#my art has improved so much since i was last in this fandom..

[hithisartexists]

hi im still alive. i got back in the fnaf craze while engaging with nostalgia. heres the art ive made so far.

1. lyrics from True Romance by She Wants Revenge

2. panel redraw of the graphic novel + a closeup of the face for detail

3. college era willry of them talking about making fredbear's + extra doodle of henrys fredbear fit

4. doodles i made while reading the graphic novels

below the read more: a several paragraph long rant i went on that was just supposed to be willry timeline headcanons. oops

henry henry henry henry henry and william and henry and william and

in my hc, the timelines goes that henry and william met in college. henry was always more reasonable and personable, but he grew attached to william anyway. William, of course, was (not) very normal about this/. He starts writing about henry in his journal, (An idea from henry, actually, to start journals as a form of self therapy. He was reasonable like that.) EVentually they open up fredbears together and start families. Henry was so in love with his own family and everything was going perfectly for him. He and william were still good friends. William seemed to be a bit more distant to his own family, in fact he was never sure if he had wanted to start it in the first place. Realistically, this is never what he wanted, but he pushed those thoughts on the backburner because anything with Henry was out of the question.

This continues until the first Bite, in which the crying child, his favorite son, dies. His youngest was always his favorite because he learned quick. Evan learned from Micheal and Will's interactions not to talk or fight back or he would be in trouble. He learned from his sister not to bother dad because "kids should only speak when spoken to." He was the perfect child to William because he never got in the way or complained.

Upon Evan's death, William is devastated. And like a savior, Henry is there. Henry is there to keep him from being alone (and also to make sure he's not too cruel in Michael's punishments, deserved or not). William tries to absorb himself in his engineering to distract from the death, but it's not enough. He keeps obsessing over it while building, while doing anything, and as it keeps ramping up he keeps leaning on Henry as a crutch, but even he can't keep Will's head above water.

One day, William is brimming with rage. He runs an establishment for all these happy families, the same establishment that tore apart his own. His best friend at the center of it, never truly knowing his grief. And one day, a crime of passion inspired by rage and wanting to be recognized and selfishness over the attention of his friend, who was ready to move on before he was, led to six dead kids, most noteably Charlotte, Henry's daughter. Panic sets in midway through the murders but he knows he can't just let them go now. In a fit of terror he stuffs them in spare suits, intending to return the next day with more time and dispose of them properly. As he leaves, though, they speak. They scream and they cry and they curse and William runs back home, horrified.

Henry is devastated. His poor baby girl, missing, the one time he looks away from her. The police are searching, he and his wife are crying, and Sammy doesnt understand why his twin sister isn't coming home. He takes his first day off work in years. Upon returning, he is greeted by William. How kind of him to run the place in Henry's absence, to keep it so clean. Oh, and that paperwork that bothered him so much is finally complete. And these sweet, understanding words from somebody who truly understands his grievances, all this is all he could really hope for. Will sounded so sure of his words, "They'll find her, she can't be far," the way he spoke so matter-of-factly and allowed Henry to fall limp in his arms made it seem like maybe it would really be okay.

Days pass, it isn't okay. Weeks. Months. In the absence of Charlie, it feels like William is the only one really there for him. It isn't okay. He keeps an old doll his daughter loved with him, and in his spare time he sobs and sobs and sobs into it, filling it with deep agony that only made it harder to look at. He had begun treating it like a new daughter, going so far as to build an animatronic around the doll, something of hers that could bring her back to life. But it wasn't just Charlie in that doll anymore, it was the deep sorrow of her father that fueled the machine. After enough of this, his wife leaves him and takes Sammy with her, overwhelmed and exhausted by Henry's ever-increasing delusion.

Now he really only does have William (and his metallic simulacra of paternal love). They spend more time together, and the dream of the original Fredbear's dies out as both seem to lose interest.

William's wife leaves him at some point as well, or just disappears, his story is unclear. He claims they had a heated argument about how neglectful he was to her and his family, at which point she packed up and left. There's been no way to contact her since.

At one point, William leaves his journal out. He's left the room for a few minutes, and Henry can't help but be curious. He starts from the beginning, a wholesome and slow start where William writes in very short and objective sentences, unsure of how to utilize the journal. As time goes on he seems much more passionate and full of life, around the height of Fredbear's. By this point Henry has managed to pinpoint exactly how William had felt about him this entire time, his writing seemed so much more jovial and near childish when writing about Henry. He chose to respectfully ignore this fact for Will's sake.

On the day of the bite, the handwriting is light and unsure of itself. Most of the pages after this point seem to be tear stained and/or partially torn. It's a sad thing to read this man's grief. The writing is back to the disjointed and discordial structure from the beginning, when they first met. As the pages go on, he seems to have regained his confidence, but he's still clearly a broken man. The pages go on tangents, his writing is harsh and jagged, occasionally leaving holes in the paper. Phrases repeat themselves, words fall off the lines, and Henry's name appears a lot more than he was comfortable with before.

The day of his daughter's supposed 'disappearance.' The writing is the most loopy and inane it's been thus far, but upon decoding it, overwhelming fear floods his heart. A confession. Blatant admittance and graphic description.

Henry slams the book shut, horrified and betrayed. His friend, his closest and best friend, his only friend-- took everything from him. He took everything and gave him relief piece by piece, acting like nothing was wrong for months. Acting innocent for months while Henry sobbed and wept in his shoulders and gave him everything he had left: his mind.

Henry leaves William and cuts him off entirely. He closes himself up in his house with his craft. He still can't bring himself to turn William in. He keeps trying to build Charlie, he builds more of her and tries to perfect her so that maybe, just maybe he can keep a piece of his old life. But nothing is right still; she is made of metal and fear and anger and betrayal and she will never be his dear Charlotte. He keeps working anyway, it doesn't even seem to be about love anymore. He even neglects her, seeing her only as the versions of her he's built and discarded. Not the version she would've grown to be.

He dies in that house to the only thing he could ever trust, his metal and his hands.

(alternative ending wjere william catches henry reading the book and instead of letting him go, chooses to kidnap him and keep him all for himself :3)

and the willy does afton shit. you know the rest

ok im done

[themyscirah]

Did I seriously just finish an art piece??? I know I'm me but did I get abducted by aliens or something like who is this person

[wwillywonka]

inktober day 09, 10, 11, & 12: DOCTORS!!

-doctor who is definitely my comfort show and is the reason i got interested in fandom and joined tumblr in the first place! most of my art from middle school is shitty little drawings of this fucked up time lord, but i haven't really drawn them since then! so it was super fun to revisit them and see how my art has improved over the last decade (wow). i think little me would be so happy that i still love this show as much as i did back then. 2013... what a year...

[anxiouscr0w]

So… It’s been a year.

A quick drawing I did of Sun from Ch10, Echoed Voices! This was a very silly scene I loved writing, so it’s about time I drew it :3. This has been sitting in my sketchbook for about a month, but I hated the initial sketch and only just came back to it the last few days.

Big ramble on how it’s already been a year below, alongside the original sketch vs my second attempt, and a better look at Sun <3

It’s been a year

A year ago today [01.09.2023] I was introduced to the DCA fandom through Solar Lunacy. It inspired me so much that I stepped out of a 2year long art hiatus just to express my love for these weird jesters.

I have been posting my art on the internet since I was only 11, and within a month of posting my first Daycare Attendant artworks, my posts had gotten more love and interaction than 5 years on Deviantart and 3 on Instagram.

It’s only been a year and yet I have improved more than I had my entire life! I’ve met so many amazing and supportive people, I’ve changed so much in only a year and I’ve finally adopted the mindset that I’m allowed to draw whatever I want!!

Since it’s gone over so quick, I can’t believe that in two months Emotional Support Staff will have been up on AO3 for a year already, and there’s still so much I want to do for my fics and my art.

Thank you to everybody who has been so loving and supporting and accepted me. And thank you to the Daycare Friend Pick Up discord server for being some of the best people I’ve ever met online :3

~ Crow

[un-unavoidableanxiousball]

I'll Play With You

Masterlist²

Rating: Teen and Up

Fandom: Squid Game

Pairing: platonic: Salesman x Reader,

Characters: Salesman, Reader, Frontman (briefly), Oh Il-nam (briefly),

Tags: gn!child!Reader, slightly anxious Reader, hurt/comfort, fluffy feelings, fatherly!Salesman, psychopatic Salesman(it's mostly implied), overall references to Salesman's job, some worldbuilding...?, ambiguous timeline, sus pacing,

Warnings: slight violence (slapping ;) ), slight manipulation (blink and you miss it), not so vague obssession, although Salesman should be his own warning

Summary: Once again when meeting Reader, Salesman finds them upset. But this time it's a diffrent reason than usual. He tries his best to lighten up their day. How fortunate he's well versed with games.

