#just some doodles but hopefully warming up to something proper

[chelsiegeorgia]

Movie trailer finally motivated me to draw for the first time in like 5 months 🫡

[silvertherogue715]

Hey. It's been a hot minute since i've posted any art. I really just post for myself, but i felt especially proud of the progress ive made over the course of (many) months designing the Sunstar of my BrainrotAU. Feel free to disregard! I'm just gonna ramble. Art will be included in the 'keep reading' section though.

I didn't want to deal with uploading the actual art files, and just used snippet to capture pieces of my art instead. The pictures could be irregularly large or small as a result--I don't have a good way to control then when using snippet. Sorry! Some old art of Sunstar.exe (not in order):

So, as you can see above, a lot of blue. It's kind of overpowering, honestly, and it took me a while to figure out I needed to start making changes to his color palette.

This was his first half body reference sheet. A ton of blue. Also my only REF of him with his back showing. I haven't updated his back design yet, but the final product will be much different.

Eventually, I decided to make his shoulder-braiser things orange instead of blue, as well as the sun-like gem on his helmet. I also started working out any built-in flaws I wanted to force his character to work around--like his hands being constantly on fire, or extremely hot. This just means he has to be extremely careful touching anything or anyone. It's not something he can just "turn off". Also, I think this was my first attempt at a proper full body design for him. It's fine for a second first attempt, and I was happy with it for a few months, but eventually I started thinking it shared the bulky OG robot master traits, rather than the 'netnavi' look I was wanting.

I started tinkering with his colors again, but only made minor changes. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was 'off' to me without a proper full body to experiment on, but I very rarely have the willpower to make one. Some of these expression snippets were more helpful for me to use to at least get a read on exactly how expressive he can be in the AU, if he wanted to. Another big thing this helped me realize was how limited his expressions felt with the current colors (like his eyelashes), especially with how dark his face was. It made his nose/mouth harder to see. I end up making it a lighter shade in future doodles. Oh, and I wanted to start integrating pieces of Duo.exe's design into him as well--like the flat nose.

Woe, Sunterra doodle be upon ye. I need to finish this some day, but a big thing this helped me identify were: 1.) I desperately need to work on poses. 2.) I needed to figure out how to give Sunstar a "soft" look. In the expressions practice above, this was one of his faces i really struggled to get down. Still working on that. 3.) Another reminder he was too clunky to match a normal Navi design. Terra looks much more 'navi'-like. I needed to do a whole ass reboot for Sunstar from top-down. Anyway! The most recent stuff will be below. A few (bad) attempts:

And then I basically went "screw it" and went goblin mode at a full body attempt. Here's what I finally ended up with :")

For now I've decided to stick with a (mostly) cool/silver base with some warm orange and yellows mixed in in (hopefully) unobtrusive ways. Maybe this will change in the future, but for now I'm happy with his design :)

The orange on the bottom of his cape is meant to be a fire-y design, but I'm too tired to refine it (or anything else) further. Hopefully I'll have more art to update. eventually.

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking around, lol.

[midnightshard06]

Flufftober Day 26

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50489362/chapters/129224137

Summary: Knuckles gets him and Sonic a nice room for the night. After realizing Knuckles is upset Sonic decides some cuddles next to the fireplace are in order.

Pairing: Sonic the Hedgehog/Knuckles the Echidna

Warnings: None

Word Count: ~600 words

AN: Based in the same au as these doodles from this post- https://www.tumblr.com/midnightshard06/730864248738217984/so-my-brain-decided-to-oh-so-helpfully-have-me?source=share

I feel like at this point imma commit and make a proper fic for this au at some point in the near future

@flufftober

Sonic whistled appreciatively. “Well isn’t this a fancy place.” There was a large bed, a nice looking desk, a couple chairs, and even a fireplace. He can’t remember ever staying anywhere that had one of those in the room. Though to be fair he usually went for the cheapest option around. Not like he’d been staying in the actual rooms very often. He walked over to the fireplace. There was even a fire already going in it. “Why did you decide to suddenly splurge on such a nice place to stay? We were fine roughing it around here last night.” Sonic briefly glanced over at Knuckles before looking around the room again. It was large, and could easily fit him in his werehog form if needed. Knuckles attempted to nonchalantly shrug, but Sonic could see he was tense. “What’s up?” Sonic quickly put aside his want to explore the room for now and focused on the echidna.

Knuckles huffed. “Observant aren’t you?”

“I do my best.” Sonic hummed. “Though you make it pretty easy.”

Knuckles crossed his arms. “Those hunters that have been tailing us are here. I figured since we dealt with the monsters here last night we could continue our search for the Gaia Temple tomorrow.”

Sonic nodded before flopping down on the bed. “Wanna keep me out of sight. I get it.” Knuckles frowned but didn’t say anything for the moment. “Don’t worry Knux, I know you’re just being safe.” Sonic waved his hand dismissively. “I still can’t believe those jackals actually managed to follow us for this long.”

“They’re determined, I’ll give them that.” Knuckles grunted. “They’re making our job a lot harder though.”

“I’m sure they’ll give up eventually. I’d be willing to bet that there’s no one more determined than you on this planet.” Sonic winked. “No one else would have the patience to try and keep up with me for as long as you did.”

“Maybe.” Knuckles sat down in one of the chairs. “I still feel like it would be better if I just went and taught them a lesson though.”

“We’ve been over that. You can’t go randomly beat them up because then they might get suspicious of you.” Sonic paused. “Plus they haven’t technically done anything wrong.”

“Maybe not, but it sure feels like it.” Knuckles’ frown deepened.

Sonic hummed and glanced out the window. The sun was starting to go down so he let himself relax as he waited for his transformation to happen. As usual it was quick. Much to his delight the bed didn’t even make a noise with his extra weight. Sonic looked between the still upset looking Knuckles and the fireplace. Well it had been rather cold out lately and even if the echidna would rather die than admit to being cold, Sonic knew Knuckles had been starting to feel the effects of the colder weather. Without saying anything he got up, snatched Knuckles from the chair he was sitting on, and plopped down in front of the fireplace. It was telling just how concerned Knuckles seemed to be that he didn’t even really fight it. Ever since they’d been to that last temple Knuckles had been acting off. Hopefully whatever had him acting that way would be over soon, Sonic didn’t really like seeing him like that.

“Is this your solution to everything?” Knuckles finally spoke up.

“For you? Yeah. It’s effective so why do something else?” Sonic chuckled. “Warm enough for ya?” Knuckles simply grunted but Sonic knew the echidna was thankful. Just in his own, never directly saying it sort of way. The two ended up falling asleep there, Sonic happily curled up around Knuckles. Shame they didn’t get to use the comfy bed though.

[peach-the-owl]

Maybe one with Kima and Allura? The reader is an artist and one day they start to leave little notes with sketches for them in random places where they can find them and it's just them being a good friend trying to make them smile during the day.

Aww, I love Kima and Allura so much, their relationship is just so precious 🥰 I hope this turned out well

Also might’ve let myself get carried away with the idea, it’s a bit long 😅

Little Notes

Allura & Kima & Artist!Reader (Platonic)

You were making your way over to Allura's for a visit knowing she had been stressing out over Kima being missing from her mission in Kraghammer and hoping to calm some of those nerves. You walk up to the doors of her tower and give a knock, after a small wait the door opens to reveal the arcanist herself.

"(Y/n)! It’s been awhile, how are you?" She asks slightly surprised by your sudden appearance.

"Hello Allura, sorry about not informing you of my arrival." You sheepishly scratch at the back of your head in apology. "Do you mind if I come in? If not I can just-"

"No no, it’s alright." She stops you and steps out of the way for you to enter the tower. You welcome yourself in and go to sit in your usual spot whenever you’d visit. "I’m actually glad you decided to pop in, I’ve needed a distraction what with everything going on." Allura admits. At this point you pull out your sketchbook and pencil you always carry with you and start to add some fine line work to a piece you’d been working on for weeks now, never seeming to get it quite right.

"I know you’ve been stressing over this, which is exactly why I wanted to come over. So why don’t you tell me about what you’ve been up to recently." You suggest, not looking away from your drawing. You knew this wouldn’t bother Allura because for the years you've known each other, while it looked like you weren’t paying attention to the conversation you actually were, listening very carefully to every word being spoken to you. Allura went on to tell you about her work with the council and some of the worries she has for Kima, you adding in your own thoughts to the conversation every now and again. She then told you about her allies, the adventuring group known as Vox Machina that she asked to help find Kima, you knew about this group and what they did for the royal family but didn’t know them as personally as Allura did.

"I just hope nothing terrible has happened." Allura finally concludes after her long rant. You give an amused hum and sigh, taking proper notice that you’d wandered away from your project and had several random doodles covering the page. However instead of hindering you this placed a wonderful idea into your head.

"Relax Ally, if these people are as capable as you say then they’ll find Kima in no time. Just relax and breath, alright." You look up at her this time seeing her nod and take a few deep breaths. While she was distracted with that you carefully tear out some of the doodles, writing little messages of encouragement on the back of them and stand up. You sneakily slipping one of the notes between the cushion of the chair having it stick out just enough to be noticeable but not too obvious. "It’s been lovely, thank you for having me over but it’s getting late. I should really be making my way home."

"Allow me to walk you out." Allura offers which you happily accept, sneakily hiding the little drawings along the way in various places for Allura to hopefully find later. "I really appreciated the visit, helps to confide in a friend. You’re welcome back anytime." Allura gives you a quick hug that you return before the two of you part ways until next time.

It had been a while since your little visit and felt it only fair to check in and see how everything was going. When you arrive you’re relieved to see that Kima had returned in one piece, while Allura was occupied with thanking Vox Machina for their efforts you quietly shuffle over. You then watch as Kima and Allura share a small moment by staring at each other before they run into each other’s arms, you smile a little at this before deciding to quickly jump in.

"No it’s fine, just pretend I’m not here." You joke gaining everyone’s attention, you walk over to the two and without missing a beat Kima gives you a playful punch in the arm. "I swear to Bahamut Kima, you’re gonna break my arm one of these days." You slightly hiss from the pain.

