#not the final version. if i ever finalize this idea.

[saiddcain]

As someone who joined Tomarrymort Fandom last year, I am curious... what was it like when it was a very rare ship in the 2000s?

Well, it was a different context back then. A different internet. Mind you, I wrote in Portuguese (my native tongue) and posted on fanfiction.net. There was no ao3, only fanfic forums, livejournal and the big one, ff.net. Back in the 2000s, before tumblr exploded and concentrated fandom in its trenches, fanfic itself wasn’t a very known concept. In a way, the Harry Potter series really helped develop the genre and put it on the map in a way that previous fandoms — Buffy, LotR, Star Trek and others — hadn’t. The moment was very auspicious; HP was a global phenomenon and the internet was rising faster than ever. The months, years between the release of the final four books also helped: restless, hundreds of thousands of fans started writing their own versions of the story. I remember when a newspaper in my country published an article about Harry Potter fans and fanfics. They even mentioned Drarry! A breach between “fandom world” and the “real world”. Nowadays “fanfic” is used a slang in my culture (to mean lie, fabricated tale) by people who have no idea where the term came from. Fandom is a known thing and its members are taken seriously as consumers. Entertainment companies are aware of ships, of tropes, even of old men yaoi.

It was different back then. Even within that huge fandom Voldemort/Harry or TomHarry was a small, almost inexistent ship. We didn’t know yet that Harry was Voldemort’s Horcrux — although some fans had already come up with the theory. There was a lot of crack involving Voldemort. Noseless, bald, snake-like Voldy. He was far from the sex symbol he is today. I remember when Ralph Fiennes was cast to play him…

Tom Riddle, on the other hand, was a bit more palatable. If I remember correctly he was shipped mostly with Ginny. A lot of fans were intrigued by him. But many couldn’t see past the unsexy villain he’d become. A lack of handsomeness — that was unforgivable. Especially in an age where Japanese Animation was also a growing hype — compare Voldemort to the bishonen that treaded gracefully the western screens: Itachi, Sesshoumaru, Light Yagami, all those svelte, long-haired beauties. Even Orochimaru, Voldemort’s most obvious anime double, had more style.

I’ve always liked villains. I read the first Harry Potter when I was six or seven and I already liked Voldemort then. Even as a shade, a shape on the back of Quirrell’s head. When he was re-introduced as Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets I knew he would be my favourite ever. Like many other kids I grew up with Harry. But Voldemort was my son, my love, my darling. I started reading fanfic when I was twelve but most of it was anime’s. When I came across Harry Potter fanfic my focus was the Marauders. We had a very thriving community writing in Brazilian Portuguese before we were all colonised by the internet’s Lingua Franca. Both in English (which I started to learn when I was ten) and Portuguese Voldemort/Tom Riddle was a usually side character. Ginny, Bellatrix, obvious self-inserts OCs, Lucius — those were his most common partners.

TomHarry/Harrymort started to appear more, I think, after the release of the fifth book. That connection, that dream sharing, is hard to ignore. I recall an author who’d put Harry through hell through Voldemort’s hands (he was quite the sadist in their depiction). Others wrote him as the tender violator. Some of the tropes that are now popular began to be formed: Dark!Harry, Dumbledore bashing, Light Bashing. A lot of fics depicted Voldemort “rescuing” Harry from the Dursleys, horrified by the abused he suffered.

Not many explored Harry and Tom, but some did. Time travel fics were almost unheard of. A few gems attempted that glorious hardship: Voldemort and Harry being together while staying true to their morals and beliefs. Those were very hard to find and I treasured them.

I think something shifted in the late 2000s/early 2010s. We now knew Harry was Voldemort’s Horcrux. And we had Flayu. Flayu was the first popular, Japanese fanartist to draw TomHarry/Harrymort. We didn’t have the incomparable @shelter-maki0 but we had drawings like this and this and this.

I stayed away from the fandom and from Voldemort/Harry for a long time. After Voldemort died in the seventh book I renounced Harry Potter……my baby was gone and I felt that he was done very dirty in the end. He went out like a Disney villain. No depth. So I don’t know how we moved from a very niche pairing with few fanfics and only one big fanartist to 16,120 fics as I’m writing this. I missed that bridge. The fandom annoys me nowadays because so many works are more of the same. I feel like we used to be more daring back in my day. But that could be just me being a 30+ old man yelling at a cloud. But also:

For all the annoyance the overuse of that trope (and others) causes me, I’m happy this fandom is so much bigger now and so many people enjoy this pairing. When I stumbled on them, many, many years ago, it was like a switch turned on in my brain. Voldemort/Harry makes so much sense it’s insane. I’m glad more people see it, write about it, love them like me.

Hope I didn’t bore you with my (old man’s…) reminiscences. This was a fun ask to answer. Thank you ❤️

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

Hi Pine!! shamelessly requesting Arthur Morgan x female reader... Reader patching up Arthur after a fistfight in Valentine? She's chiding him but also her heart is fluttering and she's blushing because her big man protected her

Thank you lovely!!!!!!!!!!

Heeey Cassie!! Thank you so much for your ask, I love it! Felt like it has been done a lot already, so I never dared do my own version, so thank you once again for giving me an excuse to write it eheh! (Also this is pretty funny because it could be a sequel to this mini prompt!)

"Just, stay seated, for God's sake!"

Arthur grumbles, not hiding his discontentment for a bit. It had been a struggle to drag him and make him sit on a box behind the supplies' wagon.

"Look at you..." You sigh, tilting his head up with your index finger under his scared chin. Arthur looks at you with two puppy eyes, their blue color so bright, even more vibrant than usual, compared to the black of the bruises dappling his skin. Even like that, he was so beautiful, in his rugged kind of way. This man could have been a painting; you were just sorry that it would be a violent one.

"Always been ugly darlin', a few scratches ain't changing much..."

"Hush now. You're not getting up from that box until I take care of you, Mr Morgan." Your tone is firm and soft at the same time, and he knows you're right. There's just something in his guts that tells him it's not right. That he doesn't need any of that, that you shouldn't waste your time on him. He doesn't deserve it.

He concedes and nods without another word. Finally. You grab the medical supplies and start working, focused. You clean his cuts, and you notice how he stiffens at the pain when the alcohol reaches his flesh. You gently apply ointment to his bruises, trying to be as delicate as possible. He doesn't complain anymore.

You try not to look too flustered when he undoes a few buttons from his shirt, pulling his it down to grant you access to a big cut he had right between his neck and shoulder.

"It's going to sting." You warn him, and he nods again, knowing already how it feels to get patched up after a lifetime of fights turned bad. He only grunts when the needle pierces through his skin for the first time.

"That one was a really close one. Do you ever think, Arthur?" You scold, realising just how deep he was willing to go to defend you.

"Not that close." He mutters, his eyes looking away from you as he tries not to look at your chest bent over to him as you're patching him up. The way you were so close, he could even smell your heady scent, his heart beating faster at this sudden proximity. "Would do it all over, if I had to."

