's okay he was like a life lesson or something!?!?! now this month, it just started and it's been great, it's midterm week right now so i'm a bit stressed, but i also suddenly got motivation to go back on youtube and write on tumblr again, so i'm super happy about that :)

i hope 2024 is kind to you and gives you a lot of joy! remember to take care of yourself, just as you always say to me, stretch, rest all you need, take your time, and remember that im always right here rooting for you and hugging you as well! ❤️❤️❤️

have a great year, and i hope to see you again 🧸❤️

[facet-project]

september devblog!

this one's a littleeee quick and another one of those months where i can't like. show a chicken png and go "i did chickens :)" it's a lot of background processes and first steps to make things easier for me in the long run. 90% of this is me going "well i can't show you this. but know i'm doing it" and for that i am Sorry

this month was weird because i changed trajectories a few times. so i got a lot of Little Bits of random stuff done in lieu of doing anything Super Huge. i always feel weird on these months because it feels like i'm slacking but it's getting things set up to do big leaps later (and giving myself grace, one of the weekends i was supposed to work on this was the weekend the damn hurricane came in, ha....)

so remember when i said the prototype was slapped together with rubber bands and bubble gum? so whenever you entered a menu, i did an oopsie and had the player inputs Freeze instead of disabling movement. which resulted in a lot of softlocks where you couldn't get out of a menu without knowing the secret developer menu code that i made for debug. so now i'm working on a player state machine that knows what kind of movement the player is doing, which can turn off when you're menuing or when your movement is otherwise disabled! which makes the movement a lot more sophisticated (and a lot of work to set up and test). this is not finished yet but i've got the skeleton of it done, i just need to finish up the walking sprites and hook it up to the animation manager

some things i was working on was actual game Design: figuring out the nitty-gritty behind gifting and relationships, tying down what events and festivals happen at what parts of the year, writing down What Assets I'd Need For All Of This and paring down/throwing out old parts of the game document that don't apply anymore

and then story design stuff too! there are many story and plotlines running around town and i've started tying some of them down and seeing what can weave in with each other. i'm mostly focusing on nightshade mode, which is the shorter story mode i'm building before doing the custom character route.

and some of the character storylines requires me to do research on certain things i don't have firsthand experience with, so i'm getting that all squared away. don't look at my google search history. you'll think i'm a murderer trying to work through a bunch of different identity issues

next month is going to be Musical Lockdown. i have a week dogsitting for my parents with access to some of my dad's recording equipment and By God I'm Using That Time To Its Fullest. i have other things to do but that's the most important for october just because i don't get access to a quiet studio space too often. i hope these dogs don't mind it when i start shredding on the violin for like three hours at a time. i'm bringing extra strings i'm anticipating wearing my current ones out.

i know i said i wouldn't post music demos on here but like.. man i feel bad i don't have a lot to show off!! here's a shitty phone recording of my un-amped violin playing a teeny tiny melody i don't know what to do with yet

also, psst... no promises, but since next month is october... i may post a bunch of doodles of concept art of some of the townsfolk's scarecrow festival outfits. not doing a full inktober or anything but i think it would be fun!! it'll be the first time anyone outside my closest circle has seen most of these characters but p'shaww everyone loves halloween costumes

[ratstuckinamarble]

<3 <3 <3

right, third time's the charm- You are someone I am very glad to have 'met' in whatever way the internet lets us.

Not because you're the first person I've ever exchanged drawings with like they were notes passed along on a rainy day, making silly little stories out of woodpeckers and lego toadstoods and trick or treat wishes- Not because I have those drawings printed out, woodpecker and otter hanging on my wall, the halloween ones added to my old lebkuchen box of decorations to be tacked up next year with all the rest- Not because the memory of looking at your art had me picking up pen and paper with a lightness that hasn't been there since I was a kid-

I just love seeing you around on here.

Blocks of tags with rambles- little stories and asides to soak up like a sponge or a plant, reminding me of this or that thought I've had myself- your passion for things, the breath of relief I let out reading something you wrote that says something I can't trust myself with.

