#maybe ill start posting oc art/ writing on here who knows

[stars4roryy]

post more about ur ocssssssssss oooooo do it do ittttt you know you want toooooooo woooshhhhh wooooshhhhhhh wind swishing noisesss

THOSE WORDS ARE LIKE MUSIC TO MY EARS!!! using this as an excuse to infodump :P

this is Vi my most recent child, she was originally just a loreless character I made to project onto but I decided to link her up to my silurian doctor who oc nieve :3 SO vi is like the epiteme of adhd she's a constant ball of energy despite her body hating her for it which contrasts but also somehow compliments nieve's serious, guarded personality. vi and nieve travel with the doctor part time while also trying to juggle violet's education and disabilities and nieve's Many problems. nieve and the doctor are both immortal and have lost a lot of people but vi literally lights up their life and helps them rediscover the beauty of travelling the universe and helping people. the doctor and nieve kiiinda have a Thing going on meanwhile they see vi as their child/ younger sibling and would break the laws of time and space to protect her. and ofc tornado the ferret is an absolute staple of their adventures. they travel with the 11th, 12th and 13th doctors purely because they're my favourite and I think their dynamics are so fun. I need to draw & write about them more but that's all I've got for now

[sundial-bee-scribbles]

In case it's hard to read/understand: "If I had a nickel for every time I had a story with a blonde girl named after a plant, who has a German father and a French mother but absolutely hates said mom, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."

weird, extremely-specific tropes in my stories: pt 1

[szilverer]

hewwo

made this blog primarily to dump oc content & maaaybe liveblog a bit! (its my first time engaging in a fandom space like this so im pretty lost, do lemme know if i mess up with tagging or etiquette or smth. more about me here.)

my FL acc is from 2016 but i only really started playing this august! ive finished my ambition now but theres still a lot i dont know about the lore n stuff. IGN is Hreisz, feel free to send a CC or even just random in-character letters & menace help reqs.

im always open to asks/interactions here as well, just keep in mind i might take A While to respond as i am but an hermit with the barest of executive functions

trying to use this hyperfixation to practice digital art so there'll be random experimental doodles here as i try to find out wtf i am doing. everytime i open a canvas its a surprise. youve been warned

tags:

#chaindoodles -> art tag, #chainrambles -> text tag

#the twilight phantom -> the blorbo

#nightmarriage -> my blorbo hoards trash. block this to be spared from witnessing their latest questionable decision

content warning tags:

#light fingers spoilers

#suggestive in case i draw (or write?) smth that can be perceived as saucy, spicy, horn knee, overtly kinky or implied nsfw. there wont be anything Actually explicit here though

i like #blood and injuring my characters both mentally and physically. so uh. that. possibly violence.?

??

#poor edward

So who's this "Twilight Phantom"?

nearly everything about H_______ Reisz is dictated by my actions playing FL, so they're developing in real time. been lots of fun to see this clean slate (and i mean clean - i knew nothing about the setting, the lore, or who they were, so naturally, this guy didn't either) get shaped by the narrative And my mechanical wiki-fueled decisions.

ill make a better, dedicated post eventually but for now have a vague intro + some refs under the cut:

The first thing you notice about them is the cowl lazily draped around their head and shoulders, swaying behind their back like a cape in the colours of sunrise-- or, perhaps most familiarly, the velvety twilight that the newest star every so often provides to London.  The second thing is the deep scars covering one side of their face, and the third thing would probably be the heavy eyebags under their sharp, dark eyes.

A relatively freshly-minted Silverer, H. Reisz spends more time in Parabola than London nowadays. Not that they had been in London for too long anyway, and it's not like anyone knows where they were before that either. The surface, yes, but it's a big world out there, right? They don't actually remember seeing the sun, or the sky, but H cannot deny the soft colours of twilight and sunrise have a special place in their heart. They recognise it without the memory of experiencing it, just like they recognised love in the depths of a certain Labyrinth. Hmm, two Labyrinths, actually. There was that one heiress too... and the Orphanage was inside one hell of a maze too... if they had a coin every time they found themself inside labyrinths, they'd... Uh, where were we? Well, anyway, being a new face, they had nothing to be known for so they simply gave out their surname instead. Or well, what they assumed to be their surname. "H. REISZ" were the letters sewn-in on a diminute corner of the tattered black veil that wrapped their head back when they woke up for the "first" time. They were surrounded by near-empty bottles of dried mouldy honey, absinthe, and who knows what else. Ah, the decadence... they couldn't even remember what honey could do at the time but they could recognise the stench of self-destruction right away, haha.  Alas, if things were so bad they got to that point-- maybe this explains why moving on was so easy. Maybe they had somehow lobotomized themself on purpose. Who knows? They sure don't. It was only now, a year or so after waking up, that an epithet has started to stick around-- specifically by their actions as a Silverer and the services they provided. From nightmare-slaying to fishing out vestigial memories (the irony of an amnesiac doing this is not lost on them) to guiding and safeguarding lost dreamers, their glimmering signature cowl and the way it flowed rather phantasmagorically in Parabola started to leave an impression. To many dreamers, seeing a hint of pastel twilight colors signaled safety. It signaled someone you could trust to get inside your head. :)

[teine-mallaichte]

Hey there! Thought it was time for a new, better put together, pinned post seeing as I vaguely know how to use this website now 😝

Fandoms

I mainly write One Piece and Dragon Age (focusing on ZoSan and Fenders). Two wildly different fandom experiences, but in some ways the same ship - seems I have a thing for the enemies-to-lovers dynamic!

I'm currently playing veilguard but trying to keep my posts on that topic to my side blog @teineplaysveilguard .

Prompts

I try to take part in DADWC most  Fridays, taking prompts from here.

I'm also open to taking prompts at any time, whether from any of these prompt lists (include the full prompt and list in the ask) or just whatever prompt you feel like sending. Just send the prompt, list, and which character(s) - either fandom or OC.

Original Characters

I've been recently branching out into original characters and worlds.

My "Complex 27" universe is getting pretty large now. universe is expanding rapidly. It’s set in a dystopian and semi-apocalyptic future where an organization called “the Facility” operates multiple complexes worldwide, training, housing, and renting out living weapons. The narratives revolve around the assets/living weapons from Complex 27.

I also have my  Echoes of the Forgotten War universe which is currently on hold. It explores a fantasy world marked by a past war between humans and elves—details of which have faded from memory. Now generations later humans prosper, and the noble houses keep “conscripted elves” (descendants of prisoners from the war). However, free elves are a rare sight among humans - most having hidden themselves in self-isolated civilizations. The story follows a human mage intrigued by the lost history and an escaped conscripted elf who becomes his ally.

What I Like to Write About

Character Studies & Internal Monologues: I love digging into a character’s mind, making them face their own demons and dilemmas.

World Building: Honestly, I might enjoy building worlds more than writing the actual narrative! Though I haven’t figured out how to just share world-building alone...

Canon Divergence & What-If Scenarios: I’m a sucker for these, and recently I’ve been dipping into AUs as well.

Whump/Angst I Enjoy

Living/human weapon

Hiding injury/illness

Altered consciousness

Environmental whump

Manipulation

Gilded cage

Psychological whump

Whumperless whump

Conditioned whumpee

What I Don’t Write

Smut: I’ve tried, but it’s not my thing. Maybe one day, but don’t hold your breath!

Fluff & Comfort: Not my strong suit, but I try occasionally.

About Me

Day Job

I’m a personal trainer and run coach, specializing in marathon runners.

Peer Support Worker

I work with people who’ve experienced self-harm and eating disorders. I’ve also worked with people affected by abuse, psychosis, PTSD, and dissociation.

Education

I have a bio-med degree (physiology & neuroscience) and started graduate medicine aiming to become a doctor. Unfortunately, I had to drop out at 22 due to mental illness. Since then, I trained as a teacher (post-16, teaching maths and pharmacology), but long story short, I was shit at teaching.

I’m now studying forensic psychology.

Martial Arts

I’ve practiced kendo since 2008, HEMA since 2023, and aikido since 2024.

Mental Health

I have schizoaffective disorder, so I go through periods of psychosis, mania, and depression. Even when stable, I experience auditory hallucinations—my main voice is Nigel, who’s basically my annoying roommate. But when less stable I experience grandiose delusions, visual hallucinations, disorganised speech, and paranoia amongst other symptoms.

I am also in recovery from both self-harm and bulimia, aswell as having experience of dissociation, anxiety, and PTSD.

I’m really open about my mental health; I’ve written blogs for charities and give talks locally. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Neurodivergence

I'm also autistic and ADHD—not mental illness but felt worth mentioning.

Writing & Mental Health

I often weave my own mental health experiences into my writing—it’s that whole “write what you know” thing. After having to drop out of med school due to my illness, I’m now studying psychology as a mature student. So, in a way, mental health is “all I know.” 😅

Commonly used tags:

Tagged whump fics

Tagged Dragon Age fics

Tagged Complex 27 fics

Tagged Echoes of the forgotten war fics

My drawings

My attempt at writing guides on different symptoms for writers reference:

Let's talk hallucinations in whump/general fiction.

Expanding our use of dilirium within the whump community

[whalefill]

please tell us more abt your walkingdead hyperfixation i promise we'll be nice abt it!!! your art is stunning!!!

oh god ok well thank you firstly

basically here's the thing I really have a lot of problems with the walking dead, i've never read the comics or played the game so my only reference is the tv show which ran for way too long and went through too many writers (who only share ONE quality consistently and thats being fucking weird! it's so fucking racist and I wish more people talked about that!!!)

it feels like the story is just completely lost along the way which I think most people can agree on. so my hyperfixation is on twd but mainly all of the ways that I would not SQUANDER its potential if I were the one writing it

but I'm not taking 11 seasons worth of bullshit and meticulously altering each part of it to my tastes because I'm not that dedicated. I'm taking the premises of the characters that I really like, or are necessary to the plot, and making them brand new. like basically just ocs at this point.

but enough yapping im gonna tell you some actual details of the rewrite

- Rick, now named River, is an ex-firefighter rather than an ex-cop. because you cannot ever be a hero if you are a fucking cop. sorry. he and Shane (no new name yet) and their wretched codependent brother/best friend situation have enchanted me mind and soul so I have to physically restrain myself from making the rest of this post about them , but just know he beats Shane to death in the equivalent of Hershel's barn as its in flames and he walks away permanently marred with burns. he's also much much more mentally ill in my version. this guy has disorders like you wouldn't believe. disorders out the wazoo

- the character i would say I'm keeping the most true to the show is Daryl, even down to his name. all I've done is hit him with the transgenderfication beam. and also the autismfication beam. but both of these things are so plain to me in the source material that they barely feel like big changes

- Maggie is now named Madeline (Mads for short). she undergoes a genuine corruption arc here, because as each member of her family is picked off by pointless feuds she eventually has no empathy left for people that aren't already close to her heart. she deserves to be irredeemably insane. which is why she's the one to jail my version of Negan, not Rick like in the show, and she tortures him before eventually killing him. (IT'S SO DESERVED. SHE LOSES HER BABY TO HIM IN MY VERSION)

and don't get me started on Carol .. that woman needs to be a butch lesbian NOW 💔

- the apocalypse itself is also vastly different. it starts with a descent into major fascism in the west and the effects of it worldwide, and that's why the sickness is so quick to destroy civilization as a majority -- its just the last nail in the coffin. additionally, it's not really zombies anymore, they're not undead. just no longer human. because a disease that affects living things with appetites and some semblance of lingering intelligence and coordination is much, much scarier than the bumbling idiots in twd, and I have always, ALWAYS thought zombies were goofy.

maybe one day I'll have a concise document to share? I'm still working on it as a collaborative thing with my siblings who I dragged into watching the show with me, so I don't have it all figured out yet. ummmmmm. I'm gonna say that's all for now before this post really gets too long

THANKS FOR ASKING!!!!! and have a good day pls :)

[morganpdf]

U kno what. Go ham and answer all (or as many of the questions as you want/are relevant) for uhhhhhh Robin and/or Fig (idr if Fig is your OC or Justice’s OC so I’ll leave it up to you)

damb!!!!!!!!!! an excuse to talk too much about robin lets go!!!!!!! (fig is @saltylenpai's and he's not feeling 2 well so i dont wanna bombard him w messages rn dsfds but if i know something for them ill answer it)

also warning for ~mature themes~ or w/e bc this is about robin and she fucks. sorry (nothing graphic just the acknowledgement that she does)

also just for clarity's sake, when i say 'connect 4' thats just the name juice & i use for august/piper/robin/felix bc thats easier than naming them one by one dsfds. on w the show