"Nah if I meant to do that, it'd already be broken." Kima says slyly, you roll your eyes before properly hugging your friend, slipping a little note you’d made into her armour.

"Well now who’s this one?" The red Dragonborn asks. After some proper introductions with the group Allura invites everyone into her tower for tea, you hang back a second unsure if you should join them or just head home early.

"Don’t just stand there, the offer stands for you too." Allura gives a warm smile and ushers you inside.

"I know I just didn’t want to feel like I was overcrowding the place, plus I’m sure you’d like to catch up with Kima." You say meekly. You make your way up and automatically go to sit in your usual spot, pulling out your sketchbook as both a distraction and to continue on a commission for a client you’d received. Enjoying some tea and listening to the conversation between everyone else, Kima leans over your shoulder to look at your work.

"The hell is that supposed to be?" She asks quietly, staring at your drawing.

"Art." You reply cheekily. You catch her rolling her eyes at the corner of yours.

"I know what it is, but what is it?"

"The client asked for something abstract, so this is the result so far." You precede to erase and redraw a few of the lines you’d made until you felt satisfied.

"I don’t get it." You stifle a laugh, Kima didn’t really have an artistic eye but you appreciated that she at least tried to understand your craft whenever the two of you got to interact with each other.

"Shouldn’t you be involved in this conversation? Not to be rude or anything but it sounds important." You look up at Kima now to which she scratches at the back of her head, you can now see the blush on her cheeks.

"His questions were making me a little uncomfortable." She gestures over to the goliath, Grog. You give a reassuring pat her on the shoulder, sneaking another note into her armour before you realize something.

"Sorry to interrupt but what time is it?" After some fumbled reply’s Allura gives you her best estimation. "I have to go, I’ve got client to meet today and sooo much work to do. Thank you for the tea Allura, it was lovely to meet you all and thank you for safely bringing Kima back." You give a bit of a rushed goodbye as you gather up your things and hurry out of the tower, pausing briefly at the door to hide one more note for Allura to find later.

Time came and went, work piled up leaving you busy to no end, the only contact you had with your friends being the letters you’d write each other telling of what you’d been up to. However once the dragons came your world went crashing down, you had longed for a break away from all the work on your shoulders but not like this. Your home was in shambles, your hard work that took you months to complete destroyed in seconds, you considered yourself lucky to have made it out alive. Now you were but another refugee in Whitestone praying for a miracle while doodling in your sketchbook, the only thing that survived with you albeit slightly charred at the corners.

"Oh my gosh! You’re alive!" You hear a familiar voice call, looking over to see Kima run up to you. You give each other hug and once you let go Kima punches your arm.

"Every time I swear." You sigh with a small laugh, rubbing your arm.

"Gotta keep that arm strength up for your art stuff." Kima jokes, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Anyways, do you know where Ally is?" You shake your head.

"I don’t, but I assume she’s alive, that woman’s a tough cookie." Kima nods in agreement.

"Would you like to help us?" Keyleth asks.

"Me? No I couldn’t, I’ve never really been the adventuring type, I much prefer swinging around a paintbrush over a sword." You politely decline the offer. "But I would like to advise one thing," you pat Kima's shoulder, once again slipping in a note you’d made into her armour in hopes of bringing encouragement. "Don’t do anything rash that could get you killed." Kima gives a quiet "yeah I know" and with that you watch the party continue on their way.

You did what you could with what little resources you had to build up and regain some normality to your life, starting a little side business of making motivational cards for anyone needing an extra pick me up. Folks seemed to really like it, each card having a personalized picture and message written on it, doing what you could to help keep hope alive in these trying times. When you met up with Kima and Allura again Allura was relived to see you were still alive and standing strong. They invited you over to the abode they were staying at together, which put a new idea into your head. Before you arrived for your visit with them you had made more of your little notes for them, this time making a few that you hoped would help spark the romance between the two you’ve seen since day one (secret wingman). When you arrived they gave you a quick tour of the place, leaving opportunities for you to slip the notes into various places around the house, making you wonder if this time they were doing it on purpose having finally caught on to your little gimmick. You all sat down and sipped away at some tea or coffee while talking about the actions going forward, as the evening came you bid your friends a goodnight and made your way back to your temporary living quarters…

More time flew by, the Chroma Conclave was since defeated and Emon was slowly rebuilding itself, a time of peace finally setting in and you had a lot of work ahead of you if you were ever going to be able to buildup your home from scratch. The only downside was you didn’t have the gold to pay for everything, your work as an artist didn’t always pay a lot but it was enough to keep you stable but having to pay to acquire materials for the house and art studio was another story entirely. Your then approached by two very familiar people.

"Allura! Kima! So good to see you both again. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write or visit often lately, been quite busy trying to re-establish myself." You greet your friends and notice the large bag Kima's carrying.

"It’s alright we’ve been rather busy ourselves with everything going on. We actually wished to talk with you." Allura gives you a gentle smile.

"Well I’d normally like to welcome you into my home, but as you can see it’s… not much of a home yet." You half-joke gesturing to the still ruined state of your house, the broken paintings you once had all having been stripped away when the Cinder King still ruled.

"That was actually one of the things we wished to speak with you about, Kima if you would." She turns to Kima who in turn hulls the bag over her shoulder letting it clatter to the ground, and you can hear the jangling of coin inside. "I believe this should help accommodate everything you need for your home and work." You stare jaw dropped at the bag filled to the brim with gold.

"I-This is very generous of you. I simply can’t just take your money." You say out of shock at the large gold pile in front of you.

"Think of it as payment for all you’ve done for us." Allura smiles and gives you an expectant look.

"All I’ve done? I haven’t really done anything to help."

"Sure you have, back when Kima was missing finding those papers with the little drawings and messages really helped keep me calm and cheer me up through all the stress." Allura explains.

"Yeah, or the ones you managed to slip into my armour. Little distracting at first but invigorating when I was in a tough spot in battle." Kima jumps in. You just smile, all you were doing was trying to be nice and encouraging to your friends unknowing of the effects it apparently lead to.

"Still, not all is from us." Allura suddenly cuts into your thoughts, you look at her confused. "That was the second thing we wanted to talk with you about. Some of this is a sort of upfront payment for a few commissions from our friends, half now to help you and half later once you've completed their requests."

"There’s more!?" You were almost lightheaded from the information, but shake it off and refocus yourself. "I’d love to, please fill me in on all the details."

"First off Keyleth asked for a landscape piece of her home in Zephrah, Keyleth will easily help bring you to and from her home whenever you’re ready. Next Percy wanted a portrait made for castle Whitestone, he said he’d fill in the rest of the details upon your arrival. Finally," Allura gives a bit of a sigh, "there’s Taryon… he wants a, and I quote, 'self portrait made with nothing but the finest oil paints you can get your hands on for the Slayer's Cake.'"

"So basically the plan is to visit Whitestone once my home's rebuilt. That should be fine, one question though, who’s Taryon?"

"Trust me, you’ll know who he is when you meet him."

"Sounds like quite the character." You say with a hint of nervousness. "Well if that’s everything, I should get to work. Thank you again for everything." You go to collect the heavy bag of gold only to pause when you hear Kima speak up.

"Ally did you still wanna… you know ask about the thing?" She had leaned closer to Allura to ask but you still heard her.

"What thing?" You question to which Allura perks up a bit in realization.

"I almost completely forgotten. Right, there was one more, very special request." You look at the two in silence, Allura walks up to you and takes one of your hands in hers. "(Y/n), Kima and I have a very important and special request of you." You just nod and wait for her to continue. "We were wondering if you could make us something special for… for our wedding." You stare wide eyed in awe.

"You two are getting married? That’s amazing! About time too." You cheer.

"Not so loud please, we just want a simple and private wedding you know, a few eye witnesses for the event. You don’t have to make anything grand, if anything we’d like what you make to be similar to the notes you’ve always left us." You press your hands together and hold back the urge to just scream to the heavens in happiness for them. When you manage to calm yourself enough you look back that the couple and give them a large smile.

"I’d be honoured to make something for your wedding." You give them both a hug and reset your sights on your shambled home. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a house to get built."

"Hold on, I still have one more thing for you." Kima interrupts this time. Before you can ask you feel a punch impact your arm, you suck back the pain as you rub the spot she hit. "Alright now your free to start." She gives you a smug look.

"Every. Single. Time." You playfully glare back. You had a long road ahead of you and you were certain it’d only be a matter of time before the peace is disturbed again but for now you wanted to focus on the present. Like you said, you had a lot of work to do.

[kiss-me-kira]

2 Encounter w/ Kira

just second meeting nothing really exciting

cut for length 

The beach was lovely today. The Morioh sun was warm and the breeze was brisk. Maybe a little too swift because it kept blowing my hair in my face, but all in all it was very enjoyable. I had found a nice little cove downhill from some wild looking orchard. It was quiet and peaceful, so I brought out my sketchbook and some books to read. 

My sketchbook wasn’t working well with me, the pages were too big and kept swallowing up my doodles. So I switched to my pocket sketchbook and was working on a rough sketch of the sea and horizon line when my hands refused to do what I told them. So I took a pause and decided to rest my eyes. I laid back in the sand and pulled my arm across my eyes to block out the sun for just a few minutes. 

“This is private property you know.” I shot up, there was someone immediately behind me. I jumped when there wasn’t anyone there, but I heard rustling in  the trees so I looked a bit up and there he was. 

“I-Im so sorry is this your house?” He looked so familiar but I couldn't quite remember who he was. Surely I wouldn't forget such a handsome face. 

He exhaled sharply, as if that was his version of a laugh, and hopped down from the orchard’s embankment down onto the beach just a few steps away from me. Something told me he was so familiar, but it was on the tip of my tongue, as if he had just walked out from a dream. 

“No, it's not mine. But you shouldn’t be here.” His face showed no effect, but his voice seemed jovial? Was he teasing me? Was this some sort of inside joke I should remember? 