Word count: 5233

Acronyms: (y/n) - your name,

This is A CONTINUATION of my other fic >> "Excuse me, Mr. Loaf Man?"

A/N: how tf am i supposed to know how 1. school system works in korea; 2. how mature/childish a 10 year old is; 3. must I project that much ? T^T 4. ...how good are the security measures in korea??

2nd A/N: I got distracted at some point to see for myself how hard gonggi is... Holy shit, it's hard. I couldn't even progress to picking 2 at the same time. Tho I did play with paper stars... But still how?! I am hooked on perfecting it tho. shush-

A/N the 3rd: I did some ✨worldbuilding✨. Why? I couldn't possibly tell you. I don't know, it was just an itch I needed to scratch. =]

He has found peace with the constant obssession and protectiveness towards (y/n). Which might have factored on his job…

He doesn't neglect it. No. It's the opposite. He's better since meeting (y/n). Now, with their safety in mind, he completes his part swiftly and far more players are recruited by him. Mainly, to make sure he has time to spare for (y/n). Moreover, equally as important, to unload his negativity on those far more deserving of it. He doesn't know what he'd do if (y/n) was on the wrong side of his violence.

Even the entire mess with Seong Gi-hun doesn't matter at this point. The Salesman has found the perfect ground. No longer recruiting in subway stations, there's no chance at getting caught.

When his status report made it to Frontman, he was questioned as to the change of his recruitment results (read: improvement).

"Your effectiveness has raised spontaneously and spectacularly in the last 2 weeks. May I ask what inspired that?"

"No." Plastic smile unmoving. "Besides… I just pick up the necessary slack, sir."

Frontman stills. "…What slack?"

Pleased at successfully rufling his feathers, he answers: "Recent."

If he thinks that mask is doing anything to hide his expressions; he's solely mistaken. Emotions are far more a whole bodily reaction. "My reasons, had I any, wouldn't endanger the games any more than sir's latest intrests, sir."

Salesman has impecable control over himself, he can say anything with any expression he wants to get a desired effect. He learned early on that he needed to blend in, to act normal. Control was essential for restraining his impulses. Whole life to learn and master the art of persuasion.

While Frontman might be his boss, he's still a player he once recruited. They tolerate their faux dynamic. Salesman fakes respect toward him and Frontman deludes himself he isn't feeling inferior in his presence.

"…Excuse me?"

Salesman needs him to back off. As he indulges in player 456, he should leave Salesman's life and what happens in it alone. Salesman doesn't disrespect him more for it. Well… doesn't show disrespect. Even if he should. Frontman's position is far more important and demanding for Hwang In-ho to lose focus. Sloppy. Il-nam would be disappointed.

"Nothing, sir." An innocent smile on his face, meant to give off 'I-mean-no-disrespect' and disarm anyone. Although both know Frontman doesn't fall for it. "..I simply couldn't help but wonder why you, sir, entrusted me with observing officer Hwang Jun-ho. Nor do I understand the point of the social experiment with the homeless… Sir never took interest in that before." Because that's all you're interested in, right, sir? There's absolutely nothing at work that's pushing you to behave this way. It's not like I know anything about anything after all.

Seeing him tense with indignation was rewarding.

"It's not your place to question my orders or decisions. You'll do well to remember that."

He grinned internally. "Of course, apologies, sir. Won't happen again."

"As long as you're dedicated to your duties, I suppose. Dismissed." With that Salesman leaves, triumphant.

It's been a month since that fateful day in the park. The number of times you met can be counted on two hands. And he doesn't see either of you pulling away.

He has fallen into a routine, and this time, constructed around his meetings with (y/n). Ensuring he's a solid, reliable factor in their life.

In fact your trust in him has solidified. You don't shy away from him as much. You volunteered some little details he wouldn't learn otherwise. And you aren't afraid to share how your time was in school.

He knows you enjoy math, but the teacher is too frustrating. You feel lost when she explains something new in a way you don't understand; having to ask a classmate for help and not even receive it most of the times. You feel jealous and excluded seeing everyone being friends with everyone, but you don't know how they do that because making friends is hard.

You like to draw. Flowers and leaves are your favorite and they end up better than other things you make. But that's only because you're of the belief that girls should get flowers. So you draw them for your mother to cheer her up. You draw the tulip the best, but your favorite flower of all time is a sunflower.

These are the little things that make you you and he cherishes that knowledge.

Among those days you met on, 6 of them were when you were upset beforehand. To try and cheer you up, he resorts to ice-cream or eating in that one family diner you're so fond of, for whatever reason.

Mostly it's the fault of your parents the day before, one of your teachers or just a hard lesson.

So it didn't really surprise him when he saw you sitting on the bench with slumped shoulders. Your gaze locked down at your swinging legs. Seeing you like this will always twist his heart with unease.

He sits down next to you. "My little sunflower, you shouldn't waste such a sunny day glooming about." His thumb traces small circles on your shoulder. "Look at me?" You only slightly lean to his side, but don't loook up. "Please? I'll be very happy if you do."

That works. You slowly raise your eyes at his face.

"There they are;" he boops your nose, "My beautiful sunflower." He says with amplified excitement. You let out a quiet giggle at his antics.

His own smile widens at the sound. "See? Here's my favorite thing in the world; my flower beaming at me."

"You're silly. I'm not a flower."

He exaggerates his pout, "No?" then furrows his brows in concentration, "Are you a bird then? A dove?" he gasps and whispers, "…a canary?!"

"No!" You shake your head, but the grin on your face betrays you're having fun. "Not that!"

He widens his eyes in dramatic curiosity, "What else can you be?"

You burst out laughing, "You're so silly! Silly, silly, silly! I'm a human child. Human!"

"Is that so? It was really silly of me not to think of that." He shakes his head in mock disbelief.

Inside he rejoices, he made the smile come back on your pretty face. He refuses to consider himself soft. Prefers not to think about it in fact. He's just as dangerous as he's always been.

"So what do you want to do today (y/n), hm?"

You shrug your shoulders, "Don't know.."

He hums thoughtful. He looks at you in closer detail. There's still a slump about you, although not as pronounced as before. The smile from minute ago is a little faint but still wide enough not to disappear for your face. "Did you do your homework?" You nod with a quiet "yeah".

He purses his lips, "So are we heading somewhere to eat or do you want to just walk around?"

"Eat?"

"Okay, come on. Anything in particular?" You shake your head, "Your favorite then?" You nod in agreement.

He stands up, not without taking your backpack beforehand. "Do you feel like carrying it or do you want me to?" He asks to gauge how you're feeling.

On one of the earlier meetings, overeager and still drunk in his obssessive mood, he offered to carry the backpack for you.

Although by the time he spoke he already had a grip on your backpack. Why it felt like something of a need or instinct he had to fulfill, he didn't know.

But you were quick to tell him no. When he asked why, you just stated you like having the weight. That there are times when you were restless without your hands occupied.

Who is he to take a chance of comfort away from you?

"Today's a 'Me' day."

So he just holds it up at your height and helps you put it on. With you settled, you head out of the park. Him holding your smaller hand in his.

A couple of minutes pass.

Salesman finds the unusual silence from your side unnerving. Before, you weren't unwilling to share if it was parents or school. So he tries to gently ask you for explanation to your sadness.

"…what happened this time, hmm?" He gives a little swing to your occupied hands. He feels your hold tighten.

He has to strain to hear your answer. "It's stupid…"

"(y/n), it's not stupid if it's upsetting you. I won't laugh. Promise." He squeezes his hand, reassuring.

He glances at you to see you fidgeting with the straps, a subtle thinking frown. But you don't speak up the rest of the way.

What kind of thing could be so upsetting? He thought he already shown he can be trusted. What did he fail to provide then that you're hesitant?

You come inside the small diner, he tells you to choose a seat. Meanwhile he goes to order Dak Galbi for you and Tteokbokki for himself.

He smiles politely at the counter server who, at this point, recognizes him. "Let me guess… Dak Galbi?" He hums. "…and what do you feel like today?"

"Tteokbokki."

"Alright," she inputs the total cost to the register, "you know, you two… are such a heartwarming sight. We don't get many families in here."

His smile never wavers and he just pays with his card, "Thank you." But inwardly, a dizzying delight twists in his chest. To be perceived as (y/n)'s family already… It's addicting.

He knows how he behaves. He's possessively protective, he looks forward to the day you'll be his alone. He's been helping you with anything and everything that caused you some problems. How quickly he, against all odds, took to a fatherly role. To imagine seeing you grow up and mature…

He sighs.