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

god ngl i can't really, remember, justice might have named her?? like. that's the most likely scenario :sob: he's named so many of my ocs when we were doing back-and-forths trying to figure out the vibes of guys. robin was fun tho bc she didnt have a name when i first posted her bc i really liked her design and wanted to post it despite not having. u know. a name for her yet. also just checked her og post and it has 69 notes. its what she would want

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

when i first made her, robin was 25! now its sort of just a nebulous mid-to-late 20s depending on when art of her takes place tbh! i'd say she's 24/5-ish around the start of that story (so, like, when she finally breaks it off 100% w zoey [her shitty ex that she started dating in highschool], piper moves in w her, potential one night stand w felix, etc etc). maybe a little younger but also not by much. by the time she's got shit more figured out (ie felix has moved in, she & piper have started dating, getting help for her various neuroses etc) would be like 28-29, probs in her 30s by the time they ALL move in together imo. i could be off w that tho but its fine dsbhfs their story is always changing and growing so who knows!

okay wait i just came back to this like 3 hours after starting to write these & sitting on it and. i think robin is roughly 23 when zoey breaks up w her and piper moves in. august is in her senior year of undergrad when she meets piper (again) and she's younger than robin. i think piper is the youngest?? okay wait. ok. robin is 23 when piper moves in, who is 21 at the time. august is 22 & felix is like 21 and a half. or something. at the very beginning. or maybe robin is 22 and piper is 20 and they dont encounter august for another year or so??? idk. ill figure this out eventually. where i draw her most is her late 20s when shes happy w everyone HSDVSFV thats what matters

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

yeas :3 felix is their partner/fiancé (they dont get married for a long time even after getting engaged bc robin just, really likes calling them her fiancé. it's really special to her) and piper is her girlfriend!! it took a long time for robin to realize she was worth loving tbh but all of connect 4 are out here trying to remind her whenever they can (even august. begrudgingly.) (also just to clarify, august is piper's wife) (and felix's gym buddy/bestie/fuck buddy) (she and robin have some sort of fwb thing going on. enemies with benefits. they pretend to hate each other but dont be fooled. theyre besties) (august just isnt romantically involved w anyone But piper) (same w felix & robin)

also fig is dating wren! however i have no current art of them :sob: he's a sweetheart printmaking major who meets fig in school. fig is a fine arts type major who minors in, like, photography, & also tries to work w as many mediums as possible. wren is kind of infatuated w them but tries to hide it bc he's... a dork. he's a dork who does NOT know how to talk to people. and takes to doodling fig in their sketchbook & making prints abt the nebulous Feelings they give him. fig is Aware of it but is Very Autistic abt it all & cant place their own feelings for a while. it all comes to a head when they're. like. hanging out together in the studio and fig just drops a description of how theyve been feeling around wren and wren is like. um. ummmm. did they just fucking. confess to me. and then it's another week before wren is like heeyyyyyyyyyy. would you. like to go on a date. and fig is like. ok :) anyways theyre very in love.

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

is coffee a food. i think robin would live off of it if she could. felix is like, the main reason she starts actually Eating Food Normally bc they wont let her drink 5 iced coffees & call it a day. but to tell u the truth ive never really thought abt her fav food! it's probably something really simple, tho, like one of her dad's pasta recipes. comfort foods to the max.

💼 - What do they do for a living?

robin works as a barista at the coffee shop below her apartment (let me have this fantasy). ive said it once and i'll say it again: robin is the epitome of coffee shop au (derogatory). she doesnt Hate it bc so much free coffee & all her coworkers are some kind of queer but shes also like. not exactly a social butterfly & if anyone's ever a jackass to her she will Not take it (let me have this fantasy also). she's llike 5' even but if anyone yells at any of her coworkers. even ones she doesnt like. she's up to bat so fast. u wanna speak to the manager? ok speak to me. ill kill you

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

YEAS robin likes to sew & make clothes/costumes in her spare time. zoey used to make fun of her abt it so she kind of fell off of it for a while, but when piper moved in w her & showed interest in it, robin picked it back up! didn't get fully back into it for a while, but she's out here making clothes for connect 4 as a labor of love (esp felix bc. theyre fucking huge & have trouble finding things in their size sometimes. especially in the arms). also i specify costumes bc she absolutely drags all of them 2 conventions w her in themed cosplays that, like, none of them but robin understand dvgfsdgv. she also sometimes tag-teams w ellis (august's old college roomie) bc xe's actually really into cosplay & nerd shit but can't sew. however xe CAN work w robin to add cool practical effects to costumes and as much as they bully each other . ngl their cosplays always fuck. OH ALSO robin has a tattoo gun . she gives herself tattoos sometimes. when she's feeling it. sometimes the others get in on it dsfds

🎯 -What do they do best?

bitch and moan and be a hater. fuck nasty lesbian style. etc etc

jokes aside tbh . i dont want to boil her down to "barista" but she IS, like, good at what she does. the shit she makes slaps. one of those bitches who has as many fancy coffee gadgets around the apartment as she can afford (and some she cant). no one's complaining tho bc. despite all the bitching she does. she really likes doing things 4 the people she loves and has everyones morning favs down pat

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

once more. bitch and moan and be a hater & fuck nasty lesbian style. dsvbhgfvbsdh. this is only half a joke tbh robin can be hypersexual & genuinely really enjoys sex so like. yeah. she loves to bone down w any mix of connect 4 and it's a blessing that there's 3 other people bc sometimes i dont think any one of them could keep up. lmao. other than that she enjoys, like, reading indie comics & also manga tbh. loves to cuddle up w felix in bed while they read bc they have sleeping trouble & she knows she helps sometimes. loves to plan dates & hangouts even if she complains the whole time. loves spending any & all time she can w her loved ones now that she lets herself Connect on an emotional level as for shit she hates 2 do. working closers @ opening back to back (happens often). not a fan of cooking. hates going to the gym but will do it to watch felix & august work out. thinks most chores are a sisyphean task that she, personally, has been burdened with (enjoys doing laundry tho). hates talking abt her feelings but gets better abt it

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

the first christmas she spent w felix was. ngl. life changing for her. even if shit broke bad shortly after :sob: (they get it worked out but it gets messy for a hot second). genuinely one of the first times she feels Loved for who she is & like she could deserve it someday. which scares the hell out of her in the moment but. despite everything she still thinks abt it fondly also. when she proposes to felix is up there. not necessarily the proposal (that was slapdash & embarrassing and she kind of wants 2 crawl into the dirt) (after weeks of planning & getting cold feet Once Already, she just drops it on felix while they're driving & they nearly crash bc thats nothing they would have ever expected robin 2 say. and robin ends up so embarrassed she nearly has a panic attack trying to backtrack bc what was she doing what was she saying this was the worst obviously youre going to say no im so sorry please ignore everything ive said in the past 5 minutes--) (felix has to pull over on the side of the road to help robin Chill)but the aftermath, when she's calmed down enough that felix is able to be like, hey, hey, baby. look at me. you can take it back if you really want but the answer would be yes either way ok? and they have a Moment and end up making out w robin sat up on the guard rail while the sun sets around them. very romantic save for all the honking they get

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

most anything involving her ex and highschool. tbh. that's all kind of a blur for her but it's not like she Wants to remember any of it. zoey has always preyed on her insecurities & kind of molded her into the bitter cunt she pictures herself as so. it's kind of all bad. she wasn't a good person when she was with zoey & she knows it & feels guilty abt it. other contenders include: when she lied to her dads abt going to college in LA (she went for a semester and dropped out) specifically to be w zoey, knowing they wouldnt have Let Her Go had they known zoey was involved (they did not like zoey). any memory involving holidays spent alone (or worse: w zoey) when she would ignore calls from her dads. another contender for worst is the memory of seeing felix for the first time after their initial break up because ough ouch oof owie that sucked shit.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

nope! she was originally a splatoon octoling :^] still very similar vibes tho!

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

juice & i wanted to make splat ocs that were salmon runners! her og lore is that she worked salmon run shifts over night & coffee shop shifts during the day. no time to sleep she needs to make money. now she just has the coffee shop job but she's still just as cranky and mean. FELIX HOWEVER has changed so much. i know this isn't abt felix but its still wild thinking abt just how much they've mellowed out compared to like, og felix.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

slice of life :^] same as august and piper. there's a post going around abt, like, coming of age stories for adults where. u know. people over 25 or whatever are finally coming into their own & if that was a Genre id absolutely smack robin into it. she grows A Lot from her 20s into her 30s. continues to grow from there, too. haven't thought too much abt, like, Older Connect 4 bc i have some Neuroses around that, but shhh

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

robin is cis </3 but a lesbian! <3 fsdfds (august is also cis and a lesbian. piper and felix are the partners w the genders) (piper is a trans lesbian & felix is. genderfluid? queer? has something going on. & bisexual. like. fuck men as a man, fucks women as a woman, etc) (u only technically asked abt robin but shh)

fig is (wavy hand motion) and demi :^] juice is still playing around w their gender, when i asked it was like. some variation of nonbinary or agender leaning on towards transfem. gender simply does not matter to them

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

both robin and fig are only children!

robin feels Guilty abt that often bc she feels like she's kind of a fuck up and that her dads deserved a better daughter (they love her dearly and would never think she's a failure or a burden) (but robin has Neuroses)

fig is. tbh. very much a spoiled only child. theyre very sweet and kind tbh but they were (and are) Very Protected From Everything & their parents can and will do anything for them at any given moment. money is no object. they use this power for good as often as they can tho

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

ope didnt realize this was the next question dsvfgsd so. uh. oopies. i will add on that like. robins dads went the surrogacy route w her. her godmom was the gestational carrier & is pretty good friends w her dads so she shows up to family functions a lot dsfsd. ive yet to design her tho (very double income no kids lesbian aunt vibes from her) (i need to flesh her out more actually) (juice and i half designed robins dads once but didnt settle on anything. need to do that again)

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

i like that robin grows and heals w time, and even though she fucks up she still ends up happy w her friends and family. she has a support system of people who love her. despite going through deep shit & dealing w a lot of mental health issues, she's happy and safe and loved & has learned how to cope w things & is on her way to forgiving herself. she doesnt want to die anymore. she finally looks forward to the future. im normal. dont look too much into this. anyways

as for fig . my fav thing abt them is how in love w the world they are. they never get tired of how beautiful everything is, from sunsets to grass growing in cracks in the sidewalk to the patterns that gnats follow. its part of the reason they get into art tbh. they want to translate that beauty into their work. why they dabble in every medium they can. i love fig so much

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

robin is easily my most drawn oc (followed shortly by jo, but mostly bc jo was like. my only oc for a while & they were directly connected to a special interest at the time) BUT EVEN THEN. I DONT DRAW HER ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH 😭😭😭 rip to all my ocs who arent my comfort characters that no one fucking Knows about because i never draw them. BIGGER rip to the OCs who dont even have toyhouse pages bc i only drew them once years ago and have since redesigned in my mind but havent drawn yet. looking @ ellis & atlas & wren & graham especially. sorry to my boys (and ellis) i just never draw guys ever :sob: (posts that made me realize its literally like. all my guy ocs - and ellis - who i havent uploaded yet 😭😭😭)

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

lmao no absolutely not robin is going to live forever. all my ocs are immortal (<- guy who has Intense Neuroses & Anxieties revolving around death and is not in a place where he can unpack that shit yet)

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

i dont think robin has any ACTUAL phobias (like., defined ones. you know what i mean??) (like arachnophobia or agorophobia or w/e), but for the longest time she was terrified of showing anyone that she cares bc she didn't want to get used again. that's why the initial break-up? w felix happens (she admits she loves them during sex & then immediately panics and kicks felix out & runs away to her dads house for a month w/o telling anyone & purges all her socials. she's normal and makes totally rational decisions). she also has a pretty big Fear that zoey is going to dredge up old shit and start shit and make the rest of connect 4 leave her (which. like. zoey DOES try after a couple of years) (bc shes a petty motherfucker who is upset that robin's doing well) (it obviously. doesn't work) (piper writes a. quite frankly. scathing ass message to zoey) (august swears if she were a few years younger & stupider she would have gone out and started a Fight) (felix just holds her so tight) (anyways)

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

fig is absolutely incapable of having an arch-nemesis or rival. like. thats not something that could exist 4 them. they love everyone too much and just assume good intentions. its a problem sometimes.

also robin has several rivals tbqh. the peppy gay barista at work who is too much of a ray of sunshine. she is going to get him to crack. ellis is a rival bc xe hates everyone august has ever slept with (barring piper) (i dont think xe realizes she slept w felix though bc . those two had . a lot of risky hookups in public places i dont think they really ever boned at the apartment LMAO). august is her BIGGEST rival (said lovingly). their relationship is very (robin voice) shut up august im gonna go fuck your wife now. and august bullies her so hard. relentlessly. also full disclosure they also fuck sometimes but its specifically (i warned everyone abt sexual themes or whatever so i can say this) really rough nasty stuff bc august doesnt mind getting rougher w her and robin lives for it. lmao. very hatesex type shit where they're constantly butting heads while robin is tied to the bed. we have fun here

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

i posted robin for the first time on sept 7 2020!! which is the same day as justice's bday which is fun. so! she'll be 4 this year :^] wild as shit tbh it still feels like she's a new oc to me.

fig also looks like they have a 2020 bday, just earlier in the year! wild!