You feel your cheeks heat against your will. Fuck, blushing isn't going to help your credibility reprimand this six foot tall beast of a man. There are a few moments of silence as you finish with a small knot, and you catch his cerulean gaze, fingers lingering on his skin more than necessary.

Through those eyes, you know the man before you could handle a hundred more wounds like those, just for you to be safe and sound, and this vertiginous idea never leaves you as you cross all limits and gently press a kiss on the side of his face, scratchy stubble tickling your lips. It was the least you could do in return, after all.

You don't see it, but your blush spreads and leaks onto his own cheeks, a timid and juvenile flame igniting two souls and consuming them silently.

[earthmoonz]

💖MAX KYLE 💖| style eras✨[click for hq]

in honour of wifey's 2nd birthday & inspired by @armoricaroyalty's amazing wardrobe analysis series, I thought I'd do a little look back at max from early adulthood until where they currently are in the story. (lena’s style has not changed nearly as much lol) costume design is one of my fav aspects of character development and I put a lot of effort into dressing my sim babies so I wanted to yap about it! (yapping under the cut!)

fresh faced! [2015] -  for much of max's adolescence they embrace a pretty standard uniform of graphic tees, skinny jeans + trainers. this doesn't really change for their first year of uni. in their youth they tended to value comfort over style (just autizzy things) but now they're experimenting with colour despite and beginning to emerge from their shell. having two mums means that max's own sexuality isn't a huge deal to them, but navigating the social aspect of it a different story entirely...

alt academic! [2016/17] - having made some friends (hello cleo! - not pictured), max is not immune to the goth-lite trends of the mid tens. they're hitting their stride academically and getting used parties and clubs. this is their first attempt at really exploring their femininity and soon they'll start to wonder if traditional womanhood is truly for them.

soft masc baby! [2017-19] - these years are where the more significant changes in max's style take place. 2017 is a big year for them. just as they begin exploring their gender identity, they meet their first ever girlfriend* (more on that later) and dressing more masc feels safe and exciting! they love how they're able to transform and their gf keeps saying how much hotter they look, but at as time goes on, max struggles with how they see their body under the baggier clothing. they're face with a question 'am I dressing like this for me or because of how others want me to be?'

chaos femme! [2019-20] - having graduated uni and endured their first big break up, max moves to san myshuno eager to reinvent themself. working as strip club bartender they begin dressing femme again, but this time with a sharper, moodier point of view. it's a lot of very high heels, mini skirts and c*nty wigs. almost every pic they post goes viral and they're fast becoming a fixture in san my's queer nightlife scene. this is max's single & chaotic era + this is also when they enter into a short -live but toxic romance with jade. they're working hard, partying harder but of course this lifestyle becomes hard to sustain and it's only a matter of time before it wears max out.

gay casual! [2020-23] - settled in san my, max has moved on from the dollhouse and found a literal home at the 'old salt bar' - an lgbtq hotspot both day and night. they've got a solid group of friends and are truly doing well for what feels like the first time in years. naturally their clothing returns to a brighter colour palette and this is where see them fall into their usual style of cropped tops, baggy trousers and chunky trainers. max's gender expression has more fluidity now and they start experimenting with a more fun, artsy style of make up with brightly dyed hair to match. it's clear now that max tends to mirror the environment they're in and it's clear that they're finally in an environment that feels right for them. unfortunately, they've little idea about the storm heading their way.

flux! [2023-] - this is the max we meet at wifey's beginning. they're in throes of grief but trying to bury it deep. their gender expression remains fluid but their overall style becomes less significant as more pressing matters take hold. this version of max is headed down a darkening path and when out in the world, they're more likely to dress to project confidence and intimidation which to them means a moodier colour palette. only time will tell if they're able to reconcile the innocence of their old self with the truth of their current one...

[farawaydoe]

"I’ve been musing on what exactly happened with Bebop that, despite so much content pointing otherwise, people ended up with Julia as the prime love interest for Spike. The answer I finally arrived at was that Julia was deliberately built in the image of the “typical love interest” character trope with Faye intentionally designed as the exact opposite to maybe drive home a point. Keiko Nobumoto as a writer has built in very strong messages around women in her works and what she has done with the love interests in Bebop seems no different.

Faye Valentine as a love interest was a feminist statement way ahead of its time (and maybe still ahead of this time). In Bebop, some of the most thoughtful and introspective sessions are written by her directly including Asteroid Blues, Honky Tonk Women, Sympathy for the Devil, both parts of Jupiter Jazz, My Funny Valentine and the two-part finale. The much more sensitive and emotionally heavy Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door is again written by her. For me, one of the key themes in Bebop which, in line with her writing of female characters in other works, is a satire on how women are viewed by society. She created two characters, one appearing as the typical demure and “respectable” woman and the other an archetype of the “cheap and easy” woman and then flipped the tables on both. Appearances and narrow mindsets can be deceiving, seems to be the message. What is the commonly believed version of the story seemed too simplistic, too base, too…macho. When Spike talks about his “other half” it is very easy for us to imagine the uber-feminine Julia as the counterpart to this man who oozes “masculinity” and charm. That’s what wives are supposed to look like, dressed in aprons, smiling, and singing for you. The image of Faye Valentine is not a ready fit and most people still struggle with the idea because that is simply not how they view women. How can a woman who dresses in tiny bits of clothing, who is assertive and difficult, who is very flawed in ways real women usually are be anyone’s “other half,” much less that of a guy they look up to? The idea here was not to shame anyone for being feminine or glorify the opposite, but call out the general societal tendency to put labels, boxes, and irrational expectations on women.

In Bebop, neither Spike nor Jet are ever, at any single point in the entire series, seen commenting on Faye’s body, calling her out on the way she dresses, leering after her, or “slut-shaming” her. Other men are seen doing these kind of things but they are always treated by the series with ridicule and contempt, never respect. The crew call each other out on their idiosyncrasies and bad behaviour but never do anything uncomfortable. Faye never feels the need to “use her body” with the boys, something she has had to build her entire personality around because of how the men in the rest of the world are. She is just one of the crew as far as they are concerned.

Ed, a thirteen year old girl, is completely safe around both of these men. Jet, an ex-cop and a very “typically masculine” character does all the domestic work without every making a big deal out of it. When Spike flashes back on Julia he thinks back on both her in the “homely” attire, which she happened to be wearing during those memories, and also her “Syndicate” avatar in the black leather. Spike understands mid-way through the series that Julia made a different choice and chooses to accept that choice and move on. He does not take it on his ego and hunt her down to make her pay. It is only when she has to play against him in the end at Vicious’ behest that he gets back involved with her but never vengefully. He cradles her head and reassures her life is just a bad dream when hers is slipping away from her.