The rhythm of your thoughts makes mine very happy, is what I mean. And that you share them- tossing small paper planes of your life out into the world- honest silliness, maybe? It takes bravery and kindness to do it, I think. Even when something upsets you or makes you sad, I'm grateful to see it- these things you care about enough to be hurt by, and to talk about.

From you, I won't argue about how good of a person I am. I'm smiling at the thought that you would think that of me, and I'll makes myself send this little ask to try to tell you back-

thank you for being you.

If tumblr crashes tomorrow and I never hear about you again, I'll always be grateful it lasted this long. I'll remember the rat stuck in a marble, with a skull for it's emblem, hoping you got to do some pottery, snuggled your cat, and had a little hot chocolate, as a treat~

I- I'm at a loss for words...

And crying. Oh words collect yourself into a proper order-

People have said kind things about me before, and it's always brought me joy- but nothing like this. You've cut right into my soul, found things I didn't even know would get to me like this if I heard them.

I want to comment more but re-reading what you said is almost painful, because I was not prepared to take in such words today, or ever. It hurts in the same way as thinking about the beauty in life for too long. I don't know if you understand what I mean- but strong joy, getting overwhelmed with feelings that are good

It's like my little body can't handle it, experiencing things it was not made for. This feeling is bleeding out of me, and I can't even name it. It's not joy. It's... Something better. The knowledge that someone I care for deeply could be made happier thanks to me, my words, my ramblings, my silliness, my art, even the serious and vulnerable moments. Everything. It's like you saw my entire self and said yeah... there's nothing I'd leave out. Oh gosh I'm crying again.

I didn't know you did actually print those drawings out. I've been wondering. I'm so very glad. Bringing you some joy with them is all I wanted. And that someone could appreciate my art this much- especially you. It's like something out of a dream. I didn't know life had such luck in store for me. That I could make art come more easily to someone else again. And you know I love your art. Every time you post something I scramble to get that across, after all. Clunky and anything but concise.

Often I fear that I may be doing too much, coming on too strong, saying so much where others would keep it short. But I've had my years of silence born of paranoia, and I got sick of it. So sick. The reason I started blogging is exactly that, a form of self imposed exposure therapy, I suppose. Every time I'd be afraid to share something, I reminded myself- that's exactly why you should do it. Even if your heart is beating so fast it makes you lightheaded. Which happens rarely now, because this worked, somehow.

And I find myself thinking of a different string of time- where I didn't. Where I let the fear win. Where I never met you and some other lovely people, where all these exchanges we've had, the art and the words and photos of little rocks and tote bags and comics of them running away- never happened. These things that fuel me even when things seem dim. You light something up in me that was previously difficult to cling to- an occasional burst of this spark. Now it is like a little star that has snuggled its way deeply into my heart, refusing to leave.

The rhythm of your thoughts make mine very happy too. I never feel like I have to adjust my thinking with you, because I know you'll understand. Your mind is just as wonderfully strange. I know no one else who creates hand snails and runaway totebags and the most perfect crest imaginable. Making art for you is so fun, because I feel like whatever I choose to depict, you'll get it.

What I want most in life is to be a good person. To bring people joy. Knowing I succeeded is more than I could ever hope for. Am I making sense? Why are you so easy to let into my heart? Why does letting you influence my creations, my way of thinking, my way of loving the world feel so right?

You bring out the best in me.

And that you think sharing what I do takes bravery- well I suppose you're right. I never thought anyone would realise. Would understand. But that it takes kindness? I never thought of it that way. I didn't think anyone would look at what I say and think, "how kind of you, that you chose to share this". I never thought that would be possible. I've had people tell me how happy my tags made them, a few times. That's what fueled me. I thought, if some have said it, then more must have thought it. And I want to keep spreading that joy. What I'm trying to say is you've reassured me in things I didn't dare hope for.

And that even my occasional admission of pain could be seen as good. That you would see me as good.