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

me sitting here like. okay how much pain am i gonna be in acknowledging how old i was in 2020. okay lets see. ok. robin was a week before my birthday which means i was. oh my god. i was 24. i wasnt even 25 yet. oh my god. ohghh my god. time comes for us all. i made robin older than me when i made her im gonna throw up. im gonna become an oyster. im gona

[arlecchno]

lmao the blonde parts are supposed to be teal but i havent had a chance to redye them in foreverr … also yes ! my xiao jacket ! its not the only one out there though LOL

the wall youre seeing is actually my best friend roofs long lost sibling , wall /j

BEFORE 6 !? i could never i always go to bed at like 12am …. im so sleep deprived on school days lol

ME AND THAT FRIEND DID SO MANY SILLY THINGS IN OUR MATH/STEM CLASS LMAO we used to play genshin wish sim (im very young T_T) and say weird things to summon characters (i told the computer id help make kaeya dilucs brother again to get diluc , and BOTH OF THEM CAME HOME IN THE SAME PULL) tbh ive always complained ab stairs so ,,, i cant even take the stairs in my building anymore bc i live on the 9th floor itd take way too long 😭

we have a lot of the same top 5s , kaeya , diluc , and scara share #1 because … yes . my favorite gal is fischl i love her sm -

i have 11 5*s (not including aloy) , and im currently pulling for sir acting grand scribe himself ! im at around late 30 pity , if he does / doesnt come home i will make self ship art because i dont think he would like that >:)

GOOD TO KNOW ITS GOING WELL im actually making notes for a fic i wanna write on call w my previously mentioned friend roof LOL ive had the idea ever since the nilotpala cup event , i really wanted to make like an actual fic based off of it bc that girl from the yae publishing house was supposed to or wtv HAHAH but im procrastinating on a title so im just . UGH - yk ?

i did have a good day both the day you replied and today ! i am injured but its not bad (only hurts when i move certain ways) , i went on a field trip for school today and got to go in a ✨stream✨ and pick up a little crawfish >:D i hope youre doing good as well !! its so nice talking to you lmao youre so cool

i might start sending doodles every ask , so heres a sketch of my genshin oc !!

my “question” issss guess what region theyre from ! or who they live with LOL the hint is that there are already playables from their region , and there are technically two regions theyre from ?? you can guess just one though ill give you the answer next ask :P

- jellyfish

i think it's because i'm already used to waking up early... even tho i'm a very sleep deprived student that sleeps at 12-1 and wakes up at 5 😔 i'm fairly a light sleeper so no matter what time i sleep, whenever my alarm goes off i'm always up by the second 🥲

and LMAOO i've played a ton of those wish sims to prevent myself from rolling whenever i'm saving up for a character, it works wonders

i didn't really expect you to like fischl!!! i like using her in events where we have her as a trial character lol using oz in her burst and flying around is so silly but i always have fun with it!

seems like we're both on the run for alhaitham :D currently have 72 pity and he still has yet to arrive... i do not have a guarantee whatsoever so the next time i pull i'm gonna be praying for him to come home 😔 i've already explored most of the new area for him

and that fic idea sounds interesting! i briefly forgot about that event so when you mentioned it i'm suddenly reminded of how fun playing with the fungi was!! hope you'll find many inspiration for your supposed title, and who knows, next thing you know you're hitting the post button for your fic 🤭

hope you're healing well from your injury also!! have lots of rest and don't overexert yourself too much, resting is very important hehe

it's nice to know that you went on a field trip :O i haven't been to one in a while so hearing it from you reminded me how fun it always is to go on one and escape school (tbf i think we can agree at least half of the students that volunteer on field trips only do it to skip classes LMAO #guilty)

i think if i had to guess, it's a mix between mondstadt and sumeru, maybe? i'm either really wrong or really right since my basic skills of knowledge on each regions' outfits are very minimal 😵‍💫

a question for you; how was your week? tell me all about it!! hehe i honestly like hearing people talk about their day and week because it's undeniably so interesting to know what others have been up to and how different some people's lives can be from ours! hope i'm not rambling too much... i just really like listening to people talk and talk about their life

[unsafecoma]

YAYAYYA i wanted to do madamemiz's ask game about the DCA because i llike them 🫶 UNDER THE CUT !! ! !! ! !!!

how did you get here?

my hyperfix on the dca started earrrly january this year because i played hw2 and was promptly swept off my feet and ive been sick over them since. id played it before , but started playing again bc i wanted too 100% the game! oh if only id known !!

2. why these characters in particular? what was the hook for you?

originally it was Sun that hooked me onto both of them. hes just so silly!! and such a prissy bitch!! and i love it!! plus i love the idea of 2 separate ids in one body, thats always fun to mess with 😋

3. how long have you been here?

since early january of this year!! though, im not SUPER active in the fandom itself. i just silently enjoy fanart/fics , and VERY RARELY draw and post on my art bog. im not a big participator in fandom itself, im perfectly comfy just watching.

4. have you actually played fnaf sb?

NO. and i do not plan to. the game is too buggy to pay 40 bucks for it, plus i really dont wanna give scott anymore money (fuck you scott cawthon i hate you scott cawthon a million plagues upon you and your life scott cawthon) so ill pass. im perfectly fine with just watching videos.

5. if you make content, what's your favorite piece you've contributed?

THIS POST!! i love vocaloid, and i love the dca, and whats better than combining the two? i was especially proud of myself bc these were animations, which is something i NEEEVERRR to, so id say i was pretty damn happy with these!!

6. what's your favorite sort of art or fic? what genre/flavor/style?

ive still yet to actually read any fics abt the dca (im in the process of reading one about djmm rn <3 its so good i love it so much <333) but im a sucker for angst w/a happy end (the heart wants what the heart wants, and who am i to deny ?)

7. what's your favorite au?

i like aquatic aus for the dca!!!!! i love seeing all the different designs ppl give them ... i also rlly like cowboy/western aus too :)

8. do you have any ocs, or have any ocs you're fond of?

not yet, but ive absolutely thought about it!! maybe one day ... (for now though, im happy with my silly little technician s/i hehe)

9. what do you think of the dca's canon appearance? Scary? Cute? Something else?

I LOVE THEM I THINK THEYRE SO PRETTYYYYYYYYYY i dont really see them as scary from looks alone tbh, like MAYBE moon but it'd have to be rlly dark so it was just his glowing eyes visible. other than that they are just silly billys cutie patooties to me. id pinch their cheeks if i could (i mean i know u can but. ykwim)

10. what keeps you in this fandom despite the very small amount of canon content the dca had?

im kept sane by both my own brain's constant thoughts abt these robots, and also the art and writing made by other fans!! i 🫶 images.

11. be honest: if you had to pick only one, sun or moon?

:( i GUESS sun, if i HAD to choose, only bc Moon's the one with the virus. it feels so wrong to separate them. you wound me.

12. thoughts on eclipse?

I LOVE THEM!!!!!!! i hc that eclipse isnt one whole robot, but its a state of being where sun and moon are both comfortably, equally in control of the body. so like ... in a WAY they could seem blended into one whole ai, but theyre both still in there, and have moments of one overtaking the other, while still as "eclipse".

13. thoughts on pre-glitch sun?

I feel like pre glitch Sun was juuust starting to get a bit overworked and burnt out, like right before the virus (and afterwards, it jsut got worse and worse). i think the DCA are genuinely good at taking care of kids, they just slip up often and arent absolutely perfect at it (unlike how they would be, if they were actually made to be caretakers and not theater animatronics). sometimes Sun is too loud, having to constantly remind himself to lower his voice when around more meek kids in the daycare.

he definitely has his moments where he needs to correct himself and remember that he is taking care of young kids, but all in all, i feel like Sun was pretty good at taking care of the kids (much better than he was when he was first moved to the daycare, since i can imagine he was VERY, VERY BITTER about being moved from the theater, but its not like being a theater animatronic was synonymous with despising children, so he wouldn't HATE them or anything yk ??)

14. thoughts on pre-glitch moon?

YKNOW I WONDER does moons voice sound like that bc of the virus, or is that just his voice ? nonetheless, i feel like Moon was good with his job, and maybe a bit better than Sun, only bc i feel like handling naptime would come with less struggles than daytime activities.

Moon was probably so much more gentle, less hunched over and 'scary-looking' when he moved, and rather than punishing kids for not sleeping he just ... actually helped them sleep. yknow ? whether its holding and rocking some of the younger kids to help them sleep better, or maybe one of the kids has something on their mind that wont let them sleep, i feel like Moon was actually really good at his job.

im firm on believing the DCA is actually good at taking care of kids due to what cassie says about the AR sun/moon plushies!! theyre good at their job!!! to a degree LOLLLL

15. do you interpret sun and moon as two sides of the same person, or truly two separate beings in one body? does it matter?

i interpret them as two separate beings in one body!! i like this interpretation, it feels more fun to work with and is oddly cathartic? emotional? interesting? theres just so much emotion that comes with sharing a body with an entire other identity, knowing that you and them are tightly knit together, whether you want to be or not, because no matter what, you have them, and they have you, and you're stuck with one another. and yes, you and them are different, but you bleed into one another at some parts, at some angles the yellow and blue smudge, and sometimes you struggle to see where 'you' starts, and 'they' begin.

i love love love thinking about how they experience sharing a body with one another, how they maneuver the world and their thoughts. ITS SO FUN!!! THEY MAKE ME SICK.

16. what's something in the fandom you'd like to see more of?

WAITER!!! WAITER!! MORE PRISSY BITCH SUN PLEASE!!! ill literally never ever get enough of it.

17. what's something in the fandom you'd like to see less of?

this is ENTIRELY just me, but seeing the dca act all suave and sexy feels mischaracterizing. this tweet literally captures how i feel perfectly

like OB VI OUS LY have fun and do what ur little heart desires, never ever am i gonna bash someone for DOING THAT, but whenever i see them drawn sexily and with abs or anything like that it just makes me wonder if we have the same character in mind. you dont get them like i do. we are playing with our touys in different corners.

18. anything you're looking forward to?

THE MOON NIGHTLIGHT. i have the sun one already and i NEED the moon one so he isnt alone :( i hope they fix up the coloring on the moon one, bc the dark bit looks so weird and messy (im assuming it only looks like that since it was the first look at him, but still!!! i think they should just make him all white, and not make the NIGHT LIGHT dark in some areas, lol???)

19. do you think you'd actually get along with the dca if you met them irl?

this is one of those rare times where i DO think i would get along with them, or at least Sun!! i feel like id definitely be super duper anxious first meeting them, like the enthusiasm levels are a bit jarring, but i really do feel like i could get along with Sun (and maybe Moon ... if this is pre-virus, then more likely, but if its while Moon has the virus .. .. . . . . .. .. .. .. mauybe.)

20. free space! talk about whatever's on your mind!

if i think about the dca and their room and state of neglect for too long i get sick. i get insane and curl into a little ball like a roly poly. they make me so sick. i hate them i need to bite them.

also genderfunny aroace dca forever and ever. ok? 🫶

[death-in-a-handbasket]

hi folks. shout out to those who keep sending asks, kudos, and comments, yall keep me going fr

sorry i haven't been posting any art or writing in a while, i promise my fics arent abandoned, i'll try n get back on that

maybe in a few days ill put out some of the bsd art i havent posted yet n see if i can crank a chapter or two out, sorry its been so dead up in here and rip to the people who just followed me for bsd only to get hit with 20 fandom sidequests and a bunch of random hornyposting, i am what i am tbh

would yall b interested if i started posting and talking more about my ocs? would yall send asks about that? im probably gonna start posting more of them anyways but im curious to know how many of yall would actually be into that

anyways thats all im gonna screw around with my billion neglected creative projects now that i have actual free time to work with

[lovethisletters]

Dating Grell HC!