He gets irritated by Faye’s behaviour and bickers with her but begins watching out for her from fairly early on. When she needs emotional support while facing up to Whitney, he hangs around to be there for her but does not make a big deal out of it. Through these characters, Bebop tries to show us how men should be toward the women in their lives. Neither of the men are perfect but they try in the ways they each can. And that is why, for Spike, how Faye chooses to dress is depicted to not matter since he loves her regardless. That is her choice and irrelevant. He falls in love with the woman, not with what she wears or how she possesses flaws every human being will have. And that is why it is important to understand that his feelings for her begin before he gets to know about her past. They are not strong and he does not act on them because there is already someone else in his life, even if currently absent and ambiguous. He does not fall for Faye only after learning about her past, indicating that she was sweet and homely once. That just happens to be the point where he is no longer emotionally encumbered and committed to Julia, and can allow himself to get invested with her.

So how does Spike end up here? Hopelessly smitten, aware of it, and filled with a life-wish for the first time ever? The movie is set right after Session 22, so this goes back to the episodes post Jupiter Jazz. We know he liked Faye on some level already and then the realisation about Julia strikes, allowing him to let go of things finally, or at least begin to. Spike probably takes an emotional breather, needs some time to reset.

Going back to their motif of “entwined journeys,” from ‘My Funny Valentine’ the second half of the show builds Spike as the one to get a peek into Faye’s past and secrets. By accident, he ends up hearing her real story, waking up after 50 years to a new world and no memory, saddled with debt, and scammed by someone she liked. Bebop has this habit of covering up extremely poignant moments with humour and so he is shown saying idiotic things like her story needs editing and Whitney is probably crying in the afterlife, rather than sympathising with her.

But honestly, if it was really too long and he didn’t care at-all, he actually didn’t need to stay stuck in the bathroom eavesdropping till she finished it.

The story he hears causes him to feel pain on her behalf. While he is brushing it all under calling her out on not paying Whitney’s debt and the story being yet another fake past, when she tells him this is her actual story, we are shown a certain expression on his face, again like he feels pain or concern over what she has gone through. He belongs to a troubled and difficult background himself so it would not be a stretch of the imagination for him to comprehend what it takes to go from a woman who trusted the first guy she met to someone who trusts no one. This is where his emotional wheels begin to move I believe, since he gets to see behind her tough exterior for the first time to understand who she really is.

As the episode progresses and Faye runs away with Whitney to try and get some answers, Spike ends up going after her. Whitney is Jet’s bounty and the episode again goes out of its way to establish this is a small fry Spike would never be interested in. Even if Faye ran away with him, Jet could have very well gone after her but Spike makes it a point to, resulting in what can only be described as a lovers’ quarrel executed through a dog fight.

He knows she is hurting, lost, and confused. She is alone and feels she has no one at her back. He perhaps also begins guessing now at exactly how vulnerable and untethered she is. I get the sense from that scene that he goes out to make sure she is ok, especially because he knows how difficult it is to confront your past. He distracts her, engages her, does not let her fall prey to something irrational. There is also a chance Whitney could harm her, distraught as she is at the moment, and I feel Spike wants to ensure he is in the vicinity to prevent that from happening. The pattern continues with him making it to the police station, waiting for her outside, albeit under the guise of cashing in the bounty. He makes sure she is ok and not going through all of this alone. She is sad about not knowing her past but he gently points out she has a future and that’s what’s important. It’s very uncharacteristic of his interactions with her, much more caring, and tender.

The next couple of episodes deal with other subjects but Mushroom Samba is significant in what both Spike and Faye experience while high. He sees an unending staircase and she sees herself drowning in water way over her head. The episode draws another parallel between the journey and current situation of these two characters.

'Speak like a Child’ shows things no one is expecting. It’s a beautifully over-the-top episode with the Bebop boys risking hell and high water (quite literally) to watch one tape which has nothing to do with either one of them. Spike launches into his “doing things for no reason” mode, the one he takes up when pretending to do something weird with the actual intention of helping Faye. This time he does so by acting like he has no brain cells left alive. Just as Jet is talking of returning the tape, he opens the parcel so he can’t.

From the moment they walk into the pawn shop, Spike starts doing things which will irritate the owner and will get them thrown out so the sale of the tape will not go through. He finally succeeds when the tape player begins eating the tape and he smashes it to pieces, kicking it unnecessarily hard till it breaks and getting them chucked out from the shop. A man so skilled in Jeet Kune Do would know when to stop kicking. Over here, I also wonder what Jet knows about Faye’s past (he was an ex-cop and could have found details about her cryo situation) since he walks the unnecessary extra miles with Spike to get the Beta player. Of course they get the wrong one and of course, once the correct one finally arrives, Spike immediately proceeds to open it up before Jet can return it.

We know what the last few scenes of the episode are like and the series deliberately cuts to Spike as the younger version of Faye is wondering if there is a wonderful person next to her.

I feel the theme of Spike understanding Faye’s overwhelming circumstances comes to a head here as he sees the young girl she once was on screen. Again the reactions shown on both his and Jet’s faces speak volumes. It would break anyone’s heart but I feel the protective streak Spike has anyway been harbouring for her so far reaches a critical point post this.

The episode Wild Horses sets up a hilarious reminder of how similar Spike and Faye are as individuals when they both cannot comprehend the computer jargon and then decide to shoot both purple penguin delivery trucks, unanimously agreeing it is a good idea without even considering that both might be real. Spike also comments how he is not one for delicate operations, reminder of similar statements Faye has made earlier in the series.

The truth is both of them are actually very similar. Spike’s ‘whatever happens, happens’ philosophy is mentioned by Faye as a life philosophy as well in Mish Mash Blues, though using different words to describe the same idea. Both characters are tough as nails and have managed to survive in impossible circumstances. Both are emotionally stunted due to their trauma but also capable of intense emotion and care.

Faye is the very embodiment of the survival spirit. The circumstances she was set up with three years ago, she should not have been alive now. I feel that is what begins to awaken the will to keep living in Spike somewhere around this point. He has seen what she was like in her earlier life and the contrast is stark. He’s been wrapped up in his misery but then sees someone who has had it equally bad, if not worse, but hasn’t given up. Likely a sense of bonding and affinity emerges from the realisation.

This also goes back to the idea of seeing a woman who was “truly alive” which I spoke about in the last piece. He loved Julia who, despite all her strength, could not find the courage to break away and walk the line with him. She stayed shackled to what she had always known and abandoned him when he needed her most. Then he sees Faye who found herself in a situation she knew nothing about but was courageous enough to adapt and keep going. She is shoulder to shoulder with him, never giving in.

It likely also comes both from knowing how incredibly difficult things have been for her but she has kept going and from realising she has no one else but the people on the Bebop to take care of her. I feel he begins feeling the fear of death because if he dies he does not know if she will be well and cared for or not. Even though they are not in a relationship and multiple factors may be preventing him from taking that step with her yet, perhaps he realises eventually that he wants to live so he can be there for her.