You're the reason you know. The reason I talk so much on here. I didn't use to do that. I think about the moment that made me follow you, I remember it clearly. I think about all that led to knowing you at all.

Thank you for sharing. I will come back to this, whenever I need a reminder that, well. That I did something right.

I'm glad you won't argue what I said. You couldn't change my mind anyways, on you being a good person. I am so very grateful to have you in my life. I find it hard to tell what people think of me. Thank you for the reassurance, your own bravery, and your beautiful words. They're like poetry.

If Tumblr crashed tomorrow, and I never heard of you again, I would be heartbroken. Truly and fully. But I would be grateful, as I already am. For the time you were a part of my life.

But this shall not happen. We haven't reblogged those snails yet, as we promised, and even after that. I don't want to imagine.

I'll do pottery some day. I'm snuggling my cat as I type, and I'll make myself a hot chocolate, in my dancing skeleton mug. And every day, I'll keep being reminded of you, and how you're everywhere now. In every little thing I've shared, that you got excited about. You're a part of that clay hand now, my spooky dishware, my lego frog, my tote bags, my rocks, my memories. I take a moment to take in nature and I'm reminded of your description of the light falling through your window, the spot you left just to appreciate it. I see a sword, a snail, a drawing of a werewolf, and you're always there.

When you let people take up your time, you let them take permanent residence in your heart. And with you, I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for being here, for being you, and for bringing a peace to my soul I didn't know it needed.

Thank you.

[wonderandwanderinginmexicocity]

The Art of Remembering

“So long as we are being remembered, we remain alive.”

― Carlos Ruiz Zafón

For most of us, autumn is a contemplative season. If spring represents birth and renewal, and summer the glory and vitality of youth, then there is a wise wistfulness to the fall, of reflecting before the inevitable coming of winter and death. Being a transitory season, not quite summer and not quite winter, many cultures have viewed this time of year as a season where magical things can happen.

Halloween and the Day of the Dead are in many ways very different holidays from different places, but they are both based on this idea that this time of year is special, and that the border between worlds becomes thin and spirits can move amongst us. The ancient Celts of Ireland would leave out food and treats to try to appease the spirits that may cross over. From here it is easy to see where trick or treating evolved from, and the Celtic holiday of Samhain eventually became a major source for modern Halloween. The Aztecs believed that in the fall, spirits of loved ones could cross over, and visit us for a while. It wasn’t a time of sorrow, but a time of joy and remembering those who are dead but are not gone from our hearts. For the Aztecs, death was merely a door to another room, and we keep people alive by remembering and honoring them. These ancient beliefs underpin the modern practices of the Day of the Dead. 

El Día de los Muertos is largely celebrated, both in private homes and in public displays, by the creation of ofrendas. These offerings or altars are meant to be a physical manifestation of the remembering, complete with photos of the deceased and items that they enjoyed or used, such as candy, cigarettes, or cans of beer. There are a lot of personal and regional variations in the styles of ofrendas, but there are certain symbolic items that are placed on the ofrenda that are crucial and long predate the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. 

One of the most important symbols of the Day of the Dead is cempasúchil, the Aztec name for the fragrant marigold flower native to Mexico. The Aztecs believed cempasúchil had a special smell that would guide the dead back to their families, so it is naturally an important part of the ofrenda. The flower is associated with Mictecacihuatl, or the Lady of the Dead, who permitted spirits to leave the underworld to commune with their families. 

There are other ancient components of the ofrenda. Ceramic or sugar skulls are included to represent the truth that death is a part of life. An important element of the altar is salt, which represents the purification of the dead after they have moved on from this life. The salt is meant to purify the souls of the ancestors, so that they are able to travel back and visit next year. Candles are included to represent hope and faith, and light the way to the altar. An important symbol of the spirit and the afterlife is the xolo. Native to Mexico and one of the few domesticated animals of the Aztecs, the breed xoloitzcuintli was believed to help the spirits of the dead cross the Chiconauhuapan river and enter the underworld, Mictlān. In ancient times, people were even buried with these dogs. But today, placing a figurine on an altar will do. On my ofrenda, my xoloitzcuintli is also an alebrije, a spirit animal that is meant to guide and protect the dead as they travel through Mictlān. A common offering that is placed on the altar is water. In ancient times and today, it is believed that that the first thing the souls of the departed ask for after arriving in the underworld is water, as they are parched from their long journey. 