Hi! SO sorry for taking this long, irl stuff got in my way but I’m finally here! Agreed, finding Grell content is kind of difficult, and though they aren’t my favorite character, I do enjoy their personality. Before we start, I would like to clarify that I wrote this with gender neutral pronouns for Grell since I’m kind of confused: in the manga and anime sometimes, characters will refer to them with: He/Him pronouns, they refer to themselves with: She/her but their wiki refers to them with they/them pronouns; so, if someone could clarify that for me (and provide a link that confirms is cannon) I would be beyond grateful!

Word count: 1220

Keys: Y/n = Your name.

Summary: Grell starts to feel in a way they have never felt before.

Warnings/Additional notes: none…I think(? But I tried to keep it neutral for the reader too, since pronouns weren’t specified.

Grell being a reaper they have little to no time on their hands, so most probably they met you at work.

They were the one to approach you first by practically throwing themselves at you going on a ramble about how GORGEOUS you are.

I think that at the beginning their feelings are more like a simple crush that will fade away with time or mindless lust that is set to disappear the moment they get to have sex with you.

So, until that happens you will have to deal with practically a cat, they get all touchy: rubbing their cheek against yours, hugging you enthusiastically (like how a child would hug a stuffed toy) begging for attention constantly and even directing not so subtle innuendos at you.

But overall Grell is someone fun and pleasing to be around (especially if you are feeling a bit down) their bubbly and dramatic personality is just so contagious you can’t help but smile!

So that’s why you don’t push them away as harshly as Sebastian or William would

And I feel like that’s why they get a little bit more interested in you.

Even though they identify themselves as a masochist, that does not mean they enjoy being treated poorly all the time, they know their personality is…hard to cope with, but Grell appreciate when someone would still make the effort to get along.

So, when you don’t just…you know…kick them in the face every time they approach you (cofcofSeb&Willcofcof) they feel more comfortable being themselves around you, since no matter how eccentric they might be, you always continue the conversation in a kind manner.

Grell is someone who’s VERY emotionally driven, to the point I think it must be hard for them to differentiate certain emotions like: anger to frustration, sadness with deception and romantic love to lustful attraction. I feel like for them there’s no grey area, is either love or hate so in the beginning this might cause your relationship a bit of trouble.

As your relationship grew closer you started to notice a change in Grell’s behavior: They started being a bit more serious (still as theatrical as ever but different none the less)

They suddenly seemed to have become aware of what personal space is supposed to mean, the hugs became relatively short, the innuendos stopped almost completely and when the two of you started talking, Grell was eerily quiet.

This probably would make you feel like you might have angered them in some way, but don’t worry…the truth is..Grell is just confused.

Lust driven love is all they’re ever known, but their feelings for you have changed, evolved if you may. The only thing they know: is that they like you, but not in the way they like Will, Sebastian or Undertaker, no. They like you in a different way…a deeper way.

So please be patient and let them figure it out on their own.

BUT tbh I don’t think they figured out on their own…I just think they where in the phantomhive manor one day (just to tease Sebastian or double-check these newfound feelings were indeed different) But Ciel just felt so uneasy since he had never seen Grell so quiet and deep in thought.

—What is wrong with you, Grell?—His words condescending as ever.

—Pay no mind to them, master. The reaper is just hopelessly in love—Said Sebastian with a smirk creeping on his lips.

Sebastian’s words were almost eye-opening to them. “Love? Was it truly the right word to describe this feeling?”

Yes, yes it was, they knew the moment they went back to you that day.

Saying that you were surprised when Grell suddenly appeared at your house, late at night, pinning you to the floor by giving you the BIGGEST hug in your life, after weeks of not seeing each other since apparently, they were ignoring you, was a severe understatement.

—What has gotten into you, Grell?— you questioned, caressing their long red hair.

—Oh! Y/N my love! I love you!—You smiled, Grell had finally come back to you.

—Ha Ha Ha, I love you too, Grell!—Grell froze in place.

You thought they were messing around with you like countless time before, so you just responded in the usual joking manner.

—No, no, no! You’ve got it all wrong my dear!—For the first time since you had known them, their expression turned serious and gently took your hands in theirs.

—Y/n you are probably the only person I have ever felt this strongly, I feel like if you were to die today, I will die with you! Y/n my dear…I love you! This are my true feelings…Won’t you accept them?

Such sweet words, spoken with the most profound sincerity.

You couldn’t help but tear up a little (Which made Grell panic a bit)

—Yes, Grell, I love you too, so please accept this feelings of mine as well.—The hugh that followed was not only an acceptance but the seal of a promise, the true love kind of promise.

From here onwards you can see a change in Grell’s behavior towards you (in a positive way that is)

Dating Grell means you get to see them in a whole new light.

They are much more sincere (still dramatic as ever but a bit toned down)

They allow themselves to be vulnerable with you, no longer hiding their worries under a carefree and almost indifferent facade.

You become a safe place they can come to when things get difficult or simply when they just feel tired and overwhelmed with their reaper duties.

Something that stays pretty much the same in your relationship is how much attention-seeking they are.

You have to put on hold whatever you’re doing ‘cause those things can wait but Grell don’t.

“Nee~ honey, pay attention to me!” is a phrase you might hear often if you even dare to pay attention to something else when they are right beside you!

Grell will 100% shower you in kisses constantly.

Cuddles! Cuddles are a MUST with them.

Be prepared for Lots LOTS of PDA, they don’t care if it’s not the appropriate time or place, they need to show you how much you mean to them now!

I feel like they are the type to pull you closer and start dancing or reciting a dramatic dialogue of some romantic play they recently saw, out of nowhere in the middle of the street.

Grell also loves when you touch, caress, braid or brush their hair, is just so adorable! (If you want to turn them on, just pull their hair a little and see what happens ;)

If you have long hair, they will do the same but if you don’t expect them to go wild with how much flower crowns, hats, hair pins, etc they gift you.

Matching outfits! They even gifted you a red coat like theirs!

Grell loves when you let them do your make up! (if you wear any that is, otherwise they would allow you to do theirs) and it goes without saying, they are so good at it! you always end up feeling like royalty.

Theatrical pet names!

Sometimes they would allow you to borrow their Death Scythe (even if is for ridiculous things like idk cutting bread lol) but shhh, don’t tell Will!

Theater Dates!

Kisses, TONS of kisses (they love when you bite their lips, if you do; you might even hear them moan)

Overall, Grell is just so happy to have someone like you in their life and they will demonstrate it to you every chance they get.

♡♤♡♤♡♤♡♤

If you spot any misplaced pronouns, please let me know! I will correct it asap! just know that I didn’t do it with any ill intention and that english is not my first language and perhaps that’s why something might have slipped! as well grammatical errors, I’m trying to polish my writing in this language so calling me out on any mistakes helps me a lot!

I will forever thank you if you go check out my other profile: @aileysmirnov​ where I post things about my OC: edits, one-shots, imagines, art, etc. If you like Greek mythology and the bat family maybe you would like her as much as I do!

Anyway! Thank you for reading!

[ellovett]

list of people that made this year pretty neat :)

Hi all

Ok so 2020's almost ending (it just ended i started writing this post like....5 days ago??) and i just wanted to do this thing where i have a message towards everyone who supported me/who i think are just very cool and very epic, i only really got into the twst fandom just at the beginning of the year and im just gonna get straight to the point now messages are under the cut :)

@permanentlyexhaustedowl - AYAAAA ;;;;; bro you're literally one of my first long time friends here in the twst community and i just want to thank you for everything, our convos in either public servers or in pms, your love and support for my content,,or whenever i vent to you,,,,,just- your love and support man i appreciate it so much and i cannot thank you enough, you're just so sweet and caring and supportive and friendly just aghhhhhh ;;;;; even your reblogs make me smile uncontrollably and i explode, also all the brainrots i have about my interests ;;; thanks for listening to all of them,,even tho you really didnt have to ;;;;;; I love how we make our twst ocs interact and the little brainrots we have with them ;;; You've helped me so so so much and in so many ways, I am beyond glad that we're bestfriends, you're one of the nicest most caring people ive ever met and i love you so so so much, beyond belief ;; 💕 pls never stop being you?????? You quacking amazing person??????? 😎🤙💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕

@shoujoqueensstuff - AYYYY SHOUJOOOO!!! 😎🤙🤙 hhhh you're also one of the first people ive ever had a long time friendship with here in the twst community, and seriously bitch i love you so much ;;; so so much..i cant go a day without talking to you about literally anything and just vibing, the support and love you've given me over these months is insane i cannot thank you enough for that, all of our rps, convos or just pure brainrot have been so much fun, and i fucking love it that we built our own little world outside of canon,,all the aus we built with our ocs???? I love them. I love them all to death, including your amazing ocs, and even tho we live on literally opposite sides of the world you're always there for me whenever i vent or when im feeling extremely down or insecure ;; ,,im just so so so happy and glad that i met you and that we're bestfriends, i care about you so so so so so much- hhhh i cant put it into words my brain is dying i just- i LOVE YOU BIITCH, I AINT NEVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU, BITCH.😎💖💕💖🤙🤙💕💕💖💕 TAKE MY LOVE BITCH 💕💕💕💕💕 thank you so much for sticking around ;; i love you and support you in everything you do so much I could never ever thank you enough for the friendship you've given me..

I can literally go forever on how much i love and appreciate the both of you, i can just scream into the void for all eternity,,but i cant put it into words anymore. You both made my year so great and so epic ;;; i love you guys so much

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Now the chaddams 😌

@thetwstwildcard - hi ma :D you're just so cool and so epic lizz ;;; i cant- all of our conversations and brainrots have been super fun and i enjoy your company very much;;; you are just so nice and friendly,, and your ocs (especially staff ocs) are god tier amazing, i will love the nrc mom squad to death. I am honored to be ur child and i love you and father claude (and my four (?) other dads you married) very much 💕💕💕

@alpyssketch - bringer of father claude,,,,i owe you my life alpy,,,,,,but no seriously you're also a very epic person and you're honestly so nice and sweet!!! You never fail to make me feel welcome in any conversation and you're just so damn friendly!!! We may not talk that often but I very much enjoy your company ;;; ily!!! 💖💖💖

@multi-ankin - another very cool and epic person!!!! you're very fun to talk to and you're also pretty funny in the vc fjfjfj, your ocs are all so amazing too! (djdjjd although my staff oc bias makes me go for kas) we should totally talk and make our ocs interact more in the future tho!!!!!! 💖💖

@just-patchy - pATCHYYY!!!! :D hi!!!! you're also a very cool person!! our interactions have been so much fun and i hope we can have more in the future ;;; the ideas you have for your ocs and how you put them into writing is so good!!! like really good!!! And your art has been greatly improving too!!! Never ever think that i dont see you as a friend because i do!! 😤😤���💖 i care about you bro!! Never forget that!!

@bakujho - :D hi jho!! you're a lot of fun! And I THINK YOU ARE SO DAMN COOL AND BADASS it's unbelievable,,i look up to you jho i wish i could be almost as cool as you when i grow up ;;; the things you've done for this fandom are also very admirable! like the whole gravedigging (jellyfish) situation! But we're not gonna talk about it now- hhhhh you're just so epic jho ;;; seriously 💗💗

@Kurui - hhhhh you're probably not gonna see this ;;; and i cant find your tumblr (if any of the other chaddams could possibly show this to her thatd be so great ;;;) but nonetheless i still think you're just so fun and cursed ;;; and you give so many amazing ideas!!! Your ocs are all also so cool too! Your art is just so detailed you clearly put a lot of thought into them i just admire that sm ;; (also your edits are extremely cursed and epic i love them dearly-)

@twst-the-royals - JULIE :))) HELLO,,,you were actually the first ever person i spoke/interacted with in the fandom! And you were just so nice and friendly and patient with me ;;; im glad that i got to talk to you,,and we dont really talk that much now but pls pls PLEASE know that i care about you so much and that i support you in everything you do ;;; 💖💖💗💖 ill do my best to make you proud!!