That’s also reflected in what we see him do during Pierrot Le Fou. After Spike has received a solid beating up and is lying mummified on the Bebop couch, Faye makes fun of his recklessness and leaves an orange peal on his head, feigning indifference.

However, we see her moments later smoking with a mix of worry and anger on her face. The moment she sees Pierrot’s mail addressed to Spike, she gets panicked and asks Ed to hide it, knowing he will go.

He sees it though and realises if Pierrot can mail Ed then he can definitely trace the people in his life and likely hurt them while trying to get to Spike. So he has to go and face up to Pierrot. But I feel at this point Spike’s feelings are intense enough to want to know if Faye feels something for him as well. Perhaps, seeing her so concerned about hiding the mail from him, he senses that she might but doesn’t know for sure.

So he asks her in the most juvenile and adolescent way possible, asking if she will come rescue him. Faye is not amused but then she does come. She’s not much use to the fight and ends up being shot down almost immediately but it tells him for the first time that she cares for him as well and how much. This romance in his life is very different from whatever he may have had earlier since it is very much reciprocal, authentic, and really quite innocent on both ends. But he has not experienced such reciprocation before.

When she shows up he likely realises how idiotic he was in riling her up to this level of concern, thus explaining his reaction at seeing her there (again the Bebop theme of covering up a poignant moment with an opposite reaction). He said what he did just to see her reaction, not expecting her to actually act on it, believing his own feelings to be one-sided. Since she acts indifferent to him, he probably feels she does not like him that way or, even if she does, her feelings don’t go deep. But the fact that she comes in the face of sure death tells him finally that what he feels is equally reciprocated, even if she hides it. Faye risking her life to try and save his, regardless of how futilely, is the ultimate test of commitment. It’s part of the progression which leads him to refer to her as his “other half” later, since he knows he is as important to her as she is to him, even though they never actually reach a point to be able to admit it openly to each other.

Unfortunately, during the entire time Spike is falling for her, Faye continues to care for him but the perception built in her mind of Julia’s presence in his life keeps her guarded. We see that in the finale as well, the intense, suppressed emotions she is carrying around after meeting Julia. It continues till the very end of the series and he never does get a chance to tell her how he feels about her. It causes her to stay away from him, keeps fuelling her sense of not belonging on the Bebop, and he doesn’t quite know why since he is unaware she knows about Julia’s existence.

Boogie Woogie Feng Shui has some hilarious sequences of “dumbass guiding dumbass” as Spike and Faye conjecture at Jet’s relationship with Meifa, get kicked out by Jet for smoking, and then he declares themselves fairies as they defend the ship together.

Cowboy Funk is a love letter to fragile masculinity and Faye takes Spike’s case with the comparisons of his personality to Andy. The events of the movie happen right after this one but we don’t see Spike too overtly bothered by Faye spending time with Andy. He has not made any kind of commitment or confession to her so what can he really expect? I always feel his reaction to the can of stew had more to do with Faye returning from Andy’s place in the morning than his hatred for Andy itself. Anyway, the episode is an allegory so we can’t exactly take it at face value.

The events of the movie happen, which I have already covered earlier, and we see Faye kidnapped by Vincent. Despite the threat of death, she refuses to be an accomplice to someone like him. Even without the definitive jail scene between Spike and Elektra in the film, the story of Spike and Faye is traceable, but that piece was deliberately woven in later to go back and enunciate what is shown in the series. It shows the point where Spike finally accepts for sure how important this woman is to him. He already knows he is important to her as well. It ties in very well with what happens during the next chronological episode.

Analysing the relationship of Spike and Faye within Cowboy Bebop

Part four of four

[bumpen-underbeds]

Having been working so much I have sat and stewed on this idea for a bit, so you all can suffer with me and my enjoyment of fictional crusty men.

I'm a little plagued by Naga themed ideas right now, and so I thought about a cam show addict Naga, who spends all his free time watching his favourite camboy.

Sitting coiled in his room with the heat lamps overhead, one monitor running his work programs and the small teams window for when his coworkers would ask him some stupid questions or ask to hang out after work for some 'team building' activities not that he would go to any of them.

No, those distracting activities would take him from his other dedication, watching you, your streams, your social media snippets and teaser videos, it would take away the precious time he spends lazing against his desk eyes watching as his fingers glide across the slit in his scales all while watching as you spin and twirl showing off the new pieces he and other had purchased for the stream.

How could he ever have time outside of work when he had to make sure he kept his name atop the donor board, kept his place as your number one for private streams and sessions, how could he ever think of spending any time away from you. He was eager, waiting for the day his package would arrive, his emails said it was arriving this week to your P.O box but he needed to see it on stream before he would relax and enjoy the anticipation.

What a sight it would be when he finally sees you spread out on that little bed in your streaming room, shivering and panting, mouth open and drooling as you work the very realistic toy cast of his own hemipenis. Oh how you will look working yourself open just to whine high and needy as the stretch makes you weak in the knees.

Sighing as you end the stream, frustrated he had zoned out for almost all of it but still managed to snag the first and last slots of your private calls after you sign off. Adjusting how he sits on his coils so that his camera can see how both his cocks slowly slide free of his slit, perfectly timed for when he sees your face load into the private call.

After all it's only fair you learn what the real thing looks like before you take the fake version, something that in his mind was just a temporary place holder for when he will eventually have you stretched out and firmly seated on the real things soon.

[sugaringgcaramel]

— jenga. (pt.1)

mark lee x reader, angst situationship au !!

wc: 1.2k (ik its short BUT THERE IS TWO PARTS, besides i literally just came back randomly so..)

warnings: erm, none? idrk! lol…. (jk there is none just pure angst)

guys dont hate me if its bad i havent written in so long..

the rain hits mark’s apartment windows a little louder than it usually does - sliding down the windows, the pattering in a heavy uneven rhythm against the large panes of glass. the rain fills the silence between the two of you.

you sat on the edge of his couch, cozied up in one of his hoodies, his cologne lingering on the fabric. thoughts running through your head as you tried to not think about how familiar this all was to you… or how heavy the silence had gotten between you two.

mark stood in his kitchen, leaning against the island that stands in the middle of the kitchen. arms crossed and jaw clenched. his gaze looking past you and out the window. he didnt look at you at all since you got there.

you finally muster up the courage to speak, “this… isnt working” you said, your voice quieter than you intended it to be.

mark’s eyes finally flicked up, only for a slight second before he spoke. “then why are you even here?”

his tone seemed heartless, as if there was no emotion in him.

you swallowed before responding to him, unsure of what to think after he said that. “because i have no where else to go..”

mark didnt even glance at you, he just scoffed. “you always end up coming back when it feels convenient. when you’re lonely.”

you sat there, staring off into nothingness before speaking up. “thats… not fair mark, you’re acting like im the only one that’s confused here.”

he finally looked at you, his gaze stung. “what are we even doing then, huh? answer me y/n. we’re not dating, but i cant stand the thought of you with anyone else.. you say you care, but you keep pulling away the second it feels real. we cant keep doing this..”

you didnt have the courage to say anything, because everything he said was true. the worst part of this whole thing was that you did care, maybe too much. maybe enough that the idea of labeling it scared you more than being in it did..