“Im sorry, I'll leave right now.” I gathered my things, not like I had many of them, but when I saw the book I remembered. He was like a dream, or at least I had thought he was at the time, but he was Dr. Holly Joestar-Kira’s son. 

“You’re Kira.” that came out sounding more like an accusation than I intended but it served its purpose. 

“Kira Yoshikage. And you are?” He extended his hand, his long delicate fingers hanging there waiting for mine. Oh god I hope he didn't see me staring, I scurried to move my things to my left arm and meet his hand in a shake. 

“Constantin. Nice to actually meet you.” Because coming into my room when I was fairly certain you were a fever dream really doesn't count.

 His skin was so soft, but his handshake was firm. I couldn't help but think of all the things he could do with those hands. Maybe he was a violinist, or a pianist, or perhaps a painter or sketcher. Ugh I bet those hands would feel even better under my dress or around my neck… Oh god that is not a good road to go down when he's right in front of you Constantin. 

In an ill attempt to quash those thoughts I nodded to him and turned to go back the way I came this was about as good a time as any to duck out. Which i probably should have done as soon as he mentioned that I was trespassing on private property. 

I turned and started walking down the beach towards the way I came. 

“Wrong way.” I turned around to see him standing there in an odd little pose with his hips cocked to the side and his arms crossed. 

“It's the way I came.” No response. 

“Well then show me the proper way.” If he was going to be short and curt I could easily do the same. He spun on his heel and started walking away. I guess I'm supposed to follow him? Of course the beautiful man who fell from the sky would not be talkative. There was no way I could completely hold a conversation on my own, at best I can reflect the energy that the other person puts in and he was not doing much of anything. 

“Like the Roman Emperor?” He asked, quirking up his eyebrow. Well that was surprising. 

“Yes yes, the one who moved the capital to Byzantium and converted to Chirstianity. My family is Italian and big on history.” It was usual to have this conversation with new people. It's not exactly a common name so I figure i have to justify it a bit. 

“It's an interesting name.” Was apparently all he could think of as a response. 

“Hm so I’ve heard.” Many times. God im so fucking awkward what the hell am I supposed to talk about when Im being escorted off of someone elese’s property? 

Kira led me down the beach for a few more meters then gestured up a small slope. I scrambled to the top, with him a few steps behind me, and tried to regain my bearings. Sure this was only a few hundred meters down the shore from where I was but nothing looked familiar. I didn’t even see a road nearby, just a tree leaning dangerously over the wall eyes. I shuddered remembering fainting there a few days ago. Drat, I would have to ask him for directions. I steeled myself up, ready to be met with a cold and partial response but he spoke first. 

“What do you know of Morioh?” What an odd way of phrasing a question. Was he trying to offer me directions? 

“I’ve been here about a week, so all I know is my hotel in the city center, the beach where I just was, the Wall Eyes and the hospital.” Hopefully 

“Which way is the hospital.” The way he phrased it was more like command than a question. And why the fuck was he asking me he lived here. Ugh he's testing me, that condescending little jerk. I flexed my hands so I did not clench them in fists, it was a good thing I had a pretty decent internal GPS. Yeah there was that one time I convinced my family I knew my way around Rome because I studied Latin for 6 years, but as it turned out a lot had changed from the 2000 year old maps I knew. 

“That way,” I pointed confidently over his shoulder and to the left. I was pretty sure that was where I would have ended up if I had left the beach the other way. 

“No.” He said flippantly, as if he’s disappointed I didn’t know better. I stood there like an enraged dead fish, glaring with my mouth hanging open. He was being cold and dismissive yet I still wanted to show off. I cracked the knuckles in my right hand and took a deep breath in I can be a nice person. 

“Would you mind showing me the way?” I asked in my best imitation of a regularly pleasant person. 

Kira blinked in a way that looked affirmative, or I was imagining things, so I followed as he turned around to walk around the wall eyes.

Once I stopped being as embarrassed and afronted, it was a nice walk. We were still close enough to the beach to feel the breeze on my face, and every so often I caught a glimpse of Kira batting his hair out from his eyes. Which as much as I hated to say it, was pretty cute. I couldn't help but want to reach out and brush it out of his face for him. But that would be quite rude and creepy, so I restrained myself. Of course I stole some other glances at him. He walked very purposefully, each step was assured, and he kept a nice rhythmic pace too. 

I cleared my throat, it had been silent for a long time, and now that i was actually calm I didn't want to come off as rude. He had been kind in his own weird little way. 

“Do you live around here?” Hopefully that was friendly and not ‘I'm going to stalk you’... 

“I live by the harbor.” He had slowed a little to match my pace. That was considerate, I think. 

“Ah yes I know where that is.” Shit that was too sarcastic. 

“You do?” He quirked an eyebrow up. 

“No of course not, I already told you all the places I know.” I forced a smile, and an awkward laugh. Please think this was a joke. 

A noise, he madea  weird noise, like a sharp exhale without moving his face.

“Guess you did.” That was a laugh? Maybe? 

“But that does explain-” I gestured loosely to his outfit, “this.” 

“How so?” His voice was lighter, and I could almost hear a smirk in it. But his face still showed no effect. He must be warming up to me.

“You work there, no? On a ship?” 

“Yes,” he looked impressed and I hated how that made me excited, “I do. How did you know?” He couldn't seriously be asking me that right? He was dressed like a 1940’s sailor. He had to know that. 

“Well you either work on a ship or you just learned the yablochko…” I nervously laughed again. Everything is fine. 

“I'm a surgeon.” He said in the lightest tone I’d heard him use yet. But wait, that didn't quite make sense...

“Oh-” 

“On cargo ships.” He clarified.

“Ah…” so he wasn't mocking me, “Oh that's very interesting actually.”  It was so interesting that apparently I hadn’t realized we had made it back into the city. Or the outskirts of it at least. It wasn’t like we had been talking for long, or about much, there was just something about him that stole all my attention. 

But now that I recognized where we were a little, I let my eyes stray. I think he said something, but everything was drowned out by a literal monster in the street in front of us. 

I grabbed Kira by the arm, not so gently jerking him back to keep from walking closer to that thing. It was pink and tall, with odd pointed ears and what looked like armored plating. No one else was paying it any mind on the sidewalk, but I felt my nails digging into his arm and didn't think I remembered how to breathe. 

He was very calm when it turned around to look at us. Kira glanced a few times between me and whatever the hell that was before speaking. 

“Ah, so you can see it now.”

[rainandhotchocolate]

Tutors Pet - Part 3

A/N Part 1-2 on my profile! Praying that this shows up in tags so I’m not sad and think everyone hates my writing :’( (I joke I promise) - anyways sorry for taking so long, the new year has so far been a bit of a process for me, but I’m hopefully back back now! This didn’t go at all the way I had planned lel so I hope it still works, anyway enjoy :)

P3

It was the little things. The little touches under the table at breakfast, grazing her thigh in the Three Broomsticks, brushing hands in their now shared potions class. The hushed kisses in empty hallways and behind secret passageways (that Sirius and James had shown them, very unnecessarily in the middle of the night under an invisibility cloak that was far too small for 4 teenagers) were definitive perks of dating Lily Evans.

Unfortunately, this very moment was not so much. Y/N watched sourly as Lily chatted animatedly to a boy who was clearly infatuated with her, I mean who wouldn’t she thought gruffly to herself, a little annoyed at her great taste in girls. As much as she knew there was absolutely no reason to be jealous, she could still feel her chest tightening as he casually grazed her arm. If she could just walk over there, sling an arm over her shoulder and kiss her on the cheek, just obnoxiously enough for him to be a little- Lily swung around to look at Y/N and broke her train of thought as she moved to face her breakfast again, avoiding Lily’s bright green stare.

“Smooth moves, Y/L/N” Lily suddenly whispered from behind her before joining Y/N at the Gryffindor table.

“I try” Y/N grumbled, desperately trying to hide her blushing face.

“Not spying on me are you” Lily raised an eyebrow, picking up two slices of taste and a dollop of jam.

“Not spying…just watching” Y/N groaned, “creepily, from afar”

“At least you’re honest” Lily chuckled loudly, “He wasn’t asking me out you know”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just, sometimes hate having to hide… use you know”

Lily grinned, sighing as she took a bite of toast. The hall around them was buzzing, filled with people all getting extremely excited for the holidays. The Hufflepuffs currently had a long ball of string hovering in the air and was knitting a long yellow and black Christmas scarf to wrap around the entrance to the kitchen, as per last year and the Slytherin’s were sending paper airplanes into the biggest holes in the scarf.

“I know, but you know it-“

“Makes sense for now, especially with people disappearing, I know I know” Y/N recited, if only a little bit sarcastic. Lily smiled at her all the same and poked her cheek as Y/N chewed on her cereal.

“Look, how about we go have a proper date this weekend – just the two of us” Lily looked down at her, pouting a little.

“Don’t you have Prefect duties all weekend?”

“Oh shoot” Lily bit her lip, turning back to her toast. Y/N felt a little dip in her stomach as she tried to hide her disappointment.

“It’s ok we-“

“No, it’s not ok! I can’t believe we haven’t had a proper date, just the two of us, not pretending to be out with the boys so we can hold hands without anyone noticing this is stupid. Let me just, hang on, gimme like 3 hours ok?” She grinned broadly, squeezed Y/N’s hand and jumped out of her seat, heading out of the Great Hall.

Y/N didn’t see Lily for the rest of the day, she sat wondering what was going on as Professor Binns droned on and on about something regarding the elfish wars in the 1800s.

“What are you doodling there, missy” Louisa Prette whispered next to her, winking suggestively. Y/N tried to hold back a grin, but Louisa had a way of getting under her skin and stopping her sulking.

“Nothing in particular” Y/N mumbled, trying to pull it away as Binns floated around the room and near her seats. Lousia managed to wrangle it out of her hand and made a soft squealing noise.