Soon he'll become your only parent, he'll make sure of it. But not yet. You're not ready. It'll taste far sweeter when you'll be seeing him like that.

He takes in a deep breath and walks to the table you chose today. Which is to say, the booth in the far back but next to the window. Your backpack rests next to you on your right, that way you're closer to the window.

If the booth was touching the glass, you'd definitely be resting your head against it. As it is, you're looking out onto the street. The same thinking expression evident on your small face but less intense.

Did you decide to tell him? Is that why you chose this table?

If so, then you don't want to be overheard but don't care if you're seen. It's embarrassing but not as shameful. You won't get any judgement nor pity nor anything bad from him. Never.

He joins opposite of you. His eyes never leaving your face, but ears are alert to your order being called out.

You quietly speak, "You're not gonna laugh at me?" and shortly glance at him to watch for truthfulness behind his reply.

Never at you. You will learn and trust it by heart. "No."

You nod and breathe in deeply, "There's this… event thing… at school." your voice slow, soft and quiet.

"I don't get why they're doing it, also it's mostly mandatory anyway… But my parents expect me take part in it." You take a short pause, "…actively…" You look away from the window and down at your lap. You nibble at your lips for a moment.

"And I don't—"

"Teokbokki! Dak Galbi!" You flinch at the interruption. It wasn't particularly loud but you didn't expect it. Lost as you were in your mind and worries.

Hopefully you won't close up… Salesman stands up to collect their meals.

He comes back with the tray as swiftly as he can. He puts your respective dishes on the table then the tray aside.

He has to try and pick up where you left off. "Is that what your worried about? Active participation?"

You shrug, "Kinda..? It's not like mom and dad will see if I do or not. Even if family has permission to join in with us. I heard a teacher even encourage others to bring them along." If it's not the possibility of your dad's attention that upsets you about participating, what is?

"You're not telling me something." He raises a brow seeing you shift in place, "What's the event about?"

"Something about appreciation for tradition, but like I said, I don't really get it…"

"Go on.."

"We're supposed to play games, like Gonu or Gonggi… but I didn't really play games much. Especially those team ones…" A blush spread across your cheeks. "I didn't know some of them even existed until the teacher explained."

How sweet of you. To be so embarrassed of inexperience. You not having opportunity to play simple games, lays if not on your parents then on other kids. Fortunately for you, he's very familiar with them.

He'll be the one to teach you how to play each and every game. It delights him.

"…I tried gonggi before but.. I always failed to pick up three." You fiddle with your chopsticks for a moment and then take a bite to keep your mouth occupied.

He tilts his head slightly in curiosity, "Besides gonggi, do you know how to play other games?" You shake your head.

He inhales sharply. Of course, you don't. Better for him then.

"Gonggi looked the easiest and I can't even reach the end." Your voice trembles.

"And when is this school event happening?" How long does he have?

"I think two weeks? I'm not sure…" Good enough.

"Then I'll play with you. I'll teach you. Every game there is." You look at him in clear surprise.

"What? Now?" Your gaping mouth stirs as much bemusement as endearment.

"We can start today. But perhaps we should finish eating, no?"

The cute blush comes back to adorn your face. You look down at your plate, "Are you sure you want to play with me?" then at him, searching, "Aren't games for kids?"

He can feel and see the slight frown that flashes on his face hearing that. It's wrong. A falsehood that grew to diminish that childish spark, to teach, far more early in life, that the world judges and does so harshly. He'll begin teaching you from this point. You must know, will know, the most important fact. "Listen to me, I want you to remember this and take it to heart." he leans forward as far as he can, "Are you listening?"

You mimic him and also lean forward slightly, boping your head in answer.

"Games aren't sentient. They don't discriminate. Everyone can play, young, old, girls and boys, teachers, students… Anyone." His eyes scan your reaction, the parted lips, the sheer wonder and astonishment swirling in your eyes. Although a second later a sliver of confusion or doubt slips in them.

"But then why does nobody really play after growing up?" True marvel… Asking great questions.

"People choose not to. They try to blame the lack of time. Though most adults use said time… unwisely. At some point society decided playing games is immature or unbecoming. So adults conformed to that opinion. And as kids grow they follow, and imitate, their own parents. And circle begins anew." He straightens up, "Besides… These days, you don't really see younger kids playing outside either. Do you?"

You purse your lips, brows furrowed, thinking, maybe deciding for yourself if you trust his judgment. Whatever it was, you've come to a conclusion.

"…and anyway. Why wouldn't I want to play with you? I play ddakji regularly enough anyway… Playing with my darling sunflower won't be a chore. I will play with you and you can't change my mind. And anyway, didn't you call me silly earlier? Maybe the rules don't apply to me, hm?" He smiles in amusement. "Now let's finally eat."

Both of you made the way to his house.

He has a little over an hour and a half until you have to get home. He'd have to choose a simple game for today.

Two of you take off your shoes, him first and you following his example. He leads you to the main area then tells you to sit and wait for him to come back. Although he wouldn't care if you, in curiosity, got more closely aquientenced with the the space.

After all, he lead you through a path that's easy to navigate and remember. If he gets his way, you will be fully familiarised with his house; and soon.

Next meetings will focus on teaching you how to play games and let you improve, perhaps even perfect them. But his goal is to make sure you're comfortable near him and in his house. To signal to you that belong here and will always be welcomed by him. You memorising the path leading to his house will be a sweet, sweet bonus.

He plans on dedicating a guest room as your bedroom. He'd let you decorate it however you want. And he'd make sure the quality of everything you'll wish for is the best.

But he can't let himself get carried away.

First he has to choose which game to start with. He enters the study room. He approaches the closet, one which he doesn't use all that often anymore and where he stores things needed for multiple games.

As the recruiter for the Game, he has a certain type of freedom. He can choose with which game he wants to recruit the trash. The only requirement is that the punishment for failing has to be humiliating. Slapping them wasn't really the go-to choice before, he caused it to be so.

After he's been promoted to a recruiter, he has mastered many, if not most, of the games. It was simple training for the role.

His first recruits might've been successful, but hadn't been as satisfying. However the day he chose to play ddakji with the potential player - an annoying and distasteful boy - he struck him. A solid slap across the cheek. Seeing that shock, disbelief in his eyes, that delightful splash of pain on his face; it calmed and lit up excitement in his psychopathic brain and body. From there on he stuck to that method only.

Apparently, since then, he had far better results of recruitment than any other coworker of his. He gained the attention of the Host. In fact, he received summons to Host's quarters. He heeded it. They held a conversation which impacted Salesman to a degree.

The elevator opens with a delicate ding.

Recruiter #27 steps forward toward the Host's quarters. He wonders what's this about.

Apparently it's abnormal to be invited- no, summoned by Him, and moreover, meet in His quarters nonetheless. When the Host has a duty to uphold, an order to give or simply supervises, He comes out.

Nobody goes to Him.

Why is he here?

The Host had His back turned toward him. His eyes catch the top of the mask Host wears, barely registering His grey hair. But he feels a brief spark of intrigue at Host's suit choice, a shade of crimson pops out in the room. His spine is straight. Posture unbothered and relaxed.

Clearly, He's very confident.

No matter his thoughts, his own outer image is undisturbed, calm and confident. He steps out from the corridor and halts.

"You've summoned me, Host, and so I'm here, Sir."

The Host turns around.

His breath faltered. It might've been for a second but it felt longer.

An Owl. Symbol of wisdom and fortune. The Mask is made of gold, by far the most obvious attribute about the wealth part of owl symbolism. An ageing rich man… Do You consider Yourself 'old and wise'? Is that why You've chosen an owl?

Masked head beckons to the seat on His left. And Recruiter #27 swiflty listens to the quiet command. He sits down. And stays there for minutes in silence, patient and unmoving. All the while the Host keeps standing. He doesn't feel bothered by this. Such a simple and delightful way for a little power play — he doesn't mind.

The Host is openly staring at him so he returns the favor. Perhaps He's even analyzing? Are You looking for something specific Sir? What is it, I wonder?

Then He spoke, breaking the silence, "Do you wish to know why you're here?"

Recruiter didn't really have to think about this one. "If You wish to share Your reasons, Sir, I'd gladly accept the knowledge."

Silence falls between them again. Both of them scrutenizing each other unabashedly. The stand off comes to an end when Host speaks again.

"You've impressed me." He takes a few steps toward him. "This year we got more calls from possible participants than for any of the past Games. Most of which had your identifying number."