“im.. scared” you admitted, voice cracking ever so slightly. “i dont know how to do this with you, i dont know if were real or just some temporary comfort to each other..”

mark’s gazed burned onto you, he had some sort of remorse in his voice but it was faint. “you dont think im not scared too? do you think you’re the only one?” mark stepped closer to you. “every time you pull away, i tell myself to let you go, to forget about you and forget about everything that ever happened between us. but then you text, or you end up showing up. and i let you back in, every. single. time.”

you didnt have anything to say, you sat there in silence, looking up at mark and his harsh gaze.

“stop pretending this doesnt hurt you.” his tone was soft and gentle. he looked helpless and hurt, almost defeated by this ongoing situation.

this hurt you, god it truly did. more than you would ever expect it to.

you hated how your heart pained at the idea of him moving on. you hated the version of yourself that waited for his late-night texts, that studied the way his tone changed whenever he said your name. you hated how every time he pulled you close, he never said what you so desperately needed to hear.

yet after this, you still stayed.

you stayed even though this wasnt love- not really. it was longing stitched together with silence and half kept promises.

“i cant keep pretending we’re okay,” you said, voice breaking as you stepped back from him. “because im not okay, mark. i havent been.”

his face almost guilty. “then why didnt you say anything?”

“because every time i get close to telling you how much this is breaking me, you smile like everything’s fine. like we’re fine.” your voice shook. “and maybe that’s enough for you. but it’s killing me.”

mark stood there in silence, unable to speak. he just stared. lips parted like there was something he wanted to say-something that was never said.

“i tell myself this is casual. that we’re just…. figuring things out. but every time you touch me like i mean something and then pull away like i dont….. i lose a piece of myself… every time.”

he blinked fast, for a second you almost thought he might cry. but he didnt, of course he didnt. he never cries over something like this. in reality he was on the verge of breaking down into tears.

“i never meant to hurt you y/n.” his voice soft and filled with guilt and regret.

“but you did mark, and the worst part is that i let it happen, over and over again. i dont want to play these games anymore.”

his hoodie you were wearing became suffocating-too warm, too familiar. you ending up slipping it off and laying it on the couch, a quiet kind of goodbye.

you sighed, thinking about what your about to say. he didnt even look at you, he just looked at the floor.

“listen, i think….” you hesitated before you spoke again. “i think i need you to not call me this time. even if i text. even if i show up.”

mark looked up quickly, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. he looked as if he was going to reach out for you, but he didn’t.

you walked to the door, the clack of your shoes against the flooring filled the silence along with the heavy rain. your fingers tremble as they curl around the handle. you didn’t look back-not when you stepped into the hallway, not when the door clicked shut behind you.

and for the first time in months, your silence said more than your presence ever had before.

guys lmk how it is and if u wanna be in the taglist for pt.2 !!

[hara-matsuura]

✨️ WIP tag ✨️

THANK YOU @myokk FOR THE TAG!!!

Ive never been included in one of these but i actually have so many- most of my gallery is just WIPs that i have no clue if I'll ever finish no matter how much i may want to 🥲

Warning: some of these literally date back to a year ago 😬 (aka the next three)

The first 1 was something i stated after seeing posts from @bassicallymaestra @choccy-milky about their MCs and their instruments, the final product was going to be them and Hara playing something together but i hit a wall whilst looking for references to draw Clora playing piano and I kind of forgot about it-

The other two are just mindless sketched i started whilst i was first trying to figure out my style after just getting back into digital drawing.

I say, as if I've figured it out any more in recent times- 😞🥲

We've got mini shots from when I got the idea of trying to make a mini skit animatic with @iatnen 's Daniel, which im also still to finish even though its only like 10 seconds long-

We've got super old and slightly moe recent (few months) sketches of the Matsuura x Sallow children

Just an alternate version of something i drew back during MCtober, i was going to colour the hoodie to look like a crow as reference to Hara's animagus form but ended up switching to a drawing of her in a jumper which is up on my page somewhere

This is just part 1. I've reached the max i can put on a post and still have a bunch more 😭

Hope that was somehow enjoyable and if anyone wants to see a second part with the rest of them let me know 🤷‍♀️

Thank you again for the tag!

And anyone else who wants to join in then go for it!!

Tags: @tamayula-hl @bassicallymaestra @diana-bluewolf @traceyc-uk @iatnen

(Sorry if you've already been tagged, just thought I'd tag a few of my favourites 😊😅)

[pokemonblack3white3]

HI OMG

Okay first getting this out of the way: I LOVE when people use my ideas literally anybody is free to take them and do whatever the fuck they want with them. I don't care how far it diverged from my original vision if you want Drayton as part of this family instead of being an aloof jackass or give her a redemption arc EEL FREE. If you want Drayton as Ingo's kid instead of Andrea's or to use any of your other headcanons for this family instead of mine GO CRAZY!!!! Tear the Canon I have created to shreds until it is UNRECOGNIZABLE!!!! Like yeah I'm pretty attached to some ideas for this au but if you want to veer all the way back to Drayton and Sylas being the heroes of truths and ideals I'd love to see how far you can take this. I've always been of the opinion that the best part of fandom is collaborating and sharing and expanding on ideas, regardless of if that's through dissecting canon or extreme fanonization to the point of complete bastardization. Like I'm so serious if anybody EVER wants to take my headcanons or aus and do their own thing with them go right the hell ahead. I mean like obviously don't repost my fics or art but I think y'all get what I mean. You guys can copy my homework just change it up a bit so the teacher can't tell.

I am DEEPLY invested in this unforgivably problematic toxic yaoi thing you've got going on here you had me hooked as soon as you mentioned Drayden on a leash (but those conversations are probably better saved for incredibly private channels with friends who already know the way I am lmao). In a more appropriate tone for discussion here I love exploring different kinds of relationships and how they impact dynamics and individual characters, it's why I try and make every au version of a character as different as I can to really spice things up (ie: Grey au Dietes making amends with her family and finding her own path, Blast to the Past au Drayton fulfilling the expectations of his family but only completely absent of their influence, currently unnamed Bad End au Drayton desperately rejecting her family and becoming a workaholic). Ghetsis is a little harder to do stuff like that with and still keep him in-character or interesting at all, but finding new characters to play off him is always so !!!!!!!!!!!! to me. Drayden isn't one I've considered before but it genuinely makes so much sense to hold them up next to each other.