“Don’t tell me, Y/N’s finally got a lil crush?” Lousia grinned broadly, “WHY would you not tell me! You know I’ve been waiting to pass down my wisdom”

“What from your one date with Xavier McLaggen? I would have thought that would be more about what not to do”

“I have plenty of experience, missy, now tell me tell me tell-“

“Was there something more important to discuss Miss Prette” Professor Binns drawled slowly, staring at her absently whilst the whole class suddenly sat up from his change of pace.

“Nothing could ever be more interesting than you Professor Binns” Louisa smiled broadly, her teeth practically glistening with the amount of sarcasm dripping from her words.

“Mmmm” Professor Binns looked like he would glare if he really could but continued to glide onwards and around the classroom.

“Ok, now- spill” Lousia leaned in eagerly and grinned at her. When Y/N said nothing Lousia began to nudge her obnoxiously, “I know I’m annoying but it’s for your own good, you bottle everything up too much, gal”

“I don’t bottle things up, I talk the appropriate amount t”

“Yeah says the girl I had to ASK for her to tell me about her first kiss! Who doesn’t tell their best friend about their first kiss?”

“It didn’t come up in conversation!” Y/N said exasperatedly, feeling increasingly embarrassed.

“Stop changing the subject, so, who’s the guy?” Louisa finally asked the dreaded question. Who’s the guy. Y/N couldn’t blame her, her first kiss was with a guy, her first crush was a guy (well what she thought was a crush but was actually just a guy being nice to her), and Y/N had never indicated otherwise. But there was still a little part of her that wanted slap her for not magically presuming otherwise, or perhaps magically destroying the internal bigotry against anyone not heterosexual. Potentially too much to ask in one best friend.

“Hello, Y/N?”

“Right sorry, zoned out” Y/N smiled, “not much to say really… I mean don’t want to jinx it”

“Ugh, so paranoid” Louisa scoffed, a little too loudly and covered it over with some wild coughing (much to Professor Binns continued annoyance), “But I get it, you want him allll to yourself for a little bit huh”  

“Something like that” Y/N smiled and went back to pretending to write notes to stop her from pestering anymore. The more she wrote down random elfish sounding names the more she couldn’t stop herself from feeling more and more self-conscious. There was something about the whispers between everyone in every corner of the room that made her feel like they could only be talking about her, that there was something wrong with her, that she wasn’t normal.

“Y/N, class has ended, you can stop making up baby names” Louisa winked and shoved her lightly to go and grab her books and finally leave the classroom. The buzz of the end of the day was increasing every day the Christmas holidays got closer. There was a chill in the air that could very easily be fixed by the warm mugs of hot chocolate and pumpkin juice was served at every meal and glistening lights that looked like snow falling in the sky above the Great Hall. Y/N, however, was not so hungry and gave a lame excuse of going to the library before skulking off and back up towards the common room.

She wandered slowly, wondering why she couldn’t just stand tall like Lily does and not care about what people say or don’t say. Where was she anyway? Running around with her – shut up Y/N. She internally cursed herself for getting so negative. She looked up and realised she’d reached a part of the castle she hadn’t really explored yet. It was dark, and there were multiple knights in armour standing around large metal doors. She stood momentarily watching them as they began to creak and she heard the unmistakable sounds of someone trying to wrench them open.

“…there isn’t much time left until he’ll call us in you know”

“It’s only a matter of time”

Voices came from the door as it pulled open and Y/N came face to face with three large and vaguely recognisable Slytherin boys. One had long blonde hair and a pointy nose, Y/N had remembered him from the Slytherin Quidditch team, a beater and very fast, the other two both had dark brown hair, one long and un-showered, and the other clearly well showered and a subtly handsome.

“Who’s this, listening in” The blonde one growled, leering down at her. Y/N gaped suddenly, feeling very much like a fish but was interrupted before she got any noise out.

“You know exactly who this is” The more handsome one grinned, flashing scarily white teeth, “The youngest of the Black clan, Regulus’ sister. Don’t you remember her hexing you into St.Mungos last Christmas?”

“Of course! I wonder what she’s doing here, not trying to catch an earful I hope” The blonde continued to leer. Y/N had a sudden flashback of a very rash decision to point and shoot out a string of hexes at her mum’s favourite friends’ sons all lined up for her, leering down at her very uncomfortably tight dress as the blonde boy was doing now.

“Perhaps she needs a little lesson in manners” The slimier one finally chimed in, still standing behind the other two but somehow seeming the most menacing.

“I think you’re right” She saw a smile and then she was suddenly unable to see.

Taglist: @maraudersandco  @northscorpio @seesaw-it @lustfulcry @depressedcoffeebean @supercuteasalily @palaisdecouture @blackpinkdolan  @fashionlive15 @creepysweet 

[schnooglepuffs]

pls doodle hayato (kusmi's brother)!!

Apologies for the super long delay, been busy with IRL stuff.Hayato is a little angel!

Here he is, all ready for Halloween trick or treating!(I am unsure if trick or treating is a thing in Japan, but its a thing for this scribble/drabble! ^^;)

***Hayato was really excited. He had never been trick or treating before, but this year his parent’s had allowed him to go, as long as his older brother went with him to keep him safe.“Nii-chan, are you ready yet?” he asked Kisumi, bouncing up and down on his brother’s bed with excitement, the golden wings of his costume flapping each time he jumped.“Almost, Hayato. Be careful jumping so high, you might fly off and hurt yourself!” his brother replied, using his mirror to align his false fangs.“Hehe I’m an angel this evening, flying shouldn’t be a problem!” He giggled before climbing off the matress. He watched Kisumi zip up a hoodie.“NOW are you ready?” he asked hopefully.“Yes, yes… I’m ready now, let’s go meet up with the Tachibananas,” Kisumi smiled. He handed his brother a pumpkin-shaped bag and they headed outside.

—

“I wish you had worn a proper costume Oni-chan!” Hayato smirked as they arrived outside the Tachibana household. “Pffh, I’m dressed enough to chaperone you for trick or treating, I doubt Makoto’s costume will be any better,” he smiled. Hayato looked him up and down and shook his head. His brother was wearing black boots, black jeans, black fingerless gloves, a black shirt, black hoodie, false fangs on his canine teeth… and a set of cat ears clipped into his hair.“You don’t even have a tail,” Hayato giggled. “Oh, thank you for reminding me!” Kisumi replied, removing a ‘tail’ from a hoodie pocket and safety-pinning it onto the rear of his jeans waistband. “There we go, why don’t you ring the doorbell?”“I’m a bit nervous,” said Hayato. “I don’t know Tachibana Kochi’s brother or sister and he’s my swimming teacher…”Kisumi stifled a giggle and smiled at his sibling. He knocked on the door and they waited for it to open.“Hello Kisumi,” Makoto greeted his pink-haired friend. He crouched down on his knees to be the same eye-level as Hayato. “…and a happy halloween to you, Hayato!”“Th-thank you, Tachibana Kochi!” said Hayato, still looking somewhat nervous.“Hehe, it’s okay Hayato. You only have to call me that when I’m teaching you at the pool. Just call me Makoto,” he smiled. Hayato gave a shy nod.

“Nice costume,” said Kisumi, looking Makoto up and down with a cheeky grin.“Um… thanks… the twins made it for me. Haru did actually give me a halloween costume this year but the twins insisted I wore this one while I take them around the neighbourhood.” He gave a small twirl, blushing slightly.“Hmm,” Kisumi mused. “It’s not bad at all for something the kids made.”Makoto was wearing brown boots, beige chinos, a beige shirt, brown wooly gloves and a headband with two brown floppy ears on it. As he turned around, they saw that he also had a feather duster that had been spray-painted brown attached to his rear.“Cute tail,” sniggered Kisumi, forgetting for a second that his costume was equally terrible. Makoto’s face fell, but Kisumi cheered him up again by saying “Nyah!” posing with his hands just below his chin.Hayato shook his head, trying not to giggle. “Tachibana Ko- um, Makoto-san, are your brother and sister ready yet?” They could tell that Hayato’s shyness was now being overtaken by him wanting to claim as much of the neighbourhood candy as possible.“Hold on, they should be ready by now, let me check.”

As he opened the door, a skeleton and a pirate rushed past at high speed, falling over each other and giggling.“NII-CHAAAAAN!” squealed Ran, giving him a big squeezy hug.“HI MAKOTO’S FRIENDS!” yelled Ren, almost tripping over his own feet.“Shhhh…. quiet down a little please,” said Makoto, smiling at his over-excited siblings. “Kisumi, Hayato… these are the twins, Ran and Ren.”“Hello Ran, hello Ren,” smiled Kisumi. “I’m Kisumi and this is my brother Hayato!”Hayato waved shyly at them both while Ran asked loudly “Nii-chan why did you ask Hayato to kiss you?” The Shigino brothers looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing as Makoto’s face went bright red.

—

Haru had been sitting in the bathtub in his swimsuit for well over an hour when he heard Ren and Ran’s loud voices outside.“Hmm. That must be the Shigino-Tachibana trick or treating party,” he thought, climbing  out the bath and heading to the nearest window.He couldn’t quite hear what was being said, but he could see that Makoto was showing his tail (and therefor butt) to Kisumi while blushing… and Kisumi was giggling and doing a cat like pose.

Wait… did he REALLY just NYAH at Makoto?HIS Makoto?This would not do at all.Haru knew what had to be done.

—

“I guess we had better get going if we want to cover most of the houses here,” smiled Makoto at the children. They began to walk down the hill when they heard footsteps running behind them.“Makoto…” Haru said, panting slightly when he caught up with the group, deliberately positioning himself between Makoto and Kisumi.“HARU-NII-CHAN!” Ren and Ran said in unison with big smiles on their faces.“Haru-chan… why are you soaking wet?” asked Makoto, looking him up and down.Haru was wearing blue trainers, blue jeans and a blue t-shirt, all of which were clinging to his form, soaked right through. Makoto was very confused.“Drop the -chan… but I thought I should come with you to help chaperone the kids,” said Haru. “If you are okay with that plan, that is?”“Haru… did you forget to take your clothes off before you went in the bath?” asked Kisumi, one eyebrow raised.“Haru-Nii-chan, why are you all wet?” Ren asked.“Did you fall over into your bath?” said Ran, also confused.“Oh, this is my costume,” said Haru. “I’m water!”