Recruiter has to slightly tilt his head upwards to look through Host's owl mask and into His dark eyes. "Thank you, Sir. I'm glad to be of service."

"So you are." He takes a step back, "You've been assigned to recruit because your potential was evident. Now, you'll get to be on a higher position. Your type of dedication will be of use to me."

The thought of having more power around here should've spark some kind of desire, delight and satisfaction within him; however he only felt a dull pang of passivity. "Higher, Sir?" He doesn't strive for power, or powerful positions, he's quite satisfied where he is. Actually — correction, it's not the kind of power he wants nor needs.

"You'll gain access to things and places only I have access to. Don't worry, you're a recruiter and that won't change; your number and rank will. Think of it as a discreet promotion."

Recruiter tilts his head at that, "May I ask why discreet, Sir?"

"It will be discreet because no one will be informed of your higher status. Not anytime soon, anyway. Moreover — you won't receive it until next year. See…

My fellow sponsors have been voicing complains. 'It's repetetive' and 'Not as exciting as it was in the beggining', 'Bit too short, don't you think?' or my personal favourite: 'Time might fly or crawl by but they die off just like flies. Where's the fun? The excitement? You're growing lazy, my friend'." Every complain was voiced in impeccable english. Host's voice did a weird inflection at 'flies', He sounded mocking the entire time. "Then you came in, and to my amazement, managed to attract more potential players." Recruiter hears smugness and satisfaction drip from Host's words. "So, I decided to increase the amount of players in the next year's Game, consequently I plan to extend the duration to six days.

Expressing my… gratitude for you creating this opportunity, seemed in order." The Host finally sits down facing Recruiter #27, "I'm not blind though. I can see you're not jumping with joy at getting a chance to climb higher among the ranks. So to make this a little more engaging for you, I propose a wager. If the amount of calls we receive — curtesy of your coworkers, yours won't count — reaches over 80% of the number I decided on; you win. If they don't manage to, you lose. I think it's rather simple, no?"

Recruiter #27 is intrigued, this surely would make things more interesting. "Can Host explain what number Sir is reffering to? Overall amount of players or just the added amount?"

Host nods, "I had the final amount in mind, It's higher and harder to reach. If the raised value was 132, overall being 404, your coworkers would have to reach 323 calls."

"May I ask what's the number Sir chose?"

"No, you may not. That's what will make it exciting for you. Wheather you get your promotion or not depends on the results of our little wager. Of course, you can't influence other recruiters nor interfere in any other way. Do you accept, Recruiter #27?"

"Yes."

And that was that. That year passed by and Salesman got more access and became Recruiter #10 (which did imply an advancement of rank since every recruiter had a number from 20 to 29). The Host wasn't surprised when he won. Were you truly clairvoyant, Owlish Host?

After that they exchanged words on occasion, Salesman usually kept to himself. Every conversation of theirs was enlightning. The Host was one of the only people Salesman truly respects — even to this day. But there was a mutual understanding, if you will, between them.

Then He was diagnosed with cancer and asked Salesman for a favor. To recruit Him. He wished to experience the Game as a player before he died. He wished for the whole experience — therefore, he had to be recruited. So the Host chose him, Recruiter #10 and Salesman agreed.

He was handed a file, unassuming, looking identical to any other file on potential players. But he knew what it was. He opened it and for the first time, since being summoned to Host's quarters that day, saw His whole face.

Unobstructed by the mask.

He did his job as promised, approached Him in a train station; offered a round of ddakji. Everything was the same, money for winning and slaps for losing. It felt… fulfilling of sorts. There wasn't that sadistic satisfaction at other's pain, but he didn't feel pity or apologetic either. It was simply a task, but it didn't feel as simple.

Perhaps he should've asked, maybe, just maybe, Il-nam would've stirred him in the right direction again…

An Owl truly reflected His personality. A Creator of a Game where the unfortunate get a fair chance at prosperity, gaining life-changing amount of money. A guiding Owl trapped in a human body, trying to point out society's obvious self-deceptions to said society.

Seems rather pointless. Did You feel cursed, I wonder?

Salesman catches himself from reminiscing further and realises he was standing before this open closet the entire time he was lost in thought.

Something simple...

He reaches for a jegi and a vase with chopsticks — Jegichagi and Tuho.

It's something, they can play by themself if they wanted…

He returns to the main area and isn't surprised to see you standing by the counter looking enticed by the fruit bowl. "Sorry for making you wait, (y/n)." You visibly startle and quickly turn to face him, "Help yourself, if you want one." He gestures toward the fruit. He sees you hesitantly pick some grapes.

He goes to put down the vase on the floor near the couch, that way, when playing, you won't have the sun blind you.

"I settled on jegichagi and tuho. Both are pretty easy to understand and play. Which do you want to try first?"

"What's tuho about?"

He leaves the jegi on the arm chair and approaches the vase again. "A game of tuho needs arrows or sticks, in our case chopsticks," He shakes the hand holding said chopsticks to emphasize, "and a vase. The height of the vase is relative to the length of what you're throwing. And it can't be too wide or it wouldn't be as fun. You take a few paces," he demonstrates by taking four steps back, "maybe ten, away from the vase; and you throw chopsticks." He makes a gesture as if he's about to throw but doesn't. "The objective is to not miss. The person that has the most chopsticks in that vase, wins."

"I want to try it then!" You excitedly jog over to stand next to him.

"Be my guest, you'll go first." He hands you half of the chopsticks (eight), and steps aside to give you some room.

You take a stand, feet hip-width apart, your right leg more to the front. So far so good. You make your throw. But it lands slightly to the right of the vase.

Your next throws also miss but each time they are less and less off. Over all not bad for a first timer.

"Not bad (y/n). But now's my turn." Salesman takes his own stance with some idea how to scew his throws to not score. But you pull on his jacket, "No. You go farther."

He's not going to complain, extra distance does nothing to his accuracy but it'll be helpful in not advertising his skills. "Why?"

"You're taller than me. From here you'll score easier. Back away." You speak with confidence, assured.

Keen on the idea he nods his head in agreement and backs away until he basically touches the TV with his right shoulder. He makes his throws, which one of them went in. You were equally entralled by him playing, you didn't seem upset at him scoring. You happily collect the chopsticks and come back to the same spot after giving him back his share of chopsticks.

The process was repeated. You improved, each time coming close to scoring, your chopsticks bouncing off every time. There was a point where one of your chopsticks went in but bounced back out; much to your frustration. However you get a hang of it after that, scoring one in eight at a time.

But soon your arms grew a little tired so tuho came to an end. Since Salesman kept track of the score, he shares it with you. At the end it was 17:21 for him. Apparently you're not a competetive type as you didn't look upset. You had fun and that's all that counts for you.

There's still some time left so you move to jegichagi. If before your arms were essential then now it's your legs turn.

He also shows you how it's done, this time, doesn't downplay his skill as much. He stops at 12 kicks. After that you kept looking at him with awe, as if what he did was something miraculous. You try to kick the jegi. You take rather well to it. In no time you managed to keep it in air by kicking it three times before it fell to the ground.

Time seems to fly by around you. So while Salesman was aware of the passage of time, it still surprised him how short it seems.

When the clock struck a little too close to 4:30PM, he had to put a stop to your fun. His heart clenched at your shattered expression. Disappointment clear in your eyes.

You have to return home. He dislikes the idea far more than you. He'd rather keep you in his house, his space, comfortable and happy than there where he knows you're mistreated.

He assures you that next time you can go straight to his house to play. That would give more time to play and he'll introduce you to other games; Ddakji or Gonu perhaps?

He walks you back the same way you arrived. And leaves you mere minutes before your mother arrives.

He watches the car drive off. He wonders what the mother thinks (y/n) does when they have to wait around for her arrival.

If she thinks at all…

The lack of interest in (y/n)'s time at school certainly opens a door for him. He doesn't ignore such deliciously laid out opportunities. The key is to prepare as well as he can in those 2 weeks.

Let's hope you'll like the surprise…

GOD, it's finally done, I'm really sorry if this felt rushed TwT or weird

(who cares?!)

[elenthyaolyenths]

Ok, it's time, isn't it? My first "Art Versus Artist"! and always, my complete Good Omens Art Gallery if you are curious!

Hello my dears! Your little Frenchie wing-addict here! 2024 has been a hell of a ride, so many great things happened since I decided to join the Good Omens fandom ! What a ride, yeah, from my first Red Art sketches in January to my most recent full-colour tries and experimentations - most of them still secret, sorrryyyyy. My wrist surgery and the physiotherapy still going on, depression and health problems hitting hard again... BUT I KNOW I wouldn't be here without the fandom and without your wonderful support.