@girl-in-the-tower - hey Az!!! ;;;; you're so epic and cool,,honestly i admire you so much, the lore/writing you have for your ocs/fanschools are just so well thought out and so well written ;;; i hope to become a better writer like you in the future, but for now ill just take notes and learn from you ;; you're super encouraging and supportive too!!! I know we dont talk much but i could never thank you enough for all those little yet meaningful moments ;;; 💖💖

@rikanoctrix and @mirrored-pomefiore - hi!!! i know we arent that close but just know that you two are huge inspirations for me when it comes to art, the both of you draw your styles so incredibly well and i admire that so so so much ;;; 💖

@ocean-water-tea - FATHER TEAAAAA QAQ okay so first of all,,,,how can you draw so well using ibispaint, i ask for tips, specifically on how to draw hair and tits 🤲 but seriously though you are so fun to talk to!!! So cursed!!! So ☊⊑⏃⍜⏁⟟☊!!! You encourage me to my true cryptid self (despite aya's protests 👀) and i thank you kindly,,,you are also very funny 😌 a funny little clown simp, and you're super friendly and cheerful too! I almost never feel nervous when reaching out to you ;;; I hope we can have more wacky adventures in the future 💖💖

@zonamemoryverse - HEYYY ZONAAA!!! you're a fairly new person and you've already come so far ;;; you're a very chaotic person to talk to and i enjoy all of our conversations!!! Also our interactions with our ocs were super fun too, and i love hearing any shred of content i can get from ur epic ocs,,,dont stop being epic!!! 💖💖

@namelessfish - Hi fish!!! :DD you've been a very supportive friend to me over these past few months,,and im happy i have someone i can relate my not-so-great experiences with ;;; please know that i care about you dearly and that ily ;; 💖💖💖💖

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@wondersbeyondcompare - JFFJJF BRO DONT THINK I DONT SEE YOU WHENEVER YOU REBLOG MY CRINGY ASS POSTS 👁👁 I SEE THEM AND I CHERISH THEM ALL I REREAD THEM ON SAD DAYS. All the little tags and comments you put on them always make me smile so hard ;;; im just very happy to know that you like whatever the hell im doing and it pushes me to do more!! You're incredibly sweet, dont worry!!! Ill be sure to make you proud!!!! 😭💖💖💖

@circuscarnage - Anna!!!! We dont talk that often but whenever we do it's always so much fun ;;; you're so sweet and i appreciate you so much ;; all the stuff you drew for my ocs are all so incredibly cute and i really have to give back- jUST YOU WAIT ANNA. IM GONNA MAKE FANART OF YOUR LOVELY OCS AND YOU CANT STOP ME- 💖💖💖💖

@twistedapple - hi crow!! :DD again we dont really talk that much but i support you greatly in everything you do!!! You're another epic and cool writer ;;; your writings for your ocs are just sooooo well written and are just so good!! You're also super good at art too!! And i hope to see more from you in the future!!! ;;; 💖💖💖💖

@not-twst-enough - Ellie!!!! ;;; bro you've been supporting me from the very start, from lillet's old ass bio to now, and i very much appreciate it!!!! You're also super friendly in the twst server too ;;; and all the content you have for your ocs is just so exciting! Good luck with the fandorm and all future stuff ;;; ily!!!! 💖💖💖

@fumikomiyasaki - FUMI. DONT THINK I DIDNT FORGET YOU DKDKDK,,,Another cool and amazing person!!! All our brainrots and conversations have been really fun ;;;; thank u for that,, You are very fun person to interact ocs with tho!!! Especially with ships!! MadScientist² will forever hold a place in my heart.,,,💖💖💖

@oiseaunoir11 - hey Al!! :) you were one of the many people i admired and looked up to when i first joined the fandom, your art is something im deeply inspired by and your shitposts at like...4 am in the morning always give me the big funny,,one thing i really admire about ur art tho is how you'd draw backgrounds :0 you've gotten so good at them!! And your poses look super natural and effortless, i hope to be almost of a better artist like you 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️ also i cant wait to see ur animatics 👀 they look dope- hope we can talk or maybe even interact ocs more! 💖💖

@leonasbitties - luuuu :))) hiiii,,,we dont usually talk on servers that often but that doesnt mean that i dont consider you as a friend! You have a lot of super cool ideas for ocs and your art is just getting better and better and better with each piece!!!! i look forward to seeing more from you ;;; 💖💖💖

@peteza-mozzarella - PETEEE :DDD another very cool and friendly person, you're literally the sweetest person ive ever talked to and i love our little chats!!! Hhhh you're just super nice and your ocs are super cute,,please never stop being you you epic bean ;;;; 💖💖💖💖

@the27th - Hi Andhra!!!!! You've been quite the long time mutual,,and your reblogs always make my day ;;; you're just so sweet and kind and i always feel at ease when talking to you, the hunger games sessions you host are always super fun even though im often asleep to even participate 😂 thank you sm for the love and support ;;; ill be sure to give them all back to you 💖💖 starting now 💗💗💗💗💗

@mamushroomoracorn - MAMUSH :DD we've only really started talking recently but you're just so nice and friendly ;;;; all of our talks have been so wholesome and great and im so happy about that, and your art is really really really good!! Ur art style is just so unique and so cool!!! ;;;; and dw mamush,, ill show the froggies like i promised soon 😔💖💖💖

@rookvonhunt - HEYYYY 👉😎👉 hi hello i would die for your ocs. If theyd ask me to perish then i will 200%,,ur so epic and cool and all of your ocs are just god-tier, i cant wait for what else you have to offer!!!! 💖💖

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@lawlessofdusk - lawless ;;;; aaaaa honestly you're just so kind and sweet, i couldnt thank you enough for all the love and support you've given me!!! And i desperately need more content of ur ocs bc they're all so cool and interesting 😤😤😤💖💖💖 i hope to talk to you more soon!!!!

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Fkfjfjfj i think that's all!! Id like to thank you all for sticking around with me with my first year in the fandom ;;; you guys make all the bullshit and drama here worth it 💖💖💖

If i forgot to include you in here then PLEASE DM ME I AM SO SORRY-!!!! I dont want to leave anyone behind!!! So please feel free to confront me about it ;;; happy new year everyone!!!!

[mqay525]

hello everyone :) . it has been so long since posted anything...okay,

(2019) I was 16, not smart and busy studying for school, my family told me to take a break from drawing and focus in school. Preparing myself for the biggest exam every 17 year old in my country is going to sit for. I really miss posting on tumblr, but my phone was taken away every weekdays. i couldn’t use the family computer because its used by my father and he sat there 24 hours. All the motivation and ideas got held back and as time passes i lost them and the excitement.

(2020) i was 17, senior year .No more playing around, the exam is in November and sh*t, here comes Covid-19. everyone stay at home, school are closed, can’t get out to go shopping, study at home and join online classes and follow SOP.

  I felt stressed, i couldn't hangout with friends, no one to laugh and play with and i didn't attend any of my online class nor did i do the homework. except science class. i like science.

i lost all my motivation to do anything. i didn't know what to draw, and i didn't felt happy drawing my favorite ship, ‘Lapidot’. The ship that brought me to tumblr and started to draw digitally. Soon, i fell in love with show ‘The Owl House.’ and had a new ship ‘Lumity’. Everyone knows Lumity, Lumity is all over the place. i love this ship very much. i really do ,but i couldn't feel happy drawing them. (maybe someday i will). I felt miserable. i drew less, and I didn’t practice. which makes my art  no improvements at all. I felt left behind. My exam that i supposed to sit in November. got extended to February 2021. I got nervous and scared as the date got closer.

(2021) everything went well, i sat in all 8 subjects of my exam. I have graduated from school and now im free...and have the energy to draw again.

i know im not the only one who is troubled. im still a teen and there's still a lot of things to face and so much more emotions and problems that i haven't seen or felt. There's someone out there who is carrying much more heavy problems than i did and that person able to overcome the pain. i take that as a motivation and i believe that i can overcome my problems as well.

If i can, U CAN TOO.

Anyway, i made a twitter acc,(@UCan_Ceilings) where i post my art, mainly my 27 female OC (and counting). ill make lots of gay sh*t with my OC.

Thank you for supporting me all this time and for reading this longgg text, im sorry for the errors in my writings.

-sincerely from the heart (Mqay/ UCan).

[theunconcernedembalmer]

what’s the issue with elisop? is it just bc you hc aesop as ace? im so concerned by seeing ppl adamantly opposed to mlm/wlw ships but im also genuinely curious about why you dislike it and other lgbt ships so much lol

hmm. that is a strong accusation, n i find it just a bit odd. are you new here? or perhaps you are taking personal offense at my dislike towards a favourite ship of yours and using the lgbt argument as moral high ground?

whatever the case may be, i thank you for asking. if u r truly looking for an answer, its below the cut n it is very very long. mind u these are all my personal opinions n i am in no way policing how others enjoy ships. just in case this wasnt clear; i dont wish to start discourse on this blog, especially since my takes are probably... unpopular.

firstly i would like to address the “disliking lgbt ships” bit, because this has very strong implications in itself. i have nothing against lgbt ships. i enjoy them, even. if the two characters have chemistry between each other, i ship it. however, the moment characterization is broken for the sake of romance, i lose interest. this is generally my stance on ships in general, n this applies for both straight n lgbt ships. 

the ships themselves are fine. however, i do have issues with the ship dynamics, so ill let u in on that.

i want to touch on mlm ships in particular; i believe u are familiar with the top/bottom dynamic that is rampant in these kinds of ships? (i wont deny that this dynamic can be found in other types of ships, but for arguments sake i will be focusing on gay ships because i feel that this occurs more commonly here) its such a popular dynamic that is prone to stripping the personality from one if not both characters, only for them to be reduced to being dominant/submissive. for a character to be pigeonholed into a stereotypical category based on... preferred sexual positions? its just downright insulting, never mind the larger more problematic implications of it. top/bottom is not indicative of someones personality, by the way. flattening multi dimensional characters into these stereotypes is so so so insulting.

unfortunately this is The Most Popular portrayal of just about any gay ship around. ive seen it being used everywhere in so many fandoms n it just about becomes apparent to me that ppl come to stories looking for a Ship. not the stories, nor the characters, just a ship. while id like to say theres nothing wrong with that, keep in mind not everyone is just looking for 2 characters that look pretty next to each other. if i ship something, i see interesting n meaningful interactions between 2 characters, which is so often not the case once u bring in the top/bottom dynamic. why is it so popular? because somehow this is what ppl like from a gay ship n hence it sells. ppl want the drama, characterizations be damned. ppl want to see the big kiss that happens in the end, n maybe the sexy parts that come after. characterizations be damned.

so u can say im a little wary of gay ships when they cross my feed. hell, as a joseph aesop shipper i see this trope everywhere n im pretty disappointed as well. small tangent but i feel like this is the reason why zh0ngli n ch1lde is so popular in g3nshin. i try to see the appeal, i really do, but after a long while of analyzing their respective characters i dont think they have as much chemistry as ppl think they do. dont even get me started on how incredibly ooc they make either of these very interesting n unique characters in ship portrayals. all because of the top/bottom dynamic that ppl want to see. i say this for that particular ship, but this is pretty much the case for a lot of ships out there, n the latter part is painfully true even when the 2 characters do have potential between each other. ill say it again im disgusted by the blatant disrespect to the characterizations if all ppl ever want is 2 pretty puppets to mush lips together. cos thats what theyre essentially reduced to this way.

n its so obvious to see when an artist subscribes to this rhetoric, because u can so clearly see it in the way they draw their characters. the “top” generally has sharper features to go with their “dominating personality”, while the “bottom” has disturbingly softer, feminine, dare i say sometimes child like features “to submit”. n thats where the uwu soft gay trope comes from, i believe. which, in case u still dont know, i hate with a burning passion.

so again for ppl with impaired reading comprehension, im fine with ships, including lgbt ones, but the moment u break characterization for the sake of the ship, im not that okay with it. u want to do it for a short crack comic? fine. but if thats the only way ur portraying the 2 characters then im immediately wary of ur content. ill still look at it cos usually the art is really good, but im very very wary. so im not “adamantly opposed”, just very critical of how the ships are being portrayed. if other ppl want to enjoy their ships like that, sure. just dont expect me to join in on something i dont agree on.