Kisumi burst out laughing, the kids all looked puzzled (yet excited because Haru would be joining them) and Makoto looked really bewildered.“Haru… are you SURE that’s a good idea for a costume?” he asked with some concern.“Yes… It has been unseasonably warm,” he replied, then leaned in close to Makoto’s ear to whisper “….and when we get back, you can help me get out of my wet clothes.”

Kisumi smirked and shook his head when he overheard.He didn’t bother to mention that he had picked this particular ‘last minute’ costume because a certain red-head loves cats; nor that he would be visiting him later with the intention of being ‘petted’…

***

NOTES/BORING STUFF———————————The way they say ‘coach’ in Japan would be spelled coachee for me if I wrote it phonetically using UK english. I’m kinda just guessing how to spell it in romaji. If I’m wrong, feel Free! to correct me.

BONUS ———–These were scribbled at 3am and are therefor super messy and far from perfect, but here you go ^^;

Halloweenie Friends:

Jealous Haru:

[houseofvans]

ART SCHOOL | Q&A with Martin Ontiveros (PDX)

The art wizardry of Portland based Martin Ontiveros has appeared in various galleries, albums, posters and has even been transformed into diabolical toys and figurines. Ontiveros’s graphic ink and brush style is meticulous and bold, transforming his horned and demonic creations into fun and bad-ass pop occultism. We’re excited to chat with this ink sorcerer in our latest Art School where we talk about technique, studio days, and what is coming up for him the rest of this year. 

Photographs courtesy of the artist.

Introduce yourself?   Hello, I’m Martin Ontiveros, also known as Martinheadrocks, illustrator and wizard. “Marty” to my closest friends and family. I live in Portland Oregon, I’m left-handed/ambidexterous and I have a large ginger cat/familiar named Zeus. Nice to meet you.

How do you describe your art to folks who have never seen it before? Pop-occultism? Creature Chic? What you might find inside an ancient tomb or temple from a previously unknown civilization.

Who were some of your early artistic influences that really inspired you to draw? It started with Star Wars in 1977, and Mad Magazine, especially the work of Jack Davis. Childrens book art by Jim Flora. Books and movies about UFOs, cryptids, phenomena, ghosts and black magic when I was a kid. Later it was Heavy Metal Magazine and the underground artists of the 60s and 70s, S. Clay Wilson, Greg Irons, Spain, etc. 80’s punk and metal pioneer artists like Mad Mark Rude and Pushead. Derek Riggs and his Iron Maiden covers. 

Lots of rock album art. Fantasy/conceptual artists like Mike Ploog, Boris Vallejo, Frazetta, Richard Corben. That was all the stuff that built up the desire, but what really got me drawing were the indie comics of the 80s with people like Marc Hansen, Matt Wagner, the Pander Bros, David Boswell, Dori Seda, Mary Fleener. I really really wanted to make comics by the time I was 17-18. I’ve since discovered it’s not for me. Art of the Ancient World, Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican in particular. There’s more to this list, I’m an old man now and have seen a lot, but we don’t have all day.

What’s a day like in the studio for you? And take us through your artist process –from start to finish on a piece. I used to start work when it was already well into the evening and would go until after the dawn, but in the last couple years I’ve reversed that schedule. Now I usually get up around 4am. I still get the benefits of nocturnal studio time that way, at least until the sun is up—no one bothers me and it’s quiet. I’ve become a Daywalker—I have all of the vamipre’s strengths and none of the weaknesses.

 A typical day is trying to stay focused while fending off my own distractions (I’m ADD) and steering around having to leave the house for anything, ha. I always start with a bit of doodling to warm up a little, then jot down a thumbnail sketch of whatever’s on the agenda that day—usually very small and rough, just to set the composition and borders. 

Sometimes I’ll spend extra time fleshing out details on certain aspects of the drawing, say a helmet or insignia. Then I’ll figure out my dimensions and either draw to size or use my trusty proportion wheel to do it smaller if need be. Next is the hard pencil stage. I like using 2H or 3H lead which is rough on the paper but much less messy than a soft lead. I don’t work with a loose outline, I need a solid and tight map to work from and when I have it on lock, I’ll transfer it to my final surface. 

That method goes for both a black and white ink piece or a painting. I’ll warm the brush up by laying our some strokes on scrap paper and when I feel like I got a grip on it, off I go. If it’s a painting, I lay all the color and shading out first, then put down the linework. And even if my pencils were tight, there’s always room for improvisation, a tweak or two, especially when I’m inking—some happy accidents come up now and then. I should mention that I sometimes have to chuck a drawing and start the process all over again, even if it’s close to completion because if it isn’t working, screw it. It seems wasteful and time consuming and I could probably avoid it by going digital, but I choose to do it old school.

What’s your tool of the trade medium-wise? And is there a new medium you’re looking to try in 2018? I swear by my brush and ink. Nothing gives me more satisfaction. The artists I’ve always admired most are handy with a brush line. Not to say I don’t like pens, it’s just that I’m not as steady using one and leave them for doodling. I love papier mache, it’s not a new medium to me, but I’ve yet to know how to make the time to do it more so let’s say that that is my goal for 2018. If there was any other medium that I’d choose to do over drawing, it would be that.

You’ve worked on many collaborations with bands and created some awesome cover art and posters. What has been your favorite collaboration and what would be a dream collaboration be? Oooh. That’s a toughy. I did a tour shirt for Mastodon this past year and I have to say that was likely the pinnacle so far. When I caught their show later, it was thrilling to see people buying it at the merch table and to know there’s maybe hundreds more out there wearing it. Dream collaboration…probably the Melvins. Or Alice Cooper? But with the Melvins I know I could just probably do me and not worry about whether or not I’m a good fit. I’m not what you would call “conventional”.

What are you listening to when you’re painting your various creatures and demons? Give us five bands you’re checking out at the moment. I listen to music when I sketch/conceptualize and switch to podcasts or play a favorite movie or show when I’m really into the process, it’s comforting to hear people talk during the heavy work for some reason. It’s another long list but some of my go-to bands are High On Fire, Sleep, Windhand, Black Cobra and Slayer. That’s if I want it crushing. If I’m doing something trippier, it’ll be Om, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Dead Meadow, that kind of thing. Podcasts are generally true crime or comedy.

What’s been the hardest challenge being an artist? What do you tell folks who want to travel down a similar path? I don’t recall the artist’s name who said it, but to paraphrase, the quote was that art can often be a dark and lonely pursuit for us. I believe he was referring more to the fact that we spend a lot of our time working in solitude which is inherent, yet it can also weigh you down emotionally. That really speaks to me, even more so because I’ve also wrestled with depression for most of my life. 

Your work can be so entwined with your sense of self-worth, so I suppose the hardest challenge for me is to not let my heart sink when something I make doesn’t receive the attention I hope to get for it. People can be fickle though. I try to remember that, and move on to the next thing. With that in mind I guess I tell folks to make sure they get out of their lairs when possible and share their frustrations with other artist friends, foster a support group of sorts because it helps to know you aren’t alone out there with all these feelings. That and maintain a regular paying job when they start out, because man…it can be tough making a living at it.

In another dimension, what would you be if you weren’t an artist? I’d be that weird old sorcerer living somewhere in the woods that the villagers speak of in whispers. Benevolent, but not to be trifled with. So, not too much different from what I am in this dimension, just with blue skin, maybe.

What are your favorite Vans?  Chukka Low? Old Skool? Era? (I had to look up the actual names). Basically low padded ankle with laces, and always dark colors with a black toe because I don’t like my vision being drawn down to my feet moving under me. I honestly don’t wear any other brand of kicks. I keep a pair of Slip-Ons for doing things around the house. Vans makes good jeans too.

What’s the art scene like in your part of the woods? What do you like the most about where you’re living these days? The scene that I know here is primarily illustration, at least that’s what I keep my eyes out for. Lots of sweet, supportive people without attitude and many that are good friends. There aren’t as many galleries as there used to be but there are other venues to get your work out there. I’m now in a part of SE that I’ve never lived in before, at the edge of being outside of Portland proper but only just so. It’s mellow and quiet here and most things I need are within walking distance. I got a couple stores, a good Mexican food place, a bar, you get my drift. I do wish some of my besties lived closer by though. And a decent art supply store.

Since this feature is called Art School, can you give us your most helpful art tip? This probably won’t make me popular by saying it, but learn the difference between homage and theft. Yes, it’s fun to pay tribute to an artist’s style or someone else’s pop culture/intellectual property now and then, I’ve done it, we’ve all done it, not shaming that…but the difference is, if ALL you’re doing is copying, it comes off as creatively lazy. I don’t care how many followers you may gain from it. Come on. If you’re skilled enough to copy someone else’s shit, you’re skilled enough to make up your own content. Raise the bar, people. Don’t lower it.

What’s on the horizon for 2018? New merch in my shop, a group show in Mexico City, more band stuff, my first trip to NY ever, toy releases, designs and customs, a collaboration or two, hopefully a couple of conventions later in the warm months. I’d like get back into painting on a larger scale and figure out how to take it slower in general, make my work really level up, you know? There’s always room for improvement!  

Follow Martin | Website | Instagram | 

[umassdonahueinstitute]

Worldwide check-ins from Civic Initiative alumni during the COVID-19 epidemic (part 3 with continuing updates)

Mike Hannahan, director of the UMass Civic Initiative, asked alumni last week about how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting them and what they were doing to take care of themselves during this unprecedented time across the world. Here are there responses, categorized by country.

The responses are to two questions: How has the coronavirus changed your life? How are you taking care of yourself?

###

Iraq

Greetings from Baghdad. I am an Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) alumnus from 2015 and currently working as a medical doctor in the emergency room of one of Baghdad biggest hospitals, a hospital that provides (along with another smaller hospitals) medical care for approximately 5 million people! The hospital was so crowded before corona as usual, and when the first corona case was reported in Iraq, we were in alarm and we knew that things are going to change! Because we know our government and its limited resources.