So clarifying something in my canon of the au so far (plans may change but. For now), Iris and the resistance finally stage a full-scale attack against Team Plasma because Amarys tips them off that Sylas is alive, as well as filling them in on some important stuff about the base so they could actually get inside and have a fighting chance. This is all full ensemble attack so every member of the resistance and then some (Lacey, Drayton, Kieran) are here. Epic final battle stuff. Lacey is here because fuck Team Plasma, and Drayton and Kieran are here because they desperately need to get out of Unova after an incident I won't get super into right now (it sees like it may direactly interfere with an idea you've brought up and I very much want to see where this is going without me playing referee too much, but the long and short of it is that Drayton killed a member of Team Plasma) and Iris was the only one who could help them. She said she would but only if she could borrow Pecharunt's power for their raid. Anyways this is when the hero of ideals Iris and hero of truth Amarys thing happens but again do what you will with that. I believe that's what you were wondering about earlier?? Sorry if I misread what was unclear.

I think if I've got anything to add it's definitely from the angle of some of the characters you haven't discussed here. Specifically Amarys, Keys (my OC, adopted son of one of the Shadow Triad who I'm officially folding into this au), and Sora ( @purgatory-is-life 's OC I'll tag them in case xe wants to add on), since those three would be closest to Drayden.

So Amarys is having an internal struggle with being a part of Team Plasma, and Sylas helps push her over the edge to betray them. Drayden would ABSOLUTELY play a ton into this in this sidebar au, especially as Amarys would probably be one of the few people Drayden is ever really consistently around. Even then, though, Amarys probably has even less access to him than Sylas, with Ghetsis being so protective over his prize. It has to kill Drayden to see Amarys grow up in this environment, especially with how close in age she is to Drayton. Amarys tries to show kindness to him in her own stilted way, and as an expert in showing kindness in somewhat awkward, unconventional ways, Drayden understands. If Drayden makes it through to the other side, Amarys feels guilty as hell about the part she played in what happened to Drayden. She would stumble around him so much.

Sora is a Hisuian Zoroark pretending to be human, a fact that only Colress knows (and like maybe Ghetsis but Amarys definitely doesn't). Sora and Amarys are siblings of a sort, and Sora hangs off Amarys like a leech because she's the only person they feel halfway safe around. I'll wait to see if Void has any input on this, but I can only imagine how terrified Sora would feel seeing Drayden's treatment, thinking how that could happen to it if Colress ever got bored of him or Sora ever let down his illusion.

As for Keys, being taken out of an abusive situation by one of the Shadow Triad when he was young, he has an undying and obsessive loyalty to them, the same that they hold for Ghetsis. Keys genuinely considers Team Plasma his family and would do anything for them. He does have a moral compass, but he's become very adept at slapping a sticky note over the needle whenever he needs to "protect his family". He is FAR less remorseful than Amarys or Sora about all this bullshit, and though he thinks Drayden's treatment is in incredibly poor taste, if Ghetsis wants a war prize to show off that's his right as their leader. He feels bad for the guy and won't cause him harm if he doesn't have to, but of the three he's definitely the worst with Drayden and a very genuine obstacle to Drayden or even Sylas getting the hell out of there (Keys also considers Amarys and Sylas family, but dad's orders come first . He ABSOLUTELY draws the line at hurting either of them but he's got no qualms with restraining them and/or putting them in timeout). He's pretty similar in age to Amarys here, maybe a year or two older.

Anyways those are a few of my thoughts! Hope I added something interesting to the discussion (:

I love sidebar AUs.. one that’s been plaguing me is the idea of a sidebar AU of the Bad End AU where Drayden actually lives

Could you imagine the angst

Realizing Drayton has become a snitch, completely removing herself from any association with family

Realizing Sylas has joined Team Plasma on false promises and lies, losing a decent amount of sanity and pressed under their thumbs

Confronting either of them and missing the recognition of the family he once knew. His own grandkids gone. He himself is too weak to march up to Ghetsis and break his spine for what he’s done.

Getting reports that Sylas just paces and talks to himself. Not getting any feedback on Drayton whatsoever.

Drayden is a family man. Taking his family from him is worse than taking his life, the worst form of torture you could place upon him. Ghetsis relishes in it.

[ohnoitsz1m]

Uhh retooling an older concept,, if you remember the piece this is based off no you don't ok?

This is like rambling in drawing form almost . I know it is incoherent lmaono

[azuree1733]

Bro I forgot I draw sometimes 😟

[thorinoakenbutt]

I know some people aren't considering the whole "The Viper/Ashur = Divine Aequitas II" canon cause some of it was cut from the game, but I'm considering it canon despite the poor way it was implemented for the sole reason of

"The pope moonlights as Batman" is a very funny sentence

[slayerdurge]

i gotta say i do love durge & minthara just standing in the corner cheering on astarion as he ascends. best enablers in baldur's gate. 💖

[cent-scratchnsniff]

l-o-v-e l-o-v-e

[somethingsomethingcomic]

gay and stupid

[jasper-unofficial]

BAD GUY - POND X LEGO DANCE COVER (FIRST VERSION)

[x]

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer In The Dark -- The Three Pillars' Menagerie

Yes indeed -- I've talked a lot about the human members of the group, now it's time to discuss the nonhuman ones! Because, as it turns out, the Three Pillars are going to actually end up with a fair number of pets over the course of their adventures:

Sooty -- the very first "pet" the trio ever get, Sooty technically predates Victor, Alice, and Smiler becoming the Three Pillars, as he shows up before they become an official crew. His first appearance is in the upcoming second VITD story, "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" -- well, his first solo appearance, at any rate. For you see, Sooty is one of the ravens in Elder Gutknecht's tower -- a recently-fledged youngster with a few lingering baby feathers near the tops of his wings. When the trio temporarily moved in after the whole Barkis incident, Sooty was very curious to see what was going on with these new strange solid people living in his house. His curiosity was rewarded with food, so he decided that whoever they were, they were nice. So when they headed off to snatch Bumby's ledger (and hopefully kill the guy), he flew after them to see where they were going and if it involved more food --

And when Bumby confronted the trio after discovering the theft of his ledger, intending to stop them by any means possible before they could escape and expose his evil, Sooty realized that this other weird solid person meant the three nice people who fed him harm -- and promptly swooped in to harass him. Giving Alice the perfect opportunity to grab her sister's room key off Bumby's watch and shove an armed electroplasm bomb into his pants. Sooty ended up hitching a ride on Smiler's shoulder when they fled the scene, and Smiler ended up using Sooty as a messenger to let Elder Gutknecht know what had happened and where they'd gone after the trio ran into their parents, Matt and Carol, and were invited to spend the Names (night) at the Ministry of Joy. Sooty performed this job admirably, and thus became the Representative Of The Tower Ravens for the trio when they officially moved in. Sooty is closest to Smiler, who was the first to feed and pet him, but he likes all three of the trio and will often hang out with them as they do various tasks. You know that anonymous raven that so often popped up in the various Valicer In The Dark-themed Not Incorrect Quote collections? Yeah, I'm picturing that as Sooty now. :) He's their bud! And, if you believe the second set of quotes, toilet trained. XD (Also, I should thank @thesatiricaldemon for giving me the idea of Sooty showing up to harass Bumby at the climax by mentioning how bad an idea it is to piss off a corvid in his comment on the last chapter of "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" -- Bumby may not have made enemies with the whole flock, but he definitely made one of that one particular raven!)