The constant research of my own art style, while i was granted the chance to work with amazing writers and artists. The pleasure to share my improvements with you all, dear followers and friends!!!

Thank you so much, for everything. Wishing you the best for 2025, I hope I'll be able to make you smile and dream even more!

Linktree - Masterpost - Ko-Fi - Prints of my Art here!

And, here, I'll have to stop a minute and try to remember ALL of you dear people I'd like to thank even more personally... with all my love and my gratefulness. (!long text under the cut!)

@vavoom-sorted-art dear M'am, I have already told you how one of your Tumblr posts litteraly saved me in the beginning of 2024 and gave me back the courage to continue to make art. It was probably a very small thing for you, but for me it has been a life-changing thing for the best. Thank you again, thank you so much for your kindness, and your advice about my art during this year. I wish you the best for 2025, for your studies and everything else <3

@malohkeh-main My dear, you're the first one who encouraged me to do this personal Red Art Daily Challenge in January. Thanks for your wonderful support and our translation teamwork, life happened between us but I'll never forget our discussions.

@floscrap-blog, my dear frenchie friend I have met on international GOAD sub, while we were living almost right next door, how was it even possible?? Dear Hun, thank you so much for your kindness, I'll treasure our friendship forever.

@kotias, the one and only! I can't even say how much I'm grateful for you finding me and dragging me into the wonderful behind-the-scenes of this awesome fandom. Because of you (and it's a compliment) I was suddenly drawing even more, writing again after a 3-years-blank-page-syndrom, meeting so many new people and collegues and friends. My life has definitely changed the day we started to talk, and I discovered what the tag "found family" might mean. Thank you so, SO MUCH, Madame.

Thanks to @goodomensafterdark for creating the best goblin nest ever. Your whole community supporting me when I was about to get my wrist surgery and when I was scared as hell? Probably my best wonderful memory ever of this summer. Still crying about it. Thank you so much, for everything.

@demonsandpieohmy, dearest, I still remember this comment on my art on GOAD, mentioning your fingers tingling... and then, "To Shreds" was born, and it was just the first of our several collabs together. Thank you so much for your trust and your support on my very first NSFW artworks! Thank you for your friendship, we might have talked less these last months but it's always a pleasure. Wishing you the best for your ulterior writings!

Thanks to @the-bentley and @cassiecasyl for choosing me on the Reverse Bang Minisode and for our wonderful teamwork!! I have been uncredibly lucky to have you both.

Greatings and many thanks to the people who supported me on Ko-Fi and/or commisionned me this year. It's been an honor and a true pleasure. <3

Hugs, love, and big thanks to my dear friends and fellows artists/writers: @daneecastle (your kindness and your advice still help me everyday, dear), @gribouli (tellement heureuse d'avoir pu te rencontrer, merciiiii pour tout!), @nosferatini (Thank Mama Nos for everything, can't wait for 2025 ;-D), @sweetmascherari (the "BIG" project was so much funnier by your side!<3), @eybefioro (my dear I'm so happy to finally be able to work with you!)... and I probably forgot people and I hate it but be sure I'm so so grateful T.T

Thanks even more to all my lovely friends from the TNAN discord - and specifically to @itsscottiesstark, my dear friend and co-moderator. I love what we have created there and even if this BIG BABY of a network is sometime a little bit overwhelming now, it's always a pleasure to co-event with you and having fun during your Story-Times.

And, last but not least, thanks to my dear internet Spouse, @captainblou. Writing and arting by your side has been one of the most wonderful things I was able to do this year. Thank you for that, and for everything else, each day, every day.

Happy NYE everyone! See you in 2025!

Tag-list (ask in comment to be add if you want to be notified next time I publish my Good Omens arts and WIPs! A lot of secret work is almost done and is coming!!!)

@goodomensafterdark ;

@floscrap-blog ; @demonsandpieohmy ; @amagnificentobsession ; @captainblou ; @mamamissy

@ineffable-hyperfixation ; @itsscottiesstark ; @moralsofanalleycatsposts ; @featheredboaconstrictor ; @lenareadly

@fearandhatred ; @eybefioro ; @crowleys-bentley-and-plants ; @ashfae ; @crowleys-hips;

@paperclipninja ; @silverdphantom ; @neverlet ; @naturallyteal ; @goodoldfashionedlovergirls-blog ;

@madaims; @daisydimple20092 ; @seraphhiim ; @rebeccakatmauri ; @cobragardens

[beetleskeleton]

Inscryptober Week 1: Transformation

Happy Inscryptober friends! Hi yes hello I'm not dead out of the Inscryption fandom and I don't think I can ever leave anyway at this point so-

Anyway, of course I have to start off with everyone's favorite sassy gay stoat robot <3 he's too iconic and it still lives in my head rent free. he hasn't paid the rent in two years since it started its residency.

In terms of the piece, I actually had to redraft this like three separate times until I landed on this one. It still had P03 in mind, but initially as something you would find on youtube in 2012. But it wasn't what I was going for, so I decided to settle on something that was much more familiar with what I had done with past pieces while giving it a bit of spice. I also enjoyed the contrast between last Inscryptober to now considering my art style has improved tremendously.

Very fun to do! And also a day late to the party but what else do you expect of me? Late is my surname at this point./hj

[visionkept]

ANNOUNCEMENT: @visionkept has been archived !

It's finally the time ladies, gentlemen and nonbinary people ! This lovely blog that I have had since 2022 is finally reaching its end. VISIONKEPT is no more as Tomo will resurface back on a NEW BLOG !

Dear friends, thank you so much for so many amazing years in this silly corner of tumblr ( and especially grateful for everyone's patience ). I hope I get to see all of you in the next chapter. THE NEW AND IMPROVED TOMO blog will be COMING THIS MARCH ! Why not now ? Well, I'm taking a month and a week break from Tomo to focus on irl stuff like improving my portfolio and getting more active on the drawing side. Might open a graphic blog one day, who knows.

ANYWAYS, I have to thank you all once more for the support and for giving this character a chance. After almost four years I have finally found the direction I want to take my Tomo and for that, it's for the best to start fresh on a new blog as the new Tomo will have an entire different focus, a kind of REBOOT if you would like to call it that way. Worry not, it's the same idiot you love and care for BUT with a few tweaks in verses and lore.

UNDER THE READ MORE you'll find the NEW RULES AND CHANGES ON TOMO'S CHARACTER expected to be seen on the new blog ! Please ❤️ this post if you have read through them and you would still want to see me and my blond idiot around when I come back. If what you read wasn't of your liking, then it was a pleasure to cross paths with you even if it's for a fleeting moment ! ( Small note : i will slowly start following the people that liked this post on the last days of February ).

CHANGES IN TOMO'S CHARACTER:

Tomoya's name will be changed from "Aoki Tomoya" to Sunohara Tomoya ( yes, to match the spring aesthetic ).

Tomoya's character will be the current reincarnation of TAKAMINE THE MISTSPLITTER and their lore will be heavily tied to INAZUMA'S LORE.

Compared to this old blog where Tomo being alive is more of an AU, the new blog will have a MAIN VERSE where Tomo IS alive. Will be treated as if IN GAME they had been trapped in Ei's plane of Euthymia all this time right until Sumeru's interlude. They manage to break free after Wanderer's Irminsul incident. Currently they are an occasional Crux member that travels around all the nations. MORE TO BE EXPLAINED LATER.

NEW IMPORTANT TOMO LORE. Tomoya got CURSED by the ABYSS when they used to be Takamine and every reincarnation has it. MORE TO BE EXPLAINED LATER.

Tomo used to have a biological sister in the genshin verse. Well, not anymore lol. Making them an only child. At least they still got Chi - chan !

Unless I've approached you to be mains, ALL ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS WILL HAVE A RESET. Lil crushes or platonic bonds do not count on this reset.

NO EI "BOOBA SWORD" OR "KAZUHA WEED JOKE". Makes me uncomfortable and I think they are dumb. Next question.

IMPORTANT NEW RULES:

Will soft block, in some cases hard block, blogs that use AI for icons, edits, etc.

Won't follow blogs with voltro.n, south par.k, haz.bin hotel, and h.elluva boss characters. For multi muses, it will heavily depend on how present said characters are on the blogs.

WILL BE HEAVILY SELECTIVE WITH DOING ROMANTIC SHIPS. I require plotting, interactions and some ooc talk for it to happen. If the excitement isn't the same, it's likely for me to lose any interest and drop it.

EXCLUSIVITY REGARDING SHIPPING. Some do and some don't so I'll practice it IF my shipping partner does the same. If you have it specified in your rules then I'll follow through what's agreed.