We were waiting the first case to be reported in our hospital carefully, looking at any patient in the ER and expecting them to be a corona patient, but since we are in a war against that tiny evil, it came to us from where we didn’t expect! And old man in the cardiac care unit whom denied any travel history and was admitted 6 days ago started to deteriorate, despite of the proper management and care, unfortunately we lost him the day after! Then, his relatives confessed his being at Iran a couple weeks prior to admission and that explained everything!

We sent samples for PCR and the results came positive the day after! We were shocked! Because 21 doctors 6 nurses and patients nearby him were in direct contact with that man! Half of the hospital staff went to quarantine! Luckily, I wasn’t among them but continued working extra time to keep the hospital serving the people in need. Days after that, most of the cases in the ER were respiratory cases and many of them were corona positive! Among them, a woman came in late stage of the disease and died at the same day she was admitted, her body is still in the hospital and today is her 15 days without been buried! She did not have burial or sorrow ceremonies like any other, and this was inhumane! 

Those days in the war against corona virus revealed another enemy that is more aggressive than the Corona itself! The illiteracy! People didn’t commit to quarantine! Suspected cases are leaving the isolation units! And finally, a highly suspected woman whom her husband refused to isolate her and threatened me with punishment if I put her in isolation! And the next day revealed that she was positive and the police put all the family in the isolation units.

And here i am, writing this in my 25 days at hospital, standing against corona that will be vanished in months, and illiteracy which will last longer. 

Egypt

So we can all see that coronavirus has affected a lot of people's lives. From my point of view it came to teach us, to let us more aware about what we were having and what we were doing but now we are all at our houses trying to stay safe.

My life has stopped. I was working then the company changed the policy to work from home but now we are all in an open vacation not working, not getting our salaries, not doing anything. At first in the organization I was working in, we were trying to spread awareness through making online campaigns and live sessions but even now no one is working.

Also I was planning to visit the US this summer. I wanted to check on with the people that gave me the best experience during my previous experience in SUSI program. I wanted to come in June then to spend the 4th of July. But now I don't know if I will be able to do that or not. Besides that, I was going on an exchange program to Portugal but the airports stopped working 12 days before.

Now I'm staying at home, trying to find online jobs but because of the poor internet connection it is not easy nowadays. I'm learning Spanish now, and trying to learn Tango. What I really want to focus on now is to discover and explore myself more. In addition to try different and new things.

So now, I'm always staying at my home to be safe. I just go out if something is urgent, and I go out using gloves, masks, and alcohol. And after coming back before entering the house I take off my shoes outside, then go to wash my hands and use the alcohol again, then putting all my clothes in the washing machine separately.

Wish you a peaceful & healthy life. Stay safe.

Argentina

Strict quarantine since March 20, no school for my daughter since March 16th. We are both confined. I'm working from home, but fearing I may lose my job if this situation continues. I have just left my apartment twice to buy some groceries at local shops around the corner. I have not seen my family or friends who live in the same city, since March 15th, the day before the first regulations were started by the federal government. 

How are you taking care of yourself? Following the rules, practicing social distance. 

Pakistan 

It's a hard time for health workers. With increasing numbers of patients, not only their care but self-prevention has become a challenge. With all this, it's been a reminder to rejoice little things in life and not take normal daily routine for granted after the fight against COVID-19 is over. This has made me more thoughtful and grateful in life. I could really use some fresh air and a long walk when all this is over soon, hopefully. And a face-to-face chit chat over a coffee with my friends. 

I'm following the prevention guidelines thoroughly and making sure I will never be the reason somebody gets it. That's the responsibility falling on all of us and we must play our part.

United States (from a member of the Civic Initiative staff)

The coronavirus has completely changed all of my plans for the spring of 2020. First and foremost, I thought I would be spending this week recovering from the jet lag of a two week trip to Islamabad. I also envisioned myself having plenty of time in the warm weather to visit all of my favorite spots in the Pioneer Valley before I move away from Amherst for the foreseeable future. However, as my mom keeps reminding me, "Change the way you look at the things, and the things you look at change." Though life is not going according to plan, I am super thankful to have this time with my family. My brother, sister, and I are all quite close to moving away from our childhood home permanently, and it has been years since we all lived together under the same roof! 

With the extra time in my schedule, I am trying to solidify some healthy habits in my life. Aside from online school, I aim to do something physical and something creative every day. Some days I take my dogs for a walk and then read a book. Other days, I go for a run and come home to work on my doodling/sketching skills. It is cool to be able to spend my time on activities that normally fall to the bottom of my list of priorities.  

New Zealand

We have all been in a total national ‘lockdown’ for a week. Only people working in essential services are allowed to move around, the rest of us are confined to home except to go shopping, the Dr. or for neighbourhood walks. People over 70 are not even allowed to go to the grocery store. My mum and mother-in-law are both stuck at home, on their own. Police are out and about questioning people’s movement, which is very weird, but currently accepted by the population as necessary. The rate of infection is still going up every day (we are at 650 today) and they expect the numbers to keep going up for another 7-10 days. All travel in and out of the country has been suspended and our national airline is now running 5% of its previous scheduled flights. New Zealand’s economy is very heavily dependent on tourism, foreign students (especially from China and India) and dairy exports. The first two have completely stopped, and look to be suspended for a year or more, so the NZ economy is going to be very badly hit, with huge redundancies. The government (we have a left-wing one at the moment) has provided income assistance for everyone made unemployed by the virus and mortgage support for people who would otherwise lose their homes. These measures will soften the blow but not stop hardship.

Like everyone else our family (my husband, 17-year old son and me) is confined to home and will be for another 3 weeks, although word is that the government is thinking of extending it for another 2 weeks after that. I’m not sure what will happen when we all come out again. Maybe the government will stagger things across the country so that the health services can cope. All schools and universities are shut so we are all learning how to teach and learn online. 

Watching how the virus is affecting Italy, Spain, the US, the UK is shocking, and these countries have huge health care resources. Wishing all friends and other alumni and their communities all best wishes for getting through this pandemic!

Pakistan

The government imposed a partial lock down and authorities have restricted non-essential travel. I have not stepped out of the home for the last 6 days but I have set timetable for myself, which includes official work from home and other co-curricular activities such as cutting grass in lawn and playing badminton with my family members. It’s pretty hard to work from home in this challenging time as there's no way to avoid all interruptions from your family and visitors. Many in our area are taking the COVID-19 lightly and are not following the government guidelines. For them, it’s business as usual. Sometimes your family will interrupt you—like if your kid just got hurt. Sometimes, due to lack of human interaction I feel loneliness and I miss the gathering of colleagues and friends but we hope we will soon overcome this crisis and will be able to start our routine life.

I’m following the government guidelines of social distancing, staying at home and health & hygiene. I have also started healthy diet by taking more fluids to boost my immune and to be ready to face the COVID-19.

Pakistan

I have five daughters and son, all are adult and students. All public and private schools are closed since Feb. 2020. My children are staying in home, which is the first time and long time staying at same time in the home. These months are usually yearly examination time. All children are preparing for examinations, but the government announced all schools and universities will be remain closed until May 2020. Now children are busy in cooking, sewing, stitching, online learning. and video films with whole family.

I am also dependent on my salary. We have no money to spend on future food expenses. Today, the government is announcing that conditions are going be worse day by day.

As a social worker, my community members, and daily wage earners which are living near to me are calling me and want finances and food for their families. I am telling them that the government is doing some planning for them. I have also given technical support to poor people to register for an online portal because 70% of daily wage earners are uneducated and they have no facility of internet. So, I am trying my best with their registration with government.

Pakistan

The spread of pandemic COVID-19 has made sure that we won’t be seeing the world like we were used to before. Nothing is going to be same as before. We will encounter new challenges, down-sizing, recession of financial positions.

But, every recession is a beginning of a new rise. We may learn a life worth-living with a totally changed perspective, vision, re-shuffling of priorities, new ways of living, interacting and working. In order to contribute towards social responsibility, social distancing is the least you can do for yourself and for the others! Keep distance! That’s the only way you can protect yourself and others from this pandemic! Stay Home! Stay Safe!

[ayusaurus]

Title: The Messenger Characters: Raphael, Gabriel Pairing: none Word count: 1353 Summary: (Not ship-centric.) In which Raphael is visited by Gabriel to drop off a message, but he finds more between the lines than he cares to read into.  This is mainly just an exercise of my own right. I may continue on with this under the premise of Raphael interacting with others. If it does wind up being more ship centric, I’ll change that later.

“Raphael! I’m sorry for coming in without notice but I have a letter for you.” 

A streak of ink flashed across the paper as his mind finally processed the words which surprised him enough to warrant his hand moving on it’s own. He looked down at the form he had been filling out, letting out a bit of a sigh. He would need another form. 

“Sorry for startling you, Raphael.” Raphael felt his cheeks warm. He still wasn’t used to people coming to see him and conversing with him. The most conversation he would generally have was always one sided, and at times he wondered if the medic angels sensed the desperation in the subjects he’d talk about. Not like they could say anything in response, but this never made him skilled at knowing what to say without some kind of forethought. 