.

now id like to address not shipping “because i hc aesop as ace”. for ppl who are new to the blog (hello there), im an ace in a romantic relationship, so thats definitely not the reason i dont ship elisop. its more of being in a relationship has largely shaped my views towards romance as a whole. even before i met my boyfriend, i hated the romance genre in stories n media. most of it comes off as incredibly forced, especially those love triangles they seem to love putting into teen novels. thats one reason why i stopped reading when i was younger, but i digress.

did i partake in shipping when i was younger? i did. for a gay ship too (if anyone really wants to know, its kurotsukki from haikyuu. at least this was one that i can remember, i was mostly working on my 20 odd ocs for the longest time). i also used to write little short romance ficlets that i never posted anywhere cos i hated (n still do hate) my writing. but writing romance when u dont have experience was really just a way of projecting n probably a way of coping for myself, not that i knew at that time. but after i actually started a relationship with my boyfriend (whom i love n cherish a lot thank u very much), i began to see how much all these have skewed my views towards romance n have actually done some harm to our relationship. the bullshit that the general media feeds u constantly doesnt help in the slightest either.

quick topic shift to elisop in particular (about time, right?). i already stated that i only ship characters if i sense chemistry between the two personalities, n if u have seen the part where i dont ship elisop then u must have seen how agonized i am over not being able to have a concrete personality for eli. that is the main problem i have with elisop: eli does not feel like a solid character to me. n that is a huge problem, because if he doesnt have any defining characteristics besides being mild n nice, then he can be whoever i want him to be. (i have done this in my exorcist comics, i will admit this. n the fact that i can just do that... it really does not sit well with me personally.)

n that is dangerous.

back to young me doing lil ship things. i think its also pretty safe to say when u really do ship 2 characters, chances are u kinda really relate very very hard to at least one of them. that very quickly can turn into projecting, n shipping therefore is not “exploring the relationship between 2 characters” n it becomes “my preferred dating simulator 101″. of course this isnt always the case, but at least it was for me, n subconsciously it might be for lots of ppl too. n since this is ur mental playground, u call the shots, n there is no consequences if u slightly (or even entirely) alter one or both personalities to fit ur desired narrative. n u wouldnt even notice or know, cos ur blind to ur own biasness.

we bring our perceived notions into real life, im sure u know that. so when ur partner does not become that perfect knight in shining armour, or when they get upset at things that u do (which is a very normal thing by the way), n u think (very subconsciously), That isnt what my otp would do, something is wrong here (nothing is wrong, actually its just ur skewed perception of a stable romantic relationship). why wouldnt ur otp do this? because u are both halves of ur otps, there is no hidden secrets between them (apart from the pining part but thats irrelevant), n again they have been altered to fit ur preferred narrative. 

a real relationship requires a lot of communication between parties, because newsflash, liking someone doesnt mean that u have to like every single thing they do, they will make mistakes n it will hurt u, n guess what, the reverse is also true. if u do go with absoutely anything that they would do with 0 objections whatsoever, ur not crushing on someone, ur idolizing them, n that power imbalance is detrimental to a relationship. these things are not obvious to ppl, especially when the whole climate is hell bent on getting into romantic relationships by a certain age or some bullshit. communication is key n is pretty much the only way to solve relationship issues, because the other person has a lot that u r not seeing n vice versa. as similar as 2 ppl can be, i doubt u can have 100% the same thoughts on all things. i dont make the rules.

so in ur mental playground u focus on the fluffy parts, maybe there is communication, but rarely is there any meaningful conflict. thats unrealistic, n if u bring that mindset to an actual relationship, thats not going to end well. i say meaningful conflict, because yes, generally u shouldnt have conflicts with ur significant other. but inevitably when ur with each other for long enough, u will realize that there are habits that u must change in order to be with the other person. habits that are harmful to the other person directly, or harmful habits towards yourself that indirectly harm the other person. these are meaningful in a sense that if left alone, it will manifest into larger problems that will harm u, the other person n the relationship as a whole. its meaningful to the relationship.

all these is made even worse if ur neurodivergent. maladaptive coping practices, self sabotaging behaviours, inherent disabilities. all these must be adjusted n addressed. im so incredibly thankful for my boyfriend for being incredibly patient with me when working all these out, n it has not been easy for me to work on myself n all my problems, n im still not done working on them. this aspect is often not explored in romance in general (or properly), n there is a very good chance i would have still been stuck in the unhealthy mindset of “this isnt like my otp, maybe we’re not meant to be”. because loving someone is a choice. no one is made for each other, it is a conscious choice made between 2 ppl to make things work. this is how arranged marriages work, i am told, n i do see the appeal, not that it actually does appeal to me culturally.

special mention to the kurotsukki ship, cos from there i found a very, very good fic that explored their relationship before n after getting together, n it actually showed aspects of this problem in the incredibly slow burn of (at that time) 20+ chapters. it was just one fic (n a very good one at that, i believe it was called Leviticus), but it had a lesson i never thought i needed to learn, n learn it i did, with a lot of help from my dear. 

this is also probably the reason why i dont really want to delve too much into romance now. i know its a lot of work, n everything (mostly) that the media feeds u is really false advertising, but ppl eat that shit up n so it remains one of the most popular genres to date. im just very wary that if i do start on a romantic story, i want to be able to show it in a way like that fic did, the truths of relationships, because i dont want to make something that sells, i want to make something that meaningful to me, if a little indulgent. n that also includes being very careful in how the respective characterizations will change in a relationship. almost too careful now that i think about it, but its not something that i mind. i was never one for romance from the start, n now im very careful about shipping because of what happened to me persoanlly.

okay enough about me, lets talk about aesop. in any au u put the character in, the essence of the character must remain despite the change in environment. so lets say we have ur typical modern au. dead mom, check. shitty mentor doing illegal stuff? also check. autistic boy with social anxiety? we’re good to go. all these have implications on aesop as a character, n while ppl are aware of this, again the way they go about portraying it can go, in my personal opinion, very wrong. ppl who immediately woobify aesop completely because he has autism annoy me. ppl who reduce him to uwu soft boi cos he has social anxiety do not know how the disorder really works n as someone who has that i hate it to the core. ppl who do all these for the sake of ship have lost my respect. its insulting.

remember the top/bottom dynamic? not that elisop is completely free from that (even if i dont know much about eli, to put him in either one of those stereotypes feels very insulting to his character. i wont even say anything about doing it to aesop its so upsetting), but its not entirely made up of either. but now i want to introduce another trope i am very wary of, which is “i can fix him”. im sure u guys have seen the meme going around poking fun at this trope (for those who havent, its along the lines of “u can fix him? well i can be his worst nightmare”) n no doubt yall would have seen it n gotten sick of it in some forced hetero romantic bullshit. we have one damsel in distress with a saviour that solves all their problems just by existing n being romo with each other.

remember “my preferred dating simulator 101″? this is not mutually exclusive n from my point of view this is dangerously close to this trope. lets be real, if it was actually a thing that all ur deep rooted trauma magically disappears if someone were to waltz into ur life, we would want it. definitely. no painfully dissecting ur own problems n constantly facing them head on. real life states that this is not the case, but it will not stop us from dreaming. n so this trope is born n lives n will go on.

(finally) pulling aesop n eli into this, at least in my mind, u have one severely traumatized boy with lots of issues n u have this. nice mild guy who can be anything u want him to be. i hope u can see where im going with this, n thats the direction i see some elisop heading towards (i dont read a lot of elisop to be fair). if u came from my eli character talk, i mentioned that it is incredibly one sided. this is exactly what im talking about.

putting it all together in case u havent already, aesop is the damsel in distress, whose problems magically disappear because of elis godly kindness n little to no work on improving himself, n they lived happily n gayly ever after.

can u tell how much that does not appeal to me. 

never mind the butchering of character that inevitably happens somewhere somehow, the unrealistically perfect themes n implications of this trope makes me so viscerally uncomfortable. this is, of course, due to personal reasons, n i definitely see the appeal of this dynamic because i would probably have been interested in this once upon a time as well. but as i am now, with everything i have explained up there n everything i have been through, i would politely rather not.

n its difficult to think of another dynamic, because of how little i know about eli apart from him being this saint, which easily makes him a candidate for being aesops trauma panacea. never mind aesop rarely, if ever, does anything for eli as a character in return, n its so damaging to buy into this rhetoric, where a person like this who would solve all ur issues no strings attached exists somewhere in the world. they really dont. a relationship has to be mutually benefitting, or it will be draining n disastrous. maybe u say, Oh its nice to imagine it once in a while. n yeah, i agree, except once in a while is a little difficult to keep track of n that is sort of what happened to me. id rather stay as far away as possible from this kind of unrealistic fantasy, i just got this shit sorted out with myself n my boyfriend.

i have some other reasons, but theyre more personally problematic, so i wont go into them here. but this is mostly n generally why i do not ship elisop romantically. if u do, u do u, and have fun, but again dont expect me to join u. thank u for coming to my ted talk, this took a lot longer than expected.

[alfafilly]

New Year New Me

I want to make a small New Years Resolution this year aimed specifically towards my role in the Sly Cooper fandom. It’s gonna be kinda long and venty so warning!! 

As a bit of backstory, I haven’t been in a fandom/actively drawing fanart since like... 2012 maybe? Like in terms of drawing fanart for the same series routinely. I went through a really stupid phase where I thought fanart was a waste of time because I had been hounded over and over again by peers and those I looked up to that only ORIGINAL © DO NOT STEAL content mattered. I looked down on fanart and used every excuse to belittle fanartists. I dunno if this was also in part due to the last fandom I was in being extremely toxic (that being the Invader Zim fandom. Booooois them 2006-2008 deviantART IZ days were something else) and my college experience constantly telling me “fanart in your portfolio is stinky bad no do that” (which is hotly debated btw).

Anyway... jumping into the Sly Cooper fandom has been extremely positive for me and helping me shed a lot of that negative attitude. Dare I say there was character development?! And while, for the most part, Sly fandom isn’t that toxic, there are elements of it that have caused much chaotic negativity within me that I am hoping to get rid of.

Maybe it’s a result of my former opinions about fanart, but I have always felt a sense of inadequacy, or as if I NEED to make my place in the fandom for me to be relevant and to matter. I have vented about this in the past. My first fanart piece was a compilation of my interpretations of the cast, and it was well received, and everyone talked about how they wanted me to draw more characters, to see more designs, etc. Which is why I said I wanted to redesign ALL the cast because the people DEMANDED IT!! This could be my way of placing myself in the fandom!!! HELL YEAH!!!

But it didn’t make me... happy, I guess? I DO enjoy redesigning, but when I do it under my own terms, with no pressure. I think coming out of art school made me put on blinders and tell myself what I used to believe in: “If you’re going to waste your time on fanart, better make it good. You know, people can hire you if you show good fanart! These redesigns could get you a job in the industry! You gotta ONLY do work that will benefit your end goal and nothing else!!” 

This often made me feel extreme guilt when I started drawing more of my Arpeggio content, or my Arpeggio AUs because despite how much fun I was having, that little voice in the back of my head was saying “No!! Stop drawing that!! Draw stuff that everyone will care about besides just you!!! You’re not going to get anywhere with this!! Drawing sexy Arpeggio won’t get you a job in the industry KJSNJKGNSKNGKJNAJ!!!!”

This mentality also crafted some uhh... extremely negative competitive attitudes towards other artists in the fandom. Certain artists would piss me off every time they posted to the point I would have to block them to stop seeing their work just to prevent these feelings. There is a notable artist I won’t name, but they do Sly redesigns too. I was fine with them initially, but after they blatantly stole one of my designs without crediting me I was LIVID. I called them out and they did apologize and changed the design, but every time I saw their work from then on out I had this insane urge to “beat them”. It was a sick competitive game. I felt jaded they ripped my design and kept getting popular anyway. TBH it’s rather petty and I am trying not to harbor any ill will towards them because I don’t think they meant anything by it and the design was rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things. But I still have them blocked or muted everywhere because I am still struggling to ignore that great urge every time I see their designs to drop everything I’m doing and draw my own redesigns out of unhealthy spite.

And I’m only briefly going to go over the god damn Deceit of Thieves drama. Apparently they are still making it into a legit game? They have a Patreon apparently and are posting stuff about it? I found out about that and the same sort of fiery rage filled me. But this was much less personal. Sure, I had given a critique to them but I honestly wanted the game/story/whatever to flourish? After seeing their poor reactions and being attacked by their white knights, my taste towards them grew bitter and I think my fellow Sly fans having the same bitterness fueled me to flat out grow a hatred for them. That’s kind of awful? I never expected to want another member of the fandom to have their project fail. What kind of asshole am I for wanting that?? I don’t want that. I want them to learn from their mistakes and make something great. Not hold some ridiculous resentment. I can decide not to support them if I wanted, but wishing failure is a whole other horrible thing.

So realizing this I knew I needed to... change my perspective on how I see myself in the fandom and how I process my feelings towards it. I don’t want to be here to produce soulless portfolio worthy content. I don’t want to compete with other artists or wish them ill. I just want to draw some god damn fanart of a series I love and that makes me happy! 

I’m posting this here as a way to hold accountability to myself and be honest. I started drawing Sly stuff again in 2017 so it’s been an issue appearing on and off the last 4 years and that’s... sad. It needs to end! I appreciate everyone in the fandom who has supported me in my endeavors, as ridiculous as they are. I can’t believe drawing and writing about a dumb bird man and cat lady and throwing my stupid OCs into the fray for my favorite childhood game has made me learn so much about myself, my work, and gained me so many great peers and friends. I definitely don’t want to stop any time soon! And I apologize profusely if I ever hurt anyone in some way because I lost sight of that (or was just a dick for whatever reason).