WILL ASK FOR THE FOLLOWING GRAPHIC SHIP CONTENT TO BE TAGGED: k*zscr and y*eyato. Have become rather icky around those romantic ships thanks to a certain side of the fandom so I would rather not see any romantic art of them in my TL, so please tag it.

TMKZ WARNING. in this blog i never tagged it properly but on the new one, I'll tag ANY ROMANTIC tmkz art. also i won't be shipping MY tomo with ka.zuhas that got ships with wand.erers / sca.ras. i know i'm practically shooting my foot like this and i might never ship tm.kz here on tumblr but at this point idc anymore. i prefer being comfortable over having a bad taste in my mouth. thank you for your understanding.

TOMO WILL HAVE DIFFERENT VERSES BESIDES GENSHIN. hsr, pokemon, zzz, modern, royal au, even an au WITH TAKAMINE.

[emperor-kumquat]

Hello there!!! How’s your day going so far emperor?

Old time fan here! I’ve been catching up on Some of my old transformers fandoms ever since I watched transformers one, and I remember about this awesome project you and many other creators made (btw your work is outstanding, Keep it up!!!) and I’m amazed at how much has changed and it makes me feel incredibly happy that my favorite transformers prime fan-storyline is still here! I remembered finding your videos when it was back in 2020 during quarantine. I always played through the beta version of “mercy” when it first came out and I remember feeling so excited for it; and I’d always wanted to best path for starscream be at least a good guy since he was my favorite character (and still is today)

And now seeing that the game is still in the works and seeing so many new bots is so exciting and happy to see the dedication to this!!! I know I have to catch up on the lore and stuff but it’ll be a fun experience for me, though I just wanted to ask a few questions before I end my first ever question that wasn’t anonymous,

Question 1: is there a discord server where I could possibly join? I want to make sure I could keep up with the latest updates for this project!

Question 2: I know I’ll need to read the Ao3 storyline for mercy but how does predaking and starscreams relationship grow over time during one of the paths? (I can’t remember but I think it was the one where predaking spears him and just keeps an eye on him— along with the predacons going to live in the wild or something? Can’t remember much lol)

And for my last question;

Question 3: Hows the process of “Mercy” going so far? Seeing all the art being made its absolutely stunning and beautifully done!

And that’s all the questions I have for now; until then I’ll be catching up on all the transformers lore that I’ve missed for so many years! I hope you’re having an amazing day Emperor!

————-J

Thank you so much for being a fan of Mercy! I still work on it almost every day! Editing the stories to improve quality, writing new content, drawing, instructing artists, etc.

Have you seen all the art on the Ko-Fi page? I post the commissions there, so there are hundreds of images to see!

For all the latest updates, here is the Discord server. Just so you know, there is a glitch when you enter that doesn't let you interact right away. Stay in the server until I can fix that for you, then you can write your introduction to unlock the whole server. Please read the rules too.

For the storyline you are referring to, I have fully written the story where the Predacons live in the wild of Cybertron with Starscream as their guide. It is THE Starscream story of Mercy and is a tale of friendship. Your adventure gets dangerous later on, so it turns into a fun survival game too! This is the written version of the choose your own adventure story. It's called "Discovery".

The main paths of Transformers: Mercy are on AO3. There are three full length story games available right now and the fourth is in progress. Check out my complete list of works and you may be surprised just how much has been completed since the beta part 1!

Mercy Part 1 (2020): A collection of the various starts to the game. A bit under construction right now to adapt to new plans. Quality is being improved (and the videos will be redone)

Space Adventure (2021): the choice to work with the Autobots on the landing site/spaceport at the end of Part 1. Travel to other worlds!

Reformed Predator (2022): the choice to eat Starscream in Part 1. Become a carnivorous monster then get therapy.

Discovery (2023): the choice to live in the wilderness at the end of Part 1. Explore beautiful lands and befriend Starscream.

Monstrous Heart (2024): the choice to work with the Autobots in the city at the end of Part 1. Discover the dark secrets of the Autobots and Decepticons, thwart the Vehicon mafia.

Right now I'm trying to do a lot of editing for my older content to improve it. I'm also doing a massive effort to prepare Part 2 videos for the Mercy stories so far. And doing my own Mercy art, annd I really need to write Monstrous Heart to completion this year! One novel-length game every year is the goal.

[whatevertheweather]

Thank you all for the tags @run-for-chamo-miles @monbons @forabeatofadrum @rimeswithpurple @ileadacharmedlife @artsyunderstudy @noblecorgi @you-remind-me-of-the-babe! You're all making me very emotional about fandom, and my TBR has gotten out of control.

So. It's 2024 for a little bit more. I'm not sure what's going to happen as I write this post, but I know it's not going to be succinct, so we're just going to start below the cut and see what happens.

I'm waffling over where to start, but I've decided on what we're here for, which is the fic recap. I did actually make fic goals in 2024, and I did actually meet some of them, which I'm trying to focus on instead of the parts I didn't meet. Here's a nice lil screenshot to sum that up.

I did give Bait and Switch a checkmark after some hesitation, because it says ongoing, and I did keep it going. I just didn't finish. (The new goal is before CORB 2025 I guess.)

So I completed 2 fics. Continued 1. Posted 60,917 words, AO3 says, even though that's including the chapters of the WIPs I started last year, and by my clumsy calculations with that in mind, it's actually 32,990. Did not meet my goals, struggled to write most of the time, but when I was looking for these stats, I found AO3 doesn't even give me a 2023 tab (rip first chaps of Bait and Switch and Musical Chairs, I guess), so it's an improvement over last year.

It just doesn't feel like it, because so much of what I did is unposted. So those are the stats I'm gonna give.

Words that didn't get posted: 23.5k

Fics this close to done that I just couldn't get any farther on: 4

Fics started: 3

Fics lovingly revisited after being abandoned for a long while: 2

Number of projects I got really excited about writing: 3

Number of times I wrote AHAHAHA in brainstorming documents because I figured out what I need to do to fix the problems I was having: 5

How long it will take me to turn those ahas into action: I cannot possibly say

Number of times I should have reached out for brainstorming help: 50, probably

Number of times I actually reached out: 3, I think

It's these last two points I actually care about. Well, no, I care about all of it, but it's these last two I've been thinking about. I had writing goals for 2024, I'm going to have writing goals for 2025, but I also had a more nebulous goal to participate in fandom more, and that's the one I'm actually bothered about not meeting.

I have a bad habit of thinking the only way I can participate is by getting fic done. Sharing it. Posting snippets if it's not done. Like I can only rejoice in other people's WIPsday posts if I have my own, instead of just being inspired by other people's writing and art. Or I can only share excitement or progress if I'm sure it's going to go somewhere, instead of just posting what I have and letting the community of it all be its own excitement. Or I can only comment if I have the headspace to put together a stunning review that perfectly encapsulates what I liked about a fic/art/anything, instead of just saying what I can or messaging someone to tell them I loved the thing they made, as if I don't know how wonderful it feels when that happens.

I'm getting sappy and maudlin on main, but I appreciate this fandom so much, even when I revert to lurking, and I want so much to get back to participating and talking to people and sharing in all the amazing wonderful things this fandom does. Y'all are some of the most talented and creative and kind people and I adore you all. So that's my main (fandom-related) goal for 2025, and any fic completed will just be bonus points.

But! Since we're here for fic at the end of the year, I will round out this rambling post by saying there are at least 3 ideas I'm hopeful I'll be able to maintain my current level of enthusiasm for, and beyond that there are about 5 that are a few sentences away from done, so there's hope for seeing at least some fic from me in the new year. Related, here's a peek at the first three documents on my drive.

Two of these fall in the "a few sentences away from done good lord why can't you just finish this" category. The other one falls in the category of things I'm actually very excited about, and hope to at least have a WIPsday post for it before too long. Because I'm thinking keeping things secret for fear of never finishing them is actually kind of silly, and I don't need to keep trying to create things in a vacuum.

Finally, a mess of tags that is me waving hello with both hands: @fatalfangirl @moodandmist @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @whogaveyoupermission

@mostlymaudlin @sillyunicorn @aristocratic-otter @bookish-bogwitch @alexalexinii

@ivelovedhimthroughworse @iamamythologicalcreature @ionlydrinkhotwater @thewholelemon @bluedahlia912

@youarenevertooold @cutestkilla @raenestee @confused-bi-queer @basiltonbutliketheherb

[gh0stly-mp3]

hey, how are you? 💜

would you mind sharing your top 5 favorite and least favorite characters?? i have a certain impression that you like lavinho huehuehuehue

Hey! Im fine, thanks for asking ♡

I waited for so long for someone to ask me thiss!!! Unfortunately I'll only share my top 5 favs since I don't want to get cancelled by the fandom (I can only say one of them without being hated on) 😓😓

Top 5 favs

1# Karasu

I LOVE KARASU SO MUCH!!! I really like his character construction (just hate that he was nerfed) and is the only character in bllk (except for Bachira) that I could relate with

I love his design and symbology w crows, and him acknowledging his flaws (in egoist bible) and wanting to improve is soooo sweet ♡♡♡

He's also second most gentleman :)

2# Kurona

For me Kurona has one of the best designs in the whole manga! He's an enby (I mean, look at him) with shark like teeth that repeats his last words! There is something better than that? No!