“A-Ah. It’s alright.” He tugged slightly at his bangs, “But you said you had a letter.. Ah is that right, Gabriel?” “I do. It’s from someone who was very inspired it seems while you were healing. Something about watching you create a piece of art.” Gabriel handed the scroll over to Raphael.  Raphael gently thumbed over each sides, taking note of how seemingly archaic the method of communication was when even he himself knew of the technologies on Earth. Regardless, he opened the scroll and read it to himself. It was a bit of a surprise to see someone recall a piece that he had done, let alone a doodle of him drawing himself fighting a bear that he signed. But he supposed that’s what being heaven’s resident artist was like; one doodle you take for granted becomes a treasure for someone else.  Raphael glanced up at the messenger, giving a very awkward attempt at a small smile. “Thank you for, uh, doing what you usually do.”  “It’s no problem. It’s what I was made to do.” Gabriel’s outline shifted and his response seemed cheerful enough, however he could have sworn there was a subtle bite behind the words. One Raphael knew too well. Though, the truth was there, it’s what Gabriel was made to do, just in the similar vein that healing was what he was made to do. He could only guess the expression Gabriel had, but he didn’t want to pry trying to read it, lest he catch the attention of something he’d rather not see or be entitled to at that moment.  “That’s okay.” There was a noticeable silence after the wording, something which made Raphael grow more flustered. What was he thinking? How was that even remotely a proper response? Raphael found himself pulling for words, doing his best to put them in the correct order to form a coherent sentence. “S-sorry... I mean, I can sympathize. It’s not always easy.”  Once again, Gabriel shifted. It looked like he could have been rubbing his neck and an even longer pause followed. Internally, Raphael chastised himself for being so awkward. Even around people whom he should feel comfortable with. Here he was, thousands of years old, and yet he still hadn’t grasped the ability in which to hold a conversation. Why did it have to be so hard for him.  “Does it... get lonely here for you, Raphael?” The measured tone of Gabriel’s words filtered through Raphael’s ears. Raphael looked up towards him, a little perplexed as to why he was asking. “I’m sorry?”   “I just don’t usually see you interact with many people. I apologize if that was a bit forward to be asking.” There was something unreadable in the way in which Gabriel responded. It made the medic angel lean forward a little, almost as if he was trying to latch onto a question he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to. He took pause, trying to once again find a way in which to respond. He didn’t want to come off seeming insensitive if there was something troubling the messenger, but he also didn’t want to dig too deeply into something that very well might not even be there.  Raphael drew his hand to the back of his neck, his other hand fiddling with the cap that was attached to the pen he picked up from the desk. “At times... It does get lonely. Uriel is the only one who really comes to see me, but that’s not always a guarantee. You also come around too, but it’s very infrequent. I see multiple patients a day, but in it’s own right, that’s not really conversation.” Gabriel leaned against the wall, “That must be hard.” Raphael let out a defeated sigh. “It’s not easy, but most of the time I’m busy with other things that by the time the day is done, I feel thankful to have moments by myself.”  Another pause filled the air, though this time it was less intimidating. Outside of Uriel, no one really paid him any mind or even would think to ask these questions. Uriel hardly ever asked as he must have at least sensed that it was lonely. Though, he also did have a purpose to visit most times, so while it wasn’t a stretch to say that Uriel came to visit, it wasn’t exactly the truth either.  “I suppose I can relate to that as I myself am busy with most things. Often times not by choice either. Though, when you’re stuck having to help Michael, when would anyone have time for things?” Gabriel’s tone held a bitter discontent which punctuated the words he spoke surrounding the name, Michael.  “I’d imagine. He seems like he has you working quite a bit. Would you like me to write you a doctor’s note?” Raphael reached for a notepad.  He found himself pausing when he heard the sound of Gabriel’s laugh permeate the air; it started quiet and soon Gabriel found himself struggling for air, speaking only once he caught his breath. “You know, if we weren’t in need of a medical professional on site at all times, I think a comedic profession would be a good fit for you.” Raphael’s jaw hung slightly hearing Gabriel’s comment and pressed a hand to the side of his own face. Was he laughing at him? Did he find his joke funny? Had he made a funny face? “Wh-why was that funny?”  “I just wasn’t expecting you to say the part about the doctor’s note. It made me laugh because even if I took you up on the offer, we both know that Michael would just disregard it...” Gabriel straightened up and any tension that there had been in the room dissipated, his tone more jovial and genuine, “But it was very thoughtful of you to ask if I’d like one, thank you.” “You’re welcome...?” Raphael offered up a brief, shy smile.  “I think I’ll have to come back by again. Your office is a good respite and it’s nice talking with you, Raphael. I should get going though. These messages won’t deliver themselves.” Gabriel’s form looked as though he was waving before he turned around, to which Raphael waved back in kind.  “I’ll be... here whenever you’d like to come back to talk again.” Raphael responded.  “Hopefully sooner than later! Bye!”  Raphael watched as Gabriel’s figure walked through the doorway and rounded the corner. He found the remaining smile on his face dull as his mind gnawed at the notion that there were biting words Gabriel said that left the taste of bitterness in his own mouth. Raphael wouldn’t meddle though. That was a conversation for another time and place and one suited for someone who knew Gabriel better. If there was anything he learned, it was best to stay out of things that didn’t involve him. Even still, the thought that he had made Gabriel laugh made him feel a small bit of joy as he turned to find a new form and continue where he left off. 

[blame-canada]

Tempt a Demon, Pay the Price

Craig Tucker was not religious in any sense of the term, but money was money, and Eric Cartman was convincing. Becoming a cheesy sideshow of a falsified church was not his idea of a good time, but a wild encounter he’d never have expected might turn that around. 

Hey guys so uhhh I definitely wrote this. Imp Tweek x Youth Pastor Craig has kind of exploded and I wanted to join in on the fun but since drawing isn’t really my thing, I figured writing would have to do. I actually like this one despite it being cracky so hopefully you guys do too! Link to AO3 here! Here’s some uhh, yeah. Some of this. Special thanks to Phone Destroyer for gifting us these ridiculous AUs.

Note: alternatively titled ‘The Gayte To Hell.’ I loved myself too much to actually go through with it, sorry.

Performing fake exorcisms and reading off the same script twice a week in a rotation of four major themes was not how Craig expected his adolescence to go. Surely, he thought, there would be one or two summer flings which would end in melodramatic heartbreak, and a few obsessions to cycle through in ridiculous phases he’d insist were not phases. Yet here he was, stuck in the sweltering heat of a church’s atrium, fanning himself with a promotional pamphlet and doodling in his notebook that was supposed to be filled with notes. It wasn’t; it was filled with more doodles.

“And Butters, I want to hear those bells next time, got it? The bells are important. Everyone loves the bells!”

“U-uh, yes Eric, sir,” Butters stuttered, and Craig huffed as he rolled his eyes. He could have been getting drunk at Clyde’s right now. He could have been stuffed in a closet with someone hot right now. He could have been losing his virginity right now. Those were fantasies, though, and right now, Craig liked money, and he liked cheating people out of said money. Cartman’s undeniably for-profit church fit that bill, and so here he stayed, seventeen and devoted to a God he did not believe in.

Truthfully, Craig had never set foot in a church in his life when Cartman made the initial offer. ‘We’ll be making bank, Craig!’ Cartman had insisted, and though Craig knew those words meant absolutely nothing positive when considering their history, he was feeling particularly moody and impulsive that afternoon, and something as idiotic as falsifying an entire church for cash definitely fulfilled the primal teenaged urge to do something reckless. Most kids scribbled on walls or did drugs to rebel. South Park kids started wars and Ponzi schemes.

Every couple of weeks or so Eric Cartman would make them gather ‘round in the atrium of the church to discuss any changes to the routine and make sure everything was in working order. It meant inspecting the fog machines and the motorized furniture, which was the best part, and listening to Cartman gripe about having lost a negligible fraction of money in the past week, which was the worst part. Any moment now and it’d be Craig’s turn to get yelled at. Wonderful.

“Craig, I’m thinking your routine is getting a little stale,” he sneered, a hand to his chin in what he probably thought looked scheming when it just looked stupid, and Craig shrugged at him. “Maybe we should amp up the bullshit, you know, make it cheesier.”

Craig snorted. “How do you get cheesier than, ‘open your heart to salvation!’?” He imitated the bad kind-of Southern accent he usually did with the opening line of his act, and Cartman scrunched up his face in an ugly frown.

“I don’t know, asshole, just play it up! Get more fog machines, fuck! Your job is to be convincing.” He was scowling, which was always a terrible expression on him, which made the whole conversation suddenly amusing.

“We both know I’m a terrible actor,” he countered. He crossed his arms and hoped Cartman’s face would start turning purple.

“You’ve been doing this for over a year and you’ve gotten much better than when you started. Figure it out,” Cartman insisted, an accusatory finger jabbed in his direction. Craig flipped him off and sighed as he leaned forward into his notebook. There wasn’t much more to the meeting, and he wanted to finish his sketch of a dragon. It was pretty messed up, and he was probably going to take a picture of it to post on twitter. He had the handle baddragons and he used it to post pictures of poorly drawn dragon sketches on the corners of his papers. He got a lot of angry DMs looking for the dildos of a common name. He thought it was a pretty good joke.

Cartman wrapped up the meeting five minutes later, and dictated that Craig check all the door locks this time before leaving. The building was a dump, but it was the foundation on which they’d built their lies, and they needed a church for people to come to if they wanted to continue making incredible amounts of money. This month was funded by donations to a non-existent homeless shelter for kids with cancer, and it was astounding that none of the churchgoers bothered to look up the organization they claimed was real and just dumped their cash in the collection buckets. Tithe had been taken to a whole new level, and it was as ugly and stupid as the dragons on his troll twitter account.

The church sometimes felt creepy at night, and that was especially true when no one else was there with him. His colleagues had escaped as soon as Cartman had ended his spiel about the importance of proper fog machine use (to embellish the mysterious effect they were looking for). Craig was supposed to be removing the evil spirits from the souls of their planted audience members. Obviously, this meant there had to be smoke coming from the walls. The regulars ate the shit up, and it was frankly embarrassing that they’d refused to catch on. Humanity was such a waste.

He was halfway through blowing out all the over-the-top candelabras at the altar when a creaking sound squeaked underneath his feet. Craig shuffled his weight between legs to try to trigger it again, but he felt nothing out of the ordinary in the flooring that could have caused the squeaking in the first place, and he shrugged and moved on.

A few moments later the floor did it again, and this time Craig turned around to look for a source of the sound. The church was so dimly lit he could hardly see a thing, but what he could see looked normal. He was about to turn around and return to his candle-snuffing when the floor did it again, but this time louder, and it sounded more like a groan than a creak.

Craig tensed. He refused to die in some fucked up church when he didn’t even believe in God in the first place. Absolutely not. He carefully shifted the candle extinguisher to brandish it like a baton should he need to strike a threat. He waited.