Thanks for your support, and I hope 2021 will bring me loads more positivity into my content!! 

[bush-viper-cutie]

“All Friends Again” || YEAR 3 – Ch.25 (HP au)

                              Chapter List

<-- Last Chapter                          Next Chapter -->

Day posted: 10/6/2020

Word count: 2, 841

Relationship: EVENTUAL severus X oc (slow burn)

Rating: E for everyone

Warnings: none

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A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.

This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D

Hey guys! Sorry I didn’t update last Friday! I’d been way too exhausted with a bad night’s sleep to write anything. I’m working on time management this month so I hope to have these chapters done before the morning I’m supposed to post them XD I miss being ahead by like ten chapters XD

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Heather and Hermione sat by their salamander log staring at Ron and Harry laughing obnoxiously about something. She rubbed her hands over the fire and fed the salamander more dried leaves.

“When will they get over it?” Heather said, trembling under her cloak. It was mid-January morning and Hagrid had thought it a great idea to have them all sit in the chilly air and frosted grass feeding the fire-loving creatures some leaves.

Hermione shrugged, pulling her eyes away and setting her jaw. “They can be mad for however long they please. I’m far too busy to worry about them.”

Hermione was right. She was far too busy. Her workload had started to affect her sleeping schedule and every day they were spending less and less time together. They only really talked now during the classes they shared together and a bit after before parting ways, which left her feeling alone.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts Heather overheard Harry asking Professor Lupin about the lessons he had promised them. They were scheduled to work on it Thursday after dinner in the History of Magic classroom. She wrote that down and decided she didn’t care if he was mad at her. She deserved to learn the same spells as him.

The bells rang and Hermione and her packed their bags quick and left the classroom before Harry and Ron. They were halfway down the hall when Hermione’s bag ripped.

“Do you HAVE to bring all your books at once?” Heather helped her gather her fallen textbooks.

Hermione sat at the feet of a suit of armor and sighed. “Yes. You never know when you’re going to need something.”

Heather heard Ron’s voice as they exited the classroom.

“Does he still look a bit ill to you?”

Harry nodded. They were walking their way.

“What d’you think’s the matter with him?”

“Tuh,” Hermione rolled her eyes.

Ron and Harry paused and turned around to look at them shoving books into Hermione’s ripped bag.

Ron frowned at them. “Why’re you tutting us?”

She didn’t want to make their fight worse and quickly spoke for Hermione. “We weren’t. It was nothing.”

“Yes you were. I said ‘What d’you think’s wrong with Lupin?’ and she – ”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Hermione rolled her eyes again making Ron red with anger.

“Fine. Don’t tell us then,” Ron snapped. He pulled Harry with him and they both disappeared around the corner.

Heather looked at Hermione. “D’you… You know then?”

Hermione looked at her with narrowed eyes. “That he’s…”

Heather grinned. “The floating orb. And being sick every month.”

Hermione smiled. “Yes. The symptoms are practically the same as the text.”

That was their way of confirming to each other that the other knew as well, without giving it all away in case the other was only pretending to know. They finished repacking the bag and headed their separate ways. Hermione to wherever she normally went and Heather to the Slytherin common room to hang out with Pansy and her friends and Draco preferably if he was there.

Thursday came around and after dinner she made her way down to Professor Lupin’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he called back.

She opened the door and smiled. “Evening Professor.” He was finishing up grading some essays and smiled at her. “I was wondering if I could join Harry on his lessons? You did promise us both.”

He nodded, “Of course. I don’t see why not… er, I’ve noticed you two aren’t hanging out recently. Are you two alright?”

She gave her best smile. “Of course.”

He didn’t look too convinced but asked nothing more. Together they walked down to the History of Magic classroom. Harry was running late which was good, since he didn’t know she’d be joining him. She sat at a desk, looking at the carrying case Professor Lupin was heaving onto Professor Binns’ desk, when Harry entered.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked immediately.

Professor Lupin looked to her and she responded. “It’s both our lessons. We both asked for them.”

Harry rolled his eyes and made his way to a desk.

“Right then… I’ve found a boggart to work with – took some looking but I found it inside Mr. Filch’s filing cabinet. When we aren’t using it I’ll store him under my desk, I think he’ll like it in there. Are you two ready?”

Heather nodded and looked at Harry who tried his best not to grumble at her and nodded too.

Professor Lupin looked at them both. “Right... Harry why don’t you go first? Wands out.” He waited until their wands were out. “The spell we’ll practice is advanced magic – far beyond Ordinary Wizarding Levels. In fact it can be hard for even experienced wizards to get it right. It’s called the Patronus Charm. Heard of it?”

Heather nodded, “Yes. I have at least.”

Harry stuck his tongue out at her. “How’s it work?”

The question wasn’t aimed at her but she couldn’t help showing off. “It conjures a patronus. It’s like a shield that wards off dementors, among other uses.”

“Very good, Heather. A full patronus is a guardian, almost, and it doesn’t exactly ward them off… more so feeds them while you get away. It’s a projection of positive force that the dementors can feed upon – except the patronus doesn’t feel despair when being fed on.” He rested his wand in both hands and looked at each of them. “You two may not be able to conjure one, at least not first try. Keep that in mind.”

“What’ll it look like?” Harry asked curiously.

“It’s different for everyone, isn’t it? There’s no way of knowing until you conjure it.”

“Precisely. And to do that you must focus on a single, very happy memory.”

Heather frowned. A ‘very’ happy memory? Did she have any of those? She supposed arriving at Hogwarts every year is the happiest ones she has. Or maybe winning the house cup? That one was a good one.

“The incantation is as follows…” he cleared his throat and turned towards the case so they could copy his wand movements. “Expecto Patronum!”

“Expecto Patronum,” they repeated and pointed their wands like he was doing. Nothing came out of their wands.

Professor Lupin turned. “You’re both concentrating on your happy memories?”

They nodded and tried again. Heather focused on the feeling of seeing the castle for the first time after the summer holidays as the train neared Hogsmeade and it came into perfect view. “Expecto Patronum – Expecto Patronum – Expecto – ”

Something silvery swooshed out of Harry’s wand, like silvery gas. It was small, yet far more impressive than Heather’s nothing.

“Did you see that? Something came out! I almost had it!” Harry was smiling wide.

“Very good!” Professor Lupin nodded. “Heather why don’t you keep trying while Harry gives the boggart a go.”

She frowned and turned away, focusing on winning the house cup first year. Everyone was cheering and she’d earned enough points to keep them in the lead. She’d been so happy and proud then. “Expecto patronum!” She stared at the end of her wand but nothing came out. She thought of making it onto her Quidditch team. “Expecto Patronum!” Nothing.

She heard a thump and turned to see Harry fallen on the floor and Professor Lupin making the dementor turn into the moon and putting it back in its case.

“Harry, are you alright?” Professor Lupin knelt beside him, helping him sit up.

“Yeah.” Harry rubbed his head. Professor Lupin handed him a chocolate frog and Harry bit into it. “It’s getting worse… This time I could hear her clearer… And him – I heard Voldemort.”

Professor Lupin looked paler than normal.

Heather crossed her arms. “Maybe we should stop for today then.”

“No! We’ll keep going. I will. If dementors show up for the Ravenclaw match I need to keep them away.”

Professor Lupin nodded. “Heather… Have you gotten anything to happen? Are you ready to try?”

Heather looked at her wand and shook her head.

“I’ll go again. I’m fine.” Harry stood.

Professor Lupin walked over to the case again and gripped the lid. “Ready?”

Heather turned around again, huffing to herself. Why weren’t her memories making her happy enough? She was happy then… But none of them were making her feel happy now. There was too much going on in her head. How could she be happy about winning the house cup her first year when she’d lost it their second. And as much as thinking about Quidditch made her happy, she was still feeling very bitter towards Ron and Harry for not checking to see if she was alright when she fell.

She raised her arm and thought of being told they were wizards. “Expecto Patronum!” Nothing wooshed and nothing silvery came out. They were told together, walking into a whole new world together, they were all they had, and now Harry was mad at her over a broom? None of these memories were making her happy. Just angry.

THUMP. Harry was on the ground again.

Professor Lupin shook his shoulders. “Harry? Harry wake up. Harry.”

Harry mumbled something and fixed his glasses. “I heard my dad… I’ve never heard him before. He tried to – he took on Voldemort himself, trying to give my mum time to run for it... Giving her time to save us.”

Heather looked at Harry, and for the first time in several weeks, he looked at her without anger in his eyes. There were tears there, running down his cheek and he quickly wiped them away.

“You heard James?” Professor Lupin looked distant, eyes staring out at nothing.

“You knew him?” Heather asked.

Professor Lupin looked at her, nodding. “We were friends at Hogwarts… We should end for tonight. This spell might be too advanced.”

Harry stood, shaking his head. “No, no! I can do it. I’ll give it one last go. I’ll just think of a happier memory.”

Professor Lupin nodded but Heather didn’t want to stay there any longer. Every time Harry failed he talked about their parents. It exhausted her to push unwanted thoughts and feelings out of her head. She was tired and sad, and just wanted to go to bed.

“I’m going to go… Good luck Harry.” She walked out of the classroom and wiped a tear from her eye after the door had closed.

Deep down… she wanted to know what he sounded like too, but those were memories she knew she’d destroyed a long time ago. She stopped halfway down the dungeon stairs and sat. It was close to after hours and everyone was normally inside already, so she didn’t think anyone would bump into her on the stairs. She let a tear run down her cheek, and then another one, and another. She dropped her face into her hands and started crying, not knowing what she felt or why.

Why did she feel so… angry? Not just at Harry, but towards her parents as well. She couldn’t even bring herself to call them anything but her ‘mother’ and ‘father’, distancing them from her heart. But they gave up their lives for them, sacrificed themselves to keep them safe. Wasn’t the least she could do to show them love is call them ‘mum’ and ‘dad’?

She sobbed. Did she even love them? She loved Harry, with all her heart… But did she love her parents? They were gone. And didn’t it hurt to love people that are gone? That you can never get back? If Harry died… would she stop loving him too?

She heard a door open – Professor Snape’s office – and quickly wiped her tears. She stood and continued down the stairs, meeting him at the bottom.

He stopped. “Potter. Is it so incredibly hard to remember that you are not to be outside the common room after hours?”

Heather avoided his eyes, knowing hers were red and puffy. “Sorry, Professor.”

He must have sensed he couldn’t break her further because he all he said was, “Get inside,” before continuing up the stairs.

Heather ducked into the common room. There were still people around so she went straight for the girl dormitories and decided to take a long bath. Right before bed Cindy offered her more berries, seeing she was looking a little sad, and Heather accepted. She fed them to her toad and watched the berry juice drip down his little toad chin and stomach.

The month of January went by slowly and February rolled in even slower. Hermione was now too busy with classes to talk after any lessons, saying she had no time. Harry had been continuing his lesson with Professor Lupin by himself and apparently was finally producing more than just a bit of silvery gas. Professor Lupin kept asking her if she’d join them but she always declined. Maybe if something very magnificent happened to her she’d join with a new ‘very’ happy memory, but currently, life was as it always was.

One February morning, on her way to meeting Hermione outside the Gryffindor common room, she saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione making their way down the stairs together. Heather stopped and looked at them as they came towards her.

“Oh.” She crossed her arms and stared at Harry. “We’ve made up then have we?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I got my firebolt back – ”

“Which was perfectly fine,” Ron interrupted.

“Well it might NOT have been,” Hermione snapped.

Heather stared at the obvious tension growing between Ron and Hermione.

“Scabbers is gone and Crookshanks might be to blame,” Harry filled her in.

The four of them made it to breakfast and sat together at the Gryffindor table. When she looked back at the Slytherin table she saw Pansy glaring at her. For several weeks they had been sitting together, mutually benefiting off each other’s popularity, but now Pansy was alone and unable to keep up any Quidditch talk by herself.

“Explain the blood then!” Ron was yelling with a mouth full of toast. “Blood on the sheets and ginger hairs all over! Explain!”

Hermione had a book up between her and Ron. “Well maybe you just aren’t looking hard enough.” Ron scoffed. “Have you checked under ALL the beds?”

“Oh, UNDER the beds. I’ve only been looking above them because of Scabbers ability to FLY!”