He's also just a sweetheart and him, Hiori and Isagi are my current fav trio! People should give him more love and attention ♡

3# Niko

As you can see i only like the underrated characters :((

I really, really like his character construction, the way he evolves during Blue Lock is amazing. Aside of Isagi, I think that Niko was the one with most changes during the manga. He found his place in defense and he's been incredible at it!

Even though his design is not my favorite I really like his metaphor with "the eyes are the window of the soul"! He's so cool!

4# Shidou

I feel like the fandom really messed him up, cause Shidou is actually a very interesting character (I'm quite curious for his backstory). Behind that tough personality we have a character that enjoys art and has really philosophical quotes (specially in the egoist bible).

Obviously, I know his really difficult (I mean, third in least gentleman), but I find him really cool as a character.

5# Gagamaru

Gagamaru is an icon! Bro, that dude lives in the fucking mountains, who the hell found him?! I find his playstyle very unique and his evolution to becoming a goalkeeper is super cool!

I also find his design very funny, his low quality scenes always making me laugh!! Definitely a character Kaneshiro made while drunk ksjsakdj!

Honorable mention (not 6# but I like them): Lavinho and Snuffy

As a brazilian I love having representation, but I think Lavinho is only good in his design, cause he doesn't really add anything to the NEL, he's just there, which makes me sad. I feel like Kaneshiro wasted him, but he's a great character.

As for Snuffy, he is just too perfect! He adds stuff to the narrative and I would say he's the best coach in the NEL arc! He's such a gentleman and the type of person I'd like to have around (he also reminds me of my old soccer coach)

Now, here is the only character I can actually admit that I dislike (I don't want to get crucified) and his rank in my hating list:

3# Sendou

He just pisses me off, his motivation is just... a disappointment. I didn't expect him to be the U20 striker, he's just so bad 😭😭

He looks like a straight boy in sixth grade that wants to be like CR7 and marry a Kardashian (very common in Brasil, trust me)

Debates in the comments are okay, just be respectful to me and to others :)

[hanako-kozume]

Cursed Luck - TGCF FANART

I'm working on a by now 35k+ word fanfic for TGCF on Ao3 and made fanarts for it here and there bit by bit. This is all the art I made so far:

Disclaimer: These are all very quickly done sketches not finished paintings or fully rendered. They are just meant to visualise some characters and concepts.

Background: The fanfic is a pre-third Ascension story of Xié Lián accidentally ending up in Ghost City a few years after his Banyue arc and ends up working at the gambler's den. He is however masked and due to a mixture of self-loathing on Huá Chéng's side, Xié Lián's astonishing luck, and pure stubbornness of the ghost King, Huá Chéng does not recognise him and manages to dig his grave deeper with each of their interactions.

In summary, it's identity porn and Xié Lián better be fast when Huá Chéng uncovers his real identity before the ghost can crush his ashes out of shame and guilt.

-

This was the first Sketch I made (about a year old) and is based on the concepts of hosts at the gambler's den.

In essence, I expanded the world building for this fanfic and separated the workers at the den in three categories: Guards, Hosts, and Maids.

(Details in the fic)

Xié Lián was sorted in the role of host most of the time due to his stunning beauty.

-

Tao is a wrath level ghost who gambled years of his existence away at the den and is now serving there as a host. He introduces Xié Lián to everything and over time they become friends.

His attitude is rather childish and youthful despite being over a century old. He has fun luring in patrons and taking them for all their worth at the gambling tables.

This was my third sketch for the story and is also already over half a year old.

-

Zhèn Yuè was the most recent addition to the casts of OCs in the story. She is a vengeful ghost who poses several mysteries at this point in the story. Established is only that she won her first gamble against Huá Chéng for resources to enact her revenge on those who killed her but then came back and asked to be dispersed. Huá Chéng made her gamble for it and she lost.

Now she is the head of his security at Ghost City's core establishments.

She and the disguised Xié Lián spar often together, which XL is always very excited about since she has a very unique fighting style.

(I want to add a bonus fic in the future about her backstory and first encounter with Huá Chéng.)

The sketch is one of the most recent ones.

-

Subsequently these are old sketches of Xié Lián sparring in his host outfit. I made these together with the sketches for Tao but didn't end up using them until the last chapter I posted 2 days ago.

-

This shows the specific scene of Xié Lián's and Zhèn Yuè's first spar. Xié Lián having once been the strongest martial god defeats her ofc but during their spar he notices something very rare: she uses a fighting style he has never encountered before.

Being the — honestly — nerd he is when it comes to all things marital arts he gets really excited and asks to be taught the technique, forgetting the circumstances and that he was still pointing a sword at her.

He was denied. Making him very sad 😔

The most recent sketch.

-

Lastly this is a sneak peak for the next chapter and will be part of the reveal. So I won't add too much here. One of the more recent sketches along with Zhèn Yuè's.

As I said these are all sketches. I just wanted to share my love for this fandom and ship! I'm so excited to get to writing the next chapter once I find the time!!!

Any feedback would be appreciated 🥰

I like to think that I improved over time.

Oh also here is the fic in case any of you are interested: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54425590

[discord-lurking]

Dungeons and Daddies Wiki Drama: A Greek Tragedy Told through the Medium of Forum Posts (Part 1)

Prologue

Greek tragedies are typically formatted in three or more acts interspersed with choral interludes, beginning with a prologue, and ending with an exodus. In these, protagonists often meet their downfall due to their fatal flaw, or hamartia: the ways in which the protagonists are their own undoing. Our own human failings are the things that bring us the most pain.

When considering a three-act Greek tragedy structure for this, my first thought was to use the Oresteia as a framing device, a trilogy of plays written by Aeschylus about Agamemnon's family in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Upon reflection, though, the themes of the Oresteia (revenge vs. justice, perpetuating a cycle of violence, honor and punishment) didn't quite fit the story I was trying to tell.

No, this is a classic tale of hubris: excessive pride and its ultimate downfall.

After all, what position could come with more power than that of wiki moderator for a Dungeons and Dragons podcast series?

Act One: The Beginning of the End

The D&Dads wiki has historically been... unhelpful, at best. (Source: Myself.) Trouble had been brewing for a long time.

Forum posts from spring 2022 began noting issues cropping up around the wiki. First, it was a complaint about anonymous users "disrupting" the wiki (specifically on Jodie-related pages) while also fixing mistakes in articles.

I'm unsure what specific "disruptions" were meant, but the proposal to ban anonymous users didn't garner much traction.

March 21st, 2022:

After little activity for months (only one forum post, related to infoboxes), wiki user TwoRatner had a radical proposition: wiki migration.

December 17th, 2022:

TwoRatner suggested an alternate platform that would have different editing options, then made a potentially-prophetic statement: the wiki might be cursed.

This warning went unheeded.

December 27th, 2022:

Ten days after the migration suggestion, TwoRatner came back to ask if there were any recent changes. This went unanswered for months until new user Penguinwithafancytophat reported adding art to character pages (including Glenn, a main season 1 character since the start of the podcast in 2019, who incredibly might not have had any official art on his wiki page before March of 2023).

Spring of 2023 seemed to bring along a revival of the wiki, with new editors coming in, engaging with the forum, and attempting to make suggestions on how to improve wiki organization.

March 31st, 2023:

May 27th, 2023:

July 17th, 2023:

October 2nd, 2023:

Interestingly, the only administrator seen to be interacting with these enthusiastic new editors? Gaycowboyrats. Let's put a pin in that.

Enter: the drama.

It started out simple enough- a forum posts for administrators to discuss changes that needed to be made.

November 3rd, 2023:

76 replies.

Seventy. Six. Replies. Each deeply interesting in its own way.

However, this is a Tumblr post, not an Hbomberguy video essay, so I'll keep it brief.

The discussion started out as one might expect a wiki admin discussion to start:

Mods discussed blocks, deleting stub pages, spam, etc. Standard wiki business.