Guide -- if you've read my Forgotten Vows series, you'll recognize this as my name for the white cat Alice keeps seeing periodically during Alice: Madness Returns (the one who appears most prominently in Chapter One of the game, where chasing after it leads Alice to the spot where she meets Witless -- it also appears briefly at the beginnings of Chapter Two (on the docks) and Chapter Four (at the door of the police station) ). While Guide had a decent life as a semi-feral stray who hung out in Dr. Fixxler's shop from time to time in the Forgotten Vows Verse, I thought it would be nice if, in this universe, Alice could officially adopt the cat. And after a little bit of thought, I realized that I already had the perfect score in which this could happen -- the Alice: Asylum-based "taking out Radcliffe and rescuing his daughter Angela" score! My idea is, after the trio makes the decision to try and shake down Radcliffe for Alice's inheritance, the white cat shows up while they're on their way to his house. Alice recognizes her (as I've decided the cat is female) and says, "I appreciate it, but I really don't need you to show me where I'm going this time" --

And then they come across the clearly-abandoned house and she's like, "...okay, maybe I do." XD And indeed, after discovering Radcliffe's plans for his daughter and where he's likely to be, the cat helps lead them to the meeting place at the docks (annoying Rabbit a bit, as he's trying to do the same thing), and maybe, like Sooty, even helps in taking him down (perhaps biting or clawing him at a key moment?). And then, once everything is sorted and Angela is safely settled in Houndsditch, Alice spots the cat following them again as she, Victor, and Smiler are heading home...

And when she sees Alice looking at her, the cat pads up to her and starts rubbing against her leg, purring. Alice is like "well, I let Angela have my old rabbit toy, so I do need a new furry white creature in my life," picks her up, and takes her home, naming her Guide because, well, that's what she seems to do. There's a little initial tension between Guide and Sooty and the other ravens, but after it's made clear to Guide that these birds are not flying snacks, they get along reasonably well. Guide is naturally closest to Alice, often chilling with her as she reads or draws, but will of course accept pets and food from both Victor and Smiler as well.

Dogmeat -- yes, that Dogmeat. The German Shepherd from Fallout 4, to be precise, since that's the game I'm actually playing. I told you all in the above-linked post that I wanted to adapt some FO4 quests for my VITD universe -- and if I'm bringing in Nick Valentine, Piper Wright, and Preston Garvey, why wouldn't I also include everyone's favorite doggo companion? Especially since one of the quests I'm adapting is "When Freedom Calls" (the one where you meet Preston and help him defend the Museum of Freedom from raiders), which:

A) I imagine most people do with Dogmeat at their side, given the quest location is literally just down the road from the Red Rocket where you meet and adopt the dog

B) I've always headcanoned as a quest you should do with Dogmeat, as -- thanks to Mama Murphy being the one to tell you his name and acting at least somewhat familiar with the pooch -- I've always pictured Dogmeat as having traveled with Preston and the survivors for a bit before they all got pinned down in the museum, and that Preston actually sent the dog out to try and find help during a quiet moment -- hence why Dogmeat was at the Red Rocket in the first place!

So yeah, it only makes sense that Dogmeat would be a part of the VITD version of the quest! I'm still pinning down how the quest should go in this reality, but here's my off-the-cuff rough draft so far --

I. The Three Pillars are walking around Six Towers one day, maybe talking about plans for their next heist or something, when they encounter Dogmeat hanging around an abandoned building (perhaps whatever the equivalent of a gas station is in this world? The rich DO have electroplasmic carriages that work a bit like cars, and might need places to renew their fuel supply for the engines...). Victor of course promptly takes a shine to the dog, and the dog to him. After a bit of getting-to-know-you time, the dog indicates that he wants the trio to follow him -- curious, they do --

II. And come across the wreckage of an old museum, with a man on the balcony, being menaced by a gang of toughs. A gang that promptly turns on the Three Pillars once their presence is known. Fortunately, the trio and the dog manage to defeat them and drive them off for a bit, and the man on the balcony asks them to come in -- they do, and find him locked in an upstairs room, along with four other people, looking rather worse for wear. The man introduces himself as "Preston Garvey, of the Coalridge Dust Street -- just Preston," and the others as Mama Murphy, Jun and Marcy Long, and Sturges. They fill in the Three Pillars on what their deal is -- basically, they're the survivors of a recent massacre on Quincy Street in Coalridge, after a rich factory owner decided to make an example out of striking workers by sending mercenaries (a Hound group called The Gunners) to rough up their loved ones. Things quickly got out of hand, though, and a lot of people ended up dying because the Gunners were a little too enthusiastic about their job. Preston was part of the Bluecoat squad that was sent to try and calm things down, and for a minute it looked like they might actually succeed...

Only for one of his own squadmates, Clint, to reveal he'd decided to switch sides and join the Gunners, leading to him helping them gun down his own squad. Preston was the only survivor thanks to managing to wound Clint and flee before he could kill him, but he couldn't stand up to the Gunners all on his own. So, determined to save someone in this mess, he found these four, put them under his protection, and then booked it out of there. Unfortunately, Mama Murphy had a reputation in the neighborhood for being a little psychic, especially if she's high. A reputation that Jared, former resident and leader of the "Corvega Raiders" (a gang of former workers from the Corvega Electroplasmic Carriages Company) knew well, thanks to her predicting he'd become a feared gang leader when he was a child. He decided upon getting control of the Corvega Raiders that he wanted her and her insights for himself -- so almost the minute the group got free of the Gunners, they found themselves harassed by Raiders sent to kidnap her. The group managed to evade them long enough to get to Six Towers and barricade themselves in this museum, and -- well, it's been a stand-off ever since. And while Preston was very impressed with the Three Pillars' work in helping drive off the Raiders, he's pretty sure the gang is not gone for good. The trio, feeling very sorry for these people, offer to help try and defeat the Corvega Raiders once and for all and get the refugees to safety. Preston is quite thankful, and they start discussing offense and defense options.

III. During these talks, Victor ends up chatting with Mama Murphy, who tells him that she's glad Dogmeat found them. Victor's like "oh, he's your dog?" and she explains that he isn't, not really -- Dogmeat has been traveling with them for a bit, and Preston did send the dog to find help when they got trapped in the museum, but he's not anyone in the group's pet. He's just a dog that showed up and started traveling with them (the "Dogmeat" name was a joke by Marcy that stuck). Mama's of the opinion that Dogmeat came along just to help get them out of this mess, and now that he's done that, he'll probably stay with Victor and his companions, since he seems to have bonded to him. She also warns Victor that she's had a vision of something bad showing up during the next fight -- she can't describe it well, but she knows it's big and angry. Victor, concerned, says he's going up on the roof to watch for trouble then, and does that while Alice and Smiler help Preston come up with more ways to repel potential invaders (Smiler probably working up some handy-dandy knockout bombs with the help of Sturges)...