Harry looked at Heather and sighed. “Pass the jam?”

Their fighting got worse after Herbology. They were all studying in the library when Hermione suggested Ron was just prejudice against her cat ever since Crookshanks chased Scabbers out of the Magical Menagerie.

“Only a maniac would buy the cat that almost ate their friend’s rat!” Ron closed his book and left the library.

“Hermione – ”

Heather knew what Harry was about to do and shook her head at him. He ignored her.

“Ron did find blood where Scabbers normally sleeps and I don’t think those ginger hairs would have stayed there since Christmas. We’ve been walking around and sweeping the floor with our socks.”

Hermione shut her book. “Oh I knew you’d side with Ron! First you’re both mad at me about the firebolt and now you’re mad at me about something Crookshanks DIDN’T do – ”

“Where IS Crookshanks?” Heather regretted asking almost immediately.

Hermione’s face went red. “I’m very busy and I can’t work with everyone talking,” she said shrilly. She got up and left the library as well.

Harry and Heather stayed to work on their potions essay on Undetectable Poisons.

A day later and the Weasleys were trying to cheer Ron up, seeing he was thoroughly devastated about Scabbers. During breakfast all but Percy were sitting around him, patting his back and offering him candy.

“Think of his death this way, at least it was quick and painless. He’d been off-color for ages, losing hair and all that. One swallow and his misery was over.”

“Fred!” Ginny hissed.

“Oh come on. You always said he was very boring. All he did was sleep and barely eat and sleep some more. Now you can buy a new rat,” George shook Ron’s shoulders a bit.

Ron lifted his head from the table. “He bit Goyle for us! He put that disgusting sausage finger in his mouth for US, remember?”

Heather and Harry nodded.

“A true hero,” said Fred while biting his cheek to keep from laughing. “And now the scar on Goyle’s finger will stand as a lasting tribute to Scabbers’ memory.”

Surprising to no one, Fred and George couldn’t manage to cheer Ron up. Maybe Ron was doomed to remain sad for the rest of the year without Scabbers. He did say he’d never be happy again. Heather told him at least then the dementors would leave him alone and he did nod appreciative.

Mopey Ron was a new normal they’d have to get used to, but Heather was far happier now. She was back to being friends with Ron, she had Harry back, and Hermione was talking to them – except Ron – so everything was almost like normal.

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

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[more-miserables]

Ooookay, so my friend @cubeswhump got me into this corner of the whump community, and I’m pretty hooked. So I thought I’d give it a go myself. This is my first time writing for the whump community (mostly anyway, I was in another make-your-OCs-suffer community) so I’d be grateful for feedback and suggestions. Let me know if I get shit wrong.

Also Cube told me I should tag @albino-whumpee (hello, I really love your work and art, and I’m super nervous to post this lol)

Warnings for dehumanizing language, institutionalized slavery, boxboy universe, implications of past self-harm, implications of drugging, lots of messed up stuff, you guys know.

He thought it was an American thing. That’s where all the original stories seemed to come from. He remembered his parents’ fancy dinner parties when he was little, how all the posh folk had nattered on about what a great idea it was. A cheap, lifelong companion who would bow to your every whim. They must’ve been delighted when the idea spread across the globe, making its way across Europe and to England. He didn’t doubt his parents’ friends all had a boxboy/babe now. Maybe his parents did too; he wouldn’t know.

He never thought he’d need to go near the WRU. It wasn’t like he could ever afford one of their “pets.” But it was his only other option now, it was that or gash his wrists. He’d been fired from work, was failing university classes he was too anxious to go to and too depressed to care about, and completely alone in a grotty flat he couldn’t afford, estranged and cut off from his whole family because he was such a bloody pathetic loser. Not that they’d ever been too fond of him, but that hardly mattered now.

He’d seen the WRU adverts. They said they could cure your mental illnesses. They didn’t give much detail, but since his only other solution was death, he figured he didn’t have much to lose. He was longing to get rid of that awful tight feeling in his chest, the heavy fog of numb misery. They’d train you up and send you off to work, and you’d be treated like family in return. Honestly, he wanted a family far more than he wanted his anxiety and depression treated. A real family who hugged and kissed you, not a coldly indifferent, violent one like his own. He wanted to be loved.

He took a deep breath and walked up to the heavy wooden doors of the WRU.

***

“This one is very unstable. Scars all over his arms. That’ll lower his value. Reacting very badly to training so far. We can’t risk sending him off alone.”

“If we train him up as a Domestic, we can bond him to a more docile Companion. We can advertise them as good value if their owner doesn’t want to pay for scar reduction treatment. The Domestic doesn’t necessarily need to be pretty. And they’re both firsthands.”

“Do you have a Companion in mind?”

“Indeed.”

***

“Are you cold?”

“Shh. We can’t talk until our new owner gets here.”

“I’m whispering.” The bigger of the two boys wriggled around again, his back pressed up against the cold wood of the tight little box. The smaller one was squished in, their bare chests touching, shivering in unison in the chilly winter air. The box wasn’t doing much to protect them from the elements. Not that One expected that, of course. And he was lucky to have Two huddled up beside him to keep warm. Most pets travelled alone.

“You’re shivering,” One whispered persistently, trying to wriggle around in the tiny space to wrap his arms around Two. Since they shared a code number (156011) and attempting to remember their before-names hurt, they’d been One and Two ever since they’d met at training, when they’d been chained together by the neck and told they’d remain that way. Using the loo had been terribly embarrassing for the first few days - One winced as his temple throbbed. He wasn’t supposed to remember. That was bad.

He felt Two’s hands at his temples, stroking gently. “You think too much,” he said. “We just have to do as we’re told. That’s all.”

One sighed and thought it better to keep his mouth shut, resting his chin on the top of Two’s head. Two’s curly black hair was newly washed and soft as duck-down.

Time dragged on and on, endless in the darkness. It was freezing cold, but the air in the box was thick and breathing was difficult. One’s limbs twitched restlessly, longing to stretch. He wanted to whisper again, but he didn’t want to worry Two. He knew Two had plenty of worries when it came to him as it was. Their training had been far longer than most because of him. He’d been wilful and stupid and refused to learn. And still Two was never angry, never frustrated. He cried when One cried, held him when the sleeping drugs wore off and the vivid nightmares broke through, helped ease him out of bed when he was too hurt and sedated to stand. One knew he was supposed to be equally loyal to their new master, but deep down One didn’t think anyone could ever match Two for his affections.

PAIN. Bad thought bad thought bad thought...

They must’ve slept for a while, because they woke stiffer and colder than ever, clutching each other in alarm as the box lurched to the side. They could hear a chorus of female-sounding grunts and groans, and a male voice barking irritably at her to hurry up and get the dratted thing inside before he froze. Two squeezed One’s arm meaningfully. “Smile,” he breathed into One’s ear, feather-light and almost inaudible. One stretched his lips apart obediently.

“Open it then, girl!” The man’s voice again. It was old and raspy, but very posh and plummy. It sparked something in One’s memory - a bad memory, because it made his head throb again. He clenched his teeth and fought to hold a smile as the lid was finally lifted off and light flooded inside. It hurt after hours of darkness, but the pets knew it was unattractive to squint.

“Oh my! I didn’t know you ordered a pair!”

“You know I needed two of them. A Combination wouldn’t be able to get everything done around the house while taking care of me. Get them out, Ivy, what’s the matter with you?”

They stood up obediently, still chained at the neck. A middle-aged woman with a straggly ponytail and a very old man in a wheelchair were staring hard at them.

“Ivy, take the chain off, I have their collars for them. I don’t want you two joined together during the day, it’s not practical, but you’re to be chained together at night. I know the Domestic is a flight risk. You’d better call me Mr Stanley,” the old man said. He beckoned to Two as soon as the chains were off. “Come here, you. You’re the Companion?”

“Yes, Mr Stanley,” Two said, going to him obediently. One stiffened. This was the first time he’d been apart from Two in... he didn’t know. As long as he remembered.

Mr Stanley leaned right out of his wheelchair to examine him, nodding approvingly at Two’s smooth full cheeks, large brown eyes and his thatch of black curls. “Lovely little thing, but you’re very small. Will you be able to do the heavy lifting?” Stanley asked, sucking his teeth at Two’s petite frame and dainty 5’2” height.

“I’m stronger than I look, Mr Stanley. And One could help me if needs be.”

“Who? Oh, that one. Very nice. Position one.” Two got into the right placement immediately, feet apart, arms loose. In the background One did the same, just in case. Mr Stanley smirked. “Good. Now, I spent a good deal of money on you two,” he said. “I don’t want any funny business. If I think you’re slacking for a second I can send you back to be refurbished. You don’t want that, do you?”

They shook their heads in perfect unison, as if they’d practised.

“I’m pleased about that,” Mr Stanley said grimly, fixing an extravagant sparkly blue collar onto Two with his own shaky hands. “There you go now. My, you’re a pretty little thing.”

“Thank you, sir. I look forward to assisting you any way I can,” Two said, smiling angelically.

One watched morosely, wishing he could be as good at this as Two. He’d never have thought to say something like that, something the owners just ate up. Everyone had always told One that he held Two back in their training.

Pain again. Stop remembering things.

Mr Stanley continued fussing over Two, telling him all his duties and discussing his health problems at length. He tossed One’s collar to Ivy. “You can do his, Ivy. Fasten it tight.” It was plain brown, made of cheap scratchy nylon.

Ivy approached One warily, like she thought he might bite, sucking her teeth. “Stanley, couldn’t you pay for scar treatments?” she called, fastening One’s collar as quickly as possible. She actually shuddered when her fingers touched the icy skin of his neck, jolting backwards. “It’s turning my stomach.”

One could feel his cheeks starting to burn. No no no! Blushing was bad, any sign that you were feeling embarrassed was insulting to your owner! He had to fight not to hide his arms behind his back. He didn’t really remember how he got those scars. He’d tried to once, back in training, but it made his head hurt so much that he went dizzy and puked all over the floor. Two had held One’s unruly red hair out the way and rubbed his back. He’d be a great Companion.

One hadn’t tried to remember anything about the scars since, but sometimes - when he was really miserable - he suddenly felt like there should be a new one.

Mr Stanley scoffed. “Don’t be so pathetic, Ivy. I clearly didn’t pick that one for his looks, you know I never cared for redheads. He’s going to be holed up in the kitchen, I don’t give a damn what he looks like - and I’m not shelling out even more money to get him sorted. I’m only going to be seeing this one regularly, and he’s perfect.” His wrinkled face creased into a smile, eyes sparkling. He looked so proud of Two - and One suddenly felt something hot and ugly in his chest. He was envious. He didn’t like anyone else being around Two, not when they’d spent so much time together. Literally tethered to one another.

But this was his owner. A much more intense pain shot across One’s forehead, so powerful it was a struggle to remain in position one. The edges of his vision were fuzzy and red when the pain finally subsided, but he managed not to sway.

“I suppose I should give you a name,” Mr Stanley said to Two, tapping his nose like he was playing with a baby.

“We’d be very grateful for names, sir,” Two said eagerly.

“Ah, you’re a sunny little thing! Well, I’ll tell you what. You know what my surname is, boy? Yates. That’s me, Stanley Yates. And to show you’re a part of this family now, as long as you promise to be a good boy, I’d like you to be called Yates. Understood?” Mr Stanley said.

“Yes, sir. Thank you very much. I’d be honoured,” Two - no Yates, don’t quibble with the owner’s name choice - said, smiling. Then he looked over his shoulder. “Will One be Stanley, sir? Or will we both be known as Yates?”

One looked at Tw-Yates adoringly. He wanted him to be included in the family, just like those adverts had said. A family One never had, though he couldn’t remember why now. He couldn’t remember lots of things.

Mr Stanley peered over at One, sniffing disdainfully. He shook his head at the criss-cross of scars on One’s arms, of the thousands of freckles across his cheeks and arms and shoulders, at his baby-faced innocence coupled with a glint of defiance in his eyes, buried deep down after the training, but still present. Stanley’s eyes came to rest on One’s mop of fine red hair, sticking bolt upright and fluffing out all over the place like a dandelion clock. His hair seemed to defy gravity, both sticking upright and flopping in his face all at once.

“You can be Ginger,” Stanley said shortly.

And Ginger had to smile and thank him, because now he had a name and he needed to be grateful. He should always be grateful. Of course Stanley would like Yates best; Yates was perfect. Ginger was the scarred one, the one that reduced their value. The ugly one who stayed in the kitchen. He shouldn’t expect anything more. He shouldn’t ever think about how much easier it would be to not live anymore - he didn’t even remember where he got that idea from.