The first reply to ping my interest:

Removing cast pages from a wiki about their work seemed like an odd decision, in my non-wiki-editor opinion, but the last line is what really stuck out: "Besides, I hate the idea of someone vandalizing the pages to defame them."

Several questions arose for me:

Was this a known problem? Were people constantly vandalizing cast pages?

Would a vandalized fandom wiki page really defame somebody?

Isn't the point of wiki editing to remove vandalization on articles?

The administrators began to stand out to me as deeply invested in a very specific sense of wiki justice.

Users TwoRatner, Brazil86, and TheOneTrueGod41 agreed with Honic's take.

Another thing to ping my interest: these users seemed to share a similar odd, slightly stilted, writing style. Almost Tommy Wiseau-esque.

Brazil86 expressed optimism about users engaging with wiki pages, something that would begin to set them apart from other administrators.

As I read, themes began to emerge: wiki justice, and incongruous one-liners.

Quoth Honic Washington: "I just found a wave of nonsense fish. My backyard is full of them. Hey, TOTG41, do you like jazz? I like jazz."

Truly, modern poetry.

Administrator Marth8204 suggested giving people more time. More time for what? Unclear. It seems a plan was afoot.

TwoRatner came in with a hot take: "I feel like we need a community more right now, than adding links that people can search for in the search bar."

Brazil86 agreed: Changing the navigation was less important than getting people editing and making friends.

Another theme began to emerge: wiki community as more important than wiki functionality.

Gaycowboyrats had some (incredibly reasonable) objections to this, pointing out that the wiki was a resource for many visitors who might not participate- something that is generally true of wikis as a form of content.

Honic Washington responded to this, the signs of wiki-related stress beginning to show.

Honic posts a long rant about the thankless task of moderating a wiki, which goes largely unacknowledged.

Notable TwoRatner quotes:

"You can't crack open a few omelets without punching a few egg-rolls."

"Now Freddie will get more money. What do you all say? I think I helped quite a bit."

Another theme emerges: discontent in the wiki moderator ranks.

Honic reaches full Joker mode. Again, this goes largely unacknowledged.

Honic: "I am leader. I am a painter! Keep your rules. Keep your status. Keep your friends."

"Keep your status"- words that will reverberate throughout the rest of this tale.

The final theme? Wiki moderator status, and the maintenance of it.

After Honic's bomb drop, conversation about regular wiki moderation continued, with mods considering the addition of a bot to make edits.

Admin Discussion Zone, first started by Honic Washington, ends not with a bang but with a whimper.

Over nearly a year of forum posts, patterns emerged.

Firstly- users attempting to engage in the wiki, wiki administrators not engaging with these new users, then wiki administrators bemoaning the lack of user engagement.

The notable exception was Gaycowboyrats, the only wiki administrator to engage with new users in the forums. Gaycowboyrats, the administrator whose (incredibly reasonable) suggestions ended with Honic Washington's villain-esque monologues and denouement as a moderator.

Secondly- administrators putting forth large-scale, drastic solutions to real or perceived wiki problems. This includes Cheesoid4 wanting to ban anonymous users, TwoRatner suggesting site migration, Honic deleting cast pages to prevent vandalism, and more to come.

Thirdly- wiki administrators seeming to share similar styles of speech and occasional non-sequiturs. Interestingly, this mainly seems to include the wiki administrators who agree with each other.

Funny how that happens.

Chorus

Stay tuned for Part 2, where the forum drama really starts to heat up.

[404deus]

Used to be a big fan of your old art style. Initially I was excited to see you return back to drawing, but the art deprovement is real… You lost the appeal in your old art style, it used to be charming with the messy sketch lines and special effects. Now it’s just janky and strangely neat in a revolting way. It’s Always sad to see artists that are not young anymore just getting worse at their craft as they grow older. Shame. You fell off big time. Your old art used to get so much more attention, and now with your “new art style” it’s just crumbs of what you used to have.

hmm… i think it’s ok to prefer my older art style, my style is always changing n growing in different directions ! sometimes it might not be the way that clicks w u anymore, and that’s ok. i wanna take some time to share my art journey with u anon, not looking to change ur mind but i thought it’d be interesting to go down memory lane and my thought processes — gonna be under a read more since this will b a long post

my art journey has been a long one for me… i have been drawing since i was a dumb teenager and man did i struggle with finding a style back then. this was my art when i was 17-19, it wasn’t anything consistent bc it was just me practicing the styles of the artists i looked up to at that time. i rmb feeling insecure bc i felt that my art skill was so ass compared to much younger artists in the fandom at that point of time, but i told myself to just continue trying my best n eventually i’ll figure out an art style i could call my own

when i was 20-22, i got into the OMORI fandom and i loved the art style so much. most of my art style transitioning then was very heavily referenced off the official game art. it’s the art that most people loved the most, as you mentioned! i’m still very fond of it looking back at it, and it’ll always hold a dear place in my heart :]

i stopped drawing for a year or so when i was 22-24, i did try to come back once but it didn’t last long. i was going through a very rough patch in my life (bad breakup, transitioning to adulthood, health issues) and i genuinely thought abt quitting art. i was getting alot of my art stolen and resold on platforms like temu, aliexpress n there was nothing i could do about it, i felt extremely frustrated and helpless u__u i also went thru a huge identity crisis and felt a lot of imposter syndrome for getting attention for my art when it felt like i was just ripping off the game’s art style. i was constantly consumed and overwhelmed by numbers and engagement as my account grew, i felt bad for drawing anything that wasn’t OMORI because its the fandom that helped me grow a following in the first place. everything combined, i felt very burnt out and my mental health was dropping steadily; i slowly stopped finding joy in art and gradually stopped drawing entirely.

i recently turned 25 and i did miss creating art after being on such a long art hiatus, so i decided to return and come back with a new sense of direction and determination to follow thru w it. i wanted to just stop caring abt numbers and not let it consume me entirely like it did in the past. i wanted to draw and create art for fandoms that inspired me and that i enjoyed, not limiting myself to just one fandom. OMORI will always be one of my art muses and i will continue to create pieces every so often relating to it — but i also want to be able to draw for other interests too!

i may not receive the same enthusiasm and following that i used to have, and my current art style may not appeal to my old audience and that’s ok!! i know my art improvement isn’t the fastest, i’m a very slow learner. i’m taking my own time and pace to enjoy my creative processes and i’m learning to love art and creating again, that’s what matters more to me than some arbitrary numbers.

i hope that provides some insight about my art journey! also, 25 isn’t that old. i’ll let u know when i start turning to dust or something so u can contribute to an urn for me 😌✊

[bee-can-art]

🎉Happy 5th birthday FANDOM 🎉

• Click for better quality (11/10/2024)

💚2020 version | 2021 version 🍊

I think I talked too much in the tags and it meant that this wasn't showing up in the Waterparks tag originally, so here we go again. I usually redraw this piece for the Dream Boy mv anniversery because that's when I started listening to parx. However, I've forgotten for the last, like, three years so I'm posting it for FANDOM's 5th birthday.

This album changed the trajectory of my life. Like I said, I discovered parx through this album's era, and I've met so many amazing people and been able to improve my art so much since I started drawing this band. I literally don't think I've experienced a hyperfixation this deep and for this long (even if it has been on and off), because I always end up crawling back to this band <3

When this album dropped, I remember listening to it on the bus and the way to college (UK). And today I took the same bus route, but to my job, listening to this album like I did 5 years prior.

Anyways, I wanted to get that off my chest because, whilst it's not my favourite parx album, I love this album sm.

[livmondcole]

Last day of the year and it's the second one I've spent here and although this year has been different from the previous one, since I've been closer this year with many and I'm even mutuals of others that I've admired since I joined the fandom (I've fangirled a lot seeing that many people that I admire here have followed me). I wanted to thank everyone again this year, you have made me very happy, you have no idea, with all the content you contribute to the fandom, from creating art, gifs, fics to sharing posts from others, thanks to the latter I have met new things. I am eternally grateful to you for being the way you are, for having accompanied me during all this year in those hard moments I've had this year. I have felt it like a warm hug.

Now I just wish each of you a very happy new year, that this new year that is coming makes you happy, that you get everything you aspire, that you are in good health both physically and mentally, it is the most important thing and above all that this year is easier and good for everyone.

Thank you all for your work and as far as I am concerned, thank you so much for always being so kind to me, for supporting me even with my silly publications and for showing me so much affection, I feel very loved here. For next year I hope to improve in everything, in my way of relating, of expressing myself, of supporting and what most “torments” me when I leave comments that I feel are not up to par. I will try to improve in everything and give back all the happiness and company that you all give me.

Happy New Year 2O25

-L