IV. And then -- as the Corvega Raiders show up for a second round and starts falling afoul of the bombs and whatnot -- Victor suddenly feels the big and angry thing himself, coming towards their location rapidly. A big and angry thing that he's able to identify as a Horror that's somehow managed to get into the sewer system. He runs downstairs and warns the others --

Just in time for the Duskwallian equivalent of a Deathclaw (a Glowing Deathclaw, no less) to rip its way through a manhole and emerge onto the streets. It makes short work of the gang outside, but now the trick becomes keeping it out of the museum so it doesn't make short work of everyone inside! The Three Pillars are successful in this (either killing it, as in the original quest, or at least keeping it out long enough for the Spirit Wardens to show up and kill it), and Preston thanks them profusely for their help. He says he hopes to get the refugees settled here in Six Towers (Smiler promptly recommends the Advocate bunkhouse by the Arms Of The Weeping Lady soup kitchen, natch), and then start up his own group to help take down his traitor squadmate and maybe do something about the crime in the city. The Three Pillars wish him the best with that, and after seeing the group safely to said bunkhouse, start heading home...

V. And sure enough, Dogmeat tags along after them, tail wagging. Victor is like "well, I hope you get along with cats and birds," and the dog joins the group at their headquarters. :) Once again, there's some early tension between Dogmeat, Guide, and Sooty (Guide is naturally suspicious of the big dog, while Dogmeat doesn't particularly like Sooty always trying to steal his food), but with a firm hand from the human trio, it's all sorted out. And much like Smiler is Sooty's favorite, and Alice Guide's, Victor is Dogmeat's favorite, with the dog generally going to him first for affection and playtime. Like, he'll take a belly rub from everyone, but Victor gives the best ones, in his opinion. :p

Dougie -- okay, this is an interesting one. Back when I was first creating the Valicer In The Dark verse, one of my very first story ideas involved the trio quite accidentally getting a new pet on a job. Specifically, it involved Victoria -- annoyed at her parents for being all smug about this new fancy silver egg retrieved from the Deathlands that they bought at a very high price, as if it wasn't her husband's money that paid for the damn thing -- hiring the Three Pillars to humiliate them by stealing it. Victor, Alice, and Smiler, upon being informed of the situation, are only too happy to cause problems for the Everglots (they have not forgotten the whole "Barkis" thing, and neither has Victoria), and successfully steal the egg, intending to sell it as soon as possible --

But. At some point during their escape (I haven't decided when yet -- it will probably be the consequence of a bad dice roll), Victor, who has the egg hidden in his coat, hears a crack! And when he goes to investigate, worried they damaged the egg --

He discovers that the egg was in fact a real egg. That just hatched a tiny baby dragon. A tiny baby dragon --

That just so happens to be based on my own beloved plush dragon Dougie! :D You know the one -- they show up sometimes in the posts I make for my Victor Plush and Alice Dolly's birthdays. The long silver dragon with the copper-colored head crest, "ear" fins, claws, and underwings. You can get a good look at them in this old photoset from shortly after I got them. They're called "Dougie" because they're a Douglas Toys product, and I'm not very creative with names. XD I love them very much and wanted to involve them somehow in this verse, and this seemed like the best way to do it.

Anyway -- as you might imagine, everyone is very "?!?!" about this development when Victor shows Alice and Smiler what's happened. Fortunately, they still manage to get themselves and their new surprise pet out of the house safely, and then head straight home to raid Elder Gutknecht's library because what the fuck. XD They eventually learn that Dougie is in fact a "lap dragon" -- a type of dragon specifically bred to lie in people's laps and keep them warm. Admittedly, these dragons were supposed to have died out along with a bunch of other stuff eight-and-a-half centuries ago when the sun got exploded, but (as per Elder Gutknecht's theorizing) either those eggs can last for ages and only hatch in ideal conditions, or some survived and are now breeding wild out in the Deathlands, unbeknownst to everyone else. *shrug* At any rate, the book tells them that Dougie's not going to get very big (my toy is sixteen inches long, so about that size) -- and more importantly, they're also not going to be able to breathe fire. All of his warmth stays inside them so they can do their job. This latter trait means that Alice doesn't have any objections to keeping them (especially since she can see that Smiler and especially Victor have already fallen in love with the creature), and so Dougie joins the pet group! There is a lot of "???" from the other pets about this strange creature, but they soon get used to them -- in fact, when it becomes very clear that Dougie is a good source of warmth, Guide and Dogmeat in particular like to cuddle up to the little guy. Though, naturally, Dougie's favorite place is on Victor's lap. :) What can they say -- they love their "mama!" And he loves them. :)

Us -- and finally, we come to the one that I feel the weirdest about calling a "pet" because, well -- this is our favorite intellect devourer friend from Baldur's Gate III, acquired by the gang in that score I talked about previously that's a rough adaptation of the opening tutorial dungeon on the crashing Nautiloid (the one that features themselves having to drop themselves into the ocean on a lifeboat before they're torn apart by air demons attacking a crashing airship). And while Us may be very new to the world, and a weird brain-with-legs-and-tentacles creature, they are fully sapient! I guess they count in a technical sense because they disguise themselves as a cute little kitty cat so only Victor, Alice, Smiler, and anyone they choose to let in on the secret (like Smiler's parents and Elder Gutknecht) can see them as what they are, but... *waggles hand* Still a little weird to me. They are a beloved member of the family, though -- even if the teething problems in introducing them to Sooty, Guide, Dogmeat, and Dougie are worse than usual because the animals' reactions to Us are a combination of "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CREEPY THING" and "hang on it smells like food." Fortunately Us is quite capable of defending themselves, and a few tentacle smacks on the nose and perhaps a minor psychic blast or two teaches the animals that they are NOT to be nibbled on. I don't know how comfortable they ever get with the intellect devourer, but it does kind of amuse me to imagine them all in a big cuddle pile one cold winter's night, so...I guess comfortable enough? XD Smiler certainly loves them a lot, though -- they bonded with the creature the minute they pulled them out of that poor dead guy's skull, and the feeling is very mutual. Victor and Alice -- well, they need a minute, but they rapidly warm up to them. Helps that Us is so cute -- and, in Victor's case, can eat his fear and anxiety about stuff!

Whew -- quite the collection, huh? Even I didn't expect them to get this many pets...good thing that they live in a reasonably-spacious house and all love animals! And that these animals are all capable of taking care of themselves when the crew is out on a job. XD And damn it, now I want to do some sort of story with the pets all teaming up to find the Three Pillars when they don't come home one day and Us suspects they're in trouble...