In my second year living in Mexico, I decided to make my first ofrenda, in large part because I find the tradition touching and also, I hope, cathartic. In the United States, we tend to work very hard not to think about death and mortality, despite its universal inevitability. We pay a high price for these mental gymnastics: We often don’t take the necessary time to think of our loved ones who are gone, how they cared for us and made us the people we are today. As I look upon the faces of my grandparents, so young in their photos, I can’t help but wonder about their dreams and aspirations, if their lives turned out as they hoped, and what it must have been like to live through the Great Depression and World War II. El Día de los Muertos is not supposed to be a sad day, but a celebration, and yet I can’t help feeling bittersweet about the whole experience. These were people I loved. People who made me feel safe and loved. I am sad they are gone. But the Day of the Dead has given me the opportunity to honor them and be grateful. And maybe invite them to visit for a while. 

[the-real-big-man]

PHEW it has been a while hasn't it! I know I said I might post more frequently but that was very clearly a LIE. Genshin Impact has consumed me and yes, I have C1 Neuvillette and no, I am probably not going to be able to get Furina in the next update, unfortunately. Poor F2P here. That being said though, I DO have something to share with you all that I had done a bit ago! I thought it would be fun amidst the GrimmHollow event that I'm a part of to draw Candice in a Halloween costume!

Say Hello to Candice Afton! For those of you out of the loop (which is many because I haven't posted about Candice at ALL here), Candice is my character/persona for a Discord Server that I am in called Macca Corp. Essentially, Macca Corp is a fan project between me and a couple of friends based off of Lobotomy Corporation, where our characters manage a McDonalds located in the Backrooms (because it's funny). Candice and her team make sure the Corporation is kept clean, and they also repair anything that ends up broken! In lore, Candice was a ex employee of Fazbear Entertainment who got tangled up in Pizzaplex shenanigans, and was fired due to "violent tendencies". She ended up tripping and falling into the Backrooms, which split her between space time, resulting in her body being... weird to say the least.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH, Candice was a HUGE fan of FNAF, hence why she even worked at the Pizzaplex, and so for this Halloween she's going as Michael Afton during the bite of 83!

This next portion has NOTHING to do with the last one, so if you want to see more art and me gushing about my style overall, you may continue, but for now that's all I have to say about Candice without getting into ~Spoiler Territory~

So BECAUSE of this drawing that I absolutely fell in love with, I took another deep dive into my old art, and I found THIS gem of an artwork!

Needless to say, it's not the worst, but there is a LOT to be desired here. Firstly, the shading is ALL OVER THE PLACE. I remember it was supposed to be a top down perspective thing, but for whatever reason I decided to ALSO add ring lighting, so it just looks so messy. I remember as well that this was a redraw of ANOTHER drawing I had done a bit before that, but THAT drawing is on paper, so unfortunately I can't get it at this time. Still, I KNEW I could do better now, so I did!

SAY HELLO TO THE NEW DRAWING!

I used a lot of the same techniques I used in the Candice drawing above (although this one is considerably messier because I didn't feel the need to refine it, as it was mainly just a test), and I LOVE THIS ONE. I decided to just stick to ring lighting for it, so no top down unfortunately. There IS a difference in programs though, I will admit, but I still feel like a lot of the same techniques could be applied in my former program (I use Clip Studio Paint nowadays, but before I used an outdated version of Firealpaca).

Anyways I just felt the need to gush about the difference in style, I absolutely adore this mish mash of different brushes and tone layers, and I will never be going back!!