A rush of hot air flew through the building and put out the remaining candles one by one, and at the same time, the ground below him began to shake. Craig bent his knees in a defensive stance to keep his balance. From the floorboards came what started as a groan and turned into a wail, which turned into screaming that made his ears feel like they were bleeding and felt like claws gouging at the flesh of them at the same time. In his surprise, he dropped the extinguisher, and brought both palms up to his ears to try to drown out the cries. It sounded like thousands of horrified voices moments before death, and even though Craig couldn’t care less about that part, it must have had some sort of magic to it because his eyes welled up with tears that he couldn’t control or understand.

From the place in the floor that the screaming exploded grew a light, warm and orange which turned to a blinding yellow the louder the voices cried. His hands weren’t helping, and he was resisting the urge to scratch at his ears in an attempt to stop the horrid sounds. The light and sound disappeared for one blissful second where Craig thought it might be over, but as soon as the silence in the air began to ring, an explosion burst from the floorboards in the center of the aisle.

Craig choked on a gasp and hacked as he backed away as quickly as he could without falling. His back pressed against his podium, and he watched as the cheap wooden floor panels splintered and broke apart to leave room for a hole split right through the earth that glowed an angry red-orange, like the flames of a fire. Never in all his life had he ever felt so compelled to talk to God. 

He was about to start awkwardly reciting lines he’d learned in his pseudo-studies when out of the hole popped a ragged, fiercely clawed hand, which spread its pointed tips to dig itself into the wood. Craig shrieked, and any semblance of confidence or security fled from him at such a supernatural sight. The hand braced itself, and it pushed down with all its might to make the slab of wood collapse under its weight and heave to the surface a body curled inward.

Craig covered his mouth to prevent his panicked gasping for air from making sounds. In front of him, in front of the hole that undoubtedly led to Hell (which Craig had not believed in until personally witnessing its existence just now), was what looked like a boy.

At first glance he seemed normal, but from his back spread two huge crimson wings, leathery like a bat’s, and Craig spotted two matching horns sprouting from within messy golden locks of hair. The wings grew larger as they unfolded, and soon they were easily surpassing the width of the aisle, splayed fully out. Behind him a tail like a rat’s swung back and forth like a dog’s, a telltale spade at the end of it twitching. “A demon,” Craig whispered, and he yelped when the creature’s head shot up to meet his gaze with piercing cat’s eye pupils in fiery yellow irises.

“An imp, actually,” he said, and with each flap of his lips Craig saw canines sharp as daggers lining his gums. He gulped, his throat suddenly feeling dry as a desert, and the demon boy tilted his head slowly, carefully.

“You’re not like the others,” he said, and it took a few moments for Craig to compose himself before he realized the boy was staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

“I’m not really a pastor!” Craig held his hands up in the air as though it might help prove his innocence. His gut twisted and he fought the urge to vomit with all his being. The ground was still screaming, and he was finding himself drawn to staring at it instead of the demon in front of him.

“Oh yeah, s-sorry about that, hang on,” the boy said, and with a snap, the hole was gone and the screeches were completely silenced. Craig looked up into his intense eyes again and found that even with the gate to hell closed, there was still a sound that surrounded him, almost like a low chanting or hum that represented his raw energy. He stood up straight, and that was when Craig realized that the second half of his body was not human, but furry and cloven hooved. Dear God.

He tilted his head again, and leaned on the pitchfork Craig hadn’t noticed he had. “You say you’re not a servant to the Lord?”

“I-I honestly don’t even know what that means,” Craig said quickly. “I don’t even believe! Well, okay, now I might, but. Before that, no. I do this for money!”

The demon nodded. “I knew that much, and that’s why I came here to drag you to Hell. I don’t know, though…” He trailed off, and raised a clawed finger to press it to his lower lip in thought. “Y-you’re pretty cute, nnh, for a human.” He twitched to the left and frowned.

Craig stuttered, lost for words or what to say really, but when he did finally speak, it was not at all what he wanted to say. “You too!” he exclaimed, and he covered his mouth immediately afterwards as though it could rescind his statement. What an embarrassment.

The demon boy chuckled. The sound was melodic and shook with the humming of his energy so that it reverberated in the church’s echoey chambers, and it was beautiful. Craig wasn’t sure if he was supposed to find it beautiful. Demons were supposed to be the worst, after all, according to his made-up scripture. Craig was supposed to be banishing demons. This one seemed pretty okay, though, and even though Craig was shaking so badly he felt like he might fall apart at the seams, he wasn’t all that threatening. That is, if he could get past the teeth and claws and wings, and horns, and hooves. He was particularly fixated on the cherry-red appendages sticking out of his back.

“Y-you like them?” the demon asked, and he made one flapping motion with his wings for good measure. The wind of it brushed Craig’s hair back and nearly ripped his hat clean off. Luckily he was still crouched against his podium, or else he probably would have stumbled from the wind force.

“Who are you?” Craig finally asked. The demon’s head tilted even further to the side in a way that made Craig think it must hurt his neck, but he seemed content.

“I’m not supposed to tell you,” he started, “but I like you, so I’m Tweek.” He smiled, and it would have been sweet if he didn’t have terrifyingly sharp fangs taunting him behind his lips. The demon boy named Tweek was pretty, Craig would admit, with high cheekbones and elongated features that made him look lanky but somehow beautiful, like a dancer. His eyes were proving just as incredibly sharp as the first time he met them, and they danced on their own with their own fires. He was fascinating to look at, and Craig was mesmerized. The way Tweek giggled made Craig think he’d been caught staring.

“So...yeah. Hell, I guess. You really shouldn’t do this, y-you know,” Tweek lectured, gesturing at the church. “The only reason I can come in here is that your church is so illegitimate, you have no protective worship energy surrounding it. None of you believe at all. I-isn’t that sad, t-to just, not believe in something?” He frowned slightly. “It seems lonely. If I was allowed to like God, I probably would. He seems nice.”

Craig shook his head. “Okay, I’m sorry, but I have no idea what’s happening. Am I dreaming? What the fuck did I take?” he asked, and Tweek laughed at him again.

“You didn’t take anything. You just fucked up and I’m here to make you pay.”

“Oh, good,” Craig mumbled. “I always wanted to become a martyr.”

“I don’t think this counts as martyrdom. You’re not even religious. You’re just a shitty person.” Tweek looked surprised, his cat eyes blinking slowly. “You don’t want to make your case before I toss you in, then?” Tweek stepped forward, his wings rising to glide over the pews. The closer he got, the grander they became, until Craig was so enamored with them that he wanted to reach out and pet just one finger on the skin that webbed Tweek’s wings together.

“I don't really have a case. I know this is wrong.” Craig shrugged. He was starting to feel more comfortable, and his shaking had been reduced to adrenaline-fueled tremors. Now that he looked closer, Tweek seemed to be shaking slightly too. “Are you afraid of me too?” he asked, but he instantly regretted it the moment Tweek snorted at him.

“N-no,” he smirked, “I just shake. God made me wrong so Satan took me instead. He’s very, ngh,” Tweek twitched violently mid-sentence, “nice! You'd like him, I think. Most do. Let's go!” Tweek snapped and the hole in the ground reappeared, squealing at full-force.

“You want me to get in that?” Craig yelled over the cries, and Tweek gave him a confused look.

“W-well, you don't really have a choice.”

“No?” Craig asked, and Tweek shook his head. Craig rubbed his hands together and did what he did best: scam his way through a tight spot. “You're a devil, right?” Tweek nodded slowly. “Wouldn't the more devilish thing to do be to… I dunno, defy your orders and steal me away for yourself?” Craig crossed his fingers behind his back.

Tweek’s eyes practically glowed. “Wow, would you really let me do that?” Craig nodded, very subtly as he was still very uncertain, but he did. “That sounds fun!” He shrieked and the high pitch of his voice rattled the windows and pierced Craig’s brain like an instant migraine. “O-oh, sorry. I forget you're so fragile.” He looked sheepish, which was not a description Craig thought he would ever give a demon. Then again, Craig hadn't believed in demons until one quite literally showed up in front of him. 

“You still have to get in, though,” Tweek said, frowning. “I can fly but I don't want to fly out of here in such a small town. Satan doesn't like when we’re spotted. I want to teleport a little ways out. Is that okay?”

“No,” Craig said, his stomach flipping again at the sight of the flames beneath the floorboards. “But I guess I have no choice.”

“Nope!” Tweek said cheerfully, and Craig sighed.

“Okay,” he said, feeling as though he'd either horribly regret or fondly recall his decision, “take me away, demon boy.”

“I'm an imp,” Tweek corrected, but Craig rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, imp boy. Let's go.”

His stomach erupted into butterflies at the excited gleam in Tweek’s eyes as he held out a clawed hand for him to take. Craig slowly placed his palm in his, and the pad of his hand was surprisingly soft to the touch. It was warm, but not clammy, and Craig relaxed into his hold as he was tugged gently forward. “I can't believe I'm doing this,” he muttered, but Tweek gave him a reassuring smile that was much gentler without the deadly fangs poking out of his lips.

“I won't hurt you,” Tweek said, and somehow, for some idiotic reason, Craig believed him. For a moment he recalled his family, his friends, and his coworkers who would find his notebook discarded and the floors ripped to shreds without any idea of what had transpired, but something about the imp holding his hand made him less worried about the life he was likely abandoning for a long time. 

Tweek led him forward and he gulped, staring down into the flames that screamed. “They won't burn you,” Tweek said, “they’re just warm.” Craig still feared them. After a moment to collect himself, he nodded, giving Tweek permission to lead him in.

“So, are you familiar with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?” Tweek asked, grinning, and Craig choked on his spit before he was pulled forward and began a free-fall through a wormhole leading to God knew where.

When they resurfaced it was in a dark shack in a town Craig didn't recognize, and Tweek had the same grin in place as when they hopped through the portal the first time, and Craig had to wonder just how familiar he was with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and how much it was going to relate to the hours of sex they would undoubtedly be having in the very near, very enticing future.

THE END